Below are some pieces that I’ve worked on/ am working on. I hope you dig ‘em!
For starters:
Here’s the album cover for Mr. Bond$ – Work Release Vol. 1 “Community Service” check out his music here! Dude’s an awesome lyricist and an excellent guy to work with.
Next up is Skate Cat! He’s heard it all…
You can snag him as a tee, iphone/samsung galaxy case, or even a tote bag on Society 6!
A$AP Rocky in my style, I plan to color this soon!
More to come.
I just submitted a design up for scoring on Threadless for their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle contest. You can vote to get it printed and enter for a chance to win the design on a t-shirt if it wins! Vote for it here!
NYCC was crazy!
Crazy packed! Haha, but that meant nothing but more fun for everyone in attendance.
It was a great convention featuring panels, giveaways, sing alongs, game previews, limited edition comics, and cosplayers galore. I spent most of my time in Artist Alley, which was relief for anyone looking for an alternative to the madness of the con floor. If you follow my Tumblr then you probably saw the tables I hit. Admittedly my tumblr-ings didn’t catch all of my haunts, so I’ll point out my favorite stopping points.
Khary Randolph being awesome, doing commisions and selling Pimpjooze 7! @kharyrandolph
Sara Woolley dropping the science and selling her wares, Check her out! @SaritaJeanine
The Vescell crew showing some #FreeHugz love! @johnnyrockwell @goldnavigator
Artist Alley was sort of a safe haven for anyone who was trying to avoid the hustle and bustle of the con foor. It featured amazing artists like (websites): Khary Randolph, Sara Woolley, Javier Cruz Winnik, Ross Campbell, Sanford Greene, Ronald Wimberly, and MeccaGodZilla!
Ross Campbell had his new book Wet Moon volume 6 for sale at his table and that thing got devoured in the first few days of the con! Khary Randolph was pimpin’ Pimpjooze 7 which has undeniably amazing illustrations in it. Ron Wimberly was shelling out his new release through Vertigo, Prince of Cats; a must read. And MeccaGodZilla (a.k.a. Ryu Black) had his album Perfect 天 on the tables which I was rockin’ the whole con!
Cover illustrations by Ron Wimberly, dope lyrics by MeccaGodZilla (Ryu Black). A Street Fighter meets Hip-Hop musical, that boasts dope lyrics and stunning production. A percentage of album sales go to charity! Hip-Hop for a cause.
I’ve pretty much been listening to @meccagodzilla‘s Perfect 天 on repeat this whole weekend! Click the link to listen: manafestvisionmedia.bandcamp.com/album/perfect
— Branson B II (@BbStarD) October 15, 2012
A must read; things start coming together in this volume.
Amazing read; Shakespeare meets Brooklyn with Katanas! Pick it up!
Purely dope illos from start to finish, cop a copy while you can!
The main floor was amazing! Many artists were exhibiting, there were giveaways being launched at fans, and videogames were being showcased! I was compelled to play Capcom’s new Darkstalkers release, the classic 2-D fighter stays true to its roots in a world of 2-D gone 3-D games. I also picked up sticks for Sony’s new free for all melee based game, in which you’re allowed to pick from Playstation’s catalogue of heavy hitting hit makers. I played as Jak of Jak and Daxter and had a blast (or at least a blast cannon), this new release reminds me of a game titled after overpowered fighting siblings… Avengers: Battle For Earth, sucks you in! I’m calling it an arcade classic. It combines your want to be a super hero with your very own endorphins; a brilliant call by the developers.
Darkstalkers Resurrection
PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale
Awesome “you as the controlller” video game. @Nenaluna gave me a run for my money!
When checking out the exhibitors tables I ran into some more of my Drink and Draw NYC brethren, Jimmy Tran and Emilio Lopez, who were sharing a table. Both brought breathtaking bodies of work to the show. I also bumped into the B9 Kingdom crew: Yuko & Ananth, Becky & Frank, and Evan Dahm! They are an awesome collective with nothing but good vibes and beautiful comics and illustrations to spread around.
The crew of @evndahm, @aidosaur, @ananthymous, and @beckyandfrank #B9 Kingdom
The days were packed! I decided to take part in some of the many events that were lined up. I visited the Hip-Hop & Comics panel which featured Hip-Hop Greats: Pete Rock, Darry McDaniels (D.M.C. of Run-DMC), Public Enemy DJ Johnny “Juice” Rosado, and Jean Grae. There to balance the panel were the exceptional visual artists and comickers: Kagan McLeod, Eric Orr, Ron Wimberly, Adam Wallenta, and Ron Wilson.
Hip-Hop & Comics panel Eric Orr is reaching for something back there
The panelists expressed how comics related to hip-hop and vice-versa. For some it was more personal, D.M.C. explained that for him being a rapper was more like taking on a persona, like The Amazing Spider-man or The Incredible Hulk! He shared stories relating to how comics even helped him get started as a rapper. DJ Johnny “Juice” Rosado shared the secret of his beats. For him, making beats for Public Enemy was like building a brutal battle between super heroes and villians. One side of the beat was literally beating the other side in a back and forth rumble on the track! Eric Orr created the first Hip-Hop comic in 1986, Rappin’ MAX Robot. He rapped with the crowd about how his self-published book set his neighborhood abuzz and went on to sell for 4 times the cover price in a month! During the panel Ron Wimberly had an epiphany! He realized that after a time of being upset with distributors throwing his graphic novel, Prince of Cats into the “Hip-Hop” category that their description was valid. Though he didn’t set out to make a hip-hop comic, the essence of the book was Hip-Hop! How the culture affected him as an artist clearly cascaded onto the pages of P.O.C..
