Over at my Facebook account I have a friend named J.R. Williams. Recently he loaded a few pictures in his gallery showing some recent artwork he did for an art show. Two of them were "Batman-related" so I thought I would share them here. They look like paintings done in watercolor. The coloring is done very well. I know Bat-Blog Readers will love them because they feature Batman! I really really like these & every time I see them I totally crack-up, they're hilarious! ( Oh yeah, since I mentioned Facebook I gotta ask that if you're a member there then please send me a friend request. My "Facebook Button" is located on the top right-hand side of this age ).
Some of you may know about this already, but comic book legend Len Wein's home was recently destroyed by a fire, along with most of his and his wife Chris' possessions. The entire family was saved except for their pet dog, who died in the fire. Len's entire comic collection is now gone, so Mark Evanier is helping spearhead an effort to replace all the comics Len wrote ( and that's a lot! ). So please click the banner below to read more about the project, and if you have some books you can donate, you can email Mark and tell him which books you plan to send. Len Wein has given many of us untold thousands of hours of entertainment, so please make a donation if you can. He wrote many Batman & Detective Comics plus not only created Wolverine ( shown in photo shaking movie star Hugh Jackman's hand ) but also invented the Swamp Thing too! Like I said, the guy is a legend, but more important than that he's a pretty nice guy.
I know from personal experience that many of Bat-Blog Readers are very creative people & there are even a lot of graphic artists who read this page. So, that's the reason for this post, to pass along this information about a Design Contest sponsored by DC Comics. The company handling the publicity on this event is the "Visual Diner" website & here's what their PR copy says:
"Do you have an eye for design? If you're an aspiring graphic designer or just someone who loves being creative, the 2009 Design Scholarship Challenge sponsored by Brooks Institute, Brown College, Collins College, Harrington College of Design and the International Academy of Design & Technology along with DC Comics is your chance. Design a print and online ad for the Absolute Justice graphic novel, full of some of your favorite DC Comics characters. Local winners receive $5,000 scholarship at one of the sponsoring schools and a trip to San Diego Comic-Con 2009 to present design ideas to a panel of judges. The national winner receives an additional $20,000 scholarship and the opportunity to work with DC Comics on an upcoming marketing campaign."For more information about entering be sure to visit the VISUAL DINER.
Batman has a lot of cars, jets, subs, & other vehicles. There are almost way too many to even mention! But if you ask a large group of people what their favorite car is then one of the top ones has got to be the 1966 Batmobile Car designed by George Barris for the '66 Batman TV Show. It will always be #1 because it's a Classic! Recently, I have come across a few "Bat-Car-Inspired" photos & decided to share them here. The 1st pic is of an actual "George Barris item" you can buy, not from me, but from his personal website. It's a 1966 BAT-CAR Lapel Pin made out of metal & when I last checked it was only $8.00, a great deal. The 2nd photo is of a fine art painting I saw on the Jonathan Levine Art Gallery website. An artist named M. Todd did this wonderful painting totally inspired by the famous TV car. I really like the primative, almost child-like, style of the art...very nice. The last photo is sort of a humor photo but it's also extremely cool because it's real. This is one of those little micro-mini eco cars that have been popping-up lately. This one has been totally customized to look like Batman's car! It's black, with classic red pinstriping, just like the Barris Car. Also, Ya gotta love those big-tailfins! Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed some of these pics, I thought they were cool. If you ever come across any great Batman-related photos then please send them in because sharing the love of the character & the collecting is what the Bat-Blog is all about!
POW! A friend on Facebook recently did some extremely awesome drawings of Batman & Robin from the 1966 TV Show. Of course we're talking about Adam West & Burt Ward: The Caped Crusader & The Boy Wonder!! The artist's name is Chris Mason. You can tell that Chris is a huge fan of this classic television series because of the love that went into these drawings. The details are really sharp & my favorite one is the 1st one with the scene from the 60's movie where Batman tries to get rid of a bomb, "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb"! Thanks for letting me post these Chris. I know that a lot of Bat-Blog Fans are gonna really love these, they're GREAT! ZAP!
Oh yeah, if you're a Facebook Member then please add the Bat-Blog!Here's a link:
On April 17th the Bat-Blog introduced you to an artist named MAX who lives in Bretagne, France. He's the guy who created & sculpted that "Life-Size Heath Ledger JOKER" Statue Bust. I'm showing it in the very 1st photo to jog your memory but the post is mainly about this other piece, The Batman! YES! Max has done another one & this one is Batman ( The Dark Knight movie version ) & it's just as incredible! Just check out the photos. This artist's work is totally insane! Max was kind enough to allow me to post these photos & I really appreciate that. I love sharing Batman news & other stories but seeing an extremely talented artist be inspired by the Batman character is just awesome. Thanks Max....we look forward to seeing MORE art from you soon!
