The Site Moved!!
click here… rickdrawsthings.com
From now on, everything will be posted to the new site.
However, until I find a way to successfully transfer everything
from WordPress to Tumblr, everything that is on this site will remain here.
By the way, thanks for visiting!
Merry Christmas!
I have been quite distracted and busy with the hustle and bustle of the holidays and have been slacking on this blog, so I promised myself I will be getting back on track shortly.
Until I get back on track, I wanted to post this in the mean-time. This is a drawing I made for my grandparents a long time ago which my dad found in their house. If I had to guess, I would say this is probably from 3rd or 4th grade. I thought it was quite fitting to put it up, as my Christmas drawing.
A few interesting points about this drawing:
1. I clearly hated wasting time coloring things in with my Magic Markers, because everything is either an outline, or a lazy scribble.
2. I didn’t understand the concept of erasing the pencil lines once I went over them in marker. (Evident in Santa’s torso. He went from slim to massive)
3. My obsession with basketball was obviously starting, since Santa’s rocking some kick-ass Nikes.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
Magnet Monday #3
I have no idea who in my family acquired this magnet or when they did, because I myself have never been to Texas before. However it’s been on our fridge for many years, and was hand-painted, which automatically makes it interesting to me.
The Snowy Day
Being that winter is officially in full-force here in Cleveland, this seemed fitting for today.
The Snowy Day is by Ezra Jack Keats, and is another classic children’s picture-book. It received the Caldecott Award in 1963, and it definitely deserved it. At that time, most picture-books were dominated by caucasian characters and families; and this book helped break that color barrier with the main character being a young African American boy. This story focuses on the simple joy and wonder that fills Peter’s imagination on the first snow of the year. As a kid I used to always love reading this story in the winter, because it made me want to go outside and do all of the things Peter does (snowball fights, snowmen, snowangels, footprints, etc.). I also remember how fascinated I was with the cut-paper style illustrations Keats created. I can’t help but think picture-books are one of the main reasons I became an artist.
As we get older, the joy of snowfall starts to diminish, as it becomes more of a burden than a surprise. We hear so many people complaining all the time about winter conditions and how they hate the cold when in reality if we all acted more like Peter, we could enjoy ourselves, as well as the beauty of the natural world. In my opinion, I would much rather have all 4 seasons than never get to see any snow at all. I don’t know call me crazy, or just call me Peter.
The Little House
In my opinion (and many other people’s), one of the greatest picture-books ever is The Little House, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. It won the Caldecott Award back in 1943, and rightfully so. The book revolves around the concept of urban sprawl, as the house starts off in the country and eventually watches the city grow around it. The house loses it’s identity in the business of the city, and eventually they move the house back out to the country where it once again feels right where it belongs. Burton’s illustrations are as perfectly fitting as possible, as she leaves the house in the center of the page’s composition throughout the entire story.
Berry Surprising…
Recently, while killing time on Twitter, I saw that a buddy of mine, Matt Kowalski (a.k.a. @MKowalksi328) was following someone called @OMGFacts. I was very happy to learn that they post interesting or hard-to-believe facts everyday. I love randomness. So thanks Matt, for indirectly introducing me to OMGFacts, because I’m sure I will be illustrating more of them in the future.
Magnet Monday #2
For the second installment of Magnet Monday, I chose this old Kelleys Island magnet. Haven’t been there in a while, and drawing this made me think of how much I love it there. The overall vibe of the place is amazing; everyone is very welcoming, laid back and seemingly unconcerned with the typical stress of daily life. I’ve been there a handful of times for camping trips, as well as with my family. My favorite memory of the Island is renting bicycles and riding around all day, getting totally lost and enjoying every minute of it. The place is beautiful; I need to go back ASAP.
Vinyl-DMC
At my grandparents house there was box of records which my grandpa took from someone who was just going to throw them away. Boy am I glad they weren’t tossed. In the random collection ended up being some gems. Being that one of my favorite aspects of music is the artwork, I find records (and their massive album covers) absolutely fascinating. My favorites out the bunch were the Run-DMC vinyls.
