Latest Posts by patrickelvinart - Page 9

Black sharpie in my moleskin

Earwax cafe Chicago, 2000

Is the Earwax cafe still open? Anyone in Chicago? I used to go there and drink esspresso coffee and doodle in my moleskin.

Sipping a warm cup of coffee while just outside there'd be a raging cold midwestern blizzard. I loved Chicago.

Earwax Cafe, Chicago

from my moleskine

Earwax Cafe, Chicago 2000

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Cast your fate to the wind

Cast your fate to the wind - Shelby Flint

"The empty sky is my best friend."

Occationally in this dear life there comes a moment when we can either sit tight and watch, or stand up and throw ourselves head long into the chaos.

Daily drawing

4B pencil on watercolor paper

Calbayog City, Philippines, 2024

"Into the mystic" Van Morrison

Let me tell you a story.

We used to live in Los Angeles California.

I loved Southern California but one day in 2020 I was driving home from work listening to an NPR discussion about the war in Ukraine and at one point one of the panelists asked,

"What should the US do if Putin decides to use nuclear weapons?"

(!)

True story.

When I got home I told my wife I was going to quit my job and that we were going to the Philippines.

And she said,

"Great."

We had been planning this for a while so she was happy to hear I had finally decided to make the move. We had a house waiting for us. And family. We were only staying in LA for my work But my work had suddenly become not worth it.

So.. We packed up our kids and left.

Just like that.

Into the mystic.

Precious cargo. Sunset over Negros Occidental, Philippines.

pencil drawing in my Moleskin

Calbayog City 2024

For the past two days I've been playing with the zygomatic process. It gives some drama to a drawing. And I've always thought it had the coolest name in all of human anatomy.

This morning as I lay with my wife she thought I was massaging her head. And I was. But I was also appreciating her zygomatic process.

pencil drawing in my Moleskin

Calbayog City 2024

The fallen fruit

black sharpie

Los Angeles 2017

The things that we are not allowed to talk about are pretty much always true. Prove me wrong. Likewise, fruit is sweetest just when it is about to fall.

If Eve had waited for the apple to fall would she still have sinned?

colored pencil and symmetry

Los Angeles 2015

The Crystal Ship

Before you slip into unconsciousness

I'd like to have another kiss

Another flashing chance at bliss

Another kiss

The days are bright and filled with pain

Enclose me in your gentle reign

The time you ran was too insane

We'll meet again

We'll meet again

Jim Morrison, The Doors

The Crystal Ship

The Doors

black sharpie on paper

Calbayog City 2024

Let me show you something cool.

Of all my artwork my 8 year old son likes this style the most. He's also an artist and my biggest critic so in the spirit of playing to the audience I've starting a new one (pictured above) just for him. I'm a few hours into it and it looks pretty good so far. Adding the color takes some time and a lot of thinking so this piece won't be done for a while but in the mean I ike the mosaic just on its own.

Let me show you something cool. Look what happens to this drawing if you inverse the colors and show it next to it's own inverted image. Click to expand.

I wish I could make a big poster of that.

colored pencil on paper.

Los Angeles CA 2018

I had that dream again last night.

I dream I'm in a differen city looking for a place to live. I'm alone, searching with this longing feeling deep in my soul.

I've been having this dream for years.

When I wake up I'm so relieved.

colored pencil

Los Angeles CA 2018

colored pencil on paper.

Los Angeles CA 2018

colored pencil on paper.

Los Angeles CA 2018

pencil and watercolor

Calbayog City 2024

Daily drawing.

The masters make it all look so easy. Drives me nuts. 🤣

6B pencil in my Moleskin

Calbayog City 2024

In that case

Black sharpie on cardboard reverse image

Monrovia 1997

1997 was a pivotal year for me.

1997 was the year I handed my resignation letter to my asshole boss.

When I handed it to him you want to know what he did?

He quietly read my letter then he looked up and became furious and screamed,

"Well, in that case YOU'RE FIRED!!!"

I kid you not.

In my life there was a before and there has been an after to that moment.

