The Art of Patrick McQuade

Star Wars Valentine's Day Card featuring Lando Calrissian

2012-01-30T13:13:00.005-05:00

HOT OFF the PRESSES!

Another Cheesy Star Wars Card guaranteed to Delight
This time it's for Valentine's Day!
The sexy Baron Administrator of Cloud City has a message for your significant other.
"You've Lando'ed in My Heart"

Guaranteed to make any Star Wars fan's heart un-carbonite/melt.

Outer envelope has a stamped "A long time ago, on a holiday far, far away...

Folded (Vertical 4 1/4" x 5 1/2")
Clay coated 12 pt. premium card stock

Interior left - Cloud City silhouette

Lando Fun Fact:
He won Cloud City in a game of sabaac. Here's how it went down:

After spending several months on Cloud City gambling at the fancy casinos there, Calrissian played a game of sabacc against the Baron Administrator of the facility, a man named Dominic Raynor, after his success at gambling had caught the eye of the administrator. Little did he know that Ymile, the consort of Dominic Raynor, had helped him win with a skifter disguised as a pendant, but when a thief tried to steal her pendant, Calrissian seized him and returned the pendant to her, dubbing her his "Lady Luck." Calrissian quickly found himself in a very high stakes game, with millions of credits and his Cobra on the line, which he lost. However, this was revealed to be due to the actions of a furious enemy of Calrissian's, Barpotomous Drebble, who had planted a skifter in the deck to throw the game to Raynor, in a form of revenge on Calrissian for the gambler's winning large sums of money from Drebble. Raynor ordered Drebble removed, but refused to discount the game. Because an anonymous benefactor then advanced Calrissian five million credits, the gambler bet four million and his lot on Nar Shaddaa against Raynor's administrator's post, and won not only his ship back, but the whole game and became the new Baron Administrator of Cloud City. In doing so, he also had the aid of Ymile, who helped tilt the game toward Calrissian with her pendant even though she was with Raynor, since she wanted to leave and see the galaxy. The unknown benefactor turned out to be Cloud City's cyborg liaison, Lobot, who had obtained the credits from the pooled funds of thousands of Ugnaught workers, in order to ensure Raynor's departure.^[41] Though Calrissian's methods for taking the reins of the city were considered unorthodox, his new position was confirmed by a vote of both the governing bodies of Cloud City, which had done nothing to stop his game against Raynor.

Audio Link
Vader tells Lando where he can shove it.

Cards are available through my Etsy account.

Click HERE to visit my store.

Extremely Limited supply.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Quint from Jaws Portrait

2012-01-28T17:16:00.010-05:00

JAWS is a perfect movie. Quint is one of my favorite characters of film. Robert Shaw gives such an all-time performance. He died only a couple years after it was released. What a shame, seems like he was just hitting his stride. That monologue he gives about the USS Indianapolis is so chilling, even just reading it gave me goosebumps. It was written by John Milius (Director of Conan the Barbarian/Red Dawn, writer of Apocalypse Now), uncredited.

"Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, Chief. We was comin' back from the island of Tinian to Leyte... just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in 12 minutes. Didn't see the first shark for about a half an hour. Tiger. 13-footer. You know how you know that when you're in the water, Chief? You tell by looking from the dorsal to the tail fin. What we didn't know, was our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn't even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin', so we formed ourselves into tight groups. You know, it was kinda like old squares in the battle like you see in the calendar named "The Battle of Waterloo" and the idea was: shark comes to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin' and hollerin' and screamin' and sometimes the shark will go away... but sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometimes that shark he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And, you know, the thing about a shark... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'. The ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they... rip you to pieces. You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don't know how many sharks, maybe a thousand. I know how many men, they averaged six an hour. On Thursday morning, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Boatswain's mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. He bobbed up, down in the water just like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he'd been bitten in half below the waist. Noon, the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us. He swung in low and he saw us... he was a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper. Anyway, he saw us and he come in low and three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and starts to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened... waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went in the water; 316 men come out and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb."

There's a limited edition 13x19" print (with text "The ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they... rip you to pieces.") is available through my Etsy shop. Snatch one up quick!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91666302/quint-from-jaws-limited-edition-gilcee

Dr. Suess & The Wonderful World of Illo Confidential!

2012-01-24T19:38:00.009-05:00

This is the first in a new series of portraits I am doing entitled “Influences”, honoring all of the great artists that have inspired my work and imagination throughout my lifetime so far. They’ve all touched me in a really positive & deep way, and this is my sincere and humble attempt to say thank you.

The group includes writers, illustrators, video game creators, animators, painters, puppeteers, comic book artists and film directors, some of them many of these things rolled into one. So far I have 16 portraits lined up, and will release a new one each week or so for the next couple months. The list may grow, there are so many!

At the culmination of this collection, I will be launching a website showcasing the imagery of a fantastic new world I’ve created full of monsters, heroes and villains, all of which are somehow inspired by their work.

I’ll be releasing the portraits in a ‘round about chronological order from when I was initally introduced their work, so first up is Theodore Geisel aka Dr. Suess! I remember his books at a very young age, my parents reading them to me, then me flipping through them, absorbing them, soaking up the buoyant world and wondering where it was. I remember splashing fish, and green eggs, bursts of color and lively lines. Suess was there before me was me, pointing the way towards childhood and beyond.

I’m doing this series digitally in a sketchier, more impressionistic & loose/ painterly style, which hopefully infuses them with more of a sense of playfulness. I hope you enjoy! I’m really looking forward to doing them all.

On another note, I want to announce that I was recently asked to be part of a new collective of award winning illustrators called Illo Confidential! It's really great, full of very talented and savvy illustrators, way more established than I am. I'm thrilled to be part of it.

Check out all the excellent work @ http://www.illoconfidential.com Follow us on FB & Twitter!

4 Armed DJ - Illustration Update

2012-01-12T12:04:00.002-05:00

'kiwi-kiwi!

I keep updating this piece, originally done back in the day in greyscale for The SciFi Channel in my weekly web comic, Freedomland NYC. I think he's finally close to done... :)

Ipad Beach/TV Monster Editorial Illustrations

2012-01-11T15:27:00.009-05:00

Focusing on more non-portraiture/likeness related imagery lately. Above is an updated couple panels from the Art Brut comic "Sealand" I did a while back - a vision of 21st century beach goers, enjoying the sun, sand and... holding an Ipad, watching a movie. Plus, a grandiose under the sea castle where the beach couple goes to escape the troubles of the world.

Below is my imagining what is a little dog's perspective of television must be like -Scary! They don't understand... It must seem like a loud, seething beast sometimes.

Illustrations for Time Out Chicago - The 8 Reasons Why Obama Will Win in 2012

2012-01-10T19:44:00.006-05:00

Did these for Time Out Chicago around Thanksgiving, finally getting around to posting something more in-depth with process and details. Was busy/holiday craziness! etc. Had a blast doing it, twisting our prez into a numerical pretzels. I made the procession of numbers into a dance, a ballet, as he takes off his blazer and rolls up his sleeves, burstingly confident at his re-election chances next year. I think he will. Romney just ain't all that, kinda phony to me. We'll see... Hoping to get more political work this year, would love to do more Obama illustrations. Props to Stephanie over at Time Out Chicago for coming up with a super fun & cool concept!

Below is a peak into my process.

Behold my reference files (lots), then the slop that I start with (cute, but yikes!), and the fancy refinement that follows.

Happy Birthday David Bowie

2012-01-08T18:41:00.001-05:00

James Bond SKYFALL Poster - Process and Details

2012-01-05T18:00:00.016-05:00

In early December I started experimenting with a new clean line style. Did a Carl Jung portrait for my father in law, really like the result, very freeing, I see a lot of possibilities.

Decided to use this style for a Superpunch James Bond art contest, depicting the new movie SKYFALL (Nov. 2012) directed by Sam Mendes, and loved the result. Will still do more rendered illustrations but am going to go in this direction for a bit. Plan to doing a bunch of movie posters this year, stay tuned!

Below is a bunch of process of process and detail shots.

Ralph Fiennes, good guy or baddie? The new M, perhaps?

The new Bond girl, Bérénice Marlohe.

Ben Whishaw, the new Q!

Naomi Harris, featuring her "28 Days Later" haircut

DENCH

Dame Judi Dench, that is!

Daniel Craig

Here's a screenshot of all my related files and reference.

Portrait of Tommy Mekam

2012-01-05T14:52:00.003-05:00

Here's a portrait I did of Tommy Mekam for my mom-in-law Sandy for Xmas. Sandy used to take my wife and sis-in-law to his restaurant on 57th St. when they were kids. They'd eat dinner and listen to Tommy sing. They think she had a total crush on him.

Kids & A Starfleet Captain!

2012-01-02T11:55:00.008-05:00

Here are some portraits of kids I recently completed, plus a certain balding Captain of the USS Enterprise. Taking on more private commissions if you're interested. Check out COBBLE HILL PORTRAITS for more info.

Thanksgiving Colored Pencil Sketches

2011-12-20T20:52:00.005-05:00

I did these over Thanksgiving weekend at my wonderful mom-in-law's house. Got the faces from flipping through random magazines. Done on vellum 11x14''.

STAR WARS Custom Christmas Cards!

2011-12-08T01:01:00.010-05:00

I've released a trio of custom Star Wars Christmas Cards this year featuring a sexy Lando Calrissian under the mistletoe, Bossk the Bounty Hunter/Santa's Helper & a snowflake catching tauntaun, replete with mildly (highly?) amusing Star Wars holiday puns and silhouetted iconography. Outer envelope has a stamped "A long time ago, on a holiday far, far away..."

4.25" x 5.5". Clay coated 12 pt. premium card stock

Cards are available separately or in packs of 10.
OR in the popular 3 pack COMBO featuring of all of them.

The cards are available through my Etsy shop. Click the link for more details.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/castlemcquade

Supply is limited and running out so order yours today!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
&
May the Force be with you.

Snow Monkey TEA & Holiday Cards

2011-11-21T16:33:00.017-05:00

I've teamed up with The Clipper Ship Tea Company to produce the HOTTEST tea of the season -
SNOW MONKEY!

