The Gaping Monte

Morning Comes Acrylic

2012-01-19T03:04:00.000-08:00

So, it's still snowing. I've really got other things I should be doing, but something about being stuck inside the house makes me want to paint. Maybe I'm addicted to the fumes?

This one is acrylic on wood, in the neighborhood of 3" x 9". I had originally planned on painting something approximating a Wampa, but it turned out a little more Wookiee. I have no complaints.

Snow Day

2012-01-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of snow in Seattle the last couple of days. I'll leave it to the experts to determine whether or not we're at record levels, but here was the view from my window this afternoon:

The roads, as you might imagine, are pretty rotten. Against all odds, I resisted the growing stack of neglected video games in my living room (which now includes Portal 2, Batman: Arkham City, and Skyrim) and elected instead to paint. A painting! With actual paint!

Here is what I made:

It's acrylic on wood, about 9" x 15", and it's my most recent power sander experiment. Fellow PopCap artist Matt Holmberg is organizing an art show featuring all landscapes, and I had that gig in mind as I worked on this. Hopefully you'll be able to see it in real life very soon!

I Am Afraid You Will Eat Me

2012-01-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

I was invited to participate in Retro Game Night, an art show organized by fellow PopCaptive (and original Plants vs. Zombies artist) Rich Werner. This event was hosted by the Piranha Shop, where the third annual MUPPETT RAWK was featured a few months back.

When Rich first told me about this show I was super excited, but it took me a while to commit to a theme. The temptation with this kind of show is to one-up your fellow artists by choosing an obscure inspiration. It's a regular arms race. After a few false starts I realized that I wasn't in the mood for that, nor was I interested in making the kind of piece that the people who know me would expect. I didn't want this to feel like a job. I have enough jobs, you know what I mean?

So, no obscure inspiration. And no digital art. And no traditional art that looks like digital art. What to do? I decided to make a dimensional illustration, a mixed media piece that would stand out from the pack a little. As for theme, I would pay homage to my pound-for-pound favorite video game of all time: Pac-Man!

I started out with a bunch of magnetic alphabet tiles (158, to be exact). My plan was to build the "scaredy ghost" as I call it, meaning the blue-and-white version of Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and/or Clyde that shows up in-game after Pac-Man eats a power pellet. I chose the alphabet tiles primarily for visual interest, but also so I could hide the title of my piece and my initials in the finished product:

Next was the tedious task of priming and painting each tile, which coincidentally led to the creation of this oddly compelling work of a more abstract nature ...

Then, there was very much gluing.

I then sealed the facing side (get it? FACING side?!) with more glue, added a clear coat, and fixed a trimmed cork backing to the whole deal. I adhered a few of those sawtooth picture frame hangers to the reverse, and voilà! Scaredy Ghost!

I'm already plotting for the next Retro Game Night, which I'm sure I'll have a spot in since I gave all my drink tickets to Rich. This is why you invite the Mormon artists, ladies and gents!

Fridge Fiends!

2011-12-31T22:28:00.000-08:00

I am ECSTATIC to report that I have fulfilled my commitment to the exercise of good will known as "Pay-It-Forward 2011" by completing my final two handmade something-or-others mere minutes ago.

Behold! Fridge Fiends!

The cyclops goes to Adrien Yorozu and the pointy-eared weirdo goes to Bethany Shoda.

Now I know what you're thinking: According to the rules, both Adrien and Bethany should have received these trinkets in 2011. All I can say is that if there are Pay-It-Forward police out there somewhere who want to write me a ticket, be my guest.

Additional Incriminating Evidence

2011-11-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Behold! More odorous tomfoolery!

MUPPETT RAWK!

2011-10-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

I was invited to participate in the third annual MUPPETT RAWK! gallery show, this year hosted by the Piranha Shop in Seattle. The concept is as simple as it is beautiful: Each artist chooses a famous album and then re-imagines the artwork ... with Muppets!

I chose Metallica's self-titled fifth album, commonly referred to as the Black Album. For those of you who have only recently arrived on our planet, here's the original album art:

It sold about a gazillion copies and (fun fact!) was one of the first CDs I purchased with my own money.

When it came down to choosing a Muppet star for my piece, that was a tricky business. So many options! Ultimately, I decided to highlight a lesser-known but beloved member of the Muppet family who was one of my childhood favorites: Slimey, the long-suffering sidekick of Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street.

My final image was painted in acrylic on canvas at 12" x 12". That's LP size, cats and kittens!

I think I'll toss in a couple artsy-fartsy Hipstamatic prints, too. It is a gallery show, after all.

Modern Athletics

2011-08-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

I recently created a couple of gig posters for Seattle's own Modern Athletics. The first image was two-promos-in-one, a live show and an in-studio performance on the good ol' radio:

The second was also a live show and, more importantly, an excuse to pay homage (i.e., steal outright) some of my favorite iconography:

And I even threw in this desktop wallpaper version of the second poster, at no extra charge. How's that for customer satisfaction?

PopCap Game Art Auction

2011-06-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

I was invited to participate in PopCap's Charity Art Auction to benefit Starlight Children's Foundation and SpecialEffect. Here's a video that explains just what's going down:

100% of the proceeds from this auction will benefit the two charities mentioned above. These organizations help children with serious illnesses and their families cope with their challenges. If you want to peruse the items currently up for bids, you can do so here. The auction runs until July 12, and there will be new items added every week.

