Happy New Year 2014, R.I.P. DAD

2013 , was for me, a very trying year, with many ups and downs, but it was also a very productive year for me art wise. I was surprised to glance back at all of the art (both client work and personal) that I had done this year. I also managed to fill up pages and pages of sketches which is common practice for me, but still I did not realize I managed that much content, and that's not counting all of the tattoos I have done this year as well. Hopefully I can keep the motivation up throughout 2014 and continue to grow in the process. Here are a few screen captures of characters and environments that were started towards the end of this year, that I will be finishing up early in 2014. I hope you all like them so far :) ...and on a more somber note, the Year 2013 also ended in a bittersweet way, with the Passing of my Father, Rafael Rivera Sr. who passed away right on Christmas morning this year. He was a major influence in both my loves (Boxing,and Art). He was a huge fight fan ( which made me want to fight), and he used to work at his family's printing business, so I pretty much got tons of free paper to scribble on, not to mention all of the toys, comic books and magazines he got for me, definitely fuelled the passion for drawing at an early age. I'm gonna miss my weekly conversations with him about the fights, but I know his suffering is over and I will reunite with him eventually. Below are some pics of him and my family, who appreciate all he has done for us and miss him tremendously. Rest In Peace DAD. From left to right: My Dad, Me, and my son Miguel in Sarasota, Fl. Me and my dad in North Hampton Mass about 20 years ago: Me and Dad in Sarasota celebrating one of my birthdays: My dad and Daughter Ariel when she was a little one (North Hampton Mass) My dad and Ariel again: Two of the Great Grandbabies I wish he had more time to get to know, My daughter Mellisa's boyz, Jon-Jon and Jo-Jo :) Me giving my Grandson Jon-Jon some art lessons on his new easle :) DA KIDZ :) Melissa and Miguel :) From left to Right, My wife Vicky and her little girl, Melissa : And the latest member of the family, Rocky Da Pit. He is about 3 1/2 weeks old here, I got him for my wife as an anniversary present back in November. We also have 2 Main Coon cats that won't be in this post And last but not least, here's is me followed by wife, holding Rocky :) well I hope you enjoyed this short post and semi tribute to my Dad. I Pray for a Healthy and Prosperous New Year 2014 for all of you out there. Thanks for stopping by, GOD Bless, and as always, Enjoy!!!!! Don't forget to Be Awesome Daily :)

Clint Eastwood Creature?

Book project update: So I got a few more votes to push my Book project. That's awesome, thanks to everyone who has supported and shared my info so far. A special thanks to the fine folks over at Heavy Metal Magazine for sharing the book project on their Facebook page and voting for me as well. My art was featured in Heavy Metal's June 2013 edition, so go get some back issues and like the face book page to stay current with the world's greatest fantasy and sci-fi art magazine of all time. We have a ways to go for my book to get published , so if you haven't voted yet, please do so, and remember, sharing the link with others is just as important. Take a look at the project page link by clicking here. And as always I thank everyone for their support, you guys are the reasons I keep my pencil/ pen/stylus moving :) Below is a creature concept sketch I painted recently. Taking on some of the lessons that my good friend Carlos Huante shared with me. for some reason it looks like Clint Eastwood to me. LOL Thanks for stopping by, enjoy !!!!!

Bat Creature

I Decided to leave this creepy thing sketchy and painterly for now. The face was patterned after one of those Sphynx cats, which I always found kinda of creepy because they are hairless. LOL Below is the painting followed by the sketch. while your here please don't forget to click on this link that will take you to the Skechoholic site, and vote for my book to get published by hitting the Push to shelf button, and also sharing it with friends:) All supporters of the book will be added to a list in the book's credits. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!

