Is this really progress???

I was staring at this new 2013 Chevy Malibu dash in complete dismay and instantly wished for something better. Take a look at the dash of a 2013 Chevy Malibu (top) and the dash of a 1967 Chevy Malibu (below). How in the world is the interior of the 2013 better than the 1967? Sure that 2013 does everything for you including your laundry but at what cost... to the driver's sanity?

2013 Chevy Malibu: This is an eye-sore mass of confusion and complication! You have to have a co-pilot to operate this monstrosity!

1967 Chevy Malibu: This is simple, peaceful and beneficial to the driver. I'll never believe that we can't duplicate the intuitiveness of this today and beyond.

WOP BOP A LOO BOP, A WOP BAM BOO

Wop bop-a-looma ba-lop bomp bomp = Tutti Frutti by Little Richard
A wop bop a lu bop, a wop bam boom = Tutti Frutti by Little RIchard
A-Wop-bop-a-loo-lop a-lop-bam-boo = Tutti Frutti by Pat Boon
wop-bop-a-loom-bop-a-blop-bam-boom = Tutti Frutti by Elvis
Wop bop a loo bop, sha-bop bam Brain! = Brain (Pinky & the Brain)

I always liked this string of lyrical nonsense.

Saw this...

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

FIAT is bringing the 500 to the USA!!!

The only cars that I get excited about these days are small pocket-rocket "B" cars. The USA doesn't have them. Europe and Japan have lots of them. HOWEVER (and this is why I got all excited and started looking through auto-history books), FIAT is planning on bringing over their 500 (and most likely the Abarth variants)!!! SEE HERE:Fiat-Chrysler partnership will bring 7 new models to U.S. And see the ABARTH variants HERE:Fiat Abarth division I'm very excited!

Since current automobiles these days are so confounded ugly, I decided to go through all my auto-history books and make a wish list of the cars of years-past that I like and want re-manufactured. I envision a day when the auto-manufacturers will make you whatever car you want (of their particular brand)

FORDS: '40, '51, '55 Fairlane/Victoria. '55-57 & '61-65 Tbird. '64 & '66-67 Fairlane. '64-65 Falcon.
One of my friends owned a '64 Fairlane and he dropped a 427 (from a '68 Torino I think) into it to make a pseudo Thunderbolt. Man did that thing fly!!! And it looked good too (the T-bolts were ugly). Another friend owned a '64 Thunderbird and man I loved that thing (not as much as the Fairlane though).

BUICK: '59 Invicta.
I just about bought a broken down, rusted out one of these (sitting behind some guy's barn). My dad stopped me (he didn't want it in his yard, not believing I was going to restore it). But when I sat in it I felt awesome. Everything inside of those cars is so cool looking.

PONTIAC: '61-62 Catalina.
I really like the styling and build of these cars. They also have neat interiors.

PLYMOUTH: '56 Fury, 66-68 Belvedere/Satellite series.
One of my friends owned a '68 Roadrunner with a 426 Hemi. It was a neat car and never stopped burning tires. I never liked the "beep-beep" horn though. I really like the GTX and Satellite models.

DODGE: '66-68 Coronet series.
One of my favorite cars is the Super Bee. I remember the first time I saw one. It was at a car-show and I was about 10 years old. There was a yellow one and a green one. I stared and stared and drooled.

Fiat 500 Abarth Assette Course

One of the most beautiful B cars EVER!

Background info...

Like practically every other artist, I've been drawing longer than I can remember (literally). I never thought about drawing until I was around 10 years old though. There was this contest in the elementary school that my late brother and I attended (my brother was in the 3rd grade and I the 4th). The contest was for some sort of cultural-arts fair. Everyone in every grade had to create several forms of art, literature, visual, audio and various other things. I remember the poem I wrote (about my puppy named Bulldozer) and the drawing I created. I won the poem segment and my brother won the visual art segment.

What I remember most about the contest was the drawing I submitted. When I drew that simple piece it somehow came alive, figuratively speaking. Something stuck me very hard when I drew it. It was just a stick figure running across a hilly landscape with a ghost chasing him from behind. Everything looked like it was in motion and I was fascinated with what I had accomplished. I was so enamored with the drawing that I thought for sure I would win the visual art section. Instead I won the poem segment. I was still happy but confused.

