Custom Groond up on JoyEngine

Guess the cat is somewhat out of the bag... ;)

http://www.joyengine.com/tag/steve-talkowski/

My Photoshop mock up is on the upper right corner.

Soft and Furry Sneak Peek

Here's a little peek at my entry for the Soft and Furry show.

Upcoming Show - Cypher13's Soft and Furry

No sleep for us customizers - next show up is Cypher13's Soft&Furry show at Plastic Chapel in Denver, CO, featuring Looft, Doo, and Groond. I only had time to do one, and picked Groond. The show is September 13th, and I'll be sending my entry out in a few days. Stay tuned for some sneak peaks...

House of Liu Custom for APW Gallery Show

Here's my piece for the APW Gallery "House of Liu" Custom show taking place tonight.

More pictures up here, and at APW's site here.

Custom Sharky Completed!

Yes, I like to push the envelope. The envelope in this case being the deadline for ToyQube's 4th Anniversary show, which is tonight! It's all cool, though - I got the go ahead to drop off my Sharky at the venue later this afternoon while setup occurs. Hit my Sharky Flickr set for a bunch more pics, including work-in-progress shots.

Face Your Manga!

This is fun:
http://www.faceyourmanga.com

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. ;)