Presenting the most
intimate book
of the 21st Century...
Joe Ledbetter's Sketchbook
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


A wise man once said, "Looking through an artist's sketchbook is like seeing that artist naked."

With this brand-new series of hardcover books, Nerdcore is proud to undress some of pop art's most daring and original creators, beginning with Joe Ledbetter's Sketchbook. Like never before, fans will be welcomed into the creative process, warts and all. Each of the 184 pages in this volume was hand-selected by Mr. Ledbetter from various personal sketchbooks, dating back to 2003 when his now-iconic characters like Mr. Bunny were barely-recognizable scribbles. You'll be treated to character design experiments for creatures that never were, doodles for vinyl toys that still aren't, concepts for paintings that already are, and plenty of surprise smudges just because we can. It's a new kind of artistic intimacy.






184 Pages of Lots of Stuff.


Joe Ledbetter's Sketchbook is anything but polished, featuring raw and unfiltered images from the last six years of the artist's career, including:

Rough compositions for famous paintings
Mockups for collectible vinyl toys
Illustration concepts
Logo trials
Weird ideas
To-do lists
Random phone numbers
Smudges, fingerprints, moisture rings, ink splatter, and lots of other detritus of creativity



Pre-Order Bonus!!!


100 hand silk-screened, signed and numbered 6x8 inch prints (pictured above) will be randomly inserted into pre-orders. These prints are an online exclusive and only available for customers who pre-order before September 1, 2008. Not to be missed!




About Joe Ledbetter.


Influenced by classic animation, graphic design, and daily life, Joe Ledbetter's art is... well... a lot of things. Light-hearted in its approach, he often combines cute and cuddly creatures with unfortunate - albeit humorous - situations. With a lean on the subversive and absurd, these scenarios are all too familiar, questioning our tendency of taking life (and ourselves) too seriously.

While working as a graphic apparel artist for three years, Ledbetter got involved in the LA underground art scene, beginning with group shows like Cannibal Flower. By the summer of 2004, he had honed his trademark visual style of emblematic line-work, vibrant colors, and endearing characters to the point of quitting his day job. His incredible cast of creatures have since been emblazoned on over 100 designer vinyl toys, as well as apparel and lifestyle brands, the world over. joeledbetter.com



About Nerdcore's 'Sketchbook Series.'


Partnering with some of today's most esteemed pop artists, Nerdcore's sketchbook series aims to dismantle the perceived notion that art is always pristine, because it's imperfections that are the very soul of the piece. Often times, telephone doodles or receipt scribbles are much more telling than a finished painting, which is exactly why every fingerprint, tear, smudge, and stain is left intact in each book.

Each edition is hardcover bound and ecologically friendly, printed on premium 100% recycled paper.




Yours nerdly,


The Nerdcore Crew
totallynerdcore.com