Boca Raton

I thought I would post this sketch of Remy (from a sculpt by Greg Dykstra, featured in the Art of Ratatouille book) before I headed off to Mexico for the weekend.

Have fun at work kids!

Monster Mash

This was too cool not to post. Over at i-mockery.com you can use their Monster Sticker Name Generator (about halfway down the page) to make any message you like out of monster letter stickers circa 1974. Perfect to stick on your locker or Trapper Keeper!

I would love to see some of the talented artists around the web do their own versions of these. Mr. Vanhoozer is already well on his way with his Robot Alphabet!

Naz-Cool

Watched "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" last night and sketched one of the Nazgul's "fell beasts" (I actually had to look that up) as I watched. They were, in my opinion, the coolest design from the films.

The LOTR films aren't my favorite but they still pretty good. They have brilliant design, direction, and pretty amazing (albeit CG) action sequences, but I just struggle with any film over three hours (upwards of four in the director's cut). The only film that can pull of three hours half hours plus is Laurence of Arabia, which does it flawlessly by keeping the action going.

Here's a tip to filmmakers: Long film does not equal great art. Keep the story moving, keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Nothing But Taillights

Speeding ever closer to the weekend, and some much needed rest.

Take a Brake

No rest for the wicked, as they say. Spent the majority of the weekend working, and have a long day and night ahead. I have been drawing a bit lately, and want to post some sketches, but my trusty old scanner is not liking my new laptop. Hopefully I can take a few moments in the next couple of days to get it figured out.

Gear Up

Working non-stop again this week. I already am feeing it and we're not even halfway done. Whew!

Time is Tight

Got out on Sunday and took a few pics around Dallas. Now that I have my sweet new camera, I seem to paying more attention to details in the things around me, and hopefully this will rub off on my drawing skills.

Imagine

Spent my birthday weekend in New York and had a fantastic time. The city is bursting with ideas and creativity. Every brick, piece of sidewalk, or window is simply full of character. I picked up a new Canon Rebel XTi for the trip and couldn't have been happier with it. I took WAY too many photos but ended up with a few real gems.

No One Behind the Wheel

Whew! It was a busy first two weeks at the new job, and I am ready to sleep this weekend. Of course, my weary disposition might also have something to do with a late night trip to Austin to see my friend, and DJ partner, DJ eXb rip it up at his first big gig. Well worth losing a little sleep to support your friends.

Movin' on Up

Today is my last day with Mandalay Baseball Properties, a company I have been involved with for the past seven years. I have learned almost everything I currently know through my work at this firm and I am very appreciative of all they have done for me.

Shortly, I will be starting with Schlegel Sports as their Creative Director. I am excited for this new opportunity and hope to start turning out some top-shelf stuff for all their teams very soon.

Daft Punk is Playing at my House

Sketched this while hanging out in the Inwood Theater lounge and waiting for the Daft Punk film Electroma to begin. Midnight movies at the Inwood rock, and are definitely one of the cooler features of living in Dallas. Local DJ Kieth P dropped a fantastic Daft-centric set and got everyone good and fired up for...a French art film.

Guess what? Daft Punk are French, and there's nothing the French like better than boring you to tears with vague "symbolism"and long stretches of silence. Although, the film had some cool moments and visual elements, moments doth not a movie make. I recommend the 13 minute remix which basically plays the whole movie on fast forward, and adds...wait for it...Daft Punk music!

He's No Use To Me Dead

Sketched this while watching The Empire Strikes Back last night. I think it's been over two years since I last saw this movie, and I finally have to agree with Dante from Kevin Smith's Clerks, Empire is the best film of the series. I can't think of another film that combines true comedy (not dark comedy, mind you) in a completely dramatic script. Brilliant.

The Pile of Goodness

After unpacking at home I realized the full extent of the damage to my both my wallet, and to the forested regions that gave their all to become great art books. There are a few other items that didn't make the photo, but this is the bulk of it. Plenty of top stuff that should keep me inspired for quite some time.

Best Comic-Con Ever!

I am sitting in my hotel room packing up all my fantastic purchases from the con, and thinking about the amazing individuals I met. Many I had known for a while courtesy of the internet, but few I had met in the flesh. I also had the good luck to be exposed to tons of new people and their incredible work. Everyday at the con was another day that made me feel creatively rejuvenated, while reminding me that I need to be drawing a helluva lot more. The saturday night drawing jam confirmed that notion, but I also realized that every other artist in the room felt the same way no matter how jaw-dropping his/her work was. There was so much talent in that room it genuinely made me dizzy, and I was ecstatic to walk away with a handful of brilliant sketches, all suitable for framing!

Thank you to everyone that made this year so special. Your work, heart, and love for your craft inspires me.

Sarah Mensinga
Jeremy Vanhoozer
Kim Herbst
Stephen McCranie
Jeff Smith
Pascal Campion
Mike Daley
Joanna Mulder
GB Tran
Daniel Landerman
Joey Weiser
Kazu Kibuishi and the Flight Crew
Rodolphe Guenoden
Alberto Ruiz
Mitch O'Connell
Chris Sanders
Greg Hardin
Andrew Stanton
and many, many more!

See you at Comic-Con!

It's late, and I am finishing a ton of work, but I am very excited to depart tomorrow for the sunny climes of San Diego. I can't wait meet a batch of new, talented individuals who will help me empty my pocketbook with the artistic goodness they bring to the show. See you soon!

The Jack Bauers of Printing

Big ups to the boys and girls over at OvernightPrints.com for getting me by brand new cards in 24 hours, from upload to delivery. Unbelievable!

Pick a card...

Here is my brand new business card that I am having printed for the San Diego Comic-Con and all points beyond. If you run into me at the Con I will be happy to give you one for your very own. Right now, TonyCanepa.com will redirect you back here, but I will be working hard to get a full-fledged portfolio up very soon.

Making the Best Look Better

Roger Clemens wearing the hat and uniform I designed for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, in his Triple-A start yesterday. (Photo by David Kidwell)

Let it Ride!

This is a sign created about two years ago for a casino night party at the day job. It was based on the sign at the classic Sands casino in Las Vegas. This was one of the first times I used the 3D extrusion feature in Illustrator which, I must say, leaves a little to be desired.

Deuce's Family Album

Deuce's Family Album was created for the Frisco RoughRiders as a renewal piece for season ticket holders. It was designed as a unique way to remind people of all they fun they had at the ballpark with their friends, family, and most importantly, the mascot Deuce (who is, by the way a prairie dog). It was sent with a letter encouraging the individual to renew their ticket package for the following season.

The cover illustrations were sketched with pencil, then scanned and painted in Photoshop.






For the inside front and back covers, I created a pattern in Illustrator, and aged it in Photoshop.


A close-up of the pattern.


The inside of the book was composed of photo-illustrations with brief explanations (written mostly by Justin McCord, with a few additions by me). Also accompanying each image was an icon that represented the era of "family photo", and an image of Deuce with his own visual commentary. The layout was created in Adobe InDesign.



A close-up of Deuce's break dancing cousin.


You can download Deuce's Family Album in its entirety here as a pdf. Please note that images linked from the RoughRiders site as MORE Deuce's Family Album were not created by me.