Roccoblog

Mad Men Illustration (for Season 5)

2012-01-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

I made this new illustration to coincide with the new season of Mad Men coming up on AMC in March. It's about to make the rounds as a postcard and an e-blast too. It would have been fun to do more of the other characters, but I was afraid of how small they would all be on a standard sized post card, so I limited it to the 3. I was hankering to draw Joan too. She's got those great "Ginger Grant-like" features and Marilyn curves. A treat to draw. And, it was a trip back to 1965 too!

2011-12-03T01:05:00.000-08:00

In the wee hours over the past few weeks, I've been designing a website for a great gallery in Paso Robles, California called PierceModern Gallery. Check out the site and the gallery, and if you're in Paso Robles I hope you'll go visit the space or go to one of their openings. piercemodern.com

New York Newsday Op Ed Piece on Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T16:08:00.000-08:00

I had a quick job today for NY Newsday about a large set of funds that various regions of the state would be competing for. I basically ran with an idea the art director had because it seemed to sum the idea up fairly well.

2011-10-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

I had this idea for a political Halloween cartoon over the weekend. Here's the fruit of my labor from that. Trick or treat! Happy Halloween, y'all!

Aunt Bertha to The Rescue! (For Nat Geo Kids!)

2011-09-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

Aunt Bertha has been resurrected! Yes, my old character is back and driving across the country in a series of games and puzzles for National Geographic Kids and their book division. I missed ole' Bertie. The second image is a mock-up of the cover, but it's gonna have the finished illustration streaking across that cover. A Big Thanks to art director Eva Absher for making the executive decision to use me on this.

2011-09-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

I promised to post this new postcard mailer image, so here's how it came out. Nice and colorful. Now, I just have to get this image out to a billion people and spread the word. BOO!!!!!

Halloween Mailer Rough Sketch Before Finish

2011-09-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy seeing people's rough sketches before the final art is done, so maybe some of you will be interested in seeing this. I'm currently halfway through this color finish, which I'll post by the end of the week, but I thought I'd blog about the process. My initial concept was of a Drive-in Movie theatre with nothing but monsters watching the scary movie, which was "Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers", but then I worried that since this is for a normal-sized postcard, the image was too complex to be appreciated unless it was a larger size and that's too costly for my current budget. So, I did this compartmental layout to showcase images of Halloween. The finish is coming along great so far and I hope it really grabs the people I'm sending it to in this mass mailer and e-blast. Halloween is just a fun holiday and it's probably one of the most effective holidays to take advantage of in my business. Most people think that Christmas is a good time to promote, but I think that right after Thanksgiving art directors, editors, designers, and creative directors are all too distracted as they get ready for their Christmas/Winter break to care about a postcard coming at them and begging for their attention.

Come back by the end of the week and I will have a lush color finish to showcase. It'll be interesting to see them side-by-side and compare how much may have changed.

2011-09-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Early morning illustration for Alleen Barber about Traffic Networking solutions with current technology in the NYC area. Thank you Miss Barber! Sometimes I like a real fast deadline because it forces me to use limited palettes and work with the time constraints to make my client happy. Of course, I'd rather have a couple of days to noodle on an image, but I enjoy a good double-rush sometimes and Newsday is always good to me.

My "Debt Ceiling" Fall Mailer Illustration

2011-08-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

It's the witching hour again...Fall promotion! Since it's August, it's the right time to be e-blasting and mailing out postcard bulk-mailings to garner the attention of art directors who can use my work. The subject that seems to be hot for now is the Debt Ceiling and how all the parties involved really mucked it up because of partisan politics. The people always seem to suffer while Republicans and Democrats refuse to work together or do what is best for the country. I tried to work in the effect of the Tea Party on the process too. It's all very whimsical in this illustration, but the subject is rather contentious. I love "hot button" issues.

The next mailer I plan on doing is for Halloween and it will go out in early September. That one should be a lot of fun.

Uploaded with

Piggies Are Back!

2011-06-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Uploaded with Secret Sauce Studio

I'm finally back on track with the work I had done for an e-book at the end of last year for See Here Studios up in San Francisco. Here's one of the possible covers that I'm waiting to see if it is approved or changed. Last year this project got sidetracked at the end of the year so I could meet deadlines for the company I have a temporary day job with. The work I do at this company sucks up a good amount of time and was pretty demanding, so this project got shelved for some months. I'm now back to work on finishing up all the work and will be posting the images here over the next couple of weeks.

Queen of Diamonds Illustration for promotional card for "The Stranger"

2009-11-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

I just made an illustration for Aaron Huffman at "the Stranger" up in Seattle to be used as promotion for the newspaper. A bunch of different artists were asked to create cards in their styles to be put together later. Here's my "Queen of Diamonds".

Lampshade Art For The "Enlighten Show"

2009-10-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

I made this for the Enlighten Show in Culver City at the Tornado Gallery in late November. I'll post more information as the opening comes closer.

New York Newsday Spot Illustration

2009-09-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I did this quick Op Ed piece for NY Newsday about what parents and their kids are doing with the extra week this Summer, before going back to school. I had a more complicated sketch and then the art director said something about "getting the kids out of the parents hair for Summer", and I thought...why don't I just pare it down to that? It turned out to be exactly what he needed for the spot.

Your new assignment Angels....

2009-06-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

I went after work tonight to place flowers on Farrah's star on the walk of fame. It's about a 15 minute bike ride from my apartment here in West Hollywood. Usually I never do things like this, but I really was sad when I heard that Farrah lost her battle with cancer. I have a lot of memories of Farrah back in the day, as everyone my age must have. I cannot relate to all the creepy Michael Jackson fans crying crocodile tears and going on like they had some personal connection to him. I appreciate his music and all, but he stopped being musically creative or relevant about 2 decades ago. He spent the last 20 years of his life a grotesque drug addict who constantly whined about his lack of a childhood while going on insanely expensive shopping sprees with various underage boys. He surrounded himself with sycophants and enablers and died a one-dimensional cliche'. It's hard to have any respect for a person like that, so I can't feel all that sad about what was a very slow and painful suicide. Now Farrah, on the other hand, strived her whole career to better herself and rise beyond just being a pretty "jiggle girl" known for her flowing blonde locks and perfect teeth. She pushed herself to be a better actress much like Marilyn Monroe did when she left Hollywood to study at The Actor's Studio in New York. Farrah won over critics with her performances off Broadway in Extremities and then winning an Emmy for her performance in The Burning Bed. You have to respect a person who strives to evolve and improve themselves.

