It's not the most current, but this post over on John K's blog is pretty great. I really love reading that dude's words; his critical eye is unforgiving, but his observations are generally on point. I think that over the next few days I will be cocooning myself away in the guest room and poring over his and others' blogs. Or I'm bailing for the Starbucks wifi. The place is full of kids and dogs and I need sweet release that only the internet can give me...

So I guess we're going to get a mother of a storm starting tonight and tomorrow. F'in great; I was supposed to fly out tomorrow to NC to my aunt's. Um. I mean, I guess I am going to try to reschedule the flight, that's what I'm on the phone now trying to do but it seems to be taking a bit "longer than usual" to get through to someone.

Phone's on speaker at my side while I type.

Um.

Oh yeah so this is a pretty neat little cartoon resource a buddy showed me the other night at a sketch meet-up:



Staye Tooned! is a pretty comprehensive little magazine that's apparently published outta some dude's house down south. The guy, John Read, is just someone really into comics and cartoon art and put his own money into this project. There are a couple of pretty good interviews in the first two issues-- Berke Brethed! I mean, omg yay.

So yeah, I flipped through that; pretty damn decent. It made me want to draw. Or at least that there were more issues or that it was a more frequent thing. There aren't a lot of periodicals out there you know? Blogs, yes, magazines, no.

Hm.

So there's my endorsement of the day. Now to listen to some more muzak courtesy of Delta, and to make myself a sammich.

It was oddly warm yesterday here in New York. I don't get it; just last Sunday I was freezing my face off and darting in and out of storefronts, just trying to make it up 5th Ave to the Brooklyn Target. My nose was like a faucet. It sucked. And yesterday it was warm. 60 degrees. Next week it'll probably be cold again and the week after that, a hurricane.

I drew like 6 pages in my sketchbook yesterday.

Go into a studio Thursday for some photoshop freelance. It's mind numbingly boring but the day rate is pretty ka-ching so I can deal.

We need more hot girls drawing cartoons in the world.

Drawn! has a GREAT list of art books & comics from 2008 up right now; I've read maybe 40% of that list and I agree wholeheartedly with their sentiments. There are some books on there that are definitely not to be missed.

An early Christmas present to me just arrived from a pal in Michigan: 'Ojingogo'.



It's awesome. Read it.

a print a day just posted some scans of a vintage Babar book; I looked them over and immediately was transported back to 1987.

If only it were Christmas 1987 instead of 2008; 1987 was the year I got Mouse Trap and some badASS lego sets.

Christmas = The Muppets

A Christmas Muppets special starring Uma Thurman? It's like my biggest obsessions from when I was 6 and then 15 joined forces to blow my fucking mind.

Preoccupation of the hour: Owen Wilson

Dude. Owen Wilson: Don't you remember when you were pretty effing cool? Stop making movies with all those interchangeable romantic comedy broads. And dogs. Maybe Vince Vaughn too. Get back together with Wes Anderson, plz.


Remember this?



Wildcat..... Wiiiiiiild.... cat...

Glenn Barr

I think you should own this book.



Whenever I need inspiration, I flip through Glenn Barr's book, followed by a bit of JC Leyendecker, possibly followed by some Mary Blair and/or some random comic artist. And if none of that works, then I just drink, because I'm clearly not in the mindset to draw.

I was supposed to go Christmas shopping today. I was supposed to have gotten my client's check yesterday. Um. The former did not happen because the latter did not happen.

I hate being freelance.

JC Leyendecker

So, I know the question has been keeping you up nights. You toss and turn, unable to sleep, just wondering... "So who is Erik's favorite painter?"



Really, if I search the recesses of my mind I may be able to come up with artists I studied in school that really piqued my curiosity and such but for the time being, I gotta go with the late, great JC Leyendecker.

He's one of the 20th century's premier artists, known primarily for his commercial success with ads, like above, and his Saturday Evening Post covers. A lot of people think just Norman Rockwell had that gig. Leyendecker had it first! He was Rockwell's mentor.

I bought this book recently and I haven't gone to bed a single night since without flipping through it and just being all "OMG SO GOOD". It's a total must-have for any artist, whether you're into painting and such or not. Like, even if comic books are your life, it's worth your time to start to appreciate some of illustration's badass pioneers.

Word.