Thursday, February 25, 2010

Welcome to the Terrordome!

UPDATE: The Tyson/Douglas print can now be purchased here.

Okay, if you've been following my blog for a while, you may remember a Mike Tyson something-or-another post I made about a year ago. Well, here's where that project ended up. And no, I hadn't exactly worked on it nonstop for that entire year. This, my friends, is a case of what they call 'procrastination'. While I did have plenty of other projects in that time span, I really am worthless without a deadline, and so I always screw myself and wait til the very last minute to turn it in. I seriously need to take a time management course or something.

If you follow boxing, or sports in general, you're well aware of the shocker that took place in the heavyweight division 20 years ago. 'Iron' Mike Tyson was as close to a sure bet as we had ever seen in the ring. He was an undefeated and indestructible superhero who would annihilate everyone who stood in his path. NO ONE gave his opponent, James 'Buster' Douglas an ounce of hope that fateful night in Tokyo. When something impossible happens in front of your eyes, it's something you'll remember forever. Mike Tyson's defeat changed not only the landscape of the division, but the rest of his life as well. That's why I decided to capture this historic event for my contribution to Gallery1988's 'The Greatest Moment in Sports' show which starts March 4th - 26th.

The 'Manga' look was influenced by the fight taking place in Tokyo. I was definitely inspired by video games like 'Street Fighter' when it came to the action. I highlighted their trademark moves (a la Ryu's Fireball or Guile's Sonic Boom) with Tyson's uppercut and Douglas' jab. All the Kanji was written by my coworker, Chisato. I believe the upper left says 'Final Battle', the stamp on the upper right says 'Iron', and the red headline type says 'War'. She does have a sense of humor and knows I can't read or write a word in Japanese, so I wouldn't be surprised if she screwed me on the translations. Oh well.

Like the Battlecat poster I finished last month, this really is a departure for me from a style standpoint. Lots of inking and a ton of mistakes made this a lot more time-consuming but a whole lot more fun too. Anything new is always a challenge and I'm never sure how it'll turn out in the end, but I hope you like it.

The poster itself is a 3-color silkscreen printed by the fine folks at D&L Screenprinting. It's pretty damn HUGE at 24" by 36" and there's 100 of them that are signed and numbered. I'll post prices as soon as that's figured out.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Lost Update 2

UPDATE: THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO WAITED AND REFRESHED OVER AND OVER THROUGHOUT THE DAY. UNFORTUNATLEY, ONCE I GREENLIT THE SALE, IT SOLD OUT IN ABOUT 5 SECONDS. DUE TO THE PAYPAL DELAY, A TON OF OVERSELLS GOT THROUGH. I WILL DO MY BEST TO GET THE INITIAL 28 PEOPLE THEIR PRINTS ASAP AND I WILL GET REFUNDS TO THE OVERSOLD CUSTOMERS ASAP. I APPRECIATE ALL THE MESSAGES FROM THOSE TELLING ME HOW LONG THEY WAITED. BEING A FAN WHO ALSO FOLLOWS THE PRINT DROPS OF HIS FAVORITE ARTISTS, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH TIME AND EFFORT IS PUT INTO WAITING AND THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF NOT GETTING ONE OF THE PRINTS. I WILL DEFINITELY SEE IF THE POSTER CAN BE RELEASED IN SOME OTHER FORM (LIKE THE TYLER STOUT LOST REPRINT RELEASED AT THE GALLERY OPENING). THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWED THIS PROJECT AND I'M DEEPLY SORRY THAT I COULDN'T MEET THE DEMAND.

Ok Losties, sorry for the delay but "The Crash" will finally go on sale this Thursday at random time here . The price for the print is $200.00 USD. Since I only have a few left, only one will be allowed per person and any multiple orders will be canceled and refunded. Shipping is $10.00 U.S. and $15.00 USD everywhere else. Make sure your Paypal shipping info is updated. Thanks to everyone who patiently waited and checked in. I just wish there were a lot more to go around.

And yes, Thursday meaning "California Thursday".

Thanks,
Eric