100 Logos. 100 Minutes. 100% Pure Awesome! (A Behance Gallery)

A few years ago I was looking for an online gallery platform that I could use as a catch-all as completed creative design & branding projects. What I stumbled on has become one of the greatest repositories of creativity anywhere on the internet―Behance.

Recently I came across the "100 Logos in 100 Days" project and really enjoyed what I saw. If you love logos like I do, then stop by and treat your eyes.

Basically, the designer challenged themselves to create 100 unique (and often funny) logos over a period of 100 days. If that weren't challenging enough, they set a time limit of 100 minutes per project. Wow.

I definitely think some are better than others, but they're all a lot of fun to look at and find the creative twist.

So, take 100 seconds (maybe more) and swing by this very creative Behance gallery (and I wouldn't mind if you stopped by mine as well). -Oran

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"What Galactus knows,... he can DESTROY!" Reflections on a 1960s comic pick

Sometimes you find a deal you can't pass up. This happened to me recently when I was picking up my comic pull from our local shop, Paper Heroes.

Every now and then Kevin (the owner) will by a bunch of old comics off of someone. Most of the time it's things that I bought back in the 80's, around the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths. But sometimes he'll get a batch of older stuff in, and I like to pick through those boxes when he gets 'em.

On this particular trip he had a stack of old Thor comics, about 6 or 7 of them, and they were in decent shape  (and by that I mean that they weren't coming apart in my hands). I would loved to have had them all, but they were all around $6 bucks a piece and I'd already spent close to my weekly comic book budget (self imposed, mind you). That all being the case, I picked the one with the coolest cover and interiors.

I don't get an opportunity to look through old books like this very often. It's a rare treat, and I thought I'd share a few pages with you.

The date on the inside puts it being published in January of 1969. The really great thing here is that it's from the Stan Lee / Jack Kirby era of Thor, which pretty much established everything we know and love about the character today.

This cover design features a classic Thor picture, and also features another prominent Marvel character... GALACTUS!

Now, I'm not sure who this guy is (I must admit that I haven't read the issue cover-to-cover yet), but I liked the dynamism and simplicity of the page. What I really love about this page (and this book) is the dialog. I totally get what this guy is saying. I mean, how CAN one convey the dire menace of Galactus? I just don't think it's possible.

Even better is when the big guy shows up. Galactus pretty much has the ultimate "I don't give a shit" attitude. I'd hate to have to negotiate anything with him. I guess he's earned the right to be a dead-pan punk, what with being the last survivor of the original universe before the big bang (If you don't know, then look that stuff up).

So he comes into the picture in this issue, then proclaims, "What Galactus knows... he can DESTROY!" I love the full page shot of his face. The colors are really awesome, especially the hot green used on the word balloons. they really contrast with the fusia and navy of his armor.

The other bonus of digging through these old comics is the advertising. It's loaded with great little gizmos and gadgets from the '60s. I really cracked up when I saw the ad for a "Darling Pet Monkey." Did kids really order monkeys by mail? I can't even imagine asking my parents for that.

Anyway, I don't know about having a pet monkey, but I can just about guarantee that if  were a kid in the '60s I'd have had my eye on the Hypno-Coin.

Who wouldn't want to "make people obey your command?" And all in the power of a single coin? I gotta have one.

I think I'm really going to start looking for more of these old comics; not really to collect them for resale, or anything. I just like having them to dig through and share with friends. It's nice to actually hold a piece of comic book / art history in your hand. It reminds me that things change, and for me that's an important lesson to keep at the forefront of your mind. Maybe someday some fella will buy one of my comics after I'm long gone, and reminisce about how comic books were actually drawn with ink, and printed on paper.

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How To Make A Real Gumbo... Gumbo Gator, That Is.

A few months back made plans to work on a Parker Brand version of the Southwest Louisiana pop culture mascot Gumbeaux Gator. I posted this quick little sketch of my concept, along with a drawing I had done of the original Gumbeaux Gator, which was used as part of a t-shirt design I worked on.

