Diablo Texas

Heavy Music or "Dirty and Amplified Booty Shakers"

2012-02-13T22:47:00.001-06:00

This Saturday, some of my good friends and DJ's, the Lollipop Shoppe are celebrating their 8 year anniversary with an awesome party. It will be at the Queen city tattoo shop and I’ll have some art there. They say it best so I’ll let them say it again:

New and Improved! Now with DJ MR RID guesting on the turntables for your dancing pleasure! B Y O B- pack your cooler, pay a 5 spot and enjoy a party like no other in town! FREE CD'S by Capt. Groovy! Go Go Girls- The Lolli Dollies shaking up a storm and ROCKULA teasing and pleasing your eyeballs with visual treats! ART SHOW starts at 8- come meet the artists, if you love rock n roll this art show is for YOU! Featured artists ARTBOT 138, DIABLO TEXAS, JOEY SEEMAN and TIGERBEE. ALL AGES. QUEEN CITY HALL! SEE YOU THERE!

The Little Gallery that Could or "For Love of Kettle"

2012-02-08T22:38:00.001-06:00

This Saturday is the Kettle gallery's For Love of Kettle art show. Everyone who has helped the kettle or has had some interweaving with Frank and the Kettle gallery, has donated pieces for sale and each peice is only $50 but they are worth WAY more than that. These go fast so get there early and get in line to get some amazing art to support and fantastic gallery in Deep Ellum.

This year buy your love some art or "go to hell"

2012-02-01T09:21:00.001-06:00

Whoopdy Doo employees! Everyone who has found true love may receive 20% off at my etsy store for the month of February using coupon code: TRUELOVE
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DiabloTexas

Why i don't like re-sculpting vinyl or "If it isn't broken..."

2012-01-20T09:00:00.001-06:00

So I just wanted to share my thoughts on the trend of re-sculpting vinyl toys.
I am not a fan
Honestly I like the challenge of taking the toy (I’m pretty much talking about Munnys) and creating on the original shape. It’s a challenge and I’ve see MANY artists come out on top with beautiful designs, using paint, talent and impressive techniques.
Now, I’ve also seen some wonderful sculptors create some amazing designs as well but a majority of what I’ve seen are by people who are NOT sculptors and it just looks BAD.
For some reason the latest trend is to add sculpy to make additions that honestly could have just been painted and I don’t get why they are doing besides trying it simply because they saw someone else crap one out.
I know it’s all about creativity and making an effort but I just wanted to say that I’m not a fan. I’ve just seen TOO many bad sculpts.
Keep arting it up :)

Design on a dime or "How to look good with only ten pennies"

2012-01-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

The LAST problem I’ve had with my creating a cohesive social media appearance is a mobile version of my website. As I’ve mentioned before I created all my interweb presence myself but with limited knowledge so I can only create so far. The easiest solution is to just use the free templates available to me: work smarter not harder.
I’ve decided to use a tumblr site for my mobile version because most designer have taken the hardest part(detecting and directing mobile browsers to a uniquely designed version) and have already added this feature to most templates.
It doesn’t have the functionality of a website but considering I don’t expect someone on a mobile phone to want to look at everything I do, I’m only using it to host a few images to give you an idea of what I can do.
So when a mobile browser is detected at my site, it reroutes to this simple tumblr

….which shows it as a professional looking mobile version you can scroll through, like this:

So to anyone who wants to keep up with social media and live on a budget like most of us starving artists, my advice is to use the tools that are available to you. They’re the most valuable weapons you’re going to get for free.

Interweb acrobatics or "Renewing my vows to my stepford wives"

2012-01-10T07:58:00.001-06:00

As i was fumbling, a crumbling mumbler, I stumbled upon a humbling tumblr.

I finally found a designer that offered a good tumblr code that I was happy with. I learned html to design my own website but I only know the basics so while I can work out most of my problems I don't know enough to solve all of them.
I want all my social media sites to have the same overall look to them and while most of them are pretty basic and helpful, those little things i want to do sometimes elude me and i honestly would rather be creating art than trying to make myself look better.
Luckily I found a designer that made something close to what i wanted for my tumblr and was extremely user friendly enough customize it to look like my other sites and website. I'm actually incredibly impressed that it even puts my icon by my web address. that's something that I still haven't figured out how to do and even though it's something you probably don't notice, I DO and am very proud of.

Next up is to make some twitter changes.............and think of a witty rhyme for that

http://diablotexas.tumblr.com/

Let's see how long you last or "ummm....it happens to lots of guys"

2012-01-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

I have a friend of mine who is doing a great thing and inspired me to try something new. Her name is Patricia Rodriguez and you can see her wonderful work ON HER WEBSITE. Check out her vinyl record art as well as her gallery peices to be impressed.
She has been supporting herself successfully with freelance work and something she does that gives people the opportunity to obtain some affordable art. This is something I’ve been trying to do but like I mentioned in other posts, I don’t think I’m in front of enough eyes because even my cheap pieces are not selling. She works on something for an hour and let’s people pay for that piece …..buy the hour basically so you get a quick piece for a good price.

The following is the train wreck of a ride I attempted with just ONE hour to work.

The first one is just with prisma color markings to lay down some base colors and a little black line for definition. I had planned on coming back to add more shadows and highlights but time is fast and was over before I wanted to be finished.
It’s very embarrassing to post this as an example of my talents but I’m just being honest with my posts and showing you the full experiment.

Next is just a straight pencils sketch just to see how far I can actually get in a hour because of the shock of first round. Again, this hour went by fast and I was only able to get so far with it. I’m happier with this one than the first despite of my crappy scanner but the whole idea was to make art that someone would want to hang and I’m not a big fan of just selling a sketch. Nothing against it, but I feel it’s called a sketch for a reason.
The odd thing is I run the Dallas chapter of Dr. Sketchy’s anti-art school and the most amount of time you get there is 20 minutes. Running it means I don’t get to play but obviously I need to get back into speed shape.

So I think that may be it for my hour long art piece attempts. I salute Patricia for being able to create and be successful with her experiments in unemployment but I need a little more time to romance my art before I’m happy with it. I have too many insecurities to be a two pump chump.

Choose your weapons or "Putting the lead back into your pencil"

2012-01-02T19:23:00.001-06:00

Today I want to nerd out about pencils.
For the longest time my weapon of choice has been a Uni-ball Shift Pipe Lock Drafting Pencil

The upper body shifts forward to create a body transformation as it protects the guide pipe and lead from breakage. I carry mine all the time to this helps out when I drop it.
Today i learned that Rotring has one that brings the guide pipe in on itself and doesn't require you to reduce the lead before you protect it. For me, that TOTALLY makes it worth $82.50

Learning to let go or " Realizing you never had it in the first place"

2011-12-30T18:42:00.001-06:00

I lost the day. I spent the entire day rendering and reloading a video up to youtube to promote the Show me the Munny 2 vinyl show tonight. Because of this i didn't promote, email, talk to anyone or do anything i wanted to, to help promote the show for tonight. I don't know why this bothers me but i'm extremely pissed because i feel I lost the day. Honestly, no one is going to notice. This was not something I was asked to do or NEEDED to get done but because it's one of those little things that falls onto a big pile of little things, I'm incredibly frustrated. It kept me from posting this blog until now and THAT is another little thing. It didn't go the way i planned (the cleaning staff at the mall picked up the free paper toys i left out for people to find) so THAT's another little thing.
Stay positive and good things happen to you right?..........right?

Making it rain or "Showing YOU the munny 2"

2011-12-27T17:30:00.001-06:00

Here's my design for Atama's "Show Me the Munny 2" custom vinyl show.

