Day #341 - Happy Birthday Amz!

Today was Amelie's 2nd birthday party.

Vic had noticed how enamoured Amelie was with Mika's toy microwave that we decided to get her her own one for her birthday.

So, when it came to open her presents she happened to open the microwave first (I think it was Vic's doings?) and of course she was elated with it, so much so that she didn't want to open anything else.

It was funny how everyone would be saying to her "it could be another microwave" as every new present was opened and the disappointment on her face when it wasn't. I've never seen a kid get so excited about one present and not be interested in opening all the rest.

So of course I had to draw her toy microwave for her, not 100% sure if it looks like this but I do remember there being different foods on the buttons, so I made them up.

Day #340 the ridiculous 3

Ooh am I going to get it over this one....

Today whilst buying coffee Hax told Marty and I that he finally got around to watching Kick Ass, about bloody time.

this of course led to discussions about heroics and ultimately went the way of making fun of me, which I'm fine with, in fact I took part.

Whilst on the train home tonight I came up with the "Ridiculous 3" of superheroes.

They are made up of;

"the Hero of Heathcote", "Brainspace" and "the Incredible Tangent"

I bet you can't guess which one I am? :P

Yes Marty I tried to make your "super symbol" a spreadsheet.

okay, coffee is on me.

Day #339 - hmm....

I thought I'd have a crack at drawing a spaceship of no real origin tonight and I discovered a few things;

1) have an idea of what you want to draw before you put pencil to paper, even scratch out some thumbnails

2) use the same style throughout

3) I can't draw spaceships for shit

That said, I do like where I was going with the front half of this ship but the back carpet doesn't match the curtains if you know what I mean, it's like some cut two spaceships and welded them together, I tried to rescue it as you can see from the scribbled ideas around the back but in the end I decided to end it as the dreadful embarrassment that it is.

Day #338 - Emmett Fitz-Hume

tonight I turned on Spies Like Us to watch, it still cracks me up, the little things that happen, the one liners and of course Chevy Chase, whom, whilst I was growing up was my favourite comedian followed closely by Bill Murray.

Caddyshack, Vacation and Spies Like Us, all classic Chevy. As well as Fletch and Fletch lives. I think I've seen these films hundreds of times and will watch them hundreds more.

I remember seeing the test scene when I was about 14 and remember laughing my ass off at how badly he was cheating.

So I quickly doodled him tonight whilst watching it.

It looks crappy but I don't care.

Day #337 - Blu

Today was fantastic, left the house this morning and caught the 10am screening of Rio in 3D with Hawk, it was between Rio in 3D and Hop in 2D.

I was concerned because Hawk has only been to the movies once before and never to a 3D film so I was nervous that he'd freak out or get a headache or refuse to wear the glasses or that they'd even fit him with his little Asian button nose.

To my surprise he complained very little but instead would explain at full volume how things were flying off the screen and almost hitting him in the head, in fact he told me that the hand of the statue of Jesus actually hit him.

It was a fun little movie with likeable yet forgettable characters but I imagine it was about a million times better than Hop.

So as a thank you to my little boy, I drew him Blu, the protagonist of the film.

Hawk liked the 3D more than the movie so it sort of tells you what it was really like.

A great day had though.

Day #336 - John Alfred Maxwell

My Grandfather, whom is known as 'Jack' or as Hawk used to call him "Shavin's" is a surviving ANZAC from WWII.

He was a Sapper in New Guinea and for most of my life he never spoke of his time in the war but often regaled us with his tales from the Paddington Barracks and the shenanigans that he used to get up to (must be where I get my cheekiness from).

I once spoke to him about my visit to the war memorial in Canberra and told me about the story of another soldier in his unit that with his team pinned down in a valley this guy single-handedly took out a machine gun nest using his dead comrade as a shield, through his actions he saved the lives of about 10 other men. But that was it, nothing else. I couldn't imagine how bad it was, he suffered malaria and I know that never really left him, especially the memories of it.

His father was a Lighthorseman in WWI and suffered from exposure to mustard gas.

I remember asking Granddad why he didn't suit up and wear his medals and ribbons and march in the parade and he used to tell me that he didn't want any thanks or praise for his time in service, he said it was just what you did. Granddad would rather go fishing or watch a Cowboys and Indians movie.

His father was the same.

We are lucky to not know what war is like, it's hard to imagine that these boys would have been shipped off to the worst place on earth, watched their mates get obliterated and if they were lucky enough to survive they would return home and be expected to act as if nothing happened, no such thing as counselling or any of that fluff. These were real men, the men that built this country with their gumption. Just like a classic car, they don't make them like that anymore.

