James Groman

Rotten Rex Update!!

2011-11-18T05:49:00.000-08:00

2011-11-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

Rotten Rex should be ready to be cut into parts this weekend. From there I will finish sculpting various details under the arms, between the legs, the belly and finishing the tail. Still a little bit of work left on this, but will finish in about a week if all is good!

'I am Not An Animal'

2011-10-30T12:03:00.001-07:00

Here is the finished Sasquatch painting that I did for the show in the American Greetings art gallery. About 20 hours to complete, all in acrylic paints. Had so much fun doing this painting, forgot how much I love to paint. Just a few more of these and I could have a gallery show of my own someday...
Perhaps...

Rotten Rex:In Progress

2011-10-11T19:33:00.001-07:00

Here are some shots of my undead dinosaur sculpture entitled: Rotten Rex.
Rex is 15 inches tall and weighs as much as a 2 year old child! I am hoping to get the sculpture done by the end of the month. He will be produced as a 15 inch tall articulated collectors vinyl figure. So far he is looking quite bad-ass, and I am hoping that he will be the first in a series of over-sized vinyl figures. Stay tuned to my blog, and I will continue to keep you posted on Rotten Rex's progress.

Sketchin' with Sasquatch

2011-10-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am splitting my time these days between sculpting a 15 inch Tyrannosaurus and painting a portrait of Sasquatch.
Life is good!
The Tyrannosaur is for Lullubell Toys, and should be done in about 2 weeks, (will post photos this week).
The Sasquatch portrait is for a group show to be held in the American Greetings art gallery here in Cleveland. It will be 24 inches wide by 30 inches tall, so Sasquatch is gonna be BIG. The title to the piece will be: 'I Am Not An Animal, (hence the suit and tie in the portrait).
Will post more photos once he is finished.

Comicon 2011!

2011-08-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

Got a few photos from San Diego Comicon I want to share. I was invited to participate in my first Comicon Panel 5:00 on Friday afternoon. It was a great experience getting to meet Monsterverse publisher/writer: Sam Park for the first time, (Sam and I collaborated on the story: 'Claws of the Werewolf' in issue 2 of Bela Lugosi Presents: Tales from the Grave. I illustrated, he wrote the story.)I actually sat next to one of my favorite artists in comics today, Dan Brereton. In this new age of digital art/painting, Dan shows us what a true master of traditional media is capable of.
While waiting to go into the Monsterverse panel on Friday, I happened to notice a well dressed, elderly gentleman that looked strangely familiar hiding behind a plant in the upstairs lobby.I recognized him right away as actor James Hong! James has probably appeared in more television shows and films than any actor in Hollywood (Outer Limits, Kung Fu, Senfield, Kung Fu Panda, Blade Runner... the list goes on and on. Google his name and you will be AMAZED!)
Many years ago I had actually sculpted an action figure of James as the villainous Lo Pan from the film: Big Trouble in Little China' for N2 Toys. He was familiar with the figure, and seemed to be excited to meet me. I even coaxed his companion (his daughter?) to take a photo of us.

Return to Weta Workshop

2011-06-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

Just got back from trip number two to the Weta Workshop in New Zealand. Incredible, life altering experience. Richard Taylor and his guys are submerged in the wonderful craziness of The Hobbit, and I saw first hand what an amazing process it is for the talented guys and gals at the workshop to design and execute the many costumes, creatures and environments that have made all of the Lord of the Rings films so very special.
Success and fame has not effected Weta's guiding light: Richard Taylor. He is an awesome guy whose genuine love of what he does seems to effect everyone around him at the studio. While visiting with him he mentioned owning two American books on the garage kits hobby. Terry Webb's: Son of the Garage Kit that Ate My Wallet, and Revenge of the Garage Kit that Ate my Wallet. Two books that unbeknown to him, I had done the covers for!I had been having Richard sign all kinds of stuff for me over the last year, it was great to return the favor and sign these books for him.

Vinyl monstrosities!

2011-06-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here are two sketches straight from my sketchbook that I did for a huge, 15 inch tall vinyl toy I am sculpting for Lullubell toys. Thats right, 15 inches tall! I will be posting some photos of the sculpt in progress over the next few weeks. It's gonna be MAGNIFICENT!

Zombot T-Shirt

2011-05-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Did this design over the course of a couple nights last week after the day job. Wanted to get a t-shirt graphic concept out to a company that had asked me for a design a while back.Liked this enough that I may color it up for a Zombot Ghoul comic book story that a company is in negotiations with me about right now.
May be a busy month. Getting ready for a trip out to New Zealand to spend a week with the amazing folks at the Weta Workshop. Hoping some of their amazing skills will rub off on me...

Claws of the Werewolf

2011-05-06T05:29:00.001-07:00

Previews and Aint It Cool Newsjust posted some of the first images from Bela Lugosi's: Tales From The Grave issue #2! Not only do they show the cover (done by seven time Academy Award winner: Rick Baker) they have one of my pages from Sam Park's story: Claws of the Werewolf posted there as well! Loved working on this book!
You can also pre-order issue #2 from this site...so grab one before it's gone!!

Ciller Clown Color

2011-04-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished clown rendering. Quick down and dirty. You can see when compared to my sketch that the client played around with the facial/head proportions a bit...I guess every bodies a critic!
(just kiddin', Matt!)

Clown Costume

2011-03-31T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hey!
How 'bout that! I actually have something that I am allowed to post!
(...er, I hope so...Matt?)
I finished the art for writer Sam Park's CLAWS OF THE WEREWOLF comic story that will appear in issue 2 of Monsterverse Comics: Bela Lugosi's Tales From The Grave (issue 2 will have a cover by 7-time academy award winner Rick Baker!)but can't post anything from it right now. So when my buddy Matt Hawkins requested some concept art for a presentation he is making in L.A. in a few days, I jumped at the chance.
Anyway, here is the concept sketch...I will post a color version as soon as I get-er-done.

New Zombot Ghoul Photos

2011-03-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

Howdy!
Got some new photos of the Zombot Ghoul figure for some trade ads. They look pretty cool so I thought I would post them...
Thanks to Hal Stata for the great pics!

Skeleton Beasts

2010-12-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

The downside of alot of the projects I am working on at the present is that I cannot show them to anyone. I am getting ready to finish up my story for issue 2 of the 'Bela Lugosi's: Tales from the Grave' comic. (I just just learned make-up/effects master Rick Baker will be supplying the cover for issue 2....Wow!) And also finishing the sculpt for a vinyl toy for Lullubell.
Anyway, Here are some past concept/designs I did for a line of skeleton-style assembly toys called Skeleflex. I loved this project and was really into it, and was proud of the designs I did for the line. Thought I would post a few until I get something new to put up. Hope you like 'em.

Joker's Wild

2010-11-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

Been busy working on some sculpting jobs and finishing up some comic book work, but found some time to pump out a relatively quick Joker rendering. I have been struggling with my style lately, trying to channel a bit of that 'MADBALL" craziness into my character sketches and comic book work. This piece seemed to capture the right blend of these styles, and I am hoping that I can conjure up some more drawings that have this flavor.

