A look at yesteryear: Sanguine

Following in Mafus' footsteps of posting older work, kinda getting in touch with your roots, I've decided to post pages from the last comic I did many moons ago: SANGUINE. Your basic group of vampires taking over an assassins guild story. Had all these grand plans for the tale, but never went any further with it. Kinda lost my taste for it. Too many vampire tales out at the time and Anne Rice kinda killed the true vampire mythos. Oh well. Take a peep and I'll post the entire story.

The art isn't the greatest. Kinda embarassing, but everyone started somewhere, right? Plus, this gets me out of drawing something new since I've lost a little bit of the old mojo as of late. Been down since Mike passed. So enjoy some old school flavor while I await the return of creativity.

The service

Just got back from the Mike's service. It was filled with good friends, beautiful words and love for a man who touched so many without even realizing it. The world is poorer without out him, but at the same time so blessed to have had him. I'll speak a little more on it later, but I'm worn out and in desperate need of sleep after the festivities afterwards. As his father promised, it was a celebration of his life and I'm thankful they invited me.

Update: Actually I don't think I'm going to elaborate on the service any more. I couldn't do the eulogies and memories justice, so why ruin a good thing, right?

Update II: Todd Dezago over at Perhapablog has posted Mafus' moving eulogy for all those interested. Make sure you've got a box of Kleenex nearby.

Mike memories

Mafus asked friends/fans/anyone who had a special or favorite memory of Mike to write it down and post it. Here's mine:

The first time I ever met Mike he had this great 'Preacher' sketch waiting for me. He knew I was a geek and Mafus told him who my favorite character was and that was all it took, ladies and gentlemen. It's been hanging on the wall ever since in our bedroom and will continue to do so no matter where our travels lead us.

My almost-favorite Mike story...It was the day after Thanksgiving last year. Mafus had graciously invited me over again, as he had the year before, to hang out and talk geek with him and his big brother. I had to bring my copy of Halo 2 over since Mike had brought the case, but left the game at his house. It was just the three of us as their Dad was getting his car inspected and Squeeze and their Mom were out shopping. We sat down to a couple games of Halo where Mike and I hunted Mafus down like a dog. After Mafus got discouraged enough to call it quits we threw in a Hammer flick, 'Plague of Zombies,' I believe. About half an hour into the movie Mafus fell asleep as he'd gotten up butt arse early to hit Best Buy or Circuit City for cheap DVDs. Mike and I just sat and bullshitted like a couple of old drinking buddies, even though we weren't drinking, while Mafus snored away. We brought up the idea of drawing on him, but decided against it since he looked so cute sawing those slumber logs. Instead, we basically MST3K'd the flick until Mafus woke up and Mike and I continued to rip on it despite Mafus' protests. Their Dad showed up shortly thereafter and spoke of his inspection woes in his usual humorous way and I vamoosed half an hour later as Angie was very, very pregnant at the time.



I don't remember much about what Mike and I talked about because it wasn't important, world-breaking conversation. There wasn't any weight or gravity to our words. We were a couple guys yakking, laughing and having a good time. Any outsider couldn't have been able to tell who was the fanboy and who was the pro. He was the down-to-Earth professional who treated everyone like a friend. You'd feel comfortable with him whether you met him two minutes ago or ten years. A great guy. I'm glad I went to Heroes Con this year to talk to and see him. I'm just so damn sorry it was the last time.

My favorite memory of Mike, and this may not even make sense, is that he'll always be my friend Mafus' brother. I was kinda Mike's friend by default as I hold Mafus to be one of my best friends, though he may not realize it. Mike was the bonus for having such a kindred spirit as his brother for a buddy. Mafus, who's probably hurting more than anyone else out there because he didn't only lose his best friend, he lost his brother. Mafus, who always had that tinge of pride in his voice (and in his brother) when he shared an insider tidbit that Mike had told him with me. "Keep it under your hat," he'd always say and that confidence was never betrayed. Mafus, who's just as genuine, funny and talented as his brother — cut from the same cloth, if you will. Ma and Pa 'Ringo raised 'em both right. I'm the better for knowing them both and counting them among my dear friends. Mafus, who's not alone. There's a bottle of Bushmills waiting for when you get back, my friend. We've got art to do and toasts to raise in Mike's memory.

