This one brings the funny...
17 December 2009
16 December 2009
santa's got a brand new climate...
Doctored e-mails or not, Santa knows the truth about global warming~
some of the images will be in red as I am scanning from the actual cards in the instances where I no longer have the original works.
15 December 2009
season's greetings in which we can believe...
This was last year's card which got some play around the inter-webs, again no comment really necessary~
again feel free to share at will...
14 December 2009
13 December 2009
12 days o' x-mas...
Okay, in all honesty, I am deliberating at this point whether to continue to boadcast these "very secret monster things" to the worldwide web. Now that "Design For Obama" has hit the stands, I'm not feeling it as much as I did. Perhaps that will change in the new year. But whilst I dither, I give you, my dear readers, a lil' present~
For the past twenty some odd years (& some have been very odd indeed!), I have created holiday cards for friends & family to celebrate the season. Although I waiver between atheism & agnosticism, my belief in this most wonderful time of the year & the spirit of giving & sharing therein has never been stronger. My holiday scribblings started with a skankin' Santa, rockin' to the holiday groove (replete with "Fishbone" tattoo), & have continued unabated up until this year's oh-so-topical health care entreaty. The cards have ranged from personal to political to downright ridiculous (I will spare you "Zombie Claus"!), & during the next twelve days, I will share with you some of my favorites (complete with whatever necessary context) starting with this year's ink-stained holiday greeting.
Please feel free to save, send, print, & otherwise share in any way you'd like in the spirit of the season as it were...
Comments are appreciated & well within the nature of the season, don'tcha' think?
09 November 2009
the one where Nonny dies so I can go to the "Design For Obama" book signing
This website's very raison d'être has finally become reality~
"Design For Obama", collecting the best of the DesignForObama website & featuring two of my pieces, has finally been published & I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the book release party last week. I celebrated the momentous occasion with my lovely bride & about 300 other folks at the Taschen store in NYC. The tastemakers at the shindig included, but were not limited to, DFO founder Aaron Perry-Zucker, New York Times & School of Visual Arts design guru Steven Heller & always-Mookie-to-me Spike Lee. It was a blast & a half, no doubt, no diggity.
But I wouldn't have been able to go if not for my wonderful Nonny.
I had plans to fly into Chicago for the long weekend to see my dear old friend Neil & his family when I got the invite to the book signing & although I so wanted to go, I just couldn't justify the $600 fee for the ticket change, so it looked like I just wasn't going to get the chance to have my book signed by Mars Blackmon.
But Nonny would have none of that.
My Nonny, my mom's mom, was a very wonderful woman- kind & funny & biting as well- & as my mom would say, she simply made everything better. She was simple & yet in that simplicity she contained wonders & wisdom beyond compare & without peer. (I'm also breaking one of her cardinal rules by referring to Nonny as "she" (Who's "she"?!, Nonny would rebuke us); the other was never saying "shut up"... Both very good maxims by the way.)
Nonny had made it clear that she wanted to make it to 90 & then that was enough. Well, on Friday 16 October, she turned 90, & then she fell on the following Wednesday. She was always a women who knew what she wanted, & I find it to be no coincidence the timing of her death. She allowed us a little time in the hospital to pay our respects, & then she quietly passed on 2 November, further allowing me the opportunity to change my flight with no consequence. Airlines are known for their sympathy for the bereaved. In her passing, she also saved my uncle from an abysmal trip to see his partner's family & my brother to come home from California for a much-needed respite, & she did so in a fashion that allowed us all to say goodbye in a timely & loving way, especially my mother, who got to spend some very special time with her in the last few weeks. It is so essentially Nonny that she orchestrated all of this at the end of her life to, as always, make things better for all of us who were being left behind.
The book signing fell between her funeral, which was a simple graveside remembrance (wherein my 9 year old son informed us all very casually for the first time that he is Buddhist), & my mom's open house (or as we dubbed it, the "non-shiva"), so it was with a mixture of sadness & excitement that mi esposa hermosa & I ventured into the city.
