Frankenstein A.D. 1931 Concept sketch number 2

At the moment I'm in between reading a biography on Sir Alec Guinness and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. The latter for a project I'm in the preparing for tentatively titled FRANKENSTEIN A.D. 1931. The project will take Mary Shelly's classic tale of horror and place it in 1931. Since the original tale takes place between Ingolstadt and Geneva and the graphic novel I'm working on is when the Nazi's are rising to power, I tried to illustrate Frankenstein's abomination in a discarded German officer's jacket.

I'm surprised it's taken me this long to read the novel. I'm enjoying it. Especially the parts of the novel with the creature's narration.

At the moment I'm running a few very quick three day auctions with BUY IT NOW options to earn a little extra scratch towards the honeymoon.

Two items have already sold within the last 24 or so hours. But there are still six more illustrations including the Frankenstein concept sketch to bid on. Click on the image above to place your bid today and Happy Bidding!!

Pop Culture Notebook

I was incredibly flattered to discover this afternoon that I was mentioned on Victor D. Infante's blog Pop Culture Notebook on the Telegram and Gazette website. Those of you who know me know my Grandfather worked for the T&G in the Engravers Department a long time ago in the Printers Building. Which now is the home of WICN and Davis Publications.

Click on the link below to read Victor's blog:

stART on the Street: Spring Edition this Sunday May 22nd Noon till 5pm!!

This is the second year of stART on the Street: Spring Edition which will be taking place on North Main Street, between Belmont Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

I took part in the inaugural show last year and I had a great time. I've always had fun at any of stART's shows and there's always an amazing turn-out.

I think it was a good idea on their part to have the Spring show on Main Street as opposed to Park Avenue like the late Summer/early Fall show. Mainly because it gives both shows their own identity. And I think it also exposes people to some of the great businesses that are located on Main Street like the Armsby Abbey, Jak's Pub and the Theatre Cafe.

The advice I give to all new vendors and artists each year who might happen to read this blog is NOT to get too high or low about how much you make. If you make back on what you paid for the table it's a start. However, DON'T write off the show just because you had one bad turn-out. The only way you're ever going to build a clientele and make connections is to constantly promote yourself.

You won't do yourself any favors or make yourself look professional by throwing a temper tantrum and ripping the city and everyone involved in the show to shreds just because you had a bad show.

Burning bridges is not a good habit to get in. It just comes back to haunt you in the long run.

Another thing. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS SENT TO YOU!! I'm serious!! Last year the site was clearly mapped out for drop off and pick up. stART had set up arrows pointing in the direction the cars were supposed to drive to pick up a the end of the day. And the rules were simple. You wait in your car and someone will signal you forward to enter the festival area so you can pick up your stuff.

And yet there were some people who decided to go around the line and drive to the front. Much to the irritation to the people trying to direct traffic!!

stART always sends you along a map with the route you are supposed to drive. Read it carefully. There's also explicit directions below the map about arrival, parking, packing up and picking everything up.

Read the directions carefully or you will have a very angry volunteer screaming at you.

Honestly, last year pick up and departure was probably the smoothest I could remember with stART.

Then again, I don't bring a lot to pack up. So, after numerous shows I've turned setting up and breaking down into an art form.

But if you're doing stART on the Street for the very first time, just have a good time. It's a great opportunity to meet different artists and crafters as well as get your name out there. There's a reason why they've won an award for their event.

For more info about the event, click on the image above.

DEFINE: ILLUSTRATION CROSSING OVER at the Quinebaug Valley Council for the Arts and Humanities May 19th-June 5th

The Quinebaug Valley Council for the Arts and Humanities in Southbridge was the gallery I had my very first art show somewhere between 2001 and 2003. I was just starting to try and get my work out there and this was my very first art show thanks in part to my membership with the Massasoit Art Guild at the time.

Fast forward to 2011 and I received a message from Antonio Fonseca from the Council asking me if I would want to be part of an upcoming show they were having at the Quinebaug Gallery. Mind you, he contacted me not realizing that this had been a place I'd displayed my art nearly eight or ten years ago. He just really liked my work and wanted it to be part of the show he was putting together.

I didn't have a lot of work on hand. Most of my illustrations were on display at Jak's Pub down in Worcester. But I did have enough to frame for the show Antonio was putting together.

