Tillary Flatbush

Cheers!
—A

MORE HEADLESS TORSOS-Last one, I promise.

Happy Memorial Day, I hope you had a great barbeque or whatever it is that you do on this holiday.

I Had a wonderful weekend, I met two illustrator friends from Brazil , The amazing Hiro Kawahara, illustrator extraordinaire (above image) and Ricardo Antunes, the gracious publisher of Ilustrar Online Magazine, which I highly recommend. Go ahead and click on the link and download & enjoy every single issue.

Thank you, both so much for the visit, I do hope to see you soon in Sao Paulo.

I felt so inspired after Hiro and Ricardo left, I finished my latest "skulptch" or "Skelpt" "if you'd prefer. Which is the last installment in the "Low-Budget-Cheap-Bastard- Sketch-Sculpt" Series. The scooter ended up being too small for the woman but what the fuck, still, I had a great time messing around with my recycled plastilina Roma.

BTW: I am NOT cheap, just lazy.


I'll be back in a couple of days, until then: Keep on drawing.

Abrazos,
—Alberto

LOW-BUDGET-CHEAP BASTARD-SKETCH-SCULPT

Allergies & Life (Edit 4/28)

Plenty of shit happening in my life at this moment (beside the dreaded spring allergies). Big decisions to be made at a personal level. All of them for the better. So please excuse my absence, I'll be back soon with more new book announcements and exciting news.

To my dear friends in Calgary:
I couldn't make it to the Expo this year, I hope you guys had a great time. I'll be seeing some of you in August for sure.



Here's some more noise:
















Abrazos,
—Alberto

SEATTLE'S COMICON & SHANE'S DAILY SPIRAL

COFFEE, PORN & FRENCH FRIES
Well, here we come again, we're going to Seattle, a fine city, the porn capital of the world as we kn . . .. Wait! scratch that! Seattle is not the porn capital of the world, my bad.

Anyways, I was thinking of Chatsworth. Seattle is not infamous for its porn, which is fine, trust me, I've seen it. But rather, for fucking coffee. Would you believe that? How did that happen?

There are no coffee plantations in Seattle, in fact, coffee is optimally grown in the tropics around the globe, in a band 10 degrees north and 10 degrees south of the equator. Places like Ethiopia, Colombia, Mexico and other Central and South American countries, as well as Indonesia and the Arabian Peninsula. It's like saying Potatoes come from Ireland or from Idaho, and I know most people make that mistake because they think of the potato famine, well, potatoes did not originate in Ireland, or in your own private Idaho, sorry Irish folks! All modern varieties of potatoes can be traced back to a single source, a bud found in the Inca empire, Ecuador/Peru area to be precise and nowhere else, over 7,000 years ago, but I digress. Nothing good can grow under Seattle's perennial dark skies except for alternative rock and alternative comics and alternative people. and we all know that "alternative" really means disgruntled, maladjusted and disenfranchised shoe gazers. There is no sun light, only rain, misery, Microsoft money and gloom. I LOVE IT!

I would feel right at home there, I think the weather is perfect for staying home and drawing all day, writing depressing poetry all afternoon and cruising for free internet porn all night.

But cheer up Seattle! because we're coming to brighten your rainy heavens; we're going to change all that gloomy outlook (at least for two solid days). We're bringing sketchbooks, art books, naked female cartoons, East Coast sunlight and happiness!

All kidding aside, I do love Seattle (no hate mail please, my inbox is bursting)
I've been looking forward to this weekend for a while now. Spring has indeed sprung here in New York City and allergies are getting ready to make my life a living hell; it's going to do me some good to get out of the house and see my old buddies from the north-west region again.



THE 2009 EMERALD CITY COMICON ART BOOK
My good friend Jim Demonakos at Emerald City, the P. T. Barnum of comic book conventions, who heads this exemplary organization is back at the helm and this year has gone all out in procuring the best possible talent to headline the event. Yours B. Truly and the aforementioned Mr. Demonakos have joined forces to bring you the "Emerald City Comicon Art Book 2009 Edition" (actually it was Jim's idea I just said yes)

Also known as "ECCCAB 2009' This book is filled to the brim with artwork created exclusively for the show, by some of the exhibitors and guests. The theme: MONSTERS & DAMES featuring a stunning cover by my brother from another mother Frank Cho.

Click on image for a bigger pic.


This book was created for two purposes: to celebrate the show's talent diversity and to benefit the Seattle Children's Hospital. Only 850 copies of this book have been printed and individually numbered. THERE WILL NOT BE A REPRINT of this volume, ever.

Here's a list of the contributors featured in this volume and some of the pages:

Art Baltazar Mark Brooks Laurie B! Jonathan Case Bernard Chang Howard Chaykin Frank Cho Becky Cloonan Amanda Conner Colleen Coover Dave Crosland Kevin Cross Franco Kieron Dwyer Marc Deering Tommy Lee Edwards Trevor Goring Gene Ha David Hahn Kevin Hanna Tony Harris Mike Huddleston Stuart Immonen Georges Jeanty Dave Johnson

Joe Jusko Steve Lieber Vasilis Lolos David Mack Jim Mahfood Chris Moreno Moritat Scott Morse Ted Naifeh Dustin Nguyen Mike Oeming Jeff Parker Brandon Peterson David Petersen Jimmie Robinson Alberto Ruiz Wade Schin Steven Silver Doug Sneyd Taki Soma Richard Starkings Ben Templesmith Bruce Timm Dustin Weaver Andrew Wilson

I can't possibly post every image here but if you are an admirer of any of the artists featured within, don't wait and pick one up at the show this coming weekend. Sat April 4th & Sunday April 5th. 

If you can't make it to Seattle you can order this book from our Brandstudio Press online store, We only have 145 copies available for your purchasing pleasure, numbered and signed by yours truly on the back cover (which features one of my doodles) The books are here but to not create a conflict with the show we'll start shipping them this coming Monday April 6. First-come-first-served basis, NO RETAILERS OR E-BAY SPECULATORS, limit 2 books per person, while supplies last.

Price: $24.95 US Dollars
83/4x8 12.25 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER:

SHANE GLINES' DAILY GRIND
This is our first hard cover spiral bound, originally I wanted to do a 32 page book but Shane said "let's go all out!" so we increased the amount of pages to 66, including a fun overlay sheet. This here book is outstanding despite how much fun it is, not because I said so but because it is, let me explain:

See, if you are a normal person you might not care for these types of books but if you are a comic artist, cartoonist, animator or an art student of any sort, you'll love this collection of sketches.

Shane did not pay me to say this and if he would have offered the money I would have turned it down, he'd probably would be embarrassed by my comments here because he is such a humble man. I see this book as a drawing class, don't get me wrong, there is no text here showing you how to draw or such, you won't need it. The sketches themselves are a revelation in the way the man approaches and solves classic cartoon anatomy, You will learn so much just by looking at these fluent drawings, I know I have.

For all of you interested in learning how to draw cartoon women, you'll find this book extremely useful and inspirational, for the rest of you, you'll find it extremely enjoyable and fun.

CARTOON RETRO SKETCHBOOK 'THE DAILY SPIRAL' BOOK 2
By Shane Glines

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW AND WILL BEGIN SHIPPING FRIDAY (APRIL 3RD).

Price: $29.95 US Dollars
12.25x9.25 inches, 66 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Metal spiral bound

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER:

HAPPY 2nd ANNIVERSARY BRANDSTUDIO PRESS!

"TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN" THEY SAY.

Who the fuck are "they'? and why do they say that?

I don't know but in our case "They" are one hundred percent wrong.

In fact, we've been so busy pumping out tons of quality books in the past two years, it almost seems as if time just stood still, nearly sixty books have been released (more by the time Summer comes along). It feels as if Brandstudio Press has been around for ages, the new car smell is long gone, our sold-out books have become classic collectors items, going for ridiculous amounts of money out there in the black market.

This number may not be a record by any stretch for an established publishing company but for an artist driven movement is a tremendous achievement. Everyone knows artists are idealists, romantics, moody procrastinators and royal slackers who can't agree on anything and take forever and a day to get anything of consequence done. I, for one, fit that description perfectly. So, what it may have taken four or five 'artist years' to accomplish, we have done in two 'calendar years', with no signs of stopping.

Once more, I'd like to take advantage of this joyous day to give my heart felt thanks to those who have made and continue to make this possible: The participating artists and you, who support our movement by purchasing our products. Whether you buy the books from the artists themselves at the many conventions or from their websites, at the few selected retailers or at the Brandstudio Press online store, I personally want to thank you for the overwhelming endorsement and constant patronage.

GRAB MY STIMULUS PACKAGE

As you may know, here in the States, the government has passed an initiative designed to jump-start the ailing the economy. Critics of this so called "Package" rightfully claim, most of the incentives listed will ultimately benefit the folks who fucked us over in the first place, that is Wall Street assholes, insurance companies and investment bankers. I said last year that going forward I was going to refrain from political commentary, so you know where I stand on this issue and I'll leave it at that.

In the interim, just like I did last year at this very time, I am announcing my own Stimulus Package. This offer will go into effect today, Sunday March 8th and it will last until March 20th.

FREE BOOK WITH PURCHASE

Any person who places an order for a minimum of 4 books will receive a FREE book from the following list:

"Confessions of a Process Junkie" -Signed on the cover by the artist-

"Chola/Jalapeño Lollipops" -Signed on the cover by the artist

"Eye Candy From Strangers Vol. One" Book One 

"Eye Candy From Strangers Vol. One" Book Two 

"Passport,  Forgotten kingdom of Imaginary Friends"

TERMS & CONDITIONS (Please read carefully):

This offer is retroactive to March 5th 2009. We will honor all orders of 4 books or more, placed on March 5th 2009 until March 20th 2009.

In order to redeem your free book with your order of 4 books or more you MUST write the secret words in the comments box on the ordering webpage or send an email including the secret words along with your order to: 

The secret words are: 'Stimulus Schfimulus'

Please specify in the comments box (or via email) which one of the 5 books listed above you would like us to include with your order. NOTE: If you do not specify in writing a book from the above list, we will send you a book of our choosing.

There is nothing further for you to do to receive your free book. 

This offer will end on March 20th 2009 

This offer is subject to the availability of the books offered herein. If any one of the books listed as "free" is no longer available due to stock shortage you will receive an alternative free book, also of your choosing.

This offer can not be combined with any other offers made by us.

The books offered as "free books" in the list can not be substituted by any other book in our main  catalog. No exceptions.

These books have been chosen because, they have been funded, produced and marketed in its entirety by Brandstudio Press LLC. All other books are the property of their respective creators and legally can not be included in the "free book" list.

There are no limits to the amount of orders. You can take advantage of this offer as many times as you want, for example, if you place two individual orders of four books each you will receive two free books, one with each 4-book order.

The orders must be placed separately though. If for instance, you place one single order for 8 books, you will only receive one free book.

MATHIEU REYNÈS

My good friend Mathieu and Yours B. Truly are proud to announce this Brandstudio Press exclusive hard cover book which we are releasing simultaneously in both, France and the U.S. 

I've always loved Monsieur Reynès' expressive black ink drawings and lively watercolors of cute (and sometimes deadly) cartoon femmes, all of them crafted in the great tradition of classic French and Belgian comic  book art masters.

For our European audience: Mathieu will be selling this book through his blog so if you live in Europe and its vicinity please check his blog for the release date, it will make a lot of sense for our loyal European customers to purchase it directly from Mathieu.

 

This jam-packed 72 page sketchbook/art book will start shipping  in the U.S. Canada and beyond by next week, feel free to place your order before we run dry.  

PAINTED GIRLS
By Mathieu Reynes

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW AND WILL BEGIN SHIPPING WEDNESDAY (MARCH 11th).

Price: $20.00 US Dollars
6.3/8x8 3/4, 72 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER:

Pascal Campion

I am so very pleased to announce the first Brandstudio Press book by San Francisco based artiste Pascal Campion. 52 colorful pages worth of the most evocative, whimsical and artfully crafted illustrations by one mighty original and talented animator/character designer living among us mortals.

Pascal calls these "sketches", Hah! 

He told me he draws one of these life-celebrating mini masterpieces every morning before he goes off to work. What else can be said?. I think the man is nothing short of an artistic  genius (and I don't throw that word around that easily). If you don't believe me, go to Pascalcampion.com and see for yourself. Be prepared to spend a lot of time there, there are hundreds of drawings and paintings by this wonderful man.

This beautiful hard cover book will be available during this upcoming weekend (Feb 27-March 1st) at 'Wondercon' which will take place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Pascal will be there, along with our good friend Mark Behm, to sign their books, so stop by their booth and get yourselves a book of two. For those of you who won't be able to attend, feel free to order your copies at the brandstudiopress.com online store by clicking on the link below.

Oogeley Boogeley 4  By Pascal Campion

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW AND WILL BEGIN SHIPPING TODAY (FEB 26th).

Price: $20.00 US Dollars
10 3/8x8 3/4, 52 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

THANK YOU!
New York Comicon was everything I hoped it could be and more. Thanks to all the kind folks who stopped by and said Hello. Next stop for us will be the Seattle Emerald City Comicon in April.See you there!

Abrazos,
—Alberto



J. Scott Campbell's TALL SKETCHBOOK
A few people emailed me about this sketchbook and here it is, please get it while supplies last, very, very limited amount of copies. No joke.

32 full color pages, soft cover, saddle-stitched. 4.25x11

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW

Price: $20.00 US Dollars plus shipping & handling.


PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER:

NEW YORK CITY COMICON 2009

CABIN FEVER, CABIN SHMEEVER!

It's that time of the year, Woohoo! The convention season has begun and after the brutal winter which has kept us indoors for weeks, here in the North-East, it's good to finally have a great excuse to leave the house and battle the elements.

This year I am honored to have my good friend and legendary character designer/illustrator Shane Glines of CartoonRetro.com fame, as my guest, joining Yours B. Truly in the Brandstudio Press booth. Shane will be debuting his brand spanking new art book at the show so if you were in need of a good reason to hop on the train and brave the cold and the big city crowds, you won't find a better one. Shane rarely does conventions so don't miss this chance to meet a true trailblazer of the animation industry. There will be plenty of copies of his new book on hand, which he will be signing, so stop by and pick one up, stay a while and talk shop.

BOOTH # 2342, BE THERE OR BE SQUARE

As always, all of you are invited, although only a few of you can come, so if you live in the Four-State area: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut & North Pennsylvania, come to the Jacob Javits Convention Center on 34th Street and 11th Avenue next weekend: Friday February 6, through Sunday, February 8th. Free sketches from yours truly to all human beings who identify themselves as friends of this blog. All enemies, however —as it's customary— will be slaughtered on sight and in full view of their loved ones.

PRODUCTION UPDATE

For those interested: The latest Eye Candy installment is being delayed but not derailed. We have met some snags )what else is news?) but we're moving forward, I'll have more definite info on this volume as it becomes available.

Same goes for the Carlos Meglia Sketchbook, we want to get this right so at this point we don't have a final release date. I will keep you posted.

SHANE GLINES' NEW HARD COVER BOOK

Cartoon Retro The Art of Shane Glines Vol. 1
By Shane Glines

48 full color pages, hard cover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
There is no content crossover with Sparrow and very little crossover with S*Curves (now out of print). The book will premiere at the New York Comic Con, Feb 6-8. Come and get it signed by Shane himself, if you can't make it to the show order it from the Brandstudiopress.com online store by clicking on the link below.

Price: $24.95 US Dollars plus shipping and handling.























THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW AND WILL BEGIN SHIPPING ON THURSDAY FEB 5th.

Price: $24.95 US Dollars plus shipping & handling.

TO OUR INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: 

PLEASE NOTE Our international shipping module is fully functional now, we accept orders from all over the world

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER:

All images are copyright © 2009 Shane Glines/Cartoonretro.com, please don't reproduce without permission.

SKETCHING IN 3-D 4-REAL

The pic above belong to a character I wanted to draw a turnaround for. The idea was to "Sketch/sculpt" something quick and basic to have as reference for the turnaround drawings.

This was so much fun, I kept going. I modified the pose to model a woman combing her hair.

Modeling the hair proved to be a stiffer challenge than I thought, particularly since I had (or wanted) any preliminary drawings to go by. So I decided to 'erase' and redo the arms. I gave her a plastic gun I found in my toy box and positioned her left hand resting on her left knee.

Not nearly as ambitious as the 'combing hair" beauty but fun nonetheless, I still want to do a woman combing her hair, maybe one of these days. 

TURNAROUND PICS

This is what I ended up with, The one thing I love about sketches is that they don't need to be finished, some parts of this one are sleek and some I avoided altogether :)

Abrazos,

—Alberto

Memento Mori

AN HISTORIC YEAR, A TRANSITIONAL YEAR.
2008 is gone, I really don't know what to make of this past year, a black man was elected president of the most influential country in the only world we know; I certainly never dreamt this would happen in my lifetime, I am glad it did, if for nothing else than what it represents, a giant step forward in humanity or in what we think being 'human' means. It was something truly remarkable to witness. I see him more as a smart man who understood how the system worked and how the game was played. He played the game brilliantly and then turned the game upside down, using the same techniques designed by those in power to perpetuate themselves and their kind. Don't kid yourselves, this is and will continue to be a racist country and Obama is not the perfect president, this country is controlled to a considerable degree by corporations, so concessions will have to be made, that's just the way things have worked for centuries, otherwise the U.S. would have never become the global power that it is, remember, empires are not built on sentiment. Yet for all his faults and imperfections, Obama is not Bush and that is cause enough for celebration. On a more personal note, I watched Brandstudio Press grown into what I always wanted it to become, a hub for artists of all persuasion, regardless of style or notoriety. We cemented our role as a player (small player as we might be) in an industry which for the most part is not friendly to relative unknowns. I took great pleasure in boasting to the world: "We are not part of this industry of shit so we will not play by their rules" That was fun because it is true. Not bad for a sophomore year.


BRANDSTUDIO PRESS "PUBLISHING"
I've received tons of emails from artists from all corners of the world, kindly asking to be considered for publication. My answer is pretty much the same to one and all: "Brandstudio Press is not a typical publisher", just a bunch of self-publishers, united by a common goal: INDEPENDENCE. Even though I have said this before, it bares repeating, since I keep getting questions regarding this issue. Most of the artists featured in Brandstudio Press invest in their own books. Given the state of publishing these days and since we don't play by the same rules, Brandstudio Press does not have the means required to finance every single project that comes to our attention. All of my personal resources (including the profits from the Brandstudio Press online store) are dumped back into Brandstudio Press to produce or help produce more of these titles.

Typical publishing companies pay for your book's printing, they also pay for the promotion and advertising of said book and give you some money in advance towards future sales of your book. Since they pay for everything, they control everything, including the look of your book and the tiny percentage you'd receive from the sales of your book. See, we don't work that way, we cater to the type who wants to have some measure of control over their own destiny.

THE WAY I SEE THINGS
I'm a firm believer in independence. I've been a freelance person/artist (for lack of better adjectives) since I was a child. I don't trust my livelihood and that of my family to anyone. Although I love sports, I was never a team player, those who know me since childhood can vouch for my "selfish" nature. This is not something I'm proud of, or ashamed of, just the way I am. I'd love to think of Brandstudio Press as a team of independent players, each one doing their own thing.

When I used to play soccer I was hated by my own team mates because I did not like passing the ball, I did score lots of goals but I missed more than I scored. My love for playing the game blinded me from coming to terms with the fact that I didn't belong in a collective effort, eventually I did come to understand my reality, not without a healthy dose of frustration, wasted youth, sleep and resources. 

When I finally realized my true individualistic nature, everything changed for me. I say this because a lot of artists out there are similar in nature and it could take a lifetime for a person to "discover" and deal with his/her inadequacies, particularly because we are taught since childhood to become "Team Players" and to fit in, so we keep on banging our heads against the same wall without positive results.

SELF OR EGO
I do enjoy sharing knowledge, my blogs are an example of just how much I love sharing, so for me it's not a question of selfishness, really. The issue is that in my twisted mind I always know (or think I know) I can do things better when I have full control over my work. I'm convinced that no one cares as much as I do for my own stuff, this is false, there are people who do care but it is hard for me to read people's true intentions and to give up control. 

I am not interested in controlling others or their work or their money, just my own. I have no hidden agendas, I make it very simple: it's all about me, all of the time. I have no desire of being the leader of any group or for that matter the spokesman for anybody or anything, I can barely take care of myself as it is. I don't care one bit about building empires or taking over the world, it takes too much from my drawing time, however, I must confess I do have a strong desire to do/build things of consequence, things that I hope will be here long after I'm gone. I want to leave something of artistic substance behind, other than the smell, what that would be? I don't know. It troubles me to think we come and go through this world like dogs, without at least attempting to change it for the better, in whatever little we can. I strongly believe in Art as a catalyst for change, real change, not bullshit political rhetoric.

In other words: don't fuck with me 'cause I sure as heck don't want to fuck with you, I'm too busy day-dreaming, not interested. 

I may not be selfish but I am indeed full of myself (as you can tell by the length of this rant) or rather, individualistic to the core. Somehow I feel it's important that you, the person reading this, know where I'm coming from, just in case we ever meet and do 'business' together. I don't want you to get the wrong idea.

ALONE DOES NOT MEAN LONELY

Even though I can't bear working with others —my past experiences doing that for the most part, were not at all pleasant— I don't mind working for others, provided I get to do what I want or at the very least have my creative input respected, as in the case of Brandstudio Press, something, which may I say, is nearly impossible to do when others are paying you to do what they want, so I don't take money in exchange for art anymore, I still owe a good friend, an Elvis commission and one day I'll surprise him for sure.  I despise most art directors, and/or editors; I wholeheartedly believe the world's dependency on Middle Eastern oil would be drastically reduced  if we could somehow gather all the art directors in this world and burn them for fuel. 

Perhaps because I attended a catholic elementary and a military high school I developed a healthy  dislike for authority figures, I hate being told what to do by lesser human beings than myself and to obey without questioning makes absolutely no sense to me, my hatred for cops and priests has been well-documented (by me, of course). And while I did suffer a great deal in those institutions, I also learned to seek and value my independence. By the same token, I hate telling others what to do, I don't mind giving advice but I don't want people under me, except my wife :P

Maybe all the aforementioned stuff is why I chose to work alone. Believe me, I've tried being part of teams and working in house for companies, but in the end I always wound up quitting or getting fired and going back to doing things my way, please don't get me wrong, it wasn't always my employer or collaborators who were at fault, most of the time it was my own fault, my heart was not in it, I often stopped giving a shit minutes after starting. 

I have no fear of failure and no regards for money, everything I do is doomed to fail someday because I lack the desire to repeat myself and the key to success is consistency and repetition, that pretty much guarantees I will never become a rich man. This is particularly (and painfully) true in art, where in order to "make it" you have to do the same shit over and over and over again, once the public accepts you and your "style" they want you to continue repeating yourself until you die, the minute you decide to take an artistic risk to grow and explore, they drop you like a bad habit.  

Failure, art and sex are the main driving forces in my life and you already know what I think of money; any asshole with half a brain can make money. It is so incredibly easy to put a few lines or colors together, no matter how crude or unrefined and come up with a "profound and mystical" meaning behind the crap you want to sell and have people throw money at you like it's going out of style, trust me, I've done that to fuck with people and I can tell you without a hint of hypocrisy, it's so easy, it's almost criminal. 

People in general are gullible and they love being told how to feel, what to wear, what songs to listen to, etc.... they love to think that there has to be some  deep and mind-altering meaning behind what you do, most people are incapable of understanding that artists sometime do things just for the fuck of it, they have to be spoon-fed a reason to like something, specially if the person brain-washing them is (or claims to be) a celebrity of some sort. I find no pleasure in doing that. 

