The Greatest Artist In The World

Tumbling Lately

2011-12-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

While I have lately been writing, not arting (hence absence of stuff here), I have also been putting together a resource to help ordinary folks understand classical art better, using captions. So get on over to my tumblr thing and learn some art history!

The Destruction of Toronto

2011-11-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

Don't ask. It's just one of those projects.

French Bulldog

2011-10-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Sketch for a book illustration.

The Girl WIth One Eye, Again

2011-08-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

She showed up in the studio for another painting session, now a couple of years older. Tried to replicate the original lighting. Interesting to note my painting skills have actually decreased.

Another Fairy

2011-05-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

It's frightening to paint these little creatures. You never know what kind of mood will hit them. Luckily they have no sense of aesthetics, so a picture is just a bunch of colors to them. This is a quick study of a fairy that has been hanging around in our olive tree, eating worms out of the olives.

Killing Osama - The Real Picture

2011-05-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

I was amazed to see the iconic image of the top brass watching by live feed as America's long-standing boogeyman was at last destroyed.

However, there were immediate rumors: the picture had been Photoshopped, and not just to remove top secret details. Now, I've seen a lot of 'shops in my day, so I had a look at the pixel data and was quickly able to reverse-engineer most of the modifications.

Without further editorializing I present to you the original image as released to the press, and my reverse-Photoshopped version, which clearly indicates it was really just a Superbowl party.

I think we need to understand this administration will stop at nothing to hide the truth. That obviously fake birth certificate was just the beginning.

Ukulele Scrollery

2011-04-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a test for an asymmetrical acanthus pattern I was thinking about putting on a ukulele (inset), and how it eventually worked out. Gold paint marker sealed with satin urethane -- nothing fancy.

I also replaced the jug-eared tuners with some nice friction tuners that stick out the back, not the sides.

This is an inexpensive uke, but it was the floor model at a local music store and had been played enough so its sound had opened up quite nicely. Surprisingly loud and mellow for a plywood job. I like these Ohanas -- the great Buz Carter turned me on to them. He's the guy who invented this awesome chord-generating code so you can format your four-string tabs and chords to perfection. /end uke rant

Don't Mess With Fairies

2011-04-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

One of the few privileges that comes with being an artist is eldritch types -- fairies, elves, sprites, and so forth -- will reveal themselves to you occasionally.

There are several fairies whose territories intersect in my back yard. They are not the little sparkly fellows we find in picture books. Real fairies are not to be trifled with. They eat insects, small rodents, and birds. They can cause plants to die and things to go wrong. They are startlingly violent, greedy, and oversexed. They can't be reasoned with, although they do find human activity endlessly interesting.

This is one of the fairies I see around my property sometimes. I had to paint it from a photograph -- they do not sit still. She's not offering me the insect: she's preparing to eat it.

*Note: Wings aren't shown because they lie along the back when not in use.

Half-Sized Half-TImbering

2011-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch for a house about three feet tall, the structure composed against rocks. It was built by British gnomes, who do not burrow like common European gnomes. You knew that, right?

A Pair Of Toasts

2011-03-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Two toasts: regular and grilled cheese. Both quick studies.

Sharukh Khan - Again

2011-03-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a sketch of the great Bollywood star. He's possibly the biggest star in the world, in terms of sheer audience size. With the exception of the USA and certain parts of West Africa, this guys is household name almost everywhere.

Previsualizing That Which Never Got Visualized

2011-03-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

Some art from an old movie project -- I wrote the script, did some illustrations for it, and that was that -- people enjoyed the script, but not actually enough to make the movie.

The sci-fi of the future, as envisioned in the past. These are all from 1999. Back then, we thought the future would start in the year 2000.

top: taxi stand
middle: cathedral (the sign over the doors says 'GOD available inside')
bottom: Midcentury style pillar house

Tycho Brahe's Ukulele

2011-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Design for a celestial paint job: gilding and polychrome on friction-tuner koa wood uke, because the ukulele is the instrument of the heavens.

Uke Can Do It!

2011-02-20T15:40:00.000-08:00

Design for a painted and gilded ukulele. Ivoroid tuning knobs, mahogany body, rosewood fretboard and bridge. Because that's how I roll.

