Mindblowing Exhibit

My Heike Diver drawing will be included in the Mindblowing exhibit at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial starting tomorrow. I am one of 58 artists exhibiting their surreal works. I was able to see some of them when I dropped of my piece on Monday and there are some very cool and evocative works to be on display. There will be a lecture about the show with the Canadian artist Adam Strange who was the juror for the show. That will start at 6:30 on Thursday August 7th. Awards and such will also be presented at this time. Below, is my piece all framed up and ready to go.

 And below, is the drawing as I scanned it.

The Grosse Pointe War Memorial is located at The War Memorial campus, 32 Lake Shore Dr.Grosse Pointe FarmsMI48236. Stop on by to see the show. It will run through the beginning of October.

Ripley

10x10

colored pencil on tinted paper

For a while now I have been tinkering with the idea of doing pet portraits. but I needed to find a way to make them unique to my way doing things. I wanted something to add than just a somewhat stylized version of someone's pet. One of my friends has a cool little dog named Ripley, named after Sigourney Weaver's character in Alien. This was a no brainer. But, I do fear that I may have started way high and everything that comes after will be somewhat of a let down. I mean, c'mon, Alien! What are the chances that someone will name their dog Deckard or some such thing. They are out there, I know...

So, spread the word.

 

Parasaurolophus Linocut Process

 

My latest Substack is up and I show the process of the Parasaurolophus linocut prints that I made yesterday. So, check it out, if you are so inclined. Click here.

Parasaurolophus Print

 

5x6.5

print on bristol board

For those of you who might have been paying attention, I did a sketch of said Parasauropholus, the very best of all the hadrosaurs, sometime back. January, to be precise. All with the intention of doing a linocut, then the print. Which is what you see above. 

I had meant to do a Substack about the process and have that ready last month. As you can see, that didn't happen. But, it will. Tomorrow, in fact, I will do a post and show the process and more of the prints. When I was printing yesterday, I decided on red ink (kind of looks orange, but I didn't mind), but I poured some out over some dried black ink thinking that it's dry, it won't reactivate. Did I mention that I'm kind of sort of new to all this? So, as I was going along, the two colors mixed and I was getting some cool looking images. Now, I don't know the exact rules as far as numbering goes when the color changed a bit during the process, but I'm going with 1-12, with the one you see above the 1st of the 12. I'll need to check with my Jedi linocut master, John Benson to get the correct way of doing things. 

So, tomorrow. The process. 

And, I would like to re-mention that the above design was inspired by the logo done for the band Beat by Dan Ermy. He did a very cool looking elephant head that they use for their backdrop,

Ultraman Series Four Kickstarter

 

A Kickstarter for the Ultraman, Series Four card set is going on via RR Parks cards. I did do some sketch cards for this set, with some of them shown above. Click HERE to get to their Kickstarter.

Drop Dead Sketchy July 2025

 

This past Wednesday was the July meet-up for the sketch group, Drop Dead Sketchy at the Detroit Shipping Company. Nothing special from me, I tell ya. I ended up doing some doodles of people milling about the tent area. I think that the guy with the baseball hat saw me sketching him and moved behind one of his friends. Oddly enough, that was one of the better sketches that I did. Oh well, fun was had!

Go Figure! Sketch Night July 2025

 This past Saturday was the re-emergence of the Go Figure! sketch night that was usually held at Rainy Day Art Supplies. They have been in the process of moving to a new location, so this time we were at the Grosse Pointe Congregational Church. And, this time we had a mermaid model! Amanda, who is one of the aquarists at the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit is also a cosplayer and did a most awesome job. 

It was good to see some old friends that I haven't seen in a while. I've been doing a few different sketch events these past few months and it is interesting that there is some crossover between us artists, but they also have their own uniqueness. I'll see different people at different events and it's all good. I like that. here are some of the sketches that I did on Saturday.

Detroit Zoo Sketches

 

So, I did get in a couple of sketches from yesterday's trip to the Detroit Zoo. Nuka, the polar bear at the top was an experiment with capturing movement, as he was on the go. I'm not sure that I succeeded with this one, but I still kind of like it. Does that count?

Then there were a couple of camels just before being fed some carrots. They have interesting heads. 

Resist!

