The Firecracker Chicken!

The Firecracker Chicken is easily one of my favorite Specials at MELT. It's the first Sandwich Special I think I noticed as being different from the rest of the menu, that I made a point to actually go there just to get it. I like it as much as I like the Pig Roast.

The official quote from the Melt Newsletter (sign up for it on their website):

Cleveland

Our July special embodies the 3 great elements of summertime.

The super heat of the summer sun, the refreshing coolness after jumping into a neighborhood swimming pool or running through the sprinkler and the sweetness of a Popsicle right out of the freezer.

THE FIRECRACKER CHICKEN

Spicy Diablo Blackened Chicken - the heat

Fresh Creamy Avocado - the cool

Grilled Pineapple - the sweet

Pepper Jack Cheese

Vegetarians and Vegans Rejoice!!
Vegetarian Option available featuring Diablo Spiked Fried Tofu

Come Celebrate The 3 Elements of Summer all July at
Melt Bar and Grilled

So, there ya have it! Another awesome sandwich, another poster! Fireworks are really hard to draw, and then I obscured them with text, so here's the poster, minus the text just to show off the amount of texture and colors that are happening on this thing:



I'm pretty happy about how this came out. I like that all of these posters have been pretty different. It's been a great challenge, and a lot of fun to stretch my brains and capabilities. It doesn't hurt that I genuinely love Melt, and find myself eating there all the time. I like to think that in doing these posters, I'm getting to visually portray my personal experience and affinity for the place. It's not just some gig I'm doing for some client I don't really have a full knowledge of. I'm pretty invested in it all. I think that might be how most my gigs are, though. I usually genuinely like the bands I agree to do posters for, or I don't know them, I usually like the venue and the people involved in it enough to give the bands the benefit of the doubt.

More to come, much more. Back to work.

Get Your War On

It's for a Scrabble Tournament!

What Big Eyes You Gots

This bill is made up of all relatively new Cleveland rock bands. Casual Encounters, I think this is their third or fourth show. Stimulus Package, pimps, killers, Lotto League veterans. All Dinosaurs very first show.

Bela Dubby, bring the kids, drink coffee, then beer. Booya.

I kinda knew exactly how I wanted this to look, which was to look suggestive, kinda sorta implying sone kind of kinky weird wolf/riding hood "encounter"... without being gross, so I had to start kind of gross with the sketchy foundational stuff so's I know where things go:


I knew how I wanted to crop it, so I blew that smaller rough up, and boxed it in and roughed it in further details before inking. I've been trying to expand upon my usual "mid shot of a charter centered over a background" layout. I love doing this shit, but... yeah, it's good to try new stuff and flip things around.

Make it Pop

I had no idea, but people reeeaally love Man Man. Hey, free show. There's a whole series of these shows at the Rock Hall. Mystery of Two has really been on a rampage lately. Catch them if you can!

I wish I had a pink toaster. It would match my coffee maker.

The Dead Hand: HUMAN MACHINES

Damage Rituals is a new tape label, and they're bringing it with their first comp. It's about 90 MINUTES of intense bonkers awesome music with 25 bands, including a few Cleveland favorites like Self Destruct Button, Cave Bear, Deathers, and Homostupids. But also some of my buds and favorites like Dan Friel, White Mice, Satanized, Yukon, Drunkdriver, Zs, and Dyrhythmia!




I gripped it at the Upsilon Acrux show the other night, Cave Bear had it, but YOU can check the full blown track list, and easily order it for just $6 at the Damage Rituals website: HERE.

JOIN, or DIE.

Another Red 7 poster! Austin's Set Aflame and Goodnight Goddess, San Antonio's Tension Speak, and Bonnie Blue from College Station. Not exactly my jams, but I love doing posters for shows outside of Cleveland, and I think Austin is probably a good place to be doing posters for. This is also a JULY 4th party, so that's fun. It's how I landed on a lot of the design decisions with this character.

But I'll get to that in a minute. Here's some process breakdown:



Not sure why I've included this one, other than it's the initial concept, I feel like I haven't done the "hot tattooed chick with gun" approach in a while. It's one of my faves, and can always be catered to whatever the context is. At any rate, I think the initial madness at the bottom of the page with the skulls and stuff would have been fun, but possibly overkill. I dunno, I'm glad I didnt do it though.



This rough of the girl took a while, but it was totally worth it. Thinking up tattoos and trying to get the pose right is always a fun challenge.



I ink with a brush and then micron pens. Sometimes splattering ink with a tooth brush.



This time I chose to draw the background separate from the character so I would have the option to resize things if I needed to. Sometimes details change, or when I'm laying things out I leave enough room to make mistakes.



Took me a minute to color this one, I kinda got obsessed. This was a really fun piece to work on. Been using a blue sky a lot lately, maybe because it's summer?



So, firstly, I gave her a Dead Prez shirt because I've been listening to a shitload of Dead Prez lately. I'd never really gotten too into them, but man, they're good. It's been kind of a boon, I've been finding it's a lot harder to stay focused lately. A lot of Dead Prez songs are about working hard and staying focused and being healthy and smart. On the other hand, the rest of their songs make me want to just run around killin' white people. So it's definitely something to moderate. I've been blasting heavy ass metal intermittently. Anyway, new Dead Prez comes out Tuesday!



JOIN, or DIE., a Benjamin Franklin piece from 1754, that was used during the build up to the American Revolution. I love this image and imagine revolutionary militant punk girls would have it as a chest piece.



The Gadsden flag, again. I love this shit.



There's a Kool-Aid Man tattoo. There's also a green... peace sign.

I've got a lot of stuff on deck, so check back. I did hang a bunch of art at Cleveland based marketing firm Boondock Walker's studio for their summer open house party, Humdinger this past Thursday. The party was a blast, it's been a while since I've seen that many people, that happy. It may have been the new Boondock Walker brand of beer, or the awesome food (especially the huge bowls of muy bueno guacamole)(both provided by the awesome Rocky River Brewing Co.), or the super loud smooth jazz (seriously, it was loud), or the plethora of fashionable attractive people there (I felt like a bridge troll, like in that Patton Oswalt joke about the London Batman Begins premier on Werewolves and Lollipops). It most certainly had very little to do with my artwork, but I'm super stoked I was a part of it and got to hang my work, it looked great. I had a great time and got to meet and hang with some cool people. Boondock Walker rules.

Design Nerds on Thrill Jockey

Double Dagger rules, and is one tour, and has a new record out. You should grip that motherfucker and go see them where ever they play. If you live in the N.E. Ohio Region, your best bet is to see them Saturday, July 11th, at Now That's Class. SunGod and Cave Bear are also playing, it's gonna be a banger.

I might take the time later to post a process thingy for this poster, but I've got something else planned to go with it, which... is a surprise.

THiS iS CLEVELAND

So, this is a poster I made for the THIS IS CLEVELAND Art Show Closing Party, which is being presented by Cleveland Bachelor, for further information, check THIS out.

I'm pretty happy with how this poster came out. I was originally supposed to be a part of this show and botched it by not turning in my camera.

Oh, by the way, the premise of the show is that Lowlife Gallery gave 30 different people disposable cameras to take 27 pictures with over the course of 2 weeks. Then a committee got together and selected the best of the best and that became this art exhibit. I was one of the 30, camera #27 to be exact, but I blew it and didn't take enough pictures and then never turned in camera #27.

I felt pretty guilty about that, but I'm too busy to actually worry about it. I think maybe I also felt the need to make this poster exceptional, and somehow indicative of what I think of the show. I guess part of me feels that as much as it was a group of 30 individuals, it was really the city, as an entity, taking a single self portrait. The disposable camera being optimal, because it's so sufficient.

It was only halfway through this piece that it reminded me of this earlier thing I did. Nowhere near the same, but ...similar.

So come to Lowlife Gallery at 16001 Waterloo on June 27th and check this thing out. It's after the Waterloo Arts Fest, which is going on all day.

RED 7

An evening of brutal ripping with Lair of The Minotaur, Kill the Client, Mammoth Grinder, Pack of Wolves, Broadcast Sea, and Fight Pretty. Then there's the Black Irish CD Release Party. I've never been to Texas, but I'm pretty sure Austin is somehow exempt from being IN Texas.



THEN The Upper Crust, Orgasm Addicts, Fire Horse, and Shitty Car Wash.

Hey, look- BMX Ghost Rider.

12 Years Old at 30

Keelhaul is playing a bunch of shows with Isis, some of which are also with Pelican! Awesome tour, but these dates especially:

Isis Tour Dates with Keelhaul:
6/09 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop (w/Pelican)
6/10 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theater (w/Pelican)
6/11 Detroit, MI Small's (w/Pelican)
6/12 Chicago, IL The Bottom Lounge (w/Pelican)
6/13 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
6/15 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
6/16 Salt Lake City, UT Club Sound

This poster is about as close to drawing something I would have imagined as being the pinnacle of all awesomeness when I was 12 years old. There's a Purple Beastman, Bigg Ass Robots, and a BBTTMB (Blue Big Tittie Tattooed Military Babe) firing an M16 one handed at one of the robots, while holding a samurai sword with the other hand.

Yeah, Keelhaul.

The MELT PIG ROAST

This is by far my favorite Melt Special of the year. It's so goddamn good, I had one yesterday and I'm pretty sure I'll be getting another one today. Sorry, no process "behind the scenes" this month. Gotta keep moving!

Punk Noir

Woman from Brooklyn, Australian legends Lubricated Goat, and Pop. 1280 also from NY. Not really 100% on this one, but I definitely nailed the film noir vibe I was going for, which was requested by "the client". I think there may be too many textures or... I dunno, I just wish it was more legible, I guess. At any rate, boy do I love film noir. This was a total blast to draw.

Elevation

It's a wooden robot, with a magical steam powered jet-pack. Recycled Rainbow is a weekend long event themed around radical self-reliance, and self-expression. It's actually deeper than that, so check out www.recycledrainbow.org if you're interested.

Skeletal Antlers

Zs, Self Destruct Button, Bbob Drake + JGuy Duo, Wolfdowners at Now That's Class on June 25th, 2009.

When you repeat something you've already done, it's not called ripping yourself off, it's the calculated continuation of a motif. Things are crazy in The Cave right now, I'll update with actual postings soon. Busy.

Cookiepocalypse: Phase One

So, every Tuesday Laura Long makes cookies and sells them at Now That's Class. They're vegan, and hydrogenated oil free, and only $1 each. And they're big. They're so big you could say they're apocalyptic. SO, for the next four weeks we'll be presenting the Four Phases of The Cookiepocalypse. Phase One, the White, is a Macadamia Nut cookie of CONQUEST.



As for the design of the "horseman" riding the White Cookie of Conquest, according to wikipedia's Four Horseman page, in Revelation 6:1 - 6:2 it says "...When the Lamb had opened the first of the seven seals, I heard the first of the four beasts say with a thundering voice, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow: and there was given unto him a crown, and he departed as conqueror and to conquest." So with those main components in hand, I got to drawin'! I knew I wanted my "Horseman" to actually be a "Horsewoman", and I really loved the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when I was a pup, so that's where I gripped the idea for the look of the crown from. The bow and everything else I just made up, but I did look at a bunch of both surfing and archery photos for a while. Making High Heel Converse All Stars may have been both the stupidest and most brilliant thing I've ever done.

Champagne of YouTube III

This is a collection of videos of bands performing at Champagne of Fests III that has been circulating. This weekend is gonna be apeshit bonkers.

On another note, I will be there both nights selling the poster we had screen printed, and a plethora of other posters and zines and stuff.

On with the show:

COTTON MUSEUM



THE FLAT CAN CO.



KRALLICE


EMERALDS


REALICIDE


TELECULT POWERS www.myspace.com/telecultpowers


SWORD HEAVEN



AARON DILLOWAY


SELF DESTRUCT BUTTON


SKIN GRAFT


RYAN JEWELL


LAND OF BURIED TREASURE


JASON ZEH


CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR


CRYSTAL ANTLERS


FLUXMONKEY


TUSCO TERROR




Schedule

////////SATURDAY////////////////////////////////////////////////////

12:50 - 1:30 ///// Krallice ///////////////////////// Main Stage
12:25 - 12:45 //// Tusco Terror ///////////////////// Basement
11:40 - 12:20 //// Sword Heaven ///////////////////// Main Stage
11:15 - 11:35 //// Fluxmonkey /////////////////////// Bar Stage
10:50 - 11:10 //// Falling Rock ///////////////////// Basement
10:20 - 10:45 //// Telecult Powers ////////////////// Main Stage
9:55 -10:15 /// // Mammoth ////////////////////////// Bar Floor
9:20 - 9:50 ////// Crazy Dave Tapes ///////////////// Bar Projector
8:45 - 9:15 ////// Cotton Museum //////////////////// Main Stage
8:20 - 8:40 ////// Tiger Hatchery /////////////////// Basement
7:50 - 8:15 ////// Clan of the Cave Bear //////////// Main Stage
7:25 - 7:45 ////// Fragments //////////////////////// Basement
6:50 - 7:20 ////// Ryan Jewell ////////////////////// Main Stage
6:30 - 6:45 ////// Andrew Kirschner ///////////////// Bar Stage
6:00 - 6:25 ////// Sick Llama /////////////////////// Main Stage
5:00 DOORS OPEN

