Joshua Ellingson News

My 1800 Tequila Bottle

2008-11-10T01:58:34Z

1800 Tequila Bottle 7, originally uploaded by joshuaellingson.

My art was featured as part of 1800 Tequila's "Essential Artists" campaign. Part of the campaign was limited edition bottles with the artists' work. Here's mine!

For those interested in where to get an Essential Artists Limited Edition 1800 Tequila bottle, here's a list of locations that are carrying the bottles:

New York Metro Area

Winfield Flynn, 558 3rd Ave, NY 10016 (212) 679-4455
333 Wine Heaven, 333 3rd Ave, NY 10021 (212)726-0033
Big Apple, 1408 2nd Ave, NY 10010 (212)288-2133
Manor House, 61 W. 23rd St., NY (646) 229-5039
Casa Oliveria, 98 7th Ave. South, NY 10014 (212) 929-0760
Kessler, 23 E 28th St., NY 10016 (212) 685-7651
First Avenue, 383 1st Ave, NY (212) 673-3600

Southern California

Valley Beverage, 14901 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (818) 981-1566

Northern California

Liquid Experience, 1589 Haight St., San Francisco, CA 94117 (415) 255-6718
Spencer & Daniels, 1541 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 345-1623
Blackwell's Wines & Spirits, 5620 Geary St., San Francisco, CA 94121 (415) 386-9463
United Liquor & Deli, 2401 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 567-0580

Miami, FL

Cameo Club, 1445 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139 (954) 801-7477
Quail Roost, 18841 SW 117th St., Miami, FL 33157 (305) 252-0254
Cellars W&S, 1739 E. Sunrise, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33132 (954) 764-4764
Publix #577, 2730 SW Martin Downs Blvd., Palm City, FL 34990 (772) 232-4069

Chicago, IL

Liquorama, 4430 S. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL 60632 (773) 847-1166
Sam's Fine Wine & Spirits, 50 E. Roosevelt (South Loop), Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 867-3295
Miska 1000 Liquors, 1000 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 935-1138

Washington, DC

Conn Ave, 1529 Connecticut Ave., Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-0240
Morris Miller, 7804 Alaska Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20012 (202)723-5000
Tenley Liquors, 4525 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 (202) 363-0484
Metro Liquors, 1726 Columbus Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202) 265-5066

Boston, CA

Downtown W&S, 225 Elm St., Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 625-7777
Yankee Spirits, 376 Main St., Sturbridge, MA 01566 (508) 347-2231
Marty's, 193 Harvard St., Allston, MA (617) 782-3250

Ohio

Shaker Square Beverages, 3622 Mayfield, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 (216) 381-2350
Key Beverage & Liquor, 6542 Broadway Ave., Cleveland, OH 44105 (216) 883-1190
Chagrin Beverage, 17122 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights, OH 44120 (216) 991-4400

Michigan

Red Wagon Wine Shoppe, 2940 Rochester Rd., Rochester Hills, MI 48307 (248) 852-9307

New Jersey

Giannone Wine & Liquors, 55 Riverwalk Place, West New York, NJ 07093 (201) 864-9400

Georgia

Beverage Mart, 3482 Cobb Pkwy NW, Acworth, GA 30101 (770) 529-3027
Tower Package - Piedmont, 2161 Piedmont Rd., Atlanta, GA 30324 (404) 881-0902

Shreveport, LA

Thrifty Liquor #5, 3101 Bert Kouns, Shreveport, LA 71118 (318) 686-8170
Thrifty Liquor #8, 3424 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA 71105 (318) 865-8408

More on the Campaign at:
www.1800tequila.com

More art on my website:
www.joshuaellingson.com

New Site Design

2008-08-15T22:26:08Z

Hi LiveJournal readers! I'm going to be relocating my posts to an all new blog on my redesigned site, www.joshuaellingson.com. If you would like to update your RSS readers, here's the nex xml:
http://www.joshuaellingson.com/blog/rss.xml

Thanks, and see you on the internets!

