You call him "Doctor Jones," doll.

I love this guy. He has a DVD out today. Go get it.

Get ready...

Both chapters 1 and 2 of Black Cat Bone will be up on http://www.indyplanet.com very soon. I learned a lot after the first issue, so when I completed the second one, I really wanted to go back and revise the feel of the first one. I wanted it to be more gritty and atmospheric. It wasn't moody enough.

For example, a panel that used to look like this:

...now looks like this.

I'm much happier with the way it looks now. Stay tuned, because they're coming soon!

Black Cat Bone: Flood Water Rising.

Chapter two of Black Cat Bone. Coming sooner than you think!

I'm never alone.

There are several billion of things like this buzzing around in my brain. I have to let them escape sometimes to make room for new ones.

Spaceman.

I'm working on several things that I can't post just yet, but in the meantime, here's something just for fun.

Page 71: Best page in the book.

I just got my copy of Facial Expressions Babies to Teens by Mark Simon. Besides being an excellent resource for artists, it also includes artwork done by some amazing and talented artists including a caricature done by yours truly. Stop by Amazon.com and get your copy today! http://www.amazon.com/Facial-Expressions-Babies-Teens-Reference/dp/0823096157

Here's a color version of my artwork that's featured in the book:

Thank you to Mark Simon for the inclusion. I am deeply honored.

One of the boys.

Based on a conversation I heard the other day.

20 faces.

Just exercisin'.

Dinosaurs are fun to draw.

Maybe this random idea could lead to something. Maybe not. But it cracks my son Alex up, so I thought I'd post it.

Wizard World Chicago 2008: Wrapup.

Wizard World Chicago was a success. I sold some books and learned a lot. It was fun geeking out with great friends and "working" the con.

I have some pics for you. First let me present Chicago. Greatest city skyline ever.

This is Mike "Locoduck" Duron and me at our table. I don't know what's going on, but I'm really handsome in this picture.

Barry Gregory, Thomas Florimonte and Michael McElroy at Ka-Blam. These guys made my stuff look GOOD! Plus you couldn't meet a bunch of nicer guys. Well done, gentlemen!

On Friday, we got a visit from my parents. Mom baked us cookies. I had some left over and needed to get them home safe so I HAD to get this Groo lunchbox.
...er, and these Groo figures

I had an amazing time at the convention. I received very positive feedback about Black Cat Bone issue 1. I'm already laying out Issue 2. Hopefully I can attend at least one more convention this year. Turns out it's just as fun on the other side of the table as it is attending the con as a guest. Plus there's a lot of this walking around....

I love geeky women.

Black Cat Bone: The Blues is Born.

Back in 2005 I started this blog up. One of my first posts was about a story I had been working on called Black Cat Bone. It's about the history and mythology of blues music as told through the life of Kit "Blue-Eye" Baxter, a black cat.

I've never attempted sequential art before and I don't know much more than the average person about comic books and graphic novels. The process of creating something like this was daunting for me. Could I write, draw, ink and color this project all by myself? If I procrastinate long enough, will I ever have to?

Thankfully, I was given the opportunity to attend Wizard World Chicago this year. When I saw my name on the list of artists scheduled to appear, I first lost all bowel control, then decided that was the kick in the pants I needed to get this book going.

I only had a few months to do it. I'm not sure what the usual timetable is for a project like this, but for my first time out, it definitely wasn't enough time. Nevertheless, I have completed issue #1 of Black Cat Bone. It's certainly not perfect, and I have the option of going back and changing things indefinitely if I want to. But it's not bad and thanks to Barry and Thomas at Ka-Blam it looks GREAT printed up.

I've learned a lot these past few months. The next issue will be much easier for me. I'm actually looking forward to getting it started. But first, Wizard World!

http://www.wizardworld.com/chicago.html

I'm going to be set up with Michael "Locoduck" Duron. He will be selling some of his awesome stuff too and we've collaborated on a pinup book of geeky favorites. I'll be there all day every day of the convention, so if you're in the area, stop by. I'd be happy to see you.

