Oh to be Young and Carefree

Things were getting a little heavy at " On Being Frank ". So I posted this drawing to remind me that life can be simple and worry free.....as a child.

Carly was my friends daughter and she was hamming it up for me.

Drawing Class

prismacolor




30 second poses with a sharpie pen




Water color




Prismacolor





Charcoal




Vine Charcoal




pen and ink




prismacolors




prismacolors




Sharpie







When Sean Joyce and I started a drawing class at LucasFilm way back when, I realized how much I loved the immediate connection of drawing from a live model. We would draw after the day was ended every Thursday. Most of my drawings have somehow disappeared. I am uploading some that have survived.

I loved to experiment after a days painting in acrylics and oils and I tried as many mediums that I could handle....

Grandpa in Bernallio , New Mexico

My grandfather on my Mom's side was Ralph Rodriguez Sr. He raised a rather large family through the depression. He had a country store and sold groceries to the locals as well as to Hopi and Navaho Indians. I have many fond memories of traveling by train to Bernallio on the "El Capitan" Santa Fe train line. I did a drawing of him in front of a storage building on his ranch where they ground maize. He even had a Hopi oven on the property. It's on his ranch that I learned my fear and distrust of Turkeys. They are evil and vindictive critters . I have no problem eating them.

mixed media on vellum

Fairfax,Ca 1.2

This is a preliminary drawing on tracing paper for another drawing. I was heavily influenced by Chuck Close at this time. I think I was 23. I can't remember this designer but he graduated Art Center in Pasadena with me. He was in Advertising Design and he and his partner had a studio across from mine on Raymond Street. They hit it big time right away by designing the animated intro to Alex Haley's " Roots".

Drawing in Graphite. I started to do a series of friends of mine in this style. Then I got a call from Lucasfilm and started to work on " ET" and neglected the "FineArt" side of me for a long time.








I drew this on location in Guadalajara, Mexico . I was an exchange student as a senior in High School and I was representing the City of Rosemead Ca.














These were previously posted " On Being Frank". They have a new home.

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I also will be uploading a portfolio of old sketch book stuff here. Like really old. How old ? Some back to High School.....please suffer my vanity on this. If it was'nt for this blog...no one would see them. So what would be the point? Its a rhetorical question.

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Sedona Week

Plein Air drawings on location Sedona , Arizona . graphite



These drawings were originally posted " On Being Frank". I will be moving all of the drawings over here.

These were done on location a few years back. They bring back fond memories on the Sedona Vortex. I was actually making my decision about whether to marry Jana at the time. I look back and say...duh!!!!

For Drawing Inspiration

2 hour drawing session , graphite on cheap bond paper


This new Blog will be for drawings and notebook sketches and a forum of freeform expression. This is the maiden voyage.

I will post articles on artists that are drawing from the heart. I am very open to leads. Let me know who you have discovered out there in the Blogdom. I will also be using this opportunity to share my book resources and direct you to drawers past present and future. Like what Frank ?.....well in my travels in France I picked up some great Comic art by my hero's Moebius and Milo Manerra. That's just for starters. And I also get to show off the drawing Jim Gurney drew for my boys in one of his books he signed for them.