THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE -- ON VIDEO NOW!

The inked version of Plants vs. Zombies "Cone Zombie" and "Football Running Zombie." 

I know I posted these sketches earlier but I just completed the YouTube video of  how I sketched them so I'm reposting a similar version here.

My 4-year-old twin grandsons love watching YouTube videos of Plants vs. Zombies and have even adopted two of them as their avatars. They don't play the game yet, but I'm sure as soon as they are old enough we'll be purchasing it for them.

They even insist that we call them by "Cone Zombie" and "Football Running Zombie," their names for Conehead and Football zombies.

I decided to sketch them my versions of the characters so they could color them with Crayons.

The twins' artwork. 

I added a couple of my own zombies in the background just to fill it out.

How I sketch Plants vs. Zombies video. Click here

In this video I'm using the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the app Procreate.

Let me know what you think. And if you would, please subscribe to my Blog and YouTube channels.

I'm not sponsored by any products in this video or own any rights to Cone Zombie or Football Zombie. You should check out the Plants vs. Zombies game in the app store. It looks pretty fun.

Please check out my videos (I NEED VIEWS AND SUBSCRIBERS!!!) 

RANDY'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL CLICK HERE

Here's some of my art supplies you can find on Amazon.

Stillman & Birn Beta Series sketchbook: http://amzn.to/2CLMTer 

Apple Pencil: http://amzn.to/2DodFwt

iPad Pro 12.9-inch: http://amzn.to/2DhWfOI

JinHao Pen: http://amzn.to/2m3x2jJ

Lamy Safari fountain pen: http://amzn.to/2Dp91ye

Platinum carbon ink bottle ink black 60cc: http://amzn.to/2D1xFCA

Pentel Aquash Waterbrush: http://amzn.to/2F3ju0l

M. Graham watercolors: http://amzn.to/2Ee1yiA

For my YouTube channel, I do some of my filming with a GoPro Hero 2:  http://amzn.to/2m1LQzC

I PAINTED A FISH

As you can see by my previous post I sketched and painted a steelhead salmon. fish are actually harder to paint than I first thought.

A steelhead Salmon or rainbow trout. Pen & Ink, Watercolor on Stillman & Birn Beta Series A5 sketchbook.

I posted a video on my Youtube channel if you want to watch a timelapse of me sketching and using watercolor to get my final version.

This is the digital version using the app Procreate on the iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil.

My fish video

I also posted a video on my digital version of painting a fish. For that I simply took a photo of the steelhead  after I inked it and before I used watercolor on it. 

My Digital Fish video

I then uploaded the image to my iPad Pro into the drawing app Procreate and used an Apple Pencil to apply color.

Please check out my videos (I NEED VIEWS AND SUBSCRIBERS!!!) 

RANDY'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL CLICK HERE

MY FAVORITE SKETCHING BOOKS 

The Urban Sketcher: Techniques for Seeing and Drawing on Location 

Sketching People: An Urban Sketcher’s Manual to Drawing Figures and Faces

The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Perspective

MY SKETCHING TOOLS

Stillman & Birn Beta Series A5 Sketchbook: http://amzn.to/2tvb3JH

Apple Pencil: http://amzn.to/2DodFwt

iPad Pro 12.9-inch: http://amzn.to/2DhWfOI

JinHao Pen: http://amzn.to/2m3x2jJ

Lamy Safari fountain pen: http://amzn.to/2Dp91ye

Platinum carbon ink bottle ink black 60cc: http://amzn.to/2D1xFCA

Pentel Aquash Waterbrush: http://amzn.to/2F3ju0l

M. Graham watercolors: http://amzn.to/2Ee1yiA

For my YouTube channel, I do some of my filming with a GoPro Hero 2:  http://amzn.to/2m1LQzC

A FEW RANDOM SKETCHES

I've been doing a lot of sketching on my iPad Pro using the app Procreate and an Apple Pencil. I feel sort of guilty about not sketching so much on paper but I feel a little freer using the iPad. 

I guess because it isn't so permanent if I make a mistake. A simple double tap and the mistake is erased. It does give me more confidence though when I do sketch with pen and ink.

Pen and ink and watercolor on Stillman and Birn Beta Series A5 sketchbook. This is my first-ever salmon sketch.

