Supajoe's Art Blog

Zatanna 2012

2012-01-09T11:12:00.002-06:00

Kicking off 2012 with Zee herself, Zatanna!

Heart

2012-01-07T15:33:00.001-06:00

Warming up today, I decided to draw my boy Kevin Mellon's character, Oren 'Rooster' Redmond, from his hit book from Image Comics, 'Heart.' Kevin's a great dude (and a great sport for putting up with Nick Pitarra & I), and I've been a fan of his style for a long time. His book is fantastic, even for an MMA noob such as myself--I highly recommend it!Hope I got the tattoos right!

Lost Morning Glories Cover

2012-01-05T12:46:00.002-06:00

Found this cover in my archives the other day. It was started back in 2010 when it looked like Morning Glories #2 was going to go to a fourth printing. It only got half completed before the fourth printing was canned. I liked the X-men-ish vibe with it (it was influenced by those old Silvestri X-men covers), and decided to finish it up! Maybe it’ll end up in the extras section for the next hardcover edition.It is also available for purchase here: http://theinteriorpages.blogspot.com/2012/01/joe-eisma-morning-glories-covers.html

Live Art Weekend

2011-12-11T09:54:00.001-06:00

This past weekend was a total blast! I participated in a live art show/charity auction to benefit the Genesis Women's Shelter in Dallas. Good times were had, many a brew drank, and art was made. I took part in my first jam piece, which was loads of fun. All in all, Rob Guillory, Brent Peeples, Nick Pitarra, Kody Chamberlain, Kristian Donaldson all threw some stuff down on two giant art boards. I also contributed a piece featuring the girls of Morning Glories: Casey, Jade & Zoe, in little Santa outfits, a la Mean Girls. I had a great time, and can't wait to do this again. But for now, back to work!

Patriot & Hawkeye

2011-12-06T09:16:00.001-06:00

Another from my recent commission sale--Patriot & Hawkeye from Young Avengers

Otcho/Shogun

2011-11-25T11:38:00.001-06:00

found this piece I did this past summer, and I had forgotten to post it. Shogun/Otcho from my current favorite comic series, 20th Century Boys. Seriously, I love that comic--I know I talk about it alot--but I highly recommend it! :)'Otcho is probably my favorite character in the book--he's a total badass.

Spider Jerusalem Too

2011-11-23T20:22:00.001-06:00

The second Spider Jerusalem (Transmetropolitan) that I did for my commission sale (which I am egregiously behind on, but catching up!). Back to work.

Austin Comic Con Commissions

2011-11-14T09:04:00.001-06:00

Austin Comic Con has come and gone, and what a show it was! First con I've been to since San Diego and first exhibiting since Houston back in May (having missed both Texas Comic Con and NYCC). Don't have much time to post, but I want to thank each and every person that came by my table to hang out, get sketches and buy books. I've been consistently floored this year for the love you guys have for Morning Glories! I was glad to hang out after the show with buds like Nick Pitarra and Rob Guillory, and finally meet creators I've admired, like Nathan Edmondson, Kody Chamberlain and David Marquez.

Without further ado, here are (most of) the sketches I did this weekend! Apologies for the cam-quality of most of the pics:

Dazzler:

Golden Age Catwoman

Poison Ivy

Zatanna

Buffy vs. Vampirella

X-23

Polaris

Red Sonja

Zoe from Morning Glories sketchcard

Sexy Jade from Morning Glories #1

Sexy Jade #2

David from Morning Glories kills Spider-man

Emma Frost & Casey Blevins from Morning Glories

Ike from Morning Glories w/ Squirrel

And lastly, for our dear friend, Kevin Mellon, here's NIck Pitarra and I in the best hug evar. haha

Then, reprazentin' YMAGE:

Commission Sale, part 1

2011-10-20T12:51:00.000-05:00

Here are three commissions I just finished this week as part of my commission sale. It's always fun seeing what kinds of requests I get. First up we have U-Go Girl, from Marvel's X-force/X-statix. She was my favorite character of that era, so I was stoked to get the chance to draw her. Next are Sayda & Chaos, two original characters created by Misty Coats, the brilliant colorist of Image's Skullkickers. Really dug Misty's designs for these two--hope I didn't mess 'em up too bad! And finally, Deadpool vs. Taskmaster, two characters I've drawn before, but that I never tire of!

Two New Commissions

2011-09-16T09:39:00.001-05:00

Two new commissions! First up is the classic, Byrne-era version of the White Queen/Emma Frost. This version was my introduction to the character, so she was a blast to draw. And second up, the always popular Batman villainness, Poison Ivy. She's probably my fave of the Bat Rogue's Gallery because, well, she's hot. haha

Twelve

2011-09-09T11:01:00.003-05:00

12 issues of Morning Glories. Man, I can’t believe it! We almost made it to where the 12th issue was out exactly a year after the first (if we hadn’t gotten delayed between 10 and 11). Ah well. Still, it’s the longest run of comics I’ve ever worked on. (Granted, I surpassed that milestone at issue 5) And in this market, that’s a pretty significant milestone!

It’s been a rollercoaster ride, and it only seems to be getting crazier. We recently turned in issue 13, which kicks off the third arc of the series and I must say, I’m pretty proud of this one. Usually, the first part of a new story arc can be touch and go—it can be difficult to find your footing as an artist. Here, I think all things clicked. This one starts a very Invisibles-esque storyline, and I couldn’t be more excited about that. We’ve got lots of awesome twists and turns in store, and I hope you’ll all still be along for the ride!

To commemorate this event, I drew up this shot of Zoe and a little birthday cupcake. Cheers! (if you want the inked original, shoot me an email at joe(at)supajoe.com)

Morning Glory Babies

2011-09-03T13:15:00.002-05:00

Heeeeere's the Morning Glory Babies!

After drawing 'David' from Morning Glories in a pint-sized, almost chibi style the other day, it was suggested to me I should do the rest of the cast. So, without further ado, here are some pint-sized versions of the Morning Glories cast I drew up just for fun!