P.S. An interesting anecdote: In spring of 2008, before I moved to Florida to be a full-time artist I attended my first convention ever, Wizard World Chicago. Here I am 8 years later attending the same exact convention, this time as an artist set up at a table. Coincidentally, Barry and Jenni Gregory were also at the 2000 con in Chicago, although I didn't know them at the time, and Barry will be at Chicago this year as well. Small world indeed.

Blue Monday

I was just taking a break from inking issue one of Black Cat Bone when I got online and found out the news. Blues pioneer Bo Diddley has died in his Archer FL home at the age of 79. Bo was a seminal figure in music history, influencing everyone from Elvis to the Rolling Stones to the Clash. His "Bo Diddley beat" is all over rock and roll, even today.

A sample of his work is "Who Do You Love" (later covered by George Thorogood). The song's lyrics invoke swagger and bravado today's rap "music" can only hope to emulate.

I walk 47 miles of barbed wire,

I use a cobra-snake for a necktie,

I got a brand new house on the roadside,

Made from rattlesnake hide,

I got a brand new chimney made on top,

Made out of a human skull,

Now come on take a walk with me, Arlene,

And tell me, who do you love?

Tombstone hand and a graveyard mine,

Just 22 and I don't mind dying.

I rode around the town, use a rattlesnake whip,

Take it easy Arlene, don't give me no lip,

Who do you love?

Night was dark, but the sky was blue,
Down the alley, the ice-wagon flew,
Heard a bump, and somebody screamed,
You should have heard just what I seen.
Who do you love?

Arlene took me by my hand,
And she said ooowee Bo, you know I understand.
Who do you love?

I'm going back out to the studio now. I think I'll crank up "Can't Judge a Book".

Gig pix: May

Some more recent gig pictures, these from the past few days:

Don't get me wrong, I love the ladies. But when they ask me to make them look pretty it drives me crazy (short drive, I know). This particular subject insisted that she was an angel, but I knew better.

Leroy couldn't wait to get his picture drawn and get some food:This guy kept giving his friends watching two thumbs up.Ron busted up his leg wakeboarding. When I saw him hobble over on his crutches and sit down, I couldn't resist drawing him like this:

I love a metal bikini.

He laughed at the thermal detonator. Jedi mind tricks didn't work on him, boy. So it seemed that ruthless crime lord Jabba the Hutt was indestructible. But he didn't take into account a certain beautiful bit of Rancor food at the other end of his chain. Maybe in time, she would have learned to appreciate him. If only he would have lived that long....

This is a piece from an upcoming collaborative book of pinups. That's about all I want to reveal about it right now, but keep watching this space. May's going to be an action-packed month!

Another pirate....

The current Toon Weekly challenge was to make a pirate. Frequent visitors to this blog know that I went through a pirate phase, if you scroll down you'll see what I mean. But I'm convinced that one cannot draw too many pirates, so here's my entry.

Recent gig pix.

I haven't posted any of my gig stuff in a long time, but I've been taking photos lately. Here's some of my recent work.

The Kramer and Newman Show.

The next Toon Weekly challenge was sitcoms. I decided to spin Kramer and Newman off of Seinfeld. I cheated their heights a bit, made Kramer more tall and gangly and Newman shorter like the sneaky little troll he is. I love these two characters and I think they'd make a real funny show.

Good cop/Bad cop.

The next Toon Weekly challenge was "Good cop/Bad cop". I wanted to go with the old convention of the shoulder angel and devil, as seen primarily in animation. This particular piece is influenced slightly by artists like Scott Wills and Bill Wray, who did a lot of the close-up gross paintings for shows like Ren and Stimpy. If I had the slightest idea how to animate, I think I'd have a lot of fun with this particular sequence.

Got frog milk?

Just when I got completely caught up with the Toon Weekly challenges, I fell behind. I've been feeling the full effects of a really busy spring break this year, and I've just taken on a ton of work for the future. But I love to be busy and I'm learning how to push myself and utilize my time more wisely. So among all the other stuff I have to get done (and before I fall too far behind) I'm going to get caught up once again on the Toon Weekly challenges and hopefully stay that way.

The challenge from a few weeks back was Freaky Hybrids. We were supposed to cross-breed two different animals. I thought of mixing a very small animal with a part from another animal that would be too large and unwieldy for it to be possible in real life. May I present...frogcow!

Happy (geeky) Easter.

Star Wars Easter Eggs...what will they think of next? Happy Easter everyone!

The Duck is Topps.

Check out my good buddy Mike "Locoduck" Duron and his new line of sketch cards for Topps' Indiana Jones series {on sale March 19th). I'm proud of you man!

You've won a new car!!

Game Shows was the subject for last week's Toon Weekly challenge. I am now officially caught up. I feel much better now.

Walter and the Dude.

Here's Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski and Walter from the movie The Big Lebowski. It's my entry for Toon Weekly's "90's Movie" challenge.

Watch for flying monkeys

Here's my Toon Weekly Wizard of Oz post. How cool would it have been for the Wicked Witch to include gorillas and orangutans in her winged monkey army?

Steve Silver's LIFE

I just recieved my copy of LIFE by Steve Silver. So far I've only had the chance to flip through the pages quickly, but I can immediately tell it's going to be one of my go-to books for inspiration. Thanks Steve for another amazing book. When I grow up, I want to be just like you.

Dick Tracy Villain.

Arrgghh!! I'm still trying to get caught up on my Toon Weekly entries. I have a Wizard of Oz to do still and now a 90's movie one as well. This is the week it happens, scout's honor.

In the meantime, meet the newest Dick Tracy villain:

Vinny "Upside-down-duck-for-a-head" Calzoni

Toon Weekly Superhero

I'm a little behind on the Toon Weekly challenges. It's been a busy twelve day work marathon, not that I'm bragging or complaining (or making excuses). It also turns out I NEED a deadline to get anything done. So in an effort to get caught up, I'm not going to bed until I finish last week's challenge.

The challenge this time was to make a superhero. So here he is...

THE MORBIDLY OBESE AVENGER!

Good night everybody.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Goosebumps.

Continuing with my geeking out:

My cinematic hero. Is it May 22nd yet?

A wretched hive of scum and villiany.

I am a huge Star Wars geek. I mean huge. But unlike most Star Wars geeks, I try to keep it under control and for the most part, I do.

Star Wars came out when I was 6. It was the first movie I ever remember seeing, and as the film affected the world at that time, so did it affect me. It was (and remains) a highly entertaining story full of mythology and epic themes, awesome effects, space battles, a hint of icky romance and some cool aliens.

The first time I saw the cantina scene I was floored. It was one of those pivotal moments for me in my life. Each creature was more fantastic than the last and although they all had miniscule screen time, they were so interesting and exotic that you could conceivably make a whole movie about each individual alien.

I have to say I was pretty happy when I found out Toon Weekly's challenge for this week was Star Wars cantina aliens. I've been drawing my own versions of the cantina patrons for about 30 years now, they (and Star Wars in general) are one of the reasons I became an artist. So here's yet another in a life-long series of cantina aliens.

By the way, be sure to visit the new Toon Weekly blog, and if you're an artist, join up and participate! I'll see you there.

Medieval Dragon(s)

This week's Toon Weekly challenge is about anything Medieval. I chose to do a dragon. Or is that dragons? If something has more than one head is it singular or plural? At any rate, here it is:

Two sketchy guys.

Just goofing around here. These two have nothing to do with each other, I was just having fun with mass and attitude. Maybe I'll color these guys in. Toon Weekly entry coming soon...

ZZZOMBEEZZZ

This week's Toon Weekly submission is Zombies. It stands to reason that if undead people can walk around, so can undead bugs.

What's so funny?

This week's Toon Weekly challenge was about clowns. Simple enough, but the true challenge was to not draw the typical red nose and big shoes, and to reinvent the clown as if it was being portrayed for the first time.

The true purpose of clowns are to make you laugh, but clowns to me are more irritating and creepy than funny, and I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment. So if big shoes and a red nose aren't funny, what is?

Big fat guys are funny. So are horrific overbites and buck teeth. Comb overs are funny. What's a funny hat? Can't go wrong with a fez. Body hair is ALWAYS funny. Coconut bras are funny, especially on guys. Tutus are funny for the same reason. Underpants with hearts on them are funny. Heck, even the word underpants is funny. Misspelled tattoos are funny. Sock garters are funny. And I always giggle at old-school roller skates. Combine all those things, and you get this guy:

He could easily be just as irritating as a clown (certainly as creepy) but I bet he gets a ton more laughs.

Rush hour on the reef.

My previous post got me thinking about the many other fish under the sea, and what morning gridlock would look like with all these tired, angry fish on their way to work. I couldn't sleep last night and this post is the result of said insomnia.

Late for work.

This week's Toon Weekly challenge was "Under the Sea". My submission is a hard working office-octopus who among other things is always 8 minutes late. There are days when I can really relate to this guy.

Rock on.

My submission for this week's Toon Weekly challenge is a sleazy '80's metal hair band rocker. Looking back, these guys were just plain gross. Their "look" was characterized by big teased up hair, makeup and an undeniable androgyny. Also I fully admit to being inspired by Jamie Hewlett's Gorillaz in the execution of this particular piece.

2008: Coming out swinging.

I love the New Year. It's a milestone, a chance to reflect on the past and plan for the future. New Year's resolutions are big with me; I have a hard time starting things, so I need an excuse or reason to do so. January 1st of the new year is the perfect jumping off point for me to try new things or keep good things going, all in an effort to be the best man I can be.

In no order of importance, here's what I have planned for 2008:

Lose weight/get in shape: I know, I know. It's a cliche. But I'm at the point in my life where I can't eat whatever I want and sit around without massive fat-producing consequences. According to the BMI (body mass index) I either need to lose at least 20 pounds or be about 6' 7". While I wouldn't mind "heightening", I'm not sure there's any sort of reliable procedure that would make that possible. Bottom line, I need to eat right and exercise. Last thing I want to do is buy all new clothes (and furniture) to accommodate my increasing bulk.

Post more on this blog: Last year I made that promise and only posted a measly 31 times. One of my heroes Tom Richmond posts that many times a day. However, with the help of Toon Weekly, I'll at least have 52 posts in 2008 and with 2 posts already on the first of the year, I'm off to a great start.

Redo the Durkinworks website: Already started. It's under construction right now so you can't even access it right now. I'm just going for something simple, the main action will be here on the blog.

Attend more cons: Last year I hit MegaCon here in Orlando. This year I'm doing the same, and I'm definitely attending the NCN convention in November. I'd also like to hit the FXShow in Orlando and maybe, just maybe San Diego Comic Con.

Publish SOMETHING: Black Cat Bone is still in perpetual development. As I do more research and learn more, I'm glad I didn't stick with the story as I originally wrote it. It will see the light of day, it just has to be the right time. Meanwhile, I'd like to do a sketchbook/book of finished pieces. The Art of Durkinworks or something.

Get involved more online: I'm on several online forums that I haven't participated in lately; the NCN forum, the Caricature Connection blog, ComicSpace etc. I'm also interested in joining other forums to participate in that would help me further establish myself in the art and online community.

Now I have others that I'm not sharing here, a few more personal goals that will improve my overall well-being. I'm really excited about 2008, it's going to be a great year. I hope you all had a Happy New Year and I wish you all the best for 2008.

Toon Weekly Challenge 6: Cyborgs

Here are my Cy-Boar-gs.

Get it?

Cy-BOAR-gs?

...aw never mind...