Die Everyday ::: Chris Hajny

Bad Cat

2012-01-09T11:58:00.003-06:00

I did this for the Kitty Committee topic on Super Awesome Art Challenge.

It was kind of tough because I not terribly great at drawing girls. And backgrounds aren't my favorite. ALSO, even though I do draw a lot of cats, they usually have an odd shape like this one.

And check out a bigger version here!

Happy Holidays! Welcome to 2012!

2012-01-01T19:03:00.000-06:00

I made this for Ten Paces and Draw's Snowglobe Party!

Happy Holidays! Hope 2011 didn't suck! If it did, maybe 2012 will be better!

Final patterns (kind of)!

2011-12-15T20:06:00.000-06:00

Alright this is it! The final Daily Pattern post!

Ok, that's a lie. Because I missed a few along the way and I fully intend to make them up ASAP. But as for these massive pattern dumps, this is the last one... expect more detailed, reasonable posts from now on.

Maybe one of these days I'll do a short postmortem on the experience and occasional pain of having to make a piece of semi-complicated piece of art everyday in addition to a full workload of design, life and business upkeep.

But for now: enjoy this last dump of patterns!

Topic: Thankful!

Topic: Snowman!

Topic: Geo!

Topic: Owls!

Topic: Ring!

Topic: Paisley!

Topic: Shoes!

Topic: Fresh!

Topic: Babies!

Topic: Eyes!

Sweet, sweet patterns.

2011-12-12T13:59:00.000-06:00

Topic: Fantasy!

Topic: Game!

Topic: Wild West!

Topic: Myth!

Topic: Luxury!

Topic: Storm!

Topic: Halloween!

Topic: Eco!

Topic: Vacation!

A bunch more patterns.

2011-12-06T14:49:00.001-06:00

Topic: Black and Orange!

Topic: BFF!

Topic: Plant!

Topic: Versus!

Topic: Sea Mammals!

Topic: Sledding!

Topic: Party!

Topic: Chemistry!

Topic: Late Nights!

Look, patterns!

2011-11-30T19:38:00.000-06:00

Topic: Creep!

Topic: Cake!

Topic: Nerdville!

Topic: Wrestling!

Topic: Death!

Topic: Butterfly!

Topic: Nice!

Topic: Ditzy!

Surpise! Patterns!

2011-11-27T11:22:00.000-06:00

Topic: Harvest!

Topic: Bad Habit!

Topic: Burst!

Topic: Tribal!

Topic: Jump!

Topic: Triangle!

Topic: Brisk!

Topic: Play!

Patterns Brrrrap Brrrrrap!

2011-11-17T09:12:00.000-06:00

Topic: Rock Star!

Topic: Jungle!

Topic: New!

Topic: Lazy!

Topic: Botanical!

Topic: Facial Hair!

Topic: Snakes!

Topic: Rodents!

Topic: Road Signs!

Have some pattern action.

2011-11-10T11:01:00.000-06:00

Topic: Deer!

Topic: Rainy Day!

Topic: Los Angeles!

Topic: Muscle!

Topic: Internet!

Topic: Haunted!

Topic: Trees!

Topic: Winter!

We need moar patterns!

2011-11-02T10:54:00.000-05:00

Topic: Song Titles! (Every Rose Has Its Thorn)

Topic: Instant Breakfast!

Topic: Hand Tools!

Topic: Celebration!

Topic: Teapot!

Topic: Pattern!

Topic: Freebie Friday!

Topic: Dots!

Topic: Abstract!

Pitter-Patterns

2011-10-25T01:43:00.000-05:00

Topic: Dedication to a Friend!

Topic: Family!

Topic: Cocktails!

Topic: Lover's Lane!

Topic: Dance Club!

Topic: Snack Food!

Topic: Boots!

Topic: Grown-Up!

Pat-pat-patterns

2011-10-17T01:33:00.000-05:00

Topic: Science!

Topic: Candy!

Topic: Hairy!

Topic: Fire!

Topic: San Fransisco!

Topic: Airplane!

Topic: Sparkle!

Topic: Summertime!

Topic: Tires!

Guess what? More patterns!

2011-10-10T18:40:00.001-05:00

Topic: Toys!

Topic: Fish!

Topic: Desert!

Topic: Fork!

Topic: Wedding!

Topic: Song Bird!

Topic: Mice!

Topic: Milk!

Topic: Bulb!

Topic: Fourth of July!

Some More Patterns! More!

2011-09-30T18:31:00.003-05:00

Fell behind again! Still got a looong way to catch up on! So here we go!

Topic: Hair Products!

Topic: Quilt!

Topic: Minneapolis!

Topic: Recess!

Topic: Dog Accessories!

Topic: Date Night!

Topic: Band Aid!

Topic: Circus!

Ten Paces and Draw! Grease!

2011-08-21T23:33:00.002-05:00

Once again, I've contributed to the always awesome Ten Paces blog! The topic this week was Greaser/Rockabilly!

Naturally, I was inspired by one of my favorite movies, Grease!

I sent off this sketch, which was finished by the super talented Katie Turner. You can see the final here!

I was tasked with interpreting a sketch by Paul Windle. You can see the sketch here and you can view the final in more detail on my flickr page!

Patterns non-stop!

2011-07-30T18:05:00.000-05:00

Topic: Keys!

Topic: Bowtie!

Topic: Father's Day!

Topic: Hands!

Topic: Airmail!

Topic: Yoga!

Pa-pa-pa Patterns!

2011-07-29T17:54:00.002-05:00

You can tell how far I'm trailing behind our Daily Pattern updates, because here's a pattern celebrating 100 patterns, and now we're well above 250. We're probably closing in at 300, if I'm not mistaken (and I might be).

So, here's a few more patterns!

Topic: In honor of (over) 100 Patterns!

Topic: Dean!

Topic: Backyard!

Topic: Amphibian!

Topic: Bikini!

Pattern Catch-Up

2011-07-16T10:30:00.001-05:00

Still playing catch-up! I figure I'll try to grab 5 patterns at a time and post them until I'm caught up!

Topic: Fall!

Topic: Whistle!

Topic: Gardening!

Topic: Bear!

Topic: Childhood!

Waaaaay behind

2011-07-15T00:26:00.002-05:00

I feel way behind on posting my daily patterns here. I'm going to attempt to catch up with a few purging posts. Starting now!

Topic: Writing Utensil!

Topic: Easter Eggs!

Topic: Screw!

Topic: Treasure Hunt

Topic: Racetrack!

Ten Paces and Draw: Handsome Gents!

2011-06-25T22:45:00.003-05:00

I participated in Ten Paces and Draw again! This time the topic was Handsome Gents!

