Steve Robbins Art

Going to Indy soon!

2011-08-03T02:20:00.003-05:00

Whoo boy! Almost a year has gone by since I last updated this blog. So what’s gone on?

I’ve finally started work on a game that was going to be a graphical adventure game. But due to technical restrictions (I am restricted by my technical not-know!), that wasn’t possible. So I’ve decided to do it as a Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA). The reasons for this were more practical, sort of.

Since I don’t know programming, but I DO know some workable HTML, I’m writitng the whole thing as an HTML linking game. The true test is how complicated I can make it, in terms of story depth. It’s going to be complicated no matter what, but hopefully the story will hold up and keep you wanting more!

But the biggest thing holding it back (aside from the actual drawing and coloring aspect) is writing the HTML. It’s going to be quite complicated to ensure things like the following:

Hero sasses a teacher once, and is given the option to apologize. If he does, the story goes on as usual, but if he remains flippant, is sent to the principal’s office. If he survives, comes back to class. If he is rude again, and remains a sassy ass, gets sent home.

HOWEVER if the first time he’s rude and apologizes, or isn’t rude, and is rude or not apologetic the second time, he’s sent to the principal and not sent home!

Does that make sense?

The spring and summer has been punctuated by odd little freelance jobs like the above. I can’t go into details, but I’ve been given the A-Ok to show the pic!

(pic of saints board)

I did this spring. The final product is about 3 by 5 feet +/-, and is shown twice on the walls at Midway Field, where the St. Paul Saints minor league baseball plays. The blank spots were later filled with QR scans.

This week I’m going to Gen Con. The pic above is one of 36 of characters designed for a LARP I’m helping run. It takes place in the Falkenstein world, which is Steampunkish, but more fantasy-based. The steam tech is downplayed by the presence of the Faerie, draconian and dwarvish races, as well as magic, etc.

It should be quite a fun evening, and I’ll be sure to post pictures from the convention.

Moved again. That was stressful, but great for my wallet in the end- I can actually walk to work, even if it was snowy!

I’ve set up a nice office area. There’s plenty of space, and I’ve been enjoying making things here.

I’m coming up to two years at Wet Paint, but I’ve been counting Christmases there, which means I’m almost up to my third Christmas. It’s early to think about this, but I’ve been plotting what to do for my yearly Christmas card. We got some neat printing inks from Akua and Daniel Smith.

Oh! I'm taking this to Gen Con too. I'm pleased with it- it's a scene from "The Flying Sorcerers," by David Gerrold and Larry Niven. It's a great book! Look for it!

Well, it's late, and I've got a plane to catch.
TTYL!

Monstrous Update! (Pun, cause it's Halloweenish!)

2010-11-08T23:46:00.005-06:00

HELLO!

Many apologizes, none of which could possibly be the salve that sates the aching of your hearts that I've not posted in almost two months. For that, I metaphorically offer my own heart as a symbolic act of emotional sacrifice, and urge your forgiveness. I'll try once more to be more... frequent!)

Whew! It's been awhile since I last updated this blog. So what's been going on? Look up, and see! This was my Halloween costume this year, and here's how I made it! (sort of) For those not familiar with the subject, this is Jack Skellington, the protagonist of Disney's Tim Burton Presents The Nightmare Before Christmas, a beautifully animated, bizarre and catchy musical about the leader of the Land of Halloween (literally the personification of the holiday) stealing the role of Santa Claus from Santa himself to execute Christmas his way, to fill the emotional emptiness he felt with the warmth of Christmas. It's cute, and you should see it. I like it...

This is the frame of the costume, huddled up against itself. At ends of the the shoulders and pelvis braces were loop-screws, that were connected to dowels that had similar loop-screws by carabiners that had screw locks. Repeat at the elbows, knees, and so forth.

The first real test. I quite literally have thought of this costume since senior year of high school, but not in the practical sense until about a year ago.

These are part of a sketchbook musing from about a year ago, maybe beginning of the year. I hope they kind of convey what I was trying to get across.

The real inspiration was Julie Tamor's amazing production design and direction of the Broadway version of Disney's Lion King, specifically Timon, the critter on the right. His face is expressionless (or rather, expression fixed), so a lot of his performance comes from the actor/puppeteer's OWN face. Magically, the audience sees one and the other as the same. Having seen it myself, it's truly a neat experience.

My choice to make him a puppet was partially because I'm not nearly gangly enough, and he's so elegant and thin. He's attached with webbing cloth with hooks and clips. His coccyx rests about 2 inches above my navel. The boots and gloves were grommet-ed, and connected to the forearm dowels with carabiners. The gloves then had a skeleton hand glove slipped over it- the only big-store purchase. The glove fabric was too thin, but stretchy to go over a more durable glove.

My other reason for making him a puppet was this looks silly. Available at many fine retailers. I know it's popular but... c'mon!

I covered the chest with armature wire-mesh, and then covered the mesh with papier mache, for durability.

Then the chest and some dowels were spray painted.

I used Montana Gold spray paint. It's wonderful, and available at Wet Paint, where I work. I'm genuinely impressed with it.

As for the head, I covered a balloon in papier mache. But I then strengthened it with rigid-wrap, plaster of paris, and a gel medium to seal the absorbency of the plaster.

Painted it white, painted the nostrils and smile, and then covered it in a lacquer spray covering. His next was reinforced with a PVC pipe, also painted the same white.

He's life size. Here he is, almost completed, in a desk chair.

With me dressed in black, with a matching balaklava, the effect is complete, and he/I/we hit some parties!

Life of the party indeed! As the night progressed at each once we went to, it became clear that keeping my hands and head covered was a little difficult to pull off. WAY TOO HOT indoors!

But we're flexible.

In the end, it was a great project, a fun time, some wonderful parties, and a terrific way to express oneself in an artistic endeavor. Halloween is a time to have fun, and for me, this was one very Happy Halloween!

---

So that's great, Steve- so that's all you did for two months? Of course not. But some of it I can't talk about yet, since it's not live and good to go (of course, the more interesting ones!). But I can show off some stuff I've done.

I actually did this a while ago, but it's been sitting for a while. I don't speak Spanish, but it was fun to research the Latino community for this direct marketing postcard.

I did this design for my girlfriend and myself. I'm not keen on where the Vikings are heading, but I'll do what I can to show my support. Who knows? Maybe an 11th hour save?

The biggest reason I've not blogged as much? I've been working out. A lot. And it's showing. I've spent more time on cardio and weight loss than strength building (not to say I don't occasionally lift a few), and dropped some poundage. I tend to go late at night, and regularly watch Chopped and Next Iron Chef America on Food Network (yes, aware of the incongruity). My picks for the next Iron Chef? I predict Tsai against Tio, but I fear Canora being in the final 2. I don't like his attitude/strategy in non-elimination judging, and I think he gets too flustered in the kitchen.

I realized I'm loosing my hair a while ago, but finally cut it. Here's me as a kabuki.

Here's a Kabuki LEGO Man. The Kabuki LEGO Mans I did a while ago are now featured on Kabuki 21, a great site that has a lot of neat pictures and VERY detailed descriptions of Kabuki theatre. I actually used this site a lot for reference, so when Shôriya Aragorô contacted me to ask if he could display them, it was a lovely and wondrous full circle being completed.

---

It is holiday time at Wet Paint, and pretty soon I'll show off some stuff I'm super excited about. So until then...

TTYL!

Minneapolis Indie Xpo! The Aftermath! (In a good way!) Exclamation marks!

2010-08-25T00:34:00.003-05:00

Yours, truly. (the photo is the only one I had of me there, and was taken from a movie clip. Grr.)

A little disclaimer before I begin- despite having the camera in my pocket the whole time, I didn't take very many pictures at MIX. Pretty pathetic, since the event was really awesome!

In what could be the Midwest's answer to MoCCA or APE, about 100 exhibitors showed off their wares. Comics, books, prints, knick-knacks, donuts, and panel discussions, it was a glut of decisions, in the bestest of ways. The biggest exhibitor was Top Shelf Productions, which showed off some new works by Kevin Cannon and Will Dinski. It was pretty neat.

I shared space with Renny Kissling and Will Schar. They're cool dudes! Check out there websites after you go to MY website (updated just an hour ago with details of what I showed off)!

