WISDOM TEETH

(click on image to enlarge)

It has been almost two months since my last post and I have a few good reasons why this has happened.

First, I finally went in and had my wisdom teeth removed after many years of my dentist suggesting me to do so. Let me tell you that it was probably one of the most uncomfortable and painful things I have ever done........ I had three impacted teeth and one tooth that had erupted. I ended up with dry sockets and there wasn't a pain medicine that could take that pain away. After 2 weeks of having the procedure done, my mouth still hurts, but seems to have gotten a little bit better.

Second, I am leaving for Japan on the 26th of December so I have been getting ready for that. There are so many things that need to be done before you go on a trip out of the country..... itinerary, gifts for family, scheduling transportation (train, bus, etc.), coordinating time with family and friends........ It can get a little overwhelming.

Third, all of this is happening right before Christmas and I still need to buy presents, send out Christmas cards, etc........

So, I apologize for not updating the blog as much as I should.

I hope everyone has a great Holiday Season this year!!!!!

Enjoy,

Jack

GO COLORADO ROCKIES!!!!

You may or may not know that the Colorado Rockies baseball team made it to the World Series this year. I can't say that I have been the most avid baseball fan of all time, but I do enjoy watching a game now and then, especially when I can go to the stadium to see a game live and in person. Since this is the first time the Rockies have made it to the World Series, this is the only thing you hear about on Radio, Television and in the Newspaper. The tickets to the World Series games here in Denver are the hottest ticket in town...... (don't get me started on what I went through trying to obtain 4 tickets, and how disappointing the final result was........)


(click on image to enlarge)

Which brings me to the picture that is posted above. During the last week in August, my Uncle Mac, my Father and I went down to Florida to visit my Aunt and Uncle at their home in Ft. Lauderdale. It was a very nice trip. One of the many highlights of the trip was going with all of the family to a Marlins and Braves baseball game. It was fun to see both teams play in Dolphins Stadium.

At the bottom of the third inning, I was lucky enough to catch a foul ball that was hit by the Marlins left fielder, J. Willingham. I was sending a text message to my wife when I heard a "crack" of the bat, I looked up and saw a ball coming straight at me. I stood up with cell phone in hand, and caught the ball.

Since I usually post about my art on this blog, I decided to put my photoshop skills to the test on this picture of me that was taken right after I caught the baseball. I experimented with a few new techniques to make something look "distressed" and old.

I think the final result came out pretty well.

Enjoy,

Jack

COORS SNOW POSTER CAMPAIGN

This years Coors snow program was very challenging for me, but at the same time, it was very fulfilling for me to work on. I was given the task of illustrating three posters depicting the "Legendary" aspects of Coors Banquet. The illustration style was to be based on the technique and style of the Kaiju illustrations I created back in January. I think there is a similarity in the style and technique, but since I ended up drawing everything and not using any photography, there is a definite difference in the look and feel of the illustrations.

When I am given an assignment for an illustration, the Art Director usually provides me a comp, some reference images and what written copy will be needed on the art. I then proceed to the pencil stage, where I will do some initial sketches of what I have in mind for the illustration. I then show this to the Art Director for approval.



(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)

It was quite a daunting task to get these illustrations approved by the Coors legal department due to the subject matter. (no Joe Camel here....) But after a few changes and color tweaks, they were approved.

This Coors Snow Poster Campaign was entered into this years Art Directors Club of Denver Annual Show competition and was fortunate enough to be awarded three times.

1. Gold - for Illustration
2. Gold - for Design: (collateral design - posters - campaign)
3. Silver - for Print Advertising: (collateral - posters - campaign)

Also, the snowboards I illustrated for this campaign were recognized with a Bronze - for Print Advertising (consumer magazine - color full page or spread - campaign).

Enjoy,

Jack

San Diego Comic-Con, Rob Schrab, Scud the Disposable Assassin, and Me.

I was able to meet up with the artist and creator of Scud the Disposable Assassin Rob Schrab, while he was signing autographs and promoting Scud at the San Diego Comic-Con this year. It was really great to hang out with him again after almost 10 years.

Don't forget to keep on the lookout for the Scud the Disposable Assassin Omnibus, coming soon to a store near you!!!!

