Inktobers

My latest Substack is now up and is a review of some past Inktobers. You can get there by clicking HERE.

 

All Star: The Art Of Sports Gallery Show

Flyer by Tony Miello

This Friday is the opening for the All Star: The Art of Sports exhibit at the River's Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, MI. Tony Miello will have the bulk of the works on display, but there will also be works on hand by John Marroquin, Bill Morrison, Jeff Sornig and myself. I will have three pieces, all hockey related. A scratchboard and two sculptures. I will post about those on Friday, before the show starts. The show will run from October 16 to November 21 and starts at 6pm. 

Hope to see you there!

 

Inktober 2026 Day 9: Ram

 

4x6

ink in sketchbook

Today's Inktober word prompt is Ram. Cutting it close.

Inktober 2026 Day 6: Ogre

4x6

ink in sketchbook

I've had computer problems since Monday afternoon, so I haven't been able to post much and I missed Day 6 of the Inktober challenge. That seems to be solved for now. So, the word prompt for that day was Ogre. And now you have it.

 

Inktober 2026 Day 4: Cactus

 

6x4 ink in sketchbook

Today's Inktober word prompt is: Cactus. 

Star Wars Chrome Sketch Cards

Here are the sketch cards that I did for the recently released Star Wars Chrome set via Topps. This time I focused on The Rise of Skywalker, The Book of Boba Fett, Tales of the Jedi, Ashoka Season 1, Obi Wan Kenobi Season 1, and Maul: Shadow Lord Season 1. 

 

Inktober 2026 Day 1: Apple

 

6x4

ink in sketchbook

So, another Inktober is upon us. As with the last few years, maybe longer, I haven't done one everyday. Believe it, or not, I'm kind busy and let's face it, the word prompts haven't exactly been inspiring. That's part of the challenge, I guess. Anyways, I'll be hit or miss with these this year, I'm sure.

Today's word prompt is Apple. Since it is October, I try to make these spooky to go with the season.

Quill Pen Bison Sketch

 

My latest Substack is a short on with another goose feather quill pen sketch of a bison. You can get to there by clicking HERE.

Sketches From The Wilds

 

5x8                                    pencil in sketchbook

5x8                           colored pencil in sketchbook

Last week we took a trip to Cumberland, OH to visit The Wilds to visit with all of the free roaming animals and some not so much, such as the carnivores. While on one of the open air tours, I was able to do some sketching. The landscape was done from the deck of the yurt that we were staying in. 

Hellespont Rising Newsletter

 

In my latest newsletter, I talk about the process for my latest encaustic piece. You can get there by clicking HERE.

Hellespont Rising

8x8

encaustic wax on wood panel

Here is the finished encaustic piece that I started a few weeks ago in a workshop for just that occasion. Why Hellespont Rising? I just thought it sounded cool. Stuff happened there. Old stuff. That sharklike creature looks like old stuff. And I like ancient history, so there.

Plus, it sounds better than Jonah and The Thing. Or something like that.

Tomorrow, I will do up a brief process post over on my Substack, so coming soon!

 

Jane Austen Sketch Night

On Thursday, I attended a Jane Austen themed live model sketch night at the Ferndale Area District Library. Not only was our model dressed in Jane Austen era garments, she was the librarian, as well. 

I started off with some pen sketches for the opening gesture sketches.

Then with the pencil and provided paper.

Colored pencil...

This one above, the librarian took for herself.

Then, on to the Kraft paper for the slightly longer poses.

And, our model was actually reading a Jane Austen book while posing. Authentic!

This was a fun night, with a good crowd and I look forward to December's meet-up, where the theme will be The Odyssey. 

Stickers, Part Two

 

My latest Substack is up and is about more stickers on sketchbooks. You can get there by clicking HERE.

Sketching At The Detroit Zoo

 

5x8

colored pencil in sketchbook

This past Wednesday found me back at the Detroit Zoo with some friends doing a little sketching and walking around. The Detroit Zoo is known worldwide for the happy mental state of their animals and it shows. They are usually quite active. Those dainty rhinos would not stay in one place. I tried to sketch the young chimpanzees, but wow, were they flying around. I was able to at least get some good pics, though. 

Blue Shark Sketch

5x8

ink in sketchbook

My buddy's kid is going to the University of Maine to become a marine biologist and he's been keeping me in the loop as to his doings and experiences. He just finished a weeklong course where they went out into the Atlantic and caught and tagged some sharks, mostly blues. So, a bit inspired, I did a quick blue shark sketch for #SundayFishSketch. It's been awhile since I've done one.

And he had some very cool pics. 

 

Emerging

 

My latest Substack is about one of the pieces that I have in the Emerge! 2026 show at the Hannan Center in Detroit. You can click HERE to get there.

Star Wars Galaxy Chrome Sketch Cards

 So, after a six year time-out with Topps and doing Star Wars stuff, I am now back in the fold. I was doing MLB work for them, during that time, so all was not lost. Anyways, I am now on my 3rd set for them this year. I signed on to do 60 cards and had 19 of them rejected. My likenesses were off, so they say. Some of them, I could see why, as I was pushing some stylized looks. Others had me scratching my head, but it happens. So, here are my accepted cards for the just released set for the Galaxy Chrome series.

You can click on each individual set of nine for a closer look. For this set, I wanted to focus on the movies and series that I didn't get to draw during my six year absence. Andor, The Mandalorian, Season 3, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte. Fun stuff to draw, for sure. 

My next set has less rejections! 

Entangled

14x16

ink on bristol board

I started this drawing years ago and just now finished it. It really only had a little bit to go, I just needed to buckle down on the bottom part. So, I'm thinking that maybe my style evolved some, but not too sure. I think I would have handled the helmet a little different these days, but I think that my objective was met with this one, so I'm happy. 

This could have easily been titled Mislead Man In A Mangrove. 

 

Sketchbooks And The Stickers That Adorn them

Hey, a double post today!

My latest Substack is up and is about... stickers! You can read about it HERE.

 

Emerge! 2026

 I will have two pieces in the Emerge! 2026 exhibit starting tomorrow at the Hannan Center in Detroit. The show will run through mid September . 

My two pieces are a sculpture and a woodblock print, keeping with the them of emergence. 

Emerging

soapstone
photo by John Wood

The sculpture, pictured above was carved out of soapstone and has all these great looking colors that come out when wet. I had applied a coat of tung oil recently that brought out some of those colors, but it did make it darker than what is pictured here. 

Ascending

9x12

woodcut print

The woodcut print was a lot of fun to do. My first woodcut, actually. I was happy with how the patterns of the sea came out. And... it's a hammerhead!

So, the opening is tomorrow as stated in the flyer and it goes from noon until 7.

I will be exhibiting alongside a few friends, as well. Dug Rusin will have two colored pencil pieces and Mary Stebbins Taitt and Laura Reed will have pieces, too. Stop on by, check out the show. I'm sure that it will be a good one (I saw some of the works when I was dropping my pieces off and there are some good ones). And remember, there will be a hammerhead present!