Scarface

What's black and white and slightly red?
It's my caricature of Al Pacino as Scarface.  I did this one in May 2002.

Creepy Crawlies "God's Gift"

Happy Sunday!  Here, for the first time, is a colorized version of one of my Creepy Crawlies comic strip.  I'm gathering all my original comic strip art and coloring them.  I'll post one every Sunday.  Let me know if you like them, or maybe even (gulp) look forward to them.  As always, click on the strip for a larger version.  No magnifying glass necessary.

Keel-Billed Toucan

Keel-billed Toucans can be found in Southern Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia.  They roost in the canopies of tropical and subtropical lowland rainforests.  They make their homes in holes of trees, often living with several other toucans.  When the living space gets too crowded, they tuck their tails and beaks under their bodies while sleeping.

 Like many toucans, Keel-billed Toucans are very social, very playful birds. They travel in small flocks of six to twelve individuals through lowland rainforests.  They are considered poor flyers, so they move mostly by hopping around from tree to tree.

They have a family structure within their group. They will often be seen "dueling" with each other using their bills, and throwing fruit into each other's mouths. They are rarely seen alone.

Steampunk Conan

After much trial and error with this project and surviving treacherous blizzard conditions to get home from work last night, here is my Steampunk Conan Mask.

Steampunk Pelican

My business cards are finally finished and here is a nice sized pic of the steampunk pelican on my card.  The actual piece is for sale on etsy.com.  Click on http://www.etsy.com/shop/fauxhead to go to my shop.

Kritter Kids comic strip

I will try to post a color version of my comic strip, Kritter Kids every Sunday.  Here is this week's installment.  Click on it for a much larger version.

Bill Cosby

A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
-Bill Cosby

Here is one of my very first caricatures, brush & ink from 1983 I think.

Great Gray Owl Jingle Bell

This project was intended as a Christmas present for my wife.  I finally finished it yesterday.  Individually cut feathers proved to be a little time consuming.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Life & Laughter
"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking.  There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions.  Nothing pains some people more than having to think."
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Pursuit of Art
Today, I hope to finish my Great Gray Owl jingle bell.  If all goes as planned, it will be unveiled tomorrow.  In the mean time, here are a couple pics of this amazing raptor.

Ray Charles

Life & Laughter
I took Tater to school today because the roads were icy and school started two hours late.  On the way, I treated us to McDonalds for a couple breakfast sandwiches.  When we unwrapped them, the egg was an inch off the bun and the sausage was an inch off the egg and the cheese was an inch off the sausage.  And it was generally just a mess.  I thought, "Who's back there slapping these sandwiches together?  Ray Charles?"

The Pursuit of Art
Here's my paper sculpture caricature of Ray Charles.  If everything goes as planned, I will have a caricature mask of Ray finished sometime in February.  It will be based on this paper art.

Paper Sculpture Progression

Life & Laughter
"I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me."
-Fred Allen

The Pursuit of Art
Paper Sculpture Progression.  Try saying that with a mouthful of water!  Here are the major steps I take to make a paper sculpture.  You can use your imagination to fill in all the minor step.  The subject is Heath Ledger as the Joker.

Step 1: The drawing

Step 2: Seperate the drawing into pieces

Step 3: Color the pieces with an art editing program and cut them out.

Final Step: Glue it all together.

Piece of cake!

Fragile

Life & Laughter
Mr. Parker: "Uh, 'frah-gee-lay.' It must be Italian!"
Mrs. Parker: "Oh, I think that says 'fragile,' honey."
Mr. Parker: "Oh, yeah."

While driving to work yesterday, I noticed a white box in the middle of the road. It must have fallen off a truck or moving van. The word GLASS was carefully written in large block letters on the side of the box. Being concerned about this box sitting in the middle of the road, I pulled over to the curb. After waiting for traffic to subside, I walked over to the box. I pulled out my Sharpie, and above the word GLASS, I wrote the word BROKEN. Problem solved, I drove away.

The Pursuit of Art
Captive bred poison dart frogs are not poisonous, but they are very fragile creatures.  I used to have bumblebee poison frogs in a huge terrarium with a waterfall.  The proper name for this frog is Dendrobates leucomelas.  Those in the frog collecting or breeding hobby, simply call them "leucs."  Here are some photos of my leucs, along with a paper sculpture I did of them.

