There Will Be Bots: Part 1

I'm always eager to try something new with my TOOMASOOBA creations and I've been fascinated with the idea of cnc fabrication for a long time. As it turns out, my buddy Cassidy Keim of Catalyst Design is quite the expert in such matters (check out the amazing work on his website and prepare to be amazed).

After a few discussions, a few prototypes, and a few short drives to Ruston, Louisiana, the plexiglass Boomabot statue was born! I decided to chronicle the assembly process via a (two-part) step-by-step blog....here we go:

I eagerly picked up the box of bot parts at Cassidy's house...he was gracious enough
to do the laser cutting, but now it was time to get down to business.

First, I laid out the pieces to make sure all of the bots were good to go.
I had enough for ten statues — we figured that was a good starting point and
plan to produce another run in the future.

Though removing protective tape from acrylic was a tedious process,
it was still fun to see the various colors revealed. And I only stabbed myself twice
with the X-Acto knife. Be careful, kids.

Next up: Time to glue! Can you stand the suspense? Click here for part two of "There Will Be Bots."

Inspiration Machine #5: Jean Jullien

I've had an iPad for awhile now and though I don't use it for anything overtly productive, it does offer the opportunity to relax on the couch and surf for inspiration — which is exactly how I found the work of Jean Jullien.

Jullien is a French designer living in London, and he works in a variety of media — all very bold, strange, playful, and pretty awesome. Check out his website...and take a look at the video below, too!

It's Clobberin' Time

I am not, nor will I ever be, too cool to attend a comic book convention. Myself and some friends drove over to the super-crowded Dallas Comic Con last weekend (presented by Stan Lee, no less) and had a great time. Typically, I don't buy much at cons; I just like to take in the extreme nerdiness. Oh, and I got to attend a Q & A with Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman. Aw yeah. Check out some pics below, courtesy of my pals Jeff Welborn and Travis Eck.

A guy dressed as Wolverine. And my buddy Trav dressed as Cyclops.

Why is Jean Grey texting? Can't she communicate telepathically?

A slew of DC characters.

Small Flash. Smaller Flash. Overweight Thor.

Artbreak 2012

A few weeks ago, Shreveport & Bossier City held the 28th annual Artbreak celebration, a showcase for elementary, middle, and high school artists. I never pass up an opportunity to check out student artwork and soak in the creativity that just jumps off the walls...plus I've gotta keep an eye on my future competition, y'know.

I remember when I was a part of Artbreak (way back in the day), and what a charge and a motivation it was to have people see my work. Below are some of my favorite pics from the afternoon!

Spring Bash!

Last year's Spring Bash was my second show ever as a vendor, and my first in the "big city". Though it turned out to be an amazing experience, I majorly stressed myself out in the weeks leading up to the big day, overanalyzing my products and displays and...everything! But this year? Cool as a cucumber.

So with a ton of shows under my belt and a pretty fair amount of confidence this time around, Spring Bash 2012 at the Palladium Ballroom was an absolute blast. Got a good response from the crowds and even had some folks who remembered me from last year (and stocked up again this time — pretty cool).

Big shout out to Etsy Dallas for making this show such a success, and it was great to see talented friends new and old alike. Check out the awesome work of Red Ranger Ray Guns, ReGEARED, Dowdy Studio, Soza Designs, and Robo Roku...I'm lookin' forward to Bashing it up again soon!

A dramatic shot of the Palladium Ballroom complex sign out front.

Though it's ever-evolving, I've gotten this table display thing down to a (semi) science.

The Lone Star room -- one of two big spaces that held the Bash.

Rex and Jeremy posing for the camera.

The Porter Flea

Out of 140 applicants, I'm happy to say I was one of 70 chosen to participate in Nashville's Porter Flea Modern Handmade Market on June 16th! This will be my first time to bring TOOMASOOBA to Tennessee and I'm really pumped to introduce my art to a new audience — I also plan to hang with good friends and see a couple of rock shows while I'm there, too. Check out the Porter Flea site to learn about the great artists involved...more details coming soon!

Park-It-Market

My buddy Brad and I headed out to Noel Community Art Program's first-ever Park-It-Market to strut our stuff on Saturday morning. Back in February, we taught several "Design Your Own Superhero" classes for elementary & middle school students at NCAP and were asked to set up an art booth at this event.

...And we also made sure to bring along some TOOMASOOBA and Roofus merch. Gotta do a bit of self-promotion, y'know.

Armed with nothing more than pencils, paper and winning attitudes, we got started...had a good crowd throughout the morning and had a great time as well. It's always fun to do a bit of teaching and get a smile out of the kiddos...below are a couple of pics!

Brad ready to ambush some young artists.

Drawin'. Photo courtesy of Kathryn Usher.