Here's my contribution to the cause:

Click on the image above to visit the auction. My thanks to PopCap and to the people who make it such an inspirational place to draw ridiculous pictures.

ShodaLOVE!

2011-06-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

It's Jeramie Shoda's birthday!

Weretoast!

2011-06-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Bethany Shoda (of the famed Washington Shodas) sent me the following request yesterday:

"My cohort at school has some weird inside jokes and we're looking for a t-shirt design. The 2 things are a volcano and a character called Weretoast (as in toast that's a werewolf)."

Want to see what I made? Well, here you go!

We Come In Peace

2011-05-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

Confession: I had been waiting WEEKS for these two to show up again.

April 25, 2011. Community Transit, Route 412.

5:23pm

These two, I suspect, are not of this earth.

5:30pm

A couple, no doubt. Wedding bands, near identical overcoats, perfectly identical backpacks. The backpacks each feature prominent embroidered monograms. They communicate without words, in expression, as do all alien visitors prior to mastering the intricacies of human speech. Plus, they're probably psychic.

5:35pm

The "female" nonchalantly checks her voicemail using a Motorola Razr. The "male" reads a paperback 'Monk' mystery. Clearly the data their home world received on Earth culture was circa 2003.

5:37pm

She attempts what humans call a "smile" and presses the phone to her counterpart's aural receptor. He, in turn, selects "grimace" from a list of approved responses.

5:44pm

He uses a postcard for a bookmark, the pleasantry inscribed on the reverse made visible to all interested parties. The logic here being that only authentic human beings would receive correspondence from familiars on holiday. Nothing to see here, people. Move along, move along.

5:49pm

Model XX feigns interest in a library book before powering down. She locks arms with Model XY. Prepare for data transfer.

5:52pm

Model XX is offline. Model XY likewise surrenders the ruse of "reading" and lowers the coverings on his ocular inputs. He pinches his brow with his artificial digits and contacts the mothership.

5:59pm

"Observation Report from third planet. Stop. Day 2489. Stop. Ate twenty-seven Filet O' Fish. Stop. Retained wrappers and receipts for reimbursement. Stop."

6:02pm

Model XX is again operational. I listen for a start-up sound but hear nothing. Truly, their technology is light years beyond our own.

6:06pm

The observers exchange status updates via a series of smirks and shrugs. All their base are still belong to them.

6:12pm

They disembark our crude land vessel, their new directive including, I'm sure, the collection of samples and the consumption of a Sourdough Jack. Live long and prosper.

What hath the power sander wrought?

2011-05-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

Three more "Pay-It-Forward 2011" recipients down, two to go! These pieces were for Kieran Lampert, Nyssa Betts, and Arisa Scott.

MICKEY MODOK!

2011-03-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

This is my contribution to MARCH MODOK MADNESS for this year. Click on the image below for a 1600 x 1200 wallpaper version. Enjoy!

For Japan With Love

2011-03-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

My friends, I am participating in the Blogger's Day Of Silence, organized by For Japan With Love. The Gaping Monte will be on a one-day hiatus tomorrow, March 18. I want to set aside the ridiculous shenanigans I usually proliferate in order to focus my electronic efforts on something that really matters: Encouraging the people I know to help the people of Japan through whatever means they have available.

To this end, you should know that PopCap will be putting our iPhone & iPad games on sale this weekend, worldwide. All net proceeds will be donated to the International Red Cross specifically for Japan earthquake and tsunami relief.

Please share this post on Twitter and Facebook and via email.

Please click the image below for more information.

I sincerely hope that all of us, through any means we have available, will do what we can to help.

"We're ready for our close-up, Professor."

2011-03-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

Here's the in-class characters I drew this week for the Flash animation course I teach at DigiPen. They are even more unsettling when in motion.

In Russia, book highlights YOU!

2011-03-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

NOTE: My commute is still long, and my imagination is still overactive.

March 3, 2011. Community Transit, Route 412.

6:06pm

Here's another guy I see on the bus quite often: Shaggy-headed, reading a book, always has a backpack at his feet. The front pocket of his shirt filled to bursting with at LEAST fifteen different highlighters.

6:11pm

I never see him uncap a highlighter. EVER. He has a neon rainbow at his disposal, and yet they go untouched. I wonder now if the highlighters have a more sinister purpose.

6:14pm

Perhaps highlighters are the core component of some improvised explosive device that I'm unaware of. A single highlighter is harmless, but an ARSENAL of highlighters in the wrong hands ... I shudder to think.

6:20pm

Now his lips are moving. Does he mouth the words as he reads, or is he thinking to himself? More likely PLOTTING to himself, I'd wager. A plotting, anarchic, only recently literate misanthrope who has unlocked the deadly secrets of the highlighter. No wonder he has a backpack.

6:24pm

They don't talk about the threat of weaponized highlighters on the news. Why would they? It'd be pandemonium. Ignorant commuters are controllable commuters.

6:25pm

WHY WON'T HE USE A HIGHLIGHTER?!

6:27pm

Sweet Mother of Abraham Lincoln! A guy just got on the bus and said, "Do you collect highlighters?" Is he INSANE?!

6:30pm

The anarchist smiles crookedly and returns his nose to the warm nape of his book. That other guy should buy a lottery ticket, because it's his lucky day.

