Fly with Tanner Airlines!

All the prints from my solo show (15 in all) are now available at gallery1988.com. Happy Travels!

Brak!

Taking an occasional break from your day job is essential in order to clear your mind and return with fresh & exciting ideas. When I take breaks from the office job, well, I still find myself creating even more art for galleries and stuff. Okay, let me get more specific here. I'm talking more about the posters I design during the day, and the additional ones created for galleries and magazines in my free time. After years of working in that two-dimesional, rectangular format, I really look forward to trying different mediums and breaking out of the box, if you will. Sculpting is that something that feels just as creatively challenging as designing a poster, but completely different and freeing at the same time. For the Adult Swim tribute show at Gallery 1988, I broke out the Magic-Sculpt, carving tools, and paint to create my very own Brak tiki mask!


After dabbling with Super-Sculpey for years to create little sculpts of random stuff, I was turned on to Magic-Sculpt which is more of a resin. The beauty of it is that it's a lot more durable than Sculpey. Unfortunately, it hardens on its own in a few hours which leaves you a lot less time to perfect your sculpture. But after a while, you just learn to work quickly and plan out what you're gonna be able to sculpt realistically in that short amount of time.


I start with a quick sketch and then build a rough 'skeleton' with foam and a glue gun. The resin gets really heavy, really fast, so the foam helps to keep the overall weight of the sculpture a lot more manageable.


The resin is then mixed and sculpted directly onto the foam. I'll work on one section at a time such as the forehead, brows, and eyes and let it harden before i go onto other parts. Believe me, I'd rather carve a tiki mask out of actually wood, but I suck with saws and would probably cut a finger or two off, so resin is the safer option for me. After the sculpt is complete, I'll airbrush the base coat of paint then add in the detail touches with a brush. Those are bamboo shoots that make up his headdress.

That's a quick summary of my sculpting process. I really do find myself feeling like a kid playing with Play-Doh on a project like this. It definitely is a nice change of pace from the 2-dimensional work. And no, there wasn't any particular reason why I made Brak into a tiki god other than I thought it was random and funny. See, I'm not as conceptually heavy as you may think ;)

Ok, now back to the poster thing....

Total Garbage!!

UPDATE: The 'Eerie Eric' painting is now on sale HERE.


As a kid, there wasn't anything as cool to me as baseball cards, comic books, action figures, Mexican candy and Garbage Pail Kids. They really did define childhood and when I see any of those things, I'm instantly brought back to those days. I think the combination of the Mexican candy and GPK cards really affected my brain and shaped the twisted sense of humor that I have now.

Gallery 1988 had the awesome idea to ask a bunch of artists to re-interpret their favorite Garbage Pail Kids. I always liked the werewolf know as 'Eerie Eric' for obvious reasons so I chose to work on him. Instead of working digitally and doing the prints I usually do, I decided to pick up a paintbrush and acrylics and do it old school just like they would have in the 80's. I found painting to be such a nice & relaxing change. When I think about it, I'm in front of the computer pretty much all week, so breaking away was a good thing. With my version of 'Eerie Eric', I paid homage to the original by using the same elements such as the moon, the trees, the bats, and his bone. I changed it up a bit by giving him a tuxedo shirt, a little bat bow tie, and more of a distinguished gentleman type of attitude. That's the part of me that I added. I'm not necessarily as suave, but I try. The painting itself is 8" by 10" and is painted on oak. My friend Mike helped shred the frame and I got the bronze nameplate from a trophy shop.

Be sure to check out the show if you can. It starts September 2nd.

McFly for Sale!

A HUGE thanks to everyone who traveled to Gallery 1988 for the Crazy4Cult opening. It's always cool to see that show come together and enjoy the different interpretations of all the cult films. For those of you unable to make it, the show is now online at Gallery 1988. And you can also purchase my 'In George We Trust' print HERE.

The Crazy4Cult book is also available (that's me holding it) on their site. It collects work from the previous 4 shows and is a pretty wicked read if you ask me.

In George We Trust!

Another summer means another Crazy 4 Cult show at Gallery 1988. In my most unoriginal move ever, I paid tribute to the same exact film I did last year, Back to the Future. Yes, I LOVE the movie that much!

While watching it for the 257th time, something hit me. After George McFly knocks out Biff and dances with Lorraine at the prom, a couple next to them insists that the now-popular George runs for class president. I thought to myself "would George actually run??", which led to "if he did, what the heck would his campaign poster look like????". And that's where this little poster idea was born.

