Dave Chow Illustrations

Aging hipsters.

2012-01-01T04:22:00.002-05:00

There's something really brave and sad at the same time watching older people still trying to look and dress hip. It rarely follows any norms other than their very own. Some can carry it off and do it well, while some others can't.

The morning commute

2011-12-29T04:03:00.002-05:00

It's the twenty first century already! Where are those wonderful flying air cars that were predicted 60 plus years ago that were supposed to help relieve traffic congestion and the morning gridlock? Oh one can only hope and dream some day.

Treehouse environment

2011-12-21T01:53:00.002-05:00

Seriously who hasn't wished they lived in the trees? Or at least off the ground? I figured I'd give a go at designing a small community that would be akin to "birdhouses meet tree forts". I figured the core of the tree itself would be the actual living space and the exteriors would just be for sunlight and exit/entrances.

The joys of a grey marker

2011-12-18T00:01:00.001-05:00

Every now and then, just for fun- I find it loads of fun just to sketch with a grey marker. There's something about it that seems less permanent, less precious, and much more liberating than using a solid black line.

The appeal of Dracula

2011-12-08T04:15:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure what it is, but there's always something fun about drawing Dracula or vampires for me. Is it their cool suave nature? Is it their swanky outfits? Or is it just the fact that they and I have the same office hours?

It's snowing in Michigan.

2011-12-05T23:31:00.002-05:00

It's finally snowing in Michigan! Much to the chagrin of some and much to my delight. I'm not sure why but I've always enjoyed a good dusting of snow. And I couldn't help but draw up with some offbeat contraption to help beat getting around these parts.

The Green Goblin

2011-11-09T02:25:00.004-05:00

Not that I could even come close to what John Romita, Sr. could envision for the diabolical Green Goblin but I've always loved this classic Spider-Man villain. The idea that some psychopathic, super strong, drugged up villain riding around Manhattan on a rocket powered Bat Glider (no offense meant to the friendly folks over at DC Comics I hope) was great!

Halloween costumes

2011-11-07T03:25:00.002-05:00

Seeing as how Halloween just passed, I thought I'd toy around with the idea of some of the costumes I've seen as of late. Some of which have been genius, some not so much- but it is the one day out of the year where people can dress up in the most ridiculous of outfits and be socially accepted for one night.

Vehicle sketches

2011-10-27T00:59:00.002-05:00

I've been on somewhat of a tear with drawing these super utilitarian 4X4 vehicles as of late. I love the non-aerodynamic nature of these sort of moon buggies, safari vehicles, utilitarian transports, and how bit of their carriage is dedicated to a functional use.

Old man sketch

2011-09-05T02:58:00.001-05:00

Quick sketch I did for my friend Chris Carden who teaches in the Entertainment Arts department at CCS.

Fear of Bigfoot

2011-09-04T02:43:00.002-05:00

I just recently had lunch with my good friend Dennis and found out that he's also somewhat of a Bigfoot enthusiast. He actually takes his kids out camping and tells them all about the phenomenon, research, expeditions, and lore. Me on the other hand (while interested)... I have a fear that Bigfoot would just come and snatch me away. Rational? Probably not but makes for one heckuva a fun drawing.

The love of baseball.

2011-08-30T03:15:00.002-05:00

Having just gotten back from a long weekend of watching some pretty entertaining minor league baseball in Grand Rapids and Lansing, I figured I'd indulge myself in some baseball imagery for fun.

Another "sick" drawing

2011-08-19T02:10:00.002-05:00

Just had some fun at the expense of another friend, Rosey- who had been ailing this month.

Sick in the summer.

2011-08-08T01:00:00.002-05:00

It's never fun to be sick in the summer. My poor friend, Sandra in Chicago got walloped with the flu bug awhile back and it inspired me to crank out this sketch. I can only imagine the ungodly hot weather, feeling miserable and wanting to do things like a normal human being again.

Christmas in July

2011-07-29T02:36:00.004-05:00

Usually around Christmas we gather at one of the relatives who has a good sized home and we get the families together for a festive holiday celebration. Since we don't happen to have that kind of square footage we decided upon a Christmas in July party where we could utilize our outdoor yard space. For kicks I decided to do up a bunch of elves, hula girls and snowmen for the gig. Hand colored, mounted onto foamcore and glued onto sticks they made for decent fans in the +90º heat.

Great napkins!

2011-07-15T22:17:00.004-05:00

So I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do love the attitude and swagger of Seattle's Best Coffee's napkin copy: "NAPKIN. aka spontaneous genius sketch paper". I couldn't help but hopefully prove them right by adding a sketch of my own on one of their napkins.

And for those students that have had my Storyboard class, they also know darn well that their final assignment is done on bar napkins. I've often considered the lowly bar napkin a wonderful medium to draw on.

Yeti chase

2011-06-24T22:02:00.002-05:00

Just for kicks, this was a piece I started out ages ago to play around with the layers in Photoshop. Is it where I want it? Not really but I thought it was a valid attempt to have some fun, tweak some things and blend old school with digital.

#56

2011-05-25T04:48:00.002-05:00

Shriners and other offbeat civic organizations. Always an interesting subject to me. So wonderfully kitschy and yet who doesn't want to try on a fez for once in their lives?

#55

2011-05-03T02:04:00.001-05:00

Maybe it's the warm weather. Maybe it's just the sun coming out. Not sure what it is but there are definitely some distracted drivers out there on the road at times.

All nighters

2011-04-14T03:06:00.003-05:00

Every now and then I have to pull an all-nighter just to beat a client's deadline. My students don't know how I do it and quite frankly I'm not so sure how I do it. It's physically exhausting, mentally draining, and a pressure cooker. But after the job is delivered and the client is satisfied, the euphoria (and the eventual paycheck) is pretty good. A few weeks back after pulling an all nighter, I still had just enough energy to scratch out this little gem that sort of encapsulates the feeling of the morning after.

