The U.S. midterm elections are upon us. This has been the most closely watched midterms in years.
Of course, Psycho Bunny has one thing in mind. Priorities you know. Introducing the Psycho Bunny sketch of the week for Nov. 5th, 2018.
Psycho Bunny encourages Americans to vote. For his party – the beer party. Based on the comic book written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo. On WitchesBrewPress. Nov. 2018.
Earlier tonight, before creating this blog post. Taking the subway back to Queens. Two people campaigning for the NY governor candidate representing the Libertarian party get on the train. It was one male, one female. The female was holding a sign, yelling to vote Libertarian. The guy tried to hand me a flyer, but I refused. Instead, I just sighed in exasperation.
It’s reached that point where you can’t stand who is in the White House, but you’re also fed up with all political parties. There’s always the Rent Is Too Damn High Party.
Don’t worry, I’ll still be voting tomorrow. Just no more write-in votes for Mr. Bill. Promise. It reminds me of an old song by Alice Cooper.
Been promising to post the commissions I’ve been doing lately. Here’s one of them. My friend Ariella requested artwork which had Ike Eisenhower kicking Trump’s ass.
Commission of Ike Eisenhower beating up Donald Trump. Drawn by Michele Witchipoo. Black and white pen version before the watercolors were added. Summer 2018.
Ariella Kadosh is also an artist herself. Originally from Brooklyn, she’s a history buff. Ike Eisenhower was chosen for a few reasons. She is quoted as saying: “I’m an ex Republican. I’m not sure how to put how I feel in words, so I commissioned Michele to draw it for me.”
The ironic thing is, if Ike Eisenhower was president today, he would’ve been considered a moderate Democrat. Quite possibly he might be the last great Republican president. Years before the GOP turned into a hot ultra conservative mess.
As a rule I don’t like to discuss politics too much. Particularly on a blog where I’m trying to promote my art. Politics never unite people. Instead it’s just like organized religion. Built to divide, conquer and control. No matter what one believes in or says. However. Occasionally there’s exceptions to the rule. This being one of them. After the past week of the Kavanaugh hearings, we might need some comic relief.
Below is the final result. Done with pen, ink, watercolor and a bit of glitter/shimmer watercolor. You just can’t see the shimmer in the scan. The illustration was purposely made to be in a gaudy, cartoon-y style. Check out Trump’s mouth. Got the idea from another fellow artist on Instagram.
Commission of Ike Eisenhower beating up Donald Trump. Illustrated by Michele Witchipoo. Pen, ink, watercolor. Summer 2018.
Anyway, it’s late. Time for bed. Stay tuned for more commission postings.
Last month we went to check out the Stanley Kubrick photography exhibit over at the Museum of The City of New York. Stanley Kubrick has always been one of my favorite film directors. Back in high school, I made it a mission to check out every film Kubrick directed. This was way before the days of Netflix. If it wasn’t available on VHS, then I would hit up all the revival movie theaters. You millennials have it so easy nowadays!
Luckily films are now more easily obtainable. If it can’t be found on Blu Ray, DVD or through a streaming service, there always places in NYC. For example, Videology Bar and Cinema over in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Anyway, I sought out most of Kubrick’s films. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lolita, the prophetic Dr. Strangelove, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and of course, A Clockwork Orange. Even sat through that yawn fest Barry Lyndon. Although I never managed to catch the earlier films like The Killing or Paths of Glory. Did watch Eyes Wide Shut much later on – despite my disdain for Tom Cruise.
Entrance for the Stanley Kubrick photography exhibit over at the Museum of the City of New York. July 2019. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
Before Kubrick became an influential film director, he got his start as a photographer for Look Magazine. At the exhibit, open until Oct. 28th, 2018, you can see the gritty yet candid detail that would later show up in Kubrick’s films. Kubrick was just 17 years old when he sold his first photo to Look back in 1945. These photos also show how NYC was from 1946 to 1951.
New York City wasn’t just Kubrick’s subject. At the exhibit, a Kubrick photograph of a tattooed and pierced carny was not accepted by the editors of Look. Apparently the photo was thought as ‘too extreme.’ It was decades before the ‘Modern Primitive‘ movement, which led to the current acceptance of body modification.
The photo below particularly stood out. It’s of professional boxer Rocky Graziano. Graziano was trying to repair his reputation when Look did a feature on him. Boxing later helped Kubrick make the transition from photography to filmmaking.
