Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Bot is Done!
Well... I'm done with the Armor-Bot! Here are the pictures of the finished custom. This was a LOT of fun to work on... I need to make more custom vehicles in the future!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Bot Progress
As mentioned earlier in my blog, I've been working for quite a while on my friend Pete's G.I.JOE Armor-Bot that he wanted customized into a Glyos jungle infiltrator vehicle. Being sick for over a month didn't help this thing get done any faster, but now that I'm back on my feet again I've made great strides in getting it done. There is still some work to be done, but the paint applications on the vehicle are mostly done. Below are some work-in-progress pictures of the vehicle.
This how it looked before I mangled it up:
Here it is all full of manglings and wotnots. I cut the solid leg unit in two so that the legs can move individually. I added bullet holes and laser burns to the body and three cannon batteries to the arm. I base coated it with black to give it some weight visually. You can see here the starting of the green paint apps:
Here it is as it stands now. I added the brown apps and added some weathering. There are still several details left to be added, but it's a far cry from the pristine, white robot that arrived at my doorstep a few months ago!
Now that I'm feeling better I hope this guy gets wrapped up very soon. I've had this guy on my work desk a long time, and Pete's an exceptionally patient guy (as are most of the people who have ever asked me to make stuff for them-- I'm slooooooow).
Keep watching the blog for more updates!
This how it looked before I mangled it up:
Here it is all full of manglings and wotnots. I cut the solid leg unit in two so that the legs can move individually. I added bullet holes and laser burns to the body and three cannon batteries to the arm. I base coated it with black to give it some weight visually. You can see here the starting of the green paint apps:
Here it is as it stands now. I added the brown apps and added some weathering. There are still several details left to be added, but it's a far cry from the pristine, white robot that arrived at my doorstep a few months ago!
Now that I'm feeling better I hope this guy gets wrapped up very soon. I've had this guy on my work desk a long time, and Pete's an exceptionally patient guy (as are most of the people who have ever asked me to make stuff for them-- I'm slooooooow).
Keep watching the blog for more updates!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Flea Market Finds and Something Kreepy This Way Komes
Two-part blog day!!!!
Part One:
Flea Market Finds
I went to flea market today (I needed to get out... I'm starting to grow to the house like coral) and found all this junk for 5 bucks!!!
I cannot wait to chop those Clone and Storm Troopers up for customs... WOOOOOOO!!!!!
The Doomsday has some scuffed up paint, but I'll just touch it up a bit... The guy is MASSIVE. He'll look great next to my animated Darkseid figure. I'm starting to build a little collection of guys who hate Superman. So weird.
Part Two:
Something Kreepy This Way Komes
On the October Toys Forum member Mad-Hatter's-Neverland asked us toy goons if we'd be willing to make some toy cars based on the "Kub Kar Kit," the Canadian version of the Pinewood Derby held for Boy Scouts. These kits have a chunk of wood, some stickers, 4 wheels and 4 nails with which to attach the wheels. It's a really simple kit that requires some creativity on the part of the kids to make into something fun and neat to goof around with.
The pieces are for an art show he's putting on for his Cub Scouts to encourage them to be creative and inventive. At the end of the show, all the pieces are being auctioned off with the proceeds going to help underprivileged kids afford scouting programs. Such a cool idea!!! I loved it as soon as i read about it!
So here's my little Kreeper! Yes-- there's actually a chunk of wood in there... somewhere...
Part One:
Flea Market Finds
I went to flea market today (I needed to get out... I'm starting to grow to the house like coral) and found all this junk for 5 bucks!!!
I cannot wait to chop those Clone and Storm Troopers up for customs... WOOOOOOO!!!!!
The Doomsday has some scuffed up paint, but I'll just touch it up a bit... The guy is MASSIVE. He'll look great next to my animated Darkseid figure. I'm starting to build a little collection of guys who hate Superman. So weird.
Part Two:
Something Kreepy This Way Komes
On the October Toys Forum member Mad-Hatter's-Neverland asked us toy goons if we'd be willing to make some toy cars based on the "Kub Kar Kit," the Canadian version of the Pinewood Derby held for Boy Scouts. These kits have a chunk of wood, some stickers, 4 wheels and 4 nails with which to attach the wheels. It's a really simple kit that requires some creativity on the part of the kids to make into something fun and neat to goof around with.
The pieces are for an art show he's putting on for his Cub Scouts to encourage them to be creative and inventive. At the end of the show, all the pieces are being auctioned off with the proceeds going to help underprivileged kids afford scouting programs. Such a cool idea!!! I loved it as soon as i read about it!
So here's my little Kreeper! Yes-- there's actually a chunk of wood in there... somewhere...
Friday, February 19, 2010
bad
When is a jerk not a jerk? When he's an artist, evidently. Then people excuse you for being a complete monster of a person. I have never understood that mentality. When I do something bad I don't want to be excused because I'm an artist-- I did something bad because I was being a real jerk. Cable TV is warping my mind... all these reality shows just make me like people less and less. Positive energy, my butt.