MG Propaganda

2011-09-02T14:51:00.001-05:00

New commission--propaganda-style piece with Mr. Gribbs, Jun and Casey from Morning Glories.

MGA crest by Tim Daniel

Black Cat

2011-09-01T11:45:00.000-05:00

Kickin' off September with a Black Cat commission!

Morning Glory Babies: David

2011-08-31T14:29:00.001-05:00

this little warmup was just for kicks. Matt from Multiversity comics was joking around that my son should draw a book called 'Morning Glory Babies,' featuring kid-sized versions of the Morning Glories cast--like Muppet Babies. I thought it was hilarious and sketched up this 'baby' version of David, the ghostly being that haunts the school grounds.

Eden of the East

2011-08-30T21:20:00.001-05:00

Finally finished drawing the mammoth Morning Glories #13, so before I tackle my commission load, I decided to do some Eden of the East fan art! Specifically, main characters Akira Takizawa and Saki Morimi.

I loved the original series, and the first movie, and it's got a pretty sweet soundtrack (which makes great background music for drawing comics).

MGs Comissions

2011-08-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

Hey! I’m toiling away on a bunch of crowd shots in this issue of Morning Glories, so in the meantime, check these recently completed MG commissions.

Morning Graves

2011-08-08T09:13:00.001-05:00

Did this while waiting on script pages. I’m an unabashed New Mutants fan, and I’ve made it known the cover to issue 38 is one of my faves, so I thought it might be fun to put the Morning Glories kids in that same cover set up in tribute. Original credits of course to the amazing Art Adams! (original here)

Quick Change Spidey

2011-08-02T13:40:00.002-05:00

Here's a recently completed commission I did of Peter Parker changing into Spider-man. Done with Zebra pens and Copic multiliners.

July Commissions!

2011-07-28T09:18:00.004-05:00

Here are some recently completed commissions I did this month:

Jun from Morning Glories, for the winner of my 1000 followers Twitter contest. Next contest will be when I hit 1500 followers!

Zatanna commission. I used multiliners, zebra pens and copic ciao markers on this:

And lastly, a Maxim cover recreation featuring Zoe from Morning Glories. All text provided by the buyer. Wish my scanner hadn't lopped off the text on the left, but you can still make it out:

The Sticks Cover

2011-07-14T10:29:00.000-05:00

Did this cover awhile back and realized I hadn't uploaded it yet. This was for my buddy Tim Daniel's pitch for a superhero series called The Sticks. Sadly, I don't think the book got picked up, but it was sure fun to draw this one! Brilliant coloring by Rodrigo Aviles.

3 Commissions

2011-06-05T17:54:00.001-05:00

Hey folks! Take a gander at three recently completed commissions:

Storm, circa the 1980s:

Zoe from Morning Glories, in Purdue University gear:

Ravager:

Comicpalooza in Sketches

2011-05-31T13:40:00.004-05:00

Comicpalooza was this past weekend, and it was an amazing show! I had a blast meeting all the Morning Glories fans and doing lots and lots of sketches. Here's a sampling:

Adam Warlock:

The Stepford Cuckoos:

Mario & Princess Peach:

The Joker:

Dex-Starr:

Death:

Scud, the Disposable Assassin:

Catwoman:

Casey from Morning Glories:

Batgirl:

Morning Glories' Jun:

Wolverine:

Dallas Comic Con in Sketches

2011-05-24T14:07:00.005-05:00

Dallas Comic Con was this past weekend, and all I can say is: WOW! Crazy good show. Here's a look at some of the sketches/commissions I did:

Gesicht from Urasawa's Pluto:

Hulk:

Morning Glories' Casey:

Spider-Woman:

Groot & Rocket Raccoon:

Fire & Ice:

Chastity:

Power Girl:

Morning Glories' Jade:

Rogue:

Batgirl:

Atom from Pluto:

Catwoman:

Matinee Eclectica Final

2011-05-13T20:41:00.001-05:00

Here's the final version of the Matinee Eclectica cover I did. The colors on this were by the brilliant Misty Coats of Skullkickers fame!

Morning Glories Commissions

2011-05-10T20:14:00.002-05:00

Here are a slew of recently completed Morning Glories commissions. First we have Zoe in detention. Sure, it's a little tacky, but it's all in good fun, and as the buyer wanted.

Next are Ms. Daramount & Nurse Nine. First time someone has requested those two characters, and they're favorites of mine to draw.

Finally, we have a group shot of the cast, plus an apparent new student! (the buyer asked to be drawn alongside the cast)

Morning Glories Deleted Scene

2011-05-06T11:12:00.000-05:00

One of the many sketches I did this past Tuesday and Wednesday at A Comic Shop in Orlando, FL. This was the only one I managed to get a pic of, and it features on the spot dialogue from Nick Spencer. Apologies for the quality, since I don't have a scan of it.

We likened this to a deleted scene of sorts from issue 3, during Casey & Ms. Daramount's confrontation. And to be fair, initially, Casey had a jacket on, but lost it when the faculty flooded their classroom in a drowning attempt. :)

Pam & The Bear Claws

2011-04-25T14:00:00.002-05:00

Recovering from a head cold and waiting on script, so I decided to take some time to do something fun for myself. Here is Pam Poovey from the hit FX show, Archer. The second season just ended, and it was even better than the first season! I loved the scene this season with Pam and her bear claws, so I had to draw it.

I cannot praise this show enough--it's smart, stylish and extremely funny. Check it out!

Morning Glories Fashion, Bonus Edition!

2011-04-14T11:04:00.002-05:00

One more round on the Morning Glories Fashion catwalk! Like I said the other day, I had an idea for one more entry in this series, and of course it had to be Pamela, the psycho roommate/resident advisor. Nick has called her the 'unofficial 7th glory' and she's one of my favorite characters to draw. She hasn't shown up in awhile, though!

