www.mariomora.net | Mind

NEWS
Wizard World, MSI, and Commander Data	August 24, 2010

So much waiting, so much anticipation, so much work, yet so much fun. Chicago Comic Con has left me both worn out and also powerfully re-energized. I got a chance to meet so many talented artists and writers, cosplayers, collectors, toy enthusiasts, and all around interesting people. But as most of you know, I am based out of Kansas City, so there was a bit of a drive involved before I was able to join the ranks of those who'd come before me to this mecca of super geekdom.

I would love to have had a series of wonderful pictorials that showed the wonderful foreign land of Iowa, but in truth, it just looked like the Ozarks, but with a LOT more corn, and HUGE wind power generators. It was no Kansas, but my god, I have no clue what Iowa plans on doing with all that corn and I don't care. Later, after what was like 5 or 6 hours of driving through Iowa, I finally saw something new and wonderful called BUILDINGS. Those were in Illinois. Finally I was closer to Wizard World!
Or so I thought. Because of a slight planning oversight, I was not able to set up my stuff on Wednesday, all artists were to set up on Thursday. That left less time during the day on Thursday to take in the local Chicago sights. But I had found out about the Museum of Science and Energy while using "the Facebook", and my inner rocket scientist needed to be appeased. I hadn't even gotten INTO the building when I ran across a cleverly disguised R2 unit. Usually, I have criteria that make places I visit awesome, if you have a Sega Arcade machine of any kind or you have a robot represented, I automatically want to never leave. This wonderful USPS ode to Star Wars was a nice sign that today would be awesome...

AND IT WAS!!! Within moments, I was immersed in images of the old west interpreted as 3 dimensional cartoons, rocket men with lazers, works by Nikola Tesla, and not one, but TWO Sega arcade machines of the seminal arcade hit, "Daytona USA 2"!! I had barely been in the building all of 20 minutes!!!

And this place is BIG! They had planes, trains and automobiles of all kinds, but nothing, NOTHING prepares you for seeing a German U Boat inside a building!!!

I could go on and on about the museum, but I will save that for the forthcoming galleries I am working on. But let's get on with what for 4 days became my home. The Rosemont Convention Center, and Wizard World.

You'll notice a myriad amound of items above, from a DragonQuest Nintendo DS booklet, to Pentel Pens (they were giving them to the illustrators in Artist Alley, one particular one was valued at $18 alone, more on that later...), to a wonderful hardbound book by Phil Machi (go check out his site!), and what is that at the top? An autographed photo of Commander Data? Yes, yes it is. And here's the story to go with it.
I was just on a lark noticing after the 2nd day of the convention, that there was an area that one might want to stand in to look over the convention. While approaching the area, I am passed by a distinguished looking gentleman, and after moving to the side to let him go by, I meet his eyes, and it's Brent Spiner. And I say "Hi Brent." And walk on, only realizing moments later what I've just done.
Understand that Star Trek: TNG is my favorite series. Understand that although I love all of the characters in that series, none of them have fascinated me or influenced my love of robotics and conveyed such a mood of wonder and innocence in a character at the same time as Brent Spiner's character, Commander Data. To think that I had a moment, at complete random, to run across an actor whom I've admired as much as Mr. Spiner, and not even be in the right sense of mind to say the right thing made me want to sit down and drink a glass of sand.

Well, this had to be righted! So the next day, after encountering an interstellar mechanic and his sidekick robot who were evidently attending a "Bloody Wedding" (see sign), I finally managed to make it to Mr. Spiner's booth and gushed with fanboy appreciation and disbelief that I was meeting yet another childhood hero of mine. Thankfully, he was more than understanding, and made no big deal out of it, but simply remarking that "Brent" was his name, and I'd done no wrong in calling him by that.
Let me tell you that Brent is first and foremost an engagingly funny and patient man whose wit and wile are razor sharp with just the hint of Data breaking through the surface on occassion. It's funny I had 5,000 questions I would have liked to have asked him, but all I was able to utter was that he had been a huge influence to me, that he was the best thing about ID4 (which he was, sorry Will Smith), and I think I said thank you 40 times for his time and patience.

Armed with a freshly signed autograph of Brent Spiner, and a photo of the man, I went back to Artist Alley and back to filming and taking photographs of the shenanigans and goings on of the convention.
I was pleased by the interaction I had with people who were gracious enough to aske me for autographs and to sign stuff. As for the awesome Elvira inspired lady in cosplay, I thank you for the advertising, I actually had some people come back to my table because of it.

Lady DeathPool was as terrifying as she was incredible to look at. The chainmail shirt on Vanessa Walilko (in the center) was amazing. Click on her name and check out her work! And the Sith Lord on the right was downright awesome. He was so in character and menacingly so, it was not hard to picture him being a threat to Jedi everywhere.

Commissions and artwork were coming off of my work area from time to time as well. I was also pleasantly surprised by some KC folk who came out to the convention to see me (Johnny Epic, I want a photo with you next time!) And man it was nice to finally meet both Trevor (creator of A$$HOLE), and Al (creator of Rival Angels), if you love comics, these guys make some great ones. [I'll be adding links to their webcomics soon]. And to my booth neighbors, Phil Machi, Tommy Castillo, and Nigel, you guys were all great to talk to and funny as hell.

And remember that $18 pen that Pentel was nice enough to give me earlier? Well, this thing is magic in a pen shell. And it's not even available here in the U.S. yet!!! I'll be doing a review of the set later, but first impressions on me for this brush pen are good so far. :)

And I've adopted a new more heroic and "sure to sell comics and art" pose that I was attempting to get started as the next big thing there at the convention. It seems that Phil's in on the game (but he's got a successful sideline gig as the man with the plan when it comes to Convention Conga line leadership qualities...), but Brian opted for a manly Avengers style pose it seems. And I know better than to tell a lady how to pose. She's really tall isn't she? Alexandra was nice enough to pose with me for this, (as a friend of mine pointed out, she does resemble Melanie from Pagan Zoetrope, especially in height), and then told me to come by her booth and she'd take my pants off for me. O_o She was working with Utilikilts.
Final Thoughts...
Chicago Comic Con was truly an incredible experience, and there are so many things more I could go into, but in all truth, my brain is still trying to process it all. Chicago as a town is so dang cool, and if I could of, I would have gone downtown to see the devastation of tall robots (as Transformers 3 was filming while I was there), but I'm not complaining. It was fun. Till next time Chicago, thanks for reading all of you, I really do appreciate it! Here's a small rough vid of some of the cosplayers I did get to see- Mario


FanCon #26, 1st Friday, and more...	August 10, 2010

Well to start out, let me talk about FanCon #26. It was a heck of a lot of fun. Craig Klotz cannot be thanked enough for doing these shows. I seriously got to meet a lot of cool people and to all of you I talked to and had the chance to meet and visit with (Cori, Rick Stasi, Wilson, Fraydoun, CJ, Tyler and those are the people I can remember at the moment), thank you for coming out and talking and hanging out with me and the vendors at the show. It was really cool.
The above Zora Nebula art you see was a bit of artwork that I made specifically for FreeCon. I was really pleased with how it came out, and by the time the show was over, I had just one print left.

