Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

A New Artistic Mentality

Posted: January 22, 2013 in Art
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I did some new stuff a few weeks ago.  Pretty proud of it all.  Time to share!

This first one is a recreation of the League in the Darwyn Cooke style of drawing.  I decided to try a new style instead the overly bosomed and well endowed male and female heroes.  This was, without a doubt, a challenge, but I think I got at the heart of it all.

JLA-Classic-5

JLA Classic

 This next was inspired by my recent purchase of Lego Harry Potter for my PS3.  I actually started this because I wanted something simpler to draw, but it turned out to be just as much of a challenge as anything else I’ve done in the past.  However, this piece has inspired me to try out some new stuff, new material, and venture into a new artistic mentality.  If I’m going to create and publish my very own book, I’ve got to start looking at my art from a different perspective.

Title: Legonna Kick Yo Ass!

Title: Legonna Kick Yo Ass!

When I was younger I did nothing BUT original art.  It’s no where near as good as what I can do now, but there’s something special about making your own art that’s your own and not a simple recreation of something already existing.  I need to begin the process of taking the talent I have now and bringing back the artistic visions I had as a younger person – culminating them both into something original and artistically great!

The first step in this process is to start with my roots, taking the art from my youth and turn it all into a story.  I know many great stories came out of childhood ideas and fantasies, so why not mine right?  I actually don’t care if I create a world famous story, I just want to get my ideas out there for those who DO care about such things.

Here’s to a new artistic mentality!

Artist’s Corner – Ian Schofield

Posted: May 7, 2012 in Art, Artist's Corner, Ian Schofield
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As I was cruising the net to find more cool, unknown artists, I ran across Ian Schofield’s website where he posts his fantasy and comic book artwork.  I was immediately blown away by how detailed and gorgeous every piece of art on his site is!

A terrifying version of Bane! DKR on the horizon!

Apparently Ian has been painting digitally for two years…not a long time!  His website doesn’t have much and I can only imagine what he’s done that isn’t included there.  But he seems to have a love for Batman’s villains, evidence shown here.

The digital side of art has been fascinating me more and more.  I think I’ll always been a grafite pencil type of artist, but this is something I think I could really get into.  Maybe down the road sometime I can give digital painting a shot.

Look at that lighting!!

As far as I know, he doesn’t seem to be working for any comic book company, which is a shame!  his work would become an instant fan favorite!  I suspect he’d become somewhat of a “special” artist for extravagant mini series like Alex Ross or  Mauro Cascioli.  If he were to do something for DC, I wouldn’t care if the story was worthless and poorly written, just give me MORE Schofield!

If you like what you see here, well, there’s only a TAD bit more at his website.  So Ian, if you have more art that hasn’t been seen yet, shoot me an email!  I’d love to see more!

What do you fear? The freaking Scarecrow, that’s who!

Artist’s Corner: Carlos Valenzuela

Posted: April 29, 2012 in Art, Artist's Corner
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The best part about being a comic book nerd on Facebook is being friends with numerous people I’ve never met who have access, and know, great artists.  I enjoy all forms of art, but the kind that appeals to me the most is that of clean lines and incredible detail.  Carlos Valenzuela goes beyond that, diving into the retro and campy vintage style pin-ups and horror/sci-fi movie posters.You can think the old horror films are a little too “cheap” for your tastes, but I’ll always love them!

This might just be one of my favorite pieces by him

There’s quite a bit of nostalgia coursing through the veins of all his pieces, especially in his black and white works of art; capturing the very essence and meaning of the old sci-fi and horror films while presenting it with a much cleaner and more pristine style.  I actually never thought the campy, horror films from before I was born could look gorgeous…I have been officially proven wrong!

If you’ll notice (for those of you who frequent my blog) my header has been changed to a classic movie monsters motif.  Thanks to the amazing art of Valenzuela, my blog page looks that much better!

This is the BEST rendition of Jessica Rabbit I've ever seen!

But his genre interests vary, from old school horror, to comic book super heroes.  He dives into color as well as black and white, but also has the ability to CHANGE his style.  If I didn’t have his deviant art page to help me know that everything there was his, I would have trouble picking out his work a lot of the time.

I’m a huge fan of his Marvel and DC Comics commissions, but as far as the comic book genre is concerned, I think his World War II era renditions are my favorite.  This is an artist who KNOWS how to research, making his period pieces THAT much more enjoyable.