I did a sketch of some handsome gents (everyone's handsome to someone, right?) waiting in line to have their hearts broken, which Kate Haberer was given to finish!

And I finished up a dapper fellow as sketched by the super talented Mary Kate McDevitt!

Weee! Also, I'm still doing Daily Pattern, but I'm too lazy to post it here (it's a lot of work!). I'll probably start doing a weekly wrap up, but don't forget to just look at all the patterns on the newly redesigned Paper Bicycle blog!

Ten Paces and Draw! Pattern!

2011-06-17T11:40:00.005-05:00

Our friend Alyssa Nassner runs a sweet collaborative blog called Ten Paces and Draw. On Monday, a topic is given and a group of chosen artist create a sketch. The sketches are swapped and everyone finishes the piece they were given. On Friday the results are posted. Fun! Scary! Exciting!

This week everyone at Paper Bicycle contributed, so it was a lot of fun, a bit of a struggle and crazy to squeeze in with Daily Pattern still ongoing...

This week the topic was Pattern!

Here's a sketch I sent on Monday:

And here you can see how Alyssa herself finished it up.

I was given a Revolutionary War-themed sketch and here's my final:

(large version here.)

You can see Rachel Dougherty's original sketch here.

See all the this week's entries here!

More Patterns!

2011-05-24T23:30:00.003-05:00

Oops. I've been so busy making patterns for the Paper Bicycle Daily Pattern that I forgot to post them here!

So here's a quick round up of the last few days...

Topic: Suitcase!

Topic: Aspirin!

Topic: Groupie! (make sure to read that last post for a sweet Keenan and Kel reference!)

Stay tuned for more!

Pastry Puff.

2011-05-20T14:59:00.002-05:00

Daily Pattern topic: French Pastries!

What my pattern lacks in originality it more than makes up for in pastel colors.

Spa-cial.

2011-05-19T00:42:00.003-05:00

I was going to go simple with a raindrop on water pattern for the Daily Pattern topic 'Spa,' but then I remembered Iceland's Blue Lagoon, and instead went kind of silly but also more complicated.

Did you know the Blue Lagoon smells like sulfur? It's not exactly pleasant, but it's not that bad.

Tulip Man.

2011-05-19T00:39:00.002-05:00

I thought for a while how to approach the Daily Pattern topic 'Tulip'. I finally decided there was no way to toughen it up. So I went soft.

Ain't no party...

2011-05-13T19:26:00.002-05:00

Today's Daily Pattern topic is LAMP...

... good one Francesca.

Part of the fun is finding an angle on the topic you can live with. This time I went through 3 iterations: I started with olde-timey lamps but I knew someone else would do that, so I kept thinking. I decided maybe Genie Lamps with big ol' clouds could be really cool. I started working on that, but wasn't having any fun.

So I grabbed my sketchbook and started drawing without thinking too hard. The first thing I drew was a lampshade. Then I drew a puking guy underneath and I knew I found my angle.

This one one of the most fun pieces I've done in a long time.

And here's the characters that aren't tossed all over the place.

Wimp Fishing.

2011-05-12T23:50:00.000-05:00

Fishing? Bobbers. Get it?

Here's my deal with fishing: my friends used to go sometimes and would always ask me to come. I finally agreed under three conditions:

1. They had to bait my hook.
2. If I caught anything, I didn't have to touch the fish.
3. Also, any fish I caught had to be let go.

I guess I'd rather just sit on a boat.

Reposted at Paper Bicycle.

Nerd Books

2011-05-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

Today's Daily Pattern is Books. The idea was to depict a nerd who gets so swept up into nerd-books that he takes on the role of major characters in his imagination.

I actually got so swept up in the characters and icons, I kind of forgot about the pattern they were supposed to make. Oops. I spent way too much time fussing over a bunch of icons that don't make a super strong pattern. I had planned on adjusting color and scale to make it more cohesive, but time's up, I gotta move on.

I have to give a big thanks to Lindsay for helping me toss them into something that makes any sense at all. I was having a lot of trouble making sense of everything.

Since I put so much time into the characters and icons, I wanted to show them bigger and right-side-up for good measure. So here they are:

I made this 2o sided dice. It doesn't relate to any character, but I love this drawing for some reason.

Harry Potter. I've never read/watched anything Harry Potter. Don't yell at me, I won't listen. I guess he's a magical kid who lives in Hoggsville. Francesca told me about this Snitch thing. I guess it's a magic bird.

Spiderman. Now there's a character I am familiar with. His alter-ego is Irving Spiderman, who got bit by a possessed bug. Then he grew a bunch of arms and got super strength. Irving collected spiders, hence his super-name; Spiderman.

The Smiley-faced Planet from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Again, I've never read/seen Hitchhiker, but I saw the cover to the book a few times when I was a kid. And judging the story based solely on the cover, I'd say it's about a green sphere who can't see you but taunts you anyway. Francesca and Alyssa helped me brainstorm the Babblefish icon, because I had no idea what to do.

Gandalf is a mighty wizard who crafted a ring to give to Frodo when he got married.

The end.

Mirror, mirror...

2011-05-10T00:56:00.003-05:00

2 in a row. I'm on a roll. Today's topic is mirror.

I decided to go with a broken mirror to reflect my feelings and stuff. You know; the deep ones.

Also, eighties party time!

Also also! Eighties video game time!

I should note all these patterns will be reposted over at the

Pattern: Bones

2011-05-09T02:10:00.002-05:00

Life seems too busy lately. On top of working ridiculous hours just to keep up with normal work, we also have been fixing up and moving into a new studio, traveling and trying to wrap up a million projects!

What better way to feed the flame that will inevitably burn me than take part and Lindsay and Francesca's latest idea: Pattern-A-Day? The topics are drawn from a hat, the guidelines are loose: just make a pattern in repeat.

This is, of course, in addition to the mountains of client work we'll never catch up on... I'm not crazy enough to promise to do it every day, but I think I'll try to chip in as much as I can.

The first topic: bones. How perfect, I love bones!

And in repeat:

Bonus! Color variations!

That was a blast! If anything, it should get me posting a little more frequently. I honestly need an intern just to help me keep my blogs up to date. I'm so far behind! I used to be so good at this!

Christmas Crane

2011-04-05T19:02:00.007-05:00

At the beginning of this year, worked on a massive project consisting of more than 150 pieces of holiday-themed art. The deadlines were fast and furious, so I didn't have a lot of time to reflect.

Out of the set, there were some great ones and some okay ones. One of my favorites didn't make it to the the big leagues, but I've got to share it.

It was targeted at small-ish construction companies, but it was deemed unfit because a small-ish construction company wouldn't use or own that type of machinery.

