Lastly we have the 4th and final drawing in my short series for the TV show, Four Courses With JB Smoove.

The goal of this illustration was to communicate a sense of being chosen. This, through the act of being welcomed into a private event within a fancy restaurant.

This one was probably the most exacting of the four. The welcoming gesture is in fact a rather subtle one, which was also the intent of having it. Instead of an energetic "over here" wave I wanted something more sly. I found that the subtler the gesture, the more exclusive we the viewer felt as the invited company. The challenge was to convey this without it looking confusing or arbitrary. The addition of the hunched down shoulders and halfway opened door also helped quite a bit.

Hope you've enjoyed the drawings. Later on I might post a progress GIF going through the various stages of one of the drawings.

Thanks, talk with you soon.

Doug

Here we have the 2nd drawing in my short series for the show, Four Courses With JB Smoove.

Since the show takes place in New York this piece is meant as a play on the Statue of Liberty. JB himself is playing as stand-in for the grand ole' lady - the menu in place of the tablet she holds and the glass of wine as a substitute torch. This is why that classic pale green was chosen for the ink wash - to match the patination that's occurred to the copper hanging over the statues' frame.

I also wanted the New York skyline resting in the background, but it needed to be recognizable as the Big Apple so we included the Empire State Building and Chrysler building.

Quick Side Story: A number of years ago I worked in NY as a temp. I worked here and there and moved from place to place, as temps do. Then one day I realized I'd been working in the Chrysler building for about a week. I guess I'd become acclimated to the city since I never took the time to look up when walking on the street.  I had no idea. New York. Funny place.

Hope you enjoy. I'll have the drawing numero tres posted next week.

​D

This is the first in a short series of drawings done for the TV show, Four Courses With JB Smoove. JB, if you're not aware, is a high energy uber funny comedian. I first came across him in the Louis CK film, Pootie Tang back in my MICA days (thank you James Favata). He acted in and narrated the movie. Check it out if you haven't. You'll love it or hate it. He's also hosted Last Comic Standing and guest-stared on Louie CK's show, Louie.

My art director, Masha of Plastic Palm Tree, approached me with the project and I was more than excited to do it. The premise of the show is pretty straight-forward: JB sits down with celebrity friends and chews the fat. These sketches were used as concept pieces. Kind of 'visual ideas' to communicate a particular direction for the marketing campaign. The show and JB are light-hearted so that was a clear goal - to get across JB's personality and the show's tone. So in this piece we have him just finishing a meal, then wiping his mouth while wearing a comical smirk.

If you'd like to find out more about the show you can visit MSG Network here.

Hope you enjoy. I'll have the next drawing posted on Thursday.

​D

Lastly in the series we have Dick Hallorann, played by Scatman Crothers. One can't help but feel the sensitivity of this guy. The variety of emotions that shine through his expressions is always really enjoyable to watch. In this particular scene I think he uses them all. Even within a single sentence he'll use 3 or 4 expressions. Just watch how much his brow moves. Up and down, in and out.

In this scene it's said that Crothers actually broke down into tears because of the number of takes Kubrick demanded of them. It was an exhausting project for Scatman and I think the honesty of that exhaustion came through in his scenes. Then again I'm not an actor, so I can only speculate. But I do enjoy his character and it's interesting to ruminate on where the real world of being a working actor blurs with the fictitious world of your character.

Hope you enjoy the drawings. I'll be back with more new work, as well as some pieces I've been meaning to post.

D

Bill Watson has one of the smallest roles but he's so peculiar and quirky that I can't look over him. One of the things that always gets me thinking about his character is the way he delivers his very last line, "fine".

Him and Stuart Ullman are walking down the hallway of the Overlook and if you listen carefully you can hear them discussing plane flights and departure times. Everyone's leaving the hotel for the winter. They approach Jack, who has a massive pile of luggage next to him. Mr Ullman asks Jack about lunch and then turns to Bill and asks him to help them with their luggage.

The way Bill replies with "fine" always peeks my interest. There's some contempt behind it. It's probably due to the plane flight and his eagerness to leave. But considering the strangeness of the rest of the film one can't help thinking maybe it's something more.

He says the same word "fine" earlier as well during their meeting with Jack. And it has a similar tone but slightly less disgruntled. One day I'll figure out what's up with this guy. One day.

Next up: Lloyd.

D

Hey there,

I didn't get a chance to post the rest of my supporting character portraits from The Shining so I thought I'd get this show on the road again.

There's a lot of distinguishing characteristics of Barry Nelson's character, Stuart Ullman. He comes across as a very honest character. His subtle mannerisms, how he holds himself, his friendly smile, and I love how he fiddles with his fingers as he tells Jack the story of Mr. Grady. And of course that hair, gotta love the guy's poofy hair.

Like the previous drawings this is done on primed Rives BFK and is drawn with a graphite drafting pencil and woodless pencil. The papers' texture is actually rather rough so the graphite just sits on the surface almost like charcoal. You could almost blow it away with a strong exhale. But it gave the paint something to absorb so I liked that effect. Hope you enjoy.

Next up is probably the smallest and least recognizable character, but a fave of mine. Bill.

D

The Shining without a doubt makes my top 5 favorite horror films, if not the number one spot. This is due in large part to the excellent performances of the all the actors. Right down the line everyone is fantastic, engaging and memorable. Each scene has a quality to it that makes rewatching, and rewatching, and rewatching still enjoyable even to this day.

Another of the many reasons I love this film so much is that I never feel I fully understand it. So I return each viewing trying to discover a new clue.

To celebrate the film, or maybe my own confusion, I thought it would be fun to illustrate a few of the employees of the snowbound Overlook Hotel, and in particular the smaller roles. In this case it's one Mr. Delbert Grady, the once caretaker but now eternal waiter at that fine establishment.

This scene with Jack Torrance in the "gentleman's" room lingers in the memory for many reasons (the red walls, the pacing) but for me it's Philip Stone's portrayal of Mr. Grady... "I corrected them, sir". Great, great stuff.

Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon,

Doug

Being that it's almost Halloween I've found myself trying to get in the spirit of the holiday season. One of the ways I've done this is by partaking in a number of horror films, both new and classic. As you can guess the original 1931 Frankenstein made the list.

One of my favorite shots is of Henry (or is it Victor?) Frankenstein himself. I think it's likely the scene that depicts his lack of sanity the best, while ironically claiming the exact opposite. So I couldn't help but try to capture this. It's just such a great shot - and line.

This drawing is done in graphite, both with a woodless graphite pencil and a Staedtler mechanical drafting pencil. The surface is a gessoed piece of Rives BFK. Instead of using an eraser for highlights I opted to use white acrylic paint. When I scanned it the scanner warmed the paper and cooled the paint. The whites in the original are a bit more neutral, but I dig the push between the temperatures so I left it as is.

Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you later,

D