Post 289

I promised an extra sketch. I'm excited because I've got my pen position back. Something was off the past few days, and I finally was able to correct it and compensate for the weird effects of the air conditioning in work on how the ink flows.

Also, check this video out, Fanboy Video interviewing the Space Gun Kru at last year's Staple...plus some great shots of my cover. I was actually standing on the side. Trying to be like Ghostface Killah or something. But this year I feel good enough about myself to go onscreen if the need arises. Anyway, almost to the weekend, so I'm pretty excited!

Post 288

I dunno' I thought it was funny, the whole, 'looks like he's pulling up, but using the background to establish the opposite' and such...

I will probably have another sketch at the end of the day. I am hoping to have any number of things happen soon. It's so tough when there are things that you know will happen, but you either can't say, or can't wait, in this case it's both. One such thing is waiting for a package to arrive, you know it's going to arrive, but when not given a tracking number, all you can do is guestimate, and that's never fun.

Post 287

Psylocke for today's mini sketch. the back part of her is inked, the front half such as arms and legs are pencil. I'm just excited because after today the rest of the week isn't as filled with pressure from the job!

Post 286

Just trying out a couple new things, and leaving some just plain pencils.

Post 285-STAPLE!!!

Yup, finally the countdown begins!!! I'm so excited, like Christmas all over again!!! Staple is finally happening! Friday after work, Jake, Luan, Matt, and I head down to Austin to have some well-earned fun and time to sell the goods that we've put our hearts into creating.

I'm trying not to let myself get too excited, but it's very tough not to be. I get to hang out with friends, see folks I haven't seen in a long time (haven't seen Kristian in person since Cape nearly a year ago), Hopkins will be there. Dean Trippe will be there!! So I get to hang out with my collaborators on various projects who just happen to be friends as well, so it kills two birds with one stone...thus the excitement!

Also, I've got a lot of paintings and some cool new prints that I got. Only got about 2 of each print because of the quality making them be pretty expensive...but it was worth it!

Anyway, I have sketches for tomorrow, and seriously, stop by and say hi to me. I'll be with the Space Gun Kru at tables 1, 2, and 3 (see chart above). We'll be glad to have anyone stop by and talk, that's what we do!

Post 284

I love how Cory Walker and Nate Bellegarde post their thumbnail sized pencil sketches, so I think I'll start doing that so I can have some extra updates. It really doesn't take long at all. This took maybe 10 min even with the photoshop edits. But I'll just leave them pencil next time. But it's odd to leave something un-inked!

Post 283

So, I can't even begin to tell you how great of a feeling it is to have this week end. It's been so long, and too much going on. Here's a painting that I started last Friday and couldn't even get to until this evening, so I got it nearly to finish. Just need to do a few last touches!

Post 282

Sorry I haven't been around recently, I've been working on a few projects and working to get ahead of the game on President Awesome for next week so I can head down to Staple in Austin with the Space Gun Kru, and Dean will hopefully make it out, and we can spread the word about our rad webcomic!

But yeah, I just finished a bunch of sequentials, work has been quite busy, and I'm doing my best to keep up with everyone in my life while the world appears to keep getting out of hand. I'm just going to keep working and moving forward, that's all you can do in this situation, not worry about things.

But yeah, I did the pic above because there was a thread about how hard it is to draw a kiss. I thought of Superman not controlling his kiss with Lois, and it gets...a little out of hand!

I really wanted to show the pain in her eyes and her clawing at his nigh-invulnerable flesh/costume!

Also, I just want to say this, but it's really lame going to the local comic shops and trying to get a copy of my work, but they don't carry it (in the modern world, none of the things I've worked on besides Negative Burn have yielded me a comp copy, so I have to buy a copy of the books I work on)! I wanted to get a copy of Brit (I have a pin-up in the final issue), and they didn't carry it. I said to them, "I have a pin-up in it." NOT because I wanted to sound all important and high on myself, but I actually wanted a PHYSICAL COPY OF MY WORK!!! As in, 'Please order me one' and they gave me a look like 'meh, not worth it.' The shop dealers around here are so dismissive, like 'whatever, not like you're doing anything big-time anyway.' Places I've gone for years, since I was a kid. Things like that make me wonder if they want to stay open? I'm buying my comics online from now on! UGH!!!

Post 281

Yup, we went there! Dean Trippe and I are doing a weekly comic about the current president of these fine United States. Don't worry, we love the Pres as much as anyone else, we just like to have fun with the media coverage and the cultural phenomenon that is Obama!

President Awesome is tons of fun because I can't begin to tell you how much fun I have drawing President Obama, he just fits perfectly into so many expressions and situations.

So check in, tell us what you think of it, and hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy making it!

Post 280

First off, anybody else deal with Google going all crazy on Friday and being in Japanese? I'm still having issues with my Blogger...strange...

So, yesterday I got a lot done, I guess that's the one good thing about not having a date for V-day. Went up to Denton, and I have to say, Ruby's Diner is now officially one of my favorite places to eat. It's a diner with three little standing salad bar pieces against a wall, but you are left with the absolute essentials. Kind of old people food, but with the way I eat now (actually healthy), quality in terms of salad is essential. For some reason, it rejuvinates my soul! It's my second time there and both times I walk out feeling lighter, like after going to confession. I'll put it this way, after a disappointing day, I would go there to feel better (and plan to).

More paintings, did both last night while the HBO premiere was on...Fools Gold...more like I WAS A FOOL for having actually watched it!

My goal right now is to not stop moving, this may be the most sustained burst of creation, work, and in general physical activity I've had in my life.

Post 279

Here are a couple new paintings. I tried a few new techniques with the Abe piece. Used the Finity paints on top of a gessoed crescent board. It gives you the ability to wipe off some of the layers. When you have the underpainting on the bottom, you can re-wet and remove, leaving multiple colors over white similar to the effects you can get with a bronze plate etching.

Post 278

I did a re-take picture of Iron Man because the one I took last night wasn't clear enough. But here are some cool things, the Warriors picture is inside of my altered book, along with some of the other pictures like an in-progress invincible on canvas. TONS of fun!

But the cool thing is I took one of those song greeting cards that plays "Nowhere to Run to" and put it under the Warriors painting, and it plays when you open the page!!!! If you're a geek for the Warriors like me, hopefully you'll appreciate it. Two of my best friends in the world are working on the comic, they are back from NYCC, but I haven't heard from them yet, but I really want to show it to them. I really wish I could've made it to the convention, but I'm just getting ready for the show in Austin at the beginning of next month.

I'm hoping to do well at Staple, because the money I make there will be going to cover my trip to Heroes. If my art dealer isn't getting tables at Heroes I'll probably just be walking around with a bag of paintings on gessoed crescent board conversing with folks. I just can't justify to myself paying like 400 for a flight and then paying another however many hundred for a table. Maybe I can just pawn my wares on a street corner outside the hotel...heh heh....you think I'm kidding!

Either way, I'm having so much fun with doing all these paintings. I've been doing something non stop, but if I didn't have so many interruptions, in my free moments I could average 3-10X20 inch paintings a day. On a full free day, probably 6. The issue isn't coming up with ideas, it's just getting enough time!

Post 277

Here's something I did tonight with some new paints I got. Windsor & Newton Finity Acrylics. I've been using the Galeria paints for all my acrylic paintings recently, but these are totally different. There's a bit more drag to them, it was really different to get used to at first, but now that I got the hang of it, I'm really loving it.

It's kind of funny, I feel like a renegade sometimes. Having seen the "Academia" side of art recently, the people who are subsidized for projects, as well as the people getting to get paid for their published work, I feel like I sit in this weird spot between it all. I could probably choose one, but I have this sense of freedom to experiment, to grow, and to just keep producing art. Maybe it's that feeling that I'm breaking some sort of tradition that just makes things exciting, or that I'm not a big name. But the thing that would have bothered me years ago, being on the fringe, is something that feels liberating.

Anyway, time to get some sleep, I should have some more later!

Post 276

One of my least favorite weeks of the year begins! Being somebody single, it's so tough to listen to people and their plans. Granted, I don't want to begrudge them their fun times, but most couples don't seem to understand just how insufferable they can be! People throwing out where they are going, and how much fun they'll have, then highlighting the fact that you're single!!!!

Well, at least I should be able to get a lot of art done for Staple...

Post 275

So, seeing as the Project Rooftop deadline has passed, I'll put up my submission for the redesign competition. I guess my mind goes a little crazy and to a different direction, but this is what I see in my head as working. But then again, I just had a ton of fun with it!