Inspired by my Snow Monkey series, it's a delicious blend of Green Tea, Lavender, Blueberry and Vanilla - REALLY REALLY good! YUM! The owner Melissa is quite the mix master. And I'm not just saying that. Tastes just like my painting looks - it's eerie, you just have to try it.

Stop by the shop this holiday season. If you like tea, you'll flip out - And if you don't, you may be converted. It's located at 80 Main Street in Northport, NY. They are also selling my Snow Monkey holiday cards and signed prints, framed and unframed.

The owner and I are in cahoots now, planning something really cool and potentially BIG. Be on the lookout in 2012...

Also, just released the image as a holiday card, available individually or as a ten pack.
Check out my Etsy store for all the details.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CastleMcQuade

Delight your friends and family with this tranquil image, the perfect remedy for the upcoming holiday MADNESS!

Dean Martin - Westchester Magazine

2011-11-14T01:25:00.004-05:00

Got an illustration appearing in this month's Westchester Magazine of Dean Martin - Ring-A-Ding DING! - on the Yonkers Pier for a story about song lyrics that include lines with Westchester references in them. There's a bunch, ranging from Lil' Kim to Steely Dan.

Here's some sketches...

“If You Knew Susie” by Dean Martin
“We went riding, she didn't balk / Back from Yonkers / I'm the one that had to walk.”

Cheers Aiko!

Mary Pickford Centerfold - Orange Coast Magazine

2011-11-07T00:31:00.010-05:00

I was contacted by Mindy Benham, Design Director over at Orange Coast Magazine, the other week and asked to do the artwork for a centerfold of Mary Pickford, Hollywood's first great star! She was a mega HUGE silent film actress during the 1910s & 20s, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie and Reese Witherspoon all rolled into one, Tinseltown's first millionaire. She co-founded the film studio United Artists with Charlie Chaplin and her second husband Douglass Fairbanks, and was one of the original 36 founders of the Academy Awards. Her and Fairbanks bought this huge estate in LA and called it "Pickfair", kinda like the Hammer Time Mansion of it's day. It was deemed White House West, they had solid gold dinner and peacocks, extravagant parties, and entertained foreign dignitaries. Check out her Wikipedia page for more of the details of her wild life.

But she had a first "secret" marriage that the public didn't know about. When the prying eyes of the press found out, she held a public ceremony at a California church to renew her vows. Below is the only image of the dress she wore that day, and it's a painting. AND only a low res jpeg of that painting was available for me to look at for reference. It was part of my job to recreate this dress. Love it! Time to get sleuth-y.

Above was my first pass at putting together a rough Photoshop collage. Mindy wanted a more frontal view so I developed these color sketches below and got the go ahead.

I did a bunch of research in the bridal wear and hair styles of the day. The flower headdress were in serious vogue, along the pearl string headbands. The artist Mucha was very popular during that time so I looked at a lot of his works. I basically tried to match the impression that the dress in the painting left and think I did a pretty good job of it. Below is the final.

Mindy then designed this gorgeous cover!

Here's how it looks in the mag as you are flipping through. Very nice.

It's on stands now, the November 2011 issue. If you're an old school Hollywood buff, it is a must buy, and her whole story from soup to nuts is beautifully told by writer Pat H. Broeske.

www.orangecoast.com

This was a really fun project. Thanks for the assignment and great direction, Mindy.

RIP Andy Rooney

2011-11-06T21:29:00.004-05:00

Farewell Planet Earth, I shall return!"

Giant Werewolf v. Dinosaur Alien! PLUS John C. Reily

2011-11-01T16:35:00.009-04:00

If two illustrations were ever perfect together, it's these two.

BLUE MOVIE Comic - Part 2!

2011-10-18T15:58:00.004-04:00

Our fearless heroes, the mighty rock band Blue Movie, stare down the unspeakable horrors burbling up from the mouth of the cave.

The BATTLE BEGINS!

- Double Page Spread -

Heads roll, limbs are chopped, blood is shed!

Then, it's promptly "To be continued..." Sorry for the sequential blue balls, but 6 pages ain't a bad output for a short turnaround. I'm looking forward to following this up with a lotta of Hard R fantasy based works, Wizards & Warriors style in the coming months. Below is the entire strip in order.

Blue Movie had a great time at Comicon and got a fantastic response. All the best to them in the future, and thank you for asking me to be part of this. Here's a photo of them fighting the realest of horrors, Big Bird.

http://www.bluemoviemusic.com

Spot Illustration - Phoenix Magazine

2011-10-17T21:59:00.003-04:00

I did a spot illustration for Phoenix Magazine the other week of Tara Hitchcock, morning news anchor of Good Morning Arizona, and her super sunny disposition. Unfortunately, the week before the mag went to press, she retired! The spot was pulled, so as to not not behind the times - doh! It's cool, still got paid, and met a cool contact. Cheers Brian!

BLUE MOVIE COMIC - Part One

2011-10-15T13:02:00.001-04:00

I got commissioned to do a comic for the band BLUE MOVIE a little while back. Free reign to do whatever I wanted, they said. Here's what I came up. A fantasy/horror mash-up with no words - black riders in the storm, guarding us from our nightmares.

You ready for BATTLE?

To be honest it's rather abbreiviated, with a "To Be Continued" but still kinda rad.

Will post on Monday

Check out the rest of the comic this weekend at the NY Comicon Booth #2500 if you are around.

& Here's a link to the band's website - BLUE MOVIE

and some info about hem below.

"Rising even higher from their individual successes achieved from NY & LA's music scenes,BLUE MOVIE's members individually have lit up venues throughout the U.S & Europe including CBGBs, South X Southwest, Viper Room, and The Whisky A Go Go,sharing stages with top industry names such as Biohazard, The Strokes, The Misfits, Debbie Gibson, and Steven Adler.

Branded as "BLUE MOVIE" (derived from the infamous 60's Warhol sex thriller) their talents now combined, unleash a beautiful sonic symphony of chaos & order, vibing as if the Love Child of Nine Inch Nails & Duran Duran were hired to produce a score for a love-lust horror flick.

With their debut release "8MM LOVESONGS", (1st of a 3 part trilogy to conclude by late 2011) the sounds of Blue Movie are instantly recognizable. "No one else sounds or looks like them today" is the quote heard again and again from anyone who experiences 8MM LOVESONGS, reads their comics, or witnesses their live shows.
Experience the future of music today...BLUE MOVIE..excite your senses!"

PENTHOUSE Magazine Illustration - Dirty Harry playin' poker!

2011-10-11T14:31:00.003-04:00

You finally have a semi-decent reason to check out this month's Penthouse Magazine! I did an illustration of Dirty Harry playing cards for an article outlining their expert's Top 10 Poker tips. Was a blast to do. Check it out, on stands now.

In addition to all the other wonderful content you expect in the mag, there's also an in-depth interview with disaster movie maven Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, 2012, Day After Tomorrow) about his upcoming film about... William Shakespeare. Whaaa?

Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln

2011-09-30T13:27:00.001-04:00

Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln.
Conceptual Poster for the forthcoming movie by Steven Speilberg. Dec. 2012.

Brigite Bardot and H.P. Lovecraft

2011-09-22T12:50:00.005-04:00

BARDOT & LOVECRAFT.

Lovebirds of another cyclopian dimension.

Tyrion Lannister

2011-09-18T22:18:00.002-04:00

Congrats on the Emmy win Dinklage!
A Lannister always pays his debts.

Michelle Obama - Green Giant

2011-09-07T11:47:00.008-04:00

I had a hankering to do Michelle Obama for a while now. Been working on this on the side for a bit, finally finished it up. I was developing a sketch based on Inauguration Night photos and the white dress she was wearing. Suddenly, I noticed that the dress kinda reminded me to the Green Giant's leafy frock and I went with it. Thought it was a cool image, & in line with the environmental aspirations of this administration and Michelle's personal beliefs & renown gardening habits. Go Green!

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK - 1973 Version

2011-08-29T16:36:00.006-04:00

With all the hoopla about the new Del Toro produced flick, here's my homage to the original 1973 version. I love the original creature character design, so un-obvious and weird., memorable. Deformed, oblong baby heads, hairy gorilla suit bodies. They were sad... tortured, in addition to being murderous little fellas. Their voices were super creepy too.

From IMDB

"The idea of the creatures coming out of an ash clean-out pit came from the Spanish house that writer Nigel McKeand was living in at the time; it had an old fireplace at the rear with a deep clean-out pit, bolted at the rear. It was so deep, creepy and dark nobody ever wanted the job of cleaning it out. Nigel McKeand stated that the creatures seen are more 'lumbering' than he intended in the script; his version of the creatures were quick, thin, and more demonic."

Perhaps these decisions a product of a low budget, and no CGI but maybe better than the new spastic monkey demons. Haven't seen the new flick though, cant wait. Hope it's dope.

My wife and sister in law called the originals "Toogies" for some reason, so...

LONG LIVE THE TOOGIES!

Brand new 11x17" giclée print available through my Etsy shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/castlemcquade
Hand signed and dated. The perfect gift for fans!

CONAN (O'Brien) the BARBARIAN

2011-08-24T13:35:00.010-04:00

The obvious mash-up of the week!

The SEXIEST man on TV, now even SEXIER, that is, if you're into the whole muscle-y thing.

Painted for the infamous ROYAL FLUSH Book 7
www.RFMAG.com

11x14'' print now available on my Etsy store for all you Coneheads out there.

Goth Beauty & The Freaky Beast

2011-08-17T11:31:00.010-04:00

Ever notice that the Beast in "Beauty and the Beast" is, well, a beast, but still studly? Like an anthropomorphic Fabio. Lantern jawed, barrel chested with bulging muscle and a cute butt. An animal, but handsome, a good looking lion man with wavy long hair, so dreamy.

My version is sniveling, weird... freaky, more Cronenberg than Disney.

Hence, a true test of love for Beauty, it's not just her warming to an overgrown teddy bear. If she could fall in love with the creature above, then that would really be something.

Check out my in-progress thread over at CGHUB, sketches to final.

- Done for the Fairytales Re-Imagined Art Challenge.

Just posted it over at my deviantART account too. Gimme a shout out if you're over there- Cheers!

