Walker profile picture

Walker

All hat and no cattle...actually I don't have a hat either.

About Me

I'm an artist and illustrator in Sacramento, California.You can see more of my artwork at BenWalkerArt.com

I grew up watching Looney Tunes, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Scooby Doo, hours of stand-up comedy, Addams Family, Andy Griffith Show....I watched a lot of TV. But I also wandered around often on my own or with my younger brother. We'd find treasures (like old 8-track tapes) in dumpsters and sell them door to door, or walk through ravines pretending we were barbarians or ninjas (yes I was that cool). As a teen I began copying drawings from comic books and quickly moved on to making my own self-published underground comics ("self-published" is another way of saying no one saw them).
During the 1990's I worked as a graphic designer for various software companies creating interactive Flash cartoons, graphic user interfaces, and other print and "on-screen" graphics. When the technology bubble burst I realized I had gotten too far from my true passion- Drawing and painting- so I enrolled at Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

I came out with a B.F.A.(Traditional animation/Illustration major) and have since moved to back Sacramento, California with my wife Andrea.

My artwork is done traditionally with good old acrylic paint, pens, pencils or whatever else I get my hands on. I also go digital when necessary for T shirts, books, illustration jobs, etc.

Check out the new indie book!
Portraits & Tales from Remington Ridge ~ a picture book by Ben Walker ~ $15See a 6 page sample (pdf)


This book is about a very unusual town in America's Old West. How so? Well for starters, the sheriff has three and a half legs, the bears have guns, and the official bird is a mosquito. Each illustrated page of this book will introduce you to a resident or visitor who made an indelible mark on this fascinating town.
This is a 48 page full-color publication.Very limited edition. Printed through Lulu.com. Orders go directly through me, so I can put my mark in it if you like.

My Interests

drawing, painting, coffee, garage sales, rollerskating -and yes, that means quads, buddy!

I'd like to meet:

Anyone who draws, paints, sculpts, makes birdhouses out of old cowboy boots, makes birdhouses out of older, larger birdhouses, publishes 'zines, turns music-toys into crazy noise makers, watches cool old movies, or likes to watch other people do any of these things.

I run a weekly alternative drawing studio called Pompsicle . If you are in the Sacramento area and like to draw from cool live models (or are one), come check it out.



I think I'm done adding bands for now. If you are interested in using my artwork for an album cover, etc. send me a message.

P.S. If your page is decorated with photos of your favorite adult film stars, please don't be offended if I pass on your add request...oh, also if everything on your page is animated and glittery and takes forever to load, sorry.





Check it out! I'm on G4! (at least my Gumby vs. Robots piece is). A nice feature on Gallery 1988's TOYS show.



Music:

Sons of the Pioneers, Bob Wills, Skip Gorman, Jimmie Rodgers, Devo, Groovie Ghoulies, Kepi The Band, Orbital, Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66, The Cramps, Blackalicious, Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Nick Cave, Beck, Pink Floyd, Beastie Boys, The Smiths, The Who, They Might Be Giants, Madness, anything with organ or theremin.

Movies:

Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Better Off Dead, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Omen II, Evil Dead II, 7 Samurai, Incredibles, Alegro Non Troppo, Napoleon Dynamite, Wet Hot American Summer, The Wanderers, Repo Man, Gangs of New York, O Brother Where Art Thou?

Television:

Ninja Warrior on G4 - Does this count as sports? If so, I've been watching a lot of sports lately...No it's on G4, I'm still a nerd. Curb your enthusiasm, Sarah Silverman Program, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Looney Tunes, Addams Family, My name is Earl, City Confidential, American Justice or anything else with Bill Curtis.

Books:

Christine by Stephen King, Naked by David Sedaris, Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, One Monster After Another by Mercer Meyer, Great Auto Races by Peter Helck, How the West was Worn, Eyewitness books- Cowboy, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Hatch Show Print

Heroes:

Frederic Remington, Peter Helck, N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Mercer Meyer, Paul Ruebens, Roy Rogers, the garbage man, whoever it is that makes it so clean, hot and cold water come out of my faucet, and everyone else who enjoys working with their hands, allowing me to have a cushy, cushy life.

My Blog

Some previous gallery shows

April 1st,  2008Gallery 1988 presents TOYS!I will be present for the opening April 1st, so come say hi and see the show.January 2008Side Show Studios - Ben Walker's Pompsicle (a.k.a Fabulous Faca...
Posted by Walker on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 09:29:00 PST

Seattle: Emerald city Comic-con

Emerald City Comic-conMay 10th & 11th, 2008Seattle, WA Friday afternoon, despite being bummed that we were missing the Kepi The Band and Kevin Seconds concert in Cesar Chavez park, we packed up a...
Posted by Walker on Tue, 06 May 2008 11:45:00 PST

Kepi - New Album art by Ben Walker

Kepi The Band - Hanging Out Kepi and Friends - American Gothic My friend Kepi (formerly of The Groovie Ghoulies) recently asked me to do the album artwork for his first solo project. With two albums c...
Posted by Walker on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:33:00 PST

Good artist friends have been plagerized

Hello art lovers,Artwork and written interviews were snagged from the website for Little Chimp Society and sold for profit as a book. The book was just published (out of Spain) and is called Colorful ...
Posted by Walker on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:39:00 PST

Wonder-con 2008, blogged for your convenience

Howdy Friends,Wondercon 2008 happened this weekend at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. This was my second time doing this con and wow, what a difference a year makes. Last year we were all the way...
Posted by Walker on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:57:00 PST

Come draw with me at Towe Auto Museum! Sacramento

I will be hosting a special guided drawing session: Art-O-Motive, March 9th, 1:00-4:00 PM at Towe Auto Museum! Anyone who is interested in drawing from live models in amazing classic cars should not m...
Posted by Walker on Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:03:00 PST

Drawing with kids - After School event

You may know I run an alternative drawing studio called Pompsicle. Every week we draw from a live model in a cool outfit or costume at Coolcat Gallery in Sacramento. In the coming months (and on)...
Posted by Walker on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:29:00 PST

Stumptown Comic Fest, Portland OR

Taking it on the RoadLast weekend was Stumptown Comic Fest in Portland, Oregon. This show reminded us of the Alternative Press Expo (APE) in San Francisco, being very much about self-published, perso...
Posted by Walker on Thu, 04 Oct 2007 04:44:00 PST

Comic-Con 2007 - Much with the walking

Comic-Con San Diego, 2007For those not familiar with this convention, Comic-con is a gathering of about 150,000 fans of comic books, movies, TV, animation, manga, art, vinyl toys, and every conceivabl...
Posted by Walker on Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:41:00 PST

In the News! My alternative drawing studio

Did you know I run a weekly drawing studio here in Sacramento? Yep, it's called Pompsicle. I round up all kinds of cool people who model in interesting outfits and we draw them! The Sacramento News ...
Posted by Walker on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:06:00 PST