Frog Sketch

   I'm not the first to doodle when I'm on the phone or in meetings. I'm certainly not the last. This 'lil guy came from a work meeting when it wasn't my turn to talk. I'll color him one day, give him a name, and a famous quote.

J.

Eirinn Go Brach! - Happy St. Patrick's Day

   I've always loved my Irish t-shirts to commemorate my 1/16 Irish heritage. (I know, right? That 'n $5 will get you a latte). I have my old 2005 Old Navy St. Paddy's Day shirt that nice and worn out, as well as some others. 

   When I was introduced to CafePress.com, I realized I could just do my own if I couldn't find what I wanted. Here's round 1. I love it, and that's the beauty of the site. Do what you like. 

Check out what it looks like on shirts here. 

J. 

The Cheeky Daddy Shop Is Open!

Let it be known near and far. The Cheeky Daddy's CafePress account is OPEN!!!

Just gots to load it with more stuff, artwork 'n all. 

Check 'er out: 

http://www.cafepress.com/TheCheekyDaddy

Requests welcome. 

J. 

Wreck-It Ralph - Review

"Just because you are bad guy,...doesn't mean you're 'bad guy'".     - Wreck-It Ralph, 2012

 

 

   So me and my crew saw Wreck-It Ralph. We were not disappointed. My art manager from years ago had emailed me an article about Disney doing an 8-Bit animated feature. Mmmm, close. The hype built as the kids requested the trailer every other night. My little guy ran around the house yelling, "I'm gonna wreck it!", before pounding his fists on anything,....and anyone.

   Now, I'm pretty easily entertained. Yet, there are a LOT of animated movies out there now and so very many of them are garbage. Wreck-It Ralph had me glued. More importantly, it had my two kids glued. If I'm paying through the nose, for a MATINEE, then I'd better get my money's worth. If my little guy can sit through most of a film, then it has my stamp of approval regardless of content. Having said that, I was laughing throughout the film.

   The visuals were eye-candy in every sense of the phrase. I loved the different game genre that they hit. More than just scene changes, they found the essence of the 8-Bit game all the way over to first person shooter modern graphics. The storyline was pleasing too. I love that there was a male figure trying to figure some stuff out, and a strong female character or two for my daughter to be invested in. At one point at the end, during a triumphant moment, my little guy sitting on my lap threw both fists in the air. He was feeling the vibe and I was too.

   I don't remember theatre's being THAT loud, but,...it was LOUD. We got in the car and I felt like I'd just been to a heavy metal concert. I doubt that was the film's fault. The soundtrack had my shoulders twitching, and my little guy stood up from his seat more than once to dance to the music. I can recommend this flick to everyone. Children, grown up children, grown-ups WITH children, etc. It was a fun ride and we'll be owning it at home one day for sure. Enjoy!

 

J. 

Art When You Can

I will produce art where and when I can. This was a project for my 'Lil Miss's Fall Festival at school. Their class booth was paper airplanes. I volunteered for the box and tried to make something fun. My little guy helped me out with painting and such. The final product is at the bottom and while we were at the festival, it looked like a lot of fun. It was for all ages, so you decorated a paper airplane, chucked it in the box, and BAM.....candy.

Art when you can.

J.

Lunch Box Art Surprises

     I've tried to do more of my lunch box art surprises for my 'Lil Miss. They're VERY quickly done, so that I don't get burned out on doing them. I remember how much fun it was to get a note from my mother in my lunch, and so I've tried to start doing more of that with my first born. As she is in kindergarten now, we're still in the beta test phase. I'm finishing 1 every week or two on average. Some weeks I'll do almost all 5 days. Sometimes I'll go a few weeks without doing one.
   The point is actually trying. She loves it and I enjoy the outlet for my art (which is hard to find time for these days). Being fast, there are liberties taken on anatomy and architecture. She gets the point, and that's all that matters.

J.

You've Got A Friend In Me

You've got troubles, well I've got 'em too

There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you

We stick together and we see it through

You've got a friend in me

- Randy Newman

     I snapped this pic a few days back and realized how good I've got it that my little ones get along so well. While they ARE still young, I hope it's a foundation to build on so that later on in life they don't resort to the exchange of gunfire. My 'Lil Miss is very type A, and can get extremely frustrated when things are not going her way. That seems to pale in comparison to her loving nature. She's always looking out for the underdog, offering help where the shy kid needs it, and comforts her little brother whenever he's upset. My 'Lil Man is the same. He's all boy, for sure, but has a sweet natured side that uses "please" and "thank you" all day long.