At one point I thought seriously about writing a book entitled "How to Make Money and be Financially Independent" but I figured it would be a waste of my time, nobody would buy it because the book wouldn't feature any celebrity success stories and all of my solutions would involve working hard, cultivating self esteem and living in the present, 3 things the people who buy these sort of books hate to do. 

Donald Trump is the dumbest retard on two feet, every single time he opens his sewer of a mouth, shit flies all over the place and yet, he is one of the wealthiest men out there, or at least he claims to be (the fact that his daddy gave him a fortune so big, he couldn't lose it if he tried, didn't hurt none) enough said. 

To make money for the sake of making money is not a challenge to me in the least, it's boring. I am wired like that; to make money doing things my way and to do it while going against everything they tell you in art and business schools, that is what I love.

I DON'T MAKE THINGS FOR MONEY AND IF YOU ARE AN ARTIST , NEITHER SHOULD YOU
I understand not everyone wants to be an independent artist, Brandstudio Press is not for everyone, most people are not art kamikazes, nor are they egocentric mad scientists conducting social experiments with axes to grind,  not all artists are misfits like me. Most artists love collaborating with others, they love being part of something bigger than they are, that is a selfless and beautiful thing for sure, something I hold in the highest of regards, although sadly, not a trait I harbor. There are some who can balance working for the man and satisfying their need to do their own thing, I have lots of respect for these people and I welcome them with open arms, because they understand what we do.

Brandstudio Press is not the right fit for those who love having others do everything for them. If you don't want to get involved in publishing your own book and prefer to let others do it (even if that may mean exposing yourself to being taken advantage of) I understand. Doing it yourself does require some leg work and a decent amount of research and it's boring stuff, but don't despair, you are very lucky because there are thousands of publishers out there that can help you, you don't need me, Image Comics may be the perfect thing for you, they pay for and do everything, you do nothing. Lulu.com, Blur and other "Print on Demand" companies can also print and sell your efforts with minimum effort on your part and at a fraction of the cost

Barring a couple of exceptions, which merit my personal involvement, Brandstudio Press was created solely and exclusively to help people who want to help themselves. I don't charge a penny for my services but you MUST be involved somehow. You invest in yourself and you reap the rewards, yourself.

Think about it! there is nothing, I do mean NOTHING publishing companies (including Brandstudio Press) can do for your book that you, yourself can not do. Being an artist, you can put together your own book, there are many writings on the subject and free articles on line regarding the layout and design of books, they make it so ridiculously simple, just Google the words "self publishing" it's a crime to not do it yourself. 

You can find a printer or I can recommend one for you, you can promote and advertise your book, you can submit your book to a distributor such as Diamond (whether or not they consider your book worthy of distribution is another thing), you can open your own PayPal account and sell it right off your blog or site, or put the book up on Amazon.com all by yourself. You can also purchase a booth or a table at any of the many conventions, nothing can stop you from doing that and from displaying your work and selling your books at these events. You don't need to be a so called "professional artist" to get a table at any of these shows, nobody knew who the fuck I was when I paid for my own space at the San Diego Comic Con, they took my money with a smile, just download the form and send the check, trust me, they WILL take your money, that's the one thing you can always count on: someone out there will ALWAYS take your money. 

You can do anything you want but whatever you choose to do, don't have money as your main reason for self publishing because chances are you will be painfully disappointed, unless you happen to be a distributor, there is very little money in publishing no matter what the public's perception may be.

My goal with Brandstudio Press as it is now and going forward in whatever future re-incarnation, remains the same, publishing and co-publishing the most fun, helpful and inspirational books (and other goodies) by artists, for artists. like I said in previous posts, I don't give a shit about the so called "fans", they can fend for themselves.

In this new year I wish all of you all the love, health, prosperity and artistic independence you can possibly handle. May 2009 be the year in which you publish your own book. Have faith and believe in yourself, work hard at becoming better than you were in 2008, that should be your primary resolution, draw until your fingers bleed. There are no secrets out there, only solutions. Life is short, live it to the fullest.


Abrazos,
—Alberto

SEASON'S GREETINGS FELLOW EARTHLINGS

(Above) Rejected design for a magazine cover.

Home For The Holidays
Finally home after much globe-trotting and family time. Back to finish work on a couple of secret projects, some of which I'll share with you today:

Carlos Meglia's Sketchbook

I'm extremely proud to announce a project near and dear to my heart, the publishing of Carlos Meglia's first ever sketchbook. This is something Meglia, Humberto Ramos and yours truly had planned to release last year. Unfortunately, due to our combined crazy schedules, we kept on putting this book on the proverbial "back burner", something I regret to no end. Last I spoke to Carlos we had agreed on the overall format, it was to be a sketchbook of some sort, since he admitted he had never published one before.

Carlos was an incredibly prolific artist and was always working on several projects at a time, the challenge was to find the time necessary to gather and sort through the piles of previously unreleased material. mostly preliminary work done towards known projects. In the end, life conspired against us and death took Carlos from us at his prime. But his work is strong and his legacy is very much alive, this book is an attempt at preserving that legacy.

I've always felt (with good reason) that Carlos Meglia was not justly recognized for his outstanding contribution to the world of comics and popular culture as a superb storyteller and also, as the master draughtsman he really was, at least not in the American continent, so little of his work has been published in English and the few things he did for American audiences were, in my opinion and with a few exceptions, poorly handled (read promoted and explored further) case in point: Monster World, a major piece of pop work, which influenced a whole new generation of comic book artists, a beautifully drawn and written book which despite its enormous potential for greatness, went largely unnoticed. Carlos was a comics celebrity in Europe, mainly through his work on Cyber Six and his ongoing collaboration with Didier Crisse for the french publisher 'Soleil'.

This book will NOT be a "tribute" book or a biographical type of volume, (we will work on a retrospective book in the future) but rather, an insightful and candid look at Carlos' thought process, through some of his most powerful and beautiful pencil sketches, inked drawings and a few color paintings. Most of what you will see in the book is what I consider his most amazing attribute: his gift for designing compelling characters.

We are working diligently to release this book in late January. It bares mention that 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go directly to his wife and young child.

My Way of Saying Thanks
From now (December 1st) until December 20th 2008 I am taking $5.00 off any one of my books: "Confessions of a Process Junkie", "Chola/Jalapeño Lollipops", "Bocetto","ECFS Volume 1" and "ECFS Volume 1 part 2". The new price for these volumes is: $19.95 instead of $24.95, sorry for the confusion.

Edit: ECFS 1 (2007) was divided into two books ECFS part1 &ECFSpart 2, the 2008 annual ECFS AKA  ECFS2 is still in production. Hang in there!

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Feliz Navidad a todos!


Abrazos,
Alberto

ECFS2 in Production

As promised, the 2008 Eye Candy From Strangers is nearing completion and it should be in stores in a few weeks.
Even in its infancy, this yearly visual treat is quickly becoming a tradition in the illustration community.
Thanks again to all of you for submitting your work regardless of inclusion and to those who have supported this project from the get-go.

The winner of the cover contest this year is Sergio Melero from Spain (below) 

The great Kei Acedera from Imaginism Studios illustrated the jacket and end papers for this volume. Click HERE or on the image below to see more of her ECFS art.

 Abrazos,

—Alberto

ARKAYBEE

Thank you for chiming in. I regret not being able to stop by with regularity and to reply at length to all the kind folks who have left comments on the previous posts. I've been incredibly busy and it seems like years since I last posted anything. I will do my very best to update the SIGNEERSESSIES BLOG on a weekly basis.


Cheers!

—A


I like this drawing.

COLLECTIBLES FINALLY AVAILABLE

The limited edition vinyl figurines are finally available for purchase on the Brandstudiopress.com store. Please click on the buttons below the individual images to place your orders.

IMPORTANT!! PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER:

We are shipping these toys via UPS only. You CAN NOT mix toys with books in the same order. Our books are shipped via the United States Postal Service.

TOYS MUST BE ORDERED SEPARATELY Any order combining toys and books will be cancelled and full payment will be refunded.

Red & Mr. "W"
By Humberto Ramos

Bubble Pink
By Francisco Herrera

Calavera
By Humberto ramos, Francisco Herrera & Julio Martinez

BACK FROM THE FUTURE

I"ve Feen the Fucking Future and It Fooks Fucking Freat!

I'm not certain I will be attending the Baltimore Convention, most likely I won't, so this means the 2008 convention season is officially over (for me, at least).

The long absence was necessary, much needed re-fueling and such. I am now ready for whatever comes my way.

Brandstudio Press (as we know it) will undergo some transformations, I guess these things are inevitable. This experiment in human behavior has ran its course; for all intents and purposes, the project is over and  the next phase is ready to begin. I had made some provisions early in the game, in case the business end of this operation became too great or cumbersome for me to manage. It has grown beyond my wildest expectations, something I'm terribly proud of and at the same time, not too thrilled about. 

I am not one of those people who are afraid of success (in whatever form), I am oblivious to it, like a ten year old boy, I just want to play and have fun. Success to me is defined by what I can do and enjoy on my own terms, so if this (or any other project) becomes a chore, my natural tendency is to move on to the next thing or go back to basics. Or both. I want to spend more time drawing and imagining things I want to put together, building Brandstudio Press into something 'cool & awesome' has been rewarding on so many levels and it continues to bring joy to me but I want more and less, if you know what I mean. 

This, of course, doesn't mean that Brandstudio Press will stop publishing, co-publishing or helping fellow artists self-publish art books and sketchbooks, nor that the standards of quality we had set for ourselves will suffer or anything of that sort. The changes should be transparent to our supporters and collaborators. It  just means that Brandstudio Press will no longer be a one-man and one-woman band. It also means that I will leave the business end to competent individuals, to people who know what they're doing, rather than to run myself sick handling and overseeing every single tiny aspect of this friendly monster. 

I am not going to give you a lecture on the trappings  of 'success' or the of perils of making too much money, I have experienced neither; suffice to say I was not born to become a merchant, this is made painfully apparent to me every day I have to fulfill my commitments to the business end of this so called 'business'. 

I do perform most of these tasks with  the mindset of someone who wants to honor and service those who support what I do, but once in a while I'd get hit with something I did not sign up for. 

Can't pretend I hate money, but money is not my motivating factor in life. Any monkey with half a brain can make money, that's not a secret.

The difficulty, in my opinion, lies in making it on your terms. Why is that so important? I don't fucking know, but for some reason it is, nothing to do with morals, mind you. Something to do with living life the way one wants to live it. I'd be the first to admit my inadequacies at being a merchant and having to behave in a corporate manner when dealing with certain issues inherent with the 'business' side of what I do. It is precisely, that part of 'success' that I want no part of, whatsoever. So I'm leaving the business to the business experts and I'm going back to do what I do best: "slacking off".

Timely announcements will be made in regards to the upcoming projects, so as to keep you always in the loop.  

The e-mails piled up while I was away, sorry if you are among the victims. I'll try and reply within the next couple of weeks. If you don't hear from me, please do remind me by re-sending the original communication, my apologies if this inconvenience you in any way.

Here are a bunch of drawings, which I will move to SIGNEERSESSIES in a few days. These were done for some of the kind people who bought my books in the past month. there is no rhyme or reason to these doodles, just whatever grabbed me by the balls at the time, no agenda just having fun, I hope you also find them fun.

Abrazos,

—Alberto

 

Carlos Meglia is Dead

This is a very sad day for me. What a fucked up and unfair world this is, Meglia is dead and Dick Cheney is still alive.

If you are a cartoonist and don't know who Carlos Meglia was, you should find out. To me he was the father of style in comics and animation, sounds like an exaggeration, which I'm prong to from time to time, but it is not. Meglia was more substance than style, but his flair was legendary, he infused personality in everything he drew. This so called comic art world will never be the same without him. May he rest in peace.

Mierda! Me pudre que te hayas ido tan pronto, me duele saber que hay miles de dibujos que nunca llegaremos a ver y que tu enorme contribución al arte se quede trunca, habiendo cuanto infeliz hijodeputa que no aporta nada más que miseria a este llamado género humano, que de humano tiene muy poco. Te vamos a extrañar y espero portarme bien en lo que me queda para poder encontrarte algún dia y hacer ese libro aquel que planeamos con tus maravillosos dibujos. Que descanses.

MORE BOOKS AND STUFF

NO TIME FOR CHATTING
For me to not have posted anything in such a long time it could mean one of 3 things:

1-) I'm sick
2-) A family member is sick
3-) It's August and I just came back from San Diego.


Unfortunately, all three things happened, although not necessarily in that order. Now I'm over my illness, the family member is doing better and the August rush is almost over.


This year's San Diego Comic-Con came and went in a haze, it would seem redundant to tell you what went on, just read what I wrote two years ago and multiply it by 3. I'd love to stay here and chat like we used to, back in the day but there's just too much to do. We've got a lot more books coming, among other goodies. I'll tell you all about it in due time. I just want to thank all the beautiful people who came to our booth, whether they bought books or not, it was wonderful to finally meet some of you and to see my old friends again.

PRE ORDERS AND DELIVERY


We've been packing and mailing books right, left and center! I'm happy to announce that nearly all orders have been fulfilled, and when I say nearly I mean there are only 8 or 9 orders left to ship, and the delay has to do with a couple of books stuck in customs, which fortunately we will have today (Friday) So if you haven't received your books yet, they are on the way. Now, I know some of you are new to Brandstudio Press so I don't blame you for freaking out thinking "where the hell is my order?" Fear not, as I have said in the past, Brandstudio Press is a one man (and one woman band), we have a decent system, and we're pretty fast but sometimes the demand for these items exceeds our planning, so I urge you to be patient, you're not dealing with Barnes & Noble, we're two real human beings who have absolutely no business training whatsoever but plenty of common sense and good will. I have upgraded most orders to Priority Mail at no extra cost to you.

TORONTO & CALGARY
I'm heading to Toronto next week to exhibit at the 2008 FanExpo from the 22nd to the 24th and to Calgary on the following week to attend the Calgary 2008 Tattoo and Arts Festival. Hope to see you there.

VINYL HEAVEN
Here are the limited edition first vinyl figures I told you about several months ago. These 3 have been designed by Humberto Ramos (Red & Mr. "W") and Francisco Herrera ("Calavera" and "Bubble Pink with Horny Rat") We have a limited amount of figures in stock, they will go on sale tomorrow (Saturday August 16th) Check back here.

Red & Mr. "W"
By Humberto Ramos

Bubble Pink with"Horny Rat"
By Francisco Herrera

Calavera
By Francisco Herrera

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!

Bookplate Betties
By Bill Presing

The new pin-up book published by my good friend Bill Presing.

Tons of gorgeous girls, depicted in colorful watercolors. A true masterpiece of a book.

Price: $28.00 US Dollars
192 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, cloth and silkscrened cover. Perfect bound-Sewn Pages















THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW.

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:



All images are copyright © 2008 Bill Presing, please don't reproduce without permission.

FACES 2008 Sketchbook
By J. Scott Campbell

This sketchbook was sold at the San Diego con.

Price: $20.00 US Dollars


POSITIVELY NO RETAILERS!

LIMIT 2 COPIES PER CUSTOMER

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:



All images are copyright © 2008 J. Scott Campbell, please don't reproduce without permission.

Passport To Art 2004 Sketchbook
By Humberto Ramos

This sketchbook was sold at the San Diego con.

Price: $20.00 US Dollars


THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW.

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:


All images are copyright © 2004 Humberto Ramos, please don't reproduce without permission.

BULLOCK Art Works
By David Bullock

Published by David Bullock.

Price: $24.95 US Dollars


THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW.

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:


All images are copyright © 2008 David Bullock , please don't reproduce without permission.

Venus Overdrive
By Brandon Peterson

Price: $24.95 US Dollars
48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover. Perfect bound-Sewn Pages















THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW.

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:



All images are copyright © 2008 Brandon Peterson, please don't reproduce without permission.

SANDY EGGO

You haven't heard from me because I'm in San Diego attending Comicon.I haven't been near a computer while in California so if you haven't heard from me I'm not ignoring you, just bear with me and I'll get back to you shortly.

btw The Darwyn Cooke link to the store is active, feel free to order the book.

Peace out.

-A

THE SUMMER '08 COLLECTION

You knew summer was coming, you just didn't know how hot it was going to get. Until now! Heh, heh, I suck at this.

Anyways, I'm happy once again to unveil the line up for this year's San Diego Comicon release/debut, other wise known as "The Summer Collection".

You won't see previews of all of these titles because some of them are being shipped to the Brandstudio Press headquarters in NY and simultaneously to the SDCC, which is merely a week away. I haven't even seen them yet, myself, but I will in a couple of days and I'll post more pics as soon as I have them in my filthy little hands.


SUMMER READING LIST
This year's notables include one of my favorite artists in the whole world: Patricio Betteo, whose magnificent sense of design and color palette leave me breathless. I'm so happy to be involved in the publishing his very first art book.

Another amazing artist who's respected the world over is also publishing his very first sketchbook/art book through Brandstudio Press, his name is Darwyn Cooke, you might have heard of him. His "Retroactive" book will go on sale on the 25th of July, at the stroke of midnigh. (such drama queen I turned out to be)

And like the guy in the infomercial said —after you thought you've already got a great deal buying the knife that doubles as a personal gym— "That's not all!" Just for the fuck of it, we'll throw in Humberto Ramos' brand new masterpiece of a sketchbook called "Fairy Quest", as well as J. Scott Campbell's highly anticipated Brandstudio Press' debut entitled: "Code Orange" and Francisco Herrera's newest "Sketchbox" sketchbook, titled: "Sketchbox 2".

"And If you act now" (or later) you'll also receive David Finch's "High Voltage" which, may I say, is Dave's first ever hard cover, full-color sketchbook; Justin Ridge's and Hye-Jung's double-sided-action-packed (that came out wrong) pin-up book named "Flavor 01"; Cameron Stewart's color symphony called "Cameron Stewartwork"; Mark Behm's "Nightworks -The Art of Mark Behm's"; Justin Coffee's "Sugar and Cream" delight and Dean Yeagle's "Mandy's Portrait Gallery" Phew! I'm spent!

All of this mind-numbing inspirational art and great quality, made from the strongest artist-block-resistant materials known to man for an unbelievable (and paltry) $24.95 each, plus shipping and handling, of course.

"But Wait!!

(this is where you go: "Good god, can there be any more??")

"Yes, There's more!!". For being such a loyal audience and to keep the e-bay speculators and the book scalpers from entering the sanctity of your home computer, we're re-printing Frank Cho's bestseller "Jungle Queens" , Alberto Ruiz's "Confessions of a Process Junkie", Humberto Ramos' "Toxic Waste" and Francisco Herrera's original "Sketchbox" and we're making them available to you for a limited time and while supplies last, for, get this!: THE SAME OLD PRICE OF $24.95 !!


You heard right! Same fooking price, not a penny more. Take that, you e-bay pirate assholes! Go fook yourselves!

Some of these titles are available for purchase RIGHT NOW, some will go on sale on the 25th of July and some of them you'll be able to pre-order from our online store, so secure your copies (which I highly recommend due to the limited quantities we have of some of these books and the demand, which by experience, we anticipate will be ridiculous)

So without further salesman bullshit, here's the list, have a wonderful summer reading and I'll see a good chunk of you, fine individuals at the biggest circus on Earth, in sunny San Diego.

Make sure to visit all of these artists at their individual booths or tables at the San Diego Comicon, buy the books directly from the artists. If you can't make it to the show, feel free to acquire the books through our online store: www.brandstudiopress.com

We'll be at the same booth we were last year, that is: H-3 click HERE to see map.



NEVER EVER AFTER
By Patricio Betteo



Price: $19.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x8 3/4, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
















Betteo's Blog

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW.

RETAILERS: For volume purchases PLEASE CONTACT BRANDSTUDIO PRESS AT:

brandstudiopressATgmail.com

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:



All images are copyright © 2008 Patricio Betteo, please don't reproduce without permission.





SKETCHBOX 2
By Francisco Herrera



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

















THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW

RETAILERS: For volume purchases PLEASE CONTACT BRANDSTUDIO PRESS AT:

brandstudiopressATgmail.com

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:



All images are copyright © 2008 Francisco Herrera, please don't reproduce without permission.





CAMERON STEWARTWORK
By Cameron Stewart



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW

LIMIT 2 COPIES PER CUSTOMER

NO DEALERS, PLEASE!

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:



All images are copyright © 2008 Cameron Stewart, please don't reproduce without permission.





MANDY'S PORTRAIT GALLERY
By Dean Yeagle



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

















THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW Click on the button below to order your copy:
POSITIVELY NO RETAILERS!






RETROACTIVE -Darwyn Cooke 1998-2008-
By Darwyn Cook



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-0-9793447-93-0
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

SOLD OUT!

All images are copyright © 2008 Darwyn Cooke and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.

CREAM & SUGAR
By Justin Coffee



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
















THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW

RETAILERS: For volume purchases PLEASE CONTACT BRANDSTUDIO PRESS AT:

brandstudiopressATgmail.com

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:



All images are copyright © 2008 Justin Coffee, please don't reproduce without permission.







NIGHTWORKS-The Art of Mark Behm-
By Mark Behm



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages















Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:

RETAILERS: For volume purchases PLEASE CONTACT BRANDSTUDIO PRESS AT:

brandstudiopressATgmail.com

All images are copyright © 2008 Mark Behm, please don't reproduce without permission.







CODE ORANGE
By J. Scott Campbell





Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
















THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW

POSITIVELY NO RETAILERS!

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW

LIMIT 2 COPIES PER CUSTOMER

NO DEALERS, PLEASE!

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:

HIGH VOLTAGE
By David Finch





Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

POSITIVELY NO RETAILERS!

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW

LIMIT 2 COPIES PER CUSTOMER

NO DEALERS, PLEASE!

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:

FLAVOR 01
By Justin Ridge and Hye-Jung Kim




Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER

POSITIVELY NO RETAILERS!

Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:





FAIRY QUEST
By Humberto Ramos




Price: $24.95 US Dollars
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages















THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW
Ships on the same day it's ordered, if you order before 6PM EDT (unless we're sick or overwhelmed with too many orders ). Click on the button below to order your copy:

RETAILERS: For volume purchases PLEASE CONTACT BRANDSTUDIO PRESS AT:

brandstudiopressATgmail.com





Frank Cho's JUNGLE QUEENS

POSITIVELY NO RETAILERS!
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW

LIMIT 2 COPIES PER CUSTOMER

NO DEALERS, PLEASE!





Humberto Ramos' TOXIC WASTE

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW

RETAILERS: For volume purchases PLEASE CONTACT BRANDSTUDIO PRESS AT:

brandstudiopressATgmail.com

Francisco Herreras' SKETCHBOX

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW


RETAILERS: For volume purchases PLEASE CONTACT BRANDSTUDIO PRESS AT:

brandstudiopressATgmail.com





Alberto Ruiz's CONFESSIONS OF A PROCESS JUNKIE

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW

RETAILERS: For volume purchases PLEASE CONTACT BRANDSTUDIO PRESS AT:

brandstudiopressATgmail.com




Abrazos,
—Alberto

EYE CANDY DEADLINE EXTENDED

Due to multiple requests, I am hereby extending the submission deadline until July 10th. It seems a few of you just became aware of the call for entries so if you are among those people and want to give this a shot, go for it, you have 11 extra days.

Cheerios!

send your low-res images for consideration to: brandstudiopressATgmail.com

EYE CANDY 2.0 DEADLINE IS HERE

Well, we're back from Chicago-ish and I'm dismayed and sad to report that the Rosemont WizardWorld Comic Con sucked fourteen kinds of camel dick (to put it mildly, and I'm not talking about the cigarrette brand, either).


As per usual, some folks did better than others, but my questionable common sense tells me that these WizardWorld shows are on their way to meet the Almighty Creator; no, not the guy who came up with the half-baked idea for these conventions, but rather the Big Guy himself; and I don't mean Geoff Darrow's robot character, but the guy with the long beard (I can do this all night but I have work to do, so I'll end it right here) I'm confident you dig what I'm saying.

