May Updates

The convention season is continuing with this month's show in beautiful and mysterious Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Appleseed Comic Con (re-named from Summit City) is a one day show on Saturday May 11th and has always been a good time with good people and good chairs. I don't think I can stress this point strongly enough, when you need to sit and draw at a convention you need a good goddamn chair. I have left conventions with my back and neck seizing up with violent spasms (I'm looking at you Wizard World and your sub-par seating choices!) so bad that I was forced to whine about it for days. But anyway back to the show. Appleseed Comic Con is truly a well run show with courteous and helpful staff who treat Artists like the Gods that they think they are. Can I say anymore? How about take the road trip to see some great artists that will be in a good mood because of the show. This is the last show for me until the end of July where I'll be visiting Kentucky. More on that Later. In that free time I'll be catching up on much procrastinated comic art for many people including me. If you are new here please check out my ETSY store (Link on the side). While I try to keep up with everybody I have added another social media to my list, Instagram. There you can see me post pics and sketches a little more frequently. Feel free to make a no-obligation request for any random monster sketches. That's it for now folks, This months music choice will be Ghost(B.C.). I'll checking out these dudes in Milwaukee, (thanks Lollapalooza for keeping bands like this outa' Chicago so everybody will go see your stupid overpriced festival!) (Bitter old man talking here.) next week. So enjoy this video. Later,

C2E2 report reviews and updates!

It's the Monday after probably the biggest convention weekend that I do and strangely enough I am pretty tired. Mostly mentally really. It's not like I'm one of those guys at McCormic Place that has to disassemble the giant screen and stage or clean the destroyed bathrooms for Gods sake. Hats off to the cleaner of Nerd mess I say. But I am suffering in a way that only a pasty slightly overweight artistic-type can, so your pity is welcomed. Anyway... C2E2 is proving to be a great show that is growing every year and that's great because the Wizard show has evolved into a big sweat box full of sorrow. I was greeted by plenty of familiar faces along with a couple of new folks all checking out what I'm doing. Fast statistics are as follows: 2- the amount of dicks I drew for people (up from zero last year), 2- references for tattoo artists (one of which was an artist himself), 5- people that asked if I had done any new comics in the past year then I had to tell them no. (that resulted in self shame), 0- times I used the public bathroom (All artist alley members use the executive lavatory, if you didn't know about that well that's a shame.), 2- Female Dr. Strange, Too Many- people in costume who were WAY too much in Character. (I'm looking at you zombie lady I saw at 10am on Friday the first day of the show) 1- New interview for the Guttertrash podcast. I'd like to send out much love to all the new folks and repeat customers that stopped by and picked up a few things, welcome aboard and feel free to check out my Etsy store in the links section. Also many hugs for all my friends artistic and beyond for hanging out and amusing me. I'm going to try out adding a soundtrack for each monthly update with some band that I've been listening to or have seen, or will be seeing live. I just saw the band Black Tusk last week at Chicago's Bottom Lounge opening for Kvelertak. This is an old clip but the best quality that I could find. Check out the links on the sidebar for viewing. I have some major beard envy on these guys. Enjoy the random weirdo pics from the show... -later

April 2013 UPDATES!

This month's convention news is all about the C2E2 on the 26th thru 28th. Thousands of people from around the globe will be coming to Chicago Illinois for all things that are nerdy and fun. I have a table in artists alley ( Table M15 right next to table M14. ) where I'll have a full 4 foot section to display art, comics, various sketches and fun. The "fun" has yet to be determined so keep your eyes peeled for updates. There isn't much to say about the show, it's huge, there will be a ton of artists/celebrities/stuff and I'll have my tiny island there. Come by and say hello and ask for a sketch or even directions to the cleanest bathroom. But before C2E2 a show is going on that I will not be attending but I want to mention anyway. On April 13th & 14th The 2013 SPACE show in Columbus Ohio is going on. I have a couple of friends and acquaintances at that show so please go and support Independent Comics like I can't this year. Look for these folks for good conversation and great products: Silber Media Jason Young and Buyer Beware Comics Eric Adams Derf Backderf Mark Rudolph This month's pics are a Hellboy sketch (I'll have random hero-ish sketches at the table this year) and a work in progress. See you next month, -later

