The Duchess

I have about four or five of these stuffed German chimps who stare at me while I nap. They have a blank authenticity to their expression that you don't commonly see in a toy. The modern version is not nearly as sincere but the old ones are still fairly easy to come by. Like real apes they're often missing earlobes or fingers or the hair is worn off the knees. Better than new.

2X3 Acrylic

--Starchie

A Valentine

A sentimental image to share with your Immortal Beloved.

--Starchie

Ditty

Here's a Toybox piece done for a charity auction. I enjoy doing figures against a chopped-in white background. I can have fun with the characters without getting bogged down in a location. And I like letting some of the under painting peek through.
These characters are still puzzling to me. I can never count on the way they will turn out. I'm fairly satisfied with this version of them, though. Any time Ernie plays the uke, it's a ditty, hence the repeat title. Somebody let me know if I start recycling my posts.

--Starchie

LeChuck Lives!

This posting marks two events - ONE; I realized that I have somehow continued to blog here for just over a year and TWO; The first appearance of a human nipple in a post. This amazing tattoo work was created on the living tissue of brave Monkey Island fan Alex Melgarejo who graciously allowed me to share these shots. I sort of recall posting that source artwork here but for the life of me I can't find it (must be the lead poisoning). The Tat was done by Bulgarian artist Ivasha and just goes to show - Be careful what you draw, because someone may choose to inscribe it on their body for all time.

--Starchie

Her Enduring Charms...

Another secret of strange allure, revealed!

--Starchie

The Ghost

Here's a small painting done for a charity art auction from some time back. Still messing around with the black trees.
6X6 Acrylic

--Starchie

Graven Image

This little studio run by Joseph Reiter came to me and asked to do a statue of Sam & Max. It recently started shipping and is one substantial hunk o' flotsam - and I mean that in a good way. I did the sketch on the right and I like the simple lines of the sculpt by Joe Simon. Symbiote Studios offers the statue at their site.
http://www.symbiotestudios.com

Here's a nice shot by Adam B from a review on the site What's Your Obsession: http://www.whatsyourobsession.com/
More shots there although Sam's head is placed weirdly askew in one of them as they are in some of the shots at Captain Toy where, though they seem to like the item, Sam is not quite assembled to the base and is sporting his lid sideways.
http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW_011209a.htm

--Starchie

Happy New Year

Ernie's Holiday Ditty

The Visitor Pages 8-9

The Visitor Pages 6-7

The Visitor Pages 4-5

The Visitor Pages 2-3

The Visitor

This holiday tale appeared in the Hellboy Christmas Special, a one shot anthology published by Dark Horse in 1997. Besides the feature story by Mike Mignola, the book contained contributions by Gary Gianni and Geof Darrow. This story is lettered by Lois Buhalis.
Maybe best not to read with kids who are still fond of Santa Claus.

--Starchie

Cratchet and Son

From a couple years ago. I never tire of depicting Sam & Max in a Charles Dickens setting. It inspires a sort of out-of-character sincerity in them that I enjoy.
Acrylic 8X10

--Starchie

Picnic

Here's another Toybox greeting card. I enjoy chopping in the white around the characters and looking for the simple version of a painted Christmas ornament or a bottle. I own the blanket, and used its colors to drive the rest of the palette.
Acrylic 8X10

--Starchie

Father Christmas

Another installment in the Greeting Cards from Previous Years series. This was fun and I somehow managed to keep from overworking it. The paint is fairly thin, almost watercolory.
Acrylic 8X10

--Starchie

Sleigh Ride

An early "Toybox" greeting card. This one got me onto the kick to do paintings of these characters just for fun, with no overly specific narrative in mind.
Acrylic 8X10

--Starchie

Marley

My friend Dan Scanlon is posting his previous Christmas cards on his site. Seemed like a good idea worth either ripping off or "paying homage to". I try to do either a Sam & Max or a Toybox card every year. Haven't painted this year's card yet but in the meantime...
4X9 Acrylic on Bristol Board

--Starchie

Flint Paper

An old character design for the canceled Sam & Max Freelance Police game. I like working in this rough pencil with built-up acrylic wash style. It's quick and can look remarkably finished even though it's loose. Does that make any sense?
8x10 Pencil and acrylic on bristol board.

--Starchie

Autumn

An older Ernie and Suda painting. It's somewhat unfinished but over time I realized I wasn't going to work on it anymore and am actually pretty satisfied with the shaggy edges. I need to remind myself to paint shaggier.
Acrylic on Canvas 9X12

--Starchie

Your Eyes Are Like...

