Last night, Gracie and I drew for the unbelievably nice and insanely talented Katie Cook. Katie was an “early adopter” of 5 Minute Marvels, drawing this Wonder Woman for Gracie in 2010. Katie’s worked for Star Wars online and countless others on top of creating her own Webcomic, Gronk, about a nice, nerdy lady who adopts an inquisitive green monster. I put Grace’s drawing in both large form and combined with mine.
I had a lot of fun drawing Matt Smith in a fez with Grace this week … so I decided to draw some of my other favorite Timelords and their haberdashery — William Hartnell in his original fur cap from the very first eppy of Doctor Who, Patrick Troughton’s toboggan from Fury from the Deep (I LOVE that episode) and Tom Baker’s off again, on again cowboy hat/fedora. I know I should draw Sylvester McCoy in his bowler … but I just don’t like that era of Who. Sorry, Sly lovers.
Tonight, we entered a state of temporal grace around the drawing board and decided to take on bow ties, fezzes and Timelords.
Gracie doesn’t really watch Doctor Who, but she knows I do and once she saw the red fez … it was an easy drawing session. In fairness, my Doctor took about five minutes, but I did take an extra ten to draw in the ghostly Dalek and Cyberman. (I drew the redesigned Cyberman while biting my lip. For me, you can’t beat the “Invasion/Revenge” Cyber design. 
)
I love kooky comics. Since I was a kid, I’ve lived in the extremes. I want my comics to either be really real or really “comic booky.” That’s why I loved Bill Mantlo’s work even before I knew his name. ROM, Hulk, Cloak & Dagger, etc. … when I was Grace’s age, they were just full of odd characters and far out concepts — products of the imagination of Bill Mantlo. Tragically, Bill was injured in a hit and run accident in 1995 and can no longer write. This holiday season, a call went out for Bill fans to draw fan art and send it to him to cheer him up. So, the girls and I decided to draw one of Bill’s most enduring creations: Rocket Raccoon. It’s not too hard to encourage kids to draw a space-hopping raccoon … and that’s thanks to Bill Mantlo.
I can easily see us doing a whole series on iPhone App characters. Let’s face it … the kids love ‘em.
Tonight, Gracie wanted to draw Swampy from Disney’s Where’s My Water? We had a lot of fun with this one, especially Grace, who vacillated between drawing and dancing like a happy alligator in the shower.
Drawing with Cate is different than drawing with Grace. She’s not really into the “You pick one. I pick one,” idea. At best, you can just hope you agree on a subject. Other times … she wears you down. This was one of those times. She wanted to draw “Wilma,” the Fijit Friend Santa brought on Christmas Day.
If you have one, I think you’ll agree a picture of a Fijit beats the loud reality by a country mile. If you don’t have one in your home … I envy you.
As fun as it is drawing classic comics characters, the girls are often more engaged by the quality of the art and the art style more than they are the legacy of the character. So, we look at the work of many indy artists. Tonight, we drew inspiration from Scott C. and Becky Dreistadt of Tiny Kitten Teeth. Check out their blogs here:
Here’s our source art:
And, now a word from Scott C.
When asked what she wanted to draw tonight, Gracie yelled, “Tiny Titans.” I’ve said it before … and will again: Art Baltazar’s art is an incredible way to engage kids and teach them how to find the essence of a character with simple shapes and lines. Art’s work can help develop the eye and talent of artists of any age. We can only hope that he’ll release a “How-To” book of his own. To learn more about his work at DC, check out this cool interview.
And, to see more of his Lanterns … dig this!
Wow. Mike’s awestruck expression says it all — Cate killed it today.
She’s been drawing more and displays great understanding of shape and lots of patience, particularly when inking her pencils. When she wants to … Cate can draw. But, she needs to want to do it. She’s gotten into a great book we got on drawing classic Disney and Pixar characters. It’s not overly “step-by-step,” but it does break characters down into their basic shapes in helpful ways.
Francesco Francavilla is one of our oldest friends at 5 Minute Marvels and it has been an absolute pleasure to watch how his career has grown over the last few years. Even with the darkest of subjects, Francesco has a playful spirit in his art — I think that’s what the Big Two have seen and fans respond to in his work. So, when I saw his Peanuts/BPRD mashups on Comics Alliance yesterday, I was compelled to join in the fun with my takes on Marcie/Lobster Johnson & Franklin/Andrew Devon. See Francesco’s incredible art here!
And, now, a word from Francesco!
Tonight’s 5 Minute doodle (okay, maybe 8 minutes) is for my good friend, Josh Bowron. Knowing of my fondness for all things Kirby AND my penchant for reading “fun, but failed” comics concepts, Josh bought me Issue 1 of Kobra, which is one of (if not THE) last issues Jack ever penciled for DC.
Josh is a comics nut with wild, eclectic taste, an aspiring comics writer and a priest at my church. A comic reading priest … why did I have to wait 38 years for this? Learn more about Father Josh, his thoughts, faith and interests at his blog, Discernland.
Grace fell behind a bit over the past few days and drew Bat-Man (LEGO Bat-Man) and Woody from “Toy Story.” She used a Disney instruction guide and did very well. I love Woody’s eyes and mouth.
It’s no secret that we adore Toy Story. In fact, the girls were worried that my Buzz Lightyear action figure was getting lonely, so they gave me a Jessee for Christmas. So, tonight, we drew inspiration from a Toy Story book with absolutely gorgeous art by Jean-Paul Orpinas. Grace’s Jesse is sweet … but I am really proud of Cate’s use of shape and attention to detail. Imagine if she actually drew wirh us more.
Sometimes the only way to get over a looooong day is to sketch the Dark Knight.
I am sorry I’m a few days late, but I’m excited to offer art from Grace, me and four awesome buddies to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the first broadcast of Schoolhouse Rock! Each of our guest artists has a blog you should visit … especially Raymond and Benjamin Jarrell, who contacted us last week. They have their own sketch blog and live right here in NC! Who knew! And, Sandy is working on an OGN right now, which, if it lives up to the preview art, will be awesome. Hopefully, this is the first of several collaborations.
The holidays are an awesome time to catch up on all those graphics novels you’ve been meaning to read. So, after finishing Craig Thompson’s “Habibi,” which I got for my birthday, I picked up his earlier work “Goodbye, Chunky Rice.” While visiting Grace’s beloved cousin, Ava, in Atlanta, we asked her to draw Chunky Rice and Dandel with us … to fantastic result. This really shows how incredible Thompson’s style is … at once childlike, while able to fit into complex landscapes and themes he creates.
Grace and I both got books over the holidays we loved … and that love led to sketchin’. In Grace’s case, it was Sketch Monsters by Joshua Williamson and Vicente ”Vinny” Navarrete. Grace wanted to draw “The Love Monster.” For me, I went with characters from Aaron Renier’s “Spiral-Bounce,” which was just made available on Comixology. (I’ve already gushed several times here about my love of Renier’s “The Unsinkable Walker Bean” for which I need a sequel, like, now.) Enjoy! And, buy.
Happy New Year! Sorry it’s been a while since we last posted, but we have been drawing … as the next few days will show. We’ll start with a tour of some of Grace’s favorite holiday characters!
The cool thing is that after we drew The Bumble from Rankin/Bass’ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, we got to see a licensed puppet performance of the same story at Atlanta’s Center of Puppetry Arts last week. Check out a link to a video trailer of it here. If you’re anywhere near the ATL next Christmas, you HAVE to make this show. It was terrific.
One of the main reasons we haven’t posted much of late is that Grace was rehearsing for her dance group’s role in The Nutcracker. (She played a rat and a ginger snap.) This was her second year in the show and she had a complete blast. So, when I asked her what she wanted to draw tonight, she said, “Hawkeye … as a nutcracker.” What an awesome idea! So, I joined her by drawing the original lineup of the West Coast Avengers … as nutcrackers. 
Today, Comics Alliance took a few precious pixels today to share the awesomeness that is British writer/illustrator and 5 Minute Marvels buddy, Dan McDaid. So, it seemed fitting to share the Cybermen sketches Gracie I made for Danny Boy on his birthday a few weeks ago.
This is a holdover from my mash-up sketches a few months ago turning famous daily comic strip characters with comic book heroes. With the good Dr. Strange back in the mainstream in Fraction/Dodson’s Defenders, it seemed a great time to bring it back. Enjoy.
Our favorite comic-lovin’ cousins are back with an “X-Men: First Class”-inspired ode to Magneto. A word from Maddy, AKA “College Girl”:
The other day Erin (24), her cousins Miranda (18) and Jessica (15) and I (18) all watched X-Men First Class. It was Miranda and Jessica’s first time seeing it and they loved it, so we decided to celebrate by doing 5 Minute Marvels of Magneto! Erin and Jessica both focused on Magneto’s Jewish heritage whereas Miranda and I went for more general shots. We all cheated by the bucketloads. But Jessica wants me to tell you that she cheated the least.
Don’t worry ladies, as long as you didn’t stress out while drawing, cheatin’s okay by us.
