Huckart ( jon huckeby's blog )

The Mad Art of Caricature

2011-12-23T16:40:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas! I got to open a present early and this is what I got. Tom even signed it for me. This will be my go to book for caricatures and if you or anyone you know has an interest in learning how to draw caricatures I recommend this book. In it Tom shares his secrets to drawing great caricatures for live events, published illustrations, and MAD! Weighing in at over 170 pages and containing over five hundred illustrations, step-by-step techniques, tips, and in-depth theories on the art form, the book is bound to be the definitive book on learning to draw great caricatures. Click here for Tom's site.

Waffle House Club Sketch

2011-12-03T00:36:00.001-06:00

A couple of sketches from the last meeting. Jonathan Kendall, (Syrup Master) and Scott Kinney (Support Specialist) were kind enough to look towards me for about 10 minutes while I got my kicks. They kick off their North American tour this summer. Scott is the one with the teeth.

HALLOWEEN PARTY 2011

2011-11-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

We had a halloween party 3 years ago and I remember now why we waited 3 years to do it again. It's work!
Thanks to all the friends and neighbors who brought food and donated items. A super BIG THANKS to Jen who helped us pull it all together in the end. We would not have pulled it off without her. The costumes were great and the food was delicious. Overall the zombies ruled this year with a total of about 5 at the party. My 1800's vampire costume may have been a fail since I was guessed to be a magician, Willy Wonka and Abe Lincoln. My teeth however were perfect thanks to Kelly. You may not be able to see clearly in these photos but she made me a real set that custom fit my mouth. I could actually bite and bring blood with these chompers. But I wouldn't.

Yard Shark

2011-09-02T20:15:00.000-05:00

This was my second attempt at a shark. I tried it last year and the results were not good. This time I got it right. Oh, and "we're gonna need a bigger yard!"

Melon Monster #1

2011-08-15T20:52:00.000-05:00

SHARK WEEK 2011

2011-08-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

Every week is shark week. I did a few sketches to post of my favorite fish. I may add to this since my sons have expressed interest. Great White!

Thunderclouds & Lightning

2011-08-06T13:57:00.000-05:00

This week I was contacted by Tom Yazwinski from KNWA news to do a story about my lawnscapes. It was fun but I was a little nervous that my design wouldn't turn out with the pressure being on. We also had some friends, Shane & Christi show up and watch. Everything went well and I got about 1 minute and 45 seconds of fame out of the deal. Thanks Tom!!

Schwinn Stingray Makeover

2011-08-02T19:27:00.002-05:00

My Father just purchased two used Stingray Chopper bicycles for my kids. I will admit I am vicariously living through my sons though and their level of excitement over these bikes was minimal compared to mine. Fortunately I live across the street from a master mechanic (josh) who cut his teeth on bikes as a kid, so when it came to getting everything back together I wasn't worried.
We started with the black one and as you may see there was a fair amount of rust on the handlebars and the forks. When we took the forks off the chrome had started to peel which was the main reason we ended painting them black. The stickers had also suffered from some weathering and they to had to be removed. I have to say though the bike looks and rides great. I'm on the lookout for some ape hangers which should make it look that much cooler! Thanks Grandpa! Part 2 coming soon.

Praying For Rain

2011-07-25T20:25:00.000-05:00

iyard

2011-07-19T00:09:00.001-05:00

Summer! It's hot and the bermuda grass is finally greening up and getting thick. For most that means dreading the lawn mowing but not for me. Its the perfect time of year to start lawnscaping. This is actually the second scape of this year. My first was a simple triangle and when my neighbors asked I told them it was "The Bermuda Grass Triangle." No one laughed. This little beauty is a shameless attempt to get Mr. Jobs to take note and send me a new high powered machine. Steve...are you listening?

No Joke!

2011-07-09T15:06:00.001-05:00

This photo was just taken about a week ago outside a little country store somewhere in Arkansas. 100% for real, in fact the owner actually showed us the teeth. Real nice set!

New Watermelon Carving

2011-07-03T17:45:00.000-05:00

This was fun. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I really liked the end result. It has some squinting eyes at the top but you can't really notice in the photo. Besides, the teeth are whats cool anyway. Kids love to eat watermelon when its served up gross like this.

