Hats from the Cutting Room Floor
Yesterday I posted an article about JB skating on my style blog, Grown Ass Geek. It's a short look at a fascinating world that not many people know about. Check out the full article to see How We Roll. Anyway, this reminded me that I had designed a flat-cap inspired by my love for roller-skating and the whole Jamskate/JB Skating scene. This design is one of a few that I presented to Goorin Brothers but didn't make the cut. So now from the cutting room floor, I present the Good Foot.
I think this would have looked pretty classy out on the rink floor. Wool houndstooth fabric with a winged-skate embroidered on the side, oh man! My favorite detail is the little, faux pocket and pocket square sewn to the back. This is an homage to the folks at skate jams who keep a kerchief or towel in their back pocket to wipe away sweat.
The other design that didn't quite have wheels is the Near and Far, my tribute to automotive innovations of the early 1900s. This was designed to look perfect on anyone currently driving Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Even the underside is remenscent of Chitty's red-spoked wheels. The top panel would be loft leather with my car full of crows printed (or maybe embossed!) on it.
Thanks for checking them out!
-Ben
Where Does Art Live, The Hand or Mind?
Where does "Art" come from? Is art something that only comes from years of practicing hand-eye coordination to make perfectly crafted marks, or does it come from our own ideas and the images that hatch in our "inner eye"? In other word:
Does Art come from your Hand or from your Mind?
The short answer is that every artists struggles to bring out what's in their minds, using their hand and the rest of their body to make the most well-crafted marks they can. The images, sculptures, pastries (sure) we make are a result of the relationship between our ideas and our hand. It's a mix between co-operation and a fight taking place between the concepts in our heads and our body's ability to make those ideas a reality.
But what happens when we are injured or our own bodies fail us? If you are snowboarding, fall and shatter your wrist, will you give up making art forever? If you suffer a stroke and can't use your "good" hand anymore, does this stop the ideas and images that form in your mind? They still have to come out somehow, right?
Creativity and its origins is something very hard for us humans to pin down. But I can't believe that the ability to create art just lives in one of our hands like some kind of troll under a bridge. If that hand-troll dies we have to give up on the idea of creating art? It sounds ridiculous because it is ridiculous. I think what makes a person an artist is the fact that they can't stop wanting to bring new things into the world. We will always manage to make our visions happen as best as we are able. When Marquis de Sade was imprisoned and had all his pens and paper taken away, didn't he continue to write with his own blood and poopies? If you can relate, Congratulations, you are an artist.
Jamie Baker, hard at work at Pixar studios
One of my best friends in the world is a hilarious and good natured cartoonist named Jamie Baker. I looked up to him long before he even knew who I was. Over the years we would check in with each other at Comic-con and all those conventions. Eventually the fates brought us together as neighbors, living just a block away from one another here in San Francisco. Last Christmas Jamie suffered a major stroke and lost use of the right side of his body. He is still working through the slow process of recovering use of his "good" hand. In the mean time, Jamie still has funny and charming tales to tell. He is not letting his current physical state close the door on his art and storytelling. So Jamie has been writing and drawing with his left hand, his "Bizarro hand" as he puts it.
This inspires the living shit out of me. None of us really know how long we have to accomplish the things we want to accomplish while we are here. Aside from not knowing when will die, we never know when some huge obstacle could suddenly stand in the way of us creating and contributing to the best of our abilities.
Somebody smarter than me once said, "limitations inspire creativity". What can you do in 5 minutes? What can you draw with this charcoal briquette on the side of a Winnebago? Frankly I find the challenge of getting my ideas out there, drawing something with my "Bizarro hand" (In my case, it's the right) fascinating. And the fact that I can try this out and then go back to drawing with my good hand really points out what a blessing today is for me.
