Joseph Kinney's Shoe Store

The illustration of Joseph Kinney working in his Boonville shoe store unexpectedly turned out to be one of my favorites from this story.  I just really like the atmosphere.  

Below is the final art along with the original composition sketch and the revised composition sketch.  This artwork is for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.

Final illustration

Revised and tightened composition sketch

Original composition sketch

Assistance League Mural progress

I've begun work on the "Operation School Bell" mural for the Assistance League of Kansas City.  After some consideration they decided to have the mural painted on a 4ft x 8ft panel instead of directly on the wall so they can take the mural with them should they move.  That's a move I've noticed more people making these days.  Maybe it says something about folks appreciating their art investment more and not wanting to fate their mural to the inevitability of getting painted over or being hidden behind a file cabinet and fake plant. Still, a well done on-the-wall mural that flows around a room is something special and creates an atmosphere that can't be duplicated on panels.  I know artists who can make true magic happen with that kind of mural.

Anyways I'm just getting started and its coming along smoothly.  It helped a lot that the approved final composition was full color, so I don't have to "figure it out" so much on the fly. Here are a few quick shots of how its going.

I started with an underpainting/drawing to make sure the locations and proportions match that of the approved composition.

I put my hand by this one to give a sense of scale.  In case you're wondering I have huge working mans hands.  Okay maybe not...more like medium sized artist hands.  But with ninja like reflexes.  Why am I still writing here?

Starting the actual painting

The flatboat hits a snag

This is another illustration that ran through a few versions.  It depicts Joseph Kinney's venture into flatboat ownership ending in disaster.

Flatboats were an affordable means of moving goods down river, especially before the steamboat was firmly established.  Rivers were pretty treacherous to navigate due to snags and boat wrecks were not uncommon.  When such wrecks would happen, nearby flatboats (should they be around) would help rescue the crew and save the cargo.  

Originally I thought an illustration of such a scene would be interesting to look at, but the problem was that Joseph Kinney lost most all of his cargo which makes it unlikely that there would've been another flatboat close enough to salvage anything.  So I pushed the other boat far into the background and made some other changes as well.  Both versions are shown below.

This is the final art showing Joseph Kinney's wrecked flatboat.

Here is the first version of the flatboat wreck with another boat helping out.  While I do like the commotion of this one, Joseph looks a bit too calm. Like he's asking the other captain how his corn crop is coming along or something.

This artwork is for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.

Young Joseph Kinney watching an early steamboat

Here a young Joseph Kinney is seen working for his uncle and admiring an early steamboat passing by.  And so began his life long passion for steam boats. 

This one went through a few changes in editing.  It was decided that it was more likely that Joe would have had a clerical job than a labor job when working for his uncle so I changed him from pushing a barrel to pushing a pencil.  While at it I tweaked quite a few other aspects of the illustration too.  Compare them and try to spot what's different.  

This artwork is for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.

Final version - Joseph Kinney counting barrels and watching an early steamboat

First version - Joseph Kinney pushing a barrel watching said early steamboat

Joseph Kinney comp sketches

Here are a few new composition sketches for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney. Joseph Kinney was a 19th century steamboat mogul who spent most of his life in Boonville, Missouri.  I call him a mogul but honestly I'm not sure what mogul means. I think I'll look that up.

These sketches are for the Notable Missourian book on Joseph Kinney, written by Maryellen McVicker and published by Truman State University Press.

Joseph Kinney as a teen working on a dock while watching an early river steamboat pass by.

Joseph Kinney's investment in a flatboat ended in disaster when the boat sank.

Joseph Kinney opened a shoe store in Boonville. While working there he met his second wife, Matilda.  Business was good and he accrued enough money to return to his passion, steamboats.

A steamboat race on the Missouri River.  Who wouldn't love a steamboat race?

An aerial view of old Boonville showing Joseph Kinney's mansion, Riverscene, on the north side of the Missouri.

