New Wiles Side Blog

I just launched a new version of the Wiles Side Blog, which will focus on more finished work, and will feature cartoons, illustrated essays, and humorous art. This new version is more of what I had in mind when I first started this blog. I will be leaving this version up, if for no other reason than for the sake of posterity, and depending on how things go, I may continue to add sketches here from time to time a little further down the road, but for the most part now, my energy will be on my business at Vintage 66 Graphics, and the all new Wiles Side. Feel free to stop by either one anytime. Thank-you.

Cartoonish Nakey Folk

Well, by golly, I missed it yesterday! I was planning to post, but things didn't quite work out, however, I do have a little something today. It is what you might call a cartoon nakey sketch dump, for lack of a better name. I used to use a traditional sketchbook, but in the last couple of months I've started drawing in a newsprint pad, which I find works remarkably well. However, the pads really don't hold up well to repeated opening and closing, so the pages come loose pretty easily. I usually use an ocher or light blue colored pencil or art stick and then go over the lines I like with a black colored pencil. All of these sketches are from my imagination, and were done while sitting in my car in a grocery store parking lot. What do you think about that?

Starting off, we have a collection of nakey gals in a variety of body types, including my favorite, the pregnant lady on the end.

Here is a tatted up alternative gal going topfree, because topless implies that something is missing, and clearly she is not, well, except for her right hand..

This one is inspired by vintage nudist magazines from the 40s to the 60s. I'm simply fascinated by the concept. There is just something about the average mid-century family standing around in their skin enjoying everyday activities, or doing mundane tasks. It's a bit of an odd mixture, like a hybrid of wholesome and creepy (in a good way).

The Bones of Caravaggio

I recently noticed a little blurb in the newspaper which stated that some of the bones of the immensely talented Baroque artist, Caravaggio have been (more or less) identified. There were only about 4 or 5 bones and in some cases only fragments found, and they are so old and the DNA has deteriorated to such a degree that scientifically they can only be about an 85% certain that they are his. The fact that he had no known children doesn't help either, since there is no direct line to follow. Some were hoping that we would finally know for certain what actually killed him by the 400th anniversary of his death next month, but despite this new find there is still quite a bit of mystery and speculation on the possibilities. He made more than a few enemies along the way, so murder isn't out of the question, however, malaria, infected wounds, heatstroke, and syphilis are also on the list of suspects, and it seems he was also weakened by lead poisoning from the lead in his paints. This is only a guess, but I would say it was probably a combination of some or all them. That's an awful lot of ailments to have in a time when the most respected medical treatments involved perfumed enemas and draining off of large quantities of a patient's blood.

Caravaggio was born in Milan,  his given name was Michelangelo Merisi. A short time later, in an attempt to avoid The Plague which has wreaking havoc in Milan at the time, his family moved to the town where he grew up and was later named after, Caravaggio. After his apprenticeship, he became the stereotypical self-destructive artist. Fights and violent rages fueled by alcohol and quite possibly a bipolar disorder, regularly lent credence to his  personal motto: Nec Spe, Nec Metu, (Without  Hope, Without Fear). He preferred the company of thugs and whores and often used them as models in his religious paintings. While he didn't invent it, he is most famous for pushing the envelope of the chiaroscuro technique, which is the use of bright lights and  and solid darks to create a dramatic effect.  I don't remember where I heard this, but one of the most fascinating things about Caravaggio is that he didn't sketch or draw, he simply started painting. That's akin to building a house without a plan. Below are a few examples of his work, and of course, you can Google his name and find tons more.

Cheers!

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter. 1601

David With the Head of Goliath. 1609-1610.

Judith Beheading Holofernes. 1598-1599.

Death of the Virgin. 1601-1606.

Miz Daphne Malloy

Before I came up with Bert the Graphics Dog, I had an idea for a different mascot for my business, Vintage 66 Graphics. I went with kind of an anti-hipster alternative chick by the name of Miz Daphne Malloy, and while she is awfully cute, and certainly has loads of promise, she is on hold for now. I strongly suspect she will resurface one of these days, so don't you fret about her.

More Lost Restaurant Sketches

Last week I did a post about an old billboard for the Pixie Kitchen Restaurant, so I thought I'd post a little sketch of the actual building. This is from an older photograph, and I believe that this was how the building looked originally. There was a later addition, which pretty much doubled the floor space.

The Castle Restaurant was a roadhouse and quite a hot spot for jazz back in the day. It was located in Gladstone on River Road just off the Super 99 Highway. Someday I'll be posting a more in depth post about it, but quickly I'll mention that it was one of the neatest buildings ever, basically a mini castle, and as I recall it started off as a lapidary shop. It fell into disrepair and was torn down a few years ago to make way for some god-awful crap homes.

