She Kills MONSTERS!

I recently did a poster illustration for a play called "She Kills Monsters" for a local theater group called TART (Tacoma Actors Repertory Theater)! I only did the ink drawing, because anything else would have put it out of their budget. They seem to have someone on staff to set up the layout and text for the posters and presumably that person also did the color work. I'm posting them both together here.

It was great to work with a theater group again. The last theatrical poster I did was for The Fantastiks, a production that not only was I in, but was 20 years ago! That was the last time I performed on stage, because although I'd been heavily involved in theater during high school (for lack of any kind of visual arts program!), I realized that the theater was just not my calling. But I still get the bug to be involved in theater from time to time. Maybe I'll audition for a character part in a local stage production again one day. In the meantime, it's great to at least brush the diaphanous edge of that world again, even if only as an illustrator.

Anyway, since the play is based on a Dungeons & Dragons type scenario, the director (Jen Tidwell) especially liked the fact that I had done Magic: The Gathering cards. Once again, WofC lends me some fantasy art street cred!

Fall of the Goblin King

Yesterday I did a new celebrity caricature for our most recent major loss to the entertainment industry: David Bowie. I'm especially bothered that he was only 69 years old. That's only 18 years older than I am. And he was in much better shape than me--although his early years may have taken their toll. He was a wild one!

I was only a marginal fan of his music, although there were songs of his that I really loved. I was more a fan of him as not just an artist, but a work of art himself! He was a chameleon and a magician with his own image, making damn good art, with David Bowie as the subject and the medium.

Anyway, here is the caricature I did of him as one of my favorite characters he presented to us, although this one was a movie persona and not entirely his own creation--Jareth, the Goblin King! I may color this and add a background. Or I may have to make a cool full length version! It is an amazing movie and he was excellent as the twisted King of the denizens of the Labyrinth! He worked surprisingly well with puppets.

Anyway, thanks for the memories and the music, Mr. Stardust!

First Night -- Last Caricature Gig of 2015!

On Thursday, December 31, 2015, I participated once again (along with several of my fellow C.L.A.W. members) in doing caricatures for Tacoma's First Night Celebration. It's an annual block party that takes place in downtown Tacoma on the last night of the year. There are live bands, street vendors, food trucks and even a circus of some sort, all set up on a blocked off stretch of Broadway. As has been the case for the last several years, Brooks Dental Studio hosted the CLAW so that we would have a warm and well lit place to ply our cartoony trade!

Here are a few samples of the drawings I cranked out during the evening. My biggest challenge, a six person piece I did for one family! My fellow CLAW members were impressed at how much my speed had improved since last year's event. That is the main thing I have been working on as I have embarked on my caricaturing venture! All my practice and study seems to be paying off! The beneficiary of CLAW's participation is our Student Scholarship Fund!











Speaking of Brooks Dental Studio--although they are primarily a dentist's office, they have a gallery-like space and often hang the work of local artists. The CLAW has art hanging on their walls throughout January, including yours truly. Here's a photo of one of the displays with some of my art. You can see a couple of my Star Trek pieces, my phonebox drawing and the original Mark of Aeacus cover piece. So much thanks to Brooks Dental Studio for being such gracious supporters of The C.L.A.W.!!