Dr. Friedman treats a lot of men with hypogonadism or low testosterone. There are many different ways to treat low testosterone, with testosterone itself, other medicines that stimulate testosterone, or combinations of medicines. Most men with clearly low testosterone (measured first thing in the morning) should get on testosterone, and Dr. Friedman finds that injectable testosterone usually works better than testosterone gels or creams or patches. Patches or gels usually do not achieve high enough levels and might be okay for an older person who just wants testosterone a little bit higher, but a younger person often needs the higher levels achieved by injections.
It was traditionally recommended that testosterone injections be given intramuscularly using a big needle, into a muscle, such as the buttocks or shoulder. This is often quite painful and is difficult for the patient to do himself. Dr. Friedman and some other endocrinologists have realized that testosterone can be given subcutaneously, in the stomach, with a small needle that is just as effective as the bigger needle. Dr. Friedman has a YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s3Pf2nzfvw) video entitled "Subcutaneous Testosterone" that explains how to do this. Patients are either given testosterone at a dose of 100 mg once a week or 50 mg twice a week to do their injections. Dr. Friedman also recommends the patient get the 10 mL vial of 100 mg/mL testosterone. Often the pharmacy tries to substitute a smaller vial with 2 mL of 200 mg/mL, and this is much harder to dose accurately and does not last as long as the 10 mL vial. Dr. Friedman also recommends 2 syringes with interchangeable needles. One is a larger needle such as a 21-gauge, 1-inch needle to draw up the testosterone and then a smaller one, which would be a 25-gauge, 5/8-inch needle, to inject testosterone in the stomach. The size of the syringe can be either 1 mL or 3 mL, but it is important to have needles that come off and can be replaced.
For patients with borderline testosterone deficiency, and who do not want to take a shot, another excellent option is a medicine called Clomid. It is also called clomiphene. This is a pill that blocks the feedback of estrogen at the level of the pituitary, so it actually causes the pituitary to make more LH and FSH which gets the testes to make more testosterone. In contrast, when you get testosterone, the pituitary works less and the LH and FSH go down and therefore, the testes shrink. This is avoided if you take Clomid. Clomid also does not give really high levels and is not FDA approved for hypogonadism but does work well in a fair number of patients. It is the only pill that is effective at raising testosterone. Dr. Friedman usually gives 1/2 of a 50 mg pill a day of Clomid.
For patients who are on testosterone and experience testicular shrinkage, Dr. Friedman recommends subcutaneous human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG )injections which help restore their testicular size. hCG is also a good option instead of testosterone if the patient is trying to conceive. Dr. Friedman usually does not give hCG alone, however, because it does not give high enough testosterone levels by itself. However, it works quite well at a dose of 1000 units subcutaneously 3 times a week in combination with the subcutaneous injection of testosterone.
Patients who are getting testosterone injections can get a high estradiol which leads to breast enlargement and also breast tenderness. Dr. Friedman will measure the estradiol after starting a person on testosterone and if the estradiol is high, he would add a medicine called Arimidex which blocks the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. He usually gives 1 mg pills, 1/2 pill twice a week, and makes sure the estradiol comes down.
Testosterone gets converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which if high, can lead to prostate growth and/or hair loss. If that happens and DHT is above the normal range, Dr. Friedman would give finasteride to block the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Finasteride comes as a more expensive 1 mg pill or less expensive 5 mg pill. Dr. Friedman usually prescribes the 5 mg pill, and the patient can take 1/2 pill of that twice or 3 times a week. He would monitor the DHT levels.
Dr. Friedman also monitors CBC and PSA when he gives the testosterone. If the PSA goes up, the testosterone dose might need to be reduced or the patient can go on the finasteride which helps decrease the conversion to DHT in conjunction with the PSA. If the PSA is quite high, Dr. Friedman will stop the testosterone.
Patients on testosterone can also get a high hematocrit which can lead, if left high, to blood clots and strokes. A hematocrit above 51% is concerning. The best remedy for this is for the patient to donate blood to the Red Cross. There are no restrictions on blood donation if the patient is on testosterone, and this is accomplishing a good deed for society and also helping the patient's health.
If you are considering testosterone or are on testosterone and want to take advantage of Dr. Friedman's expertise in this area, please do not hesitate to make an appointment or visit his website at goodhormonehealth.com.
af am ar az be bg bn bs ca cs da de el en-AU en-GB en-IN es es-ES es-US et eu fa fi fr fr-CA gl gu hi hr hu hy id in is it iw ja ka kk km kn ko ky lo lt lv mk ml mn mr ms my nb ne nl pa pl pt pt-BR pt-PT ro ru si sk sl sq sr sr-Latn sv sw ta te th tl tr uk ur uz vi zh zh-CN zh-HK zh-TW zu
Permission
CAMERA autofocus WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE MOUNT_UNMOUNT_FILESYSTEMS ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE INTERNET BILLING MANAGE_DOCUMENTS READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
Permission
CAMERA: Required to be able to access the camera device. OTHER: Allows mounting and unmounting file systems for removable storage. Allows applications to access information about networks. Allows applications to open network sockets. Allows an application to manage access to documents, usually as part of a document picker. STORAGE: Allows an application to write to external storage. Allows an application to read from external storage.
Min Sdk
15
Min Sdk
Android 4.0.3、4.0.4 (ICE_CREAM_SANDWICH_MR1)
Target Sdk
26
Target Sdk
Android 8.0
Multi Window
No
Supports Screens
small, normal, large, xlarge
Cpu
arm64-v8a armeabi armeabi-v7a x86
Open Gl Int
0
Supports Any Density
Yes
Densities
120, 160, 240, 320, 480, 640, 65534, 65535
Uses Features
Touchscreen hardware features: The app uses the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) telephony radio system. The app uses the device's basic two-point multitouch capabilities, such as for pinch gestures, but the app does not need to track touches independently. This is a superset of the android.hardware.touchscreen feature.
