THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER
I'm sure this is old news (except to those of you with exceedingly slow owls), but Universal Orlando is creating a Harry Potter theme park. How friggin' awesome is that?? The park is budgeted at over $265 million, and is scheduled to open in 2010. Here's some Kinkadesque conceptual art of the Nerd Mecca. Enjoy!

This is why I agree with Adrian that a Captain Planet movie would be awesome. I still don't think Galactus should be a storm cloud, though, that's just weak sauce.

Nate and Rob have elected our next Chades Challenge: ELDERLY MERMAIDS. Post your merfolk on your blog on Friday, June 8. Happy sketching.

A couple of folks have expressed an interest in joining our weekly Chades (CHAracter DESign) Challenges, so I'll be posting the weekly subject on this here blog for everyone to see. Two different sketcheteers will be choosing the words (a noun and adjective) on a friday, and we'll have a week to do as many drawings on the subject as possible. On the following friday, we'll all post our art on our own blogs, this way people will go to eachother's blogs more often to check out what's new, promoting community and all that jazz. I'll post a list of people who participate each week so you know where to hunt for inspiration. After we've all seen eachother's drawings of glory (and allotted the appropriate compliments and reprimands), we will have one more week on that same subject too push it and 'borrow' eachother's designs to explore them as thoroughly as possible. On the following friday, we'll post the final drawings on the subject, and two new artists will elect a new theme. Capiche?

Check in tomorrow for 'Deformed Sorcerers' from

Vi-Dieu Nguyen

Rob Thompson

Austin Madison

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. I set up a toll booth and charged for both.

Alex Madrigal drew this high-quality ogre and challenged folks to complete the picture. Here's my take.

More deformed sorcery!

First of many drawing challenges betwixt Vi-Dieu Nguyen and myself. Vi chose an adjective (deformed), and I chose a noun (sorcerers), and we had a week to bust out designs on the subject. These CHAracter DESign (or CHADES) challenges will each last two weeks. This is Week 1 of the first challenge. For more sorcerer madness, check Master Nguyen's blog.