This project was fun because we sped up our process by making an assembly line at Paper Bicycle. So this is another collaborative piece. Francesca did the sketch, Lindsay inked it, and I colored it.

2011 Artcrank Poster

2011-03-24T00:04:00.004-05:00

This year we were selected to participate in the Minneapolis Artcrank. We love the show, we are pretty excited!

Since there's three of us, and we only get to do one poster, we decided to do a collaborative piece. We put our heads together to come up with the concept, and then took turns until it was complete. Then we sent it off to be screenprinted by Steady Print Shop Co.

Well, the show is right around the corner, so I figured I'd share what we came up with!

Viola! (Here's a slighter bigger version.)

Our studio is littered with prints right now!

We had gone back and forth a lot during the final pass of the poster because we couldn't figure out how much snow and distressing was enough, and how much was too much. In the end, we probably hedged our bets a little on the safe side, and the posters came out with out quite as much detail and grit as it had in the digital version.

So Lindsay went back in with a brush and some gouache and touched up every print for the show by hand! Now that's dedication!

So if you're in the Minneapolis area, make sure to head out to Artcrank on Saturday, April 2nd! There will be screenprints by over 40 artists, are they're all only 30(!) dollars! Plus it's a huge party! Be there!

Earth Day 2011

2011-03-15T22:53:00.000-05:00

I did a limited edition Earth Day shirt for I'm Organic a couple weeks ago. They're up for sale right now, so grab one! (but only if you love the Earth)

The shirts themselves are organic and Made in the USA, and they feel nice, like an American Apparel shirt. The inks are water-based and non-toxic, too.

It's a lot of fun to work on a project that doesn't take a year to hit the market!

Vessel Drinkware

2011-02-15T17:44:00.002-06:00

We recently did a bunch of designs for Vessel Drinkware. I was in charge of the manly subjects like tools, computers and bike gears. Because I'm just super manly like that.

I posted a couple sneak peaks but now I can share a few of the actual designs, because they're now live and available for purchase in their online store!

In all, we did about a dozen designs, plus you can still get the ones we did last year. There's a ton of options, so it doesn't matter if you like hot or cold liquids, you're covered. You can get glass, (BPA free) plastic, stainless steel or ceramic! That's a lot of options! They're really nice quality, too.

You can grab the gear and the circuit now, but the MAKE one doesn't seem to be on the store yet (although you can see it in a couple places on the main site.

Also, you can find most of the ones we made by searching for 'Lindsay' or 'Chris'! Although a few that turn up aren't ours.

Utterances

2011-01-31T23:09:00.000-06:00

ANOTHER sneak peak? Lame, I know. But I'm super busy making a ton of stuff that I can't show. This is becoming a terrible habit...

Anyway, this is really early and might not even be in the final, but I thought it was cute.

I promise to whip up some real stuff soon.

Utterances

2011-01-22T11:11:00.001-06:00

Still buried! Another sneak-peak!

Utterances

2011-01-13T10:56:00.001-06:00

Hey! I've been super-slammed with deadlines and travel for the past couple months! The end is in sight, I think, but I thought I'd post another sneak-peak just to let you know 'I'm still alive' for now.

Reginald B. Utton the Third

2010-12-21T13:47:00.002-06:00

Hey! It's the holidays, and I did did the family stuff early so I could work on some projects with crazy deadlines.

But the Super Awesome Art Challenge is back up and rolling, so I had to get in on that! The theme was Buttonface, here's my contribution!

Portrait of Reginald B. Utton the Third.

Check out my original SAAC post for a tiny bit more info!

Utterances

2010-11-30T15:31:00.001-06:00

Most of the projects I work on are at least a year out (for instance; I've been working on designs for Christmas 2011). Usually by the time a project is in the wild, I've long since forgotten about it.

I'm going to try to start posting snippets of designs I'm working on before they slip my mind forever. If the title of the post is Utterances, then just look for a sneak peek and don't expect any context. Cool? Cool.

Here's one to start...

I'll also be more regular with my with normal posting soon. I've been traveling, remodeling and doing the holiday thing.

Also! If you didn't know I've been posting a ton on the Paper Bicycle blog. We are trying to make sure to post something cool/inspiring/interesting every day! So bookmark it, add it to your RSS reader of choice, and tell your friends!

Then just sit back and wait for the awesome to roll in!

Die Antwoord Halloween

2010-11-01T23:26:00.002-05:00

Lindsay and I spent all week working on our costumes for Halloween this year. We went as Die Antwoord. It was a lot of drawing with sharpies on cheap sweatpants.

Check out the flickr set for more.

If you don't know who Die Antwoord are:

Now you know.

Iceland giant

2010-10-10T23:04:00.003-05:00

This took way longer than it should have and I still don't feel like it's done. I like the drawing and I like the photo and I'm pretty happy with the final product. But not as happy as I'd hoped.

This tiny size is silly, you should probably look at a larger size.

I might take another stab at it sometime soon and I plan on doing more Iceland pieces in general. But I've got another personal project I need to get cracking on first, so I just wanted to get this posted so I could stop thinking about it for a bit.

I sound way more negative than I feel. I just should have posted this a week ago.

locally grown in black

2010-09-21T17:21:00.003-05:00

I'm doing a bunch of designs for I'm Organic. This one is going unused.

I did a few sketches, got feedback and proceeded in the exact opposite direction. By accident, of course. I was doing a couple designs at once and just got confused.

They said less geometric and heard more geometric somehow.

Iceland

2010-08-27T19:17:00.003-05:00

Yo! Welcome back, America!

I just got back from a week+ in Iceland. It was incredible, and I took over 1,200 photos!

Not all of those were keepers, naturally. It's trips like this when I wish I were a better photographer. I just don't have to know-how to capture all the awesomeness I saw while we were there.

Iceland was a great trip, and I encourage anyone interested to get a cheap ticket to Iceland, rent a 4 Wheel Drive car and hit the Ring Road without much of a plan or a care in the world (make sure to buy a copy of Lonely Planet Guide to Iceland).

Check out the flickr set here!

LifeNow, dude.

2010-08-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

A long while ago I did a design for LifeNow Radio.

Well, they asked me to do another one, similar size and pose, only this time it's a dude!

I like this one much more... I guess that what happens when you compare it to something a few years old.

Teeth Noir.

2010-08-06T13:13:00.002-05:00

July's Super Awesome Art Challenge topic was Teeth. At first I kicked around the idea of drawing straight up teeth, toothy animals, dentists and other cliche stuff.

None of it exactly titillated me. I started thinking about the weird and creepy Dick Tracy characters who were named for their defining characteristics. Flattop. Mumbles. Itchy. Etc... That immediately struck a chord, although my first sketch was too cartoony and... terrible.

As I was drawing I realized that I wanted to go a more creepy, grotesque route, and less of the silly, cartoon-mobster route.

his name is Teeth, but I kept his teeth to a minimum so it wouldn't be too silly. i really just wanted his mouth to be gross.

Fun Fact: although you probably can't tell, but the character was (very slightly) inspired by Fred MacMurray from the 1944 Film Noir classic Double Indemnity.

Funner Fact: I am somehow related to Fred MacMurray.

I like the end product, I think. I wish I would have kept some versions along the way. Every time I do a painting like this, it always starts way too light and pale. I'll think I'm almost finished, and I won't notice until I step back and take a good look. Then I keep repainting, pumping up the saturation and contrast again and again.

But I think that's just how it has to go. Hopefully someday I will be able to do it right the first time.

Red Shoe

2010-07-29T12:58:00.002-05:00

I wasn't happy with the minimal attention I was able to give to my Rainbow Fun Times piece for Super Awesome Art Challenge.

So I've been playing with some of the individual drawings on the side. Doing them all seemed like a waste, so I picked the shoe to start.

I like it better this way.

Missing Rainbow.

2010-07-14T12:46:00.003-05:00

I guess when things were extra hairy last month, I posted a piece for the Super Awesome Art Challenge Rainbow Fun Times, but never cross-posted it here. So here it is.

Maybe I forgot to post it because I didn't think much of it. It's a fun idea, but I had no time to work on it, so I just got it done. That's cool, deadlines are deadlines, I guess.

Zipper Zapper Nerd Gorilla.

2010-07-13T00:15:00.002-05:00

This month's Super Awesome Art Challenge was Zipper Zapper.

So the obvious answer was this:

A nerd in a cheap gorilla suit psyching himself up to exact revenge upon his enemies via laser gun.

Obviously.

I really just used this as an excuse to try some new things. I've been kind of looking for a new way to approach coloring things digitally, especially after my oil painting class.

I limited myself to only using the standard, round brush in Photoshop with 100% hardness. I also limited myself to painting on one layer, instead of dozen's like I normally do. I avoided flat color and made sure there was a lot of small variations with slight temperature differences in all the colors.

I was looking for something to excite me and this method did just that. I feel like I can push it a lot further, I think some more practice is in order...

Paper Bicycle Blog

2010-07-10T16:41:00.000-05:00

Hey! I almost forgot to mention, but we've started an offical Paper Bicycle blog! And, being 1/3 of Paper Bicycle and all, I am a contributor. It's only a few posts old, so who knows where it will go or what it will be, but so far it's trends, projects and cool stuff we find and just feel like sharing.

So bookmark it, RSS it, favorite it, like it, tweet it, put it on the social network of your choosing, pass it along in your favorite IRC channel... whatever you kids do these days!

Recap of some changes.

2010-07-04T18:22:00.006-05:00

Hey blog, long time no see! Things have been unusual lately, so I haven't had much worthwhile to post. But there's been a lot of stuff going on.

Probably the most significant, and recent, change is that I decided it was finally time to part ways from my full-time position as an in-house product designer. Technically I've always been freelance, but now I'm 100% off-site and solo.

Well, not exactly solo. I'm officially part of Paper Bicycle now. So I spend my days with Lindsay and Francesca rockin' packaging, product and design for a bunch of different clients. We just moved into a new studio on the corner of Lake and Lyndale in Uptown Minneapolis.

I've spent about 2 1/2 weeks in the office and everything is already almost busier than I can handle. Things are pretty great.

The other gargantuan undertaking we wrapped up as remodeling our kitchen for a reality TV show, which threw our lives for a month-and-a-half long loop. It was a DIY show, and while we didn't do everything, we certainly ended up doing our fair share.

I'll spare the whole story, but to give you an idea, we went from this:

To this:

Maybe it's not really art, but I feel like it's Lindsay and I both had a hand in making it real. Plus, we painted a mural. So that's art, right?

For anyone interested, check out the the set on my flickr page.

New job, new studio, new home. Things have been changing fast and furious. But things are starting to normalize a bit, so hopefully there will be more activity on this blog, starting immediately.

Oil Fishy.

2010-05-07T14:00:00.004-05:00

I few weeks ago a mentioned I had started an oil painting class. It's a short class, just 4 Thursday nights in a row, 3 hours per class. It's been great since it's the only time I can do art outside of work (thanks to our ongoing DIY kitchen remodel for a reality TV program).

Mainly the class has resulted in a few 1/2 finished, terrible paintings. But the final week was just a "work on whatevs" week, so I brought in a sketch of something I thought I could finish in a couple hours.

And I did! Huzzah, an oil painting!

hmmm, something's awfully fishy.

It's still quite wet and I'm not sure how to best photograph it, so I just took a snapshot for now. There's a whole lot of glare on it, though. The background is especially off, so hopefully I can figure out a good way to shoot it.

My final say? Oil painting is cool. I like it miles better than acrylic and watercolor. I'd love to do it more once the dust settles around here...

Oil kitty?

2010-04-16T10:52:00.003-05:00

Things are superduperdoublescoop crazy right now. I will spare the details but I often feel like I'm in a narrow, dark tunnel with a runaway train barreling down behind me, and all I can do is try to keep up. Things will continue at this pace until mid May, at least, which I try not to think about.

For a nice, relaxing change of pace, we signed up for an oil painting class. I've never used oil paints and just needed an excuse to try. The class is just a very low pressure community class, but it's a chance to try it out.

On the first day we just walked through some of the basics of oil painting for a couple hours, then we got a bit to play with the paint. I painted this kitty. That's as far as I could get in an hour and I'd like to go back and add to it, for sure.

I make cats like this all the time, but we had about an hour so I just painted the first thing I could think of. Which is, of course, a cute kitty.

Digital Love.

2010-04-06T18:12:00.000-05:00

'Love/Hate-Bit' was March's Super Awesome Art Challenge.

I did a set some of the characters Lindsay had crushes on in the games we've played.

the four boner brothers.

Otacon, from the Metal Gear Solid series (specifically, Metal Gear Solid 4). He's a socially awkward otaku (duh), he falls for dog-loving terrorist snipers and he cries. A lot. Oh, and he's been known to soil his pants at the drop of a hat.

Garrus Vakarian, from the Mass Effect series (specifically Mass Effect 2). Garrus didn't make too much of an impression in the first Mass Effect, but Lindsay knew straight away that Commander Baby Jiff Shepard would be choosing Garrus for some booty-knockin' action in Mass Effect 2. He might be a bad-ass with a sniper rifle, but he's pretty awkward when it comes to the (human) female form. Plus, he kind of looks like a cat made of rock.

