PENCIL PORTRAITS FOR CANCER

PENCIL PORTRAITS FOR CANCER ...by Bill Crowley





I want to be part of the solution and not the problem. So here is what I can do in a small way: I will gladly donate half of my salary for each pencil portrait that I draw OF A CHILD THAT NOW HAS CANCER...OR WHO IS A SURVIVOR...OR WHOSE LIFE HAS BEEN CUT SHORT BY THIS DREADED DISEASE. All photos sent to me will be returned. The paper size is 11" x 14", standard frame size. Other sizes available on request, either smaller or larger. Here is a little thing that I do when drawing a child's portrait...I try to hide the word LOVE in the artwork. Sometimes it is hidden in the folds of the clothes, or in the pattern in the hairdo. Not a conspicuous place.









If you are in the Colorado Springs area, please stop in to my studio (COLORADO SMILES) located on the upper lever of the Citadel Mall, next to the Burlington Coat Factory.

By the way, this offer of donating to a cancer group is not limited to me drawing children and only children. Cancer is not limited to any gender or age. To view more samples, please go to my portrait web site: www.idrawchildren.com

Thank You,

Bill Crowley, Artist.

Charlie Chaplin Painting

When time allows, I like to do fun paintings...in watercolor, or on canvas with acrylic paints. This particular painting of Charlie Chaplin is looking for a home. He's getting sadder by the day. He was surprised that he didn't sell on ebay several times. But then...ebay buyers sometimes can really puzzle you. Anyway...is there someone out there that can see this colorful painting hanging in their den, or family room or restaurant??? It measures 2 feet x 4 feet, unframed. I've been listing it a $75 plus shipping costs. If you buy it from this blog...let's call it a deal at $65 plus shipping ( approx $20 ). Thank You for reading this...and possibly considering having Charlie decorate your home or business.

Bill Crowley, Artist.

Coffee Cup Art

Here is another challenge that I recently got from a local restaurant. They wanted a fun image to put on coffee cups. For the customers to use... and possibly purchase as souvenirs. The restaurant is in a touristy area... and in a historic district (founded in 1859)... that is why the old fashioned look is in the design. I kept it simple in design and in use of color (none). The restaurant is now proudly serving their customers coffee in their own stylized cups. IF THIS IS OF INTEREST FOR YOUR BUSINESS, let me know. Let's make your business a little more fun.

Thanks,

Bill Crowley, artist

T-shirt Designs

Here is an example of a t-shirt design I did of a little girl for a fund raiser. She has a disease that I had never heard of and it truly made me very sad when I read up on it a little. The description of what she is going through and what is in store for her was not encouraging. My design was put on fliers and her "team" wore the shirts during a walk-a-thon. I purposely did not put a date on the shirt's design so that they can use the same shirt each and every year of the fund-raising event. JUST SHOWING YOU THIS IN CASE YOU MIGHT NEED A T-SHIRT DESIGN IN THE NEAR FUTURE... FOR A FUND RAISER, OR SIMPLY A FUN SPORTING EVENT DOWN THE ROAD. If so... let's talk.

Thanks,

Bill Crowley, artist

Texas Roadhouse

Just to show you the variety that I get coming across my drawing board... I have been asked to draw the staff of various Texas Roadhouses so they can hang them on the wall in the lobby of each of their restaurants. Shown here is just one of them... it is of a cook (chef) whose specialty is doing ribs. Each person being honored is depicted doing one activity... either at work or play. Little by little my work is appearing throughout the country in Texas Roadhouses. COULD THIS CONCEPT WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR RESTAURANT?? If so... let's talk.

Thanks,

Bill Crowley

The Power of the Internet

Like I mentioned in an earlier post... when the phone rings or when you check your emails... as a free-lance illustrator who specializes in caricatures and cartoons, there almost always is a surprise commission being requested. The illustration shown here of the ReMax couple was a request from them so that they could promote their business. The artwork became a post card and also is being used in their print advertising. This couple's residence is in Canada...so that shows you the power of the Internet. That is how they found me... and I'm glad they did because the creative challenge was a fun assignment. COULD THIS WORK FOR YOU IN THE FUTURE??? If so... don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks for checking my blog.

Bill Crowley, artist.

What's "Cartoon Bill" Up To?

My name is Bill Crowley and I draw and paint caricatures, paintings, and illustrations for a living. It has been a wonderful way to go through life...sitting at the easel or drawing board and creating. As a humorous illustrator, my work appears on greeting cards, children's books, newspapers and magazines, etc. Drawing CARICATURE GIFTS FROM PHOTOS keeps me very busy all year long (there is always someone who is having a 50th birthday, an anniversary, a promotion at work, etc.). I receive photos from all across the country thanks to the postal services and email.

The one thing I have learned to expect is the un-expected. As a free-lance artist it is always a surprise at the NEXT assignment. The variety of creative challenges makes going to the studio each day a new adventure. FOR INSTANCE: the latest fun job (shown here) is to draw members of a local CIGAR CLUB. They meet once a month at a local restaurant, tell stories (and lies) while enjoying a big dinner and then go to a near-by lounge where they sit around and smoke their cigars. Watch TV. Smoke their favorite cigar. Talk. Smoke their cigar. MY ASSIGNMENT: draw them so that they can hang on the wall...for all to enjoy and laugh at. The artwork is done with pen and watercolor. All framed in 8" x 10" frames. For me, as the artist, this is a fun assignment.

Since I am a non-smoker, what I did was go to the lounge and take digital photos and then print them out and do the finished artwork in the leisure of my studio. It works like a charm. They are fun guys and are enjoying the fruits of my labors. HINT, HINT: does this give you an idea?? Do you belong to a group that possibly would like a "hall of fame", sort to speak??? Let me know. Web site: www.cartoonbill.com. I have some of the smokers displayed on the site. Take a look and Thank You for tuning in.

Bill Crowley, artist

PS: I have two granddaughters and we, on a fun moment, had our pictures taken with these crazy glasses and noses. I laugh every time I look at it. Enjoy.

My studio is located in the Citadel Mall, Colorado Springs, CO. If you are fairly local, c'mon in. You'll see hundreds of samples of my caricatures, paintings, and illustrations.