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.