T.K.

 Ugh, it's been a busy week. I am still doubled up on client work but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I've been so busy that I actually missed the newest page post on the OilCan Drive site last Friday. I have the page done. It's inked, scanned, and just needs some gray and lettering before it's complete. I was trying to get it done on Thursday night but at around 4am I decided the page was too important and needed to be done right and 4am Sean was just not up to the job. So, I called it quits for the night but I will have the page done and up before I leave town.

I also found some time to do a quick sketch on Friday during lunch that I plan to use as September's blog post header.

It was a quick sketch while I sat with friends waiting for my car to be done at the garage and I found some time on Saturday morning while warming up to get the inks done before I started the real work for the day. She is scanned and partially colored so I hope I can get her done before I head out of town as well. It's not enough to have client work to get done so I put a few personal jobs on my shoulder as well. Whee!

The character of T.K. is someone who should show up in the world of OilCan Drive sometime around the fourth chapter. She's a mechanic who will help the gang out with their airship problems as they enter the wastelands of the Zone. And you thought Ryan's hair was big! Ha ha!

She's based on a friend of mine and I'll dig up the photo of her I was thinking of when I drew this piece tomorrow when I post the new blog header.

For now, it's back to the client work. I am burning time and things need to get done. Talk to you all soon!

Draw Faster!

I woke up earlier this morning and, for the life of me, I just couldn't get back to sleep. My mind was just racing with too many ideas. So, I finally gave in, got up, and dragged myself into the studio to start the day.

Between my career doing freelance art for clients, doing my own web comic, writing and recording music, and being married, you'd guess I wouldn't even have enough time to think of doing anything new. But, there are always a few things that I want to add to my already busy schedule and this morning, as I tossed and turned in bed, I simply couldn't get one of them out of my mind. So, maybe this idea needs to be explored a bit more and I'll have to see if I can carve some time out of my already busy week to make it happen. I don't want to talk too much about that idea yet until I see if it's feasible or not but we'll see how it goes.

Another idea I have that I'd like to explore is the reason I am showing off these three pieces I did for an advertising agency a few months ago. The thing I love about doing art for ad agencies is that they usually need something produced very quickly. It's a normal thing for me to get a job on a late Monday afternoon where the finished pieces are needed the next morning at the start of the day. I've seen more than my fair share of old episodes of "I Love Lucy" and "The Golden Girls" as I pulled off all-nighters to get the work done.

You'd think it would be a hassle and a pain to work so quickly but I actually thrive on it. Oh, I wouldn't want to do it all the time but, every once in a while, it's really fun to get out of my own way and just draw and create as fast as I can without having the time to second guess myself. And, after all these years of doing art like this, I have to say I think I've gotten pretty good at it.

These three pieces were assigned to me on a Sunday afternoon and I finished them sometime right after dinner that same night. And, for the short time they took to create, I really liked the way they came out.

So, it got me thinking about an annual event coming up in October that I'd like to try out. I need to talk to a local store owner to see if I can get into the event but I don't think that will be a problem. Doing the event itself scares me a bit but in that good way. It will be a way to test myself and see what I can do for myself in the same amount of short time I sometimes get from some of my best clients. If nothing else, I know it will be a learning experience. As the time of the event draws closer I'll let you know more.

But, for now, I am off to get myself a bowl of cereal and start the day. There is still a lot of art to do before I pack my bags next week and drive east to Maine.Maybe that is the real reason my mind wouldn't stop spinning this morning and finally kicked me out of bed. Too much to do!

Have a great day everyone! I'll talk to you soon!

Sports Illustrated Kids August

 Geez, August went by quick this year and, looking back at the blog, I didn't get a chance to post too much this month. I haven't even thought about starting a piece for next month's blog header yet and the Lily piece I wanted to get around to painting is still at the same stage as when I last showed it.

I think it's because I've spent so much time over on the OilCan Drive site, getting new pages posted weekly and doing a kind of blog-post-a-week there every Tuesday that this blog has suffered. Plus, it doesn't help that when I look at my stat numbers on both sites that the OCD site is thriving and growing while this one gets barely any hits at all. But, I am sure me not posting anything to it in a month doesn't help.

So, because I am such a schedule oriented guy, it might be a good idea to get this blog on a schedule like I have on the OCD site and pick a few days a week to put posts up no matter what is going on. I figure twice a week, eight times a month, sure beats once or twice a month sporadic posts. So, we'll see how that goes.

But, I definitely didn't want to let August go by without posting this month's Sports Illustrated What's The Call pieces. I really enjoy doing these pieces every month and am always thankful for the great folks at SIK for letting me play in their magazine month in and month out.

I am actually doubling up illustrations for them this month because I am off on a road trip to the east coast next week. It's been a little hectic shuffling things around but it's almost done and I am almost on the road.

Thanks again everyone for sticking with me and enjoying the art. I'll get this blog back on a schedule soon enough and we'll go from there. I hope you all had a great summer and are looking forward to fall as much as I am. See you all soon!

Happy August and a New Store!

Well, I was going to try and get the Lily painting done for this month's blog header but, honestly, it's still stuck at the same stage it was at a few days ago. I just haven't had the time to work on it. And, since I want it to be a fun piece to paint and not another job on my plate, I decided to give myself a break and save it for when I have some real time to work on it.

So, for August, we'll just have to settle with the black and white inked piece of Lily for the header. Maybe if things go my way this month I'll get a chance to paint some and finish the piece. My fingers, as always, are crossed.

One of the things I've been working on is the OilCan Drive website store. And, finally, after weeks of building art and doing web coding, the the official OilCan Drive Store is up and running! You can check out the store HERE to find OilCan Drive books, music, and t-shirts available as both physical items as well as digital downloads.

And, even if you're strapped for cash and can't buy anything but you'd still like to help, I could really use some positive reviews on all the places OilCan Drive is available for purchase. So, hit the store links to visit Amazon, CreateSpace, ITunes, and CDBaby and tell the world what you think. Spread the word!

As always, thank you all for your continued support. You have no idea how much it means to me! See you all next time!