We’re very excited to share this art from a father and son combo — John & Jacob Lindwall. Here’s what they had to say:
My 9-year old son Jacob and I have drawn the Angry Birds for your website. Jacob says “It was really fun to do because it is one of our favorite games.”
The 5 Minute Marvels experience started just under two years ago when I got the Super Hero Squad Wii game … and Grace got excited and wanted to draw the characters.
So, it was a pleasant surprise when, after I bought the Star Wars Clone Wars LEGO game this week, Gracie now wants to take on drawing Star Wars. And, the style from the Cartoon Network’s Clone Wars series was perfect. So, “Draw or Draw Not … there is no try.”
Muppet Mania continues in the Miner household. The girls begged to draw Ms. Piggy tonight to great result. Cate did a terrific job, but hates to ink her work, so it’s not scanning well. But, I have to saw, at 6 years old, she’s able to capture the essence of a character in very few lines. We’re hoping to get her drawing more and more.
I’ve had a blast drawing Schoolhouse Rock with the girls over the past few days. I love Tom Yohe’s style.
While looking at the lantern from the engineer in “Conjunction Junction,” I remembered the singing Earth from ”The Energy Blues” and was compelled to draw him as Mogo, the living planet lantern, and, well, the rest is history.
I’m not ashamed to say it … I love Schoolhouse Rock and have since the 80s. And, I’m proud to say that the fever is catching. We took the girls to see Schoolhouse Rock Live! two weeks ago … and they’ve been singing ever since. And, tonight, we drew inspiration from Tom Yohe, the artist whose style was a perfect complement to the music and gave birth to so many memorable characters. Here’s a link to a fantastic article on the creation of “Unpack Your Adjectives.”
It’s been far too long since we’ve heard from our buddies, Maddie Wahl and Erin Kelly. But, they have pretty good excuses as Erin’s been a writing and acting machine and Maddie is a freshman in college. And, as you can see, she’s studying art. This is beautiful work that calls to mind the elegant simplicity of Mark Buckingham’s style.
Welcome back, ladies!
“It’s time to start the music! It’s time to light the lights! It’s time to get things started on the Muppet Show tonight!”
So, we’re full on crazy for the Muppets in the Miner househod right now … and, as a child of the 70s and 80s, I’m thrilled about that. It’s truly sad that Jim Henson’s miraculous Muppets have slumbered for nearly a generation. But, I’m hopeful that the new movie will breathe much deserved life into Kermit and Kompany. The girls’ interest in the Muppets started with our trip to Disney this fall. Instantly, Beaker was a favorite, so picking characters to draw tonight was easy.
So, I’m more than a little embarrassed that I let the 48th anniversary of the first broadcast of Doctor Who pass without a post on Nov. 23. And, Grace was kind enough to help me rectify that by drawing a Dalek. I was struck with a need to draw Davros, the cantankerous creator of the Daleks as everyone’s favorite blockhead.
I have two great geek loves – comics and Dr. Who. I began reading comics and watching the Timelord around the same time. While other shows (Farscape, Galactica, LOST, V (the ORIGINAL)) have captured my fancy from time to time, no passions burn more deeply than my love of comics and classic Who.
Happy Birthday, Doctor! May you pilot that beautiful blue box for many, many years to come!
Cate doesn’t always want to draw what Grace and I draw, but she does love art. Here’s one of her latest paintings.
Grace, Cate and I enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday and hope you did, too. And, while we weren’t postin’ … we were drawin’ the whole time.
Grace wanted to draw a Thanksgiving themed comics character, and a quick search on Google drummed up the Hobgobbler, a character from Marvel’s short-lived series from its Star line – Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider Ham. I’m sure new comics fans have never heard of this fun little book from Tom DeFalco and Mark Armstrong, but it came out not long after I started reading comics. Grace loved it and convinced my dad to draw, too.
And, I decided to take the occasion to draw my boy Scott Pilgrim as, well, a pilgrim.
Waaaaaayyyy back in October, Grace and I received an unexpected honor. J Bone left a comment here and referenced our sketches of his brilliant Marvel High concept on his Facebook page: What? A dad and his daughter found my Marvel High drawing (from 2007) and used it for one of their Five Minute Marvel posts! Cool!
We were very flattered and have since gone back to his blog — a treasure trove of coolness – regularly. Recently, we were inspired by his fun, playful take on Marina, a character created by John Byrne, who has often been played as a melancholy psycho … and the bride of equally broody and unpleasant Prince Namor, the Sub Mariner. But, why couldn’t she be lighter? I, for one, love the idea.
