My First Copic Marker Piece

Wanted to play around with Copic markers, which I'm still rather new at using. Here's my stab at illustrating baseball great Lou Gehrig.

Sketch Card: Texas Rangers Star Josh Hamilton

I got bored last night and decided to create a stipple sketch card of Rangers superstar Josh Hamilton. Unfortunately the scan didn't pick up the details as well as I had hoped, but I'm really happy with how the helmet turned out.

I decided to list it on eBay- the auction details can be found here.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Bobby Wallace

Bobby Wallace was a bit of a baseball 'renaissance man', playing for 24 seasons before serving as a manager, umpire and scout. Wallace made his major league debut in 1894 as a starting pitcher with the now-defunct Cleveland Spiders. After going 12–14 in 1895, he began seeing time in the outfield as well as on the mound. In 1897, Wallace's transition to an everyday player was completed as he became the team's full-time third baseman, batting .335 and driving in 112 runs. Over his career, he compiled 2,309 hits and 1,121 RBI. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953 by the Veteran's Committee.

I completed this sketch card in July 2012.

10 random facts about Bobby Wallace:

• He was born on November 4, 1873 in Pittsburgh, PA.
• Aside from pitcher, outfielder and third baseman, Wallace played shortstop after moving to the St. Louis Perfectos (now known as the Cardinals) in 1899; he would become most famous for playing this position.
• He played his final game at the age of 44 years an 312 days, making him the oldest shortstop to play in a regular-season Major League game until Omar Vizquel surpassed him in 2012.
• He was usually recognized as the American League's top defensive shortstop from 1902 to 1911.
• He served as the St. Louis Browns' player-manager in 1911 and 1912.
• His last season as a Major League regular came in 1912.
• Near the end of his playing career in 1915, Wallace served a stint as an American League umpire. 
• Aside from managing the Browns, he was the skipper of the Cincinnati Reds during the 1937 season.
• As a manager, he compiled 62 wins and 154 losses for a .287 winning percentage.
• To this day, Wallace holds the record for the longest career by a player who never played in a World Series.

Sketch Card: Merle Dixon from The Walking Dead

I'm a big fan of AMC's The Walking Dead, so I decided to do a quick stipple drawing of Merle Dixon, the lovable racist brother of fan favorite Daryl Dixon.

Mike Schmidt Color Pencil Sketch Card

I was messing around with color pencils a couple of months ago and I created this likeness of Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. I currently have it on eBay at the following link:

1/1 Mike Schmidt Artist Sketch Card

I plan on producing more color pencil artwork in the not-too-distant future.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Paul Molitor

Paul Molitor played in the Majors for 21 years, starring for the Milwaukee Brewers between 1978 and 1992 before moving on to play for the Toronto Blue Jays (1993-95) and Minnesota Twins (1996-98). Known for his exceptional hitting and speed, Molitor was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players who spent a significant portion of his career as a designated hitter to be enshrined. 

I completed this sketch card in July 2012.

10 random facts about Paul Molitor:

• Molitor started his career as a shortstop, and he would subsequently go on to play second base, third base, and designated hitter (a position he would spend almost half of his games playing).
• He had five hits in Game 1 of the 1982 World Series, establishing a World Series record.
• In 1987, he had a 39-game hitting streak, which still stands as the fifth longest in Major League history.
• He was named the 1993 World Series MVP, as he batted .500 in helping the Blue Jays win their second consecutive championship.
• In 1994, a strike-shortened season, Molitor led the AL in games played (115) and singles (107).
• He stole 20 bases during the 1994 season without ever being caught, one short of Kevin McReynolds' 1988 Major League record of 21.
• Molitor is the only player in Major League history to collect a triple as his 3,000th hit.
• In 1996, Molitor became the second 40-year-old (fellow Hall of Famer Sam Rice is the other) to have a 200-hit season, leading the league with 225.
• His 3,319 hits rank him ninth all-time.
• Molitor is one of four players in Major League history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases. The other three are Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Eddie Collins, none of whom played the game beyond 1930.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Vic Willis

Nicknamed "The Delaware Peach", Vic Willis spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, pitching for the Boston Beaneaters, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals between 1898 and 1910. An effective workhorse pitcher who won 249 games in his career, Willis holds  the post-1900 record for complete games (45 in 1902) in a single season. He also has the dubious distinction of holding the post-1900 record for most losses in a season, with 29 in 1905. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 by the Veterans Committee.

