Archive for November, 2009
losing daylight, gaining sketches
I forget each year how constricted the days feel when we switch back to standard time. By 5:00 the sun has ducked behind the woods and I feel as though it’s time for bed. I’m always surprised, every spring and fall, how much difference there is in daylight hours.
So, the darkness keeps us indoors more, which is more time for sketching. Sketching in my new sketchbook with my new brush pen.
I do miss the sun.
Happy Thankgiving and a marker sketch of Vampirella
I hope that everyone takes a little time today to be thankful for what they have. (Even if it’s not Thanksgiving where you happen to live.)
The Vampirella sketch is unrelated, but I’m sure she’s thankful that she can fit her entire body into her hair. Which is apparently how I drew her.
Also, while she’s missing one earring, she’s still thankful for the one she has left.
VA Comicon Badges – YO JOE!
I had a great weekend in Richmond at the VA Comicon. Brett and Liz put on a fantastic show which has become one of my favorite of the year. This was the first time they tried a two day show and it was definitely a success. I did a few commissions, got to have dinner with Larry Hama and Michael Golden and listen to their stories of working in comics back in the 70s and 80s, ate some great food in ridiculous quantities, and laughed…a lot.
I also pulled something in my neck while bowling but I’m telling everyone I got hurt fighting homeless ninjas while rescuing dolphins from Japanese fisheries.
I contributed a little to the badges that we did for the show. Pencils were done by Robert Atkins, Inks by Rick Ketcham, and colors by me.
Click for a larger view
Star Wars in concert with a Tusken Raider
I found myself engulfed in the great Sea of Nerd a couple weekends ago when I went to see Star Wars in concert. I was but a piece of flotsam tossed along catching glimpses of authentic movie props such as Han frozen in carbonite, C-3PO (who come to think of it, I have never seen at a convention) and Royal Imperial Guards.
Is it a coincidence that just a month earlier I did this Tusken Raider commission?
Yes. A complete coincidence.
Marker sketches on copy paper
In an effort to maintain my sanity, as well as stretch my brain a little, I decided to spend the afternoon just sketching. I did a few Iron Man sketches that I thought turned out pretty well. I’ve had Iron Man on the brain since working on sketch cards for Upper Deck’s Iron Man 2 set.
Definitely looser and more gestural than what I normally do, but I’m finding it a little more fun and I tend to get more dynamic poses. I also discovered how much I like using markers on copy paper. Over the next few days I’ll be posting the fruits of my labor.
Sketching through style guides
Getting a feel for this style guide. I think I’m finally getting it. The figures are getting looser and more animated.
To the Bottle
Ho! Ho! Ho! To the bottle I go
To heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
And many miles be still to go
But under a tall tree I will lie,
And let the clouds go sailing by.
(J.R.R. Tolkien)
