out with the old...in with the new.

Whelp...there went 2010.  That was a quick one.  The older I get the more the realization of how fast time sneaks away hits me.  Needless to say I welcome those pounding reminders, especially when I find myself being an unproductive slump.

It was a good year however.  My resolution last year was to really focus on my art which I'd been neglecting for far too long.  Even though I could always do more, I still accomplished some things:  I searched & destroyed a few storyboard jobs for different production companies, designed some posters/prints for bands & other projects, showed my art in a few shows & most importantly networked to meet a lot of amazing, talented peeps.  This year will only be better as the momentum is gaining & I have a lot more people kicking me in my ass for motivation which is what I was lacking for so long.  Spank you friends!

Some exciting news is by the time you read this I just updated my online shop with some new goodies!  I'm finally introducing my new trading cards "Those Weird Ones".  I went out & did some extensive interviews with the strangest people/creatures I could find....& they're more abundant & available than you think!  I have over a thousand pages of information on hundreds & hundreds of these bizarre folk, so I'm sitting on a plethora of material that soon will spill out to the public.  As of now however, there are only four available to get to know & wonder about.  These portraits are 4x6 cards created with the most loving watercolors & ink I could find to capture their stories.    They're all available at my shop individually or as a set...all hand signed.  Get to know Gill below & the other ones.  They always need new friends (Gill especially) so grab em now!:

During my travels through this twisted land finding & learning about "Those Weird Ones", I stumbled upon an unnamed creature sitting alone.  There was something oddly zen/peaceful about this guy, even though he just removed his own eyes!  I quickly did some study sketches & took some notes to refer to later as this fellow sat there for hours & hours...never moving...only thinking.  The final outcome was "The Thinkin' Demon" & I'm assuming he's still sitting in that exact spot I found him earlier this year.  These 11"x17" prints will all have their very own unique touches, as I luckily collected some of the demon's blood fresh from it's eye sockets & individually splattered it on every print!  OH YES I DID!!

With these new yummies (ALL available now at my online store), I'm still knocking out more stuff for the year ahead.  I have a few pages to fill in my book for The Sketchbook Project before it embarks on it's US tour.  I have prints/cards/customs/pins/other merchandise on the drawing table to have a nice display of visual stimuli for conventions/exhibitions I plan on being a part of this year.  In between all of this I'll of course keep revisiting the strange places that continue to feed me with the material & inspiration I seek.  You can easily stay up to date with all of this & random drawings/ideas/comments on a daily basis by following me on Twitter.  I've already given away some of my art to a few lucky (or unlucky...depending on how you like my stuff) followers & plan on doing more giveaways soon & often.  

Like I said before, my momentum is in full swing going into the new year & I'm going to attempt a lot more things than my lazy ass did (or only thought of) in 2010.  I hope you continue to show interest... .. .  .

..another video giving a peak at another new painting. I chose the appropriately creepy song 'Dark Night of the Soul' sung by Mr. Bizarre himself David Lynch. If you haven't checked out this Sparklehorse/Danger Mouse album do so immediately. It's been a consistent soundtrack during my recent works. r.i.p. Mark Lincous

...a very quick video of me working on a new piece for an upcoming show. I plan on doing more elaborate ones in the future with a higher quality, but I'm simply testing this out for now. I'm getting excited with every painting I'm working on...a lot of time/work, but the satisfaction of a completed piece is priceless.

It's been a while since I've sat down & hammered out a new blog post updating you peeps on what the hell I've been up to, so here I am now & gosh darn it, this just feels so right...

Two weeks ago I attended Austin's first Comic Con & enjoyed it thoroughly.  A conblobulation of talented artists, wacky celebs (The Human Centipede cast smelt surprisingly fresh & had no noticeable scars) & the collection of impressive, DIY costumes made the experience a memorable one.  Here Predator takes on Mr. Bruce Wayne himself in the lobby while unsuspecting fans went on with their joyous wanderings inside the Convention.  They fought for seven hours straight & later shared a giant pretzel with neon laughs & dark, family tales...

I met a few new friends & got a lot of ideas for next year as I plan on having a table.  I'll of course keep you updated on that.

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I recently completed a painting for the 'Mix 'N' Mash' exhibit & art sale being held at Mexic-Arte Museum in downtown Austin.  All artists were given a 12"x12" gessobord to do what they want with it.  Since the deadline was so close & my time was limited I did another 'Bottom Feeder' design....

The exhibition will run from December 3rd-January 2nd with each panel being sold for $100 or any 3 for $250.  If you fancy mine, try to get down there & call dibs on it.  It will tie any room together with some matching throw pillows...

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The groovy people at Munky King have launched their newest toy...the Omi.  With this new release, they will be having a showcase of custom Omi's from different artist ranging from masterminds like Alex Pardee & Greg 'Craola' Simkins to the "Who?" artists like me. The Omi Show will be held at their shop in Los Angeles from December 11th-December 31st.  My "Z'Omi" custom will be all smiles there....

And finally, amongst the mentioned & other projects going on, I'm still vigorously sketching in my Sketchbook Project book when I can as you've noticed in my post below.  I've been updating the post regularly with my new pages, so I hope you're checking back.  Or if you think it looks like poo & have no interest in it, I hope you're sticking to your guns & not checking back.  In that case, why would I even type that seeing as if you're one of those people who wouldn't be back reading this anyway...

I'd again like to mention that I'm constantly updating my pals on Twitter with art I'm working on & other random, ridiculous ideas.  Follow me for the updates & you can be a "pal" too!  

With all of this I'm also still painting, sketching, smearing & poking away at personal art as my first solo show is on the horizon.  I have a lot of work to do still, so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm typing this same paragraph again this time next year.  We'll see...

the sketchbook project 2011

I signed up for my first 'Sketchbook Project' this year which is both exciting & stressful.  "Exciting" because I get to fill this bastard with fun, new illustrations / "Stressful" because I've got a lot of other projects going on & I'm hoping I can fill this bastard by the deadline (January 2011).  If I have to resort to fancy stick people performing strange acts to fill all the pages, then I gotta do what I gotta do.  

These sketchbooks will eventually take an awesome, rock tour around the country in the following cities: Brooklyn NY, Austin TX, San Francisco CA, Portland ME, Atlanta GA, Chicago IL, Washington DC, & Winter Park FL and like most rock musicians will be checked-out, manhandled, poked & judged by anyone willing to do so.  I hope you take the time to fondle my book if/when it comes to your city.  After the tour my little, well-traveled book of drawings will permanently reside at The Brooklyn Art Library available to anyone or anything to view.

My theme (which every sketchbook in this exhibit has) is "Help!", so we'll see where that takes me.  I'll be posting my illustrations here as I get through them.  Check back or follow me on Twitter to get them instantly.

*Here's a video of my completed sketchbook as well on YouTube: