Terror Dogs need love too

Little piece I did for Ghostbusters Cleveland's APL fundraiser at Wizard World Cleveland.  Always fun to draw the lil' pooch!

Did I show you these GHOSTS!?!?

Little late for Christmas but not for sketches!  These 2 pages I did over, Christmas Eve, Christmas Night and the Day after Christmas.  Not a bad start to a sketchbook I'd say!

The tale of a Green Lantern and a Sea Hag

More absurdity from my sketchbook.  This time a Green Lantern and a Sea Hag enjoy!

Sketchbook Ahoy!

It's been a while since I've posted and it's been for good reason.  Life has kept my brain busy elsewhere but as things are getting leveled out I'm finding more time to jump back into a brand new sketchbook!  Here's a 2 pager based on the Adventures of Buck Rogers.  A friend gave me a collection of the old comics and it has fascinated me!  So much so I put pen to paper, enjoy!

Five Years.....

We've lost far too many greats so far this year, but greats we are fortunate to have shared an Earth with. 

Thank you Gents.

..and proud we are of all of them

2015 Bay Arts "Interns" mural

Like the Big Lebowski we too get to work with a fine group of Junior Achievers!  The last three years we've been invited to work with a few select "interns" for a couple weekends.  First weekend getting them comfortable working as a group and the second week, painting in front of an audience at the Bay Arts Fest!  We love working with these budding young talents and are always impressed with how well it comes together.  If you would like to see these in person all three are lurking at Bay Arts in Bay Village, Ohio!  Enjoy!

2014 Bay Arts "Interns" mural

Popeye el Marinero

A good friend of mine couldn't make it up to Carol and John's Comics for Free Comic Book Eve and lamented not getting a sketch.  He said, "maybe next year I'll get you to do a Luchadore Popeye for me!"  Why wait till next year I say!!!

This sketch is brush pen and good ol' crayola marker.  enjoy!

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen

After watching Daredevil on Netflix I too was bit by the gotta draw some Matt Murdock bug!  It was a great opportunity to play with ink and to see, again, how few colors I could get away with in one piece.  I got this one down to 4 if you don't count the ground color.  Enjoy!

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!

BRITE WINTER 2015!

   

A couple of weekends back, in the middle of a snow storm Cleveland came out to one of the city's best music and arts festivals of the year!  In the warm, luxury of the Great Lakes Brewery Company's tasting room, nestled next to one of the festival's many stages we painted our first mural of 2015!  We had a lot of fun, listened to a ton of great bands and talked with many of Cleveland's heartiest of festival goers.  

We will be getting this piece properly shot soon and will share when we can but until then here's a few of the detail and action shots we took during the night.  

Thanks so much to everyone who came out and braved this snow filled winter.  Thanks to Brite Winter for putting on this great festival and special thanks to Great Lakes Brewing Company for supplying a warm room and great venue for music and art.

AND!

It's Cleveland Scene Magazine, Best of... voting season again.  If you have the time we'd be honored to be considered for nomination again.  Thanks!

(you can find the voting here)

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.

Craig's Gauntlet Final Day! Popeye

The Invincible Hero       Seafaring        Father

With that combination of words how could I NOT draw Popeye!?!?!?!  He's a fun one to draw and I think I may have to draw him some more, get the proportions a little better.  But there ya go, Popeye!  Enjoy!

P.S.  If you want to see Popeye done right head over to the site of the incomparable Gary Dumm at dummart.com.

Brite Winter 2015!

Brite Winter 2014

Brite Winter Festival 2015 is upon us again! We've been a part of this festival for a couple of years now, great food, drinks and music in celebration of and in SPITE of Northeast Ohio's fabled winters.  

  

We will be inside again at the Great Lakes Brewery Tasting room, painting and enjoying some of the area's best bands.  This year, we will be offering these shiny new buttons for the occasion!!

So if you are out and about, stop by and say hi!

2013 Insane from the cold

Tim the Enchanter

This portrait is both WAY late and WAY early.  

After last week's Rust Belt post on birthdays I remembered I hadn't yet finished my portrait of Tim!  So here it is.  I have been inspired by Tim's work long before we started the RBMC.  Ever since seeing his work at Doctor Sketchy he was one of the reasons I came back every month, someone to marvel at and someone to push me to draw better!  He still does that weather he knows or not.  As one of the new Doctors at Doctor Sketchy Cleveland not only does he inspire but supplies a jungle gym for the rest of Cleveland to learn on.

He's an amazing guy with an amazing talent and a friend I wish everyone to have: honest, level headed and always there when you need him.

Happy WAY late and WAY early Birthday Tim!!

Boop Boop be RARRRRRRR!

Inspired by our pals over at Scribble Nerds I came up with this monstrosity!  Their topic was mermaid but they didn't specify which end had to be fish!  This lovely little lady is part Marilyn Monroe and part Dunkleosteus - Terrelli.  What's that? Just a huge, armor plated fish from the Devonian era.  Enjoy!

Birthdays!

We like to celebrate birthdays here are the RBMC compound! So much so that we've started doing gift portraits for each other on our birthdays.

Ben by Erin

Erin by Ben

Jim by Craig

Tim by Ben

Randy by Craig

Craig by Erin

So got a friend with a birthday coming up?  Give them a portrait, they will love it!

An Evening with the Monsters

Wednesday Feb, 11 7:00 P.M.

Cleveland Institute of Art

11610 Euclid Ave.

Cleveland, OH

Room 408

We have the great honor to join our friends at NOIS, Northern Ohio Illustrators Society, to talk about who we are, what we do and how we do it.  It's really a great opportunity to present to this amazing group of professionals and students at CIA.  If you are interested in dropping by contact NOIS for details.  

Happy Hour

For your Friday's festivities Our 2013 Great Lakes Brewery Block Party mural.  

How many Great Lakes Brewery Beers can you find?

Ben Hale is a WIZARD!!!

Not one of those showy, pointy hat style wizards like Merlin or Gandalf more of a stealthy, do wizardy things and fade into the shadows like Batman.  He is the Batman of wizards.  A quick disclaimer; this is NOT a post written by Ben cause our Bat-zard don't work that way.  Our man does the work, puts it up and moves on to crushing another crazy difficult task! 

Who else do you know illustrates....

Does animation and video production...

.....and is single handedly creating his own video game!!!!

Click here for the current game build.

It's true, we are very lucky to have Ben in the collective.  In many ways he's our secret weapon.  So be sure to keep an eye on his work here,on his blog, needyourdisease.com, twitter, tumblr, facebook, everywhere you can consume media.


I know I'll be watching.