yoda

bib fortuna

sketchbook page

he-man part 14

the marquis

self-portraits

sketchbook page

degas bather

jittery

james k. polk

#11 FACTS:

--The K stood for 'Knox', his mother's maiden name.

--Polk is noted for his foreign policy successes. He threatened war with Britain then backed away and split the ownership of the Oregon region (the Pacific Northwest) with Britain. When Mexico rejected American annexation of Texas, Polk led the nation to a sweeping victory in the Mexican–American War, followed by purchase of California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

--During his presidency James K. Polk was known as "Young Hickory", an allusion to his mentor Andrew Jackson, and "Napoleon of the Stump" for his speaking skills.

--He promised to serve only one term and did not run for reelection. He died of cholera three months after his term ended. Polk had the shortest retirement of all Presidents at 103 days. He was the youngest former president to die in retirement at the age of 53.

--It is commonly known that Polk was the first werewolf President.

girl

du8

murder dream

william mckinley

#25 FACTS:

--William McKinley was the last Civil War veteran to serve as U.S. President, as well as the last to serve in the 19th century and first for the 20th century.

--Notable achievements: McKinley made gold the base of U.S. currency; declared war on Spain, sank the Spanish fleet and won the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam as a result; convinced Hawaii to join the United States; and whupped William Jennings Bryan in consecutive Presidential elections.

--On September 6th, 1901, while in Buffalo, NY, attending the Pan-American Expo, McKinley was shot twice by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist from Michigan (Czolgosz was so much of an anarchist that no anarchist groups would let him join them, they all thought he was too dangerous). One bullet deflected off McKinley's ribs, making only a superficial wound.
However, the second bullet hit McKinley in the abdomen, passed completely through his stomach, hit his kidney,damaged his pancreas, and lodged somewhere in the muscles of his back.

The doctors, unable to find the bullet, left it in his body and closed up the wound.
An experimental X-ray machine, which might have helped to find the bullet, was on hand at the exhibition, but for reasons that remain unclear it was not used. (In the following days Thomas Edison arranged for an X-ray machine to be delivered all the way from his shop in New Jersey, but it was never used either). While his condition seemed to improve over the next few days, he suddenly worsened and on September 13th he died from infection and gangrene.

--After McKinley's murder, Congress officially charged the Secret Service with the
physical protection of U.S. presidents.

--If you turn off the lights in your bathroom, face the mirror, and then slowly turn in a circle (always clockwise) while repeating the name 'Leon Czolgosz', the shade of William McKinley will appear and pluck your eyeballs out.

noah cross

Played with creepy perfection by John Huston in Chinatown.

"You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything."

jimmy carter

Did You Know?

--Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital. He was also the first U.S. President to be interviewed by Playboy magazine. Coincidence?

--He has written twenty-one books, which I believe makes him the most prolific author of all U.S. Presidents.

--Was one of only four Presidents who never had the chance to appoint a nominee for the Supreme Court (this could have been avoided if he had simply had Justice Potter Stewart poisoned, to use one example).

--His father, James Earl Carter, engineered a special salve made from an exotic peanut blend and coated young Jimmy's chest with it every night before bedtime. This led to the development of various unexpected super-powers (super-strength, hyper-reflexes, infra-vision, and mind blasts).

stormtrooper

For a Star Wars fanatic I didn't draw much Star Wars stuff as a kid (intimidating).

This is actually the first Stormtrooper I ever drew...the sketch is only two years old...

obi-wan

the candles

Moby Dick, chapter 119: "The Candles"

Ahlrid