Monday, February 4, 2019

The Boeing YC-14 Airplane Caricature

One of my favorite aircraft, the Boeing YC-14, was a twin-engine, short take-off and landing (STOL) military transport aircraft. It was Boeing's entrant into the United States Air Force's Advanced Medium STOL Transport (AMST) competition (the other competitor was the McDonnell Douglas YC-15). This competition was meant to find a replacement for the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The YC-14 (nor the YC-15) never entered production as the (AMST) project was cancelled in 1979.

I created this Aviation Caricature on February 2nd, 2019. It was created on Canson 10” x 16” Illustration board, with pen & Ink (and a slight wash).

Below are the various stages of the drawing.

Stage 1 - The inspiration ( the actual Boeing YC -14)


Stage 2 - The pencil drawing.

Stage 3 - After the inkin’...

Stage 4 - The final drawing (after a slight wash.)


Stage 5 - (Only on the Michael Hopkins Cartoons Blog) A cool color picture!




As with all my drawings, after I completed the drawing, I started picking the drawing apart (I am definitely my own worst critic). I found several things in the completed drawing that I wasn’t thrilled with (i.e., I didn’t like my lettering on the airplane and I wasn’t happy with the landscape I had drawn under the airplane). That being said, overall I’m actually pretty, pretty satisfied with the way the drawing turned out. I’m really happy with the actual caricature of the airplane itself and I’m thrilled with the way the wash turned out. If I was grading myself, I would give myself a score of 7 out of 10. So...there’s room for improvement, but I liked the finished drawing.

My next project, is to finish a drawing I started over a year ago. This is a caricature of Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute, from the television show, The Office. Also, I’ve also started another airplane caricature. This one is of the first Boeing 747. I’m drawing this caricature in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the 747 on February 9th, 1969. I should have one or both of those completed by weekend. If so, I'll post them on this Blog.

So until then...see you in the funny pages!

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Back on Track

After my previous rant about not being paid for my art and deciding to put a little more effort into my Patreon account, I decided the next thing that I needed was a little motivation to draw. The question now was, how was I going to motivate myself to start drawing and get back on the creative track?..The reason that I needed to get back on track was due to the fact that, since I broke my arm last July, my art output has been almost non existent. As such, I needed something to get the creative juices flowing. So I decided to purchase a drawing journal and make myself draw SOMETHING every day.. For the first few days after purchasing the new journal, the results were pathetic. However, I then received some motivation from an unexpected source...my son. You see, when I bought my journal I also bought my son a drawing journal as well...AND HE WAS DRAWING IN HIS EVERY DAY?!?!?!? (*Note - the kid has some raw drawing talent!) Well, not to be outdone by a kid, I started drawing as well...

So that’s my story about how I got back on the creative track. Those pages will be posted on my Patreon account. If you’d like access to those drawing, just patronize my Patreon account. For as little as $1.00 a month, you'll get access to those drawings and exclusive Patreon stuff!

Also,, I have started a new episode on my Webcomic, Missed Approach (and this one’s in color!), If you’re interested, ckick on the link below and check it out!


That’s all for today kids, I’ll write more soon!

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Pledge Drive

I’ve decided to invest my time (time is money) into Patreon. Although I love creating art, for the sake of creating art and sharing it with the world for free...




...I also need to make a living…What i’ve been doing, up to this point in time, is to work a full time job and draw when I can. Well, times, the are a changin. And Michael is a charging...for some stuff. Although to view my exclusive Patreon stuff, will cost you a small monthly fee, this Blog and my two Webcomics, Missed Approach and Cosmic Fowl will remain free. My Patreon page is a way for you to support my art and in return, get access to exclusive stuff on Patreon.


Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the nice comments about my art, when I post drawings online. However, the nice comments haven't turned into capital (i.e., money). So I need to reorganize and prioritize. I’m going to start running my art as a business (and a profitable business at that). I realize I’m might upset a few of the Greta Van Fleet lovin’, Bernie Sanders following, tree huggin’ people out there..but that's the risk I must take to make a profit (and make a profit, I must - Yoda). I can't continue to make the the success of someone else a priority, while my success comes as an afterthought. So in 2019, my art (i.e., my business) is the priority. Patreon is the first step.


For those of you who think I'm becoming callous and money hungry, I have a suggestion. Tomorrow morning, go to the company you work for and let them know you have decided to work for free. Tell them, you’re giving up your paycheck and volunteering to work for free. Basically, this is what I would be doing, by continuing to post my art work for free.


I’m not asking you to give up your hard earning pay for nothing. Most of my patron tiers come with stuff in return (i.e., free caricatures, birthday cards from me, discounts...) and of course, exclusive access to new art!


So I guess you can think of this Blog, as my Patreon Pledge Drive. Check out my Patreon page and see what you think…




See you in the funny pages.


P.S. This Blog remains free!

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Can't Sleep

12:14am. Cant sleep.

New Year, new me.