Calbayog City 2024

black sharpie

Hollywood CA 2019

A couple more older drawings just because they're cool.

This morning my eight year old son Sean told me matter of factly, "Frogs can jump higher than the Eiffel Tower."

"No they can't." I said.

"But dad," he said starting to laugh, "the Eiffel Tower can't jump."

Moments like these I just sit back and take it.

Presently he controlled his laugh and asked me,

"Daddy, do you know why dinosaurs don't eat fish?

He looked at me innocently.

"No." I said and braced myself.

"Cuz they're dead!"

He's holding his sides laughing.

We were in my office. I was working on a drawing. He sat down on the floor and began playing with his legos.

Presently he looked up at me and asked, "Daddy, are the suction cups on octopus tentacles like plungers?"

I paused for a moment to take in that image.

"Yah," I said, "pretty much so."

"They don't let in the air." he said knowingly like he'd already figured this one out. Then he stopped and thought for a moment like wait a second..

"Daddy," he asked me, "is there air in water?"

"Well, yah," I said, "There is air disolved in water."

"Then why can't we breath under water?" He asked.

Hmmm.. That's actually a good question. How can I explain..

My mind raced for a moment considering semi-permeable membranes, concentration gradients, oxygen partial pressure, selective transport, hemoglobin binding capacity.. and..

I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

That shit's over.

"Little dude, we're in the Philippines now." I laughed. "Go ask an octopus."

"Hey dad." He said after a moment. "Do you know why the skeleton didn't climb he mountain."

I braced mysef.

"Cuz he didn't have the guts." He said. Running away laughing.

Calbayog City 2024

black sharpie

Hollywood CA 2019

Mountain woman

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City 2024

I've settled into a routine of drawing every morning. When I start a new drawing, I'm always fearful of failure, but usually something comes out of it. My wife says this drawing looks like one of the tribal women who live up in the mountains here in the Philippines. I wasn't trying to draw that, but I'll take it. Actually, I'm just trying to learn how to draw faces. And play with composition. This drawing looks a bit cartoonish, but I like where we're going.

pencil drawing on watercolor paper

Calbayog City 2024

I just drew this about 30 minutes ago. I know it's not a finished complete drawing but its finished enough that she's talking to me. And I'm listening to her.

I think I'm going to listen to her for a while. Tomorrow is another day.

Update:

I worked on her some more. She's still only half done but she's still talking to me so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. And it's dinner time.

A young woman with a hair barrette

Pencil drawing, Calbayog City, 2024

I kid you not, I think about those guys on the HMS Bounty, a lot.

They had been on Tahiti for six months, living with the Tahitians in what must have been, for them, paradise. And then suddenly Captain Bligh told them they had to pack up and sail back to England.

I would have mutinied too!!

Tahiti

pencil drawing, Calbayog City, 2024

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A Young Filipina

pencil drawing on watercolor paper

Calbayog City 2024

The Philippines and the Filipino people are so beautiful. If you ever visit the Philippines come to the provinces. Life out here is simple and natural. I love it.

I'm doing my pencil drawings on watercolor paper. It gives them a rich texture and it allows me to work them heavily with the eraser.

I took two pictures of this drawing. I can't decide which one to post so I'll post both

Colored pencil plus

Los Angeles 2015

I did the drawing then, I confess, I photocopied it and played with the color a bit then I pasted a mirror image of it back onto itself. It's kind of a mess. But also it's kind of fun. Like my life. Hahaha

Inverse color

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City 2024

There is thar moment when the drawing looks back at me. I love that.

Later.

I worked it a bit more. I'm going to leave it here.

Pencil drawing in my Moleskin

Los Angeles 2023

When I draw a face it's like meeting a new person.

ballpoint pen on paper

UCLA 1976

Here's a real old one. I never give out personal demographics just for safety reasons however, I drew this little drawing in 1976 while sitting in the back row half listening to my college chemistry professor. Do the math.

colored pencil & pen, Los Angeles 2016

I'm a big admirer of Paul Klee.

