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

HEDORAH (ヘドラ)

(click on image to enlarge)

Here is another one of my "toy illustrations" of my favorite kaiju "Hedorah" (ヘドラ), he is from the 1971 Toho film "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" (titled Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster here in the U.S.). The monster was named for hedoro (ヘドロ), the Japanese word for sludge, vomit, slime or chemical ooze.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have always liked the concept of the character. The idea of a kaiju that spit acid, was a layered shapeless mass that was brought to earth by a meteor and lived off of industrial pollution was brilliant. This movie was made at a time before all of this talk of global warming, carbon footprints, etc. It was a psychedelic Godzilla movie that had a political message: save the earth from mankind's excesses.

Enjoy,

Jack

HOOTERS 3

(click on image to enlarge)

The February issue of Hooters Magazine is out on the newsstands, that means it is time for another Coors Light ad drawn by yours truly. This illustration was a challenge for me because I really had no idea what I was going to do. I knew that the girl was going to be blonde, and the winner of a beauty pageant, but that was about it. I went back and forth on whether I should make her a "dingy" blonde or if I should go for a more straight forward approach. I decided on the latter...... although the way I drew her head to the side does make her look a little air headed, but I thought that the pose was cute. I kind of based her pose on an old calender pin-up drawn by the legendary George Petty.

Comparing all of the ads I have drawn so far, I really had a good time creating the background for this piece. I had originally created the backround in a purple hue, to contrast with the yellow in her hair, but the powers that be felt that the background did not look "cold" enough and I had to change it to the "cold" blue color. I also really like the textures and the painted "masked" look of all the other girl contestants. I am really glad that I have the opportunity and freedom to experiment in the backgrounds of these ads. I really enjoy creating the contrasting textures, colors and elements of the foreground and background. In a very strange way, I am reminding myself of the look and feel of the artist Maurice Noble when I create these ads.

Please remember to always buy Coors products.

Enjoy,

Jack

2006 COORS LTD. EDITION SNOWBOARDS

original sketches
(click on image to enlarge)


final board illustration #1
(click on image to enlarge)


final board illustration #2
(click on image to enlarge)

Well, my two snowboard designs are finally out and available for you to WIN at your local pub, tavern or bar near you. I concepted and illustrated both of these designs for the 2006 Coors snow program.These were a lot of fun and a challenge for me to do. I have worked on many of the past Coors snowboard designs, but this was the first time I was able to go from my concept to final illustration. My Art Director on the project was out of the office for a week because his wife was having a baby. I was asked to step in and take on the dual roles of Art Director and Illustrator.

We had originally went after "Studio No.1" (Shepard Fairey) to do all of the illustration for the 2006 Coors snow campaign and my only responsibility would have been setting up all of the art and making sure that it would fit all of the different dimensions for the POS, Merch, and Perm elements that we had sold to the client. Due to some very long legal issues and really bad timing, plus diabetes and an eye with a busted blood vessel (long story....), I ended up with the responsibility of illustrating the snow program with a now terribly tight deadline.........


(click on image to enlarge)

Above is the original version of the "Ram" snowboard before all of the client changes. For some reason I really like the look of this board compared to the final version. I like the organic look, the choice of colors, and the technique in which I rendered the art. I still think the "Ram" board is nice, I am just partial to the original concept.

So, after many long hours of design, illustration, and client revisions, we ended up with some really cool art and a very successful program. Let's hope that the snow program next year goes a little smoother, but is equally as successful.

Please remember to always buy Coors products.

Jack

Gamera

(click on image to enlarge)

When I was younger I remember I ate, breathed, drank and did everything movie monsters. If it was scary or creepy, I was really into it. It is really amazing how much of my thoughts and everyday life were consumed by them at that time. I remember walking over to the local drugstore "Davis Drug" every weekend to either buy a "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine or to buy a pack of the 1973 "You'll Die Laughing (AKA: Creature Feature)" trading cards produced by Topps. These magazines and trading cards provided me hours of entertainment and drawing inspiration, and probably helped set the course for my career path in comic illustration and sculpting.

I can remember when I was younger that I would always check the TV guide to see what monster movies would be on television that week. I would mark the ones with a pen that I would be interested in seeing and take the TV guide to my parents and ask permission to watch them ahead of time. My folks would usually let me watch them as long as I had done a good job with my homework, chores and that I didn't talk back too much. I always hoped that movies would be on either Friday or Saturday, so it would be easier to get permission to stay up late to watch them.