Comic Con 2008

2008-07-29T18:29:27Z

I'm back from my annual journey downstream to Spawn. Comic Con 2008 is a wrap and what a nutty trip! I arrived on Wednesday, expecting a Pro badge and five days of nerd gawking. When I got to the registration desk, they told me that there wasn't a badge for me. Also, the entire convention was sold out. Then, in a complete reversal of expectations, they gave me a table in Artist Alley. Apparently someone had canceled at the last minute and the kindly organizer squeezed me in. So, I made a few calls and had some inventory shipped down. The next four days were spent working the show at my Artist Alley debut. I had a great time. It was exhausting and I really missed my peeps in Small Press. I almost wish it was happening again next weekend so I can be the photo-taking, money-spending. celebrity-oggling nerd that I had hoped to be the first time around. Special thanks to Matt Delight (of the Local 303 for his FedExing skills), Lucio, Daniella, J.D., and Jen (for being great neighbors), the kind staff of Comic Con Int'l, Devon, the Ascher Family, and The Feather.

Got A Table at Comic Con! Artist Alley BB6

2008-07-25T05:24:14Z

The kind organizers of Comic Con International have given me a table in Artist Alley. I'll be at table BB-06, with a scaled back version of my normal convention set up. I have prints, books and some sketches. Please stop by and say hello! Thanks!

Comic Con, Cartoon Art Museum booth, Sat 4-5pm

2008-07-22T18:01:01Z

Signing and sketching at Comic Con
Cartoon Art Museum booth,
Sat 4-5pm

Although I don't have a table this year, I will be signing and visiting other tables. Find me on Saturday at The Cartoon Art Museum ( MZ11, Mezzanine Level) between 4pm-5pm. I'll be sketching for a fundraiser, so while you're saying hello, why not give some dollars to help out the museum.
I'll be using Twitter to help get the word out if I'm somewhere that I think you'll want to be. Follow my Twittering here:
http://twitter.com/ellingson

Info about Comic Con:
www.comic-con.org
Info about The Cartoon Art Museum:
http://www.cartoonart.org/
Info about Josh Ellingson\
http://www.joshuaellingson.com

Alan Wentworth, Photographer

2008-07-21T03:05:44Z

Alan is a pal from way back and it's nice to keep in touch with him over Flickr. His photography is serene and elegant. For some reason it always brings William Gibson's writing style to mind:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanwentworth/2687067655/

Etsy Prints

2008-07-08T02:01:40Z

http://ellingson.etsy.com

In lieu of having a physical table at Comic Con this year, I've just set up a new Etsy store with six limited edition prints. These editions are limited to 50 signed and numbered prints. They are available today for $40 plus $5 shipping. The images are printed using Epson Ultrachrome ink on nice quality A3 (11.7"x16.5") paper. Those of you who have purchased my work before can expect the same vivid colors and fade-resistant quality.

RoboGames 2008

2008-06-15T03:21:59Z

photo by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

Hey, look, my art got made into the medals for Robogames. Neat!

Vinyl Apocalypse - Lower Haters 6/6/08

2008-06-04T19:22:46Z

Hi. I'm participating in a show this Friday, June 6th at Lower Haters Gallery. Its a group show of original art on vinyl records. I have two pieces in the show, including this 45 featuring Pilot the goldfish. Also appearing the exhibition are Local 303 artists Matt Delight, David Garvey, and Jason Dryg. More information can be found at http://www.lowerhater.com.

"Vinyl Apocalypse"
Lower Haters Gallery
597 Haight Street (@Steiner)
June 6th, 7pm-11pm
Music by Topcat,Romanowski, and Enki

1800 Tequila Essential Artists Campaign

2008-05-07T00:36:50Z

I've been featured as one of 1800 Tequila's artists in their "1800 Essential" campaign. The ads feature artwork by nine different artists who work in different mediums and styles. I'm proud to be included with the likes of Glenn Barr and Hannah Stouffer. The artwork will appear on custom bottles and outdoor advertising. It looks like they have sneakers in the works too. You can check out the entire line-up at the 1800 Tequila website here:
1800Tequila.com

(it's not a) Pretty Princess Day on iTunes

2008-05-04T19:50:22Z

Kitten on the Key's "(it's not a) Princess Day" is now available on iTunes for download. I did the cover art and CD design for this album back in 2004 and now it's available the world.
Get it here
More about Kitten on the Keys (aka Suzanne Ramsey) here:
www.kittymusic.com
More of my art at:
www.joshuaellingson.com

RIP Pilot the Fish

2008-05-02T02:42:59Z

Pilot the Fish Jan 2007- May 2008

Today I said goodbye to one of the best roommates I've ever had. Pilot the Fish was a smart little guy. Rerun was skittish of me for the first couple of weeks until I brought home Pilot, who showed him the way.
He enjoyed swimming, eating, and watching television. Pilot is survived by his best friend Rerun, and me. He will be missed.

