Sharky Concept Art

The week-long lapse in posting is due to cranking on my Sharky custom. It's getting down to the wire and I'll be starting the final paint Wednesday afternoon. (I tend to work great under pressure)

Everyone's either posting sneak peeks or finals of their Sharkys. Here's some amazing pieces posted by Bil Betsovic, Cris Rose, kaNO, Nakanari, Reactor 88, Smallandround, Kerry Lee, Hans Yim, and Rebel Wookie.

I'm going to continue to tease ya'll and instead, post my concept sketches. I'm neither confirming, nor denying, that any of these made the final cut. I'll most likely post the final on Friday morning, so check back then. ;)

Upcoming Custom Shows

Just a quick post to announce two upcoming shows I'll have pieces in:

The first is ToyQube's 4th Anniversary Party, to be held at the Sullivan Room in NYC on Friday, August 15th. I'll be one of over 50 artists (they've got me listed under an old screen name, Sketchguy) modifying a Sharky vinyl figure, designed by ToyQube's Keith Poon.




One week later (8/22/08) is Veggiesomething's "House of Liu" Custom Show at APW Gallery.



Also, the Sketchbot prototype is being reaccessed as I move forward obtaining quotes from manufacturers. I've been pretty busy since returning from Comic Con, but I'll try to post some sneaks of my Sharky custom next week.

SDCC - Art and Books Acquired at Comic Con 2008

Believe it or not, I bought ZERO toys this year! I stopped being an obsessive Gigantor collector a few year ago, so now I only purchase items that appeal to me as a designer. On the other hand, I've got a weakness (addiction?!) for art books and monographs. Following is a list of items I purchased, along with the appropriate links to their work online.

I'll begin with the very last piece I got as the show was closing on Sunday afternoon. This sweet robot drawing by KMNDZ that was available at the Hi-Fructose booth.


I discovered quite a few new faces on the first day.  Got this nice little book called Inner Workings by Dave Pryor and Bob Rissetto.

Close by was Bruno Werneck's booth.  He had this amazing print on display, a beautiful retro-style reinterpretation for the cover of "Secret of the Lost Race."   Pick up his latest compilation of work, SPLASH2. You won't regret it!

Fleet Street Scandal is comprised of Kevin Dart and Chris Turnham, another talented duo with a penchant for an updated "retro-style" look that I'm totally digging.  They had Volume 1 of their collective artwork on sale, and it was a must-buy for me.

SPACEGIRL, by Travis Charest was a wonderful find!  Every page is a single, wide-screen panel, and his illustrations are drop-dead gorgeous. Visit his MSN Groups page to view the entire sequence.

Ruben Martinez has a new book out called The After Life which contains a plethora of creature design and wonderful imagery.  Check out his beautiful gallery on deviantart.

Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters have a new book out, "Ghosts and Martyrs" (Kathie's work) or "Martyrs and Ghosts" (Brandt's work) - it's one of those one side up/one side down books by Murphy Art Books.

I also was excited to meet an artist that I've admired for quite some time, Jeff Soto.   We had a great chat at the end of day one and he even did a little Sketchbot drawing when signing his excellent new book, Storm Clouds.  Check out his blog for an entertaining Comicon recap.  ;)

I couldn't resist these wacky robots on the cover of Jamie Baker's NERVE BOMB Comix, and picked up Issue # Zero.  Tons more cool stuff up on his folio.

And last, but not least, I picked up both Afterworks 2 and Out of Picture Vol 2, which features the work of Pixar and Blue Sky Studios artists work outside of work.

Stuck in San Diego

My Jet Blue flight was canceled yesterday due to "weather conditions on the East Coast." Fortunately, I was able to acquire an extra night stay at The Sofia Hotel and figured, what better way to spend my time than to edit, tag, comment, and upload 75 photos to my San Diego Comic Con Flickr set!

This post is dedicated to all the amazing creators that took time to come out, sell their wares, and meet their fans. Btw, that's Berni freaking Wrightson I got to meet! Next year, look for yours truly to be on the other side of the table. ;)

SDCC - Last Day

If you've seen me throughout the week, you most likely have caught me pimping Sketchbot to whoever will stop and listen. ;) This photo courtesy of John Stokes, from the excellent SpankyStokes.com


I finally met up with Jack from VinylPulse. We had met very briefly at NYCC (like, the last 5 minutes on the last day before he had to run off to the airport) and it was nice to have a more relaxed chat. I would later have dinner with him and his wife, along with Brent Nolasco, and Vince and Bicky from My Plastic Heart.



Dez Einswell putting the finishing touches on one of his pieces.


Great to see the giant MOD:1 at Supermodifiedstudios booth.


