Tigers & Jackpots

"Am I Being Too Obvious?" Dept...

This morning's "before breakfast sketch" features a pose and dialogue that is familiar to almost anybody who has read a comic book in the last twenty years, at least.

Enjoy.

The "Manga Bible"

Well, here we are again already. What do you mean, it's only Monday and you haven't even had breakfast yet? Ain't no time for that business!

Let's move along now, we got brains out there need scrambling...

Sean, of Paper Tiger Comix, posted a link for Ikuo Oishi's brilliant 1933 animation "The Fox & the Racoon". It's the only cartoon of his that I've seen, and thought in the muggy moments of the morning that I needed a "Manga Bible" to research his work. (Ok, stop groaning...) But a pun is almost as good as a joke when you're a desperate cartoonist.

I drew these three sketches. (About 20 minutes each) Dunno yet if they work. You tell me.

Although, I do concede that Lot looks less like a fallen holy man and has more of an (unintentional) resemblance to Captain Pissgums.

Enjoy.

"Utopia Redux" July 2012 Sketchbook

Here's this weekend's offerings from the July '12 sketchbook. This and the 8 sketches below represent my meagre output (I've had a busy weekend!) since Saturday morning.

No fancy-pants poetry quotes in this batch! I've been hard at work burrowing into the dystopian areas of my ever more feeble brain to unearth those images that have been hiding there, ever since they were suggested to me by whatever comic book, song lyric, passing fancy or trashy movie planted it there in the first place.

Plus the odd rude joke.

Like it says in the small print: "Good Trash is Always Better Than Bad Art"

Enjoy.

Albert!

This rare barnyard subject full of subtle hilarity was drawn without pencil or a safety net of any kind. Pen on paper in a flash of gutter-minded inspiration in 10 minutes straight.

There is no excuse, and I offer none.

The Difficult Instrument

I drew her eyes, then it all just suggested the next line in the drawing. My wife was playing classical music on the radio in the next room, so no points for Freudian interpretations on this one...

"What Recession?"

Lucky for us this kind of thing never happens in the "real world"...

"Autoportrait"

I'm told this page includes a "self portrait". Probably the guy in the bottom left-hand corner.

Squid Pro Quo !?

Well... There I was just sittin' there... Letting my pen take me for a walk (One of us has to know where we're going...)

Just move along now. Nothing to see here...

"Am I Not a Man and a Brother?"

Never got to use this idea & yesterday, it popped back into my head.

Jesus, Judas & Chump

Any resemblance to Biblical figures living, dead or exploited by religious institutions for commercial purposes may be intentional...

Caution: May contain obvious satire.

Drink 'n' Draw

I like going to Drink 'n' Draw afternoons. What's not to like? Usually I just jam with the other cartoonists or draw sketches. I usually leave 'em behind or take the more embarrassing scribbles home with me.

I did this in my sketchbook & coloured it later with markers.

More Stuff: July 2012 Sketchbook!

Good afternoon.

It may be "casual Friday", but that's no excuse to start slacking. Not here at the Filthy Moods home for deluded cartoonists it ain't! No sir!

Here, and in the following posts, are the meagre trophies of my expedition this week into the unknown parts of my brain. Armed only with pen, paper and my comfy pants, I struggled, sweated and wrestled these shabby illusions onto bits of A5 paper.

And so, with a Heart of Steel and a Knob of Butter*, I present a batch of my latest visual mumblings to you...

Enjoy!

*Our Motto

The Ages of Reason 1 & 2

Never mind all that stuff about "cave paintings" and all that. My findings here are based on years of research into paleolithic and neanderthal prehistory and anthropological study , but mainly reading lots of comic books and like that, see?

I'm aware that there's no actual proof that Archangels had three eyes and rode around in dinky space-ships. But can you prove otherwise?

Atalanta in Calydon

In Swinburne's poem, as the gods leave the Earth at the break of day, Atalanta awakes and the woods around her are new and strange to her eyes, as she prepares to hunt the Wild Boar of Calydon.

Her dress is based on the Aubrey Beardsley illustration.

