The Blamed

The Blamed were a great band. They released 6 albums and 1 EP. The albums they released on Grrr didn’t have the best art in my opinion, so in an effort to clean up my iTunes I created these 3 “alternate covers” for those albums.

“…again” was a punk rock album, hence the punk rock cover.
“Forever” still had the punk edge but began to move towards their later, more calculated approach.
“Isolated Incident” was a spastic post-grunge masterpiece.

For the latter two I “art directed” by taking themes already present in the art and strengthened the design.

*if anyone out there is really picky about the bands history, I know the pictured members in the …again cover were not the ones that played on the album

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William McKinley

William McKinley was the 25th president of the United States. He was elected to a second term in 1900, but was assassinated in 1901 by legally insane anarchist Leon Czolgosz.

Czolgosz, shot the president on August 13, 1901 in Buffalo, NY. He met the electric chair on October 29, 1901. His personal effects and letters were burned, sulfuric acid was thrown into his coffin and 12 hours later everything that was Leon Czolgosz disappeared from this earth. What did McKinley leave behind?

The McKinley presidency itself left little legacy, but the era it ushered in changed the lives of every American since – The Progressive Age – an era of modernization, reform and increased government activity.

McKinley was a “Christian gentleman” devoted to his faith, his appearance, and his severely neurotic, epileptic wife. His care for her is said to be so great that he put all other husbands in Washington to shame. After being shot, as he witnessed Leon Czolgosz being beaten senseless by guards, he said “Don’t let them hurt him.” Then he turned to his secretary and said “My wife, be carful how you tell her.” In spite of her serious condition, he never left her.

But was it this caring nature that won McKinley the victory of William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic nominee from Nebraska, in 1897? No. In what is considered the first modern election, the McKinley campaign spent 3 million on literature and propaganda, most sent to minorities. Then surrogate speakers went out and spoke for McKinley while he sat in his Canton, Ohio home and welcomed daily visitors onto his lawn where he literally gave speeches from his front porch.

Bryan, one of the most popular speakers in American history, spent $600,000, crisscrossed the country logging nearly 20,000 miles and spoke to 5 million people. Bryan lost to McKinley in 1897, 1900 and Taft in 1908.

When the delusional Czolgosz shot McKinley, he hoped to effectively loosen the grip of the rich elite on the lower classes. His assassination had no effect, as then Vice President Theodore Roosevelt would step into McKinley’s presidential shoes and carry progressive reform even further, much further than his predecessor.

William McKinley was the first president to be extensively video taped. View video in the Wikimedia Commons

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Grover Cleveland, A Process

I thought a process blog might be of some interest, so here we go. It’s the first one of it’s kind! I’ll avoid much written word in this first post, maybe in the future I’ll up the windbag factor.

After a light pencil transfer, I tape the sketch to the wall behind the desk. I actually find cheap Bic mechanical pencils to be the best for the transfer. The sketch is always done freehand, using a photo reference of the president. I don’t go for 100% accurate replication in the sketch or the final piece, rather I attempt to portray an emotion I feel is relevant to his legacy. For Cleveland, that feeling was “regal.”

I always begin by laying down the face details first, starting with broad areas before moving to details. This particular piece was started using Ivory Black. Neutral saturation in the initial color helps me make the piece cohesive, though sometimes I like to spice it up with a Paynes Grey.

I usually take details to about 50% completion here before moving to a different area of focus, typically the background.

I use a wide variety of round brushes, somewhere between 10-12 brushes, to keep colors clean as possible. I also swear by Kleenex Viva! paper towels. They’re so smooth! I go through so many paper towels throughout the painting process, I’m sure I’ve made Al Gore shed real tears.

I use a limited color palette, which I’ll blog on in the future. It allows me to mix consistent colors, in this case a bright orange red.

Then it’s back to face details, working out contrast and adding texture, especially to the hair. I have two approaches I take to hair, which has always been my favorite feature to draw and paint for some reason. I also chose to use only 2 colors in the Grover Cleveland painting.

I typically try to spend 3 times the amount of time I spent on the sketch on the final piece.

