An Exercise in Perseverance

NMB Animated Credits

2011-11-13T20:08:00.003-05:00

Cast Credits for No More Blood

A Film By Anthony Francis Moorman

Illustrations by Woodrow J Hinton III

Animated by Joe Busam Barking Fish Lounge

Termite Bianca

2011-05-03T22:36:00.002-04:00

No More Blood

2011-01-18T09:03:00.004-05:00

No More Blood Cast stills and Sticker

Kolchak

2010-11-29T22:47:00.008-05:00

Here is my latest Kolchak Cover with the original b/w mixed media painting included and some process photos. Though I have had to cut down on several commissions due to my Master's program, of the few jobs I wanted to hold on too, doing the Kolchak covers was one I was not willing to let go of. I love the source material and working with Moonstone is always great. I also wanted something that would be appropriate to send into the Spectrum and Frazetta tribute contest. When doing this piece I took the opportunity to really study what I loved about Frank’s work and try to incorporate some of that into my own. With the Frazetta tribute I am sure most artists will go to the Fire and Ice imagery of sexy damsels in distress or Death Dealer shoving a pike through twelve dudes anuses and there is not a darn thing wrong with that. Frank did that like no other, however I really like some of Frank's early comic stuff and his Movie Poster images that have a horror hi-jinx about them that can often be over-shadowed by his later oil images.

While, my subject matter can be a little lighter, Frazetta has always been a major influence.

Finally I was going to Illuxcon and wanted to have a new piece to shop around that was relevant to the subject matter of the convention.

Illuxcon 3 Short Review

2010-11-29T22:19:00.003-05:00

With all conventions there is some commonalities in terms of networking and structure that occur, however each show usually caters to the needs of a specific audience. The audience in this case consists of fans and artists of science fiction and fantasy illustration. Illuxcon seemed to focus on three key goals: artist-to-artist interactions, education between students and professionals and finally facilitating the sales of original artwork to collectors.

Over the last several years while working on licensed properties I have noticed what a viable market there is in terms of the sale of original artwork. The days of being able to sustain oneself in a single sector of the market have gone the ways of the Dodo. So it is highly advisable for any artists to search out several creative ways to generate revenue within one’s given field. My Moonstone Kolchak work in particular seems to have a pretty avid fan base who is interested in owning originals so a convention that focused on that aspect of the commercial arts was of great interest to me. Conventions are a great resource for artists to network and promote themselves but one has to investigate which shows are worth investing in. This was my main intention for going.

First off let me say I really enjoyed the show and would encourage students who are interested in fantasy art to attend the conference and consider the Showcase for the more serious minded artists. The Showcase in my understanding is like the pre-show show audition that happens at the hotel conference room where you may be asked to be part of the actual show at the convention center the following year. But don’t be mistaken as the Showcase in my opinion featured one of the artists that made my trip. If you have never heard of or seen the work of Petar Meseldžija do yourself a favor and check this dude out. So with regards to hanging with some cool artist and getting feedback about work or seeing amazing originals this convention is great. I can’t really comment on the panels as I only saw one myself, which I did enjoy about painted comics from Chris Moeller. Several Paul Lehr paintings were there as well that simply blew my mind. These things can only be appreciated in person. In terms of whether I would be interested in an invitation to attend as an exhibitor or enter the showcase myself, I can say with my current body of work this show would not be useful for me but it is likely I will attend again in the same capacity as I went this year in. With that being said I could see a small niche for collectors interested in artists, that they have not yet purchased from, who have done major title book covers or substantial work in the field of fantasy. One final note that was worth a mention is several artists congregated after the show to have a killer jam session led my Mark Zug. The highlight of the final evening was when fellow CCAD alumni and artist Soutchay Soungpradith belted out a rendition of Voodoo Child and wrapped it up by playing the guitar with his teeth.

Here is a short list of the artists that made my trip worth it:

Petar Meseldžija

Eric Fortune

Soutchay Soungpradith

Paul Lehr

Joe Kovach

Bernadette Carstensen

Rob Zombie for Royal Flush 7

2010-10-04T14:07:00.003-04:00

Here is my Rob Zombie final illustration with design and layout by Josh Bernstein for Royal Flush 7.

Here's a ton of info and links about the FLUSH below.

The main link to pre-order the book now is here:
http://royalflushmagazine.com/merch/

This is a link to all the Royal Flush Festival Info • October 11-18
The Film Fest returns and screenings will take place at the Knitting Factory, This year’s killer poster was done by Brian Ewing:
http://www.royalflushfestival.com/rff/index.php

New York Comic Con • October 8-10 • Javits Center - We will be at Booth #646

Rob Zombie Book Signing • Monday, October 11 • Forbidden Planet • 6-9pm – Come meet cover boy Rob Zombie and cover artist Ed “Megadeth” Repka next Monday! Rob will be signing RF7 and Hellbilly Deluxe 2 exclusively. This will be insane.
Here’s the Facebook event page to sign up for and blast out: http://bit.ly/9nDOq5

2nd Annual Royal Flush Fest Kick-Off Party • Thursday, October 14 • Brian Ewing Book Release • ?uestlove, Black Taxi, Kid Savant, The Lifted Crew • At Brooklyn Bowl –
Here’s the Facebook event page to sign up for and blast out: http://bit.ly/b381mi

10th Annual Royal Flush “Full Release Party” with KAIJU BIG BATTEL • Friday, October 15 • Warsaw • ALL-AGES • Join us for a live Japanese monster fighting event with live music from Poison Ivy League.
Here’s the Facebook event page to sign up for and blast out: http://bit.ly/cryjvH
To pre-buy tickets: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/9267/tfly

The ROYAL FLUSH / AMERICAN HARDCORE All-Ages Matinee • October 17 noon-4pm • Knitting Factory
URBAN WASTE plus (VERY SPECIAL!!!) NYHC guests. Plus Downlow, Yo! Skunt and guest DJs George Tabb and Marc Rentzer
Q&A and slide show by American Hardcore author/filmmaker Steven Blush
To pre-buy tickets: http://ticketf.ly/dp34WT

And on a final note – some exciting early press that I wanted to share from USA Today’s Pop-Watch…
http://usat.ly/bpSRBl

Cincinnati Comic Expo and CityBeat Interview

2010-09-17T17:20:00.007-04:00

For those interested I will be attending the Cincinnati Comic Expo

tomorrow Saturday September 18th.

The weather looks to be great this weekend and the show is only for one day so come out and see what the show is all out then head down to Oktoberfest.
I and a host of other very talented local artists will have tables at the show.
Cincinnati Artist attending

I will be selling at my table: copies of the local anthology 12-Way with Cheese, Kolchak The Nightstalker Comics, original art and a handful of prints.

Also contained within the current issue of Citybeat on newsstands I have a small article interview written by local writer Rich Shivener on my thoughts relating to comics and conventions. As with any interview it is usually cut down to only about 5% of the topics covered but all a the same I thought it was a good quick read. So for the short version running in CityBeat click this link. For those who are gluttonous for long winded manifesto here is the full written portion response to my questions.

San Diego Comic Con – how was it? What did you take from it this year? (In a material and perhaps mental sense)

This year’s con is already a blur but overall it was a great experience.
While every ComicCon has it on unique flavor this year was one of introspection for me.

This was the first year I actual put some merchandise on the table. That was an interesting experience. It really opened my eyes to what fans want as well as the profitable of moving my originals. The main function of con for me has always been to network but it was nice to make back a little money which allowed me to enjoy some nice dinners guilt free as well as pick up a few rounds.

As far as con booty is concerned, I always like to buy at least one sketch or piece of art at con to inspire me. Last year it was my Ashley Wood page and this year it was a killer Scott Hampton ink drawing. I can’t truly say how much Scott’s work has inspired me but for anyone who has not seen it, I highly suggest picking up a copy of his Upturned Stone. It is a great Halloween story with a Ray Bradbury vibe that instantly returns you to childhood wonder. Scott is a legend in sequential art and has a library of great books out there so getting an original sketch was amazing. I wish publishers were putting out more sequentially painted books, as they seem to be getting farther and few between.

The other amazing thing that happened to me at con was having the opportunity to have my work reviewed by Marshall Vandruff and Justin Sweet. Both of these gentlemen have a rare level of excellence in what they do and I was extraordinarily lucky to stumble upon them this year. More over the pair could have not been more warm and generous with their time. The further I progress in my career I find it becomes increasingly harder to get meaningful insight to help me evolve my work so when I find it, its gold. I would love to go in great detail about the insight they gave me in those 30 minutes but I could fill this whole newspaper with the words and implications of that conversation, most of which I am still wrestling with. For the sake of brevity I will leave you with this, which affected me, the most. Every thought or action translates plainly to your strokes on canvas; beware of who and what you want to be, because to the trained eye it’s all there. The confidence as well as the insecurities, your art is a mirror to you, be careful and be aware what you want to show the world. I always thought this was artiste mumbo-jumbo, I was completely wrong!

There was one other thing that really moved me from the perspective of a teacher that I thought was brilliant. When discussing a specific topic with Marshall he would address them almost as a physician would. He would label the illness and then in a calm thoughtful tone give a prescription as to relive you of the ailment. It amazed me that such a clear organized method of teaching without passing judgment has never occurred to me before. I simply can’t say enough about this experience or these two gentlemen other than, Thank You.
And finally, most importantly above all what I learned at con was that TRON is gonna freak’n ROCK!

The importance, in your opinion, of comic cons.

Conventions are a great resource for artists to have essential face time with their fan base as well as with editors and art buyers. In the ever-growing global economy engulfed by the ever-increasing sea of meta data it is essential that a professional artist make personal connections whenever possible. From a fan’s perspective it’s like Christmas. You get to deal directly with artists you love and see sneak peek of media you are passionate about. Minus the rancor of basement dwelling man-children, what’s not to love?

What cues can other con organizers take from something like SDCC?

Know your market within the region you live and exploit its traditions, values and spending habits. Every part of the US has its own wonderful flavor of originally and the good shows take advantage of this because like any good artist they know their market first. Listen to your exhibitors and attendees feedback. Too many shows that where once lovely run by passionate fans with resources have went the way of the Dodo because businessmen bought them out to make a quick buck. They quickly lose the confidence and locality of the fan base with no thought given to the longevity of the show. These show either implode leaving the region without of are taken over.

Your take on the comic – and illustrator, for a large scope – scene in the region

One thing that has always amazed me about Cincinnati is the wealth of artistic talent here, in all the arts, but particularly in the illustration community. Whether it’s the vast array of quality education institutions found in Ohio or something in the water we got talent by the boatload.

However, I will say this in terms of geography and technology, Cincinnati is very limited in terms of what we publish in this region and who buys art. If you have the notion that the days of moving to the big city to make it are obsolete because of Computing and networking technologies I would ask you to reevaluate. While the amount of talented artists that call Cincinnati their home would suggest otherwise, I see a reemergence of the “scenes” in the various artistic circles. Being or not being associated with these groups definitely has an impact on the success of one’s career. This is where the earlier topic of conventions comes in. Conventions allow artists like myself who choose to live elsewhere in the country to be part of the conversation making them an active party in charting the course of their given field. As I said before getting yourself and your artwork in front of people who have the budgets and desire to hire you is often more important than producing your art. This obvious point is often over looked in my field by the young artists.

A walkthrough of your creating process

Step 1 Preparation and Concept

The most important step in the process is the idea. Illustration is understanding the idea you want to convey and finding the best possible visual way to communicate that idea. I start with several sketches looking for the best idea. After I find the best way to communicate my idea (literal or conceptual) I need to think about design. I now know the elements of my piece, but now in thumbnails I need to figure the best way to organize the information. I keep in mind: shape, dominance, value, and color with special attention to the format of the piece. Finally I settle on a single rough draft thumbnail, which I feel best, conveys my intent.

Step 2 The Rough, Research, and Photo Layout

With the thumbnail complete I will do research followed by photo reference. I prefer to shoot most of my reference in my studio with my lights, props, and models. Now that I have shot my reference using my thumbnail as a guide I quickly cut and paste the photos in a layout in Photoshop. This layout is still subject to change but it helps me address problems I may have not yet encountered in my thumbnail.

Step 3 The Line Drawing and Reference

After I have figured out the design and my digital layout is complete, I print out photos of each aspect of the illustration separately on a white background. I draw each of the many elements as if they were spot illustrations. I use several layers of tissue or tracing paper to do my drawings; that way if there are parts I’m satisfied with I can transfer them to a fresh sheet where I will work out my problem areas. I am mindful to use the reference as exactly that and nothing more. If I have to alter or completely disregard reality for the sake of good design I will do so without hesitation. Once I have a solid line drawing for each part of my compositions I may scan them to create a line drawing to show the client.

Step 4 Transfer

The next step once the line drawing is approved is to transfer the multiple line drawings to boards using graphite paper. I use Strathmore Illustration board with a tooth or rough surface.

Step 5 Value

This is where the majority of the time consuming work begins. I create a black and white illustration with whatever medium seems to suit my needs best. Each medium has its pros and cons. Over the years I have learned these and I take advantage of all of them. I try to work one medium at a time on the each of the multiple illustrations on the boards in an assembly line fashion.

After I transfer my drawing to the boards I go over my lines with graphite or a rapidograph pen depending on my needs and the line quality I desire. Graphite, lead, combined with blending stomps are often used for bright clothing and skin tones. The key is to only apply very thin layers of pencil. Ink is used as a time saver but also as a way to get rich darks in my piece. Ink works great on black hair or jackets and even on backgrounds. I often seal this ink with a lacquer then go over it with white and grey colored pencil. A wonderful texture can be found this way for textiles and clothing. I use watercolor and acrylic interchangeable. My decision is based solely on the thought of will I later want to go back in with water to bring out highlights. If so I use watercolor, if not acrylic. I use gesso and not white paint for highlights for the thick texture it provides. I mix gesso with ink, watercolor, or acrylic to get a full range of value.

