Oddling.com

Super

2012-01-08T09:34:00.000-05:00

Jiminy Crickets, it's been a long time since I've posted. I've been unbelievably busy these past months, but I've been working on some very awesome stuff at work. More on that in the future. With the help of my wonderful wife, I'll be making much more time for personal art, and that includes traditional media like inks and watercolors.

That brings us to this piece. My friend, Bob, asked me to draw his family as superheroes. They practically are, so it wasn't difficult. I inked this piece with a very cool ink brush from a Japanese website. You can see it in the Instagram photo.

One more thing. I'll have an Etsy shop up and running very soon. It will include prints of some of the pieces on this blog as well as brand new things as I make them, and that includes original watercolors and prints of them (I'll also be taking commissions for the shop). So, I apologize for the wait, and I promise this blog won't be a ghost town anymore.

Montes out.

Sgt. Red Hood's Lonely Hearts

2011-08-28T03:24:00.000-04:00

Wow, that could be in a book called "Titles That Don't Make Sense."
For Periodic Heroes.

This is Arsenal. He's a righteous dude. What is it about archers that we love so much? Green Arrow, Legolas, that one guy from King Arthur, Robin Hood. They are the bee's knees. It was difficult to find good reference on the tattoos, so I just focused on his outfit and likeness. Enjoy.

Chumped

2011-08-21T17:32:00.001-04:00

For Periodic Heroes.

I'd like to ask something of my viewers, however few or many. I'd like to know how many of you check out my blog, so tell me something about yourself in the comments. Who you are, what you do, and your favorite story. It would be a great encouragement to me to hear back from anyone who enjoys looking at what I love to do.

Now, this is Doug TenNapel's Ratfist. A friend told me about Doug's web comic, and I knew I wanted Ratfist to be my "free draw" subject almost as soon as I saw the site. I read the whole thing straight through right then and there, and immediately got to drawing as soon as I was done. It's a great story (I wouldn't expect anything less from TenNapel), and there are plenty of wild card characters. An artist's job is to tell the truth, so Doug, thank you for embracing that challenge and telling the truth without shame.

Here's my process for the piece. Hope you guys enjoy.

The Other Scarface

2011-08-07T15:07:00.002-04:00

For Periodic Heroes.

I always thought Rolento was just a super cool fighter. Am I wrong?

YAKUUUUUUL!

2011-08-02T14:20:00.000-04:00

For Periodic Heroes.

Hayao Miyazaki is a brilliant, passionate, gifted artist and storyteller. End of story. I don't think I can pick a favorite. They're all absolute gold. I went with Ashitaka and his red gazelle Yakul because I really like the duo. The noble warrior and his majestic steed. Good stuff. This was a special piece to make. Hope you all enjoy.

Hit'em Low

2011-08-02T14:18:00.000-04:00

My buddy Brett said this. I told him I'd draw it.

The Taxman Cometh

2011-07-18T02:13:00.000-04:00

For Periodic Heroes.

Favorite Disney Movie: Robin Hood

Favorite Disney Animator: Milt Kahl

Thought I'd pay tribute to both with this one. So much fun, I tells ya. After being absent from the blog for a few weeks, it's good to be back. Hope you folks enjoy this one.

Collectin' Bounty

2011-06-17T20:18:00.002-04:00

I really hope no one's done this already. I thought of it last night, cracked up, got very little sleep, and still thought it was hilarious, so I drew it. Maybe I'll submit a tighter version to Threadless or something. Hope ya like.

For Periodic Heroes.

I Whip My Air Back and Forth

2011-06-15T14:16:00.000-04:00

Finally gave Avatar a shot. That's a pretty good show. I've got a feeling I wouldn't like the movie. The casting looks absolutely horrendous.

Weekly

2011-05-18T19:58:00.001-04:00

I drew this for my portfolio, and it served a second purpose on the Periodic Heroes blog. Really happy with this one. It's Weekly from Blacksad. I really enjoyed the character, so I had a lot of fun drawing him. Enjoy.

Art Dump

2011-05-13T20:35:00.001-04:00

I, along with half of my company, just got laid off. Gotta be honest though. When you're married to the most wonderul, loving, gentle, encouraging, beautiful woman in the world, even that has a hard time really getting you down. I came home way too early today, and she knew the moment she saw me that it had happened. So, what did we do? We spend the rest of the day with her awesome sister at the pool, watching funny shows, making cookies, and trusting that God, being good and always in control, will take care of us.

