Surfer Mickey

It has been many years since I first moved to Florida. Since then I have moved away and come back about a half-dozen times. Wherever I go, when people hear I am from Florida, they ask about Disney. It seems that Mickey Mouse is the unofficial mascot for our state. It's no wonder then that I get asked all the time why I haven't drawn Mickey. The number one glaring reason it that Mickey IS such an iconic character that to begin, you are putting a target on yourself for copyright action. I'll be honest here; I do get approached from time to time by copyright lawyers regarding some of the art I create. So far it has never amounted to more than requests not to use certain keywords, search terms, or to not offer the image on print-on-demand royalty sites. I always comply.

The second reason is that the simpler the design, the greater room for error. Nailing a character like Mickey is tough. Every line and shape has to be exactly where it needs to be, or you should just do a figurative interpretation to avoid scrutiny. I decided to go for a version of Mickey that has the look and feel of his origins. The early black and white Mickey cartoons took the mouse through a few developmental changes, particularly in the length of his nose. Since Mickey spends all of his time in Florida and California, I just thought it was appropriate for him to take a little time to catch some waves when he can.

I used Strathmore mixed media paper here and started out with a pencil sketch that was changed many times. After landing something I liked, I used Pigma Micron pens to take car of the outline and a Pigma Micron marker to fill in the large black areas. The final step was to paint the watercolor with Winsor and Newton paints.

Please email me at bryancollinsart@gmail.com for original or print purchase inquiries.

Mulan Drawing, July Challenge 28

When it comes to art and design, I've always been inspired by Asian culture. I love the thought that goes into balancing nature and progress. On this July 2017 Challenge piece I was given two options by the person commissioning the piece. She said she wanted Belle or Mulan and I was leaning toward Mulan right away. Since this was a black and white challenge, I also felt that I would need color to properly represent Belle, so I locked down my decision and created this piece in 5"x7" size on Strathmore Mixed Media Paper with Pigma Micron Pens and Windsor and Newton Watercolor. Email bryancollinsart@gmail.com for prints.

Thank you for your continued support.

~Bryan

July Challenge 27

Was there ever a time in your life that you pretended you could marry a cartoon character? For me that fantasy included becoming a merman and living under the sea with Ariel. As part of Disney Week in my 2017 July Art Challenge, I was asked to draw Ariel in the same black and white theme I had going that month. This piece is a 5"x7" Pigma Micron ink and Windsor and Newton watercolor on Strathmore mixed media paper.

Prints are available through the Buy Now button above, or just email bryancollinsart@gmail.com

What's your childhood cartoon crush?

~Bryan

July Challenge 26

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This weekend I am going to Disney World with my family. Two of my three kids have never been, and one ride I'll be sure to take them on is the Haunted Mansion. I remember going there as a teenager and thinking that if given the opportunity, I could live in that mansion full time. I imagined making my house look like a cross between the Disney Haunted Mansion and the mansion from Edward Scissorhands. The problem with this currently is that we live in Florida and painting a house black or dark gray is asking for an $800 electric bill each month to keep it cool. Not to mention my retired neighbors are all suspicious of why I don't "leave" for work during the week already. If I worked from home in a black house with strange landscaping and creepy music drifting out of the open windows in the fall I think we would be bombarded on Halloween and avoided like the plague the rest of the year. Of course, it might drive property taxes down...

This piece was created as part of my 2017 July Art Challenge. The original work is Pigma Micron Pens and Windsor and Newton watercolor on Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Paper.

As always, thank you for your support.

~Bryan