I did a demonstration with was more along the lines of my regular sales pitch at Wet Paint. This isn't the actual video, but it gets the idea across...

Now for some of the aforementioned could've-tried-harder-to-take-some-pics. Better ones can be seen here (thanks group-Flikr!).

The View from my table across the way. I was located in room three, which might not have had the best traffic, but was overall agreed upon was the least humid and hot!

We all got there super early to set up. Here's some of the preparation going on. In a few hours, this place is packed to the gills.

My tablemate and good friend Will Schar. He's a very good colourist, and had some neat prints for sale.

Someone paid with this five dollar bill. Very eerie...

This little comic ended up being a very good seller- but I think I gave away more than I had expected- it's a good ice breaker.

Despite it being on this blog, this series of minis was the most popular. Bar none.

Though this one came a very close second!

I didn't sell as many copies of Hush Fund than I had hoped. But the people who did were very enthusiastic! I'm hoping to sell some at The Source Comics and Games on Snelling and Larpentuer in Falcon Heights/Roseville, Minnesota. You can buy one if you email me, and we'll discuss shipping.

My workspace. Just thought I'd throw that out there...

Well, now that MIX is over, I need an new obsession. I think a really awesome Halloween costume is the next logical step.

TTYL!

Minneapolis Indie Xpo!

2010-08-15T03:05:00.004-05:00

Minneapolis Indie Xpo is happening on August 21st at the Soap Factory in Minneapolis! Come and see me IRL, and see some neat comics!

So this upcoming Saturday is Minneapolis Indie Xpo (MIX). I've got table space, and I'll be selling some mini-comics, a board game, and possibly a music CD. And a slew of prints. It's going to be pretty awesome.

The following is a selection of what I'll be selling. I do plan on adding some prints to the collection, and if I'm lucky, a quick mini or two. So enjoy this preview:

Remember when I had a series of LEGO Mans on this blog? These three minis are collections of these, plus a special non-internet one. Has a full colour cover.

Childhood trauma and drama set against used video game retail.

The silly little comic about solving your problems.

The Burrowed: a story told in pieces of how a monster causes a war in a small rural town.

Back Pages: the journey of self-promotion in a cold and heartless world; collection of my comics I used to advertise my website though a local weekly newspaper.

A linoleum-block printed comic of the reviving effects of art after personal turmoil. Each cover features a unique paper as its cover.

Some old comics from my college days. Not the highest of caliber of my comic work, but hey, someone might be interested. Basically a back-up...

I'm selling an actual board game that I constructed and designed. It's called Hush Fund, and it's like playing Monopoly with nothing but Chance Cards. I've only got ten copies... I'll have a sign-up sheet if anyone's interested, and I've run out...

A shot of what I've got so far...

Whew! That's a lot! So come to MIX! It'll be a hoot!

TTYL!

Baseball? Monsters? Businessmen?

2010-07-15T03:04:00.004-05:00

Wow. I've not updated this for a while. Well, I've been working on things for MIX!

I can't go too detailed about some of the things I'm going to be selling at MIX, but I can sure as hell hint at some. This picture's from a board game....

This is from the most recent piece I'm working on. There's a major element I've blurred to keep some of the surprise...

About 2 months ago, I did this illustration for Twincy, a marketing/branding agency. It was a fun project to make their faces work with the Twin's logo.

The last week was a little nightmare-ish. My website appeared to be be clogged with malware. No idea how, but Google put a flag on it, and would alert viewers that looking at my online portfolio might infect their computer with vicious pornography.
I can say with supreme confidence that that's cleared up, and visiting my website is safe.

Well, I'll try to start updating more frequently. It's been a rush, having something to focus on to get an incredible amount of work done. Stimulating to say the least...

TTYL!

Help!

2010-06-25T13:38:00.002-05:00

After coming to the sad conclusion that an original design for a mold to make multiple plaster casts wouldn't work, I've redone a few.

Help me decide which one to go with! I'm not going to all three, but I'd appreciate your help narrowing it down!

TTYL!

Encaustics!

2010-06-25T13:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, a handful of co-workers from Wet Paint and I met up at local artist Jeff Hirst's studio to learn how to use encaustic paint.
Encaustic paint's been around for about 3000 years, but is enjoying an upswing in popularity right about now.

We started met up at Jeff's studio in Northeast Minneapolis- he had prepared six spots, where we shared 3 griddles.

Here are two dollops (?) of cadmium yellow and alizarin crimson. The paint is melted onto the tray directly from a brick of solid wax at 180 degrees!

Very quickly, things got messy. Here's my palette. If the brushes were off the hot plate for a minute, they'd harden as fast as wax cools.

Just another shot of the workspace.

My co-worker Jill is applying oil paint to scratched off parts of the wax. When she wipes away the excess, and fuses the wax with some creme-brule torches,it'll provide a nice solid outline.

This was my first piece. I decided to emulate Fayum mummy portraits, to varying degrees of success.

I entitled this one "Yellow And Green Romantically Pursue Blue As Orange Cries Bitter Tears."

I call him "Snuggles." This one was very popular with my co-workers.

The chinese here says "It'll never end unless the world ends." A bit of dark philosophy I translated into Chinese with the help of Google Translate. The accompanying illustration is a LEGO man getting destroyed. The background plays with some textured paper trapped and burned under wax.

Last one of the workshop for me. I had 5 minutes before we had to start cleaning up.

From another angle, you can see how textured this paint is. Lots of layers built up!

In a bit of other news, I helped paint this photo-op flat for a family friend's (pictured) daughters (not pictured) grad-night lock-in. I actually painted his a month a go, but I figure that now I can reveal it, since the lock-in is long done.

The fjords of Norway with the aurora borealis...

TTYL!

Grand Old Day 2010

2010-06-08T20:56:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday was Grand Old Day, the day Grand Avenue in St. Paul is closed to car traffic, and the street is filled to the brim with people!

At Wet Paint, we give away these "grand-danas," a cloth hanky that we invite the public to decorate with Tee Juice markers by Jacquard. Here's mine.

It was great. I designed this year's Grand-dana, and it was fun to see the variety of differences that people applied to them.

It was a wonderful time had by all!

TTYL!

(Photos courtesy of Wet Paint - Tim Jennen, Virginia McBride, and Langhan Dee, 2010)

Minneapolis Indie Expo

2010-06-04T11:57:00.006-05:00

I'm going to be a part of this! It's going to be awesome. Click on the above graphic, and check out the website! See when it's going on, where it's going on, and who's going on in it!

I've been preparing some comics, prints, and even a board game for this event, and last night, I went to the 24-Hour Kinko's on the corner (sort of) of Snelling and Grand Avenues. Here's what I learned:

1) You CAN make a very decent photocopier print on Jack Richardson brand newsprint, as long as it's cut to the appropriate dimensions.

2) Said newsprint can also be photocopy printed double-sided, with very little (if any) bleed.

3) One photocopy costs 10 cents. But for some weird reason, Kinko's/FedEx decided to add sales tax, so on photocopy is actually 11 cents. I find this perplexing and very strange that they'd insist on that extra cent...

4) Kinko's does not provide dark markers. They offer every other office supply under the sun, but if you need a Sharpie, better hope the staff has one of their own that they'd let you borrow! (Thanks to cute lady at Kinko's)

This week's City Pages comic. I'm not sure if I'm going to re-up for another year, but it has been fun.
OHOHOHOH! One of the comics I'm doing for MIX is going to include all of the City Pages comics. "But Steve! You provide them for free on your website! Why should I drop a dollar or two and buy a printed copy?" Because there's going to be an exclusive bit of content, that's why!

TTYL!

NSFW- Commentary of Current Events

2010-05-29T01:15:00.007-05:00

For historic reasons, a little context before the illustration.

British Petroleum, better known as BP, is/was a major oil company. An offshore oil rig they owned exploded, and miles and miles of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, and is/was a major disaster.

I really don't do dirty or questionable material often. But I don't think I've seen anyone make this connection. Especially with BP's contrived system to stop the leak. If you think this is humorous, make this a meme. I'd love to see TIME magazine mention this. Or maybe Dan Savage.

