zillustration studio news

Interstellar Overdrive at ShenMoCA Jan-April 2022

2022-01-18T10:59:00.001-05:00

Harvey Wienstein - Dancing with Walker

2020-02-25T11:07:00.001-05:00

Goals for 2020 - New Whiteboard in the Studio

2020-02-09T19:31:00.003-05:00

My first post for 2020... Hoping all are well. I've been teaching a various colleges, while designing and illustrating books and comics. I've bought a sheet of "whiteboard" material, and have a list of 10 items on there as goals for the new year. i've been able to cross off two of them already; one logo and one book cover. The main hope is to publish two long term projects by the end of the year. The drive to keep working on them as been apparent, but without a nagging phone app, or boldly lettered whiteboard, the deadlines were never set. This way, the board is in front of my face with each trip to the studio. i've found it extremely useful already, and i'm only a month into the experiment. i'll try to keep postings here, on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Thanks for keeping the faith. I'll be more diligent with my posts.

Scallop Shell Wax Casting

2019-12-24T10:58:00.001-05:00

Paul Zdepski's Speech, May 18, 2019

2019-05-19T13:27:00.001-04:00

Catrina Carving

2017-11-12T12:43:00.001-05:00

Editorial Gig

2017-03-09T10:18:00.000-05:00

If you don't know already, I had taken on a gig with a regional newspaper to do editorial cartoons. Editorial cartoons are an entirely different animal than graphic novels, gags or humor strips. I've always been an editorial cartoonist to one degree or another, going back to my college days and my submissions to "The Signal" and the underground zine, "Surplus Value" out of Trenton NJ. Both were unpaid, and as I look back on my submissions, I should be ashamed if I accepted money for the crap I gave them. Last summer a Facebook friend tossed me a lead about the Loudon Tribune in Sterling VA needed a cartoonist. I met with the editorial board and publisher, gave them a low price per cartoon, and went home to await the editorial stories. I did a few, but I have to tell you that a newspaper's opinion it's not always something you can get excited about... highway work, school board uproar, new mayor's trip abroad... feel enthused??? However there are some gems; like Heroin being trucked through our region, Big Data Farms popping up on what was historically farmland, etc. I feel stories like these are something I can get behind and really put my voice to the issues. As an illustrator, I take sides all the time. Here I am able to chime in, and hopefully give the reader added perspective on the problems they face. Feel free to wander over to the Loudoun Tribune and check them out.

Moon Pie Guitar - 3-string fretless

2016-12-24T16:49:00.001-05:00

My second Guitar - I hope you like it.

Letters from the Fourth Grade

2016-04-08T10:49:00.001-04:00

I was invited to speak at a regional elementary school about creating comics. I packed a crate of sketchbooks, sculptures and books I use while brainstorming, along with a comprehensive PDF of my work over the last 25 years. The kids were working on a 12 page graphic novel about the Revolutionary war (1775-1783), and were required to include a number of facts about it in their stories. Each kid had to include two characters: Local Assembly Guy and Loyalist Man. (I think better names are in order for next year's group)

I told them about brainstorming, word association with a Thesaurus, Character naming with Rhyming Dictionaries, Period clothing and supporting object research, and character sheets depicting multiple angles and views.

I burned up 2 hours and thanked them for inviting me. It was a real fun time. I drew two characters when I got home, and email it to the teacher to print for the class: Patriot Parrot and Tory Turtle.

A week later, I was in the Produce aisle of the local store, and I hear;

"MR. ZDEPSKI!!! MR. ZDEPSKI!! Remember Me? I was in Mrs. D's class! I love comics! Thank you for "Patriot Parrot" and "Tory Turtle" Thanks for coming!"

-- and he was gone! There is no reason a 9 year old would be in the Produce Aisle, except to deliver a message.

I got an email from Mrs. D. last weekend to come to the after-school Book Fair to see the top 4 picks from the class. They were super! I was supposed to vote for my favorite, but each one exhibited great promise in art, storytelling, humor and pacing. I couldn't pick a winner... The teachers let me write in a vote for each of them.

I was bidding goodbye to the instructor, when she handed me a pile of "Thank You" letters from the kids. I read them when I got home... Very funny - lots of drawings and "kid logic".

The best of them were these:

Dear Mr. Zdepski, Thank you for teaching my class. I was not here, but I seen your art and it is beautiful. I wish I was there. Sincerely Davon R.

To Mr. Zdepski Thank you for coming. Although I wasn’t here. I’m still happy you came for my friends. From Connor

Dear Mr. Zdepski, Thank you for taking your time to come into our class to give a wonderful presentation! Even though I wasn’t there to see you, we love the pictures. From Piper H.

Dear Mr. Zdepski Thank you so much for coming to our classroom and telling us about your comics. I wasn’t in school that day, but everyone says you did a great job. - Eleanor H.

To: Mr. Zdepski Thank you for teaching our class about comics, even though I want not there!!!! Awesome Logan

WinLife TV Interview

2016-03-02T16:48:00.001-05:00

Opening Night Interview with David Paul Perry and WinLife TV

Here it is... Daniel Rioux and I are interviewed about our work on WinLife TV, on February 23rd, 2016. Dan looks good on camera, though I seem to have a face for radio.

Museum of the Shenandoah Valley Curator, Cory Garman tries to make me look legit. It doesn't work, but thanks!

Hit the little box in the lower corner to enter FULL SCREEN viewing - My big head will scare your cats.

The show is up until April 17th, 2016 if you'd like to see it in person.

The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

Breakfast Time

2016-03-02T14:04:00.001-05:00

Breakfast Time

Page 38 in the latest Magic Bullet Issue 12, from your pals at the D.C. Conspiracy. DCC is a comics collective in the Washington D.C. region, publishing the Magic Bullet twice a year - FREE to the public at Comic-Cons, Metro Stations, Bookstores, Comic Shops and Music stores.

Comics at the Museum

2016-02-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

Super endorsement for my show at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley:

ME: "Here's two stacks of Magic Bullet Comics to give to patrons when they visit the show... one of the pieces on the wall is on page 34."

Lady 1: "OOoooo!!! Do you like comics? Have you been in the gallery? They're FUNnnEEEEE... I laughed out loud!"
Lady 2: "Yeah, and I'm originally from New Jersey, and there's one called "Down the Shore!"... that's what we called it!...

Lady 3: "You'll really like it. Have you seen it?"
ME: "Yes, I've seen them.... I'm the one that drew 'em!"

AHAHAHAHAH
SCORE!

Showing NOW through April 17th
OPENING on Tuesday, Feb 23rd 6-8 pm.

Christmas Card

2015-12-24T08:48:00.000-05:00

I'm too lazy to send out Christmas cards this year. I apologize to the wonderful people that thought of us, but I dropped the ball. I hope you'll accept this wish of a happy Christmas and prosperous New Year from all of us in the Z household. May St. Nick-o-tine bless your home with the smell of a wet ash tray tonight.

A Thanksgiving Tiffin

2015-11-30T13:22:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is about a Sikh mechanic stepping in and saving my brother as his jack gave way whilst changing a tire in the pre-dawn darkness. The Sikh mechanic held the truck from tumbling down upon my squatting brother.

Thanksgiving is about a Sikh mechanic offering to cook my brother dinner, because there was "no need to thank him – it was God that saved my brother."

Thanksgiving is about a Tiffin, the traditional lunch pail filled with curried chicken and other good things from that Sikh mechanic’s kitchen.

Thanksgiving is my brother filling that same lunch pail with a full turkey dinner and assorted desserts – delivered to that Sikh mechanic working at the garage on Thanksgiving Day.

--- Be thankful for your immigrant neighbors. They’re good people.

Inadaquate

2015-10-13T12:57:00.001-04:00

it’s been two hours and my heart is still racing with adrenaline. I was driving north on I-81 when a few hundred yards ahead a kid in an old Hyundai came careening across the center grass median and slammed into a sedan in the fast lane.

I saw spray of steam and smoke coming from the kid’s car (I call him a kid because he had two big Kicker sub woofers in his back seat and a thin build). The other car was 100 feet down in the ditch on the right side of the northbound lane… Each car had to have been nearing 80 mph, with a total force of 150+mph when they hit each other.