Here's a drawing I did last night:
I don't like people who hide behind being an artist when they behave like children. I like honest, decent people who happen to make things with their hands. Being rude and nasty to people isn't the same thing as being honest. You can be honest and not rip people to shreds. I find it a whole lot more rewarding to help someone else with their problems than it is to beat them when they're down.
I don't know-- maybe I'm outdated or something. I don't really fit in with artists and the art scene. I guess I never really did. College wasn't a very fun place because I was a square peg.
But then... it's all on me. I can't hide behind anything. My problems in college were my own fault. My problems now are my fault as well.
It's sometimes a hard pill to swallow.
Here's a drawing I did last night:
I don't like people who hide behind being an artist when they behave like children. I like honest, decent people who happen to make things with their hands. Being rude and nasty to people isn't the same thing as being honest. You can be honest and not rip people to shreds. I find it a whole lot more rewarding to help someone else with their problems than it is to beat them when they're down.
I don't know-- maybe I'm outdated or something. I don't really fit in with artists and the art scene. I guess I never really did. College wasn't a very fun place because I was a square peg.
But then... it's all on me. I can't hide behind anything. My problems in college were my own fault. My problems now are my fault as well.
It's sometimes a hard pill to swallow.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Paranormal Bullcrap
I love cheesy paranormal shows just as much as the next dork-- maybe more than. I fully understand that part of the fun of paranormal research programs is in hamming it up a bit and embellishing the "field research." However, I think I had my fill tonight.
I've always been entertained by stories of the Jersey Devil, a creature that supposedly stalks the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. I've never really put much stock in the stories, but, as with most paranormal stories, I can't rule it out. When I saw that A&E was running a program called Paranormal State about the Jersey Devil, I planned to watch it.
Ugh. What has happened to paranormal research television? I grew up watching quality creepy shows like In Search Of, and this was no In Search Of. This was pure crap. A bunch of college age "researchers" go to places where ghosts and goblins are supposedly sighted, and they walk around and squeak and squeal with every noise they hear in the dark. Then they take a heat-vision camera into the woods and film what was OBVIOUSLY a deer and claim they have captured the first piece of real evidence of the Jersey Devil. This was more than bad... it was so bad it hurt to watch. But it suddenly dawned on me as I was watching it that it was oddly familiar.
A few months ago I checked a set of DVDs out of the library. It was a series that ran on A&E's sister network the History Channel called UFO Hunters that featured UFO Magazine publisher Bill Birnes and a crew of weirdos hunting down information about famous UFO sightings. It was an interesting concept that was ruined by horribly unnecessary shaky-cam footage of the investigators talking around tables and dramatic zoom-ins of old men talking about flying saucers. It was horrid. The only thing that made it worse was the fact that Bill Birnes was involved. He comes off as this sleazy sideshow barker who comes up with the most outlandish explanations for mundane things. It would almost be funny if it weren't so crappy. I didn't even finish watching the first disc of the set-- it was just that bad.
This show I watched tonight was just as bad, if not worse. Shaky-cams, zoom-ins, Bill Birnes... it was all there-- oh wait-- did I say "Bill Birnes?" What was he doing on a show about a creepy forest monster from New Jersey? I guess he's had a lot of free time since UFO Hunters was canned.
The absolutely worst part was when a few of the guys took a heat vision camera into the woods and went completely apenuts over two heat signatures they saw—one was obviously a bird high up in a tree, and the other was obviously a deer. The really bad part is that the image of the deer had a really poorly done set of wings animated on the film. It was so plainly doctored that I laughed out loud while I was watching it. Who exactly buys this crap? How do these shows stay on? There are at least 7 of these crappy ghost-hunter type shows on different networks, and they’re all similarly terrible programs.
In an attempt to make this blog worth a darn, here is the simple formula to make a successful paranormal television show of your own if you so wish:
1. Get a bunch of ugly friends
2. Get some night vision cameras
3. Go to an old building or into the woods
4. Point cameras at EVERY FLIPPING NOISE YOU HEAR
5. Scream like a cat in a blender at EVERY FLIPPING NOISE YOU HEAR
6. Get into arguments with each other over meaningless crap
7. Get a fat Goth chick to make an appearance on your show
8. Record static and “interpret” it to be ghosts talking
9. Proclaim that dust particles caught on film are "orbs"
10. PROFIT!!!
I've always been entertained by stories of the Jersey Devil, a creature that supposedly stalks the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. I've never really put much stock in the stories, but, as with most paranormal stories, I can't rule it out. When I saw that A&E was running a program called Paranormal State about the Jersey Devil, I planned to watch it.
Ugh. What has happened to paranormal research television? I grew up watching quality creepy shows like In Search Of, and this was no In Search Of. This was pure crap. A bunch of college age "researchers" go to places where ghosts and goblins are supposedly sighted, and they walk around and squeak and squeal with every noise they hear in the dark. Then they take a heat-vision camera into the woods and film what was OBVIOUSLY a deer and claim they have captured the first piece of real evidence of the Jersey Devil. This was more than bad... it was so bad it hurt to watch. But it suddenly dawned on me as I was watching it that it was oddly familiar.
