"Everybody's A Somebody!" Opens Tonight in LA!

"A Helpful Rampage" / 14 x 18"/

watercolor, acrylic & ink on paper

The wonderful folks at iam8bit have teamed up with Sanrio (of Hello Kitty fame) to put on "Everybody's A Somebody!" It's a group exhibit of works dedicated to the world of those childhood favorites, the Mr. Men & Little Miss.

My latest illustration (see above) will be featured in the show, which opens tonight in Los Angeles. For more info on the exhibition and tonight's opening reception, peep the show flyer below or visit www.iam8bit.com.

Hope you can make it out!
- Dave C.

"Go, Team Venture!"

"Go, Team Venture!" / 11 x 14.5" / watercolor, acrylic & ink on paper

With their new season airing right now, The Venture Bros has been coming up a bunch of conversations. And in a funny coincidence, I just happened to be working on a Venture Bros illustration, this week.

I've only seen the very first season, plus a handful of random episodes from later seasons. One of these days though, I'll have to sit down with the DVDs and catch up. Even with my limited knowledge of the series, this is still one of my favorite current cartoons. I mean, damn, how can you NOT like a cartoon where the characters actually age & develop, from year to year? And as a child of the 80's, I'm a total sucker for all the Johnny Quest, Scooby-Doo, classic cartoon homages they toss in there.

"Someday the grapes will be wine, and someday you will be mine."
- Dave C.

C2E2 Commissions!

Batman trading card sketch

Batgirl, ahoy!

Ultra-bearded self portrait

Panther Helmet sketch

Dogster Doom/Infinity Gauntlet
collabo with Jim Mahfood

Kermit & Jim Henson

Breeders era Kim Deal

Beastly live art painting

Baroness sketch for

Mecha Melissa!

Baroness close-up

Skull Helm sketch

Leonardo, slicing & dicing!

Goliath vs. Ulric Wolfrom!

X-23, gettin' angsty!

Bowser, grumpy as ever!

These were my convention sketches from last weekend's Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the our booth to get their art on! Big ups to the Nerd City crew for hosting myself & Jim Mahfood. And heaps of gratitude to the C2E2 organizers for putting on another fantastic convention. I'm looking forward to rocking it again in 2014!

"I'm bored. I'm the chairman of the board."
- Dave C.

"Ole One-Eye"

I did this one as a little warm-up piece. It's on an 11x14" sheet of sketch paper, so it buckled like crazy, while I was layering on paint. But the battered look of the paper's surface definitely played into the haggard look of this character. Also, between Blade of The Immortal and Valhalla Rising, I have a strange fascination with one-eyed protagonists.

"You're so fine. And now you're mine."

- Dave C.

Danger Mouse Strikes At Iam8bit!

"You Can't Hide Forever" / 14x18" / watercolor, acrylic & ink on paper

When the gang at Iam8bit asked contributors to their Nickelodeon Studios-themed art show "It's The ShizNICK!" to dig deep for their inspiration, I had no idea just how deep I would go. But in the 11th hour, I mined some creative ore from my early, EARLY childhood -- Danger Mouse!

I'll never forget the exhilaration I felt when the theme song kicked in. I was enthralled, watching DM & Penfold race from their pillar box hideout, flipping, fighting & outsmarting the evil Baron Silas Greenback at every turn! As soon as I began drawing the image, my aim was to bring my love of adventure illustration to this cartoon. Strange to say, but Danger Mouse is as deeply rooted in my well of inspiration as Star Wars, Transformers & Conan The Barbarian. So that's the level of respect I chose to show it, with my piece.

"It's The ShizNICK!" opens at Iam8bit in Los Angeles, next Friday, April 19th. For all the reception & gallery info, visit: www.iam8bit.com/the-gallery/its-the-shiznick. Many of the contributing artists, including myself, will be in attendance. Hope to see you there!

"For all of the time in the world, to spend it wild and unwise. I wanna be mesmerizing, too..."

- Dave "King Gum"Crosland