6:33pm

Mr. Lucky will NOT stop gabbing. There's a furrow in the brow of the Highlighter Killer.

6:37pm

Lucky McChatty is waxing on about his hat, a furry Soviet-era number with ear flaps. Part of me thinks that our assassin might have received his training behind the Red Curtain, and it wasn't what you'd call a "good" experience.

6:38pm

We have confirmation: There are no red highlighters. Moscow was cold, indeed.

6:46pm

It makes sense that the Russians were the first to wield the flaming sword men call the highlighter. They're an industrious and inventive people. NASA, at the height of the Space Race, spent millions developing an ink pen that could write in zero-gravity. The Russian solution? Pencils.

Gabby Luckerton just bought a one-way ticket to Shankville. Population: HIM.

6:51pm

Now they exit the bus. Talky Luckypants first and then his Fate. The student has become the teacher, and the hat has become the highlighter. Dasvidaniya, comrades.

"What Are You Making?"

2011-03-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

NOTE: This is a short story I wrote several years ago which I'm using as the jumping off point for my first graphic novel. I'm posting it here for two reasons:

1) So I'll know where to find it, and

2) To document the process of writing this book.

Everyone who knows me knows that I stretch myself pretty thin, between work, teaching, church, and all my other activities and distractions. The plan now is to release the pages of my as-yet-untitled graphic novel serially (with some degree of regularity, I hope) on The Gaping Monte, and to self-publish early next year before Emerald City ComiCon 2012.

Wish me luck!

"What Are You Making?"

Emma, my two-year-old daughter, has recently discovered a hitherto unknown passion for Play-Doh. My wife Rachel, who is pregnant with our second child, introduced Play-Doh and its culture of rampant creativity to Emma when the two of them made an extended visit to the home of Rachel’s parents in Eagle River, Alaska. Whatever sense of displacement Emma might have experienced due to her relocation seems to have been swallowed up, at least in part, by art.

Play-Doh is part of the morning routine at Grandma’s house. It has nestled into the crook of time between breakfast and changing out of our pajamas.

“Let’s go downstairs,” Emma suggests. Downstairs is the basement, as cool as the clay that will inevitably slither between our fingers this morning. Play-Doh collects in the carpet beneath the craft table and turns to stone under our feet.

“What do you want to do downstairs?” I ask. I know the answer, but I love to hear her voice.

“Play with Play-Doh,” she replies a little cautiously. I think she’s afraid to admit her insatiable hunger for Play-Doh in public since the frequency of our trips downstairs have made the journey somewhat exasperating for her adult playmates, most notably Mom and Grandma. Exasperating for the latter because it is her trip to make the lion’s share of the time, and for the former since any trip up and down a flight of stairs is akin to, at this stage of the pregnancy, waddling with tied ankles to the crown of the Statue of Liberty.

So I grab Emma and head downstairs. This act alone is rewarded with a tight hug around the neck and coos of anticipation. It’s been difficult not being around her this summer. Rachel suffers from a debilitating, pregnancy-related medical condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum, which is essentially the most severe morning sickness one could imagine. Only it’s not just in the morning but around the clock and for the duration of the pregnancy. Rachel’s doctor described it as a nausea second only to that felt by chemotherapy patients. After Rachel’s excruciating first two trimesters (a period of time that required almost round the clock care), we thought it best for both she and Emma to return to Alaska with Rachel’s mother. Sue, my mother-in-law, was a lifesaver at this time, the hero of our family. She left home to live with us and help care for Rachel and Emma while I was at work.

It’s hard to describe how I missed them. The house was too quiet and not quiet enough. The days were too long and too short. When the girls were gone I had too much and not enough of everything.

Now, however, I am done with work and here in Alaska for a week before we all return to our home in Lynnwood, WA. I wish I could have come up the entire summer but, as a college art instructor, I had commitments during the summer semester that kept me from getting away until now. As Emma and I make our way downstairs, I sort through the air and try to identify the ingredients that have combined to create this room’s particular scent. It’s a tossed salad, a patchwork quilt of smells: The pungent wax of crayons without their wrappers, the starchy musk of clay, the cool earthy fabric of the couch and carpet.

In my career I have worked as an animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, illustrator, and art director. I teach animation and character design at the college level.

“Cut off the extra,” Emma instructs me as I pry a Play-Doh strawberry from a mold.

I can’t believe how well she speaks. It’s hard to recall a time when she didn’t speak. Her first word was ‘hi’. She has always been very direct, but pleasant. I am equally amazed that she would think I would need instruction when it comes to Play-Doh mold making. Have we been separated so long that she does not remember what Dad does when he goes to work? Is it too much to assume that Dad, with his distinguished background in the visual arts, might have seen a Fun Factory or two in his day?

My dialogue is internal of course, but even if it were not I’m confident that Emma would pay it no mind. She collects the pink-red scraps of clay that have been newly separated from the strawberry and thrusts them with an open hand into a loaf of blue-purple. Her total and serene disregard for the segregation of Play-Doh colors stirs in me a brief but distinct impression that perhaps my daughter was switched with another child at birth.

Reckless. That’s what it is. I have uncomfortable visions of her teenage years.

Emma stacks an orange-pink with a freckle of blue on top of a purple-green with a stripe of white. Another blue-purple plops atop the orange-pink. Shocks of glittered pink-yellow dough are thrown into the mix. The mass begins to take shape. A plate of pancakes, or a sub sandwich perhaps? Obviously, I am too nearly removed from breakfast after too brief a meal.