Listen:
Far from the event I expected (a gathering of the artists whose work is in the book & their mothers), the book release party was a fantastic party & celebration of both the book's publication & the one year anniversary of Obama's momentous election. 300 people turned out, only about 25 or so of them being artists published in the book itself, although they came from very disparate locales: Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, Dominican Republic & even Connecticut. "Design For Obama" is literally & figuratively a work of art in & of itself; Taschen really did an exquisite job on the printing, the coloring, the paper-stock, the layout, et al. The heft of the book is only surpassed by its beauty. The book quickly sold out as folks got their copies signed by Spike, Aaron & Mr. Heller, & also a bunch of them requesting my signature as well! I have to say, it's unlike my generation to be un-ironic but that felt very good indeed. My wife, being the model for the better of the two pieces, also reluctantly signed her "work" as well.
The night was extraordinary & simply would not have happened without Nonny. As "she" told me once in her succinct manner after some girl had broken my heart & I showed up at her doorstep craving sympathy, "Sometimes these things happen." This perfect little dose of reality was followed by a strong but short hug & that was enough.
Well, Nonny, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to make the scene @ Taschen last week.
Sometimes those things happen too...
But I wouldn't have been able to go if not for my wonderful Nonny.
Listen:
I had plans to fly into Chicago for the long weekend to see my dear old friend Neil & his family when I got the invite to the book signing & although I so wanted to go, I just couldn't justify the $600 fee for the ticket change, so it looked like I just wasn't going to get the chance to have my book signed by Mars Blackmon.But Nonny would have none of that.
My Nonny, my mom's mom, was a very wonderful woman- kind & funny & biting as well- & as my mom would say, she simply made everything better. She was simple & yet in that simplicity she contained wonders & wisdom beyond compare & without peer. (I'm also breaking one of her cardinal rules by referring to Nonny as "she" (Who's "she"?!, Nonny would rebuke us); the other was never saying "shut up"... Both very good maxims by the way.)
Nonny had made it clear that she wanted to make it to 90 & then that was enough. Well, on Friday 16 October, she turned 90, & then she fell on the following Wednesday. She was always a women who knew what she wanted, & I find it to be no coincidence the timing of her death. She allowed us a little time in the hospital to pay our respects, & then she quietly passed on 2 November, further allowing me the opportunity to change my flight with no consequence. Airlines are known for their sympathy for the bereaved. In her passing, she also saved my uncle from an abysmal trip to see his partner's family & my brother to come home from California for a much-needed respite, & she did so in a fashion that allowed us all to say goodbye in a timely & loving way, especially my mother, who got to spend some very special time with her in the last few weeks. It is so essentially Nonny that she orchestrated all of this at the end of her life to, as always, make things better for all of us who were being left behind.
The book signing fell between her funeral, which was a simple graveside remembrance (wherein my 9 year old son informed us all very casually for the first time that he is Buddhist), & my mom's open house (or as we dubbed it, the "non-shiva"), so it was with a mixture of sadness & excitement that mi esposa hermosa & I ventured into the city.
Listen:
Far from the event I expected (a gathering of the artists whose work is in the book & their mothers), the book release party was a fantastic party & celebration of both the book's publication & the one year anniversary of Obama's momentous election. 300 people turned out, only about 25 or so of them being artists published in the book itself, although they came from very disparate locales: Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, Dominican Republic & even Connecticut. "Design For Obama" is literally & figuratively a work of art in & of itself; Taschen really did an exquisite job on the printing, the coloring, the paper-stock, the layout, et al. The heft of the book is only surpassed by its beauty. The book quickly sold out as folks got their copies signed by Spike, Aaron & Mr. Heller, & also a bunch of them requesting my signature as well! I have to say, it's unlike my generation to be un-ironic but that felt very good indeed. My wife, being the model for the better of the two pieces, also reluctantly signed her "work" as well.The night was extraordinary & simply would not have happened without Nonny. As "she" told me once in her succinct manner after some girl had broken my heart & I showed up at her doorstep craving sympathy, "Sometimes these things happen." This perfect little dose of reality was followed by a strong but short hug & that was enough.