Since I am basically "half-Texan", I have a little pride about this gal from Corpus Christi. She may have been the epitome of the California girl, but Texas never forgot her. Farrah was an ideal and certainly a huge American icon of the 70's, healthy and tan and a smile a mile wide. I moved to Texas when I was 12 from New York. At that time Farrah was just becoming a massive star and I saved my newspaper route money to buy the Farrah Fawcett iconic poster and t-shirt (of the same image). I had gone to Catholic School in New York, but when I moved to Texas I had to go to public school for the first time. All the boys were wearing the Farrah t-shirt and our Principal would suspend any boys who didn't turn their shirts inside-out. I wanted desperately for guys at school to like me so I wore my shirt proudly one day. I made sure the principal saw me wearing it and when he got one look at Farrah's prominent nipples he told me that I had 2 minutes to change my shirt or turn it inside out, or he would suspend me for the day. Of course I refused and got sent home. That day I earned some major street cred. Thank you Farrah!

You fought bravely Miss F.

The 90's Flashback Tour

2009-05-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here's an illustration I did this morning for my hometown newspaper, The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. It was about 90's bands like No Doubt and Counting Crows, who are gearing up for big national tours again.

Comedic Actress, Ann Randolph

2009-05-09T01:13:00.001-07:00

I just heard about this lady and thought her stuff was so funny it deserved a post in my blog. I also wrote her a fan letter after I saw this because it really takes balls to pull off a character like this. I haven't laughed this hard at a comedic actress's work since Amy Sedaris' character Jerry Blank on "Strangers With Candy". Anyway, she's pure silliness and I really needed her tonight.
Ann Randolph's Website
More skits on YouTube from Ann Randolph

Obama as Atlas

2009-05-07T00:59:00.000-07:00

This week I did a halfway decent "Obama as Atlas" illustration. I'm pretty satisfied with the likeness and hopefully art directors will feel behooved to call me for more. I really wanted to go wild with the caricature, but I basically stayed in an area that was in-between conservative and "caricaturey". It's an image that a lot of regional magazines and newspapers won't feel is too distorted and more user friendly since I just want to keep the work 'a comin' in. I just got a small illustration about the performer "Nelly" to do next. Let me know what you all think if you can.

Character Designs from "Coal Miner's Cousin"

2009-04-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

I just re-designed my website and now that I officially have a decent animation section I dredged up some character designs from a project I was working on for Wildbrain up in San Francisco called "Coal Miner's Cousin". It was an online animated show about a jewish country singer and her redneck jewish family. It just seemed like a good time to get some of this stuff up, instead of having it collect dust. I'll probably be posting a few more panels and characters from that project in the next few weeks, so check it out.

Cover of Isthmus about Congressman Paul Ryan's Rising Star

2009-04-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a cover I turned in last friday for the newspaper Isthmus. It's about how the Republicans are looking for the next Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal essentially and they see Congressman Paul Ryan as the next one in line for the job. Many thanks to Carolyn Fath for using me on this one.

Janet Hamlin on Bill Maher's "Real Time" (HBO)

2009-03-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

My good friend Janet Hamlin's courtroom illustration work was just mentioned in a bit called "New Rules" on his show "Real Time with Bill Maher". Max and I were watching this, and I saw her courtroom art and yelled out, "That's my friend Janet's Work"!. He grabbed his handy camera and "voila", here's what it looked like. Although, I do agree with Maher that courtroom illustration in the modern world is starting to make less and less sense. It is one area of illustration that is obviously going to become a thing of the past. One advantage that illustrated courtroom art has over just a quick cell phone pic is that it manages to interpret, through the illustrator, the mood and climate of the courtroom and all the players involved. A pic can't always express that.

Homage to Peter Bagge for The Stranger in Seattle

2009-03-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Aaron Huffman asked me to do a blatant homage to Peter Bagge in this illustration for an article about radio royalties for performers. I tried to make it more of a hybrid than a blatant copy of Bagge's work. It's somewhere in the middle.

Cavalcade of Food & Restaurant Review Illustrations

2009-03-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

In these really hard times I am so grateful to have 2 restaurant review columns to illustrate each week. For the past 7 1/2 years I've illustrated more than 1000 newspaper columns for both The Miami New Times and also The Broward/West Palm Beach New Times in Florida. Thank God for Pam and Michael Shavalier for always keeping me as the illustrator of those columns. I've had to draw everything from sushi to pizza to crawfish to vegetarian dishes and the entire gamut in between. Asian fusion, to french bistro...The corner Deli to very high end cuisine. Half of the dishes I haven't a clue about. I have no idea what they look like and taste like. I usually google to find it or check to see if the restaurant has a website. Sometimes I just focus on the atmosphere and the overall experience. All in all, I do love illustrating for a regular column. Over the years I have illustrated for 13 newspaper columns and some end early and some last a very long time. When I illustrated for Joe Bob Brigg's column "Joe Bob's America", it ran for 10 years and went from Creators Syndicate to the New York Times Syndicate. Sadly, the NY Times Syndicate had no idea how to promote a humorous column like Joe Bob's and they ended it after a 10 year run. they only had it for I think about 2 years. I've also illustrated for an astrology column, a psychotherapy column and a DIY column. But as time wears on, I worry about the newspaper industry and as cartoons get cut, and the fat gets trimmed so they can stay alive, I worry that the columnists will lose their columns and I'll get dropped along with them. My fingers are crossed that newspapers will make the transition to the internet and find a way to survive and eventually thrive.

