What is it with these tiny cameras?

Why do people like tiny things so much? Tiny phones, tiny dogs, tiny cameras. I hate to buy something so small that one of the dogs could easily eat it. Cell phones? Too small. I suppose the ones that fold are okay, but we have the cheapie Nokia Tracfones and I hate them. If I put the thing close enough to my mouth so that Brett can hear me, I can't hear him. I have to remember to put it back in it's little case that hangs on the wall or I'll put it down somewhere and lose it. We don't have phone lines out here so we have to have the cells, but that doesn't mean I have to like them.

Which brings me to cameras. We have a seven year old Agfa ePhoto. It was cheap ($200.) It doesn't have even one megapixel. It takes crap pictures. But I've never had any problems with it. Late last year the card reader I use for it's smartmedia card died. We've tried four other readers and none of them will read the card. It works fine in the camera. I've come to the conclusion that the card is so old and so small (2 MB) that the current crop of readers can't read it. I can't get a USB cable for the camera, so it sits, collecting dust. And so in the interest of taking pictures of the dogs, we got a new camera.

This one is also cheap ($100.) It's a Fuji Finepix A500. The camera I really want hasn't shipped yet and I needed one to tide me over and after much reading of reviews, this was it. The A500 has a 3x optical zoom, which is cool, you can mess with manual settings, which is cool, it has a decent macro, which is cool, and it takes video with sound, which is also cool. It's shiny. But the thing is about four inches long. There's nowhere to grip it. Everywhere you put your fingers you cover up something you need, like the viewfinder or the zoom button. I have tiny hands and I can't hold the thing so it isn't horribly awkward to use. Stupid, stupid design. Is it really necessary to have such a tiny camera? It can fit in a pocket or any purse you care to carry with room to spare, so why so tiny? Because it's cute? Phooey. What happened to functional design? Or are we so used to compromising functionality in order to have cute, tiny things that we don't notice what a pain in the ass it is to use?

What do you feed your pets?

I'm sure we've all heard about the pet food recall. I don't watch much TV, and rarely the news, so I've gotten all my news online. Scientific American has a pretty decent article about the recall here. For complete coverage check out Pet Connection, and the self-reported numbers they're getting.

You know what's really sad? The people whose pets got sick before the recall, went to the vet, got better, then came home to eat the same damned food. And then died.

I used to laugh when people called Californians crazy

This is why I'm glad I don't live in California any more. Santa Monica has an overpopulation of squirrels. Do they shoot them, trap them, hire dogs to chase them down and eat them?

Nope. This is California. They give them birth control.

Idiots.

Those crazy kids

Stole this from a message board I read. I'm getting to the age where I thought it was damned funny. Your mileage may vary.

A STUNNING SENIOR MOMENT
A very self-important college freshman attending a recent football game, took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation.

"You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one," the student said, loud enough for many of those nearby to hear. "The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing .....and," paused to take another drink of beer.

The Senior took advantage of the break in the student's litany and said, "You're right, son. We didn't have those things when we were young........so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little Shit, what are you doing for the next generation?"

The applause was resounding...

Puman and friend

Click on the art for larger images.


So I'm hoping to scan some more stuff later today.

But until then, this is for the animal people book I'm workin' on. I have different types of animal people. From Centaurs and Fauns to more traditional Werewolves. This guy is on the more human side. He still has some animal qualities, he's covered in short hair, he has a tail and claws. Since I draw on my own boards and have to cut off about 3 inches from each page, I wound up with a ton of 3 inch wide strips of board, so I decided to do a bunch of smaller thin shots for the book, like bookends. This is one of them. He walks on his toes cause he's part Puma, thus Puman.

He's wearing manpanties because it's very hot were he lives, plus he has fur so he doesn't get cold that easily. Since Freaks! wasn't matuer readers material, I decided to keep this on PG as well, so if your looking for bits, you'll not find them here, Gar!

If you notice he's very similar to the changeling woman I have on Deviant Art. I did that on purpose. I hate wasting designs so if I do decide to do a story with these guys I have some background guys already designed.



I just like this guy;)

I did the more traditional Minoan head on him. With the longer face and horns turned up. He was done on 3 pieces of 3 inch board and slapped together in photoshop. Jess cleaned him up for coloring. I hadn't done a Minotaur yet so here he is.

Spidey

I got this from Marvel.com Click on it to see it larger, really.

So the show was pretty small, I did some signing s and that Marvel panel. I was asked a whole 2 questions! I did finally get to meet the Dabel's in person, along with Derek, Matt and Sean. Matt is quite the character, the dynamics of the group is quite interesting. I got a stomach bug from someone so I didn't go out with them on Saturday. The fricken dinosaur section of the LA NHM was closed!!!! I was not happy.

One of the Marvel guys asked me to do a sketch as a prize for something or other so I did this up real quick, it's of Spider-man. This is the first sketchy thing I did at the con. It would not be the last. I did some JLA chick who's a magician. Fathom, a few Backlashes, a lot of Anita's and Jean-Claude's. Some guy who wore a costume, Black Canary, a Vamparella and Anita and various other characters. I got to come home and immediately do another cover for the Anita Blake special. So I'm trashed right now. Hopefully I'll get some stuff scanned. If your interested in original Anita art let me know Derek Ruiz is selling that stuff for me.

