Movin' on UP!

This weekend we pack up our paints, buckets and weird painting stools and head in to the heart of Cleveland to start a 2 year painting endeavor with our friends at Graffiti Heart.  Like our time working in Ben's family barn these first few pieces will be done away from our audience's eyes but this time IN A WAREHOUSE!  So in a way, we are movin' on up!  When these are done and available for public consumption we'll share as well as keep you up on further murals with Graffiti Heart  (big, BIG things coming!).  But until then here are some shots from our time in the Hale family barn working on the barn mural.  enjoy!

The Bride

This piece done in graphite and acrylic is my first contribution to a fundraiser that is near and dear to me.  My hometown, Princeton, WV, through the Princeton Renaissance project is undergoing some massive and much needed renovation and improvement.  From cleaning up main street, renovating old buildings, city icons that have languished in disrepair, hiring local Artists to paint massive murals and generally injecting some civic pride and fostering local commerce in a city who has long needed a helping hand.  Because of the work of a very dedicated few my hometown is on the mend but still needs help!

A few of us, local Artists and natives living elsewhere (aka me) have been asked to paint these antique ceiling tiles that once adorned the ceiling of the Royal/Lavon Theater as well as some some speakers from the Anita Drive in Theater to be auctioned off to benefit the good work of the Princeton Renaissance Project.  If you would like to OWN this or any of the other excellent works of art offered check out the silent auction site HERE . 

As I said it's for an excellent cause and any bit of cash raised will go a long way to helping an area that needs it.

Thanks!

In Search of...

Remembering the passing of the great Leonard Nimoy in my sketchbook this week.  Drawing on recycled paper, bleach , graphite, white colored pencil and a little acrylic.

The power of Terry compels you

As you've seen on our Facebook page, it's that time of year again.  Ingenuity Fest in Cleveland, Ohio!  We will be doing our 30th and LARGEST mural we've ever attempted and our friends at Voix de Ville will be pitching the biggest little show in town all next weekend!!!  

I'm one of the featured artists for the Voix de Ville tent.  Last year I created their logo as well as giant billboards that go outside the tent.  For this year's festivities I created this little diddy.  

This little character is Terry the Tinkle toad, he shows up occasionally at the performances, stirs up mischief as well as the audience for the next show.  The drawing is all brushed ink and once it was done I paired it with a photo I took of the back of a rusty sign and it seemed to fit.

 SO!  Come on down to the Port of Cleveland next weekend and partake in an amazing event!

The Darkseid High-Five

If you have such hap hazard eye lasers why would you hold your hand up when you were firing them off?  Cause your Darkseid that's why!  

It's 5:00 somewhere

Part of a poster illustration I've been working on that I thought I would share.  Graphite on vellum.  The final will have vector, traditional drawing all tied together with a little Photoshop, will keep you posted!

Spider Woman!

We've had a busy summer out painting and such, even so, back to our mini challenges!  This time it's Spider Woman.  I decided to take the opportunity to mess around with my ink brush pen again as well as my exercises in limited color but this time I stumbled across a look from one of my favorite things growing up.

They use to sell these small, plastic pencil sharpeners with puffy stickers on the back of them, diecut out so you could stand them up and play with them like action figures.  Action figures you could have, play with on your school desk and when the teacher got mad you could say they were just harmless pencil sharpeners.  They were great, cost like 25 cents in the school office and looked kinda like this.  Always a yellow background and always limited color, but more importantly secret school time toys! 

A worthy exercise

Hi all, so last weekend I too part in Bay Art's 5 hour, monthly life drawing and it felt great!  It's been a while since I've done a pose longer than 20min and I didn't know how much I missed it until I did it.  I'm not 100% happy with my efforts (but honestly who is ever 100% about their own work) but as a return back to academic drawing its a good start.  I plan to go to as many of these as I can.  So get back to class if you can, it's good for ya!!!!

 Favorite part of this one, her shoulder.

If you go out in the woods today you better not go alone...

My Father was a music teacher and many of the books I got to page through as a kid were the music books he taught from.  I remember reading the lyrics to "Teddy Bear Picnic" way before I ever heard the song and it always struck me sinister. 

  
 "If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a big surprise

 If you go down in the woods today you'd better go in disguise."

Why do you need a disguise? What would the teddy bears do to you?  The answer I suspect is the title, what else are they going to eat at the picnic?

"If you go down in the woods today you better not go alone

It's lovely down in the woods today but safer to stay at home

For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain
Because today's the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic!"

This is one of my entries in the "Old Friends: 20 Illustrators Pay Tribute to Beloved Children's Books" show at Bay Arts.  The opening reception is July 11th and from what I've seen of the work so far its not to be missed!  