New Caricatures

2011-05-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

Friends, Nik & Travis.

Inspiration from meeting today.

2011-05-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

Monster Doodle

2011-03-05T00:56:00.000-06:00

As promised and thanks again to Brian's hard work,

Monster Doodle is now available for your ipad on itunes

for ONLY 99¢! You will be amazed at how easy

and fun it is to make monster after monster.

Below are a few samples or you can click here to see more.

If you want to send me some of your creations,
I'd be happy to critique and post them here on the blog.
Send them to huckart@cox.net

FACE DOODLE iPAD app

2011-02-19T13:09:00.006-06:00

I'm happy to announce FACE DOODLE! The first in a series of ipad apps that feature some of my handy work. My good friend and co-worker Brian Haught is the developer and genius behind this. About a year ago we were just discussing how we could do something fun together that would utilize our creative juices. At the time Brian was in the midst of teaching himself how to build ipad apps and I was, well...doodling a lot. He had this idea of an app that would allow anyone to pick face shapes and features and build their own cartoon faces so FACE DOODLE was born! It's easy, fun and very entertaining for all ages. See some examples of it here.

Once we got started we quickly realized that we needed to do more with varying themes so we're close to releasing the second in this series and hope it will be released within the next two weeks. I can't wait and you're going to love it! I guarantee it.

Snowed in!

2011-02-09T15:05:00.005-06:00

FInally!!!!
Ever since I was a little kid I've had a fantasy of being snowed in. I'm not just talking about 8-10 inches and no school. I mean the kind of snow that only happens once in a lifetime where you spend the rest of your life comparing every snow event to that one. The kind that makes you start opening cans of food that you've had in the back of your cabinets forever because you don't want to risk getting out on the roads. Well, today it happened! I woke up to a phone call from my neighbor telling me he was stuck out in front of our houses. When I looked out the window I was literally in shock! Never have I ever seen 2 feet of snow in Arkansas of all places. So we're looking at somewhere between 18-24 inches at last measure. Here are the photos to prove it! By the way, our dog Truman had to come in and get warm in his bed after getting buried by the kids in the snow. I blame my wife for spoiling him.

Halloween Sketches....Again!

2010-10-06T22:14:00.003-05:00

Who loves Bubbles!

2010-09-23T11:06:00.003-05:00

I love bubbles. I think everything is better with bubbles. Parties, garage sales, car lots, funerals, etc... My kids had a bubble machine a few years ago and I have to admit I miss that thing. It made any day better. I would often go outside, hang the bubble machine in a tree and just sit back and watch the wind. Here is an amazing video of some of the world's best bubbles.

My Kid Can Draw This!

2010-09-21T00:08:00.004-05:00

Its not everyday that I post something one of my kids have drawn, but I should. They draw so much and go through so much paper. I'm like most parents I guess when it comes to being proud of their creations and I try and bestow the proper amount of praise without overdoing it but really, my kids can draw. Most kids would prefer a new toy when asked but mine will often request new markers & paper. The recycling guys definitely get their moneys worth at our house on recycling day each week.

My sons favorite tool of choice are typically the Crayola brand markers that we're all familiar with but just the other day my eldest son who is seven started using a pencil. He said he was sketching. I think he must have heard me say that and saw that I was using a pencil to do it with so he was hold up in his room for over an hour hard at work on these robots. When I saw them I was very impressed by several things. For one, the simplicity of the lines. Look at how he used the empty spaces between the lines almost the way a comedian might use the pauses between jokes. Second, I love the confidence in his line work. I will often talk about this when I visit schools. Children are not afraid to mess up so their lines are bold and deliberate. It's usually around 4-7th grade that we as artists become more self conscious and afraid that our drawings will be less than good so we begin to draw lightly and without confidence. The third thing I like is how varied they are. He actually had names and descriptions for what each robot would do for us in the future. Can you find the the 3 headed flashlight? By the way, most of these are all remote control and do things like vacuum or cook our food.

Your Heart. God's Love. My Yard.

2010-09-13T20:56:00.002-05:00

Preparing my yard for the next Google Earth photo shoot.

Wall Aquatic

2010-09-06T00:33:00.002-05:00

Not long ago I painted this aquatic mural in the boys play room. I still have several fish to finish but summer kind of got in the way.

GO HOGS!

2010-08-30T12:49:00.000-05:00

AVATAR BOYS

2010-08-22T16:14:00.003-05:00

Recently watched Avatar again and thought it would be fun to see what my kids look like as Navi folk. Turns out they look really good. I'm looking in to a permanent version of each. :) Here's the before & after.

Yard-scaping...Happy Birthday Pac-Man!

2010-08-08T22:36:00.004-05:00

No, I was never a huge player of video games but I was listening to the radio recently and heard a story about Pac-Man turning 30 this year. I was also looking for something cool to do with my lawn. Who says mowing the lawn isn't fun!?

Watermelon Shark

2010-07-04T16:11:00.002-05:00

Ahhh... the fourth of July.
Saw this online and took a stab at it. Turns out watermelons are much easier to carve than pumpkins. Invite me to your party so I can bring on of these.

Full Figured Land Squid

2010-06-23T23:05:00.002-05:00

AWESOME! circa.1987

2010-05-29T15:15:00.001-05:00

BEAUTY

2010-05-06T22:28:00.003-05:00

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's also a miniature ex-circus pony. Don't let her good looks fool you.

Weird Fish part 2

2010-04-27T22:54:00.003-05:00

I've heard and read that we've only explored about 5% of the oceans on this planet. Every time they take one of those deep diving subs down for exploring they find lots of new types of sea life. Here are a few more in my never ending doodle sessions of weird fish. If you have any name suggestions for these please let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Funny Bunnies

2010-04-20T23:39:00.003-05:00

If the Easter Bunny were to call in sick I would imagine some of the back up bunnies might look like this. Happy Spring!

New Blob Paintings Available

2010-04-07T19:07:00.004-05:00

I've always liked art. I started buying art several years ago and happened to meet and become friends with Billy aka Billy Blob. He had moved to Kansas City a few years earlier from California. His wife is named Venus and they have several dogs, a cool bird named Emmy and maybe a monkey by now. ? Billy works for himself building websites and doing some amazing animation for people about 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time he paints. He's very particular what he paints and he destroys about 3 out of every 5 he starts. (very sad) Many years from now all of his work will hang in famous museums around the world. The paintings will have been purchased from private individuals and collectors for much more than what they bought them for making them extremely wealthy people. These people will retire to french manors or tropical islands and live out their remaining years with big smiles on their faces knowing that theirs or their parents investment in art back in 2010 made it all possible. All this to say; Billy has a new collection of original, affordable and subjectively beautiful paintings for sale. Hurry though! He doesn't make many and they usually don't last long. I've included a few samples here.

The Reader

2010-04-06T01:55:00.002-05:00

I know a girl who loves to read,
her name is Paula Kay.
She's read so many books,
about a million, so they say.
She's read her head so full of words
its true, I have no doubt.
For if she fell and cracked her head,
a million words would fall out.

SMiLe

2010-03-30T22:27:00.001-05:00

THiNKER

2010-03-29T23:31:00.001-05:00

Monster Closet

2010-03-26T00:45:00.005-05:00

There are no skeletons in my closet.
Only monsters for me.
I keep them locked up,
so that no one can see.
There's a Wallup from grade school,
I've known him the longest.
And a red-bellied Doo-Hickey,
he's perpetually jaundiced.
There's a Shiver-Me-Timber,
who thinks he's all that.
And a blue Yokumstretcher
with the tail of a rat.
An Envy Pretendie.
A Holleyblog too.
A vegetarian Kattywompus,
he's fairly new.
And way in the back
stands Fuzzy McTott.
He looks really mean
but he's actually not.
So be on the lookout
for a monster or four.
Then give me a call 'cause
I have room for more.

Eskimos Sketch

2010-03-24T23:29:00.002-05:00

Stinky Grandma

2010-03-17T20:55:00.003-05:00

My friend and co-worker recently started eating garlic to boost his immune system. It lasted about 3 weeks. He felt like it was causing him to stink up the place although I honestly never experienced his garlic aroma it did inspire this cartoon. Thanks JC!

