Oooh La la

Here is a preview of a book being worked on by myself, Thomas Florimonte, and Barry Gregory. It's a work in progress that we plan to have available just in time for Megacon!

You Can Have What's Left of Me.

It's been a rough damn week. I was laid out for most of it with all kinds of sick. But a lot of things happened this week that pissed me off as well. And now that I am in recovery phase it seems like I've hit a stride of clarity.
There is a big realization I see, and that has a lot to do with how I have started to sign my name. Michael "Locoduck" Duron.
I think since certain fucked up events have transpired in my life, I've grown two separate sides of my personality. Disclaimer: Please do not confuse a mental disease with that of an analogy. Because I am clearly not one with multiple personalities.
But there are two sides to every coin. Locoduck is what I once was. Completely carefree, happy, full of life, laughter and love. Michael Duron is the side of me that is bitter, angry, cynical and generally pissed off at the world and the cards he has been dealt. But Loco is that side helping me to deal with the crap that is out there.
Of course we can put the whole personal life aside, because that in itself is what caused the split. What seemingly sent me into the deep end of the darkside.
But you know I have seen a lot of other things professionally and from an observers standpoint in others and in myself that I DO NOT LIKE. I am beginning to see entirely too much fakery and fantasy out there in people and their actions. And to a degree in mine.
One of the biggest roadblocks I have set for myself is in what I am trying to do artistically. I seem to be more and more trying to impress others and not enough of doing it for me. There was a passion there that made me pick up a pencil, and a gingerly flow that followed suite as a result. What I once drew, I drew for me, and if others wanted to partake in it, to enjoy or appreciate it, then all the better.
But now I seem to be doing it first in the hopes that others will take notice.
That shit stops now.
I have decided I am going to fall back into the flow and draw in a way that makes me happy. That helps set the nature of the beast back in order. If you'd like to look at it and even comment, please do so. If not well I could give two damns less.
Placating egos is another thing that I refuse to do any longer. Whilst some of it is genuine and well deserved, lately I find myself pushing the playback button on the praise player.
That shit stops now.
If I have something genuine to say to you, I will, and I will do it until the angels sing Hosannas on high. Because dammit you deserve it, and I'll be the first to polish your knob over it. But don't expect any fake fucking praise any more. Not clients, not friends, not family, not Mr insert your name here.
I just tire of hearing audible meaningless comments waterfall out of my mouth and fingertips (if I'm typing of course.)
I'm trying to find my inner peace once again. To re-align Michael "Locoduck" Duron into one upstanding joyous individual. Please be patient while this merger takes place.
Believe it or not, I had a pretty good day. I'll have some cool photos and stories to share next time. But for tonight that bitter pill had to vent. The good news is he feels much better now. The bad news is he drew his toon weekly entry while he wasn't doing so good.
I love you all . I really do. You know that's honest. Remember, I said I wasn't going to placate egos and bullshit for the sake of bullshitting anymore.
Have a nice week.

Cory was in da house

I wish I had some artwork to post, but unfortunately cold/flu/allergy season has knocked me on collective arse. I'm struggling to get some work on the Indy cards because my deadline is looming. I found out that I'll be spotlighted in a video short for Topps focusing on sketch card artists and the Indy set at some point in the near future. So I really need to get better so I I don't look like ass run over twice.
Right before the sick kicked in, we spent the day at Disney. Cool enough was at the end of our night we bumped into a vacationing Kyle Massey from Disney Channel's That's So Raven and Cory in the House. He was gracious enough to pose for a picture with my daughter Hailey.
Okay back to work.
cough Maybe cough.....where's the advil.

PS. I bet no one else has the cool and caring bosses I do.

You decide

I need input from my friends and readers who don't frequent the forums I do.
I'll be doing a mix of styles for the upcoming Indy set. I have been given the okay to show my first three cards, and I'd like input on which of the three styles you like the best.

So please, even you lurkers, drop an opinion. It'd be greatly appreciated.

