HAPPY NEW YEAR

Forgive the scribbly nature of this offering, but I think I'm the illest it's possible to humanly be without wearing a toe-tag. Great theme week this week, and very apt, with Indijons clogging up the schedules as he does every Christmas. Lovely stuff.

And unless I get press-ganged into Pictionary or Cranium later tonight, this is my final doodle of 2010. Here's hoping for more unbidden weekly offerings in 2011! Stay safe, Mick-Lickers. N'Night!

X

"We're not sinking, we're crashing!"

Fortune and Glory Kid. Fortune and Glory

HENRY JONES JR.

Funny Story, as i was drawing this, i went downstairs to make a cup of tea and caught the last 5 mins of 'The Last Crusade' on TV.

COINCIDENCE......?

Yes. But a funny one.

Dec.

Indiana Jones

This was my pick for a theme week, so I've tried to put the effort in. That said, I couldn't finish it in time. I've put over 2 and a half days into it already, it's like an artistic black hole.

Two of the biggest influences on my young life have been Raiders Of The Lost Ark( and of course the sequels), and the work of Drew Struzan. It's hard to decide which inspires me more. So this is my attempt at an homage to both the Indy movies(original trilogy, though I did really enjoy most of Crystal Skull) and Drew-Stru. 

It's full of stars!

I've had this one in my head since forever- nice to finally get it out. I used to have the Kirby adaptation as a child- made no sense to me at the time, but still remember being arrested by the imagery.

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here; this is the War Room

Merry Nickmas, Mick-Lickers!

X

2001

Snowed in

Apologies for my rare missed day. But i have been snowed in on a flight home and made to land in glasgow. Pic coming as soon as i get home

FULL METAL JACKET

Full Metal Jacket is the first Kubrick movie I ever saw. Maybe the first war movie I properly watched. That whole section with the Marine training is pretty intense stuff. I rewatched the movie recently and the scene with Private Pyle going mental is still very gripping and chilling; the acting, the colour palette, the music, etc. Great stuff. To end; some of my favourite lines...

"You had best unf*ck yourself or I will unscrew your head and shit down your neck!"



"I don't know but I've been told, Eskimo pussy's mighty cold"



God has a hard-on for Marines because we kill everything we see! He plays His games, we play ours!

Dec.

Kubrick Week

My Internet connection is down at the minute, so this is basically a place-holder that I can update with my(weak-ass, you're not missing anything) sketch once the line gets repaired. Snow has stopped play at the moment.
Normal service shall resume soon. I hope.


RELUCTANT UPDATE:

Finally got the 'net up and running again, So here's my crappy 'Kubrick' piece. Yes, this is the best I could come up with. Believe me, I toyed with the idea of not putting it up at all, but my stupid sticktoititveness won out.
Ugh, I'm so ashamed....

Blue Note Bebop

I entirely missed out on the TMNT cartoon, though the comics were fun. For something so oddly subversive and underground at the time, it was weird to see them get turned into wholesome Saturday morning cartoon fare. My doodle was of Bebop, the warthog Mutant (apparently he was created for the show, which was a bit short on other mutants). He was typical inoffensive cartoon stuff: closer to Miss Piggy then the real thing. I had precisely zero time to give to this- wish I had more time to hammer this into a decent idea, but there you go.

Sharpie Shredders

Hey chaplings! Blogging from the past, as this week I'm in NYC. Dec and Will invited me over to stay with them, so by now, I guess I'll be hanging out with them. Can't wait! It's been ages since I'm seen them. I dunno why they specified this time of year to come visit them, but as you read this, all three of us will be palling around together; Three Amigos coming at you from the gates of dawn.

Knocked these sharpie doodles off as I was scrabbling to get my plane. Mick First, air travel second. that's what we all have tatooed onto our perinea.

Back next week with exciting tales of hanging out with my favourite Midweek Micks!

Krang by Stephen Thompson

I was the perfect age when the Turtles came along and so naturally I embraced them with open arms. I watched the cartoon, bought the toys, wore the t-shirts; I even got a couple of drawing published in the British Turtles comic. And it was Turtles comics that first got me to venture into an actual comic shop and eventually lead me to a career drawing the things.

Duuuuuudeeeee!

I redid my piece yesterday, Firstly because I drew Leonardo, even though Mikey was always my favourite. And secondly because I missed the point of what the original turtles comics were, i.e. comic book homages.
This here is an homage to one of my favourite comic book images and to one of my favourite turtles images.The former being Jim Lees Batman poster and the latter being a rare Dreamwave teaser poster for the comic. (A poster I badly want by the way)
I love the turtles. I can remember seeing a picure of them in the Cork Examiner before the cartoon was released here basically explaining that these guys were going to be huge. And huge they were. If you havent seen it, and if you are a fan of comics, then I would highly recommend watching Turtles forever.
By the way. im on a plane Going to sweden right now. WHeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

TMNT: Old School!

Man, I loved me some Turtles back in the day.

It's crazy how tastes change, i used to hate any version of them that was not the cartoon; if they had nostrils, if they had pointed mouths, if their bandana colours weren't different colours, etc. Now, it's the original comic versions that would appeal to me the most.

Anyway, I wanted to spend a bit of time on this week's piece. Haven't been happy with any of my Micks pieces of late.

Dec.

Raphael

Was a little too old to fully appreciate the Turtles, although I always thought the original comicbook versions were pretty cool. I had a bit of a soft spot for Raphael, who was cool, but rude.

Long-time Micksters might remember the sketch for this way back in the blog's infancy. See it here.

Skeksis

Jim Henson's Fantasy Movies are just great, and I have special spot for The Dark Crystal and it's evil Gonzos: the Skeksis. Like all great kids movies, they weren't afraid to take them to some really dark places- he's been missed.

Bean Bunny wishes you a Furry Christmas

Inspired by the Muppets' definitive Christmas Carol, here's Bean Bunny's festive spirit being put to the test yet again. I love how he's a fall-guy and an in-joke for all things cute and cloying. Still doesn't stop him from melting my robotic heart.

Thanks to everyone who made the trip to Meet a Mick at Forbidden Planet today. I was unable to attend, but big hugs to all who came and supported the boys, and tummy-rubs to the lovely staff there too.

Sarah and the Fireys

So far everybody's gone with Muppets so I thought I'd show one of Henson's movies some love. Labyrinth is one of my favourite films and also the best thing David Bowie has ever done. It was hard to single out one of the creatures from the film but I went with a FIrey, those guys who could dismember themselves and yet still sing and dance.

Thompson and Shalvey

Ahem.... I mean Statler and Waldorf

THE MUPPETS

Yikes. Tough act to follow from yesterday.

Anyway, I've been up for 24 hours or so and am also jetlagged so when I wake up in a day's time, I really hope this piece still looks okay to me. I think it came out okay, but i might also be slowly going insane. You decide.

[EDIT] Here's a more Pop-Art-ified version.
















Dec.

Fozzie Bear

Had great fun with this one, whoever came up with Henson Week deserves a pat on the back.
Fozzie was always my favourite muppet as a kid, and when I got a bit older and realised he was brought to life by the great Frank Oz, I loved him even more. Henson creations in general are just magical. The muppets, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, all classics. I sincerely hope that CG effects never completely take the place of these beautiful, practical creations, as they just can't come close to the way the physical character moves with weight and momentum, emotes and has actual presence on screen.
Can't wait to see what the other lads come up with.

P.S.- I must point out that this sketch is obviously a bit of an ode to one of my favourite artists of all time, Bill Watterson. Bet he loves the Muppets too.

Cyclops

I love the Cyclops from The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, but my favorite Sinbad was John Philip Law from The Golden Voyage, so it seemed to be a good idea for them to finally get acquainted.

Who's the Calibos?

Tony Danza.

I've known a librarian and a drama teacher who look like Calibos. Just the look for someone who works closely with children, I think you'll agree.

Deadlines: Shit 'em.

Medusa by Stephen Thompson

I had this pencilled before Dec put his up so I apologise for the doubling up. Harryhausen films are up there with Star Wars and Indiana Jones in terms of childhood influences with me. The Medusa from Clash of the Titans is one of his best creatures and I love how he pushed her design by making her a half-snake creature rather than just a woman with snakes for hair. The scene itself is a masterclass in moody lighting and suspense, two things modern genre film makers seem to have forgotten how to do. It's like they're terrified that if they slow down for a moment their audience will get bored and leave.