Paterfamilias

2010-03-15T00:20:00.002-05:00

A good friend encouraged me to make a strip a while back so I took some real life experiences and sketched them. I recently inked and colored these. Why opossums? Can't really say, I don't necessarily love opossums but didn't want to do people or dogs & cats.

Favorite Sharks

2010-03-10T00:46:00.002-06:00

My Last Nerve

2010-03-08T22:11:00.002-06:00

The Outernet

2010-03-03T21:42:00.002-06:00

Kindness

2010-03-01T13:45:00.002-06:00

SHARK FRENZY

2010-02-28T15:53:00.002-06:00

CONAN

2010-02-27T21:59:00.002-06:00

John the Baptist...

2010-02-26T23:11:00.001-06:00

2010-02-25T22:54:00.001-06:00

2010-02-23T23:21:00.002-06:00

2010-02-23T23:21:00.001-06:00

Systems

2010-02-23T18:58:00.001-06:00

A T-Rex attacked my boys!!

2009-12-07T17:09:00.002-06:00

SHARKS IN DANGER

2009-08-07T09:12:00.008-05:00

In honor of Shark Week I want to share something of interest. To learn more click on the links here:

www.discovery.blogs.com/shark_conservation/

http://takeaction.oceana.org

www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/whiteshark.aspx

www.wildaid.org

www.pewtrusts.org

http://sharkfriends.com/

Statistics about SHARKS

22 -- Number of years the Discovery Channel has aired Shark Week

29.1 million -- Number of viewers Shark Week 2008 attracted

450 -- Known species of sharks

244 -- Number of documented unprovoked shark attacks worldwide since 1876 (65 of them fatal)

100 -- Number of documented unprovoked shark attacks in the United States from 1916 to the end of 2008 (12 of them fatal, and 8 of those in California)

90 --Percentage that the hammerhead shark population has dropped in the last 20 years

63 -- Average number of shark attacks a year

56.6 -- Percentage of all shark attacks that involve surfers and windsurfers

3 -- Species of shark considered deadly (great white, tiger and bull)

250,000 -- Number of sharks being killed every day by targeted fishing and bycatch (sharks accidentally caught in nets trawling for other species)

1 in 264 million -- Odds of being killed in a shark attack

1 in 9 million -- Odds of being killed by a dog

Sources: International Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural History, the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C., the National Safety Council, Nielsen Media Research and the Discovery Channel

FLORIDA on the 4th of July

2009-07-30T00:26:00.007-05:00

Matt & Charlie Sagely

My awesome wife and me.

Reece & Charlie exploring in the shallow waters.

My boys posing with a fake white shark.
Note, my oldest on the right had to wear his bathing suite
the entire way down even though we stopped
and slept overnight in a hotel. Kids.

We caught crabs and starfish but no sharks.

We took a short boat ride over to an island one day. Can you see
the excitement on Charlie, Reece & Keenan's faces?

Cards

2009-05-14T00:12:00.002-05:00

THANKS JULIA!!!

2009-04-22T23:22:00.002-05:00

Julia + Toys + Cats + Kids = 1 heckuva good time

My New Blob.

2009-04-22T22:54:00.004-05:00

A while back I had asked my favorite painter friend Billy Blob if I could exchange a painting I had purchased for another. I figured if I can take stuff back to Wal-Mart then why not do the same with real art. At the time he hadn't been painting in a while but I just knew he would be producing some new art any day and I'd have something like a shark or squid or possibly even a hairy big-foot creature. Little did I know that I'd end up with a painting that he had already finished about a year earlier and that was truly one of my all time favorite blob paintings. Yes, I am now the owner of a large piece of canvas covered with a mixture of acrylic paints in shades of green, blue, black and a touch of something orange. All this makes for one cool looking African elephant head titled HALF. Billy still has a few paintings left from his last batch which he doesn't do nearly enough so rush on over to his site today and buy one. If you don't like it I'm sure he'll let you exchange it in a couple of years.

