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COMING SOON TO THEATERS...

2011-12-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry, that's a lie. I just had the urge to create a poster for a psychedelic-western-action-horror-comedy. But now that I made this poster, I think I'll start writing it. If I quit my job I'm pretty sure I could be done animating in 20 or 30 years.

Old Mother Moth

2011-09-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

Never misses a sunrise.

Just passing through...

2011-07-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

2011-05-24T02:01:00.000-07:00

2011-03-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sending love and healing energy to everyone in Japan.

Little Street Fighter

2011-01-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

This illustration is a tribute to my wife Laura who, at eight years old, bravely street fought the older boys at the local family restaurant arcade. No amount of exhaustive and futile button mashing could keep her from returning to her parent's table for more quarters.

She has the heart of a true street fighting champion.

more...PROCESS

2010-12-07T17:51:00.001-08:00

The illustration below began with a lack of ideas. One night last summer, I felt the itch to create something but I couldn't seem to move beyond staring at a blank page. So in a creatively-blocked act of desperation, I hopped on google images and typed in random words; "angry monkey"..."old man"...whatever popped in my head. I collected about 20 different images, threw them into a desktop folder and began creating a collage in photoshop. INSTANT ILLUSTRATION IDEA!

I redrew my collage in sketchbook pro, then into photoshop for coloring and textures. Here's a bit of my process below. I strongly recommend this collage trick if your creative brain juices are ever running dry.

more more more more more

2010-12-03T03:53:00.000-08:00

Sloth takes a bath and contemplates matters

2010-08-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

2010-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

ANIMALS

2010-07-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

2010-05-25T02:53:00.000-07:00

The other night as I was falling asleep, my brain conjured up this image of a rabbit rocking back and forth in a rocking chair, eating a watermelon. I liked him so much, I thought he deserved a blog post.

"HELLO"....a film by Laura Jane

2010-05-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is my fiancee's experimental animated MFA film. I strongly recommend preparing a hot cup of tea, putting on headphones, and following the spirit wolf instructions.

just wandering...

2010-05-04T01:26:00.001-07:00

Ostrich's night out

2010-04-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

Always a good time.

The Southern Trejocle

2010-04-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

This post is inspired by comments written in response to my last Danny Trejo illustration. My Blue Sky compadre Chris Siemasko and fiancee Laura Jane planted this image into my brain --the Trejo Southern Oracle! Way too brilliant an image to let slip by.

So here is my Easter Sunday night put to good use...creating a border patrol for the Fantasia of Badass, asking the ultimate question, "Are you a Mexi-CAN or a Mexi-CAN'T?"

American Android

2010-03-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of creating the album artwork for the debut CD release of American Android's Reconciliation. The band consists of Carlos Arzate, Sergio Paulo, Jesse Campbell, and Matthew Shepherd -- four talented musicians residing in my hometown of Tucson, Arizona.

You can check out the new album Reconciliation HERE!

Danny Trejo is watching you...

2010-03-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

The other night I got REALLY scared for a second...

2010-02-16T11:49:00.000-08:00

The peephole on the outside of my apartment door has a weird crack in the middle. It was like that when we moved in and it looks like someone hit it with a screw driver. Needless to say, it severely obscures the view of whatever is outside the door.

The actual view that's obscured is the neighbor's door directly opposite mine and their lovely "Happy Valentine's Day" heart.

The story goes: A couple of nights ago at about two in the morning, I was turning off the lights getting ready for bed. I had just finished watching David Lynch's Wild at Heart for the first time so I was in a bit of a surreal Lynch-induced haze. I thought I heard a noise outside so I looked out the peephole. The magical combination of Lynch brain, the peephole crack, the sickly flickering fluorescent glow in the hallway and the not-usually-there Valentine's Day heart--created an instant irrational image of an old woman in a babushka staring at me.

Fear does many things so quickly-- paralyzation, electric chills up my neck, burning nerves down my arms, clammy hands, pounding heart and a few stomach flips. Then luckily in this case, the aftermath of basking in the relief that there isn't an evil gypsy woman outside my door. Although it did take a very long time to fall asleep that night.

Checkers

2010-02-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

sir rabbit

2010-02-05T00:59:00.000-08:00

2010-01-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

"I'm not going to feed you. Stop following me!"

2010-01-27T23:43:00.000-08:00

Snatch sketches (the movie)

2010-01-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

I revisited the film Snatch yesterday, subtitles ON. I had fun sketching the characters and also realized that 'Brick Top' is definitely one of my favorite bad guys ever. It got me thinking of my other top movie bad guys/girls.

Biff - Back to the Future
Annie Wilkes - Misery
Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) - Blue Velvet
Nurse Ratched - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Chigurh - No Country for Old Men
Full Force - House Party
Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) - Sexy Beast
Mama Fratelli - The Goonies
Ed Rooney - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
The gremlins - Gremlins

polarbear rides for free

2010-01-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

Last night, Laura had a dream that she was riding a giant polar bear across the water.

I really like that idea.

I love Chupacabras.