Edgeworth, of the Phoenix Wright series. Although he started off as the bad guy, Edgeworth's pompous attitude and brilliant mind attracted Lindsay right off the bat. Not to mention his penchant for purple and ruffles is pretty irresistible.

Remy, from Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike. I don't think Lindsay or I really know much about this French brawler with abandonment issues. But he's got sweet style, sweet hair and a really big hands.

sneaky monsters

2010-04-05T11:07:00.003-05:00

We did a little photoshoot this weekend.

Here's a sneak peek of a project I did a while back and was never able to show.

I might be able to show more soon, though.

Earth Day Shirt!

2010-03-20T01:05:00.003-05:00

Hey! You! What's up with your attitude lately? Do you hate the Earth or something, you freakin' hater?

Oh wait... No? You don't hate the Earth? Oops. I must have mistaken you for someone else I know.

Well, since you're so in love with the Earth and stuff, why don't you celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in style? Like maybe with a sweet t-shirt from this cool website I'm Organic (FYI, I have a feeling it's only going to get way, way cooler in the coming months. Just a hunch.).

did i mention that i made it?

Organic materials? American Apparel? Wicked art? Feel-good vibes? This shirt has got it all! So get it here!

Punchy McPunch.

2010-03-06T21:24:00.002-06:00

This was for February's Super Awesome Art Challenge. The topic was Bunny Box. Or Box Bunny. I can never remember...

Anyway, I was going for an old-timey look, as if it was a frame from an old newsreel. That's about it.

bob and weave! kick, punch, it's all in the mind!

Chill, man!

2010-03-04T23:16:00.005-06:00

Capcom Unity is running a contest! Actually, they are running a bunch of contests in a row! But I'm only participating in one!

Each week they have users do a rendition of a Mega Man 10 boss. This week it was Chillman, and I decided to give it a go.

Chillman is one cold dude. Here's what the official art looks like:

And here is my Chillman.

.
he's cold. blooded.

I'll update with a link if I win. There's an art book or something on the line, but it doesn't concern me much. I've been promised prizes once before, with nothing to show for it... (I hope you read this and are very sorry, Mr. Capcom!)

UPDATE: I lost.

UPDATE 2: But Seth Killian (aka S-Kill, aka Street Fighter hustler extraordinaire, aka face of Capcom in the West...) picked it as his favorite of the bunch!

Plus sized.

2010-02-08T21:32:00.002-06:00

Oops. Forgot to cross-post this. January's Super Awesome Art Challenge was Fat Bird.

So I drew a fat bird. Literally.

Get ready.

2010-01-06T23:09:00.013-06:00

I've been wanting to mess around with this photo since Lindsay took it this past summer. I also wanted to use this new font I picked up from YouWorkForThem.

it's all i can think about.

Maybe it's done. Maybe not. It was just for fun anyway. It's better at the larger size.

EDIT: My friend Jesse asked to see a breakdown of the process, so if that kind of junk interests you, hit the jump:

Step 0:

Every time I look out over an open body of water, I can't help help think about how awesome it would be if a giant monster rose out of the water right in front of me. This picture totally reminded me of that feeling of anticipation, so I used it at my starting point.

Step 1:

I wanted to simple monster that was mainly a strange silhouette, so I grabbed this drawing a did a while back for a starting point. Ignore the skeleton, the Tremor-like monster in the back ground is what's important. I also wanted to use that new font, so I thought it should be on the horizon. Probably.

Step 2:

Then I drew the basic worm monster (A) in illustrator. Easy-peasy. I added some linework details and shading on his 'legs' (B). And finally, to make him more of a silhouette and fit into the dark photo, I added 10 layers of Black/White gradients, at different angels, opacities, and transparencies (Multiply for shadows, Screen for highlights).

Step 3:

I plopped in the worm drawing, and used a layer mask to roughly blend him into the sea.

Step 4:

Once the worm was in, I decided he wasn't blending enough, so I added some light drop shadows, blurred the edges, then added 5 more layers of subtle dark/contrast and gradients. I also added a slight grain to take away some of the crisp Illustrator look. To create his reflection, I simply selected my own reflection then copied, layered and stretched it to match the size of the worm. And finally I lightened it a bit to match his color better.

Step 5:

I added the splash effect by just using a little trial and error and a number of materials. I used a rough, scumbling Photoshop brush to create the mist, some basic splatter textures to add the spray, and finally snippets of a couple scanned textures to meld them together a bit better. All told, the 'splash' is 8 white layers, and 3 black.

Step 6:

I went back and added the text, used a layer mask to erase at the horizon, and threw on a blur to soften it a bit. The final step was to overlay a solid yellow layer to mesh the colors a bit, add a couple very light layers of vignetting... and violá! A scary monster encounter!

Consider me updated.

2009-12-20T23:03:00.002-06:00

Oh, hello there. I didn't see you come in... Beautiful weather we're having, isn't it?

Well, since you're here, I wonder if you've visited http://hajny.com lately?

It may look pretty much same from the outside, but I've updated it with a bunch of new work.

Of course, if you're reading this post than you're probably one of the 3 or 4 regular visitors to the blog, so you've seen it all already. But still. Pretty nifty...

Santa at your local Target store!

2009-12-17T16:03:00.001-06:00

Remember this time last year when you ran out and bought my Rockin' Santa Gift Card from Target?

Well, there's a NEW gift card in town this year! Skatin' Mr. and Mrs. Claus!

oh, sweet moves Santa!

Go get it!

What's that? You need two super-sweet gift cards for your loved ones? Well, good thing Rockin' Santa is back again this year!

This time it should be easier to find, since it's in the front aisle display (right next to the checkout) nationwide (before I think you had to look in the Greeting Card section, and maybe Electronics).

Here's another pic incase you forgot what it looks like and are too lazy to click a link:

rockin' for the holidays!

dangerous love.

2009-11-22T15:23:00.003-06:00

Amazingly, this piece was a long time in the making. My attention has been so divided lately, I actually started this before the wedding and it took me this long to finish it up. I'd fool around with it on and off but I was never very happy with it until today. Now I'm just happy enough to call it quits.

can love blossom on the battlefield?

Frogs and flies! What what?

P.S. Extra nerd credit if anyone gets the videogame reference in this post. It's pretty easy, though.

P.P.S. It's not Frogger. It's a quote from one of the sweetest games ever.

One nasty boo-boo.

2009-11-06T12:56:00.003-06:00

I'm back! With a Super Awesome Art Challenge, no less! "Boo Boo" was October's topic, and this got me thinking. Really, really hard.

All ghosts say "Boo! Boo!" Also, all ghosts suffered some lethal boo-boo that turned them into ghosts. Right?

Did you ever wonder what ghosts might look like under their spooky sheets? They probably look real dead. And being dead is the ultimate boo-boo.

ugh, put that sheet back on. you nasty!

