Wolverine page for the Joe Shuster Awards

Since the Joe Shuster Awards were this past Saturday, here's a look at the Wolverine tribute page I did for the Shuster's Visions of an Icon Art Gallery. Thanks to Kev & Jason for inviting me to join all these wonderful artists in paying homage to our great country & heritage. Congratulations to all the 2009 Joe Shuster Award winners.

25 Questions with Bloody Brian Bot

Let's spend a few minutes to get to know artist & author of the Bloody Mess blog,


1) Who are you & what do you do?

I am Brian Boodnarine, and I may or may not be currently employed.

2) Seen any good movies lately?

I was just talking about this last night...the last movie I saw in theatres was the Dark Knight, and as much as I loved the movie and was happy that I saw it before all the cool kids could ruin the Joker's lines for me with very poor interpretations of them, that's still no reason to shut the door, like "I'm done", close up shop with the whole "seeing another movie" mentality. I like documentaries a lot though, if you want to know which types are my favourite, just ask Shane which ones he would never watch "cuz dey iz conspeeraseez!!1"


3) What are you listening to?

I don't mean to sound like a Grandpa, but in my day, you could turn on the radio and enjoy it for a good while without running for your burnt cd collection. I love hip hop, but I'm tired of defending it. At its core , everyone can identify with it, its just that now you gotta dig a little bit for it, even the major label artists. But we're living in an easy time, where if you felt like sampling an artist's work while you're reading this, you could just google Little Brother, or Immortal Technique and BAM!...bliss. 4) What do you do to relax?

I like to listen to music, draw, look up weird, interesting stuff, usually at the same time. My cousin just reminded me that I can play guitar, and I used to play drums at my boi's house until he had a beautiful daughter...I still think she'd be ok with some noise cancelling headphones, but whatever. And videogames, Ps3, Psp, once in a while with some friends, if we're feeling nostalgic,I'll bust out the old school systems like Sega Master System, or Super nintendo.

5) What's your favourite book?

Twilight. I'm kidding, Catch 22, Hamlet, yeah I said it, but I haven't read a book in a whiiiile...it's not like I don't have the patience for it, cause I could read articles for hours when I'm into something, but I think my problem is I wanna know everything, I wanna be everywhere, I wanna do everything at the same time, so that might have something to do with my need to switch it up sometimes. Fun Fact: I'm like that with sex positions, too 6) You order a pizza all to yourself, what toppings do you get?

chicken, mushrooms, and the 3rd one always takes longer to decide than the first 2. By the way, the operators LOVE when you can't make up your mind.

7) what's your favourite fruit?

I usually eat a fruit salad everyday. I love fruits, so as many as i can fit into a big cereal bowl is my favourite fruit.

8) Favourite junk food?

Cheetos. It's capitalized, to show respect.

9) What's the best concert you've ever been to?

I'm conflicted, cause I love the Alice in Chains and Tool shows, cause they're my top 5 artists, but I think the one with Static-X, Staind, Linkin Park, and Stone Temple Pilots might be it. Big drunk show+big drunk people=big drunk energy.

10) Biggie or Tupac?

Biggie for the flow, 'Pac for the lyrics. Both brilliant at painting words with pictures, with these hip hop scriptures.

11) Who's your childhood crush?

Jessica Alba and Alyssa Milano. Can't go wrong with either of them today. It's funny, a couple days ago, I saw the Fresh Prince episode, where Carlton and Will talked about their childhood crushes being Barbara Walters, then for some reason that reminded me of how my first crush on a celebrity was Paula Abdul. I think now, crushing on her might be the equivelant of Amy Winehouse.

12) If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?

Everywhere, to do everything. Seriously, I would time travel to critical points in history to make sure I had a hand in shaping everything, except volcanoes, cause thats just fucking dangerous.

13) Any TV shows you're watching right now ?

Nothing with any form of regularity but I like pretty much anything on Adult Swim. I heart Anime as well.

14) What's your guilty pleasure?

It's extremely rare when I can do this due to my surprisingly strong will power, but heading down to Popeyes, getting the 5 pc chicken strip combo with some friends, head home and play online games with those greasy friends until we can't speak anymore from grease congestion. 15) Favourite super hero(es)?

Spawn, Spidey, Batman, Darkness


16) What pisses you off?

I really hate hypocrites, or people trying hard to be what they're not. It was ok for 9th grade, but I love the art of conversation with friends, new people, people living on the street, everyone has a story that no one else experienced. This gets skewed when people become too afraid to express themselves to share with people, even in conversation, cause some would rather lie to blend in than be truthful and stand out as an individual.