Puffer and His Jelly Samich

The theme this week at Toon Weekly was Under the Sea. I liked this challenge a lot because it forced me to think outside the mermaid box. My buddy Keelan talks about how tiring drawing mermaids can get at work, and he was right. So I wanted to go somewhere else under the sea.
I thought of the types and new I wanted a little fat fish. No more perfect candidate than the puffer. It occurred to me that the stereotypical "fat kids" like to eat paste. But that didn't work for me, so I decided he needed a sandwich. And at a young age all kids seem to love PB&J. So I figured I'd stick a jelly fish in that bread and wa-la! I give you Puffer and his "Jelly" sandwich.

BTW, all my Lord of the RIngs cards are done and on their way to Topps. Action and adventure await, as I can hear that box of Indiana Jones cards calling.

Have a great week everyone.

Indiana Jones Heritage. It's official.

****I ran the below blog on December 18th but had to pull it the same day after I found out that word had not been made official yet that I was approved by Lucasfilm. SO for the last 3 weeks I have been sweating it out, waiting for word. But it's official now. I'm in like flynn. I'm also doing 150 more cards than previously expected. Like Indy said, I finally found my "fotune and glory"*****








You know it always sucks when you are awakened by a doorbell and have to answer the door looking like crap. But when it rang, I just knew. I knew it was the Fed Ex guy. And while he's been round my door plenty of times before, THIS, was potentially the most important doorbell ring in my career.
So I darted over, bad breath and all, and there he was. Like a sparkling star he smiled and laughed at my stupid "I just woke up" joke, handed me my package and wished me a happy holiday.
I knew this box would make it so.
I walked into my kitchen with my seven year old daughter in tow. And like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, I tore through the fed ex box. My smile slowly grew larger as I read what was inside. The anticipation was building even in my daughter. She was anxious, like she too knew what was inside. So I began to hum outloud, that adventurous tune I'd heard in a theater and on DVD so many times. The tune that graces my cell phone anytime a call comes.
And just like that, I pulled out one of my blank Topps Indiana Jones Heritage Sketch Cards!!!!
Hailey and I were jumping up and down dancing in the kitchen. Our screams awoke even my three year old.
After almost two long grueling months of waiting, I was officially a Lucasfilm Ltd. approved artist.
I'll be drawing 156 Indy cards over the next month or so, and I couldn't be happier. Indiana Jones as a property is my Holy Grail. My childhood and heart lay within the universes of Indy and Star Wars, and now my artistic career gets to voyage there as well.

Lucasfilm Ltd approved artist.... Merry Christmas to me!

I'm so EMO.

The weekly topic over at toon weekly this round was a rock star. Most of what I have been hearing lately, and the concerts I have been to, have involved a lot of screaming. Now it's not that I don't like the music, because most of it is REALLY good. And it's not even that every single song is about something depressing, it's just the screaming. Some of these rock stars have really good voices but they choose to hide them behind completely incomprehensible shouting.
So here is my entry this week. An emo rocker in all his shouting, depressing, 2 size too small jeans glory.
I wish I had more time to have done a little better, but here he is nonetheless.

Lord of the Rings Masterpieces 2 Preview

I still have a little over one hundred to go, but nonetheless, here is a nine card preview of my cards for the upcoming Topps release.

08 please be great.

Happy New year to my three readers. It's always nice to bring in a new year. Kind of dust off the crap the manifested itself in 07. So of course, I have promised my self some changes, resolutions etc for 2008. I really need it to be a good year! And I hope it brings good fortune to you as well.

There will be some new projects, and a new web overhaul in the next month or two, but for now, here is my latest entry to Toon Weekly's challenges. The theme was CYBORGS. One of my favorite cyborgs has always been Gizmo Duck from duck tales. I always thought he should have his own series. So I decided to humanize him up a bit and add a few modifications. Here he is in action.

It's getting harder to complete these though. Especially when I have 300 sketch cards still waiting to be finished....So back to work on those.