Jan 29, 2010
This Logo is DYN-O-MITE! (or "J.J.'s")
Jan 27, 2010
Thunder Struck (or "Do you feel Loki? Well,... do ya... punk?")
I've been a fan of the man upstairs since I was a little boy. It was my Dad who really taught me everything I needed to know that started me on the path. I'd sneak over to his side-table, sit and read the good book.
Oh no,... wait... not that good book. Not that man upstairs. I'm talking about the other "big guy," lord of the storm, prince of Asgard, the royal, holy bad ass himself... THOR!
Dad's shed was a wonderful place for me, a place where my imagination could go wild. He had every kind of tool you could think of (he was and is an amazing carpenter). There was this beat up, little sledge-hammer in the shed; had this short handle on it, covered in grimy duct-tape. I'd turn it into Mjolnir (that's Thor's hammer, for those who don't know) every time I got the chance, knocking over woodpiles and 5 gallon buckets.
Like most of the comic book characters my Dad used to read, 'ol Thor stuck around. He's been through a bunch of changes; some better than others.
Well, thanks to a bit of ebay luck, I managed to land a pretty sweet prize... my very own "Thor Corps" (and his wicked step-brother Loki, too).
Boy, this was a fun ebay package to open. First off, the sculpts on the figures were pretty good. Let's see here, we've got the classic Thor with a great base...
...this variant, too (I think it's considered "King Thor." I'm not crazy about the over-all design, but I kind of like the bearded look, plus the deets on the face aren't to shabby.
Here we have Thor's buddy and all-around bad ass pal Beta Ray Bill (I really wanted this guy on my shelf; I did a sketch of him last week).
I already had this really awesome Thor figure and base (the modern armor; my fave next to the classic design), plus this really cool little mini wearing the same uniform (see the cool lightning coming off the little hammer?).
And last, but not least... well, maybe least 'cause he's really not in my "Thor Corp," is Loki, god of mischief and all-around, piece-of-crap step-brother to Thor. This isn't my favorite look for Loki (I much prefer the modern design), but hey... it's Loki. Besides, I do think the outfit looks pretty authentic. I mean, it's not tights and he does have Loki's signature how-the-hell-does-he-keep-that-helmet-on horns.
BONUS: A new issue of Thor came out today! I thumbed through it at lunch and swear I saw Thor beating the living hell out of something. Boy, am I glad for that. I'm tired of junk characters like the Red Hulk handing Thor his winged hat. I say thee, NAY! That kind of thing has got to stop, okay? Thor needs to be a Marvel heavyweight again. You bring this guy out when it's time to clean house, okay? Are you listening, Marvel?
So, there you have it. You'd think it were Thursday, or something. The only thing that would make it better would be a big 'ol, honkin' rain storm...
Jan 26, 2010
"007 x 3" A Parker Brand Sketch Card Set, Part 1
I'm working on a new sketch card trade. This trade, like the last, is for six cards. The request is for 3 versions of the James Bond character; Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnon & Daniel Craig. The other three cards are Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters. I had some time to work on the Bond characters tonight. I've got to say, it's pretty refreshing to work on something besides comic book characters. I think that's what's going to be fun about trading pieces of art like this; you never know what the other person is going to request. It's pretty challenging to capture a real person's likeness in a sketch card, at least for me. I think it's great.
Jan 24, 2010
Bat-Family Artist Trading Cards: A Parker Brand Sketch-Card Set
Jan 23, 2010
My Second Sketch Card... EVER! (Batgirl)
Am I Doing This Right? (or "My First Sketch Card")
Jan 20, 2010
A Bit of Black Gold (otherwise known as "ink")
"Beta" A Parker Brand Micro-Sketch
Jan 19, 2010
I Wanna Know Where Da Gold At!
So, I was starting get worried about some ebay winnings that seemed to be taking an excessively long time to arrive. I emailed the seller and he assured me that they should arrive any day now. The won item in question was a Booster Gold action figure I'd been wanting to add to the Parker Brand Battalion.
Well, guess what was in my mailbox when I got home from work today... BOOSTER!
