Jenn & Bueno: Buenos From Another Planet

Here we have Jennifer & Bueno meeting some new friends...on another planet?! Oh well, I suppose anything's possible. Obviously the title for this post (and to some extent the art itself) was inspired by the Calvin & Hobbes collection, Weirdos From Another Planet.

In addition to including the usual, original pencil sketch, I've also included several of the early preliminary doodles leading up to this one. Enjoy!

--Andrew
(Also, anyone interested in puppet-type stuff be sure to scroll down and see my other new post chronicling my recent visit to the Center for Puppetry Arts.)

Also, I recently had the surprise honor of seeing Jenn & Bueno interpreted by one of my fellow Drawing Board members, Neil Polenske. Here's his interpretation:

Center for Puppetry Arts

For my birthday this weekend, I decided I wanted to go to the Center for Puppetry Arts museum in Atlanta, GA. So I did. It was my second visit, my first having been about six years ago. For anyone who is interested in the art of puppetry, or is a Jim Henson fan, etc., I would recommend making a visit. Anyway, I thought I'd share a small sampling of pictures with you.

The museum is currently hosting a temporary exhibit showcasing some of Jim Henson's works. This is a very limited precursor to the full Jim Henson wing of the museum that is scheduled to open in 2012. Unfortunately, this exhibit has very restrictive anti-photography rules, so the only pictures I could take of it were of the Kermit the Frog poser puppet at the entrance. Puppets you can see inside are a selection of the ones Jim worked and voiced himself, including Rowlf, Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, Ernie, and more!

The rest of the museum features a wide variety of puppets from all cultures throughout history. One thing you quickly learn at the museum is that puppets can be creepy!

Remember what I said before about puppets sometimes being creepy? Sometimes they're not creepy at all. Sometimes they're just pure, unfiltered Nightmare Fuel.

Some more random selections.

Here are a few of the Henson puppets from the museum's permanent exhibit...Pigs in Space, Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. (That fourth picture, the one of th goat-like head, is actually not one of the Henson ones, I just wanted an even number of pictures in this section! So there!)

The other temporary exhibit currently being featured at the museum is devoted to Salem the cat from the Sabrina the Teenage Witch TV series. They had some of the puppets and a huge variety of props and costumes related to the puppet. I never watched that show, but it was still somewhat interesting to see all the goods.

The Great Gonzo

My apologies, but it's time for another quick non-art post. Long-time Studio Blog-O viewers (or newbies who thoroughly search the archives) may remember a bit over a year ago when I made a post sharing photos of my new Kermit the Frog replica "photo puppet". Well, this week a friend finally arrived for him in the form of the Great Gonzo! Gonzo has always been my second favorite Muppet after Kermit, and I've been looking forward to adding him to the collection. At last, I'm no longer the only weirdo living in my apartment! Now, without further ado, here are some of the first pictures I took of my new geeky acquisition. Enjoy!

--Andrew

Upon arrival, Kermit helps Gonzo out of his box.

"Good to see you, Gonzo..."

"Kermit--you have GOT to try traveling stuffed in this box!
It's AMAZING!"

Lookit, they're friends!

Gonzo attempting to spread some belated Valentine's cheer.

Gonzo relaxes with the remote.

Gonzo hamming it up for the camera....

And the final, official "display" pose for the pair...at least for now.

Overall I'm very happy with the quality of Gonzo. He's not perfect (such as the nose being made out a completely different substance due to longevity issues with the foam material of the "real" Gonzo's nose), but he's darn close, as you can see. And I think these guys look great together! I can't wait to add more to my collection as they are released (and I'm constantly tempted by the Animal that already exists...)

Private at Ease

This was drawn for the same thread on the Drawing Board as the Snoopy from the previous post (the "War is Hell" thread). This time around we have Donald Duck as Private Donald, inspired by the World War 2 cartoons. Enjoy!

--Andrew

Curse You, Red Baron!

Here's Snoopy as the World War One Flying Ace, locked in his never-ending battle with the Red Baron. This was done for a thread on the Drawing Board with the theme, "War is Hell". Enjoy!

--Andrew

Jenn & Bueno: Valentines 2008

You faithful followers (both of you) may remember that last year I did a set of Jennifer & Bueno Valentines, inspired by the whimsical, cartoon-and-pun-heavy cards kids pass around in elementary school. Well, this year they're back again with an all-new set of four! At the end of this post you'll see links to where you can download a printable template of all four cards in case you wanna disappoint anyone you know by actually giving them a greeting of my creation this year. Happy Valentine's Day (when it actually gets here later), and enjoy!

--Andrew

Here are the links to 150 dpi templates you can print, both a front
side and a back side:
PRINTABLE CARD FRONTS
PRINTABLE CARD BACKS

Here are the pencil prelims for all of this: