Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Lost...Yay!






















Just finished watching the third season to prep for the fourth...kind of an annual tradition of mine! On MondayArtday, the theme this week was hidden messages. So, I submitted these!
I had a bit more time, as school got cancelled today since the temperature was hanging around -45!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

The Bat...


So, I'm back into comics. I think I'm gonna roll with Batman for a while.

This was a bit done for MondayArtday, where the theme this week was transition. Taking off the mask and returning to that other life was one of the things that always fascinated me about superheroes. I know I have a bit of trouble switching from Teacher Jay to Normal Jay (and they're not really that different, Normal Jay just swears more and doesn't tuck in his shirt)

This is a pencil and pen sketch done while I waited in the car for the Mrs. while she was at the optometrist.

Friday, January 18, 2008

January Mix


I recycle my IMP mix (join at www.internationalmixtapeproject.com) for Operation Disc Drop. I like to explain why I choose the songs sometimes, just in case folks are curious.

January 08 mix

1. Highway Patrolman - Bruce Springsteen

I've been listening to the Boss a lot lately. We've had a Springsteen cd in the alarm clock since May of last year. We just took Nebraska out. (Switched it for 18 Tracks if you must know.) This song always got me, and made me think while I waited for my turn in the shower.

2. Loose Lips - Kimya Dawson

See Juno.

3. Revolution (acoustic) - The Beatles

I am a huge fan of Google drift. (wandering aimlessly around the Internet) Sometimes you find some really cool shit along the way.

4. Better - Dashboard Confessional

Regina Spektor covered by Dashboard?! - Awesome. I'm hoping for a Dashboard show in Winnipeg. The last time they were here, I was moving, and couldn't go.

5. Interstate Love Song - Velvet Revolver

I still listen to radio. The station we listen to on the way to work in the am has great morning guys. They play the STP version quite a bit. I saw VR a while ago, and they're awesome. It's like putting one of your favorite high school bands together with one of your favorite college bands - pretty much guaranteed awesomeness!

6. Grown - Jason Isbell

A big album for me last year. Loved this guy as a Drive-By Trucker (see track 9) and loved his solo album. This tune would be a huge hit if heard, I think.

7. Yellow Brick Road - Raine Maida

Buying tickets to see him tomorrow. Saw him last year. This is an album you should buy. And check out cbc.ca/thehour for some funny footage of him and an interview. Great artist. (He's the singer of Our Lady Peace if that helps you out. If that just raises more questions, well, now you have homework!)

8. Last Kiss - Seven Mary Three

If there's ever an IMP assignment where you create a primer for a band you think people might wanna hear, I'd just copy my 7M3 comp I made for myself. I put all their folkier stuff on one disc. This is off their forthcoming album.

9. Ghost To Most - Drive-By Truckers

An awesome band with an album coming out next week. Great songwriters...amazing headphone band in their back catalog. One of my most anticipated discs of '08 for sure. Get a bunch of their music and go for a long drive.

10. Local Celebrities - The Paperbacks

I'm beginning to discover music in Winnipeg. I love these guys. Their lyrics are great, the skewering of the local band made good in here, well, I know it must ring true for many artists. Isn't it amazing how as music fans, we do our best to try to limit an artist's growth?

11. Desert Of Our Love - U2

I'm a huge fan. I laid out a bunch of bucks for the super deluxe limited edition of the Joshua Tree recently. I'm taking a day off of work to catch the 3D flick this week...enjoy an unearthed tune.

12. Karate Man - The Super Friendz

Defunct Halifax rock...have to rep it for the East coast!

13. Band On The Run - Foo Fighters

Would, at the height of Nirvana's peak, you have seen Grohl as the force in rock music that he is today. Yeah, me neither. We've got tickets to see them in March. This cover really cooks when it kicks into rock mode.

14. Tournament of Hearts - The Weakerthans

Another Winnipeg artist, though one that may have been heard of. Great song, using curling terms as metaphors for love and all that stuff. I know at least two copies of this will make it into the states, so I'm spreading Canadiana. (I'll be honest, I don't really get curling either!)

15. New Years Ex - Air Traffic Control

Friends' band. I told them this had single written all over it, and now it's a single. If you dig it, let 'em know!

16. Rite Of Spring - Angels & Airwaves

I loved blink 182. I love U2. This band would be the bastard love child of that union. So I love this bastard love child.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Green...

Although I haven't been posting there, I've been using the ArtJumble prompts in my Art class, along with those from Monday Artday and Illustration Friday. I coloured this guy tonight for this week's AJ, Green. It's actually a sketch that was in the sketchbook from an old AJ theme that I never finished...Sesame Street Gone Bad...

Eye have a New Year's Resolution...or more

Like everyone, I make all kinds of jackassery statements about what I'll accomplish each year. I got cynical for a while, and vowed to quit doing heroin, just so I could say I achieved my resolution.

A big one this year is to spend more time doing arty crap...and actually bring projects to completion. More online illustration challenges will be completed, and paintings will be started and finished dammit - like the two hanging out on my art bench right now.

Been reading comics again, which is kind of inspiring... took the time to draw me some eyes...

Last of the Christmas "projects"

A few of the projects from Christmas '07...
Ma-In Law's card...delivered on time this year!












The wrapping strategy completed...printing, Photoshop and glue gun used to achieve this mastery!









Santa's gift tags...were done in a variety of colors, and yes, the glue gun was used to affix them!

Happy Accidents

I was pretty impressed with what happened here. I realized a bit late that I needed to complete that always expected homemade Christmas card. I started playing around with the gift tags that I had designed, and poof...there was this. Honestly, I dropped in the second ornament, and the little dangly doohickey thingies made a heart. Pretty effing cool eh? Coolest card in the display this year!