Illustration Friday: Idle

This is my submission for the Illustration Friday prompt Idle. I am inspired by Dorthea Lange's photographs from the Great Depression, a time when many workers were idle. This drawing is a quick contour drawing inspired by a photograph of a San Francisco bread line, shown below. I try not to copy her photographs but rather attempt to use them as a point of departure. My contour drawing looks more like a bar scene rather than a bread line, but happily this still fits the theme of Idle. The Great Depression meets Cheers? I like all the hats in Lange's photos.

What's It All About, Alfie?

Fun with the SkyMall magazine on flights between Dallas and Washington, D.C. These are all images from the magazine. Doesn't everyone need Easter Island and zombie lawn statues? Of course they do! Mechanical pencil and colored Micron pens in my Canson Field Sketch Book.

Survival of the Fittest

This pen drawing is roughly based on a photograph of Charles Darwin by Julia Margaret Cameron. The photograph is here. I was enchanted by the texture of his beard. I didn't use any pencil; I drew directly with pen and took my chances. Blue .05 Micron pen in a Canson Field Sketch book.

Illustration Friday - Hollow

Although drawn by her beauty, he eventually discovered her hollow shadows. Mechanical pencil in a Canson sketch book.

Illustration Friday - Shaky

The grim reaper meets his match. Is he shaking with fear?

I see now that the grim reaper should be more distinct. I need more reaper and less flames.

Tissue Paper Flower

This is a tissue paper flower from my son Andrew. Graphite and colored pencil.

Large

This is a continuous line drawing of my dog Shelty. Simple can be good.

Toy Story

This is one of Christopher's toy knights, drawn in Micron pen. I love drawing action figures. They don't move!

Last Friday, NPR aired a piece called Artists Make Money By Forgoing Traditional Galleries. The piece profiles 3 visual artists, exploring how each makes a living. None make a living selling their art, but each nevertheless is able to create art and survive. Check it out.

Lady Liberty

This is a pen and ink drawing of the Statue of Liberty, drawn from a souvenir statuette from Ellis Island. My paternal grandparents left Russia in 1917, went to Germany, and then emigrated to the United States in 1925. They entered the United States via Ellis Island. My maternal grandparents also left Russia in 1917 and emigrated to Canada.

I did some consulting on Wall Street about 5 years ago and had an apartment in Battery Park, half a block from the Hudson and a view of the Statue of Liberty. The statue is beautiful. If I could afford to live in that area of New York City, I would move there in a minute.

I used a variety of Micron pen colors and experimented with blending colors.

Happy July 4th!