The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth

A seat in the sun

2011-05-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

A little iPad pic from a recent holiday in India. I'm aware that the image itself isn't particularly 'Indian' so you'll just have to project :-)

Back by dope demand....

2011-05-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

....well that's not strictly true, but I'm back anyway.

Let's skim over the embarrassingly long period since my last post. So long has it been that I wonder if anyone is still checking this Blog at all. I could give excuses for my absence, but they'd be lame. Let's just pretend I've been off exploring other galaxies instead ;-)

Anyway, to reward anyone foolish enough to have stuck around, the blog now has a shiny new look complete with a shiny new title. 'A Year of Drawings' was kind of becoming a painful reminder of more productive days gone by so it needed to go. Welcome instead to 'The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth'

To kick us off, here's a sketch I did in Painter of some guys eating noodles. Mmmmmm......tasty!

Strip Tease Shirt - The results

2010-11-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

So here's how the T-Shirt turned out:

Not too shabby methinks.......

Strip Tease Shirt

2010-11-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

So every month in Cambridge there's a big Burlesque night at one of the clubs. There are live acts, lots of happy people and generally great fun to be had by all. The only rule is that dressing up is mandatory! On the night this results in a variety of costumes ranging from snazzy to raunchy to just plain weird (one time someone dressed up as a zebra - i still don't understand why)

Anyway, tomorrow night is November's turn. After a few weeks of not knowing what to wear, I decided to design my own T-Shirt to wear with a suit - appropriately styled of course!

Here's the image that went off to the printers:

Finger's crossed it turns out ok. I'll be picking up the T-Shirt later on today. If it looks good I'll post a photo of the result.

If it looks bad, well there probably won't be a post..... so either way you'll know the outcome!

Until then....

It's official.....

2010-10-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

.....it's now an embarrassingly long time since I last posted. What's worse is that I don't even have any pretty pictures to make my comeback with. Honestly, work has been pretty busy for the past few months - plus it's seen me do far more drawing during work hours, which means I'm a) knackered a lot and b) don't quite have the same urge to do stuff in my spare time.

What's worse still is that I can't even put these pictures on the blog because the project is highly confidential. Which basically means I have naff all to show you....

There is a silver lining though. I have been spending more time doing Photography, another hobby of mine. Despite this site starting up as a drawing depot, I figure if anyone can change the rules it's me. So here are some of my favourite photos from a recent trip to Hong Kong;

I'll try and post a proper drawing soon (I promise)

Shipwreck

2010-06-17T13:13:00.001-07:00

Hurrah! I've finally managed to post another drawing! How on earth did I manage to do this every day for a year....?

Oh well, the up side is I have the World Cup to blame for my recent absence; I do like my football after all!

On that note, I'd like to point out that I always said England would struggle to beat the USA, but maybe that was just pessimism rather than anything else!

Anyway, congratulations to any American readers on the draw. I did particularly like the front page of the New York Post saying 'USA wins 1-1'

I'll put that down to innocent enthusiasm ;-)

The Beard

2010-05-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

"Your beard's getting very big." my wife remarked the other day.

"Yup. I know." I casually replied.

"Why is that?" she asked pointedly.

"To keep punctuation in of course." I explained.

"I see. That makes sense. How's that working out for you?" she enquired.

"Ok, although the exclamation marks keep falling out." I answered sadly.

"Oh dear. They have a habit of doing that don't they?" she contested.

"Yes. It's just not fair." I conceded.

Street Corner - WIP

2010-05-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I posted so I thought I'd put up a picture I'm working on at the moment.

I've been watching a lot of Madmen recently which has made me weirdly nostalgic for America in the 50s (Despite me being British and only 29). Anyway, it made me want to do some kind of street scene from that era.

Stylistically it's kind of Edward Hopper meets Gregory Crewdson (if you don't know the latter, check out his photographs)

I'm planning on adding some cars and people so there's still a way to go, but I thought it might be interesting to show it's development.

Life Drawing

2010-04-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post a couple of my pics from last night's life drawing class.

