Van Dyke Roth's Illustrations and Sketches

Bruise and Wound Make-Up

2010-10-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a little diversion from these cartoon images. I have been designing bruises and wounds! Strange, I know, but TRUE. More images on my other blog 'Sketchbooks'. Check 'em out.

A Short Silly Audio Break

2009-05-14T10:40:00.001-07:00

Illustration Friday: Enough

2008-11-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

Especially after his strenuous daily morning walks, Webu reminded himself that maintaining a positive mental attitude, displaying a cheery disposition, and living a life without regrets was enough already.

Illustration Friday: Pretend

2008-11-17T21:46:00.000-08:00

Lawrence found it easy to deny his true feelings, unlike Sopwith his camel, who found it difficult to pretend.

Illustration Friday: Wise

2008-11-16T00:53:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, Christopher Cardinal does have a 'bird brain'... BUT... his eloquent speech on 'Solving The Global Economic Crisis' is what makes listening to him at this critical time, extra wise.

Illustration Friday: Foggy

2008-11-09T15:36:00.001-08:00

A life choice like always smoking after yoga class proved conclusively that Christy's critical thinking was sometimes foggy.

Illustration Friday: Vacant

2008-10-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Gwendolyn's vacant stare was the first telltale sign that all of her corrective make-up techniques put together could not make her be Joan Holloway from 'Mad Men' for Halloween.

Illustration Friday: Sour

2008-10-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Marva could hit a blue note with a surgeon's precision but happily unlike many other singers in Storyville, sour notes still eluded her.

Illustration Friday: Fierce

2008-10-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

As Wanda's broken arm healed, she thought of a future time when she was completely whole again - a future time when she would exact her particularly fierce brand of revenge upon her outdoor lawn sprinkler - the one that tripped her, mocking her every time she thought of it.

Illustration Friday: Hoard

2008-10-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

After holding it in for three seasons straight, Penelope Puffin decided laughter was something she no longer needed to hoard.

Illustration Friday: Punch Line

2008-10-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Although she didn't understand a word he meant, little Cindy Sue STILL thought Carrot Top really knew how to deliver a punch line.

Illustration Friday: Forgotten

2008-06-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

All night long, Billy superstitiously touched his nose and stared at the light in an effort to remember the location of his forgotten, but precious, Lando Calrissian action figure.

Illustration Friday: Baby

2008-06-05T17:07:00.001-07:00

Call it 'urban armor' if you want, but for Meryl, it took wearing her Manolos and carrying her Louis Vuitton to prevent anyone from calling her THEIR 'baby'.

Illustration Friday: Worry

2008-05-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

On his fifth dreamtrip to Mars, William began to worry that he didn't know where the restrooms were.

Illustration Friday: Wide

2008-05-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

If it weren't for his good breeding and of course, public perception, the hungry wide-eyed Prince might have thrown caution to the wind and had certain friends for dinner anyway... just this once.

Illustration Friday: Electricity

2008-05-17T01:39:00.001-07:00

Carlos de las Aromas knew he was muy guapo in his performance tux - but that was nothing compared to the raw talent he displayed when he hit his signature low g-flat causing women to faint, men to quiver, and his own heart to jolt with electricity.

Illustration Friday: Seed

2008-05-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

The future president of 'Amy's Immaculate Itinerants', began her on-the-job-training at the tender age of eight, by persuading her visiting cousins to clean her room and organize her dollies - simultaneously becoming the family's 'bad seed' and, ironically, the eventual bread winner.

Illustration Friday: Wrinkles

2008-04-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Months after her facelift, Margot looked at her bowl of stewed prunes and wondered if she was going to let their wrinkles bother her.

Illustration Friday: Primitive

2008-04-23T10:46:00.001-07:00

Even though Ulu practically wrote the book on particle physics and was a whiz at roller boogie, the folks at National Geographic still considered him primitive.

Illustration Friday: Fail

2008-04-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Having convinced his son that he was indeed Captain Never-Fail, it was finally time for Gregory to go to the kitchen to make macaroni and cheese - without a recipe - using only his super daddy powers.

Illustration Friday: Save

2008-04-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

Whenever Melvin bought his girlfriend flowers, he always saved one bloom for himself - so he could privately revel in his secret crush on Natalie Portman.

Sketchcrawl 18: Quicksketches

2008-03-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

My wife and I were newbie sketchers at Sketchcrawl 18 on 3/29/08. We met up with the group at Ghirardelli Square (San Francisco) after we found miraculously free parking nearby(!). We couldn't stay for the whole time so we continued to sketch as we ate a very late lunch in Sausalito. My sketches are pen & ink, watercolor except for the few that have been colored in Photoshop. The last one of the lady eating lunch was drawn in pencil then colored in CS3. We had a great time! The artists we met were very nice and inclusive of us newbies. Next time, we won't be so shy. We look forward to the next event!