"sketchbook"

2009-03-18T23:07:00.001-05:00

1975

2009-03-03T01:16:00.003-06:00

This is part of a promotional piece I'm working on. I can only guess that my parents weren't paying attention when they bought my ticket to see this blockbuster in 1975. I have a vivid memory of being somewhere down front in the theatre, standing in my seat. The scene where Richard Dryefuss dives down to investigate a sunken boat and a dead body floats by the camera got a big scream from the audience and I can still see all the scared faces of the people in the seats behind me. For many years after this I thought anything sticking up out of a lake, river or creek was a shark fin.

CORRECTION!

2009-02-27T15:52:00.003-06:00

I must admit, I was not aware that my son's story which I had thought he had made up on his own was his version retold from a fairly popular picture book. He had recently spent a few nights with his aunt and had likely been read the story there. As a proud daddy of my kids creativity I wanted to share something that I thought was neat and funny especially for a kid this young. But to now come to this realization that my kid is a plagiarist is even better. You can't teach this stuff.
This is the book.

The 3 little pigs, according to a six year old.

2009-02-26T21:43:00.004-06:00

Tonight, our six year old asks his mother if she'd like him to tell her the real story of the 3 little pigs. Of course, she replies and the following is what was told.

The big bad wolf was baking a cake one day for his grandmother but he was out of sugar. He went next door to ask a pig if he could borrow some and when he walked in the pig was laying in the floor dead so the wolf ate him and went to the next house to get some sugar. When he got there that pig was shaving his chinny chin, chin hairs so the wolf ate him. He then went on to the next pigs house but that pigs house was made out of bricks and he heard the wolf outside and called the police. The police came and took that wolf to prison and do you know what that wolf wants more than anything in prison? ....sugar.

Weird Fish

2009-02-23T00:25:00.002-06:00

Oklahoma Aquarium

2009-02-21T17:22:00.001-06:00

The Cutest Dog in The World!

2009-01-11T21:54:00.007-06:00

Meet Truman. He's a bichon mix, so we're told and he is the newest member to our family. He's also the first dog we've ever had as a family. We were told about Truman from a friend of my wife's cousin and during Thanksgiving we went over to take a look at the pup to see if he was what we had in mind. This is the photo I snapped that day.He's what we call an early Christmas present. We've been watching episodes of the The Dog Whisperer and are doing fairly well on getting him trained. He likes to play fetch and he's good about going to his crate when I ask nicely. He still will piddle in the house if we don't watch him close so if you have any good advice on how to get your pup to let you know when it's time to go out I'd really like to hear from you.

Silver Dollar City, Branson MO. November 2008

2008-11-26T22:04:00.005-06:00

We finally took a trip to SDC to see the Christmas lights and boy was it worth it. I suggest you do the same and while you're there be sure to order up some apple dumplings with cinnamon vanilla ice cream. You can thank me later.

More Halloween Party Pics

2008-11-06T22:20:00.004-06:00

BACKYARD HAUNTING, Halloween Party

2008-11-02T20:48:00.004-06:00

We had a little Halloween party for the neighborhood kids this year. Our oldest son who is almost 6 had been urging us to do so ever since last Halloween. We had lots of treats and a few ghosts hanging in the trees but the best part for me was the cemetary which I lit and staged with a fog machine. Here are a few photos along with our Jack Skeelington pumpkin. See you next year!

#8 Werewolf

2008-10-22T21:08:00.001-05:00

#7 Dracula

2008-10-22T00:03:00.002-05:00

#6 Little Mummy

2008-10-21T08:05:00.002-05:00

#5 Ghosts

2008-10-18T21:15:00.002-05:00

#4 Wanda the Witch

2008-10-17T19:54:00.002-05:00

I named her Wanda just because it sounds good. I have an aunt Wanda who is in no way a witch. (In case she reads this.)

#3 Zombies

2008-10-16T20:39:00.003-05:00

#2 The Bat

2008-10-15T19:24:00.003-05:00

What a weird creature! The bat is as much an icon of Halloween as witches & pumpkins.

2008-10-13T23:12:00.001-05:00

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN- #1 Frank

2008-10-13T23:04:00.006-05:00

I've been itching to do one of these countdown posts where I'll be forced to do a drawing a day. I've decided to do it on Halloween and my theme will be Halloween characters and icons. Some may be scary and some may be funny but they will all be Halloweenish in some shape or form. I hope you enjoy.