Photos of me at work yo! I work in low light. There’s no direct theory behind it, I’ve just chosen two bulbs, one that leans towards cool and one towards warm and I cross their paths.

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Grover Cleveland Sketch

Here is the sketch I drew for the Grover Cleveland painting.

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Benjamin Harrison

You may recognize the name “Harrison.” It’s legacy runs all the way back to Plymouth Rock, but we needn’t go back that far to make the connection. Benjamin Harrison was 7 when his grandfather William Henry Harrison became President of the United States. He was still 7 when his grandfather died in office 1 month later.

What’s even harsher? I quote To the Best of My Ability by McPherson when I say “Benjamin Harrison might well be remembered more fondly had his administration also ended prematurely” like his grandfathers.

What was wrong with “the human iceberg?” He got that nickname from his cold nature, his awkwardness with the public and his distaste for incompetence. Harrison spent his presidency doing the bidding of those who got him into office, passing bills they wanted passed and trying his best to stay out of trouble.

Ironically, the man he replaced, Grover Cleveland, came back to the White House after a 4 year hiatus and rescinded most of the bills passed by Harrison. Then US Civil Service Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt referred to him even less fondly, calling him a “cold-blooded, narrow-minded, prejudiced, obstinate, timid old psalm singing politician.”

It’s not that Benjamin Harrison was a terrible president, politician or person. He was decent, but in effect he was just not cut out for the rigors of public office. His ability to keep a clean profile is the only reason he received the Republican nomination. When he passed the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890 on the advice of others, a bill that sent consumer prices skyrocketing and raised prices of farm equipment effectively beginning a slow burn of distaste in the hearts of rural voters, he succinctly ended his chances for reelection.

Harrison died in 1901, 8 years after leaving office.

The quote I used is a truncated version of this quote: “The indiscriminate denunciation of the rich is mischievous. It perverts minds, poisons the heart and furnishes an excuse to crime. No poor man was ever made richer or happier by it. It is quite illogical to despise a man because he is rich as because he is poor. Not what a man has, but what he is, settles his class. We can not right matters by taking from one what he has honestly acquired to bestow upon another what he has not earned.” Taken from Views of an Ex-President by Benjamin Harrison.

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Grover Cleveland

During America’s Gilded Age, presidents were nearly powerless as almost all control was held by Congress. Of all the presidents between two of our greatest, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland was the best of the brood. The reasons for this, however, are quite ironic.

President Cleveland was the heftiest president we had up til then. He stood 5′11 inches tall, but weighed 250 pounds. He was also one of America’s most negative presidents, but it was on that negativity where he made a stand. He was the first president to make extensive use of his veto power, vetoing more bills than all the other presidents combined. He had little sympathy for the plight of Americans and was opposed to government handouts. He believed that the American citizen should support the government, but that the government should not support the people. It’s a courageous statement, one most men would not have the audacity to make.

More famous of his time in office is the fact that he’s the only president to serve non consecutive terms, with Benjamin Harrison spending 4 years in the White House between Mr Cleveland’s terms.

The economic crash, called the Panic of 1893 during his second term was one of the worst in history. Major railroads folded, riots and strikes broke out. The treasury lost nearly 140 million during the crisis, which was almost all of the federal reserve at the time. It was during this term that a cancerous tumor was found in the roof of his mouth.

Due to the hard times the country was facing, knowing news of his ill-health would put into question his ability to make decisions and in effect send his presidency off into the sunset, Cleveland elected to have the surgery in private. Under the guise of a vacation cruise, the operation was performed on a sailboat off the coast of Long Island. Extensive measures were taken to remove the tumor through his mouth to avoid scarring and he was fitted with an orthodontic plate. Something tells me he might not have been able to pull this off so deftly these days.

It’s also a miracle that such an advanced operation was able to be pulled off on a sailboat without effecting his speech or his physical appearance. Think, just 30 years earlier we were sawing off limbs with hacksaws and numbing pain with whiskey.

For those interested in medical and financial history, the journalistic debate it ignited, and the rest of the cover up, in 1917 one of the presiding doctors, William Keen, wrote an account of the procedure entitled “The Surgical operations on President Cleveland in 1893″. The published copy can be read for free in its entirety here.