I love the song “Hit It Run”, so for some reason I felt the urge to recreate the B-Side of the “You Be Illin” 12″ Single for today’s drawing. Clearly it’s nothing to brag about, but I was just caught up in the Run-DMC vibe tonight.
Here is a video of Run-DMC performing “Hit It Run” on Soul Train.
Something that stands out to me about this video, is that in the post-performance interview, Run is asked “What is the key to Run-DMC’s popularity?” and his very simple response is “We work hard, and we love each other.” Now if you ask one of these MTV over-ego rappers that very question nowadays, more likely than not, they would respond with some outlandishly arrogant or conceited answer. Just another reason why I love the 80′s.
AIDS Day 2009
Today is World AIDS Day 2009. The National Aids Trust (NAT) has a current campaign titled Respect & Protect, which caught my eye on Google. Its founded on the idea that by respecting and protecting ourselves and others we can stop the spread of HIV and end HIV prejudice.
I’ll be the first to admit I am not extremely knowledgeable on HIV, however there are a few statistics that stood out to me as being overwhelming. One of them is the simple fact that over two million children under the age of 15 now live with the virus. Also, the majority of people with AIDS are not even being treated. With AIDS awareness growing in the past years, it is good to know people are doing their part to help Respect & Protect.
Click here to visit the NAT’s official site.
Magnet Monday #1
Ever since I was a kid my family has collected magnets from places we visit, events we attend, or other various happenings. We have developed quite the collection, and I thought I would pay homage to them by starting Magnet Mondays. I will draw a different magnet from our collection every Monday.
I began the series with a classic tourist slogan, Virginia Is For Lovers. My mom’s cousins live down near Williamsburg, VA, and we always used to go down and visit them every summer on their farm. I think being exposed to the southern hospitality, positive outlook, and country-lifestyle is what made me appreciate the important things in life at a young age. Simply put, I love Virginia.
…and just in case anyone from Hill Pleasant Farm is reading this; HEY GUYS!!
Magnet Monday's Inspiration...
Thanksgiving Throwback
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.
Recently, my dad found this Thanksgiving card I made for my grandparents over at their house. I’m guessing that this is from either second or third grade. I love looking at my old drawings, not only does it give me motivation to keep improving, but a lot of them are simply funny.
There are a number of things I find humorous about these drawings, which is why I wanted to share them…
1. Looney Tunes’ influence is already evident in my drawings at this age. (Hence the turkey’s expression)
2. The cleaver the turkey is scared of is a little intense for a kid’s imagination. (Not only is the blade dripping blood, but the tree stump is blood-stained as well.)
3. I clearly wasn’t in the mood to color the sky very thoroughly.
4. The second drawing sums up the “Story-book” idea they try to teach kids, totally sheltering them from the truth about Native Americans. But when you’re a kid, you believe what adults tell you, especially when they are teachers.
5. I obviously only knew how to draw t-shirts. Seeing as though both the pilgrim and the Indian are wearing them.
6. Crayola Magic Markers 8-packs don’t exactly give you skin-tones.
7. Apparently Indians greeted one another in English.
8. The Indian’s hairstyle is an exact replica of the character Bebop’s hair from Ninja Turtles (mohawk/pony-tail combo)
9. I’ve got to give myself credit for drawing a pretty damn good rifle.
Recession Rhymin’
My friend, and very talented hip-hop artist, Mike Wood (a.k.a. Loki) is releasing his debut solo album very shortly. Today, while working on the album artwork, I was listening to his song “Recession“, which in my opinion, has some of the best rhymes he’s written. After listening to it on repeat, I went ahead and drew this.
Sir Marks-A-Lot
I had 15 minutes to kill, so I drew the marker that was sitting on my desk.
Movin’ On Up
This is the refrain from a hip-hop song titled “Crabbuckit” by Canadian rapper K-Os. I really like how unique his style is, not to mention his positive outlook on life. A link to the music video for this song is below…
Dee-licious
I’ve always loved Faygo, just about any flavor is good, in my opinion. Anything this cheap and this good is definitely “GENUINE” and “DEE-LICIOUS” as the can boasts.
Traditional Practice
I was using this notepad for some notes, when I realized how sweet the logo is on top of it. So I took a quick stab [or three] at it.
Let it burn.
