Here's a pic I did for fun of the new version of Daphne from Mystery Incorporated! I did it inbetween working on stuff for it as a warm up and then finished it up with a pretty background that has a Valentine's Day feel to it. She's so sweet!
Since I've been working on Mystery Incorporated I thought I'd start posting some stuff here. Above is a mock up showing an action scene. I did this around my 4th or 5th piece in of initial sketching the new look. The first couple pieces were just single characters and figuring out where changes were made and then I did some group shots. This was one that I thinked worked pretty well being that it was pretty confined in a given space. I didn't pursue it in color though. 
As I replaced my calendar for 2011 on the wall, I looked at all the crossed off x's on the days for 2010 and went back and noted all the stuff I worked on this year. It was certainly a diverse year for art and had some high points for me personally. In this order, I worked on: 
Lots of stuff going on around here so I'd be remiss if I also didn't mention that this past week, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You #5 was released to your better comic stores. I just scanned a copy of the cover for this post since I got my copies from the printer last week. Has a cover by me (posted here before) and the first story in it is drawn by me. The second story in it is a reprint from the old DC series. Thought I'd share since it's a new release and the last two issues of the book have been nothing but reprints from 1997. So it's good to see fresh material again. I drew the story back in... September of last year as I recall...maybe it was August actually... the months seem to blend together.
I wanted to mention as well to any of my blog readers that I got my complimentary copy of the new 2011 volume of the Pricing & Ethical Guidelines Handbook from the publisher just after Christmas. I got my free copy as I helped out by giving them some pricing information way back in early 2010. I answered questons and pricing for about 4-5 things. My name is printed in the acknowledgments at the front of the book among all the other artists that were asked to participate so you know you get real artists who can give real on the job info and numbers. Members of the Graphic Arts Guild get a free copy with their paid membership (as I recall) but any artist, or anyone, can buy it at any decent book store in the art section. It's a great starting place for designers and illustrators to get a starting place as to how to price their work and also has a lot of great information for the artist as well. It was a great help to me when I was starting out on my chosen road.
Hello all! I have not been neglecting my blog on purpose but work here has been busy as hell of late. I am still working on Kung Fu Panda 2 work and that is getting close to finally being done and I have been working on the FIRST licensed project for the new Scooby-Doo show called simply Mystery Incorporated. The first 13 episodes have aired and the early phases of WB getting the new show and it's new look out to the public in other venues is moving along slowly. This piece above is from the style guide, which is around 70 pieces and is pretty much the only thing out there right now besides the actual cartoon. This show has a slightly different art style from the classic look but it's kinda the same in spots when you start working on it. I will say that the style guide art is more exaggerated than the actual look of the cartoon so I've been finding a happy medium trying to combine the two. I got the gig back in late August or knew it was coming, but didn't start till late November (the week of Thanksgiving actually and after I did an audition piece for it) and it's been a deadline rush from the first day since there is no real set direction for the look of the license and I'm kind of creating the look for it since it's the first thing being done for the show. I am trying to keep it as faithful to the look and tone of the show as possible and I'm mighty happy with the results thus far and feel it's some of my best work I've ever done for Scoob. Also, after the initial pencil roughs that I drew by hand, everything after that stage is completely digital! The backgrounds have been the most fun to digitally paint and I've been moving between Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop in creating the work.
As I posted previously, I was down in Louisiana for a Scooby-Doo event in mid-December and the day after I got there (which was December 11), we had to do the 2010 Baton Rouge Christmas Parade. Hal & Al were once again the grand masters of the parade and we had a truck right behind the Mayor's car, which Mayor Melvin "Kip" Holden rode in. It was a three-mile parade that went through the main streets up to the Capitol building. As you drive it slow, you throw out treats, toys, trinkets, etc. to people who are all over the place. It was packed once it got moving. As we got there a little early to set up, Scott [Innes] and I went to get some coffee to kill some time and wound up at the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino, which is a HUGE place just around the corner from the parade start! Here's six pics of it here!
And just past the check-in for the hotel it looked like a mall!