17) Rank these hairstyles from best to worst, fauxhawk, comb over, mushroom cut, mullet.

fauxhawk, mushroom cut, comb over, mullet. Tough, tough question, made even tougher since I had a mushroom cut for years haha.
18) Favourite Saturday Night Live cast member (past or present) & why?

Farley, Belushi, and I still have love for Norm Mcdonald. Check out the Bob Saget roast, if you share that love.


19) Saturday morning cartoon you had to watch?

TMNT at like 7am. Dude, Saturday mornings used to have everything you ever wanted to watch , packed into like 5 or 6 hours of pajama wearing, cereal crunching goodness. Transformers, GI joe, Xmen, gargoyles, C.O.P.S, Thundercats...I could go on and on. Then you'd still get to enjoy the day outside, cause thats what kids did before computers ran their lives.

20) Craziest place you've ever done the 'no pants dance' ?

Parks, fields, outside establishments, strangers backyards. That last one sounded extra dirty.
21) Beverly Hills 90210 or Saved by the Bell?

Saved by the Bell if I had to choose, but I was never a big fan of either(!)

22) Favourite artist(s)?

Yoshitaka Amano, Yoji Shinkawa, Finch, Mcfarlane, Turner (r.i.p.), Cassaday, Hitch, Lee, Portacio and any artists who still give free sketches. Much Love.


23) If you were on death row what would your last meal be?

Something, with Popeyes and Cheetos (both capitalized). I used to pose this question to my friends, and it would always include steak and lobster. I would try to sqeeze a little bit of everything on the plate or whatever they serve it on. 24) 20 years from now, you will be _____________?

Going through a midlife crisis. Seriously, I make a conscious effort to learn from mistakes and appreciate the life I was given by unknown forces, or known biology. Hopefully, I'll get to keep my morals and my hair won't try to escape from my scalp.

25) How awesome are you? Feel free to use a scale of 1 - 10.

My humble side says 7, but my awesome side says 11.5!!!!!!!!!!11111!!!!1!!

More Hellboy

Still trying to find 'my' Hellboy. Done with a red felt tip pen.

huh huh uhuh huh huh

I've been watching the Beavis & Butthead : Mike Judge collections. I love these guys so much. They are probably my favorite duo of all time.

UFC 103 recap

Saturday night was a great fight card. I opted to watch the UFC instead of the Mayweather Jr vs Marquez match. I really just wanted to see Mayweather come back & tear up Marquez but the UFC 103 was a solid card, top to bottom. For my picks, I got 9 of the 13 fights right. We got see 11 of those, which rarely ever happens.

Here's my rundown,


OFFICIAL RESULTS

•Vitor Belfort def. Rich Franklin via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:02

It seems that Franklin is always going to have trouble with southpaws that have power. Vitor looked really good but I'm not sure how much success he is going to have in the middleweight division considering he will be fighting Henderson, Marquardt, or Anderson Silva next. Stylistically, Hendo & Marquardt aren't great match ups for Vitor. He will probably fight Silva for the title next. I like Vitor, but I wouldn't bet fifty cents on him against Anderson.

•Junior Dos Santos def. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic via submission (verbal) - Round 3, 2:00

I'm really not sure why Mirko is still fighting. Cro Cop doesn't look confident anymore & he looks like he doesn't want to be there.

I'm really not sure where Dos Antos goes from here. Junior is a very one dimensional fighter, but he can get away with it in the heavyweight division. I don't think he'll do well against a good wrestler like, Velasquez, Carwin, or Lesnar, but he's very young & has a decent future in MMA, especially training with Black House.
•Paul Daley def. Martin Kampmann via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 2:31

Biggest upset of the night. Kampmann tried but did not commit to any take downs. Martin thought he could stand & bang with Daley & he cost himself a title shot. Daley is a great striker with lots of power & I'd like to see more of him in the octagon.
•Josh Koscheck def. Frank Trigg via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:25

The only surprise for me was how quick Trigg was put away. I thought the stoppage was a bit premature. Not that Trigg was going to come back, but I would've like to see a more definite ending. I'd like to see Kos put together a few wins in a row against top competition, & maybe get a rematch with GSP. I don't think he'll beat St. Pierre, but I don't see any welterweight beating him.
•Tyson Griffin def. Hermes Franca via knockout (punches) - Round 2, 3:26

Franca looked to be in terrible shape & you don't want to fight Tyson Griffin unprepared.
•Efrain Escudero def. Cole Miller via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 3:36

This match did not go the way I thought it would. I thought Efrain would 'lay & prey' on Miller with Cole looking for subs from his back. Instead it was a good stand up battle & Efrain showed very improved striking skills. I look forward to seeing Escudero's next match up. This kid is good & could do big things.
•Tomasz Drwal def. Drew McFedries via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:03 - No surprises here & really, no relevence.

