Toonsville

My Navel Orange

2012-02-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

We have a Dwarf Navel Orange tree in the back yard that has been giving us a nice bounty of sweet fruit this year so I decided to have a go at painting it. (oil on canvas panel 5"x7")
Here are some facts about Navel Oranges I found:

Navel oranges are characterized by the growth of a second fruit at the apex, which protrudes slightly and resembles a human navel. They are primarily used for eating, as the skin is thicker and easier to peel than a common orange.

According to Dorsett, Shamel, and Popenoe (1917) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a single mutation in 1810 to 1820 in a Selecta orange tree planted at a monastery near Bahia in Brazil, probably yielded the navel orange, also known as the Washington, Riverside, or Bahia navel. The mutation causes the orange to develop a second orange at the base of the original fruit, opposite the stem, as a conjoined twins in a set of smaller segments embedded within the peel of the larger orange. From the outside, it looks similar to the human navel, hence its name

The navel oranges of today have exactly the same genetic makeup as the original tree, and are therefore clones, all navel oranges can be considered to be the fruit of that single nearly two-hundred-year-old tree. ( Wikipedia)

Obama's On The Road Again

2012-01-26T16:45:00.000-08:00

Old Time Day Traders

2012-01-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Obama's Constitution

2012-01-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

WalMart Shopper

2012-01-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

I've been a fan of Ronald Searle since I was in art school many moons ago. His cartoons were simple and to the point, usually with bitting humor. He passed away yesterday at the age of 91 and will be missed.

Obama Wants Your Money

2011-12-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

I originally posted this last year but thought it was appropriate to repost considering President Obama will ask for a $1.2 Trillion increase in the debt ceiling.

In 2008 when he was campaigning he complained that the national debt was $9 Trillion. He said this was unsustainable and unpatriotic of President Bush to put this country in debt by borrowing from the Chinese government and pushing this debt on to our children and grandchildren.

What about now? Is it o.k. for Obama? This President has added $6 Trillion to our debt in three years and wants more. STOP SPENDING OUR MONEY DAMNIT !

The Christmas Card

2011-12-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/NL4D1PcgZd4

Taliban Joe

2011-12-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

The other day our Vice President said "The Taliban is not our enemy per se...". It makes me wonder who it is that's been shooting at our guys in Afganistan. If the Taliban isn't our enemy, then are they our friends? With friends like that who needs enemies? I think it's the Obama administration trying to make nice again with those who want us dead. Maybe then they can declare victory and the war on terrorism would be over. YAY! Victory! Let's pull our troops out and go home. Hmmm... I wonder.

Capitola View From The Cliff - acrylic painting

2011-12-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

Capitola is a little town just south of Santa Cruz, California and I think it's one of those cute places you just don't see very often. Cliff Drive follows along the cliffs through the town of Santa Cruz and continues through
Capitola suburbs to the beach and old town that sits on the Monteray Bay.
There are some good spots to surf along the Cliff Drive so I'm very familiar with the area and the reason I keep coming back.
18"x24" acrylic on stretched canvas

Obama's Keystone

2011-12-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

DiCaprio digital painting

2011-12-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

I put the Leo D. sketch in my Corel Painter and went at it in a pop, modern,
contemporary art style.(?) In other words, I don't know what I did, just throwing color around to see what happens. I like this, it's new and different.
www.billsartshop.etsy.com

DiCaprio - sketch

2011-12-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

Sketching around with Leonardo. This guy has one of those faces that already looks like a cartoon so drawing him is fun. I'll finish this as a digital painting over the next few days.

The Daffy Artist

2011-11-29T10:49:00.000-08:00

Acrylic on canvas

Daffy Duck first appeared in the "Merry Melodies" short "Porky's Duck Hunt" (Warner Brothers 1937) and became an immediate hit. Directed by Tex Avery and animated by Bob Clampit, Daffy's personality as the crazy duck who jumped around in the water yelling WOOHOO! WOOHOO! was the direct opposite of the more tame Disney charecters and that's just what Warners was looking for. They needed something to compete with the mainstream cartoons of the day and Tex Avery was just the guy to give it to them. From the stories I've heard about Tex, Daffy was his alter ego.
www.BillsArtShop.etsy.com

I Ruff You

2011-11-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

A little Pop Art for a change (maybe this should be called Pup Art).
watercolor www.BillsArtShop.etsy.com

