Steve Robbins Art

Ad-Man! Card Game!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Robbins) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 04:53:00 +0000

So what have I been doing for about a year? I've been making a card game called Ad-Man! Ad-Man! is about advertising characters/mascots. Playing the role of an advertising executive, you use mascots to gain the product accounts from clients to sell things like soda pop, baseball teams, and fabric detergent. A round has cumulative turns, so players add more and more mascots into the mix with the hopes of getting a high number, which will win the product. There are a lot of opportunities for creative decision-making. It is my goal to raise (at least) $8,000 to print one thousand decks of this game. And then, to put forth a quality, entertaining product with lots of replay-ability and balance. The majority of the monies raised through Kickstarter will be used for the printing costs, with additional money being used for things like covering the cost of copyright registry, leasing a UPC, and buying a full year of hosting for this site, which will be used to sell decks and promote other gaming concepts. The winner has the most Product cards at the end of the game. Product cards have a symbol, and only mascots with that same symbol are of use in winning the account for that product. Mascot cards have three symbols, each with a value: they’re best for some products, but can be used for others, where that mascot has some appeal. Players take turns playing mascots with the appropriate symbol, until no more can be played in that round. Depending on choices made, players either refresh their hands by 1 or 2 cards at the end of the round. There are many opportunties for creative decision making, and an unexpected level of balance- it is difficult to run away with a crushing lead! There are also additional rules for playing with children, extremely large groups, alone, 2-player, and in a college setting. "What Can I Do To Help?"Great question! with an easy answer. When the Kickstarter is live from May 1st through May 31st, go to the site, find my project, and pledge as little as $20. You can back more money if you want, and there are premium incentives to do so. After you pledge at least $20, tell your friends! Tell anyone you think would either enjoy helping out an independent artist or enjoy independent games, or both! As I say in the video, "the goal is so do-able. Let's make this happen... together!" ... SO! That's what I've been working on. Now here's some mascots. More coming soon! TTYL!

Orange MAN!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Robbins) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 20:21:00 +0000

This is one character that'll appear in my upcoming project, of which I hope to Kickstart very soon. I still need to get some prototypes printed, and of course protect what I've been working on for the better part of a year. But hopefully I'll be able to film the fundraising video soon, and get the ball rolling so I can start selling online without using my regular website.

Whew! It's been quite a fun little experience making this. A lot of great beta testers have helpedme perfectthis game, and I'm very grateful for their assistance!
Trust me, when this is ready to be unveiled, I'll be telling you so much more...

Snowman illustration

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Robbins) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:23:00 +0000

Merry Christmas! And a happy new year!

(even though I'm a day late, and about 2 months from my last post- so much for keeping on track with blogging...)

The little snowman above me here is a part of a card game I've been making. There's so much more involved, but I thought he'd make a cute little mark and establish a little bit of what I've been keeping in darkness...

TTFN!

Card!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Robbins) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 03:33:00 +0000

Happy Halloween! Be safe!

Diagram and Pre-Halloween Nonsense

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Robbins) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:08:00 +0000

Nothing big to report. I did this diagram to explain how to set up a stick-your-head-in-here photo-op stand for the Harriet Alexander Nature Center, which used it for their annual Wild Rice Festival. Here's what it looks like:

Not my best work (I cringe when I see how poorly I did, and still do somewhat, with arms and hands), but it's a cute little thing to do while learning about wild rice harvesting, shopping craft tables, and taking in some Ojibwa dances.

I've been toying with writing a Ghostbusters RPG scenario ever since Gen Con this year. The movie had such an impact on how I look at pop culture, and I shudder to think it might be sequel-ized [poorly], or remade [also poorly]. But the possibilities are endless!

Halloween is coming up, so I thought I'd celebrate a little early with this little animatic from a (gosh) four years ago (?). I think it's pretty fun.

OH! How could I forget this?! I was asked to contribute to the MCAD: The Gathering card game, which was given out at the MCAD reunion party earlier this year. When I get a physical copy, I'll be posting it on my website.

TTFN!

Books for Sale! Buy my books!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Robbins) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:59:00 +0000

I've been talking about this IRL for a while now, and now I've done it: I'm attacking my hoard of books! It's good for the soul, and good in the long run. How often am I actually reading these, for crying out loud?! Not often enough.

