Jeff Durham

Garden Calendar Cartoonin'

2012-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

Last month I had the opportunity to create an illustration for the annual garden calendar page, and I had a great time with it. There was a comfortable amount of lead time and I was able to build up a small crowd of characters involved in gardening activities. I fell back on a simple cartooning style that flows naturally for me and the characters appeared without much fuss.

Of course I misjudged the amount of space that was needed for the text, so there was much squishing, tweaking and redrawing to do as the deadline came stomping into the room. But, aside from the final push (and that wasn't very bad, either) this was good relaxing fun for me from start to finish.

Working on the final character, I took screenshots as I made my way through the process and posted them to my twitter feed. It was an experiment, and I had a good time with it, but I don't think anybody noticed. Maybe next time.

I had several other characters roughed in as I went along but I can't seem to find them in my collection of files. If I run across them I'll tack them on the bottom here.

The End.

Laziest post ever

2012-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

I've had a few extra-long work days this week (with another to go) and -- because I'm painting the room where my computer normally resides and rearranging furniture everywhere else -- my temporary computer set-up is messy, cramped and almost unusable. That's my excuse for my horribly slow start this blogging year.

But visual journalist and prolific blogger Charles Apple posted a nice piece about a front page layout and graphic I contributed to.

Click on the picture and you'll get a nicely written and informative article about how it was created.

And definitely check out the rest of his blog. I'm a regular reader and his blog should be required reading if you are interested in visual journalism.

Ah, that was easy. Thank you Mr. Apple for making this a very easy blog post!

;-)

Dieting for Dollars

2012-01-18T22:01:00.000-08:00

The story for this assignment was about weight-loss-challenge websites where participants compete to reach dieting goals, often with the added incentive of some sort of monetary wager. "Diet betting" is another way of describing it.

There are many variations on how the competitions work, but my first concept was to show the choice between food and money. It struck me that was the choice; you can have one or the other. Visually that leaves the betting aspect of the story out of it .

I wasn't sure if it was getting the point across. I liked it, but I felt it might not be rich enough to pair with the story, but I got the okay to send the drawing as it was. I had a few days before it was due and I made some noise about how I wanted to go a little further with it, but I took the lazy option and didn't throw another thought at the problem.

When the time came to send it to the page designers I fretted for a few minutes, again worrying that it might not be a clear enough visual. But a page designer or editor dropped in the headline "Dieting for Dollars," which ties it together very well. Sigh of relief. They helped me out again.

The final is basically the initial rough with some cleaning up. I'm not saying that it's good or bad but it feels fresher to me than some of the other cartoon drawings I've done lately.

I wish I'd been brighter and zanier with the colors; it could have been more exciting to look at that way.

Here's how it appeared on the page.

The End.

Happy 2012!

2012-01-14T00:20:00.000-08:00

Referenced from a screen capture of “A Piece of the Action;”

I’m not sure but it might be my favorite Star Trek episode.

I started this painting last night after work, but only managed to stay awake for about half an hour. I blocked in the shapes, started on Nimoy's hat and fell asleep at the keyboard.

I got home tonight and felt too tired to work again, but I fought through and put in about two hours, give or take a few.

I was aiming to finish the painting and post it before midnight. I'm going miss that by about 20 minutes, but that's more due to writing this nonsense than drawing-time.

* * * * *

I know, I know.

I'm a little late getting the 2012 edition of the blog in motion. I've uploaded some art in draft mode but I haven't had time to write anything helpful, informative or interesting to go with it.

My goal for blog-improvement this year is to try to make it into something more than just an art-dump. I'm going to try include some tutorials that go step-by-step through my process of creating some of this visual noise I'm making.

BUT! Since I've haven't been able to round up a decent amount of time after my work and commute schedule I'm just going to dump some fresh art.

The End.

Google's Makeover

2011-12-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot about this one. It ran early December in the business section on a Sunday, I think. The story was about Google's ongoing attempt at re-branding. I was aiming for a cut-out, collage-style illustration and, looking at it now, I don't think I did well with it.

