1995 Noosa Sketchbook Part 1

 In my late 20s and 30s I did quite a bit of hitchhiking, travelling from Victoria, along the Australian East coast. One of my favorite destinations was Noosa Beach in Queensland. I carried a small ringed sketchbook and drew some of the things I saw and people I met. Thirty years later I look at the drawings with a fairly critical eye, especially the portraits. However, with some tints and enhancements on the computer I think they don't look half bad.

  I intend to do more scanning of old pics, even going back to my childhood and school illustrated stories.

  One day I'll put much of it into a book.

I used pencil more in my sketches, then. It does not reproduce as well as pen but looks better with a subtle tint. I decided to leave the sketchpad rings

Portrait of Julia James Davis, You Tuber, 'The Beauty Myth'

 

Conclusion to Lawnmower Man in Ukraine

 

I finally finished this story.

I'll be returning to the Peasant Hitchhiker story soon and that one will be in color.

Some more sketches are also on the cards.

Lake Guthridge & Curvy Trees

 

Chloe, the Cat Snoozing on My Legs

 

My Pet Tomato Plant

 It's a baby Pappa now, but he gets taken in at night and gets the artificial sunlight. One day he will be big and strong.

Lawmower Man Versus Copter

 Lawnmower Man uses his 'tools of trade' to counter Russian tanks, troops and helicopter. 

Lawnmower Man Cleans Up In Ukraine.

 

Hmm, it looks like Lawnmower Man is on a roll as he blows away Russian troops. To be continued...

Drawings of Angelique from the Portrait Group

   I had a lot of fun today doing these portraits of our model, Angelique. I tried out a few different mediums, styles and techniques.

   

Immaculate Chicken

 

Bastet, Goddess of Cats

 

Chloe: The Stretch

 

Chloe & My Sketchbooks.

 I have been filling up sketchbooks like there is not tomorrow. I have two and a half for 2025 already. One of those I started in 2019, put it away somewhere, found it and continued with it this year! Anyhow, sometimes I missed a page here and there, so I am filling the blank pages up with various odd sketches such as this one of my cat, Chloe. She actually looks a lot sleeker, even for eleven years old, than here. Sorry, Chloe! I added a digital tint.

Here she is before she was scanned, and the page cropped and tinted. Maybe it looks better without the tint. I have begun numbering sketchbook pages and adding an index. I saw one particular cartoonist who had a separate book which told him what was in all his sketchbooks.

Clocktower Medical Clinic in August.

 Patience is needed when waiting at medical clinics, and so are patients.

Alice Cooper Guillotined

 As part of some of his acts Alice Cooper appeared to lose his head in a Guillotine. As a 1970s teenage fan of Alice Cooper, I had a photo on my bedroom wall, of Alice with his head in the device. Here is my cartoon version:

I'll Have Mao With That - Mass & Serial Killers of the 20th Century

 Obviously, this is not a complete list, but I thought it might be interesting to juxtapose political leaders who killed directly, or indirectly, millions and serial killers who killed handfuls of people. Hitler has been 'done to death' but people forget about 'Uncle Joe' Stalin and Chairman Mao. Stalin didn't kill as many as Hitler but because Stalin was 'our' son-of-a-bitch his gulags and deliberately induced famines got a free pass until sometime after WW2. Who killed the most? Read on.