After walking through the Kubrick exhibit we checked out the rest of the museum. Right next to the Kubrick showing was the last day of Rebel Women, which inspired this sketch done back in August.
At the other end of the floor was a retrospective of the feminist era. It showed the beginning of the women’s rights movement, ending with one of Hilary Clinton’s infamous pantsuits.
Which leads to the Psycho Bunny sketch of the week. This sketch isn’t just a sketch. This weeks shows the cover of the latest Psycho Bunny issue. If all goes well, hopefully Psycho Bunny issue 3.5 will be released at the end of October.
This may or may not be the final version of the cover. It really depends on finding the original typeface of the lettering used for the A Clockwork Orange film poster. For now you have an ideal about what the front cover looks like. Other details forthcoming. If the latest issue is completed in time, it’ll mostly likely debut at Incredicon, taking place in Upstate NY, Oct. 28th. Incredicon is a very small con, but it’s been a while since I’ve tabled at a comic book convention.
My life has been busy as of life. You however, still have time to check out these social media links:
Get yourself some cool stuff on RedBubble, featuring my designs. There’s dresses, tee shirts, notebooks, etc. The notebooks, and the Quentin Crisp tees seems to be one of the best selling items.
Still haven’t gotten around to posting those commissions on this blog. Maybe this week I’ll get around to doing so. Until then, stay tuned.
As promised, I delivered this week’s Psycho Bunny sketch on a Tuesday, instead of the usual Monday. Did an awesome commission a few days ago, which will be posted another day on this blog. Have to finish some other commissions as well.
Anyway, for comic book fans you might’ve heard the news. Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko passed away over the weekend. He was also the artist responsible for bringing the world Doctor Strange, The Question and countless others. Spider-Man turned out to be his magnum opus.
Of course to Ditko fans, you can’t mention the artist without bringing in Objectivism and Ayn Rand. At some point he embraced Rand’s philosophy. Personally I feel that Objectivism might’ve ruined Ditko’s life. Hell, he was more of an Objectivist than Ayn Rand herself. Rand supposedly collected social security in her twilight years. Collecting social security within the context of Objectivism is open to debate. While I have some Ayn Rand books in my library, I don’t subscribe to her philosophy. There has to be a better way being an individual. Laveyan Satanism sounds more fun, plus it gets straight to the point. If one wants to be an individual, then why bother joining any collective in the first place?
I digress. You want to read about Steve Ditko, not my own opinions. To put it lightly, Steve Ditko was a brilliant sequential artist. In his personal life, he was a complicated man. Comic book veteran Tony Isabella explains this better with his blog post.
Perhaps it’s better to honor the man by retracing Spider-Man’s steps. Peter Parker after all, from Forest Hills, Queens. A local boy. He wants to help Aunt May right after Uncle Ben was killed. Even though Peter was kinda nerdy, her had Gwen and Mary Jane as girlfriends. He worked for a newspaper company, dealing with John Jonah Jameson, Jr. as his boss. Who knows if Peter was a Mets fan. After that, you can check out other Ditko titles, like his self-published work.
In Steve Ditko‘s honor, who passed away at age 90, here’s the Psycho Bunny sketch of the week for July 10th, 2018.
Psycho Bunny as Spider-Man. Based on the comic Psycho Bunny, written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo on WitchesBrewPress. July 9th, 2018, after the passing of Steve Ditko.
And now, time for those lovely social media hints:
Get yourself some cool stuff on RedBubble, featuring my designs. There’s dresses, tee shirts, notebooks, etc. The notebooks, and the Quentin Crisp tees seems to be one of the best selling items.
One of my hobbies is documenting what goes riding the NYC subway lines: Wildlife On The MTA. Cause if you can’t laugh, you’ll cry. MTA passengers know what I’m talking about. Even better: My WildlifeOnTheMTA Instagram is active once again.
Come back next week for a new Psycho Bunny sketch.
In fact, he’s the founder, president and CEO of The Unemployment Appreciation Society. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t know an opportunity when he sees one.
Here he tries to apply for a position that’s been recently vacated. It’s a government job. Perhaps someone named Mulder can help…
Introducing the Psycho Bunny sketch of the week for Monday, May 22nd, 2017.
Psycho Bunny hears of an opening for FBI director, and asks Mulder for assistance. Based on the comic written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo, on WitchesBrewPress. May 2017.