I had more art and stuff to show off at this show than any of the previous ones. I think total, I had about 24 unique works. My only lament was I didn't get my originals to show off at the show. Next time I will though. :)
First Friday -- Sights, sounds, and Scenes.
First Fridays here in KC are a time that a lot of the local galleries can open up from 7pm to 9pm or so to showcase local and regional talent. The cool thing was there was a lot of new progressive and unorthodox artwork out in some new galleries. Bad thing was it seems that a lot of the old galleries I used to go to are now shutdown. Some are so disguised that they're hard to even discern as a gallery (like this one below that the ONLY reason I looked that way was because of the Christmas lights).

I normally am not a fan of a lot of the more modern art as you see below, but I can certainly appreciate the energy and rough elegance in the markmaking that enhances the abstract thought in a lot of them.

And it's always nice to see a DeLorean or two downtown. There were actually 2 of them, (I see them every year at World of Wheels, so when I see them or the Ghostbuster's Ecto 1 driving around town, it's not as exciting for me.)

On a good note, it was nice to see performance art coming more out and into it's own. On various street corners and paved carparks, there were bands, dancers, solo musicians all intermixed with jewelry makers, fabric weavers, and some people selling Indian Food.
I was intrigued by the people that were drawing from the figure in front of everyone. I want to see if I can't try my hand at that next time.
Artwork in progress...

But back to work that I am working on currently... I don't think I've had this many illustrations in different states of being finished as I do now. One of them (above) I am happy with is this elven warrior. I am able to work so much faster and more efficiently with markers than I ever had before. This one was actually started because there was a mark on the Bristol board that looked like the edge of a cape. It was an accidental stray pen mark I had made, and viola! 1 hour later, I am as far as you see above.

On a more somber note, I was thinking about my dog Shaggy who I lost sometime back because recently, literally days ago, I lost my little ferret Emilio, to cancer. I'd post up a picture of Emilio, but it's hard to look at the photos of him right now. But in his memory, I wanted something to have to remind me of him with me all the time. I found it at 1ferretstreasures . The little patch looks just like him. :)

The quote above from Charles Schulz (creator of the Peanuts comic strip for those of you out of the loop) was always one of my favorites of his, and I always thought of it as being something of a tongue in cheek kind of remark.
I think the only reason that dogs, ferrets, cats, birds or whatever wonderful animals we have in our lives, both wild and domestic companion alike, can't advance for one important reason. They are perfect just the way they are.
Emilio was my constant companion in the studio where I am sitting now, and I could always look over my shoulder and he'd be there waiting for me or wondering why my fingers were making this crazy clicky clacky noise as I hammered away on the keyboard. So much of the art you see that I created was with him keeping me company into the wee hours of the night. Especially the ferret that I drew for the Ferret Hotline shirts (you can't see it too well, but I'm wearing it in that first picture in this entry).
The animals we see everyday have something to teach us. They live for now. The beautiful, important, all engrossing now. They live with a deeper sense of survival and mortality and love and exist with a sense of purpose that so few of us humans can understand. I learned a lot from you Emilio, and it won't be the same creating art without you here. Take care my little friend, I love you and miss you very much.
In closing...
Until next time, thank you all that come here to the site and read and take a look around. It means the world to me to get to talk to many of you at the shows, and the stories and experiences you all share with me are just incredible, funny, and enlightening.

The colors in nature, Graffiti, PZ Issue 2.5.	July 25, 2010
Don't forget that KC FanCon #26 is this Sunday August 1st from 10am - 4pm at the PLAZA HOTEL (formerly Wyndham Garden Hotel) over on I-435 & Metcalf, Overland Park, Kansas! I'll be there all day with comics and art in tow. Hope to see you guys there!

Graffiti. Some people consider it a nuisance, some people consider it art, but I think everyone agrees that it's one of the most prolific methods of self expression. This based off of the fact that I tend to lump cave paintings into the category of graffiti. It's the ultimate visual representation of quiet rebellion that screams "youth", violatile growth and spontaneous movement. Marks made by modern day urban nomadic minds. Years ago, Sega had released a video game named Jet Grind Radio that allowed you to skate around city areas and tag areas with your gang's graffiti, even allowing you to upload and create your own artwork to use in the game.

I think the draw that I have to it stems from the fact that working that large and in a timely matter taking into consideration a substrate made up occasionally of different textures seems like a daunting challenge in my head. It's hard not to appreciate what graffiti artists can accomplish. Well, maybe not the ones about local boys voicing their "undying love" to someone named Kellie, when sprayed on an overpass.
Colors occurring naturally.
But if we want to talk about dynamic colors and variable textures, then one needs only look as far as the backyard. I find some of the most pure examples of color in the most mundane of objects just outside my door. Nature contains some of the most harmonic and deep 'graffiti' you will ever find.

The almost Asian floral like pattern on the insect is still one of my favorites, and the grapevine that I managed to get to grow this year had some of the most varied textures I'd seen on a plant from the grapes themselves to the almost alien looking pattern on the leaves (close up just below).

The rose bush this year normally blooms brilliant white roses, but one particular one came out as this stunning yellow shade. I'm actually not a HUGE fan of roses (that's more because they are the most cliche thing on the planet, through no fault of their own, whether they be a tattoo on a GnR fan, or sitting next to the novelty lighters for $1.99 at your local Sinclair gas station).

