August Art Vow: Infinite Jest’s Don Gately
A few weeks back, I decided that the best way to light a fire under my lazy drawing ass was to tell everyone on Twitter I was going to do something by the end of the month. I’d been meaning to draw Don Gately, from David Foster Wallace’s Best-Novel-Of-All-Time Infinite Jest, since probably before last year’s Infinite Summer re-read of the book.
There’s a lot of great Gately moments to choose from in the book, and for a long time I toyed with the idea of drawing him in an apron holding up his brick of a Halfway House dinner. But I ultimately settled for one of the most spectacular scenes, not just in the book, but maybe ever written. If you’ve never read it, well, seriously? Also, you probably have no idea what’s going on.
But I suppose finding out is as good a reason as any to finally read it, no?
Captain Enthusiasm: A Portrait
For the first time since, maybe, that Top Chef finale maybe, what, three years ago, I was suddenly compelled to draw something that I hadn’t previously conceived or had put on my To Draw list. Just a vision of radness that had popped into my head. Within an hour it was pencilled, inked, colored, and mottoed.
Feels pretty damn good.
Twitter Art Jam: Mario Tennis
Another month, another kick ass Twitter Art Jam from the mind of Rusty Shackles. This month, the topic was Video Games. True Confession, I’ve never played more than a few seconds of Mario Tennis. I had planned on doing a new cover for Goonies II, the first game I ever beat, but this idea came to me in a flash and I just had to do it.
Vinyl Canvas: Elliott Smith’s ‘Figure 8′
The great Rusty Shackles came up with the fantastic Vinyl Canvas project on his Twitter account.
I decided to do Elliott Smith’s Figure 8
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Benjamin Birdie
Suddenly kind of aged, Benjamin lives in Queens with his cat. His Master's Degree in Creative Writing has helped him immensely with his primary responsibilities of drawing things.
He can be reached at benjaminbirdie (at) gmail (dot) com.
And do feel free to follow him on Twitter.
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His Comics
Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, this charming comic strip by myself and Kevin Church receives a sparkling new installment. A Comic Strip About A Comic Shop.