#54

2011-04-14T03:03:00.001-05:00

I finally managed to get a new case of sketchbooks in and I've been filling them up pretty regularly. I'm actually juggling two at the moment and this was just one of the more fun filled images I decided to pull out of one for the blog.

#53

2011-03-22T01:25:00.002-05:00

Just messing with the new Utrecht Design Markers here. Kinda liking the flexible nib- almost brush like but with just enough of a snap back to them. Not the world's greatest assortment of colors but dirt cheap, nice tip and great for quick inking so far.

Photoshop inking

2011-03-20T19:52:00.001-05:00

Just playing around with Photoshop and the Wacom tablet here. It's something I did freehand just to get more and more familiar with the brush sensitivity when it comes to a traditional inking look.

Midterm grading

2011-03-16T00:51:00.003-05:00

A few weeks back it was midterms for a lot of us who teach. My friend and fellow Ask the Professor panelist, Beth Oljar actually had to go into seclusion and take time away from our weekly show taping to handle her grades. This is what she gets for teaching a popular class at the University of Detroit-Mercy!

Rest in peace, Martin.

2011-03-10T23:58:00.003-05:00

A few weeks back at the local pet shop where I frequent, one of the regular inhabitants there- Martin the Tortoise passed away. He was anywhere from 18-20 years old, about three feet in length, weighed more than I care to talk about, and had free reign of the store. Martin was by far one of the most gentlest creatures there. He was often the marvel of kids young and old there. We had often joked how he was going to outlive us all. Sadly his demise came far too soon and he will be missed by all.

This is my tribute to the bug lug who would often come to me for food and offer me a less than gentle nudge upon my shins.

#52

2011-03-08T10:56:00.001-05:00

Based upon a premise that all car designs should be geared towards an individual personality.

#51

2011-03-08T03:23:00.003-05:00

No particular inspiration. No particular purpose other than to see where and what the pen could create. It's like I tell people- "there are certain times when the pen does all the work and all I do is hang on tight"!

#50

2011-03-08T03:17:00.002-05:00

G'Lord. It's been awhile since I've posted. It's not like I haven't probably carved through a half dozen sketchbooks since I last posted- it's just that the advertising aspect of my career's gotten busy again (no complaints there). Here's just a sampling of some of the stuff I've been doing.

Baby minotaur (#49)

2010-11-08T14:11:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite mythological creatures, the minotaur- in adorable baby form. Just another sketchbook submission.

Digital pinhead

2010-10-26T01:51:00.003-05:00

Just for kicks, I've been doing more and more digital drawings in what little spare time I manage to sneak in. Here's a quick pinhead sketch I did for fun. Admittedly the more I do it, it just becomes that much more natural of a transition from pen & paper to pixels.

#48

2010-09-15T05:13:00.002-05:00

Inspiration comes from all over. This image was inspired during a recent trip to California. We were on the flight back and the in-flight TV monitors were showing some tennis tournament. I couldn't help but think about some of the serves that the players were making in the match. Fortunately there wasn't much turbulence on the flight and I could go to town on this.

#47

2010-08-14T03:09:00.002-05:00

Not exactly sure how, but friend Rosemary Van Deuren and her devotion to all things rabbits inspired me to do this little sketch.

Summer doodles

2010-07-26T02:42:00.001-05:00

This is just another page in just another sketchbook I've tossed myself into this summer.

some stuff for fun

2010-07-20T22:35:00.002-05:00

Every now and then I get to go a little nutty and make fun of friends and their dilemmas. This one is dedicated to my friends Barb & James and their slightly oddball plight.

045

2010-07-01T02:19:00.003-05:00

No particular reason. Just scanning in more pages from my sketchbook and decided to post one from awhile back. Homage to Johnny Weismuller & Cheetah.

Sketchbook's latest

2010-06-28T01:16:00.002-05:00

Just one of many scans culled from my multitude of sketchbooks. Slowly but surely the sketches will be archived digitally and in the meantime, here's another fun little item from months back.

CCS Student Show 2010

2010-06-19T00:06:00.005-05:00

Another year, another batch of fresh faced graduates. The annual CCS Student Show has gone up and come down to much trepidation and fanfare. Now the grads are out there making a go at it. What a wonderfully bright, brilliant and talented lot we had this year. May they go out there, pursue their dreams and one day look back fondly at how much they grew up and grew together. I sincerely believe that education is a collective process. This current class pushed one another and will hopefully continue to push beyond their own personal bounds now.

Mascot design

2010-04-18T00:46:00.005-05:00

For a recent project for a college town eatery known as Menna's Joint, I was asked to help re-design their mascot. After several incarnations, the client agree upon a design and I handed off the actual building of the mascot to two of my more industrious Illustration students in Tom Chouinard and Dave Williams. I think they did my drawings justice by bringing it to life. They worked long and hard on it. Job well done guys.

#043

2010-04-03T04:45:00.004-05:00

'Twas nearly a year ago that I started this Sketchbook project. Over 25+ sketchbooks later, I'm still drawing away when I can.

requests?

2010-03-09T23:52:00.002-05:00

Generally I view my sketchbook stuff as being personal and what spills out is what I'm feeling at the moment, what strikes me a fun, quirky or otherwise. Coming upon the very last page I posed the question of what should I draw and these were two of the things suggested to me.

Thanks to Monica Petiprin & Amanda Prosch respectively.

#042

2010-03-09T03:24:00.000-05:00

Just another sketch...

2010-03-04T03:54:00.002-05:00

Sketchbooks are piling up like Fall leaves here, so I'd better at least post ONE doodle to keep the masses happy. Trust me, there will be more to come. It just takes time to cull them, scan them and finally post 'em.

Still kicking

2010-02-09T02:59:00.004-05:00

Rest assured I have not fallen off of the planet. The sketchbook drawings continue to fly despite my schedule of trying to work and teach. Here's just one of the literal hundreds of drawings I've done for the Sketchbook Series since my last posting. Insomnia can be a productive artist's best friend at times.