Actually didn't plan on typing all of that. Just sorta came out. Here's the art I mentioned in the title. The game I worked on is released, so here's a handful of concepts I created during the past few months. Enjoy.

OH, almost forgot. Anyone want a dedicated and passionate artist to work for them? I know this great guy...

The Legend of Awesome

2011-04-26T12:37:00.000-04:00

Here are the three Legend of Zelda pieces up on IGN.com right now. If you're familiar with the series, hopefully this invokes a bit of nostalgia. Also, I hope you think the art is cool.

Calvin and Hobbes...and Dexter

2011-04-20T11:18:00.002-04:00

Latest post for Periodic Heroes. This week's themes are Calvin and Hobbes and Dexter's Lab. I opted for the mashup. Bill Watterson will always be one of my absolute favorites, so I decided to emulate his style for the gag.

Sneak Peak

2011-04-19T17:26:00.003-04:00

Here's a sneak peak of things happening on IGN.com

My work, alongside other artists, is on display there right now for a special Legend of Zelda project. My first piece went up today, and the other two will be up over the next couple of days. I'll let them sit up there for a bit before I post the full images here. The theme is the villains. Had an absolute blast drawing these.

Update: They're all up. Check them out here, here, and here. Click on the images there to see them full.

Draygons

2011-04-19T17:21:00.002-04:00

Unused concept.

Goonie Goo Goo

2011-03-26T18:09:00.000-04:00

Sketch of The Goon I did for Periodic Heroes.

Pew

2011-03-13T03:14:00.000-04:00

Here's the final version of the Cyclops sketch I posted a while back. I finished it for a blog that I got involved with called Periodic Heroes. My friend Rashad helped me get involved.

The Scarlet Speedster

2011-01-10T10:51:00.000-05:00

So, there's a little boy named Clark. He just had his fifth birthday party and he loves the Flash. I was asked to draw a Flash comic book cover for him. I felt like the request was a no-brainer. Yes, I would like to draw the Flash doing something awesome. So, I thought it'd be fun to draw Clark making the Flash eat his dust. I gave him his own costume and superhero name. That way, when he's running around his yard, he can pretend he's the Lightning Boy. Happy Birthday, buddy.

P.S. For this piece, I inked the lines in Illustrator. I wanted it to have a certain clean quality for him. The colors were painted in Photoshop. The initial sketch was actually done on an iPad with Sketchbook Pro.

Flipped

2010-12-17T16:55:00.001-05:00

I've always thought Winsor McCay's work is absolutely brilliant. Great source for inspiration. For some reason Little Nemo just popped into my head today, and I thought that I'd really like to draw something with that theme as a warmup. So here's Flip, native of Slumberland.

Mish Mash

2010-12-16T15:32:00.001-05:00

I had to draw an airship. I've been needing to stretch myself and draw things I'm sometimes intimidated by. So I had an absolute blast with this. So much fun to experiment with the shapes and the gadgetry. I left out landing gear because this ship is designed to dock in the air. Please feel free to comment.

The second thing is a graphic I created for my company's Christmas gift. We all received hoodies with this printed on it. I was asked to create an illustration that represents our flagship game and our second one. The result? A Roman cabbie and her donkey being pulled by a crazed zombie. It just made sense...Anyways, the hoodies came out great.

Finally, a reindeer. It's the Christmas season, and I was tasked to design a reindeer for the game. It's released, so I wanted to show it here as a winter treat. Enjoy!

Release the Hounds

2010-12-07T17:31:00.003-05:00

I have yet another toy design submission at PatchTogether.com. The Voodoo Hound. CHECK IT OUT! If you're reading this, bless you, and please vote and leave a comment.

I really enjoyed making this. Y'know what inspired it? This design by Rad Sechrist. It was the color scheme that caused the thing to essentially pop into my brain. Sketching it was like brushing away sand to reveal a completed design. I love when that happens. I think this piece shows some growth in composition. Also, my wife helped me with some of the color composition. Thanks, sweet girl.

Venomous Villain

2010-11-09T21:58:00.001-05:00

And the last in the set - Venom. All done as warmups for work. I had a lot of fun drawing these. I really enjoy exploring anatomy and dynamic posing sometimes.