P.S. I hate the USPS tracking system for packages, it's never accurate! I'm waiting on an order of art supplies from Blick, and there's no knowing when it'll arrive!

P.P.S. I'm guessing that it'll come up, so I'll preemtively say it (not to be defensive, but just as clarification)... nope, not blind. I like the usual cowl stuff, but I also kind of liked the eyes in Batman Begins where it has the black make-up, just not the seeing of the pupil. So I merged the two ideas together. I just don't know how comfortable rubber running up against the eye would be, and with the clouded over eye look it is a bit creepier when blinking. As for not carrying over the blue and such, I would think that maybe he'd use some tradition, but change it up in his own way. A ton of people that I've seen have ditched the cape, but I felt the need to keep it, that way I could keep with a sleeker version of it that merged with the bat symbol. I also widened the ears kind of like the earlier Batman comics. I added in elbow and knee pads for use in the city. Acrobatic work and high falls would have to be killer on the joints.

I just liked the idea of a telescoping baton to wreck havok with but also in assisting with movement like pole vaulting, it's kind of a running theme in my work this year. But if I don't make it into the runners up or even onto the list, it'll be because of people thinking he's blind because of the pose and how he's holding the baton. I still stand by my design, it's just how I would approach this on my own. Don't know how well it'll do, but I had tons of fun with this, and think that it was a good stepping stone to some new techniques that have really pushed the level of my work forward a great deal.

Post 274

Sorry it's been a few days since my last update. Various reasons, but now I'm back in business, constantly moving forward no matter what. I had this image stuck in my head yesterday and felt the need to put this down on paper. The use of minimal foreground and background was a conscious decision. I've been enjoying the use of color fields to fill in the space normally filled with minutiae. I've also further refined the way I hold a pencil, which has greatly added to my ability to create fluid gesture sketches to get better poses in a short time.

Post 273

The altered book, journal for the modern artist. I give this assignment now, you get a hardcover book, in this instance a 'Yearbook' from a 1980's encyclopedia collection. Perfect size and pages. I just started this one last week, barely had time to spend on the cover, but I'm already a few pages in. I had to open things up with Luke Cage, the first character I remember seeing as a lad in comics. My dad has all the Power Man and Iron Fist comics (Iron Fist of course soon to follow).

So, you take the book, and you do what you're taught NOT to do, you cut it, burn pages, paint in it, and write in it. It's a great way to warm up and takes little time. You'll notice working on a page that isn't blank is liberating. Go to your local bookstore or BigLots, get a $1 hardcover and give it a try, you'll love it!

Post 272

Here's something that I did this morning before work (and colored this evening). Yesterday I went walking in the afternoon because ice was all over the roads in the morning, so I thought it would be safe in the afternoon...well, I was fine until near the end and I stopped to change albums on my iPod and put it in my shirt pocket. I saw some people in a car and in a flash I was on my side, my knee was in an awkward position. Just sore as heck, still gonna go out tomorrow, but when I was getting up for some reason I had the need to draw Tigra. A character that has long been a source of confusion. It's awkward drawing any characters with anthropomorphic features without feeling dirty, like it's a furry piece or something. But whatever, I'm going in with the intentions that I read Avengers as a lad and felt like drawing the character due to the color choices I had in my head (probably from the blood rushing to my head and endorphins kicking in).

I ordered a new every day walkin' around hoodie yesterday, and I'm super excited about it!

Post 271

A little Electric Six reference to sum up my feelings of the morning (so pretty much just Jake will get it):

I used to dress in black every night
I used to dress in black every night
But something happened to me
Something happened to me
And now
I dress in white

You used to get it wrong every night
You used to get it wrong every night
And there was nothing left to do
But pump high voltage into you
And now
You mostly get it right

And you were blinded for a moment
By my country western starship
Last night
You were tumbling and bumbling
Like a bird that just had its wings clipped
During flight
And then the congregation of the prayer begins to sing
Ahh!!!
They were sick deliquents joining the queue
Of the ice covered streets demanding
SNOW DAY part two!

Post 270-New Business Card!

I am finally down to only a handfull of business cards from the other batches, so I decided to make a new one. I went back to the simpler style with bright colors. The last one took longer to hand out, I think maybe too much was going on.

Other than that, just about done with my Project Rooftop redesign of Dick Grayson as Batman. I'll show you all what I did once I can.

