Daniel DePaolo Artist, Illustrator, and Comic creator

Sketch-a-Day -Day 24- Week 5

2012-02-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

What remains of all those wires that so effectively tied Everyman Jones up, has now been broken down into tiny psionicly charged metal projectiles. Believe me you don't want to be in caught in this cross fire...Enjoy!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day 23- Week 5-

2012-02-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

It's Ash Wednesday for all you religious folks out there. Hope you're having an amazing day!! Here's a little bundle of trouble that is Brit-Brit McCoy/Moreau. This is one of my favorite panels of her. It also happens to be one of my favorite pages in the book as well...hope you like it.

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day 22-Week5

2012-02-21T11:27:00.001-08:00

Nothing like a little psionic vengeance carried out over the high tensile steel wires of a crazy man's yo-yo. He's gonna feel this in the morning... Enjoy!!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day 21-Week 5-

2012-02-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday fellow followers, fans, and friends!! Today we continue with another panel from the newest issue of The Brass Knuckle Rituals 1.2 "Bedlam Brawl"...lets just say that Everyman Jones doesn't enjoy being tied up and the parties responsible are about to get treated to a barrage of psionic energy, courtesy of Everyman Jones' disproportionate left hand. Enjoy!!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day 20-Week4-

2012-02-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Free Sketch Fridays, fellow fans, followers, and friends!! What a week its been! I'm proud to say that I've finished all the work on the newest issue of 'The Brass Knuckle Rituals' for Neo-Trash Comix. I'm super eager to get a proof in hand, sit down with my partner in crime, Jason Zachary Pott, and look over one of the new books we'll be pushing at this years Emerald City Comicon. I'm shifting gears now to focus on the original art/ limited edition print side of the booth and hope to be sharing some of the new imagery that will be available for purchase with you in the coming weeks. But for the next few days, I may take a little time to sit around, read good books, and play some video games. Hope you all had a great week...we'll see you on Monday. Enjoy the jet pack toting, robo assassin today!!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day19-Week4-

2012-02-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Tangled in the high-tensile steel wires of Yo-Yo Moureau's chosen instruments of violence, Everyman Jones must refocus his energy on more pressing matters. I like how this panel is cropped, looks pretty cool...pretty, pretty cool.

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day 18-Week4-

2012-02-15T16:35:00.001-08:00

A little bit late on today's post. I've been finishing up the pre-press work on the new issue. Here's a shot of "Yo-zee" Moureau the resident yo-yo technician for the Sanitorium. He never misses...Enjoy!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day17-Week4

2012-02-14T12:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day Blogworld!! Although I'm a firm believer in the fact that you should be sweet to your significant other 365 days a year, hope you're enjoying your hallmark holiday. Here's another shot of Everyman Jones suspended in a bubble of pure chaos energy, confronting the next fool to cross him. Enjoy!!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day16-Week 4-

2012-02-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday Blog followers and friends! A little panel from page 13 of issue1.2 of The Brass Knuckle Rituals "Bedlam Brawl". This is Brit-Brit McCoy, cute as she may seem, don't get too attached, she doesn't last long. Enjoy!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day 15-Week3

2012-02-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Happy free sketch Friday friends and followers. This week has seen the end of most of the work on the new issue of The Brass Knuckle Rituals issue 1.2. I'm in the process of paginating and cleaning the scanned work, so that I can letter over the weekend. It feels pretty good to say that this collection of pages marks 108 pages total created for Neo-Trash Comix. As in the previous weeks, I will continue to post panels/details of panels from each page until we reach page 27. For today however, I thought I'd post a cool little inked sketch I like to call "Sample in a Jar"...again this may find its way to color in the near future and be available for purchase via my Etsy store or directly from me at comic shows. Until then, enjoy your weekend folks!!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day14-Week 3

2012-02-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog, and the subsequent posting of panels from the most recent issue of The Brass Knuckle Rituals, I stated that some panels would not be the best on each page. This is a case in point. While its still a strong panel, I couldn't post the best of this page without giving away major story points. As I've said before, I would prefer that you find all these little surprises out when you buy the book. Let's just say that Dr. Moon's head won't be the same after this, and leave it at that. Enjoy!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day13-Week 3

2012-02-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Another shot of Everyman Jones floating high above the fray, with a frustrated and dejected Dr. Moon looking on from the background. Enjoy!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-A-Day -Day12-Week3

