IF: momentum

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This week’s word on illustrationfriday.com is “momentum”
A beggar, a hypocrite, love reign o'er me
Pete Townshend, of the Who, became known for his eccentric stage style during the band’s early days, often interrupting concerts with lengthy introductions of songs, swinging his right arm against the guitar strings in his signature windmill-style, often smashing guitars on stage, and often repeatedly throwing his guitars into his amplifiers and speaker cabinets.

Once that arm gained momentum, he advised everyone to stay out of his way on stage.

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Monday Artday: what’s for dinner?

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The challenge this week on Monday Artday is “what’s for dinner?”

He covets. That is his nature.
I heard a strange noise.
What was it?
It was… screaming. Some kind of screaming, like a child’s voice.
What did you do?
I went downstairs, outside. I crept up into the barn. I was so scared to look inside, but I had to.
And what did you see, Clarice? What did you see?
Lambs. The lambs were screaming.
They were slaughtering the spring lambs?
And they were screaming.

bon appétit.

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Portrait Swap 3: the final chapter

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I did another portrait swap, although I think this will be my last. This one was with a very talented artist from Indiana named Kim. Check out her work at her blog HERE.
Kim did a beautiful drawing of me in her sketchbook.
JPiC actually crying!
She sent me a link to her flickr album and let me choose a photo from which to draw her portrait. I chose the photo that shows her expression as “I’m gonna kick your ass!”

oh, I'll DRAW you.....
At least my portrait swap experience will end on a high note.

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Portrait Swap 2

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This is a story of an innocent portrait swap gone horribly wrong. It started with this portrait I did of Jeannette…. and then (as heard in countless 70s exploitation movies) “some bad shit went down…..”

I received this email on August 17 from someone I’ll refer to as “biteyourowntail”:
From: biteyourowntail
To: joshpincusiscrying@yahoo.com
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2007 11:49:09 AM
Subject: portrait party
Hi,
loved that portrait you did of Jeannette – am also fond of drawing facial hair so would you like a portrait swap?
biteyourowntail

I replied:
sure, i’ll swap. i am on vacation in california right now (and my sketchbook is home). I will be back on august 22. i’ll email you then and we can swap and draw.
Is there a deadline?
JPiC

I emailed her a photo of me when I returned. I also added her name to my weekly email alert list, the one I send when I post a new drawing on my blog. I, then, received this email from her:
From: biteyourowntail
To: joshpincusiscrying@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 10:14:14 AM
Subject: unsolicited stuff
Hallo Josh
I did not agree to receive updates from you about your blog, or to being placed on a mailing list. I arranged to do a portrait swap with you and that is all.
I can get very pissed off indeed by people who add me to mailing lists without my consent.
Please remove me from your list.
biteyourowntail

I immediately removed her name and replied with this:
I am sorry if I offended you. I will remove your name immediately.
I will, however, still participate in a portrait swap.
Again, I sincerely apologize.
JPiC

Her response:
From: biteyourowntail
To: Josh Pincus
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 11:28:55 AM
Subject: Re: unsolicited stuff
Hallo
apology accepted. I too do still want to do the portrait swap.
Being added to mailing lists etc without being asked (even if asked I would still say no – I like to visit blogs, or other places, when I choose to visit them) is one of my pet hates.
Don’t even get me started on cold callers.
biteyourowntail

I drew her portrait and sent it to her on August 24. I received this response:
That is wonderful. Really great, thank you!
Yours isn’t attached because I’m going to re-draw it. I’m experimenting with paper and I used a different one but I’m not at all happy with the results so I’ll forward it either over the w/e or on Monday.
biteyourowntail

To which I replied:
I look forward to it.
I will not post it to my blog until I have your portrait of me.
You can submit them to “Portrait Party”, as I do not have access. I am not a member.
Thanks!
JPiC

The weekend and Monday passed and I didn’t hear from her or received her drawing of me. On August 29, I sent her the friendly reminder email below:
i hope you haven’t forgotten……..
JPiC

On August 30, I opened my email to find this:
No Josh I haven’t forgotten, unfortunately the tone of your last email – ‘you can post…’ – left me feeling somewhat unwilling to draw you. I don’t enjoy being told what to do.
In fact I can honestly say this has been my least enjoyable portrait swap. I fully understand why Jeannette called you a bully, though I would choose the word arrogant myself – putting me on your mailing list without asking, (yes you apologised, but the fact is you did it) issuing orders…
You’ll get it when I’m ready to do it.
Oh yes – you are as much a member of portrait party as I am – which if you had read Ramu’s notes on the site you would know. It isn’t a team blog.
biteyourowntail

My immediate response:
don’t do me any favors.
you are pretty rude yourself…..
JPiC

The next day I received her drawing, accompanied by this email:
Yes, I can be rude, it does have a lot to do with how people treat me.
Attached – drawing. Had some difficulty – the photo is no good for a portrait so this one from my sketchbook will have to do I’m afraid.
biteyourowntail

Here is the result of the “least enjoyable portrait swap”.
I hope you like it….
least enjoyable portrait swap

don't even get me started on cold callers

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SFG: bugs

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The word this week on sugarfrostedgoodness.com is “bugs”
arbeh
My inspiration for this drawing actually came from…me! When I was in art school (many years ago), I did a series of illustrations for a cocktail recipe book. I selected four mixed drinks, each accompanied by an illustration. I did “Grasshopper” as one of them…. and now, twenty-something years later, the grasshopper shows his face again. Still holding his namesake drink, but this time, also holding his namesake dessert cake.

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SFG: chocolate

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The extended challenge currently on sugarfrostedgoodness.com is “chocolate”
the great american right cross
One of my favorite books is “The Emperors of Chocolate” by Joel Glenn Brenner. Ms. Brenner’s book reads like a cold war novel. It is brimming with intrigue, double-crossing, espionage, technology and, best of all, chocolate. Ms. Brenner chronicles the rivalry between eccentric Milton S. Hershey and even-more eccentric Forrest Mars Sr.
Hershey, a two-time failure at the caramel business, started manufacturing chocolate in central Pennsylvania. In no time, Hershey was supplying the chocolate to 95% of the nation’s candy companies. Forrest Mars, who was carrying on his family’s candy company, manufactured his father’s Milky Way candy bars. Milky Way, at the time, was the most popular candy bar in the country. But Mars resented using his competition’s chocolate in his candy. Mars decided to make his own chocolate instead of buying it from Hershey. He visited Hershey’s manufacturing plant, along with common tourists. Forrest Mars holds the record for factory tours at Hershey.
In Spain, in the 1930s, Mars discovered a hard-candy shell filled with chocolate. He showed his new discovery to Hershey, who was amused by it, but not impressed. Mars offered the son of Hershey president, William Murrie, a job with his company. Mars needed an “in” at Hershey to get closer to the manufacturing secrets, and the younger Murrie was it. He even named his new candy-coated chocolate creation M & Ms, for Mars and Murrie.
Mars and Hershey tried to outdo each other for years. Their once-cordial business relationship turned bitter. The introduction of new products seemed to be less for the consumer and more for their enmity.

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IF: visitors

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The challenge this week at illustration friday is “visitors”
ohmygod! pins!
My family and I just returned from a week-long vacation at Disneyland in California. After going to Walt Disney World in Florida for eleven different trips, we have switched to Disneyland for the past four summers. The biggest difference between the two theme parks is Disneyland attracts more Southern Californians and Walt Disney World attracts more of these people. The Hawaiian shirt wearing, camera carrying, guide-map reading, pasty “vistors”.
When I was a kid, we only saw these types at the Jersey shore. We called them “shoobies”, because they made day-trips to the beach and carried their belongings in a shoebox. Now, they have branched out and they can be found at every major tourist destination.
The locals know they are visitors. They stand out like a bucket hat-wearing sore thumb.

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