Happy Valentine's Day 2016!

Done tonight on tablet in FireAlpaca.  :)

Cheliosaurus Portrait

This is based on the updated design for Rekira's first adversary, Electric Eel Monster Cheliosaurus (sketches of which you've seen on Facebook), so this is how it will look in color!  Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.  Started yesterday, finished today.

Entering 2016

I've been extraordinarily busy in the last two months.  So much has been going on, and I was behind in full art.  That said, here's the last art I did for 2015:

And the first of 2016:

Both done on vacation in the Outer Banks.

New art to be posted shortly...

Rekira the Snoopy Monster!

Done tonight on tablet in FireAlpaca, another character tribute to my own original kaiju, Rekira, featuring another of my favorite characters, who is a shoe-in for the role.  :)

The two faces of the Japanese Batman!

Currently recovering quite nicely from angioplasty over a couple of weeks ago, and with Dragon*Con just around the corner, I'm back to the drawing board.

I came up with yet another update to my Japanese-style Batman, and it's more satisfying this time around!  Inspired by Moonlight Mask (Gekkou Kamen), naturally, I referenced both the 1958 tokusatsu version and the 1972 anime version.  Done tonight on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Lily 2015!

A new Lily doodle.  Somewhat reminiscent of my early design!  Done yesterday on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Dynamic Heralds - 2015 Edition Designs

Yes, Rekira the Super-Monster is underway!  The storyboards for Episode #1 are already done, and designs are being finalized before I hit the board.

One such update you'll be seeing is the current designs for the Dynamic Heralds, my own Super Sentai-style superhero team.  You’ll notice the body molds are the same here; this is deliberate, just to illustrate the basic design for each member.

There's a slight change in color, but the designs are more streamlined (each bodysuit is black), and very satisfying!  My inspiration is mostly from bobsled suits.  Note that each member wears a different "mask" (goggles) on their caps.  These were done on FireAlpaca, based upon recent sketches I posted on Facebook a few weeks ago.  Dates depicted in the signatures.

Here's the group shot (with mostly Japanese text):

Herald 1 - Captain Vertex (Red)
Raymond Wertz

Herald 2 - Mysti-Girl (Blue)
Verena Freston

Herald 3 - Steel Hammer (Yellow)
Isaiah Vanterpool

Herald 4 - Therma-Gal (Pink)
Theresa Lin

Herald 5 - Aquati-Kid (Turquoise)
Brian Copcutt

More to come!

Je Suis Charlie

This is my first post of 2015.  I hope you've had a Happy New Year!

But things weren't so happy over in France, due to the shooting attacks at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo at the end of the first week of the year.  It was terrible.  We lost some great French cartoonists, and the country was in mourning.  Below is my own tribute.

Prenez soin de vous, mes amis!

Happy New Year! (Last Post of 2014)

Since I'll probably be busy tomorrow, I've decided to get ahead with my last artwork of 2014.  Done completely in Flash.

Have a great one.  :)

Merry Christmas 2014!

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.  :)

Happy 60th Anniversary, Godzilla!

I haven't forgotten.  I'd never forget Godzilla's 60th Anniversary!  I've been planning this drawing all day, and was surprised I did this in short order!  :)

On tablet in FireAlpaca.

Happy (almost belated) Halloween 2014!

I wanted to do this sooner, but so much stuff really put a hex on my Halloween spirit.  Suffice to say, I still managed to have a great Halloween.  :)

Here's a drawing of Lily Merryweather, based on something that happened a few weeks ago; my baby grandniece Jenna and her mother Christina, as they exited my mouse with her mother, were scared of a spider hanging over the door outside!  I decided to use that as inspiration for my Halloween doodle, done late tonight, on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Hope you've all had a great one!

Happy 50th Anniversary, Underdog!

Tomorrow is the big day, and I promised myself I wouldn't miss out on the celebration!  A very big Anniversary celebration to one of my all-time favorite superheroes, Underdog!  Created by the team of W. Watts Biggers, artist Joe Harris, Chester "Chet" Stovers, and Treadwell D. Covington at the Cape Cod, Massachusetts-based Total TeleVision (TTV) Productions in 1963, the cartoon series premiered on NBC 50 years ago tomorrow.

This was done this morning on FireAlpaca.

A GRAVITY FALLS tribute to REKIRA!

Because it's fun!  :)

I started this on August 12, and after a big break (because of Dragon*Con 2014), I finished it tonight (on September 6th)!  Done on tablet in FireAlpaca, here are two characters from Alex Hirsch's Gravity Falls (Disney; 2012) paying tribute to my Japanese sci-fi inspired project, Rekira the Super Monster.  Here are Wendy as Herald 2/Mysti-Girl and Dipper as Dengeking, meeting a surprise character playing Rekira!

A REKIRA Cover Variation!

Imagine if I had published Rekira the Super Monster in Japan in tankobon (trade paperback) form in the late 1960s!  It'd look something like the following illustration, which I started yesterday (July 14) and finished tonight (July 15) on tablet in FireAlpaca.  :)

Batman Vs. the Joker

Did another illustration of my Moonlight Mask/Gekko Kamen-inspired Batman!  Notice a slight change in Batman's design, more to my liking!  I also did my own version of Batman's most popular nemesis, the Joker (inspired after one of Moonlight Mask's own popular adversaries, the jester-like Satan no Tsume/Claw of Satan)!  Did this one this morning on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Godzilla and Toothless

Here's a little something I drew on July 4th (this past Friday); two big reptiles at the Hollywood box-office!  :)

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Godzilla 2014 Pencil Sketch 01

Whilst working on another project lately, I've been able to whip out this hand-drawn pencil sketch of the new Godzilla, finished on May 30, and colored tonight with tablet in Photoshop.

GODZILLA - Now Playing!!!

Technically, Godzilla is already out in theaters, as tonight was an early-bird screening, and among the people seeing it was my big brother Peter!  I'm sure he'll enjoy it, as will I tomorrow afternoon in 3D-IMAX.

Tonight, during the timeframe of an hour to an hour-and-a-half (on tablet in FireAlpaca), I did this quick little doodle of the new Godzilla, in honor of that occasion (and also to calm me down until then)!  My Godzilla-drawing spirit is stronger than ever.  :)

GODZILLA - In Theaters Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow's the big day!  I'm pretty anxious about it myself.

But I'll bet you forgot who else lives in San Francisco (where a major part of the movie takes place), so I'll let Bessie Higgenbottom get a word in...  ;)

Done tonight/this morning on tablet in FireAlpaca.

One week before GODZILLA hits theaters!

A week from today (May 9), the new Godzilla hits theaters!  As a lifelong Godzilla fan, I am extremely excited.  It's also very surreal to not only see Godzilla finally getting respect in Hollywood, but a whole new generation of fans getting excited over the new movie (even people you wouldn't expect), as well as rediscovering the character's history.  I am very touched.

I wanted to draw the 2014 Godzilla design before the film hits theaters!  Let's just say, getting this version right was difficult.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great design; it's also very busy!  I can always find a way to simplify the design, but hey, this was the first time I drew it, so this is my way of getting acquainted with drawing it!  :)

Done today on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Wushi Rekira!

Done fairly quickly on tablet in FireAlpaca (starting with a rough sketch yesterday), I loved playing around with a Chinese wushi (lion dance) version of Rekira, so I did this little doodle!  I always loved the Chinese lion dancers, which are a lot like giant dogs.  That was one inspiration behind Rekira's design.  (I might have once related that one of Rekira's main design inspirations was an unfinished dog/lion-like dragon drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, which had an oddly Asian feel to it!)

Happy 22nd, Rekira!

22 years ago this Wednesday was when I began work on Rekira the Super-Monster!  Here are two designs I did this year:

This one was earlier this year, back when I was still getting used to FireAlpaca.  It’s a new variant of the Chinese dragon/dog-style design, which I can do better, like the one below...

The dog variant, which I started on Wednesday and finished in FireAlpaca the next day (by which point my skill improved)!  That’s quite a difference.

Note the simplified "Hydrogen Lamp" on the forehead.  (I like how it blends in with Rekira's stripe, like an "X" formation!)  Expect that on all designs now.  :)

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

As a big fan of the original Peabody's Improbable History segment featured on Rocky & Bullwinkle (Gamma/Jay Ward; 1959), I absolutely loved the new movie Mr. Peabody & Sherman (DreamWorks/20th Century Fox; 2014), which I saw on its opening weekend!  Not only did it respect its source material (while updating it to suit today's tastes), but the title characters look and act just like their original counterparts!  This is the film Underdog (Spyglass/Disney; 2007) should've been, and then some.

And so, I was finally inspired to do a drawing of Mr. Peabody & Sherman themselves, using an amalgam of the styles from both the original series and the new movie!  Drawn just now (March 30) on tablet in FireAlpaca.

SNOOPY VS. MECHASNOOPY

After seeing the trailer for the new Peanuts film, I was inspired to draw this, something I always wanted to draw and present!

As some of you know, Snoopy ties with Godzilla as my all-time favorite character, even to the point where I switched them around.  Now, an extension of such a fantasy has finally been realized!  Here's Snoopy Vs. Mechasnoopy!

Done tonight on tablet in FireAlpaca, the titles done in Flash.

In Memory of Ken Utsui (1931-2014)

I heard sad news: Prolific actor Ken Utsui, best known for playing Japan's first celluloid superhero Super-Giant (AKA: Starman) from 1957 to 1959, has died in Aichi, Nagoya of pulmonary emphysema today, aged 82. While he hated the role (due to the costume and its embarrassingly pronounced crotch area), he nonetheless started an endless generation of invincible costumed heroes in Japan, protecting not just their native country, but the peace of the entire world.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Utsui.

