GRIZZLY GHOULS FROM EVERY TOMB

Zombies.

Rotten dead bodies, severed limbs or any kind of gore disturbed me on a level I can't explain as a child. I think because to see stuff like that wasn't right in a certain way. I mean, your intestines go inside you. Not outside of you and certainly not for someone to eat. Same with blood. That goes on the inside, not on the outside.

When I was a kid I remember seeing Michael Jackson's Thriller video and it really freaked me out. Seeing these dead people dance around was a kind of contradiction I couldn't wrap my brain around. These were things that scared me. It was creepy but they were dancing crazy and it was pretty cool. Those two things weren't supposed to go together.

In recent years the whole zombie thing has grown in popularity. While these creatures run around with their shirts off or shredded they aren't the pretty people like werewolves and vampires have turned into. A shirtless zombie probably has torn flesh, a lung hanging out and a broken bloody protruding ribcage.

I know everyone is nuts for Walking Dead and I've tried to watch it. Only problem is every time I turn it on it's just a bunch of sweaty, dirty people making mean faces at each other trying to figure out how to avoid the zombies. From what I have seen it should be called Talking People, not Walking dead. Out of the six times I have tuned in, I saw one five minute segment with actual zombies in it. It was a barn full of zombies that all got shot in one big group. Some chick stuck a scythe in a zombie's head and that was awesome! But then they all started talking and arguing again and I got bored.

So, if you like zombies, whether they are the dancing kind or the kind that eat your brains, or got infected by some virus, or are the ones people just talk about, here are some recent sketch cards I was working on. For me, I just like to draw them. These creeps are drawn in pencil and inked on a 2.5 x 3.5 inch sketch card.

I hope you dig...dig, like you like them...not like dig them up.

Spent the last few days looking over some old posts going back over the last year and I didn't see this pic anywhere. Maybe I've missed it but I don't see it.

MR. FREEZE

My Cat Ate It

So I did this drawing of Jabba and really dig it. I plan on getting around to painting it in watercolors.

I usually throw whatever pic I'm working on in a folder and lug it around before I throw it in my portfolio. I think this pic is shaping up to be a pretty good one. Apparently so does my cat Jack. I left it out after getting distracted by whatever. He started to eat the corner of it and I found out too late. I've since restored it and have kept it away from him.

Boba Fett's Prize

I thought I would scan and post it before he goes into ninja stealth cat mode and finds a way to eat the rest of it.

I have always wanted to draw a scene of Boba Fett arriving at Jabba's court to present him with the frozen Han Solo. So here it is!

Looking through some of my previous artwork I felt I needed to put a little more into the images and create some scenes and environments that interested me....and hopefully you...and not just the cat.

Star Wars Episodes 7, 8 and 9

I know this blog is really always about my art but the news of the Lucas/Disney deal has my brain swirling. Considering a good chunk of work I post here is Star Wars stuff it's all related I guess.

I'm hoping the treatments George has thrown together stay away from the novelizations. I know there are people who like them but I think they are a snooze-fest for the most part. Some interesting ideas and characters here and there but not enough to carry another trilogy.

Things I think are a safe bet on Episodes 7, 8 & 9:

• You have read it here first! I am declaring the next primitive aliens will be some bird-like species most likely in Episode 8. Mammal Ewoks in Jedi. Reptilian Gungans in Menace.
• Luke as a similar role to Obi-Wan from the Original Trilogy
• R2 and 3PO will be back.
• I thought maybe Leia would be the leader of the New Republic but have back pedaled on that. As she also has Force abilities hinted at before, would make sense she is part of the foundation of the re-established Jedi. Maybe Lando is in some big shot role instead since he was Mr. Cloud City and a "respectable leader" as Han called him.
• Boba Fett will be back. No doubt with Temuera Morrison donning the armor this time. I think if Han is in there he will kill Fett. Maybe some super showdown of the Millennium Falcon Vs Slave One. Can hear Han uttering some classic sarcastic remark to Chewie (yeah he will be back too) as he says to "punch it!" and a little Thelma and Louise here we go to help save the battle.
• Palpatine always was talking smack about cheating death so I think he will be back in some way. Clone or something else. Unless Maul was brought back in Clone Wars to serve as the big baddie for the Sequels. But I don't think so. Even crazier would be if Sidious was actually Darth Plagueis. I know you are reading this and thinking I have gone off the deep end. When he speaks to Anakin he speaks as though it was someone else. Clearly that could just be the obvious angle he would tell Anakin the story in such away as to not reveal he was Sidious. But what if there was another twist? After all, people aren't always who they seem in these movies. 
• A new Sith Apprentice
• Another prophecy which follows up Anakin bringing Balance to the Force.

These are initial thoughts and none are confirmed or official by any means. I've just been watching this stuff since I was three years old.

Any thoughts?

Zombie In The Box

New York Comic Con was amazing! As great as the show was, the highlight was this box waiting for me back at my hotel.

I knew this box was coming. See, my great pal Roger over at Hey!Roger was working on a new project with a promotional coloring book for the amazing Graphic Solutions Group Inc., which featured some of my monster artwork.

I saw the file before it went to print and was blown away! As I cracked this box open...

...my mind was blown away even further! Staring at me right out of the grave was my zombie!!! That Halloween orange!!! WOW!!!