Jack

CREATIVE CIRCUS POSTER *UPDATE*

I was finally able to take some pics of the actual completed poster. I hope these photos give a hint as to what I was trying to explain about it in my previous Creative Circus Poster entry.

Enjoy,

Jack


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)

CREATIVE CIRCUS ART SHOW

Here is a few pics of my sculpture entries for the Creative Circus art show that was held this past couple of weeks here at my work. This was the first time I have displayed most of my sculpts all together in one place. I think that they all look pretty good together..... I just wish I would have been able to have the sculpts in the back raised up on a higher surface instead of being on the same level as the sculpts in front.

Enjoy,

Jack


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)

CREATIVE CIRCUS POSTER

Flashback to 2003...... When I decided to get back into creating art for a living, I was hired by an marketing/ad agency to fulfill their needs of an illustrator/designer. For the past 4 years this agency has been a very fun and unique place for me to work.There have been many fun benefits that the agency offers their employees. One of those fun benefits is the Creative Circus. This event has been an almost a yearly event since I started working here.

This year's Creative Circus will be held on Thursday, August 23rd. This year, as tradition has had it, there are four categories, a talent show, culinary cook-off, art show, and side show acts. Each year the agency also has a Poster Design contest that is open for all employees to participate in. This contest is usually pretty open to what ever you want to create. I always enjoy participating in this kind of stuff, especially if I have the time to do so.

In 2004, I decided to give this Poster Design contest a try and came up with the idea below. I was trying to do an illustration that had the same kind of perception like the skits that happened on the television show "Three's Company".


(click on image to enlarge)

Unfortunately, this one didn't go over too well with our HR department and was not approved........ I didn't think that it was that bad, HR did think it was funny but they did not want to take a chance of offending anyone.

Since my first Poster did not get approved, I decided I was not going go down without a fight, so I came up with another design that you see below.


(click on image to enlarge)

I seem to have a really soft spot in my heart for this clown character, I always seem to end up illustrating him somewhere whether I am doodling or creating a new personal work. This clown originally started as a sculpture I did for a series of hot rod shifter knobs I planned on creating and marketing. This poster was approved by HR but the PM that was in charge of this job, was a little scared of what the meaning behind it was and decided to keep it hidden in his office instead of hanging it somewhere in the building. My experience with this project seemed to get worse and worse and put a bad taste in my mouth. I decided to take a beak from this kind of participation here at work and focused my efforts somewhere else.

Fast forward to 2007, I have a better personal outlook on the Poster Design Contest this year and I decided to participate since I was sure that I would be able to make the time. I had a more complex idea this time and had a good time trying to solve the problems of design, illustration and engineering.

This all started with a sketch on the back of an envelope....


(click on image to enlarge)

Then I took to sketching the idea on post-it notes and cut out paper....


(click on image to enlarge)

I finally came up with a design I was really happy with and it included all of the techniques (textures, pin-striping, and cross hatching) that I seem to really enjoy working with when I am creating my illustrations.

I also wanted to do something a little more to this years poster design that the ones I created before didn't have...... movement. I contacted our Merchandise Department and was able to get a small motor that would make it possible for parts of my poster design to rotate.

The task now for me was to take my sketches to a completed design in 3 days. (Of course I procrastinated till the very last minute to put this thing together.)

The image below is of the back layer of my design. I really like how this turned out and I really thought of just turning this in as the design. There was something happening here visually that I really liked.


(click on image to enlarge)

Next, I created the part of my design that was going to have the movement. I knew early on that I wanted to have a kind of "hypno-disc" somewhere on the poster. I originally intended to have 4 of these discs spinning at once, but decided that it would be too much work for this silly poster and settled for just one spinning disc.


(click on image to enlarge)

I then illustrated my Pickled Clown "Corky" to finish off the design. I really enjoy drawing this guy..... and since he was on the last two posters I illustrated, I would have felt bad if I did not include him on this design. The ".....I'm cold...." word balloon is an inside joke about an incident that happened while I was in Junior High School.....


(click on image to enlarge)

Below is the completed design sans the movement. I will try and update the blog with some actual photos of the completed three-dimensional piece soon.


