By Brad Campbell

Shaken Not Stirred

2012-02-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is one in a series of illustrations that I created at Gremillion and Pou for L'Auberge Casino.

They Call Me The Fireman

2012-02-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is one in a series of illustrations that I created at Gremillion and Pou for L'Auberge Casino.

Nothin' But A Hound Dog

2012-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is one in a series of illustrations that I created at Gremillion and Pou for L'Auberge Casino.

Somebody Get Me A Doctor

2012-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is one in a series of illustrations that I created at Gremillion and Pou for L'Auberge Casino.

Kitchen Cutie

2012-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is one in a series of illustrations that I created at Gremillion and Pou for L'Auberge Casino.

Nice Kitty

2012-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is one in a series of illustrations that I created at Gremillion and Pou for L'Auberge Casino.

Ballet Anyone?

2012-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is one in a series of illustrations that I created at Gremillion and Pou for L'Auberge Casino.

Alienated

2012-02-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is one in a series of illustrations that I created at Gremillion and Pou for L'Auberge Casino.

Happy 30th Anniversary, Gremillion and Pou!

2012-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

This was a concept that I created for Gremillion and Pou's 30th anniversary celebration. The caricatures depict the two owners, Anne Gremillion and Robert Pou. Mr. Pou is a big fan of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, so I mimicked that classic style of drawing. I am very proud of the final drawing. Both Miss Anne and Mr. Pou loved the homage.

Coo-coo for Coco-Nutz

2012-02-16T04:33:00.000-08:00

This is a mood board that I illustrated for Seminole Casino. A mood board is a type of design that may consist of images, text and samples of objects in a composition of the choice of the mood board creator. It should evoke a certain feeling or mood. The client wanted a fun and tropical mood board for a newly opened property. This is one of the concepts that Gremillion and Pou submitted to the client.

One-Eyed Jack

2012-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

This was created for direct mailer for Gold Strike casino. The client wanted a skeleton pirate playing a slot machine. It was a lot of fun creating the character and the rustic-looking slot machine.

Turkey in the Straw

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

One of the things I enjoy about working at Gremillion and Pou is the variety of projects on which I work and create. For example, I've had the opportunity to write and create a few storyboards for on-air commercials.

This was an example of some storyboards that I made for a Fort Hall Casino commercial. Creating the concepts for each storyboard was a group effort by me and a few other designers. Once we landed on ideas, I helped create storyboards for each concept. The above concept was one of the examples that was presented to the client.

This was the final concept that was chosen for the commercial. I also designed the bowling pin turkeys (which was fun). G&P designer Atichart Pinrut created all of the animation and motion graphics for the commercial. It's a lot of fun to collaborate with the video department. The visuals in the final commercial really follow the storyboards very well. You can watch it HERE.

Team Effort

2012-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Gremillion and Pou does lots of things. Marketing. Advertising. Design. We also do video. Commercials. I've had the wonderful opportunity to help create some of these and I'd like to share some of that work.

These illustrations were created for a Mohawk Casino Christmas commercial. I created the Santa Claus in Illustrator. I also did the layout for Santa/Elves scene and the above close-up scene. Plus, if you watch the commercial, I designed the trees as well as the reindeer. The elves above were made by designer extraordinaire Atichart Pinrut. The animation was created by Matt Beckham and Matt Weeks. It was a lot of fun working as a team on a creative project. Watch the commercial HERE.

Mona Lucky

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

At Gremillion and Pou, we create work for various casinos. Some of them are Native American casinos, such as Lucky Dog Casino.

Lucky Dog uses the dog from their logo in a lot of their branding and advertising. They approached G&P with a interesting task. They wanted to incorporate their symbol into famous works of fine art. I thought it would be cool to create a Mona Lisa painting that looked like the Lucky Dog symbol. The client didn't go for it, but I like it.

Cell Fu

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

These illustrations were created for an unused concept that I did at Gremillion and Pou for a cell phone company. Our goal was to create an illustrated look that would be used for branding on products and advertising. We presented a Samurai Jack-type of character as well as an urban kid. Ultimately, the client passed on the concept.

Weird Sketch Wednesdays

2012-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

For no reason, this.

The Proof is in the Pudding

2012-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Proof 1

Proof 2

Proof 3

Proof 4

Proof 5

FINALLY!

