The Carnival #2 - A Panel In Process & APE SF

Working away on getting The Carnival #2 to press for APE in San Francisco on October 3rd & 4th! Wanted to document the creation of a panel early on in the process, in case there is some idea that comics are easy and simple. Perhaps for some, but not for me...

Thumbnail stage - here is where i write most of the story, on these stupid little sheets of printer paper and some thin Copic SP markers. rough little squiggles aren't they?












Then I sketch the page out full size on tracing paper in very rough, quick form. I'm trying to capture some of the energy of the initial sketch and at the same time, capture the angle that i see in my head, not always an easy thing to do.

A second piece of tracing paper over to make the work more concrete, add guide lines for the anatomy on the face, draw through the figures. From here, if i can see the drawing in my head, I'll pencil this on the final page.

















In this case, the lighting was important to get right, so i pulled out the trusty copic Multiliner pen, and a thicker marker to work the shadows until i got the right. I'd prefer to waste a few more square inches of the tracing paper than have to rework the thing on Bristol in the supposedly final stages.

The second issue of The Carnival! coming to APE in 2014! Alex Sheikman and I will be at booth 724. I will be there on Sunday only (owing to them scheduling the Con on Yom Kippur), but Alex will be there selling Dark Crystal work and his sketchbooks both days!

Below is the rough for the second cover...

Sketch A Day #10 - Miscellaneous Stuff while Watching End of the World

I love Simon Pegg.

Sketch A Day #9 - Miscellaneous Stuff

... drawn in a car while waiting for my daughter. Drawing by car light and with a steering wheel in the way is harder than i thought!

Sketch A Day #8 - Comtemplation

toned paper, HB graphite, Generals White Charcoal

Sketch A Day #6 - Miscellaneous Stuff

Lots o' little stuff here, wasn't using the white charcoal on this page. Started drawing with my little mechanical pentel, a holdover that I used for years, and it looked really nice of the toned paper. Next thing i knew, i had a bunch of little sketches on the page.

HB graphite on toned paper

Sketch A Day #5 - Channeling the Inner Klimt

the title says what it means. or, perhaps, a little Egon Schiele.

Dr Sketchy's Black Cat

One of the drawings from Dr. Sketchy's last night in SF. A rather fetching Black Cat sketch here.

The room was packed at 111 Minna, and they did admit that they've outgrown the space. This was done sitting on the floor with my pad in my lap and a single Mirado Black Warrior HB.

I'll post up one or two others in the next day or so. Looking forward to the February Steampunk themed one!

Oliva: in sketch form

We interrupt this Starlin-fest to bring you something from my sketchbook: my youngest daughter reading my wife and me a story.

I kinda like this one.

We'll get back to the Starlin art orgy soon, and I want to start to put down some thoughts on Levitz's Coffeetable DC book. No, its not a book for the coffeetable, it IS the coffeetable.

I also want to welcome new visitors from Belgium, Sweden and Uruguay!

More Sktechbook!

another bit from the sketchbook, one that i liked.

(of course, the reality here is that i'm not likely to scan and present any of the drawings that i really can't stand from the sketchbook. isn't that true for most artists?)

just graphite here, and a model that kept moving around. oddly enough, it rather looks like Faith from Buffy....

More Sketchbook Work From San Diego

First off, a big "Hello" to the peeps from Spain, Denmark and Singapore.

Another sketch from the sketchbook. She was cute, but I think that I "cuted" her up a bit. She was two people ahead of me in line in San Diego, and god did i have time to sketch as we were waiting for quite a while.

Still digging the Wednesday Comics. All the non-comics people that i show them to are actually impressed by the fact that there is some "there" (artwork with size and impact) there.

There, did you follow that?

Also, i'll have work at the Monsters of Webcomics exhibition at the Museum of Cartoon Art in San Francisco. Details to come.

More Sketchbook Fun!

From the depths of the sketchbook, drawing a girl and, for some reason, trying to figure out the Mucha hair stylings. You never quite know what you'll end up with, do you?

Fow what its worth, I started to clean up a few construction lines in photo shop and then decided to stop, so that the sketch here is exactly what i drew, warts and all. You can see, for better or for worse, how I construct the head, eyes, etc.

the Yo sketchbook: girl in profile

another sketchbook post, some different colors, same girl, same museum cafe, probably one beer later.

the Yo sketchbook: girl in a cafe

a little sketch that I liked. I don't work as often as i should with color, so I sometimes take only the colored pencils out to make myself work with them.

sketches too

from the same page as yesterday.