 

3x4 sticker

A few months ago, one of the scientists that I follow on social media was talking about how resistant ammonites were and are. They have survived all of Earth's mass extinctions and still survive today in the form of the nautilus, cuttle fish and the like. So, I thought, what a good symbol for the resistance. An ammonite, or my version of one. It represents everything fascists hate... science, education (I put in a little education symbol in the center of the ammonite swirl), critters, etc.

I originally was going to use a cuttle fish to represent the tentacles part of the image and quickly changed my mind on that. I had recently saw a Ray Harryhausen exhibit, so I used the nautilus model from the movie The Mysterious Island, complete with the red eye. So, help me God, it had red eyes! 

And I made stickers. I will put them up on my website very soon, but you can always contact me directly, if interested. And who wouldn't be interested in an ammonite sticker?

Michael Madsen

 

9x12

ink on bristol board

Michael Madsen has left us. I always enjoyed his roles. He had a way that no other actor (at least, for me) had in making one think that, yeah, that's an asshole right there, but maybe, just maybe, there is something good in there, something relatable and likable. I always thought that his characters were struggling with decency, but just couldn't pull out of the quagmire. Well, maybe not Mr. Blonde. He embraced the cruelty.

Above is a drawing that I did of Madsen as Mr. Blonde back in 2013. I was experimenting with blank eyes during this time. This one sold a few years ago and the woman who bought loved the pose. Whew. 

Workplace Cartoons, Part 7

 

My latest Substack is up and finally finishes up the sketches from my days as a stained glass worker. Finally! Click here to take you there.

Drop Dead Sketchy June 2025

 

4x5

colored pencil in

sketchbook

This past Wednesday was the June meet-up for the Drop Dead Sketchy sketch group at the Detroit Shipping Company. I worked a little on a book illustration and did this quick sketch of my buddies kid, Charlie. It doesn't really look like her... I was kind of focused on the hair. A fellow artist who I haven't in about twenty years showed up, so that was a pleasant surprise. 

We meet up once a month and if interested, you can follow Drop Dead Sketchy here and here. 

Belleville Drink N Draw June 2025

 So, last night was the June edition of the Belleville Drink N Draw. Half of the city had lost power, so everyone was at the pub! It was quite packed. Sketching, gabbing, grubbing and the Tigers were on, so a good night.

I was the only one there from our group for about a half an hour, so I did a sketch of the only empty seat in the place. 

Then I worked on some ideas. This one is for a book that is in the works. Trying to come up with what the East West wind would look like. I was going for what one would see on an old map or something.

Then, I focused on an idea for a sketch card involving some cryptids and I like the idea of the frogman of New Jersey (?). So, some frog guys.

Tonight is the another sketch club meet-up. This time in Detroit! More on that tomorrow.

Jack Crevalle Sketch

 

5x8

ink in sketchbook

I haven't done a #SundayFishSketch in quite some time, so today was a good time to jump in with another one. Although the theme this week are extremophile fishes, I decided to go a little off theme this time. This afternoon, I finished reading Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts, so I kind of wanted to do something with that, so I chose a fish that finds its way into the Sea of Cortez in warmer  weather. So, not extreme, but toasty? 

I chose to do a Jack Crevalle (or crevalle jack) fish and they find their way into the gulf usually from February to June.

Dan Provost (1965-2025)

 

Yesterday was the memorial service for a friend that I have known since high school. It was tough. I'm glad that there were many people there, though. And there were many stories and conversations with some that I hadn't seen in a while. I suppose that is how these things go. But, I was appreciative of all that.

I've always thought that Dan and I had an interesting friendship timeline. Met in a 10th grade drawing class. I'm almost certain that he thought me annoying (somehow this makes me smile) and what made me somewhat tolerable in his eyes was our mutual interest in all things Heavy Metal Magazine; Möebius, Druillet, Caza, etc. I think that he was surprised that I knew just who those guys were. Heck, outside of a few closer classmates, I didn't know anyone else who knew who they were. That and similar pop culture interests, a small group of us clicked together. We had similar skill sets as artists, similar interests in movies, music and such. Art classes were definitely interesting and I was beginning to find my people.