I did get to See Ryan Benjamin, Sandra Hope, Alex Garner, Sean Chen, Humberto Ramos and Ryan Otagawa. So that was nice. because I got sick I didn't get to go to In and Out so I'm REALLY pissed about that! Most of the Fans were nice (Hi Bree!) a few were a bit pushy about me doing shows for or near them. The fact is we're not completely set up for me to leave for long periods of time yet so until I am I'm not going to do anymore. I'm hoping to get set up later this year, but with me doing Anita and Palatine and commissions I don't know when that'll be. And if I do do another show I won't be doing anymore sketches, it just takes WAY to much out of me, I'm not a machine.

Signing times

Brett will be signing at the Marvel booth from 4:00 to 5:00 on Friday and 2:00 to 3:00 on Saturday.

Now I'm doing a panel at 3 on Friday and I'm doing a signing/sketching or something like that, at the DabelBrothers table sometime on Saturday.

Anywho here's a quazi colored shot of a Neanderthal man. Some researchers theorize that the reason there a red haired caucasians is due to interbreeding with Neanderthals. That that's were the genes come from. It's a neat idea but we'll have to see were the DNA leads.

Click on the image yada, yada, yada.

Original Anita

This is how the cover was supposed to look. But due to communication errors it wasn't used. I wanted it for the trade but Marvel said no, so I'm postin' it here!

This was originally the cover to #6 but they decided to use it for reprint of #2.

Click on it to enbiggen it!

Jean-Claude WWLA sketchbook cover

Click on the picture and watch him enlarge.

For some reason (It was printed on a bristol stock not traditional comic cover paper, bristol absorbs ink and make a big 'ol mess) this wound up not looking the right way for the sketchbook cover. It was lightened and the color shifted to blue. It's not a big deal but the red is a bit too washed out for me. So here is the original in all it's black and white goodness. Enjoy:)

I should have an actual signing schedule soon. This is just the preliminary times. I'll post the actual ones when I get them. I was told on the phone Anita panel on Friday from 3-4 and then a signing at Marvel's area from 4-5.

I'm doing a signing/sketching on Saturday at the Dabel's table sometime around 2-3. And then another Marvel signing at 4-5.

If you see me just wandering around just grab me and ask for a signature. I don't mind:)

Hi-Yah!

Just found this on Amazon:

It's supposed to be out May 15th. I did the cover and a bunch of art for it.

Just sos you know;)

I'm going to Disneyland!

If you click on the image everyone dies!

Oh and that's not really me, I used a photo I found at pazsaz.com and through wizardry and spooky powers, created the image you see here. Don't worry, no pencils were harmed in the making of this image, just all the people. They were eaten...well, I needed to feed my dogs, plus I was hungry (the little ones are REALLY good.)

In the hopes of putting me further behind schedule, Marvel and DabelBrothers are shipping me off to LA for the Wizard con. So I'll be at the con on Friday and Saturday. I'm supposed to sit in on a Marvel panel, so come and observe me stuttering and using big words that even I don't understand. Honestly I don't know what the panel is about and since I don't keep up with the world of comics I don't know what great nuggets of wisdom I can contribute. I'll be going to the LA museum of Natural History Saturday morning so I might be a tad late for whatever they have planned. I did a cover (and some sketches) for a sketch book and I think we'll have prints available too. I'll be happy to sign comics, books and anything you have laying around as long as the ink will show:)

I've been warned by Laurell K. Hamilton about some of her fans, and biting and licking were mentioned. I don't like biting, I'm very tender, but licking might be fun, just don't tell Jess. Seriously I have cooties so I'd stay back at lest ten feet. It's not the good cooties (you know the one without the claws) so I've very contagious. I'll be wearing some kind of shirt and pants, I'm not sure about shoes but since I've been informed I have ugly feet (I don't know how Jess can tell because all feet are ugly) I'll most like wear shoes... or maybe pumps, you know, to make my calves pop. Oh and maybe a badge that says 'Obey' or something equally clever, I'll have to think about that. Maybe just 'Do as I say.' I'm between 5 feet and 7 feet, I sometimes have glasses on, but sometimes I don't. I have sort of light dark hair. I'll have a short beard or would that be long stubble? I hate to shave. My turn ons are panties, (not to wear, I'm not weird) just to eat. My turn offs are of course feet and sheep. But I digress. I look forward to not looking up at you and of course hurting my back so you can have a signed comic. I also want to thank you in advance to whatever illness you will inflick upon me, you know who you are!

In all honesty I haven't done a panel in over 10 years so nothing to hard and no math, unless it's stuff easily divisible by 10. Only questions that I know the answers too will be answered and for the love of whatever deity you worship don't get me started on religion or dogs, I'll never go home.

Oh and before each signing I'll need everyones left shoe, not to keep just to make things difficult. Oh and I'll need In-and- Out. 2 Hamburgers mustard only and a order of fries, no shake, that must be procured from Carl's Jr. I'll also need some sort of posse. I need a big tough guy a hot babe that won't let me touch her and someone to laugh at my jokes. If you fit the bill email me.

Ibizan hound dude

This is for David Walsh, USN. Welcome back!

Best,

Brett

Click on it and it will grow!

Amazon Woman of Europe!

Just a teaser post. Not the one I wanted to do, I still need to scan a picture or 2. But I did this up the other day (the tones) in an hour or so while waiting for Jess to do the dogs food. She's just made her kill and looking for more. 80% of a Neanderthal's diet was meat. My kind of people!!! The spear point is wrong, I stupidly put a clovis point on it and it should just be fire hardened. But it looks cooler this way;)

Click on image for a slightly larger version.