EyeBleedInk

Best last year ever!!!

2012-01-25T03:19:00.000-08:00

It's a 2012 and still no new designs being posted. It sucks, but the projects that I've been busy with have not been officially been unveiled, so I can't post them up. There IS a lot to look forward to in the new year, though. The new TORCHE lp will be out on Volcom Entertainment in the Spring and the cover that I just finished for it is as crazy as they come. It is a completely different subject matter than I am used to working on, but it has been fun as hell.
Also look out for two re-issue lp's from Kylesa. I have the difficult task of taking two classic albums art and interpreting them into new designs. Honored to have got the nod on the project.
There will be art for Howl, Lamb Of God, Sanctus Bellum, High On Fire, Kylesa, Torche, Fight Amp, Red Fang, and more in the coming year. It just keeps getting busier.
The THICK AS THIEVES mini print packs will have it's 2nd edition out later in the year and Santos art prints will be coming this Spring/Summer.
Once again look out for me on the road. I will on tour again off and on again throughout the year, so hit me up if you see that a tour that I'm on is coming your way. April/May I'll be going out with Death Angel for a 3 week tour and will post details when they are available.

Last but not least in any way, THANK YOU to all of you that drive me to keep producing art. Without all of the cool folks out there, this would be in vain. More to come!!!

THICK AS THIEVES mini print packs!!!

2011-12-14T20:25:00.000-08:00

The THICK AS THIEVES mini-print packs have been printed by the ever awesome Andrew Crawshaw (Broken Press) this past weekend and they look incredible!

Each Pack includes:
- 5 mini-prints with designs from Glyn Smyth, Tom Denney, Casey McKinley, Mark McCormick, and Santos.
- Thick As Thieves patch
- *bonus* Santos mini print.
- Artist info sheet.

150 packs printed with 100 available for purchase.
All packs are in a 9"x9" printed envelope and hand numbered.

The THICK AS THIEVES packs will be:
- $25 ppd - N. AMERICA
-$30 ppd - WORLD.

The hope would be to have THICK AS THIEVES become a continuing series of packs that assemble as many known and unknown artists as possible.

THANK YOU to Glyn Smyth, Casey McKinley, Mark McCormick, Tom Denney, and Andrew Crawshaw. I look forward to the next edition.

A Torche Xmas!

2011-12-13T21:59:00.001-08:00

I told you all about the new TORCHE "Xmas"shirts that they had with them on the Part Chimp tour last month and some of you now have them. I finally get to post a pic of the new design. It's a fun a cartoony design of Santa's reindeer turning on him. I've enjoyed working with the guys because they have had me sketching up designs that are unlike any that I usually am commissioned to do. Just wait until you see the new Torche album cover.

Everyday I'm hustlin'.

2011-10-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's been busy as hell around here. I'm beginning to fuse with my art table and am wishing that there were more hours in the day. Never a complaint, just in the process of getting projects done before I leave to do merch for High On Fire November 9th.
I have finished a few projects over the past few months, but haven't been able to post them up per request by the bands. The LAMB OF GOD "Harvest" design is 6 months away and the new TORCHE "Xmas" design will be available on the PART CHIMP tour next month. As soon as I get the okay, I'll post them up.

I CAN post up the new design for NICHE. NICHE hail from gorgeous Savannah, GA and are an awesome 70's style rock band complete with keys. The keys are provided by Corey Barhorst (Kylesa) and their new cd "So Be It" is available through the band. You can also hear some their music here: NICHE!! Corey informed me that they'll be touring again soon and said that their just completed mini tour was a success. I also heard about how bad ass they were from fellow artist, Brian Mercer who text me while the show was going on in. Check them out.
Seeing as I'm in the middle of a tight schedule, this post will be a short one. I have to get back to the art room. I'm working on the new HOWL logo, 2 KYLESA re-issue covers, and the new TORCHE cover, NOISEAR cover, as well as many other projects coming up after I get back from tour.

P.S. The HIGH ON FIRE tour starts on November 9th and I am with them until November 20th. Come out to one of the shows, say hi, get me high (seriously), and see HIGH ON FIRE destroy. Dates are here: HIGH ON FIRE.

Time for the harvest.

2011-09-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

October starts tomorrow and I realized that I haven't posted in a while. It's been a crazy few months with all of the shows and friends coming through town and a packed art schedule. I'm also getting ready to head out on the road with Death Angel through Canada and trying feverishly to finish some projects before I go.

Newly inked is the new Lamb Of God "Harvest" design. I enjoy working with Mark and wanted to make a sick shirt that represents some of the folks that farm and enjoy L.O.G. That seems pretty weird, but I noticed a lot of friends and friends' family members who were in fact farmers and also enjoyed metal. Specifically, Lamb Of God. Thinking about that, I put together an image that defined a some of the hell that farms and farmers are going through into an iconic design. I took down the image as it's still 6 months away before they're released.

I'm currently working a simple shirt design for Savannah, Georgia's NICHE. Kylesa's Corey Barhorst plays keys for them and gave me a copy of their new cd. They play some good old 70's style rock and roll and are a damned good time live (so I hear from Brian Mercer). That should be up soon.

Also on the schedule for inking is a design for the clothing company Savakas, covers for the new NOISEAR record, FIGHT AMP lp, 2 KYLESA LP re-issues, KYLESA live lp, and possibly 2 covers that I can't mention right now. The rest of my year is officially booked.

The "Thick As Thieves" sticker packs will hopefully be coming in the next month or so. I'm super pissed that they're not out by now.

A lot of indoor time is coming, and from the looks of it, it's going to be a rough one. That doesn't matter as the grey rainy season is upon us and I love my job.

Ladies' Choice

2011-08-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

If you live in or around Seattle and don't already know the name Adam Bass or "Superfan", you must not go to shows. Adam is a fixture in the Seattle music scene as is his booking/promotion/label, LADIES' CHOICE. He and co-owner Colin Bush have been setting up shows for a wide variety of local, national, and international acts and have also found time to release a few records under the LC moniker. After 7 years, they finally asked about getting a logo done.

The logo is a bit of silly theme, but one that seems to match the fun spirit of Adam and Colin. Not to mention that the logo and tag-line are on par with a lot of the shirts that Adam sports around town.

Aside from just the label, Adam is one of the best guys around. We're talking about a guy who attends and supports most of the shows in Seattle. Sure, it's mostly bands of the heavier genres but he's there week in and week out. Even if there are 2-3 shows going on in a night, he'll find a way to go to all of them AND buy merch on top of that. Not only can the man run LC in the best way possible but he is also one of the best allies that you could have in this town. He'll get the word out about your show, he'll get people there, he'll flier, he'll book you a show, he'll get you stoned, and he will support your band year after year. The music scene in Seattle wouldn't be the same without him and wouldn't be the same without Ladies' Choice in the mix.

So bands, the next time that you come through Seattle and you have a guy named Adam come and talk to you, take a minute to say hello. Odds are that half the people at the show were there because he informed them of it.

A minute for love.

2011-08-03T17:49:00.001-07:00

It's been an ultra busy time since I got home from tour a few months ago. With all that's on my plate, I took a little time out to work on a wedding invitation for my good friend Mike Howard of Fight Amp and his wife's October wedding. I was more than happy to do it and was pleased that they both loved the design. Congratulations to you both!

I have some news on the sticker pack front and they will be printed at the end of the month. It would have been earlier but the printer just left for tour and will print them as soon as he gets back. Everything is going well even though it's been a slow process. Thanks for being patient, all.

Projects for the next few months: Lamb Of God shirt, Howl shirt and logo, Ladies' Choice logo, HHNF cover finish up, Noisear lp cover, Savakas shirt, Finder's Creeper's shirt, and and EVO printing shirt.

Black Wings Broken Bones…Santos Illustration

2011-07-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Meghan & Sean at Cvlt Nation just posted this little piece up. I've never heard anyone describe my art as they did. Thanks guys!

Black Wings Broken Bones…<br />Santos Illustration

ART SHOW!!!

2011-07-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

ART SHOW! at The Goods in Vancouver, BC. was this weekend and it was a damned good time. It was a group show curated by Tyler Buckmire and Alison Lilly and included Neal Nolan, Andy Gagne, Jason Evans, Syx Langemann, Amanda Gertz, Brea Bourgeois, Mark Lankin, and yours truly. The show will run for the next month or so if you're in the Vancouver area stop in and check out the art. Plus, The Goods (thegoodsapparel.com) is run by Dave Dove and Heather O'Brien and is a fucking awesome place with some sick threads. Here are a few pics from the show.

Sticker pack teaser.

2011-06-18T02:53:00.001-07:00

Just a small teaser concerning the sticker packs. The continuing series will be titled "THICK AS THIEVES, and will be out sometime in the next two months. I'll keep everyone posted and give out all of the details once they are ready. Cheers!

Vancouver group show on July 8th.

2011-06-18T01:13:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited to announce that I'll be traveling to Vancouver, BC Canada to take part in "ART SHOW!" at The Goods Screening & Apparel. I was invited by the very talented Alison Lilly and just realized that it's going to be the first "international" showing of my art. It's only 3 hours away, but Canada IS a different country.

You can find more info here : ART SHOW!

I will be showing 2-3 pieces and will have a few art shirts available for sale. So, if you live in or around Vancouver or feel like driving from Seattle, please come out and have a good time looking at some art from some amazing artists.

I don't know the end of this.