Chicken Club

Life & Laughter
I dined at Mickey-Ds the other day and ordered a chicken club sandwich. When the girl at the counter handed it to me, the sandwich seemed really heavy. No wonder America is getting so fat. Well, I’m determined not to be one of the millions of people ignoring their weight problem. I’m going to take action. I, for one, am going to start eating right. So I removed the lettuce and tomato and gobbled it up like I hadn't eaten in a week and a half.

The Pursuit of Art
I finally, finally, finally designed and ordered my business cards.  As soon as I receive them, a bunch will go out to you, Fred & Kathy.  Here's a preview...

Teeth in Your Mouth

Life & Laughter

There are so many profound things we hear in our lifetime.  Most things we hear once or twice and they are lost in some remote filing cabinet in our brain, never to be spoken of again.

My dad used to say, “Don’t just stand there with your teeth in your mouth.”  It was a colorful way to say, “Get moving.”  I wouldn’t want that golden nugget of wisdom to get lost, so I use it on my son.  “Don’t just sit there with your teeth in your mouth, Tater.  Get your homework done.”

There are times when I don’t feel like working on my art, or even writing in this blog.  When that happens, I admonish myself by saying, “C’mon!  Don’t just sit there with your teeth in your mouth.”

Pursuit of Art

Speaking of teeth, here is my toothy caricature of Barack Obama.

I had little tobacco cards made to look like the T206 cards from 1911 with this Obama caricature on it.  Here is a view of the front and back of the card.  If you would like one, send a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) to:

Stephen Kinsey

4 Capano Drive A1

Newark, DE  19702

Boy Scouts

Life & Laughter
I guess I’m not much of a people person. Once I saw a little old lady trying to cross the street. It looked like she was never going to be able to cross, so I offered to help her. Elderly folks should be handled with care, so I gently put my arm around her shoulder. With my other hand, I carefully held her arm. And then I pushed her out into traffic.

Let this be a lesson to us all;  You can't believe everything you read on the internet!


The Pursuit of Art
Sometime in 1993, I was asked to design a patch for the boy scouts. Everyone loved it except for the regional guru. He said it looked like a dog. You be the judge.

Clown Tree Frogs & Pitcher Plants

It's Wallpaper Tuesday.  For those unfamiliar, these frogs really do exist.

Harold and Effie

Life & Laughter
Every once in a great while, I get the urge to write a poem. I never take my poetry too seriously as evidenced by the ballad of Harold and Effie:

Harold wed Effie
Way back in fifty-nine
She never moved much
And ate all the time

It didn’t take long
For Harold’s’ cute spouse
To swell and expand
As big as a house

But Harold loved Effie
And her huge thighs
Right up to the day
Of Harold’s demise

You see…
Harold had to pee
But couldn’t aim a bit
So Effie made a rule
Harold must sit

Sitting was just what
Harold was doing
When Effie walked in
With bowels just a stewing

Effie spun around
And started to squat
She never saw Harold
There on the pot

Effie grunted
Then Effie farted
And just like that
Harold departed

The Pursuit of Art
I used to collect fossils, particularly shark teeth.  At one point, I had over 4000 of them.  I sold almost all of them on Ebay.  My best shark tooth sold for a staggering $660.00 on Ebay.  This illustration from 1995 are samples of shark teeth that can be found in a little streem known as Big Brook in New Jersey.

Kritter Kids - Breaking Up

Life & Laughter
Years ago, my family and many of our friends planned a picnic at a state park in Delaware.  One of the participants offered to supply all the chicken to this anticipated event.  There were a total of twenty-six attendees, and this person brought a 6-pack of KFC. I was one of the lucky ones. My dad and I split a thigh.

