Coilhouse 05 will hit stores in just under two weeks, but signed copies with special inserts are already 3/4 gone from our web shop. You can see a comprehensive by-article assessment of the issue here. From the post:

Zoetica imagined a blithe, enchanted world of dancing sheiks and courtesans when working on this issue’s Inform/Inspire/Infect section headers. Powdered wigs and perfect maquillage complement tassels and cymbals, as these bejeweled vixens shimmy you into each section. The headers also feature the Far East-inspired patterns that creative director Courtney Riot used on the masthead and the table of contents.

The original color was meant to be all milky pastels, but as the issue came together, Courtney and I brightened these to accommodate the emerging theme. The original versions are below for your perusal.

INFORM
Garnet Siren

INSPIRE
Emerald Emir

INFECT
Turquoise Tart

Do enjoy!

Presenting some things I’ve been doing for your eyeballs!

1. A certain poster project took up most of last week. The art part actually done now, and it’s down to the design aspect of the beast, on which I’m hoping to collaborate with Courtney Riot, provided that designing Coilhouse issue 05 doesn’t drain her of all power. The piece in progress:

Even though the drawing and coloring is finished, I don’t want to show the entire thing just yes, so here is a crop for now:

2. My second live draw-off with Molly Crabapple took place last week, and was a grand success. Here is how these go: we get on our respective webcams, which stream simultaneously on the same webpage, and draw for roughly an hour, occasional spewing nonsense into a chat room where viewers hang out.

Molly was sitting down when I started taking this screenshot. Capturefail.

Once the hour is up we begin live-auctioning our pieces through @ messages on Twitter. So far, I have continued to draw into the auction, because an hour just isn’t enough for my meticulous little strokes.

Each draw off has a pre-determined theme and we’re taking suggestions for next month’s draw-off, so if you have brilliant ideas on the subject, post them in the comments. The most recent one was “Wicked Aristocrats”, my interpretation:

His tattoo says “Mère”, which is “Mother” in French

We haven’t scheduled the next one just yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

This unique version of Honeydrip is now available to you. Created specifically for the Induced Epidemics exhibit at the Museum of Death and measuring roughly 14×30″, this is the only print of its kind. This size and color combination of lush caramel and strawberry marzipan will never be available again, so if you dig it, the time is now. The print is unframed and will be your friend for a mere $299 + shipping.

Indeed Chinashop is back from winter break and just in time for me to cover the recent Doctor Sketchy Marathon, featuring the beautiful, bendy Mosh as one of the figure models. Feast your eyes on this porcelain beauty:

Go on over to Chinashop to read my micro-coverage and see my gallery of this excellent event. This was so, so much fun! Doctor Sketchy’s has got to be one of my favorite things to do in LA, period, and I’m determined to actually draw instead of snapping away at the next one.

At long last, STICKERS. Oh yes, Cumulus Confection and Poke are both available in shiny, contoured, limited edition sticker form, as of RIGHT NOW. There are only fifty [50] of each available so grab ‘em while they’re hot.

Cumulus Confection sticker – $4.25 SOLD OUT

Poke sticker – $4.25 SOLD OUT

There. Now please excuse me as I tumble into the shower while simultaneously getting dressed and starting my car. I’ll be back soon.

Last month mister Christopher Hand commissioned a drawing, loosely inspired by Neli Gaiman’s Delirium and Death. Let it be known that Sandman was the single most inspiring comic book of my youth. I didn’t really get into comics [or, at the time, singular "comic"] until I was 15. Gaiman’s use of Greek mythology resonated with me, as that happened to be some of my favorite reading material growing up. His use of alluring goths also appealed to my then-extra-black soul, and I’m fairly sure I actually got into serious trouble for drawing Dream in Chemistry class once. All this is to say I was very pleased with the assignment, the results of which have finally fallen into mister Hand’s hands, {!} which means I am now at liberty to share it here.

Part of our agreement was my ability to offer reproductions of the piece to you, as well. Perhaps a bit late for the holidays, but better late than not at all, I say. 7.5 x 10″ in shades of deep plum, cinnamon and chartreuse, she’s in the shop, or can be yours right hurr at a special holiday price of $24.99

And! If you ordered from me this week and would like to tack this on to your order, email me directly and I’ll combine shipping. A close-up:

I think I might be typing this from beyond the grave. Today I:

1. Woke up, evaluated condition
2. Realized I was, possibly, even more sick than yesterday [ sweet!]
3. Found a way to cope by slumping over a desk, refusing to speak, and drawing from 9am to 2pm
4. Made the best garlic mashed potatoes I’ve ever made. Coincidentally, the first time I ever made garlic mashed potatoes.
5. Retreated back to bed, where we watched Inglorious Basterds

That’s all I got. Except this – a sneaky peek at the commission I managed to start and finish today. The client asked me to draw a figure reminiscent of a blend between Neil Gaiman’s Death and Delirium. Could any request have been more appropriate, considering my present state? Probably not. I’ll post the entire thing once she’s safely in his hands.

