HALLOWEEN IN FUZZYTOWN

It's almost Halloween here in Fuzzytown, can't wait for Trick or Treating but even better is the Halloween Parade the night before, and we will be Boogalooing all down the Avenue.

In the spirit of the season, six people will be chosen at random to win a treat!
Email me at zach@zohora.com with the phrase Trick or Treat in the subject line to enter.

WORLD'S FUNKIEST COVERS LP

Just finished a fun project for Cultures of Soul Records a LP and CD cover for a comp called World's Funkiest Covers. Pretty dope selection of covers in a slew of styles. I can't wait to get a copy on wax. Pre-order and listen here.

And a couple of rough sketches and different directions below.

STROLLER SET

This has nothing to do with illustration but I'm posting it anyway. Fake models working for a real magazine. Yep, that's me, Oskar and Teddy bringing up the rear. You can't tell from this angle, but Teddy's pants are full and he's eating Skittles left over from his birthday. And I fudged Oskar's model release because he said he didn't want to be in a magazine. Good parenting in action!
Click on the picture to see it bigger.
Photo by Ryan Donnell in the current issue of Philadelphia Magazine, superb design by J Southerland.

SOMETHING SPECIAL

A couple weeks ago I had tweeted asking for a couple new followers for this blog. In order to entice new people to sign up, I promised something special in the mail. Well, I finally got around to sending those little "something specials" in the mail.

Congratulations and thank you's go to Andy Smith and Chris Silas Neal both awesome illustrators in their own right. Check out their work when you have a chance.

The prizes were; an accordion man painting on a vintage medical book page. (Pictured here) that went to Andy Smith. And a portrait of John Bonham also painted on a vintage medical book page went to Chris.
The one that went with the Led Zeppelin set that I blogged about last month.
(Full disclosure-Chris is a friend and also a drummer who loves John Bonham so that was an easy one)

Hope you guys enjoy your something specials and I'll do it again soon, keep an eye on Twitter.

NOT JUST DUST BUNNIES

I went on a cleaning rampage last night and finally cleaned out the studio supply closet. At the back, behind the shelf and on the floor I found this drawing of a Blue Footed Booby and a picture of me in second grade with a missing tooth. This was my favorite flannel shirt as evidenced by the fact that I wore it to picture day for first, second AND third grade.

GETTIN' THE LED OUT

Click on the picture to see it larger.

When I was 14 I had my first great love affair with Rock and Roll. And it was with Led Zeppelin.
Aside from the occasional Neil Young record or The Who, I listened to Zeppelin exclusively from my freshman year in high school through my junior year or whenever Nirvana's Nevermind came out.

Growing up in a religious fundamentalist, strict household, I was grounded to my room quite a bit and I spent endless hours drawing with Zep on my Walkman headphones. Of course that was illegal too, as Page had made a deal with **Satan (which was a bonus for me) but the plain fact was, they rocked!
** Jimmy Page lived in alleged Satanist Aleister Crowley's house, whose autobiography I relished, hidden inside my school text books, better to get busted for reading that at school than at home!

In fact, Rock and Roll in general was forbidden, being the devil's tool and all. I spent large portions of my meager paper route money replacing cassette tapes that had been confiscated and thrown out by my mom.
Looking back 20 odd years now, I realized two things, John Paul Jones was probably the coolest thing about that group and despite the overtly sexist, borderline racist tones, they still rock!

ROCK BLOCK

As the winds are picking up and Hurricane Irene is bearing down on us, I finished a little image for our block party announcement. We have a great bunch of folks on our block and the party is lots of fun.
The event acts as a marker for the official end of summer so, its also a bittersweet one.

SMELLS LIKE FALL TODAY

Fall is my favorite time of year, and this one is gearing up to be a good one. A detail of a book project due this Fall. Hope to show more soon.

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ABSENTMINDEDLY DOODLE WHILE ON THE PHONE

Oskar turned 4 last week, and we are still recovering from his superhero birthday bash. And he got his first tattoo. Guess what it says? I LOVE MOMMY

STOP SNORING BERNARD AT THE SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS

Found out yesterday that not only did Bernard get into the 2011 Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators, he won the Founders Award to boot. Not bad for a little guy who naps and snores all day!

In all seriousness it is an honor to be listed among so many great people including Lane Smith (who received a Silver Medal) who inspired me way back in high school with the True Story of the Three Little Pigs.