| Current
News: 2007 |
| 10:41
AM |
December
20, 2006 |
| As
it rains today, I remember... |
| As a child
you find things that will formulate what you may aspire to become someday...
The cartoons that Hanna-Barbera created set the tone for my adulation and
love of the cartoon medium. My all time favorites will always be Tom and
Jerry... |
| Puss Gets
The Boot (1940) was the first Tom and Jerry cartoon, though the mouse was
nameless and the cat was called Jasper. The creators were also nameless:
the only credit was Rudolf Ising, producer. The film was the most successful
MGM 'toon to date, winning an Academy Award nomination. |
| But FredQuimby
put them to work on "Swing Social", with Catfish singing black
minstrel songs, and Galloping Gals, a tale of racehorses. Then Besa Short,
a film exhibitor in Texas, wrote to Quimby: "When are we going to see
some more of those charming cat-and-mouse cartoons?" Quimby's response
was instant. The studio had a contest to name the characters, and John Carr,
an animator, won $50 for Tom and Jerry. In time, the cat and mouse combo
won seven Academy Awards, all accepted by Quimby, never Hanna or Barbera.
In 1956 MGM closed the studio. A year later, from Hanna-Barbera, came Ruff
and Reddy, a couple of pups for NBC, swiftly followed by Huckleberry Hound
for Kellogg's Corn Flakes. They had devised "limited animation"
using only 3,000 drawings per five minute cartoon. |
| Although
their hundreds of cartoons still dominate TV, it was always Tom and Jerry
that delighted Barbera. In the 1970s he was publicly harangued for their
violence. "It's like saying Charlie Chaplin films are pornographic,"
he said. "It's the sort of humour circus clowns purvey. No one gets
hurt, they always bounce back." |
| Joseph
Roland Barbera, animator, born March 24 1911; died December 18th 2006. He
is survived by his wife, Sheila, and by a son and two daughters from a previous
marriage. |
| 5:22
PM |
December
1, 2006 |
| Little
Update (part 2) for today... |
| Sometimes
I like looking back at old forum posts and whatnot, and I still get a chuckle
at some of the shenanigans and goings on that people can do on the fly,
online. I thought I would share this little pic of a gem that was created
by one of my friends, Avy. And, funny enough, it encapsulates the way I
feel right now on the money situation. Anyone feel like sponsoring me through
the holidays? :D I swear, you know it's bad when I can't even get my crap
together on which and what art supplies I will absolutely need... |
|
 |
And I do love art.
So much that I make scenes in public when I am around it.
If you so feel like
it, some sketches are up for perusal in the "Memory
Section". I started organizing all of my stuff into the online
sketchbook I had promised to have up. So far so good. I realized that
I sketch WAY more than I ever complete finished works, and that to put
it lightly, it has been a mammoth undertaking to put it all together,
and try and remember when and where some drawing fit over the last 17
years. |
|
This
was the most recent "finished" work I accomplished just the
other day. It's inkwork with some digital colouring done to it. You can
click on the image above to see the full version.
I do have a lot more
to put up on here including some new comic strips. Thanks again for all
of you who do stop in and visit. Site traffic is great, and I appreciate
it. |
| 9:17
AM |
December
1, 2006 |
| Little
Update for today... |
| We got
11 inches of snow in Warrensburg, and here in Independence, we got like
8 inches. It's cool as hell! :D |
Recently,
I got a cool freelance job from one of our local djs, DJ Pure, to create
a flyer for a Halloween Party to be held at the Independence bar Fox &
the Hound. We worked with a printer out of LA that was PHENOMENAL and
the end results were fantastic. I cannot say enough good things about
this company.
The artwork was an
edgy and very urban break from my usual style and I grew to love it the
more I did with it.
I didn't like working
so small at first, but let me tell you, every little inch on there became
like silver to me...I kept rearranging elements and fonts sizes trying
to make sure it all held together okay and read just fine.
