Studio notes
Short notes on materials, process, and the stories behind a few pieces in the collection.
Ink
Mystery Cat is built from nothing but dots. There is no line work to fall back on, so every tone is decided by how closely the dots sit together. Danny draws late into the night, usually with a lot of iced coffee nearby, and the stippled pieces are some of the most patient work in the collection.
Charcoal and Graphite
Both the Hemingway and the James Brown portraits are drawn on heavy engraving paper, a stock that holds up to dense, layered mark-making. Hemingway is in vine charcoal. James Brown is graphite and silverpoint, and Danny's note on it is that Brown asked him not to add the second eye, because it looked like electricity.
Beaches and Hollywood
A number of pieces follow a sunlit, slightly satirical thread: a late breakfast on Muscle Beach, a Venice Beach scene, an artist and model heading cross country, and a Hollywood Babylon drawing made for Underground Komics. Most exist as framed or unframed originals, and several are also available as prints.