From the Scribbler:

Have a Joyous New Year & hope to hear from you diligent readers in the coming year!

Sincerely,

A. Taylor

The Detective Scribbles, No. 9, Mycroft Holmes

See, I am a man of my word, somewhat. Here is a new detective to adorn this set of scribbles. This time it's Sherlock Holmes' older brother, Mycroft Holmes. I have said before in numerous posts that Mycroft is one of my favorite characters in the Sherlock Holmes canon, this is mainly because of how enigmatic he is and how humorously Dr. John Watson describes him in their first meeting, in the short story entitled "The Greek Interpreter". When they meet for the first time Watson describes him as being a very corpulent individual and when he shakes hands with him Watson describes it as grabbing the flipper of a seal.
In the stories Sherlock describes him as being a true definition of a bureaucrat, as stating that he IS the British Government in various situations. Although seven years Sherlock's senior, Mycroft is quite superior to Sherlock in his inductive reasoning and having a pure analytical mind, but has "no energy" for actually pursuing the work of a detective. Sherlock says in "The Greek Interpreter" that "If the art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an arm-chair, my brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived." (Note: this quote also describes Hercule Poirot, I think, since he practically sits in his arm-chair and basically goes through all the analysis in his "little grey cells") What I also like about the character of Mycroft Holmes is the look of pure shock on Watson's face as soon as he sets eyes on him. I might have said this before, but it is worth repeating, but I think that it is fascinating that anyone, in the whole of humanity, would have a far superior mind to that of Sherlock Holmes, but it seems rather obvious that that sort of mind lives in an observer like Mycroft Holmes, who sits at his perch at the Diogenes Club basically observing his surroundings, basically gawking and analysing the outside like some sort of obese owl, which helped tremendously in the drawing process (also the monocle bit and his overall structure is based off of astronomer Sir Patrick Moore). Although Mycroft has only shown up (or even mentioned) in four of the stories, he is one of my personal favorite detectives, although he is basically sedentary in his arm-chair at the Diogenes Club. I think that both Mycroft Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Nero Wolfe go hand-in-hand as being the perfect analytical detectives, whose cases begin and end in an armchair, basically.

Notes: The drawing above and below are drawn with waterproof ink and the use of a dip pen. Red permanent marker was used to enhance the second one and pencil to do some minor details, although Mycroft isn't so much the jovial type I thought it would be entertaining all the same, due to the holidays. Also, this is also a good time to have at least one of the Holmes brothers up here considering the amazing movie that recently was released, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, where the incomparable and fantastic Stephen Fry, who is well known for his comedic talents and his reading of the Harry Potter books in the UK, plays the bureaucratic Mycroft, and does a fantastic job. Another lovely British actor has put on the bureaucratic attire for the new, and updated, version of the Sherlock Holmes stories. In the series Sherlock, which has been created by the brilliant minds of Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss (of Doctor Who fame), the co-creator Mark Gatiss stars as Sherlock's stiffly starched brother in the series, and also does a fine job.

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Merely Mucking About

As the title details, I was just wasting some time on the site that I have recommended numerous times on this set of rambling scribbles, picnik. I was reminded some time ago about the poem entitled "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley. Noted that I am no philosopher of any kind, for that is not my occupation, but I thought that the last bit of the poem was very inspirational to many, I merely thought that this was good enough to show to you, the diligent readers to set of scribbles.

All right, honestly, as a side note, there will be a detective up here by the end of this year, but until then...

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Thank you.

Happy Christmas & Such

I realize I haven't posted anything in many a moon, but I thought, due to the fact that Christmas is coming up, that I shall devote a post to you, the readers of this set of scribblings and such. I would just like to thank all who have come and seen the various things that pepper this blog and hope that you all have a very Happy Christmas!

Notes: this drawing was actually a birthday/Christmas card to a good friend of mine, this friend of mine is also an avid gamer and I thought that the card should have a warrior-like Father Christmas with his mighty polar bear, named Boreas (aye, 'tis a happy little detail, since Boreas, in Greek Mythology, was the god of the North winds, which I found more than appropriate). This was done with waterproof ink with the help of a dip pen and I then watercolor'd it afterwards. Thanks again to all of those readers and lookers who meander over to this very blog.

Thank you & Happy Christmas.

P.S.: A new detective will adorn this blog soon.

