'Tis the season

Is it christmas time already? It seems like it was just Christmas a year ago.

Here in Spain, they don't usually celebrate Christmas the way the rest of the world does, but it's catching on faster with every year. Their Christmas holiday begins on Christmas Eve but extends to January 6th, the day of The Three Kings, which is when spanish kids get their presents. However, recently more and more spanish kids are demanding their presents on Christmas day. But parents and grand parents want to keep the Three Kings tradition going and this means kids are getting gifts twice only weeks apart.

I guess if I was a spanish kid, it would be my favorite holiday(s), but if I were a parent, I'd probably have to go against one tradition and choose one of the two holidays to spoil my kids. In any event, Christmas here now lasts for a few weeks and it's a good time to get great prices on the "after christmas" sales.

This will probably be my last entry for the year as things are getting busy for me. I had a tough summer/fall and things seem to be getting better with commissions and being able to work on my book, the fourth and final installment of the GIRL series. I know I've said it before, but I'm doing my best to finish that book while I struggle to pay my rent and bills. Trust me, I'll never give up on GIRL until it's finished. I'm only hoping everyone understands and can be patient a little longer.

Speaking of GIRL, the last volume has been serialised in NBM's Sizzle magazine over the last year and the final installment can be seen in the November issue. It's a pen and ink version but will be in full painted color when the book is published. For Sizzle, I chose to leave out the final two pages as sort of a cliff hanger. I wanted to save a nice surprise for the color book-I just hope it pays off.

NBM now has a new blog at http://nbmeurotica.blogspot.com/ It's a new site and in time will be a great place to catch up with the Eurotica authors.

And while you're at it, check out my new site at http://kevinjtaylor.com/ It's updated frequently and I have lots of art on sale. It's shaping up to be a great site as well. The above art is a commissioned piece, the type I've been doing lately, so interested parties drop me a line and maybe we can work something out.

That's all for now. I hope you all have a great holiday season and I'll see you on the other side of the new year.

check the new website:
http://kevinjtaylor.com

GIRL-Super

Still battling with this Ebay thing. It ain't easy, but the work is looking good.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280581078897&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Satin Gloves

A new piece up for auction on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280576902015&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

New Website

Today being my birthday is a good time to announce a new website. It's not often that these things coincide with one another, but it just lined up right this year. The
web designers did a good job and I'll try to do as good a job providing good content for as long as it's running, which I'm expecting to be a long time.

Along with updates that will include pin-ups and commissions that I've done, I'll also be doing comics that will be exclusive to the members, unpublished and unseen pages that I may have had in my studio over the years, but most likely they'll be new comic pages that I've been working on.

There's also an area where you can catch up on the latest Ebay auctions, which include the pieces that didn't sell, (quite a bit) as well as other works for sale. Plus, most of my printed comics can be found here, mostly out of print books and stories. We're still working on ideas to add to the site, maybe a forum where you can talk about stuff, request commissions, and even a fan art section. (That should be fun.)

All in all, I'm proud to announce the grand opening of this site, and I hope you stop by, have a look and a good time.

http://www.kevinjtaylor.com

Ebay madness

Doing this Ebay thing is very difficult.
In order to work on a 48 page graphic novel, you need to be financially secure for a while so you can dedicate all your time to the work-especially if you work on your own with no assistants and no one to take up the financial slack. This is why it's taking me so long to finish a book I should have finished years ago.

And this Ebay thing hasn't been much help, which means a longer wait to finish my GIRL saga. But, I'll keep trying. Someday...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280573327933&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280572901006&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

MARTY-Kiss It

Up on Ebay this week.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280567213143&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

GIRL-Heat

ebay auction.

GIRL-Drama

The latest offering up on Ebay.

Fiebre de Copa del Mundo 2010

Since the invention of soccer, Spain has never won the World Cup. Generations have come and gone without Spain so much as getting past the quarter finals. Finally, almost 150 years later, Spain has finally gotten it right.

Being American, I really don't give a shit about soccer-which is also why I use the term "soccer" as "football" is another sport entirely to me (and, strangely enough, the english, who invented modern soccer, also came up with the term "soccer", but they'll get violent over it's use from foreigners.)- but it's hard not to get caught up in the whole madness, if only a little bit, especially since I'm in Spain. But,out of respect for the historic win, I'll use the spanish term "futbol".

We're not talking about a city that goes ballistic over winning a trophy, we're talking about an entire country going crazy at the same moment. Last night, during the game, I went out to see what it was like in the streets and it was a ghost town. I walked down several streets just to look into the bars and saw every one packed with people watching the televised game. After a while, I got back upstairs, because whether they won or lost, I knew there would still be madness in the streets.

