Wow, has it really been another entire month since I’ve drawn anything? Sort of a surprising realization, because it feels like I was just writing
Portrait from the August Giveaway
I haven’t been drawing much lately, which is pretty apparent looking at the site’s front page. It’s kind of an odd coincidence, but right around
One Year Site Anniversary
It’s a little hard to believe, but it’s been a year now since I rebooted Amdall Gallery and really got rolling on this artwork and
Access and VBA Cheat Sheet
As I’ve mentioned many times on this site, I am a huge fan of Microsoft’s data-crunching solutions. I’ve gained a reputation for it too; when
Lost Dinosaur Timeline
When I was little, I absolutely loved dinosaurs. I know most kids do, but I was sort of obsessed with them. I was all about
A Family Portrait from New Orleans
It seems like I haven’t posted much lately, which is confirmed when I look at the monthly archive counts on my sidebar. Over the last
A 2018 Liebster Award for Amdall Gallery
As you can see from the title, this site was nominated for a Liebster Award, which is given to blogs by other bloggers. So, right
June Portrait Giveaway, the Resulting Artwork
At the end of last month, we wrapped up a custom portrait giveaway with some pretty solid participation. The winner sent me a photo she
Gift Sketch of Nana and the Grandkids
This post will be a delayed publication; most likely you’re reading it in July, but everything here is actually from June. Not that it matters,
More Throwback Practice Art
A couple months ago, I did some sketches that took their inspiration from the many “historical photo” Twitter accounts out there. One was a not-very-accurate
Drafting Doncic – The Mavericks’ Future is Bright
The NBA draft was Thursday night, and I’ve been obsessing about it for at least a week. The 2018 draft was considered by many to
The Greatness of Mystery Science Theater 3000
One of my favorite shows as a kid was Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). If you’re not familiar with it, MST3K was basically a show
Back to Basics, Paper Sketch of the Kiddos
This weekend, I made my first clumsy attempt at digital art. And over the last couple months, I’ve been almost exclusively drawing fictional characters from
Digital Drawing is Really Hard
I am generally very interested in tech-related things, and love to waste money on gadgets. I am the type of person who will have a
Preferred Medium, Process, and Frequently Used Colors
A few days ago on my Gary Oldman post, there was a comment asking what medium I use. This is a simple question, but a
Tribute to Dragon’s Dogma, My Favorite Game
There will be some spoilers, so be warned. If you’re just here for art, scroll to the end. This is a game mostly about the
The Fifth Element – Gary Oldman’s Zorg
Welcome to part two of this run of drawings from The Fifth Element. In the first one, I covered some basics from the film and
The Fifth Element – Leeloo Dallas Multipass
Last week, I did a sketch from one of my favorite movies, the original Karate Kid. I like how the drawing turned out, but the
Mr. Miyagi and Daniel from the Karate Kid
I’ve been home sick for a few days, and felt a bit like drawing…unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything, so I just lounged around instead.
A New Type of Subject – My Sister’s Cat
When we were visiting family Mother’s Day weekend, I was talking to my sister about something related to drawing. I asked her if there was
My Attempted Tribute to Emmitt Smith
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about one of my favorite Dallas Cowboys players of all-time, who recently announced his retirement. Jason
Sneezing Lady (or Maybe Crying? Yawning?)