Tara McPherson had quite a bit of work available at her booth.


This week has flown by! Too tired after the long days to edit and post the plethora of pictures I've taken, however, I promise to upload the massive set to Flickr once I get back to Bklyn on Monday. Now off to endure the last day of SDCC...

SDCC - Sketchbot On Display @ ToyQube Booth #4837

Just back at the hotel and am already overwhelmed. San Diego Comic Con is HUGE! It's like 3 times the size of NYCC. (Incidentally, I was here a year ago for Siggraph, and that's a huge convention in itself) The big news (for me) is that Keith Poon from ToyQube had some extra space available and allowed me to put Sketchbot in his display case. I share a shelf with Hans "APW Gallery" Yim. Be sure to swing by booth #4837 to check out all the amazing work on view.

I got to talk extensively with Brian Flynn from Super-7, Matt Doughty from Onell Design, Shawn (Shawnimals) Smith, Kirby and Whitney from Rotofugi (I learned that my Sketchbot custom Plushform sold the other day!), and George, Ayleen and Matt from Toy Break. Sketchbot is being well received thus far.

Be sure to check out my exclusive SDCC Flickr set throughout the run of the convention for as many pictures that I can comfortably post each night before crashing. ;)

I'd also like to give a shout out to the following blogs that posted Sketchbot news items yesterday:

Jeremy Brautman from ToyCyte had nice things to say about my first design, as well as Brian Szabelski from Tomopop and a nice mini-interview I did with Andy from ToysREvil. I'll be meeting up with Jack from VinylPulse.com on Thursday.

SDCC - Preview Day

Arrived in San Diego last night. Refreshing to be out of the current heat-wave the East Coast was experiencing. Though, I am WIPED OUT! The past 5 days have been jam-packed finishing the prototypes and all the other ancillary material that I needed to bring out with me. Here's a picture of the four new SDCC Edition buttons, along with three faves from the NYCC run.


Spent the morning inserting the pins in 300+ buttons, then assembling 165 goodie packets for free swag giveaways. I know that's a paltry number for the amount of people expected at the convention, however, I've got an extra 200 buttons left and another 1,000 stickers on their way, so if you see me on the convention floor, hit me up for some Sketchbot stuff.



I'm heading over to the convention center in a few hours to pick up my badge and attend "Preview Night." I'll post anything interesting either later tonight or first thing in the morning.

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, COMPLETED!

*whew* What a weekend. In the midst of a 5-day heat wave here in NYC, not ideal conditions for spray painting up on the roof. Spraying out the window with fans on high, then letting the pieces dry in the air conditioned interior. (This stuff won't cure in high humidity) There was simply no way I was going to be able to hand paint the eye and logo to my satisfaction, so I came up with the idea to print out to scale on inkjet sticker labels. The diameter of my button hole punch matched perfectly with the pupil of the eye. I ended up cutting out by hand the circle of the logo and the "SB" designation for the pencil. I still have to finish painting the second sculpt, but here's what I'm bringing out to San Diego! I'm currently trying to locate some display space - if anyone has a small amount available in their booth, drop me a line.

A few additional views up on Flickr.

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, Phase 4, Part V

Alright, second mold completed. Five positives pulled yesterday afternoon. Pencil mold completed. Two positives pulled. I was meticulous with my use of Plexiglas to ensure a level mold, yet I had a slight problem with apparently not using enough Easy Release 200 to separate the mold halves. An X-Acto knife was needed to aid with the separation of the mold, and I inadvertently sliced into the sole region of the right foot. Every positive has a small gap in the bottom of the foot and requires a Magic Sculpt patch and sanding to level off.

Whilst machining away late into the night, I decided to grind down the rivets and see what they would look like with a flat head as opposed to a round one. I can go either way - the rounded version has a playful quality, but is also very prominent. I dunno, at this point the sculpt has taken on a life of its own, veering way off model from my original graphic. I feel the pencil is too tall by about 3/4". Like I've been telling myself throughout, this is merely the first prototype. It's the "Mark I" version of Sketchbot. I need to get this painted up and in presentable form for San Diego Comic Con next week and see what kind of reactions people have to this in person.

More documentation up on Flickr.

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, Phase 4, Part IV cont.

In-between 2 days of iPhone madness last Thursday and Friday I was able to get a slight amount of work done. The weekend was spent with lots of patching and sanding, and yesterday I cranked out the cartoon pencil sculpt. Today, the second mold will be constructed (and a first one for the pencil) and I'm hoping to pull a workable positive to start painting tomorrow. All this before heading out to see Ricky Gervais's later tonight!

P.S. I REALLY need a dedicated work space... *sigh*