is it merry black friday or happy black friday?

December 3, 20111 Comment

Black Friday. It’s the day when the U.S. economy takes a brief break from it’s colossal downturn, and when Christmas lists are checked and checked off, the post-thanksgiving sales. It seems that Black Friday is getting earlier every year; it used to be the 4am lining up in the cold outside Best Buy, then it was mmidnight opening, now big stores like Toys R Us are opening at 9pm on Thanksgiving, with lines around the block. Thanksgiving is America’s favourite holiday, but it almost feels as if Black Friday is becoming more focal, especially given its importance to the economy. I am personally not built for Black Friday. I stay home with my son during the morning time, watching Cars and Charlie Brown. I did the early sales once, never again. It’s all very overwhelming; I might get out in the afternoon for a bit, but, like this year, I am usually just drawing stuff. Above and below, fourth street in downtown Santa Rosa. That evening, we went to Santa Rosa’s courthouse square for the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, with music and activities for kids and photos with Santa, who rode in on a fire truck (inspiring my advent calendar). And it was all free, even the photos! A very nice evening. That’s the one thing about Black Friday, as the day after Thanskgiving, it’s traditionally the first day of Christmas time.

Below, my wife, my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law busy checking the ads on Thanksgiving afternoon, pre-turkey dinner. I do like Thanksgiving, love a bit of turkey and stuffing, lubbly jubbly.

phrasebook diplomacy

May 31, 2011May 31, 2011Leave a comment

While sketching this building, across from the Cancer Survivor Plaza in Santa Rosa, I listened to a Portuguese audio phrase book on my mp3 player, to learn some of the language. I think I learnt some, but kept thinking “Rui Costa”. I’ll get there, maybe. I grew up reading Berlitz phrase books, and it’s interesting to see how they have evolved, or not. The audio versions are especially fun, as they often switch between a British and an American accent with comic ease. The British accent is always very RP, as you’d expect, and you can almost see them quietly queuing and smiling politely while bristling on the inside. The one with the American accent, however, always seems to get the ‘complaining about the service’ phrases, the tone being that he really would like to enjoy this exotic foreign food but the waiters keep ignoring him, and there’s nowhere on this damn train to put my heavy luggage. I keep imagining the couple from that episode of Fawlty Towers.

It’s funny; in a way, after years of California I have become that guy from Fawlty Towers. My last visit to London, we had lunch at a pub by the Thames, near Tate Modern. It was ten past twelve, and my young niece wanted pancakes; the ones on the menu sounded scrumptious. Not possible, the young woman taking the order told me, as pancakes are a breakfast item and that ‘stops’ at twelve. There was nothing else that she wanted, and all the lunch items were very expensive. It was not busy there at all. Can we not have the pancakes anyway? “No.” No? Can you ask the chef? “Well, ok I’ll ask,” was the aggrieved response; obviously asking the chef anything was like trying to get audience with the Great Oz. She went and asked the chef. The chef said he could do it, but only for one person. One person! Well that’s a relief, good job it was only ten minutes after breakfast time, or that pancake mix and that pan would have magically vanished into thin air.

I must point out actually, credit goes to my Californian wife for helping resolve that one. My British customer attitude was actually prepared to back down at one point (what we British do best is go back to our table to moan, but do nothing about it). In the end, California prevailed and my niece got her pancakes, and they were very nice too. Next time though, I’ll ask for a Waldorf Salad and a Screwdriver.

