15 years ago

It's hard to fathom that fifteen years ago I got the call to do the storyboards for Eminem's "Lose Yourself" video. It was an overnight project and I had to meet them downtown to get the premise of the video. Notes were taken fast and furious and the boards had to be assembled for the next day. I don't recall if I had to pull an all-nighter for it but I'm sure it was a late nighter at the very least.

The video eventually wound up winning a Grammy as well as an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It's Eminem's most successful commercial release to date.

From that video, I ended up doing a few more of his video projects as well as some members of his crew. They've always been professionals about things and a breeze to work for.

That one job...

I've worked on numerous projects over the years that have gone absolutely nowhere. Whether it be for a lack of budget, a client changes their mind, a new direction or whatever- I realize that it's a part of the creative process and a part of the business I've grown to accept over the years.

But if ever there was a project I had hoped would fly would've been this one where I would've had to come up with a series of abominable snowmen/ yetis and Chevy trucks. That would've been so much fun! I recall doing this as a sample for the project... only to have it dropped for whatever reason. It happens. I was bummed but being the forever optimist I knew there were other fun projects down the pipe. Maybe not as fun as this one could've been but one never knows what's around the bend.

Elementary school prodigies

Thinking back to elementary school, there was always one child prodigy in one form or another. I was always the art kid. It was easy for me. I could just quietly do my work, show it, and pretty much hide behind it or even run away from it if I wanted to. But for the ones that got chosen because of musical or vocal ability, they had to have the raw nerves and skills to stand in that auditorium with all eyes on them as they performed. Bravo to them for all of their talents and courage.

Old school wrestling

During the early 1970's I used to watch Big Time Wrestling on TV. They were broadcast from one of the local arenas. This was long before the glitz, glamour and theater that modern day wrestling is now. Some of those guys were the stars that I found out made a decent living by doing a circuit of nearby cities. But then there were the other guys who would don a mask who were nearly guaranteed to lose. I'm sure some rose up the ranks and made some fame but some of those guys probably went back to their day jobs as auto mechanics, butchers or some other mundane day job.

More tighter work/ interiors

For some reason as of late- and not that I'm complaining, there has been a small rush on doing a bunch of tighter interiors. No big deal, but it does take a little more time and it just makes me thankful for having had those drafting and architectural classes in high school. Those skills come back to save my bacon years down the road.

Football season around the corner

In a few short months it'll be full-on football season- from Pop Warner to the NFL. I've always had a fascination for drawing this sport. Maybe it's that football is generally made up of such unique characters. Wide receivers are long, angular and are gazelles. The offensive and defensive linemen are behemoths. The coaches vary from men wearing hats to slobs wearing sweats. The fans are by far the most rabid of any sport as based upon the amount of money this sport generates, the amount of discussion on sports talk radio, fantasy leagues, and just the weekly rituals to watch a few hours of this unique game. It's a wonderful muse.

Drivers' license caricature

This was a caricature based off of a horrendous drivers' license photo. I couldn't resist the temptation to make fun of the photographs taken with those cameras. There's something about those cameras at the Department of Motor Vehicles that just mangles a person's features which can range from pulpy skin tones, multiple chins, bad hair, etc.. I get that the person behind the camera is no Avedon or acclaimed photographer but they've just never been kind to the applicants.

Laughs & giggles

It's that crunch time at school right now. The semester's quickly drawing to a close. Soon-to-be graduates are scrambling to finish strong and land their first gigs. Their senior shows are also in the mix and the Juniors are scrambling to find an internship. Everyone is in a tizzy on the campus as the deadlines approach- but rather than panic, I'm gonna laugh my way through it.

Big chunky Faber Castell brush marker with some tweaks of the Pilot SCA-UF marker.

Big Moves

We just had some neighbors move down south this morning. Sure, the weather up here this last week was miserable but like most Michiganders- we're always looking forward to the next season. But I can't imagine picking up sticks at this time of year and having to set up new roots at a new location any time soon. We can only wish them the very best and hope they find what they're looking for down there- and hopefully it's not just because of the climate.

Jane

My friends' daughter, Jane whom I call affectionately "Stringbean".

Young politicians

In the post election dust-up, it seems as though there will be more young people stepping forward (which is a good thing) to take charge and play an active role in future politics. At the grassroots level, it has to be thankless and even painful- but I couldn't help but try to capture some of that youthful exuberance and naivete.

The Skill of Walking

There's always been something interesting and magical about the ability to walk. I've always been fascinated by the amount of coordination it takes for bipedal locomotion; the brain has to be able to juggle all of the sights, muscles, balance, and then somehow coordinate all of the muscles necessary to put one foot in front of the other. It's something many of us take for granted.

And for those people who want to make it happen in a mechanical way? More power to them with trying to process all of that information. It must be daunting.

New Year, NPR & caricatures

It's a new year and while on the holiday break, I'm one to tune into listening to National Public Radio (NPR) for my entertainment from time-to-time. One of my favorite shows to listen to is Terry Gross' Fresh Air program as she interviews all sorts of people. She gets diplomats, sports figures, writers, artists, entertainers, and every other walk of life.

And seeing as how in radio, they tend to do a lot of year-end Best Of shows, she had an interview with comedian Jeff Ross which I thought was very insightful. On stage he comes across as a bit of a slob with a barbed sense of humor but on this interview, Terry Gross really got him to talk about his childhood, his influences and his profession.

Every once in awhile I'll get asked to do a caricature and while I was listening, I couldn't help but look up what Jeff Ross looked like and draw him. I was probably too kind and cleaned him up far too much but it was still a fun exercise in line. Doing caricatures can be a mean business as you're supposed to pull out all of the quirks, facial distortions and exaggerate them. Here i decided to clean him up a bit and just have fun with it.