The Professional Webspace of Designer and Illustrator Kevin Cornell:
"Design, Art, and Lackluster Humor."
More Sketchbook Spelunking
I'm a big fan of a completely crammed page, bursting with penwork. When I was in school, I filled an entire 18x24 sheet of paper with a semester's worth of doodles. Someday, I'd love to fill an entire sketchbook like this — but that would require a whole hell of a lot of time. These kinds of compositions are less stressful (and usually more interesting) when you just add a dabble here and there.This page started out with the robot bear in the middle. In the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, there's a couple scenes involving a giant robotic bear called "Shardik". I think somewhere along the line I wondered what a robot bear would look like. After that, there was little to stop me from creating a robot fish, and a robot cow. Robot fish lay nuclear caviar and swim in kerosene oceans. Robot cows produce electronic milk, which powers our robot cereal. The piano is not a robot piano, but a harpsichord disguised as a piano, played by robots.
The last bit of paraphanelia I drew is the stuff in the top left corner. That "urn" is from Rittenhouse Park in Philadelphia. Also of note, is the man standing next to the urn. I've seen him a couple of times in the park. He's a rather tall black man, dressed head to toe in black. This particular day, he was just striding back and forth across the length of the park, like a surly fashion model. His most show-stopping moment, however, was the day he heralded his entrance to the park singing (well... screaming) Metallica lyrics at the top of his lungs. I'm not sure if he's homeless or not, but he's giving the rest of the crazy homeless a REAL run for their mon— er, their shopping carts.
Comments on this Article
There are currently 34 comments.
4. The Jones
HA. These remind me of the "BarnYard Animals" I had as a kid. They were like GI Joe sheep and pigs, But their weapons were huge cyborg looking things that attached to there body. Anyway, love the faces in the piano and the shapes you brought out in the cliff, as well as .. everything else.
5. bearskinrug
Bert/Anders - Thanks, gents!
Bryan - Yeah - this definitely isn't the threatening behemoth described in the books! :D
The Jones - Barnyard Animals? I never heard of these... looks like I missed out...
7. Pierce
The bear has a very "been there/done that" look on his face. I guess once you've had a robotic stomach attached to your midriff, everything else just seems pretty inconsequential.
8. Biggest Apple
Love the mouth on that fish. Got a little Shel Silverstein flavor to it.
9. Mr. David
Quite brilliant line work on this piece. I have to ask two things.
One, did you use reference for any of this (other than the crazy guy and the urn)
Two, is that a robot cow docking station in the back right?
10. bearskinrug
Pierce - You're so right. He's a "worldly" robot bear.
Apple - Awesome — that's a flattering comparison!
Mr. David - Yup - I had reference for the cow and bear. And that COULD be a cow docking station. They have to get the milk somehow...
11. John Nick
This is gorgeous. Are you seeking our awe and obeisance? If so, I've got two words for the metaphorically flight-suited Kevin Cornell:
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
I drew a robot lumberjack during a staff meeting last month, but I bet yours would be WAY better, KC.
I wussed out with it -- instead of drawing legs and the ever-complex "groin area" I stuck in some hovercraft jets right below the beltline.
12. Charles
You keep proving my point more and more every day, Kevin. Robotic Bears? This is the exact reason why I am afraid of the future, and you keep feeding my phobia.
My friend and I used to make sketches like this a couple of years ago, in fact it was kind of a halloween tradition (don't ask me why). We'd take a page out of a sketchbook, or poster board and rotate every 5 minutes between the two of us and fill every inch of it with tiny sketches. I'm nowhere near as talented as you, but we each had very different styles and came out looking a little odd when our work overlapped and ran into each others.
13. bearskinrug
John Nick - Thanks! But I have to tell you, you made the right decision adding the hovercraft jets on the robot lumberjack. After all, that IS how they look...
Charles - I don't mean to make the future scary. What if I added a Robot Doll? Everyone loves dolls!
The shared sketching is a good idea! I'm always interested in the concept of different artists collaborating on the same page...
14. mearso
Brilliant - How the hell do you do it without any mistakes you make dominating/spoiling the whole thing?
15. Jared
I like how the robotic parts for both the bear and cow have been properly labeled. For the next one, would it be possible to incorporate a volcano that plays the electric guitar? Something tells me that if they were musically inclined, a guitar would be the weapon of choice.
16. niff
This has been one of my favorite pages of yours for a while.
you should cram stuff together more often.
17. bearskinrug
Mearso - Well, the Bear and the Cow were definitely sketched in pencil, first. It's always the best insurance policy to keep things nice and precise.
Jared - I think a musically inclined volcano would probably play a percussion instrument...
Niff - Are you telling me to cram it, Niff!? Nooooo!
18. Jared
Perhaps I can see chunks of molten rock raining down on various drums or hitting cymbals carried by pterodactyls. But, I would imagine the volcano to be erupting in a frenzy of Hammer-ons! Lightning clouds! Whammy bar?
19. McMullen
I really like how everything is strictly done with lines although it gives a deep definition for each item. Nice work!
20. Fiona
this is fantastic!! i want a great big blown-up print of this on my college wall !!
21. paul
damnit, i thought i could have been kevin cornell someday until you posted this. now i have to settle for being 'that guy that shouts at bushes and forces everyone to call him kevin cornell'. nuts to you, kevin's dominant hand, nuts to you.
(ps: i still think you're terrific!)
22. wayne
ha. that is a really good likeness of the crazy rittenhouse guy. the next time i see him, i'll let him know he's famous.
23. bearskinrug
McMullen - thanks!
Fiona - Really? Waking up to that bear could be scary, though!
Paul - You can still be Kevin Cornell... you'll have learn my filing system, first. I refuse to use the following letters: A, B, C, P, and X.
Wayne - Have you had any experiences of your own with him, Wayne?
24. John Nick
If you draw a robot doll, it should be in the lap of a robot clown. The robot's lap should be robotic as well.
25. wayne
i've seen him striding around the rittenhouse area a few times, looking angry.
26. bearskinrug
John Nick - A clown holding a doll!!! AAAAAAA! *kevin hides*
Wayne... I think you need to get a picture of him.
27. Laura
I thought I was going to see a blind contour drawing. and then I thought THIS was your blind contour drawing. and then.
So where's your bcd? This, though, takes the cake for sheer Excellence of Page. I have a few extra tiaras--want one? You deserve it.
29. bearskinrug
I apologize, guys! These past couple days have just been too hectic for me to do BCF this week. :D
32. bearskinrug
Judging by my low Math SAT scores, and my incurable desire to be held... I'd have to say no.
34. Ty
It looks like all this is comming out of the piano at the bottom of the page. Like it's a song about robot animals.
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1. Bert
You are great man!! I love your drawings and jokes.....the monkey is so funny.
you the man!
Bert
www.bertcomic.com