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Tuesday, May 27, 2008 02:14:55 PM
Posted By Art Baxter
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This is the view from Pretzel Park in Manayunk, looking north, up Roxborough Avenue. The park gets its name from the pretzel-like shape of its walkways. I liked the idea of the shadowed foreground framing the well lit middle and background. This drawing was done with a fountain pen, brush pen and a color pencil. It took an hour and a half to draw.
Trivia note: There was a CBS show called HACK starring David Morse a few years ago. Pretzel Park is within a block of the "Hack's" home, taxi garage and his priest friend's church. The park can also be seen in M. Night Shyamalan's film UNBREAKABLE.
A shout-out to the guy who lives in that house, prominently framed between the trees. I hope you get to see this drawing (at long last).
Click here to see this drawing bigger.
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Sunday, May 25, 2008 03:21:19 PM
Posted By Art Baxter
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Here's the first of a series of drawings done near my home in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. I want to get a new take on my surroundings rather than relying on memory which tends to make backgrounds generic. Even drawing from photos isn't quite the same thing as drawing from life. This drawing was done with a fountain pen, brush pen and a color pencil. It took a little over an hour to draw.
The homes in this area are 100 years old, give or take. I like the look of the old retrofit with the new. We have telephone poles strung with wires everywhere. I couldn't even draw them all without it becoming ridiculous.
Click here to see this drawing bigger.
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Saturday, May 24, 2008 02:27:00 PM
Posted By Art Baxter
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I'm going to start to post some new drawings I've done recently. Many will be drawings from the Manayunk/Roxborough section of Philadelphia, where I live. I've been working in a loose style which I'm corralling into refinement.
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Thursday, April 10, 2008 09:20:30 PM
Posted By Art Baxter
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Sid mopes around the house.
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Thursday, April 10, 2008 03:28:16 AM
Posted By Art Baxter
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It's Fleutus
 
It's Fleutus & Lizzy
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Sunday, March 23, 2008 07:28:19 PM
Posted By Art Baxter
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Saturday, March 22, 2008 01:32:57 AM
Posted By Art Baxter
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It's BALTAN!
Episode #2 - "Blast the Invaders"
Written by Kitao Senzoku
Directed by Toshihiro Iijma
Original Broadcast Date: July 24, 1966
Episode #16 - "Science Patrol Into Space"
Written by Kitao Senzoku
Directed by Toshihiro Iijma
Original Broadcast Date: October 30, 1966
BALTAN is the most memorable of the Ultraman Kaiju. These lobster men, aside from their ingenious design have a haunting unforgettable laugh. They were the first alien invaders faced by Ultraman and the only menace to return for a second episode. The design of the BALTAN changed quite a bit between its first and second appearance.
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Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:43:04 AM
Posted By Art Baxter
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Hey, how 'bout some new stuff from my sketchbook.
Here are some drawings of Sid Wilks and Flo Booth.
Sid is in the now. Flo is in the late 1960s. Don't ask. More on this later.
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Wednesday, March 12, 2008 07:53:51 AM
Posted By Art Baxter
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It's MEPHILAS!
Episode #33 - "The Forbidden World"
Written by Tetsuo Kinjo
Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki
Original Broadcast Date: February 26, 1967
MEPHILAS is a levelheaded pragmatist when it comes to taking over the Earth as opposed to the bumbling Zarab. He does what any levelheaded conqueror of worlds should do: kidnap a child and try to strike up a bargain with him for the planet. Unfortunately he kidnapped the wrong kid; the youngest brother of Science Patrol member, Fuji. The kid can't be bought, or as he himself says, "after all, it isn't my Earth." MEPHILAS's own name is similar to Mephisto which would go with his Faustian bargain. He could be viewed as a demon or a devil.
MEPHILAS finally proceeds to do what we've all been waiting for. I.E. pick a fight with Ultraman. After a few energy bolts are hurled and a few throw-downs, MEPHILAS throws in the towel. As he says, he and Ultraman are evenly matched and would only battle until both are dead. What would be the point of that? As he teleports away, he laughs and proclaims they will meet to fight another day. Ultraman pauses to reflect and then takes off himself.
MEPHILAS is the first of the two Ultraman kaiju to have strobing lights in the face to signify speech. He is completely black except for the silver trim and colored eye and mouth lights on his face. His features are cat-like and has a collar-like shape at his neck. It's an impressive design to say the least. It's very effective. I always kind of liked the fact that he could fight Ultraman but the final result just wouldn't be worth it. Another favorite of mine.
Generally, I draw from the figure once a week. There weren't any classes between mid December and the beginning of February but I wanted to keep my hand in it. I thought it would be fun to draw some monsters from Eiji Tsuburaya's late 1960s TV show, ULTRAMAN. This is the fourth one.
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Saturday, March 8, 2008 08:59:31 AM
Posted By Art Baxter
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It's ZARAB!
The streets of Tokyo are blanketed in radioactive fog and a disguised ZARAB takes a stroll!
ZARAB gets shot in the groin by a particle beam while sticking to the side of a building!
Episode #18 - "Brother from another World"
Written by Tetsuo Kinojo & Ryu Minamikawa
Directed by Samaji Yanagase
Broadcast Date: November 13, 1966.
ZARAB is a real tool who can't seem to get anything right when it comes to conquering the Earth. First, a radioactive fog descends on Tokyo in which a cloaked figure, later to be revealed as alien, seems to be lurking about. Then, that same alien, ZARAB, appears in Science Patrol headquarters saying he would be glad to remove the fog and that he has no idea where it came from. Yeah, THAT's believable! Now, people can be stupid (I mean, humans did make George Bush president twice!) but we're not THAT dumb. He then tells the Science Patrol that his species and humans are like brothers in the universe and since his species has been around longer, he's like our BIG brother. It doesn't help that the American translators gave ZARAB a whiny nasal monotone to come out his kitchen-sink-drain/sphincter-like mouth. ZARAB is an annoying patronizing asshole. He later has the brilliant idea of disguising himself as an evil doppelgänger Ultraman to turn the city against the guy who already saved the city and surrounding area from over a dozen giant monsters. Ingenious!
Despite being an annoying idiot, ZARAB is an interesting looking alien. His head is metallic silver and his body is purple and brown. He doesn't sport blinking lights when he speaks as many later space aliens will have. There are several great outdoor nighttime scenes with ZARAB. The first is when he is lurking disguised in the fog and then uncloaked sticking on the side of a wall several stories up and later when Ultraman battles his doppelgänger and then ZARAB. The nighttime scenes with those lit up giant monster eyes are always cool looking. A memorable episode.
Generally, I draw from the figure once a week. There weren't any classes between mid December and the beginning of February but I wanted to keep my hand in it. I thought it would be fun to draw some monsters from Eiji Tsuburaya's late 1960s TV show, ULTRAMAN. This is the third one.
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Thursday, March 6, 2008 06:56:41 AM
Posted By Art Baxter
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It's RAGON!
Episode #4 - "Five Seconds Before the Explosion"
Written by Ryu Minamikawa.
Directed by Mimachi Nonagase
Original Broadcast Date: August 7, 1966
RAGON is a kaiju that lives in the sea and is similar in design to the Creature from the Black Lagoon. A bargain basement version that is. It doesn't matter. I really like this fish-faced goon. As for the story...who cares. What this episode has going for it are it's very nice special effects with the giant creature and humans interacting. I must say, that the miniature sets in these shows can vary wildly from beautifully detailed to cheap cardboard boxes with windows, but the optical effects are almost always seamless and very handsome.
It must also be noted that whoever was in this monster suit, most likely sweating profusely under hot studio lights, gives an especially fine performance here. Often the actor will give each kaiju a gesture or a movement that will give the creature a memorable characteristic. Granted, this kaiju is more flexible than most. It doesn't have a giant headpiece that is impossible to see out of let alone breathe in. This is probably the most free-moving costume in the series aside from its titular star. This episode is thrilling and moves at a fast pace. It's good dumb fun!
Generally, I draw from the figure once a week. There weren't any classes between mid December and the beginning of February but I wanted to keep my hand in it. I thought it would be fun to draw some monsters from Eiji Tsuburaya's late 1960s TV show, ULTRAMAN. This is the second one.
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Saturday, March 1, 2008 10:32:02 PM
Posted By Art Baxter
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The Three Faces of DADA
Episode #28 - "Human Specimens 5 & 6"
Written by Masahiko Yamada
Directed by Samaji Yanagase.
Original Broadcast Date: January, 22, 1967
Generally, I draw from the figure once a week. There weren't any classes between mid December and the beginning of February but I wanted to keep my hand in it. I thought it would be fun to draw some monsters from Eiji Tsuburaya's late 1960s TV show, ULTRAMAN. This is the first one.
DADA was a strange creature. It was unclear if he was from outer space or another dimension. He had a short stocky body with graphic black and white stripes (picture SEINFELD's George Costanza in a body stocking). He had a big head with a black helmit and big fish-lips that didn't move when he spoke. For some inexplicable reason he had three different faces. This Kaiju was unsettlingly weird and the overall effect of the design is greater than the actual execution of the costume. Needless to say, Ultraman sent him packing with little muss or fuss.
These monsters were fun to draw. There are more to come.
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Sunday, February 17, 2008 04:36:19 AM
Posted By Art Baxter
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Sunday, February 10, 2008 05:17:20 PM
Posted By Art Baxter
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