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Description
26 December 2012
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"I am neither bitter nor cynical but I do wish there was less immaturity in political thinking."
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt (Jan. 30 1882 - April 12 1945) was the 32nd president of the United States. Best remembered as the president overseeing America's departure from the Great Depression and leading the nation through the Second World War, but as the longest-serving president, died in office before the end of the conflict.

As a Roosevelt, Franklin Delano came from a wealthy family with a rich political history, related to former president Theodore Roosevelt. Despite being crippled by polio at age 39, he attempted to overcome his disability, and had a sort of agreement with the media in an attempt to hide his handicap from the people, something that could never be done today. Wealthy and powerful, he was oddly enough loved by the poor and downtrodden, and despised as a socialist by other wealthy men.

Running on an isolationist platform, even though he disliked fascism and oppression, he became the president during the midst of a crippling depression, then enacting a series of policies called the "New Deal" (likely a play upon the "Square Deal" of Teddy Roosevelt), a program meant to aid the desperate people as much as possible. Once again re-running on a platform of isolationism, the Depression run rampant across other areas of the world, helping the rise of fascism, totalitarianism, and dictatorship. With increasing tension in Europe and Asia, Roosevelt had put support behind the British, though discreetly, as few American politicians had the stomach for a direct intervention, especially with the roller-coaster of economic downturns happening even within a depression.

But with "A day that will live in infamy" as FDR once phrased it, a sleeping giant was awakened, bringing the United States into the World War after the isolation following the first. The war proved to show him as one of the more masterful politician in international affairs; the UK-Soviet-American alliance was shaky at best, and his adroit handling of Stalin and Churchill did much to keep things running (relatively) smoothly. As a military leader Roosevelt was less sure-footed and the US made some early strategic blunders that could have been avoided. He learned quickly, however, and by the end of his life the US military machine was the most powerful that the world had ever seen.

Roosevelt died in 1945, shortly before the war ended. His legacies of social welfare and international cooperation would dominate United States policies for the next half a century.

Rawr! Finally something recent and nice. So, I've been listening to lots of swing jazz, and done some recent negotiations with FDR in Civilization IV, so why not draw him? It was really fun, especially the microphones/recorders/whatever, though the chair's my favorite in the finished image. I used a photograph and inspiration and reference for this image.

It's strange, not drawing him in a wheelchair like I'd normally do, but when I think of FDR I think of his voice. It's pretty iconic, non? Still, I never really cared for most of those pictures of him standing. I think this really suits him, when you try to balance his media persona and the joking man crippled by polio. He loved his fireside chats, so I thought that having him seated ready to speak worked. Because of this, I decided to give the image a warm feeling (even though there's no fireplace in this image )And I like to draw cigarette holders, okay!

I think I'll do a series, since I'm really in a historical figure mood of late. But I'm also in a historical fashion mood (I'm always game for historical/cultural clothing), so maybe I'll have drawings of countries in clothing to go with the times as well.

Check out other related drawings:
America as an Air Force fighter pilot [link]
Navy WAVES nyo!America: Work-in-progress
------
Materials:
-Red Pencil Lead (0.5)
-Mechanical Pencil (0.5; 0.7)
-India Ink Pens (0.05; 01; 03; 05; 08; S; M)
-Matte Fixative
-Paint Tool Sai

Estimated Time:
8 hours

References:
[link] , [link]

Sketches:
[link] , [link]

Music:
-In the Mood (The Andrew Sisters) [link]
-Chattanooga Choo Choo (Glenn Miller & the Nicholas Brothers) [link]
-Marine's Hymn (John Phillip Sousa) [link]
-Really, anything by Glenn Miller or the Andrew Sisters

Some stylistic inspiration from Phobs here on deviantart as well.

Description
26 December 2012
------------
"I am neither bitter nor cynical but I do wish there was less immaturity in political thinking."
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt (Jan. 30 1882 - April 12 1945) was the 32nd president of the United States. Best remembered as the president overseeing America's departure from the Great Depression and leading the nation through the Second World War, but as the longest-serving president, died in office before the end of the conflict.

As a Roosevelt, Franklin Delano came from a wealthy family with a rich political history, related to former president Theodore Roosevelt. Despite being crippled by polio at age 39, he attempted to overcome his disability, and had a sort of agreement with the media in an attempt to hide his handicap from the people, something that could never be done today. Wealthy and powerful, he was oddly enough loved by the poor and downtrodden, and despised as a socialist by other wealthy men.

Running on an isolationist platform, even though he disliked fascism and oppression, he became the president during the midst of a crippling depression, then enacting a series of policies called the "New Deal" (likely a play upon the "Square Deal" of Teddy Roosevelt), a program meant to aid the desperate people as much as possible. Once again re-running on a platform of isolationism, the Depression run rampant across other areas of the world, helping the rise of fascism, totalitarianism, and dictatorship. With increasing tension in Europe and Asia, Roosevelt had put support behind the British, though discreetly, as few American politicians had the stomach for a direct intervention, especially with the roller-coaster of economic downturns happening even within a depression.

But with "A day that will live in infamy" as FDR once phrased it, a sleeping giant was awakened, bringing the United States into the World War after the isolation following the first. The war proved to show him as one of the more masterful politician in international affairs; the UK-Soviet-American alliance was shaky at best, and his adroit handling of Stalin and Churchill did much to keep things running (relatively) smoothly. As a military leader Roosevelt was less sure-footed and the US made some early strategic blunders that could have been avoided. He learned quickly, however, and by the end of his life the US military machine was the most powerful that the world had ever seen.

Roosevelt died in 1945, shortly before the war ended. His legacies of social welfare and international cooperation would dominate United States policies for the next half a century.

Rawr! Finally something recent and nice. So, I've been listening to lots of swing jazz, and done some recent negotiations with FDR in Civilization IV, so why not draw him? It was really fun, especially the microphones/recorders/whatever, though the chair's my favorite in the finished image. I used a photograph and inspiration and reference for this image.

It's strange, not drawing him in a wheelchair like I'd normally do, but when I think of FDR I think of his voice. It's pretty iconic, non? Still, I never really cared for most of those pictures of him standing. I think this really suits him, when you try to balance his media persona and the joking man crippled by polio. He loved his fireside chats, so I thought that having him seated ready to speak worked. Because of this, I decided to give the image a warm feeling (even though there's no fireplace in this image )And I like to draw cigarette holders, okay!

I think I'll do a series, since I'm really in a historical figure mood of late. But I'm also in a historical fashion mood (I'm always game for historical/cultural clothing), so maybe I'll have drawings of countries in clothing to go with the times as well.

Check out other related drawings:
America as an Air Force fighter pilot [link]
Navy WAVES nyo!America: Work-in-progress
------
Materials:
-Red Pencil Lead (0.5)
-Mechanical Pencil (0.5; 0.7)
-India Ink Pens (0.05; 01; 03; 05; 08; S; M)
-Matte Fixative
-Paint Tool Sai

Estimated Time:
8 hours

References:
[link] , [link]

Sketches:
[link] , [link]

Music:
-In the Mood (The Andrew Sisters) [link]
-Chattanooga Choo Choo (Glenn Miller & the Nicholas Brothers) [link]
-Marine's Hymn (John Phillip Sousa) [link]
-Really, anything by Glenn Miller or the Andrew Sisters

Some stylistic inspiration from Phobs here on deviantart as well.