All in all, I loved
this, and may have an oppurtunity to do one for a New Year's Party for
him. Click on the image to see the front and backs of the completed version. |
|
| 8:46
PM |
November
28, 2006 |
| Big
Fat Super Update... |
First
and foremost, I would like to say that as of yesterday, I have now witnessed
32 years on this planet as a carbon-based being. I was also lucky enought
to be taken to see Dane Cook's "ONE NIGHT ONLY!"
theatre viewing of Vicious Circle. It was wicked! Dane is the man, and
I left that night feeling invigorated, happy as all hell, brandishing
a stupid grin, and covered in awesomesaucey-goodness! |
|
| On a work
note, things couldn't be better. Work here at the studio has it's ups and
downs, and right now is a fairly bizarre time for the company. I have always
told myself that no matter what I would not give up on art, or the chance
to see and do stuff that I have always wanted to do. |
| There are
times though, when no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, you
feel as if you are running into walls. Some of it is from fatigue... long
hours spent on the cpu staring at the unyeilding glow of your monitors.
Some of it is from self-doubt... am I any good at this stuff? |
 |
| Thank goodness
for the good clients out there that do appreciate you. When I was really
low, I was pleasantly surprised by this you see pictured. Thanks to all
of you guys at Tax Lawyers. You guys made my night. |
| One kinda
cool but sad note, is that I recently had to get rid of my most favorite
vehicle ever, my 2002 Nissan Frontier. Long story made short, all ended
well, and I now have what you see below, a 2006 Nissan Frontier, whom I
have christened the Black Pearl, after Jack Sparrow's ship. |
|
| Since this
is my site, and I want to, I want to go on for a bit about this little wonder
I saw at my local Target store the other day, that brought out the little
kid in me like a bowl of Fruity Pebbles! And that, mes amis, is the wonder
that is the Wii! |
| Did I purchase
one? No I did not, for if I had, I probably would not be updating this,
and I would be playing it. Do I think that Sony is in trouble? Do I think
that a new way of looking at games and the kinds of people that will start
up playing them is on the horizon? Yes. Yes I do. This little machine has
more heart, fun, and innovation than anything that XBOX or the PS3 could
ever hope to throw at it. It's sleek, it's sexy, it's new, it compliments
my Nintendo DS. Best new item of 2006? Oh yeah. Nintendon't Suck, that's
for sure... |
|
|
| And so
I end this tirade and weird update, here late at night at work. Working
away on the UPCO catalog, updating this site, and if you look at the lower
part of the picture above,... sketching, sketching, sketching... :) |
| Hopefully
you all had a great Thanksgiving, and if I don't get the chance to update
between now and Christmas, have a Merry Christmas, and a safe New Year's! |
|
2:10 PM |
September
21, 2006 |
| Strip
#11 finally up for Pagan Zoetrope... |
| Finally
got back in the game, and started up the story line again. Not that I have
a lot of time to do things, but I had to do SOMETHING about it, and I have
a lot of story to tell! At anyrate, for those of you that don't know what
Pagan Zoetrope is, it's my flagship work that has been in my mind for years
and years, and really has it's start all the way back in college. |
| You can
check out strips numbered 1-7 on
this page, and you can look at 8-11
here. But you can always mosey on over to the "Output"
section as well, and located at the bottom of the list is where all of my
comics will be shown. |
| I hadn't
posted anything on some other forums for quite some time on PZ, and honestly
I was worried people had forgotten all about it. Much to my surprise, many
people remembered it. It was a cool feeling. Thanks you guys. Much more
to come! |
| 12:04
PM |
September
12, 2006 |
| Sneak
Peek! |
|
Finally started it
back up again. Had the extra time and strength to do it again. Hopefully
