"Artin' It Up" Volume #6 by Tommy Lombardozzi

Volume #6 - Creatures

I like creatures. There, I’ve said it! Monsters, creeps, trolls, goblins, Muppets, hairy things, scaly things, unexplainable things… they’re all fun! I especially love puppets, masks, and monsters in movies; tangible, REAL things that looked awesome on film. I mean, sure movement is limited, camera angles are limited, but they were just so much COOLER than the CGI stuff of today. Example; ‘Return of the Jedi’ Jabba the Hutt… and ‘Phantom Menace’ Jabba the Hutt. I rest my case.

Well, as anyone that knows me knows, I am a huge Jim Henson fan. The man is/was a genius. He found ways to make his off kilter creations enjoyable to the masses… while having them be lucrative for him and his company, too! I have and always will love The Muppets. Tomorrow night, I am going to see (for the 2nd time) Henson Alternative’s “Stuffed and Unstrung”. It’s a really fucking excellent “adult puppet show”, co-created by Brian Henson (Jim’s son). Check it out here.

I really recommend it! Gearing up for this show, and once again at a loss for a theme for this week’s “Artin’ It Up”, I turned my gears towards CREATURES. Whenever I draw a monster, robot, or general freaky creature, it always has a Henson/Muppet influence. I’m not sure why, exactly, aside from the fact that I guess Jim’s work has influenced me to the bone. So, without further adoody, I bring you…

CREATURES!

Creature drawing #1: “THE FRUITER”

I did this about a year ago while I was in a robot & monster drawing phase (which will probably continue). The idea was a little monster with an insatiable appetite for FRUIT! Cute and cuddly, but if you’re a banana WATCH OUT! This was done with a variety of mediums. First I did an ink drawing. Then I painted that with acrylic paint. I layered those two elements in Photoshop and added a background. The background is in crayon. I created this wacky backing with Crayola and then put it in the microwave to melt the wax. Once it was nice and malleable, I smudged the crayon with my fingers to make the “flame” looking effect. Good fun!







Creature drawing #2: “BLUE FUZZY MONSTER”

This was/is a 9” x 12” acrylic painting I did in 2005. If you’ve been to my house, you may have seen this hanging in my computer room. Anyway, I was in this phase of doing childish kinda paintings. Very loose, rickety lines, bold colors & outlines; good fun. This was my version of a not-so-friendly Cookie Monster. I took it off the wall and scanned it in for inclusion in this week’s article. Hope you enjoy it.





Creature drawing #3: “ONE-EYED MONSTER ATTACK!”

No, not THAT one-eyed monster, you perverts! This one’s a completely digital creation. A month or so ago I was doing some designs of little monsters for the “young boy” house ware market. The idea is that if my designs sell, these critters will appear on kids’ bed sheets and shit. Anyway, when I’d settled on this week’s theme, I went back into the folder and found this guy. I made him a little more menacing for you blood-seeking C.C.Degenerates, but still fun. I like the stylized city and fire and smoke. I think it looks cool, and I hope you do, too! I like my weekly contribution to include various styles of work, so, this is this week’s digital creation.







Creature drawing #4: “EYEBALL MONSTER”

I notice that eyeballs make a frequent appearance in my art. Maybe because I’ve had two cornea transplants, maybe because they’re the windows to the soul (haha!), or maybe they’re just creepy when out of context, making for an interesting drawing. Who knows? This is a BRAND NEW piece I did just for this week’s “Artin’ It Up”! It’s done in watercolor… a medium I’ve only used a few times in my life. Again, there is a Henson influence here; that weird sense of humor. This monster has his eyes on strings! Puppets?! EYE PUPPETS?! Gross.

Lastly…



Creature drawing #5: “SELF-HATING FISHMONSTER”

Fish also make frequent appearances in my art. I dig the ocean, and it has such an interesting array of creatures of its own! I also wish I owned a boat. But whatever. This is also a brand new piece created specifically for this week’s theme. This sea bastard is about to devour a goldfish! What a fuck! A self-hating fuck, at that! Well, I guess you can’t expect much from a sea monster. Or more specifically, A FISHMONSTER!!! This is done completely in colored pencil.

Ok kids, that’s it for this week. I gotta start getting some feedback on this shit, because I ain’t feelin’ the love here! But hey, it’s not about the accolades, it’s about THE ART! Either way, tell your friends about the page! Get them to become followers! SPREAD THE C.C.D. WORD!!! Word.

Until #7… Smile up!
~TL