I put on my flashers and hopped out of my car - grabbing my small first aid kit, and a two foot 3/8 driver extension I had in my trunk… Both items were not the tools for the job. The first aid kit had burn ointment and band aides, the socket extension bent like a boomerang when I tried to use it to pry open the driver’s door.

The kid was unconscious and sideways in his seat, with his back to the driver’s door, airbag deployed and seat slammed forward. His breathing was labored… then that stopped. I put my hand on his neck to check for a pulse. I couldn’t feel any. THEN he took a deep labored breath. I could tell he was broken up inside. No blood anywhere.

I stroked the side of his neck where I felt for a pulse, then lightly patted his head and cheek, saying “You’ve been in an accident, we’re trying to get the door open. Everything will be ok…”

I had no idea if it would be.

With three of us working on the door - we couldn’t get it open. I jumped around to the other side of the car and was able to release the driver’s seat slider, so his chest was off the steering wheel. Nothing else would budge… not the seat angle lever or door. He was stuck until the real Emergency Responders arrived. I prayed the car wouldn’t burst into flames.

More commuters trotted up on the scene. I knew I was at the limit of my abilities. As I returned to my car I saw the other car down in the ditch. The folks viewing that vehicle were just standing there… it must have been obviously a futile situation. I continued to my car to move it out of the way for the Police, Fire and Ambulances.

An hour later, I asked one of the VDOT workers how the kid was doing. He said they were trying CPR on him, but it didn’t look good. The ambulance drove off, but not at any speed… not a good sign.

Another hour later, They waved us on after sweeping all the glass, metal and spilled oil. My car wouldn’t start. I had left my flashers and headlights on the entire time. My battery was dead.

I’m feeling a bit inadequate right now. My pry bar didn’t work, my First Aide kit was strictly for boo-boos, not accidents, and my presence of mind was such that I didn’t think to shut off my lights. Thank you to the VDOT worker that gave me a jump from his battery pack.

God bless the two families as they have to deal with the tragic loss of these two people. I know I’m going to hug my wife and kid when I get home.

Oct 14
Wednesday's Northern Virginia Daily:
"Two people died and a third was injured in a three-vehicle accident Tuesday morning on Interstate 81 in southern Frederick County.
Sgt. F.L. (Les) Tyler of the Virginia State Police identified the fatalities as Tyler Scott Marshall, 19, of Wardensville, West Virginia, and Kathleen Haugen, 54, of Florida."

I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Tyler. I hope you're at rest. Kathleen, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I hope both of your families find peace in this tragedy.

November 6
I've spent a few days planning and executing a small Dia de los Muertos cigar box memorial for Tyler. I downloaded a few pictures of him, his wife and daughter from the web. When I attended his funeral, they played a number of songs he loved, like Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", and a selection his mother chose, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man". Both selections were appropriate and hauntingly sombre in that setting. Since I had to teach a class at the Shenandoah Arts Council on the Day of the Dead traditions, I used this opportunity to create this box. I hope to give it to his family, but it's going to be very awkward to approach them.

The guitars are cut out on my bandsaw, shaped and painted with enamels. The Martin Acoustic is out of Red Oak, and the Gibson SG is out of Maple. The box is roughly 12" x 12" x 3".

This Old Desk

2015-09-14T10:24:00.001-04:00

This old desk wasn't the most expensive item in the shop when new in the 1890s. In fact, it was mostly machine made with cheap pressed hardware and box nails holding the pigeon holes in the writing area. It was made out of red oak with dovetailed poplar drawer backs.

The story goes that during his teenage years, my father worked for a local farmer in Kingwood, New Jersey. This was the 1930s, and he labored hard for whatever they would give. He saw this desk was being discarded (or sold), and he bargained with the farmer to buy it. After buying it, he had to get it home... So he carried it for three miles.

He trudged past the property where the local New Jersey Bund was teaching children of German decent how to Goose-step and wave Nazi flags. He carried the desk until his back went out. This was the first of many times he would injure his back.

