Kurt Wood Illustration

We Now Return You to The Program Already In Progress

2011-12-06T23:12:00.001-06:00

Been a while, huh? Hand issues (the same ones that held me up last year...) have kept me from the drawing board for the better part of 2 months, but I seem to be back in the swing of things. More updates with art will be forthcoming.

-Kurt

No, Really...I'm Still Here.

2011-10-11T11:31:00.001-05:00

It has been a crazy month, hence the lack of postings. This week I'm heading out to Disney World for a family vacation so I figured I should get something up before I leave. Here are the mini paintings I had available at Detroit Fanfare. All were created on 4x4 canvas with acrylic paint.

My plan for the Disney trip is to do some sort of nightly sketch. Something quick and related to Disney (Pixar, the Muppets...that type of stuff). I'll post those on my Tumblr page via my iPhone and make scans of the sketches when I return and post them here.

When I return I'll have some fun news about my upcoming project.

Detroit Rcok City

2011-09-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the Detroit Fan Fare, which I will be attending. I'll be at table 206 in Artists Alley with some prints, sketchbooks, and some new paintings for sale. I will also be doing sketches all weekend ($5 head sketches with gray tones). If you're in the Detroit area stop on by and say "hi"!

She's a Wonder

2011-09-06T12:37:00.001-05:00

Somebody is ready to kick some butt! This commission of Wonder Woman was a lot of fun. The request was for "my" Wonder Woman, so I decided to go with an armored look.

The tools:
9x12 Bristol Board
Pentel Brush Pen
Prismacolor and Copic Markers

Painting Commissions

2011-08-17T12:37:00.000-05:00

I will be accepting painting commissions for those interested. Paintings on 5x7 or 6x6 canvas will run you $35, any character you would like. Price includes shipping. All other commission 'rules' apply. Email requests to kurtwood81@gmail.com.

Paintings Gallery

2011-08-17T12:12:00.000-05:00

That's right! I got all artsy and created some paintings. These were a lot of fun to do (and very easy on my stupid injured hand...). I will definitely be creating more paintings in the future. For now here is a look at the paintings I have completed and (for the most part) sold at Chicago Comic-Con.

Chicago Comic-Con Post Mortem

2011-08-16T12:19:00.001-05:00

Well, another con has come and gone and I'm happy to report the Chicago Comic-Con was huge success! Original art (including my paintings!) was sold, my Buffy print sold out (and I saw many copies signed by the actors!), sketches were drawn, and Chuck's and Portillo's was eaten. Thank you to everyone who stopped by my table to chat and buy my scribbles. A big thanks to my "enforcer" Jack (We'll come up with a better nickname eventually) for helping me run the table all weekend. Having the extra set of hands was a big help.

Here is a look at the table on Saturday morning.

Here is the sign promoting my figure sketches with a bit of a celebrity endorsement. Thanks buddy.

On to the art! Here are some sketches I was commissioned to create thru out the weekend. This is a mix of quickie head sketches (about 3-5 minutes), figure sketches (about 20-40 minutes), and crayon sketches (about 3-5 minutes).

Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con Rundown

2011-08-10T13:16:00.000-05:00

Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con starts this Thursday (8/11) with Preview Night and yours truly will be set up in Artist Alley. Make sure stop by and say “hi” and maybe buy some stuff. Here is a rundown of what I’ll have available.

I will have 3 Doctor Who Prints, 2 of which are brand new. These prints are 11x17 and will only set you back $5 per print.

This will be the first convention where I have a con exclusive print. My Buffy the Vampire Slayer Print will be limited to 25 copies and will only cost you $5, so make sure to swing by and snag one for yourself before they are gone.

I will also have some paintings available. Yes, paintings…on canvas. All paintings are done in acrylic and will vary in price between $20 and $25.

Various original art will be available (including the original art for the 2 new Doctor Who Prints and the BTVS Print). No original art will cost more than $50.00, with a lot of great pieces for under $20.

My 2 sketchbooks will be available for $3 or 2 for $5.

As usual I will be creating custom convention sketches thrusucky hand and allow me to fully focus on quality over speed. Figure drawings will cost $10 and come on 9x12 Bristol board and have tone shading. Full color will run you $15 dollars and will be done in glorious crayon!

Thursday I will only be doing quickie head sketches. These sketches are pretty popular (kids seem to really dig them) and will only cost you $2. You read that correctly…only $2.

See ya at the con!

Grrr Argh!

2011-08-09T23:31:00.000-05:00

A peek at my Chicago Comic-Con exclusive Buffy print. This print is strictly limited to 25 copies and will cost only $5. That's right...$5. Make sure to come on by my table and snag one for your self.

