Illustration Friday: Small (Now with original)

The first thing I thought of when I saw the theme for Illustration Friday was good things come in small packages. My wife is a good thing (well, great really) and she is small.

Added:

Some of you asked to see the original pencil sketch before I did any Photoshop clean up. The faces in couch as well as the texture came from whatever was on the flip side of the sheet when I scanned it. My wife had been watching TV, but I lost interest in the background once I had completed her and the couch.

Thanks for the feedback.

Original:




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Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving if you are in the U.S.; otherwise, happy fourth Thursday in November to everyone else.




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Illustration Friday: Free

Hello folks,

First off, I want to thank you for the positive comments and encouragement for my last couple of entries into Illustration Friday—it means more than you can imagine.

Secondly, this week’s entry is a definite departure from the last few weeks of turkey noir, killer pumpkins and beat downs via remote control. When I saw the topic was free, the first thing that popped into my mind was freedom—specifically those guaranteed to citizens of the US by our founding documents.

Since 9/11, our freedoms have come under attack, and not from some Islamic whack-jobs who believe 72 virgins are waiting for them on the other side (wouldn’t you have loved to see the look on their twisted little faces when they found out what was really waiting for them?). And not just from our current administration, who believe that by giving the FBI the ability to search our library and phone records without our knowledge they are increasing our civil liberties. No, gentle readers, the threat comes from us—the you and I that forget who actually runs the government.

Without going into a long history lesson (Carla is much more eloquent than I am when it comes to combining lessons with art), the consent of the governed means that we, the citizens, allow the government to exist, and we can take that right away if we so desire. To quote Mr. Jefferson and company from the Declaration of Independence, 'whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends (Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness), it is in the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.' That’s powerful stuff.

I am not saying it’s time to rise up and be destructive or stop paying taxes, but I am suggesting that the next time you shake your head about something an elected official does, remember that you allow them to behave that way. And, like wayward children, sometimes politicians need to be redirected to the right track. And sometimes, the politicians need to be fired.

Ok, all that being said, this piece represents the freedom of religion (and the freedom from religion), the freedom of expression; the freedom of the press; and the freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances. All the freedoms adorn a shield that protects the governed. I did this completely in Painter IX.

Thanks for reading. As always, your comments are welcome.

Tony

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Old School and Truth in Adverstising

These videos are great. The first is an original commercial for the NES game "Legend of Zelda". The second reflects truth in adversiting for those late night talk lines.

Classic Nintendo Ad

Geek Phone Lines

Illustration Friday: Strength

This is for the Illustration Friday challenge of "strength".


This was done completely in Flash MX.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

PS..Anyone wishing to exchange links, please let me know.

Can You Hear Me Now?

In a case of multitasking gone mad, or just over achieving, a woman in Northern Virginia has robbed four banks while talking on her cell phone.

And yet some people can't negotiate a shopping cart while chatting.

Link to story

Illustration Friday: Night

This is for the Illustration Friday challenge of "night".


The figures were drawn in Flash MX and the background and text were added in Painter IX.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Reason 351 Why I Am A Libertarian. Or, are all Democrats and Republicans really this stupid?

A Republican candidate for governor of Indiana, Steve Rauschenberger, wants to introduce a resolution forcing retailer Abercrombie and Fitch to stop selling a line of t-shirts that he finds ‘offensive’ and ‘degrading’ to women.

Link to the full story

Ok, I have a couple of problems with this. First off, the U.S. is a free market; and the market will eventually decide what succeeds and what does not succeed. If consumers find the shirt offensive, consumers won’t buy it—how is this difficult for Mr. Rauschenberger to understand? Secondly, we have that little thing called the First Amendment: freedom of expression. Now, I understand that the current administration has been confused with this concept; but I am fairly certain that non-threatening words (and fairly humorous words at that) on an over-priced t-shirt are neither a threat to national security or somehow conspiratorial. For Mr. Rauschenberger to introduce a resolution that so clearly violates the basic framework of our country shows a scary lack of understanding of the constitution he says he will uphold as governor.

Not to be outdone, the Democratic mayor of Las Vegas suggested that vandals who put up graffiti should have their ‘thumbs cut off’. He also suggested that children who get in trouble should be ‘whipped or caned’.

Link to full story