Sketch: Devil Girl Portrait

This is just a quick color sketch of a devil girl's head, I was trying out the new tube red gouache I picked up yesterday. It comes from a local company in West Linn, Oregon called M. Graham & Co. It's pretty nice to work with, and I find it interesting that they list honey as one of the ingredients.

Anyway, I haven't done any devil girl stuff in quite a while, and it's also been far too long since I've done any gouache, and it felt real good on both counts. After I've worked out a few of the kinks I'll probably put some original art similar to this piece up for sale on the Vintage 66 Etsy shop. So, you'll want to keep an eye out for that later this summer. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

Color sketch: Devil Girl Portrait

Parking Lot Characters: The Oak Grove Wiseguy

Okay, I've got absolutely no proof that this guy has any ties to the mob, but he looked a bit like a wiseguy with his Hawaiian shirt and the way he was swaggering around the parking lot, but in little Oak Grove, Oregon, it isn't very likely. The funny thing about this guy is that the day I happened to see him was the very same day that they caught James "Whitey" Bulger, the former Boston mob boss and number two on the FBI's Most Wanted List. How's that for a coincidence? Gosh! I hope I haven't just outed some poor slob in the Federal Witness Protection Program— Oops! I really don't think he is a gangster or any kind of fugitive, in fact, the more I look at this drawing the more I realize he looks more like an old lesbian on vacation—I really don't know what that means, it just sounds funny. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

The Oak Grove wiseguy making his way across the parking lot.

The MCM Line of Gibson Guitars

Both the Gibson Explorer and Flying V are usually associated with the hard rock/metal/punk genres, but did you know that they were actually first introduced in the late 50's? I didn't until recently. They were part of a new "Modernistic Series" that Gibson originally released in 1958, the series also included a super-rare model called the Moderne. The Moderne, in fact,  is so rare that there is some disagreement about whether or not any of them were actually produced in the 50's at all (they were reissued in the early 80's). However, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top seems to have one, but  sadly, it can't be truly authenticated because there is such a dearth of information about them. All three guitars were inspired by the futuristic atomic culture that was taking the country by storm in the post-war 50's.You can clearly see the influence of the extreme Googie-esque angles, the tail-fins of the cars and the Mid-century design in general mirrored in their radical body styles. Unfortunately they were way ahead of their time, and none of these models really caught on until much later, and they were pulled from the catalog by 1960. I had always assumed—yes, I do know what happens when you do that—that they didn't come out until sometime in the 60's, but those models were actually reissues made from spare parts and such. So there you have it, you learn something every day.

The Explorer and The Flying V were first released in the late 50's.

Behind the Scences: Rejected Pinup Sketches

On occasion I get the impression that some folks think that those of us in the art field just sit down and whip out masterpieces left and right. I think the reason for this is that most people only see the the finished product, and not all the sketches and rough drafts that go into the process. In truth, even the old masters would labor over the composition, the angle of an arm, or even a basic hand gesture. The only master I have ever heard of who didn't do tons of preparatory drawings and sketches was Caravaggio, he would just start painting. Of course, he was pretty close to insane; fantastic artist, but he truly was a crazy son-of-a-bitch. Now that I've wandered clear off into left field, let me get back to my point, which is that even the sketches that don't make the cut have a certain value. They pave the way for the finished product, which in this case is a pinup girl that I am doing for a client, Hellbetty Jewelry. For now I can't show the sketches of the final pinup girl until my client has launched all of the material I'm creating, which will be soon, so check back for that. In the meantime,  I can show you these three sketches that helped me get to the final version. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

This one had a lot of promise, but unfortunately her pose is just too static for a good pinup.

I was also pleased with this one for many reasons, and her pose is much better, but in the end she still wasn't the right one.

At one point I thought this one was actually the winner, but halfway through it became clear that she simply wasn't working out, so I had to start over.

Parking Lot Characters: The Worried Sweater Girl

I hit the coffee shop on Wednesday with high hopes for a new addition the the Parking Lot Character Series,  but I'm afraid it was pretty slim pickins. In fact, about the best I could do was this little worried gal in a striped sweater. Not that there's anything wrong with her, well other than the fact that I didn't give her a mouth (maybe that's why she's so worried). She was just kind of bland for the PLC Series, that's all I'm saying. Actually, there was one other character who would have been pretty good, I think, I didn't get a very good look form the front. He was a big lumpy redneck in a ginormous pickup with a dune-buggy on a trailer. Ironically, the reason I missed him is because I was sketching the striped sweater girl to kill time while I waited for Mr. redneck to come back from the liquor store. Before I knew it he was back in the truck and roaring out of the parking lot; all I saw was a hint of bushy mustache and a ball cap. Dammit Anyway! Maybe next time I should take a spotter with me to keep me on track.

The Worried Sweater Girl.

The Parking Lot Characters Series is a somewhat irregular collection of posts featuring semi-finished drawings of people I observe while sketching and drinking coffee in a local parking lot, which is shared by super market, a liquor store, a big corporate coffee shop and a handful of other small businesses. I then take the rough sketches back to the studio and rework them in ink and color before posting them here.

Retro Pinup Girl T-shirt Available Now!

Just in time for summer! This cute retro Pinup Girl T-shirt is now available in the Vintage 66 Zazzle Shop. I just realized last night that I never posted this design for sale when I finished it last year. I don't remember why now, I think I was just sidetracked by a project, or maybe I thought somebody wanted to buy the design. Nevertheless, I've made some minor changes and now she's ready to go. You'll be the envy of your friends and neighbors.

Vintage 66 Graphics Retro Pinup Girl T-shirt by Vintage66
See more Vintage 66 graphics T-Shirts

World War II Propaganda Posters

This is the 67th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion that took place on the beaches of Normandy, France. While I was looking for something relevant to post, I stumbled across this slide show of thirty-seven intense and beautifully illustrated propaganda posters form World War II on the LIFE Magazine blog. While this isn't specifically D-Day related, it delves into the psychology behind what both sides were fighting for, or in some cases what they were told they were fighting for.