SNAKE EYES ~25th Cards 2008 project!!

Hi! As mentioned previously, I plan on doing some Joe-Art for 2008, & came up with the concept of doing "animated style character design cards." Basically if I was designing a Joe cartoon, how I would make them look, based on the current toyline, then placed on a collectable type card. I would like to do one character a month represented from the 25th line (only characters in the current toyline), & will try my best to do that, time provided. It's a good challenge for myself & hopefully you will enjoy my take on the characters. I started off with Hasbro's #1 Joe... Snake Eyes!!
1st up, here's the original SE from the 25th Joe 5-pack...


Much like Hasbro, I love recolors, so here is 2 more versions of SE from the 25th, "Comic Colors" from the wave 1 comic packs, and "Black" from wave 5!!





Yo Joe!!

TOP 10 Of 2007

In no particular order (but alphabetical), here is my personal favorite stuff in 2007.


AVATAR The Last Airbender: Truly one of the greatest animated series ever created, the "Boomerang gang" delivered another solid season in "Book 3: Fire" of incredable storytelling, breathtaking animation, & character growth, that few series of any type can boast. It is amazing to see such quality be put into an animated series of this type & the realism of the characters turmoil, & parallel word to are own make it even better. There has not been a cartoon on THIS good in years, & many of the best don't even touch it in terms of quality & freshness... This is the one series that I can't recommend enough to all ages. Truly one of the TV masterpieces of the decade.
*Avatar art on the left by by Deviant artist arriku*

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA: This movie ended up being my favorite "under the radar" hit of the year. It was the one movie I went to see on a whim (rather than very planned out) & it had more charm, depth, & warmth than most family films even touch. Walden Media is one of Disney's best new projects & I look forward to their future films... AnnaSophia Robb was perfect as Leslie Burke, & even though I liked a lot of films in 07 (like Pan's Labyrinth, 300, Harry Potter 5, Pirates 3, & Transformers) ...this film had so little expected yet delivered on so many levels of great storytelling, superb acting, & difficult subject matter with a innocence that was required..."Terabithia" will be one film I continue to cherish always.

...now in "Comic Colors!!"

GI JOE: If you know me on a personal level, you know I am crazy about the new G.I. Joe "25th Anniversary" line. I total homage with updated sculpts to the original ARAH 80's line. Hasbro finally did something breakthrough again with Joe that made me fall in love with the battle against Cobra all over again. I go on mad-hunts looking for the latest figures with Randy all the time... the figs are hard to find with strong sales & collectable, and trust me, we love it!! Not to mention so much new product is always coming out which makes me even more anxious & excited about th eproperty, as I always am reciving new information. Much like TF's in 2007 Hasbro is bulding this classic line to get fans on board right before the Big-Budget Movie expected for 2009, and most likely a follow up animation... ans I for one, can't wait...

Olivia Munn Is Baroness - Every10Mins.com

GRINDHOUSE MOVIES ON DVD: Finally, all the B-film, exploitation, howlers, schlock, & martial arts 1 can muster from the 60's, 70's, & 80's is coming out on DVD thanks to great companies like BCI, Blue Underground, Severin, Retro Seduction & Blue Underground. Truly a guilty pleasure, grindhouse fans are seeing the jems of yesterday restored to their full uncut glory & making the rounds at Amazon & Bestbuy to add to your obscure but awesome collections! Movies from your childhood, sticky floor theatres, or cable movie channels are finally coming out from the vaults & are being uncompramised & priced for keeps!!


GO!GO!7188: In 2007, J-Rock band GOGO struck back by launching 2 tours in the US, the 1st with the "Japan Nite" ensemble in the Spring, then with their own tour in the Summer of 2007 just months later!! They performed brilliantly (Yuu's vocals... @_@) & were so kind to their fans by making fun live content & delivering solid shows from their discography. For a favorite band of mine that I thought I would never see, or have a t-shirt of, nevermind have them come to my area twice, was defiantely my best J-rock experience of 2007, with meeting the girls & getting autographs as additional frosting!!... Couple that with a new more retro album, harking more toward's their early works, and the fact that "569" also included a DVD release featuring "Japan Nite" footage, & you have IMO 2007's "band of the year" by a landslide, as this act did more for me than I ever imagined possible in 2007!!

