"Calavera Stretch" pen

Here is one of those sketchbook skulls.

"notes" crayon

It has been a long day finishing up classes and getting back on the road. These are my doodles and notes I took in one of the classes at the conference.

"Gesture figure drawing" twig dipped in ink and gesso

This is a quick gesture drawing made in the last class I attended this afternoon. The model was a student from BYU.

"The Watch" pen sketch

I have been away at an art educators conference. Sometimes art can be very isolating, even teaching art separates you from the other teachers in a school This is why this conference has been so refreshing. It has been great to talk with other artists and educators.

Here is another one of my animal series. Images like this, are becoming a recurrent theme in my sketchbook.

"Imagination is the one weapon" dip pen and watercolor.

It is easy to find oneself under attack from the realities of the mundane, to political and even physical realities. Imagination is truly one of the greatest weapons to combat these oppressive realities.

It is so great because imagination can change reality. Just look at those who have dared to imagine. Michelangelo imagined David in a block of marble. Orville and Wilbur Wright imagined that man could fly. Martin Luther King imagined a nation would rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

"Art is not what you see..." dip pen, watercolor, acrylic, and gold leaf

I have been teaching calligraphy to my students. They have learned how to use dip pens and watercolor paints. This is an example of what they are doing right now. I am a collector of quotes. I have sketchbooks filled with little bits of wisdom that I can glean from others.

"Kodak 600" pen

Another one of the old cameras. This is the Kodak 600, one of the most popular point and shoot cameras from the 1980's.

"self-portrait doodle" pencil and marker

Self portraits are easier than any other kind of portrait. Because the model is always with you.

"Luc in Techno-Color" digital photo

I was not happy with any of the drawings that I did today. So I resorted to taking a photo with my iPhone and reworking it. This is a photo of my boy Luc. I ran it through a Lego app. and then played with it some more in photoshop. I wanted a soft focus, it creates an image that is more like a memory than a picture that is right in front of you.

"The old Shutter Bug"

pen and ink

My parents bought me this old used Fujica camera when I was in high school. It has been kicking around ever since then. For the past ten years I have used it as a student camera for my photography classes. Most of my students have never seen a manual SLR camera, let alone a camera that takes film. I think that I am the last old school photographer that still teaches film photography.

This camera has been dropped, kicked, and all around abused, but it has always kept on snapping away. This might be the end of it though. The film advance lever does not want to advance. I have taken it apart several times before to repair it, but this time It might finally give up the ghost. I brought it home to give it one more round of repairs. We'll see if it can go back into service.

"Rhino on Display" pen

Another one of my animal drawings. I tend to isolate these animals in my drawings. I think that it is a sub-conscious decision. I look at them as icons, not just something to sketch.

"shorty" black color pencil












Those of you who know me, know that I have a thing with birds. This little owl is a sub-compact with his owl attitude.

"Smiling Skull" dip pen and ink

I am still playing with the dip pens and calligraphy nibs. you can always find a few skull drawings in my sketchbook. On of my favorite blogs is Skull-a-day. This artist spent a year making skull designs each day.

"The Green Man" dip pen and watercolor

The Green Man is a symbol of nature. You can find his carved image in European churches as well as public houses. This ancient leafy faced image can also be found in literature and myths. Treebeard and Bigfoot can be traced to this symbol.

"The Urbanite" pencil and graphite wash

The contemporary mind of the city dweller. Compact and crowded.

"Old Man Monkey" pencil

Today's sketch is from a magazine article about researchers who study chimpanzee behavior. This chimp was the "tired" one of the group that they were studying.

"Ashton" pencil/digital

Like my drawing from yesterday, this is a drawing that I have digitized to create a more graphic effect.

"To the Side" marker and digital painting.

With this drawing I wanted to give the impression of a woodblock print.

"Mr. Rabbit" pencil

Here is the Easter Bunny with style.

"San Ramon" pencil

Today I had a student come up to me and ask for a favor. He handed me a Catholic prayer card that was written in Spanish and asked me if I could draw a picture of the saint on the front of the card. Obviously I said yes. The student sat by me and talked as I drew. His mother is from Mexico City and comes from a devout Catholic family. He spoke about his proud Mexican heritage and family who still are in Mexico. You could tell that this was an important part of his life. I was impressed by his maturity in discussing these things.

I am certainly not well versed in Catholicism, I still have no idea who San Ramon is. Most of my knowledge comes from the images of Catholicism found through out the history of art and my interactions with people of that faith. I must admit that I have always been struck by the iconic images of devotion found through out religious history. Especially images from medieval and renaissance Europe. This is why you are seeing a white Mormon boy sketching images that some would consider foreign to his faith.

"Towers on La Rochelle" watercolor sketch

Today I whipped put an old photo from France and came away with quick sketch. The photo caught my eye because of the cool colors. The picture was taken latter in the evening which made the cool colors all the more unique.

"The Ancient" pen

This is a sketch of this tree that has to be close to 150 years old. It was carefully pruned back each year. During the winter, when no leaves are on the tree you have this contrast of a big bulbous trunk with thin limbs reaching toward the sky.

"Pigskin" pencil and graphite wash

What else to draw while watching the Super Bowl? Go Saints!!!!!

I have been playing around with this Aquarelle graphite set, and have been happy with the subtle washes I can get.

"Mountain Climber" pencil and graphite wash

Here is the mighty mountain goat. King of the hill and acrobat of agility.

"Sheep Study" pen

Today I have felt off of my game. I have been doodling since this afternoon. I was not happy with anything that I made. After all that I thought "get back with the animals" this 10 minute sketch was the best looking one I came up with.

"Starting Over" found object sculpture

Today I finished up a found object sculpture that I started with my Art Club kids. Once a week I work with a group of students after school. This week we did found object sculptures. I had them bring odds and ends that would usually find it's way to the junk pile. We then reassembled these items to create a new object to appreciate.

Some might say I desecrated a book. I believe that I just re imagined it. It found a new purpose as a platform for expressing the impact of technology. Many of the students I teach have spent there lives since birth surrounded by electronic technology. They have not known a world with out the Internet and cable TV.

"Dog on the run" pencil sketch

Today I was looking through some reference photo's I have, and found this picture of a yellow lab just running wild. this is my attempt to try to capture that motion in a sketch.

"Oaxacan Turtle" pen and color pencil

This ink and color sketch is of a small sculpture of a turtle. It is a wood carving made by artisans in Oaxacan Mexico. They are carved from the wood of the copalillo tree that grows in the region. The animal sculptures are then painted in vibrant colors and patterns. I have been on this kick the past week with aboriginal art.

"Baby Bella" pencil sketch

This is my running partner, Bella. She is a two year old American bull dog boxer mix. Bella likes to think that she is a lap dog, but at 85 lbs we are reminded that she not. Being an American bulldog she looks a lot more intimidating than she is. My 5 year old still tries to ride her like she is her own little pony.