Too Thor to Thit Down

2010-11-06T16:57:00.002-04:00

I felt the itch, so I scratched it. Here is Thor I made during my sketch breaks to go along with the Cyclops I drew last. I believe the lines will be easier to read once there are some colors and values on it. Venom's next. I'd like to arrange the three into one final piece. Stay tuned. Montes out.

Sketch Break

2010-10-24T23:51:00.004-04:00

I've been taking short breaks lately at work to sketch a bit. Gotta keep myself inspired. This one actually came together pretty easily, I'm very happy to say. I might continue the theme if I feel the urge. Enjoy. Montes out.

A Norse is a Norse of Course of Course

2010-10-19T15:10:00.001-04:00

Just watched The Secret of Kells on Netflix. That was some good looking animation, folks. If you have Netflix, live stream that junk (then look at Tomm Moore's artwork - man knows how to compose a page). After it was over, I had to draw a Viking (even though they play a small part and they're pretty bad guys). Also, I need to watch How to Train Your Dragon again. Just brilliant. I should draw dragons too.

New Diggs

2010-10-07T01:33:00.001-04:00

I love what I've done with the place. As you can see, I've redesigned the blog and added a shiny new portfolio which you can get to from the fancy button at the top. It has a ton of never before seen images. Some are from things that have finally gone public, and some I've received permission to display with proper credit. If you like what you see, keep in mind that I'm open for commissions.

Enjoy.

Toyz

2010-08-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

I have a new design up on PatchTogether.com. It's for the new Steampunk toy challenge. Steampunk is honestly a difficult style for me to grasp, so I just tried to do something I thought would make a cool figure. I thought about the overall shapes first, then filled in the blanks. The contest is closed for submissions on the 31st, but voting still continues until well after that. So, please head over there now and vote for me if'n ya feel like supportin' me. And if you're new to PatchTogether, you need to join, but they only ask for your name e-mail and birthday. You don't even have to give you real info. Even use an old e-mail address. Anyways, if it wins, I'll have two toys out there. If it doesn't win, then I'm just grateful to have one winning design under my belt.

Which reminds me! The Clockwork Assassin has been open for preorder for a while. Matter of fact, they're back from the factory and going through customs now, so if you order one, it could be in your hands soon. Click here if you want to buy one. I don't know how many are left. It was a limited run of 50. I can't believe I didn't post this link yet. Check it out.

Midnight Tron to Georgia

2010-08-07T14:08:00.000-04:00

So, late last night I took some time to sketch. Subject? TRON. With the new movie on the horizon (which looks like candy), I've had a bad case of the Tron pox. And it itches...it itches real bad. I plan on making a small series of illustrations of the characters. Not from the new movie. The orig. That's short for original. In this post, you'll see Tron and Sark. I like the sketch for Sark, but for the final I might try altering his pose. Maybe open it up a bit. Suggestions?

I also plan to draw Flynn with the jai alai cup attached to his arm. I might get to Yori, but she didn't do a whole lotta cool stuff.

OH and get this! I was at the movie theatre with my dad not long ago to watch Inception (sweet fancy Moses that was the greatest movie ever), and we're in line for tickets, right? Well, this kid - looked like he was in high school - looks over at the Tron Legacy poster, distorts his face like he was taking down a spoonful of castor oil, and says with an attitude, "What's Tron?" I nearly whirled around and slapped him across his mouth and said, "You show some respect."

Montes out.

Practice Makes...Well, Better Than Last Time

2010-04-26T23:33:00.000-04:00

I need to draw more of these. This particular machine is for moving big boxes. Yes, I know a forklift can do that.....this can do it better...and it looks cooler. I changed up some things between the sketch and the cleaner design. I axed the exhaust pipe because this thing is meant to be operated indoors. Yeah, we don't need people passing out while operating large vehicles that resemble industrial excavators. I also shortened the treads. They were long at first for no practical reason other than looking interesting.

This was a great exercise for me. I remember drawing something similar a couple of years ago. It was basically a box with treads and an arm coming out of the top. No real machine parts. It took me a little too long to learn that when you include things that work, everything reads better. It's better storytelling. Word.

And the Winner is.......

