Monthly Archive for November, 2008

Post It Post #10

Published
by
grzych
on November 27, 2008
in Post It Post
. 0 Comments

I’m not a real big fan of Spring Cleanings…even if they take place in November. There’s something about being chin deep in dust particles that doesn’t sound all that appetizing. Don’t get me wrong…it’s a great feeling when the last spot has been dusted, you’ve lugged out 9 bags of who knows what kind of trash to the curb to be disposed of, and you can finally sit back and admirer one’s handy work and tidy surroundings. I won’t argue with you, that’s pretty nice…and somewhat therapeutic if you’re like me and things tend to accumulate and pile up, but it’s the process of sorting through the mess and crap that is a bit of a chore. I like things neat and organized, but over time, inevitably, it would appear as if somethings are put on the back burner…i.e. straightening up. Then, before you know it…it’s not a 5 minute rearranging Pow Wow, but rather an 8 hour plus cleaning session! It’s definitely my own fault, and I don’t even pretend to blame anyone else…I mean, I could try! I could blame it on out of work Keebler Elves that have a pathological need to clutter my work area…but that would be a lie…mainly because…who would ever FIRE a Keebler Elf…they make such delicious cookies.

Post It Post #10 is about such a time…specifically speaking…two days ago when my cluttered work area was sited as my wife’s next target and it needed to be destroyed…i.e. CLEANED!

    

In “Dirt Drowning” Troy experiences the overwhelming power that is dust.  When left unattended, it can severely grow out of control, landslides can occur, and lives can be lost. It’s not something to play around with. Under specific conditions, if the climate is just the perfect precipitation, and there’s amble moistness in the air…dust left on it’s own accord can become quicksand…and KILL! It’s the #1 cause of fatalities in North America…well, at least that’s what my wife tells me. I think it’s her way of getting me to eradicate the dust bunnies before they procreate and multiple like Mogwais.

Another part of cleaning up is sorting through stuff…lots of it. I had accumulated a rather large collection of CD’s with all types of odd and end files on them.  Whether it be one incomplete artwork file here, a few scanned photos there, perhaps even a few downloaded “Star Wars” pics I planned on using for my screensaver at some point, they were rather numerous.  Suffice it to say, the discs grew in numbers. Anytime I’d do a little work on someone’s computer and would wanna bring it home to continue working on it…BOOM, another disc was burned.  Now I know what you’re saying, “Troy, if you had only used a USB drive you could have prevented the plethora of disc that would eventually find themselves stacked knee high needing to be dealt with and sorted out.” The problem with that statement is that a majority of these disc were burned prior to me even knowing what a USB drive was. Anyway, eventually I trashed the stack all for maybe 15 or so I need to load on to my computer…the rest have met their maker and are dust in the wind.  Problem solved.

Well, as I find myself now writing this Post It Post in the early AM of Thanksgiving Day…let me wish you and your families a very Happy and Delicious Thanksgiving and hope all your Turkey and Stuffing dreams come true.

I Looooove Sushi!

Published
by
grzych
on November 25, 2008
in Other Artwork
. 3 Comments

There are only a few things in this world that I love more than the sweet, sweet deliciousness of Sushi. Of course I love my Wife…and I love Movies and TV…that’s just understood…but nothing beats the flavor that excites my taste buds more than those little Japanese treats. Some people may say I have a problem, those that own the restaurants I frequent might say I’m just stimulating the economy. Who’s to say who is right…but either way that you look at it…I Love Sushi!

When I was in college, my addiction got so bad that a friend and I were scheduling classes around our Friday Sushi Sessions. We’d make sure that our noon time slot was open for our weekly fix. Some might say that’s sad…others, like myself, might say that’s devotion.

Hey, everyone’s got dreams, don’t they…mine just so happen to be about the world’s largest piece of Sushi. If you’re gonna dream, might as well dream big…right?