2011-05-20T02:56:00.001-07:00

I love it when a design comes together easily. I especially enjoy it when I'm in the middle of a block in creativity. This was the case with "La Fin", the new shirt design for Philadelphia's Rosetta (rosettaband.com).
When Dave contacted me about doing a shirt design for their upcoming European tour, he had given me the starting theme that included Gabriele The Arch Angel. The idea came from the song "Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin" from 2010's "A Determinism Of Morality" and painted a clear portrait of a man calling for the end:

For every pass
Of this moon
Embers wait
Commune
A dawn's harvest

Spores
Burrowing
Ash
Covering

My world
My home
My loves
My memories

So tell me how I've come so far

Repression of memories
Behind a door best kept shut
Suppression of daily deeds
A crushing venom weeping
Into these hands
A plague upon a frame
Growing on the inside
Withering a simple sullen home

I started by studying the paintings of Gabriele throughout history. The design of the old saint icons are gorgeous in their textures and flow and all seem to be of a similar style of the times. I wanted him to be subtly ambiguous as angels are supposed to be, so his hair and facial features are a combination of masculine bone structure with a feminine softness to it. I wanted his overall look to be dark and ominous as one would think the man who is supposed to blow a trumpet to signal judgment day and the apocalypse would look. The wings are drawn in a different style than I'm used to, though. I was influenced by the wing structure that many of the paintings included and felt that the heavy detail would combine the old idea with my style.

Let this go

Won't you play
Your trumpet well
Gabriele

And pray that I can rest

Spores
Burrowing
Ash
Covering

Towards his feet is the man who set this turn of events into action. As in the song, he seems to be looking upon his life and calling for the end. The "end" in this case, has already happened and the man's body is breaking down into mushrooms and other spore producing plants. From them come the streams of spores sending his body into the ethereal. The lunar cycle included in the design represents that of the days that the man has already spent tormented and how the cycle is just not in him, but a constant theme of man. It was a fun design to work on and any design that allows me the chance to add tons of detail is a design that will always have a place in my heart. So, thank you Rosetta for the design that tore through my creativity block.

It's right back to the art table and in the words of Mr. Brian Mercer, "NEXT!"

You can check out the video for "Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin" here: Music For Astronauts

Juxtapoz online.

2011-05-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

YES!!! Thank you Juxtapoz for the addition to the Illustration section and thank you Chris for informing me that this was posted. Now, I just need to find out how to get them to let me be a part of their "Black-N-White" issues. (wink, wink)
You can find it here: juxtapoz.com/Illustration/santos-bleeds-ink

NOOTHGRUSH!!!

2011-04-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

The folks at WARLORD CLOTHING have started printing the NOOTHGRUSH "Twin Threat" shirt designs. The image is an older one of mine originally drawn for a 4 way split called "Twin Threat To Your Sanity" with Bongzilla, Dystopia, Noothgrush, & Corrupted. The split is out of print and long gone, but the fine members of NOOTHGRUSH have revived it into a sick t-shirt. You can purchase them at the Warlord Clothing site at www.warlordclothing.com.

"But that NOOTHGRUSH on my TOOTHBRUSH... Well, some are nice, but he is not."
-Dr. Suess - There's A Wocket In My Pocket

Art, shirts, and stickers!

2011-04-29T01:01:00.000-07:00

It's almost May and I've been at the art table for what seems like days straight. Not a bad thing by any means and it's only getting better.

The 2 shirt designs have been selling really well and I want to thank everyone who bought one. It's helping more than you know. There are still some available in S-M-L-XL, but the smalls and medium sizes in each are almost gone. Both the "Pelican" and "Reptilian" shirts were printed in limited editions of 50 of each design. (You can order them in this blog's previous post.)

As for the art sitting on my schedule, it's going to be a busy few months ahead. I'm currently working on a shirt design for Rosetta's European tour starting June 23rd (rosettaband.com). It's based off of the song "Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin" as per Dave. The subject matter is something that I love, so it should turn out to my liking and hopefully theirs.

After that, designs for a Red Fang 3-sided longsleeve shirt, a Howl shirt design and logo, Kylesa shirt design, HHNF cover, "On The Wagon" book logo, Laike logo, Zoroaster shirt design, 2 more Santos art shirt designs, and I think a St. Vitus shirt is in there, too.

I am also currently inking my design for the 1st in a series of sticker packs due out this summer. The first pack will include sticker designs from Glyn Smyth, Casey McKinley, Tom Denney, Mark McCormick, and me. I will release more details closer to the completion date.

JUST ADDED: Lamb of God shirt design and a Buzzov-en shirt design. Word up.

The mighty Fight Amp.

2011-04-08T13:21:00.001-07:00

For some unknown reason, I always find myself rushing to finish up a job before I leave on any trip that I take. I couldn't possibly break my annoying habit before I left for the Metalliance Tour, so I finished a new design for Fight Amp entitled "Blue Collared". It will be available on their US tour starting April 14th in Philadelphia, PA. You can find tour dates and more here: www.fightamp.com.
I started the design by talking to Mike about the ideas behind Manners and Praise and about individual songs off of the album. He told me that he and Jon had worked construction and the lyrics simply came from observing the lives being lived around them and the construction site. He also in formed me that they were working for a Christian construction company and told me about his time working with good people who often discussed their views with them. The album was a homage to the working class. Starting with the school children marching off to a daily helping of misinformation and conformity. To the man who continues that march into his late years. I wanted to capture a bit of the anguish and hidden subtleties of what it takes to be a blue collar worker. I started with the main character standing front and center, wrapped in the American flag. The wrench in his right hand is one of the tools of the trade in many instances and it fit the idea. I added the two imps in suits to show the slave/master aspect of being a life long worker and killing themselves for someone else. The control and money flows. The final touch was the "cradle to grave" figures flanking the man. On the right, you have the school children. Bound, blind, and malleable. Then to the left you have the elderly beaten down and still bound and controlled. Empty husks of the life that's been taken from them. I guess that's my idea of the corporations who employ most of the blue collar workers of this country. I've worked in numerous factories and warehouses to know how hard you have to work for little pay. Meanwhile, the boss or CEO is making money off of you and doesn't give a shit that you even exist. I hope that the idea came across in the design. It was a fun design to do and gave me more insight into an already awesome band.

UPDATE: The FIGHT AMP "Blue Collared" shirt design is not just available on their current US tour, but is also available at www.shirtkiller.com.

Look what came in the mail today...

2011-02-07T21:23:00.001-08:00

Tuesday was February 1st and that meant that the new Noisear "Subvert The Dominant Paradigm" was just released on Relapse Records. I received my package from Relapse today and am stoked on how the covers came out. The back cover art was drawn by Arif Rot of Wormrot and is sick as fuck! And, Orion Landau finished up the packaging by putting it all together and added his touch to the graphic design and layout of the booklet. You can find the CD/LP online at the Relapse store (shop.relapse.com/search_results.aspx?st=1&ss=noisear) and at most record stores near you. Amazing political grind from my brothers from Nuevo Mexico.

Limited edition "Swans Of Black Ash" tour prints.

2011-01-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

Phillip had some prints made up for the Kylesa Winter Tour featuring the new "Swans Of Black Ash" design. They are hand signed and numbered and limited to 50 prints. They're going fast and the only way to pick one up, is to go out to one of the shows on this tour.
We weren't able to get the shirt version of the design printed before tour, but they will be available on their upcoming European tour and beyond. You can also pick one up at www.indiemerchstore.com/kylesa/item/11614/.

Just in time for tour.

2011-01-05T14:18:00.001-08:00

The new Kylesa "Swans Of Black Ash" shirt design is a detailed beast, born of late night ideas between Phillip and I during the Sanctioned Annihilation Tour. With this design, I wanted to rightfully represent Kylesa and their life as a band while creating a piece that upped the ante when it came to the overall look and art itself. I also wanted it to be a design that was an answer to the beauty and brutality that I saw during the six weeks of touring.
For the design, the idea was to still use the central theme of "Spiral Shadow" and and make it a piece more personal to the band as a whole. The swan, of course, starts out life as an ugly gosling right out of the egg and eventually grows into a beautiful swan. As a band, they've had their ups and downs throughout the years and while their past contains many trials and pain, they've managed to hone their music into a beautiful balance of ideas and musicianship.
The tree continues the theme and grows from behind the egg, into the wings of the swan, and out of the top. It represents the roots set down by the band and the continuing ascension as the tree grows past the the beauty of the swan itself into the unknown. I also wanted the tree to resemble the vein structure of a pair of lungs. To see them play day after day and see the machine that they become once they start to play IS the feeling of several people breathing as one. One machine chugging along and drawing you closer with each breath until the listener becomes a part of machine themselves.
The snake is that touch of evil that everyone continuously encounters throughout our life and is wrapped around the swan and preparing to swallow the egg as to show the trials along the road to such a growth. Their cannot be good with out the bad in life.
The piece as a whole and the explanation of that piece is a personal letter to the people who have become my good friends over the years. Kylesa is a great band and an amazing group of individuals and having the opportunity to work with them on art and now, as a tour manager, just reinforces that there are still good people out there making incredible music.
There will also be a "Spiral Shadow" shirt design available on the tour, so go out to the shows starting January 13th in Atlanta, GA.
I get to sit back now and advance some shows. I hope to see some folks out there!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T01:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all! I hope that everyone had a great evening. I had a great time with a few friends from Portland, OR and a few of my favorite people here in Seattle at the Neurosis show. They played a 2 night NW engagement staring Thursday December 30th with Wolves in The Throne Room and Black Breath and NYE with Ludicra, Yob, and Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth. It was a crushing show and one of the best ways to start 2011. Neurosis played 3 new songs and gave us all something to look forward in the new year.
Speaking of new year, I have several things coming up. I'm still working on finishing the Hell Hath No Fury LP/CD cover and almost finished with a new Kylesa shirt design. I will continue working with Mark Morton on some new LOG designs as well as joining my friend, Brian Mercer, in creating some designs for a new NASCAR endeavor that Mark and his wife have going. I finally get to work with the mighty Buzzov*en by designing their European tour shirts. There will also be a few sticker packs coming out and I've talked to a few friends who will be making prints of a few designs this year.
Also this year, I'll be tour managing Kylesa for their East and West Coast tours in support of "Spiral Shadow". The East coast tour starts January 13th in Atlanta, GA and will feature supporting acts Zoroaster (1/13-1/20), Rosetta (1/21-1/29), & Fight Amp. I'll be around so come out, see some good music, and say hello!
Cheers all and I look forward to another great year! In the words of Jonathan Nuñez, "It's going to be the best last year ever".

