Mildred was big on a low weight/ high rep workout regime, to keep her muscles defined but to not become an amazon, setting her apart from the other lady wrestlers of the time.

First, I draw the piece out in black and white. For this, I worked the outline out in pen, then came in with brush and ink to spot the blacks.

After that, on the page preceding the black and white illustration in my sketchbook, I roughly trace in the basic outlines of the shapes and then glop in some energetic watercolors.

I scan both in, then set the black and white scan as a multiply layer and place it over the watercolor scan, giving us the final result. I read on Dustin Nguyen's blog that he copies the watercolor layer and pastes it over the top of the watercolor scan and sets the top layer as a multiply layer, then merges the two, eliminating the transparent effect you get when you scan in watercolors. I've been doing that for a little while now to favorable results.

Had a solo gallery show
Visited the house of a former NWA president
Read 14 books to research a project
Lived in downtown KC
Attended an MMA event, seeing Fedor Emelianenko
Attended a Lucha Libre event
Toured the backstage of Memorial Hall
Visited Georgia and South Carolina

02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more?

My only resolution was to stay the course on my life's direction, and maintained doing just that.

03. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I'm sure this'll get me in trouble, but I can't think of anyone.

04. Did anyone close to you die?

My Grandma Schamberger, and I'm still taking it hard, and reckon I will be for awhile.

Katy's grandma Rose Ryan. I only met her once, but she helped bring that special lady into my life.

Greg Young, the brother of friend Andy and brother-in-law of Katy's best friend Jamie.

05. What countries did you visit?

The US of A.

06. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

More artwork completed.
A wife.
The Promotion written and mostly (if not completely) drawn.

07. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Saturday October 15, my Grandma's funeral. Probably the worst and best day of the year. Funerals are such a rollercoaster emotionally, from saying goodbye to all of the laughter and remembrances. The night ended with me and almost all of my first cousins in Grandma's basement, playing Five Crowns and drinking way too much beer and wine. My little brother AJ said it the best the next day, "It was really cool. It was like a bunch of best friends hanging out."

08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

The first script for The Promotion

09. What was your biggest failure?

Even with all of the setbacks suffered this year, I can't think of anything I'd classify as a failure.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing to speak of. Katy had enough of that for both of us.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A journal that has the cover of the original edition of Raymond Chandler's 'The Big Sleep' on it. Almost all of the notes for The Promotion have gone inside it.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

My cat Monkey. She's become a real sweetheart.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I don't know for a fact who it was, but someone at work started unfounded rumors about me that almost got me fired. Fuck 'em.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Rent.
Car.
Groceries.
Gas.
Insurance.
Comics.
Electric bill.
Phone bill.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Researching The Promotion. All kinds of neat things have happened from doing the legwork on this book.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Paid in Full by Eric B and Rakim:

Thinkin of a master plan
Cuz ain’t nuthin but sweat inside my hand
So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent
So I dig deeper but still comin up with lint
So I start my mission- leave my residence
Thinkin how could I get some dead presidents
I need money, I used to be a stick-up kid
So I think of all the devious things I did
I used to roll up, this is a hold up, ain’t nuthin funny
Stop smiling, be still, don’t nuthin move but the money
But now I learned to earn cos I’m righteous
I feel great! so maybe I might just
Search for a 9 to 5, if I strive
Then maybe I’ll stay alive
So I walk up the street whistlin this
Feelin out of place cos, man, do I miss
A pen and a paper, a stereo, a tape of
Me and eric b, and a nice big plate of
Fish, which is my favorite dish
But without no money it’s still a wish
Cos I don’t like to dream about gettin paid
So I dig into the books of the rhymes that I made
To now test to see if I got pull
Hit the studio, cos I’m paid in full

Of course, being a vegetarian, my favorite dish isn't fish. It's paneer masala, but that doesn't rhyme as well.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder?

Much happier. My future is really exciting right now.

ii. thinner or fatter?

Same.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Exercising. Drawing. Writing.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Attending funerals.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Katy and I will be hosting our first, so it'll be very swank and hip and urban and all of those other buzz words.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Nope, stayed in love, though.

23. How many one-night stands?

None.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Monday Night Raw
Runner-ups: Mad Men and Flash Forward

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

I don't hate. That's a weak emotion.

26. What was the best book you read?

Novel? "A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex" by Chris Jericho
Comic? "Incognito" by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Nothing. Wow.

28. What did you want and get?

Want: To be more financially stable
Get: More financially stable

29. What was your favourite film of this year?

Where the Wild Things Are

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

29. Had dinner with Katy, Mom and Roger at Don Chilito's. Also started my first day in my new position at the day job.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Talking to Grandma one more time.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Dayjob - Dress Casual
Personal - Comfortable

33. What kept you sane?

Katy.
The cats.
Drawing.
Comics.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Bob Geigel

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

The new boss, same as the old boss.

36. Who did you miss?

Grandma Schamberger.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

No one in particular.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

Never wait to make a change in your life, because that chance can and will go away in no time at all. I'll never have the chance to have a normal relationship with my Grandma Schamberger, but I had the opportunity to do just that for 29+ years before she passed away. I'm still grateful to have had her in my life, but that stronger bond that I always figured would happen 'some day' never came from me passively waiting for it. "Brazil is the country of the future - and always will be." Don't wait for the future to change things for you: Do it now.

* I'm planning to write out all of The Promotion, do any rewrites, then layouts and finally start working on the book. I've got the look I'm going for, so right now I just need to get my ass in gear and finish writing the sucker.

* LINKS! (AKA me going through my Bloglines and pointing out what I think looks cool)

* Aren't You Glad You're Not a Mormon?

* I love the colors on this.

* Jim Starlin + Howard Chaykin + Nick Fury = Awesome

* I'm overall not in love with the work that's been contributed to the Covered blog, but every so often someone gets it right.

* Eric Skillman's design process for the covers for Criterion's releases of Downhill Racer and White Dog are awesome to contrast the different approaches a designer takes with different visuals.

* I love the contrast between the hand-painted watercolors and the digitally-created billboard in this cover by Dustin Nguyen.

* Classic exploitation posters from the golden age of Hollywood.

* Jim Steranko's Shadow paperback covers.

* I would buy a lot more syrup if it still came in bottles that look like these.

* This needs to get distributed in North America STAT!

* Swoon.

* (S)he will be there by Matthieu Forichon.

* How awesome is Pablo Auladell's work? Answer: Very awesome.

* Dig the energy in this piece.

* The Whispering Gorilla

* Tomer Hanuka's cover to The Kiss Murder.

* Vintage posters from Casablanca, Frankenstein, and King Kong!

I'm really enjoying Tin Salamunic's contributions to Urban Sketchers.

I tried out something a little different with this one. I did the ink drawing on one page, then light-boxed in the basic outlines of the shapes and did the loose painting on another page. I'm fairly pleased with the outcome and plan to do more this way, see where I can take the look.

Harley Race described Roger Kirby as someone who had everything needed to become a major star, but the planets never properly aligned for him, mostly due to the territorial wars of the early-to-mid-eighties between the NWA and the WWF. After retiring from wrestling, Kirby went on to become a writer for The Kansas City Star.