Octopus

Hey look ... I drew a cool Octopus and I really like it. It's just pen on paper in my sketch book but it needs a new home so if you're interested, get it here: http://bit.ly/byronshorde
Just $25 with free shipping atm.

How has your day been so far? It's hump day and things were a little blah this morning but then paypal hit the bank and life is a bit more cheerful. We don't have to worry about how we're going to  buy food for the cats ... as well as the humans and the dog, for at least a week or two. Bills have already been paid and we no longer have to worry about the phone or the electricity being cut off. Life is pretty good atm and there's still 9 hours left!

Today has also been a day of self discovery for both my wife and I ... a day of talking, reflecting and remembering. We are coming upon a season that is very emotional for most people, whether we admit it or not. This season brings feelings of anxiety, depression, joy, fear ... the list could go on for a very long time. I'd lose focus and ramble elsewhere so I'm stopping there. The point is that it's an emotional season because WE let it become that.

For the rest of this blog I'm going to refer to we but it really means ME and other people that might think and act like I do. I'm sure there are others out there like me, just as I'm sure there is life on other planets. So yeah ... anyways. RIGHT?

now i've lost track ... and the shift key on this keyboard doesn't work very well so there is going to be some capitalization errors. If I stop to correct it every time I'm going to lose another train of thought.

Where was I?
Can't remember at the moment, I'll come back to it ...

Oh yeah ... tis the season to over spend and over worry and end up having a lousy time because past experiences have told you this is how life is and this is how your holidays should be and look at all those people over there ... they're having a great time ... why can't you be more like that.
Do you know what I mean?
Does this season freak you out a little?
Do you get sad and depressed that you can't afford to buy your friends and family all the stuff that your friends and family can buy for their friends and family?
I do


and it sucks.
My wife and I are trying to combat these feelings by talking about them ... which is weird but helpful ... and trying to talk about how things were when we were kids and then connecting the dots. We act this way because we were taught to act that way when we were kids ...
it really sounds like psychology bullshit stuff but it makes sense if you open up to the idea of it.

I feel like I'm getting preachy and I'm taking to long on this, I need to get some art done before all my time is up. So ... I'm leaving it at this point. What are your thoughts? Am I sort of on to something or just full of shit? Let me know.

Have a great rest of your day ... no matter what day it is that you're reading this :D

Byron

HA! Jimi Hendrix just played in the rotation ... forgot he was in there. BonUs!

sketched out after stressed out

it's been a day ... it's really been a fucking shitty day ... at least the start of the day was shitty
After that initial 3 hours it got marginally better. With luck it will get better tonight and be awesome tomorrow. Fingers crossed but don't plan a fucking thing because you know as well as I do that the universe will throw a gigantic fucking monkey wrench at your life if you do. Keep things vague ... follow the direction that life is trying to take you ... make little adjustments as needed to go in the direction you wish to go.
It's like a 'be one with the force' kind of thing ...

or maybe im fucked up and keep fooling myself
how would anyone know for sure?

Hey ... i drew this zombie while feeling rather sorry for myself and trying to snap out of it. I think this zombie got a shitty deal because of my shitty attitude ... better it than me amirite?

want to own it and cherish it and be among the few that own any of my sketches? I'm offering these up for just $25 w/free shipping ... just click here: http://bit.ly/byronshorde

shutupshutupshutupshutupSHUTUP

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A Sketchy Skull

It's all about the sketching ... have an idea or want something sketched? Msg me before it is to late.
This is a 4"x 6" ink on paper skull ... of sorts ;)
Original is available, msg for details

Self Portrait

I don't know what it's like inside your head, but mine is very busy ... noisy too. There are some parts I don't like very much and other parts that I do like but their voices aren't very loud yet ... but they're trying and slowly growing louder. It's a process ... it's slow ... maybe I'm just crazy for thinking this ... i don't know yet.

a penny saved is a PENNYWISE

I know everyone has already drawn, painted or whatevered the newest version of Pennywise ... so I did too now :) Just fast and dirty little horror clown drawing with some acrylic paint added to the hair.

Original is about 9"x12" mixed media on paper ... available for purchase, message me.

Black Hair Dud

Trying to get the daily zombie back to a nearly daily routine has been failing ... it's not you it's me. For serious. I'm going through some things that are trying to disrupt my focus and derail the whole train ... but I fight on. This was a decently cool zombie sketch when I created it a week or two ago ... but today in a sudden urge to paint it black I kind of ruined it. In hind sight I should have scanned in the 'before the sharpie' zombie so we could all compare and agree that I ruined it ;)

Have a great day everyone and keep being the awesome you that you are. Don't let the bad shit get you down!

SEaN !

Yes, Sean is not really a zombie ... at least not that I'm aware of. He is, however, a really good internet friend that has been extremely supportive and encouraging for over 5 years. To be honest I can't remember how long we've known each other. Since the early G+ days at least.
He is also among #theinfected over on patreon and I thought it would be really cool to sketch the dude. Plus it was his birthday 11 days ago I and didn't get him anything. It's my first drawing of him since he started his new life in Reno and will be among the first artworks he gets to hang on his new studio walls.
Thanks for all the support over the years Sean ... and happy birthday!
B

Undead Trump

I was asked ... or challenged, kinda ... to zombify theDonald. So that's what I did. It turned out better than I hoped and looks pretty cool. To bad I don't much care for that person ... I actually took the page out of my book so I don't have to look at him again unless I choose to.