Post It Post #9

Published
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grzych
on November 23, 2008
in Post It Post
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Okay, so I did it…Friday night at precisely 10:15PM…I sat down in a darken theater with countless other moviegoers and watched the light flicker across the silver screen as the tale of young vampire love unfolded before me. That’s right, my wife got us tickets for opening night of the movie adaptation of one of her favorite book series…“Twilight.” My wife…an avid “Twilight” fan, couldn’t wait for this movie to come out…she couldn’t wait to devour it like she had each and every book in the series.  I, on the other hand, did not have the same desire as she. I never read the books, probably won’t, but I am a vampire movie fan. So I guess in that respect, I was interested in seeing it on that level.  Vampires are cool…but I like my vampires with a little more gore…I prefer more of a horror element and less of a love story. My wife had informed me all about the story in the books, so I knew going into it this Friday that “Twilight” was going to be more Love and less Blood.

So…this past Friday, “Twilight” was definitely on my noggin when doodling out my latest Post It drawings for today’s Post It Post.

    

First I wanna mention that this is the first time that I’ve played with the idea of adding color to my Post It drawings. I have this whole set of Prismacolor Markers and I’ve been wanting to dive on in to them for the longest time so I think that you most definitely will be seeing more color in future Post It Posts.

In “Twilight Ticket,” I wanted to reveal Troy’s real reason for wanting to see the latest vampire flick.  For no particular reason I made Troy a vampire, check out the fangs and claws. Goth Chicks…Cool!

I’ve always wondered if Wookies went to the movies, now I know…they do indeed dabble in the cinematic delights. After having bought his ticket for the opening night of “Twilight,” Chewbacca was rather upset to learn that “Twilight” was a love story and not a sequel to his favorite 80’s flick, “Fright Night.” Wookies love the 80’s…as do I Chewie, as do I.

So as far as my opinion on the movie…all I’m gonna say is…I was entertained, but I’d rather pop in a DVD of “The Lost Boys” or “Blade 2″ or “Near Dark” or “Interview With A Vampire” or even “Monster Squad.” My wife on the other hand…loved it! Hey, everyone’s got their opinion…and mine is not more important the next’s.

Post It Post #8

Published
by
grzych
on November 21, 2008
in Post It Post
. 2 Comments

So it’s hot, then it’s cold, then hot once again…and maybe if lucky…cold once more…such is Winter…Southern Style! Living in the surrounding New Orleans area all my life, that’s just one of the many “pleasures” (and I really use that word very loosely in this case) that comes with living in the south during the winter months. At the moment it’s in the low 50’s but it’s a strong possibility that Thanksgiving next Thursday will be more on the warmer side than I would like for that day. Heck I can remember many times as a kid where I wore shorts and a tank top on Gobble Gobble Day…now that’s just messed up…ain’t it? Turkey Day is suppose to be cold…Period! I’ve got my fingers crossed that a cold front comes thru and makes the holiday just a lil’ bit more wintery, which makes drawing and typing a major challenge.

With that said, I bring you Post It Post #8…Enjoy!

    

So here are just a couple more of my Post Its, two that definitely express Hot and Cold!

In the first drawing I drew Troy as the Devil, the Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub…Ole Mister Baddie himself. No real significance to it, just thought I’d post the fiery demon next to an icy popsicle.

With “Frozen Troy” I have to say, I really like the way that this one came out. I’m not bragging, believe me I’d be the first to tell you I don’t do that, but I really like the way this Post It turned out. I drew this while at work on a rather frigid day I might add. I unfortunately decided to wear shorts on said day not realizing that it was going to be as cold as it was, but when I step out of the house and jump into the car, at that point you really have to commit to what you’re wearing. Plus when you’re running late to work, you really don’t have the option to go back in a change…so-be-it! So I guess I was channeling my frozen state that day.

So that’s my Post It Post on the ying and yang of Hot and Cold. See you next time.

Post It Post #7

Published
by
grzych
on November 20, 2008
in Post It Post
. 0 Comments

I’m back again with another Post It Post for you guys and gals out there to chew on.

So what do I have for you this time around…how about the ever popular “Frankentroy” and “Gordon Shumway” himself.  

    

The “Artzee Fartzee” “Frankentroy” was another one of those drawings done while at work. Several Halloweens ago I went to a friend’s party dressed as the green gentle giant. Unlike the Post It Post I did with “Underdog,” I’m not going to post a picture of me made up in that particular costume. Not that it was all that terrible…but mostly because it was not all that good. I meant well…but unfortunately it did not turn out how I had intended. The costume itself was fine and but the makeup was lacking…not that I didn’t put my best foot forward…but feet can’t compete with humidity and sweat. The green makeup kept melting off my face and making me look like that Nazi at the end of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” All-be-it a cool effect “Yes,” but not when your intentions are to look like “Herman Munster.”  

In “ALF’s Nose Job” I get to meet one of my heroes from my childhood, “Gordon Shumway,” the Melmacian with the most…ALF! That’s right, I was an “ALF” fan in the biggest way back in the day, which might explain why I am the way that I am today as an adult. You read into it that what you want. And since we’re on the subject of that wise cracking wanna be Muppet…man he never really got his due, did he? Picture it…coming to a theater near you in the Summer of ‘09…“ALF: The Movie.” Okay, so the title needs a little work but here’s the concept…a live action version of his Saturday Morning cartoon series. ALF on his home planet of Melmac before it blew up, getting into all kinds of hijinx. With the CG effects today…how sweet would that be?  Don’t answer that!  Let me…if merely for a moment, let me live in a world where such a movie might be possible…

Emma’s Crush

Published
by
grzych
on November 19, 2008
in T-Shirt Designs
. 0 Comments

If you’ve taken a trip over to my Gallery and strolled through my T-shirt designs, you’ve probably seen some of the shirts I’ve designed for friends and family.  The ones I love doing the most are the ones that I did for my nieces last Christmas. I thought that they’d get a real kick seeing themselves on a shirt, especially when incorporated into some sort of artwork.  My niece Kaitlin was a fan of butterflies, so I made her a Butterfly and my niece Lydia was in love with the “Wizard of OZ” so I put her in the movie. So when I found out that my friend’s daughter Emma had a hugh crush on Zac Efron’s character “Troy” in the “High School Musical” movies, I knew what design I was going to do for her birthday gift.

Above is the final design that I did as well as a photo of said design printed on the shirt.

So you might be asking yourself, “Hey Troy, what elements went into the making of this shirt?”  Good question…let me tell you.

First, I was definitely limited by what photos I could find of Zac Efron as well as by those photos I had of Emma herself. I wanted the photos of Zac to be ones taken specially for “High School Musical” and they also had to be a high enough resolution so that they could be blown up without becoming pixelated or blurry.

After cutting out the items above and working some magic on them, I began to add further elements to flesh out the design. I wanted to emulate a sketchy high school notebook doodle style so I did just that, I doodled some rough elements and scanned them in.  I also used a photo of some red paint strokes I had done when designing my Website header and used it as well in this design.

So after various versions of shifting the elements around from here to there and back…only to move them once again…I was finished. As you can see from the sketches and photo above, not all the elements I started with were used in the final design. Designing is very much at times like sculpting…you add a little, remove a little, add a little more…but in the end you are definitely left with unused scraps you discard.

The most important thing however was when Emma finally opened her gift and saw the shirt for the first time. She grinned from ear to ear and proceeded to hug and kiss the shirt. It was so cute and it made the whole experience of designing the shirt well worth it, her reaction was priceless. I hope she really enjoys the shirt, cause I enjoyed designing it for her.

The Gift Of Groove

Published
by
grzych
on November 18, 2008
in Site Information
. 0 Comments

This Post is gonna be a little different then my previous ones.

This weekend, Friday & Saturday (Nov. 21 & 22) in New Orleans, many local shops are participating in “GIVE: The Gift Of Groove.” When you shop at any of the participating retailers listed below on those two days, 10% of all the net sales will go towards the Tipitina’s Foundation which supports music in our schools.  I have special interest in this because two of my friend are taking part in this. So please, if you live in the surrounding New Orleans area or just so happen to feel compelled to road trip or take flight and visit the Big Easy this upcoming weekend…please visit some of the participating shops and unload some cash or credit on them. Heck…the holiday season is fast approaching and you can never have enough gifts to stack underneath your tree.  If you can still see the tree, you haven’t bought enough presents yet.

Like I said, two of my friends are participating retailers, so please check them out, help them…and help support music in our schools.

NOLA Couture
(will be located inside EM’s • 246 Metairie Road  •  (504)834-2795)
www.NOLACouture.com
LIFE
(5422 Magazine Street  •  (504)267-0380)
www.life-neworleans.com

Thanks for helping and hope to see you out there.

Post It Post #6

Published
by
grzych
on November 17, 2008
in Post It Post
. 4 Comments

Not every Post It drawing I do is a finished drawing in it’s self…sometimes it’s merely just a concept sketch for another drawing.  Such is the case with the Post It Post today.  I did an “Artzee Fartzee” drawing of my friend Samantha as a Christmas present last year.  She never said it, but I had known for some time that she’d been secretly wishing that I’d “Artzee Fartzeefy” her.  Knowing that she had been harboring this deep seeded desire, I finally went about the process of sketching out a concept.  I’d the best intentions of doing so for some time but like most things with me…I plan on getting around to it…at some point but something or other comes around and then my attentions shift.  Anyway…what was I talking about?

So above is the concept sketch that I doodled out on my trusty yellow Post It, followed by the final 8″x10″ drawing that I did. Not much changed from the concept to final. I tend to work pretty tight. Often you lose the feeling of the initial sketch when you enlarge a sketch merely by eye balling it. If I really like a thumbnail sketch that I’ve done, I tend to scan it, blow it up, and use it for the exact placement. I trace the main figures and elements in a drawing with tracing paper and transfer it to what ever drawing surface that I’m going to be working on. All the details and finished drawing are then done by hand and finished off that way.  The tracing paper is only used to capture the layout that was established in the thumbnail drawing. I had originally intended to color it in color pencil and watercolor but time ran out. I finished the drawing the night before I gave it to her. That tends to be a running theme with me.

For the most part, all of my “Artzee Fartzee” drawing are based of of my family or friends.  In future posts, I’ll show you some more.

Post It Post #5

Published
by
grzych
on November 14, 2008
in Post It Post
. 0 Comments

Some days you just feel a Lil’ Brain Dead…some days more than others, and others…more than some. Especially when the mind numbing repetitiveness of your day seems to inch forward with no end in sight and the project that you’re working on doesn’t look like it’s any closer to completion and you can actually hear the sound of the second hand on the clock getting slower and slower, you sometimes just gotta vent a little…let off a little steam. So what’s a boy to do you might ask? What any young blooded individual with a pencil, a Post It, and the thirsting desire to scribble out his frustrations…

    

You doodle yourself being brutally attacked.  Morbid…yes, therapeutic…DEFINITELY!

This Post It Post just so happens to show two such times when therapy was in session. I don’t remember the particulars of the event surrounding each of the drawings above but based on my scribbles, they definitely weren’t the happiest of times were they.  

“Troy’s Brain” and “Hole In Troy’s Head” really don’t need any explanation other than what’s been stated already, but I will make an observation…it would seem that when ever one is attacked violently to the noggin region…one must drool profusely. At least it would appear that way from the Post It’s in this Post It Post.

Post It Post #4

Published
by
grzych
on November 11, 2008
in Post It Post
. 2 Comments

Good morning Post It fans…we’re here once again for another edition of my Post It Post!

So before we move on, go grab yourself a cup of coffee, a small glass of pulp free OJ, or…a nice tasty life injecting Diet Coke, whatever your breakfast elixir of choice, pick your poison…I’ll wait!

Hmmmm, hmmm, hmmm!

Okay good, you’re back…nice choice.  So sit back, put your feet up, take a hearty gulp of your wake up juice, and prepare yourself for today’s Post It Post.

