Dog Work

I did some work recently for a dog treat AD. I guess that dogs know what the owner is thinking! I've never been responsible for a dog so why not?

Nostalgic

I find myself looking for Soundgarden beanies and listening to the old songs. What am I feeling?

A Beer AD!

This is a recent job! I really like the color they added. Looks really rich and vibrant!

More Art

This is some layout art that I am working on! The pencils soon to follow!

Painter Sketch

I am posting my first sketch attempt in Corel Painter. I have to work on my brush strokes and this attempt looks clumsy. I guess I should keep trying.

Question Issue 37

I'm posting a page from a recent issue of The Question! Issue 37, page 11. Pencilled by Denys Cowan and inked by Bill Sienkiewicz. The pencils are so dynamic and Bill brings a powerful inking style. Take a look at the before and after inks! I am told that this issue has sold out, and with good reason. It's a great issue!

To the Moon

This is a drawing I did recently of an astronaut and a satellite. I did not do the color and I noticed that the colorist made the mirrors black, reflecting outer space. A lighter color might have been better.

San Diego Photo!

This is photo that was posted on facebook! It is yours truly at the Active images booth in 2006 with Tim Sale and JG Roshell. It was a good time and I was able to promote the Graphic Novel I did with Active Images; 'Gunpowder girl and The Outlaw Squaw!'

Photoshop Disasters

I would like to mention a great new website! It's called Photoshop Disasters and it spotlights really screwed up advertisements and products with screwed up Photoshop adjustments. Bad design, mistakes and distorted anatomy can be found HERE!

More from Brooklyn!

We stopped at Grand Army Plaza to pay our respects.

Brooklyn Museum Visit!

My Girlfriend and I took a trip to Brooklyn last week! We took the 3 train to Grand Army Plaza and walked a couple of blocks past the Library to the Museum. They have an excellent Egyptian exhibit and I brought my sketch pad!

These are all two-minute sketches that I did at different places in the museum. I think they look a little too sketchy.

Empire Hotel NYC

We did a lot of walking during our trip to NYC. It was good to take a rest at the Hotel lobby!

My Trip to NYC

I have returned from a week long stay in NYC!
I went with my GF and stayed with some friends in New Jersey. Just a happy Vacation and to hang out. I did however make a video or two and some quick sketches. More to come!

Ink Sketches

I did some B+W layout sketches for a job recently. It featured a girl talking to another and it involved girly type expressions. I think I got the emotions across, but the art director changed the camera angle on me. Oh well. I put some color onto the first drawing just because.

Let's Drink!

As regular readers know, I am a fan of Advertising! I would like to comment on a trend I have noticed in ADs for alcohol. Take a look at the ads below. It's important to show the people enjoying your product and to show how wonderful the booze is, show the male to female ratio as 2 to 1! Do men buy more alcohol than women?

I especially like the Cuervo AD: It looks like two dudes just crashed a bachelorette party and it's off to the races!

Blog Logo Art

When I blog-surf, I sometimes see some really striking logo art on the top of the blog. It's like a signature. It shows the visitor what the artist is about. I wanted to do something unique for my blog, but I had my doubts. If it takes up too much space at the top, no one will notice a new post. On the other hand, the old school banner I have there now is so 1996.

I am still debating the design elements to my blog and this is a drawing of what I could have at the top. I have a few neat ideas, but I can't help but think that it's unnecessary and vainglorious. Opinions welcome!

Talent Party!

I had such a wonderful time at Shawna's Talent Party last night! Everyone who attended the party had to perform and show off a talent. I helped Shawna with her talent. She created a video presentation and I did the camera work. I also helped with the buffalo wings. The house was filled with fun and laughter and I am so glad to have been there.

Star Wars Footwear!

I spotted this AD in the latest issue of V Magazine. Adidas Footwear collaborated with Lucasfilm to create sneakers based on Star Wars characters! I don't know the prices, but I am interested in the 'Yoda' sneakers.

More Ghost story art!

This has been a busy week for drawing, so I will share some with you!

Bring The Noise

I spoke to some construction people who were evaluating the vacant lot next door. It seems like the heavy machinery will arrive by next month. I must prepare for six months of drilling, banging and debris!

Ghost Story

This is something from a Ghost story/Adventure written by Shawna James, that I am drawing. Just some concept drawings and color ideas. That's all I can say. If I told you more, I would have to haunt you!

Some Art to Start!

What better way to start the year than with some storyboard art? Whenever I have to do a lot of frames in a short time, I try to use pen and ink or Cintiq. The contrast looks better on a monitor and it prints well off of a Xerox copier or personal printer.

My Holiday Visit to the Viper Room!

It seems like the best time to see new music is right before the Xmas holiday! My GF and I stopped by the Viper Room in West Hollywood to see an up and coming band called 'Exposed to Sunlight'.They were the first band to play and we heard 6 songs in total. Most of the songs were written by a friend and they had a good beat! I say thumbs up!