Uses Not Features
Camera hardware features: The app uses the device's back-facing camera. Devices with only a front-facing camera do not list this feature, so use the android.hardware.camera.any feature instead if your app can communicate with any camera, regardless of which direction the camera faces. The app uses the autofocus feature that the device's camera supports.
We've all been through a tough time over the last 18 months, here's one way you can help Recovery...
If, unfortunately, you're feeling down, or stressed, writing a journal can really help. Expressing your thoughts in a safe, confidential place, can help regain a bit of balance and perspective.
Writing a journal, or "journaling" as it's referred to these days, is a recognised approach for dealing with stress. Follow the link below to find ideas on using journaling for depression, anxiety and stress:
And if you decide journaling might be for you, why not treat yourself to a beautiful, unique notebook in which to capture your thoughts?
Either way, I hope you feel better soon.
A handy, pocket size, sketch book, made with coptic stich binding and fun, multi-coloured paper for the cover. It is stitched with waxed red linen thread and matching elastic to hold the book closed - enabling you to keep slips of paper in side.
Coptic stitch binding enables you to lay the book flat, ideal for sketching or journalling across the pages. This enables you to create A6 or A5 drawings.
Traditionally hand bound with 8 signatures (64 pages, or 128 sides) in white, quality acid free drawing paper 130gsm.
The 100% Irish linen thread is waxed with bees wax from my own Cornish bees. Gold eyelets give the book a touch of class and add to the robustness of the book, aiding its' longevity.
I love book binding and exploring different materials and how they come together. This little sketchbook came about from a chat with another maker of Folksy - a very talented artist, telling how she liked to carry a small sketchbook wherever she went, it was A6 but as it was spiral bound she could only use it in that size, whereas with my coptic stitch books she would be able to lay it flat and draw across the the two pages in A5 format.
This item will be posted to you by BeauBooks within 3 days of receiving payment.
You have 14 days, from receipt, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item.
Unless faulty, the following types of items are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements; items which deteriorate quickly (e.g. food), personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken; digital items.
Please note that if your order is being posted outside mainland UK, you (or the recipient) may have to pay customs or VAT charges and a handling fee. The seller is not responsible for any charges or fees that may incur.
While we would love to take our watercolor block with us wherever we go, there are simply just some scenarios where a sketchbook would be a better fit.
In today's guide we are going to review the best watercolor sketchbooks that will perfectly complement both your watercolors and active lifestyle.
You see, the perfect sketchbook isn't just determined by the paper that's within (although that's incredibly important), nor is it judged by the material of which the book was bound, instead it's a combination of several factors.
From our research, we found that the Pentalic Aqua Journal displayed many of the key features you need in order to get great results (brush clip, back flap storage, sturdy cover, and an uncompromising paper weight of 300 gsm).
How This Guide To Discovering The Perfect Watercolor Sketchbook Has Been Organized
First starters we deep dive into the reviews.
There you will find an in-depth analysis of some great (and not so great) watercolor sketchbooks. While some of the sketchbooks we reviewed are the market leaders (based on our research of various forums and review data), we also looked at some smaller brands as well.
After the reviews, we put together an appendix section that goes over in detail some of the key components you should always be looking out for when selecting a watercolor sketchbook.
Unlike your standard sketchbook that may be designed for graphite, charcoal, or some form of mixed media, watercolor sketchbooks are completely unique in their own right and require very key components in order to serve the watercolorist well.
Here's a summary of what we will be covering:
Summary Of All The Best Watercolor Sketchbooks
Here is a brief table that compares all the sketchbooks that we reviewed:
Name
GSM
Sheets
Price
Moleskine Watercolor Sketchbook
200
36
$$
Global Art Materials Watercolor Sketchbook
200
30
$
Pentalic Aqua Journal
300
24
$$
Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor Journal
300
24
$$
Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Journal
300
15
$$$
Fabriano Hardcover Watercolor Journals
200
30
$$$
Cachet Mixed Media Artist Travel Book
220
40
$$$
Why Should You Trust Us
Unlike other companies that review several different products categories both related to art and not, we are artists here to serve you and only you, the artist.
We understand what makes a product good (such as a watercolor sketchbook) compared to one that simply misses the mark.
We did not get paid directly by any of the companies mentioned in this guide.
Therefore, you can expect to read our candid thoughts about each one of the sketchbooks and why they may or may not work for you.
To learn more on how we operate, please visit our privacy and terms page (also listed at the bottom of every page on this site).
Reviews of The Best Watercolor Sketchbooks
1. Moleskine Watercolor Sketchbook
Unlike some paper companies that have been around for over 500 years (see Arches – makers of fine watercolor paper), Moleskine is the relatively new kid on the block.
Created in 1997, Moleskine has quickly become one of the most popular names in the stationary world.
Makers of diaries, notebooks, and yes, watercolor sketchbooks, their products are often highly revered by anyone who uses them regularly.
But what really sets the Moleskine watercolor sketchbook apart from the rest of the entrants on this list?
The incredibly smart design.
With a spine that opens nearly completely flat, you can concentrate easily on your painting rather than managing pages that want to close shut.
But it gets better:
One of the best (and perhaps underrated) features of this book is the back pouch that is affixed to the back cover.
Able to easily store small and compact supplies (i.e. a few small watercolor tubes or a very thin watercolor pan set), you can keep everything contained when you go out to make your watercolor sketch.
There is a downside though:
Unlike some of the other watercolor sketchbooks featured in this guide, the Moleskine paper does come in a bit light.
Instead of the standard 300 gsm we are so accustomed to in our traditional watercolor paper, the weight of the pages in this book are a light 200 gsm.
This means that wet on wet paintings may be a bit too much for the backbone on this paper.
