A little late night doodling, let's call her Lana

It took a little while to get going with the drawing tonight and that usually winds up turning into a late night doodle session, hence the late hour of this posting. I came across this photo of a girl with incredibly big and curly hair when I followed a link that someone had posted on Twitter. I figured that the detail and complexity of her hair would provide an interesting drawing challenge. Sure enough, all those curls and strands were a little tedious, but I think the effort payed off in the end and I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Got any recent drawings that you've done? Leave me a link. I'd love to check 'em out.

V, 2009 - a few after thoughts

V, the remake of the original 1983 mini-series made it's one hour television debut last night and I had a fantastic time watching it while simultaneously Tweeting about it with hordes of other sci-fi loving fans. Such instant and continent-spanning interaction between fans made for a rather new and unique additional experience to simply watching the show. But that aside is perhaps a topic for another time.

For now, I'm going to jump right into some of my initial thoughts on this reincarnation of, what is for me, a classic science fiction television show that really ignited my then young and formative imagination more than two decades back. Wow, how time flies.

If you watched the show last night and/or the original series then please feel free to chime in with your thoughts and reactions.

Here are my reactions:

• One hour wasn't nearly enough. It seemed rushed and I wanted more right now.
  
  
• I'm not sure the network, ABC, is really confident with their product. Or perhaps they just aren't confident in their audience.
  
  
• The show jumps right in and practically introduces, touches on or sets up in some way nearly all of the major plot points of the original series.
  
  
• The rush to introduce everything could be bad, or it could be good. By rushing, new viewers don't have time to nurture a vested interest in the characters and situations. However, as a longtime fan who's familiar with the basic and classic story elements I didn't have time to get bored while everything I already know is established. I hope that the rushing and diving headlong into this story means that ABC has a wealth of new material and ideas they want to get to and show off, rather than simply going through the motions and constructing a step-by-step remake which would be extremely dull and would actually disappoint me a great deal.
  
  
• I preferred the perfectly circular saucer motherships from the original series.
  
  
• I miss the blood red uniforms of the Visitors and their near Nazi symbolism from the original series.
  
  
• The lead male FBI agent is rather dopey... no, wait... wait a minute... HE'S A LIZARD!
  
  
• The sleeper cell plot point is excellent.
  
  
• The Visitors have been among us for decades... and they've been busy.
  
  
• Definitely missing Diana.
  
  
• How long before we get a V comic book and video game? Maybe an action figure line?
  

Let me know your thoughts!

Prince of Persia trailer leaked online

I'll eat my shirt if this trailer stays online for very long as this is apparently a leak and not an official release. I'll remain hopeful though and dedicated today's blog entry to the Jerry Bruckheimer/Walt Disney production based on the video game franchise of the same name.



Now as soon as I said "based on the video game" I heard you all start moaning and groaning, but really, give this a look. I have to say, I'm very impressed and really looking forward to... next summer. Yep, it's going to be a really long wait for this one, but so far it's looking like it may well be worth it.

The visual style is very slick and somewhat artificial though not nearly as artificial or stylized as 300. While 300 was absolutely gorgeous, it certainly required some extra suspension of disbelief. It doesn't look like that amount of effort will be required for Prince of Persia, but everything will definitely look very pretty.

Judging from this trailer there will also be a healthy does of what I like to call Indiana Jones style humour. This is easily my favourite style of humour as it tends to arise naturally in the midst of the extreme circumstances of the plot and winds up being rather tongue-in-cheek if not self-reflective at times. I often find that this style of humour in an action film requires some fine balancing, but so far it looks to be right on the mark in Prince of Persia.

Prince of Persia stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Kingsley and is scheduled for a May, 2010 release.

Thoughts, comments, critiques?

Trailer video linked from ThinkHero.

The Visitors arrive on Tuesday

Will you be watching?




Growing up, I never, ever thought this series would ever be remade. For me, V was to television as Star Wars was to the movies. That's something special and the show definitely left a huge impression on me for many, many years. Those are some big shoes to fill so I'm being honest when I say I'm looking incredibly forward to this series, but I'm not going to hold my breath. This show will have its work cut out for it if it intends to win the hearts of we hardcore V: The Original Mini-Series fans.

Tarzan of the Apes

Mothertrucker.

My eyes are bleeding and my fingers are splintered.

I've nearly killed myself trying to get this drawing out over the past couple of days. As I write this I'm still not certain I have the pose quite right but come hell or high water I'm not going to let this thing defeat me. Right about now though I'm as frustrated as a constipated baboon and it's long past bedtime.

So, such as it may be, here is my rather rough hewn Tarzan of the Apes.

AVATAR - International Trailer

This is the recently released international trailer for Avatar. Internet scuttlebutt is saying that it is nearly identical to the highly anticipated feature trailer due for release today.