Done this morning on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Red Sketch 01

Fire Alpaca is still a lot of fun.  Really enjoying the pencil mode!

Here is a Shane Glines-esque sketch done in red, featuring characters from my project, Rekira.  Done tonight (March 8) on tablet in Fire Alpaca.

Happy Valentine's Day! - 2014

Before the end of last year (December 30), I suggested that the "Dipper and Wendy" fanart I posted would make a great Valentine's Day doodle.  And after a busy day, that's just what I did today (in FireAlpaca).  :)

Here's the original for posterity:

Have a happy one!

Keep Warm! (Alternate Version)

I thought my readers deserved a warmer version of my Lily Merriweather Winter cartoon, so I worked on that today (February 13), on tablet in FireAlpaca.  Let's face it, this is the cozy life everyone wants to have during a cold, Winter day.  :)

Keep warm!

It snowed heavily last night!  Right now, my neighborhood is covered in snow.  Yes, it's been cold here!  This is how Lily Merriweather feels right now!  Nonetheless, we're keeping warm.  Done last night on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Happy 85th Anniversary, Tintin & Popeye!

Done tonight (January 10) on tablet in Photoshop!  I wanted to do this, and almost missed out on doing this (because of a surprise visit from my brother Peter).  For their 85th Anniversary (a week apart), here's Elzie Crisler Segar's Popeye, holding Georges Prosper Remi ("Hergé")'s Tintin (who's trying to keep his balance on Popeye's palm while holding his dog Milou/Snowy).  :)

Happy Birthday, Loren!

Finished on January 7th, just barely in time for midnight, I wanted to do this sooner, as I was caught up with so many things (both frustrating and exciting), but here it is, a birthday drawing for friend/fellow tokusatsu fan Loren "Butch" Portillo!  Hope you had a great one, Loren.  :)

First art of 2014!

Here's my first artwork for 2014!  On tablet in FireAlpaca.  Here's to a great New Year, and 60 more years.  ;)

Last of 2013

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca in a very short time (hence the expressionist background).  Have a great one.

Next-to-last doodles of 2013!

Didn't I promise you more artwork by year's end?  (After these, I'll have one last doodle for tonight, per tradition; last one for the year, first one of the new year.)  All of these were done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

 First up, a Lily Merriweather drawing for the 5th Anniversary of my Grandma's passing (December 28):

Next, a cute illustration of Dipper and Wendy from Gravity Falls (started on the night of the 29th, finished just on the late-night hours of the 30th), just because.  (And this could make a great early Valentine!)

And for all you comic-book superhero fans, these two (both finished tonight) will interest you: First up is my own interpretation of what a Japanese Superman would look like!  I used Ultra Seven as a model (feeling that Seven is the Japanese Superman, as I related many times before).

And, of course, my own interpretation of what a Japanese Batman would look like!  For Batman, I used the character I always thought was the Japanese Batman, Moonlight Mask (Gekko Kamen), which Latinos out there may remember as Capitan Centella!

Next one to come before midnight...  :)

Fire Alpaca Tests

Upon the suggestion of a family friend (after she got her own tablet this past Christmas), I've been very impressed with the free drawing software from Japan, FireAlpaca!  It's a lot of fun to use.  It's a simpler version of Photoshop, but I'm impressed with the selection of brushes, which superbly works like their real-world tools (pen, pencil, watercolor, etc.).  I've done a couple of tests in FireAlpaca on my tablet, and I love them.

First, Lily Merriweather, done December 26:

And Rekira, done on December 27:

More to come by year's end!

GRAVITY FALLS - THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER

Here's one of the first Gravity Falls fanarts I planned on (despite the delay mentioned two posts ago): a mash-up with one of my favorite animated films, Richard Williams' The Thief and the Cobbler!

The pencils were done on November 1st, and inked/colored on tablet in Flash, assembled in Photoshop, and signed in Flash - the result was finished right at the end of November 7th.

The cast of characters depicted above are:

Tack the Cobbler: Dipper Pines
The Thief: Lil' Gideon Gleeful
Princess Yum-Yum: Wendy Corduroy
King Nod: Stan Pines (Grunkle Stan)
Zigzag: Robbie V.
Roofless: Soos
Mad and Holy Witch: Mabel Pines
The Mighty One-Eye: Bill Cipher

More to come!

59 Years of Godzilla

Happy 59th Anniversary to my all-time favorite character, Godzilla.  The most versatile movie monster ever created, in the course of 28 Japanese-produced films by Toho Company, Ltd., he has evolved from a poetic avatar of nuclear destruction to a reluctant antihero, an anthropomorphic superhero, a tragic force of nature, and even a specter of war.  This monster has played many roles through the years, and people either appreciate them all or have a favorite.  And this is what made Godzilla a timeless, enduring character.  It is also hoped that the upcoming film by Legendary Pictures (to be released next year) will capture all of his best qualities.

In tribute, I did this quick illustration on tablet in Photoshop this morning.  Enjoy!