The Future! - In Color!

Behold, the majesty of The Future! Now in Color!

Click to Future-Size!

I've been meaning to try adding color with my computer (using Painter 11 and my old Wacom tablet) for a while, and this picture just cried out for digital coloration. Now I'm thinking of going back and adding color to some of my other sketches. Any suggestions? Leave a comment!

The Future! part 1

So after looking at the Sky Canoe picture from yesterday, I started thinking, "That's not what the future should look like - this is what the future should look like!"

Complete with domed cities, spaceships, ray guns, and rugged men of action! (I would have made him clutching a swooning, bosomy dame but a) I haven't had much (any) practice drawing them, and b) I thought my wife might object!)

"But wait", you might say, "Is there no color or shading in The Future!?" To which I reply, "Hold your cosmic horses! I've got things I want to try..."

Sky Canoe, part 2

Now with sepia effects for added old-timey-ness!

Stormy Camp Problems

Tomorrow's the end of Camp One
And although it has mostly been fun
I just wish that the storm
Lets our printer perform
So our robots will finally be done!

(3D printers don't do so well when storms keep knocking the power out! This week we've had to reload and rerun our final batch of robots for the kids 3 times. It takes about 12 hours to print out a tray of robots, so I hope the print job we started this morning was finished before tonight's storm hit...)

Sky Canoe, part 1

So tonight I was thinking about how much I enjoy paddling down a lazy river in a canoe. Then I started to imagine how much more fun it would be if I were up in the sky, like under a balloon or something. I began sketching, but found myself running out of time, so if you want to see where this guy is going, you'll have to check back again. (If you have any ideas, post a comment!)

Stone Bridge

No, today's not Stone Bridge Day (as far as I know...) - I just found a photo while I was browsing around of an old stone bridge in Cyprus. I started sketching intending to add all kinds of gradients and shading with the markers, but I liked how it turned out with just the pen, so I decided to leave it that way.

Museum Comes to Life Day

Museum Comes to Life Day?

What a strange coincidence

When a story in the headlines

Hardly makes a lick of sense

See there seems to be this statue

That can spin itself around

There’s no simple explanation

But hypotheses abound

Maybe differential friction

Causes it to turn it’s back

Or the rumbling of a trolley

Passing on a nearby track

I myself think some Egyptian

Cursed this thing to cause us strife

Cause you must admit it’s creepy

That today it came to life!

(Yes, today really is Museum Comes to Life Day, and this story really hit the news today! Ooohh, spooky!)

Pink Flamingo Day!

It's time for another crazy holiday! Today is Pink Flamingo Day, celebrating that ubiquitous lawn ornament and it's creator Don Featherstone. Fun fact - Don and his wife Nancy have worn matching outfits every day for the last 35 years!

Supermoon!

In honor of the Supermoon this weekend, I put together these lyrics to a song that I'm sure hasn't ever been written before. Any resemblance to this one is purely coincidental, I'm sure!

Supermoon, Supermoon

Makes celestial people swoon

Overhead, in the skies

Larger than normal size

Look out! Here comes the Supermoon!

Is it close? Heaven knows

It’s in perigee as it goes

In it’s phase it is full. 

You know you feel it’s pull

Hey there! There goes the Supermoon!

In the chill of night

Twelve o'clock, that’s the time

Bathes the world in light

It shines down, so sublime!

Supermoon, Supermoon,

Glowing magically Supermoon

Shining bright, white and gray

See the flag? There’s no way!

To her, she can’t tell why the big fuss

Twelve percent seems to thrill us

We call her Supermoon!

Is it summer yeti?

Little Known Fact: Yetis love summer!

"It got up to -12 today! Balmy!"

Kite

Yesterday's frog took quite a long time to draw. I think it turned out okay, but it's not quite what I was expecting. Today I thought I'd try going quick and sketchy instead, combining my fine tipped drawing pen with the excellent blending of the alcohol markers (many of which are drying out already, to my great sorrow!) and the new markers for just a bit of color. I kinda like the way it turned out.

White Lipped Tree Frog

Why is he white-lipped? Maybe he's stressed? It's okay, little frog, just relax. Everything will be alright.

