Kids at the Aquarium

Chris and I went to the Long Beach Aquarium this weekend so I could do some studies of marine arthropods for a class. Aquariums are special to me. When I was six years old I decided that being an astronaut was overrated and that I should become a marine biologist instead. Obviously that didn't happen (as it turns out I'm not so great at maths), but I am still infatuated with marine life.

Since it was a long weekend, the aquarium was more crowded than usual. As we expected, there were a lot of families there. Parents of rambunctious boys--I don't know how you guys manage to muster the energy to keep up.

The first thing we saw when we approached the aquarium was this:



Inside the building we saw a lot of this:


The poor aquarium employee monitoring the touch tanks was having a particularly tough day:


Basically I witnessed a lot of misbehaving from many a hyper child (often at the expense of one or more animals). However, I also saw a lot of really well-behaved kids who were just as amazed by marine life as I was at their age. This guy was awestruck by the giant spider crabs:

"WHOA! ....WHOOAAA!...WHOAA!!"

Sketches

I sometimes go to a local coffee shop to work. Here are some sketchbook drawings of the patrons that I scanned.

Burly suspenders man:

Old dude who always wears a leather jacket:

A Chinese lady walking her pomeranian:

I often see people completely engrossed in texting:


I saw this kid run by one day. He was clutching a huge bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Girl with cowboy boots:


The Red Cougar:

I saw this lady today and had to grab my sketchbook and draw her. She had to be in her late forties/early fifties, but that didn't stop her from dressing like this. Every time she walked around the room she sashayed her hips and she posed seductively even while waiting in line for the bathroom.

Gulls in the Wind

Lately it's been blustery where I live due to the Santa Ana winds. This means the air is dry, flimsy trees and termite-damaged powerlines are at risk, and a lot of birds are having a tough time out there.















I used to laugh at them too.

Also!! Girls Drawin' Girls' "Hoity Toity Show" is this Saturday, 2/12 at 9PM at Perhspace Gallery in Echo Park. LA folks, I'd love to see you there!

Bad Idea..

Yesterday afternoon I felt spacey so I brought some coffee to my desk while I worked. This happened:








SLAM!





!@#&*$*

*&@!!#














I can't say why exactly I so hastily slammed the coffee back onto the table... Fortunately it was lukewarm and not scalding. I wonder if it was a more direct way for me to absorb the caffeine.

Wednesday Doodle

I finally got my new computer! I've been busy lately but there will be updates here soon (more sketchbookery, sequential silliness, etc.) In the meantime, here's a drawing I did on my new tablet: