Winter blows in Brooklyn...

Here's the new strip for January...

New illos...

...for the December issue of 'The Red Hook Star-Revue'

Here's the final strip...

Let me know what you think. Don't be afraid to be brutal, I can take it.

Preview panel...

Here's a raw panel from the forthcoming comic strip. Still needs some clean-up and copy.

Here's the final...

Hard to believe, I know...

...but here's a new post. It's a strip I've written for a local monthly newspaper. It's been so long since the last one I think I've forgotten how this works! I'll post the finished version as soon as I can set & edit copy.

Miles Davis & John Coltrane - So What (Live Video)

Now that you've had to sit through two in a row of our feeble attempts at a musical performance, here's an amazing example of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Friends laying it down. Enjoy...

'Heatwave' in the Park...

'Cool Jerk' live in Carroll Park, Brooklyn...

Promo Flyer in Blue--

How I'm spending my Summer Vacation...

Been rehearsing since early June with a group of friends who I played in bands with a few decades ago. It's been a lot of work and a lot of fun. Needless to say it's kept me away from the drawing board for a while. But today I sat down and designed a 'flyer' for the event, in very much the same way I would have done it in the '70s.

Nice to be Home again!

Have a blast!

什麼他媽的？

What's up with all of the asian character comments on blogs lately?
Who are these people?

Do you like to draw... a $alary?!

Drew this when I got to L.A. in '96.

Something from the WB days...

I've been off the grid for a month or so, thankfully I'm back online and hope to share some new stuff very soon. Hope you guys & gals all have a great Summer.

Time to 'toot' my own horn...

While working exclusively with Disney's Food Division for the first few years on staff I got the chance to create new and exciting concepts for their licensees. One of my favorite projects was working with PEZ on a new way to present their Princess line. Even as a young boy I never liked the 'Head on a Stick' design approach that PEZ always used and I thought it looked particularly jarring with the more realistic looking Princess group. During a conference call with PEZ I noticed a bust of Beethoven that a co-worker had on her desk, and suggested that I thought that type of approach would work well for the Princess line. I made a few sketches and sent them off to PEZ. The next day we had their approval and began the line.
In the time since I've seen Star Trek and Bratz sets using the same approach. So I guess I helped PEZ re-invent themselves in some small way.

Saatchi & Saatchi Presentation Art...

As an Illustrator in the Art Studio at Saatchi & Saatchi I was able to turn out a set of presentation drawings like this in about a day and a half. The assignments were always fast-paced and fun, and I had the opportunity to work with some of the best Art Directors in the Ad Business.

A post that's gone Postal!

Postage stamp designs from '98-2000, for the U.S. Postal Service. The Consumer Products division designed the first one that featured Bugs. I produced these three stamps, as well as all of the 'First Day of Issue' art for the complete series with painter Hector Martinez. The fifth and last one was bounced back to WB Consumer Products after the Stores closed, and it was just a group of Style Guide art used in a "That's All Folks!" concept. As a young man I worked at the Post Office in one of my very first jobs, so this was a very sweet and special assignment for me.

"Gilroy"

I think it's much more fun to create new characters, instead of drawing someone else's. This is an exploration I worked on many years ago.
I think I was a better cartoonist when I worked in advertising. There's an 'in-breeding' that comes from working in the cartoon industry that weakens you from being exposed to the same ground and sources over an over.

WB Marvin Stacking Mugs...

(Concept & Pencils: Vince Musacchia / Color Art: Greg Wray)

This was one of my favorite assignments at WB. I was asked to design a set of stacking mugs that were shaped like a rocket ship, with the capsule on top as a sugar bowl. At Warner we were always told that Egghead, Sniffles, Baby Face, Ollie Owl and Ralph Philips weren't good for product because people preferred Bugs, Daffy, Taz, Tweety and Marvin. And we couldn't even think about using The Do-Do, because they felt that no one knew him. So when I designed this one I had to include all of them! I even brought back the original Bob Clampett-designed Tweety for the occasion. I'm glad I got at least one chance to feature these classic characters on an item.

Snuffy Belagos...

...when he was cool.

Promo Art from '91...

Who shot the better Jessica Rabbit?

I've always liked this Playboy cover from '88. But the recent portrait by Ryan Astamendi is really something else.


The difference between these two images is like night and day. The Playboy cover merely places the subject, as if to say that all the model had to do was 'show up'. No storytelling or emotion at all. And the blank expression on the model's face is more like a catalogue
photo than an impression of a character as iconic as Jessica Rabbit. In short, they phoned it in. It seems the only details they have gotten right are the gown and gloves. But they too fall short as they're too slavishly an echo of the film.
Plus the perspective of her bustline is off!
Ryan's shot, on the other hand is a great piece of storytelling. Jessica looks like the torch song siren she is in the film. And the sideways glance she gives at the audience is engaging and sensual. The bare stage setting frames the figure perfectly and the old-fashioned microphone, that Ryan bought especially for the shoot brings it
all together perfectly.
Check out Ry's photography by using the link in the 'Link-O-Rama' section on the right, there's lots of great portrait work there, and even a few Disney Princesses that I think you'll find enchanting.

In the Garden of Good and Cheap!--

WB chair design...

Here's a photo from '98, taken at the then-new Warner Brothers Studio Stores HQ in Burbank. My Creative VP, Chris Hacker asked me to design two chairs for the reception area. One was based on Pepe Le Pew, as shown here, and the other one was based on Bugs Bunny. I'd forgotten about this assignment until last friday, when I visited some friends at WB Consumer Products. I was happy to see that they're still in use in their main reception area, and they still look new!

Storyboard frames...

I found these storyboard frames from a late '80s Chrysler pitch while cleaning out my files today. The only reason they remain in good condition is because I used them as portfolio pieces. I was responsible for the layout, pencils and inks. And my then GEM Studio co-worker, Tom Fluharty handled the color rendering. I'm glad these images survived, I always felt proud of this project, and I was very happy with the outcome of this collaboration.
Update: After looking at these frames for a while I've come to the conclusion that these are not the original boards that Tom and I produced together. They're sample frames that I made for my portfolio based on the originals. We never had artwork returned to us from Ad Agencies, unless it was for revisions.

something old...

When I was in my teens cartooning and music were my passions. Sometimes, if I was lucky, I'd be able to combine the two. This is a caricature I made of my friend Peter De Stefano. Peter was an amazing songwriter and guitarist, and still is. I made this sketch straight onto the paper with a cheap felt pen in '71. If you look hard you can see the beginnings of a pencil sketch of a fist and arm of another run-of-the-mill Superhero. I'm glad I used this sheet of paper for a drawing of Peter instead.

the thinker...

red, black & white sketchbook...