The new Noisear, Kylesa, and a NW green chile weekend.

2010-12-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

I know that it's been a while since I posted anything, but it's been busy over the past few months. I'm finally rested after the 6 week Sanctioned Annihilation Tour came to an end and I'm back in the art room.
Since I've been back, I've been working on sketches for the next few projects that are coming up. I've also started up where I left off on the Hell Hath No Fury "So Shall You Reap" cover. Among the projects coming up during the month are a new Kylesa shirt design, Buzzov-en European Tour shirt, and original designs for a new sticker pack. Prints are also being worked on. I have more designs coming up, but am going to take more time on them so that I can up the ante on the work that I am putting out.
The new Noisear "Subvert The Dominant Paradigm" cd/lp has been posted for pre-sale at Relapse Records (http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=41978). For those of you who don't know who Noisear (www.myspace.com/noisearare) should really check them out. Once again, my hermanos from New Mexico turn out a brutal assault on the ears via 29 sun baked spazztic grindcore tracks. I was amped when Dorian called to ask if I could once again design the cover for the new LP. He sent me a text filled with a string of words, each being small ideas to be included in the cover . I took those ideas and added in the images that the album title suggested and ended up with a cover that everyone was happy with. Of course, the basis of the image is the New Mexico zia constructed of bone that lies behind most of the main images. The nuclear bomb cloud is also a nod to New Mexico and their history of tests within the state. When thinking about the dominant paradigm, I wanted to convey the idea of brainwashing under the watchful eye of the dark powers that be. I also tied the nuclear cloud in with the vomit coming from each of the skulls mouths to convey that what spews from the mouths of society is as poisonous as any nuke. Dorian, Joe, and the guys at Relapse are pretty stoked on the cover and I can hardly wait until I have it in my hands.
In other news, I just got done tour managing Kylesa's 3 mini Pacific Northwest Tour over the past weekend. I stuffed them full of green chile and had a blast watching them tear shit up on stage. They started in Vancouver, BC at the Media Club, for a packed and heavy show featuring locals Haggatha and Baptists. The next night was at Seattle's own Funhouse. The show was sold out and stuffed to capacity as Book Of Black Earth, Lesbian, and Kylesa laid waste to the stage. The 3rd night was actually a private party/show in Portland, OR. It was Stumptown Coffee Roasters 11th Anniversary Bash and they managed to put together one hell of a show with Red Fang, Kylesa, and Baroness. Portland was cold outside, but inside of Berbati's Pan it was raging. We were all treated exceptionally well and were completely grateful to the folks at Berbati's and Stumptown. That party makes me want to work for them. heh. It was a great weekend and a fun quick visit from the Kylesa crew.
I will be seeing them again soon, though. Starting January 13th, Kylesa will be embarking on a 2 week East Coast "Winter Tour" with Zoroaster, Rosetta, and Fight Amp. You can find all of the tour dates and news at: www.tonedeaftouring.com/kyl.html. I'll be once again tour managing and slinging merch for this tour, so come out and say hi, get me high, whatever. Just come out and have a good time!
Back to work for me. Every day I'm hustlin'.

Back in black!

2010-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

I know that it's been a while, but I am back! The Sanctioned Annihilation Tour is over and I'm home safe and sound with my amazing wife. Being Kylesa's tour manager and merch slinger was a great time and I have to thank them for the opportunity! I also have to thank Brady (HoF TM), all my good friends in High On Fire, and my new friends in Torche. There will be pictures and more to come. I'm taking a few days off to rest

Prints

2010-09-29T15:43:00.001-07:00

Fresh out of Monkey Press and just signed and numbered, Kylesa's "Spiral Shadow" prints will be available on the Sanctioned Annihilation Tour featuring High On Fire, Torche, and Kylesa.

Subverting paradigms and a sanctioned annihilation.

2010-09-26T15:13:00.001-07:00

I took a look at my last post and it was over a month ago. What the hell have I been doing? As usual, I've been extremely busy at the art table and not everything has been about art.

I just finished the new cover for Noisear's "Subvert The Dominant Paradigm" cd/lp that will be out later in the year on Relapse Records. The image to the left is a detail from the cover and I'll be revealing the rest of the cover once Relapse has announced the album. I don't want to give too much away, but the design has everything to do with the cover.

I've also set up the Hell Hath No Fury cover and it's ready to be inked. I wanted to get this done before I go, but it'll have to wait until I get back.

Now, here is the main reason why I've been awol for a while. Starting September 29th, I will be Kylesa's tour manager for their Sanctioned Annihilation Tour (featuring High On Fire and Torche). With the impending release of Kylesa's "Spiral Shadow" I was asked by Phillip if I would like to go with them. We didn't know how we were going to work it out and finally Phillip asked if I could be their manager and merch slinger for this tour. It's not the hardest thing to do, but it is time consuming and definitely a new experience. You can find the tour dates here: www.tonedeaftouring.com/kyl.html . So, if you live in one of these cities be sure to stop by the booth and say hi and bring me a joint.

It's going to be a busy month and one hell of a time. See you on tour!

Spiral Shadow cover art.

2010-08-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

I woke up a little later than usual today to find that Season Of Mist Records has finally unveiled the cover art for Kylesa's 5th album, "Spiral Shadow". I've been waiting for this day so that I could post the cover, too (I usually don't like to release cover art before the band or label is okay with it). There's a second cover that will be included in both the limited edition and regular versions, but I'll keep that until the album is released.

I was honored and excited when Phillip called months back to ask if I'd like to design the cover for their new album. He wanted something really simple for the cover and as he went on explaining his idea, the design was going to be something that wasn't in my immediate comfort zone. The theme of the album was that of looking back on your life at where you've been and where you're currently going. The other specifications were that the art was to be in a circular pattern, be super simple, contain no skulls, and somehow work OP ART patterns into it. It seems like such an abstract idea, but working with them for years now I've been able to come up with designs rather quickly that have seemed to reflect the words and music's intended meaning. At least that's what Phillip and Laura have been telling me. With all of the information that Phillip has passed along, I thought about a tree right away. Trees and humans live out their lives in similar fashion. Trees contain rings that tell the story of it's life, reveals it's age, and identifies everything that it's been through. Humans contain the story of their lives inside their hearts and minds. Spirals are also a huge part of life and are found throughout nature, math, art, etc and that organic nature combined with the human and tree element fit the theme perfectly. I wanted an oak seed to be the center of the design and have the tree grow in a spiral pattern up and out of the picture. The idea would be that you can look back on where you've been, but where you're going is unknown. You'd figure that drawing a circular tree would be easy to draw and detail, but I always do things the hard way and detail the fuck out of whatever I touch. The back cover continues the tree/human idea and has two trees growing out of bone roots, fusing together the the two most important meanings behind the design. I thought that my part of the cover was done when we all decided that there would be an extra design made for their stage set-up and for the limited edition version of the cd. It really didn't matter because I was totally into getting the cover to be as sick as I could get it. All 3 pieces of art took a little over a month to complete.

After the illustrations were done it was time to add OP ART pattern to the backgrounds of each of the covers. I scoured the web researching OP ART patterns and found that a lot of them are copy written. It's a hassle to go through the process of getting permission and there was really no money to pay for rights, so we turned to the graphic designer on this project, Casey McKinley (www.myspace.com/mckinleyillustration). Casey is a sick illustrator on his own, but the man can hook up a cover with his design skills. He went and created several OP ART patterns that turned out sick! They are scattered throughout the booklets and are included in all of the covers. He also set up the cover for the limited edition version 3D lacquered cover printed on a holographic board. The idea was to have something amplifying the movement of the pattern in the back ground and simultaneously creating a tripped out effect. So, jump on that limited edition version it looks fucking great and comes with a dvd. You can get info on ordering, pricing, and other Season of Mist artists at: www.season-of-mist.com/ . "Spiral Shadow" will be released in Europe on October 25th and in the US on October 26th.

My brain hurts from writing all of that.

Productive July.

2010-07-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

July has been a great month for completed projects, future projects, and tons of sketching. I have to turn up the speed on getting designs finished as I have a full load of incredible projects coming up. So, I'm sketching as much as I can when I can find the extra time.