I decided to have a little fun with this entry, and really play up Pamela's psychotic tendencies. First outfit is based on Michael Myers' look from Halloween. Not the Bill Shatner mask look, but the scary clown kid from the beginning of the original Carpenter film. Then I decided to emulate Natalie Portman's look from Black Swan. Finally, Ghostface from the Scream movies (which were an influence on the book!). I seriously think Pamela would have these outfits in her closet and would wear them if she could. She's unhinged, but she's so much fun.

New Commissions!

2011-04-11T20:08:00.002-05:00

Here's a look at a bunch of new commissions I've done lately!

Morning Glories Fashion, part 6

2011-04-08T17:08:00.006-05:00

The final (?) entry in Morning Glories fashion is none other than the incomparable Zoe. Far and away the most popular character in the book--she's quite a firecracker. I'll admit that early on, it took me a bit to get the hang of drawing her. After her spotlight issue in #7, I got more comfortable with her and now feel more confident with her and her personality.

I always say that I base Zoe's appearance on Jordana Brewster circa the film, The Faculty. A lot of her mannerisms I use for Zoe. But, I also get a lot of Zoe from Leighton Meester's character Blair from Gossip Girl (not that I've ever seen an episode or anything..). Zoe clearly puts up a front, but it's clear she likes the finer things in life and has no qualms with wanting to look her very best.

I actually had one more idea for an entry in this series of character studies--hence the (?) above. I will hopefully get to it soon, but I am scrambling to get issue 10 and a load of commissions done. Colorist Alex Sollazzo has taken to coloring some of these up, and I'll share them all when he gets them all done.

Morning Glories Fashion, part 5

2011-04-05T09:11:00.001-05:00

Today's cast member to be spotlighted is Jun Fukayama! Jun gets a spotlight in the upcoming issue 9, and it's a real mindbender. Jun's a mysterious guy, but definitely seems the type that would still keep it classy with his wardrobe. I am fond of the leather jacket, an idea I got from an Asian classmate of mine from grad school who had the coolest leather jacket. I kinda wish I'd stolen it. haha.

Final entry soon--I think everyone knows who'd be saved for last. :)

Morning Chew

2011-03-29T19:40:00.002-05:00

this was a silly idea for a warmup drawing I had today. Joe Mulvey gave me an idea this morning as Chew co-creator Rob Guillory and I were talking about the comic book market on Twitter. Basically, Joe had an idea to combine Chew and Morning Glories, and his pitch was: '...A Cibopath who goes to a boarding school for gifted culinary students run by a cult.' and 'Lost meets Gilmore Girls meet Top Chef.'

Needless to say, it gave me quite a laugh this morning. So on my way to my weekly game dev meeting, I had an idea for a warm up sketch based on this, and here it is! Ms. Daramount from Morning Glory Academy offering Detective Tony Chu a bit of forbidden fruit. ;)

I for one, would love a Morning Glories/Chew crossover! haha
*Chew is copyright 2011 John Layman & Rob Guillory!*

Morning Glories Fashion, part 4

2011-03-24T15:22:00.006-05:00

Just put another issue to bed, so here's the latest 'fashionista' from the Morning Glories cast--the one and only Hunter. Kind of kept to his preppy-by-way-of-geek look that he normally sports, but also threw in a casual t-shirt look as well (said shirt featuring a show I know Hunter would be a fan of..). Drawing Hunter's mop of hair is always fun, but I might play around with it more in the series.

(obviously, The Guild is copyright 2011 The Guild!)

Now back to my backlog of commissions!

Morning Glories Fashion, part 3

2011-03-14T11:22:00.005-05:00

Continuing my series of style studies for the Morning Glories cast--today's fashionista is none other than Jade. Jade is actually one of my favorites of the cast to draw, though she hasn't quite garnered the fandom of someone like Zoe or Ike. Her emo look is the most fun for me to draw. Early on, I read a crit of her that felt I should push her into a 'Wynona Ryder circa Beetlejuice' kind of look. I agreed. Obviously her look here is kind of Japanese lolita influenced, but I kind of like it.

More soon (though I am snowed under with pages, so it might be a tad later than sooner!)

Morning Glories Fashion, part 2

2011-03-08T20:29:00.000-06:00

Continuing my series of fashion studies on the Morning Glories kids: this time it's Ike's turn on the catwalk. Next to Zoe, I think he's probably the other fan-favorite character. You just love to hate this guy. haha.

I picture him as pretty elitist, and the type that only wears the finest clothing he can buy. He's not the type that would 'dress down' outside of his traditional school uniform. Of course, he's also the type that has more to him that meets the eye.

Morning Glories Fashion, part 1

2011-03-04T13:07:00.002-06:00

Had some downtime between issues, and after 8 issues in, I wanted to play around with the looks of the cast of Morning Glories. They're in their school uniforms most of the time, but I wanted to conceptualize what they'd wear outside of class.

First up is Casey! I've got the rest of the cast mostly done, and I'll post them up as the days go on.

A Tribute to My Father

2011-02-28T09:20:00.002-06:00

On February 23, my father Jose Eisma passed away. I'd like to take a moment and pay tribute to this amazing man. This drawing is from one of my favorite photos of the two of us.

My dad, a native of the Philippines, came to America in the 1960s to practice medicine. Healing was his passion. He eventually settled in a small Texas town, where he met my mom and they had me. He was the most selfless person I knew--always putting his patients above himself and genuinely caring for the well-being of others. I always admired this attribute about him, and he imparted his way of caring for others to me.

He was also an unabashed geek. It was through him I gained a love of reading and fascination of things like Star Wars, James Bond and Star Trek. He took me to my first comic shop when I was a kid. If it weren't for his encouragement, I might never have picked up a pencil to draw my first comics.

I know he was proud of Morning Glories and its success. He was happy that I had found something as rewarding and fulfilling in my life as he had in his.

Though he is gone, and I hurt worse than I ever have in my life--I know that he will always be in my heart. I will forever be grateful for the times we had, and for all the life lessons he taught me.
Thank you, Dad, for everything.
R.I.P.

A Glorious Year

2010-12-23T21:18:00.002-06:00

Please excuse the tongue-in-cheek title--I couldn't resist. haha. What an amazing year! It has exceeded all my expectations and things just keep getting better.