Monsters

Eeep, Im gonna get it here. But my childhood memories of Harryhausen movies are bad ones. If I was still inside on a Saturday or Sunday and I was watching one of them it meant the cartoons were over and the weather was too bad to be outside playing football. Infact, I have a strong dislike to them because of this. A shame I know. Still, I obviously respect the guy and what he did.
Take a look over at my own blog where I've posted up the first two of Eighty Eighties characters in my own little, non Mick related project
sliney.blogspot.com

MEDUSA

I'm afraid I've no childhood admiration for the Harryhausen movies; like many things they're something i learned to appreciate more as an adult, than as a child. Like boobies. Speaking of which....

Quick, rough sketch this week (deadlines!). So quick and rough you can see i didn't even have time to use google to see what a snake actually looks like.

Dec.

Harryhausen Skeleton Warrior

I tried to convince myself that I didn't have time to do a proper piece this week, but I couldn't help myself. I have so many indelible memories of Ray harryhausen's incredible creations seared onto my mindgrapes since childhood. All those saturday afternoons sitting on the floor in front of the telly watching Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad et al. Of all the amazing creatures he brought to life(Talos, Kali, The Cyclops, Medusa, The Gorgon, the giant scorpions.... classics all), the sequence I still remember thrilling to the most as a kid was the one in Jason and the Argonauts where Jason and his crew face off against the 'children of hydra', or the skeleton warriors as they're more commonly known.
Just utterly brilliant cinema, Harryhausen injected such life and personality into those bony feckers; it repeatedly blew my tiny mind.

HypnoToad

More creature heads- always my favorite.

BENDER by Nick Roche

This week's picture heading will make it a lot easier for former schoolmates to Google me, containing, as it does, the names I went by during my time at the Christian Brothers.

So yeah...Futurama, eh? What is there I can say about it? Umm...Well, I was quite tickled by the CG modelled spaceships that time I saw it.

Erm...

That's all I have to say about Futurama!

Sorry to all those hoping to come across Bob Byrne today. There are other parts of the internet where your positively encouraged to come across him. He bloody loves it. But Fridays is where I'll live from now on. My new catchy day name may need some work though. Suggestions...?

Horrible Gelatinous Blob

I've managed to climb out from under the avalanche of deadlines long enough to do a proper piece this week. The brilliance of Futurama really took the sting out of the Simpson's quality freefall ten years ago. Of course Futurama was cancelled and the Simpsons is still dragging it's corpse across tv, but that's how it goes.

The Head Museum

Pheewww. I drew this well over a week ago when I got the idea, and with the ComicTwart guys already having a go and a few Micks ahead of me I was sweating that someone else would have come up with the same gag.

"DAFFODIL"

God I love Bender. I love that even though everyone in Futurama knows him, he always makes a point of telling people his name.

Soooo busy right now, so just took a few minutes to do this small drawing of Bender. I like how the 'lil guy came out.

Dec

Zzap!

Once again, snowed under with work this week, so my effort is not at all like I envisioned it would be . Ho hum. Looking forward to the other lads' pieces though.

DASH RENDAR by Nick Roche

If I could have changed my name when I was seventeen years old, it would have been to Dash Rendar.

I just totally bummed Shadows of The Empire. It came into being around the time I got frighteningly autistic about Star Wars, and having not been fully aware of the original releases as they came out, I felt like this was a unique jumping-on point with in which to immerse myself. The idea of sequels and Expanded Universe malarkey was such a novelty back then, that I was Xucked in by Xizor and the rest of the cast. I'd love to see this as an animated feature - a la Clone Wars - someday, but I'm half afraid George would bloody do it.

Gamorrean

Just got back in, so knocked out this color sketch of Brian Cowen in an early role.

Jedi is my least favorite of the original trilogy- the aliens were great, but chopping wookies in half in an effort to sell plush fecking ewoks was NOT cool.

