Tomoyuki Tanaka, Creator of GODZILLA

Tomoyuki Tanaka, Creator of GODZILLA. I remember as a kid watching a commercial for what was Godzilla vs. Mothra and seeing Mothra in creepy larva form crawling down the street spewing webs and being blown away. Then I heard Godzilla’s roar and saw him for the first time. My jaw hit the floor, it was love at first sight, I was hooked. Tanaka created Godzilla in 1954 in an effort to illustrate the terror Japanese felt after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but that changed in the mid 60s. This was during his “friendly look” phase when he became the “hero of the world”, fighting off The Smog Monster, King Ghidora, Gigan etc. punching em out Ali-style, doing victory dances, throwing off attitude, hanging on Monster Island, raising his son. I love the whole man in suit genre, has so much more character and soulful realism then most CGI effects. Yeah, it looks fake, but then again so does CGI. Realism wasn’t the point though, the point was to make it look cool, and Godzilla was most def cool. Thank you Tanaka and the whole Toho crew for giving us GODZILLA, King of ALL Monsters!

Whereas the first three entries in this series where well known creators with plenty of reference to choose from, this small, grainy photo is the only picture of Tanaka out there that I could find, despite all my deep googling and reference hunting. Cropping/enlarging around his face only made it blurrier and grainier, not a lot of visual info to go on. So I instead I focused on illustrating my opinion of his essence, The Mob Boss/Master Creator from Planet X!

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This is the 4th in a series of portraits I am doing entitled “Influences”, honoring all of the great artists that have inspired my work and imagination growing up. (1. Suess, 2. Sendak, 3. Disney) They’ve all touched me to the core, and this is my way of saying thank you. The group includes writers, illustrators, video game creators, animators, painters, puppeteers, comic book artists and film directors, some of them many of these things rolled into one. So far I have 20 portraits lined up, and will release a new one each week or so for the next couple months. At the culmination of this collection, I will be launching a new website showcasing the world I’ve created inspired by their works. A fantastic & dangerous place, full of funky creature-folk, shrill despots, fantastical beasts, militant chancellors, innocent souls & magical beings. Stay tuned!

Walt Disney, Uncle Walt.

Walt Disney! Uncle Walt. The first movie I ever saw in the theaters was a re-release of Pinocchio, one of the best, if not the best, animated movies of all time. I found the ending, with Pleasure Island and then with Monstro, to be absolutely terrifying, and amazing. Today I just find it to be amazing, and terrifying. There is a jaw dropping amount of brilliance and artistry in every frame. Walt led those artists, cracked the whip, built a white castle, created an empire. I grew up on Disney, all of Disney – the movies (animated & live action), the cartoons, tv shows, loved all the characters, played in the Magic Kingdom, ate Tonga Toast at the Polynesian Hotel, rode the monorail, freaked out at Space Mountain, took pictures with Captain Hook. It’s in our blood now, fused into our DNA, part of our thinking. Disney changed what was possible. The world is a better, cooler, more imaginative place because of him.

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This is the 3rd in a series of portraits I am doing called “Influences”, honoring all of the great artists that have inspired my work and imagination growing up. They’ve all touched me to the core, and this is my way of saying thank you. The group includes writers, illustrators, video game creators, animators, painters, puppeteers, comic book artists and film directors, some of them many of these things rolled into one. So far I have 16 portraits lined up, and will release a new one each week or so for the next couple months. At the culmination of this collection, I will be launching a new website showcasing the world I’ve created inspired by their works. A fantastic & dangerous place, full of funky creature-folk, shrill despots, fantastical beasts, militant chancellors, magical beings and innocent souls. Stay tuned!

Maurice Sendak, The Monster King

Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are was THE book of my childhood. It’s perfect. The concept of running away to a island full of monsters, then becoming their king! was like crack to my young brain, still is for that matter. But all of his books are cool and interesting, they still draw me in. There’s an honesty to them that sets them apart. Plus his artistry is just the best, so unique in style and sure of itself. The way he infuses his drawings and characters with life, be it a bear or a baby or a wild thing, is just magic. Sendak is indeed a wizard, the gold standard. Here’s to you, Monster King. I am happily under your spell, and will be forever.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 1
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The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2
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Dr. Suess & The Wonderful World of Illo Confidential!

This is the first in a new series of portraits I am doing entitled “Influences”, honoring all of the great artists that have inspired my work and imagination throughout my lifetime so far. They’ve all touched me in a really positive & deep way, and this is my sincere and humble attempt to say thank you.

The group includes writers, illustrators, video game creators, animators, painters, puppeteers, comic book artists and film directors, some of them many of these things rolled into one. So far I have 16 portraits lined up, and will release a new one each week or so for the next couple months. The list may grow, there are so many!

At the culmination of this collection, I will be launching a website showcasing the imagery of a fantastic new world I’ve created full of monsters, heroes and villains, all of which are somehow inspired by their work.

I’ll be releasing the portraits in a ‘round about chronological order from when I was initally introduced their work, so first up is Theodore Geisel aka Dr. Suess! I remember his books at a very young age, my parents reading them to me, then me flipping through them, absorbing them, soaking up the buoyant world and wondering where it was. I remember splashing fish, and green eggs, bursts of color and lively lines. Suess was there before me was me, pointing the way towards childhood and beyond.

I’m doing this series digitally in a sketchier, more impressionistic & loose/ painterly style, which hopefully infuses them with more of a sense of playfulness. I hope you enjoy! I’m really looking forward to doing them all.

On another note, I want to announce that I was recently asked to be part of a new collective of award winning illustrators called Illo Confidential! It's really great, full of very talented and savvy illustrators, way more established than I am. I'm thrilled to be part of it.

Check out all the excellent work @ http://www.illoconfidential.com Follow us on FB & Twitter!