If you want to own this picture of the Zombie Trump, send me a message with an offer.
It's about 9"x12" and shipping in North America is $15 for trackable shipping from Canada Post.

High Contrast

If you have noticed from all the zombie cat drawings I have been sketching lately, I'm getting big in to the high contrast black and white drawings. Big fat black sharpies are my favorite new toy right now and this zombie drawing is more proof of that. I love the deep black and how it makes the white just burst off the page.

I will be making a patreon blog post featuring many more of my black and white drawings soon, and some of them might be available for sale. So if you're not a patron, or one of #theinfected as I like to call them, you might miss them.

Here's a question for you ... who is your tv/movie favorite zombie?

Skull Clown or Clown Skull

Is it a clown skull  or the skull of a clown? You tell me.

Come Here

Just finished painting up this Zombie ... it's been a long time since I have painted a Zombie and this is the Zombie that I painted ... the real title is COME HERE YOU LITTLE FUCKER!
I really like the BLACK on this one. It's in my shop : http://bit.ly/byronshorde

Panic Mode

When I was young and dumb I thought working from home, drawing and painting, would be the best job in the world. It is, but it isn't easy. In fact, I would go so far as to say it's a lot harder than any other job I've ever had.

There is no set time to start, and especially no set time to stop. I work when I can, as early or as late as I can. Sometimes for hours at a time, other times just a few minutes here or there.There are no set coffee breaks and no boss to keep you on task. In fact, there are so many distractions and temptations to cause procrastination it's ridiculous. Not to mention all the distractions of family life ... kids, pets, theWIFE ... everyone takes a little time and can interrupt the flow.

Ahh the flow ... some people call it the mood, the groove or whatever else. I like to think of it as that state of mind where the world is tuned out and everything is coming together perfectly ... the artwork is being created and everything is awesome. It's not hard to get in to the flow, it's just hard to stay there. When you have a family and you work at home, any moment the kids can explode, or the pets get in to something they shouldn't, or the wife needs help. Interruptions are everywhere.

It's tough.

There are a lot of people that have given me advice over the years, whether I wanted it or not.

Work at night.

Get your own room for working.

Tell the family that from this time to that time you're not available.

It all works on paper perfectly ... it just doesn't work that well in real life.

The best I have come up with is to be portable with my studio and flexible with my time. Meaning ... I have a small box that holds most of my pens and paints and pre cut art paper that I can take in to any room and start working. In the studio room downstairs when things are quiet, to the living room floor or kitchen table when things are busy.

As for finding the time, I grab it when I can. If it means I only have a few minutes before I get the kids ready for bed then I might have just enough time to tape down an new paper to prep for painting, or put that quick extra coat on a background, or maybe even just add the white highlight to an eye.

It has taken me years to figure all these things out and to find a system that works for me. A long time ago I used to bemoan my lack of space and time and privacy. No one likes a whiny adult and the more a person complains the worse things usually get. So I learned to adapt and go with a new flow.

While it does not allow me a full 8 hours of just drawing and painting, it does allow me to get things done and still be a member of the family that helps my wife, and interacts with my kids. 

But the job doesn't end when the artwork ends. Oh no. The artwork was the easy part.

Next post  I'll talk about all the stuff that comes AFTER (as well as during and before) the art is done.

Joyfully Angry

If you could live on, even after death, would you be happy about it? Perhaps. But if you knew you were going to have to eat brains and human flesh for the rest of your unnatural life ... it could get a little upsetting. You might even get angry about it. But then you could take comfort in knowing that you can now destroy your enemies. That might put a smile on your face ... which could quickly turn to anger knowing that now you're stuck in the apocalypse and your enemies are zombies too.

So conflicted ... smile or frown ... what would you do if you were a zombie?

hanging the zombies

One thing that has helped me get back on my feet and is encouraging me to start things anew is an upcoming local comic convention and art show. I have gathered up and sorted through the hundreds of artworks I have created and put some of my favorites in frames for the upcoming show.

You can find more information about the show here.

The image above is a collection of my bookmark zombie paintings in a great big frame I found at the thrift store. I also framed some of my older works like this one, You're a Zombie Charlie Brown.

The artshow runs from Feb 8 - 24th and the actual comic convention that I will be attending is on the 20th. More information about the convention can be found here. I'm a little excited about this even though it is a rather small town event. Hopefully its the start of something good and can grow over the next few years. At the very least its a first for the ultra conservative mennonite community.

I really do have to much artwork ... and I would really like to get rid of it and start fresh. To that end I'm selling most of my work at discounted prices in my store ... and I'm even willing to make a deal if you want to buy more than one piece. Check out the shop and let me know.

starting to reemerge from the depths of my own hell

I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been around much lately. There were a lot of things that suddenly happened in my life and I just couldn't find the strength to do the online thing. The whole life thing was a little touch and go for a while too. 

Things have settled down a little and I'm fighting with every fibre of my being to get back online and start creating artwork again. So ... to those that have offered their support and wondered how things have been and where I've been ... I appreciate each and every one of you ... and I should be getting more active now.

In the mean time, I'm trying to get rid of all my old work and start fresh, so check out my new store here and while you're at it ... I've started a new portal for all my works and it will continue to grow as I do. You can find that here.