Extra Extra

2011-08-10T17:48:00.005-04:00

Read all about it! The Pitch came in the mail today. I love the smell of newspaper in the morning...

PREHISTORIC Red Riding Hood

2011-08-09T15:02:00.008-04:00

I did this for the Fairytale Re-Imagined Art Challenge on CGHUB. Click to enlarge.

Cromagnon Red Riding Hood is about to get chomped by a T-Wolf... but wait, hold up - Red actually looks pretty badass, like she's gonna poke em in the eye & flip outta harm's way. Hmmm... Who do u think is going to win?

(Yes, I know dinosaurs and people never existed together in real time, separated by millions of years, but whatevs. Think of this as more of a Flinstones/One Million BC homage)

Click below to check out my work in progress thread. Super ultra sloppy sketches (yikes)! to the pristine final you see above. Actually I'll probably keep playing with for a bit... never done, always tweaking...

cghub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7243

BLACK RABBIT

2011-08-04T20:26:00.005-04:00

Long ago, a tortoise beat a hare in a footrace. It's a tale we all know. The tortoise was cheered by all and went on to live a happy life. The hare... well, things didn't go so well for him. This is his story.

Ridiculed and shamed, his life in shambles, the hare was driven to isolation, to the musty dark of the Fermented Forest! There he became crazed with self hatred, and obsessed with REVENGE. Living on a diet of dusty, odd mushrooms, his mind was warped even further, while his body never aged. He worked out constantly, got super jacked, ultra strong. His legs could crush tree trunks, he could hear a leaf swooshing in the breeze, became ultra alert. He trained ferociously, studying every type of fighting method ever invented, and even created a few new ones. He began to pray to the moon, to Firth and to The Black Rabbit of Inlé. Soon his prayers were answered.

A shadowy figure with a shredded cloak came to visit him one day and showed him pictures of 4 turtles living far away. This figure said that they were the Sons of the Tortoise that beat him.

The hare had become The Black Rabbit, an ancient fighting force from another time, and now it knew what he had to do.

KILL the TURTLES!

I entered this character into a contest a couple days ago on CGHUB about fictional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains. Username - LandofMcQuade

THE PITCH Cover

2011-07-28T15:37:00.013-04:00

Here are a couple of BIG detail shots of the cover illustration I did recently for THE PITCH, along with the full version with and without text. The issue is about the upcoming outdoor music festivals at the Kansas City Speedway - "Kanrocksas" featuring Eminem and "FarmAid" featuring Neil Young and Willie Nelson. Check it out the article here http://www.pitch.com If you live in the Kansas City area though, pick on up a copy, on stands as of yesterday.

The final piece is printing 10x11" - so big! - I can't wait to see it in my hands. Hopefully they'll ship me those copies soon - I had a blast doing this, despite the quick deadline and ambitious elements, felt like I had it tracked all the way. The AD was really cool. I heard it's getting a really great response, hope it leads to more covers, for The Pitch and beyond...

The final version I worked on had about 76 layers in Photoshop, was 450 DPI and took up about a whole GB of memory. Was worth very bit. Below is a screen grab of the folder that housed all my files, drafts and reference.

The MISFITS - Updated

2011-07-27T18:00:00.008-04:00

Click to embiggin'

I recently updated this image of The Misfits. Been getting a lot of play online, so here you are, ya bunch of fiends!

The ART BRUT Comic - BRILLIANT! TRAGIC!

2011-07-11T12:51:00.021-04:00

A couple of months ago, I was contacted about being part of this very intriguing project for the UK rock-n-rollers, ART BRUT.

The band had a new album out now called BRILLIANT! TRAGIC! &, being fans of comics, they've also released a companion comic book about the songs. How cool is that?!

Album cover by artist Jamie McKelvie

Eddie Argos, singer of the band, offered his thoughts on initiating and the results of the multi-talented project:

When we first had the idea of creating an Art Brut comic, I compiled a list of all my favorite artists and then handed the list to our manager (as I am far too shy to approach those people). I thought only one or two would say yes. I was completely blown away when they all did and then flattered they would take the time to create something for us. As I had chosen all my favorite artists and writers for the project I was expecting to be blown away by every new submission, it went beyond even that though. I love what has been created and I recommend that you go out and collect everything by everyone who has contributed to this comic."

I agree! You should collect everything I put out.

But seriously, what was also so cool about this job was that there were no creative restrictions. No thumbnails, no sketches, no suggestions or guidelines. They said to do whatever I wanted, that they trusted me. I really appreciated that.

Now what's really amazing is the talent, besides my humble skills, that they've collected to do this. TOP NOTCH. Here's the rundown of the album's tracks and the associated artist

1. Clever Clever Jazz by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim)

2. Lost Weekend by Hope Larson

3. Bad Comedian by Jeffrey Lewis

4. Sexy Sometimes by Jeffrey Brown

5. Is Dog Eared by Chris Haley

6. Martin Kemp Five A-Side Football Rules by Mr. Solo

7. Axl Rose by Akira the Don

8. I am a Psychic by Jamie McKelvie

9. Ice Hockey by Sian Superman

10. Sealand by Patrick McQuade

plus bonus strips by Jamie S. Rich & Marc Ellerby, and Jeff Lemire

- Here's the official press release -

"In glorious celebration of the imminent release of Art Brut’s ‘Brilliant! Tragic!’, a rag tag group of comic book magicians have come together for an exclusive project. Each one of the shining ten album tracks has been given to ten artists to interpret as they see fit. The result? Comic book masterwork."

I have to agree, it is a MASTERWORK.

I chose to do the closing track on the album called SEALAND. It's kind of an odd track for them, slower in tempo, something different, and very beautiful. When I heard it, I kinda fell in loved with it, have a listen for yourself below.

Lyrics

"On a clear day they will see us from the beaches
But their jurisdiction will never reach us
You and me, we'll be high society
I'll raise the flag, you print the money

You and me, a principality
Hand in hand in the sealand
You and me, a principality
Hand in hand on the sealand

People in love, fly around and get fat
I think I'm okay with that
On our Coat of Arms, oh say, from the sea freedom
Other people, we don't need them

Speed boats and helicopters
Well, let's let them circle us

You and me, a principality
Hand in hand on the sealand
You and me, a principality
Hand in hand on the sealand"

So, without further ado, here's my artistic interpretation of the song.

And there you have it, hope you found it delightful.

What's crazy is that I found out after doing this that Sealand is an actual place off the coast of England. Looks like a oil rig, built in the 1940s to shoot down the Nazi airplanes during WW2. Some guy bought it in the 60s and now it's officially it's own country! or something like that, Check out the links and pics below.

http://www.sealandgov.org/history.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand

And finally, the other week I met Eddie and the band at the Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn. Super nice fellas, they really dug my work - phew! - and HOT DAMN, they put on a FANTASTIC show!!!

Check out their sites for more info. Get the new album, spread the word, check out the comic, go see em live!

http://www.artbrut.org.uk/

http://the-eddie-argos-resource.blogspot.com/

ART BRUT, TOP of the POPS!
ART BRUT, TOP of the POPS!
ART BRUT, TOP of the POPS!

Sneak Peak

2011-07-09T12:53:00.007-04:00

Here are a couple in progress, detail shots of a couple paintings I am working on. On a roll. Have about 50 in the works. Monsters & creatures galore. Hope to have them all done by the end of the summer.

Although I am still evolving and learning, I feel like I can finally create what's in my head. Artistically and creatively. That I can can conjure into existence the imagery that's been trying to get out.

The New Deal - FANTASY/Concept Art

2011-07-01T16:31:00.014-04:00

Working on a massive amount of new paintings this summer. Refocusing on the fantasy/monster/childrens book genre - weird shit. Really excited. Here's a glimpse at one of em. Those torches & lights in the distant represent an approaching army. Whether or not it's friendly has yet to be determined... Based on a sketch below I did in 2004, crazy!

VEND SEND MEND

2011-06-24T13:56:00.005-04:00

Abstraction + SHAPES = SHAPETRACTION

"Jazzman Freakout"
featuring Limelight the Jazz Surgeon
13x8.5" on board

I was recently asked to participate in a fundaiser for Doctors Without Borders. I figured it was a good opportunity to experiment a bit, and here's what I came up with.

Available at Subbasement Artists Studio
Baltimore, Maryland
@ VEND SEND MEND
JULY 1st
Art Raffle for Japan

Our Peace Day 2011

2011-06-15T18:57:00.005-04:00

Peace Day 2011 is right around the corner! August 14th actually, but close enough. The organizers asked me to do another poster, so I snazzed up the image a bit from last year, staying with the same theme, check it! Large scale prints are available through my Etsy store, proceeds donated to charity on Peace Day.

Oh, and check our their new website.

www.OURPEACEDAY.com

There's a Facebook event page as well.
HERE
Join up, spread the word, share it on your wall, invite your friends to participate.

Art Brut Comic

2011-06-02T12:12:00.003-04:00

I was approached by the band Art Brut a couple months ago to do a comic for their upcoming album. Very cool. The new album is really good, came out last week. 10 different artists including Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim series), Hope Larson ( "Mercury"), Jamie Mckelvie (Brilliant Tragic album illustrator and "Phonogram: Rue Britannia") and Jeff Lemire ( illustrated Satan vs Art Brut) and myself were each to interpret one of the 10 new songs acting as a companion to the release of their new studio album "Brilliant Tragic!" produced by Black Francis. I had total creative freedom to do whatever I wanted. I chose the album's final song "Sealand". It was a blast to do, much more to come about this project. In the meantime, here's a sneak peak...

American Illustration 30

2011-06-02T09:53:00.001-04:00

This image I did last year "Japanese Snow Monkey Drinking Hot Tea #1" was recently honored by being chosen for American Illustration 30! The slide show of all the other winners was just released, check em out here. It's #271 out of 509. I'm thrilled to be hanging out with such high caliber company. To infinity... and beyond!

It's also available here as a print on my Etsy account, all proceeds to Japan Red Cross.

GHOST GIRL Custom Show

2011-05-14T17:16:00.009-04:00

I got a mysterious phone call a couple weeks ago. A distorted bass heavy voice straight outta the movies said "You have been chosen to take part in the MATT SIREN Ghost Girl Custom Show at myplasticheart in NYC on Friday May 13th."

Ok cool, I was in. Got a succession of calls for the course of the next couple days with details about the event and I was off and running.

I got a big cube of compressed styro foam and magic sculpt, and started cutting and chipping away. Had a vision of snake body and kinda went from the there. Got the sculpture "bug" now big time and plan on doing a bunch of customs of my SHAPE characters this summer, 3D!

I deemed my piece "Salamander Girl"!

Before I dropped her off at the show, she took a quick pit stop in a local garden to freshen up.

The reception was really fun. Met a bunch of super cool and talented artists. There were so many great pieces from the likes of 64Colors, Royce Bannon, Steve Chanks, Chauskoskis, Darkcloud, Dril One, j*ryu & Brent Nolasco, Jester, Keely, Abe Lincoln Jr., Map Map, Marka27, Lou Pimentel, Reactor88, Marc Reusser, Todd Robertson, Robots Will Kill, Chris Ryniak, Matt Siren, Scott Tolleson, Julie West, Wheelbarrow & Wrona.

The show is up till June 12th, def stop on by if you are in the area. - 210 Forsyth St. in the LES. NY, NY. You have see them up close to truly appreciate them. Drooling is allowed.

Here are just a couple examples.

Matt Siren

Chauskoskis

Wrona

Oh, I also did a Ghost Girl gilcee print, riffing on Ms. Pac Man.
Limited edition of 50, signed and dated. Get me quick!

Bye-bye! Come visit me in person!

CRAZY MONSTERS Art Show Pics

2011-05-10T03:03:00.013-04:00

Here's the collection I hung at the Toy Tokyo Underground Gallery last week. The Crazy Monster show will be up through this weekend so swing by right quick!

I created a SHAPES grid of 88 characters, including 20 updated ones from high school, the Magical Tales Gang of 28, The 34 New Brethren, plus 6 new ones from last month.

Then I started mapping out the Land in which the live. Locales include Castle Ramburger, The Puddles of Pain, Rizzakistan, The Bleeding Lake, Boca Ratoni's Radical Chamber, Mishroom City, Big Biscuit Canyon, Corriander's Puffs & Potions, Hallover Opera House, The Perfumed Meadows and many more. What fun! It took up over 2 GB of memory. Will post up some detail shots soon.

Psssst! I'm currently building a separate website for all my fantasy and creature based works. Check out www.castlemcquade.com for a sneak peak close ups of this imagery.

Then I framed some signed giclee prints of certain characters.

Top Row (l-r) Roja Serious the Clock Cleaner, Ramburger the Chancellor, Queen Nadya of Pollen Nation. Middle Row (l-r) Dr. Broccoli, Jerry Chops the Skip, Simyan Tong the Constable. Bottom Row (l-r) Figgy Fondue the Admiral, Boca Ratoni & Detective Snargent.

Oh, that's me, rockin a new beard! haha

I was really thrilled about how the collection went over. Most people really enjoyed it, but some were extra intrigued, just staring and pointing at the map and characters with bemused and interested faces, giggling with their friends for a long while, seemingly lost in the world before them. Their eyes slowly examining the various nooks and crannies of the landscape and characters. Was awesome to see. They get what I am doing and were really soaking it up.

It was a fantastic time, I met a lot of great new people and I saw a ton of inspiring artwork. See this previous post for details and the list of talented artists.

This summer I am going to be turning my attention towards the fantasy/childrens book genre. I have many tales of my own to illustrate and create comics of, but will also be doing interpretations of familiar fairy tales. Really excited towards returning to these roots.

SHAPES are BACK!

2011-05-07T00:15:00.006-04:00

Detail of the SHAPES Map, just a little itsy bitsy taste.

Revisited High School SHAPES done in 2011

Pure 2011

WOW, what a great time at the Crazy Monsters Show tonight! Going to be posting a ton of artwork and photos from the show this weekend - Stay tuned...

Baby Portraits

2011-05-04T10:48:00.006-04:00

"Francesca"

In other, more life-affirming, news...

BABIES!!! Babies, babies, babies! I'm doing custom baby portraits now if you are interested. This one is 10x13" inset on 11.75"x15.75". Done digitally, printed out on fine art photo rag with archival inks.

Osama Bin Laden is DEAD

2011-05-02T09:16:00.007-04:00

I can't believe the news. Wow, we finally got him. Was so pumped I pulled an all nighter to get this done. "It's a feel good morning in America!" - John "Coach" Karbacz

I know!! You're right, America is not about stuff like this. I kinda shocked myself by doing it, at least this graphically. I started last night around midnight and by 9am this is what I had done. I posted it. What now? This is a very controversial image that I keep going back and forth on. Did I go too far? Yes, I'm a little ashamed of it, but then I think about 9-11 and the towers and the horror of that day, the feeling I had... the people that died. I currently live in Brooklyn, and lived in New York City on 9-11. I'm still kinda paralyzed by it, speechless. Sometimes I go by Ground Zero and just stare and remember... I am not a violent person but I did do this portrait. As an artist I must stand by it. It does go too far, but yes, burn in Hell bin Laden. In doing this I wanted to shatter the image of Osama Bin Laden as a untouchable force, an undefeatable monster, the boogie man - and replace that image with this. I wanted to show him beaten, broken, beheaded like the gorgon Medusa. As a catharsis for myself, for America and the world. For all to see. He is DEAD. Justice has been done.

"Bring me the head of Osama Bin Laden" has been in back of people's minds for a while. This is the realism of that, not pretty. Modeled after Perseus holding up the head of Medusa. Careful, he might turn you into stone.

The Crazy Monster Art Show!

2011-04-18T13:25:00.012-04:00

I created a poster for the upcoming Crazy Monsters Art Show at the Toy Tokyo Underground Gallery in the East Village this May. Really excited about it. If you live in the area, be sure to check it out! Come on by opening night and have a drink with me. The Gallery is on 2nd Ave and 6th St. www.tt-underground.com

I have a ton of material I am sifting through to see what I want to hang. Using that show as a pivot point, going back to more fantasy based work this summer. Relaunching SHAPES and Magical Tales, starting up new projects (comics and books) & updating older works with the new set of skills I've been sharpening over the past year. It's time to get FANTASTICAL. Here's a taste!

- Click images to enlarge -

The funky orange dude on the upper right was drawn by mad monster master Basil Wolverton
but all the creatures in the bottle are mine. Come by the show and meet all 88 of 'em!

Here's the official release below

Royal Flush Magazine / A Fistful of Rock / Toy Tokyo presents:
THE CRAZY MONSTER ART SHOW! Friday May 6 to Sunday May 15
Opening Night Reception Friday May 6th 7-11pm
TT-Underground Gallery, 91 Second Avenue , NYC , NY 10003
(212) 673-5424 http://www.tt-underground.com/

Featuring 18 of the greatest Crazy Monster artists! Jason Edmiston, Patrick McQuade, Justin Erickson, Josh Bernstein, Erik Rodriguez, Steve Chanks, Brian Ewing, Gary Pullin, Sean Pryor, Stephen Blickenstaff, Steve “Pheck” Ritsua, Christain Bracco, Darren Marinuk, Daniela Fullam, Paige Reynolds, Tim Lastfogel, Dennis Bauser & Jeff Lamm!

"In the spirit of Basil Wolverton, the self professed "Producer of Preposterous Pictures of Peculiar People who Prowl this Perplexing Planet", Sal Canzonieri, in association with Royal Flush magazine and Toy Tokyo, presents a series of modern day "Crazy Monster" artists! The Crazy Monster show features some of the greatest and most wild humorously grotesque artwork that elicits a wide range of reactions. Offbeat and daring, this show combines the best of both worlds, humor and horror!"

SUPER COOL Note: Stephen Blickenstaff did the album cover art for one of my favorite albums, The Cramps - Bad Music for Bad People!!!

Prints at Papél

2011-04-15T17:26:00.009-04:00

I hung a bunch of prints at a really cool card shop called Papél New York in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn the other week. It's located at 225 Court Street. They have custom paper everything!

From Time Out New York

Papél

225 Court St (between Baltic and Warren Sts) Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

(718) 422-0255

Subway: F, G to Bergen St

Mon-Sat 11am-7pm; Sun noon-6pm

Skip the Evite and go old-school by picking up invitations at this stationary store, started by Cali transplant Raegan Hirvela. Its walls showcase paintings from local artists, and the ceiling is adorned with paper airplanes. Wrap a present with Seltzer Recycled’s funky skull-and-crossbones gift paper ($3 per sheet) or Art with Heart’s robot-patterned paper ($8); then personalize it by filling out one of Snow & Graham’s assorted watercolor alphabet note cards ($12 for a box of five cards with envelopes). Or just skip the stress of gift giving altogether, and buy yourself a silk-screen-covered journal to pour your heart out ($12).

The prints feature Brigitte Bardot, Patsy Cline, H.P. Lovecraft, 2 Japanese Snow Monkeys, John Lennon as a walrus, and two of my SHAPE characters, Queen Nadya of Pollen Nation and Stagg Willy & The Fronyon Man. They are all framed 11.75x15.75" and are available for purchase if interested. They are several 8.5x11" unframed prints as well.

I'm also going to get some custom cards in there soon. Below is a pic of the HOTH-Y Holidays Tauntaun card I did on the shelves.

It's a really cool store if you are into this sorta thing. My wife has converted me into a card nut. I was hopeless in that category before. Anyway, swing by if you are out and about in the area and tell the owner Raegen I said hi!

HOW Magazine Portraits

2011-04-04T13:32:00.007-04:00

These stylized portraits of contributors were recently featured in the March 2011 issue of HOW Magazine. (Top L-R clockwise) Co-founder and Creative Director of Archrival Clint Runge, President and Creative Director of Osborne Design Michael Osborne, Founder and President of Firstborn Michael Ferdman, Senior Partner at Bond Art + Science Karen McGrane & Executive Creative Director of the Cincinnati Office of Landor Associates Richard Westendorf.

