Heath McPherson

Going to war ....with the melting pot hot.

2011-08-08T15:43:00.004-05:00

This is a short animation intro I did for a football highlight reel.
Here's a link to the animation.

Atomic Island!

2011-07-20T15:13:00.003-05:00

A Grievous Error

2011-03-30T16:47:00.006-05:00

...because nobody messes with Jedi Drake.

This is a picture for my friend Drake who will be turning 6 next month. Drake is also an artist and enjoys to hum Star Wars themes as he sketches battle scenes.

IF: swarm

2011-03-03T10:45:00.001-06:00

Folk Town

2011-02-24T23:32:00.000-06:00

Little Hemingway

2011-02-21T20:28:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day Black OPS

2011-02-14T15:10:00.001-06:00

Recovering Victoria's Fowl

2011-02-05T09:27:00.003-06:00

Sea Belle Nobility

2011-01-26T02:19:00.003-06:00

Concept idea for a book.

Middle School Drama

2011-01-20T11:34:00.008-06:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-22T14:43:00.000-06:00

Transcendent Glory

2010-11-16T22:13:00.001-06:00

Whooo wants to read?

2010-10-08T16:21:00.003-05:00

11x14 Acrylic I painted this for Caden's room. Hopefully it will encourage bedtime stories.

Down by the River

2010-07-20T09:51:00.002-05:00

This is another piece I did for the baby's room. I'm inspired by the music of John Hartford
Thanks, Grandaddy.

Biblical Artwork

2010-07-15T12:05:00.004-05:00

Here's some biblical artwork I've done recently. Inspired by TK.

The Improvisational Pirate

2010-06-22T09:19:00.005-05:00

5"x7" Acrylic
A series of paintings I'm doing for the baby's room.

A Banjo Visit

2010-04-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

Fighting off Assyrians

2010-04-28T12:12:00.001-05:00

Spring Training

2010-04-08T00:20:00.001-05:00

Fall in Winter

2010-01-11T13:53:00.002-06:00

First post of 2010 of a fall scene in the middle of January.

Steampunk Abe Lincoln

2009-10-17T15:25:00.003-05:00

I know, it's been awhile.

Here's a rendering from a sketch I did for one of my students in animation class. The character design idea was from my talented pal, Jon Hooks.

Da Boyz

2008-10-02T18:48:00.003-05:00

Here's a picture I did for my friends down the street -Andrew, Lee, and Isaac. At least once a week we play football, battle in Mario Cart Double Dash, or trap critters in the woods. They are a great source of inspiration for illustrations.

Guitar Hero: Nightmare Before Christmas Edition

2008-05-31T20:23:00.006-05:00

Is it Halloween already? I'm totally out of season! This is an image I did for my friend Loki. I hope you enjoy it, bro!

Nothing like a banjo tune after a long days work.

2008-02-29T15:05:00.001-06:00

First post of 2008!!!

2008-02-02T20:18:00.000-06:00

Cereal Killers: Buffalo Chips

2007-08-06T17:56:00.000-05:00

Here's a piece I just finished up for Von Kreep's Cereal Killer's book. Check out the other groovy ghouls at the Cereal Killers Blog!

Timmy and Tammy's Train of Thought

2007-06-17T21:21:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! I just finish illustrating my first children's book called Timmy and Tammy's Train of Thought written by Oliver Chin. Thanks again for everybody that posted helpful comments on my work-in-progress images months ago -the critiques have been so helpful. This has been a lot of fun for me to work on. If you want to read the story and see more you can order it here.

Finally, some Southern Folks...

2007-05-14T20:35:00.000-05:00

Weder Maker 5x7 Acrylic
The Coyote Caller 5x7 Acrylic
Clifton Clawhammer 5x7 Acrylic Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

This should make more sense of why I changed the name of my blog to 'Southern Folks'. Over the years of gallivanting the countryside and mingling with older folks has inspired me to work on illustrations that celebrate the simple things of life in the South. The idea is to paint different people and places every month that reflect southern folk life from years ago. To me it's these things in life: family, community, and southern hospitality, that makes the South the best place to live. Hopefully my illustrations will reflect that spirit.

Recapturing Grandfather Mountain

2007-05-01T01:35:00.000-05:00

Edgar and Ellen

2007-04-11T09:39:00.000-05:00

My New Friend Simon

2007-03-27T01:10:00.001-05:00

Last month I met an amazing new artist named Simon. He's 11 and can already draw like nobody's business! Look at that composition and caricature! The boy's a genius. We decided to draw each others favorite character from The Wizard of Oz.

Kitty Kitty Wuwoo

2007-03-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a random illustration. Yes, my work is influenced by The Provensens and the other children's books from the '50/'60's.