"Every bond you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best man's gun"

Of course, the way he portrays women are nothing more than things to look at, but I’m not going to delve into that and dwell on it.  You take from the art what you want.  For me, this is PURE artistry that gets me excited to do sketches similar to this.

If you like what you see, visit Valenzuela’s Deviant Art page to see more.  If you don’t like what you see…you’re wrong!

It's amazing how such a minor character, who had very little influence on the initial Star Wars story, became such an icon.

The Artist’s Corner: Stephanie Buscema Brings The 60′s Back

Posted: April 22, 2012 in Art, Stephanie Buscema
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Well this is an awkward situation. Who cares though right?

Don’t deny it, there’s a certain appeal to things that are no longer main stream or popular.  The rarity of anything no longer being mass produced or pumped out on a regular basis somehow creates a cult following, or at least a desire to have something reminiscent of the past.

In the invisible jet...Looks cozy!

Stephanie Buscema is one such person who’s been keeping the 60′s visual arts alive and kicking!  Did you grow up watching the Jetsons or the Flintstones?  Well, her art might call out to your nostalgic senses.  From the look of things, Buscema seems to enjoy the “direct to paper” application rather than digitally mastered penciling and painting.  I can definitely relate to this as I get more out of holding a pencil gliding along on paper in real time than going straight on to the computer.  As an old school artist, I’m certain Buscema prefers that classic way of doing things.

Scary, yet spectacular!

You’ll probably recognize her work as being inspired by vintage TV shows like the opening sequence from Bewitched, the Jetsons, and many others from the Hanna-Barbera days of animation.  From the bio on her website, it looks as if she’s continually creating work everyday and getting paid for it.  I’m certainly glad for it too!  It’s rare to see this type of style still being honored and visualized by such a talented artist.  Thanks Stephanie, you are amazing!

Below were some of my favorites pieces I found on her website, but everything she does is amazing!  Go to her website and enjoy it all!

Death, one of Neil Gaiman's greatest creations...and this doesn't step outside her character either!!

Wonder Woman will always be my crush

I had forgotten about the Rockateer...this is perfect!

The Art Of Renae De Liz

Posted: February 23, 2012 in Art, Renae De Liz, Rouge Angel, The Last Unicorn
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Taken from Renae's Website

In my search for new and interesting artists, I always seem to come across the COOLEST stuff!  But you know what the most frustrating thing is for me?  I find these artists, their work and realize that, in my trips to the comic book store every Wednesday, I had been seeing their stuff all the time on the shelves but NEVER BOTHERED to pick them up.

Then I see how awesome artists like Renae De Liz  are and I hit myself over the head multiple times until I’ve physically scolded myself enough!  (which usually only takes one head bang against the wall…than I wake up an hour later.)

Renae’s most recent accomplishment is the Womanthology.  She, of course, is not the only one working on it.  It’s a compilation of many different writers and artists showcasing their stuff and celebrating woman in comics, both real and made up.  I’m not entirely certain if the book is available yet, but if not, it’s certainly close!  Hopefully Renae will see this posting say get in contact with me and give me all the details!  Go visit her website for more details!

In the meantime, I’ll be going back to my local comic book shop and looking for some of her past works like Rouge Angel, (the comic I constantly saw on the shelves but never picked up…stupid me!) and the last unicorn.  I have no idea if the stories are good, but I don’t care!  Her artistic prowess is enough for me! If you need inspiration to check her stuff out, take a look at some of these visual gems!  (All images are taken from Renae’s Site.)

From Rouge Angel...Geez, talk about EPIC!!!

Now I’m no colorist – all my art is strictly graphite – but I can definitely say her work borders on being some of the BEST work I’ve ever seen in the genre.  She reminds me of Amanda Conner’s style, but not as cartoony.  Without a doubt I could (and probably already am) get hooked on her stuff!

I can definitely get behind a Supergirl that looks like this!

Another one from Rouge Angel...WHY WASN'T I PICKING THIS UP?!?!?

From the Last Unicorn...that's it, I'm sold!!!

Be sure to stop by Renae’s site, The Art Of Renae De Liz, and check out more of her stuff.  Also, GO BUY SOME THING WITH HER ART IN IT!  It’ll be great regardless of whether or not the story is good…which I’m sure it will be.

Peejay Catacutan Whispers…”No!”

