Tattooed Sky

Shiver On The River 2012

2012-01-31T20:11:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, Feb. 4th Belle Isle will once again host it's annual winter event, Shiver On The River. the aquarium will be opened for the day and there are more tanks filled with different water denizens, including a shark. So, come on down, brave the cold (I don't think it will be that cold this year), and see some fishies. We are getting that much closer to opening and occasions like this only make that day even closer.

This year's cartoon may find some scratching their heads (especially those young ones), as I really tapped into my inner nerd for this one. Hopefully, some of you will get the pop culture references.

I will not be in attendance this year (but, my cartoons will!), as I will be in Lansing for the MSU Comics Forum, but more on that later.

Adora commission

2012-01-25T16:33:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month I was contacted to do a commission that involved this man's daughter, Adora. He has commissioned tons of artists to do their interpretations of this cute little girl in all manners of situations and settings. I was given the option of doing whatever I wanted, but he did have this list of potential settings, so I chose to do one from that list; Adora on the Beatles Help! album cover. Even though Adora is mostly hidden by the bulky outerwear, I still like the enthusiasm of the piece. It was fun to do. Hopefully, George won't object to much, wherever he may roam...

You can check out Adora and all of the other commissions here.

As usual, click on the image to engorge.

Star Wars Sketchagraphs

2012-01-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

These here cards are called sketchagraphs and are a subset to the Star Wars Galaxy 7 card set that will be released by Topps next month. Each card has an autograph by an actor or production person from any of the Star Wars movies and the animated Clone Wars series.

These autographs include Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Alan Flyng (an Executive Imperial Officer and wardrobe designer), Ashley Eckstein (Asohka Tano-Clone Wars), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi-Clone Wars), Timothy Zahn (author-Extended Universe), Ben Burtt (various small roles and sound engineer), Tom Kane (Yoda-Clone Wars), Matthew Wood (General Grievous), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Dickey Beers (various roles), and Catherine Tabor (Padme-Clone Wars).

Much thanks to my buds Jay Shimko and Scott Toth with help on deciphering some of these signatures!

Figure Sketches

2012-01-10T22:27:00.001-05:00

Last month at one of our Motor City Sketch gatherings, we were fortunate enough to have a model pose for us and the above sketches are two of the better ones from that session. I wasn't feeling it that night and was sketching heavy handed and clumsy, but I liked these two even if the anatomy was a little wonky.

Muck Man #22

2012-01-02T12:03:00.001-05:00

The origin of our hero continues and should wrap up in the next installment. Enjoy!

Click on image to engorge.

A Michigan To Texas Birthday Wish 2011

2011-12-30T01:16:00.000-05:00

My internet pal Sandra likes to collect photos from her online friends for her birthday every year. So, for this year's photo, I selected this image of the Belle Isle Conservatory as seen from the roof of the aquarium. In the spring, the aquarium will be getting a much needed roof replacement, which will be one step closer to getting the place re-opened.

Sandra, I hope that you like this Detroit themed birthday photo!

Happy Holidays 2011

2011-12-23T16:55:00.000-05:00

How ever you celebrate and who ever you celebrate with I wish you all the bestest holiday season! See you all in the new year.

Galaxy 7 Sketch Cards, part two

2011-12-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

These are a few more of my Galaxy 7 sketch cards from the Topps set. The first cards are the hobby ones and these finish up those and the ones with the red background start the retail cards.

Galaxy 7 Sketch Cards

2011-12-02T15:53:00.000-05:00

These are a few of the 212 (including returns) sketch cards that I am doing for the Star Wars Galaxy 7 card set that will be put out by Topps early next year. I just received approval to show these, so I thought I'd put them up for all to see.

And on to some convention news. Tomorrow I will be in Grand Rapids, MI for the Grand Rapids Comic and Toy Expo. There will only be a few of us artists on hand, so come on by and say hello. I will have sketch cards, prints, books and all that good stuff.

Muck Man #21

2011-11-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

So, I got a little derailed in October and November due to an illness and some deaths and it seems like it's been ages since I last did a Muck Man tale. So, it was nice to get back into the swing of things and get going on this again. Also, my very first Muck Man comic book will see the light of day very soon as I am putting the finishing touches to this. Details coming soon!

Star Wars Blast From The Past Comicpalooza!*

2011-11-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

*for lack of a better title...

Two posts back I showed a sketch from my childhood, so why not keep it going this time? When I was digging through my old drawings I came across this Star Wars satire comic that I did when I was 17. Such a witty young lad was I... Sad to say that I don't think my cheesy sense of humor has developed much since then.

Trooperfest

2011-11-11T16:15:00.000-05:00

The 501st Legion's Trooperfest is going on now and I will be one of only a few artists on hand. I have yet to see who is actually attending, but I do know besides myself, Chris Trevas and Alex Buechel will be theretomorrow and possibly Jamie Snell from Ohio. So, I will be there with Star Wars related stuff, including prints, sketch cards and originals. Steve Sansweet of Lucasfilm will also be in attendance. Should make for an interesting time, so come on down and get your Star Wars fix.

The above image was swiped from their site and you can get more info here.

Rudolph F. Zallinger

2011-11-09T21:03:00.000-05:00

Allosaurus Attacking Brontosaurus (1960) by R.F.Z.

The Age Of Reptiles (1943-47) by R.F.Z.

Dinosaur sketches (1976) by me

Back in September, I decided to revisit a couple of dinosaur books from my childhood. I still have them and hadn't really looked at them in years and I wanted to see just how far the field of paleontology has come in the last 50 years or so (the books being written in '59 and '60). Surprisingly, the only really obvious 'mistakes' were in bone structure, where and how the legs attached to the body. I know that they now know that it would have been impossible for some of these behemoths to even hold their own weight had their legs jutted out from the sides instead of below the body.

