PULP-SQUID, the ARTCHITEUTHIS!!

Finished colored inks for my new mascot that will go on the reverse side of my new business cards (with the other mascot, the Pop-Monkey, on the front). Pulp-Squid here represents the pulpier, grittier side of my artistic romps, while the Pop-Monkey covers the whimsical, cartoony stuff!
Squids 'n' Monkeys...natural enemies in the wild, but a common love for art has brought them together as friends -- nay, as allies! That's a tag-team duo you do not want to have staring you down!

"Hey, PLODD, let's put on a FASHION SHOW!"

I don't think I've revealed PLODD's backstory yet, so here's the brief: PLODD is an ex-superhero from a parallel dimension. He doesn't know how he got here, and he doesn't remember much about his past or his origin. He has a gas-powered sledgehammer, big feet and some sort of odd hermetically-sealed costume or second-skin that won't come off, so he's got no idea what's underneath! He's abnormally strong and can sustain pretty serious damage without permanent effect (his costume remains completely indestructible), and any other powers he had seem to have gone dormant when he crossed to this dimension. He lives in a trailer by himself and works odd jobs and as the trailer-park handyman to earn a living, trying to avoid the attention of the world at large (as he'd certainly be a scientific curiosity). That may sound a bit boring, but greater things are in store for PLODD, especially when a few folks from his home dimension come looking for him!

My original designs for PLODD were much more outrageous and included a gas-mask with breathing tubes, and other assorted doodads. I like this streamlined version much better.

FEAR AGENT pin up pencils -- now with 50% more detail!

I usually do a lot of the detail work while coloring a piece in photoshop, but I wanted to rework this piece and give it a more old-school black and white pulp illustration feel. All the detail and lighting information is here in the drawn piece, so I think I'll do an inked version to be colored in photoshop as well as try to do a digital painting on top of the pencils. We'll see what happens.

"WhiskeyChimp" : It's not a disease, it's entertainment!

Awww... aren't alcoholic monkeys just the cutest! Now, you too can expose your inner inebriated simian by proudly wearing a snappy Pop-Monkey brand WHISKEYCHIMP t-shirt. Coming soon to my t-shirt website.

Before the first weisenheimer pipes in with "but chimps don't have tails", I know that -- it just works better this way... trust me.

YOU DARE NOT EAT THE "HELLBISCUIT"!

Final color design for my HELLBISCUIT t-shirt.
Baked in the ovens of hell and buttered with pure evil! Eating this biscuit will probably condemn your soul to eternal damnation. On the other hand... it IS delicious...
Available for purchase soon!

"HELLBISCUIT: BAKED IN THE OVENS OF HELL!!"

Evil biscuits are not to be eaten! Always check for horns and tail before eating! If Satan had a favorite biscuit, it would be... the Hellbiscuit! But Satan doesn't even like biscuits, which makes Hellbiscuit even more bitter and ornery! Butter at your own peril!

Pencils for upcoming t-shirt design. The Hellbiscuit cometh! Final colored version coming soon!

Hide the booze, it's..."WHISKEY-CHIMP"!!

This li'l fella is going to be a t-shirt design when he grows up. Don't worry, he's not an alcoholic -- he can stop drinking whenever he wants. He just doesn't want to.
Final colored version with official "Whiskey-Chimp" logo coming soon!

"THIRTEEN STEPS" PINUP

Finished coloring a pinup for my friend Kevin's comic THIRTEEN STEPS. It's a werewolf comic with some nice twists to it regarding a sort of Alcoholics Anonymous for monsters. Kevin Mellon handles the art like the champ he is, and the writing chores are tag-teamed by Phil Hester and Chuck Satterlee. I've met Chuck at a comic convention, and he's a tremendously friendly guy, but I've yet to meet Phil, though he's been one of my favorite comic artists since he was toiling away at books like THE WRETCH.

Anyway, check out the book, if you can -- it's published by DESPERADO PUBLISHING. The piece follows my standard modus operandi: pen & ink colored in photoshop. The book is printed in black and white with grayscale shading, so I did a grayscale version, though I wanted a full-color piece just for fun!

"Behold... PLODD!"

In high school, I created a character called PLODD who was born of boredom and a hankering to simply draw a really bizarre character who didn't fit into the mold of a typical superhero. Basically, he was an amalgamation of a bunch of doodles -- taking the most bizarre elements and mashing them together. He originally ended up having a full bodysuit, scuba mask with oxygen tanks and breathing tubes, goggles, plastic head "feathers", a kilt, big-ass boots and a giant hammer. I cooked up a whole backstory and some plot outlines and begin drawing a comic with the help of one of my friends, but it was abandoned due to my realizing I really didn't know what I was doing. Plodd's been simmering in the back of my mind ever since, and I've always wanted to revisit him, so why wait any longer?

I did this sketch while basking in the warmth of the new fall TV season. I kept most of the elements of the old Plodd, though I've simplified and streamlined him (losing the scuba mask and hoses). His hammer is now gas-powered (linked to the tank on his back), and his boots aren't quite so big and bulky. I'm going to try and dig out all the plot outlines and scripts I wrote and see what I can make of them. More Plodd to come, hopefully.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAD!"

Here's the Birthday card image I did for my Dad's birthday last weekend. I've been an artist for a long time, and I don't think I've ever actually MADE a card for anybody before! Does that seem lazy and thoughtless? It sort of does, and I've wanted to do it in the past, but schoolwork and the job always seemed to get in the way. Hopefully family members and loved ones can look forward to my "homemade" cards from now on (of course, now they'll expect it).

It seemed like such an easy task -- one that would allow me to skirt my usual frutrating perfectionist hang-ups which cause me to redo a piece several times before I'm satisfied -- but, alas, it was not meant to be. After sketching, penciling, inking and scanning in my first attempt, I convinced myself I needed to start over from scratch. The idea was kept, but I decided I needed to take it further along Exaggeration Avenue, and I'm glad I did. You want to go a little further with a goofy concept like this, and the first attempt was a bit too tame and stiff. I'm not going to reproduce the interior text here, but the gag has to do with a "birthday suit" (get it?). Har-dee-har!

Happy birthday to my dad! He turned 60 this year, but I wouldn't guess it from looking at him. We had a great time visiting, especially now that we're closer (a 2 1/2 hour drive instead of 12), and I wish him the best.