Speaking of Werewolves...

For some reason I think werewolves look good in Hot Rods.  My monsters and Hot Rods are fairly benign compared to some but they are appropriate for a fun Halloween. Here's one of my recent pics involving Motors and Monsters.  This is a 16 x 20 inch Watercolor on Illustration board called "Transylvania Speedway".

Best Free Halloween movie 2013

I love the Halloween Season and I really enjoy old, spooky movies!
I discovered a great, fun, black and white werewolf movie on YOUTUBE
this season, it's THE UNDYING MONSTER, made in 1942.

The Groundskeeper and the Ghost

I have been watching a lot of "How To" watercolor videos on YOUTUBE recently

and I've really enjoyed them so I went to a local historic cemetery and did several paintings 

over several days and have started making a few videos of my own.

From YOUTUBE "Mountain lake Spray Paint Art"

A fun, refreshing and creative video of a painting done with spray paint but Joe Vinten.

Terry Madden's neat demonstration for clouds

Here is a neat demonstrattion for making simple clouds by watercolorist, Terry Madden.

Sketching on July the 4th

Happy 4th of July!
I made these 2 little paintings this morning. I see these things every morning from my front porch .
Someday we'll look up and all of those quaint telephone and power poles will be gone.  It's probably a good idea to sketch the things that you see as commonplace as often as you can .

More on Jack Davis, My Favorite Cartoonist

I have talked about Jack Davis in an earlier blog  but I watched an interview with him by Gary Groth at Strand Books in New York and I was reminded all over again of his greatness and his humility.
Here is the interview, click on the image...

                                               Here's a blog about Jack's Monster Art
                                                       
                                                             

Moleskine Goes Public?

Yes, Moleskine, the European makers of those expensive little pocket sketchbooks and other diaries has gone public. Read about it in the Wall Street Journal.

                                   Here's a page from my little 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch sketchbook

Have you seen this car?  It's spectacular!

Here's an article on Yahoo! Autos Canada

Momiji Gardens in Vancouver, BC

I got the chance to visit Vancouver, BC last week and scored a new "Profile Picture" in the beautiful Momiji (Japanese Maple)  Gardens located on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds.  Ruth York was the photographer in both cases...(Thank you :)

Old profile

New Profile (My hair has grown a bit!)

Texture in Alan Bean's Space Paintings

I saw this gigantic painting by Artist/Astronaut Alan Bean at NASA.  I was blown away by the spectacle of it.

Check out the video interview with him posted on Youtube.

The Halloween Tree on DVD

I'm so happy to see that Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree" animated special is now available on DVD. I have two VHS copies that I have watched many times.  I am told that Ray wrote the story as a  response to his disappointment in the children's special "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown".  "The Halloween Tree" tells the story of Halloween's rich history and of a group of young friends who celebrate it in a special way.
Ray Bradbury narrates the movie and his warm tenor voice adds a wonderful tone to the film.
I often play the video in the background when I work on Halloween themed paintings just to hear the comfortable sound of Ray's voice.
the backgrounds are beautiful autumnal compositions in watercolor.

                                 Here's one of the more dramatic backgrounds from the film

                                                   The Halloween Tree DVD cover

Ray Bradbury's Halloween Tree

A friend of mine who was close to Ray Bradbury told me that Ray bought a set of oil paints and basically sat down and painted this famous, the first "Halloween Tree" with no prior practice or training.

                                                                   Ray Bradbury

The Incredible String Band Perform "The Iron Stone'

I find this video so incredibly eerie!  I think it was recorded in 1967?  1968?

House for Peter Rabbit

Happy Easter!  Let me take this time to reveal my architecturally unsound House for Peter Rabbit.  It includes 2 appropriately lanky fairies.  I hope you have a good day!

Miyazaki Movies

How many times will you watch a certain movie in your lifetime?  We own a lot of titles but there is a short list of movies we will watch over and over again and most of them are movies from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miazaki.
We just watched "My Neighbor Totoro" again and I feel sure we'll watch it again many more times.
Miayazaki movies are subtle and superb. 

Which direction do carousel horses travel?

Evidently American carousel horses travel in a counter clockwise direction while carousel horses in the United Kingdom travel in a clockwise direction.

                                                          An American carousel horse

                                                           A carousel horse in the UK

Windows 98 Paint Job

I think this is the first thing I attempted with Windows Paint when we got our first computer in 1999!

A Tribute to Old E.C. Science Fiction Covers

Here is an illustration I made for a friend's fanzine several years ago.  I wanted to parody the great covers of the E.C. Science Fiction comics.  I enjoyed the experience so I ought to do more!

Ghosts in Photodeluxe

I'm back on the subject of ghosts again (I'm never far from it).
Here is an illustration I made many years ago with an old Adobe product called PHOTODELUXE, do you remember PHOTODELUXE, it was usually free with printers and scanners.  I really liked it, it was simple and straight forward.
I created the little ghosts with an erase tool and the large ghost was created from photographs I took of a friend who modelled for me.  The background was the interior of an old house that was being moved from one of our downtown streets.  I still like the composition.

Art at the Lone Star Round Up

I'm happy to say that my artwork has been chosen, along with many fine artists, to be exhibited at the 12th Annual Lone Star Round Up in Austin, TX, April 5th and 6th.
The Lone Star Round Up is a huge Hot Rod and Classic Car show. I am really looking forward to the adventure!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Painting With Sticky Notes

Do you ever use sticky notes on your paintings?  Sometimes I see problems that need to be addressed on an illustration I'm working on and if I don't have time to fix things right away I may forget the area that needs work.  I've found that Sticky Notes come in handy at those times. 
I'll quickly scribble directions to myself and stick the note right on the spot that needs fixing.
Of course you'll want the painting to be dry before doing this. 
It may seem like an extremely obvious reminder to use but it works for me and I thought I'd pass it on.

