SPEEDBALL MIKE BAILEY: Rob Schamberger Newsletter 19JUN25
Say I got trouble, trouble in my eyes.
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Hi. My name's Rob Schamberger. I'm that guy who paints rasslers. And other stuff. Years gone by, I’d say we’ve kicked some ass.
WORDS
The lighting and cast shadows of this Speedball Mike Bailey painting were super fun to make. I was inspired by the lighting you’d see in prime era Technicolor movies, that sort of rich color the process did so well but still lit like a black and white movie. I then added in some Impressionist inspiration using cool colors for the shadows instead of blacks and shades of grey, creating a lush and vibrant feel to the piece.
UPCOMING AEW/PWT PRINTS
Konosuke Takeshita
Kenny Omega
Skye Blue
Kyle Fletcher
The Young Bucks
Card subject to change.
Rob’s Art on ShopAEW
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Rob and Jason Arnett's novella Rudow Can't Fail!
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Rob’s prints and shirts at Pro Wrestling Tees
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Bluesky
Cara
YouTube
ART I LIKE
Austin Briggs is one of those artists where it’s unfair how dang good he was. Expert, innovative styles across multiple mediums and all with a firm controlled hand. Because he was so talented across different visual disciplines he was not only in demand but depending on who you ask is what he’s most remembered for.
Like, he took over the Flash Gordon Sunday strips from Alex Raymond. That might not mean anything nowadays, but back then that was like being the second person to portray a major movie character such as James Bond or Batman. Comic strips were a massive form of entertainment in the 1940’s, pre-television and Flash Gordon was a top level gig. And yeah, LOOK at how good his work on it was. He’d be a top level artist TODAY.
But that’s just one chapter in his notable career! He was also an elite illustrator and painter for magazines, again a major form of entertainment pre-television and definitely pre-internet. MILLIONS of people every week saw his work and he earned that with outstanding work.
Like, look at this ink wash and grease pencil (or possibly charcoal with a wash) illustration, one of a series he did for an issue of TV Guide. Look at how natural those poses are. Look at how that midtone is used to highlight the figures, and how the items on the table in the foreground are barely rendered so as not to take attention from the story the composition is telling. Powerful, powerful stuff.
Yum Yum
FOOD, DUDE!
Monday night I did a little experiment that with some tweaking on Tuesday night was a definite success.
First, I made some vegan chorizo. Here’s what went into that:
1 pound vegan sausage
1 pound fake chicken cutlets
6 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (probably a bit more to taste level)
5 cloves minced fresh garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper (I probably did more than this. I like to coat the surface with pepper)
1 cup of my homemade stout beer vinegar. 1/3 cup of cider vinegar would work fine, too.
I warmed the vegan sausage up in some olive oil and once it was close to ready I added the cutlets as they cook a lot quicker. I added all the garlic and the spices as well as the vinegar and stirred that sumbitch up.
I then added a diced white onion, a package of baby bella mushrooms, and a diced red pepper. While those cooked down I started up a pot of lemon rice. Once the veggies were cooked down I pulled that mix off its burner. The rice finished shortly after and I poured both into a large mixing bowl and stirred them up along with a container of store-made white queso.
A bold, rich flavor although I felt like it was missing something. Maybe more queso or some sour cream, and maybe one less tablespoon of ancho chile powder. But! Then I had the idea for the leftovers (because this makes A LOT) and instead used it as a filling for baked chimichangas.
I scooped a healthy portion onto tortillas. I wrapped them up from all four sides to prevent leakage and then sprayed them with olive oil. I placed them on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and cooked them for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Once out, I poured some espinaca dip over them and YUP, that’s the way to eat it. Needed that crunch.
Yesterday morning I also had the brilliant idea to add a dollop of the mix to my breakfast burritos, bringing that rich and spicy chorizo flavor to them.
Love you more,
Rob