The comic world has lost one of its greats...

Mafus called me this morning to let me know that his brother Mike passed yesterday from a heart attack. Needless to say I was/still am stunned. My mind raced with thoughts like, "This can't be true? Mike's only 44. We just saw him at Heroes and he looked great." But all I could manage was, "WHAT?!" I still don't want to believe it. If only denial would make something not be true. Mike was a class act, a genuinely nice guy and one hell of an artist. He always treated me as a friend no matter how long it had been since I'd last seen him. My thoughts are with Mafus and the rest of the 'Ringo family. He will be missed and remembered. Pour some ink on the curb for our friend.

Karl Kesel, Mike's longtime inker, had this to say and since it brought tears to my eyes I thought I'd share it:

"Mike's art was about hope, not hopelessness. He drew heroes, not martyrs. And if that was wrong, thank you Mike for never being right."

Still kickin'

Sorry for the lack of posts. It's bloody August 9th and this is the first post of the month. What a crock, eh? Haven't drawn much of anything aside for thumbnails for a freelance poster project. I have written a new short story though. It had built up over the course of a couple days and Angie was gracious enough to let me go to a bar to put the tale down on paper.

Three Guinness later and the tale was fleshed out and told. Still plenty of refinement before it's totally complete, but I'm happy with the way it turned out, which wasn't how I expected it to. Always nice when your characters surprise you. Once it's complete I'll ship it around and see if there are any bites. It's been awhile since I've gotten a rejection letter and I need to add to my stack.

3rd Beach weekend come and gone

While I didn't get any drawing done (I've been in a bit of a creative slump) I did read Doug TenNapel's latest offering, BLACK CHERRY. I picked up his IRON WEST on a whim many moons ago and got hooked on his quirky style. It was later on I found out that he was the creator of EARTHWORM JIM for all you Sega Saturn (I believe) owners out there. Anyway, back to BLACK CHERRY: great art, great story (though most of his stuff seems rather religion-oriented), and great fun (I had a bit of a laughing fit from one particular sequence). Found it to be wholly inspiring stylistically as I tend to get rather anal about the crispness of lines, which usually leads to loss of energy in the drawing. Doug's quick, kinetic brush work was an epiphany and I hope to translate some of this inspiration into NOWERE this week. Been sitting idle for too long. That whole fear of failing keeping me from starting, which is bullshit on my part, so it's time for a change. If you've got eighteen extra bucks in your pocket I highly recommend BLACK CHERRY.


On a lighter note...here's a pic of the lil' beach bunny. She got to dip her toes into the Atlantic for the first time as the water wasn't too arctic (75 degrees actually), but the waves were too pounding. Felt sorry for the beach. The wind was the major problem this time round. As you can kinda tell from the pic I had to jam the umbrella so it was touching the sand. We didn't even go to the beach Sunday due to it being even windier.

Beachbound with b-day hangover

As it's been a while since I last posted and still needed to come through on that promise of posting what I'd drawn at HeroesCon for the QuickDraw here's the thumbnail for the Spidey/Venom piece I drew on Saturday's contest. Nothing fancy. The final piece was a little tighter, but now lost to the rubbish pile as I forgot to pick it up afterwards. No big loss.

My 33rd birthday has come and gone. Still reeling from all the shots that I seemed to attract yesterday, but I'm not complaining. Cards, loot and a picture of the Birkenstocks Angie would've bought had she gone shopping for me were the score. We'll see how long it takes to actually acquire the sandals as the last time she promised me something it took the better part of a year for it to finally arrive (and as a gift for another holiday). But she's cute, so she gets away with it.

Expect beach pics and hopefully some 20 minute sketches come Sunday or Monday. Peace out.