In my mind, George would never look as confident and as comfortable as Barack Obama might in the Shepard Fairey poster. Nope, he would look as if the photographer yelled "Say Cheese!!" while he was fixated on cheerleaders practicing at the other end of the gym. His hair would be straying all over the place because he had just run to the shoot after being 20 minutes late. The quote, which Marty took from Doc and relayed to George while they were hanging clothes, would still be fresh in his mind. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I think way too much about this stuff.

With so many cult films to choose from, I swear my BTTF kick is probably done after this and I'll come up with something fresh next year. Oh wait, I suddenly have the urge to create something Biff-related. Say hi to your mom for me!

'In George We Trust' measures 18" by 24" and is a 3-color silkscreen print from D&L Screenprinting. It's a signed & numbered edition of 200 and will be sold starting Friday, July 8th at the gallery. I hope to see ya there!

Get That Rascally Rabbit!

Here's my contribution to the 'Required Reading' show which opened last night at Gallery 1988. 40 artists were each given a literary classic to interpret in their own style. I was fortunate to get 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', a book that i remember reading over and over as a kid. Being one who suffers from A.D.D., it was always a tolerable read for me because it's one of those rare books where you can dive in at any point and not feel lost that you didn't read anything prior to that scene. The whole world within it was so rich and whacked out, and i could read a random part then put the book down and run down the street or sleep in the grass and feel completely fulfilled. I was a weird kid! The cast of unique and memorable characters and the amazing illustrations by John Tenniel would inspire me to break out the crayons and try to draw my own Cheshire cats and Tweedle Dees and Tweedle Dums. When it came to coming up with the concept for my poster, I knew i had to capture a world that was swirling out of control and highlight Alice's journey into this crazy abyss. The tea label idea for the book's title came about because I was also working on a freelance gig for a friend who just happens to sell her own line of teas. It seemed very fitting because the tea party was one of my favorite parts of the story.

The print, titled 'Follow Hobson: A Tribute to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' is named after my coworker Carrie, whose last name is Hobson and who our team just happened to nickname the 'white rabbit' for her ability to quickly hop past everyone when they do their long runs (my team is a bit weird too). The blue version has a run of 100, signed and numbered, and the pink version has a run of 50. They are both 18" by 24" and were screen-printed by the fine folks at D&L Screenprinting.

There goes Astronaut Jones!!!

This is a bit late, but Gallery 1988 had a show dedicated to comedy. Each artist was assigned a different comedian and it was up to us to translate them in our own unique style. I've been a fan of Tracy Morgan ever since he was 'Hustle Man' on the Martin show so I was pretty damn excited when i was paired up with him. One of the few times I've pissed my pants watching television was when Tracy busted out his 'Astronaut Jones' character on SNL. It's a really simple sketch but the endings were always killers. I think I knew immediately that I wanted to do an "Astronaut" piece. This was done old school style, with acrylic paint on a wood panel. It was fun to paint again after living life on the computer for so long. A HUGE thanks to whoever ended up purchasing the painting. Your contribution to the 'Eric Tan art supply & framing fund' is greatly appreciated!

Shoot the Duck!

Here's my entry for Gallery 1988's 'Multiplayer' video game-themed show at their new Venice location which opens Saturday, January 15th.

I think my passion for video games really sparked up again when the Nintendo Entertainment System was launched. My brother and I snatched up the system that came with ROB the robot and two games, Gyromite and Duck Hunt. As cool as the idea of a video game-playing robot and spinning gyros balancing on red and blue buttons seemed, we immediately came to the realization that Gyromite was damn near impossible to play. We ended up throwing the robot aside and pounded on the red and blue buttons with our fists in frustration. You can finish that game pretty fast that way!

Most of our time was then devoted to Duck Hunt. There's no better way to get kids into firearms by making shooting things fun with a game like Duck Hunt! We spent endless hours shooting green and pink ducks, white clay targets, and throwing the actual gun at the condescending dog when he'd laugh at you for missing. So when it came time to create a print for a video game that held fond memories for me, Duck Hunt was a no-brainer.

I always had the idea of creating a practice target featuring the duck from the game that I'd actually shoot at a range. Putting a bullet through your own art is kinda sacrilegious, but this is one case where i thought it was appropriate....and unique. My friend Danny let me use his 9MM handgun at a gun range and i went to town on about half of the prints. I hit a few bullseyes here and there but I found out that the real thing is way harder than the video game. Unlike the game, you can hit the ducks at point blank range by putting the gun directly on your TV.