Looking forward to doing more!

http://www.howdesign.com

Recapturing the 70's/The Wager

2011-04-01T14:38:00.012-04:00

"Pamela & John"

I was recently commissioned by a young woman to do a restorative painting of her parents from the above photograph. It was to be a gift for her mother. It was quite difficult for several reason, one being the obvious damage to the picture and the other being it's overall fuzziness, especially when zoomed in - too bad they didn't have high resolution photography in the late 70's.' Essential facial features and details were unclear. I asked her to send me other photographs of them from around the same time to assist in rendering them. This helped out quite a bit.

I'm never bound to the photograph when doing works like this - elements can be moved around/removed, composition can be altered. All that matters is capturing the likeness, the soul of the people in frame and honoring the moment.

This portrait was created digitally using a Wacom tablet, CS3 and Coral Painter 11, and printed out on Canon Pixma 8 Color Pro9000 Mark II Printer on Hahnemunle Fine Art PhotoRag.

a photo of the print

The final print was asked to be 8x8" for framing. It looked quite good and the client was very happy. She said I "nailed" them, from her mother's expression to her father's subtle smirk. I heard later that when she gave it to her mother, she cried. What an amazing compliment! This one was a real pleasure to do, even if that flannel shirt drove me a bit nuts.

Photo detail of print

I'm currently doing 5 other portraits, and have gotten many inquires about commissions. If you are interested, please check out my in-progress website, COBBLE HILL PORTRAITS and contact me there.

BUT...

before you do, please realize that custom portraiture is expensive. Most take at least 2 full days + to do, so extrapolate that out for the start of a fair price ($$). Be honest with your budget before you do. Thanks for stopping by.

DJ Dancing!

2011-03-24T16:39:00.006-04:00

Here's a couple of images I did for fun recently. Wanted to experiment with lighting. The bottom one is actually an updated, colorized version of a comic panel from "Freedomland NYC", the series I did for the SciFi (oops SyFy) Channel back in the day. I love illustrating anything involving music, look for more in the future.

Japanese Snow Monkey Drinking Hot Tea (Proceeds to Japan RED CROSS)

2011-03-15T10:03:00.010-04:00

Last November, I got this image of a Japanese snow monkey drinking a cup of tea in my head and I had to paint it. Had such fun doing so that I figured a series was in order and plotted out two others. The original idea was inspired by international superstar illustrator Aaron Meshon's "French Onsen" painting, the one where a Japanese bulldog is sitting outdoors enjoying a steam bath. So cool. That got me thinking and the above paintings were the results. Thanks Aaron!

I've spent the last couple months setting up a print shop and retooling my portfolio and website. I purchased the best printer I've ever had a month ago, a Canon Pro9000 Mark II that prints up to 13x19" and uses 8 dye color inks. Really spectacular quality.

Last Wednesday, I relaunched my Etsy shop online with a whole slew of new prints, including the Japanese snow monkeys and on Friday morning disaster struck in Japan. I actually met up with Aaron that afternoon to talk shop about the illustration biz. He's been really helpful and supportive of my work since we met at the Nuts-n-Bolts Conference last year at The Society of Illustrators. His wife and family is from Japan so we talked about it for awhile, thank God everybody was ok. Then he launched an Etsy shop over the weekend and decided to donate all sales from that French Onsen painting I mentioned from before, seen here.

As a result, and once again inspired by Aaron, I've decided to do the same with the above top 2 prints. I guess it just felt wrong to, at this moment, be selling, for profit, imagery to that is so unique to Japan in their time of need. It was a sign, the universe talking.

Hence, proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross. That's the personal back story. Below is the official release.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69737120/japanese-snow-monkey-drinking-hot-tea

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69738323/japanese-snow-monkey-drinking-hot-tea-2

Japanese Snow Monkey Prints - 30$, plus S&H. Edition of 100. 11" x 17" for easy framing. Printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 310 gsm heavy stock paper with Archival Inks. Signed, packed, and shipped by Patrick McQuade.

Nothing beats a hot cup of tea when it's cold out, even if you're a macaque.

See Shop Announcements for further details. Smaller and larger sizes available.

***PLEASE NOTE: 100% of profits after cost will be donated to the JAPANESE RED CROSS or other Japanese disaster relief agency.***

Buy prints, help Japan!
Please help me spread the word if you would. Share it around the web.

The BOWERY RIOTS!!!

2011-03-02T11:23:00.009-05:00

Giving a face lift to some previous illustrations. This one has come a long way since my first pass in 2009. I think I've leveled up, video game style, in the past couple months. Got a lot of work docked and ready to post. Be on the lookout!

"The spirit, soul, and energy of the Speakeasy are vibrant in New York City’s The Bowery Riots. With a “for the people” passion and strong political interest, the sextet plays an incredibly eclectic mix of punk, soul, and rock and roll. Heavily routed in the turn of the 2oth century and the hustle of the big city, The Bowery Riots are a unique amalgamation of sound and style. Their songs are filled with garage rock influence, mixing in three part female/male harmonies, horns, and harmonicas for a riotous good time." - EXPLODING IN SOUND

Here's an illustration of The Bowery Riots, a band that my friend TJ is in. I promised him an illustration a while back and figured it was time to deliver. TJ's a good guy. We met a while back playing softball for the Welcome to the Johnson's (JOHNSONS!) in The East Village Softball Association. He is a kick-ass shortstop and a devastating lefty bat, played minor league ball somewheres in fact. Ask him about Oil Can Boyd.

The Riots are really taking off!! See them LIVE. They're great, check 'em out!! Rockin out NYC!

You can listen to The Bowery Riots
here
and facebook 'em here if you'd like.

Oh, also check out Shock and Awesome with TJ and the Tux, a weekly radio on East Village Radio. Politics and rock-n-roll.

CHECK OUT THIS LINK FOR AN UPDATED VERSION of the Illustration!!
HERE

WINGED KING - Oscars 2011!

2011-02-23T21:11:00.007-05:00

The 2011 Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees!

Black Swan, Toy Story 3, The Kids Are All Right, The Fighter, 127 Hours, The King's Speech, The Social Network, Inception, Winter's Bone & True Grit all represented.

Last year I did a whole character for each movie seen here [link] but this year I got this image in my head and had to do it, a winged robot DiCaprio with boxer arms etc....

Who do you think should win? My vote goes to TRUE GRIT! (Just saw it Monday night so I guess it's fresh in my head) Jeff Bridges is the BEST. Actually no, Black Swan, or Inception... 127 Hrs. was really original, Danny Boyle is quite a director. Thought all the ones I saw were fantastic, didn't see The Fighter or The King's Speech, but heard they were great as well. And of course TS3 was glorious.

Whatever happens Sunday night at the Oscars, Hans Zimmer has to win for Best Score for INCEPTION. It's so beautiful and epic, listen to the live version on Youtube here.

Part One
[link]
Part Two
[link]

Here's a screenshot of all the files I used in creating this image. Sketches, references, in-progress, the works, it's all there!

ABSTRACT McQuade

2011-02-16T01:09:00.011-05:00

I approach these like they are landscapes - large spaces, strange environments, John Ford-esque cinematography of distant lands. Atmospheric and emotional, each one has it's own epic to tell.

Got a tad sidetracked this week but usually that's a good thing and, in this case, I think it was. In my search for some texture for digital paintings I decided to create my own. I did a series of little abstract paintings. All are roughly 5x8'' done with watercolor & gouache.

I have a natural inclination to do this kind of work, always have ever since I can remember, scribbling swirls and such on the margins. This past year has been about honing other parts of my skill set, but I will always return to doing abstract imagery. Very freeing for me, using other parts of the brain. Click on em to blow them up bigger.

Blue Valley

detail

Before/Attack

detail

PIGS

detail

Path/To

detail

I did a series of large scale work back in the day and cant wait to return to that size, but for now this will have to scratch the itch. I am going to be compiling all of the best work I have done in this vein over the years and creating a separate website for it soon.

Johnny Bennett 2011

2011-02-07T16:54:00.008-05:00

Here's an updated version of my Johnny Bennett portrait,
now with 100% more LENS FLARE!

Check his new vid and song below
HOTNESS!!!!!
Available at iTunes

MUBARAK, The Pharaoh of Egypt

2011-02-04T05:43:00.031-05:00

- Click to Enlarge -

MUBARAK!
Give it up, old man. It's over.

This is part illustration/part photo collage. I took some riot scenes and combined em in Photoshop. I guess I could have drawn and painted all those people but YIKES! that woulda hurt & time was of the essence. Wanted to post today. This works really well I think though, I like the combo.

The two below are straight digital paintings.

Makeshift Triage in Tahiri Square, Cairo
Partially referenced from an uncredited photo I found on the Huffington Post.

Referenced from an uncredited photo I found on the Huffington Post.

Ok, this is the Final, Part 4. Changed the upper right hand and a couple spots.

These images are in support of the people of Egypt in their revolution for freedom and democracy. NEVER GIVE UP!

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."
-- Mahatma Gandhi

Revolution in Cairo, Part 3 - The Final! (NOT)

2011-02-02T01:17:00.008-05:00

- click to enlarge -

(UPDATED - Not the Final - See above post)

Here's the finished painting... for now. Need to move on to other work. It's a bit looser stylistically than usual, but I'm cool with that. It think it captures the moment and that's all I wanted to do. Will probably tweak it here and there. Will re-post if any significant changes takes place.

May the sun shine on the people of Egypt in this uncertain hour. I hope their transition to a democracy is completed quickly and without bloodshed.

MASQUE of the ORANGE DEATH

2011-01-28T15:40:00.013-05:00

"The Orange Death had long devastated New Jersey. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Bronzer was it's avatar and it's seal --the copper-colored horror and the Oompah Loompah complexion. There were sharp pains, and sudden drunkenness, and then profuse vomiting at the mouth, with dissolution of jello shots... "

For more on The Orange Death click over to CUZ I EATS ME SPINACH!

Maine Winter - Daria

2011-01-25T13:46:00.008-05:00

Going to doing some more "narrative lifestyle" illustrations this year.
People hanging out, doing what people do.
Here's one!

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

2011-01-20T15:42:00.026-05:00

"Same old Jets. Back in the AFC Championship Game."

-Rex Ryan

I was inspired to do a bunch of football illustrations this week by the New York Jets dramatic win over the New England Patriots at Foxborough Stadum. The plan was to only do one but that morphed into 4, plus I have two more in rough states. Damn, that was a good game. Felt great sticking it to Brady and Belichick, especially after getting creamed up there in early December.

