DON'T TALK BACK!!!

We are back!  And already approaching the halfway point in February!  I know it feels longer but that Spring feeling is already hitting me!  Of course, when you live in San Diego, most days tend to already feel like Spring!  But enough about that, y'all came for some art (I've noticed the increase in views lately and I can't express my gratitude enough!), so let's get to it before we get trampled by the herd!  Enjoy...

Don't talk back, Yak!  Don't you EVER talk back, lest you want an attack from a brat with a tongue like a tack!  Yak's were the theme from this particular Animal Alphabets outing and I was largely inspired by the Shaving Yak from The Ren & Stimpy Show back from Nickelodeon's early-90's heyday.  The way they drew yaks always cracked my brother and me up as kids, so I just kinda ran with it.  Adding the sassy little girl was just a personal touch.  I have found memories of babysitting my cousins and niece when they were little and although I adored them all, they were real mouthy little turds!  Still, they were happy times and now they're all grown up and making their own way in this insane world...

Another one down as we march on towards March. But fear not!  Another piece of CRAZY art is a mere seven days away and this one will leave you breathless!  So be sure to came back and check it out!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

WINNERS AND LOSERS!!!

We've done it!  We've reached the end...  Of January!  What?  Did you think I meant something else?  We still got plenty of fun to be had this month and this year in general, but more on that when the time is right.  Speaking of more, we gotta wrap up our fight again Inflation this month, and we saved quite a doozy for last!  Don't believe me?  Well then, just bounce your way a little further down the page and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

BUBBLE FOX?!?  WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?  I mean, I know the Little Princesses are evil and no doubt deserved to be turned into dirigibles, but what did their Goblin Butler ever do to you?!?  This is what happens when you enter a CRAZY contest.  You get a CRAZY prize!  Another Twitter art collective run by Jennifer Cuthbert and myself, this time it was the #CRAZYTalentShow!  We got quite a few entries, all insanely good, but at the end of things, Jennifer and I decided that the piece done by the incredible Nora Racz, featuring her Evil Little Princesses putting on a show, was the best of the bunch!  And so they were given their prize, a year's supply of helium, all at once by Bubble Fox himself!  This was a fun piece to do, but boy did it take awhile to color, especially later when it came time to do Photoshop corrections!  Darker colors are just a straight up pain!  Hopefully these kids didn't get a swelled head over their win, but as far as inflated egos go, these Evil Little Princesses are usually pretty pumped!

And that's a wrap on January 2025 and our Fight Against Inflation for the year!  I can't think of a funnier way to kickoff the new year, well, maybe a whole month of fart jokes instead, but that would likely get old fast.  Be sure to come back next week as we begin a new month with new fun.  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

PARALOONING!!! CATCH THE BREEZE!!!

Back for more are we?  Well then, you've certainly come to the right place as we got MORE of EVERYTHING this month as we continue our Battle Against Inflation, which in and of itself is all about more to begin with!  Well then, now that I've grossly inflated this paragraph, let's say we float down and see what artistic masterpiece (HA!!!) is in store for us today, shall we?  Enjoy...

Bubble and his pals sure know how to have fun.  Why parasail when you can para-loon?!?  Willow may not get it, but Pepper and Charlie sure do!  They stayed puffed for hours, enjoying fun in the sun and even taking a bounce or two among the waves!  I think that shark and octopus might be a little jealous that they didn't get to have a few turns themselves!  Eventually, all that helium came to pass, leading to Pepper and Charlie having the squeakiest farting contest ever!  This piece is from another art collective that Jennifer Cuthbert and I hosted on Twitter last summer called the #CRAZYSummerBlowup!  In it, artists are challenged to draw their characters either inflated into beach/pool toys or just having some summer fun in general!  This piece was a lot of fun to draw and features a very rare shot of Bubble Fox front-facing!  Can't thank Jimmy Gownley enough for showing me how its done!

Well, another week down as we are already at the halfway mark for January, but our fight against inflation is far from over because next week, it's all going to the dogs!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!! THE CRAZY INFLATION BATTLE RETURNS!!!

