Aspens in Winter

I can finally post this one. This was a gift to my niece who wanted me to draw somethign for her. It is ink on charcoal paper and white colored pencil for the white areas.

Birthday Card

Well if you know someone with a birthday near or on Christmas, you know the drill...No mixing of the Christmas and Birthday gifts...No birthday gifts in Christmas paper...etc.

So this is a card I made for my wife. A Narcissus flower, a December flower. White Coloered pencil and markers.

Big Work finally finished.

Aspen Tree Sketch

Sketch of some Aspen Trees.

I like Aspens, I miss them. They were all over in Flagstaff. I need to figure out how to do leaves. Argh. LOL

Top Ten Albums I could listen to time after time

Top Ten Albums I could listen to time after time

1. Beatles - White Album
2. Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
3. Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
4. Gold Rush 79 - Various Artists
5. Led Zepplin - Led Zepplin
6. Van Halen - Fair Warning
7. Amy Grant - Lead Me On
8. NWA - Straight Outta Compton
9. AC/DC - Highway to Hell
10. Depeche Mode - Violator

HAPPY ALL HALLOWS EVE!

More Dia de los Muertos!

Dia de los Muertos

I love me some Day of the Dead art. Dia de los Muertos is some of the most colorful and enjoyable artwork that I have ever seen and I yearn to do more of it. I ripped this one out last night. Hopefully I can do some more. But sadly, color...not one of my best subjects. LOL

Long ass-time. I am back to normal (kinda)

Well, after Comic-Con I finally experienced what is widely known as "Post-Con Depression". I didn't want to see a pencil, much less draw anything for about a month. I had heard other people talk about it, but I had never really experienced it until now. But this Con was different than Cons in the past for me.

Usually at the Con, I would check out Artists Alley and the Small Press area and just get really depressed at the con, instead of afterwards. But that was more a product of seeing all the cool art that was being one and wishing and lamenting that I wasn't do any of it (still). But since I have been drawing this year, the Con was more about connecting with artists that I admired and spoke to on the web and meeting other artists in the same place as I am. And really connecting with the artistic community in a way I was never able to before. So I was on a high during the entire Con. It wasn't until a few days after the Con when the depression set in and...DAMN. That sucks. I didn't want to do anything. I ended up getting caught up on a bunch of Graphic Novels and TPB that I needed to read but never got around to.

After the Con depression went away, I found myself swamped with stuff to do at work. My company (Write Brothers 'makers of Movie Magic Screenwriter & Dramatica') was moving from Glendale back to Burbank (348 E. Olive Ave, suite H). I took way too much on myself and I was stressed to the bone with taking care of the move. After the move, I had to get the network nad internet up and running and with all the little bumps and bugs, it was a difficult time. It looks like we are back to normal and I can relax a bit. So I wanted to get a post up and let people know that I am still here and I will be posting new things. (Thanks to everyone for inquiring, it helped get my off my butt.)

SO ABOUT THE CON

The Con was great from both a business and personal standpoint. We doubled our sales this year and that was awesome. We have some new professional clients, Orson Scott Card, Robert J. Sawyer, Marc Guggenheim...if I am allowed to namedrop.... :) Personally, I made it a point to meet Matt Busch, Katie Cook, Cynthia Cummens, Todd Nauck, David Petersen...I also got to meet some of the Half-Pixel Gang, Dave Kellett (Sheldon) and Scott Kurtz (PVP) these guys are writing some of my favorite web comics right now. They are very cool in person also. I hooked up with some people from drawingboard.org for a sketch jam on Saturday night. It was great to meet everybody, but because we were staying on Coronado Island, I had to leave early to catch the last ferry over.

IN CLOSING

I had a great time at the con and now that things have gotten back to fairly normal, I will be drawing more. So until I post another drawing...Cya

Sketch Dump then off to Comic con!

Okay, these are some of the sketches I have been doing getting ready for comic con. the Hulk, Daredevil Dr. Doom amd my porch (a perspective exercise).

I will be at the Drawingboard.org Sketch Jam saturday night at the Marriott. and in the Gaslamp bars the others nights! LOL

Getting ready for Comic Con!