I apologize. Today is Thursday & here at the Bat-Blog, every single Wednesday, we ALWAYS post some Free BATMAN Desktop Wallpapers...but yesterday I forgot! OK, I have been kind of distracted lately with other projects so I'm posting 3 new ones to make up for the 2 I didn't post yesterday, ha ha! For the general theme this week I thought I would go with versions of Batman from the 1980's to 1990's. The 1st one uses stock art created by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. He's always been a favorite artist of mine & I hope you like his stuff too. He did a lot of work for DC Comics including a large variety of commercial art for actual products & merchandise.The next image is from the now-classic BATMAN BEYOND Animated Series that ran on TV awhile back. That cartoon was a total surprise to me on how great it was! So, obviously, I had to include it here. The last wallpaper is another famous comic book artist, Jim Lee. His artwork sort of defined the character & is always a total delight to see. Now, I'm wondering...is there another Batman Artist who's work you would like to see as a desktop background? Just let me know & I'll see what I can do.
Awhile back we featured some of the amazing artwork of a very talented graphic artist named Chris Mason. Well, here are 2 more pieces of art done by him that you can drool over! These drawings each feature a Modern Day Batman & a Vintage 1966 TV Show Batman. I think this guy's work is pretty awesome but what do you think? Please leave a comment. ( Thank you Chris for sending these, I really appreciate that...keep up the good work! ) Readers, be sure to click on these smaller pictures to see larger, more detailed, versions. You'll be glad you did!
On a personal level I really love ART in just about all of it's forms, especially artwork made by children. It just has a very nice charm about it. Well, a friend to the Bat-Blog, named Adrian, recently went to an exhibit of "Little Kid's Superhero Art" & he got some amazing photos to share. Adrian wrote, "I went to a local mall last night to see some 3-dimensional life-size paper-mache sculptures. They were created by some 7th & 8th grade students of the Holten-Richmond Middle School of Danvers, MA. My girlfriend's cousins, who are in the 8th grade class, helped on a sculpture." WOW! These HUGE sculptures are really super-great! Because the Bat-Blog is ALL about Batman I am sort of showcasing the one of the Joker. It's the Heath Ledger version from the Dark Knight Batman movie ( which is kinda weird for little kids to be making, ha ha ) but they did a wonderful job on this figure! He looks awesome! There were also some pieces, equally as great, that focused on Marvel Comic Book characters. They made Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, Ironman, & Dr. Octopus! All the artwork here is really special & I wanna congratulate all the children on a job very well done! Also, I wanna thank Adrian for the use of these pics. Thank you, they're very cool!
OK, People who know me know how I totally LOVE the special art style of FRED HEMBECK! He's is easily a comic book nerd's favorite artist. He's been around for a long time & anybody who has ever read a comic book has had to have seen his work at least once. Well, now he's selling original pieces of his art on eBay! In fact, this Batman graphic is on right now ( But it's ending very soon so be quick if ya want it ). But, in case ya miss it, just be sure to search "Fred Hembeck" & look for the seller FREDHEMBECK because that's him & it's your chance to get an original piece of art from the master! Also, while there, be sure to check out his new book that he should be offering & get a signed copy!
Up above is a Batman and Robin Desktop Wallpaper with artwork by Carmine Infantino. I've included it here to remind everyone of what it looks like because down below is a 3D Computer Animation of this iconic comic book image from the 1960's Silver Age. As soon as I saw this on YouTube I knew it had to be shared on the Bat-Blog, it's pretty cool!
I came across this graphic the other day on the Internet & thought it was pretty cool. This is a penciled illustration for the cover to a new children book that will be published soon by Stone Arch Publishing. Of course it will probably be inked & colored, this is just an example of what the cover will look like. The drawing was done by Shawn McManus & the book will be written by Matthew Manning. Now, of course, the drawing-style & story will be like the 1990's Batman: The Animated Series. I thought that was kinda cool...to bring that genre back. The book's title will be "Two-Face's Double Take". Look for it later this year ( Be sure to click on the artwork up above for a larger, more detailed, version ).
OK, This morning, when trying to decide what to post today, I got into a total "Celebrate Creativity" kind of mood, ha ha! Ya know, I like when Batman Fans get creative & make artwork or crafts to show their appreciation for the character. Some creative people out there like to customize things. Here's a great example: Here are 3 Custom Mighty Muggs Figures that have been totally repainted to look like Batman ( the Michael Keaton 1989 movie version ), The Joker ( Jack Nicholson, '89 version ), & The Scarecrow ( From the newer Batman Begins & The Dark Knight movies ). These are just so well done I had t post them! Plus, they're kinda funny too. Now, for people unfamiliar with the "toy business". Mighty Muggs Figures are made by Hasbro & they make actual products like this of G.I. Joe, Transformers, Star Wars, Raiders of The Lost Ark, Marvel Comics Superheroes, etc...but they DO NOT make DC Comic characters ( Mattel has the exclusive license ). So, for some people who love these figures, but want DC Universe-Style characters, they just go ahead & make their own. I hope you enjoyed these in some kinda way & if you actually make stuff like this then please let us know. Our e-mail button is ALWAYS at the top right-hand side of this page.