It was huge and seemed to go on forever. It was a long walk to get some coffee once we got in there since the restaurant was on the other side of the place.
About 5pm, we walked back and starting getting ready for the parade and these are some pics I took...
After this float/car and the Mayor's car, we were in the maroon pick-up truck.
Some pics of the other parade cars...
LSU is so big in Baton Rouge that these two shaved the sides of their dogs with LSU TIGERS! Talk about team spirit. I hope the dogs were happy.
Hal & Al ready to do a TV spot for the parade for the news as it kicks off!
Scott Innes talking to Mayor Holden
Some more pics before the parade started...
Hal & Al pose with Mayor Holden and some kids for a photo op!
Hal & Al with Mayor Holden!
I was down in Louisiana for a bit and last Tuesday I was at Scott Innes' Scooby-Doo event where he showed Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, since it was the 10th Anniversary for it and I was there as a special guest. They played a drawing video of me drawing Scooby right before the movie. More pice will follow in the coming days. While I was there, Scott had a great haunted house built by Scott Thomas and Elizabeth Lynch who did a superb job building a great facade that was 16 feet high and looked like it was right out of Scooby-Doo! Of course, Scooby & Shaggy were there as well as Velma and Daphne and I got some pics of me and the gang!
Here's two pics of me with Scott Innes, Scooby and Shaggy!
And one of the whole gang: (Back Row) Daphne, Velma, Scott Innes and Scooby (Front Row) Elizabeth Lynch, Me, Shaggy and Scott Thomas.
A great time was had by all and we thank the 600+ people for showing up and sharing the evening with us! 
Been busy here in the studio since I lasted posted with Kung Fu Panda work and a new project I'm working on. A little teaser for those who may figure it out. I'll be posting more about it very soon! Since I just got back from a trip down south, I'll be working non-stop on it to finish it for a late January deadline. I had to work on it at night while I was away as well to stay on schedule and it's turning out to be some of the best stuff I've done. I'm pretty happy with it all.
This started out to just be a simple sketch that I was going to post on my blog but then it seemed to take on a life of it's own and I got more involved with it. This is a Halloween tribute to myself or rather my childhood. I looked at a pic of me when I was four in the classic Ben Cooper Spider-Man costume and decided to do a cartoon version of me on a typical Halloween back when I was little. This piece got even more personal when I added the same 'Trick Or Treat' bag that I used as a kid and added my Spider-Man Web-Shooter toy on the wrist. I used to run around with one on each wrist as a kid so it made the piece all come together in the end.
Here's me at four years of age (and just about to turn five) wearing the costume in 1975!
Here's an ad from one of the comics I read back then to advertise the Halloween costume!
And here's an ad for the Spider-Man Web-Shooter, with an ad for the classic Power Records super hero records just below it! It's a perfect memento of two key things in my childhood!
And here is a pic of the Spider-Man Web-Shooter that I found on eBay several years ago and I bought it. It's hard to find in this kind of shape now still being mint on the card and it's one of my prized possessions that I have.
After finishing Winnie the Pooh work, I moved right into some Kung Fu Panda 2 work... and I will be doing that for maybe two months? Not sure yet... I knew the Panda stuff was coming when I finished MegaMind work but it does take some time to get the ball rolling.
I got some quick work this week (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) doing some Winnie the Pooh art so it was a nice four days working on it as I was waiting on a late check from another company which had gotten lost. It was a small job but Winnie is always easy and a pleasure to work on!
I got an email on Thursday that the SHS Arts Hall of Fame plaque was finally mounted in the courtyard right outside the lunchroom in the courtyard. It was bad weather here with the wind and rain so I waited till Saturday to go down and take some pics. Looking at the first pic, if you walk through the doors behind the column there's the cafeteria and on the right is where the wood shop is. If you turn around 180 degrees from this view, you can see the track and football field so it's a prime location! I can have lunch in the courtyard and say "Hey, that's me!"
Here's a new color version I did today of Phineas and Ferb of some work I did back in February! Some exciting stuff going on with the boys of late... hope to have some news to post about it soon!