Now blueberries fascinate me because the color blue doesn't happen that often or that prominently around here in Missouri as far as plants go. Now you all might be wondering why I spend so much time looking at things so close. The devil in in the details. But more importantly than thinking I'm going to find some guy in a red suit with a pitchfork sitting in a blueberry patch (which would be weird...), taking the time to observe things, even the most everyday and normal items, can yeild a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for an artist. Don't believe me? Okay, you know the character Davy Jones from the Pirates movies? His skin was based on a scan of used styrofoam cup that had coffee stains on it. The basic visual element was sitting in the designer's trash can. Odd, but the point is, that it worked. And brilliantly, might I add.

Now under the circumstances that artists of the past had to deal with, I would probably have taken most all of the items I showed above and would have attempted to try and see if I couldn't produce pigment from them. Thankfully, in today's art creating world, such measures aren't necessary.
Manmade colors.
Copic markers allow me to be able to refill my markers with such little effort and with so much ease it's not funny. I've talked about the portability and versatility of Copic markers, but as you can see below, Copic has been cool enough to produce ink refills, colorless blender, and even BLANK sketch markers that you can breakdown for replacement parts or to fill with your own blended colored ink. Just when I thought these markers couldn't be any cooler, I keep finding more and more reasons to be glad I have them. The refilling itself is easy and flawless in color delivery.

Issue 2.5 and other art efforts...
Pagan Zoetrope issue 2.5 is just about ready, and you can see the newest sticker that will be coming with it. On a related note, issue 2.5 will have two variations itself and I'll have more information on that very soon. Unfortunately, this issue won't be ready for KC FanCon this coming weekend, but you will be able to get it off the site very soon.

I finally jumped on the Munny wagon and picked up the cute little fella below. What you're looking at below is going to eventually end up as "Mandy" from PZ, and I'll be putting up a tutorial showing the steps on how she comes to be in figure form sometime after October.

And to wrap it up, I started working on some stuff for Zora Nebula. Below is a cityscape scene for a bit of original art that I'll have for sale before the end of August. The screenshot is from the rough wireframe art, and doesn't have any of the team members in it yet. I'm pretty excited about this one, and can't wait to show you guys after it's done.

Well, I've got more news that I'll be sharing soon so be sure to check back in the next week or so. Thanks again for reading, - Mario

FreeCon, ConQuest, and Adobe CS5.	May 31, 2010

So in two convention filled weekends I manage to work myself into a better place mentally as far as creating art goes. I met and talked to a lot of really interesting people over the course of 2 weeks and it was such an eye opening experience as far as how many local conventions there are and the varied people that attend, work and put them on.
FreeCon, put on by Craig Klotz, was a really fun time for me. I met a lot of great comic creators and had the pleasure of sitting next to Brent Engstrom, who is phenomenally talented. You've probably seen his work as he's currently known for his work with the current line of Garbage Pail Kids. On a personal level, I found that he is probably the only other person with as much of a love of oddball beard growths, the latest Indiana Jones movie (it WAS good, dammit!!! LOL!), and pop culture as me. Click on his name above and go to his site. It's well worth a look.

Speaking of geeky and cool things like pop culture, I was really surprised to see that Adobe had a release event for their latest version of the Creative Suite (CS5). So of course I had to go and see what all the hubbub was about.
WANT. TO. OWN. CS5. NOW. Seriously..., just when you think you can't add anymore tools or flexibility to the programs like Illustrator, they come out with options that make you want to crawl under your art table and gurgle in sheer nerdmania.

*WARNING: DESIGN NERD CONTENT!!*
[For instance if you have a stroke in Illustrator, you can now VARY the width and line thickness as if it had become a full fledged vector element on it's own right. Yeah. Those of you out there that use Illustrator are doing what I am doing right now. Wanting to pogo dance like pixie stick crazed raver at a lightswitch rave, out of happiness.]

Next in the line of crazy cool things I did was attend ConQuest. It was a very different sort of feel than Planet Comicon and FreeCon had been. Very laid back, and to some degree more old school. I swear, if you wanted to meet some great authors and pick up the latest (or in some cases out of print/rare) books for sci-fi/fantasy, you can't go wrong by going to this one.

A few SteamPunk cosplayers made the rounds at the show, including Amanda (I believe I got your name right, feel free to let me know if I didn't) and this really nice couple with matching goggles. I could picture them getting into a Stanley Steamer to have driven to the show.

Volume 1 of the graphic novel of Pagan Zoetrope should include, as I currently see it, issues 1 through 8. That's of course subject to change. And yes there will be backgrounds. I think when this is really for you all to pick up, you'll like what you see. The characters are coming to life in a way that had always been in my head, but because of time constraints, wouldn't have been smart to do in the comic book format.

Anyone that knows the things I love about Star Trek know that they go in this order: Klingons, Geordi La Forge/Scottie, the Borg, and then Dr. McCoy (I would put Counselor Deanna Troi on this list but there is no rating the woman, she simply tops all for me. :D )

The last two illustrations I worked on during Sunday were the white Victorian inspired automaton and the yet unfinished zombie illustration in the lower left hand corner.

The last bit of this update will deal with my buddy Ronnie (whom some of you might notice is the real life inspiration for the character of Ron in PZ - he has a small part in Issue #2) whom was at the convention. Rarely, as I've stated before, will any of the characters I do, focus that much on a real person, but Ronnie, when I was younger, had been a big help in giving me the drive to become a better artist.
BEST OF SHOW Cosplay - ConQuest 2010
As usual, my brain was full of many things and I neglected to ask the good gentleman in the photo above, his name, as pound for pound, he had flat out the best cosplay of the entire weekend. If any of you happen to recognize this fellow or know who he is, please have him e-mail me so I can get the proper name and credit he is due for such a wonderful outfit.
So with that, we come to the end of a very picture heavy update, and what was for me, a very eventful 2 weeks. I've got some time opening up to bring a lot more photos and all of the other updates to the other areas of the site that I've been talking about as of late, starting next week. So be sure to check back in the next week or so.
On a final note, and I'll be adding a visual link to these guys on FB soon to the site here, is GeekCal, it's an effort to push forward the spreading the word on local conventions of all kinds. Add them on facebook and join the effort. Till next time, I hope you all had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend, and I will talk to you all soon. - Mario

FreeCon 2010, KC Happenings	May 10, 2010

Some of you might be seeing flyers and adverts for FreeCon making the rounds and LOOK, I'm now listed on there, so yes, I will certainly be there. I've got a buch of new original art and prints of each that will be available there including all the stuff available that I have for Pagan Zoetrope, and I might be doing some sketches while there as well.
One of them will be the first redo of the Demoness Series you can see in the above photo on the left. Pricing on originals will be around $20 to $30 dollars with 8x10 prints at $5 each.
Speaking of artwork, I attended a lecture at the Nelson Atkins museum given by Curator Robert Cohen on information about the tomb of a 2,300-year-old noblewoman, Meretites (which translated means Beloved by her Father, and whose inner coffin and outer coffin were available for us to see), and it was really rather good. Back when I was at CMSU many years ago, I had the chance to take an honors class on Egyptology, and truthfully, it had helped to kill some of my enthusiasm for the subject. But today, I found myself re-energized in my interest for all things Egyptian.

