Emma marker demo

If you are like me, you love seeing how different artists work. Sooo, here's a quick demo of how I approach doing marker drawings using gray copic markers. In this case since Emma is all white, there is not a lot of range in values, but you can still get the idea. I am working on light gray paper here fyi.

1-loose pencil shape to place the figure on the page where I want her.
2-roughed in pencils (4b usually)
3-using a kneaded eraser I lightly erase the rough pencils and then do the tighter pencils over that as a guide.
4-inks, I use a variety of tools to ink with depending on a lot of factors, in this case, it is all brush marker. Go to Jetpens.com and you will see tons of great japanese markers that you will want to test drive.
5-lay in some gray tone markers. In this case I only use 0,1 and 3....like I said, not a lot of range in Emma's all white look.
6-I slap on some white gouache paint roughly where I want the highlights to be.
7-Using a brush with water (or a water brush) I move the white paint around till it looks pretty ;)

NYCC wrap!

I survived NYCC...whew!
 NY and San Diego are the most grueling cons to do and this year I think that it would be safe to say that artist alley in NYCC was even more hectic than San Diego. Since we were in a separate room from the rest of the con, a LOT of artists were very concerned at first but the crowd was constant for all 4 days and I for one liked our new big, bright, high ceilinged digs!
New York was my last scheduled show for 2012, sigh. It's been a long con tour for me this year but I can already tell that I'll be chomping at the bit to get back out there in the Spring. Now if somebody would just start a con in the dead of winter some place warm so we could all warm up for a weekend at least, I'll sign up for sure.
Here are some of the drawings I did at the con.

NYCC this week

Here are just a few of the many commishes I did for this weeks NYCC. I'll be at table S6 in artist alley if you are in the neighborhood. I'll post more after the con, I have found that most folks prefer not to see the art online before they pick it up. 

Some summer con commishes

While I post pretty regularly to my Deviant Art page and my CAF galleries, I'll be the first to admit that I've been neglecting the ol' blog. Here are some comic commishes that I have done for different shows I've been to this summer.

Joe Kubert

While this blog is pretty much about my girl drawing activities, I had to comment on the passing of another comic book legend...Joe Kubert.
I'll admit that it wasn't until I was on the path of becoming an artist myself that I came to fully realize just what a huge talent he was. In my youth I had dismissed his stuff as "too messy" for my slick superhero tastes at the time.
Thankfully in the intervening years I have come to love every line he laid down. The title of Master really only applies to a handful of artists working in comics and Joe is definitely way up that list.
The fact that he started working in comics as a teenager and continued to grow and work on his art till the very end is a HUGE inspiration for me. He obviously kept his fire and enthusiasm for drawing well nurtured till the very end.
I'd say that after 70 plus years of drawing he's certainly earned his rest, but based on his work ethic over the past seven decades, I really doubt that resting is what his idea of heaven would be. So draw on Joe, and thanks!

I anxiously await the publication of IDW's Kubert Tarzan Artist Edition, and anybody who hasn't read his Star Spangled War Stories or Enemy Ace are in for a real treat. I read them in the Showcase volumes myself...hundreds of pages of jaw dropping artwork in stunning pure Kubert, black and white! SSWS is the perfect young boy comic...what kid wouldn't love a comic about soldiers fighting dinosaurs month after month on a mysterious island? Enemy Ace has probably got the most heart of any "war" comic and definitely the best flying scenes, ever, hand's down!

Pre-Con Commish list for FAN EXPO AND BALTIMORE

I just wanted to let folks know that I have a pre-con list going for commissions to be picked up at Fan Expo at the end of August as well as Baltimore in Sept. 

Since there is only about two weeks between Fan Expo and Baltimore Comic Con, I thought that I would put the word out now for folks interested in setting up pre-con commissions for either con to give me some time to get things done. You wouldn't believe how many emails I get just before I leave home for a con...which kind of misses the point of the "pre" in pre-con commissions ;) 

As usual I will be drawing the whole time at the cons, but for those of you that like to be sure of getting something, this is the easiest way. Take a look at the pic below , these are the types of pre-con commissions available. Just click on the "EMAIL ME" link in the column on the right of this page to get the ball rolling.

I'm in SDCC recovery mode

It takes me a while to recover from San Diego but it was another fun, busy, jam packed con. Thanks to all of the kind folks that visited me in artist alley...and what the heck, thanks to all of you also who decided to stay home and not go to that crazy madhouse of a con...it's hard enough to walk around in there as it is ;)
I saw a bunch of my regular con buddies, passed Felicia Day on the escalator, saw the cast of Fringe and Bones (whoa, Dr. Brennan looks amazing in person, sheesh). I even had a few artists that I admire stop by to say they liked my stuff (and even buy some) which is always a thrill.
Now, back to work.