•Jim Miller def. Steve Lopez via TKO (injury) - Round 2, 0:48 - While Jim was winning the fight & getting the better of the exchanges, you have to feel bad for Lopez, who popped his shoulder out of the socket throwing a punch.

•Nick Lentz def. Rafaello Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
•Rick Story def. Brian Foster via submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 2, 1:09 - While I like Foster & I think he has a lot of potential, he still showed some rookie mistakes that Story capitalised on. It was a good fight.

•Eliot Marshall def. Jason Brilz via split decision (30-28, 27-30, 30-27) - I didn't see this fight but I've heard that Marshall showed a very improved 'sprawl & brawl' technique that stopped the one dimensional wrestler, Brilz, from getting anything done. The split decision score was a mistake announced by Bruce Buffer, & should've been a unanimous decision for Marshall.

•Vladimir Matyushenko def. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

•Rafael Dos Anjos def. Rob Emerson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

My Picks, 9 - 4 :

X - Vitor Belfort def. Rich Franklin
•Junior Dos Santos def. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
X - Paul Daley def. Martin Kampmann
•Josh Koscheck def. Frank Trigg
•Tyson Griffin def. Hermes Franca
•Efrain Escudero def. Cole Miller
•Tomasz Drwal def. Drew McFedries
•Jim Miller def. Steve Lopez
X - Nick Lentz def. Rafaello Oliveira
X - Rick Story def. Brian Foster
•Eliot Marshall def. Jason Brilz
•Vladimir Matyushenko def. Igor Pokrajac vi
•Rafael Dos Anjos def. Rob Emerson

Next up is October 24th, UFC 104 : Machida vs Shogun !!!! can't wait.

Hellboy pencil sketch

It's kind of weird but even though I am not a big fan of the comics or movies, I get a real kick out of drawing Hellboy. He is a very fun character to draw. I always draw him differently as I search for 'my' Hellboy. Mignola's version is so wonderful & stylized it is hard to put your stamp on him without venturing too far from the original version. One day, I would like to do a Hellboy story in some capacity.

If anyone would like this pencil sketch, I will mail it out to the first person to email me. prettygoodcomics@gmail.com ( Dylan, you only get it if nobody else emails me)

Muscles

UFC 103 - September 19, 2009 - Dallas, TX

UFC 103 - Franklin vs. Belfort - September 19, 2009 - American Airlines Center, Dallas Texas

After seeing 3 guys come in over @ the weigh-in's, & losing the Swick/Kampmann match up, I am still excited for this card. 103 is stacked & a lot of these fights have relevance. I like it.

Matchups:

Rich Franklin (No. 7 LHW) vs. Vitor Belfort (No. 8 MW)

This is a weird match up because Franklin is the favorite but everyone is taking Vitor. I won't be surprised if Belfort rips up Franklin with his quick hands, but Rich has done better & is more consistent against top competition. Vitor came in 2 1/2 pounds over the 195 catch-weight that he requested, so I don't buy into this Xtreme Couture cardio regimen has him in great shape. If Vitor doesn't win in the first round & he sees that Rich is tougher than he thought I see him losing his momentum & letting Rich get the better of him.

Franklin by Decision.

Junior dos Santos vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic

I don't think Cro Cop has 'it' anymore. After his head kick loss to Gonzaga, Mirko has not looked confident, except for the minute before he poked Mustapha Al Turk in the eye @ UFC 99. I think this is going to be one of those 'changing of the guard' fights, & Junior 'Cigano' is poised to do great things in the heavyweight division.

dos Santos by TKO, round 1. Martin Kampmann (No. 5 WW) vs. Paul Daley

I would like to see a competitive match, & while it could happen, I think Kampmann will be too much for Daley.

Kampmann by submission, round 2. Josh Koscheck (No. 7 WW) vs. Frank Trigg

I like this fight, & I hope it is more competitive than I am predicting. I think they will stand & trade because that's what Koscheck wants to do these days, & Trigg doesn't have that one-punch knockout power, so 'Kos' will be more willing to show off his stand up. Josh is a better, younger, stronger fighter than Trigg, & I think he'll control the whole fight.

