True Colors by QuintessenzCreation is an up beat stop motion mural using an old technique with a new style. This animation spreads like a digital disease through out an abandoned building set to music by Pretty Lights. It took 4 months of hard labor to hand make this stop motion movie with over 5,000 pictures, no digital effects and artificial light.

I was just recently sent a Hobbipen G530-C Pro Airbrush to evaluate. I will be comparing this brush heavily to Iwata brand brushes, especially the HP-C. The reason for this is that I have pretty much used Iwata airbrushes exclusively since I started airbrushing, and those that know me know that I have used my Iwata HP-CH so much that I am emotionally attached to the brush, and why wouldn’t I be it has painted 15 helmets for the Olympic Athletes, numerous masks for Hockey Goalies, and too many projects to count. That being said that the Hobbipen had some pretty high standards to live up to.

The Hobbipen comes in a faux carbon fiberbox with magnetic flap closure. It’s a different look, maybe not as nice as the hard plastic cases that other airbrushes these days come it, but lets face it, it is just a box, and ultimately it will come down to brush performance. When you do finally open the box the first thing that you notice that the brush is nicely polished chrome, and the brushes impressive good looks. It’s almost like when you pop the hood to find a nicely polished supercharger under the hood…

Out of the box is the first thing that I noticed is that the brush looks very similar in design to my Iwata HP-C (my workhorse), and second was the weight. The brush does carry some substantial weight, and a good chunk of that weight is in the preset handle (something that my HP-C does not have). Now to be fair I do strip down my brushes when working. I never use the handles on any brush, and the crown cap is always off, so that I can always pick at any buildup on my needles, so any brush full assembled would feel heavy to me. Stripped down in felt great. It was time to run it through some painting.

After some quick dagger strokes, and setting the PSI to 25. It was off to paint. I actually used this brush on a Calgary Hitmen goalie mask (Click Here to se the mask) we had in the shop, as there is no better test that true application. I have to say that I was actually quite surprised as the brush exceeded my expectations. The trigger was smooth, and response was great, I was able to pull nice tight lines with the brush, and get the lines I would expect from a 0.3 tipped brush. I can honestly say that the brushed preformed as well as my HP-C straight out of the box. This in itself impressed me, as I usually “tune” my brushes and needles, and this one I went straight from box to paint, without changing a thing.

Overall I have to say that this brush is quite impressive, and anyone looking for a new or first brush can definitely look at these brushes as a viable contender. The kicker is really the price for $56.99 (plus shipping) you can buy one of these brushes from PJH Tools , which is substantially cheaper than a lot of comparable brushes out there. Based on price alone you cannot lose, in a busy shop a second brush can save you a lot of time and money on colour changes, and this brush would pay for itself in no time.

As I have been using the brush only for a couple weeks, I will revisit it’s long term performance in a few months.

I never know what to say when I hear bad news. Ryan August has apparently passed away after being involved in a car crash. Ryan is best known for producing “I Want Your Skull“, which released some great issues, featuring great artists and their skull work. I have to say that it was honestly cool to have someone who shared the passion for skulls that I do, and I loved getting his books. Ryan was also kind enough to feature my airbrush skull work in the past.

Ryan leaves behind his wife Sarah and his son Declan. They have indicated in a thread at gigposters.com that they are accepting donations at ryanaugustdonation[at]gmail.com

His passing is unexpected and tragic.

RIP brother.

Drew Brophy always seems to have something cool going on. Makes me want to move to California and surf. I check into his site every once and a while to see what he is doing, because generally he has something cool on the go, and that there is insight to the process itself, and often the business end of things (His wife also has a very cool blog on art business Click Here).

Anyways check out the mural post..very cool. Lots of process pics and insight, and always inspiring to see it’s a family affair. Click here to read the full post on Drew’s site.

I have always loved painting toys. In an interview over at Toytoons.com I was quoted saying “I have always liked having cool things for my desk, and that usually meant toys. Everyone I think is naturally attracted to toys no matter what, and even more so when they are eye catching or different. I think the major attraction is no matter what they are always fun.” That still stands true for me. The Munny platform by Kidrobot I have always loved, and thankfully people have enjoyed my work. My last collection was completely sold…all original pieces. Fun pieces that I enjoyed doing, that got snapped up by collectors. All were signed under my moniker ‘Pain’. So check out Kidrobot to get a Munny to customize for your very own, and for this month they will give you one for free. I will be starting my “Lucky 13″ Munny collection soon. and you can reserve your one of thirteen 7″ Munny toys that I will be painting. Reserve is on a first come first serve basis. $213 reserves you part of this collection, or $2013 will make you the exclusive owner of this collection, that quite possibly will be my last.