Once safely back at home, I didn't watch the game, but about an hour later, I knew when a goal was scored in favor of Spain because I heard outside and in the apartments all around me a simultaneous cheer. It was deafening and went on for a while. As it turns out, that one goal was the winning one. And that's when the madness started. Fireworks, firecrackers, helicopters flying around and just non stop noise, all night long.

Like I said, I'm no futbol fan, but every spanish person here is-mostly every one, especially the old people who have never experienced a World Cup win. After being in Spain for a while, I now realize the major difference in spanish people is which futbol club they're devoted too, and it's passed on to their children. I went out this afternoon and, walking the streets of Madrid, it was hilarious to see how shitfaced everyone still was. Store owners, sanitation workers, newstand owners, all red faced, to go along with the red and gold spanish shirts that everyone was wearing. People in the streets still reeked of beer. I went into a dry cleaners and the owner smelled like he'd just stepped out of a bar. I congratulated him on Spain's historic win and he immediately launched into telling me, in spanish, how tough the Holland team was, "throwing elbows, kicking, tripping."

Knowing Spain like I do, this ain't gonna be no one day party. This joint is gonna last a while and I'm gonna be in it a little. There won't be any escape from it because this is a futbol country. I'll visit a bar later this week just to hang out and I'm sure that's all that'll be talked about. But that's cool, too. I can deal with it now that I've witnessed history and know how important this win is for so many people. Enhorabuena, Espana.

It's too bad Franco never saw Spain win a world cup. Serves the bastard right, too.

What A Compliment

Last night, I was attending an erotic art gallery opening reception with two friends. After viewing the art, we got some drinks and sat on the sofas to chill out and talk. And it was really a chill out area, as we were sitting in an area where there was quite a draft.

After a while, we started showing our artwork. I pulled out (GASP) a copy of GIRL: The Second Coming and showed it to one of my friends, an insanely lovely girl, and she began to read it. I half expected her to toss it aside, but, as she pointed out later, it was a perfect place to view such a book.

I noticed she was getting more and more into the book, even stopping to point out panels that she really liked. (There were quite a few of them.) At one point, she even asked me and my other friend to let her finish reading the book. So, we obliged. After all, watching a pretty girl reading one of my books is always a compliment-and very hot.

She made it through the book and, after a few sighs, handed the book back to me, sat back and realized she'd been sitting in a draft the whole time and hadn't even noticed. Once she'd stopped reading-and looking at the images-she'd gotten cold. She blushed a little as we all laughed at how one of my books can keep you warm on those cold nights.

Having her reaction was one of the greatest compliments I've ever gotten for my work and I'll never forget it. Like I said, watching a pretty girl reading one of my books is always a compliment-and very hot.

So, what did I do?

I pulled out (GASP) another one of my books...

So long, Frank

Bran Mak Morn, my favorite Frazetta painting. You can just feel these dudes rushing over that hilltop to slay your ass.

I got the first Frazetta art book from my friend Raphael de la Cruz in the 10th grade at the High School of Art and Design for five bucks, and he-Frazetta-became my main influence in art, showing me that the human body could be very forceful and emotional in telling a story. His work made me study anatomy more carefully and I learned the subtleties in musculature. In other words, I owe this man a lot for what I can do with a pencil, some brushes and paint, and a blank painting surface laid out before me-even though in my wildest dreams I know I can never be that good.

Damn, Frank. I never even got the chance to shake your hand to just say "thank you".

I guess I'll just have to wait a while longer.

Megan Fox

My first attempt at painting this girl. With her features, it felt like I had painted her before. I guess she kinda falls into that Taylor Girl range-at least when it comes to painting her.

AVATART

This was a difficult piece to scan because it's all done in blue tones. In photography blue photographs as white and red photographs as black. While scanning this, it had to be scanned darker, but it still doesn't pick up all the subtle blues I used. A tough piece to reproduce.

GIRL-Diamond

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280478624224&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Shades

One of 2 new ebay listings.

New eBay pieces

I have a few things up on eBay. This is one of them. Check 'em out.

Commissions

I'll be accepting commissions for a while, so interested parties drop me a line to find out rates and stuff. (That "stuff" can be the fun part.)

Back to the Grind

I've really been on a roll over the last month or so painting the final volume of GIRL: The Second Coming. It's great to see the book finally taking shape, and it's looking pretty good.

Unfortunately, in order to keep the finances flowing, i periodically have to stop work on my never-ending book to do commissions and try my hand at Ebay. I don't mind doing the side work, but only when I don't have an unfinished book staring me in the face. This is how it's been over the last several years.

I'm really anxious to get this last book into the stores so people can see what all these years have added up to. I just hope I'm able to finish it my way.

Until then, though, I'm having to go the Ebay route for a little while longer.

Here's hoping it all works out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280456527240

2010.I made it.

I'm always looking forward to a year better than the last.

Happy New Year.