Drew this Caribou at the Museum of Natural History. Then headed to the. museum’s bird section and added some feathered friends in order to make my illustration less boring.
Mustard
I couldn’t think of anything to draw so I went to a big supermarket and strolled around the aisles. I was looking for something iconic. It was not as easy a task as it might seem.
White Pelican
I try to get my pals to decide what to draw at the museum. This way I’m usually doing something I would not have thought to select. Somehow, I like being in that position when I begin sketching. This week the country of France overtook the museum. They must be off from school or something. French tourists only. Quite nice. Another museum staffer introduced themselves to Stephen and I. After a long winter stuck drawing inside, we pine for some warm weather to change things up. Soon enough.
Ruebens
This is my drawing of the Renaissance painter, Peter Paul Reubens if he were alive today. He’d be a dude who’d enter those National Beard and Moustache Championships but never win. Ruebens was knighted so he’d be seen with the aristocracy now and again. His Reubenesque style would be very much in vogue so he’d have many commissions lined up. This concludes my series.
Botticelli
This is my drawing of the Renaissance painter, Botticelli if he were alive today. No doubt he’d live in Florence. His jarred pasta sauce would be a big hit worldwide. Besides the great paintings he would make, I have a feeling he’d be obsessed with animation too. His YouTube channel would be brimming with his videos.
Caravaggio
This is my drawing of the Renaissance painter, Caravaggio if he were alive today. He’d still be a hard drinking street fighter with a criminal record. There would be the occasional stint in prison. I can assure you he would have no use for Procreate. It would be a life of endless hours and late nights oil painting in his somewhat chaotic studio in an abandoned building in Detroit.
Raphael
This is my drawing of the Renaissance painter, Raphael if he were alive today. This dandy would surely have his own hugely successful luxury clothing line. He’d be a very sought after architect and a prolific painter in what spare time he’d have left over. There would probably be a lot of hanging out in St. Moritz and Monaco.
Bison
I’ve been drawing a lot with my friends Keith and Stephen. Occasionally I dish out a few pointers but mostly it’s a way to hang. As my eyes deteriorate, I decided to use a bigger sketchbook. I bought a Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Softcover 8” X 10”, 150 gsm Heavyweight paper. The second I started using it, I realized the paper was too thin. It was buckling and I could see through to the other side. A bit of a mess really. Instead of getting rid of it, I kept using it when I went out with my buddies. I figured it would be my crappy book I’d use to give lessons but a funny thing happened. I accidentally started to make great illustrations in it and I got used to the crummy paper. In the interim, I’d sent away for a new Stillman & Birn Beta Series Softcover, 8” X 10”, 270 gsm EXTRA HEAVYWEIGHT Paper. When it arrived, I realized it was a Rolls Royce compared to the other sketchbook. I’m going to stick with the current one until I complete it because I can’t break my habit of finishing what I started.
Bernini
I’ve have created a series of portraits of Renaissance artists rendered as if they were alive today. This is Gian Lorenzo Bernini who actually lived in the 1600s. He created massive public sculptures and fountains in Italy. All of them quite famous. There’s no doubt he would have done marvelous and enormous works of art in the current world given all the new materials to work with and foundries to help him execute. I have a feeling he might dabble in some graffiti on the side with an occasional DJ gig for laughs.
Mona Lisa
I was drawing in the Natural History Museum when a small kid came up to me and gave me the, “I’m about to say something to you, look.” So, I stopped my sketching and gave him my full attention. Then he laid it on me. Pointing at my drawing he said, “that seems a lot more better than the Mona Lisa.” More better was a great way of putting it. Not sure I agreed with him but he was thrilled with his observation.
Mushroom Farming
A recent New York Times article told the story of a family run hog farm that works for the big factory farm system. It got to the point where they were making no money and having to work side jobs on top of the endless farm hours. Farmer, Tanner Faaborg said, “I want to make rural America a place where people want to grow up otherwise the heartland will end up one big manufacturing plant.” Small farms have disappeared and the land has been swallowed up by large agricultural companies. Iowa is now home to 4000 factory farms, more than any other state. So, the Faaborg’s have gotten rid of the hogs and now raise mushrooms for medicinal purpose with financial help from a nonprofit group, the Transfarmation Project which is run by Mercy for Animals. Hopefully plant-based alternatives can help save some of these small family farms. Tanner wants to create a system for other farmers to eventually follow. He even convinced his parents to install solar panels and to drive an electric car.
Collage
This is the last of my drawings from our recent trip to Europe. The bear was in a breakfast joint in Bruges, Coke was cafe in Amsterdam, Van Eyck statue in Belgium, yellow masked bust in hotel lobby in Edinburgh, and some images I drew travelling on trains from postcards I purchased at various places.
Salt & Pepper
My two friends, Stephen and Keith and myself have developed a little routine of eating breakfast at an aging diner before we head to draw at the Museum of Natural History. My new thang is to show up a half hour earlier than them to draw table condiments at our booth. This is the latest installment.