I don't think Klee ever used this motif but as I drew this I was thinking about him.

Embrionic Journey - Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane)

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The Boatman #3

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City, Samar 2024

I'm seriously thinking about adding color to this one.....

The Boatman

pencil drawing on watercolor paper

Calbayog City 2024

This is a second attempt at this drawing. I'm still too shy to add color. But black and white is cool for now.

The Boatman (detail)

Music - Bhagavan Das

pencil drawing on watercolor paper

Calbayog City 2024

I did this drawing yesterday on watercolor paper with the idea that I was going to paint it. I still might paint it but.... for now I just want to look at it and think.

I got the idea for the drawing from the photo below. I took this photo with my cell phone a few days ago on my way to the market. This will give you an idea of where I live. It's so beautiful here.

pencil drawing in my Moleskin

Calbayog City 2024

We are reborn in our children.

pencil drawing in my Moleskine

Calbayog City 2024

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going home

colored pencil and pen on paper

Los Angeles 2018

"The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everyone rushes around in a great panic as if it is necessary to achieve something beyond themselves."

-- Alan Watts

colored pencil and ballpoint pen

Los Angeles 2018

black sharpie

Hollywood 2018

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Pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City 2024

"He not busy being born is busy dying." - Bob Dylan

If I were to die and come back again I would come back as a French Impressionist.

My artwork has changed a lot in the past five years. I'm currentltly exploring color. Concider me a work in progress.

Colored pencil on watercolor paper

Calbayog City 2024

I live in a small city on an island in the Philippines. We own an old two story building with a store on the first floor facing the street. We live on the second floor. In our bedroom we have a huge bed where we all sleep, my wife, myself and our two children, lying together Filipino stye. The second floor has a long balcony that wraps around three sides of the building. We have the balcony filled with potted plants. My wife hangs our clothes out to dry on the balcony. The colorful clothing gently blowing in the wind is beautiful. This morning I sat out on the balcony with my coffee and watched the sun rise.

colored pencil on paper inverse imae

Calbayog City 2024

Simple life

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City 2024

Everywhere I look in the Philippines there are women holding young children. It's so beautiful.

Some thoughts:

I had an art teacher once who told me to work fast. So I work fast. When I draw it's a battle between the pencil and the eraser. I draw and erase and draw and erase. What's left on the page is "the drawing." I had another art teacher once who said "I like to draw a lot of lines because I know at least one of them will be right." I think about that when I draw.

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City 2024

Mommy outside the store yesterday

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City 2024

Day to day living

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City 2024

pencil drawing Calbayog City 2024

Pencil drawing Calbayog City 2024

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Pedro UK - Searching for light

I've been doing music video artwork for my friend Pedro UK. Some of them have turned out nicely. Pedro UK's music is great as well. The drawings are all done with pen and colored pencil. I used 'Paint' to assemble the covers. Tumblr only lets me upload one video per post so I uploaded Pedro's song "Then 2" (below). The other videos are uploaded on YouTube.

While we're on the subject, if anyone knows anyone who needs cover artwork done for video's or CD's I'm open for business.

Cheers.

Pedro UK - Then 2 first mix

Pedro UK - Mother

Pedro UK - Lockdown Sessions

Pedro UK - Lockdown Sessions

black sharpie on bond paper

San Francisco 2003

I spent Christmas 2003 with some friends in San Francisco. They lived in this big two-hundred-year-old house that sat on the prison grounds of San Quentin penitentiary. It's a long story actually but what I remember most was the bed. The guest room of the house had this large old four posted wooden bed frame with the softest thickest most wonderful mattress I have ever slept on in my entire life. I will never forget the moment when I laid down and sank into the loving folds of that luxurious mattress. I felt embraced by softness, and I fell asleep as if floating on a cloud.

When I awoke the next morning I was amazed at the time. I had slept through the entire night without waking up once. I felt wonderfully refreshed.

After breakfast I sat down with my sharpie and drew both of these drawings in a single sitting.

black sharpie on bond paper

San Francisco 2003