"HEY YOU GUUUUYYYSSS"
Yah, i used to watch The Electric Company. But when I was younger i thought that catch phrase would be a lot better if it was actually saying "Hey EWE-GUYS" and was being directed at some half sheep-half human things. Like this:



So anyway, quickly, i just MOVED again for the 2nd time in 3 months. Not that bad, actually better, but that means i have no internet for a minute and my life is frazzled. So i have to be quick, but I wanted to keep you in the loop on all things awesome. Heres a few things to look out for NOWWWWW:

1. HAPPY BELATED HALLOWEEN, and a happy belated halloween birthday to my favorite German-Cuban-Pinhead-Fearing-Hilarious Nicole. Since I couldn't be there in person, I made you this heart out of pumpkin shit, and then ate it in your honor. It was delicious.


1.B) My mind is crazy, but i also think it might have been Gris Grimly's birthday too. damn i missed that if it was. horrible friend = me.

2. TOMORROW IS GREG "CRAOLA" SIMKINS' NEW ART SHOW OPENING AT GALLERY 1988 in LA!!!! The concept is great and the new work is INSANELY BEAUTIFUL. I would shed a tear if i had a heart. Go see his show tomorrow, NOV 3. Your eyes will bleed inspiration. Here is the flyer:



3. And after the Craola show, why not go hang out down in Laguna Beach with LC and shit and go be equally amazed at my good friend Jeremy Fish's very first MUSEUM installation show!! Damn, Jeremy has grown so much and it's so refreshing to see him consistently moving forward and staying fresh in the art world when a lot of people become stagnant. I had a chance to go to Jeremy's studio in San Francisco last week before he left for the show, where I checked out the work and was blown away (that's us competing in grizzled-ness above). His composition and use of colors have doubled in coolness. I'm pretty stoked being able to first observe Jeremy's growth as a fan for years, and then more recently, as a friend. So yah, go check out Jeremy's show at the Laguna Museum of Art on November 8.


One of my favorite pieces from the show. How many dimensions do you think that painting is!? i'll give you a hint. its only TWO!


4. We, as in Zerofriends, finally got a dope plain logo tee available for sale on the Zerofriends Store, which you can buy and view HERE NOW!
It's available in white, black and silver. And it makes a good Rorshach mask (with ears)!

5. Lastly, back in mid 2008, i got asked to do a couple of drawings/screenshots for an online episode of the Creepshow spinoff, called Creepshow Raw, which was directed by Wilmer Valderama (yes, THAT Wilmer). The dude is rad and way into horror, and coupling that with the words "Creepshow" and getting a chance to draw Michael Madsen, I obliged. Well, the episode just got released over on IGN.com, but i embedded it here if you wanna check it out. And as a nod to the original, i drew the same exact house from the opening of the original Creepshow movie. Enjoy:)


Alright thank you all, i have to go finish moving. Or stop moving, one or the other. Word.

Artist & Co-Founder of "HI-FRUCTOSE MAGAZINE", ATTABOY & I, Circa 2004. Before Hi-Fructose. Before Zerofriends. Young & In Love:)

It's been a long time coming, but we here at Zerofriends are finally ready to announce our newest collaborative release, this time with world-renown illustrator, toy designer and co-founder of Hi-Fuctose Magazine, the illustrious ATTABOY.

Atta and I have been friends for years after meeting at the San Diego Comic Con back in 1999. We were both at similar "starving and trying really hard to figure out how to make a living doing what we love while being confused by most things in the industry" stages of our lives, and since that moment, we have both fed off of each others ambitions, while also individually growing and taking separate paths down a weird scary road that have both led us to our different accomplishments. I have always been influenced and enamored by Attaboy's art, as well as his passion and his strive to work and push the boundaries of the art world, whether it has been with toys, with paint applications and techniques, or even with the art-magazine world. With that being said, Zerofriends is proud to announce the release of his newest Ultra Limited Giclee print, entitled "Girl Parts". Go grab one HERE before they are goneeeee:)