*Note: Been having trouble getting Blogger to work correctly, so the right edges of the images are cut off. If I make them smaller to fit better some of the text goes all wonky. I think I would give my left nut for something to work the way it is supposed to. Just kidding—about the nut, I mean.

Zombie Shake

This is just a page of sketches, the people heads are just filler, the main focus is the zombie milkshake, I really don't know what it means—it just came into my head one day.

Pixie Kitchen Billboard

This sketch was inspired by some fond childhood memories. It is my interpretation of one of the many billboards I used to see along Highway 18 when my family and I would be on our way to Lincoln City at the Oregon Coast. The Pixie Kitchen was opened in the late 30's (as I recall) in a little hamlet called Oceanlake right along Highway 101. At one point there was even a short lived amusement park called Pixieland just a few miles North, back on Highway 18. Sadly, both are long gone.

My interpretation of a billboard for the Famous Pixie Kitchen along Highway 18.

Inspirations: Character Ideas

I'm always on the lookout for characters that I can riff off of and whatnot, but it can be kind of awkward if they realize you're sketching them, especially if it is unflattering and they want to see your work. Anyway, I recently stumbled on this treasure trove of ready-made characters from the real world over at the Poorly Dressed Blog. I've put up some examples here, but if you want to see more head on over.

Here's a lovely little charmer.


Nice dog, Tough Guy, and the white wine is a nice touch.


Jumping Jehoshaphat!

Sketches: Character Studies

I've been working on some character sketches of myself for an informational project, basically, I'm going to be using sequential art (comic book format) in a series of essays on my Vintage 66 Graphics Blog, about the basics of  graphics and will be geared for the small business owner. The goal is to keep it really simple and entertaining, but at the same time passing along some useful information. I think it's important to keep the graphics simple in this project, because I don't want them to overshadow the information. I still haven't found the final charcter, but here are some sketches that I have worked out so far. I may end up using an animal of some kind rather than myself, but we'll see. I know the last one isn't going to work, I've only seen one full episode of Star Trek, but still I know what happens to red shirts.

Shaking Things Up

I've been thinking some things over lately, and I believe the time has come to shake some things up here at A Walk on the Wiles Side. This began as my sketch blog, but more and more I'm realizing that there are so many other elements that influence and contribute to my art. Music is certainly a big one, and so is literature, but even other artists, both past and present leave their mark. It's really just a big distillation process. So, I want to try an experiment and expand things here a bit to include some of those influences. 


Way back in 1977, before my girlfriend was even born, I went to my first rock concert, which featured KISS with Cheap Trick opening. I was eleven years old, and it truly changed my life forever. It opened up a whole new world of passion and excitement and the thrill of live rock-n-roll. Anyway, I stumbled across this clip of them performing one of their classic tunes with their current lineup. It's good to see that more than thirty years later they've still got it. 
Enjoy!


[And yes, I do realize that the video box has crossed over into my sidebar, but that is something I'll need to figure out a little later].


Watch KISS playing Black Diamond (with a cool Whole Lotta Love interlude) live in Budapest

Beer Sweater Guy

Just kind of a dorky guy in sweater holding a beer.

100th Post: Happy Easter !

Yes, indeed it took far longer to get here than I had hoped, nevertheless, I've made it. Welcome to the 100th post here at A Walk on the Wiles Side. Oh, but that's not all, it is also the Happy Easter post, as well as marking the one year anniversary of me not smoking, Yeah, exactly 365 days ago, right about this time of day in fact, was the last time I smoked a cigarette. I still miss it nearly every fucking day, if you're interested, but I have done it. At some point I will probably have to smoke one to prove to myself that I really have quit, and yes I do realize the risk of becoming hooked again, but it is something I'll need to do.

I had hoped to do a little synopsis on the future of my sketchblog, but it is Easter, and nearly dinner time with the family, so I think I'll have to let it slide for now, and bring you up to date real soon. Besides, I see it as important enough that it should have its own post. So until then, I wish you and yours a very Happy Easter, and I'll see you soon.

Cheers!

The Real Post #99: Octopus Barista

Jumping Jehoshaphat! I've been sitting on this one for quite awhile. I was looking through some piles of loose sketches and what not, when lo and behold I found this one. It's dated 2007, and I don't recall why I never posted it. I probably wasn't pleased with it at the time. There really isn't a deep story behind the inspiration, but I think it was simply an image that came into my head one day in a super busy coffee shop.