More sketchbook stuff

2009-10-05T00:07:00.006-05:00

No particular themes. It's just me hanging onto the marker and letting it go where it wants to go.

Bernie Fuchs passes away

2009-09-21T14:19:00.004-05:00

Just this previous weekend on September 19th, one of my illustration idols in Bernie Fuchs passed away at the age of 76. He was always required reading and viewing when I was in school. The more I read about him, his impact upon American culture- I understood how important this man was to the field. Not only was he an amazing craftsman and artist, but he actually worked in the Detroit hey day of studio art. He drew cars, made them art, and then transcended this market when other art directors took notice. From there he went on to do work for some of the most visible clients in advertising including Sports Illustrated, Coca Cola, TV Guide, and others.

His book shown here, "Ragtime Tumpie" I use in my class today to show my students how gorgeously this man worked. I hope to pass on some of Bernie Fuchs' scope & vision onto the next group of young illustrators. He truly was an innovator, an amazing artist, and someone I admired from afar.

Summer sketchbook

2009-08-09T00:21:00.006-05:00

More images from another two day sketchbook.

Art Spiegelman at the MOCAD

2009-07-17T23:43:00.003-05:00

I just had the distinct honor of seeing acclaimed cartoonist/ story teller/ graphic artist Art Spiegelman lecture at the MOCAD. He talked about the history and future of comics as well as showing off some of his impressive works. One very poignant part that stuck with me was how influential MAD magazine was to him. It's a sad reminder to think of where print publications have come (MAD is now produced quarterly as opposed to its high of nine issues a year), but then knowing that a book like Maus can still be groundbreaking and award winning gives us hope that print is not about to fade away just yet. I was lucky enough to get a signed and sketched copy of it for my library and will treasure it and its author's genius.

Majestic Cafe renderings

2009-07-13T23:44:00.002-05:00

It's not exactly every day I get a call to do an interior design project, but just recently I was asked to be a part of the re-design of Detroit's historic Majestic Cafe. It had been a long long time since I've done anything so architectural and so accurate, but it was fun envisioning the space, the new furniture, fixtures and trappings.

HIBM Awareness

2009-07-04T01:14:00.005-05:00

A few months ago I was asked to stand up in some very close friends' upcoming wedding. One of them has HIBM (Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy), which is a progressive muscular disease which can lead to total disability within 10-15 years. They, along with many others have worked non-stop to raise awareness through their HIBM website. They're hoping to raise some money to cure this dreaded disease. Please take a few moments of your day, look at their website and even in this tight economy, go to their link and pledge a dollar to help meet their $1 million dollar goal.

sketchbook's latest

2009-06-19T17:31:00.002-05:00

Still cooking along.

The Lost Tiki Palaces of Detroit reading

2009-06-18T22:52:00.007-05:00

Friend and fellow tiki enthusiast, Michael Zadoorian had a reading from his new book, The Lost Tiki Palaces of Detroit at the Book Beat earlier. Along with Michael was Glenn Barr who was the cover artist for this new collection of Detroit based stories. A good time was had by all as they were both signing copies of the book, regaling us with their stories and reliving wonderful stories of their upbringing in the Detroit area.

CCS Student Exhibition 2009

2009-06-18T22:46:00.008-05:00

'Twas a very long year at school but at the end of every year is the annual Student Exhibition. Here are some random shots of the walls, displays and art.

Medicine Hat pennants- no more?

2009-05-22T00:25:00.006-05:00

Back in October 2008, I posted about 14 of the felt & silk pennants from my hometown of Medicine Hat. I've got well over 30+ of these things and decided to show off a few of the select gems. I'll find them in garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, eBay and just about anywhere I can score one. A few years back upon a trip back to Alberta, I managed to obtain one from an antique shop directly across the street from where my dad's restaurant was.

Here are a few more from the collection but for whatever reason I haven't been able to find any more of these pennants. I've searched high & low with no such luck. Could it be I've snagged them all or are they just so obscure an obtuse that people just pitch them after they get dingy? If anyone comes across a Medicine Hat pennant, feel free to drop me a line. Who knows? I might not have it in my collection.

Draper Hill (1935 -2009)

2009-05-19T01:32:00.004-05:00

Upon entering college I had visions of becoming an editorial cartoonist much like Draper Hill of The Detroit News. I had always enjoyed the editorial & journalistic bent of cartooning. When I was in middle school I wrote a term on paper editorial cartooning where I detailed such people like Thomas Nast, Bill Maudlin, Jeff MacNelly, Mike Peters, etc.. I knew that a simple image could change how people perceived things. I always read the comics in the newspaper but was always fascinated with the spontaneity and timely nature of editorial cartoons; they weren't cartoons done weeks or months in advance- they were often done the evening after a major event. The people who came up with these little artistic gems had to have a quick decisive style, wit and were technically sound.

Last week, one of my inspirations, Draper Hill passed away at the young age of 73. I never met him, wrote to him in admiration or had any contact with him other than enjoying his art on a daily basis. I'd study his approach to caricature (as he was wickedly accurate in depicting then mayor, Coleman Young), his brush work, his lettering, his tone and just about anything I could do to emulate that style. From what I've read about Draper Hill, he truly was a gentleman and a huge repository of knowledge & historical data on cartooning. To me, he will always be one of my earliest influences and inspirations to becoming an artist. He will be missed.

Art Battle 2009

2009-04-30T23:05:00.004-05:00

Another year. Another Art Battle at the Russell Industrial Center. On April 17th, I drew nearly non-stop for three hours on a huge 30" x 40" canvas. I didn't win, place or show but did have a handful of offers for the piece I did.

Starving artists myth

2009-04-11T00:51:00.006-05:00

Here's an illustration I've done for friend and CCS Admissions counselor, Lori Watson. She needed a piece of art for an upcoming seminar to parents of prospective artists.

