I think I'm turning Japanese. I really think so.

Check out my new Samurai friend.

Actually, this guy took up the majority of my day yesterday with all of his detailed armor, shading, and tricky background.

This bad boy was done for the fine folks at Sacrifice Apparel, who wanted something Japanese influenced for a new t-shirt. The idea came a current Dethrone shirt for UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo. I had seen the shirt awhile ago, and really dug the concept. Plus, I mean...it's Aldo. Dude is just BAD.

I sketched something out and sent it over. The guys were pretty excited about the concept, so I went ahead and started the finishing process. From sketch to inks, to color/background, you're looking at around 12hrs spent. That's a serious piece of my day.

Ah well, he turned out pretty good, and the guys were happy. That's what it's all about, right?


Word.

When you say nothing at all

In my bedroom, right above my bed there is a framed picture of Bob Marley with a quote that reads "You just can't live in that negative way...make way for the positive day." The reason that picture hangs where it does is so that when I wake up every morning, it's one of the first things I see (after I fumble around for my glasses). It's a very simple and straight forward message, but it can mean so many different things.

The idea of living your entire life in an absolutely positive manner is a nobel one, but I'm afraid that it's just not realistic (at least for me). There will ALWAYS be circumstances, events, etc that cause us to get upset, angry, sad, etc. It's just the natural course of life. I do believe, however, that for every action, there is a reaction, and we absolutely have the power to control how we react to the circumstances around them. Over the past few years, I've really become a fan of the notion of altering your perception to suit your overall goal. If you want to be miserable and upset all the time, then you will perceive everything as a negative experience. If you want to live a positive life and be as happy as you can be, then you take your experiences (even the bad ones), look at them objectively, extract the good, and discard the bad. You don't forget about it. You just choose not to focus on it.

I wanted to convey these ideas through artwork (since it's the only way I really know how), and the first attempt was through t-shirts. Little known fact, I'm actually a big fan of compositional shirts that take names, logos, etc and use them to form designs. I call them "words on a shirt." The WWE of all places currently has a t-shirt for one of their top superstars, John Cena that simply reads "Rise Above Hate." Three simple words that can mean so many different things to so many different people. It really is a stroke of genius on their part. Such a powerful message, slapped onto a t-shirt of one of their biggest personalities. People all over the world will wear this shirt to support Cena, but indirectly will also be supporting a very positive idea. Whoever came up with this should be commended for their brilliant work.

In trying to follow the same suit, I wanted to create messages that conveyed positivity, but said something more than just "smile" or "be happy" because I feel like that's a bit bland. I asked a friend of mine to help out, because truth be told, she's way more in-tune with this sort of thing. When it comes to this, she's on a level that I truly aspire to be on - she just doesn't realize it. We went back and forth for a few hours on what the message was about, and although she nitpicked it to a degree, I knew that she would come up with something either directly, or indirectly. I was right.

This friend of mine has a blog in which she writes about a variety of subjects mainly relating to life and self discovery. For the past few years I've monitored this blog, and even written down several things that she's said in attempt to go back and reflect on them later (don't think she knew that - surprise!). While reading a recent entry that she wrote, I came across the words "protest indifference" at the very end. Literally, the blog ended with those two words. As soon as I read that, I sat back and just smiled. Once again, she has said so much, by saying so little.

With a little tweaking, I came up with the first shirt. Those two words just work so well together, that it really amazes me that I couldn't think of that. Then again, I'm not on that level. From that idea, I pieced together the idea for the second one. With some out-of-the-blue art direction that was actually good, from another friend, I settled on the second design. I feel that both are strong, and both convey good messages without being overly wordy. Basically, they're open to interpretation and that's what I wanted.

To my oddly-in-tune-with-the-world-around-her-even-though-she-doesn't-know-it friend, sometimes you say things that make me scratch my head. Sometimes you say things that make me laugh. And sometimes you say things that impact me to my core. Whatever it is, I really am in awe of your brilliance.

Even when you say nothing at all.


Word.

A lot to be thankful for in 2011

I wanted to post one last blog update before the end of the year for two reasons. (1) To say thank you to everyone who helped keep me going and make this the most successful year I've ever had, and (2) because I at least wanted to tie the number of posts I had in 2010 (54).

