Monster Monday 03.

THE PATCHKEY KIDS

Over the last few years I have been self-publishing comics. Whenever I get a chance to write and draw my own characters I have been drawn to telling stories about “The Patchkey Kids”. These are stories from childhood or personal experiences imparted by those closest to me.I always try and tell them with a biographic slant. I use this rag-tag group of little monsters (Boy-Howdy, Dapper, Loagie, Spiddle and Tralfazz) to reminisce what it was like to be a kid growing up in Philly. At the heart of each story is a little sentimentality wrapped in bunch of fun.

These little guys kept me company while I was sick back 2007 and were a catalyst for some big opportunities when I began to work again. A good friend, William Vaughan 3-D artiste extraordinaire, took my art to a another level by doing two CG renderings of Spiddle and Tralfazz a little while back. I was honored he took this on. William’s clients have included Pixar and Nickelodeon and he is also the creator of “Tofu the Vegan Zombie” (a personal favorite).

Above: One of the first pieces I did featuring “The Patchkey Kids”. Originally they were created to be mascots for a good friends line of art stickers. You can see more comics featuring these guys here, here and here.

The two images that follow are the the pieces created by William Vaughan. William recently relocated to the Philly area to dedicate more time to  Applehead Factory Design Studio where he is Creative Director. You can can see more of his work at his blog Pushing Points.

Upon seeing these renderings by William a digital studio asked me to put together a pitch for both Spike TV and Nickelodeon. Again, I was honored. Nothing ever surfaced, from my understanding it takes a long time for the entertainment industry to take notice. But it was joy to put all my work into one package and to have the dude that helped green-light “Invader Zim” and “Sponge Bob” take a gander and recognize my work.

“The Patchkey Kids” were featured in the publication “Label 228; A Street Art Project” by Camden Noir. Spiddle and the gang shared pages with the likes of Mecro, Robots Will Kill and the always lovely Melissa Lomax.

This piece of the character Loagie was completed for an invite to a “Drink and Draw” event for the Philadelphia Cartoonist Society. I am in the process of completing a new five-page story featuring the “Patchkey Kids” and have some one-page stories mapped out. More to come on that front.

Often when I am doodling in my sketchbook the Patchkey Kids find their way onto the page. This page focuses on character designs and expressions for Dapper. Dapper was named after one of the villains from “The Three Stooges”.

Lastly, after a recent lecture at the University of the Arts a student in the class created this piece featuring Spiddle. It was so thoughtful that I wanted to show my gratitude by posting it. Thank YOU Andrew!