El Salvador adventure

I have been off grid, literally. Took two weeks in El Salvador, which is why I haven't posted, no internet. 3 hours from the airport and 45 min. down a dirt road, passing skinny street dogs and fortified walls, finally to arrive, late night at the gate of La Tortuga Verde. But before we get to the sunshine and   sea, I needed to brave the cold of Calgary and get to the airport.

The day I left Calgary.
It was a crazy night of packing. I had just moved out of my studio and still had two days of work before I had a few moments of free time to pack before getting on the airplane. Luckily, I have good friends who offered to drive and pick us up from the airport and to help me out and grab things in a mad rush, all I left with was what I think I needed and a toque for when I come home. I wouldn't miss all this snow and gloom.

The first sunset as seen from the beach.
I really didn't know what I was in for, severely unprepared but ready for adventure. No habla espagnol and yet somehow we got to the edge of the world. People here on average earn $10 per day. They use US funds and don't expect much in the way of tips. Our accommodations are simple and you can't flush the toilet paper in Central America. Instead, you need to put it in the trash bin beside. We sure are privileged in the north.  The view is stunning, facing south, a perfect surf spot, the ocean is not more than 100 meters from my door. It is hot as hell for someone acclimatized to the snow.

Here is the second bird they found on the beach that needed saving.
The hostel that we stayed at has a mission to help save the turtles and other wild life. At La Tortuga Verde their eccentric owner, Tom, has the biggest heart. He is willing to leap out of a boat to help nurse a suffering pelican who may die without assistance. Sometimes the birds knck themselves out when they dive down to catch fish. This surly pelican was starving an unwilling to eat. Its neighbour in the baths they have for turtles and other creatures needing assistance was a pretty messed up seagull. By the end they were grooming themselves and heathy enough to be released back into the wild.

Prepping the boat for adventure.
We had arranged a boat and captain to explore a nearby island near to Honduras and Nicaragua. This group takes a while to get anything done, big numbers usually do, So by the time we were ready we had to drag the boat along palms to get the boat out to where the tide had dropped. We went out on the ocean and even made spit stoop to a local fishing town on the way who had a guarded navy port and very friendly locals. It was quite the leap for me to see how people live in this part of the world, mind blown!

Weighing fish for sale by these fishermen.
On the open sea we pulled up to a few boats to see if the fishermen had any catch for sale. Eventually we got to these guys. If you can believe it, all these fish only cost $10. When we arrive at our deserted island destination we will build a fire and cook these bad boys up.

The gorgeous island destination for lunch time.
We arrived at the island and I began to explore. There is so much garbage washed ashore everywhere I go in El Salvador, the priorities are different here. The landscape is beautiful regardless. I saw many species of bird and some quick scurrying crabs.

They make theses tracks and hide in these burrows along the beach.

Here is one of the beach crabs.
It took a bit but I managed to chase one down and was able to snap a shot. This little dude also went into attack posture which was intimidating irregardless of the massive size difference between us.

Here he is after being run down and caught.

There were all sorts of rocks and shells, and lava formations, birds, trees and cacti on this beach.

Here is the boating party after a large meal of grilled fish and too many Pilsners. 
You can tell who the travellers are and who just came from Canada. This is a lot of people to cram onto such a small boat.

A beautiful view of what turned into a deadly storm.
The ride back was one of the most brutal and terrifying boat rides I could have imagined. Even the local captain didn't think we would make it. The boat lurched in huge swells nearly capsizing. I have no pictures because we were being pelted with cold salty water all the way back. I faced my imminent death as I know if the boat turned over I would not survive. This put a cold calm over me, anticipating my final moments, not such a bad way to go I guess and we certainly came to close too many times to count. Harry was in the back beside a water blinded captain madly bailing out the water filling up the back of the boat. We we lucky all that water didn't stall the engine 'cause that would have been the end. Ray was nearly flung out front eh front as the front of the boat rose and dropped 20 or more feet between swells. I never felt so happy to get home and get out of the boat onto the sandy beach, what a way to spend the day!

frog and a bird but no bees

There is something to it, look again.  Warty skin. Lick this frog and you'll get.........

high, sick and pregnant.

While watching a movie, I usually pull out my sketch book an barely pay attention, instead I like to draw cool stuff. (The film for the frog drawing was 'Elegy' in this case, with Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz followed by the bird and UFC 21 which was by far more engaging.)  I colored these in with Copic markers, The colors are what makes it exciting for me, I am addicted to them.

Tadpoles look like sperm, or do sperm look like tadpoles? 
Either way, I think it is rather silly, visually ;)

I actually drew these on the same page but scanned them separately. I was inspire to draw the bird based on the color match possible between the two drawings, I think they make a nice pair together. But you cant breed a bird and a reptile ;P

It was really great attending the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo yesterday. I picked up a bunch of books to inspire my artistic pursuits, met some rad people and decided to purchase a booth for next year. I am excited to be part of the event and to get some new exposure. And I have a whole new direction and desire to get more colorful markers, prints and portfolio work done in the upcoming year. Yeah!

Bird Brained (part 2)

I spent a little time working on this one, when I had a few free moments. Locked my door to avoid roomie interruptions (though he did need advice on whether or not he cleaned a borrowed paint brush enough).

I began using my Faber-Castell pens and I began to notice was that they were not as fine tipped as I had once thought. I began dreaming of the Copic fine point set I saw for 100 bucks at Inglewood Art Supply. Fully replaceable parts and refillable inks;)
Why is it that $100 for pens all of a sudden sounds like a great investment?
Because it is............. pens are part of my tool kit.

Here is the bird drawing. I wont say it's finished because I'm thinking about adding color, but am not yet brave enough to commit it to paper.

All images on the Opposite Machine Blog © Brian Batista

Bird Brained

It's late. I have people over, I'm still drawing........

Jim challenged me later that night (somewhere around 4 am) to continue drawing into the wee hours.
I was tired and wanted to go to bed because I had to work in the morning.  
However, I am not one to pass up a challenge!!!
He handed me a photocopy with a bird on it as source inspiration. I came up with this, though I need to put a little more cross hatching time into it. You can tell it has some Alice in Wonderland influence in it, must have been the late night movie.

done with my favorite Faber-Castell pens. I am still undecided about a long tale, barely visible in HB pencil below the body. It has the feeling of a coat of arms and the shape on the head adds a regal element.