Today we add a couple new caricatures. First up, is a updated Hornet flown by VMFA-232. I have been working with the CO of MALS-11 down at MCAS Miramar, for several months now, to create a print they could use as a retirement/ presentation gift. Instead of a plaque they wanted to do something different. They ordered a print that included all the squadron aircraft they support. MALS-11 is the oldest squadron in the Corp and they support all the fixed wing squadrons based at Miramar. So the print includes a caricature of each squadron, VMFA-323,232, and 314, VMFA (AW) 225 and 121, VMFAT-101, all Hornets both single seat and 2 seat versions, and the KC-130 Squadron VMGR-352. The MALS-11 unit patch is the center piece. Well I received the good news that they wanted the print. They also sent along a set of pictures updating me as to the change in markings for one of the Hornets. All the aircraft on the print depict the squadrons colorfully painted aircraft. It seems that VMFA-232, the “Red Devils” changed their paint scheme. So I updated the Hornet I had completed months ago to accurately portray the new scheme. The aircraft now shows a paint scheme that is very reminiscent of the paint schemes the unit carried on their F-4 Phantoms back in the 70’s. I like this scheme more the the previous one and I am so glad they used something other then black which seems to be a trend with allot of squadrons. Hopefully I will get the MALS-11 print up on the site soon so you can all see it, and maybe it will give the commanders of other squadrons ideas… hint hint hint.

Next up is a new MD500E caricature. Pasadena Police Department recently acquired a brand new MD500E to add to their fleet of helos. I had the pleasure of meeting the guys at their Air Operations unit and got to photograph a couple of their helos. They are a good bunch of guys and have even invited me to their annual helo day and BBQ, where I will be a vendor. So here is their new MD500E caricature.

Lastly something fun. I was recently asked to come up with a design using one of my aircraft caricatures, that could include a sports theme and the name and number for my nephew. He plays football and volleyball for Temple City High School. My sister wanted something different and something she could put on a tee shirt and give to him as a birthday present. I had just finished the SPAD and thought it worked out perfectly. So here is a custom painted Spad XIII. Ohh and shhhhhh, his birthday isn’t till Tuesday the 11th so don’t tell him. I had fun with this one and just so you know there is also a volleyball version and could be a basketball version soon. It is just that easy to have a custom caricature. So feel free to email and ask for yours today. While I do this for the love of the art, it is still how I make much need $$$$.

Last add……I can’t believe it is just over a week before the Planes of Fame Airshow. Time feels like its slipping away. As this will be my first airshow as a vendor I am desperately getting prints made and hope to have enough for the show. If anyone out there is coming and wants to order a print now to pick up at the show (which will save shipping costs) please feel free to order the print now and I can have it ready for you at the show.

See you at the Show!!!

Hello again, today we bring you a new/updated art work. One of my early caricatures was a Spitfire. At the time I was unsure what paint scheme I should pick so I just had fun with it and did my own scheme. Anyway I have been improving my skills and thought, why not revisit that old caricature, besides the Spitfire is world famous and a fan favorite. I figured I should have at least one historical profile. So here you go. A Supermarine Spitfire MkVb. This caricature depicts the Spitfire which Wing Cdr Robert Stanford Tuck was flying when he was brought down by flak during a low level mission in Jan. 1942. At the time Cdr Tuck was credited with a total of 27 victories plus 2 shared. I may do a couple more Spitfires as I would like to do a recon version in the pale blue scheme or one with the tropical filter hanging off the front. I have always liked the way this caricature came out. It really looks proportional and yet it has a very curvy look just perfect for a caricature. Some planes are very hard to make look good as caricatures, but other like the Spitfire work out great.  If you have any suggestions for future Spitfire art works or are interested in purchasing a print of this great aircraft, just email me.