But, even more revealing to me, was just how much the artwork (in Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Reptiles, 1960) by Rudolph F. Zallinger had an impact on me as a little fledgling artist. Although, structurally inaccurate, the images of the dinosaurs and the surrounding environments captivated me when I was young. The artwork is beautiful with deep, rich colors that I had never seen before (or since) and upon reviewing them, I was almost immediately thrown back to those younger days and even felt some of the excitement that I used to feel when looking at them then. Very inspiring, actually. No wonder that I hung on to them all these years! One can almost feel the heavy atmosphere and humidity in these scenes. I tried then to recreate some of those dinosaur images when I was ten and the bottom sketch is one of those. I just couldn't get those deep blues and reds, but I know I had a blast trying! I think a little bit of Mr. Zallinger artwork is still rattling around in my work to this day and why wouldn't he be?

Here is a brief snippet about R.F.Z. from wikipedia:

Rudolph Franz Zallinger (November 12, 1919 - August 1, 1995) was an American-based artist notable for his mural The Age of Reptiles (1947) at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History and for the popular illustration known as March of Progress (1965), one of the world's most recognizable scientific images.

Biography

Zallinger was born in Irkutsk, Siberia in 1919. He attended Yale’s School of Fine Arts on scholarships during the Great Depression, was trained as an illustrator, and he taught at Yale after graduation. The Peabody Museum hired him to paint the mural in 1943 at $40 a week, and Zallinger took a crash course in paleontology to prepare for the job. After that, the museum appointed him as the “artist in residence”, a position he held until his death^[1].

I think a visit to Yale is in my future to see those murals.

Koi Wrangling 2011

2011-11-04T12:44:00.000-04:00

Just recently, the Belle Isle Aquarium received a federal grant to replace the roof, which is much needed, so the top cartoon was done for that wonderful news.

And the bottom toon is for tomorrow's (Sat. 11-5-11) Koi wrangling event to move the 'deadly' creatures to their winter habitat located in the basement of the aquarium. Volunteers are always welcome, so come on down to the island at 9am to help out with the move. The kids love this, especially the big ones and the more helpers we have the quicker it goes.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T10:29:00.000-04:00

Muck Man #20

2011-10-27T23:45:00.000-04:00

The origin of Muck Man continues! Click on image to engorge.

TJS Automotive Repair Logo

2011-10-19T15:49:00.000-04:00

Recently, I finished up a logo design for TJS Automotive Repair shop located in Madison Heights, MI and here is the final design as it will appear on their t-shirts and other advertisments. The car used for this design is based on one of the owners own cars, a 1968 Grand Prix. I had a lot of fun doing this one and I seem to be getting better at doing cars, as long as I can put my own twist in there somewhere.

Muck Man Theme Song!

2011-10-09T20:03:00.000-04:00

My Chicago based uber talented musician buddy Chris Quigley has honored me by writing and recording a theme song for my Muck Man character. When he approached me a few months back about doing something like this I thought that I would keep an open mind and be gracious for whatever he came up with. I didn't think that this would be too difficult a task to accomplish since I'm a fan of his music anyways. But, when he sent the link with the demo, I have to admit that just before playing it I had a secondary flash of anxiety that it wouldn't capture the 'essence' that is the Man of Muck. I then reminded myself that I would probably like what I heard. All doubts (which were pretty much nil, anyways) were immediately cast aside when the first guitar licks festooned from my speakers. To say that I was pleasantly pleased would have been an understatement. It does have an infectious guitar riff that I seem to be humming all weekend. Come on! Muck Man has a theme song! How cool is that?

Chris and I go way back to high school and as he has said that I liked him even when his music sucked, I can say the same that he stuck around me even when my art sucked! I fondly remember him giving me flack about my dreamy big-eyed self-portraits. Good times. So, go and check out his site for witty remarks and even better tunes. I believe that he is currently tearing up the Chicago night club scene, so if you live in the Chicago area, check him out!

Check out the Muck Man Theme here.

And here is the instrumental version.

So, make sure that you go to the Quigman's site and tell him just how cool the Muck Man Theme is! I command you.

And for your veiwing pleasure, a toon of Muck Solo, as seen above.

Detroit Fanfare!

2011-09-23T15:13:00.000-04:00

Detroit Fanfare is finally amongst us! This Saturday and Sunday at Cobo hall in Detroit will be the place to be for all of your comic and pop culture needs and this event is turning very fast into being the Detroit area's premiere con scene. The founders of Fanfare, Dennis Barger, Gary Reed and Tony Miello have pulled out all the stops in making this a fun and exciting weekend. Besides there being over 200 artists, there will be a few media guests there, as well. Peter Weller of Robocop and Buckaroo Banzai fame, Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead and Burn Notice, Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead and Kelly Hu from X-Men 2 just to name a few.

Motor City Sketch will have a presence there, as well. We will have our artists at the MCS booth throughout the weekend doing sketches for charity and some of will be doing a panel on Sunday at 2:30 talking about sketch cards, including Jay Shimko, Bill Pulkovski, Jake Minor, Matt Minor, Kevin Minor, Jason Westlake and Jeremy Treece.

I was honored to be asked to do an exclusive official Fanfare print and what you see above is just that, minus the Fanfare logo. The print is of guest Steven Yeun. You can get that print at the main table when you come through the door or at my table, as well. Although, mine won't have the Fanfare logo. I will be at table 224 in Artists Alley.

So, come on down and say hello. I will also have other prints exclusive to Fanfare and it's content, sketch cards, books and original art.

Saturday 10am to 7pm

Sunday 12pm to 6pm

You can get all the details at the Detroit Fanfare site by clicking here.

FF 50th Gallery Opening Reception

2011-09-21T13:32:00.000-04:00

Headspace Gallery inside of Green Brain Comics is hosting an exhibit featuring 26 artists re-imagining each page of # 1 of Fantastic Four, which was originally released 50 years ago in 1961. My contribution to this event is a redo of page #3 in my own cartoon style. I did pretty much a straight up version using the same panel layout as the original, but just doing the characters in my style. Some of the other artists include Ted Woods, Topher Crowder and Matt Feazal, to name a few.