Recently, this image was taken down by Photobucket. This is the second time they've done this, which is making me question how safe my work is if I want to show it off to the world. There is nothing inherently wrong with this image. It is not being used for what is usually used for (google it if you don't know, but keep in mind it is NSFW if you do)- it is a stretch if they took it down for implicit sexual reasons. It bothers me that I had to find another way to post it. So the final analysis? Second strike, Photobucket.

Logo, Somewhat NSFW illustration, and Acrylic Paint

2010-05-29T00:10:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been about a month or so since my last post- so what have I been up to? That I can post?

Come to Wet Paint on June 6th! We're going to give away "grand-danas" and you can decorate them using Jacquard tee-juice markers! Going to be a lot of fun. I designed this year's Grandana.

This little logo was done for the Harriet Alexander Nature Center. They've got a really neat boardwalk in a large marsh, and after years of deterioration, they're finally revitalizing the boardwalk. Parts of it are VERY gnarly, and contributing some dollars to making it easier to see a thriving ecosystem is a worthwhile cause.

My friend Anna routinely asks cartoonists in the Twin Cities (and beyond) to draw her nude/naked. It doesn't matter if it's accurate at all, it's an exercise in community and fun. Here's mine. Pretty tame, but spunky!

Update: Apparently, a rather chaste drawing of a nude is too shocking for Photobucket. If they do this again, this might be the push I need to switch to Flickr. Just saying.

This project is sort of on a pause, but I think it'll be revived soon (why will be explained shortly). Noise music/found-sound music. Going to kick some ass.

This is an idea I've been playing with for a while. For a long while. I figure putting some of the development process online and public is a great way to get the job done! Here's some variations.

More on this soon.

Big news:

I'm moving to Saint Paul in June. I'm very excited about this! Have a great memorial day!

TTYL!

Rogaria in City Pages/Prom Night

2010-04-28T20:59:00.002-05:00

Last week was CityPages' Best of the Twin Cities issue. Easily the best issue of the year, with a glossy cover (the rest of the year, the cover is printed on newsprint), it's chuck-full of reviews for things like "Best Hot Dog," or "Best Place To Go On First Date."
So to celebrate, and as a shout out to some friends, I asked this one be on the back. A nice little reference to Rogaria, a fictional country that Orkestar Bez Ime comes from.

Last Saturday was the Lake Champlain Senior Prom. I was hired to do some caricature for the night, and this couple was the last of the evening. Good luck you two!

TTYL!

Some Art Related Videos

2010-04-26T01:12:00.005-05:00

Whilst looking for an old video on Sesame Street about the Space Program, I found this:

Which lead to this:

And this:

And finally this:

TTYL!

Daniel Smith Watercolor - Brief History of Some Pigments

2010-04-23T16:43:00.003-05:00

Well, a few weeks ago, I said I'd do something with Daniel Smith, my favorite watercolor paint. So here's a condensed bit of what I love, and a little bit of a history lesson.

TTYL!

Post 100! Also, some colour illustrations!

2010-04-06T22:15:00.004-05:00

Wow! I've just posted my 100th blog post. I started this blog a year and a few months ago, and in that time, I've worked some amazing freelance, spent the summer as a cashier at Linder's, and begun a terrific job at Wet Paint. I've also had a few life changes that have shaped my perspective, and look forward to another 100 posts!

This is what I can show you of a speculative piece I've been illustrating with Pamela Gerke, a writer, teacher, musican/singer, and arts educator in Washington state. It's also a piece that shows the water colour painting I've been doing in the last week or so.

Some of the colour was made with Daniel Smith Water Color Paint. It's amazing, and I guarantee that I'm going to describe this amazing paint (that we conveniently sell at Wet Paint...) in my next post.

This character design is just for fun, based on a German art materials company logo that I'll keep nameless...

I have no idea. I'm going to start posting old sketchbook drawings, and I could see no other than this to start it off. Comments?

Hope you had a happy Easter!
TTYL!

Maxon Screen-Tone Pattern Demo!

2010-04-02T12:17:00.002-05:00

Filmed a few days ago at Wet Paint, here's the fruit of that labor! Enjoy!

TTYL!

A slew of black and white

2010-03-26T01:33:00.005-05:00

© Steve Robbins, 2010

We're selling screen tones at Wet Paint. I've been playing around with these things, and there's going to be something interesting connecting me and these screen tones next week. It's obsolete technology, since it's pretty easy to use Photoshop, but that's sort of the point. It's raw, real, and retro.

This one is also using screen tones. For these two pieces, I've used CB349, CB333, CB322, and CB305. It's been fun trying these out. Also? A political message that can be used ANYtime politicians try to convince us they're up for bipartisanship!

This weeks and last weeks City Pages back-pages comics.

I cannot believe I forgot to post this on this blog! I did this comic for AZIA, a neat Asian-fusion restaurant with a wide-range of saké and sushi. It's on the back cover of the program for The Brave New Workshop, an improv theatre. Senator Al Franken cut a lot of teeth there before he wrote for Saturday Night Live!

TTYL!

ABA: Advertising By Automobile

2010-03-18T18:30:00.005-05:00

I spent a portion of the day today throwing some vinyl letters (from Chartpak™, which we conveniently sell at Wet Paint) on my bumper. I originally put them on my rear window, but lo and behold, if I had taken the time to read a little further, I'd find out that that's illegal in Minnesota! Ah well...

I tried to use as many of the letters as I could. In a world of internet, you'd think they'd give you more than two W's. So to get around that, I used the two V's, forgetting that I need one for my name in SteVe! So then I take out the cross beam of an A, and turn it upside down. Things got a little interesting...

Not too long ago, my boss threw a potluck. I made vegetarian sushi!

Some signs I've made at work. Not as many chances to go nuts sign-wise with this sale, but still...

Last night was St. Patrick's Day, and I told this couple I'd put this picture of them up on this blog. So here it is! You guys were fun!

TTYL!

Number Munchers!

2010-03-16T22:31:00.003-05:00

So here's basically what I've been puttering about with for the last two weeks or so. Number Munchers was an educational computer game that I played on the old Apple ][ in kindergarten (oh god, I feel old saying that...).

I was obsessed with this game as kid, and now, I've been playing around with a redesign, partially for kicks, partially to practice simple animation, and partially as a portfolio piece. Yes, I'm aware that there's some unnecessary feathering in "empty" boxes, I still need to clean it up for a final.

Google "Virtual Apple" if you want to play the original. It's easier if you enable the Java version. If you worked for MECC, let me know! Let me tell you personally how much this game made an impact on me!

TTYL!

Eat, Die, and Live!

2010-03-14T23:36:00.004-05:00

Last week's City Pages comic- the last of the Doctor Abner comics... for now...

(for the astute, there was a little bit of animation in this post. Originally. But I've taken it down because I'm making a post that'll be more on point.)

TTYL!

Eat Cycle

2010-03-04T23:09:00.005-06:00

This week's City Pages Back Page Comic... Part two of a limited series featuring Docto Abner.

(for the astute, there was a little bit of animation in this post. Originally. But I've taken it down because I'm making a post that'll be more on point.)

TTYL!

Noua and Customizable Art Figure?

2010-03-01T23:08:00.004-06:00

So one day, I drew something like this in my sketch book.

Then my friend Joel Vollmer did this.

This is a blank Munny Doll® by KidRobot™.

Last year, I had played around with LEGO Mans as a blank slate/collectible art figure. This one is of Gorbechev.

The idea of a collectable figure that can be customized and painted uniquely caught my imagination. So I've begun to work on one myself:

So far, so good. I've been using Primo® brand polymer clay. The next step is to figure out an inexpensive method of molding and casting more of these.

More as this develops...

TTYL!

Thursday Painting Time

2010-02-26T19:38:00.003-06:00

A new gorilla painting...

A self-portrait for February...

Based on a short story by Isaac Asimov...

TTYL!

Painting two more

2010-02-23T23:36:00.003-06:00

This week's back-page comic ad for my website in the Twin City's own City Pages. Keep your eyes peeled!

I've been painting a lot more than I've ever had since high school. Actual painting, not digital painting. So there are some new ones that I've started tonight/yesterday. The top one is an eventual self-portrait of sorts, and the bottom one is inspired by an Isaac Asimov short-story, "The Last Question." There's a third canvas ready to go, but I'll wait a few before I start on that one, too.