Happy Veteren's Day

2011-11-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

watercolor
General George Armstrong Custer was a controversial figure during the civil war. He finished last in his class at West point but because officers were needed during the Civil War was called to serve with the Union Army. He developed a strong reputation as a Cavalry commander and was promoted to the temporary rank of major general. He and his troops played a decisive roll in the Appomattox Campaign and was on hand at General Robert E. Lee’s surrender. After the war he was demoted to his permanent rank of captain.
After the Civil War Custer was sent to the West to fight the Indian Wars and was soundly defeated and killed in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Born: 1839
Died 1876 (age 36)

Goldfish

2011-10-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

In ancient China, various species of carp (collectively known as Asian carps) were domesticated and have been reared as food fish for thousands of years. Some of these normally gray or silver species have a tendency to produce red, orange or yellow color mutations; this was first recorded in the Jin Dynasty (265–420).
During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), it was popular to raise carp in ornamental ponds and watergardens. A natural genetic mutation produced gold (actually yellowish orange) rather than silver coloration. People began to breed the gold variety instead of the silver variety, keeping them in ponds or other bodies of water. On special occasions at which guests were expected they would be moved to a much smaller container for display. Wikipedia
This is an 8"x10" watercolor on 140lb. Arches watercolor paper
www.BillsArtShop.etsy.com

Biden in the Fourth Grade

2011-10-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

The V.P. Joe Biden visited the fourth grade class of Goode Elementary School in Pennsylvania on Oct.18 and had a few things to say pushing Obama’s jobs plan.

Do fourth graders really give a crap about politics? No, this was just a little brain washing in the socialist tradition. Shame on you Joe.

The Conversation

2011-10-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

I thought these two pears looked like they were whispering to each other so I call it "The Conversation". I'm happy with the colors I pulled out of these two ripe yummy looking subjects.
Still life in oil 8"x10" on canvas panel. If you'd like to own this painting drop me a line or visit my on-line shop at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BillsArtShop

Simons Cat

2011-10-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

New Show at the Blue Line Gallery

2011-10-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

Come on by and check out the spooky art for Halloween. That's my watercolor of Frankenstein's Monster, ooohh scarey.

Wall Street Protests

2011-10-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Now that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are sympathetic to the protesters, this movement is doomed.

Go fish

2011-10-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

Unarmed perchlet
I like painting fish in watercolors. The medium seems to fit the subject with the watery look.
This is a small fish from the south seas and is not really sought out for tanks as they are relatively rare.

Fu Manchu Lionfish

2011-10-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Fun with fish!

Known as: Nemapterois Biocellata, Scorpionfishes, Twospot Lionfish, Twospot Turkeyfish, Two-eyed Lionfish, Double-Ocellated Scorpionfish, Ocellated Lionfish, Fu Manchu Lionfish and Fu Manchu Lion.

Found singly on shallow reef flats and caves usually only at night.
A very secretive Lionfish.
They feed on fish and crustaceans.
Length - 20cm
Depth - 3-50m
Widespread Indo-West Pacific

Lionfish can be found during the day, hovering above the ground, in caves or crevices, often upside down. At night they are out in the open hunting.
When disturbed they raise their feathery fins as a warning and will usually move off out of harms way, however, if cornered they are able to charge at considerable speed.
The Lionfish is one of the most venomous fish on the ocean bottom floor. Lionfish have venomous dorsal spines that are used purely for defense. When threatened, the fish often faces its attacker in a head-down posture which brings its spines to bear. However, a Lionfish's sting is usually not fatal to humans. If a human is stung, that person will experience extreme pain, and possibly headaches, vomiting, and breathing difficulties. That could be tough if you're under water. www.whatsthatfish.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BillsArtShop/

Clueless in Berkeley

2011-09-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

So now that Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer are back in the U.S., I still wonder why two seemingly intelligent boys and a girl would go hiking in one of the most dangerous places in the world. I can also understand why the Iranians would think they were spies, after all they must be spies or utterly stupid to get so close to the border of a country that doesn’t like anybody.

Maybe lack of common sense plays a part here, like Forrest Gump said……..“Stupid is as stupid does.”

Self Portrait

2011-09-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

This is what I really look like. People are always telling me "Geez, you look like a cartoon!" So I tell them "Well, that's what happens when you spend your life having fun."

Hot Rods, Rat Rods and Customs

2011-09-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hot Rods as art? What do you think? Here's a few rods to look at from the Billitproof show in Antioch, Ca. last Saturday.

