Song Contest

I'll need some help this week.

For those of you in the know, OilCan Drive has always been an odd multi-media project of mine that mixes art, comics, and rock and roll music. This past week I entered one of the acoustic demos I did for the project into the Guitar Center Singer/Songwriter Contest.

I'll put the song up against anything I've heard on the contest page (in the midst of a bunch of acoustic ballads I'm trying to bring the rock!) but the first part of the contest involves an artist's ability to network through various social media (does anyone even still have MySpace anymore?) In order for the judges to even take a look at the song I submitted I need to be in the top ten artists for one week. I've figured to hit the top ten for one week I'll need between 750-900 new fans. The good news is that the contest spans six different platforms (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud) so if I get one person to "like" me on all six platforms it counts as six fans.

So, this week, starting Monday, I am going to push full tilt and try and get myself into the top ten. I'm not one who's used to asking for help but I could really use any help and support you can give me this week.  All it takes is a few button clicks.

I'll post the video tomorrow as well as my profile on the contest page.

You knew I could draw goofy pictures, but now you'll see I can sing goofy as well.

Thanks everyone!

Sports Illustrated Kids July

As I sit here on a Saturday and ink the newest Sports Illustrated Kids "What's The Call?" illustrations I thought it would be a perfect time to show off three more illustrations from months past.

As usual, there is a certain play during a sports game and it's up to you, as the official on the field, to decided what's the call!

1. During a women's basketball game a player, in the three point zone, takes a shot that hits the side of the backboard. Is the ball considered out-of-bounds?

2. During an NFL football game a quarterback throws a screen pass to a receiver but the receiver bobbles the ball and it's caught by an offensive lineman. Is he allowed to advance the ball?

3. In a Major League Baseball game a second baseman fields a ground ball but it gets stuck in his glove so he tosses the glove and ball to the first baseman. Is the batter out?

So, you're the official on the field.

What's the call?

Back To The Drawing Board 11

The newest episode of Back To The Drawing Board is up and ready for a listen.

Thom Zahler is best known for the self published (and later IDW published) heroically super situation comedy comic book, Love and Capes. An award winning and Harvey Award nominated artist, Thom has been carving out a good career for himself in the comic book field since 2001. But, of course, I know Thom for a different reason. We sat next to each other during our first year together at The Joe Kubert School and have been friends ever since.

In the first of a two part interview I brave Skype to get Thom on the phone and onto the show. After a little trouble with the microphone and getting the levels right Thom and I sit back and talk a bit about going to school together, jobs after college, and delving into the freelance art life.

Along the way I ask Thom, a huge Star Trek fan, where in the Star Trek franchise I should bring a friend into the show (yes, there is someone out there in the world who hasn't seen a single episode of Star Trek), how Thom did his first self published book called Raider, and why I'm  finally jealous that Thom lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

And, yes, somewhere in there we talk about Thom's best known work, Love and Capes.

So, head on over and have a listen HERE.

Something Cool

The OilCan Drive webcomic site has been up and running since late last April. It's been going strong as I've been posting three pages a week using a lot of the work I've produced over the last ten years.

And, while I wasn't looking, a friend of mine took a completed book of pages and popped them into this really cool program he developed for his own website.

I first met Liam through my friend Ken and we've all been having lunch every week since to catch up, talk about art, and support each other through various creative projects. It's really been great to meet such a talented and nice artist. But, when I saw what he had done with my comic I was blown away.

It was just so cool. Honestly, I'll sit here some nights and flip through the pages just to see them move and hear the sound effects. I absolutely love it and I'm happy I can show it off here.

You can check out some of Liam's own work on his website HERE. He's super talented and I'm always looking forward to the next new piece of art that he's ready to show off. 

And, you can check out the flip book program he created with the OilCan Drive book HERE.

I absolutely love it.

Have a good one and I'll talk to you all later!

Love and Capes #2

Maybe it's because I don't do the whole "New Comic Wednesday" thing anymore at my local comic shop but I totally missed this book coming out last month so I didn't even know to look for it.

My friend Thom Zahler's newest issue of Love and Capes, #3, came out yesterday so it means the issue of Thom's Love and Capes #2 that I inked and colored the cover for came out last month.

Oops.

Anyway, here is the finished cover that Thom penciled and I inked and colored. I'm sure you can still find a copy at your local comic shop or you can get the book digitally at Comixology HERE.

This was really fun cover to do and it had been so long since I've done any kind of artistic collaboration that I forgot how much fun they can be. My thanks to Thom for bringing me along and letting me play a little bit in his super hero universe. It was really great.

You can check out more of Thom's work HERE and Love and Capes not only runs as a regular comic book but you can also read it as a web comic and buy some books and merchandise HERE.

And, yes, I am working right now to get Thom on the B2TDB podcast. Keep your fingers crossed!

Back To The Drawing Board 10

The newest episode of "Back To The Drawing Board" is up and ready to be listened to.

This week I brought my crazy artistic friend Louis Deangelis into the studio to talk a bit about being artistic, creative, and musical.

And, a funny thing happened.

Put Lou on a microphone and he calms way down, changes his voice, and is almost normal to the point of being boring. But, he had some interesting insights and, near the end of the show, I actually snuck in some material I was recording when he didn't realize the mics were on. It's in that moment that you really get a glimpse of the real Lou I know. I should record him more often when he doesn't realize I am doing it.

I've always said I wish I had a camera in my eye so I could record half of the stuff I see this guy doing. But, hopefully it's a good show nonetheless.

You can check out the B2TDB website HERE and find this show, as well as past shows, on iTunes HERE.

Enjoy and have a great day!

Happy October

 Happy October, everyone!

As promised, the new Vince piece I did for this month's blog header got done last night and I put the whole thing together with at least a few moments to spare.

And, here is the original finished piece, sans the blog header background. I really like the way this came out especially with how quickly it all came together. Who knows, I may have to use this piece somewhere else at some point in the new OilCan Drive run. We'll have to see if there's a place for it.

But, for now, have a great start to one of my favorite months. Things are getting cooler, more horror movies are on the old TV, and, with any luck, some hockey should be starting soon (although I'm not holding my breath...it looks like there is going to be an NHL lockout....ugh.)

Have a good one!