Hourman in Columbus

This is officially the last post from the Mid-Ohio show. This piece was done in advance of the show and at the last minute the person it was intended for could not attend. I promised to mail it to him after the show but it was a hard promise to keep. It sat there in my portfolio on the table and I had several people who wanted to buy it off me then and there. Don't think I didn't entertain the idea. Needless to say, I resisted, and the drawing found it's way to it's rightful owner.

This is my last post before the holidays--I'm going on vacation tomorrow and won't have access to a computer until the new year. Until then...

Happy Holidays everyone!

Ragnarok N' Roll

It's probably been said before that when I first started reading comics, it was Thor that brought me from G.I. Joe into the Marvel Universe. It was about midway through the Walt Simonson run on the book and I still maintain that Thor has never been as good.

Anyway, needless to say, this was a lot of fun to draw!

Sophie's Choice

Yes, folks--another drawing from Mid-Ohio. Be patient, we're almost to the end of these--just two more, I believe.
This one is Sophie, from The Damned, of course. I know you all know who she is because I know you all read the book at least 3 times and loved it enough to buy copies for all your close friends and immediate family. Surprisingly, this is only the second time anyone has asked that I draw one of my own characters. As busy as I've been this is the first time I've drawn any characters from The Damned in a couple months. Can't wait to get back to working on the follow-up. Just another month or so...

I Heart Hulk

I haven't picked up a Hulk book in years but I still love drawing the guy(I do plan on picking up the John Romita Jr. World War Hulk stuff when it gets collected).
By the way, I'm also super psyched about the upcoming Hulk movie.

Speaking of Bar Wenches

Here is the bar wench that I spoke of in the last post. Also, as an added bonus, I was sent a photo of the Frost Giant that I did for this same person.
Thanks to both Shannon and Billy!

Rasputin the Dragonslayer

Two more from Mid-Ohio! Continuing a trend started at last years Heroes Con, I have been asked to return to doing an X-Man, by way of Asgard. Always a ton of fun! I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. I have a feeling I'll be doing more of these in the future.

It's not often that I'm asked to draw a dragon but I loved the challenge. My favorite dragon? It's the black scary one from Sleeping Beauty. Least favorite dragon? Puff the Magic Dragon (that song made me cry when I was a little kid) or maybe that puppy dog looking dragon with the weird eyes from NeverEnding Story. The one that looked like a theme park ride. Falkor!

Both of these were done for a guy who tends to like to get fantasy themed commissions--which is completely fine by me, I love playing in that world. I will say that the other piece he commissioned at the show will probably stand the test of time as being the only time I'll be asked to draw a "bar wench". In the end, I think that one turned out pretty well, actually.

The Dude's Legacy

The Nexus one was fun to do because in looking around for some reference I was reintroduced to Steve Rude's art. I had forgotten how amazing he is. Want to feel intimidated while doing a commission? Try drawing a character that is so closely identified while the art stylings of one of our generations greatest draftsmen. That said, I was pretty happy with the way this final piece turned out.
While at Mid-Ohio I saw an early copy of Steve Rude: An Artist in Motion (due out this month). If you're any kind of a fan of "The Dude's" art, I highly recommend this book. It's a really nice production chock full of sketches, studies, paintings, etc. Keep an eye out for it!

Hasbro's Bonnie and Clyde

G.I.Joe's Destro and Baroness. Another fun piece from Mid-Ohio. You can't go wrong with the Baroness--you've basically got a hot librarian in tight leather. Even 9-year-old me knew that was hot.

We Interrupt These Con Posts...

I still have plenty of drawings from my recent show to share with you but I had to point out something that almost slipped past me. I hadn't been to the comics shop in a couple weeks so I was quite surprised and happy when I dropped in today. On the shelf was the new Fear Agent (#17 or Hatchet Job 1 of 5). Normally that would be enough to get excited about, but what really made my day was seeing my pin-up on the back cover. Now, this wasn't a surprise, I had done the pin-up two or three months ago--I just wasn't sure exactly when it'd see print. I was also really happy with the way the thing printed. I had done the color on the piece as well and had tried a couple new ways of approaching that (just trying to be a little more painterly in Photoshop) and to see it turn out more or less the way I had intended was quite a joy. I still got a ways to go to meet Tony Moore's level of coloring but it was tons of fun none-the-less. This drawing was so much fun to do--Fear Agent is such a change of pace from the kind of comics I'm used to doing. I'm not given much of a chance to delve into the fantastic (even The Damned can be a little too "grounded" for my tastes sometimes). Here's hoping there's more of this kind of work in my future.