Step 6 Color and the Computer

Now that the b/w painting is complete I scan the images into Photoshop. People often ask how did you get this texture or technique with the computer? This background looks like watercolor how did you accomplish that? The answer is it looks like watercolor because it is. The work looks like it was done by hand because it was. My style is the way I draw and Photoshop allows me to transparently add color to my drawing without changing the integrity of them. The coloring process is a simple matter of making selection then filling those selections while choosing the proper combination of multiply, overlay, and color settings in the layers options. In finishing the illustration it may be necessary for me to make the edge relationship work together in the frame of reference. This is a matter of sharpening, blurring, or erasing an edge. I will also add any specific lighting effects I feel the piece needs and with that my image is complete and ready for press.

Recent works and upcoming ones

I am currently working on several projects and have a handful of books dropping this fall.

The most intensive and ambitious venture I am currently engaged in is my MFA Thesis for CCAD. The project is a sequential narrative work dealing the intimate stories of human interaction and the divine thread that connects one life to another. This project will conclude in 2013 with a published graphic novel in printed and digital format. You can find out more details about that project at The Golden Thread.

I am also part of a team working on motion graphics and promotion designs for a local filmmaker Anthony Francis Moorman. His film No More Blood is an independent action short getting ready for the film festival circuit and is in postproduction as we speak. Anthony has managed to wrangle some of the most talented actors, actresses and crew in town. The whole process has been extremely interesting and I have been simply awe struck by the level of commitment and talent working on this project. Not to mention the whole thing was shot on cutting-edge RED cameras. More information on this film can be found on the No More Blood facebook page.

As far as appearances the Cincinnati Comic Expo is this September where I will be selling comics, original art and debuting 12-Way with Cheese an anthology showcasing 12 very diverse Cincinnati artists. Later in the fall I will also tentatively be attending Mid Ohio Comic Con in Columbus.

With regards to publication Spectrum 17 the Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art will be out this fall, which showcases some of my Kolchak Comic covers. Dungeons and Dragons: Monster Manual 3 from Wizards of the Coast has just been released in which I have a handful and creepy crawlers. Moonstone will be releasing two more Kolchak : the Night Stalker comics for which I do the cover illustrations in the end of Autumn. Finally I have a pretty fun interview about Good vs Evil in WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE: Vampire Hunters and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil by Marvel author Jonathan Maberry and Janice Gable Bashman by Citadel Press.

We're in the thick of the Digital Age. What do you think the future holds for comic, comic art, and perhaps even RPG art? Is the Digital Age changing your process?

One of the most important things an artist must be aware of is his changing environment. After all art is often just one’s interpretation of the world they live in. With that in mind I have to acknowledge the changing dynamic of print in my field, to ignore it is to become obsolete. One of the latest issue of Time magazine features a large Steve Jobs head staring at you telling you why his iPad will replace the printed book in a few years. Technology for better or worse has changed the way artists interact with their audience and the world. How does this relate to a commercial market and the world of sequential art? You need only look at the new deals IDW, Marvel, and DC comics have made with Apple to exclusively launch their content on Apple’s new product the iPad to answer that question. These companies are using this new medium, but they are not taking advantage of it’s true potential.

The Golden Age illustrators of yesteryear became renowned not only by excellence in their craft but also by utilizing the new technologies available at the time, which in their day was the new full color printing press. I also intend to let new technology expedite my progress as well as enhance the way my audience views my art.

Sequential art has been a long, tried and true method of left to right viewing that has been perfected within the context of a printed book. New technologies don’t have the same workspace limitations as the printed page. We can now tell a story that goes up, down, left, right, diagonal or we can zoom in or out to infinity which adds a new dimension to the story telling aspect of the narrative. There are no limitations in terms of size, direction or flow. Specifically concerning my MFA Thesis I can further push the notion of my non-linear story and show this illusive divine thread I have mentioned by stringing the stories together on the computer like a family tree rather than a timeline. The beginning of one story can be the end of another, as well as the middle of yet a third. The entire tale is intertwined, in this way an audience can experience each story on it’s own merit but can also view the implications of each story as a whole. These concepts are clearly and eloquently explained in a book called Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud where he critically discusses the past, present and future of sequential art.

End of Summer Wrap UP

2010-09-05T07:37:00.003-04:00

The last vestiges of summer are passing rapidly and this very sweaty August is subsiding to autumn’s cool breezes. With summer’s passing fades several memories and a very full work season. This summer is a complete blur with every day bleeding into the next and as such I have found no time, save for now to jot down all the events and important details from the last few months. This entry will be a catch all for all the remnants floating throughout my mind.

First off I wanted to thank Scott Hampton again for this amazing sketch and post the rest of the swag I snagged from comic con here.

I have mentioned very little of Indianapolis Gen Con because it always comes in the wake of the Monster that is San Diego Comic con. And though I was still on autopilot mode never the less it was a pretty interesting year. My good friend Shane once again was gracious enough to give us room and board and spending time with his little brood is always a blast. It gave Andrew and I a little time to catch up since Comiccon was so hectic and the chance for me to kick his butt in out Lego Pyramid race. I had a nice dinner got to meet several fellow artists and ADs from Fantasy Flight Games, thank you Zoe. It’s always nice to touch base with the folks over at Wizards of the Coast who are always so generous with their time. So all in all it was a good quaint show. After some prodding the other artists convinced me to get a table for next year’s show so it looks like I better produce some good fantasy art this year so I can validate the cost of that table.

While I am speaking of conventions there is a new one I plan on attending this September. Cincinnati Comic Expo is a new show to the region but hopefully this event goes well and become a local tradition. I will have table set up and post a few more details before the event later this month.

In other news several of my originals have found a new home in sunny California. An interested collector called and purchased all of my Night Stalker work. So it looks like old Carl had to pack the convertible and move out of town once again. Thank you again Juan and I am very glad my artwork found a place in your heart and your collection.

As for work though I have been busy I can’t remember the last time I actually posted any. I can’t of course post the gaming stuff until it is published so I will post a new Kolchak cover I completed as well as a Rob Zombie piece I just finished for Royal Flush, both will come out toward the end of fall. Also due out this fall is the new Spectrum 17 and a new book I have a pretty good interview in called Wanted Undead or Alive by Janice Gable Bashman and Jonathan Maberry.

Balance has always been a tricky business for me and this fall that struggle will become a lot more complicated and exciting. I have just began my MFA program at CCAD and with it a new blog that will layout the details of where I will be investing the majority of my passions for the next two years. For those interested in following the project: The Golden Thread. The other little factor that will wonderfully change my life is that my wife and I have created a new life so we will get to see what that’s all about. At the present its just somewhat incomprehensible but exciting. On a final note I have been so overwhelmed with all the new changes in my life I haven’t had time to follow up with all contacts from a very full con season so I think this week will be a great time to wrap up the past and lay a course for the future.

Future post:
Cincinnati Comic Expo Details
Books List of where to find my work

San Diego Comic Con 2010 in Review

2010-08-03T05:19:00.005-04:00

In and Out

This years con is already a blur but overall a great experience. I flew out on Tuesday and left Monday July 20th-26th. The additional time makes the whole process much more enjoyable and I believe I may opt to extend the trip by yet another day next year. Likewise the red eye flight home is quick, dark and enjoyable which makes returning as painless as possible.

Baggage

I arrived late Tuesday night in San Diego and was picked up from the airport by our local con Mother Jen. Anywhere I can save a dime is great because the trip is not cheap. Luckily over the years we have nurtured a good friendship with a few folks in San Diego and they have always been more than generous to our small collective. This year was the first year I actually decided to shop my wares so I was a little inconvenienced by the fact that Delta lost all of my clothes and box of merchandise. Fortunately my box did show up Thursday with enough time to get set up for preview night.

The Con

Preview Night oddly enough was my biggest night where I made the most money selling a few originals. The flow of the con was very different this year from years past so the beginning and then end was good for our booth while the middle kind of lagged. There are discussions happening now to see if it is possible to relocate toward the concentration of other artists for next year. The main function of con for me has always been to network but it was nice to make back a little money which allowed me to enjoy some nice dinners guilt free as well as pick up a few rounds.

Work

The networking was interesting this year. There is no point to go into great detail about that as the jobs I garner or do not will be a direct result, mind as well let time tell that tale.

Booty

As far as con booty is concerned, I always like to buy at least one sketch or piece of art at con to inspire me. Last year it was my Ashley Wood page and this year it was a killer Scott Hampton ink drawing. Unfortunately I had to have it shipped to Columbus. As soon as I retrieve it in the end of August I will post the image, its great! I can’t truly say how much Scott’s work has inspired me but for anyone who has not seen it, I highly suggest picking up a copy of his Upturned Stone. It is a great Halloween story with a Ray Bradbury vibe that instantly returns you to childhood wonder. Scott is a legend in sequential art and has a library of great books out there so getting an original sketch was amazing. I wish publishers were putting out more sequentially painted books, as they seem to be getting farther and few between. I also got great doodles from: Mark Brooks, Gary Gianni, William Stout, Dave Johnson, and Brian Ewing in the books I picked up from them.

Critique

The other amazing thing that happened to me at con was having the opportunity to have my work reviewed by Marshall Vandruff and Justin Sweet. Both of these gentlemen have a rare level of excellence in what they do and I was extraordinarily lucky to stumble upon them this year. More over the pair could have not been more warm and generous with their time. The further I progress in my career I find it becomes increasingly harder to get meaningful insight to help me evolve my work so when I find it, its gold. I would love to go in great detail about the insight they gave me in those 30 minutes but I could fill a whole blog entry with the words and implications of that conversation, most of which I am still wrestling with. For the sake of brevity I will leave you with this, which affected me, the most. Every thought or action translates plainly to your strokes on canvas; beware of who and what you want to be, because to the trained eye it’s all there. The confidence as well as the insecurities, your art is a mirror to you, be careful and be aware what you want to show the world. I always thought this was artiste mumbo-jumbo, I was completely wrong!

There was one other thing that really moved me from the perspective of a teacher that I thought was brilliant. When discussing a specific topic with Marshall he would address them almost as a physician would. He would label the illness and then in a calm thoughtful tone give a prescription as to relive you of the ailment. It amazed me that such a clear organized method of teaching without passing judgment has never occurred to me before. I simply can’t say enough about this experience or these two gentlemen other than, Thank You.

Thank You

Finally I need to say thank you to our whole con crew and especially to Mike who not only gave us multiple rides to con but also a great place to stay. Thank you to Kevin and the X-Sanguin crew for our booth and a killer party. Thank you to my three girls Pfunk, Jennett, Tj and our other booth assistants. Thanks to Mr. Brian Ewing and his crew with his brilliant launch of his new Dark Horse book. Thanks to the San Diego Drink and Draw group, I had a great time and now have a great book. Bawidamann you owe me your life but thanks anyway even though I saw you for 15 minutes the whole con. Thanks to Jerry at USA Today for a nice plug. Thanks to Cathy and Arnie and the rest of the Spectrum crew I can't wait to see what surprises the next book holds this fall.

Finally thank you to my beautiful and amazing wife Lisa with our new bean who allows me to run around the country living my dreams and always reminds me I have place called home that I want to rush back to.

USA Today interview from San Diego Comic Con 2010

2010-07-28T23:47:00.003-04:00

USA Today Video click to play.

Comic Con 2010 is Coming

2010-07-08T20:18:00.004-04:00

For those of you that are attending San Diego's Comic Con 2010 and interested in seeing me I will be in the X-Sanguin Booth #433 per usual.

This year I will have a modest amount of comics, prints and originals to sell.
I will be sharing some space with the master of modern day pinup Andrew Bawidamann.
Once on the floor follow the numbers and walk under the 400 sign then head toward the back of the Con toward the bathrooms and you can't miss us. If you are lost in the swell of humanity look for my banner which will have my Dracula's Pitt image displayed or Bawidmann's Pinup.

As with every year, since we started doing the show the X-Sanguin guys have hooked us up and packed a killer roster for the booth including Tim Bradstreet and Brian Ewing.

Here is a complete list of the lineup for the booth: X-Sanguin Booth #433

And if that wasn't enough sensory overload Royal Flush will be selling a con exclusive limited edition run of their Hispanic Batman comic in which I have a loose-stool pinup and Bradstreet graces the cover. This con looks to be amazing.
For all those going I look forward to seeing you and bide you fond wishes for the aroma of deodorant in a sea of con rancor.

I have included some shots of some of my available prints as well as what the heck the front of the booth, Bawidamann, Ewing and I will look like.

And for the last time people no I am not Sean Astin and I will not sign your replica LOTR Samwise frying pan or Notre Dame Helmet unless you are Monica Bellucci in which case I am Sean Astin and I will see you in VIP to sign whatever you like.

No More Blood Movie Teaser Poster

2010-07-08T14:38:00.004-04:00

A local film maker Anthony Moorman assembled an amazingly talented crew then hired me to be part of a short action film he was directing. My artwork is a homage to all the great exploitation film posters of the 70's which is very much in vibe with the energy of the film . I have now worked on a couple of film projects but this is the first one where I was allowed on set during the filming and the process was amazing. Seeing how much work goes into a shot was very educational. I was inspired by the level talent and dedication to their craft the actors and director brought to doing what they love. Watching how much detail the crew put into lighting and framing a shot really gave me a new perspective on how to use reference in my own work and composing and lighting my models. As the project progress chance are I will have more artwork to post for this film.

Here is the promo film Poster, a few behind the scenes pics and two frame grabs from the actual film.

NO MORE BLOOD

Dracula's Pitt

2010-06-23T02:23:00.004-04:00

Finally got around to finishing this up the way I wanted it.

Monster Manual 3

2010-06-19T11:39:00.005-04:00

Wizards of the Coast just released their new edition of the Monster Manual 3.
Here is the work that I completed last winter for the book. I got to do four Monsters:
The Cave Fisher, Runic Gargoyle, Ghast, and the Old School Intellect Devourer.
There is more graphic version of the Ghast that was not approved but I like the illustration enough
that I will take it to a final and post it later on this blog.

Working with Wizards licensed characters is always interesting and Monsters are
always fun to do so hopefully I get to do more soon.