The Cthulhu Hat Advert

This post is a bit of a preview of a possibly new banner that could adorn this very set of scribblings. The drawing that you see before you is an excerpt of the possible banner. This drawing still needs to be tweaked and mucked about with a bit before it can be on this very blog, but it's getting there, slowly but surely. As you can see, I simply couldn't part with my Cthulhu Hat. Some updates are on the way, including a new detective in the next series of "The Detective Scribbles."
This was decorated with black and blue waterproof ink (with the help of a dip pen) and further drawn with a pencil for the minute details.
Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Winter Days & Potter Ways

 At the present time, when typing this message at least, there is a ridiculous amount of snow bombarding where I live, in bucket fulls, it seems. This will be a considerably short message, but I thought that some actually "new" doodles were in store for this set of scribbles. These doodles are inspired, as the title proclaims, from the Harry Potter series, which I read obsessively when I was a kid, and still enjoy them to this day, along with the movie series. The first is a small doodle of one of the goblins (now that I think of it, he kind of looks like Count Orlok from Nosferatu) from Gringotts Wizard Bank, and I was just playing with the idea of the chairs that they sit in at the bank, just scuttling about like Thing from the Addams Family. The next one is of my favorite character, Rubeus Hagrid, the amiable gamekeeper of Hogwarts School. Both drawings were done with a dip pen with waterproof black ink. Right-o, that's it, for now, until next time...

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

My Apologies

Sorry about not posting anything in a while, but due to the fact that Thanksgiving was in full swing, so it was as hectic as battling a kranken while reading Macbeth, well nearly. Here's a bit of a doodle (drawn with a dip pen with waterproof ink and a red permanent marker) that I did some weeks back, possibly to compinsate. Right-o, this is the last egocentric post that I will present before you readers and gawkers, so until next time...

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

The Balloonist

This little project is actually a bar of soap, the project in question is for an art class that I am currently attending. The project consisted of carving the soap into some form of a picture and then painting it. Firstly, I put the soap into the microwave for about ten seconds and then took a toothpick and carved out the picture. I then used acrylic paint to color the picture, it is actually quite enjoyable to do, as sort of a time-killing project or in the afternoon and you need something to do.
(Note: I don't profess to be some fort of master carver, since is the second of two carvings that I have done in my life, but, as I said, I quite enjoyed doing this. Also, my apologies for the obscured bit of the basket, I accidentally used the flash on the camera.)
Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Yet Another Tintin Post

Here's just a small doodle of Tintin's dog, the wire fox terrier, Snowy (or "Milou" as he is known as in the original Belgian comics). Unlike with the previous Tintin-based drawings, which were drawn with waterproof ink, this was drawn with a regular fountain pen and pencil. All right, I'm done, for now.
Keep a sharp eye out for my next post

The Detective Scribbles, No. 8, Tintin & Snowy

Although this scribble wasn't meant for this particular section of my ramblings, I decided, just for the halibut, to include the comic book adventurer, Tintin, and his faithful dog, Snowy, in this tremendous undertaking of scribbles.
I have written before that Tintin was one of my favorite heros as a kid, and I had read some of the comic books attentively. This is thanks to the great artist Georges Remi, although he is commonly known by his pseudonym, Herge (an accent over the final "e" for those grammatically oriented readers).
Tintin made his first appearence to the world in his adventure Tintin in the Land of the Soviets in 1930 and since Herge has captivated the world with his tabula rasa hero of Tintin and his great tree of friends and comerades such as Capt. Haddock, Professor Calculus, and Thompson & Thomson.

Honestly, I thought that this was overtly appropriate due to the fact that the movie "The Adventures of Tintin and the Secret of the Unicorn" is coming out soon and I am very excited about it, too. Just like with the drawing of Capt. Haddock that I had posted a couple of days ago, I shall post the watercolor'd version of this very soon. If you would like to take a gander at the fairly new trailer for the new movie, please do see the video just above this very paragraph.
Until next time, keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

My Boy Jack

I realize that this is a bit late for Veteran's Day, but I was fairly busy yesterday, when I meant to post this. I thought that this particular poem seemed fitting for those who have fought bravely with integrity. This is one of my favorite poems, although it is slightly melancholy in nature. This poem "My Boy Jack" was written by Rudyard Kipling, the creator of The Jungle Books (which are, like any book that has been turned into a movie, the books are better). Kipling had written this poem after he had found out that his son, John "Jack" Kipling was killed in the Battle of Loos, in France. There has also been a play that is based on this particular event and the play was eventually turned into a  small movie, which is very good. The writer of the play also plays Rudyard Kipling in both the play and the movie, and the actor's name is David Haig. He played a stunning performance in the TV movie entitled, respectfully, "My Boy Jack," in which Daniel Radcliffe, famous for his role as Harry Potter in the movie world, plays the role of John "Jack" Kipling.