(click on image to enlarge)

Enjoy,

Jack

SCUD SDCC POSTER

(click on image to enlarge)

Well, I finally finished setting up the Scud Poster art for the San Diego Comic-Con. Rob Schrab had asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would be interested in putting together a poster for him using the artwork I colored for the SCUD Omni-Book. I was very excited to be able to work on this project and be able to bring it to life. Rob and I went back and forth with a few different ideas for the look, size and where exactly the copy should be placed. I think that it turned out nice. The hardest part of making this poster was having to scale the original colored image up in size (without losing any of the picture quality) in order to fit the proportions of the 18"x24" poster.

I will not be able to make it out to the San Diego Comic-Con this year to get a copy of this poster for myself...... I had some last minute work get in the way.....

Anyway, if you are reading this and you are going to go to the San Diego Comic-Con this year, be sure to find Rob and tell him hello for me..... (and get a poster for me...... autographed....... if you don't mind....... please......)

Here is Rob Schrab's schedule at Comic-Con:

IMAGE BOOTH
Booth: #2729
Sat: 1:00-1:55
Sun. 11:00-12:00

and

SHOCKER TOYS
Booth: #4517
Sat: 4:00-5:00
Sun:12:30 -1:30

He will be GIVING AWAY Scud posters and selling sketches and DVDs. He will also have a sneak peek at Scud 21!!!!

Then check out the "The Sarah Silverman Program" PANEL with Rob and the cast.
Room: 6cdef
Sat: 7:45-8:45PM

Enjoy,

Jack

HOOTERS 5

(click on image to enlarge)

The May/June issue of Hooters Magazine is finally out and on the newsstands, this one has slipped under my radar....... I haven't even seen a printed sample yet. So, that means it is time to present the final Coors Light ad illustrated by me. Still following the same theme as the four ads I had drawn before, I think I had the best time illustrating this one. The girl was really fun to draw and I really enjoyed coming up with the design and look of the background....... even though I was a little difficult doing a little research to find out all of the international names for beer (thank goodness for the internet).

I am kind of sad that this is the last ad of the series. Hopefully there will be another campaign like this next year. It is really refreshing to be able to create this kind of work, it is so much different than all of the other ad campaigns I usually work on.

Please remember to always buy Coors products.

Enjoy,

Jack

COORS LIGHT MIRROR

(click on image to enlarge)

Here is a Colorado Avalanche hockey player illustration I did for Coors Light last year. This illustration ended up being used for a two level, 33"w x 20"h mirror. This was an interesting job for me to work on since I have never created the final production art for a two level mirror before. The bottom level of the mirror was a "mirror-like" material with the hockey arena and Coors Light logo printed on it. The top level will be a clear acrylic material with the hockey player, puck and the Avalanche logo printed on it. It was a little challenging for me to figure out how to isolate the specific parts of the illustration and to create a convincing "3-dimensional" look from a 2-dimensional illustration. After I figured out what would be seperated out for each of the individual levels, I needed to create a white plate for the top level so that the art would not be transparent where the white or lighter areas would be printed. In the end, I was really happy about how this illustration turned out.

Unfortunately, I have never seen this hanging in a bar or liquor store. I really have tried to get one of these mirrors for myself, but have not had any luck........ (I haven't even seen one show up on ebay). I did get to see the prototype mirror and I was very impressed with the production on this piece.

Please remember to always buy Coors products.

Enjoy,

Jack

DAUBER

(click on image to enlarge)

Here is my Boston Terrier, Dauber, looking very happy and satisfied after playing a crazy game of fetch. We had a really good time running around the backyard on this Memorial Day holiday.

I love my dog,

Jack

PICKLED BART

(click on image to enlarge)

I have been so busy lately..... my job has been kicking my butt and I really have not been that motivated to post here on the blog. I have felt that if I have any extra time, I should apply it elsewhere, somewhere more constructive. So, I have been drawing, sculpting, reading, selling off my Japanese kaiju toys on ebay and starting to collect Hot Wheels again. I didn't realize how much I missed collecting those little cars.

I used the Pickled Bart image up above for practicing my coloring skills and image manipulation using the Wacom Tablet. The more I use the tablet the more I am starting to feel comfortable with it. I am still not up to the level where I can actually draw on the computer with it, but I am starting to realize the some of the benefits it has for my day to day work.

