No Quarter

Apologies To Pearly

2009-06-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm still here. It's been over a week since my last post, my apologizes. I know what might make it all better... Flashback Friday!

Here is a drawing from one of my art school sketchbooks. This was done in oil pastels. It was my love letter to chocolate milk, a staple food of my 19 year old existence.

I'll write about my Heroes Con experience and have some new art to show on Monday. I promise.

Every Little Thing You Do Is Magic

2009-06-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ok... I like drawing Thor, Daredevil, Moon Knight AND The Thing.

Here's ol' Blue eyes, himself.

What else is going on, you ask.... ? I'm inking the UFO pages and getting ready to fly to Charlotte for Heroes Con! The con is going to be a great time. I get to hang with Braids of the Gorgon writer/co-creator Ken Faggio for the whole show, which is really cool since we've been working together for 9 years and this is our first face to face meeting! I also get to see the Perhapanauts crew (Todd, Craig and Rico), which is great timing as I just got the full issue Perhapanauts script from Todd Dezago and Scott Weinstein. We're going to go over it and make sure the Molly story is handled just right. Once I get back from the con and finish off the inks for the UFO story, I'll be digging into the Perhapanauts script. It's going to be so kick ass!

Department Of Youth

2009-06-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

click the image to read it better

It's Friday, which can only mean one thing here at No Quarter... Flashback Friday! This weekly feature is where I dig through the work I did as a youth and display it for all to see, wrinkles and all.

Back in 1988, I was very into Elektra: Assassin and was especially interested in the inner dialogue that Miller was using (to great effect, may I add). This is a page (from an unfinished 12 page story) from one of the many sketchbooks I burned through in high school in an attempt to hone my craft. Ha!

When Tomorrow Comes

2009-06-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Here's the previous panel development image with the blacks spotted. Now it's ready to get colour and lettering added. Those will be done by other, more skilled people than I.

Tomorrow - Flashback Friday

Little Thing Called Love

2009-06-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

click image to make it bigger

Here's a fun little thing I like to do, from time to time. This the visual progression of a panel, how that particular panel goes from rough layout to pencils to inks. This one is from the UFO story but it isn't quite done, I still have to "spot the blacks". I thought I'd throw this up here now and I'll update it with the finalized panel tomorrow.

Crackity Jones

2009-06-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

click the running man to see him bigger

Here are a few more panels from the UFO story, Life Is Funny, that writer Chris Beckett and I are doing for APE Entertainment. I have the thumbs up from Chris and my editor on the penciled pages and that means I'll be inking them as soon as I finish this post. And, um, I think I'm finished writing this post...

Guess I'd better get cracking!

Kids Wanna Rock

2009-06-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

click to make the goalie bigger

It's Flashback Friday so here's an old drawing, done maybe 9 years ago. A self portrait, of sorts.

I will do a story about young kids playing street hockey. One day.

Thumbing My Way

2009-06-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

click the image to see it bigger

Here are a couple penciled panels from the APE story I'm working on with writer Chris Beckett. These panels are now ready for me to ink, once they get the thumbs up from Chris and my APE editor, Troy.

Speaking of Chris and Troy, after you're finished looking around my humble blog, you should check out Chris' blog. He has some really interesting posts about how the UFO story developed through a series of emails between the two of them. A look behind the writer/editor curtain. Good stuff.

Neon Knights

2009-06-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

click Moon Knight to see him bigger

Moon Knight is another Marvel character I've had an interest in drawing. Although, I think I've only really dug Moon Knight when Bill Sienkiewicz was drawing him. I was planning on doing a Moon Knight sample to show CB Cebulski while I attend the upcoming Heroes Con, but other projects popped up and I had to rethink how I spent my drawing time. So, for now, my Moon Knight sample will have to wait.

Strange Desire

2009-05-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

click the image to read all the ninja goodness

It was 1986 and a 16 year old Jason had just discovered Frank Miller's Ronin. Couple that event with his existing interest in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and you have a burning desire to draw a ninja comic.

And thus.... here is a page from that story.

In A Big Country

2009-05-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

click the Bigfoot to see him Bigger

I was over at Todd Dezago's Perhapanauts blog and read the news that Perhapanauts #6 should be out on June 24. And even better news, Todd and Craig will have the issue available for purchase at Heroes Con, the weekend before that Wednesday! Sweet!

