Happy Holidays

This is the image my children chose for the Christmas card this year. I fear what I have done to them. I will be taking a break for the next week or so to enjoy some time with the family. Here is wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas.

And Now for something a little different

Over the summer I was asked to do some branding projects. This is one of them. Branding is another thing I enjoy. I particularly like doing the icon. They are a great company as well.

I still have a few bow ties up my sleeve. I will be posting them soon, I just need a small break to finish my grading for the semester.

100 Bow ties on Parade (IF Highlight)

In looking back over the year, finishing this personal project was definitely a highlight. I learned much about myself and my art in the process. It really helps to set goals and then to stick with them. I have always felt that an artist should work on drawing everyday, but with teaching and other responsibilities it seemed impossible. This last year, I made it a goal and set aside time to do it. It has been rewarding in so many ways. I am less stressed, my drawing improved and I feel I became more creative.

After all that work this is what I did. It is currently being shown in the Quimby Gallery at Lyndon State College as part of the 100 year celebration of the school. It was a fun project.

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Hummingbird (ˈhəmi ng ˌbərd)

This is the last of the 100 bow ties in 100 days I actually managed to finish 2 days shy of the actual due date. Tomorrow I will be posting the final illustration I completed for this project. I wanted to end on a simple note. I have fond memories of watching the hummingbirds swarm the feeders my mother set up. They are beautifully fascinating fowl.

My mind is already twirling for the next bow tie project.

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Tractor (ˈtraktər)

Over the years I have lived in Vermont I have developed a great love for the beauty of old tractors. This is based on a friend of mine's tractor. I saw it and I had to draw it. He wanted to put the other light on, but I loved it the way it was. They have so much character. Now, when I drive through Vermont, I slow down whenever I see an old tractor. I'm not so sure about his thoughts on my adding the bow tie.

Tomorrow is the last day of the 100 bow ties.

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Brain in a Jar (brān in ā jär)

I came into work on Saturday to get some grading done and thought I would also post for the Illustration Friday word “separated.” A bit of a different take on the word the Brain is separated from the rest of the body.

2 left until the 100 are completed. At some point next week I will post the Illustration I completed for the 100 year celebration for Lyndon State College.

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Giraffe (jəˈraf)

The internet access is currently spotty on campus today. I managed in the hectic end of the semester insanity to find a computer that works to post for today. I am not counting the sloth as I have already done one.

3 left.

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Zebra (zēbrə)

My oldest daughter loves Zebras. So I drew a dancing one.

4 left

R.I.P. Dugald Stermer 1936 - 2011

I just found out that a wonderful Illustrator Dugald Stermer passed away recently. I don't know that I could add more than what Greg Newbold has said here at his blog “Life Needs Art.”

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Walrus (wôlrəs)

It is getting down to the wire. for both this project and the end of the semester.

5 left

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Moose (moōs)

Almost drove under one of these in my Geo Metro a few years ago.

6 left

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Q (kyoō)

Q is my favorite letter.

7 left

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Tribbles (ˈtribəls)

I thought it would be funny to draw a tribble with a bow tie. When I had completed one I realized you can't have just one tribble, so I drew two thinking that would be enough, but it was not. I don't even think five is adiquate, but it will do for now. Here we have a brigade of deadly tribbles in there conquest of the Klingon Empire for Illustration Friday's word of the week, “Brigade.”

6 left to complete by December 15 (I think this might continue past 100)

LSC Faculty Exhibit 2011

Today at 6 pm is the opening for the Lyndon State College Visual Arts Faculty Art Exhibit. In celebration of the 100 years of Lyndon State College, the theme is 100. The Show will be up until January 20. I received my print today and was overwhelmed with excitement. This has been challenging project in its size and complexity.

The wonderfully fun and well designed poster was created by Owen Fogg.

Any resemblance to any particular Lyndon faculty is purely coincidental.

I hope to see you there.

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Pangolin (ˈpa ng gəlin)

Again a student of mine told me I should draw one of these. My children asked what it was and All I could say was it was a cross between an armadillo and an anteater. They thought it looked like a Pokémon.

13 left

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Unicorn (ˈyoōnəˌkôrn)

I am in the midst of completing my art work for the faculty exhibit that opens this Friday. Nothing like a deadline to make life stressful. The challenge of this one was I didn't want to anthropormorphise it to much. I wanted it to look as if a horse could walk on it's hind legs naturally.

14 left

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Winged Buffalo (wingd ˈbəfəˌlō)

A student of mine put in a request for this one. An early memory of mine was from the time my family was living in Oklahoma. We went to see buffalos. Since then they have always fascinated me. They are majestic creatures. They are even better with wings.

15 left

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Stegosaurus (ˌstegəˈsôrəs|)

I believe this is my last dinosaur for at least the remainder of the 100 bow ties in 100 days or less. My list of what to draw has gone quite a bit beyond 100. We will see what happens when this is complete.

16 left

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Elephant (ˈeləfənt)

Another one that was bound to show up was the elephant. This is animal is a favorite of mine to draw. I love the awkwardness of them, and yet they are also so beautiful and majestic. For Illustration Friday they definitely have a roundness to them.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

17 left to go.

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Turkey and Alligator (ˈtərkē ˈaliˌgātər)

Happy Thanksgiving! Due to the holiday I will not be posting for the next few days. I hope everyone enjoys the festivities.

18 left

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Robot (ˈrōˌbät)

I knew this one would be coming eventually. I enjoy drawing robots. This is one that has just developed over time. He crops up occasionally in an illustration.

20 left to go.

