King of the Couch Potatoes

This is just another doodle done on an airplane. Does this perhaps remind you of anybody you know? A relation? A spouse?

I did an illustration with a similar theme right here.

Feel free to copy and share.

Indulge This Proud Father

We made it home from our trip to Okla- homa. The family went there to see Andrea, our middle daughter, graduate from college. This is a snap shot I took of the moment she received her diploma from the University President. It's a proud moment for the wife and I and so I'm shamelessly using my blog to brag.

Hey! It is my blog isn't it? Indulge me a bit - won't you?

As I shared earlier, I had plenty of air time to get some doodling done on the planes. Here is one sample.

With recent work I did on the Hog Wild logo, I guess I had pigs on the brain. So, this doodle of a javelina (pronounced havalina) came to fruition. (I think I sound smart when I use the word "fruition.")

I still have a number of mullet illustrations to share, but I'm going to spread those out over time. Aren't you glad?

I had an idea of trying something a little different with this particular illustration. Normally I've hung onto my original artwork for prosperity sake, but with a daughter's wedding looming on the horizon, I'm willing to part with this illustration.

So...

The first person willing to drop a mere $25 for this piece can become the proud owner of an original Rick Green doodle. I'll even throw in shipping and handling for free.

Do you know a Razorback fan? Do you have an interest in desert wild life? Are you a wild hog? (Scratch that last question.) How about it? Are there any art lovers out there?

F.Y.I. It's a pen and ink illustration on an 8x10 piece of paper. No thrills. No spills. Just straight doodling.

So...

The first person posting a comment here telling me of their desire to purchase this piece can become the proud owner of this unique bit of artistic expression. (Talk about shameless promotion!)

Airplane Art - Sneaky

If you're looking for an explanation or deeper meaning to this illustration, there is none. I was just trying to fill time and paper while traveling on a plane.


I do wonder what the strangers on either side of me thought about this while I sat there and drew it before them.

P.S. I was tagged back in Nov. by KellyJean. Though I've never met KellyJean I feel honored to have been tagged by her. But, alas, I've already been tagged and once is enough for me. I did promise to put a link to her blog on mine. So, go take a peek at her site. She seems like a nice person. She's got to be, after all, she picked me!

Click here to check it out: laughing always helps

Airplane Art - Losing the Christmas Spirit?

Have you lost your Christmas spirit yet?
This is another bit of airplane art - one that I have been saving to post in the middle of the Christmas rush. Feel free to pass it along to your friends that are in a "Bah, Humbug" mood at the moment.

P.S. Did you know that there is a Humbug Mt. on the Oregon Coast. I've wonder if Ebenezer Scrooge lives at the top. I guess that I'll never find out - it's a three mile hike to the top.

Here's a photo that I took of the base of the mountain. I live about an hour south of there.

Airplane Art - 50 Gal. Hat

This is another bit of my airplane art.

Just in case you're new to my blog, I have a habit of taking an art pad and doodling when I travel by air. There are a number of previous examples of my airplane art that I've posted on this blog. It's not that I travel a lot - it's just that I draw really, really fast.

I have, on ocassion, given away some of my doodles to people who express an interest in what I am drawing. On one flight, I gave a Flight Attendant one of my sketches and she, in turn, offered me a drink. I took her up on it - a Dr. Pepper, of course.

If you happend to be flying somewhere and you end up sitting next to some guy that is drawing silly cartoons, go ahead and say hello... because it probably won't be me.

Airplane Art - Let It Shine

Someone asked me what was the connection between these four individuals. The answer is... None. I was just tryng to fill space on a page.

Airplane Art - Zoom!

This is more airplane art from the trip to Oklahoma earlier this month. I wasn't really all that excited about the drawing but I warmed up to it when I went back and added the lettering. I've never filled in letters like that before and I kind of like it.

What do you think?

Eight Random Things & Walking Dino

I was "tagged" the other day by Lucinda Naia. You can find her at When You're Ready to SOAR. I've seen this tagging stuff before while visiting various blogs on my travels around the net. Honestly, I feared that eventually someone might "tag" me. While I want to be a good member of the blogging community, and I understand the concept of getting more people to link to your site so that you can have a great presence on the web, I fear that I am the weak link in the chain when it comes to passing the fun onward.

