Introduction to Little Ziggy 'buttons'

Do you know who these 'people' are? I started off this new approach with an easy one.

This next bit is then to take everyone through a quick trip into why I started with the 'Little Buttons', which I’m sure if I didn’t include you wouldn’t sleep at nights anymore:

First, I ran across this tee-shirt at teefury.com that PERFECTLY embraces the kind of simplicity (the 'KISS' principle!!) that I'm trying to, well, embrace with the 'Little Ziggy' templates. Zap zap bing and it’s done. Amazing!!



I then saw this picture - maybe even the same day - done by Steven Dressler (seen on fanboy.com) of Conan O'Brien. Again, this is using the same ‘template’ but in my eyes the artist has achieved much more direct and powerful results than the feeble attempts I keep making.

Granted all this was coming after my horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE attempt at the Lady Gaga Zombie drawing.



This was the 'killer' though, this fantastic collection of 77!!! minimalist superheroes collected like this. For the original as well as the answers, see

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39576416@N07/4669996518/

NOTE: you'll have to copy/paste this ENTIRE ADDRESS into your browser for it to work, as some numbskull put an ampersand in it! BUT YOU MUST SEE THIS IT IS GENIUS PURE!!

As such, I started to reexamine the 'Little Ziggy' work in order to come up with a premise that could approximate something this clever and so much fun to do!!

So of course inspiration struck in me in a place where I could NOT just jump up and start sketching or otherwise stop what I was doing (Dr.'s hate it when you do that). But I thought why not try something similar to the representative squares above but in a 'button' shaped representation?

The picture below was then my first round of sketching with the Scooby Doo gang (noting it took one fan all of 2 minutes to guess who everyone was, even from the original 'un-lined' version, yes, including the round brown spot… I mean, that could be ANYONE!).

However, I felt like having the black lines - especially for the hair and also what garments were present - was too much. So I cut it back to this:








I really liked how both 'Fred' and 'Daphne' turned out, so I decided to do away with 'all the black' to see if it could still work (changing then minor bits that I felt were necessary for identification, including 'Shaggy's' beardy thing).

And viola (literally a fat violin), here's how it all transpired!! I am looking forward to trying my hand at more of these as time permits. I find it a refreshing way of looking at things and just so much gosh darn fun, too!!

Little Venus

Yes friends, it is the secret fantasy of every boy who grew up a geek that some clear night the hot Amazon Babes from Venus will land only to ask sincerely: 'We need you Earthman! You must come with us in order to teach us about this thing you call kissing'...

And yes, despite our hesitations and fears, we would do it ONLY to protect our beloved Earth...


Actually, this is sort of what came out of a long sketching session one weekend. Sort of a cross of the 'little Ziggy' format with some retro and manga thrown in.

Like a bachelor recipe after the shops have closed: I'm just not so sure how it worked, even though it did have a pungent yet pleasing allure!!


Here it is again with a slightly more simplified background. Same fantasy.

Little Lady... Zaza?

(Please accept my apologies for this post. I blame a combination of too much food and the snow!!)

OK this was a very silly day. I had wanted to try my hand at zombies ever since I started the interview process with Jared Moraitis, an amazing artist who is next in line over at ZN HQ. So after a 'quick sketch' (literally about 15 minutes worth... I think it shows, too!!), this is what we landed with!!

And what better way to bring it to the world than via the font of all knowledge that is good and just!! Hope you can read it, if not I'll clue you in later (which may take a while since that implies I have to get a clue first)!!


But wait, there’s more (translation : it gets worse) :


Little Lady Zaza Zombie
(alternative pen work)

OK I got bored watching the snow fall and 're-penned' the first version. I think the whole zombie thing looks so much better when done in the whole 'Mike Mignola and co.' way that is as little color as possible - and then very much pastel except for one or two rich ones - and really thick lines and blackened in spots when you can do it.

OK live and learn... or better said don't live, walk dead looking for brains to eat and learn...

Little Ming the Indifferent

This piece started out as just a 'free sketch', namely just adding bits and pieces to the ‘Little Ziggy template’ as they came to mind.

I quickly realized I was doing something seen recently concerning the original Flash Gordon comics. Well, I was actually doing that rather poorly because at first it looked more like 'Little Satanic Spaceman from Saturn'. Okay.

As I tried to 'tighten up' the more Ming-y aspects however, I began to think that ol' Ming just didn't always look like he was really 'into it', if you know what I mean. OK, if you have a name like 'Ming the Merciless', sure, you're EXPECTED to be all evil and take-over-the-universe-y.

But what if you were called 'Little Ming the Indifferent'? You see, it changes things!! Well, like he says: whatever.

Anyway, here are the fonts:
'bwhahaha... whatever' via gypsy curse.

The top line - after angrily looking for something more 'Flash Gordon-y' - is a sort of 'alienesque' font called lomax. Oh..... kay. Whatever...

Little Paigey

This drawing has been stuck in my mind since I read a recent web-site update from an upcoming interviewee, namely the one and only Paige Pumphrey. Her work is outstanding as you can see at her blog and more:

http://theartofpaigey.blogspot.com/ .

Class, style and so much more!

However, she not only draws really great stuff but she’s also volunteered to have folks draw her!! In fact, she recently took part in the patented ‘Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School’ drawing session held during a recent conference in New York seen at this link:
http://www.drsketchy.com/site/comments/its_good_to_be_the_king_con/

The rest as ‘they’ say was pure obsession!! On my part, that is.

I won’t give away too much more as I’m totally psyched about having Paige at ZN HQ, but I really enjoyed putting together this little pre-interview ‘homage’.

Font is a modified* ‘Lounge Bait’ (*read: I added stars instead of big blobs - blobs, I said, BLOBS - over the ‘i’s’).

Little Calvin and Hobbes

This posting is 'simply' my little ode to Bill Watterson's timeless strip, which is not unexpected since as those of you who have spent the night with me (both of you!) know that I keep at least one of his collections on my nightstand year-round.

His style was not only amazing for its simplicity but also its grace! Even though he stopped years ago, the stories and adventures of Spaceman Spiff and others live forever in our hearts!!

I find Hobbes much more fun to draw. He seemed 'realer' to me than Calvin even... that is, until I got my own 'Calvin' in the form of my son. Yes, Junior drives me mad on a daily basis but what a wonderful imagination he has!!

Font is none other than the official one from the strip! It’s sometimes found under the name 'calvino', go figure.

I would note that I always loved Hobbes so much, who was probably my second favorite character of the modern 'mini' era next to Opus the Penguin. I think its because I had my own version when I was a kid (Zippy the Chimp, who by a strange coincidence was owned by my Great-Uncle, who also owned Flipper and Skipper the Dolphins... go figure). Oh the adventures we had!!

Little Aliens

This is the final 'character' from Toy Story I wanted to do. Wasn't sure at first if they'd fit into the 'Hello YouKnowWho' mold, but it wound up being really fun to do.

And until I did my research with some of the kids’ books, I was not aware that these little guys’ 'emblem' on their uniforms was in fact a pizza (well, a pizza with a planetary ring around it). So not only did I get my picture done, but I learned something, too. Which is nice.

Here is another version with a little bit more background added. I also thought I'd add a slight reference to their religion as well, sorry if that causes offense to any other worshippers of The Claw.


The font is inspired by one called 'Saturn' though I didn't wind up using it. Also the 'rocket' flying above is an old graphic I did, converting a picture I had of a lava lamp into a rocket. I have 'several' (= too many) variations if you're curious.


Finally, this is a 'personal' request; the kids just got a copy of 'Toy Story 3' from their USA 'Grandma' (her nickname being an inside joke involving Teletubbies, cute babies, and more!). They ... and honestly their old man ... are really excited!!

What a great series though, I hope the third installment lives up to the first 2!! I've heard good things (plus keep tissues handy, I know)!!!