The Drawing Board

Rant

2009-09-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

So I was surfing this fine, quiet weekend. Cup of tea in hand, sitting in bed to just relax. I happen to wonder, what's up with the world of comic artists? I haven't visited Alex Ross' website in a while! So I go on and I'm excited to see that he's got some stuff going on still. And I notice that there is an announcement on his page where they are releasing a second art book collecting his work from DC.

I'm a huge fan of artists like Alex Ross. I own some of his works. I especially go out of my way to get their art book collections. I've got Alex Ross, Bill Sienkiewicz, Kent Williams, Jon J Muth, George Pratt, Tim Bradstreet, Mike, Mignola, Drew Struzan, Claire Wendling, Brian Bolland, etc. I love seeing artists work in their early stages to finished product. As an artist, I am always amazed by how effortlessly and naturally these individuals grace a line on a blank page!

There are obviously masters of their trade! As a 'fan' it pleases me to see their work published in collected form and sitting on my bookshelf so from time to time, I can just grab one, crack it open and just stare in awe for hours.

So, the point of this is, it's obvious there is a large enough following for these artists to warrant production of these printed collections. After all these years and all these publications, WHERE THE HELL IS A COLLECTION OF ADAM HUGHES WORK?????

Yeah, Mr. Hughes is a big favorite of mine. So yes, he's more known for his big breasted, shapely females that grace covers on the comic stores. But, a real artist who can look beyond that, can see clearly that Mr. Hughes is such a master at his craft! It's just so weird that DC has yet to even be interested in printing his work!!! What's up DC??? He's done so many Wonder Woman and Catwoman covers. He's got a few other things he's done for other titles. There's a body of work there that is screaming to be collected! And don't forget his sketchbooks!!

I had the honor of finally seeing Mr. Hughes work at a convention one time in NYC. And I have to say, in person, flipping through his pages to see the ideas roughed out is just absolutely mind blowing!! I wish I could own his sketchbooks but, alas, that is way too much for my pockets! And I feel that there are people out there who'd feel the same way as I do about an AH collection!

If you can publish all the other artists mentioned, why can't DC publish AH already???

I highly doubt my rant will get any notice, but if it does, I hope it is the pebble that is thrown in the pond to start a ripple effect to DC to get their act together and get us AH fans a collection that has been LOOOOOOONG overdue!! Yeah, that's my two cents.

Working hard!

2009-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Yeah, there's been an extreme lack of posts on my blog as it's tough for me to really put any time here. Had to put the drawing projects on the back burner as it's been busy, busy, busy for me with the film work! Been training with the team, and coordinating some stuff here and there.

Currently, busy coordinating with a japanese production company for an upcoming TV show for Japan. They'll be shooting some scenes in NYC with action! Hands are full! Hopefully, will post anything remotely 'exciting' or 'interesting' back here as it comes!

Coffee plug

2009-02-06T20:00:00.001-08:00

Been a long time! Busy busy busy! Anyway, just a quick plug in support of a recent blogger I've come upon. Clay Enos! Amazing photographer who has just recently had his work published in the form of the Watchmen Portrait book. Yes, I suppose I'm plugging that too!

What I'm really posting is Clay's coffee! For those of you who are coffee fiends click on the link below to check it out! And what's even cooler is that all proceeds is being given to charity! How can you go wrong with that?

http://organiccoffee.com/

VIDEO

2008-11-17T10:23:00.001-08:00

For those of you who still follow me here and wondered why it's been super quiet, big sorry!

Been super busy working on my other 'side projects' and haven't had ANY time to update this blog! Meanwhile, click on the link below and vote for this video I've worked hard on along with my other teammates!

http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery/video/1564/

A little setback

2008-09-26T19:05:00.001-07:00

Ugh! Just when I thought my plate was full. Another big spoon of mashed potatoes gets plopped on my already overflowing plate. I don't know how much my stomach can take before it explodes!

There is a slight delay in my graphic novel as I am also occupied with writing chores. Yes, I don't restrict myself to just artistic endeavors. I fault myself with doing it all. Blame it on wanting to be 'self-sufficient.' Or, is it being too much of a perfectionist? Maybe it's a combination of both.

Either way, I'm keeping more then busy these days! It's difficult to keep up with even this blog! I think I need to hire an assistant!

Spacegirl rocks!

2008-09-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah! I know I should be updating this blog with my own material. But, I couldn't help it since I recently got my hands on a copy of Travis Charest's 'Spacegirl' collection (courtesy of the good folk over at Stuart Ng Books! Thanks!).