2012-02-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Let's just say that Everyman Jones' captive audience needs to be put out of their collective misery soon. In the meantime Mr. Jones stands to reap a bountiful harvest for the hibernating Oracle of Filth. In related news, all physical work for this new issue will be done today. Now all I need to do is get it press ready. Feels good to be done with another book!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day11-Week3

2012-02-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday blog followers!! Hope you had a great Super Bowl Sunday. (Even if you didn't sit around watching the "Big Game") To continue on with the sketch-a-day marathon, I thought I'd offer a panel from page 9 of the most recent issue of The Brass Knuckle Rituals. It's one of the better shots of Everyman Jones in the book. And those menacing looking milk shake containers are the 'extractors' popping into existence and wrecking havoc on the mesmerized masses. Enjoy!!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day10-Week 2

2012-02-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Here's another promising sketch ripped from the pages of my personal sketchbook. I like the image a lot and will be adding color to it. This is another piece I plan on having in print for ECCC 2012. Enjoy!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-day -Day9 Week2

2012-02-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Not exactly the expression you might be looking for in those put under your spell. But right now, Everyman Jones isn't in full command of his capacities. Chaos energy is unpredictable and serves only the needs of its master, and Everyman Jones is just a vessel...

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day8 Week2

2012-02-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a bit tough posting panels out of context in the next few days, without giving away any major points in the story. For today, let's just say that Everyman Jones is slightly overwhelmed, yet presiding over a captive audience. Here's one of those unlucky bastards now. Enjoy!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day7-Week2

2012-01-31T10:54:00.000-08:00

Here he is again ladies and gentleman, the nefarious Dr. Moon. Who will shortly know how futile it is to not only taunt Everyman Jones, but to underestimate the chaotic power flowing in his veins. Probably one of my favorite panels from this page. Enjoy!

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day6-Week2

2012-01-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday blog followers. Here is a small detail of an inset panel from the two-page spread covering page 4 and 5 of the new issue of TBKR 1.2. Again I apologize if this isn't really all that, but I would prefer to show you a strong panel and leave the "Wow" moment for when you see the book in print and view the epic establishing shot of the hanging gardens. More every Monday through Friday until Emerald City Comic con. Enjoy your week.

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day5

2012-01-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! So I've made a bit of an arbitrary decision to post personal/sketch work on Fridays as I continue to post panels from the upcoming issue of The Brass knuckle Rituals. I thought I'd start with this sketch that I like to call "Shooter Squirrel". It's a bit of a take off from the characters in the old Marvel title "Rocket Raccoon". I plan on coloring this one digitally and offering it as a limited run poster at all the comic shows I attend this year. I'll be sure to show it off when it is bright, shiny, and colored.

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day4

2012-01-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

While this panel is pretty cool, I will be the first to admit it isn't the best part of this or the next page. Both page 4 and 5 make up an epic establishing shot that create a tasty double page spread. I just don't want to show it to you, so that you may be more intrigued and buy the book. But trust me it's f'ing cool.

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day -Day3

2012-01-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

The nefarious Doctor Moon, a bit of a sociopath with a napoleon complex. He's kinda that mixed with a dash of Kim Jung Il. Have a great day you guys.

Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-a-Day- Day2

2012-01-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Everyman Jones, throwing his hands up in frustration with a little unintentional mariachi flare to the hat. A small panel from page 2 of The Brass Knuckle Rituals 1.2 "Bedlam Brawl"... Enjoy your day friends.

Daniel DePaolo

The S.A.D. project- an endeavour to prepare for an awesome Emerald City

2012-01-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

          Happy Monday, crap, Happy New Year blog enthusiasts!! So... ...for those of you who don't know, choose not to care, or just were plain unaware, I've been consistently producing a 27 page book every year for Neo-Trash Comix. It has been falling right on schedule to make its debut at Emerald City Comicon every year, and this year is no different friends. That's right, at the end of March in Seattle, Washington, we will once again have a swanky exhibitor's booth on the floor of what is quickly turning into a whopper of a show. I'll have all four issues of The Brass Knuckle Rituals available for sale for all three days of the weekend. Also, exclusive this year, The Neo-Trash/ Black Box booth will have a half table devoted entirely to artwork and the work of the artists tabling in our booth. So... ...you say you've always wanted to get an original page of comic artwork from me, or maybe buy one of my 11x17 posters on the cheap, or commission something exclusively for yourself. Well, get your butt out to the booth, buy some cool stuff to look at and help support regional artists.

