I Need Sleep!

I finally finished up that X-men poster over the weekend. It was quite the honor to get to work on these characters that I've followed since I was a kid. In the end, it became a combination of the stuff I did for Incredibles and them old German film posters. Hope it works! Now I'm gonna get a big cheeseburger and 8 tacos over at Jack in the Box with this $5 I found in my pocket.

Stan the Man

I tend to hibernate in the fall, hence the no posting for a long ass time. But I finally snapped out of it and I'm now working on a piece based on my favorite super-heroes, the X-men. What's not to like about them? Outcasts, kinda weird lookin', crazy effing powers!! They're like the rock stars of the comic book universe. What really intrigued me about them is that they all live in that mansion. Not to be all pervy, but imagine the crazy mutant sex stories that those walls could tell. Anyways, I've always dug those UFA German cinema posters, especially the Metropolis ones. Using them as inspiration, I sketched up a little comp on a napkin. They're all gonna be sporting their retro uniforms and it's gonna be like 3 colors max. I've cheated it a bit by including Wolverine and Storm. They came later in the series, but I like 'em and it's probably my one and only shot at working on the X-men so what the heck, right? Don't I sound just like a fanboy? The piece is due in a week so I'll be sure and post the final soon. Go Chargers!

Breakfast is Served!

I finally finished my box for the Cereal Killers book. Fortunately, I found doggie treats that looked just like the cereal I had in mind. They even came in those funky colors that I had going in the rest of the design. We did a whole heck of a lot of food packaging projects when I was in art school but I never got to work on one since. Can't believe it took this long...and it's kind of a fake one. Why the hell did they make me take sooooo many food packaging classes?!?! Just kidding. They were fun and I'm sure that knowledge will kick in once I get to work on my dream project which is to design beer packaging! Speaking of beer, I think I'm gonna go get s#!+faced! Cheers!

Baby Steps

I only got into "art" cuz you can wear shorts to work (guess I could've been a lifeguard too, or the Crocodile Hunter). My real ambition was to invent crap. I truly believe that inventors are the unappreciated geniuses of our society. They don't just sit there content with the way things are. They're more like "F the b.s.! I'm gonna make life easier...for everyone." That's such a daunting task and it must take balls the size of watermelons to actually go through with. With that in mind, I decided to muster up what courage I have, screw the "art" thing for a while, reach for the sky and invent something. Call me crazy but I think we're all capable of inventing something pretty f-ing sweet. We just need watermelon balls. Here's my 1st attempt. I call it "The Turbonator Jr.!" Does anyone happen to know how to set up a paypal account?

Presto!

I was fortunate enough to get down to San Diego over the weekend to see the folks. My dad, as busy as ever with his garden, couldn't wait to show me all the stuff he's grown. Over the past few months, his garden has gone nuts. I saw everything from a giant habanéro pepper to a spiky orange melon that's from some island I've never heard of. It's like some surreal fruit and vegetable zoo back there. I also got to see the progress of the magic pineapples I wrote about 5 months ago. They're f-ing HUGE now! He's got 5 of them that are ready to be harvested. The fact that the fat pineapples are able to balance above the center of the plant with the support of a skinny stem was amazing to me. Unlike my mom who swears he uses deadly chemicals to grow these sons of bitches, I cannot wait to try one of them! Dad says they're way better than those ones you get from the market. Mom just rolls her eyes when he says that. I'll let you know what they're like in a future food review. Way to go dad! Keep fighthing the good fight and don't let mom crap on your parade!

First Crack

Here's my 1st attempt at the layout. Lazy Eric, who usually sketches something out, decided to take a nap, screw the sketch and just hop on the computer to start the design. What should have took 2 seconds with the sketch, took about 2 whole days cuz I found myself moving shapes around, with no clear idea, just praying some miracle would happen. Isn't there some filter in Photoshop that designs stuff for you? Not a good lesson kids! Sketch it out 1st! There are still a few things missing. The cereal itself is gonna be photographed and dropped in. There's gonna be a knocked out zombie wrestler leaning against the turnbuckle. All the colors are also temp. I have the damndest time getting the colors right with everything I do. Because of this, don't expect another post anytime soon :) Time for another nap!