Sketchoholic Art Book Publishing

Hey everyone out there in cyber space, I have some shameless self promotion that I can use your help with :) I am trying to get my book published by the fine folks over at Sketchoholic.com. What I need from you fine folks is A. To head on over to my projects page and press the Push To Shelf  Button, to help push and vote for my book to get published. It's free, you can get over there and vote by clicking HERE. If and when I reach 200 pushes, they will work with me to publish and promote my book, And B.(this ones also free, free is good) Please help spread the word by sharing the link and info to all of your favorite social media sites. What's in it for you, you may ask, well for one it's good Karma, and also all the pushers will have their names and a URL (if you have a site to promote) printed in the book as a thanks for backing it. Plus I will be forever grateful and able to continue sharing my art with the world, AWWWWWWW. Isn't that sweet. So please head on over and help Push my project and help spread the word ( cuz, we all know sharing is caring). O.K. shameless self promotion is over for now, so here is some more art for you to enjoy:) Below is a painting that started out as a sketch done for a fan of my art and aspiring artist, in his sketchbook. I made sure I got a pic of the sketch so I can paint over it. I always love signing autographs and sketching for people. It forces you to work purely from imagination and only reference what you have in your mind. In this case it was artist H.R. Giger, Bernie Wrightson, Simon Bisley, Carlos Huante, and the movie Prometheus. Thanks for stopping by, and helping out with my book project. Enjoy!!!!!

The Bride Of Frankenstein

Bride of Frankenstein (advertised as The Bride of Frankenstein) is a 1935 American horror film, the first sequel to Frankenstein (1931). Bride of Frankenstein was directed by James Whale and stars Boris Karloff as The Monster, Elsa Lanchester in the dual role of the Bride and Mary Shelley, Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein, and Ernest Thesiger as Doctor Septimus Pretorius. The film follows on immediately from the events of the earlier film, and is rooted in a subplot of the original Mary Shelley novel, Frankenstein (1818). In the film, a chastened Henry Frankenstein abandons his plans to create life, only to be tempted and finally coerced by the Monster, encouraged by Henry's old mentor Dr. Pretorius, into constructing a mate for him. Below is my caricature of The Bride, done for The Little Book Of Monsters Vol.2 Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

The Wicked Witch of the West

Here is a caricature of Actress Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch of the West, from the classic film The Wizard Of Oz. Hamilton also played as Miss Almira Gulch in the movie. I been asked recently to be part of Vol.2 of Rodney Dollah's Little book of Monsters coming out next year, you can see details and check out the list of artist showcasing their work here. I was working on a Bride Of Frankenstein piece for my submission into the book, and Rodney asked if I would do a second piece so I can have a nice double page spread in the book. Obviously I responded with a heck yes and got busy painting this wicked witch piece. Hamilton has such a strong silhouette in her witch costume, she created a strong character that in my opinion still stands the test of time as a great cinema villain. I'll be posting the Bride Of Frankenstein piece soon, for now enjoy the Wicked Witch Of The West. Thanks for stoppin by:)

Bot Fly

Here is another creepy creature design using a nasty little guy known as a bot fly as a reference. Their larvae are internal parasites of mammals, some species growing in the host's flesh and others within the gut. The human bot fly, Dermatobia hominis, is the only species of bot fly known to parasitize humans routinely, though other species of fly do cause myiasis in humans. Sounds delicious doesn't it? As if this species really needed help to be more disturbing, what was I thinking. I also drew inspiration from the creature designs in movies like John Carpenter's The Thing, Silent Hill, and popular game franchise Dead Space. Below is the original sketch, followed by my painting and a reference pic of the actual real life critter. I'm glad my version is just fantasy. Thanks for stopping by, don't let the bed bugs bite. LOL

Creature Creation

Here is a painting I did recently exploring the techniques of creature designer Carlos Huante. Carlos is a super talented designer whose work inspires me tremendously. He has been very cool to me as well, always offering great art advice or just taking the time to chat from time to time. He has worked on a variety of film and game projects throughout the years, If your not familiar with his work, you can check out his website Here. His books are available on The Design Studio Press site. And the DvD tutorials that I referenced for this exercise can be found on the Gnomon Workshop site available as a digital download, hard copy, or as part of a yearly subscription Here. He also has a fantastic self published art book called Blind Spot that can be purchased by following the links on his site. I have all his stuff and I highly recommend all of it. I look forward to any future work he has in the pipeline. So here it is, i'll post more of these as I finish them. The sketch was done with Col-erase prismacolor pencil and the painting in Corel painter X3 and Photoshop cs6. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!