Tonight's opening goes from 7-10pm and you can get all the pertinent information from Green Brain Comics:

13210 Michigan Ave.
Dearborn, MI
313-592-9444

Uniroyal Thanos

2011-09-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

I did this drawing of the mighty Thanos materializing out of the Uniroyal Tire for a Detroit/pop art inspired sketchbook that will be available at Detroit Fanfare next weekend (Sept. 24+25) at Cobo Hall. This exact image may or may not be in the book, as I haven't heard which of the three images I submitted will be included, but I thought that I would show it here anyways. I will have more on Detroit Fanfare in my next post.

Muck Man #19

2011-09-07T18:01:00.000-04:00

More Vampirella sketch cards

2011-08-30T14:28:00.000-04:00

Above are the rest of the Vampirella sketch cards that I did for Breygent. The bottom cards with the blue backgrounds are my Artists Proofs and as always, if interested send me an e-mail. The set is out now.

Muck Man #18

2011-08-23T09:37:00.000-04:00

The saga continues...

Summit City Comic Con sketch cards

2011-08-16T15:05:00.000-04:00

Back in June at the Summit City Comic Con they were nice enough to supply us art folk with some blank sketch cards with their logo printed on them. So, I did up some characters from this spring and summer's pop culture movie releases; Thor, X-Men, Green Lantern, Transformers and Harry Potter. Four of them have already been sold, so if interested on what's left, shoot me an e-mail.

Muck Man #17

2011-08-12T12:39:00.000-04:00

As our origin tale continues, Muck man recalls a childhood memory...

The Hellboy Thinker

2011-08-08T12:42:00.000-04:00

The Hellboy Thinker
12x18
colored pencil on tinted paper

I've been tinkering around with Detroit themed pop culture ideas for next month's Detroit Fanfare convention and this was an idea for another painting, but I kind of like it as a drawing. It would definitely have a very different feel to it done in acrylics. I may still do it, but I have a few other Fanfare related projects that have to be done first and I don't think I can talk about it just yet, so I won't.

Muck Man #16

2011-08-02T14:46:00.000-04:00

The origins of Muck continue.

Project Superpowers San Diego exclusives

2011-07-25T13:52:00.000-04:00

These are the limited cards that I did for Alex Ross' Project Superpowers from Breygent Marketing. These were done exclusively for the San Diego Comic Con International and were given away as handouts. I've already seen one of them up on ebay. The bottom two are my Artist Proofs.

Jacques Cousteau

2011-07-19T19:36:00.000-04:00

Here's a little something from the sketchbook. A recently done caricature of the famed undersea explorer and film maker Jacques Cousteau. Some of these are easier than others, as a large nose helps.

Muck Man #15

2011-07-15T13:31:00.000-04:00

Our intrepid hero continues to explain his existence amid further suspicion...

The Professionals

2011-07-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

This is a scene from the 1960's movie, The Professionals with Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster. The movie has some great lines in it and I have to rank it as one of my favorite westerns. Like the RocknRolla piece that I did a few months ago, this one will be a part of a bigger piece with three scenes from the movie done in a comic book panel format. So, when reading the text you have to do it with their voices to get the effect. Do it, you know you want to speak like Burt Lancaster, you just know you do.

Click on the image to engorge.

Vampirella Sketch Cards

2011-07-03T16:15:00.000-04:00

Here are a few of the cards that I did for Breygent's Vampirella set. We have been asked not to show all of the cards that we have done for this until the set is released, which I believe is sometime next week or so. The rest shall be posted soon, so I hope that you enjoy these until then!

Muck Man #14

2011-06-28T11:55:00.000-04:00

After receiving some good advice and direction for my Muck Man and ink.re.ments cartoon strips at the Summit City Comic Con a week or so ago, I have been eager to get the ball rolling and put these things out in a more timely fashion. So, here we continue with the origins of Muck Man.

This may appear as a slam against Greenpeace, but it's not. I'm actually a supporter of what they do. Just so you know.

Muck Man #13

2011-06-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

In this latest tale of the Muck, we catch a small rubbery glimpse of his past.

RocknRolla

2011-06-09T23:31:00.000-04:00

I've been tinkering with the idea of taking three scenes from a movie and drawing them up in a comic book panel style and presenting them in that fashion. A combination of two mediums that tell a brief story or set a theme from the movie in question. So, my first one is from the Guy Ritchie movie, RocknRolla, a great little film with some wonderful dialogue and one liners. Although, the words that I've provided here are not in the film, but what I imagine Gerard Butler to be thinking or saying in those situations.

I had a load of fun with this and it's a great vehicle for me to whip out the old brush and throw down some ink. And I hope that this comes across as something that is enjoyable to view. Gimmee some feedback.

Captain America: The First Avenger sketch cards

2011-05-31T23:36:00.000-04:00

Above are all the sketch cards that I did for Upper Deck's Captain America: The First Avenger set. As you can see I am keeping with the cartoon style for the time being and also kept this one simple using just two characters: Captain America and the Red Skull. The last six cards are my Artist Proofs.

The Hellboy Fist

2011-05-22T19:53:00.000-04:00

The Hellboy Fist or The Detroit Hellboy Memorial
15x20
acrylic on illustration board

My wife came up with this idea of taking the Joe Louis Memorial sculpture by Robert Graham that is located in downtown Detroit and replacing the JL fist with that of Hellboy's fist. Awesome idea and one that garnered a lot of attention at last week's Motor City Comic Con where I had the original painting on display. My wife has her moments and this was definitely one of them. I'm still kicking myself for not coming up with it!

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Wrangling 2011

2011-05-06T12:53:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, May 7th at 9am, the Belle Isle Aquarium will be hosting the annual koi transfer from the winter basement holding tanks to the outside pond. This is a fun time, so bring the kids, the grandparents, whoever, down to Belle Isle for a good and worthwhile time. Alas, I won't be able to make it this year, as I will be at Wonderworld Comics in Taylor, MI signing for Free Comic Book Day.

So, make a day of it and got to the aquarium and then Wonderworld Comics!