The 2nd Course

Here's some progress on the Cereal Killers project. The wrestler is all vectorized and I've sketched out a new, more form-fitting logo. I'm usually a little more structured than this, meaning that I've completed a thumbnail that shows where everything fits. Unfortunately none of that has happened on this project cuz I've been watching too much Sunset Tan marathons on E!. That show is a train wreck that I can't quite look away from. I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants on this one. I just hope everything comes together smoothly. The colors will change and so will whatever initial layout I come up with. Once I think of something, I'll be sure and post it...but only after Sunset Tan.

The Start of Something

The majority of my artistic creativity occurs alone in the car. When I think about it, that's the only time I'm away from phones, televisions, computers, video games, people, and everything else that can distract me. I have no attention span whatsoever and suffer from rampant a.d.d. When I'm in that car with nothing else to do, I'm almost forced to think of what I'm gonna be working on that day and how I'm gonna go about doing it, just to stay awake. In L.A. traffic, that usually gives me a good chunk of time to get a whole lot of thinking done. When I get to the office or the drawing board at home, the conceptual part is done and I zone out and get those ideas down on the page. I suck at thinking & creating on the spot. Guess I'm premeditated in a way. I'll start with a thumbnail, then pencils, scan that sucker in and vectorize it in Illustrator or paint it in Photoshop. I can't go straight to the computer. Guess I'm a little old school too. Although almost everything I do now goes through the computer, I still have to draw it out. Even logos and typography. Here's some initial pencils I've done for the Cereal Killers project. The goal is to create a spooky cereal box cover. Mine involves zombie Mexican wrestlers! It'll change a bunch over time (I've already changed the name to Bone Crunchers) and I'll be sure to post the progess. Now hit the road!

Rats Invade Red Bank!

For all those lucky folks who live near Red Bank, New Jersey, make sure to stop by the Cel-ebration Gallery. Their current show features the Ratatouille posters Stephane and I created. Check out that Rat cake!

Here's Wall•e!!!

Here's a set of Comic-con promo postcards I designed for Wall•e, the upcoming Pixar flick. Notice the similarities between these and the Incredibles posters from an ealier post? For inspiration, the guys at Pixar once again pointed me in the direction of those Disneyland attraction posters. They are in LOVE with those posters, which is fine cuz I am too. Just to differenciate these from the Incredibles, I added a 50's advertisement twist. Writer/director extraordinaire, Andrew Stanton was kind enough to send me an autographed set. To see HUGE scans of these, visit Kung Fu Rodeo.

Aloha from Comic-con?

Every now and then, you get to work on a project that comes together just the way you hope it would. No road blocks, no rejections, and barely any headaches. This rarely happens, and when it does, it kind of gives you hope that for a split-second you somehow knew what you were doing. It also takes working with creative folks who have a ton of enthusiasm and are open to new ideas. For comic-con this year, I got to work with Chris Sanders, of Lilo and Stich fame, on his very first vinyl figurine based on one of his hula girls. My job was to create the packaging for it. I submitted 3 ideas - a tiki hut, a pineapple crate, and a pinapple can (she sits on gigantic pineapple). The last option had a metal pop top and bottom just like a real food can, and a die-cut window for the vinyl. This was the 'anything goes' idea I like to throw in that usually is the priciest and most difficult to make. It's also the one that never gets picked. Guess my surprise when Chris said he wanted to go with it. The vinyl is amazing and I hope the packaging compliments her. It's definitely one of the coolest projects I've had the opportunity to work on. If only every gig was this easy! Hopefully there are more down the road. Be sure to check out Chris' site for updates. This is the final version of the comic-con limited vinyl and its packaging.

That's Incredible!, Part 2

Here's the rest of the posters from the Incredibles series. The bright colors and flat shapes were inspired by the Disneyland attraction posters you see when going through the tunnels at the entrance of the park. Even when I was 6, I remember thinking those things were amazing, so getting to reference them for this project was a thrill in itself.

That's Incredible!

