February 12 2010 from 6-9pm it all pops off over at Band Vibes space in the Greenwood Collective…that’s right my long awaited character series Hobo Eaters: Agents of Chaos. The show is a collection of my coveted hobo characters that maniacally made their way into Seattle’s streets and the hearts of our NW culture. The collection consists of original pieces that are hand inked and painted with wood stain on various wood panels in a variety of sizes. Besides the originals there will also be limited edition prints, jumbo posters, and a line of limited edition tees that all reflect these grungy agents of chaos. I will be giving away a free print and a free tee randomly to those who sign up at the Band Vibes space. Come join me for a night of bad-ass art and mayhem…It’s gonna be an epic event of diabolical debauchery full of twisted 50’s animated style hobos!

Artist statement (dirt on the show):

Hobo Eaters: Agents of Chaos

The term hobo-eater refers to an entity who, through ritual means, would take on by means garbage and liquor the sins of a deceased bum, thus absolving his or her soul and allowing that person of the street to rest in peace.

What was once a ritual performed by beggars and vagabonds in certain villages of bygone years is now performed in a reverse of roles by animated entities who take on the form of the hobo whose diabolical lifestyle is reflected upon the appearance of the hobo-eater. The hobo-eater would be brought to the dying vagrant’s curbside or stoop, where a neighborhood drifter would place a crust of dumpster pizza on the chest of the dying and pass a 40 oz. of malt liquor to him over the corpse. After reciting the ritual, he would then drink and remove the crust from the derelict tramp and eat it, the act of which would remove the sins and deadbeat-scars from the dying transient and take it into himself.

Often times hobo-eaters are not only filled with the sins and scars of the deceased but take on a ghostly appearance, ragged with the lines of deceit and chemical abuse of the former vessel. The result is a vaporous apparition whose tattered clothes and grungy attitude is forever portrayed among the urban environment. Thus the ethereal term Agents of Chaos has come as a contemporary descriptor for these aeon old hobo-eaters who are destined to drift the streets perpetually consuming fiendish souls.

Below are a few of the Hobo Eaters character pieces that are included in the show:

Vapor Trails:

I find it important to share with you a bit of my process when it comes to putting together a themed gallery show and how I translate my original concepts into original pieces of fine artwork as well as refining them into digital graphic outputs for prints, tee shirts, and other printed products. As I put together my Hobo Eaters: Agents of Chaos show for February 2010 I was able to document the process and can now shed light on the toil of time, blood, sweat, and joy that goes into each character design.

For the intro to my process I am going to breakdown how I created Cascade Vagabond which was one of the first characters created from the theme. Cascade Vagabond not only was created as an original piece of art but also ended up as the winter 2009 shop deck for Snowboard Connection.

All designs begin with a light pencil sketch to define the linework that will eventually be the parameters for inking and coloring digitally:

After a sketch that defines the characters details I move on to hank inking the characters with Pigma Micron pens on vellum:

Here is a side by side view:

After inking I scan the image and vectorize it in Adobe Illustrator. Once all the character is vectorized I move on to adding colors and gradients:

Below is the final image put to product. In this case it is a pro line skateboard. See the blog archive for more close up details:

Here is a breakdown of how I created Rubix Dude who is another character from the Hobo Eaters series:

Here are some close up shots of the materials and process:

The original piece was done utilizing the sketch by projecting on wood, tracing, hand inking with brush, and painting with wood stain and finish:

The fact that the above piece is hand inked makes it the “original” and one and only. I can create variations on this design by utilizing the sketch and inked drawing, but every new edition will be different. No one version is alike since I ink by hand using brush and pen. Some versions sit on finished wood, while others are absorbed directly into the grain of the wood piece.

Below is the digital version with added hues, gradients, and tones that make it very different from the original:

Last but not least I printed up limited edition tees of Rubix Dude by printing transparencies from the vector output and screen printing to garments:

I still have a few of these limited edition tee shirts available. Printed on silver AA fashion fit tees. Please contact me if interested in purchasing!

To continue this thread the following will be most of the characters from the Hobo Eaters: Agents of Chaos series. As to not be redundant I am simply posting the details of the sketches, inked versions, originals on wood, digital versions, and any products created with the designs. Enjoy!

The Shambler:

45 Mack:

Blood Life:

Coded:

Ol Timer:

Rocket Rocker:

This design actually started in reverse. I did a digital rendering in Corel Painter which I then vectorized in Adobe Illustrator and added halftones. This design was eventually picked up by a Seattle skateboard company Nomadic.

Bummin & Runnin:

This design started as a pencil rendering which I then scanned and added a couple layers of highlights and midtones. It was originally created for soft goods production and ended up on tee shirts which are available from Portland OR based Tilteed.

As this post has become lengthy with photos of my process from concept to finals and even products I am going to put the rest of this series of characters in the following post regarding the Hobo Eaters show and series…

Icon to every generation of rock and blues youth. He was an eclectic character on and off the stage who defined a generation who chose to tune in and stand up for freedom. A martyr to the music industry and an icon to a culture that spans generations and nations. Jimi Hendrix is purely “Rock God”.

Limited edition JIMI tees are now available on luxurious 100% organic bamboo silk from Finroo. This iconic design is sure to sell fast so pop over and get one while supplies last!

Jimi Tee

Created with brush and ink, the Oroborus character is a familiar to the deco age with an infusion of psychedelic wonderment. A morphing of design elements into a figure who sits forward in an urban landscape. This design brought to you by BeeryMethod is now available in limited edition tees made from 100% organic bamboo from Finroo. Oroborus is nothing short of lovely eye candy for those who enjoy organic design infused with simple art deco elements.