This time last year, I was a bit lost. Morning Glories was on the shelf--Image/Shadowline were wanting to wait to release it in the late summer, right around San Diego Comic Con. I had plenty of projects offered to me, but I had to turn them down because I didn't want to mess up this opportunity. The start time kept getting shuffled around.
I kept plugging away at commissions and game art, and then the Existence 3.0 gig dropped on my lap. First, I was just assisting series artist Ron Salas on layouts to get the book back on schedule, and then halfway through the third issue, I had to take over the book. The deadlines were pretty insane, but I had fun drawing it. I really do wish Ron could have finished the book, but that's the way things go in this business.

Finally, around March I started on the double-sized first issue of Morning Glories, and have been plugging away ever since! It's been a rollercoaster ride, to be sure--I've been through computer meltdowns, learning to ink on a deadline, dental issues and health scares (I'm all good, though!). Handling a monthly gig has been a major learning experience. I've learned what my limits are and how far I can push them. I had hoped to do a number of small projects once my side project, Notorious, wrapped up, but I was just too wiped out. So, apologies to any writers out there, Morning Glories will be my only gig for the forseeable future (outside the occasional cover or pinup, if asked).

Through it all, colorist Alex Sollazzo and I have kept a real good pace, and I think we're getting better and better with each issue. We just wrapped issue 6, and I think it's our best work. This issue is an epilogue of sorts--I'm anxious to see what people think of this one. It's not like any of the previous issues.

In the coming year, I hope we can continue to ride this wave that Morning Glories seems to be on. We're dropping the price with issue 7 to $2.99, which I hope will entice new readers to give us a shot. And the trade is out in February, featuring issues 1-6, 192 pages, for $9.99! We'll continue to get into the mystery of the school and its faculty, and you may be seeing a bit more of fan-fave Pamela, the psycho Resident Advisor. I should note Zoe fans in particular will want to check out issue 7, as it focuses on her.

Now that the year's starting to wrap up, lots of comic sites are putting up their 'Best of 2010' lists. Check out the accolades we've gotten recently:

Best New Series, MTV Splashpage
Best New Series, Multiversity Comics
#3 Series of the Year, MTV Geek

Really though, the whole team and I owe everything to you guys, the readers! Without you, none of this would be possible. I cannot thank you enough for supporting the book and continuing to tune in month in and month out! I also want to take a moment to thank all the retailers out there that supported us--we owe you so much! This was the little book that could--it surprised EVERYONE with its success, most of all its creators. You've all made my year--definitely the best one I've had since I started working in comics five years ago.

Happy Holidays to everyone here--I hope they're awesome and you get all you've asked for and more. I know I have!

Sabretooth

2010-07-16T12:41:00.003-05:00

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of art! Morning Glories, Notorious and being Mr. Mom have all kept me heavily occupied. Thankfully, there's good news on the Morning Glories front, which I hope to share soon!

Meantime, I'm making headway on my backlog of commissions. Here's one I just finished--the X-men villain/sometimes team member, Sabretooth!

Notorious!

2010-06-24T21:33:00.002-05:00

'Notorious,' the new backup comic storyline I'm working on with Jay Faerber, started up this week in Dynamo 5: Sins of the Father #1, from Image Comics! I've mentioned this story a little before, but now that it's gone live, I'll start posting more art. Here are the last two pages of the first chapter, deftly colored by the incredible Paul Little. This guy does some amazing work!

Stay tuned for more!

The Winter Soldier

2010-06-15T17:39:00.004-05:00

I am really falling behind on updating! Sorry it's been awhile, but Morning Glories, Notorious and my game art gigs are keeping me swamped, with little to no time for personal art. I don't even want to think how far behind I am on Metrosketchual!

But, I'm planning on making a concerted effort to do more sketching before or inbetween pages. That's what this posting is! A poster on the Bendis board suggested I draw the Winter Soldier, and I liked the idea, since I've never drawn him. These days of course, he's Captain America, but I really loved his initial storyline early in Brubaker and Epting's run. I highly recommend those comics!

PS--Did I mention the DCBS deal on Morning Glories #1? $.99 for the 44-page first issue, plus a free sketch card from me! Here's the link

Existence 2.0/3.0

2010-05-24T19:38:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been awhile! Sorry for my neglect of this blog--Morning Glories has simply eaten up my time! I'll try and get better about posting more--I've also run into computer problems and don't have my main machine.

Here's a cover I did for the trade paperback collection of Image/Shadowline's Existence 2.0/3.0. I contributed art on this series starting with issue 2 of 3, and I feel lucky as hell to be able to have drawn the cover! (technically a collaboration--as Tim Daniel, the designer, deserves a lot of credit).

This will be in stores in August!

I heard a Rumor about a Spaceboy..

2010-04-23T19:01:00.001-05:00

This was my week to pick the theme for Metrosketchual, the sketch blog comprised of local DFW artists. I chose Dark Horse Comics' The Umbrella Academy, by Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba.

I'd always heard good things about the series, but only recently checked it for myself. I tore through both volumes--and they're some of my favorite comics in recent memory.

So, I chose to draw two members of the Academy--the Rumor & Spaceboy. I love Spaceboy's look--a guy transplanted into the body of a gorilla--how could that not be cool? And since I'd already drawn the White Violin once before, [link] I wanted to try a rendition of the Rumor.

I highly recommend this series--I can't wait to read more Umbrella Academy comics!

X-23 & Existence 3.0

2010-04-15T22:38:00.003-05:00

Here's a couple of new things. First, an X-23 commission. The buyer wanted her to resemble her appearance in NYX instead of her current X-force look.

And secondly, a page from Existence 3.0 #3, which came out this week from Image/Shadowline. I drew half this issue, and I apologize in advance for the jarring artistic transition between Ron Salas and I. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my work on the series. I did it in a slightly different style to my normal look--with heavier inks and more attention to shadows.

Latest Commissions

2010-04-06T20:15:00.004-05:00

Here are some commissions I recently finished. I'm really crunching for time this week, so I haven't been able to post much art. I'm in the home stretch of Existence 3.0--just a couple of pages left!