Some of the old movies that I remember seeing and have really strong memories of are "Angry Red Planet", "Godzilla", "War of the Gargantuas", "Earth vs. Flying Saucers", and "Gamera". These movies appeared regularly on "Creature Feature" a television show that was devoted to showing only scary movies. It was broadcast here in Denver back in the early 1970's. I guess I have been nostalgic lately, the only inspiration I seem to get is from looking at the monsters from my youth.

The illustration above is of the kaiju toy "Gamera: Defender of the Earth" made by Bandai in 1996. This particular Gamera toy was given to me by my old boss Brian Pulido (bankrupt Chaos! comics Publisher) as a Christmas gift. I created this illustration with a little photography, traditional drawing and Photoshop.

Enjoy,

Jack

Kaws x Pushead x da Vinci x Gray

(click on image to enlarge)

After a very long time of hunting, searching, and ebay watching, I was able to secure the ever elusive bronze Kaws x Pushead Companion. To celebrate, I decided to do an illustration. It is based on the "Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo da Vinci.

I have been having a good time doing these "Toy Illustrations", I hope I can find time to do more.

Enjoy,

Jack

GOJIRA

(click on image to enlarge)

I have had Japanese kaiju on the brain lately. It seems that every spare moment that I have I am thinking about kaiju, doing sketches of kaiju, and even taking pictures of kaiju. This illustration of Godzilla is the result of too much spare time and a combination of photography, drawing and Photoshop. I took a picture of my manager's "Wide Spread Panic Godzilla" (That is what she calls it, not sure why.....) and then the illustration just took off on it's own. I did set out to see if I could make a vinyl toy come to life in an illustration, but that is about as much thought that I had put into it. I think that the end result turned out pretty nice.

I have always loved Godzilla, especially the very first movie that was directed by Ishiro Honda in 1954. It is really amazing how much this movie affected me as a child. I can remember dreaming of visiting Japan so I could see where Godzilla lives. I wanted to walk in his footsteps, visit Monster Island and see the shores where he came out of the ocean. I was going to make sure when I visited Japan for the first time, I was going to visit those places and realize those childhood dreams.

During my first trip to Japan, my wife and I were riding the "Shinkansen" or bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto to visit her Aunt and Uncle. When we arrived in Kyoto, we stepped off the train and the first thing I see is this HUGE wall poster:



I asked my wife to translate and she tells me that it is an announcement that there will be a show for Godzilla celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Daimaru department store at Tokyo Station. Thankfully we would be traveling back up to Tokyo before the show ended.

So, we spend time in Kyoto and Hiroshima and I had a wonderful time getting to meet all of my wife's family. But deep in the back of my mind there was the thought that I would finally get to see Godzilla in person.

We say goodbye to my wife's family and we travel back up to Tokyo station on the Shinkansen. We exited the train and walked over to the Daimaru department store. We had to stand in line to purchase a ticket, which I didn't mind because I was so excited to see this show. Once we got in the front door, there was a long hallway that had all of the Godzilla movie posters hanging in chronological order and a brief history next to each poster on how that "Gojira" (that is what the Japanese call him) movie was conceived. After looking at all of the posters, I turn the corner and the hallway opened up into this very large room where there are all of the props and rubber monster suits on display from almost all of the Gojira movies. I was in heaven...........I walked very slowly from one display to the next, taking pictures and observing as much as I could.

It was an unbelievable moment for me. I got to be that little kid again.......



I want to thank my wife for putting up with me on that day. I don't really think she knew how excited I was to see this and how important this moment was to me.

Thank you Pecochan, for helping to make a little kid's dream come true.

Jack

Pickled Christmas

(click on image to enlarge)

MUSHIBA KAIBUTSU

(click on image to enlarge)

I thought I would share a pic of my new project "MUSHIBA KAIBUTSU" or "CAVITY MONSTER".

Sculpted out of Super Sculpey and a few hours of TLC. I plan on making molds and trying to produce a few more of this character than just the "one-of-a-kind" sculpts I usually do.

I will update the blog with in-progress pics as I get the various parts of his body finished.