Regardless of what version of the trailer it is, every tidbit of footage I've seen for this movie so far has been heart stopping, and that's just in two dimensions. For those readers who weren't able to attend Avatar Day where lucky viewers got to see 15 minutes of full 3D IMAX footage in select cities, you have no idea what you're missing. It is truly breathtaking and I, for one, will be first in line when the film opens on December 18.

Did you attend Avatar Day in your city? What are your thoughts on Avatar and 3D cinema?

Burger time - UPDATE!

I just had to update and show off this pic of Aleks with her burger chompin' cartoon portrait. She swung by and picked it up today. Tomorrow she leaves for the United Kingdom.

Have a wonderful and safe journey, Aleks. Best wishes for all your new adventures and this exciting, new chapter of your life. We'll all miss you here in Toronto.

(And just a quick plug, be sure to check out Aleks' blog, Brand New Socks)

It's burger time!

This fun piece is finally finished for my friend Aleks. It's Prismacolor markers, technical pen and brush pen over pencil.

I follow the work of many different artists on their blogs and in different online forums and many of them do incredible work with Prismacolor markers. I've been studying their styles and techniques and trying to get the hang of the markers and I think it's coming along pretty nicely. I still have some areas where I can make improvements, but for the most part I'm pretty pleased.

Do you work with any kind of blendable marker like the Prismacolor markers? If so, what are they and how do you like them?

Tauntaun intestine cake delight

I've found the birthday cake I want this year and I'm hoping Courtney will make it for me.

Gizmodo posted these pics of this truely INCREDIBLE and NERDY Star Wars themed cake last week.

It's actually someone's wedding cake, but I'll take it as my birthday cake just the same.

For the unenlightened in the audience this cake replicates the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Han Solo uses Luke's lightsaber to slice open the stomach of a Tauntaun and then proceeds to shove the unconscious Luke inside the recently deceased Tauntaun's steaming warm intestines and body cavity in order to keep poor Luke from freezing to death himself.

My only hope is that the cake doesn't smell as bad as a Tauntaun, whether it be the outside or the inside of said beast.

Aleks - Burger Time is getting closer

Time is running out to get this piece completed for Aleks who won it months ago in my reader appreciation give away. Today, it's one step closer with the inks completed. Colours coming soon!

Holiday troublemaker

I'll admit, I think my Halloween cards were finished a little too late for this year, so, with that in mind I've begun production on some Christmas greeting cards. This one in particular is for a co-worker. Just rough pencil work for now, but if the design is approved I'll have some inks and colour work up soon for this little troublemaker.

Cheers for now.

Jedi Tools

Word on the web is that these Star Wars themed bath robes will make you look more like a Jawa than a Jedi. I say you'll just look like a tool.

As I've stated time and again, I'm a big Star Wars fan - original trilogy anyways. But there are certain lines that have to be drawn and this is one of them. If you come prancing out of the shower sporting this puppy I guarantee you'll be wielding your lightsaber all by yourself for a long time to come.

The Mental Kavity - what's in a name?

Mr. Johnny Sandman over at The Paradise of Horror blog conducted and interview with me that will be featured on his site this week (probably later today if I'm not mistaken).

I don't want to steal his thunder, but one of his questions brought to mind something I've been meaning to do since I started publishing The Mental Kavity and that is to define exactly what The Mental Kavity means. Where does this name come from and what does it imply?

So here is the response that I sent to Mr. Johnny's question:

Q - Finally, what is the history behind the name 'Mental Kavity?'

A - Wow, GREAT question. Few have ever asked. I'm a massive comic book fan and the history of comic books, particularly in North America, fascinates me. As you may or may not know, comic books in North America got a really bad rap from one Fredric Wertham who nearly single-handedly destroyed the comic book industry in 1954 with the publication of his book, Seduction of the Innocent. It was publications like Tales From the Crypt from EC Comics that really inflamed Wertham with their depictions of horror and depravity. Basically he says in his book that comics are highly negative and warp the minds of young children, causing juvenile delinquency. This lead to a ton of censorship in the North American comic book industry and has given comic books a bad name ever since. Now, I don't know if Wertham says it in his book or not, because I haven't been able to find a copy to read (it's long out of print and vintage copies are extremely expensive) but somewhere in my childhood I heard or read the phrase, "comics rot your brain." This is a phrase that, in one form or another, was seemingly always applied to the nefarious things I was interested in while growing up: movies, television, heavy metal, music videos, video games, etc. So, it just came as a very natural extrapolation to me that if this was true, if all these things I love really do rot one's brain, then surely I must have a huge mental cavity. And thus was born The Mental Kavity - I changed the spelling to match my initials - which I apply to anything and everything I create - artwork, illustrations, my blog, some films I've done. Other artists have their companies or names that they affiliate with their product, like filmmaker Robert Rodriguez who has Troublemaker Studios, so I just thought it would be fun to brand myself and my product in a similar fashion, hence The Mental Kavity.

