I had not added any artwork to the Illustration page in over a year. I suppose that I thought that I did this already, because I drew these months ago. Well, anyway, here they are.

We’ve got a few fan arts and some original pieces that I think are pretty cool. A few of these newly added images I made using a style I’ve been experimenting with. And there’s even a new traditional painting, which I had not done in a long time.

This is not the end of it, though! I have more artwork besides these in the bank. I’d have them up now too, but that would be too much for one update. It won’t be long before I add them here as well. At least, I don’t anticipate that the next time I do this again will be another year from now.

Sayonara.

Earlier this summer I sold a few Transformers items that I didn’t want in my collection anymore. I had figured I would just use the money to buy the toys that I did want, but instead I decided to try to try to improve my situation.

I had been doing art using a Cintiq 12WX for about 9 years, and getting it was life changing at the time. It saved my aching wrist from pressing too hard and helped to make me a better, more productive artist to be sure. But it was time to move on. I found myself hunching over too much while using it, which made me less likely to draw. I had always used a screen protector with it, which had become so scratched that it was getting harder to see a clear image. I had to decide whether to get a replacement screen protector for the aging tablet or go after what I really wanted and get a newer, larger model.

Also, I had a laptop for about as long and while it was also great in its time, it was getting slow. It was still useful to me with its 18.4 inch screen and BluRay player, but I knew I would need something else before long, and hopefully I could get one that I could draw with anywhere.

I wound up making a lot more money from the sales then I thought I would, so I figured I could solve at least one of my problems get either getting a new tablet or a new laptop. Instead, I did some digging and got a used both.

My new (or at least new to me) Cintiq is the second 21UX model. It has a 21 inch screen, and it’s not a widescreen. The screen is big and bright, and there are plenty of handy ExpressKeys that I’m still getting used to. Best of all, I’ve got it attached to an Ergotron arm, so I can move it around to different positions without having to hunch over anymore and even draw while standing up if I want.

My new laptop is a Fujitsu Lifebook. This model was released a number of years ago, but it’s been refurbished and upgraded with more RAM, a faster processor, and an SSD drive. The screen can flip around and become a tablet, so I can draw using the included stylus. I wouldn’t want to use it all day for everything, but on the go it’s perfectly fine. I used it for my panel presentation at TFcon without a hitch and it’s even proved useful for streaming while working on traditional art from my drawing desk.

I couldn’t go for the absolute top of the line, but I got stuff that is good for me now and better in many ways than what I had before. Hopefully this will help take me to the next step. Whatever that is.

Also, I have a regular job this summer so I did wind up buying the toys I wanted anyway.

Sayonara.

July 13th – 15th brought us yet another fantastic TFcon experience in Mississauga, Ontario. I had a mostly great time. At least,  when I was able to. When I wasn’t, I was working on something! Let’s take a look at what went down.

It was great to see Transformers voice actors David Kaye and Gary Chalk at the show. They have both attended TFcon before a number of times, but having them both making a rare convention appearance together was great. Also there was Hal Rayle, the voice of Shrapnel and Snarl in the original series, who  fit right in, and David Mendenhall, who played Daniel. This was David Mendenhall’s first ever convention appearance and his insight on working on the show as a kid was amazing. He told a lot of fantastic stories and I made sure to tell him that what he shared with us was very special.

Here’s some costume pictures. There were a number of impressive entries but I think that the young ones stole the show this year. The little Grimlock was roaring and swinging his tail around all day!

Speaking of young ones, I did a “How to Draw Transformers” panel for kids on the Sunday afternoon. I showed the kids how I think about drawing a robot in 3D using basic shapes and a simple pose while drawing Optimus Prime. I did not go in with any planned material and just kind of made it up as I went. I was thinking that maybe the 3D aspect was going to be too complicated for the little ones, but that’s what they asked for!

I did another panel this year, this time about “How Transformers Changed Around the World“. It had information on what the Transformers brand was like when it came to other countries like Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Italy, and Germany. It was the last panel of the show before the Organizers’ Q&A, and on one hand that meant I couldn’t really enjoy the show until it was all over, but on the other it meant that if my panel went a little bit over time it would probably not be a big deal. Well, that’s exactly what happened.  I had so much information to go through that I was about 5 minutes over time, and there was enough stuff that I cut for time that I honestly could have kept going for another 30 mins. People responded in a huge way and loved the Chilean laser shoes commercial and the Italian Beast Wars song. When it was all over, they were chanting my name!

I had missed out on a lot of the show because I was still working on the presentation. I couldn’t hang out much after hours and I had to pass on doing Faction Feud. In the end, it was all worth it. I enjoyed doing the panel and I’m glad that everybody seemed to like it. But next time, I’m going to have to find away to finish everything I need to get done earlier, because I don’t want to miss that much of the show again.

The highlight of the weekend was definitely the Annual Slurpee Run. Imagine a conglomerate of about 50 Transformers fans descending upon a 7-11 store at around 11pm on a Saturday night. Even though I had work to do, I couldn’t miss out. It was hilarious and amazing. Even guests Aaron Archer and David Mendenhall joined us. For those wondering, I had a sour watermelon flavored Slurpee and it was delicious.