Eligh, from the hip-hop crew Living Legends, released an album today titled Gandalf’s Beat Machine Level 3. It was a digital release only, so since I need the CDs I purchase to travel with me, I had to burn a copy. The music is way too dope to just quickly scribble the name of it on the CD, so I decided to start drawing. I love the tag he uses for his name, so I wanted to try my hand at it. I also used the eye logo which is reoccurring on his albums.Didn’t exactly turn out like I would have liked, but that’s the result of Sharpies being permanent.
The album is over an hour of instrumental beats, which are incredible. I will be listening to it ALOT especially while I’m drawing; so it’s only fitting it’s on here. If you are a fan of very prolific, soundscape-esque hip-hop beats…buy this!
Butters
South Park is my favorite TV show, period. I’ve been obsessed with it since 5th grade, and it only gets better. My favorite character is Stan, however a close second is Butters. He is the most naive, harmless kid on the show; and for that reason, anything he says is priceless. On tonight’s episode he was arguing with Wendy, when he dropped this line on her. It caught me off guard and I laughed hysterically. I grabbed my sketchbook soon after.
If you are unfamiliar with Butters, or love Butters, watch this video..
Swangin’
Since my last drawing, a lot has happened. My grandfather passed away, I moved out of my apartment, and my car has been in the shop twice. Needless to say, I haven’t had a chance to draw as much as usual. Today, I finished setting up my home office, and have finally gotten back to the drawing board (literally). I have a list of things I plan to draw, and I look forward to knocking them off one by one.
Think Pink
Saw an episode of The Pink Panther on Boomerang this afternoon, it reminded me how much I love the cartoon.
Swine Flu
Damn it Porky, cover your big-ass nose when you sneeze. Look at what you started.
October
I saw a ton of Halloween decorations when I was driving today, so I’m not surprised that when I sat down to draw tonight this was the result.
Carried Away
I have a lot of different favorites when it comes to hip-hop, however none rank higher than the People Under The Stairs. I have been listening to them for about 5 years now, and if I knew any better before 2004, it would be even longer than that. They have been around for over a decade, in which they have dropped 7 full length albums. The most recent of which was released last Tuesday, titled Carried Away. I anxiously pre-ordered the album in September, yet thanks to slow shipping I didn’t receive it until this morning. After first listen I am more than satisfied, and looking forward to bumping the CD relentlessly for a while. Another classic release to add to the growing PUTS collection. The lettering they have for the album has intrigued me ever since I saw it; so it’s only fitting I recreate it tonight.
Blog Action Day!
Today is Blog Action Day 2009!
“Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be one of the largest-ever social change events on the web.”
After reading up on this year’s topic, Climate Change, I decided to make my contribution a drawing, being that I speak better through my drawings than my words. In my research on the topic, I came across many surprising facts. One statistic that stood out to me was the one that sparked (and is displayed in) the drawing below (click the picture to view a larger size)…
Click here, for a list of other things you can do at home to help do your part!
The Derivative
One of my favorite rappers for the past 5 years or so is Evidence, of Dilated Peoples. This line is from a song on Dilated’s classic album, The Platform, called “The Last Line of Defense”. Recently Evidence signed a deal with my favorite record company, Rhymesayers Ent., and needless to say I cannot wait for his next release, Cats & Dogs.
Click here to listen to “The Last Line of Defense” on Youtube.
Night Owl
A few days ago I drew a line from a new Horrorshow song, and since then I have purchased their album on itunes and have been listening to it relentlessly. I can’t give these guys enough praise; they are hip-hop in it’s purest form. This drawing is a line from the song “Truth Be Told”, from their new album.
“Let the truth be told up in your ear; from around the corner to around the globe, to both hemispheres” – Solo
Play it by h[ear]t
A few months ago I came across a hip-hop group from Canada called Notes To Self, I have been listening to their album on constant rotation ever since. This line is from their song “Jetlagged”, which is about relationships. When I heard it for the first time, it really stayed with me, because I too play it by heart.
Must Mute TV
Watching the Cavs game tonight, I was subject to many poor commercials. It motivated this list.
Big Drank
Sitting on a couch, drinking a big cup lead to sitting on couch, drawing a big cup.
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