The Crow

2010-04-02T19:50:00.001-05:00

this is my entry for this week's Metrosketchual blog, this week's theme being the Crow.

I grew up on Marvel & DC, so I missed the Crow in his heyday. But, I was a fan of the original film with the late Brandon Lee, and I always dug the general dark style of the character. I wanted to go a lot looser with this drawing than I normally do (been reading a lot of comics by Sean Gordon Murphy & John Buscema), so this was a fun one to do!

Check Metrosketchual out!

Star Blazers

2010-03-29T20:47:00.000-05:00

commission of Star Blazers (aka Space Battleship Yamato), an old anime from the '70s. this was fun to do, as I'm a big fan of Leiji Matsumoto's work(Galaxy Express 999 is one of my all time favorite animes).

Juri vs. Ken

2010-03-28T13:50:00.001-05:00

this was my submission this week for the Metrosketchual blog. This week's theme was Street Fighter, courtesy Marshall Wilson.

I decided to take a shot at one of the new Super Street Fighter IV characters--Juri Han. I liked her design, so here's a shot of her whooping Ken's ass. Didn't get a chance to color this as I'd originally wished, on account of my workload, so I threw down some quick halftones.

Marrow

2010-03-22T21:14:00.002-05:00

this is a warmup sketch suggestion from way back, from someone on deviantart. i finally got around to it!

this is Marrow, who was a prominent member of the X-men in the late '90s. I wasn't a fan of hers back then, but she was actually fun to draw! One thing I do remember about her is she started out really grotesque and as time went by, Joe Mad drew her prettier and prettier. haha No idea what her status is in the books these days!

The Rocketeer

2010-03-19T12:21:00.002-05:00

This is my take on Dave Stevens' awesome character, the Rocketeer, for the weekly Bendis Board sketch thread.

Stantz & Slimer

2010-03-18T17:27:00.002-05:00

This was done for a brand new D/FW artist blog that recently started up. This week's theme was Ghostbusters. I chose Ray Stantz, as portrayed by Dan Aykroyd. Hope I captured his likeness. And I had to do a piece with Slimer, since he's so closely identified with the franchise! Originally, I had several ghosts from the films looming in the background, but it was looking too cluttered, so I just kept it as Ray & Slimer.

Please check out the other entries here!

Notorious Wallpapers

2010-03-16T22:06:00.003-05:00

The super cool Tim Daniel from Hidden Robot recently did a number of wallpapers and web banners for mine and Jay Faerber's upcoming story, Notorious, which will be featured as a backup story in Dynamo 5 this June. I was floored by Tim's work and wanted to share it with you all!

Cyclops

2010-03-10T14:16:00.000-06:00

this was a sketch request from last weekend's STAPLE! show. A poster on the Bendis board requested this shot of Cyclops in his New X-men costume--one of my favorite eras. We both agreed that Cyclops is normally garbed in pretty bland costumes, and that the New X-men was one of the rare good ones.

Ultimate Amazing Fantasy

2010-03-08T10:11:00.004-06:00

a couple of weeks ago i was asked by Tim Daniel at Hidden Robot to contribute to a limited run of prints he was planning on doing for this weekend's Emerald City Comic Con. It's a tribute to the original Amazing Fantasy #15 that featured the first appearance of Spider-man, written by Stan Lee. This version features Stan in the Spidey role, and longtime Ultimate Spider-man writer, Brian Michael Bendis, in the criminal role. :-)

This was so much fun to do--I wish I'd had more time with it. The backgrounds are all Tim, but the characters are all me. I'm told there will be a very limited run of these available for free at the con--25 of mine, and 25 of one by Jeremy Dale.

If you're at the show, be sure to pick one up! I wish I was going!

Solid Snake

2010-03-05T10:55:00.003-06:00

I had just enough time after wrapping up all I needed to get done for STAPLE! to do a sketch. This is Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series. I'm not big into the series, but I've always enjoyed the art style. (I did enjoy the original NES game, but by admitting that, I've totally dated myself..haha)

Anyway, I'm off to Austin--if you're going to the show, stop by my table!

Variety

2010-03-03T13:48:00.003-06:00

I've been swamped getting these Existence 3.0 pages done, but here's a look at some pieces I've done recently.

First is a cover for an independent comic called 'Pink Power' (aka 'Magic Panty') that I did this past weekend. You can find out more on the series here.

Second is an original piece, Shanna the She-Devil & Zabu. It was done for my portfolio, and is now available through my new art dealer, Jason Palmer of the Interior Pages! Coming soon there will be original pages of mine as well as sketches and what have you.

Lastly is my contribution to the weekly Bendis Board sketch thread, the theme being to draw a scene from the film 'There Will be Blood.' I didn't want to copy an image outright, so I didn't ink in a lot of the shapes and left them more implied than exact.

That's it for now! Got to get ready for the annual STAPLE! convention in Austin, Texas this weekend. If you're in town, please stop by!

Mass Effect 2: Miranda Lawson

2010-02-26T16:13:00.000-06:00

my entry for this week's Bendis Board sketch thread (link), with the them of video game, Mass Effect 2. I am not too familiar with the Mass Effect franchise--I've always been more of a Final Fantasy guy, but Bioware's RPG/shooter has quite a following, I've found. I did like what they did with Knights of the old Republic, but I've just never gotten around to checking out this series.

Anyway, out of all the characters, I chose Miranda, since she's got curves. :-)

Archer

2010-02-23T13:50:00.003-06:00

i finished up my last page for Existence 3.0 #3 this weekend, so I've taken the opportunity to get caught up on commissions, pages on Notorious, and to do some fun art for myself. I'm a big fan of the new FX series, Archer, which was created by the minds behind Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo. Plus, my friend Chad Hurd works on the show, so of course it's going to rock! It's a hilarious spoof of the spy genre, with a great cast.

Anyway, I dig the show, and I heard yesterday it got renewed for a second season! So, I decided to do this piece of fanart to celebrate the occasion. This is Lana Kane and the series star, Sterling Archer.

