How not to draw comics...

Jungle Jim Variant Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 12:52:00 +0000

My variant cover for KING: Jungle Jim #4 hits stores tomorrow from Dynamite Comics. Can you spot a theme?

The Phantom Variant Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Sun, 31 May 2015 22:06:00 +0000

The Phantom #4 Variant Cover for Dynamite Comics. Coming to comic stores very soon!

Flash Gordon Variant Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Sun, 31 May 2015 22:00:00 +0000

Flash Gordon #4 Variant Cover for Dynamite Comics. In comic stores right now!

How to Train Your Dragon Comics!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 20:22:00 +0000

"Because with Vikings on the backs of dragons, the world just got a whole lot bigger."

Titan Publishing have just released Vol. 3 their Dragons: Rider's of Berk graphic novel series, based on Dreamwork's How To Train Your Dragon, and features a short story that from yours truly.

It was a really fun comic to work on, drawing from a script by Simon Furman that focuses on the misadventures of Snotlout!

The story features in Dreamworks' Dragons Volume 3: The Ice Castle, available in all good comic shops and book stores, and has also been translated and reprinted in #2 of the German Dragon's magazine, which was pretty cool to see.

Here's a sample panel, before the colours were expertly added by John Charles and lettered by Jim Campbell!

Turok Dinosaur Hunter Debut

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 16:10:00 +0000

Turok Dinosaur Hunter #9 has just landed in comic stores and Comixology, which marks my Turok, and Dynamite, debut.

A few sample panels from the book below...

Drawn from a script by Greg Pak and Paul Tobin, and the issue also features art from Ruairi Coleman and Lee Ferguson, with colours Luigi Anderson and lettered up by Marshall Dillon. Edited by Nate Cosby!

Look for the cover below by Bart Sears on the shelves (nice to see my name on the cover treatment too)!

Now back to drawing Flash Gordon...!

Noe #2 launch

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:01:00 +0000

It's finally here! Noe: The Savage Boy #2 is launching at Forbidden Planet Belfast on the 15 November.

Mal, Rob and I will be in hand for doodles and signage, so hopefully we'll all see you there!

Dynamite! Turok! Flash Gordon!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 19:18:00 +0000

I was able to announce at DICE that I've been working on artwork for the Turok: Dinosaur Hunter comic for Dynamite Entertainment.

I'm working alongside writers Greg Pak (Planet Hulk, Action Comics), and the Eisner Award winning Paul Tobin (Bandette, Colder), fellow local artist Ruairi Coleman and a few others who I'm not sure have been announced. I have pages in #9, arriving in October, and #10 in November.

Bart Sears Covers for Turok #9 and #10. Yes, that is Robin Hood

For December I was recruited by Dynamite and Turok editor Nate Cosby to hop over to the Flash Gordon: Holiday Special. The story is written by Elliot Kalan, lead writer on The Daily Show with John Stewart and tells a pretty awesome holiday story. The covers and Diamond information have just been released, so feel free to order via your local comic shop!

Flash Gordon Holiday Special Covers by Evan Shaner, Jordie Bellaire and Ken Haeser

DICE 2014 Prints

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 09:30:00 +0000

I've just picked up the proof for the first official Atomic Diner prints featuring my covers, made specially for DICE at the weekend

They feature in a limited run, so I'm opening up pre-orders.

Pre-order price:

A4 - €10 (3 pack for €25)
A3 - €15 Includes A3 poster tube (3 pack for €40)

Email: Stephen {@} stephendowneygallery.com to order.

There's also a couple of spaces left on the Sketch Pre-order list (scroll down for details). If you want a few items bundled, send an email and I'll add some discount.

See you at the weekend!

Noe Black and White version is VERY limited.

DICE 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 10:53:00 +0000

I have a table at DICE 2014 (Dublin International Comic Expo) on the 27th-28th September!

Last year my sketch list was completely full for the weekend, so although I won't have much time to prep any sketches before the event, I'm opening up my A4 sketch list now with pre-order prices.

Scroll down to previous posts for sketch examples.

Character head sketch - €20
Full figure/elaborate sketch - €40
Comic Bundle: €40 Head sketch + choose any 5 comics from Jennifer Wilde #1-3, Wilde Hunt, Noe #1-2 or Black Scorpion

Contact me stephen [@] stephendowneygallery.com to be added to the list.