To combat the my guilty feelings I have been blending pen and ink with the digital iPad. I'll often draw on paper with my fountain pen then upload it to my iPad for coloring. But then that makes me feel like I'm neglecting my watercolors. I Just can't win.

This is the pen and ink only version. Before watercoloring it I uploaded it to my iPad for a digital copy.

Actually, I'm not even sure why I feel guilty. It's just another form of art medium. Maybe because I can "fix" my mistakes so easily.

I haven't mastered Procreate yet and I'm not happy with my "watercoloring" on he iPad. It still looks way too digital. I've seen others who have it down pretty well and theirs are hard to distinguish between digital and traditional.

This is the digital painting I did on the iPad in Procreate using the Apple Pencil.
I still have the background to complete. I think I still prefer the rawness of the
traditional watercolor version. Although for illustrations for print I like the digital versions.

I've also decided I needed to practice some portraits. Not that I draw portraits but Id like when I draw people in an urban sketch to have a little more realistic detail than they do now.

I can't remember who this guy is. I found his photo on Google and used that for a reference. 

Plus, #Oneweek100people2018 event begins March 5, 2018 so that should give me plenty of people to practice on.

And lastly, our twin grandsons love watching YouTube videos of Plants vs. Zombies so I sketched them their favorites, which they call Cone Zombie and football Running Zombie. Not sure if that is the real names of the characters or not. I then printed out the ink outlines for them to color then decided to do a finished version myself.

Below are the ink outline, what the twins colored and what I ended up with.

The ink outline of Plants vs Zombies with my own characters in the background.

This is the finished version of what our 4-year-old twins ended up coloring.

My version.

Here's some of my art supplies you can find on Amazon.

Apple Pencil: http://amzn.to/2DodFwt

iPad Pro 12.9-inch: http://amzn.to/2DhWfOI

JinHao Pen: http://amzn.to/2m3x2jJ

Lamy Safari fountain pen: http://amzn.to/2Dp91ye

Platinum carbon ink bottle ink black 60cc: http://amzn.to/2D1xFCA

Pentel Aquash Waterbrush: http://amzn.to/2F3ju0l

M. Graham watercolors: http://amzn.to/2Ee1yiA

For my YouTube channel, I do some of my filming with a GoPro Hero 2:  http://amzn.to/2m1LQzC

I am not sponsored by any company or product on this blog or in any of my videos, but I am an Amazon affiliate and do get a small commission from Amazon when you purchase an item through one of the above links at no additional cost to you. 

My YouTube channel is at: https://www.youtube.com/user/rdubinhawaii Please subscribe. Thank you very much. Have a great day. 

RERUN ON RUNNING

I guess I just need more to do or something, but I watched my Youtube video on running in Vibram Five Fingers shoes and decided it needed some editing and music.

I first posted the video of Karen and I running in Kona in 2012, shortly after purchasing our Vibrams. The video was taken using a GoPro Hero 2 and running around the perimeter of Old A's soccer fields and on the Jurassic Trail (at least that is what we call it) off Koloko Drive.

You can watch the re-posted version here: Vibram Five-Fingers review

We still have those same Vibrams believe it or not. I use mine mostly for running on the treadmill these days.

Below are  some Amazon links for the Vibrams and the Go Pro if you are interested in them.

I'm an Amazon associate so I get a small commission if you click on any of the links and buy anything, but Amazon pays it so it costs you nothing extra.

Thanks and if you are interested in running, Ironman triathlon or sketching and drawing, please subscribe to my blog and YouTube channel.

Vibram Men's Bikila EVO on Amazon:  https://goo.gl/ZvBLkV

Vibram Fivefingers Womens Bikila on Amazon: https://goo.gl/wmTgej

Video was photographed with a GoPro Hero: https://goo.gl/49pb9B

ADVENTURES IN DOODLING

I just never know where my mind will take me when I’m doodling. I started out sketching cars then somehow ended up sketching a "story time" scene.  Maybe because it was close to bedtime for our 4-year-old twins.



CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

I think I saw a stamp or card of this little girl in my wife’s card collection. I used an iPad Pro 12.9-inch, Apple Pencil and the app Procreate for this video.  Thanks for watching and please subscribe.

