Category Archives: It Came From the Sketchbook

Pen+Gear Sketchbooks: Not All Are Winners

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Joe

I’ve been working on notions of what the final scenes of my Teenage Beast story will be like, sketching ideas in my Pen+Gear Sketch Diary. As I have written before, that sketchbook is a gem as far as price and … Continue reading →

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You Can’t Keep a Good Spacefaring Hippie Down!

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Joe

Drifting through the starry void, he felt as one with the cosmos. It was utter harmony and contentment. His shaggy hair floated weightlessly about him, catching glints of light from distant nebula. He pondered the vastness stretching infinitely out in … Continue reading →

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Dixon Ticonderoga UCreate — a Decent Little Sketchbook!

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Joe_Williams

I’ve used UCreate sketchbooks manufactured by Dixon Ticonderoga a couple of times before in recent years, and I have just finished off my third. They are affordably priced and are readily available at Target and Walmart. The quality of the … Continue reading →

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The Frugal Review • The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Joe_Williams

When my wife and co-host of this fabulous site, Tina, calls about a cheap sketchbook she’s found at a big box store, I’ve learned not to question her. I just say, “Buy it!” She’s got a knack for spotting art … Continue reading →

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The Cheapskate Strikes Back!

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Joe_Williams

I was in an art supply store recently to pick up some gift items for a friend, and I thought I would pick up a smallish, mixed media, sketchbook for myself. I was thinking a 7-inch by 10-inch sketchbook would … Continue reading →

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Burn, Baby, BURN! Punk Rock Inferno

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Joe_Williams

I’ve been pouring my heart into Teenage Beast, a punk rock horror story set in the 1980s that’s slowly clawing its way out of my brain and onto the page. Right now, it’s a chaotic mix of notes, half-formed scenes, … Continue reading →

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When does the band go on?

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Joe_Williams

Here is another sketch from my developing Teenage Beast story. The crowd awaits the arrival of Brian Bubonic and the Plague. I drew this with sky blue mechanical pencil leads and Sailor Fude De Mannen fountain pens in a small … Continue reading →

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Larry Hughes, Born to Lose

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Joe_Williams

Before my monster became a monster in Teenage Beast he was a human being. I have a name for him — Larry Hughes — but I wasn’t sure what he was going to look like.

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Punk Rock Girl

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Joe

Although it’s been a while since I have posted drawings on this site, I have still been plugging away in my sketchbooks continuing to make my dirty little marks within them as one of my teachers in art school used … Continue reading →

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