“Girl Parts” Limited Edition Giclee Print
By ATTABOY
Extremely Limited Edition Of 50
11.5" x 22" Printed with Archival Inks on Acid Free Velvet Cotton Rag.
Each print is hand signed, numbered and loved by ATTABOY.
$50.00 each

Direct link to ATTABOY PRINT:
http://zerofriends.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=28&products_id=248

A word from Atta about the original painting:
"Girl Parts was the first painting I made for my "A Touch of Evil Show" in LA. While painting, I pretended I had an alter ego named Kenji Kokamoto, who didn't make magazines, whose hands were stubs burned in a rave fire in Tokyo in the 90's. Late one night I even created a Myspace page for Kenjii and in an Ad in a magazine. Some days, Kenji was a girl who wore long diva gloves which eventually soaked in the blood from the not yet healed portions of her flambe wound, drawing cute out-of-context characters that her young cousin would like. Other times Kenji was a boy, not caring about anything he drew, confident and assured, like a deodorant commercial.  Girl Parts dipicts a future, and that future, like our present, will be  part advanced, part regressed, dismantled. Exploded views, spare parts, unexpected explosions, glass and plastic, and oddly some religious themes are sneaking in.  A messed up future doesn't mean it's a dystopian one tho, there's ups and downs even in the darkest state, the darks just seem darker, making the lights stand out more, so to speak."

The print is incredibly detailed! Check out these close-ups!




Attaboy is an incredible artist and visionary. Here is a little more about him:
Attaboy is an internationally shown artist, creator and toy designer whose work is seen in galleries, museums, toy boutiques, magazines  calendars, and art books. Atta's Art focuses on the disturbed childlike sensibilities that he values above all else and is centered in a goo-filed worls; lust filled and awkward, uneasy with their own cuteness or simply unaware of it or how it affects them or others, all imagined in a palette reminiscent of a rusted cruise ship. His images and collectables are glimpses into Atta's insecurities and currupt sensibility often times providing more of a physical diary to his day to day undertakings..  Atta is the co-founder of the critically acclaimed "Hi-Fructose Under the Counter Culture" Magazine and has created and directed animation for cable TV. He's also a former child model, but he doesn't like taking about that. He was once on David Letterman; Paul Shafer was cool, but Dave was kinda an ass. That day he also got to meet Liberace tho, and that was rad. His fingers were nothing but rings.

Wow. I hate using the word 'literally'. A LOT. My hatred for that word might be the ONLY thing that Dane Cook and I have in common ever since i threw away the one Affliction shirt with like 50 wolves on it i had a few years ago. However, the last month has LITERALLY been a blur to me. Not because I was high. Not because I wasn't paying attention. But because I had my art show scheduled at Gallery 1988 for over 6 months prior, yet 35 days ago, i didn't even have an idea for what I wanted to do. No paintings, no direction, no sketches. Just panic.

I know i DO work better under pressure, but because I am still lacking a little confidence in my painting skills, when this little time-line fact hit me i was so overwhelmed I could feel my blood cells wanting to take a lemmings-dive out of my ears and nose.

Once I calmed down and shut the rest of the world off, I figured out what to do, and, because it's better to keep your enemies closer than your friends, I enlisted amazing-man-nemesis DAVE CORREIA to help me organize and to help build all of the installation stuff, while I set up a one-man assembly line in order to get 20 paintings done in 20 days, as the assembly line process was the only way I was going to get anything finished in time for the show, especially since I wanted to also release a new t-shirt and a book to go along with the show.

So, with Dave's help (and additional backup from Paul Bustamante on Bass & Damon Alcorn on Drums), we worked non-stop on the show, and I couldn't be more relieved/excited that we got it done in time for the opening.


Inserting 2 added bonuses to the mix of prep time, I wanted to take full advantage that this was October, which meant HALLOWEEN, which meant, yes, I get to embrace my nerdy love for dressing up like something that only 4 people will appreciate, like JORDY VERRIL from CREEPSHOW.

