The Society of Killustrators
Jun 18
NO. 25 | Killustrations
Emma Trithart
The Bubble Process
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Status: Complete
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Meet Eric, 22… MERMAN
Category: Editorial Illustration -type optional
Deadline: June 14, 2013
Specs: 650 X 975px @ 72dpi - JPG
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Meet Eric, 22, who lives life as a MERMAN swimming underwater in Florida’s springs wearing a latex tail - despite wide-eyed stares from the local fishermen
When Eric Ducharme slips into his handmade fin to explore the crystal clear waters of Florida’s natural springs as a merman, he says he’s mentally transported as well.
So is the unique, eye-catching life of this Florida man who says he eats, sleeps and breathes mermaids while physically looking and acting like one as often as time allows.
‘It’s a lifestyle. It’s a path in life that I have chosen,’ says the 22-year-old from Crystal River who’s one of the latest characters to appear on TLC’s My Crazy Obsession.
Three times a week Ducharme drives more than an hour and a half to swim in one of his shimmering handmade suits at a natural spring.
‘I came out here looking for some alligators and saw a tail that I’ve never seen before in a river,’ a confused man sitting on the banks confesses on camera.
‘Being under water I feel, I’m just totally away from the world,’ he explains while able to hold his breath for up to four minutes at a time.
Though as bizarre of a ‘lifestyle’ activity as it is, it’s one his family and even boyfriend have accepted - it not without initial astonishment.
‘When I first met Eric, I was introduced to the subject of mermaids, on our first date,’ Ducharme’s boyfriend Matthew Quijano opens up on camera. ‘Your jaw just kind of drops and you’re just like, “wow.”
‘When we go swimming I don’t even see him because he swims off to his own little corner, it’s all about getting away from the rest of the world,’ he says.
‘Eric is obsessed with mermaids,’ his mother Candy Ducharme shares on the program. ‘We have our own passions. That’s Eric’s life.’
Since Ducharme was a child he says he’s been fascinated with mermaids.
At the age of 16 he put on his first show while swimming as the mermaid prince in Weeki Wachee Springs Little Mermaid show in 2006.
But even before that he says he was hand making his own tails from everything from garbage bags to fabrics before eventually becoming good enough to sell and donate them to the park at the age of 13.
‘It’s taking me a really long time to kind of understand my place in life,’ Ducharme says of his self-admitted obsession.
Today he has transformed his beloved hobby into a business, using silicone, urethanes, and latex rubbers to create shimmering wet suits featuring life-like colors and textures of scales and flowing fins.
‘I have tails that are as real as fish you just caught on your boat, which are available to every aspiring mermaid and merman who dreams of life in the sea,’ Ducharme’s website, The Mertailor, reads.
No matter how you see it, he describes the tails as ‘a fun and exciting physical activity.’
‘Sometimes we have to ask people what’s with the scolding looks because they’re just like, why is there a guy in a tail? It’s supposed to be a girl,’ Quijano says before a shrug. ‘Haters gonna hate.’
Ducharme appears in season two of My Crazy Obsession but not without some rivaling competition of self-admitted obsessions.
Others on the program with him include a woman who’s so obsessed with rats she treats them like children.
‘When you find your purpose in life you know it and that was what happened to me when I saw that first rat,’ says Chantal Banks on the show.
She says she suffers from G.G.M.R. which stands for: ‘Gotta Get More Rats.’
Another woman, known as ‘Raggedy Robyn,’ is so obsessed with the Raggedy Ann doll that she insists upon dressing like the yarn-headed doll that features a red nose and bonnet.
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SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2303161/Eric-Ducharme-Meet-man-lives-life-merman-Floridas-natural-springs.html
May 14
No. 25 | Assignment
Meet Eric, 22… MERMAN
Category: Editorial Illustration -type optional
Deadline: June 14, 2013
Specs: 650 X 975px @ 72dpi - JPG
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Meet Eric, 22, who lives life as a MERMAN swimming underwater in Florida’s springs wearing a latex tail - despite wide-eyed stares from the local fishermen
When Eric Ducharme slips into his handmade fin to explore the crystal clear waters of Florida’s natural springs as a merman, he says he’s mentally transported as well.
So is the unique, eye-catching life of this Florida man who says he eats, sleeps and breathes mermaids while physically looking and acting like one as often as time allows.
‘It’s a lifestyle. It’s a path in life that I have chosen,’ says the 22-year-old from Crystal River who’s one of the latest characters to appear on TLC’s My Crazy Obsession.
Three times a week Ducharme drives more than an hour and a half to swim in one of his shimmering handmade suits at a natural spring.
‘I came out here looking for some alligators and saw a tail that I’ve never seen before in a river,’ a confused man sitting on the banks confesses on camera.
‘Being under water I feel, I’m just totally away from the world,’ he explains while able to hold his breath for up to four minutes at a time.
Though as bizarre of a ‘lifestyle’ activity as it is, it’s one his family and even boyfriend have accepted - it not without initial astonishment.
‘When I first met Eric, I was introduced to the subject of mermaids, on our first date,’ Ducharme’s boyfriend Matthew Quijano opens up on camera. ‘Your jaw just kind of drops and you’re just like, “wow.”
‘When we go swimming I don’t even see him because he swims off to his own little corner, it’s all about getting away from the rest of the world,’ he says.
‘Eric is obsessed with mermaids,’ his mother Candy Ducharme shares on the program. ‘We have our own passions. That’s Eric’s life.’
Since Ducharme was a child he says he’s been fascinated with mermaids.
At the age of 16 he put on his first show while swimming as the mermaid prince in Weeki Wachee Springs Little Mermaid show in 2006.
But even before that he says he was hand making his own tails from everything from garbage bags to fabrics before eventually becoming good enough to sell and donate them to the park at the age of 13.
‘It’s taking me a really long time to kind of understand my place in life,’ Ducharme says of his self-admitted obsession.
Today he has transformed his beloved hobby into a business, using silicone, urethanes, and latex rubbers to create shimmering wet suits featuring life-like colors and textures of scales and flowing fins.
‘I have tails that are as real as fish you just caught on your boat, which are available to every aspiring mermaid and merman who dreams of life in the sea,’ Ducharme’s website, The Mertailor, reads.
No matter how you see it, he describes the tails as ‘a fun and exciting physical activity.’
‘Sometimes we have to ask people what’s with the scolding looks because they’re just like, why is there a guy in a tail? It’s supposed to be a girl,’ Quijano says before a shrug. ‘Haters gonna hate.’
Ducharme appears in season two of My Crazy Obsession but not without some rivaling competition of self-admitted obsessions.
Others on the program with him include a woman who’s so obsessed with rats she treats them like children.
‘When you find your purpose in life you know it and that was what happened to me when I saw that first rat,’ says Chantal Banks on the show.
She says she suffers from G.G.M.R. which stands for: ‘Gotta Get More Rats.’
Another woman, known as ‘Raggedy Robyn,’ is so obsessed with the Raggedy Ann doll that she insists upon dressing like the yarn-headed doll that features a red nose and bonnet.
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SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2303161/Eric-Ducharme-Meet-man-lives-life-merman-Floridas-natural-springs.html
Apr 15
No. 24 | Killustrations
Martín Azambuja
Dominic Flask
Tess Donohoe
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Status: Complete
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Lions, bears removed from gangster’s property
Category: Editorial Illustration -type optional
Deadline: April 15, 2013
Specs: 650 X 975px @ 72dpi - JPG
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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) – A man known as Nutzu the Pawnbroker has been indicted for leading a fearsome criminal gang, but the public seems to be more interested in his pets: four lions and two bears.
Ion Balint – his real name – had long been known to have an affinity for wild beasts in his home.
“You said I fed men to the lions?” Balint was recorded saying on a videotape as he rode away from prison on a black stallion in 2010. “Why don’t you come over and I’ll give you some lions!”
Authorities won’t confirm that the lions and bears were used to intimidate rivals at his high-walled and heavily guarded estate in the poorest part of Bucharest. The compound also contained less fearsome beasts, including thoroughbred horses and canaries.
Balint, 48, a stocky man with a mustache and a receding hairline, often appears dressed in T-shirts and tracksuits.
The Romanian news media were awash in unconfirmed reports about Balint’s excesses, reporting that he used the lions and bears to intimidate rivals and that his house contained a torture chamber.
His son-in-law, Marius Vlad, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the reports were false.
“Many untruths are being reported,” he said.
Bystanders and relatives who gathered near the gates of the estate described Balint as a good neighbor and an animal lover, and said they weren’t bothered by roaring lions.
“We can hear them every day, but only when they’re hungry or the female is in heat,” said Gabriela Ionescu, 36, clutching her toddler daughter’s hand. “They don’t disturb us at all.”
Authorities allege that Balint and his brother Vasile headed a criminal network which controlled much of the underworld activity in Bucharest, a city of 2 million. Some 400 police and detectives were involved in the investigation which led to the arrest last week of 67 suspects, including the Balint brothers.
In 2009, Balint was convicted of human trafficking, violence and pimping, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. That was reduced to six years, but Balint was free after a year.
On Wednesday, the four lions and two bears were sedated, put in cages and removed by environmental authorities and the Vier Pfoten animal welfare charity. The animals, which generally appeared in good condition, will be temporarily housed in a zoo and may eventually be relocated in South Africa, animal welfare officers said.
Mircea Pupaza, commissioner of the National Environment Guard, told The Associated Press that Balint had no documentation or health records for the animals, which he’s kept illegally for 10 years. He could face a year in prison and a hefty fine for illegally keeping wild animals.
“The lions are a status symbol for him,” said Livia Cimpoeru, a Vier Pfoten spokeswoman. She declined to speculate whether they had a more sinister purpose.
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Source: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=333&sid=24219088
Mar 15
No. 24 | Assignment
Lions, bears removed from gangster’s property
Category: Editorial Illustration -type optional
Deadline: April 15, 2013
Specs: 650 X 975px @ 72dpi - JPG
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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) – A man known as Nutzu the Pawnbroker has been indicted for leading a fearsome criminal gang, but the public seems to be more interested in his pets: four lions and two bears.
Ion Balint – his real name – had long been known to have an affinity for wild beasts in his home.
“You said I fed men to the lions?” Balint was recorded saying on a videotape as he rode away from prison on a black stallion in 2010. “Why don’t you come over and I’ll give you some lions!”
Authorities won’t confirm that the lions and bears were used to intimidate rivals at his high-walled and heavily guarded estate in the poorest part of Bucharest. The compound also contained less fearsome beasts, including thoroughbred horses and canaries.
Balint, 48, a stocky man with a mustache and a receding hairline, often appears dressed in T-shirts and tracksuits.
The Romanian news media were awash in unconfirmed reports about Balint’s excesses, reporting that he used the lions and bears to intimidate rivals and that his house contained a torture chamber.
His son-in-law, Marius Vlad, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the reports were false.
“Many untruths are being reported,” he said.
Bystanders and relatives who gathered near the gates of the estate described Balint as a good neighbor and an animal lover, and said they weren’t bothered by roaring lions.
“We can hear them every day, but only when they’re hungry or the female is in heat,” said Gabriela Ionescu, 36, clutching her toddler daughter’s hand. “They don’t disturb us at all.”
Authorities allege that Balint and his brother Vasile headed a criminal network which controlled much of the underworld activity in Bucharest, a city of 2 million. Some 400 police and detectives were involved in the investigation which led to the arrest last week of 67 suspects, including the Balint brothers.
In 2009, Balint was convicted of human trafficking, violence and pimping, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. That was reduced to six years, but Balint was free after a year.