Post 269

So, off work today, and I decided to ink a sketch I did during the convention, and then I've got some other things you all will probably enjoy today!

Post 268-Dallas Comic Con

So, I have some pictures HERE of some of the goings on at the Dallas Comic Con yesterday and today. Luan took them with my camera, so lots of fun and such. Gambit looks like a real bad 'a' in this picture here, could be the leather jacket, could be the foot on the wall, but I get a real Marlboro man vibe from the shot!

First off, I have to say thank you to Mark Walters for helping me get one of my goals: being a Guest at a comic book show! Seriously, it was a first, and always, I had tons of fun at Dallas Comic Con. People kept talking about the fact that Wizard World TX leaving has opened the door for other conventions, and in a way it felt like a weight has been lifted. I went to this show with only the goal of having an enjoyable time, and I had a fantastic time! Unlike trying to work on getting people to buy things so I would be able to make up the hundreds in table costs at a big show like Wizard, I was able to make table costs in the first part of Saturday. I chipped in for the Space Gun table, which I didn't sit at this time, but more on that in a bit. But I ended up making much more profit because of low overhead, and that's the beauty of shows like Dallas Comic Con.

As I was saying about tables, Luan got us tables before David Hopkins had gotten me table space next to him by talking with Mark, so I ended up sitting with David Marquez at a table on Saturday with David Hopkins to my right. I could say any number of things about the seating arrangement with two David's, but none of them sound good.

David Marquez could only be there Saturday, and was a great neighbor. We had fun meeting some interesting folks and chatting about art. On Sunday I had the whole table and my neighbors to the left was Nick Derington and his wife. Great great people. Nick is a huge influence and a mentor of sorts. I just wish I lived closer to him so I could hang out with him more because I end up learning a lot every time I talk with him.

Kristian could not make it for the understandable reason of deadlines, but I still haven't seen him since CAPE, so hopefully we'll get to hang out at STAPLE!

Getting to sit with David Hopkins was a great treat, and I'd love to make a habit out of it. He's hillarious and tells great stories, then mix that in with Paul Milligan travelling to us from the far reaches of Oklahoma. He had to use a bob sled and escape heavy border guard presence to illegally enter Texas from the no-mans land known as Oklahoma. Sorry to those of you who are from or live in Oklahoma. My only encounters with the state are the trips my family used to take from Texas to Pennsylvania. Oklahoma was always the worst stretch of the trip. Followed by the horrible radio stations in Ohio, though trips to Waldo for fried balogona sandwiches made it worth it. Scoff if you will, but those sandwiches are a taste of Heaven, but by eating them you might end up somewhere else for gluttony.

I ended up selling a bunch of paintings, and did really well financially at the convention. I'm pretty much done doing prints and sketchbooks for now. The overhead is very low for paintings and the profit margin makes them highly worth the time involved in creating them, not to mention the fact that I have so much fun.

Also, I ended up having more people come up to me than ever before because of the interest in paintings, and a great group of people who were surprisingly knowledgable and great to talk to.

I'll probably talk more about things later, but I have to say I had a ton of fun. I didn't get up and move around too much, so I didn't get to see everyone there. Saw Thomas Jane in the bathroom and with the beard he reminded me of Boogie Nights, so it kind of startled me. Talking with Greg Thompson was great, I haven't talked to him in person before, but we used to e-mail many years ago, so it was great getting to talk about things.

Again...FUN! I just wish that they'd do a 3 day convention over the summer, but I understand that Fridays at a Texas show end up being a waste. People just don't want to leave work...case in point, WW:TX. I know that some people may one day feel bad, like we're playing Weekend at Bernie's with the corpse of WW, but it didn't bring anything new to the table. They really should have organized it with locals instead of bringing in staff from out of state...oh well, as long as we have great conventions like Dallas Comic Con I'm a happy man.

Post 267

Dallas Comic Con tomorrow!!!! Sorry about being slow with responses, but I've been running around non stop this week with no breathing time, so I'm glad to go to the convention and catch my breath a bit...sounds kind of funny to think that a convention is less hectic than the day job...but for this week it sure felt that way! I promise I'll respond to folks after the con, no football, so I'll have the time!

I'm excited to see friends, meet new peeps, make some new art, and sell some paintings!

If you're in the area, stop by and chill with me!