Caramel Cashew Cookies

I’m in a real dilemma cause I don’t know what to write

I have no ideas for drawings, though I’ve tried with all my might

There’s a thing that occupies my mind and fills me with delight

It’s these Caramel Cashew Cookies - wanna eat them through the night!

Oh these Caramel Cashew Cookies only come from Trader Joe’s

It’s a shame that here in town there’s not a single one of those

But when my wife’s in Indy, that’s the place she always goes

And when I went there with her, you can guess the treat I chose

They are crispy caramel nuttiness all wrapped up in a ball

How can such vast deliciousness be in something so small?

I’d keep this up all night, but now I think I’ve hit a wall

Oh alas! My fun is over cause I’ve gone and ate them all...

Owl Have Another, Please...

Tonight I decided to just have a little fun with some colorful owls.

Father's Day

It’s Father’s Day, so what did I

Get on this day made just for me?

I got the greatest gift of all

A day of sweet tranquility!

I stayed up late to read a book

Cause reading’s something that I love

I also ate some cookies, so

My pants now fit me like a glove

Got up this morning, went to church

Then took a tour all around

The choir loft, the basement, too

A secret river underground

Then off to Moe’s for Mexican

A crunchy, cheesy treat for lunch

My girls had cards that they had made

That said they loved me a whole bunch

Home again, I went upstairs 

To change my clothes in my bedroom

I laid down for a second, then,

I napped away the afternoon

So now it’s evening, on the couch,

With a movie, laid out flat

Just one thing left - to mow the lawn

Tomorrow’s soon enough for that

Ladybug

Little Known Fact: Ladybugs are neither ladies nor bugs. They are actually tiny, remote-controlled mobile cameras sent from the future. They're recording all of us, all the time, for a reality TV show called "Stupid People from the Past".

"Yeah, my future controllers are kind of jerks..."

Blue Planet View

Look! Colors!! Today I broke down and bought myself a nice set of art markers. They're Faber-Castell water-based markers (not the really expensive Copic alcohol-based markers) which means they don't blend together as well, but they also shouldn't fade when exposed to light. This is my first try with them. I'll need to keep working on various techniques, but it's a promising beginning.

"I can see my house from here!"

Weed Your Garden Day

No more time to run or play

We’ve got another holiday

So stick your hands in peat or clay

Today is Weed Your Garden Day!

Yes, weed your garden, weed it good

Pull those pests, you know you should

Some might say weeds aren’t understood

But they’d take over if they could!

But wait, what’s that complaint I hear?

I took too long to post this here?

You’ve missed the day? Well never fear!

Just put off weeding ‘til next year

Lightning Storm

Today we drove down to Indianapolis. It was a very nice outing: shopping, eating, sightseeing, more shopping, more eating, etc. Anyway, the most exciting part of the day came during the drive home. We were treated to a wonderful light show as a huge lightning storm rolled across the state directly ahead of us. Lots of pinkish-orange flashes high in the clouds, no thunder and no rain until the last 10 minutes or so. As soon as we got home, I made this (very quick, very rough) sketch, trying to capture what it looked like...

Almost Bedtime

It’s just about nine

I’ve got plenty of time

Though tomorrow I need to get going at dawn

Surf a couple sites more

Cause it’s hardly a chore

Now the clock’s striking ten and where has the time gone?

Just one thing to do

Send an email or two

Is it really eleven? It can’t be that late!

I’ll do one final scrawl

Of a post on my wall

But why would it post with tomorrow’s new date?

Oh wait! I forgot

All the dishes I’ve got

Thank goodness I finished, it’s now nearly one

Just a quick snack then bed

Fill my gut and my head

Grab a book and Doritos - an hour more done

Then I turn off the light

Brush my teeth for the night

Take a seat on the pot, play sudoku till three

Now I finally lie down

But my thoughts swirl around

At least in the morning there’s coffee or tea

As I drift off, I find

One last thought fills my mind

Tomorrow I’ve got to be getting more sleep

But I won’t, that’s my plight

I wake up with the night

It’s the curse of the night owl - it just makes me weep!

Return of the Robots

Bonus Post! I printed out the 4 model robots from the other day. This is how they turned out. They make quite a charming little family, I think.