Bootlegged!

2008-04-17T20:41:29Z

So, there's this art book, Colorful Illustrations, that apparently has my work among many others printed in it without any of our permissions. The book also contains interviews with many of the artists, snagged right off of the art website, LCSv4.com. What's extra weird is that the artists are credited on the spreads (some miscreditted!) but the LCS interviews are passed off as the author's own hard work. The book also comes with a CD of all the imagery burned on it, lending to an assumption that these might all be royalty free images. Apparently the publisher made no effort to rename the filenames on the disc. They are straight for either the LCS website or from the artists' websites.
I'm sure the print quality of 72dpi images can't be good.
More about the brass balls of these folks here:

http://www.apefluff.com/colorful-illustrations-93c-please-do-not-buy...
Here's a link to more spreads from the book:

http://www.apefluff.com/ci93/main.php
Photo by Darren Di Lieto

Animations on Flickr

2008-04-14T00:20:52Z

Animated eCards for BlueMountain.com, 2001
Originally uploaded by joshuaellingson

In a previous post, I blogged about an animated music video that I helped out on back in 2002. Well, here are some of the animations that got me THAT job. used to work at BlueMountain.com as an animator. While I was there, I created hundreds of graphics for all kinds of ecards, invites, and whatever other art they needed. This video has a few of the animations that I could scavenge from what is left of Blue Mountain. They are now owned and operated by American Greetings and many of the cards I did were lost in the redesign. Here's a link to some of my cards on the current site:
http://tinyurl.com/4wulub

Also, here's a link to an "Animation" set that I've made on Flickr containing more ecard animations, old and new.
http://tinyurl.com/3phssr

Games For Windows No More

2008-04-13T01:46:26Z

The image above links to a photoset on Flickr of most of the artwork that I created for Games For Windows Magazine (formerly Computer Gaming World). I just got word that they are ceasing the print version of the magazine, so it's unclear whether or not I'll be making more illustrations for them. This was one of the most enjoyable illustration clients I've ever had and it's been a pleasure working with them on these images.

Bear Witness III Video Segment, Killer Corn 2003

2008-04-10T02:56:17Z

Bear Witness III Video Segment, Killer Corn 2003
Originally uploaded by joshuaellingson

Above is a segment from a Dan the Automator video that I helped out on back in 2003. I'm not sure if it was ever released, but at the time, it was supposed to be in support of a new single, Bear Witness III. This was the first big break for me as a freelancer. When the director, Eric Henry, asked me to be a part of it, I quit my nine-to-five and haven't looked back. Eric had formerly been part of the duo that spearheaded the Wavetwisters feature for DJ Qbert. His animations are amazing and the video was a lot of fun to work on. An art director from Wired Magazine spotted the video and asked me to start contributing artwork to the magazine. Though it is sometimes come and go, the illustration gigs are still happening and I owe it all to Eric Henry and Dan the Automator. Thanks dudes.
Check out Eric Henry Moving Pictures here:
http://erichenry.com/
Dan the Automator can be found at his Myspace page, here:
http://www.myspace.com/dantheautomator

Local 303 Spring Open Studios, '08

2008-04-08T18:43:01Z

Spring Open Studios is happening in mere weeks here at The Local 303. Please come by 1890 Bryant and enjoy 2 floors for artists participating in Mission Open Studios. The Local 303 is on the third floor in Suite #303. Check out new artwork by Local 303 artists Dave Garvey, Matt Delight, Josh Ellingson, and Jason Dryg. We'll have refreshments and musical entertainment on hand. See you soon!