Paint. Round Two

2011-08-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

Paint!

2011-07-31T23:25:00.001-05:00

First two mini paintings are done. These were a lot easier on my hand than I thought they would be. I'm going to try and a have a good batch of these done for Chicago Comic-Con. Keep checking back for pricing as well as all sorts of other goodies I'll have available at the con.

Covers of the Custom Variety

2011-07-31T23:21:00.000-05:00

Color Again!

2011-07-26T15:12:00.001-05:00

Color!

2011-07-25T23:26:00.002-05:00

INKS!

2011-07-21T12:53:00.001-05:00

Somebody Call a Doctor!

2011-07-14T13:19:00.000-05:00

Here is a look at the pencils for my 10th Doctor print which will be available at Chicago Comic-Con. I have 3 more prints I will show sneak peaks of as we get closer to the con.

Back to work.

Jefferson Lives!

2011-07-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

Here is a (very quick) sketch of Captain America done during my family Fourth of July celebration.

I plan on having way more posts this month as I get things ready for the upcoming Chicago Comic-Con. The plan is to have 4 new prints (2 new Doctor Who prints, a Raiders of the Lost Ark 30th anniversary print, and a Buffy the Vampire Slayer print). As long as my hand holds out that is. My now chronic hand issue has reared its ugly head again, making drawing more of a chore than it should be.

So be on the look out for a ton of new art and more announcements!

Store Updates!

2011-06-21T13:17:00.002-05:00

Hey all. I added some new art and stuff to my store. Check it out and buy something! I've got a kid to feed...and more Star Wars toys to buy :)

Cowabunga!

2011-06-16T12:55:00.001-05:00

Man...now I really want some pizza. Here is a quick sketch of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle I colored up very quickly in Photoshop. Enjoy!

In Brightest Day...

2011-06-07T21:43:00.001-05:00

EDITED 06/09/11: After thinking about it, I didn't much like the earlier version of this, so the figure has been completely redrawn. I left the earlier version for comparison.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know it has been a while since my last post. The last few weeks have been filled with some commissions I can't really talk about, but now it's back to sketching and trying to get some work done on my children's book (a preview of which I should have at Wizard World-Chicago). For now I have this quick Green Lantern piece that will be made into an online poster for the comic shop I work at.

I should be back to posting twice a week for the foreseeable future.

Oh yeah...go see 'X-Men: First Class'! It was very groovy :)

Recent Commissions

2011-05-22T14:31:00.000-05:00

The title to this post says it all, folks! Here are some custom sketch cards and a few custom sketch covers I was commissioned to do recently.

Store Updates

2011-05-16T10:35:00.002-05:00

I've added some original art to my store. Click here to see what's new!

I'm Seeing 'Red'!

2011-05-05T13:16:00.000-05:00

Kidding!

With the big renouncement 'controversy' in the recent Action Comics 900, I thought I'd take this opportunity and do a quick sketch of Superman from one of my favorite stories, Superman: Red Son. Here is the final color piece and the line work.

Go easy on the big guy...it's not easy being Red (still joking...kind of).

I Have a Store!

2011-04-29T23:46:00.001-05:00

I now have a store where you can buy prints, sketchbooks, and original art. Check it out here and buy something already!

Destroy Superman!

2011-04-29T00:46:00.002-05:00

Starting with Wizard's Chicago Comic-Con, this will be the banner that hangs from the front of my table. Bask in the 'awesome' that is the Nuclear Man and Superman 4: The Quest for Peace. S:TQFP is my ultimate gulity pleasure movie. Seriously, it's so unbelievably bad (except for about 10 minutes of the film) it is good. Truly it is the Plan 9 from Outer Space of super hero movies.

Yay Sooperman! (Sorry...that last part is a bit of an inside joke)

Tumblr!

2011-04-26T11:21:00.002-05:00

I now have a Tumblr page. Check it out here.

More iPhone Fun!

2011-04-25T12:43:00.002-05:00

Here are two more iPhone creations. Both of these were created using the Sketchbook Mobile App and the Pogo Stylus.

Superman Beyond!

2011-04-24T23:43:00.002-05:00

So I'm a recent convert to the iPhone (just got my iPhone 4 last week). It is AWESOME! I've probably spent more time than my wife would like putzing with it, but what are ya gonna do?

This sketch of Superman (from Batman Beyond) was created on my iPhone 4 using the Sketchbook Mobile App and the Pogo Stylus.

The moment I can afford one I will be purchasing an iPad and creating a children's book with its apps.

And They Called it Lantern Looooooove!

2011-04-21T12:43:00.002-05:00

'Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us...togethaw...today'

-The Impressive Clergyman

This was a commission I did for 2 friends of mine for their wedding. Instead of a guest book they matted this drawing and had people sign around it. Very cool!

Congrats Tony and Jillian!

Chicago Comic-Con 2011 Bio!

2011-04-14T15:14:00.001-05:00

My bio is up over at the Chicago Comic-Con website. Go check it out!

Mass Effect

2011-04-12T15:50:00.002-05:00

Here is a custom cover I created featuring the buyer and her boyfriend as characters from the game 'Mass Effect 2'. The logo was built in Adobe Illustrator CS2. I used Photoshop CS2 for the colors.

Dig.

Punk Storm!

2011-04-09T20:03:00.002-05:00

Here are two panels from a two page custom comic I created. The pages are a gift for the bearded gentleman from his special lady friend. When I get the 'ok' I will put the full pages up. For now rock on out to the awesomeness that is mohawk Storm!

Free Comic Book Day is Approaching!

2011-04-09T19:58:00.003-05:00

Here is the final art and line work for an ad I created for my LCS (which I also happen to work at) promoting a FCBD sale.

Enjoy!

Sketches

2011-04-04T13:03:00.002-05:00

A very simple post today. Just a few sketches I've done for folks the past few weeks.

A Change is a Comin'

2011-03-24T12:15:00.002-05:00

Updated 03/26/11

Starting in April there will be a change to my commission offerings. I will no longer be offering custom sequential pages. Custom covers and pin-ups will still be available with anything you want on them. You and your friends as super-heroes, zombies, whatever you want. There will be a price change because you now get the original art (unless the cover is for use in a comic, then other fees will apply)! The price will include all shipping and handling charges.

So why the change? Well, custom pages are very time consuming (especially when you add in the writing time) and I'm beginning work on my children's book. Anytime I'm not working on commissions or getting ready for a comic convention is going to be spent getting the children's book ready and done for an October release. The easiest way to make more time for myself to work was to cut the one commission that consumed the most time.

So still send me your requests for custom covers and pin-ups. You can see some samples here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Cheers!

'That is no moon(s)...'

2011-03-22T22:18:00.002-05:00

And those definitely aren't space stations either. I did this Elvira sketch as a warm up this afternoon. Did you know that Elvira's Movie Macabre is back on the air? Well, it is. Go watch it.

This Luke Skywalker marker sketch is for a buddy of mine. A friend of his just had a son and named him Luke, so my buddy is putting together a bunch of 'Luke' themed sketches for the kid. How cool is that?

Cheers!

C2E2 2011 Post Mortem

2011-03-21T11:52:00.001-05:00

C2E2 2011 has come and gone and I'm happy to report this was by far my best show. The Doctor Who prints sold out, my other prints did extremely well, the paintings my buddy Jack I made went over really well, and I did a bunch of sketches for some really cool people. A big thank you to all of the folks who spent their hard earned cash on little ol' me, I truly appreciated it!

Here are a few of the sketches I did over the weekend. If you don't see your sketch here it means one of 2 things:

-I didn't take a picture of the sketch.

-The picture I took was beyond blurry.

If you have a scanner please feel free to send me an email with a copy of the sketch. I would love post an image of it here, and I'd also like to have a copy for my personal file.

Thanks again to everyone that stopped by my table and made C2E2 a great show!

I'm a Rock-et-man!

2011-03-13T23:36:00.002-05:00

Here is my final print for C2E2. This one features Dave Stevens' fantastic creation and his lovely leading lady.

This print is on 8.5x11 cardstock and will cost you $2.

Let's Get Dangerous!

2011-03-13T14:58:00.002-05:00

Here is a look at another one of my C2E2 prints. It is a riff on one of my favorite Batman ads of all time (it was for Batman: Year One, my favorite Batman story of all time) drawn by David Mazzucchelli. You can see the ad here.

The print will be on 8.5x11 cardstock and will only set you back $2.

Big Bang Wars

2011-03-12T20:57:00.003-06:00

Here is the fully colored Big Bang Wars print that I will be selling at C2E2.

Bazinga!

C2E2 Lowdown

2011-03-08T22:37:00.006-06:00

With a little over a week until C2E2, I thought I should let everyone know what my plans are for the show. I will be in Artist Alley at table L8. For this show I will have my 2 new sketchbooks available (see this post for more info on those) plus a bunch of new prints.