P.S. I just saw Slumdog Millionaire and it deserves to win all the awards it's up for. I've always loved Danny Boyle, but I've fallen completely in love for his visuals. The camera angles, the colors and use of light...I'm inspired and need to add what I've learned to my latest project!

Post 266

Craziness to ensue this week, so I'm trying to sneak a post in here today. I have the convention this weekend, lots to do at work, and I'm working on a creator owned project right now. We'll see how things go, but for now, something I sketched on the back of one of the pages. I really love the design of Hector Plasm!

Post 265

Here's something I did today, heard some kids talking about 'girl trouble' and how girls never say about boyfriends...WHAT ARE THEY HIDING IT FOR?!?! But yeah, the kids had a point.

Post 264-I love my Texas...

I'll post a picture in a bit, I just need to get this off my chest while it's still fresh on my mind. I just got back from a long day at work, but I got an e-mail. I know I've talked about the possibility of branching out in terms of conventions, going to out of state ones, but besides the economic climate, I keep getting reminded why I avoided them in the past.

On the heels of the news that Wizard World Texas died, there was barely a tear shed. It was like the state of Texas rejected a transplant and realized the transplant was unnecessary. The flash of a Wizard World show brought little to our community, and the fun part of the show was essentially hanging out with our usual local crowd and fellow Texas comic folk. Essentially it was a Texas show with walking room...and that was the problem. Texas art collectors and supporters love the intimacy of being near the artist and asking lots of questions. We love our live art, and we love to hear all of the latest tips, tricks, techniques, and get an inside scoop on the latest technology and media (any material used to make art for those who haven't taken Art I).

In the past year I've really allowed the spirit of the Texas shows envelop me like a warm blanket. The people running the shows respect the little guy, they respect new artists trying out new things, and they support it in a big way. Not that they reject big name artists, but they love genuine people trying to make it against all odds doing something outside the industry standard...ultimately, it is a love of art and folks of the fine artist mentality.

Many whose only experience or knowledge of Texas is in Pee Wee's Big Adventure might be led to believe that Texas is this place out of a spaghetti Western set, where people all talk with drawls and say y'all...well, most people do say y'all...I don't, but that's because I was born in Indiana...but that's just it. Texas is full of transplants, kids who were born all over the world, but burgeoning industries of the 70's, 80's and 90's (me) were 'dragged' to Texas by a parent who was transferred. I had misconceptions of what it would be like here, I thought there would be tumbleweeds everywhere (they're only in some places, you don't see them that often, but that's not the point), and I thought that you could only eat Tex Mex food. But Texas is a mish mash of people with dreams, with aspirations, and drive to make better lives for themselves. It's a miniature country, and it's become self sustaining.

Getting to why I am writing this. Some of you may have noticed I kind of blew off recapping Baltimore...that's because it kinda sucked. I'll be honest, aside from hanging out with friends and meeting one of the greatest comic art collectors ever. It wasn't a great show, we had bad placement, like really bad placement. There wasn't any thought into who was sitting next to whom, and you're all fighting against the biggest names in the industry for a share of the money. People don't go to that show looking for the new guy, they bring their money to get an Immonen sketch, and if I had a chance, I probably would too. But the disparity in placement is like a slap in the face. Add to that the overall way that the fans were to try and talk with or sell things to. It was like they thought we were evangelical zealots trying to change their religious perception. People would run, or when they'd take your card, and you tried to talk to them they'd run, like full out RUN as if they boosted something from your table. Hardly a good environment.

But I fought my way nearly to cost, but I didn't get to ENJOY the show. That's the problem with working a day job and having to go out of state. I got in late, didn't get to set up before the show, and never got to rest until the end of the day. By the time things died down, I didn't feel like going and hanging out with people because Baltimore at night makes me think of last year, which was like living through a version of Friday the 13th. You have to walk everywhere just like any other con, only it's more humid, and more hostile than going to other shows.

SO...back to the e-mail. I have been wanting to branch out to some other shows and put out my feelers to to see if I could get a bite, or just gather a feeling for if I wanted to spend a bunch of money (even though it's a rough sell to make it back). Essentially figure out if it would be worth shipping paintings across the U.S. and dealing with the logistical nightmares.

I basically got an e-mail where you can easily read between the lines...like where a person holds up their index finger, middle, and ring, but they're only doing you the courtesy of not dropping Mr. Index, and Mr. Ring...get my drift?

