12 sketches that will bring a smile to your face

An art director and teacher, Don Seegmiller is familiar with pulling something out of nothing – making a blank page turn into a accute characters. Here are some sketches – old and new – that highlight his sketching skills.

01. Ugly Pug

"I was sitting in the park at a little league baseball game and a couple walked by with the ugliest pug dog that I had ever seen. Here is homage to that small but memorable dog."

02. Girl with curly hair

"This image was done more for the hair with all the curls than the girl. Sometimes it's just fun to draw shapes and that was the reason for the hair. The girl was simply supporting cast."

03. Chubby Dragon

"I've been drawing dragons based on characteristics of real animals. This chubby dragon is based on my daughter's bulldog. Not only is he overweight but he sits with his legs in front of him. The skull
is there because everyone knows that dragons eat people – and people think my daughter's dog also eats small children."

04. Man in the large Top Hat

"The idea was to draw a character with a Jekyll and Hyde personality. I wanted to make him creepy without going over the top and making him a monster. I thought a good approach would be to make his smile a sidelong glance and his teeth way too large."

05. Owl

"I like owls: they're fascinating birds. I remember once walking home on a dark trail after a day of fishing and being buzzed by numerous owls on their nightly hunt. I'm sure they were ignoring me and chasing some small furry creature, but their paths were close enough to me to be startling. Their flight is absolutely soundless."

06. Hat and Feather

"Another sketch without any real reason for its creation. It's just some ugly guy with a big nose and an even bigger hat."

Next page: six more sketches that will bring a smile to your face...