Venus Throw

About a decade back, my friend Bruce Smith was recording a record with his noir-a-billy band The Venus Throw, and kindly asked me to create the art and design the CD package. I jumped in with both feet and came up with the following image. Not bad, but kinda pedestrian, I'll admit. Frankly, this is where my skills were at the time.

Now fast forward a bit to early 2007...Bruce had a new Venus Throw album in the works, and again asked me to make it all pretty. Instead of a jewel case, he'd be going with a cardboard digipak this time....which meant if I wanted, I could design and illustrate nearly every inch of the thing. Running with the title, "Raised Right, Gone Wrong", my idea for the cover was a girl in a school uniform, sitting in the backseat of a car with her blouse unbuttoned and drinking a tallboy. To make it a little less creepy, though, I thought I'd have a centerspread on the inside of the CD where she's getting ready for a "date", and several "costumes", including the schoolgirl outfit, are hanging in the closet.  I took a few reference photos of my friend Catherine's 1963 Ford Falcon, and did a bunch of sketches right away:

As sometimes happens, life got in the way and the project ended up geting shelved until earlier this year...Bruce finished recording back in the spring, and I didn't end up finishing the art until a few weeks back, over three years since I began! I got my copies of the CD yesterday, and I must say, the package looks pretty great. I have some quibbles about the job I did, as always, but it's great to have such a complete piece of work...and the music's pretty goddamn great too!

Dawnstar

Crafty Bastards Time!

Aw, MAN September was a brutal month! Gallons of fun, but it was all I could do to keep my head above water, seriously. So much so that this is the first chance I've had to hype my appearance at the fantastic Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair, which will be happening tomorrow in lovely Washington, DC! I'll be camped under the City Paper booth, along with my pal Kelly "Pop Idiot" Alder and all my comical wares...it's supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny, just a beautiful day, so please drop by and say hi!

Crafty Bastards program cover by the amazing Ben Claassen III

Something Odd

I noticed the other day, while lamenting deadlines too severe to hammer out a blog post, that the total number of entries here at Atom-Bomb Bikini over the last three years (on the counter over there on the right sidebar) is 140 in 2007, 141 in 2008, and 141 again in 2009. Uncannily, while those numbers are almost exactly the same, they're completely coincidental, not reflecting anything but the regular ebb and flow of the frequency of my posting habits.

Certainly shows some telling insight into how my mind works...diligence then procrastination, ignore then overcompensate, lather rinse repeat, in frighteningly habitual manner!

Warranty Warriors!

I created this cornball image for Remodeling Magazine last year...the story was about the need for contractors to offer rock-solid warranties on home improvement projects, lest they lose business in these recessive times. The goofy image worked well with the rather staid copy, a hallmark of the fun jobs Remodeling AD Pete M. kindly assigns!

New Shop!

If you've ever ordered anything from my web shop, you know the place is a little...old-school, to put it mildly. Tiny photos, broken links, the works...which is why I've decided to upgrade a bit and set up a new shop with the fine folks at BigCartel!

There are only a dozen or so items to begin with, but all the newest stuff is there for the buying. And it gets better...I'm running a "grand opening" sale through the end of the month! Enter "WWGRD" at checkout and you'll save 10% on your order!

So have a look, let me know what you think of the new coat of paint on the place...and if you do decide to drop some bucks...THANKS!

SPX Haul

I arrived home to a hornet's nest of buzzing deadlines...I'll jot down some thoughts on the show when I can, but for now, here's the haul!

From top left: Rare Words by Mark Burrier; We Take the Bottom With Us by Ian Sampson; Diary Comics by Dustin Harbin; Seduction of the Innocent by Various, edited by Lance Hansen; The Lost Art of Zim: Cartoons and Caricatures edited by Joe Procopio; THB by Paul Pope; It's Dream Time Snoop Doggy Dogg by JT Yost; Apooka by Mike Roll; Ferzan Zwei by Lamar Abrams; Derby Girls by Ray Fawkes; The Retreat by Jamie Tanner; Mixed Up and Drawings 2010 by Jim Rugg; Desmond's Devastating Dozen by Joe Foo; Ice Cream Sandwich by Jim 8ball; Cragmore by Pat Lewis; Boobs, Poop and Poo by Sam Sharpe

Liberez le Rocket

The trip to SPX over the weekend was awesome...more on that as soon as I scrape up some pictures to go along with my con report. Meantime, here's a little treat: an actual new comic! I laid out this strip years ago, planning to run it in Old-Timey Hockey Tales, but got busy with paying work and never finished it. It laid there in my flat file until I was asked by my pal Teebz, who writes the excellent Hockey Blog in Canada, to fill in with a post or two during his month-long vacation in September. I figured it was time to dust it off and complete it, and I managed to add some color as well. I had a few prints of the strip made up to take along to SPX...if there's interest, I'll go ahead and add some ordering info to the blog here.