I'll spare you the details, but it ended with trying to sell me a table in a separate spot for an amount that is cost prohibitive. I'm not Charest, I can't pull down numbers to make both the travel (425 for the flight) and the table (too many hundreds to think of selling items and sketches to make back), not to mention lodging and travel to and from the hotel to the airport etc. Also, the table I would purchase would undoubtedly be in a portion of the convention center where I'd be lucky to have people walking by to ask how to get to the bathroom.

Sure, the locations for the Texas conventions are pretty small, but you get maximum traffic and exposure. Being in a large center, the space is daunting and ultimately hides you from prospective supporters. A few years ago, at this same show, I was sitting with a friend, and the folks sitting with us were trying to sell things to people in the line in front of us. Around 100+ people in line for a well known artist that was doing free sketches. Now tell me, with someone with a proven name undercutting you, how can you sell anything!?!?!?! Nobody will want to jump out of line to go buy something from you when they're about to get a free sketch!!!! THEN, once they're done, they'd have spent a few hours waiting through the line, so they are ready to go somewhere else or home, so even IF they were interested in you at one point, their mind is on the free goodness they just got. It's insulting of the well known artist, who probably didn't have to pay for a table, and made his money with a couple commissions. It shows a lack of respect for the new guy entering the field.

Now understand me, I know that in the internet, it is easy to put a hostile voice behind words, and in the past I might have had that sentiment. But I'm pretty close to indifferent.

Sure, it was insulting how I was brushed off because I'm a 'nobody' in this business, but whatever. I'm making moves, and climbing up the ladder as best I can. I'm still probably going to this convention and sitting with some friends that have extra space or didn't have to pay for a table, just because it's one of the few conventions outside of Baltimore that all my friends go to, and I ain't going back to Baltimore any time soon.

I am pretty much set on not going to any out of state conventions and just saving money for local ones and going with my usual crews. Easier to make a profit and use it to pay for creating new pieces, and that's ultimately the reason I do conventions...to MAKE ART!!! I don't care about just making profit...or I wouldn't be doing the style I do. But I need to constantly create, improve, and hang out with like minded people, and Texas offers all those things without the stress or disappointment. Even a disappointment at a show is covered up by a meal with 10 or more friends who you've know for years and give you grief because they care!

I know I was born in Indiana, but after living 15 years here (3/5 of my life), I feel like a Texan.

So, I better wrap this up or it'll take up the whole length of the page. I love people of all over, but there are many instances where conventions have lost their way, lost the heart and original meaning of having a convention: a place to find cheap comics and meet the creators. Conventions used to be in church basements, or like the small ones my brother and I went to in Indiana in a hotel lobby no bigger than a Denny's.

My philosophy about this business is having fun, avoiding stress and unnessecary hassle over this business. Art should be fun, and the minute it is work, it's lost its focus for me. I have a day job, and even that is fun, so why should a convention be so much work?!

If you want a fun convention, and are in the northern portion of Texas next weekend, hang out with me at Dallas Comic Con and I'll talk endlessly about anything you want. I'm bad about that, I can talk to you for hours about pens and environmental effects on various ink types...but if that's your thing, I'm your guy. Other fantastic Texas conventions: STAPLE!, and CAPE.

Post 263

New painting I did a little bit yesterday and a little today. Gouache and Acrylic for this one, but on a 12X24 inch canvas. It was a ton of fun working on this piece. I had a sketch I did this weekend, and freehanded it in gouache onto the canvas, pencil always shows through, so if you do a painting in acrylic, it's best to sketch things out and put in a shading guide using gouache or watercolor. I honestly need to paint on canvas more often. I saw some Windsor & Newton large canvases for a steal up at my old college a few weeks back, and didn't pick any up, but I might have to swing by this weekend!

Post 262

Now's that time of year where I now realize everyone gets busy due to work and stops communicating until convention season starts back up. Back when I didn't have a job (this is my first real day job) I didn't understand that people just get tied up with life. The job carries with it more of a 'neediness' factor than any other time of the year, and people are less patient.

In the past, I used to think that people might be mad at me, or avoiding, or just didn't give one about me anymore, but now that I know what the grown up world is like, it's easier to understand things. I've been working on things like that, and it's helped me get better at dealing with situations that would normally be stressful. Nothing helps arguments like learning to let things just slide right off of you. Can't bring any of the stress or aggression back home at the end of the day. You have to keep the home life pure.

