Revelation

I making prints now; I've always known about this. My ex-girlfriend Beth and I had talked about this for years, and she had been working on that process for a long time. How to sell other works in tandem with a passive revenue stream from T-shirts, posters, and prints based upon original pieces of work.

Sady Starkiss Sticker “Blast Off!” on external memory drive.

My friend, the tattooist, had given me some information about a printer down in downtown Portland that I might want to get a hold of for making prints looking into that so I can see if I can make cheaper prints than where I'm going out right now. I need to get the cost of those prints down so I can make more of the artwork. Suppose I get more of my prints made out over social media. In that case, I can start swinging other ways from having to actually work out a 9-to-5 job and actually start making money off of passive income rather than active income. That was the most significant point that was a revelation to me. I've been fighting it and fighting it and fighting it for a long while now. I realize I could actually make more money off of making prints off of my work and making original pieces all the time, and then I can spend more time making original pieces there for making prints and then go from there.

The biggest thing that my friend also pointed out to me at the show was that they were the other artists I didn't see there at the opening. I was the only one there.

In the process, my artwork also stood out from the others on the wall, knowing this was his description, not mine. But massive black-and-white pieces have a tendency to stand out amongst most of the color stuff, so they definitely stood out.

At the same time, a lot of extra work was done on each one of these pieces, whether it be an 8 x 8, a 12 x 16, or an 18 x 24.

Baby Blue Escape. 8”x8” Scratchboard.

People can see the effort that's done in these individual pieces of work. That's the reason why my stuff has a tendency to grab people's attention. My friend had also mentioned to me that if you're doing the work just to crank stuff out, that's one thing. Still, if you're doing it because you're driven to it, which I know I am, I love working on the artwork; it makes me feel creative and whole and gets a lot of ideas out of my head on the paper or on the board in this case.

A whole mess of 8”x8” pieces being prepped for work.

Remember, I have often talked about in previous posts how some artists are stuck in the creative mode and are not trying so much to work on figuring out how to sell themselves. That's where I've been. I need to branch out if I'm ever going to make it as a successful artist. I need to branch out and start focusing on how to not only crank stuff out, putting great ideas out there but allowing pieces to breathe, and that means making prints, T-shirts, posters, and stickers.

Blue The Bulldog Sticker.

Talks, show and revelations

The biggest thing that my friend also pointed out to me at the show was that they were the other artist I didn’t see there at the opening I was the only one there

In the process also was how the artwork stood out from the others on the wall know this was his description not mine. But black and white, especially big, black and white pieces have a tendency to stand out amongst most of the color stuff so they definitely stood out.

12”x16” “Love Machine” now owed by a new collector. Goodfoot Lounge Art Opening Feb 29th, 2024.

At the same time also, there’s a lot of extra work that were done on each one of these pieces whether it be an 8 x 8, a 12 x 16, or an 18 x 24.

People can see the effort that’s done in these individual pieces of work. That’s the reason why my stuff has a tendency to grab people’s attention. My friend had also mentioned to me that if you’re doing the work just to crank stuff out, that’s one thing, but if you’re doing it because you’re driven to it, which I know I am, I love working on artwork, it makes me feel creative and whole and gets a lot of ideas out of my head on the paper or on the board in this case. 

So many more pieces left to mount on wood and varnish. Sorry about the mess. Y’know artists.

Remember have often talked about in previous posts, how are some artists are stuck in the creative mode and not so much and trying to work on figuring out how to sell them selves. That’s where I’ve been. I need to branch out if I’m ever going to make it as an a successful artist I need to branch out and start focusing on how to not only crank stuff out putting great ideas out there but allowing pieces to breathe, and that means by making prints, T-shirts, posters, and stickers. StickerMule

I think that the show was exactly what I needed to have happen to kick me in the ass and start moving again instead of sitting in my little hole coming out from time to time and get some notice.

A New Art Show 2024

As it turns out, a new art show begins next week. I am super excited about showing work again after this last year's show at the Slingshot. Of course, the other place I still need to show up is over at Unlimited IPA.

Charlie, the curator there, and I still have to cross paths, but eventually, I know that will happen. I blame the weather for the lack of getting over there.

It's been a while since I've had a posting of any artwork or otherwise. But seeing that next week, there will be another art show. This time, it will be taking place over at the Goodfoot Lounge. and I will be sharing it with three other artists as well.

The Goodfoot Ad for next week’s art show.

It has been years since the last time I showed any pieces there. This is from around 2008-2010 I believe.

Most of the pieces have been accounted for, priced, and boxed. Here is the listing of the pieces to be shown:

Original Scratchboard pieces:

2 of ten 8”x8” from the Bigfoot Show Last year.

6 of the ten 8’x8’ pieces of artwork from the Bigfoot Art show.

 8”x8”.

"Splash" $80.00    

"Swoop" $80.00

"EVA" $80.00

"Future Expansion" $80.00

"Future Frontier" $80.00

"Portal" $80.00

"Oh Yeah!" $80.00

"Apocalypto Rising" $80.00

"The Kiss" $80.00

"Bacon or Death" $80.00

11"x14"

"In Clutching Claws" $250.00

"Corpse Cop Rising" 250.00

12"x16"

"Sady Starkiss Lounging" $400.00

"Warrior Women" $400.00

"Love Machine" $400.00

"Seven Ravens" $300.00

13"x13"

13”x13” From Halloween Art Show.

"Radioactive Hornets" $300.00

18"x24"

"Juicebox." $1200.00

"Target Earth." $1200.00

"Duality of the Singularity." $1200.00

"Bacon and Eggs." $1000.00

"The Martian that fell to Earth." $1000.00

"The Unknown Co-monk." $1000.00

"Blast Off!" $1500.00

"Beasts of the Beach." $1200.00

"A Pitcher is Worth a 1000 Words." $1000.00

"The Wode Less Traveled." $1200.00

These are a collection over the last couple of years, from the Bigfoot Art Show down in Molla, OR, to the Half and Half Art show I had last year at the Slingshot Lounge. There are a couple of other show pieces that have never been shown except once over the years, from the Brothers Grimm art show and a Halloween Art show. Both are good pieces, but I haven’t seen the light of day (in a gallery show, anyway).
It's only a matter of being able to get it to the gallery/bar that is putting on the show and handing it off to the curator, Jason Brown.

The funny thing was that since Valentine’s Day and posting an image of “Love Machine,” I already have a bid on a piece of work.

Hopefully, people will be able to make it. Here's to keeping my fingers crossed. Come and check it out.

Less than a week left to go for Half and Half art show!

Hey there, sports fans! Al here with the latest;

Hey, I wanted to let you guys know that the half-and-half show is coming to a close within the next week or so.

A image of the show before opening.

It’s been successful, though no actual artwork was sold, but that wasn’t the point.

The idea was to get the artwork to the public so they could see what I’ve been working on. And the reaction has been fantastic!

With that being said, there are now prints that will be available soon enough, and T-shirts Have already been made based on the image of “Blast Off!” I’m really excited about this because I’m starting to get into the idea of doing posters, prints, and T-shirts again.

T-shirt design based off of “BLAST OFF!” https://www.stickermule.com/u/dff417293639371/item/13258343

I’ve made a few little videos listed here from TikTok and one that is actually a short version from Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/850885956743417 and just with a little Beastie Boys to add.

Soon, it’ll be time to head back into the show in the limelight again, but before that happens, I will have some other stuff ready to go for that show: the shirts, the prints, it may be an original piece or two.

I’ll have to confirm with my art show partner, Dan Depaolo, to see if he wants to get another table together. Like me, I think he has started to feel the need to get our work back out. There’s so other people can see it, and we work well together selling each other‘s work when the other isn’t there. I will say it’s been fun.

And with that, this kid is out of here, but check out the links for the shirts, and I’ll be making the prints available here soon enough.

Half and Half Art Show!

Hey there, sports fans. Al here with the latest:

Well, it finally happened: I have an art show. The only drawback is I have to share it with another person, so it’s not a solo art show, though this is not a jab at them.

I’ll be sharing the art show with a woman named Amy Gan. She is a photographer.

This brings me to the show's name - The Half and Half Art Show! It brings both illustrative work and photography together in one show.

And in one place I dearly love, the Slingshot Lounge. Not quite my home away from home but close.

It is run by some of the coolest people I know Eric Mims and his wife Jordan Walden.

I have been very fortunate to have known these people who offered me a solo show at the Slingshot by then curator Joey Maes.

The One-Man Show or OMS was a success in so many ways that I can't even count.

So it is always very exciting for me to show there again.

The Log Blog - just a title

Hey there, sports fans, Al here with the latest;

So it’s been a while since I’ve had to post anything or of recent times because now I think it’s getting closer to finishing another piece of artwork. This one’s a promotional poster for Sady Starkiss and Heavy Metal, and I’ve got a couple more pieces left to go for that group of women images.

Sady Starkiss + Heavy Metal in “Kissing Metal” Art Show Poster. 12”x16” scratchboard

After that, I should be finished and completed with the road less traveled for the Pasquini project show. Once that’s completed, it’s a matter of getting out the varnish, letting it air out and dry out, and then getting a hold of Gango Printing so I can have prints ready to go when it comes time to start selling the pieces.

And that’s about it. Not much else to talk about on the Art Front.

And that’s it, and this kid is out of here.

What's been going on?

Hey there, sports fans, Al here with the latest:

Well, I have tried posting something new in the last month, but nothing happened to stick to landing. That is until I decided to take a staycation to work on artwork that had been sorely overlooked and neglected due to moving and other living things.

Image of the Pasquinade Project - “A Pitcher is Worth a 1000 Words” in progress. 18”x24”.

“The Wode Less Traveled” 18”x 24” Scratchboard. The transfer sheet is completed and soon to be scratched out.

So eight out of ten pieces of the Pasquinade Project were finally varnished, and the last two are being completed.

And on top of that, also working on a new poster for Sady Starkiss and Heavy Metal art show.

I still need to come up with a good name for that show. I might christen it "Back, Villain! Show."

I realize that a better-drying group of boxes is needed for off-gassing than cardboard. One day, I can hope to either find a flat file system that I use for the 12" x16" pieces that can accommodate 18" x24" work without breaking the bank.

An image from outside of my apartment of the off-gassing boxes. Need better storage than these.

But I still need to get to that point. But I am always keeping my fingers crossed.

Also, I realized during my staycation (and as delightful as it was not being bothered) I found myself falling into the intoxicating realm of the pure creative process.

During a break after work and heading to a friend's art show on film noir (which was very cool, by the way). My friend Leslie had asked me if I was completed with Richard Parker.

I had said I was done with the work, and it was formatted, but finding a publisher and an editor is very hard.

It reminded me of immensely talented artists I have known over the years, and they just seemed like they couldn't take that last step.

I had fallen into that same trap. It's almost a narcotic, in a way, addicted to creation. Years ago, I had a conversation that touched upon this very topic. And it was hard to stop then as it is now.

Only then was there a difference in the need to create artwork and produce as much as possible? Only back then was a need to express ideas, this time as finished pieces.

I feel that I haven't had the luck of having a show or even being asked to do a show this year seems - odd.

Whatever the reason I am not privy to, I will complete this work and be ready to go.

Spirng is in the Art

Hey Sports fans, Al here with the latest:

 It has been a very productive week for the kid. There is no doubt in my mind that it has been that, close to finishing off, one piece of art (with varnish) and another about ready to be transferred to scratchboard. 

There is no more tremendous excitement than that other than selling a piece of work to an admiring collector. 

But this has been a week of revisiting Richard Parker. Formatting the book has been on too long a hold until a good friend hit me up and asked when the book would be published.

He was right, and I had procrastinated doing it because, in honesty, I didn't want it to be done. 

I loved working on Richard Parker, and closing that book was hard because he had been a part of my adult life. 

I had found other projects to fill in the space, and they all exceeded my goals as an illustrator. And some are bookends for a series to complete, and others are just for fun. 

Page 1 of “Last Monster on EARTH!”

But there seems to be a tide when a (and you'll have to forgive my language) shit ton of work rolling out simultaneously. "Last Monster on EARTH!" is being colored. "The Watery Adventure of Richard Parker" is being formatted for print, and "the Pasquinade Project" has frames ready for pickup for a future show. It seems overwhelming, but I know I can do it without question. Much of my hesitation has been the fact that funds have been limited because of my living situation and the amount of money funneled into just living expenses. 

RP Layout and Formatting

With a recent change in job position and wage increase, I can crank out work to my liking. I will never be completely free of "issues" until I take that final nap, but knowing what will come up and dealing with it ain't so hard. 

And on top of all of that, I'm having fun!

How can you go wrong with that?

Mashup of artwork - Pasquinade Project atop for framing. Poster design for “Krackalack!” the Pasquinade Project on the left. “Freefall” featuring Sady Starkiss and Heavy Metal. And finally in the works, Corpse Cop!

On the Horzion

Hey there, sports fans, Al here with the latest;

Well, I wanted to keep you all in the loop. I've already shared some of this with you in the previous blog, but I wanted to bring up the latest piece with you regarding the poster design for the Pasquinade Project. Regarding how pieces of artwork are moving forward, I've had two individual pieces and two commission pieces coming together fairly quickly. 

Yesterday, as a side note, I was showing a piece of artwork for the poster I was working on for the Pasquinade and showed it to my friend Jacob. He had told me, "Hey man, I'll pay you for that poster." I wasn't going to sell him a poster. I'm not worried about that. 

So we agreed on a trade. "I'll do you a trade when it comes time for me to take the big pieces for the Pasquinade show to be photographed and copied for prints. You can help me take them over, and you get the poster for free."

This way, he helps me out with my show. I get the artwork photographed and moved from one place to another, and he gets a free poster from the deal.

So it works out best for both of us. I'm excited about that, so now I have someone who can help me out, and I'll also help someone who enjoys my work.

On the topic of the show, nothing sells my artwork better than freaking robots (maybe with the exception of a brain in a jar)!

Using Heavy Metal as a character and part of the poster builds up his side of the Sady Starkiss/ Heavy Metal connection.

So there you go, little text, but the art is rockin'!

An I am outta here.

Commissions coming out of the woodwork!

Hey there, sports fans, Al here with the latest:

It's been a while since I've had to post anything about commissions, but I recently had a couple of them come in very short succession, so I decided to post those right now. Because I’ve been bitten by the commission bug!

I switched over to a different size of scratchboard to accommodate these particular commissions. I moved up from making 9" x 12" s to 12" x 16"s.

The reason for the size is purely a sizing issue. Getting more bang for your buck, as they say. The second reason is it's easier for me to see.

I've had to resize some of my images because I'm having a more challenging time seeing smaller and smaller details in my work.

It's just getting older, and my eyes are getting weaker.

Don't worry. I'm not going blind or anything like that; just the age of the creator coming up these days.

But the work looks really cool, and it happens really fast when I get started, so I can't knock that. Firstly, I’ve got three new pieces that I wanted to show; two are already completed, and one is in the works. The first one is “Sady Warrior.” This is my first for using the 12” x 16” piece of scratchboard. The results actually turned out really well on this one, and I wanted to add bigger pieces to any other show that I was going to have the 9” x 12”, but I need to have something more significant to catch people’s eye. 

The second one is called “Outer Worlds.” It’s a commission piece for my friend Steve Coppin’s wife, Darcy. She wanted an old-school robot, and I just modified an existing picture from a calendar that she had seen. And there you have it, including a little bit of color to its eye. 

Lastly, it’s a piece that I have yet to entitle for my friend Felix Sanchez. He wanted the “Radioactive Hornets” piece, but I wouldn’t let him have it, so I said I would make him one that was uniquely suited for him. This is the outline in Transfer.

And before I forget, I'm meeting up with a framer to see how much a setup is going to cost me for future work. Hopefully, by then, I'll have a show a little bit later this year.

All in all, I think that this is gonna be a good year to get things done and printed. And the Kid is outta here!

Who is Sady Starkiss?

Simply put, Sady Starkiss was a product of a conversation and a single commission.

In this commission, the idea was to have what my friend referred to as a "Space Nubile." And that was as much information as he gave me. He wanted something with the '50s feel to it. So, I combined a classic Vargas girl pinup and a Wally Wood space girl.

I'm a sucker for old 50s pinup girls, to begin with. And Wally Wood had such a flair for the ladies of the time.

A questionable combination, but I needed the challenge of something new and not just my traditional superhero schlock. I ended up with an old-school control console and some deft gravity-defining clothing. The inside joke was Sady couldn't keep her clothes on.

Of course, this commission led right to the creation of Heavy Metal (an old-school robot based on the old black and white movie The Mysterious Doctor Satan).

Then there was talk of a crossover between the two. There have been a couple, but the best of the crossovers between the two was the piece called "Blast Off!".

Of course, there is also the crossover call entitled "Oh Yeah?" between heavy-metal and CD star kiss, dealing with a Fu Manchu type of character. Even mentioning that there was a Fu Manchu type of character would get me in trouble with people of today, so I will plan on redesigning my version of Fu with a slight change to color and look. He will be villainous, though. That's a mainstay of the character.

But back to Sady.

Initially, she was just eye candy, to be honest, but as I continued to draw her in different situations, I realized that I needed something more for her. I wanted a personality that would encompass her physically with some of her other mental attributes.

I wanted a strong woman who could fight when push came to shove and yet now always overpower her "detractors."

Another female character I found to be of interest is Una Persson from the Micheal Moorcock fantasy series. I felt she was someone I could base some of Sady on.

So I wanted her to be sexy and adventurous. She is the pinnacle of what my Fu Manchu character is looking for, and Heavy Metal always gets in the way. Of course, others want to be with her as well. Robot Monster is one; Corpse Cop is another.

And all of this chaotic craziness is going to be rendered in scratchboard.

What else?

Life is Pesky

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest,

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything recently. And well, as I've said it once, and I'll repeat it. 

Real life gets in the way of the creative side of things. And emotions like there do happen to flare up from time to time. Because of that, they can hugely influence how the creative side of a person's personality comes out. Or not in my case. I was letting others' conflicts invade my personal space, and I just had to stop and deal with that. What a draining experience.

BUT I just wanted to let you know that things are moving forward with the Pasquinade Project; as far as artwork is concerned, I have five out of seven pieces almost wholly done. It’s just a matter of Hi-Rez scans and then matting and framing, and then there will be a new show.

If you look at the new Pasquinade Project pieces, there will be at least seven pieces, possibly eight depending on what is needed to fill the space with all the work being done. It looks like it’s coming together, and from the reactions, I’ve seen from people when I’ve shown him the group together seems to be a very positive reaction.

Another topic of conversation. "The Watery Adventure of Richard Parker," and I have yet to get this book formatted. For one reason or another, I’ve been putting it off because I’ve been having a hard time focusing on the idea of just doing the physical part of the book. It’s not a creative process; therefore, like so many other artists, I’m just not into it, but I have to force myself to get this book done.

Here is a list for the Pasquinade Project: (as it stands so far) The Pasquinade Project should include the classic Star Trek letter font for this work, except for the title of the art show poster.

Number One: Juicebox. A need for something refreshing turns deeply into something quite unnatural. Colloquial Title: Ask, and ye shall receive.

Number Two: Target Earth. Otherworldly intervention of alien influence on our primal ancestors leaving the distinct racial memory of being probed. Colloquial Title: Tag and release.

Number Three: Duality of the Singularity. The isolated A.I. clad in boilerplate hitting it's thermal limits of its positronic overload of data input under the collapse of known physical laws. Colloquial Title: The gravity of new situations on the horizons.

Number Four: Bacon and Eggs. The Supreme Intelligence contemplating its control over minions of a simian nature with the most base desire for sustenance. Colloquial Title: A good way to start off your day.

Number Five: “The Martian that fell to Earth. “No one would have believed in the early years and a 21st century that an intelligence greater than our own would surely draw his plans against us.” Colloquial Title: “Ack Ack Ack” translation - “I’m sooo angry!”

Number Six: “The Unknown Co-monk”. Set adrift from his humble beginnings in mass media, now fights against boredom with martial mastery of the paper bag technique. Colloquial Title: Bang a gong, get yerself gone!

Number Seven: “Blast Off!” Sady Starkiss rockets out into the infinite comic space way carried away upon Heavy Metal’s thrumming motors only to catch passers-by notice while on his way to earthly invasion and ultimately world domination. Colloquial Title: More thrust!

Here is a visual link for the work that has been worked on https://www.tiktok.com/@alanjohnbennett/video/7107101079900572974?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7019629005599311365

Filling in the Gaps

Hey, there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

So, in the last several posts, I had previously mentioned how I've had to constantly go over my story of Richard Parker and his watery adventure.

It has been a trial for me. Because like every artist I have ever known, the initial concept NEVER equals the finished piece. Sometimes you can come close to that ephemeral idea, but almost every time, it never happens.

SO as an editor on your work, you have to be super critical of your work. Those other types of artists who think that their work is the shiz are those who don't deal with criticism- of any kind. I think the popular word to describe this is "spreg out."

The only way to grow as a person, both personally and professionally, is through criticism. There is no such thing as bad criticism. If you're honest with yourself, listen and then move forward. Yeah, you might like what they have to say. They'll even try to troll you. But take it on the chin. Right now, there are art critics who roam this town of Portland's art scene that are toxic just by comments alone and have some artists in fear of their professional lives. That is just a side note btw.

With that, a few images fill in the gaps to make transitions between significant parts of Richard Parker's story.

A Combo of images of transitional images for “The Watery Adventure of Richard Parker”

I have been working on the battle before Parker's ultimate demise and strengthening (in my opinion) the reason why the mermaid depicted has an emotional change of heart towards Parker.

As I write this, the Prodigy's "Firestarter" is playing in the background. This song is a great sign to start a fire under me to get work going and finished.

I want Richard Parker's story to be done.

I know that a lot of other people are waiting as well. I know that a lot of other people are waiting as well. They keep asking me about it. Many people want to support the book when it's done, but they've been hearing tales of this epic tale, but the epic continues to keep growing, and it's epic Ness. So I got a finish it. Not only for me but for them, and it'll be a monumental piece of work. So here are some more images of the book groups and pages, and I got to get to work, and this kid is out of here.