I was pretty excited. So excited, in fact, that I decided to crank out these pencils of my pal Booster (sorry about the noise... I had to crank the levels because the pencils were lite), sporting his mile high collar and cheesy grin.
I plan to ink it sometime this week, then add some color using Copic markers. Booster is such a jazzed up, happy character (at least that's how I think of him). He really does enjoy being a hero... I think that's why I dig him.
So, thanks to my ebay seller for putting my mind at ease and answering my question... where da gold at?
"Z" A Parker Brand Mini-Micro-Sketch (for the "Comic Twart" gang)
Well, I needed a 10 minute break this afternoon, so I decided to devote that time to a (mini) micro-sketch in pen and marker. Not the best work I've ever done, but I only had about 8 minutes to work it out (I know, excuses, excuses). So, why "Zorro?" Well, in case you haven't heard about it, some really awesome artists have joined forces to create "Comic Twart." Basically, each week one of the artists get to choose which character they're going to draw and then they each spend the week drawing said character. It's a pretty cool group of artists with loads of talent. They chose Zorro for this weeks character and the results have been pretty stunning. So, I've decided to take a stab at the characters they choose each week. My work won't ever hold a candle to theirs, but it's my way of saying "thanks" to the Comic Twart gang for doing what they do. Here's my wink to you talented guys! Thanks for sharing your work with your fans this way.
Parrot-Head Want A Cracker?
Ever have one of those days that you just know is going to be long and crummy? Well, today is going to be one those days for me. I'll be chained to my desk today, with a parrot-head squawking on my shoulder (if you don't know what I'm talking about, then count yourself among the lucky). Days like this reduce me to a lever puller and button pusher (you like comic sans... oh, that's a wonderful choice, sir). It's a necessary evil, I suppose. Necessary, why? Well, advertising pays the bills and when the bills are paid then I can truly be present when it's time to have a creative sit-down with my kids and their markers (like we did this past Sunday-see the pic?). No deadlines. No expectations. No dancing monkeys. Just good, creative fun. See, it's that kind of stuff that provides the juice I need to deal with the squawking parrots. Oh, and what turns a person into a parrot-head? Simple; going to way to many marketing seminars and only picking up on the buzzwords. I'd say that buzzwords are the cause of 90% of the parrot-heads in the world. Anyway, I'll be back to regular programming tomorrow... I'm off to "re-stimulate those memory-files." See ya.
Jan 17, 2010
Sketch Lab 2010: A Gathering of Creative Friends
Last night I invited several of my friends over to my place for an informal sketch lab. The idea was that we'd all bring our own sketching supplies and then do some figure drawings. Add a couple of pots of coffee, plus apple cider & beer and you've got the recipe for a good time.
We figured that 5 different figure poses at 15 minutes each would be just about right, but once we got started we found that 20 to 25 minutes was more accurate. I suppose if it were a classroom environment, 15 minutes would have been fine, but since we were talking and cutting up, 20-25 worked just fine.
We used my new art models for the subject matter this time. If we continue to have these little sketchy jams, then we'll probably get more creative with what we choose to draw. The male art model worked fine for this session.
There was 6 of us last night, but I imagine that our numbers will grow as time goes on. Last night, our list of creative folks included Darren Hanks, Erik Jessen, Chris Bacarisse, Thom Trahan, my wife Michelle Parker and myself. Thom and Michelle showed up a couple of hours after everyone else, so they don't have as many studies in the collection of finished sketches, but it was still nice to have everyone participate.
All-in-all, it was a really good time and I look forward to doing it again real soon. It was really nice to sit back and relax with friends over something so healthy and creative. I think this is a good thing for all of us and I hope to see it grow into something that we all look forward to every month.
If you'd like to see the individual sketches from our sketch lab, just click here to be redirected, or simply view the slideshow below.
As always, your comments are appreciated. I'm sure the individuals involved in this little project would appreciate them as well. Thanks for stopping by.