Big Lazy

No, I'm not describing my drawing habits, but a damn fine band we saw Saturday night. I first saw Big Lazy seven years ago down at Poe's Pub and was hooked. Since then I've kept me ear and eyes out incase they ever came back or out with a new album. Of course, I moved out of the area for a three year span and probably missed them once or twice, but Angie alerted me to their being here and off we went. Of course, we had a little too much fun at the show (we could only stay for half of it due to babysitters) and paid for it the next day (too much good Legend beer), but that's why Sunday is the day of rest. I implore you to give Big Lazy a listen to (www.biglazymusic.com) or drop on in next time they're playing in your neck of the woods.

I started inking that Captain piece this morning and hopefully have it finished tonight or tomorrow. I gave up on the Kirby Thor page as the paper I printed it on bleeds like a mutha if I use a Crow Quill. Oh well.

The 4th (or 37th?)

Happy 4th of July everyone. (Also, happy 37th to me lovely wife, Angie.) In keeping with the spirit of the holiday here's the Cap that I drew for the Sunday QuickDraw at Heroes Con lo those many weeks past. I meant to post it sooner (as Denis requested over at Ad Nauseum), but life and everything else keeps getting in the way. Peace out.

In lieu of a baby picture...

Since I got the afternoon off due to slow bidness I took the opportunity to get a little inking done. While I'm no Joe Sinnott I'd like to think I'm a bit above Vince Colletta. (Well, maybe not yet, but soon.)

Anyway, that's all I got for now. My 'rents are probably in town by now out at the in-laws, both eagerly awaiting the arrival of their grandchild.

In lieu of art...

Since I've been slack the past couple of days here's a picture of the littlest tenor. Lilah's discovered what the camera is and now hams it up whenever given the opportunity. This one is from her first pool party over the McManusion. (Yes, I know it's spelled funny.)

I've started more of the Kirby pencils, but haven't had any mojo to finish them. Luckily, I'm outta work early today and hope to knock out a panel or two.

Some of my Heroes score

Following in Mafus' footsteps here's my trade/hardcover spread. I may have forgot one or two, but I'm pretty sure these represent all the reading material I brought back. Plus, if I add another it throws off the symmetry, so bucket. I'll try to get the artwork up soon, too.

Shaking off the abundant rust

A little later than I would've liked to have gotten around to this, but here's one of those Kirby panels I mentioned last week. Decided I needed to start getting the brush work back into gear instead of doing a Quickdraw tonight. Only took about 30 minutes, but felt longer. Nervous I guess. Hell, how could you not be when you're inking the Great One's work? Wanna try to get another couple done over the weekend if not the whole page. We'll see though. Weddings to attend and whatnot.

I tried my hand at lettering this panel as well, but it didn't turn out like I had hoped, so I deleted it. Don't think I'm quite ready for that leap yet. But that's what computers are for, right?

Day Three of the Quickdraw

As promised I did Spider-Man for this go 'round. Put him in his black suit as it's much easier to draw at this point. Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll be able to knock out the traditional red and blue get-up, but I think I'll need a quite a few more sketches to get my old chops back.

Scored some Jamal Igle 'Firestorm' today (a trade and a back issue). Had to get check some more of the man's art out after picking up that page. Too good not to. Have to hit a couple other comic shops to see what else I can dig up.

I've got a few more pics from Heroes to post. All the previous ones were taken by Mafus' delightful wife, Squeeze. I forgot to thank her and give her her props on 'em.

Two times twenty

I'd done a 20 Min. sketch yesterday, but didn't want to lump it in with the Heroes stuff I was blabbing about. Also took care of today's sketch while Lilah was copping some Z's as she's home sick (hence, my being home). Decided on the Red Skull for the first one as Dave Johnson had done a killer version for the program. Today got the Hulk as I purchased volumes 1 and 2 of the Hulk hardcovers. Spidey will probably be tomorrow as I'll be finishing my 'Best of Spiderman' vol. 3 tonight. Hopefully I can keep this up, but it may become a bi-daily post as not to takeover the internet. That's all I got expect for a baby on the mend. Peace out.