Well, Nonny, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to make the scene @ Taschen last week.
Sometimes those things happen too...
26 October 2009
captain america (as represented by robt seda-schreiber) v. stephen colbert
This morning, Stephen Colbert, host of "The Colbert Report" & right-wing alter ego of Stephen Colbert, will be served with a legal document called a writ of replevin.
A writ of replevin is a prejudgment process ordering the seizure or attachment of alleged illegally taken or wrongfully withheld property to be held by a designated official, under order and supervision of the court. This type of writ is commonly used to take property from an individual wrongfully in possession of it and return it to its rightful owner.
In 2007, upon the supposed "death" of Captain America, his shield was given to Mr. Colbert by Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief, Joe Quesada.
As I am sure comes as no surprise to anyone, Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, has returned (“reborn” if you will) from his supposed death. More to the point, reports of his death were greatly exaggerated in the first place. It was under this false pretense that Mr. Colbert was “bequeathed” said shield, so it would follow that the good Captain’s shield be returned to him post-haste. I bring this legal action in his name, with the help of my brilliant & beautiful lawyer-wife.
Now being a poor schoolteacher myself, I am willing to negotiate with Mr. Colbert. I would think he would like to keep Captain America’s shield in his so-called “Eagle’s Nest” & I am willing to discuss terms by which he could do so.
I truly hope that we will be able to reach an amicable & fair agreement & we can settle this before it becomes an ugly & embarrassing courtroom spectacle.
I will let you, my dear readers, know of any & all progress as it occurs.
For now, here is a copy of the aforementioned writ of replevin for your perusal:
.JPG)
A writ of replevin is a prejudgment process ordering the seizure or attachment of alleged illegally taken or wrongfully withheld property to be held by a designated official, under order and supervision of the court. This type of writ is commonly used to take property from an individual wrongfully in possession of it and return it to its rightful owner.
In 2007, upon the supposed "death" of Captain America, his shield was given to Mr. Colbert by Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief, Joe Quesada.
As I am sure comes as no surprise to anyone, Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, has returned (“reborn” if you will) from his supposed death. More to the point, reports of his death were greatly exaggerated in the first place. It was under this false pretense that Mr. Colbert was “bequeathed” said shield, so it would follow that the good Captain’s shield be returned to him post-haste. I bring this legal action in his name, with the help of my brilliant & beautiful lawyer-wife.
Now being a poor schoolteacher myself, I am willing to negotiate with Mr. Colbert. I would think he would like to keep Captain America’s shield in his so-called “Eagle’s Nest” & I am willing to discuss terms by which he could do so.
I truly hope that we will be able to reach an amicable & fair agreement & we can settle this before it becomes an ugly & embarrassing courtroom spectacle.
I will let you, my dear readers, know of any & all progress as it occurs.
For now, here is a copy of the aforementioned writ of replevin for your perusal:
click to embiggen
.JPG)
25 October 2009
so it goes...
Kurt Vonnegut has always held a special place in my heart as well as in my head.
His writings, his beliefs, simply his way of being, influenced my younger self profoundly & still hold a great deal of sway in this somewhat older body in which I now find myself. Of course, Vonnegut would claim, & I think rightfully so, that these two identities are interchangeable, occupying the same time-line albeit at different points, but both exist together, now & forever intertwined.
More important than his works & his philosophies though was his place in the literary triumvirate that is one of the foundations of my relationship with my dad. Devouring those books off my dad's bookshelf in my pre-pubescence became a catapult to help us traverse that leap from being father & son to being friends.
