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A friend of mine is a city planner for Los Angeles and asked me to do an illustration for a project that he is currently working on.  If he gets the green light for his efforts, he’d like me to be an illustrator for the campaign.  That would be wonderful!!!  Everyone send me some good joojoo.

Bonus Material:

Who doesn’t like the Ramones? I mean, even the people who don’t know who the Ramones are wear their t-shirts.  I was ecstatic  to snap this shot of the Ramones drummer Richie Ramone banging away in front of a giant backdrop with one of my illustrations on it.  First the Descendents, now the Ramones!  I love what I do for a living!!

Always a bride’s maid but never a bride.  Here is an image I finished a couple of weeks ago for Write Bloody Publishing.  Working with the owner Derrick Brown has given me plenty to work on.  I think I’ll call this “Beauty and the Beast” or “Roses for Buffalo”?  I know! I should call it “Who Has Their Wedding at a Corral?”.

I recently got fed up with my job as a bartender and quit.  I worked for that restaurant for over ten years and decided that my personal beliefs and their company vision were too different and that it was time to part ways.  I spent a frantic few weeks looking for another bartending  job and suddenly realized that I could spend that time and energy getting more illustration work.  So far so good!  As soon as I diverted my energy into illustration, more illustration came!  Woot-woot! On to the book cover.

Through my neighbor Ryan Bryant, I met poet and publisher Derrick Brown.  Derrick owns Write Bloody Publishing and also lives 2 blocks from my apartment.  We hit it off really well and have lined up a few projects for the near future.  I just finished a cover for a book Derrick published for poet Lauren Zuniga.  The title of the book is “The Smell of Good Mud”. Can’t to show you what I have for next weeks post!

Here is a piece I did in Sunday’s New York Times. As usual I really enjoyed the work so the hours flew by allowing me to forget to feed myself or exercise. I have had a real interest interpreting water lately so expect to see some more of that in the near future.

A woman named Audra Wilford came to my close friend Susie Bauer, owner of www.rockscissorpaper.com, requesting a poster design for a fundraiser.  Susie was unfortunately tied up in another project and forwarded the opportunity to me. That is always appreciated!

Audra has organized a music event in order to raise money for St. Baldricks, a foundation dedicated to fighting childhood cancer.  Audra’s son Max is currently duking it out with cancer so the event has been named for him, Maxapalooza!  I was very excited to work on this poster and I will be sure to get as many friends as I can to go.  This poster is for a really good cause and I always want to be apart of something good.  I also expect the three people who read my website updates be there!  Here is a link for more info: www.maxloveproject.org/pages/events.  For $10 bucks there will be a bunch of bands and it should be a really good time.

Talk to you soon peeps!

I was asked by Giant Robot in Los Angeles to participate in a printmaking group show called Printed Matter.  I love printmaking and I do it often, so it’s no surprise that for a printmaking show for whatever reason, I would have one of the most difficult and troublesome printing problems I have ever suffered.  After toiling long and hard to make this print, I was only able to squeeze out ten that would meet my approval.  What you see above is my digital version with some bells and whistles.  (We all know how much I like bells AND whistles)

As I have stated before in previous posts, that when left to my own devices and asked to create whatever I would like, I suddenly find myself in a comatose state; frozen, my mouth a gape like so many toys who’s batteries have run dry.  Never is my mind so blank than when given freedom.  Of course when faced with such artistic restraints I dig deep into myself and make images on my most current events!  This image, titled “Thanks for the Sam” was a family portrait of myself and my two knuckle heads Kelso and Grimmace. The three of us saying good bye to a very nice girl I was dating who moved to Seattle to pursue her dreams.  Ohhhh I’m soooo melodramatic!!!

I was once asked why I was so melodramatic at times.  The answer is simple: I have to compensate for how bland and unmoved the majority is.  If you want a life full of passion, I suggest living passionately. Quit the things you hate and do the things you love!

