Friday the 13th....Muh Ha Ha

It seems funny to me that a certain movie made back in the 1980's....Um, you guessed it.... Friday the 13th has helped make this already freaky date in history, infamous in our culture.

I mean come on...does anyone really believe that a little boy drowns in a lake, magically becomes full grown, and kills innocent teenagers wearing a hockey mask and a machete....I think not!

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a big horror fan ( mostly zombie flicks ) and Friday the 13th is certainly a cult classic. Who will ever forget the surprise ending in the first one, everybody was like "Whoa, the killer was the mom". The only thing that ruined this classic was the next movie, which introduce the new killer as a super natural phenom we all know today as Jason Voorhees.

So in honor of today's date, I thought I'd poke a little fun at Mr. Voorhee's and the legacy that this character has left behind. I mean, the last I heard the Friday the 13th series is well into double digits as far as sequels goes. I think the last one was called Jason In Space, but with how many movies they have already made I'm probably wrong!

Sometimes They Come Back!

The five gentlemen in the picture are an example of why good communication is key to becoming a sucessful freelance artist. I was contacted by the James family ( Wayne James-far right ) via email to create a caricature/logo for their band called A Touch of Class.

At first, there was band member issues as they shuffled around to get the right individuals and the right sound. Then I had my own technical problems and I couldn't complete the project. Months later the James family contacted me again. They asked if I would give it another go as they had the line-up they were looking for.

The second time around was awesome! I used the pencil sketches from the previous attempt and created the image you see above. The communication between us was great, as Wayne explained what he was looking for and I made artistic suggestions to help improve the design. As a general rule I ask all my clients if they could send me a picture of the final image. Most clients don't as they're busy trying to make their ideas come to life.

So what did we learn? Communication is key to sucessful freelancing, and persistance pays off.....The proof of that is the picture above!

A simple tutorial on how to make unique eyes...

I made this tutorial a long time ago and figured it was time that I shared it with others. This is just one method you can use to make cartoon eyes, but there are probably endless possibilities. Hopefully, more tutorials that I made will be coming soon. In case any one is wondering I used adobe photoshop cs3 to create the eye. Just follow the instructions and see what you come up with! Don't forget to send me pic of your cartoon.

Happy Mothers Day

This is for all of the mothers out in the world, Happy Mothers Day! I know that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my mom creating me.....So this sketch is for you mom!

Messin' around!

It seems like forever since I took the time to create a story board type cartoon. So I thought today would be a great day to let the imagination run wild and see what it comes up with. I ended up with a space adventure and convinced myself it would be a great theme for the cartoon. I imagined some world explorer landing on a distant planet, eaten and then digested. The great thing about cartoons is that almost anything can happen in them! See ya next time.....  

KISS Band Tribute!

As if it has to be said, I'm a huge 80's Rock fan! I love all the greats Poison, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Queen, and even Guns 'n Roses! As awesome as all of these bands are, there is really just one band that stands out, literally screaming for attention, when it comes to drawing caricatures, and this band would be none other than the legendary KISS!!!

Gene Simmons, aka the "Demon" has rocked the bass guitar and vocals since 1973. Kudos to Gene for sticking it out this long and offering up decades of awesome rock!

Paul Stanley, aka the "Star Child" is another original KISS Band member, contributing  rhythm guitar and vocals since 1973.

The "Catman", Eric Singer is currently the KISS Band drumer, percussionist, and vocalist on and off again since 1991.

Tommy Thayer, the current "Spaceman" of KISS joined the group in 2002, offering up a screaming lead guitar and vocals.

Osama vs. Waldo.....

With all of the talk about Osama Bin Laden's death flying around, I decide it was time that I put my own two cents in.

The joke was thought up by my friend Dan. Obviously I did the art work....

A Formula For Sucess!

Hello friends,

Mickey Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Simpsons, or any other cartoon in print, on television, or in the movies are the incredibly successful brain children of those cartoonists who had to start at the beginning and learn to draw like the rest of us. Have you ever wondered if there is some kind of formula that cartoonist use to create their cartoons?  Well, the answer to that question is “yes”; there is a formula, per se, that one must follow in order to become a successful cartoonist. The formula my friends is simple; study, study, draw, draw, study, and then draw some more. Talent and imagination are big parts of becoming successful in cartooning, but that talent and creativity will most likely never blossom into something amazing unless you learn the basics of cartooning, then study the techniques used by the “great ones” and then draw your ass off. A huge part of my growth as an artist can be attributed my massive collection of “How-to-draw” books and videos. As part of my weekly blog routine, I’d like to share the details of some of the better books that I’ve come to treasure in my collection by providing all of you with a review. There are some awesome books out there that are worth every penny, and some that are not worth the paper they are printed on, so why waste your money on them if I already have? If you have a certain book you’d like reviewed, drop me a note, chances are, I’ve already got it here. Stay tuned!