           So what, you say, is this S.A.D. project which was at the top of this blog but hasn't been mentioned again? Why does it matter to me? I'll just call it a "Sketch-A-Day" blog until the weekend of Emerald City. That's right friends, from now until we leave for ECCC 2012 on Thursday March, 29th, I'll post something from either my current issue of the Brass Knuckle Rituals 1.2 "Bedlam Brawl" or I'll post something equally as kick-ass from my sketchbook. Here are the limitations, I will only post Monday through Friday, because sometimes too much blog is a bad thing.
          Concerning the work from The Brass Knuckle Rituals, each piece is a panel or segment of a panel that I think came out particularly well after, pencils, inks, and ink wash. I also will be especially sensitive about posting too much about the overall story in the panels. So, if you want to know who won the awesome fight on page 16, maybe best to just get out and buy the freakin' book. The work from the sketchbook will be varied and random and will fill the latter half of the posts before ECCC 2012. It will be rendered in pencil, ink, and possibly digitally colored if the spirit moves me. So... ...prepare yourselves friends, because it will all be an awesome spectacle to behold.

Daniel DePaolo

The Big 200 -or why I'm starting to love traditional media again

2011-12-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

Not a Creature Was Stirring - colored pencil on wood panel

Moonwalker - colored pencil on wood panel

Tusks, Gentleman Walrus - acrylic/ colored pencil on wood panel

Nightlight - acrylic / colored pencil on wood panel

A Bird in the Bush - acrylic / colored pencil on wood panel

I'm very excited to show off the five panels that I recently completed for "The Big 200" show hanging here in Portland just in time for the Holidays. I'm particularly liking the work because it marks a bit of a return to rendering my full color work using traditional means. I've always been pretty good with colored pencil and watercolor, but only recently have I rekindled my love for working in acrylic. With any luck at all this work will bleed over into multi-media comic pages as well as working in a larger format. I love traditional media because of the concrete results you have sitting staring you right in the face (good or bad). It requires you to be a creative problem solver as well as requiring a bit of improvisation when something doesn't quite go down the way you planned. No control / z button here folks just dealing with the results and moving on if it didn't quite work out for you.

All the work you see here, as well as the work from an estimated total of over 200 local Portland artists hangs at The People's Art Gallery of Portland starting Saturday December 10th. All work is marked at $40 per piece and is cash and carry. So, if you live in the vicinity, see something you like, and want it in your collection, you'd better shake a tail feather down to the gallery before its gone. Each piece measures approximately 8x8 inches and makes a nice decorative gift for the art lover in your life. Hope you enjoy the work.

Daniel DePaolo

Portland Bag Show- a benefit for Pear

2011-11-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

Two views of the sculpture I recently created for the Portland Bag Show benefit. It's a show which features over fifty different artists' works created from small paper bags you find in high-end boutiques. All the proceeds go to benefit Pear- a local Portland arts organization that benefits local homeless kids. Kinda fun :)

Hire an Illustrator, or Expanding my internet turf

2011-10-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

I'm moving on up in terms of conquering more internet real estate. I've recently created a portfolio and stand alone website through this great place www.hireanillustrator.com. I've been extremely impressed with the interactivity of the site itself, the people they represent, and the professionalism of the people who make it all happen. So, hey, if you need work done and want a quick easy to use site for your needs these guys are who I would direct you to. Or, you know, if you want me to do some work for you, don't be so freakin' shy... ask me already. You can find me at www.danieldepaolo.com. While I am still a little fresh to the free-lance thing, please do keep in mind that while I may be an idealist artist, I still have bills to pay. Here's hoping your week has been spectacular! :)

Daniel DePaolo

A momentary lapse of confidence

2011-09-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

Had a great time last night at the opening of the '88 Strong' show in Portland. Was happy to see a select few friends come out to support the work on the walls. I have to say that I enjoyed the work I did for the show, but so wanted to see a piece sold before the night was out. As we consumed a few pints of beer, blank spots started to show themselves on the wall. Somehow in the back of my mind as pieces were being bagged and taken home, I had this disheartening premonition that when the show finally came down off the walls, I'd show up and be the only one with anything to pick up (please let that not be so...)

