Gabe Draws Every Day!

Day 139 - Is This Tub That I’m Feelin’?

Rise up this mornin’,
Showered with the risin’ sun,
Three little birds
Perch on my bathtub
Singin’ sweet songs
Of melodies clean and true,
Sayin’, “This is my message to shampoo-oo” Tub Marley, Three Little Birds

Another instance of sleep deprivation giving rise to inspiration; my whole family takes credit for helping me create this. We were listening to Bob Marley’s Legend in the car ride home from a wedding out of town, and my sister randomly starts replacing lyrics with “bathtub” during “Is This Love.” The parents and I get in on the joke, and it’s more or less settled that this would be my drawing for the day.

For a quick drawing, I really like how it came out. Took a couple tries to get the anatomy right, but I think this one’s 95% correct. Was debating whether or not to colour it, but opted to keep it greyscale.

Day 138 - Gateway to Canada

Departure
At last, I’m leaving the familiar roof!
I’m undeterred by rain and wind.
This presentation should be quite a feather
in my cap. Eager, I clutch my ticket.
I’m going places. Not letting any grass
grow, not under these clever feet! Tiel Aisha Ansari, A Day at Union Station

Another idea I successfully put to paper after letting it fester for weeks. Toronto’s main commuter rail station is currently under massive reconstruction to modernize it, and I hope they keep the current architecture.

Which is bloody hard to draw, by the way. I even had a reference from Wikipedia to help me out, to little avail.

Day 136 - A Frog and His Boy

They say, “Oh, that’s just foam and a wire,
Attached to a green velvet sleeve,
Anyone can do that” — well, that’s true, I suppose,
But who else could make them believe? - Tom Smith, A Boy and His Frog

Warning you now, do not listen to that song unless you have the time and space to sob uncontrollably for a few minutes.

Jim Henson died 23 years ago today. The world still aches for his loss.
I have comments about the drawing, but they just don’t seem right.

I will go on without you there to guide me,
There’s so much more I can give.
Whenever I sing, you will be there beside me,
As long as I keep you, you’ll live.

We just wanted to make people happy,
I was always much more than your toy.
I will never regret and I’ll never forget
What we had,
I’ll miss you, Dad,
This frog and his boy.

Day 135 - Knucklers Gotta Knuckle

There are two theories on hitting the knuckleball. Unfortunately, neither of them works. Charley Lau

I had this idea for a while, so now seemed like a good time to commit it to paper. It’s nice to see R.A. pitch with power again (racked up 10 Ks in 6 IP last start), and especially get honoured with a degree from U of T. The big non-secret is that R.A. is a giant nerd, and maybe that’s why I like him as much as I do. I find myself drawn more to the cerebral athletes than the goofy ones; the Ken Drydens over the Mike Palmateers.

I also wanted to get a second shot at drawing Dickey after Day 45 - he was a bit too tiny to make it clear who he is. Hopefully the thick beard and unkempt hair make it a little clearer this time.

Day 134 - Tennis, Anyone?

Though your game is hardly the best
You can fray your opponent’s nerves
By methodically bouncing the ball
At least ten times before your serves. Arnold J. Zarett

Tennis is my sport of choice; my tall, lanky build helps me to reach drives, and deliver above-average serves (for an amateur). It’s also a good workout and low-cost provided you can find a court.

<okay, enough with the sales pitch>

This was a quick one so I could get to bed sooner than before I have been the rest of this week. Drawn from reference so I could get the wonky angle right.

Day 133 - Burn the Boats

[Toronto Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle] had a story about people crossing the sea to take the treasure. When they got there they burnt their boats so they either had to take their treasure or die. That’s what ‘Burn the Boats’ means. We’re all in it together. There’s no looking back. There’s no turning back. There’s no out. We’re in it together. We’re going to fight for each other. There’s no safe zone to go back to and regroup really. - James Reimer, January 14, 2013 on TSN.ca

I was going to draw this regardless of whether the Maple Leafs won or lost tonight. The team had their backs to the wall and won back-to-back elimination games by a 2-1 score, and had a 4-1 lead with 10 minutes to go in the 3rd period.

Then a 4-2 lead with 2 minutes to go.

Then a 4-3 lead with one minute to go.

Then…well, yikes.

Following professional sports is a frustrating hobby.

I do like how this one came out in colour - the marker I normally use for skin did quite well as sand (and no, the TD Garden really isn’t on the beach in Boston). Adding in a deeper indent in the footprint for the skate was a cheeky addition I thought of late.

Day 132 - All About Marketing

We are reaching a tipping point, where Americans are relearning its competitive advantage. It’s not about the cheapest product, but the best quality product. - Robert von Goeben, co-founder of Green Toys

If there is one thing the United States of America does right, it’s marketing. The “Made in USA” label is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission down there, and there are laws in place to ensure that anything with the label actually is made in the USA (or at least substantially so). And it gets marketed like crazy for the few companies that do that; they proudly proclaim their made-in-USA-ness with a logo or banner or whathaveyou.

This is one area where the government of Canada needs to get off its duff and do something. A quick Google search for “made in Canada” brings up a website from the late 1990s (and I’m not sure if it’s been updated since), links about a TV show of the same name, but no one-stop place for all goods made here, let alone a consistent branding.

So this is my attempt at fixing that. After all, who knows more about what Canadians (and Canadian weather) can do to a product than Canadians themselves? Heck, this could even be extended from Buy Local to Hire Local jingoisms in our service-based economy.

And it’s not a rushjob if I coloured it. So shush.

Day 131- The Faces of Sodor

Gordon: Duck called me a galloping sausage!
James: Rusty red scrap iron!
Henry: I’m old square wheels!
The Fat Controller: Well, Duck?
Duck: I only wish, Sir, that I thought of those names myself. If the dome fits…! - Thomas the Tank Engine, Diesel’s Devious Deed

I opted for a more stylistic exercise tonight, trying to fit the main characters of the Railway Series (or at least who I think they are) and adapting them to my style. I got more comfortable with them as I kept going, and around James I decided to try out different expressions and such.

Oh, and can you tell which locomotive I am least fond of?

Day 130 - Grumpy Old Men

STATLER: Boo!
WALDORF: Boooo!
S: That was the worst thing I’ve ever heard!
W: It was terrible!
S: Horrendous!
W: Well it wasn’t that bad.
S: Oh, yeah?
W: Well, there were parts of it I liked!
S: Well, I liked alot of it.
W: Yeah, it was GOOD actually.
S: It was great!
W: It was wonderful!
S: Yeah, bravo!
W: More!
S: More! - Statler & Waldorf, The Muppet Show

The Greek Gods of the Muppet Theatre, these curmudgeons can always be counted on for fresh lines and not-so-fresh produce. As much as they hate the show, it’s clear that there’s something keeping them from leaving for better entertainment opportunities. And truly, the Muppets are better for having them.

Maybe I should not have done this one while tipsy. Statler & Waldorf deserve better. That’s supposed to be Fozzie’s word bubble at the bottom of the page.