Marcus Howell: Pictures/Comics

Polishing a Turd

2011-10-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

This one comes as a bit of a revamp of an older drawing:

I expanded it mainly for the purpose of adding to the disastrous etching that I finished, then hated and spent two days scraping out:

I decided to abandon it and let the corrosion take it. The facial expressions were terrible and the picture itself is kinda thin on it's own so I expanded on the idea and I think it looks much better now and the concept is much stronger. Upon completion, I watched the entire Twin Peaks gold box set and I think I created some alternate version of the black lodge:

I recently received some feedback on my work (that I didn't really ask for) and it seemed the general consensus was that the size of my work was holding me back. Those of you who have gone to art school will recognize a series of cliches: "make it really big", "Do, like, a hundred of these", and the ever popular, "Good direction, think about adding/subtracting color". They are very similar to the end of the game cliches you get form every ballplayer not named Brian Wilson. They seldom mean anything but these folks are paid to say something so that's the stock the pick from. My graduate professor was a bit different, because he was either smarter than those teachers, or he actually gave a shit what happened to his students. He always broached the "bigger is better" argument with reasonable qualifiers: The content of the work should require a larger size, a question of substance not form. I may be being a little too hard on my reviewers, that could be exactly what they meant. Well, message received I'm working larger:

It's measuring in at an awkward 12" x 36". On copper, with Dutch Mordant. In a side rant-Fuck Ferric Chloride. I understand the need for less toxicity but it completely negates the advantage of using the way more expensive copper plates: the length and clarity of the bite. The non-toxic way of etching just doesn't work, the results are inferior. You may live longer but if all your work sucks who cares?

Johnny Craig and some bits O' sketching

2011-09-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

Finally working on some new stuff after two and a half months full of moving and work nonsense. This is going to be part of another composition, and from a completely different perspective angle, but I needed to do some stuff to knock the rust off. This is what it looked like the first time:

It's kinda funny, but also just looks wrong for what I intend to do, so I redrew the face:

When this one is done it will probably be one of those things where Chad Woody and I laugh maniacally and everyone else is filled with horror and revulsion.

Meanwhile. . .

Johnny Craig was one of the best artists of the EC Comics of the fifties. Compositionally he was without peer, unfortunately those skills also led to the near downfall of an entire industry.

They may be in bad taste but they are also fucking great. You can read more about the whole sordid 1950's "War on Comics" here or in The Ten Cent Plague. It's been covered far and wide so I'll not reiterate. He was a good, verging on great draftsman. You can lose yourself in his work pretty easily but it doesn't have the same visual flourish of say Wally Wood or Alex Raymond. I'll stop talking and just let you peruse what is regarded as one of his masterworks, The Sewer.

Good stuff. I apologize to all the hipsters who accidentally got this page searching for that douche twat of a singer.

"Fan Art" and computer art

2011-06-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

One day the discussion in class turned to fan art. One of my students was happy that a fan sent him a sketch of the characters in his online comic strip (which you can see here) One of his classmates, a young lady named Alex, turned and demanded that I do some fan art for her. I asked, "Am I a fan of you, or your work?" She cockily replied, "Um, Both" At which point, I invented an entire mythology based around the assumption that she was a hermaphrodite that I grew in a test tube and then unleashed on an unsuspecting public (to this day I still try to convince strangers she is half-man).

I'm kind of in love with old 50's horror and science fiction comics. The draftsmanship of those comics dwarfs most comics today (with the exception of Europe). I thought I would do a homage to those old covers and practice some Photoshop painting. The biggest obstacle to this kind of work (for me) is always the mental aspect. You're painting, but not painting and you have to let go and realize that no matter how you approach it, digital will always look digital so exploit it for what it's worth. It was fun, but I'm not trading in traditional methods anytime soon. doing digital under-paintings and then glazing and painting over the top seems like an interesting idea I'm gonna play with in the future.

I've found many interesting websites in the weeks that I have been trapped doing committee work so I thought I would lay 'em out for you:

The Horrors of it All- Painstakingly scanned old-time horror comics.

Pappy's Golden Age Blogzine- He likes Bill Everett and Bob Powell as much as I do.

Jack Kirby double page spreads- Unbeatable quality

Golden Age Comic Book Stories- Old Illustrators and comics

Airtight Garage- big online collection of Moebius work, very nice because with a few exceptions, very little of this stuff is available in English

Enjoy

Another Chance to Make the Same Mistakes

2011-04-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

"Sixteen tons and whaddya get?. . . .'

Escalation of Hostility

2011-03-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

When the time comes and the brains behind the muscle get what they fucking deserve.

Seven Deadly Dwarves

2011-03-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

I originally drew this as a submission for a now defunct web imprint for Time/Warner. needless to say they were less than thrilled with the comedy stylings of myself and Mr. Chad Woody (the writer and letterer). Most people find it completely horrifying and I still think its pretty damn funny, but keep in mind we are the men who laughed uncontrollably while watching the Human Centipede.

What America means to me. . .

2011-03-16T01:33:00.001-07:00

In the words of David Fuentes, "America is the best worst place in the world. It's like living in Candyland, but you have diabetes.

Babies

2011-03-05T22:22:00.000-08:00

At the Request of Chad Woody:

I hear and obey, puppetmaster.

Escalation of Hostility

2011-02-22T00:07:00.000-08:00

"Sometimes people get exactly what they have coming to them, it's just a question of intensity and duration"

HEY KIDS! (crappy) COMICS!

2011-02-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

I imagine some people reading this will be way too young to remember the old comic book spinner rack with "Hey Kids! Comics!" on it, but I thought I'd try it anyway. I did the following minicomics almost fifteen years ago and I guess I still think they have some rude, oafish charm. The title of the strip was "Los Ninos Enojado Borrachio Muerte" or The Angry Drunken Dead Children. I could never really think of anything else for these little creeps to do past the four initial stories I drew, so it died pretty quickly. I'm including the two passable ones, and hopefully if I ever said anything bad about your work you feel better about how crappy this is (unless you're on the fox news channel then I don't apologize, you can still eat a whole bag of dicks).

The Animals That Live in Mirrors

2011-02-11T01:51:00.000-08:00

In those days, the world of mirrors and the world of men were not, as they are now, separate and unconnected. They were, moreover, quite different from one another; neither the creatures nor the colors nor the shapes of the two worlds were the same. The two kingdoms -- the specular and the human -- lived in peace, and one could pass back and forth through mirrors. One night, however, the people of the mirror invaded this world. Their strength was great, but after many bloody battles, the magic of the Yellow Emperor prevailed. The Emperor pushed back the invaders, imprisoned them within the mirrors, and punished them by making them repeat, as though in a kind of dream, all the actions of their human victors. He stripped them of their strength and their own shape and reduced them to mere servile reflections. One day, however, they will throw off that magical lethargy."
"The first to awaken shall be the Fish. In the depths of the mirror, we shall perceive a faint, faint line, and the color of that line will not resemble any other. Then, other forms will begin to awaken. Gradually they will become different from us; gradually they will no longer imitate us; they will break through the barriers of glass or metal, and this time they will not be conquered. Water-creatures will battle alongside mirror-creatures."
"In Yunnan province, people speak not of the Fish but rather the Tiger of the Mirror. Others believe that before the invasion, we will hear, from the depths of the mirrors, the sound of arms."
-Jorge Luis Borges

Swamp Thing

2011-02-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

I did this drawing for an old friend who has been pestering me about it on and off for three years. I was recently re-reading the Moore/Bissette/Totleben comics (the stories are still very creepy and very relevant) and I gave it a shot. Even dismembered I can't make Arcane look as creepy as those guys did, and after drawing all those leaves I know why those guys took several months off here and there.

I usually don't go for internet memes, but this one seemed really interesting. it's like a fun cliff notes version of the autobiography parts of a thesis. I was a little surprised at how much I was influenced by certain things while others were kinda no-brainers.

I almost left out Robert Williams for no really good reason. I have been accused of ripping him off on several occasions, mostly for work I did before I knew he existed. He is very skilled at offering intellectual and a relevant defense of making pictures. He's pretty unapologetic about his work and was hacking it out like a real man before "lowbrow" became an obnoxious buzzword. Anyone who is interested in that type of work and "isn't really into Robert Williams" or at the very least has an understanding and respect for his importance is to be avoided at all costs. Teh same goes for the guys who are "really into comics" and don't like Jack Kirby. Morons to be avoided at all costs.

Unbeatable Heat

2011-01-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

We all have artist whose work we idolize and appreciate, and since I'm too insecure to post much work in progress, I'm gonna take up space and talk about work that is relevant to me and hopefully to you as well.

Jack Kirby

All around bad-ass and one of the most prolific, yet disrespected artist of the twentieth century. I could go out on a limb and say at least 50% of the ideas in science fiction, fantasy, and action movies being produced are still just some watered down version of his work and ideas. He was a leading advocate of creator's rights in the face of corporate tyranny back in the day when it was actually a serious issue and not a celebrity cause of rich pampered rock stars. Unlike most artists his work actually evolved and changed to match to concerns of the content. It didn't seem to be empty stylistic change but something necessary to match the ideas that seemed to be always pouring out of him.

This was one of my favorites growing up and he came up with the entire concept and several issues worth of material waiting for a hamburger at a restaurant. His older, more restrained work was my favorite for a while:

And this cover is worth more than the past twenty years worth of contemporary fine art:

He was ridiculously prolific, and much like Picasso, some of his more hurried later work could get pretty crappy, but when he was on no one was better. It's accepted fact by most people the the public generally doesn't appreciate stuff that's ahead of it's time and that was the sad fate of the New Gods. It was canceled to early and we can only imagine what face melting brilliance was coming down the pipe.

There is a Jack Kirby Museum and Research center that you can check out here.The thing I love most about the guy is that no matter how crummy things are or how lousy I feel, rereading his comics with their amazing imagination and furious optimism actually makes me feel better. One of the most valuable lessons you can learn about art, I learned from him : If it's got no guts or feeling then it doesn't matter, throw it out and start again.

Cocaine Napalm Beach Party

2010-12-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a serene picture of a pleasant party on the beach to shake you out of the winter blahs. I tired to fix a lot of the drawing mistakes with this painting but it's far from perfect. This whole painting/monoprint schtick started in a really weird roundabout way. I was trying to do some ultra slick genre stuff by ripping off Frank Quitely. Who is one of the best storytelling artists around:

Some of that stuff is archived on here and you can see that my mimicry was a miserable failure. I typically work on way too many things at once so it got shoved to the back burner when I started working on other sutff. A friend of mine told me it was some of the best stuff he'd seen me do, so I tried to do some Fine ART with it. I made some line drawings and screen printed them on etching paper. I started watercoloring them which wasn't really satisfying on it's own, even with the Old Holland brand paints which are a bit thicker and have better pigments than the other brands. I started spray varnishing them to seal it so I could glaze more colors over the surface. I start with a couple of layers of acrylic and then move onto some heavy enamel oil glazes. It's a real roundabout way of doing things but It's seems to be a good way form me to keep the thin cartooning lines that I'm enamored with and still layer on the color and contrast with the glazing. I've ended up starting a lot of these things The same way Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac did, by treating the paper with lifting preparation solution and applying a base color. A nice trick to give the painting an overall color temperature/mood.

First two are Dulac and the third is Rackham. Probably not very bright of me to include those pictures along with mine as I will suffer greatly by comparison. They used line to "lock" the registration of the colors when they were printed, I like it aesthetically, but I wonder if they only used it out of necessity or if they would have abandoned it if the printing technology was better.

I've got at least 7 to ten things started and halfway finished. It seeming like lately as soon as I get the idea roughed out I have a hard time staying interested in finishing it after I am forced away form it by important things like returning work e-mails and other boring madness. If you made it all the way through this odd rambling, contact me and I will send you a prize.

Beating a Dead Horse

2010-11-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

The galkyd glazing I use for the final layers of darkness make an accurate scan almost impossible. It has a slightly more yellow tint to it and the nuggets of enamel and pigment make little white dots but, aside from all that it turned out okay. Last time with this image I promise.

Magical Apparition (etching)

2010-10-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a new one. I'm not especially pleased with it but it's a war of attrition at this point and it's probably not getting any better.

Sexy Slaughterhouse Photohoot

2010-09-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

Part 2

The first attempt was a disaster which I fully apologize for. the painting was crap, and the lighting was bad, etc. I fixed most of that stuff and redrew the image. I decided to make My Misery Engine comic black and white like this, instead of the full color. It's the only way it could ever be finished in a reasonable amount of time. I'll have two to three of the pages following this one by the end of the month.

Odds and Ends

2010-08-01T23:16:00.001-07:00

It's pretty typical of my working process that I start to many things at once so here are some drawings for various projects. I also have three paintings started, two comics, and about four etchings. Not organized in the slightest. The batgirl/deer is and idea that I "borrowed" from Ms. Sarah Jackson, she is a wonderful person and probably won't stab me for it.

Afterthought

2010-05-25T03:15:00.000-07:00

So here we go. Progress. I've been beating this thing to death for weeks now slaving over the scraping and burnishing to get just the right range of tones. I'm not completely satisfied but I'm moderately satisfied, Marcusspeak for "it doesn't make me want to stab myself" Here is a detail view for people who enjoy such things:

Beat Down

2010-05-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've been slaving away on etchings and monoprints for awhile and I haven't posted too many new works so here goes. There should soon be a flurry of visual activity for you enjoy or ignore at your discretion. This is a very subtle portrait of the main character of a comic I've had kicking around my head lately. I've got a chapter or two written out long hand so I should be ready to get going soon.

sketches and equipment odds and ends

2010-03-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few character sketches for a new comic I've been considering. I actually wrote a big chunk of it before drawing anything which is an unusual working method for me. I think it's got some good parts but time will tell. kind of slotting it at about 200 or so pages so It could take forever and a day since I'm squeezing it in with so many other things.

These are the greatest pen tips I have ever used in my entire life. The line quality control is almost magical. I no longer want to live without them. They are Nikko brand Japanese tips. If you are serious about ink drawing hunt them down.

I spent the last couple of weeks building a vacuum press for serigraphy. I got the plans from Andy MacDougall's screen printing manual which is chocked full of tips about screen-printing and has the added bonus of not being written in the sixties. It works wonderfully and was pretty inexpensive to build. Junior, one of my students, has named this press "Neal"

Socially Acceptable

2010-02-13T20:55:00.001-08:00

The right life coach can make even the most grueling social engagements a breeze. get a move on before all those beautiful ladies find a more legitimate suitor.

I haven't been slacking, honest. I just have a million things have finished and I am too much of a control freak to show any in progress stuff. Happy Valentine's day suckers! I'll be relaxing in my darkened skull lined cave mocking your happiness. Bwhahahaha!

For God's Sake Think of the Children! (and my image)

2010-01-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

does a good deed "count", in a metaphysical sense not a concrete one, if it involves shameless pandering, proselytization, or preening self promotion? all of the above?

They still need a shitload of help. Red Cross donation page

Keep in mind there are a lot of people already working to make it worse : http://www.zmag.org/zvideo/3323

a short history lesson: http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/23623

Apparition

2009-12-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

"This place is filthy. The grossest office I've had to work in since I had to do all those volunteer hours in dental school. I guess the community health center is an easier place to work off a DUI, than the county jail, but dear God! The smell from the mouths of some of these hobos smells like a septic tank accident. in a pet cemetery. in July. I was standing there heroically suppressing my gag reflex, when this . . Thing appeared. It was singing the saddest song I ever heard. Singing was probably the wrong word more like vibrating, sending out a pulse of melodic depression masking the deepest tragedies the human mind can fathom. I'm too afraid to ask what it wants"

Lately, I've been gripped with stomach churning awe that quickly becomes self-loathing when I read Pim and Francie by the reclusive weirdo/genius Al Columbia. He makes me feel like an insect trying to fly to the moon. Oh, well I bet I could beat him up.

A representative sample

2009-11-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

A wholly negatively stereotyped sample of the inner monologue of some assorted humans in a warzone.

from l to r:

“I can’t believe how incredible this feels! Six months ago I was nothing and now look at what I’ve helped accomplish. What he made me accomplish.”

“To convince men to follow you, first convince them to admire you. Does that sound good or too pretentious? I have to get a bronze star for this. No way the brass can deny what I accomplished today. I need one of those MacArthuresque speeches to dazzle all the uniforms with the bright lights of my military brilliance. Maybe then I can get a promotion out of this shithole. Maybe some bullshit about “liberation” that always goes over . . “

“That fat bitch better back the fuck off. I ‘ll be goddamned if I’m gonna go back to blowing a staff sergeant to try and get private quarters”

“What a stone-cold motherfucker! He didn’t even wait for the order from CENTCOM, he just blew the whole town straight to hell. He even let us pick off the stragglers with the anti aircraft guns. There was nothing left but red mist. This is the best day of my life.”

“This is a complete mess, but if it works it was worth it. It’s time for those people to step and take some responsibility for rebuilding this country. We did our job.”

“ . .ICECREM . . “

Opening Shot

2009-11-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

You Must Make Friends With Fear, . . . Fear and Moral Terror

2009-10-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

"A teenage girl wandered up to me and demanded, 'SMELL ME!'. I hesitantly sniffed and replied 'You smell like cigarettes'. 'Great!' she exclaimed. 'I've been figured out'.
She huffed away ready to perpetuate her angst on the next unsuspecting victim. I lied. She smelled not only like cigarettes, but possessed the underlying acrid, musty smell of a food service worker that lacks the self awareness to engage in the hygiene the social contract demands."

Filthy

2009-09-30T00:13:00.000-07:00

It wants to snuggle. With you.

Doused in Gas, Stuffed in a Hole

2009-09-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

Large Man: "Son, you got ta get busy livin' or get busy dyin'! I ain't about to tolerate this in-between bullshit!"

Unrepentant slacker

2009-09-14T23:52:00.001-07:00

Yeeaaah. . . So I haven't put anything on this for a long time because I have been slaving on a drawing that has taken waaaay too much time.I've also been spending an inordinate amount of time planning the colors and drawing the transparencies for a silkscreen of that drawing. so in the meantime enjoy this drawing of a fat guy I saw at a comic convention. I sorta turned him into a rockabilly guy, in reality he was a weird egg-shaped man with a a permanently puckered face that was perennially beet red.

Seeds of Contemplation

2009-07-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Don't mind me. I'm just sittin' here thinkin', "What if?"

The Bad Seed

2009-07-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

What america means to me.

leering bastard and the comedy of the american family

2009-07-15T18:54:00.001-07:00

So, everyone has seen the married athlete past his prime trying to flirt with a girl half his age in front of his clueless wife and kids. His lame attempts at infidelity would be tragic if they weren't so pathetically funny.

More drawings for the Misery Engine

Misery Engine

2009-07-08T01:50:00.000-07:00

First drawing for a new big project. a big long comic that will eventually be all silk-screened. and nicely bound. Should have some sequential panels and big pictures with blocks of text.

Progress: til there's nothing left to gain

2009-06-29T01:20:00.000-07:00

I know my tens of readers are interested in how I create these wondrous works of mediocrity-well your wait is over! here is a step by step exercise in futility:

Well, here is step one, a fairly incomplete sketch with all the structural details laid out, except for the fact that all the figures on the bottom are way too small and the perspective on the cabinet and the picture frame are way off. It was fairly big, around 30" x 36" and I shrunk it down to fit on a 24" x 30 ish" etching plate. I started working on it and noticed all the horrible inconsistencies, now to fix them.

This first diagram is fairly inept, and quite frankly, lazy, so I set out to do another one.

The second diagram is just too arbitrary. I didn't make the proper measurements to insure that the grid size was constant, i.e. the squares on the floor that mark the space where a human would stand are too wide in the front relative to their size in the back. I made colored blocks to represent a roughly human sized shape corresponding to the grid. I put them in spots relative to the most noticeably incorrect figures. I did correct the shelf and the picture frame.

Here's the one that worked. Good old mathematical perspective properly measured and diagrammed. I tried to use different colors for the different levels and planes of view. I started with the red for the living room floor and the blue for the "ceiling" of the main figures heads. From there you just draw lines from the eye level of the composition to the corners of the squares and build your grid from there. Once the primary figure is mapped out on the appropriate plane It is the simple (but tedious) task of moving the grid up and down with corresponding proportions. I drew the boxes close to where the figures were and used them as a measuring device.

Good old Photoshop. I superimposed the grid on the original and went about grabbing the figures and resizing them. I had to rotate and rebuild the ones that are hunched over but it seemed to work.

TAA-DAA! It only took a day and half to correct mistakes I should have noticed months ago. That's why I'm such a little prodigy. Now all that's left is to fix the ham fistedly drawn clothing on the figures I just resized and I should be in business for months of etching fun. Hopefully this self-defeating rant will brighten your day and serve as a cautionary warning.

I feel sort of embarrassed to be posting half finished sketches, but yeah, whatever

By they way I'm really sick of all this goddam Michael Jackson bullshit.

Afterthought

2009-06-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been working on the past few weeks, it took way longer than it should but every inch of that paper (except the machete mummy twins)has been erased at least twice, sometimes after two days worth of work. No one ever accused me of being efficient.

Big Hair, Bigger Egos

2009-06-18T14:23:00.001-07:00

It would be nice if you could tell how arrogant and annoying someone was by how big their hair is, also, I won a cash award but lost all the money at the dog track. I then fought a very angry Hispanic dwarf. I WON, so suck on that!

a big Drawing dump

2009-05-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my online fun lately. I've been researching and sketching some crap for a new comic strip, should hopefully be interesting here are some character ideas.

The Law is an Ass

2009-04-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

I used to think that if I had a time machine I would go back in time and kick Prescott Bush in the balls until he bled out of his ears. It would have a twofold affect: It would punish him for getting rich doing business with the Nazis, and it would spare future generations from suffering through the Presidency of his incompetent son and his mentally-retarded, arrogant, degenerate whore of a grandson. Now I think I might go back and give Dick Cheney's mom a burlap sack and point her to nearest body of running water. Just stick around long enough to make sure the job gets done. Can people whose souls are composed entirely of feces breathe underwater?

The only good thing to happen in the past few months is the ten dollar gift card I found in a box of Cocoa Puffs.

I built a new website with all my work nicely organized and easy to get to. check it out here

Losing the Genetic Lottery

2009-04-11T23:59:00.001-07:00

Assorted items.

2009-03-19T00:21:00.001-07:00

Just trying to draw some girl with a "typical" midwestern type face.

Mommy, can I go out and kill tonite?

Shepherd of the Ills

2009-03-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a proof of a relief print in progress. This might be a little too metal.

Boiled Bunny

2009-02-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

Aren't things wonderful? Nothing restores my faith in the order of things like furry little woodland creatures.

The System Collapses Without Cruelty

2009-01-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

This took way longer than it should have. It's why there hasn't been anything new here for a while.

Emissaries from the Realm of Waste

2008-12-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

"To enter politics is to enter the realm of waste" -Thomas Merton

Panopticon

2008-12-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

The past is creeping slowly upon the present. The happy couple is vigilant and suspicious, unfortuntely of all the wrong culprits

Drunk, Disorderly, and Dead!

2008-12-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

I shot the devil. Seriously

hungry

2008-11-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

A kindly old woman spoon feds several fetus skeletons. Eventually, they all grow butterfly wings and fly away

Working Bunnies

2008-11-23T02:26:00.001-08:00

It may be difficult and unpleasant, but at least it's completely unrewarding.

A nugget that may be attached to another larger picture.

Non-Sequitur:
If any of you out there think either Judd Apatow or Tina Fey is funny, I'm gonna smack you in the head with a hammer. That shit is 50 miles past lame.

Practical Arrangements

2008-11-11T15:31:00.001-08:00

These two will be included in a new ship of fools print.

Organizing Futility

2008-10-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Organizations are most effective when they work towards a common goal. Boredom and repetition can quickly crush any lingering opposition.

The Terrible Births Yet To Come

2008-10-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

The poor woman just lost someone very dear to her and already fair-weather friends are appearing with empty consolations and suggestions at replacements. No good will come of this, for her or anyone else. Sometimes you should just keep your mouth shut.

The Birth of Tragedy

2008-10-26T14:05:00.001-07:00

Right thinking men must take upon themselves the responsibility to spread their created wonder upon the world. Only those content with their wisdom and their peace can actualize the methods and means to unleash the incursion of compassion on the ones who desperately need our quality of understanding. It falls on our beneficiaries to bear the burden of our love in all its terrible weight and eventual glory.

The Gates of Quarrel

2008-10-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

1: The Man on the top of the Mountain has all the answers. His raucous playground far below teems with suffering and grim finality. His cabal of attendants recognize this as necessary and even more enjoyably, profitable. The Supplicant slowly approaches with eyes in the back of his head. If he displays the right mix of humility and brashness he will be allowed to join the party. Just a squirrel trying to get a nut.

2: There’s crime and then there are criminals. One is a necessary ingredient the other is an unpleasant addiction. She can help us sort the whole mess out if you would just listen to her.

3:Nothing is created in a vacuum, the good man knows the moral defects in the world and can birth new nobility to erase the iniquity of the lesser man. Conviction of the righteous and consensus the gentry are the only necessary ingredients for his Virtue, and the absence of a mirror confirms the superiority of his righteous cabal

Filth

2008-10-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Our oblivious self-destruction masquerades as a self-righteous albatross choking the like out of a diseased human race.

The Unslaughterable Sheep

2008-09-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's worth it.

Despaeration Holding Hands with Tragedy

2008-09-03T10:30:00.001-07:00

You get one last chance, it's usually as futile and as hopeless as the first.

Progress 2

2008-08-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

Progress

2008-08-19T17:19:00.001-07:00

How could hell be any worse?

Walk

2008-08-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

Apollo and Aphrodite take the Chicago Boys ; Milton, Arnold, and Theodore, for a walk

Magnificentia Abundantia

2008-08-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

another drawing for a print

Pestilentia Fortuna

2008-08-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

sketch for multi-plate print in progress.

Emissaries From the Realm of Waste

2008-07-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

The title refers to a phrase the late Thomas Merton used to describe Politics. I think we all know what they really think of us. Don't forget to rock the Vote, kids.(sarcasm doesn't carry well over the internet.) Click the link and despair:
Vote theft #1

Vote theft #2

On the plus side, I was driving on the highway and I saw a sign for a porno shop with some letters on the neon sign burned out and it read "Adult Sore". I think I have an idea for a new print . . .

Meat Queen

2008-07-13T14:46:00.001-07:00

The Meat Queen and her Wretched Child adored by many tiny minions.

I will give anyone who can tell me what artist this is a (butchered and distorted) master study of, a print of mine of their choosing for free. Post your guesses in the comment section.

The Discipline of Self-Loathing

2008-07-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

If he’s careful he can take a lesson away from this: It may never get better, but it can always get worse.

Plague of Frogs

2008-07-01T12:14:00.001-07:00

Battles that save the world take place all the time without our ever knowing.

Acceptance Speech

2008-06-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

“I quit, I quit, I fucking quit!” he yelled sincerely with a sneer. Some people insist on doing everything the hard way. Even with a mountain of evidence and an ocean of guilt, they refuse to just knock that shit off. .

King Nothing

2008-06-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

This what Dick Cheney wold look like if he were a super villain. An effete evil scientist that lives on his own recycled shit.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

2008-05-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

A defeated wail can weaken even the coldest heart. Those with too much compassion can find themselves in untenable situations, in which their propensity for mercy can lead to a violent repercussion of correction. An attempt at inculcation fails to dissuade the selfless, and a price must be paid. Luckily, some people never learn.

Cocaine Naplam Beach Party

2008-05-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

The man with all the answers usually causes all the problems to begin with. That’s all forgiven if the party is obnoxious and decadent enough. The vultures probably know something we don’t, like “What’s really down in the water?”

Abusement Park

2008-05-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

It's the end of the world, enjoy the ride

2008-05-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Some Mistakes you Never Stop Paying For: Weeded Out

Listen. “I don’t have to plan to fail. I just show up and it happens.” In a dank and cloistered room, a beaten man disseminates a tale of events that have run to an unfavorable conclusion. The consequences of picking a lifelong fight he has no possibility of winning is unfortunately coupled with a tenacious commitment to defeat. The Angel of Mercy can offer great instruction if only he is willing to listen.

2008-04-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

Slowly and with Great Disappointment

A respectable distance from an unpleasant event is a desirable thing for the modern patron. Viewed without the twin filters of distance and ironic perception, the possibility of charity could become an unpleasant reality. There are positions to be taken, and illusions to maintain, that takes time and effort! Veneer is all the counts; it lets people know you are important. Cruelty is a privilege, and that loser probably deserved it anyway.