HorrorHound Weekend Cinncinati UPDATE

Just got back from the great state of Ohio, (I avoided the onslaught of snow and traveled when it was safe) and I've got some photos and stuff from the weekend. Two things I'll take away from this show; 1) it was fun and I wish the snowstorm had not pretty much killed the show as far as attendance goes on Sunday, 2) The Walking Dead is way more popular than even I thought. Waiting four hours to see Norman Reedus is "comic fan mania" people, it's not attractive. Friday & Saturday were really insane as far as the amount of people there to get autographs. I don't know or want to speculate on how/why certain things went down or if those things affected the vendor area. But I really think that there were more people there for autographs/photos with their favorite actors than were interested in buying pictures that I drew of monsters. That being said I had a good show and saw some familiar faces and met some new people too. I'll make plans to join everybody in Indy this September. In the downtime on Sunday I managed to get about six interviews that you can here on the Gutter Trash podcast in the coming months. Speaking of Podcasts I am also featured in a quick interview/discussion about this past weekends show with my tablemate and host of Gutter Trash Eric Shonborn. Check my links for a way to hear everything. The only thing I wish we discussed was the amount of times we heard "Bad to the Bone" over by the "Christine" exhibit. Rent the movie and you'll understand. And lastly all my prints will be on my ETSY page by the end of this week (March 29th) so check it out! -Later,

March Updates

Meteorological spring is here and we shall all rejoice with sacrifices to celebrate the death and rebirth of Attis, the god of vegetation. On a lighter note, this month starts off my biggest convention season yet with six shows planned (four confirmed, and two hotels booked). I have been working overtime like Randy Bachman to get all the stuff ready for the first show this month...Horrorhound Cincinnati! I've got new prints, framed art and of course sketch cards that I am still working on as we speak. I now take CREDIT CARDS at my table so there is no excuse for not buying anything. I will be joined by my main man Eric Shonborn at the table this year so please come by and and say hello and stroke our fragile arty egos. Also, I'll be staring up my "One question" interview segment for the Guttertrash podcasting network at this show so if you check out the Horrorhound site you'll see what weirdos I can choose from. My Etsy store is being filled up with stuff this month so if you can't make the shows you can still buy for the spring season sacrifices. My new prints are limited runs of local sport team logos that I've made too look like the undead or infected. I've posted a few for you to check out and they will be in the store by the end of this month. If my train is on time I'll get to work by nine on the newest installment of the STAR mini comic (yea more classic rock references jammed in there for no reason) so maybe it will be done by April other wise I'll let it ride. See you next month with wacky photos from this show and a preview of the C2E2 show, until then... later,

New Year-February 2013 Updates!

There have been many times in 2012, when I have annoyed you, distubed you, irritated you, and bugged the hell out of you....today I just wanna tell you I plan to continue in 2013!- I stole that from the internets because I am unable to say sentimental whitty things... First lets start of by saying that issue #2 of the comic "STAR" I worked on with the great Brian John Mitchel (of the Silber Media empire) was nominated for best mini comic... AND LOST for a 2013 S.P.A.C.E. award! Instead of Daniel Day Lewis, I am...hmmm maybe Joaquin Phoenix??? More STAR stories from Silber Media are on the way, they are in fact probably some of the only comic stories I'll be doing this year. If you want to see Brian John Michel and his comics be sure to go to Ohio for the S.P.A.C.E convention. Check my links on the side an' you'll get more info. Next up for me is the Cincinnati Horrorhound Weekend March 22-24th where I'll have a bunch of new art, prints, and various other goodies. I will be continuing my second career as a podcasting reporter for the Guttertrash podcast so stay tuned. If things work out I hope to be joined by Podcaster, illustrator buddy, Ok-Panic artist, & Ohio native Eric Shonborn! He'll be selling sketches and maybe I'll tell everyone that he is a part of the "Pungent Basement Empire" and is my employee. Welcome to the company Eric! I have a link to Eric's web page and while you are there you can see his new year long (maybe longer?) Sketch a day project! Feel free to give requests, the more obscure the better! Along the same lines as requests; Ok-Panic the now Monthly themed art project is taking requests for themes! So give us your ideas and maybe we'll draw it. Maybe. I'm still doing commissions , $25 for a color 6x8 and $50 for 9x12's, see my Facebook for pics. So check out my links this month, My brother who also is a frustrated musician/artist ( it runs in the family...frustration that is.) has an Etsy page for his original art. I would suggest checking that out. Eric Shonborn, Silber media and S.P.A.C.E. will be up there as well. Spread the love folks, there is always more to see and learn! This month's pics are some new monsters for bottlecaps & buttons, my Svengoolie commission, and some other random crap. -Later folks,

The 2012 Year in Review Special!!!

