Hawk-Man

 My oldest son gave me this piece of paper one day and asked me if I could come up with a picture of Hawkman from the the designs he had come up with.  I took a look at his pictures and sat down to try to make it work. We sat down together a couple of times and made some agreed upon changes to the helmet and knee pads, as well as a couple other things. I got started and after about a month I came up with the picture you see below.

I think it turned out pretty good. I came up with this from the action figure he has and from the way the character looks on DC Comic's Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. He hasn't had a chance to see it yet so I hope he likes it.

Call of Duty

I received yet another letter today from my oldest asking me to post a couple more of his amazing drawings on this blog. A request that I am more than happy to fulfill. He has started playing the New Call of Duty: MW 3 game and he has modeled the following pictures from there. The first one is the 'Tactical Knife' and the second is the 'MP14'.

In his letter he stated that the Tactical Knife doesn't look that good but I believe that it does. I think they both turned out very good.

Keep up the good work Big Man. I love you and I miss you. Now I'd better get to work drawing something or I just might have to rename this blog from 'Gary's Greetings' to 'The Big Man's Works of Art'. Hmmm. That has a nice ring to it.

Tarzan

When we open the mailbox today I was happy to see that there was an envelope addressed to me, written in pencil. I knew right away from the handwriting that it was from my oldest. He had sent me a letter requesting that we put another of his masterpieces on the blog. In the letter he explained that he was reading 'The Beast of Tarzan' and this picture is what he thought the author was describing:

I think it looks great. He definitely has talent.

Red Cobra

I drew this one for my oldest son. He asked me to color it, which is something I don't normally do, but I thought I would try it. I wish I hadn't, but he says he likes it so that is all that matters.

Castlevania

Hi guys this is Wolverine again just like I told you I would. This drawing came from an older game with knights and werewolves,goblins,and trolls. What inspired me was the main character, Gabriel Belmont, who is trying to save his wife and the world from the Lord of Shadows. Still playing the game but I already know that it will be a awesome game and that my father is not going to like it because of the giant spider. Talk to you guys later. Bye.

Lover Not A Fighter

This drawing was done by my youngest son. He finished it last night and wanted to add his contribution to the blog. He said that this was originally a broken heart that has been mended over and over but then decided that the designs down the the middle were just diamonds. He took his time with this one. He even drew out reference points first. I like it. I think he did a great job.

Bat-Man

Hey guys this is Wolverine again with another drawing of Batman. What inspired me was the new Batman game where he takes the Trial of the Demon were he is supossed to take a huge sword and kills someone but doesn't . At the end of the game he gets to use it to kill Clayface but loses it while trying to defeat Joker. Well thats all I have to say. Talk to you guys later.

A Veteran's Day 'Thank You'

This past weekend my youngest son walked up to me and said "Here, Daddy. This is for protecting our country and keeping us safe." Along with a big hug he gave me this wonderful drawing:

He went on to explain the finer points of the drawing such as the grenade in my left had and the rifle in my right. He made sure I noticed the army boots and assured me that I actually do have hair. It's just under my hat. I told him thank you and I would put it here for the world to see just as soon as I could. I think it's perfect. I will always treasure those moments.

I served a little over 4 years in the Army. It was a wonderful, eye opening and learning experience. I am glad that our troops are finally coming home and I am thankful for all of the men and women that serve in our Armed Forces to keep us safe and keep this the best country in the world. They are true heroes in my book.

Batman of the Future

Hey you guys
This is Wolverine, the prodigy of the fine artist, who came up with this blog.
What inspired me about this picture was the cartoon that went with it. The future Batman was just a teenager who's father was murdered by a pshyco and so full with revenge Terry Mcgenese stole the batsuit after the original Batman retired. I hope you like this picture because I think it is one of my best.

Cool New Drawings

Once again my oldest son has graced us with some of his new artwork. We were suppose to have uploaded these a while back but I wanted to wait until he could give me a description for each of them. I wanted to actually let him type it in. We never seemed to have time to do it. Our weekends seem to be over before they even get started.
Either way, here are some new drawings for everyone to take a look at. I think they are very nice.