     How can we accomplish this? The Wife and I communicate with the kids often. While some items fall under the "because I'm your father" category, explaining things goes over very well. Granted, The Wife has more patience with that than I do, but I'm learning. I think showing love to one another for them to see it important too. Mom and dad showing affection and helping each other. Dad showing that same love and help to each child. They then adopt the behavior to each other.

   Either way, the scene pictured above melted my heart. Let's hope we have a lifetime of them.

J. 

The Birth Of A New Toon

     So, here's the first cartoon for a company that sells generic medication sample kiosks to doctors. The middle panel is a line they use on the doctors, and this was the basis for the first 'toon to come out of it. I have a slew of ideas for the kiosk and its conversations.
     I'm just happy to be creating again. Creating characters and putting them in fun situations is great. As long as that remains, I am a happy man.

J.

This Day Is Just Dragon On

     I did a sketch whilst in a meeting at work. The scribbles turned into a dragon, and as I said the word "dragon" over and over in my head, it clicked. In my head, as I sighed, I thought "Man, this day is just draggin' on."
     The sketch was digitized and the text layed out. I'm sure you've all had days like that, and are in agreement that they tend  to drag-on. It's high time we had a mascot for that feeling. I threw the graphic on a pile of gear at Cafe Press, just in case anyone wants a tee or mug that announces your feelings on the day, meeting, etc.
     Hope you like it.

J.

Art When You Can

   So this certainly isn't the work of an artist up all night, for weeks on end. As my time becomes more limited between my day job, kids, and the Attack of the Clones (huh?....), I find little time for me. There's even less time for my art. Yet, I find the time where I can. In this case, I was waiting on a lunch order for an appointment with a doctor's office. One Sushi has been really good to me (Flash site, takes a bit to load). The owners open up early for me to get my food to the office in time and always throw in a bit more than I ordered.
   In this case, I was waiting for the food to come out, had my sketch pad, and whipped this little homage. I handed it to her as I signed the receipt. She quickly put a piece of tape on the piece and put it on the wall behind her. "I put it here.", she said with a HUGE smile on her face. Either they don't get much extra appreciation, or she liked it that much. Either way, I got to draw a bit more and show some love. Now your turn.

J.

Modern Art In A Few Words

   I stumbled across a piece by Craig Damrauer, which can also been seen at 20x200. It summarizes what I've been feeling within myself as of late about art, my art and the art of others. When my wife and I used to go out window shopping, I was always armed with my art degree and the need to say, "I could do that." Add that with "Yeah, but you didn't.", and you get me and my modern art. Children, job, occasional apathy,........it all plays a part. It's not excuse, no matter how you stack it. 

   Life finds a way, and keeps going no matter what your day is like. Just this past year, I was laid off, losing a house, getting a new job, putting my dog of 11.5 years down, moving to a new city, and a host of other things. I realized in the middle of it all that life was moving on despite me. I applied that thinking to my art and it all made sense. Art is made with our without you. I've done a few pieces here and there since. My daughter has a lot to play in the influence of continual creation. 

   Point is, don't scoff or demean unless you really plan on doing something about it. I intend to gain momentum with each day and I thank Craig's and this piece for reminding me of that. 

Creativity Anytime

So. I was grabbing a frozen yogurt at the local Yog-in and the gal behind the counter had been doodling to pass the time. I got a shot of it and decided it would go well with my thought for the day. Whether you're on the phone, killing some time at work, needing some warm up exercises for an art gig, or whatever, we can all use a little creativity anytime. A lot of times it comes from sketching. The guys at First Second Books have some good insight in warm ups. I like the the line that says "sketching is like play". That's exactly it!

I also like art collaboration, competition and a collection of artists that feed off each other for ideas, showcasing and the like. One of my favorites has always been the endless amount of talent at Avalanche Software, where they work on Disney games. The blog is dedicated to all the previously mentioned stuff, and has always inspired me to keep drawing.

Point is, whether you're an artist by trade, by night, or by yourself.....keep on doing it. The world needs more creativity. We all start off in school cutting, pasting and drawing. It gets weeded out, beaten out, and schooled out of us too soon. So next time you're on the phone, or sitting on the train/bus/boat or any other version of mobile sketching,.... doodle something. Anything. Heck, email it to me and I'll post it. HAPPY to!!! 'Till then.....

(original sketch by A. Matilla. Thanks for the pic!)
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An-emotion

So we rented and watched Toy Story 3 the other night and I'm compelled to mention that the whole later third for the movie had me in an emotional state for the remainder of the evening and had me thinking into the next day. There's a part where the Toy Story crew is in peril and the end looks near. I watched as Buzz's face had a look of acceptance, and he prepared to meet his end. He then convinced the others, through facial expressions alone, that this was okay. For whatever reason, it moved me beyond words.

