A Quiet Moment Amongst Friends

Thank You, Presidents, For Being Our Leaders

For the latest installment of the collaborative Buddy System series, I created a patriotic template and asked my friends to draw their favorite president for Presidents Day. I received eleven incredibly diverse responses. Here they are in full glory:

The first submission is from Morit G, who found inspiration in Grover Cleveland's working-class taste buds. Cleveland thought the fancy food they served at the White House was gross. 

Fun fact: At the age of 49, Cleveland married an opportunistic 21-year old, marking the only marriage of a sitting US President in history. 

 

The next submission is my own. I drew the only five presidents in American history to sport beards. From upper left going clockwise, you have Benjamin Harrison (perhaps the longest beard); James Garfield (scraggliest); Rutherford B. Hayes (wispiest); Abraham Lincoln (neck beard); and Ulysses S. Grant (shortest). The era of bearded presidents started with Lincoln in 1861 and ended with Benjamin Harrison in 1893. Sadly, America has never had a bearded president since. (Although, Al Gore came close.)

The next submission comes from world-renowned blogger, "14", creator of Gallery of the Absurd and Resplendent Chaos. For this assignment, 14 reworked a sketch that was inspired by an article she read that included a claim by former president George W. Bush that he cried in the White House on a daily basis.

 

Another Bush-inspired piece came from Angela B and her son Magnus who worked together on a Curious George coloring page. The purple and yellow squiggly lines represent the challenges faced by Bush during his eight years in office.

Fun Fact: All of America's current economic troubles are the result of policies put in place by Bill Clinton and Barney Frank, not Bush.

 

Jake C, a distant relative of President Calvin Coolidge, sent in a portrait of Barack Obama that he created on his iPhone.

Fun Fact: President Barack Obama is America's first president of Kenyan descent.

 

Seth L drew an ink portrait of Don Duff, President of the Northwest Allen County School Board. 

Fun Fact: Before becoming school board president, Don Duff was also the president of a life insurance company and an international insurance marketing company.  

 

Julia W drew a unique portrait that morphs together Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt. 

Fun Fact: Teddy Roosevelt came up with the idea for the Teddy Bear after he had visions of tiny bears in a polio-induced fever dream.

 

David S, a first time contributor, sent in a portrait of a president he would like to see. He explains: 

Dreams are important, they inspire us and drive us onward in the face of a miserable unforgiving world full of casual cruelty. That's why I drew my dream president, former attorney general Janet Reno. Did you know that JRe (as we call her) was the FIRST female federal attorney general ever? That is why I know she would also be a great first lady President! I've drawn her in a tie because she is not concerned with conforming to societies' antiquated gender roles. 

Fun Fact: Janet Reno originally wanted to call Ted Kaczynski the "Mailman of Death", but she was overruled by President Clinton who favored "Unabomber".

 

My sister, Anna U, drew a picture of a bat president.

Fun Fact: Bats sleep while hanging upside down in caves.

 

Nico C was inspired by the Star Wars movies. He thought Boba Fett, the notorious outer space bounty hunter, would make a pretty cool president.

Fun Fact: Harrison Ford, the actor who played Han Solo, is the adopted son of former-President Gerald Ford.

And last, but certainly not least, is Carl W's thought-provoking Super Bowl-inspired take on patriotism and cosmetic surgery. Carl envisions an America ruled by the E*Trade baby.

Fun Fact: Carl is an attorney who works for the Federal government, just like U.S. Presidents.

 

I hope you all learned some new things about presidents this Presidents Day, I know I did. Many thanks to all who participated and God Bless America!

Draw Your Favorite President

February 15th is Presidents Day, and to honor the occasion, I'm asking anyone who is interested to finish this drawing with the portrait of a president. You can see examples of a similar collaborative drawing assignment here.

 

Participating is easy. Here's how to do it:

1. Click on the image (right click and download the image for a higher-resolution version)
2. Print the image
3. Add your favorite President via drawing, painting, photoshop, or any medium of your choosing (You needn't be a great artist. Bad art is welcome.)
4. Scan your presidential portrait
5. E-mail the finished portrait to [email protected]

All submissions must be received by the end of the day, Friday, February 12th. DO IT!

UPDATE: Foreign citizens are welcome to draw a president from their home country. You'll probably want to scrub the flag and bald eagle. Also, Americans have never had a lady president, but your country may have. If you are drawing a female president, you'll want to white out the suit and tie.