I was taken back to when I was a kid and how much I loved my dinosaur and Star Wars coloring books!
THIS was my artwork! The quality was beyond my expectations and I honestly got a little choked up.

I sat there and stared at this book flipping the pages with complete amazement. Roger is an amazing talent bringing this all together. Graphic Solutions Group Inc. knocked this so far out of the park with the printing. So far it's like an old cartoon where the ball flies around the world and smacks you in the back of the head! The texture of the pages and the print quality was astounding! Such a quality product it is truly beyond any words I can write here.

I was able to give out a bunch of these at the NYC Comic Con and people loved them! I'm still giving them out and people love them! There is this stunned pause right after I hand the coloring book to them. They stare at the front cover, flip the pages and BOOM! First thing they say to me is what a top notch print it is and how great my artwork looks!

I can't thank Roger at Hey!Roger and everyone over at Graphic Solutions Group Inc. for including my artwork in this promo. Having this coloring book in hand at the show made this a really special experience.

You need design work Hey!Roger http://www.heyroger.com/ is who you need. You got a print job Graphic Solutions Group Inc. http://www.gsghome.com/ will take care of you. Check them both out!

Have a safe and horrific Halloween!

You Have Taken Your First Step Into A Larger World

I think maybe I have seen Star Wars way too many times in moments when I hear Obi-Wan in my head saying things. Of course I don't think that's possible. Seeing Star Wars too many times. Besides hearing Obi-Wan in my head is perfectly normal.

In recent weeks I've jumped into the world of sketch cards. I usually work on a 5 x 7 inch size so it isn't a giant leap to the standard 2.5 x 3.5 inch sketch cards. As an artist it's pretty rewarding creating pieces on such a scale when you make some you really dig.

The biggest challenge really so far was not working on a smaller surface. Finding the right cards and pens to get these images out of my head has been the tricky part.

I've tried cutting my own cards but like having the consistency of pre-cut blanks. I went through several card types made by Strathmore before settling on the 42 pt lightweight vellum finish artist trading cards. They are a bit thicker than what appears to be the standard, but for my own cards is just right, for now. The other cool thing is I can paint watercolors on these without the warping you get from the watercolor cards made by Strathmore.

As for inks, I have used a variety of pens and markers but settled on the KOH-I-NOOR Rapido Sketch 0/.035 and 1/.50 Art Pens. I get the solid blacks without the marker streaks. Of course I discover this about 70 cards down the road. All good though. I still dig em. Oh, and I scored some Copic markers on the cheap so that's been another fun set to play with.

With all that said here are my latest cards. Well, sorta. I've been doing so many I have lost track of what order I've done them in.

My first step into a larger world. Or should that be a smaller one?

Star Wars Sketch Cards

HERDING THE CATS RUNNING AROUND IN MY HEAD

Through my whole life people have asked me how I know what to draw. How did I see the picture in my head? It's kinda hard to explain if you don't experience it. It's like trying to describe something exactly from a dream. You see it but every detail isn't quite there. Certain main things are there and that's the easy part. The rest you can logically kinda fill in. Sorta.

It is elusive. Like herding cats at times.

Funny thing is the idea for the main picture I'm going to write about  started with a dream. Clearly influenced by bubblegum cards from my childhood and some Salvador Dali. Right before I woke up I saw this image. Basically all the bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back forming an image of  Darth Vader. So I sketch it up. I started with a basic line drawing of Vader.

Taking one step back before this I did draw a simple line drawing of Vader as the base for the image. Based on the lines I envisioned what lines could be shared lines of the base Vader image. Some weren't there but I incorporated some where I could. Like Bossk's shoulder and Vader's mask.

Once I knew who was going where then I went ahead and fleshed out the image and figured I'd tackle each one separately. I did question if I should maybe try doing this as one big image instead. Yeah, no. 

So I thought Fett would be the easiest. He's awesome and I was really into it.

Yeah well the initial sketch was cool and there are things I really like but clearly his head is off center and his right shoulder is wonky. I also had to reference his rifle because it is different in Empire and Jedi. Image still wasn't working for me.

So I tried this idea and once I finished the line drawing I grabbed some markers and filled it in. Again. the idea has potential but that's not it. Plus the orange background wasn't going to work. Thought was to have swirling clouds around him from Cloud City to help form lines in Vader's helmet.

Then I saw it. I separated the clouds from Boba and I could see it. Here's that moment people ask about. I don't know how I saw it but it was there. Seemed obvious to me. But I had to take the image to this point to see it. I stopped several times and came back to this picture. I knew this other version wasn't it but I had to keep going. Just felt compelled to keep on. 

So here it was. Clouds the same. I realized my dimensions were off and it was boring. So I gave him his rifle and made a smoking barrel instead of clouds. The background for all the other hunters is a blue-green-grey color. So away with the orange.

Now his rifle looked stupid. This looked like a canon. Not a rifle.

Changed the rifle then it was all good.

I colored it up in Photoshop referencing a million pictures and action figures. I found a pretty clean image online and saved it. I opened in Photoshop and sampled the colors for my pallet.  Not only is his rifle different but the  color of his suit and armor is a tinge different from Return of the Jedi.

Still working on the ultimate assembling of the colored versions. But here's the B&W with the whole gang.

In the end I'd say about 70 hours went into this one. Like I said though, still one or two more colored versions to come.

Almost there. Two more cats running loose.