Alright, Jamie has to draw with his left hand right now. It's OK. He's in good spirits and he's coming up with stuff he never would have touched on if not for his present circumstances. After nearly a year of not seeing Jamie, I recently I had the chance to have dinner with him and his lovely lady, Julia. Like always we told off-color stories and compared notes on all of our current creative projects. Hearing about Jamie's writing projects and seeing his "Bizarro" drawings, I couldn't help but think, "What would my righty drawings look like? Could I still get my ideas on to paper? It's kind of a bad-ass challenge! I wanted to go home and try it.
And then I wanted to see all of my artist friends try it.
Just for one night, can't we all just let go of our egos, accept the blessing that is our current health, and see what we can create with our "Bizarro" hands?
Yes, we can.
January 9th, 2014 at 111 Minna Gallery, artists are invited to spend a few hours creating with their "bad" hand. Jamie will be there. I will be there. We will all have to set aside our egos and make some imperfect art. It will be fun.
The artwork we create will be pinned up and auctioned off that night. Did I mention that due to a snafu with Jamie Baker's health benefits, he is now left with over $120,000 in medical bills? All proceeds from Bizarro Sketch Night will go towards making even the tiniest dent in those bills.
I can't think of anyone more deserving of this help than Jamie. I hope you can join us.
If you would like to join us as a Bizarro artist, email me- Ben(at)BenWalkerArt.com
If you would like to have a drink with us and maybe bid on some Bizarro art from some of your favorite artists, please mark your calendars and join us Jan. 9th, 2014 at 111 Minna Gallery (21+), San Francisco.
Thanks for reading!
Bizarro Sketch Night, A Benefit for Jamie Baker
Hats Off to Me!
This Friday marked the long-awaited release of my line of artist series hats. Produced in collaboration with Goorin Brothers, these three headpieces feature my illustrations and pattern designs.
The flagship hat is the Bestie, a "low profile" flat cap with a hand-drawn herringbone print. Two companion pieces were released as well: A flat-brim, wool baseball cap with my signature Armed Bear representing in embossed leather, and a matching, reversible beanie.
Big thanks to everyone who came out to the release party at the Haight Street Goorin Bros. store! And be on the lookout for more of my designs, due out in time for Spring 2014.
Artist, Josh Ellingson picks up a beanie
Represent!
Another happy customer
Me with the inspiration, Amanda Storey
Announcing! I Am a Grown Ass Geek, You?
I am very excited to announce the official launch of my new style blog,
This is a blog about a guy deciding to dress better and look good. I think it adds to a person's success. But I still love Hellboy and Rollerskating to Zapp n' Roger, so.... Learn from my mistakes and discoveries as I go from geek to Grown Ass Geek.
All Ben Walker Apparel, Printed on Demand
Is your Bad Bear T-shirt looking kinda tired? Did you pass on picking up one of my Snake Oil Tees because you needed all your Comic-con cash to purchase a reproduction of The Terminator's arm?
Good News!
All of my designs are now available at RedBubble. The quality and price of print-on-demand T-shirts (and hoodies!!) has really improved in the last few years. Remember those heat-pressed shirts that would always have an off-white box around the artwork and could only be printed on white Tees?! Guh. No thanks. But these look and feel great! RedBubble prints on American Apparel. So if you have worn my shirts in the past, these are same quality and fit you're used to.
And since RedBubble only prints the designs as they are ordered, I can play around with all kinds of new T-shirt designs that would have otherwise never left the confines of my sketchbook! There are a couple new designs available now, like the National Machete Association logo and the new Ceremonial Jackalope Skull. More ridiculous images to come.
Portraits of Spammers
Have you checked your SPAM folder lately? Spam could be the most disposable part of our daily lives. It's annoying, sometimes crude, maybe even dangerous. But some of these guys weave quite a yarn! I wanted to imagine these Spammers the way a hooked reader might see them. This series of drawings shows each "character" in their best light.
Each drawing is accompanied by the letter that inspired it (typed onto paper).