The inner coffin (shown below) had the most beautiful outer artwork I've yet seen. I'm a bit of a fan of Anubis, so naturally I was pretty stoked when Robert Cohen spoke of the art pattern in his lecture, and I had to get the below photo to show you all. It really doesn't do it any justice though because even as old as the pigments are, in person they are SO much more vibrant and impactful.
Just do yourself a favor and get down to the Nelson and see the new additions for yourself. :D

I have a couple of favorites pieces that every time I go to the Nelson I have to see in person. One is the disturbingly life like work done by Duane Hanson (b.1925- d.1996) "Museum Guard", 1975. I think a part of me likes it because I've done security for so long as a weekend side gig, and I love the almost bored and just "I've seen it all" sort of expression on the guard's face.

So, I imagine the event of actually going up and asking the artwork for directions (as I'm pretending to do above) has been played out many times over the years, but must have REALLY been a hoot to see when the real life guard who worked there back in the 70's was around.
The other work I have an undying appreciation for is "Armor for Man and Horse", ca. 1565 from Milan, Italy. I don't care how many times I've seen it in person, I always find something new to appreciate in it's beautiful hand worked details.
Made of steel and copper with gilding, leather, and assorted textiles, the armour for the man weighs in around 60 lbs. while the horse's tips the scales at around 100 lbs.

And really, the day couldn't have been more awesome unless I took a tame but still crazy voracious T-Rex out for a walk and saw a ufo! Seriously! LOL! How cool would that be to live in a world where I could take a T-Rex out for a walk? I mean aside from the fact of having to clean up after him. Yeah... maybe not that cool. And really... UFO's are known to do straaaange things to cattle, so maybe that'd not be that cool either.
I'll be back with an update on how FreeCon went later this month, and as usual, I'll be sending updates via my twitter account. Till then, take care and thanks for reading. - Mario

Patch Together, Cool Marketing Idea	April 30, 2010

I'd love it if some of you guys could go and support my most recent habit of trying to get some custom figurines produced through the really cool company PatchTogether. You can leave feedback and vote for either or both Ian and Amaterasu!
I've got a few more concepts and designs for that site coming up in the next few weeks. These two guys were based off of some ideas I had floating around dealing with a Dieselpunk theme, but as enjoyable as these might be for you, take your time looking around the PatchTogether site. There's a lot of really cool ideas, art, and up and coming artists with killer toy designs for you to peruse.

This is going to be something of a short update since I've got a lot of things I'm trying to get done, but I did want to make a connection to the update I did just prior when I was talking about 3D movies. I recently had the opportunity to go with the Scinergy Scion car club to see the new iQ and tC concept cars. The whole thing was really a great presentation marketwise, including 1GB usb wristbands (I'm wearing mine right now, and I put a Sega Master System emulator on it. SEGA!).
But back to the point. The marketing team for Scion had the very cool idea (capatalizing on the current 3D movie craze) of having people with 3D still cameras roaming around to allow all of us that attended this special event to get our photos taken (Example above right corner) and given to us to put into these very clever 3D glasses that they had handed out. I am actually rather impressed with it. It works on many levels and is a cool bit of marketing that you'd want to hang onto and show off to your friends.
Okay, so I'll have more information on FreeCon up soon for you guys, and more additions to the online store very soon. And yes, new Pagan Zoetrope strips are coming soon. I've been making some decisions about what I am going to do that affects some stuff with it, but look for new stuff in about two weeks. Till next time, thanks for reading! - Mario

Patch Together, RIP - Peter Steele	April 19, 2010

The above illustration is actually my first toy concept for Patch Together. If you want to see the completed illustration and maybe leave some feedback you can go here.
I can't put enough praise on COPIC's brand of markers, as they've worked out incredibly well for me on many levels including increasing my workload speed and allowing me to be far more enveloped in color usage. Another recent work for the "Gauge" story I am working on is the Mole Engineer below. I really had a lot of fun coming up with his look, especially his artificial arm and foot.

One of my odd hobbies is getting all Sega Fanboy excited when I manage to find Sega Arcade machines. I think it's because of my deep down sadness over the demise of the local Arcade (which was like 15 years ago, but that's besides the point, it lives on as Token Joe's in my comic book, darn it). The Sega UFO Catcher below I found at the local movieplex. The only bit of "fail" with it is that it should have been stocked with Sonic plush characters or Shenmue figures, not weird multi-color generic teddy bears and iPods.
Now the Starship Troopers Pinball Machine was DAMN cool, and was in almost 80% mint condition, down to the lights and sounds and automations all still in good working order. This one I did play 3 games on, and it's a fairly challenging game. I was intrigued by the fact that there were 3 separate flippers to control (each independent of each other, not like one button operating two at a time). The best part was the "Brain Bug" that came out of the board when I finally got the right amount of hits to summon him out from hiding.

And speaking of looking for things in wayward places, I finally remembered to stop and get some footage and a few pictures of this local bit of artwork. (+5 coolness points to anyone that can e-mail me and tell me where in the heck this Oil Drum family resides, I'm talking the street/road here...). I'm going to try and find out more about it for my next (STILL in progress) episode of the Artisan Rogue.

But now we end on a sad note, at least for those of us who are Type O Negative fans...

I often talk about influences and inspiration that can be found all around us. On April 14th, the lead singer of my favorite all time band Type O Negative, Peter Steele (real name, Petrus T. Ratajczyk) passed away due to heart failure.
Through a lot of my time in college, I can remember creating and working through so many late nights with a CD walkman blaring their music, and honestly, a lot of the attitude and thematic direction of a lot of my current work (especially Pagan Zoetrope) owes a lot to the words and music of Type O Negative.