So, I'm not going to turn around and tag eight other people. I don't personally know that many people who have blogs. But I am honored to be chosen by Lucinda and I do encourage you to visit her site; if for no other reason than to see her nice smile.

In the mean time, the rules state that I am suppose to tell you eight random things about me. It's hard for me to believe that anyone would want to know eight random things about me; much less two or three. (that I haven't revealed somewhere on this blog already). But for the curious, here we go...

1. I've lived in Oklahoma (born there), Missouri, Texas, Idaho, Colorado (back to Oklahoma) (back to Missouri) (back to Oklahoma) Arizona, (back to Oklahoma), California, now Oregon. That's pretty random.

2. I have a great view of the Pacific Ocean from my house. I am very lucky that way.

3. My social security number is... Ooops! - forget that one. Uh, well... I have a social security number.

4. I can't spell my way out of a paper bag. Maybe you've noitced.

5. I don't like meatloaf. But doesn't everybody? (I know you meatloaf lovers out there will respond to that one.)

(Three more to go. This is getting harder.)

6. I have a sister that is single - never married. I'll be happy to forward you her personal information. (She visits my blog on occasion - just to check my spelling. I love you Jan.)

7. I got claustrophobic (I had to look that word up to spell it.) on a recent cruise that my wife and I took. They call those closets "cabins" and expect you to live in them for a week.

8. When my wife first met me she thought, "Ewe, I hope he never ask me out." (I guess it was my winning personality that won her over.)



And for art enthusiast out there... Here is another bit of airplane art.

This is may be my favorite illustration from my recent trip to Oklahoma. It shares a similar theme with an earlier post of mine... Caveman Hunt .

What do you think about this one?

Airplane Art - Homecoming Trip

I flew back to Oklahoma last week - this time with my wife and youngest daughter. We were there for a happy reason this time - our middle daughter was being presented in the Homecoming court at her university - which is also the alma-mater of both my wife and I.

It is with no small pride that I tell you she was crowned Homecoming Queen! What a joy! We're very proud of all our girls, but that was a special moment for us.

The added joy of going was that we got to see our eldest daughter and her (serious) boyfriend as well. So we had a bit of a family reunion.


As usual, I took my pad and created some more airplane art. I did a LOT of doodling on this trip. I don't think that I'll post it all at once. But here is an example of the kind of stuff that I do while I'm traveling - off the cuff (way off) - just whatever comes to mind. Don't ask me to explain it. The answer is that I don't know where it comes from. I just start drawing and this "stuff" comes out.

The egg-man is easy to find in this one.

Airplane Art - Serious Biker

This is the last of my Airplane Art series - sketches that I drew while on various flights for my recent trip to Oklahoma/Texas.Of the four sketches, this is the one that I like the least. It's a bit too rough for me. Also, my lettering got too crowded. I ran out of room. So I ended up crowding the letters together. But, hey, it is what it is - airplane art.

I drew this while on a puddle-jumper going from San Fran. to Medford, OR. The flight attendant was really impressed. I ended up drawing her a thank you note - of sorts. She seemed really impressed with that as well. Flight attendants are easily impressed.

Now that you've seen all four pieces, which one do you like the best? My favorite is my first post: "Make Some Hay." What do you think?

P.S. Are you looking for the egg men?

Airplane Art - Spicy Tomato

Below is the one illustration that I kept from my flight OUT to Oklahoma. There is a story behind it - want to hear it? I knew you did. Hang on - it's an involved one...

I was on a red-eye after a lay-over in Las Vegas. I was due to arrive in Oklahoma City about 4:20 in the AM, but the flight was delayed. It's the middle of the night.

Now, I'm a person that can normally sleep just about anywhere, but for some reason I CANNOT get any shut-eye on a plane. But I've got to try because I'm facing a long day of traveling after I land. With the seat tray down, I try resting my elbows on it while placing my head lightly on the seat in front of me. At this point I begin to feel a pulse of some kind, and I think, "I can feel my pulse in my hands!" But when I look up I notice that the (shaved) head in front of me is bouncing back and forth to some kind of silent beat. He has a set of head phones on is having his own little dance party through the night - all the way from Las Vegas to OKC. No sleeping that way.

Then there is the cart issue. The flight attendants are coming through with my one, and only, chance for a drink on that flight. "Do I stay awake so that I won't miss my opportunity, or do I let them slip by me in the dark of the plane?" That is the question. I can't stand the pressure. I want to try and get some sleep, but I can't let my one, and only, opportunity to slip by me.