It reminded me of Frank and Ollie commenting on the animation done on Snow White, after the apple is bitten and she appears to be dead. At the viewing, the dwarves are in mourning and some are crying. Frank and Ollie commented that this was a first for animation. Evoking emotion through hand drawn animation. This was the same with the scene in Toy Story 3. The whole remainder of the movie kept me in that state and there was a sense of true closure in a wonderful trilogy. Kudos to the story writers, animators and composer of the score. All three made it one of the most memorable scenes I've experienced.

Kyra's Surf Shop

I have a niece that lives in Utah, but I swear belongs on a beach somewhere. She's got a hammock hanging over her bed for crying out loud. Here's the wipe board logo we did together. Fun stuff.

My Princess

I remember seeing posts from fellow artists that were inspired by their own little critters, rugrats, or whatever you want to lovingly call your offspring. Once my first born started developing a personality, I noticed that she inspired me in the same way. She's my little princess. She also comes up with the most random sayings, characters and situations, which we ALL know is what an artist thrives on. Hence the princess doodle, the Quibee character, and the little girl sketch.

Hopefully, I'm back. www.jasonswann.com is still online for the time being. It may be moved to another hosting site, so we'll see. Until next time.....pencils ready!!!

Long time...no post

Okay, so I don't know if anyone visits this anymore, but I'm determined to jump start this baby. Lot's going on these days, but that's no excuse. I redid my type test as a start and WHOA, all those IMs are paying off...


60 words

Speed test

...So until next time, my apologies. Mostly to myself, as I may be the only one looking here anymore. Here's to a rebirth, or reblog, or reblogbirth,...'er something.

J.

Clickity Clack!

I did this for fun, just to see how much I've improved since high school. NOT BAD!!! I thought I was in the mid 30's. See what constant blogging will do for you?




62 words

Speedtest

Kare-Free Koala

I did a phone doodle at work last week and had a few minutes to put him into Illustrator. He seems to either have a care free look to him, or possibly sympathy for my rusty drawing skills. Either way, he was a fun sketch.

Astropop - The Drink of the Future!

I was doing a test in Illustrator and needed a subject. Hence the birth of "Astropop"! This soft drink is light years ahead of the competition. From initial liftoff, you will feel the sensation of weightlessness. Some people may even experience the sensation of queezyness. One thing's for sure. You'll see stars and may never touch down again.
* Side effects may include: depression, euphoria, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, lightheadedness, nausea, runny nose, hot sweats, cold sweats, invisibility, telepathy, and in rare cases, death. Enjoy!

(disclaimer - this is a joke, not real and fake. In no way is meant to compete with Astropop, if a real product of the same name exists.)

Ben's Surf Shop

So Ben's my buddy that claims he's a dentist. I'm a conspiracy theorist who believes that it's all a cover for his actual business and lifestyle. Surfing. Reports are filtering in that his patients recall being referred to as "dude" more frequently, and that his practice has the unmistakable oder of board wax. While his tan gets better, we wait to see when the blond dread locks appear. Surfs up Dr. McEvoy!

Valentine's 2008

I offer digi-chocolate and pixel-hearts to everyone! I hope you all feel 'da love today. I'm feelin' it. Lovely wife, sweet 'lil girl and an overly sensitive Dane. I gots the best set of girls in my life! This is dedicated to them. Mimi, Livie-Loo and Sasia, I love you guys.

Golden Pipes

I was on my day off from missionary work in England back in 1995. We were walking into town, where the main street of shops were. I heard beautiful pipes being played and it was getting louder as we approached town center. It echoed off the buildings, filtered through the ally ways and had such tone that I thought they must have been golden pipes. It ended up being a busker (musician playing for change) in jeans and a t-shirt. I tossed in some change and he gave me a smile as he continued to play. I listened for the next few minutes as we went about our business and have never forgot those pipes of gold. Thus went the Skirl (sounds from the pipes).

Benign Feline

I'd imaging this guy is about as effective as most cat's. I had a cat growing up. At the time of naming, we knew no gender. So she became Bradshaw (Justin was a Steelers fan at the time). She was about as cool and uninterested in humans as this guy seems to be. This was a sketch taken into Illustrator. His stripes were painstakingly randomized, as is most of my artwork. Meow...

Digi-Doodle

Here's my latest stab at a digital doodle. It's really low rez, but I kind of just got into it before planning the size. I'm happy with where it went for such a short time spent on it. There's hope for future pieces, both digi and traditional. Here's to the future!

