Save the Doodle Daily

From the Sketchbook

2011-10-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

I've been developing the habit of taking my sketchbook with me wherever I go. Admittedly its a habit thats hard to keep! Here are some recent sketches from my time at an airport and free time I've had between customers when drawing caricatures in public. For some inspiration on daily doodling, check out this video on my main blog. Have a comment or question? Leave one below!

From the sketchbook

2011-09-04T19:56:00.001-07:00

Colored pencil, Molekine sketchbook

From the Sketchbook

2011-07-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Day 133: "Suspenders And All"

2011-05-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

Day 132: When "Lunch Bag" Becomes "Bag Lunch"

2011-05-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Day 131: A Sketchy Stare

2011-05-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Day 130: Michael & Dwight

2011-05-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time, but I'm blowing the dust off the daily doodle blog. My wife and I are big fans of The Office, so I thought I'd share some caricatures of the cast.

Day 129: Magma Malta!

2011-01-11T05:48:00.001-08:00

Day 128: Silly on a Lilly

2011-01-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

Day 127: Octowuss

2011-01-04T07:47:00.001-08:00

Day 126: The 2011 New Year Baby

2011-01-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

With a face only his mother can love. Here's to 2011, the year of the cyclops double unibrow!

Day 125: Splattered & Spotted

2010-12-31T07:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas Spirit: Exhibit B

2010-12-28T07:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas Spirit: Exhibit A

2010-12-27T07:02:00.000-08:00

Day 122: Calvin, Hobbes & Hudson

2010-12-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

The last of my custom gifts is for my nephew Hudson. Hudson has a unique sense of humor and is very imaginative.

I'm positive he will enjoy the pages of Calvin and Hobbes.

Here's a custom bookmark to solidify the bond.

I am a huge fan of Bill Watterson so I was a little reluctant to copy his art. The challenge was not so much copying, but to draw Hudson in the same style as the art. If you're familiar with Calvin and Hobbes you may recall the characters having a simple appearance, so in order to draw Hudson in the same way, I had to simplify his features while staying true to his likeness. I had a fun time trying!

Like what you see?
Leave a comment!

Merry Christmas! May your holiday be filled with joy!

Day 121: Rev'n Evan

2010-12-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

When I think of my nephew Evan, I think of cars and mud. The combination is simple, so I thought I'd add a surprise to the mix...

My wife and I bought him this way-cool monster jam car. It's sure to make his day, but where's the mud?

Bingo! Car + Mud + Evan = Perfection. His world is now complete.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another exciting gift idea!

Like what you see?
Leave a comment!

Day 120: Techno Temple

2010-12-22T07:21:00.000-08:00

Say hello to my nephew Temple. Temple is into music and art, so an explosion of abstract techno art might put the Merry in his Christmas!

I had a lot of fun with this one. A little cubism makes for a great way to end the day. Hopefully this is inspiring to him. If anything, it'll make for a good laugh :)

Stay tuned tomorrow for another exciting gift idea!

Like what you see?
Leave a comment!

Day 119: Horsing Around

2010-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

My second gift is for my niece Chloe.

She loves horses, but probably won't get one for Christmas. I suppose you could call this the "mess-free" version!

I had a lot of fun with the exacto knife, and spent a lot of time bent over. I now sorta relate to an elf at Santa's workshop...

Over time I've come to appreciate drawing hair. It is full of details and makes for a nice way to add personality. That being said, both sides of the figure can be equally important.

Like what you see? Leave a comment!
Stop back tomorrow for another gift idea :)

Day 118: Uno!

2010-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

So I decided to go shopping on the Saturday before Christmas. Looking back at it, I'm not sure why I procrastinate buying gifts. This doesn't happen every year, but it happens enough that I think it may be part of my destiny to combat the harsh realities of an impulsive, irrational, and down right irritated mass of people.

The place was insane! While dazing into space I noticed that I shared the same expression of three other dads. We all stared blankly at an explosion of colors emanating from the toy aisle.

Choices. choices. choices.

I personally can't stand the neeeeed to buy, its contrary to real meaning of Christmas, so I came up with the idea to add a "touch of personality" to some of the gifts I bought. I've done this over the years for many relatives, and now would like to share the tradition with you. My first gift is for my cousin Tristen. I bet he'll be excited to have his own card game! He may be the UNO one!

Stay tuned the rest of this week for some of my other gift ideas.
Like what you see? Leave a comment!

Day 117: A Poodle... A Doodle... A Noodle!

2010-12-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

For all you "What About Bob" fans :)

Day 116: Leo

2010-12-15T06:48:00.000-08:00

Day 115: In His Own Little World

2010-12-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

Day 114: He's So Crazy Awesome

2010-12-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

Day 113: Santa's Secret

2010-12-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

Day 112: MMM...SPOOON

2010-12-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

Day 111: Geeked Out

2010-12-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

Brush Tip Pen

Day 110: Rivetting Ribbit

2010-12-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 109: Curious Creatures

2010-12-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

Day 108: House

2010-12-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

Day 107: A Reading Rhino

2010-11-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 106: Flying Toast

2010-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 105: White Friday

2010-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 104: Twisted & Tangled, Tongue-Tied Toikeys!