2010-01-07T23:04:00.000-08:00

New Orleans, BEAUTIFUL GRIM

2009-12-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

I created this piece for the upcoming BEAUTIFUL GRIM art auction and fundraiser. The event is being organized by Daarken and Leif Jeffers. Daarken's girlfriend Cat was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 25 and proceeds from the event will go toward her medical bills as well as benefiting other cancer-related charities.

The illustration itself is based on a real person whom Laura and I encountered over the summer. This unique fellow owns an occult bookshop in New Orleans. His wife gives psychic readings in the back room and they have a sweet little cat who greets you at the door, as well as a six foot python which his daughter occasionally borrows to wear in her burlesque show. We stumbled upon his shop late one afternoon during our explorations and we spent about an hour chatting with him, petting his cat, and perusing his books. I asked him for something to assist with lucid dreaming. He thought for a moment as he surveyed his shelves which were stocked with hundreds of tiny bottles. Then he mixed together several oils and handed me a little bottle of wonderfully scented ointment labeled, "psychic wisdom and moon intuition". He told me to dab it on my pulse points before bed and "not too much, it's potent." I'm still not sure if he meant the fragrance or the magic powers, but I'll assume it's both.

This fellow came to mind for the Beautiful Grim project for a few reasons: New Orleans itself, recently shaken by disaster, exists in a state of grim beauty. Despite the damage sustained by this culturally and creatively vibrant city, the passion, history and magic still flow along its southern streets in a heady and tangible current. The bookshop might seem grim at first glance -- the enormous python, the shopkeeper's seemingly somber demeanor, or the altar littered with every kind of voodoo trinket one could imagine -- but a longer stay reveals him as a gifted, benevolent, twinkly-eyed storyteller. His mystical potions are comprised of essential oils and medicinal herbs, his cat is trusting and affectionate, and the altar, as is the case in most of the French Quarter's voodoo shops, exists for purposes of healing and protection.

some wizards

2009-12-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

this sketch is called "ferret thinks this pie is delicious"

2009-12-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

this sketch is called "baby that you don't want to learn to walk."

2009-12-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Distractions

2009-12-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

they're everywhere.

2009-12-03T13:04:00.000-08:00

tentacles

2009-11-23T22:57:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend at the CTN-X animation expo recruiting with Blue Sky Studios. It's pretty impossible to leave an event like that without being super inspired! I really admire all the artists out there who have carved such a comfortable niche for themselves drawing nothing but naked ladies. So here I've harnessed a bit of that ripe inspiration with a weird naked tentacle lady.

Notorious nightmare

2009-11-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

last night i dreamed that Biggie Smalls was trying to kill me. it was really scary. today on my way to work, i took his cd out of my disc changer.

tonight i'll pray to 2pac.

the reign of Mouth

2009-11-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

"Come on, guys. This is our last weekend together. Last Goonie weekend. We gotta be going out in style. Cruising the coast, sniffing some lace, downing some brews...but noooooo! The one older brother had to go and screw it up."

I guess the 80's were a laid back time when it came to kid's film dialogue! And I had this movie memorized! I recited Mouth's monologue countless times perfecting every nuance. I had no idea what "sniffing some lace, downing some brews" meant...all I knew was that Mouth was way cooler than I.

splash splash splash splash

2009-11-16T18:00:00.001-08:00

MANTIS

2009-11-12T19:55:00.001-08:00

litter bot

2009-11-10T23:50:00.001-08:00

i was watching a japanese film about killer robots but it got boring so instead i drew a robot that will clean the litter box for me. it really smells like pee.

from now on

2009-11-05T20:59:00.001-08:00

walk with the jackrabbit

2009-10-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

some stuff

2009-10-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

i came across a folder this evening containing some old artwork from my previous blog and some other randoms i had forgotten about....so here they are in no particular order.

el coyote

2009-10-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

prosciutto evil

2009-10-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

I did some grocery shopping over the weekend and ordered a few items from the deli counter. I did NOT order half a pound of prosciutto but somehow, mysteriously, that is what appeared in my grocery bag. It had the same expiration date as everything else and didn't seem to be coated with any visible poison so I had some.

Eight hours later, I woke up to my stomach literally vibrating. I spent the day wishing I had more than one toilet. Two days later I'm back at work and still haunted by that nitratey mush. Damn you sneaky deli demons!! They know I hate wasting food.

more time

2009-10-02T15:30:00.001-07:00

Flight of the Little Prick

2009-09-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today while satisfying my afternoon-at work-youtube-nostalgia craving, I realized what a little bitch the kid from Flight of the Navigator is! A boy with the most infuriating haircut gets to control an all-powerful metallic space craft and do whatever he wants in the universe, and the whole time all he does is act like a jerk to the robotic Pee Wee Herman orb thing for no reason at all. I remember hating this kid when I was little but 20 years later he pisses me off in a whole new light.

The movie surprisingly still holds up though. And I hear there is a remake in the works. I hope the new navigator has some manners.

district 9

2009-09-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

i can't stop thinking about this movie so i took a prawn sketch break at work.

i wish i had a prawn.

2009-08-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Michael

2009-06-26T22:13:00.001-07:00

I wish you well and pray for your happiness far far away on your secret island. I hope they never find you.

2009-06-23T11:59:00.001-07:00