As high school reared it ugly head, the oh-so-long (but equally wonderful) times we spent editing my school papers dwindled. Our Scrabble games also slowed a bit (although they picked up with a vengeance whilst I was in college~ when I finally beat him for the first time!).
But Vonnegut has always remained a cornerstone.
For better or worse, he & my father are responsible for the writer I am today, & a good deal of the man I am today as well.
So it was with quite a good deal of joy that I found this portrait I had drawn of Mr. Vonnegut in one of my old sketchbooks. It's unfinished, smudgy pencil & all. It's certainly not an antique, but it is somewhat vintage.
I had the pleasure of sharing it with Vonnegut at a book signing that I went to with my dad. He looked at it quite intently, then looked up at me with that same bemused smile that he wears in the drawing.
That was a good day indeed.
Enjoy:
His writings, his beliefs, simply his way of being, influenced my younger self profoundly & still hold a great deal of sway in this somewhat older body in which I now find myself. Of course, Vonnegut would claim, & I think rightfully so, that these two identities are interchangeable, occupying the same time-line albeit at different points, but both exist together, now & forever intertwined.
More important than his works & his philosophies though was his place in the literary triumvirate that is one of the foundations of my relationship with my dad. Devouring those books off my dad's bookshelf in my pre-pubescence became a catapult to help us traverse that leap from being father & son to being friends.
As high school reared it ugly head, the oh-so-long (but equally wonderful) times we spent editing my school papers dwindled. Our Scrabble games also slowed a bit (although they picked up with a vengeance whilst I was in college~ when I finally beat him for the first time!).
But Vonnegut has always remained a cornerstone.
For better or worse, he & my father are responsible for the writer I am today, & a good deal of the man I am today as well.
So it was with quite a good deal of joy that I found this portrait I had drawn of Mr. Vonnegut in one of my old sketchbooks. It's unfinished, smudgy pencil & all. It's certainly not an antique, but it is somewhat vintage.
I had the pleasure of sharing it with Vonnegut at a book signing that I went to with my dad. He looked at it quite intently, then looked up at me with that same bemused smile that he wears in the drawing.
That was a good day indeed.
Enjoy:
22 October 2009
21 October 2009
20 October 2009
19 October 2009
satchmo
How can a lil' Louis not make ya' happy, even on a cold Monday morn?
I like this piece a lot actually. I think it really captures the essence of the man- his character, his personality & his music as well. I dig the detail in the lines of his face as contrasted by the loose feel of the hands & the middle ground of the horn, all offset by the stark black & white of his suit & spectator shoes.
It just makes me smile, the same way listening to the man himself does, & that's the point, isn't it?
It just makes me smile, the same way listening to the man himself does, & that's the point, isn't it?
16 October 2009
15 October 2009
for the blogger who has everything...
Hey kids-
This angst funnyman's gonna' be 40 next week (egads!), so if you wanna' get yer favorite blogger a lil' somethin'-somethin' for all these years (okay- months) of entertaining you folks, you could simply fulfill my lifelong dream~
Seriously, how freakin' cool is this Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., "online purveyors of high quality crimefighting merchandise"?!
It is indeed a real store in Brooklyn that does indeed sell supplies to Superheroes (& yes, it does screen out any & all super-villians); It is also the brainchild of the uber-talented Dave Eggers & all proceeds from heroic goods go to support 826, the wonderful community writing center for youth. I especially dig the Vapor Blaster just so's you know...
+by+Robt+Seda-Schreiber.jpg)
14 October 2009
13 October 2009
12 October 2009
proletkult poetry circus
Back in the day, I was asked to do a series of illos for a performance art collective known as the "Proletkult Poetry Circus". I did small black & white pieces for their readings & such. It was interesting because of the constraints involved (size & placement) coupled with the choice of subject matter (total artistic freedom therein).
