Art-related content
2022 was a great year of exploring and learning. I present a buffet of visual interest (mostly) from the pages of my sketchbooks. Bon appétit!
“You don’t know what cannot be done.” – Gregg Toland
My labour of love, Followed by a Leaf, is finally published and in book form; it is the first title released by Parkinson Publishing. The book is ideal for children ages 4-9, but ages 1-12 may also enjoy the colourful pictures and playful story.
The book is currently selling for $11 CAD and is only available locally within a small part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Ontario, Canada, for now (shipping is not available due to the high cost). Availability is quite limited; so if you’re interested, please let me know ASAP and we can work out the details. I will handle orders on a first-come-first-serve basis; once they’re gone I may begin taking orders for another print run, but I don’t know how soon that might be.
Since printing in August I have been fulfilling pre-orders, but now that those are finalized I have opened up orders to the rest of world . . . or at least to those in my small corner.
I’ll try to update the following section of the blog post to reflect the ongoing status of my inventory:
Status: Out of Stock
The binding is saddle-stitch (triple-stapled); the book is 8×7 inches (landscape) and has high-quality, full-page colour images. There are 28 pages total (not including the cover).
While visiting your loving, elderly grandparent, they give you an item very dear to them: a small, beautifully-crafted whistle on a chain which they received as a child from a mysterious, but kind, lady in their village. When wet, the whistle calls the nearest whales. In their more-active days as a marine wildlife expert, your grandparent used this whistle to call and tame the beasts of the sea; now they bestow this treasure into your hands for safe-keeping and prudent use.
Standing on the shore of the ocean you gaze at the whistle. When dry, the whistle sounds only of rushing air; when wet, but on land, the whistle sounds of rushing water; but when the whistle is wet and you’re in the water, the whistle sings an ancient and beautiful melody, though seemingly blowing a single tone.
I’ve participated in a couple drawing promptathons myself now and have had a great time. Drawing prompts are a great opportunity to grow in your creativity and productivity. Now, I present my own drawing prompt for anyone interested.
Design a whale/water-based whistle that one could use to tame some creature(s) of the sea. The focus here would be on the appearance of the whistle. You can also base your whistle on an oceanic element other than a whale.
I’d love to see what you come up with; so please do leave a comment with a link to your artwork if you’d like to share it.
Drawabox’s 2022 Summer Promptathon has come and gone! This is the 7th of 7 days of drawing prompts.
The prompt for day 7 is Fantasy Ice Cream Cart. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
As you leave the ring toss pavilion feeling regretful, you are cheered by the call of a wandering vendor: “Get your ice-cold cryo cream! Carl does it best!” The refrain is repeated often as a tinny-sounding music box sings playful tunes among the crowds.
For Drawabox’s 2022 Summer Promptathon — Day 7: Fantasy Ice Cream Cart
Drawabox’s 2022 Summer Promptathon is here! This is the 6th of 7 days of drawing prompts.
The prompt for day 6 is Family Life. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
Tony: Let’s turn up the heat on this stirfry! Yeah!
Extinguisher Bot: Nope . . .
Drawabox’s 2022 Summer Promptathon is here! This is the 5th of 7 days of drawing prompts.
The prompt for day 5 is Lost in the Multiverse. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
[exploding vases / utter chaos]
Run, Tom! Run! Iron Mouse is hot on your tail!
For Drawabox’s 2022 Summer Promptathon — Day 5: Lost in the Multiverse
Drawabox’s 2022 Summer Promptathon is here! This is the 1st of 7 days of drawing prompts.
The prompt for day 1 is Bathroom Spacecraft. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
Captain Weldon: Prepare for intergalactic departure!
First Mate: The energy faucet is at full power, Sir.
Captain Weldon: To the stars . . .
For Drawabox’s 2022 Summer Promptathon — Day 1: Bathroom Spacecraft
I love the weeds wild flowers that grow in my area of Ontario, Canada. This little jewel — the Bird’s-foot Trefoil — is just one of my favourites.
Here’s a glimpse of the real thing.
They tend to grow in bright little patches by roads or in open fields. A brilliant display of God’s handiwork. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these jewels of the field (Matthew 6:28, 29; Luke 12:27). As an artist I rejoice and praise The Artist for His gifts of such fine beauty!
Here’s a couple quick links to learn more about the plant and see more pictures if you’re interested:
I’d love to hear if you’ve seen these little treasures growing in your area — wherever you are in the world.
I completed the following watercolour illustration back in December 2021. Inspiration struck one day as I was exploring compositions. I wanted an image with a lot of different kinds of contrast — big/small, one/many, soft/hard, cool/warm, saturated/desaturated. I enjoyed studying how rubies interact with light.
This is the last in a series of 7 drawings for Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon. You can see the intro to the series in this post.
The prompt for day 7 was Junkyard Symphony. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
Designed for an evening of musical relaxation, this Music Chair provides an immersive melodic experience where you can truly feel the music. Just sit back and rock your worries away.