I've sent out the Buzzov-en sketch to Kirk and will be re-working the design and trying to get it to look more ominous. There's more to come on that one.

A sketch for a new Lamb Of God shirt was just finished and sent off for Mark's approval and ideas. It's based off of the song "Condemn The Hive" and will be another detail fest. I'll have that one inked and colored in the next few months. After that, Brian Mercer (www.mercerrock.com) and I will be collaborating on another design for Lamb Of God. I'm psyched to be working with Brian on the shirt design and can hardly wait to see what he comes up with to start the project. If any of you have been out to the Mayhem Festival this year, you've no doubt seen a few Brian's designs. It was nice to go to the merch tent and see my Lamb Of God shirt next to designs from Brian and Mike Sutfin. It's good company to keep. If you weren't able to go to the festival and wanted one of the "Choke Sermon" shirts, you can get one here: http://lambofgod.shop.bravadousa.com/Product.aspx?cp=800_30451&pc=BGCTLO79

Speaking of Lamb Of God, I have to thank Mark Morton again for the hook-up on the concert tickets, backstage passes, and for hanging out for a while a few times during the day. Mark's a great guy and is helping me with some contacts of bands that I would die to work with. Plus, continuing to work with them is a good thing, too.

August 1st I'll be starting work on the cover for L.A's Hell Hath No Fury (www.facebook.com/pages/HELL-HATH-NO-FURY/335880005869?ref=ts ). The album will be titled "So Shall You Reap" and will probably end up with a massively detailed cover because the idea is has so many elements to it. I love that kind of shit though. I've been working on a sketch and a few ideas for the piece over the few days and am pretty sure that I have a solid design in mind. The cover will be the first time that I have worked with HHNF, but i've known the guitarist/lead vocalist since we played together in Sistema Nervioso back in the mid-90's. She's a good friend and I want to create a sick cover for her band. We'll see what madness comes out the sketching process.

Also, sketched are a shirt design for Blackbird Clothing Company, 2 shirt designs for The Ocean, and looking to finally finish a shirt design for Better Than Everyone Records (I've been trying to work this design out with the idea that I was given for over a year now and have had a hard time. I need to just make something brutal and fitting). Busy, busy busy and a small vacation coming up at the end of August/start of September.

Time to pick up the pencil and get some of this shit out of my head.

Halfway there.

2010-07-02T03:04:00.000-07:00

The year is half way over. I can't believe it. Just the other day it was winter and I was hoping for the warm weather to come. Well, it's not quite here yet, but July usually means that the heat is coming soon. Along with waiting for the sun to shine I'll have to wait until October to see the release of Kylesa's new album. The art is finished and the packaging is being finalized this weekend, so I can breathe a small sigh of relief.

The new Kylesa album will be released on Season Of Mist and is scheduled for a mid to late October release. The album will be titled "Spiral Shadow" and there will be 2 versions of the CD, as well as being issued on vinyl. The first version will be a limited edition 3D lacquered digipak that includes a CD and DVD. The 2nd will be a regular edition in a standard jewel case.

I have to thank my friend Casey for doing a fantastic job with the layout and graphic design work on the cover. It looks incredible. You can see some of Casey's design work, sketches, and artwork at www.myspace.com/mckinleyillustration . He's a great guy and a sick designer, so if you need any graphic design work get a hold of him.

Next up on the schedule is the design for Buzzov-en. The idea from Kirk is that of a phoenix and the sketch is coming along smoothly. I'll post up a detail of the sketch soon. Until then, go out and play in the sun. If you live here, go out and frolic in the rain.

Business practices.

2010-06-22T16:19:00.001-07:00

These basic things will ensure that your needs will be met and also to ensure that I am compensated for my time and artistic effort. ALL designs are done by hand and I only use a computer to clean up files and sometimes separate colors for printing. So, please be patient because these designs and the amount of detail takes time.

1.) All projects must be made in advance. I have a schedule that I adhere to and all projects are placed on the list on a first come, first serve basis. If I am contacted about a project that needs to be done asap and breaks into my schedule, a rush fee will be applied. If my schedule is completely full, a rush fee will not be accepted. Get a hold of me as soon as possible.

2.) When I take on a project I will ask several questions and will keep in contact until a final sketch is approved. If you have specific ideas, subject matter, or themes that you would like let me know at the start of the sketching process. I like to get as much information as possible and will then research and brainstorm ideas for the design.

For shirt designs, please let me know if it's going to be black and white or color. Front design, front & back, sleeve prints, etc.

For cover designs, let me know if it's going to be a front cover design, front & back, gatefold, etc.

When the final sketch is ready to be okayed, I will send out a small file for the client to go over. I offer one free revision (if needed) at this time. After, the one I have to charge a fee. Sketches, inking designs, and coloring can take up a ton of time, so constant revising after the final sketch has been okayed is frowned upon.

**Please note that I will work with a client on getting the design to fit exactly what the client wants within the sketching process. The revision fee only applies once the sketch is at the final pencils stage. At the time of the final pencils, the client and I should have already worked out most of the details and that is why only one revision will be free. **

The same goes for coloring. For t-shirts, I will offer 3 color palettes to choose from. Please choose which you would like to go with and I will color it to your liking. The same revision rule applies here, too. For covers, please let me know what color palette you would like to go with and we will work it out.

3.) All projects will be subject to a deposit of 50% the total cost of the commission, before work can be started. This has had to be enforced to eliminate slow pay/timely pay/no pay and to ensure that you get a spot on the current schedule. Also, it's to keep only serious inquiries on my schedule.

4.) All projects are to be licensed for a 2 year period. After 2 years, if the design is going to be re-printed, a fee of the original cost of the project will be charged. All projects are to be used for the project that you specify. Any additional use will require a fee.

5.) I require samples of ANY and ALL products (shirts, hoodies, cds, lps, ect.) that my designs are printed on.

6.) I DO NOT draw logos into the designs anymore. Logos are added to the design later in the process.

7.) Contact me for pricing on projects at jsantos.art@gmail.

8.) PLEASE REMEMBER: ALL art is hand drawn. I do not use a computer to draw. I do use a computer to scan, separate layers, and send off files. The detail within the designs take a lot of time to do and often a project will take 2-4 weeks. Once a design is drawn, it usually cannot be changed.

9.) I DON'T do TATTOOS. Long story, but no, I don't do tats.

10.) I'm not a graphic designer and I don't have extra or unused designs laying around. Each design is made specifically for the band that commissioned me and all designs and logos are done by hand.

11.) Payments can be sent using paypal. Files will not be sent until the payment is deposited into my paypal account.

12.) A "KILL FEE" will be applied to any project that goes to fruition and is declined at the last minute.

**I apply a fee of half of the cost of the project as a kill fee because at the point that the design is finished, the client and I should have had all of the details of the project worked out.**

**************************************
I am not a hard ass and can work with people on pricing, but for the most part the prices that I give are the prices for the amount of work that I'll be doing. I need to adhere to that. I live off of the money that I make from art, so this IS my job.

THANK YOU ALL, again, FOR YOUR INTEREST, INQUIRIES, and SUPPORT

Old is new again.

2010-06-18T01:32:00.000-07:00

I'm knee deep in ink and hoping to get the 3rd and final panel for the new Kylesa done by the weekend. Thrown into that was a re-visiting of sorts of an older design. Seeing as the "Only One II" design was a more simple design and only used on the front of their "Only One" hoodies, Phillip asked if I could do something to add to the original art. What they got is the "Only On The Inside" shirt design that will be available on their European tour (July 10th). You might notice that this version of the art in the center doesn't have beams of light streaming from the heart. I decided to take them out as I didn't care for the way that they came out when printed on the hoodies. I also noticed that the beams created too much havoc on the eyes when thrown into the ribcage border. All in all, I think that the additions to the old design have given it a new life.

3 days for a highly detailed 2nd cover/3rd panel. Then, scan, clean, set-up, and send out. Wish me luck.

Supposed to be summer.

2010-06-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

While the rest of you are probably enjoying the warm spring weather, I've been inside watching the rain come down. I guess that it's a good thing as I'm still in the throes of inking the new Kylesa LP cover. 3 panels of detailed, surreal trees. It's been a good time as Phillip from Kylesa and Sabiene from Season Of Mist have included me and my input on the packaging and set up of the cover. It's going to be a trippy cover to go along with the new trippy album. I wish that I could say that I'll post the cover when I get done, but we have to wait until they "officially" announce the cover art. Keep an eye out.

A few years back I made 25 sticker packs that included 5 stickers and a 2 color print on vinyl. Needless to say, they sold out fast. Well, I'm going to be making another round of sticker packs soon. I'm not sure if I'm going to make all new designs or use some detail images from past designs. It may be a little of both. If you have any design that you would like to see included in the sticker packs, feel free to email me.

Prints are coming soon, too.

Back into The Womb (art room) to listen to the rain and let the ink flow like the blood of my enemies.

Bastard Samurai and Illuminating Scriptures.

2010-05-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that the High On Fire "Bastard Samurai" shirt design is now on sale at their merchstore and at live shows. You can pick one up here: highonfire.warnerbrosrecordsstore.com/ .

I've also run across a shirt that I designed a few years back and have never seen. It's the "Illuminating Scriptures" design for Job For A Cowboy and was one of 2 designs that I created for them. If you'd like to purchase that shirt, you can go here: www.districtlines.com/Metal-Blade-Records/Job-For-A-Cowboy . I hope that I can get one of these for my own collection. I guess I'll have to shoot Mr. Davy an email.