The DiabloTexas logo isn't on it but this was going to be the promo i made for the show and wanted to boost myself in it.

Show me the Munny 2 or "The Downward Viral"

2011-12-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

This Friday is Atama's "Show Me the Munny 2" custom vinyl toy show at Strangeways and this is part of what I created for it. My idea was to sketch out an idea in photoshop and finish it up in Illustrator on a paper toy template to tie into the final painted piece. It came out WAY better than I expected and had bigger plans to try some fun viral marketing. I was going to place fully assembled toys in various places around Dallas and try to secretly film people taking them, to see their reactions or willingness to take it. Of course this happened to occur during the shopping season so with the holiday shoppers taking over most of my public locations, it didn't go over as well as I planned. I was still going to put the video together since i shot a lot of footage so when I reveal the Munny on Wedsnesday, maybe I'll post it here too. For now, here's the FREE PAPER TOY that you can download and make yourself. I recommend printing on a thicker card stock for best results.

Happy New Year or "Be Thankful for what you have and don't have"

2011-12-23T00:01:00.001-06:00

I'm getting this out of the way now because next week it's all about promoting the custom vinyl toy show i'm in. With xmas coming up, I just wanted to say that I'm thankful for everything that is wonderful in my life right now and share a little holiday spirit with anyone who takes the time to read this. (thank you btw)
We are all going through tough times in some way or another and sometimes we forget how good we actually have it. I'm currently jobless and struggling to keep my head above water with freelance jobs and selling my artwork but I do remember that everybody struggles and everybody still has it pretty good. Sometimes we think "why me?" and hold your head in your hands from frustration but we have to remember that it could be A LOT worse. This year a relative passed away which reminded me about the precious time I share with my friends and even worse we watched an entire nation helplessly succum to a tsunami that left so much damage and panic for a lot of unfortunate people. We all have it bad but some times it could be worse.
So take some time to tell someone you love them. Take some time to enjoy and Icee or whatever silly thing that makes you so happy you dance a little jig when you get to have some fun.
May your next year be filled with rainbows and glitter and cupcakes and magic.

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School or " Why my arm hurts from patting my own back"

2011-12-20T23:57:00.001-06:00

Something else i do that needs more attention is the Dallas chapter of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art school. My good friend Lisa Lindholm brought it to Dallas from the original New York beginnings and I began helping her run it. After a while she ran out of time, so now I run it on my own, all for the love of art and with the music provided by another dear friend and artist DJ TIGERBEE. We charge for admission to draw but all the money goes back to paying the model for posing and prizes for the artists. I dont make any money for running it or creating all the art work or promotion. OH and i put together our website too. Yes it's a wordpress template but come on, I'm doing this all by myself so I'm going to pat my own back if no else will. You should come see it some time.

Staying ahead of the game or "When I Save You from the C.H.U.D., You'll Thank Me"

2011-12-18T21:26:00.001-06:00

For some reason I'm constantly trying to keep myself availabe to you in every way possible. I'm constantly working my web presence to make sure everything is up to date and working properly. Some of you would think I would be out boozing it up on a Saturday night but when i realized some code problem that's been vexing me for two years, I stayed in to work on building a mobile website for myself. I was up until four in the morning working out the kinks but still don't have it licked. At four I had to make myself stop because I knew I was no closer to a solution and ended up dreaming about luchadore purple rain re-makes.

I built my own website, put together worpress AND blogger sites, i'm working on the mobile, i research google analytics and try to make sure I'm ready to go whenever you want to see what I'm up to.

And sometimes I wonder why the hell I work so hard to stay so ready when no one is noticing. I'm not angry or giving up but I sometimes wonder if it's for love or money that I try to make sure I'm not being left behind by technology. I guess it's just a personal sense of accomplishment and knowing that I'm succeeding because i'm not getting love OR money for working so hard at such long hours. Art is such a selfish act that i have to believe that somewhere out there, there are people who connect with the things that I'm doing, and will be just as moved as I am with the things I create to share with the world.

So I'll work for a better tomorrow with you.

Kong Throws a Tantrum or "Sometimes All You Can Do is Laugh"

2011-12-15T22:07:00.001-06:00

It's been one of "those" weeks.
Like a lot of people, times are hard and again, like a lot of people i know, I could really use a smile from the universe righ about now. Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of everything that is good in my life like my health, friends and family and no one is trying to kill me....I think.
But when the little thing keep piling up, that pile is very hard to ignore. Case in point: Sometimes things go wrong even when you are very careful. This time it was the sealer I used to put a shiny finish on the Munny I created for the Show Me the Munny show. (see? 1st world problems)
I was VERY careful about taking my time with this one and making sure there were NO mistakes but the spray finish I used reacted with certain parts and bled. I have no idea why. It's extremely frustrating because it was the final component and that means there's nothing i can do to go back and fix it.
Tantrum.
So I've been angry and sulking all day but after a while you have to let it go. That's the thing about most mistakes in life, you can either obsess over it and let it keep you stuck in life or you can accept that, what's done is done and you can just take another step forward.
For the punch line of this story, I laughed at the studios lack of trying to tie King Kong into a holiday release. What a Christmas present.

To see the invisible man or "The more you ignore me, the Louder I Get"

2011-12-14T15:59:00.001-06:00

I've discoverd that my biggest problem in my art career is that I'm not in front of the right eyes, or enough eyes. I stopped this blog because I didn't think anyone was reading it and although that still may be true, it's mostly due to the fact that .....well probably no one knows I do it.
A lot of us here in Dallas are frustrated that we're not getting the attention we know we deserve with our talent and creativiity but again, I honestly think it's because we're just not being seen by everyone. We need to make a bigger noise and reach out past Texas to let the world know what we're doing here.

I'm about to do some "viral marketing" of sorts and wish there was more of an audience to enjoy it. I"m going to be part of Atama's "Show Me the Munny 2" custom vinyl toy show and i've made a free paper toy tie in. The plan is to leave the paper toys in various places around dallas with qr codes or URLs that take you to an advertisement and sneak peak at my Munny for the show. I MAY even stick around and film people finding them, just to see thier reactions. (ps if you're on my mailing list, you'll get an exclusive look at the munny as well so sign up NOW)

While this may be more of a secret surprise, I would actually like to announce that I'm doing it but will STILL only reach a small audience. I'm not complaining or bring a drama queen, crying for attention because daddy didn't love me enough. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how to get more people to read my blog, my twitter, my tumblr, my facebook, my social media that I constantly keep up to date with information and get in front of more eyes to share everything I'm doing. Not because I'm bragging that everything I do is fantastic, but I do it because I want to share it with you.
I just want to cuddle ;)

What I did on my Fall vacation or "my Blogging Revenge!"

2011-12-12T22:54:00.001-06:00

So I took a break from blogging to concentrate on other things.
That's not entirely true.
Actully, I tired to consolidate all my blogs into one location for information. I tried tumblr but that didnt' seem to work the way I was hoping, so I'm back to blogging and trying a better application to post to all my social networks at once.

I'll keep this brief but I DO want to mention that i'm trying to offer more affordable art to those people that can't afford a $500 piece but still want some art.

For now it's all on my etsy page but in the long run, i'm going to keep the smaller items on etsy and offer the larger paintings on "Big Cartel".

I'll end with saying I'm sorry I left you Bloggy. I'm a sorry for all the things I did that put our relationship in jeopardy but we WERE on a break so don't hold a grudge.

are you there fans?.... it's me margaret....

2011-06-20T23:31:00.003-05:00

So....does anybody read this, still?
The times are changing and I don't think anyone really reads my blogs or wordpress anymore, so this is going to be my official move over to Tumblr.
I may come back here if someone speaks up but for now I'm just consolidating into one main place to post and that's HERE.

6 arms to hold you interview in Arts & Culture DFW

2011-06-01T08:16:00.002-05:00

Our show, 6 arms to hold you is featured on the cover of Arts and Culture DFW magazine for June.
Thanks to local writer, Stealing Kitty, she interviewed us about our thoughts on the show. Read it to know more about the show before you see it on June 11.

6 arms to hold you website

2011-05-18T08:48:00.002-05:00

There is a lot of info to tell you about the show so rather than type it all here, Joey actually made a website to save us all the trouble.

Here it is: 6 Arms to Hold You

6 arms to hold you

2011-05-16T09:08:00.002-05:00

Here is the big show. Everything we've been working for, for the last few months. This is the reason I haven't been posting much or talking about a lot. This has occupied my time and you're going to see why.
I've been collaborating with Joey and Cathey, building this art baby of ours and couldn't be happier about showing with such great talent as theirs.
It's been a hell of a ride and you're going to love the results.

figure drawing

2011-05-05T08:46:00.003-05:00

I attended a figure drawing on tuesday. You would guess that running a sketch group would afford me the opportunity to actually draw all the time but because i'm running it and timing and what not, there really isn't time to draw.
So I attended a local one to get my fix. It was ok. We pretty much just did one minute and five minute poses then everyone got caught up in chit chat so it was pretty much just gesture drawing. I was hoping we could spend more time on a piece but it was just the first session. We'll see how it goes next time.

I want a new mistake, "lose" is more than "hesitate"...

2011-04-29T08:27:00.003-05:00

AND.....here is the next painting that will be at the Magnolia Retrospective this Saturday.
Unfortunately it's already been sold but you can still see it while the gallery runs through May.
Ps. this will be my last music addition blog. I don't think anyone really pays attention to it but mostly because playlist doesn't have the song I want to include, 60% of the time. If you want my music taste, we can talk about that at the next big rock show.
So get ready, big things are in the works, now that you know all my secrets.

Say something, so i know...that you...are real....

2011-04-26T23:36:00.006-05:00

Here's one of the paintings you can buy at the Magnolia Retrospective show this saturday. Even if you don't buy it, go see it in person. It holds all the secrets to what I've been doing with my paintings lately.

I'm dreaming of your god damn long nails.....

2011-04-25T22:31:00.002-05:00

I've been super busy and here's one of the reasons why: This Saturday I'll be taking part in a retrospective of the Magnolia Gallery. Those of us that had solo shows there are contributing a few pieces to show off the crazy amount of talent we have here in Dallas. It's going to be at the Ross Akard Gallery due to the amount of pieces being shown. Here's the flyer.

That's all for today. Next post....the paintings!!!

wont you stand up with your heart of oak again?

2011-03-28T11:36:00.005-05:00

Fighting to meet deadlines and straining to catch your kisses. I thought I should show you what you're in for...

Don't hold your breath too long .. this tunnel is a Texas mile

2011-03-21T23:55:00.004-05:00

Sketch sketch sketch.
Busy working away on secret projects still but I can share this one with you. It's going to go with a second piece for a gallery perspective and it's not a secret. I'll be working on it this week so i can show the progress.
First: the sketch.

Let's wrap ourselves with silver threads and lay ourselves in golden beds....

2011-03-17T23:21:00.002-05:00

My brain is working faster than I can create. I thought of series number five in the idea bank of paintings I want to create.
I wanted to sketch something to post here since I can't show much of what I've been working on but the sketch led to being a complete drawing, which led to wanting to make a set of paintings based on this one idea. Trust me, this one SCREAMS to be a series.
Art is a very selfish thing. We create and HOPE someone will find an attachment to a painting and want to buy it but in all honesty we are initially being selfish and painting whatever we want. I try to beat you to the punch and, though these are things I want to see (selfish), I try to make sure it's something that is appealing to others as well (thoughtful). Not this one. This initial drawing is COMPLETELY for me and will NOT be for sale. You'll understand why when you see it.(selfish). But I'm trying to be thoughtful (and I want to eat) and will make the rest in the series available to purchase.
I have to complete a couple of paintings for a gallery perspective soon and one of them will be that exact initial drawing so you'll get to see it in a couple of weeks. Until then I'll try to create something else to post here.

Boy with a coin he crammed in his jeans, then making a wish, and tossed in the sea

2011-03-14T16:38:00.005-05:00

In what little spare time I have I managed to build a website for our Dallas branch of Dr. Sketchy's. It's not really much different than our blogspot but we know have an official dot com page: www.DrSketchysDallas.com
It's being stored in a folder in my website for now but the actual dot com title will take you there.
It's a tough labor of love considering I get no money for running the branch but the happiness I see in our attendees makes it worth it.
Here's to tomorrow.

a boring night alone with me.....is just what you need

2011-03-07T09:56:00.006-06:00

Last night I dreamed that I had a ghost brain. It grew 15 degrees shifted from mine and the overlap is what causes dreams and creativity

Sketches

2011-02-26T13:49:00.001-06:00

This is a quick sketch to kill some time. Every now and then I like sketching in these tiny japanese pens that are like a nicer ball point pen. This is a small part of a bigger painting idea.

Whatever you doooooooooooo.... Don't tell anyone

2011-02-23T07:34:00.003-06:00

Who do you trust?
I was reading 3x3's blog the other day about a group of ad agencies starting an online alternative to mailer promos. Apparently they get so many they throw them away without even looking at them and are trying to make something more earth friendly and reduce paper waste. While I'm all for this, I'm also the worlds most paranoid man and want to contribute but wonder how safe it really is.
I need to get my skills publicly shown and want to contribute to make myself accessible but can't anyone just steal the image and use it however they want? I would like to think that it wouldn't happen but it has. There are websites dedicated specifically to that. But even when the thief is called out, the damage is done. You can stop them with a cease and desist letter but you still won't get paid.
So I guess the question is rhetorical. I just need to bite the bullet and pray for the best. Any one agree with me to make me feel better?

Phone post

2011-02-16T10:31:00.001-06:00

This is a tease of a collaborative piece I'm working on to promote the show I'm doing with two other artists. I'm keeping this short because I'm testing out blogger for android and creating this on my phone. What an age we live in!

All I want to do is have my mind erased....

2011-02-09T12:02:00.005-06:00

Here is the Mind Eraser. It's a 9"x12" donated piece I did for the Kettle Gallery's show "For the Love of Kettle". This one NEEDS to be seen unlike the mystery of the rest because this special show sells each piece for only $35 and I want everyone to know what they can get if they get there in time.
I also threw the sketch in so you could see how things change in the process. Some good, some bad. All fun.
Doors open at 7 and there is a facebook event page in the link back there so get there early. Even us artists try to snag some art so get ready to fight.

Let's sail in this sea of charms. Let's drown underneath the stars.

2011-02-08T11:29:00.004-06:00

This is just an informative post. I was talking to a friend and it was brought up that I've never had an email subscription list. I desperately need one so I did some searching and found some free ones. In case anyone is interested, I'm using Mail Chimp. It has a free membership for under 2,000 subscriptions and under 12,000 emails sent a month. Since I'm starting fresh this is more than enough for me. I'm going to try it out on our Dr.Sketchy's emailing list too and benefit from it. I can afford the $15 a month for a bigger service but for now this looks pretty promising.
So over at to the right you can now subscribe to my art email list to be notified of any galleries I have from now on. thank you.

I got lost in thought im over it..

