"Dr. Death" Steve Williams

Once again, I have completed my toughest assignment each year -- Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Annual Year In Review. I'm called on to illustrate a big story in pro wrestling from each month of the previous year. Which usually means creating twelve 8x10 full color illustrations within a very short turn around time. The above image is a sneak peek from the upcoming issue.

Back in December, the wrestling world lost a legend, and I lost a personal friend. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams was one of the toughest, most athletic people I have ever met. And yet, he had one of the kindest souls. No doubt, fans will not soon forget him; and anyone that knew him on a personal level could never forget him.

"Lashing Out!"

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. This is always a very busy time of the year for me. I have twelve, full page wrestling illustrations that I have to complete in two weeks time. Then again, busy is a GOOD thing! The above "Lashing Out!" cartoon is my latest for THE WRESTLER/INSIDE WRESTLING. For those of you who follow wrestling, the latest big story is TNA's acquisition of wrestling and cultural icon Hulk Hogan.

Speaking of wrestling illustrations, my friend Torren Thomas did a phenomenal painting of TNA wrestler Somoa Joe; which he posted on his blog a few weeks ago. If you're a fan of caricature and/or digital painting you have to check out his site. I can promise you this guy is on the fast track to becoming a Master Caricaturist.

Happy New Year everyone!

A "Lashing Out!" Retrospect...

Okay, so I thought this might be a little fun. Above is a little comparison. One of my most recent “Lashing Out!” cartoons, and the very FIRST “Lashing Out!” cartoon, which I drew around 1998. I’m working on putting together a collection book of my wrestling cartoons. It’s been fun, and oddly strange, to see the evolution of my work. Some of the older cartoons I don’t even remember drawing. Obviously, too many concussions…

"Lashing Out!"

Here's my latest "Lashing Out!" cartoon for THE WRESTLER. For those who are not fans, longtime wrestling legend, Jerry "The King" Lawler, has thrown his hat... er... crown(?) in the ring in the Memphis mayoral race. Well, I guess if Jesse "The Body" Ventura can do it, why not?

"Lashing Out!"

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It has been a tough month with a LOT of personal difficulties. Anyway, I always feel the need to explain these cartoons -- not as many people follow wrestling these days. This cartoon refers to the latest WWE storyline, which had Vince McMahon "selling" WWE to Donald Trump, only to have Trump sell it right back to him the following week. Wow! What an exciting storyline... {rolls eyes}.

PWI Annual...

Here's another sneak peek at the 2008 PWI Annual. The story behind this illustration was TNA champ Samoa Joe retaining his title in a "King Of The Mountain" match.

"Killer" Kowalski Tribute...

Sorry, I know I haven't posted in a while. I just finished a huge project for PWI (Pro Wrestling Illustrated). Here's a sneak peak at one of the pieces that will be featured in the upcoming PWI ANNUAL.

"Lashing Out!"

Another "Lashing Out!" cartoon for THE WRESTLER/INSIDE WRESTLING. This one is a tribute cartoon for a legendary wrestler who passed away last month. If you are a fan of the WWF glory days, (i.e. the 1980's), you may well remember S.D. "Special Delivery" Jones. He was a solid performer, but, more importantly, he was a wonderful stand up guy.

"Lashing Out!"

Another "Lashing Out!" cartoon. I've been doing a LOT of these lately. Sometimes, I hesitate to post these, simply because if you're not a wrestling fan you may not get the gag. Oh well, at least most people know who Mick Foley is, thanks in large part to his success as an author. And besides, this cartoon sure beats going a couple of weeks without posting anything! This cartoon is about him jumping ship from WWE, to the much smaller TNA.

Pic up a copy of THE WRESTLER/INSIDE WRESTLING magazine to see the printed version.

"Lashing Out!"

I apologize for the LONG delay between posts. I'm currently running for city council in my hometown of Oxford, AL; and the campaign has monopolized my time. Here's a quick post of my most recent "Lashing Out!" cartoon. If you see THE WRESTLER/INSIDE WRESTLING on the newsstand, support your favorite Cajun and pick one up!

Ric Flair Tribute...

As promised, this is the finished version of the Ric Flair tribute I completed for THE WRESTLER. I want to give a special "thank you" to Dave Malan, who's kind encouragement and advice has been invaluable. Due to deadline constraints, I was not able to apply his suggestions to this piece, however I am currently working on some other paintings that have improved drastically thanks to his generosity.

It is extremely exciting to see your work grow by leaps and bounds simply because other artists in this community are kind enough to share their advice. I thank you all and can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Digital Paintings...

This is a little sneak peak at an illustration I just completed for THE WRESTLER (I'll post the finished artwork once the publication hits newsstands). This is the reason why I LOVE this little community of blogs and all the great artists who are kind enough to share their work! Three months ago, I would not have had the confidence to even attempt an illustration like this. I have never completed a fully rendered digital painting in this style before. However, some very talented artists like Jason Seiler, Paul Moyse and Josh Cassidy have been very kind with their encouragement, advice and critiques. I can't thank you guys enough! And for anyone who may reading this that isn't familiar with their work, it would be well worth your time to click on their link and check out their blog. Their work will blow you away!

Another "Lashing Out!"...

This is another "Lashing Out!" cartoon that appeared in The Wrestler. The storyline? A Leprechaun-ish "little person" whom referred to himself as "Hornswoggle" being exposed as Vince McMahon's illegitimate son. Their similarities, of course, are obvious...

"Lashing Out!"

This is a "Lashing Out!" cartoon I drew for The Wrestler last summer. The storyline was a supposed Vince McMahon "death" caused by a "car bomb." Needless to say, the "death" storyline was short-lived due to the very real tragedy of Chris Benoit and his family.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

As I’ve mentioned before, every year Pro Wrestling Illustrated calls on me for their PWI Annual. Basically, I create 12 full page cartoons illustrating the "big story" from each month of the preceding year. Well, the issue covering 2007 has just hit newsstands. Above are a couple of cartoons appearing in this issue. Just a taste of the twelve you’ll find inside. I also have posted a pic of the cover. so you will know what your looking for if you decide to go out and pick one up. You know, support your favorite former WCW/WWE Wrestler, Illustrator and Cajun!

Chris Benoit Tribute

This is a tribute I created for THE WRESTLER/INSIDE WRESTLING after the death of Chris Benoit. Despite the horrific facts surrounding the case, it is impossible for me to remember Chris as anything other than the warm hearted family man, friend and mentor that I personally knew him to be. As a result, I decided to depict him in a manner that I felt wasn't overly positive or negative, but allows everyone to draw their own conclusions. Hence, my inclusion of the names of the family members and the question that I think was on every fans' mind, "Why?".

You can click on the image for a closer look.