A Quiet Moment Amongst Friends

Make Your Own Low-Rent Handimals

Handimals, iPhone photos, digital paint, 250 x 350 pixels, 2009

A few weeks ago, during a quiet moment at work, I took a photo of my hand, added google-eyes, and sent it to my sister. My sister responded with her own modified hand photo, and ever since, we've been challenging each other to see who could come up with the best hand animals, or "handimals". 

Here is the entire collection. (Note: The man hands are mine and the lady hands are my sister's.)

   

   

    

   

    

   

After putting this collection together and naming it "The Handimals", I did an internet search and was disappointed to learn that there is a guy named Guido Daniele who has cornered the market on "handimals" with a bunch of fancy-ass, Las Vegas sideshow-style, painted hand animals. Apparently this guy has done ads for AT&T and is raking in the hand animal cash. Mr. Daniele needs to realize that he can't lord over this art form. Handimals are for all people and I am standing up to reclaim the name!

With that in mind, I encourage everyone to make their own handimals and send them to aquietmoment@gmail.com. I'll add your handimals to the collection as soon as I receive them and, little by little, we will build an army of handimals that will shock the world. 

Making a handimal couldn't be easier. Here's how you do it:

1. Move your hand around until you see the faint resemblance of an animal or an animal's face.
2. Take a digital photo of your hand while you can still see the animal (Note: If you lose the animal, return to step #1).
3. Import the hand photo into a digital art program like Photoshop, MS Paint, or any iPhone art app.
4. Add google-eyes and animal features such as horns, hair, or teeth (Hint: Don't add so many features that you completely obscure the hand!).
5. Attach the finished handimal file to an e-mail and send it to all of your friends with the subject line: "See, I told you my hand looked like a [insert animal name]!".
6. [Optional] Make a t-shirt featuring your handimal and sell it on the internet:

 

Adventure at Fort Funston

Illustrated travel log, photographs, Google images, color, 2009

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Ryan A and I decided to explore Fort Funston on the southern end of San Francisco's Ocean Beach. Neither of us had been there before and we didn't have a clue about what to expect. 

Fort Funston was part of San Francisco's military coastal defense from 1900 until its decommission in 1963. Since then it's been a city park primarily used by dog walkers. Entering the park along the coast, we first noticed the massive cement remnants of the cliffside cannon turrets. The circular tracks that were used to aim the cannons have been discarded in the surf. 

From satellite you can see where the cannons used to point out at the sea. 

Farther down the beach, the punks and hippies had staked out their turf. Their graffiti will let future generations know that Fort Funston is a good place to do drugs. 

In the punk zone, everything doubled in size. The cliffs rose into the sky and there were cement pipes as big as jetliners. 

We crawled into one of the tunnel pipes. 

It was like being a coal miner, but instead of coal there was spray-paint and decomposing seaweed. 

No one on the beach knew where the tunnel went. One guy said that he heard from a friend that it went straight back into the cliff to an abandoned military base. He said that hippies and punks live back there and spend all day and night sitting on rusty metal benches drinking beer. Another guy on the beach said it was an overflow pipe that lead into the San Francisco sewer system. I don't know who to believe, but either way, it seems like a fun place to hang out. 

Here's the tunnel from above:

Past the tunnels, heading south, we began to hear the buzzing of remote controlled airplanes. Suddenly the sky was filled with toys, kites, and people in hang gliders. If we didn't keep our eyes open, a person in a hang glider would have landed on our heads.  

You can see one of the hang gliders via satellite:

We reached the end of the beach and hiked our way up the cliff and out of the park. The cliff path was steep, too steep for dogs.  

Fort Funston was a blast. If you are looking for a city park with old military debris, graffiti, giant pipes, people on drugs, dogs off leashes, and hang gliders, then this is the place for you!

Tic Tac Toe Cat

Doodle, ink on paper, 5 x 5 inches, 2009

 

My friend Peter F and I were recently playing a game of Tic Tac Toe when, in the middle of the game, we noticed a cat face looking up at us. We added some features to the cat so it would be easier to see.

