Unexpected Guest

Just like my black widow picture, this drawing is also based on a true story. My girlfriend and I had spent a few days in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, where we had seen plenty of iguanas and lizards. On the morning of our departure, we were waiting for a taxi to take us to the ferry, and we could see a thunderstorm over Cancún across the sea. My girlfriend wanted to try to take some pictures of lightning, and so she put her camera bag on the ground and opened it to retrieve her camera. Much to her surprise, though, her Nikon wasn't the only thing being carried in the bag, as there was a scorpion as big as her hand chilling on top of the camera. After gasping and retreating a few steps, we both watched in shock as the scorpion leisurely walked out of the bag and crossed the sidewalk toward some conveniently located bushes. We didn't mess with it, it didn't mess with us, and we lived to tell the tale. However, can you imagine if she hadn't opened her camera bag right then and there? I can picture the bag going through the X-ray machine at the airport, and the security guards there freaking out at our attempt to inadvertently pull out a Scorpions on a Plane. That would have been awful, but the story inspired me to draw a slightly sillier version of what happened.

As opposed to the black widow picture, I decided to simply use linework instead of shades of gray on this drawing, and while I really like the end product, I keep thinking that I might go back and do some shading on it in the near future. My girlfriend thought it was funny, and I really like the body language, especially mine. The scorpion is also sort of cute, and I really like how adorably menacing he looks. I hope you guys like it too!

Gateway2Nowhere

Here you have yet another logo I was asked to design. My girlfriend's brothers have a band called Gateway 2 Nowhere, and they asked me if I could draw a logo for them. They had actually sketched what they wanted it to look like, and after asking them several questions and making sure I understood what they wanted, I set to improve on their original design by trying to tie all the elements together. They liked the end result, and I think it's true to their original concept while being an improvement at the same time, so everyone's happy. Enjoy!

Clothing Company

My girlfriend favors a particular type of clothes, which we have come to define as "Crystalwear." After visiting several stores and using the term more than a few dozen times, I decided to draw a label we could hang on clothes she liked, and that is how this picture came to be. She thought it was amusing and a good idea, and I hope you like it as well!

Convenient

This is another picture that was inspired by a conversation with my girlfriend, and I will let you imagine what was said and discussed based on the bag's brand. I used my blue backpack as a model, and I think the picture turned out very nicely. I hope you like it!

Legendary

Here you have a silly concept I came up with while joking with my girlfriend. For some reason, we started talking about grabbing butts, and just like that, the Legendary Assgrabber was born. I thought it would be funny to draw something that could serve as a universal picture for such a character, and this is what I came up with. I laughed a lot while working on it, and I hope it makes you chuckle too!

One Wish

This is yet another super quick sketch I drew while playing Dungeons & Dragons with my friends. It seems to be some kind of djinn or genie or some wish-granting creature, and I think it turned out rather cool, alien, and mysterious. As a matter of fact, I might draw a better version of this guy, since I really like him. Who knows, I might even use him in a future project! At any rate, I hope you like the picture!

Looking for a Logo IV

The last conversation I had with my girlfriend regarding what the logo for her farm should look like included her mentioning the possibility of adding other animals in the final logo. Taking into account everything that we had already discussed, I drew the fourth version of the Storybook Farm logo, which you can see next to these lines. She really liked the font I had used for the second variant of my first idea, so I stuck with it. Since she liked the horse head from the second design, I basically combined the font from the first sketch and the layout of the second. Finally, since she wanted some more animals in the logo, I added a zebra swallowtail butterfly (we saw one at the farm just the other day), and a dragonfly (she loves them), and tried to balance the composition by having one creature on each side and one in the middle. Finally, I added the "Equine Rescue" line underneath, and showed her the final product. Fortunately, she loved it, so maybe we'll use it in signs and stickers. Isn't that exciting? At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this little series of posts.

Eight Legged Freaks

Here you have a picture based on a true story. A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were working at the barn, and we had to empty a big trough to clean out the by then greenish water and fill it up with. This required a considerable amount of strength, and our efforts were rewarded with a sight from hell: underneath the huge trough there were a black widow, and a brown recluse, two of the most poisonous spiders on Earth. As you can see, this dangerous adventure inspired me to draw a cartoony rendition of what happened, and both my girlfriend and I agree it turned out really well. She loves the humongous black widow, and I am particularly fond of our faces. At any rate, I hope you like it!

Looking for a Logo III

After I showed ideas 1 and 2 to my girlfriend, she offered me some invaluable feedback that led me to draw the third version of the logo for Storybook Farm. She wanted "storybook" to be one word instead of two, and she liked the idea of the fairy tale book, but she liked the horse head in the second logo a lot. She also wanted to have a comparison between a sick horse and a healthy horse, and I combined all those elements in the picture accompanying this post.

You will certainly have noticed I didn't finish this picture, and that's because I wasn't sure how to make sure one of the horses looked thin and malnourished. My girlfriend said maybe I could draw a whole horse instead of just a head, and that reminded her of how much she liked the head on the second logo. We talked some more, and I came up with what I thought would be the best way to combine all these ideas. To see that, however, you'll have to come back in a couple of days!

Super Saiyan

Once again, I found myself sketching during a Dungeons & Dragons game, and, once again, I reverted to old cartoons I used to watch when I was little for inspiration. I recently showed you a Ninja Turtle, and this time we have a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball, that Japanese series we all used to eat up and now are too ashamed to admit it. As it happened with the Turtle, I hadn't drawn a Saiyan in over a decade, and I didn't have any photo reference to look at either, so I basically drew a generic Super Saiyan that is not supposed to be anybody in particular. Say what you will about Toriyama's most popular creation, but the Super Saiyan look is so visually arresting I could draw these guys on a weekly basis. Enjoy!

Looking for a Logo II

Here you have another idea I came up with to redesign my girlfriend's farm logo. This time, I ditched the book from the composition, and focused on the name and the horse, but I don't think I like it as much as the first couple of ideas I showed you recently. I think I'll keep working on this assignment, see what else I can come up with. Enjoy!

Ninja Sketch

Here you have a quick sketch I drew a couple of months ago that I was positive I had already shown you. This is one of those pictures I draw while playing Dungeons & Dragons, and I kind of like how it turned out. This is the first time I've drawn a Ninja Turtle in about fifteen years, if not longer, and I didn't have any photo reference to look at, so if it doesn't look exactly right, that's why. Anyway, I hope you like it!

Looking for a Logo I

Here you have a couple of ideas I came up with for Storybook Farm, my girlfriend's horse rescue. She asked me if I would redesign the logo, and I, needless to say, jumped at the opportunity. Obviously, I started playing with the idea of books and horses, which are the two defining things in the name and the actual operation, and this is what I came up with first. I went on to work on other ideas, but you'll have to wait to see those. Let me know what you guys think!

Lustful Venice

Watching Dangerous Beauty made me think of Assassin's Creed II, even though the movie takes place in Venice instead of Florence --because that's where ACII takes place, right? I haven't played in so long I'm not even sure! At any rate, the main character, courtesan Veronica Franco, reminded me of the courtesans you can hire to distract the guards in the game, and now that my 360 is finally out of the box again, it made me want to continue playing to finish the game after this four or five month hiatus.

At any rate, the movie was very entertaining, and I really liked Catherine McCormack's portrayal of the poet and courtesan, a strong woman whose tongue is as sharp as her sword. (Actually, I was also reminded of the hilarious swordfighting scenes in Monkey Island while watching the movie.) Therefore, if you haven't seen Dangerous Beauty and are in the mood for a Venetian love story, by all means check out this DVD!

Boats & Hoes

To continue with our Will Ferrell fest, my girlfriend and I decided to watch Step Brothers, and it was as funny as the other Ferrell movies we've been watching lately, if not funnier. I remember seeing the previews when it opened, and I wasn't sure if it was going to be funny or not, but it turned out to be hilarious. As it should be obvious from the title of this entry, the music video Boats & Hoes by Prestige Worldwide was one of my favorite things in the movie, but there's plenty of other really wrong (but funny) stuff in Step Brothers to keep you laughing from beginning to end, so go rent it now!

Missing Jaw

My girlfriend and I went to the World's Longest Yard Sale a couple of weeks ago, and this is one of the treasures we found. She spotted it first, and couldn't help but taking a picture of this creepy puppet. Had it not cost $60, we would have bought it to display it at our place, but the price being what it was, it would have been too expensive a joke. At least she got a picture, so we will be able to remember it forever. Enjoy!

Strike!

