Recent Sharpie art 2/23/2018

 I was asked to draw Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead, and put the drawing on Facebook while waiting to get paid for it.  A friend in California wanted to buy it.  So I did this second Jerry Garcia drawing for her.  I never got paid for the first one, so it's now on sale at Studios at 625 on Trade Street (in Winston-Salem).  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24"

 A man who'd bought a couple other drawings asked if I could do an "amazing" Michael Jackson drawing.  He never got back to me when I sent him the photo of this one.  It's now in the front window of Studios at 625 on Trade Street, and is for sale.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24".

I drew this Tupac for my show at Earshot Music (Silas Creek at Hanes Mall Blvd./next to Marshall's), but it sold before it made it up on the wall.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24".

This one is my favorite of the recent ones, my tribute to the song "Tainted Love."  The Marilyn Manson version of the song has a web edit with Harley Quinn and The Joker from the Suicide Squad movie, and I thought that would be fun to do.  Honestly, I did this one just for myself, but it is up on the wall for sale at Earshot Music.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24".

All of these drawings took 25 to about 40 hours to draw, and are colored with my unique Sharpie "scribble style," where I scribble three to eight layers of different colors to arrive at the final color.  This is my own unique style, which I've been doing for 12 years now.  At the moment, I have work lined up to do for the next five weeks or so, but if you're interested in a drawing after that you can email me at stevenemig13@gmail.com . I go by Steve, but my email is "steven," don't forget the "n".  Or you can check out my finished works at Earshot Music (til the end of February) or Studios at 625, at 625 Trade Street in Winston-Salem. 

I'd like to give a HUGE Thank You to Phred and Jane Buck at Earshot Music, and Rachel White at Studios at 625 for giving my work a chance to be seen locally.  I also want to shout out all the people from the old school BMX and Facebook world who bought drawings over the last couple years as I worked to hone my skills and turn this into an actual job.  Thanks everyone!

Alright, let's get to work! 2/20/2018

On the art front, things have just jumped to light speed.  Unable to find a "real job" for years here in central NC, I decided to step up my art game a little over two years ago, and turn it into a business.  I've been plugging away at drawings of people in my unique Sharpie marker "scribble style" ever since.  But I haven't been making a living.  I made the necessary move here to Winston-Salem last summer where the best regional art scene is, despite my lack of money for little things like, you know, rent and food.  Things have been crazy since, and sketchy as a junior high art class.  But I now have my drawings up in two great locations, and just sold three of them, including the Johnny Cash "Man in Black" drawing above. 

I was stoked that this all happened in a couple of days.  It's the exact opposite of what happened a month or so ago, when a couple people asked me to do drawings, then ghosted when it came time to pay.  So the recent sales allowed me to rent a "cheap" motel room for a couple nights, and indulge in a luxurious $5 pepperoni pizza from Little Caesar's.  Make fun if you like, I love those pizzas.  I definitely needed a break from my sketchy existence, and really, REALLY needed a shower. 

Then, more surprises.  Good ones.  I have orders for more drawings, besides the couple smaller drawings I was getting ready to start.  I am STOKED!  If things work out, which is never assured in creative work, I could make the jump back to having a stable roof over my head in a matter of weeks.  I might be busy for the next six weeks solid.  That's a real good thing. 

Like I said, it's like somebody flipped a switch and said, "OK, start buying Steve's drawings."  I was telling a friend last week that creative work is like that, you just plug along working, promoting the work how you can, and then a sudden leap seems to come out of nowhere.  Alright, let's get to work.

I want to draw you a kick ass picture

Here's one I never got finished, from a classic street riding photo of Eddie Roman.  One of these days, Eddie, I'll finish it and send it to you.  You want one of these of your favorite rider, musician, or one of an old photo of you riding? 

I'm looking for 25 people who want me to do a custom drawing in my unique Sharpie "scribble style," for $120.  Are you down? 

Steve Emig's White Bear Creations Launch

 

Art sale #5 - 2/8/18- "Tainted Love," Michael Jackson

 This is my personal favorite of all the drawings I've done in the last few months, and I really don't care if I sell it.  "Tainted Love" featuring Harley Quinn and Joker from Suicide Squad movie.  18" X 24", Sharpies on paper, $120

Michael Jackson, 18" X 24", Sharpies on paper.  This one is in the front window of Studios at 625, in the heart of the Trade Street art scene here in Winston-Salem.  $250 FIRM. 

Other than Michael, I'll wheel, deal, and bundle the drawings in these last 5 posts.  I'm looking to raise/earn $3,000 in the next couple months to turn my art thing into a legit little business.  You can email me at stevenemig13@gmail.com , or PM me on Facebook if interested. 