Jack

HOOTERS 2

(click on image to enlarge)

The Holiday issue of Hooters Magazine has just come off the press and into your local Convenience stores. This is the second ad I have drawn in this series. I am not really sure how many of these I will be illustrating... At this moment, I know there are at least two more to come. One is already finished and I will be starting the next one this coming week and hopefully finish before Christmas break. I have been able to illustrate these ads about 2 months ahead of publication deadline. This has been nice for me because I am not being forced to have to get the illustration completed in an unreasonable amount of time. I actually get to take some time and do a reasonably good job. Which is a very rare thing in this business.........
On this illustration, I had fun experimenting with the way the background interacted with the foreground image. Making marks that helped define certain elements while also helping with the composition. When I was presented with the concept of the ad, I wasn't really sure what I was going to do for the backgound... but I knew that it needed to convey a more organic feel than doing something that was a computer effect. I need to still convey that "hand done" quality even though I do all of the work on the computer and I also need to make sure that the background does not overpower the foreground image.
The only direction I ever really get from Coors Light when I do these ads is that I need to convey a sense of cold throughout the illustration. I mainly try and do that with the hue of the overall image. I could illustrate "is it cold in here? " visual cues in the illustration but then there would be major problems getting the illustration approved by our legal department.

Please remember to always drink Coors products.

Jack

On another note, it is hard for me to believe that I have been posting to this blog for just over a year now......... 39 total posts over 365 days. That is 0.10685 posts a day.......not a very good ratio over the course of a year...... I guess I am looking at the quality of posts not the quantity to make this a successful blog..... yeah, that's it.

Missing Doughboy......... FOUND!

(click on image to enlarge)

UPDATE: After 22 days of being lost, Pandane Kaibutsukun has been found!

I just got an email from el maz, the curator of the "Yeast Infection" show:

guess what man?
the freakin doughboy showed up TODAY at my post office box!
i figure that will make your day man. all is well in the world, and your piece is still in it's excellent packaging(double boxed).

I am happy and now I can sleep well.

Jack

Missing Doughboy

(click on image to enlarge)

I have very sad news to report today.... 19 days ago I mailed out my custom Pillsbury Doughboy to a P.O. Box in Los Angeles for the "Yeast Infection" show. Well, the show curator "el maz" sent me an email letting me know that he had not received it yet. Remember, this was 19 days ago........... so, it looks like the USPS has lost my "Pandane Kaibutsukun" custom Pillsbury Doughboy. When asked, the Post Office stated that they have no idea where the package is......... Thankfully, I did insure him........ but the process to claim the insurance value is complicated and a pain in the ass.

Hopefully, he is sitting around somewhere at the Post Office waiting to be found..... If not, I hope who ever received him has given him a good home and appreciates all of the time and effort put into him.

Please come home Pandane Kaibutsukun, you have a family that misses you.

Jack

HOOTERS

Well, the Sep/Oct issue of Hooters Magazine has hit the newstands and inside there is a little ole' Coors Light ad that was illustrated by me. This has really been a good project for me to work on since it lets me revisit a drawing style that I have not done since my comic book days (a little less than 10 years ago).

I really think the premise of the ads is quite unique. The imagery is very reminiscent of the old "Playboy" style of cartoon but it is illustrated in little more contemporary style. Please keep an eye out for future issues of Hooters Magazine as there will be a series of ads drawn by me in this same "pin up" style.

And remember......... always drink Coors products.


(click on image to enlarge)

Enjoy,

Jack

PANDANE KAIBUTSUKUN is up on eBay!!!!

The Yeast Infection Show has started on eBay and all of the entries look really nice. Everyone brought so much to the table with this toy. It is probably one of the best custom shows I have seen in such a long time.

A big thanks to El Maz for making this show happen.

You can check out the show at the following link:

YEAST INFECTION

Or you can check out my custom directly here:

PANDANE KAIBUTSUKUN

Oh yeah...... here is a drawing for today.......


(click on image to enlarge)

Thanks,

Jack

PANDANE KAIBUTSUKUN

Thirty-four days have passed and I am finally able to post something here. I guess I could post small insignificant crap everyday, but would it be worth doing? Would it be worth reading? I have thought about doing a daily or even weekly sketch. Just post an image, no text.... nothing but a drawing..... we will see if that happens..... it might be fun to do....... maybe....