2010-04-26T23:11:00.000-04:00

Holy crap, ME! I'm happy to announce that my Clockwork Assassin design won the Animal Warriors challenge on PatchTogether.com. They've recently sent me shots of the preliminary sculpt, and it looks amazing. I made a few corrections and they handled them like pros. Very pleased.

The figure will be 6 inches tall and made of resin. It will hit their store for pre-order as soon as a finished prototype is completed. I just sent them Pantone swatches, so hopefully it will be soon. I'll post when it's available.

For now, here are shots of the sculpt and a bonus pic of the head turnaround.

Toys 'R' Awesome

2010-02-27T15:35:00.000-05:00

I've just put two new toy designs up on PatchTogether.com. Here they are:

Clockwork Assassin

Jack "The Knife" McGillicutty

As before, votes of 5 are very much appreciated. Especially for Clockwork Assassin. That one's part of a challenge that I hope to do well in. Enjoy, folks.

Patch Together

2010-02-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

So, I've just submitted two designs to PatchTogether.com, and with support, maybe they could be selected to be produced as toys. Here's where you come in, o readers. If you felt so inclined, you could sign up with PatchTogether and vote on my designs and leave a nice comment.

Check'em out here and here.

If you haven't heard of this site, it's pretty cool. Submissions are constantly being selected for production. There's really no deadline, and there doesn't seem to be a limit on how many winners there are, which is cool. Here are my designs.

One Fish, None Fish

2010-01-20T00:09:00.001-05:00

So, fun story. Sarah and I were spending the evening just drawing and inking. She bought some tiny illustration board cards and watercolor paper cards for us to draw on. I made this fish and inked it on the tiny card (it's about 3.5 inches tall). Then we thought it'd be a cool idea to sell it on Sarah's Etsy shop. THEN I thought it'd be even cooler to color it in watercolor. That's when I found out that the ink was not waterproof.

...so I ruined it...which rules. Ironic that water was the death of this particular fish.

But here's what it looked like before all that mess. Hope y'all likes.

P.S. I also drew that kitten, but it was part of a larger image...which I also ruined during the inking process. I was on form tonight.

Mish Mash

2010-01-18T00:50:00.000-05:00

Here are just a few character drawings that have been sitting around. Hope you likes.

New Look, New Posts

2010-01-18T00:27:00.000-05:00

Here's a sketch I done did of Sagat from Street Fighter. He usually strikes a pretty cool pose when fighting - he really stretches his limbs and has that wingspan of an albatross, y'know? I'd like to finish this drawing soon, but it was really an exercise in anatomy and posing. And it was fun. I know the sketchy lines might make it hard to see some things clearly, but I'm sure it will read better once there are some tight lines on it.

Mini House Tank

2009-12-06T01:18:00.001-05:00

I've just received my new Zebra ink brushes, so I'm taking one for a spin. It's really a great pen.

I'm learning that I really enjoy drawing things like contraptions, houses, etc. Once you just get into a groove, it becomes easier. This has really paid off at work, 'cause I've had to draw a few kooky houses and scenes. It's been a blast, and I wish so badly that I could post even a little bit of it. Sadly, I won't be able to do so until around fall of next year. I guess that's just the way the dumb cookie crumbles.

In any case, hope you enjoy the Mini House Tank. It's like a tiny studio apartment, only it's also a tank that shoots bombs. Could be cool. Let me paint a picture for you:

Landlord comes to your door. You haven't paid your rent. Turns out, leasing a tank is butt-expensive. You panic. Shoot bombs. No more landlord. Free tank.

I think I've made my point.

Well, I'd like to draw the Big House Tank very soon. Shoots larger bombs.

Inktoberfest

2009-10-25T01:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Inktober, folks, and a big thanks to Jake Parker for inspiring the masses by committing to one kick awesome ink drawing a day this month. I myself have been inkspired (POW!), and here's a little drawing I've done as an exercise. And yes, fans of Jake will pick up that this piece follows his style. This is done with a Raphael brush and Winsor and Newton black ink (my personal favorite followed closely by Sumi).

I spent the day relaxing with my amazing wife and finally working on personal art together. I've been producing a lot of art for the ol' job, but I just can't show any of it 'til it hits shelves (which may not be for a bit. What a pain).