Some of the pieces were successful; some were not. I think this week I'll share some of the successful ones as is my wont. Enjoy~
25 September 2009
24 September 2009
17 September 2009
monkey in a jar
When I first began "very secret monster things", I wasn't sure of the exact direction this great & beautiful unwieldy beast would take. I knew I would post some muzik, given my predilection thereof; some comix, because they're "not just for kids anymore!"; &, of course, lots of art, my own as well as others who inspire me to create said art. Now that I'm getting my sea-legs as it were, I see more clearly my path. The music is fun & I like to share some stuff you kids may not have (mash-ups, remixes, covers, etc.), but I think I'm going to start concentrating more on the art, especially my own~ some old, some new, but hopefully, never boring.
Let's start with a vintage piece that I still like for some odd reason...
Let's start with a vintage piece that I still like for some odd reason...
14 September 2009
it's okay if only five folks read this blog if one of 'em is this guy...
When I post (like when I draw), I do so in a vacuum, in my studio, alone~ surrounded by my toys, my drawing table & my spinner rack of comix. I never know what the response will be to any given piece of work I produce, if it will be successful, or indeed if anybody will see/read it at all.
This blog has been fun thus far, still finding my way, finding my voice as it were. Sometimes I despair at the seemingly low number of folks who visit this dark crevice of the inter-webs; not that I don't cherish those who do. All the comments & e-mails I've received have been truly wonderful & have kept me sane, focused & indeed inspired.
But the following deserves special recognition~
"Very cool stuff!
I like what you did with the wolves--the final version definitely works. I also like the self-portrait, with your (very well-drawn, btw) hands, projecting towards the reader.
But what I like MOST--is the way that you write!
You have a very direct, unpretentious, endearing--and ultimately, very cool--way of expressing yourself in words! Much FUN to read!
I'm only sorry that it took me this long to check out your blog, and find that out.
All the best to you--and thanks again, for the very nice compliments about my work. (But you're no chopped liver yourself, y'know!)
Take care-
Trevor"
That's Trevor Von Eeden.
Of whom I wrote here.
Whose craft, imagination & talent, both when I was growing up & to this day, imbues me with huge amounts of knowledge & pleasure ~ with his beautiful line-work, thought-provoking layouts, & totally original & utterly wonderful style.
Here's something I scanned from an old Batman annual I have on my spinner~
It's just Batman flicking on a light switch, but it shows that when Trevor Von Eeden drew anything, it wasn't ever just anything at all...
This blog has been fun thus far, still finding my way, finding my voice as it were. Sometimes I despair at the seemingly low number of folks who visit this dark crevice of the inter-webs; not that I don't cherish those who do. All the comments & e-mails I've received have been truly wonderful & have kept me sane, focused & indeed inspired.
But the following deserves special recognition~
"Very cool stuff!
I like what you did with the wolves--the final version definitely works. I also like the self-portrait, with your (very well-drawn, btw) hands, projecting towards the reader.
But what I like MOST--is the way that you write!
You have a very direct, unpretentious, endearing--and ultimately, very cool--way of expressing yourself in words! Much FUN to read!
I'm only sorry that it took me this long to check out your blog, and find that out.
All the best to you--and thanks again, for the very nice compliments about my work. (But you're no chopped liver yourself, y'know!)
Take care-
Trevor"
That's Trevor Von Eeden.
Of whom I wrote here.
Whose craft, imagination & talent, both when I was growing up & to this day, imbues me with huge amounts of knowledge & pleasure ~ with his beautiful line-work, thought-provoking layouts, & totally original & utterly wonderful style.
Here's something I scanned from an old Batman annual I have on my spinner~
It's just Batman flicking on a light switch, but it shows that when Trevor Von Eeden drew anything, it wasn't ever just anything at all...
'nuff said.
12 September 2009
11 September 2009
syllabus
More navel-gazing & nakedness (maybe that's what I shoulda' called the strip instead of "Fallin' Asleep")~
10 September 2009
09 September 2009
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