More about Archer: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/archer/

Captain Britain

2010-02-19T13:41:00.001-06:00

since i'm almost done with my first set of existence 3.0 pages, i found the time to knock this out. anyone that knows me knows i'm a big fan of captain britain and excalibur, and the recently cancelled captain britain & mi-13. i prefer the classic captain, but after seeing him pop up in the new heroic age promo art marvel's shopping around, i wanted to try out his new look.
all told i spent about an hour on this. back to pages!

Roy Batty from Blade Runner

2010-02-12T15:10:00.001-06:00

this week on the bendis board sketch thread, it was my theme suggestion--the iconic film, Blade Runner. of course, this happened to fall on the week I started Existence 3.0.. haha but i still managed to get something done for the thread: link

My favorite aspect of the film is the art direction and the color palette. Antagonist Roy Batty's final scene on the rooftop was one of many that stood out for me. I'd have liked to have polished this up more, but after almost two hours on it, I've got to get back to my pages!

Pages from New Projects

2010-02-11T16:15:00.002-06:00

hey all! i'm pretty swamped with Existence 3.0 pages, but I thought I'd give a peek into some of the other projects I have coming up.

First, Notorious. This is a street-level superhero story co-created by me and Jay Faerber, and it'll debut as a backup feature this summer when Dynamo 5 relaunches. I'm real excited about this, and I wish I could show more, but I don't want to give too much away. This page is from the second chapter, and it occurs after a fight sequence with the titular hero and some thugs, and now a couple of detectives are on his trail.

Secondly, this is a dragon-slayer pitch I worked on with writer James Patrick. I don't normally go for the knights/dragons/fantasy genre, but there was a hook in James' pitch that made me not want to turn it down. Needless to say, this page is from a prelude sequence that leads into a different direction for the story. I wish I could say more, but I don't want to give it away! Colors on this were done by Bob Rivard.

Dallas Comic Con Sketches

2010-02-09T14:02:00.003-06:00

i'm super swamped at the moment, but here's a look at some of the sketches i did at dallas comic con last month! robyn from we the people, scrap from dynamo 5 and morrigan seducing deadpool!

Dante's Inferno

2010-02-04T13:48:00.001-06:00

i am really excited to play the upcoming dante's inferno game, due out next week. i have heard all the griping about it being a god of war clone, but honestly--i don't give a shit. i didn't play the god of war games until recently, and only after i played the dante's inferno demo, which i loved. so, the disdained complaints from god of war fans are lost on me. and i know it's not an accurate translation of the original poem, but come on, it's a video game--liberties are going to have to be taken.

anyway, i digress. i love the art style in the game, and wanted to do a drawing from the game, so i chose the protagonist, dante aligheri.

this will likely be the last detailed color piece from me for awhile. a major assignment just landed on my desk and it's gonna be daunting. hopefully i'll make it! i still have some con sketches from DCC i need to post as well.

Indiana Jones

2010-02-02T11:20:00.000-06:00

i'm back at work after the craziness that was dallas comic con! after i did the mola ram piece last week, i said i'd draw up a proper shot of indiana jones for the weekly sketch thread at the bendis board [link] so here it is! it was fun drawing one of my childhood icons. i'll probably do more pieces from that 'universe.' :-)

It's All A Joke!

2010-01-30T08:49:00.003-06:00

i am pretty much out the door, and i realized i forgot to upload my newest print! batman's archnemesis--the joker! i've got a set of these for the dallas comic con this weekend, and if i have any left over, i'll gladly sell them online or as a freebie as part of a commission package.

anyway, off to the show!

Mola Ram

2010-01-29T15:33:00.001-06:00

here's my warmup for today--mola ram from indiana jones and the temple of doom. this was my favorite one of the films as a kid (these days it's raiders) and i've wanted to draw this guy for awhile. so it's sort of for this week's bendis board sketch thread, which was an indiana jones theme: link i'll do a proper indiana jones drawing sometime after this weekend's dallas comic con.

speaking of which, back to inking!

Black Cat

2010-01-25T15:02:00.000-06:00

between getting ready for dallas comic con this weekend http://scifiexpo.com/DCC/dallascomiccon.html and fighting a head cold, i've been pretty swamped the past few days! still, i managed to get in a warmup sketch--with felicia hardy, aka the black cat. i remember her and spider-man dating when i started reading comics in the '80s, and ever since i always thought she was the hotter chica for pete. maybe it's the tight black leather costume.. haha

Bon Voyage, Conan

2010-01-22T15:25:00.001-06:00

the other day, my buddy len suggested i draw conan o'brien as a warmup sketch. if you've been following the entertainment news, you'll know there's been a huge uproar about conan's ousting of being the host of the tonight show (or quitting, whatever). personally, i think he got a raw deal--i mean, only 7 months in, and they're going to replace him with leno? (i know there's a lot more to it, such as moving leno's show and all) still, i feel bad for the guy and his staff, which moved coasts to work on that show. ah well, that's showbiz, i guess!

anyway, i've depicted conan sailing on to better things here. :-)

New Marvel Pages

2010-01-21T11:01:00.002-06:00

here are my latest Marvel sample pages. This is a Daredevil vs. Typhoid Mary fight scene. I'd started these awhile ago, but they just weren't gelling, and work began to pile up, so they got neglected. After getting some helpful advice from friends and from one Patrick Zircher (artist on Marvel's Terror, Inc., among others) I got the pages where I wanted them. These were fun to do--I mean, who doesn't love a good fight scene? :)

Sunfire & an Elf with a Gun

2010-01-18T20:33:00.004-06:00

couple of '70s marvel-related sketches today! first, sunfire, in his classic look, as he appeared in the '70s (most notably in the all new, all different x-men). this was a suggestion from mr. mike exner III--thanks, mike! always dug the character, and wish he'd stayed on with the x-men.

then probably one of the more..odd pieces i've done. the elf with a gun! i had to make another contribution to the 'marvel misfits and dc oddities' thread at jinxworld. this character was an oddball hitman that appeared mostly in the defenders comics written by steve gerber in the '70s. i remember picking up back issues with this character and just thinking it was beyond weird. haha

The White Violin

2010-01-14T21:39:00.000-06:00

day three of daily warmup sketching! this one was an idea from someone at jinxworld--they suggested the dark horse series, umbrella academy. i chose the character the white violin. she's got a rather, unique look to her. :-)

Rocket Raccoon

2010-01-13T17:00:00.005-06:00

wow, i must be on a roll--second day in a row i've been able to get a quick sketch in before work. haha

this is marvel's rocket raccoon--who most recently appeared in guardians of the galaxy, i believe. i did this for the bendis board weekly sketch thread--this week's theme being 'marvel misfits and dc oddities.' potential goldmine! haha link

i always thought this was a crazy, out there idea for a character, but i think he has a certain charm to him. and i think raccoons are pretty funny on their own anyway.