The assignment was given as a rush-job, and I started working directly, believing it was needed now! I ended up getting more time to work on it than advertised, but I didn't use the time to re-think the approach. I fiddled with painting and re-painting the dress but didn't exert mental effort on more important aspects.

I really regret my handling of the main figure's hair; it should be a much more interesting design than it is. That was a close-to-deadline change, as she had the same hair-style as the figures in the background and it dynamically stand out from the crowd. A good idea, but done in haste and without a critical eye on my part.

Found a picture of how it looked when it printed. Hm, I guess that looks alright. A thoughtful page-designer can prop up a mediocre illustration!

Christmas Illustration

2011-12-23T18:43:00.000-08:00

Painted in Photoshop

Here's a holiday illustration that will run in the Bay Area News Group newspapers on Christmas Day.

It will be published along with a collection of stories about people who have spent Christmas alone or away from their normal Christmas surroundings.

Best wishes for the season to any and all who happen across this post, and carry those positive vibes with you the other 364.

Every day should be Santa Claus day!

Quick Filler Post

2011-12-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

Work in progress. Painted in Photoshop!

Here's a tight-crop detail screenshot of an illustration I'm working on. I posted this on my tumblr blog the other day, and I was hoping that I would be able to post the finished piece here by now.

Not gonna happen. Too many chores and hideously long days at work have knocked me off my game.

I'm feeling burnt out and I'm going to try to take a day or two off and stay away from the computer. Right after this post, that is. Well, I might put a couple more freckles on this lady's cheeks. Fix that eyebrow first, maybe. Hm.

Minnie Silhouette

2011-12-15T22:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a silhouette drawing of my good friend Minnie Durham. She posed approximately two minutes for this sitting and that's a long time for such a percolating bundle of energy.

Drawn in ArtRage!

1st ArtRage Painting

2011-12-10T00:30:00.001-08:00

I had a moment of weakness the other day and bought the painting program ArtRage. I can't tell you how broke I am. There was no reason for it. "Normally $80, on sale for $50" it said. I lunged at the keyboard and clicked the "Buy Now! Buy Now! For God’s Sake, why is this taking so long? Buy Now!" button.

Stinging from a hard cold slap of buyer's remorse, I forced myself to stay up late after a long, miserable work day and made myself use it! As in, "If you're going to throw money away on stuff like that, you're going to use it whether you like it or not!"

Hey. It's kind of cool. I like it. It was difficult finding my way around the brush controls and palettes, but it has a different vibe than photoshop. Here's my first attempt at a portrait. It took about three hours of painting and manual reading, and it's not great, but I had a good time. About $50 worth of good time, dammit.

Doodle Collage

2011-12-04T19:45:00.001-08:00

This is a collage built from doodles committed during the process of creating an illustration for the ol' newspaper job. These particular doodles were not used.

Years ago I made a habit of putting my discarded art to use in my journal. Doodles would be xeroxed, blown up, pasted down and drawn on once again. It was a great creative exercise involving drawing, designing, painting and sometimes writing. I miss the pleasures of drawing, designing and writing for myself.

This is a timid step towards trying to re-invigorate the artist by creating art in ways that I find enjoyable.

Well, heck. Now that I think about it, that's why I started working on a blog. So, this is me reminding myself why I even bother with all this nonsense.

The end.

That's A Bluejay!

2011-11-30T00:45:00.000-08:00

I started working on a comic a couple of years ago, and I managed to create a few pages but ran out of momentum. Last night I looked over the unfinished work and glanced over the outline I had written and was inspired enough to do a quick panel.

Sure is fun to work on comics. Sure is hard to find the the opportunity to work on my own stuff with a time-consuming job and a commute that is a life-draining parasite.

