Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?

Ah. The end of another year. And not just that this time...the end of a decade. Where does life go? Like the wind, it is but a moment. Don't waste one minute NOT LIVING IN IT. As a favorite poet of mine once said, "We are once in a lifetime." This fact comes to our attention ever New Year's Eve: the want (or need) to make a resolution to change or live better. This year, this...new decade...try to actually accomplish that. Many of the new years of my life were not lived working toward a new resolution. It can be hard with everything that goes on in our lives: work, school, heartbreak, obstacles, etc...but dwell not on the pattern of this broken down world, my friends. Be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Make the effort to LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST in this new era ahead. Sure, the way may seem bleak, and the road may look tough, but press on for the sake of a new beginning. As Gandhi put it, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Well, I've just about ranted myself into a coma, and probably for the last time this year, too. In case you were wondering, this one was inspired by new year's resolutions. We all look back at the year and think of all the things that went on and wonder to ourselves how we can make the new year better. The subject matter for this one actually came from old Frank and Ernest comics: with the old year coming back up into the clouds sending the new year down to Earth. So in that sense, this one is not that original, but who knows? Maybe you'll still like it. See you all on the other side...

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

3...2...1...cheers.

~J

The Awkward One:...and After

And where are the people who made fun of this girl in high school? More than likely they're washing the windows this ad is stored in...or possibly flipping burger's across the street from wherever this store is. They're probably wishing they hadn't made fun of her now, huh? So people...always think twice before criticizing someone you don't know or is different from you. You may end up wearing their fragrance (or working for them in Bill Gates' case.) Last picture of 2009 up tomorrow. Tune in!

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Background image Courtesy via Google Images

Cheers.

~J

The Awkward One: Before...

9-times-out-of-10 the ones who get made fun of the most in school are the ones who turn out looking the best later in life. I've seen this first hand: how a kid can look so homely in their early years and then turn out to be one of the most beautiful people I'll ever know (at least on the outside, anyway.) I'm doing this in two parts because I'm really tired tonight and didn't have the gusto to make an "after" picture (the "before" picture is kinda sloppy anyway.)

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

A Tribute to Facial Hair #1: The Wilderbeard

One more new segment before the close of this year, and it could, in fact, be the most important one. You see, I have shared and affinity with beards for quite some time now, and was excited to grow one. But to my utter dismay, I found that the hair-follicles on my face were having a 24/7 strike because they're not being payed enough, and since I have no money to spare, I will remain beardless for a while to come.

Nevertheless, my love of beards will never die. I have, therefore, decided to pay respects to them in the best way I can. Each new picture will feature a new and exciting facial apparatus and, most likely, a schpeal on why I care so much for that particular beard.

This one is most commonly known as The Wilderbeard: it's the one that is not taken care of, and therefore has free-range over the face it resides on... preferably a man's. It doesn't take orders, it doesn't put up with much, and it won't take crap from anyone. It likes to take residence on the faces of men who either: a) are lumberjacks, or b) have a very loud voice and use it extensively. I'm not sure I'd like a beard such as this one day, but who knows? Things change every day.

Enjoy this one. I did.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

Say It With An Irish Accent

You know what I mean.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

Huhwhahuh #8

I had a full day at work, I'm tired, and the picture I started today would've taken forever to finish (it turned out to be a better idea then I'd originally thought.) You'll see it tomorrow. Anyway, this one was another one of those pictures that just comes out of nowhere. The concept is probably not new, but what the hey...live with it. See you tomorrow.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

We Wish You a...

Merry Christmas!

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

~J

You'd Probably Complain a Little Too, You Know

There is no intention to be sacrilegious with this picture at all. I just wanted to do something a little different. All of the Christmas pictures you usually see depict Mary of Jesus as being happy or calm. You hardly ever get a picture of what it was like for Mary to go into labor, or those many long, bland months it took for the Wise Men to reach Jesus (come to think of it, that might make a good picture too.) This is just something I though of one day, and again I don't mean any disrespect by it. Hope you enjoy it.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

Famous People Who Are Actually Kinda Cool # 3

This picture is to showcase Rachel Ray. The idea for this one actually came about two years ago from an earlier picture I did. It looked similar to this, but I wanted a colored updated version. She always seems to do so much on the show, taking little time to do each thing, but having turn out perfectly anyway, it seemed only natural to show everyone how she really does it all. I needed it to go with the Christmas theme, but that wasn't too hard to do. Sorry if it's a bit weird. Just try and work with me on this one.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

...On a Three Child Laiden Sleigh...

Everybody fantasizes about getting on their sled and going down the perfect hill.: this is just an exaggerated version. I'm not really that into sledding, or even going out into the snow for that matter, but I know a great many people who love the snow and would rather have it than rain. I think that's absurd, but that's probably because snow froze on the road recently and caused me to crash into the back of a parked car (and no, I wasn't going fast.)

But with Christmas time comes snow, and snow in pictures leads to not-so-much coloring on my part. So I think for the next few posts I'll try to get as much snow in the pictures as I can (this one took about 1/3 of the time yesterday's picture took.) Hope you like it.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

You Better Watch Out

The old phrase means US, but what if the tables were to turn? What if Santa got a taste of his own medicine? Staying good ALL YEAR is hard, and whadda we get? A bunch of presents we don't want and coal in our stockings. Santa can't keep getting away with this every year. He needs a message to tell him we mean business...

...or at least that's the idea one of my friends came up with. I've told everyone that I'm wanting some Christmas themed ideas for this weeks posts, and this was one of the first ones I was given. I'm sure it's been done before, but I think you'll get a laugh out of it anyway. Took me awhile, so try to look at it extra-long.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Ho ho ho. (as in laughing)

~J

A Barrage from the Past 13

Sorry if it seems I'm going with the same subject matter two days in a row, but that's just how it ended up. This was the only picture I had scanned from last year, and I didn't feel like coloring a whole new picture far into the night. And that whole story is the truth. And I'm hungry.

I did this one in time for Halloween last year, and got it up just in time for...Christmas this year? I don't know. All I know is that this one was inspired by (again, sorry if this seems cheep) Tim Burton. The characters he comes up with are so funny looking and lovable to me. Morbid, yes, but also enjoyable. I thought I'd have a stab at coming up with my own characters to fit into his world. This one was colored pre-Photoshop. I added a few filters and changed the lighting and color-scheme up a bit. I'll try to have some legitimate pictures (from this year) up by tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

Burtonesque in Nature

So it's a week before Christmas, and I thought I should start doing some Christmas themed pictures. I know this isn't really a "Christmasy" picture, but the characters have (somewhat) something to do with the holidays. If you don't like it...too bad.

It's actually another one for a (different) friend. It was a long time coming, but I think it turned out ok. I love these characters. They're very different and fun to draw. It's kind of a stereotypical placement and backdrop, but I hope you like it all the same. More up soon.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Characters © Tim Burton

Cheers.

~J

Guitar Sounding Mouth Noises Post

I'm tired and completely fed up with everything computer related in my life being slow. I'm not going to write much: only that I really like how this one turned out. It was an idea from a friend, and it was mostly accidental, but I guess sometimes that's what makes for the best pictures. Enjoy.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

A Barrage from the Past 12

Again, another one from last year. Added some color (not much creativity after today at work?, but it seemed to need that older look to it. Not sure what to say about the subject matter: hunter with a trophy and a skull in his hand (very Shakespearesque?) I don't know. It's just a picture after all, right?

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

A Barrage from the Past 11

For the next couple of days, I'll be posting some older pics to save time. I've been trying to hit 100 posts before the end of the year, and the next couple of days are going to be long and stressful at work. I can't afford to miss many more days without posting something if I want to reach that goal, so bear with me: this too shall pass.