The conversation was casually business oriented and real enough to remind me of all the things I need to make happen in the immediate future if I want to really sustain myself as an illustrator. It would seem that a media/advertising blitz is in order. Along with working on submissions for publications and possibly artist representatives, I need to trim the fat off the old portfolio and find a consistent look and direction to make my work marketable as well as enjoyable to create. Spent the day today creating some pages for The Brass Knuckle Rituals and seem to finally be getting some momentum needed to finish out the books I want to unveil at next years Emerald City. So that was encouraging...while the uncertainty of the future looms ever present in my mind, the current project can sometimes show a little light in an otherwise seemingly endless tunnel of tasks. One step at a time, one step at a time.

Daniel DePaolo

Tools of the trade, or you pay for what you get

2011-09-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

Specializing in a certain field, you find quickly that spending the money on quality tools can be the difference between a better than expected result and one that you'd rather not put your signature on. When I was an avid snowboarder, this point was driven home to me everyday out riding in the cold, snowy mountains of the Rockies. As much as I would have liked to scrimp and save, sometimes spending that extra amount meant the difference between staying dry and warm in a windy snowstorm, and the very real possibility of frostbite on your extremities.
The more I work with a variety of tools creating my artwork, I find this lesson to be a general truth in all things. You really do pay for what you get. Which brings me to this ink drawing of the octopus. As I develop my style and my method of image making, I'm trying to find a 'Happy Medium' between my pencils and my inks. Which has meant that lately I draw a lot in straight ink, just to remind myself of what I can do without a pencil line, and also to work out the inking 'chops'. Normally I do this using a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. However, after working with a little higher quality brush pen at one of my Illustration Club meetings, I decided to get out and pony up the dough for a little higher dollar item. This octopus was created using a Kuritake Brush Pen that I picked up a Columbia Art Supply on Burnside in Portland. So far, I'm enjoying the results and I hope to share more with you on a regular basis. This guy is just cool enough to use as a template for a poster. I'll be sure to let you see him when the colors are all done. My whole point today being that sometimes the only difference between an amateur result, and a more professional one in a persons work can be the difference between a $15 pen and a $35 one. So save up, sometimes its worth the extra cash.

Daniel DePaolo

More selections from the 88 Strong Show

2011-09-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hey friends, do you have $50? Do you have Thursday Sept. 29th free? Come on out to the Goodfoot for Last Thursday, and the opening on the '88 Strong' show. Cash and carry...all sorts of small pieces from the plethora of artists living here in Portland. I'll be there with a pint in hand. Will you be?

Smartphones- acrylic on board

88 Strong and other projects

2011-09-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

It's starting to look a lot like fall here in the Pacific Northwest (but admittedly summer was a bit of a let down this year), and that means that work is starting to come at a regular pace and that I'm scheduling my time on a weekly basis. Which means, more regular blog posts (for those ten people out there who really care), more comic work for Neo-Trash and for myself, and the other odds and ends that round out a healthy free-lancers schedule.

I'm particularly excited and proud to be a part of an upcoming show here in Portland called '88 Strong'. The whole concept behind the show is that 88 (or more) artists are provided with 8 8x8 inch boards to work on, and a list of 88 terms/phrases to draw inspiration from. When the show is up and ready to view later on this month, the pieces are hung by category, and presented in an anonymous fashion on the wall. Some would poo poo this idea stating concerns for proper credit given to the artist of each piece, but my take on it is similar to the guys who curate and put on this show. The idea of a level playing field my seem like a naive concept when it comes to the 'artworld', however to me, it means that as a first time participant, my work might be given as much consideration as an artist who is 'someone' here in Portland. Of course, the back of each board is signed, and has my business card taped to it (I'm not right off the turnip truck here folks), so if you really buy my stuff you'll know right away who did it. It also marks the first time in a long time that I've painted my works, and just working on these eight pieces has reinvigorated my passion for paint and brush. It would seem that being a slave to line is detrimental, and all it takes is a little paint to remind you of that. With that being said, if you've got $50, you can come down to The GoodFoot on Thursday Sept. 29th and walk with a great piece of original art that won't break the bank and will stroke the ego of some young up and comers here in the Portland area. Don't worry, I'll remind you. The illustration at the top of this post is 'Junk' (or my interpretation of that concept). Enjoy...

