Umex is back. #lordsofthecosmos are also back in business with Chapter Two!
Manticore Pencils
The extra time to do this fell in my lap, and I had everything gear up from the Chimera to do another similar piece of art- this time, into Greek Mythology with the Manticore!
This was sort of a backup composition and layout to the prior piece with the Chimera. Similar, but different.
From Wikipedia: The Manticore (Early Middle Persian Martyaxwar) is a Persian legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx. It has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), sometimes bat-like wings, and a trumpet-like voice. Other aspects of the creature vary from story to story. It may be horned, winged, or both. The tail is that of either a dragon or a scorpion, and it may shoot venomous spines to either paralyze or kill its victims. It devours its prey whole and leaves no clothes, bones, or possessions of the prey behind
Enjoy!
Chimera Pencils
Another exciting foray into Greek Mythology, this time- one of my favorite creatures- The Dragon, Lion, Goat headed Chimera! In addition, bat wings and a snake for a tail. This project was exciting to make, and it played to one of my strengths- exotic creatures!
The mini Greek Temple in the background was just to balance the composition and to give a cultural touchstone to the artwork.
From Wikipedia: The Chimera (/kɨˈmɪərə/ or /kaɪˈmɪərə/, also Chimaera (Chimæra); Greek: Χίμαιρα, Chímaira) was, according to Greek mythology, a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of more than one animal. Usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat arising from its back, and a tail that might end with a snake’s head,[1] the Chimera was one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters as Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra.
Enjoy!
Ride of the Valkyries- Final Pencils
Following up on Last Year’s Medusa Mythological Creature poster- here are the Nordic Valkyries. A fun project to make, and I was please on the composition and how the pencil part of the project turned out- the 3 Valkyries and Odin’s two Ravens all really became unique characters with personality in this artwork!
Without further fanfare- RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES!
Last Starfighter: Attack on the Ko-Dan Armada Pencils
Another classic 80’s sci-fi film being adapted to a pinup- this time- I was commissioned to do THE LAST STARFIGHTER. Taking my favorite character- the creepy ultra detailed military leader LORD KRIL as a focus, I built the layout around him. I really loved Kril’s costume and makeup as a kid, especially his monocle, so it was really fun to work on this individual character. The makeup people and costume designers spared no effort on this character in 1984, so I really wanted to the Armada’s Commander some artistic justice!
To fill out the page, and show more items that fans love from the movie-I decided to have him watching the GUNSTAR on a view screen while it attacked a swarm of his “v” shaped DECK FIGHTERS- aligned in somewhat straight rows. This way I could have a character and the iconic vehicles fighting in space at the same time.
The hardest part about this project is the simple fact that there almost no decent photo/prop reference at all. I had to spend extra time doing research online and freeze framing my DVD to capture the extreme details of the costume and equipment specifications to get my artwork as close to accurate as possible.
I always want to make an unique composition and not just “copy a still shot” from the film, while at the same time being very accurate with the exact details & specifications from an existing media property. Overall, I was happy that I was able to achieve both goals while paying respect to the property I loved as a kid while making an original piece of artwork that was loyal to the film, but something new for fans to enjoy on it’s own merit.
Ok true believers- time to suit up, and join the Star League to protect the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada!!
Cleveland Comic Con Commissions
Some fun commissions I did in Ohio at the Cleveland Comic Con!
The “FLY” Brundlefly Pencils
Another commission for a client- this one is from the 1986 Sci Fi film- THE FLY which had some great practical special effects with the transformation of the main character into a fly-human hybrid, the “Brundlefly”. So for this project, I wanted to highlight the creature which plays to my inking skills to really make the grotesque come to life, and I wanted to show the iconic teleportation pod.
From a composition & lighting viewpoint, I wanted to back light the creature and make some large dark areas of solid black, so you can see my backlit lighting layout in the blank spaces coming out of the right side of the Brundlefly and the left side is just a small lit outline.
So without further fanfare- here are my finished pencils for “THE FLY”
Baltimore Comic Con 2015 Commissions
Judge Death, Mysterio and Black Canary filled my docket for Baltimore this year, and Judge Death is getting the full ink treatment for a client – Ill update that as a separate entry when done!
MAD MAX 2 THE LORD HUMUNGUS – FINAL PENCILS
“Greetings from The Humungus! The Lord Humungus! The Warrior of the Wasteland! The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla!”
Another great commission for a client- MAD MAX 2- THE ROAD WARRIOR! I was told to make a pinup based on this movie using any elements from the film I felt would work- So I made a list of my favorites- and came up with Lord Humungus, Wez, Toadie and the Vehicles that Humungus drives around with the two hostages tied to the front. After playing with the composition a bit, I used the same tilted background with the vehicle to show that off with Humungus and Wez paired up in the foreground. I really liked how it turned out and I really am excited to ink this project soon!
Bill Hicks Third Eye – Final Pencils
A small project- but one near and dear to my heart- my rendition of Bill Hicks, but with his 3rd Eye open and watching the mediocre masses while taking a drag on a cigarette… Bill has been an artist that in the last few years has helped me open my 3rd eye to art, creation and what it means to be someone a bit outside of the mainstream. So without further ado… here are some Bill Hicks Quotes to enjoy my new artwork with…..
“Squeegee your third fucking eye!”
“I get a kick out of being an outsider constantly. It allows me to be creative. I don’t like anything in the mainstream and they don’t like me.”
“When did mediocrity and banality become a good image for your children? I want my children to listen to people who fucking rocked! I don’t care if they died in puddles of their own vomit! I want someone who plays from his fucking heart!”
“Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye.”
“Go back to bed, America. Your government has figured out how it all transpired. Go back to bed, America. Your government is in control again. Here. Here’s American Gladiators. Watch this, shut up. Go back to bed, America. Here is American Gladiators. Here is 56 channels of it! Watch these pituitary retards bang their fucking skulls together and congratulate you on living in the land of freedom. Here you go, America! You are free to do what we tell you! You are free to do what we tell you!”
-Bill Hicks- American Comedian, Philosopher and Hero
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