JULIANNE HOUGH: I have never taken to a celebrity like 2-time DWTS champion Julianne Hough... Her presence on DWTS Season 4 (with Apollo) & Season 5 (with Helio) made each & every week of the show a "must watch" for me. She deserved the final win both times, & I voted for her with a vengeance!! A gorgeous girl oozing with talent, humour, & personality had me seeing the perfect TV girl again in a long time. Couple that with her future on DWTS, as well as singing & acting & I am sure she will be making herself more well-known in 2008!! I never get tired of her & am always interested in what is new, & her newfound fame has made that easy with her legions of fans...It is rare that you have a chance to see celebs in person , & I saw this angel live in July & will be venturing to see her again this February...I can't wait!


J-ROCK: 2007 was a strong year for many bands on the Japanese music scene... In the US, many tours hit the US like Japan Nite, Jrock Revolution, Dir En Grey's live tour & more... It also marked the return of my beloved X Japan, something I never thought would ever happen. IAnd 2007 also saw oldskool bands like The Brilliant Green, Luna Sea & D'erlanger return...Couple that with strong works from fan-faves Abingdon Boys School, The Gazette, Galneryus, Hizaki Grace Project, L'Arc ~en~Ciel, Nightmare, Rentrer en Soi, Taia, & Versailles...it made for the perfect year of this ever increasing in popularity here in the US genre!!

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: Although MOTU has been a kind of a quiet franchise in 2007, it offered alot in so many ways. With the success of the 07 Transformers Movie, Masters was green-lit to hit the big screen for a big budget movie in the future... 2 more waves of the artistically perfect Stactions + exclusives were released to the awe of collectors. There is still nothing more satisfying as a collector than putting a new one of these on my shelf. A new classic styled prototype He-man was revealed at SDCC which could mean some more "big things" for the franchise... And as always, the wonderful art community & He-Man.org friends & family is a part of my daily life. Here's to some hopeful annoucements concerning the brand in 2008!!

THE OFFICE: By far my favorite TV (live) show for 2007, "The Office" had me hooked in 2 episodes. So much so that I immediately bought seasons 1-3 on DVD so that my family & friends would be caught up for Season 4's premiere. This show is hilarious, & is the perfect counter-balance for my other fan favorite comedy "Scrubs." The adventures of Michael Scott (his smallness, lovable mishaps, & overboardness as potrayed by Steve Carrell) & his funny suboridinates are a welcome laugh each & every week
& have an amazing REALNESS to them. Working in an office environment myself, I can't help but relate to the characters & the humourous, yet daily instances that they potray...this show has made myself & the others with me laugh so hard sometimes we have had to pause the DVD just because we couldn't stop laughing...

TRANSFORMERS: To me, 2007 was the biggest year for TF's since the 84-86 saga (& even much bigger than Beast Wars at it's peak), it was quite possibly the biggest year for Transformers ever. Actually, it was."Classics" started the year off on the right foot, & is quite possibly the best TF toy line in history. The quiet (& not so quiet) steam building of fandom for the ultimate TF experience for the mainstream, "The Movie" in 2007 was the momentum for it all, hitting quite effictively in the middle of the year. BOTCON was AWESOME in 07, & I don't think they could have had more desirable exclusives, or put on a better show with having Peter Cullen, Stan Bush (with an extremely fun concert), & David Kaye as their headliners. I really enjoyed my 2nd experience with Botcon, & it riveled my original 1997 experience, then BEAT it. I think with Hasbro giving us so much postive information, like when we thought "Classics" were over, they were actually coming back as "Universe"... A sneak-peak at "Animated", & a chance to see the new Movie (before release), the real Optimus Truck from the film, Pepsi Prime & the "Games Of Deception" Box+, they really catered to fans in a way that I have never seen before, the dinner party/concert was killer, & reminded me why I go to Anime Cons to this day. And even if you had to wait to the initial release of the Movie, it didn't faulter as a mainstream success, I personally enjoyed it very much & I find it SO interesting that people now, who knew nothing 6 months ago about TF's, can realate because they now know who Optimus Prime & Bumblebee are. Kids were excited about TF's in a new way, so much so that stores were constantly empty of product, something that (as a whole) I have not seen (ever) for TF's. The year winded it's way down (in a good way, minus bare shelves) & Animated premiered, featuring what seems to be a new positive direction for the franchise & to maitain high interest in the brand. Hasbro took some INCREDIBLE risks this year, by NOT doing what they HAD been doing. "Classics" was a safe & steady bet, what many fans have wanted for years, following that up with a Blockbuster/radically different looking Movie that fortunately was a major success, was a huge gamble for them (imagine if it bombed??). Then follow THAT by another completely different non-anime, western-style cartoon headed by CN (so it actually gets a good timeslot) was another bold move that looks to be another major pay off for them come 2008. This formula worked in spades for them, & they are currently USING THE SAME formula with GI Joe, (25th classic style figures, Big Budget Movie in 2009, most likely followed up with an animated series...& my guess is the con will be in RI that year too. ^_-) It was an AMAZING year for TF History & one that will always stand as a "Staple Year" for how lucrative & innovative it was. Now I can truly call 2007, the year for "Transformers!!"

