Happy Halloween

Even though it's one of my favorite holidays, I typically celebrate this one very quietly. I got to sketch a bit in the laundromat this evening, making a slightly naughty witch.

We All Need A Laugh

While catching up on billing this morning, I got into a discussion with a friend about in-fek-tus dance clips. And because we all need a good laugh from time to time... here are some of my fave moves:


Army of Lovers: When the Night is Cold


Elaine's Little Kicks: and yes this is how I dance at weddings


Alan Cumming Time After Time (hahahahaha)

and the best EVER

Claude François - Magnolia
Uploaded by unzip

Claude: Magnolias Forever

Ok, back to bills.

*******
NOTE
How could I forget this one!!!???

Bacara: I Can Boogie

Hallo-WOAH!

So, I've notice a mania that's developed over the past years. The pet industry has gone CRAZY. I mean, warehouse department stores for PETS? Seriously? Now, you all know, I love my animals. Dearly. I always have loved animals. But I think it's a tad on the insane side with the amount of gross marketing that comes with American pets now. Owning a chihuahua has made this EXTREMELY difficult. I like a giggle as much as the next person, but the most recent present from the niece and nephew is just plum silly!

And here is my homemade costume for the World Cup in 2006. She was routing for the Frenchies, thus why the coq motif. I'm totally sorry, that I am a part of the pet maddness, aren't I.

More Momotaro

We're finally getting into the nitty gritty of all the Peach Boy spreads. It's been fun, and I am really enjoying the oni!




Sorry for the short post, got to get back to another project!

Loved!

The one and only Dan Santat likes my blog! AWESOME! Apparently, this phenomenon has been travelling the interweb, and people are spreading the message about blogs they enjoy. I guess the rules are:

1. Add the logo of the award to your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3. Nominate 7 other blogs (book blogs?) and add their links to your blog

So here it goes:
1.) Benjamin Lacombe is an amazing French illustrator, and he NEVER disappoints.
2.) Gisele Jaquenod does it all, and in a crazy cute fashion.
3.) On My Desk offer a glimpse into some of the more creative places out there.
4.) Dots For Eyes, otherwide known as Maris is too cute to handle.
5.) Face Hunter offers me a bit of style.
6.) It's a Whimsical Life is the amazing Susan Mitchell. And I now own two of her little stuffies!
7.) Seeing Shiny Spots offers not only interesting jewelry advice, she's one funny lady!

I have a ton more of links I love, and feel free to check them out, over there on the right. Thanks again Dan. You the man! I'm your number one fan! SPAM!

Pumpkinhead, Makes Me Feel Fine

Fall has definitely arrived. Bone chilling mists, falling leaves, and the smell of firewood was in full force today. And the official change from light crisp ales to darker, more warming beers has also arrived. Today, I want to feature Pumpkinhead, brewed by the relatively new Shipyard.

Since 1994, Shipyard Brewing Company has been brewing fine quality products with a wide range of style profiles. All their beer is hand crafted from recipes developed by master brewer Alan Pugsley and entrepreneur Fred Forsley, some of the most influential people in the craft brewing movement in North America. I found a really great interview with the English-born brewmaster, in which he states, "We're now moving out nationally and getting great reviews. We're starting to fill niches in different areas where people can enjoy our beers and discover our styles of beer made with the Ringwood yeast. Our goal is ultimately to be available in all states. We're not out to conquer the world or be Sam Adams. We look for steady growth and on the beer side, consistently producing our world-class ales. We're here for the long haul and the Shipyard brand will be here long after Fred and I are dead and hopefully long after our grandchildren. We really believe in how this thing is branded."

Shipyard is available in 35+ states around the country and markets for our freshly brewed, hand-crafted beers continue to expand. In 2007, Shipyard Brewing Company shipped over 1,060,500 cases (82,641 barrels) of the award-winning, hand-crafted ales.
The total brewing capacity of the brewery is 140,000 barrels so they have the ability to double their production in the years ahead. Maine's largest brewery, it produces 12 varieties of award-winning English style and seasonal ales, in additon to seven flavors of hand-crafted Capt'n Eli's Soda.

Shipyard first began in 1992 at Federal Jack's Restaurant and Brew Pub in Kennebunk, which is one of Maine's original brew pubs and working breweries. Within two years, demand for Shipyard beer outpaced the small operation and, in April 1994, Forsley and Pugsley opened the Shipyard Brewing Company in the heart of the waterfront in Portland, Maine on the site of the former Crosby Laughlin Foundry.

Pumpkin Ale gets mixed reviews, but this is why I have grown to like it. Sometimes the specialty brews are way too overwhelming, and while their flavor is fine for one or two, they get nasty fast. The nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin flavor is very gentle, and allows for more consumption without the urge to purge. I enjoy it as a nice transition into the heavier beers of the winter season. It's totally worth a try. At least support the Maine-iacs!