Jan 15, 2010
"Jones" A Parker Brand Micro-Sketch
When you're limited on time, and you only have a certain set of colors available to you, what do you do? Well, I draw the Martian Manhunter (a.k.a. John Jones/Jonn J'onzz), that's what. I used my Pentel Pocket Brush to rough out some inks, then used my set of Tombo brush markers to whip up some color. I have around 25 minutes in this sketch. I've noticed that my PITT markers work much better in my hero sketchbook than my pocket brush does. The paper is pretty toothy and it makes the pocket brush drag. Small details are okay, but it's the the big, broad strokes that really lose their girth. Either way, it's a sketchbook, so I'm good with it looking rough. It's fun and that's what counts.
Jan 14, 2010
"Poor Clint" A Parker Brand Micro-Sketch (dedicated to Twitter's "Super Sketch Squad")
You know, years ago if a comic book fan like me wanted to communicate with a comic book artist I'd have to get a ticket to a convention, then stand in crazy long lines all day. Even after all of that waiting, I may only get to get a signature, then move along my merry way. Back in the 90's (when I was actually going to cons) that was perfectly fine. It's the way things were and my friends and I were pretty stoked about it. Don't get me wrong; cons are still awesome and I'd still stand in line to meet some of these super talented folks, but social networking sites have changed the game for me entirely.
ENTER "Twitter"
Twitter has been pretty good to me. I've made some great friends and it's opened the door to a whole network of creative people that I would have never had the opportunity to connect with. Over the past 6 months I've been blessed to connect with comic book creators, both writers and artists, that I would have had to have waited in line for hours to meet.
I've had the pleasure to get to know several of them on a more personal level. It's a joy, and I feel like some real friendships are emerging. One group of guys in particular (who I have deemed the "Super Sketch Squad") have started sketching a character a day and sharing them on Twitter. It's so much fun to see these guys work and create their daily sketches.
Basically, the way it works is one of them will choose the character and then they all draw their version of said character. It's a lot of fun to see them talk about it during the day, then see their posts as the day plays on.
Today, one these fine fellas (a cat by the name of Mitch Gerad) threw my name out there to take part. Now, whether he was cutting up or not, I thought it might be fun to insert myself into the process. My art doesn't hold a candle to these guys (it's fan art... what can you expect), but it's still a lot of fun to connect with them in this way. You see, drawing is a joy. Comic books are fun. That's what they've always been for me, and it's guys like the "Super Sketch Squad" that keep it that way.
The "Super Sketch Squad" chose Ronin (a.k.a. Clint Barton, former Hawkeye) as their character today. Pretty cool choice. I'd never drawn him before, so I thought it would be fun to give it a shot. I used some Prisma color sketch pens (I don't know if I really like them, or not), a Copic grey sketch marker and my Tombo markers to whip out a really quick Ronin micro-sketch. It was fun.
So, here's to you Mitch Gerad, Evan Shaner, Chris Samnee, Declan Shalvey, Mitch Breitweiser and Mike Hawthorne. Thanks for being such a cool group of guy,s and thanks for sharing your talent with us all.
Jan 12, 2010
Had a little more "Devil" in me tonight...
Had a little more time to sketch, so I whipped up another "Blue Devil" with pen and marker. Nothing fancy; just relaxing. G'night, folks!
"Horny" A Parker Brand Micro-Sketch
I wanted to do a quick warm-up micro-sketch tonight before I started investing time in a bigger project. I've had Blue Devil on the brain today, for some reason. My Dad used to bring home Blue Devil every month, when I was a kid. I thought it was a fun comic; real light hearted read. I miss books like Blue Devil sometimes (but ya know, Power Girl kinda has that cheeky, lite-hearted Blue Devil vibe). Anyway, I spent about 8 minutes on this sketch and used my Tombo markers. I really like doing these. They're easy and fun and end up really bright. Now, on to the next victim...
Jan 11, 2010
"Nuclear" A Parker Brand Micro-Sketch
I really enjoyed working with my son's Tombo markers the other night, so I decided to invest in a few for my kit. I hadn't had a chance to use them yet, but I've really been wanting to do some quick 2 and 3 color micro-sketches. Tonight I decided to do a quick one of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man. I've never drawn him before and I thought it might look pretty cool. As usual, I tried to go off of my memory on the costume design (which is always guess work), but I think it still looks like him, for the most part. I've got to say, these Tombo sketches are pretty fun to do, and I plan to do many more of them, so be on the lookout. Hope you folks'll enjoy seeing them as much as I do cranking them out.