Art sale- 3 - 2/8/18- Cash, Simmons, Stefani

 Johnny Cash, "Til things are brighter, I'm the man in black."  18" X 24", Sharpies on paper, $120

 Gene Simmons/KISS- 18" X 24", Sharpies on paper, $120

"Gwen and Now"- Gwen Stefani, 1994 &2017, 18" X 24", Sharpies on paper, $120

I'm willing to deal and bundle these drawings.  I'm looking to sell these and do $3,000 worth of work in the next couple months to step things up and make this a legit little business.  You can email me at stevenemig13@gmail.com or PM on Facebook if interested in one or more drawings.

Jerry Garcia Sharpie drawing

After my three days in jail a couple months ago, I wound up staying at my mom's apartment for a while.  When the money crunch hit, as it always does there, she wanted me to put some stuff on Craigslist to sell.  I know posting on Craigslist isn't hard, but it had been a while, so I did a test post, advertising my artwork, just to make sure my account was still active.  Then I put my mom's items on as well. 

Much to my surprise, I got an email right away, asking if I could do a drawing of Jerry Garcia.  I've never been a serious Dead head, but I do like their music.  We traded a few emails, and settled on the photo for me to draw.  Like I usually do, I listened to a whole bunch of The Grateful Dead's music while drawing this one.  I wasn't sure what to do for the background.  I was thinking about the dancing teddy bears, but didn't have enough space.  I've never done hallucinogenics, no acid or mushrooms back in the day.  But my brain's pretty weird naturally, so I just hand drew designs to make a trippy background.  I channeled an old friend I worked with on the American Gladiators crew named Lico.  Lico was a 300 pound vegetarian Mexican American with a huge afro, and a diehard Deadhead.  He's one of the greatest characters I've ever met.  One night while hanging with his family, he decided I needed to see The Grateful Dead play.  So Lico, his wife, two kids, and me piled into his little car about 2 am and drove to Las Vegas.  The dead were playing there, but we couldn't find a room or tickets.  So we drove back to L.A. about noon.  And I never got to see The Dead play live.  While drawing the background, I asked myself what Lico would see while trippin' at one of their shows.  All in all, it came out pretty good. 

Coming from Generation X, my introduction to The Grateful Dead was their music video for "Touch of Gray."  But listening to a bunch of singles, and several live shows on You Tube, "Scarlet Begonias" is now my favorite Dead song.  This drawing is done in my unique scribble style, Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24".  None of my mom's stuff on Craigslist sold. 

Michael Jackson Sharpie Drawing

I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan.  But this was a fun drawing to do.  This one was a request from a guy who's bought three other drawing recently.  I wanted to capture MJ both singing and dancing, and I liked the way these two images worked together.  The background is titles of songs from his six, solo, studio albums recorded while he was alive.  It's done in my unique scribble style with Sharpie markers.  18" X 24", Sharpies on paper.  With every musician drawing, I listen to a lot of that artist's music while drawing it, and I always come across songs I didn't know about.  My favorite Michael Jackson song I found doing this drawing is "They Don't Care About Us."

Latest drawings: Jerry Garcia, and Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood

 I've been drawing away for the last few weeks.  Jerry Garcia is sold, the first drawing I sold on Craigslist.  He should be traveling to his new home tomorrow.  Sharpies on paper, my unique scribble style,  18" X 24".

This one of Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood is for my friend Ben, who's been helping me out big time for the last several months.  I've totally lagged on getting this one done.  Sorry Ben.  It should be in his hands tomorrow.  Sharpies on paper, my unique scribble style, 18" X 24".  I've got a good feeling something bad's about to happen.

My recent Sharpie art, part 2

 I met pro surfer Karina Petroni, and a couple of her good friends, when I gave them rides in my taxi in Huntington Beach, CA in 2008.  When I wanted to try a surf picture, she came to mind.  This drawing of Karina duck diving under a wave was my first surf themed drawing in my Sharpie scribble style.  Sharpies on paper.  18" X 24".  Sold.

 This drawing of surfer Kelly Slater is done from an old photo, and is the first actual surfing drawing I tried.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24".  Available.  Below is a drawing, "Johnny Cash, The Man in Black," is in the show right now at Earshot Music in Winston-Salem, NC.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24".  Available.

My recent Sharpie Art, part 1

 These are not the greatest photos, but that's what I have.  For 12 years now, I've been drawing different types of drawings in my unique 'scribble style."  Two years ago this month, unable to find ANY job in this area, I stepped my art game, and started working to turn my art and writing into a living.  I didn't have a dime, literally not a dime, when I started.  Now things are gaining momentum.  So here's look at some of my drawings from the last few months.  Above is Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton doing his Superman thing.  Hey, if you don't want him to to do this, don't let him score.  Heh, heh, heh.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24".  Gave this to a friend.

 "Do the impossible, it really pisses off normal people."  Sharpies on paper, 11" X 17".  Gave this to a friend.