I'm also attending NYCC (New York Comic Con), though as a PRO rather than exhibiting, so if any American readers want to arrange to pick up a sketch or any comic bundles, send me an email and we'll arrange it.

Doctor Who

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 08:15:00 +0000

A just-for-fun piece of Doctor Who artwork, in celebration of Peter Capaldi's new Who.

I'm still not sure how Capaldi's look will settle down this season, even in the PR images he's had different haircuts, so can't decide if I captured the likeness. I'm happier with Matt Smith at least.

The folks over at The Chronicles of Time Facebook page are hosting a just-for-fun (and a prize) competition to colour the piece. Head here if you want to try your hand.

MCM Comic Con Belfast

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 11:59:00 +0000

This weekend coming (7th/8th June) is the very first MCM Belfast.

I've had tables before at the MCM London and Manchester shows, so it's nice to have them show up right across the street.

It looks like the show is already a success with Saturday and weekend pre-order tickets sold out (though there are tickets still available at the door, if I'm correct).

Due to time constraints I won't be able to draw any before the show, and I'll be sketching on Saturday only, but if you want to get on the list early, drop me an email stephen [@] stephendowneygallery.com

£20 for a head sketch, something like so:

£40 for full body, something like:

(You can even request legs if you want...)

Plenty more sketches in older posts in you want to browse!

Creator Owned Day 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:47:00 +0000

Creator Owned Day returns Wednesday 5th March 2014! The last two year's challenge saw comic creators writing and drawing up new characters, readers celebrating their favourite creator-owned series and a trending topic on Twitter.

A quick recap of the challenge details:

Create a sketch of an original character or concept and and post it on your Blog, Twitter etc on Wednesday 5th March. It should be a concept completely owned by the artist (or co-owned with the writer/collaborators permission to post).

Why? A number of reasons:

1. A lot of reader and creator focus is on characters owned by larger corporations. Let's bring a little spotlight on creating brand new, creator owned concepts.
2. Bringing a little awareness to the business side of co-creating original content. Take a look at Jeff Parker's article and follow up comments on the subject. Co-creators can take this opportunity as a little trial run, just make sure to have a mutual agreement in advance.
3. Fun! A few creators discussed the idea on Twitter and thought it was a great opportunity to create something entirely new, while bringing attention to these sketches.

The details:

1. Create a sketch of a new character/character you own. We're doing this primarily to get our imaginations running, so a concept specifically created for Creator Owned Day is probably ideal. It should NOT be a character owned by either a company eg. Marvel's Wolverine, OR owned by other creators e.g. Todd McFarlane's Spawn. It also shouldn't take distinct features from characters owned by others e.g. Wolverspawn You must own the character.
2. Post it on your blog, or Facebook, Twitter etc.
3. Share your post using the Twitter hashtag #CreatorOwnedDay.
4. Help us spread the word by retweeting your favourite new characters.

Let's see what we can come up with!

You can follow Creator Owned Day or my own account on Twitter to see retweets of the best from the day. Click the #CreatorOwnedDay Hashtag and flick through the photos for highlights from the last two years did you need a little inspiration.

The Big Update

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 06:24:00 +0000

It's been a while since I updated the blog, so this may be a bit of an info dump. I have some ideas I want to write up, so hopefully posts will become a little more regular. For now...

DemonCon

I'm flying over to Maidenhead, Kent this weekend for DemonCon on Sunday 16th February. I've been invited to attend the annual show for a few years now, after meeting organiser Graham Beadle and his son at a con, but have never really been able to justify the travel expense. The stars aligned this year thanks to Graham's guest sponsorship, generosity and an Easyjet sale. There are really interesting guests and friends attending, so I'm really looking forward to the event.

Comixology

Jennifer Wilde has gone global! #1 is now available digitally on all good Apple and Android tablets and phones via the Comixology app. Rob Curley and I spent a good bit of time setting up the Comixology account, and it's great to see Jennifer available all over the world. #1 is a bargain at $0.99/£0.69

Digital distribution is already finding us a new audience. #1 was featured as New & Newsworthy by the folks at Comixology and we've had a really lovely review from Graig Kent over at his Thor's Hammer review blog

Interviews

I talk to David Ferguson over at Irish Comic News about my work at Atomic Diner, including some previously unrevealed concept art for the Legion Britannia and the cover to Noe #2.