As of right now my June is slammed. I just completed a test shot for an undisclosed project that I think turned out well. The No More Blood teaser Poster is almost complete. I am working on a logo for a company called Irish Buddha. I am also in the process of completing my Dracula's Tomb image and revising a FFG Lovecraft card. When I make some head way on those projects then have to get into a new Kolchak Cover which I am looking forward to from a design sense. After that is complete I have to get all my last minute printing ready for San Diego Comic Con. Then in the fall I will be going back to school get my MFA. It will be excellent to have the opportunity to focus on a personal project for the next two years so I have alot to get ready for. Right now it's looking like it is going to be a very exciting and productive Summer and Fall.

What the Deuce

2010-06-02T22:35:00.004-04:00

So decided I shouldn't post this for multiples reasons such as:

1 It will be exclusively released by Royal Flush in a collabrative book at Booth #433 at San Diego Comic Con.
2 Glistening testicles possibly may not be the best self-promotion idea I have ever had.
3 Corn!
4 I finished it all in one night with no reference.
5 Man Nipples on the Bat suits, Schumacher would be so proud.

Whenever I come across something that is so blatantly and logically a bad idea
I always have to go the other way in favor of out and out stupidity, so enjoy!

What’s in a Name?

2010-05-19T23:41:00.004-04:00

A young lady named Sara asked me this question below on the last blog post and I promised to respond.

I'm sure you're busy, but I was curious if you could go into detail about your title - "An Exercise in Perseverance." I'm realizing now that I do love art tremendously but NEED to start getting serious and disciplined about practicing/creating/keeping myself out of slumps - so that title really spoke to me.

I find that honesty is usually the best policies in most cases so I will mention why I choose the name for my blog and what it was originally called.

Short Answer:

The choice to be an artist is not a simple one. It is often choosing a life of little fiscal or emotional stability. If one makes the choice its only through perseverance and the reaffirmation of the choice everyday that an artist will be rewarded.

Long Answer:

When I first decided to create a blog I had to address what function I wanted it to serve. My first thought was I wanted to create another vehicle on the web to promote my work. My website’s upkeep is a rather lengthy process of back and fourth with my web guy and to be honest it usually only gets updated about twice a year. I wanted to have more control to post whenever I liked and with a great deal of flexibility. I also wanted to make sure I didn’t need to burn my time away from painting to learn a whole new program. So with that in mind and very little practical thought I created this blog just to get something up and titled it An Exercise in Mediocrity. The title was suppose to highlight that I would be showing a lot of in progress work not really worth of a website update in my mind.

It was about a week before I decided it was a terrible title sending the wrong message that misrepresented how dedicated and passionate I actually am about my craft.

In private and among friends I tend to frequently use self-defeating humor as a self-defense mechanism to work through my own doubts or issues and it serves it purpose. However I have found in the past young artists, including myself, mistakenly tending to do this often in public. I think the reason for this is artists are continually placing themselves in uncomfortable situations where they are forced to be open to rejection on a daily basis while seeking clients. I have found, like it or not, if you want to be a success in commercial art, you are selling yourself as much as your art. You are a large factor in the product you’re selling; you had better be sending the right message to investors looking into your product. Being comfortable with this notion took some time as I tend to be introverted by nature but I have come to understand the importance of it. I learned early on in my career if you don’t find value in your own work don’t have the ignorance to assume others will. Experience has shown me that being defensive or self-defeating in an attempt to convey humility or respect for those you admire is counterproductive to getting work and instilling confidence in your clients.

The simple way to overcome this novice pitfall is learn as much as you can, be passionate and honest about what you do. Don’t feel a moment’s guilt about loving what you do for a living. Strive to hold yourself to the highest standard that you are capable of and be accepting with your limitations while always striving to become better. Seek out those you respect and admire and have the courage to ask for their help but more importantly make sure you are in a position to listen and learn from their knowledge. Have an appropriate level of professionalism and always make your deadlines. If all these factors are covered it is easy to deal with the fact that a client may not be right for you and you for them. You can proudly stand behind your work and seek out the audience that is right for you.

Keeping all this in mind and choosing not once but everyday to maintain this course takes a great deal of effort and perseverance.

I am at a point in my career where the naive notion of making it or not making it, no longer holds any meaning. It was a hard carrot to let go of. As a student it was if I can only get into Spectrum I have arrived or if I get into a national magazine I made it and I will be rich and famous. These are notions for dreaming children. While they are just dreams and goals they are still important. Wanting to be compensated well for excellence in your craft is admirable but if your focus is on making money, your not focusing on what will make you that money, your art. Even though I have met the goal of getting into Spectrum and continuing to do so it is still important to me I can tell you whether or not I do I still have to wake up and make art the next day. Life, like making art, is a process. The journey is the key not the destination. I read somewhere when Norman Rockwell was asked what is your best piece you’ve ever made, he answered, as he looked at the canvas before him, “the one I am working on now of course.”

Returning to the topic of this blog I continually ask myself why are you really doing this? What function does it serve for you? While the answer has changed over time the main reason for this blog is to personally keep track of my thoughts while creating. I can then look back over the developing process. Hopefully in the years to come I can look back and see not only what I have completed but more importantly how have I evolved and why. As an added bonus it is also a way for me to interact with my audience, clients, students, and fellow artists. In this we can help each other learn and evolve together. In the end I think that’s what we are all here to do.

I hope this addressed your question and gives you some insight to why I chose to name my blog An Exercise in Perseverance. Good luck in all your future endeavors Sara.

I also hate posting blog entries with no images so here is a work in progress for an independent movie poster No More Blood I am currently working on. Also ImagineFX has been kind enough to plug a comic collaboration I have just completed.
I’ll follow up on both projects in a later post.

Spectrum 17 and ImagineFX

2010-04-17T20:56:00.004-04:00

My Kolchak: Monsters Among Us Cover is getting some good feedback and press to boot. The book has just been released by Moonstone Comics and available in stores now.

Kolchak Monster Among Us

I have recently become aware that the cover has been accepted and will be appearing in the New Spectrum 17 due out this autumn.

Spectrum17

Across the pond they are publishing a wonderfully insightful magazine about the field of digital illustration called ImagineFX. The magazine printed a very nice news blurb about the cover and I, which will appear on US newsstands next month.

ImagineFX

ImagineFX is a great magazine and I am extraordinarily grateful for their interest in my work.

I want to thank the people at ImagineFX, Spectrum and Moonstone and the readers of the tiles. I have long been a fan of the Kolchak series myself since my dad turned me onto the show. I feel very fortunate to work on a title that I enjoy but also to be recognized by such exemplary publications.

The Devil and Carl Kolchak

2010-04-02T14:02:00.003-04:00

Cover I just finished for upcoming Moonstone title.

Spring has Sprung

2010-03-07T21:25:00.002-05:00

The snow is finally melting and Spring has finally sprung.
The air is still chill and fresh but the sun is bringing some life back to the world.
I have a pretty big week of work ahead so before I get into the thick of it I figure it would be a good day to review the last month and talk about what irons I have in the fire.

February was cold, beautiful, and full of snow. One of the highlights was making a snowman with Joe and Lisa and an amazing ice formation that spun down outside my window. I love the winters in Cincinnati and usually am one of the few that mourn the loss of the snow but frankly I’m going to thank God for some warmth.

Earlier in the month I was asked to help judge the CCAD Art of Illustration show with Ryan Ostrander, John Maggard, Chris Payne and Daryll Collins. All of which are great local artists who I respect a great deal. While I have been a part of several shows and contests throughout my career this was a whole new experience for me. The process was fun and frustrating, but more than anything else enlightening. The first thing I will say is that the work was exceptional and made me proud and excited to be a CCAD Alumni. The second thing is that it is a lot harder than it looks to judge a show full of great work. I have a much greater appreciation and understanding for how the process works and how even amazing pieces may not get in the show based solely on preferences. I was lucky that the other judges were patient and thoughtful with my constant inquiries. They gave me a quick education and some very thoughtful comments and perspectives concerning the work. With the work as strong as it was I really hope my schedule allows me to attend the opening in April. On a final note there was one artist whose work I fell in love with. I really look forward to following the work she will produce in years to come.

As far as February work is concerned I finished up four pieces for the new D&D monster manual due out in the end of April. I really enjoyed working with the freedom of the fantasy creatures provide and I really got explore some fun new rendering techniques that I have been want to incorporate into my work.

Last week I wrapped up 3 pieces for a FFG title in the Game of Thrones mythology. The game is Brotherhood without Banners. I was excited about this project because I got to work with Martin’s Dothraki characters. With these 3 cards I really wanted to play with flat graphic shapes rather than over rendering them, as is my usual.

I have also been working with 11 other local artists on a comic collaboration anthology called 12-way with Cheese with Tim Fuller at the helm. You can see samples of this and more information about the project at: http://cincyillustrators.blogspot.com/
I should be wrapping up the project in the next week or two and will be greatly excited to see the final product. The work so far that I have seen from the other artist is outstanding and is clearly a labor of love.

March looks to be busier than last month. I have two more illustrations for a FFG WarHammer Game, a small news interview with Imagine FX, a new comic cover for an ongoing Moonstone Kolchak series, as well as some advertising work with a local firm.
All in all March looks to be pretty darn productive.
Hopefully some of last months work with be published soon so I can post some images. Until then enjoy pictures the icicle of doom and us judging the show!

There are two other notes worth mentioning, it will soon be time to book arrangements for San Diego Comic con for those who are attending. Also in other CCAD Alumni news Eric Fortune won a Gold award in Spectrum 17. Congrats on a well earned award Eric!

Eric Fortune Gold award

NKU February 16

2010-02-16T11:40:00.003-05:00

No class tonight folks due to the snow but everything is still due Thursday.
If you need help send me your pieces via email.
Otherwise be ready for the crit and have your b/w piece ready for the digital coloring tutorial.
Stay warm and safe and I'll see you Thursday.

Extra credit if you can name these two illustrators.

John Maggard, Bill Cigliano, and CF Payne

2010-02-15T13:16:00.005-05:00

Illustration is a solitary profession so I try to make as much time as possible to gather with other illustrators and artist to stay inspired and positive. Luckily this winter I haven’t had to try very hard, as there have been several events that I just had to show up to. The latest this weekend was an art show at Miami University’s Voices of America Center in West Chester. The show centered on the work of three classmates from 1978 and the successful art careers they have accomplished since. The artists are: John Maggard, Bill Cigliano, and Chris (CF) Payne.

From an educator stand point I really enjoyed hearing the stories of their early curriculum and from their mentor Joe. Studying under Chris I can see how these early years laid the foundation for my classroom experience and how his class in turn laid the foundation for the students I teach. I am somewhat cynical by nature though I believe great things are possible in the human condition. I often see a world where people have opportunities to achieve great things together but because of fear or greed we become entrenched in trying to protect our microcosms we‘ve constructed. Rarely do I think people look outside themselves and understand what is best for one is looking out for the whole. While the gentlemen talked I was inspired because I saw a thread of generosity and stewardship, one that you need to look at generations to see, that’s why its so illusive and people doubt its power. That alone was worth the trip, however as an added bonus I got to see some great illustrations as well.

John Maggard one of the three in the show was also gracious enough to invite me over to a pre-show gathering the night before. I got to meet some very nice people and it was great to catch up with those artists from the local lunches as well as have two pretty interesting conversations with Loren Long and Craig McKay, both extraordinarily talented illustrators in their own right. I just wanted to thank Chris and John and his wife for the invite and hospitality. I would also encourage anyone interested to go see the show while it is up. I have included a few pics and several links, sorry you'll have to cut and paste as I have no idea how to make a hyperlink.

John Maggard

Chris F Payne

Bill Cigliano

The Show

http://www.regionals.muohio.edu/voalc/news/news_events.html

Craig Mckay

Loren Long

No Class tonight Folks- Here is a visual of the process to help you out

2010-02-09T10:14:00.004-05:00

February 9th 2010

Some of you already have and I encourage you to email me
your progress so your not behind on Thursday.

Where'd January Go

2010-02-03T14:30:00.002-05:00

Today is a fine day to take a quick break to post what I have been working on the last few months. The large majority of the work I have been producing lately is gaming: FFG Cthulhu card game, the new WOTC D&D Monster Manual, and the upcoming FFG A Game of Thrones expansion, unfortunately all of which can’t be posted until published so I’ll have to get that up later in the year.

I got my Spectrum entries together just in time, so now begins the long waiting and hoping period of the year. The work and talent level in the books is quantitatively better with each passing year and I am really looking forward to the next issue regardless if I make the cut.
http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com/

In comics news my future projects in the works are another Kolchak: the Night Stalker cover with Moonstone as well as a collaborative project with other local Cincinnati illustrators. The group comic is called 12 way with Cheese and I’ll be submitting a small 8 page interior story about the rise and fall of Zombie Marge. For more info on the project check here as well as a bounty of other great illustrators:
http://cincyillustrators.blogspot.com/

In other artiste related new I tried a Dr. Sketchy for the first time a few weeks ago and I dug the laid back vibe and the model was actually pretty good. I had a deadline so I just worked on a project while other friends drew from the model but it was nice to be socially creating some work away from the studio. Teaching at NKU has begun and thus far my class is hardworking and for the most part self-motivated. I will also be helping judge the art of illustration show at CCAD at the end of the month, which should be surreally nostalgia since good ole Zack created the show the year we attended back in 98. It’s good to see the tradition continuing.
http://www.zacharypullen.com/

I hate reading blogs without pretty pictures so in an attempt to post something, here is some unfinished in progress stuff that I am currently plugging away at.

Moostone Sketch Cards

2009-12-07T21:53:00.002-05:00

Here is my first foray into the wacky comic world of sketch cards.
More info on the Moonstone card set can be found here:
http://www.5finity.com/

Dracula in progress

2009-11-19T09:33:00.004-05:00

It's not very often that I show at con (I usually help Bawidamann man his booth and network) and even more rare for me to do a con sketch but a fan contacted me after the fact and asked me to do a portrait of his wife. He had bought a few prints in Chicago 08 and wanted to commission an image of his wife and possible any classic monsters that I was willing to draw with her.