Having said all that, however, Yours B. Truly and the crew had an ungodly amount of fun. We joined our friends from the Imaginism posse in celebrating an early Fourth of July, Mexican style by eating at Maria's (which has become a Brandstudio Press tradition, drinking frozen margaritas to your health, making fun of fellow nerds and other two-legged vermin and , of course, going to the movies to watch Wall-e, which I highly recommend.

I'd like to thank all my friends who attended the event for their support and companionship, particularly The Stewarts: Annie and Matthew, whom I consider family. Good times!

The Eye Candy From Strangers take 2 call for entries' deadline has come and gone. Thank you to all participants, whether you're in or out.

If you are in, then congratulations and I'm looking forward to putting the book together with your images in it. If your work did not make it, please do not be disappointed, the decision to leave you out does not necessarily mean you suck. If the process were to take into account enthusiasm, energy and good will, all of the entries received would have made the cut. Thanks for sending your pieces and keep on drawing.

If you live in the United States, have yourselves a wonderful Independence Day. Remember that patriotism has nothing to do with voting republican and waving a flag full of stars and bars, represent our beloved country and celebrate our independence by doing your best to become an independent artist, one who follows his heart and not some stupid trend, draw every single day to become the best that you can possibly be and on your way up, be kind to others less fortunate. I will be back next week to tell you some terrific news, which I'm sure will make you very happy.

Let me bid adieu with some appropriate images for this occasion in which we pay tribute to our founding fathers (and mothers) There is nothing more American than fellow human beings wearing colorful and revealing lycra outfits and tight —and sweaty— spandex undergarments to courageously display their loyalties —and expose their most private of areas— in a brave effort to honor the heroes who save this country from impending doom on a daily basis, even if these heroes are nothing but fucking cartoon characters.


Black Cherry


Electrica


I don't think you want to know what's under that red skirt.


Abrazos,
_Alberto

ROSEMONT, ROSEMONT, MY KIND OF TOWN . .

. . . IS NOT. . . . But I'm going anyway.

Actually, The city of Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the entire world but not Rosemont, which is one of the most uninspired and characterless corporate wastelands you can find on any map, this is where they hold this insipid convention. Chicago, in truth, is miles away from this hellhole of American suburbia. Not that you needed to know but I figured I'd tell ya anyway.

So come to Rosemont and as soon as the show ends, let's go to Chicago for a real good time. I'll be sitting at table 5610 A with my band of brothers: Kasra Ghanbari on lead guitar, Matt Stewart on keyboards and tambourine and Wade Furlong on the drums (no relation to Edward Furlong, who can't even play the fucking gazoo to save his own hide. I'll be on lead vocals and playing with my Barbies. 'Megan the Pagan' will also be in attendance, as it's customary around this time. Bring your sketchbooks so I can poop all over them, sketches are free, as always, if you say you're a friend of this here blog. Speaking of which and by the way, does anybody know why the sidebar on this blog is now a downbar? if you do and know how to fix this, send me an email or a comment.

Edit: I think the blog fixed itself. Hurray for the power of positive thinking!


CHARLOTTE'S WEB OF WONDERS
So Heroes was an amazing event, don't ask me about the convention itself, although well-organized, it wasn't as profitable as many thought. Still, the appeal of this show is not its 'babyman' population but the hanging outs, getting acquainted with old friends and the party after the show, totally worth attending.

This here is a sketch of Princess "Aye-Mis-Bolas" done at the Heroes show for my good friend and mentor: John "Mean Killing Machine" Higashi. For those who care: Done on bristol board with a 'uni-ball' black ballpoint, black Sharpie, Col-erase carmine red and a touch of metallic gold thin point marker.



FRANK CHO'S MARS MAIDENS
I'm happy to report that all orders have been mailed out to the individuals who placed them. In behalf of Frank and myself, let me say a big THANK YOU to you for the overwhelming show of support for these two Brandstudio Press jewels.

As I said before, Frank will be attending the San Diego Comic Con and he will have a bunch of books with him. One note of caution: hit him early, don't let the e-bay speculators get there first.


More amazing art books and sketchbooks are coming your way, trust me, this is just the tip of the muthafukin' iceberg.

See you at the show, bring clean underwear.


Abrazos,
—Alberto

MAVERIKANIM Vol. 2

Maverikanim Vol. 2
By Matt Stewart
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Matt's newest book. As always, chock full o' gorgeous women drawn in his unmistakable style.

By the way, Matt Stewart, Wade Furlong and Yours B. Truly will be attending the WizardWorld Chicago show at the Rosemont Convention Centre in two weeks, we'll have these goods available for your purchasing pleasure. For those who won't make it to the convention, feel free to order it from our Brandstudiopress.com online store. This book is in stock and ships on the same day it's ordered, except if you order it on a Sunday or past 6 PM. In which case it will be shipped the following morning.





Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-0-9793447-93-0
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Available Now















Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:



All images are copyright © 2008 Matt Stewart, please don't reproduce without permission.


NORTH CAROLINA, HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Yo, as you may, or may not know, Brandstudio Press will have a presence at the Heroes Convention in North Carolina this coming Friday, saturday and Sunday (June 20-22). We'll be in artist alley this time next to our beloved friend and writer extraordinaire: Vito Delsante and the scary (but lovable) Joe Pekar, A.K.A. Joe Pekar. If you happen to be in the area, drop by and say Hola!

We'll have some Eye Candy goodness and other goodies, plus, a sneak preview to some of our newer titles.

Frank Cho will also be there signing his brand new Brandstudio Press books: Jungle Queens and Mars Maidens, it's going to be the most fun you'll ever have with your panties on.

See you there (or somewhere else)


Abrazos,
—Alberto

FRANK CHO'S MARS MAIDENS PREORDER

MARS MAIDENS book 1
By Frank Cho



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
A collection of women warriors and the men (and beasts) who love them, sometimes.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

ISBN: 978-1-934623-96-1
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound


PREORDER NOW, BOOK WILL BEGIN SHIPPING ON JUNE 17 2008
LIMITED QUANTITIES WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.
POSITIVELY NO DEALERS, PLEASE.


Sorry, all copies on the Brandstudio Press online store have been sold out. Frank will have these books (in limited quantities) at his booth at the San Diego Comic Con in July.

Time is of The Essence

Philadelphia, PA
I ended up going to Philly at the last minute, got on the Amtrak late Friday and spent the weekend with pals I haven't seen since, well . . . last month. Thanks to my good friend Mike Manley, who was kind enough to put me up for the duration and my compadres in arms at Imaginism Studios, (Bobby, Kei, "T" and Fez) who made room for me at the con.

I saw a few of my old Philadelphia friends and made a couple of new ones, next stop: North Carolina in a couple of weeks and Chicago, the week after. Hope to see you there.

Dédicaces

Time is kicking my butt these days, busy with a hundred and one projects, some of which I will announce in a week or two. I almost feel as if my days are numbered and I have this crazy urge to be productive before I kick the proverbial bucket. I haven't posted any drawings in a long while, so to sort of make up for my lack of activity on this blog, I created another blog (Hah!) called: "SIGNEERSESSIES" this is where I would dump quick sketches dedicated to the kind folks who order my books on the Brandstudiopress.com online store. 

DOUG SNEYD

I met the legendary Playboy cartoonist and his lovely assistant Heidi Hutson, last April, at the New York Comic Con, needless to say he is one of my childhood heroes, along with Sokol, Dedini and a few other great ones, so meeting him was a thrill of a life time for me. 

It is often said that the best artists in history are also the nicest human beings you can meet, while I've learned that this is not often the case, Doug Sneyd sure makes a compelling argument in favor of the old cliché. He truly is a jewel of a man, charm and talent rolled up into one. A gifted storyteller in his own right, we had the most wonderful time listening to his many anecdotes and admiring his old original watercolors.

Doug has recently published a new book of his work, conversely named:
"UNPUBLISHED"

I'm happy to add this volume to the Brandstudio Press online store. This 44 page book, contains a bunch of never before seen preliminary roughs of the many gags he has illustrated for Playboy.

You can order the book by clicking on the link below.

WADE FURLONG's FORTIFIED EXCREMENT

I met Wade a couple of years ago at Wizard Chicago, I'd love to say I discovered Wade but I don't think that statement would be accurate, no one can ever claim to have discovered Wade, for he has been and remains a mystery man. Wade is certifiably crazy and disproportionately talented.

This here is a replica of the interior pages of his actual sketchbook, Mostly black ink drawings and some black ball point tight, tight sketches, drawn exclusively off his crazy, hyperactive noggin. This is the type of guy you used to hate/love in art school because he always had his nose buried in his sketchbook, doodling mad shit from his imagination and blowing people away in the process.

That's all I have to say about Wade. Buy this book before it sells out. Once you own it, you'll get an idea of how crazy good he truly is.

Here's more info on Wade WADE'S DEVIANT ART PAGE



FORTIFIED EXCREMENT(S)
By Wade Furlong


Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-98-05
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages PMS BK, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages



















PHILADELPHIA
Not happening! It's a shame, I won't be attending due to unforeseen circumstances, I have to remain in NYC this weekend. See you all in North Carolina instead.


Abrazos,
—Alberto

FRANK CHO'S JUNGLE QUEENS ARTBOOK

"Brandstudio Press is dreamy"
And so are you, Jaclyn.

Thanks to our lovely model Jaclyn.

Picture courtesy of my good friend, Daniel Andrews of Calgary.



'JUNGLE QUEENS' IN QUEENS, NY
The books are here, I'd suggest you order this book as fast as you can, this is a limited run, to never see the light of day again. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you live in the Bay area (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose & Santo Alberto) you can pick up this book at Super Con, this coming weekend, Frank will be attending this event and will have a bunch of copies, if you can't make it to the show, you can order from our online store by clicking on the link below. Hurry, because we don't have that many, this is not a sales pitch, it's the truth.

JUNGLE QUEENS book 1
By Frank Cho


Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-98-05
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE  NOW LIMIT 2 COPIES PER CUSTOMER 

NO DEALERS, PLEASE!

Click on the button below to preorder your copy:

















SAN JOSE BOUND
Hope to see you all at Supercon. I'll be bringing some Eye Candy goodness to chase the bad spirits away.
Be there! or be somewhere else.


Abrazos,
—Alberto

I'm Temporarily Out of Commission :(

I am sick, yet again. I won't be able to attend Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con this weekend, as planned. My apologies to those friends who were expecting me. Memo D., I'll mail the book to you, hopefully I'll see you in San Diego, Dangster, please feel free to drink two Coronas to my name. My lungs are loaded with garbage and my eyes are filled with slimy gooey gunk. The trip to Calgary did me much needed good. A 'big up' to my crew: Robin Mitchell, Stephen Silver, Patrick Morgan, Joe Weatherly, Matt Stewart, Wade Schin, Andrew Wilson, Crystal, Angela, Kandrix, Laurie B., Calgary Girl, Ocean, Kei, Bobby, "T", Dan Van Cool and his stunningly beautiful wife, Stuart Immonen, Jim D, Jim Z., the lovely and super talented Fiona Staples, Bruce Timm, Justin Ridge, Hye-Jung, Amy and the rest of the misfits we had the pleasure to hang out with at the show and up in the mountains. do we know how to have fun? or do we know how to have fun? I guess you know the answer to that double question. Unfortunately, full blown Spring was waiting for me with open arms upon returning to my beloved New York City. Hopefully, I'll be feeling much better by the time Super Con is here. See you in San Jose in two weeks.

I have lots of great news to tell you, give me a couple of days to get my shit together.

Peace, Yo!

New York City Comicon

Come join Stephen Silver and Yours B. Truly at the Jacob Javits Convention Centre this coming weekend, Fri, Sat & Sun. Booth 2242.
There will be lots of ECFS at hand and other goodies. My good friend Jose Lopez will also be in attendance as well as the talented Bobby Chiu and the lovely and talented Kei Acedera. Come say hi and talk drawing, skip school, tell the teacher "Alberto said it was cool".

EYE CANDY 2.0 CALL FOR ENTRIES

Dearest Diary:

Sorry for the lack of activity. Fucking Spring is here again and I'm as sick as a motherlovin' dog . . . again!
Every year is the same ol' shit. I'm a sad, sad little man, I will never learn.

Someone please come to my house and shoot me in the face.

Anyways, enough with the self-pity. Gotta get better so I can get to see some of you at the New York Comicon next week. Please bring liquor and Kalamata olives but don't shake my hand or touch my privates or else you'll get sick too.

I've been mailing out Eye Candies like there's no tomorrow. If the demand continues at this rate, I'm afraid we're not going to have enough by the time San Diego Comic Con rolls around, crazy! you guys are just fucking crazy!! We'll come up with something for sure, no worries. Thanks for the support.

The contributors are also getting their complimentary copies. I'm very happy about that. Some of the emails I'm getting are really nice and if I wasn't as strong as I think I am, I'd be crying. I'm so happy I was able to do a book like this and showcase the talent of so many of you, fine people. I wish I could have put more pictures, I know some were disappointed that they didn't make it into the book this time, unfortunately I had to make some harsh decisions while designing the damned thing, I'm sure you'd understand, I had well over 1000 entries, phew!.

I guess I underestimated the gargantuan task of putting something like this together, how do you design it?, by color? by theme? by style? at times it seemed overwhelming because I've never had to do anything such as this. In the end it was a great experience and although I'm sure it's not perfect, I have to say this set of books is a good read.

For a moment back there I thought it wasn't going to be possible. I won't get into needless details on the how and why, if you buy me a Corona and have 10 minutes to spare I'll tell you the whole story. Let's just say my life was pretty turbulent at the time. Lucky for me I don't have a job, that's for damn sure.

EYE CANDY V 2.0 CALL FOR ENTRIES and DEADLINE

The deadline for the new book is June 30th 2008. This book won't take a year to see the light of day, I promise you.

You know the drill, no pictures of men whatsoever, only women.

Please, I beg of you, send only low resolution jpegs when submitting but have the high resolution (300 to 450 DPI) PSD, TIF or EPS file available. Last year many of you sent low resolution final files that couldn't get printed and that was a shame because some of them were awesome drawings that I had to leave out of the book. If your final file is not between 300 and 450 DPI it will not get printed. No exceptions. Please scan your art at high resolution, a low-res poor scan turned high res in Photoshop will not get printed either.

Also, send just the jpeg, no titles, no story behind the picture, no words, no comic strips or vignettes with text. Just the illustration and contact info to be printed, that is: your website's URL (or blog, or multiple blogs or multiple sites) and email address, I WILL NOT print any info next to the artwork itself such as year created, medium dimensions or time it took you to draw it, let me repeat: artwork info WILL NOT be printed next to the picture or anywhere else. This is not that type of book. It doesn't matter to me if you drew it on a napkin or if it's a 6 feet canvas or what you did it for.

I am the sole judge and jury, you know me well enough to trust my judgment (I hope) To some, this system may seem unfair but that's the way it is. You know me, I don't trust these so-called experts on the female form so I do everything myself, even if it takes me forever (and God knows sometimes it does).

I am not looking for sexual content but if the drawing or painting merits inclusion on the basis of being a striking piece of art, I will put it in the book.

My decision is final so please, don't question it. It's very difficult for me to have to email you back to explain why your artwork didn't make it. Please don't put me in the position of telling you something that perhaps might hurt your feelings, I don't know you, you might be the overly sensitive type or a person who doesn't handle rejection well. If you are one of these two types, please don't bother submitting to this annual.

I have a much better system now to handle the submissions. You simply send in your jpeg or jpegs (if you're submitting multiple images) and I'll respond almost immediately with one of the two following answers:

First answer: "THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING" This answer means your art did not make it but I appreciate you taking the time to submit. If you get this response don't write back to ask if your art made the book, be cavalier about it and let it go, I will not respond further.

Don't be discouraged, keep on drawing, life is still good and you're still talented, this doesn't necessarily mean your art is bad or that I don't like you as a person, your pic just doesn't fit this mold. Much love and respect, it's not you, it's me, I love you but let's stay friends.

Second Answer: "YOU'RE IN LIKE ERROL FLYNN" This answer means, I want to put your art in the book in the worst possible way and I will do the impossible to find a place for it. Send your high resolution image right away via any of those file transferring websites like "yousendit.com" or "rapidshare.com" depending on the final amount of entries and availability of space in the book, there still exists the remote possibility that your artwork may not be printed this time around. Once you've sent your high res image forget that you even sent it, you will only be notified once the book is printed and when I'm ready to send your complimentary copy. You have my word I won't make you wait needlessly.

Unlike last year, I will not be contacting people on an individual basis to ask for the high resolution image. That only created multiple problems, confusion, (mostly in me) and delayed the process. Please send image as soon as you are notified of your inclusion. If you want to send me a disc, it will be greatly appreciated. just let me know and I'll email you a PO Box number.

As always, there are NO FEES to pay, submit as many as you want. Send your entries to: brandstudiopressATgmail.com


GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS
As with the first book, please no super hero drawings, unless you created the super hero and you own the rights to the characters you are submitting.

No violation of copyrights by redrawing something someone else drew originally. That's not just illegal but humiliating as well.


No couples (of either sex or a combination therein) making love, or how I like to say it: 'Fucking'.  That's correct, no Fucking pictures.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record: "THIS IS NOT A BOOK OF EROTIC ART" or whatever they call porn these days. This is about YOU, your art.

If you'd like to submit but are unsure of the kind of material I will accept please feel free to buy any of the two current ECFS books from our online store BrandstudioPress.com while supplies last.

If your art is accepted for inclusion in the book I will respond with a brief form or agreement/release, no need to sign, just reply with the words: "I AGREE"

By submitting your work for inclusion you allow Brandstudio Press to publish your work but we won't claim ownership of it. The submitting creator retains all his/her rights to his submission(s)

If your picture is included in the final book, you'll receive a copy of the book your art is in. If multiple books are printed and your art appears in more than one book, you will receive a copy of each book your work is in ) you agree to pay for shipping of said book(s) I may or may not require you to pay for the shipping of your complimentary copy, that will depend on my finances at the time.


COVER/BACK COVER CONTEST

Last year I chose 2 pics from 2 talented individuals as covers and back covers. This, of course, will be done at my discretion, no need to do anything further, all submissions are eligible for this contest. Last year's winners were Ryan Hungerford and Lawrence Hamashima.

Who will win this year? I don't fuckin' know but we'll find out.

If you are chosen as the cover/back cover artist I will contact you and work with you to design the final cover, minor changes might be required in order to adapt the art to the cover format, such as extra bleed and such. We'll work together on this.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE
 A very nice  art student asked me the other day "Why are the books so expensive?" Now, I understand his concern because after all, he is a student and I'm sure money is tight but I must say our prices are very competitive, at least for art books of similar quality.

For those who don't know: Brandstudio Press is not a huge company, or even a small company, Brandstudio Press is only good ol' Alberto. That's it!  One lousy person. Yup, don't be disappointed, trust me, it's better this way, if Brandstudio were a big publishing company I wouldn't be able to use fuckin' profanity in my corporate communication and announcements such as this one. If Brandstudio were a big company our books would be full of self-congratulatory words and blurbs like "I've been drawing ever since I was in my mother's belly, I studied under the master Famous Jerkove and my art won this award and that award and I'm the greatest thing since edible condoms, and blah, blah, blah. If Brandstudio were a big company our books would have testimonials from famous artists printed on the back and front covers, telling you how great the author of the book is, recommending the book highly. The books would probably cost less but they would suck seven kinds of dinosaur dick.

When you place an order, I read your email and I pack your books, that pubic hair that you might see caught forever in the tape has my DNA (if I were you, I'd keep it in the freezer, just in case cloning becomes affordable in the near future) if you order one of my volumes, I would sit there and draw you a little picture, sometimes a big one, or just a signature if I'm pressed for time. I'd go to the post office myself, most times my wife would come with me to stay in the car because in NY there's no place to park.

And you know what?  I'm happy as a clam to be able to do all that, it fills my heart with great joy to do these simple, menial tasks I should probably delegate to others, because I don't think they're meaningless, I enjoy going to the post office daily to drop a shit load of books, the postal workers may not like me when they see me coming but I like them. 

My artist friends publish with me because they are also independent and as such they like to do things their way. I don't censor them or claim ownership of their work or ask for money for my services. They already do a lot by associating with me. Most of them invest in their own books, taking a financial leap of faith in the process. I am not a wealthy man by any stretch and I wouldn't be committing a crime if I were one, but the fact is I'm not, which is a shame because if I had a lot of dough I could probably make less expensive books, but anyway,  as I have said many times before, this is not for charity, you get what you pay for, a quality product made with love. But it should feel good to know that the funds the online store generate do go to a worthy cause, that is to make more books and to aid in the publishing of more unsung artists. 

My personal funds are limited, as I'm sure yours are, I am an artist like you, not a salesman, society has forced me to wear the hat of a business person, I'm not happy about that, I'd rather be drawing women, but I don't trust my livelihood and my art to any sly asshole agent and middle man. Fuck them!

You can call me a lot of vile names, some deservingly so but if you really want to insult me, call me a businessman.  I'm not the Mother Theresa of the art world but I do try my darnest to make the best possible books (quality and content wise) at the lowest possible prices for me to have fun with while putting them together and for you to purchase and enjoy, I wish I can lower the prices even more but that would require to print larger quantities at a time and I can not print massive runs because that, in turn, requires massive funds and that's something I don't have, if I'd sold out to an industry giant they would destroy this independent hub. Think about it, why hasn't a big publisher done what we are doing now? because there is no big money in it. Independents do this type of stuff, big companies only care about the masses, I don't give a shit about the masses, not because I'm stupid or a lousy businessman (which I am) but because I don't want anybody to tell me what to do. Once you become a slave to the money, you are fucked.

Business wise our market for these types of books doesn't justify the big lay-out of upfront cash, in other words I do this mainly for love, sounds retarded and naive but it is what it is, my love for cartooning, animation, comics and illustration in general. Do I expect the fans to understand this? hell, No!

But the independent artists who self publish understand this painfully well.

I don't cater to the fans, this is no secret to those who know me, never did as a young man and I'm not going to start now that I'm an old fart, I get a lot of flack for saying it but it's true. I don't speak for the other artists in our group, but personally, I don't give a rat's ass about the so called fans, I'm a selfish man, the only persons I care about besides myself and my wife & kids are my fellow artists and art students. My books are dedicated to fellow artists and it is them to whom I owe the greatest gratitude of all, for inspiring me and motivating me at every step of the way.

There is no shame in admitting it. I don't lose sight of the big picture, this is still a business and as such at times I have to act like an asshole or a pit bull (sometimes both at once) which is totally fine with me, unlike Picasso, who never got called an asshole (according to Jonathan Richman, anyway) I don't mind one bit, I've been called an asshole more times than I care to remember.

Brandstudio Press works because the artists involved are also involved in the process and because people like you, support us by buying our books, we don't feel as if we are doing you a favor or as if you are doing us a favor, I believe our products are worth every single cent you spend on them but we do appreciate you buying our books because most of you are also artists, call me elitist if you will, that's fine but only you, the fellow artist can see the struggle and the passion in our doodles, only you, the art student can learn from our problem solving triumphs and avoid our mistakes, only you, the artist can appreciate our choices when they yield an appealing image, only you, the artist can look at an apparent mess of preliminary lines that would make no sense whatsoever to anyone else and hear our brains ticking, see birds flying and music playing. 

The majority of you, are students and struggling artists, struggling to make it, most of us don't want to struggle so hard. As a young man I didn't want to struggle like I did but I had no real choice but to endure. Now at this point in my life, I choose to struggle, a fanboy could never understand that phrase, only an artist could.  I don't pretend to know what you are going through, but judging by my own condition, I am aware that you over extend yourselves to buy our books, no one is more appreciative of this fact than yours truly.  So THANK YOU and keep your support going. If you're a student and want to purchase a book or two but are low on cash, send me an email and I'd gladly knock a couple of bucks off your order. Heck, if you are in NYC I'd go and deliver it myself to save on stamps.