Be My Valiumtine

2011-02-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

Character maquette for some public service announcement thing from ages ago. But Cupid never gets old.

Braised Cthulu

2011-02-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

A little something from beyond: braised Cthulu prawn.

The plate is from a photographic source; the critter is not.

Unusual Still Life

2011-02-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

Mint chocolate chip ice cream, ham, eggs, and razor blade. Au jus.

Fun With Concept Art

2011-01-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

We have here a quick concept sketch showing a shopping district project; it's probably not going to happen -- not least because the government of the country in which is was supposed to be built has recently gotten all topply.

And here is a conceptual aerial view of a Bollywood theme park in India. As with most aerial views these days, this one was rendered using a digital model of the site with blank building blocks in place of actual designs.

From The Archives

2011-01-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

First up, a little something from when I was 18 or 19 (the kid in the picture is me). At one time, I was going to be a special effects makeup artist. The diseased bits were done with molded photographer's gelatin, if I recall correctly.

Next up is a recent sketch of a walk-around 'rubberhead' character for a Chinese theme park.

10% Dead

2011-01-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, this one is interesting for a very particular reason having nothing to do with merit. Below, there's a three-image sequence in black and white that was done in white and black china marker on gray paper. This one was done in either Painter or Photoshop, but it's a digital attempt to simulate china marker on gray paper. So that's kind of fun.

Also, I figured out what these were for: I did an illustrated pitch for a screenplay called 10% Dead. These illustrated pitches work -- I sold a couple of things to the studios this way.

And Again, From The Archives

2011-01-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

These were done in the 90's for a sci-fi/fantasy project in the program Painter -- I work entirely in Photoshop now, but Painter was amazing for its beautifully oily paint effects. It came down to economics -- I couldn't afford to
steal
buy both programs.

More Ancient Work

2011-01-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

Storyboard for some project I can't remember:

Illustration for an animated movie idea... I must have done this when I was freshly dropped out of art school, because it's graphite on paper.

And a piece of production art from whatever the storyboards above were for.

From The Archives

2011-01-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

A couple of moldy oldies from way back around the turn of the the century. A screenplay cover from the 90's -- damn funny script, by the way -- and an illustration for a childrens' series I pitched to the Henson Company around the same time.

Is This Thing On?

2011-01-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

I found a work-around for uploading images -- all I have to do is use the HTML editor, or in other words, blog like it was 1999.

Serious Problems at Google, Stand By

2011-01-18T10:10:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed I haven't posted anything here for a long time. It's because Google has a thing called 'Cloud Picker' that now will not allow me to upload images. Apparently hundreds of thousands of bloggers are dealing with this problem.

So that sucks. They haven't resolved the problem in almost two months, so I may have to move the blog somewhere else. Neat!

HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!

2010-12-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Toddle on over to the Rise Again website for your free holiday downloads. There are cards, gift tags, an ornament... and most of all, the zombie nativity scene.

Working on Christmas

2010-11-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be featuring a bunch of zombie holiday crafts on my novel's website, including Christmas cards. This is the start of my "he knows if you've been naughty or nice" specimen.

Zombie Wounds

2010-10-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Another Halloween treat for the exceptionally lazy: peel and stick wounds. Featured on BoingBoing. You'll have to click on over to the Rise Again website to get the full-size PDF, and probably you should order the book, too. But it's worth it. Who doesn't like fresh wounds?

Someone asked me why all the exposed skin is purple. The answer, of course, is I wanted everybody, regardless of skin color, to be able to wear these things. Who needs pink Band-Aid syndrome? Besides, bruises are purple. And lungs. And veins. And -- I feel queasy. Never mind.

Zombie Specs

2010-10-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

Y'all toddle on over to the Rise Again website and download these zombie eyeglasses. They're a quick and easy Halloween costume and they'll make you look smarter.

And no, I didn't link the full-sized ones here. You have to go over THERE, where you will become fascinated and pre-order the novel.

Jesus Christ, My Banana's On BoingBoing

2010-10-12T22:17:00.001-07:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/10/12/just-look-at-this-zo.html

Hi, gang!

Look at This Undead Banana. Just Look at it.