*2007 Honorable metion goes to WOTC Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures...The Minis game was a favorite of mine for about the 1st 6 months of this year, but with a change of the game going to 2.0, & most of what I have & learned going out the window... I have pretty much lost my current interest in THAT aspect of the franchise... Although I will always love D&D & it's vast universe on many different levels (history, cartoon etc.)...

LIGHT SPINNER (Character Design)

Created for He-Man.Org's "MOTU Redesign Challange #79"... "Light Spinner" is the original name of the trecherous Horde Sorceress "Shadow Weaver." Featured in the classic POP Filmation series & in the comics, Light Spinner was a fun take of how Shadow Weaver started off before her journey to the dark arts. The design for her came to me at work, & I was actually thinking along the lines of the anime "Burst Angel" with this design. As you can see, anime/videogames/manga does have some pull on my design asthetic, particularly years ago, & still always creeps in today! ^_- I have been a big anime fan for a long long time, so it will always be an influence on me. I also looked at Harem Girl costumes for influence on this... When I was designing her color scheme, (and as mentioned on the Org) the character "Riku" came to my mind too, as the Final Fantasy series has some minor pull on me, but it was a non-intentional, more "after the fact," & I think it's great if this design has a little Final Fantasy flavor... It's that wiley blonde hair, & Riku is adorable so it's all good... In the end, here's my take on Light Spinner, (I did Casta... so I figured I had to do her friend & rival )... complete with bio!!
Hope she does well in the fan-vote!!





I came up with the "Magic Rune self-mutalation" bit to show she's a bit... well... distrurbed...
...And on that note Merry CHRIStmas!!
***UPDATE*** she came in 1st in her poll & 2nd overall!!

VARIABLE CASTASPELLA

Hi! Those of you who are familar with my art here on the Blog or past & present MOTU sites know that much like Mattel (& Hasbro), I love to do variant color versions of my works. So I thought I would go all 4H "7th Kingdom" on my recent CASTASPELLA re-design, & came up with 5 new (+1 the original) different color varients! Here's a little info on each of the color concepts...

~Filmation Version:

Just like the title implies, the "Filmation version" is based on the blue & yellow scheme Filmation used to portray the "Barbarella" look-a-like sorceress in the original POP animated series. This scheme looks very 1990's X-Men to me (blue/yellow)... not that there is anything wrong with that! ^_- So far over on the Org this seems to be the most popular color design, probably due to the nostalgia factor, or the complimentary colors. This was the 2nd most obvious recolor for me, & the 1st one executed after the original in the series. Makes good sense seeing that the original toy & Filmation version's colors differed so greatly, that this scheme would make a perfect repaint. With it's seeming popularity over the other varient colors, it makes me wonder how this version would have placed if THIS was my "original entry" in the contest? ...hmmm. ^_-

***of note***: this is the first retooled design as I changed the side mid-drift openings to become solid with the leotard.

~Julianne Hough version (aka Dance version):

This scheme was my 2nd conception for the color variation as my original Castaspella was based on DWTS fan-favorite (and Chris favorite) Julianne Hough as an inspiration & model! I had always planned on doing this recolor in some shape or form since Julianne so strongly influenced the original. Not only for her stunning looks, but also the 2-time DWTS champ's "Cha Cha Cha" dress for Season 5 as a basis for the outfit's design. I have plenty of references for the dancing angel in photographs & have been anxious to do an interpretation of her in my art (and will be...). For furthur realism & practice on capturing her beauty for myself, I used her features, body, & costuming to give a certain realism to my Casta's redesign... she's is the hottest girl on the planet for me in 2007, so it only seemed natural to gravitate towards her for some real-life inspiration! One of my reference pictures for the art is shown below...

***of note***this was the 1st version retooled to have the legs changed to match Julianne's bare legs & feature no leggings that the original had. In the end it's prolly my favorite version!