As those of you who have gone bowling with me know, I can't bowl to save my life, and that's why this video is so funny. Last week, I went bowling with my girlfriend and a few friends, and one of them, Brock, brought his camera with him. Apparently, my bowling moves were rather peculiar, and so Brock thought it'd be funny to shoot a video of me trying to knock down a few pins. Always a good sport when it comes to make fun of myself, I stepped to the camera and saluted... and then this happened. Isn't it hilarious? Enjoy!

Airbender: el último guerrero

El martes fui a ver esta película con una mínima esperanza de que fuese entretenida y estuviese bien hecha, pero no fue así. Como siempre, los efectos resultaron ser bastante buenos, pero el guión está comprimido, ya que tiene que contar demasiadas cosas en muy poco tiempo. No puedes meter todo lo que pasa en una serie de televisión de cientos de episodios en un par de pelis, y esto nos deja unas cuantas escenas de acción no muy bien ligadas, unos personajes no muy bien definidos y unas historias bastante cojas.

Los combates, que en principio deberían ser lo más espectacular, dejan bastante que desear, y el ataque a la ciudad es muy patético. Para colmo de males, fui a verla en 3D y lo único que había en este formato fueron los trailers; me quité las gafas y la peli se veía bien: vergonzoso. Así que, sinceramente, si podéis verla en el cine, no lo hagáis.

Living up to the Hype

For the last few years, everyone I know has been telling me I had to watch Anchorman because it was hilarious, and I finally got around to doing it. Fortunately, I have to agree with everyone: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a laugh riot, and if you haven't watched it, run to the nearest Walmart and get it for about four bucks. And when you're done, and to continue with the Will Ferrell fest, get yourself Talladega Nights, and thank me later.

Throwback

I bought The House of the Devil because it had gotten good reviews when it opened, and I remember wanting to go see it. Unfortunately, it didn't last long at the Rave, so I had to wait and get it on DVD.

The most interesting thing about the movie is that, even though it was made a couple of years ago, it's set in the 80's, and everything looks like the film was indeed shot then: wardrobe, hairstyles, technology (or lack thereof)… As for the movie itself, it is more of a suspense/thriller than a horror movie, and most of the movie consists of a slow build-up toward the final climax. So, if you like suspenseful thrillers rather than action-packed, blood-soaked horror fests, swing by The House of the Devil, because chances are you'll like it.

Mindf**k

I recently had a chance to watch Jacob's Ladder, and it reminded me of Inception. Actually, I should say it's the other way around, since Adrian Lyne's film came out in 1990. If you have seen both movies, you will know what I'm referring to: the dream within a dream within a dream device, even though the way Lyne and Nolan use it is very different. Still, and just like Inception, I enjoyed watching the movie a lot, and it was fun trying to figure out what exactly happened, and what it was I had just seen. Oh, and seeing such a young Tim Robbins was hilarious!

Spin Off!

Here you have the cover of Buzzard #1. Those of you who follow Eric Powell's The Goon will know who this awesome character is, and those of you who don't read Powell's terrific series, well, you should be ashamed. Guilt trips aside, this cover is a nice homage to the late Frank Frazetta's ultrapopular Death Dealer painting. I, for one, love it, and I thought I'd share it with you, so I hope you like it!

Creepy After Dark

The Mothman Prophecies was a spooky movie full of eerie events, strange situations, and creepy coincidences, but I'm still not sure what story we were being told. I enjoyed the movie's unsettling atmosphere, but I don't understand why the movie begins when it does and ends when it does. Is this the story of John Klein, or the story of the prophecies? I would say a little bit of both, but both threads, though intertwined, are left unfinished and somewhat unresolved in my opinion. My girlfriend said that, since the movie is based on a book based on actual events, it is what it is, and I can't argue with that. However, if you're turning this tale into a movie, the audience expects some kind of resolution, and that is not given in the film. Still, I enjoyed TMP a lot, and I'm glad a watched it.

Knife to the Eye

As you all know, I love Eric Powell's The Goon. About a year ago, the news about a Goon animated movie pleased me to no end, and the 2:36 minute concept trailer that was shown at this year's San Diego Comic Con blew my mind. The movie is being produced by David Fincher, and he is actively looking for a studio interested in financing the project. I hope he does, because I'm already dying to see this movie. If you're interested (and even if you're not), check out the trailer and let us know what you think. If you are familiar with The Goon, you will find the footage incredibly faithful to the comic book; and if you're not, maybe it will pique your curiosity and you'll feel like buying the first trade in the series. It is absolutely worth reading!

