Bjorn on the 4th of July--

Have a safe and happy holiday, everyone!

This one is for WP

Barkers--

I often feel like a 'carnival barker' with this blog, selling some half-baked idea or drawing. But some guys know how to sell product. The recently deceased Billy Mays was one of the greatest pitchmen in the history of television. Cut down in the prime of his life, he will be missed.
Pitch in peace, Mr. Mays.

Dummying up---

sketches inspired by a New York Times article on a Ventriloquist Dummy Museum and visuals from the book "Dummy Days"

a mixed bag

In the middle to late sixties I began to see R. Crumb's artwork in the pages of a rag named 'The Gothic Blimp Works' and another one named 'The East Village Other'. Two hippie newspapers with all of the music, politics and cartoons you can imagine within its pages.

Crumb usually drew the covers, and although it seems like he was always the cover artist his work probably only appeared a few times. But his style made a great impression on me. I'd grown up on MAD comics, belonged to 'The Merry Marvel Marching Society' and always read Batman, but these Crumb comics were something else. And sure, there were other underground comic book artists on the scene, but no one told the kind of stories that he did. Solid, sensible storytelling from beginning to end. The Carl Barks of the underground comics world.

Looking at this old relic of mine after thirty nine years I can see the Crumb influence.
And I'm astonished at how many things are wrong with it.



As soon as I graduated from high school in '69 I got a job in the Post Office. I wasn't looking for a job since it was still summer, but a couple of the older guys on the block were going to take the Civil Service Exam and I tagged along. I passed and got the job. It was well-paying and the Downtown Brooklyn GPO was loaded with hundreds of characters.
I'd draw sketches of some of them and this one is based on a co-worker who thought he was Elvis...



In the mid seventies, when I wasn't playing or rehearsing with the band I was creating imaginary concept art for the band. And I have no idea of what I was thinking at the time this one was cobbled together. Maybe a greatest hits album cover.



Here's the LP crop version--

Still devouring "The Art of Harvey Kurtzman"--

Here are some copy sketches I made of images in the book--






I made this last drawing all by myself!--


(brush & ink)

quick ink sketches

Just zoning out
with an old worn flat brush
and a bottle of ink--

R. Crumb tackles The Bible...

The latest issue of The New Yorker contains a twelve page article on R. Crumb's illustrated version of "The Book of Genesis". There's one page of text, with a few comments and an 11 page strip. Looks interesting. I'm always amazed by Crumb's simple storytelling; he only moves the camera in and out. Very few overhead views or up shots.

And there's also the cover- "Future Generations" by Dan Clowes.

more schlock from the crypt--

This was an early attempt at creating a character, based on how I thought a Charles Schulz-style teenager from a rough city area would look.
Think "Charlie Brown goes to Brooklyn".

The Art of HARVEY KURTZMAN

First ever hardcover book dedicated to Harvey Kurtzman, master comic book satirist and creator of MAD, Trump, Humbug, HELP,
Little Annie Fanny, etc...
Lots of rarely seen and unpublished artwork, including a
vellum overlays section of Harvey's layouts for Annie Fanny!
One of the best 'Art of' books I've ever seen.
Get it from Amazon for only twenty-seven bucks with free shipping.
($40, list price)

HOOHAH!

Bjorn... again

(digital sketch)

Objet ancien psychedelia...

Here's a ballpoint sketch from 1969.

I never
throw anything away.

New book...

If you're a fan of great paperback cover painters
this is the art book for you.

(Published by Dark Horse Books, softcover)

rough stuff...

Concept rough for a comic book I'm working on --
I'm trying to get a Neal Adams 1969 DC Comics feeling for this cover.

Here are a couple of examples of Neal's cover artwork from the late '60s...




As you can see, I've got a rough road ahead of me.

Joe Blangiardo 1942-2009

Received some sad news this morning from Ken Bald- Gem Studio founder and CEO Joe Blangiardo passed away yesterday at the very young age of 66.

If you were a storyboard artist in NYC from the late '70s through the late '90s Gem Studio was where you wanted to be. Especially if you were just starting out in the field, as I was in '78. Joe and his partner Mel Schlossberg treated everyone like family, with all of the emotional ups and downs that came along with that type of setting. Some of us hung in for a long haul, while others drifted in and out within a few months.
Gem Studio wasn't an easy place to work at, Joe and Mel could be very demanding, Joe especially. But if they liked you and your work they treated you very well. I became an illustrator at Gem after doing production work for a year or so. It was a wonderful opportunity for a young professional to work alongside seasoned sketch men like Ken Bald, John Moody and Bob Tremaine. My good friend Vic Spadoni was also promoted from production to illustrator and I remember us being thrilled at having the opportunity to finally get the chance to create storyboards and comp art. If Joe and Mel believed in you they would also foot the bill for classes at The Art Student's League, as they did for me.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all peaches and cream, but if you were willing to work long and hard you could make a helluva living. Due to the tight deadlines of the ad agencies we worked for overtime was necessary a few nights a week, and we'd be asked to work weekends once in a while. But the overtime pay and weekend bonuses were very much appreciated.

Some of my fondest memories of Joe are with a few of us sitting in his beautiful wood-paneled office in the glow of his huge, immaculate aquarium, shooting the breeze with Sinatra playing in the background. I haven't seen Joe in fifteen years, but I did get to speak with him about a year ago, and now I'm glad I made the call.

"good morning little schoolgirl"...

Here's an after-work jam with some colleagues from Disney.
That's John Quinn on slide, Paul Spiegel on guitar and vocal,
Joe Arena on bass and I'm on drums.



Film by Dan Beltran, our lead vocalist.

sketch...

The sketch was made during a meeting at work,
the silly situation came later.

A gift from Dwight Wanhala...

It was my birthday a few days ago,
and my good friend Dwight
sent me this sketch.
Thanks, Big Guy!

Here's a sketch I made of Dwight with Bjorn in '98, while we worked for Warner Bros.

Don't Ask--Just BUY It!!!

That was Jack Kirby's proclamation on his DC Comics covers in the early '70s. Nine times out of ten you were happy with your 25 cent purchase because no one ever made a comic book like Jack Kirby.
Except for his partner Joe Simon, and this collection is a wide-ranging look into the world's they created in their two decades together.

It's a perfect starting point for the new Simon & Kirby fan, or the longtime reader. It's an oversize edition chock full of the different genres they invented in beautifully faithful reproduction. The well written chapter intros by Kirby historian Mark Evanier help to inform and set the tone.

Published by Titan Books, UK. And available now at fine comic book shops, like 'The House of Secrets' in Burbank, or from Amazon.

everyday people...

Spotted in the 'hood---
He began pacing back and forth on the sidewalk and circling cars before slipping into an alleyway between buildings that I don't remember seeing before.

Maybe the alley was a portal to his Mothership--