I've got another painting in the works right now, letting it dry and stepping away from it for an evening so that I can come back to it with a refreshed mind so that I can tell whether I want to use any black on it or not. I got some 12X24 canvases this weekend and I forgot how much smoother blending is on a canvas...like butter smooth!

Also, I've got some art published, Supermarket: Cash Money Edition came out last week (I think last week) and I started freaking out when I saw that my pin-up was published first in the group of new pin-ups. THANKS KRISTIAN!!!!

One last thing, next week I'll be at the Dallas Comic Con, and I think I'm sitting with David Hopkins, my partner in crime for a story in Popgun Anthology volume 4. Yup, finally getting into it. I was supposed to do a couple stories meant for it, but for one reason or another, the writers became too 'busy.' So I guess third time is the charm, and honestly this is the best thing I've worked on to date. Great script, and I feel like my strongest storytelling. Beats the crap out of my pages for Hammer Sound. I'll keep you updated on things. All I can show you are some character designs.

But it's cool, if you look at the DCC page, it's the first time I'm a guest at a show, it's exciting!!! But understand, I'm still going to be rolling with the Space Gun Kru as always, but I'll just be hopping between tables. I sent most of my original pages to my art dealer Paolo, and I don't plan on doing any new prints until Heroes, but what I WILL have are lots of paintings for sale and what I feel is a really reasonable (Matt would say criminally insane aka 'low') price.

Either way, interesting things going on right now, and I'm just going with it. Praying 2009 is better, I feel like I'm better prepared, and I'm working harder than ever. Lets hope it pays off!

Post 261

Here are some sketches I did while waiting for paint layers to dry. Started on the bottom left and worked to the right, so you can tell there's some improvement and adjustments.

Post 260

I found a wall hanging print on a board (print was of an eggbeater) at an outlet place for a steal of a price, so I sanded off the print and glue, then taped off the sides of the panel, used a layer of white Windsor & Newton white instead of gesso. The reason is I was using some gouache and I wanted the edge of the bloom to dry as if left on plastic, which creates some nice edges. If I had used gesso, it would have seeped in too quickly and lost some of the desirable effects. Following the gouache base coat (the reds, yellows, and some lines), I used acrylic to get highlights. I then went with some brush pen to apply some basic lines, and a #2 round brush to apply some different color lines with gouache. For the last part, I dripped some watered down speedball ink to get some runny effects. I dabbed the bottom so it would dry lighter.

I find that everything I do recently is influencing something else I do. In this case my computer colors were influenced by my painting, and then the colors I did for some recent sequentials influenced this painting.

Hope you all dig!

Post 259

Sorry it's been a number of days and this is only my first post of the New year! I've been working on sequentials and when you see them you'll see all the hard work I put in. Can't say or show anything, but it's a ton of fun! Here's a painting I did in a couple hours. I wanted an older Hellboy, like if you mixed Clint Eastwood with Hellboy. Either way, I had fun with it and like the end result!

Post 258

Had to sneak in one last image! 2008 was a big year for me in many many ways, it led to me really taking charge of my life and making things happen, it led to me choosing the direction I want to take my career(s), and talking to friends I haven't heard from in years. Sure, there has been a lot of stress and pain, but that comes with emotional growth. I feel like I'm actually becoming an adult!

I have to say, this blog has been one of my proudest revelations of 2008. I've been putting up art for years, secretly yearning to have people actually see it, and actually like it. One of those situations where you tell yourself you don't care, but you can't avoid letting it get to you when you know nobody is looking at it. But it changed for me, there's probably at least 20 people that actually look at my blog now!!!!! Ultimately, it started with Craig, he's been such a great friend and supporter! He kept me posting during times when I felt like just forgetting about putting any work up, and for that I thank him, he's kept me motivated to get better and keep a consistent schedule.

Other people I need to thank are Doug Wagner, for being an amazing friend and going through the most stressful month of my life in Zuda. In the same vein, Luan for lettering and keeping me sane during October. Both Luan and Jake helped break me out of my shell and start attending conventions, in a little over a year, we've done pretty well for ourselves in the local scene. Jake and Luan have become some of the best friends I've ever had in my life, and I always hope I'm as good of a friend in return.

