High St.

(Moorpark, CA)

A while ago, my family and I took the train into downtown Los Angeles for the day. Across the street from our departing station, we saw these fantastic buildings.

Wildwood Park Thousand Oaks, CA

This a great place to go for a day hike. Easy trails, real waterfalls, and an indian cave!

Will Mata...

(digital)

A sketch of Mike Bell (top) and of "me and the Bell" (bottom) by story artist Will Mata.

My elephant... again...

(digital, 8x10")

Kevin Dart's Yuki 7 trailer!

"A Kiss From Tokyo" Theatrical trailer from Stephane coedel on Vimeo.

Visit Kevin Dart's website!

Ow... Ow... Ow...

(digital)

A while back, Christian, my supervisor, got sunburned on the tops of his arms and forehead while bicycling many, many, many miles. He's okay now, so I must poke fun at him.

Dinosaurs, Butterflies, and Precious Minerals...

(Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County)

I highly recommend the visit for the butterflies alone! Of course, having a dinosaur or two loom over you isn't something to be missed either. The museum also has an extensive gem and mineral collection. The Kazanjian Red Diamond was a treat to see. If I remember, it's one of three existing five-carat red diamonds in the world.

Note: The Dinosaur Hall Exhibit is currently closed (due to renovations) until 2011. A few dinosaurs are on display. A museum trip wouldn't be complete without them. Plus, you can see "Thomas" the T. Rex being restored.

Next week's adventure: a trip to the tattoo parlor (kidding).

3D! Sort of...

While cleaning out a closet over the weekend, I stumbled upon an old frame that had a little depth to it.

Sooo...

That allowed me to try something I've been wanting to do for a while now and that is to create a "shoebox diorama" feel to my illustrations.

Pictured above is a first step. It's real basic, but I dig the dimensional lift my pachyderm received!

The background is printed on a standard heavyweight-matte Epson paper, but the elephant is printed on a thick, card like watercolor paper I found at an art store. It cuts real nice (though I need to look into getting some good paper cutting scissors) and has an old postcard feel.

Anyways, I've been in a bit of a rut lately and hopefully this will lead to something pretty cool.

It's Baseball Season!

(Sharpie & watercolor, 14x17")

The Effect of Analog...

(Post by meastempo)

For you synth fans out there, this is a nice demonstration of analog sound. If you want the abbreviated version, start the video at around 1:15. The string/chorus section is part of a loop, I think.

Eric Carle on NPR...

(Property of Eric Carle)

I've always kept this link for inspiration. I recently came across it and thought I'd share it. It is an NPR slideshow presentation of Eric Carle discussing his distinct use of color.

View the slideshow/interview here.

He too has a museum.

Jack Kirby...

(Property of Jack Kirby and the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center)

Jack Kirby could pose.
Jack Kirby could compose.

Check out the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center.

Will Finn...

(Gesture drawings by Will Finn)

This sketches by Will are simply lovely. Visit Will Finn in his Small Room.

Mel Crawford...

(Image from johnkstuff.blogspot.com)

John K posted some beautiful Mel Crawford illustrations from the book, Touche Turtle and the Fire Dog.

David Derrick...

(a primate study by David G. Derrick Jr.)

Through his drawings and sculptures, you can see David's love and appreciation for animals. Personally, I would like to see him be given his own nature show on Animal Planet or Discovery Channel. There are plenty of animal shows hosted by wildlife biologists. Why not have a show seen through the eyes of an accomplished artist?

Visit David G. Derrick Jr. here!

Earthquake Tower...

(Images from Plaidstallions.com)

Every kid needs an Earthquake Tower. I got one for Christmas 1970-something. Actually, the only cool thing about this toy was that it was really tall. Otherwise, it's completely morbid.

If you want to see some cool and crazy toys (and other products) from the seventies, visit plaidstallions.com. They even have a special "mall appearance" gallery with old photos of superheroes and celebrities.

The Enchanted Forest...

I recently found an old photo of my dad and me checking out "Willie the Whale" at the Enchanted Forest off of Route 40 near Ellicott City, Maryland. The sketch below the photo is part of a tribute piece I'm working on. My memory of "Willie" is a little off. This old photo is going to come in handy for the finished piece!

It's A Living...

(Image borrowed from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Website).

Richard "Dick" Edwards was the man in charge of blowing up "Bruce" the mechanical shark from the classic film JAWS. Read the article here.

Biff Answers Your 'Back to the Future' Questions...

A funny moment by Tom Wilson who played Biff, Griff, and Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen in the Back to the Future movies.

Check out his cool pop-culture based paintings on his website!

Rocket Town in 3 Languages on 1 App!

(Rocket Town by Bob Logan / Presented by Genus Apps)

...on iTunes!