I've been trying to get more fluidity and character into my drawings, mainly because I've been looking a lot at the work of Karl Gnass, a guy with mad figure drawing skills

Check out his site here

Anyway, I think these two drawings are my best efforts so far. Done with a big chunky graphite pencil, I focused more on muscle form and flow rather than capturing an exact likeness of the model.

Oriental Street

2010-04-13T10:49:00.001-07:00

Now why is it that I managed to do a drawing every day for a year, but now I struggle to do one a month!

Not good!

It just goes to show how quickly you can slip out of a routine.

Anyway, here's my latest offering. Hope you like it :)

The Tank Graveyard

2010-03-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

So it's been a couple of weeks since 'the end' and I figured it was about time I put something new up to break the silence......!

I have to admit it's been really odd not posting recently having done it pretty much every day for a year.

And worse still, it's been bad odd not good odd.

Good odd's seeing a big dog carrying a tiny mouse on it's back.

Bad odd is waking up and finding a clown sat on the end of your bed.

So in summary, I've missed the posting, and it's good to be back!

Anyway, what's the point of this drawing you ask?

Well, for those of you who don't know, to the North of Afghanistan's capital Kabul lies a massive 'Tank Graveyard'. Here there are hundreds of abandoned Soviet tanks, left there after the end of the Soviet war in 1989.

They've basically been rusting away there ever since.....

Kind of surreal huh?

Day 365 - The final drawing

2010-03-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

So this is it, the last drawing, the final one of an epic year......

Originally I thought I should do some grand masterpiece to signal the end of the adventure, something fitting for the celebration of the blog's completion.

Well, it turns out that I'm actually kind of fed up it's over. The great epiphany in the realisation of the year hasn't really happened.

So instead, this is a picture of me being blue.

Although it's simplicity might seem anticlimactic, I think I'd rather that than some glorious definitive ending, because you know what? I kind of like this drawing lark, so much so that I think I'm going to keep going with it.

NOT every day though. There are some days when it's ok to not draw :)

I'm also looking forward to spending some more time over my drawings without the constant pressure of posting every. So although you might see slightly less content, the quality should be higher.......i hope.....

So basically watch this space - I'll be back!

(after a little rest of course....!)

Day 360 - 364 - The penultimate drawings

2010-03-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

So these are some scribbles from my week overseas - all done on my iTouch.

I was actually hoping to do more, but time was at a premium. Particularly given that there was a whole new city for me to explore.

(San Francicso is ace btw!)

Day 359 - Friday 5th

2010-03-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

So can anyone tell me where this is?

No?

Give up.....?

Ok, I'll spill the beans. It's Alcatraz in San Francisco where I'll be spending the next week at a Games Developers Conference.

I should point out that the conference isn't actually in the prison (although that would be cool), Alcatraz just seemed like a good landmark to draw (plus I'm hoping to go there on Sunday)

The shrewd among you will have already realised that this means my remaining six drawings will be taking place on my trip. Kind of a cool way to end the year huh?

So watch this space. I'll be back on the 16th to post my final offerings, then it's all over....

.....eek!

Day 358 - Thursday 4th

2010-03-04T10:45:00.001-08:00

Here's today's pic, inspired by a failed speed painting at lunchtime.

I've found that some days the drawings just don't work out the way I want them too. The solution seems to be starting on an entirely new picture completely.

This is the perfect example; 30 minutes drawing, no stress and a result I'm happy with - compared to an hour at lunch, lot's of stress and a result I hated.

You've just gotta know when to quit I guess!

Day 357 - Wednesday 3rd

2010-03-04T08:32:00.001-08:00

Last night's life drawings......

Day 356 - Tuesday 2nd

2010-03-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

Throughout the course of my drawing adventure you've probably all been asking yourselves 'when the hell is Tom going to draw some meerkats'

Well wonder no more because today is that day :)

Day 355 - Monday 1st

2010-03-02T01:02:00.000-08:00

Here's Monday's pic. Ended up being a bit rushed due to Photoshop crashing halfway through the drawing....

Why does stuff like that always happen when you haven't saved??

Curse you computer god!