My wife and I are starting to think about going to Japan in December. We need to resolve a few things (money, time away from work, and money) before we buy the tickets, but it looks like we are 90% sure that we will go. This trip should be very exciting for us, it will be our first trip back since we got married, it will be during New Year's holiday, and my wife's sister-in-law is pregnant and her projected due date to deliver the baby is while we will be there visiting.

I am going to try and post here on the blog a little more often, my wife has been kicking my butt with post counts on her blog..... and she won't let me forget it.

Enjoy,

Jack

PICKLED SIGNATURE

(click on image to enlarge)

After I updated the header for this blog, I became curious as to what my signature would look like "Pickled". The image above is the final result.

This also marks my first attempt at computer coloring with a Wacom tablet.

Coloring this with a tablet was a very humbling experience for me, and it showed me that I have a lot to learn...........

Jack

PICKLED HEADER

(click on image to enlarge)

I finally decided to update the header for the blog. The old header image was made from parts of the sketchbook that I published back in 2005. The new header was drawn with a very "Big Daddy Roth" style in mind. I drew the logo three times before I finally settled on the one that you see at the top of this page.


(click on image to enlarge)

Comparing the final version to the old header, I like that the letters are a lot more organic and they create a visual of what "Pickled" really is.

Enjoy,

Jack

SCUD: The Disposable Assassin

Back in 1993, before I started working professionally in the comic book industry, I made my first of many trips out to the San Diego Comic-Con. I had spent a couple months preparing my very amateur portfolio so I could hand it off to prospective comic book companies at the convention. I had an agenda of comic book publishers and artists that I wanted to meet. One of those publishers was Fireman Press, the publisher of Scud: The Disposable Assasin. I didn't really have any idea how big of a publisher Fireman Press was, but I figured if they were able to put out a book they might have a position for me. So, I dropped off my portfolio with someone at their booth and I went about my day meeting with all of the other people on my list.
The next day I decided to go back to the Fireman Press booth to see if I could meet the artist of Scud, Rob Schrab. Fortunately, he was there and I was able to talk him into doing a sketch of Scud for me. I paid him $20.00 and he told me to come back later to pick up the sketch. I stopped by a couple hours later and waiting for me was a beautiful sketch of Scud leaping off of the page. Rob really liked the sketch he had done and asked if I would send him a copy of the drawing. I quickly ran over to the Kinkos which was located in the lobby of the convention center, made a copy and brought it back to their booth. Rob seemed pleased that I got him a copy and that was the last I saw of the Fireman Press guys during the convention. The sketch that Rob did for me eventually was turned into the Scud poster "It's Cool to be a Robot".
About 2 months later, I got a call from Rob Schrab asking if I would be interested in doing a pin-up for an upcoming issue of Scud. I was very excited and honored to have been asked. This was a very exciting time for me in my comic art career, all of the companies that I had met with started to contact me and offer me work.


(click on image to enlarge)

The image above is the first pin-up that I did for Scud. It appeared in Scud #8. I came up with the idea while I was working at my one night a week job at the local comic shop. I scribbled the idea on the back of Chick-filet napkin.

A couple months later I was asked if I would like to color the 2nd printing of Scud #1. Scud was primarily a black and white book with color covers. Rob wanted to provide the fans a little something extra by adding color to the 2nd printing. Rob provided me the color guides, and my coloring assistant Eric Wiese and I got to work. We had to remove all of the zip-a-tone from the pages in order to do the coloring, so there was a lot of prep time with the 27 page book. We had a real good time working on this project and we were very happy with the final product.


(click on image to enlarge)

The image above is the pin-up I provided for the color reprint. This is the first appearance of the "Cheerleader" character that I always seemed to draw in the pin-ups I did for Fireman Press.

Next up on my plate from Fireman Press was to color "Drywall: Unzipped!". At this time in my life, I had just been offered a full time position at Chaos! Comics and was in transition between closing down my coloring studio and moving to the Chaos! compound in Scottsdale, AZ. I had lost my coloring assistant Eric Wiese to the world of animation, so I ended up coloring this book by myself. Half the book was colored in Denver, and the other half of the book was colored down in Scottsdale.