Koscheck by decision. Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller

I really don't know how this is going to go. I think Efrain will win. Most likely, he will use his wrestling to put Cole on his back, & I'm not sure if Miller will be able to sweep, or convince judges that he's winning off his back. Cole certainly has the potential to win this but I'm not sure how good Efrain is considering all I've seen of him is beating up on Junie Browning, & Phillipe Nover on the Ultimate Fighter 8, & I don't feel that those guys are real challenges. Cole is. I'd like to be wrong but I will take Efrain Escudero by decision. Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca

I was going to pick Tyson Griffin to win this even before I watched Hermes Franca weigh in over by 4lbs, & looking to be in horrible condition. This fight will now be @ a catch weight of 159lbs. Tyson should set a heavy pace & I don't see Franca keeping up. I have this feeling that Griffin will finally finish a fight.

Griffin by TKO, round 3.
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Igor Pokrajac - Matyushenko by boring decision.

Nik Lentz vs. Rafaello Oliveira - Oliveira by submission, round 2
Ricky Story vs. Brian Foster

Foster is legit. He beat up my boy Kyle Baker in 59 seconds, & I think he's gonna smash 'the Horror' Story.

Foster by TKO, round 1.
Jim Miller vs. Steve Lopez - Jim Miller by submission, round 1.
Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal

Someone is going to get knocked out in round 1, I think it'll be McFedries.

Drwal by TKO, round 1.
Elliot Marshall vs. Jason Brilz

I'm not sure how this fight goes. It's very much like the Escudero/Miller fight, in that, it's a good wrestler that can get on top & control position but doesn't do that much to finish vs a tall, lanky fighter with decent, but not great Jiu-Jitsu. I can see this going down with Brilz on top getting a boring decision because Marshall can't get his rubber guard to do what he wants it to, but I'm gonna go against my gut feeling & take Marshall by submission, round 2. Maybe a triangle-choke.
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Robert Emerson

I don't think dos Anjos' 2 losses in the Octagon reflect his talent & potential. Rafael can bang & he's got a good submission game.

dos Anjos by submission, round 3.

Fight Night 19/ TUF 10 - Thoughts

Wednesday was super busy for me, I was super tired. After working, then babysitting my little brothers, I met up with friends @ the Spotted Dick on Bloor st. to watch the Ultimate Fight Night 19. Immediately following, we headed over to the Phoenix to catch the Clutch concert. Immediately after Clutch's first encore we grabbed a cab home to watch the repeat of the season premiere of Ultimate Fighter 10.
All in all, it was a good day.


Here's my run down of the UFC action.


UFN 19
OFFICIAL RESULTS

•Nate Diaz def. Melvin Guillard via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 2:13
Guillard shouldn't be in MMA. He's a talented, fast striker but he has no ground game. none. out of his 8 losses, 7 have been submissions. In fact, I believe Guillard has great potential as a boxer or K1 guy. Melvin was beating up on Nate pretty good. For being one of the tallest lightweights Diaz does not use his reach to keep distance. Nate was not connecting with anything & was considerably slower than the tiny Guillard, but Melvin got caught like I said he would, round 2 submission. If Guillard is not going to focus on his submission defense or sprawl, maybe he shouldn't try to take down a Jiu Jitsu guy by diving head first into his guard.

•Gray Maynard def. Roger Huerta via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
This was a great fight. Again, exactly what I thought was going to happen, Huerta was competitive for 3 rounds but Gray was better at everything.

•Carlos Condit def. Jake Ellenberger via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Great fight. Condit was in trouble in the first round but he pulled out the win. Close fight to call.

•Nate Quarry def. Tim Credeur via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
Best fight of the night. Both of these guys are very tough. Tim showed that he has a ton of potential to do things in the middleweight division, as he continues to improve. Nate showed a bit more power & experience which got him the 'W' in the judges eyes.

•Brian Stann def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
I didn't realise that this was a rubber match. I didn't watch but I heard that this could've easily been a draw. Neither of these guys will ever do anything relevant in the stacked Light-Heayweight division.

•Mike Pyle def. Chris Wilson via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 3, 2:15

•C.B. Dollaway def. Jay Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Dollaway won but he was hurt real bad & after the judges decision he had to be helped from the ring. I look forward to seeing Silva in the octagon again. He needs to improve on a lot of aspects of his game, but he is an exciting fighter with very decent striking & a lot of potential. I should've picked Dollaway for the win, but I was looking to switch it up & I thought Silva had a ton of potential for the upset & I was almost right. Dollaway looked like he didn't want that 3rd round.

