It just doesn't get any cooler than DINOSAUR MUMMIES!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
A lot of folks are still having Halloween parties tonight, so this technically isn't late. I hope everyone had/has an awesome Halloween. A group of folks at work went as the Clue crew and invited me to be their avaricious Mr. Green. Sometimes the best answer to 'Who dunnit?' is 'All of the above.'

CHADES CHALLENGE VII: ORGANIC VULTURES
Thanks to Josh Billings and Jeremy Spears for the challenge words. Post your fine-feathered figurations Friday! And please...no skeksis.

Riff of the Fates
One of John Williams' most sweeping operatic ballads composed brilliantly as a guitar solo! Amazing.

Week II of Chades Challenge VI: Vicious Gators
Okay, so technically Killer Croc is a crocodile, not an alligator. But he's pretty dern vicious.

Great Mosby's Gharial!

For those of you participating in our biweekly Chades Challenge, tomorrow's the last day to post 'Vicious Alligators' before a new subject is posted. I stumbled across these badboys on wikipedia. They're gharials and they're pretty dang awesome. More proof that God is in fact the greatest character designer.

FUTALONGKOSAURUS
They don't get much bigger than the colossal new find just announced in Argentina. The aptly-named Futalongkosaurus, or 'giant chief of the dinosaurs' measured over 100 feet long and weighed over 80 tons. More on this bygone behemoth here, here, and here.

VICIOUS GATORS

CHADES CHALLENGE VI: VICIOUS GATORS
For those of you with any free time this week, the Character Design challenge is 'Vicious Gators'. Thank you Moro and Leo for an actually coherent theme. Here's a little reference for those of you who wish to participate in the art-off. Warning: the video is a little graphic--it is a natural battle royale, after all.

BEWARE
Listening to Howard Shore's score for Ed Wood, one can't help but be inspired, and listening to Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood's films, one can't help but be absolutely transfixed. For you animators out there, check out those eyes. Check out those mouth shapes! For the rest of you, beware...

I went to Disneyland for my buddy Nick Butera's bachelor party and I've gotta say, their Halloween decorations are a little lame. C'mon imagineers...giant pumpkins and orange garland? I was expecting a little more.

WILLIAM STOUT
When it comes to the genres that count (fantasy and prehistory), this guy's worked on it all: from Wizards to Conan, from Jurassic Park to Masters of the Universe. His style is cartoony and caricatured enough for fantasy art, and he's got a murkier, more impressionistic sensibility for prehistoric art. Good stuff!

The final frontier.

I've been listening to a lot of metal at work lately. Also, I saw the first Halloween set-ups at the grocery store last weekend, which always gets me stoked for the GHOULiday season.

I watch a lot of Charlie Rose, particularly his interviews of my favorite actors. the 'dialogue' featured today is with Ian McKellen, who seems to have trouble parting with his wizard beard.

Goodbye, Summer. It's been real.

I know the "shadow of destiny" is a bit tired, but it's always fun.

More Dax Plotoid, still intrepidly exploring. I'm messing around with proportions, trying to find the ever-elusive funny-fat-guy sweet spot.

Gurney news abound!
James Gurney has a new blog, a new book, and a new website! The new book looks fantastic, and I'm pretty dang stoked about the blog, I'll be checking it quite often, and I recommend the same for any dinosaur/art fanatics out there. Good times!

Listening to Spielberg talk about Munich and drawing some sort of 70's chap.

Getting kind of excited for The Dark Knight, though I still think Paul Bettany would make an excellent Joker.

Dax Plotoid, intrepid explorer.

ORCS!

Rockin' the knight away

CHADES CHALLENGE V
Sorry for the leave of absence there, everybody. I was trying to solve a rubix cube. The new Chades Challenge is FURRY MARIONETTES! Thanks to Leo Matsuda and Scott Cook for their absurd verbage.

New Chades Challenge!
Alright everyone, put yer telescopes away, it's time for the next Chades Challenge. This one was selected by Josh Billings and Moro Rogers, and it promises to be a good'un! The challenge is: FLAMBOYANT ARMADILLOS



Sketch greatly!

Jonathan Winters, Ultimate Improviser

This is Jonathan Winters, one of Robin Williams' heroes and thusly one of mine. Observation isn't just key to drawing and design, it's also key to acting choices. Winters has such a breadth of knowledge and such a keen observation of character-types that he can captivate an audience with a simple pencil case. What's great is that his eyes hardly ever change. Who said acting is in the eyes? It's in the entire character!

Every artist should know what makes their keen skills of observation possible: happy little rods and cones.

Jonesin' for some Indy IV!
Dang, I was just telling Vi that I wasn't going to use this blog for movie news, but this set pic from Indy IV is awesome! Looks like everyone's favorite whip-wielding archaeologist is in pretty good shape. Let's just hope the same can be said for the script. More information at the official website.



UPDATE: Here's the first production diary for Indy IV--awesome!

Week One of Chades Challenge III: Telescopic Placebos