I've personally have always hated that term of "starving artist". As a working artist and a person that teaches the senior level course in Portfolio Presentation, I have to convince my soon-to-be graduates that there is hope for them. I will often question WHY they chose to be an artist- and often have to remind them of the passion that they started when they went into this field. It should be nearly a religious calling that we choose to be artists; it's about our drive, determination and wanting to be happy in creating art.

While the economic times might be tight at the moment, there are still many opportunities for a creative person to ply their craft. Creativity doesn't just happen at the end of a brush, marker or pencil. One has to be able to re-invent themselves and find those markets. If anything, there are probably more diverse fields now for a creative person to step into now than ever before.

I hope Lori does well with her seminar and convinces those hesitant parents into letting their kids go into a field which I call my hobby, my job, my career and most importantly- my passion.

Ann Delisi's Essential Music

2009-04-06T02:58:00.004-05:00

Being a huge fan of eclectic music and the dee jays that play that sort of music, it's welcomed relief to have Ann Delisi back on the airwaves at WDET 101.9 FM every Saturday & Sunday from noon until 4:00.

What she does so uniquely on the Detroit radio airwaves (and for those not in the listening area, online) is that she researches her music and then seamlessly blends all genres of music on the air to make an intelligent show. It's not the pre-packaged playlists that you hear on every other station. Just this previous weekend she played varied musicians such as UB40, Joan Osbourne, Ray Charles, Bell X1, India Arie, all the way to Detroit's very own Jamie McCarthy and Jill Jack (playing local music is also another goal of the show). While I don't adore everything that Ann plays, her selections have also exposed me to other genres of music that I would've never heard on any commercial airwaves. It's literally an education in music.

The show definitely harkens back to a much more intelligent time in radio when the audience relied on the voices heard on the air as authorities in music and news.

Modernist tiki sculptures

2009-04-04T22:56:00.006-05:00

Three tiki sculptures I just recently picked up. They are all exquisitely carved, assembled and painted. I have yet to find out much about the manufacturer or any details about them other than their construction was mentioned in a 1961 Popular Mechanics magazine. The tags that are around two of the darker ones read: "Polynesian tiki handcrafted by R.E. Evans- San Diego, CA". They're barely a foot tall and about two inches across at their widest point. They're not my usual ceramic fare but I think they still have a unique cool modern feature to them.

Another sketchbook done

2009-03-27T23:25:00.004-05:00

Although this particular sketchbook took me more than my self imposed two day schedule, I finally finished it. If it wasn't for a rush job that came across my desk for a steady client, I probably would've pounded this book down in that prescribed time frame. Now it's time to recover for a day or two and start up another book soon.

Sketchbook latest

2009-03-25T07:12:00.003-05:00

Day two of sketching. Just for kicks.

George Kell passes away

2009-03-25T04:28:00.005-05:00

I don't think there's a Detroit kid my generation that played any form of sandlot baseball/ softball that didn't do a George Kell impersonation of some kind. Many of us knew him only as a Tigers' television broadcaster but prior to that, he was one of the most potent third basemen in all of Major League Baseball. His records were many and his acceptance in the Hall of Fame only reinforces those accomplishments. He passed away in his hometown of Swifton, Arkansas at the age of 86 and yet I can still his voice ring out with some wonderful anecdote about the game that he played and was passionate about.

Terry Brown visits CCS

2009-03-25T04:14:00.005-05:00

Terry Brown, the director emeritus of the New York Society of Illustrators was kind enough to join some of our students in a lively discussion on many things Illustration. He talked about the history of American Illustration (he taught one of the premier History of Illustration courses), its evolution, its future, copyrights, the influence of technology, market shifts, and hopefully inspired some of our troops to be the next wave of impactful artists.

Terry also gave our students a personal guided tour of the current Norman Rockwell exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts as well as personally regaling us in some outrageous stories about the Society the night before.

Just for kicks

2009-03-19T06:57:00.002-05:00

Every now & then and a lot of times for friends I'll poke fun of them for some obscure little thing or foible in their lives. And from time to time I come up with some things that even surprise me or make me chuckle. Granted years from now I'll look back and have lost all context as to why it was funny, but for the mean time- this was one of those goofy ten minute drawings that just keeps staring back at me and makes me chuckle.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T07:05:00.001-05:00

If only friend Jay Shuster would've kept his beard for just a bit longer (and if he was about two feet shorter), he would've been the ideal leprechaun for this holiday.

Another look at the Chin Tiki

2009-03-17T02:51:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I know I posted a longer winded Chin Tiki article about the fall of the place below but also wanted to preserve the Google Map street level image of the place that was taken several years back. How simply spartan and idyllic it looked in the Detroit sun.

Also mad thanks to John Monaghan of the Detroit Free Press too. Great article on the place being demolished and sending over 3000+ hits to the merry blog here.

Sketchbook happy

2009-03-17T02:42:00.008-05:00

My very first all digital sketch.
Not a single tree was sacrificed in its creation.

The usual sketchy madness.

For the last few month or so, I've been going gonzo in my sketchbooks. I can nearly finish a 128 page sketchbook in less than a week. Granted some of them are clunkers and then some of them are little gems for me to explore a little bit more. Even with my work and teaching schedule I've always managed a few precious hours to myself to add something to these little sketchbooks. I'm not sure where they're gonna go just yet but it's been very liberating.

The fall of the last great Detroit Tiki Temple

2009-03-09T17:40:00.015-05:00

For several generations in this area, the Chin Tiki restaurant on 2121 Cass Avenue was the place for people to go celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, proms and other occasions of note. Marvin Chin opened it in an era when Polynesian/ Chinese food was relatively new to American palettes. The building itself was two stories of waterfalls, mysterious caverns, coves, tapa cloth covered walls and filled with relics, many made by Oceanic Arts in Whittier, California which is still in business today. The Chin Tiki opened in 1966 and stayed in business until 1980.