I've been regularly following Mr. Charest's career ever since seeing his work pop up at Marvel and then Image. I think I started to enjoy his work even more when I noticed his work evolve drastically with his run on WildC.A.T.s. His work was the only reason I picked up that dreadful series to begin with. To be honest, he was the only guy who came out of that era (in my opinion) that seemed to go anywhere. As apparent also with the release of WildC.A.T.s and X-Men and the new WildC.A.T.s series (which he lasted a few issues on before 'disappearing.').

I definitely admired and respected his evolution as a comic book artist. You can tell he was pushing himself. Gone were his signature 'Jim Lee clone' look from his early career. Now it's Travis Charest's own signature. And, like any artist who garners some huge popularity, I see some Charest clones in some comics these days too.

That's why I kept with Mr. Charest's work. While you have all these other artists continually stuck as your 'Liefeld clones, your Silvestri clones (funny, because Mr. Silvestri has become a Lee clone himself now), and of course, the Jim Lee clones. Mr. Charest has moved on and established himself as his own entity. And that is difficult in an industry (like any industry) where everyone wants to be the guy or gal that is the most popular.

I love my comic books. I love the images being put out. What I love even more is when you see someone with their own distinct personality on the pages you hold in your hands. That's why I enjoy the works of such greats as your Charests, your Adam Hughes, your Michael Kalutas, your Mike Mignolas, your...you get the point!

Oh, yes! Spacegirl, Volume 1! If you can find a copy of it, you should make it a priority to pick it up! It's entertaining and enjoyable work from Mr. Charest! I've been wondering what he's been up to and to see this collection, it's clear what he's pouring blood, sweat and tears over for the past, oh, I don't know how many years! As for me, I'm in complete awe of what I have. I can't begin to express how impatient I am to wait for Volume 2!

If you're a fan of Mr. Charest as well, you know it's essential to your library! If you don't know where to get it, you can start here with the good folks at Stuart Ng books! They have a incredible selection of other amazing artists whom I am also in complete fanboy awe of!

http://www.stuartngbooks.com/

You can also view the next chapter of Spacegirl over at the Travis Charest groups at MSN!

http://groups.msn.com/TravisCharest/_whatsnew.msnw

As for me, my ass should be going back to the drawing board!

Updates...

2008-07-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

Everything has been on the quiet side of late. Apologies to those of you who expect daily updates on my blog post. Things have gotten slighly busy outside of the series and I had to take a bit of time away from it. Rest assured, exclusive artwork will be posted soon to make up for the delay! Thanks!

Save Totoro Forest!

2008-07-17T03:37:00.000-07:00

As an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki's work, I'd like to take the time on my blog to push for his humanitarian endeavors. Currently, Miyazaki and Pixar animation studios are holding an auction event at Pixar studios to raise money to save Sayama Forest on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan. Sayama Forest was the inspiration for Miyazaki's classic animation film 'My Neighbor Totoro'.

Please take the time to check out the site 'Totoro Forest Project'. There are 200 donated illustrations from artists all over the world stemming from comics, animation, illustration, etc. If you wish to help or donate, you can find out more info on the link here:

http://totoroforestproject.org/

Early Art 4

2008-07-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Earl Art 3

2008-06-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Early art 2

2008-06-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Something to look forward to in the theaters this summer!

2008-06-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been away from the states for quite some time now. I've kept up with my usual 'nerdiness' by going online to read all about the latest movie news. And, I have to admit, this summer seems to be the most promising to me! I haven't felt this excited about seeing movies!

First off, I missed out on Iron Man. I love Downey Jr, and it sucks that I probably will catch it on DVD. But, from the little videos off Apple Quicktime, I'm pretty excited to see it! Although, recently, from the Civil War series Marvel put out awhile ago, it made me hate Iron Man. Tony Stark is such a sell out. I was taken aback when browsing through the new Thor series, and saw in an issue where Thor sticks it to Tony Stark. Wow! Way to go Thor! The movie interpretation might make me like him again. Thanks to Favreau and Downey, Jr. of course!

Next up, The Incredible Hulk. Not much expectation there to be honest. It does look entertaining though. Already heard from friends that it's a fun watch! Again, pity I won't be around in NY to watch it in time.

One thing is for sure, I am NOT missing out on The Dark Knight! I don't make it a secret that I'm a huge Batman fan. I've grew up with Batman comics and he's definitely the one comic character that rates at the top of my list. His is a much more deeper and psychological tale. And I love what Nolan did to the series with Begins. I confess I doubted it when I first saw photos of it and read about it. Heck, the first picture of Batman with that huge neck of a cowl turned me off.

