Doodle Du Jour

2011-02-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

Vacation

2010-01-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

Finally got time off from work, and today I visited the Natural History Museum (a regular haunt.) I sketched this guy in the children's Discovery area. I had to sketch extra fast because I with a group of little kids on a field trip and we had to keep moving along. Also, the kids kept plucking bones off this thing as I was trying to draw it.

I found a new ink pen I like: the Papermate Gel. It's a cheap plastic body click pen with a soft grip, and it comes in three weights, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0. I like blocking out shapes using the extra-thin pen, and building up the drawing using the other two weights.

It has a very different feel from the cheap ball-point I was using at work recently, kinda wet and 'slickery' if that means anything. I like drawing with this gel pen but I think I like the smell of the ball-point ink better.

(Gel Pen on Paper)

I work too much

2010-01-03T21:51:00.001-08:00

Happy new year!

Well, so far, not so much for me. I've been working late throughout the holidays, so there's not a lot of time doodling. Squeezed in these practice sketches while waiting for renders to complete.

I don't normally sketch with a ball point. I kinda like it.

I really need to practice drawing people more. Add another resolution to the list.

(Ball point pen with blue ink.)

Banner Monster

2009-11-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Doodled at the playground this afternoon. Oh, and happy Thanksgiving.

(Pencil on paper.)

Placemat Monster

2009-11-22T20:52:00.001-08:00

I don't know what this is but it was doodled upside-down on my three year old daughter's placemat while dining in the cafe at the Skirball Cultural Center. This doodle has improvements added here and there by my daughter. (She insists on art directing all my work these days.)

By the way, the Noah's Ark exhibit there is a lot of fun. It features interactive critter contraptions made from recycled materials.

(Color pencil on cafe placemat)

A few quick sketches

2009-11-19T10:03:00.001-08:00

Yikes! It's been a long time since I posted anything here. For a while I was focusing strictly on comics and other Little Green Dog goodness, and then I got really sick (still have this nagging cough,) but I'm getting antsy to start drawing and painting for DDJ again.

Actually, I've been able to paint some concept art and matte paintings for a project at work recently, which is cool but unfortunately I can't show any of it because of the usual NDAs. But I did get to do some personal doodlin' yesterday while waiting for 3D renders to complete. Nothing fancy, just some warm ups.

I'm reading a book called Mastering the Craft of Painting by Angelo John Grado, which has some interesting ideas that I never thought about before, like the relationship between the jawline and the hips.

Here's another page of similar doodles.

There is a bonus sketch in the above drawing: if you look closely, you can see my daughter's doodles coming through from the back side of the paper.

Finally, I tried applying the idea to an action pose.

Okay, back to drawing Brudders now.

(Pencil on paper.)

Story Time

2009-06-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

A two-minute sketch of my wife reading to my daughter, drawn early this morning.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Rainy Day

2009-04-02T13:35:00.001-07:00

I spent a little more time on this one, and aimed for something a little more emotional than silly.

Here's the same image rendered double-size using the ColorsDraw! Java applet, and then cropped. Alisa likes this one better and I agree.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Scarey Cat Tree

2009-03-30T22:51:00.001-07:00

Today's doodle started out as a quick tree sketch excercise. Then the cats took over.

(Another fine sketch drawn using Colors! on the Nintendo DS Lite.)

Death On Break

2009-03-06T13:10:00.001-08:00

Man, I spent way too much time on this dumb sketch. That's what happens when you stop painting for a while.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Face by Sienna Kai

2008-12-31T09:51:00.001-08:00

Today's sketch is by my daughter who turned two recently. She likes drawing faces like this one. I'm not sure why all her faces have a 'mono-brow'.

(Magna Doodle.)

Big Eyes

2008-11-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

A quickie while waiting for coffee to brew at work.

I haven't been doodling much lately. Grr. At least I got a new Brudders drawn this weekend.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

CoolIris

2008-10-13T00:15:00.001-07:00

If you don't already know, CoolIris (formerly PicLens) is a fantastic Firefox plug-in that lets you browse images on the web using a fluid 3D interface. It's become my preferred way to browse images in Google, Flickr, and Deviant Art. Recently, I discovered that it works with Doodle Du Jour!

To use it (assuming you have the plug-in installed,) just move your cursor over a sketch and you should see an arrow appear in the lower left corner of the image. Click that and the entire Doodle Du Jour gallery will appear all at once!

You can get CoolIris at www.cooliris.com. Have fun human. Doodlebot demands it!

(Update: we just learned that versions for other browsers, like Safari and Internet Explorer, are also available.)

