hiway7

2011-07-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog.

Yes I know I've neglected you for over 8 months now but I've been busy.

In the meantime please enjoy some epic designed apparel available here:

http://www.cafepress.com/octomus

I hope this post finds you well!

Love,

Jason

Flavors.me

2010-11-01T18:37:00.001-07:00

I've moved my main domain HIWAY7.COM over to an aggregate site ala tumblr called Flavors.me. The transition was seamless and had zero impact to my current running site. It actually looks good for once. I recommend flavors.me, it's slicktastic! Check it out when you get a chance.

Cybertronian Glee Club

2010-08-18T23:10:00.001-07:00

Cybertronian Glee Club
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Summer with a Vengeance pt 5

2010-08-11T13:37:00.001-07:00

IMG_0618
Originally uploaded by hiway7

First off, I know I've been late in posting stuff. Time is something that's hard to come by these days. I've had some recent events at work completely monopolize my available time to do anything other than work. I did want to post about my Comic Con 2010 experience though.

The Con this year was amazing! My family and I had a great time not only sampling the zeitgeist of pop culture but also taking time to do geeky things together. Whether it was waiting in line for some shiny free trinket or catching up on the soon-to-be-released video games, movies and tv-shows. The crowds this year were bigger than ever and represented all walks of life.

It's hard to do a write up of Comic-Con because there are so many facets to it. I could write hundreds of different articles and still not cover everything! With that said, I present to you my Comic-Con 2010 photo set on flickr. Press here to view the photos.

I think that's probably going to bring this summer's blog series to a close. I'll be at Tiki Oasis for some much needed R&R August 19-22 and I'll probably post some stuff from there.

Thanks for reading, take care!

Love our pup

2010-07-31T17:40:00.001-07:00

Love our pup
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Summer with a vengeance pt. 4

2010-07-22T11:18:00.001-07:00

Woc
Originally uploaded by hiway7

I don't even know if I have the words to describe the past week prior to this update. Suffice it to say that the word 'busy' probably best describes it.

July 17th is one of those high holy days for Disneyland geeks such as myself. Disneyland turned 55 that day. The park marked the event with some special merchandise and some low-key yet memorable events. One such event was a gathering of 55 Disney characters at the town square on Main Street. It was quite a sight!

We followed this by taking a stop by the NFFC convention. I had an opportunity to meet Jody Daily and Kevin Kidney. It was definitely a nerdy fanboy moment. It was cool chattin it up with artists I admire.

The following night we soaked in World of Color. Amazing show.

So this weekend I'm going to attend the 41st Annual San Diego Comic-Con. Here's a sneak peek:

Thanks for readin!

Summer with a vengeance - pt. 3

2010-07-12T10:20:00.001-07:00

Tilt shifted
Originally uploaded by hiway7

We are in the thick of 'Summer with a Vengeance.' This time I bring you part 3.

Early July is awesome. Filled with fireworks, food and fun. We had an opportunity to the San Diego County Fair over the holiday.

I think the county fair is the destination of the summer. I'm really big on the sights and sounds. Fair food was insane this year! I can't help but wonder what tastes better; Chocolate covered bacon or deep fried butter? My arteries are grateful for not finding out. Those vertigo enducing rides get more ridiculous each year as well. I hit my limit on these rides about ten years ago. My son, on the other hand, could not get enough of these rides, which is totally awesome.

Let it be known that this is the year that I learned how to make pizza on my bbq grill. There is nothing like the taste of pizza you make in the backyard!

Bbq pizza! on 12seconds.tv

It's been really cool interacting with folks over these posts for the past few weeks. Both the Happy Cow Car Wash and the San Diego Air & Space Musuem have thanked me personally for visiting their establishments via these posts and twitter. Thanks for reading and hopefully we'll see you all again soon!

Summer with a Vengeance - pt. 2

2010-06-26T10:32:00.001-07:00

P1140159
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Before I forget and while it's fresh in my brain week 2 of the epic summer had us traveling up north over 140 miles to the tropic port of Rosemead where we visited Bahooka Family Restaurant. I'm always amazed by this establishment, I made a video of it about a year ago here on this blog. We were there for the release of these very awesome mugs. I would say they were well worth the 3 hour drive.

On Sunday, we had an opportunity to visit the San Diego Air and Space Museum in historic Balboa Park. I took a load of pictures of this awesome place and they are located here on my flickr page.

After our visit we took a stop by the Happy Cow Car Wash. This car wash is beyond description. So I'm posting a video here so you can see it.

Sure there were many other events such as the Toy Story 3 opening and the iPhone launch I could talk about but that's what twitter is for I guess. These are the simple things that make summer so awesome. Thanks for reading.

Fun with iOS4 for iPhone

2010-06-22T10:24:00.001-07:00

HM for iPhone
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Just updated to iOS4 on my iPhone. So far my favorite feature is the folders. I've taken a '16-page of apps' phone down to a '3 page of apps' phone. I'm glad I'm able to make sense of all the apps. Also the camera upgrades are pretty sweet. Further the wallpaper is pretty slick however the default wallpaper goes from boring to rather unpleasant looking. So I've uploaded this "scary guy" wallpaper by Rolly Crump. You can download it here on flickr. This will give your phone the perfect amount of creepiness. :)

Hope you dig it and thanks for reading.

Summer with a Vengeance pt 1.

2010-06-14T09:50:00.001-07:00

Me @ Caliente Tropics
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Hello there. Sorry about the lack of posting on this blog thing. Summer has arrived with a vengeance and the whirlwind of activity is well under way. My wife and I recently had the opportunity to visit Palm Springs for the annual Tiki Caliente party! It was super good times for sure. We had the opportunity to visit and photograph much of the historic mid-century architecture and cool sites that Palm Springs has to offer. Check the pictures out here!

During that very same visit we took a trip out to the World Famous Cabazon Dinosaurs! I can appreciate the artistry and engineering that went into these epic roadside attractions.

Definitely worth a visit, if you're in the high desert. Here are some more pics!

Mind you, this was the first week of June. Hopefully post some more soon. Thanks for looking.

You draw like a girl.

2010-03-15T14:47:00.001-07:00

hiway7biscus
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Let's all let out a big LOL for this topic right off. For the past month or so I've been training my eye to learn to draw with a softer and more delicate touch. Let me tell you it's not easy.

Curves are the order of the day and less detail, and no shading. For someone who draws with a heavy hand this has been a great experiment in learning some new techniques.

You can check out the latest few on my flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiway7/sets/72157602110098121/

Coolest Magazine Cover Ever.

2010-02-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

Mickeydorks

2010-01-07T10:44:00.001-08:00

mickeydorks
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Got some new artwork to reveal. All of it will eventually going to be on sale on hiway7.com .

9"x12" - Mixed media (acrylic, marker, pastel, one shot) on canvas board.

If you're interested drop me a line and we'll chat. More to come.

Good times.

2009-12-16T23:45:00.001-08:00

1979-Christmas-Card
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Merry Christmas Greetings from 30 years ago. I wish you all the best. Thanks for lookin! Peace. -J

Fun Stuff - Tilt Shift focus

2009-11-23T15:26:00.001-08:00

OC Fair 2009 - Tilt Shift focus
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Tilt shift focus has been all the rage in advertising this year. Everything from cell phones to car commercials have been utilizing this camera trick. I found this cool site that will do all the work for you, Granted you'll need a decent picture to start out with but the results are stunning.

check out: http://tiltshiftmaker.com/ for more.

CKD #37 Dec 2009 pp. 98

2009-11-17T00:41:00.001-08:00

CKD #37 Dec 2009 pp. 98
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Check it out on newsstands now!!

I have a bitchin launch photo on page 98 in this month's Boulevard Crawl!

