Self Portrait Tuesday: Personal History (Inspiration Board)

Welcome to The Den of Ward, circa 1987. (Best viewed larger.) I found this photo after going through a box of old photographs of mine, most of them dating back to my years in high school. I'm very glad that I took this because it says so much about me and what I was into when I was a teenager. (I was 18 when I took this shot.)

I was a big Pink Floyd fan, can't you tell? And Led Zeppelin. And The Doors. And for some reason, Bob Geldof, but mostly because of that whole Live Aid thing he got started up. A whole wave of memories rushed over me while taking a closer look at all the little details here. Forgotten friends, long lost bits of paper and trinkets. Stupid stuff, silly stuff, fun stuff, serious stuff: it's all me here and it's all my past.

(Be sure to visit this image's Flickr page to check out all the goodies I've noted.)



Compare this with my current inspiration board at work. Some similarities in the way I construct the board: basically a hodgepodge of things that interest me, inspire me, tickle me, makes me think -- you name it. I still love music, but don't promote any bands or musicians like I used to. Something about when you're a teenager who and/or what you listen to is such a BIG DEAL. It's what defines you and makes you an individual. Now, my life is defined by Andrea, Ava and Ezra. They make me the man that I am today.

And that inspires me to no end.

Announcing: ROLL YER OWN 2006

CALL FOR ENTRIES!

ASIFA-Atlanta's very own showcase of local talent, ROLL YER OWN is coming Tuesday, February 21, 2006 at 8PM at The Red Chair. This will be an all-ages show, so no one will be turned away!

Important: we are admitting Independent/Student work only please. And they must be on DVD format (regular or data is fine). Just be willing to talk about your film/project/whatever in front of everyone before you show it.

(Professional/Studio work will be showcased in a different event…to be announced at a later date.)

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS FEBRUARY 9th!

Please send all entries to:
Ward Jenkins c/o Roll Yer Own
550 Ralph McGill Blvd.
Atlanta, GA 30312
404.874.7200

If any questions, email me (Ward) by going to my Blogger profile.

Looking forward to seeing what the ATL has to offer!

Photobooth Friday: Sneaky sneaky

I can't really do Photobooth Fridays since all my photobooth photos are basically my wife's, too. Well, that's not gonna stop me from at least trying to slip one by her. Shhh... don't tell!

Ava Thursday: Big Sandwich

Each week Ava has a book that is given to her to help in her reading progress. It's basically her homework. So we read the book every night but with a different task to accomplish and on Thursday nights, we finish up the assignment by writing or drawing about the story we've read (she always chooses to draw of course). This week it was about a girl making a sandwich. And this is her drawing about it.

Gotta love that huge cartoon-like mouth. And the sharp teeth? Classic.

Self Portrait Tuesday: Personal History

Me at Dam Square, Amsterdam. 1989.

Okay. I'm exposing a big skeleton out of my closet here. I had a mullet. But it was the 80's and that type of hairstyle was not called a 'mullet' or anything, really. It was just a style that was popular (well maybe with just a few). Hey, even Bono had one.

It was 1989 and I was on a 2 1/2 week long trip overseas with a group. The main part of our trip was traveling throughout Turkey, but we had a 2-day stay in the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria, and in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I just wished that I knew about all the magnificent museums in those two cities. I went into this trip not knowing too much about the places that we were going to visit. Definitely learned my lesson since then.

It was my first real trip away from my family, clearly on my own and such a fantastic experience . I learned so much about other cultures and just what it was like to experience places and even buildings that were older than the country that I was from. What a trip it was.

I learned all that and with a mullet to boot.


More self portraits to be found here and here.

hello monday

Hello, Monday, how are you? I'm fine except you're here without my permission. You always seem to interrupt my weekend with your "C'mon on, little buddy, time to get up," and your "Time to make some money," of which I'm finding it hard to accept with each week. I know you mean well, and I hate to break it to you... but sometimes you can be a little harsh with me in the morning. And today, you've decided that it was time for it to be grey and rainy here, but guess what? It's not what I was looking forward to. Sorry to be so frank but just thought I'd let you know. So, uh, yeah -- just go easy on me next time, will ya? I think that if you change the way you treat me in the morning that maybe, just maybe, I'll even look forward to you.

But don't count on it.

Lazy Day

Boy howdy, what a lackadaisical day this Saturday turned out to be. At least Andrea and I both got some rest as we took turns minding the kids throughout the morning. Sometimes it's nice not to have plans for a Saturday -- it's rare for us, actually. Most of our weekends end up becoming 'workends' with a multitude of errands that need to be done. So today ended up being a nice restful day for the entire family.