Adriana
Captain James
Power Pharmacist
The Nigerian Prince
Ben Hopkins / Ben Walker / Chris Canga / Cody Williams / Cody Vrosh / Daryll Peirce / Dave Correia / Donia / Donta Santiatevan / Emonic / Goran Rajkovic / Isaac Pierro / Jessica Jenkins / Joemur / Joey Vela / John Casey / Ken Davis / Lucien Shapiro / Marcos Lafarga / Marissa Darengowski / Matt 136 / Max Kauffman / Nana Porcelaine / Patrick O’Connell / Ricky Watts / Robert Bowen / Sheila C. / Steve Caballero / Super Ugly and more....
Zombies and Phones. It's Two, Two, Two Rants in One!
...Hold on, I got a text.... OK, sorry
I have to admit something. I hate
zombies. And by "hate" I don't mean that I'm afraid of them
or the zombie apocalypse or whatever. I just find zombies as a trend, an interest, a constant topic of conversation to be
incredibly tiresome and off-putting. The thing is, I've enjoyed my
share of horror and apocalypse movies, I even had my own zombie
character back in the day (more on that in a bit). But before the
advent of the Internet, the subject of zombies wasn't addressed by
even the most devoted of horror movie fans EVERY DAY. The walking dead were just one of many horror movie monsters. Now,
thanks to social media and the web, I can't go six hours without
hearing about zombies. RAAAARRR! That was not a zombie noise.
That's me losing my mind over all the talk about zombies!
And let's face it, creative types, isn't Zombie-_____ just too easy? Zombies go hand-in-cold-and-clammy hand with curly mustaches and bacon as the current "go-to" references that can get creators some laughs and attention. Yes, you can throw a bunch of pop culture references into a hat, pull one out and add "zombie". Boom, you've got a character that might get you 10,000 "likes" on Facebook but what are you trying to tell the world with Zombie-Presidents? Zombie-Darth Vader or Zombie-Hello Kitty? I don't know if anyone really knows.
Wow, I just pulled Zombie-Presidents, Zombie-Darth Vader and Zombie-Hello Kitty out of my butt. A Google search bring up about half a million hits on these. While "Stay-at-Home-Mom-Darth Vader" gets NO hits. Interesting.
Rock on, ZombiElvis!
Like I said, I've done it myself. Here's a character I came up with when I was 19, ZombiElvis. He was originally a character I made out of twisty balloons, then I painted him on my leather jacket. Balloon ZombiElvis starred in a short film and later on, an animated 3D short. But by 2003 he had run his course. I could do better.
So when Travis Louie asked me to be part of his zombie themed group show in NYC what do you think I said?
"HELL YES!! Thank you, Travis! Wow, what an honor."
Travis Louie is the real deal, man. He is absolutely a modern-day master. His craftsmanship is unparalleled and his characters are truly his own. I will gladly be part of any project he is heading.
But what about the fact that I'm not really into zombies? Well, that's fine. The show gave me a chance to vent about another subject that bothers me: Smart phone zombies. Living in San Francisco means walking everywhere. Within the last few years there has been a fundamental change in the way people behave in public. Isn't that bizarre!? People now walk through town with their heads down and a look on their face like an 8-year-old gets watching Spongebob Squarepants.
Hey! Look up! You're heading right for me and I don't want to kiss you.
When looking around at restaurants don't you mourn a little for the moments between friends and family that are being lost to these little glowing distractions? I do. We're only here, on Earth for so long. I want to make the best of every moment. Besides, whoever is texting us probably doesn't care about us as much as the people who have actually made time to be with us RIGHT NOW.
Again, don't get me wrong, I have an iPhone. Shit, I even have my own App. I'm just saying let's not let them consume our lives. Whenever we pick up that phone we're deciding not to do something else. We're deciding to not spend that time working on that next invention, making a new friend at the bus stop (it could happen) or drawing a cool picture of Zombie-toast.
-Ben Walker
Help Me Help Jamie
My good friend Jamie Baker is in a pickle. Help me help him out.