Dia De Los Muertos

2009-11-03T10:43:00.001-08:00

Catrinas
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Bienvenidos! Sunday, November 1, 2009 we traveled a few miles north to Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos. Day of the Dead or "All Souls Day" is a festive occasion in which we honor and celebrate the dead. This holiday is firmly rooted in mesoamerican cultures. It was quite a spectacle to behold and it made me proud of my Mexican heritage. Without further adieu, here's some pictures from Dia De Los Muertos: http://bit.ly/3hxDL3

Bust a Move Mickey!

2009-10-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

D23 Expo pictures

2009-09-17T21:52:00.001-07:00

53
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Howdy folks. I uploaded a few more images from last week's D23 Expo from Anaheim California.

Here's the link: http://bit.ly/1XRPUA

To those that don't know the D23 Expo was an experience that brought all facets of the Disney Company to all the fans. Fans were given a rare inside peek of the inner workings of Disney. It was an exhausting 4 day schedule but we loved every moment of it. It was a real treat to talk with Imagineers, Artists, Animators and other notable Disney luminaries!

I sure hope they do another Expo like this next year! It was an experience I'll never forget.

~J

1893 penny

2009-09-15T22:36:00.001-07:00

1893 penny
Originally uploaded by hiway7

This is the oldest thing I have in my possession at the moment.

Just thinking about where this penny has been, how many times it sat in a cash register, in a piggy bank, in a swear jar and the many times it had been discarded or treasured.

I think I'm going to hold onto this one. It's pretty special.

For Sale $200

2009-08-04T07:52:00.001-07:00

For Sale $200
Originally uploaded by hiway7

"Tiki on Fire"

Mixed media on wood and bamboo. Signed by artist, me.

inquire at hiway7@gmail.com

A facebook video test.

2009-06-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

I like facebook's video interface. Great quality and fast to boot.

This footage was filmed using my Lumix TZ-50 and edited in iMovie 09. I compressed the movie down using QT Pro and uploaded it onto Facebook.

Filmed at the awesome, historic Bahooka Restaurant in Rosemead, California. If you look close enough you'll see that they filmed "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in this very restaurant.

Let see how this turns out.

CKD #34 June2009 p48

2009-05-10T00:34:00.001-07:00

CKD #34 June2009 p48
Originally uploaded by hiway7

This could possibly be one of the best artist's profiles that this magazine has ever run. It's also officially the lengthiest. Every word is worth it. If you are a fan of low brow art, you owe it to yourself to read about Robert Williams.

I've got to say, this was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Being able to meet this great man, what the dude represents was just awe inspiring.

I have a small collection of pics from that day, you can check 'em out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiway7/sets/72157605819264919/

Thanks fer lookin'

~J

Ol Skool Rods #34, pp. 28-29

2009-04-17T13:34:00.001-07:00

Ol Skool Rods #34, pp. 28-29
Originally uploaded by hiway7

On newsstands NOW!! GO GET IT.

Check out page 28-29. :)

the beast

2009-04-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Disneyland Monorail in less than 2 minutes

2009-04-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

Find more videos like this on hiway7

This is quite possibly the best Disneyland photo i've ever taken

2009-04-07T10:42:00.001-07:00

I don't know. Sometimes I come back from a trip, unload my cameras and find nothing noteworthy. Last night I was scanning the memory card and found this; The best Disneyland photo i've ever taken
Originally uploaded by hiway7

This is quite possibly the best photo I've taken at the park. Other than the kids in the crowd, this pic is timeless. The Panasonic TZ-50 is a great camera.

Well I have taken a ton of photos at Disneyland. Check em out here.

Tiki Mugs video

2009-04-02T10:15:00.001-07:00

Been meaning to post this one for some time. I was working under an assumed name awhile ago other than that, this video is about 99% accurate. I even had the Holden at Tiki Farm give me a thumbs up on this vid;

"enjoyed it - pretty accurate on the info. thanks for the props & I dug that funky mug at minute 8.
Holden
Tiki Farm".