The quote I used is pure gold and sterling truth – “The lessons of paternalism ought to be unlearned and the better lesson taught that while the people should patriotically and cheerfully support their government, its functions do not include the support of the people.”

For those of you who know nothing about where I grew up, it’s a small town (pop. 355) in KS. Just north of here is another small town (pop. 3,500) where growing up, like the Ingalls to Mancato, we’d go for supplies and dining and Wal-Mart. You know, the finer things. In the “big city,” there’s an old hotel on the square called Hotel Josephine. In the late 1800s, none other than Grover Cleveland stayed there!

Oh, and Kirstie Alley also stayed there… hmm, not quite as cool to me.

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Birdies Birdies

So here it is officially, the entire 36 page book. For now I’ll link to a low res web PDF so you can view the book in its entirety.

View PDF here. It should open in a pop up window, use the arrow keys or the arrows at the top of the page to navigate.

This book was a self published project I was approached to do. A limited run of 50 were made and all but 4 of the original pressing are sold. I put them up for sale here. These will be signed and made out to whomever you like, just leave instructions in the “Notes to Seller” field! After that, I am currently unsure of whether or not a 2nd edition will be made.

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Albums of the Year 2009

This list is a compilation of my, John Holcomb’s, favorite albums and songs of 2009. In no way is this meant for anything other than drawing attention to the music I love and the artists that create it. If you haven’t heard of one of these bands, I provided links to their myspace. If you like their music, consider buying it. As an artist myself, trust me when I say we like getting paid for what we create. You’re not really “sticking it to the man” when you illegally download their songs (face it, record label dudes like to eat to). But if you feel you are, buy a T-shirt instead, go see them when they come through town, send them giftcards to Jimmy Johns, I dunno.

I put the songs together in a CD, check it out here.

1a. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

Took a few listens, but after awhile I realized I was listening to this album more than any other. Lyrically it hits home countless times, it has hints of vintage Avett’s with a coat of polish that suits them even better than nostalgia. I know most fans cling to the old albums with a death-grip, but I’m here to say they progressed for the better and hopefully sold a few more albums because of it. Myspace

1b. The Elms – Great American Midrange

No differentiation between 1 and 2 in my mind. If ever there were an album that screamed “My kind of music” it’s this one. Seriously, the first time I put it on I actually stopped it a few songs in because I knew I’d play it to death. I’m so glad I bought the super-dee-duper deluxe version with the acoustic alternates. Best decision ever. Love this album! Myspace

3. mewithoutYou – It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright.

I find it humorous that “true fans” hated this album. Guess that’s why I’m not a true fan. I can’t believe how much I found entertaining, inspiring and soothing throughout this album. It’s so poetic and quirky. And to think I almost didn’t even buy it. Myspace

4. Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers – The Bear

I hear these guys are going out on tour with Needtobreathe (#18). I hope they get the exposure they deserve. “Satisfied Man” speaks to me in ways no other song has. It’s an absolute favorite of mine, but luckily the put 12 more “Americana” tracks on there! Myspace

5. Fielding – The Voice of Us

Oh my word. Easily the most beautiful album I’ve heard all year. I never thought anything could top Plankeye’s Relocation but Eric Balmer may have just done that with this release. I love this husband/wife team, I hope they keep writing! Myspace

6. Regina Spektor – Far

It shocked me just how much this record was played. I liked her before, love her now. Myspace

7. Gasoline Heart – Nostalgia Ain’t What it Used to Be

Thought this was a lock for #1 this year. Didn’t quite reach that height, but I named my AOTY CD after it. Louis and John are still my fave dudes. Now they just need to stop touring the East Coast and come over here to the Middle of the West! Myspace

8. Showbread – The Fear of God

Welcome back Showbread! I love this band and this album. Too bad it will always be tied with the memory of getting pulled over in Colorado by an overzealous Barney Fife. The raw rock must have made my foot turn to lead. Best $160 bucks I’ve ever spent on an album! Myspace