Sorry for the long-ass rant, once in a while it's good to clear the air. Thank you and God bless!  I'll see you at the New York City Comicon in about a week and the week after that, in Calgary and the week after that, in Seattle and so on and so forth until the end of time as we know it.


—Alberto

EYE CANDY FROM STRANGERS LIVES!

First Annual Eye Candy From Strangers v1.0
The much anticipated ECFS best of 2007 is a reality. The first Annual (first of many I do hope) has been divided into two 48 page volumes, for a couple of reasons, first and foremost I wanted to create as many covers as possible. I didn't want to just do the alternate cover with the same material. Perhaps I'll do that with the Deluxe volume, if and when we do one. over 130 different artists contributed to this effort, you will be blown away by the sheer size of these books 12 inches wide by 9.5 inches tall, most of the art is full-bleed, full color, big and beautiful and the art, well, nothing but gorgeous ladies, sketched, drawn and painted, representing all corners of the world including lots of entries from the US, China, Australia, England, Spain, Brazil, El Salvador, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, just to name the few that come to mind. Some of these artists you already know and love, others you have no clue about but you're about to find out and you are going to love them. The art also represents a wide variety of styles and illustration techniques. This is not just the "United Nations" club but also an incredibly inspiring and motivating book.

This set of books should become essential material and I have no doubt will find a special place in your personal library.

Special Price
These books will be sold in stores for the price of $29.95 each, but BrandstudioPress.com is going to be the only place in the world where you can find them for $24.95 each. Because these are formatted differently and are actually, bigger than our usual books, our production costs jumped substantially but our prices won't.

We will start shipping them next week, so feel free to place your order and secure your copy before they sell-out.

To The Contributing Artists
Your complimentary copy also will begin shipping next week, if you are not sure your art was chosen, do not fret, I will notify you via email and request your current address. As per our submission agreement, you are entitled to one copy of the book in which your artwork appears. Your only obligation is to help cover the shipping cost. If your art happens to appear in both books, then you'll receive two books. Also, if you  would like to purchase additional copies of the book(s) that features your artwork(s), you can do so at 50% off the cover price, that is $14.97 USD, you can buy up to 10 copies at this price, any additional copies beyond the limit 10, can be purchased at $24.95. Please let me know via email how many extra copies (if any) you will need. 


IMPORTANT!!: if you don't receive an email from me, chances are your piece didn't make it. Although every effort was made in including all winning entries, there were some that got left out, mainly for lack of space. If you were promised a spot in the book and your art did not make it this time, no worries, you will be included in this year's ECFS hardcover book.



ECFS v1.0 book 1

Retail Price: $29.95 US Dollars BRANDSTUDIOPRESS.COM PRICE $24.95
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-93-0
Oversize 12 3/8x9 3/4, landscape orientation 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Ships Next Friday. Click on the button below to order your copy:



















All images are copyright © 2007, 2008 Their individual Owners, book design © 2007, 2008 Alberto Ruiz/Brandstudio Press, please don't reproduce without permission.





ECFS v1.0 book 2

Retail Price: $29.95 US Dollars BRANDSTUDIOPRESS.COM PRICE $24.95
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-93-3
Oversize 12 3/8x9 3/4, landscape orientation 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Ships Next Friday. Click on the button below to order your copy:




















All images are copyright © 2007, 2008 Their individual Owners, book design © 2007, 2008 Alberto Ruiz/Brandstudio Press, please don't reproduce without permission.


As always, Thank you for your support!


Abrazos,
—Alberto

Wild Weekend

We had a blast at the reception for our show in Asbury Park at the Crybaby Gallery . Many thanks to Jenn and JC for inviting us to show at their gorgeous place. Also a big 'thank you' to the folks who came in to check us out. Hope we can do this sometime soon.

Here are some pics from the crazy fun weekend we just had. 

Photos courtesy and © 2008 Andrew Wilson.

Deck Yo'self, Before You Wreck Yo'self!

Introducing Brandstudio Press Skate Decks

Yum, yum! laser-smoked to a delicious golden brown and available sooner than you think.
From your friendly neighborhood drug pusher: Brandstudio Press LLC.

"Damn" . . . . You're saying to yourself,  "I had the gut feeling they were going to do this"

Me thinks you should listen to your gut more often instead of just stuffing him. You were 100% correct!

Production of these boards have started already and they're coming. If any of you are interested email me for more details.

In the meantime, if you live in the NY metropolitan area, you can view these beauties at our gallery show in Asbury Park, this coming weekend.


The opening reception will be at Crybaby gallery, located at 717 Cookman ave. in Asbury Park, New Jersey on March 15th, 2008, from 7:30-10:30pm. The show will be on display from March 15th until April 15th.


Needless to say, you are all cordially invited. I'll be there with my boy, the supernatural Andrew Wilson and my compadre, the lovely and talented Erik Jones, guest artists will include the sensational Squindo of Squindo fame, Porkchop of Porkchop fame and other strangers of strange fame and dubious reputation.


Here are some pics of the decks we'll be showcasing at the event, many more decks from favorite Brandstudio Press renegades will come your way in a New York minute.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BRANDSTUDIO PRESS!

Yup! Brandstudio Press LLC. is celebrating its first year of existence as a publishing house catering to the best independent artists in this miserable planet. March 8th 2007 was the date, exactly a week from today I made the announcement that rocked the world! . . . our little artistic world, that is.

To celebrate this milestone, we are happy to announce new books coming this Spring and Summer, some of which you've seen in previous posts. This new batch will include more of the award winning work of Brandstudio Press alumni, such as: Mattew Stewart, Erwin Haya, Andrew Robinson, Phil Noto, Francisco Herrera, Humberto Ramos and other notables who are working on exciting new material, which I have no doubt will rock your respective worlds for sure.

As if that wasn't enough, —and with us, nothing is ever enough— we're exploding with joy to help bring to you sketchbooks and art books by 'newcomers' like Frank Cho, Michael Golden, Shane Glines, J. Scott Campbell, Jose Lopez, Martin Wittig among other whippersnappers.

What started in my basement as an idea to beat the industry at its own game, with a group of adventurous friends who took a huge leap of faith, has now taken a life of its own and I can not be prouder, as you can well imagine.

Add to that pile of fine books by fine people, our own populist product called "EYE CANDY FROM STRANGERS V 01" which I've been told by our printer will be available in a few weeks, and we can certainly have a lot to look forward to this Summer.

None of this, of course, could have been possible without your undying support. Now, I can't speak for the other artists involved and although I wish I can take credit for the success of this 'community', as I like to call Brandstudio Press, I know all too well, they are the driving force behind this beautiful madness, I'm positive they also thank you for supporting their endeavors.

I wanted to offer a little something back, I can't undercut the artists by lowering their books' prices but I can certainly take a few bucks off my own books, not forever but at least for a week. So from today March first until midnight, March 8th those of you who wish to purchase the best seller "Straight Curves" and "Chola/Jalapeño Lollipops" can do so at a major discount.


"Straight Curves" —Click HERE to see preview—will sell for $19.95 (originally $30) and Chola/Jalapeño Lollipops" —Click HERE to see preview— will cost you $14.95 (regular price $24.95). This deal will only last until March 8th so I urge you to take advantage of it and order often.

Click on the button below to order your copy of "Chola/Jalapeño Lollipops":



Click on the button below to order your copy of "Straight Curves":




T SHIRTS AND CONDOMS Part 2



In addition to that offer, those of you who during this week of celebration buy 5 or more books will receive a free 100% cotton beefy Tee shirt, silkscreened (full back and front) in two colors valued at $20. in the comments box please specify size. Large, extra large, medium or small. Sorry , no XXL at this time.

If any of you have already bought over 5 books during the past year and want to acquire the shirt, you will automatically get it for free with your next order, I know who you are. Or (if you're not going to buy anymore books from us, ever) just send me $15 which includes shipping and handling in the USA Email me for more info or if you have any questions.

For the folks outside of the USA who had bought in excess of 4 books in the past, same thing, I will send you the free shirt with your next order, if you never bought any books from us and are interested in buying the shirt, send me an email and we'll work something out.

Here's the shirt in question:




As always, thank you all for your support.



Abrazos,
—Alberto

Xmas in February!

We received our "LIFE BY SILVER" hard cover books over the weekend and I'm happy to report all pre orders have been mailed out and they're on their way to you. As always, thank you so very much for the strong support.

This books is really something special to both, Stephen and Yours B. Truly; Silver wanted to show students and animation enthusiasts the method to his madness, not so much in words but with clear examples of his thought process in the form of many drawings. If a picture says a thousand words, this here book is a mouthful. I, on the other hand, wanted to design and publish a book of his doodles just because I love his work and like many of the artists who publish through Brandstudo Press, he is one of my closest friends. We are very excited about this little jewel. This book features a lot of the preliminary life drawing and sketches Stephen goes through in his approach at creating his unique character designs, I'm positive you will enjoy looking at this great artist's wide open brain.

Stephen will be attending Wondercon in San Francisco this coming weekend and he will have these hardbacks at his booth, so if you live in the San Francisco/Oakland area, drop by the Convention Centre and pick up a copy.

For those who won't make it to the convention, here's a link to where you can buy this book.











Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-89-3
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Shipping on same day you place your order. Click on the button below to order your copy:

A Taste of Things to Come

Already Here

THE DEATH OF ME By Tyson McAdoo

What do you get when you mix low riders, southern belles, tattoos, trailer parks, stilettos piercing hearts and classic Saturday morning cartoons?
Magic!  that's what you get. 

Tyson "HotBallz" McAdoo, a pervertly talented Brooklyn red neck, draws the funkiest and most fatal females that side of the Mason-Dixon line. 



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-98-05
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Tyson's Website


















All images are copyright © 2008 Tyson McAdoo and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.

Coming Soon


CARICATURCIOS by Omar Turcios

Available in March
Omar's Website

CREAM & SUGAR by Justin Coffee

Available in March
Justin's Website

NIGHTWORK by Mark Behm

Available in March
Mark's Website

LIFE BY SILVER by Stephen Silver

Available in 2 weeks
Stephen's Website

VENUS OVERDRIVE by Brandon Peterson

Available in March
Brandon's Website

Much, much more to come, I project at least 25 books for 2008. 

This is not Sparta! THIS. . IS. . MADNESS!!

MY PREDICTION FOR 2008: "A Message of Hope"

"Those who can, do; those who can't, teach; those who can't teach, manage; those who can't manage, run for office"

A new twist to an old (and true) adage by George Bernard Shaw. Which I think is more than appropriate to begin this brand-spanking-new year. Here in the good ol' U.S. of A., primary elections scheduled to begin tonight —in the great state of IOWA— will jump start a new era, some call it the "Era of Hope". Many believe change is coming, understandingly so, they are tired of 7 years of Republican backwardness, trampled civil liberties, rampant corruption, cronyism and warmongering for profit, which, in all fairness to those who practice it, is nothing new. War profiteering is what made this country great.

This ain't no conspiracy theory, I don't believe in unicorns, little green men from outer space and Easter bunnies, it is no secret that this country was built on war and has gained from the deaths of many, including its own citizens, all industrialized nations have, actually and most of them continue to enjoy the benefits of armed conflicts to this day, piss-poor, stupid people everywhere are killing each other and making a few people rich beyond measure in the process. General Electric, Ford, Boeing, GM, etc, etc, make the appliances, vehicles and home products you know and love but they also make weapons and instruments of war, and everybody knows that government contracts are never-ending gold mines, fast and juicy government favors, that's where the real money is.

For a period of time longer than this country has been on the map, wars have been fought and in time of peace, wars have been created. Economics says wars are good for business (if you're on the winning end) We have put together a few wars for various purposes (other than to defend ourselves) here and abroad but mostly abroad. We've sold arms, tanks, planes and jeeps to all sides of civil wars and genocide in poor countries the world over, countries which names we can't even pronounce, countries which can't even feed their own citizens, but that's their problem, we just want their cash. So what if they turn against us and start shooting at us with the same guns they bought from us? . . . .Well, we go to war!

We, ourselves have bombed some of them and leveled their cities so our government-friendly contractors can profit handsomely from the ensuing re-construction, it's a beautiful thing, capitalism at its very best.

You would have to be totally stupid to not see the obvious; you would have missed the point entirely if you thought these wars are about spreading "Freedom" and "Democracy". This whole thing is not about making us safer at home, it's about putting up a McDonald's franchise in every Middle Eastern city. Now, before some of you ultra zealous patriots send any hate mail my way, that bit was a figure of speech, it could also be Burger King™ or yummy Krispy Kreme® branches. You do get the point, don't you? . . . I thought so!

Guess what? this "Era of Hope" is a total load of crap. The words "Change" and "Hope" are being abused and mistreated like the neighborhood crack whore by every single opportunistic asshole politician campaigning today.
True religious neocons are fucked up, everyone with half a brain knows that. Just take a quick listen at the caca spewing from their pie holes. But don't even for a second think that the democrats or any other group looking to gain political power are any better, they are all taking money from somewhere, right? so they will have to pay it back in one form or another, in due time.


I predict right here, right now, that no matter what the outcome of the general elections, things will remain the same. We will continue to occupy Iraq indefinitely because that's where the money is; NO, not for you and me, we'll pay more to gas up our gargantuan S.U.V.'s, regardless, but for the corporations that fund the presidential campaigns. Do you think Obama or Fuckabee will change anything? Sure, any one pair of idiots out there is better than the Bush/Cheney war machine. Think again! The people of this great land of ours have been brainwashed to such a degree that the one candidate who shows any common sense at all, is viewed as a deranged lunatic. He has to be in order to make sense and attempt to fix this fine mess we're in. But, sadly enough, he won't win.

My prediction is Nothing Will Change.

Oh, and I'll predict something else: This will be my last political rant of the year 2008. Phew! Thank God, we want to see more naked cartoon women, we don't want to read this shite! You're right,


SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
We're going to publish more hard cover books with funny cartoons in them, that's what!

Because unlike shameless politicians who flip-flop and pander to pretty much anything with a heartbeat in order to get elected, we DO know what the people want (well, at least what our felow artists and art students want), they want more art books and sketchbooks -insert thunderous ovation from a large crowd here- ______

My Fellow Americans: The people have spoken and the message is clear: We want more naked cartoon girls holding implausible guns and talking furry animals (preferably rodents) standing on two legs, we want more drawings, we want more art. Fuck the message of fake 'Hope', Let's give the people what they really want!!

Yup, just as career politicians wake up every morning with new ideas on how to stick it to us, devising new and more convoluted ways to censor us, finding more loopholes to tax us, bankrupting us all with exploding mortgages and coming up with creative plans and ridiculous excuses to erode our civil liberties by keeping us in a state of constant fear, divisiveness and ignorance; we, here at Brandstudio Press LLC wake up pretty early every morning and spend every waking moment thinking up new ideas for funky and inspiring art books from talented and independent individuals.

A friend asked me if I didn't run the risk of overflowing the market with these hard cover artbooks, "Nonsense", I replied (and those who have bought our books, please feel free to agree with me), "There can never be enough motivational and inspirational books on drawing, cartooning and character design, NEVER!". We're not printing brainless paperback novels, so expect a ton more of these sketchbooks to hit the market in 2008.

I am not running a charity or a none profit organization here, but since you buy our books I think you should know that the money you spend in our products goes back to the creator (no, not god up above, he doesn't need the money as bad as we do) and back to acquiring and making more books. The art publishing business is a big mess, no one makes any substantial money (no one that is, except for the distributors and speculators) The artists get a paltry 6 to 12 or perhaps tops 15% in most cases. We're not into charity but here the artists invest in their own creations and reap the fruit of their own labor, themselves, as it should be.

We are no different than most struggling artists, we're not delusional, we recognize this is a not a business to live comfortably off of, the art book market with its distribution mafia is very limited and not as profitable for the artists as some of you may think, none of the artists who publish with us are betting on retiring from these books we make, we all have primary sources of income, which often times barely afford us the luxury of printing our own books for the fuck of it.

Some of us make extreme sacrifices to bring our art to the forefront, we do it because we believe in what we do and quite frankly because no one else would give us a break. We are taking it upon ourselves to give ourselves that break, because even when an established publisher is genuinely interested, they don't do it better than us since they don't have our best interests in mind but rather their own, because we do this for ourselves, period!. The difference lies in our approach. If I could have it my way, I would plaster the entire world with Brandstudio Press art books, in this so called "Era of Hope" that's what I'm hoping for.

Thank you loads for your gigantic support in 2007, please know you help make all of this possible. Have a Healthy and Prosperous 2008!

Support independent artists, you might be one of them tomorrow.


Abrazos,
—Alberto

MERRY HOLIDAYS

Thanks for all the comments while I was out. I really do appreciate your concern. Now, go on and have a great time, life is way too short. 

Happy Holidays from everyone here at Brandstudio Press!

Abrazos,
—Alberto

Personal Break

I have been away for a bit and will remain absent from the blog for a couple of weeks to take care of a family matter that requires my undivided attention.  The online store has not and will not be affected, all orders placed online have been shipped and will continue to be fulfilled without interruption whatsoever. Thanks for your support!

I leave you with one of the drawings I sent along with the books and some incoherent babble I jotted down at various times during the past year, the heading is from an old pulp cover, tossed behind the girl for flavor.

©2007 Alberto Ruiz/Brandstudio Press. All rights reserved.

Three Things

1.-Bocetto Shipping Worldwide
I've started shipping the pre-orders on November 2nd and I'm happy to report that nearly all books have been sent along with their respective free drawings, 5 or 6 orders remain to be shipped, basically to those of you who ordered multiple copies, please bare with me, I'm expecting to have them all out of here by tomorrow, the latest. I do hope you enjoy the complimentary drawing. As always, that is my way of thanking you for the enormous support you've always given me. I've drawn so much these past two weeks, my right hand is numb.

Please do be careful when you open your packages, most of the drawings are placed inside the books but there are a few larger ones sticking out some, a lot of drawings were done on vellum, some are pages of my personal sketchbooks and a few were drawn on plastic sheets. Some folks are receiving drawings and sketches I've posted here on my blog or from the many books I've printed but the majority of the drawings I sent out have not been seen before, so please, I beg you not to post them on the internet, I will use them on future books, for sure.

Thank you, again for ordering the book, thanks to you I now have enough new material for at least 2 books of never before seen stuff, I've had enough of repeats. :)

If you haven't ordered your copy of Bocetto yet and missed out on the free drawing, I want you to know that even though you won't get a separate drawing, each book comes signed and includes a quickie drawn on the first page. Order now while supplies last.

2.-Eye Candy Report
I know it has been a while but this project is still a go, a few things threatened to derail this book but kinks have been worked out and evil has been defeated, or at least deflated for now. The book goes to press at the end of the week it will be available early 2008. Now, please be advised that the deadline for the next annual Eye Candy will be May first 2008, start drawing early and often.


3.-Guerrilla Warfare
I'm sad to admit this has not worked out according to my original plans, due to partnership issues and financial snags. I'm pretty bent in doing things my own way and sometimes I could be my worst enemy. However, the resources are real and are available, I'm still committed to make it work, although not at the scale I once dreamt about, I'm too much of a control freak but trust me, things are better this way.

My invitation to those artists wishing to self-publish their art books still stands. Contact me at deepfriedcandyATmac.com ONLY if you are serious about offset printing your book and I'll gladly send you some info via email. Keep in mind that this is NOT print n demand color copies, the minimum quantity is 500 books, If you're looking to print less than 500 I'd suggest you contact my good friends at indigoinkprint.com Great people who do nothing but quality work at reasonable prices.


4.-Vinyl Figures
Yeahhhh! this is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Vinyl figures from your favorite Brandstudio Press artists are coming! I don't know about you but I love toys and figurines and sculpted characters. We're working to bring you some nifty vinyl goodies already in production. These will be ready by Spring 2008/Summer. I'll tell you more about it later.


5.-Spam
If you have recently written to me and I haven't replied to you, chances are I've never seen your email, my brandstudio account is under relentless attack, in an effort to stop this from happenning I may have deleted a chunk of legitimate emails sent to me by good people. Please re-send your email to deepfriedcandyATmac.com or to: brandstudiopressATgmail.com
Thank you for your patience and understanding.

YOU DON'T NEED A PAYPAL ACCOUNT

I've received several emails from people wishing to buy books on the Brandstudio Press online store but they don't have or want a PayPal account. Actually, you don't need a PayPal account to pay for the books on the site, you can safely use your credit card or debit cards (where applicable).

Paypal processes the credit card payment and sends it to your credit card company, you don't have to sign up for a Paypal account if you don't want to. If you wish to purchase any books, follow the easy steps described on the site and when taken to PayPal to process payment look to the left side of the screen, there you can find the link to use your credit card safely, without having to sign up for a PayPal account.


When you get to the 'Payment Information' page you will see this note saying PayPal is the only payment method but you can still use your creditcard to pay for the book(s) without a PayPal account. Just click on the "continue" button and finish your purchase. You will be taken to the PayPal site to process your payment.





I you don't have a PayPal account ignore this login notice. Don't sign up for a PayPal account unless you want one, the link you need is to the left of this box.


Click on "continue"



Enter your info, review your payment and you're done. Don't forget to enter your shipping address.

For those of you who don't like using your credit card online, go to site, follow the steps until you see your order's total including the shipping and handling cost and mail a check to us for the total amount along with the list of books you wish to buy. Make checks payable to:

Brandstudio Press LLC
222-19 39th Avenue
Bayside, New York
11361

Thanks for your support!

—Alberto

THE RED ROOSTER

Juan Balandrán!
What a name! I'd kill for a name like that, seriously. It has great character, I'd dare say an epic ring to it. It reminds me of those larger than life, mythical Mexican Charros from the golden age of " El Cine Mexicano", the kind of bohemian Charro who hangs out in seedy bars, picks up dangerous (and desperate) women with nothing to lose, writes and sings break-up songs and can drink an Irishman under the table. Strangely enough, that description pretty much fits Balandrán's personality, plus one more thing: he's also a hell of an accomplished sculptor!

What's really in a name? I don't fucking know but I tell you what I do know, Balandrán is a gentleman and a damn fine artist, we've talked about a collaboration over the years we've known each other, I kept thinking "One of these days he's going to blow me away with one of his masterpieces" Well, he does that on a regular basis, on his blog: Beware The Red Rooster, where you can also read about his many disadventures in the "bowels of Los Angeles" but this time he went above and beyond.

Here's a piece Juan is sculpting for an upcoming gallery show, he based it on one of my doodles, needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) I am both, flattered and honored by this gesture. These photographs of the work in progress are courtesy of "The Red Rooster" himself. Hop over his blog and check his stuff out, you owe it to yourself.

Word Association

©2007 Alberto Ruiz/Brandstudio Press. All rights reserved.

Bocetto Preorder

This book is the retrospective I was planning to do with Image two years ago. Nothing but a collection of old and new drawings published by Heavy Metal Magazine. HM is releasing a soft cover version worldwide, which will be available in stores mid November but I've decided to carry only the hard cover edition in our online catalog, months before it hits the stores.

This book is a little different than the Brandstudio Press books we know and love, same high quality and high end materials but this one is half an inch wider and it has 80 pages instead of the usual 48 pages found in the Brandstudio Press volumes. Cover colored by Joe Pekar.