Visit Shipyard Brewery here!

A New Addition

More tasks being crossed off the list! Thank goodness, because the eye twitch is coming back, BIGTIME. Freelance should really be called "No Matter What Happens, I'm in a Panicked State". When you do and don't have jobs, you're stressed and always hoping for the other. It's a chosen lifestyle of borderline insanity, and I wouldn't change it for the world!

This piece is for a birth announcement, and if you notice, the crystal clear did some more funky things. Upon sealing the oil layer, it instantly beaded up. After a few layers, I got it under control. Maybe it's the weather causing these mistakes?

Hurrah, Keep Working!

Two posts in one day! Been cranking out some work, even though I've been fairly quite with posts here. Trust me, the desk is swamped. This is a cover for a girl's magazine... due out in November I believe.

Holy Cuteness

A recent painting completed for a collection of vacation stories, this this is OOZING with cute, but I'd like to think that the color palette doesn't blow it into saccharine orbit. As I was painting this, I must have gotten a bad batch of Crystal Clear, because it failed to seal some parts of the wet oil layer, thus smudging a huge chunk of the image, and wasting HOURS of painting. That was a good time. I have since bought the triple thick Crystal Clear, and I hope that whole issue is out the door.

I kind of like Ratty and Toad here.

I Need Me A Patches!

HOLY HORSE SHOES!
Patches not only rides in convertables, but gets his human BEER! My animals are so LAME!

Studio Friends Gone Mad

So, we took a short break last night to make a video for Antoine. I wish I was more productive on breaks, like reading books, taking a walk, cleaning the studio... but no. I make my dog dance to MIKA.

Dodos and Dirigibles

These sketches are for upcoming chapter novels I have recently be signed onto. These stories are beyond cool, and I am not just saying that. I could not have written a story myself that includes all of the things I love: birds (dodos!), atlases, explorers, sketchbooks, compasses, dirigibles, Bedouin, post World War One era... But I am not going to show you too much, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Peach Boy in Color

Fall has quite literally exploded. School has started again at Montserrat, and in addition, this fall I start a new course at the Massachusetts College of Art. I've also got about five books in queue, with a few side commissions and cover jobs as well. Needless to say, I am keeping myself out of trouble, unlike this Oni pictured above! He's about to get a can of Whoop-Ass by our little hero, Momotaro! Hope everyone else is ready for apple picking and spiced cider. So long summer...

Munich and Back Again, a Murphy Tale

Well, it's been sometime since returning from Munich, but the memories are still vivid. In an attempt to not bore everyone to death with the small details of travel, I will structure this into a numerical hierarchy. Five favorite moments from the few days in the capital of beer. Make no mistake... that's basically what it is. So here we go.


5.) The Deutsches Museum:
This place is absolutely insane. The sheer scale of this place is enough to scare even the nerdiest of engineers. It is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.3 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. We're talking full sized planes, music instruments I know not the name of, huge looms, printing presses, and my favorite... a vast variety of clocks! Three hours in this exhausting monster, and you'll welcome the museum restaurant... and yes, you can repower with a nice tall malty brew. Here is a picture of a time measured candle. The balls were melted into the wax of a candle and as it burned, when they would fall, an hour would have been measured. I thought some of this older technology would come in very handy in post apocalyptic times.


4.) Bike Paths:
I can't remember the last time I got on a bicycle, but Munich's two wheeled passion is very impressive. If you plan on being a tourist there, for your own safety... STAY OFF THE BIKE PATH! They're nicely situated between the street and sidewalk, but the delineation between the pedestrian and bike lane is sometimes subtle. Munich-ians will ring the dickens out of the bell f you drunkenly stumble in their path, too. It's not just rooty tooty eco-freaks that ride. I saw 70 year olds buzzing around town, with packages from daily errands. With the amount of meats being consumed, staying active with your bike is probably the best decision.

3.) HOLY SAUSAGE:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anyone to point fingers at bad eating habits. Please, I come form the land of hot dogs and mac and cheese. But, I think it is fair for me to comment on the lack of vegetable matter in Germany. Sauerkraut does not count, although it is very tasty! We got a sampler platter of sausgae and cheese. If you thought sausages was simple, oh ho ho ho, you are mistaken friend! You can have mildy, sweet, spicy, long, short, soft, hard, with skin, without, in a sauce, in a pie, sliced, linked... it's really impressive. Now the cheese... perhaps because I judge it with France, its not the best. BUT a notable cheese to mention is Romadur. Sweet cherubs in heaven, I have never smelt then ATE something this bad. Because of the strong smell it’s often called “Stinkkäse“ or “Stinky Cheese”. Manure. It smelt like manure, people. I had to eat it, since the lovely German family who clued us into it, were all staring! No need to be rude.

