Abraham Lincoln's B-Day is Feb. 12th!

Caricature of Abraham Lincoln Stovepipe Hat at RedBubble

February is already here. Those of us that are Abraham Lincoln fans know what that means. That's right, it's his birthday! Abe was born on the 12th of the month during the year of 1809. Abraham Lincoln is a historically important person- especially in regard to the shaping of our country. Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as one of country's Greatest Presidents that have ever lived.  When surveyed about who was the Greatest President, scholars  rank Abe in the top three along with George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I Heart Abe Caricature by Mudge at Skreened.com

To this day, Abraham Lincoln also remains as one of the most recognizable of our U.S. Presidents. Many of us refer to him by his nickname- "Honest Abe. Abraham Lincoln did so much during his lifetime. It is a shame that Abe was assassinated shortly after having been elected to his second term. Abraham Lincoln had so much more that he wanted to do for his Great Country. America would go into mourning. 

Abe Lincoln Caricature Shot Glass at CafePress.com

When many of us think of Abe, we often recall being a student in history class and learning of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, The Civil War, The Emancipation Proclamation and of course The Gettysburg Address. This is only a very short list- Check out Wikipedia for a beautifully laid out synopsis of Abraham Lincoln's Life. There are also countless books about our 16th President of the United States of America with some covering his life, accomplishments, vision, conspiracy and controversy. I'll have some links to some great Amazon books to your right.

WWALD by Mudge Studios at Zazzle.com

Abraham Lincoln is not only a fascinating figure, but he is also very unique in his appearance.  I thought it would be fun to do some sepia tone sketches of Abe. I ended up creating a caricature portrait of Abraham Lincoln. An Abe caricature with and one without his iconic stovepipe hat. I also have the American Flag of his day serving as the backdrop.  I have have posted several Abe designs in my Mudge Studios Shops at CafePress, Zazzle, Skreened and RedBubble. You'll find a variety of Abraham Lincoln t-shirts, posters, stickers and other gift items for Abe Fans of all ages. One popular design is  What Would Abe Lincoln Do? by Mudge Studios. Actually, that is a really good question. What Would Lincoln do?  If Lincoln were around today, I'd bet that Abe would lead our country out of this quagmire and back to the Greatness. that this once proud country is accustomed to. I hope that you are an Abe Fan too.

Abe Lincoln Fan Hat by mudgestudios

Wedding Caricature for my Cousin Em

Emily, Jantz and Becks Caricature 2012

2012 was a great year for the Mudgett family getting together with my Mom's side of the family as both of my cousins each had their wedding in Vermont last year- and they were only a couple of months or so apart. Cousin Nate's wedding was first and that was when Jantz, who is pictured above, requested that I create a caricature of he and Emily for their wedding that was coming up in early October. He wanted it to be a surprise for his bride to be- also requesting that he not even see any sketches. We chatted a little bit about style, etc. and then proceeded to enjoy the rest of night celebrating the union of Nate and Bree.

I couldn't do too much until many of the details concerning Emily and Jantz's wedding were locked in. During that time, I had Jantz scout around for some decent photo reference. Within a couple of weeks the details were rolling in. Emily was to be wearing a white dress while Jantz would be sporting a Carcoal colored tux with a peach tie and vest. He and his wedding party selected some really cool kicks. Check out the Vann's illustrated above... no pun intended. The newly weds had also booked their honeymoon at Turks and Caicos. Well, that was enough for me to get going on the project. I asked Jantz about throwing in the 'Together Forever October 6th 2012' and he loved the idea. That's when it occurred to him to ask me if there was anyway that I could have a matt or something around the caricature where their wedding guests could sign it. I told him that I was having their caricature printed on a canvas and that I could leave a generous area surrounding the caricatures for signing.

Mudge at the wedding adding his John Hancock to the canvas

 When I had completed the art. I had emailed a high resolution file to CafePress where it was printed and shipped directly to my aunt in Vermont. She was able to keep it under wraps until the Big Day. The canvas was placed on an antique chair with some permanent gold and silver sharpies available nearby. All of their special wedding guests were able to sign it and leave a short message. Turns out that Jantz and my cousin Emily loved the artwork too. Their wedding caricature now hangs proudly in their apartment in California. I didn't tell Jantz that I was also including a caricature of their dog Becks. I'm sure that he loved that idea- well, except that the dog is wearing a New England Patriots jersey.  Emily absolutely loved that as she was born and raised in New England. Jantz, on the other hand, grew up in Cali and loves the Raiders. Anyway, I know how much both Em and Jantz love their pup and cherish Becks as the child in their family. I love those guys and I wish them all the best.

Mick Jagger Caricature for CD Review

Mick Jagger Caricature CD Review 1993

The Mick Jagger Caricature above was featured on the May 1993 cover of CD Review. At the time, Mick Jagger had released his third solo album titled Wandering Spirit. The solo effort was a success, receiving critical acclaim and commercial success as it took home the Gold in the U.S. It was a pleasure to do this assignment as Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones were one of my favorites while I was in High School. Mick has been going at it for well over 50 years now delivering a multitude of classic, rather Iconic tunes. Mick Jagger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Stones in 1989- and although it seems very odd, Mick was also actually knighted in 2003 by the Prince of Wales. I never quite understood that one as Mick Jagger had always been a symbol of opposition to conventional social and political values and principals.

Some of My Favorite Rolling Stones songs include: 'Gimme Shelter', 'Angie' 'Pain tIt, Black', 'Satisfaction', 'Can't you hear me knocking', 'Tumbling Dice' and just about everything else on Exile on Main St. During my lifetime, I've gotten to see them live only once. Unfortunately it was in a rather large venue, and that really didn't cut it for me. Just way too commercial. The lucky fans are those that are able to catch the band performing under a pseudonym while tuning up for a Super Show at a small local venue in the area.

Check out some of the Mick Jagger and Stones Swag that Mudge picked out for you at the side panel to your right.