Superman

Earlier this week my oldest son asked me to draw him a picture of his favorite superhero. It just so happens that his favorite superhero is none other than Superman. I got started on it right away and actually finished it this morning. I enjoy drawing this way. Thick, heavy border lines, shading everything in so that it all fits together. I have to admit that I messed up on the actual logo. If you look close enough you can see that I put too much pressure on the pencil when I first did my out line. That caused the pencil lines to show when I was shading in parts of Superman's foot and cape. Hopefully my Superman will like it.

One fast Hotrod!!!

Here is the second installment of 5 portraits that I plan to put on here. This one is of my second oldest child. He is my Hotrod and has been since birth.

He is almost always full of energy. A friend once discribed him as..."A combination of Dennis the Menace, Calvin from Calvin and Hobes, and the Energizer Bunny on speed..." and I must admit she is dead on the money.

With a never ending imagination, he is quick to come up with his explaination on how the world works and it is usually something no one else would even come close to coming up with. He can come up with a 'poot joke' faster than anyone I've ever known. And while we are on the subject of poots, He is a world reknown armpit farter. Definetly one of the best, if not the best, armpit musicians.

He has a heart big enough to match his imagination. Quick to give a hug and a smooch and tell you that he loves you. He eagerly opens his heart to the people around him, and once you are in, you're in for life. The picture I drew this portrait from was taken while he was on his way to me to give me a hug. Arms wide open and his lips just starting to pucker up to give me a kiss wet enough to sink a battleship.

He usually goes through the day thinking that if anything is worth doing, then it's worth getting into trouble for. I find myself sitting back and smiling when I think of some of the things he's done. I wasn't smiling at the time, but I am now. I've learned to make sure that if he gets too quiet to stop and just check in to see what he may be planning to do next. That way the world goes un-cracked for one more day.

He has been described as a class clown, but he is a smart and clever young man, getting straight A's on his last report card. He loves to run and to be chased. He loves to see if his voice can actually reach the people in the house two streets over. And it just comes naturally. That's what makes him who he is. None of this is ever done just to be mean or with malice in his heart. He is just wide open. That's the way he was made, and I love him with all of my heart for it.

He loves to laugh and to make others laugh. He infects everyone around him with his carefree, love life attitude. I hope he never looses that. I hope he will always be the kind of son that is ready to climb into my lap for a tickle or just to sit and snuggle. I hope I can help him nurture his imagination so that it takes him as high as he wants to go. I hope he knows just how much I love him and how proud I am of him.

Happy Birthday, Big Man!!!!

Today we celebrate the birthday of an extraordinary young man. He is an exceptional big brother, and a wonderful son. To say that I am proud of him is an understatement. I love him and cherish him. He is a part of my heart and my soul, and I am so very honored that he became a part of my life and I, a part of his.

On the day he was born I nervously watched as the mid-wife turned and twisted him, trying to get him 'unwrapped' and cleaned up. I didn't think we were ever going to hear him cry, but once he started, he decided he wasn't going to stop. He wanted the world to know he was here. And he decided to shout it to the mountain tops. When they gave him to me I thought for sure he would break just by touching him. I took him over to his mother and laid him down with her and we sang 'Happy Birthday' as he nestled into her neck. He looked right at me. He stared straight into my eyes and I knew then that I was hooked. He had me wrapped around his finger. I still am today.

Being our first born he was full of lessons, wonders, and surprises. We had been told during the entire pregnancy that all he would do was eat, sleep, and poop. Well, two out of three ain't bad. He ate like a horse, pooped like a goose, but as for sleep; he wanted none of it. He was wide awake and wanted to stay that way. He wanted to see everybody and be a part of everything. He didn't want to miss anything. EVER. All he needed was a two hour power nap and he was ready for more.

On his first day of school his mother and I decided that we should follow the bus to school and be there for him when he got off. As he walked down the steps of the bus he looked so big. I couldn't wait to hug him and tell him just how proud I was of him. He looked at me with the most beautiful smile, and knowing that I was on the verge of tears, he said, "I love you Daddy, everything will be alright". It turned out that he was there for me.