WE ARE BACK CRAZIES!!!  51 weeks to go in this year 2025, so we may as well get to the meat of the matter: INFLATION!!!  It's not a good thing in an economy that will likely get even more volatile in the coming years.  As a cartoonist though, it is among our best tricks at getting somebody to laugh, and starting today, the CRAZYVERSE's annual Fight Against Inflation returns in an effort to bring more smiles and fight bad bloating with good bloating in the coming weeks!  So let's quit chewing the fat and float in with the Helium Hijinks!  Enjoy...

Uh oh Bubble!  Head official Gully is on to your scheme to give your pole vaulters more of a lift at the CRAZY Summer Olympics!  Just a pity your methods worked a little TOO well!  Sap, Clover and Mooch floated all the way to the Alps before finally being rescued and deflated and returned to Paris to watch the rest of the games!  Today's art was part of the #CRAZYOlympics art collective that Jennifer Cuthbert and I hosted on Twitter last July!  A fun effort that saw cartoonists from all over the world draw their characters performing in popular (And not so popular) Olympic Events.  Here, Bubble Fox was hoping to coach the Ragtags to Olympic glory, but his use of Performance Enhancing Gasses (PEGs) led to disgrace!  In a funny turn of events, my good pal Shaylee Robson sketched a few quick revenge doodles that saw her character, Invisibella, rescue the Ragtags while also giving Bubble his just desserts!  Eventually I'll share these hilarious pieces with the CRAZY faithful, but for now, let this be evidence that cheaters never prosper, unless they're politicians of course!

Well, that's all for now, but be sure to come back next week for even more puffed posteriors as our fight against Inflation continues!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

HAPPY NEW YEAR CRAZIES!!! FOR BETTER OR WORSE...

Happy New Year CRAZIES!!!  I'll keep things brief again as we all got a lot going on today no doubt.  Obviously, a lot of us aren't feeling too hopeful about the future right now, and for good reason.  I don't know what lies ahead for sure, but I know that no matter what happens, I will continue to publish my art and my comics.  I know that I will continue to work hard and earn an honest living.  I know that I will try my best to be there for my family and my friends when they need me and I know I will try my best to be a good person.  There are a lot of bad things in the world right now.  Some of it will never go away, sadly.  But if we as a people find ways to better ourselves and not let hatred keep winning, then we can turn things around and we will turn things around.  Never lose hope and always strive to do what's right.  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later.

MERRY CHRISTMAS CRAZIES FROM YOUR FASHIONABLE CRAZY PALS!!!

Merry Christmas CRAZIES!!!  I'll keep things short this week as we're all pretty busy today!  The CRAZYVERSE's biggest stars have come out in full force (And sporting their ugliest holiday threads) wishing that your day be very happy, your tree's lights be the brightest and your stockings be filled to the brim with goodies and treats!  Take care CRAZIES and I'll catch y'all next week.  Merry Christmas!

 

A HOLIDAY WELCOME FROM THE REINDEER CHORUS!!!

Welcome to December CRAZIES!!!  I know, it's a bit sad that Thanksgiving is over now, but hey!  Christmas is just around the corner and is essentially the same thing only now with presents!  Pretty sweet deal, eh?  I know how busy y'all are this time of year (And believe me, I'm no exception!), so why don't we just dive on into the art, shall we?  Enjoy...

Aw, the school Christmas pageant.  I guess these aren't really the norm anymore, but when I was a kid, public schools still held them.  None of the religious parts were covered, just students and faculty banding together to belt out some of the worst renditions of Christmas carols this side of a karaoke bar on half-price beer night!  The above piece was inspired by real events as I was once a part of the Reindeer Chorus for the Berry Elementary Holiday Concert in 1989.  Of course, my school didn't have an actual auditorium, as we were considered an "Inner City Facility," or "Poor School" for the uninitiated.  So we had to go another school a mile away that did have one to hold our concert at.  Needless to say, my school wasn't know for its strong academics.  Anyway, my kindergarten class was set to take the stage and performer our rousing rendition of Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer, or about as rousing as a bunch of tone-deaf five-year-olds in matching red sweaters, construction paper antlers and red glitter-painted noses could be!  By the time it was over, we certainly left our mark!  Half the kids were crying while the rest were either frozen, cranking up their decibel levels or just plain lost.  Then you had me, off in my own little world, hollering to my parents and grandparents to see if they could see me!  Yup, young CRAZY makes a cameo on this week's art, originally done as part of my Illo_Advent effort I posted on Twitter last year.  It got such a good reaction that I decided to make it this year's Christmas, where it is currently for sale on RedBubble!  I wanted so badly to do this in colored pencil, but I just didn't have enough time.  Such is life...