I finished the Gorilla painting tonight. I've decided to title it: "iGorilla."

I don't know who made this image, but I get a real kick out of it. So whomever did this, salut!

TTYL!

City Pages and Gorilla Painting

2010-02-19T19:23:00.003-06:00

This week's City Pages back-page comic... Snowmen behaving badly...

The Gorilla painting is coming to an end I think. I'm pleased how he's looking so far.

I don't think I posted this; it's a video for Foot In The Door (see previous post), and I appear about 1:26 minutes into it. Enjoy!

TTYL!

Foot in the Door

2010-02-19T00:49:00.003-06:00

Photos courtesy of Heather Buscho, 2010

My friends Heather, Jenny, and I met up for MIA's Foot In The Door opening night. It was crazy-crowded, but worth every second. We saw lots of beautiful and wonderful art from many many Minnesotans, and dug the scene.

Detail of my piece.

Aside from materials that could rot or attract vermin, the only rule of the show was that it had to fit in "The Curator" (see picture below), a foot cubed. There were a lot of flat pieces, and a lot of sculpture, and apparently, a lot of videos and film (I didn't see the filmed parts). In total? Probably about 4800 pieces. Maybe 5000. Not sure.

"The Curator," copyright image Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2010

On through June! Got to it, goddangit!

TTYL!

Gorilla Evolution!

2010-02-16T23:11:00.001-06:00

Cute, eh?

TTYL!

Gorilla Painting with Golden

2010-02-14T23:33:00.005-06:00

I've been wanting to paint again for a long while, and this last week, I've started this painting. Here's what it's looking like right now. I need to work on the mouth, and of course, add pupils. Still a work in progress, mind you!

I've been painting with Golden™ Open Acrylic®, which is pretty neat. I don't pretend to understand the chemistry behind it, but this stuff takes a lot longer to dry! So I can take my time, and not have the metaphorical gun to my head of a quick drying time that acrylic usually means. (Though I'd never ever use Alizarin Crimson, if I can help it, this is a nice photo)

I've also been using Golden™'s fluid acrylics too. They paint like cream!

I'll take the time to write a better review of Golden™ paint in a later post.

Before I forget: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

TTYL!

Graphic Adventure Game?

2010-02-13T13:25:00.003-06:00

I've been running a lot of ideas in my head these past few weeks, and this is an old one that needs to be re-examined. The concept is a graphic adventure game like the kind that were popular in the late 80's and early-to-mid 90's. I've been examining how I could make it work through HTML, but the logistics and time might be excruciating. My knowledge of Flash is also pretty weak comparatively.

But I felt like posting these characters as a way of keeping myself on point!

TTYL!

Block Prints and Foot in Mouth (I mean In The Door!)

2010-02-11T15:15:00.004-06:00

This week's comic in the back page of City Pages, the Twin Cities most popular alt-weekly. Fun stuff!

My friend Heather asked me to teach her how to lino-block print, so I brought over my cutter and some linoleum, and we spent the evening working on art. This was one of the two prints I made.

I of course, have been using this Essdee Baren kit. It's pretty neat. Heather used the Speedball kit. Traditional and reliable, but doesn't include the neat baren with it!

The purpose was for her to make her valentine's day cards, so following suite, I made one of my own.

Minneapolis Institute of Art is putting on their once-every-ten-(10)-years show, called Foot In The Door. It was created to show off Minnesota Artists, and allow many to put on their resumes that they've had exhibition experience at a major metropolitan art museum. You read that first sentence right, it only happens every 10 years.

I didn't have time to take a proper scan or better photo, but this is my submission. Seeing as there's about 4500+ pieces going up this show, I figure giving you an idea of what it looks like will be helpful.

TTYL!

City Pages and AZIA

2010-02-04T22:32:00.005-06:00

Remember last year when I advertised my website on the back page of City Pages, the Twin Cities alternative weekly newspaper? Well, I had to stop for economic reasons, but now, I've decided to continue. Hopefully it'll be helpful!
(This one here ties in nicely to LOST-Cram '10!)(Speaking of which, check out my friend Heather's blog for some great DHARMA cakes she made for a LOST party I hosted for the February 2nd premiere.

A bit of freelance came my way in a very serendipitous way, and eventually I'll post it here (I'm waiting for it to have been printed before posting). In the meantime, here's Thom Pham, the owner and chef at AZIA, a terrific pan-Asian cuisine restaurant in Minneapolis. I'm pleased how this looks!

I'm still working on the Linendoll's Beer portfolio piece. Until then, here's another bit to tempt you with!

TTYL!

2010-01-23T00:40:00.007-06:00

Starting almost two weeks ago, I started watching all of ABC's LOST on DVD (loaned to me by my good friend Heather). And pretty much every night after work, I've driven to the studio, sat down, and watched at minimum 3 episodes a night, with the goal of being caught up before the season 6 premiere (the last season!).

As I've done this, I've also tweeted my reactions to the show more or less in real time, for anyone who cares to know. So here's the best of the best. If you want, check me out on Twitter to see more analysis!

- On the 4th disc of Season 1 of #Lost, and the polar bear is saying "Walter." Creepy. I've missed out on a lot- it's good to catch up.

- Damnit, I liked Arnz. Why'd he have to blow up?

- Ana Lucia needs to die. What a witch hunter thug.

- Sawyerine: starting to understand the attraction to Sawyer. He is indeed Wolverine!

- I love the voice of "Zeke" (one of The Others). I wish I could imitate it.

- How many baby actors they used to play Aaron? I'm not going to scrutinize the credits, but it's certainly food for thought.

- the character study of Juliet and Jack is troubling, since I feel that the actors don't have any special chemistry.

- Now there's underwater Others to worry about now?!

- I enjoy Sayid episodes! But this needs to be said again: YOU CAN'T CLOSE DEAD PEOPLE'S EYES AFTER THEY DIE IF THEY WERE OPEN!

- I will lose my faith in humanity if Des and Penny ends in tears.

- Benjamin has proved how awesome he is. Liar? Yes. Dangerous? Certainly. Killing a guy with his friend holding an AK? Awesome.

- Hooo boy! Young Whittmore is (SPOILER) an Other?! It just gets better and better!

- Episode called "316," when the plane gets turbulence, they dropped a Wilhelm Scream in the background. Google Wilhelm Scream.

- He... shot... a... kid... ?!?!?!

I'll be done Sunday!
TTYL!

Animatic #6! And the Standees (again)! And a blast from the past!

2010-01-21T15:28:00.004-06:00

Pretty neat, huh? This is the last Hoogie and Stiff animatic for the foreseeable future. I capped myself at 6, to prevent myself from not doing other things Linendoll's and other related. BUT if a really good idea comes up for another one of these, I'm going to hit it... :)

Just this picture again. More in yesterday's post, I'm just fond of my expression in this one. Not too far from being called s**t-eating opened-mouth grin, I'd say...

OH! I was digging through old files, and found this gem from my college days, when I took Introduction to Animation in the Fall of 2005. Cute, eh?

TTYL!

Standees stand up!

2010-01-21T01:54:00.006-06:00

So after much trial and error, I've constructed a pair of point-of-purchase (POP) display standees of Hoogie and Stiff. Here's a few more pics:

These bad-boys were made with an illustrator file to be 32" x 40", and then printed out in tiles. Using 3M-brand PMA (position-able mounting adhesive), I assembled it on a 32" x 40" foam-core board, and then cut the shape out. It took a while, and I had to rely on some acrylic and a sharpie to cover-up some smudges, but I feel they came out very well. Getting the idea across with ones sweat and tears, the callouses on ones hands a testament to the true grit of the go-get-em-tiger attitude that won the war and ensured two chickens in every pot, etc.

DRINK LINENDOLL'S BEER! It's good!

Here's a photo of my workspace. It's a little dirty right now, but I've been busy! Observant viewers might notice the Epson Workforce 600 I agonized over over last summer. It's neat.

OH! Before I forget, muchos gracias to Will Dinski, whom borrowed me the tripod I used for the pictures that include me in them. Will has studio space in the same building as me, and does really neat comics. Google this guy!

TTYL!