While you shouldn't expect bleeding between the pages, do expect some minor warping to occur as we found in our tests:
However, if you plan on doing light sketch work, the 200 gsm still should be more than sufficient.
Lastly, the one other feature that we really liked about this sketchbook was the elastic band. It's firm grip on the front and back cover shouldn't lose its strength with age.
Not only will it help to counteract the warping, but will keep all your pages in crisp shape.
Bottom Line
The Moleskine watercolor sketchbook, while light in its paper weight, makes up in its smart design as sketchbook made with the watercolorist in mind. Surely worth the increased cost compared to others reviewed.
2. Global Art Materials Watercolor Sketchbook
What Global Art Materials (GAM) really brings to the table with their watercolor sketchbook is the options available for watercolorists.
While many companies just make one variant of the watercolor sketchbook, GAM offers 5 different varieties:
Large landscape (5.25" x 8.25")
Large portrait (8.25" x 5.25")
Square (8.25" x 8.25")
Grand portrait (10.5" x 8.25")
Pocket panorama (3.25" x 8.25")
Furthermore, all the above options come at varying price points as well.
Not only will this give you options to fit your preferred sketch style (i.e. the pocket panorama is perfect for landscapes whereas the large portrait could be great for city scapes with towering buildings), but its compact size allows you to bring several with you while on the road.
When looking at the paper, you are going to see a lot of similarities with the Moleskine Watercolor Sketchbook we reviewed above.
Rated also at 200 gsm, this notebook will be apt for sketches rather than washes or other wet on wet techniques.
Expect to see some slight buckling or warping on the pages that get a bit too wet. Also worth noting is that the paper does have enough weight to ensure that the watercolor doesn't seep through to the other pages.
Regarding the manufacturing process of the paper, GAM states that this paper is cold pressed and should have ample texture that will quickly absorb your watercolors.
Lastly, the GAM line of watercolor sketchbooks feature a clear plastic back pocket. While not as elegant as other sketchbooks we looked at, it can help to store loose leaf paper and other notes that you may make while out in the field.
Bottom Line
The number of sizes that are offered by this watercolor sketchbook are one of its biggest selling points. The cold pressed 200 gsm paper quality will perform well under most conditions.
3. Pentalic Aqua Journal
One of the few 300 gsm watercolor sketchbooks available on the market, this line of products by Pentalic are meant with warm reception from the watercoloring community.
But not only is their 300 gsm a rare feature not found in most watercolor sketchbooks, Pentalic offers their watercolor sketchbooks in a variety of sizes:
Small Landscape (3.5" x 5.375")
Square (5.5" x 5.5")
Medium Landscape (5" x 8")
Large Landscape (7" x 10")
Full Landscape (8.5" x 11")
Therefore, you will be able to select the perfect sketchbook to fit your needs rather than you conforming to the manufacturers design.
For artists who want to preserve their work long after they finished, the paper contained within the Pentalic line is acid free and holds a neutral pH.
However, from our research we couldn't verify if the sheets were 100% cotton fabric.
Of all the watercolor sketchbooks reviewed in this article, we did find that the Pentalic Aqua Journal rivals the Moleskine when it comes to design.
Like the Moleskin, Pentalic sketchbooks feature an accordion paper pocket on the back cover.
Source: Pentalic.com
This back pocket becomes extraordinary useful when it comes to storing backup brushes, slim watercolor pan sets, and even some notes when painting en plein air.
While the paper gsm sets this sketchbook apart, another detail that brings it a step further is the brush loop that is on the top of the journal.
Able to store a single brush, it makes it even easier to travel with your supplies. While there could be some debate over its usefulness as the bristles of your brush will remain exposed to being frayed or damaged, the thought process given to this sketchbook is amazing.
Bottom Line
An extraordinary watercolor sketchbook that checks all the boxes. It was designed for the watercolorist in mind and shouldn't disappoint in the least. We think this is the best watercolor sketchbook currently available.
4. Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor Journal
Like Arches and Canson, Strathmore has been a staple to the art world for over a century.
Maker of a very wide array of paper, Strathmore will be one of the most familiar names on this list when it comes to art supplies – especially for beginners.
The 400 Series Watercolor Journal by Strathmore carries on this legacy in many ways.
Most notably, this journal carries the 300 gsm paper weight that seasoned watercolorists seek. It's unwavering and unbuckling design will make it apt for wet on wet paintings that display beautifully.
However, unlike the 500 series of Strathmore papers that are derived from 100% cotton, purists out there may find the reliance on a wood pulp in this journal to be slightly lacking.
But given that it comes in an extremely affordable price point, many artists will easily give Strathmore a pass.
While the acid free 300 gsm paper weight is a sought-out feature by watercolorists, another less talked about benefit of this paper is going to be its binding.
With some watercolor sketchbooks, the artist will find themselves constantly dealing with pages trying to return to their natural closed state. To counteract this, you must rely on a weight to keep the surface fully flat.
We were happy to note that the binding of this Strathmore, while not ringed, is smyth-sewn which allows it to rest nearly completely flat – allowing you to focus on your painting rather than the book itself.
For watercolorists seeking form factor variety, Strathmore offers up their sketchbook in the following sizes:
Landscape (8" x 5.5")
Portrait (7.75" x 9.75")
Both of which come in a soft velvet-like cover bound.
While this journal is advertised as having 48 pages, there are actually only 24 sheets in the book itself. Therefore, if you paint regularly you may want to pick up a few when checking out.
Bottom Line
A reliable watercolor journal from a trusted name in the art world. The 300 gsm will be perfect for watercolors.
Other Watercolor Sketchbooks Reviewed
Winsor & Newton Journal
Fabriano Watercolor Journal
Chacet Mixed Media Journal
Why Watercolor Paper Weight Is Important When Selecting A Sketchbook
Chances are that if you are looking to buy a new watercolor sketchbook, you are likely already familiar with watercolor paper that comes in sheet or pad form.