This one won't be used but it amused my inner cartoonist.  Here he's posing for his portrait painting by George Caleb Bingham and he can't help getting excited and breaking his pose when he sees a steamboat passing by on the river.

Approved Mural Design for Assistance League of KC

This is the approved final idea "sketch" for the Assistance League's Operation School Bell mural. Painting will begin in a couple weeks.  

Operation School Bell mural ideas

So I've been commissioned to make a mural for the Assistance League of Kansas City...more precisely for their Operation School Bell which provides brand new, season appropriate clothes for disadvantaged school kids.  Its a fantastic operation and I'm excited to make this mural for them!  These loose color sketches were made to get the ball rolling and they served that purpose well.  They provided a good starting point for the final approved art which borrows a bit from each.  I'll post said final art soon.  Hell I want to post it now but whats the rush? 

Rough color sketch

This was one of many rough idea compositions for an upcoming mural project. It drifted pretty far away from the desired feeling of the mural and wasn't used, but it lead to some other ideas that I'm pretty happy with.  Funny how letting a crummy idea run its course can do that.

Happy 4th of July!

As a child I had a lot of favorite holidays.  The one where a rotund strawberry nosed elderly man wearing red would break into homes and deliver presents was pretty great.  Dressing up in costumes and threatening people with tricks to extort candy was also awesome.  But my most favoritist of all holidays was the 4th of July.  The holiday where it was okay for kids to play with explosives!  Nothing could beat that.  Now that I'm older I strangely prefer the sound of cicadas to that of fireworks.  That said the 4th is still pretty damn awesome.  Have a safe and fun holiday!

Emmett Kelly on "What's My Line"

Even in his later years Emmett Kelly made appearances on TV shows such as "What's My Line".  In this episode (which can be viewed here) the contestant says it all when she figures out the mystery person is a clown: "The first clown's name that comes to my mind is Emmett Kelly." Everybody of that era knew who Emmett Kelly was to such an extent that his character name "Willie" was rarely used. Emmett's mere presence would make people light up and be ready to laugh.  That's quite an effect!  When I grew up the only clown I knew by name was Ronald McDonald and his presence just made me hungry and want to ask questions about the strange psychedelic crew he was running around with.  Anyways I'm sure the good clowns will have their day again.  So it goes with all things.   Might be awhile though.  I feel like we're still squarely in the middle of a "Clowns are creepy" era.

This illustration is for the Notable Missourian book on Emmett Kelly, written by Donald McManus and published by Truman State University Press.

How my son gets me to build him legos

My seven year old son and his friend wanted to play legos.  I thought "Hey that sounds great! There's no console or screen involved, they have to use their hands and brains...hell yes lets do it!"  So I get out the legos and sit down to build with the kids.  After the average attention span of a seven year old elapses they get bored and wander off to play Minecraft. So do I get up and get to work?  Nope!  I had many other things that needed to be done, but I kept building.  I think its a jedi mind trick Henry pulls to get me to make stuff for him.  That trick is basically "Dad, here's some legos" then walking away as my lego ego takes over.

Anyways I like this spaceship.  

Sweeping the Spotlight

Emmett Kelly's most popular skit involved him coming out to sweep the ring between acts. While doing so the spotlight would begin to slyly follow him around the ring.  After some bemused frustration he would sweep at the circle of light cast by the spotlight making it smaller and smaller until he could then sweep it under a rug or out of the tent.  Versions of this skit live on to this day and its another example of something so familiar that I never even stopped to consider who first came up with it. I've had a lot of moments like that with this series.

This illustration is for the Notable Missourian book on Emmett Kelly, written by Donald McManus and published by Truman State University Press.

A peanut for Willie

Emmett Kelley's most famous alter ego was a down on his luck clown named Willie.  Up to that time most clowns were white faced and brightly dressed.  A scroungy tramp as a clown was a new idea that really struck a chord with people reeling from the Great Depression.

