Cowboy Snowman

Chester County and the surrounding megalopolis are gearing up for an anticipated big snow event starting Friday evening. The chatter has been heavy in the West Chester area about sledding, snowmen and more.

West Chester's John Young, always scheming, dreamed up a Snowman Rodeo with the idea of  building an army or calvary (or cavalcade?) of snowmen this weekend and needed a cowboy snowman for his flyer.

Luckily I was using a tool for work that takes an incredibly long time to save database changes. So each time I saved, I worked on my cowboy - gunslinger snowman. I added a goatee after realizing I forgot to leave space for the requested mustache. Maybe it will help appeal to West Chester hipsters.

For more Snowman Rodeo info (which will include camping out at Snowman Rodeo HQ (West Chester Scoop) and enjoying hot cocoa, movies, and shrinky dinks, click here and/or follow @tikaro.

Archives: Teacher's Pencil Holder Still Life (1982)

Another one from the high school public speaking class journal at Henderson High School. This was the teacher's pencil holder. Her name was Joan Robinson-Metz. I'm pretty sure it was wrapped in a carpet material or something similar.

Archives: For All The Stars In Heaven (1982)

Kristen got me thinking about diaries or 'journals' as we of journalistic integrity would call them. I did a quick basement dig through the bin of high school stuff. It contains all the important stuff that I knew would be needed in the future (like now when I haven't had time to work on some drawings-in-the-works).

Scanning through my journals I'm surprised at the lack of doodles and drawings. I appear to have been spending most of my efforts on actual writing since, I guess, that's how I envisioned myself at the time.

This standard webbed aluminum chaise lawn chair drawing was found in my journal for my public speaking class in the spring of my senior year in high school.

The quote is, of course, from Queen's "Long Away".

Thanks, Tanya: Tried to open the pickle jar

Over the summer I received a few emails from Tanya C, a 13 year old, who said she enjoyed my drawings. She said she had even done a 'mcglinch-inspired' drawing of her own:

The theme is "Tried to open the pickle jar"
And the guy's all bruised up and pickles on the floor!
You've given me so much insperation.
So i'm letting you know that.Because for sure,people might say my pictures are different but they're good.

She took a photo of her drawing with her mom's cell phone and eventually got her mother's permission for me to post it here.

So, thanks, Tanya for the kind words and most of all, the great work! Thanks for sharing and enjoy your Thanksgiving wherever you are!

Creepy Postcard Dude

Drawn on the back of a postcard to my buddy, The Strapper.

Hot Rod Turtles

Was talking with my sister-in-law yesterday and she gave me the update on my 4-year-old nephew's new turtle, Henry (or Henrietta as it may turn out) - a near-road-kill rescue by her husband. I threatened to send my nephew a paint and decal turtle decoration kit. Instead I doodled these while waiting for my own boy after soccer.

Tattoo You

Sometimes I get requests to use my drawings and doodles on other people's blogs or in their newsletters and usually I say, "Sure, thanks for asking." Occasionally, I'll say to 'no' when it's a for-profit site or journal unless they want to pay. And most times people don't even ask.

Recently, I received a request for permission to use one of my drawings as a tattoo. I've had requests before asking me if I'd draw something specifically for a tattoo and failed to execute for one reason or another. This recent request was from a woman who wanted to use this dragon but wanted me to add some stuff to it. Unfortunately I was (and have been) socked in on food data work and told her to go ahead and use it and get someone to modify it if she wanted.

Last night she sent me a photo of the freshly-inked work. Looks a little sore but looks cool.

I know with the death of Mary Travers today, I should post "Puff The Magic Dragon" to go with this but, really, I can't stand that song. So here's a favorite Spoon song:

One More Encounter From First Encounter Beach, Cape Cod

Sea monster-armed ventriloquisty guy camped out on First Encounter Beach this summer on Cape Cod. Last summer we came upon this other clown-faced boy.

This one goes out to 13-year-old Tanya C who wrote me this summer and sent one of her mcglinch-inspired drawings, which, if her mom says it's "OK' I'll post up here for you.

Jellyfish Tar Blob Creature

Another vacation doodle leftover। Some tar blobby jelly fish creature.

[Vectorized in Illustrator and now available on a shirt - any style]

Watchful Jellyfish Blob Creature by mcglinch
View more Jellyfish T-Shirts

Hoisting a Monster Claw

We were working out the best ways to lift the toe of some lake monster that one of the kids found while snorkeling around the pond last week.

CupCake Head

Have been immersed in the food world lately so I have cupcakes and other treats on the brain. Which reminds me of the Spinal Tap tune, Cups And Cakes.

Tied Up Man Drawing on Silly Putty Transfer

I've been doing a lot of research lately and conference calls and the Silly Putty comes in handy as a stress ball substitute. Actually, it's more than a stress ball substitute -- it's far better. Silly Putty has way more functionality: stretching, snapping, shaping, melting, and image transferring.

Drew this guy last night as a call ended and did a transfer with my very old, dust-filled, Silly Putty ball this morning when I was on the phone again.

Atlas under city

Drew this up a week or two ago and finessed (or messed) it tonight in illustrator and photoshop. What does it mean? I don't know. Maybe it's the next album cover. (click for bigger image)

Dog Licker

 

The product of conference calls and taking breaks while writing docs over the last two days.

impatient chair guy

 

For being laid off, I still don't have a lot of time to draw. Pieced this together throughout the day between other tasks.

Turtle Head on Wheels

I think I did this on an Amtrak to or from New York City on a business trip for the old job back in September -- I get to call it that now: "old". I think I had those Art Instruction Schools commercials in my head -- where you draw Tippy The Turtle and a pirate and they tell you how good you are. I actually filled one of those out when I was in elementary school.

Archives: Surf's Up

Another old sketchbook find. My room-mate and our pals were surfer dudes. Back in the free-wheeling single days, I'd spend some evenings practicing drawing/painting in our South Street apartment ball point pen sketching surfer pix by eye out of his surfer mags then painting them in with acrylic. I used to make birthday cards and post cards out of them. These two never made it out of the sketchbook.

The Year Ahead Is This Big

A quick diversion from the Twilight Zone marathon. Happy New Year to all.

Skull & Two-Legged Cat

No reason behind today's rough sketch. Some coffee stains on a crinkled piece of paper. Last sheet in the pad. Didn't like the feel of the pencil on the paper. I've been trying these Bic Pencils but they're a shade harder than the old reliable PaperMate pencils. Got frustrated and just blew off the cat's rear legs. He'll deal with it, dragging himself around where he needs to be.

Congestion

Spent Thanksgiving on my mother-in-law's couch watching The Godfather and pieces of bad NFL games with the worst cold I've had in recent memory while the rest of my family were out feasting at an uncle's house.

This was all I could muster out of that weekend.

Some Houses, You Just Want To Avoid

Sticky Note Butt Monster

I think I put the face on the wrong end of this space monster. Did this quickly at lunch today for the dude over at Sticky Note Theater.

Cat Fancy

The crafty Mrs. has us making tiles for our fireplace hearth. I fancied making a cat tile and was warming up with some cat sketches this morning.

Hey, Hey, You, You, Get Off of My Lawn

We've lived in our house for over 7 years now. Across the street is a horse field and beyond that are woods where deer, squirrels, foxes, snapping turtles, skunks, and more roam.

Until the past month, the squirrels stayed on their side of the street. The Mrs. did battle daily with squirrels at our old Old house. There she even invented bulb cages to keep them from digging up and stealing her prized tulips and daffodil bulbs.

Now the squirrels have crossed the border and have been raiding the weedy garden. The battle has begun -- but this time it will be different...

Ball Head Body vs. Crow

Television

Ghost Creature in the Moonlight

Mostly the product of a phone call with a vendor today.

Jawless Drooler

Gearing up for the Halloween stretch now. This was the first thing that popped into my head on the sticky note pad.

[the piX in the background was an eBay HR thing (people interexchange? (not as lame as RASCI the Process Weasel stuffed animals they handed out) a few years back. they gave us giant sticky note pads with piX on it that I am still working through.]

Long Shnozzed Woodland Creature

Quick sketch the other morning.

Do You Know This Fighting Style?