Bumblebee

2011-04-30T19:53:00.000-04:00

Here is a pin up style painting that I finished up a few months ago. It has two subjects of interest for me; women and bumblebees. What does this mean? I don't know. Does this really need a meaning? You tell me.

Bumblebee
15x8
acrylic on illustration board

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Pond Cleanup 2011

2011-04-22T16:11:00.000-04:00

This Saturday, starting at 9:00am volunteers will be cleaning out the koi pond at the Belle Isle Aquarium and can use all the help that can be offered. Believe me, I've seen the horror that is fish poop on a large scale. All puns intended. Besides all the smelly stuff, it is a fun time and a good cause, so if you are hankerin' for some volunteer grunt work, come on down to Belle Isle and lend a fin. In two weeks (May 7th), will be the koi transfer.

Gallery representation

2011-04-20T17:54:00.000-04:00

Cloaked Man, bronze

Fingers, alabaster

Emergence, soapstone

Once upon a time when I was in my twenties I tried my hand at the gallery scene with some limited success. And here and there throughout the following years I have had my paintings, drawings, cartoons and sculptures in group shows here and abroad. But, until now, have had no real gallery representation. Yesterday, the River's Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, MI took on three of my sculptures to promote and possibly put into the hands of a collector of such art. And all of this comes with the intention of me producing more work, especially in the line of the stone carvings.

So, my thanks go out to Jeremy Hansen, the gallery director and Patt Slack, the owner for having faith in my work. I'm excited at this new possibility.

You can contact the gallery itself for all of your Gerlachian sculpture needs.

River's Edge Gallery
3024 Biddle
Wyandotte, MI 48192
(734)-246-9880
www.artattheedge.com

ink.re.ments #10

2011-04-12T19:04:00.000-04:00

If you think that my imagination as an adult is wild, you should have seen me as a kid. Looking back I sometimes think that I was off the charts some. In a good way. Those of you raised on video games might not get this latest incursion of my auto-biographical ink.re.ments strip, but for those that had boxes that transmogrified into forts and spaceships and battleships, then you know where I'm coming from.

One of my childhood friends had this basement that was divided into two rooms right down the middle. The one side was finished and looked to me like the interior of some old ship and the other side, where the laundry room and workbench were looked like the darker levels of a sunken ship. My friend's kitchen was the launching area where we would don out scuba gear, then proceed to the "back of the boat," where we would jump off and into the sea to make out descent into the depths to the interior of that sunken ship. I don't know about my buddy, but when I went down those steps I was there. I could feel the water, see the bubbles leaving my ventilator, see those fish and the sharks off in the hazy distance and feel the danger lurking as we entered that 'ship.' It was awesome. We visited that wreck often.

We innocently called our shared daydream, 'playing Jacques Cousteau.'

Muck Man #12

2011-04-04T14:28:00.000-04:00

The latest episode of Muck Man has our hero wishing a Happy Birthday to another crime fighting vigilante, a hero created by fellow cartoonist Denver Brubaker, The Checkered Man (which may or may not be his real moniker). Denver created Tales of a Checkered Man and the strips began running one year ago. So, happy birthday to Tales of a Checkered Man and make sure you check out the bi-weekly adventures here. Click on the image to engorge.

Marvel Beginnings

2011-03-30T14:38:00.000-04:00

Here are the sketch cards that I did for the Marvel Beginnings set put out by Upper Deck and Marvel Comics. My Artist Proofs are the six at the very bottom and will be available for purchase once they are returned to me. I decided to keep with the cartoon style and had a lot of fun with these, so I hope they are received well. This set has yet to be released, but should be soon.

Indianapolis and Greensburg

2011-03-25T16:08:00.000-04:00

Here are a few photos from my adventure in Indiana last week. While my wife was busy toiling away at a training seminar, I took the time to explore the area, including Indianapolis, a city that I had never visited before. My first stop was the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Rufus (1762-65) by George Stubbs
I don't know if Rufus was sickly or not, but this painting as simple as the composition is, struck a chord within me. It's a beautiful painting of a horse as one will ever see.

Angel of the Resurrection (1904) by Tiffany Studios.
This was the center piece of a larger memorial all done in stained glass. Years ago, I worked in a stained glass studio and always regretted not being able to paint like this on the glass itself. Truly an art form in itself. And being familiar with what the Tiffany Studios produced I certainly appreciated this piece of work and spent some time absorbing it all.

I'm sure that I'm not the first to take this picture, but I just had to. It's a funny site watching those 'art critics' looking with speculation at that dancing bronze kid.

My second stop was at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. Here I am recreating the famous photo on the desk.

This is Corey Dalton and he gave me a most informative tour of the museum. If you have a chance, check out his website and links to his other sites. He's a very busy and interesting guy.

Here is the front of the museum. You can check out their website here.

The State Soldiers And Sailors Monument in downtown Indy. This is probably one of the most impressive city circles that I've seen and this one was finished in 1902. The monument was designed by Bruno Schmitz (1868-1916), the marble sculptures were done by Rudolph Schwarz (1866-1912) and the bronze work was done by Nicolus Geiger (1849-1897). Very cool.

This is the clock tower of the Decatur County Court House in Greensburg, IN. In 1870 a large aspen tree made its appearance and has been here ever since (although, I've been told that this is the third such tree). Still...

Much to my wife's dismay, I dropped some cash in my time in Indianapolis, so I don't want to hear about any bad economy. I did my part!

Sketches

2011-03-13T20:34:00.002-04:00

Last week I found myself in the city of Hamilton, Ohio with a day and a half to kill, so I decided to check out the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and the Museum of Ancient Sculpture located on the park grounds. I enjoyed both of these places, as I could wander around the 265 acres of woodland, ponds and a ton of sculptures viewing everything at my leisure. The museum was small, but just right. The collection ranged from Egyptian, Syrian, Etruscan, Greek and Roman.

So, I spent my time there taking pictures and sketching. Above are a few and on the left is a sketch of one of the menhir type sculptures from Jon Isherwood's, The Age of Stone. On the right are a few sketches from the museum, mostly from some Roman sculptures.