Financial Shakedown

2009-03-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

I did this piece for NY Newsday recently, but it got altered quite a bit and became something else. I did like the original piece and decided to post it here. What do you think?

He's Just Not That Into You, Slumdog Millionaire

2009-03-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

Max shot this marquee in his neighborhood. He's always telling me how the movie theatre is combining movies on the marquee that have these hilarious outcomes. Case in point, "He's Just Not That Into You, Slumdog Millionaire". I would give that movie 2 thumbs up.

Pork Chop: The Cartoon Dog

2009-02-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

Here's another character drawing I made for a dog named Pork Chop. I'm just making some new character designs for a possible pitch I have down the short road. Pork Chop and the other designs will probably change quite a bit as I develop this. Not totally sure where they'll end up. I'm working on backgrounds and many other characters, but taking it a little at a time because it's tax season and all. Still, it's fun to explore these doodles. Pork Chop was the name of Max's dog, who sadly passed away. I just love the name and the porker's spirit.

Quigman: The Cartoon Cat

2009-02-23T12:39:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a couple of new character designs for animation this week. Here's a comp of a cat that's based on my own cat Quigman. I'll probably change the name of the character and try a turnaround sheet of this shortly. The next character I'm doing is for a dog named Pork Chop.

Cover of Go Weekend Magazine

2009-02-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

I just wrapped up a weekend supplement cover for Go about Lily Tomlin and Robin Williams reviving their comedy acts and performing it on the road. I went the digital route fully this time and built all this in Illustrator CS. Here's what it looks like without the logo and all the type. Usually I would paint my caricatures or at least ink them, but it seems more and more that the digital route is best. Hopefully, these are looking pretty spiffy. My next postcard mailer is of Obama as "Atlas" holding up the globe, and on the back I'm doing Aretha Franklin at his inauguration, wearing that stupid hat with the massive bow. Look for a post on that one very soon.

Emotional Oscar Speeches

2009-02-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

Hey there movie lovers! I just finished a spot illustration for Carolyn Fath over at Isthmus in Wisconsin. Here's the fruit of my labor today. I usually don't get too excited about The Oscars anymore, but maybe they'll be better this year? Anyone having an Oscar party? Max and I are completely open.

Flu Season Promotional Illustration

2009-02-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

I just ordered a new postcard mailer and decided to send out an image about "Flu Season". Especially while it's hot. I'm deep in the middle of massive promotion on a daily basis now since work has slowed, and many newspaper and magazine budgets are cut down to a mere nub. I have a series of simpler pieces going out all week that are fun and only going to a targeted group of clients and people who've expressed a lot of interest in the past. But, this postcard is a fairly big mailing for me. At least 1000 folks.

My LOST Series

2009-01-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick set of illustrations I did over the weekend. The drawings are somewhere between caricature and portrait, mostly because of the time crunch in getting all 13 finished and then the 2 maps. And they had to be used as icons throughout the supplement, so the readability factor was important. I love the show a lot and can't wait for the final season, but it's a difficult show to explain to anyone. The story almost makes zero sense...but, it's fun. It's no "Battlestar Galactica" is all I'm sayin'!

Evil Duck Says "Esther"

2009-01-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Max and I made this annoying little movie after I bought this evil duck from an "Out of The Closet" store for 2 bucks. Here he says "Esther" because we were about to go to see Esther Watson's Show at Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery in Culver City. Eeeeeerie!

Illustration about Facebook

2009-01-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

This spot illustration was for New York Newsday and it was about how people get inferiority complexes when they compare their Facebook pages with their online friends. I suppose it's a problem of the 21st century. Kinda silly if you ask me.

Band Resolutions for 2009

2008-12-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I just wrapped up a vertical formatted illustration about New Year's Resolutions for local bands in St. Louis to go in the music review column of The Riverfront New Times. Here's how it came out.

The Life and Times of Tim, Xavier: Renegade Angel and Superjail

2008-12-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

I'm doing some animation here at home over the holiday and I think it's time for some inspiration from Adult Swim and HBO. These shows are so weird and freaky, and yet somehow....funny. You might have to be stoned to appreciate all the psychedelic niblets and nuances on the Adult Swim selections. Tim is just plain silly though.

Watch Superjail randomness in Entertainment Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Open Fly

2008-12-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

I did a quick spot illustration for The Stranger up in Seattle this weekend about an actor who left his fly open during a performance of "The Adding Machine". Here's what I came up with. It's a "wee bit" phallic....

Post-It Show Madness

2008-12-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

If it's late Fall, then it must be.....Post-It Season! Yes, another post it show is just around the corner at GR2 this weekend. Here's one of my samplings from that show. I'll scan in more and document the show this weekend. See the info card below for the dates and times and location. Hope you all can make it.

More Christmas Madness

2008-12-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

I had a feeling that I'd be doing more reindeer and elfin nuttiness. Here's a 1/4 page illustration I did for a review of Christmas cd's. The concept is based on the client's suggestion.

Christmas Consumption

2008-11-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

I'm slowly but surely getting my freelance work moving back up to speed since I left Delfino Media. I managed to do at least a couple of jobs a week while I worked there in-house, but now I have to do at least a couple more a week to be back to normal. Here's a piece I turned in friday for New York Newsday about Christmas Consumption. It's basically about whether or not we should bail out Christmas to save the economy and the myth regarding Christmas making or breaking the economy.

Bubble Boy

2008-11-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

I have some good news finally! I'm leaving my position as art director of Delfino Media. Trust me, it was a very smart decision. I'm back to freelancing again full-time, but man do I have a lot of promotion to do. I appreciated the job at Delfino, but I was really unhappy with the quality of the projects that we were developing. It was uninspiring and very dull, and I just felt very unfulfilled. But, it was a great education for sure, and I'm grateful just the same. My Boss was and is a fantastic guy.

Here's a spot illustration I did for a client in St. Louis. It was entirely done in Illustrator CS3.

Everyone Loves The Unibrow!

2008-09-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is living proof that the unibrow is SEXY! Damn Sexy......