This Gremillion and Pou illustration was created for Boomtown Biloxi. This is a great example of the proofing process. Sometimes the client has a specific vision for an illustration. Sometimes it takes many proofs to achieve that specific vision. This was one of those times. If you study each sketch above, you can see that various things were added and taken away at each stage of the proofing process.

The Great Slot Point Race

2012-02-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

Rough Sketch

Line Art

Final Illustration

This Gremillion and Pou illustration was created for Boomtown Biloxi. The client wanted a T-shirt design that advertised their newest promotion. The promo involved cards that customers could use to earn points that they could use for various rewards. Initially, the client wanted a race scene involving the actual cards. Later, they decided to change the cards to slot machines. Once this decision was made, the illustration really fell into place. I'm very happy with the final result. So was the client.

School of Rocks

2012-02-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

This Gremillion and Pou illustration was created for Chesapeake Energy. This unused concept was for a school program that Chesapeake sponsored. The client wanted something in the vein of School House Rock, but also they wanted the design to look "rocky."

I Got The Music In Me

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

This Gremillion and Pou illustration was created for Music Mountain Water. This project was challenging in a different way. The client wanted to re-create and modify a pre-existing illustration. However, the pre-existing illustration was VERY TINY and extremely low resolution. This was a challenge because it forced me to take artistic liberties while recreating the artwork. I achieved the varied line quality by drawing with my Wacom tablet.

Rejected by Covered

2012-02-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

My Spider-Ham cover is featured on the blog, Rejected by Covered. I originally submitted it to the awesome blog, Covered, but it was rejected because they don't accept "mash-up" covers.

Venomongrel was never featured in Spider-Ham comics. When I was creating the cover, I thought, if Venom existed in the Spider-Ham universe, what animal would he be? Since Venom's tongue is always hanging out, a dog would be perfect (and hopefully funny).

Gotcha Gumbo

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Front

Back

Rough Sketch

This Gremillion & Pou illustration was created for Boomtown Biloxi. The client wanted a a T-Shirt design for their gumbo festival. They wanted me to incorporate a crab, shrimp, okra, peppers and a chef.

Cabana Ace

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

This Gremillion & Pou illustration was created for Boomtown Biloxi. The client wanted a version of Ace wearing cabana wear. Basically, they wanted him to look like he was vacationing on a cruise ship.

Ace

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know, I am a graphic designer for Gremillion & Pou. It's a great place to work. Nice people. Creative environment. It's all good. Since my employment at G&P, I've had the opportunity to do some professional illustration for various clients. I'd like to share some of that work with you this week.

This project was created for Boomtown Biloxi. The client wanted a mascot to help motivate and encourage excellence in their employees. They wanted a cartoon character shaped like a letter "A." First, I did a few sketches using my Wacom tablet. Then, on my lunch break, I sketched some ideas on a napkin which would lead to the final concept. I love it when that happens.

Blankman Billboard

2012-01-27T00:24:00.000-08:00

This is the final design of the Blankman billboard. I painted this using acrylic on illustration board. In college, I painted quite a few illustrations and I loved the experience. Before college, I had never picked up a brush. For the first time in my life, I was pushing my creative boundaries. It was exciting times.

That being said, this isn't my best work. I've included the final painted version (top) and the color sketch version. Confidentially, I like the sketch better. Take that, college me.

Blankman Billboard Sketches

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed working on this college project. The whole Blankman assignment really helped me realize my potential for design. It was a big undertaking. Creating a product, logos, advertising, packaging, etc. was a challenge. I never quite succeeded with the Blankman billboard. Looking back with experience, it's way too vague and far too busy. It might work as a teaser, but it doesn't really tell you anything about the product. Live and learn as they say.

This is the initial sketch concept of the billboard. Also, I've posted an alternate color scheme that I did not use in the final piece. Tune in tomorrow for the finished billboard.

Blankman Storyboards

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of Blankman storyboards in rough form. I never completed these as part of the Blankman project. My professor didn't like them, so I ditched the storyboard completely. Looking back, I'm quite fond of them. I used my Wacom tablet to add some shading. Recently, I've had the opportunity to draw real storyboards for on-air commercials. It's a lot of fun.

Blankman Newspaper Ad

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is the Blankman newspaper ad. The class assignment required that the ad must be pasted onto an actual newspaper page. I drew my ad full size onto a large piece of newsprint. Then, I tore a page from the newspaper and pasted my "ad" onto the newspaper page. I drew all of the lettering by hand.

Blankman Ad Campaign

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Face front, blog-o-philes! Last week, I posted my fake product called Blankman, the superhero costume that makes you a superhero. As part of this assignment (from my college days), I also had to create an advertising campaign centered around the product. It was a lot of fun. Here are a couple of ad concepts.

Blankman Power Pack Revisited

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

My original Blankman design was from my college days (so it looks a little rough). Just for fun, I recently redesigned the Blankman Power Pack. The new package artwork is more dynamic. I added a mock-up of the actual costume. I like this new look way better.

Blankman Power Pack Final Design

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is the final design of the Blankman Power Pack. The top image is the front and the second image is the back. The empty area of the front package is where the costume would be placed. On the back, there is a list of instructions and superpowers that you can possess when wearing the Blankman suit.

The images at the bottom of the back side are from the Joe Jusko Marvel Masterpieces trading card set. I LOVE his artwork and incorporated into the design to represent the variety of powers you could possess wearing the Blankman outfit.

Blankman Power Pack Design

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is the final design of the Blankman packaging which I named the Blankman Power Pack. I drew the superhero by hand and did the layout in Photoshop (this was pre-Indesign). Next: adding color and text.

Blankman Package Concept Sketches

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Here's the initial sketches I did for the package design for the Blankman costume. Traditional toy packaging with the cardboard backing is called blister card packaging. I thought it would be cool if the Blankman packaging would be a life-size toy blister card.

Blankman

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a project from my college days. The assignment was to create a fake product and produce an entire advertising campaign for the product. I chose to create a superhero costume that consumers could wear and possess any superhero power that they desire. I named the product BLANKMAN. The idea behind the name was that you could "fill in the blank." Above are some early concept sketches I did.

4After5: Deck These Halls

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Artwork hanging on the walls.

This November 25 - December 18, local art collective 4AFTER5 is proud to present “Deck These Halls” as a part of Christmas in Roseland 2011. The American Rose Center's Welcome Center will showcase holiday-themed work of cartoonists Brad Campbell,Travis Eck, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn throughout the Christmas season.

Take a break from the holiday rush and take a relaxing stroll through Christmas in Roseland. Don't forget to stop by Welcome Center and check out our holiday art. Above is a sample of one of my Roofus Christmas strips.

4After5:Deck These Halls

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Baby, it's cold outside. So come in from the cold and check out the new 4After5 exhibit!

4After5: Deck These Halls

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

Deck These Halls With Cartoon Artwork, Fa-La-La-La-Laaaa, La La La Laaaaaaaa!

4After5: Deck These Halls

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like a 4AFTER5 Christmas.

4After5: Deck These Halls

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'm dreaming of a 4AFTER5 Christmas. And you can too.

This November 25 - December 18, local art collective 4AFTER5 is proud to present “Deck These Halls” as a part of Christmas in Roseland 2011. The American Rose Center's Welcome Center will showcase holiday-themed work of cartoonists Brad Campbell,Travis Eck, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn throughout the Christmas season.

A Side of Guilt

2011-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

This happens to me every Thanksgiving. The family eats for 30 minutes followed by hours of washing dishes.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Grab your favorite lawn chair and help yourself to a serving of jelly beans, popcorn, pretzels, and toast. Have a good old-fashioned Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading, folks.

I Love A Parade

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

I have fond memories of spending Thanksgiving morning watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I also have memories of various cable channels broadcasting marathons of The Waltons on Thanksgiving.

Creator Commentary: The unseen parade announcers in this strip are actually Adam West and William Shatner. Who wouldn't want to see these two TV icons hosting a Macy's parade?

Meet The Parents

2011-11-22T05:28:00.001-08:00

Thanks For Nothing

2011-11-21T06:02:00.001-08:00

Jonas Bot 3000

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

I recently finished another crafty project. My friend and fellow 4 After 5 crew member, Travis Eck and his loving wife had a bouncing baby boy. They were decorating their son's room with a Robot theme. So they asked me, Jeremy Johnson and Jeff Welborn to design a toy robot for the baby room. Over a year later, I finally finished this project (pardon my haste, Trav). Regardless, I think it turned out swell.

I started with a Color Blanks vinyl figure. Then I spray painted the figure with primer and let it dry. Once dry, I spray painted the figure with some Hammered Metal texture paint.

