To the FOUNDER OF THE FEAST!

The Intrepid Kilroy

     I’ve always been a huge fan of toys. A lot of people grow out of it. I don’t know how that works. It hasn’t happened to me yet. 

     Back in 2021, I was going through a whole thing, like I do from time-to-time, where I feel burnt out on fan art and long to sink my teeth into something more original. I was watching a lot of The Toys That Made Us (incredible show by the way) and had the thought… I should create my own line of action figures! 

Not literally, of course. Ha! I wish! CAN YOU IMAGINE?!? 

     I’ve played around with… what do you even call this… toy fan art(?) before with this and these, but, like I said, I really wanted to go all in on something original and basically conceptualize a line of action figures that I would have LOVED as a kid. So after working hard on it the last couple of years, I’m finally proud to introduce what I’m calling ZAGLORDS! 

     So the idea here is that Kilroy, who is of course the main character in the whole line (my He-Man, my Optimus, my Rainbow Brite) has this sort of power called the Cosmic Flame that he uses to create different constructs. His go to weapon of choice is this staff, that you'll see in his accessories, which he nicknames, "The Big Bang." He can also use his power to create rockets, basketballs, you name it... and to give everything his own sense of flair, Kilroy also conjures a multitude of stickers covering everything he creates. I even thought it'd be fun to have every Zaglords action figure come with their own unique collectible sticker so kids can do the same, but I wasn't able to find room in the budget. What?

     Of course, Kilroy here actually dates back way further than 2021. Cozy up, kiddies! It’s time for some backstory... WITH old artwork to make it, you know... a humbling backstory!

     When I was in the sixth grade, which was a while ago, I wrote a story titled, “Space Chase: The Search for Barney.” I talk about it here, but it was basically a short “book” comprised of mostly illustrations (done in erasable pen) that told the story of a trio of space cops on a mission to rescue Barney the dinosaur from an evil Big Bird and Mister Rogers. 

     It was the hottest of nonsense but believe me when I tell you it… was… EVERYTHING to preteen Nathan! I spent the next few years developing this idea further. I even illustrated “posters” for several Space Chase sequels. Again… with an erasable pen. 

     In high school, the idea evolved in a different direction. I, of course, got rid of all the PBS references and changed each of the characters in various ways. The main change being that, instead of space police, they were now a ragtag group of thieves. After watching Kelly’s Heroes and listening to the song “Mr. Roboto,” I decided to name the main character Kilroy. 

     The years went by and I would often revisit the idea. In college, I even finished my first draft of a Space Chase screenplay. It told the story of a group of thieves who use a cosmic crystal to save the galaxy. And again… not a purple dinosaur in sight. This was going to be my ticket, I thought, but life played out differently (and for the better) and the whole thing eventually fell by the wayside. 

     Then, in 2014, James Gunn gave us the Guardians of the Galaxy… about a group of thieves who use a cosmic crystal to save the galaxy. I absolutely love that movie! Those characters are probably my favorite part of the MCU! I mean, of course they are! I had unknowingly been developing Starlord since I was in high school! I became very discouraged (from a creative standpoint) and never gave Kilroy and his friends another thought. 

     Cut to 2021 when, like I said, I started developing this toy line. I wanted a concept that was open enough for me to be able to plug in any kind of wacky character I could come up with, and it still make sense. Alien ninjas, robot ghosts… purple dinosaurs. You name it! This is how I settled on the “hyperverse” for the setting – a place where basically anything is possible. I’m a fan of the 80’s retro future style and thought it’d be fun to have my main character be loosely based on Disney’s Captain EO. You see where I’m going here.

 I named the guy Kilroy.

     Kilroy is determined and resilient. He’s a risk taker, an optimist, an innovator, and at times… a little reckless. Like I said, the kind of toy/character that I would have LOVED as a kid. He may be a little derivative, but I try to remind myself that everything has been done before, but not by you. Do your best to make it your own. Don’t get discouraged. Have fun… and settle down. 

 This is just a post on some blog, dude!

Rock and Granite

     I recently started working with Procreate the way SEVERAL artists out there do! There's been a few learning curves to work around but, for the most part, I'm really enjoying it!

     Part of that learning curve though involves spending some time on a thing only to not be happy with the final result... because I don't fully know what I'm doing just yet. Such is the case with this character poster for Wacky Races. I'm just not feeling it. Part of it is being a new to Procreate. Part of it is just my skill or lack thereof as an artist. I was also prepping for a colonoscopy while working on this. That definitely played a part as well.

I might make another attempt later on but, for now, I'm just going to post it and move on. 

Reminiscing about Wacky Races while prepping for a colonoscopy. Old age is hitting weird, guys.

Witches

Happy Halloween, everyone! 

Here are some random witches who might not be that spooky, but would definitely make for a fun night of trick-or-treating!

Magic and Wonder

I'm just going to post these under the assumption that everyone already knows about Zoobilee Zoo.

Harness the Power

Me: I'm so sick of all these nostalgia-based cash grabs!

Also me: We NEED a Dino-Riders movie!!!

RDJ!

New mask.

Same task.

Care Bears Care About You

     To some degree or another, we all have our own individual ideas for how we'd like to see the Care Bears rebooted, right? That's not just a me thing, is it?

G.I. Joe Against COBRA and Destro... and Water Rings

     I don't necessarily know the personal aesthetic of your home decor, but I do know that it's severely lacking without this set of Lady Jaye coasters from my Redbubble.

Click here to get yours?

"Dude... I gotta set this water down!"

Theme Park Characters and Processing Death

     A couple of months ago, my dad passed away. This whole grieving process... it's rough, man! I hate the sneaky and unexpected ways grief finds to creep in and ruin things! I've realized that I haven't really found the joy in certain things that I used to find joy in. I don't look forward to anything... at all! I find myself thinking, "What's the point?" We recently booked a trip to Disney World. In the past, I would've been over the moon with excitement over this, but this time, I wasn't. What's the point?

It's been this way with drawing also. I just haven't felt like it.

     But one thing I have felt like doing is basically "cranking out" these make-believe Park Pals figurines. It's ridiculous, really. NO ONE wants this and like I said in my last post, I wouldn't even call it art. It's practically nothing and yet making them is strangely satisfying and even a little... therapeutic? 

I don't know. 

     I'm confident that I'll eventually get through this. I definitely don't grieve FOR my dad. He was a Christian, so I know he's doing better than he's ever been. Rather, I grieve for the loss of my dad. My relationship with him was a part of me and now that part of me is gone... and I can feel it. I have to get used to this new way of being and it'll take some time. I'm trying to be aware of what's going on and make a conscious effort to not shove things down, but actually talk about what I'm feeling. My AMAZING wife has been a great help with all of this! 

And during this whole process... I'm illustrating fake toys.

Disney Park Pals - The Next Wave

     This Disney Park Pals idea of mine has gone through several iterations over the years, but every so often I become reobsessed with this original concept of them being miniature die-cast figurines. Not being able to shake the thought, I took another stab at what they might look like as actual Disney parks merchandise.

     I'm pretty sure nobody is asking for this type of thing. They definitely don't want to see it as fan art. I'm not even sure I'd call it art! It's really just me (solely for my own benefit) doing my best to pretend a specific kind of toy exists when, in fact, it does not.

Enjoy?

May the 4th Be With You!

 

Dog Days

 Here are a few more original characters who have been kickin' it inside my head for quite some time.