This is my first piece created for 2007, thought I would do something a little different as far as subject material goes, in this case something a little simian.

"Ape-Man and Monkey boy" were created by Larry and Tim Williams and artist Matt Smith. The Banana eating duo first appeared as a backup story in "BUBBA the Redneck Werewolf" super sci-fi special #1 which was distributed by Silent Devil Productions in February of 2006.

The Gorillas name is Clarence and his feisty Chimpanzee co-hort is Bobo. Together, with the aid of "S.A.L.L.Y"(sentient artificial life form) the super computer, they fight against unique and unusual criminals and defend not only their fellow animals but also, reluctantly, Human Beings as well. Their base of operations is the "Monkey house" at the San Diablo Zoo. Think "Batman & Robin" meets "Planet of the Apes".

The characters and style of the art in the book is more of an animated style which reflects the original art of Matt Smith. I chose to render them in a more detailed, realistic way as this is more my signature style. I did this on the fly, something of an impulse and didn't really plan it out as much with the exception of a few loose sketches of the apes faces. It had been a while since I attempted to draw apes of any kind, so I thought this would provide me with the perfect opportunity to do so. I used a circular motif, similar to my "Cave Girl" piece that I did some years ago to illustrate the framework of this picture.

Doing the details of the fur and the vine work took some time, and yes, that is "Monkey poo" that the Chimp is flinging at you. You might even spot a discarded Banana or two in the background as well. I wanted to add a tire, a popular toy for apes in many zoos, but decided against it, thinking the picture was busy enough as it was.

Sometimes I'll struggle with a particular subject, sometimes for weeks in order to get it to meet my satisfaction, but with this piece, it came out surprisingly quick and I was quite happy with the end result.