Next month I’ll be at the Artist and Craftsman Zine Fair in L.I.C., NYC. Been keeping a low profile this year, but if you get the chance, come on out. Now here comes the promotional plugs. Don’t forget to click “like” on the two Facebook pages Psycho Bunny Comix and Michele Witchipoo – WitchesBrewPress. On Instagram there’s WitchipooArt. Website still needs updating. Haven’t gotten around to fixing as of yet. In the meantime look out for a new sketch every week.
Seems since Jan. 20th 2017, there’s been a different protest everyday. Psycho Bunny has his own priorities.
Introducing the Psycho Bunny sketch of the week.
Psycho Bunny has his own priorities for protesting. The Psycho Bunny sketch of the week. Based on the comic written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo on WitchesBrewPress. Jan. 2017.
There will be no craft fair on Feb. 4th due to a cancellation. However, there will be other events in the NYC area where you can purchase a copy of the comic. So stay tuned.
Don’t forget to click “like” on both Facebook pages for Psycho Bunny and WitchesBrewPress. Psycho Bunny also has his own Twitter account. It may not be as shocking as Cheetos, but at least it’ll be somewhat saner. Just overall misanthropy, spread equally.
Immediately after the 2016 presidential election, there was a huge outcry. Which prompted someone on Facebook to do an art show titled “Nasty Women.” It shortly turned into an open call for artwork, proceeds going towards Planned Parenthood. The submissions came in fast furious to the point where the curators had to end the deadline earlier than expected.
The space where the show took place was at Knockdown Center, located in Maspeth, Queens, NYC.
I was one of the many artists who contributed work for this show. My piece was a print titled #trumpsucksballs. It was originally designed for my greeting card line. (Still available for order for $3.00, plus $1.00 S&H = $4.00 if ordering online. Comes with orange envelope. Send payment to psychobunnycomix@aol.com and specify you want the #trumpsucksball greeting card.)
Not all the art was anti-Trump related. Overall it had a feminist voice with or without Trump. The show itself was titled Nasty Women.
A few days before the opening reception, me and a friend went together to drop off our work. That Saturday it was the first snow of NYC in 2017.
Artist Beata Slazak Zalewski of Ridgewood, Queens. On our way to Knockdown Center to drop off art for the Nasty Women exhibition. Photo by Michele Witchipoo. Jan. 2017.
Finally we arrived at Knockdown Center from out of the freezing snow. It gave us a chance to witness the display being put together. Various people were building large scale letters that spelled out NASTY WOMEN. The idea was that the art was to be hung on these letters. As the art gradually sold, the letters would be revealed.
Building the display for the Nasty Women art exhibition at Knockdown Center in Queens, NYC. Photo by Michele Witchipoo. Jan. 2017.
Building the display for the Nasty Women art exhibition at Knockdown Center in Queens, NYC. Photo by Michele Witchipoo. Jan. 2017.
While we were standing there, we felt a slight buzz. The type of buzz when you know something is going to be magical.
A few days before opening night, the Nasty Women event was getting tons of press.
Opening night arrived. The turnout was larger than expected. People came from all over NYC for the reception, despite the remote location of Knockdown Center in Maspeth, Queens. My print sold within the first hour of the show. By the time I arrived, it was gone. Luckily someone snapped this photo for me. To whoever brought my print, thank you.
As seen at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition. Sold. Illustration by Michele Witchipoo. Photo by Beata Zalewski. Jan. 2017.
The artwork was flying off the letters as the crowd grew. At one point I saw a determined woman purchasing five separate pieces of art. The event itself raised 35K for Planned Parenthood. When the exhibition ended, all of the work donated had completely sold.
Crowd at opening reception at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition. Jan. 2017. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
This work was featured in the press before the opening reception. Artist Angela Pilgrim.
Art by Athea Blem. “Kill Putin” as seen at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition.
Art by Beata Zalewski as seen at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition
Art by Debra Wright as seen at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition. This item was not for sale.
Art by Diane Bronstein: “Grab This!” As seen at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition
“Trump This!” Art by Sandra Kopeonen as seen at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition
Anonymous. Art by Athea Blem. As seen at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition
Various artwork. As seen at Knockdown Center for the Nasty Women art exhibition
The entire weekend at Knockdown Center was dedicated to raising funds for organizations that would be unfortunately affected by the upcoming Trump administration. What seems to be the beginning of the Resistance art movement, there’s other upcoming Nasty Women events happening all over the world. Check here if you would like to be involved.