I had plans to do an editorial piece of Dracula so I offered to make his wife the Vamp victim in my next illustration and sell him the original. Luckily for me, his wife was a pretty lady. The image is still in progress as the final will have Ingrid Pitt with Lee but here is the original painting with some preliminary color ideas. I plan on revisiting and wrapping up the final image before the New Year as I have a very loose deadline and a full docket.

Though it will be a long while before I can show these images I just wrapped up three Cthulhu images for FFG. I am currently working on 4 Moonstone sketch cards. I am also starting to do my layouts for a local collaboration book featuring some sequential work. I am gearing up to do four pieces for the upcoming Monster manual for D&D. Finally I will be teaching next semester at NKU this January. Looks like it is going to be a busy Holiday season with lots of fun work ahead.

Spectrum 16, Royal Flush, Talisman, and D&D

2009-11-19T00:03:00.002-05:00

Its nice to finally see some of my hard-work from last year finally in the stores and be able to post some work.

RoyalFlush:
Here is the Brian Posehn Iron Maiden spoof illustration as seen in the new issue of Royal Flush.

Spectrum 16:
The book which just hit stores looks amazing. I have two piece in, one piece in Book and the other in the Editorial section.
You should also not miss fellow CCAD alum, Andrew Bawidamann with his elegantly designed full page Witch illustration and a handful of Eric Fortune's emotive art, including his brilliant back cover. Also gracing the pages this year was fellow local artist and bagpipe aficionado Oliver Meinerding. Congrats to all for the amazing work and to Arnie and Cathy for another beautiful awe inspiring book.

On the gaming front:

Talisman: the Frostmarch from FFG was just released in which I did one card, the Hieromartyr.
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp?eidm=29&esem=2

Also D&D used my Wizard illustration for the cover of the Arcane Power Wizard power cards game. http://www.amazon.com/Arcane-Power-Wizard-Cards-Accessory/dp/0786953551

Finally I would like to give a shout out to Mark Brooks. Mark is an amazing Marvel artist who I meet a few years ago in Chicago at a convention. I first mention Mark because he is amazing and you should check his work.
http://diablo2003.deviantart.com/
I secondly mention him because he was gracious enough to take some time to walk me through some color process and the pieces viewed here have the first inkling of me trying to incorporate those techniques into my work.

Royal Flush magazine Book 6

2009-10-12T22:07:00.004-04:00

Royal Flush magazine Book 6 is here or almost here as it drops October 27th.

In case you are unaware here's all you need to know about it.

http://.com/about-2/royalflushmagazine

Here's the new issue that is chalk full of killer art, big names, and
has a pretty cool little piece I did for an article on Brian Posehn.

http://royalflushmagazine.com/current-issue/

Pre-orders can be found here:

http://royalflushmagazine.com/merch/

http://www.gigposters.com/classifieds/detail.php?siteid=9885&pre=1

Here's the Promo blurb:

Easily the best Royal Flush book to date by a landslide, Book Six boasts an exclusive cover story with Playboy's Hugh Hefner, including first-time-seen comics he drew over 60 years ago.

But that's not all! there's even more!
With killer interviews with and articles on Joan Jett, Ted Nugent, Basil Gogos, Leslie Nielsen, Hispanic Batman, Alice Cooper, Harvey Pekar, Jack Kirby, Frank Zappa, Dethklok, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Posehn, Jeffrey Ross, Danny Trejo, Jenna Jameson and 112 pages of comics, commentary and calamity!

The def-defying Hugh Hefner cover portrait was exquisitely painted by Robin Eley.
The eye-gouging Joan Jett cover was illustrated by Josh Bernstein.

In honor of Mr. Hefner we have included 2 Bonus fold-out centerfolds. Each featuring sexy ladies, famed underground artists Paul Pope & Brian Ewing went to town on these two posters that will adorn your walls for years.

Speaking of amazing art and talented folk, This book also features the work of so many talents, it's shocking!!

Here’s a sneak peek: K3N Adams, Angryblue, Aaron Augenblick, Josh Bernstein, Florian Bertmer, Bryan G. Brown, Chris Caniano, Steve Chanks, Cojo, Harlan P. Cress, Ryan Dunlavey, Robin Eley, Brent Engstrom, Brian Ewing, Jason Goad, Basil Gogos, Danny Hellman, Woodrow J. Hinton, Seldon Hunt, David Kennedy, Adam Kidder, Peter Kuper, Jeph LaChance, Jesse Lefkowitz, Sara Antoinette Martin, Brett Marting, Mark McCormick, Patrick McQuade, Jan Meininghaus, Jeff Newelt, Harvey Pekar, Jesse Philips, Paul Pope, John Pound, Frank Powers, Gary Pullin, Erik Rodriguez, Adam Roth, Steve Ruvolo, Rob Schwager, Scrojo, Pat Sentman, Brendan Small, Stainboy, Adam Swinbourne, Adam Turman, Sean Pryor and Rick Veitch!

And a few more links for good measure:

http://royalflushmagazine.com/currentissue
http://www.facebook.com/RoyalFlushMagazine
http://twitter.com/royal_flush_mag
http://www.myspace.com/royalflushmagazine
http://www.cityscoopsny.com/?p=2207
http://www.facebook.com/RoyalFlushMagazine?v=app_2347471856

Here's a pic of the cover and a photo of Posehn holding the original drawing I did for the mag.
If you want to see the finished illustration pick up a copy, I'll post a blog with the image after the book officially drops!

Uncle Creepy and Mike Ploog

2009-10-01T10:21:00.004-04:00

Coaching soccer is finally wrapping up and I can take on more assignments now that autumn has broken.
It has been a while since I posted work as most can not be posted until published. The last few months I have
completed a handful of assignments for Fantasy Flight Games which titles include: A Game of Thrones, Warhammer, and Talisman. Hopefully I can post the images soon.

In the meantime in the spirit of the season here is an Uncle Creepy
sketch I did to possibly garner some work from Dark Horse. If the spirit moves me I may just for practice color him.
I love working without reference when I get the chance and playing with line-weight. You can see some of my influences
come through when I have to rely simply on my mind and imagination.

One of my most power earlier influences was the Mike Ploog BlackWolf illustrations from the Bakshi film Wizards. Any one unfamiliar with Ploog's film and comic work should take the time to google him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ploog

I am also working on a Hammer Christopher Lee and hope to post something soon.

George Liquor Grab-Ass'n

2009-08-09T14:19:00.003-04:00

Inspired by meeting John Kricfalusi at Comic Con I did a detail of his character George Liquor.
It's been a very long time since I have finished a drawing from imagination and I have to say the
absence of reference was refreshing and fun. Also I have no idea why but I derive a strange enjoyment
from drawing plump gelatinous man nips. I may have went a little heavy on the Untidy Whiteys but hey I went for broke!
I also made two backgrounds, a nice cobalt blue which sets of the subtle nuances of patriotism in George's misty eyes and the other I call affectionately Piss Stains. Enjoy!

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/

San Diego ~Comic Con~ 2009 The Blow by Blow in Review

2009-08-07T02:24:00.002-04:00

http://www.comic-con.org/cci/

I was going to skip this post because of heavy workload. However I haven’t posted in a while and in order to really get to work, I usually like to clean out the clutter in my studio and my mind before I really sit down to hash out new projects. So here are the cliff notes of my con adventure.

Originally I wasn’t going to San Diego, I opted instead this year to go to Chicago Wizard con. As fate would have it I learned the first day of San Diego comic con that the three major players all pulled out of Wizard Con which would have made my Chicago trip pointless. So with a lot of help from my friend Trish and my amazing wife Lisa I canceled all reservations for Chicago and got to the airport on standby that night. Amazingly I made both trips up and back without incident and actually quite enjoyably. As always a good friend Rene Lafargue always makes sure Andrew, Ewing, and I don’t go homeless when in town.

I learned an important lesson about frame of mind on the journey. I went on standby being humble and gracious because chances were I was going to get bumped and hassled maybe even lose my luggage if it made the flight and I didn’t. But that frame of mind to roll with the punches and being grateful for whatever I received made my trip much more pleasant, than previous years of panicked stress and the I deserve this or that mentality. I saw many people yelling, a few crying, and very stressed. I was very thankful not to be one of them.

Wednesday:

Though I had not really planned it, two wonderful ladies Jen and Pfunk picked me up from the airport and immediately escorted me to a pre-con party at the airport bar where I met up with all my friends. After a few drinks and the closing of the bar we returned to a friend’s house. Mr. Lafargue and his lovely sister have been very hospitable to Andrew and I for many years now. There were five of us staying at Casa de Lafargue that night and while Mr. Bawidamann was wise and called it a night early, I unfortunately did not. After the singing and some wine I got exactly 13 minutes of rest before we had to get in a taxi and open up the booth. Luckily I did manage to take a shower before we left.

Booth 433:

For anyone not familiar I will explain the yearly comic con scenario for my collective group. All of us share a huge booth space at con and have for several years. The booth is #433 and is always located at the same place on comic-con’s floor.
The booth is run by the Brotherhood who put on X-Sanguin, which is a huge themed after-Con-party. If you’re curious what a party looks like you can check it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcqKNSNo8Uo&feature=related
or here: http://www.freaksnightout.com/
The booth seems to be growing each year but the current residents looks like this: the Suicide Girls, Rich Black and the Brotherhood on one side and Brian Ewing and Andrew Bawidamann on the other. I help Andrew run his booth when I am not busy with meetings and networking. Sometimes I sell swag but usually I just help Andy man the booth.

Thursday:

We got a taxi around 7:15am. I had a bottle of OJ for breakfast. We got into the hall around 7:35. Setup the booth right until 9am when the doors opened up and we sold shirts and prints the whole day. Got to catch up with Ewing’s crew Aaron and Justin. I think I only left the booth to go the bathroom once, very busy day. I bailed with Pilar at 6pm to order some Chinese for everyone and got 30 minutes of sleep before we went out for the night. I met up with Bawidamann and Ewing for the Baby Tattoo party at the Hilton. We got a chance to meet some really cool artists and talk with Arnie and Cathy Fenner, the couple behind Spectrum and many other fantastic illustration books.
http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com/
Later that night we met up again with Aaron and Justin of Rocket Society http://rocketsociety.com/ and walked the city to see some dude paint cartoons on naked ladies but when we saw the line we ended up opting for this cool Irish pub for Drink and Draw. They were shooting a tv series when we were there and singing some really bad karaoke. I love Irish pubs, especially when the barkeeps wear naughty socks. Andy again wisely went home around midnight and I decided to stay. Not the best decision as I was then head-butted by a flailing drunk girl. Never the less I was able to get my wife Lisa a really cool Drink & Draw shirt from Dave Johnson and his crew.
http://www.drinkanddraw.com/
The rest of the night was kind of surreal. I know it involved shots, Chinese food cleavage, snoring, more wine, a cucumber, a taxi cab driver living the thug life, and 1 hour and 23 minutes of sleep.

Friday:

OJ from Starbucks then repeat yesterday until 2pm. So basically I was waiting for an editor to swing by the table. He was there to see Brian and I. We were not sure when to expect him, as con is crazy. Around 1pm they took lunch orders, and unfortunately my lunch went AWOL on its return visit. Starving and sleep deprived I made a really poor choice. I ordered the closest food available, which happen to be a 3-day-old jalapeño pretzel hotdog. The smell alone made me gag but I ate half. The horrors I survived that day as I ventured into the rancor that is the Comiccon bathroom are too horrendous and unsanitary to be described. While it seemed I had lost years of my life I’m sure the whole ordeal took 5 minutes. Upon my return Ewing had informed me that the editor was looking for me at our booth but alas he was no more, much like the protective lining in my stomach. I then began to get violently ill with what my best guess was a reawakened ulcer. By 4pm I could bare the pain and the con BO no longer. I jumped into a taxi and headed back to Casa de Lafargue where I rolled around in pan unable to rest until 7pm. At least it was in a bed this time and not the floor as Andy was out. The night started to cool of as well, which also helped, quite a bit. Luckily, Jen the saint showed up and drove me to Rite Aid where I loaded up on a night of antacids, fluids, and sleep. I know not why my dreams were so wild that night; but ere the waning and fantastically gibbous moon had risen far above the eastern plain, I was awake in a cold perspiration, determined to sleep no more. Such visions as I had experienced were too much for me to endure again but vaguely burned in my brain resided the same two fragments Brian and a cucumber!

Saturday:

Amazingly I felt lovely the next day. We all woke up early and Pilar took us to the Hash House. The HH is apparently home to the world’s most ridiculously large flapjack. After a great breakfast we were off to work another day at con selling Bawidamann pinup to the world. Although very busy we had a lot of help from Jackie and Katie so I got to leave the booth for a bit. I stopped by Eric Powell’s booth and got a doodle. I also was lucky enough later in the day to meet a long time hero of mine John Kricfalusi. John was the animator extraordinaire that created Ren and Stimpy. I grabbed myself a McCain figure and sweet Sody Pop sketch. http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/ Also Andrew while out snagged me a Travis Charest and Adam Hughes sketchbook!
http://www.justsayah.com/
http://travischarestspacegirl.blogspot.com/

After I returned to our table Josh Bernstein (my A.D. for Revolver and RoyalFlush) and his lovely lady stopped by. Shortly following I got to meet Brian Posehn as he passed the booth. Earlier this year I did an illustration for Royal Flush of Brian so I introduced myself and since he dug the work I gave him the original. He graciously posed for a quick pic with the art. http://www.revolvermag.com/ and http://royalflushmagazine.com/
Andrew and I wrapped up the day feeling pretty good as his stock of shirts and prints dwindled to almost nothing. Andrew had a business meeting so Ewing and I got some fish and chips then headed to the Dark Horse party to hang with Chris Warner for a bit. Afterward we headed to the X-Sanguin Zombie party and met up with the rest of our group. The night and day flew by in a blur. The night ended with an after party sketch session with Mr. Ewing showing me why he gets paid the big bucks. My head hit the pillow around 5:30am and hit the shower at 7am.