I let is rest for a bit, but this past week I've been pecking along in the evenings, trying to work on the final pen and ink piece. If you've been following this blog then you've probably seen it go through it's various stages. I finished up the inking and ink wash before lunch today, and I wanted to share the final drawing with you.

I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I was trying to mimic my own style from the Monster Mash series I did this time last year. I used Pitt Artist Pens on that series and I used my Sable Brush on this. I was worried that they wouldn't look similar in style, but I think there is a close enough resemblance to satisfy me.

I've had a pretty good response from this piece, so I may be selling prints of it over at my Etsy Store before it's all said and done. I hope you all dig it. Now, on to the next sketchy victim.

It's A Likeness, Pilgrim: Attempting To Sketch John Wayne

It's amazing how much you can fit in a day. I managed to do a ton of yard work, take the family to Hobby Lobby for some creative supplies, get home and hit some cleaning chores, then sit down to work on some of my sketches for the "Drawing Board" show. I'm still adding to my Western Film Heroes series, and a list like that wouldn't have been complete without John Wayne.

I used a terracotta sketching pencil to do my initial warm-up sketch.

I did my next sketch with a Sumi brush and crimson India Ink. Similar to the Lee Van Cleef sketch I did a couple of weeks ago, I didn't do any initial breakdowns before I did this one. It's fun to just dive into the ink really quick and see how accurate my hand/eye coordination is.

Of course, these sketches moved me towards my final ink drawing, which I did with my trusty Sable and Super Black India Ink.

Like most of the work I do, I would say that this is only a likeness of John Wayne. I just don't think I'm skilled enough to do anything that's dead-on. Maybe if I'd commit to something over a period of time, really work on it for day and days... but that's just not the kind of time I have.

As I said in other posts, I'm not too happy to have these works appear in a show. I just don't think they're good enough for that. They're fine as hobby pieces, but gallery works... no dice.

As always, I hope you dig and I thank you for taking the time to put your eyes on my sketches. If you have a moment, why not leave me a comment? It's a great way to make a new connection.

"Unauthorized Manila" A Parker Brand Preliminary Sketch of Al Swearengen

If you've been following along, then you know that I've been working on a series of sketches themed around western film heroes. I've got a list of western folks whose likenesses will eventually come to life with my ink. One of them will be Al Swearengen from the HBO series "Deadwood." 


I didn't have my supplies with me today, but I felt the itch to sketch. I grabbed a manila envelope and a Sharpie and did a quick line drawing of 'ol Al.

Not too bad a likeness for a quick burn-em-out. I'll be working on the finished ink sketch tonight (which I will most definitely post). Doing these pre-op sketches kind of helps get me psyched up to work on the finished piece. It's fun drawing with random pens, on "unauthorized" paper.

Gotta love Al, "Deadwood" and all that terrible language they throw down...

Some "Van Cleef" Sketch Action

I haven't had a lot of time to draw lately. Since I finished my Series-2 ATC set, I've been slammed over in "ad-land." Honestly, by the time I get home I'm pretty burned out and I just want to rest my brain. My wife motivated me to lay down some ink by getting me a nice, glass-top drafting table for Father's Day. I've been itching to sit down and give it a test drive since Sunday, so tonight I made some time to sit down for sketch.

I've mentioned in a few posts that I'm working on a series of western movie sketches for an exhibit titled "The Drawing Board." The goal is to do do really quick sketches, then develop one of them into a more finished piece. One of our sketch focuses is "American Heroes" and my western sketches are a part of that particular category. A couple of weeks ago, I did a quick sketch of Clint Eastwood for that series. Tonight I took a stab at Lee Van Cleef.

Since I hadn't drawn in a while I decided to do three sketches, the first two being very, very rough and quick. The first was done with a simple sketching pencil, with pretty soft lead, mainly to loosen my hand up.

The second sketch was done even faster, with a blown out water color brush. I had picked up some sepia india ink, so I decided to give that a run through. The brush really was the pits, but I still kind of dig the variation I got from the pencil sketch. It was a nice way to find the hard shadows.