On March 6th, 2009, what was once the grandeur of the Chin Tiki came down. It had sat idle for years with Marvin & his son still coming by from time to time tinkering on the place. Many tiki enthusiasts had hoped that this haven would somehow be reborn and its significance be saved. When Marvin passed away in 2006, so did the dream of its re-opening.

The fences went up and the heavy equipment moved in during 2007 after the Ilitch Holdings Company came in and bought up the land for what is to be rumored a new stadium for the Ilitchs' Detroit Red Wings hockey team.

What was the front entrance to a magic tiki temple for so many people is now destroyed.

Visitors were often greeted with costumed hostesses distributing leis.

The second floor housed a huge dance floor that had nightly Polynesian acts.

For many, the Chin Tiki was a place to escape the daily grind. It was a destination.

As we look back at the City and its progress we're left to mourn what was once one of the premier dining destinations and a cultural icon for the area.

Gone are the days that adults can justifiably leave their children at home with the sitter, go partake of potent potables, dine in exotic fare, see scantily clad women and be flung off to an exotic locale... if even for one night. Along with the Mauna Loa, the Tropics, and a Trader Vic's, this building and all of the wonderful tiki memories that it housed is now a distant memory.

Syd Mead lectures at CCS

2009-02-19T01:13:00.005-05:00

Jay Kruz, Syd Mead and Karen Kruz with a piece of art Syd had done for Ford in the 1960's and hadn't seen since then.

Earlier this week I was honored to have played host to Syd Mead on the CCS campus.

I first met Syd Mead during my junior year at CCS when he came by the campus to demonstrate his techniques. It was a few years after he had worked on his epic Blade Runner with Ridley Scott. Over the years he's come back several times to CCS to speak and inspire the students. This time he filled the Wendell Anderson Auditorium to capacity to the point where I ended up listening to the lecture from the audio visual control room. He talked about his career- all the way from his childhood to his current projects. He was quite frank and honest during the question & answer period with the audience afterwards. My sincere hope is that his visit to CCS has inspired some of my students the way he inspired me years ago. It was an honor to have had him back on campus. Kudos to all of the people that attended and help make the evening possible.

Sketchbook drawings

2009-02-12T02:36:00.008-05:00

As an instructor, I'm one to harp on my students to keep up a sketchbook. As a working professional I know I should as well, but due to time constraints, job, life, and every other third excuse in the book- over the last few years I've hardly kept a sketchbook for myself other than the ones I take on trips and vacations.

Well, within the last week I decided to jump back into it and re-discovered how liberating it was. No deadlines, no art direction, no restraints as to what or how I was to put images in the sketchbook. I didn't worry about how clean or crisp my line-work was; after all it was a sketchbook and not a finished art book. The images are sometimes raw, sometimes refined and all across the board. It was fun, uninhibited and just outright fun again.

The only thing is I filled the book in about two days and will have to get another one soon.

CCS Noel Night last Saturday

2008-12-12T00:26:00.004-05:00

The 36th Annual Noel Night down in the Cultural Center of Detroit last Saturday- what a hoopla! There were over 3000+ people coming by CCS to scope out wares made by the students & alumni. A little cold blowing snow outside but somehow it still managed to bring in the crowds year after year.

Rest in peace, Betty Page.

2008-12-11T23:06:00.002-05:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one mourning or blogging about Betty Page and her untimely death today, but I'd like to think that because earlier this year one my idols Dave Stevens passed away, she decided to join him and give him one of the most gorgeous figures to draw. May the poses be grand, beautiful and naughty all at the same time.

Enough of the hype, now VOTE!

2008-11-04T06:43:00.002-05:00

For the last few months there has been enough mud slinging, campaigning, and all sorts of issues debated back and forth. Well, it boils down to today. So go out there and exercise your right to vote!

Recollect Dead exhibition

2008-10-31T00:36:00.002-05:00

I'm a part of the Recollect Dead custom sneaker exhibition and costume party being held on Halloween night at the Cave Gallery at 1600 Clay Avenue in Detroit (third floor of the Russell Industrial Center, Building #4).

Nike/ Richard Hamilton TV commercial

2008-10-30T02:56:00.004-05:00

-the fake Richard Hamilton

-the real Richard Hamilton

Ordinarily I get hired to do storyboards for TV commercials, but from time to time I get hauled onto the set to do all sorts of things. Just a few days ago I got the call in the middle of the day to participate in a Nike commercial featuring Detroit Pistons star, Richard "Rip" Hamilton. This two day gig consisted of me replicating Rip Hamilton's tattoos on two stand-ins. I was given photo reference as to what the tattoos looked like and I had to find a way to apply them to the actors' arms. Throughout the shoot I also had to be on hand to touch up the artwork as sweat and abrasion would wear it down.

It's always amazing working on a larger production like this. There were well over 300 actors which included the crowd, two basketball teams (dressed as the Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks), announcers, photographers, scorers, referees, towel boys, and everything you'd see at a real basketball game. Being a part of the crew that helps make this illusion look so real is daunting and yet humbling- turning Detroit's Cobo Arena to look like The Palace of Auburn Hills, making 300 people look and sound like 20-30,000 cheering people and me making two Michigan State students look like an NBA All-Star.

SketchCrawl- Detroit

2008-10-27T10:00:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday all across the world was SketchCrawl, a day in which artists of all levels were encouraged to go out and sketch away. I was introduced to this by fellow sketch monkey, Jay Shuster- when he insisted I participate in one or at least start one here in Detroit. Seeing as how trusted teaching colleague, Joe Hickey had already hitched his trusty wagon to this cause, I figured it'd be easier for me to latch on.

While we didn't have the massive following that we both wanted, we did manage to take a few kids downtown to Campus Martius. Amidst the sparrows, pigeons and the great Detroit architecture, we drew away for awhile. Before hypothermia set in, we eventually went to one of my favorite places in town, The Guardian Building. It is by far one of the most visually lush buildings in the area and just a wonderful place for people to meet, draw and just ogle at the splendor of this architectural gem. It is truly one of those places that I would recommend all Detroit visitors check out, grab a bite to eat in, go shopping, and if the mood moves you... sketch!