Once dry, I applied black acrylic paint all over the robot's body. Then, I wiped off the excess black leaving some black in the cracks and crevasses of they metal texture. This process is called antiquing. Then I applied some "Blinkies" for the eyes. When you rotate the eyes, they light up! Finally, I added a decal for the mouth and some small details with a Sharpie pen.

Eyes turned off

Eyes turned on

So there you have it. Since Travis' son is named Jonas, it only seems fitting to name the robot after his master. Jonas Bot 3000 is fully operational and ready to serve his human overlords.

Audrey the Artist

2011-11-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a caricature that I did for a friend recently. She asked if I would draw a caricature of her daughter, Audrey, for her birthday party. They made copies of the drawing and used them as coloring sheets at the party. Pretty cool.

Weird Sketch Wednesdays

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's another fine Wednesday. Time for a weird sketch. A fellow co-worker of mine recently visited New York. Upon recalling his visit to the Big Apple, he mentioned that everyone in New York had an iPad. I immediately thought of this gag and sketched it out. I even sketched a logo for a "bum" app.

Roofus, the World War I Flying Ace

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. I dressed as Charlie Brown. As you can see here, Roofus was decked out in his World War I Flying Ace costume in tribute to everyone's favorite beagle, Snoopy.

Halloween Roofus Decorations

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

This Halloween, I decided to throw a big Halloween party at my house. I decked out my pad with all sorts of cool cartoony Halloween decor. When I was shopping for decorations, I found these at my local Target.

I thought it might be cool to create some Halloween Roofus figures for my party. So I bought these Halloween Themed Color Blanks figures. I purchased a frankenstein, a pumpkin head and a ghost figure. Then, I painted the figures with acrylic paint and applied the details with a Sharpie pen. Finally, I made some Roofus ears out of flexible foam paper and glued them each figure. Here is the final result.

Franken-Roof

Roof-O-Lantern

Ghost Roofus

I'm not normally good at arts and crafts, but I was pleasantly pleased at how these little figures turned out. I especially like how the Ghost Roofus looks. He looks exactly like he did as he appeared in his Halloween adventure.

24 Hour Comic 2011: All 24 Pages

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm posting the entire 24 pages of my 24 Hour Comic for your reading convenience. Enjoy!

24 Hour Comic 2011: Final Thoughts

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the final page of my 24 Hour comic for 2011. Even though I did not finish within the 24 Hour deadline, I am still very proud of this year's effort. Drawing these journal comics were a lot of fun. So much fun that I rarely looked at the clock while drawing. I was focused on having fun while drawing (which is the point of 24 Hour Comic Day). I look forward to doing it again next year.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Pencils Down

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 23 of my 24 Hour comic as the story stumbles toward the end.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Mug Shot

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 22 of my 24 Hour Comic. It's winding down to a close, folks. Two more pages to go.

Happy Howl-O-Ween

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, folks. Today's blog post was digitally painted by artist extraordinaire Jeff Welborn. The art and words are by little ol' me.

Tune in tomorrow for the next page of my 24 hour comic.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Heads Up

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 21 of my 24 Hour Comic in which I pay tribute to the classic Daffy Duck cartoon, Duck Amuck. I learned something from this comic: drawing lettuce is hard.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Getting Meta

2011-10-27T00:00:00.001-07:00

Here's page 20 of my 24 Hour comic. After finishing page 19 and staying awake 24 consecutive hours, I was exhausted. I went to bed and slept most of the day. I woke up in the afternoon and finished the final five pages of the comic. The final pages of my 24 Hour comic are a parody of the Duck Amuck cartoon. It features a series of sight gags involving me drawing myself.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Nodding Off

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 19 of my 24 Hour comic. This was the last page that I completed within the 24 hour time limit. I started at 8:30 am on Saturday morning and finished this exact page at 8:30 am on Sunday morning.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Joe Cintiq

2011-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 18 of my 24 Hour Comic in which I discuss drawing my 24 Hour Comic. I thought it would be fun to comment on drawing my 24 Hour comic while I was drawing it. This also gave me the opportunity to discuss my new Cintiq (which is wonderful).