9. New Found Glory – Not Without a Fight

Another welcome back. Best pop punk album of the year. Best NFG album in years, possibly ever. Self-Titled still has a place though. Myspace

10. David Bazan – Curse Your Branches

It sounds like David Bazan broke up with God. This is very much on par with his Pedro work. Myspace

11. Dashboard Confessional – Alter the Ending

If you’ve been away from Chris Carrabba’s music, I suggest you come back NOW! Myspace

12. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing

They found decent success in the underground this year and there’s very good reason for it. Myspace

13. Tegan & Sara – Sainthood

Tegan & Sara is a band I’ve always meant to check out. Finally did it this year and this album did not disappoint. I’ll have to go back into the back catalog now.Myspace

14. Weezer – Ratitude

Goofy? Yes. Not as good as Blue/Pinkerton? True. Unnecessary Lil Wayne apperance? Indeed. Some filler tracks? Yes, Love is the Answer and In The Mall. Loads of fun? Check! Tons of smiling? Check! Weezer never took themselves seriously and I couldn’t deny how much pure fun this album is (with the bonus tracks).Myspace

15. Collective Soul – Collective Soul (Rabbit)

Sounds like Collective Soul circa mid 90s. I like that… a lot. Myspace

16. Sondre Lerche – Heartbeat Radio

Another surprise. It’s such a sweet and well-flowing record from start to finish. Sondre is definitely underrated in the “pop” world… hate to even call it that.Myspace

17. Project 86 – Picket Fence Cartel

The heaviest P86 in quite some time. Didn’t have quite the repeat playability of their earlier releases, but solid indeed.Myspace

18. Needtobreathe – The Outsiders

There were some real highlights to be found in this record, so much so I think I overplayed it at first.Myspace

19. Chevelle – Sci Fi Crimes

Alright, hate away on me all you want. I have a thing for Chevelle and I feel this is much better than Vena Sera.Myspace

20. He Is Legend – It Hates You

When a band breaks up I kinda get disillusioned about their album. This one would likely have been higher had they not caved in. Myspace

Honorable Mentions

Wolfmother / The Cosmic Egg / AFI – Crash Love / Damion Suomi – s/t / Neon Horse – Haunted Horse / M Ward – Hold Time / Rancid – Let the Dominoes Fall / Mutemath – Armistice / Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum / Maylene and the Sons of Disaster – III / Sherwood – QU / Paramore – Brand New Eyes / The Almost – Monster Monster

Songs of the Year

*** indicates absolute faves with “Unless God Appears First” by The Elms possibly being my favorite song of the decade, my life, etc

Can’t Keep a Good Kid Down – Gasoline Heart
Get Me Right – Dashboard Confessional
Unless God Appears First*** -The Elms
Slight Figure of Speech -The Avett Brothers
The Only One -Manchester Orchestra
Out of My Mind -Showbread
A Choppy, Yet Sincere Apology -The Riverboat Gamblers
Step Up (I’m On It) -Maylene & The Sons of Disaster
Everyone I Know Has Fangs -He Is Legend
Listen to Your Friends -New Found Glory
Fainting Spells – AFI
Chain Gang, bang bang -Neon Horse
(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -Weezer
Dig -Collective Soul
Bless This Mess – David Bazan
Ladders to the Stars -Fielding
Magic Marker -Monsters of Folk
Laughing With -Regina Spektor
Satisfied Man *** – Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers
The Lion, The Ram & The Fish *** – Damion Suomi
Never Had Nobody Like You – M Ward
Someday -Tegan and Sara
Allah, Allah, Allah -mewithoutYou

I put all my favorite songs of the year into a compilation package. View images of that project here.

As stated above, this Album of the Year CD is made only to draw attention to bands I love.

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Album of the Year CD 2009 Ed.

Alright, it’s that time once again for the AOTY CD. I’ve had this done for about 2 weeks but haven’t had the energy to actually make them. It takes a lot scoring, x-actoing, folding, glueing and folding some more. I know, I did it to myself.

I’ll blog about the specifics of the Album of the Year List and the Song List at a later date. For now, just enjoy the packaging.