Click to robo-size!

No Cavities!

Went to the dentist today for a routine cleaning/check-up. No cavities! That makes Mr. Pangolin very happy (perhaps too happy?)

Six Months

It’s been six months ago to the day

Since my old brain decided to play

A cruel trick on me

When my neurons broke free

In a full tonic clonic display

Yes, it took me right down to the floor

With convulsions and foaming and more

They ran test after test

The results were the best

My brain was as good as before

No tumors or blood clots were found

But by law I could not drive around

For half of a year

After that I’d be clear

And today I am finally unbound!

Like I said, it’s been six months today

And the seizures have all stayed away

Now my freedom’s restored

So let’s pray to the Lord

And request that my brain stays okay

Pinkie Pie Birthday

Today was my oldest daughter's 11th birthday! We had a nice, simple family party with a taco bar and brownie bites for dessert. At the end of the evening as I was tucking her in to bed, I asked if she would like me to draw anything for her, and she requested Pinkie Pie. Unfortunately, I don't have any pink markers, so here's my attempt at a grayscale Pinkie Pie...

Two Year Old Science

On this sunny afternoon we paid the hospital a call

We brought science to the children and we hoped to please them all

With an audience of one today I wondered what to do

How can I explain Bernoulli to a kid who’s only two?

Well, we tried to do our standard stuff, like Properties of Air

We created Instant Snow, although he didn’t really care

And the water with the oil he enjoyed ‘cause it was blue

But I can’t explain Bernoulli to a kid who’s only two!

We had so much stuff to show him, we had beakers full of foam

We had color changing chemicals that you can make at home

But he just stood up and wandered off and at that point I knew

There’s no way to teach Bernoulli to a kid who’s only two.

But we finished up because we knew that we were being seen

By some kids still in their room up on their television screen

But when we went to visit them, my darkest fears came true

There was just a pair of girls, and they were also both aged two!

So they didn’t learn Bernoulli, in the end they’re only two

But at least I made them smile, ‘cause that’s something I can do!

Robot Parts Strike Back

So tonight I'm doing something a little different. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been designing various robot parts for our summer camp students. They should be able to design their own customized robot by choosing a head, torso and legs, which we'll then print out for them on our 3D printer. At this point, I've created 4 of each type of body part, and combined them into 4 sample robots. I left them printing when I came home tonight and I'm excited to see how they turn out tomorrow. In the meantime, I've created these digital images so you can see the final products.

Stinkbug

So this evening we were sitting on the couch when my wife said, "Eew! What's that thing on the window?" It was a weird, shield-shaped bug, so I got a paper towel, squished it and threw it away. Not long after that, I realized my fingers smelled really funny. After giving my hands a thorough washing, I knew what my subject for today's post would have to be. (Also, to make up for the quick and rough nature of yesterday's sketches, I put a little more time into this one.)

"My mom says I smell delightful!"

Drone Doodles

Again, a work-related post. I'm putting together a GPS-based activity where the students have to find the scattered parts of a crashed drone based on their latitude and longitude. This means I need a drone. So I spent some time tonight coming up with some various drone design ideas (the final version will be printed in plastic in our 3D printer and the parts should be able to snap together and come apart again for future camps). I'm putting them here so I can access this blog tomorrow and reference them. (Yes, I could just take the paper with me, but then I'd have to come up with something else to post!)

Moose!

Why? Because I felt like drawing a moose...

Visit, Day 1

It’s been quite a full little day

With mom-in-law here for her stay

First church then the zoo

And some mowing to do

My blogging time just slipped away!

Grandma's Coming!

Today we made home a presentable sight

We cleaned all the rooms, it was kind of a fright

But we needed to make it all tidy and bright

Cause my mother-in-law is arriving tonight

We’ll head to the airport where we get to wait

For her airplane to reach the appropriate gate

And the girls love the fact that it comes after eight

That’s their usual bedtime, they’re staying up late!

And then we’ll come home where I’m sure we’ll all crash

She’ll be here for two weeks, they’ll pass by in a flash

And in that short time before grandma must dash

The girls will be spoiled with goodies and cash