Well it is that time of year and I am getting ready for Comic Con. I will be working at the Write Brothers booth (#1429), we develop writing softeware. Software for Comic and Movie Scripts, Story Development and Outlining. Please come on by and say hello.

I will also be heading to the drawingboard.org sketch jam Saturday night. I am really looking forward to hooking up with the other artists and really getting into it. I have never been to a sketch jam so it will be a new experience for me and I am really jazzed about it.

Christian Bale - Let's try this again...

Well the second try turned out even worse than the first one. His jaw is way too square, his features are too big for the face. I didn't notice that while I was drawing it. I didn't spend as much time on this one, and I think it shows. I do think the hair turned out better in this one, but that is about the only thing that I like about this one. This was kind of disappointed with this one.

Christian Bale Sketch

I started this sketch and after I got done with the pencils, I knew this didn't even come close. but I went ahead and inked it anyway because I thought it came out as a portrait very well. Almost Robert Downey-like. So, as a Christian Bale sketch it didn't work but as a sketch in general I think it looks pretty good. Remember, I always want to hear what you have to say about the things I post.

One from the past...

This was a piece I did for my wife (fiance' at the time), her name is rose, so I drew her a rose. She liked it so much that she suggested that we use it for our wedding invitations. You could have knocked me down with a feather, I was stunned and elated. It is a piece that I am most proud of and sorry about. About 5-6 years ago the original was ruined by my cats and it was all I could do to have to throw it out. We had no copies of the invitations and I thought it was lost. I had not scanned it at the time. But fortune shone on me and it turns out that my sister had one of the invites and I asked her if I could have it back. It is like finding a lost teddy bear. I scanned it right away. I love this piece but I hope it is not the best thing I ever do...

Lunchtime 15 minute Batman Sketch

It seems I am going through a Batman phase. I really love the opportunity to work with suck good darks and lights. He is such a gothic figure, that when he is in his element, the shadows, is when he is the most fun to draw. And his cape has so many directions youn can take it. I can see why MacFarland gave Spawn such a great cape.

Lunchtime Sketch

I did this during lunchtime, I wanted to work on Perspective and hands.

Self-Portrait & Practice Sucking

This is a self-portrait done today during my lunch hour. Pencils and then inked over with black, medium-grey and light grey pens. I am happier with the pencils than I am the inks, but that is probably I am not yet comfortable with inking anything. Choosing what to make black and grey and what to leave alone...It is just so...permanent. LOL

Okay, so practicing sucks right? Or am I the only one who cannot stand to sit and draw head shapes (even though that is what I really need right now) and body gestures and hands and feet. I am terrible at practicing, I wish I wasn't I would be a better artist. I would love to find some slick way of making practing fun, but I am pretty sure it is one of those things that you just have to sit down and work on to get any benfit from. Which sucks, cause I suck at practicing.

Does anyone have any tips on making practice more enjoyable? I use music, but other than that, it is just me in the dark with a board and a pen.

FREE Music on Amazon today!

Since this is an Art Blog, I will post something from the archives....This was a broken headstone at the Necropolis in Glasgow, Scotland. Ball-point pen on paper.

I was looking at Amazon.com for some MP3's and saw that today, an Elton John #1 hits album is only $1.99! Also, for Black History Month, they are giving away free tracks by classic Blue's artists. There is also a Free Alanis Morrisette track from the new album.

Central Park Sketch

More fun with my new pens. This is from a photo I took at NY's Central Park, near Strawberry Fields.

Got New Markers for my Birthday!

Woo Hoo! I got a set of Manga Markers for my birthday the other day. Blacks and greys. I couldn't wait to try them out. I really like the brush pens, I haven't used the medium or thin pens yet. I thought the BATMAN would be a great starting off point for the cool greys and blacks. These are sketch card designs.

Back from NYC

I just got back from NYC and I had a wonderful time. Took tons of pictures, but we were sightseeing at such a frantic pace, that I never got a chance to sit and sketch anything. So I will be going through my pictures and sketching from those. We saw the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Ellis Island, St. Particks Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Radio City, The Met Museum of Art, Central Park, The Plaza, Hell's Kitchen (is is pretty posh now)...Oh yeah 42nd street and Times Square.