When Sydney and I drove down to meet him at the gallery I found him to be a really nice guy and very enthusiastic about my work as well as the other work that was on display. He expressed to me when he finally got the job with the Council his strongest desire was to bring in fresh and unique art. Something other than "happy little trees".

I assure you, there's nothing happy about my art. Cheeky at times yes. But not happy.

But he also asked for copies of my books to sell at the show. Which since I'm doing multiple shows this month, I've left up in my car.

As a matter of fact, I'll be talking about my next show up in the following blog post.

Well!! With all that said, I highly encourage everyone to come down to the open reception this Friday May 19th for Define: Illustration Crossing Over taking place at The Quinebaug Valley Council for the Arts and Humanities located on 111 Main Street in Southbridge MA.

Come on out and see some really great illustration art!!

Edward Hardwicke 1932-2011

I was very sad to read the news of Edward Hardwicke's passing today. For me, he and David Burke who had potrayed Doctor John Watson alongside Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes in the Granada series really helped to erase the image of the bumbling harrumphing old duffer Nigel Bruge had created for the character in the Basil Rathbone series.

Even though there had been a couple really good portrayals of the character before the Granada series, I feel this was the series which gave us the first authentic Holmes and Watson. You feel had the feeling that these could be real people. First with David Burke and then later with Edward Hardwicke. What worked out well with the transition between actors was the fact that there was the gap of time between Holmes's deadly duel with Moriarty over Reichenbach Falls till Holmes returns.

So you had this sense that Edward Hardwicke was the same actor as Watson. Only a few years older.

Sometimes that type of change can ruin a series. But in this case the series continued until Jeremy Brett's own death in 1995.

Even when I was working on adapting William Gillette's play into a graphic novel, it was the Brett/Hardwicke team in my mind as I worked on the pages.

RIP Edward Hardwicke.

Free Comic Book Day and opening for Sci-Fi and Fantasy Group Art Show

I will be doing Free Comic Book Day at That's Entertainment from 1:30pm till 5pm alongside local chums Brian Nelson and Bob Noberini.

I also I wanted to pass along some of my friends doing signings on Free Comic Book Day:

The talented husband/wife crime fighting duo of Andy and Veronica Fish will be appearing at Friendly Neighborhood Comics in Bellingham MA doing free sketches and signing books.


Peter Simeti will be appearing at Harrison's Comics in Salem, MA from 1:30 to 6pm

Jeff McComsey will be appearing at The Comic Store in Lancaster, PA

Jeremy Massie will be appearing at Comics Plus in Macon, GA

Michael S. Bracco will be appearing at Collectors Corners in Parkville, MD

Nik Jajic will be appearing at First Aid Comics in Chicago, IL

Later on in the evening Sydney and I are going to the opening reception of Dark World Gallery's Sci-Fi and Fantasy Group Show which I will be unveiling my brand new fantasy illustration Legend of the Turtleboy.

Artists include the guys at Dark World (Ben Mack, Morgan Freeman, Timothy James, Shane Murphy and Jonathan "Guybrush Threepwood" Hansen) Eamon Gillen, Derek Ring, Kevin Bleifuss, Justin Hrala (who is featured on the flyer) Grace Cherubino, Keenan Cassidy, Aaron White, Evan Wondolowski, Chestnut, Annie Libertini, Alison Clish, Joanna Matuck, Ramiro Davaro-Comas, Crystal Blanchflower, Jason Freedman and more.

The reception is from 7pm till 10pm. Hope to see you all there!!

Frankenstein A.D. 1931

Completed just in time for Free Comic Book Day at That's Entertainment on Saturday. Mind you, this illustration will not be free. However, I will have freebee's on hand and I will be doing pencil sketches all day for free as well.

The VERY LAST copy of Black Widow on Ebay!!

Well, it's been five years since my first graphic novel Diary of the Black Widow was published by Alterna Comics. It first appeared in episodic format and then a year later as a graphic novel. As natured intended it.

After five years and numerous shows and conventions I am officially selling my VERY LAST COPY on Ebay!!

The winning bidder of this auction will win the copy personally signed to them along with the original artwork used for the cover of the trade paperback.

Click on the image below to start bidding:

And what's next for the Black Widow? Web series perhaps? You never know...

Indie Art Market is TONIGHT!!

Please feel free to download and print this flyer off or post it on your blog, website, Facebook, Myspace or Twitter page!!