Holiday Hijinx

Merry fifth day after Christmas everybody!
Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I didn't even realize it's been more than a month.
Every year I draw a Christmas card for my Girlfriend, usually of the pin-up variety. Here's this years offering.

And the study.

In other news I've been informed that the French edition of the Rex Steele book has completed printing, but I'm unsure if it's in stores yet. Have any of you guys and girls seen it on that side of the pond? Just curious.

Experiment Gone Awry

Well not actually "awry", I just feel this need for some kind of adventure element in my post titles. Anyway, an experiment none the less! It's around that time of year that I must set into motion the production of a new book (if I'm going to have anything for Comic Con next year that is). These are just me playing around with a few different looks that may eventually lead to my approach for the cover. Whatever that may be.


Happy Turkey Day!

A Dangerous Mission - Chapter 3

Overdue update: Purr-casso Art Sale.
A success, $11,000 raised! 100% of this goes to the animals in the Berkeley Animal shelter and for their care. Apparently there are still a few pieces left, which they're still selling after the day of the event. So if there was anything you missed out on, you might want to contact the Berkeley Humane Society.
Just my luck I forgot my camera that day, fortunately Bill Robinson allowed me use of some of his pics. Thanks Bill!



It was a great show, more low key than others I've attended but many great pieces none the less. Lastly I'd like to thank Ikumi Moriya for getting me involved in the show in the first place, she's really done a lot for the shelter, and for me.

Destination: France - Chapter 4

Thought I'd post a few of my favorite pages that Nate Wragg colored for the French Rex Steele edition. (Nate is better known for his 2-D Ratatouille work)





The Book is being published by Akileos, with a release date of December 6th I believe. You can find some more page samples HERE. The book will include a dvd of the animated short as well.

A Day With the Press.

Hey everybody,
I did a couple interviews recently that are now online.

One for the character design blog, which is pretty in depth. You can find it HERE. There is a bunch of my art there that I've never posted before as well, check it out.

The other interview was for a small article about the Purr-casso show. Click HERE for that. The show has grown quite large, over 250 pieces so far. Thats really amazing. I want to thank Bill Robinson, Dan Helle, Maki Fujimoto and anybody else who donated art that I might not know about. And thank you all for spreading the word too, you guys helped turn this into something special.

A Dangerous Mission - Chapter 2

Awhile ago I posted about the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society art sale. They're having the art sale to raise funds for their animal shelter. This is the piece that I'm donating. It's gonna be hard to part with it, I've grown a little attached.


It (and many other fine pieces) will be for sale at the 2nd Annual "Purr-casso" Art Sale and Gala, and will take place on NOVEMBER 4TH at The Hollis Street Project - Grand Hallway 5900 Hollis Street, Emeryville CA
For more information click HERE or call (510) 845-7735, ext.13.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society.

The Eagle Strikes!

This is a spot illustration I whipped up for the Rex Steele French book. I didn't spend much time on it but I'm really happy with the way it came out. I'm trying to get better at loose bold kind of inking and not be so anal about things.

Bombs Away!

Bookplates have returned! Only temporarily however. I've made three new ones, two of them are going into two very special editions of my Belle du Jour book to be auctioned off this Saturday at Maverix Studios in San Francisco. The art auction is to raise money for the ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION (see my last post for more details)
These special editions are not part of my numbered 100, so they do not count tword my 30 remaining bookplates. I'll do those at a later date.
Here are the books (complete with original art bookplates) for the auction.

This third bookplate will arrive at a secret undisclosed location... shhh.

Victory Over Land!

Hi Everybody, Sorry I haven't been posting very frequently lately. I've been up to my neck with work on my Rex Steele book production. I did want to announce that "Belle du Jour" has officially passed it's one thousand books sold mark! It's now half way through its print run, just another thousand left!

On another note, My friend Nate and his wife Esther are organizing an art auction to benefit the ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION at the end of this month. It'll be held at the Maverix Studios in San Francisco. So swing on by and buy some art for a good cause. Or Donate some art even! Or both!

I'm hoping to do a little somethin' somethin' for the show myself, hopefully I can squeeze it in.

Destination: France - Chapter 3

I'm back.
I've been in New York for a small vacation and a wedding.
I've got a little bit of a backlog of Belle Du Jour orders to fill, so please be patient as I catch up.

Here's the final cover for the Rex Steele french edition. Or at least final as of the moment, I might monkey with it some more before print. The font at the bottom might change and/or be in French eventually. We will see.

M.I.A.