After high school, that same group spent our summers at a friend's cottage, swimming canoeing (getting pulled over in a canoe...), bbq-ing, etc. When that faded away for awhile, we began playing paintball in the woods at various places. Surprisingly and maybe not so surprisingly, Dan joined us. Needless to say, fun was had. We did that for a few years. Then we lost contact with one another for about ten years, or so.

When I quit my day job to become a freelance illustrator and started to do the comic con circuit I met a few people that cosplayed in the 501st, the Star Wars aficionados. There was Dan dressed as a tie fighter pilot. So, back in the fold. We would see each other quite a bit after that.

Below is a contour (not a blind one!) drawing that I did of Dan in that before mentioned drawing class.

Years ago, I was thinking up an idea for a comic and wanted to challenge myself with that. So, my idea was, could I create a story with characters based on people that I know or knew then involving place that I've been. And I do have a character in my comic Second Star based on Dan. Some of the characters are similar in looks to the actual people, some are based on personalities, but Dan's came out a little different. For some reason, I made him short. I have no idea as to why I did this. The character's name? Deepo Prost and you can see him at the top of this post. Why Deepo Post, you might ask. Well, I mentioned Moebius earlier and Deepo was the name of the pterodactyl type bird in The Incal by Moebius. And Prost is just a redaction, or reduction of Dan's last name. Deepo's hat is from Moebius, as well. The outfit that Deepo is wearing is based on a character from the animated Star Wars series, The Clone Wars, Tan Divo. I don't know if anyone else saw Dan in Divo, but I sure did. He somewhat looks like him, sounds like him and the mannerisms were all there.My first thoughts upon seeing that episode, were that of 'do they know Dan?!!' I sure hope that someone else agrees with that! The orange shoes? Again, no idea. Sometimes, I just do things just to see what sticks. 

Here's a couple of panels from issue #2 of Second Star...

I'm currently working on issue #3 and Deepo will be there, as well.

RIP, Dan. Unique, funny and smart.

Zombuggeez™ Corvette Commission

 

9x12

ink on bristol board

I was commissioned to do this Zombuggeez™ Corvette at the Cherry Capital Comic Con, but wanted to do a more complete job, so the client was ok with me mailing it out to him. I did just that last week. 

These are always fun to do. 

D Day Sketch

 

5x8

graphite in sketchbook

We used to be anti-fascist. Maybe we will find that aspect again.

SpaceX or Bust?

 

5x7

ink on bristol board

Or bust? Well...

What have we had? Three crashes in five months? And each time, it is said that 'this is great. A learning curve. This is how we grow.' Hell, they should have 'learned' so much by now that there should be human footprints on Mars. This is what happens when things are privatized. Hell, at least Nasa's tragedies were years apart and they actually did learn from those mistakes. 

Golden Era, indeed.

So, this spot illustration will be part of a book of limericks that I'm slowly developing. My comic and the re-imagining of Legends of Le Detroit (art and maps, stories remains as written) are of the front burner, as of now. But, I am chipping away at it.

Workplace Cartoons, Part 6

 

My latest Substack is up and has more cartoon sketches from my time making stained glass windows in Detroit. Click here to amuse yourself.

Belleville Drink N Draw May 2025

 

Joy

8x5

colored pencil in sketchbook

sketches for a Zombuggeez commission

8x5

colored pencil in sketchbook

This past Tuesday was the Belleville Drink N Draw at Egan's Pub in, as always, Belleville. It was a small group this time, but always fun. Sketching, gabbing, eating and some drinking. 

C4 and What Sleestak?

 

9x12

ink on bristol board

(click on image to make big-like)

SOLD

This weekend, I will be making my almost yearly trek north to the Traverse City area (Acme) for the Cherry Capital Comic Con. I will have all the usual stuff, including some new items, as well. Such as some Creature From the Black Lagoon jigsaw puzzles, some new drawings, including the above sleestak. It's a parody of a Sports Illustrated cover from 1990, I think, but instead of Bill Laimbeer complaining about fouls, he is instead, a sleestak, in which he played one in the 1970's television series, Land of the Lost. This will be available in my 'original drawings' tray. 

So, come one, come all to one of Michigan's finer comic conventions. They have a rather good line-up this year, so stop on by and get your nerd on! I'll be in Artists Alley all weekend, starting Friday night. 