2011-02-04T15:36:00.005-06:00

SNOW DAY! I took my puppy At-A(t) Boy, out to play in the snow today. It's not Hoth but he still loved it.

Click click saddle up see you on the moon then ...

2011-02-01T22:26:00.006-06:00

The secret shroud is still up and all I can show you is that Wolfman is holding up my paintings. He's super excited and has been blabbing to Dracula's daughter so hopefully they can keep it like a secret.

What I CAN talk about is that my good friend Lisa Lindholm is having a solo show this Thursday at the Magnolia Gallery. I showed there too and am honored to be participating in a "recap" of sorts for the gallery. I'll talk more about that later but for now, you need to go see her work. We have a lot of art talks about where we want to go with our paintings and I love the direction she's headed into, so you don't want to miss this.

It's easy it's like breathing, its like a heartbeat, it's easy....

2011-01-28T11:32:00.008-06:00

Paper Toys! I forgot about this one. I made it a while back and with the hectic back and forth with everything I'm trying to do, I forgot about it.Luckily I have all of them that I designed made and sitting on my shelf to remind me.
HERE is a link to a PDF which is much larger to print out and enjoy. Or print out and set on fire if you don't. Either way, have fun!

It gives you what you need...to stay alive

2011-01-24T22:49:00.008-06:00

I have a problem. Do I continue to buy CDs? With all the need to lessen carbon foot prints and what not, I've done all I can without being a smelly hippy and now I have to make a decision about music. I LOVE collecting and LOVE buying CDs but as technology is moving on, I HAVE to ask myself if I need them anymore.
I love the thrill of the hunt and go shopping for used cds a lot. Just to give you an idea of the thrill of the hunt, for my best friends bachelor party, we went CD hunting. I'm not kidding, we loaded up into a van and hit all the used cd stores happy to blow our money on cds that would have been lost on lap dances and instead brought home treasures.
The excitement of finding something I was hunting for or not expecting to find is such nerdy fun but I'll admit that I've gone a whole year without getting albums I want because I'm crossing my fingers to find it used. If I just buy it on iTunes I can have it NOW and not deny myself the delicious magic I've been craving.
I bring it up because a friend made a resolution to buy one CD a week to make up for falling behind as well. She's been buying the music on iTunes, CHEAP AS HELL and it's opened my eyes to thinking twice about the 1000+ CDs sitting in my living room.
Is it time to move on?

..the sunsrise is just over that hill, the worst is over...

2011-01-21T07:59:00.003-06:00

I'm done. My entry to Spectrum 18 is finally ready. Unfortunately it's also going to be in my upcoming gallery so i can't show it yet. I have to spend the weekend getting good photos to send so maybe I'll tease a little bit more if I can't distract myself with the next painting.
I've decided to enter into at least five annuals this year and this is number one. I said I was going to last year but things got too hectic. This time, since I'm working towards a gallery and way ahead, I've been able to actually come to a stopping point on my art rather than having to stop because it's time to turn it in. I know that's a shitty way to work but lately I had been agreeing to so many charities and local events that I found myself doing that. Though I was extremely happy with what i created, the accumulation of so many free pieces due, I always wish that I was able to take them further.
With these next few paintings I've been able to do just that: create from my heart rather than racing a clock.
So as any good artist can say every time, these are some of the best, most exciting pieces I've created and can't wait to share them with everyone. It's going to be a great ride.

This vessel's underway, Secure the rigging, we're headed south Tack the sails, man the posts. We're headed south into the wind

2011-01-19T17:00:00.005-06:00

Nothing I can technically post again today so I decided to take this time to clean throw away some old memories of girlfriends past.
Today I decided to delete my Myspace account. I KNOW some of you are way ahead of me on that one but when all migrated to Facebook and Tumblr, I left it up for those last few users of myspace to find me: one more connection in social networking, right?
The only contacts I'm getting from it anymore are businesses still trying to friend me and I'm not getting any traffic from it.
Is it wrong that I did it over Tumblr?
So, until the new girl comes along, I've moved on to bigger and..well, I won't use the common "better" phrasing.....but...let's just say, newer things.

Looking forward to more "first kisses".

Life is always an adventure

I"m counting my heartbreaks, i think i need one again.

2011-01-12T19:59:00.003-06:00

This my attempt to distract you with something shiny.
I don't know what to do with this guy. I made him over a year ago and want to do some more sculpting. I don't really have any plans for him and he is using A LOT of modeling clay that could be used on something else.
I'm too busy to do it now but I think I'm preparing myself and starting my goodbyes to him. ....maybe.

Beat the skins and let the Loose lips kiss you clean

2011-01-10T12:05:00.006-06:00

I can't show you my progress but I can show you some sketches.
I PROMISE as the gallery gets closer I'll show a little bit more but the new paintings have some new elements involved that I've never done before and I would like to let the surprises all hit you at once.
What I can show you are the little things involved. This is actually showing you more than I want to but the surprise will still be there when you see the final versions of everything. This is just a kiss. You have to wait before I put out.

why don't you sing me that pretty lullaby

2011-01-03T22:54:00.002-06:00

So I said I would hold off on posting because of the holidays and so much going but I realized that this is going to overlap into this year because, well.. I still have a lot going on. The gallery I have planned is going to eat up all the time but I'll try to post what I can without spoiling anything.
Here's a teaser with some hints of what to expect. What's the hint? look closer. closer. CLOSER. OK I'll help you. Did you notice that the images in the back ground are not of my art? Why would a painting I'm working on be in someone else's studio?
You'll have to wait to see.
Back to work.

Open up your eyes, Open up your room, Open up your arms

2011-01-01T21:49:00.003-06:00

New year, new drawings, new things to come. I did this sketch at 12:02 a.m. after the champagne was toasted. Something just made me grab my pencil and drawing pad and it came out. It's nothing special but it was so effortless that I'm taking it as a sign that this is going to be a great creative year.
I'm not bitter about 2010. I added that afterwards because I see so many people always complaining about wanting to be done with whatever year we jut finished. Not me. I'm excited at every day that has passed and how many more I have to create as much as I want. Be thankful for everything you have and will get. It's going to be a good year.
Happy New Year.

I'm in the sky tonight. There i can keep by your side. Watching the whole world wind around and round I'll be coming home next year

2010-12-21T20:36:00.002-06:00

the year is coming to an end and I don't know if I'll be posting much before that due to a hectic schedule. Plus since what I'm working on is supposed to be a secret for now, there's now much i can actually post here.
So unless I miraculously find some new news to post about I'll just mention that I have a tumbler now.
I'm just trying to be more accessible with my web presence and I don't really see any advantage to it yet but thought I would mention it anyway.
To me it looks like another way to blog and with the advantage of connecting to other "tumblers". Again, no different than this but, hey why not.
Go HERE to see it. Go to hell if you don't.
Happy new year.

here it comes the breeze that'll blow away, All your reason and your sin...Same with your minds

2010-12-15T11:06:00.004-06:00

Well, in a little twist of fate, the Sasquatch series will not be used where I was hoping to show it in Dallas but even better, it got enough attention from them that they want to work with me for a showing in spring. The details have to be ironed out but it's something to be excited about.
So since that's going the way it is, I'll show you some of the series. This particular one has been sold already but I have more avialable for those intrested. I'm in the process of redesigning the website so when it's done, I should have these up for sale in the "store" section. If anyone wants one before I put them up, let me know and I'll set up a private viewing for you.

back to work.

