The Incredible Mr. Dinks

Wildest Dreams

2011-12-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

I had another wonderful opportunity to do a new illustration for Stoker Award-Winning author Norman Partridge.

This time I got to dip into the world of his novel WILDEST DREAMS, personal favorite of mine, to celebrate it becoming an ebook.

You can read a sneak peek at the first chapter of the book over at Amazon to find out why the little girl isn't quite what she seems to be. But if you want to unravel what's in the bag that's bleeding in the shape of a pentagram.... well, I'd suggest you pick up the book. It'll be worth it. Trust me.

For more info on the story or about the legend himself, check out Norm's blog:

http://americanfrankenstein.blogspot.com/

Peace.

What the hell....

2011-12-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

I'm not usually big on showing pictures of myself but I figured I've got enough friends on the internet who I've never had the privilege to meet face to face so I thought it'd be nice to show the face behind the art and words.

Hope everyone out there is doing well.

Peace.

Witches

2011-06-03T07:29:00.001-07:00

I never realized it until now but apparently I love witches. HOCUS POCUS being one of my all time favorite, nostalgic Halloween movies. Can't wait to color these up.

The Little Witch Colored

2011-05-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here's my Little Witch all colored up. Enjoy!

The Little Witch

2011-05-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Did this for fun. I'll color it eventually. Enjoy.

Little Red Riding Hood

2011-05-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here's another in the same style as The Little Prince. This time based on a classic fairy tale and with a much tighter color palette.

The Little Prince

2011-05-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

I did this drawing for my sister for her graduation gift. It was done in warm and cool gray COPIC markers. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd scan it in and slap some color on it.

Because You Asked For It...

2011-05-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here it is! In anticipation of the upcoming Captain America movie. The big bad himself: THE RED SKULL. Based on the design for the movie because Hugo Weaving just looks so damn slick.

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-04-22T07:47:00.001-07:00

Don't have a whole lot of time today but I decided to celebrate my birthday with a gag from an old classic: THE SHADOW!!

Coloring Contest

2011-04-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

I follow a blog of a very talented story board artist named Heather Dixon and she recently published a book. To celebrate Ms. Dixon is having a coloring contest. I just couldn't help myself. The line work was fantastic and it I just had to dig into my digital coloring box and have a go at it.

Be sure to check out Ms. Dixon's blog when you get a chance. Trust me, you'll thank me.

http://story-monster.blogspot.com/

Traditional Art

2011-04-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a children's book for some time now and I've been starting to make some headway in completing it so I thought I post a small teaser.

What I've been doing is penciling and inking the pieces traditionally and then scanning them into the computer and digitally coloring them. In addition to that, I've started coloring the pages in warm and cool gray Copic Markers so that once the book has been published I can sell the original art.

So, I hope everyone enjoys this little sneak peek and wish me luck on getting it all done soon!

Pop & Pictures

2011-03-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post something without pictures but I had two interesting things happen to me yesterday that I wanted to share.

The first story starts with my wife's grandfather who we call Pop. Pop is man's man. He worked hard labor all his life and would give and do anything for his family. Even if he tends to come off rather harsh. Especially since the man has a mouth like a trucker.

Awhile back, Pop got diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. He'll be on Chemo for the rest of his life so now this man who is used doing his own work and being independent can't do the things he used to. Knowing that he was gonna need help chopping and bringing in wood for his wood stove I called him to tell him not to touch it and that I would be over on Sunday to take care of it. I fully expected him to fight me on it. What I got was one of funniest conversations I've ever had with the man. It went a little something like this. . .

(Phone Rings)

POP: Vaughn's Whorehouse.
ME: Haha, hey Pop!
POP: Well you gonna place an order or what?
ME: Sure, I'm gonna need a woman with a lot of experience.
POP: Oh, yeah I've got one of those. You gotta spit on it to get it started but she's good to go after that.
ME: HAHAHAH!! Oh my god, Pop!
POP: What's going on, kid?
ME: Not much, Pop. I was just calling to let you know that I'm coming to take care of your wood on Sunday. So don't touch it.
POP: Oooh, you don't wanna come over on Sunday.
ME: Why not?
POP: Cause Pat (his wife) cleans on Sundays.
ME: So?
POP: She cleans in her nightgown with no underwear on. So when she bends over pick something up you get a shot of an old man with a gray beard and no teeth.

I was speechless after that. I did eventually manage to get him to say he wouldn't touch the wood and to let me handle it. But God bless him, he made me work for it.

***

The other thing that happened last night was rather sad. It brought to mind a song by The Cure called "Pictures of You".

"I've been looking so long at these pictures of you that I almost believe that you're real"

It's one of my all time favorite songs by Mr. Smith. It's about loss and wanting and maybe even nostalgia for a person or place in time that was so special you know it will never come again in your entire lifetime and these little bits of emulsion on paper are your only link to those lost feelings. To me it's such a sad thing to see photographs in the trash, or even in old magazines as the person pictured is - or was - real and they lived and loved and hurt and dreamed and sometimes this is the final reminder that this person existed.