The Buddy System V: Sunday Funnies

For the fifth installment of The Buddy System, I sent out the bare bones of a panel comic and asked a handful of friends to personalize it with their own story.

Interestingly, the responses came back broken out into three general themes: Exploration, Existentialism, and Celebrity.

Exploration

I realize now that putting a little person on a deserted island was an invitation for comics about sadness and loneliness. The explorers, however, are unique in their refusal to succumb to the malaise. 

The first explorer comes from Maz D, an Australian artist and blogger. Maz took the assignment as an opportunity to educate this blog's audience about the history of Oceania. Maz writes: 

I decided to go with a mash-up of the voyage of French explorer La Perouse and the TV show Lost. La Perouse disappeared not long after witnessing the English settlement of Australia. Mindful of the fact that I'm writing for a predominantly US audience, I've given La Perouse the outfit worn by Christopher Columbus on his Wikipedia page. "Any News of La Perouse?" was the question asked by Louis XVI as he was being led to execution, displaying the marvelous set of priorities that made him so popular with the common folk.

 

(click here to see a larger version)

The next comic comes from Jake C. Jake, as you may already know, played the part of Druid King in the B-movie Halloween classic, Astronaut Versus Druids. With his contribution, Jake continues the saga of the dim-witted astronaut marooned in a strange land: 

 

(click here to see a larger version)

While the first two explorer stories take place on land and boats, my contribution involves an undersea exploration. In this tale, a deep sea diver finds himself in over his head: 

 

Existentialism

Unlike the explorers, the existentialists can be found ruminating, and often obsessing, over their abilities and the cosmic purpose of life.

Edith Z, the famous food sculptor, sends in the story of a woman coming to terms with her special hands. 

(Editor's note: I encourage everyone to check out Edith's recent miniature mysteries.)

Kevin G's comic tells the tale of a lonely solar flare. This comic is a lot like the movie Firestarter where Drew Barrymore wants to have a normal life but she sets everything on fire and people get super mad. 

Laura P's comic features the protagonist engaged in a mental battle with himself/herself. 

 

In Nico C's comic, an aging stick-man grapples with the meaning of life. 

 

Celebrity

These aren't normal celebrities, they are outcast celebrities. 

Ryan A spins a yarn about Britney Spears and the winds of change. 

Angela B's blobby little man takes an exciting adventure to the Riverside Resort in Laughlin, Nevada. 

(click here to see a larger version)

Ellen O's comic comments on the popular resurgence of Mike Tyson.

 

And finally, Ben C, my eldest cousin, sends in a comic that pulls together elements of all three categories: exploration; existentialism; and celebrity. Ben describes his piece as "an alternate imagining of the life of Howard Hughes, like if he had no money, his only possession a little lump of earth."

 

I was so impressed by Ben's Howard Hughes comic that I turned it into an animated short film:

Many thanks to everyone who contributed. If I didn't reach out to you to participate and you are interested in future collaborative assignments, drop me a line at [email protected] and I will be sure to include you next time. 

UPDATE: Tomorrow morning I'm heading to Mexico for a week. Ironically, I'm going to be just like the little dude in the comic, sitting on the beach thinking about life and growing my hair long.  

Reimagining Sasquatch: Finnish the Art

In June, I posted ten submissions for the Faces in the Mist: Reimagining Sasquatch collaborative art project. Morit G, a frequent contributor, was traveling abroad at the time and missed the deadline. After returning, she was bogged down by a broken computer. Undeterred, this week she fixed her computer and completed her Sasquatch face. 

It seems she misread the instructions to "finish the art" and instead adapted the drawing into a Finnish coat of arms:

I also received another very late submission from Kent C, my friend who found the original Sasquatch Activity Book. Coincidentally, Kent is of Finnish descent. 

Kent works at an outdoor science camp and he based his version of the drawing on real evidence. He writes: 

My submission, while it may appear crude, pays homage to the closest I have ever come to the mythical man-beast, which was a story told to me by a decidedly real man-beast about an encounter he had with Sasquatch while working as a wildland firefighter in the mountains of Northern California's redwood country. Among his less spurious claims was that bigfoot gave off the aroma of "50 dead sea lions". I feel the green stink lines and buzzing flies help to bring this multi-sensory experience to the viewer. I also think sasquatch probably has pretty bushy eyebrows, and yellow teeth, since he/she likely hasn't developed dental hygiene technology.

The Buddy System IV: A New Kind of Yoga

Here is the fourth installment of The Buddy System, the series where I send out the start of a drawing and ask friends to respond however they wish. 