Caricatures in the Park

2008-10-05T21:30:00.003-05:00

I was recently asked if I'd be interested in doing some caricatures of kids for a local arts & crafts day in the park that our city sponsors. My first reaction was no since I hadn't done it in a long time but when they mentioned I'd be getting paid I became very interested all of a sudden. I took a job at Worlds of Fun in KC many years ago to learn the tricks and I have to give credit to Javier Gonzales and Linn Hernandez for trying to teach me . I have much respect for those guys and gals who do this full time. It's a tough job but what fun when you actually get the caricature right, which for me is not as often as I'd like. These are a few that turned out well and all the kids were so cute and fun! (I promise...I'll get better.)

From the vault!

2008-09-13T16:44:00.004-05:00

These are pieces that were created back around 95-97 when I first started to really get serious about gaining new freelance work. The illustration of the lady on the street was influenced by the style of Eric Brace who is a Hallmark artist as well as a children's book illustrator. (It's no where near the level of his work!)

Random stuff

2008-09-13T13:20:00.004-05:00

Photo Caricatures-Arnold, George & Dan

2008-06-16T23:06:00.004-05:00

This is a photo caricature style I came up with in order to try and stand out in a rack dominated by hand drawn caricatures of the typical greeting card characters. First was Arnold then Dan and finally Bush. I like the way they turned out.

Grumpy Great White Shark

2008-06-12T00:12:00.005-05:00

My favorite subject to draw, the shark! I started drawing sharks at the age of 5 and still to this day never tire of their shape. I plan to blogart a whole series of sharks soon. Hold me to it!!!

Crazy Dog

2008-06-12T00:09:00.000-05:00

Dodo Bird Creature

2008-06-12T00:05:00.002-05:00

This started out as a simple study on the beak of the dodo bird and then I started improvising. It's one of my favorite sketches. I'm not sure what the body would look like. Maybe I'll go in eventually and finish it but for now I think I like not knowing.

Velicoraptor

2008-06-12T00:03:00.001-05:00

King of the Doo Hickies

2008-06-11T23:58:00.001-05:00

T-Shirt Design

2008-02-05T01:02:00.000-06:00

If your last name is Korman and you're having a family reunion in Kansas City, this is what your t-shirt might look like. I did a total of 3 designs for them to choose from, the 3rd design that they chose is not shown.

Cartoon for Greeting Card

2008-02-05T01:00:00.000-06:00

Series of Birds

2008-02-05T00:56:00.000-06:00

Cat Concepts

2008-02-05T00:54:00.000-06:00

Dog illustration from 2003

2008-02-05T00:48:00.000-06:00

Not the Cloverfield Monster

2008-01-20T23:47:00.000-06:00

I guess I have to hand it to JJ for his latest monster movie! I'll try not to ruin the movie for those who have yet to see it. Cloverfield has likely made many moviegoers lose their popcorn mid-way through due to the hand held look of the film but if you can make it through that part you'll get a real life monster treat! It was the perfect amount of Monster for the money! Just enough to make me believe and cause me to obsess about it all night until I start a monster doodle of my own in hopes of getting the thing out of my head for a while. While this is in no way the monster from Cloverfield, it was 95% inspired by.

T-shirt Logo

2008-01-15T23:51:00.001-06:00

This is a recent design I did for a friend. Something to do with selling Tyson chicken. ? I like the design.

Halloween Jack 'O lanterns 2007

2007-11-06T21:27:00.000-06:00

I got the idea for the one on the left from a movie trailer. I'll be carving this one for years to come.

Kids Book illustrations.

2007-08-21T18:58:00.000-05:00

A boy and his cat decide to go exploring during a rainy day...They find a shark and decide to chase it... ???

Then find an Angler Fish.

2007-08-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

P R I N C E 0+-> This was a mock poster I did prior to the latest King Kong release. I thought if I posted it on the fan sites that Peter Jackson would really like it and ask if he could use it. He never called.

T-Rex used on a greeting card. I love the shape of the head. it was a happy mistake.

I drew this on a plane ride back from Chicago. It's based on some of the Doppleganger heads that Billyblob paints. His site link is in my links.