Well I just completed my first World War I aircraft caricature. A SPAD XIII flown by 1Lt Edward V. Rickenbacker (later promoted to Capt). This caricature depicts the Kellner built SPAD XIII S4523 with short exhaust stacks. Rickenbacker finished the war with 26 victories, the highest scoring ace in the USAS. He won the Medal of Honor for a mission flown on Sept. 25, 1918 when he downed a D VII and a Halberstadt two seat German aircraft. There were two Halberstadt’s on an photo recon mission, escorted by 5 D VII’s. 1Lt Rickenbacker was on a lone patrol when he attacked and downed one of the D VII’s then attacked the two Halberstadt’s, flaming one. With the escort regrouping he headed home. It wasn’t until Nov. 6th, 1930 that Cpt. Rickenbacker was awarded his Medal of Honor for this mission.

Also I am adding a custom caricature that I just finished for a customer. A Bombardier Canadair CRJ-100ER. This caricature was commissioned by a pilot flying for Comair to commemorate his first operational flight in the CRJ. This CRJ is N967CA operated by Comair in Delta Connection livery. You can check it out in the “Custom/ Civilian” section. This just adds another airliner to my growing collection. Now any and all CRJ pilots out there can have their very own custom caricature. Just email me and I will hook you up with an awesome commemorative print.

Remember we will have a booth at the annual Planes of Fame airshow in Chino Ca. on May 15-16, 2010. Please come by and say Hi if you get the chance. This is will be our first attempt at being a vendor at an airshow so support the cause and I hope to see you there.

Hello everyone. Well its official, Blackheart Art will be a vendor at the upcoming Planes of Fame Air Show, May 15th and 16th, 2010, in Chino CA. This will be my first air show (as a vendor) and I hope that many of you can attend. I would love to meet fans of my art. I have put together a special print that will be sold exclusively at the show. It is a P-40F from the 325th FG, the Checker Tail Clan. The paint scheme is of a P-40F-15 s/n 41-19896 flown by 1st Lt. Walter B “Bud” Walker Jr. 1st Lt. Walker flew with the 317th FS out of Mateur, Tunisia in 1943. On 7-30-43 he shot down 3 Me109’s near Sardinia. For this exclusive print I have added some nose art, “City of Chino” and a civilian N-number N2010PF, to commemorate the Planes Of Fame 2010 Air Show. This P-40 is painted in similar colors as the Planes of Fame P-40 when it appeared in the film Valkyre. I added a faded background map of the 325th FG’s area of operations during that time period, for a different kind of look to the regular prints I have on the web site.

I have also just finished my second helicopter, an MD530F for the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. Hopefully this will be the first of several MD-500’s.

Lastly I have finally added the second Ju-87 that I did last year. For some reason I never added it to the web site. I hope you enjoy.

Okay, one more last thing. I have just completed the drawing and inking of two WW I aircraft. A SPAD XIII and an Albatross DV (which I just might modify to a DIII as well) So look for those soon. And Yes I still have the tanks on the back burner. I will get to those.

Happy April Fools day! So how many times were you fooled today? Well no fooling here, today we add our first General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. First up, (I hope to do at least one more in USA markings, unless there are orders for more… hint hint hint) we have an Royal Australian Air Force, F-111C from 6th Squadron based at Amberley, Queensland. The paint scheme is in celebration of the units 90th Anniversary. Late this year the RAAF will retire their F-111’s and transition to F/A-18F’s. No 1 and 6th Squadrons will be making the transition. No 6th Sq acts as the training squadron. I will see if I can do a No 6th Sq F/A-18F and put both the Hornet and Aardvark in a special commemorative print. Australia is the last and only other country to operate the F-111. The US retired their F-111’s in the late 90’s.

Look for a USAF version of the F-111 soon. Now that this caricature is completed I just need to figure out which unit to do next….. anyone have any suggestions please don’t hesitate to email me. Keep the memory, of this great aircraft alive, and order your print now. Custom markings for your unit are just a email away.