Cincinnati Magazine

2008-08-30T01:35:00.000-07:00

I turned out this spot illustration this week for Cincinnati Magazine. It was about how living next door to a house showcased on Extreme Home Makeover could be very annoying and problematic. Thought it might be a good little piece to show. I think I'm getting the hang of using Adobe Illustrator for certain kinds of illustrations.

Why Granny Makes Me Laugh

2008-08-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Seriously, Granny is one of the best animated characters out there in adult animation right now. The voice alone, by Dana Snyder, is so wickedly funny. I think he must have based her on Geraldine Page from her performance in "The Dollmaker". Here's a smattering of Granny-liscious moments. I need to have Dana Snyder do a voice for one of my animated characters....soon!

Lyle Lovett for art director Cynthia Wahl.

2008-08-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

I did this illustration this morning as a rush for Cynthia Wahl, one of my favorite art directors. I thought it came out fairly well, especially since I'm trying to use Adobe Illustrator more and more with pieces like this. It's not my best program, but I feel like I must become better at how I use it.

It's A Great Sandwich!

2008-07-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

I found this old commercial about the Fluffer Nutter Sandwich, straight outta the 1950's. Speaking of Fluffer and Nutter, I am very close to finished finally with my animated short. It runs about 6 and a half minutes long, and I did all by myself. It was like running a marathon. Soon, I'll have it posted here and many other sites and webchannels.

Nutter's Girlfriend

2008-05-31T23:56:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy trying to juggle my new venture as an art director of an entertainment company with illustration that I've had virtually no time to blog or post or anything. Hopefully, I'll be able to post a little more often now that my schedule is falling into place a little better. Here's a recent "Fluffer and Nutter" strip.

Peter Lorre Mini Fest!

2008-04-16T00:20:00.000-07:00

I went out on a date at The Egyptian to see a double feature of Peter Lorre movies this weekend. It's really fun to see that crazy character up on a giant silver screen in the way that Hollywood intended. The first film I saw was "Stranger on the Third Floor" (1940) and it starred an actress that bore an uncanny resemblance to NBC wunderkind alumni, Tina Fey. The actress who played the Lorre pseudo victim was Margaret Tallichet. She was a starlet from Dallas who later married famed director William Wyler and then chucked a really promising career. I thought she was amazing in this. I sure hope that Peter Lorre's crazy teeth were a part of his character and not his own teeth. The second film was titled "The Face Behind The Mask" (1941). This one was part tearjerking melodrama, and part film noir mobster fun! Here are a couple of clips from both movies. I was actually very moved by Lorre's performance in this one. It's basically a tragedy, but in the noir genre, it's the only way it can make sense. When Lorre approaches the mirror and says "What have you done with my...my face"!, it reminds me of my morning ritual when I first get up to look at my puss in the medicine cabinet.

Pirate Kitten Book Dummy Fun

2008-04-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

I just signed up at issuu.com to make this little dummy for my old pirate kitten book. The book has changed a bit since this version, but I thought it would be fun to do book dummies digitally and show them to potential editors. I could just make a version like this in flash too, but this service was so easy and fast. It's also great for making portfolios and embedding them into your websites. All free! Click the small book here if you want to view it at a larger size to read.

Opening of "SIDESHOW"

2008-04-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

The opening for Sideshow was really incredible. A very big turnout as you can see. I had a great wall for my pieces that seemed to be the perfect spot for people to check it out and discover what I do. Brad Benedict, the curator, seemed so busy chatting it up with about a million people. Bergamot Station has a pretty big parking lot, but man they need to start thinking about valet parking after the last year because the shows just keep getting bigger and bigger. So, if you are in the area I hope you come see the show while it's up. The Gallery has it up for basically the majority of April. I'm in good company as you can see by the samples here of Colin Johnson, Everett Peck and Van Arno. See the post below for links and more information!

Brad Benedict's Sideshow

2008-03-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

I just got back from dropping off 10 paintings for Brad Benedict's curated "Sideshow" at the Robert Berman Gallery in Santa Monica. Hope you all can come out for the opening on the 5th of April. That's a week from this Saturday from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. 2525 Michigan Ave C2, Santa Monica, California.(at Bergamot Station) Also check out robertbermangallery.com

The Morlock and The Eloi

2008-03-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells got me inspired to paint a piece about The Morlock and The Eloi. And, I read an article about how we as a species are evolving into 2 separate species based on rich and poor, which is so very "Time Machiney". I've always been a fan of eating the rich anyway. It's their fault for being so succulent...so delish! Some day in the distant future you may see a Morlock, who slightly resembles me, turning the gears of some underworld mechanism to supply the patrician Eloi with a milk-fed diet of sunshine and moonbeams... only to be devoured by the poor brutish Morlock.

A boy can dream, can't he? (and I would totally rock that Morlock hairdo!)

Brainiac Club

2008-03-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm working way into the night to get a bunch of illustrations done, so I have a feeling that I won't be getting an ounce of sleep tonight. I've been working for a company in North Hollywood creating backgrounds for an interactive web game and now I find I am getting up at 4:30 am and doing my editorial work here and then rushing into the Valley to work 8 hours on those backgrounds. Well, I got what I wished for...to be busy. Here's an illustration I just finished about joining the Mensa Group. If you haven't heard of them, it's a group for people with high IQ's. Nerds galore!

Now I'm starting all my finishes for a cover and 2 inside spots for The Washington City Paper. Maybe Tuesday I'll get to sleep again.

Sympathy For The Cyclops (Part Deux)

2008-02-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to getting this painting shot. There are still a few more paintings being spiffed up for the Sideshow Show at The Robert Berman Gallery coming up in April. The next one I'm dropping off to get shot is about a Morlock and an Eloi, 2 of my favorite science fiction characters from H.G. Wells' The Time Machine.

Don't Touch My Pic-a-Nic Basket!

