Melee Comics

Back In The Saddle

2011-06-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hey there loyal readers. If you've been hoping for news of White Pony then I can offer you an exciting tidbit; I've completed new pages. They will be posted soon once Nathan and I have had a chance to put our heads together and come up with a satisfying end to our current story arc.

We have been a bit lackadaisical with our approach to our webcomic but I wanted to get back on top of it; at least I hope to arrive at the point where I could satisfy my portion of the story and make ready to hand the baton to a worthy successor, should the epic tale continue.

I've also started a NEW BLOG (featuring many older posts from this blog) that is more specifically geared to my individual artistic pursuits. Nathan and I will still be posting here on occasion but the news will concern our mutual projects and all things Melee. If you want the buzz on Ben Dewey please visit me at Dewey Draws!

Thor Brings The Thunder

2011-06-06T17:12:00.001-07:00

I've been working on getting some Marvel Sample Pages; I get to practice cleaning things up a bit. My typical penciling can be a bit smudgy and with the help of the 'Paper mate tuff stuff eraser stick' I have been able to edit and clean as I go! My friend/ studiomate Natalie Nourigat showed me this fine addition to my arsenal and I owe her big time. I recommend it to those of you out there who get tangled up in construction lines.

Marvel Avengers Super Heroes page one at a middle stage
Here is a Thor Montage I had started back when Periscope was putting up images of the thunder God on our Tumblr for the ongoing studio-wide sketch challenge. I still have a Mario, a Mad Men and a few tid-bits here and there left to share. Check back with me here and let me know what you think.

See if you can name all of Thor's friends and rivals without looking it up on wikipedia!

Star Wars Sketchcard Frenzy!

2011-06-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

I got a request from a reader to do a few star wars sketch cards. He sent along a few cards; one had a promo piece I had done already printed on it along with my name and title. Now that I'm done with My Work for Dark Horse I have a little time to catch up on little things like this:

Approx. 3 X 7 inches; ink on cardstock
Approx. 4 X 2.5 inches; ink and gray marker on cardstock
If you want a sketch card like this you can send a crisp 20 dollar bill and a self addressed stamped envelope to Periscope Studio Care of Ben Dewey! You can also look for my Star Wars Digest title "Strange Allies" coming December 6th (mark your calendars!) to your local comics retailer. You can also pre-order online

Observe and Report.

2011-05-04T18:20:00.001-07:00

I like observational drawing. I feel like it is one of the things that I do well. I encourage developing artists to try it as often as possible. It becomes a reservoir that one can tap into as they develop cartooning solutions for the articulation of complex information. Without some understanding of natural light and forms that emerge from contrast, the methods of stylization that people often employ quickly reveal themselves to be incomplete.

I got Lindsey to draw me and she did a better job of honestly recording what she saw than many people I went to art school with would have.
Some friends of ours were in town over the weekend. I often draw people that I'm having a meal with but I've decided it might be best to ask first. The fellow on the left of the image (a dear friend of mine) was annoyed with my depiction of him to the point where he asked me 'not to do it again.' That is a possible peril when you portray anyone I suppose.
Lindsey and I had a nice breakfast at Tom's where we talked about drawing. I asserted that adults seem squeamish about drawing because they appear to have a strange standard of necessary quality that is self applied. Many people don't hold themselves to a similar litmus test with other popular activities like sports or cooking, that have a well demonstrated, professional, archetype against which their own skills could be measured. If they do, the peak potential ideal doesn't seem to stop most of them from enjoying their own explorations. Drawing is fun and I'm glad when Lindsey does it.

Lindsey is depicted here depicting me. The drawing she is working on can be seen above

Girly Stuff.

2011-04-27T15:42:00.001-07:00

I've been swamped with my Star Wars project for a long time now and I have not had much in the way of free hours. Still, what little time there was manifested a few lady-specific sketches: I do make a point to draw Lindsey as much as I can, I was commissioned to do a portrait of an ailing but brave girl fighting a brain tumor and, finally, I happened to have a 20 minute period where I put way too much effort into a little wonder woman doodle.

I like to draw women but there is a fine line to walk between being playful in exploring what you find attractive or enticing and being a total perv. I've come to a point where I'm just going to draw what I like measured against the context I'm working in; trying to find that balance.

I was talking with Periscope's current Intern Ainsely Yeager, about what gains a person success in the field of comics, and I said something along the lines of 'if you don't have boobs you should learn to draw them' to which she replied with a more concise "(to succeed in comics) you better be a hot chick or know how to draw them." It's true that being an attractive girl can go a long way in endearing your work to comics readers.

It has occurred to me that, since I like science, it might be a worthwhile thing to try an experiment along these lines. Will more people take an interest in my work and promote me if I spend the next month drawing hot ladies and popular subjects rather than my usual fare? The question really boils down to whether people are more interested (generally) in subject rather than approach. I suppose there is a balance to be struck between drawing weird niche images that satisfy me and the things that please people.

we'll see aye?

Hey...Listen!

2011-04-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

I love "The Legend Of Zelda." It was the last video game that I played alone and really loved. My favorite part of the whole series is the puzzle component of the temples. I don't care for a lot of busy work or repetitive button pushing.

'Zelda' always seems to have just enough monster fighting to keep it feeling like an 'adventure' without overindulging in that aspect nicely avoiding the tedium of the ubiquitous side scrolling street (or space station-esque) brawl games like 'Double Dragon' or 'Final Fight' of my youth. We all know that those sorts of games exist to be played with friends while staying up all hours of the night while you eat pizza and bag on each other.

Zelda is a world unto itself and I wish I could relive the experience of playing "Ocarina Of Time" again on a first run through. I used to go to bed thinking excitedly about potential solutions.

May the way of the hero lead to the Triforce.
Maybe some day soon I'll replay 'A Link to The Past' Or "Ocarina of Time.' If I get really crazy I might obtain a copy of 'Windwaker' and 'Twilight Princess.' At which point more elaborate and extensive fan art would be required!

My Lindsey Book, My Animal Mystery

2011-04-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have a sketch book that I am filling with primarily observational drawings. That same sketchbook has become a venue for my portraits of Lindsey. Most of them are drawn at breakfast or while she is watching movies. I like trying to capture how I see her and sometimes I'm more successful than others. I want to fill the book with images of her over the next few years and catalog my appreciation of her while improving my drawing skills!

She was disappointed in the fact that they currently make the French Toast with regular bread instead of Croissants as they once did.
I've also started to accumulate a collection of quotes from her. Though this is my favorite over all:

"If you get the water, I'll start eating the pizza"
Lindsey and I are both filing for extensions this tax season because we are disorganized and as a result of that we've been going through piles of paper that have accumulated around our apartment. That usually seems tedious and tortuous to me but the good news is that I found this old mini comic (circa 2008) that I had started while I was teaching at Art 4 Life:

There is a mystery in the comic and I think I'll finish it because I remembered the mechanism I planned on using. It's going to be fun and, hopefully, somewhat challenging. Check back with me over the weekend for posts about Stumptown. If you are local or inclined to hop on a concorde come find me and say hello!

Out On The Town!

2011-04-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

What do the Dark Knight, Kal-El and my brother Zach all have in common? They are proud denizens of major metropolitan areas that they improve with their presence!

My Brother Zach has moved to Portland and I am excited for him. I remember what it felt like to be here early on; there is a trilling sense of discovery accompanied by the awkward stumbling progress of establishing a life apart from that which you had previously been so accustomed to. He is a very talented illustrator, designer and all around good guy. I sincerely believe that he has made the first and most important step in the process of profound personal development: choosing the right venue for growth. A big part of succeeding in the pursuit of one's goals involves betting on an informed choice of a home base. Zach has bravely made that bold move toward an energetic future of golden possibility by joining us here in PDX!

Even though he has been here for a few months I still offer him a warm welcome and I hope you'll do the same by visiting his Blog:

http://zachfischerart.wordpress.com/
He and I went to Brunch at the Morningstar Cafe to celebrate his arrival!
My last bit of Sketch art from Emerald City is this Batman and Superman piece That I did on the final day of the con as things were winding down. Nathan and I had done a Star Trek/Wars competition on Saturday and decide to try a similar information gathering venture Sunday with the Caped Crusader and last son of Krypton. I finished the image once I got back and I think I'll offer it via Periscope's Etsy Store.

I don't do much DC-themed stuff at the moment. I do love the potential of those characters in the same way that I love the Marvel Characters but I think Marvel has been more in step with what I've wanted to see as a consumer of entertainment. That said; if you readers want to see some DC Characters then you can drop a line in the comments or email me a sketch suggestion or for a commission!

Lucky Seven.

2011-04-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

Periscope Studio has a regular sketch challenge that I've only been able to participate in sparingly. I'm super busy working on my Star Wars story for Darkhorse comics at the moment but when the opportunity to help out with the relief effort in Japan each of us in the studio set aside the time.

The recent tragedy in Japan was something that even the best scientific instruments available could not predict or prevent. Since we have been presented with a clear circumstance of need, each of us owes our fellow humans on the other side of the world the most we can give. I don't have a lot of money at any given time (though I am donating money as well) but I can offer up my skill set to garner more than I can afford on my own. My contribution to the Periscope auction is this piece of original art:

If you are interested in bidding on it please click on this link:Periscope Studio Ebay Auction For Japan Relief!
I wanted to do something that would be encouraging and embody the triumph of will over adversity that has been a historic strength of the Japanese. I read somewhere along the way that in post-WW2 Japan there was a re-embrace of Samurai culture and mentality that helped make the nation into the dynamic cultural force it is today. Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" Perfectly captures the spirit of dedicated earnest people fighting the good fight in spite of tough odds. We can all find a correlate of our best selves amongst that diverse band of seven warriors.

The inks without the watercolor
If you know someone who loves classic film and wants to help the people of japan remedy their distress then send them over to the link posted above and get in on the effort. It's win win; the auction winner gets cool art that they can always feel good about and the Japanese get the resources they desperately need to help remedy the effects of an unavoidable disaster.

Widescreen!

2011-03-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

This first image is a sketch from Emerald City that I did in between commissions. I didn't get any requests for color this time around but I'm hoping for more of that sort of work next year. I like to work in color because it adds just that much more spark to already fun ideas:

The Great Master Yoda handing down a lesson
This other drawing was done while waiting for food at McMenamin's. Lindsey and I went (with our friends Randi and Wes) to see our old pal Bob Grunau race his bicycle against many foes. He did really really well; he came in 6th place. It was a really big field and all of those guys was working hard to win the promised prize of cake. This was one of his first races and I'm excited to see how he does in future contests.

Left to Right: Bob, Signe, Wes, Randi and Sweet Lindsey
More Convention sketches to on the way so come back soon and be sure to check out the updated Tales From The White Pony site!

Saving Throw Vs. Science!

