Tour, Art, and Stuff

So...Def Leppard to tour with Journey this summer? That's kind of...uh...weird! A Journey fan slash friend of mine claims Journey sucks live these days. He was so amped about an upcoming show awhile back, and when he returned from the concert his face had been painted with dissapointment.

There seems to be a lot stirring within Def Leppard land, which could be a good thing, but I'm hoping it's a great thing. I need some fucking material boys, so bring it!

I was pretty excited to read that a lot of shit has been going on with the covers album, in regard to mixing, and recording backing vocals/drums. I've heard the songs plenty of times, and I liked where they were going with the rough mix, so it'll be cool to see what they've changed or added. Now, the final product! I'm also looking forward to seeing the results of the upcoming photoshoot. Judging by their last few shows on television, the band seem to have gotten a new stylist or something along with the new management team, as they've been looking sharper than hell.

To be honest, I didn't expect to see any tour dates this early in the game, but then again, the band is full of surprises lately. (Okay, so the management switch wasn't all that surprising.) However, I hope they don't wait too long...as it seems Vh1 has already removed their stunning performance of 'Sugar' from the site. I've spent most of the night searching for it, and I just can't seem to navigate that site like I used to! It's like a big cluster-fuck!

In any case, here's hoping for two great Leppard albums in '06...as well as a few shows in which I will get to hang out with my Leppard hags!

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I started some line drawings today for some ink drawings I'm doing for my hospital exhibit in July. As the deadline approaches, I was reminded of how embarrassing it would be to not have ANY artwork to show -- so I hopped right in today and after some warming up the pencil lines seemed to flow out of me with ease.

Actually, I've been tackling something that has always been a bit of a challenge for me: cats.

Well, in this case, a Bobcat. I have him peering through some rhodadendron branches at a Tufted Titmouse (get out yer field guide if you don't know what that is).

It's kind of lame I suppose...but it's the best damn bobcat I've drawn yet. Somehow, my eyes always end up looking a bit cartoonish. It's a challenge...but after some "practice eyes" I finally think I got it down.

I guess I'll let you guys be the guest once it's complete.

One thing I note instantly about my artwork tonight is that it lacks the spark that I'm driving myself toward with this stuff. Action, movement, activity. There's little of it in the Bobcat picture....they just kind of "sit" there. Your classic bird on a perch, and well...I only have the head of the bobcat drawn so far.

Spark. That is my GOAL this year. I need to find out how to add that life and spark to my artwork.

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Speaking of nature, trout fishing season is coming up in April, and I can't wait! I've already designated a photographer (my friend Wendy) to take pictures of me on the extursion.

I'm off work April 15th (opening day), and I'm off until like the 19th. So expect the photos somewhere around that time.

With the digital camera now being officially mine...I can take it where I please. Soon as I get my grubby mits on some floppies, I hope to add some dimension to the blog a bit, and give you more of a visual than I've given in the past.