This is a rough sketch with color added representing a mural concept for the “Lost and Found” room at my kids’ elementary school. The idea is that a child looking at this picture could locate all the lost mittens that the kittens can’t see.
Ok, there’s a story here. Lately I’ve been starting my drawings of people from the top of the head and working my way down. I was sitting at a diner by myself and saw a table full of older guys wearing baseball caps. So I started to draw them, but one guy saw me, so I stopped, and my food arrived before I could finish the other guys. Two weeks later I’m sitting with my kids eating lunch, with my sketchbook open to a page of baseball hats floating in mid air. The kids said I should finish the sketches, suggesting the different animals that could be wearing them. Jack suggested a chicken, Jane suggested a fish, and Lily, typical of her strangely humorous mind, suggested a watermelon. Silly stuff.
Update: color! Threw some quick Photoshop color on it just for fun.
So, in direct contradiction to my new year’s resolution, the first thing I post is, of course, an unfinished sketch! Joan was sewing and Lily was watching. They got up before I could draw their hands, so I concentrated on the sewing machine, hoping they’d return. They didn’t.
…to complete things that I’ve started. I have an embarrassingly long list of unfinished projects. This is the year of completion. About four years ago I started painting my daughters’ closet doors — they wanted unicorns (naturally). The doors remained unfinished for four years, so to start the new year off right I resolved to finish that project first! I got some time off of work, so part of that time was set aside to finish those doors. Lily is working here with me on her own mermaid painting.
Each family member is represented here. Joan is teaching the girls how to fly, while Jack and I are flying in the background. Strict attention was paid to hair and eye color (well, sort of strict).
Finished and installed. Both girls were very happy. Speaking of happy — happy new year to everybody! The last couple weeks have been too crazy with the holidays and with work to do any worthwhile posting. My apologies to anyone who checked back here and thought, what the heck is he doing anyway?? Where are the sketches? Here’s to a new year full of new sketching opportunities — and completion of old projects.
She’s only 11, but looks 27 here. I think I erred on some proportion or something. She came to hang out with me at the studio all day as I worked.
We got to see a local production of the Nutcracker yesterday (some very good friends/neighbor’s daughter was in it). Jack was sitting next to me giving me suggestions about the sketch — until the lights went down and the show began.
Joan organized a Holiday Boutique at the kids’ elementary school and the big event was this afternoon. Lily helped out at the button booth, making those buttons that you can pin on your shirt. Here she is working the machine. The kids in the foreground are a couple red-head boys drawing their designs to be pressed into a button. No, I didn’t make a mistake, she has actually dyed her hair green!
This is the button she made for me. I think it’s me and Joan in front of a Christmas tree. The faces are stickers she had.
The event. Joan is the woman in the middle of the picture, and yes, that’s Lily in the foreground.
Anthony Zierhut 