I was actually supposed to go up to Victory Vintage and work on the now infamous mural early this morning, but the weather was not cooperating. Wetness does not bode well for painting a mural, so I just hung out at home and got to finally watch some of the Disney Rarities DVD set with the kids.

You know, Disney's been getting some flack for the supposed lack of quality in the prints that they choose for the shorts featured in this wonderful set, but I don't mind, which is kinda odd for me. Usually I'm all about getting the best quality of sound and color when it comes to my cartoons -- sometimes holding out for years for a particular DVD if I knew the 'special edition' would be available to the public (see IRON GIANT), but for some reason with this set, I'm not that fumed about it. Strange. I think I'm just happy to finally see these shorts, the majority of them I've not seen since the days of yore -- you know, back in the day when most of these shorts were shown in some variation on The Wonderful World of Disney. Maybe it would've been beneficial for the powers that be to hold out until better, more brilliant master prints of the films in question could be found, but like I said I'm cool with what I got for now. The kids love them and I'll sit and enjoy them just the same.

Side note: I've joined another multi-author blog called Sugar Frosted Goodness. Whereas with Drawn!, we contributors share links and recent artists finds of interest, Sugar Frosted Goodness is a bunch of artists and illustrators showcasing their own latest creations. I dig it. I dig the artists involved and I'm very honored to be a part of such an endeavor. Looking forward to submitting some cool art that I've been holding out. Check it out.

Hey check out my alter ego, Chaz. He holds wads of 50s rolled up in his tube socks.

So yes, this is a lazy day. And to commemorate such a day, I fiercely encourage you all to check out this incredibly hilarious video. (Big ups to Nate for this link.)

Ava Thursday: Trinity's Birthday Card

Ava drew this for her friend Trinity, who had a birthday party recently. I like all the little details in this drawing -- the cat (who resembles our own cat, Baby), the slice of birthday cake with a single candle, the gifts, the balloons, the way that Trinity and Ava are holding hands and the way Trinity is walking. Very nice. I love it.

I took a photo of this drawing since I didn't have time to scan it. Ava was getting ready to leave for the party and was going to give this to Trinity.

Illustration Friday: E is for Ezra

Whew! Well, after a crazy deluge of traffic thanks to a recent mention on Boing Boing, it's nice to get back to doing what I really love around here and that's to draw and to create. And to participate in Illustration Friday. This week's theme is a rather different one: E is for.... I like that it's a theme that can be so open and be interpreted in any way possible. Nice.

Well, the first thing that came to my mind was E is for Ezra. He's my boy. He's not like any other kid, and I love him so.

He's energetic and all over the place (just ask Andrea). He tromps around the house like Godzilla and is obsessed with balls. With that, can I add that he's got this incredible left throwing arm? It's unbelievable, I tell you. He greets me with the warmest smile and the best "Dad-deeeee!" when I come home every evening. And when I pick him up he embraces me and I immediately melt like butter. I do not want to forget this about him.

Anyway, that's Ezra. He's my boy. And I love him so.

Everybody is a Critic

Photo taken by Mr. Blank

Last Wednesday night I decided to give Andrea a break and take the kids out to Chick-fil-A. Sometimes this can be a hectic endeavor, but I almost always enjoy it. Something about enduring a frenetic dinner with a 5 year-old and a 19 month-old gives me a chance to work on my Daddy skills as well as spend some time with my kids, sans Mommy.

On the way to the restaurant, I was going to be passing by the mural that I'm currently working on behind Victory Vintage Home. I always slow down each time I happen to find myself in the vicinity of the mural just so I can try and view it fresh, with new eyes. That way I might be able to see if there are any problems with the thing, to see what might need to be done next to it. Anyway, it was 7pm, and with the winter hours it was already dark. But no matter, because I knew that there would be plenty of amber light shining upon the mural, giving me just enough lighting to check up on it.

As I pulled up next to the wall, I noticed an unusual amount of activity going on in front of the family in the middle of the mural. Now, I didn't think much of this because I knew that Victory shares its parking lot with a pizza restaurant and a bar nearby. It's not unusual for some kind of activity to be going on in that parking lot, but because it was a Wednesday night, and because the 'activity' consisted of about 4 or 5 teenage boys clamoring about, looking like they were trying to climb up onto the roof of the store, it caught my eye. At least one guy was being hoisted up by another. My first thought was, "Oh, they must've thrown something up onto the roof of the store and they're trying to retrieve it."