The Pursuit of Art
In the early nineties, I pursued getting a comic strip published.  I tried several strips, but the closest I ever got to comic page fortune and fame was with a strip I called Kritter Kids.  I mailed samples out to several syndicates.  One of the major syndicates held onto my samples for three months.  I worked up the nerve to call them to find out what was the dealio.  When I told the receptionist who I was and what I was calling for, she asked me to "Please hold."  An editor came back on the line to advise me that they were considering distribution of a new comic strip and that my Kritter Kids were one of three that they were considering.  My submission was returned to me a week later.  Close, but no cigar.  Since this is Sunday, here is one of my hand colored Sunday strips from 1991.
 

I'm tossing around the idea of digitally coloring the originals.  My color sense is much better now than it was twenty years ago when I colored this one.

Inspiration: Comic Art

Life & Laughter
To select well among old things, is almost equal to inventing new ones.
- Nicholas Charles Trublet

The Pursuit of Art
Inspiration. Just about everything an artist creates is somehow inspired by those who created before us. When I was a little whipper-snapper, I got my ideas from our wildlife encyclopedias and my gram’s Ideals books. I discovered comic books in the 80’s and found Frank Miller, Dave Stevens and Charles Vess. After that, the work of Simon Bisley, Kelly Jones, and Alex Ross caught my eye. My favorite, though, was Mike Mignola. I love the simplicity of the line work and the big black inked areas. The best pieces are colored by what looks, to me, to be watercolors. Just awesome!
  

Snowmen

Life & Laughter
The comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, was so funny and one of my all-time favorites.  Some of the best ones were the snowman bits.  Here are a few goodies...

The Pursuit of Art
I made this Snowmom and Snowbaby for my mom for Christmas.  It started out as an ornament, but got too heavy.  So now it's just a figurine.  She wants to keep it sitting out all year, but I'm afraid she might get sick of it.  The northern lights and snow scene were accomplished using Photoshop.

Yogi Berra & Honus Wagner

Life & Laughter
A friend of mine inherited her fathers’ house. After going through most of his possessions, she found a large tub full of old baseball cards. She knew I collected baseball cards, so she told me about some of the treasures she remembered seeing, "Some of the cards were of old-timers. I saw Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and that other guy, Yogi the Bear." Yogi the Bear? It had to be Yogi Berra, and maybe she stumbled upon an amazing find. This could be a gold mine! Visions of a Honus Wagner tobacco card were dancing in my head. Then she said something that made my heart stop. "I don’t know what to do with all those cards. You can have ‘em if you want." Holy crap!

One week went by. No cards. Two weeks, a month. No cards. I had to speed this thing up before a tornado swept the cards away or a fire burned the house to the ground. All that precious treasure could be lost forever if I didn’t act soon.
I had an idea. I gave her a large canvas of my digital paper sculpture "A World of Animals". It cost me over $200 to have it printed. But such was my obsession to get my grubby hands on those cards that I offered up a $400 piece of art. She asked me what I wanted for the artwork. Now I had her. "Oh. Just bring in those cards", was my composed reply.
The next day, she handed me a small paper lunch bag with cards in it. "Here are some of them," she said. After she left, I opened the bag to reveal newer cards reprinting older stars. There was no Babe Ruth. There was no Lou Gehrig. I didn’t even see Yogi the Bear. And what was worse, the cards were dry rotted from baking and freezing in the attic of that house year after year. The cards she gave to me were completely worthless and I had to throw them out. She never brought in any more cards and I never asked for them. I know there must be a lesson to be learned here. I’m still trying to figure out what it is.

Here are some great quotes by baseball legend Yogi Berra:
"A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore."
"If you come to a fork in the road, take it."
"I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did."
"The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase."
"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."
"You can observe a lot by just watching."

The Pursuit of Art
Speaking of Honus Wagner, called the Flying Dutchman, I did a paper sculpture of him a few years back.  Here is The Card.  The finest example of this card has sold for over 2 million bucks, last time I checked.

Along with the original photo used to create the legendary card.

Finally, my Honus Wagner paper sculpture.

