SKETCH BOOK DEPOSIT

Well, after a disastrous January with a combination of health problems and a murderous cold that is still crawling around in my airway occasionally, I return to THE GOODS to find that I've not been active here since the New Year.

Let's remedy that with an art upload of serious size!

(Remember to enlarge with a click of your mouse!)

You'll notice John Rambo, John McClane, Jim Gordon and Batman (with the Joker) above.

Amy Racecar of David Lapham's STRAY BULLETS.

A very loose Spidey sketch.

Doctor Doom bracing for attack from above by that large Spidey sketch!

That Punisher grenade-throwing again... tsk-tsk!

The Lobster about to serve up some dead fish!

Miracle/Marvel Man opening some steel doors.

Frankie Raye AKA Nova, Herald of Galactus.

BLADED VAMPIRES, CRITTERS AND REAPERS TOO!

Another group of sketches from the month of October,

a pretty good mix of vampires, monsters and aliens

for your viewing pleasure!

Count Orlock of NOSFERATU fame hanging out waiting for a manicure...

Vampire Hunter D prepares for battle.

A particularly nicotine addicted Critter from the CRITTERS franchise.

Grim from the cartoon--he appears miffed at one of those young'uns!

Morbius the Living Vampire prepares to pounce on a passerby!

A reimagining of Blade the Vampire Hunter--given a more funky look.

SKETCH DUMP: NOVEMBER 7, 2013

This series of sketches was done ramping up to this October and in the early days of October--most of which were done for Outcast Studios' Daily Sketch Challenge.

(It's always good exercise to sketch a little something each day to keep up your skills and further develop them.  Or, at least that's what they say.)

Here we have Marvel Comics version of Bram Stoker's eternal enemy Dracula from the longest running comic book series starring a villain, TOMB OF DRACULA.  Nearly completely done by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, it was full of gothic atmosphere which I tried to covey a little bit of here.

(Click these for Enlargement)

Swamp Thing contemplating knowledge and how it can be both a good thing and a bad thing.  Just me having some free time at work with ballpoint pen and cardboard.

The Atom punching a guy in the face and Panthro of the Thundercats on a jaunt. 

Crusher Creel, AKA The Absorbing Man between absorbing something--

I really like this sketch and I'm not sure why.

Etrigan, The Demon, Jack Kirby's horror based fantasy hero--a demon from hell damned to do good by Merlin the Magician.  I don't really like this one.

The daughter of Dracula: Lilith. 

This is from Marvel as well--their attempt to tap the Vampirella market, apparently.

Profile shot of Mephisto, Marvel Comics' version of  the devil.

HIS NAME IS BUCK... AND DEATH SHALL FOLLOW

Real quick rundown...

BUCK ROGERS: BADASS PILOT

JASON VOORHEES: SILENT BUT DEADLY 

THANOS OF TITAN: MAD MASTERMIND 

PLASTIC MAN and STUPEFYIN' JONES

In an effort to continue to cleans my desktop of sketch files, here are two more...

First up is Plastic Man, one of many heroes "adopted" by DC comics--the guy's like a walking, talking piece of silly putty--fun to draw, too.

(Click to stretch)

Stupefyin' Jones was Julie Newmar's ticket to stardom when she appeared as the ineffable lady whose looks could stop any man in his tracks.  From the Li'l Abner comic strip, the character never said a word--and didn't really need to.

(Click to Stupefy) 

SKETCHING AROUND IN THE DARK

Been busy sketching and doodling and getting reacquainted with Photoshop for the Character Battle Royal over at Outcast Studios.  Boy, does it show that I haven't kept up my digital art practice, let alone my continued crawl into the digital age of art.

First up, a ballpoint on cardboard sketch of the Scarlet Witch for the DSC--you may be able to tell that my version of Wanda here is greatly informed by John Byrne's depiction of her.:

(Click to enlarge)

This one features Daredevil--the character I chose to use throughout the CBR (however far I can advance anyway).  Here is DD diving out of what would've been a Mack truck as I was attempting to depict him ramming Power Girl with it.