There you have it. You can go buy a shirt and cover up that naked torso of yours.

May is Kylesa month!

2010-05-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

It's looking like May will officially be Kylesa month for me. Besides designing the front and back cover of the new album, Phillip has informed me that the cover art will be expanded in other designs associated with their stage set-up. I'll be designing drum heads, a backdrop banner, and smaller banners for the sides of the stage. It'll be a total art overdose.

The project is coming along great as both Kylesa and the label want me to take part in helping them come up with packaging for the new cd/lp. It doesn't happen too often, but it is a good day when a band actually let's me a part of designing the items that my art will be going on. So, be prepared for a unique CD package on this one.

Other than most of the month being dedicated to Kylesa, I'll be working up some sketches for projects that need to be started or finished up. Some of the projects have been harder than others to come up with and not every idea given to me by bands or individuals are good. Others, leave it open for me to work and that's when I work best. Thanks to those who allow me to let my mind loose.

World wrath.

2010-04-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

I know that I had posted new Lamb Of God "Choke Sermon" shirt design in my last post, but it's turned into a bit more than first intended. Mark liked the design so much that he asked me to do a back design so that they can use it as a tour shirt for their "World Wrath Tour". So, here are the final designs for both the front and back. The shirts are being printed and will be available starting May 15th in Bangalore, India. They'll more than likely be available for US tour in July, too. To find tour dates go to www.lamb-of-god.com/tour.php. More Lamb Of God designs are coming in the near future.

Seeing that myspace is a graveyard these days I have started a Facebook page to go to for art galleries and news. Go to www.facebook.com/santos.illustration. Check it!

A visit home and a sermon to choke on.

2010-04-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

The month of April is almost over and it's been a great month of news, rest, vacation, and finished projects.

This month, I was finally able to pull away from the art table and take a long needed trip home to Colorado. I stayed in Denver with one of my best friends and had a great time hanging out and seeing friends and family that I hadn't seen in years. While in Denver we were able to catch the Colorado Avalanche play the Chicago Blackhawks at the Pepsi Center. It's been awhile since I'd been to a hockey game and anyone who knows me knows that I am a hockey fiend. It was a great birthday gift and the bonus was my wife getting to see her first hockey game

and Blackhawks game (She was born and raised in Illinois). We also traveled down to San Isabel, Colorado to check out Bishop's Castle, ate at Pass Key in Pueblo, and sat in the front yard of my grandmothers housewhile my cousins drank and played dominoes. Ah, visiting Colorado is an experience. It feels good to go home, but it feels better to leave.

I had started the inking process on the Lamb Of God "Choke Sermon" design before my trip and am happy to announce that the design is colored and ready for the next LOG tour. It was easy working with Mark and he let me go off after a general idea was established. I like that. I find it easier to come up with something and not work under constraints. From the sounds of it, this looks like it will be the first of many designs for Lamb Of God. Fuck yeah!

Well, the Avs just lost and are out of the playoffs. They had a great season and I'm sure to take a small ribbing from Mike Fisher (San Jose Sharks fan and sick artist) but there's always next year. And, next year we're planning on seeing the Avs play in Chicago. Hopefully, the Avs win this time.

Work on the new Kylesa album cover has begun.

A few things...

2010-03-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

The poll is now over and it looks like the first run of the High On Fire "Bastard Samurai" prints will be in blue. Red came in second and may be the color set used if I make a second run in the future. The design will be available in shirt form, on their tour with Priestess and Bison BC. Check www.highonfire.net for dates.

I'm working on the detail on the Lamb Of God shirt and have been sketching out ideas for the new Kylesa cover. The inking should be done in the next week or so and then I can start on the Kylesa cover. I also just added The Ocean to my schedule and will be doing 2 designs for them. It's going to be a minute before that will happen, though.

Warm weather is here and I watch the seasons through the window. I need to remember to get out and frolic once in a while and break away from the art table.

Bad Acid Tab 9

2010-03-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the Bad Acid Tab 9 page: www.badacidmagazine.com/page12.htm . Glad to see that it became a monthly publication.

All That Is Heavy & Bad Acid.

2010-03-21T14:37:00.001-07:00

This morning, my best friend Jenny sent me an email that she received from All That Is Heavy

(www.allthatisheavy.com ). I had forgot about these postcards, but it looks like they are available now when anyone orders from their online store. Here is the direct link to the postcard page : www.allthatisheavy.com/scripts/free_art_print.asp. ATIH started the idea of postcard prints as a way to cut down the amount of waste that their postcards were creating. They said that they were sending out postcards with orders and realized that people were just throwing them out. So, they came up with the idea of getting some artists together to donate images for limited edition postcards. The postcards are included in every order and are printed on recycled paper. Other artists in the series include David D'Andrea, Arik Roper, and Malleus.

The other good news that I received was an email from Dave at Bad Acid Magazine in the UK. It was an email announcing that Tab 9 is out and available now. I had been asked a little over a two years ago to design Tab 9's cover and now it is finally out. For those of you who haven't run into any issues, Bad Acid is a music magazine crammed full of music and insights on bands and the music scene around the world. Every issue comes with tons of interviews, reviews, news, a 90 minute dvd (containing music videos, short films, and art galleries), and a compilation cd with 64 bands.

As well as doing the cover, I have an interview and an art gallery on the dvd. The art gallery goes through my portfolio and is set to Lesbian's cover of "Bad Man". I thank those guys, again, for donating that song to the project. You can see the cover and order an issue at www.badacidmagazine.com .

I couldn't finish this post without announcing that I'll be doing a shirt for the Southern sludge masters, Buzzov-en. That may not seem exciting to a lot of people out there, but they were one of my favorite bands until they broke up a few years ago. They're back and putting out a new record this year along side the Relapse release of their recoding sessions pre-1995 called "Violence From The Vault". It'll be great to hear some new music from them and be able to draw them up a design.

Oh, and I'm in the process of working up some prints of the new High On Fire "Bastard Samurai" design. I'll post more when they are close to being printed.

Count my fingers nine...

2010-03-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

New High On Fire "Bastard Samurai" design. It will be on sale on their upcoming tour starting March 31st. Visit highonfire.net for more details. I'll write a better entry once I get back from the world outside of my art room.

No end in sight.

2010-03-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

I know that the heading title sounds ominous but it's quite the contrary. I'm currently engaged in inking the new High On Fire "Bastard Samurai" shirt design and it's coming out more epic than I thought it would be. I can't say it enough, but I love having the time to give my full attention to my work. I'm hoping to have the design done in time for HOF's tour (starts March 31st), so I'm keeping my nose to the grindstone until it's completion.

More good news keeps rolling in. Last night Shrinebuilder tore it up at Nuemos and I was able to hang out and talk to Scott for a while after the show. I found that my Shrinebuilder shirt design was their only shirt for this tour and for their European tour. He also added thatl he'll be commissioning me for a Neurosis shirt design in the future as well as a shirt design for a band that I can't mention until it's confirmed. Damn! Neurosis has been one of my favorite bands since the late 80's and doing any work for them is a dream. With that in my future, I can concentrate on my schedule at the moment. Next in line is Lamb of God full color shirt, cover design for the next Kylesa album, new Kylesa shirt, I'm Better Than Everyone Records shirt, HIgh On Fire "Snakes" shirt, Kuma's Corner shirt, and my first Blackbird Clothing shirts. Sometimes, seeing no end in sight is a positive statement.

Return To Dust

2010-03-01T14:23:00.001-08:00

I'm so damned happy that I have the time to work on art all day. Since I quit work, I've been able to commit my time to the fine detail that I love so much. Another good example of that would be the new cover for the Sanctus Bellum "Return To Dust" LP/CD. Justin has been super helpful in giving me ideas for the cover and I'm glad that the final design came out so well. Looking at the piece as soon as I was done I noticed that from afar it looks like a Cthulu skull in the background. Another unintentional image I guess. Well, the new album looks to be a stoner-rific good time and you can check out some tracks at www.myspace.com/sanctusbellum.

As usual, I have a few days of rest ahead. Then, The High On Fire "Bastard Samurai" shirt design will be inked. For now, I think that I have to go outside.

The armed wolves are pushing through your head.

2010-02-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

No sleep seemed like the perfect end to a design that took close to a year to complete. That might be due to the revisions and complete change of artistic flow halfway into the first idea, leading me to rethink the design altogether. I'm glad that that happened. "Pregnant Insect" is the new t-shirt design for Colorado's Cobalt (www.myspace.com/stinktown666) and spawned from the lyrics to the song from their "Gin" cd (Profound Lore Records). I liked the idea of the beetle in the center spawning the dead and being tied to the female, who is spawning her own dead. The thought that I wanted to keep in the image was that of the parallels between the spread of humans and insects throughout their environments. Mainly the thought of them being like plagues to the Earth. The constant birthing of either species is symbolized by the ovum that that the beetle is centered within and is also the point where the two bodies join. Some of the other images come directly from the lyrics. The eye and coca plants that the skeletons are holding were influenced by the cocaine/up all night excess that the lyrics suggest. Now that I solely work on art, I was able to take time to get into the piece and detail the hell out of it. You can order/pre-order shirts here: www.hoodedinoil.com

I have been working with Des from High On Fire on their new design and Mark Morton on a Lamb Of God for the past few months and the final sketches will be done here in the next week. Immediately after that I will be drawing up the cover and logo for Sanctus Bellum (www.myspace.com/sanctusbellum) from Houston, Texas. Good times in February.