A Very Brutal Halloween.

2009-11-05T16:08:00.003-06:00

This Halloween a group of friends and I decided to go as characters from the brutally awesome Double Fine game Brutal Legend!

We all put a lot of work our outfits, and since I made my outfit with my own two hands, I figured I would post the results here...

I went as the bad-mother-effin' Eddie Riggs. Lindsay (http://lindsaynohl.blogspot.com) went as the beautiful Ophelia. Ryan (http://giantpinkrobot.com) was the slightly out-of-it Mangus. Chris C (http://chriscrammer.com) was the always cucumber-cool Kill Master. And Adam (http://monsters-n-stuff.blogspot.com) went as the very disturbing Lionwhyte...

from left to right: mangus, eddie, ophelia, lionwhyte and kill master.

eddie in all his glory.

a sweet axe on my back, and a bloody axe in my hand...

That fake cigarette alone took nearly 1/2 hour to make! And that wicked metal vest is actually a coat for a 9 year old with no sleeves!

Me me me.

2009-11-04T21:24:00.003-06:00

Isara of Polaire tagged me! I don't normally do this kinda thing, but since I've been so lax on my blog lately I figured why not? Don't worry; actual art is coming soon... I've been writing a billion Thank You cards and figuring out where to put a lot of new junk in our overly cluttered house. And making sweet Halloween costumes (I should post that, as well...).

Here are the rules: answer the questions, replace a question that you don’t like, with one by your choice, add one more question , and tag 8 people to continue the game of tagging. Although be warned; I might not tag anyone. If you're reading this and want to consider yourself tagged, please do.

What is the thing that makes you happy? Nachos. Even though I'm lactose intolerant.

Coffee or tea? Neither. Gross. Ew.

What’s for dinner? Greek salad. You don't know what I had to go through to get it, either. I really wanted it.

What was the last thing you bought? A car. Technically, I just put a deposit on it and I don't have the car yet. So maybe Borderlands for the Xbox 360.

What are you listening to right now? The jams. Specifically the new AntiPop Consortium album. But all jams in general do apply.

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? My shoes. The flashy ones.

What is your favourite ice cream flavour? Vanilla. Yeah, I said it.

What do you think of the person(s) who tagged you? Cute and small.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? To bed.

Which language do you want to learn? Cat.

What is your favourite colour? Black. All shades.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on? I'd put it towards my new car, probably. Or a copy of Modern Warfare 2. Or I wouldn't spend it at all because the cashier would throw it back in my face and demand real AMERICAN money!

What is your favorite animal? I do not discriminate. All of them.

Describe your personal style? I... I don't know. I guess all gray with a pop of color. Or maybe "Fresh to Def."

What are you going to do after this? Go to the gym. Yay.

What are your favourite movies? Rocky Horror Picture Show, Grease. I don't even know anymore.

What inspires you? Lindsay. Twink. The internet?

What is your favourite fruit? Mango works for me.

Do you collect something? Shoes, videogames, music and pets. Clutter.

How many hours do you sleep a day? I'd like 8, I get by on about 5.

How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up? 2-4.

What is your favourite smell? Um, anything that's not soaked in cat pee.

What is your biggest regret? Not getting that mini samurai sword at Epcot Center when I was in 4th grade. Man, I would have been set on the "stud" path for LIFE had I gotten that sword...

What are you most proud of? My gamerscore?

Cats or dogs? What? Like who would win in a fight? Me.

What’s your biggest fashion mistake? My face.

What is your guilty TV pleasure? Twilight Zone, I guess. That's some spooky stuff.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Paleontologist. I thought that meant I get to hang with dinosaurs.

If you could meet any person dead or alive who would it be? Someone who would give me tons of money to make whatever art I wanted, I guess.

What is your biggest dream? See previous answer.

What was your favorite book when you were a child? Any Choose Your Own Adventure Book. Maybe the one about the race in Africa, in particular.

If today was your last day on earth what would you be doing? I would respect Isara's strange wishes and cuddle with her.

If you could have any super power, what would it be? The power to see naked ladies. ALL the time.

If you joined the circus, what act would you perform? Muscle Man. They have the sweetest bathing suits.

What fictional character do you feel is most like you? That's easy. Teen Wolf. We both win basketball games left and right. All the time, dunk, dunk, dunk.

My question for you: If you could tickle fight one person, fictional or real, who would it be? And where would you tickle them the most? The crotch? I knew it... You sick.

Operation Wedding: Mission Complete!

2009-10-05T16:06:00.002-05:00

Alright. Another non-art post, but humor me. The wedding is over, so I hope to get life back to normal soon...

We had a photo booth at the wedding, and I love the look of photo booth pictures. So I thought I would post one.

that is all.

wedding bells.

2009-09-28T17:18:00.001-05:00

Hey! Did you know that Lindsay's Paper Bicycle is featured over on Print & Pattern? Because it is!

Speaking of Lindsay, we're getting married in about 4 days (which is the main reason I've haven't been posting anything lately...) and here's our wedding invites!

awwww.

We each did a drawing of our own feet, otherwise Lindsay handled the rest!

Also in the realm of Lindsay+Chris related art, the Super Awesome Art Challenge has gone on a photoshopping tangent this month, so here's my gender-bending entry:

Hot stuff, I know...
(the original can be found here for any interested parties...)

Alright the end! Until after the big day, I'm out!

Sky Kittens

2009-09-13T18:19:00.002-05:00

If you're a rigid follower of the Super Awesome Art Challenge then you've already seen this. But for those who just can't be bothered:

those sure are baby kitties in colorful balloons... yep.

Like I said on my SAAC post, I finished and posted this piece immediately. Usually I'd take the time to let it sink in and decide to tweak colors, fine tune details or add and subtract anything I felt was wrong.

But things are too crazy right now, so I just put it up.

Take this as the official warning that, with the wedding T-Minus 20 days and counting, I probably won't be posting anything else for a while.

Floating away.

2009-09-02T22:34:00.001-05:00

another darn cat. so many cats.

this time it's black.

2009-08-23T22:22:00.002-05:00

Another cat! Comin' at'cha!

exuberant.

I don't get the money.

2009-08-18T22:27:00.000-05:00

Sandbox Theatre is having a Summer Benefit Party on August 20th. That's in two days!

There will be food, drinks, entertainment and best of all; a silent auction where you could pick up some super sweet artwork!

How do I know? Because, silly, I donated a bunch of pieces! So if you've got the time, stop by The Red Eye Theater between 6:30 and 9:00 this Thursday!

I'm sure you can find out more at their site.

Cats in the Goove.