~Christmas Special version:

The Filmation "He-Man & She-Ra X-mas Special" will always be one of the most memorable for me in the 2 series history. It featured alot of the new toys & also was a stand-alone hit that for me... seemed to really end the series. Alot of these versions I come up with when my mind wonders at work... so thinking of possible varients for the series, coupled with the X-mas Season vastly approaching, & most importantly, the X-mas special, I came up with this "Holiday Flavored" coloration that is kind of like when Prince Adam is in the Santa outfit complete with white hair. She is exactly the same as the "Filmation version" with different colors & the 3rd of the series, 4th overall.

~Horde Gothic version:

This was another version I came up with while daydreaming at work... what if Castaspella was Evil? Had gone to The Horde? Or became a Zombie? Or just decided to get her "Goth" on. LOL! I figured the design around her center jewel would easily transcribe to a faux Horde symbol given the right colors, the leotard could become a corset, & I could modify her leggings to become a hot set of tight red pants that a girl had on at our X-mas party @ work, only this time make them "blood red'... I also though the white skin & red eyes would furthur the effect of being Gothic/Evil/Vampyric...& I think it was pretty successful... Hordak inspired colors... friends watching me work on this model seemed to lean towards it, & overall I thought the "dark take" might end up being the most popular of the recolors on the Boards... but that "Filmation" version seems to be the reigning Queen!

~Magician version:

My brother Brian gave me this idea while watching me create the "Horde Gothic" version. He had mentioned that he would have liked the Horde version to have leggings, like a Magician's Assistant... this made sense to me when I thought about it the next day. The Horde version was going to be the last in the series, but I also wanted an even number as that would better replacate the (many versions) I was trying to imply, like would be seen in the 200X Devilman Fewture figures or with the aforementioned 4H "7th Kingdom" having many varients.
I came up with a "Zatanna" (the female magician from Batman) inspired version based on the 1990's animated series. Different enough from the Horde version, & this one still featured the black hair, but no leggings/pants & (a 1st) no shoulder straps. In the end I think it has a nice modern Magician/Assistant or Superheroine feel, & one of the most original in the series... Although, I may take a stab at this version again someday, as when I showed the finished design to Brian who had conceived it in the 1st place, he said "that's not what I meant at all." ...LOL!

~Original Toy version:

I talked in great detail about the influences & why I chose my design based on the toy version of Castapella for this contest in the previous blog entry. Here is the original drawing, in it's original toy-inspired colors, & I am happy to say, still remains one of the most popular of the seires!! Hope you enjoyed this little insight into my creative process, & as always there will be more to come... ^_-

Scarlett Avatar ~G.I.Joe 25th

Hi!
Those who know me best know that I am recently addicted to collecting the new line of 25th Anniversary G.I. Joes... The figures are awesome, I have been collecting them since their initial release this summer after being impressed with online previews earlier this year... These wonderful sculpts with more articulation really are a innovative way to get me back into a childhood favorite of mine (being right in there with Masters Of The Universe & Transformers)... So, after many unfruitful trips to retailers, (including some early mornings at TRU) back on Halloween day I was finally able to complete my collection of 5-packs & single figure waves 1-3 for both myself & brother Randy. With my renewed interest in the franchise (and an approved big-budget movie in 2009), I signed up on a couple Joe Boards (the HISSTANK rocks! ...I am aka Steel Brigade), & of course I have to make a custom avatar for people to recognize me with as I have posted often as of late. So after a couple months of being faceless I finally got crackin' & did this Scarlett avatar. ^_^ She has always been one of my favorites since childhood, (along with Duke, Cobra Commander, Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow) But I always like to draw the females, so I figured a good way to start with G.I. Joe in my art was an opening avatar with Scarlett!!



I have been thinking about how I would handle G.I. Joe's art style if I was to direct the art for a new animation for it, & one of the things that always seemed in the forefront for my ideas was a subdued color pallett as exampled here. I like the look of the new "Spectacular Spider-Man" (cheeks74) animated series coming up as well as some of the similar art styles & colors found on some of the current Deviant Art galleries I glance at. I always picture the military to be drab & I think Joes should evoke that realism & you will see that in my future Joe works. There is a pretty good chance that G.I. Joe will be my new flavor for a card-format style series in 2008 (like D&D was for me for a while before the fall of the original DDM game in 2007)... As I am hot on the property again & the 25th figures would provide for a different (n0n-sword & sorcerey/fanatsy) element among what is prodominatly my fantasy-inspired work. Basically the best of both worlds with something else I love sounds like a good way to approach the art I create & for this blog in 2008!!

