Lessons Learned

Hello Everyone!

Well, Michael Hopkins Caricature's first airshow appearance is in the books. While it was far from profitable, overall it was a very positive experience I made a few great contacts and I learned some valuable lessons

The journey started April 5th when I left Reno, Nevada (home) for Laughlin Nevada (home of the 2024 Laughlin/Bullhead City Airshow). The first lesson learned was that I need a Van. Trying to pack all of my event supplies (canopy, tables, chairs, canopy weights and walls, drawing supplies, luggage, etc., etc. etc.) into my little Ford Focus was almost impossible. In fact, technically it was impossible, as I left several items at home because they wouldn't fit. 

Since I couldn't pack any food in an ice chest (again, because there was no room for an ice chest in the car) my first stop was Mc Donald's for breakfast and even though I had brought coffee from home, I did order the meal (which included some more coffee from McDonalds). 

FACT! One cannot have enough coffee for a road trip. Also, being a friend of, “if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong” , I had two portions of coffee now and as such, I would be safe in case of an emergency. You know, in case my car broke down in the middle of the Nevada Desert?? Even though I'd be stranded in the middle of the desert, out of water, dying of heat stroke (well kinda, it was early April…and cloudy) I would at least have a robust supply of caffeine (still relatively hot in my mug) until I reached Tonopah, Nevada (approximately 240 miles)

When I started approaching Tonopah, I could tell there was a minor traffic stop ahead for some road repairs (if I remember correctly from my previous trips, it was needed) and some road construction work in Tonopah itself (again needed). Thank God I had an additional supply of coffee for those 15 minutes of waiting…

After a stop in Tonopah for fuel and more caffeine (this time in the form of Coca Cola), the remaining journey was a breeze. Actually, I should say the drive to Las Vegas was a breeze. You see, I was under the impression that Laughlin was close to Las Vegas. It's not (*well, relatively speaking it is, it's about 100 miles) however in my mind it was a lot closer and my mind was the device calculating the need for restroom stops. 

Just a thought…why isn't there an road trip app that would calculate your age, beverages drank and miles driven and in-turn suggest the need and locations of rest stops??

All of this info didn't matter until I passed Las Vegas, glanced at Google Maps and realized I had an hour and a half till I Laughlin Nevada (WTF?!?!?) I was certain a YouTuber had informed me Laughlin was close to Las Vegas??? Well, so much for that YouTuber’s dependability (*again, relatively speaking, Las Vegas is close to Laughlin however when the brain is being influenced by the bladder, an hour and  half, isn't close at all!!!)  Thank God for Searchlight Nevada, an overpriced Chevron station and McDonald's! Fuel purchased, coffee replenished and bladder emptied! On to Laughlin! 

Lesson learned? When one's been drinking all morning (coffee, coffee, water, Coca Cola, lukewarm coffee and water) while driving over 500 miles, make liberal use of all rest areas!

Anywho…here’s some pics from Michael Hopkins Caricatures first Airshow! Enjoy!

Laughlin, Nevada

As advertised, "The Best Corndog in the World"

A Bat Update

Greetings from the Batcave! 

I'm currently working on a drawing based on the 1989 movie, Batman. If you're a Michael Keaton fan, you may love this drawing, even if you're not, the drawing is pretty spectacular. Of course, I could probably mess it up between now and the time it's completed (spill the India ink, spill my coffee, etc...) however I'm on a pretty good flow at the moment and this drawing is turning out pretty amazing, so stay tuned!

Speaking of spectacular, I'm very proud of a recent drawing I completed of an automobile. The drawing itself is kind of minimalistic. Its going to part of the canvas for  caricatures at a future Michael Hopkins Event Caricatures gig. The event is based around automobiles and the drawing is going to be pre-printed on the drawing paper I'm using for the gig. The car caricature will be placed at the bottom of the drawing paper, along with the event logo. You'll see what I'm referring to after the gig is over and I've shared pictures from the event. However, for now, I just tease you with the caricature of the car.

This drawing and concept turned out so well, that I may offer similar options to future Event Caricature customers a slight additional cost to the standard booking fee.

So until next time...

Filters

 So many ideas…let's get this started!

*WARNING* To those of you easily offended by personal opinions (that may not fit into today's woke society) or those of you who are offended by opinions counter to your own opinions, and as such, you are offended that you may find ideas and thoughts (counter to your own line of thinking) that may make you rethink your opinions, might possibly want to try other blog or better yet, consider an alternative opinion. To be more specific, I have surgically removed The Michael Hopkins Cartoons Blog Filter and replaced it with The Michael Hopkins Cartoons Blog, Free Flow Thought Process (i.e., whatever comes out of my brain is going on the blog, unfiltered).

Cosmic Fowl #30

Why? At 62, I'm too old to give a shit what anyone thinks. On most of my previous blogs this was the process..

• Thought comes to mind

• Write a draft of the blog

• Check grammar/spelling (still going to do this part because I hate misspelled words, is a sign of laziness and lack of caring of the English language.)

• Review my blog.

• Remove any content that may hurt someone's feelings (boo fucking hoo)

• Re-review my blog

• Remove any additional content that may offend sensitive individuals who have a tough time dealing in the reality that is life.

• Re-re-re review my blog for any remaining offensive content that may make someone realize that the emperor is indeed really naked (or has dementia)

• Post “triple edited” version blog.