Day 354 - Sunday 28th

2010-02-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

A quick post tonight before I settle down to watch the Ice Hockey Final. My brother Matt will actually be at the game, so I'll be scanning the crowd for a shot of him and his partner Jenny :)

Btw - this pic is supposed to be a parachutist stuck in a tree, not really sure I got that across though.....

Day 353 - Saturday 27th

2010-02-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Here's yesterday's pic.

Started off as a charging knight on horseback, but i was not having a good drawing day so I ended up simplifying it to just focus on the lighting.

Day 352 - Friday 26th

2010-02-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

Here's today's pic :)

Day 351 - Thursday 25th

2010-02-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

Today at work I was equipped with a nice shiny new Wacom Cintiq, which basically means I'm a very happy boy :)

If you've no idea what one is, here's a clip of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE2APo_EORQ

I should point out I don't yet have the awesome white glove.....

Day 350 - Wednesday 24th

2010-02-25T01:17:00.000-08:00

A couple of the best sketches from last night's life drawing class :)

Day 349 - Tuesday 23rd

2010-02-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

Weird dino creature anyone.....?

Day 348 - Monday 22nd

2010-02-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

What better way to start a week than with a picture of a mysterious castle......!

Day 347 - Sunday 21st

2010-02-21T14:29:00.001-08:00

Here's tonight's pic. Decided to try something a bit different with the perspective, which too be honest was far more hassle than it was worth!

At one stage the picture was long enough to see everyone's feet, but drawing people on the move is hard enough at the best of times, let alone from a weird angle.

After several failed attempts I gave in and cropped them out instead.

Definitely the correct decision :)

Day 346 - Saturday 20th

2010-02-20T05:41:00.000-08:00

Meet Megan, she's one cute kid huh?

Luckily for me, I get to meet her for the first time today. Let's hope she likes her picture!

Day 345 - Friday 19th

2010-02-19T05:46:00.001-08:00

This if for mum, who's 60 today!

Congratulations!!!

Looking forward to celebrating with you tomorrow!

Lots of love from your son xxx

Day 344 - Thursday 18th

2010-02-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

Hmmm - only 21 days to go. This is starting to get a bit close.....

Day 343 - Wednesday 17th

2010-02-17T14:53:00.001-08:00

No life drawing tonight so you get this guy instead :)

Day 342 - Tuesday 16th

2010-02-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

Here's today's pic.

Only just realised it's Shrove Tuesday. I really should have done something more topical!

Day 341 - Monday 15th

2010-02-16T01:13:00.000-08:00

Here's yesterday's pic, done in my lunch break at work. I actually took it home with the intention of doing some more work on it, but my evening somewhat ran away from me.

I've no doubt it would have looked truly awesome though ;-)

Day 340 - Sunday 14th

2010-02-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

Today has been a slow one. Energy levels were at about 1% when I woke up this morning. Fortunately there was lots of sport to watch so I've been able to have a proper lazy sunday.

Did anyone see the Wales v Scotland rugby match? What a finish! I think I must have re watched the end about 5 times now :)

Anyway, this picture is inspired by my friend Chris, who for some reason decided to try and walk home from the wedding last night. Given that he was wasted, it was midnight and his house was several miles away it probably wasn't his brightest moment.

Oh, and as if that wasn't enough he also ended up walking in completely the wrong direction. After a few hours of tramping through fields and sleeping in bushes he eventually was rescued by a taxi that was sent out to look for him.

I'm guessing Chris won't be drinking as much next time he goes out.......

Day 339 - Saturday 13th

2010-02-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Another hectic weekend which saw my buddy Ed get married (congratulations if you're reading this!)

The wedding pretty much filled most of the day so there was only time for this scribbled thumbnail sketch of a tramp in an alley.

Pretty much your standard Saturday drawing :)

Day 338 - Friday 12th

2010-02-12T05:48:00.000-08:00

Only time for a quickie today. This is a 30 minute scribble from my lunch break.

The colours were supposed to make it bright and cheerful, but in reality they actually make it look quite somber and eerie....

Oh well....!

Day 337 - Thursday 11th

2010-02-11T05:52:00.001-08:00

Here's today's effort.