Scarlett's hair & face loosely based on Julianne Hough for modeling...

CASTASPELLA (Character Design)

BLACK FRIDAY... Black Magic Friday? White Magic Friday? Anyway you look at it today is Black Friday & I decided to cook something MAGICAL up for my pal Predabot's hosted "MOTU redesign challange #78" over on HE-MAN.ORG since he was nice enough to ask me to participate. Although the charcter on the classic Filmation POP series had an odd vocal styling, I always thought both the animation & toy design had a nice & pretty feel to it.. Almost like something from the cult-camp classic "Barbarella." My design is heavily based on the actual 80's toy. I used 2 models for it, most notibably my all-star favorite celebrity dancer Julianne Hough, as she just might be the hottest chick on the planet for me right now, with her adorable face & atheletic build, ^_- as well as a nude model for some of the upper torso posing. To imitate the "circle structure" on her back I devised a more anime-inspired hexagram, to immitate the look of the clunky toy version to something more soft & delicate ...& fashioned her costume to be something more like a dancer would wear.. So her face, hair-style, revealing dress-style, & legs are all based on Julianne Hough from DWTS. But her upper body build is based on the other model. I am hoping to do well in this contest & I appreciated the opportunity. Bio for Castaspella is in the "stylized hypnotic" card format I did the illustration in. All in all I think I acheived a fresh look for the mage, made her a bit younger in my take, & still captured a retro element so she would fit into the MOTU/POP universe. Feedback is always welcomed.

photobucket link:
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c44/teelamotu/?action=view&current=Castaspellacharadesign72.jpg

***UPDATE***: My entry placed 1st in her division & 3rd in the Finals! Thanks Orgers!!

ALSO... He-Man.Org member "HORDAKS HENCHMAN" plans on doing a custom figure of my CASTASPELLA design!! ^_^ (He was also the one who created that cool CATRA custom off my design shown here on the blog), I will keep the site updated with pics & info as this custom figure progresses!!

MOTU VS. THE HORDE classic art done by me in 1986!!

Hi, my brothers (Randy, Brian) & I had done some fall-cleaning a couple weeks back & stumbled across this piece of Classic MOTU Art that I had done as a child waaay back in 1986!! A big surprise to me was the inclusion of the infamous "FEARLESS PHOTOG!!"
SETTING: THE FRIGHT ZONE!!
FIGURES from left to right: Grizzlor, Hordak, Roboto, Buzz-Off (captured), FEARLESS PHOTOG (!) (tangled in tree), & Flying Fists He-Man...
AT THE SLIMEPIT: Modulok (blacked-out), Leech, Sy-Klone (trapped), & finally Mantenna.

photobucket link:
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c44/teelamotu/?action=view&current=MOTUVSTHEHORDE198672.jpg

Here is some history about the piece:
1. A professional trend that I still use today is of course drawing from models. With the case of MOTU I draw from the figures/stactions. This was even true back when I was a child drawing this piece. As you can see everyone but the non-produced Photog is drawn from the toys. I must have used the illustration from Mattel as my reference for him.

2. As a child I always drew entirely in PEN!! So this piece (like my others growing up) was done in ONE TAKE with no erasing!! I used to like the dark lines that pens created as a child because pencil seemed too soft...and I wanted the bold lines that I would see in cartoons & comics. So this piece was completely done with ball-point blue pen, with no erasing!!

3. I must have been pretty excited about "Fearless Photog" as a boy because for me to include a toy I didn't have in my art is pretty unique to this piece!! For those of you not familiar with "Fearless Photog," he was the winning entry for the "Create A Character" contest way back in 1986 by Mattel for the MOTU line. The (then) 11-year-old boy who created him was Nathan Bitner. In the end, Nathan did recieve some prizes from Mattel but the character was never actually produced. -_-

4. This piece is LARGE. 18w X 12h ... on heavy stock paper, clumsily folded & yellowed from age, & scanned in sections! Even though I drew MOTU often as a boy, this maybe the oldest piece I have still available.

Thanks for looking, as I was excited about sharing this on the art blog, because for me this is truly a piece of MY personal Masters Of The Universe History!!
~JafariStew

*update* this picture shows up as the 18th most popular image in Google for Sy-Klone, thanks to my brothers for showing me this one!! ^_-

BIRTHDAY POST ~BERSERK TEASER POSTER!!