You can check out their website here.

Monsters, Zombies and Freaks

2011-02-28T14:53:00.000-05:00

The UK card company Cult Stuff will soon be releasing their Monsters, Zombies and Freaks set. I contributed 150 sketch cards for this set, some in the cartoon style that I have been employing, as of late. I started doing them more as cartoons on the Star Wars Galaxy 6 set and am continuing on with the Marvel Beginnings and the Captain America sets that will be out in the next few months. Approaching these cards with the cartoon style has been a refreshing choice and I've certainly been having a lot of fun doing them. And I've had some positive feedback on them, as well. You can get all the necessary info on this set from the Cult Stuff site.

The Art Of The Comic: A Comic Book Art Show

2011-02-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night is the opening of the Art Of The Comic group show at the River's Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, Mi that will feature the pop culture works of Tony Miello, Katie Cook, Jay Fosgitt, Jay Shimko, Bill Pulkovski and myself. I believe that I heard that a couple of stormtroopers from the 501st will be on hand, as well. This gallery has three floors of awesomeness and there is plenty of other artworks to check out, so come on down and have a good time. All of the artists will be there to make you feel super special.... or maybe you will make us feel super special. I don't know.

All the pertinent info is on the top image and it will engorge if you click on it.

Scary Monsters and Super Creeps

2011-02-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

Back in the fall I was asked to do a painting for the promotional material of a horror film festival that was supposed to take place this month on the west side of the state, but the last that I heard it had been cancelled. I would have shown it by now, anyways, so here it is. The group wanted a St. Valentines Day Massacre type setting with the police busting in on some of the more popular icons in cinematic horror history. There's a few real life dudes in there, as well.

ink.re.ments #9

2011-02-14T17:40:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest installment of ink.re.ments. This one was supposed to be done around Christmas time, but as you can see, it's a little late. This one involves my friend Darin and his hatred, I say hatred, for a certain holiday crooner and my attempt to wonder why....

Click on the image to engorge.

Voltron: United and Drawn

2011-02-07T11:34:00.001-05:00

I just received my comp copies for the Voltron: United and Drawn book put out by 5Finity and Moonstone Books. I did the above painting (page 74) for the book last April, so it's nice to finally have the finished product in hand and it is a nice looking book. Kudos go to Steven Frank for putting together a great package and I'm always appreciative for being asked to be a part of something like this.

For those who know me, they know that I am not much of a fan of Voltron (hey, he's no Shogun Warrior!), but I think that I did a good job with the character and making him my own. I chose to do a pin-up style approach, as well.

Anyways, the book retails at $29.99 at all your fave book outlets and I have two copies that I can part with, so if your interested, shoot me an e-mail and we can haggle. I'll throw in a sketch to boot!

Shiver On The River 2011

2011-02-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

This Saturday (5th), from 10am to 3pm Belle Isle will once again host the winter funfest called Shiver On The River. The Aquarium, Conservatory, and Casino will all be open to the public and there will be various crafts and other winter like activities for one and all. I will be at the aquarium selling fish related cartoon prints (all proceeds will go to helping in the reopening of the aquarium) and doing fishy sketches for the kids. So come on down and chill. Literally.

Muck Man!

2011-01-31T16:05:00.003-05:00

Here is Muck Man as drawn by fellow cartoonist Denver Brubaker. He did a great job, didn't he? You can check out Denver's Tales Of A Checkered Man here. My first fan art!

Muck Man #11

2011-01-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

Muck Man faces possibly his most dangerous foe: Pharmaceutical Propaganda!

MSU Comics Forum 2011

2011-01-21T12:16:00.000-05:00

It looks like my convention season will be starting a heck of a lot earlier than I expected. Tomorrow (Saturday 21st), I will be set up in Artist's Alley at the MSU Comics Forum located on the MSU campus. For all the pertinent details go here. There will be some great artists on hand for you to check out, including Jay Jacot (thanks for the invite!), Denver Brubaker (Tales Of A Checkered Man), David Petersen (Mouse Guard) and Bill Pulkovski. This show is a little different from the ones that I usually set up at, so it should be interesting.

Star Wars Galaxy 6 sketch cards, part two

2011-01-19T14:24:00.001-05:00

Here are a few more of my Galaxy 6 cards that should be released soon from Topps. A special thanks must go out to my friend Thomas Spanos, who provided some wonderful reference pics of him dressed as Darth Bane. To see this creation (Darth Bane) in person is quite a sight.

Trains Of Thought, part three

2011-01-14T13:42:00.000-05:00

Some images from last weeks gallery opening:

My wee little sculpture next to another artist's photo of the abandoned Michigan Train Station.

Friend and artist, Walter Warren viewing the goods.

A motley crew who actually showed up for this shindig: Jay Shimko, some slacker, Lisa Shimko, Sara and Bill Pulkovski, Ann Marie Provost, Walter Warren and Dan Provost.

Trains Of Thought, part two

2011-01-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the opening for the Trains of Thought gallery exhibit at work.detroit. Above is the piece and below that is the original sketch that I used for the sculpture, done a few years prior. Below is all the important details for the exhibit:

TRAINS of THOUGHT opens at work•detroit

DETROIT SCHEDULE
January 7 – February 4, 2011
Opening reception, January 7, 6-9

Bruce Gerlach
Daniel Farnum
Gary Schwartz
Katie Hargrave
Ken Giles
Leona Webb
Matthew Zivich
Nick Tobier
Ray Domzalski
Steve Boni
Veronica Shallcross
Stephen William Schudlich
Daniel Swan
Deborah Marlowe Kashdan

A sharing of creative work which speaks to the topic of trains as a concept, as a symbol and/or as a system of sustainable transportation. This exhibition will run concurrently with a similarly focused exhibition at Work • Ann Arbor generated by students of University of Michigan School of Art & Design Professor Jan-Henrik Andersen.

work • ann arbor
306 State Street, Ann Arbor
(734) 998-6178
Sunday & Monday : Closed
Tuesday - Saturday: Noon - 7:00 pm

work • detroit
3663 woodward avenue
detroit, MI 48201
313.593.0940

A Michigan To Texas Birthday Wish 2010

2010-12-30T15:46:00.000-05:00

Today is the birthday of my internet pal, Sandra, and on this day she likes to collect photos from all her internet friends across the globe. My picture was taken back in November on a chilly morning hike in a park somewhat near my house. I really liked the cloud formations; they seemed to have settled over this scene like a blanket.