2011-03-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I'm trying to catch up on my Dark Horse work so I'm not getting a lot of extra time to work on images for the Periscope Sketch Blog or this Blog but I have started a bunch of images that will be sweet once they are done. These partially completed works include: Mario Kart, Mad Men, Seven Samurai and Carl Sagan (which you can see in process in a previous blog.)

For the time being I'll offer you this great series of Science related things:

President Kennedy speaking in Texas about our achieving nation's potential thorough science!

PZ Meyers awesome Blog!

The fantastic Gem what-is NASA.
They just put a spacecraft into orbit around Mercury!
Tonight my old pal Rich Ellis invited me out to play a D & D encounter, with Grace Allison and Susan Tardif, at a game store here in Portland called Guardian Games. I had a lot of fun, but as you can imagine, public RPG sessions offer some serious potential for awkward clashes with the unwashed nerdy fringes. We shared a table with three dudes who took obnoxious, narcissistic dorkiness to a level I thought heretofore unreachable.

I did a drawing of Rich and Grace. Susan was sitting next to me so only her dice made it in to the picture. Our DM was a really nice, if somewhat meek, fellow named Dean. We fought an army of Ghosts. I ended up finishing off the main spectre with a magic missile.

Post Con Thoughts

2011-03-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Emerald City taught me some things about what convention appearances are good for at this stage in a comics career. The most worthwhile aspect of it for me was meeting people and talking with them about their convention experiences as a way to engage in community building. A side benefit of our conversations was that, hopefully we gained some readers for our webcomic Tales From The White Pony. We gave out about a hundred free buttons between the start of the con on Friday and Saturday afternoon and if a tenth of those people become regular readers I'd call it a successful campaign.

For next time I'm going to remember to make more of those buttons, more mini comics and some slightly less-improvised signs like the group seen below. I still enjoyed making them out of what we had around but it might be better for getting people to take me seriously if it's printed out. I also learned that name recognition and cuteness are crucial selling points. Since I don't have the latter, I'll work toward the former!

I'm going to keep these prices for con -sketches till next Emerald City. If you want one for Stumptown you can contact me through Periscope Studio or send me a message at my website.

"Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence."

2011-03-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

I'm making a good effort to try and catch up to the rest of my studio-mates for the weekly sketchblog challenge. I'm behind on several of the subjects but this time I've got the jump on my colleagues. Here are the first two stages of my tribute to my hero Carl Sagan:

I did the majority of the black and white work on the train back from Emerald City Comic Con. I added Voyager 2 and the gray tones when I got back. My next move is to add some color and maybe a few photoshop effects like subtle gradients or levels of opacity. I'm also going to find a great quote to underscore the image and evoke Carl's wonderful elocution in the practice of exalting scientific thinking.

Trek V. Wars

2011-03-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, Yes it's true I'm back from my hiatus and Emerald city. It was a great time. I have a ton of art and a few bucks to show for it (although after final tally I think I broke even.) The subject of Saturday was whether their was a bigger display of fandom for Star Trek or Star Wars. Nathan and I decided to have a friendly competition (actually more of an experiment) to see which would come out on top. I chose the underdog (Trek) in an effort to seem like I care about something other than Star Wars. This is our tally sheet:

Nathan would tell people which side we were on and after some people threatened me in a half-joking manner I put on my new headphones to let them know where I stand.

In the end we decided that the reason Sw beat out St was that for all the great aspects of the message inherent to the Trek universe like considerate exploration and a positive future for humanity; Wars has a much cooler visual vocabulary to draw from and if you think I'm wrong then I say this to you: Lightsaber, R2, Vader, Deathstar, Chewie, Yoda, Jaba and Akbar are relentlessly referenced in memes of all sorts. The themes of Star Trek are intellectual (which the science-side of me loves) while the lasting legacy of Star Wars is sensory (which has inspired my drawings since I was 3.)

You can see that we did a Batman/Superman-off but it didn't have the same spark of intrigue that our initial choice did. It should be noted finally that my underdog pick also had a boost from the con appearances of many next Next Generation cast members and the Trek overlord, Shatner himself, but still didn't win.

In the end we did see one Herculoids tee shirt and Nathan made special mention of it.

Buttons and Yeti-centaurs.

2011-02-28T20:12:00.001-08:00

I'm part way through our first mini-comic and it is taking longer than I'd like. The good news is that Nathan should have a script for me as of tonight and I have finished buttons:

The other good news is that my sweet Star Wars headphone arrived and they are just as cool as I'd hoped.

No really, the good news is that I've been getting a lot of little things accomplished and I'm looking forward to seeing my buddy Nathan for our fun excursion north to that gem on the Puget sound. We will have at least one (but maybe two) mini comics in print to promote our big sprawling online comic. The first of them is the side adventure of the troll brothers and the second will be based on our Gnome protagonist.

This is a set of non-sequential pages from the min which will measure, roughly, 5.5 by 4.25 inches when properly sized and collated in finished form. I'm going to produce a cover for them too but that will come at the end of finishing all the interior art. Nathan will be here soon so I'm hoping, once he arrives, to see this whole little side project come together in a brilliant flash of bro-hugs and late-night snacking.

Emeralds On The Horizon

2011-02-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

Nathan is frantic with school. I'm busy depicting a galaxy far far away but I am excited that no matter what happens in the next few days, we will both be in Seattle as of March 4th. Since I'm working on some little mini comics for the con that I mentioned in the previous post and I finished a Mario Kart tribute piece but since neither of those are really ready I'll show you this Drawing I did on the bus.

Good Old Number 9 Line

It was packed and the driver kept shouting "All the way to the back people... all the way back." I liked that the people sitting in front of me had interesting heads. I did not use an eraser!

Old Projects And More!

2011-02-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

I am waiting for the bus which is the only reason I have time to write this now. As the month draws to a close I am still faced with a mountain of tasks and a limited capacity to accomplish them all. It was mentioned to me this morning that, as a freelancer, my taxes are going to be hellish and I've been avoiding that whole hornets nest till now too! I don't have new art to share because I'm doing a long run of pages for a book that I've mentioned in previous posts but I will post a crop from a piece of promotional art I did for a client. You can guess what it's about!

I'm envious of those people who take their time producing work. I tend to feel like I've got one arm tied behind my back because, seemingly, the number of things I'm trying to accomplish stops me from expressing the full range of my skill set. I'm trying to take on fewer jobs so maybe some day soon I'll really get to stretch my legs and run on a project that perfectly suits what I can do with a more flexible deadline. Till then you'll probably keep getting these weird little snippets!

Here's a crop of another piece done for a book:

On the upside we have this awesome lecture by Professor Brian Cox that will henceforth also be included in my links on the right side of the blog under Science and Philosophy.

Sunday Funday

2011-02-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

I did this drawing of Lindsey with a handful of old oil pastels that I found in a box while cleaning/rearranging. It turned out OK, which is more than I can say for our breakfast.

We went to a place on Hawthorne street that we had been talking about checking out and it was lame-sauce. I'm not picky either but if you strike out on taste, expense and portion then I can't pretend to like it. I try not to complain about things on the lighter third of the scale between 'I lost limbs and my vision via civil war and racial genocide' to 'this isn't the color tote-bag they usually give out at this kind of thing' with 'my pet died' somewhere around the middle. I have a good life and I think about that every day. That said; this Muffin I had was definitely closer to 'sorry champ... rocket got run over' than 'this free popcorn sucks.'

Why Go to Hawthorne for breakfast when you can go to Tom's?

I like our Sunday breakfast adventures to far flung locales (of more than a block away) but I'm going to stick to Tom's for a while because the coffee is perfectly watery, the pancakes are cheap and plentiful and the waitresses all seem to have names from the 19th century.

Yes I'm Obsessed.

2011-02-11T22:59:00.000-08:00

Lindsey Showed me these the other night:

Even as I sat today drawing Star Wars comics, thinking about these headphones and having just watched the original theatrical cuts of episodes 4 and 5 the previous night I still did not feel over-saturated.

They make Carl Sagan merch too and I want this just as much:

I'll post some art tomorrow; tonight my inner materialist is on display.

Behind The Scenes Of TFTWP

2011-02-09T18:10:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd share some aspects of how I put a recent page together. You can see the script here below. I start by printing out what Nathan sends me (which is his distillation of ideas that we've talked out or things he has a firm grasp on that will move the story forward.) I highlight the relevant parts of the script so that I can keep track of what I'm supposed to keep in mind for dialogue and description.

In this case I had some elaborate descriptions to work off of and some other panel descriptions that leave a lot of room for interpretation. You can compare the script with the thumbnail layout I did and then the finished page (here or seen below) that Nathan is working on (lettering as) I type this. It is also interesting to see how he will sometimes alter the interchanges based on things I've drawn or new ideas he has.

I've been trying to finish my pages really fast because I have a serious work load to catch up on but I don't want to neglect our beloved web strip. I've taken to using methods that I've seen Terry Dodson and Mike Mignola employ. One of those tools is the use of an establishing shot followed by several images that either only hint at or neglect the background when it is not necessary for telling the story. I rely on the mind of the reader to fill in the parameters of the location once I've given them the prompt.

This is a sketch of some possible banners for the revamped website. Nathan and I have been trying to do this for a while and with the approach of the Emerald City Comics Convention (where we'll both be in attendance) we have a concrete deadline for the launch. The only problem is that I have, literally, a dozen other White Pony related art projects to finish in the same time frame. This would all be in addition to the ongoing story (which is getting better and better; you guys just wait and see!)

I'm also drawing an 80 pg. Star Wars GN for Darkhorse (as I've mentioned before) so February is going to be one busy little month. Wish me luck friends!

LindseyAnne Improves My Future

2011-02-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

As I may have mentioned, Lindsey doesn't draw much voluntarily but somehow I got her to agree to produce images to go with her frequently staggered blog posts. We reinforce each other by performing complimentary and or equivalent tasks.

I have been trying to do an image of her at least once a week. Sunday is often my day for that little event and I decide after this last, particularly lazy Sunday, that I want to implement a similar goal for my long neglected board game design. I want other people to have the chance to play my sweet games and until I set time aside they just exist as rough prototypes.

Here's to a future full of productive Sundays!

Return Of The Thumbnails

2011-02-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a Star Wars GN for Darkhorse and since my thumbnails don't reveal any dialogue or give any plot points away I'll post a couple here so you can see my process. I usually take a few minutes to look over the script, write down any specific reference I need and then sketch out my initial impression on printer paper.

The hardest part of comics is the problem solving; choosing the best framing, angles and panel size to clearly evoke the atmosphere that the writer intends. Storytelling isn't about how well you draw. It is about how you think.

My favorite comics artists consistently try to serve the script more than the vague notion of what the fans might want. My hopeful assumption is that fans respect a well crafted script and an artist who can bring that script to life in such a way that never leaves them feeling overly distracted by the flourish of the drawing. I am continually refining my approach to have a balance between allegiance to story and quietly compelling image-craft.

Dinner Portraits: For Life!

2011-02-03T23:47:00.001-08:00

I frequently ask Lindsey to do drawings for me and she won't because she's self conscious; I suppose that has something to do with my job and whatnot but I just want her make lines on paper to describe what she sees. It helps you visualize the world in a degree of detail that most people ignore.

I think drawing is a great skill for everyone because, given enough time and a little (genuine) interest, you can master regardless of your general physical state. Most kids love to draw at least a little (in my experience) and it makes me sad that most people stop at some point (usually middle school) because they begin making comparisons between their skill level and those other kids or grown ups who seemingly have an easier time of it. It's never too late though. If you are 'old' you can still draw and have fun doing it unlike skiing or something of that sort and yet most people won't. I say they should just listen to Yoda:

You have the entirety of your time on this planet to get good. Even if you never 'get good' then you can least play around with it and have some fun; so why not give it a shot? I want Lindsey to have the option to explore her life with a creative visual outlet because I know how wonderful and instructive it can be.

Screen Tone Situation

2011-02-01T23:19:00.001-08:00

My Friend Ben Bates and I had a discussion about The difference between the Screen Tone that gets used in Manga and the halftone feature in photoshop. I have been using the half tone dot pattern that is found under Filter> Pixelate> Color Halftone. You can see the results below. What I like about it is that it approximates the look of vintage coloring/toning processes. What I don't like about it is that at different scales on a computer monitor it has the tendency to moiré.

This is an image from a short story I'm doing for an anthology. It is full of all kinds of crazy imagery, and even with my best efforts to separate forms with careful design, I still want to use a middle tone of some sort to help direct the eye. The dots print perfect in black and white because that's all they are; just spaced at different intervals. I'll post a screen of the same image and those of you who feel like commenting can give me a thumbs up or down.

Sunday Ritual.

2011-01-30T14:12:00.000-08:00

I am not a church going man but I do spend my Sunday in my own sort of reverent contemplation. I try to reserve Sundays for time with my dearest Lindsey and doing the things I love. That can sometimes mean breakfast out, watching science videos on Youtube, playing guitar through my amps, petting the cats, Star Wars related activities and any other number of things that are just for me.

I like to draw her at breakfast; It's an excuse to stare at her
We went to breakfast again and we are about to head out for the day so I thought I'd offer up this little post in contrast to my super lengthy video game post of the previous day; in part I wanted to show that I do have leisure activities already and that I am by and large happy with my 'fun' choices as they exist.

To Game, Or Not To Game?

2011-01-29T22:30:00.000-08:00

On occasion I will inquire about information on certain video game titles from friends who have made the leap into the world of modern systems; this is so I can experience their joy vicariously. I don't know where I stand on those sorts of games because I can see a balanced set of good and bad reasons to engage in (or reject) their use. I have negative associations with losing time to anything but guitar (the study of music in general really,) reading about science or the advancement of my art skills; this is probably why I should find another activity that doesn't reinforce my unrelenting fixation on productivity.

From time to time, I'm told, that just doing things purely 'for fun' is important. I know that there would be aspects to exploring the worlds made by VG artists that could be really thrilling and instructive. I have strong, positive memories of much less sophisticated games (than exist now) that expanded my imagination and live in my mind as real places. Here are the contemporary games (their sequels too) that I'm interested in:

Mass Effect:

Don't all these aliens look so cool that you would want to become a hermit in order to meet them?

Red Dead Redemption:

I love westerns and this would be like directing your own in real time or a grown up game Cowboys & Indians with requisite cursing.

Force Unleashed:

I have a life long obsession with Star Wars. No more needs to be said.

Left 4 Dead:

I am both terrified and delighted by zombies. I love the idea of playing this with my friends.

Dragon Age:

My friend Colleen says this game is amazing and I believe what she says. I also happen to be a fantasy dork, as you probably know.

Old Republic:

I might just be in love with The Preview but I'd imagine that it is probably pretty amazing to explore the world they've built.

Uncharted:

This is supposedly like Indiana Jones meets Tomb Raider and Mission Impossible; What's not to love?

Gran Turismo 5:

I have such pleasant memories of playing this game series with Nathan, Ben Brosius and Bob Grunau that it might as well have been a fifth member in our gang.

The Last Guardian

I missed out on the epic scale and beauty of Shadow of the Colossus so I figured this might be where that aesthetic journey of adventure will meet up with my adult tastes for great puzzles and beautiful environments to explore via a huge gryphon-weasel.

Age Of Conan

I have a mild obsession with Conan The Barbarian. I almost bought the art of book for this game and I still might."What is best in Life?" A good question.

Any Future Legend Of Zelda Game:

The Zelda series has been that irresistible siren song that keeps drawing me back in to the world of video games. It seems to have it all and I can't get enough. Hyrule has a special place in my heart.

There are probably a few more games I've forgotten but these are the ones that stick out as noteworthy. I'm compelled by a few specific types of games; I like puzzle games, racing games and games where you can explore the world while fleshing out a character (BioWare seems to hit a lot of these notes in their titles). I know that some of them are for different systems and or PC but I'd most likely get the system that gave me access to the majority of the games on this list.

If my friends Ben and Nathan lived near by I'd buy an X-box tomorrow but both of them live in other states and have families to spend their limited free time with. I probably won't ever do it but I like to fantasize about how much fun it would be. For the foreseeable future I'll be an art, science and music monk. Feel free to try and convince me otherwise; I'm obviously open to changing my mind!

Quit 'Monkeying' Around.

2011-01-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

I have been busy trying to catch up to my obligations and that is why you only get a drawing of a Chimpanzee (an ape not a monkey-in point of fact) that I did yesterday as reference for one of my many projects.

In all, I think he is quite handsome. Now I'm back to my drawing desk where I craft dream-scapes of fantasy for young and old alike!

Across The Finish Line.

2011-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

I finished a big painting this morning after a month (roughly 30 hours) of fairly tedious, technical, educational, demanding and meticulous work. I can't show it to you but I can show you these lovely paint rags.

It is a splash page-style montage of historical fiction characters with vehicles appearing under and on the sea, in the air and thundering over the American landscape. As more info is allowed to circulate I'll post accordingly. For now, I'll celebrate with a handful of blueberries and a return to my main projects.

May the Force be with you.

A Quiet Sunday

2011-01-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

Lindsey and I spent the day at the apartment. I had intended to go down to the studio but I decided to have some time with my girlfriend where I wasn't worrying about work for a little while. We had breakfast at a kind-of-divey place down the street that we like to go to (mostly because of location.)

Upon our return home I worked on what was supposed to have been Friday's update for White Pony and then I did a little sketch of Lindsey while she watched (and I listened to) Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. We just played a game of Bananagrams and I lost again (I'm on a historic losing streak.) I'm kind of a poor sport but I try to make up for that by being a good boyfriend the rest of the time.

See you soon!

I Love Paul Gilbert.

2011-01-22T11:38:00.000-08:00

Paul Gilbert has been my favorite electric guitar player since I 'discovered' his brilliant playing in 2008. Anyone who has spoken to me for an hour or more, since that time, can attest to this.

Paul demonstrates the science of rocking out

Paul describes the pickups in my next guitar
He is best known from his tenure in a band called Mr. Big that peaked at the same time that grunge was on the ascent and, thus, was considered uncool. You may notice that those bands, as cool as they were, did not stand the test of time. Mr. Big has returned with all the giddy over the top spectacle that characterized the era in which they first emerged and I for one am glad because we need some of that gleeful grandeur in these times of silly reality T.V. and unexceptional celebrities.

How can you not love that chorus riff and face melting solo?

Yes! Tapping intro. Haters to the left- as they say
So I know this isn't a comics/art post but every now and then it's important to engage with something other than drawing to keep the batteries charged and my mind open to new possibilities. I hit a wall yesterday after working for 12 hours and Mr. Big was just the sort of sunshine I was looking for.

I'm Obscure, I Guess.

2011-01-19T13:54:00.000-08:00

From time to time I try and do a 'mash up' with two things that I like and I seemingly have a talent for picking two or more things that next to nobody has ever heard of. In this case Periscope decided collectively to do Miyazaki themed drawings for our sketch blog and I wanted to be cleaver so I did this drawing:

If you don't get it you can follow this sequence of images and put it together for yourself:

Easy right? Next time I'll do some kind of unmistakable pop figure mixed with some wildly popular cultural phenomenon. I'll take suggestions and donations.

Stage 2: The Prince Of Eternia

2011-01-18T10:29:00.000-08:00

These are the inks for my He-Man submission. Dustin Weaver suggested pushing his proportions toward those of the action figures or in step with how Bruce Timm would draw Batman.

I'm going to do a color version when (and if) I have the time. I'm in the midst of a deadline sprint on a few projects that will require major time commitments so I hope you'll forgive me if I waver from my planned days of posting. I had meant to post last night instead but Lindsey was working on her blog and I didn't want to interrupt. The results are stunning and hard won so check it out!

Tun-Der-Bolts

2011-01-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit behind, both with this blog and with my contribution to the Periscope Sketch Tumblr but I think this turned out to be one of my best pieces. I was trying to measure up to all the great already done by my amazing friends. For some reason I can't just do part of a team. I want to draw all of them and I want to do it in a single image. I've been building up to more and more elaborate team shots and this time I was able to fit all nine members of the Thunderbolts into my drawing:

The series is written by Jeff Parker and if you don't know his work then you should check it out. There is more to good comics writing than Alan Moore and Brian Michael Bendis. Those guys are great, at what they each do, but I like comics that err on the lighter side without being aimless. Jeff Parker is great at infusing his work with a great mix of humor, mystery, grit and spectacle. Check out his current runs on Thunderbolts and The Hulk (with the great Gabe Hardman!")

Fabulous Secret Powers Were Revealed To Me...

2011-01-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

I have had cause to draw He-Man as of late and it is really a fun project to undertake. I get to remember all the fun I had as a kid both with my older brother Aaron and my dear friend Ben Brosius. We made extensive use of our He-Man figures both in the world that was portrayed in the cartoon show and as a wrestling federation, that Aaron devised a whole system of statistics and charts for, to track the outcome.

I am working on a larger piece right now (see rough above) but I thought I might share the preliminary sketches that I did.

Dustin Weaver suggested that I just sketch the character without an specific composition in mind; to play around with poses and proportions. I did just that and it ended up making the image I'm working on right now much stronger. See you Saturday my fine friends.

I have... The Power

Ihumans Rule The School.

2011-01-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

I started doing this blog with the intention of explaining process and what avenues have been successful in advancing my 'career' as a comics professional to any interested parties that might come across it but, in practical terms, I find it has become a place where I get to vent, explore and explain things to myself.

I tried to draw this in 90 minutes like Eric Canete but I couldn't pull it off. Part of that is that I was trying to fit in 7 characters but the other part is that Canete is a badass. I want to cultivate some of the same energy and flowing quality that are so present in his work. I feel like my stuff ends up being kind of stiff but it has it's charm too. My problem is that I care so much about structure and specific lines that the heart of almost every drawing I do becomes about that instead of projecting excitement.

I love the Inhumans and I wanted to draw them so I made this image. I hope you all enjoy it too.The things I was thinking about while drawing it extend to such topics as: drawing proper hips on ladies, how do you compose for an ensemble composition and why don't they have their own ongoing series that totally kicks ass?

I leave you to ponder these questions.

I have to go practice drawing ladies till I get it right.

Plateaus and Launchpads.

2011-01-09T11:17:00.001-08:00

I suppose there is a point in every creative endeavor where you look back, at all the work you've done, and you just want to quit and start from scratch because you've learned some new precept or series of clarifying ideas that suddenly color everything a grayer shade. Add watching the final two seasons of "The Wire" (the most brilliantly written show I've ever seen) to the mix and you have a recipe for a good portion of self doubt.

I had such a revelation/doubtfest recently and I can attribute the information influx to a couple of unrelated but mutually relevant (although disparate) sources:

The flawed (any scene featuring the weird misogynistic serial killer subplot) but brilliant (any of the clever academic analyzing) reviews of the catastrophically terrible 'Star Wars' Prequels:

The Phantom Menace

Attack Of the Clones

Revenge Of The Sith

Steve Lieber showed me this memo written by David Mamet to his staff of writers on "The Unit" about the difference between drama and information:

Mamet Makes It Clear

The good news is that after a bit of time away from the initial mind expansion and a few conversations with Nathan about the current state and future of our webcomic we now have an informed way forward. Many of my colleagues at Periscope Studio want me to scrap the project but I've always felt that it was better to admit to a lack of clear communication and see if you can redeem a situation rather than just walk away. It can be a good thing to recognize flaws in your own work/approach and turn that stagnant stage into a springboard.

I am somewhat intimidated but genuinely excited by the challenge ahead. Nathan and I both want to be the best storytellers we can be; that is an ongoing process with ups downs and uneasy middles. Stick with us and we'll do our best to reward that investment.

LindseyAnne Is My Home

2011-01-07T13:23:00.001-08:00

Lindsey has started her blog back up and I want to support that in every way possible. We are going to collaborate on a banner for her site and My portion of it is complete. She is going to color it as soon as she feels up to it (she's a bit under the weather.)

If you are familiar with the movie "Away We Go" you might recognize the aesthetic that we're borrowing from. Lindsey sees us as being very close to the couple depicted in the movie accept that she is way sweeter than Maya Rudolph. I had fun drawing the wonky line art of things that Lindsey likes. I combined these three elements as a test but I think she is going to do her own crop and arrangements too.

"When I Left You I Was But The Learner..."

2011-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

"...Now I am the master"

I Love Star Wars (the original theatrical cut of the first three movies) to an insane degree. For how I feel about the subsequent 'prequels' look no further than this review.

I found out what it means to be "the learner" while trying to draw a sword fight once again. If you want to challenge yourself as an artist try some takes on someone running super fast and/or attempt to convey the struggle of two people crossing blades. It's always harder than I think it's going to be.

In my mind this was supposed to be a little doodle for the blog. I wanted it to be energetic and spontaneous looking along the lines of Eric Canete but in the end it just looks like me (which I suppose is fitting because Canete himself told me not to mimic anyone.)

Here are a few sketches I did before hand. It doesn't much resemble any of them. This is partly because I screwed up the hand position on the lightsaber when I was drawing Obi Wan. According to Darkhorse comics (and I think Lucasfilm too) all Jedi are right handed. I didn't want to commit a blunder so I just made Ben block Vader's blow with a one handed grip. My friend David pointed out that it still looks more exciting than the original showdown so I suppose I feel okay about how it turned out!

Full On Spider Girl.

2011-01-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

This is up on the Periscope Sketch blog along with many other wonderful artists I share a studio with. We have committed to draw themes every couple weeks or so (as I mentioned in the first post about this piece.) I think the next one will be Jeff Parker's new 'Thunderbolts' team so come back to our blog and check back on the Periscope Tumblr for all the artistic goodies!

I know I owe a blog for yesterday and I already have a custom image for it so come on back tomorrow to see what I should have posted on Monday!

New Years Comfort.

2011-01-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

Lindsey and I settled in at home this first day of January and played some games with our good friends Rich Ellis and Susan Tardif. We did a bit of Gamma World, Bananagrams and The Labyrinth. It has been a comfortable day and this evening we are watching the last season of "The Wire." Lindsey has restarted her blog and I appreciate that. I like to draw her portrait when I can.

I hope those of you who followed this blog during December will come back in January to see what Nathan and I are up to. Thanks for reading!

HNY

2010-12-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.

~Benjamin Franklin

While You Wait.

2010-12-30T17:46:00.000-08:00

I was on a mission to pick someone up from the airport last night and while I waited for their plane to land I drew this image of the baggage retrieval area.

The tall silhouette was a really big scary 'skinhead.' I like to draw from life and an airport is a perfect place to practice that skill because you have to take snap shots of people as hey walk, with their bags and put them in place a few seconds later once they've moved on.

I didn't have any paper but this bank envelope did the job.

I've been making an effort to expand and clarify the 'links' section of the blog. I hope that you'll all check it out and enjoy some of the things that you find there!

Upcoming Villainy!

2010-12-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

Here at Periscope we do a lot of different projects and, in the interest of avoiding spoilers, I try not to post anything for a while after I do it. In this case I had drawn a bunch of images for Ben Thompson's upcoming sequel to his book Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest Warlords, Vikings, Samurai, Pirates, Gunfighters, and Military Commanders to Ever Live. I will share a few detail shots from a larger double page spread of three villains.

I also did a picture of Ragnarok and Kali for the volume as well but if you want to see those drawings then you'll have o get the book. More art and tomfoolery on Thursday!

I happened to come across a cool blog today and I suggest you all check it out. It's called There Are Four Lights and I enjoyed the concepts she deals with because the same themes are dear to my heart.

I do not typically enjoy 'Manga' style drawing but that is not an absolute hard and fast rule. I'm open to good work done along those lines especially if it is in conjunction with compelling subject matter. I am appreciative of Miss Sara Mayhew's mind if not her preferred approach to drawing.

Juggling Priorities

2010-12-27T10:21:00.000-08:00

So I am late on my Melee update (and this blog because I didn't have an internet connection) and that bums me out especially since the alternative I opted to spend my time engaged in was less than rewarding in retrospect. It didn't help that I was missing some supplies and any comfortable, quiet, uninterrupted workspace. The holiday season can be a mine field when dealing with friends and family or the family of friends. That being said, I'm about to get my pencil and paper out and mind fully engaged for the next several hours so that there will be an update posted tomorrow. I like to deliver on time but on occasion there are situations that prevent it.

The trick to this whole thing is juggling priorities. Every now and then even the best of us jesters might drop a ball.

Here are some storyboards I did from September. I clocked in at 1.26 hours per image (there were 19 in total that needed to be finished overnight.) I was in the flow back then!

It was for some commercial that was supposed to feature the next wave of pop idols. They are called 'The Go Squad' and as you might imagine; they go. In this sequence, that you see sampled here, these future titans are capering on mini bikes.

See you Tuesday!

X-Mas Cheer

2010-12-24T09:48:00.001-08:00

I'm working on a post that I was hoping to get up today but I've decided that I've still got wrapping and other secular x-massy stuff to attend to so I've decided to give you a bit of Melee Cheer.

The Hulk holding this kid here reminds me so much
of Lenny with the Puppy in "Of Mice and Men".

Whether you use this time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ, the N'er Tamid staying lit for eight days, to celebrate your culture or if you just think that tomorrow is a convenient time to get together, eat Chinese food and watch some movies I hope you have a Merry Christmas, had a happy Hanukkah, a fulfilling Kwanzaa or just a nice Saturday with friends and family.

By the way, as Americans we live in a pluralistic society. The above explanation is why people say Happy Holidays and if you're offended by that you're an idiot. Happy Holidays isn't meant to marginalize one religion or culture it's to include all of them and December doesn't belong to anyone. We all get the day off whether we attend midnight mass or not.

Any who enjoy a couple of my two favorite holiday traditions mashed together...

MERRY CHANUKWANZMAS!

Wrap Star

2010-12-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

I like the holidays. Even though I am a non-theist/atheist I greatly appreciate the broad sentiment of the season. I like gift giving, spending time with family amongst good cheer and I even enjoy some of the ritual associated with religious traditions (if not the doctrine.) I like wrapping presents and I enjoy doodling on the paper instead of getting a bunch of fancy paper that will look nice briefly and then be thrown out. Why not bring a bit of creative zest to it instead!?

I like that I have friends who know me well too:

Rich Ellis hid a present amongst my board game collection and the wrapping paper was perfect as was the present within: A Zombies!!! expansion pack. Good stuff.

My gift to you will be this great Carl Sagan Cartoon drawn by Greg Williams (written by his son Nick) I found online while looking up my hero and his illustrious exploits:

Happy holidays to all of you out there regardless of your spiritual philosophy. I hope every last one of you fine readers has an enjoyable day full of friends, laughter, games and good food.

More Of My Work on The Stands!

2010-12-22T22:48:00.000-08:00

If you head out to your Local Comics Retailer in the next month or so you'll be able to pick up two recently released titles from Darkhorse comics that feature my work. I did most of the backgrounds for "Trouble Makers" volume 2. I did similar work on volume 1 of the same title. The New Savage Sword of Conan book also features an 8 page story I did the pencils and inks for (also new material from fellow Periscope member Paul Tobin.) The work had to be done in a very short period but I'm pleased with how it turned out and I think that the end result of it reflects the madness experienced by the main character.

Here are some panels from John Silent (minus the great colors by Dave Stewart) that I drew. I like the weirdo-people on the streets of Prague the best. It was written by Scott Allie and filled with rich visual material for me to explore.

There's a warlock and lots more madness to be had. Check it out and get in on the fun.

One More Thing: Come See me at Things From Another World on May 7th for a signing on Free Comic Book Day when my Star Wars Story hits the shops!

I'm With The Moose.

2010-12-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

Lindsey and I (mostly me) have been watching Avatar: The Last Airbender via netflix streaming at the prompting of several friends from Periscope Studio. I had seen bits and pieces while doing the occasional babysitting gig or hanging with older friends that appreciate good cartoons. My favorite character is Appa. I know he's a 'bison' but I call him "The Moose" because it is funny to me.

My friend Ben Bates told me not to draw him realistic because that is 'an easy idea' and I'm inclined to agree since it was the first thing I thought to do. I just decided to draw him like I draw my comics and do a bit of watercolor. I hope you enjoy it and I welcome you to check out the digital grays in tomorrow's White Pony and give me some feedback on what you think about the transition.

I'm all ears. See you Wednesday!

My Breakfast With The Ellis Pals

2010-12-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

I'm late for a very important date, I know, but I was rocking out so I think it's forgivable. I put some strap-locks and new strings on my Guild starfire 4. I then proceeded to play a variety of rocking rock with my buddy Ron Randall and his band 'The Rewinders' at a Solstice Party. I love that guitar and I love getting to improvise with it.

(And my 1989 PRS Custom 24 for good measure.)

Anyhow, I just had breakfast with my Girlfriend Lindsey Ellis and my buddy Rich Ellis (no relation) at what is fast becoming our once a month breakfast spot just up the street. We talked about impersonating our friends, long distance romance and the proper uses of ketchup.

I did this portrait of Rich while we were waiting for our food. Our Server's name was Eunice. I ate Rich's toast.

On a final note I did all the gray tones on the new White Pony with a computer for the first time and none of the readers seemed to notice it. I'm surprised! It thought someone would mention it positively or otherwise.

See you guys again tomorrow for another timely blog post!

Spider Girl Meets Medusa

2010-12-16T15:25:00.000-08:00

This image will go up on the Periscope Tumblr as of January 3rd but I thought I might preview it here to whet your appetites. As a studio we have decide to pick a subject every few weeks or so and each draw a version of it to post. In Celebration of Studio member Paul Tobin's work on Spider Girl for Marvel we elected her to be the inaugural subject of our drawings!

Steve Lieber suggested that I do a piece that was more 'design' than 'narrative' so I used her hair in a fashion that mimics the flowing locks of Medusa as a graphic solution (if not being literally part of the character.) let me know what you think when it goes live! Check out the tumblr and the works of Paul Tobin and I'll see you on Saturday.

30 days of aspartame sobriety in exchange for Ben's hobo beard.

2010-12-14T22:28:00.000-08:00

So I, much like Micheal J Fox, enjoy a diet beverage from time to time.

Ben believes that these diet beverages will someday kill me and would like me to stop drinking them. While I'm not entirely convinced of this I decided I was willing to make a deal. You see I feel that while Ben's hobo beard is unlikely to kill him anytime soon that it will greatly effect his quality of life because it is, in fact, a hobo beard.

Exhibit A... Ben's Beard

Exhibit B... A Hobo

So for the next 30 days I will avoid drinking any diet (and most likely non-diet) soft drinks, colas, pops, sodas or whatever you call them in your part of the country/world. In exchange, at the end of this time, Ben will completely shave his face with the options to keep his sideburns and/or his eyebrows.

The countdown is on!

"If You Wish To Make An Apple Pie From Scratch..."

2010-12-14T17:29:00.000-08:00

"...You must first invent the universe."

It's no secret that one of my great heroes is Carl Sagan. In a minor tribute I've chosen to depict him on the side of my helmet; the thing that protects my mind each day on my way to my favorite place.

Even though he died 14 years ago he has become a mentor to me and I can think of no better sigil to accompany me each day It was he who introduced me most formally to the virtues and beauty inherent in a scientific world view. I think of him as a contributing architect in the ongoing construction of my mind. His concepts have filled my imagination with wonders and tools that inform my perspective like a polished lens.

Tune in on Thursday for more art and words- there are sure to be some of both!

Deep Blue, Lightning Loop.

2010-12-12T23:50:00.000-08:00

I do enjoy video games from time to time. There have been times where I am less than enthusiastic about the effect that video games have on our culture as a whole but that is a different post. For now I'll share what I do like:

Of the games I love F-Zero is one that holds a special place in my heart. I liked it when I played it on SNES and I like the GX game for Gamecube. I like racing games already but what resonated with me was something about the clean, circuit board-like futuristic landscapes and the idea that the culture within the game held racing in such high esteem. My favorite character is Octoman and his vehicle the 'deep claw.' I also enjoyed the classic characters so I made this bit of fan art:

I hope you find this evocative of your own video game nostalgia. I have a few more images planed but I'd also like to hear what sorts of drawings the rest of you would like to see here on the meleeblog. See you all again on Tuesday!

Working Overtime, Work Out

2010-12-11T21:44:00.000-08:00

Howdy howdy,

I've mentioned it before but it's difficult for a writer to show the new exciting things he's been working on because I'm not an artist and if I did show you all the things I've been working on I'd give away huge chunks of story about White Pony. Just that there are some HUGE things coming up that could fundamentally change the way you look at White Pony.

Having said that since I don't have sketches to show you I'll share a bit about my personal life. I have a body built for comfort and leisure. I have a very comfortable couch and it and I are very familiar with each other. However I've decided that I'd prefer not to eventually die of diabetes so I've joined a gym for the first time in my adult life.

So far I'm only working on the treadmill and while I want to look like this...

I'm pretty sure that I look like this...

Luckily my gym has a movie theater in it where they show bootlegged films that you can watch as you work out. Between yesterday and today's workout I managed to catch all of Marley and Me

... it is not a good movie.

Monsters And Dames Maybe?

2010-12-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

Hello Dear readers...

I am in the midst of working on a painting project that will consume most of my weekend (if not all of it.) In lieu of some fan art I wanted to post this time around, I've opted to give you a sneak peek at the piece I did for the "Monsters and Dames" book that is often published for Emerald City Comic Con. I'm not certain that it will get in. If it does then you can purchase it (in book form) in order to have Nathan and I sign it at the Convention. If it isn't included then I might make prints of it to include with whatever printed edition that Nathan and I land on.

Apparently other people who submitted have posted their images already so I might as well. Without further adieu:

Loranna's outfit was given approval by Lindsey as more supportive than her previous garment. She has that pendant now and, as such, technically, she designed this. If you take issue with the lack of modesty you can take it up with Her!

Only A Ruffian Deals A Blow With The Back Of The Hand

2010-12-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

I keep meaning to do certain pieces of fan art: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke) is one that I can check off the list! These two are the definitive manifestation of the master sleuth and his stalwart companion in my opinion. I like Richard Burke too but EH just seems more in keeping with Watson as a good friend; he is a less combative fellow:

I enjoyed the new movie and I'm not a purist so I'm willing to check out this modern era show I've been hearing about too. I'll always have a soft spot for the incredible charm, accuracy and earnestness of the Granada series. I hope you enjoy my loving tribute to one of my favorite characters personified so perfectly by a masterful actor.

I just watched "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" as I was finishing up my drawing!

Paul G. Vs. Scott C.

2010-12-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

I am a huge Paul Gilbert fan (as anyone who has spent any significant amount of time around me can attest.) I have been wanting to do some PG fan art for a while and I thought, while I was at it, why not give a shout out to Scott C's greatshowdowns.com. Paul has a song called Paul Vs. Godzilla (off of his Silence Followed By A deafening Roar album) that seemed like a perfect context to riff on Scott Campbell's ingenious trope of famous antagonists.

Here it is:

For the full experience play this tune as you visually wade retina-deep in to my musical and artistic triple homage to a great cartoonist, a shredding titan and the king of all monsters.

Orcs And Ends.

2010-12-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

First of all, thanks to my dear friend Bobby Bracelin for keeping me honest. He's an amazing artist in his own right and he prompted me to post today! I didn't forget I swear.

I am working out a list of tribute art I want to do for this blog but for today I'll show you a sketch I did for the Grizzly Boar monster in the most recent White Pony. Nathan came up with that name and I just tried to imagine what Claire Wendling would've drawn if she had been tasked in a similar way. The Libra Golem is also on the same page:

Today Lindsey and I went out to breakfast- a rare event for us and I did a drawing of her in my other sketchbook:

I don't think it flatters her appropriately because she is a real fox but I'm going to do lots of drawings of her in that particular sketch book so there will be other chances to fix this discrepancy between her beauty and my limited skills!

One last Thing: My friend Rich Ellis and I played HERO QUEST today.

I got that game when I was 10 and I think it's been about 18 years since I played it last and it was a fun little visit to my joy of 20 years ago.

I recommend it highly. There is a lot of joy in fighting orcs, goblins and ghouls on your table top without all the books and crazy rules; just exploration and straightforward brawling! Yes I am 30 years old and I am a nerd- I imagine you are too on some level if you found this blog and are predisposed to reading this!

Join me once again on Monday for more tales of jolly-geekdom and art making.

A December To Remember.

2010-12-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

I promised my girlfriend Lindsey that I will post every other day during the Month of December. Since I love her and I want her to think of me as a trustworthy fellow I'm going to do my damnedest to live up to that pledge. It would also be pretty cool if I could beat out last year's total number of postings.

I've been working with Nathan on some improvements to our website. Some of this experience is a trail and error scenario. Sometimes I end up making things that I can't use and I'll post one of those things here for you to see:

These were intended as a marquee for the top of the site and some icon images. It all ended up looking pretty crappy when the detail was reduced to make it load appropriately so I am altering my plans. We're going to try something more simplistic in design and color it digitally to contrast it with the hand drawn quality of the comic.

Here's another process image:

These are the pencils for the monsters and Dames piece I submitted for the upcoming Seattle Comic Con. Nathan and I will be in attendance and hopefully the finished image that resulted from this image will be in a hardbound book that you can bring over and have me sign when you visit our table!

There you have it. Post number one for December. See you all again on Saturday!

Help Me Obi-Wan Kenobi: It's Our Only Post

2010-11-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

I have been occupied overly with my industry projects as of late. However, with some difficulty, I've been able to fit in a few commissions. I was recently approached to do a piece that featured 3 female characters occupying the same space without knowing if any of them were favored by the client and or what kind of composition they wanted. The way I start a job like this is to draw out around 10 thumbnail images to get something down on paper. I like to do more depending on what sort of image has been requested of me. You can see the whole process below:

I wanted to post this Before November was over.

Know that I haven't forgotten about the blog. I've just been so busy that, between my professional and personal commitments, I've had to let some things lay fallow. Unfortunately this has been one of them but I'm going to make a vow to post once a week at minimum during December. My holiday gift (to the ten of you that read this blog) will be more posts!

I'm Here To Rock

2010-10-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

October has been a busy month for me. Full of things that I can't show. I can tell you about it though:

I did an 8 page story for Darkhorse in about 3 days. I didn't want it to be that way but other projects got in the way. Among those projects were; an insert for an H.P. Lovecraft film festival sponsored by Darkhorse, a series of illustrations for Zakk Wylde, an , Avengers cover for the hero initiative, a piece for the ECCC Monsters and Dames book (that will hopefully be included in the printed edition for the con), paintings for the revamping of the Melee website, multiple commercial storyboard jobs, and trying my damnedest to update White Pony 2 times a week.

It was exhausting but I'm free for a bit minus a few little commissions and my own work. Nathan and I have both been a bit sloppy with our updates of the blog and of the strip but it's not out of a lack of love. We are busy guys and that is good news for us professionally but bad news (on occasion) for our beloved pet project. On that front though readers can look forward to an improved website with evocative graphics, more content and cool links now that my professional obligations have gone from full boil to quiet simmer.

Anyhow, I have a little free time now thus, as promised, this Colossus image that is available at the Periscope Etsy Store:

Becky and The Bikeasaurus

2010-09-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

I just got some great news that will keep me super busy for the next few weeks and I'll post on that as soon as it becomes polite. In the mean time I'm working on White Pony, a project for a famous guitarist, a few books and a hero initiative cover. It's been a whirlwind.

Before all of this started ramping up my friend Becky asked me to do a drawing for her store BIKEASAURUS and I enjoy both bikes and Dinosaurs so I made this image for her:

I plan to do a color version of this when I have a bit of free time so be on the lookout for that image posted here in a few months. Her store is open now and full of cool bike-related gifts and local items sure to please anyone. If you're in Portland you should pay her a visit!

Here is a sketch of Sloar I did and I don't remember why. I think I just wanted to see what he would look like with his mouth open or I was trying to practice his horns.

I'll put up My colossus as soon as he is complete. I didn't forget.

Get Up Off The Mat

2010-09-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

I keep intending to post and getting busy with either this Big Job we are doing at Periscope, an exploded car or my own comics. I'm posting this as my Sketch of the week and I'm going to follow up with a few more to make up for lost time!

This drawing is of my Lovely Lindsey at a Pizza Place in San Francisco.

Sketch Of The Week 1

2010-08-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

If you read our COMICS then you will know that we introduced a character called Jaggard a long time ago. We are showing his armor for the first time in our Latest post and this presented a problem because, as of yesterday, I didn't know what it was going to look like.

I wanted it to be iconic, not visually similar to Darth Vader or Sauron etc etc... yet evoke menace like they do, and make sense as a suit that someone could potentially manufacture and wear. I did a couple of doodles that you can see and I pretty much settled on the design that looked the smoothest (texturally.) I wanted his armor to be white and reflect like porcelain. This half of the post was mostly for the 'fans' or 'readers' (as I prefer to call them) of White Pony.

What I wanted to show was this little sketch from my anniversary with Lindsey.

We went out to breakfast and I started a drawing of the cafe while she was in the bathroom. The girl with the bug eyes glasses had a vocal affectation like Mira Sorvino in "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion." Her whole aesthetic seemed contrived like she was going to a 'I'm a Portland hipster' costume party. I had to draw her because she was such a 'perfect' example of what contemporary style is like in PDX.

I would like to post some sketch or another once a week and I'm open to suggestions. My next image planned for the blog is a colossus!

Smarty Pants: For Your Health

2010-08-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Lindsey, our friends Jacquie and Koze Martin and I attended a Portland phenomenon called "Sunday Parkways" where the city and other organizations host booths, events and blocked off the streets to make travel between the hot spots much more safe. It was hot to a point of excess that day (even for me in my usual love of all things warm) but I was excited enough by the sunshine and seeing my drawing put into practice that the walk to and from the park seemed shorter than it was.

It isn't often that I get to see something I've drawn used in this way let alone so large! I used to paint big at a large scale, and I might again someday, but for now this will do. I also enjoyed the fact that it is a quiz for kids and it encourages them to have fun by using their minds to explore the world.

Agents Of Awesome.

2010-08-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite comic out there right now is a series written by Jeff Parker called Agents Of Atlas. It has everything you could want in a comic book; frequent monsters, well placed jokes, genuine mystery, nods toward science, martial arts, mythology, adventure, emotional peaks and valleys and mostly spectacular art.

The team is comprised of a resurrected Kung-Fu fighting special agent, a ancient Greek goddess in the body of a super model, an ass kicking Atlantean queen with an unknown past, a psionic super-scientist spaceman (complete with his own saucer), a killer robot with a human soul comparable aesthetic to that of a 57' Chevy and a munitions expert/battle savant magically trapped in the body of a talking gorilla. All of them work alongside an ancient sage-dragon who serves as their Consigliere and presides over their army. Did I mention that they also have a hidden city beneath San Francisco and can use a dragon scale to travel through sub-space tunnels?

It doesn't get any better than that. The sad news is that people who buy comics don't always read comics or, in some cases, they may read them but have an agenda before they turn a single page: thus negating the radness within. This has resulted in less than stellar sales for my beloved AOA and their subsequent defeat by they only thing more powerful than their fabled abilities: the market.

I want to do my part and promote the book because it makes comics fun again, or more specifically, Jeff Parker makes comics fun again. Go to your local comics retailer and get all the Agents you can before the series ends. Tell your friends and remember a time when you could buy this great comic as it came out, before yet another middling wolverine title filled it's glorious shoes inadequately.

Be Subject To One Another.

2010-08-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

I love the West Wing. Not only do I enjoy it because I'm about as politically left-leaning as a reasoning person gets but also due to instances that reveal themselves on repeated watching as provoking critical thought. As I was working on tomorrow's White Pony post I heard Martin Sheen give a particularly stirring soliloquy that is quintessential President Bartlett:

"In this day and age of 24 hour cable crap devoted to feeding the voyeuristic gluttony of an American public hooked on bad soap opera that's passing itself off as important don't you think you might be able to find some relevance in verse 21? How do we end the cycle: Be subject to one another."

I enjoyed it and I wanted to share it. I did this West Wing fan art as a tribute to the fictitious government that I wish we had. We could all be better Americans, better people and kinder to each other. The West Wing does a good job of showing how it could be under the best conditions and what sort of things curtail our best intentions from manifesting. In that spirit enjoy the brilliant revelations of Naomi Klein.

I think a lot while I draw about how I might use comics to address the issues I think are important. For the time being we do casual stories with little serious underpinning. I enjoy escapism as much as anyone but I would like to do a story that, not unlike the West Wing, entertains and educates from a particular perspective. I want to be an advocate for the things that I consider most important: science, empathy and critical thinking. I'll keep you abreast of what I come up with.

Two Books With My Art Are On The Stands

2010-08-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

I realized this week that I'm featured in two darkhorse comics titles that are out right now:

Troublemakers Vol. 1 (for which I did backgrounds on about half the book) and Myspace Darkhorse presents volume 5. MSDHP features a pin-up I did and my first published work with a major comics company. The story is called Blighter and I created the character with Jeff Parker. I penciled, inked and colored the story in a two week span. I have issues with it since it is my first project (busy, saturated color, cramped panels etc...) but overall I'm proud of it and I'm glad to see it on the stands. Please go check it out and let me know what you think. I'd like to do more Blighter stories. I think he would be a fun character to play around with in an ongoing series.

A Tour Of My Collection.

2010-08-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

I have started a modest collection of art by other comic book pros and I thought I'd share some of what I've been lucky enough to receive.

This is a page from Agents of Atlas Inked by Kris Justice, Penciled by Leonard Kirk and Written by/given to me by the great Jeff Parker.

This was drawn by my Friend Jonathan Case for a commercial job and I thought it was so good I asked him what he wanted for it and he is such a nice guy he gave it to me. It is a perfect example of what sort of magic he works on even material he is indifferent toward.

This is a sketch done by my pal David Hahn. I like his art style but I like his brain even more. This little sketch, that he would've likely thrown out, shows his lush imagination in full flower- twin space-apes, robots, a spitfire and dinosaurs.

Here we have my 30th birthday present from my dear friend Jeff Parker. That guy is tops in my book. He got Gabe Hardman to sign it. Jeff is one of my favorite people so this one is super special. It's from my favorite comic (agents of atlas) too!

This is a set of clue cards that my mentor/friend Colleen Coover drew. She is badass and Clue just so happens to be my favorite board game.

This is a birthday present/motivational prompt from my buddy/up and coming superstar Ben Bates. He and I started our internships at around the same time and he has been a constant source of knowledge and inspiration for me since I met him. He gave me this drawing of Conan because he knows how much I'd like to work on that book and he doesn't want me to forget that goal.

I'm sometimes accused of being an 'art scavenger' at the studio and here is an example of that being the exact literal truth. I found this little doodle by dear Dylan Meconis sitting either in the trash or on the lunch table and I snatched it up. I did use it as a landing strip for my brush and pro-white but I took care not to cover up Luther Levy in the bottom left!

Once Lindsey and I move into our new place I'm going to make an effort to expand the collection to include paintings, sculpture and photography. It's nice to have unique works to decorate your working/living space because it makes that space feel cared for. I have an internal sense of resonance with some imagery which gets me excited about generating work myself. All the pieces I have,currently, make me feel that way.

Not posting for a while

2010-08-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while and for that I feel eh... so so. I've left you in the incredibly smooth and capable hands of Mr. Ben Dewey. Ben does a fantastic job with his blog posts and I love reading them. The simple fact is that blogs without pictures are boring and blogs with ascii pictures are just kind of sad. And frankly there are only so many different ways to capture someone writing.

There's the deep in thought pose...

The ureka pose...

The hard at work pose...

And the using a pencil in spite of the fact that I clearly use a laptop pose...

and there are a few others but at the end of the day you can only take so many pictures of someone writing. For the most part I could take these four photos and post one of them to cover me on any topic while I blog. On the other hand you can never take enough pictures of an artist's creative process. It's always exciting to see what he/she/they is/are working on.

But some new things have come up recently that I'm excited to write about so expect to see more of this guy...

Interior Art In A Hurry!

2010-07-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

The record project that Josh Asked me to do had two parts. I had planned to make an image for the interior that was more in keeping with the cover. I constructed the whole image for the cover fom my head using reference as a guided for accuracy. The circumstance of my weekend caused a shift in the approach for the interior.

I had two major jobs for Adidas and for Darkhorse that absolutely had to be complete by Monday morning. I knew Josh needed his piece in the same time frame and that if I didn't find a way to make his image quickly it just wouldn't happen. I looked online and found pictures I liked of Cleveland and San Francisco. I picked starting images that I thought evoked each city and then I knit them together in photoshop-printed them out in blueline and inked over the bits I thought looked best.

Normally I think of that as a lazy approach and I suppose it would be if you had tons of time but I had next to none. I have found, in the business of professional illustration, that delivering on time is better than sticking vehemently to some aesthetic dogma. Experience is a great teacher and this weekend showed me how to be as efficient as possible.

Cleverancisco

2010-07-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

The same musician friend who I mentioned in last week's post 'Jazz is like Jello Pudding' commissioned me to do another cover. He told me, neglecting not the slightest detail, what he wanted to see and this was my best attempt at capturing it:

He had asked, specifically, that I switch two buildings from each city's respective skylines and fuse them in the fold of the CD jacket. It is somewhat busy, but overall, I'm pleased with it.

Gameshow Fun

2010-07-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

I had been given a job by the Oregon Children's Theater and the Kaiser Permanente Educational Theater Program to design and illustrate a backdrop that will be used around Portland to entertain and engage kids and adults about health. The project director had a color palette in mind and a reference point of match game for me to go off of.

I produced this:

When they asked for a second round of characters I sent them this sketch:

You can see which ones they ended up enjoying the most. they narrowed it down to the comedienne, The 'Muppet' and the athlete:

I like Cakey Monster the best. Look for these backdrops at events around Portland this summer and check out the Oregon Children's Theatre WEBSITE.

Jazz Is Like Jello Pudding

2010-07-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

My close friend Joshua Smith is a fantastic sax player who has made many exciting and unusual recordings in the 12 years that we've been friends. This album by the Cleveland Trio, his most recent, features art made by yours truly.

He called me last year (after he'd made the recording) to brainstorm ideas for a cover and, within a few minutes of the start of the call, I sketched out what he described. Doing the final art only took an hour or so and the final printed result is beautiful. I enjoy Josh as a musical collaborator but we seemed to make a good visual team too! He just came through town on a tour and gave me a few copies of the printed album. If you like Jazz vocabulary but you like music that veers away from familiar tropes then check out my amazing friend Josh's Website and his other astounding sonic explorations.

Comission Mission

2010-07-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago I was asked to do this commission:

I tried a couple roughs for my client with more extreme/dynamic angles but she wanted a straightforward portrait. There were a lot of requests for small details and I feel like I did a decent job accommodating those. I learned a couple things from doing this piece:

1. Charge per person depicted when you do a portrait commission. Likenesses are hard and time consuming. One should be paid appropriately. Thankfully I really liked the client and It didn't care that I had quoted her a low rate because she was so easy to work with.

2. I have to work on proportion and doing this pointed that fact out to me. There are a few little issues apparent in the image but I still like it.

I would do commissions like this in the future on a case by case basis. For now I like doing stories or pinups of characters that are well established. It requires less busy work to render a firmly established character or aesthetic.

You're Gonna Find Yourself Floating Home

2010-07-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have a more elaborate Han Solo drawing on the back burner. This image was done as a tryout for a possible comics job where the request was to draw the characters more simply. There is a difference between getting a likeness of a fictional character played by an actor and just doing a drawing of the actor. With this image I tried for Han Solo rather than Harrison Ford.

If you're a super 'original trilogy only' dork like me you'll note where the two bounty hunters, that are tracking Han, are from.

When I finish thepinup I will post that too. Both will be available on the Periscope Studio Etsy Store.

Too Old To Begin The Training

2010-07-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

So, as some of you may know, I have an obsession with Star Wars that spans my whole life and I decided to celebrate that by doing some pinups. This is the first one and you can see in the thumbnails the other images I had planned.

I'll also be posting my Han Solo/Yoda image upon completion.

I used prismacolor markers and some pitt pens. I find that I like the looseness of the sketches and that I have a little trouble transferring that energy to the final. Overall I feel that what is lost in energy gets balance out with solidity.

In other news The great Paul Gilbert has a new record coming out so you know what I'll be doing on August 3rd. If you like amazing guitar then fill your ears with THIS!

Be on the lookout for some PG fan art by yours truly.

Yes, Sometimes I Draw Dogs.

2010-06-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

I met a dog, we played Frisbee and I did a drawing of him.

I like drawing people in motion and animals because it requires a type of observation that relies partially on memory coupled with a sort of preemptive composition. I watch for a little while to see if there is a type of pose that gets repeated. I try to remember which aspect of the subject falls into consistency with that context and render it. Life drawing is something that comic book artists should be doing whenever they can.

Love in Comics Form.

2010-06-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

For my sweet LindseyAnne's birthday I made her a comic of our love. It chronicles the first year or so of our courtship/friendship and where we are now. I love her very much and I wanted to do something sweet for her. The style is different than my usual approach but I have been enjoying the work of my studiomates Erika Moen and Colleen Coover so I thought I might go for a look like that. It was nice to relax and make decisions more from an instinctual place than an academic one.

The characters are versions of Lindsey and I that come form inside jokes between us. All of the drawings have a little of that in them. My favorite might be of the skunk though that one is also sort of unfair to the person it represents. I am with a girl who is perfect for me and I wanted to demonstrate that to her with an artistic present.

Draw Muhammad Day.

2010-05-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to participate in this art-protest because I think it is important for everyone everywhere to have free expression of thought.

I can acknowledge religion as a cultural institution and I understand its' utility but I refuse to concede my my right to explore any topic. Nothing should be off limits for discussion or interpretation (especially bercause of the threat of violence.) Conversation is the antidote to violence and once you limit the potential for that interaction by elevating a topic as 'sacred' or stifle a concept by deeming it 'profane', you curtail the potential for progress.

This Article seems to say it quite well

I stand by my convictions of secular free inquiry and I offer you this:

Stumbling Progress

2010-05-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

Right Now Nathan is writing the dialogue for what was likely the most difficult page of White Pony, for me to structure, in my memory. This difficulty had much to do with not knowing where to start and thus I ended up with a bunch of scribbles and not much in the way of progress.

I found out a couple of things that I'll share with you about how to work through similar issues.

1. Define the central theme for the page or sequence before you start drawing:

In this case Nathan and I wanted to give our Character Bloar a chance to shine. I wanted that to happen with him in a kind of rodeo scene with a giant bat and have the final aspect of that sequence involve a rich visual of where we make use of the setting. The problem initially was that I hadn't set up those goals very clearly so I wasn't efficient. Once I laid it out in simple terms my objective became more clear.

2. Keep the storytelling clear:

There can be a temptation to succumb to gimmicks. I had all sorts of ideas in mind that would look 'cool' but would ultimately have scattered the themes I wanted to convey by introducing too much. If I remind myself that the point is to forward the story then it becomes evident that some visuals will take the reader out of the narrative and cause them to focus on formalism. I want the reader to forget that they are reading a comic and feel immersed. If I fail in that then the drawing was not well conceived.

3. Let panel shape and size be your guide:

once you have an idea of a strong theme and a clear panel to start or finish with you can trust in that image and begin to orient the other images on the page. I liked the function of along vertical for the first image which helped determine what the shape of the others would be. I could take the raw materials from my thumbnail drawings and fit them into that grid. If possible. give your self a lot of room to breathe (6 panels or less tend to work out best.) If not then switch up the scale and keep the layout 'boring.' Once you start to get crazy with panels all bets are off and you might as well ignore my first two points.

I was able to triangulate between these 3 points to layout a page I was satisfied with. In the future I'm going to try and keep these things in mind and I offer them to you in the hopes that you'll treat them like a jolt of focus when your creative batteries are tapped out.

Everybody was... fast as lightning.

2010-04-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

I have started a couple of sketchbooks recently (most of my drawings can be seen on my new website) and some of the most challenging drawings involved trying to capture some Kung Fu students practicing and sparring:

I like to do portraits in my new Molskine sketchbook:

I enjoy doing drawings for people who help me out like Jim from Amphead:

Please keep checking in from time to time and I'll keep posting what I've been working on. My POTP this time around is FLOODWORKS.NET-an impressive site full of beautiful artwork and cool concepts. Check them out if you are so inclined.

This blog has moved

2010-04-28T05:09:00.001-07:00

This blog is now located at http://meleecomics.blogspot.com/.
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The Coolest Thank-you

2010-04-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

I signed a bunch of spiderman issues and with them I did full figure sketches of the eponymous hero to go with the comic as a thank you to those who supported me. In rare cases I get stuff back. This awesome drawing was done by a kid who is already far ahead of some industry professionals in his willingness to incorporate crazy visual non-sequiturs. I like the robot with the exploding head, the equations, the kanji and the phrase "see you next episode."

I love it.

I also Love Science

Here is a wonderfully geeky musical tribute to great ideas, thinkers and phenomena; a tribute to SCIENCE! I think it is the best thing humans ever devised. I wish more people had an appreciation for how fantastic and important it is.

The Poetry of Reality

Thus this is my pick of the post.

Life Imitates Art.

2010-04-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

Periscope studio (where I've worked as a freelancer for the past year and recently been promoted to 'float member' status) started the planned expansion today and before they knock down the wall my friend Rich Ellis did a bit of a fitting artistic ode to our new found destructive zest.

This is extra enjoyable for me because Nathan and I just started a sequence of pages on Tales From The White Pony where one of our characters is knocking down walls. Some of our regular readers evoked Kool aid Man as well. He is everywhere. I can't get away from him. Perhaps spring brings these notions of expanding, smashing free to the forefronts of our minds.

There you are people: my drawings and my life have collided in a mind blowing parallel.

I Do Commissions!

2010-03-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

I just did a 'wolverine' for my friend Clinton down at A Better Cycle Shop (where you should go for all your two wheeled needs here in Portland) and here it is:

If you like what I do on the White Pony comic, or any of the comics you've seen published with my name attached, now would be a good time to get a commission done because I'm starting to get busier and my rates are currently dirt cheap. I like doing them as an exercise. It could be a good investment if I'm able to make anything of myself in the industry and a cool doodle even if I'm a total flop!

50 dollars gets you any singular character you like in any setting
(like the Wolverine shown above)

100 dollars gets you just about any set of characters or small team you like.

For 200 bucks the sky is the limit (including color) outside of obvious abuses like "Draw the entire Marvel Universe Fighting all of the DC Pantheon."

Just send an email to Nathan or I at Melee and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Hero Initiative: Josie Rocks!

2010-02-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

Hello all. Yesterday Jeff Parker asked me to draw a character from the world of Archie Comics as a variant cover for the Hero Initiative. The H.I. is an organization that gives grants to (generally older) cartoonists that are going through rough times. I don't know much about all those archie characters or stories but I love to draw guitars as a result of the enjoyment I get from playing them. I was looking up drawings of Josie and company and they never got the instruments right. My friend Ben Bates suggested that I 'show them how it is done' or something to that effect. Thus I drew this:

Maybe The Pussycats have specific gear and I've gotten it wrong but I think that a flying v looks cool in any circumstance and it would be a nice upgrade for Josie. Val has a sweet Jazz Bass and I drew a nice full kit for Melody. In any case tell your friends about the Hero initiative, this blog and read OUR COMIC if you please

This should be up on the HERO INITIATIVE EBAY AUCTION PAGE at some point and if you like the ladies I rendered or you know a rich guy who does tell them to give big money for it so that some old cartoonist can get surgery for his cataracts.

On another front I'm currently obsessed with this AMAZING REVIEW of Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace. I don't really consider it actual starwars (or any of the subsequent movies.) I consider it to be fan fiction with a ludicrous budget. This reviewer nails it but he also throws in a ridiculous and awful subplot during the review wherein he is cast as a psycho. That part could be eschewed entirely but the rest of it is gold.

More Thumbnails and Reference

2010-02-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest thumbs. One thing I forgot to mention last post is that for certain things in the comic I like to assemble a sheet of reference to use in constructing the images.

In the case of page 97 I wanted some actual wolves while I was drawing the fire wolf.

Here is the final frame. It isn't a direct swipe which would be lame but more borrowing bit from the pictures that lend a bit of believable realism.

PS check out AXE COP if you haven't yet.

White Pony Thumbnails!

2010-01-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

Nathan suggested I post some of the original thumbnails I come up with in the process of developing finished pages for our web-comic. Here are the thumbnails along with the originals.