For this assignment, I sent out a doodle of a floppy man:

The shape of the man reminded Seth L of the brightly colored spiders that crawled all over his body one night at a college party back in the 1990s. He may have eaten something bad that evening, I don't know. Seth said that despite their scary look, the spiders were actually pretty friendly. 

Like her submission for The Buddy System II, Morit G took a high-minded, expansive, approach to the assignment and created a beautiful, multi-layered, surrealist drawing. Here are some of the themes that may or may not be addressed in this piece: the passage of time; memories; aging; interconnectedness; family; nostalgia for old bathing suits; ghosts; competition; marriage; Pelé; county fairs; botany; living kites; human kites; and old-timey prison chain-gangs.  

The next submission has a decidedly cinematic feel to it. Anna U, my sister, thought the man was being pursued by a terrifying little yogi. The floppy man is straining to hold the door of an apartment closed while the little mystic concocts a spell to gain entrance. This one sends shivers down my spine. 

And, as always, the final submission comes from me. This piece represents the CORRECT interpretation of the drawing. 

In my version, an irrationally happy man crawls onto the roof of a stranger's car and refuses to get off despite the frantic pounding from inside. The driver and passenger took a look at the man's maniacal grin as he approached and are now afraid to get out of the car.

That's it! If you have your own ideas for how to finish the drawing, please download the image and send your version to [email protected]. Late submissions are always accepted and they'll be added to the original post. 

UPDATE Saturday, July 25: René S, a photographer from Rotterdam, Netherlands, was following along over Twitter and decided to join in the fun. René incorporated the image of the man into two of his photographs. One shows a spectacular back-flip dive into a canal and the other shows a crowd of tourists marveling at the giant marshmallow man that is about to crush them. (Click the images to see larger versions.) 

Faces in The Mist: Reimagining Sasquatch

Three years ago, after spending months alone in the Oregon wilderness, my friend Kent C visited San Francisco and gave me this book about Sasquatch:

  

The book attempts to set the record straight about unclassified bipedal forest mammals. On the eleventh page of the book there is an exercise where the reader is asked to "finish the art" and give Sasquatch a proper face:

I sent this page to a handful of friends and asked them to send in their interpretations.  

The first response is my own. I made a pencil drawing of an adolescent Sasquatch in the mid-1980s. He's just grown his first mustache, and although it makes him look older, he still feels awkward at the high school dance. 

Laura P, a Montana native, envisioned a transgendered Sasquatch wandering in the wilderness of her home state. 

 

Carl W watches a lot of television. He contrasted the myth of Sasquatch with images of Phil Spector, the Ayatollah Khomeini, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Rod "He Hate Me" Smart from the defunct XFL football league. I asked Carl if he was comparing the XFL to Iranian Democracy and he said that was an oversimplified way of looking at it. 

Teresa U followed the numbered instructions to create the Big Foot face, but she broke with convention and added her own spicy rainbow colors. 

Julia W figured it would be a lot easier to use a popular, pre-existing Sasquatch face than go through all the trouble of creating a new one from scratch. 

Do you know who that is? It's Harry from Harry and the Hendersons. (If you like this, here's a similar one that I created!)

 

Seth L used bubble wrap and magazine cut-outs to create a happy, tap-dancing Sasquatch. He made this at work and no one found out!

Peter F created a Shatner-squatch. 

Anna U drew an adult, red-haired Sasquatch with braces and head gear. She was partially inspired by her memories of the Sally Jesse Raphael Show. 

Alright, we're down to the end. No offense to the first eight, but these next two are clearly in a class of their own. 

Eric U (no relation) not only finished the Sasquatch face, but he created an entire Fall fashion catalogue around the creature's distinctive brown tones. For less than $25, you can purchase a hand-tailored polo that looks just like Big Foot's skin and fur. You can wear the walnut-brain to work and pull on the feces for a trip to the driving range. These colors are right for any occasion!  

Eric is a graphic designer and painter living in San Francisco. This is his first submission to A Quiet Moment Amongst Friends. 

And finally, Jake C, the professional cartographer, came through big-time with an incredible transit map.

To fully appreciate the map, you need to click on the image and view the full-size version. You'll find that it's surprisingly easy to travel from Sinussia to Chinwick. Jake made a few iterations to the map over the last two weeks. His latest version added a much-needed express line linking the Commerce District to the Quarry. Unless you're commuting to Owlwood, you don't need a car in Squatchia. 

