some stuff I put some finish to...

by Mike Worley

I think drawing women and girls is hard. It's something I work on because I'm never quite comfortable with the final outcome. Dan DeCarlo once told me, in his raspy voice, "...if you can draw a pretty girl you're never without work..." And Dan was one of the best. I did have a discussion one time with Allyson, a fellow caricature artist, out on the Worlds of Fun midway about this. It was a particularly slow day, so we had some time to talk about art and such. Her opinion was that she found guys to be hard to draw, the opposite of my plight. Trust me, though. Guys are easy to draw.

At ICON this past fall in Des Moines, IA, a fellow Shocktraumanaut and I discussed doing something a bit "Archie-ish," even a bit "Bob Oksner-ish"ala the Bob Hope/Jerry Lewis comics DC used to publish...a comic/webcomic...SOMETHING...but in that humorous vain. Initially we seem to be calling it "Horror High," but for some reason tonight, I like the idea of calling it "Karloff HIgh." And to preface this, these designs may not even be used, but at least I got the pencil and brush moving. Here's an initial concept of some of the cheerleaders at "Horror High"...


I found this sketch buried in my studio, having pencilled it months ago. It was of a very pretty girl who was dressed as a "Supergirl" at the 2009 Planet Comicon...


Monte May and I make a regular trek, at least once, to Hooter's when we are doing Comic Con International in San Diego. And it's become a running joke between us that we never get one of the knockout waitresses. All the waitresses at that particular Hooter's are attractive, but we've never been waited on by one of the "bombshells." And the last one we had barely even served us. She must've had a good "cheapskate" radar.

Earlier this year, Monte was getting married and invited me to his bachelor party, which was held...where else?...at Hooter's. But at the one in Independence, MO. That Hooter's is hard to describe without laughing. It seems more like a Denny's or Waffle House, except the waitresses are half dressed and DO have all their teeth. People bring their kids, and they even do the "birthday party" thing complete with balloons and songs. You'd think it was a "Chucky Cheese" with boobs! Monte and I have said it's the only Hooter's where you'll find 4 generations of women working there. BID...somewhat.

But the laugh at his bachelor party was that we didn't get an "ugly" waitress, but we got the pregnant one. Later on at his future "in-laws," I drew a rough cartoon of the "Teenage Pregnant Hooter's Waitress"(which by the way, that phrase can be sung to the old cartoon show theme for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) along with "mom," "grandma," and a little girl in a walker, all dressed in Hooter's attire and giving some poor patron fits. I think Monte kept it. He thought it was funny. Anyway, here's the finished piece. Monte will now have a piece of art from me. Guess I should finish the Betty and Veronica I started for him, too...


Enough mayhem for this evening. Tomorrow, I'll be ranting on the sad state of our country as evidence by recent developments in football coaching.

Lates!

"Modeh Ani"--Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, and more snow...UGH!...

by Mike Worley

2010 has done nothing more than dovetail with 2009. It hasn't been as "testy" as '09, but we've been deluged with more snow. And it's cold. Colder than it's been in previous years.

December 25, 2009, Christmas Day(according to the Roman Catholic Church), found my wife and I snowed in. It was an odd day. But I did get the dogs to pose. Here's our pups. Can't believe how much they've grown. Daisy(left), T'Ohwaii(middle) and Sally(right)...


The next day we managed to drive up to Atchison, KS to visit my folks, along with my daughter and her husband, and one of my sons and his wife. It was an enjoyable day, but this is what it looked like outside. And it was cold. This is the neighbor's house to my folk's...


New Year's Eve I was managing a gig at the Great Wolf Lodge, and it was(you got it!)...cold. We all got together after the gig at I-HOP and found that we'd all had a rotten day to end 2009. But we could still laugh about it.

Yesterday, January 7, 2010, Christmas Day(according to the Greek Orthodox Church), we had been snowed on again the previous day to begin to get...drumroll...more cold weather. I really do need to figure a way to get rich so I could have a beach condo in Hawaii.

But I've also been inventorying my blessings. First, I'm still on this side of the dirt nap, and the title of this post are the first words to a Jewish prayer to begin the day. It's a thankfulness that the King of All Creation has chosen to give life for another day. Puts it in perspective as I again try to sort out why I'm here. "Rabbah Emunatekha!"

Secondly, I'm thankful for my wife, who hasn't killed me, divorced me or deserted me. Thankful for my children. Thankful for my friends.

I'm thankful for my pastor, and worry about him. Without going into detail, he took some heavy "body blows" this past year. Nut shots. And I can tell it's taken a toll on him and his family.

I'm thankful for the kids I worked with this past season at Worlds of Fun. They made a difficult season more easy to digest. I wish they had a better manager. They probably do, too.

What amazed me this past holiday is how much I DIDN'T want. And I found that I plan on making most, if not all, of 2010's presents, and have asked that others do the same for me. One present I did get from my mother was an afghan. What makes it unique is that my great-grandmother had crocheted all the squares for it, and another one, back in the '60's when she would go to stay with my grandmother for part of the winter. My great-grandmother never got around to finishing them into afghans. My grandmother had kept all those squares for years, and after she passed away, my mother took them. This year my mother assembled them into afghans for my brother and I. When I touched it, I could see (in my mind's eye) that little old lady sitting in my grandmother's living room, the television blaring, and her yarn and needle deftly working on those squares with her gnarled, yet masterful hands. It was worth the 40+ year wait to get an afghan for Christmas.