As a lifelong Kirby fan, I’ve been interested in Kamandi – Last Boy on Earth a long time. But, it’s always seemed a bit out of reach. I’d seen little glimpses from an issue found here or there or in Crisis on Infinite Earths and the “Brave & the Bold” TV show, but it’s long been a curiosity for me.
So, when DC recently put out Vol. 1 of the Kamandi omnibus, I bought it and dove head first into Kirby kookiness. And, kooky and fun it is. Among the characters Kirby created for Kamandi is Dr. Canus, the erudite dog doctor. And, when inviting an 8-year-old to draw with you, “Dog Doctor” is a good place to start.
Art Balthazar’s Tiny Titans book is a terrific romp for kids through the wonders of the DC Universe. When folks ask, “Are there any comics out there for kids these days?” they need look no further than this little gem.
A side benefit is for us – and for anyone working on learning how to illustrate – is that Art’s work (and that of his team) features a style that’s perfect for teaching kids and adults how to draw with shapes and how to get great expressions and character through minimal design.
Wanna have fun!?! Art’s Web site is here!
Watch Art work here!
Tonight was “indulge Dad night,” as Grace and I convinced her to try our hand at drawing characters from the dawn of 80s video games.
We drew Grundle, the green dragon from Atari’s groundbreaking “Adventure” (the first video game with an Easter Egg) and the dragon from “Quest for the Rings,” an Odyssey 2 game I always remember from trips to my cousin’s house.
For good meaure, I decided to throw in my buddy, King Graham, from Sierra’s “King’s Quest” series, which was a personal favorite of mine growing up.
It was all inspired by my unabashed love for “Ready Player One,” a new novel by Ernie Cline, the writer of “Fanboys.” I started Monday night and was done (and very very sad to be done) on Wednesday night.
For anyone who loves the 80s – movies, games, pop culture, Dungeons & Dragons and Schoolhouse Rock – this is the book for you. The story surrounds an Atari “Adventure”-style quest through a virtual world called the OASIS to find a hidden prize prize of unimaginable value. To get there, one must demonstrate skill and vast knowledge of 80s pop culture, which, thankfully, I have. It’s brilliant. Ernie let his freak flag fly high in this book … and the ride is so much fun. I highly recommend it. Check out the Web site here. And, buy the book! You’ll thank me.
UPDATE! How cool is this? Part of an e-mail from Ernie Cline:
“I love your website! Such a great idea, and a cool way to collaborate with your kids. Thanks for writing, and for sharing the link! “
Thanks, Ernie!
A few months ago, we toldja’ that Grace had been given the honor of contributing to Womanthology, a massive collection of the work of female comics creators from around the world. This project was the brainchild of Renae de Liz and will soon hit the shelves.
This week, Renae released a preview of the book on the Womanthology, and Grace’s character and poem “Paula Pansy” was among the selected pages. I gotta’ tell you, it was a proud moment for me. Grace, on the other hand, just sees it as part of the regular routine … you know … to be a published author at 8. Thanks, Renae!
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 7 weeks since we last posted here. This is the longest hiatus we’ve ever taken … and the girls and I have missed you.
But, sometimes life is telling you to slow down a bit and just listen. With adjustments to first and third grade homework expectations (the girls, not me), ballet and gymnastics (the girls again), worky work (hey, that’s me!) and just trying to maintain Mom’s sanity in relation to the afore mentioned stuff, we decided to take it easy. But, we continued to draw … and here’s some evidence.
We’re back on it again and invite you to start swinging back by for new 5 Minute Marvels!
This kick-a$$ kitty from illustrator Joe Hunter has been on our “to do” list for a while … and tonight offered the perfect opportunities. Grace likes cats. I like hammers. And, who doesn’t like a hero who borrowed Jim Morrison’s pants?
Joe has a really fun blog called Ghost Bucket and a DeviantArt gallery drenched in awesome sauce. Joe finds the playful side of pop culture figures galore, not to mention his autobiographical journal comics. Check them out here.
For my birthday, Grace generously offered to let me take a trip down memory lane and draw The Outsiders. I remember very clearly visiting family for Christmas when I was about 12 or so. I was immediately drawn to my cousin Sean’s copy of 36. I was familiar with Metamorpho, but not the work of Alan Davis. It was a comic style unlike anything I’d seen before and I was entranced immediately. Since that day, I’ll buy anything the man touches. Anything. He is a master. He makes the oddest character in any pantheon amazing. Just look at this cover! You wanna read it right now, don’t you? So do I. I’m going to get my copy … which I convinced my cousin to let go of in 1986.