Happy Blogoween!

A happy blogoween to all ye bloggers. For those who visit and for those I visit, I hope yours is a spooky one. (oh,...and p.s., carving this pumpkin was NOT easy! lighting is was even harder!)

Big Shoes Bobby

Every great baseball player has a nickname right? I never played baseball, but never had a nickname either. For football it was "Swann", for volleyball and soccer it was "Jason" or just "J". Better than "that guy" right? How would it have been to run for a 90+ yard touchdown to have the announcer yell "AND THAT GUY SCORES AGAIN!!!" When I was in England the kids called me Sonic (becuase my hair was spikey like Sonic the Hedgehog). That's about it. These days people tend to call me "stinky", but we'll stay away from that one.

Swannitude

Did up a doodle and thought the body language looked a lot like my (near) 2 year old when she's on one. She's got Swannitude! I was going to throw gold chains on the bird and a backwards hat, etc., but no one in the family dresses like that. So 'ere it is.

You Are Here

(Clarification: My wife helps keep me grounded. She also helps me with my "blurting our stuff that makes no sense. For this entry, I had visited a blog a few days back that had 1 entry. There was a single image with a red dot that said "You are here." That was it, nothing else. I laughed and thought, wouldn't it be funny if there was a town called "Here?")

Wouldn't it make your head explode if you went to a mall, looked at the map, saw a dot that said "You Are Here", looked up and there it was? Maybe it's a store with scenic posters or European architecture screen savers on CD. Or if you were at a them park and there next to the map billboard was the largest roller coaster on the west coast "YOU ARE HERE!!!" (not for the faint hearted, women who are pregnant or those who don't want to ride the "Here" ride, here, now, in this very spot, that you're on, this very second.) Ugh,...my head hurts.

Six Gun Brigham

Alright. So I was thumbing through old sketches to turn into something final and came across a bearded dude. I progressed and it ended up looking a bit like B. Young. It was a toss up between "Matrix" Brigham, but that was a bit lame. I picture him being a peacemaker, but in this case he'd be a peacemaker WITH HIS PEACEMAKER, you dig? He's probably got a ninja sword in that cane anyway. I'm seeing the comic book now. "Six Gun Ninja Young." Hmmm....I'll have to work that one out.

Oh Say Can You Scream!

We're going for broke this year. Olivia is going to tie me to a rocket while Mandy takes pictures from afar. Asia will be nestled in our bed with a pair of Princess Leia ear muffs on and her paws holding them on tightly. I plan on screaming "Cake or Death!?" as the rocket explodes. Just kidding. Nice little family affair at the local "rich people's" park for some KFC (Kitchen Fresh, right?) and fireworks. I know there are those out there (S.T. Lewis for one) who believe that nothing will top Disneyland's 50th anniversary show. Everything else pales in comparison. But it's fun nonetheless.(Is that really a word?)

Long Night

I'd like to thank Las Vegas for a wonderful night's sleep. Winds were up around 40 mph until 6am this morning or so. We brought the dog up to sleep with us, 'cuz she's a 100 lb. sissy. When we FINALLY went to sleep, we were both sleeping light because of the wind and also because we were worried about the baby waking up at any minute. I was just waiting for the house to be picked up and dropped somewhere in OZ. If I only had a brain....

Subway, Draw Fresh!

In my ever ongoing attempt at drawing more, I had a sandwich and sketched the local Subway. Chatted about art with a co-worker. His zeal for building an art career outside of work has inspired me. I shall prevail!

10 Minute Sketch

My buddy Ed Frayna commented on how hard it is to find time to draw these days with a child around. She's best thing about me and I love every minute with her, but the drawing has taken a back seat to playing and taking care of. I fit this one in while the baby was sleeping in the car up in Park City, UT. At 7 minutes and 13 seconds into the sketch, she woke up and wanted out. I intend on finding the time, no matter what. It's just a bigger fight, but one that's worth it.

Las Vegas Living

We don't have a pool, so we bought a $10 wading pool from Wal-Mart for Olivia this past Saturday. For the record, one of those wading pools comfortably fit two adults, a toddler and a 100 lb. dog. Not that it's recommended, but just in case one needed to. Three of our four neighbors have pools, so at one point Mandy says "I wonder what our neighbors are thinking about us..." I laughed out loud. As I sat in 4 inches of hose water, I pictured our neighbors casually looking out the window to see us in our blue wading pool, all together, splashing away. We started to joke about getting a mini tiki hut to serve drinks and other items that would make the scene even more rediculous. Someone once said "to live in Las Vegas, you HAVE to have a pool." Done.