2008-02-18T04:23:00.000-08:00

I just finished a marathon website posting week, my taxes and now a small illustration for a St. Louis newspaper. I feel like my little stuffed friend here. Tattered and old, but oh so lovable! I'm about to head off to try to get some sleep, but felt like making a small post.

A Little Cupidity

2008-02-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Click this link for something really stupid I made a few years back when I was teaching myself Flash. Notice how odd the lip synch is. But, consider this my Valentine's Day gift to you. Click me for a Special Valentine's Day Message!

The Book of Esther

2008-02-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

You can purchase Unlovable comics and products at Funchicken.com or at other fine comic stores and boutiques across the universe. Also, Visit Esther's Site for news and info on her other projects.

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Poster

2008-02-05T23:36:00.000-08:00

I did this poster last year for my friends Paula Killen and Lisa Orkin at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Hollywood. Their show got rave reviews and I've since done another poster for Lisa's one-woman show. One promise I have for myself is to do more independent theatre posters if I can get them. I love illustrating for the Theatre.

Uncle Sam Postcard Mailer

2008-02-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

Here's the image I came up with for the next postcard mailing. Hopefully this image says a few things....The Economy, the Government, The Recession. I don't know about you guys, but work is slowing down to a crawl. I guess it's just that deathly tax season crawl that distracts art directors from assigning or maybe they are just told to hold back on their budgets. Either way, it always freaks me out. Speaking of freaking out, I gotta finish my taxes.

Oh yeah, and by the way!!!! I fixed my subscription button to my mailing list. So, please feel free to submit your e-mail address to get updates here. Aw, come on...try it!

Nutter Speaks

2008-02-01T03:36:00.000-08:00

I finally learned how to export some animation clips for the web using imovie. This was my test.

Molotov Cocktease

2008-01-31T02:33:00.000-08:00

I can't resist Cold War double entendre's any more than you can.

Duma Key (finished illustration)

2008-01-28T03:15:00.000-08:00

Here's how the finished art came out on that Stephen king book review illustration. The art director and editor made some changes and additions, so I added in the things they asked me for. The tone is quite different from what I normally am assigned. I usually do light and humorous pieces, so it was a challenge to do a moody and creepy illustration for a change. Hope it looks like a good fit. I'll find out from the art director in the morning I guess.

Sketch for "Duma Key" Review

2008-01-24T04:50:00.000-08:00

I just did a sketch for an illustration to go with the review for Stephen King's new book "Duma Key". The client is New York Newsday and the finish will be in color. I thought it'd be fun to blog about something as I was doing it. I just turned in this sketch and am waiting to see if it's a go. But, this is what my sketches look like for my clients. I don't like to show more than one unless there's a lot of time and money. Plus, I believe that the more you show a client, the more they want to explore. Although, with this particular client, time is always of the essence and they like directness and promptness. I'll post the finish in the next day or so.

Yeti: Giant of The 20th Century!

2008-01-20T01:24:00.000-08:00

This is a slight change of subject, but hey...I wanted to blog about the stuff that inspires me. Right? Well, I went down to The Silent Movie Theatre here in my neighborhood to see the 1970's classic Yeti: Giant of The 20th Century with my friends Mark and luke. (I almost called my friend Matt to come with us but then I realized we'd be Matthew, Mark, Luke and Joe...virtual Apostles) The Silent Movie Theatre has started this Cinefamily thing where they show all kinds of fun movies. Not just the great silent movies there. They are focusing on all this Great/Bad/weird Italian stuff from the 70's. Yeti did not disappoint. I cannot tell you enough how brilliantly funny this movie was. I laughed almost all through the movie. See the short clip here from YouTube just for a taste of Yeti. Ewwwww! It's one of those..."You have to see it to believe it" movies. A classic '70's romp with an Italian sensibility. And yes, that's The Yeti's nipple getting aroused as the girl touches it. There's even a scene where a bad guy is almost stepped on by Yeti, but then he thinks for a second and raises his foot...only to kill the baddie between his giant hairy toes. Thank God this wasn't in Smell-o-rama! The soundtrack was a ripoff of Carmina Burana. There was even a slight disco version in the middle when Yeti terrorizes Toronto. This was pure cinema gold, I tell you!

See the incredible range of emotion from the actor who played Yeti. He was seriously robbed of an Oscar...or at least the Italian equivalent of one. Check out The Silent Movie Theatre for their schedule and information. The Silent Movie Theatre/Cinefamliy

Sympathy for The Cyclops

2008-01-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to do a few paintings about The Cyclops. Here's a sketch I did yesterday in my sketchbook as a study for what I may do. poor old Cyclops. I think he's been terribly misunderstood. I'd like to buy him a beer.

David Sandlin at Billy Shire Fine Arts

2008-01-12T23:28:00.000-08:00

I just got back from 2 very busy art openings. The first was for the opening at Billy Shire Fine Arts of David Sandlin and Helen Garber's new work. I'm such a long time fan of David Sandlin's work that I'm just commenting on his show there for this post entry. It was a tough night to have an opening because so many people were going over to the "Some Paintings" show at Track 16 (Bergamot Station in Santa Monica). That place was a madhouse. More of a partylike atmosphere, but good strong work and celebs filling the place. Matt Groening and Matt Dillon were there. Apparently a lot of famous men named Matt. Anyway, I'm just glad I made it to Billy Shire first to see David Sandlin's work. I will add more to this post in a day so I can get the name of the paintings that I found really impressive. Here are a couple of images from the show though. The work was big....BIG!!!! They were all oil on canvas (for the most part) and the colors were strong and vibrant. I've always loved how Sandlin rides this fine line between cartoonish and abstract. It's a dreamworld of distorted characters and genitalia. (Lord knows I love to paint the female breast.) He tends to draw on his life experiences and his 2 favorite topics are sex and religion. We have this in common for sure. He grew up in Belfast and also Alabama. His mother was from Ireland and the first painting here is an homage to her.

Golden Globes/Writers Strike Illustration

2008-01-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

I just did a rush illustration about how The Writers Strike is affecting The Golden Globes Ceremony. Apparently there isn't anyone to write the patter for the ceremony. Is that a bad thing?