Daniel DePaolo

Eugene Weekly cover and other "work"

2011-06-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

      Holy cow!! It really has been a month since I last updated this thing. I apologize to my ten followers for depriving you the "joy" of reading my oh so insightful entries. I've been busy since I last jumped on here.
      I picked up a recent cover for the Eugene Weekly (see above image). The illustration is a supplement to a story about Carbon Sequestration (I hope I got that right). So what, you ask, is that? Here's the short and skinny of it. As various industries are being made aware of their total contribution of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, they are coming up with creative ways of essentially sweeping the excesses under the rug (so to speak). Rather than addressing the problem and striving to manufacture with less overall CO2 emissions, the latest idea taking hold is carbon sequestration. Essentially a large pipe pumps excess CO2 down into the porous bedrock of the earth. The only problem here being that in some of the "test sites" that CO2 is escaping from the ground, causing sickness in humans and livestock (cattle), and killing smaller animals with less ability to filter out these harmful emissions. So yeah, the whole idea behind this illustration was to give a bit of a smack over the head for people and make them aware of something that really gets little attention from our mainstream media in the first place. It was a fun image to create and I'm glad to say that my work has now been featured by the Weekly 3 times over the years.
   I'm also happy to say that I'm picking up a couple paying free-lance gigs that have also lead to other parties interested in my work (I don't wanna let the cat out of the bag yet, but I'm talking with someone right now in the hopes of starting work that will not only pay me what I'm worth, but get great exposure at the same time). Needless to say, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
On the comic front, I've finished the thumbnails for a 26 page story (Shell) of my own creation here in the last month, and I hope to be able to turn that out by Emerald City 2011. I'm also moving along to the thumbnails for The Brass Knuckle Rituals issue 1.2. Our fourth 27 page book featuring Everyman Jones as he continues his adventures in the asylum of Dr. Moon. I've taken a break from this book for a few months, because this issue will be epic (in scope, and execution) and I wanted to come at it from a more rested perspective so that it kicks ten sorts of different ass. I for see completing thumbnails and moving on to the plotting and thumb-nailing of our first issue of, Dinos with Guns or The Muscle. This project is a creation of my own based off a title proposed by the inimitable Jason Zachary Pott, and I'm looking forward to having this on the table as well by next years Emerald City ComiCon.
   So yeah, all in all, I'm keeping the nose to grind stone and churning out comics, graphics, whatever in a timely manner for all those who come looking. It'll be a hell of a year, if my chips fall where I think they will. I'll keep you posted folks. While summer may not actually be a sunny one, yet, my outlook is picking up. Back to the grind. More to come, always...

Wonder Northwest 2011- wrap up

2011-05-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

         Wow!! What a fun weekend. What was going to be a one day opportunity to table at this year's inaugural Wonder Northwest (a celebration of all things geek) turned out to be a two day extravaganza of gaming, costumes, comics, figures, toys, and general nerdy greatness. While packing my things from a very successful first day, Billy from Billy Galaxy approached me and asked if I'd like to drop in the next morning because he had suspicions that tables in the "artists alley" area might not be all full. I packed out my gear for the day and kept it close to the door for the next morning. After having a few beers at the Lovecraft themed bar in inner SE with my fellow drink and draw buddy Alan on Saturday evening, I showed up the next morning lagging a little but able to unpack and once more offer my wares to the attendees for the second day in a row.
Let me just start by saying that if this was what the show was like in its first year, it's only going to get better next year, and the year after. I had a great time hanging with the other artist neighbors I was privileged to table next to. I sold a good number of posters, sketch cards, and Neo-Trash Comix. I was surprised and impressed. The staff was great, attentive, and organized, overall the whole show went off without a hitch. Traffic wise it was lighter than most expected, but its also the shows first year...I mean you can't just start something up and expect it to instantly be San Diego Comic Con, or Emerald City...you gotta build to that.
   Highlights of the weekend included the guy who came by the table and had me draw a robot on a comic backing board, only to return a few minutes later asking for a paid Deadpool sketch. He complimented me enormously by comparing my style to that of Skottie Young, a great comic artist in my eyes and a new found influence on my work. If you haven't gone out and picked up his work on any of the OZ books from Marvel you are doing yourself a major disservice, it's loose and amazing. Not to mention after meeting him at this years Emerald City show, he's also a hella nice guy and easily approachable for a prolific comic creator.
            I can't point out highlights without mentioning the guy from Hawaii who came by the table twice to buy four of my prints. He said that he and his friends had been in town for a few days, and he was looking all over for "cool stuff" to bring back to the islands for his friends to enjoy. Until he stopped at my table, his search in the Portland area had been a bust. So color me humbled by the fact that my stuff was what he was looking for for his friends, and if you're reading this man, "Thanks for the enthusiasm and for coming back for more!"
            ...Another of the great conversations came on the tail end of the weekend, in fact the last sale of the show. Two younger girls, who were working the show at a vendors booth, came by the table and slowed considerably when taking in the sketch cards laid out all over the table. They were hooked, and had a hard time deciding on just the right ones for themselves. One of them also showed a great amount of interest in my Air Jellies print as well. She was saddened to realize they were $10 a piece, and had to wander to an ATM to get more cash for the purchase. Needless to say, I felt a little bad for making them have to go on another mission just to get money for one of my prints. To make it up for their effort, I threw in one of the many sketch cards I did over the weekend as a freebie. Yeah, I know I'm a big softie, but they were pleased as punch, and I figured what better way to wrap up the show than a small act of kindness.
           Yeah, it was a fun time. I hope to participate in next years show. Billy has set up something that this town has needed for a while, a well done, well organized show that embraces all things geek. Not just comics, we're talkin' video games you haven't played since you were little, She-Ra, He-Man, Star Wars figures, all in their original boxes. A veritable cornucopia of collectibles, and an equally enthusiastic crowd of vendors and participants made this a weekend that has brightened the outlook for this creator. You can put on a good show, and not have it in a concrete bomb shelter suffused with nerd stink. Beware Portland Comic Show, beware Rose City Comic Con (if you ever actually are able to put on a show) cause Billy and his crew have upped the bar. It's like I told my friend Sean Harrington (the guy who's recommendation happened to get my images on the badges and the cover of the program. Thanks Sean!!), the first one in this town to do this right wins, hands down...Now the rest of you gotta up your game...cause this babies gonna grow to something good...count on it...

