Help for Haiti

Urban Sketchers put together a beautiful poster calling for donations to the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders for Haiti (above). Please be sure to visit their site and spread the word. The poster is available for download to print and post to remind people to donate.

Also, Studio 1482 will send you a signed 13"x 19" limited edition print from one of their amazing artists for every $50 donation to CARE. Visit their site for more info.

Ye Olde Information Age

Back before computers and the interweb, the printing press was the cutting edge technology that circulated information to the knowledge-hungry people. So here's to those creaky old cast-iron giants! I've been on a kick lately drawing big, dirty machinery, so these fit right in (though I made them more Deco than dirty). I'm particularly intrigued by all the gears and wheels and inner workings, which is why these are details.

Merry Christmas

Before I leave town for the holiday, I thought I'd send out a Happy Chrismakwanzukkah to everyone in the blagosphere.





Happy holidays!

The Smithy

Lately, I've gotten more interested in drawing machinery, metal, tools and workshops. Sadly, I don't get to see too many workshops in New York, but I took advantage of a recent trip to Mystic to visit the blacksmith's shop. Not only is it nice and warm inside, but they have more tools than you can shake a stick at! Plus, how often do I get to see a forge? Not often enough! I have more drawings of the printer and the shipyard, which I will probably post at some point, but I think this was my favorite drawing of the trip.


And since it seems appropriate to put him here, here's a page from my sketchbook with the blacksmith who was nice enough to let me sit in the shop for hours.

Fun with Friends

My lovely friend Julia has posted some iphone drawings some friends and I did of each other while away for the weekend. My contribution is the last one, but I think my personal favorite is April's drawing of Julia the cat.

Berlin iPhone Portraits

I recently got back from Berlin, and while I have great memories of fun at bars and cafés, and being out with friends, a lot of my time was spent companionably sitting around the kitchen table with Julia and our roommate Konstantin. So on the way home from Berlin, while the plane shook in the turbulent air, I distracted myself by playing with the Brushes app on my iphone.

Here's Julia; silk scarf, hair poof, freckles and all:

Konstantin was harder, since I don't know his face as well and I didn't have the original in front of me. I have promised a more faithful portrait the next time I have the chance.

A shout out to my friend Julia, who keeps a beautiful blog of her iDrawings, which were my inspiration. Also, here's a fantastic slideshow of David Hockney's iphone drawings narrated by Lawrence Weschler of the New York Review of Books, as well as a video of a New Yorker cover done by Jorge Colombo with the app.

Liberty Bell Reportage

The Liberty Bell is a symbol of independence, liberty and justice. It was rung on July 8th, 1776 to summon the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was also rung at the beginning of the First Continental Congress, and at the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775. I've been meaning to get to Philadelphia to see the bell, which hangs in front of Independence Hall. Fortunately, a full scale replica hangs at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, in Liberty Square. Below is my panoramic drawing, as well as some stamps.

(click on the drawing to see it larger)