At last. The secret of her allure revealed.
(Real post coming tomorrow)

--Starchie

Grim

Enough cuteness. Here's a horrible clown.
8x10 Acrylic on chipboard

--Starchie

I Don't Draw Like This

I know people who do this style really well. This was my first stab at this kind of broad color swatch way of doing a caricature on a Cintiq tablet. It was kind of fun to try on such a non-intuitive way (for me) of painting.
I'd like to try this style with real paint sometime.
8x10 Digital

--Starchie

Little Walt

As a requested antidote to all the "creepy" posts, here is a somewhat "cute" entry. One of my first acrylic paintings designed to go in this handmade frame by Alexa Eurich.
10x10 Acrylic

--Starchie

Vice

Here's a stray Day of the Dead painting I should have posted a few days ago. It sort of became a self-portrait along the way though I don't think I have his problems.
4x6 Acrylic

--Starchie

Happy Halloween

Toybox - Page 12 - The End

Toybox - Page 10 - 11

Toybox - Page 8 - 9

Toybox - Page 6 - 7

Toybox - Page 4 - 5

Toybox - Page 2 - 3

Toybox - Page 1

This story was was painted long ago for a DC comics anthology called Fast Forward. The mandate for the stories was "Do whatever you want." I had this handful of characters rattling around in my head for a while and tried cobbling together a world for them to inhabit. Posting the first page today, then two pages a day until Halloween.
Pen and Ink on bristol with Gouache colors. Lettering by Lois Buhalis.

--Starchie

Zombie Cheerleader

This Halloweenie post is a pin-up I did long ago for Pixar story artist Rob Gibbs when he created his zombie romance story in the first issue of the comics anthology Afterworks.
Pencil and digital.

--Starchie

Nocturnals

In continuing celebration of Halloween month, here is a back cover pin-up I once did for a comic called Nocturnals. Nocturnals is created by talented storyteller, painter Dan Brereton with stories that follow a noirish collection of Halloween themed characters.
Pen and Ink with digital paint from color guides.

--Starchie

Frankenstein Week! - Friday

Frankenstein is blue because this is the last official Frankenstein Week posting.
More Halloween posts coming soon. Anybody care about Phantom of the Opera? I mean the cool old Lon Chaney rotting skull head looking guy, not the cheesy half-masked Broadway ballad-singing sad sack.

--Starchie

Frankenstein Week! - Thursday

I'm on the road today, driving from LA to San Francisco so today's Frankenstein is rambling as well.
I added a sepia tone for no particular reason. Happy Frankenstein Week.

--Starchie

Frankenstein Week! - Wednesday

Sometimes these things creep ME out.

--Starchie

Frankenstein Week! - Tuesday

Oooh, he's a beefy one.

-- Starchie

Frankenstein Week! - Monday

Another lovingly rendered Frankenstein for your perusal.

--Starchie

Frankenstein Week! - Sunday

My Frankenstein offering for today.

--Starchie

Frankenstein Week! - Saturday

I've drawn hundreds of Frankensteins, Devils, Skulls, Phantoms of the Opera and Gorillas. It's sort of a nervous habit like cracking the knuckles or binge drinking. In honor of Halloween month I'll post a Frankenstein sketch a day for the next week.
How could you not enjoy?!

--Starchie

Taste

An odd little painting from a couple of years ago.
Probably the start of the red ground idea that I tend to revisit over and over. This one is extra red which makes the eyes itch and plunges viewers into an inexplicable blind rage.
6x9 Acrylic.

--Starchie

Battle Zoe

Here's a self-rejected piece that I did not submit to the I-Am 8 Bit show this year. I just wanted to paint a cute girl and she's somewhat halfheartedly incorporated into a broad interpretation of the classic Battle Zone game environment. It's not really a painting, more of a painted sketch but I post because I sort of like the colors and the girl. It was fun to do but ultimately not something I envisioned hanging in a gallery.
Acrylic - 8x12

--Starchie

High School Confidential - The End...

Okay, I'll admit I've been fairly kind to myself with these posts. 

There are many dustier, more gruesome skeletons in the closet than these. Even so I'll be glad to get back to the new stuff. This one was a sample illustration for a manuscript written by my older brother Lee. I can't remember the title but I sort of recall that the bird can whistle through his beak like an ocarina.
Watercolor on textured board.

--Starchie

High School Confidential Part 2...

In high school I read those Chariots of the Gods kinda books by Erich Von Daniken and others who made the bombastic claims that every damned thing ancient people ever created was inspired by visiting aliens. I guess I was not altogether convinced as here is a little painting based on my version of that idea.

--Starchie

High School Confidential Part 1...

...That means don't tell anybody. I painted this crap in high school. Some folks were curious after I had made an idle threat to post some vintage offerings. Just a couple more and we'll call it a day, okay?

--Starchie