William Wilberforce

2007-02-23T15:48:00.000-06:00

Anti Slavery Pioneer William Wilberforce

Few men have changed history as profoundly as the English parliamentarian William Wilberforce. Beginning in 1791, and moved by his conversion to Christ, he began the crusade to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain. It was a crusade that would try his soul and cost him his health for the next twenty years. His fiercely unpopular crusade against the slave trade consumed his health and cost him politically—but he could not stand idly by and see the imago Dei, the image of God, enslaved and abused in the holds of ships. He endured verbal assaults and was even challenged to a duel by an angry slave-ship captain. At the center of this heroic life was a passionate twenty-year fight to abolish the British slave trade, a battle Wilberforce won in 1807, as well as efforts to abolish slavery itself in the British colonies, a victory achieved just three days before his death in 1833.

Check out the movie Amazing Grace, which tells the first half of Wilberforce's life and struggle. It is incredibly well done and the tale should be heard by everyone.

Johnny Jet-Pac!

2007-02-09T10:16:00.000-06:00

Raise a Ruckus!

2007-01-08T16:41:00.000-06:00

Dixie Dash!

2006-12-26T10:34:00.000-06:00

Here's a piece I did for my friends down the street for Christmas. After looking at Miah Alcorn's Double Dash illo for two months (update your blog!) I decided to go out and buy a used Gamecube, just to revisit my glory days playing Mario Kart on SNES. Little did I know that kids would be coming out of the wood works to challenge my skills. The backyardigans, grades 3, 8, and 9, showed their strength but were no match! On the tracks I made them look like a buncha gulls. (inside joke) But the 3rd grader was so good I had to make him my official tailgunner.

New Look for '07!

My friend Chris Garrison asked me one time what I liked to draw the most. It kind of took me back for a second. "I liked to draw a lot of different things," I told him. "Wolverine, maybe?" But over the years I've found a great interest in drawing people, places, and events around here in the South. From Cajun folks in Louisiana to the Gathering O' Scottish Clans on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, people I know personally as well, people I've read about from the past, the South is full of inspiration for me!

One note: My beliefs and depictions of people (hillbilly hoedowns, for example) don't necessarily represent everyone that lives here in these southern states. There will be a southern theme in future posts, but don't think everyone down here is a mudriding, NASCAR luvin' redneck just because I find it fun to draw a lot of 'em. Also, I'll still be posting little odds and end illustrations from time to time.

Happy New Years!

Give someone a goat this Christmas......seriously.

2006-12-05T00:47:00.000-06:00

Give a life changing gift to a family in need this Christmas!

Last year my wife and I decided to find an organization and donate to families in need. I remember listening to The World Vision Report, a weekend newsmagazine and radio show capturing the human drama behind global issues and events affecting the world's poorest children and families. After researching their credentials on give.org we couldn't think of a better organization.

Since then I've been listening off and on to the World Vision Report weekly program. I always enjoy learning about people and their cultures in other parts of the world. After hearing these reports and stories told by the people themselves I'm always left with my heart broken. Hearing about their conditions always reminds me to look outside myself and to find ways to help others.

This year we decided to donate a goat, one of the milk producers- "the big three" being goats, cows, and sheep. Surprisingly, one goat can change the lives of three families! Children's health will be supported by the increased protein in their diets. And families will be able to improve their living conditions by selling the animals' offspring, as well as surplus dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.

The thing about World Vision is that 96 percent of their field staff works and lives with these people in poverish regions, so they have an unrivaled understanding of how to best serve children and families in their area. Check out their catalog for other needs and ways to give a life changing gift this Christmas!

worldvision.org

Listen to the weekly World Vision Report here.

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Day....RUMBLE!

2006-11-23T09:57:00.000-06:00

386th Annual Thanksgiving Day RUMBLE! Who will be the victor this year??
If anybody is interested in reading a children's book to celebrate this time of year I found good a one! Squanto And The Miracle Of Thanksgiving This entertaining and historical story shows that the actual hero of the Thanksgiving was neither white nor Indian, but God. In 1608, English traders came to Massachusetts and captured a 12-year old Indian, Squanto, and sold him into slavery. He was raised by a Spanish monk who shared with him the Christian faith. Ten years later he was sent home to America. Upon arrival, he learned an epidemic had wiped out his entire village. But God had plans for Squanto. God delivered a Thanksgiving miracle: an English-speaking Indian living in the exact place where the Pilgrims land in a strange new world. Pretty cool, eh?

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Alcorn's Chicken Feed

2006-11-08T20:26:00.000-06:00

Why use a fake name in your stories when you can use a real one? This is a printscreen from the childrens book I'm finishing up on. Miah Alcorn and I often use each others names for restaurants and stores. In Miah's world, "McDonald's" is often called "McPherson's". This time I decided Mr. Alcorn would own a feed store. I hope you like chickens Miah!

Happy Halloween or....