Space Bug

2008-09-25T01:36:00.002-07:00

A very quick sketch. I think I drew this in the bathroom.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Same Sketch, Different Diner

2008-09-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

To the casual observer, this looks like the same sketch I did a few months ago, but upon closer examination you will see that it was drawn at a different restaraunt.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Eye Test

2008-09-25T01:34:00.000-07:00

I think this is supposed to be a barbarian character fighting a bunch of skeletons. Or maybe it's just a bunch of dots.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Super Girl

2008-09-25T01:33:00.000-07:00

A quick doodle of that girl with the cape. Oops, I guess I forgot to draw the cape. When I have the time, I'd like to draw more super heroes.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Huh?

2008-09-25T01:32:00.000-07:00

Just another unfinished goofy girl sketch.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Whoosh!

2008-09-25T01:31:00.001-07:00

Another very quick doodle.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Big

2008-09-25T01:31:00.000-07:00

My wife thinks this looks like our little toddler girl but drawn as an older kid. It's really just another random doodle character, but it does kinda look like her if she was a mutant freak.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Chunkasaurus

2008-09-16T13:42:00.001-07:00

I drew this late last night, and when I looked at it this morning, it seemed a lot darker than I remember. I guess I need to dim down the DS's screen when sketching in the dark.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

War Girl

2008-09-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

Don't mess with the girl with the sword.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Practice II

2008-09-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, after all these months, this is still my favorite way to sketch. By the way, if you didn't already know, last month I drew a comic strip using the DS. You can read it here at the Little Green Dog website by clicking here: Streams Episode 4.

(Colors! and Nintendo DS Lite.)

Practice

2008-09-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

I better post something before Droosan gets way ahead of me again!

This is a quick experiment I did during lunch today. A friend told me about a color technique where the human face can be broken down into three color zones: (from top to bottom) yellow, red, and blue. This has to do with the visibility of blood vessels under the skin. I applied these colors after painting the face as a very thin glaze, and you know what? It works!

(Painted using Colors! on a Nintendo DS Lite.)

big nose & moustache

2008-08-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

Doodled on the Wacom in Photoshop .. I nabbed the parchment BG from FlickR.

big nose dude

2008-07-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

Th' ol' standby. Doodled on the Wacom in Photoshop.

knapsack fieldmouse

2008-07-30T01:30:00.000-07:00

Been awhile since I've posted .. =0_0=

This one was doodled on the Wacom in Photoshop .. about 30 minutes, overall.

Sgt Marshmallow

2008-06-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a Sergeant and Toullie comic strip and this was one of the 'looks' tests I did a few weeks ago. I was going for a sharp pencil and marker look which Colors seems to simulate pretty well.

I settled on a very different look for the strip, which will start its run on the Little Green Dog website soon.

A Step Backwards

2008-06-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

This is the original version of the elephant sketch I posted the other day. My wife likes this one better; she thinks he has more personality and I have to agree. Even so, I think I had more fun painting the second one.

The reason I redid the sketch was that my Nintendo DS Lite's screen was accidentally set to full brightness so the image came out way too dark to post. By the way, this image was brightened via Photoshop so it is no longer a 'pure' Colors sketch. (Actually, I still think too dark.)

To paint the second version, I used Colors' playback feature and advanced the painting right up the point where I began coloring the first version, and I started the second one from there. This is a useful feature in Colors for experimenting with different techniques on one sketch.

Long Time, No Doodle

2008-06-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm back.

Working Out

2008-03-20T14:23:00.001-07:00

They would still be around if only...

Fairy Tree

2008-03-15T12:41:00.001-07:00

Technically, this was yesterday's lunchtime sketch, but today I'm sleeping.

By the way, this is my first vertical Colors! sketch. You have to physically hold the DS Lite sideways to do this, which felt really weird and confusing at first but halfway through the drawing I got used to it. Sort of.

Waiting for Breakfast

2008-03-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

This is a portrait of my wife drawn on the Nintendo DS Lite with Colors. I started this sketch at a local diner a couple of weekends ago, but had to stop when our breakfast arrived. Afterwards, I continued to play with this sketch but didn't feel I could finish it properly without her posing for me.

Tonight, when she sat down to pay some bills, I finally got my chance.

Just for fun: this what the sketch looked like when we got our breakfast at the diner.

Water Nymph

2008-03-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Still having fun with Colors and the DS Lite. Here's a bonus feature for today: follow the link below, scroll to the bottom of the page, and then click the Begin Playback button.

Colors! Gallery - Water Nymph by Greenlaw

Snail Race

2008-03-06T14:54:00.001-08:00

I didn't stick around to see who won.

Bear Doodle

2008-03-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Just barely. Ha, ha.

Is this thing on?

Playtime 2

2008-03-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

Another quick sketch from that same day.

Colors on the Nintendo DS Lite.

Playtime

2008-03-01T12:49:00.001-08:00

A quickie sketch of my daughter, sketched at the playground this morning. This had to be quick as toddlers seem incapable of staying still for even a few seconds.