Wonder Northwest 2011

2011-05-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

          Hey fellow followers! Just a quick update for you on this Friday the 13th. I'm chillin' at home working on some sketch cards for tomorrow, enjoying the new Beastie Boys album (which by the way is much better than the last). Speaking of tomorrow, I've been lucky enough to be invited to table for the inaugural year of Wonder Northwest 2011. A small convention aimed at gathering great collectors of all things nerdy. It's full of vendors and collectors of everything from vintage video games, to rare hard to find comics, and action figures that are guaranteed to bring you back to an earlier time.
          I feel very lucky to have been invited to table in the very limited artists alley, and will have original artwork, posters, the full line of Neo-Trash Comix, and a selection of 15 one-of-a-kind sketch cards available for the discerning collector. For those who are familiar with my work you will also see my graphics on the badges for the guests, staff, and vendors of the show. I'm also pleased to say that my Space Rhino image will be gracing the cover of the program as well. So hows that for f'ing cool!! It'll be a great show, with little to no out of pocket cost to visit for the day or the whole weekend. Hope that those who have $6-10 can make it out and support this show in it's infancy. I'll be tabling Saturday only, so if you want to come out to specifically catch up with me come 10-5 Saturday...
           I'm hoping that this weekend generates a little buzz for a new convention in the Portland area. I feel that this town deserves a well planned show that isn't in a stinky basement filled with molding cardboard boxes and collectors with no standards of personal hygiene. Hopefully Wonder Northwest will become something more akin to the full fledged cons you get in San Francisco or Seattle, but only time will tell. Come out friends and make this weekend one that can only grow into something better. Hope to see you there!!

Daniel DePaolo

Somethings that get left behind...

