Category: Art

Joe Bluhm Gives It Away

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Joe Bluhm’s drawings are dead-on.  Folks say Joe Bluhm has “crazy skills.” “Mad talents” cry others.  I’m starting to wonder if maybe both groups are right… and not just about his skills and talents.  See, Joe has a new art book coming out called Sketch Infectus.  And that’s where things start to head into crazyville.

Joe’s Sketch Infectus is an 80 page hardcover art book filled with nearly 400 of Joe’s drawings.   He’s selling this sweet package for just $19.95.  That comes to less than 20 cents a sketch.  Insane, right?  Well, it gets better my friends.

Joe also went out and gathered quotes, tips and advice from some of the top artists working today.  People like Tom Richmond, Steven Silver, Phillip Burke and others.  Did Joe raise the price?  Nope.

Then to show you how out there Joe is with this offer, let’s quote the man himself:

Anyone who pre-orders by February 5th (happens to be a good friend’s birthday!) will get an original sketch. And by sketch, I don’t mean I’ll draw a little 5 second scribble… I mean I’ll actually be cutting out the sketches from these and other sketchbooks and giving them to you! You might get something IN the book and you might get something else! Your sketch might have a doodle on the back. Who knows!

Now that deal is insane and crazy.  And if you don’t jump on it, you’d have to be too.

Flatulene – Stinky Good Time

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If Rev. Dave Johnson aka “The Potentate” draws it, I’m there.  So today we have a link to Rev. Dave’s trailer for “Flatulene.” What is “Flatulene” you ask?  Well, here’s how “The Potentate” describes it:

Farting for fun and profit… About 3 days of work to put this together for Titmouse Studios second annual 5 second animation day… As I worked on it, her story started to write itself… My inspiration was Russ Myers ‘Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill’… I might even try to pitch this to Adult Swim.

So if a smokin’ hot chick with irritable-bowel syndrome,  fast cars and a partner who’s a flesh-eating zombie sounds like something you’d like to check out, then click here.  VROOM! VROOM!

I Die at Midnight for Free

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I’ve talked about what a great artist and writer Kyle Baker is many times.  On many occasions I’ve encouraged you to visit Kyle’s site.  Tonight, I’m going to once again suggest that you stop by.  If you do,  check out Kyle’s graphic novel, I Die at Midnight,

Kyle posted up the entire book which can be read for free, and told me:

I thought this might be a cool experiment, since I had the PDF anyway.  If people respond well, I’ve got about 20 books to follow it up with.  It might be nice to turn my site into a public library. We’ll see if people download it.   The fascinating thing about the web is the access to statistics. I’m often surprised at which posts get the most hits.   We’ll see if this is popular.

How cool is that?  Most folks would post up a preview and then try to get you to buy the book.  Kyle not only posts it up in its entirety, but talks about doing the same with his other books.

Kyle Baker is a great artist and writer — he’s a generous one as well.

Rambo Triumphant

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Today I received my limited edition, Rambo statue from the good folks at Hollywood Collectibles.  The statue was placed inside a molded styrofoam shell which was then put in a well designed packaging box which was then placed in a larger shipping container filled with packing nuts.  If you think I’m making too big a deal about how pleased I was with the secure packaging, then you don’t know my delivery guy.

The statue, about 12 inches tall, is a thing of beauty.  Sculptor,  Edinho Maga shows Rambo standing triumphant.  Each statue was hand painted by Dan Cope who did a wonderful job.  Hollywood Collectibles always turns out quality items and this Rambo statue  is no exception.  Although this piece is sold out, there are other Rambo collectibles,  Rocky items,  and many other movie collectibles as well.

I want to thank Mark from Hollywood Collectibles.  Mark contacted me once I had posted photos of Edinho’s work on the StalloneZone.  Mark was impressed.  I put the two into contact with each other and the rest, as they say, is history.  Throughout the whole process Mark kept me informed on the statue’s progress.  It was also Mark who made it possible for SZoners to get a discount if they ordered a statue.  Mark and Hollywood Collectibles have been great to deal with.  I hope that future Stallone projects are given the same treatment.  I could say more, but it’s time to go clear off a place on the mantle for my Rambo statue.

My New Hangout

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I’ve got a new hangout on the net. Surprisingly, it’s at DeviantArt.com.

My buddy, John Beatty recently got a spot there and started posting his art.  Naturally I swung by.  I was surprised to see how many artists [and friends] hang out there.  I wanted to leave some comments, and decided to open an account — it’s free.  Then John suggested I post up some of my Stallone drawings in a gallery.  I did.  Next thing I knew I had friends and artists leaving me comments.

So why not drop on by and check it out.  I’m slowly getting my collection up, but I can guarantee you’ll find plenty of cool stuff to check out if you look around.

I Don’t Draw ‘Em

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I’m not an artist, but I’ve always loved art. I believe that comic books were the start of it all. Like most kids of my generation, I loved comic books. Unlike most, I never outgrew them.

In junior high I met John Beatty. He was also into comic books and original art. He wanted to be a comic book artist. During our high school and my college years, Beatty and I spent a lot of time at Jim Ivey’s Cartoon Museum. Jim’s was THE place for comics and original art. We also started attending conventions. I was in college and Beatty had become a comic book artist.

I sold off my art collection when I was ready to graduate college. I kept just one piece, a Paul Gulacy commission of Sylvester Stallone [my favorite actor]. Over the years some of my artist friends gifted me pieces of Stallone art. When my sons were in their mid-teens we started attending comic conventions. I realized that getting sketches of Stallone from my favorite comic artists was a perfect mesh of my hobbies.

So, no, I don’t draw ’em, I just collect ’em.

Mood: Joy
Listening to: 70’s Music
Reading: The Wildwood Boys by James Carlos Blake
Watching: “Serenity”
Playing: Internet Hearts
Eating: Wings
Drinking: Tea

Mills Premieres Cooke’s Hunter

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Chris Mills made my day when he posted the cover above to Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s novel The Hunter.  If anyone is more excited about Cooke’s plans to adapt Stark’s work than me, it’s probably Chris Mills.  He is not only an author himself, but also an expert in the crime genre… and do I have to remind any ZONErs how much I dig Chris’ character Gravedigger?

New Hall Art

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Ed Hall recently sent in the piece above that he created for his portfolio.  Ed is an award-winning political cartoonist who has decided to branch out into other areas.  As he journeys into these new waters, Ed regularly posts his thoughts and art on his blog.  Check it out and let him know your thoughts.

Free Look @ The Goon

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I‘ve been following Eric Powell’s “The Goon” since his self-publishing days. Although it’s been eight years and Eric has moved into the big leagues with Dark Horse publishing “The Goon,” it’s as good as ever. And I’m not the only one who feels that way. This year Eric picked up two Eisner Awards [Best Painter and Best Humor Writer/Artist].

f you’re already a Goon fan, then you know what I’m talking about. If you’re not a fan, then you should check out CBR.com’s preview of “The Goon #31.” Who knows, maybe you’ll become one.

Talented Christmas Greetings

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Believe it or not, no one is up in our house yet, but me. The kids, the wife, the dogs — everyone is still fast asleep. That’s okay though. I’m enjoying the quiet before the storm of Christmas morning.

There are so many things I love about Christmas. One of them is when folks make their own Christmas cards. The one at the top of this piece is by the uber-talented Dave Johnson. It’s just one of the many posted over at Newsarama.com. Oh, and be sure and check out this really cool one by Rick Burchett and Chris Mills.

Oh-oh. Sounds like everyone is starting to wake up. Have a great day!

Francesco’s Sweet Deal!

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I recently discovered that Francesco Francavilla was offering a free quick sketch with every sketchbook purchased from his blog. Since I’d been a fan of his work for a while, I decided that the time was right to take advantage of the deal. I checked to make sure that he was down for a Stallone piece [he was] and then Paypalled him some of my hard earned smack-a-toons for a copy of Chiaroscuro Volume I and a Stallone quick sketch.Francesco quickly contacted me to say that he’d received the order and that he’d be sending it out by the end of the week. About midway into the next week a securely wrapped package arrived. [Francesco must have heard about my mail carrier!] I opened it to find the sketchbook and Francesco’s take on Sly as Freddy in Cop Land. I sat down and checked out the book which is chock full of sketches — everything from Batman to Zorro to Sin City to Judge Dredd, the Fantastic Four, Hellboy and so much more!

Talk about a great deal — the sketchbook and original piece of art for twenty-three bucks including postage! I plan to go back for the second sketchbook, Schermoscuro Volume 1 after the first of the year. Check out Francesco’s web site and you may want in on the deal yourself.

PS — I plan to post Francesco’s Cop Land piece this weekend.

Reasoner’s Review – Batman Vampire

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Author James Reasoner really enjoyed the Batman: Vampire compilation. [Of course what’s not to love when it’s written by Doug Moench with art by Kelly Jones and John Beatty?] Here are a few quotes from the review:

This is classic Batman with a horror spin… Doug Moench was one of my favorite comics writers… His scripts on these three Batman stories are excellent, with plenty of action and angst… the artwork in this collection by Kelley Jones reminds me a little of Gulacy’s work, as well as Berni Wrightson’s… I’m glad I was able to catch up to these three stories all in one book, and if you’re a Batman and/or horror fan, I think you’ll enjoy them, too.

You can check out Reasoner’s full review here and the Batman: Vampire compilation here.