I also talked to the guys at the 2D cast in their 2013 Year in Review. I think I talk about February and the launch of Noe #1, but the whole episode is definitely worth a listen, and works as a great summary of the Irish comic scene.

RiRa

I have a 3 page strip in the latest edition of kid's Irish language comic Ri Ra #4. It continues the story of Bliain a Haon, following the fears and trepidations of a boy's first year in secondary school. This is the 3rd Bliain a Haon story, if it keeps up, I'll have enough material to fill a collection.

Upcoming

After a few detours to wrap up Jennifer Wilde, Noe The Savage Boy #2 is on the way to the printers. I'm laying out #3 right now, so it shouldn't be too long until Noe's Origin is concluded.

I also have an upcoming gig working on a big established property, so stay tuned for more on that soon...

Noe The Savage Boy #2, Pg 1

Thought Bubble 2013 (and DICE Sketches)!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 16:05:00 +0000

I'll be at Thought Bubble this coming weekend, 22nd - 24th November. It's my only English convention of 2013, so looking forward to catching up with the UK comic scene. You can find me at table 120 New Dock Hall, sharing with those other Irish rouges, Lightning Strikes Comics, and wedged between my partners-in-crime Cy Dethan/Nic Wilkinson and artist extraordinaries Dave Strokes/Marc Laming.

I'll be drawing a limited number of sketches over the weekend, but I'll start up a small pre-order list that I will draw over the weekend:

£15 for a character head sketch
£30 pre-order price for full body sketch (£40 on the day)
£30 for Sketch + 6 Comicbook bundle (Jennifer Wilde 1-3, Wilde Hunt, Noe #1, Black Scorpion)

Send an email to stephen [@] stephendowneygallery.com to pre-order

Here's a load of sketches from DICE a few months back, so you know what to expect (taken with my iPad, so apologies for the photo quality):

We're also launching Jennifer Wilde: The Wilde in the UK, written by Young Adult Author Kaz Mahoney! Come get your mitts on it!

STAILC - TG4 Documentary 30th October

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 12:25:00 +0000

I've been working on some comic pages for a STAILC, a documentary directed by Brian Gray recounting the events of Big Jim Larkin and the 1913 Lockout.

The people at Esras films and Design for Life have done some lovely post production work on my layered artwork. There's a trailer for the documentary below and you can see how the artwork merges with the actors around 35 seconds in.

The documentary airs tomorrow night, 30th October at 21:30 on TG4.

If you're not in the south of Ireland, you may be able to access the livestream on the TG4 Player.

DICE Sketch Pre-orders

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 12:44:00 +0000

I'm opening up a list of A4 sketch commission pre-orders for DICE.

Character head sketch - €15
Full figure/elaborate sketch - €40 pre-order (€50 over the weekend)
Comic Bundle: Jennifer Wilde 1-3, Wilde Hunt, Noe #1 & Head sketch) - €25

Contact me stephen [@] stephendowneygallery.com to be added to the list.

Here is some examples of what you can expect from previous cons:

Cyclops, Wolverine v Deadpool

(Enquire via email for multiple character price)

Deadpool

Booster Gold

Hulk

Cyclops

Daredevil

Con Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 13:12:00 +0000

It feels like a while since I've been to a proper comics convention. The 4-cons-in-5-weeks burnout of 2012 really left me exhausted, but I'm making up for event months with a healthily spaced out 3-cons -in-3-months.

D.I.C.E 28th-29th September

First up, I'm a guest at D.I.C.E this year. Dundrum's finest comic convention. The guys from The Big Bang comic store has really pulled in some great local and overseas guests, including marvel talent scout C.B Cebulski and Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson. If you're an aspiring Irish comic artist, you really should make the time for this con.

Octocon 12th-13th October

Octocon is the long-running National Irish Science Fiction Convention. I always hear good things about the convention, but this is the first year I'll be able to attend. I've been invited along as a guest and have confirmed on 2 panels

11:00 Sun - Abbey - Cinematic
Has cinematography over influenced other visual media, and what can cinema learn from Comics and Video Games

16:00 Sun - Pavillion - Video Games and Comics - How the two media overlap, and how they inform each other.