Scarily, I actually got stuck in the lift at work last week. Well, I say stuck, but in reality it was more like a long pause.

That being said I did get a bit freaked out; particularly as I had no phone and really needed the toilet. Any prolonged trappage would not have been pretty. The pause only lasted about 30 seconds, but considering the lift journey only normally takes 20, it felt like eternity. I basically resorted to hitting all the buttons and thankfully the lift powered back up.

Needless to say I've been taking the stairs a lot more recently......

Day 336 - Wednesday 10th

2010-02-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

Last night's life drawings.....

Unfortunately Brian's new short haircut means he looks a bit too much like Hitler in my sketches.

I'm guessing that's not the look he's going for....!

Day 335 - Tuesday 9th

2010-02-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here's today's pic!

Day 334 - Monday 8th

2010-02-08T05:07:00.000-08:00

Spent the morning at home today waiting for our upstairs carpet to be fitted. Pretty exciting I know.

The good news is that it meant that i could spend a bit longer on today's pic.

I call it 'The Old Tree'.....

Day 333 - Sunday 7th

2010-02-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

And tonight's........!

A slightly topical picture given that a lot of people have been calling for chinese lanterns to be banned.

Apparently they're floating into fields and causing damage - mainly when livestock eat, or get trapped in the wire meshes inside them.

Kind of sad really - hopefully there's a 'green' compromise.

Day 332 - Saturday 6th

2010-02-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

And Saturday's.........

Day 331 - Friday 5th

2010-02-07T13:36:00.000-08:00

Been a super busy weekend which has held up my posting. Better late than never though.....!

Here's Friday's......

Day 330 - Thursday 4th

2010-02-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

Here's tonight's effort. About 1hr 30mins from start to finish.

Been researching China and Japan quite a lot recently for work recently, so the red parasol is definitely influenced by that.

Hope you like it!

Day 329 - Wednesday 3rd

2010-02-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

This is the best of last night's life drawing. As my friend Martin has just pointed out, it kind of looks like she's sat on a third leg.

Well she's not. It's a cushion.

I promise.

Day 328 - Tuesday 2nd

2010-02-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Like me I'm sure you've all been following the desperate plight of Haiti over the past few weeks. In many ways I've found it hard to even comprehend what's occured; the gulf between the suffering going on there and the daily comfort of my life is quite staggering. Especially given that the events are happening half way round the world from the UK. In many ways it's very easy to isolate the devastation and assume that it's only affecting those in Haiti.

This couldn't be further from the truth. The reality of the situation really struck home with me last week when I found out that the nephew of a close family friend had been killed in the Earthquake. Frederick, who worked tirelessly for the UN in Haiti, was tragically in their headquarters when it collapsed.

In it's own way, this is a tribute drawing for Fred.

Of all the coverage, the images that have struck the biggest chord with me have been those with a sense of hope; be it a survivor pulled from the wreckage or a mother and child playing....

......or simply two loved ones being reunited.

Take care Fred, I know you'll be deeply missed.

Day 327 - Monday 1st

2010-02-01T05:20:00.000-08:00

So I looked at my blog and decided I hated yesterday's effort. The blue doesn't work, the figure is boring and unimaginative. Basically not good.

This pic is how it should have been from the start. I'm 100% blaming my hangover for yesterday's poor show.

Day 326 - Sunday 31st

2010-01-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

Here's today's pic, done with a stonking hangover

Alcohol does definitely not help my drawing skills......

Day 325 - Saturday 30th

2010-01-30T01:47:00.001-08:00

Quick one this morning as I'm off on a stag do now for my buddy Ed.

Fortunately I recently purchased a stylus for my iTouch, so this seemed like a good time to experiment with it!

(much easier than using my fat finger!!!)

Day 324 - Friday 29th

2010-01-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd do a bit more of a lighting focused pic tonight.

I kind of like the long shadows, but not sure about the big Buddha, maybe because you can't really tell what kind of material he's made from. I always find drawings never work out as good when I don't decide exactly what I'm trying to depict.

