Some More painted SUPERMONSTERS...

Here's another in the series of SuperMonsters paintings I've been working on. It's really neat how Limitations can be seen as a "Yellow Brick Road" of sorts in our art. The fact that I don't have an unlimited pallet (Like I would with a digital medium) and I can't "step back" and erase mistakes with a flick of a click, are actually part of the "scaffolding" that guides me in my work. Sometimes, its easier to at least have limitations and do a MacGuyver than it is to do a StarTrek "Genesis Device" world building from scratch number. Hah! That's gotta be the most Quotation Marks I've ever used in a post!

SuperMonster paintings!

I'm currently doing a series of paintings and here's one I just finished, Yay!

ZOMBIEMAN ZERO PEG HEAD box!

Here's a finished version of my ZOMBIEMAN ZERO wooden "Peg Head" figurine complete with box and "Collect-me-card". I'm a big fan of those Japanese "Candy Toys" and this PEG HEAD toy was totally inspired by them! It's really satisfying to make something in a genre that inspires you! It's enlightening and it lets you appreciate it on a whole new level. So, my Life Tip for the day is... If you like something, Make it!

IDIOT ENGINE ep 31:Compromise or Conquer?

Me and Podcaster, Illustrator, Self-publisher, Teacher and all around He-man MARK RUDOLPH discuss how we as artists Compromise with our limitations and/or Conquer our limitations.



And back after several months is the WARMUP QUESTION! This episode we warmup our discussion with a talk about one of the greatest television shows of all time. Are we talking about oh MADMEN maybe? Perhaps the SOPRANOS? Gimme a Break! You'll have to listen to find out, but in the meantime I'll give you a hint...

Cool Stuff from MARY BELLAMY!

Just got some great work from MARY BELLAMY! Mary does some amazing sketch cards and I was finally able to commission her for my 4 favorite characters, needless to say I was delighted with her renditions of GIANT ROBOT, GAIKING, GIGANTOR and KIKAIDA! I also ordered her plush figures (Hey, a GUY can order plush figures if he wants to!) and they've been initiated into the neighborhood of toys I keep company with. They fit right in with the Bionic Bigfoot and Billy Cole!

Mary's exhibiting at San Diego Comic Con this coming week, and I encourage everybody to stop by and check out her work! Now if you'll excuse me, I think DVORAK(the dark one with batwings!) and Billy Cole are going to have a ROYAL RUMBLE with Bionic Bigfoot and Maskatron, OH YEAHHHH!

You've heard of SKETCH BOOKS, SKETCH CARDS and SKETCH DOLLS... Presenting SKETCH COMICS!

So, what's a SKETCH COMIC? It's a homemade one-of-a-kind comic done completely by hand, from pencil to ink to inkwash to lettering to painted cover to stapled binding. There's a really refreshing immediacy you feel when inking on the ACTUAL pages of your comic and painting on the ACTUAL cover of your book. There's not a wide margin for error, that's for sure. But it's great fun, and a good exercise for your artistic muscles.

Just imagine, JUST IMAGINE how friggin' amazing it would be to find out that JACK KIRBY did a Sketch comic, or STEVE DITKO or HERB TRIMPE or even ALEX TOTH! Well, I ain't no JACK KIRBY, I'm just "me" but I made one and it's not my imagination, and I guess that counts for something!

IDIOT ENGINE EP 30: How Color "Colors" our Perceptions!

A Big Thank You goes out to Mary Bellamy for cohosting the latest IDIOT ENGINE! Mary's a Self-Publisher, and accomplished illustrator and character designer who's work you can marvel at HERE! We talk Color Technique, Theory and Gilligan's Island on this episode! And I dare you NOT to crave a McDonalds Burger after listening to this one!

Mary was the First Lady to be on the ENGINE, so it's only fitting that she be dubbed "The First Lady of the IDIOT ENGINE!" Huzzah! Thanks Again Mary!