In short, I would just like to thank those who have put their well-being in danger for our country and we are overtly indebted to you all. Thank you.

Here is actor Daniel Haig (playing Rudyard Kipling) reciting the poem.

Adverts & Aeronauts

 This first drawing was made while being very bored one night with nothing but a fresh sheet of watercolor paper before me and a fountain pen at my disposal. Days after I had created the little aeronaut that can be seen above, I thought of a possibility for a new banner for this set of scribbles. I had created at least six various kinds, but this was my personal favorite. The second was drawn with my typical medium with a dip pen with black and blue waterproof ink. Please do tell me what you think in the comment section below this post.

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Capt. Haddock

Here is a scribble of Captain Archibald Haddock, the amiable, yet mostly inebreated, friend of Tintin, one of my favorite comics as a kid. Here's a brief history of the character of Capt. Haddock...

The artist Herge introduced the character of Capt. Haddock in the story The Crab with the Golden Claws, created and published in 1941. Since then Haddock has accompanied Tintin throughout his various adventures. I have to say that Haddock is one of my favorite characters because of his various curses that he exclaims when he is intensly aggrivated or in a tight spot. Such as "Ten Thousand Thundering Typhoons!" or "Billions of Bilious Blue Blistering Barnacles!" Although he has a bit of a rough-and-tumble character, he has a good sense of moral and integrity, which is what I like about Capt. Haddock.

I thought that it was fitting to post this doodle in light of the new Tintin movie (which I am very excited about). This was drawn with a dip pen and waterproof ink, with the help of a brush to paint Capt. Haddock's suit. I will post this again, soon, but it shall be watercolor'd, with any luck.

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Some Ridiculousness

 Here are some fairly new doodles, which, completely by coincidence, all possess an odd curl in their hair, well, in the owl's case, feathers. The inspiration for these quirky little characters was pure boredom, basically. The owl though, was inspired by a book I had purchased a couple of weeks ago. The book is titled Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, granted, the name doesn't really seem to roll off the tongue I mainly purchased it because of the author and illustrator of the book, William Joyce. For those who do not know about William Joyce, he is famed for his children's show that he created Rolie Polie Olie, which I watched as a kid.

 Mr. Joyce is also famed for his conceptual work in various movies like Meet the Robinsons (one of my favorite movies and it is based on Joyce's book A Day with Wilbur Robinson) and Robots. Joyce also has his own animation studio, Moonbot Studios, which produced a grand little short film entitled The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Needless to say, I truly enjoy William Joyce's work. If you would like to venture through Mr. Joyce's website click here.
If you would like to take a gander at the series The Guardians of Childhood, which is the book I previously mentioned click here.

Note: these were drawn with a pencil and just a regular fountain pen.

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post

Grow For Red

This is a recent commission for The Red Cross, whose offices are in a nearby city. This was for the campaign that is entitled, quite obviously, "Grow for Red." Since there is an abundance of corn here, where I live, I had to incorperate it into this drawing. The "Grow for Red" part that is by the exhaust pipe is in the contemplative stages of being painted, as the rest of the drawing, but I scanned it quickly, just in case I don't. This was drawn with waterproof ink (the wheels are painted with same ink) and painted with watercolors.
Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

This is HALLOWEEN!

Hope everyone is having a Happy Halloween!

Enjoy!



The Detective Scribbles, No. 7, Thomas Carnacki

I thought it was appropriate for Halloween to have a detective who deals with these particular matters, the Ghost-Finder, Thomas Carnacki. This supernatural detective was introduced to the public in 1910 in Ideler magazine and was created by scribbler of the supernatural, William Hope Hodgson. Carnacki was published in the magazine in genuine Holmesian fashion between 1910 to 1912. Hodgson also published the Carnacki stories in compendiums, but Carnacki's literary career as a Supernatural detective was cut short when the Great War broke out throughout Europe and Hodgson fought, but, quite unfortunately, died in Belgium in 1918.