I don't attend any dawn services or things like that but each year not just on ANZAC day I think about Shavin's and his father before him and I think about all the things that we have and how our lives are lived and I think with the ultimate gratitude of what these men sacrificed for us.

Day #335 - Frogger

today being Easter and all, we had Vix family over for lunch, well it was originally lunch but turned out being more like Dincher/Dunch/Linner. How many people could you ask over to lunch and when they turn up you simply hand them a bowl, some flour and a couple of eggs, then they would look back at you with eager excitement? not many, but Vix family is different than most.

We made enough fresh pasta to feed about 100 people. and 4 hours later we ate it!

So as a reward for his massive effort and devirginising of the pasta world I fired up MAME for Steve.

he was reluctant at first but then got hooked on Frogger for about 20 games.

all too rarely does Steve kick up his heels and have some fun for himself but for that 30-40 mins this evening he had not a care in the world except for getting that poor frog across the road and over the pond into his little hole.

The games of today have lost that simplistic brilliance that the 80s games had, think Galaga, Pacman, Frogger, Xevious and the immortal 720 degrees.

And of course Bump N' Jump will be fired up for Jhoven next time. :) http://www.ilovethe80s.com/arcade_fullsize_bumpnjump1.htm

Best Easter I can remember in a long time! thanks fam!

Day# 334 - underrated

I was really excited this morning because I had the TV to myself and my beloved Celtics were playing the Knicks and I could watch it live.

the result was what I was after but there really was never a contest as Boston won with ease.

Why was it so one sided? Paul Pierce dropped 38 points and Rondo, the little number 9 that nobody rates as a risk played the Knicks like they were a high school team. He had recorded a triple double before the end of the 3rd quarter and ended the game with a franchise record 20 assists.

Of course nobody expects the Celtics to win the Wast or the finals series but they didn't last year either yet but for an amazing 15 minutes by Ron Artest they would have won.

they traded away their starting Center, Shaq is injured yet they looked formidable today.

It's going to be a great finals series no matter the result and if a team from the East doesn't win it really wouldn't be fair.

Just watched Man Utd beat Everton as well so all in all it's been a great day!

Day #333 - the East Dillon Lions

today I re-familiarised myself with a show about a Texas high school football team.

I was introduced to this show by one of my peers about 5 years ago and I got hooked, for a show about football there's little football in it.

Friday Night Lights is in its 5th and final season, it was axed after 4 seasons and to be honest it sort of lost its way during the end of the 3rd and start of the 4th season, but it had started to peak again at the midway point in the 4th season, the network executives had scrapped it due to its low ratings but the power of the internet brought it back for a final season. Online petitions force their hands and a 5th and final season was commissioned.

I've sat through 8 episodes today, it's like a car crash, I know I shouldn't be watching but I can't look away.

I was going to draw something nifty today, something to do with 333 but I couldn't get anything else into my head. On a day where Hawk played Wii or Diablo II all day and Mix just watched Dora over and over and over whilst Vic slept it was the perfect setting.

This is the helmet of the farm boy white kid Luke Cafferty, number 44 for the East Dillon Lions.

Yep, I'm that sad an individual!

Day #332 - time for all these little bastards to die

I'm not a fan of genocide but after today's little interaction with a big fucker of a redback spider whilst up 2 storeys high on a ladder I've made the decision that every insect of the Warton household species will cease to exist.

Yes I will utilise chemical warfare.

Yes it's not the best thing in the world.

But it's a lot better than seeing one of my kids get bitten by something that could harm them.

Day #331 - dangerous practise

Lately it feels like I have been sacrificing sleep to get things done, including these doodles.

I'm really looking forward to these next 6 days, time to recharge, reset and get ready for the next lot of life.

I'm going to take a new angle on how I approach things and where my priorities lie.

else I'll run out of wick :)

Day #330 - Happy birthday Hacker

Day #329 - Wolverine

I sat down to draw tonight, it was about 10:45PM and I was going to draw some random character, a big muscular oafish dude. with a big chin.

then for some reason I decided to draw Wolverine.

It's not the greatest but I'm tired and it'll do.

I'm pretty happy with the proportions though which is a pleasant change.

Day #328 - Grumpy Lumpy

for some reason I was reminiscing about Ron Cameron's artwork, he was the lead artist for Blockhead skateboards, maybe it's because of Mackie's profile pics? not sure? but he does have a unique style and my most memorable pic of his was this old grumpy bloke in a trench coat. It got me thinking of Grumpy old men.

Why is it that old men get grumpy?

Is it because they now that the end is nigh? or is it that they feel that 'young people' don't respect them? or is the music too loud?

Well I know one thing, if I make it to be old I won't be grumpy, I'll be grateful.