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House Industries Neutraface

Well, so much for plans. When this typeface package arrive on my doorstep this afternoon between the snowdrifts, I knew I must blog about it. The edge-of-your-seat topic that is “Color Management” will have to hang on a bit longer.

So I did it! For quite some time I have been eying the fine craftsmen at House Industries, particularly their typeface Neutraface. I’m proud to say that I’ve finally made the purchase and what a wonderful decision that was!

Typeface: Neutraface Text, Display and Condensed
Cost: $275
Includes: 36 fonts in a beautiful array of weights

Now, if you’re reading this and you’re saying “Gosh dude, why burn that kind of bank on a font when you can binge on all-you-can-download-for-free-fonts at sites like Dafont.com!!!” I suggest you leave now. Better yet, stick around and learn a thing or two… maybe.

Quite honestly, cost has always inhibited me too. The old adage “You get what you pay for” never helped either. Buying complete typefaces is an expensive endeavor! Frankly, this is a competitive option, dare I say “economical” in comparison to others I looked at. This by no means means “lower quality.” I decided, however, it was time to make a call and buy the face.

The unending problem with free fonts is the lack of variety! As much fun as it is to get free stuff, let’s be real here – how often does a job call for you to a layout making extensive use of even a nice looking free font like Chopin Script? A job should definitely never call for Papyrus. If it does, avoid at all cost. It’s a solid reason for why I’ve avoided Avatar thus far.

Why Neutraface?
I was in need of a versatile typeface for a project I was working on. I wanted to set the whole layout in one face and I’ve always wanted a modern, clean sans serif that was more flexible than Futura and less hackneyed than Helvetica. After much searching, I rested on this typeface when I saw it used on the cover of Charley Harper’s wonderful anthology. I had seen it elsewhere, but this was the final straw for me. I had to have it!

The reason I purchased this face was simple. I love the smaller x-height of the lowercase letters as well as the lower bars in letters like A, E and R. I also love the alternate cuts, which are full on separate full-family fonts, examples are evident in the G. The text version of this family is readable at small sizes and the display family is wonderfully bold. I will likely be overusing Display Titling. Love it!

Also, I e-mailed House industries with a few questions and customer service was not only timely (less than 24 hours) it was friendly, obliging and helpful. Everything my AT&T service is not.

I feel this type-buying thing could be come a hot chocolate like addiction (No coffee for me, 2 cups of hotchoc a day!). It’s unbelievable how something so simple as a few new letterforms can inject life and vigor into a stale project. So I’m already wondering what’s next (far down the road, of course). Cost is even more prohibitive in this decision, but up next I’m eying the Paperback line from House. Such a beautiful serif! I also still have the option of getting Neutraface 2 and Neutraface Slab. 2 raises the bars and x-heights slightly while Slab is self explanatory.

Of course there are a few more I’m interested in from other foundries.

So, what typefaces do you rely on? Are there any workhorses I should be aware of? And how about designers and foundries? Any good, unheard of ones?

Website: Houseind.com
Full Directory: Fonts

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Family Photo

This family photo is filled with fun! Closed eyes, hidden faces, mischievous kids, sleeping babies and more!

This 8×10 print is a signed print from an open edition.

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Wise Old Bird

Wise Old Grandpa Bird is reading a book of short stories to his little grand birdies… they are wondrous tales of worms won and worms lost!

This 8×10 print is a signed print from an open edition.

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Busy Bird

This is bird’s name is “Busy Bird” and she has places to go, meals to prepare. She is available as an 8×10 print in the shop!

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Brilliant Bird

This is a print from a children’s book I illustrated. His name is “Brilliant Bird” and he is available as an 8×10 print. Won’t you take him home today? C’mon, he can play you some sweet, sweet saxophone music!

This print can be signed upon request. Just click the button below.

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Lumberjack

This manly painting is one of the largest ones I have ever done. The actual painted piece measures 24 inches wide by 32 inches tall on Arches Watercolor.

This is still very early on in the development of my “Hi-Fi” style.

*note, still a proud Chiefs fan. Watch out for Charles in 2010!

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