2010-10-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

I can't come up with a caption for this. Based on a real banana.

Posthumous Book Review

2010-10-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

BoingBoing's boffo Cory Doctorow has reviewed my book! I'm super-chuffed. His critique is both insightful and positive -- he discusses what worked for him and what did not, and explains why. That's criticism worth having.

In honor of the occasion, here's a self-portrait: the Artist as a Dead Author. It's pretty much how I always look, except normally I wouldn't caught dead in a T-shirt.

Rise Again On BoingBoing

2010-10-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

The book's alternate covers have been featured on BoingBoing, the awesomest place on the internazz. I'm feeling so viral today.

At Last, Zombie Stuff

2010-09-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

Kids, you've been patient. I don't know why. But here are some things from the new website for my novel Rise Again. The book comes out in a few weeks, early reviews are very positive, and by golly, the site looks great, courtesy Courts Carter of Pizza By The Slice.

The heart of the site is free stuff we've made for download. I'll kick off with this crafty box of adhesive bandages, which is designed to blend in among the things in a typical medicine cabinet. Incidentally, the shape of these bandages is expressly designed for human bites. If such a product is ever developed, I got dibs.

Photographs Of Melancholia

2010-09-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

This cat, Colville-Anderson, makes wonderful pictures of ordinary life in Europe. They're intimate, funny, sexy, and sad. But my favorite thing is the poetic sort of titles he gives the pictures, in the form of wishes. This one, for example, a sentiment with which I would agree, except in typical American style, I didn't actually have a summer.

still wishing summer didn't have to end

Real Creativity

2010-08-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

Obviously, I'm out of the running the last couple of months. So go check out this awesome work by a proper artist, Joo Youn Paek. Korea is producing some of the most interesting artists and designers in the world, these days.

Oh For God's Sake

2010-08-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

I'm still busy, can't you SEE? Here, check out this while you're waiting for me to get things accomplished. You should be admiring better artists, anyway.

The link is to a CG discussion, but the art -- o the art -- is worth waiting for. It takes a good long time to load. Report back refreshed.

Still Alive

2010-08-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

...Going through one of those "I never have time to do any damn thing" periods, which of course means this blog gets ignored first on account of it's all silly-billy to begin with. I'll be back. Keep honing your strigils!

More High Jinks In Publishing

2010-07-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

So... still working to get my editor on board for the big win, here. One of these images is what they want to do for the novel jacket -- apparently they're delighted with it. In case you can't guess, it's the one in which a glowing-eyed Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics dances the frug in trainers. So I have countered with the more conventional version featuring less well-known zombie in foreground.

Both of these are based on a comp I did ages ago... which is a pity, because I much prefer the more recent ones with crows and red backgrounds. But this cover design has turned into a deathmatch. I just want something I'm not ashamed to look at. This may be asking too much. How a major publishing house has somehow missed that people do, in fact, judge books by their covers, is a mystery for the ages.

More From The Day Job

2010-07-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a little Mary Blair styling for y'all. Just in case you thought I could only do unsentimental, snide nihilistic stuff.

Time Flies When You're On Fire

2010-07-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

That's what gramps used to tell me.

Here are some tile patterns from my "Colorblind" series. I thought you should know.

Gabbar Singh

2010-06-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

The great villain from the 1975 Bollywood epic Sholay. Played brilliantly by Amjad Khan, Gabbar Singh is about as dastardly as possible: he slaughters entire families, cuts off arms, and whimsically kills his own men. And yet, somehow, the guy comes off as vulnerable. Maybe it's because he was opposed by leading men Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, with an assist by Sanjeev Kumar.

Roscoe The French Bulldog

2010-06-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

He actually looks like this. A droll and charming creature with the cunning of a pair of galoshes.

Long Time, No Post

2010-06-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

I've been a busy bee lately, hence lack of posts here... Off to MOMA today with #1 son. Manhattan is a good place for art.

Again With The Day Job

2010-06-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

Show scene from a Little Red Riding Hood dark ride; concept illustration for a Chinese client.

Meeting Minutes

2010-06-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a drawing I did during a meeting about masterplanning issues on a project in Inner Mongolia.