Uh-oh. Cranky today.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Quincy

2011-11-23T22:40:00.001-08:00

First, I know this is a quick change of mind after griping about it in my previous post, but the Blogspot "Dynamic Views" are back on again. I still feel slightly underwhelmed by the mechanics of the access to displayed art, but it does look snappy!

And I'm looking for freelance work and/or a new job; prospective employers and clients can see more of my art without having to scroll down the page to see one, image, at, a, time.

Maybe I'll switch back again if I convince myself it's for the best. Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy.

This is a spot illustration that will run in the newspaper, modified slightly for blog presentation. In the paper it is one of a few illustrations and will be very tiny.
The accompanying caption advocates finding time to appreciate and enjoy your pet during the holidays.

This is a portrait of one my cats, Quincy. I've mentioned him before, and used him as inspiration a few times over the years. He is a true character. He is my best friend and I hate him. He wakes me up at least three times every night wanting food or play. Every night!

True to form, he is circling the monitor, harassing me right now. I must feed him, or play with him. Now.

Blog Notes and a Bad Cartoon

2011-11-15T23:05:00.001-08:00

Dynamic Views? Off for now.

I'm giving up the "dynamic views" style of blog-viewing here at blogspot. I like the way it looks, but I've been told by a few people that they can't access it with their browsers.

I find the dynamic views environment a little frustrating in that you have to click an extra time or two to get the artwork to open up large in a tab or another window. That seems like too much work to me.

And, in the past, I've used my link list to conveniently click over to other blogs I like. I've found that I'm not getting out and about on the blog-scene without easy access to my list. So, with disappointment, I'm done with "dynamic views" for now.

Most Productive Year

If you look to the archive list on the left you'll see that 2011 has been my most productive year as a blog-artist. It may be a case of quantity crushing quality, but on the surface it looks like I'm improving.

This Post's Art
Here is a junky little drawing I posted on my Tumblr blog the other day. (I have designated Tumblr as my post-crap-quickly-without-worrying-about-it-too-much blog.) I've never posted here without displaying a doodle of some kind, so if this seems slightly desperate... it is.

In the panel, I'm paraphrasing of a conversation I overheard in a pub a couple of decades ago. I was going to make a full-page comic out of it, but I won't have the time for that in the near future. Also, I just felt like doing a grubby little drawing and messing around with a retro comic-coloring style.

Passing Fancy

2011-11-15T00:11:00.001-08:00

This is a hasty finish over a rough for my previously posted "Missed Connections" drawing. My attempt here didn't really fit the assignment and it's more unconventional than most of the work I do for the newspaper, but I enjoyed the look of it.

I didn't want to toss it on the junk-pile. Maybe that's where it belongs, but I enjoy looking at it. It's my blog. So there.

The ENd.

Rrrrocket Blonde!

2011-11-10T22:35:00.001-08:00

I drew a little throwaway sketch of this character and then, instead of throwing it away, I painted over the top of it.

She's not a great doodle but she ate up a lot of my time today. I might as well post it.

The End

Missed Connections

2011-11-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

The impression I've been given by friends and colleagues is that I am the only person who has not heard of this missed connections thing. Just in case they're wrong and you haven't heard of it either, this is my perspective on it.

You get up from in front of your computer and take a walk through the real world. You see somebody you think is kind of cute and rather than go over and talk and wink and flirt, you go home and post a note on Craigslist about how much you were attracted to whoever that was. Then you hope that person reads Craigslist and remembers you as "that attractive person leering at him or her from behind a tree yesterday." You exchange emails, send pictures, meet for dinner, fall in love and live happily ever after. Or, if that seems like too much time spent away from the computer, you just send pictures.

Angela Hill, one of the excellent writers in the MediaNews collection of wordsmiths, is writing an article to explain this whole phenomenon to pop-culture ignoramuses such as I. Here is my accompanying illustration.

And here is the first rough I did.