Click here to go to the page where I'm selling these to see what I've got to offer. In the mean time, take a gander at a small selection of what I've got to offer here:

TTFN!

Once Again I Return

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Robbins) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 06:43:00 +0000

Hello! Jeez, it's been about a year, hasn't it since I last posted ANYthing. Much has happened, and most of it is on my new website. I guess that's the big thing- a new website! As opposed to this old one.

The shift from Comic Artist Steve to Steve Robbins Art was more practical, as for the last few years, I've moved more toward illustration and design. Right now, I've got a lot of little projects that I've been tinkering with when I'm not at Wet Paint or doing some related freelance. The list includes (in no particular order):

Fake pan-United States gridiron football league history

Non-collectable card game that involves advertising mascots

Pitch to revamp an educational computer game from my childhood (see above illustration!)

Another card game that doubles as an educational tool for college students

The CYOA that I've written about in previous entries

Alcohol label for a band I like and am personally invested in emotionally

Book spot illustrations for a sci-fi book I revere

So: I've got some work to do! Hopefully, I can keep things abreast with this blog once again now. There had been some issues with logging on, since I started using Blogger before Google bought it. But now I've transferred admin rights to my current email address, so that shouldn't be a problem now. Probably.

TTYL!

Going to Indy soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:20:00 +0000

Whoo boy! Almost a year has gone by since I last updated this blog. So what’s gone on?

I’ve finally started work on a game that was going to be a graphical adventure game. But due to technical restrictions (I am restricted by my technical not-know!), that wasn’t possible. So I’ve decided to do it as a Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA). The reasons for this were more practical, sort of.

Since I don’t know programming, but I DO know some workable HTML, I’m writitng the whole thing as an HTML linking game. The true test is how complicated I can make it, in terms of story depth. It’s going to be complicated no matter what, but hopefully the story will hold up and keep you wanting more!

But the biggest thing holding it back (aside from the actual drawing and coloring aspect) is writing the HTML. It’s going to be quite complicated to ensure things like the following:

Hero sasses a teacher once, and is given the option to apologize. If he does, the story goes on as usual, but if he remains flippant, is sent to the principal’s office. If he survives, comes back to class. If he is rude again, and remains a sassy ass, gets sent home.

HOWEVER if the first time he’s rude and apologizes, or isn’t rude, and is rude or not apologetic the second time, he’s sent to the principal and not sent home!

Does that make sense?

The spring and summer has been punctuated by odd little freelance jobs like the above. I can’t go into details, but I’ve been given the A-Ok to show the pic!

(pic of saints board)

I did this spring. The final product is about 3 by 5 feet +/-, and is shown twice on the walls at Midway Field, where the St. Paul Saints minor league baseball plays. The blank spots were later filled with QR scans.

This week I’m going to Gen Con. The pic above is one of 36 of characters designed for a LARP I’m helping run. It takes place in the Falkenstein world, which is Steampunkish, but more fantasy-based. The steam tech is downplayed by the presence of the Faerie, draconian and dwarvish races, as well as magic, etc.

It should be quite a fun evening, and I’ll be sure to post pictures from the convention.

Moved again. That was stressful, but great for my wallet in the end- I can actually walk to work, even if it was snowy!

I’ve set up a nice office area. There’s plenty of space, and I’ve been enjoying making things here.

I’m coming up to two years at Wet Paint, but I’ve been counting Christmases there, which means I’m almost up to my third Christmas. It’s early to think about this, but I’ve been plotting what to do for my yearly Christmas card. We got some neat printing inks from Akua and Daniel Smith.

Oh! I'm taking this to Gen Con too. I'm pleased with it- it's a scene from "The Flying Sorcerers," by David Gerrold and Larry Niven. It's a great book! Look for it!

Well, it's late, and I've got a plane to catch.
TTYL!

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:04:00 +0000

Whoo boy! Almost a year has gone by since I last updated this blog. So what’s gone on?

(pic from Aberdeen)

I’ve finally started work on a game that was going to be a graphical adventure game. But due to technical restrictions (I am restricted by my technical not-know!), that wasn’t possible. So I’ve decided to do it as a Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA). The reasons for this were more practical, sort of.

(pic from Aberdeen)

Since I don’t know programming, but I DO know some workable HTML, I’m writitng the whole thing as an HTML linking game. The true test is how complicated I can make it, in terms of story depth. It’s going to be complicated no matter what, but hopefully the story will hold up and keep you wanting more!