I completed this sketch card in July 2012.

10 random facts about Vic Willis:

• Before making it to the Major Leagues, Willis played baseball at the University of Delaware and would later coach the school's team.
• He completed 388 of his 471 Major League starts.
• Willis is the last pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the 19th century, doing so on August 7, 1899 against the Washington Senators of the National League (not to be confused with later incarnations of the team with the same name). 
• While with the Pirates from 1906 to 1909, he averaged over 22 wins per season.
• He was a World Series champion while with the Pirates the 1909.
• He won 20 or more games 8 times.
• He twice led the National League in complete games and shutouts.
• After his retirement, he bought and operated the Washington House, a hotel in his hometown of Newark Delaware.
• He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1977.
• A youth baseball league in Delaware is named in his honor.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Ralph Kiner

Ralph Kiner was the premier slugger in the National League between 1946 and 1954. During that time, he led the league in homers for 7 consecutive seasons. Injuries forced his retirement after only 10 seasons, but he has remained in the game, having been a broadcaster for the New York Mets since the team's first game. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.

I completed this sketch card in July 2012.

10 random facts about Ralph Kiner:

• While with the Pittsburgh Pirates, many of Kiner's homers were hit into a shortened left-field and left-center-field porch at Forbes Field, an area known as "Kiner's Korner"; Kiner would later use "Kiner's Korner" as the title of his post-game TV show in New York.
• In 1949, Kiner belted 54 home runs, falling just two short of Hack Wilson's then-National League record. It was the highest total in the major leagues from 1939 to 1960, and the highest National League total from 1931 to 1997. 
• He holds the record of 8 home runs in four consecutive multi-homer games, a mark that he set in September, 1947.
• Through 2011, he has been one of 7 major leaguers to have had at least four 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons in their first five years (the others are Chuck Klein, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mark Teixeira, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Braun).
• A back injury forced his retirement at the age of 32, with 369 home runs, 1,019 RBI and a .279 lifetime batting average.
• Kiner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975; it was his final year of eligibility and he garnered 273 votes by the Baseball Writers Association (BBWA), one more than the minimum required for election. This is the closest call possible for any player elected by the BBWA.
• Kiner began broadcasting games for the Chicago White Sox in 1961, and then began calling games for the expansion Mets the following year; he is the only broadcaster to survive all of the Mets history.
• Kiner was elected to the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1984.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates retired his uniform number 4 in 1987.
• He is of Pennsylvania Dutch and Scots-Irish ancestry.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson played left field for nine teams from 1979 to 2003. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and base stealer. He holds the Major League records for career stolen bases, runs scored, unintentional walks and leadoff home runs. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

I completed this sketch card in July 2012.

10 random facts about Rickey Henderson:

• He is the only player in American League history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so 3 times (Maury Wills and Lou Brock each stole over 100 in the National League).
• In 1982, Henderson broke Lou Brock's Major League single season record by stealing 130 bases, a total which has not been approached since.
• Henderson was named the AL's MVP in 1990.
• Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland A's.
• His 1,406 career stolen base total is 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock. 
• During the 2001 season, Henderson broke three Major League career records and reached an additional major career milestone. He broke Babe Ruth's record of 2,062 career walks, Ty Cobb's record of 2,246 career runs, and Zack Wheat's record of 2,328 career games in left field.
• On the final day of the 2001 season, he collected his 3,000th career hit, a leadoff double.
• Out of high school, he received scholarships to play football for over a dozen colleges, but ended up playing baseball instead because of the abundance of shortened careers for football players.
• Henderson was known for referring to himself in the third person. 
• As a young player, Henderson was so proud of a $1 million signing bonus that he framed it instead of cashing it, thus losing several months' interest.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Rich "Goose" Gossage

