Inking BLUDD...

James Waley, a friend, asked me to ink a character he created back in the day for the Charlton Comics
Bullseye series. The characters name is BLUDD. James had Canadian artist Dale Keown do a finished pencil for him this past year...

I know, right? Beautiful, dynamic stuff. Classic Keown! I always loved the energy he put in his work which dates all the way back to when he drew for Aircel Comics, up to Hulk and his Pitt stuff. BAM! In your face! James heard I was practicing on the Cintiq, and asked if I'd ink this piece... I said sure. What the hell. I loved inking this, actually. It's like drawing rock and roll. Here's my solution:

Peril at Summerland Park

Peril at Summerland Park, my new Twisted Journeys book from Graphic Universe™, is on track for its January release! I'm once again partnered with writer Paul Storrie. This book will be on the bookstands in January!

Inking Gene Colan...

Gene Colan (Sept. 1, 1926 - June 23, 2011) 

I always loved his work. My first encounter with him was when he illustrated Daredevil, but I began my true admiration of his stuff with Tomb of Dracula, JAWS and Howard the Duck. His work moves your eyes from one point to another, like water. His work can take you on gentle streams at times,  then hurl you into rushing falls. There's a visual poetry to Gene Colan's art... I can't describe it any better then that. Google his work. It's worth the journey!


When I began to practice with the Cintiq, I picked artists that would be a good challenge to work with. Jim Lee, Jack Kirby.... but nothing prepared me for Colan's pencils. Inking his stuff was like learning how to skate on ice for the first time. The fluidity and 'precise looseness' of his pencils really pushed my abilities! It was fun and scary at the same time. Here's what I managed... again.... with great respect one of the truest Masters of this artform. 

Cintiq Attempt 2...

So it goes... here I attempt (once again) to practice with the Cintiq.... this time with the master of comic book art: Jack 'the King' Kirby. Kirby was largely responsible (with Stan Lee) for familiar icons such as Fantastic Four, X-Men, etc. More about him can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kirby
I personally love Jack Kirby's work. I think he redefined comics, and presented the form in a dynamic and powerful way. His 'Kirby dots' were perfect for the Cintiq. In fact, as I worked on this piece, I kept thinking what Jack would do with this technology. His work is mind blowing (especially his cosmic stuff). If you watch the new 'Captain America' movie... check out the technology that is used in it. All of it is based on his amazing work... so here we have it:

First: the amazing pencils by Jack Kirby, and my attempt to dare come close to it's radiance with digital inking... next time: Gene Colan!

Digital Inking with the Cintiq...

My first attempt at using this crazy device. Wow! Very challenging to get a line quality that emulates a brush stroke, but I am getting the hang of it... I think.
The first image is comic book illustrator Jim Lee's beautiful pencils for the new Justice League... the second image is my humble attempt at embellishing his work without it looking traced.... with a cintiq, no less! I am fairly happy with it, but I need to keep practicing!!!

HAL-CON 2011.... RIP

Whew! Busy weekend attending Hal-Con in Halifax Nova Scotia! Ended too fast! Met lots of new people, did crap loads of drawing and sold some original art. Nice! 

Good news on the Canadiana front... may have found a publisher for her. Fingers crossed! For those who have no clue what I'm talking about, but are indeed curious, then please allow me to direct your attention to this archive. We stopped doing webisodes a few years back, but here's a storyline for you to ingest...


http://canadiana.comicdish.com/

I'm quite excited, actually. I think she kicks ass, personally, but you be the judge.

Cheers for now.

The Weight of the Internet...

Who would have thought the internet would possess weight? Evidently Clifford Holliday, author of Internet Growth 2006, has figured it out. It's about the weight of a strawberry. Now we can sleep at night dreaming about what the internet would be like when it's the weight of an ORANGE.



http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/how-much-does-the-internet-weigh/article_view?b_start:int=1

Look Into the Void..

Sometimes images simply blow you away. This image is actually several hundred images (taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope) which has been woven together into a rich tapestry of at least 50,000 galaxies. Scroll to zoom into this incredible view. And Happy Hallowe'en... remember: while you stare into the void when it's veil is thinnest.... ...something may be staring back at you.

 
Source: Hubblesite.org

Fall has fallen-n-n-n!

Always an interesting time of the year, Fall offers cool clear nights for excellent star watching, but also reflects the reality that the days are getting shorter, and Winter is not too far away.
But what a glorious finish!
I love this time of year. Truth be told, I enjoy the beginnings of every season. We had a really wet summer... it didn't actually show up until September! Which was amazing... and perhaps where this weather on PEI is heading toward... who knows.
I'm also reminded that Halloween is just around the corner, and after that, HAL-CON is happening in November! I'm looking forward to driving to Halifax, NS, seeing my daughter (who currently lives there), and enjoying a pop-culture frenzy of fun and frolics! I will be set up with a table in the Artist Alley, so please drop by and say hello. I'll be drawing custom sketches and selling original pages. I'll keep you all posted! The website for Hal-Con is:

Now go out and enjoy this fresh time of year... it's time is fleeting. Before long, we'll be shoveling it!

Happy New Year!

Ah! 2011! New Years Resolution:

I hope to post more on this blog.

How's that for simple? This is a digital image I've been working on. It's SHADE from DC Comics. Fitting for the madness 2011 seems to be about!