When I draw during meetings, it makes me look like I'm so creative I'm drawing up plans on the spot. If anybody actually looks at them, I'm done for.

Gloat

2010-06-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

I guess you think you're better than me, and probably you have your reasons. But you don't own the 3-sheet of the original Italian release of Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, and I do. I win!

A Blast From The Past

2010-06-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

This is probably 10 years old, done as part of the Herbert W. Zoozman project. My dear pal Rich Procter suggested it. The linked site hasn't been updated since, as far as I know, but it's highly amusing.

I also supplied 5 or 6 voices to the audio version of They Came In Outer Space. The CD is available on that site, incidentally; the lurid cover art was also done by yours truly.

Chapter Heading Spot Illustration

2010-06-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

This might turn up in the novel. It might not. But it's more interesting than a fleur-de-lis.

Shanghai Pearl Study

2010-06-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

It beats studying algebra.

Yes, More Cover Comps

2010-05-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

My editor at Simon & Schuster sent me cover copy* for the novel a few days back. I was finishing up the copy edits, so didn't have time to respond, but what with the long weekend... These are notable primarily because I said to myself, "self, everybody uses Trajan these days. It's the horror font of choice... But only if it's fractured."

So here's me using Trajan, fractured. Crows play an important part in the book, hence crows.

*The blurbs at the bottom are a sort of in-joke with my editor; the only pull quotes worth having right now are from Neal Gaiman and Stephen King, of course. In reality these will come along after the bound galleys are sent around, and they'll probably read more like "I think this book shows some promise and is well worth what I paid for the free copy the publisher sent me" and similar fulsome praise.

It's Curtains For You

2010-05-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

I'll bet y'all didn't know I was into designing fabrics, did you? This is a little something for a Mid Century child's bedroom. And now you can now get any pattern printed on fabric at Spoonflower.

The Family Trade

2010-05-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

I grew up knowing I'd be an artist of some kind. My father, Wallace, is a fairly well-known illustrator; my mother Marcia is a cheerful punter with paints.

She didn't start painting in earnest until after retirement; now she paints dozens of canvases every year. His career was cut short many years ago by Parkinson's Disease, which left him unable to do much more than giggle in a high-pitched voice.

I've learned something from this -- whatever you do, do it like you don't have a single minute to waste. Because, kiddies, you don't. You might have a chance to fulfill your dreams after all the business is taken care of... Or you might not even have time to finish all the business.

My father had a scrap of paper tacked up over his desk. It bore a simple message he found in a Buddhist text somewhere, and it's at once terrifying and liberating, especially in light of how things turned out for him:

The problem is, you think you have time.

Pears by Mama; book cover by the old man.

For Color Freaks

2010-05-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people that routinely examines color palettes for fun. Turns out, there's a web site for people like us.

http://www.colourlovers.com/

I might submit some meat palettes!

(via BoingBoing)

Medical Illustration

2010-05-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

You didn't see this here. It's a secret. The crosshead and bullet text are greeked, with final copy to come some other time. Let's just say, if you like somebody's work, work with 'em.

The Day Job

2010-05-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Long time no post -- hammered at work. Or rather, I wish I was hammered at work. "Busy" is the word I want, probably.
But what do I do at work?

Things like this.

Superego

2010-05-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard the Superego podcasts, get over there right now and bend your ears. I laughed at this stuff so hard I got gravy on my pants. This is not an art-related post as such, but if their stuff isn't art, I don't know what is.

The Greatest Private Illustration Collection

2010-05-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

Is up for auction.

Charles Martignette's legendary estate is going on the block. So fellow artists, you can now buy a masterpiece for a few hundred or thousand bucks. Once in a lifetime opportunity.

But here's a secret tip, because if you're like me, you don't have a few hundred or thousand bucks: if you sign up to become a member of their site, you can download countless super-high resolution, color-accurate digital reproductions of their auction items -- I hit the illustration and movie poster selections regularly. The scans are incredibly good. And those, gang, are free. Just sign up, hit the button that says "turn off pan & zoom images," then click on the thumbnail, and witness the galaxy-sized ART!

http://www.ha.com/c/index.zx?ic=task-www

http://fineart.ha.com/common/content.php?content=martignette&type=7015invite-tem050310

We Are Happy To Serve You

2010-05-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Leslie Buck, who designed the awesome "Anthora" cup ubiquitous in New York, has died. Luckily you can get a ceramic version of his timeless graphic for perma-cuppin'. In honor of the man, I offer this humble variation on the theme. Merely print and wrap around any 10-oz paper cup, gluing the left-hand edge over the right-hand edge, and there you go-- a cup you can't really use for anything.