Happy Birthday, Sandra! I hope that you enjoyed the picture and your day!

Happy Holidays 2010

2010-12-23T19:13:00.000-05:00

However you celebrate and whoever you celebrate them with, I'd like to wish you and yours a happy Holiday season full of mirth and nose picking.

Trains Of Thought

2010-12-20T20:18:00.000-05:00

The Haunted Track (3 views)
mixed media
10x3.25x4.25

Occasionally, I dabble in sculpture. The Haunted Track is a sculpture that I completed earlier this year and will be in the Trains of Thought show at the work.detroit gallery from January 7th to February 4th, 2011. The theme or topic of this show are trains as a concept, as a symbol and/or a system of transportation. I haven't had the opportunity to display my work, especially my sculptures, in a gallery setting much since most of my time is spent with doing freelance illustration work, so it's nice to have a piece in this show. My last gallery appearance was a couple of pieces at the Detroit Artists Market back in 2008 and before that, a show in Iceland in 2007.

This piece does have a story, a personal one that I haven't shared with too many people because it probably would anger a few members of my family since this deals with the death of my grandfather. But, those people who would be offended wouldn't come to this blog anyways, so I'm not too worried about that.

A few years ago, I was reading an article in a sculpture magazine about Honore Daumier, who at that time, I did not know that he was a pretty good sculptor, as well as an expert in drawing and painting. Anyways, he was doing these small caricatures of legislators, royalty and politicians and it landed him in plenty of trouble. These notables that he chose as subject matter were so offended by these sculptures, they had him thrown in jail. That story, as interesting as it was, inspired me to do some small caricatures of people that I know, mainly family and friends. I had done a pencil sketch of my grandmother that I thought captured her likeness, so I used that as my first piece (and only one to date).

Even though I don't think that I captured her likeness with the exaggerated and ghost-like features, I do feel that I captured the personality of her later years. When I solved the problem of making this part of a larger story, I took some wood from a weathered white picket fence that we used to have in the backyard and screwed a piece of model railroad track that used to belong to my grandfather onto that. Even the metal hanger at the top was from his workshop, so I thought that it was great that I could use something from his life in the piece.

Without getting too much into detail, I've always felt that my grandmother hastened my grandfather's departure from this world and that her negative words about him since have always seemed almost as if she was a ghost haunting his own personal railroad. He spent a long time with those tracks and she has spent a lot time trying to dismantle what he built. My thoughts on this ebb and flow like the tide, but I think that this captured my overall feeling on the matter, and that's what matters. But, this is just one man's opinion...

Anyways, as one can see, this is a very personal piece, another journal entry of a slice of a life, so I hope that it is well received.

ink.re.ments #8

2010-12-15T13:49:00.000-05:00

This latest episode of my more autobiographical cartoon experiment is from something that happened more recent than the others. This cartoon is about a Saturday night in Chicago area hotel bar with some of my, ahem, artistic cohorts.
My hope with these cartoons is that I can convey the story that I want to tell so that the viewer, who was not there, can understand and enjoy it. There are definitely some elements to these episodes that are and will seem like inside jokes, but I try to let you in on the joke, so I hope that that works on some level.

I would appreciate any comments concerning how these are coming across.

Clone Wars: Rise Of The Bounty Hunters Sketch Cards-returns

2010-12-10T10:58:00.003-05:00

Here are my 10 return cards from Topps' Clone Wars: Rise Of The Bounty Hunters set. As usual, if anyone is interested shoot me an e-mail. As you can plainly see, these are Embo heavy.

Star Wars Galaxy 6 sketch cards

2010-12-03T15:06:00.002-05:00

Here are the first of my Galaxy 6 cards from Topps that have been approved to show. On this set I am taking more of a cartoon look to the images, so I hope that they come across well. How about that wonky sandcrawler? And as you can plainly see, I was enjoying doing the gangster Hutts (including Mama Hutt!).

The Anchor sketch

2010-11-23T17:47:00.003-05:00

Here is a quick sketch from the ol' moleskine sketchbook. It's about a theme that's been haunting me lately. More to come on this subject, for sure.

The Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary Sketch Cards (Returns)

2010-11-18T17:14:00.003-05:00

As I'm chipping away at my Galaxy 6 and Cult Stuff cards I thought that I would post my return cards for the 30th Anniversary Empire Strikes Back set from Topps. The three top left cards may be spoken for, so e-mail me for details on the rest if interested.

ink.re.ments #7

2010-11-08T15:46:00.004-05:00

This 'toon was based on day way back in the 80's when I had a friend of mine help me help my grandparents move a big awkward piece of furniture of some kind down into their basement. My grandma invited us to stay for dinner as thanks for helping out. Who's going to pass up a home cooked meal by a grandmother? Not us. Well, the friend in question was not familiar with my grandpa's rather thick New England accent and he was quite scared for a brief moment. In fact, none of us could figure out why he wasn't answering my grandpa's question until my grandma began laughing from the kitchen...

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Wrangling 2010

2010-11-04T11:21:00.004-04:00

This Saturday, November 6th at 10:30am will be the annual koi wrangling ( a much more appropriate word) at the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit. If it's anything like last year, those little buggers are going to be a struggle to get in the nets and more than a few will winter over in the pond, I'm sure. There's always some trouble makers in every group.

The weather doesn't look like it's going to cooperate like last year, so dress accordingly if you plan on coming.

Oh, and you can check out the group on facebook.