So I drove on, not pulling into the parking lot, not confronting the teenagers. I felt that it probably wasn't anything serious.

But then I the more thought about it, the more strange that whole scenario started to play out in my head. If they were just getting something up off the roof of the store, why were they acting so suspicious? Suddenly, my initial thought of an innocent situation didn't seem so plausible. I turned around to head back to the store.

No one was there. No teenagers, no pickup truck that was parked in front of the mural. I pulled up to the side of the wall and did not see any movement on the store's rooftop. I started to pull away until I caught a glimpse of reflected light coming off of the mural, as if it was wet. But it wasn't wet all over, like it rained or anything, but only on specific areas -- right on each of the heads of the family that I had painted. I backed up and parked right next to the family and got out to take a closer look.

Yup. The mural had been pissed on. There was urine running down the face of the Dad, the Mom and the little girl, with scuff marks from the boys' shoes here and there. Because the parents' heads were situated higher than your typical crotch height, what I saw those boys doing was trying to pee right on the heads by being hoisted up by one of their buddies. This was not your run of the mill, "hey i gotta take a piss" moment. This was done on purpose. I also noticed that some of them had spat on the heads, too. This was deliberate.

Well, there was nothing I could do about it then. I got back in the car and went ahead to eat with the kids. I then waited until after the kids were in bed when I went back to the wall and doused the affected areas with hot water. No harm done, all is good as new.

So, this got me to thinking, why did they do this?. Well, there are two several possible explanations:

1. I think it was game night that night and so these guys had just come from the school with heightened adrenaline. When they drove by the wall, they decided that it would be kinda funny to desecrate the faces to this mural because it was so convenient. Just some silly tomfoolery done by your typical average teenager boys. No big deal.

2. These boys, being black, were not too keen by this all-white family and wanted to do something about it. Make a statement, to some degree. With piss and spit.

Do you know what I think? I think it's a little bit of both. Decatur (where the store is) is a very cosmopolitan area, with a great mix of both white and black. Even where there may be unity in some communities, there'll always be some distention and disputes in others. When I first thought about the idea of using these illustrations for this mural, I did have second thoughts about putting this very vanilla white family right in the middle of the mural. My take on murals is that there should always be some sort of connection to the community. People who live in the area where a mural is going up should at least have some ownership to this new work of art that's being put up. After all, they are the ones who will be seeing it on a daily basis. It's a sort of artistic call and response, a give and receive, if you will. Some murals will be completely community oriented, possibly including images and faces of the people who live there. Some will be more commercial in nature, but hopefully offer something more to what that particular store provides for the community. The Victory Vintage Home mural falls into the latter category.

So, when I began the mural, whenever I had someone call out or pull up next to me, I always cringed a bit for fear of some possible criticism from people who possibly wouldn't get it. But all that cringing was for naught because everyone has been so cool with the mural. I've received nothing but praise. Everyone seems to like it.

The recent incident kinda put me back on defensive mode. I'm over it now, because I realize that I can't make everyone like the painting. I can't force anyone to like my artwork. All I can do is just do my thang and hope that everyone accepts it. That's really what ART is all about anyway. I once had an instructor who laid it out for me: Art never said to like me, but to accept me. Accept this, if you can, and eventually you will understand it.

If the teens were trying to make a statement, I understand. I can understand if this mural represents something that they might be frustrated about on a daily basis: discrimination and racism -- of which, I have no right telling them how they should feel. But I know I'm right to say that they totally and completely misunderstand my intentions with this mural. I'm not trying to say subconsciously that only white people can come into this store. All I was doing was re-appropriating some fun vintage illustrations that featured modern furniture to create a connection with what Lee sold in her store, which of course, is modern furniture. The mural is an extension of the store, and should be taken lightly.

Again, I'm over it now. And I never really got upset with all the urination and expectoration because I know that piss and spit can be washed off, with no worries. But I can't wash off what those guys really think of the mural. Perhaps I am reading too much into this whole thing, but if I'm not, I do hope that they can accept this mural at face value: just something fun that hopefully makes you smile as you drive by.

like this

I want to live life like this.

Ava Thursday on Flickr

Sorry about being a bit behind for Ava Thursday this week. It's been a pretty eventful week, so taking the time to go through some of Ava's drawings, pick one out, scan it, and then post it kinda got pushed to the side. Very sorry about that.