On Saturday, August 8th, 2009 ( 5:00pm - 11:00pm ) in Albuquerque, New Mexico the TRILLION ART SPACE ( 2nd & Marquette ) will have an art show titled, "WHY SO SERIOUS?". The show will feature art work in many shapes, forms, & sizes but all of it will have a special focus on Batman and/or The Joker. There will be paintings, photos, colleges, etc... Shown here are just a few examples. The 1st photo shows the poster for the event. The 1st painting is a large car hood that has been painted almost Graffiti-Style with a portrait of Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight Batman movie ( Awesome! ). The next one is a Cubist-Style painting of the Joker that looks exactly like Pablo Picasso's famous self-portrait ( I love the parody here, good job, instantly recognizable ). The next few are examples of image-appropriation where they have taken existing photos or art & defaced them with Joker face make-up. Plus, at the art show, there will be much more artwork & it really looks like it's gonna be an extremely cool event! So, if you live in that area be sure to check it out ( Please send us some pics if ya go! ) Oh yeah, the last photo looks like maybe a postcard they made to advertise the event or maybe it's just a flyer, not sure. But the graphics are pretty sweet!
Recently a Bat-Blog Reader ( David ) sort of introduced me to another artist named Larry Malott. Now I really appreciate that because this guy's work is AMAZING!! He is also very versatile as he likes to work in many different mediums. He draws, paints, does 3D computer graphics, sculpts statues, sews costumes, etc...this guy is almost insane, ha ha! ( Sorry Larry, I mean that in a good way ). For example, the 2 graphics shown here are of some 3D Model images he made. It's for an idea he has about some new vinyl toy he would like to make. It's name is BAT-MOUSE & I totally love it! Readers, please be sure to click on the small graphics up above for larger, more detailed, versions. The modeling is awesome & I love the retro silver age style of the bat-costume. In fact, when I asked him if that one picture was inspired by original Neal Adams' art ( because of the classic pose of the character ) he said, "YES!". He said he totally loves Adams' work & is even in the process, right now, of creating a "Neal Adams Style" Batman Costume. Now, I've seen some of his other costumes he has made so I know it will be totally great! I can't wait to see it!! ( Larry, You better send us some photos of it later, ha ha! ). I wanna thank both David & Larry for introducing me to this art. Larry has a lot of other artwork ( most non-Batman-related ) that is really great too & if you would like to see it then just click HERE!
Shown here are some photos of an amazing Custom Toy made by a Bat-Blog Reader known as "Turkey Bowinkle". Yeah, that's his name. You got a problem with that? But seriously he's a very creative person & he made this LITTLE JOKER Jack In The Box! It's a small wooden box with painted Joker Card graphics. When you open the lid - BOOM! - The Joker pops out! The Joker Figure is some sort of sculpted clay ( painted later ) with cloth clothing & green hair. I really love this little toy. It's so cool! The facial expression on Joker's face is really great & he does sort of look a lot like Cesar Romero from the 1966 Batman TV Show! So, "Turkey Bowinkle" is a very talented artist in deed! I wanna thank him for sending the wonderful pics & also invite all other Bat-Blog Readers ( with special art or craft projects ) to please send us some pics as well.
Over at the TOY-A-DAY website they have a cool new paper craft art project you can download for free & make. It's HARLEY QUINN from the Batman Animated Series! Of course this is the Joker's girlfriend & since they also have one of these of the Prince of Crime himself you can now make them a couple! For download information be sure to visit their website by clicking HERE!
I love getting e-mails & the chance to meet Batman Fans from all over the world. It's so cool to me that Batman is so popular in many different countries. It really says a lot about what a great character he is. Like, this morning, I got a message from a Bat-Blog Reader named Kai who sent these very interesting pieces of Batman art that he did recently. Kai is from Finland & I gotta say that I'm totally jealous he lives there, ha! His artwork is pretty good too & it's "The Dark Knight" movie-version of the character. It shows Batman ( Christian Bale ) wearing his "Sonar-Vision" Bat-Suit & carrying that gun he used to place charges on that building while he was in Hong Kong. That's cool! The 2nd pic is his original drawing & then the 1st one is the colored version he did in Photoshop. Kai, you did a very wonderful job on both of these. Thank you so much for sending them. I know a lot of people will really enjoy them. I want to invite all creative people from all over the globe to share their pics. It can be anything Batman-related: Art, Toy Collections, Tattoos, Graphics, Costumes, etc...Thanks!
The 3 Batman Comic Book Pages you see here were a part of the CAPMA Promo Awards event. They offered a custom comic book story as a prize during the intermission. These were drawn by our friend Marvin Law who said, "It was an interesting challenge to draw a short story that was finished in just 3 pages, and featured no violence whatsoever." That is cool! Thanks Marvin for the update & sending the nice pics. Yes, the artwork is really great & I like how the entire story is told with NO words. The pictures just speak for themselves...great job! ( Readers, be sure to click on the above pictures for larger versions ). Bat-Blog Fans, if you would like to see some more amazing artwork by this talented artist then be sure to click HERE!