The year started out better than I could have hoped with the fulfillment of a childhood dream when I was asked by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin himself to design a few new t-shirts for his WWE appearances. The first one I did was seen on an episode of RAW in March, but the pinnacle came for me when Steve wore a t-shirt I designed during his WrestleMania 27 appearance. Seeing a childhood hero of mine doing what he does best, with my artwork splashed across him, is something I will never, ever forget. I still have my pay stubs from the WWE safely tucked away so I can look back at them and smile. Thanks, Steve.

Another proud moment for me has been the continuation of the Sacrifice Apparel brand. We started in 2010 with a handful of ideas and no real clue of how to launch this thing, but throughout 2011 we (the crew and I) have learned A LOT about what it takes to really get things off the ground. With the introduction of hang tags, stationary, banners, much nicer t-shirt blanks, and a ton of new designs, I'd definitely say that 2011 has been a year or growth for both myself, and the guys behind the brand. Thank you for continuing to come to me and let me work with you guys on your vision for this brand.

I was also fortunate enough to hook up with the fine folks at Trinity Products who provided me with the opportunity to expand my portfolio immensely by creating artwork for such brands as Sesame Street, Pink Floyd, Brock Lesnar, and Bruce Lee. It really was a pleasure to work with everyone during those couple of months, and I am extremely proud of the work we put out together. A special "thank you" to Brandon Zundel for helping to guide me in the right directions, and always taking the time to answer my non-stop questions. Thanks, man. I hope we can do it again soon.

There are so many people who thank both professionally, and personally who helped push me to achieve some of my best work. Even those who thought they might come across as harsh, really helped me think outside the box and come up with fresh new ideas. You guys may think I don't pay attention to what you say, but I listen to it all, and I appreciate you always keeping it real with me.

Also, a special "thank you" to all of my new LCPD friends who helped bring awareness to what it is I do. I know you've all told me how much you appreciate me for helping to bring awareness to your cause, but in reality it's me who should be thanking you. Each one of you has really given me a newfound purpose with my art. It's one thing to create for people who are going to use it professionally for a variety of reasons, but it's an entirely different feeling to create artwork for those people who get so much pleasure out of it. Every time I get an email from a parent thanking me for putting a smile on their child's face with a picture of Batman, or Strawberry Shortcake, it warms my heart. I really am touched that you guys would take my scribbles and frame them for your homes. With all of the cool things I've done in 2011, that is undoubtedly my proudest moment to date.

So as I say "goodbye" to 2011, and welcome in 2012, I promise to keep on doing what I do, and continue growing both personally and professionally.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Whether we work together on a regular basis, you hired me as a "one off," or you requested a freebie from me, without each and every single one of you I wouldn't be able to continue to do what it is I love so much. Art is a big part of my life, and each one of you has helped to nurture that in your own special way.

Going Commando

He just looks weird without those bright red undies, doesn't he? Ah well.

Everyone (and by everyone, I mean people who know me) knows that Superman is, and always will be my favorite character. Every since I was a kid, there's just something about Superman that stood head and shoulders above all of the other iconic characters we've all grown up with.

In 2013 (seems SO far away), WB is looking to re-boot the Superman film franchise with yet another re-telling of his origin story. The movie basically serves the same purpose that the latest trilogy of Batman movies: to update the character for current audiences, and add to his cannon. The last Superman movie was in 2006 with "Superman Returns." For all of the faults it had, I actually enjoyed the movie, and I thought it's star (Brandon Routh) did a great job in the role. Oh well, he's gone. And so is everyone else from that movie.

The one thing I'm always concerned with when these movies are made is the approach the creators take to the character's classic costumes. Over the years, some characters have looked like literally walked off of the pages of a comic book and onto the silver screen (Spider-Man, Rocketeer, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, etc), some have gotten really cool updates to their look (Batman, Captain America, Green Lantern, etc), and some have looked just downright awful (X-Men, Spawn, etc).

With Superman it's simple. Blue bodysuit, big red "S" on his chest, red cape/boots, and the classic red underwear (or trunks as they're often referred to). In all of the big-budget films, producers have always stuck to the core mechanics of the suit, and Supes has always looked, well....like Supes.

In the new movie titled "Man of Steel," the films director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch) has decided to take a new approach to the suit. He's decided to keep most of the classic elements, but give them a somewhat "alien" appearance to add to Supes' origins. Gone are the underoos, and added is a textured bodysuit, with a raised (and slightly re-designed) "S" shield, and some very interesting "piping" that wraps around different areas of the suit. It ain't what I'm used to, but I have to say, it doesn't look bad.

