A Little Tribute to One of the Greatest Days of My Life.

 This coming Tuesday (January 6) will be 35 years since one of the greatest days in my life (the details of which I'll post about one day)! Long story short, I went to NYC Creation Con for the 4th time, with my mother, and bought a couple of videos (including the first five episodes of Ultraman, in English; finally seeing an Ultra Series for the first time, after hearing/reading about it for so many years), watching samples of other videos (including The Space Giants and Kamen Rider Black), and to top it all off, bought the first issue of the short-lived Markalite (Summer 1990), one of my favorite magazines of all time! (And yes, named for the Markalite FAHP/Flying Atomic Heat Projector mecha from The Mysterians.) It's like much of my questions were answered, including learning the word "tokusatsu" (special effects) for the first time! And it was my gateway to tokusatsu fandom, after trying to find out more about my favorite Japanese sci-fi stuff for many years!

 Here are the two main human characters from Rekira the Super-Monster reenacting Markalite's influence on my life. Raitaro Hayama reflecting my teenage self from the time, and Verena Freston looking on with curiosity (because tokusatsu, at the time, was considered so weird and not worthy of mainstream attention). Drawn on tablet in FireAlpaca (in a pencil style).

Happy New Year 2026!

 Tomorrow (January 2nd), Tsuburaya's Ultra Series franchise turns 60 (when Ultra Q premiered in 1966)! (And Spectreman turns 55; five years apart!) So my original kaiju, Rekira, gets his own silhouette in the style of the original 1966 Ultraman show! Drawn on tablet in FireAlpaca.

 I picked a fine time to get into both the Ultra Series and tokusatsu fandom; January 6, 1991 (on the franchise's 25th Anniversary), 35 years ago this month, when I went to NYC Creation-Con and bought some stuff that changed my life... but that's another story. ;)

 Happy New Year!

Self-portrait for my 50th year.

 So I finally turned 50 several months ago, and before the year is up, I decided to celebrate it with a quick cartoon self-portrait. I don't do self-portraits often, being fairly modest, but I finally decided to give it another try, only more up-to-date. :)

My final art of the year is coming up shortly!

Final Art of 2024!

 Here's my final art of 2024, with my original kaiju, Rekira, waving goodbye to his inspiration/hero, Godzilla, after the King of the Monsters' 70th Anniversary turned out very well. Despite its problems, 2024 was still a very good year!

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Happy 70th Birthday, Godzilla!

 Today is the 70th Anniversary of my favorite character of all time (tied with Snoopy), Godzilla! This was a super-quick sketch that I did (on tablet in FireAlpaca) while watching Godzilla Fest.

Happy 15th Anniversary, Lily Merriweather!

 Today is the 15th Anniversary of the creation of my second project, Lily Merriweather! Yes, it's still in the works (while I'm at work with Rekira the Super-Monster). While it's possible to do it as CG (and you'll probably see that on the side at some point), I'd much rather do it as hand-drawn (mainly because this was meant to be a hand-drawn project).

Done this morning on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Rekira: 33rd Anniversary: V3 Beta Unveiled!

 At last, for Rekira's 33rd Anniversary today, you get your first full look at the new V3 Beta model!

Done in Blender and FireAlpaca.

Happy 50th Anniversary to GODZILLA VS. MEGALON!

 Today has been the 50th Anniversary of my personal favorite Godzilla movie, Godzilla Vs. Megalon (Toho; 1973)! Not only one of the earliest Godzilla movies I ever saw, but also the first movie I was ever taken to see in the cinema, at the now-defunct Loew's Spooner Theater in the Bronx.

Here is my tribute drawing to said film.

Recreating one of the famous publicity photos from the film, here are (left to right): Rekira, Dengeking, Jet Jaguar, and Godzilla. The first two are original creations of mine, with inspiration drawn from the latter two. :)

Done today on tablet in FireAlpaca. Shared in full size!

Godzilla's 67th Birthday!

New drawing of my own kaiju, Rekira, shaking hands with his main inspiration, and one of my favorite characters of all time, Godzilla, for the monster's 67th Birthday today! Not the first time I've drawn such a moment, but I always have fun doing so.

Drawn on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Rekira's 30th Anniversary!

So 30 years ago today, I began on what ultimately became Rekira the Super-Monster! Who would've thought an angsty Godzilla fanfiction comic from my teenage years would ultimately become a more refined (yet still angsty, deep down) original personal work? I'm surprised at how far I've come, and very excited at what I'm doing with it. (You've seen some further WIP for the project.) :)

This was taken in Blender, then assembled in FireAplaca.

Godzilla's 65th Anniversary!

Anniversary drawing, done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Happy 10th Anniversary, Lily Merriweather!

No I hadn't forgotten. ;)

So it was 10 years ago today when I drew a little girl, and a couple of weeks later, I named her Lily Merriweather! The star of my other project after Rekira the Super-Monster.

Drawn in FireAlpaca on tablet.

Happy 90th Anniversary, Tintin and Popeye!

Done on pencil sketch (January 9th), traced/colored on tablet in FireAlpaca tonight. :)

Superman and Spirou's 80th Anniversary!

You've already seen the one I did for their 75th Anniversary, but as that one was completely done on tablet, I was determined to do better. This time, I did a pencil sketch as the base for this drawing, "inked" and colored on tablet in FireAlpaca. This looks much better. :)

Ultra Seven's 50th Anniversary!

50 years ago tomorrow, Ultra Seven (Tsuburaya; 1967), the third Ultra Series (and the most popular among fans) first aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and its affiliates!  As I discussed through the years, I have always considered Ultra Seven himself to be the Japanese equivalent to Superman, and one of the best superheroes of all time.

As you've noticed, the 1940s animated Superman by the Fleischer Brothers (the ultimate adaptation, IMHO) is the inspiration for this fanart.  :)

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 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).  :)

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.  ;)

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!

Paramount/Famous Studios Spirou (Happy 75th Anniversary!)

I couldn't help but imagine something like this!  Happy 75th Anniversary, Spirou.  :)

This was drawn today in Flash (over an animation project I did for fun), and signed in Photoshop.