before the rose parade

May 24, 2011May 24, 20112 Comments

Sketching a parade is not easy. They always tend to move. So I’m not showing you the scribbles I made as the 117th Rose Parade, an annual event in Santa Rosa, California, marched by. We got downtown early, and found a good spot across from the library. My son loves marching bands, I mean really loves them, so this was a bonanza (quite literally; the theme was the Old West, and every band played the Bonanza theme tune at some point). The marching bands are all from local schools, mostly high schools but some young ones as well. My wife’s old schools were represented, though, she lamented, the marching bands just aint what they used to be. We spotted her young cousins marching with their school; we never had anything like this in England! All those uniforms and hats and trumpets and drums; ‘Band’ is a very American thing. I didn’t see many majorettes though, twirling batons. I did see dancing horses though. It was a Mexican troupe, I think, but the horses really did dance, it was amazing. Anyway, here is a sketch I did while we were waiting for the parade to begin. One thing about this parade, local businesses tend to throw candies and lollipops and other such goodies at the spectators. One even threw out packs of corn tortilla, which was nice – I grabbed some of that. Note to self – remember that you don’t actually like corn tortilla all that much, and remember next time that the smell of corn tortilla will stay in your bag for days, including all over your sketchbook. You live and you learn. Anyway it was a fun morning, and after sitting out in the sun, it was time for a nap.

they might be giants

May 22, 20112 Comments

It was a publicity-hungry preacher in Oakland who started all that ‘end-of-the-world’ May 21 stuff. The world didn’t end (as far as I can tell), but the Oakland Athletics baseball team (aka the A’s) have probably been wishing it had after three defeats in a row this weekend by local rivals, the San Francisco Giants. I watched the first on Friday evening at my wife’s mom’s house (big Giants fans in this family), and it went to a tenth inning, which is a bit like extra time but it was more like ‘next goal wins, ‘cos I gotta be home by 11 or I’m grounded’. I’ve never been to a Giants game (the one and only baseball game I’ve ever seen was the Oakland A’s back in 2002, on rootbeer float day – I mostly remember the garlic fries and the sunburn, and Miggy Tejada. Miggy has now left the A’s and joined the Giants. The Giants won again on Saturday, and, since the Rapture got cancelled due to a no-show, the world was still around on Sunday for Oakland to lose late yet again. Since that happened on the same day as the Premier League season ended with a dramatic relegation battle, I was all sported out, so never watched it. I went out and sketched instead.

formed a band, we formed a band, look at us, we formed a band

November 30, 2010November 30, 20102 Comments

Ever more NaNoDrawMo pipes… I stood behind the Engineering building at UC Davis to draw the one above. I like pretending that these things are actually something else, like robot spying devices, or a cyberman’s torturing device. In fact it’s rather like a big elaborate pound sign (that’s pound sterling, not the # sign – which we Brits call the hash key, not ‘pound’ as Americans do. Very confusing when using banking menu systems). Below left is an insectoid intruder, poking his head through the concrete like a metal mole. Reminds me of an underwater adventurer.

Above right is a fire hydrant I attempted to sketch in Santa Rosa. I had to abandon it because I got rained on significantly, so finished it at home from memory (didn’t even have a camera). Well, I can remember what these types look like, surely.

Below, a big white dragon from outside the police station. It has two dragon-cubs beside it but they weren’t drawn in, as I didn’t have time, and couldn’t be bothered.

Below left, Ringo Starr’s drum kit. Actually could be any drummer, Ringo just popped to mind because he is an ickle fellow. I love Ringo.

Numbers 44-46 are drawn from photos taken back in September, when I was down in Los Angeles. These are hydrants from Venice Beach and Marina Del Rey. I was getting sick of local hydrants so added a few different designs. I sketched similar ones to these while down there, but took photos of these in case I had some ridiculous excuse to draw them later on, like NaNoDrawMo. Here they are. #45 is like a big yellow clown, like c-3PO’s insane cousin from the circus. I particularly like #46.

Just four more to go… today’s the last day…

they’ve got cars big as bars

October 9, 2010October 9, 20105 Comments

I stuck around the Harvest Fair in Santa Rosa on Sunday afternoon, sketching old cars, getting a red sunburned neck in the process. The cars belonged to members of the Antique Automobile Club of America and ranged from old 1920s Fords (the sketch of which is in the previous post) to more modern classics from the 80s. I am not a car person, not a gear-head in the slightest, but I absolutely salivate at these classic designs. Partly because for me they represent the classic America; as I said to one of the old fellows I spoke to, this is how I imagine American cars – enormous, long, sleek, magnificent, with fins and curves and power and elegance. Of course, you get here and it’s all beige Toyotas and testosterone-fuelled SUVs, and they all look the same, no matter the car-maker, a bit of a let-down. These beauties make up for that.