Hi!
It's my B-day!! (Sept.5th) YAY!! And I like to celebrate by giving something to my fans that have given me so much! And that is in the form of art! So here is a new TEASER "Grindhouse-Style" poster for my upcoming MOTU: BERSERK story! Some of you are aware I have been working on my "Sexy-Jungle-Romp" starring Teela for sometime, & I am still working on it... ~_~
But in the meantime, I thought a movie poster in the style of the Prehistoric Hammer-films that inspired it would be a fun way to celebrate! So I present the teaser poster for MOTU: BERSERK!!



more info on this project here:
http://jafaristew.blogspot.com/2006/11/motu-renegade-stories-berserk-sneak.html

LIDDA!!

Lidda...
The Iconic Wise-Cracking Halfling Adventurer from the stories of D&D.
...& one of my absolute favorites!
I really appreicated her interpretation in the direct-to-video interactive DVD adventure "Scourge Of Worlds"... She was by far the best character, & had some really funny lines! ^_^ You should check out the special edition, it's a great DVD & one of the best D&D things done for media, & it will create a fun afternoon as you make the choices the adventurers take... My friends & I had a good time with this one & that is why Lidda was done for my ~Mini-A-Month series. After seeing "Scourge" I had made up my mind that I was going to do an image of Lidda, Regdar, & Mialee, & here is the first of the 3, presented in my card format before the final composition which will be featured on this blog in the future.
Oh Yeah, Did I mention Lidda ROCKS? ^_-

Labor Day is LIDDA Day?!?!

Original Miniature of "LIDDA" can be seen here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mg/20040617a
If you missed out on LYRANDAR SKYFIRE CAPTAIN Please See Below!!:
http://jafaristew.blogspot.com/2007/07/unhallowed-cards-3-mini-month.html

***UPDATE*** My Lidda illustration is the #1 picture in GOOGLE's image search 2008!!

YUU & ME

GO!GO!7188 Pulp ~Summer Grind Version...

I was lucky enough to attend GO!GO!7188's first solo USA tour & reworked my previous art for the "Pulp/Japan Nite" image to reflect Yuu's new outfit with a new background to reinterpret the orange & black theme of the new tour merchandise.
SHOWTIME: 8.7.07 7:30 Peelander Z/GO!GO!7188
Much to my surprise, GOGO is back 5 months after the Japan Nite tour, this time on their own terms! The day kicked-off with the unfortunate circumstance of my good friend Jeff's gf Jamie being sick & the 2 of them not being able to attend because of it. -_- Jeff's a good man & wanted to take care of her, & was kind enough to take us to the train in New Haven, & pick us up & let us crash at his lair anyway. ^_- With his great directions Mike & I hit the train, subway, & the Knitting factory 2 hours early, & I can tell you the line was already formed!! @_@ We landed about 10th in line. It was very structured & on time for any venue. Smart boys that we are... we went staright for the dealers table stage-left upon entering where new shirts & cd's were sold. Upon our entering I immediately spotted my #1 girl YUU (singer/guitarist) standing by the table, fanboy that I am I rushed over to her & asked if I could take my picture with her, she kindly agreed so I wrapped my arm around her waist & had Mike take a snap. followed by me taking one of him & her. It was a DREAM come true. @_@ One of my top 5 J-Rock bands of all time & I get a pic with my #1 mastergirl! Who could ask for more! We grabbed some new shirts & headed towards the front of the stage on YUU's future side. The show opened up with the performance-punk-act Peelander Z, which was very entertaining with their sentai-style outfits & crowd "on stage/off stage" participation. About 10 minutes later GOGO came out plugged in & we were off!! They ripped through a 15+ set of classics from their newest hit & as far back to their orignal debut material. There was a cute interaction with the band that sparred AKKO's new Kiss-egg collection from a NYC toyshop & YUU's love for Crispy Creme dounuts, plus some extended versions of songs played flawlessly. Faves of mine included their cover of "Cutie Honey" as well as the surf-rock anthem "Aa Seishun"... They did 1 encore that included the fan-fave "C7," & were very kind to their adoring NYC fans. When the show concluded MK & I hung out to see if we could score some autographs & you bet we did. I spotted AKKO immediately in the tix hall & tracked her down to sign my "Best Of GO!GO!" CD (she drew a dog & signed her name + bass)... I gave her my sharpie so she could sign more autopgraphs for "un-pened" fans & she thanked me & patted my shoulder. ^_- MK & I immediately tracked down YUU for an autograph in the art gallery/sales room & thanked her & she thanked us...by far one of the BEST show experiences I have ever had with some truly unique experiences, (like meeting the band!!), & I can't say enough positive things about one of my all-time favorite bands GO!GO!7188!!