Martha Rich Goes "Nutrageous" at La Luz de Jesus

2008-01-07T22:13:00.000-08:00

Martha Rich just had an opening at La Luz de Jesus Gallery (here in Los Angeles) with David Sandlin on the 4th of January. If you have been following Martha's work and her blog you may know that she had been doing a painting a day over the past year. She's been documenting it through her website at Freedomwig. I could never do a painting a day. That is true commitment. I can relate to Martha's work so much because she paints all the things that make her happy. What more do you need in life? Support bras, cherry pie, beehives, afro puffs and beavers are the muses to Martha's imagery. Hope you all check out the work at the gallery or through the website at La luz de Jesus.

My Scruffy Elfin Beard

2007-12-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. I decided to grow a scruffy beard and go all ZZ top this Winter. I forgot how much a beard itches, but that's the trade-off for the fact that it ups my "street cred" a notch. Look how badass I look. Well, maybe...not. But, I feel like getting a tattoo or doing something bad. There...I just knocked over a mug of pencils....Man, I'm bad!

Satan Claus!

2007-12-25T16:51:00.000-08:00

This was an old Christmas card image I did from 2 years ago and I dredged it up again. Satan Claus just slays me, what can I say?

Stephen Colbert with Truthy The Eagle

2007-12-03T01:19:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of The Colbert Report, so when I decided to do a quick spot caricature postcard to promote my caricature work, I just had to do something with him. My next card is a demented Christmas postcard. That of course, has to be done and placed in the prinitng queue immediately. But at least Colbert is ready. Hope he hits a good note with art directors!

Worst Thanksgiving Ever

2007-11-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

This is the first Thanksgiving where I'm starting to feel envious of the turkey. What an awful year it's been.

Goodbye World

2007-11-13T22:04:00.000-08:00

These last few days were really rough. Lots of turmoil on the personal front. But almost back to normal. Here's a painting I did from a show with my friend Peter Hamlin called "Apocalypse Soon!" from a while back in the Rocco Timeline.

Mark Todd Show at La Luz

2007-11-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

Mark Todd has a great show going on at La Luz de Jesus through most of November and you all gotta go see it. He's always had a passion for Superhero comics and in this show he used that as a theme throughout. The pieces are very dynamic and it's incredible to see how Mark's style just keeps evolving. As much as I loved the painted works I keep thinking about the smaller silk-screen and collage pieces on the west wall. Rocco says "Check it out"

La Luz de Jesus Gallery

School Days, Fool Days

2007-11-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

School Days, Fool Days
Uploaded by limblessjudo

This is a particularly funny episode of Squidbillies. Any episode that showcases Granny is always a standout episode for me.

Fluffer's Pimp Walk

2007-10-29T18:55:00.001-07:00

Oh yeah...He Bad! I'm still animating this darn 5 minute short, but it is getting much closer to finished. This old walk cycle I did, months ago now, still makes me laugh. I may post sequences longer than 30 seconds or even a minute soon just as a teaser or trailer. But for now...he walks, he sashays, my friend.

The Mermaid Goes Out To Sea

2007-10-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

I'm about to ship off this painting to it's new home back in New York. I was very proud of this one because it was the first piece I did for the "Abusement Park" Show a few years ago. I felt that it set the tone for the 12 pieces I painted for that show and really fed my desire to paint more ambitious paintings. There's a show in the Spring that I'm now preparing several new works for and I want those pieces to really blow a few minds. So, there's much work to be done, otherwise I'll just look like a braggert.

My Smog Blog

2007-10-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

I went to ride my bike to the supermarket and thought I'd shoot some pics as the sun was setting over West Hollywood just to capture what the air quality is like with all the fires ablaze around us. I believe that most of the smoggy cloudbanks are coming from the Lake Arrowhead area, but some could be coming from Malibu/Canyon Country. It does make for some pretty sunsets, but who cares about a pretty sunset when your house is on fire, right? Just as I was going past the West Hollywood Police Station a chopper was landing on their helipad and someone said it was Governor Schwarzenneger, but I can't be too sure. In this last pic, you can see the actual sunset above the Von's Supermarket on Santa Monica Blvd. The sun had just dropped below the roof, but you can see the fire truck filled with firefighters all getting free sandwhiches inside the Von's Deli.

Chinese Food

2007-10-23T02:37:00.000-07:00

I've always thought that the Pu Pu platter was an unfortunate name for a dish. And the fact that it comes out flaming to your table doesn't help. But it does add to the drama of it all.

Halloween Costumes

2007-10-23T02:31:00.000-07:00

I did this one for Tom Carlson at The Riverfront New Times in St. Louis this morning. It got me thinking about costumes again for Halloween. Time is running out for me to figure out what to wear for a Halloween party, but necessity is sometimes the bastard child of invention...hmmm.

Looks like we got a crack, in your rear manifold!

2007-10-08T01:45:00.000-07:00

Squidbillies 15 Bubba Trubba
Uploaded by ubergoober

I'm so excited that this is finally out on dvd in a week. This is the kind of show I want to create and sell. Yeehaw! Adicka-dicka-globba-gobba-ding-dong!

Out at The Pub

2007-10-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I had to make a Larry Craig joke sooner or later, so while it was still relevant...I snuck this one in for next week.

Fluffer Goes To Church

2007-10-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

So, here's this week's "Fluffer and Nutter" strip. That Nutter is such a stinker.

A Lovin' Couple

2007-09-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

This image is on my new newspaper mailer going out later today. I just did a postcard mailer for magazines and children's industry folk using the image from the Film Festival poster I painted earlier in the month. Now that The Fall is upon us I have to plant those postcard promotion seeds and try to get as much editorial work as I can. Usually I find my busy season starts from late August and continues through late January, but this year it's been kind of sluggish. I got caught on some low-paying/tine consuming projects that kept me from promoting like I should have been doing. So, there's no time like the present. I'm hoping to do a Hallowwen promotion of some kind. Maybe a paper puppet. We'll see...we'll see.