Just a reminder that this will be the last post before the big ol' milestone 100th post. I've got a couple of projects going right now, so it may take a while, because the idea I have in mind for it will be a lot more involved than a typical post. I'm just sayin'.

See you soon.

Post # 100? . . . Not so fast, Monty!

Jeepers! Here I was all set to celebrate my 100th blog post on A Walk on the Wiles Side, but fortunately I decided to double check my math, in other words, I seem to be a few posts short. The funny thing about Blogger is that it counts the drafts as actual posts, even though they have ever been published. I'm actually okay with this situation because it offers me a chance to do something spectacular in the near future, although I'm not ready to divulge the details yet. Incidentally, I have a couple of projects to get done this week, and my motto is: Paying gigs come first. In the meantime this is the old version of the 100th post, but it is actually only post #98, so it kind of loses its luster. Anyway, I'll see you soon for the real post #100.

-Cheers!

Post # 99: A Full Page!

Hey kids, welcome to post #99, this one is a bit of a rarity, it is the full page. Usually when I'm sketching I make many false steps and bungles—which is fine, that is the idea behind sketching. Anyway, while there are some times when I can use these flubs to my advantage, or at least repair them, many are just a blight on the page, and I usually scan around them. Well, here is a full page which, for the most part, I am quite pleased with, or at least I think all of these doodles are interesting. Another point about doing the whole page is that it shows how my mind works, or at least how it skips around like a little school girl. Okay, am I the only one that got a mental image of a brain dressed in a school girl uniform skipping down the street? Wow! That sounded kind of creepy. Anyway, here we have a general cartoon head study, a stylized Pixie Kitchen, which was a really neat restaurant that was an icon on the Central Oregon Coast when I was a youngster. This is followed by a rather swishy looking Space Marshall having a space cocktail, then an atomic ray gun, a shrunken head, a puffed up puffer fish, and then a flurry of tiki elements. Alright, that's it for now, next up will be the very spectacular 100th post here at A Walk on the Wiles Side.
-Cheers!

Post # 98 After a Slight Delay, the Countdown Continues . . .

Yes, I'm back kids, been doing lots of stuff, some of it more fun than others. Without boring you silly (if it isn't already too late) I have been trying to organize things a little better so that I can get regular blog posts up without sacrificing business time, and vice versa.

These are just some sketches from my newsprint sketch pad: First up is a cordial looking retro fellow with a broom, followed by a gay actor with a pipe from the 60's and a nakey gal—sometimes there really is no explanation for some of the images that come out of my head. Finally we have a smoking guy with a guit-fiddle, which I think comes form me missing smoking so much lately. I quit back in April, and I've been doing really good, but I seem to be missing it an awful lot lately. Okay, that's it for now, but post # 99 will be coming soon, and then, by golly, something special for post # 100. Woo-Hoo!

Post #97: Just Playing with Colors and Whatnot.

Hey kids! Don't be alarmed, I'm just playing around with some colors and the header banner, because I want to make some changes for the new year, and also to celebrate my 100th blog post here on A Walk On The Wiles Side. So check back soon for that, only 3 more to go.

-Cheers!

Blonde in White Knickers

This is just something that ran through my head the other day and I managed to capture her on paper. It's a cute little blonde in white frilly briefs and a skull T-shirt. I've included the initial rough sketch, and a more refined ink and marker rendition. At some point I may do a polished, digital version, or I may just leave her as is.

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Funny Stuff : Free Mattress

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, with the holidays and whatnot I've just had too many things going at once. Anyway, I've started walking for at least a half hour every single day this year (although I did miss last Friday to be honest). Nevertheless, a couple of streets over I found the inspiration for today's sketch: a lumpy, mismatched, piss-stained mattress and box springs "set" that someone had put in front of their house with a hand lettered FREE sign on it. When I first noticed this astounding treasure, we had been having somewhat of a dry patch, but it began to rain shortly after, and now it has been thoroughly soaked with rain, although I would imagine it has diluted the urine a bit. I was just by there this evening, and someone has flipped it over now, so that it just lies in the parking area in front of the house. I'll keep you posted on how long before someone hauls it off, or maybe it will just rot in place.

* Update February 24, 2010
I walked by earlier this afternoon and noticed that the set is now gone without a trace. At one point several weeks ago someone had propped them back up to their original position, although the sign had been removed (but I'm sure you could have haggled for it). Of course, it's too late now, you missed your chance. I don't have an exact time lapse but I would say it sat out for about 7 -8 weeks at least.