Souls & Swords

I just finished reading Ashbringer, a four-issue miniseries that takes place in Azeroth, of World of WarCraft fame, and I must say it wasn't all that great. The story by Micky Neilson was okay: not great, not bad; and while I enjoyed the artwork by Ludo Lullabi, it felt rushed on more that one occasion. Much to my surprise, the best thing in the book was Tony Washington's coloring job, which I thought was fantastic. Other than that, everything in the book was simply average, so I guess it could have been worse. Unfortunately, it could have also been better.

Romantic Italy

It was so strange to watch such a young Robert Downey Jr. in Only You. At the same time, and as it tends to be the case, he did a great job, and so did Marisa Tomei and Bonnie Hunt, for that matter. I thought the movie was funny, cute, and romantic, and although I had already seen it many years ago, it felt like I was watching it for the first time, because I didn't really remember anything at all. But it was very cute, and a great choice to watch with your girlfriend near the beach on a lazy summer afternoon. Ah, life is good.

Blue Copycat

Remember the Taken/The Keeper mash-up I regaled you with a couple of weeks ago? Well, today we have another one. This time, the movie poster being ripped-off is Avatar, and the copycat is a movie called Riverworld. For those of you who care, Riverworld stars Tahmoh Penikett and Laura Vandervoort, and it doesn't sound much like Avatar, but that cover is just a shameless imitation. Plus, sight unseen, I'm going to go ahead and say Riverworld isn't nearly as good as Avatar, but I might be wrong. I doubt that I'll bother to find out whether or not I'm right, though, but feel free to watch this film and let me know!

Bleeding Wonders

Check out this interview with American McGee and R.J. Berg about Alice: Madness Returns, the sequel to my beloved Alice game. Also, make sure you watch the ultra creepy trailer featured on the page. Isn't it the most disturbing thing you've ever seen?

Angry Medea

I bought the first volume of Greek Street because it looked dark and creepy, and because Davide Gianfelice was the artist in the book. I liked his work in Northlanders, and this new series written by Peter Milligan looked interesting. It is sort of strange how I've gravitated to Vertigo books lately, but I have, so I was fairly sure I would enjoy GS, and I did. The story, who brings old Greek myths and tragedies to modern-day London, is dark and interesting, and Gianfelice's artwork is exactly what I was expecting after reading Northlanders: perhaps not for everyone, but it works for me. Therefore, art and story combined in a well-crafted tale, and I am curious to see how things develop in the next volume. A fun, quirky read!

Big Feat

It is official: Jim Butcher can do no wrong. Of this I am convinced after finishing Small Favor, the tenth book in The Dresden Files. If you think I am exaggerating, you obviously haven't picked up these phenomenal series starring Chicago wizard Harry Dresden, who, in this particular installment in the saga, goes against the three billy goats gruff, scores of Denarians, human thugs, and some other nasty creatures. As usual, Harry cracks wise every few lines, and he gets battered and bruised and beaten into unconsciousness more often than not. Also as usual, the overarching plot threads in the series advance a little while, at the same time, the story in this book has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Butcher knows how to recap what's happened before, and he manages to never bore readers who have been following Harry's adventures from the very beginning. At the same time, if you've never read The Dresden Files before, you could still pick up Small Favor and understand what's going on, but I don't think you should. I think you should start with the first novel in the series, and work your way through every single volume: you will find ten terrific tales that will make you conclude Jim Butcher can do no wrong. Because he really can't.

Ridiculous

Several reviews I've read point out all the unbelievable plot twists and developments Salt packs from beginning to end. They can't suspend their disbelief, the turns of events are ludicrous, plot holes abound, and the action sequences and stunts are nowhere near plausible. I subscribe to all those notions, yet I can't deny the movie is very entertaining and fun to watch. I do wish the story at least tried to be more realistic, and I also wish Angelina Jolie looked like she did ten years ago, when she looked good instead of skeletally scrawny and, let's face, a bit grotesque and disproportionate. Those things are not to be had, though, so we'll have to settle with demented plot developments and impossible, reality-defying stunts. And still, the movie is a fun ride, reckless and over the top and unrelenting. So, if you're in the mood for some action and don't care for verisimilitude, add Salt to your summer diet. If those obstacles sound insurmountable though, go see Inception again, and see how much you like it the second time around.