Sunday:

I have learned from cons in the past that this is the best day to do the majority of my work. So with Jen, Barb, and Andrew manning the battle stations I was free to network for most of the day. For the most part it went very well. I already lined up some new work that I am really looking forward too and had a chance to meet some really cool editors from both DC and Dark Horse. Hopefully in the near future these contacts lead to a successful relationship with both companies.

On a fanboy note I was really excited to see and get doodles from some of my favorite artists Dave McKean and Kent Williams. I also became a fan of Jason Shawn Alexander and have to make sure to find some of his titles next time I’m in the bookstore. Stopping by the Spectrum booth I got to meet Brom, which was killer! Finally I snagged a James Jean portfolio with the last of my cash.

http://www.davemckean.com/
http://www.kentwilliams.com/
http://jasonshawnalexander.com/home.html
http://www.bromart.com/
http://www.jamesjean.com/

After the least painful load out yet the con was wrapped up with a wonderful tradition. We all head to the Turf Club with all our West Coast friends for drinks and delicious steaks. While the music was terrible I felt very fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people and for being able to do what I love for a living.

Monday’s flight back was a painless as possible and while I had a great time with great new and old friends it was heaven to finally be home with my amazing wife and my stinky little dog Rockwell.

I’m sure there’s a ton of stuff I forgot to mention but that’s the highlights and I have to get to work and make some art! Here a few pics to give you some sense of the trip.

Yoda Doodle

2009-07-13T10:29:00.003-04:00

Sad to say it has been a very long time since I did a drawing just to draw and enjoy it. So in an attempt to motivate myself I have decided it was time to hit the ole sketchbook.

It's very rare that I do Con sketches for anyone but on occasion I do one for a close friend. I used to do on location caricatures jobs to make ends meet frequently during high school and college but those experiences taught me I don't like drawing on command for audiences. The peanut gallery always makes me nervous and I lose my focus and because someone is standing there waiting, the drawing is delivered prematurely and haphazardly. The one thing I learned from working at a newspaper, if you fill the world with inadequate 20-40 mins drawing they will come back to haunt you forever, usually on google, you'll Rue the day GOOGLE IMAGES!

I can't remember how many years ago it was but I went to a book show in Cincinnati (something on the Banks). I went to see many friends, local writers, and fellow illustrators. One of which was Craig Boldman http://www.craigboldman.com/ who is an amazingly talented writer/actor extra extraordinaire/artist/ for Archie's comics as well as many other things. I was with my wife visiting his booth when Craig caught me off guard and asked me to a sketch for one of his fans. I admire Craig so I didn't want to disappoint him but I didn't want my wife to wait while I did a hour long doodle either. It also help that Tom the guy who wanted the sketch was extraordinary nice and had photo reference, pencils, pens, and a sketchbook all with him and he knew exactly what he wanted. Long story, short, I did a terrible little Yoda sketch that has haunted my dreams ever since I gave it life.
So I thought I'd do a little Yoda for myself and while I was at it drop a little sage Yoda advice for good measure.

Kolchak: Monsters Among Us Cover

2009-07-04T11:24:00.004-04:00

Moonstone hired me to do a new book for their upcoming title Monsters Among Us.

Here's the promo blurb:

Kolchak the Night Stalker: Monsters Among us

Written by David Michelinie, Christopher Mills
Art by : Don Hudson, Tim Hamilton
Cover: Woodrow J. Hinton III
188pgs, 7” x 10”, $18.95
10 digit: 1-933076-59-3
13 digit: 978-1-933076-59-1

TV’s premiere paranormal investigator returns!

“Mills' purple prose narration evokes Darren McGavin's voice and gives the book the verisimilitude necessary to contrast the premise as well as serve as a catalyst for comedy.”-comicbulletin.com

Two, two, TWO titanic and terrifying tales, collecting the Kolchak "Frankenstein Agenda" and "Night Stalker of the Living Dead" mini series! The farmlands don't always hold peace and quiet, as these two complementing Kolchak tales illustrate with an eerie clarity. In one town, Kolchak stumbles across a hulking mutation of a man-gone-wrong, and becomes as wanted by the U.S. Army as the creature they are stalking! And in yet another small town, there is a secret behind the silent, endless acres of corn... a secret that is turning townsfolk into decaying, walking dead! Kolchak has best use his... BRAAAAINS... if he's going to get out of this one!

One thing that I really appreciate with Moonstone is the long deadlines and friendly work relationship that is conducive to discussing the work. Joe and Dave have always been very easy to talk to and willing to listen to my ideas. The long deadlines make this a stress free give and take. One thing that can often cripple published illustrations is a heavy handed art director. If the art director did their job right, they hired the right person for the job, and allowing that person to create freely usually produces the best work possible. With that being said its also the illustrators job to remember that we are producing a product for a commercial market. It can be a delicate balance sometimes and thus far I have been very lucky in my career.

A few things that were interesting about this particular job was this is the first wraparound cover I have designed. Originally the image was just a single cover as show below.

When I was first contacted the vibe I was getting was that they wanted another split cover for doubled billing for two stories on the cover. I was very reluctant because one, I had just did a cover like this and I hate repeating myself and two, when creating elements in a composition giving three things (story1, story2, and Kochak) equal importance is usually a good way to produce crapolia. I went to comic shop to look at the cover and after doing several I sent in four thumbnail that I thought would solve the problem. The first three were basically what they were asking for and the third while trite was what I really wanted to do.

After reading the stories I found both have a very Americana down home country feel and I wanted to resonate with the audience immediately. American Gothic immediately popped into my head and the idea of the farmer and his wife being Zombie's. i knew the idea might be a little trite especially with what was going on over at Marvel but i still felt it was a solid concept to build on. Luckily Dave liked the idea and it was decided to do a spoof on Grant Wood's Grant Wood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia American Gothic.

After I completed the image it was correctly decided that the monster in the second story was not showcased enough. The cover image was solid though and I didn't want to do anything to weaken the design so I suggested doing a rear cover in which I could continue the painting off frame and show the Frankenstein Agenda Monster in all his Martian glory. It would also let me add the framer back in since Kolchak the pimp stole his lady! I think the final result turned out well and hope the fans enjoy the cover.

I would also like to give a shout-out to Chet Zar enter

I have never meet him but after watching a very inspiring tutorial of his I had some fun throwing in some details to my zombies and monster. I'd also like to thank these blokes for the in-progress crits:

Brian Ewing : It's a small world...

Oliver Meinerding

Bawidamann.com | Mailing List

EricFortune.com - Home

33 Years of Randomness

2009-06-29T12:40:00.003-04:00

Holy smokes Batman I'm old!

So for my Birthday I googled my name and found an award that I never new I won:

CityBeat Wins Statewide Journalism Awards

Spanks for the heads up there CityBeat.

There's a Cover I just completed coming soon, but in lieu of my art to come check this stuff:

very nice piece from my favorite DingOling:

Inside all of us is a wild thing…that may or may not be finished yet? | Oliver Meinerding

Great stuff- these fellahs are da bomb:

SiDEBAR - COMICS, ART & POP CULTURE

Gotta love gayfish:

I'm Going Home! - Clips - South Park Studios

Why pay for art school go here:

Gurney Journey

Worth every penny, good read for manga fans:

drawn and quarterly

Word of the day:

Chutzpah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Art Critic:

I am better than your kids.

Bated Breath:

Diablo III

D&D Arcane Power Artist link

2009-05-01T12:26:00.003-04:00

There is a nice write up about all the artists who worked on Arcane Power in the ArtOrder (a blog by Jon Schindehette Senior Art Director Dungeons & Dragons® Wizards of the Coast)

ArtOrder: The Artists of the D&D® Arcane Power™ RPG Supplement

White Wolf

2009-04-27T15:04:00.002-04:00

All images are © White Wolf

The images appear in The Beast that Haunts the Blood: Nosferatu:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=60626&filters=0_0_0_1800

and

Scion Companion:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=60466

Zombie Film Concept Sketches

2009-04-27T14:58:00.002-04:00

These sketches where done as character exploration for The Undertakers Film.

http://www.theundertakersmovie.com/news.html

Wizards of the Coast D&D

2009-04-27T14:46:00.004-04:00

All images are © Wizards of the Coast

They can be found in the Arcane Power.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/9780786949571

Book List

2009-04-27T05:05:00.002-04:00

Spring has sprung and with it I have several books hitting the stands.
I have had several different inquiries about release dates on different projects so here are some very overdue links with some of those publications and where to get them if your local comic shop doesn’t have copies.

Gaming:

White Wolf

2 pieces in this book:
http://flamesrising.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=60466

2 pieces in this book:
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=60626

Wizards of the Coast

5 pieces in this book:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4art/20090420

Comics

Moonstone

Kolchak the Night Stalker Annual #1C
variant cover by Woodrow Hinton III

https://secure12.softcomca.com/moonstonebooks_com/begincart.asp

and I'm finishing up my next Kolchak Graphic Novel Cover and a piece for Revolver magazine.

Peace and as the two time traveling galactic phone-booth sages say "be Excellent to each other"!
W

Spectrum 16

2009-04-27T03:32:00.002-04:00

Back in 1997 while at CCAD my roommate Andrew Bawidamann and I stumbled across two books at a local shop called Spectrum 1 and Spectrum 3. He bought Spectrum1 and I bought the copy of 3, the one with the Frazetta cover. We poured over these two books for weeks admiring the art that we wanted so desperately to create; at the time only a few names were familiar to me, John Bolton was one of my favorites as I recall. At the time we had no idea what Spectrum actually was other than a collection of some of the most awe-inspiring artwork that we had ever discovered. It was in those early Spectrums that Andrew and I would get a glimpse of the art that we some day would be making. As the years went on we learned that Spectrum was an annual contest and book produced by two of illustrations most distinguished aficionados Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner. The function of the annual was to showcase the best in Fantastic Art including comic, science fiction, and horror.

Following my graduation I kept busy with many editorial projects channeling the techniques and whispers of Rockwell and my mentor Chris Payne while meeting deadlines and being rejected for my pale imitation of these truly great artists. It was in these terribly difficult times of stagnation that I was forced to start making the art I was suppose to be creating. In 2007 my Van Helsing illustration was finally selected for inclusion to Spectrum 14 and following the next year my Stake Out was selected for Spectrum 15.

This year I was privileged enough to get two pieces into Spectrum 16, which drops next fall. In the scheme of things I am still a relatively new player in the fantastic realms. I am still in the process of fine-tuning my artistic voice and expanding into new markets. While it has been a dream come true for me to be included with names like Sienkiewicz, McKean, Vess, Hale, Gustafson, Dorman, and Stout I know I have a very long way to go before I am battletested and can consider myself their equal. Regardless of this daunting task if my audiences feel a fraction of the passion I felt when lost in those imaginary worlds that I visited when I opened up my first Spectrum I will consider my life a great success.

Visiting Artist Andrew Bawidamann

2009-03-18T23:27:00.003-04:00

Andrew Bawidamann, illustrator/designer/pin-up artist, is graciously visiting my classroom at Northern Kentucky University Monday night March 23rd @ 6pm.

Andrew's designs have been featured in countless annuals, advertising campaigns, and magazines. He has his own line of clothing as well as several successful product lines. Andrew will be showing and talking about his work, his early years, and discussing the complexities of entrepreneurship and merchandising.

http://www.bawidamann.com/

As I feel this is a great and rare opportunity for those interested, my classroom is open to artists, servicemen, laymen, and students alike.
Anyone interested in attending feel free. If you need more info call me (Woody) (513-225-4067) or email me.

If you go:

NKU Fine Art Building right next to the lake
3rd Floor Classroom by the computer labs
The class is to the left off the 3rd floor elevator and should be the only class open

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

2009-03-16T12:34:00.002-04:00

A talented young lady ( Kristin Royer ) contacted me and asked me to do a few sample pages for a noir style mystery she had written. Here is a proposed cover (1 of 3 ideas) plus a few sample interiors I have completed.

Kolchak The Night Stalker Annual Released

2009-03-13T13:39:00.004-04:00

I just got my copies from the publisher today. The printing I think turned out pretty darn good.
Moonstone is the publisher and you can check for the book at your comic stores or here:

http://moonstonebooks.com/

Be aware though mine is a variant cover ( cover C ) so it may be rather more difficult to get your hands on one as they are more limited. I look forward to my next Kolchak cover and I believe it will be sooner than later.

Links

2009-02-24T00:13:00.003-05:00

I feel very neglectful as this blog has not been updated since December.

Unfortunately all the work I have done over the last several months I can not contractually post until published which to my best guess happens in late Spring.

In lieu of no art and since I am teaching different techniques to my students here are a few helpful tutorial links that I have found interesting in no particular order.

http://www.imaginefx.com/-2287754330544769555/Combining_traditional_and_digital.html

http://www.illustrationacademy.com/Demo.htm#

http://www.adobe.com/uk/print/gallery/loughran/howto.html

http://arrestedmotion.com/2008/12/creative-process-eric-fortune/#more-6613

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34402640@N00/sets/72157601901917696/

http://www.boltcity.com/workshop/copper_tutorial/tutorial_03.htm

http://www.robertocampus.com/2007/06/photoshop-tutorial-wonder-woman-pin-up-digital-painting/

http://www.youtube.com/user/MassiveDVD

By no means is this a list of sites that I personally profit from if they are selling products nor do I pretend that they are the only or best resource available. I also will mention I have no direct contact with the artists or works being linked in this blog.
I am just posting them in the spirit of paying knowledge forward as clearly these artist intended by being gracious enough to share the information. Anyone who has more to post please feel free.

Merry Christmas to All

2008-12-23T22:44:00.003-05:00

"But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!'"

Be good to yourselves and others this Holiday Season.

Peace,
W

2008-12-09T22:49:00.003-05:00

December 9, 2008

Unfortunately we are getting toward the end of the year and in my nostalgia I fear I will make this blog another long-winded manifesto.