    

In the first Post It note, “Bug Attack Troy”, I drew Troy being attacked by a radioactive mutated swarm of killer dragonflies.  I think that I was particularly swamped at work that day, so what better way to show that then to illustrate your brain being drained by a grotesque flying insectoid.  Plus I love monster movies, big fan, especially older ones.  There’s something about the monsters being made out of rubber and latex instead of CGI digital bits and bytes.  Not that I don’t like CGI, but only if it’s done right.  However it’s more fun when you know that someone had to actually make that rubber monstrosity and that it possibly now sits somewhere in a warehouse collecting dust rather than on someone’s hard drive as 0’s and 1’s.  

In “iPod Troy,” Troy’s simply just jammin’ to his tunes…most likely a “Duran Duran” track.  And for all those people out there saying, “Duran Duran”?  Don’t dis the Double D’s.  They’re the band so nice they named it twice…seriously.  By the way, I love my iPod…besides things like the Color TV, Cherry Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper, DVD Special Features, and Post It notes…it’s probably the single most important invention in recorded human history.  Seriously, it’s that important.  As for the drawing on this one, the nose on Troy is a bit too pointy, especially when compared to the drawing of Troy right next to it. 

So I leave you with this, I guess all yellow Post It’s are not created equal.  I’ve posted several notes to date and it seems like every yellow is a tad shade off…I don’t know what to make of this…is it some sort of conspiracy by the Crayola corporation to overtake the world one color at a time, or simply the fact that it’s possible that not all of these Post It’s are actual Post It’s but rather some generic cheaper offshoot brand? Nah, that can’t be it…my votes with the conspiracy…damn you Mr. Crayon Man…damn you!

Post It Post #3

Published
by
grzych
on November 10, 2008
in Post It Post
. 0 Comments

Okay, so Halloween has come and past yet again, but I have a Post It for you that I just can’t wait a whole year to share with you.  Last Halloween my wife and I went to a Halloween party with a “Dress As Your Favorite Superhero” theme.  My wife went as Mighty Mouse and I…as Underdog…the Canine Caped Crusader.  So as Halloween 2007 was fast approaching, I definitely had my costume on the mind…whether it be morning, noon, night…at home or…go figure…even at work.  Cut to a lonely blank Post It Note just begging for a sketch to be doodled.  And thus, Under Troy was born.  So posted below is that sketch and as a bonus, I’m also posting a photo of me in that actual costume.  Enjoy, but please try not to laugh…remember it was in fact Halloween, and it’s perfectly acceptable for a grown man to dress up like a 6 foot 5 inch cartoon dog…right?

Well…until the next Post It Post…Up, Up, and Away!

Post It Post #2

Published
by
grzych
on November 7, 2008
in Post It Post
. 0 Comments

As promised, I’m back with another Post It Post.

Again, below are two more drawings that I did as boredom took over at the 9 to 5. Of course no one knew that I was sketching these “Artzee Fartzee” tidbits.  How would that look to the boss, doodling when I should be putting the nose to the grind stone and churning out designs for the man. Out of necessity I had to become inventive hiding the Post It’s from view as I put the final touches on them. At the slightest sound of being discovered, I flipped them, folded them, cover them…rolled them up like sushi, swallowed, and regurgitated them at a later date when no one was looking. Okay, I never ate them, but had I, they sure would have been tasty. Actually, my favorite hideaway was underneath my WACOM pad.

    

First there’s “Troy Meets ET,” where Troy…meets…ah, ET…nuff said. I had this ET statue in my office at the time that a friend had given me as a gift. When you pressed a button, it would play the movie’s theme song and then ET would chime in with one of his catch phrases. It was pretty loud, and I couldn’t always understand what the little alien bugger was saying, but it was definitely a pretty cool gift.  

I had wanted to draw a skull in my style for some time, and that’s where “Hamlet Troy” was born from. As for the acting thing, I love Jon Lovitz’s thespian character on SNL, so his attitude was definitely on my mind when I was doodling this one up.

So thus concluded this addition of my Post It Post.  

If there’s anything that you’d specifically like to see doodled as a Post It, feel free to drop me a line and I might include it in a future Post It Post.