Guest Checks!

(Click to Enlarge)

My pal Super Ugly recently started an awesome website called GUEST CHECKS, where artists take turns drawing up whatever they feel like on a guest check form. From the looks of it, ol' Ugly knows a lot of talented, creative folks and I was happy to disguise myself as one of them for a minute. Check out his site at the link above and remember, don't forget to tip :)

Have You Been Reading- She Died In Terrebonne?

Doing a little double duty here, with a new "Have You Been Reading" and a recent drawing. Here is a pinup I did for the upcoming 4th collection of the fantastic webcomic She Died In Terrebonne from Kevin Church and T.J. Kirsch. I love me a good ol' fashioned crime mystery and S.D.I.T is no exception. And it's FREE! Check out the story on the link above, it's a great read.

Big thanks to TJ for his invitation to contribute! I started checking out what he was up to after he did an awesome short story in Resurrection #11. We were super fortunate to have a lot of great folks help round out the Resurrection world, and TJ drew what I thought was one of the better back ups in the group.

I'll also put up the inked version also, to have a look at the first go 'round:

Remembering Kazu

Painting @ Kazu Sano

I was a student for a long time. Between a couple of stints at Community College, a year at a University, and finally a full run at Art School, I took a ton of courses and had many teachers along the way. With all of those experiences, sadly I can only remember more than an impression of a handful of them, and of that handful maybe 4 or 5 that I regarded as a genuinely fantastic teacher or inspirational type figure.

Kazuhiko Sano was one of those teachers.

I went to AAU in San Francisco between 2001-2005 or so. One thing I learned quickly is that there were a ton of talented artists teaching there and some pretty amazing teachers, but to find both in one package was a rare commodity. I met Kazu later in my academic career but he made a big impact on me. Not only was the guy an amazing artist but he was an extremely personable, giving teacher. I remember coming home and proudly telling my dad how I had a teacher who'd drawn a poster for Return on the Jedi :) I had the pleasure of taking a couple of his courses and learned a ton in the process. I also had the chance to catch up with him outside of school once when he needed reference for an illustration. We spent most of a day shooting ref and talking about art and life. I was struggling with some pretty big issues with regard to direction and growing up and I remember how important that conversation was to me. It would still be a couple years before I resolved to tackle comics and make it a career, and I was at a crossroads for what I wanted to pursue.

I hadn't know Kazu was sick, and I was taken aback when I received an email recently that he'd passed away after a battle with cancer. I wish I'd reached out to him and told him how much of an influence he had been, not so much stylistically but in spirit. He was a bold artist, full of life and courage and his art reflected the eye and hand of a draftsman but with so much spirit and guts.

I remember sitting down with him in a review, looking at rough work and observational sketches. Kazu remarked that the human memory is one of our biggest downfalls. Imagine, he said smiling, if we could retain everything we'd seen and every memory we'd had, how much more enriched our lives would be. I'm fairly certain I will not remember even a fraction of what I've seen or experienced in life, but I'm know for sure I will not forget you, Kazu. Thank you for sharing your guidance and love of art with everyone.

Check out a bunch of Kazu's work here. I'll put some of my favorites below...