Legendary "Little Golden Books" Artist Mel Crawford Passes

If you owned or read any picture books when you were a child, or had kids who did from the 1950s on up, you more than likely have seen his work. One of the most prolific children's book artists of all time passed away on Monday, February 23rd. He was 89.
Best-known for his renderings of  numerous Disney and Hanna-Barbera characters such as Yogi Bear, Magilla Gorilla, The Flintsones and more, he rendered hundreds of books, covers, and comic book covers for Whitman Publishing's "Little Golden Books" and the associated "Gold Key Comics".
Many books still in print today contain his work.
Read the article and see more pictures HERE .

Happy Birthday, REMBRANDT!

Talk about a man truly before his time.

 Based on the drawing below, there is only one possible conclusion: It appears the famous Rembrandt was a BAMA fan almost 300 Years BEFORE there even WAS a University of ALABAMA!

Today marks the 407th anniversary of REMBRANDT VAN RIJN's birth. The influential Dutch artist inspired so many legions of artists and painters in every generation since, that 'Legendary' isn't even a strong enough word to describe him.
 His genius lives on, and will be celebrated for centuries to come...! Heck, Google even made him their 'Title Logo' for the day, seen below:

Read more at The Rembrandt Official Site , or HERE .

The very prolific and influential comic book artist JOE KUBERT died last weekend. He was 85.
Read the full article HERE.

Also a pretty thorough read HERE.

When I was a young kid, I didn't appreciate his work because I thought it too 'sketchy' and sloppy. "How can people think that's good...?", I thought aloud. Later, I marveled at his body of work and the strong composition in his drawings. He was a master storyteller and and darn good artist.

Children's Artist/Author MAURICE SENDAK Dies

Maurice Sendak

Famed Illustrator/Artist/Author MAURICE SENDAK passed away after a stroke suffered Friday.

 He was 83.

From "philly.com": Famed Children's Book Illustrator/Author Passes Away

Winner of the prestigious "Caldecott Award" for children's illustration, SENDAK was often paired with Mercer Mayer and had several books to his credit.

"Where the Wild Things Are"

From "Once Upon a Sketch": Maurice Sendak Dies at 83

R.I.P. John Severin, Comics Legend

 The great John Severin passed away Sunday at age 90. He was one of my favorite cartoon artists EVER! I was first made aware of Severin from the "CRACKED" magazines my older brother Kevin would buy up at the corner store when we would make our monthly 'comics run' in the early 70's.

 His caricatures and style were inspiring to an impressionable young doodler like me. I was in awe of his line work and ability to get a likeness, yet maintain his definitive style. Below is a marriage of two of my favorite things from my youth: Cracked Severin art and Planet of the Apes:

I used to wonder: 'Man! This guy is GREAT! Why isn't he drawing REAL comics...?' Of course, this was before I was aware that he was a prolific member of MARVEL's "Bullpen" in the 60's & early 70's.

Read an article about him HERE .

Thanks, John, for your contributions to the comics industry!

Legendary Frank Frazetta Dead at 82

An icon has passed. One of my artistic heroes died yesterday, and the sci-fi art world is greatly saddened. Frank Frazetta was one of the most influential illustrators of the twentieth century.

The official news release can be read here .

"The Death Dealer"

Here's a nifty write-up from the L.A. Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/05/frank-frazetta-painted-with-fire-.html

And another fan site dedicated to Frazetta's artwork: http://frankfrazetta.org/

Nifty Cardboard Sculpture!

A friend sent me a link to some ham radio nut, but while there I came across this entry about an artist who works in cardboard, much like Mobile's local Mardi Gras floatbuilders, Mirthco, Inc. and Carnival Artists.

Click on this link to see some pretty nifty cardboard sculpture:
http://www.bextim.com/amazing-life-sized-sculptures-made-of-recycled-cardboard.html

"Phineas & Ferb" Renewed by Disney!

BRENTOONS MEDIA has learned that The Disney Channel is picking up Dan Povenmire's "Phineas & Ferb" for another season. Co-created & co-produced by Dan Povenmire and Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh, this brings the episode total to 100 and counting...!
Congratulations, fellas, and keep up the good work! And by 'good work' I really mean 'great work' and am proud and excited for you!
Click on the title of this post to read the article on 'Animation Magazine'.....!