Page 94:

Pages 88 and 89:

Page 95:

And here is a preview of page 96:

If I don't have a clear idea of what I want to draw then I tend to do more elaborate drawings in the planning stage. If I have already done a nice little thumbnail but I'm unsure of the panel order than I occasionally try a quick full page rough like page 94: the first image is just a structure guide to see how it will look laid out. I also sometimes have cause to design a prop and you can see that on 94 as well. I drew a couple of grapple guns and then I drew a model that was similar to what you ended up seeing.

In the case of these recent pages I've been plotting the story and coming up with a rough script that I then send to Nathan for tweaking. I occasionally drop in a bit of dialogue just to drive him nuts as I did on page 95 with "onward to adventure and beyond." He will call me and when I ask him what he thinks of that line I get a whole host of wonderful responses. I love to annoy him with my dialogue and then have him fix it.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my brain.

As a side note My pick of the post is a charming Web-strip I found called Hell Has Found Me. I discovered a business card sitting on the lunch table, that must have been given to one of the studio members, and I had a look at the URL for myself. HHFM is a nice, light-hearted, Fantasy strip if you like blue-collar Monsters, paintball, talking corpses and other odds and ends found in frequent over-lap with the world of RPGs, fantasy, Comics or any other context where nerds are in great supply.

We only have twenty seconds before this trailer explodes!

2010-01-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

Here's a little something that will make Ben Dewey a very happy man.

Why Darwyn Cook Is Better Than Most Of Us.

2010-01-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

I've recently been paying more attention to the stripped down aesthetics of more crisp styles demonstrated beautifully by Periscope members David Hahn and Jonathan Case. In addition to those two friends of mine I increasingly enjoy like-minded comics artists Alex Toth, Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke.

All of these people have the guts and know-how to take complex forms down to efficient abstract line work without losing the nuance. There is also an uncanny enhancement of narrative through the power of their abstraction. When I saw Darwyn Cooke's "new frontier" from DC I knew I had to redraw my Conan pages. I am certain that I can tell that story with more efficiency and power. I want to fuse the lithe line work of Adam Hughes, Olivier Coipel, Terry Dodson, Yanick Paquette and Eric Canete with the streamlined art deco forms chiseled onto the page by the artists I first mentioned.

I've been reinvigorated by the recent hard work, manifesting in success, of my fellow Ben: My friend Ben Bates. He was auditioning for a spot on Archie Comics' Sonic the hedgehog with persistence, patience and passion. He kept doing drawings for them in a manner that could not be ignored. He demonstrated that they would be foolish not to hire him and he got the job. I'm hoping to duplicate his efforts with My Conan work. I'd love to draw that book and I'm gong to keep making pages until I get a shot at it.

Here Are some of my new sketches for the revamped Conan pages. I'm trying to be less stiff and more Darwyn. Though I will say that these ended up being an exercise and I won't be drawing final versions. I talked my new approach over with artist Colleen Coover, who is one of my great teachers, she convinced me to keep making pages and 'never to remake pages.' She told me that you need to keep momentum and take what you've learned and apply it to the next page. One can get stuck in the quicksand of perfectionism really quickly.

The next few Conan Pages should have some of the Darwyn Cooke Spark in them if I can capture the spark of what I've been studying.

The Importance Of A Great Collaborator

2010-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

One thing to consider is that doing a webcomic or printed comics work can be a thankless and isolated task. Unlike film, comics doesn't require more than one person and as such it is easy to get into a situation where you make decisions in a strange vacuum. In the best of circumstances a creator can have a partner to bounce ideas off of, review the work and share both the criticism or praise. I like working with Nathan because it we keep each other honest and obligated to produce. I imagine it would be rather easy to let certain projects slide (as I have with my boardgames) if I didn't have a friend and coconspirator to push those things along for our mutual benefit.

In summary, our method is essentially this:

1. get yourself a creative partner you love and respect outside the realm of comics

2. make a point to have regular meetings.

3. commit to a schedule and hold your counterpart to it.

4. plan small even if you are thinking big.

5. divide up the tasks necessary for achieving your goals.

6. be willing to let go of your own individual concerns in favor of the bigger picture.

7. decide on projects that you are both excited about.

It is like being in a band. The more people you add the trickier it gets to organize things but the more interesting the artistic interchanges can be. Try solo projects if you are inclined but save the heavy lifting for collaboration.

I'm with Coco

2010-01-13T10:10:00.000-08:00

What NBC is doing to Conan O'Brien is absurd. I don't now, nor have I ever, understood the appeal of the bland simple humor that Jay Leno does. Letterman was screwed out of The Tonight Show 20 years ago, Conan O'Brien is being screwed out of it now and if the show is moved to 12:05 (where it's name will be changed to "The Tomorrow Morning Show") they'll ensure that it's never good again. Johnny Carson is spinning in his grave like a rotisserie chicken.

First Work of the New Year.

2010-01-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

I have a dear friend who loves both Thor and Ghost Rider. He and I have been very close since we were about 3 years old and he is also a close friend of my dear old pal Nathan, with whom I co-created 'tales from the white pony'(amongst other webcomics) and share this blog. We love this guy. For his birthday/Christmas/engagement I thought I might make him a little commission that he could put up on his wall:

This piece took quite a while because I started from a little sketch, did tight pencils, inked it and then painted it by hand. I'm going to send it off to him in a few days framed but you all get to see a scan of it before I do! Below are some of the steps that I took on the path to the finished image.

MY INITIAL ROUGH:

PENCILS:

INKS:

I did some color roughs too but I don't think they are different enough from the final picture to merit inclusion. If you want a commission of this type from me shoot an email to melee comics and we can work out a rate. This one only cost my buddy Ben B 26 years worth of friendship.

Playing Games.

2009-12-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

Hello all out there in the Google-tubes! Those who read this blog know that while Nathan and I make comics, and our main priority is our web comic, There is a semi secret side of the melee mission (mostly forwarded by yours truly.) Games! I love boardgames and while I think the best thing that a human being can do is advance scientific discovery in the top five other spots on that list would be to create a lasting cultural phenomenon that brings joy to each generation that encounters it. Games can sometimes have a transcendent level of fun and excitement that meet that degree of relevance. Each person has a few games that might be included in that rarefied category-that they would share enthusiastically with their family, children and closest friends.

I want to make a game like that. I like videogames too but they are contingent on technology that is always advancing. They also require specialized knowledge and equipment to produce not to mention the amount of money and number of people required to do it in a timely fashion. However, not unlike making comics, when it comes to boardgames a single person with a pencil and paper can make something fun and engaging. Given the right amount of time and consideration of a few essential factors anyone can make a game that can be produced at next to no cost which fires the imagination and promotes social interaction.

The tricky part is a good idea and the balance between unusual/exciting gameplay and keeping it simple enough to draw players with casual interest. I have already written about my wildlife game and now I'll show you a bit of my space game. It is called "Ready, Set... Blast Off! Or RSBO for short. It is a modular board like Zombies!!! or Carcassonne and it features cards and different playable character races of alien life forms all searching for strange technology that can either restore or destroy the universe depending on who gets a hold of it. I won't go into the rules but I will say I've play tested it and I should have a version available for sale at Stumptown 2010.

These are the cards that I doodled out last year. Some of the kids at my old job wanted to assist me.

Some of the spelling in these cards is surely off and the function of a few has changed based on beta testing but I still kind of love the drawings. These remind me of early mornings at my old job with a pen in hand and some sniffling little kid next to me asking tons of questions. I love my new job but I do miss the kids from time to time: perfect test audience!

"To drive your enemy before you and hear the lamentations of the women."

2009-12-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

More Conan, for the people, fresh off my desk. I had a hard time with this page. IT is rough but since I'm penciling for myself to ink it it can be a little ragged.

Those are jars full of gore in case you were wondering.

These were the preliminary sketches that I did. Jeff Parker told me to leave out the kick and just have a good solid beheading so I did and the page was better for it. I did spend most of yesterday redrawing the first two panels and today I drew the pit of goblin men/dwarvlings and the set piece.

Warwick Davis, what won't you do for a paycheck?

2009-12-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

I just don't know how to feel about this.

This totally ruins the storyline I had for Filmor helping a sparky young girl to befriend and train the finest waterhorse in all the land.

Conan, Crom is your God.

2009-12-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

Hello All. Here is my first page of Conan. I'm doing it for my own enjoyment but I'm trying to apply the lessons I learned on Spiderman 59 to my storytelling and anatomy. A weird side effect of that process seems to be a slimming down of all my figures.I'm sure the pendulum will swing back towards bulk at some point.

The Story is Called "the Ghouls of Gornak" and rest assured there will be ghouls, a pretty lady, cultists, monsters,. I just drew a beheading today and I'm going to try and lay out the temple interior, on the next page, tonight.

The overall plan is to both do a digital and a watercolor version of these pages to work on process a bit. As I stated in the previous post I have a ton of projects going at any given point but I wanted one that I could use to to learn some specific things. I'll be doing the flats, digital painting, lettering and titles. As I finish the versions I'll put them up. Below is one of my sketching sheets that I used to plan and structure the page. I try some panels a bunch of times while others need less exploration to be consistent with what I've already established in my mind.

Keeping Irons In The Fire

2009-12-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

I have been a 'creative' person my whole life and I have learned an essential truth for making that impulse become the thing that sustains me as both a job and a lens through which the world looks more compelling: Keep making whatever it is you make even when you don't feel like it.

I don't mean so say that I'm ever truly unsatisfied by the process of making things but more suggesting that there will be times when 'the muse' isn't filling my heart with the tempest of raw creative fury and that is OK. I love when I'm feeling a flow of positive inventive force but those moments are uncommon. Imagine someone who works as a donut store clerk treating their job that way and it makes my point more clear: "I'm sorry sir I can't get you the bakers dunkin' dozen because I'm not feeling inspired" Even when I had stupid jobs I hated I still got up and did them. Why would I treat something I love like a Sunday crossword?

I've come to view art making with the same basic rule set that I view even unskilled labor. Just because art is especially fun doesn't mean it needs special rules and, in point of fact, suffers if one only does it under rarified circumstances. The thing that makes it better than other, less interesting, jobs is that when you apply the same yeoman-like schedule to making drawings, writing or practicing and instrument, you will see distinct results that can be applied directly in those moments when you are feeling the charge of a divine battery somewhere in your system.

So I design games, Draw a bi-weekly webcomic, do spot illustrations, sketch friends on receipts, aim for big solo projects, draw samples of my favorite characters and work with friends on submissions for publication. I do whatever I can to give myself deadlines and keep my pencil moving across that page.

That pep talk was as much for me as it was for the 6 people who read this blog but I hope it was helpful to you too. I'm going to go draw now.

Nuts and Bolts: Making Photoshop Word Balloons

2009-12-02T22:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a simple tutorial on how to create word balloons in photoshop... and a special friend of Melee Comics drops by to help out.

To see more of Baron Von Chaos, PhD. check out Chaos! PhD and Penguins in Space.