Hugo’s Blog

Go ahead and laugh, but one thing I'm thankful for this year is LJ. I joined about 8 months ago, and it's really made a positive difference with my artwork in terms of getting feedback from people, meeting other artists, and having a place to show stuff that otherwise would have just collected dust in my apartment. I'd dropped out of drawing for several years and it's only since 2007 that I've really been consistently doing it again. 2008, though, has been a really good drawing year for me, and I attribute a lot of that to all the cool people I've met on LJ who've encouraged me and responded to my work. So thanks to all y'all. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving! (and an old-school analog thanks, as always, to Frau Krull. You're still number one!)

One of my best book finds in the past year is definitely PILLSBURY'S BAKE-OFF COOKBOOK from 1970, which I picked up at the Salvation Army here in Jersey City. Each page features a winning recipe, but the prize really goes to the contestant's accompanying photo. These pictures have been a real source of inspiration to me, so here's a few of them.

"meat pillows" *snicker*

I am in such a foul fucking mood right now. Got in a fight with my goddamn stupid douchebag of a landlord, second night in a row the kitchen sink doesn't work, already 10:30 and I haven't got a fucking line's worth of drawing done, holiday bullshit looming on the horizon.....arrrhhghghghh!

Here's a drawing from last year of some dude

Back in September, I posted about how I'd started working on a long comic story featuring my character, Virgil. Well, I was plodding ahead with it, working on it regularly for a few weeks, but then other stuff came up and it kind of got pushed to the bottom of the pile. But earlier this week I picked it back up, and I'm trying to devote at least one night a week to working on it. By that rate, it should be done sometime around the end of the second Obama administration.
Here's the pencils for a page that I did earlier this week

A few notes about this page:
--I may get rid of the little head growing out of the deformed child's head. I like it, but I don't know if it's clear what's going on there. Also, it looks like the head has something to do with the fires in the towers from the way he's looking at them.
--I've gotta make the train collision under the tidal wave a little clearer. It's hard to tell what's happening there.
--I may change the CATS marquee to one for PHANTOM (of the opera). Then I could draw that stupid mask on the poster, which would read better.
--The guy bayonneting the baby does not have three legs. I just haven't chosen which one to use yet.
--I'm gonna change the War of the Worlds spacecraft in the bottom left. Something will go there, but I don't know what now. (and yes, there'll be text in the balloon at the top.)

That's all.

Oh, what a glorious day it was at the old post office yesterday. For what did I find crammed in my box (mmmmm...) but a whole ass-load of cartoon goodness. First off, I am still in the state of slack-jawed awe that followed peeling off the envelope from and holding in my unworthy hands an original work of art sent to me by the Overlord of Ink himself, David Paleo Look upon his works and tremble!!!!

Fuck, I love this drawing! David is one of my favorite artists working today, and one of the nicest guys I've ever had the pleasure of corresponding with. You may have seen his work in Robin Bougie's CINEMA SEWER or SLEAZY SLICE magazines, or in issues #3 and 4 of HOUSE OF TWELVE comics, all of which you should snatch up right away. In fact, just go to David's website and send him large sums of cash--he fucking deserves it!

And the hits kept coming, because I also received my copy of dexter_cockburn's high-larious GOOFY FUNNIES #5, the filthiest little collection of comics this side of the Alderbarren slime pits, and the premiere issue of Max Black's (blackguard23)new comix zine BLACKGUARD, which delves into the inexhaustible pit of madness that is religion. Grab 'em both!

Going way back to 1997 for this one (see the Olestra reference)

This was the centerfold for the 3rd issue of a zine called CHURN that I put out back in the day. Now, I hate just about everything I draw, but this piece always had a place in my heart. So, of course it's only fitting that the original artwork is missing and is most likely lost forever. In early 1998, I entered this drawing in a group show in a club on the Lower East Side of NYC (I think it was at ABC No Rio, but I can't fully remember) and I never received it back. I had my phone number on the back of the drawing, but I didn't have an answering machine at the time, so I don't know if anyone tried to contact me. I did call the place to ask about it, but no one who answered the phone ever knew what I was talking about. I think it's gone for good. What's worse, I only have one xerox copy of it, of which this is a scan.

In other news, I'm home sick with a cold. I was hoping to get some drawing done, but this thing is really kicking my ass, so it's TV time, I guess. I rented Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullfuckers, but, based on reviews I've read on other people's LJ pages, I hesitate to watch it as it may prove terminal in my weakened condition.

Cheese Hasselberger, Grand Poobah of the House of 12 comix empire, has posted a kick-ass drawing of the Checkered Demon on his blog as part of his tribute to S. Clay Wilson, and the bastard has also thrown down the cum-stained gauntlet in a comment on MY blog with a challenge to draw the Checkered Demon myself. Well, I drew my personal fave instead, Captain Pissgums!!!

(Only old farts such as I will get the Draw Me caption)

So post your own S. Clay drawing. Maybe we'll conjure up enough good healing energy in the process and wake the bastard up. Lord knows I don't want to have to post the obituary I'm composing in my head.

Here's a gag in a Freudian vein (no pun intended) that didn't quite work out. It was drawn last year, and I've since used parts of it in other drawings.

Speaking of Freud, on Sunday night I dreamt that I drowned a baby in a sink. I don't remember the set-up, but I was standing in front of my kitchen sink, holding this dead, wet baby in my hands. I started to panic and then I began trying to convince myself that it was only a doll and I hadn't really killed it, which only added to my confusion as I then couldn't figure out what the truth of the matter actually was. It's no secret that I don't like kids, but yeesh, this is ridiculous!

Next, I NEED an MP3 of the song at the 0:45 mark in this trailer:

Finally, say a prayer for the speedy recovery of underground comix godfather S. Clay Wilson, who's in the hospital with a severe brain injury. Read about it here

Little Bow Pepe? Latino cross-dresser with a fairy tale fetish?

The more I look at these, the more I wonder if they aren't a put-on/"art" They seem a bit too perfectly crazy.

Then there's this

Another ancient drawing. This one must be at least 9 years old.

See, the guy's fucking a pig, but instead of thinking of a woman, he's fantasizing about another pig...and....eh...ugh.
It occurs to me now that I could have utilized the drawing space better and avoided the whole issue of dating my work with reference to the sequel of a film that nobody remembers in the first place by drawing the pig-fucker with his eyes closed and imagining himself fucking a nice plump pig sporting a county fair first-prize ribbon. Oh well. It's typical of me to come to these realizations ten years after the fact.