(click on image to enlarge)

The image above is the pin-up I provided for the Drywall issue. I was really happy how this one turned out. Drywall is one of my favorite characters of the Scud universe. I had a great time coming up with an image to draw of Drywall and my cheerleader character together.

After Drywall, I was asked if I would be willing to draw "The Drywall and Oswald Show", a two issue mini-series. At first it looked as if I would have been able to draw the series, but it ended up that my obligations at Chaos! made it impossible to do the book. Fortunately, they were able to get Trent Kaniuga, the artist and creator of the comic "Creed" to draw the book.


(click on image to enlarge)

The image above is the only page I was able to pencil for the book. They used these pencils as "teaser" art to solicit the series.

With my workload at Chaos! my time became very limited and I was only able to work on covers and pin-ups for Fireman Press.


(click on image to enlarge)

The image above is from the cover of "The Drywall and Oswald Show" #2. Rob provided me a color guide and the direction of "make it look like the beginning of the Scooby Doo cartoon".


(click on image to enlarge)

The image above was for "Tales from the Vending Machine" #5. The art is by Jorge Pacheco the color is by me. If I remember correctly, he was an artist for the "Garfield" comic strip.

It has been about 10 years since I have talked to Rob and the Fireman Press crew. Rob had moved from Milwaukee and the chores of writing and drawing Scud to Hollywood to focus on his career of being a famous writer and director of television and movies. About two months ago, I noticed an announcement on the comic news website "Newsarama" that stated that Rob had decided to finally finish the Scud story by writing and drawing issue #21, the final issue of the series. I immediately sent Rob an email to see if he needed a colorist for the cover. He responded saying that he hoped to do the coloring himself..... but it would be fun to "get the band back together".
Currently, Rob is writing and directing the "The Sarah Silverman Program" for Comedy Central. So, his busy schedule was not going to permit him to color the cover image and I was fortunate enough to receive an email from Rob asking if I was still interested in doing the color. My answer was a big YES!


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)

The images above are a "before and after" of the cover art for the new "Scud OMNI-BOOK". Rob did a very kick ass job on the black and white art giving me a wonderful structure to apply my color work. This new Scud book will reprint and collect the first 20 issues of the Scud series, it will also include the brand new issue #21!!! it should also have a reprinting of the Drywall: Unzipped! issue in black and white.
Look for the new and exciting Scud OMNI-BOOK this summer, coming to you from Image Comics.

For more information, please go to Rob Schrab's website:
Rob Schrab

HOOTERS 4

(click on image to enlarge)

The March/April issue of Hooters Magazine is out on the stands. So, that means another advertisement for Coors Light drawn by me. I really enjoyed working on this illustration. Parts of it were challenging, but overall it was a good time. This ad is my favorite so far, because the woman in the illustration is loosely based on my wife. I didn't use any photo reference or try to capture a likeness of her, I think it is the attitude and pose is what reminds me of her so much. I am also fond of the colors in this one. This is the only ad so far that the background colors didn't follow the "cold cues" of Coors Light.

There was a little trouble when this ad was printed, somewhere between sending the disc off to the printer and being published in the actual magazine, the headline, legal, and Mt. Icon dissapeared and failed to show up on the printed piece. Not really sure how that happened .......

The image above is how it should have looked in the magazine.

Please remember to always buy Coors products.

Enjoy,

Jack

PICKLED SKUMBO

I had posted back in August 2006 that I had been invited to create a custom Skumbo vinyl toy for the custom toy show "HIJACKED" (Because Homage is Just a Fancy Word for Stealing): Custom Skumbo Show out in Long Beach, CA. Well, over 9 months have passed and the show has not happened yet. I became a little worried and contacted the curator........ Thankfully, the curator was kind enough to send my little guy back to me.

Originally, the curator asked us if we would only post teaser pics and not the full image shots of the Skumbo. Now that I have my little guy back in my possession and since I will not be part of this particular custom show anymore, here are some pics of my finished custom Skumbo.

Here is the little guy before customization:



Concept sketch:


(click on image to enlarge)

In progress:


(click on image to enlarge)

Finished pics:


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)

This guy is still up for sale. If interested, please leave me a comment. I will get back to you a.s.a.p.

I have been bitten by the custom toy bug again and have three different custom toys in the works. Stay tuned, I will be posting some images soon.

Jack