Having seem the pictures of actor Henry Cavill (the latest actor to don the cape) in costume, I wanted to take a stab at doing a quick rendering of how Supes new duds might look drawn out. The piping was a little tricky to get, and I had to teach myself how to draw the new "S" shape (has a slightly different shape), but all-in-all, it was basically like drawing the same Superman that I've done a couple thousand times before.

Kind of makes me realize, it's not the clothes that make the man, but the man that make the clothes....or costume in this case.

A lesson in humility

4 days later and I'm back with another post? Word.

In an attempt to write something, but not come across as being overly wordy (I have a problem with that), I just wanted to take a quick second to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart.

For those of you that actually read this blog (all 3 of you), you've undoubtedly read the "Let the unicorns in..." entry about Jordan Pollard and her struggle with Perthes Disease. Well, in addition to Jordan, there are literally hundreds (probably a lot more than that) of other cases that I've become aware of. Each story is just as heart wrenching as the next, and throughout reading them all one fact remains: more attention needs to be brought to this disease so that more people are aware of what to look for, and more importantly, how to treat it.

It was brought to my attention that there is an actual foundation in the works called the LCPD (Let's Cure Perthes Disease), but they were having trouble getting any kind of attention or recognition. After talking to a few of the families that are dealing with this disease, I wanted to try to do something to lift their spirits, and help them know that they are not alone. There are others in the world just like you.

What I decided to do was to give a face to the LCPD project. Give them some kind of an identity so that the people could unite and show their support for one another. How about a logo? Even better, how about a logo on a t-shirt?

Above is the end result of those ideas. The logo came from the idea that each of these people (not all are kids) are heroes. They are dealt a rough hand in life, and instead of sitting around and complaining, they look to the bright side. They focus on the day when they'll be able to run around with their friends, or play soccer, or go swimming. It's actually quite humbling when you think about it.

The idea for the back is simple: List as many names as I can so that when these people get their shirts, they realize that they are in fact, not alone. When they see their name, they can immediately see the names surrounding them and feel some sort of peace knowing that there are people who can relate to them, and understand them.

I know I didn't get everyone's name on the shirt, but I promise that as this project progresses, I will continue to add them. None of you will be left out.

This whole experience has really brought me down a few pegs in my own personal life. With all of the things I whine and complain about, I often have to stop and check myself. I really don't have it that bad.

Each one of your stories has touched my heart. I've read every single email, message, and tweet that you've sent. Every single one of you inspire me with your courage and determination.

From the bottom of my heart, I love each and every one of you, and I will do whatever I can to raise awareness so that more cases don't go mis-diagnosed or untreated.

So much for not being wordy. Eh, whatever.

*If you'd like to order an LCPD shirt, please email sales@sacrificeapparel.com. The shirts are $20, and 50% of the proceeds will go to benefit the LCPD foundation. Available in kids S-L and adults S-XXL.

Mark

We've all lost someone, or something that's near and dear to our hearts. A relative. A friend. Even a pet, all come with their own share of feelings and emotions that carry us through those tough times, and eventually help us cope with the loss. For my family, it's the loss of Mark Romero, or "Cousin Mark" as he was known to me.

I got that early morning phone call that no one likes to get on November 16th. When I saw my Dad's name on the caller ID, my stomach turned into knots because I always think it's going to be my Step-Mom calling to tell me something bad. "Mijo" he said. "I'm just calling to let you know that your cousin Mark has gone to be with the lord." My initial reaction was silence. I was still trying to process what had just been said to me, and when I did say something, the only words I could find were "what happened?" Dad didn't really know.

A month later, I'm still not exactly sure what the exact cause is, but at this point it's somewhat inconsequential for me. The fact still remains, my cousin Mark is gone.

Since I received the news, I've wrestled with the feelings and thoughts of "I should've..." or "I wish I had done..." like most people do. To be honest with you, none of that matters. Although I hadn't seen Mark in sometime, he is still a part of my family, and therefore, a part of me.

I can remember spending time with Mark when I was younger. Messing around with him at my Uncle Frank and Aunt Mary's (his parents) house, but the one thing that will always stick out in my mind when I think of Mark is his laugh.

Mark had THE most infectious laugh you've ever heard. Whether you were happy, sad, tired, or alert, hearing Mark laugh would instantly cause you to start laughing as well. I remember watching the Tyson vs Holyfield fight with Mark at Uncle Frank's house in the 90's. After Tyson had committed the infamous "ear bite" incident, the entire house was silent. No one could believe what they had just witnessed. Out of nowhere Mark just starts laughing, which immediately ceased any moment of awkwardness and caused everyone to start laughing hysterically. That's the kind of guy Mark was.