Since then, though Carnacki has inspired authors in the realm of the fantastical and you, kind reader, can explore the dark world of Carnacki through the online stories that I shall post here for your literary and macabre pleasure. Note: due to the busy time, I shall cut this short. Happy Halloween!

Click here to read some of the Carnacki tales.

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Mister Nero Wolfe

Here are two slight variations on the signature of the private detective, Nero Wolfe. I tried to modle his signature after Mycroft Holmes' signature that I attempted some time ago. Although Nero Wolfe, as a character, is much like Sherlock's elder brother, Mycroft, I thought that Wolfe's signature should be official and uniform, in a way, since punctuality is his strongest suit. The signature was achieved with same method as the previous signatures. This is but a small series, not to worry, more doodles will litter this series of scribbles very soon.

Until next time, keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

M. Hercule Poirot

Here is another scribble in the small series of Literary signatures. This time I have merely attempted to create the signature of the self-proclaimed greatest detective that ever lived, Hercule Poirot. In this signature I thought that Poirot was not only uniform, but very vain and extravagent, so I thought his signature would reflect the same. The signature was achieved with waterproof blue ink with the help of a dip pen.
Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

The Holmes Brothers

I have to say that both Sherlock Holmes and his brother, Mycroft, have always interested me ever since I first read "The Greek Interpreter" by Doyle. When I first read the story I was nearly as shocked as Watson was when he found that Sherlock had a brother, who, Sherlock admits, is far superior in an intellectual sense than Sherlock, which seems almost impossible to visualize. I must say that I enjoy the interaction between the Holmes brothers in the story when Watson witnesses both Sherlock and Mycroft having a sort of battle of wits as they are looking out the window and analyzing and using pure inductive powers. I was just enthralled by the scene in the Diogenes Club and I liked how it also reflected how alike both of the Holmes brothers are. Both Mycroft and Sherlock share almost the same immense intellect and how they guess a man's profession and other details of a person from pure observation. So, with this in mind, I wondered what their signatures would look like.

 It is clearly stated in the story of "The Greek Interpreter" the natures of both of the Holmes brothers. Mycroft is basically very sloth-like and, my favorite line is, when Watson shakes hands with Mycroft he describes it as "shacking the flipper of a seal", or something around those lines. Mycroft sits in his chair most of the day at the Diogenes Club and observes the world from his room. Sherlock, on the other hand, is a great ball of energy that must be on the move every minute of every day. Mycroft himself observes that Sherlock is the energetic one in the family. I just thought that their signatures should reflect such an attitude with both of the brothers.

Mycroft's signature, the first one at the beginning of this post, is far more official, since Mycroft is a government bureaucrat, and is the signature that he would typically use when signing such forms. The second one, just below the ramble you are now reading, is the one that he uses on a typical, letter-writing basis, which reflects his pure laziness and sloth-like attitude with matters. Sherlock's signature, on the other hand, is more of a swooping signature, full of energy. The first one on this post is much like Mycroft's official signature, this signature is the one that Sherlock would possibly use for his "official" letter-writing, if he were writing to diplomats saying that he retrieved the Lost Diamond of the Maharaja

 or something of that sort. The second signature of Sherlock's is possibly one that he could use to write Lestrade or someone that he had found out the culprit of the crime or that he had found something.

I merely thought that it was an interesting experiment to play around with the Holmes Brothers signatures, basically to see what they would look like and how their signatures reflect their nature. Both signatures were written in blue waterproof ink with the use of a dip pen, sorry about the smudges, at least on Sherlock's, it was intentional with Mycroft's common signature.

Also, if you would like to see the scene with Mycroft and Sherlock, I have posted below a video of the Jeremy Brett version of "The Greek Interpreter" if you would like to take a gander. Sorry about the shoddy quality.

Until next time, keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

The Detective Scribbles, No. 6, Father Brown

In 1910 an English literary critic and scribbler G. K. Chesterton introduced the world to the diminutive Catholic priest, Father Brown. I thought that it was very interesting to find such a character in the realms of detective fiction. There have been other religious detectives such as Brother Cadfael created by Edith Pargeter and Father John Blackwood created by Father Andrew Greeley, but one of my favorites is Father Brown.
The story that introduced Father Brown to the world of detective fiction was a short story entitled "The Blue Cross," and it was published, in the Holmesian tradition, in a magazine titled The Story-teller in September of 1910. In the story it introduced not only the diminutive Father Brown to the wide range of characters that would encapsulate the stories of Father Brown such as the elusive thief, M. Hercule Flambeau. What is interesting about the Father Brown stories, for the time, was that it was an era which was still, blatently, Sherlock Holmes' world. The mind of Sherlock Holmes is analytical and inductive research proved everything, while Father Brown based all of his evidence upon pure, inate intuition. Although Father Brown is the lesser known detective on the spectrum compared to Sherlock Holmes, this scribbler thinks that he the gentler, kinder person on the spectrum, compared to the calculating Holmes. It's best to think of it this way: in Christie terms, Sherlock Holmes is Hercule Poirot while Father Brown is Miss Marple, two completely different detectives that bloomed and flourished at almost the exact same time. That is probably why I enjoy the Father Brown stories as well as the Miss Marple stories, both Father Brown and Miss Marple are characters who are very friendly and kind as well as diminutive but are as sharp as a tack and solve mysteries that virtually baffle the authorities and those around them.
Now, to get back on track, you, being the diligent reader, will notice that I use the word "diminutive" quite frequently, almost to the point of redundancy, in this post, but that is the only fitting word that in my arsenal that I think truly fits this particular detective. In the stories by Chesterton, Father Brown is described as being short, stubby with a large umbrella at his side, hence why I had drawn him looking like he was almost three feet tall with an amiable grin on his aged face. Father Brown was quite a joy to doodle based upon Chesterton's description. Chesterton had written over fifty Father Brown stories and were published in various volumes and they go in order as such:
The Innocence of Father Brown
The Wisdom of Father Brown
The Incredulity of Father Brown
The Secret of Father Brown
The Scandal of Father Brown
The Father Brown stories are also posted online and I have provided links so that you, diligent reader, shall enjoy Chesterton's Father Brown stories as much as I have. As a final note, this drawing was done in the similar fashion as Miss Marple; with a dip pen with waterproof ink and a pencil to emphasize the wrinkles and the umbrella.
Right-o, until next time, keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Melancholy & Renaissance

Currently, in one of my classes, we (the students in the class) were meant to draw a small doodle to commemorate the tenth year since The Twin Towers were reduced to rubble. Now this was a project that I thought quite long and hard about, considering the fact that this scribbler basically does cartoons and other such things. When trying to find an idea, I was looking through some old political cartoons, primarily drawn by Thomas Nast, James Montgomery Flagg, and other artists. When I found Flagg's painting of Uncle Sam in the iconic recruitment poster with the words "WE WANT YOU FOR THE US ARMY". Then I had sort of an idea of two different drawings. The first one was the three personifications of the United States: Uncle Sam, Colombia, and Brother Jonathan. The three personifications were drawn to look very haggard and weathered with the silhouette of the twin towers underneath them. Now, like all personifications of various countries, all three of these characters possess three definite colors: red, white and blue. So, basically and obviously, I only worked with those colors, with the rest of it (including the silhouette) was in black and white. I achieved this through the use of red, blue, and black waterproof ink that I had purchased, completely by coincidence, some months prior to the assignment. Basically, that was the first drawing.
The one that is presented before you, dear reader, was my second idea. It entirely in black and white with a weathered Uncle Sam rolling up his sleeves and brandishing a hammer (a badly drawn hammer). This was basically more of a cartoon and very much in my element than the previous drawing. The reason why it is in black and white, however, was because the teacher had told us later, after I had completed the first colored picture, that the entire thing was going to be in black and white rather than in color; so, I attempted to complete that bit of the assignment, a vain attempt to even the scales in my favor. The picture basically symbolizes how the United States has sort of carried on from the attack, even though we emerged thoroughly battered and bruised, we carried on and rebuilt ourselves, basically. This drawing was done with black waterproof ink and a pencil to shade in some particular parts in the drawing.

Right-o, until next time, keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Birdmen, Bow-ties, & the Slightly Macabre

 These are some scribbles that I quickly drew one day. The first doodle here is reminiscent of the Birdman that can be seen in the posts labeled under "The Brilliance of Boredom" series. Frankly, I merely enjoy drawing this particular character when I am completely bored.
This second character was also a doodle whose genesis was pure boredom, but the inspiration, though, was derived from various sources. One of the inspirations was from Celtic mythology. There is a sort of entity in Celtic myth that is called the Dullahan, which is sort of a headless coachman who drives a big, black coach (some even say that the horses that help propel the cart are headless as well). Well, when this scribbler says "headless", some say that the Dullahan can actually detach his own head and chuck it about at various objects. So, I was just pondering, for some odd and completely obscure reason, how that might actually work and the various complexities about it. Thus, I thought that the Dullahan could possibly have a great, round, metal head, just in case. Thereby, the head basically hovers over what was once the neck of the Dullahan, but this is just basically an over-explanation over a small little doodle. Another inspiration for this sort of makeshift Dullahan was an artist that I admire, Mike Mignola, the creator of the comic Hellboy. One of Mignola's common characters he's famed for, besides Hellboy, is a sort of dapper kind of specter whose head is merely a floating skull, as you, being the diligent reader, can gather, was a great inspiration for this little Dullahan.

Right-o, until the next post, with hopefully a new detective in "The Detective Scribbles" series, I shall now stop. Thanks for enduring through the rambling. Keep a sharp out for my next post.

The Detective Scribbles, No. 5, Chevalier Auguste Dupin

The new detective to adorne the series entitled "The Detective Scribbles" is one of Edgar Allan Poe's creations, C. Auguste Dupin. Although the Master of the Macabre only featured this character in three stories, he has inspired the writers of the past and present to create some of the world's greatest detectives, such as Sherlock Holmes. Poe wrote the first Dupin story in 1841 and it is the mystery entitled "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" in which Dupin had to find the culprit behind a vicious murder. Since "Rue Morgue," and after his other two stories ("The Mystery of Marie Roget" in 1842 and "The Purloined Letter" in 1844), the Parisian detective has enticed the world of Crime Fiction, just as his creator did with the genre that are akin to his dark and macbre tales.
In the design of Dupin, I personally thought about it for quite some time. Although many officials who have researched diligently on the subject of crime fiction and of Dupin, which some have speculated that he is a tall, dark, and handsome man, like many gentlemen detectives, I thought that he would look more like Poe, himself, as a Parisian, including the pointed, waxed moustache, much like Poirot, since the character of Dupin inspired the creation of Poirot, too. In the design, I thought I would add little snippets and characteristics of the classic detectives that came after the Dupin stories: for instance the sweeping coat that is similar to the inverness cloak that is commonly associated with Holmes, and the strict moustache of Poirot (although Poirot's is far more strict that this character's), along with the sort of profile that is similar to his creator, Poe himself. Since this is a Poe character, I thought that it would only be appropriate that he would be dressed in black with a sort of old coat to blend in with his environment when he is stalking the streets at night, much like Holmes wearing a disguise in some of his stories, which was actually inspired by Dupin as well. Poe, in general, is one of my favorite authors since I was a child, so I truly admire how he had inspired the realm of crime fiction.
The drawing was done with a dip pen with waterproof ink and a pencil to do the details in the coat and tie. Below here was a photograph of Poe that inspired the drawing you see before you, dear reader. Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

