The Mercenary Blog 11262025

Holy crap it’s been too long. Anyway, back again. Got a 4 year old looking over my shoulder going “Papa, I wanna tell you something!” and then telling me something about “poo-poo” and “pee-pee” and how much he likes my art brushes and “what are these?” These are inks, little guy. “Ok!” Runs off

Changes his mind
”I came back because I wanted to count your brushes.”
Counts them
”Papa! There’s 8 paint-brushes here! ADIE NO!”

The 2 year old came in here and is wanting to play too.

That’s been my life. I thought I had a second to sit down and get this knocked out and update whomever has the patience to keep tabs on me, but I don’t I guess.

So, making it snappy:

Starting work on the children’s book in January. Will be done with it by March. I’m excited, but also a little scared. I wouldn’t be an actual artist without the self-doubt, I suppose. There’s always that little nagging voice coming from the debts telling you you’re a fraud, that your art isn’t actually as neat as folks tell you it is. But that voice has been much quieter as of late. It’s still there, just easier to ignore or dismiss. It’s taken work though. Continuous work.

I have to give the kiddos a bath now, but figured I would check in quickly. I hope I’ll have the time, energy and focus to get back on and update and upload something new soon. Been uploading to the Sketchbook section here and there, but I’ve been meaning to upload more detailed stuff too.

Watch Frankenstein on Netflix. Guillermo Del Toro is a goddamn visionary and I love what he did with this story. He compares the process of film-making to a communal cooking experience and everyone involved adds something critical to the dish. And then you get to enjoy the dish. That’s a great way to describe good films. Eat up Frankenstein. Then watch the Anatomy Lesson making-of afterwards.

Off to bubble-bath time. Until next time, my Merc-friends. Same Merc-channel, same unpredictable Merc-time.

Happy Tanks-Gibblin’!

The Mercenary Blog 04242025

Blog post #2! And only a month after the last one! I am on a roll. Seriously, this is progress. This is what progress looks like.

If I was on here pushing content EVERY SINGLE DAY, that would not be progress; That would be unchecked/untreated mental-illness. If I was on here putting something new up every day:
1. I would run out of content REAL QUICK.
2. It would set expectations WAY TOO HIGH.
3. You would get sick of me.
4. I would get sick of me.
5. Diminishing returns.

All that said: here I am again! Got some new art I wanna share! It’s mostly just sketchbooks stuff, but it’s still SOMETHING.

This website is as much for any audience that cares to look to enjoy, as it is for me to just keep myself somewhat productive and accountable.

The current art-quandary is this: Do I lean in to the more abstract or refocus and strengthen my life-drawing? (Anatomy and whatnot)

I keep feeling that if I lean too hard towards one, my strengths in the other will atrophy. But, then again, that could be my janky “all-or-nothing” way of thinking that I’m trying to improve upon. Maybe it’s more holistic than I give the process credit?

I mean, it’s not like if you learn to skateboard, you automatically start to suck at riding your bike.

That’s the cool thing about art, though… if something isn’t vibin’ with you at this current moment in your life, you can always switch it up. You can always switch mediums or go into a completely different style to stretch those creative-muscles a bit.

I wish I could play guitar. (Sorry, random ADHD thought)

Anyway… I should be posting some new art in the sketchbook section of the website and HOPEFULLY, I can finish the portfolio section, finally. (Who knew you get all up in your head about the first impressions you’ll be giving folks, artistically?)

Looking forward to that.

What’s The Merc watching?

Currently watching Daredevil: Born Again and that opening sequence was ABSOLUTE CINEMA (insert Martin Scorsese meme here). It’s waaay more brutal than I thought Disney would go. We’ll see how the rest plays out…

Also, catching up on a great show (that may have only gotten 2 seasons) called Tokyo Vice on HBO/MAX. It’s got the Baby Driver guy as the lead playing an American working as a Japanese journalist trying to take down organized crime alongside a cop played by Ken Watanabe. And it’s set in the 90’s. Very cool, very well-made.

I’m also watching The Last of Us season 2. I’ve played the games, so I know what I’m in for, but holy-hell do they keep impressing me with this show. That second episode of season 2 was on the level of a Game of Thrones season-finale event. I was fully engrossed in the survival of not just Ellie and Joel, but now Dina, Tommy and the entirety of Jackson.

If you’re not watching it, you’re missing out on some amazing traumatizing television.

Lastly… I finally got around to watching Sergio Corbucci’s Il Grande Silenzio (The Great Silence). Late 60’s revisionist Spaghetti-Western that may be one of the bleakest, most brutal Westerns I have ever seen. Klaus Kinsky is his usual unhinged self in this film as the villain. The protagonist is a mute gunslinger called “Silence”. This is the same guy that made the original Django film. So, you know you’re in for some intense Western stuff. Oh, and it’s in the snow. So that’s nice.

That’s pretty much it for now. Thanks for reading!

Catch you next time, same Merc blog, same-ish Merc-time (next month).