Christmas Cats.

I wanted to do a series of cats in Christmas sweaters for December, but I've been too busy with other stuff. It was Matt Benyo's genius idea so I can't take credit. However, I decided to whip one up to see what it would look like. I'm going to make it into cards. If you want to buy one, let me know. Perhaps more to come.

Yard Sale Lyric Video!

Matt and I are both SUPER excited to announce that the lyric video for Neon Hitch's song, Yard Sale, has just debuted done by us! I drew everything in the video (minus the lyrics, which were done by Neon) and Matt colored all of my illustrations, put the video together, and animated everything. I can't state this enough: A TON OF WORK WENT INTO THIS! I am beyond thrilled I got to work on this with a talented partner, but also a talented musician. This was a rush job! We had to bust it out. Here are some stills from the video. The first one was the drawing before Matt colored it. Click to enlarge images and watch the video by clicking below!

Post Halloween!

Yesterday I was Mick Foley/Mankind/Cactus Jack ALL IN ONE. The best part about my costume? The mask. Matt Benyo single handedly made my costume amazing. This was just a thin layer of foam from Michael's and using paint and markers, Matt made this thing look like LEATHER! I did the gold rivets with a sharpie, but those are insignificant compared to the overall mask. I was in love with my costume and I won the costume contest at our friend's party! $10 gift certificate to Timmy Ho's! I tried to Mandible Claw a few people, but Mr. Socko enjoyed himself nonetheless. Matt was this cool skeleton inspired by Tate from season 1 of American Horror Story. Also, his hair is corn rowed. I did that. Click to see the details!

In honor of today's CELEBRACION of Dia de los Muertos, I whipped up a skeleton musician. His music is in memory of those that have passed and so his music speaks to the spirits. I wanted it to be fun and colorful. Matt Benyo said the word of the day is simplicity so I tried to keep that in mind. I used illustrator! Check it out!

All Hallow's Eve.

When we're growing up, October is filled with endless possibilities. Every sound we hear is a monster waiting to grab us. The shadows shift and we know it's the boogeyman. There is no other month in the year that tugs at our imagination like the month of October. Although the month has changed as I have gotten older, I still find myself catching my breath if I hear a strange noise or if the lights flicker. Maybe we never really lose being on edge because what if? It's funny to me how all of that goes out the window tomorrow though. A quick transition to a different world. However, let us take the time to really enjoy this night. The night where anything can happen because anything happens all the time. The night where we all get to be something else.

This Drawlloween has been incredible. I have watched my own abilities grow and I have produced some work I am truly proud of. I wish it was October all year round. There isn't a month that comes with more inspiration than this and seeing everyone make art for it has been a real treat.

However, I don't think anyone has improved more in this month long challenge than Matt Benyo. Matt Benyo, if you can improve this much in a month, imagine where you'll be in 3 months. Don't lose that momentum and keep making art.

I thought it appropriate to end this month with some of the iconic killers we have come to identify. This has been an amazing October. Thank you to everyone that has kept up with my endeavors. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Leatherface.

Nothing scares me more than a chainsaw. I can't handle it. Instant adrenaline and all of a sudden I'm Usain Bolt. Leatherface kind of terrifies me. It's probably because of his hulking mass and the fact that he can run super fast while wielding a chainsaw. Oh and the fact that you can't tell what he's thinking with his mask on. Here is a scary illustration that I whipped up the other day and loved, but also felt perfectly conveyed him. This is perfect for Devil's Night. Click to enlarge!

Harry Potter Forever.

Harry Potter is just as magical to me now as it was back then. I can still remember that rush I felt reading the books and seeing the movies. I will never forget how I felt actually entering Harry Potter world and being immersed in the environment OR when Matt Benyo and I snagged tickets to the studios over in England when it had been sold out months in advance and walking down the actual streets of Diagon Alley. I'm telling you, it has all been pure magic. The fact that a series can evoke this sort of wonder and enchantment, astounds me. IT IS SO POWERFUL! So, October and Halloween wouldn't be complete without an ode to everyone's favorite wizards and witches. So, I drew some of the main characters from Harry Potter and Hogwarts, of course. I love this piece a lot. I really like how the castle turned out. I used micron pens to draw everything and then edited it and gave Hogwarts the glow on Photoshop. Click to enlarge for details!