YUU passionately singing with many complicated inflections in her voice...GO!GO!7188..the whole band...AKKO (bass)/YUU (guitar)/TURKEY (drums)

YUU rocking out!!
YUU's custom Fender Telecaster after the show!!
AKKO signs autographs for fans...w/my sharpie...
YUU & ME!!
Before the concert @ the Tokyo Alice Art Gallery...She is much smaller than I am but I am leaning way down for the picture ^_-...

*Wicked Pictures taken by Chris Para & Mike Kingman, special thanks to Jeff Katin*

Here's some footage of the awesome show from an AKKO fan on YouTube...
Manatsu no Dance Hall...

Band Introduction + Cutie Honey...

BOTCON 2007 ~Art Blog 1 Year Anniversary Post!

WELCOME! My art blog has been open for 1 year now & I thank you for visting, I have made some great friends along the way as well as some future prospects, & I am proud to say I hope we have many more years together as I will be consistant with updating this at LEAST once a month with more art & the stories behind the creations that I bring you! It's been wonderful having you here & I look forward to our future adventures together... To celebrate the anniversary of year 1, here is a portrait of the Classics Version of OPTIMUS PRIME!!!

Not since 1997 have me and my Peeps been to BOTCON, & I am proud to say that 2007 marked our 10 Year Anniversary & return to the greatest Transformer Con in history! Based in Hasbro's home town of Providence RI made it an easy 1 hour trip for us to go, & for a wonderful time at the local covention center & mall. I did this portrait of "Classics Version Optimus Prime" to celebrate one of my childhood heroes & a toyline that has been with me since it's conception in 1984 as well as the 1 year anniversary of this blog. My brothers (one known as the infamous PoweredConvoy) & I have been fans & collectors all these years but have only been able to venture out to one BotCon (in NY) before this summer (Con was held June 28-July 1) & it was nice to be at a smaller convention & close to home as opposed to the trek we are used to for Anime Cons & the like. We were there to meet the guests & pick up the wonderful exclusive collectables for the superb TF Classics line (& more) which offered some of the best figures to date in TF history. We had a chance to see the "Real Optimus Prime Truck" from the 2007 TF Movie in PERSON, this thing was unbelievably gorgeous, if you haven't seen the new TF Movie, ya should, it's great fun & a fresh take on the franchise & made the "Robots in Disguise" larger than life with action packed excitement!To say we met some truly wonderful people is an understatement. We had a chance to get an autograph from TF Legend voice actor Peter Cullen, who voiced both Optimus Prime in the original animated series as well as in the new TF 2007 Movie. The line was long with dedicated fans & even being there early we were lucky enough to be some of the last of that session to get Peter's graces. He was kind enough to sign 2 items. I had him sign my original CS Optimus Prime & the USA release of the 80's Dungeons & Dragons TV Series DVD Box... Much to my surprise Peter did a "Venger Voice-Over" for me and said "THERE IS NO ESCAPE mwahaha ha ha ha!!!" it was amazing...as I thanked him & walked away, he gave me an additional thrill & introduced me to the audience as I was leaving... "Christopher Para Ladies & Gentlemen..." so yeah, having one of the leading movie trailer voice-overs "sign you off" makes you feel like a celeb, what a moment!

Stan Bush was the other reason we had a very special time at BOTCON. Known best for his work on TFTM OST singing the songs "The Touch" & "Dare" is just some of the highlights of this amazing AOR rockers legendary discography.

He put on an amazing concert on the night of the Awards Party for Botcon's premium members, with Hasbro's stellar 80's cover band "The Cusaks." The show included brand new songs like the hot 2007 TF reworked anthem "Til All Are One", ripping melodic new songs "I'll Never Fall" & "I Got A Thing For You" from Stan's incredible 2007 release "In This Life" & the classic TF movie song "Dare", & closed with the new recording of "The Touch"(2007) also from his new release...much to the crowd's suprise, Stan later covered "The Summer of 69" & "Everybody's Working For The Weekend"... Stan was available for autographs all weekend & was very gracious to his guests, being a long time fan I had plenty for him to sign. ^_- We also got to sit & chat with Stan about his career on Sunday on his final panel, he answered all of our questions & was a real class act to his fandom.

