Daughter and Daughter-in-law Toons! Yayy!!

This is normally where there would be a witty comment from Ty that makes people laugh and laugh.

I had all sorts of things I was going to say to sound just like Ty–but I forgot what they were. I’m tired, I’m busy, I have deadlines–it takes sleep and time to be funny! Can’t do it.

So here’s the part where I say something mildly salacious and just a wee bit naughty…here’s the part where I realise I’m about to introduce the idea that today’s Toons are done by the daughter, Katherine Templeton-Smith, and the daughter-in-law, Jessica Costley, so I have to get out of that faint whiff of blue.

Phew! Past that!

So, Ty’s too busy signing and sketching and generally telling hilarious stories (I’m guessing, since I’m stuck here in Toronto and he’s swaggering around Calgary having just a great time!) and he couldn’t get a Bun Toon ready for today. He begged each of the children to do a Toon for him…the daughter, who is the youngest child, and pretty determined to show that she can outdo anything her brothers do, had it almost completed before he left yesterday morning. As her father’s daughter, she distills for you the essence of an Archie Comic.

written and pencilled by Katherine Templeton-Smith

Our daughter-in-law Jessica was the other person to get her “assignment” completed. Jessica distills for you the essence of living with a son of Ty:

It’s funny because it’s completely TRUE!! (Which reminds me, guys–there’s still several more boxes of Kellam’s stuff by the front door).

Tomorrow, will be the boys’ turn to show off their Toons. I chose not to post them today because…well, because they’re not done, actually. Like all good freelancers, they’re trying to ‘push’ their deadlines.

Not-Ty the Guy OUT!!

Now here’s where Ty says something funny and introduces his

Bonus Girl-Accomplishment Moment!!

Don’t have a cartoon for this but, hey Ty–After taking part in the Fibonacci Contest, your daughter is representing her school for the Math Olympics!! Yayyy!! (If you’re at Calgary Expo, and you read this–can you tell Ty, because he probably won’t have a chance to read this for a day or two?)

And from our daughter-in-law Jessica Costley who is a baker, an Avengers’ birthday cake she did a year or so ago:

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I know this will be a shock to you--but Ty can be JUST as opinionated as all the other guys. Here, he tells you what HE thinks.

Click here for all the Bun Toons EVER!! And done by Ty!

Nepotism Thursdays!

There’s a great moment, in an old Will Smith film called Six Degrees of Separation, where an art teacher is showing off the water colour paintings of a classroom full of eight year olds.  Somehow, these paintings are magnificent.  Every one of them a bold and wonderful landscape, or haunting portrait or daring abstract, each with brilliant composition and personality.

All of them.

These are the canvases that generations of expressionists have longed to be able to create, all dashed off by eight year olds with casual ease.

“How on earth did you teach your students to paint so beautifully?” the art instructor is asked.

“I taught them nothing,” she answers,  “I just hand them the brushes and watch them paint.  My trick is knowing when to take the paintings away and knowing how to crop ‘em.”

The untrained mind creates some of the most interesting art.  The example above is by my untrained ten year old Sean.  It’s a portrait of his eight year old sister.  And here’s what I like about it  beyond the proud papa, lookie at what muh BOY did aspects…!   I like that he liberally mixes pencil crayon colours in the hair and face, including some BLUE(!) in the facial features.  I never put blue in a flesh tone until college, and even then against my will.  But there it is.  And the blacks in the blonde hair to tone down the way-too-yellow pencil crayon that was supposed to be blonde.  Lovely.

I like the eyes being white, with blue pupils, around gray dots.  That’s my favorite part of the portrait, simply because my mind would never go to that interpretation of reality.  There’s a bit of Modigliani in there, perhaps. The family has large, framed reproductions of his work up in our house, and he’s one of my favorite painters.  To the left is one of the two that hang in his parent’s bedroom, and the elongated face so common to Modigliani’s work is visible in it.

Another painter we have numerous examples of, up around the house, is the deco master (or mistress) Tamara de Lempicka.  Her work also features a glassy eye and an elongated face.  Since I ain’t a zillionaire, we have framed copies of her work darting about our walls, another influence into the ten year old brain, mayhap…?

And finally, I like that Sean has a habit of cutting his artwork out of the paper it’s drawn on after he’s done.  There’s always an element of treating the drawing itself as an object with him…once the art is cut out, it’s then glued to something else, or folded into something, or often just given away in its cut out form.

The trick is knowing when to take it away.

So…take it away Sean Templeton-Smith, this was your first gallery show, and in the company of two modern masters, to boot!

I have four kids in total, each with their own stunning set of talents, so be forewarned, this feature will likely show up again.

Ty the Guy.  Once again, tricking the family into doing his job for him.