Mickster McGee, the crazy unicycle hipster chimp rocker! There is a ton of detail on the Mickster on this lovely jumbo screen printed design that shows off all his doo-daddy-roos. He’s got it all…from the tats, chains, watches, bling belt buckle, to his nappy chimp hair, bowler hat, gap tooth grin, bullet magazine, and trinkets galore. Mickster Mcgee tee shirts are now available from InkBlitz. Be sure to pick up this happy hipster chimp on a super soft tee. Long live the Mick!

My INSIDE HER tee design is now on sale for 24 hours until midnight tonight at TeeInvaders for only $9! This is my breakdown of the human anatomy layers in a CMYK style. From brain to bone each layer is defined by either cyan, magenta, yellow, or black. She looks devilishly good on the silver tees. A huge thanks to Cheeto over there for getting her to the press!

Working with a non-profit is always gratifying. This is especially true when this organization is one that pushes creative knowledge and culture of the arts into the public through all-ages venues. The Vera Project has been exceptional in bringing some of the greatest local and national musicians to the non-discriminate age groups in Seattle since its inception. Vera has expanded its programs and studios to provide classes and workshops for young aspiring artists who want to learn more about traditional arts, modern techniques, audio engineering, and engage in shows and the “Vera Culture” through volunteering as well.

As an active member on the programming and silk-screen committees for Vera I have had numerous opportunities to put in my worth as a local creative and share my knowledge and experience to better this grass-roots non-profit with a sheer volume of mass intellect and integrity. The staff at Vera and the committees are diligent in creating positive experiences with every department drive whether it be music, gallery, or focus group activities. A most recent event produced in conjunction with the silk-screening department was Swap It. Spin It. Bring It. Screen It. No experience is necessary to silkscreen, and for just $5 a print, Vera silkscreen instructors helped attendees print one of the logos on any fabric item they bring

It was my pleasure to produce an original Vera logo design for this event which reflected the core of Vera’s mission and culture. A Fender body-style guitar blooming out into a tree seemed most fitting. Everything from the roots (grass roots) to the organic nature of the design while incorporating this iconic instrument was a true ode to Vera’s most indelible Pacific Northwest appeal. Music is an expressive outlet that gives youth a creative focus that enables innovative growth and facilitates the genius spark of young minds today.

On December 12th, The Vera Project, Seattle’s non-profit, all-ages music and arts venue, and Hollow Earth Radio, Seattle’s premier online independent radio station, joined forces to host a one-of-a-kind fundraiser and holiday extravaganza: Swap It. Spin It. Bring It. Screen It. The Vera Project is transforming into a marketplace for independent music and crafts, along with live music, and interactive silkscreening. All proceeds helped to support music, art presentation, and arts education through the Vera Project and Hollow Earth Radio.

The DIY marketplace featured independent Northwest record and cassette labels, musicians, silk-screened show posters, vintage record dealers, local artists, craft-makers, and designers selling their wares throughout Vera’s venue. This afforded members and the public a perfect opportunity to find a one-of-a-kind gift just in time for the holidays. The event also included live musical performances by Northwest musicians, Hollow Earth DJs spinning, a bake sale, a raffle for hand-printed posters, and an eclectic gathering of local indie-creatives.

Website: www.theveraproject.org

Where: The Vera Project, Warren & Republican Ave N, at Seattle Center, Seattle, WA

They are officially in and hot off the press! The first in a series of limited edition collectible tees from Beery Method’s premium clothing line Coalesce is Rubix Dude. The tattooish line art design that is reminiscent of a Shiva-like/Simpson’s character gone over to the netherworld of decay is brimming with bitter-sweet madness straight from my eclectic mind. Rubix Dude hails from my Hobo Eaters series of characters that will be launched this spring so keep your eyes peeled as I will be unveiling new apparel in the coming months for this fantastic series.

Simply shoot me an email by clicking the Rubix Dude to set up purchase via Paypal. Please specify size, quantity, and shipping address and I will get you hooked up with this super rad, extremely soft, rare and fashionable tee on the dot! If you have any questions or would like to pay by check or money order let me know!

Here is the oil painting rendition of Rubix Dude. This is currently on display at Flatcolor Gallery Pioneer Square/Downtown Seattle. He looks good no matter what medium he’s in!

I simply had to put in a submission for Threadless Loves contest Innovation. Innovation flows in and out of our world’s cities in a systematical flow. Like the circular system of our being information runs down the and out the web of overpasses and fast lanes into the grid of modelers and information architects. Thus feeds the reformation of an age of GI: Global Intelligence – Innovate • Create • Recalibrate

“The dark winged scavenger sits atop the gnarled tree overlooking the remains of a carrion meal.” Teextile picked up this design to be printed for a limited run. The sharp contrast of black on silver really compliments the  shadowy tones of this semi-morbid creature drawing. Fact: (Did you know?) Vulture stomach acid is exceptionally corrosive, allowing them to safely digest putrid carcasses infected with Botulinum toxin, hog cholera, and anthrax bacteria that would be lethal to other scavengers. This also enables them to use their reeking, corrosive vomit as a defensive projectile when threatened. A group of vultures is called a venue when they are on the ground, but they are called a kettle when they are in the air. Imagine a kettle of vultures vomiting corrosive stomach acid over a mass paper-mâché parade!