REM RIP

So REM is calling in quits. Great run and I am sure their label is just counting the days until the Reunion Tour starts. So what better way to say farewell to a music and cultural icon than to see the artistic tributes people have made to it over the years.

First up is "Shiny Happy Michael Stipe" by AsStipetakeswing.

Done with colored pencils on notebook paper, this is surely going to be hanging on their Mom's fridge for a long time. I am just surprised that they didn't use a dose of glitter to reinforce the Shiny part. View the original and the "artist" info here.

Next is "Michael Stipe" by canneee572.

Now I will freely admit that Michael Stipe has a (to put it politely) an oddly proportioned face. However, he does not look like a frog as this "artist" imagines him. Maybe it is his fursona? Is it still a furry if it is not a mammal? View the original and the "artist" info here.

Next is another one named  "Michael Stipe", this time by Jeffica-Alice.

Did he have chinectomy? Is that poor shading or patchy shaving? And again with the red backgrounds. Do people understand how bad that looks? It's like drawing someone lying in a pool of their own blood. You get the FBI checking you out for that shit. View the original and the "artist" info here.

And now, Dear Readers, is the final and possibly the best one. Imagine Michael Stipe shirtless in outspace. Got it? Good.

This is "Michael Stipe" (again) by JesusOnTheRocks. Apparently Mr OnTheRocks things about Michael Stipes crotch, a lot. I was so taken aback by the size of the codpiece that I almost didn't notice the awkward shoulders. I know this is supposed to be done in a cartoon styling so the bizarre musculature is something I will overlook. But goddamn, look at the size of the crotch. Someone has a fixation. View the original and the "artist" info here.

Bonus - Tributes to the Glee Cast

Since Glee is returning with new episodes this week I wanted to do a quick feature of Glee Fan art. First up is "Glee- Noah Puckerman" by 201rubixcube.

I can only assume by this that in the coming season that it will be revealed that Sloth from Goonies is really his father. Original with full "artist" details found here.

Next is "That Girl From Glee..." by Seraphic79.

This is a really good example of how poor proportions can just turn a portrait into a horror show, and how bad shading can make your subject look filthy. She looks like she needs a shower, and an exterminator for whatever built that nest in her hair.Original with full "artist" details found here.

The third one is from that group of fans that want to see Puck and Kurt hook up. 

The "artist" is chocobowonder and they suggest viewing Puckert at full size so it does not look horrible. I tried that, then I tried some other sizes. I gotta say that it was not until I zoomed out so that it was the size of a gnat that it finally was not horrible to look at. This also represents the small but vital fan community that wants to see all the Glee kids as statues on Easter Island. Original with full "artist" details found here.

Next is "Moulin Kurtofsky" by Camunki. 

Most of you do not realize this, but Kurt is a serious bowler, and with a right arm like that I bet he throws a 20 pounder. The Dude would be proud. Kurofsky will be missing this season on the football squad due to whatever horrific accident mangled his arm and added all the extra extra bends and shortened it by half. And why the hell is Kurt's hat floating in front of his forehead? Original with full "artist" details found here.

Next up is Mergays by mimzythefairy. 

Kurt and Blaine as Mermaids/Mermen. I find it really not all that interesting that the most well proportioned part of this is the freakin tails. I think that this one largely speaks for itself. Original with full "artist" details found here.

And finally so that no one thinks that I have some vendetta out for Fan Art I wanted to present a piece that I actually like. 

"Glee" by daekazu is really well done. Each character is recognizable and has personality. The entire piece is really a nice homage. Original with full artist details found here.

The Owls Stole Our Bones

With Fan Art you never know what you are going to get. You can, however, count on seeing some of the most epic Art Fails when fans decide to take up pen and begin to reinterpret their favorite characters and stories. Do not get me wrong - there is a lot of quality Fan Art out there, but you have to go through a lot of this to get to it. Since Glee returns this week I am feature a piece of Glee Fan Art.

In "Adventure Time Klaine 3" by CrissCross-d we see what it might look like, through the "artists" eyes, if Kurt from Glee was distracted by penguins (that look like owls) on his way to the Candy Kingdom at McKinely High. This is one piece in a series by this "artist" as Vampire Santana, Fin and his dog Puck, and the rest of the gang adventure through what is surely a really good acid trip. I would like to re-title this one "The Owls Stole Our Bones" since
View the original and all the "artist's" other works here.