Finally, I dropped some light pencils on a fresh sheet, then started hacking away with black india ink and my #3 Sable. I spent a bit more time on this final sketch. It's not dead-on, but I think it's definitely got a likeness of Van Cleef. This piece almost seems to be a combination of the two previous sketches.

After I felt like I had laid down enough black, I went back and added a really quick wash to help enhance the light-play on his face. I think it helped.

All-in-all, I had somewhere near an hour and half in all the sketches. This fits right in with the parameters of "The Drawing Board" gallery series. I've got quite a few more of the screen western heroes to sketch out. I'm having a lot of with them, so I hope you folks dig them.

"Thor,... Again" A Parker Brand "Artfix Noctum" Sketch

I just got home from my buddy Erik's studio where a group of us get together for sketch night, which Erik has dubbed "Artfix Noctum." We didn't have a theme tonight.We just drew whatever we wanted, while got our geek on. I've noticed that when I don't know what to draw, I either draw Thor or Jonah Hex. Tonight it was Thor, mostly because I've really been bummed about the concept art for the movie costume. I'm not saying that my pencil sketch tonight was any better, but I think the movie costume looks like it was developed in a lab... not suitable for a viking thunder god. I would love to see how the Hell Boy director would have handled Thor's gear. Anyway, no ink for me tonight. I wasn't in the mood, so I stuck with pencil. It was fun. I took some liberties with the classic Thor design, but I tried to keep the iconic elements accurate. Gave him some weird facial hair, too. Hope you folks dig it.

Posted via email from The Parker Brand Picture Post!

"A Man Named Clint" A Parker Brand Sable Brush & Ink Sketch

If you follow this blog, then you may remember me mentioning the art show that I'll be a part of titled "The Drawing Board." This show will feature three Southwest Louisiana artists, and will be made up of our quick sketches, with each artist turning three of their sketches into more developed, finished pieces. The goal is to try to spend 15 to 30 minutes on each sketch.

One of the subjects requested for the art show is "American Heroes." I thought it would be fun to produce some really quick Sable brush & ink sketches of American movie cowboys (of which I am a tremendous fan) then choose one of the series to develop further.

I sketched out the first of this set tonight on a piece of 8.5x11 Bristol. I spent right at 20 minutes on it, which makes this exactly what this particular art show is calling for. You may recognize him. If you don't then I'm almost 100% certain that you won't get into heaven.

SIDE NOTE: It was nice to draw something besides super heroes.

Posted via email from The Parker Brand Picture Post!

"Last Lantern" A Parker Brand ATC Sketch

Took a real short lunch break today, and decided to do a quick ATC sketch of Kyle Rayner a.k.a. Green Lantern. I titled this "Last Lantern" because there was a time when Kyle actually was the last Green Lantern. Things are certainly different now; we've got a full-on Green Lantern Corp again, plus lantern for every color in the Roy G. Biv spectrum. Still, I followed Kyle's adventures from the day he got the ring, until now. I don't give a damn what folks think of Hal Jordan... Kyle is still the greatest Lantern of them all.

Posted via email from The Parker Brand Picture Post!

Be Honest, Abe! (or "Why Being Authentic on Twitter is the Way to Go")

I was pretty stoked to get home from work and check the mail last night. You see, I was expecting a really cool Gama-go Yeti wallet and I couldn't wait to check it out. Honestly, it wasn't the wallet that got me stoked as much as it was what it represented.

You see, over a decade ago I pretty much laid down all of my hobbies, all of the cool things that I'd loved my whole life (comics, art, toys, sci-fi gizmos, etc.). I traded all that cool stuff to bury my head in the sand and become a "grown-up." I let some folks convince me that there was no time in the grown-up world for all those things. So, like a good little beat-bot, I did what I was told and sold my toys, my comic books, quit drawing and found a way to force my star-shaped life into a square hole and carry on. You know what? It wasn't all that great. Sure, it wasn't all bad, but during that time I'd get that little ping when I'd pass a comic book on the shelf, or walk down the toy isle at the department store. Something wasn't quite right, but I learned to ignore it.