Twisted Whiskers!

2010-10-22T06:08:00.001-07:00

Twisted Whiskers!

2010-10-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we here at American Greetings Properties have a few shows on a new network called: The Hub. One of the shows that I did development artwork for is called Twisted Whiskers. If you've tuned in to the show, you will see that some designs may have made it into the program (Zippy the Greyhound) and some have not: (Giant, un-named St. Bernard). As most designers will tell you, it's all part of the process. A lot of what I did for the show either did not make it in, or was 're-visualized' by another artist before going into the final shows. Once again, it's the nature of the beast, and I still had alot of fun working on this show, and still have all my pre-conceptual artwork to remind me of what I did.
O, yeah. And I can show it to you guys, too!

And Now For Something Completely Different: Maryoku Yummy

2010-10-22T05:06:00.000-07:00

Howdy!
A new kids television network called The Hub launched last week with a couple of our American Greetings Property-created programs as part of their roster. I happened to do alot of design development work on these shows, so I thought that it would be appropriate to show you guys a bit of what that entailed.
First up is a preschool property known as Maryoku Yummy. I know, I know, most of you are familiar with my monsterific side by way of Madballs, Monster Hunter and the other varied creepy crawlers that inhabit this blog most of the time. But I was very proud to be able stir up that softer side of my design skills, working on this program for almost 6 months to help a talented team of artists visualize the world of Maryoku Yummy .If you have children at the preschool age, or just want to check out a cute, positive, good natured bit of children's entertainment, tune in to the show. It is really very sweet.
Hey, variety is the spice of life, and man does not live by beast alone.

Monster Toys Are Go!!

2010-09-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while...been very busy on a comic book project for the Monsterverse comics title 'Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave'.Did take some time out to start work on some figure concepts for a vinyl toy manufacturer. Here is one of the first drawings I did for them, straight from the sketchbook. Though the final concept for the toy has changed a bit, I still like this first sketch. Hope you do too!

1 Hour Sketch Challenge: PREDATOR!

2010-07-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

Howdy!
Did a quick one hour sketch challenge yesterday with Carlos Villagra to break in a new sketchbook. Lots of fun, and challenging in the limited time. Tried to draw as much from memory as possible, but had to cheat a little by googling the T-Rex skull...
Hope you like it...

C.H.U.D. Custom Celsius Figure

2010-06-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

Just finished customizing a Ganmetal Celsius figure for the Show at T.A.G aka Toy Art Gallery in Los Angeles on July 10th, 2010. Read all about it on Spanky Stokes site and if your in the L.A. area, come on down. My custom C.H.U.D. figure will be selling for $300.00 and will be available there. Take a look at the list of amazing artists participating in the show on Spanky's site, as well as a number of photos of some of the additional custom entries. Looks like a lot of fun! And when the show is over, and the lights go off in the gallery...my C.H.U.D.'s eyes will be GLOWING IN THE DARK!
Thanks to friend and fellow artist Chris Ryniak for hooking me up with the show!

New: Zombot Ghoul Photos

2010-06-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Just got these in.
Here are some of the first photos of the completed Zombot Ghoul build-up that I have been displaying at conventions in the last few months. These kits are still available in the Groman Store...
I will be updating the Zombot Ghoul Model Kit Order store link soon, with added photos of the box-art and parts breakdown.
Thank you Toby Shingleton for the great photos!!

A Visit to New Zealand and the Weta Workshop!!

2010-05-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

A dream come true is not the half of it. I just got back in town after spending a week in wonderful Wellington, New Zealand and the Weta Workshop!
I have watched King Kong, and The Lord of the Rings films countless times, and have always been amazed at the writing, direction and production design. One visit to the Weta Workshop and you'll find out that quality make-up, prosthetics, miniatures and digital effects are job 1. And mastering over it all is the amazing, Richard Taylor. When you see the incredible handiwork that goes into the variety of props, costumes and miniatures that these artisans create, you realize just a fraction of the detail of these items makes it onto the screen. Richard is nurturing a team of artists who will all carry on with that same intense sense of detail that has become a staple of anything created at the Weta Studios.
After a whirlwind tour of the shop itself, (no, don't even think about asking to see anything from The Hobbit) we spent a few evenings dining with Richard and some of his wonderful crew. I have to say, this was one of the greatest times of my life and one that I will never forget.
Can't wait to go back...

Zombot Ghoul: IN COLOR!

2010-04-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a rush last week getting ready for the Monsterpalooza show in Burbank on the 9th. Started getting all my casted pieces/parts over the course of last week, and assembled and painted my first Zombot Ghoul. The rifle was the last piece in and I had to paint it and pack it so fast that I did not get pictures.
I am in California right now, and thought that I would post a few of the early shots I took while painting this last week. Once I have this dude at the show and fully assembled, I will take some more photos and post them.
Get your orders in if you want one, these guys are starting to go...!

Zombot Ghoul Resin Kit Pre-orders!

2010-02-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

Thats right. James Groman's Zombot Ghoul resin kits are now available for pre-order at THE GROMAN STORE. Follow the link to THE GROMAN STORE on this blog to find out details on how to order this massive, monstrous beauty!

Zombot Ghoul Sculpture

2010-02-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos taken of my Zombot Ghoul sculpture a few days before it's completion on February 15th. At 22 inches, this has ended up being one of the largest figures that I have ever sculpted, and I have to say I really did find the scale quite enjoyable to work in. I am looking forward to doing some more larger sized pieces this year.
I delivered the finished sculpt to my mold maker (Matt Hawkins at Character Dynamics) today and should start getting finished casted parts in about a week. I am still putting the finishing touches on the base and one small additional accessory. The kit will come in approximately 10 parts which will include the Zombot's rifle, base and a few wires and hoses to connect and customize his various mechanical additions. I will be retailing the sculpture for $200.00 and will begin taking orders emediately.
Thanks to longtime friend James Elliott for helping out by supplying and fabricating various parts for the awesome rifle, which is made from a variety of metal, renshape and styrene parts.

Sculpting Assistant

2010-01-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't resist.
My wife took this photo of my granddaughter Mckenna and I in the studio. She loves visiting and working with my tools in sculpey. (Hide those sharp ones, though!)
I call her my assistant, but when she's around she seems to be the one calling the shots!

Zombot Ghouls Return!

2010-01-18T05:46:00.000-08:00

Howdy!
Wanna know why I haven't posted in a while? Well, I've been SCULPTING!
I am in the midst of creating the pattern for a 22 inch tall Zombot Ghoul figure, based on the character and artwork that I did many moons ago for my 'Monster Hunter' project. (check out the illustration in my earlier posts)
This illustration has always been a favorite among friends and fans, and thanks to my buddy Matt Hawkins suggestion, it will now be a resin model kit.
I am planning on attending the Monsterpalooza show in Burbank, California in April and thought it would be nice to show up with something brand new from the Groman studio...(it has been quite a while since I have sculpted a full figure model kit.) Lets see if anyone remembers who I am..!