Art Poster

So I got my promo copy of Rodney Dollah's little book of Monsters in the mail yesterday. This was a fun project to be part of, I'm looking forward to seeing what they do for vol. 2 next year. We got a shout out on Parka blogs, which is one of my favorite blogs to visit from time to time to read up on all the new art related books that are out. You can see the review on Parka Blogs here. And read a blog post I did about the book here. Make sure you follow the link to order your copy, so you can enjoy some Monster goodness in time for this Halloween:) While you're at it don't forget to stop by and order my art book, Jab Jab Whammo!!! using the preview link below

jab, jab, WHAMMO!!! by Rafael Rivera | Make Your Own Book

I been super busy lately, but will be sharing some artwork real soon, for now here is a page from Rodney Dollah's Little Book Of Monsters and a promo poster of my art both new and old for you to enjoy!!! Thanks for stopping by

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter, dancer, businessman and philanthropist. Often referred to by the honorific nickname "King of Pop", or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became the dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It," "Billie Jean," and "Thriller," were credited with breaking down racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity of these videos helped to bring the then relatively new television channel MTV to fame. With videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" he continued to innovate the medium throughout the 1990s, as well as forging a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot, and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop, and rock artists. Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and His Story (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first and only dancer from pop and rock music. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; 26 American Music Awards, more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s"; 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era; and the estimated sale of over 400 million records worldwide. Jackson has won hundreds of awards, making him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. In what would have been Jackson's 52nd birthday on August 29, 2010, he became the most downloaded artist of all time. Jackson constantly traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism and the 2000 Guinness Book of Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities. Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In the mid-1990s, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court for about $25 million and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his comeback concert series titled This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world. Here is my caricature of The King Of Pop, May he rest in peace. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

Rodney Dollah's Little BOOK of MONSTERS Volume 1

Some exciting news: A few of my pieces have been published in Rodney Dollah's Little Book of Monsters Volume 1, Available now. Click Here for details. It's an honor to be among so much great talent. A special shout out and thanks to Rodney Dollah, The uber talented Brian Haberlin, and an old friend from my Kitchen Sink Press days, James O' Barr (creator of The Crow), for giving me the opportunity to showcase my art in such a cool forum. Make sure you use coupon code LIKE US! at checkout for 10% off your entire order. Here's a Link to the artist page for a list of all the talent involved. I believe this may turn into an annual event, in fact the submissions for book 2, have a deadline of October 18th 2013, so head on over to the facebook page for details, if you are interested. So now that that shameless plug is over (LOL), I'll do what I do best and share some work. I call this one Baboon Heart. He truly fought me to be created. The file got corrupted on me, so I had to paint over a really bad low res version that I saved that had the words WIP written acrossed it. Then right when I finally got done and signed it, I signed it across the wrong layer, yup, the one with all the details. So I had to start that all over again, anyway, I hope it was worth it and you guys like the end result. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!! and go enjoy some Monsters. Keep the lights ON !!!!

Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci , born 30 September 1964)[1] is an Italian actress and fashion model. She started in many memorable roles throughout the years, Among my favorite, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Matrix reloaded and it's sequel, The Passion Of The Christ, Brothers Grimm, and Brotherhood of The wolf. You can read the rest of her credits on her IMDB Page Here. Below is my caricature of the actress playing innocent in a Red Riding hood outfit:) Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

Tattoo Art

So there are some people that don't know that as well as doing my concept art and illustrations , I am also a Tattoo artist for over 15 years now. I even owned a shop for a short period of time in west Springfield Mass, that was a very successful award winning shop. I am currently working at Tattoo Expression, in Pelham Alabama. Address: 3180 Pelham Pkwy, Pelham, AL 35124, Shop Phone:(205) 620-0580 You can find me there Thursday thru Saturday from 2:00 till 9:00 and on Sundays from 2:00 till 7:00. Come down and check me out if your in the area and looking to get some ink. Here are a few examples of my work amd more can be found on my website Here. If you come in for a consultation and your idea is something I don't do, no worries we got a group of talented individuals , and I'll make sure you get pointed in the right direction:) You can check out Tattoo Expression's Facebook page Here. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!