news

I have two new pages done, working on a third, almost done with the first issue, and from what I am being told it is looking good. I still need to clean up (re: make less photoshoppy) the backgrounds, but I figure, I can do that when the first issue is done and get all the 'clean up' done in a day or two then start submitting the pitch to publishers. Some showed some interest, so... fingers crossed.

I am also working on another comic book called Saxnot, and it is roaring along as well. Submitting that one to Vertigo (dibs) Fingers crossed on that one as well.

I feel like I am doing my best work ever on these two projects, though I am approaching them in completely different ways, that is I think part of the fun.

Look for more art posts soon.

Page 12

I just love drawing birds, or feathery winged things of all types, and unlike a certain Stephan Colbert... I do have time for owls.

I am fairly happy about how this page turned out. I think I have finally gotten the hang of spotting blacks.

Page 10

I had this page drawn completley different, the hat on the bench, the owl content, the briefcase too far away. Diane made a lot of helpful suggestions that just simply made sense, my favorite being the hat on the owl.

Page 9

I love the flies, thanks Diane for the idea.

Some people might think that the snow looks a little odd, but I wanted it to look a little dingy because it is in a industrial type town.

Page 8

I am really having fun playing with the shadows, the play between black and white. As I said in an earlier post, I wanted to make it look like an old noir film. Let me know if I am succedding.

another warm up drawing

I might turn this one into a painting. I just like the simple composition, and a robot eating a sandwich is a fun idea.

Page the Seventh

Introducing the first villian of the story. His name is Vinny. He likes to smoke. And I suspect he sounds a little like Peter Lorre with a cold.

Practice drawing

One more for now. This image really isn't connected in anyway to the story, as in Skullduggery there are no robots, but I love drawing them. I also love drawing cops, and figuring out how to have the dog cop have the cheesy aviators and moustache was fun.

I will ink this later, maybe tomorrow, see how it turns out.

I think I will take away a little of the curl on the cops moustache as he looks very spanish, not cop-ish.

A lot of work

This is page is a good example of the style I am calling comic book rodoscoping. I am using photo references, heavily mishmashed until I get the look I want, then I use photoshop filters, and the brush tool to put it all together. Not my usual style, but I wanted to give this story the look of an old noir film. So the backgrounds are grainy and heavy and just interestin to look at, at least in my opinion.

As for the mix of 'real' people and animal people and animals. Blame my Disney upbringing.

The introduction of...

...Stewie Sponte. He is the real star of the story. He, like most characters in the story has a slight law tint to his name.

When on the cover I call this story; Skullduggery: A legal fiction, it is a play on words, as much as this story is fiction and has legal aspects, and a legal fiction is also something that only happens in the law. I hope when I get this comic published in 'floppy' form that I will include a legal dictionary in the back of each issue that will define each law term used. I think it would be fun for the reader to learn something from this book.

Anyway, more pages to come soon.

Page 4

I may have to change the middle panel, it seems very talk show host (David Letterman) to me. Let me know what you think.

Eesh

Page 3, the story continues.

Page 2

Here is page 2. I will post sketches and other assorted odds and ends soon as well.

I want this to be a workblog like other artists, and show how I work, which has changed and continues to change, which I think is a sign of an artist(good or bad) that they are never content with how they work, they want to explore and experiment.

I may be full of it, you decide.

page 1

Here is page 1 of the comic. I am doing all the pencil work by hand, and then scanning it into photshop and inking with said program. I should be using Illustrator, but then I would have to use a tablet, and I just can't get used to them. I find if I draw tight pencils, scan in at a high resolution and zoom in close to the pencils, it works pretty well. Let me know what you all think.

To begin

Or to begin again...
This is my second attempt at my comic book Skullduggery. The first version can be found elsewhere. I got 60 odd pages in, fully inked, lettered, etc.
This is the second attempt. I will be posting pages and sketches and writing tangets as most bloggers do.
So to begin here is the cover for issue 1
Each cover of the seven(7) issues, will have a "portrait" type image of a major character in the story. This here is Maggie P.I. the magpie. If any of you out there are fans of Perry Mason, think of her as Paul Drake, just with wings.