Sunday, December 25, 2011

AMBASSADOR OF PEACE & SISTERHOOD/FIGHTER FOR TRUTH & JUSTICE


(Click to blow up to actual size)
Above a blue line sketch of the Golden Age Wonder Woman--I don't know why, but I love her in a skirt.

Below is a ballpoint pen sketch of Tonto, the Lone Ranger's partner. I aged him a bit for this one--in my mind he's still out there in the old west righting wrongs and helping out his Kemosabe!


(Click to embiggen)

Saturday, December 24, 2011

CHEWBACCA versus DARTH VADER



Think about how short this series could've been had only Chewy gotten his mitts on Darth Vader...

This time of year also brings me back to that Chewbacca Christmas Special... and then my brain begs me to quit.

COAST TO COAST NO MORE


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Guess I'd almost forgotten to post this one. Love the old school animated characters and when I was asked to sketch Space Ghost, I couldn't help but smile. And then I started drawing him and realized how great and simple his design was. Props to the main man Alex Toth for designing him right.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE BOY COMMANDOS

Joe Simon passed away last week at the age of 98. Joe was one of the true legends in the comic book industry--co-creator of one of the biggest fictional characters ever created for comics, Captain America. Like Will Eisner, he was one of only a few on the talent side of the business who knew about how the business side worked and so he was innovative in that regard. Mr. Simon also created many other characters of note and they are the original Vision, The Boy Commandos, Blue Bolt, Brother Power the Geek, Fighting American, The Fly, Prez, Newsboy Legion, Guardian and, of course, The Red Skull.

In honor of Joe's passing, I sketched up a few tributes to the old soldier... rest in peace, Joe.




(Click to enlarge)

Saturday, December 17, 2011

THESE NEW GODS OF JACK'S






The above is a week's worth of Daily Sketch Challenges from OUTCAST STUDIOS--great fun practicing on some of Jack Kirby's most interesting DC creations.

Monday, December 12, 2011

THE DAYS ARE JUST PACKED

Always loved that title for a CALVIN & HOBBES collection--it implies so much about how big a single day could be when you are a kid. And CALVIN & HOBBES is all about being a kid. Bill Watterson is a genius humorist and cartoonist. And that was what took his strip far above and beyond the other strips of its day--it was great all around. Whereas you'll have one strip look good artistically, it didn't have it when it came to the writing and vice versa when it came to art--in Watterson's strip you find the perfect combination of a cartoonist at the peak of his powers artistically and as a writer.

And so I dreaded it when the challenge came forth to draw these characters. I couldn't settle on the sketch I wanted to do... so I wound up doing a study of one of his strips and panel from a scene in which Hobbes stalks Calvin like the red-blooded jungle cat that he is...

(Click to Enlarge)

Sunday, December 11, 2011

RED, RED, RED



Came up with the idea for this sketch the other night and it just flowed out fairly easily. Tells the picture story as they say...

Saturday, December 10, 2011

WHAT IF SOLOMON GRUNDY...?


(Click for a closer look)

Another DSC--this one my own weekend challenge for members who thought DC really missed out by not including a particular title in their new DCU 52 titles. "GRUNDY" was my idea. I don't really think he could cary a regular title for long, but in this "what if" world, I thought what the heck!

THAT ROBIN GIRL, CARRIE KELLY


(Click for a closer look!)

A digital sketch, this one done for the Daily Sketch Challenge from my Outcast Studios pals over at DeviantArt. Easily my second favorite Robin... and she's a... brace yourself... GIRL!

For someone who some think of as a sexist in the way he portrays women, I've always thought that Frank Miller just happened to portray his women like the men in his comics--equally. Besides, he's created some of the best female characters in comics history in Elektra and Martha Washington. But that's a discussion for another day.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Floating Vision



The Vision is one of those characters who different people react to very differently. I happen to love the character and his classic look, so when it came time to sketch him I went with that.

That Rasputin Boy

Just thought I'd drop a line and update you folks as to what's been occupying my illustrative mind of late...

Collaborated with Mr. Chris Williams AKA Furious Nick on this here Colossus drawing. He did the pencils and I did the inks (my usual best to copy what the three best Colossus artists did to portray him and they were Cockrum, Byrne and Smith). Turned out okay...

Saturday, November 26, 2011

...AND ANOTHER THING...!