I need to pay more attention to my Art...so I shaved the goatee. That makes sense, right? Anyways, the thought behind shaving the face? What was I hiding? Facial hair is very common these days..and why? It’s high maintenance, irritating. Maybe it makes one feel more masculine? Maybe it's like a disguise? I don’t know...There’s really no benefit to facial hair. Unless of course, one’s in a very cold climate, say, Alaska? I'm not, so I shaved my face. I personally see it as a new beginning, which I needed. Moving on….

12:24am. Still cant sleep,,

I'm watching, Seinfeld, reruns. I like the show, but the bass music between every scene, is irritating...maybe I'm just tired. Favorite Seinfeld episode? I have two, The Merv Griffin Show and the episode, where George gets engaged.

12:30am. Still…

Yawning. That's a good sign.

My baby girl, just turned 36.

I need to draw more.

Building a wall is stupid. Wasn’t is Ronald Reagan (my favorite President) who said, …”tear down the wall”? Now Trumps got a, hard on, to build one. I hate politics.

Goodnight.

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Goodbye 2018

Goodbye 2018. You've been an interesting year. Although I have made a few questionable decisions during the year...I've also made a few smart moves. Luckily, the smart moves were made during the latter part of the year...which puts me in the right direction as we approach the new year...now if I can just stay on course.

Contrary to one of my earlier blogs, I may not he heading to Las Vegas into 2019. I’m starting to feel comfortable where I am (not just location, but in my life). My psyche is starting reach a point in which it’s compatible to my happiness. We’ll see..I still may make the move south, however, it’s no longer definite. Is anything?

Thoughts and goals for 2019…
  • Be there with love and support for my last fledgling as he flies from the nest and his life journey begins.
  • Putting my, traveling salvation show on some wheels this spring and summer and see where it takes m
  • Opening business location somewhere and start dabbling in familiar and unfamiliar directions(animation, drawing/painting on different canvases, stretching my limitations). There are some many paths in my mind, that I may not just choose one, but several.
  • I’m going to explore myself and push my boundaries in not just my art, but my life. 
  • I’m going to taste life and start chase those dreams that I’ve desired.


So here’s to 2018! It was an interesting year whose time has come to an end. I’m looking forward to 2019, with less shackles binding my spirit and more freedom for my soul!

Follow me on the journey...

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Smile

It’s that time of the year again. I’m starting to book events for next year.

Looking back at the event caricatures I’ve drawn over the past few years, brings a smile to my face. Not just from the thousand of caricatures I’ve created, but mostly from the joy my drawings have brought to others. Although, that statement sounds rather, self-absorbed, I have the smiles to prove it.





It wasn’t always this way....

Not too long ago (during and after an event), I was way too critical of my caricatures. Did I draw that nose correctly?...Did I make his forehead too big?...Should I have made her boobs that big?? (Just kidding...boobs can never be too big :) When an event was over, I’d come home and relax...and then the self-psychoanalyzing, would begin. I doubted the importance of my life’s work. I knew that they were just caricatures (and I don't know what I expected from myself), but I do know that I questioned the value of what I had to offer. I set the standards for my drawings exceptionally high and if I didn’t think I met those standards (and I usually thought, that I didn’t), the self-psychoanalysis began. It’s was an exhausting cycle and occasionally made me think, that I never wanted to draw at event again.

What changed? I focused the the smiles. I focused on the joy that I brought to others. I think we sometimes try to find something that’s just not there..and ignore the wonderfully obvious.

The best parts of life are the smiles.






Sunday, October 14, 2018

Dead Inside

I am dead inside without my art. It's what drives my soul, creates my happiness. Without happiness, I cease to exist and merely try to survive. I liken it to working on an assembly line (or what I perceive, as what that would be like). Connecting the widget to the whatchamacallit, for eight hours a day, five days a week, for the rest of your life..or at least till you "retire" and spend the rest of your life acting as a mere participant, on the path to that inevitable end. Not that there is anything wrong with working on assembly line (it's honorable work) I just couldn't do it.


I am an artist. An artist who occasionally wonders to himself, what if I would have taken the path of others, I have known? What would have happened, if I kept that union job at 18 and continued to spend the rest of my life, sleepwalking. However I didn’t choose that path, instead I chose to follow my passion...as if, I had a choice.

As an artist, you don't have a choice. Or actually you do. You can choose to ignore your calling and spit in the face of the blessing you have received or you can choose to embrace the blessing and share it with others. I have chosen is the latter. This is not a financial choice (I have to keep reminding myself of this fact). If you make this choice to for financial gain, you are a fool. You make this choice, because you have no choice. A true artist, can’t live without creating. Without creating, you cease to exist.

Over the last few months, I have started to cease to exist and have paid the consequences. No creation, equals a declining lust for life. Besides loosing sight of my passion for my art, I was loosing my passion for life, the thrill of the chase, for lust in life. I missed the touch, I missed the endorphins..I missed life.

Life is back...