On Wednesday, the four lions and two bears were sedated, put in cages and removed by environmental authorities and the Vier Pfoten animal welfare charity. The animals, which generally appeared in good condition, will be temporarily housed in a zoo and may eventually be relocated in South Africa, animal welfare officers said.
Mircea Pupaza, commissioner of the National Environment Guard, told The Associated Press that Balint had no documentation or health records for the animals, which he’s kept illegally for 10 years. He could face a year in prison and a hefty fine for illegally keeping wild animals.
“The lions are a status symbol for him,” said Livia Cimpoeru, a Vier Pfoten spokeswoman. She declined to speculate whether they had a more sinister purpose.
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Source: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=333&sid=24219088
Feb 22
No. 23 | Killustrations
Emily Dove Gross
Andy J. Miller
Niko Adams
Cody Bond
Jeff Szuc
Daniel Kearsey
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Status: Complete
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Category: Editorial Illustration
Deadline: February 22 (12 NOON Sharp, EST)
Specs: 5 X 5 inches (submission = JPG / 800 X 800 @ 72dpi - RGB)
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Chicken wing thiefs caught, wings still missing
(KTNV) — A chicken wing shortage has sent prices soaring in recent weeks.
Two men in Atlanta were apparently looking to have quite the Super Bowl party but didn’t want to pay the price.
They are behind bars this morning after stealing $65,000 in frozen Tyson chicken wings.
Police say that they rented a truck, pulled up to a freezer facility they worked for, and cleaned it out.
They took 10 pallets of frozen wings.
The men were caught but the chicken wings are still missing.
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Source: http://www.ktnv.com/news/watercooler/188825971.html
Feb 01
No. 23 | Assignment
Chicken wing thiefs caught, wings still missing
Category: Editorial Illustration
Deadline: February 22 (12 NOON Sharp, EST)
Specs: 5 X 5 inches (submission = JPG / 800 X 800 @ 72dpi - RGB)
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(KTNV) — A chicken wing shortage has sent prices soaring in recent weeks.
Two men in Atlanta were apparently looking to have quite the Super Bowl party but didn’t want to pay the price.
They are behind bars this morning after stealing $65,000 in frozen Tyson chicken wings.
Police say that they rented a truck, pulled up to a freezer facility they worked for, and cleaned it out.
They took 10 pallets of frozen wings.
The men were caught but the chicken wings are still missing.
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Source: http://www.ktnv.com/news/watercooler/188825971.html
Jan 25
No. 22 | Killustrations
Zack Vabolis
John Gialanella
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Status: Cooked
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Beer Macaroni and Cheese
Category: Packaging Label - Beer Label, Box front (kit?) or both.
Assignment: Illustration
Deadline: January 25, 2013
Specs: longest side = 975px @ 72dpi - JPG
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Ingredients:
1 box pasta (I am partial to bow ties)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
8 ounces milk (I used 4ozmilk and 4oz chicken stock)
8 ounces beer (I’ve used Magic Hat #9 and Yuengling)
8 ounces freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese (or be lazy and use a bag, whatever)
½ cup Parmesan
pinch of black pepper and salt
Scallion and or chopped parsley (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare water for pasta and boil according to directions, cutting 1-2 minutes off of cooking time since pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and add butter. Once melted and sizzling, whisk in flour to create a roux and cook until bubbly and golden in color, about 2 minutes. Add milk and beer into saucepan whisking constantly, then add cheeses and stir until melted. Turn heat down to medium and continue to stir, cooking for 5-6 minutes while mixture thickens. Add chopped scallions to sauce.
Add cooked and drained pasta to a casserole dish and pour cheese over top, mixing gently to combine. Top with a sprinkle of cheese. (I do not believe in bread crumbs) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden on top.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Inhale. With beer.
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Source: http://ibreakplates.com/2012/08/beer-macaroni-and-cheese/
*Notes - yum? Make it and let us know!
Jan 07
No. 22 | Assignment
Beer Macaroni and Cheese
Category: Packaging Label - Beer Label, Box front (kit?) or both.