Many of you might not be familiar with the music of Type O Negative, and truthfully, it's not everyone's cup of Earl Gray Tea. But that's okay. I'm not here to sell you on them. I will say that life can be an unfair mistress that chooses to take truly creative and original people far too early. Rest in Peace man.
Thanks for reading guys. I'll see you guys at FreeCon, and then at ConQuest. - Mario

FreeCon 2010	April 4, 2010

Didn't get a chance to get your Pagan Zoetrope stuff at Planet Comicon? Does your life feel a little empty without the odd adventures of Mandy, Melanie, Dre, and Dru by your side? Then rejoice, jump for joy, and hug your wallets, for I am now on the lineup for comic talent at this year's FreeCon! I'll have copies of Issues 1 & 2, shirts (including the new and popular "Mandy ByrdGrrls" shirt for the ladies), and other neato stuff that I've so lovingly created.
Be sure to check out the official site as there is a great list of other creators (click on the image above to see the updated list!) that will be attending.

I will also have assorted prints of the characters in "Gauge and the Emerald Children". The second character concept, shown above is "Pavaua", and she'll be available as a full color print. .
On a separate note, I want to talk about a new art supply that I got turned onto by Eric Basaldua. Copic Markers. Pricey? Sure. Worth it? Yes. Undoubtedly so. Every artist can interpret usage of any tool on any substrate in their own unique ways, and I think these markers definitely lend themselves to creating some very cool artwork. I've got some inkwork that I'll have up on here in the next week or so for a more indepth review of my own personal usage of them.

To end this update, I'd like to show just a bit of the unique creativity that permeates KC, in this case, as the delivery vehicle that Westport Flea Market uses.

I love cars, but when they are used in such unusual ways, it's just awesome.
That's the beauty of taking the time to look around and soak up your surroundings and pull influences and inspiration from everyday sights. I don't care if you are in a downtown urban setting or out on a farm, when you take the time to stop and appreciate the living world around you, you can't help but discover something new everyday.

A brief movie review I believe is in order today as well. Going to the movies is a favorite pastime, but I tend to be picky about what I go to see, not only because of the increasing cost of GOING to see a movie, but because of the huge jump that is happening with movies going to 3D.
I have to say that if you were to merge the worlds of Asterix and Dragonlance together, you'd end up with something like Dreamwork's "How to Train Your Dragon". It's a funny and really cool jaunt into a fantasy Viking world that I think works on many levels. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, so I'll just put up what I thought from my humble opinion. :)

Alright, well thanks for checking out my latest update, I'm still working on getting a more streamlined setup for an online store, as well as getting a fully functional photo gallery up. And on a side note, if any of you fine people reading this meet me out at a convention, let me know who you are! I've had the pleasure of talking to some of you since Planet Comicon, (and even ran into two of you at my weekend job) or you have a picture of you wearing a PZ shirt, feel free to drop me a line at mario@mariomora.net. Thanks so much everyone! More updates soon! - Mario

Planet Comicon Photos	March 29 , 2010

Planet Comicon was definitely a blast. I seriously was a bit nervous, but things went really well. I lucked out on the people I got to sit around. Eric Basaldua (pictured above, bottom right, with the Capt Morgan bottles) gave me great pointers and advice on his coloring techniques. It was just cool as hell to watch him work and fly through sketch after sketch. Kim and Doc are easily some of the funniest people I've had the pleasure of meeting. Seriously talented singers and great guitar playing. And Doc (John) can seriously draw well. The "story of the wolf riding a horse bareback" commission he did is one for the storybooks. I'll tell what I know of it later, but somewhere there is a happy DJ with a new illustration of a horse being ridden by a howling wolf. I could not make that up if I wanted to.
I usually end up deciding on a person at a convention that I think has the best costume and although I didn't see him at first, and didn't get a really good look until I got a chance to go back through all the photos, this fellow looked PHENOMENAL as Sweeney Todd. The little guy was the kid that wanted the Wolverine sketch in his sketchbook. He ended up just being the first of a lot of kids whose books now bear my humble sketches in. I was seriously on cloud nine by this point.

That's not to say that others were slouches in the cosplay dept., because these Steampunk Pirates and the Mandalorians (above left and right) were all top notch. I hope I get a chance to see these guys again at ConQuest.
Even my friend Amie (below left with me) was there as a comic character (whose name escapes me at the moment). I seriously think she was photographed more than anyone at the convention. She was a trooper though and was constantly smiling.
The lady with the awesome blue hair and killer goggles was definitely anther favorite of mine. Steam/Diesel punk was definitely coming into it's own and more prevalent, which is really cool. I know a lot of people aren't happy that it seems to be going mainstream, but I don't really mind that much.

As things went on throughout the day, I managed to sell comics and prints pretty consistently, considering that I was a virtual unknown. I told myself I'd remember what the name of the first fellow was that bought Issue 1 and 2 on Saturday morning, (he was the first one to ask me to sign my books, and sir, if you are reading this, e-mail me man, I'd like to thank you for that again. :D) That was seriously a very cool feeling, and meant a lot to me.
I was really surprised to see the large amount of people that came out to see all of us at the convention. It was pretty bad and cold weather, but any of you reading this. I know I speak for all of us when I say thanks for coming out.

On the second day, I saw these two really groovy cosplays. I think many of you know I have a HUGE appreciation for anything that is "Baroness" themed, and this lady had a kick butt outfit.
And although I've not played Assassin's Creed yet, I can tell you that this fellow's costume was pretty dead on. Again if anyone knows the names of these people, please e-mail me and let me know. I'd like to have the names for the gallery I'm still working on.

I also ended up drawing some out-of-my-head-spur-of-the-moment sketches, and doing a trade for a graphic novel (Kevin Wolfe's "Pangaea") which is a hilarious and bizarre story. If you guys see his name, pick up his work, it's damn good.

I think Mr. Green Stuff above pretty much sums up how I much happy-slappy excitement was bursting out of me, even by the end of the show.
I know that I have some things to improve upon and can't wait for the next Planet Comicon. :)
Thanks for reading everyone, and remember I'll be out at FreeCon and ConQuest. More info on that when I get it. - Mario

Planet Comicon 2010	March 25 , 2010

Well it's finally the weekend for Planet Comicon, and I'll be there with a slew of other very talented artisans from the comic industry. Be sure to follow my Twitter feed @theartisanrogue as I'll try to update throughout the day.
I've got a few convention exclusives that aren't available here online, but I'll have them at all the conventions I'll be doing this year.First up I've got the first print in a series that include the above character "Gauge" from the upcoming story serial "Gauge and the Emerald Children". The full set will be available at ConQuest. I'll also have a limited print run of Sega's Bayonetta art that I did. Along with these, I will also have my 2010Pagan Zoetrope mini-sketchbook "Salubrious Sketches" available.

