Category Archives: Uncategorized

This picture was created from my porcelain doll made for me by my mother from the pattern and mold called, “Tom Sawyer.” I used my digital art tools to trace the photo and color it in on top of an AI background.

This doll, made by my mother also, I call “Nicole” after my niece whom she resembles.

You can judge for yourself how well I did recreating this photo of Nicole and the Grey Stuffed Dog.

A romantic place to be, but it would be better with at least a couple of bars on the phone.

I am liking the ease of using digital tools to make a picture, but there was a time when I liked oil paint better.

Shirtless Strong Boy… easy to draw like this.

Jenna Ortega, a portrait that almost looks like her… sorta.

This is Susu, my imaginary granddaughter. Here you see her portrayed as a plastic doll.

You have to understand the fact that I have no granddaughter in real life. Susu exists only in my old coot’s head. She is in no way real. The only chance I have had at a real grandchild didn’t make the necessary nine months. Probably not even three. There is nothing more to say. If there is a God, it was His decision. The only grandchild I have is Susu. And she’s imaginary.

This is Susu as a digital painting, created with the assistance of digital AI drawing tools. And photos of an anonymous girl on Instagram. And it is not a sad thing. It is a coot thing.

old coot

An eccentric or irritable older person, especially a man, whose views or attitudes are boring or old-fashioned. “Ah, don’t mind that old coot. He’s just cantankerous because he isn’t up to speed with the way of today’s youth. I’ve fully embraced that I’m going to be a stodgy old coot when I get older.“

Some old coots talk to ghosts, dead wives, or pink elephants. I talk to an imaginary granddaughter. So sue me. I’m irascible, cantankerous, irritable, and several other unflattering big words.

“If you buy an ice cream cone for Beth, she only ever wants vanilla.”

Mike Murphy and Blueberry Bates have gone back in time to a year Jesus might’ve walked the Earth. It is a digital art practice using a colored pencil drawing, several photos of things like hair and sackcloth clothing, and a background that is really a train station but fuzzed up to look like a temple. I used digital tools to put it together rather than Photoshop.

I write stories about orphans and abused kids. So, making illustrations is something useful to do. Arthritis in my hands, however, puts a limit on everything. Even how much typing I can do.

These are made with shortcuts, tracing photographs I like, and coloring with digital brushes that can go outside the lines and easily get cleaned up later.

Occasionally using digital tools allows some very subtle detail work in spite of arthritic fingers.

Some very old pictures can become new art. But here I forgot how many legs women are supposed to have. It isn’t just my hands that are getting old. I didn’t see it until after I transferred it to the finished picture file. I should’ve saved each layer as I went.