Ology Magazine, published by Omnibucket

Ken has been an illustrator for 20 years. He has been nominated for an Eisner in the comics industry, had his work featured in role playing games such as Magic and Everquest, has done extensive work for educational media, and much more. He has been in 6 volumes of Spectrum, showcasing the best SF/Fantasy art of the year, and is now back in school to finish his degree at the Savannah College of Art & Design. Visit him online at www.kenmeyerjr.com.

1.) What are you currently working on?

Well, I don't have anything big going on right now, to be honest. I am back in school (never finished many years ago), so I don't have as much time as I used to. Having said that, mainly it is private commissions lately. In the last month or two, I have done a large Clapton (actually, two), a marvel character called Dawnstar, and a few pieces for my classes last quarter, which ended a few weeks ago. I also lettered, as a favor, a 22 page story for someone. Much of this you can see on DeviantArt.com. We also moved in the last few weeks, so there was a bunch of work I had to do on the new house and the old house as well. Not as creative, but just as time consuming.

2.) You've done quite a lot of work for very some well known publishers. So let's ask the typical question here. Is there any advice or thoughts you'd like to privde for emerging artists out there who might just be breaking through or coming out of art schools?

Well, most of it is pretty common sense, I think. Get some good samples together, tailored to whomever you are sending them to...and send them! Or, corral people at conventions, and then call them a week or two after the con to keep you fresh in their minds, as cons eat up brain cells pretty quickly. Obviously, look at the people you admire, feel free to copy their work as a learning tool, then adapt it to your style. Draw a ton...from life, photos, movies, whatever (life will give you a more complete picture of what you are seeing). Don't be too prideful to start at the bottom with some small companies, startups, maybe even spec or free work, to get you some publicity/exposure.

3.) What was the best interview question you’ve been asked, and can you please answer that question for us?

If you knew me, you would know what a silly question this is. I can't remember what I had for breakfast, much less something like this! However, having said that, it was probably something in reference to either my mentoring Einstein, telling Picasso to 'ditch that realistic stuff,' or giving Peter Jackson a copy of Lord of the Rings.

4.) What do you think of the ARC purists out there who believe in perpetuating the ideal of a "genius" artist? Is such an archetype purely mythical or should such a role be something an artist should strive toward?

Never heard of this, to be honest. I don't know if there is such a thing as a genius, but there are definitely those that either seem to have a superior imagination, superior command of their craft, or both. Sometimes, it is just starting young, sometimes god knows what it is...I just need to git me sum! I would say just strive to be the
best you can be, try not to worry too much about what people say and enjoy the ride. Having a day job to fall back on is not a bad idea either.

5.) What are your feelings with regard to the incorporation of non traditional methods of art making, specifically the use of digital tools?

Oh, I don't mind digital work at all...I have seen some incredible work that, if I didn't know it, would think it was traditional. I don't particularly like the shiny, plastic like look of some digital work (just like some airbrush work), but it all has its place. I wish I could do some of the digital work I have seen, but I just don't have the patience, experience or desire...I like to feel what I am doing and have an actual piece of original art at the end of the procedure.

6.) "Ology” refers to “the study of”. What is your Ology?

Mine would be Pepperology, the study of the effects of Dr. Pepper on the human body. I have been conducting my own study in this niche for many years, and am still nowhere near the final stage (I hope!). Next time, ask me more questions about music!

To learn more about Ken Meyer Jr please visit www.kenmeyerjr.com.

SKETCHBOOK, by Angie Needels www.adneedels.com

Three sketches and a photo of the first renderings of Cephus Madrigonus.

Cephus is the gravekeeper at God's Acre and a binding factor for most characters within the book.

To learn more about God's Acre please visit
www.omnibucket.com/godsacre.

Excerpt from brainchild, a zombie book.
Words & Image by Scott Lambridis

Here's a quick preview...

It is not my exhausted eyes acquiescing to an overly stressed brain. It is movement. Slow and deliberate. And it is closer now.

These fuckers are relentless. Thankfully our minds are far more plastic than we’d ever thought and in times of absolute stress, we do what we’ve done for ages, what we are best at doing. We adapt, and we devise new ways to kill. Fortunately designing the death of human beings is something for which we were consummately prepared.

Killing the dead then, is just a matter of slight logistical modification.

In and of itself one or even two of these things, after you’ve gotten beyond the sheer terror of the idea, is not so bad. They are slowish, foul smelling and absolutely revolting, so ‘killing’ them is not nearly as difficult as you would think, both in terms of physical effort required and psychologically speaking. As a perverse bonus, because of the smell, usually you will have a good idea of what is coming.

There is no real hesitation, no guilt or regret. Dehumanization of the enemy in this case is ready-made. They are ugly and vile and even the more ‘fresh’ among them possess a certain ugliness of motion, (not to mention the typical horrific wounds gained in unfortunate circumstances leading to their current predicament), and thankfully we are hardwired with a natural aversion to that which is dead. This instinct has served us well throughout the history of our species, and continues to do so now, albeit in a way I think nature never intended.

Or maybe I am wrong. Could it be that a crisis of this nature arose in eons past, long forgotten to history? Maybe this is natural, like grassfires or the recent sunspots and solar flare ups. They said that the magnetic poles have flipped and that we knew this was going to happen. Satellites went out and started to burn up but I don’t think anyone seriously attributes our most pressing issue with transponder interference. No, this might be a side effect but I don’t think it is entirely natural.