Mission Open Studios

Friday Evening
April 25, 2008 - 6pm-9pm

Saturday and Sunday
April 26-27, 2008 - 11am-6pm

1890 Bryant Street is one of many locations in the Mission where artists will open their studios to visitors during this last weekend in April. Learn more at www.missionarts.org

Josh Ellingson
The Local 303
www.local303.org

He-Man Kilt -Detail

2008-03-19T18:25:43Z

I've been working on a painting commission for my friend Mike. He wanted Battlecat on his kilt. He wears a lot of kilts and is one of the only people that I know that can pull off the look. I suggested that he get a He-Man iron cross belt buckle to go with it. I even found the perfect one online. Apparently not only is it the He-Man logo, but iron cross belt buckles are all the rage these days. I think it's partly because the West Coast Choppers brand is so popular and it incorporates an iron cross into the logo. Anyway, so I sent him a link to the perfect He-Man belt buckle on IM and there was a long pause. He sent a message back saying, "Yeah, but I don't think my wife would like it." I paused for a minute and then it hit me. Mike's wife Miriam is a devout Jew, and even writes a comic about her experiences in the Israeli army. Here I'm suggesting that Mike go around wearing a red iron-cross, a symbol of the Third Reich's military valor. Well, who knew He-Man was toting around Nazi regalia on his chest. He is strangely Aryan though. I'm glad I didn't paint a He-Man symbol on the kilt.

In other news, you can stalk me better now! Here's a link to my page on FriendFeed, a one-stop site for all the different social networks:
http://friendfeed.com/ellingson
AND it even spits out it's own feed, which makes it even more useful. Subscribe to that here:
http://friendfeed.com/ellingson?format=atom

back from SXSW Interactive

2008-03-13T03:35:11Z

Essex es Dubya'

First of all, I've got to ask, "Where are you all coming from??" Holy crap, my web stats are off the charts and I can't figure out where I'm being linked from. Thanks for stopping by Everyone. Jesus Christ.

I just got back from Austin, TX where, against better judgement, I decided to attend the South by Southwest Interactive conference. I know, I should have stayed for Music, but all I could afford was the Interactive portion and I thought I should check that out since I did the poster for the (unofficial) afterparty "16 Bit".
I got in Friday night and immediately went to a party down the road to meet up with Rusty and the rest of the SomaFM crew. Thus began a crazy pattern of nightly drinking/socializing followed all too soon by mornings and afternoons of panel discussions. This was my first time to SXSW Interactive and my first time back to Austin since I was a little kid. I actually attended second grade there. Not a lot was familiar but the grass is soft like I remember and everything is gigantic, especially the bars. Walking to and from the Austin Convention Center was surprisingly easy. The city blocks were fairly small and getting around was a breeze. I thought it would be warmer in Texas this time of year, but it stayed pretty chilly the entire time. I was glad I brought a hat.
I was told that Twitter "would be my best friend" during the convention and I tried to keep up with everyone's goings-on via their "tweets". What ended up happening is I got overwhelmed like most unprepared newbies, and eventually gave up trying to keep up. The schedule got tossed, Twitter went ignored, and I decided to wing it at my own pace.

16 Bit ended up being a lot of fun despite most of my friends being stuck in the endless line outside. I signed many posters and made a few new friends. I think my favorite party of the trip was "20x2" at The Parish. The gist is that twenty people of various creative backgrounds got on stage to answer the question of the day. The question for this 20x2 was "What's the Difference?" Some answered abstractly, some had video, some were funny, some were songs, and some were literal.
Rusty decided to ask the audience to pay attention to the difference between the shared experience of radio vs. an "on demand" Celestial Jukebox model like Pandora or iMeem. It kind of brought up the values of community vs. open-templates and really put a finger on a big issue of the entire SXSW Interactive event.

