by Marty Coleman | Jul 10, 2013 | Bodyless Ghirl Ghosts - 2012-2013 |
Last we saw of the bodyless ghirl ghosts they were hiding under towels in a women’s locker room. This is what happened next.
Curious Angelica and Mischievous Kimber
After all the women left the locker room the bodyless ghirl ghosts played in the showers, getting wet and zooming through the locker room. They sprayed water everywhere as they went. This, by the way, is the reason you see big mysterious puddles in locker rooms when no one has been around.
Angelica, the curious one, went out around the corner and found a funny looking wooden door that was slightly ajar. She slipped through the opening and found herself inside a small room all made of wood. It had benches at different levels and had what looked like a box of rocks on the wall. It was warm inside and she dried off pretty quickly.
She flew back to the rest of the bodyless ghirl ghosts and told them they about the funny wood room and followed her back inside. Kimber, the mischievous one, stayed outside and when all of them were in she flew up against the door really hard, pushing it closed. Immediately the light went on in the room as all the bodyless ghirl ghosts looked out the window in the door at Kimber. They all laughed, thinking it was pretty funny. They enjoyed the heat and dried off very quickly.
Meanwhile Kimber decided to go check out the men’s locker room, knowing the water polo team was done practicing and were changing clothes.
The Heat
While Kimber went off to ogle the Water Polo team the bodyless ghirl ghosts were starting to get hot. It turns out none of them had ever been in a sauna before. When the door had closed it activated the heater and the rocks were now starting to glow red with heat.
They were starting to shrivel. While alive people shrivel when they are in water, bodyless ghirl ghosts plump up when they get wet and the shrivel a bit when they are dry. They can really shrivel a LOT when they get too hot. This is what was happening now. The all pressed up against the window yelling for Kimber to come back. She couldn’t hear them.
The Water Polo Team
Kimber meanwhile was being very naughty zooming all around trying to get a good look at the boys in all their glory. She hadn’t seen many boys while she was alive, having been raised in a convent. She was amused by the boys because some seemed to really like showing off their bodies and others were trying to hide them. She wasn’t sure why this was so. In spite of her confusion she couldn’t wait to tell the other bodyless ghirl ghosts all about the boys and what they looked like naked. They would be so jealous.
The Angry Prunes
She finally decided to go back to find the other bodyless ghirl ghosts, thinking it odd they had not already caught up to her. When she returned she laughed at all the bodyless ghirl ghosts pressed up against the window screaming because they looked like little angry prunes. She smashed into the red button on the outside of the wood door and it popped open. The bodyless ghirl ghosts streamed out, gasping for air.
The Showing Off
They all yelled at Kimber, head butting her (that’s the only type of butting they can do since they don’t have real butts) and calling her names. She didn’t know what the big deal was, plus for once she looked better than they did and so in her mind it was worth it. She told them about the Water Polo team and her questions about their behavior and their anatomy. The bodyless ghirl ghosts decided they had to see for themselves and so they all flew back into the boys locker room. They ogled for quite a while, paying particular attention to the team captain who was showing off the most.
The bodyless ghirl ghosts had to go back to the hotel and take cold showers after that.
The End
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Click in the series drop down menu on the right and pick ‘Bodyless Ghirl Ghosts’ to see and read the rest of the adventures.
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by Marty Coleman | Jul 9, 2013 | Illustrated Short Stories, Quote Authors |
While I was in Dallas this past weekend I went to a bookstore late at night. I once again found a person sitting still who would be a good subject. I drew her in my sketchbook instead of on a napkin. This time I wasn’t able to meet her as she left quickly while I was barely started on the drawing. Instead I made up a story.
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The Realizing Woman
Chapter 1
Her laptop was dead so she borrowed her boyfriend’s computer to go to the bookstore and study.
Chapter 2
She finished studying and started rummaging around her boyfriend’s computer. She found a folder inside a folder inside a folder titled with her name. She opened the folder.
Chapter 3
She saw files titled with her name. She double clicked on one and when it opened it was a photo of herself nude from 10 years before, when she was 19, before she knew her boyfriend. She had never shown the photos to him or ever told him about the photo shoot she had done.
Chapter 4
She looked at the photo, and a number of others he had from the same shoot, for a long time. She was angry. She was angry that she had let herself go and no longer had that same great physique.
Chapter 5
She left the bookstore, went to her boyfriend’s house and dropped off the computer. She thanked him, broke up with him and left.
Chapter 6
She went home, stripped to her bra and panties, took a photo of herself in the bathroom mirror and titled it ‘Day One – Before’. She then got into her running shorts and tank top and went out the door. She ran 8 miles in her neighborhood, finishing at 1 am.
Chapter 7
She got home, stripped down again and took another photo, titling it ‘Day One – After’. She repeated this every day for the next 9 months.