If you shop at Amazon.com you can show your support without spending extra. Just click on any of the Amazon links here when you do your shopping and I'll get a small commission paid by Amazon without costing you anything extra.

Below is a list of some of my art supplies available on Amazon.

Apple Pencil: http://amzn.to/2DodFwt

iPad Pro 12.9-inch: http://amzn.to/2DhWfOI

JinHao Pen: http://amzn.to/2m3x2jJ

Lamy Safari fountain pen: http://amzn.to/2Dp91ye

Platinum carbon ink bottle ink black 60cc: http://amzn.to/2D1xFCA

Pentel Aquash Waterbrush: http://amzn.to/2F3ju0l

M. Graham watercolors: http://amzn.to/2Ee1yiA

I do some of my filming with a GoPro Hero 2:  http://amzn.to/2m1LQzC

I am not sponsored by any company or product in this video but I am an Amazon affiliate and do get a small commission from Amazon when you purchase an item through one of the above links at no additional cost to you.

Thanks for watching and please subscribe to my blog and YouTube channel.

COMBINING TRADITIONAL PEN & INK WITH THE PROCREATE APP

In my latest sketching video on YouTube I mix traditional pen and ink sketch with the newest version of Procreate app on the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

This is the pen and ink sketch of the Indiana Capitol.
The finished drawing is below, which I completed in Procreate on the iPad Pro.

My Latest YouTube Video here

Indiana capitol. Partially drawn on an A5 sketchbook then imported
into the Procreate app on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and finshed drawing
and coloring using various brushes there. 

Since I'm new to Procreate I just testing various elements of the program. I haven't figured out yet how to get a watercolor effect with the brushes. I know you can purchase brushes online at various websites and some may even be free.

I also haven't figured out how to get a blending effect in Procreate that you get with watercolors on paper. Or the granulation, but that will all come with experience I think.

One thing I love about Procreate and the iPad Pro is I don't feel that intimidation about messing up a sketch in my sketchbook. I feel more free to experiment with styles and brushes (pens, etc.) and I'm finding myself sketching more. (One disclaimer: I also use a very inexpensive ($5.99) A5 sketchbook that I do a lot of doodles and scribbles in while watching TV. I bought this specifically to doodle/scribble in so I don't feel that pressure of messing up a sketch in my "real" sketchbooks (Stillman & Birn Beta series).

This is one of my many scribbles and caricatures in my "doodle book."

One other drawback to using the iPad for a sketchbook is the slipperiness of the glass when using the Apple Pencil. If Apple could make a nib that felt more like pen on paper or if someone would invent a static cling screen cover that the pencil would work through that had the same feel as paper that would be great.

Here's a list of some of my art supplies and where to find them on Amazon:

For the Indiana Capitol sketch on paper I used a JinHao X750 Silver CT Fountain Pen with a medium nib and Platinum carbon ink.

JinHao Pen: http://amzn.to/2m3x2jJ

Lamy Safari fountain pen: http://amzn.to/2Dp91ye

Platinum carbon ink bottle ink black 60cc: http://amzn.to/2D1xFCA

Pentel Aquash Waterbrush: http://amzn.to/2F3ju0l

M. Graham watercolors: http://amzn.to/2Ee1yiA

I do some of my filming with a GoPro Hero 2:  http://amzn.to/2m1LQzC

Apple Pencil: http://amzn.to/2DodFwt

iPad Pro 12.9-inch: http://amzn.to/2DhWfOI

I am not sponsored by any company or product in this video but I am an Amazon affiliate and do get a small commission from Amazon when you purchase an item through one of the above links at no additional cost to you.

Thanks for watching and please subscribe to my channel.

PROCREATE AND IPAD PRO: STILL EXPERIMENTING

I've been playing around more with the drawing app Procreate, iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. The biggest drawback so far is the slipperiness of the screen when using the pencil.  You are basically drawing with a piece of hard plastic on a sheet of glass. If there was a way to get the feel of pen and paper that would be perfect.

Working on a few trial comic panels on the iPad Pro using
the app Procreate and the Apple Pencil. 

One thing I know, drawing in Procreate has been giving me a lot more confidence when I draw with pen and ink on paper. Not sure why other than maybe getting in more practice because I don't have to worry about wasting paper.