The busy season.

2010-01-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

The month of January isn't over and already 2010 is getting off to a great start. I've been busier than I have ever been and big projects are coming my way almost every week. It's been a good month so far.

At the moment, I'm busy inking the Cobalt "Pregnant Insect" design. This design has been in the works for months now with Erik, Phillip, and I communicating back and forth on the final design. It should be done in the next week and Phillip said that they will be printing the shirts soon after its completion. I will post the image and link to purchase the shirts when they are for sale.

The sketch detail above is from the new "Bastard Samurai" design for High On Fire. I've been working on some new designs for them for a few weeks and have two solid sketches that will be used along with a couple more ideas that are still to come. To help the process along, Des has sent me the High On Fire "Snakes For The Divine" album. It is amazing! I love High On Fire and have liked the last couple of albums, but this album is as solid as they come. The music combined with Matt's descriptive lyrics are invaluable when coming up ideas for designs. I have to thank Des for getting that to me me early. It helps so much. So, on February 23rd go out and pick up "Snakes For The Divine." It's damned worth it.

I was informed this week that Bad Acid Magazine tab 9 will be out April 1st worldwide. Bad Acid Magazine is out of the UK and run by a super-cool guy named Dave. The magazine is incredible. It's filled with interviews, reviews, news, new bands, old bands, obscure bands, you name it. Plus each issue comes with a CD filled with tons of bands and a DVD that contains interviews, videos, short films, and art galleries. Not to mention that tab 9 features a cover, an interview, and an art gallery done by yours truly. I was told to find some music to accompany my art slideshow so I need to find a heavy band that will go with the mood of the art. We'll see who answers the call.

Ryan Kasparian from Blackbird Clothing Company (www.blackbirdclothingco.com) e-mailed a month ago to ask if I would be interested in working with BCC in the coming year. Here it is and yes, I am now working with Ryan and BCC. Ryan seems like a cool guy and he does some great work. I'm pretty amped to join the roster of sick artists that BCC already has. It should be a good time and it looks like it may lead to a collaboration with Ryan in the near future. Ryan will also be the one printing my design for Kuma's Corner when it's ready.

And last but not least, I received a call from Phillip Cope the other day and he asked me if I would like to design the cover for the new Kylesa album due out later this year. Of course, I said YES! From talking to Phillip it looks like the cover art will be a bit different from what I am used to doing, but it'll be a great challenge and will make me think outside of the arena of my normal habits & subject matter. I am looking forward to it and can't tell you how happy that news made me! They are one of my favorite bands and a great group of people. It should be a fun process.

That's all for now.

The Collaboration.

2010-01-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

The idea was conceived two years ago when I e-mailed Tom Denney (www.tomdenney.com/) to tell him how I liked his work. We began talking in emails and phone calls and I finally just asked him if he would be into working on a collaboration. He quickly sketched some things and sent ideas back and forth for a bit before he sent me his inked portion of the piece. It took me a little over two years to finish it, but it is now finished. Damn. I just sent the image to Denney and I hope that he will add some color to it. It's done, it looks good, and we're both happy with the outcome. I'm now looking forward to the collaboration with Jon Baizley.

The collaboration design IS for sale. So, if you need a cover, here it is.

New year. New decade.

2010-01-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I just wanted to wish all of you good luck in the new year and look forward to the ever growing output of art from all of my friends and heroes.

Plenty of stuff coming out in 2010. This year I'll be working with Blackbird Clothing Company, Kuma's Corner, and even more bands. Keep an eye out and I'll keep you posted on what's to come.

Also, Lesbian, Harkonen, and Shining Ones tore it up at The Comet last night. It was a great way to enter the new year!

I'm working on it.

2009-12-19T13:53:00.001-08:00

The past 2 weeks, I've been taking some time to sketch out several of the projects that I've had on my schedule. I've made so much progress in that time and only have a few more designs to sketch out, but needed to take a break. How do I decide to take a break? By working on and hopefully completing the collaboration piece Tom Denney (http://www.tomdenney.com/). I've had a rough year and that's led to most of the procrastination on the design, but I really want to get it finished before the new year. As soon as it's done, Tom said that a friend of his in Chicago wants to make prints of them and maybe even make it the centerpiece in a joint art show in LA and/or Seattle.

For the design, Tom has drawn up one of his signature women and left the background to me. As you can see in the pic, I'm detailing the crow at the lower left. Sorry that it's taken so long, Tom. It'll be done soon.

SketchFest.

2009-12-17T23:14:00.000-08:00

The weather has been cold and I love that I haven't had to go out into it. Having the time to work on art everyday is one of the best things that I could have done. So, having all of this time I've been sketching my ass off. With so many projects on the schedule I decided to take a few weeks to sit down and sketch out several projects. That way, I would have the designs ready to ink when the time comes.

I've finished the Lamb Of God sketch that was influenced off of the lyrics to "Choke Sermon" and am waiting for Mark to get back to me on when to start inking it.

The sketch for Cobalt called "Pregnant Insect" was finished and approved yesterday. Even though it's a go on the design, I'm waiting until I have all of my sketching done before I start inking. Here is a detail from the center of the design.

I also completed a border for Kylesa's "Only One II" design. The design was used for the front of their new tour hoodie and Phillip asked if I could draw them a cool border to go with the design so that they could use it for a shirt on their tour early in the new year. I ended up adding a ribcage border, as the original picture and idea behind "Only One II" was that of the empty space in ones heart. I wanted the scene to extend itself into the border so the heart is continuing through the ribs, as well as the clouds. I extended the ropes that are binding the heart so that they were anchored on to a few of the ribs. Laura already voiced her approval and I'm happy that the image will have some new life breathed into it. Here is a detail from that sketch.

Des just sent me the track listing and lyrics for the new High On Fire "Snakes For The Divine" album and I've already figured on three ideas for designs. While I'm working on that, I'll also be working on a shirt design for Kuma's Corner Restaurant/Bar ( http://www.kumascorner.com/ )in Chicago . What do these 2 things have in common you may ask? Well, Kuma's menu features delicious burgers that are named after metal bands and they are having artists draw up a design for each band that is represented on their menu. I have the High On Fire burger, so while I'm sketching new shirt designs for HOF themselves, I'll also be creating a piece for Kuma's HOF burger during the same brainstorming sessions. I don't have to draw any food, but it has to be a design that reflects the band

and Kuma's.

Another small design for Kuma's Corner is being worked on and more sketches are on the list. The sketch for Karim is in the placement stage, and a logo for Sanctus Bellum is being sketched over and over. I'll be glad when I can start inking them all.

I hope that everyone has a good holiday and is out there truly doing what makes them happy. Even in these trying times. I have a had a hard year turn into one of the best times in recent memory, and I look forward to what 2010 holds for me, my family, and friends. Thank those of you that have supported me and kept my head up during the low times. Thank you to the friends that I have made throughout the world like Kon from Greece, Yuzuru from Japan, and all of the other artists and art fans that keep me going. Next year will only get better and I can't wait.

Epic journies.

2009-12-04T22:11:00.000-08:00

It would figure that an album with the words EPIC JOURNIES would stand as a prophecy of what was to come. I've finished the SMAUG -"Epic Journies & the Riddle of Steel" cd/lp cover after a year and it took all that I had in me to get it done. Alton commissioned me last November and It took 2 intense months of working on it to get just the line art done. I had the great idea that I was going to color this thing using the computer and started on a 3 week, no sleep, no fun, back breaking process. Then, all of the files corrupted. Gone. All of that work was gone in an instant and I lost it (inside). It was such an arduous time, that I hadn't been able to touch it in months and decided that if i was going to color it, it would be by hand . Now that I'm solely working on art I needed to complete the piece and get it off of my schedule. I took the last week to sit at the ole' art table and put this cover to rest. Alton liked the finished product and is looking for a label to help them put it out. He said that they wanted to have it released on vinyl and with all of the detail within this design it'll be a perfect size to showcase the artwork.

I am also able to work on my schedule and have started to sketch out the next 5-8 projects. I am trying to play a little catch up and have the sketches ready to go when I need to have them. Today, I completed the sketch for the Lamb Of God "Choke Sermon" design and sent it off to Mark for approval. Below is a detail image of the sketch.

In the meantime, I'm sketching a shirt design for Karim at I'm Better Than Everyone Records, a border for the "Only One II" design for Kylesa, a shirt design for Cobalt, a High On Fire 3 sided shirt design, a logo for Sanctus Bellum, and a few designs for Kuma's Corner of Chicago. I also will have shirt designs and prints available soon. I'm busy and rested and haven't felt this good in a long while. The Smaug cover is done. All seems right with the world........................for now.

Free of work and Kicking Korners.

2009-12-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

It's December and I'm once again working for myself. This time, things are coming together and the projects are plentiful. I'm working on getting some t-shirt, hoodies, baby clothing, prints, and a leap into doing colored/painted pieces (as well as the b&w designs). I'll keep posting more info on the merchandise as it becomes available.

As for the job, I did enjoy working at the print shop, but realized how much time it consumed and took away from art. It was getting far too hard to keep up with the schedule that I had and I ended up having to apologize to people and assure them that I wasn't slacking on their art. It's hard to work all day, commute an hour back and forth, and come home and work on art until I passed out. It takes a toll on the body and I just couldn't keep doing that to myself. So, here I am. Once again. Working on art. Nothing could be better.