Chapter 8
She posted her before and after photos, all 9 months worth, online as a video montage. It went viral. She became a world renowned personal trainer with videos, a workout clothing line, and fitness equipment for sale.
The End
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Drawing and short short story by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Jul 8, 2013 | Travel Napkins |
Early Morning Practice
As is my practice when traveling, I try to get out early to a coffee shop of some sort to draw, read, or write before the rest of my family is up and about. On the day after Independence Day I walked over to a local Starbucks for my venti size Cafe Mocha. This woman was deep into her work and I, thinking she would likely be there for a while and I could get a good drawing in, sat down at the table next to her. I couldn’t see her face because of her hair hanging down and that added a technical element to the drawing challenge I liked.
How I make my Drawing Decisions
The only real movement she made was to lean forward closer to the laptop screen or further back. I drew her hair, hoodie and body first, leaving her face and it’s angle until I was sure I could get it right. The hoodie actually had a couple stripes down the arms but I didn’t like the idea of breaking up the lines with more lines so I didn’t include them. Her skirt was a print with very light and delicate flowers. I know I could get the colors right even if I couldn’t get the flowers in detail so I went with dots of colors.
She had on a ankle bracelet that I wanted to include but I didn’t really like where it fell on her leg, feeling it looks a bit too much like a sock top or a tattoo. I really liked her little container of watermelon and made sure to include that. She had a book on top of it which I thought might make it harder to recognize as a container if I added the book on top but I did it anyway, just another challenge. I finally committed to drawing her profile at a certain angle behind the hair. I felt like I got it right though the neck line from the chin probably could have been just a tad bit farther to the left.
I tried a number of different markers for shading, experimenting with layering a slightly darker shade of whatever color I had used. That worked somewhat but it wasn’t really dark enough so I eventually used my go-to color for shading, Prismacolor Celadon Green.
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Reference and Record
I took a photo just in case I didn’t have a chance to finish the drawing and wanted some later reference.
Reference Photo
I usually like to show the drawings I do of strangers to them if possible. She started folding paper into little rectangles and tearing them apart. She then proceeded to make what looked like spelling test cards. I noticed she had a couple big words on her screen and I got the impression she might be studying English, perhaps not speaking it at all. I wasn’t sure if I should approach her or not because of that but I decided I would.
Esther at Starbucks
It turned out she spoke English perfectly and was happy to see the drawing. I gave her my card and told her to email me so I could send her a copy of it. I also told her to come to the blog in a few days and I would have it up for all to enjoy. Let’s hope she does. Esther, if you do, leave a comment, ok?
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Drawing, photos and story by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Jul 4, 2013 | Independence Day |
Here is my self-test of patriotism. These statements are how I know I am living up to the ideals of our founders.
- When I understand that America is not only for people like me.
- When I understand that I am free to judge on the content of character, but not the color of skin or the gender of the body or the inclinations of love and attraction or the ability to do what others can do, or one’s upbringing or station in life.
- When I understand that each individual has the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, whether I like their versions of those things or not.
- When I understand we have a right to be free and pursue our dreams but NOT at the expense and destruction of our towns, coastlines, rivers, oceans, land, air or people.
- When I understand we have an absolute right to protect ourselves from those who wish or do us harm, or whose actions unknowingly cause us harm, from outside or inside our country, from individuals or corporations.
- When I understand with gratefulness and humility that many people, now and in the past, have found it necessary to do something they hate doing, namely killing other people, and in turn sometimes getting killed and wounded themselves, to protect these rights and to protect me.
- When I understand that hating another country or another people will not now, or ever, create a safe environment for me and mine.
- When I understand that civil discourse and transitions among people and governing authorities who disagree is essential and positive, leading to good governance and progress.
- When I understand and stand up for true religious freedom, knowing that my religion (or lack of) is not the religion of the country, no matter how large and powerful it is, and no matter how many believe as I do.
- When I understand that America is me and what I do with my life.
That is my test for myself.
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by Marty Coleman | Jul 3, 2013 | Illustrated Short Stories, Independence Day |
A Short Short Story
Chapter 1
Her parents were communists who died before she came from Russia. She came to America when she was 23 because she found a husband on an internet dating site. He was bad and hit her once. She had learned boxing in Russia and beat the snot out of him. Then she left him.
Chapter 2
She worked hard, went to school, saved her money. She worked as an eyebrow model while she was in school, then as a railroad worker while she traveled the country, and then a psychiatrist in Boise. That year she became a US citizen, bought a cute little hat and went to celebrate the 4th.
Chapter 3
Someone took a photo of her that day and she had it put in a beautiful yellow frame she brought from Russia that had belonged to her grandmother.
The End
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Drawing and story by Marty Coleman
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