24 Hour Comic 2011: God Bless America

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 17 of my 24 Hour comic in which I heap endless fanboy praise upon my favorite movie of the summer, Captain America. After the REALLY BAD 90s MOVIE and the HORRIBLE 70s TV MOVIE, I was nervous that the new Cap movie would be less than stellar. Marvel Studios obliterated all of my worries by producing the best superhero movie of the year. Chris Evans nailed his performance of Steve Rogers. The costume, the Red Skull, the action: it was all perfect. Captain America, I salute you.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Thor, Geek of Thunder

2011-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 16 of my 24 Hour comic in which I gush about the movie Thor. The movie was fantastic. It was the first big superhero movie of the summer and Marvel Studios nailed it. I loved everything about this movie. You can see the Roofus Thor drawing from panel 2 HERE.

24 Hour Comic 2011: X-Geek

2011-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 15 of my 24 Hour comic in which I review X-Men First Class. I also did not like some of the special effects in the movie. I thought they looked cheesy and unfinished. It was very cool that the entire movie was set in the 60s making it a period piece.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Geek Lantern

2011-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 14 of my 24 Hour comic in which I review the Green Lantern movie. I'm really torn on the GL movie. I don't think it's horrible. I've seen worse superhero movies. It feel that it was inconsistent. Hopefully, Sinestro will play a larger role in the eventual sequel.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Hollywood Heroes

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 12 & 13 of my 24 Hour comic. This was the center spread of the comic so I decided to do a 2 page splash page. As I was drawing the 24 Hour comic, I was able to plan ahead by using the thumbnail layout from the 24 Hour survival kit. This thumbnail layout was VERY helpful to me this year & I plan on using it again next year.

Also, the 2 page spread allowed me to save some time by drawing one big panel instead of 2 pages of multiple panels. Hey, when you've only got 24 hours to draw a comic, you've got to use every trick in the book.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Charles in Charge

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 11 of my 24 Hour comic in which I discuss family matters. Coincidentally, my brother's surprise visit coincided with my birthday weekend. It was really great. The two drawings here are the actual drawings by my nieces. You can see them on a previous blog post HERE.

Bowling for Boobies

2011-10-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

My "Pin Goblin"

Decorated pins by Holly Caskey, me, Emily Welch, Rushing Haise, Atichart Pinrut and Sarah Matthews

Hey, bowling fans. If you like to bowl and would like to donate to a charitable cause, head on down to Holiday Lanes in Bossier City THIS SATURDAY, October 15. Holiday Lanes is hosting Bowl for the Cure. While you bowl, you will help raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. My Gremillion & Pou co-workers and I decorated some bowling pins for the event. These decorative pins will be auctioned off and the proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. There will be a preview party today from 3 - 6 pm. Check out all the details at the Holiday Lanes website. CLICK HERE.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Birthday Booty

2011-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 10 of my 24 Hour comic in which I discuss the ongoing saga of my 36th birthday. At this stage in my life, I usually get birthday cash or gift cards and I buy whatever I want (which is awesome). I bought the Snoopy figurine at the Hallmark store and the Lion-O action figure at Toys R Us.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Birthday Surprises

2011-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 9 of my 24 Hour comic in which I talk about how I spent my 36th birthday. As unmomentous as it was, it was a pretty great birthday. Director Kevin Smith's new movie, Red State, premiered on September 1, which just so happens to be my birthday. Red State was a creepy, suspense movie, but it wasn't Kevin Smith's best work. It was a very different offering from Smith, who is known for (and better at) comedy. Judge for yourself and watch the trailer here.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Aging Gracefully

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 8 of my 24 Hour comic in which I discuss getting old. Turning 36 didn't really bother me this much.

Really.

Also, for those not familiar with cartoon devices, the symbols surrounding the word "CENSORED" represent curse words. These symbols, also known as grawlixes, are an age-old gag that have been used in cartoons and comics since forever.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Over a Barrel

2011-10-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 7 of my 24 Hour Comic. If you read yesterday's blog, you'd understand why I'm wearing this barrel. Younger readers may not be familiar with the "man-wearing-a-barrel" gag. It traditionally represents poverty. In some cases, the gag was used for comic effect like on this Whiz Comics cover.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Book Worm

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here's page 6 of my 24 Hour comic in which I wrap up my Dallas Comic Con experience. Pictured here are just a few of the books that I purchased. The books pictured above are The Best American Comics 2007, Anthology of Graphic Fiction Vol. 2, Songs of the Pogo, Tall Tales by Al Jaffee and Bringing up with Father.

