A challange for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind.

Though I know virtually nothing about racing, this particular race has captured me with its glamor and prestige. It was founded by Thierry Sabine, who became inspired in the Libyan desert when he got lost in a 1977 race. Somewhere in his dream through the sands, he decided the race would be a great setting for a regular rally car race. Henceforth, the Paris-Dakar.

Originally this was going to be a submission for the monthly contest at the Cartographer's Guild, but I missed the deadline by about a month. Never-the-less, I finished it and here it is. Debuting, of all places, my sketchblog. I'd do a ton of things differently. Having never worked with watercolor until, well, this year, I'm still getting the hang of it. Ink though, I've got the hang of that. Maybe I should try a strictly ink map... hmm... stay tuned.

Blackbeard

I've just finished the book Republic of Pirates and what a fascinating history it was! Sigh... I wish I was a piratical lowlife, roaming the Bahamas with a pint of rum in my hand.

Blackbeard was the most fascinating of all the pirates for me. He'd act the maniac, lighting fuses beneath his hat and intimidating his prey with a fiery glow. He never killed any one though. Despite is savage appearance and wild eyes, he was rather a gentleman when compared to other pirates of the day, though he plundered like the best of them.

And so I gave him a little tribute. Just a head shot of what he might have looked like, at least in my mind.