(pic from Aberdeen)

But the biggest thing holding it back (aside from the actual drawing and coloring aspect) is writing the HTML. It’s going to be quite complicated to ensure things like the following:

Hero sasses a teacher once, and is given the option to apologize. If he does, the story goes on as usual, but if he remains flippant, is sent to the principal’s office. If he survives, comes back to class. If he is rude again, and remains a sassy ass, gets sent home.

HOWEVER if the first time he’s rude and apologizes, or isn’t rude, and is rude or not apologetic the second time, he’s sent to the principal and not sent home!

Does that make sense?

(pic of E.I.N.S.tein)

The spring and summer has been punctuated by odd little freelance jobs like the above. I can’t go into details, but I’ve been given the A-Ok to show the pic!

(pic of saints board)

I did this spring. The final product is about 3 by 5 feet +/-, and is shown twice on the walls at Midway Field, where the St. Paul Saints minor league baseball plays. The blank spots were later filled with QR scans.

(pic of PITS character)

This week I’m going to Gen Con . The pic above is one of 36 of characters designed for a LARP I’m helping run. It takes place in the Falkenstein world, which is Steampunkish, but more fantasy-based. The steam tech is downplayed by the presence of the Faerie, draconian and dwarvish races, as well as magic, etc.

(pic of PITS Character)

It should be quite a fun evening, and I’ll be sure to post pictures from the convention.

(pic of office area)
Moved again. That was stressful, but great for my wallet in the end- I can actually walk to work, even if it was snowy!

I’ve set up a nice office area. There’s plenty of space, and I’ve been enjoying making things here.

(Pic of Wet Paint)

I’m coming up to two years at Wet Paint, but I’ve been counting Christmases there, which means I’m almost up to my third Christmas. It’s early to think about this, but I’ve been plotting what to do for my yearly Christmas card. We got some neat printing inks from Akua and Daniel Smith.

(pic of Akua and Daniel Smith inks)

The Akua won’t dry unless it’s on fibre, and the Daniel Smith includes the incredible range of colour that makes them famous. No lapis, but hey! Gotta start somewhere, I guess!

(pic of Michael Harding paint and/or actual Michael Harding)

We had the maker of this oil paint here earlier this Summer, and it’s gotten me interested in oil painting again.

(pic of my painting)

The blue paint is pretty incredible: ACTUAL lapis lazuli from Afgahnistan. The deep rich red in the lower right is a genuine vermillion and made from mercury! The color’s soooo rich and deliciously smooth…

(pic of demo piece)

In the field of Acrylics, I was charged to do some demo pieces for work that focus of the area of acrylic mediums.

(pic of demo piece)

It was a fun experience. I was able to get my hands on some great samples, and made

Monstrous Update! (Pun, cause it's Halloweenish!)

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 05:46:00 +0000

HELLO!

Many apologizes, none of which could possibly be the salve that sates the aching of your hearts that I've not posted in almost two months. For that, I metaphorically offer my own heart as a symbolic act of emotional sacrifice, and urge your forgiveness. I'll try once more to be more... frequent!)

Whew! It's been awhile since I last updated this blog. So what's been going on? Look up, and see! This was my Halloween costume this year, and here's how I made it! (sort of) For those not familiar with the subject, this is Jack Skellington, the protagonist of Disney's Tim Burton Presents The Nightmare Before Christmas, a beautifully animated, bizarre and catchy musical about the leader of the Land of Halloween (literally the personification of the holiday) stealing the role of Santa Claus from Santa himself to execute Christmas his way, to fill the emotional emptiness he felt with the warmth of Christmas. It's cute, and you should see it. I like it...

This is the frame of the costume, huddled up against itself. At ends of the the shoulders and pelvis braces were loop-screws, that were connected to dowels that had similar loop-screws by carabiners that had screw locks. Repeat at the elbows, knees, and so forth.

The first real test. I quite literally have thought of this costume since senior year of high school, but not in the practical sense until about a year ago.

These are part of a sketchbook musing from about a year ago, maybe beginning of the year. I hope they kind of convey what I was trying to get across.

The real inspiration was Julie Tamor's amazing production design and direction of the Broadway version of Disney's Lion King, specifically Timon, the critter on the right. His face is expressionless (or rather, expression fixed), so a lot of his performance comes from the actor/puppeteer's OWN face. Magically, the audience sees one and the other as the same. Having seen it myself, it's truly a neat experience.

My choice to make him a puppet was partially because I'm not nearly gangly enough, and he's so elegant and thin. He's attached with webbing cloth with hooks and clips. His coccyx rests about 2 inches above my navel. The boots and gloves were grommet-ed, and connected to the forearm dowels with carabiners. The gloves then had a skeleton hand glove slipped over it- the only big-store purchase. The glove fabric was too thin, but stretchy to go over a more durable glove.

My other reason for making him a puppet was this looks silly. Available at many fine retailers. I know it's popular but... c'mon!

I covered the chest with armature wire-mesh, and then covered the mesh with papier mache, for durability.

Then the chest and some dowels were spray painted.

I used Montana Gold spray paint. It's wonderful, and available at Wet Paint, where I work. I'm genuinely impressed with it.

As for the head, I covered a balloon in papier mache. But I then strengthened it with rigid-wrap, plaster of paris, and a gel medium to seal the absorbency of the plaster.

Painted it white, painted the nostrils and smile, and then covered it in a lacquer spray covering. His next was reinforced with a PVC pipe, also painted the same white.

He's life size. Here he is, almost completed, in a desk chair.

With me dressed in black, with a matching balaklava, the effect is complete, and he/I/we hit some parties!

Life of the party indeed! As the night progressed at each once we went to, it became clear that keeping my hands and head covered was a little difficult to pull off. WAY TOO HOT indoors!

But we're flexible.

In the end, it was a great project, a fun time, some wonderful parties, and a terrific way to express oneself in an artistic endeavor. Halloween is a time to have fun, and for me, this was one very Happy Halloween!

---

So that's great, Steve- so that's all you did for two months? Of course not. But some of it I can't talk about yet, since it's not live and good to go (of course, the more interesting ones!). But I can show off some stuff I've done.

I actually did this a while ago, but it's been sitting for a while. I don't speak Spanish, but it was fun to research the Latino community for this direct marketing postcard.

I did this design for my girlfriend and myself. I'm not keen on where the Vikings are heading, but I'll do what I can to show my support. Who knows? Maybe an 11th hour save?

The biggest reason I've not blogged as much? I've been working out. A lot. And it's showing. I've spent more time on cardio and weight loss than strength building (not to say I don't occasionally lift a few), and dropped some poundage. I tend to go late at night, and regularly watch Chopped and Next Iron Chef America on Food Network (yes, aware of the incongruity). My picks for the next Iron Chef? I predict Tsai against Tio, but I fear Canora being in the final 2. I don't like his attitude/strategy in non-elimination judging, and I think he gets too flustered in the kitchen.

I realized I'm loosing my hair a while ago, but finally cut it. Here's me as a kabuki.

Here's a Kabuki LEGO Man. The Kabuki LEGO Mans I did a while ago are now featured on Kabuki 21, a great site that has a lot of neat pictures and VERY detailed descriptions of Kabuki theatre. I actually used this site a lot for reference, so when Shôriya Aragorô contacted me to ask if he could display them, it was a lovely and wondrous full circle being completed.

---

It is holiday time at Wet Paint, and pretty soon I'll show off some stuff I'm super excited about. So until then...

TTYL!

Minneapolis Indie Xpo! The Aftermath! (In a good way!) Exclamation marks!

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 05:34:00 +0000

Yours, truly. (the photo is the only one I had of me there, and was taken from a movie clip. Grr.)

A little disclaimer before I begin- despite having the camera in my pocket the whole time, I didn't take very many pictures at MIX. Pretty pathetic, since the event was really awesome!

In what could be the Midwest's answer to MoCCA or APE, about 100 exhibitors showed off their wares. Comics, books, prints, knick-knacks, donuts, and panel discussions, it was a glut of decisions, in the bestest of ways. The biggest exhibitor was Top Shelf Productions, which showed off some new works by Kevin Cannon and Will Dinski. It was pretty neat.

I shared space with Renny Kissling and Will Schar. They're cool dudes! Check out there websites after you go to MY website (updated just an hour ago with details of what I showed off)!

I did a demonstration with was more along the lines of my regular sales pitch at Wet Paint. This isn't the actual video, but it gets the idea across...

Now for some of the aforementioned could've-tried-harder-to-take-some-pics. Better ones can be seen here (thanks group-Flikr!).

The View from my table across the way. I was located in room three, which might not have had the best traffic, but was overall agreed upon was the least humid and hot!

We all got there super early to set up. Here's some of the preparation going on. In a few hours, this place is packed to the gills.

My tablemate and good friend Will Schar. He's a very good colourist, and had some neat prints for sale.

Someone paid with this five dollar bill. Very eerie...

This little comic ended up being a very good seller- but I think I gave away more than I had expected- it's a good ice breaker.

Despite it being on this blog, this series of minis was the most popular. Bar none.

Though this one came a very close second!

I didn't sell as many copies of Hush Fund than I had hoped. But the people who did were very enthusiastic! I'm hoping to sell some at The Source Comics and Games on Snelling and Larpentuer in Falcon Heights/Roseville, Minnesota. You can buy one if you email me, and we'll discuss shipping.

My workspace. Just thought I'd throw that out there...

Well, now that MIX is over, I need an new obsession. I think a really awesome Halloween costume is the next logical step.

TTYL!

Minneapolis Indie Xpo!

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:05:00 +0000

Minneapolis Indie Xpo is happening on August 21st at the Soap Factory in Minneapolis! Come and see me IRL, and see some neat comics!

So this upcoming Saturday is Minneapolis Indie Xpo (MIX). I've got table space, and I'll be selling some mini-comics, a board game, and possibly a music CD. And a slew of prints. It's going to be pretty awesome.

The following is a selection of what I'll be selling. I do plan on adding some prints to the collection, and if I'm lucky, a quick mini or two. So enjoy this preview:

Remember when I had a series of LEGO Mans on this blog? These three minis are collections of these, plus a special non-internet one. Has a full colour cover.

Childhood trauma and drama set against used video game retail.

The silly little comic about solving your problems.

The Burrowed: a story told in pieces of how a monster causes a war in a small rural town.

Back Pages: the journey of self-promotion in a cold and heartless world; collection of my comics I used to advertise my website though a local weekly newspaper.

A linoleum-block printed comic of the reviving effects of art after personal turmoil. Each cover features a unique paper as its cover.

Some old comics from my college days. Not the highest of caliber of my comic work, but hey, someone might be interested. Basically a back-up...

I'm selling an actual board game that I constructed and designed. It's called Hush Fund, and it's like playing Monopoly with nothing but Chance Cards. I've only got ten copies... I'll have a sign-up sheet if anyone's interested, and I've run out...

A shot of what I've got so far...

Whew! That's a lot! So come to MIX! It'll be a hoot!

TTYL!

Baseball? Monsters? Businessmen?

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:04:00 +0000

Wow. I've not updated this for a while. Well, I've been working on things for MIX!

I can't go too detailed about some of the things I'm going to be selling at MIX, but I can sure as hell hint at some. This picture's from a board game....

This is from the most recent piece I'm working on. There's a major element I've blurred to keep some of the surprise...

About 2 months ago, I did this illustration for Twincy, a marketing/branding agency. It was a fun project to make their faces work with the Twin's logo.

The last week was a little nightmare-ish. My website appeared to be be clogged with malware. No idea how, but Google put a flag on it, and would alert viewers that looking at my online portfolio might infect their computer with vicious pornography.
I can say with supreme confidence that that's cleared up, and visiting my website is safe.

Well, I'll try to start updating more frequently. It's been a rush, having something to focus on to get an incredible amount of work done. Stimulating to say the least...

TTYL!

Help!

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:38:00 +0000

After coming to the sad conclusion that an original design for a mold to make multiple plaster casts wouldn't work, I've redone a few.

Help me decide which one to go with! I'm not going to all three, but I'd appreciate your help narrowing it down!

TTYL!

Encaustics!

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Yesterday, a handful of co-workers from Wet Paint and I met up at local artist Jeff Hirst's studio to learn how to use encaustic paint.
Encaustic paint's been around for about 3000 years, but is enjoying an upswing in popularity right about now.

We started met up at Jeff's studio in Northeast Minneapolis- he had prepared six spots, where we shared 3 griddles.

Here are two dollops (?) of cadmium yellow and alizarin crimson. The paint is melted onto the tray directly from a brick of solid wax at 180 degrees!

