I’m super excited to share this album art I created for CODE OF THE JAGUAR, a punk band from the “old, weird Philadelphia.”
This two-song single is streaming now, you can listen on bandcamp , and also preorder a physical 7″ record.
While you’re there, I recommend checking out their whole oeuvre, you’ll have these songs stuck in your brain for days.
And speaking of weird, old Philadelphia, in the 80s and 90s there was an all ages nightclub in the area called Pulsations, which featured a dancing robot. Take a look if you don’t believe me.
If you’re a fan of gothic romance, you should pick up a copy ofTwisted Love, a new anthology from Jazz House Publications, available on Amazon. While you’re at it, take a look at that fancy cover art I created!
I’m very excited to finally share my latest book cover illustration!
Coming February 12th from Jazz House Publications, Twisted Love is an anthology of 12 gothic romance stories guaranteed to chill your bones, just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Go on over to their website, see what they do and pick up some of their books. I’m very grateful to be working with them.
I only have one piece of art to share with you this week, but it’s kind of a doozy.
I wanted to create an epic, science fiction/fantasy style illustration. You know the kind, it’s usually set in a desert landscape, there’s a giant monolith or mystical crystal floating in the center while human figures scurry about in fear or awe.
I inserted a Rubik’s Cube in lieu of an alien spaceship or a cyclopean monolith.
I’m not sure why. Maybe because the solving of this puzzle eludes me. Maybe because it’s a great Hungarian invention and that fills me with pride as a Hungarian-American. Maybe it was just a random thought. That’s probably it.
Take a look below at the finishing touches I put on this digital oil painting.
I’ve also added the above piece and a bunch of other things to my Redbubble shop, see below if you’re interested in prints, magnets, stickers, mugs or various other products.
I think that’s about it for now. I have a few new exciting commissions I am working on and I can hardly wait to share them with you!
Until next time!!
Do you ever find that instant gratification isn’t fast enough?
It’s a new week and I have a few new items for you.
Their meeting place has to be kept hidden. The robots that stalk the upper surface of the Earth would never understand. The kids would be laser blasted on sight. The kids’ mission? To read and discuss all the classics of human literature. That’s the basic idea behind this illustration that I have tentatively titled “The Book Club.”
Below you can watch as I ink this rough illustration and you can chill out to the hypnotic soundtrack.
Come for the robots, stay for the hypnotic soundtrack.
The overall work-in-progress.
Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ!
Also this past week I revamped an old design and added to my Amazon T-shirt shop. You might recognize this slightly more macabre version of the grinning face of Tillie, an iconic sight from Asbury Park in the old days.
Click on the shirt to visit my shop or click here!
As a nerdy kid, being not super athletic or interested in super athletes, I kinda felt left out when others showed their support for their football or baseball or hockey teams. Below is a shirt I designed for other nerds like me. People who think they’re funny.
Celebrate a Groundhog Day Birthday with these cards, magnets and mugs from my RedBubble store.
I think that’s about all I have accomplished this past week. I’m trying to keep busy and not let the stress of daily life derail anything.
How about you? Where are you at with your projects? Your goals?
Welcome to my first blog post of 2021. How is everybody doing?
I spent the end of 2020 reflecting on some things I had accomplished and other things that fell through the cracks. I thought about my unhealthy relationship with social media and I pretty much avoided it. I needed to relax and recharge a bit. I did some reading, some film marathons, and I ate a lot of shrimp.
I have no regrets.
Feeling a bit uninspired after the break, I decided to mess around with a really neat AI tool from Google called Chimera Painter. I was pretty excited by the results so I made a video lesson on how to create a quick creature design with it and then take it one step beyond and refine the design in Clip Studio Paint.
I’ve also added a new design to my portfolio, as well as my T-shirt store. It’s an idea that hit me way back when I used to ride the crowded New York City subway system.
MAN SPREAD ON SPACE TOAST
I haven’t come up with any resolutions for the new year. I am however working on a theme for 2021. I’m thinking I’ll go with hedonism.
Who’s that at the door? Is it the Sausage Man? Is he dropping off or picking up? You’d better watch out!
I’m very excited to share this short horror comic with you guys! It feels like it had been in the works forever, but now it’s here, knocking at your door. And it’s totally free to read or download as a PDF.
A quick warning, this comic might not be for everyone, it has some gore and some extremely creepy elements. Definitely not meant for kids!
The story was conceived by Tim Vargulish, he’s a funny dude who makes comics, you should follow him on Twitter.
As with most of my ambitious projects, it was years in the making but then ultimately a spur of the moment, headfirst dive into cardboard, paper and duct tape. Maybe I can do a follow up with a few of the step-by-step progress photos in my messy, cramped apartment.
A wild man with his pagan woman.
As you can see, I had way too much fun during this weird, pandemic Halloween of 2020. At least something was kinda normal for once.
Until next time!
Do you know that I tweet about stuff? I think I’m pretty entertaining, you should probably come hang out and say hi. It’s super fun. And if not there, why not check out my YouTube channel?
M. R. KESSELL 