Alameda Free Library, Alameda, CA.

Ajuan Mance

The serenity in this man’s expression is so very compelling to me. I love the look on his face. When I saw him at Starbucks on Park St. (Alameda), his expression seemed judgemental, and then simply aloof. After drawing him, though, I realized that his expression was not aloof from or a judgement of anyone around him. He was just reacting to his own thoughts,

Ajuan Mance

Finally finished my Christmas post. I submit for your enjoyment a selection of Santas in some of the ways in which I’ve imagined him.

Ajuan Mance

I passed this guy on the street as I was heading to Ikaros. He was walking in the opposite direction from me as we both walked by the Pure 510 store on Grand Ave. I put an Oakland-themed image on his t-shirt since Pure 510 has so many Oakland shirts in the window. He was not actually wearing an Oakland t-shirt; but since he and I passed each other in front of a store whose shirts are intended to capture Oakland, I thought I’d dress this figure in an iconic image from our port.

Ajuan Mance

This is a composite drawing of some of the African American men I saw on Saturday afternoon, as I waiting in front of Sidebar (on Grand Ave., a couple blocks past the 580 overpass). We were going to meet there for lunch, but Sidebar doesn’t serve lunch on Saturdays, so we went to Ikaros, instead. It’s lso on grand, but on the other side of 580. I look forward to going to Sidebar one day when it’s open, but I have to give a shout out to Ikaros. It was really pleasant. The food was simple and good and the service was very friendly. I also liked the atmosphere. It felt cozy, but not cramped, and the lighting was sufficient without being overwhelming. If you go there, order the beef and lamb gyro salad. It’s good-tasting and really satisfying. If you order the hot tea, ask to get yours extra hot, or else you’ll end up with lukewarm water in your teapot.

Ajuan Mance

Walgreens, Alameda, CA.

Ajuan Mance

La Penca Azul, Park St., Alameda, CA.

Don’t ask why I decided to use a tartan as the backdrop for a brother eating in a Mexican restaurant. I don’t really have a good answer. I will say, however, that the next time you go to La Penca Azul, order the Naked Chicken Wings (not the buffalo wings, but the naked wings). They come served with the sauce of your choice, and the menu lists a bunch of different sauces to choose from. So far I’m eaten my wings with the first sauce on the list (I can’t remember what it was called), and I’ve also had the chipotle sauce, which was quite different from what I expected but also really tasty.

Ajuan Mance

Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a wonderful solstice! I’ll be posting my first attempt at a Christmas-themed drawing tomorrow. In the interim, I hope you are enjoying the holiiday season.

AJuan Mance

You may have noticed that I don’t often draw men wearing earrings. The truth is, actually, that some of the guys who have appeared on this blog do wear earrings, but that I sometimes forget to include them, especially if they’re small studs. At first I wondered if this was because earrings on men are now so common that I don’t even notice them anymore. But, the more I thought about it, I realized that it’s really quite the opposite. I just don’t think there are as many men in earrings as there used to be back in the ’80s and ’90s, and there are definitely a lot less guys who are wearing hoops. On the other hand, there are several times as many guys in tattoos. I hope to reach drawing #500 by the end of this year. When I think about what I’d like to capture in the second 500 drawings, more guys with tattoos, more musicians, and more students come to mind.

Ajuan Mance

There’s the guy who wears his 70’s-style afro ironically, and then there’s the guy–like Lenny Kravitz–whose afro is a way of saying “I’m sexy, just like those fly brothers in the Blaxpoitation movies.” Then, finally, there’s the guy in this picture, whose afro is less a statement about culture or style or hotness and more a side effect of his interest in things other than fashion or irony or sexiness, things like–perhaps–discrete mathematics…

Ajuan Mance