Getting It Right

I just completed my latest and maybe one of my greatest caricatures, Cheap Trick.

I started this caricature on May 9th 2021 and finished on May 10th of (a lot of work). My caricature of one of the greatest rock and roll bands in history (featuring guitarist, Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson) was created on 11" × 14" Canson Illustration board, with pen & ink and a slight wash. In case you noticed, I left out the drummer. This was on purpose, as a nod to drummer, Bun E. Carlos, who (unfortunately) no longer tours with the band. 

Why do I think this is one of my greatest caricatures? Well, there are several reasons...First off, I love the feel of the drawing, it has life. There's a dance (i.e., a liveliness to this drawing). Some drawings, although technically correct, are just drawings and nothing more...and kind of boring. I am not immune to creating boring drawings. I have created them and although I still have them, you probably won't see them (or at least, you've only seen them once). I like all of my creations, however some bring me joy and happiness, while others...well, meh. However, this little masterpiece is nothing but happiness. When I create a work of art that has life, I can usually tell long before I finish the drawing and when this happens, I get so immersed in the creative process, that I find it difficult to get up from the drawing table and do anything else in my life. When that type of drawing is completed (although it never really is), I can look back at the drawing and I can tell where my head was and what inspired the drawing. This doesn't necessarily mean, I was in a good place or a bad place, it just means I was at a place in my life that inspired me to create that drawing. Not only can joy inspire, any kind of emotion can inspire creation. This caricature was inspired by struggle and yet, this drawing makes me smile and brings me happiness. Another reason I love this drawing was that it was created with a pen, pen nibs, a paint brush and India ink. I consider this technique, the classic technique and I think the drawing reflects that classic look.

This drawing will soon be available at the Michael Hopkins Caricatures Online Store (https://michaelhopkinscaricatures.ecwid.com/) along with other inspired drawings. The original will be available for sale, along with prints. Please visit the Michael Hopkins Caricatures Online Store and if you have any questions concerning an original or print you're interested in, please contact me personally at scribblesisme@yahoo.com

I'm Going Slightly Mad

Random discussion between my left brain and my right brain (usually occurring around 3:30am while waiting for a 757 from Oakland to arrive)…

What the hell am I doing here!?!? There’s gotta be a better way to make a living than arriving for work at 3:00am, driving a *circa 1963, barely-idling, jerry rigged, obsessively bouncing, 4ft x 4ft box, attached to a 10,000 gallon tank of potentially flammable, aviation fuel!

*Note. Aforementioned vehicle, maintained, by in-house maintenance professional and Country Music Legend, Willie Nelson. Oh...wait a minute...maybe he's not Willie Nelson...

Oh, and you have a better place to be?

I AM AN ARTIST DAMMIT! I have much better places to be. My drawings have been displayed all over this world! My caricatures have captured the imagination of all who have seen them!

So what are you doing here?

I choose to be here, my good Sir! I chose to participate in the exciting world of aviation to cultivate and inspire ideas for my webcomic, “Missed Approach” See, through immersing myself in the aviation world, I become one, with the aviation community!

Not a bad idea...so how’s your webcomic, "Missed Approach” doing? 

Uhh...I haven't drawn a new one in about 2 years…

I’m going back to bed

Thank you folks! By the way, I just flew in from Reno/Tahoe International and boy are my arms tired!

Don't forget to tip your waitress on the way out!

On a more solemn note...let's, be kind to to the homeless man, in the pastel colored plaid shirt, on the street corner. He may be your former Operations Manager, who decided to give up his career, in his search for happiness.

Monotony

 There's been a lot of turmoil at the Daily Planet lately. The editor in charge of "Keeping you Safe" section of the paper has resigned (or so it seems) and there's 3 other positions open. It seems everyone, including the copy boy, has piqued curiosity. Personally, I don't really care, but I am enjoying " the show ".

My focus is still drawing...while still trying to hide my secret identity as, Iamscribbles! Yes, Iamscribbles, mild mannered fueler at an "international airport" just east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, who disguised as Michael Hopkins, is secretly heading for adventures beyond this local...however, for now I must remain at the this location 5 days a week, only returning to my fortress of solitude only after punching the time clock...only to rise again in the morning, and relive my own little constantly repetitive version of the movie, Groundhog Day. 