However, if you'd like, I've now set up a new photoset of past Ava Thursdays, going back to last July. Check it out HERE. Actually, it's pretty cool to view all the drawings as a slideshow.

(Psst! Wanna know a secret? You can always check out the latest Ava Thursday the night before on my Flickr. I always upload the newest addition to my Flickr first before putting together my blog post. Just so you know!)

The Healing Powers of TV

Oh boy. It's been a wild week here at the Jenkins household, to say the least. As you may have read at the tail end of my last post, I suddenly succumbed to the horrible sickness that hit my family this past weekend. After a restless night Sunday night, I found myself hitting the porcelin at 5 in the morning. Don't worry, I'll spare you the details. I just don't feel like reliving it all, and I'm pretty sure no one wants to hear about it. As you can see, things have slowed down here at The Ward-O-Matic, as well as at hula seventy. Andrea is still feeling icky, and hates that she hasn't had the drive to write anything new.

Things are looking up, though. Ava's back in school and I'm back at work. Although Wednesday was a pretty hectic day for me. Since I missed a day on Monday, the past two days were all a whirlwind because of a penciltest that we had to get posted for the clients yesterday. It was maddening! But we got it out and I have to say I was happy with it. I'm working on a spot for a major cereal brand, so that's guaranteed national exposure. It's been a great job so far, and I've been having so much fun with it. I cannot wait to be able talk about it here soon, but I'm not allowed to until the spot officially airs. Rules are rules!

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Anyway, with all the sickies going on around here, Andrea and I were so looking forward to a great night of TV last night. Yes, people, we've fallen into the LOST trap and there's no way out for us. We're hooked, and we normally don't get into shows like this, to be honest with you. The LOST phenomenon has finally caught up with us and I have to say that I'm not all that ashamed about it. It is a really well written show with some great characters and excellent acting. The premise is a killer, and there just seems to be new, original layers to the story to be uncovered with each new episode. The show's writers have been able to stretch the premise throughout two seasons without the show feeling hackneyed or thin. That's quite an accomplishment, in my book.

So with a much-needed clip show at 8pm and a brand spankin' new LOST at 9pm, we were happy little post-sick people.

BUT WAIT -- the night wasn't over just yet! To top the night off, our other favorite show was having a new episode air immediately afterwards at 10pm: Project Runway! Now, THIS show, Andrea and I have been so into it from the beginning. It has been such a fascinating show for us to watch mainly because of the creative aspect of it all. To see how the creative process is dealt with and to see all the hipster and not-so hipster designers duke it out with each other from week to week has been an exhilarating experience. I'm completely enthralled by the show; I can't get enough of it.

LOST and Project Runway: hands down the two best shows out there currently. And that's my humble opinion, of course.

You know, if you really want to get more out of each of these shows, they both offer podcasts. I subscribe to just a few, but I highly recommend the podcasts to both LOST and Project Runway because they both offer something new to each show as well as enhance the overall experience for the viewer and/or fan. It's nice to find out little tidbits of info that give you more insight to the shows, and when you're working on dull jobs, like inbetweening, you couldn't ask for more. I especially love Project Runway's podcast, with the affable Tim Gunn flying solo for each 10 to 15 minute-long show. He pulls no punches with his critiques and uncovers podcast gold when he tells us things like Santino's blow-up at the judges when he was defending his lingerie collection from two episodes ago lasted 90 MINUTES! Unbelievable, Santino. (To get the podcast for Project Runway, go to the "Tim's Take" section on the show's site.)

Since the show has aired, I have a new-found appreciation for the design and fashion industry. Little did I know how important draping was, among many other things. But there is one caveat to digging this show: hearing Andrea spout 24/7 in mock-Heidi Klum mode, "Eezzah yoo een oh yoo OWTTT!"

By 11pm, Andrea and I were very satisfied with a great big helping of TV goodness. Who says the boob tube can't serve some sort of purpose in this crazy mixed-up world?

(Andrea made me write that last sentence. She's back, baby! She's back!)

Den of Sickness

It wasn't supposed to be like this. The new year was not supposed to start off with everyone in my family sick as DOGS.

See, I was really excited to start brand new at New Years. Even though I'm not one to make any concrete resolutions, I do like the concept of shedding off the old and brandishing the new. I love transition and change (although my mother will beg to differ), and 2006 was going to be the year that I change the way that I eat, the way that I work, the way that I handle taking on side projects, as well as take on new possibilities. I was all ready to start with a bang.

