More Captain Albania adventures

Some of my strips for CAPTAIN ALBANIA got quite complex, but it was really interesting to create these strips with the exciting new computer medium which I was just getting familiar with. I'm still very active with computer art and feel that I've just barely tapped into what the possibilities that this great medium offers


These images are too small for you to read, but I'm mainly interested in viewers seeing the basic layouts and color images.






This was one of the promotion pieces that I did at the very beginning of this project.

Some more CA comics

Here are a few more nutty segments of my experimental comic strip CAPTAIN ALBANIA. These strips were all created on the computer for fun and it also was a good way to practice and learn about using this amazing new medium.




A blowup so you can better study the art.


The Captain visits another planet and gets in serious trouble.


I even have myself in the strip drawing a couple of the panels. It was a rather surreal endeavor with some crazy plots.

Fun with Captain Albania

A couple more examples of my CAPTAIN ALBANIA comic strip which was created on the computer. This project was a great way for me to learn about doing art in this new medium. I had no intention of marketing the strip, I did it just to send to a few friends. It was quite challenging and also a lot of fun.


The art was done in ink line, then scanned and assembled on the computer where the color and type were added. The plots were rather nutty and surreal.


A blowup of one of the frames for a better look at the technique.


Another weird segment as the captain saves a drowning woman who turns out to be a mermaid.


Many of these frames were drawn using marker pens on layout paper.

Training on the computer

When I first started working with the computer around the year 2000, I used to create comic strips to send to friends. Actually, I would do ink line drawings and scan them into the computer, assemble the strips and then add lettering and color. It proved to be a great way to learn the many things an artist can do using this medium. I will show some of these comic strips in the next few posts. This particular strip was titled CAPTAIN ALBANIA and was kind of a parody on the old BUCK ROGERS strip. I always wanted to be a comic strip artist but pursued a career as a graphic designer and illustrator instead, here I'm back at it.
Anyway, these strips were fun to create as well as a great way to explore the computer medium.




A blown up section of the strip so that you can study the detail a little better.


More detail.


A promo piece for the strip.


CAPTAIN ALBANIA as an artist with MALICE from Wonderland.




The whole concept was intended to be a bit loony.

Creating my own U.S.postage stamps

Someone gave me a PhotoStamps kit and I used it to create these personalized U.S.postage stamps. It was a fun project. I did one version using a photo of Gloria and the other two I used a couple of my new paintings. It was very easy to do and the instructions were quite clear. You create your design on the computer and send your order in and they print up the stamps and send them to you. Go to photostamps.com for more info.


I used a photo taken of Gloria while we were vacationing in Puerto Vallarta.


Here I used one of my new paintings titled COY NUDE.


NUDE WITH BLUE HAIR was used on this stamp.

Exotic glasses

The Scarlet Macaw Community Art Center in Sawyer, Michigan sells some very interesting reading glasses with tiny lights on them for reading in the dark. I bought Gloria a pair and decided to take a few photos of her wearing the glasses. I retouched the photo in Photoshop Elements 2.0, creating a simple dark background.




Then I decided to create a poster for the gallery by adding some type. Niffee Krumrie, the owner and director, liked the poster and hung it in the window. The glasses are great, check them out. Also tomorrow the galley has an opening from 7:00 to 10:00 PM for
their "Going, going, GONE" exhibit which will be up through October 3rd.

Exhibit: Beyond The Photograph

The Scarlet Macaw Art Center has an interesting exhibit currently, titled BEYOND THE PHOTOGRAPH. I'm showing a few of my photomontages which I've adapted into parodies of photographic magazine covers.
It's a group show and Gloria also is exhibiting three unique pieces. If you are near Sawyer, Michigan or passing by on I-94, get off at exit 12 and have a look. A fun place to have lunch or dinner is just across the street from the gallery, try Fitzgerald's, you'll enjoy it. Below are some of the pieces that I have in the exhibition. These pieces were all created on a Mac computer with Photoshop Elements 2.