I had noticed a couple weeks back that Blake, who most people know by the name of his studio Cross Eyed Airbrushing, had updated his website. Sifting through the pages of his new site I noticed that Mike Learn had written the forward and indicated that he had previewed the book last year during a course in Edmonton. I was excited. Blake’s shop is a few minutes drive for me, so I figured I would give him a call. “I just got the books in and they are sitting in boxes at my place,” Blake told me.

“I’ll be there in 15 minutes,” I told him. I was even more excited. I have followed Blake’s work over the years through bike shows, and events in the Calgary area, and he has been a huge influence artistically (whether he knows it or not). While excited, at the same time I was apprehensive. When I usually get excited about things, I find that my expectations exceed reality, causing me to feel let down, even though things are in reality really well done. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would be an instructional step-by-step book with a few different projects that were pulled directly from the pages of Airbrush Action, or would this be a totally different direction from the norm.

When I arrived I was greeted by Blake’s dog, and then Blake. We went into the shop and he pulled that book out, showing a beautifully embossed and centre cut cover page, pristine and sealed. Blake had worked three years putting the book together and spent hundreds of hours on top of his already busy schedule working on this book. It is a self-published deal, and not only had Blake spent hours creating the book, but had taken on the publishing role himself. He said that he wanted to write the book, the way he wanted, and not be restricted. Blake had been offered book deals, but he wanted his own voice.

The book contains so much work, that you will have to go through it several times to digest what you are seeing. Blake does an excellent job in laying oput this book, and representing his work. While in the book is a great gallery of work, it is also a great book for inspiration. Blake reveals in a sense his ‘Manifesto’ in his writings client interaction, stories about projects, how to maximize each job, and drive. The Drive section in my honest opinion is something that anyone who does custom work should read. Within the book it does contain some smaller “how to sections”, that contain some pretty valuable information.

There is so much meat in this book, both artistically and intellectually, that I really cant find the word to do this book justice. With a cover price $44 it is worth every penny. Each of the 237 pages contains so much information, and inspiration that it is a must for any artist. In fact it is probably best to buy two, so that you have another when you wear the first copy out. You can buy it online at http://cross-eyedair.com/store

Japanese artist, Haroshi has perfected a very unique way of using broken skateboards as a sculptural medium. Inspired from wooden mosaics, dots and pixels these artworks are brilliantly executed from concept to exhibition. Like traditional methods of building wooden Great Buddha statues, Haroshi has painstakingly chosen, stacked, cut, shaven and polished these recycled skate decks.

Haroshi get bonus points for this cool skull

What can I say I like Frank Kozik’s smoking Labbits. I have always enjoyed doing painting custom toys for people. What can I say toys are fun, so I naturally when there is a new animated short featuring the mOngers I have to watch, and share.

Frank Frazetta, an illustrator whose vivid colors and striking brushstrokes conjured up fantastic worlds of musclebound heroes fighting with broad swords and battle axes to defend helpless women from horrible beasts, died on Monday in Fort Myers, Fla. He was 82.

The death, caused by a stroke, was confirmed by Rob Pistella and Steve Ferzoco, his business managers. In a telephone interview, Mr. Pistella said that Mr. Frazetta, who had a history of strokes, had returned from a Mother’s Day dinner with his family on Sunday night and fell ill. Emergency medical services were called and Mr. Frazetta was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

After working on daily comic strips like “Buck Rogers,” “Flash Gordon” and “Li’l Abner,” Mr. Frazetta moved onto comic books in the 1950s. He drew the movie poster for “What’s New Pussycat?” in 1964, and hit his stride executing detailed illustrations of pulp heroes like Conan the Barbarian and John Carter of Mars for their comic magazines and books. His realistic renderings of otherwordly scenarios (and barely clad women) made him the ideal candidate to illustrate the album covers for popular heavy metal albums like Molly Hatchet’s “Flirtin’ With Disaster” and Nazareth’s “Expect No Mercy.”

In November, Wired.com reported, Mr. Frazetta’s cover artwork for the paperback reissue of “Conan the Conqueror” by Robert E. Howard sold to an unnamed collector for $1 million.

Just thought I would post a little comic strip that I found amusing. I find it amusing, because it does ring true. For both customers, and clients.