It's like when you go to a party, have a good time, and when your buzz is full on... all the booze is gone and you have to go home because its too big a pain in the ass to find somebody to go get more alcohol. That's what the close of this year is feeling like right now. Its was a good time but now it's time to stop for a while. Not all my references are "Booze, Party, Drinking", it just seems that way. Anyway this year was full of ups downs and some in-between but largely I think that things went pretty well. I think last year I wanted to do a "Year in review" special so lets get that going hmmm? Don't expect that many celebrity appearances. Conventions in 2012: After thinking that I wasn't getting into C2E2 AND CAKE it turns out that I made it in to both! One was a great success and one was a awful horrible FAILURE! Can you guess which is which? Speaking of Horrible, (god damn that's an awesome segue) I had an fantastic time visiting my second home Cincinnati for Horrorhound Weekend where I started up doing Zombie sketches for buzzed horror/monster fans in the Buckeye state while meeting that guy who always plays dicks in movies like Ghostbusters and Die Hard. A small but awesome show is the now de-funked (but renamed Appleseed Comic Con) Summit City Con in Ft. Wayne. Ah remember when I stopped on the way home from that show and bought a 20 pc chicken McNugget box, and ate the ENTIRE thing? No? Well, that may have happened. I ducked out on Wizard World this year,(due to my services as an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church) and it looks like that may have been a good idea according to my sources. Will I Wizard this year? Who knows?! I took a big ol' jet airliner to Washington D.C. (Steve Miller References? Really?!) and attended the Small Press Expo also known as SPX 2012! Its a solid show that always makes me want to sit and draw for days on end. I got to meet my underground comic hero DERF and get a sketch on a collection book of his "The City" comics. I managed not to make an ass outa myself that time so chalk on up for me. Halloween came and I showed up at the Elgin Monster Mash-Up the weekend before Halloween. Great idea for a show we just need to get a few more people to show up. Maybe next year? I wrap up my year in Conventions with the Days of the Dead show in Schaumburg IL. It was an excellent show with a ton of old friends and new people to meet. I brought my custom painted Corn Holes with me. Yea, I meant it to sound weird and uncomfortable so...yea. I said that I wasn't going to meet any "celebrities" this show but in fact I did the exact opposite. More on that later. I've got a whole bunch of shows on the calendar for 2013 that I'll let you know about as soon as things come together. I was a part of I'm approaching my Indiana stories in a different way this year, I plan on putting together several stories together before I release them. So that means longer waits between books (like that is something new) but the books will be shiny and slick and that's really what people want anyway. So I'll be working on other people's stories here and there and putting a lot more work into illustrations and prints as well as some new ideas for you to enjoy. The new year also has me dabbling in the world of podcasting. My good buddies and fellow artists from OK-Panic! have a great podcast called Guttertrash that I have sometimes participated in from time to time. Well now I will be doing some on the spot interviews in the coming year. If you want to hear a preview check out Guttertrash.net and look for episode # 208. This goes entirely against what I said last month about me never going to talk to celebrities due to my ability to come off like a massive loser especially if I admire their work. (oh man that Sterenko incident!) At the end of November I participated in a great event at a bar in Chicago called Atomic Sketch where myself and a whole bar of artists get together and draw whatever comes to mind. There are several of these things around town, but this was my first and hopefully will not be my last. Check out my links for more info. So there you have it kiddies, 2012 wrapped up in the longest blog post I have ever written. If you want to see some new product check out my ETSY page, and keep in touch on my Facebook & twitter and my blog. Any art requests send me an email and I'll let you know the deal. If you bought any of my stuff this year, thanks. And if you just walked on by well...walk by again and look into my desperate eyes and take pity. later guys I'll see you in January. This month's pics are a couple of commissions from the Days of the Dead show, new bottlecap magnets and something from the Atomic sketch party. Oh yea, spot that celebrity.

later.....(again)