mcglinch

Supporting the Troops

2009-11-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

The majority of the traffic to this blog is the result of people doing Google image searches. A month or two ago my sister-in-law, Pattie, who is a Physical Therapy instructor at Fort Sam Houston -- Home of the Combat Medic -- in San Antonio, TX, was googling for juggling images for a class she was preparing on motor skills.

She was surprised to find an image she wanted to use was one of my doodles from a couple years ago. She asked if she could use it for her lesson and I said, "OK" and wanted to see how she used it.

She just completed the class and I was thrilled to receive a photo of her class (including juggler!) and this note:

"I taught the Motor Learning class this week, where juggling is taught as a means of reinforcing the content. Your illustration is on the cover of the binder that I must place in the back of the class for the "visitor" that never seems to come. The student juggling in the photo never juggled before but was taught during the class and practiced for 24 hours both mentally and physically. At the end of 24 hours he was able to juggle. Very fun. The students agreed to be photographed for use on your website. They are a mix of Army, Navy and Coast Guard enlisted personnel soon to be physical therapy technicians/assistants."

Thanks, gang, for the excellent photo and especially for serving our country and your fellow troops.

Fort Sam Houston is the largest military medical training facility in the world and is the location of the Brooke Army Medical Center where many of the servicemen and women severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are treated.

Want to support the troops? One of my favorite charities is Fisher House that provides temporary housing for families whose loved ones are in military hospitals like Brooke Army Medical Center. You can donate online through their site.

Dishwasher Doodle

2009-11-02T08:46:00.000-05:00

Drew this on the front of my mother's dishwasher just before appliance guys were coming to replace it.

Archives: Bar Coasters of Yore

2009-10-31T14:47:00.000-04:00

Back before the internet and my first mac, I did everything by hand. One year I made these coasters for my buddy, Scott, for Christmas. He just sent me photos of them all the way from Reno.

Exclusive Picture of Balloon Boy Found Alive Hiding in Box in Attic

2009-10-15T18:38:00.000-04:00

Hot Rod Turtles

2009-09-23T08:40:00.000-04:00

Was talking with my sister-in-law yesterday and she gave me the update on my 4-year-old nephew's new turtle, Henry (or Henrietta as it may turn out) - a near-road-kill rescue by her husband. I threatened to send my nephew a paint and decal turtle decoration kit. Instead I doodled these while waiting for my own boy after soccer.

Tattoo You

2009-09-17T18:26:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I get requests to use my drawings and doodles on other people's blogs or in their newsletters and usually I say, "Sure, thanks for asking." Occasionally, I'll say to 'no' when it's a for-profit site or journal unless they want to pay. And most times people don't even ask.

Recently, I received a request for permission to use one of my drawings as a tattoo. I've had requests before asking me if I'd draw something specifically for a tattoo and failed to execute for one reason or another. This recent request was from a woman who wanted to use this dragon but wanted me to add some stuff to it. Unfortunately I was (and have been) socked in on food data work and told her to go ahead and use it and get someone to modify it if she wanted.

Last night she sent me a photo of the freshly-inked work. Looks a little sore but looks cool.

I know with the death of Mary Travers today, I should post "Puff The Magic Dragon" to go with this but, really, I can't stand that song. So here's a favorite Spoon song:

One More Encounter From First Encounter Beach, Cape Cod

2009-09-16T20:52:00.000-04:00

Sea monster-armed ventriloquisty guy camped out on First Encounter Beach this summer on Cape Cod. Last summer we came upon this other clown-faced boy.

This one goes out to 13-year-old Tanya C who wrote me this summer and sent one of her mcglinch-inspired drawings, which, if her mom says it's "OK' I'll post up here for you.

Jellyfish Tar Blob Creature

2009-08-29T10:54:00.001-04:00

Another vacation doodle leftover। Some tar blobby jelly fish creature.

[Vectorized in Illustrator and now available on a shirt - any style]

Watchful Jellyfish Blob Creature by mcglinch
View more Jellyfish T-Shirts

Hoisting a Monster Claw

2009-08-17T10:06:00.000-04:00

We were working out the best ways to lift the toe of some lake monster that one of the kids found while snorkeling around the pond last week.

Alien Flipper Creature

2009-08-16T17:05:00.000-04:00

Spent one afternoon doodling and sketching while on vacation by a pond in Cape Cod. Imagined this guy coming up out of the plake (it's called a pond but it's like a lake -- a word coined by the daughter).

CupCake Head

2009-07-15T22:27:00.000-04:00

Have been immersed in the food world lately so I have cupcakes and other treats on the brain. Which reminds me of the Spinal Tap tune, Cups And Cakes.

The Boy Does Kandinsky: The Bird

2009-06-24T09:23:00.001-04:00

The boy brought this one home from school last week. The assignment was to channel your inner Wassily Kandinsky. I place this one somewhere between Kandinsky's looser Blue Rider period and the tightened up Bauhaus works. This one is bound for framing and hanging in the mcglinch home gallery.