This autumn thus far has been one of my most productive seasons of my career. After several years of attending the cons they have finally paid dividends that I could not have expected. I have been pleasantly surprised and blessed with an abundance of work of late.
Whatever your field, be it plumbing or art, I would highly suggest finding out where the trade shows and conventions are. Every industry has several where like-minded people in the field gather. I have spent several years going to Comic Book and Gaming conventions. But it wasn’t until 2005/2006 that I started showing some work. I was pleasantly surprised at the good feedback and advice that I got but was subsequently disappointed in the lack of work that followed. It wasn’t until I took the time out from 2006 - 2007 without income and designed a portfolio that I was passionate about which was geared toward specific clients that I finally got the results I desired. To anyone following his or her dreams, be specific. The more specific you are with your goals and the greater the belief in that goal on the back of hard work, the more beneficial your results. It’s a pretty self-evident idea and yet I simply ignored it or better yet I believed I was doing it for years when I simply wasn’t.

Another key factor was a great bit of advice from Jon Foster, an amazing artist who I accidentally gave some really bad indigestion to. While I was attending a speech in Columbus Foster said whatever the job, find your love in it. Again some pretty simple advice but powerful and often over looked. It wasn’t until I looked back at a loveless portfolio that I noticed a huge difference in the work I was getting paid for and the work that I did for myself. In the middle of my career I was unhappy at the images I was producing on hour deadlines and shoestring budgets. I googled my name and simply cringed at the amount of terrible work I sent out into the world. I made up my mind then that no matter the pay rate I would put all of me into my art, because after all it was my art my expression, I then started to make art for myself and not the pay check and it was noticeable. The first piece I tried this on was my Van Helsing and while the image could be stronger it got me into Spectrum. So I was already on the right path when I heard Jon’s speech but his reminder when times were tough was a great reiteration of what I was already committed to. Another great piece of advice was to simply calm down, focus on what I could control. In my case it was making the art and then getting that art in front of people who would hire me. Again this is really obvious stuff, and yet it’s hard to make art that you love, which you give you all to and still be a good husband, a brother, and a good son. It’s hard to tell your wife, have faith, when there is no money and it’s raining in the hole in your ceiling. I am not putting this here to complain or whine, as there is no use in that. But it is nice to keep the flip side in mind when things are going well as they currently are for me. Not so you can wait for the other shoe to fall but to remember if you are doing what you are suppose to be doing everything will work itself out. So breathe, focus and do what you love to do.

I read a book that said our greatest enemy is our mind. That the mind has one function and that function is to solve problems. And like any organism or mechanism its core programming is to survive. To survive it must serve a function. The problem with the mind is sometimes there are no problems, so for its preservation your mind creates problems to solve. It cleverly disguises opportunities with fear and doubt distracting us from what we should be doing. Interestingly enough it’s that same mind writing these words. Regardless I am droning on so its time for an update of the work I have been producing lately. These are in no particular order:

First off here is the Edward Gorey Zombie piece I did for a group show in Chicago.
It was a fun experiment for me just for the enjoyment. It made me dust off the old airbrush to try something I have been meaning to play with for a while with mixed results. Nothing amazing but it sold so that something I guess.

Next is the CityBeat Obama cover. This was a real disappointment for me because it really could have been a nice piece but I was way over booked and only had a night to do the whole thing. Lesson learned though so it was helpful.

Now what took most of my October and November I am sad to say I can’t show until next April. I don’t think I can even talk about it. What I will say is I finally got a chance to do several pieces for Wizards of the Coast on the Dungeons and Dragon line. I am really happy with the way most of these pieces turned out. I have wanted to work for WOC ever since I was in grade school so it has been a dream come true. My art director was also a great pleasure to work for which always makes the work more enjoyable. One thing I will say I have never had to make so many changes in my life and while frustrating at the time I can honestly say every suggestion and change made each piece amazingly better. When I post the image after April I will make sure to include some progression so you can see the various stages.

Finally I got a chance to work on the Vampire RPG for White Wolf. This has been another goal realized. While I never have played RPGs I was always draw to the books for the great illustrations. This title like D&D was one that always caught my eye at Media Play growing up. Again as above, very cool art directors at White Wolf that gave me a lot of freedom. These two illustrations really turned out nice. On top of that the story was sweetly macabre, disgusting in parts and deviously wonderful. I really look forward to the release of this book.

Future projects on the horizon:

I am doing some concepting work for an independent Zombie flick, which should be a labor of love. The Talon Black piece (as seen earlier in this blog) was done for The Undertakers script, which is a predecessor to the concepts I’ll be doing for a trailer.

Also I am also doing some sample pages for a talented young writer, Kristin Royer, who has completed her first comic series. The story is in the vain of the classic pulp novels and film noir films of yester year. I think both experiences will really help me develop as an artist by forcing me to really play with light and dark in unique ways as found in the media referenced. I have always had a love affair for German Expressionism and its influences are clearly visible in the best of the Noir genre as well as in good horror.

Revolver Magazine November 2008

2008-10-20T01:23:00.004-04:00

I was very pleased with how my illustration turn out for Revolver Magazine. I was introduced to the art director Josh by a good friend and fellow artist Brian Ewing. If you have been to a concert in the last 10 years then you probably have seen Brian's work on the gig-poster. If you happen to be a cellar dweller who has not, stop looking at porn and check his work, you'll thank me later
BRIANEWING.com

Needless to say Josh was a pleasure to work for and hopefully we will get to work together again soon. I think his layout and the printing on the magazine looks great. The issue should be out November 2008 and has Slipknot on the cover for those interesting in picking up a copy.

So thanks Brian and thanks Josh.

Peace,
W

October Update

2008-10-08T11:11:00.002-04:00

This is the busiest fall to date for me. My boys soccer season has finally concluded with the best record for the program. While I have a great sense of pride on what we accomplished it will be good to have my focus back where it needs to be, my art.

I am currently working on Vampires for White Wolf and Arcane Magic for Wizards of the Coast. Unfortunately I will not be able to post any of the work until it is published.

For those of you in Chicago I have a piece in a group ZOMBIE show.

The show is light and fun a perfect for great Halloween Season put on by fellow CCAD alumni Kerry Flaherty.

I'll post my piece after the show is over. Here's the info and a few links:

http://flavorpill.com/chicago/events/2008/10/10/night-of-the-living-artist

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/events/galleries/216631/night-of-the-living-artist

http://chicago.metromix.com/events/gallery_exhibit/night-of-the-living-pilsen-heart-of-chicago/616062/content

http://www.chicagoartdepartment.org

http://www.chicagoartistsresource.org/visual-arts/node/16976

Kolchak The Night Stalker

2008-07-03T03:09:00.002-04:00

Here's a cover and a few preliminary images I just finished for Moonstone Books.

It a two story annual comic based on the old Kolchak the Night Stalker series. I felt very lucky to work on this as I am a huge Night Stalker fan. It was one of my fathers favorite shows and he turned me onto the show when it appeared on reruns on the Sci-Fi network.

Chicago Comic Con 2008

2008-07-03T02:36:00.003-04:00

Chicago Comic Con is by far the best place to meet editors and Art Directors for an artist. This year was no exception. I made some really good contacts which I will have to follow-up on and hopefully some really good work will come from these encounters. During my portfolio reviews a common comment was that they liked my palette. I found that to be a pleasant surprise, as I have had to work so hard to achieve it, and only of late have I come to understand the most basic comprehension of color. For any young artist interested in color theory I would highly recommend The DC Guide to Coloring and Lettering by Mark Chiarello. I was also given a lot of good advice on how to improve my work and garner some covers. Some suggestions had to do with subject matter while others advised more dynamic poses and straying farther from my reference. Another piece of advice was to really showcase myself and push my style farther to make it more individual.

Portfolio aside Chicago was a great chance to hang with tons of great people from artists and editors to just fans. Andrew also did really well which just added to the great benefit of the trip.

We got to eat at a great Metal bar/restaurant with kick ass food all named after metal bands.

We also got to meet up with some fellow CCAD alumni and were asked to be in a show in October. I'll post more about the show as the time draws nearer but the theme is Zombies so of course I'm down. After the Con and the unbearably long drive home which stranded us at The Bates Motel I was able to meet up with Eric Fortune. Like any good Cincinnatian we met over a Skyline Three-way. Then Eric showed us some of his current phallic art at Andrew's studio. And just for those interested I threw in some pics of the better Con costumes. Venom Pimp was my favorite. You go PlayA!

24 Hour Comic DAGON

2008-07-03T02:10:00.003-04:00

The basic idea was to see what we could do in 24 hours. The concept was borrowed from other comic book artists who do this yearly. Three NKU alumni and myself sat in a room for what ended up only being 8-14 hours but it was still advantageous for me. It was an interesting experience which forced me to do my least comfortable job as an illustrator, layouts. Each person had their own goals. I believe Adam and Oliver were actually trying to complete a comic while Tj was just there to make some collaborative art.

My goal was to thumb out and shoot reference for a short story by H.P. Lovecraft titled Dagon.

I have earlier posted an image I had done for this story and here I wanted to sequential explore the rest of the narrative. The night started out oddly by trying to find a suitable place to make the art and grabbing food. The event then degraded into a Gambit card throwing night of flute playing and other oddities. When all was said and done I had my layouts complete and some kick ass photo reference thanks to all three but especially TJ. After the San Diego Comic Con I can't wait to jump into the story and start working on these images.

This is what you Get

2008-06-08T01:57:00.003-04:00

I am in a group show in Columbus that runs through the end of June. The show's theme is Robot Hive. I missed the opening tonight but from what I have heard it was a good show with some great talent. Yesterday, I was able to meet up with Eric Fortune for a round of drinks and was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at his piece; it was great as usual.

You can view his work here:

EricFortune.com - Personal

I am satisfied with this piece because it works on multiple levels. Under the surface there are some personal issues going on here, while at first glance it is a competent illustration that pays homage to a Sci-Fi cult classic. Here shown is the final, some of my process, and the invitation to the show. Back to the desk. This week will be spent on my Kolchak layout and preparing for the 24 hour comic at NKU. Lisa thank you for you patience and understanding. You Rock!

UC College of Law Issue 2

2008-05-18T14:04:00.004-04:00

Here are two spots and one full page illustration I completed, showing the founding fathers of UC Law school back in the 1830-1880's.

I am extremely excited about the current projects I am working on in preparation for Chicago and San Diego Con. I'll post my progression on these 4 projects as they develop.

The 1st project will be Robot Hive art show on June 7th that I am in. It's in Columbus Ohio with many other amazingly talented artists including Eric Fortune. The second is a cover for Kolchak/Dark Shadows. The last two images are for myself. I'm going to try my hand at sequentially narrating H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon and then I'll illustrate my favorite scene from Marvel Zombies.

Peace,

Dagon and Dr Jedi

2008-04-21T15:42:00.002-04:00

Here are 2 completely unrelated images I just completed: Dagon and Dr. Jedi.

One was a portrait of a MD for another MD friend. PETA back off, it wasn't my idea I just paint the pretty pictures.

A few weeks ago while doing the Talon Black cover I was listening to H.P. Lovecraft stories on audiobook. It inspired me to do a Dagon image. I think I am actually going to sequentially panel out the rest of the story and see if it takes me anywhere. This image would be used as a plate for the end of the book.

Speaking of great books I also just finished Starship Trooper by Robert A. Heinlein. For those of you who have seen the movie you missed all the meat of the book. While I actually loved the movie with it's boobies, bugs, and macheezmo it was about as thought provoking as popping a pimple, but the book delved into concepts such as the right to vote, civic duty, justice and punishment, as well as providing a great analysis of why our current democracy is bound to fail.

On other unrelated topic I have currently become obsessed with Shaw Brother Films. My current favorite is The Bastard Swordsman and 5 Deadly Venoms.

On the art front I have just bought a new WACOM Cintiq in an attempt to make my work hold together better and to clean up my edge relationship which has always been a problem that I have struggled with.

Also last month I got some good insight from Jon Foster and I am trying to apply the new information into my working routine. The two general concepts aside from some technical process information was to find your love in every piece or don't do it. The second theme that resonated with me is find love and appreciate the process while focusing ones energy on things you can control.

The con season is right around the bend which has motivated me to produce, produce, and produce.

Dread Central Link

2008-04-04T16:48:00.003-04:00

Some of you have asked what the Talon Black Piece was used for. Here is a pretty cool link on Dread Central which should clear that up.

http://www.dreadcentral.com/node/26643

BRIAN EWING Art Show 4.7.08 in Los Angeles, CA

2008-03-27T22:07:00.005-04:00

For those of you in the CA area definitely check out this show. Brian is the big dog of gig-poster art and if you are into Art or Music you need to see this show.

Peace

All the info can be found here:

I am Legion...: Art Show 4.7.08 in Los Angeles, CA

Talon Black

2008-03-16T16:01:00.004-04:00

This illustration is a cover for a short story called the Undertakers. The skinny is that a guy kills zombies with a katana-nuff said. In this particular story there was only one Zombie. I was originally bummed because one of the only reasons I took the job was to draw Zombies but what can you do?

Whenever I struggle with a piece these amazing friends and artists are always willing to point me in the right direction.

Brian Ewing : HIGH ON FIRE process thing

Andrew Bawidamann.: Pin-Up Girls

MySpace.com - Eric Fortune - 32 - Male - COLUMBUS, Ohio - www.myspace.com/5064102

OLIVER

The first pic is the final cover. The second is some of the process I went through. You can see how bad some of my earlier versions were. At one point I even had to change some of the proportions of the main figure. I tried the Frank Miller palette but to no avail. It took me a while to get those warehouse window feeling right. The earlier versions were much to generic.

Peace

Crypt Keeper doodle and Dragon Crest Design

2008-02-20T04:12:00.002-05:00

Quick and Dirty

2008-01-29T17:39:00.000-05:00

Nothing amazing here. While I am not crazy about either final, the art directors were pleased and both illustrations represented their stories rather well and the deadlines were met.

Deadend Vlad

2008-01-09T01:50:00.000-05:00

I'm done with it for now and think I will have to go back to the ole drawing board on him some day in the distant future.

Chinese Fantasy Art Interview

2008-01-09T01:13:00.000-05:00

A while ago I was lucky enough to be interviewed by a Fantasy Magazine in China who was familiar with my work. I was just sent a copy. They were very nice and had some interesting questions. The design turned out great now if I could only read the article.