Grumpy old blokes don't have to work, generally don't have a mortgage, are usually hard of hearing so music can't be loud enough and every day that they are still breathing is a blessing in itself. So, why be grumpy?

I just don't get it.

And it's usually just the men, old women just tend to become more eccentric and own more cats.

So to all you old grumpy blokes out there, chin up! start thinking about all the beautiful things in your life, be grateful for what you have and remember that young people don't respect anything and you'll lead a much happier existence.

You never know, you might actually live longer!

Day #327 - Happy Birthday Jho (belated)

the guy who inspired me to do this crazy project is my BIL Jhoven.

I thank him and at the same time blame him! haha!

I couldn't not draw a picture of him for his birthday, it was Thursday but I wanted a little extra time to draw something "nice" for him.

Back in the 90s there was a poster of Michael Jordan titled simply WINGS, with a picture of MJ holding a ball with his arms outstretched and a cool William Blake quote. I remember this poster from Lester's bedroom wall, it was super cool. Probably one of the coolest posters ever.

So, I thought I'd draw (or attempt to anyway) Jho in his own WINGS poster, except that Jho would be touting different wings on his, he would be loving displaying the wings of a chicken as homage to his beloved Adobo!

Happy Birthday Jho! I hope you had a good one! (38 to go you bastard!)

Day #326 - Jackie Robinson

On this day in 1947 Jackie Robinson changed history forever by becoming the first black player to play professional baseball.

Whilst there were better black players around Satchel Paige is one that comes to mind Jackie was more marketable, Satchel eventually became the oldest Rookie in baseball getting his debut at 42 and playing until 47.

Jackie played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie earned the "Rookie of the Year" award and never looked back.

He wore number 42, Douglas Adams in a homage to Jackie made the "meaning of life" question his number in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" which is pretty deep.

Actually I just made that up, but it would be pretty cool if it were true.

Day #325 - JB

The last couple of nights I've been watching through my back catalogue of movies, one of those is Tenacious D and the pick of Destiny.

So I thought I'd try to draw Jack Black out of that, it doesn't really look like him but I don't really care.

I enjoyed little bits of this movie but overall it's pretty crappy.

I'm still thinking about Sucker Punch, there's a message there somewhere but I'm not sure what it is.

I think I have to convince Lester of why it was so good, Reality, Fantasy, Fantasy but in the end there was no escaping Reality and Scott Glenn's one liners were a thing of beauty.

Day #324 - what?

I sat down to draw and thought about drawing something then got distracted by Jack Black in the Pick of Destiny and about 30 mins later this is how my paper looked.

not sure how I got to here and why little black skateboarders are everywhere but it's there nonetheless.

Day #323 - 50 years on

Today was the 50th Anniversary of Yuri Gegarin's voyage into space, the first human to do so.

The saddest thing is that Yuri died in a plane crash at the age of 34 just 8 years after his flight.

So i had this great plan to draw his portrait and a spaceship orbiting the Earth.

then Ed txted me about going to the movies.....

So I banged this out between Hawk's soccer training and the 9:30 session of Sucker Punch.

This is the insignia that he wore on the patch on his uniform.

Day 322 - PTM!

Tonight I was walking through TGV back into Town hall train station after my chiropractor appointment, I had the crazy song "right on track" by the Breakfast Club running through my head and all I could think of was John Kricfalusi and his wacky characters.

This is the guy responsible for Ren and Stimpy, which is still one of those genre defining cartoons, when everything else was product placed crud to peddle shit to kids out came the strangest weirdest cartoons you would see. It is like Bugs Bunny crossed with the ghetto and filled with grotesque yet lovable characters.

I think I'm going to try to get my hands on the original series, once they kicked off Kricfalusi the quality went rapidly downhill, shame. This what happens when you remove the creator.

It happened to Apple when they ousted Jobs, they were lucky to get him back. Unfortunately Ren and Stimpy never got John back to save them.

Reading his blog you understand that he is really a purest with animation and he's been working in the industry for a long long time. He seems a bit of a nut job but hey, who isn't?

Anyway, I wanted to pay a little homage to the great man and this was the only one I wanted to draw tonight, the greatest superhero ever! POWDERED TOAST MAN!!!!!

Day #321 - the wisdom of 5

Today whilst coming home from Grandma's Hawk murmured out something that made me crack up, this is what he said;

"I bet there's 1 billion light globes in the sun"

To which I asked "because it's so bright?"

he replied "yeah, and about 4 billion ovens!"

I love a 5 year old's logic.

Day #320 - moths

today Hawk came running out of the toilet saying that there is a big flying insect in there and I need to go and kill it because it looked dangerous.

So of course being the overprotective father that I am I thought the worst, a wasp? a bee? a dragonfly? a big ass German cockroach?

nope

a moth

in fact, a very very small moth.