"I wonder if Tom Brady was screaming when he was being hit? Hmmmm... And he was being hit. Hard & often.” - Steve "The Shmooze" Somers, WFAN 660AM sports talk radio host.

- ATTENTION -

These will be available as large prints (11x14'', 13x19')' soon through my Etsy store,
so stay tuned...

The Misfits, Brigitte Bardot & Michio Kaku

2011-01-17T10:09:00.029-05:00

Here are a couple illustrations I did to start off the new year.

Gettin' in a groove... Look out 2011!

The Misfits!!!
Jerry Only, Doyle & Glen Danzig rock out a gaggle of skeletons.

Geoffrey Canada, president of Harlem's Childrens Zone

Sexy NOVA ScienceNOW Scientists
Neil Degrasse Tyson & Michio Kaku

The eternal Brigitte Bardot.
Should have been Barbarella.
I mean, Jane Fonda, c'mon...

Xmas Art 2010!

2011-01-10T17:48:00.011-05:00

Ryan Connolly

Megan Connolly

Megan & Ryan Connolly

Every Christmas I do a bunch of portraits for family members. Here's this year's batch. I was quite ambitious in the amount I did this year, but I am getting faster and managed to crank out a bunch in a week. They're all 5 x 7'' done traditionally with pencils, inks and prismacolor markers. The two at the bottom, Chekhov and Patsy Cline, were colored digitally. Here's a link to last year's.

Maren Kelley

Didi & Layton Kittle

Nathan & Garrett Tambourine

Daria & Football Sleeping

Conrad & Cole Hauca

John "Coach" Karbacz.

John Prine

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Anton Chekhov

Patsy Cline

Electric Eel Apocalypse

2011-01-10T13:38:00.006-05:00

Thanikur just released his "Signs of the Apocalypse" for which he asked me to create an illustration.

ex. "1. Plague of Eels. “A plague of eels shall descend upon the tower of Babel. Many will be shocked. Literally, by the eels, for they will be electric eels. (In this way God is able to strike down many more at once without the use of thunderbolts, which decrease his power points by 12%)."

Check out CUZ I EATS ME SPINACH for more details!

2010 Recap, plus the Birth of Doc Broc!

2011-01-06T10:07:00.010-05:00

Well, 2010 is in the books. It was a very productive year for me on a bunch of levels, teeing me up, I hope, for a ridiculously productive 2011.

Artistically I made to the leap to digital last year around this time. After a lifetime being a staunch traditionalist, I finally relented and found myself biking to J&R one cold morning last January to buy a Wacom tablet. It was a smart move. The second piece I ever produced, the Conan head for Royal Flush (Leno head was the first), got an honorable mention for best pro illustration by the kind folks over at Creative Quarterly 21. Going digital has given me more freedom and speed. I will always do certain projects traditionally but developing my digital skill sets was a necessary step as an artist in the year 2010 and beyond.

I have a bunch of new work I'll be posting soon including a 5 portraits for HOW magazine, an updated Misfits piece set in a spooky graveyard full of enthused skeletons a triptych of Bridgette Bardot, two illustrations for my wife Daria's hilarious blog, plus portraits of NOVA science scions Neil Degrasse Tyson and Michio Kaku, The Harlem Children Foundation founder Geoffrey Canada, Patsy Cline, Eisenhower and a whole slew of other fun work involving tea-drinking Japanese snow monkeys and inhabitants of Hoth.

Whereas 2010 was spent acclimating myself to a new medium, 2011 will be about full throttle production. I will continue to work on editorials and portraiture but my main plan for 2011 is to step up my efforts in the comic/fantasy/children's book realm. I have many projects I have been meaning to get around to and this year I will do so, but one project looms foremost in my mind ... a comic strip starring Dr. Broccoli! Daria and I will begin chronicling his exploits very soon. Here's a taste of what is to come.

Sketch of Dr. Broccoli and his assistant, Scoopy the Love Clown

The plan is to do a series of twelve 4 panel strips, along with a couple 1 panels, plus pinups, maps, and whatever else comes to mind. Look for some strips in February. Thanks for stopping by, have a good one!

HOTH-Y Holidays!

2010-12-09T12:47:00.021-05:00

Do you like Star Wars?
Do you like tauntauns?
Do you like the holidays?
Do you need cards?

Then look no further.

When I was a 4 or 5 years old, I remember my father and I playing with a tauntaun toy on the kitchen table, making those strange sheep noises they make. Empire Strikes Back blew my mind. I hyperventilated at the sight of a giant stack of AT-ATs boxes at Toys-R-Us. I've always wanted to do a tauntaun illustration. I started doodling one day and got this image of one catching a snowflake on it's tongue in my head. I know people share my affinity for tauntauns so I figured people might like this as a holiday card.

Limited quantity

10 cards for $20
plus shipping handling.
Will ship next day.

Go to my Etsy account to order, if you'd like.

Have a fantastic Holiday season!

Printed on Hoth.

TEAM-UP! Sneak Peak Sketchiness

2010-12-08T13:42:00.003-05:00

Here are some sketches of a couple of illustration to be featured on my wife Daria's blog, Cuz I Eats Me Spinach. One involves magic, the other the apocalypse. Stay tuned!

BLACK SWAN

2010-12-04T18:46:00.010-05:00

Ballet competition weirdness reaches new heights with Darren Aronosky's Black Swan starring Natalie Portman and Milas Kunis. Here's a interesting review I found online about the movie. I hope it''s as good as he says. Oh, if you haven't heard, Aronosky's next movie is the Wolverine sequel simply titled The Wolverine. It's set in Japan, hopefully with ninjas (The Hand?) front and center. Can't wait!

Japanese snow monkey drinking hot tea

2010-12-01T14:28:00.002-05:00

Couldn't get this image out of my head, so I had to paint it! I feel much better now.

Fran Lebowitz & Severus Snape

2010-11-29T14:21:00.005-05:00

Did a little sketching on the train over the Thanksgiving holiday. The pairing of Lebowitz and Snape wasn't intentional, just kinda happened, but I think it's quite apropos. Worked large 11x14'' in pencil then digitally enhanced. Need a bigger scanner.

I DRINK YOUR EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION!

2010-11-22T00:19:00.021-05:00

I Drink It Up!!

Over the weekend, Daniel Day-Lewis was officially cast as Abraham Lincoln in the new biopic by Steven Spielberg, coming out in 2012?? Pretty cool! Here's my imagining of him in beard and costume... Can't wait!

HARRY POTTER!!!

2010-11-19T11:32:00.020-05:00

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows opens up today. After being very "meh" towards the franchise in the beginning, I has since become a Harry Potter UBER-fan. Here's a ROUGH color sketch of an illustration I am working on. Going to build on it more and develop everything, plus I'll be adding He Who Must Not be Named into the mix. I think this pic captures a bit of the tension between these three during their journey. Going to be doing a bunch of Potter work in the coming year - Snape, Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Creature etc... in between projects and jobs. Gonna be fun! Thanks for stopping by.

Best Fiends - Klaus Kinski & Werner Herzog!

2010-11-18T18:02:00.006-05:00

Black & Whites

2010-11-16T23:24:00.002-05:00

Did a couple pen and ink portraits back in September. People really seem to like them so I'm posting em now.

Illustrator Sketch Night

2010-11-15T02:00:00.005-05:00

I went to the Society of Illustrators last week for the Sketch Night and did some quick sketches of the figure. Been a while but I kinda like these. I'll definitely go back this winter.

This one fella dressed up like Andy Warhol.

Oh, I met New Yorker cover artist Barry Blitt ( of the Obama Muslim Oval Office cover)! He was on piano in a really good jazz band that was playing during the event. I couldn't resist giving him a "terrorist jab". Thanks Barry!

Conan O'Brien the Barbarian

2010-11-03T09:43:00.040-04:00

"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you,
and to hear the lamentation of the women."
- Conan the Barbarian

"Keep cool my babies." - Conan O'Brien

I did this illustration over the summer for Royal Flush Magazine, Book 7 (out now!) for an article written by Tina Benitez. Damn it's a HOTTT issue! Check that link asap to find out more. There's currently a special lenticular hologram edition available exclusively at Barnes & Noble (limited to 1,ooo copies) of the Rob Zombie cover.

I merged the two Conan's of pop culture in what i think was a fun way. A very obvious connection, but I didn't really find any imagery in my research that reflected this. It's my homage to the great Frank Frazetta who passed away last May.
Other random thoughts - I hope Conan O'Brein shaves his beard before his first show on TBS. I think he will. It ain't working for me anymore. & Max Weinberg will be missed. Love the way he plays drums.

OH, 11x14'' Print available at my Etsy account
HERE at Castle McQuade.

Grizzly Moms, Delaware Witches & Flying Monkeys, oh my!

2010-11-02T10:56:00.017-04:00

It is election day, silly season, and I wanted to share some recent political illustrations I did featuring Christine O'Donnell and Sarah Palin. Also made the Grizzly Mom illo into a gif at the bottom. Check it out.

ROYAL FLUSH Magazine #7 - The Cover!

2010-10-13T11:13:00.021-04:00

Last spring, I was approached by Josh Bernstein about doing the cover for the next issue of Royal Flush Magazine. "Of course" I said, "What an honor! Let's do it!" I 've been with RF since just about the beginning. Next May will be the 10 year anniversary of the first issue. Whoa!

The cover was to feature the cast of the TV show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Perfect! (The new season is on Thursdays at 10pm on the FX Channel) I love that show, got into it a couple season ago and have been a big fan ever since. Josh came up with the brilliant concept of lampooning the Nativity scene and I was off and running.

The Whole Gang - Sweet Dee, Frank, Dennis, Charlie and Mac!

Poster available at my new Etsy account.

Here it is... THE COV!

It looks even better than I could have imagined in print, real dense & beautiful. There's an embloss on the light beam and all the places where the light hits the cast. Stellar!!!

All in all, I am really very excited to have gotten the cover and to be in such great company with all the talent involved with Royal Flush Magazine. It's a labor of love for all involved, and is going to be on the forefront of creativity for a long, long time.