What does a real ghost look like?

I've only seen one ghost and I described it in an earlier post about "photographs of real ghosts".  I only saw with peripheral vision (and heard) a ladies feet and skirt walking through the hallway of a house we rented.  My son, who was 2 or 3 at the time, saw her from a more head on point of view.  She just looked like a woman, it all seemed very normal at the time... as I write this 25 years (or so) later, at 11 PM it really gives me the creeps.
In the cinema I really get "spooked" by the more subtle hosts, not bright, flying ghosts with loud, echoing voices.
Below are photos of the scariest movie ghosts that I know of.

First is the ghost from the 1989 BBC movie, "Woman In Black"

Second and third are the ghosts from "The Innocents"

This fourth photo is Madeline O'Malley from the 2011 movie, "The Innkeepers"

Br-r-r-r! Good evening!

In Ray Bradbury's Collection

My hero, Ray Bradbury, died last year.  I'd never met him but we exchanged some letters and he had a few of my prints in his collection.
Many of my drawings and paintings were inspired by Ray's thoughts.  I was so happy to link up with Gregory Miller as the writer I illustrate for because Greg was such an admirer of Ray's, in fact, Greg was mentored by Ray and visited him many times.  After visiting Ray Greg often told me about seeing my artwork in his house and it thrilled me to hear that.
Below are the prints of mine in his collection.  I miss his presence.
Live forever Ray Bradbury!

Monster Car T-Shirts

It seems like I've been overdosing on model cars, hot rods and monsters lately.  I may have mentioned that I've rediscovered those monster/car manias of my youth but I don't think I've shown you any of my monster/car t-shirts.  Mine are pretty tame compared to "Big Daddy" Roth's designs. 
I'm working on a "Haunted Rambler" painting that I'll share soon but it may take a day or two yet.

9 Part "How To' by Big Daddy Roth

Watch this priceless 9 part "How to silkscreen" video collection by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth himself.

Picture A Viking Sunstone

kIt conjures up images from a fantasy movie heavy on the computer graphics, an oblong crystal the size of a cigarette pack, a crystal of Iceland spar, the land of the Vikings!  Supposedly Sunstones were used by Vikings to navigate difficult, cloudy seas to make an incredible journey to North America centuries before Columbus.

The Viking Sunstone

BBC News

Tom Daniel, Legendary Model Car Designer

Tom Daniel, legendary model car designer of  "The Red Baron", "Rommel's Rod" and many other classic models talks a little about the struggle between the "suits" and creators in the model industry.

Dan Brereton, My Favorite

Dan Brereton is my very favorite comics artist.  I was very pleased to find this thorough interview with Dan on YOUTUBE.

Sherlock Holmes Illustrations

What did Sherlock Holmes really look like? What did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle envision when he dreamed up his Consulting Detective who has inspired so many spin offs of late?
Sidney Paget was responsible for creating the most popular version of the wold's most famous detective.
Paget gave Holmes the deerstalker hat and the Inverness cape that we associate with Holmes so often.  Supposedly Paget was fond of wearing the double billed cap with ear flaps.

Holmes, in Sir Conan Doyle's writings, claimed to be 6 ft tall but Watson said he was actually taller.

My personal favorite Sherlock is Jeremy Brett who played Sherlock for Granada Television from 1984 to 1994.  Brett was 6 ' 1'' and very thin in the early part of the series.

Robert Downey Jr. is only 5' 9" according to Internet Movie Database.  I like Robert Downey Jr. but it just doesn't work for me!

Where do you buy your gRaFFiTi supplies?

Did you know there are many Graffiti Supply stores?  I would like to experiment with the fantastic array of permanent pigment and colors.  I am especially intrigued by Lindsey Lohan White. 33third los angeles and Bombing Science  look like some excellent places to start.

Edward Gorey's Birthday

Today is Edward Gorey's birthday.  He was born in 1925 and passed on in 2000.  I have not really seen many of his pictures, I am mostly familiar with him through his animated intro to the old PBS MYSTERY! program but having read a little about him this morning I am very impressed and plan to look at all of his work I can find.

Eward Gorey- Wikipedia

Edward Gorey House

Hot Rod CarToons Magazine

Hot Rod CarToons Magazine was a magazine devoted to humor about cars and hot rods and the covers were superb!

Inspired by Hot Rod CarToons Magazine and the hot rods and monsters culture of the 1960's I painted some "Monsterpieces" of my own!

"Graveyard Garage", Watercolor, 16 x 20 inches

 "Transylvania Speedway" Watercolor, 22 x 30 inches

"Brick Street Monsters", Watercolor and Acrylics, 22 x 30 inches

The Grocery Artist Blues

I worked for a grocery company in the 1990s travelling to many stores with a box of Fomecore board , markers and spray paint.  I was usually drawing big posters depicting happy families on picnics or anthropomorphic vegetables and fruits doing whatever they might do to promote the product on display. 
I was cleaning out my studio and found this sketch made in preparation for some "back to school" signage.  I guess I must have been pretty bored of the ultra happy grocery scene when I made the sketch.  I never made that sign!

Inspiration from the world around me

This little picture was inspired by events that were taking place during October, 2012.  It was the election season and yard signs were everywhere.  We had some new neighbors who decided to celebrate when we normally slept.  That grumpy old werewolf is me threatening to call the cops! 
I decided to make a picture rather than turn my new neighbors in and I think it was a good decision.  Hey, at least I got an idea from it.

Juan Gimenez

Juan Gimenez , born in Mendoza, Argentina, is one of my favorite illustrators.  He has mastered a style that is a beautiful blend of futurism and rococo.  I especially enjoy his illustrations for the comic series "The Metabarons".