This is different from a "cat's game". An actual cat face appeared in the middle of the game.

A Quiet Moment at the Beach

iPhone painting, 800 x 550 pixels, 2009

In this digital painting by Jake C, a man takes some time to unwind and watch the waves. I'm guessing this guy's wife and four step-kids don't even know about this secret spot on the beach. It's the perfect place to chill-out.

Jake is pushing iPhone art to new limits. The depth and shading are amazing. Nice work!

Stretch Your Neck Out There

I'm continuing my push for artworks that are created by (or transported via) mobile devices. If you have a fancy phone, it's super easy. I think phone art is interesting enough to look at for two minutes and it's also great filler for when I'm too busy or lazy to work on bigger projects. After Thanksgiving, I promise to roll out another collaborative assignment, but in the meantime, here is some more cellphone art:

Nico already sent in a few photos, and today he e-mailed this doodle of a long-necked fellow in a trench coat and a fancy hat.

 

Anna U sent in a digital drawing of a squirrel that has been startled by an earthworm. 

 

Lila K snapped some fish eggs in a blue bowl.

 

And yesterday at work I drew a Nordic guy with a distorted face and a pine tree air-freshener.

Sarah Palin Pun

Fake book cover, photoshop, 350 x 600 pixels, 2009

 

Do you get it?

Celebrities: They're Just Like Us!

Celebrity doodles and notes, ink on paper, 8 1/2 x 11 inches, 2004-2006

A friend of mine used to work for a sound studio that would rent out space for public radio interviews. Various celebrities would show up to have their conversations beamed around the country. The friend, who asked to remain anonymous, got into the habit of collecting the scribbled notes and doodles left behind by famous guests. He gave me permission to share some of the interesting ones.  

US Senator John McCain

If only this guy had been able to better communicate his core values of "honor, purpose, and strength", he might be president today. In these notes, McCain wrote "so cal" to help him remember that KPCC is a public radio station in Southern California. It also looks like he may have been trying to make a point about baseball great Mickey Mantle. 

 

Broadway Legend Tommy Tune

In 2005 Tommy Tune took to the airwaves to plug his touring song and dance show. Did you know that out of all the songs performed at the Orange Count/Costa Mesa show, the Beatles' number "When I'm Sixty-Four" was the secret surprise "wild card"? Wow.

 

Actor Liev Schreiber

I'm guessing Liev Schreiber was on the radio talking about his role in the remake of the Manchurian Candidate in 2004. These doodles make me think that he is a pretty chilled-out guy.

 

Writer Eliza G

Eliza is an author and journalist who writes about issues of global conflict and the war on terror. She's not a huge celebrity but her doodles are solid (I'm not printing her last name in case she doesn't want this in her Google results). During her radio interview in 2005, she expertly blended text notes with metaphorical illustrations. The plight of the Nepalese is highlighted by doodles of a black sheep, a spider web, and a wall of flames. 

Also notice the contrast between "fat and happy" and "skinny and sad". The imagery evokes the disparities between rich and poor. 

 

Actor Christian Bale

And finally, if there was ever any doubt, now we know with certainty -- Christian Bale is a serious guy.

Batman!

 

As you can see, most celebrities are just like you and me. Thank you, anonymous friend, for sharing these fine doodles. 

UPDATE: My friend's studio also rented out space to record voice-overs for commercials. This slip of paper was read by actor Alec Baldwin while recording an ad for a vegetarian restaurant in Florida. Baldwin has certainly made an amazing comeback in the last five years. 

 

UPDATE 2: Of course these are real. Are you serious? If these were fakes, don't you think I would choose better celebrities and make the notes a lot more interesting? Tommy Tune? C'mon!

UPDATE 3: Welcome, Baleheads! Thanks for your interest in the Christian Bale discovery. Bale's doodle prompted an intense discussion on the IMDB messageboards. 