2006-10-30T19:17:00.000-06:00

On October 31,1517, Martin Luther posted a proposal on the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the doctrine and practice of indulgences. This act started a great reformation in the church to get back to Biblical doctrines. One of which was the doctrine of justification by faith-the teaching that Christ's own righteousness is imputed to those who believe, and on that ground alone, they are accepted by God.

This is just a fun fact piece I wanted to do with a young Luther. It also gave me a chance to draw Lock, Shock, and Barrel from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Which is one of my favorite movies of all time!

When are we going to see Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Thankgiving?? Nightmare Before Valentine's Day....Nightmare Before Winter Solstice?? Please make another one Mr. Burton!!!

Enjoy Autumn!

2006-10-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Another B'day Card

2006-10-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

Riding the mighty Locust Fork

2006-09-05T19:53:00.000-05:00

Here's another screen print from the children book I’m working on. One page needed a train going over a river, so I thought I'd make a little cameo appearance with some of my pals. (I'm the one with the red fro) One of the best rivers in Alabama for whitewater rafting is the Locust Fork River. Folks come from all over the south to float these cool waters and enjoy the majestic scenery. When I’m not at my computer working I’m usually trying to find somebody to go down it with me. Hopefully when I get more time I can illustrate all my little crazy adventures.

Children's book cover Part 2

2006-08-23T21:02:00.000-05:00

Above is the latest work-in-prog of the cover. I've already made some changes with help from other artists comments. Thanks guys!!

Older idea

Right now I'm not too happy with the work I've done on these two cover comps. So I wanted to post these up if anybody out there wanted to give some honest feedback on how to make this idea better. Any suggestions? I enjoy good hard critiques so I'm very open to hear any feedback about what I can change. Hey! give me a better idea for this and I'll let you name our firstborn....uh, well, maybe I won't go that far.

The more I think about it, I hope we (as artists) can start using blogger for critiquing and less for ego boosting. It's sometimes painful for folks you don't really know to rip on your little masterpiece, but learning what you're doing wrong is a great way to improve your skills. So lemme have it! No pats on the back!!

This book is a product of Immedium. Written by master storyteller, Oliver Chin.

I've been DRAWN!

2006-08-16T13:27:00.000-05:00

My work was just posted on THE biggest drawing blog on the face of the planet!! DRAWN! Just seeing my work appear on a website that thousands of artists visit everyday for inspiration is a very humbling experience for me. (but not humbling enough to not tell you about! haha!) Drawn! was just recently named one of the "50 Coolest Websites of 2006" by TIME Magazine. So congrats and thanks again to the contributors for generating such a great source of inspiration on the web!

Article

Also, special thanks to Jared Chapman for the undeserved attention. If you haven't already check out Jared's little crockpot and prepare to link his site to yours!

Children's book coming around the bend!

2006-07-28T13:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Ma Sista!!

2006-07-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

People who own photoshop should never buy birthday cards again. Happy Birthday Mernge!

The Ghosts of Fire

2006-06-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. I just wanted to announce a new project that I’ve been working on with some of my seminary friends. Right now I’m still developing the look and design of the piece in between my freelance work. It’s very different from the style I work in everyday, so it’s a great way to grow and add to my quiver of tricks artistically.

As you click around the www.grimthorn.com website you will see that I do have a Christian worldview. I believe it makes the most sense of our existence on earth and believe its truth claims can be shown to be accurate given an honest examination into the evidence.

One of my goals in this blog/story, is to represent traditional Christianity as biblically as possible in the perspective of a foul demon leader bent on destroying human souls. As we proceed in developing this story I will be posting what we discover about Lord Grimthorn and his special forces group The Ghosts of Fire. Posts may include battle scenes, demonic weaponry, and the latest agents added to the team. Enter with caution and enjoy

Kids of Summer

2006-05-31T11:56:00.000-05:00

Here's some rough concept pieces for a toy company I'm working for. Hopefully one of these bad boyz will get picked up so I can set my render engine a' go.

Goodbye, little guy.

2006-05-16T23:50:00.000-05:00

Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves

When I married my love last February I knew I was also going to be adopting a little fuzz head.

Little did I know I would enjoy him so much.

Romeo became my humble assistant and cuddled near the heat from my computer everyday as I worked.

For fun we'd take a break and play sock war! (which he'd have to win)

We'd also go outside for some fresh air and mark the flowers by the porch.

Unfortunately, last week Romeo was killed by a stray bulldog. A dog we have been around before but never knew he'd do such a thing. After the attack there was nothing we could do for him as he had lost too much blood and the wounds were deep. The worst thing was, as the 70 lb. bulldog violently slung around the 5 lb. yorkie my wife and next door neighbor were right there to see the whole thing! It was rough seeing my wife hold the little companion she's had since high school slowly die in her arms. (drama not intended)

So it's been tough for us but I know that God uses events like this to reshape and reprioritize our lives. By this event I'm again reminded of how short life actually is and the reminder that death, even the death of little dogs, is inevitable.

