This is part two of last week's blog post. When I was on my last Disney trip I asked Mike to do both my first and last names on "nameplate" art- and I chose my two favorite movie genres for each one. My first name was "Star Wars" themed, and my last name "Lord of the Rings" themed!

   In case it hasn't become painfully obvious, I'm a huge "Lord of the Rings" fan. I started playing Dungeons and Dragons back in 1980 and "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" remind me of Dungeons and Dragons. 

   Anyways, back to the nameplate. I love it! Gandalf and the Balrog as the "B", Gimli and the Eye of Sauron as the "A", "Legolas" as the "K", and silhouettes of the Fellowship, a Nazgul, and the One Ring for the "E" and "R". Add in Frodo and Gollum hanging out on the fringe, and the chain for the ring weaving thru the picture and it's just one great piece of art. Mike definitely hit it out of the Park with both pieces!

   Well, that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

#lordoftherings #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #gandalf #gandalfthegrey #gandalfthewhite #balrog #gimli #gimlisonofgloin #eyeofsauron #legolas #fellowshipofthering #thetwotowers #returnoftheking #frodobaggins #frodo #gollum #smeagol #myprecious

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    I try to do a blog post every Wednesday, but I was under the weather part of last week and it completely slipped my mind until the next day. So if anyone did visit the page looking for a post last week, I'm sorry that I didn't have anything prepared.

   This week's blog is something a little different. This is a piece of personal art that Mike did for me on my last vacation to Disney World. Mike was working at the Festival of the Arts in Epcot when I got to Disney, and he was doing what I believe he calls "Nameplate art". He takes your name, and uses an art theme (of your choice) while drawing the letters. Being a big Star Wars fan, I asked him to use it as the theme. As usual, Mike blew me away! Chewbacca as the first letter "D", a Stormtrooper as the "A", crossed lightsabers as the "V", Darth Vader and the Death Star as the "i", Boba Fett as the second "D", and R2D2 and C-3PO just hanging out. I love it!

   Well, that's it for today so thanks to all for stopping by and reading. Be safe and be healthy.

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketch #sketch #chewbacca #chewy #stormtrooper #lightsabers #darthvader #vader #lordvader #sithapprentice #sithlord #deathstar #bobafett #r2d2 #c3po

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    The last member of the Fellowship, and personally one of my favorite characters: Meriadoc (Merry) Brandybuck. Merry was best friends with Pippin and also one of Frodo's closest friends, and was also Frodo's first cousin once removed. I think that the movies really shortchange Merry. In the Book, Merry is Frodo's protector after Bilbo's birthday party. He organized the Hobbits packs and ponies as they were fleeing the Shire. His shortcut thru the Old Forest put distance between them and the Nazgul. And he was seen in Rivendell studying maps and plotting their path. He even led the Hobbits revolt against Saruman in the Scouring of the Shire after the Hobbits returned to the Shire. These are just a few of the incidents that weren't included or emphasized in the movies.

   Merry was played masterfully by Dominic Monaghan in Peter Jackson's trilogy. For me, Monaghan acting shines in every scene he is in. I always joke about the final scene where Frodo is saying goodbye, how Merry looks totally heartbroken, and how Pippin has a look on his face that (to me) says "with Frodo gone that leaves more female hobbits for me" lol. I think Billy Boyd is a great actor too, but Monaghan just has a way of becoming totally engrossed in the character he plays like only the greatest actor can do. 

   So for me, I saved the best for last. Thanks to all for stopping by and reading! 

#lordoftherings #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #meriadocbrandybuck #merry #dominicmonaghan #hobbit #fellowshipofthering #thetwotowers #returnoftheking #pippin #billyboyd #gandalf #aragorn #frodobaggins #samwisegamgee #aragorn #legolas #gimli #boromir #lordelrond #bilbobaggins 

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    Card #4 and the final card in my big Duron sketch card trade. In case you haven't been following along, I was able to pick up 4 sketches for another big Michael Duron collector who has a big collection of Mike's cards from two specific Star Wars sets (2012 Galactic Files and 2013 Galactic Files Series 2). Normally I don't trade my Duron sketches, but in specific situations where a collector that I know and respects has a specific focus (either a character or set), I'm willing to trade something in my Duron collection. It also eases the pain when I get something cool by Mike in return.

