ORIGINAL ART : "eat a dik"

ORIGINAL ART : "Girl Ever After"

GIRL EVER AFTER by Tommy Kovac

     I did this on commission. Watercolor paint, acrylic paint, watercolor markers, colored pencil, glitter paint, silver paint, and some gloss varnish on illustration board.

     I'm doing illustrations for a friend's book, plus I'm getting ready to do some artwork for a group show in May (gallery999), so naturally I had to get sidetracked and do some weird stuff that has nothing to do with either of those things.

     First I gave a makeover to a scuffed-up brown outdoor bunny using glitter paint and spray paint:

He is now an indoor bunny.

The pattern on his back allows him to hide, entirely camouflaged, in my art room.

     And then I drew this doodle:

BOX OF BOOKS VOL.5 RELEASE PARTY

     Saturday night my husband and I drove up to Chinatown in L.A. with our good friend Matt for the "release party" of a group art project I participated in. "Box of Books Vol.5" was organized by Darin Klein & Friends. (Darin's a curator at L.A.'s Hammer Museum)
     20 creators were each asked to make 100 copies of a little reversible booklet using 11"x17" paper and a clever cutting and folding technique. Subject matter was totally up to the creators.

The Weirdling Woods (I sign each one by hand in magical silver ink)

     I chose to use this opportunity to work with a project I've been noodling with for years. An illustrated children's fantasy story called The Weirdling Woods.

The Weirdling Woods, page 3

     That's all you get, as far as a peek at The Weirdling Woods. I'll be selling them online for $5 each through my Etsy shop: HERE. (Give me until about 11/7/'12 to get it listed, por favor)

Sales table, people, a dog...

More people, and that freeloader dog is still there... (I don't think it even purchased Box of Books Vol.5)

Upstairs zine room, looking down on main floor of exhibit hall

Anthony amid art

The foyer of the facility was draped with black ribbons, a visual theme that was carried throughout the place.

DOODLE-DOO : a random work doodle

"Registration Beast," #2 pencil on notebook paper, by Tommy Kovac 

     Today was the second day of registration for the new school year, in which I'm stuck standing at my library counter all day initialing paperwork crap, taking library and textbook fine money, handing out library donation flyers, and selling combination locks for their stupid book lockers. It was pretty busy, but occasionally there was a brief lull in which I had to occupy myself.

CARTOON : Bear Trap

ARTWORK : Retirement Ladies

"Ladies of Leisure"

     I was asked to do a flyer for two Librarians who are retiring at the end of this school-year. This is the illustration I did for it. Obviously, one of them is into gardening, and the other enjoys scrapbooking and what she refers to as "gentle fiction." I just made up the dulcimer part.

CARTOON : "English Teacher"

HUMAN HEAD CARTOONS

          On Tuesday, January 17th, two dog walkers on a trail in the Hollywood Hills discovered a human head in a bag. One of their dogs started playing with it. Here's the story:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8509333
          Of course I drew a few quick cartoons inspired by it:

IN THE DREAMHOUSE: 3-headed sock puppet

          A few nights ago I had this surreal dream (hard to describe) that involved sock puppets I had made, and putting on a show with them, and stringing little Christmas tree lights through them for eyes. There was also playground equipment; swings hanging from chains, that sort of thing. I levitated up to a chalked gymnastics bar and was performing puppet shows on the monkey bars or whatever they were. Before I went to bed I had NOT been drinking or smoking anything, so I'm not sure why my dreams were so loopy.

This was my first attempt at drawing the 3-headed sock puppet from my dream

          The first time I tried drawing that 3-headed puppet, my creative license took over and I made it too cute, with a little hat and some props. Then I realized the REAL 3-headed sock puppet with lights for eyes looked more like this:

More lumpen, less jaunty

          Now maybe I can stop thinking about that stupid puppet.

MY OWN DAMN CALENDAR : February

"Cupid VS the Bee of Hate"

          For this month, even though I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd go all out with the pink and the hearts and the angel wings.  Not sure why I drew Cupid as sort of a koala/Care Bear, but it made sense at the time.

          Naturally there has to be a yang to Cupid's yin, hence the Bee of Hate.

          The casual observer might ask, "Are they pooping hearts and death's heads?"  I perceive it as more of a being propelled by a stream of hearts, and being propelled by a stream of hatred. 

MY OWN DAMN CALENDAR

          Like usual New Year's came and went and I suddenly realized I hadn't picked up a new calendar.  By that time it was all Jonas Brothers, barns, and bikini girls in the 50% off bargain calendar racks.  I decided to make my own calendar.  It's a little belated, but here's January:

"New Year's worm is fierce and focused"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!