How To Stuff 2,000 CDs Into An 8-Inch Box

I listen to a lot of music when I'm drawing. Pro Secret: I've drawn many a fuzzy bunny while blasting Iron Maiden through my speakers. But the cd collection is getting out of hand and studio space is at a premium. So it's time to modernize.

I picked up an external drive with plenty of space (3 tb) and, over the last couple weeks, I've been archiving all my tunes on the hard drive. First benefit: the songs are right there at my fintertips. I never have to search through my cds again. If I'm in the mood for AC/DC, I just click the song and keep drawing. Ramones? click. Prince? click. Nancy Wilson? click. Hank Williams? click. Mike Viola? clickety-click-click-click. You get the picture. 

Second benefit: I keep my drink on my desk while I work and now I can use the discs as coasters. 

Third benefit: I can take the music with me whenever I go on one of those nice, long vacations we freelancers are always taking. 

Big thanks to friend/illustrator Mark Brewer for giving me the idea to digitize. Tangential shout-out to friend/illustrator John Blumen who claims he doesn't  listen to music while he works (what?!). Quick note to music lovers: copies of my hard drive go on sale next month to help fund my various computer purchases. -v

Making Beautiful Meowsic Together

Just added this awesome new keyboard to the stack of instruments in my studio. Just look at this thing! I mean really look at it.

It's the Meowsic Keyboard by B. Whoever designed this thing is a genius because, visually, it's irresistible. Classic cartoon cat face painted in beautifully muted yellow and orange (though it looks like it comes in a very comic-booky purple and green if you have the dough for it), with a nice matte paint job, unlike most kid's toys that have that shiny plastic finish. The keys are a toothy grin (with the top and bottom notes forming perfect incisors) and it has two "paws" that house the mode/sound buttons distributed in the shape of paw pads...this thing was clearly crafted as a labor of love. I guess I gushed about it enough in the store until one of my friends just bought it for me to shut me up. That didn't work because I'm still jabbering about it.

Musically, it's not too shabby either. You have your choice of five different sounds (including a cat's meow), rhythm tracks to play along to, 20 pre-recorded sing-along songs and even a built-in, retractable microphone to amplify and record your voice. And if you happen to leave it turned on accidentally, the cat will wait a while then meow to let you know he's going to sleep. Oh -- and the batteries are included! Awesome. I don't normally shill for mass-produced consumer goods but this keyboard, I'll shill for. If you have kids (age 2 and up) with musical proclivities, get it. Even if you have no kids at all, just get it. You could hang this thing on your wall as a work of art. I mean, just look at it. -v

My Illustration Ale Bottle

Here's my limited edition, Illustration Ale bottle, sitting in its place of honor on the shelf above my drawing desk.

I had a great time meeting the other Illustration Ale artists at the Toonseum Saturday night. All the labels looked fantastic, and it turns out Scott at East End Brewing is running a very green, very earth-conscious operation down there. Awesome.

As you know, proceeds from the sales of these bottles go toward helping the Toonseum. So if you missed the release party, feel free to stop in at East End Brewing and pick up a few bottles for yourself. And for those of you who did make it, thanks for doing your part to advance the cartoon arts in Pittsburgh.

Also, to the lovely young lady who had me autograph her bottle, thanks again. You truly made my night. -v

Real Tales of a Turkey Stampede!

So this happened today. Outside the door to my studio. About a jillion turkeys walked by, acting tough, trying to intimidate me. It worked. Anyway, they hung out in the back yard for a bit then it was over the hill and off to their next adventure. Sorry about the blurry photos...they move like the wind, those turkeys. -v

Almost (But Not Quite) As Easy As 1, 2, 3...

The Intermediate Chorus (grades 3, 4 and 5) at Falk Laboratory School are having their Spring Concert Tuesday Night (tonight) at 7. Why is this news on Vince's art blog? Because this time, through the magic of rudely butting-in, I am inextricably linked with this performance. Here's how:

Sometimes, when I'm not drawing, I fiddle around on the piano or guitar amusing myself and entertaining my cat...just barely. But when my grade school teacher pal told me she was putting together a Jackson 5 medley for the kids to sing, I immediately usurped her authority and arranged it myself. I couldn't help myself. I'm a sucker for old Jackson 5 tunes.

