2012 Porter Flea Film

Had a great time at the Holiday Porter Flea in December 2012 — read more about the experience here. Below is some footage from the day (also featuring glimpses of work by Tim Cook and David Pound) — hope you dig it. I've really enjoyed putting together these recent videos with my talented buddy JR Ramsey. Expect to see more in the future!

X-mas Under Da Ground 2012

So I headed up to the bi-annual X-mas Under Da Ground show Saturday night at minicine? to take in the sights...here’s a good article about the show from The Shreveport Catalyst. The evening consisted of local short films (experimental and otherwise), cool music, and a ton of local artists showcasing their work (there maaaay have been a couple of TOOMASOOBA pieces on display now that I think about it) — all on Texas Avenue in downtown Shreveport.

Late 2010 is when I began to get involved with the local art scene — seeing the awesome craziness and energy that everyone brought on Saturday night really made me thankful to be a part of the creative community in my hometown. The people I’ve met, events I’ve been a part of, and the growth I’ve seen happen in just a short time has been inspiring. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Rock on, Shreveport, and thanks to the fine folks who made it all happen this weekend!

Pretty cool.

Sold a TOOMASOOBA print at the show...Hector found a new home!

My friend Tony Reans posing in front of his work. See more here.

Art, and folks having a good time.

Holiday Porter Flea 2012

It was great to be back in Nashville last weekend for the Holiday Porter Flea! I was chosen to participate again after joining in last June...and just like my previous experience, it was a FANTASTIC time. There were crazy lines wrapping the building (no kidding), thousands of attendees and TOOMASOOBA stuff was selling like hotcakes!

I can't thank the show organizers, art pals (new & old) and especially the super-supportive customers enough — having an opportunity to get my art out in front of folks and elicit a response is truly an awesome experience and keeps me motivated to create, create, create. Also, my super-friends Dave and Barb were a tremendous help throughout the day — I couldn't have done it without 'em.

Take a look at the pics below, and keep an eye out in the next couple of weeks for a video chronicling experiences of the day...Merry Christmas!

The TOOMASOOBA table.

Close-up of some socks and puzzle action!

Talking shop with my Tennessee art-bro David Pound. Check out his amazing
sculpture work and character design here!

TOOMASOOBA prints just waiting for a good home.

The Porter Flea official vendor mug. They do it up right!

Printing Griffin!

I've wanted to screenprint a design of mine for a lonnnnng while now — and what do you know, it finally happened. Recently, I got the chance to work with my friend Jake Dugard on this 11 x 14, 3-color limited edition print on Speckletone Starch White French Paper...super-fancy. And, as you can see below, I brought along a camera to document the process. Hope you enjoy seeing the magic happen! Video edited by the awesome JR Ramsey.

Makers Fair Fall 2012

Shreveporters came out in full-force last weekend to support local independent artists at the biannual Texas Avenue Makers Fair — it was a beautiful day and a great time (AND only fifteen minutes from my house). Read on for photos and commentary! Many thanks to Aw, Snap Photography for the use of the images below. More sweet, sweet Makers Fair action here and here.

The Makers Fair volunteers were a huge help — they made set-up and break-down and
everything in between run smooth as silk.

My buddy Travis and his family were in town from Houston, so he and Jonas stopped
by to say hi. Check out Trav's awesome artwork here!

Who are the Port City Staches, you ask? Our team is growing some killer facial hair during
the month of "Movember" to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research.
Click here to learn more.

My talented pals Dylan Hillman and Nathan Treme slinging shirts and posters.
They only wear the masks on days that end in "y".

A quick look at the crowd — there were a ton of folks in attendance and over 160 vendors
this time around.

...and then there was this guy. AND IT WAS AWESOME.

Hillcrest HarvestFest 2012

Headed up to Little Rock for the 17th Annual Hillcrest HarvestFest last Saturday — the first TOOMASOOBA show in Arkansas. I'd originally heard about it from my artist pal Mindy Lacefield, and I was not disappointed! We had a great time — my buddies Rex and Jonathan joined in and we took in the sights and sold a ton of stuff (AND we got to play shuffleboard at The Hillcrest Fountain, which was fantastic — we are in table-less in Shreveport).

Hillcrest is a cool little neighborhood in Little Rock — great shops, great restaurants and bars, great vibe, great people. There were lots of families, dogs and cool guys and girls in attendance. I've only been to Little Rock once before, but it's definitely a town I feel at home in. Can't wait to come out again next year — many thanks to the Hillcrest Merchants Association for having us out!

It's on!

Hey, uh, what's that? Wanna buy something?

The street were packed all day. We were selling our wares for nine hours
in the hot, hot heat!

Jonny Hines taking a quick power nap.

Givin' the sales pitch.

Rex getting excited about some TOOMASOOBA.

TC12 Wrap-Up!

The 2012 TOOMACHALLENGE has officially come to a close — and it's been a blast! It's also been a bit of a challenge to knock out new illustrations each week, but a challenge that I needed (and thankfully succeeded at). A number of great new characters have been added to the TOOMASOOBA family, and I appreciate everyone who submitted names — the prize-winning prints will be delivered this week.

You'll see these guys on shirts and other new items this fall and beyond...in fact, some of them are already up in the Etsy store. Come on out to see me at upcoming shows, and keep checking back for more TOOMASOOBA awesomeness. I truly appreciate the support!

Winners came from California, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas. Nice.

TC12: Week Nine

Between creating crazy robots, animal-human hybrids and various other TOOMASOOBA strangeness, I realized that not many of my characters end up being little ladies. So in trying to remedy that, here is a brave and bold retro space-adventuring gal. I wanted to give her a jetpack, too, but there wasn't quite enough room in the design. And I kinda regret that.

This space case needs a name...any suggestions? Email your ideas to me and I'll pick a favorite. Winners will receive a print of the design along with a few other cool items...congrats to Samantha from California for naming Week Eight's illustration — Hector it is!

Below are a few behind-the-scenes sketches that led to my final design. This is the last week of TC12, but have no fear — I'll continue to churn out new designs like a madman! Lots of exciting stuff coming up this fall, so keep an eye out.

TC12: Week Eight

So here we've got a teenage vampire hunter...who happens to be a vampire himself?? How ironic, or whatever! I'm surprised I've never created a character with an eyepatch before...or a mini-mullet. No better time than now, I guess. I also stepped (a bit) out of my comfort zone with some asymmetry in the arms and it works well. Only one more week of TC12 to go!

Any ideas on a name for this stake-wielding warrior? Email your ideas to me and I'll pick a favorite. Winners will receive a print of the design along with a few other cool items...congrats to Ashley from Louisiana for naming Week Seven's illustration — Griffin it is!

Below is a look at a few of the early sketches for this design — as you can see, the final turned out pretty dang close to my original idea. Sometimes it just happens that way.

TC12: Week Seven

This guy has got some attitude. And he appears to be a member of some sort of extraterrestrial military brigade. I'd watch out for him if I were you. My artwork always features geometric and symmetrical shapes with unifying elements (that's what makes them "TOOMASOOBA-ish", after all), but I try to bring something fresh to the table for each new illustration. And hopefully I pulled that off again this week!

Do you have a name in mind for this guy? Email your ideas to me and I'll pick a favorite. Winners will receive a print of the design along with a few other cool items...congrats to Dave from Tennessee for naming Week Six's illustration — Dixie it is!

Below is a glimpse at the development process for this piece — though I've been featuring TC12 art in black & white on the blog, they'll all end up in color in one form or fashion. Here are some variations that may see the light of day, along with some different costume details.

STRIP: The Dallas Webcomics Expo

Me and my good friend Brad Campbell headed over to Texas last weekend to split a table at STRIP: The Dallas Webcomics Expo. This was my first comic-type event to attend as an exhibiting artist and, all in all, we had a great time! Got to hang out with some cool folks and talk shop with fellow creators including Hector Cantu (writer of the nationally-syndicated comic strip Baldo), Jason Poland (Robbie & Bobby), David Wilborn (Urban Jungle), Michael Hawkins (The Amaizing Jim Corn), and more.

Oh, and the best part of the trip? I didn't bring any shirts or big table displays, so I was able to fit all of my merch into one box (instead of the full carload of stuff that usually accompanies me on these outings). You don't know how good that felt. Below are some pics from the day!

Our badges...that's right, we're official.

"Buy my book!"

My half of the table (dramatic angle).

Brad was selling his Roofus U books along with some sweet prints he designed.

A Marvel/Peanuts mash-up book Brad put together...turned out really great.
Now cross your fingers that "the man" doesn't sue him!

TC12: Week Six

It seems like I design a lot of cat-like creatures in the TOOMASOOBA realm, but tend to neglect other four-legged friends...so this week I made a little pup! She's cute, spunky, and has plenty of spirit. And most importantly? She's housebroken.

What's a good name for this doggone dog? Email your ideas to me and I'll pick a favorite. Winners will receive a print of the design along with a few other cool items...congrats to Ashlie from Louisiana for naming Week Five's illustration — Wendall is his name!

Below is a look at the original sketch that inspired today's illustration. I definitely made a u-turn from creepy to cute. But maybe I should have included a beret...

TC12: Week Five

I actually started the below illustration last summer, but never quite got it right. But as I was going through old files recently, I decided to dust the cobwebs off and take another stab at it. I was pleased with the results.

Sometimes designs fly right out of my head (or sketchbook) and on to the screen, but often it takes a bit of kicking around to get things just right. And sometimes (like you'll see soon with an updated "Tinker" illo), I end up tweaking an older design to make it "pop" just a bit more. All part of the process.