Wow. So many amazing interpretations of Sasquatch's face! I'm still accepting submissions. If you're inspired, send your finished Sasquatch faces to [email protected]. 

UPDATE August 2009: I received two late submissions.

The Buddy System III: The Jaws of Life

Last fall I started a series of posts called The Buddy System where I send the start of a doodle to friends and ask them to create a finished piece. For this latest go-around, the participation was atrocious. I received only two responses, and I'm still accepting submissions.

Here is the drawing that I sent out to my friends:

 

The first response came from an artist and blogger who goes by the name "14". 14 is the author of the fantastic celebrity and surrealist blogs Gallery of the Absurd and Resplendent Chaos. I met her through my previous job at the blogging company and her work inspired elements of this site. She currently has a book in the works that I'm very excited about. [You should spend some time in her archives.] 

For the assignment, 14 created an entire world inhabited by toothy creatures and toothy plants. 

"Chomp", ink on paper, photoshop, 2009

The second response came from Carl W. After some prodding, I received a hastily rendered, yet passionate piece. Carl put the teeth design directly into the mouth of the notorious Miss California in order to make some kind of political statement about gay marriage in America. 

"Miss California", photoshop, 2009

The final submission came from me because I needed one more drawing. This piece represents the correct response to the initial design. Why is this the correct response? Because I drew the initial teeth, and only I know how it is supposed to be finished! 

Behold, a vicious shark taking a knuckle sandwich right in the kisser!

"Shark Bite!", pencil and colored pencil on paper, 2009

If you feel that you have another interpretation of this drawing, please complete it and I will include it with the three submissions above. Send your work to [email protected]

UPDATE: May 3, 2009 - Lila K stepped up to bat and sent in a rock-solid drawing of a teenage vampire pouring ketchup on a sausage made out of human flesh. 

"Hot Dog Vampire", pen on paper, 2009 

Lila lives in Seattle and makes documentary films. She's currently making films for Pepper Spray Productions, an independent video collective. 

The Buddy System II: Lucid Dreams

For the second installment of the The Buddy System, I sent a simple line drawing to Ben C, Ben D, and Morit G and asked them to complete it. Each of them rightly took the assignment as an opportunity to explore their subconscious.

Here is the original drawing:

Ben C's drawing tells the tale of a young man who finds a mysterious book (printed backwards) about Portuguese witches, warlocks, and their terrible spells. It's highly likely that after reading this book, this young man will spend the rest of his life in jail or a mental institution. 

Ben D depicted a floating lighthouse in the sky defending itself against a giant butterfly attack. He invites the viewer to grapple with questions of right and wrong. Are we to assume that the lighthouse is justified in deploying this level of firepower against the butterfly? Conversely, while butterflies have pretty wings, aren't they really just gross insects in disguise, no different than cockroaches or grasshoppers? 

Morit G used colored charcoal to explore the relationship between a woman and her lizard-like dog. She captures a tenuous relationship between isolation and joy. Within a spare and quiet room there is an explosion of sensory input. 

About the artists: Ben C, a past contributor to this blog, teaches kindergarten and grew up in South Dakota. He practices Bikram yoga. Ben D lives in New York and works as a writer and art critic. He was on the TV game show Cash Cab. Morit G lives in Los Angeles and studies ethnomusicology at UCLA. She is the author of the illustrated story, "Chimpy". 

If you feel that these artists got it wrong, please download the original drawing and send in your interpretation. 

Lizard People

Carl W sends in his Buddy System collaboration:

It's the world as it is versus the world as we'd like it to be. 

A Lizard Amongst Friends

With this post, I'm officially kicking off a new feature of the blog: The Buddy System. I'll be sending friends partially completed drawings and asking them to make a finished product and friends will be sending me things to complete. It's all very exciting.

For the first assignment, I sent out this simple line drawing:

And here are the responses:

Peter F strapped on his goat-skin leggings and horned helmet and got to work on a scene from a heavy metal satanic rec-room. Heed the lizard's command and "ride the snake to Detroit Rock City"!

Seth L fired up the paint feature in Photoshop and cranked out another awesome lizard.This lizard found a delicate flower and is caught in a conflicted pause, torn between protecting the simple beauty and its instinct to devour the sweet nectar. I'm pretty sure it's a metaphor for global warming.  

 

Seth L lives in New York and works on a radio show. He makes really good Halloween costumes. Peter F lives in Oakland and makes art with robots.