Love lies bleedin' in my hands...

Probably not the best title for a blog entry, but it's from Elton John's "Funeral for a Friend." A good friend passed away earlier in the week...one of my best friends from high school. We were quite the mismatch back at Maryville High. I was the short-haired, preppy straight-laced one, while Richard was going through his "hippie" phase. He was the String Bass player in concert band, and I was a Tuba player. At graduation, we walked in together.

We worked a few summers hauling hay at his father's/grandfather's farm. And his granddad used to interrupt us with other tasks, such as sorting pigs, cattle, and howing sowbeans. His dad was a circuit court judge and always kind of scared the bajeezus out of me. Don't think he ever warmed up to my madcap humor.

We used to drive by the local country club each morning early, and would usually find someone, or group, trying to tee-off at the hole closest to the highway. We'd scream out something while someone had a club in the air just to watch them get pissed and swear back at us. Still cracks me up to think about it.

I dated his younger sister, Lee Ann, the latter part of my senior year and into the summer and fall of my freshman year in college. I'd have to say, probably my first great "love," but Hey! What did I know? I was a kid! The first time I saw her was when I was a geeky freshman not looking forward to going to a new high school, and she was a junior high teeny-bopper, a very petite girl. But she could fill out a bikini even then, and strutted like dynamite. A few years later, we were a couple, but sadly our "romance" ended Christmas night, 1973. And that was that. We didn't run into each other much after that. I moved on into college life and my major. The last time I saw her was 1977 at a friend's house with my fiance. I didn't see Richard much either. He had some personal troubles and joined the Air Force late '73/early '74.

I ran into him at the drive-in theatre in Maryville the summer of 1980, and we caught up a bit. Then I didn't see him for quite a few years until the late '90's and into the new century.

He seemed to have the good life going then, and had exactly what my wife wanted--a place in the country! A very peaceful place with land and pets. Some horses for his then-wife. Some other troubles came for him, but the one thing he always seemed to have was his music. It was his default setting. He was quite good with computer stuff, and as a sound and recording tech, but music was where his soul lay. Here's what he looked like during this time...

At the time, he was in a band and invited classmates to Smithville MO for a gig he had. A lot of folks who couldn't make the "class reunion-proper" actually showed up. A "mini-reunion" of sorts. Didn't have much time to talk as he was performing. I had a really good time that night. I did a "Simpsons" version of him, and had planned to draw each members of that band he was in at the time, but he didn't stay in that band, and I didn't ask why. Here's what I came up with...Could've made his eyebrows funkier.

Later on, he had a small jazz combo going on called the "Phat Cats." I did this one for the website he had up.I based the bass player on Richard.

He and I hadn't had a lot of contact the past few years. The usual things--older, too busy, too tired. I had my own psychosis and depression knawing at me, and he had his troubles, too. I found him on Facebook a few weeks back and thought about contacting him, but put it off. My own folly of thinking he'd always be around. After all, middle age is being squeezed between your parents and your kids. Then the call...

I don't know if it's a "man" thing or a "Mike" thing, but I really have a hard time with women crying, whether it's my wife, or my daughter, or my own mother...or any one feminine. So on my answering machine was Lee Ann, and I could tell she was upset. Richard was gone. He'd recently been diagnosed with diabetes, and was having a terrible time getting his insulin regulated. His ladyfriend found him after getting called by his parents. They hadn't been able to contact him over the weekend.

Animal control had taken his pets, and the family had concerns over their fate--a Rottweiller and an African Gray parrot. So I did some calling and today did some driving to the city pound to personally check up on the pets. Make sure they knew that someone from the family would be collecting them, and that they were not to be adopted out or euthanized. Lee Ann e-mailed with her thanks, but the truth is that I could've been a better friend while Richard was alive. Could've stayed in better contact. Making sure his pets were okay and trying to make things easier for his family in retrieving them is the least I could do. His memorial is this Saturday, July 5. I will miss him.

When Richard and I meet again, I hope he will forgive me.

Needin' ta' upgrade, I 'spose...

It appears I will need to invest in some new software before posting again. Although I could still figure out another way to get some new images up. Sorry for the long time between posts. Work at Worlds of Fun and such have been fairly "all-consuming."

My wife and I took a "mental health" day, and took in the "Bodies Revealed" exhibit. She acted before going like it wouldn't bother her, but said she felt somewhat creeped out afterwords, while I was the opposite. I thought it would bother me, but didn't. There were some rabbis who were opposed to the whole thing in the news, and some "Right to Life"-ers who were upset over the "reproductive" section of the exhibit. In retrospect, I'd have to give the rabbis a bigger "tip of the hat," as while it is easy to get upset over plasticine fetuses encased in various stages of development, someone's "baby" has parts on display all through the exhibit.

One item of particular note were the various "lab coats" in attendance. I'm not sure whether they were staffers, med students, or genuine physicians, but 2 caught my attention. They were whispering and doing the naughty girl giggle while looking at a particular body on display. And yes, "the junk" was with most of the bodies exhibited. In a nutshell, one of them reached out and fondled one of the preserved testicles. Kind of tacky, if you ask me. Where's "Candid Camera" when you need them.

Got some images coming soon.

Be good!

...what evil lurks...

I'm too lazy to go thru the motions of uploading a pic. Suffice it to say, I froze my buttocks off this past weekend at the park.

Anyhoo, this link will take you to my buddy's, Mark Stratton's, live journal. He wanted a Simpson-ized "Shadow" drawing. I thought it turned out well.

http://pics.livejournal.com/ying_ko_4/pic/0000q5g4

Be good!

sum skechezz of late...

Wow! It's been a while. Having a lot of my time eaten up at Worlds of Fun. BID.

I attended Planet Comicon this past weekend. Shared a table with my buddy, Monte May. And had a good time reconnecting with a lot of familiar faces. A lot of them told me it's time I did my own web strip...I guess maybe it is.

To start things off, I did a sketch of "Wild Dog" Simpsonized! It was for a fan at the convention.


Let me know what you think.

Mark Stratton suggested I do a "freak of the week," in honor of my caricaturing abilities(I think). Here's a sketch I did at an interview a few weeks back. This is Nathan...

All I really saw were huge eyes, big lips, a narrow face and overhanging forehead. We hired this guy, incidently.

This one we hired, but he putzed out on us.




I drew the artists we were training as caricaturists while they drew me. Here's my second try at Nathan...


Not as good as my first attempt. Not simplified enough.

Here's my first attempt at "Retread Ryan"...


Here's Rachel.


For some reason she always looks sad, but she seemed really bubbly and excited about learning to draw "funny peoples."... This is Jordan...


This is Sam.


Again, too much detail and not enough essence... In an earlier post, I drew Will. Here's my second time...


And here's my second time at "Retread."


This attempt was much better than my first. Sadly, he chose not to continue and won't be with us this summer.

I usually will try to do the "noobies" at some point as Simpsons characters. Here's my attempt at Will...




That's all for now. I hope you found it entertaining.

a work in progress...

I had a real burst of creativity around 2004/2005, as far as beginning to find my voice and how the pencil naturally wants to move with the hand. As I stated earlier, I can try to do the "edgy" thing, but am never that happy with it. This style is cartoony, but not so "simplified" and abstract...somewhere between. It has its pitfalls. And I'm really trying to find a project with which to do something with it. Would it "sell" in today's comics market? Who knows?!

I thought I had a project and publisher, but it didn't work out. And while they have their version, I do, as well. And if the truth were told, we both had some demons to overcome. I did a lot of character designs that I like for said project, and when it fell through, I was in the doldrums. Then I went to the doctor to find out my hands were "dying." After some surgeries and therapy, I now find myself a few years later not better from the wear, but kind of back at square one looking for a personal artistic voice. But enough whining, here's one of my better designs for a character. Don't know what I'm going to do with him as yet, but we'll see...


I've received some comments on my "Martian" guy. I admit to him having some inspiration from not only the "Outer Limits," but also "Lost in Space." Guess I like big-headed aliens. His look was inspired by one of Yul Brenner's costumes in the "10 Commandments," so he has an Egyptian feel, too. Getting back in the mindset of this style, I realized I was drawing too may lumps and bumps, and that the anatomy needed to be more streamlined. Here's how the pencil drawing turned out...


While non-photo blue has been a standard for a long time, I don't like the blue, but prefer warmer colors. Photoshop and Pagemaker have simplified this process for me. I place the pencil tiff in a Pagemaker document and print it out red at 15%. After inking it, I scan it in RGB, then tweak the levels and change the mode to CMYK. After that I get rid of all the channels except the black one, change the mode to grayscale, then to bitmap at 600dpi. Here's my inked version.


I'd go into all the details of doing up the color, but you can read up on it from an expert by purchasing Brian and Kristy Miller's book, "Hi-Fi Color for Comics." Brian is the best in my opinion. And yes I'm biased as the book does contain a lot of art by yours truly. Any way, here's a working version with some flat color.


Sorry for the infrequency in posting. I've been extremely busy of late, and will be playing evil Pontius Pilate in my church's Resurrection Sunday drama. I may post some pictures. Be warned...it will be a fat guy in a toga.

PS--Happy Purim!!!

some doodlin'

I was talking to a friend of mine last night, and started doodling with a pencil. While not my best effort, it reaffirms that working in this style--somewhat "Disney-esque"--comes a bit more naturally. I've tried doing edgy and "angular," but I have to work at it, and it never really looks quite what I want. Can't help it. It just flows more smooth and rounded. Anyway, here's my first doodle...


kind of brutish guy.

The next one had more of an "Outer Limits" feel. The original series, thank you. And I was a big fan when I was a kid. Even had most of the card set. Here's my "alien"...


Out of that one, I started a "super-being" sketch. If I get some time, I'll work it up and show some others I did back in 2005.


While I'm at it, the friend I was talking to is cartoonist, Monte May. If you haven't seen his online strip, you should check it out at: http://www.pigtalesonline.com. Caio!

an old idea revisited

I don't have much to blather on about. Too much stuff to do. And my right knee is killing me.

While sorting through sketches and such to file away, I came across a character and an idea I had let fall by the wayside. A harkening back to bygone days. Any way, consider this a teaser and other stuff will (hopefully) follow...