you all will enjoy the continuing story line. More soon! |
| 11:51
AM |
September
8, 2006 |
| Quick
Update! |
| Holy Overflowing
PHP Based Guestbook Applications BATMAN!! The guestbook is FULL! Yes, boys
and girls, I am proud to announce that the guestbook has finally hit 50
entries and now has to be archived. Fret not! For all that means is it is
saved on the "Interface"
area and will also be featured as a link in the "Memory"
area. |
| So that
is a basic explanation as to why the guest book read area will be empty
as of 12 noon today. Not because I went on a deleting rampage, but because
you all are cool and sign stuff on here! Thanks again you all! |
| And on
a side note, I now have an IMDB page. I have no information up as of yet,
since the projects and stuff at SWS still have to come together and then
more info can be posted. Later if you want to check it out in a month or
two you can go here: Mario's
IMDB Page. |
| 11:51
PM |
September
7, 2006 |
| Tired
and worn but not defeated... |
|
| Although
a bit terse, the lady above has a point. I bet a lot of you out there have
been thinking that as well as of late. And really I am still trying to put
things together in cool and halfway entertaining ways. The recent HOW 2006
Mini-Site I put together took WAY longer than I had anticipated what with
the amount of writing I had to do on it. |
| Another
thing is that with freelance and my other weekend job and then family taking
up the rest of the hours I am not sleeping, it gets a little hairy. I work
late nights at a bar doing security, so of course that eats up the late
night hours doing creative stuff, but I have been looking into maybe getting
a job selling cars or maybe Vespa Scooters... |
|
| But chances
are I would be as successful as "Brandon" above at convincing
people to buy one... (All apologies to Penny Arcade, it was a humble homage) |
| At anyrate,
I want to thank those of you who keep the site traffic up, and for all the
comments and suggestions I have gotten. It's appreciated and necessary so
I don't feel like a TOTAL idiot writing stuff that people will never read.
|
11:51 PM |
September
5, 2006 |
| Thoughtful
and retrospective... |
| A new mini
site is now finally available for you all to look around in. It's a select
set of photos from this year's HOW Conference. If you got some time to kill,
take a look here: 2006
HOW Mini-Site. |
| As many
of you may know, Steve Irwin, a big hero of mine passed away this Monday.
I was a big fan of his, from his work with animals, to his incredible energy
and zest for living life bigger than anyone else! Here's to you Steve! You
were and are still a big inspiration to me, and long from now, when I am
an old man, I will tell anyone willing to listen about you, and all of the
adventures you had. You will be missed for a long time. Maybe someday, somehow,
somewhere else, I will get that chance again to meet you. |
| 5:12
PM |
August
30, 2006 |
| I
finally got through a lot of stuff... |
| Sometimes
going places and doing things is cool, but I have no clue how some of these
other designers and artists keep up with posting relevant and timely stuff
to whatever sites they may run AND keep the other aspects of life chugging
along... but, by Friday, I will have the 2006 HOW Conference minisite, and
my sketchbook area up. |
| Current
proects that I will hopefully have proceeding to full blown development
are a website for the really talented Tess McKinney (incredible voice) and
finishing up some design work I did for BDB Racing. (the logo featured below
larger finished version coming soon). |
|
| On a side
note, SWS may be moving soon. To a bigger cooler building. That makes for
happy beans and awesomesauce in my little fat head! One of the buildings
that we were looking at is located off of 40 Hwy here in Indepedence, and
I provided a small shot of it below complete with a photoshopped in SWS
sign above it. My truck is in the shot for scale. What do you all think?