Doodled with Colors on the Nintendo DS Lite.

Brudders

2008-02-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

Quick sketch of two familiar subjects for this blog.

Skull Girl

2008-02-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

Another lunch break doodle.

Sword Dance

2008-02-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

A quickie Colors doodle I did during my lunch break.

Sad Girl

2008-02-26T22:03:00.000-08:00

This was doodled on a Nintendo DS Lite, a handheld video game system, using a free homebrew program called Colors. Colors is fairly basic as far as paint programs go, but it's a lot of fun to draw with. I'm not sure why but it seems like the simpler a tool is, the more fun it is to draw with. (The Palm z22 and Fisher-Price Magna Doodle mentioned in earlier posts are good examples. I also like drawing in the sand with a stick.) Having said that, Colors is also a way more sophisticated program than I would have expected to see on a kid's toy: it supports full 24 bit color, features pressure sensitivy for brush size and paint opacity, and it has a history playback mode which you can use to get unlimited 'undos'. There is even a Java applet you can run on your computer to re-render your Colors image brushstroke-by-brushstroke at higher resolutions (up to 2048 pixels wide!)

To run Colors, you need a Nintendo DS Lite and an adapter cartridge like the R4 which lets you install and run homebrew software from a Micro SD card (it's tiny!) The Colors software is free; just download it to your computer and then drag it to the Micro SD card.

Using the DS Lite for sketching has been very interesting. It's like having a miniature Cintiq that I can carry in my pocket anywhere. Needless to say, I'm enjoying it very much!

I'll be posting more Colors doodles in upcoming posts.

Cry Baby

2008-02-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

For some reason, my daughter hates riding in the car these days. I don't know what to do about it except draw her.

Someday, after some professional counseling, we'll both laugh about this doodle.

Another quick z22 sketch.

Totem Pole

2008-02-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

This is one was done almost a year-and-a-half ago when we were visiting Seattle. I sketched the Pioneer Square totem pole from top to bottom and found that I couldn't fit the entire thing on one Z22 page, so I continued the sketch on the next page.

A few minutes later, I did one of my favorite sketches of my wife at a cafe near this totem pole but I somehow deleted it on the flight home. D'oh!

Next time: A brand new doodle, I promise!

I Can't Sleep

2008-02-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here's another Z22 sketch. This is my daughter at maybe four months old, sitting in her car seat with an Ugly Doll.

Guitar Practice

2008-02-18T19:32:00.004-08:00

I'm still way behind in my sketching for Doodle Du Jour, but I want start posting something everyday, even if it's something old-ish. Here's a sketch I did about a year ago of my wife practicing her guitar.

It was done using a Palm Z22, a cheap handheld PDA. I have to say, there's something liberating about drawing with a primitive single-bit tool; just like with the Magna Doodle, I can just have fun with it and not worry at all about making mistakes. Also, the tiny size of the device makes it very convenient for sketching on-the-go.

I'll post a few more Z22 sketches this week.

Taiko

2008-01-30T00:00:00.001-08:00

The Cintiq is pretty cool but lately I've been having more fun sketching with my daughter's Magna Doodle.

Cintiq Test

2008-01-20T10:03:00.001-08:00

Sigh! I've been away too long, but between the baby and my 'day job' at Rhythm & Hues, Doodle Du Jour had to sit on the shelf for a while.

Anyway, this sketch is just some random doodles I did to test my new Cintiq 12WX, a graphics tablet with an LCD screen you can draw on.

foxy tandem bike

2007-09-12T02:20:00.001-07:00

This is actually more of a 'commissioned drawing' than a doodle (drawn upon a request by my aunt, who raises foxes and is an avid cyclist). But since it IS my first drawing in a couple of months, I figured I'd post it here, for the Doodlebot.

'old-timey' doodle

2007-07-29T23:22:00.001-07:00

doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop ..

Rat-tat-tattie

2007-07-23T06:38:00.001-07:00

.. a bit more than 'just' a doodle; but too funny not to share. ^_^

doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop (the BG is a filtered photo).

puppeteer

2007-07-22T22:05:00.001-07:00

doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop.

balancing kid

2007-07-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

or: what I was doing at this time of year, 30 years ago.

doodled on the Wacom in Photoshop.

Babarella

2007-07-15T22:05:00.001-07:00

This silliness probably deserved more than the 15 minutes I spent on it in Photoshop .. but, oh well.

Marathon

2007-07-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em!

aloof bookworm

2007-07-13T23:53:00.000-07:00

a (somewhat 'mean') caricature of a guy I saw in a bookstore earlier tonight .. doodled & colored in Photoshop, on the Wacom.

egg thief

2007-07-12T23:30:00.001-07:00

scribbled on the Wacom in ArtRage ..

short leash

2007-07-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

doodled on the Wacom; drawn in ArtRage, colored in Photoshop

singin' cricket

2007-07-09T21:35:00.001-07:00

just playing around with media/brushes in ArtRage ..

