I’ve updated the Books section of my portfolio, giving more up-to-date info on Drannik & Lizzep #3. I’ve also added quite a bit of stuff to the other portfolio sections (comic pages, illustrations, and miscellaneous, just to name a few), so feel free to check them out.
Want a copy of Drannik & Lizzep #2 without downloading an app to read it? Physical copies of the book are available at these locations:
On May 12th, I went to the “Heaven and Hell” opening reception at Artworks in Kenosha. Because of how busy I have been over the last few months with the Drannik & Lizzep comic book, I did not enter this show, but I did stop by to see what other people did for it. All the pieces on display had the theme of Heaven or Hell, so most of the show involved religious imagery, but there were a couple where the theme was more allegorical (like a painting of a partly-cloudy sky). My personal favorite was the “tryptich” of Scott Walker, mostly because it was done more like a political cartoon, plus it’s quite the topical subject given what’s been going on in Wisconsin politics in the last year or so. There was also a dance troupe doing their routine throughout the show. I took a few pictures, of course:
Speaking of Artworks, I have Drannik & Lizzep #2 on sale there, so if you ever happen to stop by there (or Lost World of Wonders up in Milwaukee), pick yourself up a copy. They’re only $4 at each location (I also plan on making some more copies and dropping them off at one of the Collector’s Edge locations up in Milwaukee).
I’ve updated the portfolio again. This time, I’ve added some Drannik & Lizzep promotional images under Comic Pages, and I’ve added two images to Illustrations (one of them featured above).
Also, I will be in Kenosha at Rockhead’s Comics and Games on Saturday, May 5th (also known as Free Comic Book Day) selling copies of Drannik & Lizzep #2. If you are in the area, stop by and pick up a comic book.
I went to several different art events over the last couple of days, and since it would be pointless to post about them all separately, I decided to put them all in one megapost.
“The Rita”, as it has been dubbed, had its grand opening on Saturday, January 28th, 2012 at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside. “The Rita” is a massive expansion of the old Communication Arts Building, and from what I saw tonight it’s a massive improvement.
There were a lot of different activities and events going on throughout the event, including several different art exhibitions going on in the different galleries, as well as airbrush painting and live performances.
There was also printmaking demonstrations, and what you see above is sort-of an example of that. What we did was we had this pan filled with oil, then dunked and swirled in some color, and finally put a piece of paper in and wash it in water. Considering what little it took to make, I really like how it turned out. I might use it in some form as a background for future comics or something (especially since it looks so psychadelic). My friend and I worked with an airbrush as well, but I let him keep that considering he did quite a bit on that one.
All in all, “The Rita” is quite the nice expansion to UW-Parkside’s creative departments. I only wish it was there when I went, and I also wish I had my camera to take photos. Well, maybe I’ll put some up before the week is out, as I’m likely going to visit again.
Site Update: If you’ve seen the header bar recently, you’ll have noticed it’s less cluttered and more organized. I’ve placed the animations and books under a drop-down under portfolio to clear some space, plus they fit under portfolio anyway. I’m hoping to do some more with that when the time comes.
Edit: Here are a few pictures I took a few days after the event. Hope you enjoy.
Before I go into this recap, I want to say that I’ve posted a new link under the Links section, this time for Cartoonists and Illustrators United forum. It’s also right on the home page of this site, but the only reason I put it there was because of an artist directory the same site uses. With that out of the way…
I went to the Pandora’s Ball last Friday at Rhode Center of the Arts in downtown Kenosha. I’ve passed by this building many times before during some of my trips through Kenosha, but this was the first time I’ve ever been in the place. Basically, it’s a theater for plays and such.
The event was organized for the launch of the Pandora’s Box collection that’s being published (in limited numbers) via Southport Press in Kenosha. I actually have a story about the Bray Road Beast published in this collection, but the project got delayed for over a year, so what appears in the book is not representative of my best work now. Still, it is pretty cool that I’ve got something in a collection like this. The picture at the top of this article is all the stuff that’s included in the box, after all.
As for the ball itself, it was a masquerade ball, but people could come dressed like they normally are, so that’s how I showed up. To be honest, the events that were going on inside were not really my cup of tea, but I mostly came to check out the finished book anyway.
Pandora’s Box is a limited edition collection. I’m hoping to pick up a copy for myself as soon as I can, but if you want to know more about it, this is the page for it on the book’s website. I will put up information on my contribution to the book as soon as I am able.
I’ve uploaded some more older artwork to the Portfolio section. I’m currently working on a new project at the moment, but I’m trying to keep it on the down-low until it’s complete.
I’ve also added another link, this time to another fellow artist, Josh Frazer. He is also a cartoonist/illustrator who has done a lot of work around Kenosha. Feel free to check his stuff out when you get the chance.
For the last four years, ArtWorks of Kenosha has been putting on a show called “Monster”, which is basically an art show featuring monsters, either as homages to classic movie and folklore creatures, or something invented from the artist. Last year, I had a piece in this show (The Giant Claw), but unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to make something this year. However, I like to check out the shows at Artworks, so I went to the Costume Party reception on October 29th.
There were a couple of relief prints that stuck out quite a bit to me, as they had this clean line look similar to what I’ve done with cartoons lately. In fact, I was almost envisioning what they would have looked like if they were given color via Illustrator. Then again, I’ve been seeing that a lot with line work, as I’ve been trying to improve my own color.
Another work that stood out to me was a pinball table made by one of my former professors. I’m not sure if it was usable or not (not exactly a good idea to just touch random artwork, after all), but it looked like it could be. I could recognize it as his work right away as he has a certain style to his work I have never seen imitated.
The reception itself was a pretty good time. Since it was a costume party, almost everyone there was dressed as something or someone else. There was a huge multilayer cake there that everyone had a slice of, and it was pretty good, I must say. There was also a dance routine going on featuring zombie/undead girls. I’ll admit that I was a little unnerved by it at first as I had no idea what was going on, but I figured they were in character.
The show is going on until November 7th, so if you happen to be in Kenosha until then, feel free to check it out. Maybe the next time I put up something relating to an event, I’ll remember to bring my camera so I can take some photos of it.
I’ve added some more old comics images, as well as the designs of my business cards, to the portfolio page. Additionally, I’ve added to the Links section links to ArtWorks of Kenosha and Left of the Lake.
