Grafix Jam - John Rios

The nice folks at JPK groove house magazine interviewed me the other day. Here is a link to the story.

http://www.jpkgroovehouse.com/Entertainment.html

I wanted to turn you on to a great source for web design. My wife Mary has started a new company for web design and I have to say, she is awesome at what she does. The design, navigation function of her sites is top shelf. Sure, you can go to a huge company and get a cookie-cutter site and fall in line with the masses.

or you can go to Rocketgirlsites.com and get the kind of service and end result you really want.

I recently had her create a site for one of my personal business projects. I am a partner of in a company called Hymarx, LLC. We invented the textpac™ Rocketgirlsites.com did an awesome job of getting us set up with e-commerce, registering our URL’s , site design/ layout, and traffic tracking. The whole package.

5 stars to Rocketgirlsites.com-

check out the samples on her site.

Here is a link to a “Huge” .jpg of the stage drapes I designed for Little Big Town. (see detail). Loved doing this piece. First time I ever designed antique, distressed wallpaper. A complex repeating pattern.

As Always, thank you to my friend Megan for the gig.

If you’re in MI-They open for Sugar Land at DTE- Sept - check it out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elawgrrl/4609238169/sizes/o/

Just a quick note and link to the new tour art for Mr./ Ted Nugent. This shows about 20% of the piece. Wait untill you go to the show and see the rest. Should send some people into orbit…yee haw… Bring your sense of humor my liberal friends…

http://cdn.tednugent.com/images/tour/NUGE_2010_TourArt_1024×768.jpg

It’s been some year so far for tour art. To date, I have worked on seven tours for this summer. I can’t tell you which one is my favorite but I’ll tell you they have all been a blast to work on. I am honored to have my illustrations and designs on stage with these people.

If you’re a fan of-Rod Stewart, Ted Nugent, Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Billy Idol or Julianne Hough, now you know a little bit about the behind the scenes stuff like “who in the world designs or illustrates their stage backdrops. My artist “friends” think it’s the most unlikely person on earth, I’m sure.  The process of developing the concept is pretty interesting. I work with some of the most talented people in the business. They come to me with a vision a goal and guildelines and I work with them, the management and the artist to manifest their vision. It’s a bit more involved but in general terms… that’s how it goes.

If you get the chance, go check them out.

(link to video here with my design)-backdrop for Julianne Hough.

Here is a link to the to a large image of “Little Big Town”- drapes and drum riser designs . This one was way out of my “Norm” but what a blast to do.

Working on a big international tour now. I’ll post about it when I get a chance.

textpac - never text with cold hands again

I’ve been waiting to tell you about a product that I’ve been a part of developing for over a year. This is the textpac™.  It’s a well made muff like device that people with active outdoor lifstyles can use to keep their hands warm while texting. Great for hunting, ice fishing, football games and tailgaters. You’ll be able to text, use your GPS, ipod, hand held electronic game and more when it’s cold outdoors in warmth and comfort.

It’s available now at hymarx.com and will be shipping just in time for Fathers day. (I know dad doesn’t have one of these.) This is the only place to get one until this late summer.

This fall, you’ll be able to get them at Meijer, Jay’s sporting goods & Sportsman’s Warehouse. We are adding stores every day, so check the retailers page at hymarx.com often.

Indonesian paper- Jobs caricature

The internet truly makes the world a smaller place. A little over a month ago when Apple announced the iPad, I was inspired to create this caricature of Steve Jobs holding up is new high-tech gadget based on the streaming video I saw. I posted it and got some nice comments about it. A month goes by and for a week around the release date I started getting about eight thousand hits a day because of one illustration on my web site. A nice “Happy Accident” I guess you’d say for something I drew for my own and any “Apple Head’s” amusement.

At that same time I was contacted by a news paper in Indonesia which paid me to use it in their publication(see above).

It made me think, I’d say about half of the business I do is with people I’ve never seen before. Times sure have changed. I don’t know if it’s all for the best but it sure makes you think. I set here in the country, five miles to the nearest town, at my computer creating things that people see all over the world. Next month Rod Stewart starts his world tour in Dubai. He goes to Dublin, Belfast, London etc, so on…..When people get to his show they’ll see a 112′ illustration and design I created at my home out in the country, in Michigan. Rod and his crew don’t know me from the pizza delivery guy but, technology made it possible for us to work together like we where in the same room for a couple weeks.

Small world indeed.

Lots of people say or blog about how busy they are. Well, if you look at the date of my last blog you’ll see that that’s a fact for me.

I’ll post new things soon. I’m a partner in a new company that is producing a brand new product that I think and hope will do very well. It will make texting a more pleasurable experience for tons of people. I’ll be posting links and info here in the next 2 weeks. Best part is, it costs less than 30$ and it’s made extremely well.

I just finished two stage backdrops. One for Rod Stewart and one for Jason Aldean. I am very proud of both and how they came out. What do you say. Rod Stewart is royalty (literally). To have my artwork, all 112′ of it on his stage…. Insane.. cool!! Jason Aldean.. one of the hottest country singers out there today. I am speechless. Not a bad month.

will post good stuff soon. pics and so on.

sixx am

sixx am close up

I’ve been sittin on this illustration for a little while. Over the holidays I spent about 5 days illustrating this piece of the band Sixx A.M. As some of you might know, they are in the studio right now recording a new CD. Nikki has been really good about twittering (tweeting) updates and it sounds like the new CD will be just increadable.

I drew this piece just for me, no real purpose, I just kind of saw the image in my minds eye and felt like drawing it.

Hope you enjoy.

Just got a call from the eitor of Wireless and Mobile News. They wanted to post my caricature of Steve Jobs on their web site. Very cool.

CLICK HERE TO SEE POST.

Yes, I haven’t posted in a long time. I’ve been busy as heck, Big changes in the world of art for me. I’ll post details as soon as I can.

Something you may not know is I love to cook. In the last two weekends I’ve won two cook-offs. One, I beat my nefew in a rib cook off. His own brother said so.

The second cook-off was an Olympic Theme Chli Cook-off. We had to come up with an ethnic/international chili and compete for prizes. I took First place beating 8 teams with my “Puerto Rican Chili” I won a chefs hat, Offical 2010 Winter Olympic Gear and of course a blue ribbon.

All in good fun. Until next time.