The Detective Scribbles, No. 4, Miss Jane Marple

This is the latest drawing in the series of doodles entitled "The Detective Scribbles," and this time it is the famous spinster detective who lives in the quaint little village of Saint Mary Mead, Miss Marple. This is sort of a sequel to a previous scribble, the one of Monsieur Hercule Poirot, so this is, more specifically, another tribute to the prolific crime writer, Agatha Christie. The character of Miss Marple, however, connects with me on a personal level. This is a favorite character of my father and I can see why. She is a very down-to-earth person who is as sharp as a tack. Marple is basically  a keen and specific detective who takes the guise of an old woman who knits. The character of Miss Marple is sensible, not eccentric like Poirot and that's what Christie must have thought about this character, too. There is an interesting story about Christie with her relationship with Poirot: Christie, much like the author Arthur Conan Doyle with his character of Sherlock Holmes, was sick and tired of Poirot and sick of writing stories about him. Some stories have come about that she wrote Curtain, Poirot's last case, just so she could say a sort of "that's it for you." Christie wanted to experiment with other characters besides Poirot, Marple was one of those other characters.
Miss Marple appeared in her first story entitled Murder at the Vicarage and since then (up until her last story entitled Sleeping Murder) she has sort of enchanted readers with her sharp logic and rapier-like way of solving puzzles. Marple was said to have been inspired by Christie's grandmother, who was said to be scarily like Marple, she could tell when there wasn't something quite right. Marple's surname even fits this character's personality. There is another story about her genesis, of her surname, at least. Christie went to an estate sale, or something of that sort, and bought a chair whose company name was Marple or that the people who owned the chair was the family Marple. Either way, to name a character after a chair just reflects how down-to-earth this character is, but, like I wrote before, she is as sharp as a tack. I love these sort of characters who appear to be one thing, but, in turn, surprise you with their characteristics. This is why Marple is one of my favorite detectives, and I know I say this with every detective, but I have always had a soft spot for Miss Marple because she does remind me greatly of my grandmothers, who could cut you to ribbons with their words. Basically, Miss Marple is a good detective and her stories are well written.
She, much like Poirot, has been adapted in various ways, but this drawing was inspired by the actress Joan Hickson, who I think was a nicely played Miss Marple. Of course, like with Poirot, I found out about Marple whilst watching a program that I have mentioned time and time again, the program is Masterpiece Mystery, which I rather enjoy. Nowadays, however, Marple is brilliantly portrayed by actress Julia McKenzie, who I think is comparable to Hickson in her portrayal. Now, until next time, I shall have another detective adorned on this blog soon, so keep a sharp eye out for my next post.
Notes: She was drawn using water-proof ink and a dip pen with a pencil to lightly outline some of the wrinkles and such.

A Good Brolly (Umbrella)

Here's just a sort of Rembrandt-esque sort of experiment that I did merely to experiment with using a brush instead of a dip pen (granted, I am no Rembrandt, but this was just an experiment, none the less). Here's a small story that is behind these this little doodle: I had recently purchased a nice umbrella from Barnes and Noble, one of my favorite places to go to. The umbrella, on the top, has different quotes from various bits of literature, so it was a favorite utensil of mine quite instantly. This is where the "brolly" part comes in, the term "brolly", if anyone isn't aware of colloquialisms, is a another term for an umbrella and I simply could not fit the word "umbrella" into the format, so I used the term "brolly" and mainly because I love the whimsy of the word itself. What I have here is the edited and unedited version of this picture, but never fear, I will try to not be this egotistical with my future posts, I will have another detective on here for "the Detective Scribbles" series by the end of the weekend.

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Glorious Rebellion

This is a caricature that I recently was commissioned to do for a friend of mine who is in an awesome band called Glorious Rebellion. Simply their music is great and the members in this band are truly great folks. Honestly, I was surprised to be commissioned for this caricature, but I am honored to have scribbled this drawing for some good friends. If you would like to sample some of this band's music go to their Glorious Rebellion facebook page by simply clicking here (go to the "band profile" part of the page to listen to some of their music), I would just like to thank my friends for giving me this prestigious opportunity.

Notes: the drawing was done with regular ink drawn with a dip pen (this was a vital ingredient for the ink washing effects that "frame" the picture) I also used the typical waterproof ink to darken it a bit and regular pencil to create the shadow-like effects.

A Couple of Heartfelt Ravens

I have been experimenting in silhouettes for the past couple of weeks, these are only some of the early experiments. These were done with waterproof ink and I used a dip pen to outline the actual ravens and a paintbrush to create the sort of frame around it. I then used a red permanent marker to create the mere hints of red in each of the small doodles. Do comment and tell me what you think.

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post

A Mere Piece of Golden Diction

Here is one of my favorite poems that is titled "Ode" by the Irish poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy. It is one of my favorites because it reminds me of a show that I watched as a kid, called The Storyteller, which starred the brilliant John Hurt & Michael Gambon in two grand seasons. In particular, it reminded me of a small part in the episode titled "A Story Short" and when a King is asking the Storyteller (John Hurt) of his occupation he responds thus:

"I am a teller of stories. A weaver of dreams. I can dance, sing, and, in the right weather, I can stand on my head. I know seven words in Latin and a little magic trick or two. I know the proper way to greet a dragon. I can play dirty, but not fair...I am not domestic, I am a luxury and in that sense, necessary."