REVIEW: STAN BUSH - In This Life
http://www.stanbush.com/
Want to listen to one of the best CD's of 2007, then checkout Stan Bush's official website & order a copy of "In This Life"... as a long-time fan with radio experience I can tell you it is his most electrifying release to date! All of the songs are well-crafted melodic hard rock with hooks that will have you playing the CD again & again. Songs like "I'll Never Fall" & "In This Life" are some of his best anthems to date & should be the new standard for arena rock. Original ventures like the Spanish-flavored ballad "Southern Rain" & the more commercial neo-classically inspired melody of "Waiting For You" are some of Stan's most inspired works yet. Each song sounds like it belongs with the rest of the album & flows from hard rock to power ballads effortlessly with a lyrical focus on the positive aspects of life & getting through those tough times. This album has some of the best moments in his discography like the exciting guitar riffs & solos, keyboard accents, & soaring vocals on songs like "This Moment" or 1 of Stan's new USA exclusive tracks, the sensational TF anthem "Til All Are One", which is a absolute crunching theme & one of my all-time favorite songs in his career. The CD also includes a brand new 2007 recording of Stan's biggest hit "The Touch" which sounds like a fresh take on a true classic. This new CD has a crisp look with some amazing art sure to grab Metal fans & AOR fans alike. I think this is Stan's best release to date & listening will give you a unique experience in your CD library as the 2007 album your friends need to hear.
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Good times with good friends...
I also had a chance to meet & get an autograph from David Kaye who was very comical, & personable ("where you from?") & voiced Megatron since Beast Wars till the present & will be voicing Optimus Prime in the new CN "TF Animated" series. Other fun moments included the Hasbro Panel, where it was revealed that we will be getting more "Classics" figures! And of course the Awards Party, where we got an incredible concert, a bag of very cool free swag including a TF 80's t-shirt, 2007 Movie Poster, & Movie Bumblebee "BEE-OTCH" air freshner. What was also funny was that one of Hasbro's Lead Girl Rep's, the now infamous red-headed siren Vickie, was all over our table & wouldn't give us a break, she wanted us 4 boys out on that dance floor & she wouldn't give up, too funny from a good-looking Hasbro girl with some mean moves...in the end she won. ^_-
http://www.botcon.com/
might post some pics of my mighty swag later in the week...stay tuned...

Unhallowed Cards 3 ~A Mini-A-Month

*UPDATED!! 9.3.07*
Lyrandar Skyfire Captain... A very useful piece for us fans of "Chaotic Good", I know I liked having him on my team. Not a great looking Mini but I tried to do him justice as he has a very LOTR feel to him. This was the last drawing I did for my "Unhallowed Composition" presented here for the 1st time in the D&D ~AMAM Card format I have been working with. I fully plan on finishing the comp... possibly around Halloween time. With DDM 1.0 coming to an end, (as it was annouced in August 2007), I don't how many more of these DDM cards I will actually be doing as I am not sure of my future just yet with the game. The good news is I'm optimistic about the up-and-coming 2.0... And I also have a few drawings of DDM 1.0 that are already completed, & I promise to finish those up ^_- ....plus most of my favorite minis I have never drawn, so I may just get inspired sometime to draw them... Jafari-style!!



You can see the original "Lyrandar SkyFire Captain" Miniature here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mg/un

Unhallowed Cards 2 ~A-Mini-A-Month

Hi!
Here is part 2 of my new personal project for D&D Minatures "A-Mini-A-Month."
This time featuring the "Dwarf Battlerager" from Unhallowed. This was the 1st image I colored for this project (3rd drawn) & he was actually a Chaotic swap suggested by my brother Brian for the "Cormyrean War Wizard" to have the complete Chaotic Good gel for the combined final "Unhallowed" image (still planned). In the meantime enjoy the "Dwarf Battlerager" as the AMAM card version!


This repaint of the "Vampire Hunter" (based on the actual repaint of the VH that was made) , is dedicated to my champion DDM friend Erik Nelson, who has given me & my peeps so much help & time in both the teaching of the game, as well as with beefing-up our collections. He helped to influence me & my friends collecting, as well as definately starting the DDM game with his kindness in helping a group of us see what an enjoyable experience DDM can be. I can't thank him enough... he actually gave me the following mini for my collection! Thanks Erik, this one's for you!