Saucy Fun With Photoshop (or "Delicious Saucy Balls" Ha!)
I met with a client the other day to discuss an ad that needed to run in a publication handed out to baseball fans. After going round a few times on a concept, I convinced everyone that the ad needed stopping power first and foremost (folks are there to watch a game, not read our ads). The product our ad was supposed to promote was a delicious sauce that my client produces (seriously,... it's freakin' delicious). We had to get that point across pretty quick because I knew we would be fighting for attention with the activities taking place at the game.
We opted to go for a really strong graphic that might catch the eye of a baseball fan, but get the message across that their sauce is yum-yum and versatile. I won't go to far into it, but the concept required some Photoshop know how on my part (here's another, similar project for the same client), plus I had one of those thread-the-needle deadlines, so I didn't have much time to go back and forth on the layout. I needed a plan of action, and quick.
What I've posted here is the finished ad and the photo elements I shot to create the main graphic. I'm not 100% pleased with the final composition of the elements (you know how it is; ad this, move that, what about this color, it has to say such and such, etc., etc.) . However, I think the graphic turned out pretty nice for a quicky, fake-o, chomped on baseball covered in grillin' sauce.
Hope you enjoyed this quick little post. Now, get out there, buy some sauce, then go eat some... balls?
Wait,... that's not right.
Jan 10, 2010
I've Got the "Power" (a little ink & color in the very early a.m.)
Couldn't sleep tonight (mostly because my Son couldn't sleep). Decided to spend the time putting a bit of ink on the Power Girl pencils I posted earlier. After I inked it, I decided to lay down a little color with some Copic & Pitt markers. Gotta say, the Pitt markers try to destroy the ink; not good. I made 'em work, but the Copics (I used them on P.G.s skin) work like a charm. I'm slowly building a decent collection of these things. I really like them. Anyway, now I'm tired. Gonna get a bit of sleep. I'm sure this piece could have been better, but I'm okay with it considering it was a burn-em-out, time-killer. If you're up, then thanks for popping in.
Jan 9, 2010
"Power" A Parker Brand Micro-Sketch
My Son and I had a "boys" day today. We had lunch together, went to the movies and then went to the art supply store to see if there was anything that caught our eye. We both picked up a few new things for our art kits, which always gets me in the mood to go home and work on a new sketch. Tonight I put my new art models to good use. I've been itchin' to draw my pretend comic book girlfriend (a.k.a. Karen Star, a.k.a. Power Girl). Now, my art models are pretty good for posing and lighting, but the anatomy is pretty generic, and Power Girl has a couple of (ahem) "enhancements" that always need to be considered before you jump in. I'm always worried when drawing the female figure because they need to look soft and curvy, which is a big contrast to my usual subject matter of masculine heroes, or monsters. I always have a tendency to over work things when I draw women. I took that into consideration on these Power Girl pencils. I'm not sure if I'm going to ink this piece or not (I always say that), but if I do I'll use a combo of the brush and dip pens. Stop by in a couple of days. I should have the inks posted then.
Jan 8, 2010
"Lucky Duck" A Parker Brand Logo Sketch
Like I didn't have enough to do already today, I found out that I needed to "just whip up" a logo/drawing of a mallard duck (giving a "thumbs up") that we'll need for a new video project. Well, all I had with me was my portable sketch bag (who knows what's in that from day-to-day). Luckily, I had just what I needed to burn this sucker out; a blue Faber-Castell Art Grip pencil, a kneaded-rubber eraser and my handy Pocket Brush by Pentel. Using these three things, I was able to break the drawing down and ink it up pretty quick. I dropped the inked piece into Adobe Illustrator for some quick vector color... DONE! It's not the best thing I've ever created, but it apparently does the trick. Now,... what was I working on before I got sidetracked?