So I transposed four of their hits into the same key (F, for anyone who cares), plucked out the juiciest hooks and strung them together into a 3-minute, pop music masterpiece. And that, kids, is how you become a music arranger. Easy as A, B-flat, C.

But the real story is the live show. You see, I had to record the medley so the chorus' live accompanist, Shailen, could learn it. How? By ear, of course. Why? Because that's how Shailen learns everything. Shailen is a 12-year old piano player who is visually impaired. So everything he bangs out on the keys he plays by ear. And he plays it well, too. In fact, I was listening to a recording of him playing my arrangement and he made it better. Bass runs that I intentionally left out for simplicity's sake Shailen threw back in -- and they sound great. I think he even picked out a chord or two that I goofed in my haste and he nailed them. I'm telling you, the kid's got a good ear. And he plays well. So if you want to check out Shailen's keyboard work (and the mellifluous voices of the Falk School Intermediate Chorus) stop by Falk School Tuesday night around 7 and catch the show.

Sorry about the lack of "art" in the post. But if it helps, I threw in a shot of the electric piano in my studio. It sits near a wall of classic Disney poster art, so that should count for something. -v

My Computer May Be Dying

I sat down at my computer desk the other day only to find my monitor flashing digital gibberish. I heard a woman's high-pitched screaming and, after a few moments, realized it was me. I tried to fix the problem but nothing worked. So I brought the computer to my tech guy who said it might be a faulty graphics card or, worse, a malfunctioning logic board.

I felt a pang of empathy. I know what it's like when your logic board goes haywire. It's happened far too many times in my life and usually results in emotional chaos or financial disaster. It'll mean a good, swift kick in the wallet if my computer's logic circuits are bad (goodbye french pedicures) so let's all hope it's just a minor glitch.

"But how did you draw this stupid cat picture?" you're asking. Well, ok, I used my other computer. "Two computers, Vince?! Are you some sort of billionaire time traveller from the future?" Maybe. The problem is my backup machine has a much smaller monitor and I barely ever use it so everything feels all clunky and weird. Even this clunky, weird cat misses my primary computer. Chances are, until that machine is fixed, I'll be working traditionally at my illustration desk-- if I remember how to hold a pencil. So you may be seeing the fruits of that labor on this blog sooner or later. And yeah, that's a threat. -v

Christmastime Is Here

I'm taking a break from the goofy Christmas illustrations for a minute to show you this.

This is what I saw when I looked out the back door of my studio this morning. This peaceful, magical, winter landscape. A couple years ago things got crazy, my life turned upside-down and I had to move from my apartment and find a new studio. It was rough going for a while and it really stressed me out. But it's mornings like this, opening the shades and seeing things like this, that tend to put everything in perspective.

You see, George...you really have had a wonderful life. -v

Two Bad Pilgrims, One Great Color Job!

Hey, it's mid-August. That time of year when people sit around, sweating on their leather couches, thinking, "gosh, it'd be nice to see some Vince Dorse color work in a children's book...." Well, get ready to have all your dreams come true.

Two Bad Pilgrims is a hardcover children's book/graphic novel by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated by my good friend and arch-enemy, John Manders. So why am I hyping it? Because John asked me to do the digital coloring.

Here's how it worked: Through most of last Summer, John (a talented children's illustrator who often works in gouache) would pencil out his pages and hand-ink them with a brush, much like a comic book. Then he'd send me the black and white ink work along with some color sketches he'd throw together. Then I'd interpret those color sketches into something, well, something quite magnificent, really. Just thinking about it brings a tear to my eye.

So, below is a photo of yours truly in the thick of things with some color reference illustrations behind me, a quick step-by-step of the grueling process John and I went through last Summer and a link to the book on Amazon. Enjoy! -v

Ok, the link: For everyone who goes nuts over mischievous pilgrims (and hey, who doesn't?) you will find your holy grail at Amazon if you click this link right 'chere!