Here's a series of posters I created as a tribute to my favorite tv show growing up - That's Incredible! What's not to like? Unbelievable human feats, mind-bending oddities, rubik's cube-solving f-ers, and the amazing team of John Davidson, Kathie Lee Crosby, and Fran Tarkenton? Vikings QB Fran f-ing Tarkenton??? Without the uni, he looked like a regular dude. But damn was he a gamer! Anyways, For the past 2 Pixar films and 2008's Wall•e, I've gotten the fortunate opportunity to design poster series' for use on products such as apparel, trading cards, giclee prints, etc. Hopefully, they let me continue this with their future films. They are definitely a challenge from concept to completion. They're also the most fun I've ever had at work. The first series was for The Incredibles, my favorite Pixar film. Here's a few of them. Hope you dig 'em!

Summer Catch

With the summer months come sunshine, warm weather, and most importantly - vacations. My most memorable summer vacations involved waking up at the crack of dawn and heading down to the lake for a relaxing full day of fishing with dad. I think i was about 5 or 6 at the time. Rarely did I ever catch anything but it was fun nonetheless. While lazily drifting down the lake, dad would give me wonderful talks about current events, his own chilhood adventures, and how chicks are a pain in the ass. Once I grew older and got bored and frustrated with never catching anything, those fishing trips became a thing of the past. In its place came video games and underage drinking. Now that I'm older, I do think about them often. Everything just seemed so innocent and easy back then. Now I bust my hump everyday fighting traffic, paying bills, and taking all kinds of crap from chicks. Here's a pic of me and my old man during happier times.

More Rats!

& here's the rest of 'em...

Rats!

Here's larger versions of my Ratatouille posters. Once I can find the sketches and reference under my desk o' crap, I'll post the process of how these are created from beginning to end. Enjoy!

Greetings from Yosemite!

My friends Steve, Kelvin, Rich, Boom and I took a hiking/camping trip up to Yosemite over the weekend. As you can see in the photo, the mountains, trees, and lakes are some of the most beautiful and majestic around. You can almost smell the pines can't you? Ignore that funky border above the scenery and the pillow on the bottom left. I'm still trying to figure out Photoshop. Fortunately, I do have a bunch of better photos that I will be posting when I run out of things to watch on tv (How bout that Maury Povich? Paternity tests, teen sluts, makeovers, and fat babies-what's NOT to like?).



In the meantime, here's a photo of me and pretty much all I did the entire trip.

Cousin Kenny, My Idol!

My cousin is a one-man-party and the coolest guy I know. He's always got a beer or some happy smoke close by and he once knocked out a small bear during a camping trip. If anything, he's taught me not to take B.S. from nobody. Last I heard, he's doing a stretch at county. He should be out soon though. I'll keep a few cold ones in the fridge for you cuz!

Happy Holidays Dudes!

In celebration of Christmas being a few days away, here's a little doozy to get you in the holiday spirit. So place another log in the fireplace and snuggle up with your loved ones. Ahh! Now, where the crap are my happy pills?!?!

Aloha from California?

As random as my mom can be, my dad loves sticking to a set schedule. It's a wonder that they get along at all. He's meticulous at everything he does, especially when it comes to his gardening. He's like a cross between Thomas Edison and Al Bundy. I never knew pineapples grew anywhere other than Hawaii, but my dad made it a mission of his to create his very own California pineapples.



My dad got the idea about 7 years ago, and I have no idea how he did it, but through research, experimentation, and a whole lot of patience, my dad was able to grow his very first pineapple 2 years later.



He took me through the process over the weekend and I learned a whole bunch of stuff that I never even considered. The "seed" is actually the top of the previous pineapple. You know, the spiky, leafy, things.



Once the top is soaked and planted, the leaves grow into a huge bush that's about 3 feet high. About 7 months later, a bud forms at the end of a stem above the center of the bush. That bud looks like a miniature pineapple. It then grows for another 5 months til it gets big and orange like the pineapples we're used to seeing. How bizarre is that? If you think about it, that crazy thing grows from the top from the original pineapple. It's like having a baby grow from your hair or something.