Hack/Slash

2010-01-12T16:49:00.000-06:00

this is a warmup sketch suggestion from my friend marc. it's tim seeley's :iconcoltnoble: cassie hack, from the series hack/slash. i have to admit i've never read the series, but i've always liked tim's art!

the initial sketch was done pretty quickly, but i went back later after my kid took a nap and threw down some grey tones.

Battlestar Galactica

2010-01-11T16:05:00.001-06:00

battlestar galactica! i was a pretty big fan of the recent sci-fi (i hate 'syfy';) channel revisioning, right up until most of the last season, which was a huge letdown. anyway, someone suggested i draw adama, so i did, and i decided to throw in a couple of my other favorite characters, tigh and starbuck, into the mix as well.

Doctor Who

2010-01-08T16:18:00.002-06:00

my friend and morning glories writer, nick spencer, threw out a request for a doctor who sketch over at the bendis board. i'm trying to get into the habit of doing warmup sketches again, and finally got around to it! this is based on the tenth doctor, david tennant.

i'll be honest--i've never seen an episode of the series, but my friends just seem ga ga over it. there seems like so much history to the series, though. any doctor who fans with opinions on where to start?

Marvel Commissions

2010-01-07T16:34:00.003-06:00

Happy new year! Here's some new stuff! First, a couple of commissions--Marvel's Taskmaster and Ares, both featured in the Avengers titles recently. Taskmaster was always cool, but I thought he was a villain? And Ares is just awesome. I loved Frank Cho's interpretation of him in Mighty Avengers.

Finally, a sketch I did of the Runaways. I'd say it's far and away my favorite title Marvel's put out in the past ten years. Adrian Alphona's art continues to be a big influence on me. I haven't followed the series lately, though, but I want to pick up some of the trades next time I hit the shop!

Wolverine

2009-12-30T12:05:00.001-06:00

My contribution to the Bendis Board weekly sketch thread--with Wolverine as the theme. link I'm no fan of Wolverine's yellow & blue costume (personally i think it's ridiculous) and i always think wolverine should be short and squatty like john byrne depicted him. anyway, i opted to draw wolvie in his 'mutant lumberjack' look in the wilds of canada.

drawn in manga studio & photoshop cs3

Silent Night, Deadly Night

2009-12-23T15:14:00.001-06:00

ho ho ho! killer santa from the film 'silent night, deadly night.'

i hope everyone has a fantastic holiday. :-)

Buzzin' on Love

2009-12-21T19:37:00.002-06:00

it's been a crazy, drama-filled day (long story, but you have to love the holidays) so i needed to unwind. so here's a sketch of maggie and norm, from the newly released book from oni press, 'Love Buzz.'

It's my friend Len Wallace's first published work, and I can't say enough good things about it. It's a 'true love story' but it's by no means sappy or overly sentimental. I was pleasantly surprised by this story (mostly because Len is kind of a pervert when we talk. haha) Anyway, I highly recommend the book!

Now that I feel things are back on track, it's time to draw some comics!

Spider-man

2009-12-18T16:48:00.000-06:00

i realized i was nearing 300 deviations on deviantart last week, so i dusted off this spidey drawing i'd started a couple of months ago. it started off with a little goofy gesture drawing of spidey (since he's prone to get in odd positions) and i didn't do much with it for awhile.

but i was looking at google maps recently and discovered it's pretty handy for building design references! so i decided to finish this drawing and make it the 300th piece of mine on deviantart!

okay, off to wrap presents. have a great weekend, all!

X-men

2009-12-15T22:11:00.000-06:00

This is some sketching around i did this weekend in manga studio. These are the x-men circa the start of writer mike carey's run, so we have omega sentinel, rogue and sabretooth. carey has been probably one of the best x-men writers in recent memory. x-men legacy is the one x-book i make a point to pick up!

Gesicht

2009-12-11T22:44:00.000-06:00

some fan art from Naoki Urasawa's Pluto, which I've talked about in my deviantart journal. This is the main character of the series, Gesicht, a robot police detective. This shot comes from a scene at the end of the first volume. I highly recommend this series!

Stepford Cuckoos

2009-12-09T14:16:00.002-06:00

I turned in the final page of chapter 1 of mine and Jay Faerber's Notorious, and I felt like sketching afterwards. I decided on the Stepford Cuckoos, who were introduced in Grant Morrison's New X-men run a few years back. They're sort of clones/daughters of Emma Frost, each with telepathic powers. I wanted to draw them all kind of doing their own pose, because it seems every pic I see of them, the artist has just duplicated a single drawing.

Anyway, back to work!

Stephen Stills & Scott Pilgrim

2009-12-04T15:56:00.003-06:00

here we have stephen stills, singer/guitarist and scott pilgrim, bassist of sex bob-omb!

i was inspired to draw up the rest of the sex bob-omb band after the kim pine sketch i did: [link] this will be part of a print i'll have a limited run of at STAPLE! 2010. It'll be fully colored and I'll post the final version here when it's done!