2011-05-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

         It's Sunday, and man what a great past couple of days. For those of you who don't live under a grey blanket of clouds for 2/3 of the year, you may not understand what makes these last few days particularly great... IT'S THE SUN FOLKS!... In the Spring here, we all kinda pull ourselves out of a bit of seasonal funk that comes with the grey rainy Falls/Winters. People start to appear, seemingly from nowhere, all over town. Walkers, bikers, skaters, hippies, gutter punks; everyone's on the move, out enjoying the sunshine and the mild Spring that the Pacific Northwest is infamous for. We all know you gotta get out while the gettings good. After all, you never know when the next soul-sucking deluge will come, or how long it'll last. With the sun comes a time to make projects for the summer, before it becomes so hot all you really want to do is be encased in a 360 degree fan whirlwind whilst draping yourself in ice packs.
            This weather stirs a few things in me that only manifest this time of year. As the streets dry out, and the people start to come out of the woodwork, I begin to see 'skate spots'. It kinda makes me sad, cause I'm hella out of shape, and I haven't been a regular skate 'sesh' guy for a few years. It's weird how some things in your life take the front seat and sometimes the stuff you always used to get out and do wallows in the back. I miss skating, and it's really my best intention to get back on the horse (so to speak) and in decent enough shape to not be a total fool out there riding my board. But, you know what they say about good intentions.
           Besides, its a bit of a trade for me. In exchange for the skating (which I was never really stellar at any way), I've been busting my ass creating artwork for myself, other fellow writers, freelance clientele, etc...and it's starting to approach a whole new plateau of awesomeness. Both activities are fulfilling in different ways, but I'm not ashamed to admit, I'll stay home and draw over skating most days (man that makes me sound like a lazy-ass). So yeah, I miss skating, but the trade off hasn't been a bad one.
           Also, when the nice weather starts to rear its head around here, the other feeling that begins to manifest is an insatiable urge to throw a bunch of clothes in a backpack, pack up the sleeping bag, and go on a nice long road trip. Summers were my migration times not long ago, when I lived and went to school in Savannah, Georgia, yet my family and friends were scattered between my home town, Casper, Wyoming, and my adopted home 2 hours away in Eugene, Oregon. I'd make the trek out from the southeast coast every summer and split my time between Wyoming and Oregon.
            Needless to say, I'm no stranger to long road trips, and there's something about that time watching the lines of the road whisk by that is meditative, cleansing. It's also helped in terms of building patience. A commodity very useful when working on personal /professional graphic projects. The nice thing about this feeling is it can be sated by getting out for short excursions. It's not like skating, it's not something sacrificed for the time required to do something else. But it's still a bit of a tease to hit the road for only 2 hours, when all you'd really like to be doing is driving through the night waiting for the sun to come up. I guess we can't have everything, right? But I can try...
             I love this time of year. It's time to clean stuff out of your house. Time to take a bag or two of forgotten clothes to Goodwill. It's time to prioritize, minimize, and organize. Because when you've cleaned out all those nooks and crannies, and swept the cobwebs out of untended corners, you won't feel so trapped next time old man winter comes creepin' around the bend...and...somehow your winters don't turn out quite so grey. Enjoy the sunshine, my friends...

Daniel DePaolo

A trip to Eugene, or Why sometimes you just gotta get out of Portland

2011-04-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

     I haven't posted much on here of late, due to the fact that I've been out of town in Eugene visiting with my little brother, his fiancee, and my other close friends. So today I thought I'd make up for it by posting an old flyer from my days living in "The Euge", and kinda talking about why sometimes its a great thing to get out of town for a while. Granted, I didn't drive across the country or anything like that, but even the 2 hours on the road in my new (to me) ride was a much needed break from the day to day of Portland. It was great running into old friends and seeing them making changes and generally improving there lives, and it was super fun meeting my brothers fiancee and staying with them for a few days.
     I'm particularly fond of Eugene, as it was my second "home" after growing up in Why-oming. Its ironic that when I first pulled over, I instantly stopped at the 17th and Lincoln, Cornucopia for a beer and some sketching while I waited for my brother to get off work and take me back to his pad. You would think I would have searched out a new spot, somewhere that I hadn't been before, but sometimes the comfort of familiar grounds can be a nice transition when you haven't been back for a while. This was my longest visit since my girlfriend and I last came down. She was attending a Ukulele Festival, and I was just generally bumming around. That's pretty much what I did this time, but, man, sometimes we all need that.
     We get a little too caught up pushing through projects, goals, work. We get bogged down paying bills, rent, whatever. I wholeheartedly support a quarterly, shit monthly trip to somewhere even if its just for the day. Get away my friends. Remind yourself of why you are where you choose to be, right now. Refresh your memory as to why you enjoyed those past places. Move a little because stagnation serves no one. I miss everyone down there, but I'm happily somewhere else in my life. However, I'm not afraid to admit that without a good stint in the granola, hippie, college town bubble that is Eugene, I'd never be here now, making comics, meeting kick-ass illustrators, and just generally taking my life in a better more progressive direction. It's a process, a road, if you will, and sometimes it just fun to seek out those old haunts, get drunk with old friends, and appreciate where that stop led you to.