It's pimptastic, no? Click on it for a bigger view! |
|
| 5:12
PM |
August
18, 2006 |
| More
older work is up, and other news... |
Some
more older work has been seeded here and there throughout the site and
I have had little to no time to resize and upload anything more on here.
|
| The site
linking banners are now updated and eight now replace the original four
that were in the "Upgrades"
area. |
| I am still
compiling the content of my sketch book and I know that I want it to be
part of the output area, but I think I will break it down into volumes that
will allow me to organize it a little better. Only the most current sketches
(the last six months worth for example) would be featured in the "Output"
area, and the rest would be relegated to the "Memory" area, and
retroactively broken down into years. |
| On a side
bit, I finally got my 2006 How Convention photos all organized, and I will
be posting those onto a little mini-site that I am creating that will be
accessable via the "Memory" area as well. Since I also have plans
to try and go to MacWorld, How, E3, and a few other places in 2007, that
is where I will place all of the media and stuff I get from there. Hopefully
it can become a repository of information for those of you wanting to go
to some of these conventions. |
| At any
rate, thanks again to any and all of you that take the time to stop by and
see what is going on. |
| 6:36
PM |
August
11, 2006 |
| More
photography in the Output area... |
|
| Few more
bits of photography up now in the "Output"
area. As well as the logos now being clickable as well (showcasing them
in a larger format, and with some info on them as well). |
| New linking
banners will be up to replace the ones up currently in the "Upgrades"
area. I just didn't like the way they looked. Look for those maybe later
this weekend. More artwork, and a daily sketch area will be up on here by
this next Tuesday as well. |
| 5:00
PM |
August
10, 2006 |
| New
additions to the Output area... |
| Four works
are up now in the "Output"
area for veiwing. Three illustrations and one bit of photography. You can
either click the preview shots below to open up the viewing windows to see
the full work, or you can just head on over to the "Output"
area and click on the thumnails featured there. |
|
| In addition,
there are some banners available for downloading and linking back to this
site that are available in the "Upgrades"
area, so if you want to give this site some free advertising, or you just
want something nifty to stick in your signature at your favorite local forum
or even into MySpace, then download any of them. No hotlinking, please.
|
| 11:49
PM |
August
9, 2006 |
| Update
to the Output area... |
| Well, kinda.
I have the thumbnails up, and wanted to spend some time deciding how I was
going to have the larger ones show up. But I finally got most all of my
work catagorized so the rest of this week and this weekend should be me
just dropping in new work here and there to finish the content up. Happy
thought? You bet your sweet Poopy McGee that it is! Makes me want to DANCE!!! |
|
| New
link & update to Output... |
| A link
to Stirred Water Studios is now located in the "Interface"
area. As some of you may already know, that's the place where I make my
day money. It's a pretty cool place. If you get the chance, stop by and
check out what we are working on there. Here's an interior shot of what
it looks like right outside my office... |
|
| Pretty
swanky, no? I like it. I remember when I got my first interview
here, I had asked if I could take photos of the place at least. I was determined
to get a job here just for braggin rights! Two weeks after I first saw this
I was hired. |
| The "Output"
area now has the first link to a website I created for a company here in
Independence called IMS Manufacturing. |
| 11:30
PM |
August
1, 2006 |
| Site
traffic report... |
| I know
that this is about as facinating as watching a political rally on C-Span,
but I think it's pretty cool to watch the ebb and flow of the site traffic
online. I don't know what the hell happened to you all on 7/29, (it was
a Saturday) I guess you all had more IMPORTANT things to do than to drive
my site traffic up. |
|
| Overall,
I am really happy. Considering that this site wasn't even UP about what
2 weeks ago, in any real kind of format, and I was getting zero hits. I
want to get back to my original hit factor count which was about 800 unique
hits a day. That was a while back, and if anything, this has been a learning
experience for me. When you got momentum, DON'T stop. Output, is everything.