2009-08-09T01:22:00.003-05:00

Here's another cat, similar to the last one I posted. Actually, it's from the same eventual piece...

the cat is using headphones. that's pretty dang good, even if he doesn't know exactly where to put them...

.faust

2009-08-06T23:59:00.000-05:00

Sandbox Theatre had me do a promo for their upcoming show, .faust.

This isn't the final, final version (for the sake of being legible) but it's my favorite version, so here it is...

.faust

The show opens November 6th, and runs through the 22nd, and I can't wait to check it out.

I saw their last show, The Horse, the Bird, the Monkey & the Dancer (which I also did some art for) and it was totally awesome.

Sandbox Theatre has a really unique and exciting way of putting together shows (watch the video under "about Sandbox" on their site). If you get the chance, check it out...

I never know what to expect, but it always seems to be good.

North Shore.

2009-08-04T16:06:00.002-05:00

I just got back from an extended weekend on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Between Lindsay and myself (so I feel like they're all collaborative), we took a lot of pictures (about 300?), and I have a couple that I especially like...

sea monster? no, it's me! don't be scared!

This one Lindsay took, and I keep coming back to it and staring at it for some reason. I really like the dark, murky atmosphere.

You can see a larger (and cooler) version here.

sea monster? no, it's just lindsay's big hair!

On the flip side, I took this one, and I really like the saturation and harsh light. It was actually taken about 50 feet from the first one...

You can check out the large version here.

Cats at Knight.

2009-07-26T20:11:00.003-05:00

This is but one part of a new piece I'm working up. The whole piece has a long way to go but it's been a while since I last posted, so I wanted to share something.

light as air, and deadly as air that blows sharp things around really fast.

I just wrapped up a few projects I've been working hard on the last few weeks. I should be able to share one of them soon, but the other will have to wait until Christmas (2009, I think. But it might even be 2010 now that I think about it...).

Working on projects is cool but sometimes it gets in the way of doing my own stuff. You know, stuff like cute floating cats with armor.

I'm no Cowboy.

2009-07-04T18:03:00.002-05:00

Here's a quick color version of this sketch I drew the other day.

I've been reading Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West lately, so I guess I have hard-livin' cowboys on the brain. I don't think I would have cut it in that world. My tummy turns just thinking about it.

The Ghoul.

2009-06-23T22:58:00.002-05:00

The topic of the Super Awesome Art Challenge this month was Hula Ghoula. I could have made it really silly, but that seemed too obvious for the title.

Not to say this isn't a little silly. I guess it is.

the ghoul.

This took a lot of iteration and a good chunk of time. I did a few drawings I liked, but I just wasn't hitting the right notes at first. It was a little like pulling teeth, but in the end I am pretty dang happy with it.

non-product shots.

2009-06-21T19:33:00.002-05:00

I feel like I've been doing a lot of projects that I can't share publicly. At least, not right now. Which is fine and dandy, but it makes for a boring blog.

Most of my time is spent doing product design. Which is done a year in advance, so I never post it here. By the time it hits shelves, I've long since forgot/lost interest.

But, surprisingly, I did get to grab a bunch of product the other day (that both Lindsay and I worked on) and take it home. Well, I actually took it to the new Paper Bicycle studio and filled up some of the empty space.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm going to post a couple pictures of the studio space. If there's some product in there, too, then I guess the can't be helped...

..right?

funny, this room has some halloween decorations in it in the middle of june. how embarrassing....

wow, those are some nice shelves. ikea really outdid themselves on this shelving unit!

so nice we had to buy it twice! hmm, this doesn't show much...

better get a close-up of these sturdy, square units!

Whoo. New studio.

pillowcat.

2009-05-09T17:41:00.002-05:00

pillowcat.

A photo? What? Who's blog is this? Don't I just draw dumb crap all the time, you ask?

To be honest, I've always been into photography. Ever since I was a kid. I've also always been terrible at it. I guess I just don't really have the eye for photography, and I'll be the first to admit it.

However, I did invest in a nicer camera recently, just so I'd be more motivated to take more photos. And I was happy with this picture, because it is very cute, so I figured why not? I can post what I want, right?

So from now on, if I take a photo I particularly like, you'll see it here.

If you don't like you can kiss my Converse.

Abandoned Robot.

2009-04-30T15:56:00.001-05:00

The theme of the Super Awesome Art Challenge this month was Retrobot.

I really struggled fining an angle that held my attention, but I finally did a tiny thumbnail that got me interested. It became this...

i guess "retro" means "sad and loney" or something...

I'm having a terrible time getting the colors to reproduce on the web, a problem I don't normally run into. It's not a big deal, but it's bugging the heck out of me...

Conserve with friends, aka CWF.

2009-04-13T22:53:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been really busy. Birthdays, travel, product design, logo design. Some of it has been fun (mainly the former) some of it less fun (mainly the latter). And all the while (about a month) I've been immensely sick. Sucky.

It's been kind of rush, rush, rush lately, so tonight I forced myself to just sit down for a couple hours and just have fun. This is the result. You can see the original sketch at A Day in the Life.

I asked Lindsay a word and she said "conserve." Now you know the origin story of this drawing...

nice pink living space, kitten! cotton candy-ish!

Black like my heart.

2009-03-21T23:33:00.003-05:00

Sometimes projects once projects are finished and out the door, and they get canceled. Despite dozens, or sometimes hundreds, of hours of work, the designs will never see the light of day.

It happens slightly more than you might expect (maybe that's because a lot of the companies I work for design a year out from market).

Here's a peak at a abandoned project. It was quite different and now has nothing to do with the original concept. I'm trying to re-work bits and pieces and not let them go to waste. I worked hard on these, and it makes me sad to not see them out there in the world...

my heart is PANTONE Black C

BigRig McGiggs is the Man.

2009-03-14T23:05:00.001-05:00

One thing I like about being a professional artist: I have lots of amazing artist friends..

Like Jesse Riggle, homeboy from way back.

A while ago I posted this drawing to A Day in the Life...

nice teeth, teethmo.

...which Jesse took and made this...

dripping with awesome.

Totally righteous.

Money. Rinse. Repeat.

2009-03-09T21:03:00.001-05:00

Do you ever feel like the world is in the mess it's in because of greedy motherfuckers? Sometimes I do. When I'm in a bad mood. I had an idea the other day that I wanted to play around with. I wanted to get the idea "down on paper" before I forgot, so viola.

This isn't really what I was envisioning at all, but I just needed to start playing around with the type first. I expect in the end it will be all hand-done, but this was just a starting point.

i think I need one more money in there...

I'll probably keep working on it whenever I can steal a moment. So, I guess I'm saying, maybe never...

veering off topic.

2009-03-06T16:33:00.002-06:00

This first breathed life when we were throwing around ideas for wedding stuff, and it became something strange.

