Gene, Gene-Ridin' an American Machine

I've been working on Christ- mas gifts lately.  So some of my work I can't post until after Christmas.  But here's one of two gifts that I gave out just this evening.

Gene is a good friend and one of my riding buddies.  I wanted to create something special for him.  He rides a big 'o Harley but recently he told me that he's going to be building a chopper out of a defunct motorcycle that he purchased.  So, when I was thinking about creating a doodle for him I thought, "Why not put him on the most famous chopper in history—the Captain America bike." The motorcycle made famous in the movie Easy Rider.  I think it's a very boring movie, but it has it's moments.  Like this scene, for example.

We're looking for our family being together for Christ- mas. Our youngest comes home for her first Christmas while away at college this week.  We're praying for clear-dry roads on Friday as she makes the 12 hour trip back from Idaho.  Gene opened his gift during a party we were hosting.  I think that it was well received by all the guest, and Gene seemed happy with his doodle.

Daughter number two comes home on the 23rd, and our number one girl with son-in-law number one coming in the day after Christ- mas.  So, at some point we will get to all be together again.  I am really looking forward to having them all together tucked away in their beds at night.  It's a father thing.

Blaaaaaack Sheep (Again)

Previously, I posted some of the illustrations I created related to the Christian motorcycle group call "Blaaack Sheep." There are some members of the group that go to the church I aaaattend.

Last Summer the group held aaaaa conference at the church. I'm not a member, but they aaaallowed me to set up aaaa display to try and sell some of my motorcycle doodles. I didn't sell a lot, but enough to cover my cost, plus aaaa bit more.

The president of the Blaaaack Sheep liked my take on the concept and asked me if I would creaaaate some more images that he could use in their publications. That was laaast summer. Around November I finally got around to sending him the first illustration. He liked it and aaaasked me to create three more using the same raaaam figure. I was haaaappy to do so, but with all the Christmaaaas request hanging over my head at the time, I had to put him off until aaaafterwards.

(I'm sure that he said, "Baaaah Humbug!)

I was finally aaaable to create the three other concept with blaaaack sheep in various poses.

(It was a killer getting a ram in my home to sit still and model for me that long. And the MESS!?! I don't want to talk about it.)

Aaaafter seeing my work, Mr Head Sheep said that he really like it and that there would be more request in the future. I said, "baaaah."

I really did. Do you believe me?

(Also, with apologies to my egg hunting friends, I believe these are egg-less illustration. Now I hear you saying "waaaah!")

Ride On

This is Katrina and her hubby David. They celebrated their 2nd anniversary on my birthday, yesterday! She wanted me to create a caricature of them both on their 2002 Honda Gold Wing 1800.


Kartina had a few other request that she hoped I could include as well. Like, for example, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a covered bridge, and a moose. I may be wrong, but I don't think that there are many moose left in New Hampshire, but apparently David went on a moose sighting excursion once, but the moose weren't very accommodating.

Also, you might notice their wedding pic speaks to the fact that they're both big fans of Dunkin Donuts coffee. She used the term "addicts." I'm not a coffee drinker, so I'm not relating, but this is their doodle.

Soooo, I put all the ideas, and requests together and this is what I came up with...

I'm pleased with the way this one turned out. As I have said before, illustrations which include mechanical objects, like motorcycles, always challenge me. So, as I have done in the past, I took a photo of their Honda and traced it on the paper. I happened to have a pencil which had a color that nearly matched the color of the bike. That was helpful. I just had to fill in the rest.

Katrina was pleased with the piece. I'm looking forward to hearing about David's reaction.

Thanks Katrina for using me to celebrate this important day. Ride on!

Also! Thank you all for my shower of birthday greetings from yesterday. I felt the love flowing out from my computer screen. You all are too kind. "Tanks" a bunch.

What?

Some of you are looking at this doodle and saying, "What?" That makes me do a COL. (Chuckle Out Loud)

Sorry, but if I have to explain it to you, well, then... you're probably one of the sane ones that reads this blog. (Consider yourself fortunate.)

In other news: Mum-Me posted some photos of her husband opening the caricature that I drew of him. I like getting photos of an unveiling. I don't get to see pics like this too often. Thanks Mum-you for sharing them with me. Seeing them gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

About the unveiling Mum wrote...