Well, not everything, because you still have to have something to say or
show that is worthwhile. |
| On a separate
note, I have gotten some messages pertaining to a few things. First, I am
not associated with "the Wraith" (an online webcomic created by
Rubbersuit Studios), nor am I associated with the other Wraith
Studios, found at www.wraithstudios.ca. But I will say that he has some
cool stuff on that site pertaining to the Society for Creative Anachronism.
|
| 12:08
PM |
July
31, 2006 |
| Journal
and Guestbook Info... |
| The "Interface"
area now has the "Guestbook" image on there, and my new online
Art Journal
is also a link on there. Just fyi, the guestbook stays in this site, the
journal (at least for now) opens up in a new window. |
| 5:09
PM |
July
28, 2006 |
| Rest
of the site is up in standby... |
| The last
three main areas of the site are now up and set as placeholders for the
content that is to come. Today also had me spending about an hour on my
server cleaning it up and out of ALL kinds of old files that were no longer
necessary. All in all, between trying to get a client site done and that,
I about lost my mind. I stare way too long at the computer screen these
days... But at least now, the foundation for this site is set down, and
now I just have to start plugging in the rest of the content for you all
to see. |
|
| There is
also a new journal of sorts that I created for this site. One that I hope
can lighten my mental burden creatively, and maybe a month or so from now,
a small forum. Why a forum, you may ask? Well, it's more along the line
of a place where I can ask people feedback on things when the online store
comes to fruition. It may even become a place where people can let me know
what they think about stuff that will be created out of here, and any other
issues that can arise. Eventually, I had envisioned it as a small art community,
really no different than others out there. Who knows? That's still months
away. The guestbook will also now be moved over to the "Interface"
area within the next week. |
| Some stuff
I have been asked about are prints and posters and items like that. I am
trying to figure out the most cost effective way and sizing that I can find
to get these made and available for a decent price. Maybe that will be one
of the first polls on here or one the forum? SEE?! There IS a use for a
forum, and not just my for stroking my ego! |
5:43
PM |
July
27, 2006 |
| Art
influences... |
| I like
going to the Nelson-Atkins museum when I get the chance. Today while working
on some stuff, I started thinking about whether or not that is always a
good idea. I say this is for this reason. Can too much exposure to other
art forms and ideas eventually leave one maybe UNISPIRED? I guess
it's because I tend to worry that all the good ideas I have are just re-envisionings
of other established ideas. That can't be a good thing... look what it's
done to Hollywoods run on movies. I guess that it doesn't affect my graphic
design as such, but my painting and illustration? I really wonder from time
to time... And often I just find my mind wandering even when in the presence
of greatness... |
|
10:08 AM |
July
27, 2006 |
| Never
trust someone with 3 fingers... |
| Last night,
I went about adding that fine icon you now see next to that little picture
of me, so that any of you who choose, can see if I am online or not. The
adding of the guestbook though was a bit of a messy affair, and so reluctantly
I called in an "expert" who said he was man enough for the job
of trying to reconvert and reload my guestbook back onto the site... |
|
| Needless
to say, Lenny, the lion in the above picture, came through finally about
4 AM or so. What should have taken 2 hours max, degenerated into 24 cans
of Dr. Pepper, 3 pepperoni pizzas, and the wrestling of a Shetland Pony...
but that's another story. So now that I am back in the saddle, I can say
that there is a guestbook up and active now, so any and all of you can sign
it. Thanks again for visiting! |
5:24 PM |
July
26, 2006 |
| VISINE!!!
My kingdom for some VISINE!!! |
| It's official,
I freakin' HATE staring at the screen and working on client websites. Mostly
because my eyes hurt from sitting here and wanting to spend more time making
them look nice. I love my job... I really do, but how many of you out there
sometimes just get headaches at the prospect of just THINKING about doing
some aspect of your job? And yeah, it's ironic considering that I am updating
this site, and working on it on the side, but it's MY site, and I actually
feel like I am getting something accomplished from time to time. |
|
| So... yeah.
About right now, I feel like lying down and drinking a nice, tall glass
of sand. Somehow, even THAT must feel better than the migraine I am a sportin'
right now... |
2:32 PM |
July
25, 2006 |
| Strange
yet funny comic I picked up. |
| When I
was a young boy, I used to read a comic called "the Rawhide Kid"
that fullfilled my cowboy mind adventures. So... when I found out that it
was being re-released but with new stunning cover art and new stories, that
were illustrated in the look of the earlier artwork from the Silver Age
of comics. I was just literally jumping for joy! |
|
| Well, sometimes
things change, and I think in this case, it was for the better. The Rawhide
Kid is back in great form, still a helluva shot, able to fisticuff it up
with any hooligan, and... he's gay. And believe it or not, it actually works!