Also, I had some time to help out a local ferret shelter and created a new logo for them! The little guy that modeled for it is my ferret Emilio. They'll be at PetExpo this year here in KC so if you get the chance, please stop by and see what these great people are doing to promote the safety and welfare of ferrets.

I've got more stuff to talk about but I've got a lot to get done and put together before Saturday, and I'm hoping to get the photo galleries up and running very soon. Thanks again for stopping by! - Mario

"Avatar" Review	February 21 , 2010

A lot of times, when a movie reaches the level of hype and expectation that something like Avatar did, I usually have been of the mind to not see it until I can rent it or see it on the small screen. I'm glad I did make the choice to go and see it on a 3D IMAX screen. Not unlike the Van Gogh movie I had sees some months back, there are some things that need to be seen as they were intended, in the theatre.
There are time in the past when I've been taken by the visual wonder of cinematic worlds (Hoth, Rivendell, Wall-E's Earth, the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park...). But Avatar took notes from it's forerunners and presented me with a world so real and aesthetically believable, I actually would not have thought you were crazy if you were to tell me that these 9 to 12 foot tall blue skinned people were real.

The sheer level of creativity and imagination that was pooled into Avatar is evident in the talent that was present throughout the development of the movie. Everyone, it seems, from Stan Winston to Weta, to ILM and Skywalker Sound was involved in bringing it to life.

I can honestly say two things about this movie. For one, the bar for movies has been raised to a dizzying new level that many upcoming movies will be measured against. And second, this is a flick that if you have the chance to see it in theatres, do it. I don't care if you like science fiction/fantasy or not.
Thanks for reading, I'll be back with more info on some new updates for the site, including a release list of artwork and prints I will have for sale beginning around April. - Mario

PZ Issue 2 release and more news!	February 14 , 2010

Issue #2 of Pagan Zoetrope, "Beautiful Amnesia" will be available soon! With all new art expanding the online version of the story and some cool extra, it'll be for sale at the normal price of $3! I'll have information up on whether or not I'll have issues at Planet Comicon this year as soon as I find out myself.
In other exciting bits, I spent some time at the KC World of Wheels and got my picture taken with Doc Hudson (R.I.P. Mr. Paul Newman, Cars 2 will not be the same without your voice), and got tons of pictures of a whole lot of other incredible hot rods and cars. I'll be getting some new image galleries up in the near future to show off some of them.

But singlehandely the COOLEST part of this weekend was getting to meet and talk to "the Fonz", Mr. Henry Winkler!! Man, when I was a kid, I used to put on this Korean Tiger jacket that my father had gotten me and used to emulate the Fonz all the time.
A lot of times, I think that if I ever get the chance to meet anyone that's halfway famous, that somehow, I'll be let down, because so many people nowadays are so superficial and self absorbed. Let me tell you, that if any of you have the chance to talk to Mr. Winkler, you won't be disappointed.

And in the last bit of news for the update today, I present the logo for "Gauge and the Emerald Children", a series of short stories that I've got in the works.


Comic Conventions, the Artisan Rogue Ep. 2	January 27, 2010

If you go and check out the official Planet Comicon site (click on the image above) you can see I, as well as a large spectrum of other talented artists and people will be appearing at the convention.
This will be my first convention appearance of the year, and I'll have issues of Pagan Zoetrope for sale there as well as a few other items that are PZ related. If you're in the area, come out and get your inner geek on at the convention (Lou Ferrigno is going to be there!!) and then hit up the Midland Theatre and see Kevin Smith live!

The second episode of "the Artisan Rogue" series is on hold until I can get some more free time to get some of the editing done. Between working my two jobs and keeping my comic updated online, I've not had the time to get it finished up yet. I'm also busy trying to put a small dedicated studio area together, so unfortunately it may be a while, but don't worry, the series isn't cancelled.
Episode 2 will cover costuming and clothing in art and feature a new bit of art created specifically for that episode. More on that later.
I'll be adding more convention appearances as I get them set up. Thanks for reading and for checking out my site.

Star Wars in Concert, Atomic Veronica	December 16, 2009
Well, the year is finally winding down. I've had a chance to experience and see quite a few cool things that have inspired me, and it's been really fun soaking up all the creative stimulus.
Up first is a design I submitted recently for Ruffian Games. They wanted designs to incorporate into their new and upcoming game, Crackdown 2.

Atomic Veronica is actually a concept I came up with last year. The basic story behind her goes as such: Originally she was a character that could alter elements of her surroundings with her spray paint cans. I had been creating her for a video game concept where the elements she would paint would become interactive and radioactive realities.
All of this came about because she was originally a homeless graffiti artist girl who fell asleep near an old nuclear reactor that had a dangerous radiation leak. But unlike other superheros who live from initial exposure, she died.
BUT, her sentience/spirit was caught and held and then reformed by the radiation. She reformed into a physical being that was able to utilize radioactive paint to change or add to elements of reality. The problem is not unlike the energy she was borne from, all of her creations are unstable and prone to mutation.
The next episode of the Artisan Rogue series is being finished up now. I had been wanting to go to the Star Wars in Concert performance as aside from getting the opportunity to see and hear Mr. Anthony Daniels retell aspects of the Star Wars saga as vignettes of scenes from all six movies played, accompanied by a live orchestra.

I love the droids probably the most of all from the Star Wars movies, so it was an incredible rush to not only witness Anthony Daniels, but also to see his incredible costume. It was a weird, wonderful feeling that was only topped by getting a photo taken with R2-D2 (check out my Facebook page for that particular photo).

I was pleased as well to get to see some of the concept work up close. My only complaint? NOT ENOUGH TIME to view the exhibit. I got a chance to get a lot more photos, but I'll be adding those to a gallery on here at a later date.

So,after all of this, and months of attending shows and events with a heavy costume basis, of course, the artwork to be created out of this next Artisan Rogue episode will be something costume inspired. You'll have to tune in to check it out. I should have it up before the new year.
On a final note, in the first episode on my series, I covered the creation of my take on Bayonetta. I just got a copy of a very limited edition calendar created by Sega and Platinum Studios. To even be involved in this small part with the Bayonetta world, with Sega and Platinum Studios, is a literal dream come true for me.