A few months ago I checked a set of DVDs out of the library. It was a series that ran on A&E's sister network the History Channel called UFO Hunters that featured UFO Magazine publisher Bill Birnes and a crew of weirdos hunting down information about famous UFO sightings. It was an interesting concept that was ruined by horribly unnecessary shaky-cam footage of the investigators talking around tables and dramatic zoom-ins of old men talking about flying saucers. It was horrid. The only thing that made it worse was the fact that Bill Birnes was involved. He comes off as this sleazy sideshow barker who comes up with the most outlandish explanations for mundane things. It would almost be funny if it weren't so crappy. I didn't even finish watching the first disc of the set-- it was just that bad.
This show I watched tonight was just as bad, if not worse. Shaky-cams, zoom-ins, Bill Birnes... it was all there-- oh wait-- did I say "Bill Birnes?" What was he doing on a show about a creepy forest monster from New Jersey? I guess he's had a lot of free time since UFO Hunters was canned.
The absolutely worst part was when a few of the guys took a heat vision camera into the woods and went completely apenuts over two heat signatures they saw—one was obviously a bird high up in a tree, and the other was obviously a deer. The really bad part is that the image of the deer had a really poorly done set of wings animated on the film. It was so plainly doctored that I laughed out loud while I was watching it. Who exactly buys this crap? How do these shows stay on? There are at least 7 of these crappy ghost-hunter type shows on different networks, and they’re all similarly terrible programs.
In an attempt to make this blog worth a darn, here is the simple formula to make a successful paranormal television show of your own if you so wish:
1. Get a bunch of ugly friends
2. Get some night vision cameras
3. Go to an old building or into the woods
4. Point cameras at EVERY FLIPPING NOISE YOU HEAR
5. Scream like a cat in a blender at EVERY FLIPPING NOISE YOU HEAR
6. Get into arguments with each other over meaningless crap
7. Get a fat Goth chick to make an appearance on your show
8. Record static and “interpret” it to be ghosts talking
9. Proclaim that dust particles caught on film are "orbs"
10. PROFIT!!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Trolling Around
I've had this piece since Christmas, but I haven't had a chance to snap some pics of it until today. In addition to a really freaky ceramic statue my friend Billy Parker gave me, he gave me a piece he made by hand.
In case you haven't seen the movie Cat's Eye, here's a little idea of what this critter is all about:
In this scene, a Troll (voiced by "Mr. Megatron" himself Frank Welker) attempts to steal the breath of a little girl (Drew Barrymore). A heroic cat named General must come to the rescue!
It's a freaky scene from a freaky movie. My nephews, Billy, and I all dug this movie when we were younger (we still do!), and the troll was always something that freaked us right out. We always wanted to see the troll made into a figure. I think there were some garage kits made, but they're usually pretty hard to find and expensive. Billy made me this troll statue, and I don't think I could be more impressed if the troll from the movie hopped out of my closet.
If I know Billy, he sat at his desk cramped over this thing for countless hours watching the DVD over and over trying to capture every detail-- the guy's a madman with his sculpting skills... it knocks me over thinking that he's only been sculpting for a couple of years now. The figural element of the statue stands about 4 inches tall, and the base stands about 6 or so inches tall. The bells really jingle and he has cobwebs all over him just like the character in the movie (when he makes his first appearance he steps out of a crack in the wall-- hence the piece of wall on the base of the statue). I'm so proud to have this little monster-- I've always been impressed with Billy's raw talent and am always glad to share it with others.
If anyone finds Billy's work as impressive as I do, keep an eye out on my Etsy account, as I'll be listing some statues Billy made over there in the next few weeks.
In case you haven't seen the movie Cat's Eye, here's a little idea of what this critter is all about:
In this scene, a Troll (voiced by "Mr. Megatron" himself Frank Welker) attempts to steal the breath of a little girl (Drew Barrymore). A heroic cat named General must come to the rescue!
It's a freaky scene from a freaky movie. My nephews, Billy, and I all dug this movie when we were younger (we still do!), and the troll was always something that freaked us right out. We always wanted to see the troll made into a figure. I think there were some garage kits made, but they're usually pretty hard to find and expensive. Billy made me this troll statue, and I don't think I could be more impressed if the troll from the movie hopped out of my closet.
If I know Billy, he sat at his desk cramped over this thing for countless hours watching the DVD over and over trying to capture every detail-- the guy's a madman with his sculpting skills... it knocks me over thinking that he's only been sculpting for a couple of years now. The figural element of the statue stands about 4 inches tall, and the base stands about 6 or so inches tall. The bells really jingle and he has cobwebs all over him just like the character in the movie (when he makes his first appearance he steps out of a crack in the wall-- hence the piece of wall on the base of the statue). I'm so proud to have this little monster-- I've always been impressed with Billy's raw talent and am always glad to share it with others.
If anyone finds Billy's work as impressive as I do, keep an eye out on my Etsy account, as I'll be listing some statues Billy made over there in the next few weeks.
Friday, February 5, 2010
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