"Gridiron"

"Gridiron" / 11 x 17" / acrylic & ink on paper

Believe it or not, I've been a football fan since childhood. I was raised in a football household, in a football neighborhood, in a football town. I even played for a season in high school. That is, if you consider sitting on the bench for all but one play at the end of a blow-out game "playing."

So it's no surprise that my love of American "Gridiron" Football has found further expression in my illustrations. I've had a lot of fun with this subject matter. Especially during the 2011-2012 NFL season, which found me doing color drawings & rough sketches in friends' homes & sports bars around the Greater Los Angeles area. With today's piece, I wanted to delve back into that world... to sink the viewers into the mud & torn up turf, the noise & spectacle... the relative calm before the storm of 22 men in pads stomping the living snot out of each other, all in an attempt to get 15oz of inflated leather across their opponent's goal line.

- Dave C.

"Fang"

"Fang" / 14 x 17" / acrylic & ink on bristol board

This week's set of drawings kicks off with one of my Dangerous Women and her savage beastie friend. I may never tire of drawing and painting these deadly darlings. Nothing gives me quite the same kick that I get from scribbling out this kind of subject matter.

Today's illustration actually began as a super rough sketch -- done with a highlighter, of all things. But something about it captured my imagination, instantly bringing the word "fang" to mind. One light table session and several ounces of ink later, the above image was complete, dry & ready for the scanner!

- Dave C.

"Eclipsed"

"Eclipsed" / 12 x 17" / acrylic & ink on bristol board 

Today's piece includes several of my favorite subjects to draw -- strange travelers, wild nature & a harbinger of doom! And what says "doom" quite like a tentacled, smoke-spewing behemoth, that's big enough to block out the sun?!

At the start of this one, I was taken by the idea of two voyagers meeting on the coast. One, somewhat human. The other, monstrous & otherworldly. Something about this drawing harkens back to "Wayfarer" for me (from the previous series). But who knows? Maybe the human traveler in this illustration is here to stop this gigantic evil. I guess we'll just have to wait and see....

This marks the end of the first week of Series 4. I hope you've enjoyed the art I've posted so far. Have a fantastic weekend, wherever you are. And be sure to tune in Monday for the next installment of Alphabet Attack!

- Dave C.

"Dissuasion"

"Dissuasion" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper 

Today's illustration is dedicated to "the better angels of our nature." Those forces whom aim to turn us away from our own self destruction, whether we realize it or not. As with the previous pieces in this series, the whole noir bar scene popped into my head, as soon as I knew what word I'd be illustrating. 

I'm having fun shooting from the hip, so to speak, in Series 4. Going back to the Monday through Friday format makes for an interesting time challenge. But I dig how it's inspiring me to make faster decisions, both in choosing my subject matter and my actual mark-making.

- Dave C.

"Cestus"

"Cestus" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper

The cestus (kes-tuss) is an ancient ancestor of the modern day boxing glove. Used by The Greeks & The Romans, it was battle glove, typically tricked out with such brutal accoutrements as metal plates, spikes & blades. Yeesh... and you thought MMA fights were rough. Imagine Kimbo Slice coming down on somebody with one of these!

When I knew I was doing "Cestus" for The Letter C, this image immediately sprung to mind. I'm always stoked to illustrate a strong female going ballistic on a larger, monstrous opponent. Especially, when the chump is getting a bit too grabby for her taste.

- Dave C.

"Balustrade"

"Balustrade" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper 

I don't know what it is about it, but I'm especially fond of the word "balustrade." And I'm even more fond of swashbuckling sword fights, where heroes leap atop a balustrade & deal razor-sharp vengeance upon their enemies!

- Dave C.

"Arabica"

"Arabica" / 9 x 12" / acrylic & ink on paper 

Here we go again! Welcome to Series 4 of my daily illustration blog, Alphabet Attack! I'm kicking off this run with a piece dedicated to that most magical beverage -- coffee!

I've been a fan of the bitter brown, since I was a wee boy. My late, Southern Baptist grandmother used to make instant coffee in a battered, stainless steel saucepan, then temper it with a splash of condensed milk. And while I don't remember how old I was when she finally allowed me to take a sip of it, I do know I was hooked from that very first taste.

Nowadays, I tend to take my coffee black. But even with sugar & cream -- be it dark roast or light beans -- a hot cup of coffee makes my morning quite supreme!

- Dave C.