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the new process…

• Thought comes to mind

• Write my blog

• Check for grammar/spelling errors

• Click on publish

Hell, maybe I'll even quit checking for grammar/spelling errors (probably not).

There's an old saying that goes, “If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all”. Well, obviously that person was delusional.

P.S. If you're still reading, here's my recent creations…

This beautiful little aviation caricature below is of a McDonnell Douglas MD-90. It was created on January 27th, 2024, on Canson Mixed Media drawing paper, with Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens and some India Ink wash...and lots of cross hatching!

McDonnell Douglas MD-90 - Original Drawing

My son Anthony enhances my drawings for me, both with color and his imagination (with a little A.I. assistance). The first below is the color enhanced version. This print is available at The Michael Hopkins Caricatures Online Store Click here

McDonnell Douglas Reno Air MD-90 

In the next one (below) my son created unique perspective of my drawing, with the assistance of A.I., or as I call her Ava (bonus points if you get the reference). I'm usually not a fan of A.I., however this turned out pretty cool.

McDonnell MD-90 - Bat Out of Hell

My Brother and Me

You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't.

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

A few weeks ago, I spent a weekend with my brother. Although, overall, we had a decent time (and I would only slightly hesitate to do it again), there were moments during the weekend when I wished I wasn’t with him. But in the end, I’m glad we spent the time together. You see, my brother knows how to trigger my buttons and he didn't hesitate doing that occasionally during the weekend. He got this skill from my father, as he used to do the same thing to me, hoping to trigger my reaction. As such, I spent most of my life dealing with this. So I'm used to it and it’s the reason I frequently avoid interaction with my brother (and previously avoided interaction with my father). 

However to be fair (given my occasional bouts of paranoia), I'm probably not the easiest person to get along with either. I think the problem between my brother and I stems from the fact that we both think that we are always right (when he’s obviously wrong!). Also, we both need to be in control of every personal interaction with each other. Sounds like fun, eh?

In some regards, we are very similar, in others we are complete opposites (like his taste for crappy road music). However, in the end, we are brothers. So if the good lord’s willing and the creeks don't rise (one of our father's “isms”) there'll be another opportunity in the future, where we can spend some more time together and set another world record of getting irritated with each other in only a few days! 

Nostramichaelmus

 The inmates are running the asylum. I used to think this idiom was just that, an idiom (i.e., a common phrase which means something different from its literal meaning but can be understood because of their popular use). However, in the case of the Daily Planet, the inmates are in fact, running the asylum (or at least pretending to run the asylum). One precariously placed semblance of sanity is keeping the ship afloat. If not for this one person, all hope would be lost. However, this is just a temporary extension of the Grim Reapers inevitable visit, unless changes occur. When Mother Theresa decides to retire, the foundation of decay is going to collapse, all hell will break loose and unfortunately there will be no further headlines coming from the presses of the Daily Planet. Fortunately, I can see the writing on the wall (another idiom) and I am not planning to be around to watch the collapse. In fact, on March 29th, I will be celebrating more than just The Warrior Princesses’ birthday. The clock is ticking…

It's been a pretty busy month at the ‘ole Michael Hopkins Caricatures Factory. I'd like to thank all those who invited me into their various celebrations around Reno, Nevada and I'd like to thank those who smiled at me whilst I was exaggerating their features! So let's sit down at the old I.C.U.2.TV set (boomers in the Pacific Northwest will understand) and take a look at some highlights from my recent holiday gigs…

Talk to you soon...

Michael

My Patreon Page

As you can tell from my ads, placed on the right side of my many pages (The Michael Hopkins Cartoons Blog, Cosmic Fowl, Missed Approach and The Michael Hopkins Caricatures Online Store), I have reopened my Patreon Account. What is Patreon? Well, let's ask Wikipedia…

Patreon is a monetization platform operated by Patreon, Inc., that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products. It helps creators and artists earn a recurring income by providing rewards and perks to its subscribers…

I've tried selling ads to earn income from my art on both Google Ads and Facebook. Unfortunately, I have recently run into roadblocks, with each. So in another attempt to earn additional income from my drawings, I have decided to take things into my own hands and go directly to the people who enjoy my work (and would like to see me create more of it). In order for me to create more art, I need more time to create, which is the goal of my Patreon. By earning additional income from my art, I can reduce my time punching a timeclock and increase my time spent on creating art. 

If Patreon works, how will I spend that increased creative time? Besides increasing my Caricature, Blog and Webcomic output, I am also going to activate, a very inactive YouTube Channel. I also have plans to hit the road next year and visit several Airshows across the country, to sell and market my Aviation Caricatures to Aviation Geeks (like myself) who gather at these airshows to geek out with each other about airplanes!

But that's not all!...Although I'm asking you to support my art through Patreon, I thought it would be only fair to reciprocate and to give out some cool gifts to those who subscribe! Not only free gifts, if you subscribe to my Patreon, you will also receive access to my Patreon exclusive stuff. Some examples include, live streams of my events, Patreon exclusive discounts of my art and other stuff!

So if you’re interested, please hop on over to my Patreon account and check it out!

Michael Hopkins Patreon

Talk to you soon!

Michael

 

The Jenny Henny Penny

Submitted for your consideration,  my latest Aviation Caricature, Jenny  Henny Penny. 

My interpretation of the North American P-51 Mustang. An interfusing of several Mustang paint schemes, with the name of my Princess Jenny. 

I created this drawing on October 29th, 2023, on Strathmore Bristol paper with Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens and an India ink wash.