The Self-Absorbing Man

Hello, California

2013-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Green Hornet #4. 2013. Ink(ed by Joe Rivera)

on bristol board with digital color, 11 × 17″.

We made it safely across the country (and so did my iMac). Now I'm just waiting for my printer and scanner before I can fully exhale. But no matter what, the weather is gorgeous out here! And I have a car again. And there's liquor in grocery stores. And I use a cart to hold it instead of a basket. Did I mention we've got pool access?

I'm still pretty busy trying to catch up with work, so I'm gonna hold off on posting until next Monday. In the meantime, here's the 4th cover to Green Hornet. Looks like GH getting a little careless with the knockout gas.

Also, I wanted to thank everyone who attended my web seminar with Comics Experience. I really appreciate the support (and the fact that you listened to me drone on for 5 hours). I think it went really well and would love to do it again someday.

And finally, I received some amazing news this weekend during my travels: I won the Spectrum Fantastic Art Gold Award for Comics! This is a huge honor from one of my favorite institutions. I don't submit my work to many art competitions (Society of Illustrators is the only other), but I've sent entries to Spectrum nearly every year since I was first accepted a decade ago. Here's the full list of winners, many of whom I'm lucky to be acquainted with. As for the winning entry, you may remember it. Have a great week!

Daredevil #10 Cover. 2011. Ink on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

So Long, New York

2013-05-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is a cross-post with Muddy Colors — An Illustration Collective

I'm about to move to the Bay Area, so I thought it would be a great time to document my work station as it existed in my New York apartment. I work traditionally, but there is a great deal of digital pre- and post-production in my workflow. Everything fits in and around my drafting table, so my whole studio has a very small footprint. And as you'll see, I really, really love magnets. The video is close to 15 minutes, but it shows pretty much all the tools I use. I've also included links below to some of the equipment I talk about. My printer and scanner are over 4 years old, but they're still working great (assuming they survive the cross-country trip). My apologies for not recording in landscape mode. I wasn't thinking at the time and I'm a little pressed for time with the move, but the basic info is still there. If there is anything I missed below, feel free to ask in the comments.

Humanscale 5G 700 Keyboard Tray
Epson Sylus Photo R1900 Printer
Epson GT-20000 Scanner
Safco B-Size Plan File Cabinet and Caster Base
iMac 27" (this is the new one — mine's a couple years old)
Cintiq 12WX (the new version is the 13HD)
Drawing Board: Max Tile F1 Galvanize Steel Tile (custom cut to 18 × 24″)
Pilot Color Eno Blue Lead
Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil

I'm also taking a blog break for the next week or so as I move. My next post should be from sunny California. Westward, Ho!

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 222

2013-05-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Avenging Spider-Man #20 Cover. 2013.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on Marvel board, 11 × 17.25″.

Avenging Spider-Man #20 comes out today! Preview here. In case you're unfamiliar with the characters depicted, that's classic Spidey villain Chameleon giving a wicked smile as he portrays the Hulk, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Jr., Spidey, Quake, Maria Hill, Black Widow, Agent Coulson, Iron Patriot, and Bucky. And, as you should now expect, here's me acting stupid. Enjoy!

another use for my DD billy clubs

inks by my Paw

blue-line print of pencils (digital bars)

pencils

digital composite sketch

digital layouts

TweetChat Tuesday

2013-05-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Daredevil #3, Page 15 Layout. 2011.

Pencil on bristol board, 4 × 6″.

This Tuesday, May 7th at 1:00pm Eastern Time, both Eisner Award-winning artist Paolo Rivera and former Marvel and IDW Editor Andy Schmidt will be holding a #makecomics “TweetChat” discussing comic art, the use of design in storytelling, and more.

A TweetChat is a planned, live event and anyone using twitter can join in — simply follow Paolo, Andy, or the #makecomics hashtag on Twitter. Bring your #makecomics questions, especially those related to design and storytelling…

Paolo: @PaoloMRivera
Andy: @ComicExperience (no “s” on “Comic”)

The TweetChat is part of the lead-up to Paolo’s one-day, live streaming course on The Art of Design and Comic Book Storytelling. on Saturday, May 18, 2013

Deathlok (and My Commissions List)

2013-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Deathlok. 2012. Watercolor on paper, 9 × 12″.

