Author Archive

Sketchercise 2 theme

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Allright, gang. I gotta admit I enjoyed the groans I heard from one end of the table last night when I announced this week’s Sketchercise theme. Yes, you heard right. Draw three characters in one setting from the Riverdale gang: Mr. Weatherbee, Betty and Jughead. The rest is up to you. Have fun!!! :)

Direct ink goodness

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Direct-ink sketches from tonight’s Sketch Charlotte meetup. At left, customer with bigass awesome beard. Right, my buddy Henry, making funny faces as he drew, knowing that I was drawing him. Tonight I rediscovered the joys of direct-ink sketching. Forced my mind to tune in as it turned off and let my eyes and pen do the rest. As always, wonderful to see everyone, laugh, and try to figure out what the hell kind of movies or TV shows they were talking about.

Catching a Ride

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Finished up Thursday night’s sketch. Had total fun doing this, and will use it as a springboard for what I’m doing for the next Comicopia cover. What a meeting Thursday was! Awesome to see the newbies, Joel, Jason, Dan and Bridgit. :)

A Dash of Wonder

Monday, May 31st, 2010

Just remembered I hadn’t posted this one, as I’ve been in prep-mode for Heroes Con 2010, where I’ll be exhibiting. Wonder Woman is great fun to draw.

Empathy for J’onn

Monday, May 17th, 2010


I do so love this character. Not that I know an awful lot about him. I just know that I love him thanks to the Justice League and JL Unlimited cartoons from a few years back. I long to see J’onn in comics in the same manner and grace he was depicted there … but every time I pick up a floppy the art makes me want to scream, with one gigantorous exception, Darwyn Cooke’s “The New Frontier”. My wife feels the same, and trust me, she’s not really into superhero comics, but is she ever into J’onn J’onzz. So to heck with it, I’ll draw my own take on the Martian Manhunter. I think I’ll feature him in an upcoming cover I’ll be doing for Comicopia. I do rarely draw superheroes, but doggone it I had total fun doing this. Look for more!

~T

Nathan Takes a Tea

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010


Earl Grey, naturally. Inspired by George Pratt and Michael Nobbs, I ditched my foul mood and went back to my “dot-dash-ugly” style. Definitely picked me up. I do enjoy drawing stuff from my head as if I’m staring at it in real life. Interestingly, the last time I did location drawing, last Thursday, I was impelled to cartoon. Today, I drew from imagination and did it in a “sketch” style. Anyway, it was fun, and seemed to chase my Tuesday demons away a bit.

Down the Block a Ways

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

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Strollin’ Sally

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

2010-04-08_strollingSally

Wow, what a meeting tonight. Time flew, and the next thing you know it was the second Thursday of the month (I count April Fool’s Day as an actual day, regardless of its celebration). Anyway, the most amazing crew came by, and while they were here I drew what I think is one of my bestest sketches ever-sers. Out of the blue, just coming through town, and thanks to this fabulous website where meeting dates and times are published, Frank Miller and his old buddy Klaus Janson dropped by. Janson did nothing but bash John Romita Jr., and when I said that his work was awesome on JR Jr’s, he almost punched me, but Frank quieted him down. We all were sketching away when next thing you know, in walks Robert Crumb to our humble little SketchCharlotte HQ at Showmar’s on 7th. He said that having a sketch group is one of the coolest things ever, plopped down and demanded to review ALL of our sketchbooks. I told him that a lot of my stuff was up on my website, www.watchtomdraw.com, but handed him this year’s current Moleskine where I keep my sketches and various task lists. Miller actually looked worried, and when he asked Robert for an autograph the tension was so thick you could cut it. I managed to help everyone settle down … at least until Dan Clowes walked in. DANG, was this a great meeting or WHAT?! So when I pointed out to Clowes that he looks as schlubby cool as his characters, he actually blushed. Then said something completely smarmy and sarcastic, but said it so fast that it didn’t register with me that it was a horrible put-down until Janson just out of the blue socked the ever living sh!t outta him. It was amazing. And then Clowes apologized to me. Actually apologized. We all drew in each other’s sketchbooks, and WOW, was I ever blown away. I’ll never ever EVER miss a SketchCharlotte meeting again, especially knowing that comic greats, be they known or unknown, can just stroll in and join the sketching fun. Amazing.

Secret Moss

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

I really had a wonderful time on this one (and so many others recently). I have discovered a meditation of sorts of straight-ink drawing in my sketchbook. Really good stuff. An ever flowing fountain.

~T

2010-04-07_robinMoss

Sketch Charlotte Jam, Feb. ‘10

Friday, February 12th, 2010

From left, top to bottom, the creators are Herc, John, Michael, Tom, Henry and Chris. What an awesomely fun, jammin’ time!!!
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