Orpheus

I'm writing a "comedy" play about Orpheus, as I'm interested in Greek Myths and I like it that there are different versions of the legends revolving around characters such as him and Oedipus.

Sad Guy

This was an idea for a "simple gag" cartoon. Well... maybe next time.

"Inappropriate Quote Guy..."

He tells a bad joke and then he starts a fight. Could you have a more simple concept?

I think we may be onto something here...

Grocers and Scientists

The less said about this the better.

Contains advice to ensure that it won't happen again.

Finbone Harris...

He's called Finbone Harris and he, uh...erm... Hey, look! There's a fish and a polar bear too!

"Modern Art Lovers"

Hey! Who stole my Soapbox? C'mon, tell me...

Ahh... There it is!

Not Again..!

On reflection, I think that this sort of thing is best left to the experts...

Lady Cyclops

A Lady Cyclops entices some hapless sailors to her island. No doubt lots of other monocular ladies await the nautical chumps to disembark, when all manner of farcical adventures will ensue. But, for the sake of brevity and in the interests of your sanity, I only drew this bit.

You may think that this is merely a gratuitous cartoon of a topless young woman, and so to add a bit of gravitas, I've included a quote from a T.S. Eliot poem, Sweeney Erect (Eliot also wrote Cats and hung out with Ezra Pound) Who says I ain't no scholar?

Random Sketches

Just like the post title says, "Random Sketches". Thank you for your time.

Second (We think...) Coming!

Drawn yesterday before breakfast.

When I finished this I had to go to an appointment and a young Mormon guy followed me to the station asking me what I thought about Jesus coming back to Earth to sort out our troubles.

Probably for the best that I'd left my sketchbook at home.

Serious Cowboy...

Yes, it's only Friday, but I've got some sketches/drawings to post anyway.

This is another of the "newsprint sketches" with my hand a wanderin' and my brain a burblin' during those dark and desperate minutes of "coffee breaks", for those of you who wish to know these things...

July 2012 - Sketchbook

I've just started a new sketchbook.

A5 Daler-Rowney hardback, with crisp nice white cartridge paper all ready to deface...

I drew these four pages this morning. Marker pens, no pencil.

Also, I went to Leeds yesterday to see the Ronald Searle exhibition. Wonderful stuff. His originals are immaculate.

Meanwhile, over at the City Art Gallery we saw some Walter Sickert and Wyndham Lewis' fucking incredible large oil, Praxitella.

Enjoy my scribbles...

It's Your Fault, Not Mine Dept...

Don't ask...

The verse reads:

And as the day draws to a close
And Chaos reigns throughout the land,
A humble pilgrim ventures forth
As the LORD snores, "Lamp" in hand.
The humble traveller begs to know
The reason why it is that HE
Supports the Meek and Merciful,
But will not ever set them free.

Okay, here's more of the sketches that I drew in a few minutes to exorcise some of my frustration during "coffee breaks" while skulking in a cramped, crappy office.

Usually, I just draw these if I'm sitting there with a pen in my hand without any prior thoughts. Just trying to keep in touch with that part of my mind. Like a prisoner scratching on a cell wall. Melodramatic, ain't I?

Often I tear them up and throw them away, unless there's an idea that I think can be developed into a finished piece.

But, after I posted a few "survivors" last week, you said you wanted to see more.

Like I say, it's your fault this time.

Enjoy.


T

"Ban The I.Q. Test!" and Other Sketches...

I haven't posted anything for a while, so I'll inflict this and the sketches below upon you all.

These are all marker sketches, done in a few minutes each on newsprint that's been recycled so many times its quality is one-up from toilet paper.

I drew these in my coffee breaks in a shitty office. Just my hand and mind wandering all over the place... There's loads of these, but I'll only post these as you haven't done anything to deserve all of 'em.

Not that I know of..?

I've also recently finished 8 comic strips for my pal, Pete Batchelor's Web comic Tales of the Sly Ditt Inn. I I'll post more info on that at the end of the month.

In the meantime, as usual, enjoy the "funny pitchurs"!

Sketches...