The way things get.... You get so high. Funny how we make new friends

2010-12-01T16:58:00.004-06:00

For any of you that like to draw on your smarty-phones, Autodesk created a SketchBook Mobile App for Android. I'm going to give it a try just because they pushed it directly at android and that's pretty nice considering everyone creating apps is iphone crazy. Android is steadily holding it's own with the apple and I love that Autodesk has noticed that. Personally I don't see the need to draw on something as tiny as my phone and never have but like I said, I will give it a try and support the effort. Good Job Autodesk.

Mr. Wilson, don't have an attitude, You're kind of being rude...

2010-11-29T18:02:00.002-06:00

I think I've finally cracked the code to my website.
The most powerful words someone gave me were "do it yourself". I needed a website and a designer friend told me to empower myself by learning and not depending on someone else to help me. While this has helped me TREMENDOUSLY it does have it's draw backs.
Yes, I learned the basics to do it all myself but honestly they always look like what they are: built by someone who knows just enough to get by.
Along the way I learned some simple tricks like using SimpleViewer. It changed everything as far as coding for my multiple images. But as much as this has helped me, I think next year I will actually pay someone to design it for me. I can maintain it but I'm sure it would look better if I brought someone in who knows how to polish it up and does that for a living.
Well since I blog so much I was thinking about adding this aspect to it and was trying to find some good wordpress templates but nothing ever made me happy.
Low and behold I was looking at SimpleViewer to see what they've updated on the package and their new version rang my bell. It even stands alone now and no longer needs to go through Photoshop to work. I'm going to integrate that and wordpress and a shopping cart to finally make it the site I've been trying to build.
So, if you cross your fingers I'll have the new site up and running by 2011.
Back to work.

You make that dance look so new..... And I'm in awe

2010-11-26T18:31:00.002-06:00

Back to painting.
I was reminded by a partner in crime that our big gallery extravaganza is coming up and i need to get back to painting. I'm glad he did though because these paintings involve some new tricks that are going to take me a little longer to create than a normal painting. So for now here's a tease and stay tuned for more.

I know you're somewhere, I'm Insane

2010-11-22T23:38:00.005-06:00

I got a chance to catch the Willie Binnie art show at Bows and Arrows before it closed, today. I caught a free movie about Norwegian Black Metal at Good Records and bumped into him and a bunch of friends he was taking over to the gallery so I tagged along. I'm glad I did because it was AWESOME and have no idea how this one slipped by me. be jealous

Leave well enough alone. Go home, sweet home

2010-11-17T10:55:00.007-06:00

Today's lesson: update update update.
I've been researching giving my website a new look. Since I blog so much, I was looking into changing over to a wordpress format and realized I needed something specific in my server to do this and started questioning my host. They informed me that what I needed comes standard with all their server packages, that I had an old set up that didn't have it and suggested upgrading.
So, as I looked to update, I was struck with the embarrassing and humbling realization that I was paying 3 times as much as I should be for 1/8 of what I could be getting.
In other words, 8 years ago I started my site and was getting 150 mb of space with a gig of bandwith. Now, I upgraded to one gig of space with 100 gigs of bandwith at 1/3 the price.
Not that I need so much space but it was a kick in the head that I've been paying too much for so long because technology has been growing so fast.
So update and update often. Here

You've been away....for so long...

2010-11-16T10:43:00.006-06:00

A couple of weeks a ago I did a piece for a photographer friend. The idea was about two doctors approaching surgery with two different conventional methods. He pretty much knew what he wanted so it was easy to nail from the beginning. We tried two other looks for the heart but ultimately went with his original idea, printed it out on a large scale and he photographed it for his final piece.
I initially started off with traditional pencils and shading since that was the idea, and colored it on the computer. The beauty of using the computer is that he actually changed his mind on the color of a few of the veins and changed it easily with no hassle.

This image is property of Darren Braun

Snuff the leader with the bad assed plan. Take what you want from the palm of his hand.

2010-11-11T10:27:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we had a very special Dr. Sketchy's session. I had this idea but didn't know if it would offend anybody. With the anniversary of the JFK assassination coming up I thought it would be fun to "bring them back" since it's a fact that Dallas is the location in which we lost the Kennedys.
So, we made them zombies.
It was all in good fun and everyone that came had a good time so I'm glad I went with it. I figured Dallas was the ONLY Dr. Sketchy's location that this would be acceptable so I felt we owed it to the branch to do it.
There are pictures on our profile HERE.

And so you simply swore the days have been reborn..... And all that came before, you don't need it

2010-11-03T22:37:00.004-05:00

I had a solo show in Denton recently at La Meme Gallery in Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. I created small affordable pieces centered around the adventure of two Sasquatch. The idea was that they were looking for their heart. Powered by electric hearts, they traveled through strange universes being good or evil, in their nature and resulted in the merging of both for a complete and whole heart. This was all illustrated in each world by diptych style paintings reflecting upon each other.
I was going to post all the pictures but since it was only in Denton, I think I may offer to a space here in Dallas and wait to show the pictures then. I know of the perfect place so after we'll see if they go for it and I'll fill you in with details as they transpire.

I wanna feel like this for the rest of my life....It goes on..

2010-11-01T12:32:00.002-05:00

Today I'll show you pictures of a mural I did for a club in Fort worth. They are called the Durty Crow and designed the whole thing. The idea was a black and white picture of pin up girls with crow heads. The art director who hired me did a mock up of the idea cutting and pasting heads onto a picture and they love the look of it so much they decided to go exactly with that picture. It only took me three days to complete and looks MUCH better in person. The black and white image completely blows out the contrast of itself when you try to take a picture of it so I tried to get the best representation of the detail in the close ups.

We grind the bones of lying giants and drink the blood of maidens swooning....

2010-10-28T13:18:00.003-05:00

This weekend is the Deep Ellum Outdoor Market and the first 60 kids that get there will get a Deep Ellum coloring book. I contributed this piece to the book for your coloring enjoyment. I'm trying to find out what other artists did so I can post them here or a link to it, so stay tuned.

...and everything was partying, everyone was pretty and everyone was coming towards the center of the city

2010-10-25T18:52:00.007-05:00

Wow. Where to begin?
I've been so busy with everything that just happened that I've had no time to post progress or final pictures of any of it. To make it up to you, I'll take you out to dinner, dancing, toilet papering someone's house, and I'll also spend the next week telling you stories about it all while I tuck you snugly into your bed, so expect tales of Sasquatch, conspiracies, tape monsters, coloring books, professional illustrations and the kitty dance.

First I'll show you my piece for this years Art Conspiracy. It was titled "Tied Down". As a friend so eloquently put it, my solo gallery had a baby with the art conspiracy (when you see the gallery pictures, you'll know why). This year there was some controversy with the artist line up but I got to voice my opinion about it and feel better about everything as my piece was sold off to make a good chunk of change for a good cause. I won't brag about the dollar amount here but if you twist my arm with a beer I'll tell you everything.....EVERYTHING.
I've done this since it's inception and will be there for them every year they will have me. This is yet another reason I will always be in love with Dallas.

My friends are talkin' and they're telling you... "Just leave him alone cuz the boy's bad news!"

2010-10-05T10:24:00.004-05:00

Here we go!On October 22 I'll be having a solo show at Meme Gallery in Denton connected to Rubber Gloves Rehearsal studio. One night only. Art for sale, T-shirts for sale, free paper toys, stickers and Music by skunk ape, mustache club and yeah def. You don't want to miss this.

Don't hold your breath too long This tunnel is a Texas mile

2010-09-28T21:05:00.006-05:00

Do you like TED? Do you like TEDxSMU? of course you do, who doesn't? This year they've added on TEDxKIDS@SMU and I'm going to be helping out. They need someone to draw with a Wacom tablet for one of their sessions and I'll be representing Dallas for digital drawing. There's not much more details to give you unless you're attending but I'm excited to be a part of such an amazing event. Cheers to all you idea makers.

I am your armor!

2010-09-22T13:26:00.008-05:00

Big things are still building and it feels like this year is going to go out with a huge explosion of art.
A friend of mine created this awesome image and contacted me about creating some line art for a Deep Ellum coloring book for the Deep Ellum Market Halloween. We have some awesome contributors to this and I can't wait to see what everyone does. I even managed to sneak in some AWESOME concept artists and illustrators that don't normally get to play with us in these kind of events. So in addition to the regular heavy gallery hitters like Tyson Summers and Joey Seeman, you'll get to color in some art by Erin McGuire and Sarah Marino.

Also the infamous DJ R.A. Four is returning to Murray Street as We Are Dark Clouds. If that wasn't enough Tania Kauffman designed some new art for it. amazing.

The he is....i got my sturdy wrist...

2010-09-15T21:16:00.002-05:00

Well I made a paper toy for the upcoming October show in Denton.
Do you want to see what it is? Come to the show.....or my house. Whatever's cool.

Because I will be your ambulance if you will be my accident....

2010-09-13T12:37:00.006-05:00

It looks like the everything is coming to a gigantic explosion. All the art projects and opportunities are now falling into place and into each other from here on out so if you get left behind it's your own fault. Hold on to someone's hand.
The Art of Skateboarding is coming up (I'm taking on TWO decks this year), The Art Conspiracy has moved up to October, my gallery in Denton will be in October, the super secret collaboration gallery is being ironed out and I'll be painting a mural of crow girls.
Life is pretty good. I'll hold your hand if you get lost.

and we thought that he was doing alright and she says hello

2010-09-07T18:28:00.003-05:00

Sunday we did a "Hot for Teacher" Dr. Sketchy's session so I made this paper toy for it. I told myself that this would ONLY be available at this session but if you ask me nicely, I might be persuaded to let you have one since I printed out more than we needed.

sing a birthday sing it like it's going to be your last day

2010-09-03T12:27:00.002-05:00

18 years ago today I made the greatest piece of art the world has ever known. She will forever be the best part of me and the love of my life. Happy Birthday John Jr.

I made a fire and watching it burn (yeah) Thought of your future

2010-08-30T23:23:00.002-05:00

Well I think I may be closer to a die-cut sticker design. The October show is the source. You'll get to see it soon. Will he be good? Will he be bad? You'll see.

Though there's still pain in my chest i still wish you the best...

2010-08-27T17:48:00.004-05:00

guess what?!?!??!?!
We've finalized a date for the Denton show. October 22.
It's going to be a La Meme Gallery and there will be t-shirts involved and these guys...
More details later. I just wanted to mention it and with the greatest song in the world. thank you Cee-Lo

The most important thing Is to listening the recording of the music.

2010-08-25T12:37:00.008-05:00

Well well well, look at what I found. A long time ago, I came across these GREAT paper toys designed by ReadyMech. For the record, I am in no way affiliated with them but out of all the paper toys I've come across, I love theirs the best so I wanted to give them credit, since I use their template. And If you love paper toys just do a google search and you will find TONS (image search is good too).
Anyway, me and a few other artists printed them out and made put them together and started to make some designs ourselves. I was looking for something yesterday and found one of the designs I was working on, back then. I'm going to finish it soon but until then I was so excited about these again, that I designed a new one for you....sort of. It's obviously based on the Tri-Clops idea I made for my Dunny design (and you can still see over there on the right) but I still love it and wanted you to have fun with it.
So you can download it HERE and print it out (I recommend a thicker paper)and have fun. I'll be making more soon and they will always be free.

Brightened up the walk way to my door, Brought you as a sun beam on my floor

2010-08-23T20:22:00.006-05:00

More fat to be trimmed. I was dropping a lot of images from my website and realized that I don't have a lot of 3D models to post. The majority of what I've done are for a company I don't work for anymore. While I was there I never thought to make copies for my portfolio. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't be there forever. I mean, I didn't expect to stay there forever but I meant that I was just so into the job and work that I didn't think ahead about not having access to the models after a while. I still do freelance work for them so I'm sure I can ask them but I didn't realize it until this weekend.
Btw the stuff I dropped will never be noticed. I redid my site last year and though the design changed, I stubbornly kept EVERY image from the previous version. That's the downside to running your own site, I guess: no one to get feedback from.
So, I dropped all the poster images I made from my days of playing in bands. It's old work. Inferior. Like this Monster head. I had the idea to paint a 3D model in my old comic book style. Merh. Time to let it go.
I'll still hold a place in my heart for them but the purpose of my site is to show my progressing talent. I've reached a point that it does more harm than good.

Onward and upward.

The violets explode inside me when I meet your eyes Then I'm spinning and I'm diving Like a cloud of starlings.........Darling is this love?

2010-08-18T21:53:00.002-05:00

There are a lot things about to happen and I need to start making some decisions. While painting is COMPLETELY a selfish thing, I know I need to also branch out a bit and make things that aren't just for me. I mean, I truly appreciate when someone wants something I create because it was solely to make me happy but it also turns out to be something magical for them too. I love that.
But I know not everything is for everybody. Take today's drawing for example. There are drawings I have of paintings and (secret)ideas that are about to be created but I have to decide if I'm going to make it for me or more accessible to the mass public.
The sketch is of a simple ghost. Well, at least my ideas of a ghost. I can make it super detailed skull style or cutesy implying skull/dead style. They both work to a certain crowd so I need to make a choice. It's tough when you love everything you do. I don't mean to sound to egotistical but I won't produce anything unless I love it myself.
It will work out though. I've figured out a way to incorporate both into one style so it's going to get pretty exciting but there are certain ideas that HAVE to be either/or.

Still moving regardless of stable ground and this stable ground

2010-08-16T22:49:00.003-05:00

So since I've been doing normal art lately I had to noodle around and nerd out a bit.
Thinking about Christopher Nolan making one more Batman movie, I was thinking about villains that could be interpreted as real and not be silly so I thought of Killer Croc. I figured he could have been a real wrestler that had a skin disease and not quite mentally stable. He would still have the pants and restraints from Arkham and fashioned a wrestling championship belt out of hupcaps and garbage.
I know this is still too cartoonish (prime example is the surprised Croc in the bottom left) but it was just a doodle. I think I may play around with making more real version when I have down time, to show off in my portfolio.

I ain't tellin' you a secret I ain't tellin' you goodbye

2010-08-13T23:04:00.006-05:00

I was doing a freelance piece and Lisa brought it to my attention that I should show.....a "lighter side"... to my work. She didn't really say that but she liked it and thought I should showcase this kind of work in my cannon of capabilities.
So here is something else I can do besides monsters.
The customer wanted a sketchy look with a coloring book color to it so I got to keep it simple.
Next week, back to the terror.

Seldom to touch far away from here, Even if I'm released

2010-08-11T11:52:00.005-05:00

It's my friends birthday today. I'd tell you to go say Happy Birthday and read her BLOG but...well....you know. This is something I did for her back when we started our blog race. Looks like I'm winning.