And thus ends our first post of December but fear not!  We'll be back next week with a familiar adversary to all things holly and jolly, so be sure to come back and give it a look.  In the meantime, please think of others this holiday season!  Donate to food/toy/clothing banks ASAP!  Be the good you want to see in this world!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE & MINDY GET PENCILED!!!

Well, another month is just about down!  Leaves are turning, the air is cooling and the Sun is setting earlier.  Yup, Fall is really here!  And with any luck, I'll have already had some apple pie and spice cake by now!  If not, I guess some colored pencil art will simply have to be my consolation prize as that's what I got to show today!  So let's get to it!  Enjoy...

 

How do ya like that?  Two months in a row now that we end things with the original CRAZY icons, Mike & Mindy!  Yeah, when I started doing these, there was no doubt in my mind that these two would be among the first characters I rendered in colored pencil, and I'd say these two came out great!  It should be noted that these are two separate pieces combined into one, hence the double signature.  I should also note that these are based off of poses that my dear friend Scott Warren did for M&M's anniversary back in 2020, as seen below...

My art doesn't have anywhere near the toony energy that Scott put into his, as he's just that amazing.  But I do feel the colors on mine came out great and the backgrounds really make the characters pop.  Color theory's very important CRAZIES.  If you wanna be an artist, be sure to study it!

And that's a wrap on the month of September!  It's been fun, but I'm in the mood for some spooky things, and I'm sure you are too!  So be sure to come back next week so we can kickoff October properly!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

PEPPER GETS PENCILED!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  We are now past the halfway point of September and that much closer to All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween to you modern types!  But there will be more time for that later!  Right now, it's time for art!  So let's get to it, shall we?  Enjoy...

Hey hey!  Pepper has popped up!  Bubble's adopted dragon son has become quite the fan favorite since he hatched eight years ago, and continues to gain new fans everyday!  This was actually the first of the colored pencil portraits when I began this effort to better understand the medium back in April of 2023.  Although I'd been dabbling since 2021, it really wasn't until I did my piece for Team Cul De Sac last summer that I really started to better grasp colored pencils and see how cool they can really be!  Pepper got me off to a good start, though, much like Willow, there were about two or three more colors I could've used to make the blending smoother between shades, mostly in the background.  His skin, scales and fins though came out perfect!  Practice makes perfect y'all!

Well, three weeks down one more to go in our colored pencil walk through, but fear not!  I got a double dose of color blasting your way to end September on a high note!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later! 

MIKE AND MINDY... LOONY FOR LIFE!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  Well, we've reached the end of another month...  In a few days at least!  But for all intents, August and Summer is just about over.  Believe me the abundance of early pumpkins is making that VERY clear!  But there's still a little time for some fun in the Sun, so how's about we see what guest fun has been floated our way this time?  Enjoy...

Would ya look at that?  It's our old pals Mike & Mindy drawn by the amazing Sean Foley Hall!  Sean is the amazing artist behind such fun titles as Dirk Brody and Agnes From S.P.A.CE.!  He's also a good friend and amazing guy.  When a fellow friend needed help last fall, Sean did not hesitate to offer commissions as a means of raising funds.  Well, I just couldn't pass up getting some original art from Sean, not to mention helping a dear friend, so I ordered two pieces: One for me and one for our friend as a birthday present.  The top piece is obviously mine and with Sean having already taken Bubble Fox to new heights in last year's guest month (And believe me he raised the stakes further this year!), I just had to get his take on Mike and Mindy in one of their funniest moments!  And, not surprisingly, Sean delivered big!  Sean reminds me a lot of Jack Davis in that he can draw these really detailed and realistic characters and yet still make them feel lighthearted and cartoony.  It's an amazing skill and I get lost in his art constantly!  As for that other drawing?  Do some snooping around Twitter or BlueSky and you'll catch a glimpse at one of the funniest cartoons ever drawn!