I have to say that I felt out of my element in the convention hall. Not many of the panels seemed to apply to what I do in my career. Many were about the Social Networking phenomenon and marketing. A lot of the other ones seemed to deal with technical issues such as scalability and accessibility. What kind of scared me were topics on the schedule like "Logos, Why They Are Irrelevant and Can Hurt Your Business" and "Does Tomorrow's World Need Designers?". I sat in for most of the "Logos" panel and have to say it was almost just infuriating for infuriation's sake. The panel started out by making a few decent points against spending lots of time and money creating a brand that has barely gotten off the ground. They discussed how RSS readers and text links can only get a name across, and that the name should be more important as a brand-identifier than a particular mark. What discredited the whole thing for me were the panelists confusion over what constitutes a logo. After turning things over to the audience for questions, one attendee pointed out that the panelists were presiding in front of a SXSW banner that featured nine distinct and well designed logos. One panelist tried to make the point that her name placard could be considered a "logo" and another panelist tried to rebuff the audience member by saying that some of the logos on the banner were "logo-types" and some were "logos". Also discrediting were this panelist's constant remark that he's "just fanning the fires here", as though he were only just setting up an argument to be argued. I left disappointed and wandered upstairs to nurse my hangover in the Harlon Ellison panel. While I listened to Harlon talk about the years he's spent defending his writing against other people's vision, I thought about the "Logo" panelists arguments that a brand mark should be unimportant to a company looking to be bought out by a larger corporation. I thought about things like integrity and pride. I thought about community versus modular "made to order" systems. The whole idea of a community of bloggers and creatives coming together in one building seems to represent an importance to following one another's activities and interests. I'm not sure the web would be as fun if everything were this kind of "on demand" experience without authorship. So, I think the "radio versus jukebox" thing at 20x2 was right on the money. I didn't make it to the "Does Tomorrow's World Need Designers?" panel but I hope tomorrow's world needs all kinds of designers, and writers, and musicians, and illustrators, and people who like that kind of thing...

Octopus Done 4

2008-03-04T01:48:07Z

First, a big thanks to everyone who stopped by my table at Wondercon '08. It was really nice to hear that so many of you found about me being there through my mailing list and blog. I'll have to remember to post more often.
I've just finished off my contribution to the Breast Defense show. It's put on by the Keep A Breast foundation and features painted casts of your favorite burlesque and pin-up queens by artists from all over. The show takes place during Exotic World, the largest burlesque event in the country. Find out more about the events here:
http://www.myspace.com/breastdefense
http://www.myspace.com/keepabreast
http://www.burlesquehall.com/

I made an Octopus for Vivienne Va Voom's bust. Here's a photo-setof the progress

Wondercon, 2008 San Francisco

2008-02-21T17:57:53Z

Hi. If you are in San Francisco this weekend, I'll be at Wondercon in Artist Alley. Please stop by my table and say hello. I have new prints, Kitten on the Keys coloring books, sketchbooks, and packets of art. I'll also be signing at the BOOM! Studios booth from 4pm-5pm on Saturday. Hope to see you at the show. Here's the info:

Wondercon
FEB 22-24, 2008
(Friday - Sunday)

FRI: Noon-7pm
SAT: 10am-7pm
SUN: 11am-5pm

Moscone Center South
747 Howard Street
San Francisco
http://www.comic-con.org/wc/

Joshua Ellingson by Matt Delight

2008-01-19T20:12:12Z

Hello friends. My pal Matt Delight made this killer portrait of me for my birthday. Heart of Gold, that guy. Many thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday last week. Keep the party going!
More of Matt's art here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattdelight/

2007 in Pics (see notes)

2007-12-02T05:58:05Z

I've posted my 2007, Year in Review photos on flickr. If you click through to the photo, you can roll over the tiles for little descriptions. You can also click the "Check out the Set" link to see the shots bigger, if you've got that kind of time on your hands.

The new New

2007-11-19T03:35:04Z

Hello. Joshuaellingson.com is back up and working again. I've taken the opportunity to put new images up and rearrange some things. Also, check out my Flickr stream for images of Kitten on the Keys' new coloring book. I designed it and made all the art. It's always fun working with Kitten on the Keys. She's a hoot!
It's the holiday season, or so they tell me, so what better time to buy some of my prints! Head on over to the "Store" section of my site for great deals on archival quality prints featuring artwork by yours truly. If you roll them up, they make great stocking stuffers.
Have a great Thanksgiving.

joshuaellingson.com down for a bit

2007-11-16T05:57:37Z

My account is on lockdown with the registrar until I can resolve a technical conflict. Yeah, it blows, but until my site is back up, you can find me elsewhere on the web, including:
Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/josh1/
and MySpace, of course
http://www.myspace.com/raccoonboy

More news and the End of the Year Wrap-Up coming soon.

gobble gobble,
josh