Two-division boxing champion Bobby "Schoolboy" Chacon, ink on sketch paper by Coyote Duran
Sketchbook Chronicles No. 7: On Wednesday, Sept. 7, the boxing world learned that one of its own, former two-division champion (at featherweight and junior lightweight) and Hall-of-Famer Bobby "Schoolboy" Chacon, 59-7-1 (47), had passed away while under hospice care. Despite suffering the tragic losses of his wife Valerie (Chacon would fight the following day, stopping Salvador Ugalde in the third round) and son Bobby Jr. (a result of gun violence three years after Chacon retired), Chacon could still find the wherewithal to smile. That smile became the trademark of a warrior, who would gradually succumb to Pugilistica Dementia. As simple and bold as his smile, I offer an equally simple and bold tribute to Bobby "Schoolboy" Chacon in my latest "Sketchbook Chronicles" entry, done in Micron pen and Pentel Pocket Brush Pen on sketch paper. Rest in peace, Champ.
Sketchbook Chronicles No. 6: Christian Kane as Captain Marvel (Shazam), Micron pen and Pentel Pocket Brush Pen on sketch paper, July 2016, by Coyote Duran
Sketchbook Chronicles No. 6: Sometimes, if I'm feeling highly productive, I really enjoy knocking out sketches of things like pro wrestlers, superheroes or boxers. That idea begat my "Sketchbook Chronicles." Nothing fancy-schmancy or high-level artsy-fartsy. Just good clean fun meant to keep me sharp and fuel my imagination. (I might be a grown-up but I'm still a kid at heart; you know.)
So, I give in to my dopey whimsies from time to time and create what my imagination asks me to. With that comes my latest piece, an ink rendering (notice I didn't say, "a quick sketch"? It drives me nutzoid when a VERY talented artist - and I'm not saying that condescendingly; I swear - coughs up a beautiful piece on the Instagram, then refers to it as a quick sketch. You don't have to bullshit me, kids. It's worth letting one and all know your work takes time. Other than that, it only makes you sound like one of those folks who does or presents something monumental and caps it off with, "No big deal." Ugh) of my absolute favorite superhero, Captain Marvel. (Micron ink pen and Pentel Pocket Brush pen on sketch paper. And no, this is the real Captain Marvel, not DC Comics' imitation called "Shazam." I'm sorry but current main continuity Cap, these days, killed the real deal in 2011.)
However, I wondered what he - and the rest of the Marvel Family - would look like based on established Hollywood types. With Cap's sister Mary Marvel, I thought Danielle Panabaker (of the "Friday the 13th" remake, "The Crazies, and the CW's "The Flash") would make a fantastic reference or would even be a terrific Mary on the big screen. I looked at Chandler Riggs (of "The Walking Dead") as the perfect Freddie Freeman/Captain Marvel Jr. and for the good Captain himself, actor/country singer Christian Kane (of "Leverage" fame).
Mind you, few renderings are perfect without previous attempts, hence my latest Instagram go-round, which looked like Christian Kane and John Travolta's love child:
Yeah, I had to start over. But now, Cap looks like an amalgam of Christian Kane and Tim Matheson. Oh well. I like it and I still had fun. Maybe next time, I'll crank out something a little more detailed. :)
Since renowned ring announcer Joe Antonacci revitalized the "Joe Palooka" franchise with a revamped Palooka (actually a mixed-martial arts fighter named Nick Davis) last year, I wondered to myself what my version of Antonacci's cage-fighting fugitive would look like (and if you missed it before, here's my review of issues one and two of "Joe Palooka" from February of last year: http://www.coyoteduran.com/2012/02/joe-palooka-old-school-icon-with-new.html).
Well, as per usual, I went a little ink-heavy but (submitted for your approval, critique and/or derision), here's my comic book take on Nick Davis a.k.a. "Joe Palooka"! (8 1/2" X 11", Staedtler pigment liner on sketch paper) And if you dig comic books and MMA, make sure to check out "Joe Palooka" (now brought to you by IDW Publishing!) at comic book stores now!
It was a LOOOOOOONG time ago but sometime between 1993 and 1996, I drew a graphite portrait of legendary blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan for a co-worker. Back then I didn't have a computer, much less a scanner, so before I framed the piece and gave it to my friend, I photocopied the original. I was bored out of my skull one day, I guess, so I inked the photocopy. Recently, I dug out the inked image and I have to say, I kind of laughed at myself and my pseudo-effort. See, then, I was going through a phase where I was trying everything possible to up my inking game. Quill pens, Pelikan brand/India ink, brushes. You name it, I tried it but didn't practice enough, therefore I sucked hard at it. So, a few days ago, I laid down more solid blacks to the image, popped it into Photoshop, then minimized the detail just to see if less was truly more. You know what? It actually was. These days, I've upped my game with a bolder inking style through the use of archival ink pens like Microns and Staedtlers so really, this piece isn't indicative of what I can do today. It's merely a preservation or restoration of something totally I forgot about years ago. Plus, it's just fun to share a new(ish) image. :)
(Above: the original photocopy, after fresh ink was hammered in, pre-Photoshop)