As I was browsing around a few days ago, I came across this article about how to approach handshakes at work when someone (client, business
Jason Witten’s Retirement – The Secret is in the Dirt
“The secret is in the dirt.” – Ben Hogan, responding to questions about the secret to his golf swing. He was well-known for his striking
Messing Up a Guardians of the Galaxy Drawing
I’m sure I’ve said this in many other posts…but sometimes drawings work out, and sometimes they just don’t happen the way you want. Unfortunately, I
Star Trek’s Captain Picard, This Time in Color
Back in December 2017, before I switched over to color drawings, I sketched a scene with my three favorite characters from Star Trek. It featured
Rock and Roll Beethoven, Historical Photo Account Part 2
Continuing on with the second post in a two part series, the subject of this one is guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. In the first post,
Inspiration from Twitter, Historical Photo Account Part 1
It seems I’m always on the search for art subjects lately. And since I can be somewhat creatively limited when it comes to drawing, the
Almost a Sketch Request, Sam Carrying Frodo
In the comments of an Instagram post I made on my last sketch (Fezzik and Inigo from the Princess Bride), one of my longtime friends
Fezzik and Inigo from the Princess Bride, A Warm-Up
Despite wanting to put pencil to paper, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve drawn anything. I’ts been on my mind, but life/work has been
Milestone Statistics, Unnecessarily Detailed Data
Welcome to part two of three in a series of posts thanking readers, and taking a step back to review Amdall Gallery’s status as we
Subscriber Thanks, Some Artist Site Favorites
To my continued surprise, this website has gained more subscribers than I ever would have expected. When I resurrected Amdall Gallery from the ancient blog
Radio Favorites – Loveline with Adam and Dr. Drew
A couple days ago, I posted part one in a two part series on my favorite radio shows. I often listen to these old shows
Radio Favorites – Art Bell and his Many Shows
Often when I draw, I’m also talking with the family, listening to my oldest make up stories, or absorbing the kids’ show-of-the-moment in the background.
Two Concurrent Sketches, Dad and the Girls
Welcome to part two of this reckless “drawing two things at once” series. Basically, I was so pumped up from feeling like I’ve actually been
Drawing Two Scenes at Once, First Sketch of Grandma
I’m in an unusual place with this sketching hobby right now. I can see improvement in the results to some degree, and it’s making me
Hometown Series, the Unfinished One
At the beginning of this month, I started something I referred to as a “hometown series” of sketches. Basically, I tried to capture some scenes
Current Shading Process, Portrait Flow
As I scroll through Amdall Gallery’s main page, I can’t help but notice how my drawings have changed. Not everyone may agree, but I believe
More Art from Ads
Back in February, I did a couple sketches based on clothing ads I saw online. A couple weeks ago, I was flipping through my daily
Poor Planning Left Off Subjects, Turned Us Into Ghostbusters
The next sketch on tap, as I mentioned in the last post, was another “hometown series” sketch. I’ve done a football huddle scene, and one
Hometown Series, Distinguished Gentlemen Chatting
Continuing on with my “hometown series” of sketches, here’s part two. In the first drawing, I included a few of the guys I used to
Hometown Series, Football Huddle
It’s been about seven years since I moved from the ol’ hometown, where I spent the first three decades of my life. During my 20s,
New Discussion Forums
This website is a hobby, and one of the main motivations behind it is that I enjoy making tweaks and trying new features. In fact,
The Challenge of a Close-up Family Scene
This is sort of a part two from my post Friday night about drawing my wife, and the challenges of art involving people you
Working on More Realism in Family Portraits
I have drawn four total sketches of my wife. From what I can see looking at these previous drawings, I don’t think I’ve ever quite
Mass Shooting Data Update, Ideas to Reverse the Trend
This is going to be somewhat of a duplication of my post from October on mass shooting data, but with more recent numbers. After the
Random Art, One with Madmartigan from Willow
I’ve got some random recent sketches on hand, so I thought I’d just combine a couple unrelated ones into a single post. My favorite of
Buying Shirts, Artwork from Ads
What’s the most commercial inspiration for art you can think of? Maybe a series on Walmart groceries? The magic of broken shopping carts? Or perhaps
Another Featuring Dirk Nowitzki
Last year, I did a sketch tribute to my favorite basketball player of all time, the king of the one-legged jumper, Dirk Nowitzki. That first