And that's a wrap for the month of August and the season of Summer!  And yes I'm aware Fall doesn't actually start until late September, but when there's already Halloween decorations out and the smell of pumpkin spice permeates the air, it's kinda hard to think about beaches and BBQ's at this point!  Luckily, I do have some cool, colorful art coming next month to bridge the seasons, so be sure to come back next week and see how it all starts!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

BUBBLES AND TROUBLES!!!

We are back!  Hard to believe the spooking season is literally knocking on our door already!  Granted, it's already been Halloween at most arts and crafts stores since before the 4th of July even, but that's neither here nor there.  It's still summer dammit and as such, it is the time for summertime fun!  Childhood fun!  And what's more childhood than blowing bubbles?  Popping balloons you say?  According to Professor Google balloon popping is indeed considered a tradition of sorts, albeit an old one, but it still counts!  Can the two pastimes be combined with Bubble Fox fan art?  Scroll down and find out!

Uh oh!  Looks like that darn silly Bubble Fox has gotten some more of his friends into some danger involving helium and sharp objects!  Given his reputation, you'd think more pals within the realm of webcomics would be very wary of hanging out with Bubble, but I suppose some lessons must be learned firsthand!  Those claws look sharp too!  Might be time to start thinking about burping or farting boys because those are the only other options for escape!  Geoff Munn's been a pal for years, having first connected on Twitter and thankfully keeping things going on BlueSky (Geoff's the one who gave me an invite code!).  His comic, #Parenting, has long been a favorite, highlighting the silly, often surreal things one encounters while raising children.  From yard peeing to kazoo irritants, the comic covers it all!  Geoff's boys were all little dudes when he started, with his youngest not even being born yet!  Now they are all maturing into slightly bigger dudes with personalities as wacky as their old man's!  I should also note that my favorite trope of this comic is how each boy starts out with dot pupils that grow into full-on eyeballs as the characters age!  It's small touches like that that add to the humor and sweetness of Geoff's work.  When Geoff began offering commissions earlier this year, I knew I had to get a piece with Bubble interacting with his characters, and he delivered BIG!!!  Thanks again Geoff!  You, Bubble and the boys have never looked so buoyant!

Well, another week down as we march towards Fall.  But I promise we'll end the Summer on a high note, so come back next week for a DOUBLE dose of fun as Bubble PUMPS up the laughs!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

AMELIA RULES AND FOOLS AROUND WITH BUBBLE FOX AND MARY VIOLET!!!

Well CRAZIES, we've come to the end of it all.  The end of it all for may 2024!  What?  You thought I meant something else?  I mean, we are ending our fan art celebration this week, but something super cool will be kicking off VERY soon, but more on that later!  For now, it's time to scroll down and see one of the coolest things I've ever received!  Enjoy...

I have long been an admirer of the artwork and comics of Jimmy Gownley, something I professed fairly recently even!  So when he opened up commissions on Twitter last year, I just couldn't resist getting some art of Amelia wreaking cartoony mayhem on my favorite character, Mary Violet, much to Joan's chagrin.  Jimmy certainly went above and beyond with the piece and I'll tell ya, the timing of its arrival couldn't have been any better as last April, I was sidelined with a torn knee ligament and missed three months of work as a result.  Getting this delivered just days after my birthday while still on the shelf was a real moral boost to say the least.  Still, I felt a little guilty asking Jimmy to draw something so outrageously silly involving his characters as it is a pretty wild gag.  I swore if the chance rose again, I'd ask for something simpler and sweeter.  Luckily, opportunity knocked a second time, leading us to the incredible piece below...