Heroes Weren't Hard To Find

Back from Charlotte and Heroes Con. I'd say it was a rousing success. While I did spend a lot of money I don't think I have any of the buyer's remorse that Mafus over at Ad Nauseum is feeling. (His stack of trades made mine look like a mole hill. The man is insatiable when it comes to half-price trades.) I did score some very nice art in addition to my other purchases. The crown jewel being the top featured piece by Craig Rousseau of Mary Marvel. I can't wait to get it framed and hung above Lilah's crib. I also procured two regular comic pages: a Firestorm page by Jamal Igle and a Thing/She-Hulk page by Bryan Hitch. Both stellar pages that will be lovely additions to the other geek wall hangings I've got going. (I may try to post them later, too.)

Mafus and I also tried our hands at the Quickdraw contest they hold daily. He's won it a couple times before and this time round was no different. He scored a win on Sunday and got a junk box from Blueline. As he said, "The paper and box were the only thing worthwhile about the prize. I wanted another shirt." I was just happy to finish a drawing in the allotted twenty minutes. Maybe next year as I hope to start to make this exercise a daily habit.


It was also nice to go to a con and actually know one of the big dogs. Not that it gave me any status or street cred, but when you can chit chat with a pro and not feel like a fanboy because you've played Halo 2 with him and watched old Hammer films it makes the con a little more enjoyable. Maybe it's just me.


One scoop I did glean from the trip was from talking to Jim Mahfood (40oz Comics in my links). Turns out Food One is doing the relaunch ad campaign from Colt 45. I damn near shit a brick (picture to the left proves that) when he told me that. Billboards and all other kinds of creative madness will soon be out there. There's already a full-page ad in Juxtapoz magazine that I've got to hunt down. Pick up his work if you don't already.


While it was fun to get out of town and mingle with my people it's nice to be home. I'll update this post a little later with some more pics from the con, though I didn't take that many. Just wanted to get some words out on the web. That and show off Mary Marvel. Thanks to the 'Ringos and Mr. Rousseau. For a more definitive rehash of the weekend visit Mafus over at Ad Nauseum. He's got the straight dope.

These pics have also helped me decide to lose some of the chub. Damn that's nasty.

Nothing special, but it's been awhile...

Here's a quick freelance piece I did for my old creative director/boss. She own Rex & Roxy's: Adventures in Puppy Playcare down in Hotlanta. I've been her brand boy since day one and it's always fun to work on an illustration for her. I don't have to conform to anatomy or even use decent perspective. Plus, getting away from a pseudo-realistic style to something more cartoony is helpful Keeps your line and your mind loose.

I hope to get another post up before Heroes Con. Maybe some Kirby pencils I've been itching to ink...

For what it's worth...

Here's the finished inks for the previous post. Nothing special. Tried some things that didn't really work and I had a heavy hand where I shouldn't've in some spots. Oh well. Still have to do the other three panels yet and I've been dragging my heels on some freelance I've got to get done as well. Now I'm off to the beach to rescue our daughter from her grandparents, who are spoiling her rotten. (And making us look bad in the process. Not really, but it sounded good, didn't it?) Until next time.

Round 2: Rope-A-Dope

Slowly getting back into the artistic swing of things. Mainly because of the Platinum Comics contest, which I might enter, but also 'cuz I'm tired of being so damn creatively lazy. Still have three panels to go for the next Kubert assignment, which are scripted whereas this panel was pretty much a still-life. Basically, you've got to draw a frog, a brick, a fishbowl with a fish, a twig with two leaves — all on a wooden table. The rest of the assigment seems like a cake-walk with a castle on a misty Scottish moor, but odds are I'll drag my heels another week on it since my parents are rolling into town Wednesday and then we're following them to the beach for the weekend. Life always seems to get in the way of art. Looks for the inks before week's end.

Inking some Ottley...

