VIGNALI STUDIO

Amy Winehouse 1983-2011

Sadly, we all knew this day was coming.

For a while I remember thinking Amy Winehouse should get her life together so she can get back to singing. But, as she continued to spiral out of control, I remember thinking she should just get her life together so she can get back to the land of the living.

Even the late night jokes stopped when everyone realized how much danger she was in. It's like we were all watching her die right in front of us, but no one could save her from herself.

In her short life, Amy made a profound impact in the music industry. Few singers are able to transcend the medium of their vocals and allow their voice to become an instrument -- Amy did that -- combined with the raw passion and heartfelt emotion she poured into her music, fans loved her for it.

The great Tuna Bora also did a tribute.

Awakening

This is the first page for the comic I've been working on. It's part of a larger project that the Sony artists are contributing towards. The project is called the Exquisite Corpse, as per an old Victorian parlor game in which people contribute only a part to a larger drawing -- without being able to see the drawing in its entirety. However, the actual title of the comic book remains undecided. I guess we'll have a better idea when all the contributers turn in their pages.

I've already turned in my eight page story, and so I thought I would post page one. Lia Abbate had the story right before me, and she picked the theme with faeries. Since I love the subject of the faerie world, I decided to go along with her last panel. I soon realized I was drawing my own daughters, as they ended up being the inspiration for the characters. The name of my story is Awakening.

Introducing Fil Barlow!

My friend and mentor, Fil Barlow, has finally gotten off his bony butt and created a blog, and a Deviantart page.

Ever wonder who created Zooniverse? Ever wonder who created the look for the cartoon version of Alf, the animated Starship Troopers, the animated Godzilla, Tutenstein, Igor, Chronicals of Riddick, Heavy Gear, Extreme Ghost Busters, The Real Ghost Busters, the X Files, Eight Crazy Nights? Look no further than Fil Barlow.

Fil is Australian born, and he is the creator of his own comic books, a publisher of his own magazine, a gallery painter, a character designer, a puppet designer and a puppeteer. Fil is also a 2D animation artist, as well as a CG modeler! He's a literal renaissance man, and perhaps one of the most sincere and genuine people in the business.

When I first saw Fil's Zooniverse comic book, I was hooked, and I knew then I wanted to work with him. However, when he showed up in America, I was surprised to discover he was only a couple years older than I was! Imagine, he published Zooniverse when he was only 24 years old!

We worked together at DIC Entertainment in the late 1980s, and he's been my mentor and friend ever since. Please welcome, Fil Barlow.

I'll be at the Combine Prerelease for Magic 2012!

Yeah, you heard right, 2012! Just to let everyone know, I'll be at the Radisson LAX on 6225 W Century Blvd this coming Saturday, July 9th, 2011. It's a Sunmesa sponsored event, and it's a prerelease for Magic 2012.

This is a Magic prerelease and tournament. I've never been to one of these events, so it should be interesting to see all the gamers duel it out.

Click this LINK to get more information on this event.