The Sierra Mist Exquisite Corpse collaboration Project

WHAT is up with theJCW

Sierra Mist contacted 5 local artists to create a billboard showcasing their new logo.

Every day this week a different artist added their unique talents to the board. I was the second artist to paint. My contribution was the lime driving a lemon rocket with tentacle arms..

 The almost finished artwork last night, one more artist to go- to see all artists and many more pictures of the process and events, check out the hashtag #sierramistcollab on twitter and instagram

 Here are some shots of the painting progress

Last night talking with Graham Elliot was fantastic, amazing artist in his medium while being extremely supportive of ours.

On top of it all it feels great to know that the painting will go towards helping the Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation

Today the final artist - Justus Roe will add his contribution, please join all of us on Friday 6-10 pm at 401 N Racine  to close out this amazing event. a BIG thanks to Sierra Mist #sierramist for supporting local artists, and making every last part of this experience a great one.

sierramistcollab sierramist thejcw chicago

SABRE TANK a new custom painted toy

Still at work, and here's proof.

I rarely update this blog lately... if you didn't notice none of the shirt links on the right side work anymore - companies going out of business, canceling printing, ect.

My newest creation is Continuing the quest to create characters through painting vinyl toys. SabreTANK was created using two different Kid Robot brand toys, then using traditional paints and posca markers. It's very inspired from cartoons of the 80's    -    Take a moment to stop by BEHANCE and check out all the shots

"Your Friend the Sushi Monster"

Finally something new.. a new piece is finished and more about this blog needs to be updated... for the time being, you can go to www.be.net/thejcw and find more views of this little guy.
For the future, I need to clean up some links and get this blog going again... hopefully within the next year ;)

Agent Orange - a KidRobot custom painted Vinyl toy

Finished another Kid Robot vinyl toy - painted in the likeness of theJCW character "Agent Orange" from a sold dimensional painting and character sketch. whipped together with traditional acrylics and Posca markers.

See more shots here

Deep6 Custom painted wood bad

FINISHED this custom painted bat, will write and post more soon, just wanted to test this gif

Custom Painted Kid Robot "Trikky" finished

Finished this many a moon ago, but only recently took the pics and finally getting is posted

Painted with mostly posca markers I call this guy Kat-Bak after Ong Bak the thai warrior and sort of inspiration for the design.

See more up close shots here

The Making of "Lobsternaut"

So last month Shawn Smith the creator of Shawnimals sent me one of his new products, the "Plushform" and asked me to customize it and join a troop of amazing artists for a show at OhNo!Doom gallery in Chicago.

I'm hearing more people ask how I made the helmet so I threw together this blog post to hopefully explain it a little.

STEP 1: find helmet parts
-----> Stroll into the ol' Salvation Army and find a clear soup ladle to turn into a helmet. (yes the clear part of the helmet is a centuries old, scratched up, diseased old soup ladle)
STEP 2: build helmet structure
-Broke the ladle ----> taped up Plushform head
------> used paperclay to shape helmet around the plush's head.

------> To ensure stability of helmet and that the hardened clay around the plastic would stay in place the entire thing was coated with GOLDEN gel medium (it hardens like plastic).

STEP 3: Start adding details
------> with a solid helmet structure that fits on the plush's head dry it was on to building up details using more paperclay... but wait..out of paperclay. ---> no art stores in the area have any more -----> continue using DAS instead (DAS is much easier to find, but not as easy to blend pieces of clay together, much heavier and harder to wash off...but still works well)

STEP 4: Finish Helmet structure
------> The helmet still needed more of a finished shape. ------> attached an old cut cable around to the front for an oxygen tube, tape held it in place as the gel medium dried for a permanent hold.

------> For the tanks on the a toilet paper roll cut in half and stuffed with newspaper worked perfectly. (They were attached with clay through the middle of the tubes onto the helmet structure and dried out a day before moving on)

STEP 5: how to display a plush doll that has no feet and a very heavy head?
------> That's when it hit me, let nothing go to waste! I decided to use the ladle handle that was already discarded as a way to prop up the doll so it stands by itself. ---> one day, carve out channel for ladle handle to be glued in, then superglue in place and fill with gel medium. ----> day two, medium is dry-add clay over the top to seal and let dry a few more days (would probably dry twice as fast if it was summer)

CONTINUED: To see the rest, click "older post" on the very bottom, on the right.