   So back to this final card. Admiral Ozzel. I didn't know much about Admiral Kendal Ozzel until I did some research for this post. He's most remembered for getting telekinetically killed by Vader aboard Vader's ship- the Star Dreadnought "Executor". Before being promoted to Fleet Commander, Ozzel was being investigated by Mara Jade who believed Ozzel to be either disloyal or dim-witted. Mara Jade thought Lord Vader should keep an eye on Ozzel, and Naval Command agreed with her and promoted him to be the captain of Vader's personal ship. It appears Mara Jade was right about the dim-witted assertion, as his blunder of coming out of hyperspace too close to Hoth alerted the Rebels and allowed some of them to escape (Ghost Ben: "Luke... go to the Dagobah system..."). 

What's not to like about this sketch? Ozzel in a defiant stance. His short cap riding high on his oversized head. Those piercing blue eyes. And of course the candy corn and gum drop in the foreground as is typical of many of Mike's Sugar Boogerz sketches. Just a great sketch. 

   Well, that's all for today. You've seen the four cards that I'm trading, as soon as I get the cards in return I'll start posting them. They're coming from overseas, so not sure when that will be. Until then, thanks for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #empirestrikesback #hoth #admiralozzel #darthvader #vader #lordvader #sithapprentice #Sithlord #jamesearljones #davidprowse #marajade #lukeskywalker #jediapprentice #jedimaster #jedi #dagobah #Yoda #masteryoda #sugarboogerz 

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    Card #3 in my big trade is this beauty of Zam Wesell, the assassin hired by Jango Fett to kill Padme Amidala on Coruscant in "Attack of the Clones". Zam was a shapeshifter who could assume any humanoid form. She was pursued by Anakin and Obi-Wan who finally caught up to her in the Outlander Club. She tried to escape, but in the end she was killed by Jango. 

   Mike drew Zam in the attractive human persona that she had chosen to blend in at the club. After Jango killed her with a Kiminoan dart, Zam reverts back to her actual Clawdite form. As the other Galactic Files cards from this trade, Mike did his Sugar Boogerz style, which always includes characters with big heads, eyes set far apart, and of course candy corn and gumdrops on the card. I also like that Mike did a border on a lot of the cards from this set. 

   That's it for today so thanks to all for stopping by and reading! 

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #zamwesell #assassin #anakin #anakinskywalker #obiwan #obiwankenobi #jedimaster #jediapprentice #attackoftheclones #sugarboogerz 

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    Back to the big trade. This will be card #2 going in the trade. 

   Watto. On Tatooine, Watto was a Toydarian junk dealer in Mos Espa. He bought Anakin and his mother Shmi off one of the Hutts, and Anakin worked for him. Watto loved to gamble, and he ended up losing Anakin in a podrace bet to Qui-Gon Jinn. Anakin returned to Tatooine years later with Padme to look for his mother Shmi and found out Watto had sold her to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars. I think he is a great minor character in "The Phantom Menace", and Mike does a fantastic job drawing him in this sketch. Watto was made to be a Sugar Boogerz sketch- short and squat with wings, Mike makes his head oversized as he does with all of his Sugar Boogerz sketches, and it looks awesome. Another characteristic of his Sugar Boogerz sketches are the eyes set wide apart, and of course the candy set into the background with candy corn being Mike's favorite. Just a great sketch overall. 

   That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #watto #thephantommenace #attackoftheclones #revengeofthesith #anakinskywalker #anakin #sithlord #sithapprentice #darthvader #shmiskywalker #podrace #padmeamidala #tatooine

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    Continuing my post from last week, I'm on the verge of making a big 3 person trade between collectors who all love Mike's sketches. Last week's post featured a card that I traded, while today's post and the next 3 weeks posts will all be cards that I got in trade but won't have long- they are headed to a collector who collects Mike's sketches from two specific sets- 2012 Galactic Files and 2013 Galactic Files Series II. 

   Mike did sketches in his Sugar Boogerz style for those two sets, and today's sketch is a standout. It's from "A New Hope" and features Princess Leia in her cell with Stormtroopers looking in on her.  Leia's pointing up at one of the Stormtroopers, who is short in stature ("Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?"). I like that Leia also has a smirk on her face- that's so fitting for her attitude in that movie. The whole sketch is just drawn to perfection, from her hair to her eyes and how she's sitting and leaning on one arm. He even drew the Stormtroopers with the same split eyes as Leia. Just an awesome sketch! 

   Check back next week for card #2 from this set. Thanks to all for stopping by and reading! 

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #princessleia #leia #carriefisher #stormtroopers #lukeskywalker #anewhope 

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