All right. I've been putting this off long enough. My commission list for Heroes Con and Supercon are officially open. Here are the email addresses for each:

Update: the list is now closed. Thanks for all the support!

Prices and details can be found under my commissions policy. I will reply with a form email for confirmation, but I won't require payment until I'm sure I can finish it. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll get many done this year because of my impending move, so this is my advanced apology. If it's any consolation, here's a painting of Deathlok. Thanks!

Captain Marvel (and Updates)

2013-05-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

Captain Marvel. 20. Watercolor on paper, 9 × 12″.

Happy Friday, folks! Today is the last day to bid on the Microvisions paintings. All proceeds go to fund the Society of Illustrators student scholarships. Below is a detail of my contribution (which happens to be the main character of the story I've been teasing for some time now).

Up above is a commission of Captain Marvel from last year. I have not yet opened the flood gates for my Heroes Con and Supercon lists, but I shall do so on Monday at 12 noon. Stay tuned to this blog (and my social media) for the designated email addresses. In the meantime, you can check out my updated commissions policy here. I'm going to take as many names as I can, but I definitely won't get to them all — it's gonna be a busy couple of months.

For those of you in the mood for a Lord of the Rings print, I'm afraid you may have to wait a bit longer. I've just got too much going on with deadlines and my impending move to fiddle with packing and shipping such monstrous posters. Thank you for your continued patience. I'll be doing yet another poster for Mondo (for one of my favorite movies of all time) if that's any consolation. Have a great weekend!

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 221

2013-04-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Iron Man Variant Cover (Hawkeye #10). 2012.
Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on Marvel board, 11 × 17.25″.

If you didn't get enough Iron Man yesterday, here's a more classic take on the Golden Avenger. This is part of Marvel's Many Armors of Iron Man variant series, so you'll find it on select issues of Hawkeye #10, which hits shelves today (preview here). Aside from the photo reference of myself (really just for the hands), I scoured the web for pics of actual electronics labs and workshops.

I own just one shirt.

inks by my Dad

blue-line print of my pencils

pencils over a digital print

digital composite sketch

digital layout sketches

Iron Man 3 — A Complete Novel

2013-04-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Iron Man Three. 2013.
Gouache, watercolor, and acrylic (and digital) on bristol board, 22 × 17″.

I saw Iron Man 3 last night and it was all-around awesomeness. That being said, there's nothing that can prepare you for Ben Kingsley's Mandarin — quite possibly my favorite Marvel villain now. Oh, and Robert Downey, Jr. showed up to introduce the movie. Joe Quesada usually introduces the Marvel movies, often pretending that one of the stars is going to make an appearance, only to have our hopes dashed as another editor shows up in a wig. But this time he did it. Iron Man himself was there.

And if everything went according to plan, Iron Man got one of these, an extremely limited edition poster made especially for the cast and crew, much like the one I did for Captain America. They asked for something like a paperback novel, complete with wear and tear, which makes perfect sense once you see the end credits.

This was definitely one of my dream jobs, but it meant even more to me since it's based on my very first cover for Marvel, Iron Man #63. Tony's armory bears a striking resemblance to the one I depicted back in 2002, and I was nerding out in the theater. I hope you'll do the same.

Devil in the Details

2013-04-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is a cross-post with Muddy Colors — An Illustration Collective

Coyote Studies. 2012.

Ink, blue pencil, and watercolor on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

If you've ever drawn a comic (or any large project, really) then you know the most fun part is doing preparatory sketches and studies for it. That's where the ideas happen — the rest is just execution. You need both, of course, but a solid foundation is key; it bestows purpose to each of the hundreds of hours needed to give true life to a project.