The first one is the Doctor(s) Who print. This bad boy features all 11 Doctors with the Tardis. It is printed on 11x17 cardstock and will only set you back $5. Bathe in its timey-whimey glory!

Next up is a print for all of you cheesecake fans. This little lady here is printed on 8.5x11 cardstock and costs the low, low price of $2. Ring-a-ding-ding!

...And it all ends with a big bang! This is an homage of sorts to one of my favorite Star Wars posters featuring the cast of The Big Bang Theory and is printed on 8.5x11 cardstock. It will be full color by show time (check back here later in the week for that version) and will cost you $2.

I will be doing convention sketches for those interested in getting some original art. Show prices are as follows:

Full Figure Inked Sketch on 9x12 bristol board

$10

Character Head Sketch

I will do as many sketches as I can each day, but if you want to guarantee yourself a full figure sketch hit me up early everyday.

Hope to see you at the show!

Cover Story

2011-03-01T19:35:00.003-06:00

Here are the covers to my 2 new sketchbooks just in time for the comic convention season. These will both debut at C2E2, March 18-20.

Kurt Wood Illustration Sketchbook 2011 will feature commissions and custom comics I've worked on since 2010. It's a kind of a 'hard copy' of this here blog.

Con Artist will feature character pin-ups and convention sketches. All but one of the sketches in this volume have not been posted to this website. A lot of new material is fills its pages!

These sketchbooks will cost you $3.00 each at the show, or you can purchase both for $5.00. I will have them for sale here once C2E2 is done.

Dig.

The Back End

2011-02-28T23:10:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't posted all that much in the last month. Between commissions and prepping for C2E2 I've been pretty busy. So for now take a peek at the back cover to one of my 2 sketchbooks debuting at the aforementioned C2E2. Yup...the back cover. I'll have more later this week on what you can excpect from me at C2E2.

Dig.

Burning Down the House

2011-02-10T23:22:00.000-06:00

Johnny Storm. The Human Torch. You will be missed for all twelve issues that you are 'dead'.

Flame on!

Warehouse Brawl and a Return to Titletown

2011-02-09T11:12:00.000-06:00

Hey all. I know it has been a while since my last post. Fear not! That time has been spent working on a bunch of commissions and getting ready for C2E2. It was also spent digging out from the worst snow storm Milwaukee has seen in over a decade, as well as watching my Green Bay Packers bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Titletown (YAY!).

Below you will see panel/cover for one of the commissions I completed. I'm waiting to post the other commissions so I don't ruin any surprises. I'll have more later in the week, including my plans for C2E2.

Dig.

Rock-A-Hula!

2011-01-17T18:05:00.002-06:00

You're a liar if this posts title doesn't make you think of that 'Full House' episode where the Tanner clan went to Hawaii. Or maybe you thought of Elvis...whatever.

This piece was done during the holiday season. It was a gift from the buyer to the girl in the pink hula skirt. It is a riff on one of those old Charles Atlas ads that used to be in the comics of the 60's. I'm a silver age junkie, so it was a lot of fun to put my own spin on that iconic ad.

Sing away, Uncle Jessie!

Bazinga!

2011-01-13T13:53:00.001-06:00

Here's a piece that never went further than the line art below. I love "The Big Bang Theory" and wanted to do some fan art about a year ago. Of course drawing this reminded me of how inept I am at likeness drawing...ugh! I'm very happy with the look on Wolowitz's face, not so much with the guy who is supposed to be Sheldon. Yup...that's Sheldon. Oh yeah, the girl is supposed to be Kaley Cuoco (or as I like to call her, Wife #3). To my current wife...that last part was a joke, honey. Unless something terrible happens to you and then Anne Hathaway, I have zero chance of marrying the Cuoco :) You, my dear, are stuck with me.

Anywho, I'm still pretty happy with the overall piece and thought I'd share it.

All of the Villains are Here!

2011-01-06T11:35:00.000-06:00

A couple months back I contributed 5 pieces of art to HERO Games Champions Villains Vol. 1-Master Villains. Yesterday I received my copies of the book and I have to say, they look spectacular! Here are 2 photos featuring character write-ups with my art.

Go here to order yourself a copy. I'll also have a copy to sell at my table at C2E2.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T15:24:00.005-06:00

Welcome to 2011, everyone! I hope your new year is off to a smashing start. My hand is still being treated for Tendinitis (we think), which will cause some delays in my ability to post new art for the next month (or two). For now I have a few commissions I did during the holiday's to share.