Display Standee

2010-01-14T23:45:00.002-06:00

I've designed this one here for the express purpose of making a pair of display standees. When printed, Stiff, the one on the right, will be about 38" tall. Roughly.

A major paradigm shift in my life has come to conclusion, and to celebrate, I've bought a new pair of shoes. I'm rawther fond of these...

TTYL!

Hoogie and Stiff Animatic number 5!

2010-01-13T00:09:00.001-06:00

Just finished this while continuing The Great LOST Cram of 2010."

Youtube works again! So I've also reposted number 4. Sorry, Vimeo. I want it up now!

TTYL!

The Great Lost Cram of 2010

2010-01-10T23:40:00.003-06:00

So I've finally decided to get into ABC's Lost. I'm sick and tired of not getting the references and not being able to talk about it with friends and colleagues. But thanks to my friend Heather, I've got about 2 weeks to watch all five seasons before the February 2nd Season Six Premiere. Wish me luck!

After a few weeks of hemming and hawing, I've started to finish some Simpsons comic book pages to send to Bongo Comics Group. Just a few samples to show off character design procedure, colour, storytelling, and line-quality. Here, playing on the internet joke of Milhouse as a meme/Milhouse is never a meme is a meme/baloney, Milhouse breaks the fourth wall and reads about how he's the butt of an internet non-joke.

TTYL!

Linendoll Beer Animatic 4: Fourth of July

2010-01-08T01:37:00.004-06:00

This post, I've deleted. I'm not so keen on the video format I had used.

TTYL!

New Decade, New Hair (Plus MORE Wet Paint Signs!)

2010-01-06T01:33:00.003-06:00

We've started a new sale at work, and last weekend, it was slow enough to allow me to work on some major signage.

On the Linendoll's project, things move faster than I'm letting on. Tonight I finished the bottle six-pack holster. I've re-appropriated a six-pack of Paulander's Heffewiezen, which I feel has an elegant bottle shape, and a decent-size box.

Another part of the project is some keychains based on Hoogie and Stiff- they're finished, but I'm going to keep those close to the chest... :)

With a new decade comes a new haircut. I've never had my hair this short. Ever. And I'm liking it!

TTYL!

Merry Christmas! And Wet Paint Signs!

2009-12-24T22:33:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas! It's about and hour and 25 minutes until Yuletide!

Like a previous post, one of the things I love about my job at Wet Paint is that I can make signs advertising the neat things we sell there. This is a small selection of some new ones!

(Ok, the second to the last one's a gift card we mailed off earlier this week- the people who'll get it will get another little surprise! And the last one wasn't seen by the public. But still!)

Well, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Eid Mubarak, Joyous Yuletide, and look forward to a Happy New Year!

TTYL!

Hoogie and Stiff Animatic #3!

2009-12-18T00:29:00.000-06:00

Here's a third rough animatic- I'm rather fond of this one, and I think it's one of the more successful ones in terms of timing and humor.

TTYL!

Hoogie and Stiff Animatic: Bowling

2009-12-17T10:59:00.002-06:00

Second animatic for a speculative portfolio piece!
Today I'm baking stollen with my Ma. Good work out for the shoulder muscles, as kneading this bread is a tough task!

TTYL!

Hoogie and Stiff Commercial Animatic

2009-12-12T13:33:00.004-06:00

I spent a few hours working on this last night. I had recorded the voices and mixed the sounds a few months ago, but last night I composed this animatic. There's a few goofs (Hoogie, the fat one, has some wonky sleeves), and I'm not an animator, but the idea behind this is to show what these characters can do and would be used for.

I've spent a considerable time on the concept behind these characters, and even built a fake beer company around them:

So it's time to step it up a notch on this speculative branding concept!

TTYL!

Signs at Wet Paint

2009-12-10T19:37:00.003-06:00

So why do I love my job? Cause I can make signs advertising the things I love to sell!
Here's some of the signs I've made in the last two months or so:

(Sharpies, obviously, and an obscure Scrooge McDuck quote, not so obviously)

(These are pretty neat- the same kind that astronauts take into space)

(Nice totes. I don't paint myself all that often, but still nice)

(These are fun for the recent college grad)

(Kookle! Fun to say out loud)

(These get really obnoxious really fast- I enjoy them very much)

More soon!

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 15

2009-12-08T21:48:00.001-06:00

Last in the USSR LEGO Mans, Alexsey Pajitnov, the inventor of Tetris!

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 14

2009-12-04T10:29:00.000-06:00

Red Square Guard circa mid-1980s.

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 13

2009-12-01T21:12:00.004-06:00

Yuriy Norshteyn. Animator. Watch this YouTube Clip.

In the meantime, just in time for Chistmas/Chanukah/Eid ul-Adha/Yule:

We're selling these Essdee Baren Kits at Wet Paint. Do you do any linoleum block printing? If not, want to start? This neat little kit includes five blades, a smoothing baren (burnisher), and a handle. It also comes with two hard-rubber discs that can be cut and designed, but have a sticky back that allows them to be stuck to the bottom of the baren, making it a rubber stamp!
Buy one with us, and we throw it 10 of these sticky-backed discs!

All this for $9.99. Visit Wet Paint's Website and get one today!

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 12

2009-11-27T00:02:00.005-06:00

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Falling (a week weeks later), I present to you: Günter Schabowski!
This fellow was a figurehead for the GDR (German Democratic Republic- EAST Germany), and basically said it was okay for people on the East to cross the wall. Probably could've been a slip-up, probably could've been actual policy, either way East Germany was not able to expect help from the USSR high command. Anyhow, Mikhail Gorbachev allowed it to happen, and Ronald Reagan took the credit.

In other news, I now use Indexhibit to power my website. They don't provide server space or domain names (I use InMotion for that), but rather provide a program and language to run and arrange one's work. Add in remote editing (eliminating the need for regular FTP applications), and you've got the perfect portfolio website! Visit these guys, they're absolutely brilliant.

TTYL!

New Colour Scheme?!

2009-11-25T16:05:00.002-06:00

Yep, I've changed the colour scheme. I'll explain later in detail, but in the mean time, visit my website, and you might get an idea...

New Yorker Style!

2009-11-20T21:22:00.002-06:00

Another post without LEGO mans. What's up, Steve?!

No real point to this comic- I was originally doing something similar to the illustrations from the Homer Price books, but took it into a different direction... Any suggestions for different punchlines?

TTYL!

Patent Medicine

2009-11-11T21:13:00.004-06:00

Another post with no LEGOS. I've been busy, and I owe all y'all another LEGO mans. I'm thinking the DDR fellow (or GDR, if you immediately thought of the video game with the same initials) who let citizens of Berlin cross the sides without getting shot or arrested (probably accidently, but that will never be clear), or perhaps Alexsey Pajitnov, who invented Tetris, which lead to an incredibly intense IP suit... Hard to say.

Instead, I've posted a label I did for my Dad. He works for a major industrial company, and during a team-building exercise, brewed a batch of amber Oktoberfest ale.

TTYL!

Happy Halloween (again!)

2009-11-01T10:06:00.002-06:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
You like? Nikki came up with this idea- Franken-Fetus! Ain't he adorable?
(No LEGO man today- I just wanted to show this l'il stinker off!)

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 11

2009-10-30T15:49:00.005-05:00

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, prolific Russian writer, was among the first to tell the world about the Gulags in Siberia. While speaking out against the USSR, he was not in favor of democracy as an alternative, as the Russian character is theoretically not suitable for Western-style republicanism. He died a few years ago.

Happy Halloween! Tomorrow, Nikki and I are going to a Halloween/Birthday party as Steam-Punk Pirates. I'll post pics soon after. Our costumes are pretty awesome.

Jp, his girlfriend Megan, and I've taken the plunge and bought studio space at the Steven's Square Center for the Arts, a Minneapolis arts organization. Rent's reasonable, distance not outrageous, and what I'm excited about is a space where if I get the floor a little messy, it won't be a big deal. I'm hoping to get back into painting and charcoal drawing!

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 10

2009-10-26T14:32:00.003-05:00

A Russian Cosmonaut, roughly in the 1950's (getting a clean reference photo in colour is a whole lot harder than it should be). I could've done the first human in space (Yuri Gagarin), but I felt that this series has been dominated by specific people, and it's refreshing to not caricature-ize this minifig.