I find it very difficult to shop for gifts for HB. If he wants or needs something he just buys it. I am always looking for something unusual and original to give him for his birthday. So I was very excited to stumble across Rick's blog and I contacted him earlier in the year and asked if he could draw a cartoon of HB. Rick agreed, and here is the result.

I think he liked it.

He kept looking and chuckling, looking and chuckling for quite a while. I finally asked him what he thought, and he said "It's funny." Well, that was the whole idea so I judge it a success. Oh, and he did want to know how the illustrator was able to draw the details of his motorbike, camera and clothes so well. (So I think he was pretty impressed by that, Rick.)

Thanks again Mum. As far as the all the details in the drawing... they call it "tracing". I'm glad that he liked it.





It's always a bit bazaar to me to see something that I drew here in Oregon in the hands of someone in Australia. That's the power of the internet.

A Dark Knight

Here's another caricature request where I had to bring together a number of different varied themes into one drawing.

Catherine requested an illustration of her husband for his birthday in September. She said, "My husband is a member of the Australian Defence Force. He is an army musician, and his instrument (and the first love of his life) is the trombone."

(I seem to be very big "Down Under." Maybe as big as David Hasselhoff is in Germany. Maybe not that much, but I'm know around a few Aussie circles.)

Catherine said that his second love is his Kawasaki. His 3rd and 4th loves are computers and photography.

Forgive me for mentioning it Catherine, but does that make you #5?

Anyway, the challenge for me was to figure out a way to bring all these varied interest together. In fact, I held on to Catherine's request for some time. Finally I decided to illustrate him riding his motorcycle up a mountain of computer screens and stuff while carrying his trombone as if it were some kind of jousting spear - camera in tow.

It all came together to make him look like some kind of "dark knight." What do you think?

Thanks Catherine for using me to help celebrate your knight's big day. I figure that after he sees it you'll probably be bumped up his list a couple of notches - ya think?

In other news: I'm not getting these illustrations out fast enough for my part. I hope that everyone on my list will continue to be patient with me. I received an inquiry about a doing a possible Christmas gift this week. It reminded me that Christmas, in artist years, is not very far away. So, if you're thinking about ordering an illustration for a Christmas gift I would encourage you to get your request in early.

Stay "tooned"!,

Rick

Black Sheep Do Over

Last weekend our church hosted a rally for a Christian motorcycle club called The Black Sheep. A few of the people from our church are members and so we gave them the opportunity to have their conference here on the ocean. I am not a member of the organization, but I do enjoy getting together with people who have an appreciation for nice rides.

At one point I counted 60 motorcycles in our church parking lot! On Friday evening I joined them for a "pie run" up the coast for, (what else?), pie. What a sight it was to see Hiway 101 full of motorcycles as far as you could see. I think the neighbors might have thought we had become a Hell's Angel Church. (One kind new neighbor did call about the noise, and asked if she could expect this is be a summer long ordeal. Apparently she values her sleep more than the sound of a chrome covered ride.)

I saw the event as an opportunity to try and sell some of my motorcycle themed artwork. I didn't sell a lot, but I made enough money to cover my cost, and then just a bit more. Oh well - ever the starving artist.

Earlier I have posted this drawing that I created for the Black Sheep in our church. (Actually, our church is ful of "black sheep." They just don't all ride Harleys.) I didn't like how this drawing turned out. Several agreed that the sheep on the cycle looked more like a camel. I should have drawn in some wool on the top of his head.

So, I decided to create another Black Sheep themed illustra- tion. I tried to give him a harder edge by illustrating a ram, with horns - along with wool on the top. I really like how this illustration turned out. I colored the letters to match the colors on the club's patch, which I thought worked out well with the rest of the colors I ended up choosing for the drawing.

Which one do you think sold the best? You guessed it. The "camel" drawing did! In fact, it was the only kind of print that I sold that weekend. Go figure. I guess sheep can't appreciate fine art. Oh maybe it has something to do with the fact that I priced it a few bucks cheap? How do you like that - they're a bunch of cheap sheep!

Here are some photos that I took at the event. The last one is my favorite - just in case you were wondering...

Home Sweet Dome - Well, Maybe Not

Jennifer wanted an illustration of her family. It was to be a surprise for her husband, on their 10th anniversary. Two of the items she especially wanted me to include in their drawing was...

A. Bruce's Suzuki Boulevard, or C90T (big motorcycle to the uninformed.)

AND!...