Here's a video of me at the range. If you notice, I flinch after the first shot. That's a result of a scorching hot shell hitting me in the head. Yup, it definitely is a much different experience than that video game! Hope to see you at the show!

Lil' Loompa

For an upcoming custom vinyl show at Gallery 1988's San Francisco location, we were once again asked to create something based on a favorite cult film of ours. As you can tell from the Oompa Loompa, I was a HUGE fan of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.' I must've seen that film as a kid 30 times. Everything about it was so unique - from the insanely vibrant visuals, to the catchy but creepy songs, to the 'a little dark for kids' storyline. Something about that film worked so well back then and still holds up to this day. My favorite characters were the Oomps Loompas cuz they were cool-lookin', they worked their asses off in that factory, and they took us through the story in an entertaining way through their songs. Here's my tribute to those little devils.

I started with a blank vinyl called a 'Symbiote', created the facial features, hair, and 'mint' base with resin, and then painted the little guy with a combination of acrylic and aerosol paint. I would've liked to create an entire army of Oompas but unfortunately there's only one available at the show. It opens September 4th for all the folks who live up in the Bay Area. You can also see the show online after the opening here.

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.

Grrrrrrr!!!

January brings yet another "Under the Influence" show thrown by the fine folks at Gallery1988 . This time, the subject matter a ton of amazing artists will pay tribute to is He-Man and The Masters of the Universe! I had a lot to draw on for this one cuz frankly, He-Man - along with Transformers, G.I.Joe, and Robotech, ruled my childhood. My room was filled with these crazy action figures. I never had the fortune to get a hold of that badass playset known as Castle Greyskull, but we did have Battlecat, the 2nd best thing about that toy series! By far, he was the fiercest looking character and I knew I had to do my own interpretation of that ferocious feline when it came to my piece.

I know what you're saying, "That poster looks absolutely NOTHING like your other stuff! What the heck happened????" Well, that "flat, simplified" look that came from working on 'The Incredibles' poster series & that I've used a lot over the past few years didn't quite seem fitting on this occasion. The 1st thing that came to mind when I decided on Battlecat was the idea that he looked like a samurai warrior with that head dress and armor. I ran with it and gave it the whole traditional Japanese scroll treatment. Instead of blocky shapes, I broke out a brush and some ink. It was quite liberating not having to vectorize this time and I hope it doesn't completely disappoint those who prefer the style I usually do. Don't panic, I'm pretty sure you're see more of the 'flat' stuff down the road.

For those of you who might actually dig this one, the show starts on Friday, January 8th til the 29th. The dimensions are 14" wide by 30" tall and it's a lithograph printed on some pretty thick, textured paper. It's a signed and numbered edition of 123. I believe it also goes on sale online after the opening. By the power of Greyskull!!!!

Get Lost!

If you're around the greater Los Angeles area between Tuesday, December 15th and Christmas Eve, be sure to check out the Lost Underground Show at Gallery1988 . All 16 Lost posters will be on display as well as a bunch of Lost-inspired paintings and drawings. I was fortunate enough to get to be one of the lucky 16 artists chosen to create a poster and as a HUGE fan of the show, the pressure was on to do something that captured all my die-hard fanboy excitement. I never thought the poster series would reach this amount of sold-out-in-seconds craziness and get me into the Entertainment Weekly with Sandra Bullock's lovely mug on the cover. Nutso! It's been an insane ride and it's gonna be even cooler to see them all under one roof. I hear there's already a line in front of the gallery...and it's 24 hours away! I'll hope to see you behind that hatch, Lost in a sea of fans just like me!

Hey Ladies!!

The Beastie print is now available online here . Thanks so much to everyone who made it down to the show and picked up a copy! You're the illest mother@#&*=+$ from here to Gardena!!

Rhymin' and Stealin'

I finally finished up that Beastie Boys poster over the weekend. Notice how there were 3 comps a few months ago but there's only one final? Well, a few factors kept me from reaching my goal, mainly prior obligations to a Disney book and downright laziness. I also wasn't happy with where the New York and L.A. versions were going. They just didn't seem unique enough so I scrapped them about halfway into the process. After all this time, I still have trouble putting everything that's in my head together on the page successfully. In the end, the "Fly to Tokyo" print, based on the Intergalactic video, became a combination of old TWA/Braniff Airways travel posters and Japanese toy robot packaging. The final size is pretty big (18" x 30") and is printed litho style on some nice textured parchment. They'll be available at the Beastie show at Gallery1988 from January 8th - 29th. Check out their bloggy blog here .