October 25th was Boo Bash, a halloween celebration hosted by many, many businesses all along Saint Paul's Grand Avenue, and Wet Paint wasn't an exception. For our part, we offered free face painting. The above picture was a group of kids and their mom/friend's mom, of whom I drew a third eye on their foreheads. I'm pleased with the one on the mom.

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 9

2009-10-23T14:31:00.002-05:00

Kolkhoznitsa, or a peasant/farmer woman, often depicted as the young, vaginal, virtuous, and idyllic Soviet ideal of communal farm living.

I'm planning on throwing some ideas for my halloween card later today or tomorrow. Keep your eyes peeled!

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 8

2009-10-18T00:25:00.003-05:00

Vladimir Putin, in his KGB days. This, if my research isn't totally bogus, is what a KGB's Class-A looked like. I gave him a AK-47 cause Putin looks badass with heavy artillery.

I've gotten the next few of these lined up, and I'm close to finishing this series. The next one I'm plotting is "Indigenous Peoples," focusing on minority ethnic groups, such as the Sami (Lapp), Utari (Ainu), Khakassians, Hmong/Mong/Miao, and Australian Aboriginal. I'll include a few Native Americans for good measure.
You might notice multiple versions of the groups names, including ones they might take exception to, but I'm including them to help people who might be more familiar with that name, and encourage them to use the preferred nomenclature.
In choosing, I'm going to only include groups that still exist, have a distinctive cultural costume or flourish, and at least one from each continent.

More to come!

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 7

2009-10-07T16:43:00.005-05:00

Gorby!
Quick- what do you remember about this man: his freeing up of the media and more or less bringing communism to an end in the USSR, or that birthmark? If you picked the latter, then Wiki this guy (and [tongue-in-cheek] shame on you!).

Somewhere online, there's a picture of Gorbechev and Obama meeting in the white house a few months ago. It's pretty awesome!

Cool, huh? Jp and I've been getting into Godzilla big time for the last couple of weeks. I'm most pleased with the Gigan, but I think the traditional Godzilla (as opposed to Space Godzilla) is a better crowd pleaser.

Despite it barely becoming the middle of October, we're getting ready for Christmas here at Wet Paint. We had this shipment of this utterly charming German paper activity kit, a Bastelbox by Folia. Really cute, but determining it as a regular stock or a holiday stock has been a talking point of cultural philosophy.

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 6

2009-09-24T01:05:00.003-05:00

Joseph Stalin! The big guy in Double Yew Double Yew Two! I had fun with this piece of work's mustache...
Sorry for getting out of the daily/near-daily update scheme. I'm working full time now (as I've mentioned), which makes things difficult when it comes to this...

I'm a Moleskine sketchbook fan myself, but at Wet Paint, we've been having fun with this sketchbook by Clairefontaine.

Here's what I've contributed to this community project. If you're in the Twin Cities, Saint Paul especially, drop by the store to contribute to this project! More at Wet Paint's website.

I'm going to try not to turn this blog into a venue to pimp art supplies I sell at Wet Paint, but this one is pretty cool: Yasutomo Hi-Glider. This is like a yellow-gel crayon that extends like a lip-stick stick, writes like a felt-tipped highlighter, can shade like a charcoal pencil, and get this: will not bleed or smudge. I'm just... wow, this thing is soooo cool!

On the 17th, my friends Jp, Andrew, Jason, and I went to the State Theatre in Minneapolis to see a live Kevin Smith Q&A. It was a blast, but I never got a chance to ask my question(s). If I had the chance, I would ask:

1) Desert island top five DVDs; You only get five discs, so choose wisely! If you want all four discs of the fourth season of The Simpsons,, then you get only one more disc. A collector's set or multi-disc don't count as one.
2) Who would play you in a bio-pic of your life; has to be an actor who's still alive, and at least 20 years within your actual age. For me? I'd love for Kevin Smith to play me.
3) Can you give me some advice on podcasting?

I had tons of fun, and watching Smith work the crowd was mesmerizing. Dick and fart jokes are better with a mixed group!

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 5

2009-09-11T10:49:00.003-05:00

Nikita Khrushchev; despite his calming effect and significant departure from the policies of Stalin, this guy was pretty wacky. He's an interesting icon, because all we remember of him for the most part is Bay of Pigs, and his famous lines at the United Nations of "Мы вас похороним!", or "We will bury you!" while banging his shoe on the desk. Further research says he had a lot more to say, and that the quote was poorly transliterated, but...

Job at Wet Paint is going great- what's funny is that I've been dropped into Back To School season, which is making the air charged with excitement and kinetic energy. Very stimulating, but also making me realize I need a new pair of shoes. Oof!

We recently picked this up at the store- Yoropen. We've had for a while the more expensive versions of this ergonomic pen, but now we've got the Yoropen pen and pencil for the masses. This things are great at $3.00 a pop.

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 4

2009-09-10T01:49:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the lack of daily updates- work and MN state fair, and Labor Day... Sigh... excuses excuses excuses!
Here's a Soviet soldier, circa WWII. His gun is an AVS-36.

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 3

2009-09-04T02:09:00.002-05:00

CCCP Olympic hockey player, circa 1980. Inspired by the movie "Miracle," you just have to be impressed by the Russian national team and their tactics. Some amazing skating.

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 2

2009-09-02T22:07:00.000-05:00

Brezhnev!

TTYL!

LEGO USSR 1

2009-08-31T22:14:00.003-05:00

To kick off the LEGO USSR series, I've decided to stat with the man who kicked off the actual USSR, Lenin!

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 15

2009-08-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

Last of the LEGO Zulu/Anglo War! Here we have a Boer!

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 14

2009-08-29T20:04:00.003-05:00

Coming up to the end of LEGO Zulu/Anglo War series- I like this volunteer's hat...
After a while, I decided to expand on this feller. He's most likely not a Zulu (like the previous one), and works as something similar to a deputy to the local police force/sherif force.

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 13

2009-08-28T14:23:00.001-05:00

A Natal volunteer- not a Zulu, per se.

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 12

2009-08-27T11:59:00.003-05:00

An officer with a baton- I'm least pleased with this ones' face... but I like the jacket he's wearing.

This Tuesday was my first day at Wet Paint, and yesterday was my second. I'm off today and tomorrow, and Saturday'll be my third!
There's a lot that I need to learn (brand/product-specific knowledge for one), but I think Wet Paint is going to be a good fit!

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 11

2009-08-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

A rather bedraggled English Soldier...

Next post, I'll tell you stories about my first two days at Wet Paint, and my time in Portland.

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 9, 10

2009-08-19T18:22:00.002-05:00

Making up some time I've missed while I've been internet-less at Craguns Resort near Brainard, Minnesota...

My intent with this happy fellow was that he has stolen an English soldier's uniform jacket, and augmented it with his own tribal gear.

One thing you might have noticed is that all of the Zulus (so far) have headdresses. So to make that work with the modular aspect of LEGO, and trying to keep the number of new/original pieces down, the warrior's headdresses all share a common circlet, modified with various paint-schemes and feathers. I think this one is one of my favorites so far.

I might not have a new one tomorrow; the drive back is going to be long, and I'm 98% sure I'm going to want to take a nap before going about packing for the next trip I'm going on, Portland! So, keep you eyes peeled.

I'm also considering what to do next. So far, the idea of doing a series based off the history of the USSR/CCCP would be fun: Stalin, Lenin, Trotsky, Putin (as a KGB spook), Gorbichev, Breschnev, 1984 Olympic hockey player, etc... We shall see.

TTLY!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 8

2009-08-15T21:52:00.001-05:00

Highlander infantry soldier!
I've found that I'll have wifi this weekend, so I'll be updating regularly!
More soon!

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 7

2009-08-14T22:47:00.001-05:00

English's turn- howzabout an officer of sorts?

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 6

2009-08-13T21:16:00.003-05:00

I've found employment at Wet Paint, one of the finer art supply stores in the Twin Cities! I'm very excited to work there, and it's going to be a blast!

Pretty soon, I'll be off for about a week for family-gatherings, so I probably won't be updating during that time. Probably. I might have internet access from the 20th to the 24th, but hard to say...