Check out the magazine @
http://www.RFMAG.com

There's tons going on in NYC this week during the Royal Flush Festival, culminating in the release party this Friday at Warsaw in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

THE BOOK - ROYAL FLUSH SEVEN - street date 10/12/10 (A special lenticular hologram edition will be available exclusively at Barnes & Noble 10/26/10 (limited to 1,000 copies)

Rob Zombie cover by heavy metal album art master, Ed “Megadeth” Repka! Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia cover by Royal Flush's own, Patrick McQuade! This issue also features a very special custom Royal Flush Fold-In by Mad legend Al Jaffee!

Plus we jam packed this sucker with interviews with Danny McBride, Lisa Lampanelli, John Waters, Roddy Piper, Tim Bradstreet interviewing Rob Halford, Roger Corman, Inside the Mind of Danny Bonaduce, Devo, Alice Cooper, Tenacious D salute Dio, Cheech & Chong, Frank Miller, Paul Pope, Chip Kidd and other comic legends interviewing Jim Steranko, Lewis Black, Corey Taylor, Mike Birbiglia, Scott Ian, King Diamond, Volbeat, Slash, Lee Ving and many more. Not enough? We also take the piss out of Sarah Palin, David Hasselhoff, Justin Bieber, Tiger Woods, Lindsay Lohan Mark Zuckerberg, Lady Gaga, Mel Gibson, LeBron James, James Hetfield, Marilyn Manson, Mickey Mouse, Gene Simmons and Patrick Swayze in another 112 page, full color, pop-culture-skewering bible of insanity.

10th Annual Royal Flush “Full Release Party”

with KAIJU BIG BATTEL
Friday, October 15 • Warsaw • ALL-AGES •

And on a final note –
some exciting early press that I wanted to share from USA Today’s Pop-Watch…
http://usat.ly/bpSRBl

The main link to order the book is here
SUPPORT THE SCENE!
http://royalflushmagazine.com/merch/

Thanks so much again for your 10 YEARS of support!! We really appreciate it.
God bless each and every one of ya…

Freedomland NYC

2010-10-13T02:23:00.008-04:00

Many moons ago, I created, wrote and drew a web comic for the SciFi (excuse me, Syfy) Channel. Here are some selected panels and sequences, dusted off for your viewing pleasure.

Oh, check out this music video I put together on youtube a while back that visually
tells the tale in 4 minutes and 21 seconds.

Robot Chickens, Mall Cops & Teenagers - Oh My!

2010-10-12T21:38:00.009-04:00

I did some storyboarding and character design for an animation pilot a while back called Greyfields. Here's what I did.

It's Always Sunn...

2010-09-28T14:21:00.009-04:00

COMING SOON!

ROYAL FLUSH #7
I illustrated the cover!!!!!!!

The main link to pre-order the book is here… SUPPORT THE SCENE MAN!
http://royalflushmagazine.com/merch/

I'll be at New York Comic Con • October 8-10 • Jacob Javits Center
Booth #646 – come say hi and meet the gang, as well as Mad legend, Al Jaffee and get a special Royal Flush Fold-IN poster!!
This is your first chance to buy the book in person and meet the whole team!

TALES of WOE by John Reed

2010-08-31T22:14:00.023-04:00

updated march 2011 - digital version of "A Trunk of Vengeance"

"It feels good in my hands, heavy, shaped. Small and black, tight. Like an airport-hotel room bible..." - Shathley Q, PopMatters

Tales of Woe by John Reed came out last week. The "airport-hotel room bible" description is spot-on. That's what it feels like, a hardbound testament to this world's twisted cruelty. I don't think there will ever be a more horrible collection of true life horror stories. Well, perhaps there will be one day - the sequel? - but it will never be this beautifully illustrated. Tales of Woe! Damn, it's finally here. Sometimes, I didn't think it would make it to the bookshelves,. I did these illustrations back in the spring/summer of 2008. There was a big delay in the printing because of the economy and because it didn't comply with Chinese decency law, so it had to be printed in Singapore.

"Sin, suffering, redemption.
That's the movie, the front page news, that's the story
of popular culture - of American culture.
A ray of hope. A comeuppance. An all-for-the-best.
That it'll all work out in the end, that people get what they deserve.

THE FACT:
Sometimes people suffer for no reason.
No sin, no redemption.
Just suffering, suffering, suffering."

Powerful, disturbing and unforgettably painful.”
—Calvin Reid, Publisher’s Weekly

Here are the illustrations I created for the book. Glimpses of the horrors that await you... Head on down to Barnes & Noble or Borders,and pick up a copy to see the rest of 'em!

In fact all of the artists involved deserve a shout out! 8Pussy, Elisabeth Alba, Delia Gable, Chadwick Whitehead, Michele Witchipoo, Alex Warble, Ralph Neise, Sarah Oleksy, Walter Einenkel, Stephane Blanquet, myself, and Kiki Jones. Click on their names to visit their website.

I know all the artists, most of all the author John Reed, had a tough time bringing this book to you. Interestingly, the book was born out of a lunch-in with an editor who thought THIS was the idea that would get people's attention, that this was a book they'd want to print and put money behind. (Click here to read an interview with John.) Because pain and controversy sells and gets headlines. Because we love hearing scary tales around the campfire.

www.talesofwoe.com

"Tales of Woe is nearly two hundred pages of strange and twisted tragedy without even the slightest inclination to serve up a single happy ending. It’s a sickening look at the horrors of real life from around the globe, and while I’m hesitant to recommend it, I have a feeling I pretty much just have." - Marc Patterson, Brutal As Hell

Check it out on Amazon.

Dr. Broccoli

2010-08-30T18:35:00.008-04:00

Once in a lifetime, there is a show so powerful, so incredible that it moves a nation...

Who is Dr. Broccoli?
Where is Dr. Broccoli?

Why is Dr. Broccoli?

All good questions that will be answered in due time. For now though, sit back, relax, flip through your fall calendar, find an open time slot and pencil in an appointment with him. You'll be glad you did.

www.doctorbroccoli.com

Tales of Woe by John Reed - preview

2010-08-18T21:46:00.002-04:00

Hey gang! Sneak peak at artwork for a future blog post about my involvement in "Tales of Woe "(MTV Press) by John Reed. It hit bookshelves everywhere on Tuesday. Check out the site www.talesofwoe.com to get a flavor though. INTENSE! Already racking up notoriety and acclaim. It is brutal and unfortunately all true.

PEACE DAY! August 15th, 2010

2010-08-03T21:25:00.010-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I was contacted by a mysterious gentleman called Joe Peace. He's organized a movement to take a more active approach in promoting and celebrating peace globally, and specifically on the newly created Peace Day on August 15, 2010, and every year going forward.

His words. "We are aware of the United Nations Peace day on 9/21, and we support Celebration of this day as well. It is a noble cause. However, the United Nations still remains a Political body, that has made some Political decisions that not all individuals may agree with. Secondly the United Nations has a, "Peace Keeping Force" they have tanks, guns, and other weapons. We recognize that these may be needed for defense purposes, however we feel that using Force to establish Peace....is like shouting for silence."

He was interested in my artwork and asked me to design a poster for the day and create a cartoon character. I was totally game. The peace sign has been use in every way imaginable over the decades. I sketched a peace sign as a radiating sun and thought it was perfect. Here's what I came up with.

Check out the site below for more details. It's really quite an ambitious venture, one that I'm positive will grow and evolve over the coming years. I'm very happy to be part of it's beginnings.

www.peaceday8-15.com

Join now! Invite your friends, spread the word!

Below is some information from the page:

"The purpose for this day is simple. It will be a day for the entire population of the world to serve and celebrate Peace.

This Peace Day is for the People by the People. We do not represent Nations, or Political ideologies. We are simply people joining together to spread Kindness and Peace.

The manner in which individuals choose to partake in this service and celebration is entirely up to each individual. The guidelines are simple. The only requirement is that individuals devote a portion of their day spreading kindness and peace through various acts of charitable service. The second portion of the day (and hopefully well into the night) will simply be a time for individuals to gather together for the purpose of celebrating the power of Peace."

"There is no way to peace; peace is the way." - A.J. Muste

http://www.peaceday8-15.com

THE BOWERY RIOTS!

2010-07-27T13:52:00.007-04:00

"The spirit, soul, and energy of the Speakeasy are vibrant in New York City’s The Bowery Riots. With a “for the people” passion and strong political interest, the sextet plays an incredibly eclectic mix of punk, soul, and rock and roll. Heavily routed in the turn of the 2oth century and the hustle of the big city, The Bowery Riots are a unique amalgamation of sound and style. Their songs are filled with garage rock influence, mixing in three part female/male harmonies, horns, and harmonicas for a riotous good time." - EXPLODING IN SOUND

Here's an illustration of The Bowery Riots, a band that my friend TJ is in. I promised him an illustration a while back and figured it was time to deliver. TJ's a cool guy, not to mention a kick-ass shortstop and a devastating lefty bat, played minor league ball somewhere. We met back in the day playing softball for the Welcome to the Johnson's (JOHNSONS!) Softball Team, a place I used to tend bar at, in The East Village Softball Association. 2004 was a magical year, we won it all, underdog style. View the trophy on top the The Johnson's refrigerator and get a Pabst. 123 Rivington Street, LES, NYC.

The Riots are really taking off!! See them LIVE. They're great, check 'em out!! Rockin out NYC!

You can listen to The Bowery Riots
here
Take a listen to DRUGS IN NIGHT TIME CLUBS and the smash single, THE RENT
to get a flavor of their skills and energy.
Facebook 'em here . Myspace 'em here

Oh, also check out Shock and Awesome with TJ and the Tux, a weekly radio on East Village Radio. Politics & ROCK-N-ROLL!

Nuts & Bolts @ The Society of Illustrators

2010-07-13T20:27:00.013-04:00

On July 9th & 10th I attended the the wonderful Nuts & Bolts Conference at the Society of Illustrators in NYC, sponsored by 3 x 3 Magazine.

N.C. Wyeth

The event was put together and hosted by Charles Hively. Amongst many other things, Charles is the publisher and design director of 3x3 Magazine and Creative Quarterly. He really cares about illustration and artists and for that, he gets a big thumbs up and my respect. Thank you Charles!