So with that, expect one more update before the new year, and then I'll have some new information coming on Pagan Zoetrope and some other items I have in the pipeline.
Until next time, thanks for reading! - Mario, the Artisan Rogue

WWI Memorial, Van Gogh, Toy Story 3D	November 27, 2009
More and more, I've been trying to get out and do more things when I can a lot of it for research, (all of it for the fun of it).

The first place that I finally got a chance to to do was Kansas City's WW1 Memorial Museum. So many aspects of this place were incredibly cool. I had been interested in going to it because I had one particular "DieselPunk" project that I've been working on, that I needed some real world historical input on.
The collection harboured within is incredible. I was actually really overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and the number of items in the collection.
I liked the fact that the museum even pulled in other aspects of WW1 inspired elements like the assorted propaganda posters (below), I truly believe that the golden age of Illustration was during this time. I know for certain I'll be going back to get a better look at these.

One bit of artwork they had featured was of particular interest to me. Charles Schultz's myriad strips that featured Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel encountering the WW1 Ace the Red Baron were highlighted throughout the museum. Schultz was a very empowering influence to me, and regardless of how he thought of his own work, I find him to be one of the most prolific and influential cartoonists that of this past century.

Speaking of influential artist and works of art, I also managed to get out to see Toy Story in 3D. WELL worth the money to see it this way. It didn't come off as being offsetting or gimmicky. It did enhance the visuals and showed how the two movies have aged gracefully.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by the intermission and beginning and ending extras that Pixar had worked into the presentation of the two movies. The trivia and conceptual art that was put on screen was really cool, but I remembered a lot of it from the "Toy Story Toy Box DVD set" that I had gotten from a few years ago.

I did like the nod to Bill Waterson that is optioned as choice "d." in the upper screenshot. (Pardon the not too sharp quality of the two images below, I had to take the pictures really fast in a darkened theatre.)

The final film that I got to see before this update (which is not actually true, because I saw "9", and that was just freaking great as well) was a film I saw in conjuction with a gallery showing at Union Station of Andy Warhol's work.
Sidenote: I don't get Warhol's work. I know he is a brilliant artist, responsible for pushing new boundaries and visions of everyday aspects of life, and was a champion of environmental rights, so for all of that, I really do admire what he left the artworld. But I don't UNDERSTAND his work, and like many other things in life, that's okay that I don't get it. :D But man, does it unsettle me. And for that reason, I like Warhol even more.
"Van Gogh: Brush with Genius" is a great film. It's only 40 minutes long, but then again, he only lived to be 37. I was lucky enough to see this on an IMAX screen. Let me tell you, NOTHING compares to seeing his artwork THAT large on a screen. I was literally in awe of the brushstrokes and the magnificent colors that were abound before my eyes.
Like so many other talented individuals who died before they'd had a true run at a long, bountiful and creative life, I wonder what other elements and ideas Van Gogh could have brought to the world of art had he even lived another 20 years.
Well, with that I'll end this update. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend in one way or another. I usually don't believe in the traditional aspects of Thanksgiving, but the ideals I can live with. I'll have another update soon and have a new addition to the Artisan Rogue series of videos soon. I had actually planned on finishing it up this weekend as the weather is fantastic, but my voice is comepletely gone at the moment.
Until next time, take care, and thanks for coming by and checking out my site! - Mario

Bayonetta, AtomeFabrik, the Artisan Rogue	October 25 , 2009
A lot of things have happened since the last time I've updated. First up is a bit of logo work that I did for Pepper's Apothecary.

You can see the original version that I had done in my gallery. This one was in an effort to rebrand the company and have the owner done up as a mad scientist sort of character. This is my favorite character logo design that I've done to date. You can check out the website on Etsy here: Pepper's Apothecary, and purchase some really cool handmade items!
As some of you may know, I am a HUGE fan of the game company Sega. As a kid, while other kids had their NES systems, I had a Sega Master System and a copy of Lord of the Sword, and from that point on, I began collecting and reading up on everything Sega. I happened to come across a contest that was being put on by Wizard in cooperation with Sega to celebrate the introduction of the newest original character in the Sega character stable, Bayonetta. The competition was calling for artists to submit a re-envisioned take on this supernatural gun toting heroine. So, I submitted the artwork below (a full view version will be up in the gallery at a later date.)

About the same time I began working on this, I had recieved a phenomenal work of art from a buddy of mine in England who runs a business that focuses on extremely tough and well made hand machined goggles. His name is Nicolas, and his site is www.AtomeFabrik.com. As it turns out, the design that he and I had talked about became the origin of the idea for creating a "Steampunk Bayonetta". Which on a side point brought about the creation of a new YouTube based series on art creation that is now under the signature brand of "the Artisan Rogue" (The Twitter feed you can follow is @theartisanrogue). You can see me wearing the goggles that Nicolas created, in the video as I talk some about the work that I had put into the Bayonetta work.
Put the youtube video here.
And what do you know? I ended up placing in the top 10! I have to commend the other artists that I ended up competing against as there was an insane amount of talent to go up against.

In other news, I've been busy working on a website for Christian Ristow, and hopefully we'll have that up and running soon so I can show you guys the incredible talent that Christian is in the field of robotic art. In fact, after you've finished looking at my video above, search YouTube and pull up the "Hand of Man" and prepare to be amazed. :D It's like a Nintendo Power Glove from hell, and oh so damn cool.
I'll be posting up some information soon about my convention schedule for this next year as soon as some details are finalized and I can figure out where and what I am able to attend to push Pagan Zoetrope. Look for my next update for more information on this.
Have a fun and sage Halloween, I'll be trying to take pictures of some of the cool costumes I hope to see and maybe post a few of them up on here. Thanks for reading! -Mario

Muses and Creativity are everywhere...	August 23rd , 2009
If you feel so inclined, feel free to add me on Twitter, and listen to my insane babble about where I am and what I may be doing. It's the official Pagan Zoetrope Twitter! You never know where I'll be.