The other night the Mrs. whipped out this style of fighting when she was challenging the boy or the girl to a throw-down.

It got me thinking about the origins of this  fighting stance -- where you place one hand (the left) over your face to protect it and insert the other (the right), more dominant arm, through the crook of your left elbow. You then proceed to swing the right arm wildly as you rush into the fray fully protected.

The only person I have ever seen use this -- and the one who first taught me in the hallowed halls of Henderson High School -- was my friend who now parades himself around as Dr. Zibbs. When I asked him he said he learned it from a neighborhood friend back then but knew nothing beyond that.

I've tried googling things like "fighting with one hand on your face" and "fight protect face and swing with arm".  Nothing yielded anything worthwhile.

Anyone with a name and/or historical references for this style of fighting, please leave a comment or send me a link.

Dog Watches Fly

dog watching fly. have started working on drawings while my laptop starts up in the mornings. some days it's easily 10 or 15 minutes to boot up and load firefox, outlook, etc.

the pooch and the kitten took turns tracking a wounded bee this weekend.

Germs Alert

School's back in session and so all the kids are back in the germ pool.

Bronzed, Burned, Smoking

Not for much longer in Pennsylvania bars/restaurants.

Vacation Gut: The Product of Ice Cream & Beer

The ice cream and beer has come home to roost.

Cow Dog Grazing

 

Just like it says, cow dog grazing.

First Encounter Beach Clown-Faced Scaredy Boy

 

Came upon this clown-faced fellow while the family and I were strolling the bay at First Encounter Beach (site of the first Pilgrim-Indian enounter: they both ran away) at low tide. The tide goes way way way way out and then comes back in fairly fast.

I think the guy had tidal shock watching the water rise quickly.

Scene Gazing on Gay Street in West Chester

I was standing outside Taylor's Music in West Chester on Saturday while my son was inside learning the nuances of the solo in Stairway to Heaven, I enjoyed a cold iced tea from Nick's Cafe and watched the world stroll by in the summer heat. There were pockets of twentysomethings on a pub crawl complete with t-shirts heading toward Jitters.

This girl -- not on the pub crawl -- was walking along alone at a hurried pace.  The look in her eyes said she had either seen too much of something or had seen something for the very first time and was deep in thought -- sorting it out, trying to make sense of it.

Her thousand-yard-stare grabbed my attention enough to make me snap this cellphone shot real quick. She made no indication whether she heard the electronic shutter sound the phone makes -- didn't change her pace, didn't flinch; no reaction to the flash going off full in her face. She walked on by.

I turned my head to see her continue West on Gay Street then take a left at the end of the block on Darlington.

A shadow distracted me. I looked down to see the iced tea-to-ice ratio in my cup was way out of proportion. Memo to myself: next time ask them to ease up on the ice at Nick's.

I looked up and returned to my street gazing, East on Gay.

Drawings from my 1984ish Temple University Notebook

Found this photocopy of a page from one of my notebooks from my early days at Temple University. My recollection is that I drew this on the very first day of the first class I took at Temple...Journalism 101 perhaps? I could have doodled anywhere. I chose Temple.

I'm fond of the soft pretzel and diner salt shaker behind Happy's head.

Scary Mean Coffee Skull Ring

Scary one-eyed coffee ring antlered skull thing.

Parrot Scissor Hands

Was scribbling this along last week and didn't know what it was until someone said it looked like a parrot scissor hands kind of creature. The daughter just watched Edward Scissorhands for the first time and has renewed her love and commitment to all-things Johnny Depp.

While I didn't get to watch it with her, it must be in my head. Here's a neat little Edward Scissorhands claymation clip.

Victory Barkeep Shocker

Reaction of Victory Brewing Co. bartender when  my visiting-from-Texas brother pointed out that she had been included in a snapshot of the Victory Growler Filler on Feed The Ogre soon after Victory reopened in May.

[sincerest apologies to the barkeep for the unflattering and/or lack of likeness of this illustration! that's just how i roll my Pentel e-Sharp mechanical pencil.]

Frog vs. Fly

Frog ponders fly. Patiently.

If I was a clever lad I'd animate the fly and set him buzzing around on the page. If I was a clever lad with time.