Elliott Nessie!

2009-11-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

Fear not, my friends. Elliott Nessie has arrived to take matters into his hands,...er claws...uh flippers.
Friend and fellow illustrator Trevor Zammitt has invited me to participate in a gallery show with the unlikely title "Who Framed Yeti Speghetti?", a sort of cryptozoological theme crossed with a murder mystery thriller. It opens this weekend at the
Genuine Artikle Gallery in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York.
I dove into my acrylics and conjured up this little beastie that I have christened: Elliott Nessie. The painting is 15 by 30 inches, and will have an asking price of $1500. So if you get a chance and you can get on down to the show, please do so and help us all solve the mystery of:..
Who Framed Yeti Speghetti?

Triptiskeletal Tattoo Tees at The Groman Store!!

2009-10-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

Click on my Groman Store banner to pick up one of my new, Triptiskeletal Tattoo Tees.Each design combines the skeletal structure of 3 prehistoric reptiles with an ancient tribal tattoo motif. You have your choice of six colors and two different style shirts, Alstyle and American Apparel.Each shirt retails for $17.99 and are available only through MySoti.
All designs Copyright 2009 James Groman

Tyrannosaurus T-Shirt

2009-10-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

Just finished this black and white Tyrannosaurus T-shirt design for my blog-store. This is the second dinosaur shirt design that I started, and the first one that actually got finished. The other one is a bit more complex, and will be finished and posted soon.I plan to have four shirt designs available in the next few weeks.
I have a number of dinosaur projects in the works right now, so stay tuned.

The Groman Store!

2009-09-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

Howdy!
I have been slowly gathering up some fun, monsterlicious stuff for my online store, and just posted a couple new poster offerings yesterday. Both posters are 18 by 24 inches on heavy card stock. WAR OF THE COLLOSSAL FREAKS OF FRANKENSTEIN'S PLANET and BEACH BLANKET BEASTIE. Feel free to scuff them up and tatter up the edges, they look great that way!
For more monsterific goodness click on the banner ad in my links. We got Resin model kits, comics and posters with more to come.

Project: C.H.U.D.

2009-09-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

The subject this month on Sketch-O-Rama is an old 1984 movie called C.H.U.D. At first I had trouble getting excited about it, but decided to use it as an excuse to do a sculpt. I have not done any serious sculpting in quite some time, and truley enjoyed getting back into it. What I ended up with is kind of a C.H.U.D. Madball of sorts. Not only did I use my sculpt to create my submission illustration for Sketch-O-Rama, but I am gonna cast up a few in resin for friends and family.

Redbull Skate Deck: FINISHED!

2009-08-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here is my finished and vectored Redbull Skateboard deck, ready to go to the gallery. I did it rather quickly, but it's a style that I am comfortable with so I am pretty happy with it.

Red Bull Skate Deck Show

2009-07-28T05:45:00.000-07:00

Man,seems like a long time since my last post. Like a lemming I joined Facebook and seem to be reconnecting to tons of old friends there, taking up some of my focus.
Well, I was recently invited to join a gallery show of skate decks sponsored by Red Bull. I sketched up a few different ideas, then narrowed it down to these two. Being known for working on the Madballs toy line, I am leaning towards the crazy ass bull riding the skateboard. But I am keeping an open mind, so anything can happen. I will most likely start the final piece this weekend. Should I paint it, Photoshop it or vector the sumbitch? I would like to start this weekend, so I gotta decide soon.

Hypernatural

2009-05-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

I am in the midst of gathering up some of my early work for a book that I am putting together and ran across this pencil drawing I did for my Monster Hunter project. I realised that I never posted this one, so I thought that I would do that today to fill in the gap between postings.

Gorn Supremacy

2009-05-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here is my last submission to Sketch-o-Rama. Our subject matter was Star Trek . What we have here is a cross between your basic Gorn,(an alien species that appeared on the original Star Trek series)and a Borg,(the villians of the series Star Trek The Next Generation)

Beach Blanket Beastie

2009-04-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting piece of art I did many years back as part of a series I was working on called 'Beasts and Babes'. The black line is a film positive transparency layed over the top of detailed marker and pencil color. The line work and color got a bit mis-aligned over the years, but this illustration has served me well. Not only did it inspire the sculpture for my best selling resign model kit of the same name, but it went on to become a popular 4 color, silk-screened t-shirt design produced by a local company.
Viva la Beastie!

Sketch-O-Rama: Vampirella!

2009-04-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

This was a piece I did last week for our Sketch-O-Rama blog. I was a big fan of the old Warren Magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland, Creepy and Eerie published in the 70's. These magazines showcased alot of awesome up-and-comers at the time as well as some old pros. Guys like Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, Neal Adams,Alex Toth, Esteban Maroto, Alex Nino, Ramon Torrents, Sanjulian, Alfred Alcala,....I could go on and on. I was not as avid a follower of Vampirella at the time, but always loved some of these incredible artists renditions of her that popped up from time to time on the covers and interior art.
Also, Forrest J.Ackerman, the creator of Vampirella and publisher of Famous Monsters Magazine died on December 4th, 2008. Thats me in the photograph with Forrest J. back in 1992. I was on the west coast promoting a Halloween product line I created called Calvin Corpse and the Cryptville Characters, (that's the 18 inch Calvin Corpse doll I am holding) and was lucky enough to have met him at a local horror convention.

Masters of the Universe

2009-03-24T05:33:00.000-07:00

Sketch-o-Rama has a new challenge, and boy if Jorge Lacera didn't deliver in spades over at the website. Go there and check out his take on the evil villian SKELETOR from the Masters of the Universe toy line. Here is my contribution to the cause: HE MAN AND BATTLE CAT. I decided to sketch this out traditionally with pencil and do some quick photoshop color, trying to keep it loose, emphasizing composition and lighting.

Watchmen Are here!!

2009-03-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, I went and saw the Watchmen movie on Friday...and I liked it! I still consider it a property that is virtually un-filmable by modern man, but I did find the new film quite enjoyable for what it is.
We recently agreed to each do a Watchmen character drawing for our Sketch-O-Rama posting this month. Carlos has posted a way-cool Dr. Manhattan, and I have followed up with my version of the Comedian.
Here it is for shits and giggles.

Return of the Cyclops

2009-02-18T05:26:00.000-08:00

I did some quick finishes on this last night. Been pretty busy lately so I have not devoted as much time to it as I would have liked, but I am still happy with the result. I piled on the textures and experimented with some different brushes in photoshop. Tried to keep it dark and moody, but that color would just not go away!!
Some of you may get a twinge of familiarity from the composition of this piece. Many years ago during an art history course I discovered the work of the Spanish old masters/modernist painter Francisco Goya. I was particularly taken with his infamous 'Black Paintings' done shortly before his death. This cyclops rendering is a tip of the hat to a painting he did in 1819 called 'Saturn Devouring his Children'.
Though my image is a bit disturbing, google GOYA'S image and you will see an image that will haunt your dreams and nightmares.

