The Mother Hen project

My piece for the upcoming charity fundraiser The Mother Hen Project.

Matt Cruickshank and I cruised down the Northern Californian coast to sleepy surfing community Pacifica. We painted the jettys and found a cool, wooden shark sculpture to draw.

Motherlode

In early october I embarked on a painting and camping weekend in Goldrush country with artist pals Mike Dutton and Matt Cruickshank.

Mike's trusty camper-van was our base of operations for 3 days on the road.

 We found a basin with scorched paths winding through marshland and scrub. The orange rock was striking. The heat was so intense we had to make it quick.

 North San Juan

In North San Juan this hot-rod stretch limo pulled up to the saloon bar we were cooling off in.

'Gold Bug Stamp Mill, Auburn'

Back in 2012 I trekked out to 'arrested decay' ghost-town Bodie with my old Aardman Animation chum Ash Boddy. I finally cut together the footage from that trip. My original post with all the sketches is here.

Gesture Lab

Latest from Gesture Drawing class. . .

Bay Area Sketchcrawl summer 2014

 The 'Russian Mansion' on Alamo Square.

 Haight and Masonic. The nudist strolled past and into my picture, his modesty preserved by a golden fig leaf! The freaks, hippies, beatniks and junkies still flourish in Haight Ashbury.

 A trip to Berkeley Marina. The pier above stretches 3000 ft into the Bay!

 Mojo Bicycle Cafe on Divisadero.

 A couple views from the top of Piedmont Cemetery with Downtown Oakland in the background and the Bay behind.

These old navy vets were in full uniform for a memorial service. They each carried a rifle and fired a salute for their departed brother.

Japantown

This house on 'Billionaire's Row' in Pacific Heights looks like a Greek temple.

Mansion over-looking the Bay on Lafayette Square. Apparently the largest private residence in San Francisco and owned by Danielle Steele.

Incredibles Gesture Class

More Gesture Class sketches where the poses were inspired by 'The Incredibles' (digitally coloured later).

 30 sec. warm-ups

 1 min. poses

Dachshunds!

'Une doxie a Paris'

Dachshunds came from all over to worship the great Dox Idol. 

Dachshund Hammett had a San Francisco based Pet Detective Agency. This picture shows him in Chinatown tailing the philandering husband of the drop dead gorgeous French Poodle that hired him. 

'Bavarian Dachshund' 

Did you know the dachshund breed originates in the Bavarian Alps where they are specially bred to hold large quantities of beer? Mini lederhosen are tailored to each dog with their family crest sewn into the pocket.

'The Dachshund of Liberty' 

'Western Dachshund' 

'Explorer Dachshund' 

'Hockney's Dachshund' 

'Picasso's Dachshund' 

'Dachsosaur' 

The prehistoric dachshund! Did you know dachshunds evolved from fearsome, giant creatures into the lovable dox we know today.

'Red' 

'Venice Beach Dachshund' 

 'Longhair Dachshund' 

'Pigeon' 

 'The Dachshund of Nob Hill' 

'Polynesian Dachshund'