Sheva Alomar

2009-12-02T15:45:00.001-06:00

another entry for the bendis boards' sketch thread! the theme this week was 'your favorite video game character of 2009.' [link] well, my favorite game was resident evil 5 (despite the fact that i haven't had much time to play), so i chose to sketch one of the protagonists, Sheva Alomar.

done on my cintiq with manga studio

Curb Your Enthusiasm

2009-11-30T19:42:00.001-06:00

sketch of larry david of curb your enthusiasm and seinfeld fame. curb is one of my all time favorite shows!

Fanboy Radio

2009-11-30T09:41:00.002-06:00

A quick note to let everyone know that the folks at Fanboy Radio have uploaded the interview I did with them last week! You can listen in here!

New Commissions

2009-11-28T22:37:00.001-06:00

a pair of recent commissions. First, DC comics' Zatanna. The buyer ended up wanting a slightly different pose for her, but i liked this version too much to throw away!

and next is an original character from someone, the name being Great White. I believe he will debut in an online comic soon!

Power Girl

2009-11-25T15:04:00.002-06:00

a quick, tongue-in-cheek sketch of power girl today. my son got sick on saturday and was kind enough to pass his cold on to me, so i'm wiped out. haha good timing, too! oh well. hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving!

Buffy slays Edward

2009-11-20T13:59:00.001-06:00

another piece done for the bendis boards' weekly sketch threads. this one was for buffy the vampire slayer, (link) and in honor of the new twilight movie coming out, i decided to cross them over, as it were. haha

after hearing my wife and her friend and pretty much every other female i know go on about twilight, i decided to have a little fun at the sparkly edward's expense.

Heroes & Villains

2009-11-18T10:42:00.002-06:00

first up, a commission of marvel british superheroes, union jack and spitfire. i always liked union jack's costume when i was younger, and spitfire has really become an interesting character in the captain america and captain britain & mi-13 comics.

and secondly, a warmup sketch (finally!) of the villainous evil ex-boyfriends of ramona flowers, matthew patel and lucas lee, from the scott pilgrim series. i can't recommend that series enough!

Reporter Kermit

2009-11-17T13:57:00.001-06:00

this was a 30 minute speed drawing i did just now for one of the bendis board's weekly sketch threads (i'm so behind, but the week this was for was your favorite sesame street character: [link]) i always enjoyed the kermit reporter segments on sesame street, and even though i sometimes catch the show with my son these days, i don't think kermit does this segment anymore. ah well.

Batman & Robin

2009-11-15T19:33:00.001-06:00

I did this piece as sort of a companion piece to the Joker & Harley Quinn piece I did a ways back.

I don't get to the comic shop as often as I'd like to these days, nor do I read as many singles as I used to, but one series I can't miss is Grant Morrison's Batman & Robin. I based the characters' looks on how they appear in that series, which is loads of fun. I won't spoil the current storyline, but let's just say it's a different sort of Batman in the book.

I've got more Bat-verse pieces in the works, which I'll be posting soon!

Kim Pine & X-23

2009-11-11T20:57:00.003-06:00

first up, an x-23 commission. she's wolverine's clone, i believe, and currently a member of x-force. hadn't drawn her before, but she's fun to draw!

and next, after a frustrating day of drawing comics, i needed to blow off some steam and have some fun. it's been awhile since i've done any scott pilgrim art, so i decided to do a shot of scott's first girlfriend/ sex bob-ombdrummer, kim pine. she's known for her shout-out, 'WE ARE SEX-BOB-OMB! ONE TWO THREE FOUR' before rocking out. haha

this one was fun. i'm not ready to quit comics. yet. :-)

Dr. Mrs. The Monarch

2009-11-09T12:09:00.000-06:00

in between pages and commissions, i'm trying to work on some new stuff for the upcoming convention season. people seem to dig my venture brothers stuff, so i decided to do another! this time, the sexy and unfortunately vocalized Dr. Mrs. The Monarch/aka Dr. Girlfriend. I'm planning on doing a limited run of prints of this, probably debuting at STAPLE! 2010 in March.

DCU Love

2009-11-05T15:54:00.003-06:00

first up is a Green Lantern Kyle Rayner commission I recently finished. Not too familiar with the character outside a couple of Grant Morrison JLA issues, but this was fun to draw!

Next, Supergirl. i drew this piece for fun--i needed a break from standing poses, and i wanted to draw supergirl. haha. i also wanted to stay away from the overly cheesecake versions i see of her so much, and the standard 'flying around' pose she's typically in. DC toned down her look recently, so i wanted to try that look out.

and there's no background because i couldn't think of anything, so there. :-)

Cable & Gambit

2009-11-03T17:19:00.002-06:00

Welcome to November! First up is a Cable Commission I recently finished, and after that is a pic of Gambit and some random sketches I did in Manga Studio. I've been using Photoshop to draw comics since 2005 and not had much luck trying out other programs to draw with. But I got a trial version of Manga Studio a ways back and forgot about it. I finally tried it out this weekend and I've got to say--I really like it! Drawing is real easy with the cintiq and it feels more like traditional inking techniques than in photoshop. I've got a ways to go before I add this to my workflow, but I may have to spring for the full version soon.

The Phantom Killer

2009-10-31T16:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween!

No, this is not jason vorhees from friday the 13th part 2, but the Phantom Killer from the film 'The Town That Dreaded Sundown.' (the friday the 13th filmmakers totally ripped off this guy's look). It's been many years since i saw the movie, but i remember renting it quite a bit as a teenager. I was fascinated by the pseudo-documentary feel to it and the overall creepy atmosphere. The Phantom Killer was a real life serial killer in the Texarkana area in the '40s. Wiki here.

Dynamo 5

2009-10-30T16:37:00.002-05:00

here are the inked pages to my contribution to Dynamo 5 #25, on sale now from Image Comics! I did these pages in between finishing We the People and beginning Morning Glories, and they were just a blast to do. The script was fun and I got good feedback from Jay Faerber and Mahmud Asrar on the pages, and the final product was colored by Paul Little, one of my favorite collaborators.

I also included my thumbnail sketches for the pages. The final splash page came out a lot different to the original thumb.

Expect more from Jay & I in 2010!