Not that I'm saying I'm inking Ryan's work—just this pencil piece I printed out from his posts over on Kirkman's forum. I printed it out last year and just used it to play around with quills and brush markers. For some reason I decided to play it straight and ink the hell out of the drawing regardless of how I'd messed it up earlier. I don't think it turned out too bad and actually looks like Ryan's work. It was fun to do as I'm a fan of the 'Hack & Slash' series. Glad that it's been rebooted as a monthly since it was far too sporadic, much like 'Dusty Star' is. That's all I got for now. May have something more tomorrow as I'll be drawing with Mafus after we hit 'Spider-Man 3.'

It's been five years?

I was going through some old archived CDs and happened upon one labeled, "Painting '02' and I thought to myself, "Self, what the hell have you painted since then?" The answer, "Not much." I used to paint like a sonuvagun when I was living in Atlanta. It helped that I didn't have a girlfriend and pretty much kept to myself. I did a whole series of these tendril paintings—ranging from normal-sized to truck-sized and I don't have any to show for it. Most of them I gave away and some are still residing in Atlanta since they were too big to move. The last painting I did before my easel broke (at leasta year and a half ago) was one last tendril piece after Angie and I had moved. She had a piece of board that served as a desk that we didn't need anymore so I decided to break out the oil paints. (It now resides on its side in her cube at the Martin Agency, if anyone cares. Kinda like the last Truffula Tree.) The wood was heavy enough to ruin my easel, which I haven't replaced (though Angie swears she'll get me a new one). Looking at those old crappy pics of my paintings kinda stirred something in me. Maybe I'll get off my duff and do some more. After I get a new easel of course...

Back from the beach

Lilah survived her first roadtrip to the Outer Banks. It was tough going with the three hour drive and sleeping in a new place. The new bedroom was the real killer. Sounding like a full fledge banshee was trying to get some Zzzz's in the next room. The first night sucked. The second night wasn't as bad and tonight she's even still worked up though she's in the friendly confines of her own room. Ugh. Plus, packing and lugging all this crap back and forth seems to add even more time on to travel. Felt like we should've been there already when all we'd done was pack the car.

Regardless it was fun. The weather could've been a little better, but we still got down to the beach and let Lilah run some sand through her tootsies. Got to hang with some old friends we haven't seen since our wedding. Checked out their new crib, got the dirt on some other old friends and then went out for hibachi. Unfortunately, Lilah isn't a big fan of fire and loud clanging noises, which made dinner interesting. She did get to wear the chef's hat though.

Got zero drawing done. The closest I got was watching a 'Heroes' marathon on Sci-Fi and reading half of my FF Essential Vol.6. Hooked on some 'Heroes' now, too. Just in time for the season finale tomorrow. I've got the best timing...

In keeping with that last post...

...here are a few other key players from 'Nowere.' At the bottom you've got our protaganist, Jonah. Though I may change his name as there are already few Jonahs in comicdom. In the middle you've got Junior Peck and above him you've got his step-brother, Harv. Harv was imagined as Danny DeVito and the Fantastic Four's Thing's love-child. Junior is your basic hayseed looking bumpkin with a heart of gold. I hope to get a little more fleshed out on the comic this weekend as we hit the beach. It'll be Lilah's first roadtrip as well as visit to the sandy shores. The weather doesn't appear to be all the great, but we'll make the most of it regardless.

Peace out until next time.

Mafus be illin'

A good friend of mine, Mafus, aka Matt Wieringo, has started a blog of his own. (The link can be found in my sidebar.) He's been posting like a mutha as of late and has been wondering why I haven't. So to apease him and whomever else might be frequenting this blog I've gotten off me duff and posted this lovely lady—Millie. Imagine the lovechild of Yoda and Dolly Parton. She's the local pump and general store manager from my soon-to-be started/finished comic. She'll probably have more clothes on in the comic, though near the end she might resemble this rendition. If you'd like to see the uncensored version drop me a line and I might oblige.

Lesson learned

Gouache isn't the best medium to try a splatter effect with. Stick with acrylic for the best results. Regardless, here's the finished piece for the contest. Nothing fancy, but it was fun to break out the watercolors after a year. That's all I got.