Nightmare Before Christmas.

I happen to enjoy the Nightmare Before Christmas. It's iconic, it meshes two of my favorite times of year, it's highly stylized, and it screams Tim Burton. That movie came to define a generation! Hot Topic STILL prides itself on selling merchandise from that movie! I wanted to draw something without it looking exactly the way they do in the movie. So, I looked at a photo for a few minutes and then drew it from my head and changed the background a little. I was messing around with my process on Photoshop. I'm not in love with it; probably because it looks nothing like my work usually does, but it's different. Sometimes different isn't that bad. Click to enlarge!

Bloody Face.

This is the big one. The one that inspired everything.

I finished it in September, but nope, couldn't post it then. Matt Benyo even said, "You should wait and post that in October" and so here we are. I was going to wait until Devil's Night, but the theme for today's Drawlloween is "Mask" and so this seemed too fortuitous to pass up.

Prior to AHS: Freakshow, Matt Benyo and I binge watched all 3 of the previous seasons of American Horror Story; except we watched it 2, 1, & 3. We heard terrible things about 2 so we weren't looking forward to it, but the 2nd season, Asylum, ended up being the best one.

I knew as soon as I saw Bloody Face in the first episode, I had to draw him or, in this case, paint him. Challenge accepted. However, what a challenge this turned out to be. I got 1/3 of the way done with it and wanted to throw in the towel, but I kept going. I used watercolor. I also took progress shots as I did it. When I finished it, I edited it in Photoshop and this is it, man.

Definitely one of the most intense paintings I've done. It's two sketchbook pages big. I didn't want to lose the essence of the watercolor, but at the same time, it needed to be opaque so I think I handled that balance well. Click to enlarge to see details!

Clowns.

I don't have a clown phobia like most people. I'm pretty okay with them. However, if out of context of the circus, I might start to get a little worried; if I saw one walking down the street. I painted a bunch of old clowns. Some of them are mean and some of them aren't. Maybe they are all murderers. YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER! I used gouache and did this in my sketchbook. Click to enlarge!

Ouija Board!

Matt Benyo won passes to see Ouija. We thought it was going to be terrible, BUT we were pleasantly surprised. Not the best movie ever, but there were some solid jumpy parts. There were TWO PARTS where I got chills. Olivia Cooke is in it and she is great. So, a few days prior to seeing the movie, I wanted to do a drawing of some kids playing with a Ouija board and, as a result, summoned this demon! I used micron pens and did shadows & highlights in Photoshop! Click to enlarge!

Cause Stone Cold Said So!

This is the best thing I've done. I think this blows Lydia Deetz out of the water. Maybe it's because I'm more passionate about Stone Cold. Matt Benyo suggested I draw Stone Cold's skull for Drawlloween day #19, SKULL. So, I went one up and drew Stone Cold. Then I told him I needed it to be all ages so he suggested the ghost on the finger and finally, it was his clever idea to mark cards. So, I'm selling Halloween cards and prints of him. The cards will say something inside that you can send to a friend. These sayings will include something Stone Cold says. It's randomized. Shoot me an email if you're interested! This black and white line image is the underwire of the masterpiece. I used illustrator! Click to enlarge.

Lydia Deetz.

The original goth. All around emo. It's Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz. Pretty good character from a great movie. Beetlejuice was something else. I need to watch that. STAT. I decided to draw Lydia out and then go over that drawing in Illustrator. I think there is a softness to her face when you're looking at it small. I wanted to mesh the soft features with the harsh graphic highlights of the hair. So ch-ch-check it out!

Goosebumps!

Today's inktober challenge is a scarecrow. I didn't initially plan on participating, but then I remembered my favorite Goosebumps book: The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight! Matt Benyo, the genius that he is, suggested I paint the cover and then put the goosebumps title over it; like the book! So, here is a progress shot, the finished painting, AND the final fit in with the book cover! I was really happy with it! I painted this with gouache (not WATER PAINTS as suggested by Rhiannon) and I really am digging painting again. It feels good. What was your favorite Goosebumps book? Click to enlarge for details!

Twisty the Clown.