I have cherished every moment with him. From helping him learn to ride a two wheeler, coaching his T-ball team, to watching him become a big brother. (By the way, he was sure that his mother was having a dinosaur and NOT a baby brother). Watching him learn, hearing him laugh and holding him while he cried. Making the 'monster spray', becoming the wrestling mat, holding him up when the water got above his knees, helping him splash in the tub and just watching him while he slept. All of these moments I wouldn't trade for the world. I wouldn't give them up for anything. They are tucked away in my heart so that someday, if I'm lucky, I will get to share them with his children.

He has grown so much over the past 11 years. It has gone by so fast. I miss that little guy with the big head that wanted to go everywhere I went. That wanted to do everything that I did. That wanted to 'help' me with anything that I may have been working on. Those big, beautiful, green eyes staring back at me with an unconditional love that I had never felt before. He has taught me what true, unending love really is. Watching him develop into the fine young man that he is undoubtedly going to be gives me a feeling of pride that I can not explain. His fun loving nature, his caring and compassionate heart along with his hilarious sense of humor make him an amazing young man that I just can't get enough of.

Happy Birthday, Big Man. I hope you have a wonderful day today. I hope you know that I love you and I am so proud to be your father. I hope you understand these words I have here for you are words of love, pride and respect for all that you have taught me. I hope you have a long and happy life, and I hope that one day you will look into the eyes of your little one and finally be able to understand what love is meant to be.

Hot Rods and Cool Memories

I love drawing older cars. I think that the older ones have a little more class than the newer ones. Oh sure, the cars of today can go over 200 mph and have more electronic equipment on them than the space station, but they just don't have the pizazz of an old '69 Camaro, or a '32 Ford Coupe.

My first car was a 1972 Chevy Impala, convertible. It was charcoal gray with a lighter gray, vinyl interior. The old man I bought it from sold it to me for $800 and it was still all original. 350 small block engine and automatic transmission, and one of the old push button radios.

After I got it home me and my dad got started to work on it. It had a busted motor mount on the right side so whenever you tried to stomp it the motor would raise up and the fan would hit the shroud. My father never liked small blocks and he wanted something with some "meat" under the hood. Being only 16 years old and working part time in a truss shop before and after school, I didn't exactly have the money for a new motor. Dad helped me sell the 350 and then loaned me the rest of the money to buy the big 454 that he wanted to put in. We finally found an engine that we wanted, bought it, cleaned it up and sent it off with the transmission to Atlanta to be reworked. Dad wanted them balanced. I didn't even know what that was at the time but Dad said that it would make the car run better, smoother and faster. FASTER!!! Hell!! That's all I needed to hear!!! That was the longest wait of my entire life. I didn't think they would ever get back. Everyday I got home I would look down at my father's shop and see my car sitting there covered with a tarp. Ugh!!

Finally everything arrived and we went to work. I was so excited I think I could have put everything in by myself, but Dad was right there beside me all of the way. He would keep a piece of broom handle with him and whenever he thought that I had tightened something enough he would rap me across the knuckles with it. OUCH!! I asked him why he couldn't just say "That's tight enough" or something to that effect and his reply was simple and pure Dad, "You'll remember this more." He was right. He usually was. We added dual Holly carburetors, dual exhaust, chrome mags all the way around with white letter fatties, and a Kraco car stereo with a tape deck and 4 new 6X9's in the back. Can you say, " WWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

We got it all put back together and took it out for a run. The dual exhaust sounded like a demon screaming. We took it down some back roads for a awhile when Dad suggested we air it out on the interstate. I was more than happy to oblige. I was cruising down I-85 North at about 90 when from out of nowhere a '68 Camaro rolled up beside me and romped the gas. Two words came out of my father's mouth..."Get 'em!!", and down the road we went. That Camaro was dialed in a little better than the Impala, ... and... they didn't call the '72 Impala the 'Lead Sled' for nothing. But still, I'll never forget the look on my dad's face as we went screaming down that highway doing 140+. It was a very good day and one of my favorite memories.

After the ride was over and we had parked the Impala, my Dad turned and put his arm aorund my shoulder and, with a smile, said "Yep. We did good."