This was done for a high school friend I had not seen in 11 years! It depicts her sister, her sister's husband, and their son as Star Wars characters. Any day I get to draw Star Wars characters is a good day. Here you can see the finished piece, the rough pencils, and the background inks.

I'll be back later this week with new art and a look at my new project making its debut at C2E2!

Holiday Sale!

2010-12-01T16:11:00.000-06:00

Are you having a hard time deciding what to get that special someone for the upcoming gift-giving season? Maybe you want to treat yourself to a special gift? Why not give the gift of original art drawn by yours truly?

Starting today I have 5 spots open for my big holiday sale. For the low price of $50 you get a personal commission of up to 2 characters in full, glorious color! This deal includes the original line art and an 8.5x11 color print. Any 2 characters you want are fine (the Goon and Franky, Batman and Robin, R2D2 and C-3PO, Doctor Who #5 and Doctor Who #10, Sonny and Cher...anybody you can think of!). Send me your request here by December 10, 2010 and I guarantee delivery before Christmas. Shipping is included in the sale price.

Cheers!

Suuuuuper Grover!

2010-11-29T16:55:00.003-06:00

Okay...this is a great example of getting carried away with textures and filters. My kid was playing with a Super Grover toy so I decided to draw Super Grover (yes, it really hurt with the Tendinitis, but I hadn't drawn anything in like 2-3 weeks!). I then decided to color it. Really, that's probably where I should have stopped. Oh well. It was fun to play around with Photoshop, and I'm happy with the drawing/color job.

Cheers!

GAH! Another Zombie!

2010-11-29T16:33:00.004-06:00

Here is a zombie poster commission I recently completed. I wanted to get an old movie poster effect out of it, so I used some textures to give it a rough feel.

You can see its companion piece here.

Filter that Texture!

2010-11-23T14:58:00.002-06:00

So I'm a few weeks into my recovery from Tendonitis ( I had a cortisone shot in my drawing hand's index finger about a week and a half ago. I get to wear an awesome brace, too!) and drawing is a real issue at the moment. I can't really do it for any extended amount of time, so I decided now was a great time to brush up on my Photoshop skills.

I've been playing around with the use of filters and different textures to bring something new to my art. Here are 2 pieces that I have previously posted (here and here) with new effects added to them. Fun!

I finished up a commission this week (my hand is beyond sore from that, by the way) so I may have some new art up later this week.

Dig.

FREAKS!

2010-11-04T14:42:00.001-05:00

Here is a commission I did earlier this year for my second biggest cheerleader, Nikki Danger. It features Hellboy and her real life boy-toy Dan getting ready to inflict some damage on whatever is connected to those tentacles. I actually have an idea to edit this picture with a much better monster at some point. We'll see.

The line that Dan is quoting here is from the Tod Browning classic 'Freaks' for those not in the know.

Grrrr Argh

2010-10-25T14:27:00.000-05:00

Well, my mystery injury might have been solved. It looks like I have Tendonitis in my drawing hand (specifically my index finger). Unfortunately the best 'cure' for this is rest, which means no drawing for the next 10 days minimum. If that doesn't help things I'll be seeing a hand surgeon first for a potential cortisone shot, and if that fails, possible surgery (although that is a worst case scenario). Joy.

I have some art that I haven't posted yet, so I won't be totally MIA, but it still bugs me not to be drawing for any extended amount of time.

Cheers!

Kurt

Taking a Stroll Thru the Woods

2010-10-24T17:32:00.002-05:00

Here for your viewing pleasure is a little process post. Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought it would be cool to do some Monster themed prints. Unfortunately an injury (of a mysterious nature) to my drawing hand has made drawing a bit of chore, so I only got as far as the pencils for my Frankenstein's Monster piece. Below you see my thumbnail rough. This was sketched out on an index card with marker.

After that I moved on to pencils, which you see here. This is on 9x11 bristol board and was drawn with a 4H 'woody' pencil. The plan is to ink this up and add colors and effects in Photoshop. All of that will be done once my hand stops being a pain.

Cheers!

Facebook It!

2010-10-23T22:59:00.000-05:00

I now have a Facebook 'fan' page. Click here to be awesome and 'like' it.

Read Thoroughly, THEN Draw!

2010-10-23T21:13:00.005-05:00

Here is a commission I did this past summer (I waited to post it because it was an anniversary gift). The request was the husband as Iron Man and the wife as Pepper Potts (basically 'woman in business suit'). All fine and dandy...except some how I got it in my head that the wife wanted to be the Black Widow.

