by Marty Coleman | Feb 20, 2014 | Travel Napkins |
Once again this week I needed to take a car in for servicing. This time it was my car. And again I spent the time waiting at Starbucks. This time I drew 3 drawings, one on a napkin, one in my small sketchbook, and one in a larger sketchbook I was given as part of the launch program. I also drew a number of work sketches for a new character I am working on for Napkin Dad Publishing .
I usually use a Sharpie Ultra Fine Point black pen for my napkin drawings. If I am actually traveling away from Tulsa I will have a selection of my colored markers with me as well but in town I just bring the black pen and wait until I am home to do any coloring.
This is Elaine. I drew her as she worked, then showed her the drawing. She seemed pleased. She took a picture and posted it on FB and very soon thereafter a mutual friend commented on the drawing saying it looked like a ‘Marty Coleman’ drawing. I thought that was cool.
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After that I moved to my sketchbook and drew two people in conversation. I use a different pen for my sketchbook. Recently I have been using a Signo UniBall for these types of drawings.
I would have shown her the drawing but they were deep in conversation, perhaps even an interview. I didn’t want to interrupt. They then left quickly and there was no time to show them.
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This final drawing I did in a large sketchbook. I had been drawing some studies for a character I am looking to develop for Napkin Dad Publishing, sort of a lead icon type character. I had done about 5 of those and was starting to repeat myself so I turned the page and started drawing these two people in conversation.
I didn’t show them the drawing because neither image really flatters them much and it gets pretty sensitive when I draw an inaccurate drawing of someone. I know it doesn’t look like them (nose too big, teeth to severe) but no matter what an artist says to a subject, they will take away that they really do look like that. So, sometimes it’s best to just not show it and move on.
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I then turned to working on my SXSW presentation coming up in 2 weeks (March 7th) in Austin. I have it on my cell phone so I am able to work on it to some degree. It’s great for making sure the timing, images and transitions are all working (they weren’t). It’s also great to see how it will appear on mobile devices.
Then the car place called and it was time to go. All in all a productive & creative morning.
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by Marty Coleman | Feb 19, 2014 | Jane Sellman, Mother's Day - 2011, Mothers Day |
Yesterday we wondered why, if evolution were true, mothers don’t have more hands.
Well, today I solved that problem.
SAHM, WAHM, WAW and WAHWEE
The Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) supposedly that means they don’t ‘work ‘at home, they just ‘stay’ at home. Those that ‘work’ at home, they are WAHMs. The Work at Home Mom combines some sort of job, all the way from part-time self-employed to full time corporate employment, with the bulk of the domestic activities. And then there are the WAWs (I just made this up). The Work at Work mothers go someplace to work and then come home. And then there are the WAHWEEs (I made this up too). Those are the ‘Work at Home & Work & Everywhere Else’ moms.
Most of the women I know, including my wife, sisters, oldest daughter and many friends, are WAHWEEs. In other words, all mothers are working mothers. They do it all and they are awesome.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote by Jane Sellman, American author and college professor
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by Marty Coleman | Feb 18, 2014 | Milton Berle, Mother's Day - 2011, Mothers Day |
The start of a new series on Motherhood.
Hard Moms
I always feel very sad when I hear from someone who had a mother that did not care for them as they deserved. I am not talking about moms that are a bit too controlling or a bit too demanding. I am talking about moms who abandon and abuse. It’s just really, really sad when I hear those memories come out.
Luckily it does seem they are in the minority. Most of those I know are very grateful for their mothers and what they did for them, even when there are shortcomings in them that cause hardship for us. I had that with my mother. She was an alcoholic and wasted many good years in a fog of liquor. But she became and stayed sober for 15 years before her death and that made a huge difference in the redemption our family had together. There is nothing quite as sweet as a family rebuilt and restored.
Emotional Hands
We read the quote above and look at the illustration and it seems to be about physical limitations. But what about all the emotional and psychological hands a mother needs? How many of those hands does one have available? It becomes a lot more complicated when we realize it’s not just about if they can do all the activities they need to do, but about all the emotional personas they have to deal with and be. It isn’t easy being a mom.