Cyclops concept

2009-02-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Howdy,
I did a few concept sketches for a friend of mine who needed a cyclops type creature for a project he was working on. I came up with a design that I kinda liked, so I decided to do a color exploration to try some textures and color. I got so jazzed while working on it that I started a larger, color rendering of this bad-boy full body, from head to toe. I am almost finished with that piece and will be posting it soon. Until then, here is the beasties head.

TYRANNOBOARDUS REX!!

2009-01-19T17:30:00.000-08:00

For those that do not know, I went to the hospital a week and a half ago with viral Pneumonia, and was there a week. I am now home and slowly getting the use of my lungs back, and have been broken hearted at not being able to participate in the ALL HANDS ON DECK Gallery Show at American Greetings. It is now Monday, the show is up, and I am going every which way of stir crazy, waiting for the thumbs up from my Doc to get back to work. The Deck show looks absolutely awesome...(great work, Keith Corcoran and company!!) and I just could not help but try to be a part of it. I slammed through my deck today, using acrylics and prisma color pencils, chosen mostly to avoid anything with toxic fumes and vapors. Now I submit to you all the result: TYRANNO-BOARDUS REX.
I just hope it's not to late to get it in the show!!..
James Groman

My Pet Monster?

2008-12-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

I spent the day working on a My Pet Monster project at AG. I have always loved the character, and enjoyed revisiting this old brand from the 1980's.While working on it I decided to do a quick My Pet Monster sketch, and in the process the poor guy kind of got...'Gromanized'. What can I say...I make no excuses. So here he is in raw sketch form, with a quick Photoshop color version as well.
Now time for an early New Years Resolution. This year I did not do nearly as much free-style sketching as I would have liked to, but 2009 is going to be different. I am going to make a serious attempt at trying to do a new quick sketch for this blog on a more timely basis. Like this drawing of My Pet Monster, I have hundreds of heroes, villians and monsters that I have been wanting to sketch up my version of, and this is going to be the year to do it.
So let this be the first of many...

South African Pygmy Plushtookan Warrior Fetish Figure

2008-10-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked to participate in the Midwest Plushform Show and create a customized plush figure as part of a gallery event and auction for Toys for Tots. Busy as sin, but just could not pass up a chance to join in the fun. There is quite a line up of talented folks that are taking part in this show, so pop on over to the Shoparooni website SHOPAROONI and check out the list of artists, and the date of the show.
Until then, here is my South African Pygmy Plushtookan Warrior Fetish Figure.

The Mighty Thor!!

2008-09-30T05:40:00.001-07:00

Man, has it been a long time since I did a sketch-o-rama drawing!!
Carlos Villagra has finally succeeded in prodding me into putting down my freelnce for a few minutes and doing a sketch of one of my favorite Marvel Comics heroes:
THE MIGHTY THOR!
And, by crazy coincidence, the trades have just announced the name of the man set to direct the big screen motion picture debut of the Thunder God.
Kenneth Brannagh
Mr. Brannagh is best known for directing a number of Shakespearian film adaptations, as well as the mediocre 1994 Frankenstein film starring Robert Deniro. Though Frankenstein is not a good indicator, the man is an interesting director. Besides, the Thor I grew up with spoke alot like someone who walked out of one of the works of The Bard.
Anyway, heres my Thor, inked by hand and colored in Photoshop.
BY ODIN'S BEARD!

New Madball Paintings

2008-09-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been missing in action for the last few weeks.
I am overloaded with freelance and some other personal projects that need my undivided attention, so the blog has been neglected once again.
But, I did realise that I hadn't posted my two new Madball paintings that I had done a few months back. These were created for our American Greetings Madball Gallery Show. I challenged myself to get these two painted as fast as I could, and ended up spending 2 hours a piece on them...
Don't be too impressed, they are only 6 inches square in size.
So, here they are, for your viewing pleasure, (or horror...)
DUSTBRAIN and SWINESUCKER!!

Boose & Gar are at San Diego Comicon!!

2008-07-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

They're here!
I've finally got my first shipment of the Boose & Gar Collected Graphic Novel! I am taking a bunch to San Diego for Comicon, and will be passing them out as a promotional item to comic shops, dealers, distributers, movie stars, film producers, or franklly, any one who will talk to me...
When I get back from the show I will be offering them up for sale on my blog, so check this site out in about 2 weeks to get yours.
And soon I will be starting on my next publishing project...

San Diego Comicon Madball Exclusive!!

2008-07-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Howdy!
I'm off to San Diego Comicon today, and will be stopping by the Basic fun/Underground Toys booth at the show to check on Madballs and see how things are going with the 1000 signed and numbered limited edition Madballs art prints that they have at the show.
Thats right! The first 1000 people to stop by their booth at the show will recieve one, 20" by 20" , limited edition art print of our Blech Beard the Pirate signed by the artist (me!) with the purchase of any Wave 1 or Wave 2 Madball!
These are beautiful, full-color prints on high quality, heavy stock ,acid free paper. They will be given out contained in a huge protective envelope with an official Madball sticker of authenticity. Come to the show, and get one while they last.
Wow, it is Thursday, and the show started yesterday...they may be gone already!

Inside the Studio...

2008-05-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

My wife took this photo for the opening pages of my Boose & Gar collected comic.
Thanks, my sweet!

Arrrr, Madballs!!

2008-05-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

Its Madball painting number 3! This time it's Blech Beard the pirate, a real cool Madball design from Wave 2, (should be on toy shelves right about now!). I also did this painting as an addition to a Madball art-gallery show we will be having here at American Greetings.
Uh, Oh...I feel my painting hand a-twitching... could I actually get a Skull Face painting done in time?
STAY TUNED!

Boose -n- Gar Front and Back Covers

2008-05-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here is the nearly finished front cover image to the Boose n Gar Collected book! (I say nearly because I have been known to tweek these things right up until the day it goes to print.)
I enlarged the background to allow for the logotype to be applied, and added a blue border treatment. (A homage to the border treatment on the comic's original covers in the 80's)
I also began coloring the image to be used for the back cover as well, and here it is. More of a portrait study of the two heroes, in a more relaxed moment between adventures.

The Boys Are Back...