Save the Kitten, Save the World

I'm getting soft in this old age.

Dragon's Roamin' Outside the Barn

and that's all I have to say about that.

Meine Jacke

I took one or two semesters of German at Temple University while studying there in the 1980s. Unlike my French and Italian in high school, I recall very little of the language I'm sure I learned in college.

One phrase that stuck with me was "meine Jacke".

The professor would act out whatever he was teaching us and I found it quite amusing when he said, "meine Jacke" while he gracefully stroked the lapels of his blazer.

It reminded me of how my father, once, during a heated game of Password, used the hand motion of playing with yo-yo and saying the word, "bob". (The password was "yo yo".) It caused a great ruckus, this illegal use of pantomime. The game quickly fell apart as the highly competitive McGlinchey family exchanged accusations of cheating and foul play.

My kids find it amusing, and a little odd, that the key phrase I remember is "meine Jacke." I find it useful. I actually get to use it a lot when I can't find "meine Jacke."

My Truck, My Hippo

It's my truck, it's my hippo.
Hip hip hippo truck.

Down the shore

An oldie from a few years ago when I used to be a nice father and put cartoons in the kids' lunches. Now I'm just old and mean. Heading down the shore -- hope to get rejuvenated on the drawing front.

Little Red and what is that thing?

Wanted to do a proper illustration or, at least, a drawing of this but quickly sketched it out on a sticky note. Been way too busy with 'work' day & night.

I "saw" this when I was staring at patterns in a floor tile the other day (briefly -- mind you. I don't spend all my time staring at the floor.). It's kind of like naming clouds.

Summer Vacation: Chips n Lake

Some guy at Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. You can't see it but he had a six-pack of Labatts in the water by his feet.

click the image for the big version.

Lake Minnewanka photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Wrong holiday

I know. It's the wrong holiday but it's what i've got. Besides, it's only three and half months away.

The guy with the sparkler stuck in his eye didn't come out like I wanted. I'll work on that later.

Now it's time for a beer and some mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Me beer's empty!

click for big

working on some tshirt concepts for the annual weekend trip with the Young Arrogant Bastards.

Pig & Friend

Sketched a couple things tonight while watching "The 4400" with the family. It's been our summer tradition for a couple years now to watch the DVD of the previous year's 4400. It's about 4400 people that were 'taken' through time by aliens and then all returned at once with various powers.


This fellow is just down on his luck -- or at least just down on his butt.

I've been taking criticism from the family that my 'doodles' are more like drawings and that I need to return to my doodle roots. I don't know the difference anymore.

Spock Ness Monster

Had to cheat today and do a 2 blogs-for-one doodle. This Spock Ness Monster is also showing over at the Bad Spock Drawings site.

Check your oxters, lads!

click to enlarge.

Make sure to remove any debris from your oxters, lad. Show of hands for those familiar with the term 'oxters'... my Irish-raised father always referred to the arm pit as oxters. Growing up I always thought that was some crazy term he thought up.

Professor dude

Just a quick professor fellow doodled out for no particular reason.

Request-a-doodle: Feel the burn

click for larger view

ozlady said...We used to play pranks on the guys all the time - sports heat rub on the toilet handles going into the change room was a favourite... You could hear the howls after they scratched their nether regions!!!

Request-a-doodle: Hydrant v. Dog

click for larger view

Anonymous said...Dogs are always going on fire hydrants, maybe it's time the hydrants fight back! Could you draw the complete opposite of the dogs on fire hydrant thing? Thank you. (Posted after the Friday deadline, but I just had to ask....)

Wasn't going to do this one until I saw an opportunity for doggie mutilation.

Request-a-doodle: Moat Monster

click image for larger view

Anonymous said...Please draw two pictures of the Moat Monster, who lived in the creek that flowed through our neighborhood. One picture should be a professional portrait/head shot, the other full body.

Anyway, all the kids were afraid of him. Of course, all the older kids had "seen him" and tried to scare us with stories. Anyway, my brother and I for some reason imagined him looking kind of like a fat creature from the black lagoon with big fish lips, but wearing a yellow t-shirt that said "Moat Monster."