Thought Bubble Leeds 23rd-24th November

I'll be flying over and setting up as an exhibitor at Thought Bubble again this year. It's my only overseas convention this year, so hoping to meet up with a lot the UK comics scene. I'll be sharing a table with Dan McDaid, so come along and say 'Hi'.

Belfast Comicbook Workshops

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:31:00 +0000

Following on from successful comic book creation workshop in Derry last month, I have several more lined up in the coming months.

The first is a 4 week course with Cinemagic, the details below:

The Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival for Young People invites you to join in an exciting and innovative creative opportunity in Belfast this summer! With support from Belfast City Council Arts & Heritage Funding, Cinemagic’s “Drawn In” project will teach 30 young people, aged 16-25, the skills required to get started in the competitive comic book industry!
From August to September, participants will attend four workshops hosted by industry professionals Mal Coney (The Darkness, Holy Cross) and Stephen Downey (Torchwood, Jennifer Wilde) before creating their own individual 1-page comic strips. The completed comics will then be collated and released digitally online and showcased in an event as part of Cinemagic’s festival activities in 2013/14.
The four workshops will give participants an excellent insight to writing, pencilling, colouring and lettering, and ultimately give them a chance to practice their new skills and produce work for their own portfolios.
Participation in the project is free of charge and art supplies will be provided but please note, attendance at all workshops is compulsory.
Workshops will take place on 6-9pm Monday evenings from August 19^th – September 9^th!
To apply, please contact Sean Boyle sean@cinemagic.org.uk and for further information please contact the Cinemagic office on 02890 311900. Places are limited so apply quickly to avoid disappointment!

In the midst of this, Andy Luke and I are returning for our 3rd Bounce! ADF workshop on the 31st August. The Arts and Disability Forum Bounce! Festival showcases and specialises on art and talent from people with disabilities. The one-day workshop is again free and people with all levels of ability are welcome.

Comix WorkshopGrand Opera House • 31st August 1pm – 4pm
With Andy Luke and Stephen Downey. The workshop is free – please book in advance via ADF.
Captioning, audio description and BSL available.
Web: www.adf.ie E: info@adf.ie Tel: 028 9023 9450
Tickets from Grand Opera House
Online: www.goh.co.uk By phone: 028 9024 1919

Come along to one, why don't you?

Jennifer Wilde: The Wilde Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 09:29:00 +0000

Fresh off the printing press is a Jennifer Wilde one-shot from Atomic Diner.

Written by Karen Mahoney, the brilliant novelist behind The Iron Witch trilogy and Falling to Ash (Random House). Kaz has done an amazing job keeping the tone set by Maura McHugh, while weaving a really unique tale that brings Jennifer back to Ireland only to be caught up in a supernatural encounter.

A really fun and exciting script to work with. I think if you're a fan of Hellboy or BPRD, you'd be in for a real treat.

The one-shot may also act as a subtle mini-crossover if you read Rob Curley's League of Volunteers, but you'll have to read the book to find out why.

Jennifer Wilde #3

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:23:00 +0000

I'm a little delayed in announcing the release, as I was off on Honeymoon as Jennifer Wilde #3 came back from the printer. To make up for it, here's few preview pages and the cover to the issue, which wraps up the first mini-series.

Irish readers may spot a few familiar locations as Jennifer's

journey's bring her to the emerald isle in #3.

You can pick up Jennifer Wilde #3 at Sub City Comics, select comic stores or direct from Atomic Diner's Web Store.

Jennifer & Oscars's 'origin story', written by Maura McHugh, based on Rob Curley's concepts, was such a great story to work on, with clever character work, noir trappings and supernatural aspects that were so much fun to draw.

It won't be long before you seen Jennifer again. Very soon in fact, and there may even be another book at the printers right now...

Sub City Signing

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:45:00 +0000

I'll be signing at Sub City Comics, Dublin this Saturday, 20th April, 1-3 pm.

Sub City Comics is owned by Rob Curley, publisher of Atomic Diner and the mastermind of Noe: The Savage Boy, Black Scorpion and Jennifer Wilde.

It's my first Dublin signing, so quite excited to see some new faces. Hopefully see a few of you there!