Outside the frame, is what we're leaving out .You won't remember anyway

2010-08-06T11:01:00.009-05:00

I had a morning meeting with a friend to discuss work on her website and realized something horrible: I'm THAT guy.
While we were discussing things to work on, we jumped onto the game of laughing at other BAD things we HATE about websites. One of them was when websites instantly play music on their pages and even though i tried to justify this blog's reason for it, as I drove home it sank in that I was still one of those websites.
I've been doing this for a little over two years and I tried to look at it as the ultimate ongoing mix CD of my life as I blog. I even took the time to make sure everyone of them flows into each other well which was quite a challenge. It was totally selfish that I could just pull it up in a window and just let it play automatically. While this worked for me, I never realized that it was a nuisance to others. Really I didn't think other people really kept up with this but since Lisa pointed it out, I know that for even the few people that check in every now and then have to suffer through one of the things I don't even like myself.
So no more. I'm still naming each chapter with lyrics from the current song but from here on out I'll leave it on the side bar and if you feel you want to play along or listen to what's going through my head at the time of my postings, just press play and sing along.

We're coming home on a plane crash, We trip away through the night

2010-08-04T22:56:00.007-05:00

A friend of mine gave me a present of some free stickers for my birthday so I was noodling around with some ideas. During this one I remembered that it was going to be "die cut" to the image too so I decided to scrap this idea and play around with having that bonus. Who knows where I'll go now but I want to try to take advantage of this to find out. Sorry Bubba. You're going back.

there's a knock on the door and just for a second i thought i remembered you

2010-08-02T17:46:00.005-05:00

I decided to try out Sketchbook Pro 2010. It's pretty fun and has some MAJOR advantages over sketching in Photoshop or Painter. Some of the awesome advantages are adjustable ellipses and straight edges. I need to mess with it more to test it's painting abilities but here's the first time I used it, testing the brushes. I'll post more as I use it.
As for the paintings, I'm really close to announcing something. It's going to be a group show with two other artists and we have been talking about doing this for a while now. We are all finally synchronized to be able to actually follow through now so the details are starting to solidify. More news soon.

Something is telling you don't know how lucky you are

2010-07-30T16:04:00.006-05:00

Every now and then I assist a photographer friend on some of his assignments. He's hired by some very high profile magazines so we get to experience some fun/crazy things. As we've traveled across Texas I try document the odd craziness we come see and some day I'll dedicate a longer post to it but for now: this is why I love Texas.

I guess when it's all said and done It's just something in our design

2010-07-27T10:09:00.006-05:00

I got it. I know what was I was trying to sketch from the previous post. I don't want to talk about it because it's leading into a several paintings based on this idea. Maybe once one is painted I'll post it but just wait for it. You're going to love it.
Here's a hint. Now go play.

..risking everything....to know who's out there...someone different

2010-07-22T10:10:00.008-05:00

I've been getting all my sketches together for the next gallery I'm going to submit and realize I need to take better notes. The ideas are still there but sometimes I'll just jot down little scribbles because it makes sense at the time. Usually I can wrangle it back to my brain but sometimes, even I can't decipher the clues. Wide awake scribbles are easy to decipher but sleepytime scratchings get crazy. I keep my sketchpad ready at all times and that even includes by my bed at night. Those are the toughest to recall because they are usually done fast and in the dark.
I have no idea what I was thinking here. I barely even remember drawing it but I do know that those are corn dog stains on it....story for another time.

Hello there ladies and gentlemen..... Hello there ladies and gents, are you ready to rock?!?!

2010-07-19T20:50:00.006-05:00

Big weekend. I don't time to tell you everything but I have time to rock.
I've made up my mind about which gallery I'm approaching for my next show so stay tuned for details.
Pics are from the "I am woman" show at Rising Gallery and from my birthday cake at our Dr. Sketchy's session.

Would you like to do a number with me?

Take in restraint like a breath. My lungs are so numb from holding back

2010-07-14T13:11:00.006-05:00

Here she is: The Clockwork Heart. This is the clock I contributed to the Art Conspiracy's SEED project. The event will be at the Sons of Herman Hall and you can bid on the pieces in a live auction. The opening bids all start at $20 so if you get lucky and no one else bids, you can get one for dirt cheap. It's always a roll of the dice or put your bids in the clock hands of fate, I guess.

I'm surprised at how hot honey-coloured and hungry she looks, And I have to turn away to keep from bursting

2010-07-12T20:23:00.007-05:00

This week I find myself finishing another donated piece. I've cut myself off from doing them since fatty likes to eat and I can't pay with good intentions. This one is for the Art Conspiracy. I've always done one for them every year during the actual conspiracy but this year they asked me to paint one for their "SEED" project. I'll post links next time since this is only the sketch. I have to get back to work but felt like typing. ....and I'm over it. Back to work.

All that work over so much time. If I think too hard I might lose my mind

2010-07-09T14:14:00.012-05:00

I have several projects and jobs due soon so I'm getting everything ready and came across a picture I did for a freelance project that I forgot about. It was scrapped before I could even get to another sketch but I still liked this drawing and wanted to post it here. The story was some kind of wunderkind born between a race of humans and demons. Silly I know but these things pay the bills until my shit's on fire!.....meaning I'm in demand. Not that I have bathroom problems....

Let's just move on shall we?

You know the art is gone.....I'm taking my song to the grave.

2010-07-06T16:27:00.007-05:00

So as promised, here's part two of my entry into the Kidrobot Munny Munth contest.
I'm happy with it and so satisfied that I finished it but I'm also glad I finished the other one first. It represented the two of them better and was my first choice anyway. I saw a couple of other Dallas artist enter the contest but not as much as I know are here. We have to step up people. We have to.

Who's gonna pay attention.... to your dreams?

2010-06-28T21:44:00.005-05:00

The KidRobot Munny contest is almost over and I'm not going to be done in time with the second one in time to enter it as well. I'll still post it here when it's done but I need to do some other projects first so we'll come back to that one later.
Speaking of the contest, I think someone cracked the voting code. If you look at mine, there's one person who posted three of their designs before me and their numbers are really close to each other in the 430's to 440's. I'm not saying they're cheating, I just thought it rather odd that they are all by the same person and so close and large in numbers.
So thank you for everyone that voted for me. I won't win the popularity contest but I truly appreciate that you like what I'm doing.
As for new work, I wish I could show you all the new things I'm creating but I can't talk about anything yet. Better yet, just come by my house and you can see the gallery in waiting.
ok fine.....just a tease for now.

Time to understand the monster!

2010-06-21T20:22:00.007-05:00

Here's the Munny I created for the KidRobot Munny Contest. There are step by step pictures as well but I decided not to bore you with those. The final image is what you really want anyway, right? So now it's up to the judges to decide who the winner is. I'm so happy with the final outcome of the piece, that I don't really care if I win or not. I'm just happy that I satisfied myself by pushing a little more to get something that was new for me. I used the toy as a canvas this time but still managed to sneak in ghost eyes to keep it looking like a shaped toy as well. I really wished more local artists took part in this but I can only poke them so much until I had to get back to work myself. I guess I have time to push them to do something.
Well, you can see the others HERE and vote if you like. In addition to the judges choice there will be other categories like "mosted Liked" which is basically whoever gets the most viewer votes.
Here we go....

..and I wonder.......... when I sing along with you

2010-06-16T10:31:00.008-05:00

Here's the color scheme and idea I ended up with for the KidRobot Munny Contest. As you can see from the sketch it will be slightly different from the Illustrator version. That was just to get the color schemes. The ghosts won't be exactly like the vectors. I can't wait to see what everybody else is doing. (I'm looking at you Dallas!)

Lie down and try to talk to me. Sleep now and dream of who you'll be, When you finally become someone.

2010-06-11T17:05:00.007-05:00

It was a big weekend and Lisa Lindholm's show was fantastic. She's such a wonderful artist and is really making wonderful strides with where she's headed with her art.
The show will be at the Kettle Gallery for a couple of weeks so you should go see it soon.