As we talked in great detail in our review of the best watercolor papers, we stressed the importance of paper weight.
Too light of a watercolor paper will be susceptible to warping when the piece dries.
Secondly, if you are a watercolorist that likes to start with an initial layer of a wash, this warping will be much more pronounced.
Therefore, when selecting a watercolor sketchbook, you will want to look out for ones that have a paper weight of at least 300 gsm (or 140lb).
We and many other watercolorists have found that this weight is sufficient for most artists.
Now if you plan on just painting quick studies or light sketches in your book without the additional wash layer, then a sketchbook like the Moleskin Watercolor Album that has a 200 gsm should be plenty sufficient.
Nearly All Watercolor Sketchbooks Are Cold Pressed
Unlike selecting watercolor paper for your studio, you will quickly find that your options are limited when deciding on a production method for your watercolor sketchbook.
While there are three main categories of production methods:
Hot Pressed
Cold Pressed
Rough
Nearly all sketchbooks that exist on the market fall into the cold pressed category. Cold pressed watercolor sketchbooks will exhibit the rougher texture that is perfect for watercolors.
In addition, their high absorbency pages will ensure that the pigment and water doesn't leak through to the other pages within your book.
For watercolorists who are looking for a hot pressed watercolor paper, you will have to substitute and go with a mixed media pad that has ample weight to it.
While not reviewed for this article as it goes beyond the scope of selecting a proper watercolor sketchbook, we would recommend checking out a product like the Bellofy Mixed Media Sketchpad.
Now for those watercolorists that love rough or handmade watercolor paper that has the traditional deckle edges, then our best suggestion will be to make it yourself.
Here is a wonderful video we discovered in our research that should serve as a comprehensive guide to making your own DIY watercolor sketchbook:
The Role Of Watercolor Sketchbooks In An Artists Life
While watercolor sketchbooks may be used by some as a primary surface for their watercolors, it bears repeating that these are secondary surfaces.
A properly stretched watercolor paper that has ample weight will always out perform a watercolor sketchbook.
However, unlike the large watercolor blocks or pads that are confined to the four walls of your studio, watercolor sketchbooks are great for plein air painting.
Whether you become a fixture at your local coffee shop, sit on the steps of your local city hall, or simply want to capture the essence of your weekend hike, watercolor sketchbooks are great for these scenarios.
Alternatives For Watercolor Sketchbooks
While watercolor sketchbooks provide unparalleled portability, if you find it just too restraining from either a scale perspective or that washes become more difficult due to warping, then we would suggest taking a look at a smaller watercolor block.
Watercolor blocks, unlike sketchbooks, are glued at all edges ensuring that the paper remains stretched until you decide to peel or cut it free (as demonstrated in the diagram below):
We would recommend going with the Canson Montval watercolor block for this scenario.
Not only does the paper come in block form, but it's also is 300 gsm and is only 4" x 6" – extremely comparable to all the other sketchbooks mentioned in this guide.
Also worth noting is that the Canson Montval comes with only 15 sheets of paper. Therefore, it won't be too bulky to paint on.
Where To Buy Watercolor Sketchbooks (Online & Locally)
By and far the best option to purchase a watercolor sketchbook will be online.
The largest online retailers including Amazon, DickBlick.com and Jerry's Artarama provide countless choices for you to select from.
When shopping locally, we found that the big box craft stores had surprisingly very little variety when it came to watercolor sketchbooks.
However, we were able to get our hands on the Moleskin Watercolor Sketchbook at a local Staples (albeit for a few extra dollars when compared to the prices we found online).
As you may already be familiar, some local mom and pop art stores around your area may also have a few options for you to browse – be sure to call ahead before visiting to make sure.
This here is my Lego "A Christmas Carol", which I got as a Christmas present to my delight. In the run-up to Christmas this year we sat down each evening in the living room and read A Christmas Carol, which we'd never actually done before, aloud with hot chocolate and cookies and mince pies. I found it hard to read aloud with my mouth full of mince pie but I gave it a go, it's what Dickens would have wanted. Dickens really stuck faithfully to the original Muppets version which was nice to see. While reading Scrooge's voice I managed somehow to avoid doing a Michael Caine voice, and instead did something more along the lines of Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's Old Gits. We always watch the Muppets version on Christmas Eve, for us it's the best one, and of course the Blackadder Christmas Carol. I like the Albert Finney one too. This Lego set then was a really nice surprise and I made it straight away to put on the shelf. I drew this (deciding not to add the colour) on January 6th, traditional last day of Christmas, after finally turning off the endless news of the bloody awful events at the Capitol. I still can't really gather my thoughts on that as it feels like we don't really know where this is going, but it's so depressing. At times like this, getting the sketchbook out and furiously scribbling away feels like the best way to get through it. I have Lego to build though. I did start making a Christmas themed Lego animation but I was struggling to find the time to work on it (despite hardly ever leaving the house, it's finding the 'mental' time) and now I'm putting the Christmas Lego sets away. But here is one final festive image for you, Han Solo on a tauntaun.
SPOILER ALERT!! I loved Avengers [SPOILER]! It was a great way to [SPOILER] [SPOILER] years of Marvel [SPOILER]. When [SPOILER] flew in and [SPOILER] [SPOILER] in like the first ten minutes I was like, WT[SPOILER]! And what about [SPOILER] going all [SPOILER], eh, didn't see that coming. I loved the [SPOILER] bit too. I can't keep this up. At some point I will [SPOILER] [OK shut it now Pete] do an actual spoiler-filled post about Avengers, using the power of Lego to illustrate my points, and then maybe one about Star Wars, I've been meaning to Talk About That for a long time. Maybe I need to do a Playmobil-knight illustrated discussion of Game of Thrones. Did you watch that last episode, the penultimate one, the [SPOILER] one where [SPOILER] goes [SPOILER]? I think Danaerys Targaryan should have been told, it doesn't matter, Manchester City beat Brighton anyway. Oh sorry, SPOILER for anyone who hasn't seen the end of the 18-19 Premier League season yet. Anyway, here is a non-spoilery Lego Brickheadz figure of Thanos what I drew. I might go and see Endgame again tonight. I loved it the first time, quickest three hours I've ever spent in a cinema, and I loved it even more the second time.
