How To Draw: Star Wars Jabba The Hutt

At Megacon this year I was invited to participate in a How To Draw Star Wars panel. I prepared two sessions, one featuring the Rancor and the other Jabba The Hutt.
I figured my blog should be educational as well as entertaining. (well somewhat entertaining)
So here is my first ever How To Tutorial featuring everyones favorite slimy gangster from a galaxy far, far away!

So first and foremost, you want to start with a simple shape. As most artists know, you can draw pretty much everything using basic shapes and pieces. Here we have a piece of doody looking shape. More like a foot, or a kidney.

Once you have your basic Jabba shape, you want to add arms. Jabba has small arms compared to most of his massive fleshy body. Not quite T-Rex small, but tiny nonetheless. Give him a tail as well. You can have it resting down the way he usually seems to have it, but in this case I thought it's be funny to give him a curled elf shoe vibe.

Next we have Jabba's facial features. Pretty much everything on that mug is turned downward. Like he's sleepy, slimy, and unhappy.  His mouth-al region stretches almost the entire length of his head and his eyes are pretty buggy as well. Give him two nostrils. One slightly larger than the other. I am guessing that's the one he seems to pick at the most.

You can add even more depth to his expression by giving him eyelids and an open mouth. Open, because we all know Jabba likes to hear himself speak. And I get the feeling he likes to eat as well. In this step you can also give him some little sausage fingers so he can eat said food.

Time to finish up his deep, mean eyeballs, and add the fun stuff. All the juicy rolls of goosh and flab. You can reference those by adding chunk lines here and there. Be sure to give him that lovely double chin. Jabba's arms are a bit differently textured than the rest of his body. They have lines that run down from shoulder to palm.

Once you have all your details in place and are happy with the composition, go in and add inks of you so desire. I'm sure his excellency would appreciate it if you gave him drool, snot and sandy sweat to complete his nasty look.

Lastly, once your inks are done, you can add color until your heart's content. Slime him up!

Jabba's is a sunny mustardy color, with slight hints of toe jam green for good measure. Of course you can experiment with the colors to get a greasy Jabba of your own. Other than that, you are ready to make most wanted posters for all your Bounty Hunter buddies to feast their eyes on!

So there we go folks! First How to Draw tutorial complete. What do you think? Would you like to see more of these? Keep in mind that they will usually be in this more simple style so that even the most novice of artists can follow the steps. I'd love to see any of your finished pieces as well.

Tigra

Here is a saucy little Tigra card that sold on ebay for entirely too cheap. Meow!
I have a How to Draw Star Wars tutorial scheduled for tomorrow. Be sure to check it out.

Big Daddy Cool Diesel Kevin Nash

I'm a wrestling fan. I used to be an extreme wrestling fan in the 90's.
When I went to Wizard World Miami Kevin Nash was a guest. Now even though I'd met and had the opportunity to hang with him briefly before, that was back in 93.
He jumped from then WWF, to WCW, back to the WWE and lasted for a while in TNA.
Recently the WWE brought him back to fight in the Royal Rumble. Diesel made such a monster splash that it seemed like a no brainer for the WWE to use him. They signed him to a Legends contract but have since to use this monster again.
It was a great pleasure introducing my daughters to him, and at the show I did a quick draw in my more cartoon style of Big Daddy Cool.

....hard at work

I've always been a big fan of photography. In high school I was photography editor for my Yearbook staff, and even now I enjoy taking pictures.
A little over a week ago this picture was snapped of me drawing at the Wilderness Lodge by photographer extraordinaire Chris Genau.
I think the photo is beautiful. Not because of the model obviously, but I like the lighting, the feel, the composition and the depth to it. It looks as though it could be a photo for a commercial advertisement.
Chris took a few other photos of me as well, and there is one other I'd love to get from him if he's willing to share.
Thank you Chris! This is the kind of legacy photo I will adore and hope that my daughters will too.

About those commissions....

Although informative, I know it's a bit of a bland post, so I'll steal a page from my friend Kenny Durkin and post an interesting photo I found on the net here instead.

Okay, so a few tight deadlines were made, and there isn't an immediate con in sight that needs my attention, so I can FINALLY clear off my commission list.
I was able to get everything organized and ready to mow through.
Unless an act of God stops me, I should be through my list by the end of the month. Either, way here is the best way to check the progress of your order.
To the right I have a commission list. It is in the current order I am working on things. As I complete one, I will remove it. For the most part I plan to tackle them chronologically.


Some items HAVE or WILL go out this week that aren't on the list.  Please if you do not see your name in the list and are waiting on something give me at least a week before contacting me about it. Chances are if your name isn't there, it's scheduled to go out this week.

I have a few blog posts planned for the rest of the week so keep dropping in.

Scream 4

Woohoo! Look at me starting the week with yet another blog post. I'd like to tell you to get used to this, but we all know that eventually the blog will start lacking. But for now let's roll with it!

I always get a kick out of the way Ghost Face cocks his head to the side and looks at his
dying victims as some sort of curiosity.

Every now and then I'll try to toss up a movie review. I don't get the chance to go see new flicks as much as I'd like to, but I promise that when I do I'll try and write about it, and if I'm feeling really productive, you'll get an accompanying illustration. Now onto the review!
BEWARE MATEYS! THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Don't read much more or I WILL spoil the movie for you. You have been warned.
It's been ten years since Scream hit theaters. It was quite frankly the movie that gave rebirth to the horror slasher flicks we all love to be scared and grossed out by. I'm glad it opened the doors for some crazy, scary movies to creep their way into our culture.
Scream 4 opens up by taking not one, but two "Stabs" at itself. Treating us to a handful of hottie celeb deaths. If your a big fan of Anna Paquin, you may want to close your eyes during her cameo.
After moving through the classic Ghostface on the line killer opening we transition to Woodsborro, where David Arquette is now playing the town Sheriff, and his lovely wife Courtney Cox is sludging through her ten year removal of star reporter and fighting writers block while being Mrs. Dewey.
Sydney Prescott played by the now much more mature looking Neve Campbell has written a self help book about survivng her ordeal, and her infamous hometown is the last stop on her book tour.
Of course, with that we have our usual dose of Ghostface killings spattering the story. Some of the death sequences are more graphic then ever. In one scene Sydney's cousin Jill, played by Emma Roberts watches as one of her best friends is gutted. Almost literally. The scene with the actual intestines on the beds will leave you hungry for more. Nummers.
The story line itself does a fairly good job of distancing itself from the same old same old, but still remains faithful to the series.
Emma Roberts does a great job as the cousin longing for Sydney's spotlight. She really sells the screen time as innocent victim and then does a convincing job as the psycho killer who orchestrates it all.
In the end you find yourself believing for a split second that she'll get away with killing Sydney and moving into her role. I kind of wish they Kevin Williamson had gone that route instead. Allowing Roberts character Jill to actually get away with it.
My biggest complaints about the movie are pretty shallow. The first is Hayden Panitiere's hairstyle. Really? She did a great job in the movie and was probably one of the better characters but her short hair just killed it for me.
Another complaint is how they seemed to just force Courtney Cox into the script for the sake of having her there.
And while I adore mine, boy could this movie have been a walking advertisement for the iphone. Almost EVERY character had one. And that's okay with me, but the fact that aside from Dewey using the Axel Foley theme from Beverly Hills Cop, ALL of them used that same generic SAMBA ringtone, and NO ONE changed their wallpaper/screensaver. See I told you it was a shallow complaint.
Other than that, I enjoyed the movie a lot. It was nice to see them reference two of my favorites in SAW and Shaun of the Dead.
Definitely better than 2 and 3, but as Sydney says after putting a bullet through her psycho cousin's head, "Don't fuck with the original!"

My art wall of Fame.