24 Hour Comic 2011: The Price of Geekdom

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's page 5 of my 24 Hour Comic in which I discuss how to balance you comic convention budget. I usually blow ALL OF MY CASH at the conventions, but this year, I actually came home with money. I really did buy this stuff pictured here.

Re: the Peanuts joke. Note that I not only drew myself in Schulz's style, but I also used the Schulz font which mimics his handwriting. Friends and regular readers of my blog know that I'm a Charles Schulz fanatic.

24 Hour Comic 2011: No Autographs, Please

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's page 4 of my 24 Hour Comic in which I further discuss the finer points of Dallas Comic Con 2011. Lots of convention attendees line up for hours to meet celebrities and/or artists for a chance to get an autograph. I've never been one of these people. I go to conventions for one thing: collectibles.

However, I do think that Travis' pic of him and Stan Lee is priceless. (No offense, Trav!)

BTW, check out Travis Eck's awesome art blog at sivartblog.blogspot.com.

Creator Commentary: The Walter Koenig joke in the first panel is actually a reference to an inside joke between me and my friend (and fellow convention attendee) John Brizzi. Years ago, we attended one of the Plano, TX conventions and we planned to meet Walter Koenig (Star Trek's Chekov). We just wanted to say hi and shake his hand. When we arrived at his table, we were greeted with a hand-written sign that read, "Due to illness, Mr. Koenig will not be here today." We both chuckled at the sign and went about our business.

Months later at Wizard World Chicago, once again Walter Koenig was a guest. This time, John and I got to meet him and he was very nice. We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Then, John said, "We missed you in Plano a few months back. They said you were ill."

That's when Chekov got pissed. "ILL? I WAS NOT ILL! They wouldn't pay me so I left," growled Koenig. John and I thought it was hilarious and we still joke about it to this day. It was definitely one of those "had-to-be-there" moments. I'm glad I had the opportunity to immortalize that comic convention memory here in this journal comic.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Con Artist

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's page 3 of my 24 Hour Comic in which I discuss the finer points of comic conventions. Just for the record, I don't hate people who cosplay. I actually respect their hardcore nerd values. It's just something I would never do myself. Also, just for the record, I don't own an Aquaman cookie jar....yet.

24 Hour Comic 2011: Comic Con Cowboy

2011-10-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is page 2 of my 24 Hour comic. Here, I discuss my recent comic con experience. Two Gun Kid is a reference to a western comic book published by Marvel.

Below is a detail of the belt buckle that I'm wearing. I would NEVER wear anything like this (hence, it's funny).

24 Hour Comic 2011: Introductions Aside

2011-10-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

Well, another 24 Hour Comic Day has come and gone. Unfortunately, this year I did not successfully meet the challenge. I came SO close. I woke up early Saturday morning, took a shower, ate some breakfast and hunkered down for a marathon of cartooning. I drew from 9am Saturday to 9am Sunday. After 24 consecutive hours of drawing, my final page count was 19. Around 9:30, I went to sleep. Later that evening, I woke up and finished the remaining five pages. This year, I didn't watch the clock or worry about the deadline. I concentrated on the art. It was a much more enjoyable experience. It was a fun experience and I look forward to doing it again next year. Recently, I drew a series of journal comics. I enjoyed them so much, I decided to take a journal comic approach to my 24 hour comic. I'll be posting a page per day so check back each day for a new page.

24 Hour Comic Day 2011

2011-09-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of the year again. October 1 is 24 Hour Comic Day. Once again, I am taking the insane challenge of drawing an entire 24 page comic book within 24 hours. For the past few years, I've been doing this.

Last year, I didn't finish. CLICK HERE.

The year before that, I finished. CLICK HERE.

The year before that, I finished. CLICK HERE.

A couple of years before that, I finished (but not within the 24 hour deadline). CLICK HERE.

This year, I'm gonna draw on my new Cintiq! Technically, it's not new but used. However, it's new to me and I've been drawing like mad since I got it. What better way to break it in than drawing this year's 24 Hour Comic.

If you're a fellow artist who is taking the challenge, check out this great 24 Hour Comic Survival Kit. The wonderful people at Blitz Comics put this together and it's full of great stuff, including a thumbnail page which I plan on using.

