THE ARTLESSNESS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

So my oldest son is going into middle school.

And like his weirdo parents,

he's less of a math/science kid

and more of an artsy creative kid.

So we've been looking for a school that'll

embrace his creative side.

Problem is...

there are very few schools that 

push the arts.

Sure, there are schools that stress

PERFORMING ARTS...

but not

VISUAL ARTS!

Every school has a 

band

and a

chorus

and 

school plays.

But barely any art classes.

Maybe an

'art on a cart'

teacher might come in once a week.

But even that's disappearing.

WHY?

While playing an instrument 

or acting in a play is a wonderful thing...

how many of those students go on to a career

in music or acting?

I'd like to argue that more careers might come out of 

visual arts training.

Stuff like:

Illustration

Fashion Design

Editorial

Graphic Design

Advertising

Filmmaking

Game Design

Industrial Design

and let's not forget the 

poor saps who get into

Animation

Perhaps teaching visual art

is more subjective than

teaching music or acting?

Perhaps a play or a concert is 

considered more of a big ticket school event

 than an art show?

Everybody likes when their kids make art when they're young

So why are we chasing them away 

from it so early?

Anyway...

one of the schools in our area has some amazing

performing arts magnet programs and 

is just starting a visual arts program.

To apply,

kids need to present a portfolio

of their work.

There's even a place on the application

to include the URL for their online

portfolio if they have one!

LOL

I don't even have an online portfolio!

So we've been compiling some of my son's work

and having him work with an art tutor to help him 

create some new pieces to show.

And he's kinda kickin' butt.

Check it out:

Sooper proud dad over here!

LUNCH WITH VINCENT X. KIRSCH

Last week I got to have lunch with

author/illustrator/craftsman

Vincent X. Kirsch!

I first met him in NYC

where he showed me one of his amazing 

papercraft toy theaters:

He's done lots of really fun books:

Vincent recently moved to LA 

so we got together so he could show me 

some of his latest characters:

He carries a big box

with lots of compartments

that house his little friends.

Here are a couple:

And I totally scored a bunch of signed books:

Thanks, Mr. Kirsch!

Head on over to his website

to see more of his work!

He makes wonderful stuff!

THE SKETCHCARDS OF 2015

Another holiday,

another bucketload

of

sketchcards 

drawn!

And every year I forget to 

take pictures of

all them!

But here are 

some of my 

favorites from

2015:

Which are your favorites?

And while the free sketchcard offer is 

finished

over

done

and

owarimashita,

you can still get signed

prints and stuff

in the mighty

printlab!

MY SUPER SECRET CRISIS WAR COMIC COVER

So I guess IDW

DID

use the cover I illustrated for 

Cartoon Network's

SUPER SECRET CRISIS WAR.

I know this because I
just received
my complimentary copies:



I also know this because
I somehow just noticed the section in the back
that explained that there were
THREE COVERS:

So mine was the 

Retailer Incentive Cover.

I wasn't sure what that meant so I 

looked online and found this:

Here is an example: 

RETAILER INCENTIVE: 

For every 15 copies of JADE: REDEMPTION #1 

ordered, get one Premium edition for $1.00. 
or 
For every 25 copies of JADE: REDEMPTION #1 ordered, 

get one Premium edition FREE. 

While the incentive is more valuable than the regular edition, 

keep in mind that every dealer who fullfills the order requirement gets one.

So mine is the sooper rare one.

AND I'VE GOT

FIVE

OF THEM!

BWA HA HA HA HA!

SOUL EATER

I know you're going to be all like,

SHUT UP

with all the 

manga

already!

But I can't because

I just got caught up with this series:

I originally read it in the ill-fated

print version of

YEN PLUS.

But after it went online,

I didn't bother to keep up.

Now that so much

manga is available on my iPad,

I'm hanging with the Soul Eater gang again!

It's a weird concept,

Written and illustrated by Atsushi Ōkubo,

the story is set at the "Death Weapon Meister Academy",

and revolves around weapon meisters and weapons that can transform into humanoids. 

Trying to make the latter a "death scythe" and thus fit for use 

by the academy's headmaster Shinigami, the personification of death, 

they must collect the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch, 

in that order; otherwise, they will have to start all over again.

I like it for a lot of the same reasons I like

Shaman King.

It's a bit cartoony:

The poses get pushed all over the place:

And the characters are weird and funny.

I especially love Medusa and her snake powers:

The anthromorphic Sun and Moon

and an especially freaky/weirdly touch

The series finished in Japan a while ago but we're still

waiting for the last couple volumes here in the States.

Can't wait to see what happens!

But what to read

NEXT?!

Got any suggestions?!

TOM OTTERNESS

I got to visit my old

NYC stomping grounds over the holidays.

We ate and drank good:

We went ice skating:

Wandered the 

High Line:

And got to see the 

natural sculpture of NYC:

Speaking of sculpture,

I was reminded how much I love the work of

Tom Otterness

when we made our way through the 

14th street subway station.

His work literally

litters the place:

His pudgy little 

characters are tucked into 

all manner of crack and crevice:

I wish I had time to track them all down,

but here are some other pieces he's done for assorted 

other places:

And while I love the work of Mr. Otterness,

he's not without controversy.

When he was young he made an

"art film"

(sic)

where he adopted a dog and then shot it.

He has apologized profusely for doing 

something so heinous in his youth,

but that didn't stop

someone from adding their own

unauthorized fake

Tom Otterness

sculpture to the subway.

Another reason I love

NYC!