Well first I think I'll show off the last full illustration I did. It was for a competition to aquire a Dragontooth Ocarina, through Songbird Ocarinas. They have some beautiful instruments on there, and although I didn't win, I think I ended up with a decent spot illustration based off of the general story of St. George (which as I understand it, is a mish-mash of English and French tales, not unlike the stories of King Arthur).
I think the best aspect of it was the way the dragon managed to come out. I had wanted more action emphasised in it, but ultimately I became locked in by the "Yin & Yang" symbolism I was also trying to pull off in it. Clearly I wanted the Ocarina to be the emphasis, so I wanted a layout that was biomorphic and organic in flow.
On a totally separate note, but still on the subject of art and influences, I usually am bored with urban sprawl and find most all buildings to be boring as drywall. I work part-time down in the Power & Light District, and only recently managed to get a photo of my favorite building in the downtown area. The library. As you can see from the scale, the wall facade is HUGE! You don't often find things like this in the midwest, but I had to talk about this on here, because to see literary classics like these presented as they should be, larger than life, warms the bookworm heart in me.

And speaking of influences and fun ones at that, my brother had managed to score some tickets to the International JoeCon here in KC. My recent appreciation and and growing love of the genres of diesel and steampunk (based off of me re-reading some Vernes and watching some early turn of the century films as of late featuring Buster Keaton), resulted in me wanting to find a way to purloin this beautiful bit of prop and bathe in it's radiant awesomeness.
There were actually a lot of very cool things here that helped me recharge my creative mindset, and left me wanting for the good old days of my childhood when my biggest stress was getting the next Joe action figure.

Finally, this feeling became so overpowering, I felt compelled to pose against an action figure card display and immerse myself in to geekdom and become one with the kung-fu grip. Mind you, this is not hard to do in a room with almost 800 other Joe fans.

And while on the subject of geekiness, my brain's internal hard drive practically suffered a reboot when I attended the veritable wonder displaying at Union Station. Much to my chagrin, I was not allowed to take photos, or I would still be sitting in there, snapping away and annoying my followers on Twitter with link after link of closeups of sword hilts, miniature models, props, and costumes.

The overall presentation of it was damn good. Usually when I've gone to some exhibits at Union Station, they fall a little flat, moreso because of the presentation. This was staged to give you the feel you were entering the tales' environments and seeing actual movie props and real belongings of C.S. Lewis in just the first entry room certainly got my blood pumping.
When you entered the second room, it was made up to look like an attic, with a wardrobe in it. After hearing a small narrative, the doors opened on their own and you got a chance to walk through the wardrobe into the main display hall FILLED with the actual armour made by Weta, the incredible costumes (the gown of the Ice Queen was a standout here), and many more elements.
Throughout the walk of the exhibit, I could hear the voice of the director in various video clips, telling the story of the creation of the two motion pictures. Towards the end, there was a phenomenal display of the arms and armour used in both movies. To see how the stunt armour was crafted, it can certainly fool the untrained eye even up close, but I was surprised just how well the armourers and weaponsmiths at Weta managed to evoke the heft, look and feel of aged weapons in so many pieces.
I mean in all honesty, the ONE just mindblowing movie prop in there was the full wearable costume of a Minotaur from Prince Caspian. Although enclosed in glass, the detail and feel of it was as if you were looking at a bit of taxidermy. It was THAT odd of a feeling. Whether that just further shows the brilliance of the artisans' involved to mimic a fantasy world and bring it to life in such profound ways, or something more primal and enduring in our own imaginations, is up for each of us to decide. But
I can tell you I left there actually a bit saddened. As if, for just a while, I'd managed to be in Lewis' mind and saw what HE saw in the wardrobe...

Meeting Kurt Angle.	June 18, 2009
Off all the times I could have worn my Pagan Zoetrope shirt and gotten some exposure on TNA. They were filming bits for the next show! The shot below of me, Kurt and my brother Marco was taken at the show in St. Joseph after the event was over. Kurt is such a nice guy and a consumate professional. It was really an honor to meet him.
Although I don't watch wrestling on tv much, I do get a kick out of any live performances I am ever around.

I've got more strips up for Pagan Zoetrope on the Drunk Duck site, so please check them out. I've gotten back to updating at least a few a week. Which also means Issue #2 is more than halfway complete and will hopefully be available for sale before the end of August.
Until next time, enjoy the summer weather and read some comics!

Current happenings.	April 22, 2009
Issue #1 of my comic book Pagan Zoetrope is available for sale at www.paganzoetrope.com with a few other new items to show your love and support for PZ!
What have I been up to you all may wonder since it's almost been a year between updates? Dredging my way through the quagmire that is the freelance world of art and occasionally hanging out with stormtroopers. "D

I had most recently a phenomenally fun stint with Hallmark here in KC. I got a chance to work with the Digital Work Team, (a great bunch of people) and had the opportunity to learn some really cool things about the inner processes and procedures on card creation. The environment of Hallmark is one of the best I have ever worked in. Creative, dynamic and at the same time, so close knit and freindly.
And if you find yourself wondering "Gosh, I'd like to see some of Mario's illustration work first hand as a finished product..." Well, YOU CAN! The wonderful pet supply company UPCO has my artwork featured in it's latest catalog (cover AND inside illustrations), and you want to know the best part? The catalog is FREE!!! Just go to www.upco.com and request one! Hurry and do so before they run out! Hell, if you get the catalog in the mail and send me a photo of you holding it, I'll post it up on here! Now how's THAT for getting some internet fame?
So with this update, I'll bid you all adieu until I find something else positively stirring to talk about!

Launching of the site.	June 20, 2008
New logos have been added to the gallery section, including one for USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Yasmine Galenorn. I feel very lucky to have been asked to create a logo for her "NightStalkers Fan Club". A very talented writer, Yasmine is also a phenomenal and interesting person to have gotten to know. Please be sure to check out her site or pick up on of her books. You won't regret it. :)
Some of you may have come here looking for the webcomic I do, Pagan Zoetrope. It's not featured here, instead you can find it on it's own site in the near future. In the mean time, you can check out Pagan Zoetrope online at www.DrunkDuck.com. I am getting closer to having Issue 1 being printed up and available for sale. More information on this very soon.
If you've got a myspace page, feel free to add Pagan Zoetrope's official page. Now with Spanish and Italian updates! :D
Pricing information and art for sale will be available as soon as I can get it online. But please feel free to get ahold of me if you have any inquiries or requests.
Feel free to get in contact with me for any and all of your design needs at mario@mariomora.net. Click on the "Body" link above to see more information on my design rates. Illustration pricing is handled differently, and I will have those rates up soon as well. Thank you for visiting!


Welcome! My name is Mario Mora and I'm an Illustrator/Designer based out of Kansas City.