More Lego sketches! These are the mid-prequel-era Jedi star-fighters of Obi-Wan Kenobi (above) and Anakin Skywalker (below). The Obi-Wang ship actually comes with a huge 'hyperspace ring' (because one-man fighters this small don't have space for an internal hyperdrive). I like the simple, sleek design, like a paper airplane, or a teeny-tiny Star Destroyer. The droid, R4 (or 'Arfour' as in 'Arthur Daily') liked to deal in dodgy motors and go for a drink down the Winchester. One thing always bugged me though. In Attack of the Clones, when Obi-Wan flies one of these to Kamino, Mace Windu orders him to apprehend Jango Fett and bring him back to Coruscant for questioning by the Jedi. But look at that ship! How's he meant to do that? It's not like there's tons of room. Is he going to sit on Obi-Wan's lap? Think, McFly, think!
Anakin's Delta 7B fighter is a similar but not identical design (Obi-Wan's is technically a Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor). The R2 unit sits in front of the cockpit. That must be awkward as you can see, because he's always looking sideways. He's going to be very uncomfortable like that. This ship didn't appear in the movies but turned up in some of the animated media. I wish Lego had designed a more pointed nose but I suppose they didn't want to take kids' eyes out.
Flashback to last year…I drew their later versions, the ones flown in the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith (which were trashed on Grievous's starship). First up is Obi-Wan's red and white (or grey here in Lego), Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor. Yeah I never knew it was called that, I looked it up. Later in the movie, when he flew to Utapau, he had a cool looking blue and white one, but he had to ditch that one too after Order 66. I love this design though, kind of like a B-Wing cockpit and a tie-fighter mixed with a speeder. If I lived in the Star Wars universe, this would be my vehicle of choice, you can keep your Falcons and Slave Ones and X-Wings. Well maybe I'd have this for space and a Snowspeeder for when I'm on-planet. And then there is Anakin's one. He later flew a dark green and grey one, once he started turning to the Dark Side, abandoning his previous love of yellow vehicles. Later on, he only flew in black (or sometimes very very dark grey). You can see how this design could mould into the classic Vader TIE-fighter. I wonder what that would look like in yellow? I bet the Emperor told him he wasn't allowed to paint it yellow, he'd ruin the Empire's whole aesthetic.
Well done Lewis Hamilton on a fifth Formula One World Championship title! (Unfortunately this model of Lego F1 car doesn't have the 'halo', I'll need to add one in)
Since yesterday (January 6th) is the traditional 'take-down-decorations' day I wanted to make sure I posted it by then, as it is technically still in the Christmas period. Then I got flu. I evidently still have it too (I can't taste anything!), well I suppose starving a fever is probably all for the best given how much I ate over Christmas. Not gonna lie, it was a lot of chocolate. And I haven't even opened my Terry's Chocolate Orange yet, I'm saving that for when I can taste things again. So this! This is a Christmassy Lego set that was a lovely addition to our festive get-up this year. I want to add a little bit of festive Lego each year. The train set and village station sets look cool. So, this was my last sketch of 2017. Don't worry, I still have more in the backlog to post (Hawaii!). I didn't get out to do any urban sketching on New Year's Eve (I also had a cold, different from this current flu; come on winter, give me a break!). Speaking of colds, can we stop saying "bless you" after someone sneezes? I stopped a while ago. It feels odd, it's a knee-jerk reaction and you feel rude for not acknowledging someone having sneezed by randomly blessing them like you are some sort of authority on the matter, but it is odd. Ok the real reason is that I have seasonal allergies, and from the period of about March to May I will sneeze a lot, uncontrollably, again and again and again. If we ever have the Spring Olympics I could represent Great Britain in the consecutive sneezing event. When someone gets to the third "bless-you" you really want them to stop, your magical blessing is clearly having no effect. Beyond that, it's like, if you must, can you do it at the end like a package of blessings? And what exactly are you blessing me for? I remember being at a baseball game and I had a sneezing fit. People all around were blessing me, and frankly it was embarrassing. After sneeze five they were all laughing like someone sneezing in April is really hilarious (to be fair, it was probably more entertaining than the baseball). And again, and again, and again. I couldn't get out to the garlic fries stand quickly enough. Yeah being laughed at by a crowd of strangers just for having allergies is so enjoyable. The blessings don't work guys, just stop it okay!
This is a fun Lego set. I used it for a brief stop-motion animation which I played at our holiday party at work, I think people enjoyed it. I am still making those, I have a lot of ideas but little time to play with them. I may be overdoing the Lego in fact, but it's so much fun. Goodbye, festive season. Until next year.
Yeah, I know. I haven't called, I haven't written, to be fair I haven't sketched that much either, but this is the longest I've neglected my regular sketchblog since I started doing it. A mixture of being super busy (which was stressful) and being super in Hawaii (which was nice). And suddenly it is December! And I have drawn my son's 2017 advent calendar (pictures soon). I've also watched and enjoyed Thor Ragnarok and, yes, even Justice League. And it is appropriate then that the first entry in this very long series of sketches you are about to see is of the Flash, who for me was a lot better than I expected him to be. Here he is. Oh right, I should explain. This is a series of drawings I did for "Inktober" 2017. What is that? Inktober is a series of prompts given out at the start of October to encourage people to draw one thing every day based on the prompt, but in ink. For 2017 they were: Swift, Divided, Poison, Underwater, and loads more. You can see the list at http://mrjakeparker.com/inktober/. Or just keep on reading and looking….