Pretty cool. So without further adieu:

Find more videos like this on hiway7

Tiki Mug Project update

2009-03-23T16:38:00.001-07:00

Tiki Mug Project update
Originally uploaded by hiway7

After a few hours of shaving and sanding, this is kinda what I was going for. I still need to smooth it out some more and get started on the lid which will be a hat.. I think.. I don't think this will be the final interpretation this one is more like a rough draft. Nonetheless it was fun to make and gave me some insight on what goes into the art form of tiki mugs.

Tiki Mug Project Part 2

2009-03-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

So add a little more 'clay' and this is what I'm workin at. Basically just building little layers. It's gonna look rough since I'm thinking I want it to look like lava rock.

2009-03-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm attempting to make a tiki mug. This is kinda my rough draft. I've been using the left overs of the Crayola Model Magic, this stuff is amazing and super easy to work with versus standard clay. This is just a shape of things to come.

AMAZING March Meet pictures

2009-03-16T12:00:00.001-07:00

I found this through my friend, Dave. Go to Mark J. Rebilas' blog and check out the March Meet pics. I'm speechless.

California Project

2009-03-06T09:51:00.001-08:00

California Project
Originally uploaded by hiway7

My son and I had worked for over a week on recreating California in clay.

I remember when I was a kid we had to make a California Mission project. I remember making mine out of an old shoe box, with macaroni used for the roof. These days they pre-fab all that stuff (mission kits) and sell it, which seems like cheating to me.

I'm glad he went with the Golden State for his project. We used Crayola Model Magic and regular craft paint. The mountains took the longest, each one consisted of dozens of "chips" Once we got the assembly line going on it, it started taking shape.

I'm proud of him, He's got talent, that kid. :)

Watchmen impressions

2009-03-06T03:10:00.000-08:00

It was kinda meh.

I didn't like it but I didn't hate it either. Lotsa eye candy.

Funniest moments were:

- The Mexican dude who shouted "Look my Wal-Mart badge ayy!"
- When Laurie says "I need to get something off my chest" and it zooms in on her bosoms.

Also there is nothing discernibly "IMAX" in the IMAX version.

maybe i'll review it.. kinda tired now.. i hate midnight showings. No nerds in costumes.

Mobile/E-Mail Post on 12seconds.tv

The Hot Rod Church for Sinners

2009-03-02T09:52:00.001-08:00

Had an opportunity to meet up with old friends this weekend. It was great to see everybody again at HRC. Real people rule.

from digg

2009-02-25T18:47:00.001-08:00

Birfday

2009-02-19T23:51:00.001-08:00

I turned 35 today. I'm old enough to run for President now.

I just want to take the last few moments of my birthday to reflect. It's been a great run. 35 is different for me. It's where the age scale starts tipping and you realize soon you will have been an "adult" longer than you have been a "kid." It's difficult to describe but somehow, I know that this is the golden afternoon of my life. I wax nostalgic more often than I should and that is just the start of getting old. I don't fear growing old, I face it head on. My hope is that while my youth is fading, it will forever be a part of how I approach life: with zeal, wonder and fun.

Also before I sign off tonight, let me thank wife and family, my parents and my brother for the great wishes today. You helped 35 feel awesome.

I love you all dearly.

Jason

LOL. wifey goes to concerts too :)

2009-02-06T02:41:00.000-08:00

Find more videos like this on hiway7

Metallica gets Rock HOF nod

2009-01-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

Howard the Duck

2008-12-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

God bless the internets.

From the archives...

2008-12-19T13:23:00.001-08:00

PC110057
Originally uploaded by hiway7

If I don't update again, just wanted to say Merry Christmas folks.

~Jason

cha-ching

2008-12-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

My site is worth:
$39

Death Magnetic Tour 08

2008-12-16T01:49:00.001-08:00

Death Magnetic Tour 08
Originally uploaded by hiway7

Man. I'm getting to old to pit. I'm gonna be sore in the morning.

Fun facts:

-Palmolive makes great Mohawk gel
-Lamb of God is not a Christian band
-People smell good after it rains
-$4 hotdogs are awesome.
-James Hetfield is losing his hair
-Kirk Hammett makes his job look effortless
-Rob Trujillo is the one of the best things that ever happened to this band
-Lars is still a tool.