And here’s all the stuff I bought. I did pretty good this year. Amung the highlights are Sixshot, Overlord, and Defensor all from Japan. You can read more about my haul on my Tumblr and keep an eye on there for more toy pictures.

This was the 15th time I’ve attended TFcon and it’s hard to imagine my life without it. The people I’ve met there have become some of the best friends I’ve ever had, and the convention has hosted some of the most memorable moments I’ve experienced in my life as a fan of anything.

I’ll see you there next year. Till all are one.

Sayonara.

It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago today, I first posted my Justice League of Anime artwork on DeviantArt. I still remember going through the struggle, painting it in Photoshop and trying to get the characters looking on model while keeping true to the spirit of the original artwork from the Justice League TV series. It took a long time, but the result was worth it because the response I got was incredible. Since then, I’ve seen it spread out all around the Internet and I’m happy that it has sparked so many great comments and conversations about these classic characters and what it would be like if they were all in a shared universe. I still think about it today!

Of course, along the way, there have been a few comments about the characters I picked, with some people not understanding my motivations and not recognizing all the characters or thinking that some of them are too obscure. I’ve explained many times why I chose these characters, but basically I went with the most timeless characters possible, each from a different creator, who could exist at the same time in and form a diverse team together. I didn’t just want to do a drawing of some popular characters, I wanted to create a “what if” scenario that could spark people’s imaginations. And I wanted them all to have earned their place as important parts of anime history. After all, there’s plenty of art of whatever new and popular thing kids are into these days. I wanted to give the classics a chance to shine together.

So with that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to look at what new things have been done these characters in the past 10 years to keep them around in the public eye and make their stories available to fans outside of Japan.

Goku: This should kind of go without saying, but there has been plenty of new Dragonball content. New movies, video games,  t-shirts, home video releases, video games, figures, and other merchandise. And obviously, there’s a whole new TV series that started in 2015! Looks like Dragonball is going strong and there is plenty more on the way!

Lupin: Pretty much an evergreen franchise, but things have really picked up over the past 10 years. There have 7 TV specials since 2008, a live action movie in 2014, and a wave of new movies and TV series since 2012. In the US, he’s even been on TV! Plus, more and more classic content has been made available on DVD and streaming.

Sailor Moon: All the Sailor Moon manga has been released in English starting in 2011. The original anime has gotten DVD and Blu Ray releases since 2014. A new anime series, Sailor Moon Crystal, started in 2014, and new official merchandise can be found pretty easily.

Cutie Honey: The original 70’s anime was released on DVD in 2013. There was a new live action movie in 2016. There is new manga, and the original 70’s manga is going to be published in English in July 2018! The new anime, Cutie Honey Universe, has just started recently at the time I’m writing this, and the design on Honey looks a lot like the one I drew!

Captain Harlock: The 70’s anime has been available streaming on various sites for a long time, and was released on DVD in 2013. Captain Harlock SSX was released on DVD in 2017, as was the film Arcadia of my Youth. Other related things like the Galaxy Express 999 movie and Cosmo Warrior Zero are on DVD too. There was the CG movie in 2013. And finally, the English release of the classic manga begins in May 2018!

Astro Boy: The English version of the original manga has been re-released in omnibus format. There was the CG movie in 2009. The prequel manga Atom: The Beginning got an anime version in 2017, and the famous manga Pluto is said to be getting an anime adaption as well. It seems there has been a lot of talk about other Astro Boy projects, like a reboot anime series and a live action movie, so we’ll see what else materializes.

Cyborg 009: The film 009 Re:Cyborg was released in 2012 and is on home video. Cyborg 009 VS Devilman (AWESOME) is on Netflix as of April 2016, as is the new series Cyborg 009: Call of Justice, released in 2017. And in the best news ever, the 2001 anime series is getting a complete DVD and Blu Ray release some time in the future!

Judging from all of that, I’d say that none of these characters are too obscure. They are all probably more famous around the world now than they were when I first made this artwork! I chose these characters not just because of their classic status, but because they have stood the test of time. I think they continue to do so. They are still famous, relevant, and popular in their own ways. In fact, I’d say that today, they are thriving! I never needed justification in my choices, but if I ever did, there it is.

So what’s next? Should I make some new artwork with these characters? Maybe someday. I have ideas I might like to explore. Should I add more characters to the League? I’m not taking suggestions, but I’ve thought about it. Maybe if it reaches 5000 +favs before the end of the year, I will see what I can do.

As it stands, it’s certainly the most popular, most widely seen, most discussed thing I’ve ever made, and I’m still immensely proud of it, even after all this time. Maybe that’s not saying much, and of course I want to aim higher with my own original ideas, but for now, I’ll take it. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who liked it and who has left their comments and posted their thoughts on what it would be like if this were a real show. I still wish it was!

Sayonara.

Today I am the featured artist on Artist Connect, a blog that showcases artists and links to resources and inspiration. They found me on my Instagram and asked me to answer some questions for an interview. It was fun to think about the answers and I actually had to put some serious thought into it.

You can read my feature right here!

I want to thank Artist Connect for getting in touch and giving me this unique opportunity. And keep an eye out for more because I’ve got some interesting new pieces in the pipeline.

Sayonara.