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Long Lost Friend Studio is my self-publishing imprint, the studio space where we work, and a YouTube channel featuring videos about art and creativity. This blog covers everything happening with me and Long Lost Friend Studio.
The Plumber, Triumphant
Michelle and I put together a piece for Gallery1988’s latest show, Back To 1985. In a show that celebrates notable pop culture events and media from 1985, there’s a lot to choose from: Breakfast Club, Back to the Future, Return to Oz, Teen Wolf. All iconic. But we went with the US release of Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo game system.
A Needle For Doctor Bunny: Essential Tools for Needle Felting
I recently worked on this simple needle felted figure, and I thought it was a good opportunity to do a rundown of my go-to tools, materials, and techniques. Vince and I put together an accompanying video (bottom of the post) and I’m dropping a list of my supplies here with links for anyone interested in trying needle felting.
Cursed Objects and Comic Art
I had to handle this decades-old used paperback as if I were suspending a cat’s cradle made from a spider’s web between my fingers, but I managed to thumb through the short story, The Monkey, very gingerly, and hacked out a partial script for a horror comic.
If These Walls Could Talk, They’d Scream ‘Meddling Kids!”
Once again we creep through the cobweb-covered secret passageways in the old mansion, emerging in the hidden, haunted art studio to work on four more Scooby Doo monster paintings for our client.
Who Nears My Mountain?!
In 1970, Rankin/Bass released Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, a stop-motion holiday special that not only gave us the origin of Santa Claus, but two top-shelf villains — The Burgermeister Meisterburger, and The Winter Warlock.
Which Way to Sleepy Hollow?
It’s the 1700s and you’re traveling on horseback through the mysterious, foreboding woods of the Hudson Valley. Night is falling and you need to reach your destination, but the rambling route you’ve taken has you turned around.
Running The Show: A Muppet Show Diorama for Gallery1988
Kermit is focused. He pores over the running order for the show. Big celebrity host tonight, he hopes the dressing room is prepped. He may have to cut an act or two for time, maybe talk to Fozzie about some of his weaker material.
Climbing Over The Garden Wall For Halloween
Ten years ago, Patrick McHale and a host of talented artists and performers created an animated mini-series called Over The Garden Wall exploring life, death, and everything in the unknown autumnal expanse in between. To help celebrate that groundbreaking show, Michelle and I designed a fun Halloween card for our Patreon supporters inspired by that cartoon.
Beware The Fly!
It’s October, and Gallery 1988 is hosting a horror exhibit called Cover Your Eyes, celebrating horror films of the classic and modern eras. Michelle and I contributed Beware The Fly! — a piece inspired by a couple of our favorite monster bug movies of the 1950s.
What Happens When The Dog STOPS Talking?
Two lawyers, a bank president, a farmer, and a hypnotist were sitting in a jail cell, passing the time with idle chat.
“We had it all worked out,” said one of the lawyers. “Gather the family for the reading of the will, inform them they had to spend the night in that creepy old mansion to get their share of the money, then scare them off one by one until the money was all ours.”
“It was a perfect plan,” said the second lawyer.
“Almost perfect,” the first lawyer sighed. “Those kids really threw a monkey wrench into the works.”
Usagi Yojimbo: Commission and Conflict
The endless battle between Miyamoto Usagi and his arch nemesis Jei is legendary. But it’s nothing compared to the idiotic rivalry that burns between Michelle and I whenever one of us challenges the other to a sculpt off.
It’s Alive! And Multifunctional!
Zipping through YouTube reviews of tools Michelle and I were thinking about purchasing for the shop, we noticed a lot of gear reviews on a multitool marketed towards outdoorsmen, woodworkers, plumbers, contractors, and do-it-yourselfers. Nothing about artists or craftspeople. But the tool seemed interesting enough for us to buck the system, pick one up, and see if we could make a monster.
Inque and Bat in Ink Combat
I know it’s a clunky title but if you say it fast three times in a row it creates a weird, homophonous echo of itself. Anyway, this week’s monster is a slippery villain from the Batman Beyond cartoon named Inque who often shapeshifts her way into deadly conflict with our hero. But this isn’t just an Inque battle. It’s an ink battle. See? Homophonous.
In Memory of Max (Milo from The Mask)
I recently learned of the apparent passing of one of my favorite movie animals, Max, the Jack Russel terrier who played “Milo” in Jim Carrey’s The Mask. I say ‘apparent’ because the details are sketchy, as are the specifics of Max’s very short career. Despite the mystery surrounding Max, or maybe because of it, I created a sculpture of his Milo character for an art show at Gallery1988.
Giving Monsters A Bad Name
The ghosts and monsters in the early seasons of Scooby Doo sent chills up my childhood spine. They still do if I’m being completely honest. Who could listen to the maniacal laughter of the Space Kook without tensing up? But those ghouls, as creepy as they could be, were infinitely more endearing — and enduring — than the criminal goons inside those spooky costumes.
Mother! Oh God! Blood! (A Psycho Diorama)
Were I in Norman Bates’ loafers, on the night he had to tidy up after his Mother did that awful, terrible thing to Marion Crane in Cabin Number One, I wonder if my natural aversion to germs and blood and gore would be overridden by my weird, anxiety-calming obsession with cleaning and organizing.
When The Apes Take Over, My Loyalty Will Be Rewarded
Anyone who’s watched The Planet of the Apes saga unfold (either the original franchise or the reboot) knows that one day, in all likelihood, the earth will be ruled by hyper-intelligent primates while increasingly less-capable humans fall from their position at the top of the food chain. In preparation for this, I’ve begun honoring our future ape overlords by respectfully illustrating a portrait of their leader, Proximus Caesar. Here’s a breakdown of my process.
Studying the Way of the Samurai
Preparing to work on an upcoming Usagi Yojimbo commission, Michelle and I realized we knew little to nothing about the character. So, this past week we’ve been researching the Stan Sakai comic, doing some sketches, and, in this week’s video, a full ink, wash, and watercolor study of the samurai rabbit.
You’ll Have A Gay Old Time
YouTube, in an effort to help our little channel succeed, often suggests that we cover the same current trends as everyone else, but put our own personal spin on it. This week, in response to this marketing advice, we made a video about a one-and-done, bit-part character from a sixty-year old cartoon that no one under the age of fifty talks about anymore. Nailed it.
Bustin’ Makes Me Feel Good.
Bustin’ makes me feel good. There. I said it. In fact, bustin’ makes me feel so good, that Michelle and I celebrated the release of the latest Ghostbusters sequel by engaging in a no-holds-barred, knock-down, drag-out sculpting challenge. And you know what? That makes us feel good too.