2008-04-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned before on this blog that I created, wrote and illustrated a comic book back in the 1980's-90's called Buce n Gar. At the time the book's sales were on a steady increase all the time, and there was a group out there who even started a fan club. But when the last seven pages of the 100 page story arc I was working on were lost at the printer, and I was offered a new job right out of college, I abandoned the publishing world and went on to have a rather lucrative career in toy design.
About 3-4 years ago, RAK graphics publisher Robert Kraus found the lost pages, and I at last had my complete 100 page Buce n Gar comic back together. And in the interest of finally seeing this large part of my artistic past finally complete, I am now planning to publish this entire, 100 page epic myself. I have cleaned up and re-typeset every page, and recently began work on a brand new cover for the book, (which you see here.) I have also decided to re-design the logo, and go with a new spelling for Buce's name. It will now read: Boose n Gar.
This cover is still in the finishing stages, but will be completed soon. My planned book will be over 150 pages long, and will contain the now complete first saga of Boose n Gar as well as a number of my other early works.
Finally, after all these years.
Stay tuned for further updates...
(Special thanks to my friend and co-worker Dave Fedan for his constant incouragement during the course of creating this new cover. )

Charlton Heston:1924-2008

2008-04-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

I heard the news that Charlton Heston died this weekend. This demanded that I pick up a pencil, and honor him with a sketch.
Heston was one of my all-time favorite actors. The voice, the presence, the face that seems to be carved from of stone. Like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gregory Peck, Charles Bronson and Steve Mcqueen, there isn’t a movie star alive today that can touch him when it comes to his stature as an iconic, larger than life hero.
Some of my favorite films he starred in are: The Naked Jungle (fighting killer army ants), Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, The Warlord, The Big Country, El Cid, Will Penny, The Agony and the Ecstasy (as Michaelangelo), Major Dundee, A Touch of Evil (great film noir), Planet of the Apes (the great original), Soylent Green and The Omega Man, to name but a few.
If you ever want to see what I believe to be the inspiration for Indiana Jones, check out Heston’s ‘ Secret of the Incas’.
If a ‘real’ Batman movie had been done in the 50’s or 60’s, he would have been my choice for Bruce Wayne/Batman.
The sketch that appears here is based on Heston’s portrayal of El Cid from the 1961 film of the same name. The actor is best known for his oscar winning portrayal of Judah Ben Hur in the film: Ben Hur, and as Moses in the Ten Commandments. But my favorite, big-budget film epic with him in the lead is El Cid, the story of Spain’s greatest historical hero. Don’t take my word for it, the film was just released as a limited edition collectors set DVD with a ton of way-cool extras. No CGI here, those massive, castle and beach assaults and battles are all extras, props and sets. Do yourself a favor, and check it out.
Charlton Heston is a true hero’s, hero.
Who do we have today: Keanu Reeves?

War of the Collossal Freaks of Frankenstein's Planet Comic Book Page!

2008-04-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

This comic page was sent to me by an anonymous source from somewhere in Florence, Italy. It was rumored that a comic book adaptation of WOTCFOFP had been initiated, but no one had any samples of the art until now. This page was sent to me with an original typewriter written plot synopsis for the film, which I believe to be the first document used to pitch Clint Eastwood back in the 1960's. I am committed to tracking down the source of this find, and attempt to piece together the rest of this strip, if it indeed does exists.

War of the Collossal Freaks Trailer

2008-04-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

Film Fan and archivist Jorge Lacera has begun reconstruction of the original movie trailer for this lost film. This is a work in progress, but like The Time Machine in HG Wells classic story, it gives us a glimpse of this amazing treasure from the past. Anyone out there that may have uncovered any news or images from this film, please contact me on this blog.

YO, JOE!!

2008-01-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

Saxton Moore is having a Gi Joe art contest over at his blog and Channel Frederator, and I decided to add an entry.
Back in the late sixties/seventies Hasbro introduced The Intruders to the GI Joe Adventure Team toy line. The Intruders were billed only as 'Strongmen from Another World' and their point of origin was never revealed. They looked like a mix of Neanderthal, Pro Wrestler, and Alien Warrior. Most likely this was Hasbro's attempt at creating a foe for the Joe's that could not be associated with any specific world nationality or ethnic group.
Anyway, I decided to make them the subject of my contest entry, which I did in the vein of a vintage paperback book cover.

Sushi Pack Premier on Saturday Morning November 3rd on CBS!

2007-11-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

For the last couple years a number of us at American Greetings have been in development on a Saturday morning animated show called Sushi Pack. It is based on a way-cool property created by the talented Leo Espinosa, and is animated by our buddies at DIC. But make no mistake, me and my fellow designers at American Greetings Properties have been instrumental in the design of the show. I myself have contributed artwork for backgrounds, props, vehicles, robots, monsters and other additional characters for the show. And it has been loads of fun! My proudest addition was the design of the Sushi Pack's main vehicle, which I affectionately call The Iron-Shrimp.
This post will begin to take you through some of the work that I've done on Sushi. But make sure that you jog on over to the blogs of the rest of the 'Pack' to get a small taste of the talents behind the show. Namely, Saxton Moore and Carlos Villagra. I will be posting additional links as other artists from 'The Pack' begin to post their various contributions as well.
And do not forget...
TUNE IN ON SATURDAY MORNING...AND EVERY SATURDAY THEREAFTER FOR...
SUSHI PACK!

Sushi Pack Designs

2007-11-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday: Jim!

2007-10-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

Wow!!
This last weekend was my birthday, (it aint none of yer business how old I am...) and my wonderful wife surprised me with a road trip to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania to visit the world renowned :
FRANK FRAZETTA ART GALLERY!
All that I can say is this: If you ever get a chance to see a Frazetta original oil painting (or his watercolors, pencils or inks , for that matter...) you have absolutely gotta do it! We are talking images that are hailed the world over as some of the most recognizable and incredible pieces of fantasy art of all time. Though the subject matter he chose was science fiction, fantasy and horror, his color, skill and technique is undeniably world class. I have a long list of artist/illustrators I collect and admire, but none come close to Frank Frazetta. He is truly a master.
I remember a book purchased for me by my mom when I was a kid called: "BACK TO THE STONE AGE": By Edgar Rice Burroughs. The cover had a heavily muscled blonde warrior with spear in hand staggering towards a gigantic wooley mammoth whose head was literally splitting the forest before him asunder! This image simply took me to another realm in my appreciation of paperback book cover art. For the first time I could actually see that this was a painting on the cover. For the first time I felt moved as much by the technique of the artist as the scene he was depicting. I could see the brush-strokes, the underpainting, and even the canvas beneath! And it was awesome!
For the first time I am posting art other than my own on my blog. These paintings moved me when I first saw them in the bookstore as a kid, and move me even more as an adult when I see the actually canvasses themselves. I strongly urge that you go to the official (Frank Frazetta) Website and get more information on the man and his gallery in the Pocono Mountains.
I want to thank my wife Tracy again for this incredible trip. And for the signed, numbered and framed Masters Deluxe art print she bought me of Frank Frazetta's THE MAMMOTH while we were at the gallery.
Shes even gonna let me hang it in the living room...

OMEGASAURS!

2007-09-04T05:40:00.000-07:00

Another Kaiju blast from the past...
This was a cover I did for a proposed comic book many years back called OMEGASAURS. It depicts a battle between two of our lead Kaiju characters ICON-REX (the red reptilian menace with horns,) and THE CHRONOSAURUS (the green insectoid beastie).
We had about ten spec pages penciled up by now renowned comic book artist Darryl Banks. Darryl was in college at the time, and I had met him at a convention and was quite impressed with his work. A number of things happened that caused us to abandoned pursuing this property any further, but a look back at the pages Darryl drew and my acrylic cover painting make me dream of what could have been...

