Summer 2024

With lots of work and personal stuff going on, I didn't make much art between March of Robots 2024 and the upcoming Inktober 2024. I'm grateful for the folks over at Draw Me A Robot, for putting out their monthly DTIYS Challenges for inspiring me to keep making.

I haven’t made anything in a while so I used their June 2024 prompt to get motivated. 



That month, they partnered with @lullabythefearpodcast and asked participants to draw their favorite horror movie Villain or movie poster in their own style, and of course with a Robotic twist.

Seeing all of the amazing submissions, representing lots of amazing, newer horror movies, I decided to go ol’school and do a classic. My piece is fan art, paying tribute to the iconic 1931 monster movie, #Frankenstein - starring Colin Clive, Mae Clarke and, of course, Boris Karloff as the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein.

I didn't win, but I was a finalist with this.

It’s nice to know that participating in a Draw Me A Robot DTIYS challenge would help me get out of my slump. 

In August, they partnered with @daviddiez_ilustrador and asked participants to CHOOSE THEIR TOOL. We’re to take whatever instruments we use to make art and turn it into a robot.

Since I make analog art, and my tool of choice is pen and ink, I decided to make an ink bottle ‘bot.

I actually won this challenge with this.

Here’s a quick break from robots. I had posted this as a sketch, back in 2019. It’s from my old series, which was a tribute to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the king of #RatFink. Instead of cars, I wanted to ‘fink’ out the different bike tribes. This was what I called my “Bike Fink” series.

Somebody reached out to me to secure the rights to use it for their cycling team’s bike jersey. Since it was a little rough, I dusted it off and cleaned it up a little.

Jersey images from Sandy Fettes.

Original art:

Updated art:

On the jersey:

In the fall, iconic actor and the voice of Darth Vader passed away on September 9. R.I.P. James. #jamesearljones

I posted this old Vader 'bot piece as a tribute.

And finally, as a tribute to the 85th anniversary of Batman, I decided to make some fan art. Here’s a quick look at my sketch process from initial concept to finished piece. This started off with me thinking about the 1960s Batman (my first real experience of the character) and then thinking about all of the variations and interpretations over the years. 

I decided that my fan art would be my own interpretation. What if Bruce wasn’t a millionaire but rather a regular person without the budget for 'such wonderful toys'? No spandex or capes, but rather, cargo pants and a trench coat? Of course, I had to make him a robot.

#deus_ex_machina #robot #robotart #RetroFuturism #SciFi #DieselPunk #artbyhumans #analogart #sketch #sketchbook #penandink #art #doodle #illustration #drawing #MakersGottaMake It’s always #inktober

This art is the ©copyright of Richard David Wezensky a.k.a. @dickdavid_sketches

Please tag me if you share this art. Do not use/copy this art without my permission and full attribution.

Bad Robot and It's Time for Color

 

I’m not a painter, but I’ve decided to play around with more color. I’m trying remember old techniques as well as learn new ones—so please forgive the art until I can get to a better place. 

My first experiment this year is some fan art that you might recognize. If you’ve ever watched a movie (like some of the new Star Wars or Star Trek films) or TV show made by J. J. Abrams, @jjabramsofficial you’ve probably seen the red robot character that introduces his production company Bad Robot @bad_robot (also led by Katie McGrath), at the beginning of each.

The Bad Robot icon was bold enough to start playing around in color. Since I don’t have any color art supplies, I borrowed some acrylic paint from my son. Not ready to go full on paint, I watered it down and make a watercolor-like wash. 

This art is the ©copyright of Richard David Wezensky a.k.a. @dickdavid_sketches 
The Bad Robot icon is the @copyright of Bad Robot Productions

Please do not use or copy this art without permission and full attribution.

Dewey From Silent Running

I’ve been doing random posts for Inktober52. When Prompt 29—“Garden”—came up, I thought about doing a tribute to Dewey from the 1972 scifi classic Silent Running. Dewey, or Drone 01—a maintenance robot on the Valley Forge—was reprogrammed and taught to care for the last surviving forest from Earth. When I saw this movie as a kid, I fell in love with these drones, and worried about Dewey’s fait as he drifted off into space, still tending to his garden.

Even when I make art on my iPad with Procreate, I always like to make the thumbnails and initial pencil sketch on paper. Here you can see how I changed the composition a bit, switching the watering can to go the other direction.

PSAR: Public Service Announcement Robots

With the COVID-19 pandemic taking over the world and our lives, I decided to do a small series to share some of the lifestyle changes that were incorporated into our daily routine. I call this series PSAR: Public Service Announcement Robots.

The first was based on one of the early asks when the #covi̇d19 epidemic started becoming an issue, which was “wash your hands” frequently for 20 seconds. For those who can’t count, singing the Happy Birthday song, twice, is about that amount of time. The sad thing is, folks should have already been doing that.

The next sketch was based on one of the next big changes that happened to most of us. Many states, counties and cities had issued “Shelter In Place” orders to #flattenthecurve and reduce the amount of exposure with each other. The goal was to get people to stop gathering in large groups. Schools were closed and people were asked to work from home if at all possible. I’m one of the fortunate ones who could. Video conferencing has become the standard way for students to learn and workers to communicate. The great thing about this, is not needing to be fully dressed to participate.

The sketch after that was based on another big change that happened to most of us. The CDC recommended that, if we do have to get out in public, we should practice “social distancing” and stay 6 or more feet from each other. The goal was to reduce exposure from folks who are asymptomatic, they may feel fine but might still be carrying the COVID-19 virus. The problem is, people can’t seem to figure out how far 6 feet is.

The last (for now) sketch in the Public Service Announcement Robots (PSAR) series was based on another big change that happened to most of us. It’s been recommended and now required that, in most public areas, we should wear a “face mask”  Again, the goal was to reduce exposure from folks who are asymptomatic to those that aren't. Of course some masks are better than others.

Finding Time To Make Art

It's been busy for me at work and home, so getting time to sketch is pretty hard. I do manage to make some time for art every chance I get. I've been trying to switch between digital and analog and it's really hard to tell what I like doing most.

Here's one I did a few weeks back on the iPad:

This one I did in the sketchbook:

And other done on the iPad. This one was poking fun at all hoarding that is happening during the COVID-19 crisis:

Finally, I decided to make prints of my digital files, so that I can store them with all of my other sketchbooks. I've been putting them in a sleeved portfolio book. Nothing fancy.