•Jeremy Stephens def. Justin Buchholz via TKO (doctor's stoppage, cut) - Round 1, 3:23

•Mike Pierce def. Brock Larson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

•Ryan Jensen def. Steve Steinbeiss via technical submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 3:56

Phillipe Nover had a pre fight seizure so his fight with Sam Stout was cancelled.

For the Fight Night, I did pretty bad (6 out of 10), but it was mostly on the under card fights where I wasn't as familiar with the fighters ( got all main card fights right). I thought this was an excellent event.



Ultimate Fighter 10 - I am super surprised at how much I enjoyed this episode. I'm not going to be giving weekly updates of my thoughts but I will most likely stick around for the whole season. I expect them to keep Kimbo from fighting until the later episodes, & I will stick with my assumption that Roy Nelson is going to win the whole thing.

UFC Fight Night 19

I'm just realizing as I write this that I am dumb. I've been looking forward to seeing this fight night card & watching the premiere of the Ultimate Fighter season 10 : Rampage vs Rashad - Heavyweights. I have also been very eager to see my favorite band, Clutch @ the Phoenix Concert Theatre. I am realizing that they are all on at the same time. I have my ticket to Clutch & I will go, but if I skip the opening bands, I can probably watch most or all of the Fight Night, & then catch Ultimate Fighter online. I guess that'll have to do.

I hate the Ultimate Fighter show but I am looking forward to seeing Kimbo Slice & the other heavyweights, along with coaches Rashad Evans & 'Rampage' Jackson interact. I am thinking that Roy Nelson is gonna win the whole thing, & I will most likely lose interest after the second episode so I guess it's not so bad that I'll be missing it.

I am looking forward to Fight Night 19 & here's how I think it's goin' down,

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard - Sep 16, 2009 - Oklahoma City, Okla. - Cox Convention Center

MAIN CARD

•Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard - I am not a fan of either of these 2. It actually works out that this is the main event because I may have to miss the end & I don't mind missing this one. Nate Diaz will most likely submit Melvin or work enough for a boring decision.
Diaz by submission, rd 2.

•Roger Huerta vs. Gray Maynard - I like this fight a lot. I'm thinking Gray is going to show of his newly improved striking skills & get the better of Huerta. This is gonna be a good one.
Maynard by decision. •Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger - I like Condit in this one, but I can see the heavy-handed Ellenberger coming with the upset. This has fight of the night, & maybe fight of the year potential.
Condit by submission, rd 3. •Tim Credeur vs. Nate Quarry - I like both of these guys. Credeur has improve a lot since his loss to CB Dollaway on the Ultimate Fighter 7, but I don't see him getting past TUF 1 veteran Quarry. I think Quarry will use his excellent sprawl to avoid any ground game from Credeur & will get the better of the stand up.
Quarry by TKO, rd 2. PRELIMINARY CARD
•Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann - the rematch nobody asked for. I see this going the same way the first one did. Cantwell by TKO, rd 2.

•Mike Pyle vs. Chris Wilson - Pyle by decision.

•C.B. Dollaway vs. Jay Silva - gonna go out on a limb here & take underdog, & newly signed Jay Silva by some kind of highlight reel TKO. rd 1.

•Phillipe Nover vs. Sam Stout - I would like to see Nover get some redemption for his horrible stoppage at UFC 98. Stout is a douche bag, he should've lost his UFC 97 bout to Matt Wiman. I hope Nover knocks him out.
Nover by submission, rd 1.

•Justin Buchholz vs. Jeremy Stephens - Stephens by TKO, rd 2.
•Brock Larson vs. Mike Pierce - Larson by submission, rd 1.
•Ryan Jensen vs. Steven Steinbeiss - Steinbess by decision.

The guy.....

I live by Don Mills & Lawrence. There is a Tim Hortons @ the corner & there is this overweight, green cardigan wearing, kinda crazy guy that hangs around & talks to anyone that'll talk to him.

Is it weird that I don't want to talk to him but I am a little offended that he doesn't ever choose me to have his awkward, weird conversations with?

He's pretty harmless & I've tried on a couple of occasions to sketch him but he always looks right at me when I do. This is the most successful I've been, just a quick ink brush sketch. Maybe one day I'll ask him to let me, but then the fun would be gone. Also, he would talk to me forever after that.

Homework assignment #8 - eyes

So, I challenged Deeba to draw eyes, eyes, & lots of eyes . I didn't get a homework assignment so I decided to take my own advice. Here's a bunch of eyes & some other things (like noses & mouthes). All for practice.

Life Drawing - Pencil sketch

A close friend of mine's baby.

Life Drawing - pencil sketch

Eat my shorts?

some bull

pencil sketch