“Emma, what are you making?” I ask.

Rachel was sick with Emma also, but nowhere near the degree she is currently. Hyperemesis gravidarum, more benignly referred to as HG: Hyper meaning 'over', emesis meaning 'vomiting', and gravidarum meaning 'pregnant state'. Rachel is a warrior. In our house we believe that Rachel went through all she did in exchange for the smartest, most beautiful, and most well-behaved child imaginable. I believe this to be true. But I admit, in the face of my daughter’s creation, that I am beginning to doubt.

“What is that, sweetie?” I persist.

“I’m making something,” she counters.

There is glitter swarming around her tiny fingernails from the pink Play-Doh, a recently purchased bonus accessory that has not gone unappreciated. She glides effortlessly from my lap to a standing position on the adjacent chair and back, like a gymnast on a pommel horse, never removing her eyes from her craft or her hands from the clay.

I’m at a loss. My years of experience and my formal training have deserted me.

“Emma, it has to be something,” says the art instructor.

“I’m making something,” retorts his daughter.

The room is cool. Her hair is a tangled nest. She is driven and relentless.

“What are you making?” he was quoted as saying.

“I’m making something,” she declares, “for you to look at.”

I am undone. I wonder what her sister will look like. I wonder how long she will want to play.

So ... How's your sister?

2011-03-04T00:21:00.000-08:00

BLOGGER'S NOTE:
I have a fairly long commute, about an hour each way. I have things to keep me occupied - music, video games, sketching, sleeping - but lately I've taken to creative writing. By "writing" I mean a "posting a quick succession of Facebook updates" and by "creative" I mean "making up stories about my fellow commuters."

I have plans to illustrate these stories and compile them for my next book. Until then, I leave you with the text and your imagination.

February 14, 2011. Community Transit, Route 412.

8:10am

I find myself making up narratives for my fellow bus commuters. Today, it involves the tossle-headed, baby-faced hipster who boards every Monday morning, without fail, carrying a box of Top Pot doughnuts.

8:14am

He clearly bought them inside the University Bookstore in Mill Creek, because that's the only Top Pot in the neighborhood. Why, I ask, doesn't he go to Frost instead? They're right next door, the doughnuts are better, and you don't have to go inside the bookstore to get them.

8:16am

Furthermore, this guy gets off the bus at 4th and Union. There's a Top Pot downtown! Why not get your doughnuts THERE, since love 'em so much?

8:18am

Maybe he has a crush on the girl behind the counter, who only works the early shift on Monday. But he has a wedding ring on! That CHEATER!

8:20am

Maybe it's his sister who works at Top Pot. Merciful Thor, he's in love with HIS OWN SISTER! I should call the cops.

8:24am

I should have known. He alternates between three "Han-Solo-meets-Urban-Outfitters" parkas and makes a point to wear slip-on Vans of the same pattern and texture. Only creeps are so 'matchy-matchy'.

Plus he wears fingerless gloves. I can't BELIEVE this guy!

8:28am

Now he's checking Pitchfork on his iPhone! He probably loves the Arcade Fire but will pretend like he doesn't now that they've won a Grammy. How does he sleep at night?!

8:32am

The moral of this story is: "When in Mill Creek, visit Frost. Doughnuts Evolved®."

Wallpapers!

2011-03-03T11:39:00.001-08:00

1600 x 1200. Enjoy!

And furthermore ...

2011-03-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

Here's my Dr. Jeckyl progress. There's more Professor Farnsworth in this guy than I realized previously.

Dr. Jeckyl

2011-02-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

Here's the character I'm working on for my Schoolism course with Stephen Silver. It's a work-in-progress, and the work (you guessed it!) is still progressing.

It's a take on Dr. Jeckyl, who is equal parts Dr. Frankenstein ...

Dr. Horrible ...

and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew ...

We're Going To Be Friends

2011-02-03T13:19:00.001-08:00

In memoriam, with love and respect.

Eliot Mechanism Rears His Ugly Head

2011-01-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

Here is the cover for my FIRST BOOK, which will be for sale at Emerald City Comicon. Table K-09, my peoples!

Now who smells like poop?

2011-01-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

Recently, like many other Facebookers, I tossed my hat into the "Pay-It-Forward 2011" ring. To nutshell: I solicited five volunteers for whom to make a handmade goodie, in exchange for which the volunteers must agree to do the same for five others.

Rich Werner (whom I work with at PopCap and is the artist behind Plants vs. Zombies) made this smarty-pants comment:

Followed almost immediately by this half-hearted olive branch:

Even though Rich "Weiner" is technically the SIXTH volunteer, in my magnanimity I created the following to decorate his desk:

And, no, it does NOT smell.

Schoolism Begins

2011-01-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

So I began my Schoolism course this week, Character Design with Stephen Silver. The first assignment is to design a character named Jerry Loomy (many an artist has done this assignment, and here's the proof).

I'm really excited about this course, even if my first assignment is a total wreck. I didn't budget my time very well AT ALL this week, and ended up not only inking the entire piece in Sharpie (which I had planned) but coloring it in Sharpie as well (which I most definitely did NOT plan). To top it off, I had to take a photo of the final with my iPhone as it lay like a corpse on my living room floor. Hooray!

Any-who, here is the character description:

"Jerry Loomy. Used car salesman boss. New York, 2008. A cruel, moody, high strung, dishonest man. Wears a cheap button-down shirt with a vest or sportscoat and a greasy tank top underneath and a tie that doesn't fit. Middle-aged, white male. Negative attitude towards life. Stocky build, around 5'4". A patch over one eye and missing a finger due to an angry employee biting it off. A large round head with deep set eyes and sunburned skin. Receding hairline with a pony tail. Mouth with yellow stained teeth."

And here is my Jerry Loomy, such as it is:

As I mentioned in my self-evaluation on the site, I think I hit all the major characteristics of Jerry Loomy and the line quality of this piece is fairly indicative of what I do. Rick Schmitz, my art director at PopCap, once paid me what may be the best compliment of my entire life when he said that I "draw ugly really well." This guy is ugly, so I'm happy, in spite of the fact that this is probably the most ghetto submission Stephen Silver has ever had to evaluate. Double hooray!

Monte Answers PvZ Fan Mail

2010-12-22T09:54:00.001-08:00

Recently, PopCap received a letter from a young Plants vs. Zombies fan named Miles, from New York, NY. Miles writes:

Dear Plants vs. Zombies:

I invented a new zombie that flies in the air. It has a helmet and if it falls, it bounces back to its airplane. The only plant that can defeat it is the corn launcher. Thank you for listening.

Miles

The letter Miles sent was awesomely illustrated, but not with anything related to his PvZ suggestion:

It fell upon me to respond, which I was only too happy to do:

Hi Miles,

Your 'Plants vs. Zombies' ideas are amazing! I drew my own version of your 'dragon' monster. I hope you like it!

Monte M.
(real-life PopCap artist)

Here is the drawing I made for Miles:

I stuck to Sharpie® and crayons, so Miles knows that the suits at PopCap are keepin' it real. And I tossed a zombie face on there while I was at it. I'm all for giant flying bearded fire dragons, but you gotta stay on-brand.

PS - For more of this kind of thing, you should check out my versions of drawings by my daughter, Emma, the wunderkind. She's the real artist in the family.

ECCC Sneak Peek!

2010-11-29T15:10:00.000-08:00

My fellow PopCap artists and I are working on a graphic novel collection for Emerald City Comic-Con. Here's a preview of my contribution:

Re-Masterpieces 2

2010-11-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

Below is my contribution to PopCap's second annual Re-Masterpiece art show. For those who are new to The Gaping Monte, here's why this information is cool: BOOM! And, cooler still, the piece I made for last year's event: BAM!

Here was my randomly selected image before I defiled it:

And here lies the new hotness:

Should the new costuming ring no bells, it's high time you got wise: BANG! Not enough wisdom, for ya? How about this: POW!

Pandora Labs

2010-11-09T14:30:00.000-08:00

This is a promotional animation I made for Dark Hollow Haunted Forest, a Halloween attraction in Washington State. Pandora Labs is a fictional company that plays into the storyline.

♪ ♫ "Five-eight-eight! Two-three-hundred! EMPIRE!" ♪ ♫

2010-10-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Many bobbleheads died to bring you this information. Well ... two did, anyway.

.

No Guts, No Story

2010-10-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

I was invited to create a piece for a charity auction, the theme of which is HOME. If you have any idea what this painting has to do with that theme, you're a smarter person than I.

Facebook Waits For No Man

2010-09-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Facebook waits for no man, my friends, not even the man teaching the class. I'll explain my position by directing your attention to this recent status update from one of my students, written while she was listening to me lecture:

I cannot dispute any of these details. I do teach in a tie. And although I've never posted my feelings on the subject in any online forum, I have to admit ... it's pro. Come to think of it, I should have been the one posting that status update.

But what's really amazing is the sheer volume of comments that followed in such a short time. And most were written by students who were looking me right in the face as they typed! But that's precisely my point: Facebook will not wait. Our words are bullets looking for a trigger, and when the trigger is found, the bullets must fly.

They're talking to each other and talking to me at the same time! I guess I always assumed that multiple threads of asynchronous conversation would form a rift in the space-time continuum, or at the very least, about 25 individual migraines. But such is not the case.

You see what he did there? "Given our previous instruction, it would be irresponsible not to carry on an online conversation during a critique." Well-played, sir. Well-played.

Black-bar worthy profanity notwithstanding, they seem to be following along in class. They're even commenting on my comments to other students. Astounding!

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I derailed the classroom conversation at this point with an anecdote about Claude Comair and the creation of the DigiPen logo. Like most anecdotes about Mr. Comair mine is endearing, colorful, and completely beside-the-point. Nobody is paying attention anyway so I don't feel guilty.

All right, fine. So one guy is paying attention. I still don't feel guilty, it was a good story. Sue me.

Yes. Yes, I will.

For one, it probably is just him. Secondly, guilt is a completely valid motivator. Lastly, I didn't always wear a tie to class.

Recently I read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. In the novel there are characters called Velvets, hypnotically attractive women who seduce men with attentive come-hither glances and flattering speech in order to siphon away the body heat of the victim. Facebook, it occurs to me now, is a Velvet. It tempts us with our heart's desire - connection - but steals the most vital component of communication. That component is sense. The further down a list of comments you travel, the less sense the comments make. You might even find yourself talking about books you've read recently just because you can't remember what the original topic of conversation was. Oh, wait! Ties.