The pineapples are now ready to pick! My dad says they're as sweet as any you buy from the supermarket. My mom wouldn't try one if you paid her, she just rolls her eyes. I give my old man a lot of credit for sticking with something for so long and getting it right, despite zero support from the Mrs's. Unfortunately he didn't pass that attitude to me. I sleep all day. His 1 pineapple total from 5 years ago has now ballooned to 26 this year. Way to go dad!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

My mom was nice enough to visit me at the office last week. Here's a picture of her next to one of the Ratatouille posters in the lobby. She looks happy enough and we were having a nice day, but things took a turn for the bizarre about 2 seconds after I shot this. Every now and then, the craziest, far-fetched, and completely random idea will pop into my mom's head. Thank god it's wasn't passed on genetically to me (or was it?). In this case, she decided all of a sudden that she wanted to take the poster with her. I immediately told her that she was completely nuts and I think they'll notice if it's missing. That thing's like 10 feet tall for crying out loud. She responded by lifting the thing off the wall from the bottom to see how it was hung. I had no idea why she wanted it since there is no space in her house to hang it, let alone any way to haul it back with her to San Diego. I stood there stunned. She asked me to help her unhinge it and I thought I was gonna throw up. About 20 minutes later, as I lay motionless on the floor, she fortunately gave up on the idea when she found out we had a Starbucks in the cafeteria. Funny thing is, the sight of my 5' mom trying to wrestle a 10' poster off the wall was worth it alone. I had a good laugh after I got over the terror of it all. What i didn't tell her was that a security camera was pointed right at her the whole time. That's gotta be some ridiculous footage. If anything, it could prove my innocence in court while mom sat in jail for stealing company property. Happy Mother's Day mom!

Play Ball!

Now that the baseball season is in full swing, I thought I'd dig up a little project I completed last season. Being from San Diego, the Dodgers were always our bitter rivals. Mainly cuz they would kick our asses every year. Everything Dodger blue made my stomach turn, but putting that hate aside was easy when they asked me if I wanted to design their mascot. As far as I know, they've never really had a true mascot, so the opportunity was one I could never pass up. I'm also quite the sellout, especially if it involves free seats behind 1st base. That mascot became Ebbett, a trolley that ties in their storied past as the Brooklyn "trolley" Dodgers. Now if they could only find a way to make him into a big, fat suit that runs around at games.

The Fun Team

There are two sides to our creative team at work, character artists and designers. I fall into the latter category. In meetings, I've noticed that the designers like to fold their arms and comment on everything, while the character artists like to quietly look down into their sketchbooks and draw caricatures of EVERYONE in the room. They always seem to have a smirk on their face while doing so. I decided to take a stand and do as the character artists do because frankly, they look like they're having a lot more fun. During a recent meeting, sketchbook in hand, here's what I came up with. I wanted to do something nastier, cuz it seems to be a qualification for a lot of their caricatures, but the two folks pictured have the power to fire me so I played it safe. I discovered that it was waaaaay more fun than having to fold my arms and talk! Oh, and on their coffee breaks, the character artists like to rip on everyone who happens to walk by. I LOVE THESE GUYS!!! By hanging out more and more with them, I hope I get to be a nasty SOB too!..and better at drawing stuff.

RATS!

Every now and then at work, I get the opportunity to design posters for the animated films Pixar and Disney creates. For Ratatouille, we used A.M. Cassandre's vintage french posters as our main inspiration. It's always a surprise where the finished product ends up, and this is definitely no exception. The atrium on the Pixar campus is an amazing and inspiring spot one you step through the main entrance. An immediate sense of creativity flows through that place. With the posters, I'm just glad to be a part of that, even for a few weeks or so. Once the film opens, I'll be sure to post them HUGE so that you can actually see them.

Much thanks to Stephane Kardos, an unbelievably talented artist from our U.K. team, for contributing his amazing posters as well.

Who likes video games?!?!?!

Rich and I will be part of iam8bit group show this tuesday at Gallery 1988. We were able to see a bunch of the pieces on saturday and there's a lot of amazing stuff. And most importantly, there will be beer there!!!! Not just any old beer, FREE beer!!!! See you there!