Detroit Fanfare

2010-10-29T11:48:00.003-04:00

This weekend, October 30th and 31st, I will be a guest artist at Detroit Fanfare in Dearborn, MI. If you show up, I will be stationed at table #75, so stop on by and say hello. However, I will be away from my table for a bit on Saturday at 12:30, because I'm giving blood and again at 3:30 because I've been 'volunteered' to be part of a panel discussing sketch cards along with Bill Pulkovski and Tony Miello. So, if you are interested in that type of thang, come on by and give a listen.

You can get all the pertinent information by going here.

Woodstock Generation Sketch Cards

2010-10-24T19:27:00.003-04:00

Above are a few of the 3.5x5 inch sketch cards that I did for Breygent's Woodstock Generation set. This particular set was just recently released this past month.

Muck Man #10

2010-10-18T13:53:00.002-04:00

Tales Of A Checkered Man

2010-10-14T11:40:00.004-04:00

Recently, I was fortunate enough to take part in Denver Brubaker's webcomic Tales Of A Checkered Man by doing a guest panel in the strip's current story line. Denver wanted a panel that was very different from his style and reminiscent of a John Buscema Conan type of look and the panel that you see above is what I came up with (through his direction, of course). So, go and check it out and you can scroll back and read all of the previous strips. It's a fun time and you can check it out here.

And a big thanks to Denver for letting me play a bit with his creations!

Clone Wars: Rise Of The Bounty Hunters Sketch Cards

2010-10-08T17:11:00.003-04:00

Back to showing some sketch cards. The above cards are from the Topps set The Clone Wars: Rise Of The Bounty Hunters. I did somewhere in the realm of 230 cards for both the hobby and retail markets and I'm sure that Embo is my new favorite character to draw.

Abe Sapien

2010-09-25T11:55:00.005-04:00

Here is a painting just recently finished of everyone's favorite amphibian humanoid. He has some great colors, so naturally I had a blast experimenting with this one. I was going to do something different with the background, maybe put in some bubbles or some swirling currents or something like that, but as I came closer to finishing I liked the way he seems to pop out of the darkness. It would be as if he took one step back the darkness would swallow Abe up completely.

Abe Sapien

10x15

acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board

Classic Sci-Fi and Horror Movie Poster Sketch Cards

2010-09-18T17:28:00.003-04:00

Above are some of the over sized (3x5) sketch cards that I did for the Classic Sci-Fi and Horror set released not too long ago by Breygent Marketing. As you can well imagine, this was a spectacularly fun set to work on and it was great to be a part of. I do have one Artist Proof card from this set that is not shown here and if anyone is interested, just send me a message.

Chicagoland Entertainment Collectors Expo 2010

2010-09-06T17:57:00.005-04:00

Fresh off my appearance at the Durand Fantasy Expo, I will now be heading to the Chicago area (Carol Stream, IL) for the Chicagoland Entertainment Collectors Expo this Thursday through Sunday. Way back in the winter, February or March, I think, I did a few sketch cards for their Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation event. You can get more info at their website. The sketch cards are shown above. I believe that I just heard recently that some of these are still pending for approval by the various licensees, but should be available in time for the event. Just so you know. Back when I did these I really had no idea that I would actually be in attendance for this show, but things fell into place and lo and behold, I will be now. So, stop by and say hello.

Copy & paste:

The Durand Fantasy Expo 2010

2010-09-02T18:16:00.002-04:00

No artwork this time, just a quick note to say that I will be at the Durand Fantasy Expo this Saturday, the 4th from 10am until 5pm. Durand is located near Flint, Mi for those in the area and you can check out all the details here. Stop on by and say hello. I don't bite. Well, I usually don't draw blood.

Muck Man #9

2010-08-27T15:04:00.002-04:00

How about another rip roaring Muck Man tale?

Muck Man #8

2010-08-20T13:48:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since the mighty Muck Man has made an appearance here, so here he is in another astounding tale of righteousness.

Batgirl

2010-08-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

Batgirl

10x15

acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board

San Diego Comic Con 2010

2010-08-05T22:49:00.004-04:00

So, it's been a quick two weeks since the San Diego Comic Con and I'd better do an equally quick write-up about my week there before too much time slips away. As you can see by my super awesome Galactus hat that a fun time was had by all. Just slip on your very own magical Galactus hat and you shall be whisked away to geek heaven. Trust me, it worked.
I was fortunate enough to get a table this year in Artists Alley and was very happy with my spot at the end of the aisle. I had a great vantage point to not only attract potential viewers and buyers, but I also had a front row seat to people watch and there was plenty to watch! The above pic shows what my little corner of con looked like.
Harley Quinn came by and it didn't take her long to whip out the old cork gun and threaten me (actually, she was quite charming).
One of the cooler exhibits was the Iron Man booth. They had all of the suits of armor from both of the movies. Being an exhibitor has its advantages; after all the crowds departed I was able to meander through the hall and see a lot of this stuff up close without a bunch of people clustered together. It was pretty cool.

It was a great experience to have a table at the biggest show on earth and to talk with all of the people who stopped by my booth. Thanks to all and I hope to see you next year!

Alice In Wonderland

2010-07-16T11:34:00.006-04:00

While I'm gearing up for the San Diego Comic Con next week, I thought I'd try to catch up a little in my posts here. So, I have the three images that I did for the Alice In Wonderland book called The Looking Glass. In the book there are 17 artists and over 30 illustrations all depicting their own version of Alice and her world. You can purchase the book directly through me or by clicking on the banner at the bottom of this page.

The book was concocted by fellow illustrator Bill Pulkovski and also has artwork by Matt Busch, Alex Buechel, Jay Shimko, to name a few.

The Queens

15x16

acrylic on illustration board

Alice And The Caterpillar

15x16

acrylic on illustration board

We're All Mad Here

15x16

acrylic on illustration board

I'd like to add that I used the likenesses of two of my nieces for the two Alice paintings.

Golden Age Comics Heroes And Villains Sketch Cards

2010-06-30T21:30:00.003-04:00

Here is my run on the Golden Age Of Comics: heroes And Villains sketch card set that was put out by Breygent back in the spring. The last two cards in the bottom row are my Artist Proofs if anyone is interested in them. In all, I did four sets for them recently including the Cartoon Series, Classic Movie Posters Sci-fi/Horror and the Woodstock generation. All very much fun to work.