Princess Leia.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24".  Sold.

"We were all a bunch of dirtbags"

This is a drawing of Bob Marley I just finished a few days ago.  What can I say, I've been doing creative things my whole life.  I've been drawing since somebody put a crayon in my hand before I can remember, like many of you.  But I'm a late bloomer.  So now, in my 50's, my drawings in my unique "scribble style" technique with Sharpies.  My first solo show at indie music shop, Earshot Music in Winston-Salem, NC, opened a couple weeks ago.  Here's the Winston-Salem Journal artist profile that came out just before the show, written by Lisa O'Donnell.  I gave props to my BMX and action sports roots, and named a handful of the creative people who inspired me.  There was no way to list everyone, but a few of you are named in the article.  Thanks to all of you other former "dirtbags" of the action sports world for showing me that getting art out to the world is actually possible. 

I'm on a couch right now, not fully homeless.  I'm looking to sell enough drawings to get a cheap room as soon as I can.

Earshot Music Art Opening

 It feels like the start of something really amazing.  I came up with my unique "scribble style" with Sharpie markers 12 years ago, and really started trying to sell drawings two years ago.  I started with literally no money, so it's been slow progress for quite a while.  But the opening at Earshot Music last night felt like a big milestone, one where things shift into a higher gear. 

Earshot Music (3254 Silas Creek Pkwy) in Winston-Salem is a classic record store like all us middle-aged people wandered through as kids.  Life's been pretty crazy for years now, and I spent the summer literally living in a tent in the woods, and drawing every moment I could.  That allowed me to get a lot of artwork done, even though I was homeless.  Phred, the owner of Earshot, and Jane Buck, who handles the art there, liked my stuff, and gave me a great opportunity to get my drawings in front of more people.  Thanks guys!

It was a quiet little show, only a handful of people came by, but we had a good time.  My friend Rick, who's really helped me out over the summer, hung out and listened to me tell stories he'd already heard.  My sister Cheri, a teacher in Greensboro, came by with a friend, and we went through all my older drawings, sharing memories with the others there.  Luba, a Winston-Salem artist I met at the First Friday art walk last month, came by, as did a young couple I gave a flyer to last Friday.  I also met long time artist Lee Tompkins, and he gave me lots of ideas on how to proceed with my work. 

 The Kurt Cobain drawing sold, and I have a couple people interested in other drawings in the near future.  I handed out copies of the flyer I made, along with copies of another small drawing.  I had a great time, and am looking forward to getting back to work on another bunch of drawings.  My drawings will be up at Earshot Music until the end of the year, and I would love to do one of your favorite musician or athlete.  Maybe even your dog.  You can email me at stevenemig13@gmail.com  . 

Artist Profile in the Winston-Salem Journal

I'm stoked to have an artist profile in today's Winston-Salem Journal.  In the profile, I give props to artistic influences ranging from my parents to Bob Haro, Andy Jenkins, and old BMXer/skater friends like Eddie Roman and Ed Templeton.  I haven't been able to shake the homeless thing, though I'm couch surfing at my mom's place after my recent trouble for trespassing.  Hopefully this show will lead to enough orders for drawings so I can rent a cheap motel room, and eventually become an actual human in society again.  Thanks to journalist Lisa O'Donnell at the Journal for a cool write-up.  I also want to thank my friends Rick and Ben, who've helped me a ton over this past summer.  Major thanks also to old school BMXers Alma Jo Barrera and Scotty Zabielski, who have bought several drawings each, and everyone else who's bought a drawing and helped me get here.

Eight of my Sharpie drawings, in my unique "scribble style," including the one of The Ramones above, will be up at Earshot Music, Winston-Salem's premier record shop.  Yeah, they carry vinyl records, CD's, DVD's, analog stereos, and hard to find music.  The opening of the show is this Saturday, November 4th, 2017, from 7-9 pm.  Earshot is next to Marhall's at 3254 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  If you're anywhere near here, I'd love to see you drop by.

Winston-Salem Journal article featuring my art tomorrow

As part of the lead up to the opening of my art at Earshot Music this weekend, I was profiled by the Winston-Salem Journal over the last few days.  The profile will be in the entertainment section of the Journal tomorrow (Thursday, November 2nd, 2017).  Check the link if you want to check it out.

Why I love drawing musicians

Music is one of the greatest forms of magic in the universe.  What else can bring people together from all kinds of backgrounds, all kinds of belief systems, and get them to tune into a single moment?  OK, the recent total eclipse, did that.  But not much else can.  Just like during that surreal moment when day turned to night and even the animals were quiet, music has the incredible power to overcome the things that push us apart.  A great live concert photo captures a faction of a second of that energy when a musician loses themselves in the bliss of creating magic in the moment through their music.

