Giveaway WINNER

We have a winner, folks.

And, that winner is amndad!

Congratulations. You will get a portrait of your choice. Just e-mail me at jgundich@comcast.net with the photo reference(s) and the details, and I'll gladly create a 5 x 7 ink drawing of awesomeness.

And, to everyone else who follow my blog and entered the drawing, thank you so much for your support and interest in my artwork. I truly appreciate it.

And...no worries, I will do another contest like this very soon. So, you'll have more chances coming up. Take care, everyone.

October 21, 2010

Pumpkin Idea #2

We'll be carving pumpkins tomorrow night for my sister's Halloween party on Saturday. I've done some pretty cool ones in the past, but I want to do something different. I've never done the "sculpted" look for her party, and I think I may do something like this. Big mouth, lots of teeth and gums. I did one like this last year for a contest at work, and it was a lot of fun.

Finished Size: about 1.5" x 1.5"

October 20, 2010

Lon Chaney as The Phantom of the Opera

Somebody fell down the ugly tree and hit EVERY branch. And, then the tree stood up and proceeded to beat him for hours. This is the kind of face that only a pile of garbage would love. It's the kind of face that would make a dog gag. But, he's a classic monster...so he made the cut. Good for him. At least he made it on something and not just a police watch list.

Finished Size: about 3" x 3"

October 19, 2010

Molepire

What? Right...I knew you would ask that. He's part mole/part vampire...and all awesome. Sure, he can't see you, but he'd rip you apart and feast on your blood in a second...so...he wins. Molepire!

Finished Size: about 2.5" x 3"

October 18, 2010

2 Weeks Til Day of the Dead

I've always liked the look of the day of the dead skeletons and their ornamental surroundings. The Field Museum in Chicago has some good artwork on hand for this celebration, and it was nice to see it last week. So, I tried my hand at a little sketch to match that style. He'd make a good tattoo.

Finished Size: about 2" x 2.5"

October 17, 2010

Candy Corn Phil

I should really give this guy some color. But, you get the idea. His name is Phil. And, he's a Candy Corn. So...that just about does it. Oh, and he's a pal of Gumdrop Andy...obviously.

Finished Size: about 2" x 2.5"

October 16, 2010

Jack O' Lantern

I saw a pumpkin like this drawn in one of M's kid's books. I like how the mouth is carved out really wide on the sides. I don't recall if I ever carved one like that before. So, I'll cut this guy out next week.

Finished Size: about 2.5" x 2.5"

October 15, 2010

Happy Skeleton

I wanted to draw a simple, non-shaded skeleton. Just a fun cartoony look. And, I like this guy. I'd totally dance with him...provided that he keeps his bone off of me.

Finished Size: about 2" x 3"

October 14, 2010

Fighting the Red Baron

This is just another great scene from "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Sure, it was completely unnecessary, but kids don't care and neither do I. Shoot that bastard down, World War I Flying Ace!

Finished Size: about 5" x 5"

October 13, 2010

Gumdrop Alien

Happy Birthday Chris Carter! In honor of your creation, The X-Files, Gumdrop Andy decided to try out this sweet costume. It doesn't quite fit, but I give him an A for effort. Let's hope for a 3rd X-Files movie. Fingers crossed.

Finished Size: about 2.5" x 2.5"

October 12, 2010

Caricature

***So, this is interesting. I was just asked to take this image off of my blog by my company. Wow. I was not expecting that. Funny that I just put this up and practically NOBODY even saw it. I understand what they are saying, but I am so disappointed. I don't think that it was anything damaging, but whatever. It was pretty neat looking.***

So, I was given the opportunity to create an illustration for a project at work. That does not happen too often, but when it does, it's always a refreshing break and tons of fun. This project called for a caricature of the president from a division of my company in a suit giving thumbs up. They did not want it too "cartoony" or offensive looking, and they wanted it as Vector Art. Initially, I started to draw the caricature, but after finding out it needed to be created in Adobe Illustrator, I scrapped the drawing and did it all in the program. Working from a photo reference of the guy and a separate one of a skewed business person giving thumbs up, I created all the shapes for the illustration. It's a long process that takes a few hours (all today) since there are hundreds of points and shapes, but in the end, the result is what I desired. I like the whole "cell shaded" look, and now that this is done as vector art, this will print perfectly, whether it is 100 feet tall or 1 inch tall. And, that is the benefit of that kind of artwork. This was fun. Hopefully, everyone will enjoy it.

Finished Size: about 3" x 10" (but it can be resized to any size, perfectly)

October 11, 2010

Mummydrop

This one is not too bad. But, I think I like Frankendrop the best so far.

Finished Size: about 2" x 2"

October 10, 2010

Count Dropula

Oh yeah. I bet the blood he drinks is very sweet. Another good costume idea.

Finished Size: about 2" x 2"

October 9, 2010

Frankendrop

I'm really diggin' this costume. And, I'm sure it's a winner for Andy as well. I just wish I could go as Gumdrop Andy as Frankendrop for Halloween. Logistically...that just seems like a nightmare to accomplish. So, never mind.

Finished Size: about 2.5" x 2.5"

October 8, 2010

I Got a Rock

Those famous words by Charlie Brown always warm my heart. It's one of my many favorite scenes from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I'm sure by now you can tell that I love that cartoon. Anyway, I had to draw this scene. I drew it pretty small (not much larger than a Post-It Note), and it's a bit difficult to see the rock in Charlie Brown's hand, but it's there (just click on the image to see it larger). Initially, I drew this as all line art. It looked good, but you lost too much info in between the characters and bags. So, I decided to liven it up and add some depth with shading. These guys are tiny, but I think it worked. Still, I would like to do a color version since I love the fall colors in the backgrounds. Anyway, this one was fun. I was also listening to the soundtrack as I drew this to add to the enjoyment. I love this month.