This one was yet another inspired by The Dark Knight, which was gaining much momentum before its release and which inspired me to draw some picture that were Batman related. I colored this one with markers (as at the time I didn't yet have Photoshop), so the quality of this one was kind of bad. I tried to tweak it a bit with Photoshop, to make it looks at least a little less crappy. Like I said, these old ones are just temporary. More new material on soon, although it's fun to look back and see how far I've come in my style even from last year.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

I'm a Black, Scottish...Cyclops.

This is my entry in an art contest being held by VALVe Corporation, a computer software company. They are updating one of their games, Team Fortress 2, and want you to draw one of two characters you want to see upgraded: either a Soldier and a Demoman. I've chosen the Demo, not only because he's fun to play, but he's also fun to watch and listen to. I love the art style of the game and thought I'd try my hand at trying to win something from the contest. As far as contests go, I haven't been known to win many, but it should give me a little exposure into the world of art that I so long to be a (professional) part of. Hope you like it. It's sort of a step away from what I normally do: I guess I was trying to mimic the style of the game a little. It was kind of nice doing something different.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Character © 2007 VALVe Corp.

Cheers.

~J

Your Breakfast Steak, Sir...

Either you know this character and get this picture...or you don't. I wouldn't be surprised if a great, great, great many of you don't know who this is. It doesn't matter though...it's still random enough to be funny to those of you who don't know what's really going on here. Or at least I think it's funny...

This one came out pretty quick actually: about 45 minutes to draw and color. More up soon.

Enjoy.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Character and Catch-phrase © 2009 VALVe Corp.

Cheers.

~J

Would You Love Me More If... #1

...We Were Both Zombies?

Welcome to another new segment. The idea came to me from...big surprise...personal experience. There is so much emphasis in our lives on trying to please others/everyone, and we cannot please everyone: it's just not possible. But we so often lose sight of that fact and continue with whatever stupid, new means we've come up with to try to impress, humor, or entertain people in order to make them happy/make them like you. It's a waste of time, because someone either enjoys your company and wants to be around you...or they don't. To catches, no strings, no pop-ups. That's just the way it is...at least in my experience.

And so I've come up with the idea of asking the question, "Would you love me more if...?" and then adding a random phrase on the end of it, then drawing something to fit that particular phrase. I thought I'd do something really off-the-wall for the first one. Hence, zombies. I know it's dumb, but I hope it at least makes you smile.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

Huhwhahuh #7

I don't know why this is the scene I came up with for this, but I think it fits the randomness of these two. The characters are from the show "Community," a show I've come to enjoy very much over the time it's been around. The Abed (left) and Troy (right) moments are some of the funniest parts of the show, and if you don't believe me, watch the clip below. I wanted to put some words to this one, but I couldn't think of the right thing to say: sometimes...you just can't. I had great fun doing this one.

Enjoy.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

"¿Dónde está la biblioteca?"

~J

Friends I Have Known #10

This is the friend that has followed my art with the most fervor, even from my humble beginnings back in grade school. He's encouraged me the most in it, reminding me time and time again just how fortunate I am to have this gift I've been given. I do what I do for people like him: to use my gift to the best of my ability, whether out of fun or for the entertainment and benefit of others. I'm lucky to have a friend who genuinely believes in me and what I can accomplish if I but set my mind to it. Thanks, man: you might never know what it means to me.

As for the subject matter of the pic, it comes from his aspiration to become a police officer after finishing college, and let me be the first to tell you...we couldn't have a finer person to server and protect. Buddy, this one's for you. Hope you like it.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

"What Kind of Insufferable Fool Drops a Hotdog?"

I recently sat down and watched "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" again, and I must admit I still adore it. Dustin Hoffman is still a great actor in my opinion, and the randomness of the film only adds to that: almost everything in the movie overflows with imagination and fun. I was inspired by the style and look of the film: very uppity and colorful, and the design for Magorium was great. The part of the movie I decided to capture is a sad one *spoilers ahead if you haven't seen it*, the part where Magorium chooses to die peacefully after a long and wonderful life. It's not my favorite part, but it's the emotional apex for the film (aside from the ending) and challenged me to do some things I hadn't done before in my work.

Enjoy.

© 2009 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J