 I love the challenge of taking one of those photos and adding my own flair to it.  I don't want to just make a cool picture of the artist, I want you to remember that feeling of how great music can make you feel.  Then I add lists of songs or lyrics in the background.  I do that so that once someone gets past that initial thought of that musician playing live, they can be reminded of the songs or words that have really touched them at some point in their lives.  Even more, I want people to find songs or lyrics in the back of my drawings that they're not familiar with.  I want them to go look up those songs, and explore the work of that musician, that purveyor of magic moments, even more.

That's why I love doing drawings of musicians.  My Sharpie drawing of Prince above will be at my show at Earshot Music in Winston-Salem, (NC) which opens this coming Saturday, November 4th, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  Come by and check it out if you're local.  Check out my work on this blog or Facebook if you're not.  I'd be stoked to do a drawing of your favorite musician... as long as they don't suck.  Ultimately, I want to take my own photos to draw my Sharpie pictures of.

In the course of doing this Prince tribute drawing, I dove into his music, and discovered tons of stuff I'd never heard before.  This clip below is one of my favorites now.  Just let the guitar do the talking for you...

Teasers for the upcoming Earshot art show

Right now I'm working on a series of music inspired drawings for my upcoming show at Earshot Music here in Winston-Salem.  I'm not going to tell you exactly who I'm drawing, but here are a few teasers...

The Man in Black

The Guys with Black hair and Black jackets

The Man in who made his mark in Purple

The Guys who made Halloween an everyday thing and weren't satisfied with just a kiss

And probably...

The Woman who just wanted a Mercedes Benz

The girl who got fed up with being a girl, and filmed a fight scene in India

And maybe one or two more...

Prince tribute drawing: take two

 After Prince's surprise death last year, I did a drawing of him.  That drawing was snapped up by Rob Lawrence in the U.K..  In the course of drawing that one, I found a ton of Prince music I'd never heard before, and finally realized what a musical genius he was.  Purple Rain and Raspberry Beret were part of the soundtrack of my high school years.  But I hadn't heard much after that. 

So the idea for another drawing started brewing.  Now that I'm doing my first solo show for local Winston-Salem music shop Earshot, I knew it was time to make it happen.  This is the only drawing that will be in the show that I'm going to put on social media ahead of time.  It's 18" X 24", Sharpies on paper, colored in my unique "scribble style."  $120 if you're interested.

I'm stoked to have drawings for sale at Eashot Music

This clip is about six years old, but it shows you the inside of Earshot Music in Winston Salem.  My drawings, one of Johnny Cash and one of The Ramones, are on both sides of the black, vertical chalkboard you see in the background here.  Both are for sale for about $150 (with frames).  I'm totally stoked to have my drawings up in public after only a couple of months back in Winston-Salem.  Earshot Music is in a shopping center at 3254 Silas Creek Parkway, the shopping center with A.C. Moore, Toys-R-Us, and Marshall's, on the corner of Silas Creek and Hanes Mall Blvd.  It's right across the street from Hanes Mall.  Next time in the area, stop by and check out Earshot, and tell 'em The White Bear sent you.  #shadowsandsharpies

My latest drawings: Johnny Cash and Kelly Slater

 Johnny Cash, The Man in Black.  This is the second Cash drawing I've done, the first is now on the wall of Deli on Main in Kernersville, NC.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24."

I did a drawing of pro surfer Karina Petroni doing a duck dive a while back, but I've been wanting to do a real surfing drawing.  I found this old pic of Kelly Slater to draw.  I'm not totally happy, but pretty stoked on it.  I definitely need to do more surf drawings.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24."  #sharpiesandshadows.

Bruce Lee

A year and a half ago, after not being able to find a job anywhere, I decided to step up my artwork and start making money selling drawings.  I spent a couple hours on the computer looking for stuff that I really liked, art that I would want to put on my wall.  I love graffiti and street art, and was surprised how many cool stencils I found.  So for my first drawing to step things up, I drew a high contrast face shot of Bruce Lee. 

He was my first hero as a kid in the early 70's, and I didn't even see his movies for years.  But my friend's older brother had the poster of Bruce from Enter the Dragon with the scars on his face and chest.  All us little kids in the neighborhood wanted to be Bruce Lee.  So as my drawing skills improved, I took my shot at drawing that epic poster of my childhood, this image of Bruce Lee. 

In many cases, as you age, you learn things about your childhood heroes that make them lose their luster.  Bruce Lee was just the opposite.  I learned later that he was not only a martial arts movie star, but he actually was an amazing fighter.  He was also insanely fit.  He was also a student of philosophy, both Eastern and Western.  He created his own martial art genre, Jeet Kun Do.  And he wrote, starred in, produced, and directed movies.  Pretty amazing guy.  This drawing landed with a good friend in Southern California.  Sharpies on paper, 18" X 24."