Finished Size: about 3.5" x 2.5"

Don't Forget to Enter my Portrait Giveaway right HERE!

October 7, 2010

Halloween Noses: The Trifecta

I did something like this last December. You can see that HERE. I had no idea what to do tonight, so I did something similar. That's really all I got to say for this one.

Finished Size: about 2.5" x 1.5"

Don't Forget to Enter my Portrait Giveaway right HERE!

October 6, 2010

Gumdrop Ghost

Gumdrop Andy is trying out costumes for Halloween. He's starting simple. A ghost...which works. But, I'd like to see what else he comes up with. He only has 25 days left, so he better get to work.

Finished Size: about 1.5" x 2"

Don't Forget to Enter my Portrait Giveaway right HERE!

October 5, 2010

8 Years

Happy Anniversary, Patrizzia. Thank you for 8 wonderful married years (and 15 great years together). It has been a wonderful life with you and our two beautiful children. Thank you for everything. I love you.

This is a sketch of both of our rings on Patrizzia's hand while we sat in a movie theater waiting for the movie to start. Luckily, she had a pen and little pad of paper in her purse. Our date night was great, and the movie, "Let Me In" was really cool. And, we were the only people in the theater, which was awesome. What a nice night.

Finished Size: about 2" x 1.5"

Don't Forget to Enter my Portrait Giveaway right HERE!

October 4, 2010

Counts Snoopula and Woodstockula

Are Snoopy and Woodstock dressed like Count Dracula (Woodstock has the nifty wig), or are they actually vampires? I vote for...actually vampires. Sure, the bloodsucking undead are huge right now in popular culture and maybe a bit overplayed. But, that excludes these two. I'd take these 2 as vampires any day. Though, it would be a bit unsettling to see them feast upon the rest of the Peanut's gang...like in a very brutal and unforgiving way. Part of me would want to draw that. But, out of respect for Charles Schulz, I'll keep his creations pure. They are just too special to taint.

Finished Size: about 2" x 2.5"

Don't Forget to Enter my Portrait Giveaway right HERE!

October 3, 2010

Pumpkin Butt

I've seen some pumpkins like these before, and every time I do, I can't help but say, "That pumpkin has a big ass." That's the kind of butt that would make the Kardashian clan proud.

Finished Size: about 2.5" x 2"

October 2, 2010

Waiting for the Great Pumpkin

There is no secret of my love for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charile Brown, and you can see that HERE. I wish there was a Great Pumpkin. Although kinda creepy, I wouldn't mind getting more presents in the middle of the night in a cold pumpkin patch. That's hard core. Santa just brings presents to your warm home. Weak. This is how a real man gets his gifts, and that real man...er boy...is Linus Van Pelt. I love October.

Finished Size: about 2.5" x 2.5"

October 1, 2010

One Year!

***CONTEST DETAILS BELOW - WIN A CUSTOM PORTRAIT***

Happy Anniversary Daily doodle. I can't believe it has been one year. 365 days and 363 drawings. That's a 99.45% success rate. Not too shabby.

Looking back at everything, there were a lot lame doodles (mostly when I was too tired too draw anything), but then there were some good drawings scattered about..like my favorite that is on the header. It was difficult to make the little time to draw something every day (especially with a new baby recently), but it was worth it in the end. I made sure I did something every day, and I was pissed when I missed those 2 days.

I have to thank my wonderful wife, Patrizzia, for pushing me to do this blog a year ago. Because of her, I have 363 drawings that I never would have had. Gumdrop Andy would not have been born, 80's Eggs would be in a skillet somewhere and Body Monsters would still be screaming death chants in old world Latin (but they would not have had the respect that they have now).

I toyed around with the idea that I may just do some better drawings less often, but then it would not be The Daily Doodle anymore. And, I could not do that. Having to draw something every day forces me to come up with strange ideas that would never have crossed my mind. That constant brainstorming is fun, and I also get to share certain serious topics on my mind at times.

So, to those of you that read this blog often, I thank you. I appreciate the support, even if I really have no idea how many people come here and see my work.

That brings me to the contest now.

The Winner will get a custom ink portrait, like the one of my daughter on The Daily Doodle Header above.

Here are the rules

This runs from 10-1-10 to 10-21-10

You gain entries into the Drawing by:
- Commenting on this post with your favorite doodle/drawing from this past year (10-1-09 to 10-1-10)
- Becoming a Follower of my blog (if you comment and already follow me, you get that extra entry)
- Linking this contest to your blog, if you have one
- Linking this contest to your Facebook page
- Linking this contest to your Twitter page

Please make a separate comment on this post for each entry, such as "I linked you on Facebook," "I linked you on Twitter," etc. This way when I select at random, you'll have all the separate entries. So, if you do all 5...you get 5 entries. Amazing math skills, right?

The winner will be chosen from a random number generator, and I will post the winner's name. He or she can then e-mail me their info and what image reference to use for the portrait.

The portrait will be in the 5" x 7" size range, and not only will the winner get the digital copy, but I'll also frame the original and send it via snail-mail. You really can't go wrong with a free portrait.

So, get those entries in. Thank you again for the support. It's been a fun year, and I can't wait to continue this ride. I can't imagine what other stupid stuff I'll come up with.

Finished Size: about 2" x 3.5"

September 30, 2010

Something Good Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the 1 year anniversary of The Daily Doodle. I think I'll have something cool going on. Stay Tuned.

Finished Size: about 1.5" x 1.5"

September 29, 2010

Big Head

Just a guy with a big noggin. I really don't know how his neck does not automatically snap in half.

Finished Size: about 1" x 2"