Golden Breakfast

2010-04-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Chicken fried steak, hash browns, biscuit, and one egg. With gravy.

Because fat, carbohydrates, and salt represent three of the four food groups. Alcohol is the other one, but you can't have that until at least 9:00 AM.

The second version explains my peculiar cropping: commercial artist training. Always leave room for the ad copy.

Medical Marijuana

2010-04-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

For you Californian kids with a prescription that are tired of the Altoids tin, merely print this on stiff paper (do not scale to fit printer), cut on the solid lines and fold on the broken lines, and end up with a nice little carton for five cigarettes of devil weed. I'll provide a mockup for study purposes at a future date.

The Thing About Painting Food

2010-04-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy doing caricatures and food paintings. It's hard to explain. Caricatures rather than straight portraits, because I find caricature to be more realistic -- it shows the character, not just the features. Food painting is much stranger.

It's partially the surfaces, for one thing. Painting all those textures and different lights, creating the effects of liquids, oils, crumbs, and so on, is tremendously sensuous. But there's more to it than that. It's also because with images of food -- unlike almost any other genre of painting -- there is a secondary, physical reaction. The reaction of appetite.

If the food depicted looks especially tasty -- if it's painted to suggest not just the appearance, but the flavor -- the viewer may experience a desire to eat a similar item. If the food is somehow caricatured, meat made to look bloodier or greasier than it is, for example, it can generate a feeling of physical revulsion.

This is a surprising power for an essentially frivolous kind of work to enjoy. When I paint a hamburger or a piece of pie, I'm not making a statement about rich food or bad nutrition. I'm just painting a piece of pie. It's an age-old niche, food painting. Good for eccentrics like myself.

I deliberately refuse to inhere meanings in these pictures. I want the space between the viewer and the piece to be completely free of editorial interference. I want, most of all, for the viewer not just to see the painting, but to experience it as food. If I make the item look distasteful or delicious, that is because I am trying to tell you what the flavor is like, or the texture. All food is not good. Some food is good, but weird. Some food is awful, but wonderful. If the painting goes too far with this and becomes ironic, it ceases to be food. It becomes a statement about food.

That said, I still can't figure out why I love painting meat so much. I've been a vegetarian for 25 years.

Beef Lo Mein

2010-04-20T16:48:00.001-07:00

Or something. See if you can guess what this is a picture of.

Il Papa

2010-04-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

Pope Ratzo, otherwise known as Benedict XVI, and putti.

Pastrami

2010-04-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

AKA bastrama (Romania) or basturma (Armenia), pastrami is something else I cannot imagine eating. Those... stringy bits, my God.

But I love the way it looks. This is a first attempt. Not quite there, but enjoyable to have a go at. Plus, no lettuce. Sometimes I get tired of painting lettuce. This is deli-style pastrami. I live near a specimen of The Hat, Los Angeles' premier pastrami joint; they don't serve it in stacked slices like this, but tossed after the fashion of a meat salad. A different challenge for another day.

Fried Chicken

2010-04-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

Something I find impossible to imagine eating -- but it's fun to paint the breading.

Because Good Taste Is Priceless

2010-04-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

Gals, how often have you been dead drunk in a bar and dropped your purse while chatting up some far younger guy, only to have your feminine hygiene products roll out all over the floor? This humiliation never has to happen again. Simply print this box art and affix to thin card stock, cut along the faint gray lines, fold at the broken faint gray lines (this way and that), and glue bits of it together as seems appropriate.
Now insert your favorite product in the box, so to speak, and the next time you drop your purse there will be no embarrassment!

I know this is a disgusting and offensive effort on my part. You don't need to write. LOOK OUT, LADIES!*

*I just realized I reversed the box top on the mockup. So when yours comes out differently, it was me. Not you. I'm really sorry.