Hareborn

2007-07-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

I hope this works.

rat in a ladle

2007-07-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

We're back! ^_^

This was inspired by the movie "Ratatouille" .. doodled in ArtRage, on the Wacom.

Skinny Blue Mermaid

2007-07-08T15:04:00.001-07:00

Experimenting with layers of wash using the roller tool in ArtRage 2. This was one of those fun sketches where I didn't know what it was going to be until it was almost finished.

En Garde

2007-07-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

Back to the theme I started with: cats and dental hygiene.

guy & girl

2007-05-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

doodled on the Wacom in Photoshop .. and nearly lost, due to a 'crash'. But 'ctrl+c' came to the rescue! ^^;

nervous lion

2007-05-17T23:59:00.001-07:00

.. he's probably nervous about what his buddies will do to him, when they catch him wearing that bowtie!

doodled directly with ink.

Simple Cats

2007-05-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, I believe I do draw the cats too much.

roller-skatin' waitress

2007-05-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop.

pirate cat

2007-05-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

and a parrot! doodled directly with ink.

Cyborg Teddy

2007-05-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We can make him stronger, faster...plushier.

couple of guys

2007-05-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

doodled directly with ink.

dog soldier & officer cat

2007-05-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

critters go to war! doodled directly with ink.

annie oaktree

2007-05-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

in keeping with the theme of "wild west critters" ..

Centaur Gunfighter Girls

2007-05-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

Quick studies for...I dunno. Centaur gunfighter girls I guess.

dragon & knight

2007-05-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

Doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop.

Quickdraw McPaw

2007-05-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

Look out! It's the gunslinger Sgt Marshmallow.

Marshall Toullie

2007-05-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today's Toudle du jour!

Devil Monkey

2007-05-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

The monkey made me do it.

Steamy Cannon Ball

2007-05-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm back.

Sketched while waiting for a comp to render at work. This is probably my first true doodle for Doodle Du Jour as I had no idea what I was drawing until it was done. Actually, I'm still not sure what it is.

-drg

lotsa guys & dogs

2007-04-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

.. or, the return of a 'buncha random heads'.

Doodled directly with ink, on notebook paper.

two guys and a dog

2007-04-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

more notebook doodles .. drawn directly with ink.

bird reporter

2007-04-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

.. and a little admirer.

Doodled directly with ink on notebook paper, while waiting for a work meeting to start.

guitar cat

2007-04-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop.

gizmo car

2007-04-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

Doodled on the Wacom, in Photoshop.

bear & spider

2007-04-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

Doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop.

busted dolly

2007-04-19T23:51:00.000-07:00

Returning to this week's apparent theme of "unhappy children." Doodled & colored on the Wacom in Photoshop.

giraffe & pig

2007-04-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

Doodled on the Wacom, in Photoshop. I thought it might be fun to color this one -- and it was -- but I think I liked it better as a line drawing. Too bad I didn't save it that way, before I started coloring it. -_-

newspaper kid

2007-04-16T23:36:00.000-07:00

random Photoshop doodle, using the Wacom tablet.

l'il hitch-hiker

2007-04-12T23:39:00.000-07:00

note: I do not condone this activity, in any way .. I just doodled a pathetic-looking face, and the rest kinda evolved from that. Doodled and colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop.

I'm afraid I let two weeks slip by, this time. -_- I hope you're still alive, Doodlebot ...

Felien

2007-03-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

In space, no one can hear you bark.

remote robot

2007-03-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop. I dialed down the 'opacity' on the paintbrush, a little bit.

scuba cat

2007-03-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

doodled & colored on the Wacom, in Photoshop ..

still another buncha random heads

2007-03-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

.. including a wee leprechaun at the bottom, in honor of the holiday (which is almost over, at this point).

doodled directly with ink.

yet ANOTHER buncha random heads

2007-03-16T23:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry if the subject is starting to seem tiresome. I certainly don't get tired of drawing them!

doodled directly with ink.

another buncha random heads

2007-03-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

.. featuring people & critters. doodled directly with ink.

weird automobile

2007-03-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

doodled directly with ink ..

creature, rabbit, and 2 other guys

2007-03-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

'F9' doodles, drawn directly with ink ..

bored bearded guy

2007-03-10T23:54:00.000-08:00

doodled directly with ink ..

more random heads

2007-03-09T23:28:00.000-08:00

Don't die, Doodlebot ..! :'-(

doodled directly with ink ..

mustache twirler

2007-03-01T23:01:00.000-08:00

I was listening to some 1930's jazz while doodling on the Wacom tonight ..

couple of grotesques

2007-02-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

Another doodle on the Wacom .. quick, and actually kinda awful. -_-