I will. I will.

Ah, at long last! A little salty in the wording, perhaps, but sensibility has returned!

Aaaand, there it goes ...

It's back!

Gone again, and I don't think it's coming back. You know the wheels have come off the train when people are not only posting to Facebook in the middle of a lecture, but are also linking over to photos like this one in reference to their instructor:

Like I said, Facebook waits for no man.

True, on both counts. And whether in the classroom or in the real world, the truth is all you can hope for. That, and maybe a little validation.

Sharpie Sketches VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

2010-08-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Wait ... there's already a part eight with that subtitle?! BLURG!

Cloudy with a chance of ... Stuff

2010-08-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Here is my embarrassing contribution to STUFF 2010, a collection of work by members of the PopCap studio art team. Feel free to scoot on down to Two Bells Bar & Grill (home of one of the best burgers in Seattle) and see all the weirdness for yourself!

Discharge of Joy

The Wet Spectacle

Why are you STILL sitting there?! Get to Two Bells, for crying out loud!

You got WHALED!

2010-08-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Take that, random piece of cardboard!

A Duo of Dogs

2010-08-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

The title of this post may sound like an item on a menu, but I assure you I have no plans to eat these animals. Unless, of course, they betray me.

A Conundrum

2010-07-30T13:23:00.001-07:00

Hmmm ...

The Sky is Puking! The Sky is Puking!

2010-07-29T13:56:00.001-07:00

"Blech. Hooray!"

Stuff 2010

2010-07-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

I designed this flyer for an art show featuring many of the PopCap artists, including myself. Hopefully this is not my only contribution to the show, but the way things are going, it might be.

"It needs chocolate sprinkles!"

2010-05-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

That was Abby's art direction while I was painting this for our friends at the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. I'll have more to say about this experience very soon. Stay tuned!

A sketch on a sketchbook

2010-05-24T15:59:00.001-07:00

A solicited vandalization of Noah Mass' sketchbook cover. Thanks to Mark Barrett for his fine work as an easel.

Arkansas, April 2010

2010-04-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hipstamatic prints of our family trip to Arkansas. Yee-Haw!

MODOK!

2010-03-31T16:05:00.001-07:00

My shameful contribution to March MODOK Madness. Beware the mindblast!

Sharpie Sketches VII: The Book

2010-03-29T10:47:00.001-07:00

Hey, Interwebbers! I drew one hundred crazy things in one month! CHECK IT OUT!

The Seed of Bad Taste

2010-01-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

Now was it the insensitive conversation during a meeting at work that made me draw these pictures, or was it the pictures I drew during the meeting at work that led me into an insensitive conversation? It's really hard to know.

Sharpie Sketches VI: The Cutting Room Floor

2010-01-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

These are relics from last year that have been sitting on my desk for a long time. Sitting and judging.

I am the Ghost of White Elephant Past

2009-12-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Many moons ago, while employed at the esteemable Smashing Ideas, I drew a collection of Food Monsters on the whiteboard in my cubicle. Angry deviled eggs, feathered hamburger octopus pirates, serpentine milkshakes ... pretty standard fare for me. I left the whiteboard in my cubicle when I said good-bye, but little did I know that the granules of my dry erase markers were destined to play a key role in an SI Holiday tradition!

Here's my unblemished "artwork" - made infinitely more respectable by the addition of a classy black frame - as it is unwrapped by Devi during SI's White Elephant Gift exchange!

And here's Jessica, enjoying the spoils of her strategic victory, after the whiteboard was declared BEST GIFT of 2009!

I can say, officially, that this is my favorite White Elephant story of ALL TIME and I wasn't even there! Thanks to all the cats and kittens at SI, and Tiffany and Jim in particular for keeping me in the loop, because this really made my day.

2010 here I come!

2009-12-16T17:27:00.001-08:00

Late afternoon. The office kitchen. One fortune cookie left. FTW!

Sharpie Sketches V: The Holiday Special

2009-12-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

Splendiferous inkifications!

Chess!

2009-12-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

Emma has graduated from placing hats on all of her characters to placing hats made of CHEESE on all of her characters. And when I say "all of her characters" I really mean "this one particular character named Chess" which you may know cower in awed observance of:

There's nothing about cheese hats I don't like. Of course, I've never actually worn one so I'm open to the possibility that having one on my head might be a little more aromatic than it's worth. But DRAWING cheese hats is a win.

We're A Happy Family

2009-11-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

My "Re-Masterpiece" is finally complete! I use the word "finally" as if I've been working on this piece for two weeks instead of waiting until a day before the deadline to even crack a tube of paint.

But one nauseatingly sleepless night later I have transformed the stoic, meditative poses of two anonymous likely-deads ...

... into the following hard candy affront to both the senses and the elderly patrons of the Sears Portrait Studio. Behold!

My favorite part was the fact that, with acrylic, there is no CTRL+Z. When your brush gives you lemons, you just gotta make that lemonade! I learned that from my man Bob Ross (who unlike the subjects of my vandalism is, sadly, a confirmed dirt-napper).

Hippobee

2009-11-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

Another unfortunate animal mash-up ...

Bring Out Yer Dead ... Meat

2009-11-12T15:56:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for Food Drives, because that food ain't gonna drive itself! Here's the illustration I made for our food drive at work, which benefits the patrons of local do-gooder joint Northwest Harvest. Beep!

