Snakes Tongue Kissing

 This picture started as the reverse of a portrait of a lady. Some ink showed through wear her hair was. A friend asked what I would make THAT into, so here it is. I have other alliterating animal cartoons lurking in my brain.

Morticia Adams Pruning

 Yes, I know it is not a close resemblance as I drew this in my sketchbook when I did not have access to a picture of the lovely Morticia. However, the sketch was also inspired by my cousin's concept of garden pruning with an electric hedge trimmer and her colorful response when I suggested she might want to leave a few flowers.

  I always loved The Adams Family but my observation is that they were, ironically, a loving and relatively wholesome family and Morticia would never swear!

On The Trains

 

A Day At The Beach - Sandy Jellyfish Invasion

 As a keen swimmer I thought I might take advantage, at Sandringham beach, of the warm weather. However, after jumping in and swimming a few stokes I soon found out that the sea was swarming with jellyfish. After receiving several stings I made  hasty retreat to the sand.
    Instead I got my sketchbook out. yes, there is a LITTLE artistic licence.

Today I was sketching with the portrait group. Noela sat as our subject. The pictures were 20 minute sketches done over three hours. I used a few different styles, including caricature.

                                                      

                                                         Below: brush-pen caricature

                                                                  Naturalistic HB pencil

                                                                        Cartoon style

Naturalistic line brush-pen

Des Darvell Portrait With His Art As Background

 As a boy I had some very nice and interesting uncles. One of them was Uncle Des, my mother's only sibling. He was a 'dabbler'. Des did sign writing, managed art galleries and was a photographer. He also did abstract paintings I call 'splatter paintings' and pictures that combined his painting and photography. I decided to redo his portrait with one of his paintings in the background.

   I know that Des, if he was still alive would love to see this. He always encouraged me in my art.

Ned Kelly, Australian Icon

 Ned Kelly is a hero to many and a villain to others. He was a bushranger akin to America's outlaws, Jesse and Frank James. In both cases large elements of their communities helped them because of perceived injustices from the authorities.

  Sadly, it has been revealed that he probably never, on his pending hanging, remarked 'Such is life'. But it is the kind of thing that he would say.

  Below are three versions of my portrait of Ned.