In honour of that event, I've done a drawing of one of my favorite Perhapanauts members, Big. I may give it a colour treatment... if I can find the time.

No Reply At All

2009-05-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

click on the image to see it BIGGER

Another Flashback Friday is upon us.

This is the opening page of a Marvel submission I did... maybe 5 years ago..? Not sure of the timing on this one. Anyway, it was a 5 page Punisher tale that I "wrote" and drew. I never did get a response from them...

Night Fever

2009-05-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

Work continues on the UFO story but I thought I'd give you another sketch that I've done in preparation for my collaboration with James Powell.

James is fleshing out the story at a fever pitch and I'm loving what he's come up with so far. This is just my first pass on the main character of our still unnamed "near future" project.

Let Me Entertain You

2009-05-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of panels from a short story I'm doing with Chris Beckett for a UFO anthology from APE Entertainment. Not sure when this will be out but I'll definitely keep you all in the loop as things develop.

Ten Years Gone

2009-05-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the previous Friday's "blast from the past" post, I've scanned in a page I did almost 10 years ago. It contains a couple of super hero characters of mine that I fully intend to do something with... one day.

Distant Early Warning

2009-05-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Putting together a new project with writer/editor/pal James Powell. It's still in the very early stages but James and I are excited to finally get the chance to collaborate on something together. This image is not of anything in particular, I'm just trying to get a feel for the drawing and colouring style that we are going to go with for this story.

Something's Coming

2009-05-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

if you click the image, it will get bigger, you know?

Something new in the works....? Time will tell.
Lines and colours by moi.

Oh yeah, the Braids of the Gorgon pitch just went out to its first potential publisher. The waiting begins.

History Will Teach Us Nothing

2009-05-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

I flirted with sequential comic art at a semi early age. A friend and I had just got into collecting comics and decided it would be cool to do our own superhero book. We dubbed the cast of misfits, The Safekeepers, and history was made. The series lasted a full 22 page issue. On a cliffhanger, in fact. Here is the full colour cover from that historic first (and last) issue!

Art by a 14 year old me (then Jason "Bosson") and co-created with a then 12 year old Matt Stockbrocks.

Fear of Pop

2009-05-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

And here it is, the last page of the Braids of the Gorgon pitch. My thanks go out to Rico Renzi, colourist of the Perhapanauts, for his guidance and time. He shared a few tricks of the colouring trade with me and really helped me make this last page sing. Thanks, Rico!

Father and Son.

2009-04-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here's another character sketch from my future sci-fi epic, rs153. Father and son, or vice-versa ....?

Some Heads Are Gonna Roll

2009-04-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the next page of the Braids of the Gorgon pitch. Nothing like a little decapitation to start the day!

Nothing Else Matters

2009-04-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

This sketch is part of my as of yet untold sci-fi epic, rs153. It will get written and it will get drawn. It's just a matter of time.

Near The End

2009-04-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Getting to the end of the print run on my convention sketchbook, Marks On Paper 1. Each book is only $5, it includes postage to where ever you live PLUS an original sketch of your choice. Here's the latest sketch done for one of my recent sales.

If you are interested in getting one of the last few sketchbooks remaining, drop me a note in the comment section below, or email me at j dot copland at telus dot net.

Eyes Without a Face

2009-04-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of penciled panels from a page I'm currently working on. It's from a script by writer Kel Nuttall. This particular script is a one shot story based on his creation, Nothingface.

Nothingface was released as a graphic novel from Digital Webbing with art by Yildiray Cinar. It rocked. Since reading it, Kel and I have been trying to match up our schedules so we can tell another NF tale. I still don't have the time to do the bigger story Kel had suggested we do, but I have found some time to work on the smaller one shot script. Depending on the timing of things and this may yet happen. But for now, I'm just working through the script as time allows.

Wonderful Tonight

2009-04-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

click on image to see it bigger

Here is the next page of Braids of the Gorgon. The response to the Braids pages has been excellent. Thank you for all the wonderful comments, folks! The pitch still hasn't gone out. We are tweaking it, a bit, to make it that much stronger.