Jan 7, 2010
"Grayson" Final Inks & Shading
Wow. What a fun project this was. It's really a rare thing for me to get to work on breakdowns & pencils on one night, then spend just a bit of time each evening inking the individual characters. Usually I just lay down a sketch and ink it all at the same time (which is pretty difficult for me... I'm not very good when I draw fast). I wanted my first real drawing project of 2010 to go a little different than my usual burn-em-out sketches, so if you've been following along through the pencils, and individual inks then you know this was a great opportunity for me to slow it down a bit. I finished up the piece tonight and I'm pretty happy with the way it looks, but more than that I'm happy with the level of joy working this way brings me. I'd really like to thank all of you folks who stop by to look and comment. It means a lot to be able to share my hobby this way.
CAUTION: Slow Working Man
I had to drive to a meeting in Jennings, Louisiana today. The weather was pretty crummy and there's wasn't a whole lot of eye-candy along highway 90 to occupy my time. When I have to make this trip I usually tune out to what's going on around me, other than the road and the dilapidated buildings that are still in disarray from hurricane Rita. Well, on the way home this little glimmer of signage joy jumped out at me. I cracked up. Looks like someone hired someone to do a construction job a while back... and they're still working on it. If that's the case, then whoever put this sign up is a real smart ass... and I dig their style. Made me think I'd like a brite-yellow hardhat that says "CAUTION: Slow Working Man" to wear on days that I just can't seem to get it together, just to remind everyone to expect less than my Parker Brand best.
Jan 5, 2010
Inking "Grayson": Part 2 (making some progress)
I sat down with the kids for arts & crafts time again. That's always a perfect time for me to sketch something out, or work on an ongoing project. If you've been following this blog then you know I've been working on a new piece featuring Dick Grayson a.k.a. Robin, Nightwing & Batman. I posted the pencils a couple of days ago, then inked up Nightwing last night. Tonight I put my attention on Batman. I'm pretty satisfied with the way he turned out. Honestly, I think it could be better, but the only way for me to get better is to ink my own pencils (they're the only ones I have). The biggest problem I face is time. I really only have 45 minutes to an hour each night, so I've really got to hurry. All things considered, I'm happy with it. It's for hobby, so I don't have anyone around to criticize. Tomorrow night I think I'll ink up Robin and then see whether or not I want to do some rendering with my Copic markers. Thanks for lending me your eyes, time and comments. You visitors keep a guy motivated.
Be Honest, Abe! (or "Why Being Authentic on Twitter is the Way to Go")
You see, over a decade ago I pretty much laid down all of my hobbies, all of the cool things that I'd loved my whole life (comics, art, toys, sci-fi gizmos, etc.). I traded all that cool stuff to bury my head in the sand and become a "grown-up." I let some folks convince me that there was no time in the grown-up world for all those things. So, like a good little beat-bot, I did what I was told and sold my toys, my comic books, quit drawing and found a way to force my star-shaped life into a square hole and carry on. You know what? It wasn't all that great. Sure, it wasn't all bad, but during that time I'd get that little ping when I'd pass a comic book on the shelf, or walk down the toy isle at the department store. Something wasn't quite right, but I learned to ignore it.
The worst part was that I quit drawing, something I'd loved (and was decent at) since I was a small child. Somehow, all of that creativity was intertwined with my hobbies and interests. When I buried one, I buried them all.
REWIND to a couple of years ago...
Not to long ago I met a fella named Darren (@DarrenH1221, for all you Twitter-folk out there). We got to talking one night (for hours) about comic books, and MAN was it fun. That one conversation kinda rebooted my interest in comics, and reminded me of a part of myself that I'd turned my attention away from. It felt good, like coming back home. Not long after that conversation, I started frequenting the local comic book shop again, and damn if it didn't feel great!
Around the same time, I stumbled on this really cool blog site called "Weirdo Toys" (seriously... they're really weird). What a great site! I dug around for quite a while. It was such a good time to see someone who really embraced their hobby, raising it to almost an art form (yes, collecting weirdo toys is an art form... just visit the site). Whoever was running that site wore their hobby on the outside for the world to see... proudly. That site, in particular, got me thinking about all of the toys I'd sold and given away, all in an attempt to "grow up" (blech!). I can't lie; I felt a lot of regret. The Weirdo Toys site helped me shake off some of that crazy, self-imposed brainwashing I'd been carrying around for so long.
FAST FORWARD to now...
I'm happy to say that today, I'm a full-grown man-child, that has a decent job in advertising and have raised two happy, healthy, creative children. I collect toys (I dug up that tiny Abe Lincoln at Goodwill this weekend; SCORE), read comics and spend at least 12 hours a week strengthening my illustration skills. I don't want to get all heavy (this whole post has been pretty heavy), but in a small way, Darren and Weirdo Toys changed my life (don't get the big head guys; I did some of the work myself).
BACK to my original point...
So, I was pretty stoked to get that wallet. Why? Well, the fella who created the Weirdo Toys website is a buddy of mine on Twitter and he was giving it away. He agreed to send it to me, and I thought that was a pretty cool thing. Considering how much I dig his site, I think it's mighty awesome to have something sitting on my shelf from the Weirdo Toys collection. I was also excited to get the wallet because it reaffirmed what my gut told me; Weirdo Toys was a trustworthy fella, honest & authentic. Have I ever met the guy face-to-face? Nope. Does it matter? Not one bit.
What I'm finding is that there is a whole world of trustworthy, authentic, honest folks out there in the online social networking world. They have interests similar to mine. They have lives that echo my own. Many of them put their true face out there each day. I appreciate the honesty. The truth is, I've met some folks through online social networking that I trust more than people I've been in face-to-face relationships with for years.
So, thanks Darren, Weirdo and all of the other honest folks I've met on Twitter. I count you folks as friends. Your authenticity is what makes that possible.
Jan 4, 2010
Inking "Grayson": Part 1
I posted the pencils to my new "Grayson" project yesterday (you can check that out here). I had a little time tonight to start inking the piece. I figured you folks would enjoy seeing the process. I'll post more as things come along.
My Sketchbook "Faces" its "Fate" (okay... that's a goofy title)
My wife and I went out for coffee this weekend just to get out of the house for a bit. I brought my handy, dandy sketchbook with with me because I had a couple of pages I wanted to fix. See, I've been filling up this little Handbook brand sketchbook with micro-sketches (that's what I call 'em because I try to crank them out in less than 10 minutes) of heroes. Well, the paper in this sketchbook doesn't take the Copic sketch marker ink to well, so I had a couple of pages where the ink leaked through. I threw together a sketch of Dr. Fate (using my Pentel Pocket Brush & Tombo Brush Markers) and a really quick pencil of Thors face. Nothing special (in fact, I almost didn't post them), but I decided I'd share them anyway. I hope you all have an exciting, creative day!
Jan 3, 2010
"Grayson" A Parker Brand Micro-Sketch
I was talking about the current Batman storyline with my buddy Burn the other night and I think we ended up in agreement; when Bruce Wayne comes back from his journey through time (if you don't know, then you're better off), we'd like to see him become more of a "general" in the bat-universe, running his war on crime from the batcave (much like in Batman Beyond and Kingdom Come). We really like Dick Grayson as Batman, and it would be a shame to see him go. Now, don't get me wrong; I like Dick Grayson as Nightwing and as the original Robin, but he's turning out to be a good Batman. It just seems to be the natural progression of things. It would really be nice to see comic books start doing a changing of the guard, allowing the next generation of heroes to step up and take on the mantle of their predecessors. So often, they just bring things back to the status quo, but I'm not sure that is actually what fans want. Anyway, I wanted my first serious drawing of 2010 to be something pretty cool. Since Burn and I had that conversation on New Years Eve, I figured I'd take some time to capture Dick Grayson in his various incarnations. It was fun to do this particular drawing. It gave me a chance to use my new artist models to really capture the anatomy and lighting. All in all, it took about 3 hours. I plan to ink it, but I want to take my time (I really don't want to screw it up). I know I messed up the uniforms a bit (I really should start looking at some images before I start, but I always forget). This was a good way for me to spend a Sunday evening, before I jump back in the advertising world tomorrow morning. It was also a really nice way to start the new year. I'll post the inks once I get a chance to finish them. As always, thanks for stopping by.
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