Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Death Sentence

I'll let the solicitation text speak for itself:

HARD TIME SEASON TWO #7
Written by Steve Gerber & Mary Skrenes
Art and cover by Brian Hurtt

It's 49 years later, but what has become of Ethan and his struggle to survive the prison life? His saga comes to a touching conclusion in this series finale.
On sale June 7 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o Final issue

Now, don't feel sorry for me. I've known about this for going on two months--I'm just glad I can speak openly about it. I'm currently working on this final issue and then I plan on moving on to complete my Oni Press project, The Damned. So it's all working out. I had a great time doing this series and as much as I would like to have seen it played out I'm also happy to be moving on. I'm looking forward to what the future has to offer.

I'm pretty happy with the above image--they let me do my own colors.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Rayguns and Alien Worlds


Well, I went to the sketch group last night and accomplished nothing. We decided not to do a theme and I doodled a bit but mostly sat there all grouchy like. Like I mentioned in my previous post I've been in a bit of a drought, creatively speaking. A slump if you will. I haven't felt like working, I haven't felt like drawing. When I do sit down to draw I end up staring at the page or scribbling over my efforts and cursing. Not wanting to spoil everyone's evening, I decided not to join the sketch group for the final leg of the journey. The drinking leg. Grouchy and alcohol don't mix, kids! So I went home, plopped down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Apparently, that's the cure--this whole space adventure popped into my head and I actually felt like writing it down and making some sketches. That is what we have here. Now, looking at the aliens in these sketches I'm struck with the feeling that some of them may be homages to other artist's creations. By "homage", of course, I mean rip-offs. Unfortunately, I can't figure where they may have come. All but one, that is. I'm just not saying which one. So, we're going to play a little game. If one of these creatures reminds you of something you've seen before, please post it in the comments section. Save me the embarrassment of one day being sued.

By the way, the cat is supposed to be a alien cat. Hence, the raccoon shaped tail and overall oddness of it. It talks too. Kind of like The Cat From Outer Space. Doh! That's all right--I'm not changing it.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

giraffe...

Apologies to those of you that have already seen this. All three of you. Apologies to the rest of you for not having posted anything in almost a week. Although I have been busy I have still had time to draw and post but I've lacked any motivation to do either. So as not to be completely absent I decided to post this old piece that I had done. It was just a quick sketch as part of a sketch exercise I did with a group of people (similar to what I've been doing with the comic sketch group I've been meeting with lately). It was also one of the first things I ever colored on the computer for fun. I was pretty happy with the way it had turned out.
Tomorrow, I'll be posting tonight's sketch group theme. Can't wait to see what that might be. Stay tuned!

Friday, March 03, 2006

Halfway to Valhalla

Another sketch from Comic Night. The theme tonight was obviously "vikings". I suggested vikings because I'm on a real viking high from the novel I'm currently reading, Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom. I'm not usually one for historical fiction but I picked this book up on a whim recently and I've really been digging it.
The other guys will be posting their vikings in the next day or so, so be sure to go check them out here.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Hey Look!!! I Have a Digital Camera! Who Knew?

(has anyone seen my drafting brush?)

You fine few are Charlie (or Veruca) to my Willy Wonka and you've just received a Golden Ticket! This is where all the magic happens! That's right you nosy little blog-rats--I give you...My Office!!! I wanted to keep it real so I made a point of not cleaning up (I often make a point of not cleaning up, for the sake of authenticity). You can see I have a fondness for piles. Coffee cups on top of paper on top of my 005 Micron Pen---there it is! I have a tendency to sit at my desk for hours without taking a break and still manage to lose things. How is that possible?! I'm constantly misplacing my drafting brush, my 18" ruler, my eraser (the damn thing bounces when you drop it), and whichever mark-making tool I happen to be using at the moment.
Fun fact: Notice the space heater below the drafting table--I live in a drafty old apartment and I've apparently picked the coldest corner of it to work in. It's also not uncommon to see my working during the winter with a shawl on my lap. I kid you not.
...and here's the super-science computer lab. It's the land of pretty Photoshop colors, ignored emails, and streaming National Public Radio audio files. It's also the same place I uncovered my long-forgotten digital camera. And, for some reason, a guy who lives alone has three chairs in his office. Notice that even the chairs serve as a flat surface for my piles of paper.
Fun fact: The extra long wire on my headphones is exactly the right distance from the computer to my ears while sitting at the drawing table. Also, because I am so conscientious, I'll plug them in any time after 10 or 10:30 so as not to disturb the neighbors. Don't want to keep them awake with the drone of my audiobooks!

Click on the last image for the panorama view.

This post brought to you by a lack of drawings to put up.