TomK self portrait 2019

Hi All,

Well - I've become a very very inconsistent blogger.  I've got several pieces of artwork in the pipeline and in process, so I'll be back a little sooner next time.  Things are heating up here in Phoenix...in the 100s every day now.  I've got plenty on the plate; work, artwork, projects around the house and more.  Whew...busy life but excited about some of the things coming on the horizon.

One of the mediums of artwork I've always enjoyed is cartooning.  Over the years I've done several cartoon portraits....and self portraits.  Recently my older son Dave gave me this great hand made sketch book.  One day about a week ago I did some sketching and one that I did was a cartoon self portrait.  (I have another fun one coming from that day that I need to finish, but it's coming). Then today, I thought I'd take it to the computer and do a little color and finishing.

I complete the project using Photoshop and a Wacom tablet on my old Mac desktop.  It's fun working on little pieces like this once in a while.  Here's the finished product....

It's me.  I just sit with a pencil and paper and sketch it out.  Not very detailed, but fun.  I'm going to put up a couple other goofy ones that I've done over the years.  However - above is the 2019 version.  When I'll do the next one?  Who knows.

Above is one from 2011.  This was produced with pen and ink. I was a little younger and definitely entrenched in Arizona culture....tshirt, shorts and sandals.  And, I'm pretty much the same today, just older.

Here's a fun one from the early 1990s.  It's a pen and ink illustration. I was the medical illustrator at an Air Force teaching hospital, while on active duty.  I'd use this in some of the material I'd put out regarding the service I'd provide.  I'd produce little informational brochures to provide info to my customers and potential customers.  It was fun. 

So have some fun yourself, this summer.  Enjoy every day.  Be good to others, but also be good to yourself.    Have a great summer and more blog posts and artwork to come....now I'm going swimming.

Peace,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink
tom.kbrink@gmail.com
www.behance.net/tk-art

TK Chronicles - part one

Hello World,

How's your week going?  I'm having fun.  I'm staying busy and challenged at work and enjoying myself as well.  One of the fun things about this blog is that it not only reaches my fellow countrymen and women here in the USA, but I can see that people around the planet read it as well.  I think that's awesome...hello people of Earth.  (Ha!  I crack myself up.)

A little over four years ago, my wife Sue and I moved all the way across the country from Washington DC, to Phoenix Arizona.  As Sue and I were starting to plan the move, my sons (already in Arizona), were planning to start a comic book company with me.  The model for it was great - start the comics on-line.  Put the comics on-line for free, build a following, and later start offering collectors editions and products for sale.  It would be a process, but would really be a viable idea.  It works well for many on-line companies.

Having been in the industry, I could do the web page and a lot of that kind of work.  The other thing was, while my two sons would do their comic, I would also have a comic...just to have more than one on the page.  They had talked about doing a comic for years.  Dave is the writer and story teller and Andy is the artist.  The name of our company; Brain Capital Comics.

Well - we talked about it and planned for it, but once me moved to AZ (the boys were already here when Sue and I moved here), it never happened.  The guys had a lot going on and it just never happened.

I on the other hand had started working on my (lame), comic while still living in DC.  I called it the TK Chronicles.

First 4 pics are from episode one of the TK Chronicals.

OK - I thought the idea was a little lame.  I'm not a great fictional story teller so I "borrowed" the idea of Harvey Pekar and his comic, "American Splendor."

American Splendor is based on the everyday life of the common man, Harvey.  He would write stories in comic form, of his exploits at his job as file clerk, at the Cleveland VA hospital.  He'd also write about his life - thoughts, ideas, and just every day experiences.  It's actually really enjoyed "Slendor," it's definitely different.  So that's what I did in "TK Chron."

So I ended up with a comic of my own - while the boys ended up never getting their story going.  Oh well - everything works out the way it's supposed to, right?  I never did anything with it until now, so I figured I'd post a few episodes in the blog.

I hope you enjoy them.  It's not the most riveting stuff, but it was fun putting this together.

Working and living in the nations capitol, you'd see some interesting things.
The comic is all true....perhaps this one is more dramatic in the comic
than the day it happened - but that's what I saw.

That's it for now.  Have a great week.  Remember - embrace the diversity of life - everyone has a story.  It's ok if everyone is not just like us in every way.  Enjoy.

Peace,

Tom