Posted: February 19, 2012 in Art
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Rorschach is one of my favorite anti-heroes in comics, films, etc, and I’m always looking for interesting pieces of fan art out there on the viral side of life.  There’s always some interesting things out there, but then I found this little gem…

I then went on a hunt for more of this artist’s stuff and came upon his deviant art page.  Everyone should go check it out, he’s got some great stuff out there, comic book art and non comic book art.  But from what I’ve seen there, he’s got some of his own comic book panels he’s made.  Peejay, if you’re trying to get a comic book published, good luck to you!  You’ve got the talent to do so!

Some other works I found interesting from his page are below.  Make sure you go to his Deviant Art page to see more.  Enjoy…

Click To Enlarge

Click To Enlarge

Click To Enlarge

Dave Despau Gives New Meaning Towards The Word, “Splash Page!”

Posted: February 14, 2012 in Art, Batman, DC Comics, Superman, Wonder Woman
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DC Comic’s “trinity” has always been an interesting concept; Superman is the positive thinker who believes in the natural good within people, Batman is the negative force that is convinced everyone is evil by nature, and the two are always at odds.  Wonder Woman acts as that buffer between the two, holding equally to both ideals that Supes and Bats does.

Artist Dave Despau has created three “bust” renditions of the three said heroes, giving only a splash of color to represent a little of their own specific personalities.  Despau is somewhat unfamiliar to me, but I have seen a few pieces of art in his repertoire, and these three additions of his are my favorites.

Wonder Woman In An All American Light

Superman Splashing Out His Big "S"

Batman Never Looks At His Fans, Ugh!

Dave Rapoza, Half-Shelled Artist Extraordinaire!

Posted: February 13, 2012 in Art, Dave Rapoza, He-Man, Thunder Cats
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Fan art is everywhere around the web, but Dave Rapoza seems to have made a killing off of his TMNT series.  His realistic style makes him stand out above the rest of the Saturday morning cartoon art crowd…

Rapoza's TMNT Series, Click To Enlarge

But this isn’t just some fan artist who has a nostalgic need to create his favorite Saturday morning cartoon characters. Rapoza is, no doubt one of the best gothic artists in the field who has a grasped a mastery of lighting and shadows.

Of course, Mr. Rapoza’s artistic talents don’t simply lie in the sewers of New York City.  Recently he’s stretch his repertoire out towards Eternia and Thundera, creating his own creepy renditions of each dimension’s characters.  There’s something about his realistic and shadowy take that mirrors my own style…only he uses color and I’m strictly grafite.

If you’d like to see more of this amazing artist’s work, go to his Deviant Art page and check out some even COOLER pieces of art that he’s done.  Or simply Google his name on Google images, a plethora of images will pop up.

This Is A Skelator That Could Freak Anyone Out!

A Little Bit Of Mufasa And Aslan me thinks?

Wonder Woman Wednesday – New Drawing!

Posted: February 8, 2012 in Art, Wonder Woman Wednesday
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I had a three day weekend and I spent it working on a brand new drawing!  This weekend gave inspiration to do yet another Wonder Woman sketch…probably my best one yet.  Inspired by Ed Benes, I took his absolutely perfect Wonder Woman drawing and tried to recreate it with my own twist.  Many times people ask me if I’m simply tracing…the answer is NO, I never trace!  Everything I do is fresh from my pencil to paper, and I do my best to recreate drawings by simply looking at them.

Title: Bound No More

While I’m sure Bene’s rendition had its own purpose and meaning, my sketch was inspired by a friendly Facebook conversation about Wonder Woman.  It all started with me posting this exceptionally funny  photo that makes fun of Disney Princesses and how Wonder Woman beats them all, being an Amazonian Princess and all…

If Wonder Woman Were A Disney Princess

Well, a friend commenting on this photo and said, “unless she gets tied up by a man,” and referred me to this website which talks about the most ridiculous superhero weaknesses.  The first one you run into is titled “Wonder Woman having her hands tied behind her back.”  While I respect and acknowledge this fact, it doesn’t represent Wonder Woman’s character in the present, and hasn’t for almost 40 years.

Now this friend wasn’t being malicious, it was a great conversation and he loves Wonder Woman.  However, the conversation did inspire me to draw an image of Wonder Woman that represents her breaking away from that ridiculous part of her origin.  What better way than to have her chained up, and breaking down the walls that bound her?

The total amount of time it took to finish this drawing was 14 hours, done strictly with grafite pencils and drawing paper.  Looking at having this gem framed!  Enjoy New Comics Day!!