Do You Party? Well... Do Ya'...Punk?

2007-09-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

I'm fortunate to have some great Alternative newspapers calling me in pinches for illustrations like this. Art Director Aaron Huffman over at The Stranger needed this little beaut' pretty fast and I had some company at the time, so it was squeezed out in the wee hours. but I think he was happy and that it did come out pretty good. That cocaine bag is such a whore. I like how needy Ecstasy looks.

The BLAB Show!

2007-09-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from The Blab Show I went to last weekend. It sure was a heck of a lot of fun and man I wish I had entered more work for that issue of Blab. Also, my friends Mark Todd and Esther Watson had work in this show. Check it out online at

The BLAB Show

Children's Film Festival Poster in Boston at The Coolidge Corner Theatre

2007-09-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the painting I did for The Coolidge Theatre's Children's Film Festival in Boston. It's an historic old theatre that has this amazing festival for kids starting in a couple of weeks and going through some time in November. If you are in the area up there, here's a link to their theatre web site for more information.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre Web site

It was a real pleasure doing this piece for them. Hopefully I'll get to do more of these!

And feel free to leave me a message on my new voicemail.

Theatre Poster Design for The MET in LA

2007-05-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

I just finished promotional images for an intimate one-man show at The Met Theatre here in LA. It's my 4th theatre promotional image locally and I think it came out well and reflects the spirit of the show. The show is called "John Smith, I'm Alive" and is a really funny and smart little production that I have high hopes for. I'm also doing an animated digital billboard for them which I know is very unnusual. But there'll be a follow-up post with pictures of that in action when it's in full bloom somwhere over the next 2 weeks.

Country Music Illo

2007-05-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

I just finished this illustration for The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram about break-up songs in country music. Thought it might be interesting to post. Since I seem to be deep in the middle of some time-consuming projects there hasn't been much to blog about so I figured I would post this. I'll be finishing up my animation and book projects soon and will post images and work from both soon.

Image for Gristle

2007-04-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

My friend Sean Steppanoff has been putting together his new issue of "Gristle" and I'm one of the artists in that one. It's an issue about Death. So here's the image I came up with for it. I thought I would just do a montage of symbols and little flashes of things that make me think of Death. I think I'll make a postcard image out of this one.

Systema Naturae at Nucleus Gallery

2007-04-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

I tend to bitch and whine about getting my ass over to Alhambra for a show at Nucleus, but every time I get there I feel glad I did.

Nucleus Gallery

They have a great space and always strong little shows. I went to see the work of my friend Frieda Gossett mostly.

See Frieda's Web Site

She created these leather dimensional sculptures of Birds. It's like a leather Hitchcock film in that space. Cool leather creatures perched and ready. I have no idea how she made these. I only just learned how to "Bedazzle", so it's all a glorious mystery to me. And she's not the only one in this show. Here's the list. Frieda Gossett, Jamie Zollars, Andrea Offerman, and Michael Brown. It's selling out fast, so check it out before it's over.

The Marion Peck Show at Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery

2007-04-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

As usual it's taken me more than a week to finally post this, but the show is still going. Great show too. If you can get over to Billy Shire Fine Arts in Culver City you should see the show. Many people will compare Marion Peck's work to her boyfriend Mark Ryden's work for obvious reasons, but I see many differences between them. She is undeniably in the "Ryden" zone though. But her paintings have a very "French" quality to them. They are very flowery and ornate and rich to look at. Her work has a very aristocratic quality to every stroke. And like Mark her work is just inspiring to take in. It's an event for sure. So here are some of my usual blurry shots. Someday I will learn how to take a sharper picture, but some of these aren't so awful. I hope they respect the art.

Promotion Time...

2007-04-09T01:50:00.000-07:00

This is what my new mailer image looks like that I just got out. It's a digital piece made for the Children's Publishing Industry, so I hope it snags me some interesting calls. Now that I'm no longer working freelance for the animated tv pilot in North Hollywood that I previously mentioned I am back to promoting my illustration and cartoon work again. Seems like old times. I know the drill. It's my personal goal to get one mailer out each month for roughly 6 months and each mailer will target a different type of client, so I better get my rest. It's an ambitious goal, but I gotta do it.

Saul of The Molemen

2007-04-09T01:31:00.000-07:00

There's this great new show called "Saul of The Molemen" running on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Sunday line-up and I wanted to share. If you loved "Land of The Lost", "Doctor Who" and "The Sid and Marty Croft Hour" you will eat this shit up! It's beginning to hit it's stride so check it out. Here are 2 parts of Episode 2 for your perousal.

Easter Peeps

2007-04-09T01:14:00.000-07:00

Now that my car has a new clutch I could take my sad carcass on over to Mark Todd and Esther Watson's Easter dinner at their place in Sierra Madre. It was a room full of good people and good food. And kids hunting for Easter Eggs in the back yard. Just a small gathering, but man am I glad I got out of my little studio to trek over to their place. It's a world of difference from the swinging bachelor pad here in West Hollywood. It's hard to see but Esther made this amazing cake in the shape of a giant mutant chick with removable eye. I think that was her homage to Sammy Davis Jr. Here are some really blurry photos of the highlights. Happy Easter!

The Tree Show (New Work by Mark Ryden)

2007-04-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

I'm finally posting these images to my blog since I've just been too busy, but here they are for my friends back in New York who couldn't make the show. Mark as usual put on a mind-blowing show. He is a tour de force to be sure. I went to school with Mark back in the day (the freakin' 80's! WOW!) Anyway, it was like going to school with a Mozart or an Einstein. He was always good and has always worked his ass off to do what he very simply does, which is blow your mind with his work. There were lines all day from noon to after 6 pm that took 30 minutes just for patrons to enter the gallery. He even had a separate line for his signature. It was exciting to see people treat the experience of seeing an exhibition that way. Mark's work does that to people. It's incredible. I took some photos while I was out for an afternoon run of the window display since the gallery is in my neighborhood. Enjoy!