I found this old drawing while cleaning up. My son said he wants it, so I'm framing it for him. It 's a caricature I did one afternoon of Dick Vermeil, back when the Chiefs had a team and weren't, again, the bargain basement of the NFL...


I hope your 2010 brings you much happiness and success!

New Year's Eve Eve...

by Mike Worley

I have an insane fondness for kitsch. It drives my wife crazy, whether it's collecting minor league ballcaps with funky logos, or the crazy statuary that can be found. Kitsch. And convenience store kitsch is the best. At BETO Junction on I-35, I found these resin cast figurines that represent fruits and/or vegetables shaped into cartoony animals. My grandmother used to collect "owls." I don't really know why, and I have a couple from her collection that survived after she passed away. Maybe this will seed my own collection(?) BID. Becky preferred the wienie dog shaped from peppers. I bought the owl...


It inspired me enough to drag out some Sculpy and try my own hand at fashioning some stuff. This is going to be a "Christmas" ornament for a friend of mine. And yes, it is a work in development. He has a paper version, but maybe this will be considered part of the $20 bucks he sent in years ago to get a lifetime supply of "slack"...


I also finished a drawing for a church member, having him tell me exactly what it was he wanted and I drew it right then and there. Here's the final inked and lettered version of his "little man"...

He tells me he's had a "gospel tract" written for about 30 years and was just needing the right artwork for it. Some "little man" image from the '50's had stuck in his head and that's what he wanted for his tract. It's still my own image, though.

I also finished an inked version of a "faun girl." She's an offshoot from the "fantasy princesses" piece I did earlier this year. And like a lot of my artwork, it sat on my drawing board waiting for me as my time was swept up by duties at Worlds of Fun. Anyway, here she is...


I'll be overseeing a caricature and face painting gig New Year's Eve. But I do hope to post some last thoughts on 2009.

"Leilah Tov!"

comin' to a close...

I haven't forgotten about this blog, just busy with all the December stuff that takes over my life. I should have more posted tomorrow. Suffice it to say, I've been trying to get back into the swing of drawing and creating. Even spent a considerable amount of time with Illustrator tonight. Here's another "work-in-progress"...


Shalom!

city of champions!...

by Mike Worley

After having a rather psychotic day, personally...(maybe I'll explain later)I thought it prudent to remember that Maryville, MO is now the city of champions, football-wise.

My high school alma mater won the state championship in football for their class! GO SPOOFHOUNDS!!! And my college alma mater won the NCAA Division II championship in football! GO BEARCATS!!!

I found this photo from the summer of '08, and couldn't resist giving it some "fumetti" to doctor it up. Hopefully, none of my classmates read, or will ever read my blog. They might not find it humorous. But then again, we are getting older, so at some point no one will be able to remember it. And yes, you'll have to click on the image to get the full view. I'm the fat guy behind the banner on the right...


Lates!

Findin' some time to draw...

by Mike Worley

The one thing I hate about the "holidays" and getting ready for them is how much they cut into "Mike time." But I have done a little bit of sketching. Nothing monumental, but at least the pencil met paper.

I loved the way John Byrne drew Superman. Dan Jurgens, too. But as most of my generation, it is the "Curt Swan" Superman which will always have my heart. And both Byrne's and Jurgens' versions of the character had a wink of an homage to Swan's take without sacrificing their own styles. But of late, I've been looking at Wayne Boring's Superman and have gained a new appreciation for his style and take on the character. I misjudged his abilities greatly.

With that in mind, I drew a sketch using that barrel-chested anatomy Boring used. It was fun, and haven't done anything "superhero-ish" in a while...


I've disappointed in movies of late that I've gone to. One in particular was Planet 51. Loved the designs and the animation, didn't care for the story. It just didn't gel. But one pet peeve was the underusage of Jessica Biel, who lent her voice to the female lead. Ms Biel is one of the most stunningly beautiful actresses in the world--IMHO. And granted, it is a "cartoon," and her character is an "alien." But still, they could've made her animated character hotter. So I did my own take, as it were...


I wish producers would finally realize that 3D animation won't save a bad story, or weak story.

Gotta go. T'Ohwaii is whining and wanting to go to bed.

Let it snow!...

by Mike Worley

My son tells me I need to post something at least each week, so I'm trying to get back on track. I've been busy going into December. And tomorrow, it's supposed to snow, giving us our first real winter storm of the season. Usually, it's nothing more than "dumb dust," meaning that people forget how to drive in it. So I expect traffic to be nothing more than a mess tomorrow. Not that I have anywhere to go, but it would still be nice to try and get out without worrying about other motorists eaten up with "moron."

I got roped into the church's Christmas play, again. At least this year, it is a "readers' theatre," but it would be nice if we had a rehearsal where everyone involved would show up. I can't complain too much as I missed some in November due to deadlines, family dinners, and the like. But we could definitely use more focus.

Waiting for my scenes, I took my sketch book last night and did some doodling. Mostly some character studies...



Not exactly a budding Alex Toth, but at least I was drawing instead of circling the coffee pot.

One thing I've been doing more of, is working more in Adobe Illustrator. The work I'm doing is forcing me to get back into it, and one thing it has done is to re-exam some stuff I started, but never completed. Here's an idea I think I need to do more with. A detective thing. It's a "work-in-progress," so be patient while I brush it off and try to figure out what it was I was doing with it. If you want to see the whole image, you'll need to click on it. And no, the one guy ISN'T Stan Lee...


Welcome to December!