Trip To Japan June 2016!!

Around a year in the making (& 24 in dreaming) , I finally got to scratch off a long-term "bucket list" item and go to Japan this June for about 11 days with some old friends from college.  All I can say is it was the trip of a lifetime and I am so glad that I went.  The kindness of the Japanese is unparalleled and the culture is amazing. Whether your a Japanese pop culture fanatic like myself or love their history, I highly recommend seeing the land of the Rising Sun yourself.  I did 4 J-Rock concerts (1 was 6 hours long!! XD), 1 Castle, Maid Cafe's, Robot Restaurant, Shinkansen, Gundam Cafe, Hibiya Park, Ikebukuro, Akihabara, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Osaka, Shibuya, and much more... I took in as much music, art, culture, anime, and food as I could and I can't wait to go back, as it's a very special place...  ;-)

RISE OF THE BEASTS: Red Panda turnarounds

This character study of the Red Panda was made as part of the promotionals for the ROTB Kickstarter for series 2 by Jon Karis, showing the red panda concept in turnaround action figure format (for a potential series 3 or 4), ...some added correct colors for splash (like in the tail) and she looks ready for action!!
Hopefully we will see this drawing in Glyos figure-form someday soon!!  ;-)

RISE OF THE BEASTS: Red Panda concept

I approached Jon Karis about RISE OF THE BEASTS last year on adding some female figures in the line, the gracious Jon asked me what my thoughts were, & I think to his pleasant surprise came the following concept, a Red Panda martial artist! Inspired by Asian motifs, Thundercats 2011, and my love for character design, I put alot of thought into how "XIAO" would fit into the ROTB Universe. The sword is based of an ancient Chinese sword (as are the Chinese inspired) armor and motifs.  Using what I know about indie production toys I kept the colors to a minimal, affordable palette and both Jon & I love how she came out.  Looking fwd to seeing her appear in the comics written by the one & only Glenn White!I just want to say what a privilege and an honor it has been working with both Johnny & Glenn on ROTB, for both the upcoming comic and being able to create character designs for them.  They have so much amazing stuff planned and I can't thank them enough for the opportunity.  They are both really stand up guys and are a pleasure to work with.  This is just the start of a dream come true for everyone involved and the potential behind the ROTB brand is immeasurable!  =)

In Print...

Got this sweet print in from my buddy Mark Vasquez of my colors on JB Roe's art for Mystical Warriors Of The Ring, hitting the convention circuit starting with Wizard World in Iowa this weekend!  Awesome!