Reflection

2008-10-23T02:12:00.004-05:00

Sometimes on those seriously melancholy days, it takes something as innocent as the neighbor's cat to come over to sit in your lap to give you a sense of perspective.

"Geisha" is the cat that lives across the street and has found it within her persona to adopt me. She'll come over to just hang out and just chill. In doing so, she'll make me pause my day and look out into the world in her eyes. In such a busy and disjointed world, it's sometimes nice to just look out across the world and think about what's really important in life.

Medicine Hat pennants

2008-10-18T02:06:00.013-05:00

Some people collect spoons, postcards, street signs or other items from their hometown. Me? I've been collecting for the last few years these sometimes satin, but more often than not, felt pennants from Medicine Hat, Alberta- my hometown. Utilizing everything from crudely Native American imagery to the day-glow fauna to represent the city has always struck me bizarre and yet intriguing. The typographic solutions vary and some are repeated, but combined with the silk screened images they represent to me that far off magical place where I was born.

Sad day in typography

2008-10-09T17:32:00.002-05:00

While I never had him as an instructor during my time in college, we all knew of the legend that Jerry Campbell was. He, along with his friends Dick Isbell & Arthur Spaniola taught the majority of the lettering classes at CCS. These guys could hand letter fonts on a blackboard better than most of us could with layout paper. They could do calligraphy with a brush, pen, marker and probably a broom if given the chance. They designed more car logos for the Big Three here in Detroit than most and had numerous typefaces to their credit.

Jerry Campbell passed a few days ago and we lost a giant in the typographical world.

Here's the obituary from The Detroit News today:

"POPS" A long-time Detroit typographer and calligrapher Gerald B. Campbell, 86, has died in Henderson, Nevada, a week after suffering a stroke. Born in Lansdowne, New Brunswick, Canada, on September 23rd, 1922, he graduated from Royal Oak High School in 1940. During World War II he served with the Second Armored Division and saw combat in N. Africa, Sicily, Normandy, and at the Battle of the Bulge. He became the president of the Graphic Artists Guild in 1968, and taught typography and calligraphy at the Center for Creative Studies for 17 years. His company, Campbell/Isbell Alphabets, designed dozens of typefaces and hundreds of logos and special typography for the automotive industry. He is survived by his brother Earl "Curly" (Jean); daughters Carole (Steve) and Mary; sons Colin, Scott, Matt (Nancy) and Gerry; five grandchildren and four great grandchildren. A life celebration will be held at the VFW Hall in Royal Oak, 214 E. 4TH Street on Saturday, October 11th, from 12-5p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Veterans of Foreign Wars or the Alzheimer's Association in memory of his late wife of 44 years, Martha (nee: Bieke).

In a world where typography at times is taken for granted, here was a man who created it, treasured it and taught it to us as an art form. He will be missed dearly by those of us in the CCS community to which he is listed as a 1948 graduate.

Jay Shuster & his beard, part II

2008-10-08T02:13:00.008-05:00

I had way too much fun coming up with imagery for Jay's beard last time (see my August 2008 posting), I couldn't hold off and I had to come up with another series. Part of it is that I know Jay's a good humored lad who can take this sort of ribbing about his facial fuzz and stand proud. Secondly is that I probably secretly wish I could grow a lush jaw mop like him.

Love classic car ads

2008-10-07T20:39:00.004-05:00

There's a part of me that wishes that car advertisers one of these days will be bold and daring enough to go back to hiring illustrators to do gorgeously painted car ads and catalogs again. Not that I could even come close to doing what those old time car painters did back then. They were done by truly technically gifted and great artists. These ads portrayed a much more simpler time whereas nowadays people want to see actual photography as proof.

Here's an ad from the May 15th, 1954 Maclean's Magazine that showed my 1954 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe in all of it's glory.

Paul Newman passes

2008-09-27T21:02:00.009-05:00

One of the most dynamic actors of our time, Paul Newman has passed away. Beyond his many accomplished roles, he also had a social consciousness that spread to many of his charitable organizations. By all accounts he was a wonderful family man, director, friend, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and racing enthusiast.

Pictured here is Doc Hudson, a role where he was the voice of the iconic 1950's car I nearly bought about 15 years ago and with fellow actor/ humanitarian, Tim Robbins in The Hudsucker Proxy. Newman has said never really liked the role of corporate cad, Sidney J. Mussberger, but I thought it was a great role for him.

He will be sorely missed.

CCS 50 Buck Show

2008-09-20T01:07:00.006-05:00

On September 12, CCS' Center Galleries staged a show requesting people donate a piece of art to their opening and had it revolve around the idea of $50. The tickets to get into the show were $50 (free if you contributed artwork) and to purchase a piece of artwork was $50. Needless to say, the multitude of friends of CCS, the Gallery and hordes of people donated well over 230 pieces to the show. The opening was a grand success as witnessed by the huge amount of people in attendance. Unlike other gallery openings where work is left on the walls to be enjoyed for a period after the opening, the walls were being picked clean a few hours after the opening. Sales were brisk and many happy patrons were seen taking home wonderful pieces by the end of the night.

Navy TV commercial art

2008-09-19T05:54:00.004-05:00

Here's one frame from a series of shooting boards I just got done doing for the US Navy via RedOrange USA. The spots are geared towards the high school/ soon-to-be college age kid and will be shot in Hamtramck and Ann Arbor soon. I'm still not so sure how I survived working on these frames- I subbed for a colleague's classes, pulled the all-nighter banging out the frames and then I taught my all day classes with relatively no ill effects. I'm not questioning how or why but am thankful that I can.