My 2009 Mardi Gras Posters

This year, in addition to rendering the Mardi Gras floats, I was commissioned to design the posters for a few of the Mystic Societies. I am posting them here for your review. Let me know what you think!

First, here is the official poster for the "Order of LaShe's":
Here is the official poster/invitation insert for "Neptune's Daughters":

Finally, this is the poster/invitation for the "Mobile Mystics":

I was asked to try and be a little different from the 'traditional' look of the posters from years past, so I just kinda put my 'look' or 'feel' to them.

The Man Behind The Mouse

You can read a good article about Walt Disney by clicking on the title of this post. It was interesting to me, anyway.....!

Above is a picture of Walt Disney and his partner Ubbe Iwerks, along with their iconic creation.

Michael Arata's Band Playing Halloween @ The ZEBRA

Here is a plug for fellow artist/musician Michael Arata, who will be performing on Halloween night at the Zebra Lounge on D.I.P. If you get a chance, go check 'em out!
Michael is a good Republican who sends me good info and links about the hypocrisy of liberals ( i.e. democrats, communist dirtbags).

DON'T TASE ME, BRO...!

Well, it's been a while since I've updated. Been busy with a job change and the holidays and all. Got all kinds of art/animation goodies (software, pegbars, etc.)for Christmas or Festivus or HannuKwanzamas....!
Will be using these to finish putting together my 'pitch'.

Attempted to attend first Mardi Gras parade of the season down on Dauphin Island yesterday. Their floats are a bit primitive, traffic was poorly managed, and we actually missed the parade and sat stranded for over an hour after a 'senior citizen' driving a looooooonnnnnng luxurious motorhome (with s.u.v. in tow) pulled too far into an impassible 't' intersection. He blocked traffic 3-ways and pissed off a LOT of locals and me...! When we finally convinced him to disconnect the vehicle-in-tow, we were able to make our escape to a local watering hole to wait for the traffic to clear.
Saw a lot of mulletts. The 'do', not the fish. And they were 'proud' mulletts, some over 2-feet long...! (Not like the old 'semi-mulletts everyone had at some point in the 80's/early 90's).
And Bikers.

New Job, New Tool (Or Toy!)

Well, I have completed my first two weeks at my new place of employment. I went to work for American Tire Distributors (formerly Heaffner Tires). Monday-Friday, 7:30-5:00.
Not once this week have I been called a liar, cursed, or threatened. He's got the whole world in his hands.


...And he has an illegitimate son...!



ANYhow, I got my Christmas present early, and am using it to prepare an animation pitch proposal. "ToonBoom Studio" is an idiot-friendly animating program that I will be utilizing to bring my creations to life. AND to bring other folks (like Uncle Henry) to the small screen, as well.

Talented Artist Really DOES Need "PAYING" Gig!

WELL, after months of delays and hesitancy, I took a regular job. At a retail auto parts chain store. I had vowed to "never work retail" again, but had to take the job because I can't make any decent regular money as an artist. Everyone either wants a 'donation' or doesn't want to pay what the work is worth. Since I am pretty fast, most folks presume it should be pretty cheap.
Well, they can kiss my ass. People who say "Well, it shouldn't cost that much, since it didn't take you that long to do it...." have NO idea just how difficult getting a likeness can actually be! (Just for shits and giggles, YOU try it sometime, Michelangelo!)
Listen up, morons. You're not paying for the short time it takes me to draw your picture, portrait, or caricature. You're paying for the 30+ years of experience to be able to get a likeness in such a short time!
And I can't make as much money at any kind of print shop or in any low-rung graphics position to make it worth my while, so in lieu of chasing people down for pennies, I have taken a position in a field I despise in order to make a living. I don't necessarily enjoy dealing with slack-jawed droolers, trying to avoid arguing with them over what type of car they have, or what part they mistakenly requested. (I meant the part that attachesTO this one.....!) I had forgotten what a joy it is to install a battery in someone's car who is perfectly physically able, but just lazy or ignorant. But it's a regular paycheck. It enables me to help meet my financial obligations and takes stress off of my lovely and patient wife. And it will allow me the small allotment of time to chip away at the details of a project proposal I am attempting to complete.

Please pray for me that I don't blow my brains out before I can finish my cartoon designs.
Thank you and ROLL TIDE.