Here is a copy of what I sent in but what the article actually says you tell me, plus some pics of the mag.

What are the factors made you become an artist?

“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
Pablo Picasso

I always loved to draw as a child and I was lucky enough to have two wonderful parents who not only acknowledged my talent but also nurtured it.

I drew early inspiration from the work that Rankin/Bass produced in the late 70’s to the late 80’s, which had the first memorable impact in my life. The animation has an organic quality in the line work, which contrasts beautifully set against the vivid watercolor backgrounds. The Hobbit, in particular, shaped the way I draw and its influences can be seen in my work today.

As I matured, the subject matter of the animation I preferred did as well. I fell in love with Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards and American Pop. Mike Ploog’s still images from Wizards in particular have stayed with me over the years. The single greatest American animation that is near to my heart is HeavyMetal. Other early influences worth mentioning are: Mad magazine, Cracked, HeavyMetal magazine, Garbage Pail Kids, Fangoria, Spawn, and the short lived Monsters Attack. These films and books are the great loves in my life, which started me down a path toward art.

Can you tell us about your first assignment?

It was 1998 and I had just come back to Cincinnati with a BFA but no job and no ideas. I saw a local paper with an illustration for the cover so I called and set up a portfolio review with the art director. I nervously showed the art director my college portfolio. He thumbed through it quickly and said “Thank you, we don’t have anything right now but maybe in a few months.” I left depressed but somewhat hopeful. It turned out when I got home there was a call waiting for me from the Art Director. During college Norman Rockwell became a huge influence for me and it showed in my work. The A.D. said that he had a cover for me if I could pull off a Rockwell looking style. I was hesitant because I didn’t want my first professional work to be in someone else’s style and I didn’t feel right stealing from one of my idols. The cover was to depict Metallica who had cleaned up their act and cut their hair to be more appealing with general audiences. The Art Director wanted them to have a clean cut wholesome look and in a Norman Rockwell setting. I remembered from my studies Rockwell had done a barber quartet Post Cover. I told the A.D. that as long as I was referencing or spoofing that direct image and not trying to steal Rockwell style I would do the job. I got the job on Thursday night, started it on Friday and turned it in Monday morning. The piece All American Band ended up winning the paper a 1st Place Award for Cover Illustration in the Society of Professional Journalism. I have been working with that same paper and art director for 9 years now and hope to for many more.

We can see you get a lot of impaction from golden age of illustration, is that true?

While I am well versed in and draw strength from all of the great Golden Age artists, these 4 have the greatest impact on my work:

Edmund Dulac creates vivid colors that ooze with emotion. He can make you feel happy, sad, or fearful merely by his palette. In my mind he is the most versatile artist on my list. His illustrations mirror the cultures and artistic sensibilities of his ethnically diverse narratives. His influence can be seen in my color and watercolor textures.

Arthur Rackham, I believe, is the easiest to see in my work. What Dulac did with color, Rackham did with line. I relate to the world Rackham drew and have inhabited that world since I was a child. His influence can be seen in my pencil and ink work.

J.C. Leyendecker is one of the most innovative designers and draftsmen of any century. I think it is a crime that he is not more well known and studied. Though he is there you can see little of his influence because my skills as a designer are not yet what they should be. He then can be found in the intent and aspiration I strive for.

Norman Rockwell is the greatest of all the American illustrators. His impact on my work and on the industry can easily been seen without any effort. Like Rackham, Rockwell is clearly present in my process, subject matter, down to the application of paint.

I highly recommend anyone who enjoys my work to immerse themselves in the worlds of these artists listed above.

And since that, what are the differences between you and these artists of golden age?

In our century the computer has reinvented our industry from the printing to the creation of the artwork, for better or worse. The industry that I went to school to learn about and the industry I graduated to find myself in were two different worlds. In the past, students would study at a formal academy, then go to work in a studio to work under a professional, and then move on to their careers. By the 90’s this practice was almost completely eradicated. In America throughout the 1950’s to the 1980’s art schools began springing up all over. They produced more and more artists fighting for the same jobs. With the advances in photography many illustrators found themselves out of work. Then stock art came in and crippled the once thriving industry driving prices down. As computers became a standard many older artists refusing to embrace change found themselves replaced yet again. These new advances in technology drive the price down while the demand for shorter deadlines increases. There is an excellence in craft and draftsmanship that has been lost and perhaps that is why I am nostalgic and inspired by the artist of the Golden Age. I think the world is growing tired of the mass marketed mediocre art consumed by the masses. I believe that something has been lost in this new rapid world of technology, something as an artist that I long for. However, not all of the effects of the computer have been negative for artists, quite the contrary. It would not be possible for me to create the images I now create without this amazing and wondrous tool. Like with any new media there is a period of change and exploration of that form. I think we are past that time and at the dawn of a new great revival in the traditions of these old masters. It will be led by artist like Dave McKean, Andrew Bawidamann, and Justin Sweet who use the basic principle of art and design that have never changed regardless of the decade. As at the birth of the Golden age each of these artists use this new technology to create work not possible before but with a skill and dedication beyond the average draftsman. They use the computer as a tool and not a crutch. The difference between the Golden Age artists and myself is that I am a traveler on the path to becoming and they are the destination.

What do you think the help from the traditional training of art to illustration?

When building anything that will stand the test of time a strong foundation is essential.
While at CCAD I was given a great balance in my education between the fine art world and the world of commercial art. The fine art training focused on drawing, anatomy, light and form, color concepts, and design. The illustration courses focused on history, technique, and running a business and selling art. Though often at odds with each other both drew upon principles essential to the other and by having multiple views on my education I learned more from both of them.

Can you describe the style of your art?

Organic is the best word that comes to mind. I think you will be hard pressed to find a straight line in any of my work. I want my lines to breathe and squirm. I want my color to sing and sometimes scream. I want my textures to make your eyes itch and I want my people to be known to you for who and what they are at a glance. I want you to get lost in my narrative as your eyeballs swim through my compositions and find something new each time. I want to give you one ounce of the awe and joy I feel when I am standing before a Maxfield Parish. Am I there yet? No. But I’ll keep trying until I get there.

What tools do you usually use to paint a picture and how many steps do you paint it, can you give us a detail of it?

Step 1 Preparation and Concept

The most important step in the process is the idea. Illustration is understanding the idea you want to convey and finding the best possible visual way to communicate that idea. I start with several sketches looking for the best idea. After I find the best way to communicate my idea (literal or conceptual) I need to think about design. I now know the elements of my piece, but now in thumbnails I need to figure the best way to organize the information. I keep in mind: shape, dominance, value, and color with special attention to the format of the piece. Finally I settle on a single rough draft thumbnail, which I feel best, conveys my intent.

Step 2 The Rough, Research, and Photo Layout

With the thumbnail complete I will do research followed by photo reference. I prefer to shoot most of my reference in my studio with my lights, props, and models. Now that I have shot my reference using my thumbnail as a guide I quickly cut and paste the photos in a layout in Photoshop. This layout is still subject to change but it helps me address problems I may have not yet encountered in my thumbnail.

Step 3 The Line Drawing and Reference

After I have figured out the design and my digital layout is complete, I print out photos of each aspect of the illustration separately on a white background. I draw each of the many elements as if they were spot illustrations. I use several layers of tissue or tracing paper to do my drawings; that way if there are parts I’m satisfied with I can transfer them to a fresh sheet where I will work out my problem areas. I am mindful to use the reference as exactly that and nothing more. If I have to alter or completely disregard reality for the sake of good design I will do so without hesitation. Once I have a solid line drawing for each part of my compositions I may scan them to create a line drawing to show the client.

Step 4 Transfer

The next step once the line drawing is approved is to transfer the multiple line drawings to boards using graphite paper. I use Strathmore Illustration board with a tooth or rough surface.

Step 5 Value

This is where the majority of the time consuming work begins. I create a black and white illustration with whatever medium seems to suit my needs best. Each medium has its pros and cons. Over the years I have learned these and I take advantage of all of them. I try to work one medium at a time on the each of the multiple illustrations on the boards in an assembly line fashion.

After I transfer my drawing to the boards I go over my lines with graphite or a rapidograph pen depending on my needs and the line quality I desire. Graphite, lead, combined with blending stomps are often used for bright clothing and skin tones. The key is to only apply very thin layers of pencil. Ink is used as a time saver but also as a way to get rich darks in my piece. Ink works great on black hair or jackets and even on backgrounds. I often seal this ink with a lacquer then go over it with white and grey colored pencil. A wonderful texture can be found this way for textiles and clothing. I use watercolor and acrylic interchangeable. My decision is based solely on the thought of will I later want to go back in with water to bring out highlights. If so I use watercolor, if not acrylic. I use gesso and not white paint for highlights for the thick texture it provides. I mix gesso with ink, watercolor, or acrylic to get a full range of value.

Step 6 Color and the Computer

The reason I draw my images on separate boards with white background is simply a matter of speed and versatility. I do this so after I scan the images into Photoshop I can select the white backgrounds with one click then invert the selection and delete the white. Once I have all the elements cut out and on their own layers I color them. I know this will sound insane but I use the mouse to do everything. I have never managed to master the pen tool or Wacom tablet. This limits me a great deal as I am told by many of my colleagues but I prefer the limitation it offers as a preference. This forces me to only use Photoshop to color and layout my images. People often ask how did you get this texture or technique with the computer? This background looks like watercolor how did you accomplish that? The answer is it looks like watercolor because it is. The works look like it was done by hand because it was. As I said earlier my style is the way I draw and Photoshop allows me to transparently add color to my drawing without changing the integrity of them. The coloring process is a simple matter of making selection then filling those selections while choosing the proper combination of multiply, overlay, and color settings in the layers options. Once my images have been colored I compose the illustration based on my design choices made earlier in my rough layout. In finishing the illustration it may be necessary for me to make the edge relationship work together in the frame of reference. This is a matter of sharpening, blurring, or erasing an edge. With that my image is complete and ready for press.

Generally, how do you get the material you need for the picture? Will you make some pencil sketch when your inspiration comes?

I always have paper handy. I am constantly doodling images that only I can decipher that will later be used for illustrations. If I wake up in the middle of the night I have a sketchbook waiting at my bedside for when inspiration strikes. I get a lot of inspiration from dreams, which have a direct impact on my work. The creative process is a three-part cycle: thought, word, and deed.

When you painting those famous people, how do you sketch their character of faces?

When I have to draw famous people or caricatures I start the same way as I would any illustration, with thumbnails searching to find the best visual design to tell my story. The difference comes in the extensive searching to find the right headshot or photo reference that suits my needs. I usually shoot the bodies myself and match my models to the angle of the photos.

As far as drawing the likenesses, some come easy and some come hard. People are my favorite subject matter. I could draw them all day. I sit with a photo by my desk. I start a rough drawing in pencil then define the shapes with a marker. Then I overlay multiple sheet of tracing paper on my drawing and revise it till it looks like my celebrity with the desire expression. In a worse case scenario I will end up looking at multiple heads and doing my best to combine them. When doing celebrities I find the better the reference the better the artwork.

What’s your everyday work schedule?

My schedule changes from week to week especially when I have a tight deadline. As a general rule I follow the routines and work habits I developed at school. I usually wake around 10 am. The mornings are spent reading and answering emails and quoting jobs and any other necessary paperwork. I usually have lunch for an hour sometime between 1 to 4 pm and later I have dinner with my wife around 6 pm. I find it terribly difficult to do anything creative while the sun is shining so I often read or do my research during this time. I watch my shows or movies while I eat. My work begins as the sun goes down and it ends when the sun comes up. This being the case I am far more productive during autumn and the winter. I usually work till 6 am when I see my wife off to work then go to bed. On the last two days of a big deadline I will often work 48 hours back to back breaking only to eat. I try not to do this too often, as there is always a price to be paid after.

Are there some special things in your studio, and can you tell us?

I have a modest studio, but it is filled with things that I love that inspire me. One half of my room is designated to my Mac and computer equipment while the other half is filled with my library of favorite books. Near the bookshelves rests a drafting table my father gave me where I do most of my work. The artists that I love cover my walls. Three of my best works hang beside the idols. Each of the three represents a stepping-stone in my evolution as an artist. These are the images, which elevated me to a new understanding in my art. Two twin Kukhris from Nepal rest on a stand nearby and will be featured in a graphic novel I am working on. Several masks and a samurai helmet hang from the hooks on the back of my door. The two shelves nearest my desk hold my Monster Bobble Head collection, followed by my Berserk, and Guyver Figurines. My studio is also where I house my audio book and comic book collections as well as my rather extensive DVD collection. And finally a framed picture of my two favorite people sits upon my desk, my wife Lisa and my dog Rockwell.

What’s your state you have been when you painted? Do you listening to the music?

If I am creating layouts for sequential work I need utter silence and often go to the public library to force distraction from me. This work is very difficult for me and I need greater levels of concentration to get anything accomplished.

When I create my layouts for a single illustration I often listen to classical or meditative music.

Once the hard work is complete and a long night of technique and the routine of execution in terms of rendering begin, I let my body do the job without me and my mind travels to other worlds with a little help from audio books. Stephen King has got me through many a long project with no rest.

When coloring an image I often listen the music that best conveys the mood I am trying to achieve in the piece.

What do you do recently? Compare with the work you have done before, what kind of progress you have made?

As far as the specific projects I am currently involved in, I have cut back on the some of my freelance commissions so that I may focus on writing and illustrating two stories of my own. Eternity is a complex mini-series set in the biblically bleak future. It is a historical fantasy dealing with many serious struggles I have dealt with in my life, especially those that deal with a man searching for his purpose and what role does the existence of God play in that search. The other title is a lighthearted pinup comic called 36DD full of nostalgia and sarcasm.

In terms of the differences between my older to newer work, the older work was technically adequate but without soul. In my early work I also had some serious problems with color and value that I have rectified. All these problems stemmed from me searching for my voice or style. It has only been in these last few years that I have come to know my purpose as an artist.

What is your favorite movie? Do you plant to transform the scene of the movie into picture?

