Caturday isn’t over yet. Here’s my weekly Caturday sketch featuring some key figures of the Beat Generation as cats. Hanging out in front of City Lights bookstore in San Francisco, California are William S. Burroughs, Neal Cassady, and Jack Kerouac. When I visited San Francisco in 2000, I had a drink in the bar that was right across the street from the famous bookstore. It was late night, and had just arrived in town. Didn’t get a chance to go inside the shop. Perhaps next time.
Saturdays is Caturday. All cat lovers rejoice! With that, here’s Squeaky spending her Caturday with her new demon buddy. Taking some time to reflect in the woods.
Eventually I will have to either have to print, or post the upcoming Squeaky comic to a website. Check back to hear the latest.
After NYCC 2018, trying to switch gears, and continuing where I left off with this year’s Inktober. As I’ve been following the suggested prompts, right now I’m up to sketch number three.
Day three of the Inktober prompt was ‘roasted.’ I could’ve done the more comical route, drawing one of those ’70s style Dean Martin celebrity ‘roasts.’ Decided to do this instead:
Inktober Sketch Number three. Drawing by Michele Witchipoo. Oct. 2018.
There’s a few reasons for this sketch, but I chose not to discuss any further. Stay tuned for more Inktober 2018 drawings.
Occasionally I’ll send drawings to Sketch Lottery. Recently that site had a special anniversary edition, where you can draw any subject from the past character list. It gave me a chance to draw two of my favorite comic book characters, Buddy Bradley and Tank Girl.
The first one submitted was actually from my early childhood. Grover from Sesame Street. This time I threw in a Rockabilly twist.
The second one was Buddy Bradley from Hate Magazine. Hate Magazine is a comic written and drawn by one of my top ten cartoonists, Peter Bagge. Buddy started as disgruntled member of a dysfunctional family. Later Buddy moved to Seattle getting caught up in the burgeoning late ’80s/early ’90s Grunge scene. Eventually Buddy moved back to his hometown in New Jersey where he more or less matured. After marrying his neurotic girlfriend Lisa, he settled down with a family while maintaining his own business. I took the ’90s Grunge Buddy, making him into a 2017 Hipster Buddy. The type that you can find in a Bushwick watering hole like The Cobra Club.
Number three was a show I watched on and off during the early 2000s. If you remember Aqua Teen Hunger Force, then you remember Meatwad. Did the show itself make any sense? Of course not, but maybe it wasn’t supposed to.
Here you can see the Aqua team on a vintage valentine design. Like the type you used to give to your classmates straight out of the box brought from the drug store. Sometimes I think that was more fun than the later adult valentines.
Last one up is Tank Girl. Back in the early ’90s, I was introduced to Tank Girl by my UK friend Jason. He took a chance and mailed me a copy. Too bad the movie version tanked, but that’s a different story. Still not as bad as 1995’s Judge Dredd. Where I sat in a theater as the entire audience heckled the film. Good times.
Personally I could’ve done a better job with this sketch. It was late but I was pushing myself to draw Tank Girl before the deadline. Will have to do another version if Sketch Lottery has another anniversary edition.
I like keeping sketchbooks around. My preference are the compact mini sized ones. Usually cause they’re easier to carry. Also like them cause many of them have nice front covers. One tiny blank sketchbook I found in Jackson Heights, Queens in 2008 had Indian fabric covering the book.
Now I don’t go through sketchbooks like some of my peers. The regular artist blank sketchbooks I tend to go through rather quickly, but the fancy mini ones takes years to complete. A personalized mini sketchbook full of your art also makes a nice gift for a loved one. I did once or twice. As for my own fancy mini sketchbooks, still working on one or two towards completion.
Typically I’ll go with a medium theme. One fancy cover mini sketchbook had nothing but colored pencil artwork. Another one was just of drawings done with Copic markers. As I was going through photographs to delete on my iPad, I came across some done last year in my mixed medium mini book. Done last summer, these are a few pics I’m posting.
I’m not a huge Superman fan per say. Just did this sketch more or less out of nostalgia. When I was a small child, the films with Christopher Reeves were huge. My father took me to see Superman One and Two. Later on caught the disastrous sequel starring Reeves with Richard Pyror. That’s when this 80’s franchise “jumped the shark.”
Found a DC graphic novel and challenged myself to do this famous DC character. Sketch by Michele Witchipoo. Summer 2013.Upclose shot of Superman sketch. Done by Michele Witchipoo, summer 2013. Personal sketch.
Grant Morrison once compared the Superman character to a Greek mythology figure within a magickal element. I forgot what his comparison was exactly. Anyone into esoterica won’t find it hard to see the correspondence. Funny how I’m mentioning this, as I haven’t read anything Morrison’s done in a while.
My rendition of Vaughn Bode’s Cheech Wizard character. Done by Michele Witchipoo, Summer 2013.