As I sit here and write this, I have a picture of Mark from his memorial service sitting on my desk where I can see it everyday. Those familiar feelings of "I wish I had..." surface every now and again, but I shut them down by remembering one very important thing: Frank Mark Romero (his full name) was a good man. He was loved by everyone around him, and in turn, he loved everyone. Especially his family, who he truly loved more than anything in the world.

While I may think he left us too soon, I know that Mark lived a full life.

I love you, Mark. I miss you, and you will always be a part of me. Anytime someone says your name, I will always hear that laugh of yours.

And that will always make me smile.

Happy Birthday, Landon!

I know I'm about a week late, but better late than never, right?

This is a birthday gift for Landon Pollard, who turned 3-years-old recently. Landon is the younger brother of Jordan Pollard (www.ahipforjordan.com), who inspired my "Let the unicorns in..."blog, a few weeks back.

In doing the illustration for Jordan, I meant to do one for Landon as well, but I just didn't have enough time. When I read that it was his birthday, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give him his own picture. When their Mom, Shannon told me that he liked Batman, Spider-Man (all the cool guys), I knew this would be a breeze.

I did a quick sketch of Landon as Batman and posted it on Shannon's FB page. She loved the idea, and actually wanted to frame that, but since I'm such a perfectionist, I wanted to clean it up for them first.

This is the final version of the illustration. Despite always disliking Batman wearing blue (isn't he supposed to be the DARK Knight?), it worked for this picture. All-in-all, it came out pretty cool. I even managed to life the "official" Batman font for the writing on the left hand side.

Oh, and Landon...I get that you didn't want to smile. Batman doesn't smile. It's cool.

*I want to thank KidNotorious from Deviant art for the idea for the drawing. I was really stuck, and I absolutely loved his original picture. Thanks, Kid.

Come to Butt-Head...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Come on, you know that's funny.

So glad these guys are back on TV. It's been too long, and MTV has been on the steady decline as far as their original programming. Forget the fact that they're no longer "music television," most of their shows are garbage.

I was a big fan of Beavis & Butt-Head during their original run in the 90's. Their crude humor, and unstoppable laughing totally captivated my attention every single week. There was a time when I had just about every Beavis & Butt-Head product known to man.

I was messing around the other day, and decided to do this little gem, based on an image from the 90's. I used to spend hours drawing both Beavis and Butt-Head, so I wanted to see if I still had it. Guess so, huh?

Now to do one for Beavis...



Word.

Beware the Ripper

Little known fact about me, I'm a HUGE fan of true crime stories. I like fictional crime stories, but nothing beats the true crime, because, well....they actually happened.

In all of the stories I've read, none has been able to captivate my interest more than the accounts of the infamous Jack the Ripper.

For those not familiar with the story, Jack the Ripper was the first serial killer to gain widespread media coverage, and is arguably the most famous of them all. He committed his crimes from August 1888 to around November of the same year. He was known for his particularly grotesque murders, and the savagery in which he committed them. Without going into the gory details (you can read about them here), let's just say "the Ripper" was able to terrify an entire city in the short time he operated in.

What has always been the most interesting thing to me, is the air of mystique surrounding the events. Jack was never caught, and to this day (123 years later), has yet to be positively identified. There are countless theories as to who Jack the Ripper actually was, but I believe that this is one of those stories that will forever remain unsolved.

I caught a documentary on PBS (I love PBS!) from 1993 that detailed what was believed to be the actual handwritten diary of Jack the Ripper (it's been disputed numerous times). The documentary was set up so that an actual voiceover (well done, by the way) read entries from the diary as they played reenactments of the events. The whole thing was well done, and really re-sparked my interest in the story. The only natural thing for me to do was (you got it)....draw something out.

The top image is a very, very loose sketch of a more fictional, fantasy based Jack the Ripper. If you look at the facial area closely, you'll see that he has sort of a skeletal appearance. I did that to add to the whole mystique of the character. Make him appear as almost a phantasm or ghost of sorts. I really like the tall, foreboding stature, and the over-the-shoulder look.

The second image is based on the cover of a book I saw years ago. While Jack was never positively ID'd, this book presented an interesting theory. I wanted to draw Jack as a good looking, English gentlemen. Someone who wouldn't have a hard time luring his victims away. I also wanted to give him that sinister undertone in the eyes and the shading.

