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.

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.

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’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

Haroshi get bonus points for this cool skull

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.