Well, it’s about time I posted something special to honor the Great Old Ones! Here’s my contribution to the good ol’ pumpkin carving tradition…a pulpy gourd with a carven image of a pulpy fictional deity. I’ll tell you one thing…this took me forever to do, but the taste of Cthulhu’s pumpkin seeds baked with a little salt and soy sauce was a great pay-off! Thanks for the delicious snacks Cthulhu…you’re the best.
Here’s a frightening situation I would never want to be in…which is why I went the whimsical route. Nothing eases one's fear like doofy googley-eyes...eh, I’d still be terrified. I mean, how could it get any worse? (thunder rolls and a storm darkens the horizon) Oh, crud!
This is a concept illustration of a hybrid creature from one of my personal stories. He’s one of the faulty hybrids, but he’s still useful for his brute strength. Hopefully I’ll finish writing the story in its entirety, and will be able to put out a few animated shorts from this world.
This is a commission project for BusinessLocalListings.com. This quirky sea dog is the company’s mascot, and his name is Cap’n BLL (Captain Bill). He’s got hooks for hands and pegs for legs! He's great at parties.
This is a video, with some minor animation, that I made for my best friend, Andy. He is currently serving in the armed forces and is stationed in Qatar! I couldn’t send him a present, but at least my wife and I were able to send him some warm wishes via the inter-webs! Happy birthday, Andy. We love you!
So I’m guessing my affinity to scary movies had something to do with the fact that parental discretion was not properly exercised in my family. I remember watching The Exorcist at a the ripe age age of 7 or 8 years old. Either way, that’s way too young to be watching a movie like this! Hah hah! I remember having anxiety every time I heard the music from this movie, and there was no way I’d be eating my mom’s pea soup for at least a month. The worst is that scene where that weird-creepy face pops up in the shadows. Oh gosh! I remember not wanting to open my eyes in my darkened bedroom for fear of seeing it on my ceiling. In retrospect, this movie isn't that scary. However it definitely made other scary movies look like Disney flicks at the time. So "The Exorcist," bad on the nerves, but good for building…character?
Here are a couple of thumbnail landscapes I made with pencil, marker, and watercolor. I wanted to get a good feel for the color palette and composition before illustrating. Although I’m not actually going to illustrate these landscapes, it’s good practice to help stay limber. Although you never see a lion limber-up before he takes down his prey...something to think about.
I needed a fun lil' illustration for my gallery, so I pooped this out. I imagine this portrait hanging over the mantle at Mama Cthulhu’s house…she’s probably really proud of her boy.
Ever since I could remember, I’ve always loved being scared and I especially love monsters! When I was a kid I would pretend that monsters lived under every piece of furniture and in every dark corner of the house. I would pretend that huge beasts roamed the forest near my grandparents house, and that I was the guardian that kept them there. However at the same time I was afraid of the dark! I would constantly ask my older brother to walk me to the bathroom at night, or go into dark rooms ahead of me to turn the lights on. At bedtime I hated turning the lights off and trying to get under the covers before darkness enveloped the room. Hah! Some guardian I was. But I loved it, and whenever I wanted a thrill I would just let my imagination run wild! I quickly learned that there is some kind of attraction to fear that, I think, we’re all born with. Monsters have always symbolized something big and scary that you have to conquer, and I think that’s rather appropriate. You see, in life, it’s only through conquering our fears and struggles that we can truly change and grow. So since October seems to be the month when monsters are everywhere, here’s an illustration dedicated to the monsters in my life…BEWARE, FOR SOON I WILL CONQUER YOU!
No, Damon! Don’t go into the light! This is a quick illustration of Damon, a character from a huge story that I am writing. The story is a labor of love that I’ve been working on it since I was 15 yrs. old. I’m constantly revising and changing it as I grow. It’s shaping up quite nicely. If you want to see a test animation from this story check out this scene where the main character, Gideon, fights an armored beast.
Here’s a Deep One from Lovecraft’s novella, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” They’re described as frog/fish-men. So I logically mashed together the characteristics of a man, a frog and a prehistoric fish to come up with this monstrosity. Imagine this guy pulling on your leg at the beach! Who wants to swim out to the sand bar now?
Here’s a quick little illustrated advert for my wife’s blog, Ganda-Ganda. The word “ganda” is the short form of the Tagalog word “maganda (mah-gan-dah),” which translates to “beautiful.” So basically her blog name translates to “beautiful-beautiful.” She’ll be posting tons of photos of all our travels, eats and holiday themed goodness. So drop by her blog and tell her how much you like it!
So I was originally going to post an illustration of some sort from the novella “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” but it just wasn’t happening. So I guess that illustration will have to wait. In any event, here’s good old Ithaqua the Wind-Walker from August Derleth’s short story ”Ithaqua”. If you see this guy lurking in the background you might as well make peace with God and call it quits.
I had to create an animation for the virtue of “Service,” as in sacrificially serving others. I instantly thought of this amazing French restaurant my wife and I ate at for our anniversary. Their service and food was excellent! My favorite two dishes were the duck and the dessert. I can’t remember specifically what they were called, but they were top notch! Unfortunately the place closed down recently, however the memory of our experience there will live on. This illustration was a simple concept piece of what the animation would look like.
So why is this place called “Hairy at the Heels?” You’re right to say that the phrase is characteristically British. It originated in the late 19th century as a reference to horse racing. It was said that a horse having too much “hair around the heels” was of poor breeding, and people would often bet against these horses. So you can imagine it didn’t take much to shift this saying, figuratively, to humans. In all honesty I’ve always felt a bit “hairy at the heels,” a little ill-bred, like the world is betting against me. I think we all have at some point or another.
So I’ve decided to take this saying and turn it on it’s head! “Hairy” has a variety of meanings: wild, unusual, dangerous, unpredictable and weird. Safe to say, at certain times, I can be described as having one or two of those characteristics. However, like a samurai, I’m taking all these traits and channeling them to accomplish things of great beauty. The way I see it, life is very unpredictable and fraught with potential for disaster and triumph; and sometimes, to survive, I think we all need to be a little “hairy at the heels.”
We'll guys it's finally here! I've finished what I set out to do with my free time, and it was a good journey. I really enjoyed this project and learned a lot. For now I leave you with the animation and the solemn promise that the next one will be even better. Thanks for all the support!
This is a small music video that I made a while ago, but never posted. The song is "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn & Paul. Enjoy the goofiness of this husband and wife duo.
Since I produce a kid's show, I always try to pay attention to what the tots of America are watching these days. That's when I found "Yo Gabba Gabba." I was instantly hooked! I did a little research and found that the show was produced and created by some of my favorite artists and musicians. I quickly realized this show wasn't just crack for kids, but crack for geeks like me as well! I said to myself, "Man, where were shows like this when I was growing up?!" Then I felt it, the overwhelming sense of betrayal to my own childhood. I was brought up on shows like "Sesame Street," "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," and "3-2-1 Contact!" Now here I was, bedazzled by the glamor and glitz of "Yo Gabba Gabba"...stabbing my childhood shows right in the back. I was joining a gang, signing up to be a "Gabber," if you will. I could see it now, DJ Lance Rock leading a mob of rainbow-colored ruffians through "Sesame Street" and "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," taking what they felt was theirs. It didn't matter if you had a juiced-up snuffleupagus on your side, or a trolley for drive-bys, it was judgement day and the streets ran red with blood, yellow feathers, and purple-panda fur.