Until next time my dear friends-

I just finished this illustration on Friday for the New York Times. The article was about a fella named Ryan Boyette who was part of a Christian group who went to Nuba to teach and help build churches. Boyette fell in love with a woman there and married her, but when Sudanese government began to bomb Nuba by plane, Boyette’s Christian group was evacuated out. Boyette stayed behind to be with and help his new family. He is now helping the Nuba resistance by taking video of the atrocities that are occurring to the people of the area and getting the American public aware of what is going on. He is in hopes that our government will step in and aid Nuba.

That is one admirable dude. I looked up some of the bombings of Nuba on YouTube and it is pretty scary. I can’t imagine having nothing and then having someone in a plane bombing me with the intent of taking my nothing away. I’ve been told that I’m an idealist, but I can’t help but think jerks choose to be jerks, and they wouldn’t have to be if they instead chose to be awesome just like me.

I had the good fortune to do 13 illustrations for the 110th anniversary issue of Popular Mechanics!  The mission: to take old illustrations from various years (i.e. 1937) and redraw them with a new spin, but keeping them looking old.  What can I say, SUPER FUN.  A total of six DIY inventions each with a simple diagram(s) illustrating how the idea works.  Anyone who knows me, can tell you I’m reeeeealllly funny (andhandsometoo), so it was nice to be able to add my own bit of humor to each of these images.

Protect Your Milk Bottles

Get Your Compass Ready, We’re Hanging Pictures

Brake the Dolly, Not Your Back

Level Your Pool Table and Ignore Your Girlfriend

In Need of an Extra Hand  (That’s my kitchen and that’s my butt)

Going Fishing for Clean Clothes

Okay art directors, notice how skinny everyone is? That’s because I use me as photo reference.  Now hurry up and hire me for more work before I starve to death! My cat is looking awful tasty these days.

Being an illustrator can lend itself to a lot of solitude.  Fortunately, I’m able to fill up my free time cleaning up after my pets thus breaking up the monotony.   Actually, I teach and bar tend too so I’m ALWAYS busy.  Since moving to Long Beach, I have been a bit of a recluse. (Which for those of you who know me is not my standard!)   When I got my dog Kelso, I started making frequent trips to the dog park and making new friends.  Interestingly on different occasions, I met different girls who all just happened to be members of the Long Beach Roller Derby . Each one of them is gorgeous and tough!  I must say that they are quite considerate too given that they always offered to drive or walk my apparently skinny and malnourished butt home.  They invite me out, into their homes, and sometimes call just to say “what’s up”.  I am very fortunate to have met these speed divas.  They have helped me learn about my new Long Beach playground and kept the loneliness of the drawing table at bay.  In order to keep Roller Derby rolling, (I’m such a wordsmith (Blushing)) the gals will occasionally throw big party fundraisers.  These girls do everything hardcore, especially party.

I made this image for them which I will soon turn into a 5 layer silkscreen.  The poster will be available later for them to auction off.  I wanted to contribute to something really cool, that I felt was an eclectic and special part of the town I now live in.

All that being said, next week: Printed Matter says Goodbye to a Friend.

I was contacted a few weeks back by the A.D. who hired me for Harper’s about a year ago.  He was doing some A.D. work for High Times Magazine and hit me up for this little ditty.  I’m very on the fence with the legalization of marijuana. I don’t personally like the stuff and very few people outside of Snoop Dogg and George Carlin ever gain any kind of genius while smoking, but if its your thing and it makes you happy, go for it!  To me, it’s synonymous with drinking.  I prefer a drink when relaxing and I rarely become genius while tipsy (or sober). Where I identified with this article  was in the hypocrisy of the situation.  After California had stated that medical marijuana clinics would be considered a legitimate  business, our government suddenly decided that it wasn’t legitimate. Then they started shutting places down and arresting people.  I’m sure there are all sorts of gray areas, but the fact that people were getting busted for doing what they were told was okay to do is WAAAAYYYYY LAAAAAAAME! So here is my depiction of our law enforcement going way over the top to bust people who legitimately use marijuana as a medication.  It was the AD’s idea to turn the patient into a little old lady.  It was a great suggestion! I decided to make her look like my great grandmother Elsa. Alright  all you Hulkamaniacs, say your prayers and take your vitamins and I’ll see you next week!