Xmas Present?
We'll begin shipping the book in two weeks. This first edition is limited to 300 copies, if you pre order before November 1st you'll receive an original, one of a kind drawing from yours truly in ink or red Col-Erase pencil 8.5x 11 inches and a dedication to you or whoever you wish to give the book to, this is not a remark face doodle but an actual full page drawing. If you'd like to give one of these books as a present, please specify to whom it should be signed, in the comments section of the ordering page. The drawing offer is only valid until November first 2007,

The price of the book is $29.95 USD, the drawing is free for prepaid orders only until November 1st 2007. after the 1st of November the books will be sold without the drawing. I rarely sell any of my original drawings so if you'd like one, this is your opportunity.


Click on the button below to pre order your copy:

Stephen Silver's Lunch Sketchbook

Stephen Silver always carries a sketchbook, this is an exact replica of his actual book, full of beautiful gestures and 'on the spot' drawings, required reference material for any artist seeking to become a character designer.

I'm happy to add this fantastic resource to our list of bestsellers.

LUNCH SKETCHBOOK
By Stephen Silver


Price: $20.00 US Dollars
11x14 inches, 64 pages 32 Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Spiral bound, sturdy backcover
Published by Silvertoons
Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:
















All images are copyright © 2007 Stephen Silver/Silvertoons Inc., please don't reproduce without permission.

Realistic Vs. Cartoony

Life May Be Real But Not Realistic
I found the following dialog while site hopping, I post it here to illustrate one of the most typical conversations in drawing, illustration, animation and comic forums and blogs. I can't tell you with certainty just how many times I've read similar exchanges, if you're a regular visitor you know I love to generalize and exaggerate to drive my point home, this time however, instead of going into a lengthy tirade full of bile and profanity, I will let others tell you how I feel about this subject. I find fascinating and intriguing the fact that this is even a matter for discussion. The reluctance of artists and art students to recognize the paramount importance of life drawing in any artistic discipline or endeavor dealing with the human figure is really baffling to me. Most young artists (and some not so young) refer to the practice of drawing from life as "Realistic", "Realistic" as in "Not Cartoony". There is a beautiful book Stephen Silver and yours truly are preparing on the subject of LIFE drawing and how it ties in with character design for animation, comics and game production, I'll tell you more about that book as we near completion.

My intention is not to humiliate or embarrass anyone by pointing out their short-comings (or their nearsightedness) I omitted their real names and the link to this discussion for that purpose. I think this was a healthy argument which was handled in the proper manner by all involved.

I truly believe a lot of the antipathy towards life drawing is born out of laziness and ignorance, most people just don't want to put the time and energy (and commitment) that is required to learn the fundamentals. Everyone wants to ignore the hard. repetitive and boring basics and jump to the funky stuff, it is much later in their artistic journey when they get to realize skipping steps wasn't such a great idea after all. Some become amazingly good at 'inking', rendering and coloring but a turd is still a turd, no matter how polished and well-rendered.

Most of us find anatomy really difficult to learn and down right intimidating, I count myself among those who bought tons of anatomy books at the beginning of my art education and couldn't bring myself to even open the goddamned things, let alone read them or make sense of them. that's understandable but a lot of people -as you will see in this case- can't find anything beneficial in the mastery of figure drawing; guess what? human anatomy IS DIFFICULT to learn, the human body IS COMPLEX, no doubt about it but life drawing chops are no different than any other kind of skill worth acquiring to become good at anything you choose to do in life and if your chosen profession, vocation or hobby includes depicting living things, regardless of style, you should get to know your subject matter as thoroughly as possible, Heck! salesmen, the biggest scum of the earth, learn how their products are put together and develop a real thorough understanding of how they work from the inside out, not to be able to one day fix them, but rather to convincingly sell the products and services they offer.

If sales people take the time to learn intricate contraptions and the complicated inner workings of devices they might only be selling for a few months why not us, artists, who can and will use our knowledge for the rest of our lives?

The answer is MOTIVATION, yes, that's all that comes between you and mastering your craft. Sales people see a direct (and fast) connection between boring knowledge and money, the more knowledgeable they are about the subject the more successful they will become at convincing people to buy it. They're so motivated by the end result, they don't even stop to think about how boring and unispired those manuals seem to be, to them, those otherwise boring pamphlets and product guides are the key to success, in real human terms: financial success.

While there are obvious differences in both professions, I honestly don't see why we, artists, can't look at anatomy books and at learning the secrets of the human figure by drawing from life, furiously and on a consistent basis with any less importance. The payoff (being able to draw whatever you want, anyway you want it, convincingly without fear should be your motivation, putting aside the more noble and artistic merits of a solid art education, which should be rewarding in itself, and if you only think in terms of financial gain, think about this: the more knowledgeable artists are the best equipped to earn a more lucrative living. If you still don't find motivation to go back to basics then you're not serious about your art, and that's fine too, but if that's the case, you can forget about quick tips to make your horrible drawings any more appealing, it ain't happening!


If you really have a dislike for "realistic" drawing, as defined by the ignorants out there, then go find something else to waste your time on. I don't fancy myself as an authority on figure drawing, far from it, and trust me I say this without an iota of hipocrisy or false modesty, I'm light years away from where I'd like to be artistically, but still I get tons of requests from fellow artists and students to evaluate their portfolios and to give advice or tips on how to improve their figure drawing (namely female drawings) How can I tell someone who has mastered the art of rendering to an enviable extent, that his figure drawing lacks the proper foundation, that his women lack 'life'? and I don't mean "realistic" quality, I mean excitement, believability, readability, character and appeal.

What tips can I give someone seeking a quick fix, a Photoshop filter to a lifetime of neglect an avoidance of the basic principles of human anatomy? People just want a few shortcuts to make their cartoon women (or men or animals) more appealing, what's so wrong with that? . . .Well, plenty! Without learning how the body (human or animal) looks and works in life, we can't draw credible cartoon characters, whether animals or human, or a mix therein.

This is one of the most courteous and respectful exchanges I've encountered. I really like the way these nice people behaved towards one another, there was a real sense of community, people giving good, constructive criticism and sound advice, trying to help without scolding each other and without being mean-spirited at all.

The following is an actual chat, which has been edited for continuity's sake and the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Any resemblance to living persons is absolutely intentional. Don't sue me, I'm broke.



Ronald is a comic book artist looking for help to improve his drawings of women in his manga-style comic.

Ronald: Can anyone point me to so good resources, or somethings to specifically do or look for?

Jeremy: . . . Loomis was grounded in the glamorous advertising style of the 1940s, so he has a very classical approach, but he teaches the ins and outs of construction, composition, anatomy and form beautifully.

He draws beautiful men and women and his lessons on creating a mannequin and proportions for the body as well as his extensive lessons on constructing the face are indispensable.

I'd start with "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth", but he goes into more detail on the face and skull in "Fun With A Pencil"

Theresa: The best way to learn to draw anything is to learn to draw it from life -- or at least from photos! The good news is that this will involve you looking at lots of ladies in the buff or with swimsuits on.

Loomis is also a good place to start -- but I definitely recommend going back to real life whenever you can.


Ronald: Some good resources here. I guess I don't see how drawing to life would help because I'm not trying to draw realism, I'm trying to draw cartoony.


Jeremy: Drawing from life is ESSENTIAL no matter what style you're working in, whether it's Charles Schulz or Norman Rockwell.

In drawing from life you learn and internalize the way the body works, the way the face works. Then when you draw cartoony, you simplify and essentalize that knowledge into your cartoons. It makes them more authentic, more clearly readable, and more attractive.


Theresa: But a cartoon is real life distorted for a specific effect. If you try for the distortion without understanding the basis of it, how likely are you to succeed? Exaggeration in a way that is both successful and appealing is not easy! And it's even harder when you start out with no basis at all . . . .

. . . .Pish-toshing at real life because you "don't want to do realism" is cheating you of that great experience with 3D that makes cartoons look like a world of their own. Most animators have a bunch of life classes under their belts, even though they might end up working on highly stylized designs. It shows, too -- most animators can draw circles around you and me.


Ronald: I'll have to look more at these examples later.

I'm still very resistant to realistic drawing. I always figured one draws simple first... and then add a buncha crap to make it realistic. I don't like drawing realistic, and not a big fan of realistically drawn comics.

I'll draw a realistic image some time though, and post it.

I'm positive making proper skeletons would benefit me as well. My friend has been trying to get me to take a class, but this hobby is already so expensive o_O

Still thanks for all of the advice so far.



Christopher: It is actually the other way around. First you draw realistic, then you take out a buncha crap :)

Seriously thought, that idea that "I draw cartoony so why should I learn to draw realistic stuff" is the main reason why a lot of artist scoff at manga artists, because a lot of manga artist rely completely on 'How to Draw Manga' books and not on learning the basis of real life drawing.

I'll be honest, I started out that way, and it's been hell and a bit of purgatory trying to get rid of a lot of 'shortcuts' I learned when I was younger . . .



Jeremy: Alex Toth famously said "I spent the first half of my career learning what to draw, and the second half learning what not to draw."

The more you do life drawings the better your cartooning becomes. They support each other.



Ronald: I'm fairly decent at mimicking, i think, but drawing without an example sure is tough for me. I always feel like I'm cheating... drawing from example that is... but I guess that is the "learning process" :/



Stephane: It absolutely ain't cheating. All artists do it. It's also the only way to learn.



Christopher: It's a two-step process. You only get to draw things out of your head after you've practiced drawing them while looking at them for a long time.

My advice is to find somewhere local you can do life drawing sessions. Nothing beats drawing a person standing right there in front of you. It takes a surprisingly short amount of time to get over the fact that they're nekked :)


Ronald: I challenge that. My libido may not let me concentrate, and my moral syste, would be like "Stop gawking! She's a person dammit!" I mean, yea, she may be a model, and she knows what she's doing... but that is just, well, the pinacle of treating a woman like an object isn't it? I'd feel better if I knew her first I think.... I have a couple women friends that actually might be keen on it.


Christopher: Of course you're treating her like an object! That's why it's not shexy! In gesture drawing a person and a bowl of fruit are of equal value- except that only one of the two will help you draw comic characters.


Jeremy: Seriously, most men and women models in life drawing classes are NOT sexy. :)

It does happen, but most of the time they just look like normal people in normal poses with no clotheses.


Ronald: I'm not saying I'm not attracted to slender and/or athletic women, I just try to draw women... well... more "realistic" in their build :D


Theresa: You don't get any time to sit around like a loose-jawed yokel in your usual life session. They usually jump right into short poses (30 seconds to 2 minutes) and you have to scramble to get the pose down. By the time they've hit the longer poses, you've had some time to get used to it.



Stephane: Nothing wrong with enjoying the appearance of women. most of them probably want that. just as long as you still manage to treat them with respect.

The Best Figure Drawing Books Ever

I put together this list of my favorite figure drawing, sketching and anatomy books for fellow artists and student friends. You can download any and all of these books for free. I hope you'll find them useful.

Alone At Number One
Topping my list of the best drawing books ever, stands THE PRACTICE & SCIENCE OF DRAWING by Harold Speed. Quite possibly the most influential book I have ever read, and you know I don't throw the "i" word around that freely. I bought this book when I was seventeen years old hoping to find a few pointers and some nifty tips on how to draw but instead I found an epiphany. To say that this book changed my life is not an exaggeration in the least but an actual understatement.

For those of you who have attended or are currently attending an Art College, these teachings may not be such a revelation, it is no secret that most art teachers use Harold Speed's book like a preacher uses the Holy Bible but judging from the overall mediocrity of today's 'high' art education, I would dare say this book is worth ten years of any decent art school's body of knowledge. The one truly remarkable thing about this book is its timelessness; this edition was first published in London in 1917, yet everything this man wrote in this volume holds true to this day and at times, it seems as if it was written just a few months ago, nothing here is dated but the Victorian flavor of the writing.

I read this book every once in a while (the same old beat up copy you see in the above picture) and it never ceases to amaze me, I discover something new and helpful to me, every single time. More than a mere technical, how-to, instructional manual, this book deals intelligently and concisely with the meaning, psychology and science of art, and in particular, the art of drawing.



You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
The Practice and Science of Drawing




The Andrew Loomis Collection
Loomis was a great artist, but he was a better teacher. For the most part his art remained academic in the good sense of the word but at the same time, it never trascended that label. His books, however, are indispensable resources on art technique. I first downloaded these beauties back in 2001 from the 'Save Loomis Foundation" which no longer hosts them, most every artist friend I know has these books in pdf format, if the links ever go bad I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding someone who has them. I've read in some forums some douchebags attacking Loomis for being boring, (usually the attack is perpetrated by horrible teenage comic book artists) it's quite easy to spot these idiots, because they prefer Hogarth's made-up bullshit anatomy, they find it more "dynamic" but if you really want to acquire solid drawing skills, Loomis is your man, for sure. You know my motto: Learn how to put something together the right way before you take it apart, the wrong way.


You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
Drawing the Head and Hands





You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
Figure Drawing for All Its Worth





You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
Successful Drawing





You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
Creative Illustration





You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
Fun With The Pencil





You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
Eye of the Painter





The Best Anatomy for Artists Book, Period!!
In my not so humble opinion, this is the best tool you have, to decode the human figure. Never mind it is written in German, use the google translator if you must but make an effort to follow this wonderful set of instructions. Some people migh be put off by a few of the crude line drawings but I think they are accurately depicted and full of stylish charm. Just by looking at the simplified forms depicting the mechanics of the body parts you will learn how things are put together in relation to each other. George Bridgman's anatomy books are essential but Gottfried Bammes' is necessary because it makes anatomy fun and easy to learn, he rocks my drawing world for reals.


You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
Der Nackte Mensch
by Gottfried Bammes




The George Bridgman Collection

You can download it for free courtesy of the Universal Digital Library by clicking on this link:
Constructive Anatomy




You can download it for free courtesy of the Universal Digital Library by clicking on this link:
The Human Machine




You can download it for free by clicking on this link:
Bridgman's Complete Guide To Drawing From Life
Note: After download add the .pdf extension to the name of the file




Edit: At the time I was putting this post together my friend Barry emailed me two recommendations: 'Drawing the Head' by William Maughan and 'The Human Figure' by J.H. Vanderpoel, the Vanderpoel book I've seen before and I strongly recommend, I just ordered the William Maughan's one, I'll give you my impressions after I take a gander at it.
Added 3 George Bridgman books.

Abrazos,
—Alberto

More of The Same part 2

Process Junk
For me —and this is a disclaimer I feel necessary because what works for me may not work for you and viceversa, there is no definitive way to achieve a particular outcome but there's a rule of thumb here and there— the "trick" lies in rendering the whole thing with the least amount of broad strokes, applying pressure at the beginning or at the end of the stroke, following the form thus creating instant volume. I usually start from dark to light, holding the pencil, as I've said before, like a stick of charcoal, pushing hard and lifting as I glide the pencil.

After a very basic underdrawing I start rendering, making every effort to establish a wide range of values by bearing down and lifting, applying varying degrees of pressure. I don't worry too much about getting it perfect, the main thing is to lay down this "foundation" sort of speak.



Next, I adjust the values by finding the darkest and lightest parts of the figure, this is when I draw the hair and 'frame' the face. Once the darkest values are down the rest of the drawing will seem light by contrast, this helps me figure out where I need to darken.


After experimenting with many different brands, I found the best paper to be used with Col-Erase pencils for this purpose is the 60 lb. Strathmore Sketch 400 series, premium recycled, acid free a few reasons for this: it has a medium tooth, enough to achieve a nice texture, is made of recycled materials so it's not ultra white, this is important for me because once I scan the drawing into Photoshop I can pick up more highlights digitally if need be, using the 'Dodge' tool, it's also reasonably inexpensive, the 100 page 11"x14" sketchbook only costs $6.59.




Col-Erase pencils are not like charcoal, the wax builds up and if you press too hard you'll end up with a "satin" finish and that can make it difficult to obtain the darkest value possible, save the satin finish for certain areas such as the lips, shiny nose or glassy eyes which you could define later by applying short and thin strokes, holding the pencil as if you're writing. The general idea is to retain some of the texture by gradually applying "coats"of pigment.

I finished the sketch by picking up highlights with the eraser and drawing in the fine line details and edges.

Abrazos,
—A

Images Of Dignity: The Drawings of Charles White

Charles was born on April 2, 1918, to Ethel Gary and Charles White, Sr., a Creek Indian, in Chicago, where the family had migrated from the South. He was their only child. Mr. White was a railroad and construction worker.

William Wray's Dirty Beauty Book

Bill Wray's book is finally here, is available now at the Brandstudio Press Online Store www.brandstudiopress.com
This volume is a bit different from most of the books we publish, not just because it sports a fancy 'dust jacket' but also because this book is all about oil painting, amazing paintings I must say. I don't think William "Bill" Wray needs an introduction but for those of you who haven't heard of him, here's the heading and the "About Me" blurb from his blog:


"If Thomas Kincaid is the painter of light, I'm the painter of blight. Whether it's old an Drive–in or trailer park, trains or sun bleached Gremlins, my subjects are bound to be demoed, towed to the junkyard or explode when the Meth chemicals combust. As a founding member of the L.A. River School of painting, I chronicle the fast disappearing pockets or industry, urban decay and run down rural areas. Places most consider not worth remembering, let alone turning them into works of art."

"After traveling his entire childhood as an Army brat Bill Wray began working in the animation business as a teen-ager. Being mostly self-taught and shunning California’s conceptual oriented art schools, he eventually enrolled in The Art Students League located in New York to reinforce his spotty art foundation. Bill went on to work in writing and drawing comic books, animation and illustration. He is mostly known for his painting style on the Ren and Stimpy Show, his work in Mad Magazine and his collaborations with Mike Mignola on Hellboy Jr. Bill is currently concentrating on fine art oil painting."





Dirty Beauty
By William Wray


Price: $25.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-06-0
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages, Dust Jacket.

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




William Wray's Blog

















All images are copyright © 2007 William Wray, please don't reproduce without permission.

Quick Col-Erase Tonal Sketches

Mass Drawing Vs. Line Drawing


Something done for fun using the "side" of the pencil's lead, just like one would hold a stick of chalk or charcoal or pastel. Bearing down and lifting to create shadow "humps" and long planes of shading and texture. "Pressure Sensitive" stuff :)






Loose line drawing, for these I hold the pencil way up high, as if I were to puncture a balloon. The higher I hold the pencil the lighter the strokes.

The Fun is Over, Back to Work!

Dear Diary,

'Labor Day' weekend came and went, signaling the end of the 2007 convention season (at least for me) I won't be able to attend the Baltimore show due to an unavoidable family event and the Texas Wizardworld con is pretty doubtful at this point. Quite frankly, I'm exhausted from having such a good time day after day, after day, after day, after day . . . . I feel like the Bill Murray character in 'Groundhog Day'.

The fuckin' fun just never fuckin' ends!! Enough already I say! 'Matter of fact, I've had it with having fun, from now on I want nothing but suffering and grief, yeah, that's it! The fun is over, move along people, there's nothing to see here. Let's get back to putting books together . . . . . Aww, Fuck it!! More fun . . . Oh, well!

In all seriousness, Diary, you know I love mindless fun, I was just fuckin' with you. Don't act all offended and shit, C'mon man, grow up. Let me tell you more about the trip, shall I? my tour of Canada yielded tons of new friends and plenty of adventures; No, silly, not those types of adventures.

Anywaaaay, Toronto was nothing less than stellar and Calgary didn't disappoint either. Good friends, good times, etc., etc., etc.
I know I won't ever be able to name and individually thank each and every kind person who stopped by our booths and shared their art, bought our products and had good things to say about our work but at least let me give those people a huge virtual hug and a heartfelt 'Thank You'.

Honorable mentions should go to the following individuals:

In Toronto, To my dearest friend Jeremy McCraken and the super awesome Mikayla Carson for being such great hosts and even better friends. To James Armstrong for inviting me to the FanExpo. To my buddies, Stephen Silver & Matt Stewart for putting up with my nonsense. To Dan Merisanu and his lovely wife for putting my drawings up on the walls of his book store/gallery. To Dale and Shan. To Fez and his charming girl for sharing war stories, stay strong, my friend, you're an inspiration.

In Calgary, to Kandrix & Laurie Bee for welcoming me into their home and treating me like royalty. To Steve Peace for inviting me to the Tattoo and Art Festival, I'll be back next year for sure. To Zoe for being so cute and kind. To Dylan and his lovely girlfriend, I had a blast hanging out with you guys and talking art all day long. To Dan Van Cool and his adorable gf. To Stewart's girlfriend, very clever of you, mister to send Michelle to be drawn, best one yet. To Peter, you're such a gentleman, thank you for the Lime-flavored Tostitos.

I'll see you all next year, hopefully in April at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo.





Fight or Flight
Fez and I were chatting in Toronto at a very nice Thai restaurant and somehow the conversation turned to high school fighting or such, my memorable scuffle with Andrés immediately came to mind. I was a scrawny kid, never had fought a "real" fight, not a physical fight anyways.

As far as I can recall, I've been involved in only 3 significant brawls from elementary school all the way up to high school, all of them combined couldn't have lasted more than one full minute, in the first two I took a walloping, I wouldn't even call them fights because I didn't get to throw a single punch, I was just soundly beaten to a golden crisp.

I made it through childhood and most of adolescence without major incidents for various reasons, mainly avoidance. In elementary school my kid brother was practically my bodyguard. Man, he loved to fight! he was a tornado.

I always thought thugs were stupid and easy to manipulate, at least the ones I befriended were; actually, I have never met a big bully that wasn't dumb and gullible, in fact, many were ultra sensitive and sentimental.

From kindergarten to tenth grade I attended 8 different schools, I collected bullies everywhere I went, that was my tactic, I used to tell them stories and did favors for them and they did favors for me, namely, they allowed me to tag along which was good for my street cred, not much different than what I do now.

This practice afforded me certain level of protection while in school. In the neighborhood, my male cousins and uncles were old, hardened criminals who had seen jail time at one point of another, they were respected in the community, so not that many people wanted any of that kind of trouble. My cousins were some of those sentimental thugs I'm talking about, Tommy Boyd was a merchant marine, he looked like Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, Ruperto (Aunt Lucia's son) was a petty thief and a pot head, he was always in and out of the correctional facilities on a regular basis, in fact, he died while serving time for a robbery or such. He was tall and built like a tank. Ruperto could take home a stray puppy or an injured bird and cry over a sappy breakup song but he was a relentless pit bull in a fight.

The major drawback, however, was that every time shit went down in school, even if I had nothing to do with the transgressions, I was always found guilty by association. Academically, I was a good student so teachers couldn't understand how I got into trouble so frequently. I wasn't a badass by any definition, quite the opposite, I just hung out with the "wrong element".

The third fight was my awakening, I suppose. Andrés Oceguera, this neighbor of mine, same age as me, the son of our white trash landlord. A walking 1930's cartoon of a child, used to make fun of me night and day because of my name at first and later because I liked this twig-legged girl from across the street and even later, for shit I don't even remember and so forth. He just had it in for me and I assume now, in retrospect and after all these years that he really thought I was easy prey because I never challenged him to a fight, all I did was humiliate him verbally, which I'm sure irked him even more. He had a rep as a street thug, nothing would have given me more pleasure than to hurt this boy in public, for the whole neighborhood to see, perhaps by doing so I would have made a name for myself but the fact that I never won a fight before hunted me and demoralized me.

I avoided the unavoidable for the longest because I really thought the kid could fuck me up in a 'toe-to-toe'. I was really afraid of him for sure or at best, afraid of having my nose broken again, that pain stuck with me for a while. I often thought to myself: "if I ever fight him I better win because the alternative would be disastrous" it would most probably mean daily beatings for free, for ever.

I remember staying up late some days, carefully planning, calculating and visualizing this rumble, I studied his moves and his weaknesses when I saw him fight other kids, he was very predictable and I considered all sorts of technical aspects involved in a fight so as to not end up in the hospital, or worst, the laughing stock of the neighborhood. Out there in the boondocks, it was already painful to be thought of as a sissy for drawing pretty pictures and writing poetry. People in the hood didn't necessarily respect me, I guess because I have never "proven myself" as a street goon by winning a street fight, they didn't mess with me because of my family's reputation. I'm sure they all considered me a mama's boy and they were not too far from the truth. Fact is I didn't take after my mom's side of the family, I am my father's son a carbon copy of my dad, who was a geek, a nerd, an artist and a lover, positively not a fighter.