The guest speakers were all fantastic artists. They all gave incredible presentations about their personal journey into the illustration field that were very insightful into the business and about their work.

Aaron Meshon

Steve Tabbutt

Left to Right - Aaron Meshon, Marcos Chin, Steve Tabbutt, Charles Hively, Nora Krug, Chris Buzelli, Sean Qualls and Paul Hoppe. Many, many thanks to them for their generous spirit! Special thanks to Andre da Loba and Nora Krug for taking the time to discuss with me the MFA program at SVA, and to Aaron Meshon for his insight into copyrighting and trademarking.

Nuts & Bolts - Class of 2010! I met a lot of very cool people over the course of the conference that I hope to keep in touch with, but many more I didn't meet that I hope to connect with online. Give a shout out if you stumble upon this!

Me, Charles and my wife Daria at the event's conclusion at Cocktail Hour.

This event was a real kick in the ass, eye-opening in so many ways. Provided me with much hope and inspiration. Thank you all - Onward and upward!

Ladies-N-Gents, Johnny Bennett!

2010-07-03T18:24:00.024-04:00

I met Johnny Bennett in L.A. in 2001, back when I was rabble-rousing as lead singer of the infamous Spicy Rizzaks. Hazy & strange days for sure, but even then I could tell he was one cool and talented dude. During your time on the musical circuit, you meet a lot of people, some brilliant, some not so much. The thing is, with Bennett, he's the real deal, got chops. And every time he releases a new album, he proves me right.

His most recent is Gone Missing, a follow up to The Violet Hush. Gone Missing is darker, deeper than anything he's done before. With a bit of luck, it'll be his breakthrough album, and just remember you heard about him here first. The story of how it got made - replete with madness and redemption in the English countryside - is almost as good as the album. Bennett's got a serious ear for melody, a skilled voice and killer lyrics. Bottom line, it's fucking good, harkening back to when musicians actually wrote songs and played instruments. When 12 year girls didn't rule the marketplace, when albums, not singles by reality tv show contestants, got the headlines. God bless Johnny Bennett. Rock on brother!

For more about Mr. Bennett, his music and up-coming tour dates, check out his website at www.johnny-bennett.com

Rooney Fruits - Animated!

2010-07-03T17:20:00.013-04:00

Whelp, we didn't make it to Round 2 of the Sydney Opera House Graphic Animation Competition - D'oh! Damn Aussie politics for sure, BUT, to be honest, I think our submission was lacking in "plot development" or whatever (dancing isn't "plot development? haha) and it could have a couple more edits and cuts to other action. That said, it had a top rating and was top 20 in voting but judges chose 10 from that, and we got cut. Bummed! However, all in all, I think it was a rousing success, and quite a fun little piece. It was my first foray into the realm of animation and I am hooked! Looking forward to future collaboration with my bro-in-law Adam Kelley, a very talented animator. We have really some cool things in the docket, so stay tuned!

The guidelines of the contest were that it had to be 20 second long, involve the theme of 'recovery", incorporate a yawn, and something in it had to be 7 years old.
Without further ado, here's the animation -

"Ever Danced with An Angel?" Starring Rooney Fruits the Angel Dancer! from McQuade on Vimeo.

U dig? It's nothing major, obviously, but with it's conception and execution, a door to another world has been opened, and we are off & running.

Created by Patrick McQuade & Adam Kelley

Artwork by Patrick McQuade
Animated by Adam Kelley
Music by GalaxyKidGamma
Rooney Fruits' Name Bestowed by Steve Sallese

Voice Work:
Maren Kelley as Rooney Fruits
Daria Sellon McQuade as The Red Handed Witch

Rooney Fruits the Angel Dancer copyright © 2010, Patrick McQuade & Steve Sallese.
Sneak Peak at forthcoming SHAPES website
www.shapesbrethren.com

"Ever Danced with An Angel?" Starring Rooney Fruits the Angel Dancer!

2010-06-28T11:45:00.010-04:00

My bro-in-law Adam Kelley and I just finished our first animated short called "Ever Danced with an Angel? Starring Rooney Fruits the Angel Dancer! The above pictures are the stills from it. It's only a 20 sec. clip, pretty brief but hope you dig! Rooney's had a long day. Perhaps a special potion will PEP him up?

We entered it into a animation competition and need your vote(s) - a 5 star rating if you could! We have to advance to Round 2. Winners that advance to R2 will be announced on Tues night. Voting closes soon so please do so quickly if you are game. There are 3 Rounds in all. Final selections go to an awards ceremony in August at the Sydney Opera House in Australia!! Winner gets funding for future projects, plus state of the art computer programs! This is a big deal for us - Help!
Here is the link:

http://play.sydneyoperahouse.com/index.php/graphic/744.html

Would really appreciated FB shares and twitter shout-outs. Spread the word! Vote early, vote often - You can do so multiple times!!

And now for your viewing pleasure, here is the original watercolor rendition of Rooney Fruits the Angel Dancer, created by me and the NAMER Steve Sallese. Steve does the original abstraction, I create the visual character, then Steve bestows a name. Started back in 10th grade HS Chemistry class. The entire collection of SHAPES from 1992 to 2010 will be released as book this fall, along with a slew of other fun stuff. Stay tuned!

Sketchbook 6/25-26

2010-06-26T22:19:00.004-04:00

Through the Years! Football, 2004 -2010

2010-06-20T17:44:00.014-04:00

I first met Football aka Footy aka Footina at the end of 2003 when I started dating my lovely wife Daria. She's an awesome, special dog. Part chihuahua, part terrier? She was found under a car in San Diego over ten years ago. Small, but compact and muscled. I think she's half cat, or fox. Over the years I've done many versions of her in a couple different styles. Here's a rundown of them from the earliest to the newest at the bottom just finished today. I have a couple more somewhere. Will update when found and scanned.

Did this one above back in 2006. Was never really happy with her expression though. Left it alone for a few years, but it always kinda bugged me. Finally, a couple months , almost 4 years later, I tweaked it digitally to give her smiling eyes and shortened tail. This illustration was the inspiration for the short story written by Daria called "Yennang Tennang" in MToEM V. 1 & 2 . Her expression now matches the intended emotion of the moment. Better late than never! Below is the altered version from 2010.

Going forward, I want to create a cartoon-y, simplified version of Footie, kinda like Snoopy. Gonna be a real challenge. She's deceptively simple, her "look" changes all the time I feel. As always, stay tuned!

Works in Progress

2010-06-19T12:20:00.003-04:00

Exercises in Painter 11. Just horsing around but liking the results. Reminds me of the sketchbooks I kept and paintings I did back in the year 2000. Having fun with this style again! Doing them digitally is interesting. Still getting used to the programming capabilities.

One of Those Nights

2010-06-13T00:24:00.004-04:00

Just got Painter 11. Away we go...

Caffe Portofino/SHAPES sneak peak!

2010-05-14T00:31:00.030-04:00

Had a show at Caffe Portofino in Northport, New York, my hometown on May 2nd. Lotta fun!!! The show will be hanging there through early June. Kinda came up out of the blue. Got in touch and became a member of the Northport Arts Coalition over the winter, wanting to re-connect with my roots. Found that that they were having an ArtWalk, an event where artists hang their work in local shops along Main Street. I was teamed up with Lisa Harris and her shop Caffe Portofino, a funky little coffee shop with delicious baked goods, located at 249 Main Street, across from the John W. Engeman Theater. Thank you Lisa and crew for all your hospitality! Wish I had taken more photos but these give you a good sense of it.

Original Artwork from Magical Tales of Enchanted Mysteriousness. Done with watercolors, acrylics and gouache on arches.

Original SHAPES from High School

Original SHAPES: The New Brethren

Here's Ray DeForest tickling the ivories, some prints of portraits I displayed and Steve Sallese saying Burbon Rumple the Clam Whisperer.

Art Show in Portofino from McQuade on Vimeo.

Ryan Connolly styles his Ibbits the Biscuit Sniffer T-shirt.

And his snazzy Jerry Chops the Skip stamp.

Framed photos of a mural did I back in 2002 on the Williamsburg Bridge.

Little Megan claps her hands, while Jerry Chops and Ramburger the Chancellor look on from above.

SHAPES Sneak Peak!

Frevil Books, Inc. will be releasing the book "SHAPES: The New Brethren" a collection of spacey creature-folk, fantastical beasts, shrill despots and shady individuals, by me and Steve Sallese , in early June, along with a updated, 8'' x 10''re-issue of MToEM V. 1 & 2, by me and Daria. A SHAPES & Frevil Books, Inc. website will be launched then as well, along with a shop for all related merchandise, along with a couple other surprises!! We'll be doing a book signing at Caffe Portofino Sat. June 5th 11am - 3pm and on Saturday June 12th will be at the New York Book Fair in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village of NYC.

Here's a preview of some the contents of the book, along with photos of me and Steve in our lab coats. SHAPES creation, after all, is a scientific process, started in chemistry class back in 1992. The book is a written and visual history of SHAPES, from its origins to the current crop.

Front cover

Back cover

A couple of SHAPES from High School. Roughly 337 were created.

1 - 8 of the 34 new "SHAPES: The New Brethren"

Stagg Willy and the Fronyon Man, Rooney Fruits the Angel Dancer, Fido Sharps the Protector, Jerry Chops the Skip, Ramburger the Chancellor, Queen Nadya of Pollen Nation, Colonel Wakefroth & MacFinyan the Brewster Magician.

From the root to the fruit. Steve provides an abstact "SHAPE", I design the character from the SHAPE, then Steve gives it/him/her a name.

Me and co-creator of SHAPES, Steve Sallese! I'm holding our original SHAPES album from High School.

The NAMER, Steve Sallese
""Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to have any special abilities. I'm just a guy
who calls it like I see it, and that's that."

Jake Milliken checks out the old SHAPES album

Musician Graz dons a Zapato T-shirt for his entire set!

SHAPES and Graz invade Northport from McQuade on Vimeo.

Video from outside Caffe Portofino on Main St. on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Check out more of his Graz's music at
www.myspace.com/dangrazianomusic.com

More to come concerning everything SHAPES and such - Stay tuned.
Thanks for stopping by!