I'd like to thank everyone for their enthusiasm for my book. I'm very happy that it's been received so well.
Unfortunately I'll not be able to fill book orders for a short period. Starting today Friday August 24th until Wednesday September 5th to be specific. So please hold off from ordering Belle Du Jour in that time, or if you do order please know that it will not be filled until September 5th earliest.
Any outstanding orders as of this moment will be filled today.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Destination: France - Chapter 2

These are a few of the background elements for the French Rex Steele book cover. In the final they'll be partly covered by the foreground elements so I thought I'd show 'em in their entirety.

Destination: France

I'm very happy to announce that Rex Steele: Nazi Smasher is being published en français! In living fascist crunching color! It's being published by the fine folks at Akiléos. My buddy Nate Wragg is coloring most of it, but I'm coloring some too.
Here's the rough for the cover. I'll post more as it developes.

Hero Down.

Mike Wieringo passed away just this past Sunday. I'm quite devastated by it, even though I barely knew him. I've been a huge fan and admirer of his work since I was a student. He was truly one of the greats in my mind, and truly humble. In appreciation I wanted to post this pin up he did for Matt Peters and myself for our Rex Steele book a few years ago. We will miss him.

Beware the Belle du Jour! Part 2

So the Belle Du Jour Shop is officially up and running! (I think it is anyway)
You can place your order with the paypal buttons to the right.
Please let me know if you have any problems with ordering, it's largely untested and I'm learning how this works as I go.

Invisible Death!

Hi everybody,
Sorry for the delayed post. I must have caught a really nasty bug while I was in San Diego, cause I've been stuck in bed for days. But I'm starting to feel much better, therefore I post!

Comic Con report:
I could not have asked for a better con. By the end of preview night alone I had sold all of my special editions with bookplates accept for six, which sold quickly the next morning. Not only that, I completely sold out of the inventory that I brought with me.
I can hardly believe it.
I really want to thank everyone who bought a book and helped support me, your enthusiasm was genuinely touching.
I managed to do some commissions while I was there too, but by the end of the week two of them went unclaimed.
A Rex Steele and a Wonder Woman.

If you are one of the people who requested the commission and still want it, please e-mail me at bill@billpresing.com
Thanks again everybody!

D-Day

Sorry for the mega post but this is the last chance I'll get till after Con.
So I will be selling my new book "Belle Du Jour" at booth 4800 at the San Diego Comicon from July 25th (preview night) to July 29th. I'll be sharing the booth with my good friends Scott Morse and Jeff Pidgeon.


The book itself measures 8 1/2" x 7" and is 96 pages, full color throughout. Hardcover. It will sell for $25.


I'm also offering a special limited edition that will contain an original piece of artwork attached to the inside front cover as a bookplate (The artwork can be removed without damaging the book or the art with a small amount of effort).
The attached bookplate will look something like this (only signed and numbered)

The special limited edition will sell for $60. The original art book plates will be numbered to 100 (of which I will have 70 with me) Here's the full selection of what will be available.

I'll have a catalog at the table showing all of the available bookplates to choose from. So that you can pick whichever one you like (on a first come first served basis that is).
And lastly, I'll also have the Rex Steele book ($10) and short film dvd ($15) available. Supplies are dwindling however.

Hope to see you in San Diego.

Tiki Trouble.

So this is the last batch for now. I'm spent. I'll have a grand total of 70 bookplates for con. I was shottin' for 80, but this will do.
They'll be numbered to 100, I'll do the last 30 later.


The stack.

Sting of Truth!

And even more bookplates.
Whew, I'm getting tired.

Death From Above!

Yet more bookplates.

Ruff 'N Ready!

Thought I'd present these bookplates in a slightly different way, the blog is looking a little repetitive lateley.

And just a little peek at some of my materials.

Operation: Impossible

I'm afraid that all of the bookplates that I've posted so far have been for friends. The selection below represents the first of the original art bookplates that will be available to buy in the limited edition of my book. I'm really having a lot of fun making these things. So much fun in fact that I'm toying with the idea of publishing a book of bookplates for next years con.

The Unforgiving Sun.

Yet more bookplates.

A Dangerous Mission.

I wanted to give a call out to any artists out there who might be interested in donating art to the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society. They are having an art sale to raise funds for their animal shelter, which is private and runs on donations alone. It's a great shelter, they have a very high adoption rate, and a very low if non existent euthanasia rate.

The fundraiser is called the "Purr-casso" (don't look at me, I didn't name it) as the art is to be cat themed.
The deadline for the registration was moved to JULY 20th. The deadline for submitting artwork is OCTOBER 15 and the event takes place on NOVEMBER 4TH at Hollis Street Project in Emeryville. The information about the details of artwork don't have to be accurate at this point (other than being cat related).

You can download the pdf forms HERE.

I'll be submitting a piece myself. I'll let you guys know when I do it.

Island Adventure.

A few examples of my second bookplate pass.