Again, time is my enemy and I am losing the battle. I get myself involved in all of these projects and it never leaves me time for much else. Not that it is a bad thing..... it just does not give me the opportunity to update my blog with strong content that would be interesting to read and to look at....

Everything in my life has been going really well since I got married. A lot of people ask me if I feel different, and I have to honestly say..... "Yes, a little bit". Not much has changed as far as our day-to-day life, but there is a strong feeling that is very new to me and it is hard to place my finger on it to describe it...... I guess I could describe the feeling as "Overwhelming Responsibility ". What does that mean exactly? There are a lot of levels to it, and I am not really awake enough at 4:30 am on Saturday to go into specifics. Besides, this blog is to talk about my art not this drama stuff......

Lets get to the ART.

I have been working really hard over the past couple of weeks to get my custom Pillsbury Doughboy finished in time for the "Yeast Infection" online show and auction that takes place on the 6th of October.



I had a hard time trying to figure out what I exactly wanted to do with this custom. When I was looking at the Doughboy's design the biggest problem for me was trying to figure out something to do with the chef's hat. It seemed to be always in the way with the ideas I came up with. I thought about cutting it off.... but that would have taken the look of the custom farther from the original toy than I wanted to go.

Here is the sketch I decided to use for the sculpt:


(click on image to enlarge)

In-progress pics:


(click on image to enlarge)


(click on image to enlarge)

Once the initial sculpt is finished and put in the oven, I started to think about paint. I originally thought about going with a green color for this guy but I felt that had been done so many times with monsters, especially Japanese kaiju. So I went with the same color scheme as I did with the custom Skumbo I did awhile back..... (They look like they are related if you put them next to each other).

The final Piece:


(click on image to enlarge)

This is how he would look if he was 250 feet tall......


(click on image to enlarge)

Now that I look at the final piece I guess I must have been subconciously inspired by Matango. Because the similarities are very close....... Since I had to use the chef's hat, the custom ended up looking like a big mutant mushroom. Although Pandane Kaibutsukun has a giant brain and not a mushroom cap for a head.........



Remember, PANDANE KAIBUTSUKUN is for an online show and auction..... As much as it pains me to write this...... he will be for sale. So, please bid high and bid often. I don't usually sell my customs, so please give him a good home. I will be posting an auction link once the "Yeast Infection" auctions get rolling.

Next up on my plate is working on a custom 9" Bud for the The Bomb Project show that is happening in Denton, TX from Nov. 18th - Dec. 2nd. I haven't really figured out what I am going to do yet..... but I am sure it will have bumps all over it.

Jack

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Well, I am officially another year older......... I can already feel my back stiffening and my arthritis kicking in. :(

I have still been very busy with creating my vinyl customs. I just finished a custom SKUMBO for the "HIJACKED" (Because Homage is Just a Fancy Word for Stealing): Custom Skumbo Show.

Here is a teaser pic of my custom SKUMBO........


(click on image to enlarge)

This little guy will be available for sale at the show. So please bid high and bid often.

This show is going to boast a plethora of talent!

Here is the OFFICIAL list so far:
Squidboy
Doktor A
Wavedog
Josh Novak
Phuek
James Mayle
John Madrid
Bilbetsovic
John Gray
Raoul Desoto
Jeff Stephens
Jason Kochis
LASH
Roy Vento
Ryan Crippen
Adrian Pena
Edzepln
Lee Gajda
Ryan Hungerford
Motorbot
Wesley Groenewoud
Jessie Hernandez
Dear Earthling
Atomika
Joe Grady
Akiro
Kathie Olivas
Peskimo
Elizabeth Berdann
KANO
Erick Scarecrow
Kenn Munk
Jason Jacenko
Itch
UPSO
Voltaire
WRD~ONE
Lunartik
Jeremyville
Setone
Triclops
Blinky Escalante
Devius
Matt Connelly
Dragoncypher
Damion Silver
Playskewl
Nakanari
Jermaine Rogers
Rene Delgado
MCA
Morpheus
Emek
Frank Kozik
and some surprise guests...

I am not sure yet where and when the show will take place. Please keep checking back here at the blog as I will update the information about the show as I get it.

enjoy,

Jack