2.) Biergartens:
Wow, I really can't think of a more relaxing way to spend a sunny summer afternoon. Here's a bit of a definition and history to these fine establishments. Beer gardens in Germany developed in Bavaria in the 19th century, during which dark lager beer was predominant. According to a decree by King Ludwig I, this had to be brewed during the cold months, since the fermentation had to take place at temperatures between four and eight degrees Celsius. In order to provide this beer during the summer, large breweries dug beer cellars in the banks of the river Isar, which allowed them to keep the beer cool. In order to further reduce the cellar temperature, the banks were covered in gravel and chestnut trees were planted, since their leaves provided good shade in summer. An example of the cellar architecture can still be seen at Augustiner Bierkeller, which was my favorite establishment. Soon after, the beer cellars were used not only to store but also to serve the beer. Simple tables and benches were set up among the trees, and soon the beer gardens were a popular venue for the citizens of Munich. This aggrieved the smaller breweries that remained in Munich. In order to prevent the further loss of customers, they petitioned Ludwig I to forbid that the beer cellars surrounding Munich to serve food. Thus, the patrons were allowed to bring their own food. This decree is no longer in force, and many beer gardens do serve food today, but families still come and enjoy the shade with a lovely family picnic. My favorite garten, was the Japanisches Teehaus in the English Garden. With an area of 3.7 km² the "Englischer Garten" is one of the world's largest urban public parks: it is larger than New York's Central Park. We'll talk more about that place later... but the impressive things about these biergartens is the people watching. AMAZING specimens. My favorite was a shaggy, tan blonde man, in the tiniest nuthugging lederhosen, rollerblades, and HOCKEY helmet. I watched him skate by with a large grin, order a liter and sausage, then skate to a little table to enjoy his sauagey wonder. It was beautiful. I regret not taking a picture. A few more things to mention... PRETZELS THE SIZE OF MY HEAD and amazing waitresses who can carry 4 liters in ONE HAND. Those girls deserve mad props.


1.) The English Garden:
Why is this number one over the biergartens?? Ok. I'll tell you why. Picture a gorgeous sunny Sunday. The city is so well designed, that even during a rush hour, it's never overwhelming. Same for a weekend in the park. The vast lawns easily attracted hundreds upon hundreds, while dog walkers and bikers flooded the wooded paths. While walking, we decided to catch a bit of sun on one of the lawns. Approaching the center, I saw a young girl laying face down with her top undone making sure she had no tans lines. I started joking saying I should snap a picture for the guy friends back home, when started to look further in the distance. Either they were all wearing flesh colored bathing suits or.... OMG! Everyone was NUDE! Antoine laughed and said I should capture the woman blowing her nose, but he failed to see the 70 year old man walking RIGHT AT US, free as a newborn babe. He near ran off the lawn, pushing me with him. I guess I should have read the section of the travel book about the Schönfeldwiese. Between the Monopteros and the Japanisches Teehaus lies the Schönfeldwiese (lit. "Beautiful meadows"). In this part of the Gardens nude sunbathing has been permitted since the 1960s, and believe me... they utilize every inch of that lawn. I thought it was the funniest thing ever. I recommend grabbing two Radler (lemonade and beer) liters at the Teehaus, and take a stroll through. Human zoo... only in München!

So if I were to give advice on your visit: warn your liver, pack a salad, and leave the swimming trunks at home, because in Munich, they let it all hang out!

Hooray for Masterpiece!

Only about a month and a half away from being released, the buzz about Masterpiece, written by Elise Broach, has already begun. I could not be more excited about it. It's my first illustrated chapter novel, and as I remember it, the action that occurred around us was insane, to be mild. It came to multiple hospital rooms, across oceans, in trains, while dog sitting... creating these illustrations almost seemed like the one thing that kept me grounded during a turbulent time.

And I cannot be more excited when the School Library Journal wrote these nice things about Elise's novel. Check it out. I really hope the best for this special book.

More Oni, More Problems You Got,

I really have been enjoying creating these slightly not so Kelly characters. I also love working for European publishers. Never before I have heard an editor say, "We need more scary, muscles, and weaponry." I love it. More importantly, Friday I head to the Mecca of all beer... MUNICH. Words can't describe how excited I am.

Mo' Momotaro!

Momotaro

According to the present form of the tale (dating to the Edo Period), Momotarō came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family). Years later, Momotarō left his parents for an island called Onigashima to destroy the marauding oni (demons or ogres) that dwelt there. En route, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest. At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the demons' leader, Ura, as well as his army, into surrendering. Momotarō returned home with his new friends, and his family lived comfortably from then on.

My latest job is to illustrate this ancient tale. We're only in the sketch stage but it has been fun!

Western Spaghetti by PES

This is just wicked cool.

New Market Station

Another painting for fun. Trying more and more to add a tangible environment. I so need a new scanner. Or clean the inside glass somehow. Sorry for the poor quality.