But then both Ava and Ezra started getting the Runny Nose. And then it was the Cough. The Cough stayed longer than it should and pretty much wiped the two of them out when we were gone to visit the in-laws. (Can I just say that the trip back home was pretty much the WORST NIGHT EVER?)

Right when we thought we were pretty much out of the thicket with the kids, Friday night Ezra began to throw up. Not just throw up, but Throw Up. It was horrendous. All night and pretty much throughout the next day. There's nothing like spending Saturday night at the doctor's office with the entire family. Fun! I do not wish this upon you. Unless you are my enemy.

So Sunday pretty much became "Watch Ezra All Day" Day to check on his progress. Once he took a nice long nap in the early evening, he woke up being silly with me and I suspected that we were in the clear. BUT THEN -- Andrea started to feel woozy and made a mad dash to the bathroom. Ava followed suit 20 minutes later. Yes, one was fine, but now two are ill. I can never win. It's been a crazy, crazy day for me. Both my girls are sick as dogs and it hurts me to no end to see them this way. Especially Andrea, who always maintains some sort of composure with herself, even with the bathroom door shut and yacking sounds coming from the other side. She's even been known to let the faucet run while she did her sick business so as not to gross me out.

And I have to say that none of this grosses me out, to be honest with you. Even with little Ezra throwing up all over my coat and jeans, and with Ava getting sick all over the place, the whole vomit thing doesn't faze me. Once your kids (and spouse) are green, something switches on inside you and you become Super Dad, or something. It's really odd. I wish I could explain it. Puke, poop and pee might be the grossest things coming from other kids, but not when they come from my own. I kinda surprised myself when I first became a dad. For the first week of Ava's life, I changed every one of her diapers, while Mommy was resting from surgery. Baptism by fire, I guess.

But it's been all good since then. I don't mind it when Ava has an accident while sleeping, I don't mind it when Ezra goes pee-pee all over my hands and himself while I change him. As far as I'm concerned it's all a part of being a parent. If you don't like it then tough patooties.

I don't know what to expect for tomorrow. I've got so much to do for work (I even brought some home to work on during the weekend) but if Andrea and Ava are still ill, I'm not sure how I'm going to maintain a balance between it all.

Happy 2006, huh?

UPDATE: Super Dad is no more. I got the bug in the middle of the night last night. Spending all day today trying to recover. Ugh!

Shameless plugging?

I'm at odds right now. Is it wrong for me to plug my blog to be nominated for the 2006 Bloggies? It feels so wrong, I don't know. Should I even mention that the catagories you can vote The Ward-O-Matic for nomination could possibly be:

Best Weblog
Best American Weblog
Best Topical Weblog
Best-Designed Weblog

or possibly even (stretching it here):

Best Tagline of a Weblog
Best Writing of a Weblog
Best-Kept-Secret Weblog

It's a difficult decision for me. Should I even dare to shamelessly plug myself on my own blog? It feels so wrong. So dirty.


However, I have no shame in plugging hula seventy or Drawn! for The Bloggies. They's my peeps, man.

You have until January 10th to vote. That's next Tuesday!

Ava Thursday: Avadoodles

Remember when I posted some doodles back in November? There were a couple that were done on a notepad that we had in the car. Well, Ava -- ever the curious one -- always likes to check out what I draw or sketch, and so, after I had drawn those doodles, she asked for the notepad to see the drawings. I noticed her taking great care in really studying the one I drew of our family, so intent and focused. She then suddenly announced that she wanted to draw, too, and could you please hand me a red crayon? After a couple of minutes, this is what she produced:


"This is Daddy." I couldn't have been more proud.


A girl drinking a fun drink with an umbrella in it.


Here's a closer look at this fun drink.


The essentials: pizza, drinks & videogames, all the while watching TV. Nothing but the best.


I love this drawing of a baby in a baby carriage. Very cute.


A visit to the dentist: toothbrush and a nice, big smile for ya.


A drawing of a notepad on a notepad. How very post-modern of Ava.

I think it was something in the way that I had stylized our features in that one doodle of mine, with the angles and such, that really affected Ava's way of drawing characters. Notice how she drew me with strong angled features, similar to how I draw. And in the drawing of the girl with the drink. This was the first time I noticed Ava drawing this way. She would go on and do several more drawings like these -- characters with squared-off jaws and angled heads, but it didn't last for long.