The worst part was that I quit drawing, something I'd loved (and was decent at) since I was a small child. Somehow, all of that creativity was intertwined with my hobbies and interests. When I buried one, I buried them all.

REWIND to a couple of years ago...

Not to long ago I met a fella named Darren (@DarrenH1221, for all you Twitter-folk out there). We got to talking one night (for hours) about comic books, and MAN was it fun. That one conversation kinda rebooted my interest in comics, and reminded me of a part of myself that I'd turned my attention away from. It felt good, like coming back home. Not long after that conversation, I started frequenting the local comic book shop again, and damn if it didn't feel great!

Around the same time,  I stumbled on this really cool blog site called "Weirdo Toys" (seriously... they're really weird). What a great site! I dug around for quite a while. It was such a good time to see someone who really embraced their hobby, raising it to almost an art form (yes, collecting weirdo toys is an art form... just visit the site). Whoever was running that site wore their hobby on the outside for the world to see... proudly. That site, in particular, got me thinking about all of the toys I'd sold and given away, all in an attempt to "grow up" (blech!). I can't lie; I felt a lot of regret. The Weirdo Toys site helped me shake off some of that crazy, self-imposed brainwashing I'd been carrying around for so long.

FAST FORWARD to now...

I'm happy to say that today, I'm a full-grown man-child, that has a decent job in advertising and have raised two happy, healthy, creative children. I collect toys (I dug up that tiny Abe Lincoln at Goodwill this weekend; SCORE), read comics and spend at least 12 hours a week strengthening my illustration skills. I don't want to get all heavy (this whole post has been pretty heavy), but in a small way, Darren and Weirdo Toys changed my life (don't get the big head guys; I did some of the work myself).

BACK to my original point...

So, I was pretty stoked to get that wallet. Why? Well, the fella who created the Weirdo Toys website is a buddy of mine on Twitter and he was giving it away. He agreed to send it to me, and I thought that was a pretty cool thing. Considering how much I dig his site, I think it's mighty awesome to have something sitting on my shelf from the Weirdo Toys collection. I was also excited to get the wallet because it reaffirmed what my gut told me; Weirdo Toys was a trustworthy fella, honest & authentic. Have I ever met the guy face-to-face? Nope. Does it matter? Not one bit.

What I'm finding is that there is a whole world of trustworthy, authentic, honest folks out there in the online social networking world. They have interests similar to mine. They have lives that echo my own. Many of them put their true face out there each day. I appreciate the honesty. The truth is, I've met some folks through online social networking that I trust more than people I've been in face-to-face relationships with for years.

So, thanks Darren, Weirdo and all of the other honest folks I've met on Twitter. I count you folks as friends. Your authenticity is what makes that possible.

From Pencils, Inks & Digital in a Pinch! (or "Meet Tax Max")

If you've been following along for the past few days then you've seen my pencils & my inks on the "Tax Max" character.

From what I understand, Tax Max will be appearing in an auto dealership commercial. He was described to me as your typical, larger-than-life super-hero type with a big 'ol, proud, cheesy grin. I didn't get instructions on the Tax Max uniform except to make it red, yellow & blue (hmmm...I wonder why?). I recommended that we simply use a dollar sign for his emblem since it resembles an "S" because the whole point is that Tax Max will "saaaaave yooooou money!"

Drawing this one wasn't going to be enough, though. I needed to add digital color and set the character as a nice movable element in Photoshop that could be used in After Effects. I had to color the piece with a mouse (we don't have a pen tablet at our office and this is on a real tight deadline). I also had to add more cheese to it with a real simple, comic-book style "Tax Max" title.

I'm not sure how the finished spot will look (I'll post it once it's all put together so you can see what this will be used for), but either way...here's where Tax Max stands as he goes to video. Thanks for coming along for the ride.