Sketchcrawl 18: Quicksketches

2008-03-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

My wife and I were newbie sketchers at Sketchcrawl 18 on 3/28/08. We met the group at Ghirardelli Square after we found miraculously free parking nearby(!). We couldn't stay for the whole time so we continued to sketch as we ate a late lunch in Sausalito. My sketches are pen & ink, watercolor except for the few that have been colored in Photoshop. The last one of the lady eating lunch was drawn in pencil then manipulated in PS3. We had a great time! The artists we met were very nice and inclusive of us newbies. We look forward to the next event!

Illustration Friday: Homage

2008-03-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

The critics thought her extensions were fabulous; even though midway through her touching homage to the gifted Anna Pavlova, the cool theatre air told Edie the Russian gorilla that she forgot to put on her ruffled diaper underpanties.

Illustration Friday: Pet Peeve

2008-03-21T20:54:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, Cynthia experienced a little daytime acid reflux as Paul described the beauty of 'Lawrence of Arabia' because all she noticed were her two pet peeves; nostrils you could drive a truck through and spinach teeth.

Illustration Friday: Heavy

2008-03-14T17:20:00.001-07:00

Jenny decided her right boot wasn't so heavy after all ...after she resolved that more direct foot contact with her cheating boyfriend's rear end would be required, later that afternoon.

Illustration Friday: Garden

2008-03-07T18:03:00.001-08:00

Multitasking, she had tried to hold Willie her cat, while jumping rope and going down the slide. 'A gross miscalculation', Penelope thought as she jettisoned toward Grandma's garden border.

Illustration Friday: Leap

2008-02-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

It was with great trepidation - and wonderment - that thirty-two year old, crazy-haired, suburban Peter, finally took the big leap and stared directly into his future.

Illustration Friday: Multiple

2008-02-27T18:31:00.000-08:00

Business saavy was Jason's strong suit. So he copyrighted the asterisk symbol for 'multiply' and carefully guarded it with his homemade, multiple-eyed, multi-armed, biomechanical robot. If his fourth grade teacher Miss Treacle, and the world for that matter, was going to make him do math, someone was going to have to pay.

Illustration Friday: Theory

2008-02-17T21:09:00.001-08:00

The theory is that in our cities, we've got monsters (huge crocodiles, radioactive rats... and God knows what else) living in our sewers. So beware. And watch your step.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's Valentine's Day. Choose to go hug someone special!

Illustration Friday: Choose

2008-02-13T16:58:00.000-08:00

Unknowingly on the cusp of establishing a lifelong pattern, Christopher found it hard to choose; eat carrots loaded with antioxidants and Vitamin A - or eat his favorite ice cream sundae loaded with pleasure beyond reason.

(Okay, so Illustration Friday has this theme for this week: choose. So I figure, what is a temptation we can all relate to?)

Illustration Friday: Blanket

2008-02-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

The theme on Illustration Friday is 'Blanket' so I was thinking, what could be more appropriate than what is a nightly occurence in our bedroom?

Doctor Evil

2008-02-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so all doctors aren't evil. Only the one in my drawing. Oh, and the one that treated me ten years ago, but that's another story.

Ho'okipa Beach Park Maui

2008-02-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

From the past, a watercolor I did while on vacation in Maui. The sketchbook was virtually destroyed because our garage drain stopped up one day and water got into one of our storage boxes which completely soaked one of my sketchbooks. This is one of the sketches which was salvaged - the page separated from the one it was stuck to and dried out. I'm sure we'll see more from this sketchbook in the future.

Friendly Squirrel Character

2008-01-30T09:52:00.000-08:00

I was working on structure the other day when I added some details and out came this happy squirrel character. I realized after publishing that he didn't have buck teeth, so this guy must be pretty hungry.

Skateboarder at Justin Herman Plaza

2008-01-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

This is an old watercolor I did while on my lunch hour a long time ago. The sketchbook got ruined (water damage) but my wife managed to salvage some artwork. This is an unretouched scan of the energetic skateboarder at the end of Market St. I still remember the obnoxious noise his wheels made on the plaza brickwork.

It's A New Year and A New Blog

2008-01-29T13:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I got all excited and inspired by seeing what artists were doing on the internet that I decided to begin my blog. So far, I think it'll be a sketch blog - a place where I can share my artwork and see where it leads me. I invite comments and any reactions whatsoever. My first order of the day was to design my banner and post it - which I did.