Which explains why this exists. I re-read the email before I sent it off and realized my mistake. A couple hours of redrawing later and everything was corrected. The lesson here: Read and RE-READ all requests before starting work on a commission.

Both pieces were created digitally.

Cheers!

Abby Something

2010-10-21T23:28:00.003-05:00

I love monsters! Here is a watercolor piece featuring the lifes work of one wackadoodle doctor.

Hate living...love dead!

And the Inks

2010-10-18T23:11:00.001-05:00

Here are the raw inks for the previous entries pencils. 'Raw' meaning they haven't been cleaned up in Photoshop or anything...hence all of the little black specs and little imperfections. Think of them as having just woke up in the morning and having not had their coffee.

Villains Unite!

2010-10-18T19:04:00.001-05:00

Here are pencils for 3 of my 7 contributions to HERO Games Champions Villains Volume 3-Solo Villains.

Enjoy!

That's Some Easy Company

2010-10-04T23:45:00.001-05:00

Here, as promised, are the colors. I'm very happy with the clouds :)

The colors on the print came out a little darker than what you see here, but still look good in my humble opinion.

Rock and the Howlin' Commando

2010-10-04T23:40:00.001-05:00

Here is the line work for a poster/print I recently finished. Blogger is being a pain, but once it stops being fussy I'll post the colors for this piece.

Long Live the Legion!

2010-09-30T23:03:00.002-05:00

Here's a recent cover recreation I did featuring one of the greatest teams in all of comics; The Legion of Super-Heroes. The cover in question is of their first appearance in Adventure Comics 247. The client requested the 70's costumes plus a few characters that weren't on the original cover. I believe the image is being used for a new Legion fan site.

Dig.

A View from the Drawing Table

2010-09-19T20:35:00.001-05:00

Puuurrrrr-fect!

2010-09-15T12:05:00.001-05:00

This piece was really more of an experiment than anything. I wanted to see how little white space I could use and still have an effective image. Frank Miller pretty much mastered this technique in 'Sin City'.

"No...I am your UNCLE!"

2010-09-07T13:29:00.001-05:00

Man...that line would have been beyond anti-climactic in " The Empire Strikes Back". In this case, though, it is completely accurate. On Labor Day my twin sister gave birth to my nephew, Kaelan Richard Farrell.

Welcome to the family, little dude!

Now in a Amazing Technicolor...a Zombie!

2010-08-26T15:03:00.002-05:00

As promised, the color work to the previous post (not in as high a quality as I would like, but the original file was HUGE!).

Wait...Another Zombie?

2010-08-26T13:31:00.002-05:00

Indeed. My zombie picture from last week was pretty popular. If people want to pay me to draw more zombies, I'm all for it!

This is a birthday gift commissioned by some friends down in Illinois...don't hold that against them. They are good people, well, for Cubs fans anyway ;) Once blogger actually LETS me upload the final color piece, I will.

Monster Mash!

2010-08-24T22:17:00.002-05:00

Here are some monster sketch cards I did this last week. I'm a huge monster fan (namely the Universal monsters and their Hammer Films counterparts). Our cast features the Bride, the Monster, the Count, the Graveyard Zombie, and the Wolf Man.

Grrrr!

And They Called it...Zombie Loooove!

2010-08-17T21:33:00.002-05:00

So my sister saw the zombie drawing from last week and requested I create a piece of herself and her fiance as zombies. Who am I to turn down a chance to draw zombies...especially a pregnant zombie?

This piece was done all digitally using Manga Studio 4 for the pencil and inking stage, and Photoshop CS2 for the color work. Below you'll see the final colored piece, as well as my digital pencil and inks.

Brains!

Two Sides of the Story

2010-08-17T21:11:00.000-05:00

Here are colors and line work for a piece I did of my favorite Batman villain (visually, that is), Two-Face.

Poor Lonely Zombie

2010-08-11T00:51:00.003-05:00

I like zombies...you should too.

If you do, do yourself a favor and go pick up The Walking Dead from your local comic book shop. The entire series is collected (Currently there are 12 trade paperbacks). Best book on the racks right now. The series is character driven. The zombies are a force of nature, like the weather....just as they should be.

Seriously. Go get these books.

A Post of Things to Come

2010-08-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

Here are 3 pencil roughs from a project I'm currently working on for Hero Games. Some changes were made before inks and colors were done. I'll post those at a later date. For now enjoy my pencil-y goodness!

Dig.

To the Batcave!

2010-07-15T15:32:00.001-05:00

Here is another quick "airbrush" painting done in Sketchbook Pro 2010, this time of Batman.

Dig, chum. Dig.