Drawing for these prompts was a blast! I hope you enjoyed them.
Let me know in the comments which prompt(s)/drawing(s) you liked best, and which prompt(s) you might try yourself.
For Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon — Day 7: Junkyard Symphony
This is the 6th in a series of 7 drawings for Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon. You can see the intro to the series in this post.
The prompt for day 6 was The Court of the Rat King. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
After millennia of conflict the rat and cat peoples have finally come to terms . . . total enslavement of the cat people!!! [evil laugh]
For Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon — Day 6: The Court of the Rat King
This is the 5th in a series of 7 drawings for Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon. You can see the intro to the series in this post.
The prompt for day 5 was Decanter of Drowning. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
Legend says there was once a land that flowed with milk and honey. Greedy warriors came in search of conquest, glory, and spoil. They cared not for the people nor their way of life. Consumed by their lusts the barbarians hunted the rivers to their source till they found the ancient sanctuary paved with gold. In this most peaceful place were legendary artifacts of every sort, but chief among them were the vessels of jade and gold that flowed with milk eternal. From the sanctuary ran rivers of milk and honey throughout all the land and the people were nourished. The warriors did not come to honour this place, but to plunder and steal. After taking every morsel of value, they destroyed that place and left the land in ruins. At least that’s what the legend says . . .
For Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon — Day 5: Decanter of Drowning
This is the 4th in a series of 7 drawings for Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon. You can see the intro to the series in this post.
The prompt for day 4 was Mascot High School. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
[professional announcer voice] It’s the final round in this year’s high school wrestling championship. Mascots from around the world have come to witness this epic showdown. Ronald faces off with his chief competitor Jolly G. Ref Sanders is sure to have a stellar match on his hands. Which of these young wrestlers has what it takes to bring home the champion’s prize and honour?! Cast your votes now . . . ding, ding, ding
For Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon — Day 4: Mascot High School
This is the 3rd in a series of 7 drawings for Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon. You can see the intro to the series in this post.
The prompt for day 3 was Tea Time at World’s End. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
“There’s gotta be a kettle somewhere in all this rubble!” I sigh as I search what’s left of the local diner following The Great Disaster. “I’m just dying for a spot of tea!” I keep searching. “Rats! Looks like every last kettle has already been snagged.” I eventually uncover a load of metal utensils. “Jackpot! Good thing I’m handy with a welder. Tea time!”
For Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon — Day 3: Tea Time at World’s End
This is the 2nd in a series of 7 drawings for Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon. You can see the intro to the series in this post.
The prompt for day 2 was Mushroom Manor. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
As you reach the shores of this foreign land, your breath is taken by the majestic sight of the fungi palace ascending into the heavens. A fellow traveler overhears you exclaim, “What an honour to have been invited to such a prestigious realm. Bless the one who imagined such magnificence.”
For Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon — Day 2: Mushroom Manor
This is the 1st in a series of 7 drawings for Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon. You can see the intro to the series in this post.
The prompt for day 1 was Cosmic Confectionary. You can see the full prompt on the prompt page. Below is my submission for this day’s prompt.
Introducing the NovaPop 3000 (NP3K) by LicTec. Now sold in a galaxy near you! This digital lollipop has taken the universe by storm. Every child has to have one . . . or two. Equipped with a flavour selection screen the NP3K allows each licker to choose from a galactic number of flavours in the online library. New flavours are synthesized and uploaded daily. Don’t wait! Try them all!! The lolli’s colour changes to match the selected flavour, and the NP3K even includes a button to spin the lolli for the most convenient licking experience. What are you waiting for?! Head to the nearest Pop Shop and pick up your NovaPop 3000 today. Batteries not included.
For Drawabox’s 2022 Spring Promptathon — Day 1: Cosmic Confectionary
For a few months I’ve been working through the incredible (and somewhat monotonous) Drawabox course (I’m on Lesson 2 and really enjoying the challenging texture studies!). I’ve known about Drawabox for probably over a year, but I finally dove into it in January of this year to really nail down my drawing fundamentals. After many years of work, Irshad (Uncomfortable) — the founder and instructor of Drawabox — and his teaching assistants were feeling burnt out and announced Drawabox’s first quarterly drawing promptathon which ran from March 25-31. During the promptathon students drew from a new prompt each day instead of doing their usual homework and submitted their work for everyone’s enjoyment . . . and exclusive avatars, achievements, and bonus credits. The drawing for each prompt had to be completed within 24 hours of the prompt being revealed. It was a great community event which lasted 7 days and generated a ton of creativity.
Today I’ll just share what the prompts were, and then over the next 7 days I’ll share my artwork for each day of the event.
Click on an image to read the full prompt description on the Drawabox website.
I look forward to sharing my art with you. I had great fun with the prompts, and I know the other participants did as well. I’d like to say a huge thanks to Irshad and his team for an incredibly inspiring week of drawing and fun, and I want to thank the Drawabox community for all the friendly interactions and support. The Drawabox promptathon was the final push I needed to get this blog up and running.
The following links will become active as each post is published over the next 7 days.