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Roadrunner (ˈrōdˌrənər)

I lived 5 years in Albuquerque, New Mexico, one of the most beautiful states in the U.S. While there I grew to love the wide variety of desert creatures. I clearly remember the chilly fall day where my father and I went on a hike around the Rio Grande and I saw my first and only roadrunner darting around.

21 left

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A Toucan, Dodo, and Puffin with a Teapot and Teacups (drinking mulled cider) (ˈtoōˌkän, ˈdōdō, ˈpəfən, ˈtēˌpät, ˈtēˌkəp)

Here is my post for Illustration Fridays “Vanity.” Aside from the fact that this whole project is somewhat vain, I felt the Dodo displayed a level of vanity in comparison to the Toucan and the Puffin. He just seemed full of himself.

22 left

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Hippopotamus (ˌhipəˈpätəməs)

I love the girth of these creatures.

26 left

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Owl (oul)

This one is is going to go on top of the cactus. Yesterday, I had scanned it in at 10% of the original size. This is one I struggled with doing. I felt an owl in a bow tie and glasses was a little obvious, but I am glad I did it.

27 left

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Triceratops (trīˈserəˌtäps)

I had another image almost ready to go today, but I had accidentally scanned it in at home as a very small image. So today I did another dinosaur. I love the mass that they have. This is one of my sons favorite dinosaurs, so I have drawn them a few times before.

28 left to go.

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Dragon (ˈdragən)

This is a quick color sketch. As I have mentioned before, I love drawing dragons. They are so majestic, and a bow tie, glasses, and sweater vest seem to fit them so well. The exciting thing is I keep coming up with different ways to do the head ornaments.

29 left.

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Blob (bläb)

This is the fourth Blob Bow Tie Guy I have drawn Two of them can be found here. I mention this because He got better. I love the idea of the glasses and the bow tie floating in the gelatinous mass, but it just didn't have any character. Here I feel I have finally succeeded. Of course I am sure I will continue to explore ways to make it even better in the future. As for Illustration Friday, It slowly slides silently to submerge its victim into its viscous form. It also has no mouth.

30 left to go.

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Snail (snāl)

It seems this is my week of slow things.

31 left to go.

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Moon (moōn)

This is a drawing I posted a few years ago. I did some minor tweaks. Here I am adding color. Just practicing.

32 left to go

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Apatosaurus (ˌapətōˈsôrəs|)

I am still lamenting the loss of the brontosaur. I just like how it sounds. In my mind they are the elephant of the dinosaurs.

33 left

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Tortoise (ˈtôrtəs)

Slow and steady wins the race is a way of living that I see many people and businesses forgetting. More and more I am coming to realize the truth of this statement. Going fast may in the short term give you a feeling of progress, but true change and improvement comes over time. Rushing things never really got anyone anywhere faster. It just got them more stressed.

34 left to go and still not slowing down.

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Pot of Petunias (pät əv pəˈt(y)oōnyəs)

"Oh no, not again,"

35 left to go.

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Hydra (ˈhīdrə)

This one has a little more class than the Hydra Hercules defeated. I felt that each head should have it's own personality. The bottom one really stands out as different.

I really don't know if I should count this as one bow tie guy or five, but for now it is five.

36 left

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Fox (fäks)

Again I seem to be moving faster when it comes to drawing these. They are jumping off my pencil.

41 left

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Seahorse (ˈsēˌhôrs)

This has been on my list to do for quite some time. I was rather intimidated at the prospect of drawing it. The seahorse seams rather complex. I was surprised at how quickly this drawing came out.

42 left to go.

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Anglerfish (ˈa ng glərˌfi)

In honor of Halloween and the Illustration Friday word “scary,” I am posting my anglerfish. Enjoy the holiday. I am going trick-or-treating with the Tucker Family Zoo today.

43 left.

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Pygmy Jerboa (ˈpigmē jərˈbōə)

This is a refined drawing of a previous sketch that was posted earlier this year. They are just too cute and awkward.

44 left to go.

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Cactus (ˈkaktəs)

One of the first posts I made was of a cactus bow tie guy. Initially I thought I would just play with colors on it and resubmit it but I am never satisfied with past work so drew a new cactus.

45 left.

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Hornless Jackalope (hôrnles jakālōp)

I believe the title says it all.

46 left

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Steam Boiler (stēm ˈboilər)

It was a challenge to come up with a bow tie guy that related to Illustration Friday's word this week, but I managed to make a connection with the steam boiler and “fuel.” Now the trick will be working it into the final illustration.

47 left to go.

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Embolotherium (em-bol-oh-THEER-ee-um)

This is a prehistoric mammal who's name means “ram beast” or “wedge beast.” This is a member of the brontotheres family that lived in Mongolia. I really enjoy drawing bulky animals like this.

48 left

Hal Mayforth Opening

The Quimby Gallery had a nice opening for Hal Mayforth's exhibit “Conversations with a Blank Page” last week. His work is spectacular. The rain got in the way of people showing up but it was one of the best student showings I had seen in a while. above is a shot of the gallery with his work and one with my family and Hal. the gallery is open on Mondays through Fridays from 8 am to 4 pm. The show will run until November 1. If you want to see more of his work go to http://www.mayforth.com/

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Jellyfish Alien (ˈjelēˌfi sh ˈālyən)

As mentioned in a post a few years ago. These guys show up a lot in my sketchbook. Its hard to put glasses on something like this so the tie will have to suffice.

Today, I am at the regional AGAEA design conference. Fun stuff.

49 left to go.

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Manatee (ˈmanəˌtē)

Really busy day today. I wasn't sure I would get this done. Off to another meeting now. I hope you enjoy today's bow tie guy.

I am now Half way done.