Re-Masterpieces!

2009-11-10T09:59:00.001-08:00

My esteemed colleagues at PopCap and I are participating in an internal art show inspired by a recent Wurst Gallery exhibit: Re-Masterpieces!

Here's the lowdown: Several dedicated PopCappers scoured local thrift stores for "artwork" of all types. These various paintings and photographs were then blindly selected by PopCap employees through a White Elephant exchange. The piece you ended up with is the piece you must improve!

And now the moment you've all been waiting for! I proudly present my canvas:

These poor people do not deserve what is coming to them ... or maybe they do. Let's face it: I have no idea who they are.

Stay tuned!

Snailsquatch

2009-11-04T16:21:00.000-08:00

After I posted my Shiraffe on the TAG blog, I got to thinking about other animal mash-ups that I could doodle. I thought ... and I thought ... and I thought some more. Then I stopped thinking, squished a Sasquatch and a snail together and called it good.

Medusa

2009-10-27T13:21:00.001-07:00

I sketched this with a Sharpie a few days ago:

I liked it enough that I tossed it into Photoshop to try a color version:

This was a fun lil' drawering, but like most of what I doodle, I would hate to see it in real life.

Sharpie Sketches IV: Halloween Edition

2009-10-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Scribblings and scratchings to compliment our late-October festivities.

Neck-rophilia

2009-10-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

I sketched this in pencil yesterday at lunch, and sketched in some color today. Sketchy ... that's a good way to describe this one.

The disaster thus far ...

2009-10-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

I'm working on this bunny who has a worm burrowing through his stomach. It's funny because:

a) It's usually bunnies that do the burrowing, and

b) nobody gives a poop about worms.

Here's the early sketch:

And here's the first step in the natural progression toward embarassment:

Sharpie Sketches III: With A Vengeance

2009-10-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

First this guy was all, "Uh..."

And then he was like "Hmm..."

And she was all, you know, like "Wha...?"

Doodle Fuzzy

2009-09-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

He's a doodle. And he's fuzzy. He's Doodle Fuzzy!

ICE-O-BOT!

2009-09-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Emma,

I think you have a fantastic imagination! You are WAY better at this stuff than I am. ICE-O-BOT is one of my favorite characters that you've ever designed.

Here is the scan I made of your sketch, which as I previously indicated, is a real mind blow:

And here is the version I made. Incidentally, I LOVE drawing spokes on tires. Why don't I draw more spokes on tires?

Seriously, you should do this for a living. Believe me: If I can do it, anybody can.

Love,
Dad

PS - XOXOX

Sharpie Sketches II: Electric Boogaloo

2009-09-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

The pungent aromatics of a fine-tip permanent marker have helped make the following egregious display possible.

Sharpie Sketches

2009-09-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

I started my new job at PopCap this week, and somehow still found the time to sketch. These doodles are so fresh you'll be able to smell the sharpie marker through your monitor! C'mon, make me a liar!

Schizophrenzy: The Cutscenes

2009-08-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

I've posted a compilation of the cutscenes from Schizophrenzy to YouTube. Now you may enjoy what others choose to skip!

Sass this game, you hoopy froods!

2009-08-03T11:05:00.001-07:00

Recently an email went around at work asking if anyone would be interested in working on a game based on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I responded with girlish shrieks that I immediately regretted yet could not contain.

In spite of (or maybe due to) my grovelling and blubbering, I got to be lead designer on the project. The game we made is called DESTROY EARTH NOW and, besides having an awesome name, it is really bleedin' fun. If you know where your towel is you'll quit acting like a strag and play NOW!

All of this was done to help promote And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer, the sixth book in the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy. Yes, you read that correctly.

Schizophrenzy!

2009-08-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Someone has gone to the trouble to do what I have not, and by that I mean post game play footage from Schizophrenzy (the game I designed for Adult Swim) on YouTube. Kudos to you, kind newtpecj, wherever you are!

This game was truly a team effort between me and my most excellent co-conspirators at Smashing Ideas. Not an easy project by any means, but I think it's definitely unique. And for an Adult Swim game, that's really saying something!

If you're interested (and why wouldn't you be?) you can read reviews of the game by following the links provided here. Stay on your meds, kids!

A Rogue's Gallery

2009-08-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

There's no one in this image that I trust ...

Food Monsters!

2009-04-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

My latest cubicle dry erase board debacle.

Burger Time

2009-03-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

No, not that Burger Time. Just a new illustration ... and maybe some food for thought!

Aye, Aye, Cap'n!

2009-02-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

I made this guy as part of a Flash lip sync demonstration for the class I'm teaching at DigiPen this semester. Cowboys, robots, and pirates ... I never get tired of 'em.

St. Juanito the Third

2009-02-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest version of Juanito. He looks a little older in this sketch, which I think is important for the character. I like the skinny brim on the hat, but I will likely experiment with his facial proportions some more.

Octoduck!

2009-01-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

Emma and her Dad proudly present: Octoduck! Here's Emma's original:

And here's the Monte version:

Juanito 2.0

2009-01-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Another Los Pistoleros sketch, this one an alternate take on Juanito. I think I prefer this bodily proportion; a large body, small head, and less angularity of shape. I like his "church bell" silhouette but I'm not sure that this rendering reads "Old West Padre." I'll keep working on him.