Attendee at the Nasty Women art exhibition at Knockdown Center. Queens, NY. Photo by Michele Witchipoo. Jan. 2017.
Right after Commander Cheetos got elected, there were immediate calls of action. Especially in the art field.
One of them was Knockdown Center who had an open call for their upcoming Nasty Women exhibition. Proud to say my illustration was accepted into the show taking place Jan. 12 – 15, 2017. The opening reception will be on Thursday Jan. 12th from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
Image: Clive Murphy
Proceeds from all sales will benefit Planned Parenthood. To find out more about Nasty Women, click here.
My print of the illustration #trumpsucksballs will be part of the display. Basically I took a combination of a lewd joke and a popular Instagram hashtag which resulted in this:
Since the result of the presidential election, I’ve decided to get more involved in women’s and LBGQT issues.
I’ve also put this image as a greeting card. So if you would like to order one for yourself, It’s $4.00 ($3.00 + $1.00 for S&H). Comes in cellophane with an orange envelope. You can send payment to PsychoBunnycomix@aol.com. Just be sure and specify “Trump card” when ordering. The card is blank inside so you can mail your own personalized message to the White House. Again, this card will not be available at all future events due to the nature of this work.
You know you feel the same way too…even if 2017 seems scarier.
Introducing the Psycho Bunny sketch of the week.
How Psycho Bunny feels about 2016. The Psycho Bunny sketch of the week. Based on the comic written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo, published on WitchesBrewPress. Dec. 2016.
I was being nice with the title of this blog post.
For this blog, I’ve more or less stayed away from politics, except for the webcomic Shitty Mickey and occasional mentions of Occupy Wall Street. That was way back when, however. In late 2016, it’s a whole other matter. What 2017 will bring is very unnerving.
Getting to the point, I’m not happy with the current president-elect. I think he’s unfit for office, and a very dangerous man. The last thing you need to read is yet another blog offering up political opinions. So I’ll let the below image speak for itself.
WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK (NSFW)
I was aiming for tacky, lewd and orange. Oh, and the hashtag I got from Instagram. So thanks Instagram.
Who knows what 2017 will bring. Perhaps the electoral college will change their votes, or he will get impeached. Pence, his VP is actually worse, but Pence is also a career politician – also less likely to press that red nuclear button. Following Pence is Paul Ryan. Basically we’re doomed.
Never have I been so grateful to live in a blue state in all my life.
In general, 2016 has been a wretched year. For me personally, it’s been kind. On an international level, not so much. What’s worse is for all the nonsense news we hear such as Kayne West meeting up with Trump, Aleppo was being bombed. Hell, I even surprised myself by shedding a tear for Mohammad Alaa Jaleel. He’s better known as “The cat man of Aleppo.” If you don’t know who he is, you should. A fellow cat lover who risked his life to help care of all the stray and abandoned cats in war torn East Aleppo. He has everything to lose and nothing to gain by taking care of these animals, but he has something that’s becoming increasingly rare today – compassion. If anyone deserves the Noble Peace Prize, it’s him.
Enough of my soap box. I’ve made greeting cards out of that repulsive image that resembles Cheetos man. I’m NOT going to be selling these cards at every future event. If I decide to, i’ll be very selective as to where. Regardless, these will be available on demand. If you want this card, you can send $3.00 to PayPal. Some of the proceeds from this card will be donated to charity. Just haven’t decided which one as of yet. Maybe it’ll be a feminist organization, an LGBT group, or for Standing Rock, or towards the Cat Man of Aleppo. As long as it’s a reputable charity. We’ll see how many are actually sold. Regardless. Buy a card for someone you loathe.
#trumpsucksballs greeting card. Dec. 2016.
For the past month, I’ve been passing this wall inside the Union Square subway station in NYC. Here’s some of the photos I’ve taken. I also added to this Post-It wall. Some of the Post-It notes are now being archived.
You can kinda tell which ones I did. And yeah…I did the testicles one too.
2016 has been an overwhelming year. It’s enough to make anyone misanthropic. So before I go, I’ll leave you with this meme. Cause if you’re going to be misanthropic, make sure it’s everyone equally.
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