Halloween Inspired Pieces

On some occasions, mainly Mondays, I don't have much to do after taking inventory and deep cleaning the entire bar. So I mend my time with drawings that test my imagination and my keep my skills sharp.

This previous Monday, I decided to create a piece aimed at trick or treating. In the original piece you can make out that the dog had on a Darth Vader mask yet when scanned and xeroxed it looks like a black mask. You can also make out the clown on the top leaning out of the front door...




The second piece was inspired a statue posted outside of the Gold Country Casino Buffet. Originally the statue resembled one of the managers within the casino who was reportedly upset about the eerie resemblance, so this year they added a wig. Now it simply looks like that manager with a wig on. Anyways, many of the children who came across this statue are so afraid they run to their parents in fear he will attack them. The pumpkins in the background are inspired by the pumpkins we have in the Piano Bar currently...

The People of Gold Country Casino...

Throughout the years I have worked for Gold Country Casino, I have notoriously drawn quick sketches of some of the more interesting people I have come across from patrons to employees. In the past I had the terrible habit of giving away my work without keeping any record for myself. Since my return back to bartending, these are the most recent.

The first of the sketches was an effort to capture a cashier by the name of Ricardo in all of his glory as his sat in the same spot staring off into the distance for over two hours in the same position. Although he stood almost two hundred feet away, I was able to get most of him right, minus the apron. In fact, he was upset that I added an apron but I swear I saw him wearing one...







The second piece is a sketch completed over twenty minutes of a gentleman whose wife left him to gamble. Prior to leaving for the gaming floor, she made sure to tell me that he was deaf and had dementia as well. She asked me not to let him leave no matter what and as soon as my back turned, he was gone. The entire time he was gone he appeared to have been planning his escape...







The next piece is of the legendary Jerry Harris. Jerry Harris has worked his way through the ranks within the casino as well as within the Oroville area over the years. He plays a huge roll within the Insurance, Benefits, Payroll and Human Resources departments, as well as playing the piano on the weekends in the Piano Bar. He has a huge following and has many stories to tell. There is never a dull moment with him...





The last and final piece is of one of our cocktail servers by the name of Alta. She is from Mexico and her accent is very strong. Working with her is both a gift and a curse. Her voice is soothing and her accent is hypnotizing. When business is slow it's hard not to hang on her word. When business is busy, it's hard to hang on her every word. Something as simple as her ordering a glass of white zinfandel can either be sheer pleasure or a glimpse of hell depending on the occasion...

Pictures From Substitute Teaching at Fairview High...

I had the pleasure of substituting at Fairview High School recently and I am not ashamed to say it was one of the best experiences in my entire life. The students there all worked very diligently. They managed their time wisely and worked harder than any other students in their age group I have worked with in the past. Unlike some of the other high schools I've worked in, none of these students complained about their assignments or about having to work. I was truly impressed. I can't wait to work with them again, hopefully in the near future...

The first of the students I sketched was a young man by the name of Louie, he came in late and doodled on a loose piece of paper as he told stories about his weekend for the entire period. It reminded me of my younger days how I bs'ed through all of class but still was able to complete more than the amount of work assigned...




The second student I sketched was a young gentleman by the name of Ricardo who kept to himself for most of the class. I believe he may have spoken out twice in response to a repeated question. Other than that he was so caught up in his work he couldn't be bothered to become involved in any side conversations...



The last and final of the students I sketched was a young lady by the name of Kylee who came in early and left late. She let her assignment take over her and fell into a zone. She didn't talk with the exception of an introduction and a goodbye. She was amazing with her project she was working on, a coil pot with flawless curves and even width strands without the use of an extruder...

My portfolio cover sheets

As you may well already be aware, I just recently finished up my Multiple and Single subject preliminary credentials through the Tri-Placement Program at CSUC. During my program, I taught in three different classrooms throughout the course oft he school year. I taught from the very first day up until the very last. I even shared a wonderful memory of watching many of my students graduate from high school.

After all of the glitz and glamour was over, I knew I had to get my mind back on track to my priorities and begin prepping what was to serve as my student teaching portfolio for possible future employers. Below are three of the cover sheets I designed based on the existing school logos for each of the respective placements throughout my first year of teaching...

Trimester Three Drawings

Trimester Three Drawings:
Throughout this last and final trimester in the Tri-Placement Profession Preparation Program for Credential Candidates, I have solo taught a great deal as well as partner taught with my Cooperating Teacher. This has seriously cut down on the time that I would have spent creating one of my "doodles." Hence why there are so few for this latest update. Either way, I hope you enjoy them...

Here is a depiction of one of the three supervisors within the Tri-Placement Program.