This is but an approximate quote, but it is one of my favorite quotes. I, being a scrivener, adore stories and think that they are truly the most necessary things that we need, besides breathing, of course. This might seem a bit overdrawn, but I don't. There can be nothing more necessary, but this is merely a love letter to such a profound part of our culture, that is all. I have no scribbles to produce today, just this. A mere poem, but is by far one of my favorite poems that I have read, next to Emily Dickinson's "Hope is a thing with feathers" that is, 

but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

The Detective Scribbles, No. 3, Kurt Wallander

Sorry about the long delay, but here it is, the next in the Detective Scribbles Series and this time it is the Swedish bloodhound, Kurt Wallander. This is, by far, the most disturbed detective that I have ever seen, but he does get the job done. This detective was the brainchild of Swedish author Henning Mankell and his books, along with the British version of the series on Masterpiece Mystery, a program I talk about often in this series of scribbles and meanderings, anyway, the books show a Sweden that is not blissful and beautiful, but it shows the dirty underbelly that is behind this picturesque facade.
Wallander's character was introduced in the story Faceless Killers, which is a story reflecting not only the pure evil of the crime, but of the dark sin of humanity, racism. Since then this detective has enthralled its readers throughout minute parts of the globe. I, personally and unfortunately, have not read the books by this author, but I have seen the series that stars Kenneth Branagh and it is very good. What I liked about the series is that the main character is basically a tortured soul, and you don't commonly find that in any other crime series, at least to this extent. Wallander fuels himself with junk food and has eyes as red as a bloodhound, I think that is how his author described him, and also this character basically kills himself inside and out through every single case, because he always feels personally responsible for every case that is handed to him. Again, I hate to sound like a broken record, but I have never seen such a fictional detective become so personal with their cases, take so much of it to heart. Wallander is a perfect detective with more than one vice about him, but that is what makes a good character I think, their graces are only as good as their flaws, and that is what makes Wallander one of my favorite detectives.
Wallander took quite a long time to figure out what he would look like. I thought at first that he should have blonde hair, but I thought it would see too cliche, since Wallander is not the stereotypical Swedish character. Then I thought that he should just be a dark character, since he is very much dark and macabre. He is a bit like the American gumshoe with the sprawling city as their home with the flickering fluorescent lights just outside their windows, Wallander is much like that sort of character. So then, with that in mind, I decided that he should have just very ratty things, since he takes very little care of himself, and just to make him more film noir-ish, I thought that he should have the upturned collar that is mostly hiding his haggard face. So I quickly drew him in pencil as an outline and drew over it with a dip pen, using waterproof ink, and then used the same ink, but instead I used a brush, to darken him, which seemed to fit Wallander quite nicely.
There are plenty more detectives to come in this series, so keep a sharp eye out for my next post.
Note: If you would like to explore the author Henning Mankell's website click here.

Scribbles, Updates, & a Thuggish Guy Named Thornton

 Here are some new, or rather old, doodles, but they are new to you, the readers and avid gander-ers (I know it isn't a word) to this set of scribbles. I am aware that they do not compensate for a new drawing in The Detective Scribble series, but I have been quite busy with other things at the present time. If you can hold on a bit longer, I will, with any amount of luck and perseverance, have a new drawing in that series by the end of the week. In the meantime, enjoy these couple of scribbles & keep a sharp eye out for my next post.

Here's a bit of a clue for the next detective that will be shown in the next Detective Scribbles series:

I have mentioned this detective before in the previous series of drawings

and this detective becomes very engrossed in his work,

very engrossed, indeed.

Keep a sharp eye out.

Boredom & Bow-ties

 I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but it has been an eventful couple of weeks. I would rather not go into details, but I do know that these drawings don't really compensate for the Detective Scribbles series, but I have been, as of late, very distracted. I will, rest assured, post something that goes with the series that I have been working on.
Keep a sharp eye out for my next post and enjoy these little doodles, which were drawn quickly, but they are doodles, none the less.

It's Not Easy Being Green

 Here are a couple of watercolor doodles that I did just yesterday, according to the date on this post, and they were done out pure, unadulterated boredom. There is not much to say about them, accept that they were all done with the color green being quite prominent in each of them. That is, really, the only similarity or continuity betwixt all of these drawings, so there isn't much to say.
I will be posting a new detective in The Detective Scribble series within a couple of days, with any luck. I am still deliberating which detective to post next, so if you, being a hopefully devoted reader to this random set of scribbles, have any suggestions to any detectives for me to draw, please do leave them in the comment section of this post. Thanks for enduring the rambling.

 Keep a sharp eye out for my next post.