Get out my friends, while you still can!!
Daniel DePaolo

Post Stumptown Winddown

2011-04-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

It's Monday afternoon, and the 2011 Stumptown Comics Fest is one to be put down in the books. A few months ago our frustration and annoyance was at a peak level, when it appeared that the "selection process" for this years show was going to shut us out as exhibitors. However, a turn of events and a few connections with people we call good friends (I a'int gonna name drop here, but they know who they are) found a way around the seeming favoritism that runs too rampant here in the Portland art scene in general. Long story short, we got a great table with a prime location and made the most out of what marks the first year for Stumptown in its newer (and in my opinion better) location at the Oregon Convention Center.
I had a great time with the team of super nerds/friends (Ben Perkins, Jason Zachary Pott, and Allen Bennett) I choose to work for and with, and both days flew by. We experienced brisk sales of books, posters, original artwork, and got in some much needed face time with friends (both old, and new). While we may not have broken the bank or made our first million selling properties to some muckity-muck who'd probably fuck it up making it into a movie anyway, the point of this show was never completely lost on me throughout the weekend. You wanna know what that is? I know you do...
...for those of you who don't spend hours in a cramped space churning out creative commodities, it may come as a shocker that creating ANYTHING is a shit load of work. Unfortunately, living in this digital society filled with constant opportunities for instant gratification, we forget the hours that someone spends alone in an all too often over priced space, making things that will garner them little to no monetary profit, and even less notoriety. We do not just whip out a piece of paper, pens, and pencils and POOF!! you've got comic gold(well some do, but I hate those f'ers). In fact, the supplies are the least of our work. There is time spent creating concepts for the worlds our stories take place in, time spent hashing out what our characters look like, and time spent figuring out where the hell that story goes (realize this little list, too, is an oversimplification of the process). It's the same for anyone making anything that can't be taught in a manual and mentally regurgitated at the appropriate time. I think this fact is lost on a vast majority of the populace. I mean why pay for something original when you can get framed art at Ikea, or Target? Isn't that the same thing?
("Yeah, yeah" you say "But whats the point man? What is a small indy show like Stumptown all about? Wrap it up!!")
The point is, its an opportunity for us to come out of our collective caves, to touch base, hang out, and show off the ends we're working towards. Its a way to kinda keep tabs on your development, when compared with where you were one year ago. It's an opportunity to celebrate the reason every visual storyteller has for getting into the game in the first place, the love of, and the progression of the media. Granted its one of the few industries that can generate so much capital off what most others would term "Slave Wages", but that's not the point man. You wanna be a millionaire? Be a fucking doctor, a lawyer, a Fox News nut job, but give the decorators of your world their due and always remember, we had to start somewhere. The ones that forget, are the ones poisoning the well...that's all I can say about that.

Daniel DePaolo

New Prints available just in time for Stumptown

2011-04-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hey...Its three days from Stumptown 2011. I'll be tabling with the guys at Neo-Trash Comix and hangin' with Allan Benett of Black Box Comix, and look forward to seeing repeat fans and meeting new ones... I'll also have ten seperate images as prints available for sale as well. Come down to the show if you want anything for cheaper than it'll sell on my Etsy shop...Hope to see some of you there.

Daniel DePaolo

The Comic Show at the Peoples Art of Portland

2011-04-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

As a nice little add on to this weekend's Stumptown Comic Fest, I will be displaying artwork at The Peoples Art of Portland Gallery in the Pioneer Place Mall. Its on the 3rd floor, and the opening night is Friday April 15th from 5-10. As Skylaar and I both have a concert engagement to make in the Brooklyn Neighborhood, you'll probably see us out at the show in the earlier hours of the opening. I should have up to 8 pieces hanging on the walls, and a variety of posters and my comics from Neo-Trash available for sale in the gallery itself. Hope to see as many Portlandians out and about as possible that night and this weekend at Stumptown. There will also be a costume party associated with the opening night festivities with prizes going to the best dressed (not sure what the prizes are, but you'll get something). So get your butt out this weekend and celebrate your inner geek with artwork and comics all weekend...hope to see you there.

Daniel DePaolo

Etsy shop up and ready for perusal

2011-04-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

Etsy shop is up and running!! Posting two new things each day to space out and get some more exposure, but here's a link to it...if you're interested...click the monkey

Creeper Plant and Stumptown 2011

2011-04-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

So...this is my first blog. If this seems like amateur hour to you, please be patient as it will only get better with time (I hope)...For all those living in the Portland area I will be tabling at Stumptown Comics Fest next weekend with my good friends from Neo-Trash Comix, and Black Box Comix. Come by, pick up some books and just say hey to us because we are so very lonely...Thought I'd start with a recent image that will be available as a nice 11x17 print at the Fest next weekend. I call it Creeper Plant, I hope you call it "Awesome in Green"