So I’m back with Paul Rogers, getting schooled on some of his points with illustrative storytelling. We go into a few hours of work, doing some 5 to 20 minute illustration studies off of the live model. Dressed as an old beat up clown reject, the model sits, while we draw and come up with different mediums, processes and pull a narrative off the spot.

Here are some snapshots of the studies-kuro sumi /pelican burnt umber  ink, and acrylic red, brush on vellum.

20 minutes really seams like 5 mins when your trying to tell some kind of situation that never happened. Paul Rogers, is notorious about his music-and loves his Jazz and old school blues. So while we are staring at this clown, he puts on “The Clown” by Charles Mingus. The song is all about a clown who never really made it in the world, and whose only goal was “to make people laugh.”

Pretty fucking depressing….but fun at the same time.

And for all the fellow illustrators, check out Richard Merkin, Peter Blake, Robert Weaver, David Martin, and Stuart Davis, to see where some of the old school direct line work comes from. Key words, direct, simple, loose, and free.

So some where in the mix of Jazz and Bailey’s Liquor, my story ended up being about the clown reject, and how his depression leads him into becoming a drunk, which leads him into getting jumped into the clown reject neighborhood, which then leads him to go on a rampage with a 12 gage that he borrows from his homey’s,  and kills the audience who won’t laugh at his jokes……or something like that.

Just joking. While we are talking about Blues check out this classic-, Billie Holiday is THE original vocalist and godmother of jazz, and a personal favorite. For all you club hoppin, 80’s babies-stop and listen.