Rat King : First finished piece of 2013!

This work titled "Rat King" is only about 9" x 7", graphite on paper.
A Rat King is a real phenomena in which large groups of rats living together become intertwined at their tails; they almost become one living organism as they must struggle to survive, blood and feces bonding the knotted tails together. They were seen as a very bad omen, especially around the time of plague.
I am a stickler for detail, so this piece, extremely detailed in nature, took me a very long time to create.

As a child, I went to the Nutcracker ballet near the Holidays with my mother, and when I discovered what the true meaning of a "Rat King" was, I was inspired to create this piece of art.

"Rat King" by Cody Raiza

Thank for looking! I hope you like it!
Find me on InstaGram : officialcodydanger
and Society6.com at the link below

http://society6.com/CodyDanger
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'Hell Hath No Fury' at Rothick Art Haus in Anaheim

 Splendor Device is a new all female artist collective based out of Orange County and are hosting their first group show at Rothick Art Haus titled 'Hell Hath No Fury' this Saturday.
I created this small illustration called "Becoming The Wolf" specifically for the show. 

Inspired by the need to return to nature whilst fighting an inner battle of being a human, I felt the red riding hood and wolf imagery was appropriate. The illustration is colored pencil on 100 lb paper and will be displayed matted in a wood frame.
Details for the event are as follows...

"Becoming The Wolf" by Cody Raiza

Splendor Device show at Rothick Art Haus

The Doctor Is In... Dr.Sketchy That Is!

Live figure drawing can teach you important artistic fundamentals such as perspective, problem-solving, and proportion; but who would have thought it could teach you to have fun!
With Pabst cans in her hair and a pump-action shotgun at her hip, our figure model for the evening wasn't the typical voluptuous nudist that you're used to drawing in art class, but that's exactly the point! Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School is pretty unconventional, what I would call an "underground figure drawing cult," but cult in a good way, like a cult classic horror film, which has probably at one time been a theme for the late-night artists' gathering. Fun is the name of the game at the Anaheim chapter of Dr. Sketchy's which I attended one Sunday evening at Rothick Art Haus. With a charismatic master of ceremonies and even a small wet bar, they were well prepared for Rothick's guests to have a wonderful time. This was no stuffy hibby jibby art function, this was a party! With pink yard flamingos, cute girls, and drawing contests!
Although guns and booze might not be your thing, the native Texan in me felt right at home and I tuned into the house iPod while rocking out some classy figure drawings of our "trailer trash queen." I think this place will now be my home for three hours every other weekend, and if you're at all artistically inclined and live in Orange County, you should do the same.

If you don't live in California, there is hope for you yet. Started in 2005 by Illustrator Molly Crabapple, the life drawing parties have expanded to an international franchise with branches in sixteen different countries including England, Japan, and Australia; they even had a Dr. Sketchy's burlesque drawing event at SXSW this year! With a friendly environment conducive to creativity, Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School is a revolution in art education, and should be enjoyed by all willing to have a good time. You can find a location closest to you here. And you can keep up with Dr. Sketchy's Anaheim here.


I started this drawing at Rothick with the Trailer Park Queen theme and finished it with lots of little details back in the studio. Click the picture for the larger image that shows the lawn gnome holding a condom.