Something old, something new

I’m going to keep this post short because I suddenly have a raging headache. I’ve been on vacation all week for the Fourth of July. I’ve spent most of that time working on my new book. The first draft is nearly finished now. My sketchbook has been collecting dust lately, but I did draw a picture of my friend Jill London the other night. I’m posting it here along with a wacky, abstract picture of the late Howard Finster. I drew it back in 2002. (Howard Finster was a primitive artist who lived in Pennville, Georgia. He appeared on the Johnny Carson show. I drive past his house/museum every day, but I never had the honor of meeting him.)

I hope you’re having a nice weekend. I’m going to find some sinus medicine.

Another drawing

Here’s another page in my new sketchbook. This is supposed to be a picture of my blogger friend, Carl D’Agostino. (He’s a wonderful cartoonist. Check him out.) When I first started assembling Carl’s face on the page, I was looking at his photo on my laptop. I was sitting in McDonald’s, nursing a milkshake, watching the news, and cruising around on the internet all at the same time. It was a pleasant afternoon. A few hours later, I went back and did most of the shading, fine-tuning, and fiddling — but I didn’t have his photo in front of me at that point. So, unfortunately, the guy in my sketchbook evolved into someone slightly different from Carl. Oh well.

I still plan to draw a few more people I’ve met on WordPress. Drawing portraits and posting them isn’t really the “standard format” of my blog. I’ve just felt like doing it lately. On Monday, I think I’ll post one of the illustrations from my novel and tell you about the ridiculous way I kept myself entertained while I was drawing it. I think it will be an interesting (and somewhat embarrassing) story.

The check list syndrome

My psyche is beginning to feel clogged again. That’s the best way to describe the state I’m in right now. I’ve drawn a few pictures I’m happy with and I have some more ideas in mind. But now I’ve reached a point where I’m getting jittery and uncomfortable. This always happens when I pick up the pencil and start drawing again after being away from it for a little while. As soon as I start on one picture, an idea pops into my head for a second picture. And then a third. And then a fourth. The whole time, I’m hastily struggling to complete the first one. It’s like I’m running down a railroad track, desperately chasing a train that’s pulling out of the station.

At some point, I stop enjoying the process. Instead, I become anxious and frustrated about the whole thing. And I don’t feel like I can fully relax until I draw ALL the pictures that are lined up inside my brain. That’s when I start writing check lists. Not only do I write check lists, I chant them silently in my head, especially at work. Over the last few days, I’ve been walking around in the mill, telling myself, “OK, I want to draw that picture of Cassidy next … then Ananya … and then G.E. Gallas. And then I’m going to stop and rest for a while.”

Lately, you see, I’ve been drawing portraits of different people I’ve met on the internet, especially here on WordPress. Not long ago, I drew Piyush Mishra, a blogger who lives in India. I also drew Elena Levon, a Russian lady who dances all over the globe, enjoying one adventure after another.

Anyway, I plan to draw a girl named Cassidy next. And then I want to draw Ananya, one of my new Indian friends. And then G.E. Gallas, an artist/writer/blogger. Then I’ll step back from drawing for a while and take a mini-vacation.

SEE??!!! I just did it again!!!! I can’t stop this stupid chanting!!!!

 

(PS — The picture above is a colored pencil drawing I did in 2010. It’s called “The Rat Race.” It’s the third piece in the “Clockwork” series. It seems appropriate for this post. You can see the rest of them on my Facebook page, Colored Pencil Art by Matthew Curry. And please click here to check out my e-book, Under the Electric Sun. Thank you for taking a look!)

Book promotions, the Internet, and India

Sorry I haven’t posted much lately. I’ve been busy promoting the daylights out of my novel over the last few days, buzzing from one social networking site to another like a bee going from flower to flower to flower.

There’s one site called LinkedIn. I’ve always been aware of it, but I’ve never paid much attention to it. Last night I discovered that it’s like Facebook … without all the “duck face” pictures. I’ve also been trying to make sense of Twitter. So far, I haven’t. I’m not trashing Twitter at all. I’m sure it’s a fantastic site, but it’s going to take some time for me to get comfortable there.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to lately.

I’m planning to do a couple of portraits this week. Since I’ve been on WordPress, I’ve met some incredible people in other parts of the world. A couple of them live in India — and lately I’ve become fascinated with that country. I love the culture, the people, and the scenery. This week, hopefully, I will draw my friends Piyush and Ananya and post them on here. (I hope that’s OK with both of you … ?)

Here’s a drawing I’m working on.

When I came home from church this afternoon, I put “Plan 9 From Outer Space” in the DVD player and a frozen pizza in the microwave. It was cool and windy outside, so I opened a window and watched the curtains dance.

After I finished eating, I sat on the couch and started drawing this picture while “Plan 9” played in the background. It’s one of my favorite “drawing movies.” There’s no need to actually watch it anymore. I’ve seen it hundreds of times and I can quote the whole thing, pretty much.

My friend Marisela asked me to draw her children the other day. Usually, I don’t draw portraits on a “for hire” basis — partly because I’m always up to my neck in my own art projects … and also because it turns me into a twitching, trembling, stressed-out basket case. If I see someone I want to draw, I’ll draw them and enjoy doing it. But if someone ASKS me to draw a picture for them, it’s not the same. When I was younger, people asked me to draw them all the time and then they griped at me afterward. In my mind, I still hear voices shouting, “You gave me a pig nose!” and “My eyes don’t look like that!” So I try to avoid the portrait business as much as possible. Too many bad memories associated with it.

But I decided to take Marisela up on it. Just this once. I’m still going to fiddle with this picture and fine-tune it over the next few days.

Here’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” Enjoy.