My Liege ...

... is a man named Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

Ed Roth (1932-2001) was a counterculture, multimedia artist.  he created unique custom designed and built automobiles, and also designed outrageous cartoon monsters who drove in bizarre cartoon cars.  the best known of these was a monster named Rat Fink,  a bizarre variation of Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse.

Big Daddy’s creations appeared on t-shirts, in comic books, on decals, and were made into a variety of toys - the most important of which was a series of models produced by the revell model company.

Generations of artists, car enthusiasts, and counterculture individuals have been inspired by this man’s work, and I am among them.  Many times you find yourself forced to separate a man from his work (a man can produce great art, but he may also be a terrible person).  Fortunately this was not the case with Big Daddy, he not only created lasting works of art, but he was also a wonderful man who had many good and admirable qualities (though he wasn’t perfect, mind you).

After I read Big Daddy’s autobiography I was especially excited about his works.  I learned that he employed many artists over the years, and I wondered if he might have use for me.  So I made a model sheet of one of his characters (Gunther, Rat Fink’s son), and mailed off a copy of it to him along with a letter asking if he would be interested in employing me.  I wish I could find the letter he sent me in reply; it had an original sketch of Rat Fink on it.  In it Big Daddy complimented me on my work, but explained that he was now retired.  As you might imagine, I was greatly disappointed, but also enthused by the supportive things he said about my work.

The 3 most important things I learned from my Liege:

1) big mess = big success

2) asymmetry rules

3) the #1 key to success is “the wife” (“the wife meaning a person in your life who will give you 100% unconditional support)

I’ve been able to apply #1 and #2 to my work; unfortunately i was never able to find #3.

(update) Here's a photo of the actual Mysterion, to help clear up some confusion.

Here is Another ...

... model sheet from the abandoned project.  this is the story's antagonist, and we see him as an adult and as a child.  

i was going to snitch this design and use it for a character in another of my projects.  i can't remember which project, and i can't remember why i decided not to do so.

those who are familiar with my work will notice that i DID snitch this character's name, and use a slightly altered version for another character.