Get the Glue

Life & Laughter
When my younger brother, Mark, was about ten years old, he attended Karate class. It was Tae Kwon Do, to be more specific. I called it Duck Ku Bo just to agitate. When he got to a point in his training when he could start breaking boards, my dad got some inexpensive pine boards and cut them up for him. I never saw Mark do it, but he wasted no time chopping them all in half. I saw the pile of mangled boards in the basement. Fast-forward a week or two. I went down to the basement looking for my industrial-sized bottle of super glue for one of my many since forgotten projects. The bottle was empty. Bone dry. Who got to my glue? I’m looking around in a panic, when I spot Mark’s boards neatly stacked in a corner and miraculously healed! On closer inspection, I could see the glue gushing out from the crack of each and every board. He used ten dollars in glue to fix two dollars in boards. In a fit of anger, I busted them all over my knee. I’m so ashamed of my teenaged self.

"Get the glue."
"We’re out of glue."
"You used up all the glue on purpose!"
-Exchange between mom and dad in the movie, A Christmas Story.

The Pursuit of Art

Some of the my paper sculpture pieces were cut to a very fine point.  So fine, in fact, that I had to add a glue mixture to the edges of some of the tiny pieces to keep them from fraying.  The blades of grass on this project had to receive the glue treatment to hold them together.  I've shown this piece in an earlier blog, but click on this Zebra Grasshopper and you'll get a larger 1024x768 wallpaper size.  Two wallpapers in two days.  Can't beat that!

Tuesdays

My postings are limited on Tuesdays because I work a seventeen hour double shift.  So, to make up for that incredible loss, I will post a large piece of art, suitable for wallpapering your computer screen.  This weeks' entry is New Money Frogs.  Enjoy!

Steak & Taters

Life & Laughter
When most people hear, "We're having steak for dinner!" it's usually a good thing.  Not when I was a kid.  My mom could have plopped down an old leather shoe in front of me, and it would have been no harder to chew than her "steak".  To this day, I cannot fathom how someone could destroy a piece of meat like she used to.  I must have built up incredible jaw strength gnawing on those slabs of sinew and gristle.  I imagined myself chewing down logs and building dams with my newly discovered super chewing powers.

Then there were the potatoes.  Sometimes we were served those little round ones out of the can.  I was not a fan.  More little round potatoes than poop were secretly flushed down our toilet.  And dad wondered why he had plumbing problems.

The Pursuit of Art
As I've mentioned in my first couple blogs, my son, Stephen is lovingly referred to as Tater.  So here are a couple of Taters, a photo and my paper sculpture of the photo.

Here's the photo...

...and here is the paper sculpt.

Bugs

Life
My mom once bit into a scoop of chocolate ice cream and started chewing on something crunchy. Did she order ice cream with nuts or cookies? Mom looked down at the bowl and saw half a cockroach buried in the ice cream waiting for her to take another bite.

As a follow-up to the cockroach tidbit, it was reported in one of the scientific journals that the average American eats 8 spiders during sleep in their lifetime. Just thought you should know.

Laughter
Dennis and Mark are riding down the road, when all
of a sudden an insect splatters on their windshield.
Dennis looks at Mark and says. "Bet he won't have the
guts to do that again!"

Where does a spider look to find out how to spell a word?
In WEBster's Dictionary, of course.

How do you hunt for bees?
With a bee bee gun

How does a bee brush it's hair?
With a honey comb

Why don't grasshoppers like football games?
They prefer cricket

The Pursuit of Art
In keeping with the bug theme, here are some paper sculpture bugs I did last year...

Zebra Grasshopper

Puss Moth Caterpillar

Samurai Shield Bugs

Their backs look like tribal masks. Cool, huh?

Happy New Year!

Life
Looking back at last year, I just cannot imagine what the new year has in store for us.  I'm raising my digital glass and wishing health and happiness for us all.

Laughter
Mitch Hedberg was a hilarious stand-up comedian who left us way too soon in 2005 at the age of 37.  He suffered from stage fright, often covering his eyes with his trademark sunglasses.  Some of his shows were done with his eyes closed.  But he had some funny things to say and his memory lives on.  Here is a small sampling of Mitch Hedberg witticisms:

"Every book is a children's book if the kid can read!"

"My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them."

"I drank some boiling water because I wanted to whistle."

The Pursuit of Art

Here is my first piece of polymer clay art, a Steampunk Fetish Bear. After many mistakes and two weeks of trial and error, I finally finished it. It’s tough when you have to teach yourself something like this, but when mistakes are made, they are lessons well learned.