Last night I was walking the dog and I spotted among this huge mound of broken chairs and discarded lamps and obsolete computer components a huge pegboard with perhaps 50 or so pictures still attached. I took it and removed all the photos, which appeared to be a young woman's happy college years, a wedding and class photos of close friends. I tried to return them because surely they were accidentally discarded. . . Why would someone trash all those happy moments? The answer was the new occupants of the house had just rented the dwelling and apparently all the previous owned possessions were left behind inexplicably. Perhaps she died, or was physically unable to retrieve them. In any case, it made me sad to return these special moments in time to the garbage heap of history - someone lived, loved, and was loved and should be remembered.If it means anything at all, I'll do my best to remember them.

A Gift.

2011-03-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

I did this as a gift for an old friend who passed away a long time ago. It also gave me an opportunity to try something I've toyed with on other occasions. I don't normally like to post my more personal works because of what they mean to me, and I prefer to keep what's in my heart to myself. However, I feel that the best way to share this with someone who's no longer with us is to share it with the world.

This is also one of the few occasions where the I based the girl off of a single piece of reference. I found a stock photo from a blog that follow that I thought was simple yet beautiful. Be sure to check out Anna Marine's blog. She's a fantastic artist who's done several book covers that carry a terrific old world feel to them.

http://anna-marine.blogspot.com/

Peace.

Happy Birthday American Frankenstein

2011-03-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

I tried to post this on Saturday but had some computer troubles. Anyways, my good buddy Norman Partridge's blog American Frankenstein has hit its first year birthday and I had the wonderful privilege of drawing a little something for it.

I had a blast doing this one. Although I was worried I might not finish it on time. I spent so much time on the "penciling" and "inking" phase that it was a mad dash to get the color in. Nonetheless I'm very proud of how this one came out.

A very big thanks to Norm for letting me draw the big three, plus some eye candy, one more time. All the best.

God Damn Pancakes...

2011-02-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

Don't ask. Just enjoy a little Hellboy action. Done with Pitt Pens and Warm Gray COPIC markers.

Inception Comic Cover Contest

2010-12-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

This was done for an art contest to create a comic book cover for prequel comic inspired by the film INCEPTION.

I decided to give this a go because I love comic book cover art and contests always really push you to do your very best. Plus, doing likenesses isn't a strength of mine so it was an opportunity to really work on it. I think I got Cobb's (Dicaprio) likeness reasonably well but Saito's (Watanabe) is only somewhat recognizable. I do like the color theory for this one. It's different than the usual, which I always like to see.

Harvard Lampoon Ad

2010-12-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

My job placed an ad in Harvard Lampoon magazine recently. It's the longest running humor magazine and is kind of like MAD magazine for college kids, specializing in what some people call "dirty humor" and what I call "funny."

So, in keeping with the magazine's vibe, I was asked to help come up with an ad for one of the patch companies my company owns. While sitting with my marketing director coming up with some ideas I thought to myself, "What do college guys like?" The answer?

Drunk Chicks.

But seeing as I wanted it to be funny and not insulting to opposite sex I decided to take that phrase literally. Thus was born this ad. Hope you get a little chuckle out of it.

Hobgoblin

2010-11-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

I went back to my comic book roots for this one. Hobgoblin being a personal favorite of mine.

Meet Mr. Dinks

2010-11-18T12:17:00.001-08:00

Just in case you were wondering where the name from my blog came from. This is Mr. Dinks.

Uh-Oh...

2010-11-17T08:17:00.001-08:00

As I've mentioned, I've been working on some portfolio pieces as of late and this one stemmed from a rough sketch I had done while doing an illo for author Norman Partridge's story THE IRON DEAD.

While I wasn't really going for an accurate interpretation of Norm's story, it's very obvious where my inspiration for this piece hails from. But then if you've read the story you understand that it's almost impossible to not be inspired by it.

Paint-Overs Are Fun

2010-11-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

The server at work went down yesterday and I couldn't access my orders. So, while I was waiting for it to reboot, I went through some old digital paintings that I had done and I found the October Boy. If you still don't who that is I suggest you head on over to Norman Partridge's website or blog or pick up the book Dark Harvest. Believe me, you won't regret it.

Anyway, I saw the October Boy and wanted to go back and really try to give him the attention and detail he deserves. I'm still not really happy with how I decided to draw his arms and hands (but redrawing them would've been ALOT of work and I only had so much time until the server came back up). If I ever draw him again I'm gonna have to do some more research on pumpkin vines and scarecrows to really give him a more natural feel. But, on the plus side, I really like how the "face" came out, I add a few little details that I think add to overall feel and I feel I unified the colors a bit more.

All in all, I really missed getting to work on the Boy and I look forward to seeing him on next year's Run.

Sammy

2010-10-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

I did this for a children's book author. This is my take on her main character named Sammy. The books give a great feel of how your imagination could take off and you'd have so much fun with something as simple as a cardboard box.

Anyways, it's good stuff, check her out online at http://www.blodoqandsammy.com/

Penny

2010-09-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

This was done by request. The clown named Penny is apparently from a short story where he ferries children across the river to Carnival Town. Never read it but it sounds interesting and the illo was alot of fun. The character design was inspired by the great Joe Olson.

Execution Day

2010-08-20T11:17:00.001-07:00

I did this for a contest for the upcoming Resident Evil Afterlife film. I'm not really a huge fan of the films but I love the video games so it was a real treat to get to draw the big baddass from Resident Evil 5. . . The Executioner.

I swear everytime I saw that guy lumbering toward me my stomach took shelter in my throat.

This was also a great opportunity to try a new painting technique which I really like and I hope to use again in the future.

Anyways, wish me luck in the contest.

Peace.

A New Harvest

2010-08-02T08:11:00.001-07:00

First off, let me say that if you haven't read DARK HARVEST by Norman Partridge leave my blog right now, get yourself a copy and then come back. I'll wait here.

You're welcome.

Now that you've got that out of the way, let me make you extra excited. Norm's got an all Halloween short story collection called JOHNNY HALLOWEEN coming out soon that has a prequel to DARK HARVEST. It's already up for pre-order at www.cemeterydance.com

I suggest you snatch up that bad boy early because if it's anything like Norm's last collection LESSER DEMONS, it's gonna disappear real fast.

All the best.

Chaney and The Iron Dead

2010-07-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun doing this one. Super scribe Norman Partridge did a fantastic short story collection called LESSER DEMONS and one of the highlighted stories was called THE IRON DEAD. The illo above is of the "hero" of the story. A man named Chaney. I put hero in quotations because this guy is so badass that he'd make Clint Eastwood turn tail and run like a schoolgirl with a skinned knee. For more info and a chance to read some great interviews with Norm, be sure to check out his blog: http://www.americanfrankenstein.blogspot.com/

He's got a new Halloween story collection out soon so you'd best quit hanging around here and get yourself a copy before they're gone. Peace.

The Joker

2010-07-21T12:59:00.001-07:00

I've been behind on things lately. So when I realized I had to get this done for a friend's birthday in two days I rushed a little bit. I would've loved to spend mor time rendering things but I know I wouldn't have been able to finish it in time. But all in all I think it came out kinda fun.

Catwoman

2010-07-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

I hadn't planned on doing this one after Harley but a friend asked me for it so here it is.

Harley Quinn

2010-07-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do an illo of Joker's main squeeze for a long time and since I had a little free time I decided to give it a go.

I also used the opportunity to work on my perspective. Admittedly, a rather large weakness of mine.

Anyway, I like the overall composition, though I wish I had more time to play with the font. Maybe another day. For now, I'm done.

All the best.

The Lost Kids

2010-07-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile. Sorry about that. I had a death in the family and I'm just starting to get back on the horse.

I decided to enter an art contest, not so much because I thought I could win, but because I thought it would give me an opportunity to expand my portfolio. So, here's a sneak peak at what I'm doing for it. Wish me luck!

Worlds Shall Pay. . .

2010-04-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I did a sketch that a friend of mine thought was the greatest thing I had ever done. So, as a thank you for helping me out with some things, I cleaned it up and colored it for him. No idea what I was thinking when I originally drew it.

MS Walk

2010-04-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

My mother has MS, also known as Multiple Sclerosis. It's a chronic, degenerative disease that causes your immune system to attack your nervous system. This can cause severe muscle spasms, blindness, vertigo and will eventuallyleave the person paraplegic.

Every year the MS Society has MS Walks that they use to generate donations to help further research into helping cure MS. My mother has started a team, which she has dubbed Sherry's Angels, that, with the help of her walker, will be participating in the MS walk this year.

Through my job I'm creating T-Shirts for my mom's team. Here's the angel I did for them with a few tweaks to the color just for fun.

If anyone is interested in the walk or just wants to donate here's the MS Society's website: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/

Or you can feel free to contact me with any questions. Any help anyone can give is greatly appreciated.

All the best.

If Only. . .

2010-02-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

If I made my own video game, this guy would so be in it. Although, something about this seems off. I'll have to play with it more when I have time.

Art Barrage Part Deux

2010-02-22T06:31:00.001-08:00

A few more oldies. . .

Art Barrage

2010-02-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

Been busy at work so I haven't been able to bang out anything new. So to make up for it here's a a slew of old work. Some digital, some traditional.

Who I am & What I Do

2010-02-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

Since this is my first entry I thought I might start out with who I am and what I do for a living. My name's Kevin Nordstrom (no I have no relation to the store, unfortunately) and I'm a Lead Illustrator for a custom design company that makes everything from patches to posters, t-shirts, hats and pretty much else anything you can print or embroider on. Here's an example of one to the patches I did.

On the left is the illustration I did according to customer's description and on the right is the embroidered result.

Over the next few days I'll post some of my older stuff but I'll try to get some new stuff up soon too. Thanks for stopping by.

Peace