I am greatly anticipating tonight's episode of American Horror Story: Freakshow. I was inspired by the clown, Twisty. He's wonderfully creepy. I busted out my gouache and painted him on my sketchbook cover Blake Bradley made for me. I was actually surprised by how not bad this turned out because I haven't painted with gouache in YEARS. I used black, white, and gold for a nice pop!

Is There Life on (Elsa) Mars?

For those of you that didn't catch American Horror Story: Freakshow, you didn't miss too much, but you better catch up now! The end concluded with Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) doing a lovely rendition of "Life on Mars" by David Bowie. I decided to whip up an illustration of such. I did cutouts on Photoshop. I wanted it to have less of the circus elements and more of that out there sort of "spacey" vibe. This was a particularly cool post because Matt Benyo and I used the same reference so we both have the same piece, but in our own styles. Head over to his blog to check his amazing piece out by clicking HERE and, as always, click to enlarge for details!

AHS: Coven.

I spent 2 or 3 days on this. At first I didn't think it was going to be good and then it turned out kind of cool. This is the second time I'm going to say this, but this is one of the best things I've pulled off yet. Angela Bassett might be my favorite character. So, this is based off of the major characters in American Horror Story: Coven. Click to enlarge to see details and read quotes!

The Addams Family.

Let's go back to the original Freak Show, The Addams Family! Matt Benyo (he's not updating frequently; check it out) drew Morticia Addams in this really neat, caricaturesque way and it inspired me. So, I drew my Morticia based off of what I remembered his looking like and then followed suit with the rest of the gang. I like Uncle Fester and the kids the best. Also, since it's Wednesday, that's why I'm posting this (Wednesday Addams). I drew it in pencil, went over it with Micron pens, and edited it in Photoshop. Click to enlarge!

Pepper.

This is undoubtedly one of the best things I've done lately. I am beyond proud of this. This is another version of Pepper from American Horror Story that I did. I didn't post the first one though. Anyway, this is about as mixed media as it gets. I used colored pencils, regular pencils, watercolor, and photoshop. I decided to post pictures as I did it so you could see the process. I feel like this captures basically exactly what I was going for. Pretty pumped about it! Click to enlarge and enjoy!

Grumpy Jack White.

He didn't want to go. He hates sports. Does he want a soda? NO. He just wants to sit there and be miz. Since it's October, I made him green and like a zombie. Or a goblin. Grumpy Goblin Jack White. If Grumpy Cat was a person, it would be Jack White in this photo. I also made this really small. That was an accident.

The Bearded Lady.

FIRST OFF: Matt Benyo is back to updating his blog and he has been making some awesome art. If you haven't already, head over there to see it. The thing I love about Matt Benyo's art is how real and raw it is. If I took all the time that he has been drawing and put it together, it'd be maybe 2 years total. He impresses me.

I am getting SO PSYCHED for American Horror Story: Freak Show. I've always been drawn to the circus and the freaks. Tod Browning's Freaks has always been a personal favorite of mine. It's a classic from 32. Look it up! It's interesting. I feel like there's so much mystery surrounding these people and the environment houses this sort of magic that I can't quite explain. So, I whipped up a Bearded Kathy Bates. Well, it's supposed to be Kathy Bates. Slightly off, but it doesn't bother me. I drew it out, used colored pencil, went over it in watercolor (and that's the first one). The second one, I added some writing in pencil and edited it in photoshop with a few textures and a lot of layers. I think it's a little busy, but I spent too much time making it not to post it. Bring on the Freak Show. Click to enlarge!

Laughing in the Dark.

Well, boys and ghouls, let's kick October off! Matt Benyo and I went on this binge and watched a bunch of Are You Afraid of the Dark? episodes. The Tale of Laughing in the Dark has always stuck with me. It scared my little sister, Shelby, when we were growing up because of Zeebo the clown. It's about a spook house at a carnival that has a clown at the end and this kid steals his nose and then the clown COMES TO HIS HOUSE to get it back! You know, this show was only rated Y7. This is too much for a seven year old. While watching, we drew along with the episodes. I used watercolor and microns. Click to enlarge! Happy October everyone!

Happy Birthday, Bill Murray!!

