Happy Holidaze Everyone! Whatever you celebrate, there is one underlying similarity that we all should practice. That is spending time with the ones you love the most. So here is to you and yours!

All the best,

Dapper

P.S. Thanks for the crit Geoffrey! I used the words of wisdom and re did the layout :) Hope you digs!

The winter holidays are coming up quick it seems. So, I thought I had better post some holiday cheer. My family celebrates Christmas, but what is Christmas really? I'm not religious by any means, and I believe that everyone should practice whatever they feel is right for them. But why is there a tree in my place, and where did Rudolph come from? I suppose I should just research it, but I would like to hear what you think and feel.

First off is my yearly tradition, paying homage to one of my favorite films. A Christmas Story is one of those films you can easily define as classic. I think the thing that is so enjoyable about it is that it's completely sincere in what it is saying. Also, through Ralphie's eyes you see everything with that innocent perception adults seem to lose growing up. I've been itchin to do this scene for a year. Probably as much itching as you would do if you had to wear that Pink Bunny costume, lol.

Secondly, is another yearly pic. It's a humble homage to one of my favorite writers, Dr.Suess, and one of my favorite animators, Chuck Jones. The book is amazing and the cartoon is genius.
I felt last years pic suffered from poor composition. This year I'm trying to incorporate more tension and use of negative space. Plus, this is the first time I've tried my hand at Max. My daughter absolutely adores him, and I really hope she likes this pic when it's done. I'll be sure to post it when I'm done.

Thanks to all that are coming to the page to check out my work, it's very appreciated!

Cheers

Last week had an endless supply of Bond! I caught the trailer for Quantum, and thought it looked like it could be an exciting film to watch. I still hadn't seen Casino Royale and from other people's thoughts on the film, it was a must see. Thursday night a friend and I watched the film, and I have to say that I enjoyed it more than the Connery films, which were at the top prior to seeing this. I think it was the pacing of Casino that made it more successful. Also, I think Daniel Craig's Bond is right up there with Connery's. These two actors get "Bond". The attitude, the charisma and the ruthlessness. The intro for Casino is totally noteworthy, I really enjoyed the visuals and flow to it. Without getting into a full review of the film, I'll say that it's a sweet ride and highly recommended. My only quirp with the film was how Vespar died. That scene felt awkward and forced. I can understand that it was a huge turning point for Bond's character. However, I think her death (which was necessary) could have happened in another manner.

Friday night, I caught the 10:15 showing of Quantum. I will not say anything about the films plot points or scenes in particular, as I hate to ruin the surprise of films. It's rare I watch trailers even. I will tell you one thing I liked and one thing disliked. I did like the action, and what do you expect from a Bond film. They are classic for over the top action sequences. Unfortunately the camera work was REALLY hard to follow during fight scenes. It's like the director took his cues from Joel Schumacher's Batman daze. There is one scene that doesn't suffer from this though, and it's a good one. A lot of people are having mixed thoughts on this film. I think of it as a bridge to bring in the big guns, an action intermission if you will. I have a feeling the next installment will be the best of the 3, just have to be patient for 2 more years.

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been very busy lately, but I am making a New Year's resolution for January to post more often. I also plan to post more sketches and thoughts instead of final works. Some insight as to how I work and what the process is.


I just finished an illustration for a card set featuring the AVGN James Rolfe. I'm a big fan of both James and Mike Matei's work on the show, as well as their individual works. So, getting to do a card was a great opportunity.

On Octorber 31st I finished the "13 Ghosts of Hallowe'en." It features 13 of the spookiest haunts from the Ghostbusters universe. I would like to do a Ghostbusters comic book, so if any of you have connections let me know! Here are some samples below, you can find the rest of the ghouls here; Ghostbusters Gallery


I've also wrapped up the last of the Marvel Masterpieces 3 Artists Proof cards. These were so much fun to do, mainly because I used traditional mediums as opposed to my usual digtial work. Some of them turned out pretty swell. Here are some samples,

More art to come! Thanks for looking :)

Dapper

Hallowe'en is fast approaching! Anyone that has followed my blog here for a while knows that I think it's the cat's pajamas. Fall is easily my favorite time of the year.


I did have some big things planned, but had to hold back on them due to some other matters of importance. As always though, there will be a Ghostbusters piece, maybe even two...or three more. Above you will see Vinz, who just possessed Louis Tully. Apparently many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you. Here is also a detail of one of the upcoming pieces.


I did a pin up for Udon's Street Fighter Tribute book, which came out at the San Diego Con this past summer. I was humbled to be asked to participate, as I have always had a soft spot for the first few SF games on the SNES. Had to roll with Blanka on this one. Never liked Ken, so he got the brunt of the electric attack. I'm also selling official prints of this. Each print is 8x10, and comes with a quick sketch of your favorite SF character. All that for only $15!