More Video Game Characters – Secret of Mana, Original SNES and Remake
I mentioned in a post last week that video games sometimes inspire my sketches. I’m not great at drawing from my imagination, but if I
Cryptocurrency Experiment – the Inevitable Crash, 6 Month Update
Well, here we are at the six month mark of this cryptocurrency experiment. Aside from half a year being a nice waypoint of time, there
Getting Some Right Brain Exercise, Sketching Video Game Characters
The last handful of posts I made were “back in time” topics (1, 2, 3), sharing some old sketches. An observations from this series was
Back in Time Part 3 – Last Batch Before the Long Break
Welcome back for part three of the “old sketches from Jon” series. Previously, we looked at my high school drawings and some study aids I used
Back in Time Part 2 – College Study Aids
In part two of this series on art time traveling, I’m going to look at some study materials I put together. Although, I can’t remember
Back in Time Part 1 – High School Sketches
I was doing a little website housecleaning, and saw I had uploaded a bunch of old sketches but never made posts about them. They mostly
Cool Ladies at the Coffee Shop
As I continue with these sketches, I’m trying to make sure I’ve got most of the configurations of family portraits covered. Even if some of
Snow Day in Louisiana
To my amazement, we actually had a real snow event in Louisiana this week. I think we got about 2-3 inches of actual snow, and
The Dark Tower Villain Sketches
I’ve given significant sketching time to the heroes from the Dark Tower, but haven’t done anything on the villains. Actually, maybe villain isn’t quite the
Back to the Dark Tower – Susannah, Jake, and Oy Drawing
It’s been a couple weeks since I finished the Dark Tower series, and I still find myself thinking about it. I suppose that’s a good
My Experience Wearing a Fitness Tracker for a Year
In late February 2017, I started wearing a fitness tracking band. I bought a Fitbit Charge 2 HR, which tracks all sorts of wonderful bits
Round 2 with Color, Dad and Youngest Daughter
Now that I’ve gotten my first attempt using colored pencils down, I decided to jump right back into the fire and try again. I think I
First Attempt at Art with Color
This may be a little surprising, but I’ve never really worked with color. Well, back when I was a kid in school I’m sure I
Totinos Pizza and Chili
I’m a grown adult, rapidly approaching 40 years old. I’ve got children, a mortgage, probably a bunch of other stuff that might suggest a mature
Airline Fleet Totals, Leg Room Analysis Revisited
Happy New Year, all! I’m going to start 2018 by revisiting something I’ve wanted to take another crack at for a while. Four months ago,
Reflections on the Dark Tower Series (Spoilers Everywhere)
I finished the last mainline book in the Dark Tower series yesterday, and my head is swimming with thoughts and feelings about it. If you
Wedding Present for Some Friends
This Christmas, we were excited to attend an additional event beyond the usual family get-togethers. My wife’s close friend for the last two decades was
Twitter Account Analytics
A few weeks ago, I was thinking about my two Twitter accounts; one personal and one for this site. I was wondering if there was
Cryptocurrency Experiment – New Set of Coins, End of Year Update
As we approach the new year, the cryptocurrency markets are booming once again. It seems like all major altcoins are surging, and Bitcoin itself is
A Tribute to Faith No More, the Greatest Band of All Time
Around 1999, as I was finishing high school, some guys I started hanging around with (who would become lifelong friends) introduced me to Faith No
Fond Memories of Star Trek – Picard, Data, and La Forge
When I was a kid, one of my favorite shows was Star Trek the Next Generation. The series landed right in time to entertain a
Dak Prescott and Jason Witten Sketch
Despite the fact that the Dallas Cowboys have consistently rewarded fan loyalty over the past two decades with a hefty serving of mediocrity, I am
Family Portrait, Thanksgiving Scene (This One Needs Work)
This one seemed simple enough, since I’ve been doing so many family sketches. I set out to draw a scene from a Thanksgiving dinner out
Group Scene of My Granny, Mom, Sister, and the Girls
I’ve discussed in a post a few weeks ago (or was that longer?) how I wanted to draw my Granny. I’ve also wanted to get
Tiny Art Show Opening at the River Oaks Arts Center
Way back in September, someone told me about an art show in Alexandria, Louisiana that featured only “tiny art.” All entries for this show had
Serious-Minded Baby Achieving Maximum Cheesiness
I’ve said this before – I have difficulty drawing small babies. This may not be surprising, but I have a long-winded theory as to why.