I wanted so bad to win that fight, after all, I saw what had happened to Federico, a.k.a. Mosquito, the skinny girl's brother, who oddly enough was also shaped like his sister. Basically, two half-cooked spaghetti sticks for legs and an afro, only taller. His father, a short and chubby man in direct contrast to his kids, forced him one day to confront and challenge my cousin Thomas to a fist fight in the middle of the street. Thomas, who, as I have told you already, was a real asshole, taunted Mosquito to no end.

The outcome of that particular bout was sad and brutal: nerd confronts bully, crowd gets behind nerd and bully beats the smelly stuff out of nerd. All the more painfully sad because it was in front of the whole world as we knew it, a fucking Roman coliseum for cripe's sakes!

Mosquito rushed out of his house and called Thomas a "motherfucker", both kids squared off as if they were in a Golden Gloves competition and stared at each other without blinking for a few seconds, with the crowd almost overwhelmingly egging the underdog on. Federico had the look of fear and regret in his eyes, deep inside he was thinking "How did I ever let my dad talked me into committing suicide?" He knew this was a fight he couldn't possibly win but there was no turning back. He jumped out at Thomas, swinging mad like a windmill in the midst of a monsoon season, wearing his father's pointy 'steel toe' shoes. I guess part of the strategy Federico's corner had devised was to kick Thomas into submission, a really bad idea given the fact that Thomas was a star athlete and by all accounts an unconventional fighter with cat-like reflexes, "Langaruto" (enlongated) was always our designated goalie because he was tall and agile but an unrefined brute prone to violence nonetheless, after watching him brawl, it was pretty apparent he had never met the Marquis of Queensberry.

As soon as Fede (as he was affectionately called by his family) lifted his skinny right leg to attempt what could only be described as a half-hearted roundhouse kick, Thomas grabbed his ankle, brought him to the ground and pummeled Fede like it was December 31st 1999.

Federico was never the same, even way after we kissed puberty goodbye and reached adulthood, long after Thomas became a successful businessman and helped Fede's father financially. He'd always get agitated when anyone would bring up 'the fight' in a conversation. He hated Thomas with a passion for bullying him prior to fighting him —most people did— but most of all, he hated him for making him look like a clown in front of his own house, with his family watching, it bothered him until his death, at the age of 25.

On the fateful afternoon I went berserk on the Oceguera kid, all my careful planning went to shit. In an emotional street fight, I discovered, technique and common sense have no place, only instinct. This coctail of hate and revenge had been brewing for years and I just went postal on the poor kid. Postal workers have cushy jobs, the benefits are great and you can't get fired if you tried. It is kind of hard to get in but once you're working for the USPS you'll be there until you die, retire or decide to quit. The unions are strong and so, you would have to fuck up royally in order to get yourself fired, you'd probably have to steal at least 5 years worth of daily mail or something as ridiculous to be given the pink slip. It stands to reason that some mentally disturbed and disgruntled postal workers who lose their jobs, resort to go on killing sprees every once in a while, after being let go by the government, their lives are pretty much ruined.

I discovered a really 'postal' side to my otherwise introverted nature, I grabbed the kid by the neck, from behind and twisted his head as hard as I could, his body gave way and he fell awkwardly on his back, I pulled him by his hair and shoved my knee to his face repeatedly, 2 or 3 times, perhaps more, I honestly don't remember, I saw the blood streaming down only after I dropped him, but it was done, no one but a single person saw us. The kid never touched me, he didn't see it coming. Ironically, the fight I had been conditioning myself for, both mentally and physically, for years, the event I wanted the whole world to watch, that 10 round boxing match fantasy I created in my mind was over in less than ten seconds and nobody even fuckin' saw it.

After I walked away all kinds of thoughts crept into my head, mostly guilt and sadness but also the scary idea of how much I enjoyed the brutality I perpetrated on this human being. I thought that beating him up would somehow make me happy but it didn't, it did change me though, for the worse. I can see why some —otherwise peaceful— person, given the circumstances, can viciously kill another, there is a primal rush in beating somebody up, I had no idea I harbored that feeling.

The fight with Andrés taught me a valuable lesson, a lesson I would apply in everyday life, in everything I do, that there is no fair fight, someone always has an advantage, whatever that may be, physical or mental, or both. You have to attack first, be brutal and heartless because there is no room for sentiment or compassion, use any means necessary and end it quickly, no time for posing or squaring off like Chuck Norris or any of that macho bullshit. There are no rules, it's just self preservation, you run if you have to, it doesn't matter how manly and tough you think you are, no one is manly enough to stop a bullet or an unexpected knife in your kidney.

In tenth grade people thought I was crazy because I stabbed another kid with a sharp pencil and broke the led inside his forearm, I learned that from Marcos Salinas, he would be laughing with you one minute and smashing your face with a stapler or whatever was at hand, the next. He told me he was always afraid to death of getting into an actual fight because he new he couldn't win and that by acting like a sociopath once or twice, he avoided them altogether, simply because nobody wanted to mess with an unpredictable mental case who could snap dangerously at any time and with minor provocation. If you were to fight me one-on-one you would definitely win, everyone who knows me since childhood knows but all too well I can't fight and I can't dance (sorry ladies). It wouldn't be over though, even if you'd beat me to a bloody purée because I would come back some time later and jam a pair of scissors in your back or something stupid like that when you least expect.

I haven't gotten myself into any physical fights in a long while and I do hope to be able to avoid them at all costs, but in business as in real life sometimes I feel I'm fighting the same bullies with pretty much the same unconventional methods.

Calgary Tattoo & Arts Festival this weekend

This is the second leg of my trip to Canada, I am now in Calgary to attend the 2007 Tattoo and Arts Festival this Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the Calgary Roundup Centre 1410 Olympic Way SE Calgary, Alberta. Come by and say wassup.

Many thanks to the fine people of Toronto for all the love and support. Matt Stewart, Silver and Y.B. Truly had so much fun at the show and exploring the city. Toronto is now officially my second home.

Abrazos,
—Alberto

TORONTO & CALGARY

Please join us in Toronto this weekend, August 24-26 at the Fan Expo. The usual gang of irresponsible adults will be at hand to kiss babies and hand out poisoned candy. Bobby Chiu, Kei, Silver, Coleman, Pekar, Stewart and god knows who else.

Tonight, after the show we'll celebrate Brandstudio Press' newest releases with a "Sketchbook Party" at my good buddy Jeremy McCracken's loft which is merely a five minute drive from the convention centre. Bring yourselves, your sketchbook, a few Coronas and lime flavored Tostitos.Show up at our booth and we'll give you directions. If you're not attending the show but wish to come to the party give us a call: 647.232.9742

See you there!


Abrazos!
—Alberto

Forgotten Kingdom of Imaginary Friends

Andrew Wilson will one day become the King of the world and if I play my cards right, he just might make me president of his fan club. I'm not going to bore you with the story of how I met Andrew, you won't believe it anyways, it's extremely complicated, trust me. What's important is this man's passion for art.

In this book entitled: PASSPORT Forgotten Kingdom of Imaginary Friends, Andrew creates an entire universe of beautiful, sometimes dangerous, but always sharp young women and their respective creature pets. Each one more visually arresting than the previous, each and every one of these cleverly designed characters comes with a cleverly written little poem of its own. A magnificent book from a ridiculously gifted and ingenious human being.


The book is 5"x5", 72 pages thick, hard cover, gold leaf stamped and embossed. Designed, written, drawn and painted by Andrew.

PASSPORT Forgotten Kingdom of Imaginary Friends
By Andrew Wilson


Price: $10.00 US Dollars
5x5 inches, 72 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Embossed and gold leaf stamped, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Andrew's Blog















All images are copyright © 2007 Andrew Wilson, please don't reproduce without permission.

BIll Presing's Belle Du Jour

I fell in love with this book way before it was printed, I was privileged enough to have caught a glance of the prototype at San Francisco's Wondercon early this year, I wanted it right then and there!

Bill designed and published this book and it debuted at the SDCC last month to rave reviews

I think you're also going to want this book.

Thanks to my good friend Bill Presing for graciously allowing us to carry his gorgeous volume in the Brandstudiopress.com store, it is an honor for me, that's for sure.




Belle duJour
By Bill Presing


Price: $25.00 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-9793824-0-8 ISBN: 10 9793824-0-8
7 1/4x8 3/4, 96 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Cloth Spine and Corners, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Bill's Blog













All images are copyright © 2007 Bill Presing, please don't reproduce without permission.

NOT A GOOD DAY

Just got back home from Chicago to a devastating piece of news: Mike Wieringo is dead.

This is hard to take for many reasons, at first there's the shock of his sudden passing, I may be speaking for many of his friends when I say I had no clue he suffered from any kind of life-threatening illness. Then there's the obvious examination of one's own life, the sad realization of our own mortality and of our legacy, etc., etc. But mainly because Mike was a personal friend and a fellow artist (for those of you who are not familiar with him, he worked in the comics field, Tellos & Spiderman to name two of the most prominent titles he drew) He was one of us.

Mike and I were planning an art/sketchbook for next spring, I saw him two months ago in Charlotte, he was in great spirits as we discussed the project and seemed very excited to join our movement and finally put a full-color art book together, he wanted to showcase his personal work not just the stuff that paid the bills.

The fact that he looked in perfect health and so optimistic about the future makes his passing very difficult to accept, I've never seem him so cheerful as I did that weekend. You see, in the past few months leading to Charlotte he seemed a bit unhappy with his personal work, Mike was very hard on himself, he had expressed many times, both, in private to his friends and later on his blog for everyone to see, that he felt a bit insecure about his art and the need to become better, I loved him for it because few artists come to that realization at the heap of their popularity, that took a big heart and even bigger balls, because he had tons of fans praising him night and day and loving his work. He knew there was much more to learn and to experience, he wanted more than just the adoration of his fans, he was true to himself and never bought into that celebrity status nonsense. He really wanted to grow as an artist and not just survive.

Mike was always a gentleman and a gentle man, courteous and polite, down-to-earth, kind and generous, I know people always say nice things about a person who passes away out of respect, even when that person doesn't deserve them but Mike Wieringo WAS all those things and more, he truly was a great human being and that is not an exaggeration, I don't claim to have been one of his best friends but I did consider him one of my few true friends. He e-mailed me 3 days before he died, right after he had read my August 5th post (in which I went postal on a book buyer), not just out of curiousity but expressing real concern for what had happened to me, that was the kind of man he was.

Rest in peace Mike, you will be sorely missed.

CHICAGO WIZARDWORLD '07

Once again, as it's customary year after year, we're in the windy city attending the WizardWorld Comicon 2007 at the Rosemont Convention Center. Come and say hi, Matt Stewart, Joe Pekar, Joe Bluhm, and Yours B. Truly, we're all going to be in the Artist Alley area, at tables 3516 through 3520. Sitting directly across from us will be: Stephen Silver, Bobby Chiu, Kei Acedera, Jason Seiler, Mister "T" and Peter Chan.

I have 4 free passes for the show. The first 4 people to show up at our booth and identify themselves as friends of this blog will get them, you can give them to a friend or relative or whoever you want (one free guest pass for the entire weekend per family)
Courtesy of Brandstudio Press LLC, your friendly pimp.

See ya there!
—Alberto

BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST

COMICON WAS RIDICULOUS, THANK YOU!

Yo! Many, but MANY THANKS to all the folks who visited our booth at the San Diego Comic Con. As "The Editor" loves to say: I can only describe the madness in two simple words: UN, BELIEVABLE! The booth was mobbed from sun-up to sun-down. Pretty fuckin' awesome and surreal if you'd asked me.

I usually write down my impressions of the show and the ensuing shenanigans, this time however, don't expect me to give you a blow-by-blow account of my three-week stay in Southern California because it ain't happenin'. Too much shit went down, too much work, too much drinking, too much great food (and not-so-great but fun food), too much art . . . well, you can never have too much art, that's for sure) wisdom says too much of a good thing can sometimes be bad for you but as far as I'm concerned, The San Diego Comicon can go on for another two weeks and I wouldn't mind one bit. Too much of this, too much of that and the other thing but over all, tons of fun, friendship and memorable times. All the sleepless nights and the grueling work and preparation leading to San Diego, all of it, well worth it!

Sharing the booth with our buddies Matt Stewart, Humberto Ramos and Francisco Herrera was indeed a high point, we pretty much sold out on most of what we brought to the show. Thanks for making that happen. Hangin' out with them peeps and the rest of our killer crew after the convention, now that was magical.

Our friends, the talented Bobby Chiu and Kei Acedera of Imaginism Studios wrote a pretty accurate account of the show and festivities, worth checking out. click HERE to read it.

Me? I'm exhausted but happy to no end. Why? I'm glad you asked. Well, because the response we generated at the show for what we are doing here at Brandstudio Press was very rewarding. Our books were everywhere. I never once had a doubt these books would be successful because I believe in our little labor of love, because every single artist pours his heart and soul into each individual book we publish. But to see our efforts fully realized and appreciated by so many fine people, now that was something to behold. I can't really express this feeling in mere words, you had to be there to witness it.


MOVING FORWARD
The San Diego Comicon 2007 ended but that doesn't mean we stop doing what we do best, that is messing around and being silly. New alliances were forged, new plans for more art books and comics were concocted. More artists are joining our war against bad art and boring corporate bullshit.

I will post a list of the Fall collection in due time but for now I will work towards putting the final touches on the EYE CANDY FROM STRANGERS book(s)

There are still a few people I haven't contacted due to my involvement with the SDCC books, so I will try my best to take care of that project ASAP.


YOU ARE GOIN' DOWN, MOTHERFUCKER!
This is for you, you know who you are. You, who conduct business (the business of selling art) in a less than unethical manner (to be mild, because I know there are young children reading this post) I will refrain from naming names in a public forum such as this one, because I'm not a dirtbag like you. You, who will stop at nothing to fill your pockets by taking advantage of artists who self-publish, artists who are already being treated like portable toilets by the "industry" I know you're reading this, I wrote this for you! You know who you are and so do I and even though I won't name names, I'll make certain my friends know for sure who I am talking about.

You, leech of society, who contribute nothing remotely creative or unique to the artistic community. You, who have never known and most likely will never know what it feels like to generate one tenth of a creative thought. To you and your abhorrent kind, those revolting mistakes of nature, whose veins and arteries carry no human blood but donkey's urine, those malicious cockroaches who impose their bad taste and lower than low standards upon all of us, who have no original ideas of their own inside their half-witted brains and bloated bodies but are quick to extract every last drop of creativity from those who do

You, middle men and women, who call yourselves agents, liaisons, reps, book buyers, art buyers, mediators. You, fast-talkin' swindlers, wide-eye-straight-to-my-face-liars, brown-nosed-boot-lickin'-scum-suckin' pigs whom I regard as nothing but "Art Predators". You, the single lowest form of parasites the world has ever known. Worthless two-faced maggots who feed off the talent and good faith of others.

To you and all the assholes who came up with these unfair rules of engagement. These rules who benefit no one but yourselves and your despicable ilk. These rules we must play by, because you say so. Well, guess what? I'm not playing by your stupid rules.

These absurd conditions you force upon us, these one-sided contracts between artists and publishers, between self-publishing artists who invest their hard-earned money and retailers and distributors who are so arrogant to believe they have the power to "make" us or break us.

You, the shit-eating motherfucking swine who back-stabbed me at the San Diego Comicon and mistook my trust and kindness towards you for stupidity and weakness of character. You, who fucked with me just because you felt entitled to, because you truly believe you can get away with it, because you really think I won't do anything to jeopardize my so called "business relationship" with you, because you're so full of yourself that you actually think you hold the key to my financial success, but you hold nothing. I call your bluff right here and now. You feel we (artists) need you and so you dictate these ridiculous terms and choose the uneven playing field where only you can win, as you quietly and cunningly threaten and blackmail us all with impunity. Guess what? We don't fuckin' need you and your greasy, greedy, chubby little fingers, so Fuck Off!

To you, loathsome, crafty and conniving weasel: I am on to you, stay away from me and stop contacting me. Make it easy on yourself and slither away, go bother someone else. You have fucked with the wrong man, I am not a belligerent individual and I don't wish ill unto others but I promise you and I swear on my children: I WILL make it my personal crusade to destroy you and your livelihood and I will do so with a grin on my face. You better pray to your philistine god I never come into a good chunk of money (most likely I won't 'cause I'm not you) because if I do, I will buy you out just so I can close you down and I will build a parking lot and Plant flowers in the putrid place you now call home.


MORE BOOKS

Mandy's Shorts
By Dean Yeagle



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-12-1 ISBN: 10 1-934623-12-1
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Dean's Website
















All images are copyright © 2007 Dean Yeagle, please don't reproduce without permission.









STINKBOMB!
By Taesoo Kim



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-09-1 ISBN: 10 1-934623-09-1
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Taesoo's Blog












All images are copyright © 2007 Taesoo Kim and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.

SAN DIEGO COMICON BOOTH H3

To all our friends:

You are cordially invited to visit our booth at the San Diego Comicon and meet Matt Stewart, Humberto Ramos, Francisco Herrera and yours truly, as well as our neighbors: Patrick Morgan. Taesoo Kim, Stephen Silver, José Lopez, Bobby Chiu, Kei Acedera, John Nevarez, Laurie & Kandrix Foong and many other fancy gentlemen and gentlewomen of the arts. Appearances by Jay Shultz, Andrew Robinson, Khary Randolph, Hoang Nguyen, Andrew Wilson, Wade Schin and many other childish individuals who will be signing books and greeting folks at various times during the duration of the event. Sean "Cheeks" Galloway will be at Howard Shum's booth and Robin Mitchell will be stationed at our friend Dan Merisanu's kiosk. Other Brandstudio Press alumni such as Dean Yeagle, Phil Noto, Erwin Haya will be also exhibiting and selling their books at their respective booths and tables. Check the San Diego Comicon's website for locations.

I will post a schedule for those wishing to meet these wonderful people, so stop by our booth and pick up some books, shoot some bull and let's get aquainted. The amount of books we are able to bring to show is limited so please come early. It will be a pleasure to finally get to meet you guys and girls.

Remember Booth H3, Here's a map to make it easier for you to find us.
CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE.



Be there!



—Alberto Ruiz

NICE RACK!

Ahh! it feels good to say that without fear of getting backhanded 'cross the face!

We start shipping the new books this week, Woohooo!

As the time draws near, this week I'll post images and ordering info on the new Summer Collection books. One by one.
Please check back daily as I'll be adding to this post instead of creating new entries. As always, if you want your books signed by the artists, please contact the artists themselves and buy directly from them. Support independent artists, this could be you, tomorrow.




Andrew Robinson Goes to Zanyzonkerville
By Andrew Robinson



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-12-1 ISBN: 10 1-934623-12-1
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Andrew's Website












All images are copyright © 2007 Andrew Robinson and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.









Memories Lost The Art of Hoang Nguyen
By Hoang Nguyen



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-09-1 ISBN: 10 1-934623-09-1
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Hoang's Blog












All images are copyright © 2007 Hoang Nguyen and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.








Doodle-A-Day Volumes 1 & 2
By Jay Shultz



Doodle-A-Day Vol. 1
By Jay Shultz
Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-07-7 ISBN: 10 1-934623-07-5
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:





Doodle-A-Day Vol. 2
By Jay Shultz

Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-08-4 ISBN: 10 1-934623-08-3
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Jay's Blog




















All images are copyright © 2007 Jason Shultz and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.








JET 7
By Phil Noto



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-09-1 ISBN: 10 1-934623-09-1
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Phil's Blog












All images are copyright © 2007 Phil Noto and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.






UNDERTOE
By Patrick Morgan



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-11-4 ISBN: 10 1-934623-11-3
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Patrick's Blog












All images are copyright © 2007 Patrick Morgan and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.








The Black Book
By Khary Randolph



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-00-8 ISBN: 10 1-934623-00-8
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Khary's Blog












All images are copyright © 2007 Khary Randolph and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.







CITIZEN KANO
The art of the Hustle
By Danny kimanyen



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-04-6 ISBN: 10 1-934623-04-0
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Kano's Blog












All images are copyright © 2007 Danny Kimanyen and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.







Tiki, T-Dog & Whatnot
By Tracy Mark Lee



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-05-3 ISBN: 10 1-934623-05-9
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:




Tracy's Blog
Tracy's Website
Electric Tiki Design











All images are copyright © 2007 Tracy Mark Lee and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.

The American Experience

Today we celebrate "Independence Day" here in the States, I don't take part in the celebration myself, for me this is a time to reflect, it always has been. Every year I analyze this thing we call the "American Experience" and what it means to me, personally. I've always had this love/hate relationship with this concept of what it means to be an "American" putting all the hype aside and as much as I'd like to ignore this whole thing, it keeps creeping up in my thoughts from time to time, there are so many things that link me to this land, and to this state of mind which is America, heritage included.

Tons of books and articles have been written about the "American Experience", from every conceivable point of view, with just as many spins, slants and biases. At the core, the experience is the same for immigrants, two stories and nothing more: success and misery, Americans are as romantic as they are cynics and always think in terms of success and failure, (apparent success, usually meaning economic success) whatever lies in between is not as important and certainly not worth thinking or talking about, which is a huge fault of character, because there's a lot we're missing out on, "God is in the details" as they say. Everything here is real big, bombastic, grander than grand, we're fatter, richer, more obnoxious, more powerful than the rest. Over achieving is a way of life here, we lose sight of the big picture while we're busy running this big rat race, we're not happy with just winning, we have to annihilate the opponent and then wave our flag while standing on his chest, success as defined by money and celebrity status must be obtained at all costs even if it means to become miserable in the process. Our athletes and our corporations must dominate, not just compete. Winning is everything, What a bore!

I don't offer anything new but my story is kind of unique in its own "American" way (as in romantic kind of way), for the lack of a more suitable adjective.

I say romantic because it's full of ideals, some of these ideals are perceived and are rooted in folklore and some have been realized fully, not without a hefty deal of suffering. Being an American to me means being a walking contradiction, an oxymoron, a work in progress, a perennial better future waiting to happen or a big disgrace making the 11 o'clock news, a rags to riches story constantly at the verge or something huge to be realized in due time. The rags to riches is folklore horseshit, the contradiction is real. The culture in itself is a paradox, full of inconsistencies and among them, there is this absolute conviction in our righteousness and this ridiculous notion that we're better than everyone else.

God is always on the American side, the wars we wage are just and the havoc we impart is justified. Of course, this is all generalizing, which I've been told it's dangerous, but fuck it, it's true. I saw this right wing talking-shithead named Tucker on TV the other day shaking his shaggy head and asking the same stupid question all the time: "Why does the rest of the world hate us? "Why?" Common sense is something of a luxury with him, as rich as he is, apparently he can buy himself none. The world does not hate America or its people, in fact they love everything American, we lead the world in fashion, pop culture and technological advances. The world lives vicariously through us, the world hangs on our every word, we dictate what the world listens, watches, wears and more. The world hates what the government of this country stands for, what the greedy and careless corporations of this country do in every other nation, they hate American businesses abroad, not Americans, corporate pirates raping and bankrupting nations so we can drive bigger cars and build bigger bellies. They hate what the American government represents and the government doesn't represent us, or rather, it does but makes all of us look bad. Americans are kind people but they do buy into this flag-waving brainwashing rubbish that politicians feed them, therein lies the contradiction.

It is a sad, sad time for America these days, once the champions of freedom, now gluttonous bullies, There is so much goodness in its people and in its values and in the principles of the founding fathers, who themselves were walking contradictions; how can you proclaim "All men are created equal" and own slaves at the same time? . . . Yeah, I know, economics!