Neptune Hates BP

2010-06-27T19:19:00.003-04:00

Well, don't we all at this point? We should.

I haven't posted anything from my sketchbook in quite awhile, so here is a little quickie that I did a few days ago that pretty much sums up my feelings about the gulf oil spill. Actually, I could go on and on about this in many different ways (and probably will). It's times like this that I am so happy that I made the necessary lifestyle changes to make myself happy and also to not have to depend on my vehicle (i.e, no addiction to oil here) to get back and forth to work. Keep it local and tell these fat cat corporations to suck it. Before they kill us all.

The Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary Sketch Cards

2010-06-22T15:30:00.002-04:00

Above are a few of the cards that I did for the 30th Anniversary Empire Strikes Back set from Topps that is currently on sale. The red cards will only be available through sets sold at Target stores, hence the red.

Cylon Centurion - Old School

2010-06-01T18:05:00.002-04:00

Old School

15x20

acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board

Motor City Comic Con 2010, Part Two

2010-05-21T17:49:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pictures from last weekend's Motor City Comic Con:

The 501st Republic Commando Chris Brown and me.

Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) and the print that I gave him.

Wolfman Mac amazed upon seeing my cartoon book.

Chris Brown taking a break from his 501st duties.

This was by far my best con yet and it was great to see some old friends and meet some new ones. A big thank you is in order to everyone who stopped by my little niche at the con!

Motor City Comic Con 2010

2010-05-13T13:12:00.003-04:00

This weekend I will be a guest at the Motor City Comic Con at the Rock Financial Showcase in Novi, MI. I will have a few new prints, as well as original art, cartoon books, magnets, etc. So, stop on by and say hello.

Also, I will have copies of the collaborative Alice in Wonderland book, The Looking Glass available. It's a collection of images by various artists and their interpretations of Alice and her world.

Make sure you check out the banner at the bottom of the page.

Galaxy 5 Sketch Cards

2010-05-06T12:37:00.004-04:00

I was all set to post some images that I worked on from the Empire Strikes Back 3-D set today, but a collector pointed out to me last night that I haven't shown anything from the Galaxy 5 set here. I really thought that I had, but as it turns out, I didn't. I guess that was lost in the onslaught of sketch cards that I've done since the fall (and still going, I might add). So, here are a few of the cards that I did for the Galaxy 5 set from Topps. The first set of 8 below are my return cards that are still available if anyone is interested.

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Transfer 2010

2010-04-30T15:55:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow morning at 9:00am the Belle Isle Aquarium will be transferring the koi from the basement to the outside pond. So, if you happen to be in the area of Belle Isle, come on down and lend a hand. It's a fun time for both the little kids and the big kids, such as myself.

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Pond Cleanup 2010

2010-04-20T23:19:00.003-04:00

This Saturday, April 24th, the Belle Isle Aquarium will be having their annual koi pond clean-up at 10:00am. Of course, I will probably be there early since my koi wrangling skills have come under fire since we missed about 75 of the slippery little critters last fall and they need to come out so that we can clean their summer home. So, that should be some messy fun.

Avengers Additions Sketch Cards

2010-04-12T17:31:00.004-04:00

I've done so many sketch cards lately that I forget which ones I've posted or not. So, here are a few of the 55 cards that I did for Strictly Ink's Avengers Additions Collection. This was my first time working for a company across the pond and as it turns out, it won't be the last either (more on that soon). And I must say that it was a pleasant experience to work with them and to work on material related to the 60's television series.

Robert DeNiro Poppin' A Few Veins

2010-03-18T15:43:00.002-04:00

Here's a drawing that I did of old Bob doing something to some poor schlepp who may or may not deserve his wrath. Who knows. Probably, Bob doesn't even know, he's just in the mood to crack some skulls.

DeNiro

12x17

colored pencil and black gesso on tinted paper

Red Arch

2010-03-12T15:10:00.002-05:00

Here is a landscape that I did back in the fall. This was one of those paintings that started out all wrong and just couldn't get it to where it needed going. But, I stuck with it and I think it came out alright in the end. I don't use this technique all that often, so when I do, it's a struggle to get out of the starting gates. It was tricky for me to get the atmospheric perspective right and the kind of colors that are needed when doing something like this, but I really like how the arch itself came out with its reds and browns.

Red Arch

15x20

acrylic on illustration board

Zombies vs. Cheerleaders sketch cards

2010-03-03T14:08:00.003-05:00

How about some more sketch cards? Sure, you got it. Here are the 25 Zombie vs. Cheerleader sketch cards that I did for 5Finity back in the fall. The set was released earlier this year, I believe, so they are out and about. And I do have 5 blank cards left if anyone is interested in a custom made zombie/cheerleader image.

The Search

2010-02-16T20:13:00.002-05:00

This is a drawing that I did about this time last year that was intended to be a series of a knight-errant, of sorts, looking for some mystical lady of the forest. Or something like that.

The Search

11x14

pen & ink on bristol board

Clone Wars, Season One Widevision Return Sketch Cards

2010-02-08T14:13:00.002-05:00

Here are my eight return sketch cards from the Clone Wars Widevision set from Topps. If anyone is interested in any of these send me an e-mail.

Shiver On The River 2010

2010-02-04T14:54:00.004-05:00

This Saturday, February 6th from 10-3 the Belle Isle Aquarium will be open for the island's Shiver On The River event. People can come and see the building and learn about the efforts to re-open. There will be one tank that has fish in it and as the FOBIA folks say, "we will open this aquarium one tank at a time if we have to!" The Conservatory, the old Casino, the Dossin Museum and the Nature Center will all be open and have activities scheduled, as well. I will be there to draw cartoon fish and other aquarium related pictures, so come on down and enjoy a relaxing day on Belle Isle.

ink.re.ments #6

2010-01-28T17:02:00.002-05:00