Number 2 is "Divided", and it's pretty obvious what is going on here. Iron Man has dropped Cap's shield while he figures out a way to divide his collection of mugs between those suitable for tea and those for coffee.
Number 3 is "Poison". Now technically Venom isn't poison, but when you are writhing in agony after a rattlesnake bites you the last thing you want it some eejit coming along correcting your grammar.
Number 4 is "Underwater". The Little Mermaid tends to live underwater, except for that time when she was banished for being Unworthy and couldn't lift her mighty jewel.
Perhaps I should explain all of these. So my theme for my Inktober sketches was Lego minifigures, of which I have quite a few, mostly Marvel and Star Wars, and I love to sketch them, animate them, hide them from felines. Also, I decided that while this was all about ink drawings, I would nevertheless colour them in with some watercolour paint as well because "whatever, I do what I want". This one is Falcon, who has very long wings.
Ninjago had to get in here, huh. This is Lloyd, number 6, and yes he actually has two swords. I know the one he is holding behind his back looks a bit odd but that was the pose, get over it. Ninjas gotta ninja.
Seven is 'Shy'. Now I think Mr Lego Movie man is just a few days shy of his birthday and is freaking out about it. I did include the Palm Tree because of that whole thing with coconuts and shy, but it was, look I don't know how coconuts work. The barrel seemed important.
I love this minifigure. He's a dandy highwayman, without the dandy. Crooked as a barrel of snakes. I couldn't use that because I didn't want to repeat the barrel theme.
The rat is behind him and we are looking down at a slight elevation. He isn't floating at his waist. The banana is bendy which will please the brexit lot. This is a pirate though who was probably pretending it was a pistol. He is screeching by the way because One Direction are on TV and he is excited as fuck. His vest was made by the same tailor that clothes Dennis the Menace (the British one from the Beano, who had the dog Gnasher, not the American one, who isn't really a menace, Mr Wilson just needs to chill out a bit) (fun fact! I was in the official Dennis the Menace fan club) (fun fact! Darth Maul, who is also sometimes called Dennis the Phantom Menace, painted his face red and black in honour of Dennis the Menace's famous jumper. He couldn't do the hair because of the horns, but he did always refer to Naboo as Gnaboo, a reference only he understood) (he also used to call the Jedi "softies" and his secret nickname for Qui-Gon Jinn was "Walter")
Number 10. "Gigantic". Thanos would win this, wouldn't he. Wouldn't he? Well no, according to Deadpool vs Thanos by Tim Seeley, Deadpool definitely outdeaths the big purple chinned one. By the way, that trailer released this week, yes I am a little bit excited. I just hope Thanos finds his hat! He's probably looking for it, that's the plot of the film.
Number 11 is "Run" and who better than Batman running to represent "Run"? It just needs Rodney to run alongside him now, like in that really old tv show. Thing is why is he running away from the batlight? Maybe he was just there and is off on his mission now, that is it. "So Batman," coughs Commissioner Gordon. "Two-Face's bank robbery is at the other end of the city. How are you going to get there? Batwing? Batmobile? Batcycle? Batportation?" "Ok, first of all," growls Batman, "it's 'The Bat Man' now, or just 'Bat of Gotham', right. Got that? And you are now Co-Missioner Gordon, because you are my co-person on my missions now, not The Rob-In. Secondly, I am going to run, because that is what Bats do."
I'm so looking forward to the Last Jedi, aren't you? Not long now. Kylo Ren likes to smash things up. Afterwards he feels totally shattered. I get it. I always feel tired whenever I have to talk to people as well. I'm sure his mask doesn't help, having to repeat himself all the time.
Speaking of evil, here is Ultron. Don't tell him that his name would be a good name for a washing powder. Danny Baker doing the adverts, "choose Ultron Prime, gets your metals greyer than grey". This is teeming by the way not because they are teaming up (I can spell you know, occasionally) but because they are teeming, like insects, but in this case they are murder-bots. "This place is teeming with murder-bots, let's go to Wetherspoons instead." (By the way, I'd take a city falling from the sky teeming with murderous robots over an evening in a Wetherspoons any day)
Not sure about the red and white saltire, I think it was supposed to be X-Men related. This is the Wolverine, also known as the Logan. He is definitely fierce. He is also the best there is at what he does and what he does isn't very nice. My wife pointed out though that he really isn't the best there is at what he does, because if he were, he wouldn't keep getting stabbed and shot. That actually makes him pretty rubbish at what he does. I'm like, fair point, but look at his claws. They are cool, even if they aren't how claws work.
Fifteen is the Master of the Mystic Arts himself, Doctor Stephen Strange. In this picture is is singing Peter Andre's hit song Mysterious Girl. That stuff behind him was added in afterwards, he was singing in front of a green screen. Those things on his hands are Magic.
Yeah, Comic Book Guy has a bit of a weight thing going on, I know. Sure, this is a cheap shot, I added the hot dog and soda and donut pieces (all real Lego pieces I do have), for all you know that is a low-calory Linda McCartney sausage, he could be drinking water and that donut could just be a small plate, the comic could be a book of encouragement, and that belly is drawn onto his shirt. So why this for 'fat', then? Because you can't spell 'fate' without 'fat' and he is saying no, I reject my fate, I am not there yet, so 'fat' is just 'fate' but incomplete because he rejects it. That makes sense to me, because it is 1:30am after a busy week, and I am eating Pop Tarts.