Another Sketch with my Oldest, Alternate Title “Tired Dad”
Well, I’m sure it seems like the prevailing theme for all these drawings, but here’s another a did of me with my oldest kiddo. I
Dancing Dad – Drawing from a Video
A couple months ago, we took the family to North Park Mall in Dallas. While we wandered around, we came across a live song-and-dance thing
Sketch of the Entire Family, No Planning
Last night, after putting the kids to bed, I was smacked with an urge to try to draw my entire family. I’ve drawn my wife
Quest for a New Phone – Google Pixel 2 vs Pixel 2XL vs Samsung Galaxy
A couple months ago, as my Samsung Galaxy S7 really started to show its age via slowdowns and battery degradation, I started surveying the current
Sketches from Final Fantasy, Inspired by Amano’s “The Sky”
A few weeks ago, Amazon had a really great deal going; sign up for an Audible (audio book) trial, and get a free hardcover book.
Dirk Nowitzki, Basketball Legend
To me, no player exemplifies Dallas sports like Dirk Nowitzki. Texas is obviously wild about football, and the Cowboys are the lead dog in terms
Dark Tower Drawing – Campfire Outside the City of Lud
In my last post, I discussed an idea for a drawing related to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I wanted to sketch Roland and his
Profile View Portrait, Large Drawing
I spent some time drawing yesterday evening, partially inspired by a desire to clean up an older sketch. This portrait of Julia Roberts isn’t new,
Excel Basics – Building Data, Using Pivot Tables
My family and I recently went to dinner with some friends, and the topic of Excel came up (I know how to party right?). A
Excel Function Cheat Sheet
As a huge Excel fanatic, over the years I’ve amassed a nice collection of spreadsheets; if you’ve explored this website much, I’m sure you’ve seen
Mass Shooting Post-Vegas Data Update, Frustration with Politicians, and Some Ideas
Once again, we have to face another horrifying mass shooting event. This time, it was the worst mass shooting event in U.S. history. It’s frustrating
Is it Worth it to Wait? Analysis of Home Prices in Booming Markets
My wife and I have recently been exploring moving from Louisiana back to where we both grew up; Dallas, Texas. It’s home sweet home for
Contest Drawing – Tiny Art
A co-worker told me recently about an interesting art show coming up; it’s called the 2nd Annual 5x5x5 Show Miniature Works at the River Oaks
Proposal Drawing
Now that I’ve got my mind on drawing again (here’s my first drawing in years), I realized there is something that I haven’t uploaded to
Sports Salaries Part 2, Positions & Players
Author’s Note: This article was originally published with a major data error, skewing salaries in favor of NBA positions. It has been corrected, and should now
Sports Salaries Part 1, Teams & Leagues
A co-worker and I were talking about salaries in the various U.S. sports leagues not too long ago. The conversation started by discussing which sports
Getting Back into Art
Even though I have always enjoyed it, it’s been years since I’ve actually sat down, got focused, and drawn anything. I’ve sketched friends, family, self-portraits,
Cryptocurrency Revisited (3-4 Weeks Later)
About three weeks ago, I wrote about my first experience purchasing cryptocurrency, covering the basics about coins, exchanges, and wallets. In short, I purchased 21
Solar Eclipse
The big news of the day was the solar eclipse that was visible in a line across the U.S. Unfortunately, I was well south of
Database Fun – Art Collection
I’ve posted quite a bit regarding my love for Excel and Pivot Tables, but I haven’t actually mentioned my other source for data-crunching fun –
Cryptocurrency Exploration
Prior to this week, I honestly didn’t know too much about cryptocurrency. I knew the basics, mostly hearing or reading about Bitcoin. I knew there
Airline & Airplane Seat Comparisons
Updated research on this topic can be found here: Airline Fleet Totals, Leg Room Analysis Revisited. This more recent article integrates fleet totals for a
Survey Results…Revisited
Since I recently found out that Google Forms had a large update, I went back to my old Survey on this site to see if
Diet Coke and Mentos, Round 1
So, the sidewalk egg-frying experiment made me think about some of our previous science experiments after work. The first one was an attempt at the
Fried Eggs
It’s been so blasted hot in Texas this summer, there have been some news stories asking if it was hot enough to cook various food
Quiz time!
I just figured out another fun thing I can do (potentially), so let’s see if it works. I created a very important quiz, housed in