All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2008.

My pen fell into the mud by the rock I was sitting on while sketching. While trying to retrieve the pen, my foot slipped and my shoe sank into said mud. I managed to retrieve the pen and salvaged my footwear, my foot still intact. All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2008.

an evening with friends and music. The top is a work in progress (lots to fix up in that one for sure! Trying out something in colour.) All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2008.

forgotten ones.....

some sketches not yet posted from last summer's trip. All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2008.

a page from today........and another one while watching television....

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2008.

fragments

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2008.

a one, and a two....and a coupla doodle - dee- doo's.

Killing some time I don't have right now. Welcome and g'night.

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2008.

Merry Christmas!

Here's hoping that everyone has a wonderful and warm Christmas with those that you love. All the best to you and your families this holiday season, and may the new year bring good heatlth and happiness.

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2007.

summer vacation

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2007.

more digital doodlin....

A view from my desk in the home studio.

and another girl.....

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2007.

une fille, jedna curica, a girl....

Une fille, jedna curica, a girl.

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2007.

sketches.....

It's been a little while since a post, so here is a sketch I did last night at life drawing class, the last session of the year. Thanks to everyone who may have left a comment the last month or so, I've been a terrible blogger as of last. Hope everyone is doing well.

And an oldie from the summer at a marina in Oakville, Ontario.

Cheers!

Cheers!

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2007.

200 Years of Croatian Art

While on vacation, my cousin took my wife and I to the Modern Gallery in Zagreb to see the permanent exhibit of "200 Years of Croatian Art". Unfortunately, I am not at all familiar with Croatian art or its artists, but I did discover a sculptor called Ivan Mestrovic among the multitudes of works.

While in Split, I had hoped to go see his GALLERY but personal time restraints didn't allow for it. However, his work was on display at the Modern Gallery, and also at his own personal GALLERY in the heart of Zagreb. Photos weren't permitted, but I very quickly sketched out these sparse drawings while there.

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2007.

digital doodling.....

Here's a sketch done AFTER a day of boarding (well the 'Harry' one anyway). Let's call it a cool down rather than a warm up. The other one was a warm up. Just playing mindlessly and this is what came out of the stylus. All digitally produced. A few more sketches from Croatia to come.........hope you don't mind.

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2007.

Dobro Došli!

I'm back from the isle of Brač and the city of Zagreb in Croatia... I was delighted to see Erich Sokol's artwork on the flight's menu cards of Austrian Air so I thought I'd share them for now since I haven't posted much in a long while. There are six in the series titled "Epicure Series" that Sokol created exclusively for the Airline. If any knows where I can get the other four without actually flying somewhere, let me know.....

Here's a video about the island of Brač I found on YouTube! Click HERE

Doviđenja!

All original artwork is copyright Michael Smukavic 2005-2007. The Sokol piece above is copyrighted by its respective owners.

Hope everyone has a great summer (well, what's left of it!).

doodle

.....just came in from getting a bagel this morning and saw these two guys chatting it up in front of the local baguette and sandwich shop.

A Friday in Toronto....

(Some artwork outside of the Royal Ontario Museum.)

What was to be a half day of sketching at the Royal Ontario Museum with Arna Selznick and Drazen Kozjan, turned out to be a few hours of mostly catching up and some sketching in and around the University of Toronto.

(Photo montage in and around the campus of UofT)

Apparently since building the new wing of the ROM, a new system of rules were implemented where artists can only bring in a pencil and a pad of paper to sketch. No watercolour, no brush markers, pastels, ketchup or mustard. NADA! To me it seems they subconsciously instilled this rule in the 'X's that support the structure of the new addition as a warning to artists attempting to sketch within; as seen in the photos below.

(Windows of the new wing at the ROM.)

Arna has very tactfully recounted the events much more succinctly on the Doodlers Blog, go check it out if you haven't already. We decided to then walk to through the University of Toronto campus, plunked ourselves under a tree to keep out of the sun (Draz has exhibited why this was a good idea, particularly for me on his BLOG).

Not the tree we sat under, but a tree nonetheless.

I didn't get too much drawing in, but here is the tiny bit that I did get in. A few people standing in line waiting to get into the ROM and an unfinished watercolour.

Peoples while waiting in line at the ROM - except for the security guard who was at the UofT campus.

( Convocation Hall, pencil/watercolour - unfinished)

The day ended mid afternoon after visiting The Labrynth and off we went home to end the day. Hopefully it won't be too long before I get together with Drazen and Arna again. Hopefully JvB will be healed by then and join us too.

(Drazen and Arna somewhere inside the walls of UofT).

Leaving UofT through some sort of tunnel.

life drawing.....

Last night was my third life drawing session at a Burlington Arts Centre in what seems like almost a decade so rust is still apparent in my drawings. It's the first time since I started attending that I've been 'happy' with some of the results. I've at least seen some progress from the first couple of sessions which is ALWAYS a positive thing to happen.

It's nice seeing a couple of colleagues there as well that I otherwise don't see often or at all. Makes Thursday nights something to look forward to and catch up with them during our breaks of drawing. Anyway, these were some of the sketches that I had done in my Moleskine sketchbook with a black prismacolour pencil. The poses range from one minute to 20 minutes in duration.

Hopefully there will be more improvement as I continue to go, over the next few weeks. Any comments or helpful critiques are most welcome.

sketchbooking.....

Go check out Mark Kennedy's blog on keeping a sketchbook. A fantastic post to be sure that is well written, thought out and INSPIRING! Please, do yourself a favour if you haven't already read it, go and read it!

These particular 4 weren't drawn out in the public, but were instead done in front of the television while watching a couple of movies (on different occasions) in my trusty little (4x5) sketchbooks. The paper takes prismacolour beautifully in my opinion and happens to fit nicely in my pocket for those 'just in case' moments when I'm out and about.

an offering.....

....referenced from photos. Thanks again to those who still purposely come here to visit.

snow play......

Two kids playing around in the snow covered field behind our house the other night.

a page from the sketchbook

television sketching.....

The year that was 2006.....

Complilation pages from some of this past year's sketches taken from one of my sketchbooks. To be honest, I had never kept a sketchbook before starting this blog. Loose pieces of paper were a lot less intimidating than being 'committed' to a bound book; I know I am not the only one who felt that way. That said, I am glad that I have finally started keeping a sketchbook. Not only has it shown me where I have been, but it shows hopefully where I am headed. Just as a comparison, below is the first page of observational sketches I posted to the blog in 2005. Yikes!

dudes.....

gals.....

All but the quick sketch of the girl in the winter coat are warm up drawings before starting the work day. I personally would like to see my warm up drawings a lot looser and livelier than what I have here, but I think that'll come in time. I did reference movie stars of days long gone, even though they don't look anything like the people I referenced for the character sketches. I am not sure how the bakery image really fits in with the ladies, but they did come after the bakery drawing. Cheers all.

Ruby Ruby Ruby!

As you may or not know, I do storyboards for television productions. This past August, I started boarding on a show called Ruby Gloom and while I have personally only done a few boards to date, it has been a great joy to work on so far. At the helm is Robin Budd (I did a few storyboards on Gerald McBoing Boing for him last year) and am glad to be working with him once again. My good friend Darin Bristow says on his blog (who is the Supervising Technical Director by the way), that the show will air regularly on Sunday mornings at 11 am on YTV. You'll also find more talented people who are working on the series listed on his blog . If you have a chance to watch it, make sure you check it out! The animation is being supervised by another good friend, Kevin Micallef and being art directed by talented Adrian Thatcher. It is under the design supervision of the ever versatile Brad Coombs.

All images are copyright by their rightful owners.