Great show, great crowd. Sound was amazing.

A+

Metallica.

2008-12-15T13:29:00.001-08:00

Metallica.
Originally uploaded by hiway7

So, my wife calls me this morning and tells me to go meet her outside my work. It's raining HARD outside. Man I was really worried there was some kinda problem going on. So she hands me the envelope and I get the shock of the year. Man, I have the best wife ever.

Tonight should be insane.

Road Devils BBQ 2008

2008-12-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

I'll be at Mooneyes Xmas Party this weekend

2008-12-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

Come on out.

The photography and art of J. Pidgeon

2008-12-05T02:30:00.001-08:00

restored santa & rudolph
Originally uploaded by j_pidgeon

I'm a huge fan of this guy's work. Check him out on the flickr link there, I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

On a side note; I do need to post a little more but it's been really busy lately. Hope you have an awesome holiday season.

~J

2008-11-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

Flip Video Camera

2008-11-04T00:48:00.000-08:00

I won a Flip Video Camera on Pepsistuff.com. Pretty nifty stuff, here's a vid:

Lots of pumpkins in my yard.

2008-10-29T20:16:00.001-07:00

Lots of pumpkins in my yard.
Originally uploaded by hiway7

This was one of the more fun displays we did in recent memory. I think we had over 100 pumpkins in my front yard. Many were fake and some were real. Lots of them got stolen. So I've kinda scaled back each year. This year we are going to a friend's house for Halloween. Have a safe and fun time!

New vid. New drawing.

2008-10-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

jump

2008-10-10T10:17:00.001-07:00

jump
Originally uploaded by shorty63136

Best picture on flickr today. Via the Consumerist

My favorite time of the year..

2008-10-05T22:59:00.001-07:00

PA316601
Originally uploaded by DisneyMama

I love autumn.

I love Halloween, pumpkin pie, family get-togethers and cold nights.

Warmth, family, and good times.

Devil's Grocery Getter - The Shirt

2008-09-24T09:56:00.001-07:00

new shirt
Originally uploaded by hiway7

I got it. Here is what the shirt looks like. I am not a very good model so don't expect Fabio here.

The quality is very very good, I was pretty impressed actually just as good as a screen you'd get from a full color shirt from the mall. The shirt itself is Hanes, Beefy-T, good thickness for a t-shirt and fits a little big for it's size. It's 100% cotton and should fit great when it shrinks up.

The color match is not 100% but as I understand it, I used one color that was considered "unsafe" in Photoshop and sure enough it was the one color that was off in the print. The other surprise is that the black tones in the shirt are really clean, the "blank space" was done perfectly and the centering was spot on.

I'm glad it worked out, I can stand by my vendor now. Cafepress makes quality stuff.

Available now at http://www.cafepress.com/hiway7

Aboard the USS Midway

2008-09-21T13:16:00.001-07:00

P8180086, originally uploaded by hiway7.

You know sometimes I really should take some time to decompress, look back and enjoy the places I've been. This was a pretty cool day back in August when we visited the USS Midway. I think this was one of my favorite places I've been to in the past few years.

So what's the point? Well I guess my point is that I think I want to use this space to reflect and revisit some great memories as well as share my work and thoughts.

This is a test post from flickr. Good times.

~J

New Shirts Available NOW

2008-09-15T13:24:00.001-07:00

Just in time for the holidays I bring you "The Devil's Grocery Getter" gear.

Available in all kinds of styles and formats over at Cafepress.

I know I have to find a new vendor to sell these on because I don't like that they are so expensive.

Appreciate the support though.

Inspiration to Reality - The Devil's Grocery Getter work

2008-09-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

In this post I will attempt to explain the process I went through to design my latest artwork for the Road Devils SoCal BBQ. In my few years as an amateur "artist", I have only actually completed a handful of sketches from page to color to actual print. Most of the sketches I do are one off, flights of fancy and never live beyond the initial sketch.