Pictured above is a page of studies for a new Daredevil villain, Coyote. He wasn't "brand new," as his powers stemmed from an existing villain, the Spot, but he was meant to be a sleeker, more menacing version of the classic Spider-Man foe. Furthermore, his powers and relationship to the Spot were not to be immediately apparent in the narrative, so I wanted his look to have subtle cues to his origin without revealing his true identity.

Daredevil #1, Page 4 (The Spot Attacks). 2011.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

To accomplish this, I inverted the old costume: mostly black instead of mostly white, his portal spots dominating to the point where the negative white shapes became positive. This left me with a pinched triangle motif that I employed on the eyes, hands, and chest. Eventually, I treated the spots as giant discs that were draped over his body, peeling up to form sartorial embellishments.

Daredevil #19. 2012. Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on Marvel board, 11 × 17.25″.
Step-by Step

As things turned out, I ended my exclusive contract with Marvel before drawing the 4-issue arc that featured the villain. Fortunately, I was still able to contribute covers, and the story, written by Mark Waid, was beautifully rendered by current Daredevil artist (and one-man factory) Chris Samnee.

Daredevil Character Sketches. 2011. Pencil on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

As for our eponymous hero, I didn't deviate much from the classic interpretation of the character, just added a few touches here and there to make him my own. In order to update his white cane, I elongated each section and added a crimson spare, 3 in total. The other major change was making the cane rotate into a square hook. (Part of me still wishes I had use the curved version, which makes less sense when it transforms, but looks more elegant. At the time, I didn't realize it worked like that in the earliest issues.)

by Gene Colan (words by Stan Lee)

Daredevil #1 Cover. 2011. Gouache and acrylic on bristol board, 11 × 17″.
Time Lapse

I also changed his belt slightly, having it hang at an angle across his hips, alla Han Solo. I changed it yet again in later issues, extending the diagonal across his body for a more swashbuckling look (example below). Again, these were very subtle changes — I really just copied my predecessors: David Mazzucchelli, Wally Wood, and Gene Colan, among many, many others.

Daredevil #8 Cover. 2011. Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on Marvel board, 11 × 17.25″.
Step-by-Step

Perhaps you've seen the latest set pics from The Amazing Spider-Man 2? I did some style guides for the movie earlier this year (used for marketing and licensing purposes, I presume) and was happy to see that they reverted to the classic look. I love complicated costumes with intricate details as much as anybody, but it's not until you draw these designs over and over again that you realize the power of simplicity. They're not just easier to draw — I find them more memorable.

Daredevil #26 Variant Cover

2013-04-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Daredevil #26. 2013. Ink(ed by Joe Rivera)

on bristol board with digital color, 11 × 17″.

I'm dipping my toe into the Daredevil pool once again with a variant cover to issue 26. You can check out the preview here. As you can probably guess, Iron Man is making a guest appearance. Speaking of which, I've had a couple people alert me to an Iron Man 3 contest that Marvel and Audi are hosting. It's called Steer the Story, and from what I understand, there's a chance for aspiring artists to submit their work. As for the movie, I'm pretty excited to see it (at the Marvel screening next week!). I did some painted artwork for the film's producers that I hope to reveal after the premiere. Have a great weekend!

(P.S. For those of you who are interested, there's still space in my design webinar on May 18th. I related a few of the core concepts for the class on the Comics Experience blog.)

Daredevil #1. 2013. Ink and watercolor on sketch cover, 7 × 10.5″.

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 220

2013-04-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Guardians of the Galaxy #2. 2013.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Guardians #2 is out today! And tonight is the opening of the Microvisions show at the Society of Illustrators. But you don't even have to attend to bid on the artwork, including my first painting of The Sink, the main character from what I hope to be my first graphic novel. All proceeds go to the student scholarship fund, so bid away.

Shhhhh.... don't tell Disney

Inks by my Dad

Blue-line print of my pencils

Pencils

Digital Composite

Digital Layout

Westward Ho!

2013-04-22T07:36:00.001-07:00

Daredevil. 2013. Ink on sketch cover with Acryla Gouache, 7 × 10.5″.

Well, it's official: I'm leaving New York. It's been 10 years since I moved to this wonderful city and it's been very kind to me. I may not get out to see it as much as I'd like, but whenever I do, it's quite the spectacle (especially with all the superheroes).