The blue 1936 Dodge above reminds me of Daddy Warbucks. The red 1958 Chrysler Saratoga below, of which you can only see the rear end, reminds me of Biff Tannen. That was a long, long car, and a wide one. There’s no way that would fit into a regular parking spot at Target.

I really liked this green Oldsmobile 88, from 1954. I really liked the old-fashioned license plate.

This is also my entry for this week’s Illustration Friday, the theme of which is transportation. And what transportation!

all’s fair in love and scarecrows

October 8, 2010October 8, 20102 Comments

At the weekend we were in Santa Rosa, and we went to the annual Sonoma County Harvest Fair at the fairgrounds. It’s the first time I’d been since 2005, mere days after emigrating to the US, when taking part in the pumpkin tossing contest was like a rite of passage. I didn’t toss any pumpkins this time, but I sketched one, a giant one. I had to sketch a scarecrow, which although it was scarecrow number one, it came second in the scarecrow contest. I also sketched a pygmy goat, it was a cute and tiny and had a great beard. It seemed to have a little conversation with me while I was sketching too, bleeting away. My son preferred the piglets I think, and playing in the hay-maze.

I was most drawn to the exhibition of old cars, brought there by the Antique Automobile Club of America. I don’t get the chance to practise drawing old cars often – they are so much more interesting than modern cars – so I jumped at the chance to do so. Above is a 1929 Ford Model A, and I particularly liked that it had a trunk, an actual luggage-type trunk, attached to the back of it. It has a lot of personality!

how does your garden grow

October 4, 2010October 4, 20101 Comment

While in Santa Rosa at the weekend, I walked down to Luther Burbank Home and Gardens and sketched in the afternoon. It’s a pretty little place, and the old house is very sketchworthy. Burbank was an important botanist and horticulturalist who created/developed many species of plant and flower, as well as a famous potato. There’s a small chance I may be mistaken about this, but I think he invented Mr Potato Head. The site is in fact California Historical Landmark #234.

I also sketched a fire hydrant, because, you know, I’m collecting sketches of them. This one reminds me of a dalek. Perhaps it needs some Mr Potato Head glasses and moustache to cheer it up.

i wish it could be christmas every day

December 29, 20094 Comments

I hope you all had a very Happy Christmas! We did. A Merry one too.

This is the very Christmassy fireplace at my wife’s mom’s house. To carry a British tradition over with me, I brought a tin of Quality Street from the UK, and to carry on another tradition (a Scully tradition) I swiftly nabbed all the purple ones before you could say ‘ho ho ho’!

America doesn’t have Cliff Richard, thankfully. But I did make sure we listened to Slade, Wizzard and Shakin’ Stevens on the way over. Along with John Denver and the Muppets, of course! I must say thought that since moving to America, Jose Feliciano’s ‘Feliz Navidad‘ has become one of my favourite Chrimbo songs!

On Christmas Eve I made some delicious mince pies – my son even left one out for Santa. I did add finely ground sugar (I ground it myself!) to decorate them. That one on the end exploded a little. I did also make big individual trifles, but didn’t photograph them, in case I turned into a foodblogger (we watched Julie and Julia the other day).

for your mince pies only

Happy New Year!

stout hearted

October 11, 20095 Comments

For one reason or other, not been easy for me to sketch lately, but I found myself in downtown Santa Rosa on Saturday afternoon, doing a little shopping, a little reading, and I stopped into the Stout Brothers pub to do a little writing, and perhaps a little drawing. I had a couple of beers and a big glass of water (I’m trying to drink more water these days), and drew the bar. I really did need a wee, but didn’t want anyone to nick my seat, and lose me my vantagepoint. So I held on until I finished. I’m sure you don’t need to know that, but hey, these are the realities of being a modern urban sketcher.