Warning Charizard Territory

My Favorite Book - American Gods

Gotta Catch 'Em All- Blastoise

Heres my latest of the pokemon posters. It took some work to find an aesthetically interesting way of portraying a giant standing turtle without looking too godzilla-esque.  Eventually I decided the most aesthetic part of a giant turtle is his shell.

I also decided that the pokemon trainer scanning the blastoise should be a girl.  It was nice to draw a girl for once. I might have to do it again some time.

Poor Gregor Samsa

The first time I heard the story of the Metamorphosis was through a This American Life episode where Gregor Samsa corresponds with Dr. Seuss about his troubles turning into a cockroach.  If you ever get the chance, I definitely recommend you listen to it here.

The real story of Gregor Samsa (As written by Kafka)  is about a man who still lives at home helping his family pay rent.  I got the sense that he already felt bad about his lot in life and it just gets crumbier as he turns into a bug.

Like many people out there, I moved home after college too, and I really understood Gregor.  On the more depressing instances, I just remind myself that no matter how bad I feel, at least I'm not turning into a cockroach. Sorry Gregor.  That's schadenfreude.

I tried to portray Gregor in a more sympathetic moment.  Yes, he's turning into a cockroach, but I wanted this transformation to be a kind of beauty that he doesn't see. As I developed him, I realized he's basically a cockroach fairy.

BE A MAN. GET A JOB.

I think every guy, especially artists, find a lot identity through their work. As a graphic designer in a cubicle farm, I struggle to be both creative and corporately appropriate.    Before I got my job and as I pursued a way to be a working artist,  I repeatedly heard this phrase "Be a man. Get a job."

While this link between job and identity may not always be the best thing for a generation graduating into the recession, everyone knows it exists.  Still, I haven't seen many illustrators tackle it.  I really respect artists that address real-world issues, and hopefully I've done that here.

Stay Off The Grass!!!

Here's my take on Scyther.  I've wanted to try a different kind of composition than what I've recently been doing. I may move things around some more, but I'm having fun trying to blend insects and raptors, and it's been exciting trying to play with the lighting.

I also thought this might be a good time to explain my concepts on Pokemon in case anyone is interested:

   Pokemon remains the only video game I've really been into.  Sure, I love monster design, but it's that the monster design is part of a bigger story that matters.  Looking back, I realize Pokemon is the story of a rite of passage.  In the story, young teens leave their homes to gain respect by capturing and training the monsters of their world.
   So far, I've envisioned each meeting with a wild pokemon similarly to how classical heroes meet the forest god or demons in the grass.  However, instead of wearing tunics around classical greece, the pokemon trainer comes from a suburban world much like our own-albeit with far superior technology.
   In this surprise attack by two scythers, I wanted to reinsert a bit of my boyhood dreams about being a pokemon trainer.  In the back of my mind I was thinking of Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Where the Wild Things Are.  I really hope you like where its going.

Gotta Catch 'Em All

So, I usually post my works in progress on Facebook, and someone decided to share this with the world before I finished it.  I think it's finished now.  I've gotten a lot of positive responses so far, and  I hope you like this.  I'll explain more about this project later.

(Spoiler:  After this piece....Scyther....)