WIth that being said, i encouraged people to dress up and hired good friend and renown photographer JON DRAGONETTE to set up a little photo booth and take portraits of penguins, chest-babies, batmen, and hot dogs.
And the second added bonus was that, coinciding with my show, next store the insanely awesome comic book store Golden Apple Comics was hosting the DVD release party for one of my favorite new films, "Trick R Treat" BUY MOVIE HERE:), which was written and directed by Mike Dougherty. So Mike and I met up and decided to join forces and release an exclusive Trick R Treat shirt at the show, which was rad to work on with him.

And, in addition to HATING the word "literally", I also never believed that people got "exhausted" to the point of being sick. I always thought that was kind of bullshit, like they just were too pussy to tell everyone to go away, so they would use the word "exhaustion" so that they could play videogames instead of do shit they are supposed to do. However, i seriously think i am "exhasuted". Good thing Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend came out the day I got back. Wait...what? I am behind on deadlines already? And the A.P.E convention is this weekend??? Oh well, back to the grind. Brutal Legend, i will conquer you someday. Or not.

I put up 4 galleries on Flickr with over 200 photos from the last 3 weeks, including the behind-the-scenes photos of making the show, Jon's portraits, the entire art experience of the show, and the opening night photos. All of the photos are compiled from myself, Dave, Jon Dragonette, and DailyDujor.com, so thank you everyone for helping out with the photos And THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT TO SUPPORT AND MAKE IT THE BEST SHOW OF MY CAREER.

Here's a random selection of the photos, but to see all 200 photos, CHECK OUT THE PHOTO GALLERIES HERE!

Direct link to all 200 photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29961249@N08/collections/72157622458397273/
and some of the original art (and the book and print) is still on sale online here:
http://themarrowisreal.blogspot.com/


We finished the set up mere hours before the opening.




In the ultimately awesomest form of flattery ever, Sean Leopard from Zerofriends arrived in a pitch-perfect homage outfit to my "Tonight To Knight" painting. WOW. Wow.


Lady Blueberries painting.
Lady Blueberries in the flesh (or fur)

Myself and Photographer Jon Dragonette


The humble and accurate beginnings of Paul's "CARL" costume.



GRANDFATHER


Spidey, before and after his make-up.



SOMEONE CAME DRESSED AS ARTIST JIM MAHFOOD! WAIT, THAT'S REALLY JIM IN THE HOUSE!


Hotel paint-a-thon = confused housekeepers.


Me with Gallery 1988 director Jensen, who is, obviously, Poisonous.


50% of THE USED, with a side of good friends Mark Yamamoto, CW, & Sean Leopard.



Director of Trick R Treat, Mike Dougherty & I chilling with the lurking Lady Blueberries.


It was such an insanely awesome opening that I didn't even get to say hi to any of my friends that came by, let alone these dudes who i had NO IDEA were there. would have loved to say hi! Seth Green & Shawn Ashmore with Mike Dougherty. (Polaroid photo by RESERVE RESULT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reserveresult/ )


Carl helping Jordy get dressed.


The MYSTERIOUS BuffMonster and the (Probably drunk by now) Batman-Leopard.


The Masks Of The Marrow


IIIIII...saw Jordy kissing....Kuatttoooo Claus.


Kuato, Carl, Rapist #3, Autistic Batman.


Getting bear-head is better than regular head. The end.

Just a quick update. I went right from my art show to shooting our very first commercial for Zerofriends, but I will get a full update with photos (shot by Jon Dragonette, who took the above portrait) and all that good stuff about the show as soon as I get back to the land of the living, but as for now, all of the original pieces, as well as the book, the print, and the shirt, are available to purchase and view HERE NOW!

Direct link to view or purchase art:
http://themarrowisreal.blogspot.com/
Enjoy:)

Hello you all.

It's Sunday night. I just got to LA and am in a swanky little Ramada Inn above a diner called Whispers where it's either legal to still smoke inside, or the multiple-personalitied bowlers that took over the place just don't give a fuck. Either way, it's pretty rad. For the next 3 days I will be setting up and installing my largest, most focused solo art show that I have ever created.