Personally, I am in awe at the time spent pounding, molding, sanding and painting (or not painting) on these machines. To me they are a form of kinetic art.

Lucille's Story

2011-09-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

B.B. King: Lucille Speaks

Perhaps B.B. King's most identifiable trademark is his guitar Lucille. Lucille has been with B.B. since 1949. The story has been told many times before, but for those of you not familiar with the details, here it is ...

Back in the late 1940's when B.B.'s career was in its infancy, one of his stops on the road was in Twist, Arkansas. It used to get quite cold in Twist in the evenings, and in order to keep the dance hall warm, kerosene was used for heat. A large barrel was placed in the center of the room and was filled about half way up with the fuel. The kerosene was then lighted to heat the room, a practice which was not uncommon in those days.

One cold night in 1949, two men started fighting and knocked over the barrel of burning kerosene. The burning fuel spilled over the floor like a river of fire. Every one, including B.B., ran out the front door. Once outside, B.B. realized that he left his guitar, a Gibson acoustic, inside the inferno. He went back inside the collapsing building to save his guitar, almost losing his life in the process. The blaze that night claimed two fatalities.

The next morning, B.B. discovered why the two men were fighting the night before. It seems as though they were fighting over a lady, and although he never met the woman, B.B. learned her name was Lucille. B.B. named that guitar Lucille, and also every guitar he has owned since that night, "to remind me never to do a thing like that again." www.worldblues.com

Animation Insider Interview

2011-09-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is an interview I did last May for the Animation Insider web site. You can find out all the scoop by going to http://www.animationinsider.com/2011/09/william-reed/
Thanks for looking.

Mindi Abair Painting

2011-09-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

This is my larger version of Mindi Abair painted with acrylics on a stretched canvas 20"x24"
This is the largest figure painting I've done thus far and was a real challange since I am used to working in a smaller format.

New Fashions from the EPA

2011-09-04T16:50:00.001-07:00

Mindi Abair

2011-08-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw Mindi Abair was on the American Idol when she played sax for a couple of the singers and I decided I would try to paint her. It's been a few months but I finally got to it. This is a study for a larger painting I'm doing.
Actually she was famous as a jazz sax player before American Idol and has played as back up on several pop albums.
If you're interested in buying this little gem, drop me a note.
It is a 5"x7" oil on canvas panel - $85

Rick Perry Meets The President

2011-08-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Robin Obama Hood

2011-08-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

                                               Robin Hood
                                               Robin Hood
                                               Riding through the glen,
                                               Robin Hood
                                               Robin Hood
                                               With his band of men,
                                               Take from the rich, give to the poor.
                                               Robin Hoood
                                               Robin Hoooood
                                               Robin Hoooooood!!
                       (song from the Disney t.v. show Robin Hood, some time back in the 60's)

Aloha

2011-08-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

I got the Island itch again and got out the watercolors to push some paint around and came up with this. The image is from a photo I saw on one of the Hawaiian vacation sites. I didn't try to copy the photo, except for the layout, but decided to play with the "wet on wet" technique.

The New Era of Civility

2011-08-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

Standard and Poors new credit rating for the U.S. is already under fire from the White House and I expect the left wing to bring out all the big guns to discredit the agency. One thing President Obama doesn't like is being criticized, so he wasn't pleased about this for sure.

House on Otis St.

2011-07-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

10"x7" pen and ink sketch of a little house on Otis St. in Alameda, Ca. built around 1936.

Boats in Harbor

2011-07-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Painting

The Inspiration

I have a lot of photos of our vacations and when I'm out of ideas I brows through them to see if there's a scene I can translate into a painting. This photo was taken last year on a harbor cruise out of Alexandria, Verginia. I might be able to get another one out of this photo. We'll see.
5"x7" oil on wood veneer
If you would like to purchase this little gem, please visit my Etsy store at www.toonsville.etsy.com

Obama Quixote

2011-07-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that Don Quixote and Barack Obama have a lot in common, like fighting imaginary monsters and trying to save the damsel in distress. One difference I see is that Don Quixote hated windmills but Obama loves them. Obama hates the greedy capitalist pigs on Wall Street but loves Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric. He also loves N.B.C. and it's affilliates for all the free publicity but hates the corporate jet owners. I think both G.E and N.B.C. would have corporate jets since they are corporations. Right? So, trash and tax the rich, expand government and create another program.