So I told Hawk that it's just a moth, moths can't hurt you mate.

Then I thought of this one panel cartoon.

Day #319 - Bad Attitude

Tonight Vic and I watched the A Team, I had very very low expectations for this movie which I think made the thing an enjoyable watch.

Liam Neeson can't replace George Peppard but he had little screen time so it didn't matter too much, Major Dad was an interesting cameo as well. I expected the Face to be a difficult casting and Bradley Cooper although annoying was passable, there was no way in my mind that you could possibly replace Mr T but this guy was actually really good, he even had good comedic timing but far and away the best cast person was Murdoch, this guy resembled a young Robert Duvall and in my mind stole the show, in fact, he was better than the original!

The storyline was pretty predictable but it was a good fun movie to watch, you didn't need to think much to figure out the plot so for a friday night movie after a tough week it was nice, easy and fun (a bit like me)

I couldn't get Mr T out of my head, growing up I remember him being this incredible bad ass but he was also the most amazingly positive role model for young kids, he had a cartoon and breakfast cereal and he was Clubber Lang!

here are some of his quotes that I love;

"I believe in the Golden Rule - The Man with the Gold... Rules."

"When I was growing up, my family was so poor we couldn't afford to pay attention."

"As a kid, I got three meals a day. Oatmeal, miss-a-meal and no meal."

Day #318 - the Pose

I'm not sure why I drew this? maybe it's to do with the pathetic human statue I saw on my lunchtime walk with Fluey, Marty and Brendan?

I mean, this guy was sitting down

and he was wearing a mask!

crap I tell ya!

you want to impress me whilst doing a human statue then hold a pose like this!

Day #317 - Happy Birthday Mum!

I love you so much! I hope you had a wonderful day and have many more to come!

Day #316 - StoneD LABS

I was chatting with Dave today and he asked me to draw him a logo for his sound lab, this is the first idea I can up with, except the microphone will be made of stone.

the other idea I had (well the one Dave asked for) is a little more complex and will come at a later date but is basically a cartoony caricature of Dave (Dave Grohl with a mono).

Day #315 - Excavator not Escalator

on Saturday we went to Red Rooster and in their version of the 'happy meal' was a Where's Wally book where each page has a different category and a list of items to spot, Hawk now takes it with him everywhere and checks off things whilst we drive.

He still can't read beyond extremely basic words so he spells them out to me and I tell him what they are.

He spelled out EXCAVATOR and I said, that's an excavator and when I told him what it was he said to me, hang on Dad, isn't an excavator that moving stair thing that takes you up?

I explained that that was an escalator and explained the subtle differences in their pronunciation.

I thought I'd draw an excavator for him so he has a picture of what it is.

Day #314 - Emperor Prawn

Tonight we went out for dinner for Mum's 67th birthday, of course we went to the Chinese restaurant at Stanhope that my father and brother love so dearly.

And why do they love it? all the ever refer to is Emperor Prawns.

Of course I detest seafood (yes, I don't know what I'm missing) and have done so all of my life but Mark and Dad could live on the stuff so it becomes a driver for almost every culinary decision in their lives. I've lived through it all my life so I'm used to it.

Anyway, I expected the "Emperor Prawn" do be this amazingly different dish but instead they simply looked like deep fried batter covered prawns in a gelatinous reddish sauce.

But they loved it and that's all the matters.

All I could think of though was a Prawn Emperor, imagine what that old crusty thing would taste like? with his little crown and encrusted jewellery, well, for me it would still taste like shit.

HAHA, the thing that I love about that restaurant though is that they serve Kirks Pasito to drink! not quite Passiona but delicious anyway and a hell of a lot more tasty than any bloody prawn!

Day #313 - the Easter hat

today's doodle was an easy one.

Hawk has to make an Easter hat for school and I had to design it for him.

Last year I drew him an Easter bunny holding a sign that said Happy Easter.

This year I wanted to draw a crucified Easter bunny to cover both angles but I'm apparently not allowed to express my opinions through the medium of my children...

So I pinched most of a bunny from Preston Blair and drew him leaning against an Easter egg, I've printed it out and Hawk is now colouring it in, we'll stick it to some cardboard tomorrow and glue some others stuff to it (I also wasn't allowed to make Hawk a crown of eggs).

I think that it'll turn out all okay and inoffensive to anyone except those that read this :P

Sorry mum! (and all the Filos except Les)

update: they look better coloured and printed.

Day #312 - witch

Tonight Mika said that she was afraid of witches because they are scary and cast spells so I thought I draw her a friendly witch.

It's only a quick and nasty but I think she might like it, I don't think she'll grasp the sexy witch concept but at least this one isn't green and covered in warts.