2010-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

.08" Prismacolor pen / Copic Marker / Eraser dust.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Day 103: Play Nice

2010-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 102: Make a Wish

2010-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Dried out Prismacolor Marker / Copic marker (flesh tones)

Inspired by a stock image I found online.

Day 101: Where Robots Find Their Energy

2010-11-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

It's been too long since I last posted, but I'm glad to be back. The past year has had some huge landmarks: Going full-time with my business, having a baby boy, and moving! That being said, I haven't had too much time for personal doodle time. But I'm giving this another shot.

After a long period of silence, here is day 101. I was inspired to draw this after playing with my nephew. Kids are so creative. This is completely from his own imagination!

Day 100: Ascending the Aligator

2009-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

WOO-HOOOOOO! I finally reached 100!

As a way of celebrating 100 doodles, this doodle is based off a short story sent in by one of my readers. A while back I had a contest "What's Your Story?" that encouraged readers to send in their best stories and I in return would interpret it with my doodle. The winner of best story is from Kerry:

"Last year while vacationing with friends, their son kept calling the elevator on the Disney Magic Ship an alligator. The term stuck and we all now say we are going to ride the alligator!" -Kerry

DAY 99: The Adverse Effects of 99 Doodles

2009-04-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 98: WHOOOOOOPEEEEEE!

2009-04-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Day 97: Home Sweet Home

2009-04-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 96: One Problem, Many Ideas, One Solution

2009-04-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Day 95 Spud-Whacked!

2009-04-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Dedicated to any of you that may be having one of those "charlie brown" kind of days!

Day 94: Steve Carell

2009-04-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 93: Bamboozle!

2009-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

WHERE'D I GO!?

2009-04-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

Not to worry, I'm still here. The past few days I've been confined to my bed as I'm recovering from a nasty flu. Yeck!

The Doodler will be back shortly. For now here's a video from one of my favorite artists, Stefan Bucher! You can check out his work at: http://344design.typepad.com/344_loves_you/

Day 92: The Sock Puppet Cafe

2009-04-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 91: My Wife :)

2009-04-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've been so proud of Bryce as of late. She is student teaching this semester and it hasn't been easy (BY ANY MEANS!), but in her challenge she has found motivation and HAS NOT QUIT!

What I love most about Bryce is her ability to brighten up a room. It's a beautiful blessing from God, and I have the awesome privilege as her husband to see her grow in this gift.

Day 90: Rah Rah Rabbit Race!

2009-04-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

I doodled this for my wife's Spanish class. She needed to give one of her activities some spunk! Have a young one? Here's a bigger version that you can print out :)

Day 89: Prepared To Be Fooled

2009-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Dedicated to my very good friend Andy - master prankster and happens to be the person I share an office with :/

Day 88: The Truth Be Told

2009-03-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

After a long day of doing tax stuff I kind of feel like that bowl of cereal!

Day 87: And So It Begins...

2009-03-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Spring: The battle between winter and summer.

Day 86: Hello World!

2009-03-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Rachel spotted some signs of spring in her blog. Check out her photography work while your there!

Work In Progress

2009-03-25T17:34:00.001-07:00

As mentioned earlier, I was given an opportunity to do some illustrations for a children's book. Pictured above are some storyboards of the first couple of pages. The book is about the subject of divorce so somehow I have to keep it serious yet fun ... pretty challenging! Right now I'm mostly concerned with developing a theme that will carry itself through the book. This can be done through color, shapes, angles... the creative solutions are endless!

Day 85: Ragtime Renegade

2009-03-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 84: Slept Like A Log

2009-03-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Fortunately I can say most nights are like this. The problem is getting up!

Day 83: Yankey Doodle

2009-03-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

I suppose this should be the unofficial mascot of Save the Doodle!

Day 82: Rasta Rabbit

2009-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

I was running out of time today but really wanted to post something, so I grabbed this from an old sketch book I had in college. A lot of my doodles end up looking better after color is added.

What's Your Story? -- Contest!

2009-03-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Do you have a fun story, dream, or image you'd like me to doodle?

Email me at schroedercreations[at]gmail[dot]com.

I'm not guaranteeing that everyone's story will be posted, but if your story/idea is interesting and/or funny enough I will post your story along with my doodle of it. Please try to keep the length of your entry 500 words or less.

CONTEST: On day 100 I will feature the best story/idea submitted by March, 31, 2009!

Tell your friends!

Day 81: What Is A "Puppy-Cow" ?

2009-03-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Recently my friend Scott emailed me a request to doodle a "Puppy-Cow".

What is a "Puppy-Cow" ? Scott goes on to explain...

"My girlfriend's 2 year old is obsessed with this thing called a Puppy-Cow. she is not afraid of anything, but this thing call a Puppy-Cow... every time she hears a noise that she doesn't know she says "its probably a Puppy-Cow". well I thought it would be cute to make her a little doddle of a Puppy-Cow and then frame it and put it on the wall.

Well, hopefully my pen found the right guy. Here's day 81 with the "Puppy-Cow"!