Working with a brush and ink has been refreshing to get back into. Lately I've been inking everything in Photoshop with a brush I made to look like a dry brush. So, I had to dust off the old skills and sharpen my inkstincts (BADA-BING!). I started off by very loosely inking a couple of sketches of Remy LeBeau, a.k.a Gambit, a.k.a. the coolest of the X-Mans. Those, however, were terrible.

Well, I'll be making more of an effort to crack down on personal artwork. I mean, am I really going to let a job get in the way of that? I don't ink so (.....alright, so two out of three).

Yay! Aww...

2009-08-11T10:57:00.000-04:00

Well, the vinyl I designed for Disney has hit the stores. I called him Tiki Mouse. So, imagine my excitement when I saw it on Disney's online store. Now imagine my excitement when I saw that they removed half the detail and gave the credit to another artist (see title for reaction). The name attached to the vinyl is the artist who handed the project off to me. It's a little frustrating, but them's the brakes I suppose. Check it out here.

Here's a picture of how it was meant to look. You'll notice my signature is supposed to appear on his foot, so whether or not they replaced that too remains to be seen.

Why Hello, Mr. LeBeau

2009-07-20T23:57:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back and I'm not alone. I have married, and now have a partner to help me tend to my fields.

The first month of marriage has been nothing short of a dream come true (c'mon, second month). Sarah helps me stay focused and encourages me to draw the very best I can. With that, I come bearing a new piece. It's not rendered, but I thought perhaps a friend could help me with that. Jose, if you're reading this, that means you. You've been drafted. Good luck, soldier.

The piece requires very little explanation. Wolverine is the most popular of the X-Men, and for good reason. But we know who the coolest one is, don't we?

'Nuff said.

Walkin' the Mile (not really)

2009-06-11T22:54:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to explain myself. There have been very few posts lately because I've been preparing for my wedding. I'm about to marry the best friend I've ever had. Her name is Sarah Ann Mandernacht, and she is the most wonderful woman in the world to me. I'm so blessed to be marrying her, it almost seems like I'm getting away with something. She's also a talented artist. The next time I make a post, I will be her husband. Dang, that's flipping cool.

Don't think I haven't been creating though. I've been very busy creating illustrations for my awesome new job. I wish I could show them, but sadly it's a bit early. The only thing that's really been delayed is personal work, but I've got some things brewing. For all those who still check this thing, thank you for being patient with me.

See you all on the other side.

He Says, "Wow."

2009-05-04T02:06:00.000-04:00

So, I'm experimenting with this animation a little more. This one is just a very short facial study. Nothing fancy at all, but I wanted to try something slightly more polished. He says, "Wow."

There's a First Time For Everything

2009-05-01T02:55:00.000-04:00

So, on a whim, I decided to try my hand at animation. I've always wanted to give it a shot, but I just never took the time to actually attempt such a thing. Well, with the help of a friend, I found the Pencil program. It's a free traditional animation application (on a dalmation plantation). It doesn't seem to be a very complex program, but it certainly gets the job done. I think that it's perfectly acceptable for rough animations and motion studies.

Now, obviously I was just trying to figure out pace and movement, so the drawings themselves will look like they were done quickly and crudely. All in all, I hope you enjoy my very first animations and comments are welcome.

I'll also try to figure out a way to view these videos larger. They're pretty small here it seems.

Products

2009-04-15T01:02:00.001-04:00

Here are just a few products I developed last year and the year before for Disney that have been released.

Win Some, Lose More

2009-04-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

Times are tough. These pieces were trial runs I created for a screen printing company that showed interest in hiring me recently. It was part of the interview process. Guess I wasn't quite what they were looking for. At least they gave me a shot. Hope you guys enjoy.

Robot Vs. Monkey

2009-04-13T22:50:00.000-04:00

My two very talented buddies, Bob Clagett and Jonathan Forby, have put together a pretty impressive game for the iPhone. Folks, keep your eyes peeled for it, 'cause it's bound to be a hit.

Well, they asked me to design a logo for their design group, Robot Vs. Monkey. Talk about fun. Here it is.

Robuts

2009-03-09T01:10:00.000-04:00

As promised, here's a brand new piece. I've also included an image of it before I added the values. You can see the gadgetry that way. This was created for a buddy of mine - actually inspired by a concept he had for a logo (and a little bit o' Hellboy). I really enjoyed every bit of it, but it didn't come without its challenges.