Am I going to do this for every one? I've started now so I will, as Magnus Magnusson used to say, Finnish (pretty sure he was Icelandic actually). Black Panther is pretty graceful. I can't wait for his movie, and he was great in Civil War. WAKANDAAAAA!!!! Actually I decided against the Pop Tarts. I am not accepting my fat.
One from the Lego Death Star (which by the way I have, and it is awesome). This is when they fall down the garbage chute and into the trash compactor. Hey have you heard of Palette Swap Ninja? It's this thing on Youtube where someone has taken Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and put it against the original Star Wars film, and it totally works. Different words of course (it's called "Princess Leia's Stolen Death Star Plans"), and the one from this scene is Lovely Rita Meter Maid, renamed as "Dianoga Sewer Snake". Love it!
Number 19 was Cloud so we had to go to our favourite floating city in the sky, the imaginatively named Cloud City. I laugh at that but other cities have names that are also obvious, in their original (often lost) languages. London for example may have come from an old British term meaning the Hill by the Pool, Canada comes from a word meaning 'village', and Venice comes from the words 'Very Nice'. That London one is disputed by the way, but that's what I used to tell people in my old bus tour guide days as one possible explanation referring to Tower Hill, by the section of Thames called the Pool of London. I wonder if Boba Fett, when he dropped off the frozen Solo at Jabba's palace, was all cracking up, saying "and then he goes, "I know"! Hahahaha! I'm totally using that one!" Jabba and Bib and that horrible little monkey thing are all rolling about laughing, they can't even pick up the carbonite because they are laughing so much.
20 is another Ninjago one, this is Sensei Wu, who as all masters do, says deep stuff. I can totally relate.
21, this is Nick Angry from the Avengers movies. He has a flying car, like any badass should.
22 is "trail", so here is a man with a map looking a bit lost. Reminds me of 17 year old Pete in the Outward Bound excursion in Cumbria, that was an experience. I was not a great navigator but I quite enjoyed being out in the wilderness. Well, the countryside, it was Cumbria, not the Canadian Rockies. Cumbria can be pretty rugged though, and the midges are about a foot long biting chunks out of your arm when you're trying to sleep.
The connection here was juice as in petrol/gas, that's the best I could do. I love the Formula 1 Lego, and F1 itself too. Glad Hamilton won the title this year, but hope Ferrari give them a juicy old run next year.
Han Solo again, this time coming out of the carbonite and unable to see, and about to be thrown into the Sarlacc, except wait! That's Lando in disguise! Mr Cloud City himself. Tatooine just means 'Sand World'. Luke just means 'farm boy future jedi'. Lando on the other hand is a nickname because he actually hates the land, it's ironic, that's why he liked living in the clouds. It's 2:10am and I wish I had had those pop tarts now.
Come on, this is the only ship that matters. But what's this? Captain Hook has stolen the Millennium Falcon! He stole it from Unkar Plutt, who stole it from the Irving Boys, who stole it from Ducain, who stole it from Han Solo. "Would you get going, you pirate!"
Squeak, well here are two of our favourite mice ever, unfortunately I drew them looking totally spaced out. Why Mickey is shirtless I didn't ask.
Spider-man! Or 'Spider of Queens'! I LOVED 'Homecoming'. Here he is climbing Avengers Tower. Little does he know, there is an elevator. Phil Coulson uses it in the first Avengers movie, eagle-eyed viewers will remember.
"With style" yes, yes that's the reference. That's what I say, "oh it's not Winter, it's just Fall with Style"
Awww. They are back together. I always imagine them singing like Annie and Daddy Warbucks at the end of that film, I forget what it's called, Orphan with Dog or something. "Together at last, together for-ev-errr". Get this man a shield.
"Found". "Just lying in the desert". "Fell of the back of a spaceship". "Ben Kenobi said I could have it, m'lud".
And finally, #31. Mask. Because Luke tries to mask his obvious displeasure at seeing his father is all bald, he is thinking, oh man when I'm his age I'm probably going to be all bald too. Little did he know the opposite would be true, he's totally hairy, stuck out on that island. Just two weeks until The Last Jedi! But for now it is 2:30am and I hope you have enjoyed this little pictorial story of a month.
Two of my favourite things rolled into one: Lego and Formula 1. This is the Ferrari SF-16H (new Lego toy but last season's car, which wasn't as fast as this year's but didn't have that big shark's fin). I was so excited for this F1 season to begin, and now it has I'm even more excited. I can see it being a properly epic season, hopefully with battles between teams rather than the old 1-2 finishes from the fastest team's drivers. Hamilton vs Vettel! Verstappen! Ricciardo! Watching the podium after the Chinese Grand Prix, they just all looked so happy. Much better than the tantrums and hat-throwing. I don't know, I just want to see great competition, and watch the cars and hear the roar of the engines. I have a few other F1 Lego cars, and I might even draw them too. GO GO GO!
More Star Wars Lego (and this ain't the last of it). This is the AT-ST, otherwise known as the Scout Walker. Not Scott Walker as my autocorrect would say. "the Twin Suns Ain't Gonna Shine Any More". This is the one from Rogue One, seen briefly unless you were looking at your popcorn or literally blinking. It's the same as the ones seen in Return of the Jedi, the ones famously useless at dealing with rolling logs. This vehicle will always remind me of getting run over at age 7 by a van outside my house.