And also this – what appears to be the only photo of me with Josh, Ales and Kevin from Bats and Cats Masquerade, courtesy of Amy.

Because it’s funny and you know it.

SLUMP.

Presenting Honeydrip, completed just in time for the Haute Macabre exhibit. It’s a biggun, comparatively speaking – drawn on 17×22 Bristol board, then cut out mercilessly for scanning. This was initially meant to be a painting, but I got as far as two layers of paint before realizing it wasn’t at all what I wanted from the piece. A special, one-of-a-kind version of it is going in the show like this, instead.

Honeydrip is a sort of follow-up to Nectar Coma and there may be more where this came from, in the future. For now, there are two color variants, “the cotton candy” and “the orange cream”, between which I refuse to choose. Not to worry, I’m be offering both, against complimentary backgrounds, as 8.5×11″ prints. They’re in the shop right now!

I’m down with a nasty cold, hopped up on Indian herbs, Genmaicha, and enough honey to drown in.

Fairly sure most of my brain and body have shut down to give my drawing arm power. In fact, the arm is typing this entirely on its own.

The sticky fruit of my labor, thus far. Not sure whether I’ll begin digitizing this today, as I’m being yelled at to “get the fuck in bed and get some sleep”.

Kicking of the month of Halloween in style with some GOODS!

First up, The Centipede’s counterpart, revealed. I give you, Rachael, the melancholy raven-hared replicant.

Created first with pencil and ink then digitally finessed, this sultry, deep fuchsia, 8.5×11 print is available for purchase right from this page for $29.99

Second, I present The Midnight Centipede. Much like the original Centipede but in shades of night.

There are only six [Six! Six!] two of these left, they cost $29.99, and they are signed and numbered for your pleasure. All gone!

I’d like to thank everyone who’s ordered prints on the past two weeks for your patience. They’ll be shipped this week, which is a bit later than anticipated. Important Coilhouse business required my undivided attention for a little while and I appreciate you not leaving severed horse heads in my sleep capsule while you’ve been waiting.

The good news is that if you’ve placed an order any time between last week and September 17 you can acquire one of the above and avoid extra shipping, as long as you do so before Friday! O-ppa!

Some of your orders, sleeved, waiting to go home.

Achtung, Angel City residents! On October 3 and 4 The Centipede* and its secret counterpart [glimpse below] will be on display at the location above, for those two days only. What makes this especially superb is the fact that L.A. Noir will be held in a beautiful house instead of yet another white gallery space. It’s a party, it’s an art show and there’s going to be food and entertainment. I’m not actually sure what the entertainment will consist of, so please don’t come after me if the dry cleaners can’t remove the stains. I can only promise you that I’ll be there and that it’s going to be FUN. You like fun and art, yes?

Do add L.A. Noir on Facebook for updates!

*After this show The Centipede‘s price will go up, so if you’re planning on ordering one I recommend doing it within the week.

Disclaimer: just had to get this piece done. I can’t promise you I’ll be updating quite this often all the time so don’t yell at me later!

If you would like to purchase an 8.5×11 print of The Centipede please email me – they’re $19.99 and I’m offering them on individual basis only, for now. Check out my store for more prints!

The Centipede, ink+digital

Here she is, finished. Really looking forward to seeing this printed and framed for the show, as I have some ideas for the frame, you see. This is a step away from my chesty space cadets of recent times, and I’m perfectly alright with that. This thing here is inspired in part by Cronenberg’s adaptation of Naked Lunch and took about 6 – 8 hours from start to finish. I’m not entirely sure because I tend to lose time when I dive into a drawing like this. To the fist-shakers in the corner – not to worry, I doubt I’ll ever abandon space and chests entirely!

A friend of mine is hosting an annual art show – a group of friends making art on a given theme. This year’s theme is LA Noir. Got the Noir part down, still not sure about LA, however. In any event, here’s stage two of a little damsel and her trusty yet vicious centipede boa. Stage three will involve scanning and digitizing.

Below, a low res web version of the filthy piece I drew for the Beerotica show at the Hive gallery. Sold last night at the reception, but I may offer a small print run in the future.