So as I promised, here's the first color test of the Munny design I was messing around with for the Kidrobot Munny contest. Yes it's a shitty color job but I was just trying to keep it honest, showing that it was just a brain storm for colors and ideas.
To be honest though, right before I started this blog I sketched out what's actually going to be on it and it really looks nothing like this. It was one of those sudden flashes of genius that make me happy about being creative. I was going to scan the sketch but I'll save it for another post since I'm going to be working out the idea to see if it takes me to yet another beautiful level of ideas.

OH and plus!!!....this is a new look to the blog. Blogspot came up with some new templates so I thought I would try one out that's a little easier on the eyes than solid black with white type. Maybe one day I'll go to a light BG with black type but for now I'll promote these new designs.

Counting and breathing, Disappearing in the fade

2010-06-09T14:35:00.016-05:00

First I wanted to mention that my dear friend and partner in the Dr. Sketchy's Dallas chapter, Lisa Lindholm, is having a solo show at the Kettle Gallery this Saturday and you better go. We have been helping each other out with art criticisms lately so I got to see a sneak peak at what she's going to show and you'll regret it if you miss out on buying or even seeing her art in person.

Secondly, I wanted to mention that KidRobot is having a Munny contest.

As much as I know I'm not going to win, I still like that it reminded me that I need to get back to painting more toys. First, don't get me wrong: I'm not being negative by saying I won't win. I've seen some of the talent that create these customs and as much as I feel I have talent myself, I know that they can blow my work away.....but then again, will they win? You see, one of the prizes is that a winner will be a spot in the Dunny series 2011. I know how they work and reproducing a complex multi-colored piece is what they try to avoid due to costs. So the question is to go all out or design a visually stunning simpler piece?
Yes, the obvious answer is to try to do both so we'll see if this works.
Since this won't be for a gallery, it won't be a secret and I will show the process as much as I can from concept to final piece. I have sketches for past ideas I'm still going to create so I'll try to start from scratch with new ideas and see where we go.
Do you want to go with me?

If you're gonna scream, scream with me...

2010-06-06T14:01:00.008-05:00

Last night I went to the closing show of Brian Gibb (the Public Trust) PopUp galleries. It's a great idea actually. He rented an abandoned store front until it was rented by a retailer and held quick "pop up" galleries there until then. There was an awesome grab bag full of goodies and treats from awesome local venues like We are 1976 and Adikt.
I met up with Lisa Lindholm and Darren Braun,enjoyed the show and then we went to Kettle Gallery to see their one night only show.
It was a good night. So here's a photo recap before I go. The last two are of the SMU Meadows Museum. There's more inside but I was thrown off by giant wire heads. go see for yourself.

..and nothing else mattered when we turned it up loud..

2010-06-01T14:13:00.008-05:00

I have a lot of things to try out and no time to try them in. I know I say that a lot but I'm just so excited about all the ideas I have and it really sucks to have to wait to make them all happen.
I'm currently shopping around for galleries to approach for my new shows. Now I just need to get a presentation together to bait the hook and see who bites. I'll keep you posted.
Earlier this week I went to some AMAZING shows. You should have gone.
For now here's a two pictures of the Jennifer Morgan show, one from the Cathey Miller show, one night of the fireflies and one because I was saying Boo-urns.

Oh great intentions I've got the best of interventions

2010-05-24T13:14:00.008-05:00

I needed a break and also have something up my sleeve so I built a simple flying saucer for something specific over the weekend. Even this design might be too much for what I'm trying to do but I'm going to attempt to use it anyway. For what I'm going to do, I don't need to texture it so I'm just leaving it blank like this. We'll talk more about it later. Breaks over i guess.

she's hard on the heart and she's soft to the touch...

2010-05-21T13:25:00.005-05:00

I came up with an easy solution to my mobile web problem: use a site that already exists that's mobile ready.
The main problem I have is that my website is built on a flash template and even though Android phones are about to get flash on their phones, Apple is in a heated battle to NEVER use flash. So, when I'm out and about and someone wants to see what I do, it's been a problem not being able to take them to my sight directly, on their phones.
Enter Facebook.
I realized that if I just take them to my fan page, they can see some of the pictures I've posted to get an idea of what I do. Then they can go to my page on their own at home at their leisure.
So here's the latest QR code spiced up a little to take them there. It's going to be for something cool later. I can't wait to tell you why.....but I have to.

Go scream, do shout ......Make an earthquake...

2010-05-19T16:33:00.011-05:00

I hope your summer is going well. I've been trying to keep busy and keep working. As I've been trying to solidify the theme to the next show, I came across some idea magic. It was a just a flicker of an idea that came to me while I was trying to fall asleep but it was as great one. Sometimes that's how it works. I keep my sketch pad by my bed because on most nights while I'm trying to shut off my brain, I think of some good ideas that keep me going. Not all of them work but this time, I got something big.
My biggest question now is: Do I create more like it or let it be the stand out rock star of the show?
I can't say what it is yet but I am putting aside the others to create this one first. It's DEFINITELY going to sell the rest of the gallery.
Since I don't want to show it yet, I'll just post a tease of one that was pushed aside for now.
And as for my Denton show, we're just waiting to see if Will Johnson of Centro-Matic wants the September slot and I'll follow him.
Now.. Go Do.....

..who will kiss the devil on his tongue?

2010-05-14T19:22:00.006-05:00

I keep coming back to trying to build a mobile friendly version of my site.
Every time I think I have it licked, I'm back at the beginning. We'll talk more soon.

I know you feel it too, these words get overused.

2010-05-10T19:17:00.011-05:00

We're ironing out the details right now but I can safely say that I'm going to be doing a solo show in Denton. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios has a new art gallery addition and I'm going to be showing there. The bonus is that I also get to paint a mural on one wall and they will print shirts for the event featuring my work. I already designed the shirts and created two paintings to get started.
I'll post more as we make those major decisions but for now, here's a tease of the two paintings I used to propose my show.

scattered and grey so i hold it back and keep it sugarless

2010-05-03T21:48:00.007-05:00

The Sketch for sketch tour was so much fun. The guys were super nice and it ended up being such a fun trip. Here's a better picture of what I did, them and their sketches.

I’m so lost out on the highway, With no direction left to go

2010-04-28T18:04:00.010-05:00

Pack your bag and adorn you disguises. We're heading to Austin. Alex Pardee and Dave Correia are on a sketch tour (you can read about it here) and had to change plans. They were going to stop in Dallas but now can't and will be at Mondo in Austin for one night. They're trading sketches for sketches and I don't want to miss out on this. So here's what I'm taking. I'll show you what I get when I get back.

Sketch for sketch. Bye.

You need something more today,... I don't mind and it's always this way

2010-04-26T22:43:00.005-05:00

I have a lot of decisions to make. I've come up with a lot of ideas and show themes so it's time to decide where I'm going to try to push them. I have a couple of place I want to try out so now I just need to go for it. The biggest part is to tie a lot of these ideas together and make it understandable why I decided to put them into one show. As much as I'm opposed to artist statements, I understand that the galleries need show statements about the paintings to sell the ideas and intrigue for the show. I have something good up my sleeve though. Just you wait.
For now here's the flyer for the Dallas Dr.Sketchy's show we're putting together for this weekend.

you arrive and I'm on fire ....

2010-04-21T16:10:00.011-05:00

Well, "big man fancy new whatever" didn't quite finish the painting like I was trying to. I forgot about drying time. But I at least worked on the next panting, little by little, in between drying. I'll juggle what I can to get something done.
So here's the next picture of progression. Cross your fingers and I"ll finish it before Friday Night Art Dorks.