I cannot express enough how important this next subject is to not only me, but to every person on this planet. Consider for a moment, a "Revolution of consciousness." I have a firm belief in the good of humanity, and the endless possibilities of the human spirit. I'm not a religious person, or a person that is quick to accept any given knowledge. I question everything. I recommend everyone who reads this to take some time out from whatever you are doing right now, and watch this video; Zeitgeist: Addendum Part 1. Please watch all 13 videos, and sincerely question what is important to you as a human, and what you want out of life. There is so much more than what we have now, and all we need to do is remember who we are. I'm sure you have heard the news about the US economy, and it will only get worse. Once the US falls into possibly the worst depression in the known history, it will send aftershocks throughout the world, affecting everyone. John Lennon's lyrics in these songs describe two things. 1) What we are now, and 2) What we can aspire to be if we truly believe in ourselves. It's time to wake up

Sincerely,

Dapper

I think it's about time for a new post! First off, I'd like to mention that I'm now selling my Artist Proof Sketch Cards from the Marvel Masterpieces 2 collection. I have 7 cards left! If you are interested in these rarities, let me know in this post, and I'll contact you. I'm also offering some on E Bay for those of you that are auction savy, Auction 1 & Auction2 .

Secondly, I'm way over due for a Teen Wolf picture. I'm not ashamed to say that I loved this movie when I was younger.

I was hoping to get one of my Nintendo pics in this years Iam 8-Bit, but alas I never heard back. Perhaps next year the Metroid pic will garner a place on the wall. Above is the finished Punch Out piece.

Hopefully I'll be postin some more goodies soon! Thanks again to everyone for the feedback, it's awesome!

Cheers

Dapper

Getting ready for the new Batman film coming out this week? I don't normally get very excited about seeing a film, but this one looks to be a great take on the dark knight. I like the direction, in that it isn't a complete take off from the books, at least as far as the Joker is concerned. At first, I wasn't sold on the look for Mr.J. However, I know that being an artist, making something your own is the most important thing when you are adapting something. It makes it unique and sometimes better. After watching the 4 or so min long sneak peek, with Joker robbing a mob bank, I was hooked. The way that he is portrayed is much more disturbed than that of the prankster Nicholson brought to the table. I'll always enjoy Jack's version, and Cesar's as well. Both completely different, but great. I've been enjoying James Rolfe's reviews of Batman in film. His take is smart, funny and rings true. Swing by and watch them on Spike TV here. Feel free to share your fav and least fav Batman moments in cinema. I'd like to hear what you all think :)

Cheers,

Dan

I had the pleasure of doing up the cover for issue 4 of Cereal:Geek magazine. I have only tried my hand at the cartoon version of Peter once before, so this was a great opportunity to try the other guys. This issue will go on sale early next month. It's a Horror issue as well, so get ready for some haunted Saturday morning insight!

Swing by Graham Crackers if you want a copy :)

Cheers!

Dan

I have many art traditions that I like to keep on top of every year. One of them being the annual Ghostbusters pic, the Christmas Story art and last but not least...my homage to the Nintendo Entertainment System (It really spans all of Nintendo's systems, but the 8-Bit is still king!). First it was Super Mario Bros, then The Legend of Zelda. This year I actually started two games, and decided to truck forward with one that has a little more "punch." I'd say this is about half done so far, with another handful of characters to join such as Doc, Dragon Chan, Mr.Sandman and Bear Hugger. It's nice to switch up styles once and a while so things stay fresh. When working in this style I really try to focus on the flow of lines. How they go into each other and overlap with color. I'm pushing the colors more this time as well, giving each character a larger palette than in the two previous NES pics. Let me know your thoughts! Aside from this, there are a few other cool things on the horizon. I'll keep you posted :)

Cheers,

Dan

In lieu of the new Indy movie due out in a few weeks, I've done up a few sketches. There are really so many scenes in the movies that make for great interpretation but I settled with these three. I'll do a fourth one after I see the movie and post that up too. Cheers!

It's been a while since the last post. Not too much to report though, keepin busy and enjoying the fact that the sunny weather has finally decided to make an appearance this year. Perhaps that image above can help keep ya cool in the heat? It's a detail of a larger pic, and will hopefully have that done within a few months. I'm hoping to start up another Nintendo piece, similar to the Zelda and Mario ones. I'll post some roughs of that soon.



Also, the Power Girl animation that I did for DC is up and on their myspace page. Swing by here:

Power Girl Animation

Let me know what you think :)

Cheers

Dapper

Hey everyone, thanks again for the comments on the work here. Greatly appreciated it is! Just thought I'd toss down some work so that you all know I'm alive. I don't have much to say art wise though. I'm in a process of re-new, and it's time I hit up the ol' life drawing again. I'm finding that my work isn't at a lvl I'd like it at, so I need to push it further. Also recently watched Bill Melendez's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." I remember watching this as a youngin'. My daughter loved it too. You can say that the animation isn't the best draftsmanship, but the story and acting here make it shine. You could say that about his work on the peanuts. Sure he was confined to the comic strip models, but the story's and heart in all of them show that he is a brilliant storyteller. Something in today's day and age is hard to find.

Long time no see! Here's a piece for Illustration Friday titled, "Leavem' In Stitches". The Joker always knows how to dropem dead ;) Alas, I had no time to color it, perhaps in the future. I've been super busy, and this month is no exception. There are lots of cool things coming up, and 2008 is gonna be one heck of a ride!