Kaiju Krispies

2007-08-28T06:03:00.001-07:00

Recently I participated in a project called Cereal Killers for Doktor Victor VonCreep at Creepsville Industries. Alot of heavy hitters are involved in this project, so I was excited to be able to contribute. Anyway, the project involved creating a piece of art that represents an old cereal box illustration much in the vein of Count Chocula or Frankenberry cereals. I did the box for a fantasy cereal called Kaiju Krispies, which appears today on my Blog...

Madball Backer Card!!

2007-08-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

Its Madball mania here at the James Groman Blog!
Here is a rough-almost-final version of the new Madball backer card graphics in all it's B-movie Sci-Fi glory! Its hard to see, but I am one of the members of the screaming crowd running in terror from Hornhead.

Madballs sighted at San Diego Comicon!!!

2007-08-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

MADBALLS AT COMICON!!
Toy Tokyo was selling the new Madballs at San Diegos 2007 Comicon event!
They were released in preliminary packaging...(different than what they will appear in upon their November release to stores...) and sold 5 balls for $25.00! Kid Robot was also selling the DVD copies of the original first episode of the animated series that ran in the 1980's.
Anybody out there see them at Comicon? Drop me a line!!

DARTH TALON

2007-06-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here she is...our new Sketch-o-Rama subject for this month....
Darth Talon!!

The Macabre Man-Thing

2007-06-06T10:27:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, Marvel Comic's "Man-Thing" was one of my favorite characters. I would dig through the comic book racks disgarding "Spiderman", "Captain America", "Fantastic Four" et all in search of the new issue of "Werewolf by Night", "Tomb of Dracula", "Monster of Frankenstein" or "The Macabre Man-Thing". Mostly because I dig anything with monsters, but partly because I loved the work of the one artist who worked on all 3 titles at one time or another: Mike Ploog. Mike could draw monsters, and his style reminded me a bit of Bernie Wrightson (another favorite of mine...). Seek out some of Mr. Ploogs work if you get a chance. You'll find that Hollywood discovered his talents long ago and he has worked as a storyboard artist and production designer on many a Sci-Fi/horror film. (most notably Ralph Bakshi's "Wizards, John Carpenters "The Thing" and "First Bood" to name a few...)
But remember this one thing as you look at the awesome array of monsters and beasties that flow from Mr. Ploogs fingertips...

"Whatever knows fear, burns at the Man-Things touch!!"

THE LIZARD STRIKES!

2007-05-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Here is my rendition of Spiderman's arch-nemisis, Doctor Curt Connors.
Alias: THE LIZARD!
I have read that Sam Raimi originally approached his pal Bruce Campbell for the role, so I decided to do my piece as if it was a film concept for Bruce playing the character, (with all due respect to Dylan Baker).
My goal was to complete this image entirely in Photoshop using textures, photographs (thats me in the lab-coat...) and brush tools. Though I toiled many hours on this piece, I would still like to noodle it a bit more. I feel it has not yet met the point of realism that I would prefer. But all in all, a great learning experience.

DEAD OR ALIVE, YOUR COMING WITH ME!

2007-05-04T05:25:00.000-07:00

Heres my sketch for Sketch-o-Rama.
ROBO-SLOP!

Ben lookin' Grimm

2007-04-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

This was done for Sketch-o-Rama.
My second attempt at Mr. Grimm as a full-on, photoshop critter.
Kinda like it. Just about 2 hours in Photoshop during lunch at A.G.
May do a clean-up, and more finished pass at it.
Or move on....
we'll see.

Thark Portrait

2007-04-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here is my final Thark image.
If you take a trip over to Sketch-o-Rama you'll see it there too. With a different background.

Thark Sketches....

2007-04-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Awesome news from the world of entertainment.The rights to Edgar Rice Burrough's (The man who invented Tarzan) novel: "A Princess Of Mars" have been purchased/optioned by Disney/Pixar. Having read most of the books in this John Carter of Mars series, I am totally jazzed to see this project underway.(well, almost underway...) Hollywood has been trying to make this property into a film for over 60 odd years or so.
We here at Sketch-o-Rama have decided to do drawings of one of the lead alien races in the books. They are 15 foot, four armed creatures called Tharks. This particular Thark in my sketch is named Tars Tarkus, and he is John Carter's most trusted friend throughout a number of the books. Can you imagine one of these guys animated on the big screen?
Here are a few of the rough sketches that led up to my finished pencil (displayed on the right of the image.) I have posted a stand alone image of my finished sketch on the Sketch-o-Rama blog.

Emperor of Frankenstein's Planet!!

2007-02-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a drawing I did of the omnipotent Emperor of Frankenstein's Planet. He is flanked by his two most trusted bodyguards, and has in his possession hero Artemus Axel's flight helmet, which is the astronauts only means of communication with the world he used to know.

I created a triptik version of this illustration as well by combining it with my two earlier freak warriors.

"Spontaneous Embellishment!"

2007-02-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Check out my previous post to see the rough pencil drawings from which these inks sprang. Once again, I did these at lightspeed, not wanting to over-think or over-render them. By the time these were concepted, penciled and inked, I figure that I must have spent about an hour and a half a piece on them, tops. In alot of ways, I am quite impatient with my art...(or is it my extremely short attention span?). I guess it stems from my background as a toy designer, churning out drawings as quickly as possible to convey a given concept, then moving on to the next. I think in some ways these two guys benefitted from the limited time I spent on them. I kinda like their choppy, spontaneous treatment.
Color comes next, and I'm gonna do it quick!...

More Freaks!!

2007-02-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

Recently unearthed!
I found this lobby card for the 1967 production of Sergio Leone's "War of the Collossal Freaks of Frankenstein's Planet" in a folder in the basement of a local theater here in Cleveland. Long thought to have never existed, this rare find is even signed by Clint himself on the backside!! Amazing!
( Uh, really this is just a lobby card I pieced together from existing WOTCFOFP art. I am in the midst of gearing up to start creating some new artwork for this concept, and thought I would wip this up to help get in the mood.)
P.S. Check out Carlos Villagra';s way-cool four armed freak on his blog. I think there will be more coming soon from him as well.

T-Rex-ariffic!

2006-12-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

I have had a little dinosaur project in the works for some time now, and have been playing around with some concepts using textures in Photoshop. Here is one that I feel is on the track of what I am looking for.

Tribute

2006-11-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

I got the news that film composer Basil Poledouris died this week. Being a fan of motion picture soundtracks, he was one of my favorite composers. No matter how critics feel about the 1982 film "Conan the Barbarian", it is widely believed that his score for that film is one of the greatest of the last 20 years of motion pictures. It is one of my all-time favorites.
I did this drawing today as a tribute to Mr. Poledouris.

Riddle of the Tauntaun...