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Drawing and commentary © 2014 by Marty Coleman
Quote by Milton Berle, 1908-2002, American comedian
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by Marty Coleman | Feb 17, 2014 | Quote Authors |
Today in the US it is ‘Presidents’ Day’. It is also ‘Random Act of Kindness’ day. So I decided to make a mashup day. It’s now the ‘Presidents and Other Random People Day’.
I started by looking up some images of George Washington (Prez #1).
This is what I found.
I found the usual images but I also found some random images of people who didn’t, at first glance, seem to belong in a search for George. Since today is also Random Acts of Kindness Day I thought I would show a kindness by remembering and honoring these other people as well.
1. George the Myth
The painting is of George Washington as a young boy. It is illustrating the mythical story of him admitting to his father that he chopped down the cherry tree because he ‘could not tell a lie’. All Americans know that story and many of us know the painting. But who is the guy drawing back the curtain and pointing to the illustration? The name of the painting is ‘Parson Weem’s Fable’ by Grant Wood and the man in the painting is Parson Weems, the creator of the fable about the cherry tree. It’s been alleged, and with good reason based on his other exaggerations, that Weems made up the story. Washington was revered above all other figures among the founding fathers and mothers, and with good reason. But along with that admiration came a desire to exalt him way above his reality. This story was just one of many meant to put him up on a quasi-God pedestal. The truth is though, he needs no pedestal. The raw facts of his life and his efforts are enough to put him at the pinnacle of America.
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2. George the Inventor
This one isn’t hard to figure out. The photo is of George Washington Carver, the amazing scientist and educator. He was known primarily for his many discovered uses for peanuts that helped create a billion dollar industry. He was the one who introduced crop rotation to the south, saving it from soil depletion from heavy cotton and tobacco growing. He also was an inventor, educator, painter and a musician. This man was a great man, never once selling or patenting any ideas of his, always saying “God gave them to me, how can I sell them to others?”. Check him out, it’s worth it.
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3. George the Model
He’s a model and has nothing to do with George. The book however is about Washington as a young boy and man. Who knows how accurate it is.
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4. George the Congressman
It’s easy enough to assume his name is George Washington something and you would be right. He’s George Washington Collins. He was a Congressman from Illinois who died in 1972 in a plane crash after only 2+ years in office. His legacy was cut short, but his wife, Cardiss Hortense Collins, ran for his seat in congress and won. She ended up serving 24 years in the House of Representatives. A Random accident led to an amazing career for the first African American woman from the midwest to ever serve in Congress. Read her story, it’s also worth it.
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5. George the Bridge
Honestly this one caught my eye first. A modern day woman in an image search for George? That definitely didn’t make sense. But it does. George Washington had a bridge named after him, the bridge going between New Jersey and New York. This woman jumped off it to her death this month. Her name is Ashley Riggitano and she committed suicide on her 22nd birthday (Feb 6th, 2014). She was a burgeoning jewelry designer and fashionista in NYC. She left a suicide note in her Louis Vuitton bag she left on the bridge. In it she told of being bullied and harassed by ‘friends’, 5 of whom she named and said she did not want to be allowed at her funeral. These women included her supposed best friend and business partner in her jewelry business. One told her to “Go kill yourself with Xanax” shortly before she jumped off the bridge. Her family said she had suffered from depression and anti-depressants were found in her bag along with the note. It was also said she had tried to commit suicide before. It’s a very sad story.
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So, I was thinking maybe our random act of kindness today can be the giving of attention. I loved finding out who these people were, what they added to the world. They may all have passed away, but they deserve to be paid attention to, to be remembered in kindness, random or otherwise.
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© 2014 Marty Coleman | Napkin Dad Publishing
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by Marty Coleman | Feb 14, 2014 | Anonymous, Valentine's Day |
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my Napkin Kin!
Remember, whether you have a lover, BF, GF, BFF, husband, wife, all of the above or not, there is always someone in front of you who needs love.
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