I got into this with issue #3, but I cannot wait to get the rest of the
series. This particular issue even has a HALARIOUS run-in with two characters
from the old TV show "Bonanza". If you get the chance, and are
into comics, hell even if you're not, pick this series up, and prepare to
revisit or venture for the first time into really well written and completely
over the top adventure. Wow, I bet you guys are glad I reworked my site
now, huh? :D |
11:55 AM |
July
25, 2006 |
| Busy
week here at work, but still working on site. |
| No changes
to be added this week as of yet. But, I am working on configuring a journal
for this site, so that this can stay as more of a "updates to the site"
area. This is mainly because I did a video and photo journal of sorts of
my trip to Las Vegas when I and my boss went to the 2006 HOW Design Conference.
It was cool as all hell. I should have some photos up as soon as I can,
and maybe a video or two, if I have decent usable footage. I looked at a
lot of the footage on the plane, when we where enroute back to Kansas City,
and I am NO Steven Spielberg, but there was some pretty good stuff. I think
this all came about because of some video diaries I have seen that were
pretty informative and entertaining as well, (namely Peter Jackson's "King
Kong Production Diaries" and Simon Pegg's "Shaun of the Dead"
video diary), and I had wanted to be able to shoot a documentary at some
time about a lot of projects that are going on around here. Besides, the
view from the hotel was just brilliant. That big black Pyramid is HUGE.
And wait till you see what was INSIDE that sucker! |
|
| Sometimes
it's mind boggling to me how some artists are able to keep their own respective
sites up and active as often as they do. I mean, literally, there are only
so many hours in a day, and if I could make days be 48 hours or longer,
I sooo would have that in a snap! But what're ya going to do? |
9:55 AM |
July
21, 2006 |
| Memory
Page updated. |
| Added another
older peice of work, and finished up the history backgrounds of all the
rest of the works currently featured in that area, complete with titles
and mediums they were rendered in. |
| I am still
trying to photograph or scan a lot of my newer stuff, but it's taking me
a little while to get everything accomplished. Thanks again for stopping
by, you all. |
5:58 PM |
July
20, 2006 |
| Memory
Page is up now. |
| The first
few works in thumbnail form, from the past years, with a little bit of history
to them coming soon! A lot of these will be available in limited print sets
soon. And at a cost yet to be determined, but one that should be friendly
for all pocketbooks! |
| 9:37 AM |
July
20, 2006 |
| Tech
Support page is up. |
| The "Tech
Support" page is just the contact and F.A.Q. area of the site where
you can find answers to many questions in your mind about me or this site.
|
| Other areas
of the site are still offline, and if you click on the other links in that
oh so handy navigation area over on the left hand corner, you will be led
to an under construction graphic. |
| I am working
as fast as I can to get the rest of this site up and going, but after almost
2 years of having no real working site, there is a lot to clean up, and
a lot to organize. Thank you all who are visiting this site for your patience.
I really do appreciate it. |
| 10:55 PM |
July
19, 2006 |
| First
entry... |
| Welcome
to Wraith Studios. I finally managed to get this site up and running in
a halfway decent shape. I needed to get an online presence back up to at
the very least chronicle my creative path and get some of my art and different
projects up. |
| There's
a load of stuff and more info coming up just in the next few days for you
guys to see. Since the last incarnation of the site, I have had a lot of
new art that hasn't had the oppurtunity to see the light of day. |
| Aside from
that, I also have hobbies, thoughts, and sometimes random photography that
I felt the need to share with the world. |
| So with
that, I will end this entry, and get back to getting the rest of this site
built. |