Lettering

I've been messing with letters these days. A co-worker handed me "Style Wars" and "Piece By Piece", which are documentaries on graffiti over the years. Purty cool. So I've been tinkering with some of that kind of lettering for fun. It takes some time to adobt any style, so I just mimic until I get used to it and then try to find my own style and flavor. Oh, and if you see someone that looks like me running from the fuzz in the rail yards, ......I was home the whole time watching Lost.

Too Much Candy

This is how I feel these days after Easter. I try to eat the amount of candy that I once did as a young lad and end up feeling like this. Poor bunny......he never knew what hit him.

Little Livie Loo Who

'Ere's a little doodle it did around lunchtime. My 'lil gal has some big beautiful blue eyes and curls that she gets from her dad (yeah, yeah,...I was a pretty little girl,....ha, ha). She stretches and also walks with her hands up like so. It's kinda like "touchdown",....all the time. Fun.

Bitey Lives!

A favorite artist/animator of mine is Adam Phillips. He's got some seriously cool artwork, stories and such. I was in a "fairy-type" shop when I happened upon this statue. Bitey's cousin? Maybe not, but it certainly shows that I see Bitey everywhere.

Check him out at Bitey Castle

Fightin' Grizzly (pup)

Here's my OAC submission for this week. Topic was mascots. This was my immediate mental picture. Entry went like this:

So, our mascot in high school was the grizzly bear. As a freshman, I thought it evoked a sense of fear in our rivals. By the time I was a senior, this is how I pictured him. Lazy and clueless. I think he was tagged, tracked, broke into a rich San Ramon soccer mom's car who became irrate that her leather seats were damage so she had it shot and rolled off a cliff somewhere in the redwoods. Yup, that's about what my four years there felt like.

Viva Las Freezing Vegas!

Sup yo! How's things? So far, 2007's been a blast with me, my wife, my daughter and I think my dog all getting sick the first week of Jan. Picture all of us (well, not the dog) in our jammies this past Sat., Sun., and most of Mon. Watching cartoons, piles of tissues in the corner. I think we hit all the infomercials, twice (I'm not sure about the Body by Jake, but the Charlton Heston Video Bible Collection looks like a winner!) Things are starting to look up, now that we're all getting better. It's been freezing here in Vegas. Well more cold than it's been in awhile for THIS location (thanks you northern folks!). This is how we've been feeling as of late. Welcome to Vegas! Leave your shorts at home.

Happy B-Day Blog!!!

So here it is. The end of year one for this blog. It began with the birth of my daughter and seems to have retained its momentum. There was a short time of many visitors, but nowadays if you put your ear to the blog you can hear the ocean. But it seems that there are so many to visit, commenting on each is near impossible (even though I'm trying to "do unto others". So happy birthday blog, make a wish (more interaction with other artists, I know!) and blow out your candles. Maybe you'll get some legs and go somewhere in the next year.

Duck-Billed Batypus

Another OAC entry.

At dusk, on the surface of our local lakes you can spot the indigenous duck-billed batypus trying to get a meal. Known for their perfected sonar, their only flaw is the sonar affecting "quacking" that tends to cause these small aviarodents to occasionally land in the water and attempt to swim.

Reservoir Mice

Latest Outsider Art Club Assignment

Coming this spring! Known only as Mr. Cheddar, Mr. Mozzarella and Mr. Gouda, these three dangerous mice knock over a local store. The take.....cheese. The cost.....nothing. The risk.....worth it. Hold on as Rodent Tarantino takes you on the ride of your life in this rhyme gone ruckus in, "Three Blind Mice". -Rated SM for smelly rodents, smelly cheese and an overall smelly script. Doctor recommended shots suggested.

Cupid Claus

You better watch out, you bette not cry. Better not date I'm telling you why. Cupid Claus is coming, to town! Mandy suggested this one for this week's Outsider Art Club. The idea made me laugh pretty hard. Well done Mimi.

Ghetto Star Wars.

Here we have last weeks OAC assignment. I kept thinking Yoda the thug, Leiah the hoochie, Luke the pimp, etc. I did get to sit down with a co-worker and discuss ways to improve my character and life drawing skills. Now if I can just find time to work on my nun-chuck skills, bow-hunting skills and computer-hacking skills. Then I'd be set.

Happy Halloween!

Boo y'all! Happy Halloween to all ye who may dare to visit this blog. May your night be full of scares, tricks and a few treats. Heh, heh, heh.....