Wishful Thinking

2011-07-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Thinking about the islands got me to painting from my imagination. I like painting like this every once in a while just to see what comes out.
watercolor

Hulk in the Grass

2011-07-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

Just a piece of junk to some but I thought it would make an interesting painting. What do you think?
Watercolor, pen and ink

American Continental Congress

2011-07-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

This is the day in 1776 the American Continental Congress voted for independance from England.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the document called The Declaration of Independence and the Congress voted
12 - YAY, 0 - NAY with New York abstaining. "The business is done." John Adams said.
When the Declaration was agreed on, two days were allowed to "clean up" the document before it was
publicly announced on July the 4th. John Adams thought the great national celebration should be July 2nd because that was the day the important vote actually happened.
(Thanks to Tom Sito)

More FDA Graphic Warning Labels

2011-06-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you government for taking care of us poor idiots. We would probably eat dirt without your guidence.

The new FDA warning labels

2011-06-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

52 Chevy

2011-06-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

I saw this old 52 Chevy sitting on the pavement with the paint ground down to the metal, the back window missing and a large bunch of rust taking over and I thought it would make an interesting subject for a painting. Looks like this one had been abandoned and the new owner is in the process of bringing it back to life.
watercolor, pen and ink

A Really Daffy Duck

2011-06-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

I found this Peter Bagge cartoon on "Cartoon Brew" and thought I'd share it since I don't have anything of my own to post. I've been busy with my real job. Excuses, excuses, I know but I love this drawing.

Obama's Lipstick On A Pig

2011-06-09T09:14:00.001-07:00

Non P.C. Magazine Ads

2011-06-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

How about giving yourself a pistola for Christmas.

Ta hell with the bike fer the kids. I wanna shoot something.

Cocaine for kids? That'll get 'em movin'.

Now this one is down right offensive, but Wall Street didn't think so. They were catering to thu po' folk who didn't have no money. Jus one cent fer a big ol bowl o' Cream O' Wheat. Yummy!

An' you can patch your walls wit' it too.

May Figure Drawings

2011-06-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

3 minute sketch.
We always start the drawing session with some 3 minute warm up sketches, then some 5 minute sketches, then some longer 15 and 20 minute. I like the short poses because the drawings are more spontaneous. No time to think, just draw.

5 minute sketches

5 minute sketch

15 minute sketch

20 minute sketch

TIKI On Board

2011-05-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

If anyone ever wondered what I look like, here I am (in all my glory) with my latest painting. I did this for the Blue Line Gallery's "Beach Bash" show and party coming in the middle of June. The company that bought the board wanted their name on it so I made it look like a surfboard sticker. I know it's hard to tell which one is the tiki. Arf!

Sher Kahn

2011-05-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

I ran across this drawing I did when I was at Disney's a million years ago. It's a double in-between of the tiger Sher Kahn from the Jungle Book movie. Since it was a double I kept this one and the other one was used in the production. Milt Kahl was the animator and a fantastic artist.

Mansion For Sale

2011-05-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Mansion in Abbattabad Pakistan for sale cheap!
If this dump cost a million dollars, somebody got screwed. From the pictures they've been showing on T.V., the inside of this place looks as bad as the outside.
But, I'm just a cartoonist, what do I know about real estate in Pakistan?

Truck in a Barn

2011-05-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Here's an old barn at the Horton Iris Farm. I went out there on Saturday to do a little painting for a few hours. I took along my little Field Watercolor Tablet, my paints and a few brushes and sat down in the shade while I spread some paint around. Painting has become my meditation as I can only concentrate on the subject and the light and colors. Everything else goes away. Kind of like a mini vacation.

By the way, that's a 1941 Chevy flat bed rusting away.

Little Fishing Boat

2011-05-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

My water color, the "Little Fishing Boat" will be included in the members show at the Blue Line Gallery (Roseville, Ca.). The show runs from May 21 through June 15. I am extremely happy and commend the gallery on their good taste.