Happy Kwanzaa

This is an old holiday greeting card from my friend Rob. I was still on the East Coast and I believe that this was his first year in CA. Don't you love the enormous purple car?
Rob picked me up from the airport on my first visit and it started to rain a bit. No roof? No problem! He directed me to some handy blankets on the rear seat and we got to where we were going. Cheers to Rob and to all a Happy Kwanzaa!

Good Morning!

More advertising stuff. I think the copy should read:"Good morning honey! Would you like some coffee?"

Back to Drawing

I have been busy working on a rush job over the last week or so and I have not been able to do much of anything else. I wanted to take a break with a quick gouache.

Christmas Giving!

Every Christmas, I try to include an illustration with every card I send out. If you may have gotten one from me, and it's just a quick sketch. I did this drawing to acompany a Starbucks gift card!

Mix CDs

I did not know that professional DJs ordered tracks and beats thru music services! A DJ that lives in my building threw out a bunch of old CDs. They were stacked up on the curb, so I snatched them up! Some really cool dance beats and high energy remixes. The labels made it clear that these tracks were for professionals only, so I feel like I'm getting away with something.

Storytelling Shorthand

In Advertising, when you are trying to sell something to a specific group, the Art Director will use a visual cue or image to get the idea across quickly. If you want to show that your product is powerful or heroic, have someone ripping their shirt off and have a logo or a message on your chest. Alex Ross did a Obama painting that got a lot of attention with that idea. These are some more examples.

Who rules Bartertown?

I broke out the brush! I've always liked this character of Auntie Entity, so I am giving it a go with color.

Lion in the Street

I posted a black and white version of this drawing a few weeks ago!

I like 2012!

I was attracted to the 2012 promotional images from the start. Worldwide floods and LA falling into the sea? I am SO there! My GF did not want to see the film, but Steve agreed to catch an early morning show with me. We arrived at the Century City AMC Theatre in time to watch the enormous 2012 poster come down from the wall opposite of the movie house. Even though I could not fit a 30ftx120ft poster in my living room, I asked if I could take a portion of it home. No such luck.

The movie was a great disaster film! All the destruction I could ever hope for! That brings me to this smaller, but still awesome poster in my living room. I went to my GFs home town for Thanksgiving. We went to the movies to catch 'The Blind Side' and I saw the indoor cardboard standee poster for 2012 in the hallway. As I am wont to do, I asked a passing manager if I could have the poster when the movie house is finished with it. He said that he would find out and if I surrendered my contact info, he would call me back. OK.

A few hours later,as we are preparing to eat, I get a call! I can take it tonight! My gal and I return to the movie house and spend 20 minutes breaking down the standee. We got some much needed help from some AMC employees. I never appreciated the construction of those things until now, and a special thanks to my understanding girlfriend!

I feel lucky to have a seven foot tall image of the end of the world in my apartment. If you saw the mess that is my living room, you would call it a disaster.

Little Black Dress Premiere!

A few months ago, I worked with a director on a short film called 'Little Black Dress'. Her name was Deborah Correa and I did storyboards for a few scenes. She is a young director and it was great talking about the storytelling process! The premiere was held at the American Film Institute in Hollywood last night and I couldn't wait to see the finished film! It looked great and she followed maybe 50 percent of my boards. I had a question for Deborah before the movie started, so I took this video.The AFI Directing Workshop for Women is a program that encourages female directors! To find out more, go to HERE!

Things going on.

It has been a very noteworthy week. Some interesting jobs and I have been too busy to blog. I will however, post a recent drawing!

My crazy Neighbor

There is always something dramatic going on in an apartment building. Today however was a first for me. I hear a loud smash out side my door and when I step outside, I see a man rush past me! That man was my next door neighbor and he left his crying girlfriend at his apartment. The girl was really upset but kept saying that it was not his fault and that he was sick! I assumed that it was a domestic squabble and wondered what I would do if I saw the guy again.

It so happens that I heard another commotion outside my window a few hours later and I went to take a peek.
I guess the guy really did have problems. I have never seen anyone taken away to the nut house before, so this was something else.

Halloween Past!

After careful consideration, I am posting an old photo of me in costume! There are many embarrassing shots of me in any number of costumes, but this snapshot will not offend!

Last Days Of American Crime

A few months back, I posted some pencil samples from a forthcoming crime comic book. I got the script from a friend but I did not say the name of the book. Now the book has a 10 page preview out on the stands and I can compare my art to the final product.The book is called the Last days of American Crime published by Radical Comics and it was written by Rick Remender. I know Rick from way back and I was excited to read his script. I am assuming that the Radical Comics artist followed the same script, so I was interested to see his interpretation.The artist is Greg Tocchini and it looks like he did all of his art on computer. Our establishing shots are a little different but I think we both included all the storytelling the writer asked for. I have put my version next to his for comparison and critique. What do you think?

Marvel Mania Restaurant!