Very quickly, things got messy. Here's my palette. If the brushes were off the hot plate for a minute, they'd harden as fast as wax cools.

Just another shot of the workspace.

My co-worker Jill is applying oil paint to scratched off parts of the wax. When she wipes away the excess, and fuses the wax with some creme-brule torches,it'll provide a nice solid outline.

This was my first piece. I decided to emulate Fayum mummy portraits, to varying degrees of success.

I entitled this one "Yellow And Green Romantically Pursue Blue As Orange Cries Bitter Tears."

I call him "Snuggles." This one was very popular with my co-workers.

The chinese here says "It'll never end unless the world ends." A bit of dark philosophy I translated into Chinese with the help of Google Translate. The accompanying illustration is a LEGO man getting destroyed. The background plays with some textured paper trapped and burned under wax.

Last one of the workshop for me. I had 5 minutes before we had to start cleaning up.

From another angle, you can see how textured this paint is. Lots of layers built up!

In a bit of other news, I helped paint this photo-op flat for a family friend's (pictured) daughters (not pictured) grad-night lock-in. I actually painted his a month a go, but I figure that now I can reveal it, since the lock-in is long done.

The fjords of Norway with the aurora borealis...

TTYL!

Grand Old Day 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:56:00 +0000

Last Sunday was Grand Old Day, the day Grand Avenue in St. Paul is closed to car traffic, and the street is filled to the brim with people!

At Wet Paint, we give away these "grand-danas," a cloth hanky that we invite the public to decorate with Tee Juice markers by Jacquard. Here's mine.

It was great. I designed this year's Grand-dana, and it was fun to see the variety of differences that people applied to them.

It was a wonderful time had by all!

TTYL!

(Photos courtesy of Wet Paint - Tim Jennen, Virginia McBride, and Langhan Dee, 2010)

Minneapolis Indie Expo

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:57:00 +0000

I'm going to be a part of this! It's going to be awesome. Click on the above graphic, and check out the website! See when it's going on, where it's going on, and who's going on in it!

I've been preparing some comics, prints, and even a board game for this event, and last night, I went to the 24-Hour Kinko's on the corner (sort of) of Snelling and Grand Avenues. Here's what I learned:

1) You CAN make a very decent photocopier print on Jack Richardson brand newsprint, as long as it's cut to the appropriate dimensions.

2) Said newsprint can also be photocopy printed double-sided, with very little (if any) bleed.

3) One photocopy costs 10 cents. But for some weird reason, Kinko's/FedEx decided to add sales tax, so on photocopy is actually 11 cents. I find this perplexing and very strange that they'd insist on that extra cent...

4) Kinko's does not provide dark markers. They offer every other office supply under the sun, but if you need a Sharpie, better hope the staff has one of their own that they'd let you borrow! (Thanks to cute lady at Kinko's)

This week's City Pages comic. I'm not sure if I'm going to re-up for another year, but it has been fun.
OHOHOHOH! One of the comics I'm doing for MIX is going to include all of the City Pages comics. "But Steve! You provide them for free on your website! Why should I drop a dollar or two and buy a printed copy?" Because there's going to be an exclusive bit of content, that's why!

TTYL!

NSFW- Commentary of Current Events

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Sat, 29 May 2010 06:15:00 +0000

For historic reasons, a little context before the illustration.

British Petroleum, better known as BP, is/was a major oil company. An offshore oil rig they owned exploded, and miles and miles of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, and is/was a major disaster.

I really don't do dirty or questionable material often. But I don't think I've seen anyone make this connection. Especially with BP's contrived system to stop the leak. If you think this is humorous, make this a meme. I'd love to see TIME magazine mention this. Or maybe Dan Savage.

Recently, this image was taken down by Photobucket. This is the second time they've done this, which is making me question how safe my work is if I want to show it off to the world. There is nothing inherently wrong with this image. It is not being used for what is usually used for (google it if you don't know, but keep in mind it is NSFW if you do)- it is a stretch if they took it down for implicit sexual reasons. It bothers me that I had to find another way to post it. So the final analysis? Second strike, Photobucket.

Logo, Somewhat NSFW illustration, and Acrylic Paint

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Sat, 29 May 2010 05:10:00 +0000

Well, it's been about a month or so since my last post- so what have I been up to? That I can post?

