Utopia Moment sketches and writing by Jack Ruttan and friends

New stuff. I guess kind of the same, but I like it like that. I’m also enjoying some of the new gadgets on the blog. Don’t want to make it too busy.

I tried a couple of new themes, but didn’t like them as much as this one. This one was pretty old, and didn’t have a lot of devices I could use in it, but seems to be working.

I’ll fool with some other stuff, and see how it works. Unfortunately, I’m not a genius with CSS or any kind of computer programming, though I hazard to tinker.

This quick sketch I think really captured an aspect of Nora, the new cat. As spring comes in, she’s sort of lording it over the other two cats. Or, at least they’re nervous of her, but seem to hold their own. It’s a house of happy cats, still. Which is great.

I Photoshop coloured the woman I drew yesterday. Not that great at it, but that’s how you learn and get better.

It was such, yesterday when I drew these, and it’s another such today. Happy to draw real animals, etc, from my balcony.

Other people are TV and DVD-inspired faces. Not so bad, but I’m waiting for people to start walking by looking less frozen and bundled up.

Just means “pictures,” I think.

More sketches from the little black hardcover book. I like that little book. The paper’s nice (can take a wash), and it’s small and scans reasonably well, if I don’t draw too close to the binding. Never got into Molesquines, and that sort of thing. (Not even sure how to pronounce that!) But I do like the Fabriano watercolour books with the red brick pattern outside. I don’t know what brand the little black book is, but the local art store sells ‘em for about $4.00.

Well, they were fun for me to do.

Pretty tired now. Worked hard today. Maybe it’s just that I worked at all.

I did some more of these, but I’ll put them up later. Good night again!

I like these little paintings. Though I have to take my glasses off to do them. The biggest is four inches high. These others, more like three and two.

No, he’s not Pedobear:

I’m actually putting off some important work, but thought I’d screw around with watercolour, because it’s important to keep one’s hand in. These guys are from some things I watch a lot, which are the “making of” documentaries from the Extended set Lord of the Rings DVDs.

I think I like those more than the real films. They remind me of stuff I’ve done, both in front of and behind cameras. Painting sets, etc, running around in armour, yelling. Even writing and working with few of the people from this very project.

Below, your standard horsie. I did some yellow underpainting to get the effect of “light,” which didn’t really come off. Still, I like these, because they’re free and unlaboured.

I saw these kids the other night, in a dream. I think their Uncle is Orson Welles. Still working on figures.

A pensive Orc, and Pug Dog:

Hmmm. Maybe a pug dog-something else cross. The head is the wrong shape, muzzle too long and the ears should be lower down, for that true pug silliness.

Yesterday’s comic was my trying to do that. Get into a working routine that doesn’t take me too long (nobody’s paying for those pages yet! But they’re a lot of effort), and see what works.

That means finding what I’d like to do, and in what style. Also, as I usually do with the sketches that go on this blog, I’m just just putting whatever develops during the day out there, without too much thought beforehand of whether it’s good or not. Not censoring.

Impression of a news reporter, and delinquent boy from tv:

The character in yesterday’s comic isn’t me! He’s also not someone I know, though there are aspects of both. Don’t think he’s going to be a continuing character. Anyhow, it’s been a while since I did a comic regularly, and for some reason I’ve found them difficult to do. Trying to get out of that. And I enjoy telling stories, no matter how eccentric!

Nerd boy drawn mainly with the Pentel brush pen:

I’m also trying out techniques. Yesterday’s story was drawn with a dip pen, which was a little bit awkward, but I’m getting back into it. Other stuff is drawn with a Pentel brush pen. I also fool around with the pages on the computer a bit. Usually just to adjust the tone of the scan, but sometimes I try to fix things. I’m trying out a lot of what the computer can let me do, so that I can produce images that are funny, fast to produce, and look good.

Struggling with the dip pen (a Hunt #102 Hawk Quill):

Writing and drawing makes me feel good, and I’m lucky to be blessed with at least a modicum of ability, or inclination, towards these disciplines. The season’s been psychically rough so far, and I’m trying to smooth it out, get things running.

Woman from a “Making of” doc on a DVD, in colour ballpoint and black roller pen:

Meanwhile, I’m putting up yesterday’s production of sketches. I really do miss sitting on the balcony and drawing people. So during the Montreal winter I’m drawing people I see on DVDs I’m watching, or snapped with the camera, or who have just popped out of my head. Funny, they’re not the most dramatic scenes, but there you go.

Or just some random black and white cat. Nora, my new cat’s been getting bigger. She’s still the smallest of the gang, but it’s often hard to judge. There were some other drawings today, but this is the only one I could find to scan and post.

Also, I’m not intending to slight the other cats, who are beautiful, but the symmetrical black and white is easy to draw.