Visit The Michael Kohn Gallery for the full experience. March 10 - April 28, 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 10 from 1:00 - 6:00 pm

For more information, please contact: info@kohngallery.com or 323-658-8088.

The SILA Show at Billy Shire Fine Arts

2007-04-08T23:34:00.000-07:00

Since my car had been in the shop for a week getting a new shifting cable and clutch I took the opportunity to burn a few extra calories and cycle on down to The SILA Show at Billy Shire Fine Arts. It turned out to be a pretty fun show. And some of my friends like Mark Todd and Esther Watson were also in it. Here are some of my badly shot and focused pics of the night. Hmmm....and I didn't even have any wine. You'd think I could take a better picture.

The Fluffer and Nutter Experience!

2007-03-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

Lights! Camera!....ACTION!

Finally I am deep into the world of animation as I make the first short for my cartoon "Fluffer and Nutter", based on the weekly comic strip of the same name. I did a story in my zine "Guilt Trip" called "Wet T-Shirt Contest" that the first of the 3 shorts is based on and they all will run about 5 minutes in length. Here are some images from the completed scenes so far. I had some great people involved in the recording and voice talent for this too. We had a real fun time improvising and getting it just right. So I really cannot wait to post them to my YouTube page as well as my web site and other sites. More to come on this I swear.

From July of last year to late January of this year I was strapped into a chair working on an animated pilot for a small production company. The show was called "Eddie and The Squid" by Brett Merhar. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears....and a lot of unecessary drama too, but that's another story. I was really proud of working on it and also of Brett's work. He tinkered with things as much as he could to make it better and better which I feel has inspired me to use the same attitude as I do my own shorts. That whole experience has made me appreciate being in the moment and completing my own animated stories and characters. All in all it's a good thing.

I'll be updating this as I finish the first short, but here are images from several completed scenes.

Boston Freak Out!

2007-02-02T00:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I had the chance to write here in my blog but that's another story. I'll write about what kept me so long in my next post. Today there are stranger stories afoot. I am still reeling with how stupid Bostonians must be to think that those litebrite guerilla style campaign boards were bombs planted by terrorists. I think that if the same thing happened in Los Angeles there wouldn't have been any ruckus because we are so pop culture savvy and aware of stuff like that out here. Back east in cities like Boston and New York people are not as aware about pop culture. Just no time for it really. And there's an elitist attitude in Boston anyway about television and pop culture in general. It's just not how they are built. I lived in New York for many many years and it's the same thing. I guarantee you that if the campaign happened in New York City there would be bomb squads and media everywhere. And that's exactly what the people over at Cartoon Network and Turner Broadcasting were hoping for. That's why they'd never try that in LA. Now MILLIONS of people know what "Aqua Teen Hungerforce" is. I am so envious of the person who came up with this idea. Just brilliant. Now I have to come up with something to top it when "Fluffer and Nutter" finally get animated. Maybe I'll just silkscreen my characters on big black bomb-like bowling balls with lit wicks on them.

Post-It Show Deux

2006-08-19T02:02:00.000-07:00

OK, now...I am one of 42 artists in this great show over at GR2 (Giant Robot) tomorrow night. You have to come see this massive friggin' thing. I helped for 6 hours to hang this entire show and it is a wondrous thing to behold. Come for the art...stay for the banjo music! Hope to see you all there.

GR2
Giant Robot
2062 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310.445.9276 www.grs.net

Saturday August 19th, 2006-------September 13th
Opening Reception Saturday August 19th 6:30pm until 10 pm

Joe's "Beer and Loathing" Show Preview

2006-07-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

I'm finishing up a bunch of new paintings for The "Beer and Loathing" show at The ADM Project in Hollywood and here's a sample of the image I'm using for my promotion. I'm organizing this show with curator Matt Mascaro and it will include work by Georganne Deen (Fantastic!), David Goldin, Alie Ward, and Buddy Hickerson. We're all in our home stretch now to get it done and get the promotion out, but I know it's going to be one of those really great shows. Everybody is into this little show. I'll post more info as I get it, but enjoy my painting "Cat Fancy" for now. I used my cat Quigman's head as a model.

The Glamour of the Zine Show Reception!

2006-07-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hello Zine Fiends!

Well, I went to the reception of the Zine Show at The Junc Gallery/ Giant Robot infusion there in the Silverlake Junction last Friday. A mere 6 days ago. I know, I'm a little slow to blog on this, but my work load has been getting top priority. And since I'm heading down to The Comicon in San Diego at the crack of Dawn Friday morning I figured I had better get moving on this. There were some very cool zines there by a wide range of people that I loved. I have pics of some of them here and shots of the crowd as it became ever thicker on an extremely hot evening in LA. But we were there for the love and for the zines. Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson were in full force signing copies of their new book "Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine?" and shaking hands. The show celebrated zine makers and the launch of M and E's new book that we all were a part of.

Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine?

In fact, if you go down to Comicon, please stop by the Giant Robot booth and meet Mark and Esther and at some point...meet me! Their book is fabulous and so are all of Esther's "Unloveable" zines. Between the 2 of them they must have a hundred different zines that are all good. I especially love Mark's zine "Malcolm" which is based on his dad, a great and multi-leveled personality to be sure.

So, here are a few of my favorite zines. Peter Hamlin had a gorgeous zine that was snapped up real quick and it was no surprise either because it was a crowd favorite. Ron Rege' had a zine that I drooled over.....as did Saelee Oh and Souther Salazar. Martha Rich's zine was hysterical and brilliant. It was hand-painted and collaged to the hilt. Full of personality, much like her. Calef Brown had a great little zine of drawings done with a fine point Rapidograph. If you are a fan of his work, as I am, you would want to pick this one up. David Miller did a beautiful zine of ink and washes filled with his characters. I just wish I had a better shot of it than I have here. There was a funny zine about all of Liz Taylor's husbands that I wish I had come up with. And of course there were my zines. (See previous post!) All of these are available through The Junc Gallery and their website See the link here to purchase them one and all.

Junc Gallery