My wife-from-the-future has gotten a fantabulous job in California and, since I can work from anywhere with an internet connection, we'll be moving to the Bay Area very shortly — next month, in fact. It's all happening a little faster than originally planned, but its pretty exciting.

I'm still planning on attending Heroes in Charlotte and Supercon in Miami, but (sadly) I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend NYCC (I've gone to every show since its inception).

But fear not! Before we go, I've got a micro-painting in the Microvisions show at the Society of Illustrators. The auction to benefit the student scholarship fund goes live tomorrow, but the opening is Wednesday night, from 6-10. Hope to see you there.

Daredevils

2013-04-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Daredevil. 2013.

Watercolor (with touches of Acryla Gouache) on paper, 9 × 12″.

Here's trying to keep some semblance of normalcy as I listen to all the crazy news coming out of Boston (and West, Texas). Stay safe, everybody.

Daredevil. 2013. Ink on sketch cover, 7 × 10.5″.

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 219

2013-04-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Shadow #13 Cover. 2013.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board with digital color, 11 × 17″.

The Shadow #13 is out today from Dynamite, the same fine folks who bring you The Green Hornet every month. This cover didn't really ask for skeletons, but I don't think they ever have to be justified, especially when dealing with pulp heroes. When I needed a bit of anatomical help, I went straight to Zygote Body for an interactive 3D map of the human body (formerly Google body). The part of the gun was played, as usual, by my trusty 1:6 scale Colt 1911, seen below amongst my ever-growing arsenal. The skull, available from Anatomy Tools, has magnets at its base and jaw that enable it to stick to my galvanized steel drawing board (along with the rest of my magnetized tools).

Yes, I actually own a gun rack.

Inks by my Paw

Blue-line print

Pencils

Digital composite

Digital Layout

God Hates Astronauts

2013-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is a cross-post with Muddy Colors — An Illustration Collective

God Hates Astronauts Poster. 2013.

Ink on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Ryan Browne has created his own mythology... and it's quite irreverent. For those of you who don't know him, he's the creator of God Hates Astronauts, a web comic that has transmogrified into a bulldozing Kickstarter campaign and a handsome hardcover. He's also my good friend and former college roommate. When I saw how well the pledge drive was going (it made over 75 grand!), I got on the bandwagon by offering my services. The above poster was used as a stretch goal that will now accompany every hardcover. Although the campaign is over, you can still purchase the book from Ryan's Etsy store.

The poster was colored in Photoshop using my basic two-tone style. (I'm currently working on a process post for digital coloring, complete with videos, so I'll leave those details for later.) While my Dad usually inks all my work now, I decided to do this one myself — I do miss using a brush on a regular basis.

It's inked with a Winsor & Newton Series 7 #6 brush and Holbein Drawing Ink. I like using a large brush because it holds more ink for longer strokes and fewer dips in the well. Furthermore, the longer the individual hairs, the better they hold a point. But the real secret of big brushes is that they act as shock absorbers, yielding smoother lines than any tiny brush can provide. The smaller the brush, the less space between your tremulous hand and the unforgiving page. The only way to achieve the same look with a small brush (or a pen) is to move quickly, which isn't always an option when dealing with intricate details.

Inks

Blue pencil

When inking myself, I use a non-repro blue pencil that, once scanned, can be easily filtered out in Photoshop. I avoided blue pencils for most of my career because they had a reputation for being waxy and difficult to erase. I was pleased to find, however, that there's a 0.7 mm mechanical lead by Pilot that had all the attributes I desired. Its density requires a soft touch, but that tends to be my preference anyway. They also have a full spectrum of colors. (Any 0.7 mm mechanical pencil will do just fine, but I use the Pentel Graph 1000, which is very lightweight.)

Digital Composite

Digital Layout

Since I bought a Cintiq display in 2011, all of my work begins with digital preliminary sketches. If the composition is complex, or features multiple figures, I try to keep the major players on separate layers. This makes placement and scale very easy to modify. In order to keep things organized in the face of numerous layers, I give each a distinctive color. This feature can be accessed under the layers palette: "layer styles/color overlay" with the opacity dropped down to taste.