Frank N. Stein

2011-05-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Debi and I took Hana and Ray to see the musical "Young Frankenstein" for Hana's birthday and I've wanted to paint the monster ever since. So here's Frankee as dark and monsterlike as I could get him on the first try.
Watercolor

The High Price of Gas

2011-04-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

The high price of gas got you down? How about a loan or second mortgage to fill up the old jallopy? You could pawn your wedding ring or your wifes jewelry or cash in your kids college fund for a few gallons. Hey! That's not funny, it's getting too close to the truth. Let's see why the price has gone up so much. The U.S. Dollar has lost 40% of it's value in the last 10 years for one thing, then there's the Obama moritorium on drilling for a year and new rules by the E.P.A. that make it harder to drill for oil and refine the gasoline. Some of the other problems I see are the speculators who foresee prices higher in the months ahead because of China and India using more oil as they're economies get bigger.
Then the problem of the Feds printing money to pay down the debt brings the dollar value down even more.
As Bill Clinton said, "It's the economy stupid!"

Hope And Change

2011-04-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

But I'm afraid that's all we'll end up with by the time we get somebody who understands how an economy really works.

Out To Pasture

2011-04-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

The 1939 Ford Truck was the first time Ford had used the hydraulic brake system. The other truck companies had been using hydraulic brakes for years but Ford stuck to the old mechanical type until dealers and demand brought pressure on the company to go hydraulic. I think they made the right choice.
This is an 11"x14" oil on canvas panel

Joe Needs A Nap

2011-04-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

Still Life In Oil

2011-04-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

I painted this outside on our patio so I could really get some bright sunlight on the subject.

Island Cove - oil painting

2011-03-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is an 8"x10" pallette knife, oil on canvas panel. Lots of blobs of paint on this one.
The Blue Line Gallery in Roseville is having a "Beach and Surf" show and sale in June so I'm stocking up on island themed paintings. I'll be painting a surfboard for the show too. That'll be fun. I was a glosser for Dewey Weber, Rick, and Gregg Noll surfboards when I was in art school back in the 60's, so this will be like the "Circle Of Life" coming back around.

Dithering

2011-03-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Island Mini

2011-03-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Winter must be gettin' to me. I miss those warm sunny days and warm water and I'm wishing I was in the Islands. At least I can use my imagination and some paint to satisfy my thoughts for a while.
5"x7" oil on canvas panel For Sale at http://www.toonsville.etsy.com/

Wile E.'s Hot Rod

2011-03-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

I'd bet the coyote would have caught the road runner with a rig like this.
YEEHAA!!

12"x16" acrylic on wood.
This is for sale at http://www.toonsville.etsy.com/

The Amazing Hummingbird

2011-03-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

5"x7" watercolor
Did you know...???
The hummingbird is the smallest bird and the smallest animal that has a backbone.
A hummingbird has no sense of smell.
A hummingbird can rotate its' wings in a circle and can fly backwards, forewards, up, down, sideways and even upside down. Not to mention hovering in mid-air.
During a dive they can reach 60 miles per hour and average 30 to 40 mph in normal flight.
The little bird has a heart rate that can reach 1260 beats per minute.
Percentage-wise, the hummingbird has the largest brainof all birds. (4.2% of it's body weight.
This little gem is for sale at http://www.toonsville.etsy.com/

Obama's Chickens

2011-02-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

1949 Mercury Coupe

2011-02-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

1949 Mercury Coupe (Sam Barris Merc) Custom
L.A.Cruiser
This painting is for sale at http://www.toonsville.etsy.com/

'51 Pontiac

2011-02-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

Funky Ride.
11"x14" Acrylic on canvas panel

51' Ford Woody

2011-02-13T14:49:00.000-08:00

I like old classic cars so I tried painting this old woody in a fantasy island setting.
8"x10"oil on masonite

Doobie Smoke V. Cigarette

2011-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

I remember when it was o.k. to smoke cigarettes and not o.k. to smoke a doobie.
My, how times have changed.

The Bridge

2011-02-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

This is a bridge in Holland I painted in oils about a year ago and wanted to give it a try in watercolors. I think I was able to get some more interesting colors this time. It's always fun to experiment.

January Figure Drawing

2011-01-29T14:28:00.000-08:00

A couple of drawings from the figure drawing class since I don't have anything else to post for now.

The Old Caboose

2011-01-22T16:11:00.000-08:00

SOLD

Bill Maher

2011-01-21T10:47:00.000-08:00

No doubt the biggest liberal elitest snob on T.V. I still wonder why people watch this guy.
Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity or Glen Beck would never utter the hateful things Bill Maher says yet nobody calls him out. At least not on the main stream media. He's a comedian so he gets away with saying anything he wants

Figure Studies

2011-01-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of drawings from the last figure drawing class. One of my teachers at Chouinard said, "If you want to learn how to draw, you have to draw the nude body. This way you'll learn anatomy , proportions, how the body bends and turns and foreshortening." After all these years I've gotten back to the basics.