A commission for my pal Andrew, he loves the Thing and I love to draw the Thing almost as much. I was very tentative with this one (as I usually am when doing work for hire) and wanted to get Ben's look just right. The rocky texture of his is always fun to draw, but there is a method to the freehand one uses when drawing it. Started out with blue line pencils, worked up through pencils, ink and brush, markers and even some white ink for emphasis on the smoke.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

007 JAMES BOND in WHEN ALL IS LOST

Had a "Design a James Bond movie poster" challenge the other day and this is what I came up with as my own personal "What If?" for James Bond... click it for a better look at the credits...

Thursday, November 10, 2011

A HAINT IN THE HALL/POWER GIRL STANDING TALL

This first one may be too hard for you to see depending on the brightness of your computer, embiggen to get a better look.


Power Girl drawn for the Daily Sketch Challenge...

Sunday, November 6, 2011

DIGITAL DOODLING & TRADITIONAL TRACING


Henry "Hank" McCoy, AKA The Bouncing Beast!


The character Thorgal from the comic book of the same name out of Europe. The comic is beautiful, but I've only read a few issues.


Bigby Wolf (The Big Bad Wolf) of FABLES by Bill Willingham. He's just beginning his transformation there.


I'd nearly forgotten this nightmare--the Corinthian from THE SANDMAN comics by Neil Gaiman. He's all smiles.


This is my inks and shading over the blue line pencils by "FuriousNick" over at DA/Outcast. We altered it somewhat for the challenge we were given, but I'm pretty happy with the inks here.

Monday, October 31, 2011

A HOST OF HALLOWEEN HORRORS - COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN (Day 31)

Well we finally made it to the big day and I have to say that this year's countdown has been a bit of a let-down (as in I didn't quite hold up to the standard I wanted to keep going from last year). I wanted to do some more art of a seasonal nature, wanted to do a few more reviews, wanted to talk about one of my own boogie men and childhood stories, but that's no big deal as there's always next year and in the meantime we have these great classics to view all day over at Turner Classic...




October 31st HALLOWEEN on TCM

7:15 am – THE REPTILE in which a young lady is cursed to become a snake!


8:45 am – The Gorgon in which a lady has snakes in her hair and turns men to stone!


10:15 am – Dracula, Prince Of Darkness, in which Dracula drinks much blood and stalks the night creepily!

12:00 pm – Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, in which Dracula drinks much blood after rising from the grave!


1:45 pm – The Revenge Of Frankenstein, in which the doctor seeks vengeance against the world!


3:15 pm – Frankenstein Created Woman, in which Frankenstein brings a disfigured woman's body back with a different brain!


5:00 pm – The Mummy, in which a mummy's tomb is messed with and a curse brings him back to mess with them!


6:30 pm – Curse Of The Mummy’s Tomb, in which an entrepreneur tries to exploit the tomb of a mummy to no avail!


8:00 pm – Village Of The Damned, in which little albino children use mind powers and scare the crap out of their parents!


9:30 pm – Night Of The Living Dead, in which ghouls rise from the grave and get rowdier than the living would like!


12:15 am – The Innocents, in which Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" is adapted brilliantly!


2:00 am – The Haunting, in which Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" is adapted brilliantly!


4:00 am – Repulsion, in which a young woman is left to her own devices for a little while and they drive her mad!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

SUNDAY SCHOOL OF SHOCKING-SUSPENSE - COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN (Day 30)


Continuing our monitoring of the great films to be seen as we get closer to All Hallow's Eve...


OCTOBER 30th on TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES:

6:15 am – THE LEOPARD MAN (1943)

Hunted by a Killer who has Half-Cat Half-Man!


7:30 am – WHITE ZOMBIE (1932)

She was not alive… Nor dead… Just a White Zombie!


8:45 am – DEVIL DOLL (1936)

An escaped criminal creates miniaturized people to get revenge on those who framed him.


10:15 am – THE UNINVITED(1944)

The heart-clutching dread of a nameless horror!


12:00 pm – BERSERK (1967)

The Shocker Calculated to Drive you ‘Berzerk’!


2:00 pm – DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954)

The Thriller that will twist your Emotions into Tight Knots!


4:00 pm – THEM! (1954)

A Horror Horde of Crawl-and-Crush giants clawing out of the Earth from mile-deep catacombs!


6:00 pm – FORBIDDEN PLANET

Discover the sole survivors of a doomed colonization and their deadly secret!