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 5

2009-08-12T17:11:00.003-05:00

Another Zulu Warrior...

Big shout out to Ali Stump; she gave me a big hand today learning some action script, and wow, code-writing is really, really tough. Big props to her for parsing all that jargon!

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 4

2009-08-11T12:49:00.003-05:00

English lancer- doesn't feature the classic red shirt, which means on an away mission, this guy will probably survive... (Star Trek reference)

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 3

2009-08-10T18:48:00.002-05:00

An English soldier- pretty basic infantryman. The challenge for this one was making a reasonable-looking gun AND bayonet...

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 2

2009-08-09T16:48:00.003-05:00

Another Zulu Warrior- tomorrow, shaking things up with an English trooper, or perhaps an Afrikaner from Port Netal.

This week, I'm working on a style-guide for the Harriet Alexander Nature Center (HANC); developing a consistent identity for HANC, regulating which font is used when, margins, colour choices that are harmonious, etc. I'll go into it more later.

TTYL!

LEGO Zulu-Anglo War 1

2009-08-08T18:40:00.003-05:00

I'm fascinated with the Zulu/Anglo Wars of the late-1800's; it's a turbulent time for the whole world, and I respect the might of the Zulu Kingdom- its organization, warfare, costumery, and its meritocracy with non-royalty.

So I've decided this next series of LEGO Mans [sic] is going to focus on that time of history.

Nikki and I spent last night at the St. Paul Irish Fair on Harriet Island. Great gathering of Irish culture, fair food, Irish music and dance, rugby/soccer exhibitions, and boxing. Also plenty of things to buy. Took some time to do some set dancing, and plan on going back tomorrow for some more!

TTYL!

Last LEGO Kabuki Man

2009-08-06T16:30:00.002-05:00

So this is the last LEGO man of the Kabuki Series. Starting this weekend, I'm going to start LEGO Zulu Wars. I've been posting everyday so far, but tomorrow is going to be absent; I'm going to be at Irish Fest with Nikki and her family for most of the day in Minneapolis, dancing at the céili that happens there every year, among other diversions.

I might even have photos...

TTYL!

LEGO Kabuki, and Other Stuff

2009-08-05T11:00:00.003-05:00

This figure from the Kabuki stage is a helpful commoner who assists the hero by hatcheting a mooring cable on a river ferry. I couldn't replicate his hair properly, so I did some guess work.

Only one more to go, and then I start on LEGO Zulu Wars!

The job hunt continues, with some helpful mentoring and guidance. I've been looking at companies in California as well as here in Minnesota, and the art of tailoring my personal-self pitch has been a fun and challenging enterprise.

I actually finished this weeks ago and delivered it weeks ago [sic redundancy], but haven't put it up on this blog before (I think). So this was a birthday gift commission, playing up the couple's shared interest in poodles, pottery throwing, and stand-up comedy. Pretty fun job! I do commissions like this, too, if you out there in IRL-Land need a snappy gift...

In a 180 degree turn, a few days ago, while I was on a walk, I saw the most amazing thing. But before I can tell you it, a little back-story is necessary:

There is a strip mall on Lexington Avenue and the corner of Larpentuer Avenue in Roseville, MN. It's got the usual handful of shops and restaurants, all of varying degrees of success. On this strip, there are probably 4 or 5 empty stores, but stores like the Dairy Queen (the first in Minnesota!), Key's Cafe, Embroidme, and Music-Go-Round make it easy to ignore the blank fronts.

One of these fronts was filled in with a Little Caesars pizzeria.
So what? A new pizza place? Who cares? Well, Little Caesars evidently does- what went on in the first week was jaw-dropping, starting from less-awesome to most-awesome:
1) Kids standing on the corner waving big orange foam hands with a deal printed on the palm.
2) Some schmuck in a Little Caesar mascot suit to wave at traffic.
3) A popular-hits radio station van with drawings and a spin wheel
4) Hot-air balloon on the roof (sort of like the kind at used car lots)
5) Night-time searchlights

This where I tell you the most amazing thing, that I saw on my walk, that Little Caesars did:
6) A biplane with banner circling the general area.

A BIPLANE! Who advertises with a planes these days? Who has that kind of money? Well, evidently Little Caesars does, and I've chosen to take that as a sign that things ARE getting better. Naive? Probably, but in times like this, when something amazing happens, you have to stand back and notice it.

TTYL!

Kabuki LEGO Man- OG Dancer

2009-08-04T16:03:00.002-05:00

This fella's from a dance called Shofudatsuki Kongen Kusazuri, which I swear to god will yield only two reference photos. More, less LEGO-y, soon!

TTYL!

Kabuki LEGO man, Saki Seller

2009-08-03T14:00:00.001-05:00

I haven't found any records that show that this play still exists, but it once did, so that's good enough for me!

TTYL!

LEGO Kabuki, 20th Century-Style

2009-08-02T11:33:00.002-05:00

This is from "Kurozuka," which was first performed in 1939, which might explain the colour scheme...

TTYL!

Kabuki LEGO Man

2009-08-01T14:39:00.001-05:00

I had intended to stop with this one, but I think I'll do a few more. I found some really swell wood-blocks to use as referance.

TTYL!

Kabuki Man, LEGO

2009-07-31T23:58:00.002-05:00

This is the legendary Robin-Hood-of-Japan, Goemon Ishikawa. Many many many pop-culture tidbits have been made with this historical figure (a new movie for instance), and you guessed it, a Kabuki play. Well, several, actually. Only one is performed nowadays, and I swear to god, it is impossible to find a photograph of an actor in costume. So this one is relying on woodblock-prints of actors hundreds of years ago.

TTYL!

Kabuki LEGO WO-Mans!

2009-07-30T14:51:00.001-05:00

This character, Kiyohime, is from a strange play called "Musume Dojoji." Originally a beautiful young girl, she turns into a fire-breathing snake when her lustful advances on a celibate priest are rejected. Pretty wild.

TTYL!

Kabuki, LEGO-style

2009-07-29T00:10:00.001-05:00

The hair indicates a woman, but in reality, it's a man in drag- he has tattoos of a criminal! Gasp!

TTYL!

Kabuki Man number 5

2009-07-28T17:07:00.004-05:00

Kabuki man 5- I think I'll do another four, and then move on to another history- maybe Zulu/English wars or Hindu gods. We shall see!

In another bit of news (personal), I'm going to attempt to give up soda pop. Mostly for my health, partially for the money. We'll see how powerful my will power is!

TTYL!

LEGO man Kabuki- Lions!

2009-07-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

This time a two-fer.

TTYL!

Kabuki LEGO 3

2009-07-27T00:02:00.002-05:00

Third times the charm, I'm on a roll!

TTYL!

Kabuki LEGO Man(s)

2009-07-25T23:56:00.003-05:00

Another Kabuki LEGO man.

I've been trying to keep it simple, but finding reference photos (CLEAR reference photos) has been a pain in the rear. Next up, Benkai?

TTYL!

LEGO, Kabuki-Style

2009-07-25T00:24:00.002-05:00

Part 1 of what should be a long series of "custom" LEGO figures!

TTYL

Animation Test

2009-07-17T16:01:00.004-05:00

© Steve Robbins 2009

I've been doing this animation un-efficiently (one frame at a time almost), but it's been fun to day anyway. I'll be adding sound soon (or trying my hand at it).

Like the other one before it, I've kept it from a dizzying loop. Refresh to watch again- Comments greatly appreciated!

TTYL!

Animation

2009-07-10T02:32:00.012-05:00

After a wonderful Fourth of July weekend, I went back to the grindstone that is hitting the pavement. I've been fixing up my resume, cover letter, etc, and doing what I can to make the magic happen!

As you can see above, I've been kicking around on Flash. I've set it to play only once, so if you want it to replay, then you'll have to refresh the blog. I'm still learning Actionscript 3.0.

Speaking of which, I spent 4 hours(!) trying to figure out how to make the URL at the end send you to my website (www.comicartiststeve.com), but alas, not one website was helpful in getting the formula for URL linking through Actionscript work. GD. Well, still giving it a shot, but not until much later.