Tune in Monday to see if I finished the challenge. To everyone taking the challenge, good luck!

Meet Al the Oyster

2011-09-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's another classic Boz comic. This strip introduces Al the Oyster. Al is an oyster who can't form a pearl. The gag is that he's constantly forming countless other things besides pearls.

Weird Sketch Wednesday

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a sketch I did for a children's book that I'm working on with a friend of mine. The story called for a female ogre. This was my first draft. I wasn't satisfied with this version so I scrapped and redrew it. I felt this one was too manly (even for a female ogre).

Meet Crabby

2011-09-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here's another classic Boswald T. Bass comic. Crabby is a very crabby crab. I mean, he's a crab. It's what he is. I really like Boswald's expression in the second panel.

Happy Belated Cinco De Mayo!

2011-09-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun little poster that I made for Gremillion & Pou's company Cinco de Mayo potluck dinner. The combination of Roofus wearing a sombrero and holding a bag of Chips Ahoy cookies makes me chuckle.

Aquatic Introductions

2011-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is an underwater strip that I developed when I was in high school called Boswald T. Bass. You can see the development of this strip on my previous blog posts here and also here. This was the final incarnation of the Boswald strip. I only did a handful of these comics, but I think they are a lot of fun.

A Tribute to Duck Amuck

2011-09-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted a sketch of this drawing. Here's the final product. I inked this on my Wacom and colored it in Photoshop. As I mentioned yesterday, this drawing is a loving tribute to the Chuck Jones' animation classic, Duck Amuck.

Weird Sketch Wednesday

2011-09-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

Once again, it's Weird Sketch Wednesday. Here's a weird one drawn by me and my niece Eileen. She drew the Roofus head and I drew the rest. This is an homage to the classic Daffy Duck cartoon, Duck Amuck. Watch it below. Tune in tomorrow for the inked and color version.

Watch Duck Amuck-Daffy DUck LooneyTunes in Animation | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Phoning it In

2011-09-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

Here's another installment of cartoonist Kenny Keil's Cool Beans Man. Kenny's a super talented cartoonist and all around good guy. Plus occasionally, he lets me color one of his comics. Check out his blog HERE.

Roofus' Little Sisters

2011-09-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

My nieces, Eileen and Shayla, thought it would be cute if Roofus had a little sister. So, I gave him two little sisters based on Eillen and Shayla. The girls got a kick out of seeing themselves drawn as cartoon dogs.

Charles and Laurie

2011-09-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Recently when my brother Charles visited, he asked me to draw caricatures of his kids. Little did he know that I would draw a caricature of him and his wife, Laurie. Eileen and Shayla loved it.

Sean Campbell: Jedi Knight

2011-09-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's another caricature I drew. This one is of my nephew Sean. He's a big Star Wars fan, so I drew him as a jedi knight.

Eileen and Shayla

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a caricature that I drew of my nieces, Eileen and Shayla. Their dad, Charles (my brother), asked me to draw a caricature of Eileen and Shayla similar to the one I drew of his other daughters (Jade and Tiffany). Gladly, I obliged.

Jade and Tiffany

2011-09-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a caricature of my nieces, Jade and Tiffany. I drew this years ago. Both Jade and Tiffany are grown women with children of their own. I had completely forgotten about this drawing until Tiffany posted it on Facebook recently.

It's fun to see old drawings. It's similar to looking at an old photograph you haven't seen in years. I've posted the original as well as the newly drawn version.

Picture Pages with Uncle Brad

2011-09-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

This past Labor Day weekend, my brother Charles and his family visited. It was great to see Charles and his wife, Laurie, but it was even greater to see my nephew and nieces: Sean, Eileen and Shayla. I gave them copies of my Slick books and my Roofus book. They loved the books a lot. After reading the books, they wanted to make their own drawings. We had a fun evening of drawing cartoons.

Shayla drew some Slick comics.

Check out her HUGE signature. Hilarious.

Eileen really impressed me. She had a loose leaf binder full of drawings that she has done. It reminded me of my Slick notebooks used to draw. Some of her drawings were impressive.

This was one of her originals: Frosty the Snowgeek. In case you can't see it, he's holding a textbook. Very creative and funny.

Here's a fantastic drawing of Roofus by Eileen.

Here's a drawing of Roofus' mom by Eileen.

And here's a drawing of Roofus' dad by Eileen.