Unfortunately what other countries see is this greedy monster, swallowing the world whole, this cancer and its arrogance in the form of its officials. You might say that I'm full of shit but I've been on both sides of this equation, when I was a kid, my friends and I used to skip school to go to the rallies and public demonstrations against the U.S. policies in Latin America, we used to throw rocks at the cops and yell "Yankees go Home" like parrots, I wasn't protesting anything, I just wanted to skip school and have a good time. It was just what we did to have fun, I had no motivation to hate the U.S, but plenty of reasons to love it. once the anti-mutiny trucks made their presence felt we scattered back home like roaches when the lights are turned on.

I couldn't have cared less for politics at that age, but I felt the pain of those who were powerless against an empire of greed, I always wanted to be here because to me this was where rock'n'roll, blues, jazz, animation and comics were born or at least where all these art forms flourished and thrived. This is still "The Place" to be, make no mistake, there is no other country in the world I'd rather be, Canada is nice but this is where everything happens, therein lies the contradiction.

As a young adult I became painfully aware of what was going on around me, how that very thing I loved and yearn for was also the cause of my people's suffering. Things started to affect me personally, people I cared about were directly impacted, I saw people protesting against American intervention in Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panamá and everywhere else the U.S. held economic "interests", I watched (from the comfort of my own home) how they toppled leaders and placed puppet dictators, bribing and blackmailing governments into submission, flexing their economic and political muscles in behalf of corporate greed. Yet I still wanted nothing else but to come here and live "the American Experience" which is not the same as the so called "American Dream".

My great Grandfather from my mother's side, was a black man born in the South, Georgia to be precise, his name was Rupert Wilson, he left the United States and moved to Jamaica towards the end of the 19th century. His son Rupert Jr. was born in Kingston, he found work as a teenager at the old British Petroleum refineries, Oil was all the rage in those days (and still is) American oil corporations and the British government which owned BP were in a virtual dead heat, competing against each other, fighting tooth and nail to become THE ruler of the world. They understood the significance, he who controls the oil rules the world, they were both deadly accurate, as time would prove. England had an advantage, they had many colonies in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and they had been at it since the days before the Iranian revolution, they were called Anglo-Persian Oil Fields back then. Once they got their asses kicked out of Iran they went to South America to drill for fossil fuel, this is before the Americans entered this deadly game in earnest. They were both piling up countries, buying governments and drilling everywhere there was dirt and even the sea, poking holes in any nation that would allow them to acquire cheap land concessions through palm-greasing and extortion. The competition was so fierce they had to join forces to avoid destroying each other and in doing so they controlled prices and ran amok, no one stood in their way until the arabs got organized, anyways.

Which brings us to Ecuador. Since Venezuela was being exploited by Shell Oil (the Dutch oil company) and the Americans had found plenty of cheap oil in Texas, Anglo (British Petroleum) set up shop in the coastal areas of South America, they found a gold mine in Ecuador (black gold that is) where they had successfully discovered huge deposits of oil and natural gas in the teens and 20's.

Young Rupert came to Ancón de Sardinas with the Anglo corporation (which changed its name of operations in Ecuador to Anglo-Ecuadorian Oil Fields to avoid pissing off the natives I guess) When the concession period ended, Anglo was forced to leave the country but the damaged had been done, they squeezed every last drop of oil out of the ground and left the carcasses of the old and inadequate equipment and refineries to rot, never fulfilling on their obligation to clean up the environment they fucked up, and failed to leave behind the infrastructure they built in sound and workable condition as it was contemplated in their contract. After they bled that country dry, as they did in many other places, where corrupted officials gave them "carta blanca", all there was left was an abandoned, inadequate and obsolete railroad system built exclusively to transport oil from the coast to the interior, which now lays there in shambles as a monument to corporate neglect. When clueless folks in America wonder "why do they hate us so much", this is why. The average American is a thoughtful, compassionate person but he/she has no idea of how this country is viewed outside its borders because of the crap that goes on behind our backs, it puzzles the fuck out of them to know they are the object of such hatred by other countries, politicians keep feeding them the same line: "They hate our freedoms and our way of life" , the reality is no one hates our "freedoms", other people wish they could have the freedoms we enjoy here but they don't hate us for it, they just want to be left alone. For as long as the masses keep swallowing this nonsense, the government keeps getting away with murder (literarily). People in other nations have this distorted view of Americans because of what they've experienced in their own land but as soon as they arrive here they begin to realize just how kind-hearted and decent the real Americans are.

Ruperto as he was then known, married a local woman and settled down in Anconcito, where he sired 4 daughters: Anatolia, Eugenia, Lucia and María — actually, María had a different father but he loved her as his own, nonetheless— The family lived in relative bliss for many years until Rupert retired from working the oil fields, the girls were all grown up, married with children of their own by then, except for Anatolia who was still a young unmarried woman but already had 4 children. He decided to go back to England with his wife to enjoy retirement and a nice pension with medical benefits, which he knew couldn't acquire in his adopted third world home, he intended to take his younger daughter and one of his granddaughters with him to protect young Anatolia from her abusive mate.

Anatolia had Marina, Jenny, Genoveva, Norma and Eduardo and turned down my great Granddaddy's offer to go to London because she couldn't bear being separated from the rest of her children. Rupert could only take two family members with him in addition to his wife, he chose Anatolia and her older daughter Marina. It is also said that her refusal to leave for London broke Rupert's heart in a thousand pieces because he loved Anatolia the most out of all his daughters and he felt terrible for leaving her behind because he knew how miserable she was.

Rupert died a few years later in London, an ocean away from his beloved Ana. My grandmother, Anatolia Wilson died at the tender age of forty, from a bad case of pneumonia soon after I was born. Of the four Wilson sisters, only Lucía remains, I lived with her and her husband Pablo for a couple of years and from her I learned most of what I'm telling you now. My Mom told me grandma Anatolia was living with us at the time and she says my grandmother used to play with me and sing me to sleep. She says I brought a lot of joy to her, as she was always in precarious health, I was too young to remember but I'd like to think I did, somehow I sleep better at night thinking I did.

In the years that followed, our American connection came full circle, my Mom moved to New York in her late twenties looking for a better life she never found, one of those immigrants who come here to work and save enough money to go back home and live the good life but never actually leave, and then I came along for the ride of my life, to the place I've always felt I belonged and at the same time to the most foreign place on this earth, therein lies the contradiction.



Happy 4th of July!
—Alberto

BRANDSTUDIO PRESS EXCLUSIVE PRE-ORDER

Brandstudio Press is proud to announce our first exclusive. First of many I do hope. My friends and business partners: Humberto Ramos and Francisco Herrera have chosen the Brandstudio Press store as the exclusive on-line seller for their soon to be award-winning and best selling new art books.

For Francisco this has a special meaning since this is the premiere of his very first Sketchbook. I consider myself truly lucky to have played a part (however small) in bringing you these two amazing books designed by the internationally renowned Leonardo Olea, which are loaded with great art in breathtaking color, most of which has never been published before.

Besides our common business interests and upcoming artistic collaborations Humberto is one of my dearest and closests friends so this joint venture means a great deal to me. The first run of the following 3 books will ONLY be available at the brandstudiopress.com online store and at the San Diego Comicon. A few selected comic stores in the U.S., Europe and Asia, will also carry these books beginning in late August. I can't even begin to tell you the crazy projects we're putting together for the near future. To you, the most loyal audience in the world, this will mean tons of art books, comics and mayhem.

I urge you to please pre order as soon as possible, shipping of these products will begin in approximately 2 weeks from this date. Pre orders will allow us to determine the amount of books we bring to the shows and will help us pay for additional print runs to meet further demand if necessary. Thank you for your support!

-Alberto Ruiz
Brandstudio Press Flounder





HUMBERTO RAMOS' TOXIC WASTE SKETCHBOOK
Have you ever drawn stuff that never got to see the light of day? Projects gathering dust on your drawing table? Projects you wish you could share with the world? . . . Well, I have! That's why in this sketchbook entitled: "TOXIC WASTE" I want to give all these images a chance to be seen by the people for whom they were created . . . .YOU!

Also, I'm sharing with you some of the stuff done for different projects I've been working on outside of the U.S. Stuff you won't see in your local comic book store, things you wouldn't get to see unless you live in, or travel to Europe or to my country of birth: Mexico.

Stick around a bit and let me show you designs for characters you know and some you don't, sketches for TV shows that never aired and some ideas for upcoming projects that I will bring to reality some time in the future.

So without further ado, join me and enjoy the TOXIC WASTE Sketchbook.



Humberto Ramos
-Disposal Manager




Toxic Waste
By Humberto Ramos

Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-01-5 ISBN: 10 1-934623-01-6
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:



Humberto's Blog












All images are copyright © 2007 Humberto Ramos and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.







FRANCISCO HERRERA'S FIRST SKETCHBOOK
After a few years of scratching paper and making a living from it, I want to share my work with you in a more personal way.
Most often, before, during and after each project, I generate a bunch of pages full of drawings, ideas and corrections, which for some strange reason look incredible, but they remain filed in the infinite world of "I'll check them out later, I may use them for something". So I set up to dust off old papers and past work which represent genres, techniques and styles I've developed over the years.

...I do hope you guys enjoy the Sketchbook as much as I enjoyed designing it to share it with you.




Francisco Herrera
Mexico City, Mexico


Sketchbox
By Francisco Herrera



Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-02-2 ISBN: 10 1-934623-02-4
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages
Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:



Francisco's Blog












All images are copyright © 2007 Francisco Herrera and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.






ALBERTO'S FIRST SKETCHBOOK
There are only 200 of those first sketchbooks out there. They were printed on a huge color copier belonging to one of the companies I was doing computer consulting work for, put together painstankenly by hand, back in 2003.

Yup! I recall those days, I was moonlighting as a graphic designer for DC Comics and other companies and despising the type of design work I was doing. My day job was IT . I didn't really hate the IT job, I thought it was fun going from building to building in the garment center of New York, setting up computers, troubleshooting printing problems and what not, it was certainly way more fun than listening to a pompous art director babble incoherently and driving me up the wall with stupid changes. I can honestly say I loved fixing computers, what I hated the most was dealing with those fashion prima ballerinas and their big egos, aaarghh! the pain!
Those fashion divas (both male and female) have the most annoying personallities and pettiest of natures. God was cruel to me, knowing how much I hate people she's always managed to put me in these situations, I was at the end of my rope, I was counting on this book to get me out of that whole scene and back into drawing again.

The book did the trick; financially, it was bittersweet, it sold out (all 200 copies) but on the other hand I paid just as much as what the book cost me to produce and once I factored in my trip to San Diego, I ended up losing a lot of money but it did get me back into drawing and for that reason alone it remains my favorite book ever. Upon my return to NYC I quit everything and the rest, well, you know the rest.

This CHOLA book is really two books in one, half of the volume contains the best of 2001-02 (sketchbook 3) and the other half: JALAPEñO LOLLIPOPS, holds the best of 2003 (sketchbook 5).

If you happen to own books 3 and 5, don't bother with this book but if you don't have either one, this is definitely a fun book to own.

All the "Chola" pre-orders are signed and come with an original sketch, pen or colored pencil.


Chola/Jalapeño Lollipops
By Alberto Ruiz




Price: $24.95 US Dollars
ISBN: 13 978-1-934623-13-8 ISBN: 10 1-934623-13-x
8 3/4x12 3/8, 48 pages Full-Color, Full-Bleed, Hardcover, Perfect bound-Sewn Pages

Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:


















All images are copyright © 2007 Alberto Ruiz and respective owners, please don't reproduce without permission.

SHARLETTE, MOCCA & GUERRILLA WARFARE

From Sharlette to The East Village
Dear Diary, the Heroes show was nothing short of grand and the Mocca festival was a blast. Here's a brief report, nuthin' fancy:

At the Charlotte Westin, Megan The Pagan and Yours B. Truly encountered many talented individuals, some of whom we work with and some we'll work with in the near future. This show, in my humble opinion, it's probably the best in the hangin' out department, we sold a ton of books but few things in life compare to watching your friends get drunk and act silly, particularly those who you least expect. On Thursday night we had dinner at the "Fox & Hound" in downtown Charlotte with our friends from "THE BLV" No, not "Bacon, Lettuce and Vomito" this ain't that kinda sandwich. I'm talking about Bernard Chang, Tommy Lee Edwards, Sean Chen and JP Leon, finer gentlemen you'd be pressed to find.

On Friday, we . . . wait, I don't remember what the fuck we did on Friday, sorry Diary! I'm a bit disoriented, lemme jump to Saturday will you? OK, on Saturday night Robin Mitchell, Megan The Pagan, Carlos and this narrator had dinner at Zink, we had a great time two years ago at this very same locale so we were looking forward to repeating that experience but it seemed to me that they had a different chef or something, the waitresses were as beautiful and corteous as always but the food just wasn't the same, and Diary, you bloody well know I'm not picky, I could eat from a garbage bin if need be (Lord knows I have) but when I tell you it was different, you better believe me, it was fuckin' different! I just can't pinpoint how or why. I'm not big on pricey food unless I have a good experience and I must say I was disappointed. Maybe the food wasn't that good the first time we ate there but somehow I felt I enjoyed it a lot more then, go figure! Could it be that two years ago we were ushered upstairs and from the balcony I had the most ridiculously awesome view of a tall and healthy southern blonde with a cleavage that had me ordering a glass of milk with my dinner? .. . and yet, I wonder . . .

Also on Saturday, Robin and Y. B. Truly went upstairs to Ed McGinnis' room and jammed with a cadre of fine artists, if I were to tell you their names you'd be super jealous so I'll spare you the details this time.

My memory is back, now I remember what we did on Friday. This happens every time I get high on Ny-Quil, I get spastic. Where was I? . . . Ah, yes! Friday. Friday was quite mellow, we got together with The Francavillas and walked across the street to Pizza Uno, I regret that meal, it played tricks with my stomach, pretty sucky but hey! that's what you get for being lazy. Diary, I was tired and didn't feel like walking all the way uptown, I'm sure you'd understand.

The convention itself was well-attended but not as many people as last year. Maybe Father's Day had something to do with the turn out, which was great but not spectacular. I've met a few friends from this here blog like the lovely Shannon and her brother; when God made this people, he must have been in a good mood because, Diary, these folks are so polite and respectful it almost makes you want to cry. I saw a bunch of old buddies I have not seen in years, that alone was worth the trip.

The spankin' new Summer Collection received rave reviews from everyone who stopped by our booths at both, the Charlotte and the Mocca shows and took a gander at our new line-up.

Here's a picture of the new books, these are the samples, I will post more in a few days: The books will arrive in a couple of weeks and I feel like a kid around Xmas time. Diary, I know you make fun of me behind my back for acting like a child, let me ask you, is it wrong to be this retarded and juvenile? When you were a small diary did your Mommy Diary give you Xmas presents as great as these books? . . . I didn't think so.




Guerrillas In The Mist
I'm proud to announce the creation of Guerrilla Warefare Press. This is a new division of Brandstudio Press, that would be in charge of printing books, not only for the artists involved in the Brandstudio brand but anyone wishing to self-publish. I am really happy to be able to offer offset quality printing at affordable prices and incredibly fast turnourounds.

I will post more about this new venture soon, at this point we're getting ready to launch the website from which you'd be able to get quotes for your books, upload files and get PDF proofs. That will take some time to put together but once we're rolling I think it's going to be huge because we will be able to offer something that no other printer of high quality books can match.

These are versions of the logo and other graphics I put together for Guerrilla Warfare Press.




Abrazos,
—Alberto

MOCCA FESTIVAL NEW YORK CITY

Sorry for the last minute announcement. I've Been a bit overwhelmed lately. I'll be attending the NYC Mocca show Saturday June 23rd & Sunday 24th, if you happen to be in NYC, please do drop by table # A20. I will have samples of all the books from the "Summer Collection" for your viewing pleasure and the entire "Spring Collection" for your purchasing pleasure.


Abrazos,
—Alberto

Heroes Are Hard to Find . . .

. . . That's why I don't bother looking.

Just kidding! Relax, homeboy! :)

My apologies to those friends up in Toronto who were expecting me at the Paradise show, couldn't make the trip due to illness and fatigue. I'm not dying but was in no condition to drive up there for eight or nine hours straight, not with that sticky, yellow/lime-green gunk oozing from my eyes, no Sir! I will see you in August for sure at the FanExpo.

Now I'm getting ready to head south to North Carolina, to attend one of my favorite shows of the year: "The Heroes Convention" put together by my good friend Shelton Drum and a slew of amazing people.
This year the Wizard Philadelphia show falls on the same date as the NC event, Philly is more convenient for me as is merely a short drive from where I live but I pledged my allegiance to the fine city of North Carolina the very first time I laid eyes on her. Nothing 'gainst the City of Brotherly Love (whatever the fuck that may mean)-so don't bother with the hate mail- this has to do with the big guy wanting to crush the little guy and we can't have that. Most of my friends will be there to support Shelton and his crew, so I wouldn't miss it for the world and you shouldn't miss it either!

Friends and enemies please do come by, either to say hi or to punch me in the mouth. Booth 831. If you're planning on doing the latter please do wear rubber gloves as I am allergic to jerks. Just kidding, just kidding! you don't have to wear gloves, just make sure you wash your hands with sulfuric acid first. I will be at the Brandstudio Press booth with my Boy Robin Mitchell. My compadres in arms, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway, Paul Maybury and Joe Pekar will be around as well. Oh, and the lovely and talented Megan the Pagan will also be sitting with us, as she does every year. She says she will be taking commissions at the show this time because she will need money when Guitar Hero III hits the stores later this year, so please come early and get on her commission list before it's too late. Higashi, I'm talking to you :)
For those not in the know, Megan is my thirteen year old daughter, do not be fooled by her tender age, this kid is a monster! she draws like a seasoned pro, if you don't believe me just ask Jason Pearson, he'll tell you. I can't wait for her to grow up and take over the family business so I can stay at home and do nothing all day but lay on the hammock and watch over my tomatoes.


This is another cover/jacket for the "Eye Candy" book, drawn by the elegant Ryan Hungerford.


GUERRILLA WARFARE COMING SOON!

Soon after I get back home from the Heroes show that is.
I'll make an announcement that it's bound to shake your foundations. I'm not at liberty to say what it is at this point in time. Why? because I'm finalizing the details as I write, rest assured it will be a big one. Lotsa shit has gone down since we launched Brandstudio Press LLC and I guess this next step was inevitable.

As always, thanks for your support and keep on drawing!

. . . Speaking of which, don't quote me on this but I've been told by several doctors and nutritionists that people who draw for at least 45 minutes per day lose 5 pounds in as little as one week. Other experts claim that drawing an hour a day reduces stress and helps you look and feel younger because it re-establishes the connections among your neurones and reminds your brain of the time when you were eight or nine, back when you didn't draw for money but for pleasure and didn't have a care in this motherfuckin' world. Some others say that if you increase the amount of time you sketch every day by 30 percent, you can successfully stop hair loss, and if you up it it by 80 percent you might even notice a few new strands growing where there were none before. So sketching daily is not just a guilty pleasure, it's also good for you!


Stay healthy, draw often!

Abrazos,
—Alberto

Alergias & Libros

Another one of our variant covers (jackets) by Lawrence Hamashima. I'll post some more next time. When I see this cover all I can think of is brightly colored Skittles™. Sugar overload, yummy!


THE ALLERGIES
I thought that I had escaped those annoying season allergies that plague me every year at this time but guess what? fucking wrong was I (as Yoda would say)
This time, the sneaky little bastards were late but they got to me, regardless. They destroyed my nose and played street soccer with my eyeballs, they tormented me mercilessly and brought me to a stand-still. This of course, came at the worst time possible, when I'm putting together the Summer collection and the "Eye Candy From Strangers" books. I gobbled all sorts of pills and sprayed all kinds of sprays and ate all types of herbs and shit and managed to get through them, not without some serious damage. I am a walking zombie today, the adrenaline rush of getting 17 books to the printer in time to make the San Diego Comicon, —which is a mere month and some days away—has all but dissipated into thin air and all that is left is this carcass of a man, half-asleep, half blind and exhausted beyond recognition.

But before my friends say Awwwwwwwwwwww! and my enemies say Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh! I have to tell you that although I might be drugged out, dazed, confused, fatigued, sneezing up a storm and spewing thin white mucus from every membrane-lined orifice in my old and fragile lttle body, I couldn't be happier; those Summer books look FAN-FUCKIN-TASTIC and they are being printed as we speak. So don't cry for me, Argentinians, I feel like a billion bucks!! . . . well, at least on the inside.




THE BOOKS
As promised, this is the list of the artists along with their respective titles. I will reveal the cover art in due time so bare with me. Here's the line-up in alphabetical order:

WADE FURLONG Goonz
FRANCISCO HERRERA Sketchbox
TAESOO KIM Stinkbomb!
DANNY KIMANYEN Citizen Kano
TRACY MARK LEE Tiki, T Dog & Whatnot
HOANG NGUYEN Memories Lost
PHIL NOTO Jet 7
PATRICK MORGAN Undertoe
HUMBERTO RAMOS Toxic Waste
KHARY RANDOLPH The Black Book
ANDREW ROBINSON Goes To Zanyzonkerville
ALBERTO RUIZ Chola/Jalapeño Lollipops (reprint of Sketchbooks 3 & 5)
JAY SHULTZ Doodle A Day Volume 1
JAY SHULTZ Doodle A Day Volume 2
ANDREW WILSON Passport
WILLIAM "BILL" WRAY Dirty Beauty
DEAN YEAGLE Mandy's Shorts




THE SERMON
As with the first batch, some of these names you already know and love and some you have no clue about but you will, Oh and I guarantee you will love them and their work. This Brandstudio Press thing, which is far from being a publishing house in the traditional sense, it's more than the sum of its parts, it's a community of passionate individuals doing their thing, taking back the creative control over their own work, doing it with dignity in an industry that cares very little about them as individuals. This community is growing into a force to be reckoned with. This I take no credit for, I'd love to, but no, Brandstudio Press will become something bigger and better because of the artists taking part in this gigantic Art Project. I am very proud of what we're creating here and proud to be associated with all of these guys and girls, and with the future members of this not-so-secret society.

I know that sounded deep and serious and all that jazz but that's the way I feel about it. I'm old skool like that, or just plain old.


See you next week. And please, again I must ask you to be patient as I continue to gather the info and files for the Eye Candy Book.


Abrazos,
—Alberto

Eye Candy: Hard Cover on the Outside But Creamy & Juicy Inside.

This is one of the front covers for the book. Painted exclusively for the "Eye Candy From Strangers" book by the super talented Dennis Brown. I'm printing two covers and 4 different jackets (with 4 different images, of course) There are more than 2 pieces that deserve to be featured on the cover and back covers of the books, we'll see how many variant covers we can get away with, I'll post more on that later.

BTW, I'm back from paying the bills, I will work now full-time on the Eye Candy book. Whoever hasn't been contacted yet regarding the high resolution files will get an email from me starting Thursday. I've received more communication from people wanting to know if their entries made it or not, please bear with me I WILL reply to each and every one of you, it will take me some time but I'll make the effort necessary. Thanks!

I've been really busy with the pre-production of the "Summer Collection" of books, which I'm sure will knock your socks off. Some of the cats had been let out of their respective bags and some of you already know who will be debuting his/her new book through the Brandstudio Press label. I will make an official announcement in 2 weeks, the books are at the printer as I write this, hopefully in a couple of weeks we'll have production samples to share with you.

I just want to say that this new batch of books is just ridiculously huge, 15 new titles to be exact!

If people thought we were just a flash in the pan, they are in for a big surprise. Remember it's Us Vs, Them, and WE will win this fuckin' war, this ain't like the war on terror, we're fighting a real enemy here, a vicious and ruthless killer of dreams, Heh, heh! Cheese anybody?