Mmmm...Pamcakes

2010-07-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

Here is a quickly done Hellboy painting done in Sketchbook Pro 2010. This was done exclusively with the Airbrush tool.

It's Time to Play the Music!

2010-07-06T23:56:00.001-05:00

Last one for tonight...I promise. Digital painting of one Kermit the Frog done in Sketchbook Pro 2010.

And he, who can change the course of mighty rivers...

2010-07-06T21:34:00.001-05:00

...and you know the rest.

Here is another all digital creation of the man who started it all. The sky was painted "Bob Ross" style (Just pile up the colors until it looks pretty). Nothing fancy with the pose. I was to far in when I decided it was kind of "blah" and just kept it. Besides, this is a practice drawing :)

Created in Sketchbook Pro 2010.

Up,up, and away!

I'm Living in a Digital World

2010-07-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

This head sketch of my new girl Glorii Holiday is my first all digital creation. Not a scrap of paper nor a drop of ink was used in to make it. I'm pretty happy with the results. I've been skeptical of digital drawing programs, but I found I was able to recreate my line fairly well.

No, this does not mean I won't be drawing traditionally anymore. That would be silly. Digital drawing is just another tool I will use depending on the project. Much practice working this way must come first, though.

Created in Sketchbook Pro 2010.

Dig.

Hex!

2010-06-15T23:11:00.001-05:00

Finally all unpacked from my move! Somewhere in between all of the packing and unpacking I found time to do this here crayon sketch of Jonah Hex (who has a movie coming out soon...yeah, I know it has ghosts but it still looks kinda fun).

Dig, ya reckon?

Crayon Cover Toons!

2010-06-02T21:48:00.002-05:00

More crayon fun, this time doing some cover re-creations. Superman 164 and 233...2 of my favorite all-time covers.

CRAYONS!

2010-06-01T17:01:00.007-05:00

If you know of Art Baltazar and Franco, you know they do awesome crayon drawings at comic conventions. I have a few myself (The Legion of Super Pets will adorn the walls of my daughter's room!). So here are a few of my own crayon creations-Captain Marvel, Power Girl, and my girl Glorii sporting some swim wear.

Dig.

Glorii-ous Tonal Drawing

2010-05-27T23:24:00.001-05:00

I love playing with new art techniques! I've seen a lot of other artists playing around with colored paper sketches and thought I'd give it a try. Here is a tonal study of my new gal, Glorri Holiday.

More on her (and what project of mine she'll be in) later.

All Tooned Up

2010-05-27T15:29:00.002-05:00

I came across these sketches while I was packing up my artwork today. These 2 are super tooned up, even for me. I kinda dig them. So here's 70's Supergirl (my favorite of her many costumes) and the Big Red Cheese.

Beastie Goodness

2010-05-26T09:59:00.002-05:00

Here are 3 of my 8 drawings for the upcoming Hero System Bestiary from Hero Games.

Dig.

Coco-licious!

2010-05-25T22:18:00.006-05:00

These hastily done drawings were for a "Create a Conan O'Brien Character" contest I entered on Facebook. If you know Coco's sense of humor, these will be funny. If you don't find them all that funny you're probably a lousy Leno fan ;)

So enjoy Edgar the Rabid Eggplant, Stoner Einstein, and the S&M Beaver!

I'm with Coco!

Avengers Assemble!

2010-05-25T15:37:00.005-05:00

Avengers #1 came out last week and as Marvel has done in recent history, it released a special blank variant. Some artists then take these blank covers and doodle all over them. I am such an artist. I have 10 blanks that I'm selling in 2 different manners. Here is the skinny...

1.) $10.00 Special

Single character of your choosing (who has been a member of the Avengers at one point or another) in glorious full color. A quickie head sketch of my choosing will be thrown on the back cover. This will most likely be a random Avengers villain. This price includes the comic, drawing, and shipping/transport.

2.) $20.00 Spectacular

Two characters of your choosing (at least one of these characters must have been an Avenger at one point or another) done as a wrap around cover in full color. I will make the cover into a little scene fitting those two characters. This price includes the comic, drawing, and shipping/transport.

If you're interested email me here with the subject line "Avengers Assemble".

I still have a limited number of blanks from Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America and Secret Invasion. Those are $10.00 as well.

Cheers!

Things are a cookin'

2010-05-06T13:08:00.002-05:00

A glimpse at something that has been floating around my noggin for close to 7 years. I've tweaked this idea around quite a bit, but the basic concept stays the same.

More to come later.