Jamie Baker is one of my best friends. He's the most upbeat, approachable dude you'll ever meet. He's also an amazing cartoonist and animator. If you watched saturday morning cartoons in the 80s you probably saw his work. More recently, he's been storyboarding your favorite movies at Pixar. He was even the voice of a crab in Finding Nemo!
I had already been buddies with Jamie for about 5 years through Comic-con etc. and when I moved to San Francisco a couple years ago, guess who I found living a block up my street? Yep, John Waters. No, it was Jamie! Awesome! Finally I have a neighbor-friend! With both of us working from home, we're itching for a break and some sunlight (or the San Francisco equivalent) so we'd meet up to drink coffee, compare notes on our projects and make dumb jokes.
OK here's the pickle. The day after Christmas 2012, Jamie had a major stroke. Jamie's life partner, Julia has the details on his condition and financial situation -
Jamie Baker had a large hemorrhagic stroke on the left side of his brain in the thalamus region on December 26th, 2012. The damage of the bleed has caused paralysis and loss of sensation on the right side of his body, including his leg, arm and hand, face and mouth. Jamie's prognosis is very good, although the recovery is expected to be slow over the course of the next few years.
Jamie was in intensive care for six days at UCSF, from December 26 to January 1st before being transferred to an acute rehabilitation center. As events unfolded, I learned that he was not covered on our insurance policy until January 1st. The bill for six uninsured days came to $189,000. Fortunately, we were able to get the bill reduced to $137,000 and are working on reducing it further with the help of an advocacy group and a lawyer.
In addition to the massive hospital bill, Jamie was denied state disability due to a form that was filed incorrectly. We have filed for an appeal and are waiting for a hearing date. He has filed for Social Security benefits as well. We have learned that getting approval for Social Security takes about a year, leaving Jamie with virtually no income and only savings to live on, money that he needs for recovery efforts. Jamie has this massive bill and will not be able to work during his recovery, making it necessary to ask for help.
You can also donate directly and read more about Jamie's story here: YouCaring.com
Alamo Fair & Rodeo, acrylic on wood panel
I want to help! So I am putting up for auction a very special piece, Alamo Fair & Rodeo. This is something I originally painted as a tribute to my all time favorite film, Pee Wee's Big Adventure. It was part of of Gallery 1988's Crazy 4 Cult show, 2008. It's been hanging in my home since. Jamie and I love talking movies. I love Pee Wee! He loves Pee Wee! Whether you are close to Jamie or you're a fan of Pee Wee's Big Adventure, I encourage you to bid on this piece. 100% of the sale will go toward Jamie's recovery fundraiser.
See the Ebay auction here- Alamo Fair & Rodeo
Appearing at Zerofriends, San Francisco
Next Saturday at Zerofriends, San Francisco will be wild. I will be spinning my Wheel of Wildlife for anyone who spends $20 in the shop. Whatever beast the wheel lands on, I will draw you as that creature. Jan. 22, 1-6pm
419 Haight St, San Francisco, CA (Lower Haight)
Onion T-shirt Contest
The Onion has teamed with Threadless on a T-shirt contest. Designers submit T-shirt designs inspired by ANY of The Onion's headlines - EVER. I'm going to hold them to that as I went with a story I found in a 13 year old copy of The Onion Ad Nauseam.
National Machete Association Speaks Out Against Machete Control Legislation
Support the NMA
This is a hand-drawn, hand-lettered design. That's good ol' American Ink on paper, son! No clip-art, no digitally created text. Short cuts are for people who don't have machetes.
So here is where you come in!
Voting will be happening over the next few days (until June 18th). Please take a moment to cast your vote for National Machete Association.
Thank you,
-Ben Walker
Since its humble beginnings as a Madison, Wisconsin student-run newspaper in the late-'80s, The Onion has become the America's most recognizable and prominent source of satirical commentary. With daily coverage of politics, technology, sports, business, entertainment and more, The Onion, along with its sister pop-culture publication, The A.V. Club, receives over 10 million monthly visitors and accounts for over 2 million Facebook fans, 5 million Twitter followers and more than half a million YouTube subscribers.