The Blog: News, Works in Progress, Reflections

Illustration of 123 Sesame Street at dusk. THE house of Sesame Street. There's a lot I'm learning. Bert and Ernie live in the garden unit. Elmo lives alone on the ground floor, the human family (who also own the place) on the second, Big Bird in the courtyard next door, and Oscar of course in the can out front. Bert kept a pigeon coop on the roof. I also never appreciated the house itself. Italianate, mid-1800s brownstone, based on those fantastic New York City row homes. 

Will create a limited edition giclée print of this. Contact me and let me know if you are interested.

I made this little illustration of one of the little wonders of the city: The iconic Chicago hot dog stand. Love these spots. Here's my piece. And below the drawing, all the must-haves for any truly authentic Chicago hot dog joint.

1. Painted in super-bright colors. By that I mean red and yellow. Picnic table & an umbrella that matches the building.

2. Called Sammy’s, Marty’s, Charlie's. A name that sounds like someone your grandpa would have a coffee with.

3. Proudly World Famous, Original, Founded circa 1954 or some combination in a fifties-era font.

4. Some relics of the good old days that actually date back to the good old days. For a few examples: a newspaper dispenser, pinball, gumball machine.

5. Some hints of their old logo or old name, maybe on a second sign or inside.

6. On the front of the building, everything on their menu painted in big letters.

7. Inside, a menu with replaceable letters and very bare-bones descriptions, like "Hot Dog -  $3."

8. Vienna Beef logos. Bonus: The Vienna Beef poster with the gigantic hot dog on Navy Pier.

9. Two line cooks with their heads down, working like crazy, radio turned up.

10. Amazing meats and fries, unbelievable cheap, incredibly fast.

This is a bungalow in Mayfair, a neighborhood bordering Albany Park and rich in bungalows. I thought this home was cool because of its Spanish tile roof and dormers. I also thought it was interesting in that the home has its entrance on its broad side. Generally, Chicago bungalows have their front doors on their narrow side--which is part of what makes the Midwestern bungalows unique and distinct from the much broader California bungalows, for one. Enjoy. 

This was made by talented videographer, Jack Brandtman, who has a series of fantastic Chicago-themed videos on his Youtube channel . This is part of his series on Chicago makers. Go support him by watching and subscribing!

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>>Click here for a much larger version of this. 

Here's a look back at a selection of the homes and buildings I drew this past year. It was a great year. Wishing you all the success and happiness you wish for in 2017. 

Here's the link to a vertical scrolling page of home portraits.