So...got a good name for this character? Email your ideas to me and I'll pick a favorite. Winners will receive a print of the design along with a few other cool items...congrats to Brad from Louisiana for naming Week Four's illustration — Munson is his name!

TC12: Week Four

I've had kind of a rough week, so I thought I'd go with a melancholy vibe this time around. Melancholy but still cute, of course. Most of my characters are usually happy-shiny little things, so it doesn't hurt to add some different emotions to the line-up. And on a side note, I really like those stripes he's sporting.

What should this dude's name be? Email your ideas to me and I'll pick a favorite. Winners will receive a print of the design along with a few other cool items...congrats to JR from Louisiana for naming Week Three's illustration — Claymore it is!

Below is a look at the original sketchy inspiration for this one...will he one day get a lady tiger koala creature by his side? Anything is possible, stay tuned to find out.

TC12: Week Three

If you haven't noticed yet, I kinda have a thing for drawing robots — I'll mix it up next week, I promise! At any rate, I think this guy turned out pretty good. I actually have a couple of full-body versions in the works, but decided to save those for shirts or prints or whatnot down the line. I know, I know, I'm such a tease.

Do you have a great name for this big ol' lug? Email your ideas to me and I'll pick a favorite. Winners will receive a print of the character along with a few other cool items...congrats to Rachel from Texas for naming Week Two's illustration — Cy is the new name of that little fella!

Here is a peek at any early sketch, along with the beginning stages of digital buildout — you can see I was WAAAAY off at the start, but ended up turning things around:

TC12: Week Two

Dang it, I've wanted to create a cyclops robot for quite awhile. So I did! The final design went through a number of variations, believe it or not — there's typically an extensive process of adding and subtracting elements of an illustration to find just the right balance (during which I drive myself bonkers). And more often than not, clean and bold wins out. Sometimes, simple just isn't as simple as it looks! But I'm pleased with the results and always enjoy the process.

Do you have the perfect name in mind this little dude? Email your ideas to me and I'll pick a favorite. Winners will receive a print of the character along with a few other cool items...congrats to Kelsi from Texas for naming Week One's illustration — Kittsy is her name! 

Bonus time...below is a peek of an early sketch that led to the finished illustration:

TC12: Week One

So here we go...week one of TOOMACHALLENGE 2012 has arrived. The character below originated from a rough drawing I did while at a web workshop in Dallas last week. I tend to get my best sketching done in the margins of notepads, I must admit. She's a happy little cat-like gal and a pretty good start for TC12, I think!

Do you have the perfect name in mind this creature? If so, email your ideas to me and I'll pick my favorite. Winners will receive a print of the character along with a few other cool items in their mailbox. How can you pass up that offer?

As an added bonus, here's a peek at the original sketches that led to the final illustration you see above:

TOOMACHALLENGE 2012!

I'm always scheming and sketching out new TOOMASOOBA designs, but between the ol' day job, show & product prep, and a million other things, I don't sit down and finish off a digital illustration as often as I should. Of course, I miss the creative thrill that it brings...so TOOMACHALLENGE 2012 (a.k.a. TC12) was born!

Here's how it's gonna work: Every Monday in July and August, I will post a new Tooma-character that I've crafted the week before. Most will start from collected sketches (see below), though many designs will veer far from the initial idea...that's all part of the fun. I'll discuss the creative evolution and even give you guys a chance to name the character (with prizes in store if your idea is chosen).

TC12 begins on Monday, July 2nd...check back soon for the first installment. Boom!

The Porter Report

One of my 2012 TOOMASOOBA goals included showing work in a new state or two...and now I can mark Tennessee off the list! I was honored to be chosen as a vendor for the Porter Flea in Nashville last weekend — awesome show, great venue, non-stop crowds. One of the best markets that I've been a part of so far.

I was glad to have my long-time friend (and Nashvillian) David Brooks as my right-hand man for the day. He came up with some funny sales pitches that I totally plan to use again (and probably take credit for) down the road. Thanks for joining me in the trenches, Dave!

Many thanks to Katie, Brent, and all of the organizers who put the show together...I truly appreciate your hustle. And check out the work of some of my new friends like David Pound (Twenty Heads), Chris Hamer (UrbnPop), and Tim Cook. You'll enjoy their art.

Oh shoot, almost forgot — Mike Wolfe (from American Pickers) was there to check out the show, too. Not gonna lie, I got a little starstruck when he strolled by my table. See y'all at the holiday Flea in December!

This was a fantastic venue! And indoors, too, which is a great thing in the middle of June.
Photo by Emily Spence.

Setting up so quickly I was just one big blur.

Where's TOOMASOOBA? Photo by Emily Spence.

The TOOMASOOBA table.

Boomabot wants to be your friend.