Darryl Mac really dropped some science at that panel, I’ll have other videos up on my tumblr page. That Saturday night, attendees were in for a treat and I have to say, I had a few friends text and tweet their regrets at missing this. There was an R. Kelly “Trapped In The Closet” Sing Along!
The line for the event was insane, and the theatre it was housed in was packed! As R. Kelly fans entered the room, they noticed that on their chairs sat 3 items:
“Trapped In The Closet” sing along swag (stuff): a condom, a spatula, and 2 Bingo cards! twitter.com/BbStarD/status…
— Branson B II (@BbStarD) October 14, 2012
The spatula and the condom, although real were play along props from turning points in the “Trapped In The Closet” saga. Condoms flew through the air when the “Oh my god a rubber!” scene occurred and spatulas were shaken at the screen when Roooossseeeyyy the Nooossseeeeyyy Neighbor came by to see what all the ruckus was about. I didn’t stick around long enough to catch the new episodes (yes NEW episodes) or to participate in the Bingo aspect of the event, but I had a great time!
In short, NYCC did not fall short when it came to fun and entertainment. The convention was clearly planned with consideration for the consumer. They even had phone charging stations equipped with various chargers and seats so attendees could recharge along with their devices! I always have a blast when I go to New York Comic Con, and this year’s was no exception.
Check out my cosplay Flickr feed:
Twitter shoutouts:
#NYCC KICK’N IT CREW S/Os @nenaluna @crimdelacrim06 @dammitjosh @essbeedrawz @jeremywins @roaming_student @wigglytype @lovewin @rasbutain
— Branson B II (@BbStarD) October 15, 2012
#NYCC #DrinkNDrawNYC @mrdevul @thalearningcurv @kharyrandolph @essbeedrawz @pcpicayo @lazymills @biggunn01 Sara Wooley & peeps w/o twitter
— Branson B II (@BbStarD) October 15, 2012
S/Os to the other good peeps that made the weekend dope! @visiblespecter @ongaku88 @voxthedevil @t2tharell @kham__i__am @mrzomagic @_lyve_
— Branson B II (@BbStarD) October 15, 2012
Hell High NY has a tumblr! Check it out, and if you dig it shoot a tweet at HHNY twitter with the hashtag #WWWD (What would Wally Do?) or #HHNY.
There you’ll find sketches, illustrations, and thumbnails for HellHighNY pages!
SPX was awesome this year!
It’s awesome every year…but I had an especially awesome time this year! It was my second time coming out and I can’t wait for the 3rd. I was at table I7 with Jen Weber creator of Run Lil Jared and Kate Farquhar creator of Zodiac and Friends. It also featured the work of Andrea Tsurumi (Andrea Tsurumi.com) and Alexander Rothman (Versequential).
Behind the table with Jen Weber
It was a tight spot, I kept rubbing elbows with L. Nichols, but she was cool about it. The rest of the con was really fun, I enjoyed the Ignatz Awards. The official illustration for the award show was drawn by Darryl Ayo last year’s Ignatz Award winner (Promising New Talent). It was nice seeing all the nominees getting their due.
Ignatz Award Balloon, illustration by Darryl Ayo
After the award show was the afterparty, all of the artists got together and mingled. Drinks were shared and good vibes were spread. You could see the artists of the con trading Y.O.L.O. tatts.
My Tatt courtesy of Evan Dahm
Y.O.L.O. Cat Tatt
Here’s mine and Savannah Zambrano‘s , done up by Evan Dahm. You’ll find a bunch more if you search the web. Here are my shoutouts for the con, as if the excessive name drops in this post weren’t enough…
From my twitter shoutouts: These are amazing artists you should check out and follow:
#SPX2012 S/O @nenaluna @rasbutain@pranas @darrylayo @wormulus @beckyandfrank @kellhound @ananthymous @aidosaur @ianjay @dernjg @bigtimepdx
— Branson B II (@BbStarD) September 17, 2012
…@jeremy_sorese @jeremy_wins @pbquach @disquietville @wigglytypeWord up! #SPX2012 #shoutouts
— Branson B II (@BbStarD) September 17, 2012
Can’t forget this man @evndahm, thanks for the tatt homie! #YOLO #SPX2012 #shoutouts twitter.com/BbStarD/status…
— Branson B II (@BbStarD) September 17, 2012
Here’s some updates for ya!
Let’s start at the top. Free Hugz!
This tee started off as a play on the whole “Free Hugs” movement. Y’know, people wear shirts that read “Free Hugs” and then give you a hug. So, I decided, “Wouldn’t it be ill if it was all about freeing a teddy bear named Hugs? No, Hugz!” This is the result, but what is a good BbStarD tee without a story behind it right? Hence, the Free Hugz comic!
Free Hugz Comic and sticker
Currently, I’ve been selling them at cons, but I’ll be selling them through my site soon. I’ll keep you posted on twitter and tumblr.
Welcome to BbStarD.com I just updated my site from my previous html built version, which actually I think was cool, but through the magic of WordPress sites are a lot easier to update. So here we are. Thanks for stopping in, here’s a treat!
It’s my Css Zen Monk, he’s located in the illustration section of the site, seems fitting for this post.
