The busy season.

The month of January isn't over and already 2010 is getting off to a great start. I've been busier than I have ever been and big projects are coming my way almost every week. It's been a good month so far.

At the moment, I'm busy inking the Cobalt "Pregnant Insect" design. This design has been in the works for months now with Erik, Phillip, and I communicating back and forth on the final design. It should be done in the next week and Phillip said that they will be printing the shirts soon after its completion. I will post the image and link to purchase the shirts when they are for sale.

The sketch detail above is from the new "Bastard Samurai" design for High On Fire. I've been working on some new designs for them for a few weeks and have two solid sketches that will be used along with a couple more ideas that are still to come. To help the process along, Des has sent me the High On Fire "Snakes For The Divine" album. It is amazing! I love High On Fire and have liked the last couple of albums, but this album is as solid as they come. The music combined with Matt's descriptive lyrics are invaluable when coming up ideas for designs. I have to thank Des for getting that to me me early. It helps so much. So, on February 23rd go out and pick up "Snakes For The Divine." It's damned worth it.

  

I was informed this week that Bad Acid Magazine tab 9 will be out April 1st worldwide. Bad Acid Magazine is out of the UK and run by a super-cool guy named Dave. The magazine is incredible. It's filled with interviews, reviews, news, new bands, old bands, obscure bands, you name it. Plus each issue comes with a CD filled with tons of bands and a DVD that contains interviews, videos, short films, and art galleries. Not to mention that tab 9 features a cover, an interview, and an art gallery done by yours truly. I was told to find some music to accompany my art slideshow so I need to find a heavy band that will go with the mood of the art. We'll see who answers the call.

Ryan Kasparian from Blackbird Clothing Company (www.blackbirdclothingco.com) e-mailed a month ago to ask if I would be interested in working with BCC in the coming year. Here it is and yes, I am now working with Ryan and BCC. Ryan seems like a cool guy and he does some great work. I'm pretty amped to join the roster of sick artists that BCC already has. It should be a good time and it looks like it may lead to a collaboration with Ryan in the near future. Ryan will also be the one printing my design for Kuma's Corner when it's ready.

And last but not least, I received a call from Phillip Cope the other day and he asked me if I would like to design the cover for the new Kylesa album due out later this year. Of course, I said YES! From talking to Phillip it looks like the cover art will be a bit different from what I am used to doing, but it'll be a great challenge and will make me think outside of the arena of my normal habits & subject matter. I am looking forward to it and can't tell you how happy that news made me! They are one of my favorite bands and a great group of people. It should be a fun process.

That's all for now.

The Collaboration.

The idea was conceived two years ago when I e-mailed Tom Denney (www.tomdenney.com/) to tell him how I liked his work. We began talking in emails and phone calls and I finally just asked him if he would be into working on a collaboration. He quickly sketched some things and sent ideas back and forth for a bit before he sent me his inked portion of the piece. It took me a little over two years to finish it, but it is now finished. Damn. I just sent the image to Denney and I hope that he will add some color to it. It's done, it looks good, and we're both happy with the outcome. I'm now looking forward to the collaboration with Jon Baizley.

 The collaboration design IS for sale. So, if you need a cover, here it is.

New year. New decade.

 Happy New Year! I just wanted to wish all of you good luck in the new year and look forward to the ever growing output of art from all of my friends and heroes. 

 Plenty of stuff coming out in 2010. This year I'll be working with Blackbird Clothing Company, Kuma's Corner, and even more bands. Keep an eye out and I'll keep you posted on what's to come. 

 Also, Lesbian, Harkonen, and Shining Ones tore it up at The Comet last night. It was a great way to enter the new year! 

I'm working on it.

The past 2 weeks, I've been taking some time to sketch out several of the projects that I've had on my schedule. I've made so much progress in that time and only have a few more designs to sketch out, but needed to take a break. How do I decide to take a break? By working on and hopefully completing the collaboration piece Tom Denney (http://www.tomdenney.com/). I've had a rough year and that's led to most of the procrastination on the design, but I really want to get it finished before the new year. As soon as it's done, Tom said that a friend of his in Chicago wants to make prints of them and maybe even make it the centerpiece in a joint art show in LA and/or Seattle.

  For the design, Tom has drawn up one of his signature women and left the background to me. As you can see in the pic, I'm detailing the crow at the lower left. Sorry that it's taken so long, Tom. It'll be done soon.

SketchFest.

   The weather has been cold and I love that I haven't had to go out into it. Having the time to work on art everyday is one of the best things that I could have done. So, having all of this time I've been sketching my ass off. With so many projects on the schedule I decided to take a few weeks to sit down and sketch out several projects. That way, I would have the designs ready to ink when the time comes. 

 

I've finished the Lamb Of God sketch that was influenced off of the lyrics to "Choke Sermon" and am waiting for Mark to get back to me on when to start inking it. 

  

The sketch for Cobalt called "Pregnant Insect" was finished and approved yesterday. Even though it's a go on the design, I'm waiting until I have all of my sketching done before I start inking. Here is a detail from the center of the design.

  I also completed a border for Kylesa's "Only One II" design. The design was used for the front of their new tour hoodie and Phillip asked if I could draw them a cool border to go with the design so that they could use it for a shirt on their tour early in the new year. I ended up adding a ribcage border, as the original picture and idea behind "Only One II" was that of the empty space in ones heart. I wanted the scene to extend itself into the border so the heart is continuing through the ribs, as well as the clouds. I extended the ropes that are binding the heart so that they were anchored on to a few of the ribs. Laura already voiced her approval and I'm happy that the image will have some new life breathed into it. Here is a detail from that sketch.