I have to thank my 'brother' in NY, Chris DiBari for being there this year, and every year we've been friends. The first time I talked to him was because of a chat on a messageboard and we became friends quickly. I just wish that I lived closer to NY!

I have to thank my friends here in TX that I've made this year, especially Kristian Donaldson, David Hopkins, Nick Derington, ArtLoveMagic, and the many friends I've made at local conventions. I really appreciate the fans here in Texas because they've really been supportive this year and encouraged me to keep going with comic art.

I also got to meet some of my heroes from when I first considered actually setting foot in the comic industry. Invincible was the book that really got me excited to go to the store, and not only oogle the art, but also actually read the story and enjoy it. It taught me about pacing, the birds...AND the bees, and even some general life skills...not exaggerating (maybe a little)! But I got to meet Robert Kirkman at CAPE (the FCBD celebration here in Dallas) and he is one of the most engaging people I've ever seen (outside of Dick Valentine from Electric Six). Robert is like a big brother, he can jokingly pick on you and make you feel like a million bucks in a matter of minutes. I got to do some paintings for him, and for Cory Walker, which blew my mind! Robert introduced me to Cory Walker, and Nate Bellegarde at Baltimore, which made the trip worth it for me (since obviously the convention itself didn't net me much monetarily). I just hope I didn't scare the guys too bad, it was a great experience to meet them, and hopefully get to talk to them more in the future!

I want to thank ArtLoveMagic for encouraging me to get back into painting with acrylics. It's opened up my world, and I can't wait to do more in 2009!

There are so many people that really made this year special for me, and I want to do my best to make 2009 even better...the first step is actually getting some work published...but I'm working on that...hopefully this new year will be the one! I've at least got a couple pin-ups coming out!

Again, I appreciate you all, and want to thank you for your support, and please keep coming back, asking great questions, leaving comments, I love it!

Have a Happy New Year, be safe, and lets really make some great work in 2009!

Post 257

Almost time for 2009, I wanted to squeeze in a couple new things before the new year ends. Did these as sketches at the end of the day. I'm hard at work on some sequential pages, so that's why I haven't been updating too much recently. I have really learned a lot recently and I'm putting it into these pages, I'm really excited to see them finished, the general flow of them is really energetic and reads well.

Anyway, I had this big dialogue set up in my head to write, but now it's the end of the day, and I'm just plain too tired to get it down right now...maybe tomorrow before the new year!

Post 256

Been busy with prepping for Christmas and working on some sequentials...more than some, quite a bit actually. But here's some new stuff for you. The picture of meat is a Christmas ode to the directorial mastery in the area of meat by David Cronenberg. Took the picture with my D60...I assure you, it was delicious outside of the disturbing photograph!

Question: what did anybody else eat for their Christmas meal? I know I'm not alone in the big family get together meal.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Post 255

I pay close attention to how I do things, especially in recent times how I hold my pens and pencils, and how certain effects can be attributed to the manner in which the fingers are placed. I used to use my index, middle AND ring finger held along the side of writing utensils to write and draw, which produced unsure lines and tired out my hand. I fought my teachers in elementary because I thought I was being smart and that it was more comfortable. I had never held the pencil even NEAR what they hoped to see, with only the index and middle accompanying the thumb. A few weeks ago out of the blue I decided to, and my pictures have been better, my writing has become better, and my inking has improved as well! Even with this, I continue to make adjustments, and yesterday I had a mini breakthrough in terms of keeping my ring finger and pinky flat against the paper while the middle finger slightly holds the pen/pencil and rests a bit on the writing surface. The other two are generally in normal positions, the index fingernail faces upward and touches near the nip of a pen/pencil. I know this sounds confusing, but either way it gives much more support, and helps with creating smoother lines in a consistent manner.

The point of this is, question your work habits. If I had been asking myself the right questions, I feel that my art would have improved years ago, and I would be a totally different artist. Look at the way you hold your drawing utencils, think about your approach to creation, question exactly what you like about the specific work of artists. But that is the true basis for artistic improvement. Ultimately, it's not how much you paid for art media that determines how good you are. You can do nearly the same thing with a 2 dollar Loew Cornell brush as a 60 dollar Windsor & Newton sable brush. It's in your ability to adjust, compensate, and ultimately execute.