Rich "Goose" Gossage pitched for nine different teams during a 22-year playing career. He helped to define the image of the modern dominating closer during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Gossage led the American League in saves three times, and by the end of the 1987 season he ranked second in Major League history in career saves, trailing only Rollie Fingers. When he retired, he ranked third in Major League history in career games pitched (1,002), and he remains third in wins in relief (115) and innings pitched in relief (1,556⅔). His 1,502 strikeouts place him behind only Hoyt Wilhelm among pitchers who primarily pitched in relief. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

I completed this sketch card in July 2012.

10 random facts about Rich "Goose" Gossage:

• He recorded the final out to clinch a division, league or World Series title seven times.
• On October 2, 1978, he earned the save in the Yankees' one-game playoff against the Boston Red Sox for the AL East title, entering with one out in the seventh inning and a 4-2 lead following Bucky Dent's famous home run.
• He missed some of the 1979 season with the Yankees due to a thumb injury sustained in a locker-room fight with teammate Cliff Johnson.
• In 1980, Gossage finished third in AL voting for both the MVP Award and Cy Young Award as the Yankees won the AL East title.
• On July 23, 1991, while Gossage was with the Texas Rangers, a statistical coincidence was noted when he recorded his 308th career save to preserve Nolan Ryan.s 308th win.
• Gossage became the second man to record 300 saves.
• Gossage holds the Yankees' career record for ERA (2.14) and hits per nine innings (6.59) among pitchers with at least 500 innings for the team.
• He is the career leader in blown saves (112). 
• In 1995, the city of Colorado Springs dedicated the Rick "Goose" Gossage Youth Sports Complex in his honor.
• His eight All-Star selections as a reliever were a record until Mariano Rivera passed him in 2008.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Hugh Duffy

A brilliant defensive outfielder from 1888 to 1906, Hugh Duffy also hit the ball with authority, showing remarkable power for his diminutive stature. He assembled a string of 10 straight .300 or higher seasons, and in 1894, he batted .438 while leading the National League in doubles (50) and home runs (18). Duffy's stellar all-around play helped Boston to four pennants during his nine-year tenure with the club. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Hugh Duffy:

• He was a textile mill worker who had taken up baseball as a semipro.
• Duffy entered the National League with the Chicago White Stockings (now known as the Cubs) in 1888 after receiving an offer of $2,000 from the club.
• In 1894 Duffy had one of the greatest seasons in baseball history, leading the league with 18 home runs, with 145 RBI and a .440 batting average- the era's version of the Triple Crown.
• Duffy's .440 average in 1894 is still the Major League single season batting average record.
• While with the Boston Beaneaters, he and teammate Tommy McCarthy were known as the "Heavenly Twins".
• Duffy finished his career in 1906 with 106 home runs which was, at the time, one of the highest career totals in the game.
• He managed 4 different Major League teams on an intermittent basis from 1901 to 1922.
• He coached the Harvard University varsity and freshman baseball squads from 1917 through 1919.
• He later became a scout for the Boston Red Sox from 1924 to 1953- a position he essentially held until his death.
• On June 18, 1894, Duffy reached base safely three times in one inning, a record that has yet to be bested.