Lindsay drew the silhouettes, I added the color/texture/linework.

CMYKittens.

2009-02-27T16:31:00.002-06:00

End of the month = Super Awesome Art Challenge time.

This month's theme: CMYKupid.

These kittens have been visited by Cupid, leaving them with sinful desires, which equals cute baby kittens!

that poor baby, shot by a big scary LoveArrow...

For those who follow my other blog, this may look familiar. It's because a week or so ago I posted the pencil sketch...

Evolution of a Frog.

2009-02-25T00:56:00.002-06:00

The frog drawing I did is also posted on my other blog A Day in the Life, but I'm posting it here in context.

Last night Lindsay did a weird t-shirt illustration of a frog:

what a strange frog. by lindsay.

Today, during a meeting, I was thinking about that strange frog, and I drew this:

this one is also strange. by me.

When I came home and I showed Lindsay my weird frog drawing, she painted a bunch of little hilarious frog dudes. Here's one:

less strange, more cute. by lindsay.

You can see the rest over on her blog, Lindsay's Sketchbook.

Hooray for Capcom Unity!

2009-01-31T13:52:00.004-06:00

I am a huge fan of Capcom. Some of my favorite videogame franchises of all time were published by Capcom. Stuff like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man, Okami, Bionic Commando, Pheonix Wright, Darkstalkers, and Marvel VS Capcom (I actually recently payed over 100 bucks to get another copy of Marvel Vs Capcom 2, because it's one of the greatest games of all time). The list could go on.

So when I saw a post on the offical Capcom blog, Capcom Unity, calling out for fan art, I sent them a link to my stuff. Since I did a couple of pieces a while back anyway, I figured 'who better to appreciate it?' I didn't think much of it, and that was a few days ago.

So I was super pleased when I got an email letting me know I was being featured on the blog.

hey, awesome!

They are sending some sort of prize my way, which is even doper. I'm crossing my fingers for an advance copy of Street Fighter 4. A dude can dream, right?

being tired sucks.

2009-01-29T21:55:00.000-06:00

I drew this drawing today, and I sleepy sketched out some rough color. It's really rough, but so am I.

the pain in those eyes is tangible.

I don't see anything yet(i).

2009-01-22T21:18:00.001-06:00

So here's my new contribution to the Super Awesome Art Challenge. The theme is Yeti Spaghetti. Hope your screen is calibrated.

you need a fork, dude.

As you may be able to tell, it's made almost entirely with white shapes and drop shadows. I've played around with this approach in the past but never with anything this complicated. And what better subject than a white monster in a white environment eating a white food?

27, part 2.

2009-01-15T20:33:00.002-06:00

I also drew this on the plane on the way to Hawaii. That's about all I could stand. I kind of hate planes and get sick when I try to draw...

I was just thinking about my birthday again.

She is a stinky cat.

2009-01-15T20:31:00.002-06:00

I drew this sketch on a plane to Hawaii last week, and I just felt like messing around in Photoshop.

Yup. That's it.

Cowboy Christmas.

2008-12-29T23:33:00.005-06:00

My friend Adam H had the idea for a communal art blog where every month the contributors all do a piece based on a single topic. And he called it the Super Awesome Art Challenge.

This is my first piece. Topic: Cowboy Christmas.

I tried something a little different this time by sticking to the single stroke line in illustrator and using it on almost every shape. I usually try to hide the illustrator-ness of it a little bit, but not this time. My feelings are mixed.

You can check out the original size to try to see some of the fine detail on his vest. Or even better, his boots. Good luck with that, they are tiny.

It's a golden time in a young boy's life.

2008-12-27T23:39:00.000-06:00

Normally, I keep my personal musings to my personal blog, but today is special. Today I am 27.

Doesn't sound special? Consider the fact that my birthday is December 27th. That makes today my Golden Birthday™.

I've waited 27 years for today. But unfortunately, it's been kind of a bad year, this past month especially. So all I really want to do on my Golden Birthday™ is go to sleep. Maybe take a golden shower. Maybe.

But I will celebrate nonetheless. Party hardy and look forward to a new year, and the next 27 years of my life. Hopefully it's filled with good health, lots of art, violent videogames, fuzzy pets and fun times with my soon-to-be-wife, Lindsay.

Now I'm going to keep on keeping on.

The Little Match Girl.

2008-12-12T22:36:00.002-06:00

Here's an illustration I did for the City Pages A-List section. It's for a performance of Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Match Girl, as preformed by Ballet of the Dolls.

yo grandma, you're a g-g-g-ghost!

I'll try to grab a City Pages and take a snap shot of it in context.

Shred that mighty axe, Santa Claus!

2008-12-04T20:59:00.002-06:00

Hey there, why so blue? Don't you know it's December, the month of a pretty righteous dude's birthday? A dude who touches your life in special ways each and every day? Yup, you got it...

In a few short weeks I turn 27 years young! At long last, it's my golden birthday! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some new snowpants.

Oh wait, that's not why you're looking so glum? What's that? You need a great holiday gift for some young, cool dude and/or dudette? And you're too old and out of touch to know what's hip with the kids?

Don't fret! I have the answer!

A Target Gift Card! Of course! Target has everything for everyone! And the prices! So reasonable...

Hmmm... You should probably pick the gift card designed by me. Just to ensure every last ounce of awesome is delivered to the loved one of your choice!

notice the articulated arm. for rockin' so hard you bust your face.

original art, just for fun's sake.

Look near the checkout when you pick yours up. I found some there and near the Stationery section.

There are a lot of options for gift cards, to be sure,, but there's only one by someone you know and love (unless you also know and love Adam).

when it rains, the sky turns neon.

2008-11-28T21:29:00.003-06:00

So what if you're a bat and you hang out in a grave yard... that doesn't mean you can't have a good time every once in a while.

stripes might not be slimming, but they sure do look good on you, bat!

what big eyes you have...

2008-11-27T23:33:00.003-06:00

Uh oh. Another kitten has been added to the ever expanding roster of pets! Unplanned and unannounced, this huge-eyed, tiny black cat has charmed her way into a new home...

We've yet to find out if it's truly a boy or girl (although we suspect a girl), so right now it's been hard to name it...

olivia. if it's a girl. which might not be...

I'll post a real picture when I get back to Minneapolis...

...right NOW!

lovely snakes.

2008-11-12T19:32:00.003-06:00

I was talking to a friend about ideas for something. This was one of the ideas.

it's a snake who saying something in a clever way.

I'm terrible at cursive. My grade school teachers lied to me. I never write in cursive.

cut(e) down in his prime.

2008-11-08T21:44:00.003-06:00

just barely as fearsome as the hamburgler.