B. The Dome house they were building in Florida. She said, and I quote..."The dome definitely needs to be in the drawing… it is a major part of our lives and is one of the things that makes us, well, us."

So I went to work and drew the little fam. settling into their Florida paradise.

I e-mailed Jennifer her creation.



She wrote said, (And I'm not quoting her here, but I'm pretty close...) "Well, I don't know how to tell you this, but we're selling the dome." I guess what made them, them, no longer made them, them - then. (Did you follow that?) Jennifer paid me for that illustration, thank you very much, and then asked if I could put another one together. This time she asked me for a drawing just of Bruce, who enjoys taking his ride out on camping trips every now and then. It took me a bit before I could get back to doing a drawing for her, but I got in done - in time enough for their anniversary.


Here are some photos from the unveiling.





Thanks Jennifer for commissioning me to celebrate your anniversary. (I seem to be very popular with anniversaries.) Go buy that pink Harley and let's the three of us go for a ride.

By the way, if anyone is interested in a
dome abode, located somewhere in sunny Florida, I understand that Jennifer and Bruce are still looking for a buyer. It's brand new and unused.

Hog Wild Cycle Werks

Ron saw my Fat Hog illustration and contacted me about using it as a logo for a new motorcycle shop he and his wife, Kris, are opening in Nampa, ID. Unfortunately that particular piece was already purchased by a man in England for use on his web site. I've yet to see him put my Fat Hog drawing on his site, but a deal is a deal. So then Ron asked me to create a new illustration for him that they could use.

Here it is, and yes, every- thing is spelled as Ron request- ed it.

It turns out that Ron and I have a number of things in common. (One of which is our spelling talents.) I have been know to travel over to Nampa ever now and then, and so there's a good chance that I'll get to meet him and Kris someday. I look forward to seeing their shop, but more than that I'm looking forward to getting them over here to try out some of our Oregon coast, fanstic, twisting, turning, ocean viewing, roads here.

Talk about your wild hogs?

Not So Funny Anymore

Just a quick post - very busy day today.

This is another cartoon I drew for the local paper last year. At the time $4.99 a gallon seemed funny. It doesn't seem as funny anymore.

Since I live in a touristy location, and since I ride a Harley, this cartoon strikes a personal note. How do people afford the gas in those beast? I'd rather sleep in a motel.

Feel free to copy and share.

Show & Shine @ the Shore

Last year our church held a motorcycle "show & shine" on the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend. This is the logo I drew to advertise the event.

We're having the event again this year. So, if you happen to be in the area on May 24, drop on by. We're adding the talents of a gentleman that does award winning Bar-B-Q. He'll be cooking up some chicken on his massive grill for everyone. (I cannot wait - love a good Bar-B-Q!)

That date is also the day our town holds its annual Azalea Festival. Some of us rode our bikes in the parade last year. It's my one chance to ride by bike on the streets of Oregon without a helmet - even though my wife hates it when I do.

Below are some photos from last year.


Yours truly riding his ride in the Brookings Azalea Parade. How do I look?






Some of the motorcycles we had showing up at the event. I think we had 35 bikes in all.





Two of my girls goofing around on my bike. The youngest was tickling her older sister.






The members of my rough, tough motorcycle gang. You wouldn't want to meet us in a dark alley.

King of the Road

If you've spent anytime on my blog you know that I have a deep appreciate for all things Harley Davidson. So, when on a recent visit to my brother in Texas, one of his acquaintances offered to let me take a spin on his '07 Harley Road King, I was thrilled. You need to understand that this is generally not done in biker circles. Most riders are very protective of their bikes and so, to let someone else ride yours is a pretty big deal.

I didn't get a chance to ride it very long, but I really enjoyed the experience of being on a big "hog." Honestly, I had just decided that my '02 HD Sportster was plenty of bike for me, but after that, I now know that I will always hunger for more.

Sometime later Leo wrote and asked me to create a drawing of a lion on a Harley Road King. (Leo - Lion, Lion - Road King - you follow the logic, don't you?) After the generous offer of a ride on his bike, I was all too happy to create an illustration for him.

The first illustration is one that I sent Leo before going on with the color work. I'm glad that I did because he wrote back saying that he liked the drawing, but the leg on the lion looked a little too "girlie." I wrote back saying that my legs were my best feature, but that I was happy to comply. He suggest that I add some leather chaps on the beast.