It wasn’t until years later that I discovered that my brother was the one who won the visual-art segment (!!!). He was quite excited about it (again) and he talk for several minutes about how happy he was that we both won. He also mentioned that he wanted to win the writing and or poem segments. Kind of funny how it happened.

Ever since that day, when I was 10 in the 4th grade, where that drawing came alive, I’ve been working hard recreating, capturing and mastering the moment. I want, yearn and strive with about every waking (and in many cases sleeping) moment to create visual works that are alive and move people.
CLICK THE IMAGE

AL THE TREE RABBIT

This is an idea from looking at a children's book about planting trees on Arbor day and hosted by some bird named Tyson. Enjoy.Previously I had the finished & vectored FRENZIED MINDS version here. But I want to keep it seperate from my doodling stuff.
I have created a seperate BLOG for the official comic series. Find the link to my comic BLOG "FRENZIED MINDS" on the right of the page, on my GOTGRAPHIC.COM home page, or at www.FrenziedMinds.com. THANKS!

SQUEEZE THE FARM ANIMALS

Saw this "Pet The Baby Farm Animals" childrens book today, when wild visuals began appearing before my minds eye... :D

STUFF

I saw this baby today with an enormous bandage on his right arm and a bald-spot on his head with some sort of large wound in the center of it.

STUPID I'M

Another spoof/parody on a childrens book. When I was a child I always wanted the other guy to KO the Sam character... and my version does it all in 6 pages (panels)!

MR. JONES CAN GET PUMMELED, CAN YOU?

A spoof/parady on a popular childrens book (which book, I always thought was weird when I was a child):
PART ONE:
PART TWO:

Some characters

I saw something like this... some scripture characters, at church for children to color. I came up with my own designs.

Not necessarily “My Mother...”

I recently saw a coloring-book something like this and the only thing that came to mind was to make a spoof/parody on it. It all came together while at church... heh.No actual humans and or property were harmed, at all, during this doodle. The characters, events, situations and stories are entirely fictional. Any likeness or resemblance to anyone or thing living, dead or yet to be, is purely coincidental... unless it would be funnier if it were real. ;D

Stuff

Some random doodles I created the other day.

Stuff

I don't recall what this one was about... heh.

More stuff

At the moment I'm putting these up randomly... having drawn them over the last couple of years. Many of the images are scattered all over the house and car in various stacks of papers… and sometimes found in the garage and yard. As I find and scan them, I'll post them. Obviously they are not masterpieces, but for curiosity and entertainment's sake, I figure they have value.

YAAAAAA

I take visual notes at church:

Making sure this works...

YO! Image testing...

Confound it!

I'm attempting to figure out how to make my blog all purty like.... grrrrr...

What exactly is "beauty"? PART 1

I think beauty is universal, quantitative and calculable. There is a standard of beauty that does NOT change and transcends time, culture, personal preference and the zeitgeist (fads). This must be.

Those who study principles and elements of design and have a sufficient grasp of these concepts and are able to wield them to so much as hint at fine design and beauty know this... but are also aware that as they learn more about it they realize that they have no idea what exactly beauty is. They may be able to copy works of the masters from the past and present, thus mimicking beauty. They may also hit-and-miss, creating one or two works of astounding beauty but never really knowing how or why and simply fall back into copying their own work and or those of others.

To truly CREATE beauty (and not by merely accidental hit-and-miss blundering moments in life), one must know and understand not only the principles and elements of design, but must also know why they work, when, how and what for. Having the talents (the topic of talent being a whole other massive topic) to wield the tools of visual-beauty will also aid greatly in the efforts, however I think that one who studies the finer elements of life (those of beauty) and puts forth much effort and practice can also create works of fine beauty. But the talented one will have a higher propensity to experience a strong desire to create visual beauty and enjoy it to no end. The talented one will also be able to grasp more quickly the aspects of beauty and design (when I speak of design I'm not simply referring to anything designed but something designed well... hence good design).

Beauty is at its core truth. It is a visual manifestation of the promise of something. It is a visual statement of the potential for performance and function. That which is more functional than something else will be more beautiful. That which performs efficiently and with great results will be the most beautiful. That which is more beautiful will be more functional and have greater performance.

Beauty is not simply an accident and or personal taste. It is in the eye of the beholder ONLY so far as the beholder tolerates defect. Beauty is purposeful and determined. Since most people don't understand it they rely on emotion, personal preference and whims to describe and attempt to understand it.

END PART 1
Mark