////////SUNDAY/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

12:50 - 1:30 ///// Crystal Antlers ////////////////// Main Stage
12:20 - 12:45 //// Skin Graft /////////////////////// Basement
11:45 - 12:15 //// Land of Buried Treasure ////////// Main Stage
11:20 - 11:40 //// Jason Zeh //////////////////////// Back Patio
10:40 - 11:15 //// Emeralds ///////////////////////// Main Stage
10:10 - 10:35 //// The Flat Can Co. ///////////////// Bar Floor
9:35 - 10:05 ///// Realicide //////////////////////// Main Stage
9:00 - 9:30 ////// Jonathan Death /////////////////// Bar Stage
8:25 - 8:55 ////// Aaron Dilloway /////////////////// Main Stage
8:05 - 8:20 ////// Pimlo //////////////////////////// Basement
7:35 - 8:00 ////// Self Destruct Button ///////////// Main Stage
7:10 - 7:30 ////// Anal Cheetahs //////////////////// Basement
6:45 - 7:05 ////// KBD ////////////////////////////// Main Stage
6:25 - 6:40 ////// E.E ////////////////////////////// Bar Stage
6:00 - 6:20 ////// Blisse /////////////////////////// Main Stage
5:00 DOORS OPEN

ART FUR ANIMALS 2009

Here's a graphic I made for the Art Fur Animals Benefit for The Friends of the Cleveland Kennel. This was used for both a poster, and post cards. They're out there, if you look for them. Here's more info:

5th Annual
Art Fur Animals
Friday, May 22 2009
6-10 pm
The Galleria at Erieview
(1301 E. 9th St, Cleveland)

Event features:
• Live Auction of Limited Edition custom designed
ceramic dogs 20 talented Cleveland artists.
*Dog mold custom designed by sculptor Kristen Cliffel.
Read more about her work here!

• Dozens of gallery quality art work up for bid in silent auction, created by national & NEO artists

• Delicious food provided by Porcelli’s Bistro and vegan food from acclaimed vegan chef Jakob Mejstrik.

• Open bar by donation

• Music DJ Funk-Shway

• Win valuable raffle prizes donated by dozens of local businesses!

• Friends and fun gathered to enjoy art
& benefit an amazing cause!


100% of proceeds from this event benefit the homeless, neglected & abused animals at the Cleveland Kennel.

Here's a list of the artists with links:

Billy Naininger
Carol Adams
Dana Depew
Dave Cintron
George Kocar
JoAnn DePolo
John Howitt
Kimberly Engel
Kristen Cliffel
Krisztina Lazar
Linda Alexander-Radak
Mark Yasenchack
Maureen Ryan
Meghan Fischer
Michael Greenwald
Mikel Mahoney
Mitzi Lai
Ruggero Fatica
Scott Pickering
Sean Higgins
Steve Yusko
Susan Begin
Sylvia Masek
Todd V

Also, these artists I couldn't find links for:
Janet Macoska
David Betlejewski
Dominga Marquez
Beth Gregerson
Jonathan Alexander-Hofer
Judy Brandon
Kelly Finley
Kenn Louis
Alane Sandoval
Barb Stiebeling
Bernie Smith
Carol Isgro
Sean Kelly
Stacey Richardson Crawford
Terri Snider

I submitted the original art from the graphics I did for the event for the show. The Friends of The Cleveland Kennel are getting these framed, so... hopefully these will find a good home:





Also, there will be a t-shirt I also did the design work for, here's the final art:

Your Requisite Ice Cream Social for 2009

If you slept on the Caveman Diaries Vol. 6 Release Party/Opening, or "didn't know about it", or were off playing dodge ball... here's your SECOND and LAST chance to see this art show at Front Room.

It's sort of a last minute thing, but something I think could kick ass and be pretty fun. Ice Cream rules, so does Root Beer. It's also free, though I do still have a handful of copies of Caveman Diaries Vol. 6 Limited Front Room Edition left, and there's other back issues of Shiner Comics, and of course the art and prints, if you're interested in those types of things.

Front Room Gallery is at 3615 Superior in Building 42 on the 3rd floor- it's in Tyler Village just off Superior on E. 36th street. Hey look, Google went there just for you and took this picture:


View Larger Map

Dos Muertos

TOMORROW. This show, MAYhem, opens at Lowlife Gallery in scenic Collinwood, Ohio! This is the flyer with the updated artist list. I saw the gallery today and there is so much goddamn art in that space. It's totally ridiculous and awesome. This party will be one for the ages.