A dream come true: Bubble Fox meets Amelia and Mary Violet!  It really is such a sweet piece.  Mary Violet is absolutely adorable showing the CRAZY fox some love and letting him wear her hat while Amelia's in true form goofing on Bubble with some bunny ears!  I was hoping to commemorate ten years of Bubble Fox with something truly special and I'll be eternally grateful to Jimmy Gownley for helping me make that happen!  Thanks again Jimmy for helping Bubble not only turn 10, but show everybody how he looks facing forward! (Seriously!  Ive never figured out a good way to draw that until I got this art!)  You'll always be one of my cartooning heroes and I can't wait for your Tanner solo book!

And that's a wrap on the merry month of May CRAZIES, but don't get sad.  If you're a longtime visitor of this blog, then you know full well what's starts next week!  If not, I'll go ahead and spell it out: THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN RETURNS!!!  That's right folks!  Starting next week, I'll be diving deep into the CRAZY archives as we relive past Comic Con fun while counting down to the biggest week of the year!  I'm excited to share these pictures with you fine folks, so do come back and check it all out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

BUBBLE'S BOUYANT, BALLOONY BROTHERS THREE BLOWOUT WITH JOSHUA HAUKE!!!

Time it is a tickin' CRAZIES!!!  Hard to believe that June is next weekend!  And while we welcome the arrival of Summer, we must not forget the virtues of Spring.  The birds...  The bees...  The Buoyant, Bouncy, Bubbled, Balloon Brothers?!?  That sounds a little sketchy, but perhaps today's art might shed some light on the subject?  Enjoy...

Ever the gentleman, Bubble Fox made sure all of his party guests got balloons before heading home from his party.  But when it was revealed that the Little Neighbor Girl from down the street didn't get one because Keith, Wayne and Dougie used up the rest of the balloons trying to talk like chipmunks, Bubble decided to kill two birds with one stone.  He inflated his rowdy guests with enough helium to guarantee they'll sound like chipmunks until puberty while also giving their little girlfriend the most lifelike balloons this side of a politician!  I'd say it's a fair trade.  At least until all that gas passes!  It's been awhile since Joshua Hauke has been able to take part in any guest activities.  That's because the Mad Man from Michigan has been insanely busy over the last few years!  He's moved, had kids, does school visits and comic cons and between all that somehow found time to create two new books about a boy and his daycare full of post apocalyptic mutants!  I often wonder how Josh even finds time to sleep some nights?!?  But he somehow found time for this special hand-drawn art honoring ten years of Bubble Fox and his antics!  It's a hilarious piece from one of my oldest pals in comics and I'm so honored to see Bubble Fox and the Brothers 3 FINALLY meet!  Thanks again Mooseman.  Considering all the bizarre adventures they went on over the years, being turned into balloons isn't even the weirdest thing to happen to the Keith, Wayne and Dougie!

Well, only one week left to go in this special month honoring Bubble Fox fan art, and boy are we closing it out on a high note!  I can't reveal too much else other than this art and its creator totally RULE!!!  So be sure to come back next week and see how it all wraps up!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

A ROYAL CELEBRATION WITH NORA RACZ!!!

We are back CRAZIES!!!  Summer's not that far off as we are at the halfway point in May!  I'm already feeling the vibes as the smell of BBQ and the sound of yacht rock permeate the air!  But there will be time for that later. Right now, the spotlight is solely on Bubble Fox and his big year!  And by big, I do mean his guests!  Don't believe me?  Scroll down and see!  Enjoy...