So enjoy, and here's hoping my attempt at writing en francais isn't too embarrassing!

SPX 2010

Friends, Small Press Expo 2010 is just a week away, taking place next Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 11 and 12. After several years of taking place in October, the show is happening a good deal earlier, about which I'm really excited...for years, SPX was always a great way say goodbye to the summer and kick-off the fall, and I'm glad to have it back in early September.

Anyways, I'll be there with stalwart best comics pal and Wide Awake Press publisher J. Chris Campbell...and as you'll see on the convention hall map below, he's not kidding about the "front and center" part! We'll be at Tables 24b-25, sharing a little homeroom with super-talented folks like Keith Knight, Monica Gallagher and Tim Fish. I can't wait!

Though my new super-hero mini-comic, Diamond are a Girl's Worst Enemy, will unfortunately not be completed in time for the show, I will have the brand-spanking (no pun intended) new sixth issue of Teeny Bikini, as announced yesterday, as well as the new-to-SPX Traffic & Weather #2 and tons of other original art, books and prints. Stop by, won't cha?

Coming Soon: Teeny Bikini #6

Oh, DO Go On.

I drew this several years ago, one of about 15 illos I was working on for a book aimed at teen girls to encourage self-esteem (paradoxical, I know). About halfway through the project, the publisher was tragically killed in a car accident, and the book was never finished. I still have all the art, most of it at least half-inked, sitting around in the stacks of bristol board all over my studio. I've always liked this one, and decided to go ahead and spend a little time finishing it.

It's weird, though... for some reason, every time I look at this piece, I imagine that the girls are laughing at me.

No Express Lane for You

Here are a couple recent illos from Remodeling Magazine, who always provide a fun challenge. The first is from an article espousing the convenience of on-site delivery for building materials, and the second examines the many non-traditional ways to get your business noticed.

Why Of Course You Can Borrow My Pants

Dressy

Shirt & Socks

More Than Shapes

Pipe Dream

Mr. Sun

Ah, vacation time!

Ohhh, Donna...

Meant to post this yesterday, but flat ran outta time!

New Comics Day: The Pernice Brothers Die

One of my favorite gigs ever was a few years ago, when Joe Pernice of the Pernice Brothers, having dug a portrait of him that I'd done and sent his way as a fan letter, asked me to create a short comic to be used as a giveaway for folks who pre-ordered the CD Discover a Lovelier You. Joe wrote a little story, I did the artwork and design then sent it off to be printed, and a few days later, several hundred copies arrived at my house, awaiting my autograph. It was indescribably cool to get to work on a project with one of my heroes, and if I say so myself, everything turned out great.

This was the main "story" of the comic, a goofy little rumination on life and death.

As it happens, I have a few copies of the comic sitting around...the next five folks who order something from the blog, my website or at my Etsy shop will receive their very own copy of this rare piece of Ullmanalia.

U-Go Girl

This illustration began as a convention sketch, which I did for a fella at Baltimore ComiCon last year. He posted it to Comic Art Fans, I futzed with it a bit (and added a foot), and then printed it out in cyan on a big sheet of 2-ply bristol. Great inking practice!

U-Go Girl was a pretty awesome character, from Peter Milligan and Mike Allred's run on X-Force. She didn't last long, only a half-dozen or so issues, before dying in the line of duty on some mission in space. The book really didn't last too long, either, which I think is a good thing...it was a blast of gonzo, unpredictable fun every month for a couple years, before going away entirely and leaving you with fond memories (as opposed to apathetic regret that it wore out its welcome). More comics oughta follow the same path; stories are better when they don't need to go on forever.