In the mean time here is one from the archives. A stippled Shark I drew form my sister.

X-Files Sketchcard Designs

FOX MULDER

FLUKEMAN
I was watching the X-Files movie "FIGHT THE FUTURE" and I was thinking that there were so many great freaks on that show, that I would do some sketches using them. searching on the interweb for reference material is difficult, not for Mulder or Scully (Hah....Scully...) but the villians, I did find FLUKEMAN, who is just an awesome freak.

My First Sketchcard Design!

So I finally got around to doing my own sketchcard design. Please, Please, let me know what you think. If you want a commision...I am game! Just drop me a line! Cheers.

INDY!

Now that I look at it, he seems kinda old and thin. LOL Well, he is old, but his face is definately not that thin.

Heath Ledger's Joker

This was inspired by one of the promo shots I found of Heath Ledger as the Joker. This is a meaner-looking more thuggy Joker. Sketchbook page using pencil then primsacolor pen (black)

My Take on THE JOKER!

So I went to the library last night and found a book about the Greatest Batman Comic Covers. I was flipping throught the incredible artwork (I am a Neal Adams Batman-guy) and realized that I have never tried to draw Joker and that he is one of the characters that I love to see people draw the most. So last night I sat down an ripped this out in about an hour. (again, I love the prismacolor pens!) It isn't the typical Joker, I think I would need to do more to get a more Joker-style to it, but I thought it looks pretty good.

I was inspired by a picture of Conrad Veidt’s character in The Man Who Laughs

Getting back to Fun Star Wars Stuff!

Okay so after the crappy couple of days of skething shitty heads... I got back into the Star Wars book. I ripped this one out after the lil ewok went to bed. I was really unsure about this before I started filling in the dark space. I wasn't sure it was going to work, I was having trouble with the mask and the belt but the hand, the hand felt awesome to do. I think I am going to try more of these perspective poses. This was my first real sketch using a prismacolor pen (thin on one side, broad on the other). I have to say, I really like the feel and delivery of this pen and I think I will be going out and getting more.

Crappy Sketching Days

Crappy sketching days.

I have beening checking out the "how-to" drawing vids on YouTube and I was feeling in a funk and after two days I was feeling like I had taken two steps back. The following pages are pages I did while watching the videos.


I figured that I was getting out of my "fun zone" and I was starting to take things a bit to seriously and this is the problem I get in to when I drop art for spans of time. I get frustrated and that takes all of the fun out of drawing.

I did find small packets of useful stuff those nights. Like in the first pic, the crouching figure actually came out with good proportions and size. I enjoyed that. Some of the general comic faces turned out okay. But I need practice and I am not sure that doing these sketches are helping. I need instruction and that is why I went to the videos. I need to stay focused and work on one thing and then use those skills to move on.

More You can Draw Star Wars Pieces

I am just really loving going onto the Star Wars Learn to Draw site. I know it is for kids, but I am getting a lot out of it. I had forgotten how just using basic shapes makes things so much easier to map things out, whether it is features or figures I am getting a lot out of it.

I have just fallen for the cute style of KATIE COOK, she has fast become one of my favorite artists. I got to meet her at the 07 San Diego Comic Con, completely by chance, I was walking through Artists Alley and she was nice enough to do a sketch for my new born son. (I will have to post a pic of that later). Anyway, I just love here style and I did one of her Leia sketches here:

From past sketch session

These are sketches from some drawing sessions I went to in Glendale. It was on Central Ave and called "The Atelier", I don't know if they are still around, since I moved I can't stay in Glendale late after work. I had a great time there though. I really found that you can't just pick up a pencil and perform like you used to when you haven't sketched in years.

Even though my first session was a frustrating disappointment, my following session yielded some nice stuff that really surprised me. I am looking at going to the Drawing Club for the monthly long pose sessions to get back into the habit of figure drawing. Some of my favorate blogs to read are either from the Club itself or people that attend. I can't wait.