Meet ‘Blake Mead,’ a darkly-topical 80s-style parody on Lake Mead close to Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — He’s form of cute, a bit of damp, smells fishy, appears to be tied up at instances, and wears cement loafers. Say hiya to “Blake Mead,” one of many unlucky characters to return from the thoughts of digital illustrator Michael Barnard.

Barnard’s “Blake Mead” drawing is after all poking darkish humor on the drought state of affairs surrounding Lake Mead. The lake’s water stage has dropped greater than 180 ft because it was full and is now 27% full by quantity. Since Could, folks have found human stays 5 instances, uncovered as a result of receding waterline. Different relics of the previous are additionally coming to gentle together with previous boats and not too long ago a handgun.

“From studying among the headlines there’s lots of attention-grabbing stuff that’s displaying up,” Barnard informed 8 Information Now. “Boats are displaying up, I’ve acquired a gun in there. I initially had like a boot and another stuff. However I solely had a lot room to attempt to preserve it in proportion to the basic playing cards.”

By tapping into present headlines Barnard has drawn-up a number of Rubbish Pail Child likenesses over time. Barnard did work with Tops, the corporate that makes the actual Rubbish Pail Children, and is aware of the type effectively.

“I’m a child of the 80s and I grew up obsessive about Rubbish Pail Children,” Barnard stated. “Lots of people which can be my age that grew up with these playing cards, they take pleasure in seeing a brand new tackle one thing that can present up within the headlines or within the information.”

Rubbish Pail Children had been so well-liked within the mid-80s that CBS Night Information even devoted an entire section to the controversy surrounding children and the cardboard’s disgusting themes.

“Blake Mead” isn’t the primary drawing Barnard has made involving information headlines. He created “Loopy Kyle” for the Storm Space 51 occasion in 2019. Extra not too long ago drew up “Mona Lith” due to the unusual monoliths being discovered across the nation in 2020.

Barnard has additionally created a number of Las Vegas-themed illustrations. He got here up with “Raulette,” a transparent tribute to Las Vegas and playing, and a disc golf Las Vegas-themed design for Disc Con.

Barnard runs his personal illustration firm, Sunburn Designs, out of his California residence. Having as soon as lived in Kingman, AZ, Barnard stated he is aware of the Lake Mead space effectively.

As for his future, he stated he’s engaged on a big undertaking he’s not allowed to say something about together with designing discs. “I’m very nostalgic to my childhood. So I do lots of stuff with Again to the Future and The Goonies, and the Gremlins, all that good things.