Dr. Sketchy RVA: Pretty Penny

As a result of being busy as hell with work and SPX prep, and average daytime temperatures of around 1,000 degrees, I've been holed up in the house for most of the last two weeks. Inspired by the beautiful new Rocketeer: Artist's Edition I received that afternoon, I ventured out to The Camel for this month's Dr. Sketchy RVA meeting last Wednesday night. I'm glad I did; the model was Pretty Penny, who had a sort of an old west thing going on...I think Dave Stevens would approve.

The session began at 5, but as usual, I didn't arrive until almost 6, meaning I missed most of the cowboy hat and boots poses (drat!). But Penny's second costume, a long saloon dress, was a lot of fun to draw as well. Anyway, here are a few of my drawings:

Bumblebee Buccos

There was an interesting, exhaustive article on Uni Watch earlier this week about all the times the Pittsburgh Pirates have worn throwback uniforms from their "bumblebee" period (stovepipe hat, black and bright yellow colors, and occasionally, pinstripes) over the last few years. It's a great article, with tons of beautiful photography, and it got me all nostalgic for the stovepipe Pirates cap that I had when I was a kid, and led me to draw up some sketches of that oddball outfit in action.

I've been meaning for years to grab me a new 1970's Pirates hat to wear around and look ridiculous...but the nature of sports apparel being what it is, I can't find one in my size (probably a 7 1/2) anywhere online to save my life. Oh, I can buy this, or this, or even this...but the stovepipe? No dice. Might hafta draft one'a my yinzer pals for an assist on this one...

Gagtown

Until their untimely demise a couple summers ago, I used to occasionally do gag cartoons for Nickelodeon Magazine. It was a fun gig; I miss it.

Hockey Sketches

Up In a Tree

A couple recent Virginia Living pieces today...the first accompanied the story of Lorraine French Brown, who in 1935 climbed and perched for days in a stately maple tree, to prevent it's being cut down to widen the streets of the town if Woodstock, VA (her efforts paid off; a judge soon issued an injunction to save the tree).

The other tells the story of the aptly-named Assateague Island on the eastern coast of Virginia. Thanks to an article in Playboy Magazine, nudists once flocked to this area in droves...that is, until 1985, when a bunch of Baptist prigs in the nearby town of Chincoteague led a successful effort to ban public nudity and impose a $1000 fine and a year in the slammer for offenders. That's progress for ya.

Sketch Cards

I got some free little sketch cards at Heroes Con this year, and doodled up a few of 'em just to do a little inking warmup a few weeks back. Added a little color with some Copic markers I bought on a lark awhile ago. They're fun to work with; I'm anxious to mess with 'em a little more!

Hello Kitty Craft

My cover for the band Kitty Craft's record "Hello Kitty Craft". Space girls and giant robots...what's not to love?

New Comics Day - Project: Telstar

Another comic from the vaults today...my story from the long out-of-print Project: Telstar from AdHouse Books, an astounding anthology if ever there was one. The theme was space and robots, and the talent sandwiched between those two gorgeous Dave Cooper covers (remember when he did comics? Yeah, me too. *sigh*) was truly a thing to behold.

My strip was actually a collaboration with a few of my pals, with as many of us contributing as there were pages in the story. It was written by Bill Burg and Galen Showman, I handled the art, and Eric Gordon helped out with the color. 

Looking back, I'm still pretty happy with how it looks, a little looser and less labored than the rest of the comics I was doing at the time, mid-2003 or so. Not to say there aren't some cringeworthy moments...especially Allison's face at the bottom of page 3. UGH! 

This was the first of three books I'd work on at AdHouse (followed by the CHEESE! sketchbook with Jay Geldhof and the superhero-centric sequel to Telstar, Project: Superior), all of which completely sold out! I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'...

Threshold

More wedding stuff today, this one some art that I created for a wedding invitation.

Before You Know It

The Small Press Expo, better known as SPX, is a scant six weeks away...Yikes! It'll be here before I know it. I have a little project in the works that I hope to complete before then...a mini-comic called Diamonds are a Girl's Worst Enemy, featuring the same characters that appeared in That's Just Super, which came out in 2005. There's words this time, and a little bigger format, probably 5.5 square or so, so it's been a little more work than I intended (as is usually the case). I'm gonna have to hustle, but I think I can do it!

Also, my pal J. Chris Campbell (with whom I'll be splitting a booth at SPX) and I have decided to try and post every day for the month of August in preparation for the show. Nothing like making more work for yourself! Today, it's a quick, pencilled panel from the new book. Enjoy!

Planet of Wine