I was playing with my friends Natasha and Simon in our narrow street, my Star Wars figures all over the doorstep. We crossed over the street to see if our friends Robert and Victoria wanted to come out and play. They couldn't; they had family visiting. Ok we said and turned to dash back over to our side of the street. My street was narrow, but cars parked on one side meant it was hard to see oncoming traffic. I was first, so I stepped into the street and woke up on the couch, covered in blood with crying and panic all around. I vaguely remember the impact knocking me out, seeing a big white blur. I think the van was white. It was probably going too fast, but it hit me head first so I have no idea. I was lucky. I spent the night in hospital, and all I had was a big beaten-up face and a black eye. But I got a new Star Wars toy as a present, which was the old Kenner AT-ST Scout Walker – Return of the Jedi had come out a few months before and was pretty much my favourite thing in the world. I remember my older sister playing with it with me, creating a terrain on the carpet by putting a blanket over several other items to create hills. There was a button on the back to make it walk. I did have an Ewok with a little glider that dropped boulders on it, as well as the Biker Scout on the Speeder Bike (which would 'explode' by pressing a little button on the back). My tortoises had a little brick 'hut' in the back garden I would pretend was the Imperial Bunker (the tortoises didn't mind at all, I think they enjoyed being part of the story). All of this, I think of when I see the AT-ST! Hardly a trauma. I remember people asking for a couple of months afterwards, "who hit you?" It was a van, don't worry about it. My school photos from 1983 showed a lot of scabbing and a redness in my eye. I did miss a couple of days of school. Ironically, one of my best friends in class, Wayne, also got run over on the exact same day in a separate incident. (Conspiracy theorists of 1983, get on that!). I think he was hit by a taxi. He was out of school for longer than me though, because he had broken his leg. I remember Wayne, we used to play chess and talk about animals and politics; he loved running and was good at football, he supported Everton, we both liked Sampdoria. His family were Jamaican and when he went over to Jamaica when we were 9 or 10 he brought me back this thing called a 'Jamaican Yo-Yo' and incredibly I STILL have it. I should find it and sketch it sometime.
This was a fun set to build, and comes with (among others) Baze Malbus, the dude with the massive blaster in Rogue One who is friends with Chirrut Imwe. Those two were cool.
I still have a lot of Star Wars Lego sketches to show you, but here is one of my favourites so far, of the beloved Lego AT-AT. My son used to call these the "Garbage Trucks" when he was smaller, which makes sense given the sounds they make. It's a remarkably solid construction (except the head, that tends to fall apart more easily than I'd like, I may have to reinforce it a bit) and filled with snowtroopers, who are probably my favourite stormtroopers. I've actually framed this and put it on the wall, in case it's not clear I like Star Wars and Lego. Drawing objects like this are a good lesson in perspective. Drawn on Stillman and Birn 'Alpha' paper with brown-black uni-ball signo um-151 pen and coloured with watercolour paint.
The X-wing is a legendary fighter, it's the Spitfire of the Galactic Civil War. Before that, though, there was the great Clone War, when Jedi and Clone fought Droid and shadowy Sith. There were apparently heroes on both sides, and evil everywhere, according to the opening crawl of Revenge of the Sith, which is a classic case of unreliable narrator, or at the very least unhelpful internet commenter reporting galactic crises. "The Sith Lords are evil, murder children, and employ millions of armed robots while plotting to overthrow the government of the universe" "Yeah, but both sides are just as bad, so." Turns out Evil Actually was All Around, as the Chancellor ended up being the Sith Lord (spoiler alert) and those lovely friendly Clones turned out to have secret brainwashing that turned them against their Jedi chums whenever someone mentioned Order 66. Imagine going to a Taco Bell or somewhere with one! "66! Your order is ready. Order 66? Order -noooo!! Don't shoot the Jedi!! Noooooooo!!!!" I did like their fighters though, the two-man ARC Fighter, seen in the opening battle of Sith. It's like they said, let's have a bit of everything. It's not an X-Wing, but meant to be a clear predecessor. "Lock S-Foils in Attack Position."
Which brings us to the classic. THIS is the X-Wing. Four engines, astromech, four big cannons, proton torpedoes, shaky cockpit, good ol' pilot. These small one-man fighters took on the first Death Star. This is another micro-fighter which is about the right size for a speedy run down a narrow trench to find an exhaust port. Hah, stupid Empire not noticing that obvious design flaw, who designed that thing, what was he thinking, it's almost like he did it deliberately. Of course it was originally thought up well before the Clone War by the Geonosians who didn't have X-Wings in mind but, well, a lot of stuff went on after that, lot of cooks spoiling the broth (if the broth could destroy planets). Luke had the X-Wing. Red Five. I've already established Luke is the best, and for this reason, his X-Wing is the best one. Though I do love Porkins.
Which brings us on to the Resistance/First Order era. the X0-wings of the resistance had those engines that split down the middle for some reason, being based on original designs for the X-Wing from before Star Wars was made. these are the original originals. Otherwise they are the same design, except the wings overlap differently. Poe Dameron was the best pilot, but ol' Nien Numb, Lando's buddy, flew one as well. That scene in The Force Awakens when the Resistance X-Wings skim across the lake on Takodana, causing the First Order to wet their white-armored pants, is one of my favourite moments in the movie. Those magnificent men in their flying machines, they went up-diddly-up-up and they went down-diddly-own-down. Now I love the prequels and all, but it's only really Star Wars if there are X-wings vs Tie-Fighters.
However I don't just want to show off my obvious Good Guy bias here, so here is something else from the prequel era. The Vulture Droid, or "Variable Geometry Self-Propelled Battle Droid, Mark I" as nobody calls it, wasn't a starship but a flying battle droid that could actually walk and move its head around. The Lego toy though has a battle droid that you put inside it. This first appeared in The Phantom Menace as the main bad-guy fighter facing off against the Naboo Fighter, and wasn't called a Vulture Droid until Revenge of the Sith. I was never a big fan of this fighter, but I appreciate what the Trade Federation were trying to do. The Bad Guys in the prequels really loved their evil droids, which explains some of the anti-droid sentiment you see in the original trilogy. Now it wasn't just evil robots who supported Count Dooku, not at all. It's just that his was the side that had all the evil robots, and everyone else was just ok with that. It sends a bad message, Dooku, arming yourself with evil robots. Clones that turn evil later was clearly the way to go.