Before attempting to draw something like a robot, I need to psych myself up. I'm like a gladiator pacing back and forth in his waiting quarters. I'm ready to fight an angry fat guy with a 50 lbs. mace, and the tigers are licking their lips. So, I accept the challenge, throw up, and burst through the gate. Yes, I'm almost positive drawing cartoons is comparable to the prospect of fighting and possibly dying at the hands of a man you've never met, purely for sport.

Alright, I exaggerate. It's more like fighting Mr. Dream in PunchOut. Anyone get me on that one? In the back there? Yeah, that guy knows what I'm talkin' about!
But seriously folks, I've nearly laid out my next piece, which will be in full color. I may create a matching one, but that will depend entirely on time right now. Later.

TyrannoProcess Rex

2009-03-04T23:56:00.000-05:00

I suppose it would be flaky to resort to, "life gets in the way." Drawing is a part of my life, and I haven't been a very good steward of my passion and ability the past couple of months. But I'm BACK and very much in full force. I've been producing illustrations for a gallery showing as well as taking on some illustration freelance. I'll be sure to make more posts in the coming weeks (keep your eyes peeled for a new piece sometime this weekend).

So, here's a drawing for the Doodle Collage I produced a few weeks ago. I thought I'd throw it up here with a little process. As you can see, things start with basic shapes. Then it's essentially sculpture from that point. Adding, removing, molding until you say, "There you are." Truth is, you're never really finished with a piece. You just move onto the next one. We'd never let go of our work if we kept putting on the final final final touches. For example, I didn't accurately depict the T-rex. They have three big toes, not just two (plus the little one on the inside). But they don't wear boxing gloves either, much less possess the cognitive and mechanical skills to actually engage an opponent in a gentleman's round of physical sport. So, the two vs. three toes sort of becomes moot. Am I rambling? I feel like I'm rambling.

And no, I haven't forgotten about the short comic I supposedly committed to. That actually did have to take a back seat to some things. I'll probably bump up the page count a bit. Don't give up on me. It's on its way.

Abominable

2008-10-14T04:45:00.000-04:00

Here are the first two pages of a short comic I'm working on. Consider it a teaser. It's just going to be a quick eight pager.

Well, it's been a while since I've been able to focus on my storytelling. I have a lot to learn, and I welcome comments on this. Now, I do have to finish this project soon, so I probably won't have the time to make any big changes. Even so, I'd love to hear your tips, suggestions, encouragements, etc.

I'll go ahead and say that I can perhaps lay off the mid shots a bit. And I'd like to think that I have a knack for posing and character acting, but after taking yet another look at Rodolphe Guenoden's masterful gesture and posing, I know I can push it. All in all, I'm having fun.

The Greatest Chipmunk Warrior

2008-09-25T01:17:00.000-04:00

I drew this warrior chipmunk for the Doodle Collage after a failed attempt at drawing pugs at a birthday party. That's a weird sentence. Anyways, I had a blast with this guy.

I realize I draw a lot of character art. Upon advice from a fellow artist, I'd like to mix things up with some environments, props, things of that nature. I'm actually working on an 8-page comic, so I'll surely be drawing backgrounds for that. I'll post some progress soon.

Ink Study

2008-09-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

I ran some inks over this guy last night. He's a character in a short comic I'll be making over the next couple of months. I think this is one of my favorite designs. I laid the sketch down one day in the waiting room of a doctor's office. Sometimes the best stuff is born in odd places when you just get the itch to draw. I'm really excited.

If anyone has any alternative methods of rendering a character with black ink, lay'em on me. I'd love to give it a shot.

Wizard of Awesome

2008-09-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

Here's the almost finished piece. I'd like to give it a background, but honestly, I'm having a hard time doing that.

Anyways, enjoy.

Wolf Guy Revisited

2008-08-28T06:36:00.000-04:00

I decided to run some colors over my wolfy sketch. Photoshop painting.

I like it. He is still upset. Probably 'cause I still haven't fixed his arm.

2008-08-28T06:32:00.000-04:00

Here's half of a page from a graphic novel. It's part of a page I completed for a class during my senior year of college. I've since started official work on the book, and I think it's going to be good (think, hope, whatever).

Inked in brush and painted in Photoshop.