My foot got planted firmly in my mouth when I saw it in theaters. I was surprised how great it was. It was my long awaited Batman movie! I never figured they'd redeem him after the crapfest that was Schumacher's nipple-suited camp. Finally, someone who got it right! Make no mistake, Burton is still a favorite! Burton started it and made my dreams of seeing the Dark Knight a reality! Now Nolan has realized my real dreams of 'THE ULTIMATE BATMAN' interpretation.

Next up? Hellboy 2 and Wall-E. I've always followed Mignola's work since seeing his back-up story in a Spider Man annual. Not sure which one it was. But, I just remember thinking, 'Who's this???' I've followed him through the Cosmic Odyssey, Gotham by Gaslight, his little back up stores in X-Men, Wolverine one-shot, his covers for Batman: Death in a Family, Legends of the DK, etc, etc. When he started Hellboy, that was it. I haven't followed any comics as fanatically as his brilliant series! And, now, with the sequel helmed by another genius in Guillermo de Toro, I'm excited!

Pixar is another production for which I have a special devotion for! And seeing those spots of Wall-E, I can't help but feel anticipation. Not to mention, Ben Burtt is doing the sounds!!!!

On the downside of things, I'm not looking too forward to Wanted. Nor is Punisher War Zone looking that good either. Both might make it to my rental list. The book for Wanted seems interesting. Don't get me wrong. I've been meaning to pick it up and give it a go. But, Wanted just doesn't do it for me. Neither is the Punisher. How many movie incarnations are they going to attempt before realizing, Punisher just isn't going to cut it???

I love my comics and I love a well done comic book movie interpretation. But, there has been too many horrible misses (Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, X-Men 3, Spider Man 3, etc, etc.). I wish the studios would take their time to bring us quality entertainment rather then just your below average popcorn fare.

Early art 1

2008-06-11T12:50:00.001-07:00

Here is a page of early art I did for some ideas I have for the story. They're really rough and not final. Was playing with how to introduce our main cast of characters in the story to the reader. This is page 1.

First issue

2008-06-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, again! For those of you who come back here from time to time for updates, sorry for the disappointment. If you're wondering what I've been busy doing, I've been pretty much plugging away at the rest of the first issue! Yep! I've finally quickened the pace and finished about 10 penciled pages (so far)! No slacking off lately just to assure you. I plan to finish at least 3 issues hopefully within the next months. Hoping!

I'm planning for this to be a 6-issue story arc for now. I'm going to do the Mike Mignola thing and basically just do a story arc at a time. I don't want to do monthly and be behind because of my slowness. If I can quicken the pace and produce a butt load of pages a day, or a week, then I'd commit to monthly. But, let's be realistic and stick to the story arc goal.

In the meantime, I'm still going to try and keep you all up to date, or at least drop a daily blog to keep you coming back! Stay tuned!

My Process

2008-06-06T08:52:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd let you in on my process. I'm sure there are some of you out there who are curious what I do and what I use when I work on my illustrations. So, here in the first photo is the tools I use. 2H Pencil, Rapidograph, ruler, eraser, Copic and paper (not pictured).

Next, I start sketching on my sketchbook. Me just doodling around and figuring out what I like. What works, what doesn't work. My 'planning stage.'

When I'm confident and happy with what I came up with through sketches, I start laying out the panel. Most professional artists use blue line paper, sadly, I still measure my panels manually without any blue line borders.

Next, I start laying out the basic structure of the panel I worked out with loose lines and slowly flesh them out.

Last, once the pencils are done, I go over it, make sure I like my lines, then go over it with the Rapidograph pens and then the rest gets the Copic makeover. If there are any sketch lines left, I just give it the once over with the eraser. Don't forget to sign your work so that everyone knows you did it!

So, there you go! I think I go through the whole drawing process like any other artist. Every artist's habits vary depending on their work pace. Overall though, I think we all draw alike behind the scenes. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask! Or just leave a comment and it would be appreciated! Thanks for sticking around!

Lagging behind

2008-06-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in new posts. Been lagging behind of late since I got back from the UK. I've definitely been working on the next few panels of the story. Working out a lot of little details that I like and don't like. So, stay tuned and hopefully, you'll see something new real soon!

On a different note, I normally don't plug for other people, but since I'm a huge fan. I highly recommend those of you to go out and pick up Mike Mignola's Hellboy Library Edition Volume 1 as well as the new Hellboy Darkness Calls collection! Both come HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as great reading!

Behind the scenes

2008-05-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings again! Well, the PC is still kaput. Although, it's currently in the hands of someone who can take care of such troublesome issues as that. In the meantime though, I decided to just take a couple of photos as I was keeping busy with the project. So, before I can get an actual high resolution scan up, I'll post some photos of what I've completed so far! Here's a preview of what's coming your way!

