That Krazy Kayak!

As November approaches it's time to welcome the cooler weather (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, of course), the slightly less busy downtown streets (until the inevitable Christmas crowds take over) and the new issue of Kayak, Canada's History Magazine for Kids.

Since those of you living in Canada can see the final cover on your newsstands, or in your mailbox, and the rest of you (albeit very small) on their website - I though I'd share this alternate colour version.

I have a predilection for limited colour palettes so I sometimes prepare two mock-ups of an illustration - one in full colour and one a la Glen. Usually, as in this case and with good reason, the more colourful will win out. But it's still fun to share the "might have beens" as well.

Enjoy!

Monster Head Races Finale!

If, like little ol' me, you're a big fan of the spooky person behind the soon-to-be-related (legally!) Yay, It's Another Blog then you should take a ghoulish gander over at my pal Neato Coolville's wonderful Weird Hollow blog.

Besides the unending stream of vintage, haunted Halloween-themed nuttiness that pervades the fog-filled atmosphere in that neck of the electronic woods - last night was the grand finale championship of the Monster Head Races, a yearly video showdown of movie monsters racing for their fans. With online voting, a swanky prize package and fun galore!

Most importantly though, don't miss the always entertaining Vlad the Impaler's deadly draw for the wacky winner of the pulchritudinous prize package. You'll be on the edge of your electric chair!

Look, blog, look - see Dick & Jane!

If I had been presented with the opportunity as a ten year old to see two of the stars of 1978's Battlestar Galactica in person, in my town, I would have been beside myself with geeky glee!

Now, thirty one years later, not quite so much.

Still, Jane Seymour and Richard Hatch will be in Victoria for unrelated public appearances on Halloween weekend. So I guess that's something.

Now if Ed Begley Jr were to also make a stop here on his book tour that weekend? That'd be a whole 'nother kettle of fish...

Random Mushy Picture of the Week!

Good Morning, Glen!

After twelve hours of heavy rain, look who ventured up three floors of the outside of my apartment building to greet me as I pulled back my living room curtains this morning!?

Diggin' Through the Vault: Pt. 5 "Curse of the Unwanted Facial Hair!"

I've noticed a startling element of similarity amongst (and throughout. Also, between and betwixt) many of my illustrations that get revised by art directors on magazine or advertising jobs. I don't know whether it's a subconscious decision, or a sinister AD plot cooked up at their secretive annual A.D.M.A.N (Art Directors for Malevolence And Nogoodnikness) meetings, held in an underground lair buried hundreds of feet beneath the statue of David Ogilvy at the corner of 11th & W47th in downtown Manhattan, just to drive me crazy.

But here it is...

Facial hair.

They don't like facial hair.

Case study #1: The illustration at the top of this post? Turned down in favour of altering this nutty professor-type character to a female nutty professor-type character.

No facial hair.

Case study #2: This early astronomer guy for an online ad campaign? Changed to a British sea captain guy with, yes, a powdered wig, but... NO facial hair. See where I'm going? Huh? HUH?!

Case study #3: This be-goateed bebop professor for a kid's book cover? Replaced by a MOUSE! Okay... arguably the mouse has some hair on it's face, but since it's the same hair that covers the rest of it's scrawny little body I say it's categorically NOT facial hair!

So... what have we we learned today? That I only came up with this theory whilst searching for a thread to tie together these three examples of unused illustrations I randomly pulled out of my files, and which has no basis in reality?

I think not!

"Youse draws yer beards, youse takes yer chances."
Take it to heart my friends... take it to heart.

All Skyped Up

I LOVE Skype. I really do.

It allows people (me) to talk (ramble on) and see (in a pixelated way) across long distances (from British Columbia to Florida) for free (free!) to friends and relatives (my fiancee) in a futuristic videophone sort-of-way that was still sci-fi for most of us 20 years ago.

But sometimes it goes bad.

Very bad...

Yikes! I think that's the worst picture of me on the intertubes since this one!

At least the digitallizerated version of me below is more colourful...