Day 80: The Fire Choir

2009-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 79: Spectacular Spectacles

2009-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 78: Today I Turn 26

2009-03-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

An Exciting New Project

2009-03-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

I was recently approached by a local children's book author to do some illustration work. I can't say much about the book, but what I can say is that it's going to make a difference. I'm very excited to be on board with this project and I'll be sure to post more about it as things progress. Above is the layout. I needed to see the whole story, so I taped it up like a storyboard. It really helps to stand back and see things from a bird's eye view.

Day 77: From The Sketchbook

2009-03-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

I had some time this evening to some gesture drawings. My wife and I own three rabbits: BB, Zoe, and Charlie. Cute, but work!

Gesture drawing can be fun and very challenging, especially when drawing anything that wants to move every 3 seconds! The beauty of the challenge is that it helps you grow as an artist. You can't erase, you simply draw what you see. It's a great warm up and highly recommended if you want to improve. It also captures the energy of the subject which I think is the best reason to do it.

Day 76: One Heck Of A Hill Of Beans

2009-03-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

A little history lesson:

"The mundane bean has for at least eight centuries been regarded as the epitome of worthlessness. Even if you know how many beans make five you are unlikely to consider any one of them to be valuable. Part of the strength of the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk is the contrast between the valueless beans Jack was given in exchange for the cow and the riches revealed by the full-grown beanstalk."

An excerpt from "World Wide Words". Find more here

Day 75: Croco-Dial-Up

2009-03-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Day 74: A Dog Named Chipper

2009-03-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

Day 73: Midnight Meadow

2009-03-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 72: Deserted Dessert

2009-03-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Dedicated to all those who get the two spellings mixed up :)

Day 71: Riggety Grocery Cart

2009-03-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 70: When Robots Rule The World Pt.3

2009-03-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's a boy! What should his name be?

Day 69: Popcorn!

2009-03-02T06:44:00.000-08:00

Day 68: The All New 2009 Sloppy Jollopy

2009-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 67: Blazin' Roller Blades!

2009-02-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 66: Rollin' With My Robots

2009-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Business Card GIVEAWAY!

2009-02-24T17:55:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know, there's a contest on my caricature blog. Win 1,000 business cards or one 18" x 24" canvas print! Leave a comment and win!: Check it out!

Day 65: Abs A La Mode

2009-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 64: Marvin Gaye, Meet Mr. Spell

2009-02-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

Birthday Card

2009-02-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

Someone in my family is turning thirteen!

Day 63: TGIF and for everything else

2009-02-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday proved to be a life changing moment. After a challenging morning, my wife Bryce and I sat on our living room couch exhausted. Every moment had been an obstacle, so the sudden break from trauma gave us a minute to reflect. Looking around the room we began to see things differently. Just about everything in our living room was a gift given to us, a bargain, or handmade. The couch, the TV, the table, decorations, books...we began to realize how blessed we are. The cool thing is, there's even more outside of our four walls.

What are you thankful for?

Day 62: Stimulus Shopping Spree!

2009-02-18T19:02:00.001-08:00

Normally I don't draw political cartoons (mainly because I'm not THAT into politics), but I feel rather strong about the Stimulus plan being passed. What are your thoughts? My friend Dave Hartland wrote a good blog post about this. Read his post here

Featured on Erieblogs.com. Check it out!

Day 61: Retro-quarium

2009-02-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 60: When Robots Rule The World Pt.2

2009-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 59: Making The Digital Transition

2009-02-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

"Why some of the stations delayed their digital transition date."

Day 58: The Animal Odd Couple

2009-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a true story. Check it out here:

Day 57: Particularly Percolating

2009-02-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

Day 56: Whopper Cushion

2009-02-11T20:00:00.001-08:00

Day 55: Meet Rhyme & Reason

2009-02-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

You've always heard about this duo, now you get to see them. Write a comment and they may write back!

Day 54: Pothole Love

2009-02-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

Featured on Erie Blogs! Check it out!

Day 53: Anyone Can Fall In Love...

2009-02-06T00:00:00.001-08:00

Trust me!

Day 52: Zippy Parkay's Parking Zone

2009-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

He's smooth as butter, fast as a hot rod!

Day 51: Tea Party at Tina's

2009-02-04T00:00:00.001-08:00

Day 50: When Robots Rule the World

2009-02-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

Day 49: The TERRIBLE TOWEL

2009-02-02T06:33:00.001-08:00

Featured on www.erieblogs.com. Check it out!

What a game last night...GO STEELERS!

Day 48: Nova Scotia!?!

2009-01-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

Never been there, but it sure is fun to say!

Day 47: The Days Are Running Together

2009-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

We have weekdays and weekends, how about a "weekstart"!?

Day 46: Date Night

2009-01-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

Day 45: Nine 2 Five Jive

2009-01-26T15:43:00.000-08:00

Add a little jig to your rigorous routine today!

Day 44: 10 Reasons To Quit

2009-01-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

Day 43: The Limp Wimp Lisping Whisperer

2009-01-22T14:40:00.000-08:00