Sketch Card: Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn

My wife is a huge fan of The Tudors, so I decided to draw this stipple piece for her of Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn. Just finished it a few minutes ago.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Tommy Lasorda

Tommy Lasorda pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Kansas City Athletics during the 1950s, but he made his true mark on the game as a manager. As skipper of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976 until 1996, he would amass 1,599 managerial wins and 2 World Series titles while serving as a leader to many great ballplayers, such as Orel Hershiser, Fernando Valenzuela, Eric Karros and Mike Piazza. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Tommy Lasorda

• Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an undrafted free agent in 1945, he would miss the 1946 and 1947 seasons due to a stint in the U.S. Army.
• In 1973, Lasorda became the third-base coach on the staff of Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston. He was widely regarded as Alston's heir apparent, and turned down several major league managing jobs elsewhere to remain in the Dodger fold.
• Upon retiring as manager of the Dodgers, he became the team's Vice President and then its Senior Vice President.
• His 1,599 career managerial wins ranks 16th all-time.
• His 16 wins in 30 NL Championship games managed were the most of any manager at the time of his retirement.
• His 61 post-season games managed ranks fourth all-time behind Bobby Cox, Casey Stengel and Joe Torre.
• For years, Lasorda appeared in television advertisements for Slim Fast diet shakes and Rolaids antacids.
• He managed the United States to its first-ever gold medal in baseball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
• On May 31, 1948, as a minor league pitcher with the Schenectady Blue Jays, Lasorda set a Canadian-American League record by striking out 25 batters in a 15-inning game.
• Having played for the minor league Montreal Royals of the International League during his career, he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Mickey Cochrane

Considered one of the greatest catchers in Major League history, Mickey Cochrane compiled a .320 lifetime batting average with 119 homers and 832 RBI while playing for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers. Cochrane's playing career came to a sudden end on May 25, 1937 when he was hit in the head by a pitch by Yankees pitcher Bump Hadley. Hospitalized for seven days, the injury nearly killed him. However, he recovered and went on to manage in the Majors for 5 seasons before being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Mickey Cochrane:

• Cochrane attended Boston University, where he played 5 different sports.
• Despite being a catcher, which is a position many slower players have played, he was often inserted into the leadoff spot by Athletics manager Connie Mack.
• Cochrane won the 1928 Most Valuable Player Award mostly due to his leadership and defensive skills, when he led the American League in putouts and hit for a .293 batting average along with 10 home runs and 58 RBI.
• He would win 3 World Series as a player- 2 with the Athletics and 1 with the Tigers.
• During the Tigers' World Series title run in 1935, he served as the team's player-manager.
• Due in part to his high strung nature, he suffered a nervous breakdown during the 1936 season.
• Cochrane hit a home run in the last official at-bat of his Major League career.
• Despite the head injury that resulted from his beaning, Cochrane served in the United States Navy during World War II.
• His .320 batting average was the highest career total for catchers until being surpassed by Joe Mauer in 2009.
• He hit for the cycle twice in his career, on July 22, 1932 and on August 2, 1933.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Cristobal Torriente

One of Cuba's first baseball stars, Cristobal Torriente was an outfielder in the Negro Leagues between 1912 and 1928 (he also played one game in 1932). A slugger who was a great pull hitter, Torriente was inducted into both the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame (1939) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame (2006).

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Cristobal Torriente:

• Although stocky and bowlegged, he was considered a complete player during his career.
• He starred as a center fielder for the Chicago American Giants from 1918 to 1925, leading the club to three consecutive Negro National League titles (1920 to 1922).
• Aside from center field, he also played right field, second base, third base and pitcher.
• During the winter of 1920 when, as a member of the Almendares club, he outplayed Babe Ruth on a barnstorming tour.
• His love of the nightlife often led to disputes with team management officials. 
• His lifetime batting average in the Negro Leagues was .335. 
• While playing with the Kansas City Monarchs, he quit the team for a while due to a dispute with the owner over a lost diamond ring, and Torriente's alleged theft of the ring.
• He died in New York City at age 44, after a long battle with alcoholism and tuberculosis.
• After his death, his body was returned to Cuba for burial. 
• He is considered the greatest Cuban position player of the first half of the 20th Century, and is arguably the greatest Cuban player ever.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Napoleon Lajoie

When the American League was formed in 1901, Napoleon Lajoie quickly became its first major star. After having spent the previous 5 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League, he jumped over to the AL upon its formation and promptly responded by batting .426 for the Philadelphia Athletics. He would compile a lifetime batting average of .338 while collecting 3,242 hits, and go into the Hall of Fame in 1937 as a member of its second induction class.