Summer Cruising

2008-09-09T00:24:00.008-05:00

For about the last dozen years I've had this car, the 1954 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe to which we've affectionately named The Beast. It has no power steering, no power brakes, no AC, no AM or FM radio, no cruise control and no frills. And yet every summer we take this "urban land yacht" out to cruise Woodward Avenue and the local roads. It handles like a charm! It drives like a boat where you have to make decisions well in advance and you sit way up in it like huge sofa on wheels. Sure, there are cars out there worth a lot more than mine, have tricked out chrome, a killer sound system, a sweet big block under the hood and can blow me away at the gate- but this has been a amazingly fun car to enjoy the Michigan summer months. It's not your typical tricked out cruise ride but it still turns just enough heads and we can feel the breeze come into the car as we accelerate up the boulevard.

First day of classes.

2008-09-02T06:35:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe today's the first day of classes for CCS. The freshmen have had an entire week of orientation after orientation, the faculty have syllabi & lesson plans ready, the groundskeepers have cleaned the place up pretty nicely and we're hopeful and awfully optimistic with this new year coming up. The cycle continues today.

Don LaFontaine passes.

2008-09-02T05:31:00.006-05:00

Possibly one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood, Don LaFontaine has passed away. He was by far one of the busiest and he's been heard doing practically every major movie premiere in recent memory.

I had the chance to hear the man work years ago when I had to meet an art director at a local recording studio in Southfield to pick up some storyboard work and they had Don LaFontaine on the voice patch to his Hollywood Hills studio. He was recording some Ford Truck TV commercials and to hear how he worked was amazing. His inflections were crisp and that voice could've moved mountains! Not only did he nail the spot in just a few takes, he'd also had fun and ran with the script. He'd heave out some pretty off handed remarks that surely would've made the client cringe if they had heard them aired. Many were unfit for public consumption, but to hear those remarks in that deep recognizable voice was hilarious.

He will be missed.

This is the Day

2008-08-20T02:13:00.008-05:00

Hard to believe this song came out in 1984. I was a wee lad at CCS discovering this new "alternative music". "This is the Day" by The The stands out as one of those songs of that era. It was off of the "Soul Mining" album (vinyl!). Up until just a few years ago I had never seen the video until Youtube. Looking back at it now- the special effects were laughable. But back then MTV was still in its infancy, cable TV wasn't widely distributed, the lead singer Matt Johnson had a full head of hair, and things were so much simpler or at least it seemed like it for those of us.

Now years later, people get a chance to hear this song once more on the M&M commercials.

Mignola/ Corben Hellboy

2008-08-20T01:34:00.003-05:00

Being a huge Mike Mignola fan, his latest saga with the Hellboy series has really piqued my interest when Dark Horse signed on artist extraordinaire, Richard Corben to draw it.

I've been a fan of Corben's since his early Heavy Metal (the magazine, not the music genre) days. His handling of Mignola's most famous red hued big man is going to be a treat for the next few issues.

Jay Shuster & his beard

2008-08-20T00:24:00.006-05:00

Fellow speed demon with the marker & Pixar impresario, Jay Shuster has been growing out his facial fuzz over the last few months. Beyond scaring small children & people with heart ailments, he's also become the inspiration of a handful of drawings I've done since coming back from California.

For Jay's comments on this libel, you can check out his vision and feeble comments on his blog.

Medium Well

2008-08-05T12:26:00.002-05:00

By the good graces of CCS' Career Services and Marketing & PR departments, last semester Don Kilpatrick, Stephen Schudlich and I were given the task to come up with a book touting some of our department's finer works. This book so eloquently named Medium Well by Stephen is that compilation. It includes some of our stellar junior & senior work within the department. It made its debut at the San Diego Comic Con and was shown to several of our more prominent LA alumni as well.

San Diego Comic Con 2008

2008-08-05T00:04:00.012-05:00

Ryan Gitter, Stormtrooper Elvis & comic book cover artist extraordinaire, Adam Hughes

Famed painter, illustrator and all around great guy Greg Spalenka with Kassandra Heller & Chris Houghton

Rachael Olek, Sherrie Savage & Christina Harper on Preview Night

Dave Boyle & Lori Watson at the CCS booth

Ryan Gitter, Lauren Moyer, Chris Antoin, Dave Swartz & Lance Red

Scott Daly, Wes Eggebrecht & Matt Byle

Angie Lai, Mike Roll & Scott Bogoniewski

Wes Eggebrecht, Scott Daly, Matt Byle, Mike Roll & Jay Shuster

It's hard to believe it's been over a week since I got back from the San Diego Comic Convention. This year has been exceptionally good for the simple reason that we had over 50+ students, recent alums, and older alums attending on their own dime. Many of my current students and the recent alums attending for the very first time got a chance to sit in on panel discussions, attend seminars, meet their heroes, have their portfolios reviewed, and buy cool swag. On Saturday we had an alumni get together at the Rock Bottom Brewery which was attended by plenty more CCS folks & guests.

In so many ways it was sensory overload, a marathon of the senses, and a great time to be had by all. And as grueling as this event is to do every year, I'm buoyed by my students' raw enthusiasm and excitement at this event. I think it's a great way to introducing them to the business, their possibilities, their peers, and a chance to see where they fit into it all.

Like Steven Guarnaccia, the chairperson of Parsons Illustration program so eloquently said of the Comic Con- "it's the future of Illustration". After seeing my students do so well promoting not only themselves, but the school- I'm so inclined to agree.

Animal alphabet book

2008-07-21T05:11:00.002-05:00

A few years back, my wife's cousin was about to give birth to their first kid. And rather than come up with some mundane gift for them, on a spur of the moment decision we decided to make a book for them. We worked furiously through the night and day making the thing; I drew the pencil sketches, Marcy painted them, I inputed the paintings, did the graphic design, and had them printed so Marcy could hand stitch the book together for delivery.

From that one hand bound book, we saved the images and have since had it published for mass consumption. If you're interested in snagging one of these little books, feel free to go to my wife's Etsy store and spend a few of your hard earned nickels on a fun project we worked on a few years back.