Both of these are just quick attempts to capture Jack the Ripper in some form. They came out better than I thought, so I figured I would share them with you. While the mystery will likely never be solved, I love reading the different theories, and coming up with my own interpretations of just who Jack the Ripper really was.


Word.

"Let the unicorns in..."

Meet Jordan Pollard. I recently had the pleasure, and it had a profound impact on me.

Jordan is a 5-year-old girl from Mission Viejo, who was recently diagnosed with an extremely rare bone disease known as Legg-Calvé-Perthes. The disease is what happens when a bone does not receive a sufficient amount of blood and begins to die.

The Pollard family came to my attention through a Facebook post that a friend directed me to. I did a google search and found an article from the Orange County Register, detailing Jordan's battle with the disease, and the ridiculous amount of charges that have piled up, since her road to recovery began.

While the initial story broke my heart, I saw that there was a silver lining. A training facility in nearby Lake Forest known as Reign Training Center was hosting a fund raising event to help offset some of the costs that the Pollard family was being faced with. Now, I'd never met the Pollard family, and knew absolutely nothing about them, but what I did know was that they were a family trying to help their little girl overcome an extremely rare disease.

When I saw that the fund raiser was open to the public, I decided to attend along with a couple of friends of mine who became aware of the cause. I read that a few MMA stars would be there, which was great, but the main focus was Jordan, and helping to raise money to continue her treatments.

I found out about the event on the Weds before it was being held (Friday). I talked to a friend of mine, who trains at Reign, and asked him if there was anything I could do to help. Maybe something I could donate, or even create to auction off? What he suggested was doing something specifically for Jordan that she could keep. Good idea, Manny!

What you see above is a sort of step-by-step on the illustration that I created for Jordan. Since I knew absolutely nothing about her, I had to look at pictures of her on her website, and guess as to what she might like. A few pictures had her sleeping on a Tinkerbell pillow, with (what looked to be) Strawberry Shortcake next to her. After spending about 2 hours on google doing research (I had no idea Tinkerbell had an entire posse of fairies!?), and polling several friends and family members on what's "cool" to a 5-year-old girl, I had enough info to start the drawing.

The first step was to figure out how to draw Jordan, since she's the focal point. I use the picture of her from the Facebook posting, and did a couple of rough sketches. When I had that pretty much down, I created a frame using different flowers/plants (stole the idea from the Disney "fairies" line). From there, I started to add in some of her favorite characters. Since Tinkerbell was the first character I thought of, I decided to have her positioned on Jordan's shoulder - just like she did with Peter Pan. After that, I added in Strawberry Shortcake (who looks A LOT different than I remember in the 80's), and positioned her sitting on an open flower at the bottom.

Originally, I wanted to add in as many characters as I could, but I was a bit pressed for time, and I was told that it might be a bit overkill. Ok, fine. I decided to add in one more character, but really couldn't figure out who was popular enough to fill the spot. A friend told me that "Tangled" was a personal favorite with little girls, and that the character of Rapunzel has become one of the most popular Disney princesses around. Good enough for me. I did a quick search for pictures, and came across one that I thought worked for the drawing.

Once the line drawing was complete, and I was satisfied (I actually re-drew Jordan to fit within the frame a lot better), I dragged the file over to Mange Studio to start the digital inking process (basically re-drawing the entire thing using a black ink). Once that was done, I took that file into Photoshop and started the coloring process. Creating the different colors for the flowers/plants, and the 3 different blond characters (Jordan, Tinkerbell, and Rapunzel) was the most time consuming part. Actually, I finished the entire thing and framed it about 45min before the actual event. The entire process took about 10hrs which consisted of two separate sittings of about 5hrs each.

I was lucky enough to meet Jordan, her family, and her "ultimate besties," and present her with the picture. I can't even begin to describe their reaction when I showed them. Let's just say it totally made my year, and if that picture makes it to Jordan's wall, then my job is done, and I am an extremely happy man.

Getting to attend an event like this, really did restore my faith in humanity, and prove that despite coming from all different walks of life, we can all come together for a good cause. Shannon and Jadon Pollard are prime examples of "good parents." They knew something was bothering their daughter, and they were quick to take action. I am very proud to have met them, and talked to them for a short amount of time. The world could use a lot more people like them.

Thank you for letting me share in your story for even a few short hours. I sincerely hope to read about Jordan scoring the most goals on her team when the next soccer season rolls around.

For those of you who would like to learn more about Jordan, or how you can help, check out her website at http://www.ahipforjordan.com/