Request-a-doodle: a pencil in the hand...

click doodle for larger version

BP McG said...I was sitting in math class in 7th grade when I accidentally dropped my right hand on top of a recently-sharpened pencil I held in my left.

"Ouch," I said, raising my right hand. The pencil came along with it, firmly planted in my skin. Next to me, pretty Patty Rayburn recoiled in horror.

The palm of my hand still has a gray dot from where the graphite stained my skin forever.

Request-a-doodle: Leech on my leg

click image for larger view

Anonymous said...Rafting on the Brandywine, finding a leech attached to my leg.

Leech stories always bring me back to the days when we hosted the 4th of Jamly picnics on the Schuylkill River back in the 1980s and at least two years in a row our friends Dave and Rich swam across the river and back in a race. Aside from the film of pollutants and stink, they usually came out with a fine collection of leeches in uncomfortable areas.

Request-a-doodle: Dog Meets Bike

BP McG said...Earlier this week, I was riding my bike when a little yapper dog charged off its lawn at me. Amazingly, my front tire ran squarely over the middle of the dog and both of us kept on going. How about my tire on top of a slightly curly-haired yapper?

Sorry, BP, hazards of doodling in front of the TV with the family made me miss the 'curly-haired' part. Good on ye for running over the dog!

Request-a-doodle: Dead Squirrel Ascending

Anonymous said...I ran over a squirrel this morning. I couldn't help it. Please draw a picture of a squirrel as an angel or better yet, as a saint-like religious icon.

Where there's a dead squirrel there's always a crow willing to pick him apart -- not unlike some personal interactions I've seen in offices in my day.

Not really a doodle today -- but some subjects require an extra level of care and time.

Request-a-doodle: Squishy Toad

Anonymous said...A drawing that captures this: It was the year of the toads. Hundreds of them filled our backyard overnight. I stepped on one by mistake. Toads aren't as strong as you might think. They flatten quite easily.

Juggling

Way too many balls in the air these days. But that seems to be the way I likes it best.

Request-a-doodle: Humans as Pets; Cats as Masters

ptmcg in tex said...Humans as pets! It would also be cool to see the pets as masters ;-) (preferably cats)

click on the sketch for a larger view of it -- this was a much bigger doodle while the kids and I watched some tube this evening. Fireplace at the request of the son; side table and lamp request by the daughter.

Request-a-doodle: Ignorance is bliss

Anonymous said...Is ignorance bliss? A picture of someone relaxing at home, unaware that an alien space creature is looking in his window. --BP McG

One more day on the sick bed.

Bug-eyed Cat

Have spent most of the three-day weekend laid up on the couch with a stomach virus I caught from the daughter. I doodled this the other day on the phone. That might be it for the week as some other larger life priorities have popped up...we'll see.

Request-a-doodle: Carpal Tunnel Agony

Anonymous said...I'm requesting a picture of a certain former coworker afflicted with carpal tunnel...ps to add hilarity to the picture it would probably help to draw this person smoking.

Sad indeed to be struck down with the c.t. and resume the poisoning of yourself. Cheers to the Dr. in pain and agony -- quit that smoking and get crackin'!

Into the drink

Dropped my cell phone in the toilet yesterday -- after flushing. So it wasn't THAT bad. I did the first sensible thing you should do -- dive in after it. The second sensible thing you should do is pull the battery out. Then bang your head against the stall door for being such a klutzy eejit.

Upon exiting the stall, if there are other visitors, by now they're wondering what the hell was all that splashing and banging about. Just give them a look that says "What are you looking at?" in a Jerri Blank kind of way.

I took it all apart back at my desk and using paper towels soaked up what drops of water I could find. Then I stuck the dissembled pieces out in the car in the hot sun for a couple hours. Most sites recommend waiting 3 days to let it completely dry but I was fairly confident that I had retrieved it fast enough and that the mid-May heat was intense enough to do the trick. She's all right now working like a charm and I just don't want to think about it anymore.

Request-a-doodle: Sore Superhero

david mcmahon said...Hi Big Mac, Could I have a McGDoodle for the new Passing Sentence Game when it's complete?

read the story. there's a superhero that gets sore in the arse.