The question we should all ask is, Where are we going after we die?
If you haven't given it much thought please click here.

*******
Sure am gonna miss you little guy.

Back to the Kids

2006-05-10T21:47:00.000-05:00

LG's newly assigned subordinates

2006-04-28T14:31:00.000-05:00

Character designs for comic and website. Ahhhh, a break from the kiddy stuff.

BG concept work for film

2006-04-26T00:39:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick color bg concept piece I did for my animation director friend Joel Trussell.

Kids on the move!

2006-04-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

Air Pilot M2

2006-04-05T11:07:00.000-05:00

From the creators of Road Blocked! comes the second mission of the Air Pilot saga. Air Pilot M2! Now with deleted scenes!

My cousin Hunter and I enjoy making these silly little films. His imagination doesn't stop so there's always a story he wants us to make. Hearing all the great ideas Hunter has helps me remember what is was like to be his age and also gives me a burst of ideas for illustration assignments. I'm also always trying to learn new programs, so here's another crack at adobe premiere.

Children's Book concept work.

2006-03-29T08:25:00.000-06:00

Visiting Funnypages Productions

2006-03-24T12:58:00.000-06:00

I just recently got a chance to meet up with two Disney legends Tom Bancroft and Rob Corley now residing in the Franklin,Tn area. Getting to visit their studio and see this team in action was very inspirational! Their drawing skills, story sense, and work ethic make them a dynamic team. I wasn't allowed to snap any pics of what they're currently working because of nda's, but I can say these guys work on some BIG projects!

If you not already bookmarked their blogs go to http://www.robsquirrely.blogspot.com/ and http://www.tombancroft.blogspot.com/

Keep up the awesome work guys!

Autumncountry Remix

2006-03-20T12:55:00.000-06:00

Here's an old illustration I did awhile back. I played around with it again applying some new techniques in photoshop. I'm a crazy banjo loving Bela Fleck fan, so that's the reason for why I draw so many characters jamming on banjos. I'm actually going to see Bela Fleck later this month!

Enter.....The Thornbird

2006-03-03T10:04:00.001-06:00

Lord Grimthorn's most strategic agent has won the honors of yet another Tempter of the Month Award for excellence in battle.

Riding the rails!

2006-02-25T15:23:00.000-06:00

Gettin' Hitched

2006-02-03T01:51:00.000-06:00

I'm getting married this month to the love of my life on February the 18th. Here's a soon to be 'Thank You' image I've made.

By the way, the husky is my dog his name is Kojack and the yorkie is Tiffany's. His name is Romeo also known as 'ShaMomo-Man' my new studio assistant.

Garrison's Junk

2006-01-31T19:20:00.000-06:00

Check out my animator/film maker friend Chris Garrison’s blog. His approach and concepts are very inspiring! Garrison's Junk

Researching Them

2006-01-20T09:47:00.000-06:00

Grim's nasty little minions work day and night researching the depravity of the Enemy's creatures.

Cedric Hohnstadt's Blog

2006-01-17T01:07:00.002-06:00

Check out my friend Cedric Hohnstadt's work. His stuff is gggreat!! This tract is from Cedric's blog

Images From Below

2006-01-12T01:48:00.002-06:00

Lord Grimthorn discusses The Enemies forgotten attribute....His absolute HOLINESS. Commentary taken from the forbidden book of Romans chapter 3 verse 23.

Kids and Chores

2006-01-11T19:48:00.000-06:00

O.P.'s new hat.

2006-01-10T01:41:00.000-06:00

Bloodbath of concept work.

2006-01-05T00:25:00.000-06:00

Division 112's Lord Grimthorn

2005-12-22T16:58:00.000-06:00

More concept work on a very evil and insanely wicked project.

Aslan = Jesus

2005-12-20T02:40:00.000-06:00

After being an atheist most of his life, C.S. Lewis in 1931 became a follower of Christ. In his mission for the renewal of Christian thought and creative expression throughout the world of learning this Oxford professor had a unique way of helping people understand the life and work of Christ through the Chronicles of Narnia.

In a world.....where basketballs are purple.

2005-12-09T16:50:00.000-06:00

Hiking Kid

2005-12-06T12:53:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-01T22:16:00.000-06:00

Mascot design sketches

2005-12-01T22:10:00.000-06:00

EvilBay Purchases

2005-11-20T00:16:00.000-06:00

Grim shows off his power braking skills wearing his civil war ebay purchase.

Take this Hunter!!

2005-11-03T00:05:00.000-06:00

Mayflower

2005-11-02T23:37:00.000-06:00

pioneer image!

2005-10-15T22:41:00.000-05:00