Aw, a party!  What fun!  The presents!  The hats!  The confetti!  The inflated party guests!  Wait, what?!?  Well, it wouldn't be much of a CRAZY party without a least SOME helium being pumped around!  And this time, Pepper gets round for his Fox Daddy while two more guests, the surprisingly happy-looking Evil Little Princesses, also expand their horizons (And waistlines!) for the occasion!  The creation of illustrator Nora Racz, the Evil Little Princesses are a perpetually bickering pair of sisters that just can't get along!  But for the above art, they decided to put their differences aside and come together to celebrate Bubble's big year by turning themselves into balloons along with Pepper for his amusement!  Nora was so kind to gift me this art as she really is one of my closest friends in the cartoonist/illustrator community.  Her whimsy and humor blend seamlessly and every time I see new art from her, I know my day is going to be good!  Thanks again Dear Nora for helping Bubble Fox celebrate his big moment.  He still can't figure out how they all fit in one box!  It's time for some Unicornloons!

Another week down as we continue our celebration of all things Bubble Fox this month with even more bubbly fun from a brother who's taking things to knew heights with three times the laughs!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

GETTIN' THE BUBBEL FOX PARTY STARTED WITH DANA ATNIP!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  We've been on a bit of a fan art kick since coming back from WonderCon, so why rock the boat by changing things up?  Fan art is awesome!  Even more so when I am on the receiving end of it!  You see, this year marked the 10th Anniversary of Bubble Fox!  You know?  That webcomic I do over on ComicFury?  It's a pretty special deal for me as it's the longest continuing series I've ever drawn and I was surprised by a few pals from across the interwebs here who sent me some fan art celebrating the frenetic fun that is Bubble and pals!  Figured this month would be as good a time as any to spotlight a few of my favorite pieces of fan art, so let's jump right to it!  Enjoy...

Would ya look at that!  It's Willow, Bubble and Pepper and boy are they looking ever so adorable!  That's because they were drawn by the great Dana Atnip of Galactic Dragons fame!  Dana's a longtime friend and no stranger to the CRAZYVERSE, having done MANY guest comics over the years.  Her whimsical style and cute characters remind so much of the works of masters like Chuck Jones, Warren Kremmer and Walt Kelly.  Her takes on Bubble and pals are so amazing I often consider just selling the series to her!  She truly is one of the best out there and I'm honored to call her a friend.  Thanks again Detroit Dana.  Hopefully Pepper's dragon girth will keep him close to the ground!

Well, that's all for today, but fear not CRAZIES!  We got even more bubbly fun next week with more Bubble Fox fan art from a friend who is royally awesome, so stay "Tooned!"  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

GASP!!! IT'S G.A.S.P.!!! WATCH OUT FOR SNEEZE BARFS!!!

Welcome to May CRAZIES!!!  Summer is almost here!  Man, I can already smell the BBQ and lemonade!  But enough about that!  We''ll have plenty of time to celebrate the season of fun in the coming weeks.  Right now, we are celebrating the fun that fellow comic creators bring us!  And this week is a particular treat as we honor one of the greats of all ages comics!  Who is it you ask?  Well scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

Evil doers beware!  G.A.S.P. is on the scene!  Who is G.A.S.P. you ask?  Why, the Gathering of Awesome Super Pals!  Though, they aren't acting very super at the moment.  There's their fearless leader, Captain Amazing, also known as Reggie, whose name coincidentally rhymes with "Wedgie" which is exactly what Ultra Violet, aka Mary Violet, is giving him right now!  Kid Lighting, aka Pajamaman, would help, but he's in a bit of a jam himself right now after being plowed through by Ms. Miraculous, aka Rhonda, who herself has just been bowled over by a medicine ball!  Meanwhile Princess Powerful, aka Amelia at dead center, seems to have taken all that she's willing to take at this point.  'Course, there are quite a few other members of G.A.S.P., but I only had so much room on the paper!  These colorful kids are the creation of Jimmy Gownley, one the cartoonists that really inspired me to quit hiding behind my sketchbook and start getting my comics out there.  His artwork is so appealing with a real Jack Davis quality in that he can be very detailed and realistic and yet still come across as silly and cartoony without it being jolting.  When I came across his Amelia Rules! series at SDCC my senior year of college, it was a defining moment for me.  That there was somebody else out there doing humor and kids comics and without the banner of MAD Magazine behind him, it gave me the confidence to give it a shot myself.  Jimmy's also just a heck of nice guy.  The first time I met him, I fanboyed hard, but he was patient and assuring and gave me advice.  It's because of folks like Jimmy and Phil Yeh, Stan Sakai, Sergio Aragones and late great Batton Lash that I'm still here and still creating and having the most fun I've ever had doing it.  Jimmy's also done a couple of commissions for me, but those are for another day.  Thanks for letting me play in your sandbox Jimmy!  And thanks keeping the sneeze barfs to a minimum!