Marcy's Etsy shop

Gearing up for Comic Con

2008-07-21T05:06:00.003-05:00

This week I'll be off to San Diego to attend the world's largest pop culture event. Words can't begin to describe the enormity of this event. I'm proud to say that a very motivated bunch of students will be joining me out there as well as a great group of CCS alumni stopping in for a CCS hosted reception. Pictures to come soon.

Illustration conference in NYC

2008-07-21T04:52:00.004-05:00

During the Fourth of July weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Illustration Conference ICON at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. Eight of my students from CCS got a chance to tag along and work as volunteers and see it all. Needless to say it was a whirlwind weekend. Some of them had never been to New York City. On top of meeting and hearing some of the luminaries in the Illustration world, we went to North America's oldest pizzeria in Lombardi's, saw the Fourth of July fireworks from afar, strolled through Chinatown, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Museum, and a host of other New York landmarks. And when they weren't exploring, they worked extremely hard and I couldn't be more proud of them.

(pictured L to R in back are Samantha Turgeon, Kaylen Conley, Kristina Rafalski, Andrea Kowch, Diana Skylacos and Cara Kozik- with Jillian Pulford exceptionally large in the front)

God rest Olive Riley

2008-07-14T02:33:00.004-05:00

Olive Riley, the world's oldest blogger has passed away at the grand old age of 108.
link

I hope my mind is as crisp and clear as hers is at that age.

New brush marker

2008-06-19T00:58:00.004-05:00

I'm such the art tool geek. I strolled through the CCS Bookstore and noticed that they have a NEW Copic brush marker- the Multiliner SP. I haven't had a chance to get all of the other bells and whistles that come with it just yet, but I guess these have replaceable nibs, ink cartridges and a cool aluminum skin. I got home and couldn't help but ink an old pencil sketch I did of the Green Goblin. I do so love all the new technology but there's still something magical about a hand inked drawing. I'm pretty sure I'm hooked to this new marker.

Just for laughs

2008-06-13T13:08:00.002-05:00

It's been nearly a month since school got out. I've been working like a madman since on all sorts of projects. From time to time, I will take a few moments to crank out a fun piece for myself. So here, I just decided to scratch out my thoughts on the good ol' days of having a car without air conditioning.

The comedic genius of Harvey Korman

2008-05-30T17:55:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Harvey Korman passed away.

I grew up watching him on the Carol Burnett Show and laughing my butt off to him. Whether he played opposite Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, the weekly guest star or his comedic foil, Tim Conway- he was always stellar. He also voiced The Great Gazoo in The Flintstones cartoon show as well as a ton of other characters. One of his most iconic was probably his role of the dastardly villain in 1974 movie, Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" as Hedley Lamarr.

My mom always loved his over the top characters that he'd portray and while she never grasped the English language that well, she understood his comedy. Today I'll miss them both.

One picture says it all

2008-05-08T01:06:00.008-05:00

After I graduated CCS many moons ago, I had these grandiose visions of somehow changing the world with my art. Could I be the next Picasso, be a part of the new Nouveau, be instrumental as Bauhaus, or maybe be written up in critical art books? I guess I still have some of those dreams but I've since realized that it's through hard work, dedication to my craft and it starts with one person. If I can somehow change one person's perception of the world for the better- I've achieved that change. Knowing Ingrid is happy and thankful is a wonderful place to start.

(Many thanks to Carol Mazurek for the great pics)

*****
UPDATE!
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Ever since I took on this project, there has been more requests to donate art for Ingrid to enjoy. Above is one I just got today from Chelsea Kirchoff. It seems as though I've been appointed art conduit for Ingrid alluva sudden!

Artwork for Ingrid

2008-05-07T03:18:00.005-05:00

A few weeks back, colleague, friend and esteemed artist Gilda Snowden contacted me about a project she was asked to participate in. A friend of hers, Carol Mazurek had contacted Gilda about gathering artwork to help brighten a little six year old girl’s room as she was about to go through chemotherapy for the 14th time to combat a form of lung cancer.

Seeing as how it’s the final few weeks of school and everyone was scrambling around, Gilda immediately thought of me “and the folks in your department because you are used to moving fast!”

I made the announcement to the Senior Studio to come up with pieces that would help liven this little girl’s day. They were under no obligation; there were to be no grades or bonuses handed out for this. Their only reward was good karma and my sincere appreciation. Steve Kade was also enlisted to submit his whimsical pieces as well and did so with an original watercolor and print. I also made the call out to California and contacted the likes of Jay Shuster, Jeremy Melton and Angie Lai. They too contributed amazing personal and touching pieces to help liven this girl’s space.

Last Friday, Carol came by to pick up the artwork and drove me to visit little Ingrid (she’s got a name now!) at the hospital. I was introduced to her family and Ingrid. I presented the artwork that I had gathered from Gilda, my class (as well as pieces gathered from the Animation Department by Christine Osinski) and the alumni. I mentioned the artists by name and talked a little bit about them as I held the artwork to Ingrid to see from her hospital bed. I’d like to think her family was overwhelmed by the amount of art and caring that our little community could do in such a short time frame.

Huge thanks also go out to Trish Dewald for obtaining a pair of CCS Student Exhibition Opening tickets for Ingrid’s parents to attend in a few weeks. Her parents deserve at least this much.

I visited Ingrid Sunday to see how she was doing and draw for her. It was to be her last night in the hospital and I wanted to make my acquaintance again. Her family had pinned all of our artwork to her wall. I was not only floored by the enormity of art but by Ingrid’s insistence to draw with me. I ended up leaving my marker pad and pen for her to enjoy.

Ingrid has made an impression with Gilda, my wife, myself and anyone that has met her in one way or another. She is a bright beautiful person that has the world ahead of her. Her family is caring, compassionate and is thankful and yet I feel as though I’m the one that should be thankful for being shown my students’ caring and Ingrid’s resiliency.