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Napoleon Lajoie:

• He won the 1901 American League Triple Crown.
• On May 23, 1901, he became the first big league player to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded.
• The season after debuting in the American League for the Athletics, he would be traded to the Cleveland Bluebirds (now known as the Indians). Lajoie was named team captain, and the team would change its name to the Cleveland Naps at the end of the 1902 season.
• He contracted sepsis from an untreated spike injury in 1905.
• Lajoie and Ty Cobb developed a professional rivalry on the field, as the 2 men were widely considered the best players of their day and were comparable in many regards.
• He was widely considered the best second baseman of his era. 
• Among second basemen, Lajoie posted staggering career offensive numbers; in the history of baseball, only Rogers Hornsby and Eddie Collins can compare.
• At the time of Lajoie's retirement in 1916, his career total of 3,242 hits was the second best in Major League history, behind only Honus Wagner's total.
• He died in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1959, at the age of 84.
• In 1999, he ranked number 29 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Cap Anson

One of the first-ever baseball superstars, Cap Anson's playing career spanned from 1871 to 1897. Spending most of his career with the organization known today as the Chicago Cubs, Anson was the first player to collect over 3,000 career hits. While he was a superstar player, he is perhaps more well-known as one of the individuals who played a major role in the establishment of the game's 'color barrier', which would be broken by Jackie Robinson in 1947.

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Cap Anson:

• He was born in Marshalltown, IA in 1852, when the game of baseball was still in its infancy. 
• Anson strongly influenced the development of the color barrier when, on August 10, 1883, he refused to play an exhibition game against the Toledo Blue Stockings because their catcher, Moses Fleetwood Walker, was African American. He relented out of his fear of forfeiting, but in 1887, league owners would vote to exclude African Americans from future contracts, after several more complaints from Anson.
• As a player, he batted over .300 in 20 different seasons.
• Along with former Chicago team president Albert Spalding, Anson shares credit as an innovator of modern spring training, as both men were among the first to send their clubs to warmer climates in the South to prepare for the season during the 1880s.
• During the 1890s, he was known to his Chicago Colts players as "Pop"; when he was fired as manager after the 1897 season, the team became known as the "Orphans" by sports newspapers.
• After his playing career ended, he ran several enterprises in Chicago, including opening a billiards and bowling hall and running a semi-professional baseball team he dubbed Anson's Colts.
• A charismatic individual, Anson toured extensively on the vaudeville circuit, performing monologues and songs.
• Anson's memoirs, titled A Ball Player's Career: Being the Personal Reminiscences of Adrian C. Anson, were published in 1900. This book is considered the first baseball autobiography.
•  He was elected city clerk of Chicago in 1905.
• Over 100 years after his retirement, he still holds several Cubs franchise records, including most career RBI, runs, hits, singles, and doubles.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Frankie Frisch

Nicknamed "The Fordham Flash", Frankie Frisch was a superstar for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals during the 1920s and 1930s. As a player, he won an MVP and 4 World Series titles, and finished his career with a .316 batting average, still a record for the highest career average among switch-hitters. Frisch was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947, his 5th year on the ballot.

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Frankie Frisch:

• He earned his nickname "The Fordham Flash" for being a speedster on the Fordham University baseball team.
• He jumped directly from college to the New York Giants.
• Known as a second baseman, he also played third base for the Giants early in his career, rotating between the 2 positions.
• He compiled 2,880 career hits, which was a record for switch-hitters until Pete Rose surpassed him in 1977.
• His season strikeout total topped 20 only twice in his 19-year career.
• After his playing career, he enjoyed an 18-year managerial career in which he guided the Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.
• He managed the famous Cardinals team that became known as The Gashouse Gang.
• During the 1960s, he became a member of the Hall of Fame's Committee on Baseball Veterans, and is widely considered responsible for the enshrinement of a number of less-than-stellar players; critics indicate that these players, many who were teammates of Frisch, were only selected because of his influence.
• He died in 1973 from injuries sustained in a car accident.
• A dog lover, he had two hounds named Flash and Patches.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Frank "Home Run" Baker

Often considered the best third baseman of the 1910s, Frank "Home Run" Baker was a superstar for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees. Baker was not a true slugger, yet he earned his nickname during the 1911 World Series, when he hit a go-ahead homer off Rube Marquard in Game 2 and a ninth-inning game-tying homer off Christy Mathewson in Game 3. Baker was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955 by the Veterans Committee.

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Frank "Home Run" Baker:

• After his playing days were over, he was credited with discovering fellow Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx.
• Over his 13-year Major League career, Baker never played a single big league inning at any position other than third base. 
• In 1909, he led MLB in triples with 19.
• He was part of Connie Mack's famous "$100,000 infield".
• He led the American League in homers for 4 seasons during the Dead Ball Era- hitting 11, 10, 12 and 9 home runs in 1911, 1912, 1913 and 1914, respectively. 
• Baker was a .307 lifetime hitter.
• Initially, Baker retired in 1920, but would come back to play 2 more seasons with the Yankees; he would go to the World Series in each of these 2 seasons.
• Following his retirement as a player, Baker would manage for two seasons in the Eastern Shore Baseball League in 1924 and 1925.
• Baker has a statue erected in his honor at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst.
• Born in Trappe, MD, Baker was a butcher by trade.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Bill Terry

Bill Terry played first base for the New York Giants from 1923 until 1936. Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954, he was the last National Leaguer to hit over .400 in a season when he batted .401 in 1930.

I completed this sketch card in June 2012.

10 random facts about Bill Terry:

• He made his professional debut in 1916 at age 15.
• He began his minor league career as a pitcher before being converted to a first baseman.
• He managed the Giants from 1932 until 1941 and won 3 pennants.
• Over his 14-year career, Terry posted seven seasons with 100 or more runs, six seasons with 100 or more RBI, six seasons with at least 200 hits, and nine consecutive seasons batting .320 or higher.
• He is the last National League player to have garnered a record nine hits in a doubleheader when he turned the trick on June 18, 1929.
• He currently holds the National League record for the highest career batting average for a left-handed hitter at .341.
• After retiring from playing and managing, Terry bought an automobile dealership. 
• He purchased the Jacksonville Braves double-A team in 1958.
• His nickname was 'Memphis Bill'.
• He has his #3 retired by the San Francisco Giants in 1984.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Babe Ruth

The following player needs no introduction, other than this: he is considered the greatest baseball player of all-time by most baseball historians and fans, and those who DON'T consider him the greatest have him as one of their top 3-5 players of all-time. He was part of the first Hall of Fame induction class in 1936 and is arguably the most important man to ever play the game.

I completed this sketch card in April 2012.

I completed this sketch card in August 2012.

10 random facts about Babe Ruth:

• By the time he retired, he set career records for home runs (714), slugging percentage (.690), runs batted in (RBI) (2,217), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164).
• He was the first player to hit 60 homers in one season.
• As a pitcher, he was part of a combined no-hitter on June 23, 1917. After walking the Washington Senators' leadoff hitter, he was ejected after arguing with the umpire. Reliever Ernie Shore replaced Ruth and retired all 26 batters he faced.
• The "Curse of the Bambino" is said to have begun after the Boston Red Sox sold Ruth to the Yankees at the end of the 1919 season. Up until that point, the Yankees were mediocre while the Red Sox had won 5 World Series titles. However, once Ruth joined the Yankees, they would go on to win more than 20 World Series championships while the Red Sox wouldn't win another one for almost 9 decades.
• He served as the Brooklyn Dodgers' first base coach during the 1938 season.
• He made many cameo appearances in films, with his first one coming in the 1920 silent film Headin' Home.
• Despite their dominance as teammates, Ruth and Lou Gehrig were embroiled in a feud that lasted for 7 years and ended on Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium in 1939.
• On May 25, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Ruth went 4-for-4, drove in 6 runs and hit 3 home runs in an 11–7 loss to the Pirates; these would be the last 3 home runs of his career.
• The Babe Ruth Award is an annual award given to the MLB player with the best performance in the World Series.
• During his time St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore, a young Ruth was  taught tailoring and became a qualified shirtmaker; he was also part of both the school band and the drama club.