On planes I generally partake of one of two drinks: 1. A coke (they NEVER have Dr. Pepper) or 2. tomato juice. I'd had enough soda (pop) for the day, so in my mind - there in the dark of that plane - while the shinny head bounced back and forth in front of me - I decided to go for tomato juice. But, I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to have V-8!" I really did. I was thinking that it would be kind of nice to get some juice with a bit of a kick to it. BUT, when I tell the flight attendant what I wanted she said, "All we have is tomato juice or SPICY tomato juice."

Another decision! And this one REALLY troubled me. Not only did I have the pressure of the attendant staring at me - waiting for a response, but I also had the dilemma of not really wanting either of those choices. I didn't want plain-old tomato juice, and I didn't want tomato juice on steroids! I wanted something in-between.

I had to decide. The pressure was on me. What should I do... and so... I decided that... even though it was very late... to go for the SPICY variety. It probably was a bad omen.

The kind attendant gave me my drink. I took my little cup of spicy tomato juice... one sip, two sips, set it down and THEN!!... while reaching for it a third time, I some how managed to bump the cup over onto the top of the tray and spill out its contents!!!

Now, there is a moment, (You know what it's like because you've been there); a moment... in time... when you just did something that you're really regreting... AND!... time moves in S-L-O-W M-O-T-I-O-N. It's at that moment your mind says something like this... "I can't believe you just 'doing' that!!" The thought came somewhere in between spilling my spicy tomato juice and having spilt it. It's a sort of space-time-continuum thing.

So, there I was, in the dark of the plane, with a lap full of spicy tomato. Sick! What does one DO with a lap full of spicy tomato juice? More specifically, how does one get rid of a lap full of spicy tomato juice?

The flight attendants were busy running their service - no help there. I was on my own. So, I began to scoop up the red liquid with my bare hands and pour it back into the now empty plastic cup. It was NOT a very effective method of repair, to say the least.

Then, carefully, I got up and went to the micro-restroom facilities and used up a month's supply of jet airplane bath tissues. If "C.S.I." had happened by they would have cordoned off the crime scene with bright yellow ribbon as a sight for a murder investigation. There was red liquid everywhere - mostly all over me.

I did the best that I could, but I still reeked with the smell of spicy tomato juice. I think that the whole airplane reeked with the smell of spicy tomato juice. My one saving grace was that it was practically dark in the entire airship and most folks had no idea where the aroma came from.

Stranger than all this was that I began to ask myself, "What does a spicy tomato look like." My answer to that question is the included illustration. What do you think a spicy tomato would look like? After my experience with its juice I would certainly characterize it as anything but kind.

When I got off the plane in OKC, I was warmly greeted by my two daughters with a hug... which was interrupted by my oldest saying, "Ewe!!! What's that smell?" The answer: spicy - tomato - juice.

Airplane Art - Fat Music

Of the four sketches that I brought home from my trip to Oklahoma/Texas this is the one that my wife likes the best. That surprised me. I thought my previous post was the best one - but who can account for taste? She said that one of the reasons she liked it was because she thought it was something a little different than what I normally draw. That response surprised me too. It's not like I've never drawn an obese person before - though I will say that I've not drawn many horns and my representation of music is altogether different than I've ever drawn before - so - maybe - she's right (boy, do I hope that she doesn't read this entry). Maybe it IS different.

Still, I think that she's wrong about which drawing is the best. But, this is not the first time that we've had different opinions about something. And, I dare say that it won't be the last.

There are two more to come. (I have a long story to tell with one of them) You tell me which one of the four illustrations you think is best.

Airplane Art - Make Some Hay

This is the first in a series that I guess I could call "Airplane Art". When I travel on planes I like to take my drawing pad along and doodle the hours away. I have four different pieces that I kept on this trip - another one I gave to a young soldier sitting next to me - going to Iraq soon, and another I gave to a kind flight attendant - don't call them stewardesses any more.

Besides filling the empty time, I like drawing on planes because my art is forced to be "off the cuff." Whatever comes out is what I got to work with. This drawing started out being just a face - all I knew was that I wanted to draw someone leaning forward. The hat was added and then the overalls. The rest just followed. Also, if you make a mistake, or if the plane suddenly jumps and makes your pen move, you've got to work it in some how.



What do you think?