Obama And The GOP

2011-01-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

The Old Caboose

2011-01-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

This is an old caboose I saw at the Roseville Railroad Yard. I thought it would make an interesting subject for a painting but I think it looks pretty good as a drawing. In black and white the dirt looks good and dirty.

Digital Portrait

2010-12-27T13:54:00.000-08:00

A digital portrait I did of my boy Eric and his wife Danica (cartoony style).

The Story Of St. Nicholas

2010-12-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

Saint Nicholas was born in 270 AD, a Greek in what is now a part of southern Turkey. His parents were wealthy and very devout Christians who died when Nicholas was a young man. He inherited the wealth of his father but being a pius Christian gave away his money to help the poor. He became a priest and later was named Bishop of Myra and is remembered for his reputation for secret gift giving. In his most famous exploit, a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a dowry for them. This meant they would probably never marry and without employment would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man’s plight, Nicholas decided to help him secretly, so he went to the man’s house one night and threw three purses of gold coins through the open window.

He is the patron saint of children, sailors, fishermen, merchants, broadcasters, the falsely accused, prostitutes and repentant thieves.

Film Fun Magazine

2010-12-14T13:59:00.000-08:00

Film Fun was a magazine that was published from 1915 until 1942 with all the covers illustrated by Enoch Bolles. At the time he was the premier pin up artist as you can see. These covers were considered "racy" for the day. The magazine ran stories about movie stars, the movies they were in and contained lots of pictures for the serious "reader". I imagine it was the "Playboy" of those days. Bolles was another one of those great pin-up artists along with Gil Elvgren. Bolles however didn't sign any of his cover art.

Tax Deal Smack Down

2010-12-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

The Democrats rejected the Presidents proposed tax deal so it looks like the fight will continue while the Republicans wait for January.

Vans Triple Crown of Surfing - Pipeline Pro

2010-12-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

The Pipeline Pro starts today with live internet feed all day long. There is a big swell hitting the North Shore and this could be the best contest yet. Google Triple Crown of Surfing and follow the links.

Pearl Horbor Day

2010-12-07T10:08:00.000-08:00

December 7, 1941, "This day will go down in infamy" - President Franklin D. Roosevelt The Imperial Japanese Navy sent 353 aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers in two waves to attack and destroy as many ships in Pearl Haobor as they could. Luckily, our Navy had sent our own aircraft carriers out on manuvers the day before or they would have been sunk or destroyed too.. This was the 9/11 of the times with 2,402 sailors killed and 1,282 wounded in effect destroying the American 6th fleet and plunging the U.S. into W.W.II.

The Day Superman Died

2010-12-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

This from the 1992 DC Comics that killed Superman. Lucky for us he came back to life a few months later to save the world once more. The art on the cover doesn't match the art on the pages inside. The second image is from the next to last page of the comic, after Superman battles Doomsday. This is one of the best selling Superman comics ever but the story isn't that great and the book itself now sells for around $10.

TSA Pat Down Alert

2010-11-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

I know the TSA people are all really professionally trained to catch the bad guys before they get on a plane and cause havoc. So why do they have to put old ladies and others, who are obviously not a threat, through these intrusive body scans and pat downs? Because they are afraid to use profiling, so they profile everybody. The police use profiling every time they make a traffic stop. They find out who the driver is and if the car has been stolen, so they can find out who they're dealing with. Why can't the airlines do the same?

Pipeline Popeye

2010-11-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

The Triple Crown of Surfing in Hawaii has begun this year with the first contest at Haleiwa, The Reef Hawaiian Pro from Nov. 12th through Nov. 24. The next contest is the O'Niell Cup, held at Sunset Beach and the third and final contest is the Billabong Pipe Masters at the dreaded Pipeline. I say dreaded because I don't have the brass to ride stuff like that but it's amazing to watch these seasoned pros go at it. If you're interested in watching the action Google The Triple Crown of Surfing and watch it live for free.

Happy Birthday Mickey!

2010-11-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

Nov. 18^th, 1928 Steam Boat Willy was released. This was the first sound cartoon with perfectly synchronized music and sound effects. There were two silent Mickey Mouse cartoons produced before this but they were held back pending the outcome of Steam Boat Willy, which became a great success for Walt and Ub Iwerks.

