A Very Special Print Release

The Lost Ring and The Very Resourceful Suitor

As you may know, this August I proposed to my sweet lady, Amanda (miss Fancy Face) and she said yes! So I painted something to commemorate our pending nuptials and celebrate life, love and the good times we have living in San Francisco. 

This piece will not be sold in a gallery. Instead, I am making 100 prints available to anyone who loves life, love, and/or good times in San Francisco. 

The Lost Ring and the Very Resourceful Suitor 

Available at BenWalker.BigCartel.com

ALL PROCEEDS GO TOWARD US LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Yes, putting together even the most modest wedding takes some serious funds and Rockefellers, we ain't. That's why 100% of the proceeds from sales of this print go toward Amanda and I living happily ever after.

Do I have to mention that this is just in time for Valentines day? This 11"x14" print costs roughly 4 times as much as those horrifyingly unfunny Hallmark cards and it's at least 5 times cooler. It's also less than half the calories of the chocolates you will otherwise have to pick up at Walgreen's on the way home from work, come February 14th.  

The Lost Ring was painted (and etched) with ink and acrylics on Claybord. My good friends at Zerofriends, in Oakland, California are making these Giclée prints on heavy, watercolor paper. Super-nice! Each print comes signed and numbered. Prints will be packaged up with a hug and shipped to you on February 6th.  

Get the print at benwalker.bigcartel.com

And follow us on Twitter! @ArtofBenWalker, @MagicalManders

The Graven Twins

A Collectible shot glass for The Edwardian Ball, 2013 

This Friday and Saturday (Jan. 18th and 19th) San Francisco celebrates the Edwardian Ball. This year the event will come with a little Ben Walker flavor! That flavor is to be dispersed in 1.5 ounce shot glasses. 

Cast your eyes on The Graven Twins!

What is The Edwardian Ball?

(from Edwardianball.com)

"The Edwardian Ball is an elegant and whimsical celebration of art, music, theatre, fashion, technology, circus and the beloved creations of the late great author Edward Gorey."

This will be my third time attending The Edwardian Ball. So far, I have had nothing but a blast with my lovely lady, Amanda Storey. But I hear you wondering if this is the type of event for you. Is it too goth? Too Steam-punky, too blah blah...Don't even worry about it! If you like art, dancing, drinking, fashion, or any combination of these things, this event is worth checking out! Drop the preconceived notions and go have some sexy, old-timey fun.

Check out Amanda's previous Edwardian Ball looks and experiences at her blog, MandersFancyFace. 

Our friend Aaron Delachaux will be spinning his Boom-Swing type music Friday night. There's no way to keep from dancing in a ridiculous manner when this stuff if playing.

More information on the Edwardian Ball at edwardianball.com.

Ellingson's Daily Slimer

My friend Josh Ellingson draws a Slimer every day. At least, he has been for the last 116 days. They are all done on dry erase board. It's a habbit that started naturally enough. He drew the first 60 at work. Not on the sly either; The big-wigs and everybody else loved it! You see, he was working on a Ghostbusters casino game so his dry-erase Slimers were drawn to warm up and to rally the troops.

The Ghostbusters game is pretty much wrapped up now and Josh has moved on to other projects. But that hasn't slowed down the Daily Slimers. And now he's pulled other artists into it! So here is my take on Slimer. Haven't you ever wondered what he looked like before he was a ghost? I sure did.

See the Daily Slimers and Josh's illustration work at joshuaellingson.com

Pre-Slimer by Ben Walker

Rex Goliath rules

HIS ROYAL MAJESTY

I tell you what. Rex Goliath kinda rules. He has been here with us for some great nights. So this is my little tribute painting of Rex.

I must admit, despite the fact that I have spent a good chunk of my life in Wine country (the North Bay area), I don't know a lot about the subtleties of wine tasting. But who cares? It's becoming clear that there might not be any true "wine experts" anyway. In blind taste tests, experts had trouble identifying a $10 bottle of wine from a $200 wine (Check out the Wine Trials 2010). All I know is I love (good) red wine and I can't break the bank on it. The thing is, if you are spending less than 8 bucks on a bottle you could end up with something tasting like fruit punch with a splash of vinegar.

That's why Rex Goliath rules. Aside from sounding like the name of a speed-metal band, RG also rocks for tasting lovely, robust and expensive. Oh and it's almost always on sale for about 5 bucks in most grocery stores/bev-mos.

Rex was a real-life rooster and side show attraction in the early 1900s. He weighed in at 47 pounds. Holy crap-bones! Do I even need to make the joke?

More info at www.rexgoliath.com.


-Ben Walker

Available Tees

MAD TRAPPER Comes With a Beaver

Albert Johnson was a real man who led the Canadian Mounties on an enormous man-hunt in the 1930s. He was wanted for allegedly disabling animal traps and hanging them from trees. No one knows for sure what started it all, but the "Mad Trapper" may have been the Yukon territory's first animal activist! He was basically Gentle Ben meets Rasputin.

For the month of November, every Mad Trapper T-shirt ordered ships with an original Ben Walker sketch of a Beaver. Available in Men's sizes Small - 2X. Only from Benwalker.bigcartel.com

YOU and WHO - WINNER!

You and Who is a T-shirt company with a simple mission: Sell one-of-a-kind designer T-shirts that help worthy causes in cities across the country. Every time they sell a T-shirt, someone in need receives the same shirt. So pick up one of my WINNER tees and someone in San Francisco will get a little pick-me-up. youandwho.com

Thanks for readin',

Ben Walker

APE (the Alternative Press Expo) is happening in a couple days, Oct. 13 and 14th. Look for me at the MEGA BIG TIME table. I'll be there all weekend with my partner in crime Amanda Storey. Here's a preview of some of the small original paintings I'll be bringing.

Best of the Westify

A look at some of the best creations with my free photo app, Westify

First I have to mention that there is a big update for Westify! Get the latest version so you will have more than bear heads and guns to work with! Over 60 new graphic bits to add to your photos.

Here are a few of my favorite Westified pics made with Westify 1.0 ~

by twigythecreator

by omarcastro80

by arbel420

by @TheCosbyKid 

by jounina

by cuteash

Follow me on Instagram or Twitter, @artofbenwalker to see my Westify pics. 

And I'll be at Alternative Press Expo, table #819,  APE runs Oct. 13th, and 14th. I'll be selling small original paintings, new T-shirts and prints.  Mega Big Time!

~Ben Walker