Ah well, it's Friday and it's late so I buddah be off.....!

(gosh I'm funny!)

Day 323 - Thursday 28th

2010-01-28T09:17:00.001-08:00

Today's pic, inspired by some particulalry harrowing documentaries I've been watching about Liberia.

Day 322 - Wednesday 27th

2010-01-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

First Contact.......!

Day 321 - Tuesday 26th

2010-01-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, I think I may have become the most boring man alive..... I feel as though i never have anything interesting to say.....

Perhaps the solution is to just start making stuff up, fake adventures are always much more exciting.

Which reminds me, on my way to the dentist today I saw a clown fighting a squirrel.

Yep, no word of a lie!

Actually, except for the dental checkup, that story is almost definitely made up, but I bet it sparked your interest?

Tune in tomorrow for more of my never not untrue escapades....

Day 320 - Monday 25th

2010-01-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

Swamp anyone..........??

Day 319 - Sunday 24th

2010-01-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

Just been too see Up In The Air which has left me feeling surprisingly indifferent.

I can't really make up my mind whether I enjoyed it or not, which is in itself fairly damning.....

Or maybe it's all supposed to be a metaphor for the ultimate disappointment and uncertainty of life?

Pah....How about some Avatar-esque scenery instead?

Day 317 - Saturday 23rd

2010-01-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

So we went to a birthday gathering at Proud Cabaret in London last night (Happy birthday Gill!)

One of the acts we saw was a hula hoop girl, who was insanely good. We're talking multiple hoops spinning in different directions on all parts of her body. I'm still slightly in awe......

Anyway, here's today's completely unrelated pic :)

Day 316 - Friday 22nd

2010-01-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

Here's today's pic, done in about an hour over lunchtime.

The fisherman dude needs a bit more contrast and lighting, but I've run out of time.

Maybe I'll go back to him tomorrow......

Day 315 - Thursday 21st

2010-01-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

Here's today's pic - some kind of crashed spaceship.

I've actually just realised that it looks a bit like one of the octopus-like robots from the Matrix, so zero points for originality!

Day 314 - Wednesday 20th

2010-01-21T10:03:00.001-08:00

One of last night's life drawings.

Not the best study in the world, but I quite like the combination of the different strokes.

The pose is weirdly fascinating too.

Day 313 - Tuesday 19th

2010-01-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

I've clearly been watching too many apocalyptic themed films recently......

Day 312 - Monday 18th

2010-01-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

Not sure what the little red guy is, but I'm definitely hoping he doesn't get caught!

Day 311 - Sunday 17th

2010-01-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

Another pic with a bit more time spent on it today. This one was probably about 2-3 hours.

Hope you like it!

Day 310 - Saturday 16th

2010-01-16T09:17:00.001-08:00

Had a bit more time to spend on my drawing today as the weekend.... (hurrah)

Ironic then that I spent half of that time getting frustrated with my progress.

Still, I like the end result and that's what matters right?!

Day 309 - Friday 15th

2010-01-15T10:16:00.001-08:00

'Bathing by the Red Rock'

Day 308 - Thursday 14th

2010-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

45 min speedpainting done in my lunchbreak today.

Not sure what the blobs on the right are, so I'll let you use your imagination!

Day 307 - Wednesday 13th

2010-01-14T02:25:00.000-08:00

Woohoo - Life Drawing classes have started again. Here are my favourite sketches from last night's session.

Day 306 - Tuesday 12th

2010-01-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

Here's today's pic - some kind of guitar hero.

Didn't take shape a while and so ended up being a bit rushed. I kind of think it helps to give it energy though ;-)

Day 305 - Monday 11th

2010-01-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

Here's today's pic, done during my lunch break

Some kind of space explorer and his inter-galactic pet. The lighting's not quite right, but it's time for me to go back to work so it will have to do!!

Day 304 - Sunday 10th

2010-01-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

Another sketch from my Fruits book today. A good dose of silliness to counteract what's sure to be a slightly bleak afternoon given that I'm off to see 'The Road'

Here's hoping it's as good as the book!

Day 303 - Saturday 9th

2010-01-09T10:34:00.001-08:00

So i was walking into town earlier and a car drove past with a snow mohawk.

yep, that's right, a mohawk made out of snow.

Possibly one of the best things I've ever seen.

Day 302 - Friday 8th

2010-01-08T04:57:00.000-08:00

For John (and his weird mind)

.....if this makes no sense to you, read Day 301's comments......

Day 301 - Thursday 7th

2010-01-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

This is a quick sketch I did at lunchtime today. I kind of see her as some heroic wild west dame, but I'll leave you to some to your own conclusions!

Day 300 - Wednesday 6th

2010-01-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Dun dun der - it's Day 300 everybody. Exciting huh?

Like the rest of the country, it also decided to finally snow in Cambridge today.

Hmmmm......and I've drawn a snowy scene where the branches almost look as though they're spelling out 300.....

Is this some kind of amazing coincidence I hear you ask?

I guess we'll never know!

Day 299 - Tuesday 5th

2010-01-05T11:59:00.001-08:00

Had no idea what to draw tonight so decided to use a random word generator to come up with something unexpected.

The first suitable word I got was Gravedigger.... and thus the picture was born

This is actually a glorified thumbnail sketch, but I like the roughness of it so I think I'll leave it as it is!

Day 298 - Monday 4th

2010-01-04T02:24:00.001-08:00

A while ago I saw a blog where the artist had drawn a self portrait in only 50 brush strokes. He'd heard from somewhere else that it was a good drawing test to do. I've been meaning to give it a go for a while and today seemed as good a day as any :)

Turns out its actually pretty hard. I think this drawing is probably something like 55 strokes with a couple of undos along the way.

However, for those of you that don't know me I can assure you it's a brilliant likenesss.

For those of you that do know what i actually look like, pretend you don't and that it's a brilliant likeness ;-)

Day 297 - Sunday 3rd

2010-01-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

My new year's resolution: to draw more robots!

...actually, that's a complete lie, but this one is pretty cute huh?

Day 296 - Saturday 2nd

2010-01-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everbody! X

Day 295 - Friday 1st

2010-01-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my neice that I drew on New years day. The likeness isn't great, but to be honest kids move A LOT, so this was the best I could do.

She was actually concentrating pretty hard on her own drawing at the time so we pretty much had our own art club going on :)

Day 294 - Thursday 31st

2009-12-31T04:09:00.000-08:00

Not got much time today as we're off to oxford to usher in the new year.

Decided to do a quick sketch from the Fruits book. Man I love some of the costumes :)

Have fun whatever you're up to tonight!

Day 293 - Wednesday 30th

2009-12-30T11:41:00.000-08:00

I went to the funeral of a family friend today. A friend who was taken far too early.

Oliver loved to ski.

So this is for you Oliver.

We'll all miss you.

Day 292 - Tuesday 29th

2009-12-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

Quick speed painting today that turned into some kind of lord of the rings style dragon picture.

Not sure about the dragon itself, but I like the colour scheme :)

Day 291 - Monday 28th

2009-12-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

"I wandered lonely as a clown....."

Day 290 - Sunday 27th

2009-12-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

So I got lots of new coloured charcoals for xmas; this is my first dabble with them, featuring my lovely wife as model.

Apologies to her for making her look stoned...... (whoops)

Day 289 - Saturday 26th

2009-12-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

I frantically drew this on my iTouch last night during boxing day dinner.

I don't really know what else to say about it, except that I'd been drinking.....

.....which is why it's a bit naff....

Day 288 - Friday 25th

2009-12-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

No obvious santa based greetings from me I'm afraid.

oh no, from me you get one of the Queen's Guards wishing you all a very happy christmas :)

Day 287 - Thursday 24th

2009-12-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

So the snow suddenly all seems to be melting, which might finally mean I can leave the house without fear of slipping on the great sheets of ice that have been keeping cambridge prisoner.

The bad news is it might mean no white christmas

and it's always sad to see snowman melting away....:-(

Day 286 - Wednesday 23rd

2009-12-23T14:29:00.001-08:00

"Fast Food"

Day 285 - Tuesday 22nd

2009-12-22T14:02:00.000-08:00

Wasn't really sure what to draw tonight until Lynsey started watching Dreamgirls, then I guess I just kind of felt the music and this is what happened!