Spotter - Creator Owned Day 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:03:00 +0000

One that looks for, locates, and reports something, as: a. A military or civil defense lookout.
b. Informal A person hired to detect dishonest acts by employees, as in a bank.
Spotter - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

East Iasia 2025

Deep in hostile territory, the two man sniper team had simple orders - locate the hostages, execute the kidnappers and call in the extraction team. The Spotter's calculations were precise, his targeting and location mapping were perfect, but when his Intelli-Sniper partner starting shooting the hostages, the Spotter's role turned from protecting his partner to eliminating him.

With the secure extraction line destroyed in the fight, and his traitor partner escaped into the night, the Spotter completed a manual extraction of the remaining hostages. With no weaponry, and equipped with only his Vision Tech, InterMapping tools and CalcU training, the Spotter must lead the hostages out of the vast continent of East Iasia and to safe embassy to complete his mission.

Little does he know, the people who gave the orders don't want him to succeed...

Creator Owned Day 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:02:00 +0000

Creator Owned Day returns Tuesday 5th March 2013! Last year's challenge saw comic creators writing and drawing up new characters, readers celebrating their favourite creator-owned series and a trending topic on Twitter.

A quick recap of the challenge details:

Create a sketch of an original character or concept and and post it on your Blog, Twitter etc on Tuesday 5th March. It should be a concept completely owned by the artist (or co-owned with the writer/collaborators permission to post).

Why? A number of reasons:

1. A lot of reader and creator focus is on characters owned by larger corporations. Let's bring a little spotlight on creating brand new, creator owned concepts.
2. Bringing a little awareness to the business side of co-creating original content. Take a look at Jeff Parker's article and follow up comments on the subject. Co-creators can take this opportunity as a little trial run, just make sure to have a mutual agreement in advance.
3. Fun! A few creators discussed the idea on Twitter and thought it was a great opportunity to create something entirely new, while bringing attention to these sketches.

The details:

1. Create a sketch of a new character/character you own. We're doing this primarily to get our imaginations running, so a concept specifically created for Creator Owned Day is probably ideal. It should NOT be a character owned by either a company eg. Marvel's Wolverine, OR owned by other creators e.g. Todd McFarlane's Spawn. It also shouldn't take distinct features from characters owned by others e.g. Wolverspawn You must own the character.
2. Post it on your blog, or Facebook, Twitter etc.
3. Share your post using the Twitter hashtag #CreatorOwnedDay.
4. Help us spread the word by retweeting your favourite new characters.

Let's see what we can come up with!

You can follow Creator Owned Day or my own account on Twitter to see retweets of the best from the day. Here's my example from last year if you need a little inspiration.

Promotarious Pt 2

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:23:00 +0000

The promotional whirlwind for Noe: The Savage Boy continues with a chat on the 2D Comics podcast. Some of you know I usually speak at the speed of light (your brain just need to catch up) but I think it's one of my slowest performances yet, so some of you might be able to finally break my brogue.

You can catch the chat with Ciaran over at Irish Comic News or download/listen directly here HERE.

I'll also be attending the Heroes and Legends Imagine Nation event this weekend in W5, Belfast. There will be copies of Noe #1 and I'll be sketching all weekend. There's also a short Q&A panel with PJ Holden and John Paul Bove at noon on both Saturday and Sunday.

Should be fun!

Promotarious

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Downey) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:12:00 +0000

It's only a week until the Forbidden Planet Noe signing, so I've been making the promotarious rounds to get the word out.

Mal and I made an appearance on BBC Radio Ulster Art's Extra on Wednesday. We talked about the process of creating comics, themes involved in Noe the Savage Boy, and chatted about the comic industry in general. There's also an interview with Garth Ennis which make good listening. You catch up and stream the show here.

I was interviewed by writer Jay Faulkner on Following the Nerd Internet radio show. We had a nice long chat about comics and general geekiness, which was really fun to do. The show, which features great all-round 'nerd' topics, can be downloaded as a podcast.

There's a great review of Noe on Irish Comic news. Colin O'Mahoney writes

"...artist Stephen Downey, whose detailed pencils and gorgeous inks make this book a thing of real beauty. Credit to Coney for a script that plays to the strengths of his artist, as we are treated to some really amazing double page spreads and splashes in the book."

Here's one such spread from Noe The Savage Boy #1 that I haven't blogged yet, so hopefully it will entice a few of you to make it down on the 9th February. If you can't, tell a friend who can!