Retreadsville

Howdy all!  For today's post I've shined up a couple older pieces.  One for experimentation purposes (and to get my brain thinking in an effective, limited color way for future plans, moohahahahaha!) and the other for a gallery show.

First off, Boba.  This guy was screaming for the Kenner action figure coloring, so this happened.

This lil fella is soon to find itself printed on metal and hanging in a local gallery so I thought it needed some sprucing up.  A couple of things I had thought of when I did the piece originally and a couple of ideas I could only get from revisiting older art.

So what have I learned from this exercise? Go back, look at your old work!!  Sometimes it's done but sometimes it's waiting to be done.

Fun times at Great Lakes

Had a lot of fun at Great Lakes Brewery's 2nd Annual Comic Book Heritage night!  Drew comics with my friends for appreciative people, met Derf and generally got to nerd out for a few hours.  A great night was had by all!  Thanks to Great Lakes Brewery and Carol and John's Comics for the event.

Here are a few of my warm ups and sketch covers. Enjoy!

     

HANK!

This is not nor will it ever be Erin (that portrait is on the way).  It's the every-lovin' Beast from the X-Men!  A little post Free Comic Book Day commission from a friend who couldn't make it to the festivities.  More fun with my ink brush and watercolor combo.  More to come!

Swing!

Been hard at work vectoring up a logo package for yet another astounding Rust Belt band.  This time, the Syncopated Sin Swing Band!!  You want to feel how the music of the 30's and 40's felt for your Grandparents and Great Grandparents?  Go see these guys!  They are really impressive live but if you can't get out their debut CD (also designed by me) will be available soon!! Keep an ear out!

King of the M.O.D.O.K.s!

I suppose I'm some sort of M.O.D.O.K. fan, I certainly draw him enough .  Here's my version of Thomas Edison as M.O.D.O.K.  This version is no stranger to the mashup either.  I started with Edward G. Robinson cause, he would be good cast as ol' M.O. , if her were alive, and mostly head.  But anyway.  In drawing I came across the idea that Edward G. and the King o' Comics, JACK KIRBY kind of look similar, at least a little bit and Kirby having been a cigar aficionado I added the cigar.  The rest is graphite, watercolor acrylic and ink on clay board.

If you are interested in seeing this and other AMAZING Marvel art come to Carol and John's Comics on Free Comic Book day AND Free Comic Book eve!  See a show, get free comics, get a local Artist to draw something cool for you, come see the RUST BELT MONSTERS paint a mural that Saturday, Cos Play, EVERYTHING!  Really the best place for FCBD in the Cleveland area!  

Prints of this and other pieces (as well as the pieces themselves) will be available for purchase at the FCBD show!!

See you there!

Bal Ingenieux 2014!

That time of year is here again, Bal Ingenieux is coming back to Cleveland!  The annual fund raiser event for Ingenuity Cleveland filled with live music, Vaudeville entertainment, costumes and just a ton of awesomeness.  For us at the RBMC it's an event close to our hearts, it was at the fist Bal Ingenieux that we did our first live mural and got absolutely addicted to it!  

All in all it's an amazing event, if you are anywhere close to Cleveland you should go, it's like stepping back in the past.  You can find ticket info here.

I have been fortunate to be asked for the last three years to provide the poster for the event.  To be part of a grand Cleveland tradition is really humbling in the best kind of way.  If you are interested in the past year's posters you can back track at least last year's in this blog OR I'll be posting the whole process back at my Facebook page, here and linking them onto the Rust Belt page as well.

Coast to Coast with.......

So yeah my schedule has changed a tad.  Babies tend to switch one's awake hours to a more nocturnal skew.  Luckily this comes with some advantages, late night, talk radio!  Tonight's topics, living dead guys and Millionaires that dress up in goblin suits and try to maim High School Students!

 Deadpool

and

 The Green Goblin!

Pamcakes!!

Been out for a couple weeks becoming a Father to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.  Now we are home, relearning how and when to sleep and getting back into posting with some recent sketches.

Hope you enjoy!

 Old school Cap.

 Happy Birthday Big Red!

and.......

an old sketch, Silver Hellboy, long story.

Good week for sketchying

Last week was a good week for sketching.

Lana Turner 

Don't remember the last time I actually played in my sketchbook.  This one is pencil, colored pencil, marker and paint marker.  AND a trip to our monthly Dr. Sketchy Anti Art School Cleveland created these!

The Great......

Started my day out right by sketching Gonzo the Great.  

Snow Sassy

 Your pal and mine, Randy Crider created this lil' fella for the Brite Winter Fest. He's such a great character that I had to throw down a sketch into the old moleskin!

By the way, we will be painting at Brite Winter again this year but this time inside and not covered with snow!!! Come out an join us for some winter time frolics!  Info here.