Teaser

2008-08-26T14:35:00.000-04:00

So, I'm working on an illustration. It's just a gag involving the Wizard of Oz main cast. It's largely an experiment in style. I've been trying some new things - nothing fancy, mind you - but it's fun. Here's a sample of what the characters look like. I think the Tin Man's going to end up being my favorite.

All in Photoshop.

In Stitches

2008-08-26T13:55:00.000-04:00

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These items have already been released to the public, so I figure it's okay to post them now.

Pencil drawings with Photoshop painting.

I created these two illustrations for the Stitch Deluxe Starter Set at Disney World. It's a collection of eight trading pins and a lanyard. If you'd like to see the pins I designed...well, I guess you'll have to pick one up in Disney World (see what I do for you, Mickey?).

Anyways, the first image appears on the front of the packaging, and the second is the design of the lanyard card. The style was a real blast to work with. It was meant to draw attention - especially that of younger boys who liked laser guns - so I knew I wanted something sharp and graphic. In fact, the first draft of the guns image had Stitch in all yellow tones (I was going for more graphic at the time, based on some style guide art of Stitch). With some advice, I felt it best to add his full colors.

The scooter was a challenge. If you recall from my post about Trip, gizmos and gadgets don't come naturally to me. It's often an uphill battle. But I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. That vehicle doesn't actually appear in Lilo & Stitch. The point was to make it look like it did.

I Want One

2008-08-26T00:39:00.000-04:00

Here's one that I'm quite fond of. I love dogs.

This was part of a design for a trading pin for Disneyland. In the pin, he's holding the keys on Pirates of the Caribbean. So, if you happen to be walking around New Orleans Square sometime, you may see the set with this pin in it along with the other three I made.

Well, I felt like sketching some colors in, which produced this. When I was drawing him, I had the luxury of referencing some model sheets from 101 Dalmations (as well as photos of real dogs). Drawing animals can be a real blast. And I'm not talking about humanoid animals (also fun), but just drawing animals as they are and perhaps adding some character is great fun.

Will Eat You

2008-08-17T00:40:00.000-04:00

Sketched this guy out today. I think his right arm is slightly askew, but it's just a sketch...and I like it. He's also a character for a graphic novel, and I think he's turning out just the way I want him to.

He is upset.

Trip It Up and Down (also introducing Jose Pardo)

2008-07-27T01:52:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the dry spell. Here's a tasty post, fresh off the grill.

This is a character for a graphic novel. His name is Trip. I really love this guy. It all started when my friend, Bert Jolley, challenged me to design a character for him to render. He asked for something with fur, just to make it interesting. I thought I'd take it a bit further and add mechanical parts as well.

I'm usually no good with gadgets and gizmos, but I'm working on it. I think this is my first successful attempt at drawing a gun. It was fun to design, and so was the rocket pack. So yeah, it looks cool, but would it fly?

...I have absolutely no idea.

Anyways, I've included the concept sketches that came before the finished drawing, as well as a rough idea of his colors. Very Han Solo, no?

Now, the second picture was rendered by an incredibly talented friend of mine - Jose Pardo. Check out his excellent work at www.moonvisionstudio.com

My Fiancee's a For Real Fairy

2008-06-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

My amazing, beautiful and talented fiancee Sarah Mandernacht likes fairies. So a while back, I, being the thoughtful and perfect man that I am (HA!), took it upon myself to surprise her with an illustration of her as a fairy, flying with Tinker Bell. I'd post the finished piece, but it's just for Sarah. Plus, I'm sure you all know what Tink looks like. (When you're as tight with her as I am, you call her "Tink")

2 Sketches

2008-06-13T00:57:00.000-04:00

Just a couple of sketches. The one on the right was drawn from a Spawn figure on my desk. Y'know...'cause I'm so cool. (I changed his legs though)

Doodle Collage V2

2008-06-13T00:20:00.000-04:00

Hey, guys. Ryan Terry, Britt Spencer and I have started a project called Doodle Collage V2. Ryan's already completed one on his own, but this time he's invited Britt and me to help out. It's pretty simple. You tell us what you'd like us to draw, and maybe it will be selected. Just go to the site and click on "Request a Doodle." Should be fun. Here's the link:

http://www.ry-guy.com/projects/interactive/doodlecollage2/