One of the first things that I was able to do was a cover for one of my best friends' band. They're called Suburban Korner Kick and they play indie rock with some similarities and sound akin to fIREHOSE. That would make sense as one of the main writers in the band is from Ohio. This is the second cover that I've been able to do for him (2007's Plan B: To Linger, Remain, Or Persist) and it's been a nice change of pace working with a band of a different genre. Both covers have

been a change in that I am out of my element in making more simplified designs. For the new cd, Maybe Tomorrow, Chris and I went over many ideas before reaching the final design. The cds were ready before hand and the art on them featured a bison in a field. We wanted to tie the cd art in with the cover in some way and thought of the idea of expanding the field on the cover. The title helped to fill in the rest of the idea. What we ended up with was a nice country road with a line of phone/electrical poles running along side. The poles show the wear of being exposed to the elements in that they are sinking, crooked, and some of the lines have snapped. Seeing as the poles aren't cared for, they're just another place to hang some laundry out to dry. The only problem would be the storm on the horizon. The idea was that Maybe Tomorrow was part of the attitude to be contained in the design. The phone/electrical workers to lack of keeping up maintenance on the poles. Maybe tomorrow. The storm is coming and the laundry needs to be taken off of the line. Maybe tomorrow. It's

really not as serious as it sounds, though. The laundry on the line does add a nice comedic touch to the cover. The adding of the Suburban Korner Kick logo on the sign was a continuation from the first cover, where an astronauts air tank had the logo affixed to the side

The back is an up close shot of some of the laundry on the line. Chris is going to add the song titles to the center of the shirt. You can check out their music at www.myspace.com/suburbankornerkick and http://www.nushrecords.com/

Shrinebuilder at The Viper Room.

2009-11-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

The Shrinebuilder show was crushing! They played their first show in LA the other night and they did not disappoint. We flew out just to see the show and ended up having the greatest time in a short amount of time. I was able to see my good friend Leah, who used to play with me in Sistema Nervioso, and whom I haven't seen for over 10 years. She's still rocking it and working around the corner from my friend Jason. We walked Hollywood Blvd and were thoroughly disgusted with the smell, creepy costumed people, and all around attitude. We did get to go to the beach, so that was great.

The show was at the Viper Room and it was packed. They played 2 sets and even played a cover of my favorite Joy Division song (Twenty Four Hours). It was heavy as hell and the intimate setting was a good choice for their 1st show. They sold out of ALL of the shirts that I had designed and I wasn't able to get one, but Scott said that he'd save me one. I was also able to meet up with Tom Denney. He walked past me before the show and I immediately recognized him. I said hello. We were instantly thick as thieves and made plans to get an art show together and visit him again when we could have more time to stay.

LaLa land was an experience to say the least, but we had a great time and will be back soon. And, maybe get a bit more sleep than we did.

Shrinebuilder shirts and their upcoming mini tour

2009-11-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

Evo Screen Printing just posted up the pics of the finished Shrinebuilder shirts. They came out sick! The guys over at Evo do great work and are able to print all of the detail in my designs. It looks like the shirts will be available in dark grey w/ black and silver ink, white w/ black and silver ink, black short and long sleeve w/ white and red ink. Scott said that they might even have some hoodies printed, too. They have previously printed the Scott Kelly designs and I'm even thinking about getting some of my other designs printed there. They have samples of other shirts, hats, bags, etc. that they have printed. My favorite is the Neurot Recordings Youth Soccer team shirts. You can reach them at : http://www.myspace.com/evoscreenprinting .

The Shrinebuilder shirts will be available on the upcoming mini tour, starting at the Viper Room in Los Angeles on November 11th. and ending in Austin, Texas on November 16th. Go see them if they happen to be playing near you. I'll be attending the show in LA, so if you see me there say "hi". It'll be a great time of friends, sand, red eyes, doom, and crushing metal.

Optimum Wound and the Masters Of Ink.

2009-10-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

This summer I was contacted by Jason Thibault from Optimum Wound Comics (optimumwound.com) about being a part of the Masters Of Ink series that he runs on his site. We emailed each other a few times and he sent me an interview to answer when I had the time. As things have been really busy, I answered the questions when I could and ended up taking 3 months to complete the questions. Of course, it hard for me to write about myself so that was one reason for the delay. If you'd like a look over the writ, you can find it here:

www.optimumwound.com/category/masters-of-ink

I can say that I am humbled to be a part of the Masters Of Ink series and to be in the company of so many artists that I respect, admire, and find influence in. And, here I am writing crazy answers to the questions that other artists had great answers to. Ha! Who thought punk and metal would help me further my art career? Piss off Mr. Holmes!!!!

Finished building the shrine.

2009-10-20T00:47:00.000-07:00

The Shrinebuilder shirt/hoodie design is complete. The idea was to keep with the serpent and shrine motif and tie the back into both the sleeve and main design. At first, the border was to contain the tour dates, but Scott and Al decided to replace them with a lyric from the album. I really like that way that the whole project came together. Now, I can hardly wait to see them.

As usual, it's 1am and I have to get up for work in a few hours. You have to bleed in order to do what you love and I'm extremely light headed.

Kylesa, Shrinebuilder, and looking forward to having time for art.

2009-10-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Kylesa came through town last night and played a hell of a show. The only thing missing was the banner that they made of the Killer Of Love design. The low ceiling and limited space on stage at Chop Suey was to blame. So, Phillip went outside and pulled the banner out of the trailer so that I could finally see it. It's an incredible thing to see it printed in such a grand scale. He said that they are stoked about the banner and have had it up at other shows. My friend Jaysin sent me a picture that he took at the Launchpad in Albuquerque, NM. I'm hoping that I'll get to see it up one day, but having seen it at all was great.

The back of the Shrinebuilder shirts is getting inked and ready for their 5 date tour in November. Scott and Al really liked the sleeve designs and have asked me to replace the idea that they had of placing tour dates within a border with a few lyrics from one of their songs. I just heard another song off of the Shrinebuilder album and it is sick as all hell.

And, soon I will be putting in my two weeks notice at work. I simply can't maintain a full time job and work on art, so I am going to focus solely on my art and projects. I have some things in the works and am booked for a long while so I know that quitting is the right thing to do . Freedom is close.

Right and left hand paths.

2009-09-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

The Shrinebuilder designs are almost complete. Scott, Al, and I collaborated on the ideas for the sleeve designs and they will be printed on long sleeve and hoodies for their 5 date tour November 14th-18th. They came up with the idea of the left and right hand paths combining with a hermetic sun & moon. Al wanted to add the number 108 into the left design and Scott had the idea of fading hands and pronounced blood flowing from the stigmata wounds. Now, I can get to work on a design for the back of the shirts composed of a border and hand drawn tour dates. I'm also going to try to make it out to one of the shows.

Lamb of God designs are next to be sketched.

Something fun for my new niece.

2009-09-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

I recently became an uncle again and wanted to start my new niece out on a path of morbidity. My sister has a dark and fucked up sense of humor and my other two nieces have been raised in a family that all tends to lean toward the morbid side of humor. I wanted to give her something that would be cute, useful, and personalized, so I drew out this design and had it printed onto an American Apparel Organics bib. On the bib printed for her, I added her initials. I liked the design so much that I'm thinking of printing more to sell in my friend Erins' store. Awwww, dead babies are cute (my living niece is cuter).

Shrinebuilder merch, Flatstock, and good friends.

2009-09-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Flatstock 22 is upon us and I'm amped for this years incarnation. Sure I have work to do and I'll have to get some drawing done this weekend, but I have been sketching like a madman lately. The next few days I want to be able to enjoy some art, music, and seeing some good friends. The guys from Mad Packyderms (Lee & Larry) will be staying with me for the festival and I'll also be able to hang out with some of artists that I've had the pleasure of meeting over the years. Bumbershoot is always a people watchers dream, so I'm sure that I'm in for an interesting weekend.

In other news, the Shrinebuilder shirts are out and for sale. You can find them here:

www.realdealmerch.com

There will also be bandanas, hats, hoodies, etc. being printed soon. Mark from Lamb Of God works at Real Deal and will be handling all of the merch set up. It's kind of funny, but Mark had just contacted me about doing some shirt designs for L.O.G. I'm really feeling lucky to be having such big projects coming through. The power of word of mouth advertising is immeasurable.

I think that I'm going to rest up because I feel like it's going to be an busy weekend.

Two of the Only One.

2009-08-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

You never know what you can do until you have to make a deadline. I've been so busy with work and art projects that I have a perpetual "full plate" on my hands. It's always good to be busy and better when you're doing what you love for yourself. I have been so busy finishing up the coloring on the Smaug cover, designing the Cobalt shirt, working on the Tom Denney collaboration, sketching a new 3 sided High On Fire shirt, sketching out the I'm Better Than Everyone Records design, and finishing up my sketches on the collaboration with John Baizely, that I forgot about the new design for the front of the new Kylesa hoodie.

