Reading Octopus

Cereal Comics

Cereal ads in old comics are quite fun to read, as they reflect their TV counterparts on Saturday mornings (do they still have Saturday morning cartoons anymore?). I found these three in an old The Flinstones with Pebbles Gold Key comic (#22, 1964). My favorite is the Lucky Charms ad, but look how boring the box is! (Speaking of cereal boxes, check out these Jay Ward inspired designs.) I don't know who drew these comics, but I'm researching who the cartoonists are. Man, I would so love to have that job drawing cereal ads.

That one kid in the Lucky Charms ad looks suspiciously like a chipmunk.

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Busy-ness and games

Hi there! It's been awhile since I've posted anything on my blog. That's because I've been busy working with Zipline Games illustrating iPhone games!
Also look for  scans of illustrations by Mel Crawford, Charlie Harper, Sheila Beckett and more from my collection of vintage children's books in this space.

A sneak peek on a game I have been working on:

© 2011 Zipline Games

LOVESICK show pictures!

Fantagraphics have uploaded their photos for the Bureau of Drawers LOVESICK show and it was a swell time! Great turnout and beautiful art:

The Bureau of Drawers presents Lovesick at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, Feb. 12, 2011

Love+Water

I recently designed and illustrated a t-shirt for Love+Water, an online community that creates Wearable Philanthropy by connecting artists with charities through T-Shirt Design Projects. The charity I picked for this month is Camp Adventure, a camp for children with cancer. Any proceeds I make with the shirt will all go to Camp Adventure. Please vote for my design!

New works and 2 Valentine's Day inspired art shows

The Bureau of Drawers will have two Valentine's Day inspired art shows next week! First, there will be a show on February 10th at the Cafe Racer, called "Like/Like". From 6-9PM.

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Next on February 12th at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery will feature the Bureau of Drawers' “Lovesick” show for the 3rd annual Georgetown Art Attack in Seattle (from 6-9PM). Below is my new painting for the group show! I am looking into making prints of both works and have them available for the show. I'll keep you updated on this blog!

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New painting - Smokey the Cockatiel

I recently painted a small illustration for an upcoming Bureau f Drawers Valentine's Day art show at the Cafe Racer on February 12th. The theme is "Like/Like" so I chose a pet from when I was a child that was given to me for my 5th birthday, a cockatiel I named Smokey. I adored that bird! I miss him and here he is depicted in bird paradise:

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Goauche and watercolor on watercolor paper

Cornered!

Up at a newish comics blog, Cornered, where everyone "recreate the spot character illustrations which appeared in the upper left-hand corners of so many classic comics", I drew a small illustration showcasing my favorite superhero of all time - 'Mazing Man! Check out the rest of the blog too, there are some great stuff in there!

A Bureau of Drawers portrait

I hang out with a talented group of people here in Seattle, WA called the Bureau of Drawers. We are all drawing portraits of one another and I happened to illustrate the illustrious Jonathan Morris, aka Calamity Jon.

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Ephemera Collection - Why Women Love AAA

A great find in my hunt for vintage ephemera with beautiful illustrations. This is a small fold-out brochure for AAA, approximately 6.25"x11". Artist and year unknown.

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Ephemera Collection - "Christmas Magic"

Here's a holiday themed post! "Christmas Magic" is a 16 page pamphlet put out by 3M (Scotch tape) on creative ways to wrap presents. The booklet and it's content is unremarkable save for the small spot illustrations of Santa Claus in various poses. Not sure when this was published, possibly the late 60s or early 70s. I've made a montage of the illustrations below. Happy holidays, everyone!

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Ephemera Collection - Al Wiseman

Sometimes I like to hit thrift stores or antiques shops  to hunt down ephemeral paper documents such as brochures, advertisements, booklets, etc. with great illustrations. These small objects weren't meant to be permanent and were often thrown away so it's always a joy to discover a long lost illustrated piece of paper by an unknown, or sometimes known, cartoonist. I have a small collection that I will be scanning and sharing with you.
Recently, I found a single sheet with a beautiful Al Wiseman illustration for Boeing. Al Wiseman was a ghost artist for the Dennis the Menace comic books from the 50s and 60s, and this drawing seems to come from that time when he was ghosting the Dennis comics, possibly late 60s to early 70s (the 747 was produced in 1969).  The illustration has a fluid line, with a crunchy texture in the clothes and beard, and it's almost calligraphy. I'm guessing it is a part of a sales package or advertising campaign created for Boeing, so I will be keeping an eye out for anything else drawn by Wiseman for this campaign. If you have any leads or info about this drawing, I'll love to hear from you!

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Love + Water Design

Check out the Love + Water design blog... I am in the artist spotlight and talk a bit about my work. Also, check out the other artists - there is some great stuff on here!

http://www.loveandwaterinternational.com/2010/08/artist-spotlight-dalton-webb.html

Zombie cowboy

Illustration for an iPhone game that was killed before it really started.

Drawn with Illustrator CS3.