A great feature with Procreate is the  "Canvas Info" tab. Besides providing the document size and time spent (which comes in handy for billing clients) it also tells you number of layers being used, video length (if you wish to publish a video) and even how many strokes you've used.

It is fun to watch the time-lapse videos that Procreate records while you draw. Here is a video of the above comic panels being drawn. 

Click here to watch the video: Procreate: Drawing a few comic panels

You can view more of my videos on my YouTube channel at My YouTube Channel

Thanks for stopping by.

UNFINISHED

Scanning through my sketchbook I noticed I have a lot of unfinished sketches. Mostly because I sketch while watching TV or while I'm waiting on something.

I started drawing this from  a photo on Sktchy while watching TV
and this is as far as I got. I plan on finishing it --- sometime.

The good side is at least I'm drawing. I'm trying to sketch everyday. As busy as I am that can be hard to do, especially watching 4-year-old twins plus working full time.

I was looking through my photos on my phone the other day
and found a photo of the Indiana State Capitol in Indianapolis
that I took back when we lived there. I had planned on just
using this as a practice or thumbnail sketch and to record the actual sketching of it for my
YouTube channel, but I actually liked how this turned out so I'll probably paint this at some point.

The Indiana capitol building above was a fast and loose sketch that I did, again, while watching TV. I watch way too much TV I think. I was just trying to get a feel for it and stretch it a little to add some character/style to it before I sketched it for a video on my Youtube channel. I still may try to record a sketch of it. I just wish I could get that same looseness and feel for all my sketches, even if no one else likes it, this is one of my favorite sketches because it is getting close to the look and style I've been searching for.

This one is a little more finished but not quite. Again sketched while watching TV.
Trade Minister Nobusuke Tagomi from "Man in the High Castle" that I decided to caricaturise (is that a word?) slightly. 

I've also started to finish some of my sketches that I start with pen and ink digitally with Photoshop or Procreate. Although I feel like I'm cheating a little creating any art digitally just because it's so easy to fix mistakes and I think mistakes is what gives sketches their character. But I'm slowly coming around to the fact that digital is just another tool for artists to use.

This is how far along I got with this sketch in pen and ink.

All the color, luggage on the roof and people in the car, and landscape were all added using Photoshop.

Similarly, The drawing of the U.S. Capitol is colored completely with Photoshop.

I have numerous doodles and rough sketches all over my desk at work. Most of them are on Post-It notes and scrap pieces of paper.

Thanks for stopping by and if you get a chance please subscribe to my fledgling YouTube channel here: My YouTube Channel

Below are Amazon links to some of my art supplies that I use:

JinHao Pen: http://amzn.to/2m3x2jJ  

Platinum carbon ink bottle ink black 60cc: http://amzn.to/2D1xFCA

Pentel Aquash Waterbrush: http://amzn.to/2F3ju0l

M. Graham watercolors: http://amzn.to/2Ee1yiA

I film some of my videos with a GoPro Hero 2: http://amzn.to/2m1LQzC

RUNNING SHOE REVIEW

NOTE: This was originally publish in 2010 but I think it is still relevant if  you are into running shoes like I am.

I am by no means an expert on running shoes or running. All I know is what works for me. After competing in numerous triathlons and running events from sprint tris to marathons to two Ironman World Championships (plus all the thousands of miles of training in between each of them) I've tried a lot of different shoes: Asics, Nike, New Balance, Pearl Izumi, Zoot, Brooks, Vibram FiveFingers, sandals, barefoot, and even homemade shoes.

Running at the Energy Lab in Kona, Hawaii, in 2012. I loved running here. 

 Like I said, I'm no expert but I have ran a lot of miles in all kinds of shoes from extra padding to no padding. I've had all kinds of running injuries along the way. torn ALC, ripped meniscus tear, knee surgery, plantar fasciitis, strained muscles, a ruptured peroneal tendon in my ankle, broken toes, and I've even been hit by a huge SUV while running (not that that had anything to do with the shoes) and don't even get me started on whatever felt like a hammer pounding on my knee cap ever step I took while training for my first Ironman world championship. Try doing a 3 hour run with that going on.

 A little background on my running experience. I started running track in junior high school and continued running while in college although I only competed in one college cross-country meet. Over the past 30 years I only ran occasionally until moving to Hawaii and getting into triathlons back in 2007.