Loooong Month

2010-05-04T11:47:00.002-05:00

Yup...it has been over a month since my last post. April was a busy, busy month. I finished up another freelance gig for Hero Games. I did 8 pieces for their up coming book The Hero System Bestiary. Once I get the green light I'll post a few of those pieces here.

The other reason I haven't posted in a month is my wife is back at work full time (yay!), which means I am back to being Mr. Mom. I draw when I can, but that time is mostly used for paying gigs.

Quick update on my children's book "Frankie and the Little Monsters": Another publisher is releasing a book later this year where the lead character is...wait for it...a Frankenstein monster child. Ugh! Now, that is the only similarity. The designs are drastically different, and so is the subject matter. So for now "Frankie and the Little Monsters" is somewhat on the back burner. I'm tweaking the basic concept of the book to focus a bit more on all of the little monsters (hence the title no longer just being "Frankie"), but we'll see. I have a few other projects I've been toying with, but Frankie and his friends mean a lot to me.

I move the first weekend in June, so May might be kind of light with the posts as well. I'll have some art up later this week for sure, though.

Cheers!

One Month and Counting...

2010-04-01T23:24:00.003-05:00

Dig.

Objects That Defy Gravity

2010-03-30T23:48:00.003-05:00

I've been seeing a bunch of these monotone drawings by Darwyn Cooke lately, thought I'd take a shot at doing one.

I like alternate reality Kryptonians...

Free Comic Book Day is Coming...

2010-03-30T22:15:00.001-05:00

Huhbutwhat?

The Kids (books) Are Alright

2010-03-08T23:03:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the long delay (again) between posts. I've used this last month to finally start work on my upcoming children's book. This idea has been floating around my head for the last year and I finally felt I was ready to give it the time it deserves.

So here's your first look at Frankie, I can't wait for you to meet his friends.

Dig.

He's the Hairy-handed Gent...

2010-02-16T23:10:00.005-06:00

...though I don't think he was anywhere near Kent in the movie.

I saw "The Wolf Man" today. It's a remake of the classic 1941 Universal monster movie. I'm a huge fan of the Universal monsters, have been since first grade. I liked this new flick enough to a) run out and buy a "Wolf Man" toy right after the movie, and b) draw up this here doodle. Hopefully this movie does well enough so we can get new "Frankenstein" and "Dracula" movies :)

Hammer Time

2010-02-14T00:53:00.003-06:00

I've been doing a lot of research on Hammer Films recently. Sort of prepping for a possible project I have floating around in one of my sketch books. One thing I love about Hammer horror flicks are the buxom vamps running around, hence my sketch above. Believe it or not, this is a sketch and not really a "finished" piece. Just me playing around.

Check out this website for more Hammer goodies.

Yes...I'm a perv.

Shomer Shabbos!

2010-02-09T21:05:00.004-06:00

Here is my second Big Lebowski theme drawing. Good ol' Walter Sobchak.

Abide.

Who Are You?

2010-02-05T00:35:00.005-06:00

This is a gift for my buddy Donny. He is a huge fan of The Who. Huge. I am as well. In eighth grade Donny had to do a project on his favorite artist. So he chose The Who. The art instructor failed him. Go figure.

By the way, the song is called "Baba O'Riley", not "Teenage Wasteland".

Just saying.

February Theme-The Big Lebowski

2010-02-03T12:40:00.003-06:00

This months drawing theme is "The Big Lebowski", one of my favorite movies. If you have not seen this flick, you have not lived a well-rounded life up to this point. Stop reading this and go buy the DVD...it will really bring your DVD collection together.

Abide.

Doctor(s) Who

2010-01-29T22:53:00.005-06:00

Here is a commission I did recently. Let me say up front; my Doctor Who knowledge was minimal at best before I got this commission. I knew of Tom Baker thru old Starlog magazines I had as a kid (he frightened me...something about the teeth and hair). The more recent stuff with David Tennant I know from the few episodes I caught on PBS.

Before this commission, that's all I knew.

I ended up spending an evening reading about the show, and all of the different versions of the Doctor, on Wikipedia. That's about 5 hours of time. I'd tell you it was all research, but I'd be lying. I'm fascinated by the history of the show. Maybe even enough to watch the stuff that's out on DVD. I have a friend (hi Steve!) who is an expert in all things "Who", so I definitely have people that can help me get started at some point.

Anywho, I'll be doing a color print of this image that will be up for sale here. I'll post all of the info when that's done.

Cheers!

MOTU Theme Drawing 4

2010-01-27T13:01:00.002-06:00

Today's MOTU drawing features Scareglow, one of the more creative MOTU villains.