Dad went off to college in Chicago and Connecticut, with his desk stored at home. He ventured to Alaska, and eventually back to New Jersey to start his family. That same desk would become a fixture in our home as the children grew, eventually handed off to the older boys to help with their studies, landing in the boy's room in the basement - becoming my place to draw and paint.

One day in the 1970s, I got curious. The lion's head pull on the slant top was staring at me from my bed... What was he hiding? I found a screwdriver and pulled the lion from the oak writing surface. Inside I found a note!

"Congratulations, You have the same curiosity I had. It is March, 23 1965. The Gemini capsule is orbiting the earth. -- Mark Zdepski"

My older brother Mark had place a time capsule inside. I was opening it over 10 years later. He was in Alaska working as a Geologist on the oil pipeline.

This old desk got abused by my studio habits... Cadmium red and yellow smears, spills of India ink and multiple scars from Xacto knives. Each year getting trashed a bit more.

My younger brother James took the desk with him as he built his home and family. The desk found its way from the upstairs to the garage as it fell further into disrepair. Twenty-five years later I got the phone call.

"You want that old desk?"

"YES!"

So I traveled to the Delaware Valley and picked it up. I was able to shoehorn it into my Nissan to get it back to Virginia, but just barely.

I spent 2 days washing and scraping, gluing and screwing, lightly sanding and waxing to get it into a stabilized situation. This desk has little monetary value, but it does have family history. I've fixed it to the point that it should make it through another 50+ years of service.

Now serving my son Nikita, as he starts his first year of high school and adds his own stories to the desk.

and yes, I've added a time capsule of my own:

"For my father, Stephen Zdepski, who carried this desk three miles on his back. For my brother Mark, who wrote a time capsule about the Gemini Astronauts. For the years of service this desk gave me as I prepared for Art School, and for my son Nikita, as he begins High School. Much Love, Paul Zdepski - Sept 13, 2015"

Lecture: Printing Your Own Mini-Comic

2015-07-16T10:59:00.001-04:00

SATURDAY, July 18 2015: 1 until 2: Printing Your Own Mini-Comic - I will be giving a talk on how to print your own Mini-Comic with both lo-tech and high-tech options. I'll even give you a link to a Word doc for an 8-page "Signature". You can just replace the panels with your own and print! Come to the Shenandoah Arts Council, 811 South Loudoun Street in Winchester VA to spend an hour with Paulie Z, winner of the 2011 SPACE prize for best Mini-Comic at the Small Press Expo!

Nixon, Ladd and Chicken Little

2015-07-13T14:17:00.001-04:00

A tale of three friends: One of my best friends had portrait of Ex-President Richard Nixon hanging over his pillow above his bed - FULL SIZE knock-off of the official presidential portrait. I thought it strange, since it was the late 1970s, and public opinion was such that he was considered a disgraced president.

My other close friend had a poster of Cheryl Ladd stepping out of the water. This seemed more appropriate for a pubescent teenager with girls on the brain. Although quite unique, since the crowd was generally hanging the famous portrait of Farrah Fawcett in the Red One-Piece.

I can't remember anything on my walls beyond a map of the world, a few hotrod pictures and a 1968 blacklight Anti-war poster saying "Chicken Little Was Right".

One friend went on to become a police captain. The other became a successful salesman. I'm not sure how any of these images influenced the outcome of our trajectory.

I do know I haven't been very Pro-War.

Travels With Eric - Personalized Illustration

2015-06-30T09:40:00.001-04:00

Travels With Eric
Digital Illustration, 10" x 17"
This is a birthday present to an Medical Doctor who's a fly fisherman, born in Portland Maine, went to Tufts University, did his Medical Internship in San Francisco CA, taught at Harvard, loves Lake Winnisquam NH, has 6 kids and 3 grandkids, met his wife in Trenton NJ, lives in a small town in Virginia, loves gardening, has two dogs, one black, one white, loves traveling to Europe...
Won a bunch of swimming trophies, a past president of Trout Unlimited VA, loves bonefishing in Abaco, Bahamas...
oh, and he's very proud to be born Jewish (Star of David around Stork's neck)... I think I crammed it all in there.
Trying to keep the retro feel.

Another Satisfied Customer!!!

"Paul !!
The print was a huge hit. It made me look like a hero, and it was all you. This was an "all weekend" party and my brother in law said yesterday "my favorite part was the gift from you"
My nieces husband that doesn't really react much about anything went on and on about how great it was.
Thank you so much.
You are very talented and that was appreciated by my entire family in helping us present the most perfect gift.
Thanks again.
Judy"

I love it when a plan comes together.

Narwhal - Simple Automata

2015-06-12T10:42:00.001-04:00

Tarnations!

2015-05-11T07:42:00.001-04:00

My buddy Michael (a Swede) has picked up an old prospector's term and made it his own. I catch him on the gamer site, Twitch, which streams live play from people all around the world. Michael is what I'd call a humble gamer. There is no pretense or trash talk about how great he is, or how awful someone else has played. He's just there to experience it all.

I am struck by the way he will open a game he has never played... no clue about what the "official play guide" says. He just starts going whole-hog. When he gets stuck or killed "TARNATIONS!" in a Swedish accent reverberates. His gaming channel is stocked with videos of him crashing and burning, but all the time laughing about it all. No attitude, just honest gaming fun. LanokirX is his name, and Tarnations! is his game.

American Heritage Dictionary TARNATION:
tar·na·tion (tär-nā′shən) New England & Southern US
n.
The act of damning or the condition of being damned.
interj.
Used to express anger or annoyance.

As a disclosure, I play a couple of games, but not as a gamer. I'm just an old dude that loved them from the Colecovision days. I think twitch has opened my eyes to where the gaming culture and art form has grown.

As a point, I try not to spend too much time online, but having LanokirX steaming in the lower left-hand corner of my screen as I'm working on a project is like listening to a radio show. The guy cracks me up.

Carving the Bluesman

2015-05-03T15:39:00.000-04:00

Bluesman in Cherry

Here is my next Automata - In honor of BB King, my Dad and all the older dudes banging away at their instruments. I'll post the action of the Strummer when I finish it.

Carving Station

Here's where I do it all - Outside, on two large Trashcans. I don't want the dust in my studio, so I let it fly around the neighborhood. My neighbors must hate me...

Shark Bait - Automata

2014-11-09T11:46:00.001-05:00

Shark Bait - Automata

Carved White Pine mounted on hard maple base - Steel Wire Mechanism 18" long x 11" high and 4.5" at the shark's fins.

I bought a book called Making Simple Automata by Robert Race a couple of weeks ago. It took forever to be delivered, since it came from the UK. The book is light on step by step, but has a few interesting designs. I'm trying to find new options for mechanisms, and the bent wire cam shaft looked promising. I don't have the tools or dexterity to make super clean 90 degree bends in the wire. Likewise, the wire has a memory of the spool it came on, so the straight runs look wiggly too.

I think I will find a way to reproduce the mechanism in wood or shaping flat steel or brass to create the gearing.

Baby Elvis

2014-10-06T09:41:00.000-04:00

Carved on Sunday morning, Sept 5th from a small piece of maple. My son and I were raising dust working on our projects in the driveway. We've found that Dremel products can't handle the amount of stress we put on our tools. We broke two (update: THREE) Flexible Shaft extensions in the last three weeks. The steel that Dremel uses for their drive shaft can't handle the torque. They twist apart after a few hours of use. Time to save our pennies for a Foredom carving station. My son is working in Basswood, and I'm working in Figured Maple.

Baby Elvis is going to be Automata Number 2. I want to get his jaw shaped and moving before investing time in carving the body and making the gears function for strumming the guitar and singing.

DAY 2 - New guitar, body and arms...

It should be a fun project.

Catrina in the Altar

2014-09-03T14:52:00.001-04:00

I've been on a carving kick for the upcoming "Day of the Dead" Workshop I'm giving on the 13th of September. I wanted to have something new and awesome for the lecture - Spur on creative juices in the crowd. I hope it does the trick. Here's the progress so far.

NOTE: The Tall Catrina is too big for placement within the mouth of the Skull Altar, so she's been sold to a friend in Brooklyn. Little Sister has had her tenon cut, and has been fitted into the Altar piece. I'll post more pics as I progress.