Uh-oh... it's Owl Capone

Green Hornet #3 Cover

2013-04-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Green Hornet #3 Cover. 2013.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Reid for mayor! Have a great weekend!

Double Blind

2013-04-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

Indestructible Hulk #10. 2013.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Already repeating myself...

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 218

2013-04-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Avenging Spider-Man #19 Cover. 2012.
Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on Marvel board, 11 × 17.25″.

All right, so I don't really have any embarrassing reference today, but I do have a cover that'll be on shelves. I hope you'll excuse the shameless plug (this is my blog, after all). I did, however, employ the help of other artists in my rendition of Sleepwalker. You can see a preview of the comic at CBR.

Sleepwalker by Khary Randolph, (Not sure), and Scott Kolins

Inks by my Dad

Blue-line print

Pencils over blue-line print

Digital composite

Digital layout

Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #1

2013-04-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Superior Spider-Man Team Up #1. 2013.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Avenging Spider-Man will be rebranded this July as Superior Spider-Man Team-Up, but I'll still be providing covers for the series. The first issue cover debuted last week on CBR. For some reason, I just wanted to draw everyone rappelling. No one stopped me, so there it is. But in case anyone misses the "old" Peter Parker Spider-Man, here's a commission from last year. I do miss drawing the eyes "my" way.

Spider-Man. 2012. Acryla Gouache on sketch cover, 7 × 10.5″.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2 Variant Cover

2013-04-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Guardians of the Galaxy #2. 2013.

Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Marvel released this variant cover earlier this week, so why not display it here as well? It seems to have gotten a positive reaction on-line (I can't help but read the comments sometimes) but one sharp-eyed comic fan, Bill Colosimo, brought an earlier Guardians cover to my attention. Drawn by Jim Valentino, it features a previous incarnation of the team, albeit in a strangely familiar composition. While the ol' "dissolving shadow to reveal a secondary image" is a classic comic trope by now, the similarities in subject matter and arrangement definitely gave me pause. Perhaps I saw the cover in a previous life? The real question is, who won the dinner with Todd McFarlane?

Before I release you all to the omnivorous weekend, I wanted to let you know that I'm making a last minute appearance at MoCCA Fest, courtesy of Dare2Draw. I'll be available for portfolio reviews and fortune telling this Saturday from 3:30 to 5 at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington (the same place that was the inspiration for several pages of Mythos: Cap).

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 217

2013-04-03T08:53:00.001-07:00

Green Hornet #1 Cover. 2012.
Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17.

HORNET STILL AT LARGE! The Green Hornet #1 has already hit shelves, so I thought I'd share some of the reference that went into its making. From the outset, Mark Waid was citing Citizen Kane as an inspiration for the story — I figured it ought to work for me as well. The cover is unabashedly based on the photo below. Aside from being a great character study, Waid's story is also a rumination on the media... and how much clout newspapers used to have.

Photos found via Google

I used this as a thinly-veiled excuse to buy a 1/6 scale Mauser C96, part of my ever-growing collection of tiny weapons. I even have a gun rack for them.

Inks by my Dad

Blue-Line Print

Pencils

Digital Composite

Digital Layouts

One of my first ideas was for Green Hornet to turn into a swarm of hornets, but we ultimately went with a more iconic cover. The newspaper background took quite a bit of time, but it would've taken even more had I not used Photoshop's "smart objects" to duplicate the front page. Below is the template file — it has just enough detail to give a decent impression at a small size.

The Photoshop "smart object"

Microvisions 2013

2013-03-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is a cross-post with Muddy Colors — An Illustration Collective

Microvisions (The Sink). 2013.

Gouache, watercolor, and acrylic on bristol board, 5 × 7″.