Next is my rendition of Vaughn Bode’s Cheech Wizard character. I didn’t recognize the influence Bode had on me until years later. When I did Superman, it was more of a challenge. With Cheech Wizard, this one was more fun re-creating. I just remember graffiti artists being really taken in with Bode’s work, and his son Mark has carried his father’s torch.
The Goddess of The Air Conditioner. Character created and drawn by Michele Witchipoo. This sketch done in 2013. Character itself created by Michele Witchipoo around 2004.
Do you know this character? Of course not. Because I created her. It started off when I was really into learning about different mythological goddess. Since I hate summer, she was created. This goddess will give you solace just as long as you pay your electric bill. In reality, the modern air conditioner was invented by Willis Carrier, but hey. Work with me here.
Rendition of Louise from the television show “Bob’s Burgers.” Sketch done by Michele Witchipoo, Summer 2013.
Okay, back to my sketchbook. Last one is Louise, one of the breakout characters from my current favorite show “Bob’s Burgers.” I love Louise. I can relate to her older sister Tina a bit, but I really feel I’m more of Louise. Bob’s Burgers is one of the very few television shows I’ll watch nowadays. I gladly canceled cable, but I try to catch up on the current episodes via Internet.
Just opened my email. Received one from the Artists Wanted company. Found out through their email that the Art Takes Times Square event which happened this past Monday was covered on NY1, ABC news and New York Times. Check out the link: http://www.see.me/june18th/
My illustration on a 9 x 12 digital billboard in the middle of Times Square. Art Takes Times Square event, Monday June 18th, 2012. Illustration and photo by Michele Witchipoo.
So perhaps I should do another blog entry, posting the rest of the photos from the night of June 18th, 2012. I had taken these pics with my cellphone. Unfortunately, my cell frizzled out on me yesterday afternoon. Which meant I couldn’t upload any more pics from that night.
Without further ado, here’s more photos from the Art Takes Times Square event, Monday June 18th, 2012.
The crowd gathers to check out art from the Art Takes Times Square event. Monday June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Right in the middle of the world famous Times Square of NYC. Art Takes Times Square event, June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele WitchipooMarching band. Art Takes Times Square event. Monday June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Art Takes Times Square. Monday June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.The after party. Art Takes Times Square, Monday June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Some things never fade. Art Takes Times Square after party. June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Party person. Art Takes Times Square after party. June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.DJ. Art Takes Times Square after party. June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.People love open bar. Art Takes Times Square after party. June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Dancer. Art Takes Times Square after party. June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Even the devil needs to cool off. Art Takes Times Square after party. June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.People get under something. Art Takes Times Square after party. June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Just right when my artwork pops up on the screen again during the party, this guy gets into my shot. Rude. Monday June 18th, 2012. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
Here is the original illustration I had submitted to the Art Takes Times Square contest, below. Done with pen and ink, completed December 2010.
To be Glam. Last night I came across some photos on the internet. Soon afterwards I did this pencil sketch.
Back in the mid to late ’80s, the whole ’80’s ‘Hair Metal’ scene was huge. Bands like Poison, Motley Crue and such ruled. They were the fantasies of American teenage rebellion. Although I was never into the whole ’80s hair metal thing. In fact, I hated it. I preferred the ’80s Goth subculture, which I suppose would be considered ‘old school’ among today’s gloomy youngsters.
In the 1980’s, Goth subculture wasn’t as mainstream as it is today. To get a better idea of that era, nothing captures the underground Goth following like the NYC magazine Propaganda. I remember Propaganda not so much for the reviews, but for the conceptualized photography.
Now what ’80s Goth and Glam did have in common was androgyny. Personally to me, the classic Glam Rock wasn’t really the ’80s L.A. glam rock era, but more like from the 1970’s. Early Bowie when he was Ziggy Stardust, T-Rex, The Sweet, etc. I still love Sweet. In fact, their album ‘Desolation Boulevard’ is still one of my all time favorites.
Although hair glam metal was never my thing, there were a few exceptions. Take Hanoi Rocks for instance. I remember meeting Hanoi member Mike Monroe in NYC back when I was a teenager. He was a pure rock star through and through. Even in broad daylight, he would walk down St. Mark’s street in full glam gear. It wasn’t uncommon to see him somewhere in the Greenwich Village area. Last time I saw him, it might’ve been during 1986 or ’87. He was in some deli on Broadway, near NYU. (FYI, when I met Mike Monroe, he was a nice guy.)
Today I’m not so hateful towards hair metal. Now bands like Motley Crue is sort of like nostalgia to me. Although I still much prefer the ’70’s glam stuff. Does it really matter anyway? ‘Cause you realize that everything intertwines and connects anyway. It’s just depends on personal opinions and tastes.
Having said all of that, I still prefer Sweet over Cinderella.
Glam guitarist, pencil sketch by Michele Witchipoo. Created June 2012.
WitchesBrewPress's Blog 