Come to Wet Paint on June 6th! We're going to give away "grand-danas" and you can decorate them using Jacquard tee-juice markers! Going to be a lot of fun. I designed this year's Grandana.

This little logo was done for the Harriet Alexander Nature Center. They've got a really neat boardwalk in a large marsh, and after years of deterioration, they're finally revitalizing the boardwalk. Parts of it are VERY gnarly, and contributing some dollars to making it easier to see a thriving ecosystem is a worthwhile cause.

My friend Anna routinely asks cartoonists in the Twin Cities (and beyond) to draw her nude/naked. It doesn't matter if it's accurate at all, it's an exercise in community and fun. Here's mine. Pretty tame, but spunky!

Update: Apparently, a rather chaste drawing of a nude is too shocking for Photobucket. If they do this again, this might be the push I need to switch to Flickr. Just saying.

This project is sort of on a pause, but I think it'll be revived soon (why will be explained shortly). Noise music/found-sound music. Going to kick some ass.

This is an idea I've been playing with for a while. For a long while. I figure putting some of the development process online and public is a great way to get the job done! Here's some variations.

More on this soon.

Big news:

I'm moving to Saint Paul in June. I'm very excited about this! Have a great memorial day!

TTYL!

Rogaria in City Pages/Prom Night

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Last week was CityPages' Best of the Twin Cities issue. Easily the best issue of the year, with a glossy cover (the rest of the year, the cover is printed on newsprint), it's chuck-full of reviews for things like "Best Hot Dog," or "Best Place To Go On First Date."
So to celebrate, and as a shout out to some friends, I asked this one be on the back. A nice little reference to Rogaria, a fictional country that Orkestar Bez Ime comes from.

Last Saturday was the Lake Champlain Senior Prom. I was hired to do some caricature for the night, and this couple was the last of the evening. Good luck you two!

TTYL!

Some Art Related Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:12:00 +0000

Whilst looking for an old video on Sesame Street about the Space Program, I found this:

Which lead to this:

And this:

And finally this:

TTYL!

Daniel Smith Watercolor - Brief History of Some Pigments

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:43:00 +0000

Well, a few weeks ago, I said I'd do something with Daniel Smith, my favorite watercolor paint. So here's a condensed bit of what I love, and a little bit of a history lesson.

TTYL!

Post 100! Also, some colour illustrations!

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:15:00 +0000

Wow! I've just posted my 100th blog post. I started this blog a year and a few months ago, and in that time, I've worked some amazing freelance, spent the summer as a cashier at Linder's, and begun a terrific job at Wet Paint. I've also had a few life changes that have shaped my perspective, and look forward to another 100 posts!

This is what I can show you of a speculative piece I've been illustrating with Pamela Gerke, a writer, teacher, musican/singer, and arts educator in Washington state. It's also a piece that shows the water colour painting I've been doing in the last week or so.

Some of the colour was made with Daniel Smith Water Color Paint. It's amazing, and I guarantee that I'm going to describe this amazing paint (that we conveniently sell at Wet Paint...) in my next post.

This character design is just for fun, based on a German art materials company logo that I'll keep nameless...

I have no idea. I'm going to start posting old sketchbook drawings, and I could see no other than this to start it off. Comments?

Hope you had a happy Easter!
TTYL!

Maxon Screen-Tone Pattern Demo!

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:17:00 +0000

Filmed a few days ago at Wet Paint, here's the fruit of that labor! Enjoy!

TTYL!

A slew of black and white

noreply@blogger.com (Comic Artist Steve) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:33:00 +0000

© Steve Robbins, 2010

We're selling screen tones at Wet Paint. I've been playing around with these things, and there's going to be something interesting connecting me and these screen tones next week. It's obsolete technology, since it's pretty easy to use Photoshop, but that's sort of the point. It's raw, real, and retro.

This one is also using screen tones. For these two pieces, I've used CB349, CB333, CB322, and CB305. It's been fun trying these out. Also? A political message that can be used ANYtime politicians try to convince us they're up for bipartisanship!

This weeks and last weeks City Pages back-pages comics.

I cannot believe I forgot to post this on this blog! I did this comic for AZIA, a neat Asian-fusion restaurant with a wide-range of saké and sushi. It's on the back cover of the program for The Brave New Workshop, an improv theatre. Senator Al Franken cut a lot of teeth there before he wrote for Saturday Night Live!

TTYL!