Above is my contribution to Microvisions 2013, an auction of pint-sized art that benefits the Society of Illustrators Scholarship Fund (you can see a few of last year's pieces here, and my 2009 offering here). I used the opportunity to do a bit of concept work for my personal project, which has languished for the last couple months as I've battled deadlines. This is the first finished painting I've done of my main character, the Sink. It probably won't be the final look, but I hope it will one day look like an early McQuarrie Star Wars painting — familiar, but not quite what made the final cut. (I fully realize how high I'm setting the bar by saying that).

Character Studies. 2012.

Watercolor and acrylic on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

The remaining sketches are studies for Sink and 2 other main characters. Despite my experience with drawing comics, it's always been with established characters, so coming up with something original has been a real challenge. I'm excited to do more concept work for the story, but for now I'm concentrating on writing — something I'm picking up as I go along.

My eventual goal is a 200-page graphic novel, but I've already missed all the deadlines I've set for myself (been busy with other people's cool projects). Part of me hopes that by sharing it here, I'll have even more incentive to get the ball rolling. I've worked out the plot, scene by scene, which means I can move on to dialogue. The good news is I'm in love with the story and the characters, so I won't be happy until I'm able to extract it from my mind.

Character Studies. 2012.

Ink on bristol board, 11 × 17″

3 Past Midnight

2013-03-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Two Past Midnight #2. 2012. Ink on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Here are 3 of my 5 covers for 2 Past Midnight, a mini-series from Dark Horse (I finished up the last one recently). These were released a few weeks ago, but I hadn't posted them yet. I actually inked the top one, something I hadn't done in quite some time, but my Dad inked the rest of the series.

I still feel like I'm playing catch-up with deadlines, but I'm slowly digging my way out. For those of you who've been asking, my con schedule for the rest of the year is below. I'm not taking names for commissions just yet, but I'll announce it here when I do. Have a great weekend!

Heroes Con, Charlotte — June 7-9
Wizard World, NYC — June 29 (Saturday only)
Supercon, Miami — July 4-7
New York Comic Con — October 10-13 (not official yet)

Two Past Midnight #3. 2012. Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Two Past Midnight #4. 2012. Ink(ed by Joe Rivera) on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 216

2013-03-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Amazing Spider-Man #665. 2011.
Gouache and acrylic on bristol board, 11 × 17″.

This is one of my personal favorites — a cover for an issue of Amazing Spider-Man that I almost did the interiors for, #665. I didn't use any of my own photo reference for this one, but I did need to know what a theater marquee looked like. After a tiny bit of digging, I found a particular one in ~~Colorado~~ California that fit the bill: The Grand Lake Theater. The pic below is where I gathered the most inspiration, gleaning structure and lighting effects as best I could.

Not my pics... please forgive me, internet.

I also used a typography site that allowed customers to try out custom phrases in various fonts (can't remember the URL, but there are plenty out there). Since I was hand-lettering, I didn't download the font, but used a suitable substitute. This was composited in Photoshop with a perspective grid and light-boxed onto the final board (these days I would just print it out).

Digital Composite

As things turned out, I ended up not penciling the issue (I had a good excuse), but I moved on to Daredevil, for which I needed all the time I could get. And though I'd like to think that I had some kind of sly commentary in mind, this had absolutely nothing to do with the foibles of the Spider-Man Musical which was the butt of so many jokes at the time. It hadn't even occurred to me until the image became public and everyone thought it was some kind of editorial illustration — seems obvious in retrospect.

Digital Color Study

Pencil Layout

Medium Carnage

2013-03-24T21:04:00.001-07:00

Carnage. 2012. Watercolor on paper, 9 × 12″.

Hey, everybody! Remember when I used to blog? That was weeks ago. Anyway, I'm trying to get back into the groove after putting in some heavy hours (... can't wait to show you what I've been working on). Featured above is an old commission done just before Leeds last year.

I also wanted to make an official announcement: I'll be co-hosting a seminar with Andy Schmidt through his Comics Experience forum. (Andy was my editor at Marvel back in "the day.") It's a one-day event, but we plan to pack a lot in, concentrating specifically on design and how it relates to storytelling. It takes place on May 18th, from 10 to 4, during which you'll have our undivided attention. You can find all the details here. I hope you'll join us.