Well, that's one week down in the Merry Month of May, but the merriment will continue as more Fan Art is coming next week!  So be sure to come back and see who will be next to get the CRAZY honors!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

 

BLUESCAR!!! COSMIC BARBARIAN!!!

We are back CRAZIES and would ya look at that?  It's the last post of April already!  And the day before my 40th birthday no less!  But now is not the time to drone on about how I've already squandered half of my life away.  Now is the time to talk about art!  Colorful art!  Colorful art done for a friend!  Still not getting it?  Scroll down and all will finally make sense!  Enjoy...

Meet Bluescar, a little barbarian who packs a BIG punch!  Don't let his age full you, that helmet, sword and loincloth have seen a lot of action in his short lifetime, and that doesn't even include the battles!  Created by longtime friend of the CRAZYVERSE, Jamie Cosley, Bluescar is the tale of a boy barbarian who goes on quests, fights monsters and gets into the typical shenanigans that kids often get into without even trying really.  Think Conan meets The Three Stooges, and you got a whole lotta fun that the Great Cosley has once again cooked up!  Jamie's always delivered big laughs with his whimsical and wonderful characters going all the way back to his Cody the Cavalier days.  Like a fine wine, he only gets better with time, and it was so much fun to work on this mixed media piece.  Bluescar himself is rendered in markers with colored pencil highlights while the background was achieved by using a black marker covered in oil pastel overlays to create the look of an aura around him.  So evil doers and tacos beware!  Bluescar is coming for ya!  And he's hungry!

And for anybody looking to use pastels or colored pencils for the first time, remember to use paper with a rougher surface.  Although they do make pastel/pencil specific paper, I've personally had better luck using Bristol board with a velum surface.  Blends better for some reason.

And so we wrap up another month as April comes to a close, but don't feel glum.  We're keeping the Fan Art Party going into May as a true legend gets the spotlight next week, so be sure to come back and start the new month in a super way!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later! 

UP, UP AND AWAY WITH BUBBLE FOX, PEPPERMINT TWIST AND LOONYPOP, ER, LOLLIPOP!!!

*Sighs* Well, after weeks of wonderful WonderCon coverage, things are back to normal here at the CRAZYVERSE, but that's okay.  Life goes on and we must move forward, otherwise we'll just remain stagnant.   Plus, we're roughly seven weeks away from starting our Comic Con coverage, so the wait for more cosplay chaos won't be too long!  But what are we gonna do in between?  Celebrate some wonderful artist pals, that's what!  The next few weeks are all about Fan Art, so let's get right to it with one of my most uplifting pals!  Enjoy...

Lollipop!  Lollipop!  Oh lolly lolly lolly Lolli-FWOMP!!!

My goodness!  Lollipop really let herself go!  NO!!!  That egotistical Peppermint Twist couldn't take being a second banana anymore and goaded Bubble Fox into inflating Lollipop with helium so that she'd float away and Peppermint Twist could take over as the star of the comic!  It's funny, Lollipop's the one that is actually inflated and yet Peppermint Twist STILL has more hot air!  This week's art honors my very dear friend Jennifer Cuthbert, creator of the wonderful all-ages comic The Adventures of Lollipop, the tale of a girl named Lollipop and the wild adventures she and her brother, dog and friends go on due to her extremely well-funded Canadian public school!  Several years ago, Jennifer introduced a side continuity where Bubble Fox enters their school as an American exchange student and, as expected, hilarity and surreal cartoon gags emerged, with Bubble and Peppermint Twist, Lollipop's frenemy, forming a particularly close bond.  In many ways, it kinda mirrors the friendship Jennifer and I have, two people from different backgrounds, different countries even who found a bond through a mutual love of comics and entertainment.  'Course, Jennifer and I are far less inflatable than our cartoon counterparts!  What does the future hold for poor Lolli-POOF?  Stay "Tooned!"  

