It's...the OwlHenryBlog!

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San Francisco, CA, United States
Welcome to my blog! This is where I post my latest work - illustration (I), graphic design (GD), photos (P), videos (V), writing (W) - as well as stuff I like by other people (OPP- "otha people's pictures"). Check back often for updates, and to show you care.

Friday, October 21, 2022

Halloween Radness 2022! (I)

Eleven years of me and my birthday twin, the lovely and talented Adam! This year's costumes are inspired by two of my favorite shows from this past year - can you guess what we're dressed as? Click here for last year's drawring, and follow them back from there if you're so inclined. Happiest of birthdays to us both! BEST MONTH!!



Sunday, October 16, 2022

Morty's Biography (V)

The lovely and very talented Laura Jane Bailey returns to the Non-Permanent Parliament for a FIVE-PART anniversary Morty saga! Believe it or not, Morty, my older Man of the Theater character, turns 15 today. He was the subject of my first-ever video when I started making them in 2007. WOW! Click here to view his latest, and scroll down past the pictures to read a little more about this Morty person. And whoever you are, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Enjoy!


Morty, as a character, has been in development since 2001. That year I played Hamlet, and after a show, one of the producers of the Laurence Olivier movie came backstage to tell me I "reminded him of a young Laurence Olivier," adding quickly after, "You have a ways to go." 

After years of riffing with various artistic geniuses on this ready-made character of a man and those two sentences, 2007 found me performing in Richard the Second in Virginia, and trying to figure out, having just left New York City for the last time, where I was going with my life, and if I wasn't going to be an actor, which I'd decided, what was I going to be? I was drifting towards the idea of living in San Francisco and figuring it all out there; I wrote my first Morty video and used it to apply to the SF Sketchfest.

The Sketchfest, unknown to me at the time, was and continues to be a big deal, so in retrospect I'm not surprised I didn't hear back on that particular application. But I discovered an artistic outlet I had been increasingly afraid I was going to go without. I made two more videos that year, S.O.F.A. (featuring the Queen of the NPP) and Hamlet in Rehearsal, and then I kept going!

Not only did I love writing, directing, acting in, and, to a lesser extent, editing (grr) these videos, I also found that they had the power to pull people I loved close to me for a bit, to share a unique experience with them, and I've been extremely lucky to work with so many truly excellent people. Check out all the people that came together at my mom's house to make Morty's Christmas Carol, including my incredible cousin, who passed away in 2020. Or my mom and stepdad, gamely jumping in for some zombie video action. And then again, with another wonderful cousin, in a Mermaid Chair movie review with outtakes that will make your whole year. Or Bobby Conté Thornton, currently on Broadway, graciously agreeing to appear as an only slightly fictionalized version of himself. Or my AIDS LifeCycle Rest Stop 2 family. Or my writer friend Erik and his bizarre creation, Morty Against Humanity. (Still one of my absolute favorites.)

Or go back to the beginning and get a taste of what would turn out to be one of the best afternoons I've ever spent, filming the first Morty with two of my oldest friends in the world. I watch this video probably more often that I should, but it does bring me great joy. Man, I've been so derned LUCKY!

I hope Morty, or any of my creations, has brought you even a little bit of happiness over the past fifteen years. We could definitely use it, just as humans beings in general. I don't plan to stop making art any time soon, so check back in for further adventures!

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Kim Jung Gi, Rest in Peace (OPP)

One of my favorite artists passed away today. Kim Jung Gi was absolutely incredible, known for live-drawing huge, intensely detailed pieces from his head, an absolute inspiration. He also seemed like a very nice person, and I have profound respect for nice people. To commemorate his passing, I pulled an image from the Lotte Museum's 2021 exhibit of thousands of his works, and used it to decorate a flower pot, which is now sitting right outside my window to inspire me. Watch this video if you want to know more about this amazing man.




Saturday, September 24, 2022

Love And Information (GD)

 The first of a series of posters for Utah State University. Stay tuned for more!



Thursday, September 8, 2022

The Paris Effect (GD)

A good friend opens her one-woman show tonight at the SF Fringe! She is phenomenal, and she's been working on this for a while, it's well worth seeing if you're in the area. This was a quick poster design I threw together for her that turned out fairly well, I thought. Congratulations, LJ!



Monday, August 8, 2022

Blue 2 (V)

In 2021 I made a short video giving you a little taste of the experience of surfing with the family. We're back! The groms are charging, my brother is solidly awesome, and my dad still gets out there, on his board and, here, on an inflatable raft that was giving out some serious Jaws vibes. We all made it through - click the pic below to join the adventure!



Sunday, July 31, 2022

Random Art Finds A Way... (I)

I've been focusing on some long-term projects, but here and there I actually make art. Here's a chalk drawing I did at a friend's house, and a painting of the house from Up! for a coworker who does some incredible things for the pediatric waiting room at our hospital. I haven't actually painted anything in a long time - it's really hard to train yourself out of the Control+Z instinct!




Monday, July 25, 2022

DrunkHungry Update! (GD)

Hey, who's got two thumbs and did the graphic design for DrunkHungry, a band poised on the brink of complete world domination with music now available on Apple Music and Spotify and whatever? This fuggin guy! They sound incredible, and it's just so cool to see my artwork on stuff like this. DRUNKHUNGRY F'LYFE!



Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Four Friends (I)

I made these for a client who lives in the Pacific Northwest. She's requested something involving the fable of the Four Friends, a Buddhist tale involving a grouse, a rabbit, a monkey, and an elephant.





Thursday, May 19, 2022

DrunkHungry Designs (GD)

DrunkHungry is a power couple band based in L.A. I did some graphics for their very first show and demo release. Also made a t-shirt and lanyard design. DrunkHungry f'lyfe!





Thursday, April 7, 2022

Designs Book Cover (GD)

A coworker wrote a book, which I just thought was so cool! I designed this for him pro bono, and he liked it enough to add it to his Kindle edition!



Monday, March 14, 2022

Frame It UP! (I)

 Two friends sent me pictures of works of mine they recently had FRAMED! There's truly no greater honor! The first is from my friend Erik, who commissioned a portrait of himself years ago. In honor of our shared love of the strange and wonderful, this is him as a doomed student from one of his favorite films, Suspiria, in the style of a Ghastlycrumb Tiny:


More recently, my friend Francis commissioned a B is for Baby piece for his brand new baby boy Finnegan:


Thank you both - well, all three of you. I'm truly touched! 

Monday, February 21, 2022

Those Marvelous Macks (I)

An illustration that got turned into a puzzle for a Christmas gift!



Friday, January 21, 2022

Theodore the Wyvern (I)

For my birthday, a friend sent me a book a called The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I loved. I made some stickers for her of one of my favorite characters, a wyvern named Theodore, who collects coins for his horde but is more than happy to accept buttons. A beautiful little book that was one of the highlights of 2021 for me!




Thursday, November 25, 2021

Zombie 4!!!! (V)

It's been TEN YEARS since the last Zombie film - what?! True! But the wait is finally over: Zombie 4!!!! is out on YouTube, featuring Bruce and his family, who are now fully-formed adult-type people! Watching 3 and 4 back to back is a trip, let me tell you.

I was trying to publish this for Halloween, but some computer setbacks prevented me (which I sailed through with my usual calm and poise). But I think Thanksgiving might be just as fitting. Filming this video with one of my best friends and her incredibly smart, talented, and FUNNY family (assisted, of course, by the inestimable V. Bell, adventurer at large) was truly one of the best days I've had in a very long time. I think it shows. Click the pic below to watch the finished product! YAY!




Monday, November 1, 2021

Alphabet of Horror (Wa Ha Ha...!) (I)

I set myself a task to Insta-post every day of October, mostly with this monster, and I did it! I'm awfully proud of myself, I'll say, and it gave me a taste of Real Illustrator Life, what it means to make decisions to save time: Do I need this? Can I live with that? Also it was great drawing practice for me. I'm already missing October! Happy Best Month, everyone!! @owlhenry

[A: Ash/Army of Darkness, B: The Birds, C: Candyman, D: the Demigorgon from Stranger Things, E: The Exorcist, F: Fright Night, G: the Grady twins from The Shining, H: The Host, I: It Follows, J: Jennifer's Body, K: Killer Klowns from Outer Space, L: La Llorona, M: Midnight Mass, N: Nightbreed, O: Oculus, P: Poltergeist, Q: Queen of the Damned, R: The Ritual, S: Silent Hill, T: the Tap Dance Man/Them, U: Us, V: The Village, W: Watcher in the Woods, X: the Xenomorph from Alien, Y: You're Next, Z: Channel Zero]

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Halloween Radness 2021!

This is the TENTH year of making these birthday portraits of me and my excellent friend Adam. This year the reference is a bit on the Deep Nerd side, but it made me laugh so I drew it out. I've long had a connection to the X-Men, and Longshot and the Mojoverse were some of my favorite characters. You can click here for last year's creation, and follow the links back from there if you'd like. 

HAPPY ADAM AND MIKE DAY!



Thursday, August 5, 2021

F is for Finnegan! (I)

By special request from two brand new dads! I haven't done one of these in five years, but I was honored to get back into the game. Congratulations to Francis and Bear!!

 
To see more, click on "B is for Baby" under Categories over on the right, and there's even a Cafepress store in the Buy Stuff section - woot! 



Saturday, July 24, 2021

MerMay 2021 (I)

I sent out the call on my Insty, @owlhenry, and four people responded in ten minutes, so...four MerMay portraits! Click the image to fully inspect these wonderful people.



Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Queer The Future Logo (GD)

 A fitting post for Pride Month! Here's a few prospective, ultimately unused logo designs.



Monday, May 31, 2021

Trauma Llama! (I)

This llama's been THROUGH it, y'all! A couple of my coworkers gave me the idea for this one: at the hospital, we give trauma patients code names, to speed up the process of getting them the care they need. They go alphabetically, so if you come in right after "Trauma Kangaroo" and right before "Trauma Mouse" you'd be Trauma Llama. Fun, right? Sure. This trauma llama's got a bunch of stuff you can buy in my Spreadshirt store - click the link on the right, and feel free to suggest products you'd like to see, or other designs that aren't in there. Woot!