HOF Sketch Card Project: Stan Musial

For my first Baseball Hall of Fame sketch card, I decided to pay homage to one of the greatest and often most overlooked players of all-time - Stan "The Man" Musial.

Born on November 21, 1920, Stan Musial played 22 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals. A 24-time All-Star (tied for most in history) who played both the outfield and first base, he accumulated 3,630 career hits, 475 homers and 1,951 RBI. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969, his first year of eligibility.

I completed this sketch card in March 2012. 

10 random facts about Stan Musial:

• The Cardinals initially scouted Musial as a pitcher.
• He missed out on the 1945 MLB season due to military service.
• Having been inducted into Cooperstown in 1969, he is currently the longest-tenured living Hall of Famer.
• He compiled 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 hits on the road during his career.
• He served as President of the Cardinals from 1963 to 1966.
• He is a member of the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
• He was never ejected from a game during his Major League career.
• He was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on February 15, 2011; this is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a civilian.
• At the time of his retirement, he held or shared 17 major league records, 29 National League records, and 9 All-Star Game records. 
• His favorite baseball player growing up was Lefty Grove.

New Project- Baseball Hall of Famer Sketch Cards

Upon the completion of my Island Dreams sketch cards, I decided to take on a personal project stemming from my love of baseball. I am creating a stipple sketch card of every player and manager enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Considering that there are around 250 players and managers enshrined in Cooperstown, and taking into account any set work and/or commissions I might receive, I imagine that this project might take a while to complete. However, it's something I'm very excited about and very motivated to work on.

Check back here regularly to check on my progress.

My First Sketch Card Set

Back in April, my talented wife agreed to contribute work to a charity sketch card set- Island Dreams 2012 (you can view some of her work here and here). While we were both excited about this great opportunity that was presented to her, a surprise awaited me. Unbeknownst to me, she had asked the director of the card set if he could use my artistic skills as well. After showing him my portfolio, he was thrilled with the idea, and I ended up with my first official sketch card assignment.

I was asked to complete 12 stipple portrait cards of musician Jimmy Buffett and his backup band- known as the Coral Reefer Band. These cards will be autographed by each  individual and randomly inserted into packs. Additionally, I was asked to complete a relic sketch card, which (in keeping with the island theme of the set) featured an antique coin affixed to the card stock. Below are the cards I submitted for the set:

Jimmy Buffett, from 3 different angles

Robert Greenidge, Doyle Grisham, Tina Gullickson

Mac McAnally, Nadirah Shakoor, Michael Utley

John Lovell, Jim Mayer, Peter Mayer

My relic card, inspired by vintage treasure maps

Working on these cards was a lot of fun, and it made me realize my new found love for sketch card art.


***Update - September 12, 2012***

As I come across autographed copies of my cards, I will post scans below:

Jim Mayer

Nadirah Shakoor

Getting Back into Art: Reigniting a Love Affair

As proud as I was of the Emmitt Smith stipple drawing that appeared in the previous post, it would actually be one of my last works for a very long time- at least the last one that I decided to save. With college taking up most of my time, and the subsequent hassles of everyday, post-college life setting in, I found that I didn't have much time for art, which in turn resulted in a serious loss of interest for creating new art. Granted, I would sketch a small piece here and there out of boredom, but nothing more than a quick line drawing with very little detail.

All of that changed in 2010, when I got a much-needed fire lit under me by my wife (also a fellow artist). After convincing me that I have a talent that shouldn't be sitting idle, I decided to try my hand at another stipple drawing. After not having done such a drawing for the past 13 years or so, I could have taken it slow and started with something with little detail. However, being a person who has always enjoyed a challenge, I decided to go all out- at least in my own eyes. 

One of the most vivid sports memories for me has always been the famous Nolan Ryan-Robin Ventura confrontation, which occurred when Ventura, a batter for the Chicago White Sox, took exception to being hit by one of Ryan's pitches and, in turn, charged the mound. The image of the 46-year-old Ryan putting the 27-year-old Ventura in a headlock and punching him repeatedly is no doubt one of the lasting images of the game over the past 20 years.

I wanted to recreate this moment, and I did so on a 16" x 20" piece of Bristol drawing paper, using only pen and ink stippling. While I worked on this drawing intermittently over the course of the next couple of years (I was still a 'casual' artist at this point and fit in my artwork as my schedule saw fit), I estimate that it would have taken me around a week and a half to finish has I worked on it straight through, in the time intervals in which I did it.

Here is the finished product (click to enlarge): 

More than any other drawing I had done up to this point, this piece was a labor of love, both for my love of baseball and my fandom of the Texas Rangers. It also motivated me to want to continue with art, and it was the piece that ultimately led me to want to pursue a new passion- baseball-themed artist sketch cards.

In my next entry, I'll talk about my introduction to the sketch card world (thanks to my wife), and how I immediately got thrust into contributing artwork for a sketch card set.

Blast From the Past Part 2- Emmitt Smith Stipple Drawing

During the end of my high school days, I discovered the art of stippling and immediately became obsessed with this technique. While I always felt that I had decent pencil/charcoal skills, I didn't consider myself a serious artist, as I felt that there were still flaws in my execution. Stippling, however, seemed to come a lot more natural to me.

The following drawing of former NFL star Emmitt Smith was one of my earliest attempts at stippling. I was never a football fan, but I saw this picture in a magazine and thought it would be a good way to hone my stippling skills. Done in 1996, it was completed over the course of a week on 16" x 20" Bristol paper.

Unfortunately, as a result of being in storage over the past 15 years, there are a few wrinkles that show up on this piece. Regardless, I'm really happy with how it turned out, considering how new I still was to stippling.

Blast From the Past- Will "The Thrill" Clark Charcoal Piece

For my first 'official' post here, I thought I'd pay tribute to a piece I created back in high school (1996). I created this piece during my senior year and it's one that I've remained proud of for many years. 

I was a big Will Clark fan growing up, so when my high school art teacher informed me and my classmates one day that we would be creating a charcoal-based drawing of any subject of our choosing, I gravitated not only to a baseball-related subject, but specifically to an action shot of Clark that I found in a magazine.

With this piece, I tried to recreate the image of him in mid-swing. Clark was well-known for having one of the sweetest swings in baseball, and I felt that it was the aspect of his game that would best lend itself to a project such as this. Here is a photo of the end result:

The lighting of the photo isn't the best, but I'm proud of the essence with which Clark's swing was captured.

This piece was created on 18" x 24" Bristol drawing paper, and it took around 2 weeks to complete, working at intervals of around 1-2 hours per day.

I recently obtained Clark's autograph on a 3x5 index card, and I'm hoping to have it matted and framed along with this piece in the near future. I will post pictures once it happens.

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my new blog devoted to my artwork.

My name is Juan Rosales, and I have been drawing for most of my life. After an almost-15-year layoff, I recently decided to return to the world of art. Not only was my love for art reignited, but it has now become a 'passion' for me, as opposed to just being a casual hobby.

I have decided to take my love for art to the next level. This blog will document my adventures in this crazy industry, from obtaining commission-based work to contributing my skills to sketch card sets, and even showing off some personal projects I will be working on.

Thank you very much for stopping by, and please be sure to check back regularly.