Drop Dead Sketchy May 2025

 

5x8

colored pencil in sketchbook

Last night, we had our second meet-up for the Drop Dead Sketchy sketch group at the Detroit Shipping Company. It was a rainy night, perfect for sketching and enjoying the company of fellow artists. It was a slightly different crowd from the first one, but a good one. I do like that about these sketch groups... one never knows who will show up. Above is a sketch that I did of our founder and organizer, Kelly!

A view out of the front window proof of the said rain!

                                        A snapshot of a few of the attendees having a good time.

2025 Appearances Updated

 

My latest Substack is up and updates my remaining shows for the year, so far. Click Here to read.

The Saint Artist Proof Sketch Cards

 

click on image to make big-like

As some of you may know, I have a bunch of blank Artist Proof sketch cards that I have from doing various sets throughout the years. So, from time to time, I'm going through and finishing them. Today's featured cards are from the 2017 set, The Saint, released by Unstoppable Cards. I had three AP's, so here they are. Links are below, if interested:

Simon Templar 1    Simon Templar 2    Simon Templar and Adrienne Halberd 

Kidney Stone!

 

So, this past Monday night was a bout with the dreaded kidney stone(s). Hopefully, it's just one! I'm pretty much out of the woods on this one, but I thought about the cartoon that I did way back when I had my second go with this crap (shown above). That one was bad; it took two weeks to pass three rocks. Delightful. 

Second Star #3 Preview

 

My latest Substack has a sneak peek at issue #3 of my comic book, Second Star, which is currently being lettered and then colored. I also go over what the comic is about, in general and a review of the previous two issues. So, click here to be most informed.

Drop Dead Sketchy April 2025

 Last night was the first sketch night for the Drop Dead Sketchy group held at the Detroit Shipping Company. There was a good turnout and all had a good time.

My first attempt at the sketching stuff was working out some designs for some book illustrations involving children and bugs. Then, an attempt at capturing some fellow arteests, Jay Fosgitt and Jim Anderson.

And an awful attempt some guy named Steve. 

Above, a pic from after we moved to a different area with better lighting. With Steve, jay and Jim, who is judging my sketchbook...

This was a good venue for our event to be held... A variety of food, a bar, plenty of seating and art all over.

Kellog Rooster?

 So, last weekend, I had this dream, where I was at a meeting with my pal John, with whom I will be doing a book with. Said meeting was about said book. We were brainstorming. I had a couple of ideas, One was to do those medieval type drawings of the first letter of a paragraph. Initials, I believe they are called. I drew one up the other day, but my colors from the second sketch bled through my thought to be thick enough sketchbook page. Pshaw. Anyways here is an example. My drawing was the letter B, btw.

The second idea that I had and for what reason remains a mystery to me, but it was of the Kellog rooster that is found on boxes of corn flakes. My sketch was a bit more detailed, but the colors were all there and I guess maybe I thought it was a good idea because the book is about Michigan folklore and such and Kellog's is in Michigan...

I cannot express enough that this drawing will not, I repeat, will not be in our book. Bur here it is anyways. Complete with ghost eye.

5x8

ink and marker in sketchbook

Maybe we could adopt him as our mascot, or something. Or have a bowl of corn flakes. Or something. 

Like I said earlier... from a dream.

Pure Michigan

 

A few weeks ago, we were driving up I-75 to Frankenmuth and I saw a sign that said 'Keep Michigan Beautiful.' And there along the embankments was a ton of trash. I mean, a lot. I changed the sign to the more popular one, but the sarcasm remains. I will never understand how or why people accept living in filth. But, then again, there's a lot about people that I have never understood...

Detroit Comic Book and Toy Show

 

poster/flyer by Martin Hirchak

This Saturday, I will be set up at the Detroit Comic Book and Toy Show, which will be held at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, MI. The show will run from 10 to 6.

I will have all my usual paraphernalia, including more original art and this time I will be debuting a new product. Jigsaw puzzles! I have taken my drawing of the Creature From the Black Lagoon, title Kin and mad it into a puzzle. 

The puzzle has 500 wooden pieces and the overall size when complete will be 15x20. It's a tough one to put together, as there are large areas of black, but I think that that will lend to the challenge. I'm still putting together my copy.

As you can see, inside the box there will be another image of what the puzzle will look like.