Eileen drew this for my birthday. It was by far my favorite present I got this year.

Happy Birthday from Roofus

2011-09-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

I recently celebrated my birthday with my family. They got me a Roofus cookie cake. I gotta say, Roofus tasted pretty good.

Interpretation of Two Masterworks

2011-09-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

This blog post is an old college project that I recently revisited. The project was from a painting class in which the art professor instructed the class to paint an interpretation of a masterwork. I decided to interpret two masterworks: The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo AND Captain America by Jack Kirby.

Unfortunately, I do not have the original painting that I did. However, here is the original sketch.

Recently, I decided to re-draw the painting. I was never happy with the original painting, so I decided to rework the sketch. For reference, I drew heavily from Ron Garney's version of Captain America (my favorite Cap artist). This is the final result.

Roofus, Dog of Thunder

2011-09-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's September which brings the beginning of school, football season and fall. Unfortunately, it also brings an end to the summer movie season. If you're a comic book fan, what a summer it was! I personally was a little disappointed in the Green Lantern movie, but Mavel did NOT disappoint. Thor, X-Men First Class, and Captain America were cinematic treasures. Captain America was my personal favorite (Thor being a close second).

This Thor Roofus drawing was a lot of fun. I drew this with pen and ink (which is rare since I draw digitally these days). Maybe I'll draw a Captain America Roofus.

They're Not Comics...They're Graphic Novels!

2011-09-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, the downtown/main branch of Shreveport's Shreve Memorial Library hosted a ribbon-cutting for their new, $25,000 graphic novel collection on Thursday, August 25. The comic art collective 4 After 5 hosted an all-ages workshop on creating comics prior to the ribbon-cutting. Pictured here are (l to r) Brad Campbell (that's me), Travis Eck, and Jeremy Johnson. Thanks to Chris Jay for the fantastic photography.

This was 4 After 5's first speaking engagement. We were all a little nervous, but once we got started, everything went great. It was a fun and enjoyable experience and I look forward to doing it again. Also, major props to Shreve Memorial for respecting graphic novels as literature by giving them an entire section in the library.

Also, I made these cool new Roofus magnets.

Journal Comics: April 7, 2011

2011-09-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's cool to see Disney back on track. I've liked most of their latest theatrical efforts. I especially enjoyed both Tangled and Princess and the Frog (both princess movies, go figure).

This was my last journal comic. I enjoyed making these comics and I hope to draw more in the future.

Journal Comics: April 6, 2011

2011-09-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

I do this a lot. I'll come home from work and konk out. I added the Sandman for some added humor.

Journal Comics: April 5, 2011

2011-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

This journal comic was a rant against the upcoming Governator cartoon from Schwarzenegger and Stan Lee. Don't get me wrong. I love Stan Lee. He wrote some of the greatest comic book stories ever told. But, seriously, Stan (I'm talking directly to you, Stan)...hang it up, man. You're not gonna top Spider-Man. You're not gonna top the Hulk. You've outdone yourself, sir. On behalf of the comic book fanboy community, knock it off.

Here's my original Stan Lee sketch.

Journal Comics: April 4, 2011

2011-09-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

This was something that I enjoyed about the journal comic experience. It gave me the opportunity to comment on current events. When I found out Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stan Lee were teaming up to create a new animated series, it blew my mind.

Journal Comics: April 3, 2011

2011-08-31T04:29:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite journal comic that I did. I like it because it is a great example of comic strip writing. I took a boring day and made it seem more interesting with words and funny pictures. That's comic strip writing in a nutshell.

Journal Comics: April 2, 2011

2011-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

On April 2, Blade Studios, a local recording studio, held an open house. Unbeknownst to me, right next door, Moonbot Studios was also holding an open house. Moonbot Studios is an animation studio located in the Biospace facility in Shreveport, LA. I quickly abandoned the Blade Studios tour and gleefully invaded Moonbot's hallowed halls.

It was a wonderful experience. They had a giant bookshelf full of reference materials, storybooks, and comics. The highlight was a HUGE book of Windsor McCay's Little Nemo comic strips. They also had huge oversize prints of Little Nemo and Krazy Kat comic strips hanging on the walls. Plus, I saw some awesome storyboards for their upcoming projects.

Kudos to William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg for creating such an inspiring, fun and creative space for their artists. Check out their latest short film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore, at morrislessmore.com.