My contribution is a limited signed and numbered print of the image from the flyer/poster. Dos Muertos is an edition of 12, archival prints on indoor glossy vinyl. It's roughly 16 x 22, and through the gallery they're $40. If you're interested in one, but can't get to Cleveland, or Lowlife, feel free to email me (jgritty@gmail.com) and I'll hook it up. These are some crummy photographs, but... that's them:





I matted and framed the print in the exhibit myself. The matte board looks like I cut it by chewing through it with my teeth. I suck at that stuff, and it's such a pain in the ass. BUT, even that looks a lot nicer than just clamps and pins for this piece. It's a big group show, and I'd rather not look like the guy that doesn't care, especially when I do. Sometimes I don't. ...maybe even most times. This time I do.

The Godfather

So, this month the sandwich special at Melt is The Godfather an Italian Feast of a sandwich.

The official description:

THE GODFATHER

Homemade 3 Cheese Lasagna

creamy ricotta, smoky provolone and rich romano

fresh made fennel & oregano sheets from Ohio City Pasta

layered with spicy red tomato sauce and served bubbly hot on garlic spiked grilled bread with more gooey provolone

add a new Melt veggie antipasto salad for a true italian feast

Hey Meat lovers... we won't disappoint you!

a ground beef and italian sausage version is also available

I had it for lunch today, and it was awesome. I went with the meat option, but before the month is out, I am definitely going for one without meat, because I think it may have actually been too much food!

So, about the poster. This one was actually an idea from Matt Fish at Melt. He sent me a description of the sandwich (I'll get to that in a minute), and an idea he had for the visual:

"The poster idea I kinda had was looking down a big table from one end with the sandwich in the foreground. In table would continue out of sight with the background being a mixture of people, animals and aliens eating an enormous Italian feast at this table. Plenty of wine glasses, bibs and a mixture of the lasagna sandwich and other varied Italian dishes ( spaghetti & meatballs ect...) Have it take place in doors. Really high ceilings with OS candle chandeliers, rafters ect... The first two posters were outside so I thought it would be cool to come inside."

This is awesome because it gives me a place to start. This is also a fun idea and I could begin to visualize it even as I read this description. Sometimes when people give me ideas, they're not this fun. In fact, mostly they're either the most obvious cliché thing possible, or not even something that can be drawn. People are weirdos, man. So, after a bunch of rough drafts and sketches and then a penciled final and a final where I drew the background and foreground together, I realized I wanted to draw the ceiling and the table separate to make for easier coloring once I pieced it all together in photoshop.





I used a shitload of math and magic to get this stuff to look like it does. The perspective was all measured out and then drowned in root beer. I probably should have, but I didn't use a reference for this drawing at all. I just tried to remember the hours upon hours of my young life I spent day dreaming and not paying any attention at church while staring at the vaulted ceilings. I always wondered why they didn't fall in... the answer: Math and Magic. I should probably scan the sketches with all the rough lines everywhere, all that perspective. That would give anybody reading this a better idea of how much went into it, but... whatever. Anyway... the depth, I think works. So I pieced them together, and got to coloring:



SO: With that nailed down, here's Fish's description of the actual sandwich:

"I am going for an Italian theme for May. The sandwich is going to be a 3 cheese lasagna sandwich on garlic spiked grilled bread. The lasagna sandwich will have 3 different cheeses - creamy ricotta, romano and provolone, a hearty red tomato sauce and fresh fennel & oregano pasta sheets from Ohio City Pasta. A meat version will also be available with spicy ground beef and sausage. The drawing of the sandwich will have 3 different pasta layers, bottom, middle and top. The pasta should have a slight green tint. Red sauce and oozy cheese between the layers. The bread should have garlic and parsley specs in it. Let me know if you have any more questions on the look."

This shit makes me so happy. I get to find out about the special before almost anybody else, and then it's this crazy ass idea! I love it! I don't know why, but I fucking love drawing food!



So, I'm glad I hadn't used a green plate yet, because I knew I wanted to do it up to recreate the Italian Flag imagery on this one:



So, after I got the description and the idea for the poster I wrote back to ask about the name and get the details proper. I told Fish I was thinking I wanted to use the Godfather logotype for whatever the name was going to be, but wasn't sure because that might be a little cheesy... He wrote back and said "Hell, let's call it The Godfather!". So it was done:



I tried really really hard to fit the marionette hand thing with the strings in there, but it would have really cramped the top of the poster. I actually watched The Godfather and the first half of The Godfather Part II while drawing this thing. They're such great movies. Makes me want to do crime comics. About sandwiches. So, I drew the info from the bottom kind of hastily, but I think it came out okay. I think I had been working on the poster for like, 16 hours already and the clock was ticking. I like the banners, it's simple and ads an element that makes things pop.



So, there it is. The Godfather, at Melt throughout May, 2009. Go get it!