Jorell Doesn't Socialize

I Yam What I Yam

2012-02-10T05:29:00.002-05:00

So a couple of months back, I got a series of texts from a friend of mine regarding a commission that he wanted me to do. It more or less went like this:

"Okay I know what I want, and it's kind of weird."

"Popeye and Bluto getting married with the slogan "I yam what I yam at the bottom of the page."

"Think you can do it?"

Uh, of course I can. AND I DID.

I took my time with this piece, working to get the layout right and to figure out how to draw the characters right. Once I did that the process went pretty smoothly. I thought about adding more characters like Olive Oyl, but decided to keep things fairly simple. I did end up deciding to make Wimpy the minister, because why not?

After I inked the piece, I used a blue wash to give it a bit of a cool, romantic atmosphere. I was pretty happy with how it turned out, but once it was done I scanned it, cleaned it up and added some more color in Photoshop, and here you go.

Guy Gardner: Reborn

2012-01-31T15:14:00.002-05:00

I don't like Guy Gardner that much. He's an asshole with a shitty costume, and I would probably rank him dead last on a list of my favorite Green Lanterns. But I was compelled to redesign him anyway after I read a comment about how it was stupid that characters like Superman and Batman got updated threads, but Guy Gardner, with his stupid vest and while gloves, did not. It's just so...80s. Anyway, he's the kind of character that doesn't like running around in tights like the rest of his contemporaries, so I gave him a simple, down to earth uniform. Jacket, boots, pants, cool sideburns. Even if he changed his look, I probably still wouldn't like Gardner, but it would be a start.

And Now, Something From The Abandoned Pile

2012-01-23T03:11:00.000-05:00

I was looking through my junk in search of some tracing paper on Sunday when I came across some old art from an abandoned project that I worked on a few years back. In 2008, I was commissioned to create a poster that would encourage Public Housing Residents who didn't speak much English to call for help in case something went wrong in their apartment (The idea being that many people are too shy or intimidated to call for help because of their apparently poor communication skills). I worked on this project for a little while, but eventually it was just...forgotten. I never even made a mock up of the final product, but I did illustrate these panels so show what kind of situations a resident might find themselves in.

Freezing to death with your family!

Freezing to death alone!

Tiny Insect Sandwiches!

Then if that stuff doesn't kill you, you're supposed to call the Service Center so you can get help.

Calamity in Carnegie

2012-01-16T15:33:00.000-05:00

I've been recently working on some changes to the first chapter of the Subway Noise series, and that includes redrawing some pages from scratch. The above image is one such page, from very early on in the story. Below you'll find the original.

As you can see with the new image, I took a more straightforward approach with the storytelling, while before I wanted to emphasize the vertigo that the main character was experiencing. As a result I think the reader can follow the action better now. Also, the new page just pops more because I didn't use a wash when I inked the page like I did with the original one. The colors are much more vibrant.

What do you think? Better? Worse? Meh? You can check out the rest of the story on our Facebook Page

Scrap-Bot...Synchronize?

2012-01-11T14:25:00.001-05:00

The trilogy is complete! The final phase of Go Robo Now's Rating Bot has been executed!

The Scrap Bot represents the worst of the worst in the world of the site. When we review a comic of game that's truly terrible, it goes on the Scrap Pile. So I wanted to make sure this phase of the Rating Bot look unsalvageable.

I spent a decent amount of time thinking about the underlying structure of this machine, especially it's head. Everything starts with the brain, sending signals throughout its mechanical spine and wires, giving it life. Once I finished it's brain, the rest was easy. I took parts of the Functional Bot, piled them together, and that was that.

Look I didn't give it's TOO much thought. Essentially this rating bot is just made of pipes, wires, and balls. But then again, aren't we all?

2012

2012-01-02T18:58:00.000-05:00

It's a new year. Which means new awesome art, right? Right?

Well fuck you then.

Anyway, 2012 should be pretty cool. I'll be working on lots of new art (like the panel shown above) including the next chapter of the De Novo saga.

Lets see what happens next.

Christmas and The Doctor

2011-12-26T03:49:00.001-05:00

2011 will be known as the year that I went completely mad for Doctor Who. I watch it, talk about it, wear it (got a Doctor Who shirt for Christmas) all the time and I CAN'T STOP. So sometimes I channel my madness into art like this.

As I type this I'm listening to a DW podcast while a DW special is playing in the background. 2012 will be the year where I try to see how far I can push my fandom before I turn into a drooling pile of blubber holding a sonic screwdriver.

Functional Bot, Finalized

2011-12-20T02:11:00.000-05:00

Finished this baby over the weekend for gorobonow.com. Originally it was going to be a completely separate design from the Optimal Bot, but Fearless Leader had the good idea to make it one robot that transforms from Scrap to functional to optimal bot. Below is an early attempt at making a functional bot, but I struggled with the concept so it go trashed. I think I had the Helper Bot from Venture Bros. in mind for it, but I didn't go anywhere.

Go, Go Spritezilla!

2011-12-12T22:50:00.002-05:00

I worked on this character design for an upcoming project at gorobonow.com over the weekend. I'll give you three guesses as to what character was my inspiration.

Soon I Will Be Invincible

2011-11-28T21:17:00.001-05:00

Project Rooftop's latest redesign contest is focused on Image Comics' popular teen hero Invincible. I decided to contribute something, despite the fact I knew next to nothing about the character or his book. To prep, I mostly just read the Wikipedia entry on him and looked at different images on deviantART one afternoon. After all that intensive research, I whipped up the design you see above.

I had a couple of ideas: One, I wanted to make him look like more of a superhero, because why not. These are superhero comics; why can't someone wear a cape and their underwear on the outside while fighting fifty foot robot monkeys? (I may have been dealing with some of my anger over the new costumes for many DC heroes, including Superman, with this design) Two, since he's apparently always getting the living shit kicked out of him (he had his intestines ripped out during one battle) I thought it would be good for Invincible to have some armor. But I wanted that armor to look kind of futuristic and sleek as well. Don't ask me how it all stays on his body. It's just Alien Magic Science.

For those interested in entering the contest, you have about two hours to do so. Good luck!

Thanksgiving and The Doctor

2011-11-24T13:46:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the 48th anniversary of Doctor Who's first episode on the BBC, and like a lot of artists I felt compelled to create some art in honor of the occasion.

So I'm a day late.

But hey, I put The Doctor in a pilgrim hat so now it doubles as a Thanksgiving piece too.

Subway Noise

2011-11-22T16:03:00.001-05:00

So, about a year ago I answered a Craigslist ad looking for an artist to work on a comic project. I was working on Avalon at the time, but I wanted to do something else that, you know, paid me. A short time later, I got a reply about the gig, and met the client to discuss the project. That project is Subway Noise.

It's about an ex-con named Oscar who uses experimental drugs to make millions for himself, but not in the way you might expect. Meanwhile, he has to contend with an old enemy from his past, as well as a long lost "family member".

This first part is up on facebook and find out more info about the origins of the story at subwaynoise.com. I'm still tweaking the art though, so please feel free to comment and critique the pages. Your feedback would help a hell of a lot. In the coming days and weeks, I will be posting updates regarding said tweaks.

Later on, I'll also be sharing more roughs and early drafts from Subway Noise, since the finished art is already out there. For now, here are some early concept sketches I did when I first started working on the book.

Opti-Bot, Optimize!!

2011-11-19T11:31:00.001-05:00

Whenever we do a review of something on gorobonow, we have to rate it either Optimal (it's great), Functional (it's alright), or Scrap (it sucks). Each rating will be represented by a robot, and this one will be for the Optimal reviews.

I originally went in a bulkier direction for the bot, favorite size over a clean design. But as I was coming up with a new sketch, I decided to change it entirely and it led to what you see now.

I'll be submitting the Functional and Scrap bots in the near future, and will post them soon after.

Go Robo Vs. The Space Armada of Death

2011-11-17T18:55:00.001-05:00

If you check out gorobonow.com you'll see this beauty atop the page. I've been working on it on and off for months now, and it wasn't until this week that I finally completed the banner. Like with most art, it went through a number of changes.

Originally, he was going to be on Earth facing off against the ships, but then I thought it would look even cooler if he was in space. After completing the lineart, I sat on the project for awhile to work on other things. When I got back to the banner a few months later, I had to shrink the size of it by half. This meant I had to take out a few spaceships so as to not clutter the piece. Each letter was supposed to have a ship, but I decided to just go with six. I wound up redrawing the whole thing in Illustrator.

After the lineart was done for the second time, I started to color it. It was at this point that I was reminded again that I tend to work dark, and that I'm the only one who can actually see the picture when I do that. Eventually I got it to a point that was acceptable.

The lettering was also an issue. I didn't really plan ahead in that sense, except that I knew I wanted the letters incorporated into the ships somehow. I eventually decided to use a similar block style as this poster.

In the end, I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I'm looking forward to drawing the mascot's further adventures in the future.

Sexy Dance

2011-11-14T23:00:00.001-05:00

A quick Illustrator piece I did today for a flyer promoting a Salsa Class.

NYCC Leftovers: The Lady Doctor

2011-11-02T03:56:00.001-04:00

Throughout last month's New York Comic Con, I saw person after person dressed like The Doctor from Doctor Who walking around the Javitz Center. Now, I love the show more than most things in life right now, but HOLY CRAP I got sick of seeing everyone dressed like the same character. It got to the point where I lost all interest in dressing like The Doctor for Halloween (I went instead as The Moody, Frustrated Artist)

HOWEVER, I did find it very cool to see women and people of all background show their love for the Time Lord. So when I got the chance to do a little sketching on the last day of the con, I quickly sketched out a gender switched Doctor

I think my original intention was to draw Amy Pond as The Eleventh Doctor, but...I don't know if you think it looks like her than it is her I guess. While talking with one of my neighbors in Artist Alley, I was inspired to do a Doctor Who themed sketchbook. I actually forgot about it until I posted this sketch, so maybe I'll get to it soon.

Or I'll forget about it entirely. Kind of like how Donna Noble can't remember her time with The Doctor. It's an idea too great to hold in a human mind.

NYCC: In Less Than 1,000 Words

2011-10-22T13:48:00.000-04:00

More or less.

I wrote about my experience at NYCC, as well as my journey to accept myself as a professional artist at gorobonow.com It's a little therapeutic, and not at all navel-gazey.

http://www.gorobonow.com/geekly-recharge-jorell-new-york-comic-con-edition/

Now that the con is over, I'm concentrating on projects both new and old. My ongoing work on De Novo is moving into the next phase. I'll be contributing to another animated short early next year with Jake, Ryan, Ludo and a new collaborator. We'll be telling the next phase of the De Novo story. Progress also continues on Avalon, and I will be starting work on a series of comic strips for Go Robo Now pretty soon as well, starring our mascot. The Never Ending Battle continues.

NYCC: The Commissions

2011-10-18T02:10:00.000-04:00

So, New York Comic Con was awesome. I had my own table in Artists Alley for the first time, and overall it was a great experience. I'll write in more detail about my time at the convention later, but for now I wanted to share some commissions I did during NYCC.

My good friend Shawn commissioned me to do these first three illustrations. He couldn't really decide what he wanted me to do exactly, so I went ahead and drew everything he suggested. I had a lot of time to work on this stuff during the con. In the last few months, I haven't had any opportunities to draw classic characters like The Hulk and Superman, so it felt really good to do this.

So, around 6:30 Saturday evening, a challenge was thrown down: draw The Juggernaut with any kind of object in less than 20 minutes. I panicked at first, but quickly composed myself and came up with this sketch, I have to say, it was pretty thrilling to have to come up with a sketch so quickly Thanks to Gavin from 4thletter.net for the challenge, and check out the site for other awesome Juggernaut sketches!

I also did a portrait of one of my neighbors in Artist Alley during the con, but I forgot to take a picture of it. It was real, I swear!

Four Days (UPDATED)

2011-10-09T16:47:00.000-04:00

Fun fact: I was up until 7am working on the layout for this.

This is a copy of the comic that I am going to be selling at New York Comic Con this week. It's a little preview of my upcoming webcomics, and I'm only selling them for 50 cents. The preview book will have character bios, story info, and artwork from both projects. Check it out! I'm gonna be at Table P3 in Artists Alley.

http://nycc11.mapyourshow.com/5_0/exhibitor_details.cfm?exhid=343979

I'm also going to be doing commissions at my table throughout the weekend. $10 for a black and white sketch, $15 for color. Just let me know what you want before or during the con, and I'll give you some hot sketch action.

Yeah so, I can't wait for the con and hopefully I'll see a lot of familiar faces there along with the new ones.

UPDATE: I'll be selling thses prints along with everything else during the weekend. $10 each!

Farewell, Old Friend

2011-09-29T05:24:00.000-04:00

I think I always knew, deep down in my heart, that this day would come. The day when we would have to say goodbye to an old friend, a friend who is probably older than most of us. I'm talking about Superman's underwear of course.

This month, The Man of Steel officially shed his red trunks in favor of a new, streamlined uniform. Goodbye tights, hello Kryptonian armor. Look for my exhaustive seven part retrospective on Superman's Red Underoos sometime in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, enjoy this homage to Superman #75.

It's Always Sunny In Avalon

2011-09-23T00:53:00.000-04:00

Hey look, a new URL! I was too lazy to build a website or hire anyone to do it, so I bought a domain from google and now you're enjoying the brand new jorellrivera.com! I almost have a real life website now!

Anyway...In the lead up to NYCC, I've been working on some new art to show off at the show. I created this piece above for stuff like business cards and postcards that will promote my upcoming webcomic Avalon: The Chosen. I wanted to do something that showcased my character style, as well as the main protagonists from the story. From right to left, we have Jonathan, Andrea, Marie, Catherine, and Cornell. In the time I've been drawing this series, I've really come to connect with these characters. When you get a chance to read the story, I hope you do as well.

But while you wait for that, why don't you check out a webcomic that's actually online? The Vitruvian Underground is comic by two really talented creators, Ramon Villalobos and Craig Cermak. Ten pages are already online, and it's pretty fucking cool. http://www.vitruvianunderground.com/craigcermak/webcomic.html

Online Robot City Convention

2011-09-10T15:39:00.002-04:00

I was so relieved to finally finish this piece. A couple of months ago, a coworker commissioned me to paint part of the NYC skyline on a fairly high wall (high meaning you have to climb on a ladder to see it at eye level) inside the Language Center we work at. Simple enough task, considering A) It was going to be in black and white, B) the skyline was gonna take up a small space, and C) I was basically copying the skyline on our website. So I spent many many Sundays (and some weeknights) teetering on a small ladder placed on a smaller desk area trying to get the lines of each building reaaaaallllly straight, only to screw it up so I had to paint and repaint and repaint certain areas again and again and again until it was right god dammit. It's not like I was up that high, but a guy of my considerable weight has to be really careful about where he stands. But thankfully I straightened out those lines, and now everyone can admire my work while I move on to other projects that won't lead me to possibly breaking my neck.

In other news, I started writing comic reviews for my friend's new Anime and Comic focused site, Go Robo Now. I'll mainly be talking about how good/terrible DC's new relaunch is, so check it out, leave nice comments, and like us on Facebook IF YOU DARE. I also designed the banner that you see at the top of the website (and, so that has that going for it too.In other, OTHER news, I will be at next month's New York Comic Con. And not just as a dazed fan wandering the crowded halls of the Javits Center. I'm (almost definitely, 99% sure) gonna have a table! Selling and giving away stuff! Like a real artist! In a place called the Webcomics Pavilion! Come by my table lavish praise upon my works! I'll give you a cookie. And probably free art.And don't forget. thedenovoproject.com. Coming soon!

I'm FINISHED!!

2011-08-19T05:22:00.005-04:00

Artwork for the De Novo webcomic is finished, and we're hoping the website will go live pretty damn soon. I'm relieved and excited this part of the project is over, but I don't have any time to rest. Right now (5:30 AM) I'm coloring another comic project because, well, who needs sleep? There's too much work to do.

Anyway, I can't wait for everyone to see the comic, but in the meantime don't forget to check out our trailer on Vimeo http://vimeo.com/26913997

DE NOVO

2011-07-30T14:30:00.005-04:00

These are exciting times. NYCC is less than three months away. The whole goddamn DCU is rebooting in September. Doctor Who is coming back in August. And my first webcomic is almost ready to debut!

De Novo, created by Jacob Lazarowitz and Ryan Somerville, is the multifaceted story of a world where all medicine has been outlawed, and the one man who is working to find the key to humanity's salvation.

The cool thing about this project is that it's not just a story, or a comic, or animation. It is, as Jake put it, a "full sensory experience." The score of the story is just as important as Jake's words, my art, or in the videos below, Ludovic JeanJean's animation.

De Novo_the trailer concert from Long Live the Gardener Prod. on Vimeo.

De Novo Web Comic Trailer from Long Live the Gardener Prod. on Vimeo.

Fun fact: I wasn't even supposed to work on the trailer, but I stepped in when Jake and Ryan needed an artist last minute.

So anyway you can see the kind of style I'm going for with this comic. When Jake pitched De Novo to me, I envisioned a cinematic style for the comic, so I wanted each part to look more like a frame from a movie instead of a panel from a comic, just in terms of presentation (I prefer to stay away from a realistic style of art)

The webcomic should be up in a few weeks, and then you can all see the results of all our hard work. Let's get excited. I know I am.

Mother's Day

2011-07-20T01:31:00.002-04:00

My mom wanted me to create a shirt design for her birthday, and this is what I came up with. She gave me the idea, with the quote and the skull design, and I did the rest.

Sketchy Stuff

2011-07-10T11:34:00.006-04:00

Different work from different projects in various states of completion.

The New Superman

2011-06-17T03:08:00.002-04:00

I don't know, I'm not totally against this redesign of Superman. It's not fundamentally different from his "classic" look, so I can't get too outraged at the change. On the other hand it just seems...unnecessary. Oh well, I'm sure he'll be back wearing red underpants again in a couple of years.

Go Robo...wait for it...NOW

2011-06-12T02:07:00.001-04:00

Last year, a friend of mine began to develop a website and webseries called "Go Robo Now!" that was dedicated to discussing anime, manga, comics, and things of that nature. I volunteered (or he asked I can't remember) to design the mascot for it.

This was a poster concept featuring said mascot that I came up with last year. The project is still in development, but I came up with a couple of pieces for the site and show.

Since it looks like Go Robo Now! is gonna launch soonish, I thought I'd post at least this illo. Think of it as a teaser of what's to come.

Let's Make Sweet Music Together

2011-06-07T13:10:00.004-04:00

After seeing this awesome Cliff Chiang piece last week http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/06/01/cliff-chiang-runs-away-and-rocks-out-with-dcs-most-iconic-heroines/ and X-Men First Class this past weekend, I got the idea to draw this Black Canary/Banshee duet.

Sidebar: How terrible is Banshee's Yellow and Green Uniform? Holy Moley it is UGLY. It hurts my eyes.

Squirrel Hitler

2011-06-05T22:27:00.001-04:00

Some Sunday sketching. If there's two things I hate, it's Squirrels, Hitler, and squirrels.

The Rude Flasher

2011-05-22T16:38:00.002-04:00

The result of a (rather silly) conversation between my friend Raheem and I. One minute we're talking about Flashpoint, the next I'm drawing a fat dude ready to show his goods to anyone. I think he'll be my newest superhero.

Paul F. Tompkins?

2011-05-18T00:16:00.002-04:00

Or Mark Twain? YOU DECIDE.

Just something I sketched this past weekend in preparation for another project that I plan to tackle in the future.

Happy Birthday Superman

2011-05-04T00:57:00.001-04:00

You fucking asshole.

Abe and the Doctor

2011-04-24T23:31:00.002-04:00

I didn't really plan on drawing the Doctor. It just...happened. I really just wanted to draw Abraham Lincoln pissed off and with one eye.

I have this Five Dollar bill where Lincoln's left eye has been clipped out. Totally random, and kinda cool looking. I've had it for a couple of weeks and I still haven't spent it. Anyway, it kinda inspired me to sketch out a version of his where he's super gruff and angry. After that, my mind drifted to thoughts about Doctor Who, as it tends to do a lot lately.

I've also been meaning to draw the Doctor for awhile. I think Matt Smith has a very fun face to draw, as he has a lot of exaggerated features. Big nose! Big hair! Big ears! big chin! Tiny eyes! And to think I thought he was ugly when I first saw him.

Grr!

The Monster Society of Justice

2011-04-18T00:54:00.000-04:00

Frankenstein! Swamp Thing! Simon Dark! Yeti! Man-Bat! Some of the DCU's strangest characters together on one team!!

I was watching Brave and the Bold last week with the Marvel Family and the Monster Society of Evil. I made an off handed comment about how there was never a Monster Society of Good (Or is there? Does anyone know for sure?) so today I sketched out what would be my version of that team.

Sadface

2011-04-16T21:49:00.000-04:00

Another panel from Avalon: The Chosen.

I found god, but then he tried to eat me

2011-03-31T22:53:00.001-04:00

I was recently approached to contribute an illustration for a book on zombie culture. He's including images of famous zombies from throughout history, and I decided to the infected priest from 28 Days Later. Full disclosure: I've never seen 28 Days Later.

Targeted For Eradication

2010-08-27T03:13:00.000-04:00

I had a flash of inspiration this afternoon, and this night/morning, I saw it through. I'm a huge fan of both The Eradicator and The Terminator, so bringing both concepts together was long overdue.

New Cap

2010-08-02T00:21:00.000-04:00

And now, for my monthly posting.

Project Rooftop's Latest contest asks artists to redesign The Sentinel of Liberty himself, Captain America. Now, it's been too long since I submitted anything to their site, so I came up with my own take on Bucky Barnes' version of Cap. I guess I settled on "Futuristic Secret Agent".

Yeah, Steve Rogers has a similar thing going on now, but, you know, shut up.

Who's Bad? Wonder Woman's Bad.

2010-07-02T15:29:00.001-04:00

The first thing I thought when I saw the new Wonder Woman was : "Noooooooooooooooooooo!!"

The second thing was "It makes me think of Michael Jackson on the 'Bad' album cover."

Over the last couple of days, I've watched numerous artists take a crack at Wonder Woman's new outfit. It didn't take long for me to get the urge to do so as well.

Flash Process

2010-06-28T01:21:00.001-04:00

I turned on ESPN this afternoon, and they were airing a Track & Field special. Watching the athletes warm up got me thinking it would be cool to draw The Flash stretching before he runs. Something a little different from the usual way the Flash is drawn.

But as I finished my first sketch of Barry Allen, I decided I wanted to draw him a little differently. Not as conventional looking I guess. So I redrew him. And redrew him. And that's what you're looking at now. The first sketch is on the far left, and the last on in the foreground in full color.

Conan

2010-06-09T01:41:00.002-04:00

I saw Conan O Brien at Radio City last week, and I came up with this design for a t-shirt I was gonna wear to the show. I wound up not making the shirt, and just buying the merch they were selling.

I Like Painting. Just Not With Paint.

2010-05-17T02:27:00.002-04:00

This is the first acrylic painting I completed in about a year. My mom asked me to paint this for her office. She's the only person who will hire me.

Shit I Drew at Work: Cyborg Green Lantern

2010-04-20T18:29:00.001-04:00

Something I did over the weekend using a pencil, whiteout and a sharpie. Looking at the books DC is putting out in July, it really struck me how the Cyborg Superman has become a Green Lantern villain the last few years. I mean, jeez he should just change his look already.

Shit I Drew At Work: The Frightly News

2010-04-20T04:02:00.003-04:00

Cheated a bit with this one, as I did the lettering in Illustrator. I should have done it by hand, as it would have looked just as shitty anyway.

Boston: An Illustrated Look Back

2010-04-18T18:36:00.002-04:00

Some choice sketches from my recent trip to Boston.

Andrea

2010-04-08T13:21:00.003-04:00

This is Andrea. She goes to high school. Hobbies include reading, studying, and being sucked into other realities unwillingly. She's one of the stars of my upcoming webcomic Avalon: The Chosen. When is it coming out? Fuck if I know.

The Swish Hawk

2010-03-29T00:49:00.002-04:00

The logo for my Fantasy Baseball team. I named my team (Swish Hawks) after the mythical creature of the same name, whose habitat is rumored to be around The Bronx.

"A lone figure on top of a hill is watching the massacre unfold..."

2010-03-28T21:15:00.002-04:00

Greg made me do a new teaser. He said he would beat me if I didn't.

Deliver Me From Tax Evil

2010-03-27T17:33:00.002-04:00

As I prepared to do my taxes earlier this week, I thought about what hell awaited me. Last year, it took me six hours from the time I got on line to when I stepped out from the makeshift office the Food Bank was using for their operation. It fucking sucked, but this time I knew what to expect.

But then, as I approached my destination, the clouds parted, and GOD HIMSELF came down from the heavens. In all his majestic glory, he approached me and spoketh:

"Hey man, there's this church up on Northern Blvd. that's doing free tax prep, and it's pretty empty right now. You should check it out."

And I did. And it was glorious.

I was done in less than two hours, and I got to go home and sleep for a couple of hours before work.

The sketches above were done while I waited for accountants to come and open up. FOR GOD.

And I'm not talking about Health Care Reform

2010-03-23T12:58:00.001-04:00

Although Drackon Le Muerte does offer a nice Insurance plan. With dental!

Shadows Fall. Shadows Strike.

2010-03-22T00:13:00.001-04:00

A little something from my upcoming webcomic. More to come.

Shit I Drew At Work: Wake and Bake

2010-03-09T00:25:00.001-05:00

Eh?

Eh?

Eh.

Superman: Remodeled

2010-03-06T17:54:00.001-05:00

I can never turn down a challenge to draw Superman. The latest challenge came courtesy of Warren Ellis on his website: http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7801&page=1

"For a few weeks, we're going to try something a little different in the REMAKE/REMODEL space.

Usual REMAKE/REMODEL rules apply:

No pen-portraits. This is ART ONLY. Posting just a bunch of text, or a scribble and a vast number of words, will get the thread closed and your account banned.

NO MORE PHOTO-MANIPULATION "art". I'll just delete them. People have been drenching recent threads with several pieces at a time that they've knocked out in photoshop in 2 minutes with no thought at all. I consider this to be taking the piss now.

No more than TWO submissions by any one person in any one REMAKE/REMODEL.

So here's the deal:

You are an artist/designer. You have to put together the cover for a comic called SUPERMAN. It is issue 1 of this book.

You have been told that Superman is a man who dresses predominantly in a shade of blue, and wears a red S symbol. You know nothing else about the character.

The cover must include a logo and the text THE COMPLETE STORY OF THE DARING EXPLOITS OF THE ONE AND ONLY SUPERMAN.

And that's it.

It's up to you what kind of company you're at. What kind of comics you make. How you translate that description of Superman. What era you're in. Who you are, even. Go nuts with it.

You have one week. Go.

-- W "

You could literally do whatever you want, and that's exactly what I did.

The Shape of Things To Come

2010-03-06T13:52:00.002-05:00

Shit I Drew At Work: I'm Trying To Eat and She Looks At Me!

2010-02-27T21:15:00.004-05:00

Ever since LOGO started showing Buffy The Vampire Slayer earlier this year, I've been catching up on the series that I once loved. And one of the things I've remembered is that The Master was a pretty nasty villain. Even though he spent most of Season 1 in the Hellmouth, he eventually killed The Slayer when he finally got out. Not to mention he enslaved Sunnydale in "The Wish". The Master is a classy, old school baddie. Oh, and if he's drinking your blood, have some decency and don't look at him while he's doing it.

Supergirls

2010-02-23T21:53:00.002-05:00

After finishing my Superboys piece, I thought it would be cool to do a version with some of the female members of the Superman Family.

How I Spent My Valentines Day

2010-02-15T17:57:00.004-05:00

Sitting in a bar.

I wanted to try using washes again with my sketches, but I don't think I pushed it as far as I could have. It was a lot darker in the place than my sketch makes it out to be, but I kinda liked the smoky feel of the pieces.

This Week In Life Drawing

2010-02-06T17:10:00.002-05:00

I'm getting back into the habit of carrying my sketchbook around and drawing everywhere again. This mostly consists of sketching people on the subway on my way to work.

Except the first one.

I think that people in general don't want any confrontation on the train, so even if they know you're drawing them they'll ignore you until you go away.

Subway Sketching

2010-01-29T22:51:00.002-05:00

I always feel a little weird drawing people in public. Like I should be wearing a long trenchcoat and breathing heavily while doing it.

Shit I Drew At Work: Beware My Power, Green Lantern's Light!!

2010-01-27T14:11:00.002-05:00

I just got my internet connection back after a fews days living with a dead modem. I missed you, internet porn!!

We had this green paper sitting around at work, so I thought it would be perfect to draw Green Lantern...s.

Shit I Drew At Work: Waiting

2010-01-21T21:10:00.002-05:00

At my job, people are always waiting for something. It can be for a phone call, or for the elevator to take them downstairs. I see people waiting for an appointment with a staff member, or for a friend to come out of class. I see these people all the time, and sometimes I draw them while they're not looking.

Superman's Pal: Covered

2010-01-19T20:54:00.003-05:00

This piece was a submission for the website Covered [link] It's a really cool site where artists can submit their versions of Comic book covers. You can pretty much do anything that isn't x-rated. Anyway, a friend suggested I contribute something, so I covered Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #115 [link]

But it was rejected. Which is fine. It happens. I had fun working on it, and I might try again in the future. There's no shortage of bizarre Superman covers to homage.

The Many Faces of Conan O'Brien

2010-01-14T22:19:00.003-05:00

For the last couple of nights, I've taken out my book and did a little sketching of the Cone Bone. He has some very distinct features, and not just his hair. After all, who knows how long he'll be on television at this point? Some reports say about a week.

Go Team Conan!

Superboys

2010-01-11T14:18:00.004-05:00

Been wanting to draw these characters for awhile. I mean, I always want to draw Superman characters. Here's Superboy, Chris Kent, and Mon-El, three heroes who have been trying to protect Superman's legacy on Earth while he's been playing Kryptonian Cop on the other side of the universe.

Not much to say about this one. I did the original sketch at 2 in the morning, and I wanted to work out a sketchier coloring style. Sketch sketch sketch. Sketch.

The Anatomy Lesson, Part Three: Black and White. Then Red.

2010-01-08T14:15:00.006-05:00

The final product ended up being a little different than what I originally intended it to be. I'll demonstrate that by showing how the last page of the story evolved.

One of the things I wanted to do is gradually increase the use of blacks in the story, and the final page would be the culmination of that.

Except.

I also wanted to clearly mark the different between the past and the present of the story as well, and the heavy use of blacks canceled that out. I didn't think the reader would be able to see clearly what time period the action takes place. Also, Greg couldn't tell what was going on in half the panels. So I did this:

So, I thought that was cool, until Greg emailed me this:
A happy accident, I suppose. Looks cool to me, so we went with it. The red represents The Shredder's rage!!

The Anatomy Lesson, Part Two: Pencils

2010-01-07T01:43:00.004-05:00

Yeah, you ready for some hot late night blogging? Uh-huh, I know you are.

So, where was I. Okay, the pencils.

Page 1: My original sketches had the action more centered and straight forward, but I wanted to try not to do that when it came time to actually pencil the story. So I did 3 of the first four panels from a 3/4ths angle and gradually shifted the action from the right side to the left side throughout the page. When I was in college, my professors would tell us to basically keep things interesting. Don't center everything, don't use the same angles. So even if I sketch out a scene in the thumbnails, I'm always thinking of ways to make it look better. There's no reason to keep the drawings the same at every stage if they can improve.

I took a lot of pictures for reference, most of them consisting of me posing in various positions, sometimes shirtless (calm down). I also keep an old Spider-Man figure on my desk for reference because it has a lot of points of articulation. Anything I can't do, plastic Peter Parker can.

Page 2: Pretty much the same as the thumbnails, composition wise. And I think I was subconsciously channeling the look of Joan from Mad Men when I drew Tang Shen.
Page 3: I hate this page. I like the third panel though. Not enough detail for my liking.
Page 4: Better. I thought it would be cool to symbolize Saki's ascension in the ranks of The Foot Clan by arranging the panels to look like the Foot Clan Symbol. I just wondered if the first five panels were too small. I also don't know if I did a good job showing Saki's transition from a kid to an adult. He's like a kid in those first 3 panels, then boom! Adult. I did like the last panel a lot, but apparently I made Saki look like a rapist, so I adjusted it later on.
Page 5: Loved this page because I got to draw the city for a panel.

Overall, I just want to make the linework look solid. I also want to keep it fairly simple since I'm not working with anyone else on the art. I don't have to really mark where there are going to be solid blacks, or other details like that. I'm gonna do the real work in Photoshop anyway.

The Anatomy Lesson, Part One: Thumbnails

2010-01-05T03:33:00.004-05:00

Greetings, imaginary readers! I'd thought I would kick the year off with a look inside what I like to call my "process".

A couple of months ago, my friend Greg Novak asked me to collaborate with him on a story that detailed the origin of TMNT baddie Shredder. The story is called "Honor Bound". Since I was a huge Ninja Turtle fan as a kid (and because I can't say no to people), I agreed to draw the five page script. Yeah, that's right. It took me two months to draw a five page story. Hear that, potential employers? I am...dedicated?

So, first things first: thumbnails. No, wait, that's not first. First I read the script. I read the script, and I try to visualize what the page is going to look like. I figure out how I can tell the story visually in the best way possible. I see if there's a big moment that I can draw out of the story that I can emphasize on the page. Shit like that.

Another thing I do early on (sometimes) is look at reference. Since "Honor Bound" takes place between the margins of the very first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I read that story and downloaded relevant material from the book. I tried to stay faithful to the original character designs, and even drew my versions of certain scenes (such as the final panel of the story and the funeral scene) that were in the original story when the script called for it. Thankfully, the issue is available to read for free online, so that part was easy. It was pretty cool paying homage like that.

Sometimes I draw thumbnails in my sketchbook, but in this case I drew these at work. I rarely have anything better to do there.

Page 1: I'm a big fan of the widescreen format, so I like using those types of panels from time to time. The beginning of the story is pretty straightforward, so I thought six page wide panels would look good. The story starts in the present day (well actually, right before TMNT #1) and shifts into the past. Things start out well for the young Oroku Saki, training with his older brother in Japan.

Page 2: The story begins to turn here, from the cheery opening to the beginning of the darkness creeping into Saki's life. I wanted to focus somewhat on the appearance of the love interest of Saki's older brother because she's the one who is blamed by Saki for what happens to his brother. The last panel is a bit of a cliffhanger, as the reader doesn't know who entered. I also wanted to emphasize Saki's wide smile, because it's going to be the last time he'll be truly happy.

Page 3: Probably the page I had the biggest problem with. Couldn't really figure how to lay the page out, so I went with something simple. A lot of the time, if I have a problem with thumbnails, I'll wait until I start the final pencils to fix it. Saki begins to turn to the darkside (couldn't think of a better way to phrase that. Thank god for cliches)

Page 4: This page changed the most from beginning to end. The drawings themselves didn't change, but I thought of a more interesting layout while working on the final pencils for the early pages of the story. I think most of my artwork changes from conception to completion. I always want to think of ways to improve my art, even in the middle of creating it.

And the finale. Saki becomes The Shredder, and prepares to fight the Turtles. In the end, this was probably my favorite page to draw. It's the payoff to the entire story, and I got to draw the Shredder as he was first born.

Next time: Final Pencils! Fun.

Shit I Drew At Work: Stalking Japanese Women

2009-12-05T00:22:00.002-05:00

The other day, this woman walked into the Center looking to become a member. She seemed lonely, and a little lost. She looked like she needed a friend. I wanted to reach out to her, talk to her, tell her she's not alone in this dark world.

I decided not to do that, instead I secretly sketched her from my desk nearby.

The other day, this woman walked into the Center looking to become a member. She seemed lonely, and a little lost. She looked like she needed a friend. I wanted to reach out to her, talk to her, tell her she's not alone in this dark world.

I decided not to do that, instead I secretly sketched her from afar.

Shit I Drew At Work: Shredder Wants to Rock

2009-12-02T14:35:00.002-05:00

ROCK!!!

At the beginning of the day, I couldnt' think of anything to draw. By the end, I had a few ideas for a Flash piece that I want to do one of these days. Drawing The Fastest Man Alive is a ton of fun, and I like thinking of new ways to depict him running. I think Scott Kolins does a great job doing just that. He's gotta be one of the Flash artists of all time. Not to mention he has one of the best costumes in comics.

I've been working on some Shredder stuff recently as well, so I was in the mood to sketch him quickly. As well all know, he's a big metal head. He saw Rob Zombie at the Hammerstein Ballroom last night, and thought it was awesome. He maimed a few people while moshing in the pit, but it's all good.

Shit I Drew At Work: Thanksgiving Edition

2009-11-26T02:27:00.001-05:00

Work is boring. So what am I to do when there's nothing to do, and I get tired of checking my facebook every five minutes? (Ha ha, I'm just kidding I never get tired of that.)

Draw, goddamnit.

Luckily there are plenty of notepads to be found around the office.

The Hardest Things To Say Are The Words That Mean The Most

2009-11-11T19:33:00.003-05:00

It's also hard to hear those things as well. As an artist, it's critical to receive constructive criticism, yet at the same time it's always a blow to the ego to find out that I'm not the superstar I think I am. Today I received two pieces of news concerning contests that I entered in recently. The first was from Viper Comics, thanking me for entering in their talent search this past summer and to tell me I didn't win (which I knew because they already announced the winners awhile ago). It was more of a form letter than something specifically addressed to me, but I appreciated it because I never got that much from other companies I submitted art to. All I can do is continue working and wait for the next opportunity to prove myself.

The next was from Comics Buyers Guide, who recently held a cover contest. I was surprised that the finalists were chosen so quickly, and unfortunately I wasn't one of them. The final covers were pretty damn good. This was what I brought to the table:

I had a lot of fun working on this one, but I almost got lost in rendering the buildings. I had to keep reminding myself that I have to focus on the whole picture, and not just one piece. You tell me how successful I was. Then again, CBG's decision might have told me already.

A Green Halloween

2009-10-31T16:58:00.003-04:00

A quick sketch I finished last night. Happy Halloween everyone.

I'm Very Serious About Playoff Baseball

2009-10-28T02:25:00.002-04:00

Super, Duper Serial.

Goddamn it feels good that the Yanks are back in The Series.

Grr!

2009-10-15T00:36:00.002-04:00

He's just angry the Red Sox were eliminated from the playoffs. As for me? GO YANKEES!!!!!!!!

Okay, here's the deal. Current Batman and Robin Phillip Tan does this thing where he posts pieces of artwork that tease an upcoming project of his. I decided to shamelessly rip that off by doing the same thing. The above panel is from a project that I'm working right now and that will be completed in an indeterminate point in the future. What is it exactly? I don't want to say. I'll be posting updates every week/two weeks/whenever the fuck I feel like it.

It's Sunday. Here's a Severed Head To Look At

2009-10-04T14:35:00.001-04:00

A little piece of artwork from an upcoming project of mine.

And Now, For a Little Shameless Self-Promotion

2009-09-22T15:27:00.002-04:00

For the last year, I've been working on and off on a project titled "Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated". Since our official website ( http://www.notldr.com/next/main.html ) can describe the project better than I, I'll just quote straight from it (I feel like I've done this before)

Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated is a mass collaborative artistic re-envisioning of George A. Romero's 1968 cult classic, Night of the Living Dead.

International artists and animators were invited to select scenes from the film and reinvent them through their artwork.

Open to all styles, media and processes the results ran the gamut with scenes created in everything from puppet theater to CGI, hand drawn animation to flash, and oil paintings to tattoos.

Anyway, the movie is having it's Northeast US Premiere on October 10th, and it's open to the public. Also, did I mention the screening is free? If you're on facebook, you can add yourself to the guest list.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=153500870978&index=1

East Coast Premiere of NOTLD:R
Hosted by SFSNNJ
( http://www.sfsnnj.com/ftfZombieEncounter.html )

Join us and the SFSNNJ for the Northeastern US Premiere screening of Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated.

Attending this screening will be Mike Schneider (organizer/ curator of NOTLD:R), Rob Hauschild and Peter Gutierrez (Wild Eye Releasing), and a number of the NOTLD:R artists.

Following the screening, there will be a zombie panel featuring Brian Keene, Jonathan Maberry, and other acclaimed horror authors.

This is a free event and open to the public.

*It's also easily accessible via New Jersey Transit trains to the Ramsey Main Street station (click on the Google Map and you'll see the three-block walk). From NYC it's on the Suffern-Pt. Jervis line via Secaucus Junction from Penn.

I hope to see you there.

- Mike Schneider
Organizer/ Curator of NOTLD:R
http://www.notldr.com

The screening will be held at The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Ramsey, NJ (55 Wyckoff Ave.. It's about an hour away from NYC by train.

See you there. Whoever you are.

Eureka!

2009-09-18T19:58:00.005-04:00

Sometimes, no matter what I do, a drawing or painting doesn't look right to me. I might get some details right, but the overall piece looks off. That's the problem I faced with my latest illustration, a Wonder Woman piece.

It started out fine. Actually, I wasn't even going to finish this sketch, because it was too similar to the type of poses and angles I've used in the past. But I couldn't draw anything any better, so I just went with this one. It was too good to leave unfinished.

I really wanted to emphasize the warrior side of her, and load her up with weapons. I probably could have thrown in a spear somewhere.

Some people criticize Wonder Woman's costume, because it looks like a bikini unbefitting of someone of her stature. I look at it like this: She's Wonder Woman, and she can wear whatever the hell she wants. Besides, her uniform is iconic. Having said that I make a couple of changes. I tied her hair up (she can use her ponytail as a weapon!), and I made her boots look a little more like combat boots. Just because.

Anyway...I was having trouble with this. I wanted Wonder Woman to be back lit, so I used purples and pinks for the skin. But it wasn't looking right. Then I thought: go darker! So I raised the opacity of the dark purple I was using to color the face, and it clicked.

The trouble was that I was being too timid when coloring this. One good piece of advice I got from a professor a few years back was to be aggressive. Don't be afraid to use a certain color, or draw a line a certain way, because what's the worse that could happen? You start over? You erase it? Meh.

What Would You Do If You Knew The World Was Going To End?

2009-09-15T19:18:00.005-04:00

Would you spend every moment with the people you loved? Make amends for past sins? Or would you kill, pillage, maim, and rape your way to the end? It's not like it matters, right?

"And We're Still Alive" was a four page story I worked on over the summer with NOLTD:R curator Mike Schneider. We submitted it to an Anthology book, but it was not selected.

The lineart was done by hand, in pencil (using 2b lead) on 11X17 bristol board. Everything else was done in photoshop. I've been working straight from my penciled work for a little while now, and it has it's good things and bad. The bad is that when I scan my work in, the lineart comes out faded in some areas. So, I have to spend time reinforcing the linework before I can really start to render the artwork. Then again, that happens even when I ink my work.

Oh, the good. It's just easier to work in pencil for me.

So once I finished the artwork, I separated all of the panels so that Mike could create the final layout (that was a pain in the ass). It didn't seem feasible to draw each panel separately at first, so I drew each page according to my original layouts. Anyway, Mike did the rest of the work with the lettering (and quickly I might add)

Even though our work wasn't selected, I'm not really dissapointed. It's just another piece that goes towards my experience as an illustrator.

From the Deepest and Darkest Depths of My Closet...

2009-09-14T17:57:00.004-04:00

So I was digging around my closet last week, looking for some artwork to send to potential employers. While I didn't find as much stuff as I would have liked (I did find a lot of shitty art from my freshman year of college) I found three sketches that didn't completely suck.

All of these were done during my final semester at FIT. I had fun doing these because it was a break from all of the projects I had to do at that time. I, and my classmates, were just able to chill out and draw.

Old Wounds Never Heal

2009-09-11T13:32:00.005-04:00

The third in "The Retired" series. I took a different approach when creating the art for this. Usually, I'll just draw both panels on one 11X17 board, ink it and finish it up in photoshop. This time around, I drew each element of the story (the setting, the characters before and after) separately.

The third in "The Retired" series. I took a different approach when creating the art for this. Usually, I'll just draw both panels on one 11X17 board, ink it and finish it up in photoshop. This time around, I drew each element of the story (the setting, the characters before and after) separately.

First I drew the background in my sketchbook, and then I put a piece of tracing paper over it, and drew the characters in the first panel. Then I traced over the characters again on another piece of tracing paper. Mike wanted the three elderly men to have the same poses in both panels, so I thought tracing them would be the best way to ensure that.

After all that, I scanned everything into photoshop, where I assembled the two panels. I kept everything on separate layers, so I could work on the different elements one at a time, and so that if I messed up I could go back and start over if necessary.

This was a more deliberate process than what I normally do, but since I had the time I thought it would be worth it

Victory!

2009-09-02T00:47:00.002-04:00

I just finished this cover for fan fiction site DC2. I went back and forth between hand inking this drawing, and doing it in illustrator. Eventually, I decided to try it digitally and I didn't hate it. But from now on, I want to try working straight from my pencils.

Cold City

2009-08-24T19:14:00.006-04:00

This is a two page spread from another round of submissions I completed a couple of weeks back. It's a combo of washes, black India ink, and micron pens. Then I scanned it into photoshop and adjusted the saturation levels to get rid of the blueline, and used the curves too to make it the darks really dark and the lights really light (those are technical terms)

The story is a period piece that took place in London and Berlin in 1989 (Can you call a story that's set 20 years ago a period piece?) So I did my research when it came to the settings, ehhh not so much with the clothes and cars. I'm lazy!

Now that I look at this, I realize I should have colored the sky on the right black. #%^#%#**#(@$@balls!!!

Courtney Whitmore

2009-08-18T15:45:00.003-04:00

The JSA's Stargirl. This was a pretty quick sketch I did in the middle of the night. I just wanted to keep it simple.

All Bark and No Bite

2009-08-13T19:17:00.002-04:00

The Zombie madness continues.

"Jazz & Sketch Half Naked Chicks Night" at the Society

2009-08-01T00:02:00.000-04:00

Last night, I made my way down to the Society of Illustrators here in NYC for their weekly Jazz and Sketch Night, where people sit around and draw models while a band plays live Jazz. Pretty cool shit. A lot of my former classmates were there as well, so that was a nice bonus. Anyway, here are some of the sketches I completed.

Tracker

2009-07-27T01:14:00.003-04:00

This is the first page of a five page story I drew from Viper Comics' Talent Search. I was relieved to finish it, mostly because it meant that I could move on to other projects that I was neglecting. The script was pretty specific about layouts, so that made things a little easier for me. On the other hand, the character designs were open to interpretation, so I had to handle that end of the story. I was so concerned with getting the drawings the way I wanted that I more or less neglected to give the title character a distinct look.

He's the dude on the floor dying. Ah well, I just have to keep working.

Wonder Twin Powers...ACTIVATE!!!

2009-07-17T01:51:00.003-04:00

For ComicBloc's monthly Art Contest.

The Retired

2009-07-15T00:21:00.004-04:00

This right here is a one page comic I worked on with Night of The Living Dead:Reanimated mastermind Mike Schneider.

Well, what do you mean you haven't heard of NOTLD:R? The hell is wrong with you? Check the site. It's awesome. And (full disclosure) I'm a part of it.

Anyway...This comic. It's for the print launch of Revenant Magazine. Whether or not it actually gets in the issue is up to the guys at the mag, but it'd be cool if it did...

This took a couple of days to put together. Mike and I worked on the layout first. When that was settled, I drew the final layout in blueline on a 11X17 comic board. Then I inked they layouts traditionally with black india ink and micron pens (for smaller figures and finer details). After that I scanned it into photoshop and added a lot of greytones. Mike lettered the page and added the grey outside the panels. So there you go.

Hat Trick

2009-07-11T00:51:00.003-04:00

This is a page from a submission I recently completed for Outlaw Comics' International Artists Search. I penciled a five page story called "Hat Trick" that was provided by the publisher for the contest. This is probably my favorite page because it had the great money shot of the main character being dragged across the floor. I just like to draw any story that has people screaming at the top of their lungs, really.
Comic pages are always a process for me. After I do some thumbnails in my sketchbook, I sketch the layouts onto the comic board. From there I go in with pencils. I used a 2h for finishes for a little while, but I decided to go back to a 2b because I feel like it gives me more variety. I can go soft, or really hard depending on the situation. Sometimes I feel like I pencil like an inker, worrying about lineweight or different textures.

Anyway, once I'm done with the linework in pencil, I go back in to add any details or shadows if necessary. for example on the page above (as well as the four other pages) , I went back and added the shading to give it a dark mood.

Then of course when I actually scan in the artwork and see it on screen, I notice a million other things that I should add or subtract. I think I was up until 3 on Wednesday adding details, like the pattern on the floor. I just want to make my art the best it can be.

I Guess It's Contest Season

2009-07-02T00:32:00.003-04:00

With the San Diego Comic Con coming up in a few weeks, publishers are looking for new writers and artists to become their slaves I mean to join their company. So I've been working on new samples to send out for a couple of talent searches. The above panel is for Outlaw Entertainment's International Artists search. I thought this was a good opportunity to try out a looser drawing style than I'm normally accustomed to. I'm playing a little looser with the rules of anatomy and perspective right now, and I'm definitely enjoying it. Just want to keep pushing it. Anyway, I'm almost done with the five pages, and then it's on to...

The Viper Comics Talent Search! I've been doing a lot of comic related work recently, and it's been pretty cool. Now if only I can find paying illustration work...

Superboy

2009-06-10T19:18:00.003-04:00

This is another piece I did for the DC3 fanfic site. This time: Superboy.

I wanted to make him look kinda cool and hip. ( Or smug, as I tend to make my characters look sometimes. At least Superboy thinks he looks cool!). The sketch was knocked out pretty quickly, as I had a real good idea of what to do. I pretty much followed the same steps I used with my Robin cover, creating a flat color layer before really rendering on another layer.I'm not that great when it comes to jackets, so I looked to reference for help. I was looking for something kind of small and thin, and I thought this picture was solid:

At this point I began to add lights and shadows to the figure, going with oranges, yellows, and purples to give the effect this scene is taking place during a sunset.

The sky and clouds were added last, completing the picture.

Boy Wonder

2009-06-07T01:25:00.007-04:00

I occasionally like to dabble in the world of fan fiction, as I love drawing superheroes like Superman and Green Lantern. I also like to pretend I have a job. So when I was asked to do a cover for a series called "Maximum Batman", I said yes (I have trouble saying no to people anyway) The writer already had a specific design(sleek, realistic, "high tech") in mind for Robin, so I just followed his directions when drawing the kid

.
He also dictated that the viewer should be looking up at Robin as he leaps into the air. I took a little more liberty with that direction.

From the blueline sketch, I added a flat layer of colors in photoshop.
After that, I rendered on another layer, going with a nighttime feel. I was in part inspired by the art in the excellent"Robin Year One" miniseries from awhile back. Lots of purples and blues in the shadows, and oranges and yellows in the lighted areas

And, ta-daa. I was going to add a background, but I really liked how it looked as is. So, there.

I Love You, Buddy Nielsen

2009-05-28T01:48:00.005-04:00

File this under: "Unfinished Business that will never be finished"

A couple of years ago, I painted a portrait of Senses Fail lead singer Buddy Nielsen for a class assignment. I fucking hated it. Didn't put much work in it, and it looked nothing like they guy.

Cut to a few months ago, I finally got photoshop, and I was looking to do something just to try it out. So I decided to try my hand at another painting of Mr. Nielsen, this time on Photoshop. This was an exercise more than anything, but I liked how it came out anyway. I wanted to do a straight portrait so that I could practice getting likenesses right, so his expression is pretty blank. I started with a rough sketch, and when I was happy with the likeness, I scanned it into photoshop to color it.

I slowly worked up the values, taking my time with it. I constantly looked at reference to see if I got everything right or to see any new details I might have missed with my original sketch. The blue lightlight was the last thing added. I kept the original sketch under the color layer cause it's not strong enough to stand on it's own.

Btw, something occured to me while working on this: my painting kinda makes him look like Jimmy Fallon too. They both have short hair and a similar jawline. Although you can tell my painting isn't of Fallow because he isn't smirking.

At this point I'll probably leave this piece alone, and If I were to do another Buddy Nielsen/Senses Fail painting, it'll be a new one.

The New Wolverine

2009-05-16T00:00:00.001-04:00

Project Rooftop's latest contest asked artists to redesign the crazy canuck, Wolverine. I waited until the last minute to get this one done.

Finals Week: Monkeys on Parade

2009-05-15T01:43:00.004-04:00

Huh. This is the last painting that I'll probably do for college. Anyway, this is the digitally painted version of a pencil illustration I did last Fall.

The first thing I did was to add flat colors . Purples and reds for the monkeys, a warm yellow for the background. From there I switched between rendering the monkeys and the background. I fought to make the animals pop while making the rest of the terminal fade in the background. Of course I was also concerned with making the fur look like fur and the hair look like hair.

I did this in about a week in photoshop cs4, but I can work on it more. The colors are still a little too flat for my tastes. Who knows, maybe I can put it in my portfolio.

Finals Week: Foxy Lady

2009-05-14T00:50:00.004-04:00

Painted this over the course of three classes. I used the oiling out technique, which is applying a thin coat of linseed oil and cobalt dryer to the canvas before painting. It's nice because you don't have to use a medium when painting because the canvas is wet. Oiling out is also supposed to protect your canvas when varnishing, but I never got to that stage.

Anyway, this was a pretty relaxing exercise. No pressure, no expectations, just painting from a model.

Finals Week: Dali Goes Ape Shit

2009-05-12T23:07:00.002-04:00

I hearby retroactively desginate this week in blogging: Finals Week, whereas I'll post the last pieces of art that I will ever create at college. And maybe something not for college. Anyway.

I actually stopped painting this weeks ago when my oil painting class started working from a model. The assignment was to show an animal in a more human light. A came up with some other ideas (that my professor rejected) before I went with this simple portrait. Hey, simple's fine by me.

Finals Week: Off a Cliff

2009-05-12T00:53:00.003-04:00

I took a long time coming up with the concept, and not so much time actually painting this in photoshop.

I worked with a professional editorial cartoonist on this project this past semester. He gave me an assignment (create a piece for a Newsweek article on Rush Limbaugh), then I would send him sketches. He would tell me how awful they were, and then I would start over and send him new drawings, at which point he would tell me how less awful they were. Eventually I ended up with the piece shown above.

Seriously, we emailed constantly, and he gave me some invaluable advice that's gonna help me big time as I graduate college and try to get work.

Finals Week: Style

2009-05-10T21:56:00.004-04:00

I think I found mine.

I think an artist's style is something that is always evolving, but I think I hit on something this year that can qualify as my "style". I want to create artwork like the piece above, that has strong colors and wild perspective. I told a professor of mine that I want my perspective, colors and proportions to be exaggerated, yet I also want the applications of those colors to be tight and controlled. I didn't completely do that with this painting, but I'm getting there.