Today is a special day. Why? Because it's Bill Murray's BIRTHDAY! The great one is 64 today. Bill Murray is on my list of top celebrities to meet. I'd die. I wish he would show up and crash a party I was at. Of course, I'd have to actually attend parties for that to happen. #recluse. I spent the evening doing some sketches and went with this Steve Zissou one. I was going to do it in illustrator, but instead decided to just color it in Photoshop WITH the help of Matt Benyo because apparently I don't know what I'm doing at all. One of these days I'm going to make something on my own, but really I'm gracious that I have someone to help me and critique my stuff. Bill Murray, I love you. Happy Birthday. I'm sure it will be as wild as you are.

Jeremy & Kari.

Matt Benyo and I were honored to have been asked to create the Save the Dates for our dear friends, Jeremy Cappello and Kari Ennis. I've been friends with Jeremy since 2002 and I've known Kari since middle school. I couldn't be happier for the two of them as they prepare for their trip to the altar. It has been an exciting ride thus far and when I met with them to discuss Save The Date ideas, we chose this one involving Detroit. They are getting married at the beautiful Colony Club and I wanted to capture the area. There was so much preliminary work that went into this. I'll include some of the building sketches, but I drew 20 heads for each of them and these were the ones they chose. After I drew everything, Matt Benyo took it into Photoshop and brought it to life. He was also responsible for all of the calligraphy and the beautiful J&K symbol. We received these in the mail YESTERDAY and I ran out to the mailbox like a 10 year old. It was so exciting opening it and having a tangible copy!! Next will be the invitations; PRESSURE IS ON! Matt and I are both really proud of what we created and Jeremy and Kari have both commended our efforts. I am so excited for this wedding because I know it's going to be special for two very special people that I get to call my friends. Here's to Jeremy and Kari! I urge you to click to enlarge because there's a ton of detail.

Warner Blvd!

This is the cover Matt Benyo and I created for Neon Hitch's single, Warner Blvd! When we met Neon back in April, I told her manager I was an artist and before we left, she asked if I was really serious about doing some art and of course I was! So, she gave me her card. I went back to Matt's and (with a kick in the pants from Matt) I came up with sketches and this is the one Neon went nuts about. So, together, we fleshed this thing out. I did all of the drawing and Matt made it look insane with the colors and edits. There are so many subliminal things in this piece and we are both so proud of it. Neon went nuts when we showed it to her in New York (this was when we worked on it at the bar with her) and it's finally getting some air and going around with the single. Team work makes the dream work! CLICK TO ENLARGE!

RIP Joan Rivers.

We were driving to get Matt's oil changed and he said, "You know, Joan Rivers is probably going to die." You know, I don't think Joan Rivers went into this thinking she wasn't going to wake up and that scares me. Joan Rivers was a ball of fire. A pistol. Will her shoes ever be filled? RIP Joan Rivers.

In Memory.

It was Andy Warhol's birthday so I drew this and then Robin Williams died so I drew him as well. It's unfortunate that the greats leave us too soon. We should recognize people's greatness while they are still around so they can revel in the appreciation.

Wrestling in 1999.

For the past 2 weeks, I've been laboring away on this giant piece. I used expo markers on a dry erase board to create the magic of WWF wrestling circa 1999. Now, I did leave off a few key wrestlers and I am sad I didn't get around to finishing them, but I got most of them AND I am aware that King and JR should be switched (Thanks, Matt Benyo), but after I drew them I didn't want to redraw them. I really like how this turned out. I've gotten better with the expo marker (see my first expo collage from 3 years ago: Harry Potter) and I am proud of this. Here I am, standing next to it for size comparison, holding the Sword of Destiny and rockin the pack. If you're down with this collage, give me a HELL YEAH! Click to enlarge for details!

Ramones & Clowns.

What have I been up to? Drawing and painting. I heard Tommy Ramone died on the radio a few days ago. He was the last original member of The Ramones! That's wild. We're all getting old. Time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana. LIFE. So, I drew this little tribute up today and posted it. I like it; especially the hair. I used micron pens. Additionally, I painted a vintage clown using watercolor and it's pretty alright. Still around. Still making art. If you want some, HOLLER. As always, click to enlarge!