It took 4 days of intense clawing for ideas, sketching, and inking. In the end, the idea came from the lyrics to "Only One" from the Static Tensions lp, as had the European tour shirt design. The reason for this was that the back of the new hoodie will display the European design front, skeletons from the back of the Euro shirt on the sleeves, and the new design for the front panels on a zipper hoodie. I wanted to make a design for the front that would tie in with the design on back. The new design is framed in and an door shape to match the open door in the woman's chest from the Euro design. It's still a portrait of loneliness, introspection, and despair and is supposed to be contained within the woman's own heart. The lyrics to the song are:

-ONLY ONE-

Locked into moments seen through and through

Like darkness shining on you revealing and weeping

I try to

Try to see things through and through

As darkness cloaks the sun I seem the only one

Brick anchors in wet sand

Carry through tomorrows end

Lines of life carving hands

Clear the path to claim the land.

I included the lyrics because the two design are based off of the song and one another and I find it important to let the bands own words assist me in creating a design that specifically fits them. I can't wait to see the hoodies once they are finished. That'll be October 5th, when they play Chop Suey with Red Fang, Bison BC, & Iron lung. Go see them when they come to your town and buy a poster as well. The posters will be screenprinted and include the "Only One" design with tour dates. You can find tour dates and news on Kylesa at www.kylesa.com.

I really need a vacation.

Progress on the Smaug front & collaborations to do.

2009-08-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

There is progress on the Smaug logo and cover! This is exciting considering I started it in late 2008 and finished it in May. One of the reasons for the lapse in time was I had spent a whole week and a half, working hours a day coloring the design on the computer. It was the first cover that I had ever tried to color using a computer, so I guess that I should have expected some kind of set back. Anyway, I ended up finishing the cover, saving it to my computer, and walking away for a bit of rest. The next morning, I went to open the file and it was corrupted. I saved the same file a few times just in case something like this happened, but all were corrupted. It had taken so much time, effort, and physical pain to get the cover colored that I kind of snapped. I then tried to color it again on the computer only to have more bad shit happen. So, this design hadn't been too kind and my attempts to finish it ended in me just walking away. It's been too long and I have started to color the image again. This time, I'm coloring it by hand. The way I should have in the first place. It's going really well and I hope to be done with it by the end of the week. I DID finish their new logo, though. I got some ideas from Alton and tried to make a strong and legible font that would go with the cover art and the music.

I'll also be finishing up the Tom Denney collaboration, this month. It's been a while since we started it, but it will be finished. Then, I can start work on the collaboration with John Baizley. We will working on a new shirt design for the upcoming Baroness cd and tour. We have been talking and working out all of the logistics of the design and have a good idea that we are now going forward with. The idea comes from the lyrics to "O'er Hell And Hide" and should prove to be a sick piece of art. John also said that we will probably be making the design into prints. Damn! Why do I have a 2nd job?

August first and the ball of fire is out for now.

2009-08-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Holy shit, it's been hot! It been in the high 90's/low 100's here and we were not prepared. Sitting at an art table with no air or hot air flowing in the window has been hard to take. But now, the temperatures are dropping (not by much) and August is upon us. I have a lot of projects on the schedule still and have to get through a few this month. This week, I will be inking the Smaug logo and attempting to color their cover, yet again. I have been through so much trying to get this cover done for them and am hoping that this time will be the final attempt. I will also be working on a shirt design for Karim at Better Than Everyone Records, a design for the front of a Kylesa hoodie, a shirt design for Cobalt, and a collaboration with John Baizley for a new Baroness shirt. So, it looks like I will be a busy man for a while. Hopefully, in cooler temperatures.

3am Altar Burning

2009-07-21T03:11:00.000-07:00

Working 40 hours a week and a full art schedule can take a lot out of a man. It's 3am and I have to get up for work in 3 hours. The good news would be that the Yob -"Burning Altars" design is ready. I was hoping to get it done sooner, but life and my need for uber detail, got the best of me. Chris at Profound Lore Records has amazing patience and I thank him. I'm getting delirious. Goodnight.

Bus Rides & Mercury Mountain

2009-07-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

July has started out to be a hectic month. I went out and found a job working at a t-shirt screen printing studio, 40 hours a week. As you may have guessed, that leaves only spare time to work on art. I'm getting up around 6am, catching a bus that takes an hour to get to and from work, coming home, cleaning up, eating, and then going directly to the art table. The weekends are spent working on designs, as well. I am about a week and a half behind in my scheduling, but hope to make it up with the next few designs being sketched out already.

That being said, I had been working on a cover for Boston, Massachusetts own Riff Cannon. These guys play some really good sludge/stoner rock and from what I have heard, Mercury Mountain will be an album that gains much attention. The cover image is taken from the lyrics to "Mercury Mountain" & " The Oracle" as both songs fit into the motif that I wanted to display. I tried to add a lot of texture to the design, as not to lose any of the detail and shape. Looking at it it feels like I didn't do much in the way of detail, but when it comes down to it, this design had me entrenched in the detail and keeping the design symmetrical. I like the finished product and the guys are happy with it too, so that is all a guy can ask for. You can hear some songs and find out more at myspace.com/riffcannon .

Pale Horse for Black Skies

2009-06-08T23:41:00.001-07:00

The Black Skies shirt design is done and ready for tour. I titled it "Under Hoof of The Pale Horse" and tried to make an iconic depiction of the forbearer of the apocalypse. I also added the human skull as a a symbol of the death of mankind from our own weapons. I picked out a lot of the imagery from the song "2105", off of their Hexagon ep. You can listen to that song and others at www.myspace.com/losblackskies and http://www.blackskies.us. Also, check out the dates for their summer tour that begins June16th. Go to the show, by some merch, and support the touring bands.

Kylesa European Tour Shirts

2009-05-23T02:31:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a shirt design for Kylesa's European tour, for days now. I'm really happy that I was able to get the design finished in time and that I was actually awake and functioning, by the end. The design is called "The Only One" and it's based off of the lyrics to the my favorite song off of Static Tensions, called "Only One". It helps that their lyrics always seem to provide me with inspiration and that they are really great people. I'm amped that they'll be taking this design with them To Europe, too. While they're there, they will be supporting Torche for the first 17 dates, headlining for 13 dates, and playing a slew of festivals with the likes of Mastodon, Wolves In The Throne Room, Voivod, Coalesce, Taint, and Slipknot.
Now, I can sleep. Maybe.

Kylesa Backdrop

2009-04-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

The new Kylesa "Killer Of Love" design has been made into a backdrop. Phillip said that they weren't able to put it up on the Mastodon tour (Mastodon has an L.E.D.-type screen as their backdrop), but they will have it up when they play shows outside of that tour. He did inform me of a short video on youtube.com, though. It's from a performance in Birmingham, Alabama, that has the backdrop hanging up while they play. The video is short, but you can see it behind them. They told me that they were really excited about it and hoped that I would be able to see it the next time they play in Seattle.

The new design is also available at www.indiemerchstore.com/kylesa. While you're there you can also purchase the new design "Sensation" from YZR Craftsman. Yuzuru and I have 2 designs each, available on the Mastodon/Kylesa tour.

I am currently working on a shirt design for Cobalt from Denver, Colorado. You can find out more about them at www.myspace.com/stinktown666 .

Oh, and kidney stones suck!

Shrinebuilder

2009-04-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

The Shrinebuilder design is finally done! It's a simple iconic design, but that's what we were aiming for. I had been given ideas on the subject matter for the design by Scott and went through a few sketches being passed around to get to the final design. It took a second, but after redrawing it a couple of times i ended up with something that I'm rather pleased with. Now that this is finished we just have to wait for the album to come out.You can check them out at www.myspace.com/shrinebuildergroup.

Volcom Spring 2009 Featured Artist Series

2009-04-14T00:50:00.000-07:00

Volcom has just released my design for their spring 2009 Featured Artist Series line. This is the first of several designs that I will be doing for Volcom. I have to thank Jinx and Daven for hooking me up with the opportunity and High On Fire for being the catalyst that sparked their interest in my work. You can purchase shirts at www.volcom.com in the Featured Artist Series section.

New Blog, New Kylesa design.

2009-04-11T23:35:00.000-07:00

I am starting this site to be able to show my finished work, works in progress, and future projects. I hope that I can find interesting things to say and maybe explain some of the elements within my pieces.

With that being said.........

There is a new Kylesa design that I finished in time for their spring tour with Mastodon and Intronaut. The new design is called "Killer Of Love" and was based off of the lyrics to the song "Scapegoat" off of the "Static Tensions" album. The shirt will be available at the shows and can also be purchased at www.indiemerchstore.com/kylesa. While you're there check out the design "Sensation" by Yuzuru. He is a great Japanese artist and all-around incredible guy. You can find more of his art at www.yzrcraftsman.com.

I will be finishing the coloring for the cover of the new Smaug album, "Epic Journeys and The Riddle of Steel." Due to a crashing Photoshop program and a few corrupt files, things are finally back on schedule. I'll also be designing a new logo to go with the cover.

The Shrinebuilder t-shirt design should be done and posted within the next week or so. Shrinebuilder is the new project consisting of Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Wino (St. Vitus, The Obsessed, The Hidden Hand), Dale Grover (Melvins), and Al Sisneros (Sleep, OM). It should be a great release and I am honored to be designing a shirt for them.

There are upcoming designs and covers on my schedule for The Faceless, Cobalt, High On Fire, Yob, Riff Cannon, Fanatics, I'm Better Than Everyone Records, Black Skies, Fallen Figure, Cyanide Destruct, Creepy Cult, and a Tom Denney collaboration. Also, look for designs already done and out for Job For A Cowboy, Power Pellut, and Heathen Shrine. You can see more of my art at www.myspace.com/outofspite .