Well it’s late here as I finally get around to updating, but I need to add a few new caricatures. Recently I had a customer request a Boeing 767 caricature in TWA colors, plus he wanted it in the farewell print format. So here we have exactly that, a new caricature of the Boeing 767. As you can see it is just like the Northwest Farewell print but this version has the retirement dates of not only TWA but one of TWA’s pilots, Mr. Dennis West. This new option is a new twist on my Farewell series, with retirement dates for pilot as well as Airline. Now all 767 (and DC-10) pilots can have their very own commemorative print. So jump on the bandwagon and request your very own. I hope to be doing more airliners soon, which will added to the Farewell print series.

The second caricature we add is another F-102A, this time from the 199th FIS, 154th FW of the Hawaii Air Guard. This is another commission piece requested by a former ANG pilot that flew F-102’s with the 199th FIS. If there are any other HANG pilots out there fell free to email me and order your customized print. I also added a few tee shirts and mugs at my Zazzle store.

And lastly we add a new warbird caricature, a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina. It’s amazing how much stuff I learn while researching these caricatures. I have been looking to do a PBY for some time. It’s a natural for making a good caricature. Like so many of my art works I sometimes start drawing and painting before I know exactly which paint scheme or unit markings I might choose. This was exactly the case here. As I worked on the caricatures I started looking up and reading about PBY’s and units that flew them. After a time I came across VP-73. I wanted my art work to have a bit of color so I knew that I would do an early WWII paint scheme carried by many US Navy aircraft, which had red and white tail strips and the red circle in US insignia ( note: most Navy aircraft painted out the red circle and painted over the red and white strips by mid 1942 so this aircraft is show before the change). I came across a picture of some VP-73 PBY’s (still carrying the red and white strips) that were stationed in Skerjafjordur FAB, near Reykjavik, Iceland, from May to Oct- 1942. During this time aircraft number 9, buNu 2459 was credited with sinking, two U-boats. U-464 on Aug. 20, 1942 (piloted by Lt(jg) Robert B. Hapgood, for which he won the Navy Cross) and U-582 on Oct. 5, 1942 while piloted by G.F. Swanson. Altogether this aircraft finished the war with an impressive war record. Credited with sinking 3 U-boats and damaging 4 more, which is a record for patrol/ bombers on sub duty. So what started out as a simple caricature turns into a tribute to those who flew in harsh weather to protect convoys in the Battle for the Atlantic. Take a minute to check it out. I really liked doing this art work and put as much detail and weathering as I could. I think its one of the better caricatures here on the site. It is amazing how my art grows and evolves. I look back on some of my earlier stuff and it looks so plain compared to what I am doing now. I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do in creating them.

Announcement!!! I have sent in my application for vendor space at the upcoming Planes of Fame Airshow in May. This annual airshow showcases the museum’s flyable aircraft and many other warbirds. It is one of the best shows for those that love warbird aircraft. I hope to have a booth at the show where you can come by and see the art up close, buy your favorite print and to say Hi. This will be my first airshow, so I hope everyone can come out and support Blackheart Art. Once I am confirmed, I will let you know. I have also completed a new print especially for the show. This print will be available only at the show, so make your plans now. May 15-16th, 2010.

Well that’s it for tonight. I noticed I have not posted the second Ju-87 which I did awhile back so I will get around to posting that next time. Have a good one and I hope you enjoy the art. As usual if you have any suggestions for new caricatures please drop me a line.

Good day my friends! Today we have 4, yes 4 new caricatures. Over the past few weeks I have been working with the Commanding Officer of MALS-11 down at MCAS Miramar on a special print. He was looking for something a little different to use as a parting gift, when members of the squadron move on to other assignments. His idea was to have all the fixed wing aircraft they provide logistics for to be part of a special print. To that end I have been creating caricatures of the 6 Hornet squadrons and the KC-130J Squadron that are based at Miramar. I have already posted several, Hornets plus the KC-130J. Today I add the rest of the Hornets. First up we have a F/A-18A++ from VMFA-314 “Black Knights”. While I have tried to use each squadrons colorful commanding officer’s aircraft, VMFA-314 really does not have a aircraft painted in colorful markings so here we have an example of the low viz scheme with just a touch of color.

Next up we have two F/A-18D’s. One from VMFA(AW)-121 Green Knights and one from VMFA(AW)-225 “Vikings”. The Hornet from VMFA(AW)-225 looks to be caring a form of nose art and had the name “Miss Understood” on the fence, or dorsal fin located on the LEX part of the wing. The Green Knights have the name Joe Foss on their dorsal fin, in honor of the famous World War II Marine pilot. This should complete all the fixed wing squadrons based at MCAS Miramar. So lets hope all those squadrons see their aircraft caricatures, and thank the members of MALS-11 for bringing them to life. Imagine these fine art works gracing the walls of your ready rooms, or better yet being sold at the annual airshow, just imagine the amount of money you could raise selling these fine art works.

Last up today we have the newest flavor of the month. The MQ-9 Reaper. This example is from the 29th Squadron which is part of the 49th Wing based at Holloman AFB. The 29th began Reaper operations out of Holloman on Oct. 23, 2009 under the command of LTCol James Merchant.

Well there you have it, the latest caricatures. I hope you enjoy and see something you like. As always please feel free to let me know what you think and any suggestions that you may have. It’s time to sit back and work on some new fresh caricatures. So I am going to grab my pencil and start working a few new aircraft. I think in honor of the coming retirement of the Australian F-111’s, which will bring an end to this fine aircrafts career, I will see what I can do with that great plane. I also want to do more airliners, maybe a 747, or 707, plus I have a request for a CRJ (Canadian Regional Jet) so look for those soon. Anyway thanks to all and see you next time.

With each new caricature I find that my art is progressing. With this new print I think I have created a really cool looking art work. I have finally finished the E-2C Hawkeye. This aircraft flew with VAW-113 “The World Famous Black Eagles”. I had an opportunity to photograph this aircraft at the Pt. Mugu airshow several years ago. She is painted as the squadrons colorful aircraft and carries the Commander of the Air Group’s (CVW-14) name, Capt. “Miser” Thayer and the Deputy CAG’s name, Capt. Kevin “KC” Albright. The tail markings include each squadrons colors in CVW-14. At the time VAW-113 was station at it’s home port of Pt Mugu and assigned to CVW-14 and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Let’s here it from all you Hawkeye fans out there. Let me know what you think. Your squadron could be next.

I hope to be adding Reaper caricature very soon, have a great week.

This time we add some new art, focusing one two versions of the same base aircraft. McDonnell Douglas’s DC-10. First we have the Air Force KC-10-30CF Extender. The 60th Air Mobility Wing as well as the 349th AMW (Air Force Reserve) based at Travis AFB in California operate this particular aircraft, s/n 82-0193. The print includes all the patches for the 60th and 349th as well as the 4 squadrons that share this aircraft. The 6th and 9th ARS active duty, and the 70th, and 74th ARS, Air Force Reserve. (artist note, as I type these words I see that there is a typo in the text of the test print that will be corrected on the final prints.)

Second up is a DC-10-40 that was operated by Northwest Airlines. N238NW is shown in what has affectionately been call the “Bowling Shoe” livery.

In conjunction with the Northwest print, I have created a new version with special background graphics. I call this the Northwest Farewell print. In 2009 Northwest merged with Delta Airlines. I decided that to mark the end of an airline that can trace its roots back to the golden age of flight I would put together a special print. This unique print has special background graphics. These graphics include the Northwest logo carried by the DC-10 in the later part of it’s career. I have included the dates for which Northwest operated, from 1926 when they were delivering mail to the final 2010 passenger flight, as well as the dates Northwest operated the DC-10, 1972 to 2007. Lastly I have included the names (and dates of the change) under which Northwest operated. I really enjoyed putting this print together. I think in the future I will try and do more of these type prints. I could do a who series of prints commemorating the last days of famous airlines. Email me and let me know what you think.

One last thing……. the Vancouver Olympics has begun, and good luck to all athletes……….. oh and ….. GO TEAM USA …..USA USA USA!