Beer and crappy Skeches week 3!

 Wow, its already week 3 of BEER AND CRAPPY SKETCHES folks and this week is a special one. Unfortunately week 2 has some how completely disappeared, and i have no way of recovering it. ehhh...but its a new week, so lets move forward!  The beer in this glass is legendary among me and my closest comrades. Its none other than the self proclaimed "Americas oldest brewery" beer Yuengling. Now, i completely LOVE this beer. I must of had 100 of gallons of this beer over the years and ive never gotten tired of it. Yuengling was the first beer outside of the regulars (Miller, Coors, Budweiser) that i really enjoyed. In essence, Yuengling was the start of my journey into trying different beers. And after years of trying all type of stuff i still love a good ol Yueng. It actually was my favorite beer for some time. Until i recently was re introduced to...Well, I'll save my favorite beer for another B&CS post ;)

Yuengling has a very smooth easy to get into taste but it definitely has its own personality too. The odd thing about this beer is i find that it taste drastically different depending on what you're drinking it in. depending on if you get it in a can, bottle or on tap it'll taste different. its kind of weird, maybe its just me, but its good either way. If you haven't had yourself a Yuengling what in sam hill are you waiting on?! Its just a damn good beer and sold just about everywhere, so get you a cold glass ASAP!

This little guy is the ultimate killing machine, SHO: Leader of the Oni Ninja Clan! Sho was inspired by The legendary martial arts movie star known to play bad ass ninjas, Sho Kosugi. He is also equally inspired by a character in one of my all time favorite video games "Rikimaru" from the PS1 game Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. Sho is actually my favorite Stray Dog and Duck character to draw. He's just so damn brutal and gritty!

Stray Dog and Duck E-Comic!!!! coming SOON

Credit to my man Absolute for the music score. Twitter: @Absolute1120

Beer and Crappy sketches Week one!

So Swordsmen, every week ill be drinking beer!!! And Sketching!!!
Well, heres a bit of a explanation..

I LOVE beer. I LOVE drawing...So, i figured I'd pin the two together somehow. Its really simple. A different sketch a week, a different beer a week. There's no real correlation between the two, i just think they're both great. You guys leave comments like suggestions on beers and sketches for the next week and ill try to make it happen. Its just two great things pointlessly working together. simple right?

Sidenote, i remember reading somewhere years ago that Samurai were known to get completely wasted all throughout history. I know the legendary Samurai Uesugi Kenshin stayed slammed ALL OF THE TIME. He actually died from a life of heavy drinking.... hmm. promising.

This particular beer is called  Kirin Ichiban. Its a Japanese import beer. I figured I'd kick this off with a rising sun brew. If you like American Style light golden lagers, you'll like this. It has a very familiar taste if your from the U.S. not unlike a Miller or Coors. But If you're looking for the hard stuff Kenshin had back in the day, this isn't it. I  did enjoyed it though, despite It being a bit too familiar. I'm glad i picked it up nonetheless. Its a good way to put your friends on something new and foreign. But really, I was hoping for that type of brew Uesugi used to crack open.

The sketch is Duck of course...Or at least how he see's himself. drawn with a mechanical pencil and hb .7 graphite. That pencil is greatness by the way. If you dont have one, go to your local art store and ask for a "real" mechanical pencil. It'll change your life...

Out wit the old in wit the new Ish!!

Just one of the remastered pages and extras that will be in Stray Dog and Duck #1 this Holiday Season!!!!!

The official Cover of Stray Dog and Duck Issue ONE!!

Due in Print THIS October!!!!!

Stray Dog and Duck!

The First Issue will include a TON of extras you cant get anywhere else but within the pages of SD&D! such as NEW PAGES, ORIGINAL AUTHOR ARTWORK AND MORE!!!!!
stay tuned for more on SD&D!

SAMURAI SATURDAY'S: My personal journey of the sword

Samurai, the old warrior class of feudal Japan.  The word samurai literally translates into “to serve" and these warriors were willing to give their lives without a second thought in the name of service and honor while following a strict warrior code called “Bushido”.  I’ve always been really in to with the samurai culture but never before have I felt so connected with the samurai.

I was always amazed at the focus and fearlessness the samurai possessed. I’ve learned to adopt those traits and apply them to my own life. To establish a moral code, follow it without wavering. Be fearless in the midst of challenges. It’s either do or die. Do not be afraid of death or success. In fact look forward to both. Channel in and put everything you have into your passion, for it deserves nothing less. I’ve always held the samurai in great admiration. So I took it a step further and really immersed myself. I started SD&D and placed myself inside of the world and characters I created. Then I decided to take it even further.

I cut the Tsuka (handle)  from red oak. 

The blade was bound in the Tsuka the with screws.

 
Nothing is more important to a samurai than his sword. It was believed to be the very soul of the warrior who wielded it. So I recently decided to build my own sword. I honestly had little to no idea how to build one but I jumped right into it anyway. After strenuous work and step after step (and a lot of improvising), the sword actually turned out much, much better than I ever imagined. There was something very fulfilling about the actual process of crafting my very own samurai sword. It had a deeper meaning then just building a cool weapon.

hours of sanding the Saya(sheath). The Tsuka is wrapped with a white clothes line. lol

I Found this piece of wood randomly outside. I painted the Kanji symbol for "Earth"

I stained the Saya green by wiping a wet coat green acrylic paint off of it

The Ito (sheath wrap) are shoestrings from old Adidas

Ive heard and read about Japanese sword building being a very personal and fulfilling experience, but I never though that during the process id find a deep inner meaning in it all. Perhaps it was just completing something knowing I had no idea how to. Even if I did, i didn’t know how good it would actually turn out. I blindly dived into something, worked through all of the challenges on the fly and ended up with results I’m more then happy with. To me this sword represents achievement and perseverance. Sometimes you gotta just do it! Don’t think...just do. Be as fearless and focused as the samurai! All of your problems will eventually solve themselves if keep the goal in your mind.

I also made the sword display. 7 years ago in high school.

 the kanji symbols on the scabbard read: "Earth". That's the name I decided to give this bad boy.

Feudal Japanese ultra violence on your tablet!