M-I-C-K-E-Y

Here are a couple Mickey Mice I cribbed from a 1938 Model Sheet (thanks, to klangley!) I'm pretty pleased, on the whole, because Mickey has always been a tough nut for me to crack. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Observations: I "flipped" my versions against the model sheet and saw lots of things that need tweaking, though. For instance, his snout is too big on the top drawing. The bottom drawing makes the Mickster look as if he's wearing a disposable adult undergarment.

Maybe I'll do more mouse-drawings this weekend to see if I can refine some of these poses and proportions. Will 2007 be the year of the mouse, I wonder?

M-I-C: See ya next year!

K-E-Y: Why? Hmmm... I never stopped to think about that!

M-O-U-S-EEEEEEE!

Just Call Me "Rusty!"

...and not because I have red hair, either! My lay-off and non-application of cartooning principles has resulted in some really tough sledding for yours truly! I decided to grab a Disney art book and work on some full-figure thumbnails to try to re-sharpen my dulled skills (such as they were!)


I need to remember things like Line Of Action, Interesting Silhouettes, and most of all, et cetera! I'll keep working at this for the next little while and then try to get back on track with the actual lessons at hand.

Now, for those who crave more Father-Daughter doodles, I give you...

SUPER EXTRA-SPECIAL BONUS!

I found a drawing I must've done in 1964 (I'm guessing) that my dear Auntie Lo had saved and subsequently gave to me in the 1990s. Funny thing is, I was such a Popeye-head I never really tried drawing Disney characters that much. She and Uncle Bill must've "coached" me here. Well, Enjoy!

(Mickey looks like he's passing a kidney stone, don't you think?)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"Ho, Ho, Ho!" from me to you!

How To Draw Everything!

Just thought you'd like to know...



A page from the Jon Gnagy art book. I can imagine his encouragement helped lots of folks dare to pick up a pencil and draw for fun!

Y'See What Happens...

...When I don't concentrate?


I took a stab at copying a still frame from the Tex Avery cartoon classic, "King Size Canary." I figured I'd try a thumbnail sketch while "watching" my daughter on Friday. The results? Eeeew! Well, there's certainly plenty of room for improvement!

As noted, the line of action on the cat was bad to the point of non-existent. I drew a really quick doodle with a stronger L.O.A. next to it. Not good, but it'll be something to build on.

And, because there's a segment of my blog audience that seems to enjoy them, here's another sheet of Father-Daughter doodles:



More to come...

So It's Come To This...

Yep, more Father/Daughter doodles in lieu of anything constructive!

Well, if I've made one little girl happy, then it has all been worth it!

Meet Jon Gnagy

Yep, this beatnik-looking guy is "America's TV Art Instructor, Jon Gnagy!"

Here is the forward from his art instruction book I mentioned yesterday:



Well, I feel inspired! Don't You?

UPDATE! You can still buy JON GNAGY ART KITS!!! (Now, if only I had some idea of how to pronounce his last name...)

Skunked Again!

Well, as you can see, yet another weekend has come and gone without my doing any drawings for this blog. Maybe I should just be realistic and throw in the towel until after this blessed holiday season has passed?

My oldest pal, Bill, sent me a "Learn To Draw With Jon Gnagy" art kit. So maybe I'll share some of this info here until I can reclaim the kitchen table.

Let's see what happens, shall we?

Almost Back

Well, that Thanksgiving break certainly dragged on! A housefull of welcomed guests overlapped by some pretty heavy bronchitis! The next lesson I'll be working on is number seven. This will entail my taking over control of the family entertainment system so I can still-frame cartoons and draw poses. Obviously my window of opportunity for doing this will be limited to a few precious moments at the end of each day. But watch this space! I hope to have something to post come Monday morning. In the mean time, have a great weekend, blog-meisters!