Get your Halloween greeting cards, hot off the press

I was playing bachelor all weekend while Courtney was off to a Cranberry Festival. This afforded me the much needed time to polish off my Halloween greeting cards and get them posted in my Etsy shop, Blunt Force Trauma.

Now boys and girls, there's not much time left before Halloween is upon us, so hurry on over to my shop and order up your greeting cards. There are two creepy styles to choose from and if you can't make up your mind then just buy both and I'll give you a deal on shipping.

You can see more pics of Boo and maybe even buy him, right here.

And of course, this is Jack. You can see more pics of Jack and maybe even buy him, right here.

A big, early Happy Halloween to everyone!

Zombie Killing is an environmentally friendly business

Zombies, superheroes, Woody Harrelson and the environment. These are things that I seem to have a lot of in my life these days...oddly enough. It's Friday night, I'm still at work and in less than 30 minutes I'll be settling in for some drinks and dinner with friends and co-workers. After that we're all off to a screening of Woody Harrelson's newest film... and I don't mean Zombieland, although I do HIGHLY recommend that you see it if you haven't already done so.

If you're any kind of fan of Woody Harrelson then you'll know that the Oscar-nominated actor has a strong affinity for the environment. His support of the environment has not gone unnoticed by Toronto's York University where Harrelson is being honoured this Saturday, October 17 with an honorary doctorate.

In return, Harrelson is presenting a pre-screening of his upcoming film, Defendor, directed by first time feature film director and Vancouver native Peter Stebbings.

Never heard of Defendor?

Don't worry, I'm sure you will before too long. The film debuted in September to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival. Check out the trailer below and let me know what YOU think.

I'll be back later with an update on what I think of the film. I'll also try to sneak in some Twitter Tweets as the night unfolds if you're Twitter-inclined.

Very worthy reading - blog links galore

If you use Twitter on a regular basis then you've more than likely heard of FollowFriday. For those who haven't yet tested the Twitter waters (and I suggest that you do) FollowFriday is a phenomenon that started in January of 2009 and has been repeated en masse every Friday since then whereby Twitter users Tweet the names of fellow Tweeters who they find interesting and worth following on the social media network. It's sort of a pay it foward mentality where you're putting out the good word on fellow Tweeters and recommending them to others who aren't already following them.

I personally find it to be one of the most exciting days of the week on Twitter where I always make great new Twitter friend and my mind swells with a wealth of new knowledge, most often of the fronts of geek culture and art and illustration. So, keeping this spirit in mind, I thought it would be fun to do something similar in the blogosphere. I've come across so many incredible blogs of late that I feel it's my duty to spread the wealth and make sure that anyone reading my blog is also aware of some of my favourite, fellow bloggers.

So, without further adieu, here's a sprinkle, in no particular order, of the blogs I've been loving lately:

Joystiq - all gaming, all the time

Otis Frampton - yarn spinner, doodler, flicker maker

I Draw Girls - outstanding illustration tutorials, and an overwhelming number of them too

Project Waldo - dizzying and headspinning information about making comic books

I hope everyone enjoys these amazing blogs just as much as I do. And this is by no means all the interesting blog suggestions I have up my sleave. I'll be sure to have more for you in the very near future. But for now, do you have any outstanding blog suggestions for ME?

Mr. Scary himself, George Lynch

Just a quick sketch card drawing and a quick update. I banged this one out a couple nights ago after I discovered the artwork of Otis Frampton on deviantART. A lot of artists these days do a lot of trading card-sized drawings and Otis recently blogged about his widescreen sketch card innovation. Basically, he has expanded the regular sketch card canvas from 2.5 x 3.5 inches to 2.5 x 5 inches, resulting in a widescreen-like aspect ratio. I took a shine to additional real estate this offers and happened to be discussing one of my favourite guitarists with a buddy of mine who is a massive guitar enthusiast and player. He'd probably correct me, saying he's not just a player; he's a shredder! So, I'll save him the trouble.

Truly though, the real shredder is George "Mr. Scary" Lynch, the famed lead guitarist of such 80s and early 90s hard rock bands as Dokken and Lynch Mob. Always known for the darker overtones in his unique heavy metal guitar style, Lynch earned the nick name of Mr. Scary which also manifests itself to this day in his custom line of flashy and gruesome Mr. Scary Guitars, depicted in the sketch card above.

I'll be adding some colour to this little drawing in the next couple of days so please stay tuned!