Assignment: Illustration
Deadline: January 25, 2013
Specs: longest side = 975px @ 72dpi - JPG
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Ingredients:
1 box pasta (I am partial to bow ties)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
8 ounces milk (I used 4ozmilk and 4oz chicken stock)
8 ounces beer (I’ve used Magic Hat #9 and Yuengling)
8 ounces freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese (or be lazy and use a bag, whatever)
½ cup Parmesan
pinch of black pepper and salt
Scallion and or chopped parsley (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare water for pasta and boil according to directions, cutting 1-2 minutes off of cooking time since pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and add butter. Once melted and sizzling, whisk in flour to create a roux and cook until bubbly and golden in color, about 2 minutes. Add milk and beer into saucepan whisking constantly, then add cheeses and stir until melted. Turn heat down to medium and continue to stir, cooking for 5-6 minutes while mixture thickens. Add chopped scallions to sauce.
Add cooked and drained pasta to a casserole dish and pour cheese over top, mixing gently to combine. Top with a sprinkle of cheese. (I do not believe in bread crumbs) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden on top.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Inhale. With beer.
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Source: http://ibreakplates.com/2012/08/beer-macaroni-and-cheese/
*Notes - yum? Make it and let us know!
Nov 16
No. 21 | Killustrations
Jason Yang ( Invisible Element )
Margaret Kimball
Rich Rayburn
Richard Catron / Richard Catron Illustrations
Suzanna Knight
Stewart Scott-Curran / OnlyMoreNeverLess
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Status: Zapped (Complete)
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Benjamin Franklin tried to kill a turkey with a electric spark
Category: Childrens Book Cover -type optional
Assignment: Illustration
Deadline: November 16, 2012
Specs: 650 X 975px @ 72dpi - JPG
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His many experiments are still famous. A person, who even though it might seem funny, tried to kill a turkey with a electric spark.
Benjamin Franklin found out about electricity in 1746. He learned about it from Dr. Spence. Then he got so interested in electricity, he bought and made his own equipment. The summer of that year, Benjamin and some friends to test out some electrical inventions. They wanted to see if they could they could kill a turkey with a spark and roast it with a electric fire. Unfortunately, Ben almost got electrocuted!! The spark “gun” backfired and kept Ben numb all day. That must have been a shocking experience! Ben also proved that lighting and electricity are the same thing. He proved that by attaching a key to a kite and flying it in a storm. The electricity went down the kite and, luckily, did not shock Benjamin.
Now Benjamin is an honored inventor. It is too bad that he is not here today to see the inventions that he helped make possible.
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SOURCE: http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112709/Inventors.html
Oct 24
No. 21 | Assignment
Benjamin Franklin tried to kill a turkey with a electric spark
Category: Childrens Book Cover -type optional
Assignment: Illustration
Deadline: November 16, 2012
Specs: 650 X 975px @ 72dpi - JPG
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His many experiments are still famous. A person, who even though it might seem funny, tried to kill a turkey with a electric spark.
Benjamin Franklin found out about electricity in 1746. He learned about it from Dr. Spence. Then he got so interested in electricity, he bought and made his own equipment. The summer of that year, Benjamin and some friends to test out some electrical inventions. They wanted to see if they could they could kill a turkey with a spark and roast it with a electric fire. Unfortunately, Ben almost got electrocuted!! The spark “gun” backfired and kept Ben numb all day. That must have been a shocking experience! Ben also proved that lighting and electricity are the same thing. He proved that by attaching a key to a kite and flying it in a storm. The electricity went down the kite and, luckily, did not shock Benjamin.
Now Benjamin is an honored inventor. It is too bad that he is not here today to see the inventions that he helped make possible.
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SOURCE: http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112709/Inventors.html
Sep 21
No. 20 | Killustrations
Scott Dubois
Sofie-marie van den Berg
Tommy Perez
Mike Moran
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Status: Complete
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61 Things I Learned At The National Hobo Convention
Category: Editorial Illustration -type optional
Assignment: Illustrate One or more of the 61 things learned.