2006-11-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

In honor of our latest Sketch-o-rama subject (sketching a Star Wars Tauntaun) I thought I would post a photo of a sculpt I did for Ertl Collectables many years ago. This was to be a follow-up to the Rancor Monster vinyl kit I did for the company. The job was cancelled in mid-sculpt because of a change in the licensing percentage at Lucasfilm at the time. I was paid in full to finish the job, got 1 resin casting for myself, and the rest is un-produced model-kit history.
By the way, my one and only casting was stolen from my studio about 3-4 years ago. Very few castings exist, so if you have any information on anyone who has a casting of this piece, and a very sketchy story on how they obtained it....please contact me and I will carve a life size effigy of you in marble.
And a pine box for the person who stole it....

Davy Jones Pub Sign

2006-11-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a while since I updated my gromansculpt blog with progress shots of my Centaur monster sculpt. And here is my excuse.
I was recently commissioned to create a piece of artwork based on a Disney property. The choice of the property was up to me. I got nutty and selected the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie for my piece. Namely the sequel's main villainous character: Davy Jones. I carved most of this from wood and applied bits of sculpey to form various bits of his facial details. Then it was decoed to look like an aged piece of painted wood, perhaps an old pub sign from the period when the film takes place. Kinda dark and sinister, I know. I guess I was in the Halloween spirit.

Lord Vader? Izzat you?

2006-10-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

INTERIOR: REBEL BLOCKADE RUNNER -- MAIN HALLWAY. The awesome, seven-foot-tall Dark Lord of the Sith makes his way into the blinding light of the main passageway. This is Darth Vader, right hand of the Emperor. His face is obscured by his flowing black robes and grotesque breath mask, which stands out next to the fascist white armored suits of the Imperial stormtroopers. Everyone instinctively backs away from the imposing warrior and a deathly quiet sweeps through the Rebel troops. Several of the Rebel troops break and run in a frenzied panic.

Me and a couple cronies at American Greetings decided to give ourselves a little design assignment. Something we would do as quickly as we could, down and dirty. We decided to redesign...
DARTH VADER!
Tall order. Redesign one of the most recognized icons of modern fantasy/sci-fi film.
Above is the first passage of George Lucas's script that refers to Lord Vader and his first appearance...
Oh, and check out Carlos Villagra and Jorge Lacera's on our newly resurrected Sketch-O-Rama blog to see their versions as well.

Horrible Half-Man Hughes....

2006-10-05T04:49:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I created a villianous centaur monster to do battle with my Monster Hunter character (see my previous posts). He was a gigantic and evil creature from Greek Mythology granted the gift of eternal life. In the late 19th century he traveled to the United States and became a terrible and legendary outlaw dubbed with the moniker: Horrible Half-Man Hughes.
A good friend of mine, Rick Sellers, has a company that creates Science Fiction, Fantasy and horror audio books (Rick Sellers). He has decided to revive Half-Man in his latest offering, and is in the midst of creating an audio book in which the monster will star. We decided it would be cool if I created a sculpture of the beast that could be used on the CD cover, and perhaps produce it as a limited edition statue as well. Here is my first stab at a design sketch of Hughes. I am trying to decide if he needs the Clint Eastwood style hat, or if it just looks silly. More to come...

Freaky fun....

2006-09-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Me and a couple of cronies at American Greetings had scheduled an art show in the company gallery. The theme of the show was to be "The Freak Show", and was to run in conjunction with the show that is in the gallery now with our Grumpy Bear custom vinyls. I thought it would be fun to create a fictional "lost film" and do a number of concept drawings for the main characters and perhaps a few settings as well. I also asked a couple of my talented co-workers (Jorge Laceraand Carlos Villagra) if they wanted to participate in the fun. Jorge crafted this way-cool logo, and Carlos provided the awesome 3 torsoed freak that appears in my mock teaser poster. I am hoping to see the other pieces they created on their blogs soon....

History of a lost film...

2006-09-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

WAR OF THE COLLOSSAL FREAKS
OF
FRANKENSTEIN’S PLANET
History of a Lost Film

At the close of the year 1966, Italian Director: Sergio Leone and American Actor Clint Eastwood had just completed a string of highly successful films now referred to as their "Spaghetti Westerns". This series began in 1964 with "A Fistful of Dollars", continued on with 1965’s "For a Few Dollars More", and concluded with "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" in 1966.
Leone had long been nurturing a big-budget, science fiction film script he had written many years before, and convinced a reluctant Eastwood to star in his epic as a last favor before returning to the states. The script was entitled "War of the Colossal Freaks of Frankenstein’s Planet" and was pure, red-blooded, action adventure that harkened back to the days when Leone directed his first few gladiator "Sword and Sandal" films at the beginning of his career.
With Clint now on board, Leone was able to gather financing for his film, and even sign an impressive list of actors to play a few of the supporting roles.
Legendary actor and director Orson Welles came on the production to play the evil villain of Frankenstein’s Planet: Lord Razoraxx (many believe he merely took the job so that he could in turn use his considerable earnings to help finance his friend Philippe Lasalle’s production of "Oedipus the King" in England that next year.)
Also Sergio added character actor Ted Cassidy, best known for his portrayal of "Lurch" the family butler on the T.V. show "The Addams Family". The 7 foot plus actor was set to play Gargus Agg, an immense four-armed monstrosity who first battles Eastwood’s hero: Artemus Axel, only to become the lone human’s most trusted ally.
Leone was lucky enough to recruit veteran make-up artist John Chambers for the huge task of creating Frankenstein Planet’s varying array of freakish gladiators. Chambers would later win a much-deserved Oscar for his work on the make-ups for 1968’s "Planet of the Apes". Special effects master Ray Harryhausen worked briefly on a number of intense and dynamic stop motion animation sequences before moving on to start pre-production on his own film: 1969’s "The Valley of Gwangi".
"War of the Colossal Freaks of Frankenstein’s Planet" began principal photography in Malta and parts of Tunisia in 1966, and wrapped at the beginning of the following year. Clint Eastwood returned to Hollywood while Sergio began postproduction and editing, with long-time collaborator Ennio Morricone composing the musical score for the film. What happened next is still not entirely clear, and the true secrets of what occurred the finished production may have died with the great Sergio Leone in 1998.
Clint Eastwood had come back to the United States a full-fledged movie star, the films he had done in Italy with Leone had made millions for the studios that had produced them on both sides of the ocean. Eastwood feared that he would be typecast as a science fiction film actor if he and Leone’s newest extravaganza was to be released on a world that now saw him as a bonafide, bankable leading man.
The actor used his now considerable finances and Hollywood clout to buy up and bury the film. Most film historians believe that all prints of the motion picture have since been destroyed, and it has become the Holey Grail for film archivists everywhere who still harbor some hope a print will someday be found. To this day Clint Eastwood himself continues to deny any knowledge of the films existence.
Remarkably, a number of production drawings and character concept art pieces from the movie have surfaced in the United States in recent months, as well as copies of a pre-release teaser poster.
It also just so happens that a few of the talented designers who worked on the motion picture were relatives of a number of illustrators now employed at the American Greetings Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. These amazing and provocative artifacts have thankfully been relinquished into their possession, so that for the first time in almost 39 years we can all behold the horrors and wonders of:

WAR OF THE COLLOSSAL FREAKS
OF
FRANKENSTEIN’S PLANET!