A month or so ago, my good friend Dale asked me to come up with some artwork for his car, "The Devil's Grocery Getter." You see Dale and I are in the historic Road Devils' Car Club. This was an epic opportunity to get a piece of artwork out there that could potentially live for a long time.

The Inspiration:

I immediately drew inspiration from the extremely cool world of Hot Wheels. There was a Hot Wheels' car that I had called "Express Lane" It is no doubt the inspiration for the finished product. My first rough sketch I had envisioned our mascot hanging on for dear life to the "grocery getter" whilst it was launching.

The Execution:

So one afternoon I sketched it out. I ended up with something that look like this.

I can't really explain this process other than to say, it's like a third eye that opens that I am able to see and draw that out. I also think I owe much of what I know about drawing to the book "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" by Stan Lee and others. I think that book to me has been a wealth of information.

The Finished Product:

After about 10 or so hours of coloring and compositing in Photoshop and illustrator (Live Trace is a Godsend.) This is the finished product:

2008-08-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

Top 5 Cars I Would Never Drive (part 1)

2008-08-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hey now. Jason here. I had this idea to post a blog that would probably look decent in print but really couldn't convey in a video. I want to review the Top 5 vehicles I would never drive. For whatever various reasons. So yah here goes.

5.) Chevrolet Aveo

Dude. There was a time a few months ago when my daily driver was in the shop and I needed a rental car fast. I was at the rental place and noticed there were about 5 cars left to choose from. So the rental dude was "Would you like to try the Chevy Aveo? It gets fantastic mileage!" I replied, "Well sir, I'm not sure where I'd put the batteries in this thing!" We both had a laugh over this thing. I'm not a small individual and me driving this would look like an Ed Roth illustration come to life.

There will be more to come. :)

New Metallica Song - "The Day That Never Comes" - First Impressions

2008-08-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

First, I suppose a little background info is in order. In 1986, I had a good buddy named Jerome that I would trade tapes with. Mostly old punk stuff and metal tapes at that time. We used to listen to everything from DRI to Dead Kennedys to Bad Brains to SOD.. and the list goes on. I had never gave Metallica a listen before I met this dude. He gave me a copy of Master of Puppets and my mind was officially blown. It was the first time I was exposed to such a polished recording but it was still heavy. The very next day I rode my bike to the local record shop (remember those?) and picked up Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning, I was hooked. For over 20 years now, I have followed in both high and low points of this band called MetallicA.

So it was with much anticipation and this almost fanboy feeling that I have looked forward to new 'Tallica. Akin to an old friend that you haven't talked to in years and you finally get a chance to see that person. Further stoking this anticipation of the new album is that "genius" producer Rick Rubin is involved.

"The Day That Never Comes," Metallica's first single from the forthcoming Death Magnetic album was unleashed upon various internets yesterday. So without getting too wordy here I guess I'll bullet point my impressions:

Metallica is back. Finally. ::tear::
This sounds almost like "Fade to Black" but way more modern.
They figured out how to get that drum sound from the Justice album. Good on them.
I love the way James sings this, but I hate the lyrics. "Love is a 4-letter word" seems way too cliche.
Rob Trujillo > Jason Newsted. Sorry.
This may have well been two separate songs, there is no cohesion from the first part of the song to the second part of the song. With that said, the second half of the song is classic Metallica.
Man I miss guitar solos, but the solos in here are good. It's good to hear Kirk and James play off each other, it was this switching that amazed me in songs like "Master of Puppets," and "One". Well it's in this song too and I'm digging it.

Overall I do believe that Death Magnetic is headed in the right direction to the Metallica of my youth. I sincerely hope we get more tracks like this.

First Post.

2008-08-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hey now. Big bad Jason here. Time to pack up and move my stuff over to Blogger. I have been on tumblr for about 6 months now and honestly tumblr pretty much fails it. I tried really hard to support their platform but found that their limited outgoing feed support, coupled with their ambiguity as a social networking site makes it difficult to do much on there. So yah I'm gonna try good old fashioned Blogger. We'll see how it goes. Thanks fer lookin.