Comic Con 2012 this week!

I seem to be neglecting the ol' blog a bit in favor of DA etc. Anyhoo, San Diego Comic Con...the grand poo-bah of comic shows is upon us once again. I'll be manning my artist alley table the whole time, since it's too crowded to walk around the con anyhoo! I'll be at DD-22. 
So here is some of the stuff I will have for sale at my artist alley table at Comic Con. Just in time and hot off the presses is my new sketchbook for 2013 "Girls in Gray" featuring my gray copic marker commissions and con art...yea! I've got a few different 11x17 prints as usual. I don't make a lot of prints so when they're gone they're gone.
Okay, I think I am actually ready for this con...see you there ;)

Scarlet Witch and I are going to Heroes Con

This is the piece I did for the upcoming Heroes Con Auction. It is pretty stressful doing a piece you know is going up for auction, but we'll see how she goes. The Scarlet Witch has a regal vibe similar to Wonder Woman which makes her one of my all time fave Marvel girls.
If you are going to the con (and you should 'cause it's fun!) I'll be camped out, drawing all weekend at my artist alley table AA-706

I'll have a limited number of prints for sale at my table if you want to swing by and grab one.

C2E2 and Boston Comic Con

I've been falling behind on my con reporting,sorry. But the short version is that C2E2 in Chicago and the recent Boston Comic Con were both a hoot. C2E2 wasn't as crazy big as I was expecting which was actually a good thing. I got to chill with my friend Steph (that's her sitting on the C2E2 sign) a bit too which was great.
The highlight of Boston was hanging out a bit with the legendary Joe Sinnot. He was really nice and we chatted like old pals and I did my best to I keep my fanboy love in check ;)
I always do a few blank cover sketches at cons, here are some from those shows that I remembered to take pics of.

NORDIK COMIC COVER

Here are the pencils/inks and colors for a comic cover for Heroes of the North character 'Nordik'. HOTN is a Canadian webseries chock full of beautiful heroines in really nice latex costumes...what's not to love?
Nordick is impervious to cold and I amped up her mystical side with the polar bears and Northern Lights.

Check out Heroes of the North here and a Nordick online comic here!

I've been blogged!

Geek Draw, is one of the cool comic art sites that I follow and they just did a feature on my 1887 girls, it was kind of a shock to see my own stuff on there. Aw, shucks, thanks!

Pre Con Commish list open for C2E2 and Boston Comic Con!

Hey gang, I've got two cons in April so I thought that I'd let folks know that my pre-con commission list is open if you want to set something up to be picked up at C2E2/Chicago or Boston Comic Con.
Since I do these in my free time I will get to as many as I can so the sooner you let me know the better your chances are!
Drop me an email for detail if you are interested.
gracias!

Here's a recent Big Barda commission that I did. She is without a doubt one of my all time fave comic gals.

MegaCon Orlando this week!

I'll be at Megacon in Orlando this weekend. Swing by artist alley Lime Green #17 to say hi and see me in my natural con habitat!

Con Sketches from 1887

Here are a few commission sketches I did for the upcoming MegaCon show in my 1887 theme. It is fun to reimagine familiar characters in this quasi-Victorian setting. As usual, ink, gray copic markers and white painted details.
These are fun to do so if you ever want to commission something like this, drop me line.

Commissions for MegaCon!

I had fun at Megacon last year so I'll be heading south once again in February to thaw out a bit and do some drawings. I'm taking a few pre-con commissions beforehand to be picked up at the con if you want to get something done, let me know and I will add it to my 'to-do' list.. I'll be drawing at my artist alley table the whole time I'm there but it's nice to have some done before I arrive so I can keep everybody happy ;)
Drop me an email for details if you are interested.
Megacon has probably the most diverse groups of fans of any show that I attend. Lots of Anime,cosplay action there so if I was smart I'd be taking a crash course in Anime girls 101 so I'd know who the current popular favorites are! Feel free to school me!

Buffy Commission

While I never made it through all the seasons of Buffy, I did enjoy the first several when it aired, maybe I'll catch up someday. The tricky thing about doing "real" characters rather than just comic book ones since I am not a photorealist artist is that I have to walk that fine line between my normal stylized way of drawing things and the actors likeness. She has the most interesting nose, it is like something right out of a Bridgeman drawing book!

Baby Doll Sucker Punch commission

Here are all the steps I went through for a recent Baby Doll commission. Pencils...inks...gray Copic marker tones and some white highlights. 11x17 on bristol board.