(My wife told me that if I bought a motorcycle I could never BUY leather chaps. I agreed, but later on a friend GAVE me a pair. So I've kept to our bargain. She never said anything about me not accepting a pair as a gift.)

The next drawing has the lion now modestly dressed in chaps and blue jeans. I think the chaps add to the illustration. What do you think?Next you see that the color and the lettering that have been added for the completion of the job.

I am beginning to have a growing collection of motorcycle artwork. (See my post on Sept. 25, Feb. 16, Jan. 17, Jan. 5)

Actually, I'm really not all that comfortable with creating illustrations that include mechanical stuff. I prefer more free hand, "artsie" kind of work. I really struggle at drawing these kind of pieces and so it took me three or four whacks with a pencil before I felt comfortable putting it down in pen.

I am really proud of this drawing. There are a few things that I don't like about it, but there always are. It's a totally freehand illustration that is fun and makes a definite statement about what kind of "beast" rides the road on his King.

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?

Black Sheep

Here's another illustration for my growing motorcycle collection. I have friends that have just join a motorcycle club called "The Black Sheep." I thought the name deserved illlustrating.

Black Sheep

I like how this drawing turned out. I did it while my wife was in the hospital. She is home recovering now - thank you for your prayers.

There are some things about this illustration that I don't like. The words "Black Sheep" got too crowded, but I was trying to stay within my 8X10 frame. I think the sheep itself doesn't look mean enough - it's hard to draw sheep that are mean. And, it's really not obvious that the animal is a sheep. One guy looked at it and called it a camel. Maybe I should have put some wool on top of its head. But, over all, I like the look of the piece and I don't mind looking at it.

I will probably try and draw the concept again - maybe get a little closer on the face of the sheep - make him look angry or something. What do you think?

Sorry

Sorry that I have been out of touch. My summer got busy and very little time for posting. One of my activities this summer was to go on a three day motorcycle trip to Crater Lake, OR. If you haven't been there and you're anywhere in the area - you MUST go! It is one of the great wonders of God's creation.

The three photos above are from my trip - 1. My "gang" at Crater Lake. Can you find me? 2. Me and a 1957 Sportster at the Harley dealership in Coos Bay, OR. That bike is as old as me! and 3. Me (again) @ the lighthouse at Point Cape Blanco - the western most point of Oregon - a VERY windy place.

Holy Ghost Rider

This is a drawing that I'm fairly proud of. The inspiration came when my friend, Kevin, and I went to see Superman Returns. There we saw the trailer for Ghost Rider. On the way home we were talking about the trailer and came up with the idea of calling our little group of motorcycle riding buddies, The Holy Ghost Riders. The term, Holy Ghost, comes out of the old King James version of the Bible, where God's Holy Spirit is referred to as the Holy Ghost.

When an idea really intrigues me I really enjoy getting it down on paper, and this idea did that for me. I quickly got to work on a concept and this is the results. Fire is often used in the Bible as symbolic of God's power and it is in the Book of Acts where the Holy Spirit comes to the new church - one of the sign of which is a tongue of fire above the head of each Christian.

After getting the design done, Kevin and I got a few shirts printed up and sold them to a few people that were interested. The shirts were well liked. I gave one to each of my three daughters for Christmas. I'll have to post the photo I took of them wearing their shirts sometime.

Tonight, a group of us road 26 miles south, to Crescent City, CA to see Ghost Rider on its opening night. The ride was dark and foggy - a thrilling experience. I thought the movie was weak in some areas. The plot was thin. The acting was poor, but the special effects were great. The ride down there was more of a thrill.

Anyway, what do you think of the drawing?

Easy Rider

I drew this last night and finished it this morning.

Marla, my youngest, purchased a Harley book for me this Christmas ( it was quite the "Harley Christmas" for me this year) and in that book was a photo of a remake of the Captain America bike made famous in Peter Fonda's movie, "Easy Rider." I've been wanting to draw a monster on a motorcycle for some time and while looking for a good photograph to use in that book I decided that I would use the Captain America bike in the drawing.

At first I didn't like how it was turning out, but before long I began to think it was turning out OK. So, I really got into the piece and it began to come together well. I like the contrast between the smooth, slick and the gnarly old creature riding it. I thought that I might make the rider purple, instead of going with the obvious green, but again, contrast was important and green seemed to express that the best for me.

I hope you like it.