Nothing fancy

Decided to actually get off me arse and do the contest. I'm sure my idea has been done already (and better) before, but I couldn't resist. What the shit though, right? Thinking about using gouache to color it. That is if my paints haven't given up the ghost. I'll try to ink it tonight or tomorrow night. Shouldn't take too long as it's pretty simple.

First panel flub

Well, here they are. Comments from the man himself I believe. (The comments and artwork on the overlay smacks of Joe's style.) I was a little leery of opening the package when it came, but aside from one mistake I made (Einstein that I am I used a brush to fill in the black spaces on the pen panel. Of course, that was the incorrect way of doing it as Joe's comment points out) I found them to be inspiring (humbling, too). Going to get cracking on the next assigment today. I've got all my reference, just gotta find the time to sketch. (Sick wife and partially sick baby might hold me up a little.)

That's all I got. Enjoy.

What do you see?

In the process of working on my next Kubert assignment, but I had a little too much fun last night at Legend. (Read: hungover.) Instead of getting a whole lot accomplished on a day off I've gotten very little done. A rewrite and this sketch. Velocity is having another contest and 'Watchmen' are the theme this time round. Everybody and their mother though I'm sure will be drawing Rorschach. I thought about drawing the big ass squid monster, but the brain and hands aren't up to their usual snuff. Hence, a quick and easy Rorschach to get the juices flowing somewhat. I might blow it up and add a background if I decide to enter the contest otherwise this'll have to stand.

Update: I got my Kubert comments back and I'll post 'em tomorrow.

Gabba gabba hey!

Couldn't resist posting this pic of our little beauty. Some good friends of ours had grabbed this onesie for us well before Lilah's birth and she finally fits into it. It's so nice to have something non-pink to put her in. (I've bought her a couple green pieces, too, but that's for another post.) Unfortunately, she'll never get to visit CBGB's, but as an old punk friend pointed out, "Her Daddy's hip enough to get her the original "Tommy" Ramones onesie." Trevor and Deniz get all the credit on that, yet I'll steal a little of it, since if I wasn't a fan, she wouldn't have gotten it.

Is it a sign of Armageddon?

Here's the finished inks for my first assignment of my Kubert course. I think I bit off a little more than I could chew with this first assigment, but what the shit. It was fun though daunting. Wish I hadn't drug my heels so bloody much with it. I should've had this done and submitted months ago. I can only blame Lilah for so much before my own laziness becomes evident. Lost my mojo is about the only excuse I have. Luckily, I'm starting to feel it come back. It might be that spring is finally back in the air. It's hard to be uninspired with the sun shining and flip-flops on your feet. Ah.

The first panel was inked with pen only (read: Crow quill and other pen nibs). The second was brush only and the third was a mix of both. I enjoyed the brush more, but still love getting funky with the Crow quill (and Cheese Whiz, too).

I have no idea how long it'll take for the critique comments to come back from Kubert's, but as soon as I get 'em I'll post 'em so everyone can get a good chuckle.

Peace out.

Embarassing her already

Couldn't resist posting this shot we took last night: Lilah in her faux fur vest. She looks like a little white version of Biggie Smalls. All she needs is a diamond encrusted bottle to complete the ensemble.

Three times a lady...

Well, I half-arsed the last panel. Decided to cut out the Fool-Killer as he always got my goat anyway. He seemed real half-arsed as a creation. Plus, inking our beloved Man-Thing will be punishment enough. Full inks to follow after a few warm-up exercises.

Second Panel complete

Awright, just finished the second panel with moments to spare before we take Lilah to see her doctor. Some kinda vaccination is on the menu today for the little lady and I'm sure she won't be too pleased about it, but it's for the greater good.

One panel to go and it's the bitch of the bunch. Hopefully I can get a good start on it today and polish it off tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

Sidenote: Angie (me wife) took the Gerber personality test and turns out she's Howard the Duck as well. Guess we really were meant for each other.

WAAUUGH!

...while I'm at it I found another personality quiz over at Steve Gerber's website. Turns out I'm:

HOWARD THE DUCK.
You view life as a cavalcade of disappointing choices. You really don't care if the glass is half-empty or half-full—chances are, somebody else has already had their mouth on it. Fortunately for your sanity, you revel in your neuroses. You take fierce pride in your ability to see the world from a perspective that, for most, would provide a credible motive for suicide.

You are highly verbal and brimming with opinions. You state them forcefully and with conviction, even when nobody asks. Your most profound frustration is that you can rarely persuade others to your point of view. You would find everyday human interaction much less irritating if you came to understand that most people aren't looking for a good reason to kill themselves.

Still working on the second panel...

I am: Arthur C. Clarke Well known for nonfiction science writing and for early promotion of the effort toward space travel, his fiction was often grand and visionary.

Which science fiction writer are you?

I happened upon this test and decided I'd share with you the science fiction writer that is me.

Joementum

Finally got around (read: time) to start on my first assignment for the Joe Kubert Inking course. Decided on a Man-Thing page that had the same basic layout as the assignment. Nothing fancy, but I figured with all the hairy/mossy swampness of the series it'd be a great place to start taxing my inking abilities. Of course once I sat down and started drawing the page I began to doubt my choice. A little rusty at the beginning, but I pulled it off the best I could. Hopefully the inks will be the top hat on this pig. Wanna try to finish penciling in the next few days, so I can ink over the weekend. Luckily, only working three to four days a week makes that goal a little more in reach.

Now with 100% more color!

Just wanted to post this real quick since the parents are here to vist their granddaughter. Mafus hooked me up with some excellent hues and hopefully we can score some comic loot off of our efforts. I'll keep you posted.

Damn, don't those colors just make the image breathe?

Finished...I reckon

I should've posted this yesterday, but was distracted as baby's will do to you. Not that happy with how things turned out. First thing I did was smear ink all over Wolverine's left hand and had to correct most of it. I think I relied too heavily on the brush when more pen was necessary. Oh well...live and learn.

Finished pencils

Just a quick one today. Polished off the pencils 45 minutes ago while the little lady was sleeping, but she'll be up and wanting her bottle momentarily. Inks to follow in a couple days.

Drowned sorrows and the FA Cup

Not much to report. Ended up drowning my sorrows a little too much yesterday as Liverpool was knocked out of the FA Cup. I did get the refined sketch done for the contest piece. You can tell what I did before the game and then afterwards. I'll post the finished pencils hopefully later today or tomorrow with the inks following shortly thereafter.

Brush Round 2

Since Lilah woke up hungry at 4 am and I couldn't get back to sleep I decided to knock out one more of the brush practice exercises. I think this one turned out a little bit better. There are some places where I wished I'd've done a nicer job, but that's why it's practice, right? Also, holding an almost 10 lbs. baby will throw your steadiness off a bit once you jump back into inking.

Gonna get to penciling the contest piece later using the poor man's light table aka the window, though it's raining today. Sunlight maybe at a minimum...

Another quicky

While we're still on the band poster bandwagon I figured I'd throw another illustration up. This was one of the first ones I'd done and in the vein of Big Daddy Roth. There's something enjoyable about drawing google-eyed freaks. I even use the color version on my resume.

I hope to post something a little more recent soon. I'm working on a Wolverine/Hulk piece for a contest over at Velocity Comics. (If you're in Richmond, give 'em a visit.) I've got the Hulk down, but need to flesh out Logan some more. Wanna try to polish it off this weekend if possible. My buddy Mafus will be coloring it for me as he did with the Invincible piece.

Short and squishy

Not much going on. Lilah's keeping my art time to a minimum and I've been using it to slowly work on some more Kubert practice pieces. Think I'm dragging my heels on them because it's the same image. Kinda craving something new, which is up to me, but not really since, it's up to Lilah. It's a viscious, ugly circle.

In the interim here's a Cthulhu I did for a friend's band poster.