Smokin' Joe

2011-11-07T23:01:00.000-08:00

This is an old newspaper spot-illustration I drew in 2004 for a project that is explained here. I'm sorry to hear that he has passed away. Joe Frazier was my favorite fighter when I was a kid. Whenever he was on TV he seemed like a pretty nice guy; and I really liked the sound of the words "And in this corner... Smokin' Joe Frazier!" Dad would say that whenever we started play-boxing.

Frazier lost to Ali and Foreman. That's all.

Frazier, in his prime, beat Ali, in his prime. 'Nuff said.

Sad to see you go, Joe. I'm not a religious person by any stretch, but if I'm wrong -- and there really is a Valhalla -- I know you're lacing up your gloves right now and getting ready to stand in against whoever wins the Gentleman Jim Corbett/Joe Louis fight.

The End

Rough Doodle Paint-Over

2011-11-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I hacked out the sketch on the left and I finally finished painting him tonight. Whew. Long time to get that done, and not all that crazy about it.

But it's the only drawing I've done lately. Been busy. I hope to pick up the pace soon!

A Little Rejected

2011-10-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is one of my roughs for a project at work. It's not the idea that's going to be used, so I tidied it up a little and thought it might look nice on the blogwall.

I linked their pinkies together at the last moment, and that seems to give it more interest, if that kind of thing is interesting to you. Weird thing is, I feel like I've seen that idea before. I don't like stealing; at least not without knowing where I'm stealing from.

When I first drew the characters they reminded me of Earl Oliver Hurst -- a big art-hero of mine -- but, when I started coloring, they began to look more like Tadahiro Uesugi drawings -- another huge art-hero. I looked at some of their work as inspiration toward the end, and I've obviously leaned big in Uesugi's direction.

The End.

Goofing Around Again

2011-10-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

More nonsense characters. I've been awfully busy with work and family visitations this month, and I feel like I haven't had time to focus on anything for longer than a few minutes. I've been fiddling with these two scribbles for a couple of weeks and took about an hour this morning to try to polish them off.

Like the two in the previous post, I have no idea what they are. I thought they looked silly when they first appeared beneath my pen, and maybe I should have made them even sillier. They are only moderately strange instead of excitingly so.

Character Studies (?)

2011-10-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

I have no idea.

I started these as an exercise in character design. As usual, I strayed from the purpose of drawing something that could be helpful to my portfolio. Could you see these as Star Wars characters? Perhaps as designs for the hot new Xbox game? Me either.

Again, I self-destruct.

Still, I dig that lady's pants.

Character Doodles

2011-10-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

Busy weekend done. Time to squeeze in a drawing before bed. Three characters! You must provide your own story...

Bonus art, just for fun: Step 1, roughing them out. Step 2, refining the drawing. Step three, laying down some flat colors. Maybe I should have stopped there, that looks fine to me.

All of it drawn in Photoshop.

The End.

Another Study

2011-10-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a rough hewn painting I did this morning. I'm staring down the barrel of a multi-chore weekend , so this may be the only thing I do. If I post another it means I'm putting stuff off.

Georgia Hale, the leading cutie in Chaplin's "Gold Rush."

The Sheriff and the Red Knight

2011-09-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Goofing around again. I suppose if I had done a little research I could have avoided putting a cow leg on the horse. Lazy.

I found an old thumbnail for an abandoned project, blew it up and played with it. I probably spent about 4 or 5 hours on this one.

I don't much care for this painting and I wasn't going to show it, but the blog can be about failure, too. I'm feeling brave today. Here is a lousy painting.

I'd fix it, but even if it were perfectly drawn I don't think it would be a very good image. I'm just going to act like I didn't lay this egg and walk away whistling a happy tune.

Screen Capture Painting Again

2011-09-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Another study. This is taken from "The Gold Rush." It's probably my all-time favorite movie. Well, that changes day to day, but it's always in the top five.

These are the two guys in the assayer's office where Big Jim McKay goes to stake his claim, but he cannot remember where it is. I should have gone color with it, just for the exercise, but I'm a little on the lazy side today.
Next one!