Celebrity Faces

2010-11-16T16:26:00.000-08:00

David Schwimmer, Taylor Swift and Piper Parabo
Celebreties seem to have faces that are cartoonlike without having to work too hard at capturing the likeness.

Obama Will Work With Republicans

2010-11-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

News Flash!! Obama says he’ll work with the Republicans (as long as he gets what he wants)!

Is this what Charlie Brown feels like when Lucy says she’ll hold the ball? “Come on Chuck, run and kick the ball. Don’t you trust me? Why don’t you trust me?”

The Voters Have Spoken

2010-11-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Side Tracked

2010-10-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the East end of the Roseville rail yard. The whole town is cut in half by the largest rail switching yard west of the Rocky Mountains. Freight trains from east, west, north and south come through this huge yard to be distributed to all points.

In 1913, fruit shipping became an important part of the yard and the biggest ice plant in the world was built in Roseville to accommodate. The town is full of history which is fascinating to me. That’s a part of the old town in the background.

French Riot Over Retirement Age

2010-10-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

French students continue to riot because the retirement age was raised from 60 to 62. Wow, when I was a student all I could think about was how I was going to get a job in animation and actually make a living at what I loved to do. Retirement was not even in the picture, but, the French government has provided cradle to grave entitlements that the whole society has grown accustomed to and now there is resentment at having these goodies taken away. I think the society as a whole suffers from the gimmies. Unfortunately there are many people in this country that have the same entitlement syndrome. They think the government should take care of them if they have a boo boo or if they can't find a job or if they can't afford to buy a house, and there are plenty of liberal politicians who promise to give them every little thing they ask for. These are what we call the bleeding heart liberals.

House On The Hill

2010-10-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

We were in Southern Ca. a few weeks ago visiting relatives and one morning I got my paints out and painted the view from the back yard of my brother in laws house. This is one of the many houses that dot the hills around the area in Orange County. Hope you like it.
5"x7" oil on canvas panel SOLD

Dreams Of My Fathers Son

2010-10-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Weird Science Comics

2010-10-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

I love these old comics. The art is fantastic, drawn by some of the greatest comic book artists and illustrators of the time. My brother and I used to have boxes of comics we collected. Somehow they disappeared one of the times we moved. Hmmm... (MOM!)
Weird Science Comics were published in the early 1950's by William F. Gaines and edited by artist Al Feldstein. Wally Wood did the cover art and Al Feldstein drew the stories.
The other Weird Science interior artists were Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Joe Orlando, George Evans, Harvey Kurtzman, George Roussos, Harrison, Will Elder, Jack Kamen, Sid Check and Jack Olesen. Writers in the early issues included Feldstein, Gaines, Kurtzman, Harrison and Gardner Fox. Gaines and Feldstein wrote nearly all stories from 1951 to 1953.
(wikipedia)

Figure Drawing

2010-10-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Blue Line Gallery in Roseville has been having figure drawing on the last Wednesday of the month for $10 and a three hour session. Since everyone who considers him or herself an artist needs to draw the live model, I jumped at the chance. I haven't drawn from a model since art school and Lord knows I need the practice after drawing cartoons for all these years. This was a twenty minute pose, which doesn't give much time to spend on details.

Vintage Air Poster

2010-10-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

I took this photo at the Space and Aeronautics Museum in D.C. and thought I'd post it because I like it.
It looks like something from before World War One with the biplane in the back ground. Very cool.

Pelosi Gets Muddy

2010-09-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Obama's New Childrens Book

2010-09-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

President Obama has written a childrens book that is due out in November. I have no idea as to what it could be about but, I just had to have some fun with it anyway.
If anyone has an idea for a caption or Obama's dialogue, let me know and I'll re-post the drawing with the funniest idea, and the winner will get full credit and world wide attention, admiration and love and will become instantly famous. I can't promise any of those but you will get my thanks and praise for sure.
Thanks to my boy Matt for the idea.

Ronald Searle Cartoons

2010-09-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

I love Ronald Searle drawings so thought I'd post a few.

New York, N.Y.

2010-09-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

I really got into the painting this week. Here's another 5"x7" pallette knife painting I did from a photo I took in New York City this summer. New York City is a facinating place to visit with lots to see and do.
We really had a great time. That's the Empire State Building in the background with a fantastic view at the top. SOLD