Willie would often sit in the crowd not drawing much attention.  When the spotlight was brought on him, people sitting nearby would be delighted.  Here willie is being offered a peanut by a boy.  This lead to one of his most well known gags where he would struggle to shell a peanut and ultimately resort to a sledgehammer to do the job. 

I never expected to paint a clown.  The thought of painting a sad clown ranked up their with painting a matador on black velvet or painting dogs playing poker.  (Okay, truth....I think I could paint an awesome scene of dogs playing poker....must resist temptation!)  Anyways this project has been a lot of fun, and honestly after reading about Emmett Kelly and watching old movies on youtube of him working his craft, its easy to see his appeal and why he was so loved.

This illustration is for the Notable Missourian book on Emmett Kelly, written by Donald McManus and published by Truman State University Press.

Emmett Kelly showing off

As a teen Emmett Kelly was known to be the neighborhood acrobat.  He would climb telephone poles and trees and proved himself quite fearless...all the while scaring the crap out of his mom.  Something I learned from this book was that Emmett Kelly had his start in the circus as an aerial artist - meaning he was on the trapeze. That seems so far from being a clown that it really surprised me.  He was good at it too!  Of course I suppose the fact that he lived to be a clown speaks to that.  I mean, if you're not good at the trapeze...well...splat.

This is an example of an illustration where it didn't turn out as good as I imagined it would in my wee brain, or even as good as the composition sketch hinted at.  I'm fine with it, but not my favorite.

This illustration is for the Notable Missourian book on Emmett Kelly written by Donald McManus and published by Truman State University Press. 

Troupe Movement

This illustration is for chapter 1 of the Notable Missourian book on Emmett Kelly (Written by Donald McManus, published by Truman State University Press).  Here young Emmett is shown fascinated with a vaudeville troupe disembarking for a performance in his childhood hometown of Cabool Missouri.  Back in those days (late 19th, early 20th century) traveling vaudeville acts were an incredibly popular form of entertainment and nearly every town big and small had a theatre where the entertainers could perform. 

Dinosaur hates shapes

Well its looking like Evan now expects dinosaurs to be painted whenever he joins me in the studio. After nap time he found me painting and asked if he could paint too. I agreed and got him all set up.  After he made a few brush strokes we had a conversation that went something like this:

Evan: "Dad!  Paint a dinosaur!"

Me: "No I'm working.  Why don't you to paint something?" 

Evan: "Okay."  (paints a few strokes) "Dad!  Paint dinosaur!"

Me: Not now buddy.

Evan: "Okay." (adds more strokes) "Dad!  Paint a dinosaur!"

Me: "No!  Evan I want you to paint....wait...that squiggle does look like a dinosaur.  Let me see your brush."

I can't help it.  I made him a 5-minute dinosaur which he approved of with a chorus of loud and vicious roars.  (Is it a chorus if only one person is doing it?  Probably not.)

Evan did do more painting though.  He painted the bottom of his feet.  

Emmett Kelly comp sketches

Some comp sketch examples for the Notable Missourian book on Emmett Kelly (Truman State University Press). 

Emmett as a boy watching with wonder as a vaudeville troupe disembarks at the Cabool station.

Emmett as a teenager demonstrating his acrobatic skills by climbing a telephone pole.  Mom is not happy.

Emmett as his famous character Willie in the crowd at a circus.  A boy offers him a peanut which lead to one of his most well known bits.

Emmett as Willie being followed by the spotlight.  Emmett sweeping the spotlight became one of the most iconic circus acts of the century.

Emmett on the popular TV show "What's My Line".   

Olive Boone with some Grandchildren

Here is an illustration for the final chapter of the Notable Missourian book on Olive Boone (written by Greta Russell, published by Truman State University Press).  Here Olive is shown enjoying the company of some of her many grandchildren.  Olive's final years had some rough turns after the passing of her husband, Nathan, but her grandkids continued to be a source of joy for her.  A big thank you to my awesome editor Barbara for the help with period clothing throughout this project. If left to my own devices I would've made everybody from the 19th century wear a top hat, a monocle and have their hair in a bun.