Clint Eastwood as Artemus Axel

2006-09-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here is our hero, Artemus Axel. All that exists from his earlier life before arriving on Frankenstein's Planet are the torn remains of his space suit that are barely substantial enough to cover his loins.

Gladiator Freak #1

2006-09-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

This happy guy is Argus Agg. He was a champion in the gladiatorial arenas of Frankenstein's Planet until he was defeated by Artemus Axel in the human's first official battle. Now the giant mutant is Axel's most trusted friend and ally.

Beauty and the Bear...

2006-09-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

Everybody's gotta go check out the crazy stuff at Grumpy Bear Freak Show.
We passed out a blank white vinyl care bear toy to over 60 artists at American Greetings co. and let them go to town. This is mine...(any of you actually surprised its King Kong?) Check out the rest and let everyone know what you think of their work. In 3 weeks the bears will be auctioned off and all proceeds donated to Harvest for Hunger.

New Madball Painting

2006-09-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here is my second full on acrylic Madball painting. This time it's Bashbrain, (original size: 16'' by 16''). This one took about 5-6 hours.
Do I have a third one in me? Any suggestions on which Madball character I should do?

Dinosaurs:ATTACK!

2006-08-16T05:28:00.000-07:00

Here is an old cover that I worked on from a magazine called Model and Toy Collector. I did about 7-8 covers for this mag in the 90's, sometimes solo, sometimes with my good friend James Elliott. I will post a few in the coming weeks.
Stay Tuned!

Boga and Obi Wan Concept: Hasbro

2006-08-03T05:21:00.000-07:00

Hello,
Have not posted in some time. I have been hard at work on a number of projects as well as on a much needed vacation in California for the San Diego Comicon.
While working at Hasbro Toys last year I was lead designer on their Playskool Jedi Force Star Wars line. Fortunately my work on the line required a couple trips to Skywalker Ranch. Here is the design sketch I did for the Boga lizard that Obi Wan rode in Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.
More to come...

Boga and Obi Wan finished figures

2006-08-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

Dinosaurs!!!!

2006-05-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

These are two dinosaur sketches from a portfolio I did around 1992 for a trip I took to Los Angeles, California. At the time every big special effects house on the west coast was vying for the contract to do the film version of Michael Crichton's novel: Jurassic Park. While on this trip I met people like Frank Darabont, (director of The Shawshank Redemption), Rick Baker, (5 time oscar winner for special makeup effects, and at the time attempting to get the JP contract as well), and also stopped by Stan Winston Studios (I had just done the box cover illustration for Geometric models: "Pumpkinhead" monster model.)
There head designer at the time, Mark " Crash" Mcreery really liked my Triceratops drawing, and it just so happened to be the dinosaur they were designing that week. They had not got the contract yet, but after seeing their 7 foot sculpture of a T-Rex, I new that they would.
A very fond memory...

Sculpts from the Past

2006-05-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Here are two sculpts I did while freelancing many years ago. Both were released by Polar Lights/Playing Mantis and are based on film properties. One is from Universal Pictures "The Mummy", and the other is Tim Burton's" The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".
Fine Scale Modeler Magazine voted the Sleepy Hollow kit the best figure model kit of the year when it was released.
( Yes, that is Tim Burton's head in the Horseman's hand....)

The Herculoids!!

2006-04-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

Anyone remember these guys? They appeared on television in the early 1960's when Super Saturday morning was owned by animators;William Hanna and Joseph Barbara. This was just a way-cool, wacked out concept from the mind of comic book artist Alex Toth. The show consisted of a highly imaginitive animal army led by a heroic human named King Zandor. Zandor's family consisted of his wife Tara, and his son Dorno. The beasts were as follows:
Igoo the rock ape, Tundro the tremendous (a kind of Rino-saurus) Zok the lazer-ray dragon, and Gloop and Gleep, "the fearless, formless wonders!"
Anyway, this is my version of the shows main critter characters.
C'mon, Hollywood. We need a big-budget Herculoids movie.
And we need it now!!

Buce & Gar: The Return!!

2006-04-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hit the " Buce & Gar" link to the left and check out some of my vintage 1980's comic book art from Buce & Gar number 1!

Project 20078

2006-04-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

In the early 90's I sculpted one of my first garage kits called the Jupiterian. It was based on an animated creature created by special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen when he was very young. I met Ray at a convention a few years later and we decided to collaborate on a new, more accurate sculpture of the beast that he would oversee. This is the first sketch I did of the proposed new sculpture.
Like a fool, I ended up taking on a number of big freelance jobs soon thereafter and never got the project going.
One of the great regrets of my career.

More from the vault...

2006-04-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

From the land beyond beyond...from a world past hope and fear....
I bid you artwork now appear!
The year: 1990. I had just completed my first complete multi-issue comic tale starring my characters: Buce-n-Gar. This was to be the cover for the paperback edition of the collected five issue series. (Pardon the crappy logo....I was but a young artist then.)
For those of you wondering, Buce is a blue-furred, hulk-sized, two-ton animal called a Ferdag. Gar is a reptilian warlord from the primitive planet of Drendenshall. Together they are a legendary heroic force for good protecting the universe from the sinister Barrium Overlords. Wanna know more? Let me know and I'll post some pages from the old comic book they starred in during my art school days.

When Pigs Fly...

2006-03-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

Anybody remember a toy line from the 1980's produced by Playmates Toys and American Greetings called Barnyard Commandoes? Barnyard Commandoes was the very first toy concept that I did upon graduating art school. And looky here! My first Barnyard Commando drawing in almost 20 years!! Sooooowwweeeeee!!!
J.G.

Madball-Mania!!

2006-03-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

I was so inspired by the positive response to the new Madball line from American Greetings/Art Asylum, that I got jazzed up to do a painting/portrait of Hornhead in acrylics on 16'' by 16'' canvas board. Though I have always considered my painting skills somewhat weak, I dove right in to the project. And in a short time, this was the result. I plan to do a couple more very soon, so check back in the near future (if you dare!).

Warehouse find!

2006-03-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well lookie here! This is a piece of art I did for Geometric Design Models many years ago. It was for a full color booklet that was included with a vinyl model of the movie monster Pumpkinhead. It depicts a scene from an un-produced screenplay for the sequel (not to be confused with the piss-poor sequel that was actually made...). This script was rather good and actually had the Pumpkinhead demon sprouting wings halfway through the story.

Monster Hunter comic page

2006-03-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a little exersize I did a few days back to post on our "Sketch-o-Rama" blog. It is my first comic book page in about 8 years. It was really fun to do, and I look forward to doing more.