Well, that's all for now, but we got even more Fan Art coming your way next week, so be sure to come back and catch all the action!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE ORANGUTAN IS A PAIN!!!

Welcome to February CRAZIES!!!  The most downer month of the year has passed and now we can really get to some fun stuff!  Well, fun if Mardi Gras is your thing, and for quite a few it is, but that's neither here nor there! We're not far off from the more cooler things ahead, but we'll get to that in due time.  Right now, some real party animals have shown up and are ready to get wild all month long!  So let's kick up our heals and dance with the wild things!  Let the rumpus begin!  Enjoy...

That's one sneaky simian!  Today's theme and this month's themes in general came from Animal Alphabets over on Twitter.  On this particular week, an Orangutan was chosen for the letter "O."  I took this opportunity to pay tribute to the most legendary resident of the San Diego Zoo, a rascally ape named Ken Allen.  His story was one of near tragedy that ultimately ended in triumph as he was rejected at birth by his mother and thus had to be raised by the zoo staff.  A most gentle creature, he took on many traits from his human cousins, notably the ability to unlock and open doors!  He escaped many times from his enclosure, but was so docile and tame, he would often just hang around and walk among the zoo guests, many of which thought it was a genuine routine!  The tourists may have thought it was all part of the show, but us locals would just kinda laugh go "Looks like Kenny got out again!"  Ken Allen passed away some time ago, but his gentle nature and wild spirit live on in the offspring he sired and the many hearts he touched in his lifetime.  I'm sure he keeps many an angel on their toes these days.

That's one week down in our March towards March that just happens to begin in February.  But fear not!  We got more animal antics coming from some CRAZY critters, so be sure to come back next week and see what's next!  Until then, take care, safe and I'll catch y'all later! 

BATTLEFIELD: EVIL LITTLE PRINCESSLOONS, GOLD VS. BLUE!!!

We've come to the end CRAZIES.  The VERY end.  As final as it gets.  The very last CRAZYVERSE post ever...  Of January 2024!  What you thought I was quitting?  Never!  So long as I have at least ONE reader left, I'll keep slogging off post after post until I inevitably drop dead by choking on a ham sandwich in my bathtub!  Until then, we still got one more bit of inflated art meant to combat bad inflation with good, so let's bounce right in before someone grabs a pin and send January off floating!  Enjoy... 

In history, there have been many great battles.  USA vs. USSR, Rocky vs. Apollo Creed, the Yankees vs. the Red Sox, even Spy vs. Spy.  But no rivalry in recent years has quite matched up in the way that this one has.  I'm talking about the battle between the Gold Evil Little Princess and the Blue Evil Little Princess!  These sisters share purple hair and the same mother, but not much else!  Their constant bickering has driven all within the castle nearly mad, from the goblin servants to the bats in the belfry to even the Queen herself!  In this piece, they've taken their sibling rivalry to new heights AND girths!  In an effort to prove that one was bigger than the other, they took to inflating themselves!  I swear there are politicians that can't hold THAT much hot air!  Will it ever end?  Only they, and their clothes, know for sure!  These wickedly adorable Evil Little Princesses are the creation of my dear friend Nora Racz.  A most fabulous illustrator, she posted some art of these vicious tykes driving their mother crazy one day and it set all our hearts ablaze!  With a little encouraging, there's now quite the series of these princesses battling it out, even teaming up once to inflate the queen!  I knew I needed one more post for my Fan Art Fridays on Twitter last year, and I didn't have to look far for inspiration.  Right now the Gold Princess has one more win than the Blue one.  We'll have to see what Nora does next!

And so ends the first month of the 2024!  We hope you enjoyed this bloated display of tastefully inflated cartoon characters!  Be sure to come back next time as we hope to kick February off right by celebrating a certain fox who's just finishing up a big milestone!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!