Des just sent me the track listing and lyrics for the new High On Fire "Snakes For The Divine" album and I've already figured on three ideas for designs. While I'm working on that, I'll also be working on a shirt design for Kuma's Corner Restaurant/Bar ( http://www.kumascorner.com/ )in Chicago . What do these 2 things have in common you may ask? Well, Kuma's menu features delicious burgers that are named after metal bands and they are having artists draw up a design for each band that is represented on their menu. I have the High On Fire burger, so while I'm sketching new shirt designs for HOF themselves, I'll also be creating a piece for Kuma's HOF burger during the same brainstorming sessions. I don't have to draw any food, but it has to be a design that reflects the band

and Kuma's. 

  

Another small design for Kuma's Corner is being worked on and more sketches are on the list. The sketch for Karim is in the placement stage, and a logo for Sanctus Bellum is being sketched over and over. I'll be glad when I can start inking them all.

I hope that everyone has a good holiday and is out there truly doing what makes them happy. Even in these trying times. I have a had a hard year turn into one of the best times in recent memory, and I look forward to what 2010 holds for me, my family, and friends. Thank those of you that have supported me and kept my head up during the low times. Thank you to the friends that I have made throughout the world like Kon from Greece,  Yuzuru from Japan, and all of the other artists and art fans that keep me going. Next year will only get better and I can't wait. 

  

 

Epic journies.

  It would figure that an album with the words EPIC JOURNIES would stand as a prophecy of what was to come. I've finished the SMAUG -"Epic Journies & the Riddle of Steel"  cd/lp cover after a year and it took all that I had in me to get it done. Alton commissioned me last November and It took 2 intense months of working on it to get just the line art done. I had the great idea that I was going to color this thing using the computer and started on a 3 week, no sleep, no fun, back breaking process. Then, all of the files corrupted. Gone. All of that work was gone in an instant and I lost it (inside). It was such an arduous time, that I hadn't been able to touch it in months and decided that if i was going to color it, it would be by hand . Now that I'm solely working on art I needed to complete the piece and get it off of my schedule. I took the last week to sit at the ole' art table and put this cover to rest. Alton liked the finished product and is looking for a label to help them put it out. He said that they wanted to have it released on vinyl and with all of the detail within this design it'll be a perfect size to showcase the artwork.

  I am also able to work on my schedule and have started to sketch out the next 5-8 projects. I am trying to play a little catch up and have the sketches ready to go when I need to have them. Today, I completed the sketch for the Lamb Of God "Choke Sermon" design and sent it off to Mark for approval. Below is a detail image of the sketch.

  In the meantime, I'm sketching a shirt design for Karim at I'm Better Than Everyone Records, a border for the "Only One II" design for Kylesa, a shirt design for Cobalt, a  High On Fire 3 sided shirt design, a logo for Sanctus Bellum, and a few designs for Kuma's Corner of Chicago. I also will have shirt designs and prints available soon. I'm busy and rested and haven't felt this good in a long while. The Smaug cover is done. All seems right with the world........................for now. 

Free of work and Kicking Korners.

  It's December and I'm once again working for myself. This time, things are coming together and the projects are plentiful. I'm working on getting some t-shirt, hoodies, baby clothing, prints, and a leap into doing colored/painted pieces (as well as the b&w designs). I'll keep posting more info on the merchandise as it becomes available.  

  As for the job, I did enjoy working at the print shop, but realized how much time it consumed and took away from art.  It was getting far too hard to keep up with the schedule that I had and I ended up having to apologize to people and assure them that I wasn't slacking on their art. It's hard to work all day, commute an hour back and forth, and come home and  work on art until I passed out. It takes a toll on the body and I just couldn't keep doing that to myself. So, here I am. Once again. Working on art. Nothing could be better.

   One of the first things that I was able to do was a cover for one of my best friends' band. They're called Suburban Korner Kick and they play indie rock with some similarities and sound akin to fIREHOSE. That would make sense as one of the main writers in the band is from Ohio. This is the second cover that I've been able to do for him  (2007's Plan B: To Linger, Remain, Or Persist)  and it's been a nice change of pace working with a band of a different genre. Both covers have

 been a change in that I am out of my element in making more simplified designs. For the new cd, Maybe Tomorrow, Chris and I went over many ideas before reaching the final design. The cds were ready before hand and the art on them featured a bison in a field. We wanted to tie the cd art in with the cover in some way and thought of the idea of expanding the field on the cover. The title helped to fill in the rest of the idea. What we ended up with was a nice country road with a line of phone/electrical poles running along side. The poles show the wear of being exposed to the elements in that they are sinking, crooked, and some of the lines have snapped. Seeing as the poles aren't cared for, they're just another place to hang some laundry out to dry. The only problem would be the storm on the horizon. The idea was that Maybe Tomorrow was part of the attitude to be contained in the design. The phone/electrical workers to lack of  keeping up maintenance on the poles. Maybe tomorrow. The storm is coming and the laundry needs to be taken off of the line. Maybe tomorrow. It's

 really not as serious as it sounds, though. The laundry on the line does add a nice comedic touch to the cover. The adding of the Suburban Korner Kick logo on the sign was a continuation from the first cover, where an astronauts air tank had the logo affixed to the side

  The back is an up close shot of some of the laundry on the line. Chris is going to add the song titles to the center of the shirt. You can check out their music at www.myspace.com/suburbankornerkick and http://www.nushrecords.com/