12,000 Hits

2010-04-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Gosh, that's a lot of eyeballs. Neat!

Kosher For Lent

2010-03-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a little treif humor for the kids at home. This fabulous label fits a standard soup can. Tape it over the existing label, forget what's in the can, and don't eat it for ten years! What fun.*

*This was obviously just an excuse to paint another hamburger.

Spider Milk

2010-03-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the series of consumer packages to liven up your home or dentist's office, this pint-sized carton is intended to be printed and affixed to thin card stock, then cut along the solid gray lines and fold along the dotted lines until it resembles a milk carton. Glue the bits together that ought to go together and so forth. You can do it!

Roofies Beer

2010-03-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

...Because cereal boxes aren't the only way to be offensive.

Instructions for use: print this lovely label sheet on printer-friendly sticker paper and cut along gray outlines, then apply over your favorite beverage's labels. Pre-cut sticker paper can be found here.

The author does not condone the use of Rohypnol or any other illegal drug designed to get creepy dudes laid.

The Vatican Will Love This One

2010-03-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

There is a serious subculture of people that collect cereal boxes. For them, there's this. Too bad about my immortal soul, but you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.

NOTE: I don't remember where I found it, but there are cereal box templates all over the internet. I used somebody else's template for this... so I'd give em credit, except I can't. Anybody that makes their own cereal box, please send a link!

The Next Novel: First Cover Comp

2010-03-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

...Because I never write without imagining the book as an artifact.

This image is cut together with various heavily manipulated pictures found on the interweb; no rights have been secured. This is typical with comps. It's only when the thing goes into "real" mode that a dedicated image is used.

Incidentally, for greeking text, you can't beat this useful tool.

UPDATE: Then, of course, I looked up the poster for the movie Signs, and...

So I went ahead and did something rather different.

Yet Another More New Lozenge Page

2010-03-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here.

Lozenge Page

2010-03-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

More useful material from Lozenge.

The Back Cover Of Lozenge

2010-03-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

I had to sell the back cover in order to make BIG PROFITS.

My Old Lady, Corinne

2010-03-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

Stiff, mannered, terrible. But painted with love.

More Lozenge Pages

2010-03-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

Lozenge Magazine Pages

2010-03-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

A couple of pages from the magazine in progress. If you're the delicate type, don't look. This stuff is raw.
Incidentally, if you're funnier than me, write something in the comments for this post. If it's genius, I'll include it, with attribution. You relinquish all rights to the material, of course, but who cares? It's not worth a plug nickel anyway.

Yet More Book Comps

2010-03-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

Closing in on a cover design for the novel, although mostly I'm trying to finish editing it by the end of the week.

The first and third designs are the primary candidates, each with a slight variation.

Lozenge Magazine

2010-03-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Lozenge Magazine: someday the world will be ready, and I shall be there.

Glazed Ham

2010-02-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to title this piece. I didn't want to make it sound pretentious, but when a piece is important, when it forges into the unknown and illuminates some corner of the Great Mystery, I fervently believe its title should reflect that. So after profound deliberation, I have entitled this work "Glazed Ham."

Pani Poori

2010-02-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

Otherwise known as gol gappa, pani poori is one of my favorite Indian street foods. It's a deep-fried dough puff (poori), hollow and crusty -- the top is cracked open like a soft-boiled egg, and assorted ingredients are stuffed inside. It's then dipped in a tangy water sauce -- hence pani, which means 'water'. Chutney on top of that, then eat the thing in one bite. There are many regional variations. The street vendors keep the poori in huge plastic bags that also serve as advertisement for their wares.

Beef

2010-02-18T11:47:00.000-08:00

Specially for Lent, a vegetarian paints beef. TAKE THAT, Mr. so-called Pope Benedict XVI!

A La Mode

2010-02-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

A fit of patriotism here. Apple pie and ice cream.

City Masala!

2010-02-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

Another piece for City Masala, the fabulous magazine. This is an illustration of the Indian conflict between old-school, relatively plump actresses, and the modern tendency towards Western-style emaciation.

