A very cool write up in the news about me from the talented William Mauro Jr. Thanks to all of my fans in Williamsport that made this happen, very cool!!
Pittsburgh Comic Con 2014 Commissions
Like a game of pictionary for geniuses, the citizens of Pittsburgh put me to the test with no less than 10 commissions last weekend. Enjoy.
“Weeping Angel” from Dr. Who Commission – Pencils
Well the Dr. Who project gets to add a new member to my Time Lords Rogue Gallery. One of the newer show villains- a “Weeping Angel” was commissioned by an awesome fan at Baltimore Comic Con for a gift for his signifigant other’s birthday. While I need to get Lords of the Cosmos rolling again, I am still getting research done for my next team pinup, and with Pittsburgh Comic Con coming up this weekend, this is a perfect time to fit in this artwork, and add it to my print gallery for future shows and as a portfolio piece.
Work notes- this creature has very little context- they are statues with sharp teeth that only move when you can see them, and they love to have odd hand and arm gestures like they are reaching towards you when “locked” in their static stone state. I tried to capture that facial expression and outlandish arm/hand gestures as well. Finally, I added the Tardis for a recognizable background to bring it into the WHOniverse from a graphic sense.
There are two pencils below, the first is a modified photo of the final artwork, I need to ink it very soon, so a full and proper scan is out of the question, I played with the contrast and brightness and it gave the pencils an otherworldly look. The lower penciled piece is a proper scan, but I did some work after it, which is the more completed penciled scan above it.
“LIVING CORPSE” Commission – Final Inks
Just got the final scan back from Blair Smith of the “Living Corpse” Team, lots of Black just highlights that creepy face and wrinkled hand. For a simple composition, I was really happy with the final results of this Baltimore Comic Con commission….Enjoy!
PREDATOR Vs. ALIEN Commission – Final Inks
I was very pleased with the fast pace I turned this commission from Baltimore Comic Con around, lots of energy, and I used large areas of black to get it done fast, and the effect of the chiaroscuro really served to highlight the figures in the artwork. Gotta admit, Im still rooting for Alien!!
A nice bookend piece to my Colonial Marines Vs. Aliens from this winter. Thanks to my Client Eric who paid me to make this awesome pinup for his collection!
Final Inks, and a photo of Eric with his Dad and I below!
Supergirl & Vampirella Commission From Baltimore Comic Con
More commission mash up fun from Baltimore Comic Con. Supergirl’s blood fed by kryptonite sword to Vampirella by a fan. Who says a blood fetish with a tortured super-heroine from the fans can’t be cool? Thanks to my amazing helper Skittlez in D.C. for introducing me to Marco!!
This was a fairly complicated piece to pull off with limited time, no reference, and a very tired (3rd day of the con!) artist that had been drawing non stop to get “The Living Corpse” and “Alien Vs. Predator” done that weekend as well.
I really liked how Vampi’s face and hair turned out with the dripping blood- the artwork below is from photos of the pencils before the client took it away, so the quality is sort of sketchy – no pun intended. Enjoy!
Some closeups
PREDATOR Vs. ALIEN Commission – Pencils
So this commission for Baltimore Comic Con turned around so fast, I barely had time to get a partial scan of the pencils, and an effects laden shot from an ipad of the final pencils. Overall, a really fun piece. Why didn’t Dark Horse have art this good all the time? One can wonder…. Enjoy, inks coming soon. When I get the scan from the client I will post it up, this piece was completed at the BCC show last weekend.
Update on 9/15/2014 got a semi decent look at the final pencils (cleaned up from a photograph at the convention)
LORDS OF THE COSMOS: Disciples of Umex Pinup – Final Inks
The Disciples of UMEX in their first completed inked pinup from LORDS OF THE COSMOS . Soak up the 80’s toy inspired crew of killers… UMEX THE LEADER- “Poisoner of Worlds”, an organic lifeform designed to kill merged with a constantly adapting mechanized chassis designed to take over living creatures in close quarters combat….his entire body is in constant conflict while is tentacles infect any he touches with a slow agonizing death from his internal poison reservoirs.. .he oversees his personal cult/army “THE DISCIPLES OF UMEX” with unwavering devotion to the his ultimate goal the destruction of planet AIDEN… MORDANTIX- “The Living Vat of Acid” mostly machine barely human, this infernal machine fuels his internal engines by taking and engulfing his victims inside the large acid filled cistern his twisted cybernetic body is merged to for eternity, he moves along on large mechanical spider legs considered heavy armor support to the Disciples of Umex… MISTRESS ZEMBA “Murderous Seductress” Dominatrix Soldier to the Disciples of Umex, she laughs at the screams of the dying, waiting to skin the survivors alive. Zemba will use her Flesh Whip to flay her victims to death after she seduces them for any and all information to increase her Leader UMEX’s foothold on the power struggle he faces against the LORDS OF THE COSMOS…. SHREDTOOTH Soldier to the Disciples of UMEX Defilier of the oceans of AIDEN Shredtooth is dangerous underwater, or on land. His teeth are razor sharp and equally as dangerous his claws, dont let his odd body put you at ease, he is frightfully fast in close quarters in any environment. His head appendage is a natural light to lure victims in dark places to their ultimate end…. WE ARE THE DISCIPLES OF UMEX
“LIVING CORPSE” Commission – Pencils
A fan favorite from the convention scene- “THE LIVING CORPSE” Im working on for Joe Perry as a commission for the 2014 Baltimore Comic Con- a fun character to draw, sort of a new wave Crypt Keeper. The guys that make this comic are rockstars in the comic book world so it has been fun to play with their creation…
2014 Convention Posters- Using Manga Studio 5 & GIMP
So without much fanfare, I have been learning how to use Manga Studios 5 and GIMP to create show posters for my comic conventions. I have to give Brian Allen www.flylanddesigns.com credit for pushing me to learn more than I was used to. Brian held my hand on the Setsucon poster, and then just turned me loose, and I’ve been learning and experimenting for a few hours per week all year since January. Using my existing artwork, and then adding backgrounds, effects and text has been a great way to explore a more “graphic arts” angle to my work. I have been trying to keep each one unique and fun at the same time. Here are my current posters, oldest at the bottom, newest at the top…
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