Early Sketchbooks vol.1

By October 17, 2016Sketches
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In celebration of “Inktober” – a yearly celebratory meme for the art of inking or inkers, falling within the illustration and comics crowd – I thought I would share some sketchbook stuff.  I have always had a preference for ink and have thought that Inktober is a nice idea.  As I was already going through a bunch of old sketchbooks, I thought I’d take some snaps and give you a smattering of crazed and lewd scribblings from yesteryear.  Part 1 covers samples from 1989 through 1992.  A period from the end of high school through moving from San Francisco to finish up my degree at Art Center College, in Pasadena, California.

I’ve always sketched in ink, with a preference for Uniball micro black (later also adding a Tombo black marker for deep blacks.)  Working with a permanent line forces you to accept that mistakes are part of the process and opens up the drawing.  And it stops you from getting too precious about sketchbooks.  I carried a sketchbook with me everywhere from the mid-80s until about 2000.

The examples here are in chronological order.  Some detailed notes about the drawings when you mouseover the thumbnail images.

"Mongolian Hipsters" was a meme i developed and used, taken from a newspaper abstract and used on random Eastern bloc images.

1988-mongolianhipsters

"Mongolian Hipsters" was a meme i developed and used, taken from a newspaper abstract and used on random Eastern bloc images.

They never really do say what kind of bear, do they?

1988-winnie

They never really do say what kind of bear, do they?

Why not heels? Perhaps a smattering of Redon here.

1989-angeldevilbird

Why not heels? Perhaps a smattering of Redon here.

Bozonoir is a comic character I developed for a few years.

1989-bozonoir

Bozonoir is a comic character I developed for a few years.

Palmer-ish nude study

1989-nude

Palmer-ish nude study

Caraciture of Ted Younkin, perspective teacher. Notoriously difficult teacher.

1989-tedyounkin

Caraciture of Ted Younkin, perspective teacher. Notoriously difficult teacher.

The first sighting of Whale Boy.

1990-whaleboybozoc

The first sighting of Whale Boy.

An example of an absurdist poem illustration that often populated my sketchbooks during this period.

1990c-bigeauxwallace

An example of an absurdist poem illustration that often populated my sketchbooks during this period.

Bozonoir

1990c-bozonoiryield

Bozonoir

1990c-judgesjudge

1990c-judgesjudge

ex-gf modeling and some hell-beast. two separate things.

ex-gf modeling and some hell-beast. two separate things.

Melk. Quick sketch towards a cartoon illustration.

1990c-melk

Melk. Quick sketch towards a cartoon illustration.

I called these things Street Cleaners.

1990c-streetcleaner

I called these things Street Cleaners.

Bozo smoking

1992-bozonoirsmoking

Bozo smoking

Ad + quip = solid gold

1992-trustbetrayalc

Ad + quip = solid gold

...and ends?

1992c-beginnings

...and ends?

This little guy is just adorbs.

This little guy is just adorbs.

Sketch for a painting that my cousin eventually picked up.

1992c-egg

Sketch for a painting that my cousin eventually picked up.

I think I was mocking my friend Paul Lee in this sketch. All of his shit was swoony at the time. ...and then he went on to draw Spiderman.

I think I was mocking my friend Paul Lee in this sketch. All of his shit was swoony at the time. ...and then he went on to draw Spiderman.

Sketches towards some poster. Forget which but kinda recall an opera.

1992c-mementomori

Sketches towards some poster. Forget which but kinda recall an opera.

This was on a sticker i slapped on everything at the time.

1992c-opportunities

This was on a sticker i slapped on everything at the time.

E. Tage Larsen

E. Tage Larsen is an artist, designer and dog robber. You may encounter him as an art gallery director, branding designer or illustrator. His work has received awards from "Society of Illustrators", "American Illustration", 'Print' magazine annual as well as the LogoLounge and LogoLounge 'Master Series' annuals. Essays on design and fine art have appeared in numerous magazines and web sites.

Among his less savory qualities, he's a poor sport, a sore loser and ill fitted for honest labor. He makes bad friends and worse decisions. Animals avoid him and children despise him. He's been known to drink to excess, carry on with seditious talk and leer at women. He's a coward, a card cheat and a known liar.

Mrs. Call's second grade class said perhaps all that needed to be said about Larsen.In a moment of vindication and possibly clarity, Call would add to Larsen's permanent record that he was a bit of a dreamer and that Larsen was "an excellent student but his grades trailed off in the final semester."True, Larsen was filled with promise and saddled as starry-eyed but one can't help but notice that Call's inability to chisel this raffish diamond-in-rough wasn't also a clerical trick to distance herself from the responsibility of the 'Nurture' debate.She also said he was "prompt".She wasn't wrong.

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