Hope you enjoy!

Clocking in

2008-05-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

Despite the lack of having the scanner, I have been keeping productive with the story. While I have been doodling in the sketchbook to work out ideas and stories, as well as getting accustomed to my Rapidograph and Copic markers. I think there has been some pretty decent improvement over the past weeks. Although it sucks that I can't share much with you at the moment. I do promise once things start working like normal again, that you'll finally see the stuff I've been working on.

As I've progressed with the comic, I have timed myself and can officially say, it takes me a whole day to sketch thumbnails, layout, pencil in, ink over, and 'color' in one whole panel. I know it sounds crazy. One day, one panel is a bit much. I can bet there are a lot of other professional artists out there who gloss over a page of about 5 - 7 panels a day. So I'm slow. I'm ranking up there with the really slow artists. Let's just hope I get really familiar with my new tools and technique that I can speed things up. Without losing quality of course. Should it not work out, well, I prefer quality over quantity. What do you think?

Technical difficulties

2008-05-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

If there hasn't been any new posts lately here, I have to apologize on behalf of my computer. Seems that I've been having technical difficulties with everything lately. That being the case, I have to wait until things are back to normal. Ah, the beauty of modern technology. I was being sarcastic if you didn't know.

I'll do my best to keep more stuff up even if I don't scan anything new!

Having fun!

2008-04-22T04:05:00.000-07:00

Haven't been posting past few days, must apologize for that! Been having fun with my new 'toys'. Took some drawings and messing around with it, and trying to get a feel for my new tools. What they are, I won't say for now. Just that I have been practicing and experimenting lately. Once I have something I like, I'll post it up and share!

More from the sketchbook

2008-04-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

Some tree studies. I've been having some tough time trying to come up with a modern story. But, eventually ended up going toward fantasy. To be honest, the modern stuff is boring. I like the fantasy element better since trees seem to be more interesting then buildings to me. And the architecture for fantasy is more grounded in medieval architecture, which is also more interesting then modern architecture. For me anyway.

2 Fat Guys In London Storyboards

2008-04-19T09:09:00.001-07:00

These are from my storyboard portfolio. Early storyboard illustrations for a feature film titled 2 Fat Guys In London. The project is still in it's early infancy stages. Roberto (Lopez), a very close friend (& regular stunt coordinator for my other side job as a stunt performer) started pitching the ideas he had in his head to me and from there, I just cranked out some images in my head for the project.

I've done other storyboards for him in the past, but, sadly, I will not put them up since, I am a stickler about my own product. If I don't like it, I won't show it. I prefer showing something that looks like it's got some weight to it. These aren't that bad, so I gave it an exception. I think I can do better still.

Sneak peak at the sketchbook

2008-04-19T08:34:00.001-07:00

I had fun with this drawing. It just started out like any other illustration. Random sketch and then, decided to push it further by inking it. I've been terribly afraid to touch my work with ink to be honest. Because I'm still such a horrible inker, I rarely touch my original pencils. But, this one made me happy. For once, my artwork feels complete. Well, it would be more complete if I added color to it actually. This is the first official sneak peak to my graphic novel project.

Well, I'd like to publish it as a graphic novel. But, if fate dictates it, I'm alright with it being a series too. Overall, there is a long storyline involved so I don't see my story ending after just 4 issues or as a one-shot. I can't really say what the plot is at the moment. You're just going to have to bear with me until things finally shape up to 'something!'

Official!

2008-04-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

According to my account, I started this thing since March '07. To be honest, I wasn't really thrilled to start a blog site. I've resisted the idea of expressing my personal thoughts openly on the internet. I have this love\hate relationship with the net. On one hand, I find it extremely useful to seek out new information I need whenever I need ideas or want to research for my personal projects (thank you Wikipedia!). And on the other hand, the way our society has shaped itself to be on the internet, I hated it for being such a evil for certain people to display themselves so shamelessly for lack of attention in their lives.

So, here I am! Finally making it official that I am going to start posting random thoughts on a regular basis for whoever wants to read about my life or opinions. It's been inevitable anyway, since I am an artist who is pushing to get my work known out there in the world. Since I have no other avenue I'm aware of to advertise my work, this is the only solution.

So, thank you random stranger or loyal friend, for joining me in this new journey together. I hope you will be entertained, enlightened, enraged, happy, sad, or angry with our newfound relationship! Overall, I look forward to hearing feedback directly from you regarding my work and supporting it if there is an audience out there for it at all. Perhaps you are the answer to my problems of finding a place for my work among the millions of other creator-owned property of so many other struggling artists out there!