George Lucas: some neck

Like anybody who grew up in the 70's or 80's, Star Wars was probably the most cherished, important and exciting thing in their lives. I loved it so much. I think I've seen Jedi more than any other film. But George Lucas' maniacal dollar wringing has killed the magic. Now it's not something I dream about watching with my kids any more. He's a prick who gets way too much credit, Ralph McQuarrie made Star Wars not him.

And on that high note I'm bowing out of weekly postings on Eclectic Micks. I'll of course pitch in for theme weeks here and there but I'm done. You can still follow my weekly webcomic SPAZZMOID if you've got a pair.

Thanks lads, its been great.

Salacious Crumb by Stephen Thompson

Much like Mooney I'm in the unforgiving embrace of Lady Deadline at the moment so all I had time for was this little sketch of everybody's favourite Kowakian monkey lizard, Salacious Crumb. Return of the Jedi has always been my favourite Star Wars film, mainly because of all the creature stuff at the start. Jabba, the Rancor and the Sarlacc pit. Awesome.

HAN SOLO by William Sliney

Really enjoyed drawing this. Infact I listened through all of the Star Wars soundtracks while doing it too which definately put me in the mood. I could draw Star Wars all day every day for the rest of my life and be quite happy about it. I still get goosebumps when I watch the movies.

You can see the line art over at my blog here

sliney.blogspot.com

DARTH MAUL

I always wanted to have a go at drawing this guy. Say what you want about The Phantom Menace (as i'd probably agree with you) but Darth Maul was a great looking character, and that lightsaber battle with him and the two Jedi is absolutely fantastic.

Dec.

Yoda

Could only find 20 minutes to knock this up, sorry. Two big deadlines this week, busy busy.
Looking forward to seeing Will's Star Wars piece, the guy thinks he's Luke Skywalker.

Obviously, I'm Han.

Here's a link to a slightly more substantial pic of Darth Maul I did for the blog a ways back. Hopefully this will somehow make it seem like I worked harder this week than I did.

TETSUO! by Nick Roche

After plying my parents' PC with SlipperiLax, it finally released my evening's work. Behold:

I wanted to grab some time to watch the movie this week as homework, but it was not to be. It's been a while since I've acquainted myself with it, but I feel it may be like Blade Runner: Really pretty to look at, but kind of a half-formed, beautiful mess. I've never watch the subtitled version either, so all I have to go on is the subbed screams of 'TETSUOOO!' 'KANEEDAAA!' as my reference points. Hopefully, this image channels that successfully.

Think I might treat myself to the graphic novels for Christmas though.

Akira

More so then anything else, it's the image of the destruction of Tokyo at the start of the story that sticks with me- that expanding sphere was so simple and yet so damn terrifying- so of course it has to be the signature of my doodle of Akira reconstituting himself.

More hijinks as I upload remotely- ah the joys of wandering WiFi.

Akira

I always got the names mixed up between Akira, Tetsuo and Keneda...this one's Akira right?

The calm before the storm on SPAZZMOID today...

Akira by Stephen Thompson

For my money Akira is one of the best examples of comic art ever. There's barely a single bad panel to be found across it's many thousand pages and there are moments where the storytelling is so good it's actually like being there. Domu works better as a story but Akira's length and detail makes it an amazingly immersive experience.

TETSUO!!!!! (Vote for an upcoming Micks theme)

Im gonna get it here but I rewatched Akira last week and despite enjoying it before, I didnt like it this time. I think I gotta go and read the Manga. Its those feckin kids, I cant stand their voices and the music that plays whenever they are on screen.

Anyways. Onto a new feature of the Micks blog

Vote here for an upcoming theme.

A few weeks ago I asked for suggestions. Feel free to add more suggestions for a future theme. Im gonna pick the one with the most votes by this time tomorrow


The Options are:

EVANGELION

COWBOY BEBOP

PREDATOR

FAITHFUL ASSISTANTS (eg Alfred, Jarvis etc)

MORTAL KOMBAT

NINJA TURTLES

KUBRICK MOVIES

FIFTH ELEMENT

CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO MONSTERS

AKIRA

I'm a bit of a philistine when it comes to Manga and Anime, so i've never read Akira, nor have i properly seen the movie. Still; gave it a go.

Dec.