Labor Day Car Illustration from the Boy

2009-06-15T11:51:00.000-04:00

The boy created this pencil illustration of a car for his Labor Day art project for school then merged it in Photoshop with a Chicago background.

Wall Runner by Kevin Duke

2009-06-08T08:58:00.000-04:00

I've been deep into freelancing and consulting since the layoff in January. One of the benefits has been a drastic reduction in the amount of meetings I need to attend. And the meetings I do attend actually require my attention. The bad side of that equation has reduced my drawing and doodling opportunities.

So it was a great surprise and relief when I received this drawing last week in the mail done by Kevin Duke from Oyster Bay, Long Island. His father, one of my best friends, sent it thinking it fit within the "mcglinch" genre.

It seems to me that there's few things more liberating for a kid than the opportunity to pop up onto a wall and run it. To challenge gravity, balance, and your parents' nerves and to see the world from a different perspective -- all in your bare feet -- must turn an ordinary stroll into a real-life adventure.

Thanks, Kevin, for letting me post this. Send more when you get a chance!

Toothy Worry

2009-04-15T21:46:00.000-04:00

A little post-report-writing doodle before bedtime.

Archive: English 115 Doodles

2009-04-15T20:25:00.000-04:00

From 1987 and one of my favorite classes at Temple taught by Steve Zelnick where we read Gulliver's Travels, Joseph Andrews, Pride & Prejudice, lots of poems, Jane Eyre, and Hard Times.

In addition to the pulleys, surfer, tornado, skull, rocket, and sail ship, this doodle even has a pencil-point race track like we used to create in study hall in high school.

This is a drawing I did of Professor Zelnick the first week or so of class back in the fall of 1987. (He looks a little like Fran Dunphy (Temple's basketball coach) in my doodle.

This is him today.

Tied Up Man Drawing on Silly Putty Transfer

2009-03-12T10:18:00.001-04:00

I've been doing a lot of research lately and conference calls and the Silly Putty comes in handy as a stress ball substitute. Actually, it's more than a stress ball substitute -- it's far better. Silly Putty has way more functionality: stretching, snapping, shaping, melting, and image transferring.

Drew this guy last night as a call ended and did a transfer with my very old, dust-filled, Silly Putty ball this morning when I was on the phone again.

Waiting for the Reap'a to arrive

2009-03-10T21:26:00.002-04:00

Don't know why I drew this a couple weeks ago. Was either thinking of the Blondie song (below) or just thinking I hadn't drawn a skull or scary thing in a while.

Blondie Die Young Stay Pretty.

Atlas under city

2009-03-04T20:25:00.001-05:00

Drew this up a week or two ago and finessed (or messed) it tonight in illustrator and photoshop. What does it mean? I don't know. Maybe it's the next album cover. (click for bigger image)

Dog Licker

2009-02-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

The product of conference calls and taking breaks while writing docs over the last two days.

impatient chair guy

2009-01-26T21:42:00.006-05:00

For being laid off, I still don't have a lot of time to draw. Pieced this together throughout the day between other tasks.

Cheney Hurts Back Moving Out

2009-01-20T21:49:00.000-05:00

Having recently injured my back and working it out through physical therapy I felt a little bad for former VP's condition this morning watching the inaugural events. They said he hurt his back moving boxes as they were preparing to vacate the VP's residence.

Drew this up quickly tonight thinking maybe he didn't want any ham-handed movers taking care of his man-sized safe .

Turtle Head on Wheels

2009-01-15T14:58:00.000-05:00

I think I did this on an Amtrak to or from New York City on a business trip for the old job back in September -- I get to call it that now: "old". I think I had those Art Instruction Schools commercials in my head -- where you draw Tippy The Turtle and a pirate and they tell you how good you are. I actually filled one of those out when I was in elementary school.

The C Was Catapulted by The Boy

2009-01-14T11:42:00.000-05:00

I received my walking papers yesterday by the job. Economic downturn, cuts, etc. Wasn't a complete surprise: pull out your exit strategy when the boss casually asks you whether and where the project you're working on is backed up.

So I did the cardboard box shuffle and quickly emptied my office and got away. While I was doing a couple miles on the elliptical after I got home I looked over and saw this charcoal piece the boy did a year or two ago in school. We've been meaning to hang it but haven't gotten to it.

I really love the dark drama of his lines and his sense of humor. I had a chuckle to myself thinking that "The McGlinch Was Catapulted".

I'll keep plugging away on drawings while I look for a bridge to rebuild.

HearYa Earwood Vol 1: Best of 2008 Live Sessions

2009-01-09T11:10:00.000-05:00

When I emailed the guys at HearYa my opinion of an O'Death song they took a look at the mcglinch blog and asked if I'd be interested in doing a drawing for the cover of their first-ever compilation of live in-studio sessions they recorded in 2008 with various cool Indie bands like Joe Pug, Backyard Tire Fire, The Everybodyfields and 13 others. I signed on for the job and ended up designing the whole cover. Head on over to HearYa and take a listen and grab the full album download for free. Thanks, Oz and Shirk!