It’s been killing me to not show everyone what I’ve been working on. But for now it’s a secret. It’s like being stuck underground when...

Be prepared to do a whole lot more than art.

I knew nothing about anime this time last year. Well that’s not completely true. I knew my buddy liked it. But I was not impressed at all at the time. Then I started drawing again, and eventually conceded to the pressure from the anime community to start drawing characters from their favorite shows. I didn’t get it at first. But the more I drew, the more curious I got. And that curiosity soon bloomed into full blown stylistic overhaul of everything I had known before. One Pie

I wasn’t in the mood to draw anything that day. I had no motivation or inspiration. Sometimes, when I’m uninspired and feeling bummed I have learned to think about someone that might be extra stoked to get something from me as a gift… then it hit me. @stevendmichael had a Bday right around the corner, and there is no bigger One Piece fan. Luffy is one of his favorites, so I set out to conquer. And as it happens so often, when my intentions are selfless, and the focus is on th

As a kid under 10 growing up in middle America back in the 80’s, the fun thing to do was walk to our corner store, buy a cold drink, maybe a snack and look at whatever caught our eye. Cheap toys, the swirling slushee machine, magazines, and comics… 😏 It was at this tiny little 7-11 on SW 89th and May where I first encountered Wolverine. Marc Silvestri was the artist of the comic sitting in my 10 year old hands, and I had never seen human forms drawn so dynamically. So feroci

I’ve always liked the idea of catching our favorite heroes/anti-heroes in moments beyond the typical action packed battle of good vs evil. (Those are still cool tho btw 😅) But the idea of seeing Frank at the END of yet another battle? Aspirin already open in a bloody knuckled hand, shotgun still fuming with a splattering of shells surrounding him. Enemies now successfully vanquished, a long drag on a freshly lit smoke… Bruised, cracked, cut and bleeding… the pain after adren

Venom has always been a brute, but he’s always been more of a Rock, or an Arnold. I wanted to draw him more like a power lifter. Just thick to the seams, no neck at all, not a ton of muscle definition, but pure power. Hands are mitts, teeth are more liken to chomping through steel than slashing through flesh. And I always loved the cool lighting Todd McFarlane would put on Spidey. So that influence is definitely here. Stay Good. Amplify Your Dopeness. and have a nice day! 👊���

As a relentlessly sarcastic human being myself, I relate strongly to Deadpool. His sense of humor is dark, aggressive, and condescending. And like Wade, it’s gotten me in trouble more than once in my life. (Maybe not as many sword and/or gun fights) 😅 I loved the idea of a finger gun to the head, as DP exudes his excitement about the latest political debate, resulting in an explosion of lights and sparkling bokeh. The unicorn on his belt reminding us all that while he wields

Michael Keaton’s Batman was a staple memory for me. We were living in a tiny town in Kansas at the time. Money was tight, and options were slim anyway. But my Dad and I would walk to the theater, which was only a few blocks from our house, and watch movies together. At the time Innerspace was the bane of my fathers existence. We had watched that a half dozen times, which as an adult, is way too many times. Luckily Batman came out and soon crushed the rewatch record. Keaton wi

Listen. Say what you will… but I remember being 12 years old, hanging out with my bestie, talking about how much we wish they would make a bad ass Spider Man movie. This was 1992. No internet. Tobey was nowhere to be seen. Rumors floated for years. But no Spider Man. That bestie of mine passed a few weeks back. Covid is a mFer. 😔 I know how hyped he would be for this movie. And I wanted to share that hype with all of you. 😍❤️

As ambitious humans, we have to find a way to break through the barriers that come up in the pursuit of our ideals. Whether we are fighting for our country, a cause, our family, or a dream… it’s war. I think that’s why I gravitate toward the fantasy/comic/anime hero genre. They’re relentless. Determined. Unwavering. Focused. Principled. All traits I yearn to earn. This piece embodies all of that, both in the imagery and the challenge of its manifestation. Onto the next. 👊🏻���

The process of getting better always has hurdles, obstacles, and mental blockages that get in our way. Move forward despite them, and no matter what, they will fall as long as you don’t give up.

Week 1 of tigers for my #1monthtogrow project. I chose tigers because I love Japanese tattoo iconography. And while these aren’t in a traditional Japanese tattoo art style, I still wanted to study and develop my own approach to them. It’s been surprisingly therapeutic and engaging. I really just wanted to get back in the habit of working consistently, and have realized through this process that it hasn’t been my love of art that has caused my struggled, but rather my own root

Life is vicious and relentless and terrifying. It is also beautiful and delicate and fleeting… So we must be both strong and gentle… We must be both the tiger and the butterfly.

One week in and I can testify that I am truly enjoying this process. I wasn’t expecting quite the level of joy that I am experiencing studying these animals. However, I will definitely continue this journey and see how far I can go. I wasn’t as happy with yesterday’s work, but I am learning to love learning. And mistakes, as we all know, are the best teachers.

I love figuring out the anatomy and proportions. It’s a nice break from human faces. The stripes and movement of the fur is fun to render. Their jaws are insanely powerful, so I wanted to play around with that on this one. Staying consistent and continuing to evolve is what this month is all about. I’m excited about my progress!

Started a one month challenge using nothing but tigers. Drawing one a day and just focusing on getting better daiIy. Used a life reference for this one. I’m still learning the proportions and dynamics of their faces. The stripes are a ton of fun, and getting the teeth right helps with making the tiger look dimensional. Can’t wait to see my progress at the end of the month.

Freehand ballpoint pen portraits are hard. There’s no correcting. There’s no going back and erasing to fix something. You put a line down and it’s there to stay. So I’d rate this portrait a 7/10 or 8/10... it’s not quite perfect. The likeness is close but not exact. The individual features are pretty good. But this guy that I drew is always talking about “just put out your content and get better”. So @garyvee here you go buddy. Not bad.

These Mac Miller lyrics beautifully capture the fickle nature of life. The delicate and fleeting moment of total confidence we rarely experience that is often squelched by the thunderous crash of ego’s inevitable fall. Why do we punish ourselves with the unhealthy pursuit of superiority? Why do we abuse our psyche with a desire for the unattainable ideal of perfection? Is it for those moments? Is it to push our boundaries? Is it for our betterment or for our downfall? Mac Mil

Even when it turns out this good, I still see all the mistakes I made. What I would’ve done different. Where the lines should’ve gone, how the proportion might be off, if the shading is right, etc etc etc. But that’s part of the reason why I use pen only, with no pencil rough. I have to force myself to accept my decisions and not second guess. I have to be patient in my initial line work, and make every stroke count. (Hehe, I said “stroke”). I don’t think I’m alone. I think a