Here are two of my more ideal settings for the physical layout of my future classroom...

Here's one of my good friends from the program. She's very quiet and seemingly shy.

Here are some of my students during their first portraits session. They were so into the lesson that almost everyone was completely quiet...

Here's a portrait of one of my students I drew during the portrait lesson when she told me it was to hard and that she was never finish. I told her that anyone could draw a portrait with enough practice so she asked where mine was. So I drew this for her...

The next piece is a depiction of a fellow by the name of Bob Callahan. We sat through a seminar on assessment and it is because of some of his techniques that a few of my students had immediate changes in behavior...

This was a quick sketch (30 seconds) I drew during his seminar. Sorry Mr. Callahan. I swear I was listening... The following is a depiction of one of the finest cafeteria workers of all time at her all time best, cooking up soul...

The Inauguration of Barack Obama...

Throughout my second placement there were many activities that took place of much importance. However, none of them compared to the Inauguration of Barack Obama. His swear in was one of the most important events to have taken place in my life and will be valued in a similar way to the students in retrospect...

It became one of the best teachable moments in my own teaching career and all of the students watched the entire ceremony in awe, allowing me to capture it all with my pen...

The Second Placement...

The following pieces depict people, places and events within my second Trimester within the Tri-Placement Preparation Program for future California teachers. Many of these pictures, last the last placement, were created during the first few weeks and at random other points within the placement while getting a feel for the classroom...

This first sketch was drawn during a hard day for the students and teachers in the classroom alike. This meagre cup of coffee served as inspiration for me to not only finish out the day, but to inspire the students to turn things around in their own day as well...

This young lady was very energetic and charismatic beyond belief. Her grandmother was just as exuberant and just as much a character. It was a pleasure to have been able to say that I taught her even if for such a short amount of time: Hailey...

This girl was very rambunctious and wild. I could visualize her future as a teacher more and more with everyday I spent with her in my classroom: Andrea...

The next gentleman was one of the smartest students I have ever been around. he worked at the speed of light and was almost always one hundred percent accurate: Johny...

Here are two young ladies sitting back tentatively listening to the updates during the morning activities each morning in class: Daisy and Hailey...

Here's one student I sketched very quickly while waiting for a response to a Math question I posed: Damon...

Here are two students reading together in pairs during Reading Groups: Angel and Sabrina...

Here was the classroom that became my second home for my second placement: Mr. Harris' Classroom...

The First Trimester...

The First Trimester of the Tri-Placement Preparation Credential Program was full of new experiences. Whenever I had the chance, I sketched everything that took place around me as well as who I experienced it with. The following are sketches of some of the classrooms, children and peers I have worked with while in the Credential Program...

Side note: Not every piece is one hundred percent accurate. I do wear glasses, so be forgiving...

The first two pieces are depictions of a handful of ladies from the program...

Here's the notorious classroom we spent several weeks within for the Case Study assignment. This was a desk in the back of the classroom piled with supplies to the point where it looked like it would break anytime...

Here are some more ladies from the program, Betsy and Stacy...

Here was one of my favorite students from my first classroom placement, Dillon...

Here was a young lady ten times more mature than her age mentally, Franki...

Here's a depiction of Mrs. Lincoln's classroom during an outside observation...

Here's Brigida from the program looking pensive...

Here's a depiction of students carrying out AR Reading...

Here are some students playing with their hair during a series of speeches early on in the year...

Here's the layout of the classroom I taught in from August to November of 2008...

Classroom Art...

Throughout my many years of college, I was not always one hundred percent dedicated to my classes because let's face it, not every class is amazing. Mixed in with the classes you enjoy are classes that seem tedious, monotonous, unimportant and in some cases just flat out boring. It was during these classes that I had to make a decision, desk or paper. Here are a few pieces I felt like saving...

The first is of my Art History class. It was a great class but monotonous because I had learned about many of the pieces while attending classes at Butte College yet those credits didn't transfer...

This next piece I created while learning about a Monet piece followed by a random piece with a forest scene while falling asleep at the same time. Hence the sketchy quality...

This final piece was created in a Psychology class. The sixth class dealing with Vygotsky and Piaget nonetheless...

Words in Pictures...

I hold the old saying to be true that a picture can paint a thousand words, but can a thousand words paint a picture? Look below and find out. Go ahead, count the words and see if I used a thousand. If I didn't email me and let me know. If I did, email me and congratulate me...

Click on the pictures to make them larger to see the words I'm speaking of...

This second selection was a blend of three different people I had in classes with me during my last semester prior to graduating from Chico State. I completed the two pieces while exhibiting signs of OCD in my Art History Class...