Tongue Bear!

2009-01-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

My daughter Emma and I are entering a new creative partnership. The rules of our collaboration are simple: She designs a character and then I make a fancy version. Pretty easy gig for me, actually!

Here is Emma's excellent drawing:

And here's my fanciness:

Emma's got a stack of drawings waiting for the old man to take a stab at. I better get in gear!

Nina and Juanito

2009-01-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

Nina and Juanito are major characters from our short film Los Pistoleros. I'm still exploring the characters but I feel like I'm zeroing in on the right look for each.

This is my first sketch of Nina and at this point I imagine her as a South-of-the-border Boo from Monsters, Inc. I like her poncho, and I'm not just saying that because the pattern looks like my initials. I'll admit it helps, though ...

Juanito I've done a few sketches of before and he always lands somewhere in between the Pringles Man and Father Guido Sarducci. But, honestly, I don't have a problem with that.

MeTube

2009-01-22T23:57:00.000-08:00

I've posted some of my Flash walk cycle demonstrations online. Yee-haw!

Joe Modelsheet

2009-01-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

This semester at DigiPen I'm teaching 2D Vector Graphics and Animation. I gave my students a sketch of a character called Joe Modelsheet. Here he is:

The students digitally "ink and paint" Joe in Flash, turning him into anything they want. I try to do assignments along with the class so they can reference my source files and hopefully discover a technique or two that they wouldn't have otherwise.

Here's my final version of Joe:

That's two pirate posts in a row! How many do I need to officially refer to January 2009 as my "Pirate Period?"

Yaarrr ...

2009-01-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

Here's today's lunch break sketch, or more accurately, a composite of a couple lunch break sketches. The pencil was last week, the Photoshop today. Avast!

Bandido Repeat-o

2009-01-16T15:02:00.000-08:00

This is an alternate version of El Bandido, one of the main characters in Los Pistoleros. I tried tossing on some meatier arms and lowering his sombrero. I think that improves his overall silhouette, but what do I know?

"Los Pistoleros" sketch

2009-01-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

Los Pistoleros is a short film that I and my illustrious colleagues, Kamal and Royal, are working on. The film has been floating around in the milky ether of our imaginations for about a year, but we are entering aught-nine with a renewed sense of urgency.

Here's a sketch of two of the main characters. More to come soon!

A Rumbly in the Tumbly

2008-10-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

The bones in this thing's stomach remind me of these sugary skeleton candies I used to get at Halloween when I was a kid. Unpleasant.

One-eyed Jack

2008-10-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Here is this year's jack o' lantern. He looks more like Mike Wazowski than I originally intended, but it was fun using the small pumpkin for the big eyeball. Thanks to Chad for the gourd!

Forty thousand men and women every day

2008-10-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here's today's lunch break sketch. One thing I love about Halloween is that it provides the perfect cover: No one bats an eye when you post the Grim Reaper on your blog in October, nor do they ask whether or not you'd paint the exact same thing in April. Hooray!

Mmmm ... Brains ...

2008-10-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today's lunch special: Teen zombie, all Photoshop.

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a ... bear?

2008-10-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

Your guess is as good as mine. But whatever this thing is, making it was a pleasant lunch time distraction. I used mostly Photoshop, and a little bit of Flash (for the eyes).

Madballs Slingin' Slime Ball

2008-10-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a blast from the Reagan-era past: Madballs! Smashing Ideas was hired by American Greetings to create a Madballs online game to promote the resurrection of Screamin' Meemie, Bash Brain, Skull Face, and all their friends. I designed it! Check it out!

Stop looking at me, dry erase board!

2008-10-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Kamal: "Monte, I noticed your work has gotten a lot darker."

Monte: "You mean, like, I'm using a lot more black or something?"

Kamal: "No, like ... thematically."

Monte: "Oh. Yeah. Well ... yeah, I guess so."

One more time around with the Bloody-mouth Yeti-thing

2008-08-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

I couldn't leave yesterday's illustration well enough alone. Here is the most recent version, and I can't promise that I won't mess with it some more.

The Vehicle of Our Hero's Wintry Demise

2008-08-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a new illustration I made today. What am I thinking?! I've got no time for this!

New Characters

2008-07-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here's some characters I've designed over the last few months, mostly just doodles that I decided to clean up. I have gads of sketches, and taking the time to flash them out usually leads to something I can use in a project down the road. And as an added bonus, it gives me some new crap to post on my blog. Hot sauce!

Dry Erase Board Art

2008-07-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

Like a lot of people, I have a dry erase board in my cube at work. And like most dry erase boards in most cubes, it serves almost no purpose.

A few weeks ago I said to my board, "Board, why don't you do something with your life? You've got potential! You could be anything you want! You're rotting away in this cube, do something about it before it's too late!" I realize as I'm writing this that I might have been talking to my mirror and not my dry erase board.

In any case, my dry erase board has seen a lot more action lately. I'll take a decorated board over a blank one any day of the week, and if the decoration happens to make my cubicle neighbors question my workplace stability, well ... that's icing on the cake!

Redmond Digital Arts Festival

2008-07-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

I've been invited to speak at the Redmond Digital Arts Festival in October. More details will soon follow, but I thought I would share the images I sent the festival for display on their website (which should go live in August). Enjoy!

The Gaping Monte

2008-07-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is my first post at The Gaping Monte! And no one cares!