More than 10 years ago, my friends and I went to a new restaurant fashioned after Marvel Comics characters. We were all former Marvel Comics Staffers and we wondered what this new place would look like. If Planet Hollywood could mine movie history, then this place could succeed! Right? Well, it didn't.
The eatery was at Universal City and I was able to bring my camera. Rob Tokar, Steve Buccellato, Marc Siry and myself shared studio space in Marina Del Rey and we all drove up together. We hung out with Dana Moreshead who was associated with the place somehow. I don't remember the details, but the event was kinda okay. Nice decor but the menu was too kitchy. Not for me. At least the photos survive!

Astro Boy Premere!

I was lucky enough to catch the premiere of the newest animated film, Astro Boy! I can't recommend the movie, but the after party really went all out! An open bar and really excellent food! Come to think of it, maybe I should just say the movie was great and I could get invited to more parties!

Lion in the Street

I think this can be the drawing of the day.

Tinkerbell has changed

The cute Disney character Tinkerbell has been made over. In the latest computer animated movie featuring Tinkerbell, she is wearing a warm weather outfit complete with hat and boots with pom poms. My problem with the new 'Tink' is that they've taken away so many things that made her so cute.
Tinkerbell was the only 'girl' in a tribe of rowdy boys and a direct contrast to Peter Pan. A cute, curvaceous fairy with ballet slippers and a jealous attitude! I am sure that her solo adventures will be popular, I am just disappointed that she had to look more like Peter Pan in order to have them.

Storyboard work

Things were busy last week! Maybe the holiday season is upon us.

Home Improvement!

It's been a while since I called my Landlord, but I decided that it was time for him to fix the bathroom sink. I pay rent every month, so fix the sink!

Rock a little, Feed a Lot!

The visit from Vince and Laurie ended with a bang! They had tickets for the Feeding America Concert at the LA Club Nokia. Last night was a star studded affair and we had top shelf, VIP tickets! Shawna and I started with dinner at Trader Vics with Vince and Laurie, then walked towards the red carpet. They would not let me walk it, but I did get some excellent video.There were a lot of stars at this event! I did not recognize the blond Katherine McFeea and all noticed how thin and tiny the celebrities were. If they are going to fight hunger, they should start with themselves! After we tired of the celebrity watching on the street, we went to the celebrity watching in the VIP room. A colorful room with free drinks and food. I took some photos but it's not cool to have a flashing camera in the VIP room!The show itself was excellent! Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow and Good Charlotte played. A lot of celebities spoke, including Alanis Morrisette and David Arquette. The entire night was meant to bring attention to ending hunger in America. It's a real problem and there are many local food banks that need our help. I am glad that I had a chance to rub elbows with a lot of exciting people and happy to share the word about Feeding America.

Fun on the Weekend!

Hanging out with Vince and Steve.

Friends in town

My friends vince and Laurie are in town and I spent most of the day with them. My GF and I hung out with them and we had dinner! What a fun Saturday!

Sketch of To-Day!

Pen and Ink sketches done this morning.

Artwork for Crime Lovers!

I posted some layouts from a crime script last month. Here are the pencils!

Batman does his Banking!

As I dug through my files looking for my stock certificates, I found this old newspaper AD. I clipped it and saved it in 1986! I had not started work at Marvel, but I was of course into comics.
I liked the artwork by JL Garcia-Lopez and the idea that Batman and Robin could be shocked at such an amazing 6.77 percent rate! I know that comic characters sell everything from toothpaste to corn flakes, but I don't think that DC would allow Batman to push a savings account.

My Marvel Stock

John Romita did this drawing for the MARVEL COMICS quarterly report for 1991. He did a lot of this type of work back then. Drawing a likeness for an executives birthday card or drawing Spidey for a slurpee cup or something. The initial offering for Marvel stock did not get get much respect on Wall Street, but there were those who knew better. I bought 20 shares of stock in 1991 and it split maybe 3 times. That was very cool! When Disney bought the House of Ideas earlier this month, I knew that now was a good time to sell. Here's a toast to the marriage of Marvel and Disney!

More Art!

I did some storyboard work over the weekend! I am posting some art.

Not so Friendly Ghost?

So I found out about a new series of Comic books featuring Casper, The friendly Ghost. It's new series that will include, Wendy the Witch and Hot Stuff! I remember these characters as fun and approachable. I get the impression that this new series will not be so much fun. Hot Stuff now has baggy pants and a wallet chain. Wendy looks like she could be in a 'Twilight' movie and sadly, Casper may not be as friendly as in past years.

I hope that the new authors interpretation does not include Casper spouting curse words, or Hot Stuff aiming a gun.

More Art!

I have done more art for the 'In Progress...' Blog! It's such a cool blog to visit.Click here!

Storytelling Shorthand

Just like in comics, Film has a way of describing a character at a glance. Is he evil? Give him an eye patch. Use some kind of stereotype and you get the idea. I am posting a new kind of shorthand that I have noticed.
If you want the audience to know that the character is 'Really smart, but really kinda troubled...", put the character on campus under a hundred year old elm/oak tree. It worked with 'A beautiful mind' and it is used in the next Jessica Alba flick.