Monotony. During my previous incarnation as a Bartender I had the same problem. I was beginning to liken everyday at work to the movie, Groundhog Day. To get out this predicament, I thought the answer was to work someplace (or around something) that you enjoy (aviation!). I gave up bartending and figured I had pretty much found my happy place here at the local “International” airport.. However after 2 years, I have destroyed that theory by recalling how much I love the creation process (art). With that minor self realization, I was back in the movie, "Groundhog Day". When I realized this, the next thought was that the only way to get around this dilemma is to turn the brain off for 8 hours a day and just do it. I had tried this previously while bartending and it worked. However, one must realize that if you turn off your brain, you also turn off the creative portion of the brain. If you're a Creative, like myself, this is not good and leads to lack of creativity (well, duh!). Which has been my problem for a few months. So the original plan (to get through the monotonous day at the Daily Planet by turning off the brain), didn't work. Luckily, I've figured this out before my creative brain shriveled up like a prune and died. The answer? I needed better control of my brain. After much research, self analysis and practicing, I now know how to get through the monotony. I keep the brain on, focus on creativity, while using the minimal amount of brain megabytes needed, to get through the day at the Daily Planet.

In conclusion, I believe that controlling one's brain, utilizing its space effectively and controlling positive and negative thoughts, is a major key to happiness and success. Here's an example...Let's say I'm trying to go to sleep at night and I have a negative thought that keeps me from sleeping. Instead of concentrating on that negative thought and losing sleep over it, I have developed a way to shut off those negative thoughts, relax and sleep. Sounds unbelievable? It does indeed, but it works and I'm being creative again!

More Random Thoughts

It appears my blogging is down to once a month? Note to self...you need to blog more often.

Random thought #1. Is digital art real? It’s occasionally very cool. Like other art, some of it fascinates me (of course some of it I loathe) however, if it only exists on a computer chip on our personal devices, is only displayed on social media and doesn't have a physical form, is it real? Same with books or digital downloads of books (of course, a digital download is not really a book, it’s just a story), I prefer the real physical books made of forests (sorry tree huggers...however recycled paper is ok with me as well). It just seems to me we are headed to a point in the future (probably beyond my lifespan) where our entire society will only exist on our personal devices (or maybe it already does?). Does that mean we are already living in this society? What happens, if for some reason, the internet crashes and computer chips and their contents become worthless? Most of our society would be lost and some fascinating art would no longer exist, albeit in the creator's mind. As for me, I would be drawing pictures and writing this blog in a notebook that nobody would see. Well...I guess, nothing much would change.

In case you haven't visited recently, the Michael Hopkins Caricatures Online Store still exists. I’ll be adding more art soon. By the way, I’m still looking for a gallery to display my art, however, in case this doesn't happen, my brain is working on other options...including opening my own gallery  

Random thought #2. I am considering getting a booth at the 2021 Reno Air Races to sell, display and market, my Aviation Caricatures.  It's expensive, but the benefits might outweigh the expense? 

Random thought #3. Speaking of my aviation caricatures, those seem to be my most popular artistic forms of expression (i.e., most popular drawings). This really doesn't surprise me. I find creating aviation caricatures the most enjoyable aspect of my profession. When I create aviation caricatures it seems less like work and more like, well...just drawing and enjoying myself. It’s not that I don't enjoy creating  caricatures of people, it's just that I seem to  put more pressure on myself to get the caricature exactly right, when creating a caricature of a human vs. creating an airplane caricature. Actually it’s probably the fact that I like being around aviation, more than I like being around people. 

Just kidding...maybe..

Dlog

I'm back...and I almost wasn't.

A few weeks ago, I had made a decision to quit the blog. You see, I had lost the enthusiasm for blogging, so I was preparing to write a final "goodbye to blogging, blog". I was at a point in which I didn't feel the need to keep writing a blog. Also, given the fact that the number of visitors to my blog had declined, I was thinking that my time could be spent more productively elsewhere, either drawing more often or even starting a hobby (bowling...I'll elaborate on that in a future blog). Anyways, as I was all set to give this blog up, I hesitated. I suddenly realized I was going to miss writing a blog. Why? Because of the realization of what part of blogging, I was going to miss the most. It wasn't not only the overwhelming success of the blog (that was sarcasm), or the time it took to write a good blog (ugh!)…no, I was actually going to miss the therapeutic aspects of writing a blog. Believe it or not, this blog is my therapist.

It lets me clear my head of random thoughts. Thoughts that I really don't want to share with anybody, so I share them with everybody…that makes sense, right??

As these random thoughts crossed my mind, I rather pompously said to myself, "Self, I've been creating something very unique here...a drawing blog!" If you would, a Dlog!! So I quickly got on the internet to research, drawing blog. I wanted to make sure this unique thought (a drawing blog) was as unique and special as I thought it was! Nope it wasn't...not unique or special at all. In fact, there are many drawing blogs out there. However, instead of letting realization bring me down (Bruce!) , it inspired me to start blogging again...go figure?? Anyways, I'm back and so is the blog...err...dlog!

My Brain is Too Full

Good Morning!

I’m going to share a secret. Don’t tell anyone...ok? I have an idea, for a new episode. of my webcomic, Missed Approach episode inside my brain.

The fact is, I can't stop thinking about this idea. I’m sure it’s going to offend some (several) people and I’m sure some people are going to love it...I love it and I haven't even drawn it yet?? However I do need to get it out of my head and on some paper. I can't stop thinking about it. You see, although I love my webcomic, it’s very time consuming and leaves very little time for anything else, which is why you don't see many updates to it. I have to find a way to expand time, so I have more time to draw. Maybe I’ll look back at some old Star Trek episodes and see if there’s a way to accomplish this?? Till then, for those of you who are not familiar with my Missed Approach (99.999% of the world's population),  here’s my favorite episode of the series

Lately the artistic part of my brain has been very productive. Ideas are piling up, filling my brain and causing headaches. Things are just piling up and my head, drawing ideas, marketing ideas, webcomic ideas Unfortunately there must be a blockage somewhere between the brain and the hands, because the actual production isn't keeping up. In fact, I really didn't want to get up and write this blog today, but my brain forced me to (stupid brain!). There must be something I’m doing right (mentally) and wrong physically. Sitting down to draw after getting off of an eight hour job is sometimes like pushing a car that ran out of gas, to the nearest gas station...slightly uphill. I know what I need to do. I need to be a full time caricaturist, blogger, cartoonist, marketer and my own agent (Hmmm??? Wouldn’t it be nice to have an artists agent).

I’m sending a letter this week to several art galleries. I’ve already contacted two galleries and the goal this week is to contact a least a dozen more. I’m also working on a new YouTube series. In fact, I have already, tentatively, booked my first guest. The idea I came up with is amazing and one that I hope you’ll enjoy it. I would tell you more (whispers) but I’m sure they're listening….Stay tuned and share more, real soon.

However, the first thing I need to do is make it possible to give up the day job, concentrate on the art and relieve the pressure in my brain.

I’m working on it.

Michael

A New Journey Ahead

If you've been following my blog, you know that I've been having an internal debate with myself (in which I occasionally win) in regards to whether or not to offer prints of my Pen & Ink Caricatures.

https://michaelhopkinscaricatures.ecwid.com/ 

The decision was finally made to offer limited edition prints of my work. However, I was only willing to do this if I could offer quality prints, which would offer a good investment to the buyer of my prints. So the question became, which type of prints should I offer?

I have finally decided to offer Giclée prints of my originals. What is a Giclée print? Please see the Merriam Webster definition below

giclée print : a print produced by the giclée process

The high end of inkjet printing is the giclée print … . The name is derived from the French verb “gicler” meaning to squirt, or more accurately in this case, an extremely fine spray of many different sized droplets. This application of overlapping dots of ink mixes, forming additional color combinations. The application of the inks in this printing process is so fine that there are no discernible dots or droplets on the final print.

— Steven Bleicher, Contemporary Color: Theory and Use, 2012

So my next step will be determining a price for my prints and how many of each original will be made available. I have to base these decisions on what I feel the drawing is worth (including the value I placed on the original), potential demand of the print and the exact number of limited prints I will make available for purchase (i.e., if I make 1000 prints available they will be of less value than if I limit then to, say, 200). So that’s where I am at the moment. Also, I'm currently discussing the giclée printing process and production costs with my printer, so I’ll take you with me on that journey in future blogs…

Another step I have taken this weekend is to begin looking for an art gallery to display and sell my art. I’m thinking I like to find a gallery in Las Vegas or Lake Tahoe (although I won't rule out other cities...or countries for that matter), I’m going to inquire into several, over the next few weeks and hopefully line up some visits to galleries in February.

Exciting times ahead!

Michael