09/7/11

Das Book!

You know what I really like?

Comics.

When one hears the word “comics”, I’m pretty sure they first thing one thinks about are comic books. When I talk about comics though I like to think about more than just that. When I hear the word “comics”, I like to think about not only comic books but graphic novels, comic strips and web comics (which are basically all three of those but published online). I don’t have too many in my collection but what I do have, I cherish. Not only are comics entertaining but they are also inspirational. They help with creativity and make you think differently. The story line to anything is key but if it is paired up with talented artists and beautiful artwork, that’s usually a selling point and I’ll have no problem forking over 10-20 bucks for one. I am a more of a judge a book by its cover type of person.
I decided to do a few written and visual installments of not just the art work but also the artists that inspire me in the comic world. They all aren’t going to be as lengthy as this one but this is a special case. It’s one of the very first graphic novels I’ve purchased and has stuck with me ever since.

My first example and possibly my most favorite is the Complete “Zombies Vs. Robots”


Published by IDW (which are the same people who publish the “30 Days of Night” series written by the one and only Steve Niles and who actually has ANOTHER one of his comic series by the name of “Remains”, being made into a film as we speak and COINCIDENTALLY, that film is being made by Synthetic Cinema International, a company that a friend of mine works for AND who are located in my old home town of Rocky Hill Connecticut.)

That’s right…not only did my A.D.D. just kick in with shameless plugs, run on sentences, and name dropping. But ALSO a riveting, impromptu game of 6 Degrees of Separation….

Sue me.
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07/27/11

You can call me Sir.

So here it is. I got accepted in the Jack Daniels Tennessee Squire Association. Not going to lie, I’m pretty excited about this. I’ve read stories online how it took one guy 8 years to get into this association and another guy 18 YEARS(!) to get accepted. Thanks to my best bud Eric for nominating me months ago for this. I was getting worried for a little while about not hear back from them if I was accepted or not. I first heard about this a few years back from Eric actually. Me being a huge JD fan for years I wanted to join right then and there. The thing is, these people seem pretty secretive. There really isn’t much info on this association and the members like to keep things on the down low. Have you ever meet a Tennessee Squire? Exactly. It’s more of a “word of mouth” type of thing. Any who….I’ve searched around for years to see on how I can join this club. The only thing I got as an answer from anywhere was “You need to be nominated by a Squire” and “even then you might not get accepted”.

Things that come with being a part of the Tennessee Squire Association…

Calling yourself a Squire!
A membership card
A deed to a small plot of land at the Jack Daniels distillery.
An honorary citizen of Moore County in Tennessee.

also…

if you’re ever visiting the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Tell them you’re a Tennessee Squire and show them your card. They will then whisk you away to a Squire room for the ultimate Squire & Jack Daniels experience.

With a little more googling I was actually able to find a small picture of the Squire room.


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07/13/11

Update

Made a few updates to the site tonight.

  • There is now a “Contact Me!” button at the top left.  If you have any comments, suggestions, issues, or just want to say hi., now there is a way to do that.  I have tested it out and it seems like it is working properly.  If anything, you can always leave a comment under the contact information form.
  • My Rebel Rousin’ TV project is on a permanent hiatus due to my near dial up speeds on this so-called broadband internet connection.  It is still up and functioning (if you click on the “Movies” link up top) but I will not be broadcasting live or doing any streaming until further notice.  I guess this will give me the time and chance to make it have the look and feel I want.
  • Last but not least and a small side note – Giuseppe will not be getting framed any time soon.  Due to being BROKE.  There will be a new addition to the family as of November so money will be a little tight.  If you have a couple fancy frames laying around the house and want to donate them, by all means, send them on over.  I’ll even frame one up just for you and mail it out free of charge if you would like.
07/11/11

Me Scusi

This is Giuseppe. He likes fine dried Italian sausages, driving his 1965 Fiat 500, and watching the news.

Drawn with a #2 pencil, outlined with a brush pen, colored and then grey scaled in Photoshop.

I like this guy a lot, I might see if I can find a fancy frame at one of the many antique shops around town and get a nice print out of him. I’ll post updates when he’s all framed up.

07/5/11

Hand Crafted

So during my early morning internet excavations, I stumbled upon some internet gold. Now, I don’t consider my self an artist, not even close. I like to draw\doodle\scratch on and maim any type of stationary\medium I get my hands on. It’s not my fault, I’ve been doing it since I was a little wee one. My work cubicle is filled with random drawings and picture and so is my office desk at home. But as long as I can remember I’ve had problems drawing hands\fingers and I could never get it right, no matter how much I’ve tried and practiced. I know I’m not the only one with this issue. I hear that hands are one the hardest things to draw.
Now while I was diddling around online I came across a guy named Preston Blair. The name didn’t sound recognizable at all but his work was all too familiar. He was an animator for Universal, Walt Disney studios, Hanna-Barbera, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayers (under the world famous Tex Avery unit). He worked from the 1930′s-1960′s on projects like Fantasia and The Flintstones. Preston Blair has released a bunch of books throughout the years but his last book that he release before he passed away in 1995 was called “Cartoon Animation’ which is an accumulation of almost all the content from his other books. IF you do a Google image search for Preston Blair, you get a slew of work done by him, which in itself is both gorgeous and absolutely awesome.
To top it off, I found this – Preston Blair Lessons: Fundamentals of Animation Drawing. There are 15 lessons all together and totally worth a slow read on a rainy day. As for me, I’m going to purchase a new sketch book strictly for practicing these hand drawings.

Did I mention how awesome these drawings look? I’m thinking about blowing them up and framing them nicely…

 



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07/1/11

Update

Quick update to the site. I added a “movies” section where I’ll be linking up any kind of awesome\entertaining\weird public domain flicks that I find on my internet adventures. Enjoy.

*Update Fri July 1st 11:54 PM
Decided to take this down for an even bigger and better idea…please stay tuned….this might take a while to implement….

06/28/11

2 tu-tu to two too!

Here is one of the two 2inx2in canvasses that I finished up last night. Took around two hours to do, which isn’t too bad but it also takes me around 2 hours to do a regular sized canvas from start to finish.

There are too many 2′s, to’s, two’s for a guy with 1 eye….


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06/25/11

Adulthood

Sometimes it’s awesome being a grownup. 5-Guys Burgers and Fries for dinner, Banana bread beer for dessert, and Duane Eddie albums playing in the background. Doesn’t get much better than that.
So tonight I think I’m just going to listen to some vinyls and maybe paint something. I’ve got 2 2inch by 2inch canvasses waiting to be (ab)used and a 10 dollar bottle of Belgian ale waiting for me in the fridge.

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06/15/11

(p)Arty

I need to get back into my art, I miss it more and more every day.

Montana Gold spray paint, Prismacolor markers and a rat named Inky….

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