But unlike Saddam, we do have some secret weapons of mass destruction, I will post the list of the artists but make sure you're sitting down before you start reading it, we'll give a new meaning to "Shock and Awe". :)


Abrazos
—Alberto

Anonymous said...

. . ."Sorry to hear you got sand in your vagina down here in the dirty south...guess we're just not cultured nor "diverse" enough for ya...way to stereotype, based on your dismal (and extremely limited) experience...that's like me saying you self publish because you don't have the chops to cut it with a decent publisher, cause you only draw half-assed titty girls"


Alberto Ruiz Says. . .

Heh, heh! A disgruntled employee. Aren't you special.

You don't know who the fuck you're talking to, I get sand in my vagina everywhere I go, North, South, East and West. I don't like people, period. You obviously have never read anything other than this post on this blog. You narrow-minded fool, You read one thing I write and because it happened to say something about where you live you get all outraged, retard!.

You didn't criticize my apparently negative review of Boston or the one about Baltimore or The NYC crappy hotel show or why I hate Hoboken, NJ or any place else, but you. . .you are special because it's you.

Did you praise me for saying good things about North Carolina? last time I checked that's in the South, ain't it? No worries, I didn't expect you to because I don't give a fuck whether someone approves or dissaproves what I do or say, this is about self-expression, an artist can express anything and everything is a tool towards that end.

You take it personally because its about where you live. Well, grow up, asshole! this isn't about you or about a particular place, it's about people and people are fucked up everywhere you go.

News Flash, this just in! This whole country is fucked up! The rest of the world is just as messed up as the USA and probably worst but they don't go around claiming they're champions of freedom, equality and acceptance. We do!

You don't fucking get it because you're too busy fuckin' your sister, only an inbred like you can read a "dismal" personal experience, —admittedly biased, because of individual preference—and turn it into a personal attack on the entire Southern region. I don't hate the South and its people I just hate YOU.

Personal experiences are what drive a particular human to choose a partcular place to live, and these places shape who they become. Some of us want to be treated fairly and be left alone, some places are more conservative and less tolerant of minorities, that's a fact. Some people -for whatever the reason- lack the ability to choose where they go, I'm stuck here because of all the places I've been to, this is the least retarded, but more often than not I get reminded of just how prejudiced people are, even right here in this "Melting Pot" of shit we call New York.

Chip on my shoulder the size of NJ, you bet!

No, the South doesn't do it for me, as nice as the women are, it's not diverse enough for me and my prejudices, that's my taste, bitch! and neither does NY, or CA or anywhere in between, as long as there are bigots and cowards like you hiding behind anonymity.

In case you didn't read (or maybe you were too emotional to digest) you're not special, in fact, I like the South better than I like California, where pretty much everybody is fake. Feel any better?

Don't take it personally. You stay where you are, where you're safe and comfortable. I'm going back to Atlanta next year for sure to stay with friends but not to the convention which I thought it sucked.

Go to the bathroom, jerk off and take all the emotion out of this and then take a cold shower, when you go back to re-read what I wrote, you'll realize just how foolish you've been to jump to conclusions, but I forgive you because you were too hurt by the apparent harshness of my words to understand reason.

The one thing you're right about is my half-assed tittie girls (your spelling is also acceptable)
But what should I do? draw DC/Marvel superhero comics? or "alternative comics" garbage? or illustrate children's books for Scholastic (all of which I've been offered to do at one point or another, btw)

You must be fuckin' kidding me! Do you prefer me drawing like say. . . Boris Vallejo? or Shag? Hah! Maybe I'll get a decent publisher if I were to copy Frank Frazetta and pass it as my style.

You also don't get it here because you're stupid. I DON'T fucking care about your bloody comics and I don't give two shits about the publishing industry. I draw for myself, and I make books because I LOVE books. I have said many times here that I don't consider myself a real artist, (in the American and commercial sense anyway) only somebody who likes to draw for fun. Just because I share it with you it doesn't mean I owe you shit! Why is that so fucking hard to understand?

What's a decent publisher to you? name me one and I show you a thief and a scumbag.
Brandstudio Press? Nah! I'm not a real publisher, I don't care enough about profits, I don't fuck people over, this is just a bunch of friends getting together to do our thing.

Are DC Comics or Marvel "decent" publishers?, or this and that and the other?, They're all assholes.

What I do is by choice, Moron!

I do whatever the fuck I want. You can't say that, can you? Because you need somebody to validate what you do, because you need some jerk to publish you, because you've never made anything or built anything of any consequence on your own, with your own money and you're own resources.

You'll always will work for some asshole who will exploit you to no end and you'll sit there and complain but you'll take it like a little girl because you're too afraid to make your own mark, because you value a "Giant" publisher as something of prestige and you want them to do everything for you while they treat you like shit and rob you blind. You will always be a paid slave and that's your choice so FUCK YOU!

I am not interested in anything other than drawing half-assed tittie girls for myself, I don't give a fuck if publishers like them or not. Although you can't possibly comprehend the thought of being independent and doing something just for the fuck of it, without thinking about the money it may or may not generate. You are not an artist, just try and wrap your feeble mind around that concept. Repeat after me:

"I" . . . ."Am". . ."Stupid"


Love,
—Alberto

MARIACHI SAMURAI & PISTOLAS REDUX

The Brilliance of José López
It gives me great pleasure to announce that the Brandstudio Press online store will be offering José López's best-selling art book/sketchbook, entitled "Mariachi Samurai". A gorgeous hardcover book, 80 pages worth of full color illustrations, preliminary character designs, backgrounds and cartoons.

I you think I'm bias because I consider him one of my friends you'd be right. But friendship aside, way before I met him I thought he was one of those rare beings I lke to call "Renaissance freaks". An incredibly talented and well-rounded individual, who's rare in this world of "especialists" and "multitaskers" where artists train to do one thing and one thing only, no one inks his own drawings, no one designs his own characters no one writes his own stories for the characters they design and so forth, and on the other hand, the so called multitaskers are more like ducks than artists; well, you've seen the duck before, he flies, swims and walks but does none of those things really well.

José's range of skills is vast and then some, those of you who already own this book know exactly what I'm talking about. Not only everything he chooses to do he does well but he excels at whatever he does and with style to boot. He produced this book, designed it and published it himself, having dwelled in this "business" of art for longer than I care to remember and painfully knowing how hard it is to remain independent, I have a lot of respect for those who take that leap of faith and invest in themselves, he's sought after by the best animation companies out there, any studio or publisher would have been glad to publish this book but he chose to do it himself, that says a lot more than I can talk about the man.

This book sold out in record time last year so if you didn't get it then, now it's your chance. Feel free to go to brandstudiopress.com and order your copy before they sell out again. Or click on the button below to order your copy:



For those of you who don't know, click here to visit José's blog and see why I think so highly of him.





Two Boxes of Pistolas
On my last trip to Seattle, my friend Kandrix who puts together the amazing Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo up in Canada, informed me that I still had a couple of boxes of my sold out "Veinte Mujeres con Pistolas" left up there. Last week we sold some at the Expo and I brought the remaining copies back home with me. They're also up in the Brandstudio Press online store now for purchase.

I know a few of you missed buying them and asked about a reprint, this is not a reprint but rather the last few remaining copies left from the original print run, minus the flaps, long forgotten in Canada. Again, if you missed buying this book last year and you still want it, go for it, while supplies last.

Thanks for your support!


Available Now. Click on the button below to order your copy:



Abrazos,
-Alberto

EYE CANDY FROM STRANGERS DEADLINE

I just came back home from Calgary to find a quazillion entries for this book. It seems that many of you waited until the very last minute to send in your submissions (and I think I know you know who you are because you certainly know who I think I know I am) . . . Huh!??

Anyways, thanks to all the artists who sent their work for consideration. I am in awe of such a massive display of both, raw and cultivated talent. I am yet to finish going through each and every piece, My mailbox is about to explode!

Some of you sent more than a few pieces, which makes me wonder why in god's name there isn't a book out there with your art in it, perhaps we could change that in a not too distant future.

I am so honored and truly humbled by the turnout and the quality of these pieces. You have read those words from me before because you people always exceed my expectations and I don't mind repeating myself since every bit of it is true. Like the time I went to the movies to see "The Incredibles", the hype was intense and my expectations were way up there and somehow that flick blew them away. With this project I was expecting a good chunk of entries but nothing of this sort, thanks again, and again. If your entry did not make it this time please I beg you, DO NOT be discouraged, some of you are very young still and have tremendous amount of potential, develop your skills and don't lose that passion for drawing. I really wish I had room for all the participants.

These are the times in which I'm proud to be part of the human race, it doesn't happen often but this feels really nice indeed. It gives me hope for the future. The future of what we love to do and it makes me feel like I made the right choice in following my instincts, leaving everything behind to pursue a life as a full-time artist and now as a full-time pimp.


There are a few folks who missed this deadline, to those people I say: "Keep it in your pants" I'm working on other things we might be able to do to showcase your art in the future. Besides, we will do this again for sure next year and the year after that.

Most of you have been contacted by me via email with a "Thank you for submitting" or a "You're in!" note, I will continue to go through my in box and reply to each and every one of you, whether your work made it into the book or not. Bear in mind that it will take me a couple of days to complete this task, if by the end of next week you haven't heard from me, I urge you to email me again to remind me of your submission. No one answers my email but me, but sometimes I do it on the road and sometimes some emails get filtered and end up in the garbage bin by mistake.


The Book Format
I am debating on a format that would best suit this material and make it shine, I'm thinking of making the book slightly bigger. This will solidify as I put the pieces together.

The page count might change as well, I'm still getting quotes from the printer on different formats and page counts, as things stand now, it would make more sense to split the 200 page book into two smaller books so as to make it affordable for people to buy and for me to print without sacrificing the quality. I'd much rather print two books and offer them at $30 or so each than one gigantic single book at $70. As you are well aware I am not a rich person by any stretch of the imagination and all of this is financed by yours truly so our runs are small 'cause that's what we can afford, hopefully with your ongoing support, our print runs will increase and our prices will become even more affordable. I am not worrying about recovering my investment but rather the initial layout, which is pretty significant. Regardless of the format, rest assured this book(s) will be absolutely beautiful.

I will do my very best to have the book finished and ready to be shipped to whoever wants it by the second week of July. Those of you who will visit our booth n San Diego will be able to sample our Eye Candy Goodness and I will throw a dinner party at a local eatery to celebrate this milestone (basically, I'll buy you a beer and you'll pay for your own dinner, what do you think this is? DC Comics?)



To the Artists Whose Work Will Be Featured in "EYE CANDY"
I know some of you are anxious to send or FTP your high resolution files, some of you don't even know yet which of the multiple files you sent have been chosen. I will be contacting you individually via email within the next three weeks to clarify everything and obtain the proper permission and files from you. Remember it's just one man doing all of this so bear with me.

North & South

HM Cover, colored by my good friend Andrew Wilson.





Georgia On My Mind

Dear Diary:

I spent last weekend at the Atlanta Comics Expo, a very peculiar show I must say. I had never heard of this event (with good reason, this was their first show) but I 've always wanted to visit Atlanta and since I was invited, I decided to go.

The convention was small but cozy. Well, maybe too cozy. The organizers were very nice and helpful, the place was clean and well lit. I usually don't care much for conventions that are held in hotels and this one was no exception. Upstairs from us there were having an international dance contest and one level above it there was a prom going on, or rather, several proms, I prefer convention centers, thank you very much.

I thought the attendance was pretty poor, lack of advertising or just plain indiference, take your pick. Oh, and surprise! the people attending the show were mostly super hero comic book freaks, rolling their plastic coolers all over that nice corporate carpet.

Diary, I know you've told me several times not to stare at people for extended periods of time but I couldn't help myself, Atlantans love to dress up, before I left, Jana said: "Watch out for the weirdos" and I didn't know what she meant, Lotsa girls in tight costumes prancing around, fat spidermen and all sorts of gay caballeros wearing their underwear on the outside, just like in those creepy Alex Ross' drawn (and painted) comics. That's what she meant! Pretty nasty shit but the women were something else. Southern girls love to flaunt it, even though they swear they are shy and proper. They really are very generous to say the least, I don't know what they eat down there or what kind of hormonal chemicals they dump in the water reservoir but they're all "healthy" females. God bless the South!

I stayed at The Francavillas, Francesco, his lovely bride and their 3 cats showed me what real southern hospitality is all about. I had a chance to check out the city and its surroundings, at times I felt I was in a time tunnel. On prom night I saw a divided city, there were black proms and white proms but I didn't see any integrated proms, maybe I was in the wrong side of town.

Plenty of affluence, new luxurious houses everywhere. The land is cheap, of course, I wasn't surprised to hear those new home prices were pretty low.To be fair, compared to New York everything else is inexpensive. With the same money I paid for my house I could have gotten a castle down there, the thing is who wants to live there?. . . . Exactly!
The good ol' South is still not integrated enough for my taste, it looks too much like Hoboken, NJ —after they kicked the puertoricans out of town— I still prefer Toronto. Mexicans of course, have their own area, which looks like shit and is adyacent to the upscale neighborhoods they serve. This is not exclusive to the conservative South, I've seen the same thing in "progressive" California and in "liberal" NY.

When I used to live in Tustin, CA I worked in Santa Ana, that was kinda odd because things generally were the other way 'round. Santa Ana used to be a shithole where they dumped all the Mexicans who worked in Tustin (a right-wing, ultra conservative town without porn and with a curfew). I said "used to" because I haven't lived there in 15 years. Late Saturday and Sunday nights you would find scores of rich white kids from the gated communities of Orange, Anaheim Hills and Tustin and even Fullerton, buying cheap crack and other cocaine derivatives from the local "Cholos" behind the Bristol swap meet.

I worked delivering pizzas for "Me & Ed's" back then and I recall asking Glenn the manager: "Why is the map partially covered with red Magic Marker™?" he said: "We just don't go there!", "but we're two blocks away!" "Damn it, man! What part of We Just Don't Go There, don't you understand!" I was instructed to tell the people from Townsend Street to come and pick up their pizzas at the restaurant, "Sorry, Ma'am, we just don't fuckin' go there, understand?"

Whenever any of the drivers got the munchies we would write up a fictitious order from Townsend. We would cover an entire extra large pizza with jalapeño peppers and mushrooms (this trick would render the pizza unsellable) and place it on top of the oven, 30 minutes later the manager would say: "There's an old order from Townsend up there, anybody hungry?" The silent rules were simple: if it's up there for longer than 30 minutes, it's fair game.

Back to our lying already in progress: On Friday night we had dinner at the legendary Trader Vick's, the most beautiful Tiki bar on the western hemisphere. There I met some talented individuals such as Tyson McAdoo, Dave Cook and Derek Yaniger, had a nice chat with a nice man named Bob Shrek (no relation to the Ogre in that unwatchable piece of 3-D horse shit) whom I learned later, was a big-shot editor at one of the two Comics giants, I forgot which one.

I'm going to give this convention a free pass this time around because the show is new but you're on notice, Atlanta Comics Expo! I doubt I'll be back, though. That's too bad because I really got used to the Southern Belles exhuberant proportions and the way they walk and talk. "Ya'll come back ya hear?" . . . Not me.



The Province of Alberto
Diary dearest, can you believe it has been a year already since my first visit to the fine city of Calgary?, I miss it very much, particularly those Flamer girls.

Last year when I arrived at Calgary, I saw a 20 ft high sign near the airport, that read: "WELCOME TO CALGARY, ALBERTO"
Having been blessed with a Texas-size ego, I naturally assumed the giant sign was for me; I immediately thought: "Wow! What a country this Canada eh? I've never been here before and they already treat me like a war hero" Somebody ought to let them know they made a mistake,though, my name ends in "O" not in "A". Great people up there but horrible spellers! Silly Canadians, gotta love 'em!

I will be attending the Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo at the Stampede Grounds (I think) I just can't wait to get there, Calgary is without a doubt one of my favorite places in the world!

I'll see you there this coming Sunday! God bless the North!




Abrazos,
-Alberto

HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE COVER

A Child's Dream, A Grown Up's Nightmare
I was asked a year ago or so to illustrate a cover for Heavy Metal Magazine, I immediately said yes even before I knew what the rate was. It turned out the pay was dog shit but I still went ahead with it because ever since I was a kid I dreamt of one day doing a cover for HM, only it wasn't known as HM back then but rather MH.

I'm talking about the original Metal Hurlant Magazine, which started publication in 1974; the French adult fantasy magazine which was reprinted in North America as Heavy Metal, by the same people who gave us The National Lampoon Magazine, namely, Leonard Mogel. I don't care much for the magazine these days, it's pretty sucky to tell you the truth (not that I lied to you before or anything ) way back in '77 the French version was outstanding, it included: Moebius, Ives Chaland, Serge Clerc, Druillet, Caza, The Schuiten Bros, Tardi, Enki Bilal and a slew of French, Italian and Spanish masters on a regular basis.

Its American counterpart featured Vaughn Bodé, Howard Chaykin, Jeff Jones, Bernie Wrightson and many more American artists in addition to its European roster, which I thought made it even stronger than the French version at one point, but like everything great in this country, it slowly began to deteriorate, more and more smut and poorly drawn "adult" comics as well as a myriad of advertisements for porn art books, the covers always feature that "beautiful" "fuck me in the mouth" airbrushed girl. Shit, I'm going to hell!.

You guys already know I'm not a big fan of what's called "erotic art" nowadays, maybe the stories are still good, but I care very little for stories in comic book format, I'd much rather read a book, I'm a visual being, I like art and most of the art in there these days is god-awful. Once in a while I find something good published in HM; the other day my friend Jonathan Lopez gave me a copy of a Heavy Metal issue that had nothing but Sky Doll art in it, now, that was something! I still have no clue as to what the story is about but DAMN! that is one beautifully drawn book!


The sketch above is based on an old drawing (at least the bottom half is) This drawing, which I am very fond of was rejected because the girl was considered "too ugly", I beg to differ but what the fuck do I know? Now you understand why I self-publish.

I still like it better than the actual cover, which I can't show you now but you will see in July.








On The Book Front
All the artists have their books now, so please visit their websites and buy their respective volumes signed by the creators themselves. Support independent thinkers. Like my Mom likes to say: "Hoy por mi, Mañana por Tí"


Here are their links:

Andrew's Blog
Wade's SBlog
Erwin's Blog
Sean's Blog
Joe's Website
Matt's Website
Robin's Blog
Alberto's nest of hornets




Abrazos,
-Alberto

TWO THINGS

First: The deadline for the "EYE CANDY FROM STRANGERS 1.0" is fast approaching, I've received tons of entries, a great deal of beautiful art, I'm so excited!! this book is going to look incredible!!

If you haven't done so, send in your submissions.

Second: Massive Shipment of Books
As of last Friday all the remaining (pending) book shipments were finalized and they're on their way to their destinations, both domestic and international orders. An automatic notice was emailed to everyone in the United States (no tracking for international shipments mailed via surface, sorry Canada and the rest of the world) Check the email account you used in your Paypal communication.

If you bought any of our books in the USA and did not receive a tracking #, please email me directly at books@brandstudio.com and I'll be happy to provide one for you.

Once again, thank you for bearing with me throughout this first batch of Brandstudio Press books, I'm doing everything in my power to correct the deficiencies. Growing pains in the ass, but we'll get through them. I've already set up a system to make sure all orders are shipped as soon as they are received. We have been waiting on our suppliers and counting on their word to deliver. The artists also have had to endure the shortage but now we're good. Everyone should be fully stocked by tomorrow.

As a token of my appreciation for your patience and understanding, I'd be more than happy to pay for the shipping of your next order. Here's a coupon, click & drag& send to me. Use it wisely :)





As far as I'm concerned, each and every order made through the Brandstudio Press online store has been shipped, including the ones received this morning, we're on top of this fuckin' train and moving full steam ahead.

Any and all questions/complaints, regarding the books, DO NOT hesitate to email me personally, I'll take care of it.

Abrazos,
-Alberto

Sleepless Until Seattle

First off, those of you who have not received your books yet, don't panic, the drought is over we have enough now to take care of everybody, a nice discount on your next orders to those of you who had to wait a bit longer due to the crazy demand (bring it to my attention and I'll take care of you, personally, I'll cover your shipping charges or something, we'll figure something out.

I expected craziness but this is ridiculous! Again, I can't thank YOU enough for the tremendous support and the hopes you've given me in making this project a success.

I'm writing this from my hotel room in Dearborne, Michigan, my flight to Detroit was delayed for a few hours right out of Newark, NJ and I missed my connecting flight to Seattle, which means I'm going to spend the night here and won't be at the Seattle Emerald City Con until noon on Saturday. As always you're invited to stop by our Brandstudio booth # 715 at the show, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway will be at the show and Wade Schin co-author of "So Now What Do We Do" will be signing and selling his brand spankin' new book alongside Yours B. Truly.

Come say hello and take a look at the books in person, even if you don't buy anything, just come over and bring your sketchbooks, identify yourselves as friends of this blog and I'll be more than happy to desecrate your drawing pads at no cost to you, of course.

See ya in Seattle!



Abrazos,
-Alberto

CALL FOR ENTRIES 2007

As the first order of business, Brandstudio Press LLC is proud to announce two brand new, special books. I mean, these are very, very special books. I will start a tradition right here and now.

'You know these publishing companies out there, putting out these nice books, chock full of artwork from all corners of the world. They produce these annuals, like the Society of overrated illustrators which publishes "Illustrators 49" etc. etc...ad infinitum. Where they ask artists to submit pieces for inclusion in these compilations. The artists fill out a form and send anywhere from $20 to $100 bucks to be judged by a bunch of "professionals" most of whom have no real talent to speak of.

If your work makes it into these annuals/competitions there's a lot of prestige and pride that goes along with it, but no money, of course. There are no real prizes to win except the "Gold" or "Silver" medal and 3 copies of the book or something cheap like that. All the folks who didn't make it into the book get the shaft and lose anywhere from 20 to 100 bucks, a chunk of self-respect and artistic confidence. Well, that's nothing new or original; design magazines have been doing that for ages.

Now, I would love to start an annual competition book myself. This book would not be any different than those other books; it will be beautifully printed in full, glorious color and it would showcase the best art from all over the planet. Same fucking thing but without the false pretense, the hypocrisy and the entry fees. Oh! . . . and without the lame judges.




First annual book: 'EYE CANDY FROM STRANGERS 1.0' FULL COLOR 200 PAGES HARDCOVER 9X12.5
Deadline: May 1st 2007

This is an official call for entries for all of those who love to draw women. Yeah, I know somebody else beat me to it, there's a compilation out there already which "celebrates" the female form but I don't like that book, there's lots of crap in there and some of those judges can't draw a real woman if their lives depended on it.


THE CRITERIA
For this book I will be the sole judge, if I like it, it gets printed, as simple as that! No Committee, No Fees, No Panel of Judges, No Bullshit! Also, there will be no Silver Medals or Gold Medals, just a nice sense of pride for doing a great job and being the best that you can possibly be. Art is not a fuckin' competition. What is this? . . . a freakin' sport?. . .sheesh!.

The art to be included in the book will be selected based solely on its artistic merit. I will make no distinction between professionals and amateurs, if J. Scott Campbell or Picasso submit a mediocre effort, they won't make the cut. :)


WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?
Your contact info will be listed (Website, blog, e-mail address, mailing address, phone # or whatever you wish to make public) this is entirely up to you. Your work will be seen by many, some of whom might even offer you a job, who knows? I can't promise you that you'll get work from showcasing your work in this book but since the book will be distributed worldwide anything is possible, you have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain.

In addition, if your work is featured in the book, you'll receive one copy of the volume and if you'd like to purchase more books I will be more than happy to give them to you at half the price so you can make a couple of bucks (you pay for the shipping) You can give them to family members or even send one to your high school Art tea