Self Portrait In 1930

2010-01-28T11:52:00.000-08:00

Here's gouache tomfoolery. Self, as advertising chromo. "Try the Finkleman Method and You, Too, Can Be Like This Man" sort of thing. Never be afraid to make yourself ridiculous for art. Yes, the facial hair is accurate (if nothing else), but I've since peeled it off.

The part that matters is the shirt. See that nice dry effect, the appearance of a wet brush getting dragged over the dry paint already on the surface? That's what I was going for.

"Rice" is a pseudonym. Everybody should have a few.

Gouache Brush

2010-01-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get gouache-like effects in Photoshop. Here's an example of a very wet gouache brush. Gouache, for the kids at home, is similar to watercolor, except it's far more opaque, with more pigment. Gouache can look quite dusty when dry as a result of the opacifying agent, often chalk, but when used properly has a very rich, flat surface that reflects light beautifully. It can be mixed with water-based binders such as egg yolk to produce a more translucent and saturated effect. This also makes it more durable -- gouache is extremely susceptible to water. I once ruined a painting in this medium by sneezing on it.

This was a quick bit of noodling around; my interest was in the character of the strokes, such as the one on the edge of the hand.

More Book Cover Comps!

2010-01-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

As the novel wends its way towards needing a cover, I continue pounding the hell out of my favorite dead horse. Simon & Schuster art department, BEWARE! I'm using Vesalius woodcuts.

My OTHER Blog

2010-01-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

Been busy at work, where I draw pictures for a living (I use the word "living" because my doctor assures me I'm not entirely dead yet), so no time to noodle out anything fun for the old blog, here.

But -- it's quicker to write, so my other blog has a few posts on it. That blog is about writing. It's here. Trickle on over there and decide for yourself if I've hit the right balance between pompous didacticism and sniveling self-promotion of my 800 page horror novel, coming in a few months to a paperback near you.

99 More Page Views

2010-01-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

...In 99 views, I'll have had 10,000 views of this blog. That amazes me. Who are you people, other than the three or four I know?

In a short while I'll be starting up a blog about writing, as a sort of tie-in to my novel. This nonsense will still be here, because Art is a cruel mistress. However, my equally brilliant observations on writing will be at the new other different blog.

Make of that what you will. The Internets: Everybody Thinks They Have An Audience.

Another Study -- Meaning, Unfinished Work

2010-01-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

No idea what this is, besides unfinished. I'm editing a book, dammit.

Kimtortion Study

2009-12-30T17:12:00.000-08:00

A preliminary rough of Kimtortion, the fabulous burlesque contortionist. She can out-twist a pretzel, and she's twice as salty. That's it for 2009, gang! Here's hoping I get some skills honed in 2010.

Persian Girl

2009-12-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

A study! Of a head! Of a Persian Girl! Photoshop, as oil paint.

May Your Holidays Be Bright

2009-12-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

Brighter than anybody in Congress, at least.

Michelle L'Amour

2009-12-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

A quick study of the burlesque queen Michelle L'Amour (I think that's her real name), Miss Exotic World 2005. She did a turn (and some other moves) on America's Got Talent, and trained the fab ladies of The Chicago Starlets. She's one of the pillars of the Chicago burlesque scene. Vavoom, in a word.

Fly Eye

2009-12-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

I took one of the book cover comps ~~from an earlier post~~ that I forgot to post, and worked up a painting of the illustrative part... The image is from a passage in my novel Rise Again. The comp is below, too.

Yes, It's Lips

2009-12-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Some lips. Again, using all my fun new Photoshop brushes. View large to see all the brushy goodness.

This would make a disturbing desktop background.

Glenn Beck, REBEL

2009-12-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

He's an evergreen subject. Here's Glenn Beck, defending America from... Americans, I guess. Or them pesky immigrants, or somebody bad like that.

Rani Mukerji

2009-12-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

The lovely and talented Rani Mukerji. She does drama, comedy, and song and dance with equal facility; she's also a stage performer. Her work has consistently placed her in the top ranks of Bollywood actresses in recent years. Her latest project is entitled Koochie Koochie Hota Hai. I mention this here because it's such a great name.

Rani hails from the Bengali movie family headed by her father, Ram Mukherjee. He likes the longer spelling, apparently.