Since then I've ran pretty regularly until we moved from Hawaii back to the mainland a year and a half ago. I've ran in a couple of races on the mainland but haven't put in near the mileage I was in Hawaii. I've been working on that though and have been trying to run at least 5k five or six days a week. Last summer I took a break from my "real job" and had a job where I walked/ran anywhere from 8 miles to 18 miles five days a week pushing shopping carts. You learn a lot about your feet and legs when walking/running that much every day.

 Anyhow, Out of all the shoes I've tried below is a brief look at what I experienced. How they worked or didn't work FOR ME. Take my "reviews" with a grain of salt because, again, this is must what I experienced.

So here goes ...

 NIKE
My first running shoes ever were Nikes. Way back in high school, when Nike was still going school-to-school selling shoes out of the back of a van. I couldn't afford them even back then so my coach bought me a pair and I paid him back by working around his property for a few weekends. I've ran in many different models of Nikes over the years and at times really appreciated the extra padding/support the models I wore offered.

NEW BALANCE
Another of my favs for running shoes are the NB minimus. I have a trail running version of this as well but can't remember off hand the name of it.

Find them here on Amazon: New Balance Minimus

ZOOTS
My zoots spoof commercial can be seen here.

Here's an Amazon link for Zoots: Zoot Men's Ultra TT 7.0 Running Shoe

VIBRAM FIVE FINGERS
Vibrims in action can be seen here.

Here's the Amazon link for Vibrams Bikila shoes: Vibram Men's Bikila EVO

NOTE: I'm an Amazon Affiliate, which means Amazon pays me a small commission if you click on a link and buy something. It costs nothing extra for you. thanks

SKETCHING A BEACH SCENE FROM SKTCHY

Have you heard of the app Sktchy? You probably have. If not check your mobile device's app store. It's free to download and use. 

What is Sktchy?

It''s an app that you can upload photos, called inspirations, for others to use as a reference for drawing, sketching painting or whatever medium they prefer. You can also upload your own artwork that you created from the photos that inspired you.

I've uploaded 30-something inspirations and have posted two sketches from photos I've found on Sktchy.

My latest sketch, a beach and pier scene, I turned into a quick 2-minute video on my YouTube channel. 

Here's my Sktchy Video on YouTube. Click on either photo to watch the video.

This is the photo of the pier and beach scene I sketched  on Sktchy. The photo was uploaded by Nicolas Hosking.

For this sketch I used an A5-sized sketchbook that I use for doodle, thumbnails and general practice. I rarely use watercolor on it since the paper is quite thin but using a Pentel waterbrush works pretty well.

For this sketch I used a JinHao X750 Silver CT Fountain Pen with a medium nib and Platinum carbon ink.

For the watercolor I used a Pentel Aquash  waterbrush and M. Graham watercolors.

Below are Amazon links to my supplies

JinHao Pen: http://amzn.to/2m3x2jJ  

Platinum carbon ink bottle ink black 60cc: http://amzn.to/2D1xFCA

Pentel Aquash Waterbrush: http://amzn.to/2F3ju0l

M. Graham watercolors: http://amzn.to/2Ee1yiA

Filmed with a GoPro Hero 2: http://amzn.to/2m1LQzC

I am not sponsored by any company or product in this video but I am an Amazon affiliate and do get a small commission from Amazon when you purchase an item through one of the above links at no additional cost to you.

Thanks for stopping by.

REVIEW: AIRBORNE 44 GRAPHIC NOVEL

I watch a lot of YouTube videos. These days it's mostly sketching and drawing vids. A while back I came across Philippe Jarbinet's channel. 

Philippe is a graphic novel writer and artist who, among his works, includes the Airborne 44 series. On his YouTube channel he posts videos of him drawing the Airborne series. It's great to watch an artist create. 

He narrates some but it's all in French. 

Below is a link to my quick review of No. 5 in the series. I think it's the only one that has been translated into English. 

Airborne 44

Also, here is an Amazon link to a few of Philippe Jarbinet's Amazon page  where you can find his graphic novels.

Philippe Jarbinet on Amazon

Thanks for stopping by. And if you like please subscribe to my blog and my fledgling Youtube channel. For now I'm concentrating on sketching and art with an occasional video on triathlon-related subjects.

Click here to go to my Youtube channel