To give one movie that special honor among all the movies that I love would be impossible. In regards to a movie that I have found a deep personal meaning in I can say The Razor's Edge (1984) has been my favorite. If we are talking about cinemaphotography and story then Kurosawa’s RAN (1985) is at the top of my list. I wish this interview was just a list of my favorite movies but I’m afraid there wouldn’t be enough room in the magazine so I will end that topic by just naming these two.

Besides painting, what’s your hobby in your normal life?

I am obsessed with all forms of media: comics, manga, novels, audio books, animation, and movies. I love technology and apple computers. I am a history buff. I love playing chess. I have been playing soccer as long as I have been making art and continue to this day in several men’s leagues and a co-ed with my wife.

Please say something to Chinese readers.

I would like to thank the Chinese readers for giving me a venue to showcase and speak about my work. Your ancient culture is full of beauty and mystery, which continues to be a fountain of inspiration and wonder. I hope you have enjoyed my art as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. Communication is at the root of all art. It transcends language, economical, and cultural difference. This experience serves to remind me of who I am and what it is to be an artist and for that I am grateful.

Thank you so much for this interview!

Thank you for your time. I have included a few links, which you make publish in the article about my art if you see fit.
http://www.wjh3illustration.com/
http://www.myspace.com/wjh3illustration
http://wjh3.blogspot.com/
http://wjh3.deviantart.com/

CVTS Complete

2007-12-17T02:43:00.000-05:00

The word EXHAUSTED is a gross over simplification for the way I feel.
While only a fool illustrator will complain about too much work I feel justified in saying all I want for Christmas is rest.
With the CVTS job complete I have a full load with CityBEAT and then a book cover in Jan as well as other UC freelance.
I am craving to get back to my book and believe it will be FEb. before I am able.

Here are the 16 Docs I did. I am happy with two.

Current Work

2007-11-08T15:57:00.000-05:00

Other than my usual CityBeat work my last month and next few months will be occupied with 2 clients, CTVS and UC.
While I won't necessarily put these in my portfolio I do think they are well executed pieces. I now have to learn how to speed up the process and manage my timelines. Long deadlines are troublesome things to manage. My fleeting moments will be occupied by trying to complete and image for Spetrum and on the 2 graphic novels. The fall and winter months are always very productive for me and this one so far is no exception.

Peace
W

Spectrum 14

2007-11-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

This Fall is going to be very busy for me.

Spectrum 14 finally arrived and the book looks great.
It is much larger this year due to the Concept art category that was added. While I only got one piece in I feel a great honor and gratitude to be listed among many artist that I admire and the industries best.

However there now is a sense of urgency as the next Spectrum deadline is coming up in January.

As far as current workload is concerned I am book solid and sleep will have to sit on the bench for a while. I am overloaded with the Big head little body stuff so for now the graphic novels and other non-immediate generating cash flow pursuits are also on hold till February. I'll post some of the editorial and gift stuff I have been working on this week.

Too Long

2007-10-09T23:29:00.000-04:00

It has been entirely too long since I posted anything. So what have I been up to? The answer is mostly layout stuff on 36DD and script writing. I have come to the conclusion I have to finish something short and quick. The shame of the matter is I can post all these thumbnails that I have been working on but until the pages are finish they will look like chicken scratch. So I am going to see if I can finish a single comic by Jan. 1st.
I should have some solid pages by the end of November for Mid-Ohio to show around. November will also be very busy with a CTVS job I have. I will have a month to illustrate 16 portraits for gifts. Plus I am setting up a few posters to sell at Mid Ohio. Bawidamann has gracious decide to give me a little room at his table.

I also had an interview this month, which took a few days to complete and look forward to posting some images when the magazine comes out. Spectrum should be out this month so I can't wait to see my copy of that, as this is the 1st time I got in. Other agendas have been the Halloween party. This party will take up the rest of the month just to plan and set up so I will be AFK till well after the 20th. And I have been spending fleeting moments on my character design of Vlad for Eternity.

So here’s Vlad midway. Some eternity thumbnail layouts to finished page comparisons and finally (2 of the 22) 36DD layout pages. These will proably look like nonsense but I assure they make sense in my mind.

Peace,
W

DV Process

2007-09-06T15:08:00.000-04:00

To save for memory as well as to inform anyone interested, here are some layer samples to show how I constructed the room. This process of creating the room took 95% of the time on this project. 5% was spent on the figures, which is completely the opposite from how I usually work.

The Rockwell on the wall was an actual copy I did while at school in oils/acrylics. Compared to the original you can see how weak a copy it was but due to its size it served its function.

The floor, any woodwork, and the frame where create by looking at my floor. Then I drew the grain in graphite separately and scanned it. Made a grid for the floorboards in Photoshop. Then filled each board with a different pattern from the ones I just drew. Behind this I added the watercolor image for texture and value. I then went in and shifted the value slightly for each board and flattened all the layers.
Combining the stamped texture with the watercolor background created the stucco walls.
There are variations of trial and error here taking advantage of the entire layer settings in Photoshop but that is the general idea.

So in truth for the most part it was done but human hands and compiled and color by computer. I find it odd then how the final image looks so CGI. Regardless I now have a hard wood surface should I ever need it again. I have been creating and compiling a library of textures and backgrounds to save time in the creation of my book. I think these will definitely be used again.

Peace
W

Final CityBeat-Domestic Violence

2007-09-04T21:27:00.001-04:00

This was a somewhat strenuous process but a good lesson. The larger cover I am showing here is not the one that will run in CityBeat.
I turned in an earlier version (which I think Sean did a pretty good job with) then after the deadline without the stress I reworked some of my problem areas. While I don't believe this to be one of my strongest pieces I do feel I accomplished much while working on it. One of my weakest area in my craft has been dynamic lighting- while this is no Caravaggio it is a starting point for me, which forced me to deal with issues I fear inadequate in.

CityBeat Photo Layout

2007-09-03T17:05:00.000-04:00

This is a useful tool I found in college. After my thumbnails I create photo ref. layouts. In school I would do this by cutting photocopies - Lord be praised for Photoshop. This may not solve all my problems but it definetly helps me address issues ( lighting,design, composition) before I ever touch board. The next step is to print out each layer of the image- child- walls- base board- floor and get a line drawing. Then after i scan each piece alone I combine the finished art in mutiple layers to form the layout I have pre-designed.

Progress Update- 3:25 a.m

2007-09-03T03:25:00.000-04:00

While I did manage to get my calendar updated and my creation board created. I also have now finshed 3 zombie survial quizes ( In which i survived them all - OK so I'm a loser) but have yet to start my layout. Ughhh. Maybe some food or TV.. sleep????
Umm Ya I'm going to bed after I eat and watch tv. Set the OLe alarm for 6:30 a.m.

Peace
W

Random Photo for your viewing pleasure-

Start of CityBeat Cover- Domestic Violence

2007-09-03T01:41:00.000-04:00

Was informed of job 2 Fridays ago. I got the general info. But was in a holding pattern until story was finalized. Came up with working concept with AD. That same day then the following Sunday shot reference of child in hopes that this was the direction we were going. On Wed. got the OK to proceed with cover. Thurs. Friday. Sat. -created wedding video then rehearsal/diner and finally wedding. Shot more reference of the adult figures tonight around 12 a.m. It's now 1:48 a.m. and I am officially starting the layout. Final draft is due Tuesday time unknown 12-4 pm. with the final line drawing tomorrow around noon.

Vlad III Concept Line- Drawing

2007-08-30T02:10:00.000-04:00

Been a while- Here is a concept for one my charcters in Eternity.

SketchBook

2007-08-07T03:03:00.001-04:00

Here are some doodles, thumbs, studies. Listening to CWG- Loved the message at first but starting to get skeptical of the messengers intent as with all such information.

E mail Extravaganza

2007-08-01T15:13:00.000-04:00

So the bulk of today was spent sending out the Buffy image to all the contacts I have made either thru email or myspace or just blind submissions. I have already had one response which is more than I usually hope for and I am aware now more than ever how important it is to really dedicate myself to my book before the contacts go cold.

Out
w

2007-07-30T12:26:00.001-04:00

What have I done with my week?

Tablet

I bought a 9x12 WACOM tablet.
Ryan http://www.ryanostrander.com/and other's agreed at the illustration lunch that it is an essential time saver plus more control but I have grown found of my mouse. They said it would take a week to get used to the pen tool and that I would never use a mouse again, at this point I doubt it. It’s a cool new technology but I hate change when I have an efficient system already working- time will tell.

Stake Out

Now that Buffy is complete I am waiting for The A.D.s to come back from San Diego Comic-Con to email them the image. Most return on Tuesday or Wednesday so that is when I will send it. I will also plaster it on the fan Buffy site. Completing the work was never hard for me, it has always been this sending out and begging for attention part that sucks about the business but it is a necessary one. If they don’t see the work they can’t buy it. On a positive note there is a Slay-A-thon in Chicago that asked to sell the image as a print to raise money for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation. Apparently the person running the event saw Stake Out on DievantArt but I had to inform them it was self-promotion and they would have to obtain the rights from Dark Horse or Mr. Whedon.

San Diego Comic-Con 2007

I am seriously bummed that I could not go to San Diego. Especially with all the nice offers from people to have me at their place and actually pay for my tickets. The reason was simply I didn’t have enough new relevant art that would garner me new jobs so I decided to stay home, work hard, and save money. I must remember this feeling throughout this next year so I am prepared for 2008. I am determined to actually be an exhibitor at the next con. On a high note Bawidamann just called and he did awesome this year!

HellBlazer Start

So what work have I actually been able to accomplish, not much. I did work all Friday night but with little to show for it. Here is my thumbnail. My concept is pretty fun. I got the idea from the Rockwell image- The Golden Rule. Comic artist have been coping this image of stacking people/class photo for years (Kingdom Come Cover for exp.) I used to have this image over my desk while reading some Hellblazers and the idea of what would be John Constantine’s Golden Rule. I still haven’t come up with a good tag line for that yet but it got the ball rolling. I saw John in the middle surrounded by all his enemy’s that he has betrayed or sent to hell surround him in the center with the Devil at his side. The Muslim man in the white robe to me was Papa Midnight holding his headless sister. The little girl holding the rosary was the first soul of the little girl John lost to Hell. You get the idea. For the readers of Hellblazer I think the final image will be pretty cool especially when you are familiar with the original painting.

The real problem I am having is the likeness and shadows.

The HellBlazer images are full of black inked dark shadows. So making all the different light sources as well as Mignola shadow work will be a real challenge.

The other thing is no one draws John Constantine the same. I redrew this damned head fifty times. I remember the original inspiration was Sting but he doesn’t really look like that at all these days. I think I need to add some shadows and more forehead. I think this one will take some time but I really want to finish it soon so I can get back to the book, which is my focus.

~FIN~

Completed Cover

2007-07-23T17:36:00.000-04:00

Almost Done

2007-07-23T04:55:00.000-04:00

Here is pretty close to the final. I got few tweaks to make. I have to get some feedback from other artists but its 5a.m and time to call it a night. Got thru Order of the Phoenix and started half-Blood last night. Will be time to start the HellBlazer piece soon then back to the book.

Color Buffy

2007-07-23T01:24:00.000-04:00

Here's the color on Buffy. Also included is a possible layout. Composition still needs alot of work.

Buffy Pencils/Inks

2007-07-22T01:42:00.000-04:00

Moving on to the Color.

Buffy Start

2007-07-20T04:25:00.000-04:00

Here is the Start of a Self Promo piece of Buffy I am working on.

What might have been.

2007-07-18T12:13:00.000-04:00

Again, with the CityBeat cover its just a matter of time that is the real issue. I love working for them. The art director rocks and I actually like the rapid deadlines; I just think some of the concepts and execution could be much more developed with more time. As a result I usually have a lot of covers that are very average and this is no exception.

With that said the deadlines are part of the challenge of working for a weekly paper and I work better under the gun.
On the positive side it doesn't leave any time to bawidamann (overwork then ruin) a piece.
For those of you who are curious about what an assignment I get looks like, here is how this cover played out.
I was given this assignment Thursday. This was the basic concept I got in an email:

Wanna do next week's cover? cool. glad you do.
cover: need by tuesday morning in full (11am). rough some time monday. idea is a turn of the century (not the most recent century) industrial revolution style sweatshop look. it's XXXXX and they're not following orders to improve there factory conditions so people are loosing limbs and dying on unsafe equipment. thanks.

I did the research and thumbnailed it Thurs. night. Sent in thumbnail Friday in the am. I had to wait till end of day Monday for approval from the editorial staff. While waiting I shot reference as if it was approved.

The child got cut and so did the severe injuries.

Worked Monday 10 pm till deadline Tuesday at 11 am on final ( 1:30hr sleep /30 mins for food). Only had 30 mins for coloring and it shows.

Wasted Summer 7/18/07

2007-07-18T11:11:00.000-04:00

Here is some CityBeat freelance from March-early July.
Most of these spring/summer months were dedicated to moving and getting the house and the studio together. Before we moved I was on an incredible high from getting into Spectrum 14. This high was lost as frustration took over as most of my time was spent elsewhere.
My goal with this blog is to get back on track.

Here is the only art I produced over those months and most is so-so at best. Most are done in a matter of a day or two and some even just a few hours.
I did however learn some useful brush option in Photoshop so I suppose it wasn't a total waste.

Weekly Art- 7/18/07

2007-07-18T10:13:00.000-04:00

Weekly Art- An exercise in Mediocrity Updated 7/18/07

In an attempt to be more effective and productive I am going to post and update a weekly
Blog. This will track for me the work that I do day to day. Most of the work will be amazingly mediocre if not just total crap. This will be every thing from sketches, thumbnails, black and whites, to a few colored images. It will also have some in progress things I am working on from time to time.

This motivational kick in ass came from this guy so if you want to see some good art after you are done wadding through my crap go here: http://www.og1artist.blogspot.com/

We all have at least 100,000 bad drawings inside of us. The sooner we get them out and onto paper, the sooner we'll get to the good ones buried deep within. (unknown)

These are some stronger images I currently have before we have to looks at months of the crap to come.

Weekly Art- An exercise in Mediocrity Updated 7/18/07