Either way, here they come. Like seconds passing into minutes each step is like the pendulum on a grandfather clock. There’s nothing to do now but breathe slowly and wait. Wait. Wait. Waste not a shell by firing early. Don’t even flinch until you see the empty holes in their eyes, that hollow place where the soul used to be. Wait until you can look past the human resemblance and lock eyes with gray death. Wait. Keep waiting. And when the stench of your own sweating heartbeat is unbearable you let the inhuman in. And then you shoot.

And shoot.

To learn more about Brainchild, a collection of artifacts, please visit www.omnibucket.com/brainchild.

Tour Diary by Bill Jordan

The Last Trip Finally Killed Her

The last trip finally killed her. Finkelstein, wearing all black, dumped out the remainder of his 40 oz. bottle of Old English on her freshly filled grave. Dez, Otis, and I stood in silence. One by one, small raindrops filled the air, drowning out our last goodbye. Our beloved van. Our Big Blue Machine. Our Pussywagon, off to the big Junkyard in the sky. And we buried her deep in the rich midwestern soil.

I'll miss the way she sprayed fluids as we sped along the late night highways. There was always a certain degree of comfort in knowing that, if we got lost, we could follow the trail of antifreeze, oil, and transmission fluid back to safety. I'll miss the smell of burning hair that arose when she got above 70 mph. I'll miss the way she overheated every 40 minutes or so. I'll miss the way the windows didn't roll down. I'll miss the way the heating vents continually oozed a mixture of steam and smoke, fogging up the windows and giving the interior a sultry "East Cleveland" ambience.

She may have been doomed from the start, but she got us farther than we expected. So, to the Pussywagon we say...love y'all but fuck y'all...we've got a new ride now! Our first trip in our new van brought us to The Loft in Covington, KY for the first time. We had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Patient Zero (it was their cd release show) and The Terrors, both excellent bands.

We started off the night to a very appreciative and good sized crowd. We tore through a set of all new material, plus Transylvanian Moonshine. After being away from the stage for almost 2 months, it was transcendent to be performing together again, being in the middle of the tornado of sound and sweat and burning lights. Our set flew by like an errant boxcar of explosives loose on a moonlit railway.

From then on, we just kicked back and enjoyed the other bands, talked with new and old friends. Since the closing of the York St. Cafe in nearby Newport, KY, we've been looking for a good venue in that area. And, while the York St. was a truly special place with an atmosphere that can never be replicated, The Loft proved to be a good new home for us. The icing on the cake was seeing York St. bartender Johnny Bluegrass at his new post behind The Loft's bar.

After a long night of rocking out and getting our minds blown wide open by the Terrors, we crammed our shit in the new van and aimed it North to Columbus. Rolled back into town at about 4:30 am, dropped off our equipment at the Bucket and went to our respective cribs. When I walked into my house, my cross-eyed siamese cat was waiting for me at the door as the cuckoo clock in my living room struck 5. A quick shower as the night played back through my head. Deep hibernation as my face hit the pillow and the cat slept on my back.

To learn more about Eleventy Billion Miles Away please visit www.omnibucket.com/eleventybillion.

Top 6 PICKUP LINES FOR DESIGNERS

1. Your eyes are the loveliest shade of #3399FF.
2. Have you ever seen a 10 point stroke?
3. How 'bout we get together and unzip my .psds?
4. Wanna put some easing on my motion tween?
5. Hey baby, ever dither to white?
6. It may look small, but uncompressed it's over 10 megs.

Movie Reviews... of the Future !

(or...I have seen the future, and it is crap.)

Bad News Bears 2 - Hilarity continues when Billy Bob Thornton teaches kids about life through the sport of baseball. Then he shits his pants.
Defining moment: In the blooper reel, a drunk Billy Bob Thornton cries and tells the kids about how he used to bang Angelina Jolie.

Linsey Lohan “Stolen” Sex Tape - Hot off the disappointment of her family movie Herbie, Lohan gets a Hilton-esque career makeover with this 90 minute home sex movie with Fez of That 70’s Show. Actually, it’s about one minute of sex and the rest of the time it’s Fez apologizing. It’s OK Fez, it happens to every guy (except me, I’m a sexy, sexy man). The good news is Lohan seems too coked up to notice.
Defining moment: Linsey removes her bra to reveal the deflated balloons that used to be breasts. A nation mourns.

i B10gg3d J00r M0m (read from the bottom, just like an email string)

-----Original Message----- From: Otis Baltrics MD

To: Fernando Weatherall

Well, I know I couldn't launch my rockets into your mother's space quite as effectively if Seamus wasn't under her playing the pipes.

-----Original Message----- From: Fernando Weatherall

To: Otis Baltrics MD

Actually, bagpipers provide critical services to government institutions like NASA...they play when rockets are being launched--they were on strike yesterday, I guess....

-----Original Message-----
From: Otis Baltrics MD
To: Fernando Weatherall

Only in Dublin would there be a category called "Bagpiping & Supplies"...and have more than 1 member listed under it.

Please fill out the form below and we'll give you something for free.
No, it's not pneumonia...it's something better.

Why are there so many damn songs about rainbows?
We don't know, but what we do know is that you take care of the people that take care of you, like these two.