(Click to elongate)

Here we have old Matt Murdock struggling to continue after a particularly tough battle--I'm still working out my idea for the DD vs Power Girl CBR fight.  I like this pose and may revisit it should I feel that it fits a particular showdown.

(Click to embolden)

Here's Power Girl getting hit by what was to be that Mack truck, but I later decided would be a wrecking ball.  I think this is the only pose I practiced for the final piece.

(Click to enhance)

And here's the pose that I initially thought up for DD.  Problem was that the wire holding the ball wasn't showing enough power behind the impact I wanted to have on Power Girl, so I changed it to his other hand--thus giving the effect of a more powerful collision with Matt's opponent.

(Don't click to enlarge as the anatomy isn't quite worked out)

Coming up next the further development of my Round 1 battle featuring Daredevil and Power Girl.

THE SHADOW'S NOSE KNOWS

Every time the Shadow is proposed as the subject of the DSC, I have to bite--his imagery is just too fun to fiddle with--and so here was my latest attempt...

THE SHADOW... and his nose.

Here's where I tried out something cooler with his background...

Here's where I settled on the colors--not that I mind the above:

Part of the freedom one gets with digital images.

THE ANGEL IN A RED CAPE & DRAGON IN GREEN SKIN

Supergirl sketch in pencil on paper.

Silver Age vintage.

(Click to Enlarge)

Iron Fist ballpoint on board sketch.

Bronze Age vintage.

(Click to Enlarge)

SWINGING SWAMP MONSTERS

Just wanted to post some doodles I've been doodling--gotta start back somewhere... btw, feel free to click on any of the images below to enlarge them for better viewing--go on, it's fun!

(Spidey swinging his usual route--came out alright for a ballpoint on cardboard sketch.)

(Me and a ballpoint feeling out a particularly vicious looking Frankenstein Monster.)

(Finally broke down and started penciling in a sketch for a SWAMP THING sketch cover--I like it so far... we shall see.)

FREAKY FRANKENSTEIN TOM-FOOLERY

As a salute to the great Bernie Wrightson, I wanted to draw his version of the Monster created by Doctor Frankenstein.  Probably the best of my digital Muro sketches using REDRAW.

MORE MURO MADNESS

Wanted to do a speedy drawing of the Hulk and this is what showed up on the screen.

"H" is for HATFIELD, JULIANA in an old photo.

"F" is for FALL & FLASHING BACK

"A" IS FOR AMBUSH BUGGING OUT

JOHN BYRNE'S NEXT MEN SKETCH VARIANT

I work in a comic book store (plugplugplug:::THE NOSTALGIA NEWSSTAND:::plugplugplug) and so when it was noted that IDW was offering an incentive cover of the first issue of the return of JBNM, I knew I had to have one. In order to get these kinds of "incentive" covers, a store has to order a certain amount of the comic in order to earn it.

Usually incentives are just black and white printings or totally different covers, but the rarer ones are those that have actual sketches by the artist of the book on a blank cover. The amount of issues a store orders to receive them can be gratuitous which is understandable as what artist wants to, in effect, draw 5,000 sketches on a book that they've already completed. So in order to get them, it can be a real draw on the profit margin to order far more than you can reasonably assume to be able to sell.

Also, with sketch covers, you never know the quality of the work you'll be getting (I don't really own any others, but of the ones I've seen, it can vary greatly). It could be some goofy doodle, could be something too small to see--you never know. I was pleased to see this when it arrived last week. Fills up the cover, inked and perhaps not even pencilled headshot of my favorite character from the series.



One of the many incentives of working in a comic book store...

ETRIGAN THE DEMON

Been meaning to draw this gnarly old coot for a long time. Like most creatures Kirby, he is fun.

For a full sized peek, creep on over to: KIRBY'S DEMON

THOR by Franco

Of the many neat things I left the Charlotte Comic Convention with this year, this did not come back with me. It was acquired by David Tilley for me, a Thor sketch by the artist of TINY TITANS. A great job by the artist to render the Odinson just so!