Today is a group show at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar in Lowertown Saint Paul on Broadway and Prince. It should be quite an evening. Some of my work is going to be shown there, along with some CVA (College of Visual Arts) grads. Hope to see you there!

TTYL

Linendoll's Beer, Job Hunting, and Billy Mays: Three Aggressive Things

2009-06-30T09:32:00.006-05:00

Cool, huh? This beer doesn't exist. I mean, it's real in the sense that I've constructed these labels, and took photographs, and designed a logo to go with them, but this beer doesn't exist as an actual beer you can buy.

I've designed this beer to have Hoogie and Stiff sell it, and I've been learning Flash to make commercials to show off their antics. I'm pretty please how this is looking so far!

I've been job-hunting again, as well.

I want to find a job in character design, product design, comics, storyboarding, and illustration. I'm looking for non-internship entry-level positions.
I offer my ability to quickly absorb the important features of a project, and then use my years of geeky experience and passion for detail to develop and strengthen the finished result.

RIP, Billy Mays. Your loud, direct, husky voice was fun to impersonate, and I've spent many a sleepless night contemplating whether or not to shell out the dough to buy a Quick Chop™- it does look like it would save me time when I need to dice ice... :)
(photo from www.greenfaucet.com)

TTYL!

Book Review = mascots!

2009-06-20T20:49:00.009-05:00

I picked this book up not too long ago, a week or two before the time of this writing. I love it, and I felt like saying my piece about it. But before I can gas on and on about Ad Boy (AB), I need to preface this review with the previous book by Warren Dotz and Masud Husain:

I first encountered Meet Mr. Product (MMP) in a museum gift shop in Chicago, probably 4-5 years ago. I was compelled by this thick little book, because it had page after page of cartoon characters. Bizarre, funny, and compelling, sweeping a wide dearth of topics from spark plugs to defunct fast food chains to slush drinks. I fell in love with the strangeness of it all, since, as a product of direct marketing using mascots, these... creatures (for lack of a better word) were at once familiar, and shocking in the alienness of it all (and I say it in such a good way).

AB and MMP feature wonderfully spotlighted mascots- here's a few:

(sexy)

(grim)

(popular with boomers)

(also sexy)

(no comment)

(unfairly killed before his time...)

(believe it or not, Pizza Hut has a mascot, too!)

(poor fella- this one isn't from the book, but I wouldn't have known about with out MMP. Awww...)

Each page has great, detailed images and a brief description of the origin of that image (such as a hand puppet or promotional pin). And really, it's a wonderful way to show off what we buy this book for. Dotz and Husain deliver the mascot, and don't clutter it up with unnecessary copy or (heh) the product itself.

The layout of AB is very different from MMP. Since the book is bigger, it allows for more room for "longer" images (such as that corn dog ad). Bigger gives it more detail. It's also broken down into categories, not by general products selling (such as maintenance, food, public services), but by mascot types (cows, dogs, Indian Maidens, snowmen). I found this to be a better way of finding what you're looking for.

However, I what I don't like about AB is what they nail down with MMP, which is a sense of style in their layouts. Not that I think that everything should be boxed up, but a grid does keep the pages cleaner, and reduces negative space, which pops up more than once in AB.

MMP also includes a very informative and long-ish essay on mascots and their importance in America, something that is lacking in AB (the long and informative, in-depthness. There is an intro, though, don't get me wrong on that!). But since I recommend you read both, is more of a personal preference than an criticism.

To tell you how much these books have influenced me, I've started work on a portfolio piece- sort of an homage to limited animation characters of the 50's-60's, selling with relatable cartoony characters. All that's keeping me back is that I'm still learning Adobe Flash.

Thank god for Lynda.

TTYL!

Website update, Video Game Concept, and Flash

2009-06-11T11:59:00.003-05:00

I've updated my website (http://www.comicartiststeve.com/) it is a lot more cleaner and organized- go check it out!

I've decided to show off the cast list for a graphic adventure concept I've been developing for a while (or at least a a partial view of the cast!).

I show this off to announce that I've gotten my hands on a copy of Adobe CS4, which includes Flash. I've got some ideas of what I want to use it for, the above game concept included, but now I need to learn how to use it!

Not long ago, I finished reading The Belgariad and The Melorean series by David Eddings. Great books. My dad read them to me when I was a wee lad, and I've read them as an adult. If I have kids, I'll read these to them.
Anyway, I've thought about what a comic-book treatment would be of these books, and jotted some sketches down. I'm pleased with how Beldin came out (the one on the bottom of the left).

NEXT UPDATE:
"Ad Boy," a book of advertising mascots, came out recently, and I'm going to write a review. Keep your eyes peeled!

TTYL!

Addendum with Simpsons!

2009-06-04T10:09:00.003-05:00

I wanted to include this from the lectures the other day.

I had included a famous Charles Adams comic:

: as an example of other comic-making/showing-off opportunities. Isn't that awesome? Look at Fester's face! Disgusting glee with insatiably irresistible charisma! What the hell are they watching?

Anyway, one of the kids goes on to correctly identify that comic as being the inspiration for this scene:

"It's funny 'cause I don't know them!"

This kid listens to Simpsons commentary tracks! A 6th grader so geeky he listens to commentary tracks! I love it! Someone to keep the faith alive that one day, the show will return to it's former glory!

So, Kid, I salute you.

TTYL!

Lecture/Going Back

2009-06-02T17:30:00.004-05:00

I more or less just woke up after taking a nap, after speaking to three classes of 6th graders about comics.

The media specialist at Parkview Center School, my elementary alma matter, has been very proactive about exposing the kids there to graphic novels and comics, and has been very successful. She introduced me to one of the teachers, and we agreed on having me lecture about what I do, and to help impart useful tips in a unit they've been working on about comics.

I spent each hour explaining why "Nancy" and "Archie" (more on him later) are the essence of comics, exposed them to some awesome European artists, showed off some examples of my work, and gave a layman's explanation of composition, negative/positive space, and what happens in the gutter between the panels.

One of the things I enjoyed was randomly calling on students (especially the bored looking ones- though I tried to avoid being boring!) to explain why a page worked, or what drew their eye where. Some of the kids got it right away, others... didn't. But it was good fun.

In the middle, I had them do one of these (blank ones can be found at my website, www.comicartiststeve.com/). This one was actually drawn in by Don Rosa, who did the wonderful series, "The Life and Times of Uncle $crooge."

In Short, It was a blast!

On the other hand, I had not been in that building since 1998 (or so)(Parkview is a K-8 school). While most things look the same, the things that had changed were really apparent. The lectures were given in my old 3rd-grade homeroom, and in addition to the old Apple ][ and Lisa's being gone, the chalk board was covered by a SmartBoard. So basically, I could draw on top of my powerpoint presentation! How cool is that?

But what got to me emotionally was the trees.

In 1996 or so, the school made a big deal about planting various trees (Earth Day/Arbor Day/Peace Day...). These little saplings, which were tiny when I was a lad, have grown very tall, and very beautiful, in the many years since. It made me feel old, but in a good way.

OH! In other news, the Hudson book is done. Done-done. I finished and delivered it last Monday. Excitement...

TTYL!

2009-05-22T11:25:00.003-05:00

I missed a few updates, so here's the last two week's worth from City Pages. Are they working? Not sure, but it's fun to see the ads printed.
Speaking on City Pages, Last night was their Best of the Twin Cities party. Delicious food, free drinks, good music, and discovering that I'm pretty good at seven card stud poker. I don't have the info immediately at hand, but the restaurants presenting there were amazing. A blue-cheese slider? Mmm...

I finished the Hudson book not too long ago. I can't post pics of the final pages, so here's part of the rough-draft. Final looks much different, but kind of gives an idea...

I wrote down a list of what I need to do for a plethora of projects- better start now, eh?

TTYL!

Wow, it's been a while...

2009-05-14T23:16:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry I've been off the wagon when it comes to not-updating-any-of-my-outlet-ahol. I've picked up a part-time job at Linder's Gardening Center, and it's been eating me alive!

Not much has happened, to be honest, in the last two weeks. I've been working the day-job(s), and spending my evenings working on the Hudson book. Here's a sample I think I can show off:

Here's a thing I've been developing for a portfolio piece:

I'll keep you all up to date as this idea develops further...

TTYL!