A Safe Space For Your Cellphone Art

As the decade draws to a close, everyone is walking around with camera and internet phones. Many of these phones now have art programs similar to MS Paint or Photoshop. To take full advantage of the technological riches of our time, I've dedicated the Friend Art photo gallery on the right side of the page as a place for friends, or friends of friends, to contribute photos or any art created with a mobile device. 

Here are some recent examples:

While riding the train to work, Jake C used the iPhone app Brushes to draw a vengeful wizard standing amidst a pile of slain knights.

 

Anna U, my sister, used her phone to snap a photo of the birthday cake she made for her boyfriend Mike. 

 

She also took this shot of Native Americans at the Natural History Museum in New York. 

Nico C took a snapshot of some mannequin legs next to a football advertisement. 

 

He also used his quick reflexes to capture the exact moment when his toilet screamed at him.

And this last piece is my own mixed-media contribution. I made a doodle of a ghost catcher, photographed it, and gave it a title. Catchin' ghosts. 

Cellphone art is easy. Please send it in to aquietmoment@gmail.com.

Click Whoosh: Internet World Premiere

Short documentary film, internet premiere, 7 minutes, 2008

My friend Lila K works for Reel Grrls, an after-school filmmaking program for teenage girls based in Seattle. For the past two years, the adult mentors at ReelGrrls have participated in the International Documentary Challenge, a timed-filmmaking competition. 

Click Whoosh was the group's first entry in the contest and it ended up winning the grand prize. Lila's team had five days to make a 5-7 minute-long historical documentary on the theme of "change". The result was this tightly spun history of the Polaroid camera and a celebration of the fading artistic medium.

The film has just been posted online for the first time and A Quiet Moment Amongst Friends is honored to host the web premiere. This isn't an exclusive arrangement, so please share the film on your site, too.

World's Smallest Horses Captivate NASCAR Fans

Press release and doodle, pencil on paper, 11 x 8 1/2, 2009

My friend Seth L works for the media and receives a steady stream of press releases. Most of them are boring, but last week he got the following one about a special event in Texas where Nascar fans can interact with miniature horses:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Worlds Smallest Horses captivate Nascar fans.

“Look at those little horses go…this is far out! These minis are too cool.” 
Clifford Ray said while at the World Championship Show Fort Worth Tx 

While attending the Nascar Race the weekend of November 7^th, make a pit stop in Whitesboro, TX to be introduced to the wonderful world of Miniature Horses

American Miniature Horses and their owners are offering a great day of fun and education to everyone at no charge

10801 E. Highway 82,  Whitesboro, Texas - No admission charged

Public Invited from 8AM to Late Afternoon Saturday November 7, 2009 

Whitesboro, TX- American Miniature Horse enthusiasts are inviting everyone to come meet and learn about the fun and exciting world of miniature horses.   What a great family outing! Kids will have hands on experiences with the miniature horses so bring your cameras.  Free seminars will cover all aspects of horse ownership, training, care, and investing wisely in the miniature horses industry.  Live demonstrations will include  halter, obedience, and driving.  Yes, minis can do it all!   Top breeders from around the USA will have horses consigned to an auction for the buying public.  The Sale starts at 12:30pm being broadcast all across the world via the internet.  Phone bidders from multiple countries have already signed up to bid on these outstanding horses. 

A True Adventure Indeed. The story of the American Miniature Horse, nearly 400 years in the making, is steeped in adventure and the love of little horses.  The American Miniature Horse is the "Horse for Everyone" and everyone will get the chance to meet one at this special event.  This is a chance to hug, pet and even kiss a mini. This is a close up and personal invitation to all of those who have ever wanted or dreamed of owning a horse.

World's Finest & Smallest . (34 inches & under) The American Miniature Horse Association has approximately 165,000 horses and 12,000 members in 32 countries and provinces. Miniature Horses registered with AMHA must meet the Association standards of perfection and cannot exceed 34 inches in height. AMHA promotes the breeding, use and perpetuation of a standard of equine excellence in Miniature.  Registry information  www.amha.com.

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Seth's press release inspired me to sketch a stock car surrounded by little horses. 

 UPDATE: If anyone is interested, I am selling this drawing for $1,000.