Out With the Old, In With the New

Man! The Year 2005 here at The Ward-O-Matic was quite a wild one. It started out with a bang early on when I decided on a whim to submit my POLAR EXPRESS post to Boing Boing. I would've never guessed the amount of traffic and attention that my lowly little rant on the ill-conceived motion-captured kids in that film would garner. It got kinda hairy for awhile, as it was similar to having your front door open and letting the entire world enter into your tiny corner of the world, but it was worth while. Even though it got a little crazy with the spam comments and pseudo bloggers (interesting to see how the ugly side of the net works), I still would never change the fact that because of the extra exposure, I met some fantastic people.

And that's when the internet works: making connections with like-minded people. To say that I met some of the most interesting and fascinating people during the course of 2005 is a major understatement! Whenever I go online and start to click through my blogroll and Flickr contacts, it becomes a daily trek through this wonderful world of ours. I love the fact that I can read the thoughts and check out the mind of a mother in Vancouver, and then suddenly visit my buddy in Toronto, and then onto Melborne, Australia right after that. Mindboggling, to say the least. And I never tire of it!

If I could sum up the Year 2005 in a few short quips, it would be that the year was monumental and eye-opening. It was through this past year where I was able to be a part of a fantastic collaborative blog, Drawn!, and meet some brilliant artists and illustrators, most of whom I had never heard of before when I was asked by John to join that fateful day in March. I remember at first being a little stand-offish about sharing my links with others, as I always revered my links and bookmarks to being something special and only for me. But it wasn't but two weeks into it when I realized the necessity of link-sharing and the warm fuzzy feeling of exposing brand spankin' new talent to the world. It's become one of my all-time favorite sites to visit on a daily basis, and I still pinch myself when I realize that I'm actually a part of the site! It's been a fun ride, that's for sure.

When Andrea turned me onto Flickr, I did not realize the potential that that photo sharing service offered. Not only have I had the most fun uploading and sharing my photos and scans of old books and whatnot to others, checking out the multitudes of other Flickr-ites has been an addiction that will not be easy to stop. I simply LOVE to check out my contacts' photos and see what they're up to, as well as see what people are talking about in all the wonderful groups that I'm a part of. It was nice to be able to upload pics of my workspace and then place them in a cozy photoset for all my friends and family to check out whenever they felt like it. I never knew you guys were so nosy! Ha, well, I knew that it might've been a hit, as I'm just as nosy about checking other people's workspaces as the next guy. There's something about viewing the intimate spaces where artists create that really appeals to me. Something so special and unlike any other area you'll ever find out there. Unique to you and you alone.

So, yes, the Year 2005 was nothing short of amazing for me. My only fear is that it'll be quite hard to top in 2006.


And what to think of 2006? Hmmm.....

I know that I'll never reach the same levels of excitement and traffic that my site got from last January, but that's okay. I've never tried to top that incredible feat, and I never will. I understand that it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and that I've since made the most of it. It opened some great doors for me, as well as allowed me to meet many new friends.

I'm excited to see what this next year has in store for me and for this blog, as I know that I've got some great things to talk about and post in the next couple of weeks. I'm always thinking ahead about what fun and intriguing things to discuss as well as what glorious imagery to share with you all. Inspiration never takes a break as far as I'm concerned and I cannot wait to see what new and fantastic gems are yet to be discovered! Boxes of fun ephemera and books have yet to be scanned, my friends!

What to expect? Well, one of the earliest concepts I've wanted to do ever since I started this thing was to do an on-going 'influences series', basically a series of posts on various artists, art movements, and/or items that have played a major part in my development as an artist. Some may be well-known, but others not so -- but all of it important to me as an artist. I hope to enlighten as well as educate some of you on what it took for me to get to where I am as an artist and animator. Everyone's road to discovery is different, and mine was/is no exception. I think it'll be a fun trip to take. I hope.

Expect more posts on past jobs I've worked on at Primal. There's been a nice backlog of projects that I've been meaning to talk about and so I've been saving all the sketches and conceptual artwork to hopefully scan and share with you all soon. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find out what spots I've worked on.

Dont' worry, I haven't forgotten about the stories I plan to tell from my Things post from October. I don't plan on getting too personal with some of these tales, but there are some interesting antidotes that I think you'll find amusing, especially when I got to meet Charles Barkley as well as the multiple times I've encountered Andre 3000. Very amusing.

More more more abundancy with the linkage, rest assured!

Oh, and expect more Ava Thursday. But of course!

And so, essentially, expect more of the same quirkiness and bloggity goodness from yours truly. I've been having fun with this thing, and I seriously doubt that I'll stop anytime soon. I'm having TOO MUCH FUN! (I hope that you are too!)

Here's to a great 2006!