I wish I had so much more artwork from my favorite artists. I'm trying to work hard to rectify that situation. It's on my bucket list of things to do.
Doing more conventions will help me to achieve that goal.
Here is what my bedroom wall is looking like. I have a few originals in my living room as well.
My Holy Grail in the center is an original sketch of J. Scott Campbell's Abbey Chase from Danger Girl. I got the piece when I met him at the CTN ANimation expo in Burbank. It actually made me a little sick that more people weren't flocked all over his art demonstrations, but I took it with a grain of salt because most people were there to see their animation favorites. It just meant more to we fans that knew his amazing work and wanted some one on one time to ask questions and watch in awe as he worked. Before I had actually gotten to meet him, he had noticed a drawing of my Chewbacca, and complimented it. So to cap that trip off with an original made it worth the whole trip.
Next to it have a print of the Black Cat I acquired from him at Megacon this year.
I also have a piece from Scott Blair, and Mike "UrbanPop" Hammer from Wizard Miami, a piece from Echo Chernik, and an awesome Count from Sesame Street done by Poopbird Mike Groves. (I have an original from him I need to frame as well)
Lastly there is a piece from some duck guy. But the content is awesome. Showcasing my two baby girls. I think that's why I liked it enough to frame and include with these greats.
I hope this inspiring wall continues to grow!

Tangled

If you haven't yet seen this amazing movie. Please rush out and do so immediately. It's wonderful. Everything about it, the design, story, animation. All top notch!

Naughty Potter

I have to say this was a commission, and the request called for a SUPER SEXY HERMOINE. So I aged her a bit, and this was the end result.
Hawt!
A small story for those of you who don't know, but I was mercilessly ridiculed as a teen in high school for the way I drew my girls. A handful of douche bag bullies tended to tell me that my girls looked "ugly"and like "guys"
That kind of negativity didn't drive me into a corner to pity myself, nor did it make me give up. Instead it pushed me to draw some of the sexiest most cheese cake drenched darlings I could.
I'd say it's taken some time, but mission accomplished. Many people who collect my work actually know me for my babe-a-licious ilustrations and I wear that badge with pride today.
In closing I'd just like to say to all of you ass monkeys with the negativity. Fuck you, fuck you very much.

MEGACON 2011 Wrap-up

SO less than one month after doing Miami, it was time for another con. FINALLY, the DUCK had come back.....to MEGACON!!! (of course, my con buddy Dennis was at my side!)

Wanting to make things special for the girls, I decided to let them dress up for the event. What a dedicated daddy! Not only did I manage to prep for the show, but I also put two costumes together for the show. Maya decided to be Poison Ivy. I decided the adult version was a bit much for my 6 year old, so we made her Petite Posion Ivy, or Lil Ivy as we called her. 

Maya kept her costume on for all of about an hour before she was done. She got some attention at the show as well. Getting several nods from the more grown up versions Ivy and even the occasional picture request. See it's Posion Ivy times 2!

But Hailey's HITGIRL seemed to bring the most attention. She decided to keep count of all the pictures people asked to take of her. 66 was her final count. But there were several others nabbing pictures as they walked by.

Some of my favorites Hitgirl moments were with her sister, and Alex the wolf Jedi. (Pic by Cary Bivins!)

Hitgirl taking Kenny Durkin's son Alex hostage, much to his chagrin through the whole show. I think she was crushing.

There were a few other Hitgirls in attendance as well. Hailey was worried her costume wouldn't look right. But I'd say we did a good job. 

Thomas Florimonte of Ka-Blam also known to my girls as Frog Butt, hung out with Hitgirl too!

I got to see HitGirl with J. Scott Campbell's Danger Girl!

And my favorite HitGirl picture of the show was with Kick Ass himself. WIN!

And while not MY daughter, she could call me big daddy if she wanted to. Damn did I say that out loud?

There were a ton of other cool costumes at the show. I wish I had been able to snap more photos but I was glued to my table most of the show. Check out this smoking Tigra!

What Time is it?! AAAADDDVENTURE TIME!

An amazing Chun-Li from Street Fighter.

From DC Comics Stars and STRIPE. Stargirl.

A very convincing Christopher Reeves Superman. I really think he got into his role more than ANYONE ever who has cos-played in their life.

And Maya, didn't ham it up as much as the last show, but she still snuck into a picture or two.

As did I. Jessica Allen Steele as an Abbey Chase that you just HAVE to see in person to appreciate how great she looks. 

And Speaking of Abbey Chase. The amazing J. Scott Campbell was in attendance at this years show. I had to get my daughters over to his table to meet the man who I truly believe has been my biggest personal hero and inspiration in art.

Another inspiring and talented guy was my other table neighbor, Mike Groves also known as POOPBIRD! So naturally when you put a Locoduck next to a Poopbird, the feathers are sure to fly. I wanted to strangle him for being so mega awesome.

This years show also brought a first for me. I got to participate in a How To Draw Star Wars panel with Jason Sobol, Rhiannon Owens, and James "Buckshot" Buchasas (spelling?). Hitgirl took the picture but, that's me on the far right.

I taught the crown how to draw a cool cartoon Rancor monster, and had some cool results. It was nice to see that my steps were easy to follow. This gal took the fact that I drew at Disney and incorporated it into her draw. She also won the original!

This little guy did such a good job as well that he took home an original piece too. A wookie I had drawn!

As much fun as that was, I had commissions that needed finishing as well. Like this Thundarr!

And this piece done for the incredibly talented Echo Chernik of Echo Chernik

And since Cartoon Zombies are what sells for me, I had to do this poor ill-fated Woody.

Overall we had a great time at Megacon, and while I didn't get to walk around nearly as much as I wanted to, I am sure we will be back again next year!

Escape From Jabba's Palace

Every now and then when I need to get my artistic juices flowing, I'll do a piece like this. Watercolor. marker, 11x14. SOLD.

Megacon wrap up next!

Wizard World Miami

Wow, it's been a whole month since I've posted anything to my blog. I will state again what a pain in the ass it is to not have regular internet access, but rest assured, I have blog entries planned for the next several days. I'm trying to get back on track. I'm a bit behind on card sets, and commissions but have put a plan in motion to have everything done and ready to ship by the 18th. Well maybe the 19th since dreaded tax day is on my target date. I also plan on updating the blog a bit and merging it a little with my website.
Okay, so on to the good stuff. I've done two conventions in the past two months so we will start with my report from Wizard World Miami!!

This was the first time I had done Wizard World Miami, and the first time Wizard held a show there. It was a last minute invite, and a last minute decision to go. We almost didn't make it as my fiance got sick at the zero hour and she was driving. But absolutely refusing to miss out, I threw my two co-pilots in the car and we headed out. Not too bad of a set up.

Hailey had done conventions with me before but she was especially excited about this one. One of our favorite items for sale, (and the con goers as well) was the little ashcan book I put together called Justin VS. It was a fun little 24 page book with many fun and creative ways to see Justin B bite the dust. She was a bit reluctant, but my youngest let me use her doll to push sales.

I was set up next to my good bud Dennis Hart. We had a blast working together as usual. Sometimes it's hard to consider this work when you have so much fun with such awesomely talented people.

We drew caricatures at the show as well. Anywhere I go, I just can't escape that calling. Always a crowd pleaser and a definite money maker.

Maya even sold her first original. I had to capture the first dollar sale she ever made.

And Hailey busted her ass off at the show to sell for daddy. Hands down the best booth babe a guy could ask for.

Of course she paused for her fair share of pictures as well.

And I had to as well. I'm a sucker for a good Red Riding Hood.

Ultimately however, Maya proves to be the biggest ham when it comes to posing for pictures. Here she is with the super sexy Black Cat.

One of my favorite Droids!

A steampunk Baroness.

And a couple of cute mutants!

I took the girls over to meet WWE superstar and one of my favorites of all time, Big Daddy Cool Diesel Kevin Nash. He was super pleasant with them, and Maya made the statement, "I can't stand next to him, I'm too little."

He must've found her adorable enough to hook her up with an autograph, which she is super proud of.

The show wasn't all play and no work for me. I did a handful of commissions. Sadly I only got pictures of a few. A Kit Fisto,

And a Zombie Super Man. Eeww. 

And there's the Wizard World Miami wrap up. Check back in a few days for the run down on Megacon!!