I think these are my favourite kind of drawings - the ones even I dont know I'm going to draw until 2 minutes before hand :)

Day 284 - Monday 21st

2009-12-21T04:47:00.000-08:00

Our work life drawing class has finished for the year, but it's important to keep your eye in right?

This is a quick sketch I did this morning before work.

Day 283 - Sunday 20th

2009-12-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

This is a pic for my scriptwriting buddy John (hi John). It's for a project he's working on called the Emaciated Man....

....Creepy huh?!

Day 282 - Saturday 19th

2009-12-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

Yep, bad news.

Today the inevitable happened and I became cloesly aquainted with an icey pavement.

I'm 99.9% sure there is no way of slipping over and still looking cool.

If anyone has any suggestions I'll be more than happy to hear them!

Day 281 - Friday 18th

2009-12-18T13:23:00.001-08:00

So it snowed last night in Cambridge..............and it snowed a lot.

So much so that I couldn't get my shed open this morning to get to my super grippy boots. Instead I had to settle for an old pair of super un grippy trainers.

NOT a good choice for super slippy icey pavements. I may as well of been wearing banana skins on my feet.

It feels like I've spent all day just trying not to fall over. This picture sums up what I must have looked like to anyone unfortunate enough to be walking behind me.

Day 280 - Thursday 17th

2009-12-17T01:30:00.000-08:00

So there is a car on my way to work which seems to be collecting parking tickets. What makes it better is that it's on a really busy road - there's absolutely nothing subtle about it.

I could understand it if this was some backstreet where the wardens rarely go, but this is parked on the road leading to the train station which is pretty busy.

I'm intrigued to see how many tickets it collects before it is either towed away, or the soon to be poor owner returns from wherever they are.......

Day 279 - Wednesday 16th

2009-12-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

Oooowwwwwwwwwww. A massive headache has descended on me tonight making it really hard to draw, let alone think of anything creative.

I decided to do an angry self portrait to show how I'm feeling......

Day 278 - Tuesday 15th

2009-12-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

Been a while since I last used charcoal so I thought I'd do quick drawing with them tonight.

Nothing special, just based on a nice photo I found on the internet.

That's it!

Day 277 - Monday 14th

2009-12-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

45 minute sketch for work's speedpaint forum.

The theme: 'Mexican Standoff'

Not sure it feels very mexican though. Maybe I need to up the gringo factor on the cowboys....!

Day 276 - Sunday 13th

2009-12-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

This is our friend Gemma getting in the festive spirit last night with her reindeer antlers and nose. Good effort huh? The nose even flashes, but it's kind of hard to show that in a drawing.... :(

Yesterday also saw the arrival of our Christmas Tree, so the season to be jolly is officially here!

Day 275 - Saturday 12th

2009-12-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

So this is the pear I was going to eat for lunch.

That is until I pretended to my wife Lynsey that it was alive - mainly because of the mouth like cut at the bottom.

Anyway she decided eating it was cruel, so it remains uneaten........

It sure is one lucky pear!

Day 274 - Friday 11th

2009-12-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

So I cheated a bit for this one. I actually painted this up today, based on a skecth I did on the way to London yesterday morning.

I figure the original drawing was done on Friday, so this still kind of counts as yesterday's pic.

Anyway, I liked this guy because he reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite.

I'm pretty sure he had some sweet skills..... ;)

Day 273 - Thursday 10th

2009-12-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

I started this at lunchtime with the aim of finishing it this evening, but sadly time has got the better of me.

I was planning on adding an approaching army coming up through the mountains. Imagine the sun glinting off their weapons and armour.

It would have been epic.

Oh well, barren landsacpe it is instead ;-)

Day 272 - Wednesday 9th

2009-12-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

I call this the 'Evolution of the Figure'

Which is basically a pretentious way of saying that these are a series of images capturing the model standing up.

Each pose was about 2 minutes.

Cheers!