Deadline: September 21, 2012
Specs: 600 x 800px @ 72dpi - JPG
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Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/things-i-learned-at-the-national-hobo-convention
Aug 31
No. 20 | Assignment
61 Things I Learned At The National Hobo Convention
Category: Editorial Illustration -type optional
Assignment: Illustrate One or more of the 61 things learned.
Deadline: September 21, 2012
Specs: 600 x 800px @ 72dpi - JPG
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Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/things-i-learned-at-the-national-hobo-convention
Aug 10
No. 19 | Killustrations
Ciara Panacchia
Mike Casebolt
Adam Schneider
Adam Grason
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Status: Complete
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Balloon Buddies
Category: Editorial Illustration - Typography (open / optional)
Deadline: August 10, 2012
Specs: 600 x 800px @ 72dpi - JPG
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Laura Buxton released a helium filled balloon during celebrations for her grandparents’ gold wedding anniversary in Blurton, Staffordshire, in June 2001. Attached to the balloon was her name and address and a note asking the finder to write back. Ten days later she received a reply. The balloon had been found by another Laura Buxton in the garden hedge of her home in Pewsey, Wiltshire, 140 miles away. Both Lauras were ages 10 and both had three year old black Labradors, a guinea pig, and a rabbit.
Source: http://listverse.com/2007/07/06/top-15-bizarre-true-stories/
Source: The Fortean Times
Jul 20
No. 19 | Assignment
Balloon Buddies
Category: Editorial Illustration - Typography (open / optional)
Deadline: August 10, 2012
Specs: 600 x 800px @ 72dpi - JPG
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Laura Buxton released a helium filled balloon during celebrations for her grandparents’ gold wedding anniversary in Blurton, Staffordshire, in June 2001. Attached to the balloon was her name and address and a note asking the finder to write back. Ten days later she received a reply. The balloon had been found by another Laura Buxton in the garden hedge of her home in Pewsey, Wiltshire, 140 miles away. Both Lauras were ages 10 and both had three year old black Labradors, a guinea pig, and a rabbit.
Source: http://listverse.com/2007/07/06/top-15-bizarre-true-stories/
Source: The Fortean Times
Jun 29
No. 18 | Killustrations
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Status: Complete
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Great job to all of our participants! If these were actual book covers, we’d totally get online and order them from the ‘zon. Great work everyone!
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Iowa man with zebra, parrot arrested for DUI in bar lot
Category: Tall Tales - Book Cover (Paperback) - Typography (open / optional)
Deadline: June 29, 2012
Specs: 5 X 7.5 inches (submission = 650 X 975px @ 72dpi)
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So, this man with a zebra and parrot walks out of a bar —
No, it’s not the set-up for a joke, but an intoxicatingly true story out of Dubuque, Iowa, according to news reports from the Hawkeye State.
Jerald Reiter, 55, of Cascade, Iowa, was backing his truck out of the Dog House Lounge parking lot Sunday night when police stopped him. His passengers? A small zebra in the back seat and a macaw parrot on his shoulder, the Telegraph Herald reports.
Officers said Reiter’s blood-alcohol level was .14 (the limit is .08), so he was charged with driving drunk (officially, operating while intoxicated). He admits he was behind the wheel but was going to let his other passenger — his human buddy — do the driving, according to the local Gazette.
Reiter thinks someone in the crowd of gawkers called police to complain about the “welfare” of his novel pets, which often go for rides.
He said his local watering hole often allows pets, but not Sunday night, because the owner told him food was being served. TV station KCRG.com got a different story: No animals are ever allowed inside. (Will the bar owner be in the doghouse if the alcohol and health inspectors stop by?)
Note - You are illustrating what the cover of this would be if it were a Tall Tale.
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Reference: Pecos Bill , Paul Bunyan, Tall Tales, Johnny Appleseed
Source:http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/05/iowa-bar-patron-with-zebra-parrot-stopped-for-driving-drunk/1#.T85jc5lYvqo
