Cameron Stewart Illustration Blog

Pin-Up: L'Exposition

2011-04-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

I was invited to contribute a piece to a gallery exhibit of artwork, curated by the marvelous Maly Siri, celebrating vintage pin-up and burlesque, at La Gallery in Paris and Montreal! If you are in Paris, you should go check out the exhibit, it's got some really marvelous pieces by some super talented artists.

Here is mine (colour adjusted in Photoshop):

I am told that the piece has sold already!

Mnemovore Redux

2011-04-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

My friend Ray Fawkes' excellent Vertigo comic Mnemovore, cowritten by Hans Rodionoff and illustrated by Mike Huddleston, is getting a deluxe hardcover re-release from IDW Publishing in August! There will be a gallery of pinups in the back by some amazing artists and I was kindly asked to participate. Here's my contribution!

I documented the 5-hour process today on Instagram (username cameronMstewart):

Lineart drawn in Manga Studio, colour in Photoshop.

SuicideGirls #1 available now

2011-04-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

The first issue of SuicideGirls is available in comic shops today (North America) and tomorrow (United Kingdom)! Please pick up a copy!

You can also order online from the SuicideGirls website!

Cover by me. Interior pages - layouts by David Hahn, finished art by me, colours by Antonio Fabela.

Suicide Girls #1 Interior Art

2011-02-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a page from the first issue of Suicide Girls, from IDW Publishing.

Layouts by David Hahn, finishes by me.

Suicide Girls - The Comic

2011-01-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

UPDATE - I will now be co-artist for the whole book, not just covers!

I've made slight mention of this in the past, but I am working with IDW and Suicide Girls on the official SG comic. I'm not illustrating the entire thing, but I designed the characters (a cast of new, fictional Suicide Girl models), and I am illustrating the covers and short 2-page backups inside each issue. The main story will be written by Brea Grant and drawn by David Hahn, and the backups I'm drawing are written by Steve Niles!

Here's the cover for the first issue, and the character models I drew for David:

Rain Dog

2010-11-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

A quick portrait of Tom Waits done as a gift...

Monsters and Dames

2010-11-14T10:15:00.000-08:00

A different kind of drawing today. I was invited to be a guest at the Emerald City Comic Con next March, and they ask all the artist guests to contribute a drawing to an art book they publish to sell at the show to raise funds for a local children's hospital. A great cause and a chance to do something outside of my usual work. The theme of the book is "Monsters and Dames":

A bit more cutesy than my usual stuff but it's for a children's charity. ;)

Assassin's Creed: The Fall Released Tomorrow

2010-11-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the day that Assassin's Creed: The Fall #1 hits stores. Frankly, the buzz around this project in the comics community has been disappointingly low, I think mainly because a lot of people are still - understandably - put off by the idea of a comic based on a video game.

My co-creator Karl Kerschl and I (and our colourist Nadine Thomas) have really worked hard on this book, and we've poured a lot of effort and energy into it, because we wanted to do something that wasn't just a shallow, cash-in spinoff. Believe me, I've worked on that type of project before, and I can admit that I've half-assed it for the paycheck. But not so here - with the amount of creative freedom granted us by Ubisoft, it really feels like this is a very personal project for Karl and I and we're very proud of the final product. We've tried to make it accessible for non-gamers, engaging for people already familiar with Assassin's Creed, and above all, the kind of comic that we'd like to read.

This is my first published work as a writer, too (aside from Sin Titulo, which is technically self published), and so it's a new phase in my career that's very exciting and I would love if it started successfully.

Assassin's Creed: The Fall #1 is out in stores tomorrow, November 10, and is available at comic shops, Target, and GameStop*. I'd very much appreciate if you would consider purchasing a copy, and letting me know what you think here. Thanks and I hope you enjoy it!

*NOTE - the edition sold in Target and GameStop is slightly altered than the direct market version, for bad language.

Batman & Robin 16 - Black and White

2010-11-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, the final issue of Grant Morrison's run on Batman & Robin is out in stores (to much media fanfare, with its SHOCK! change of the status quo), and here are my pages, unlettered and uncoloured. I would have loved to do the entire issue, but sadly the schedule simply didn't allow it so huge thanks to Frazer Irving and Chris Burnham who helped out with their amazing work!

Unfortunately, none of these pages are for sale...as they don't exist! I did this issue completely digitally, so there are no physical pages. However you can still buy pages from my previous run on Batman & Robin over at Splashpage Art.

Zudatanna

2010-09-02T08:51:00.001-07:00

This was a page I did a while back as part of a pitch to do original webcomics featuring DC superhero characters on DC's Zuda site. I and a handful of other webcomics creators were approached and given free reign to come up with a short pitch featuring whatever DC character we wanted, continuity-free. After a lot of thought I settled on Zatanna, in a kind of Buffy/Twilight-style story aimed at teen girls.

Sadly, the pitch never gained any traction and Zuda has since been shut down, but maybe this might pop up again somewhere in the future. I think it would have been fun to write.

UPDATE: Ramon Perez has posted his Mr. Miracle and Big Barda pitch page over on his blog.

I'm Not Dead...

2010-09-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

I've just been very busy! Since last I posted I won the 2010 Eisner Award for my webcomic Sin Titulo, had a couple of new projects announced (Thunderworld, Suicide Girls), and been deep into work on Assassin's Creed: The Fall #1 and Batman & Robin #16. Phew!

Thanks to everyone who came to see me at Fan Expo in Toronto!

Here's a random bunch of drawings I did recently. If you're following me on Twitter you will likely have seen all of these already, as that's usually where I post stuff first. If you're not on Twitter, these will be new, so enjoy!

Sketches in the front of my Too Cartoony sketchbook:

A couple of excerpts from Batman & Robin:

And some girlie drawings:

Nikolai Orelov

2010-07-19T10:05:00.001-07:00

Here's Nikolai Orelov, the new Assassin that Karl Kerschl and I have created for our upcoming Assassin's Creed comic series...

More info here and here and here!

Assassin's Creed!

2010-07-15T11:02:00.001-07:00

Finally I can reveal the secret project I've been teasing for the last few months: Karl Kerschl and I are hard at work writing and drawing a new comic miniseries for Ubisoft, based on their hugely popular Assassin's Creed videogames.

We've been given an amazing amount of creative freedom, and so we have been able to create a story featuring an all-new Assassin character in a new setting, which will hopefully deepen and enrich the Assassin's Creed universe and go far beyond what people have come to expect from a "video game comic."

You can watch the teaser trailer, written by Karl and I, here:

And if you will be at the San Diego Comic Con next week, you can come and get more information and see more art at the Assassin's Creed panel, Thursday July 22, 3:30-4:30pm in Room 7AB.

See you there!

TOO CARTOONY - Available Online

2010-06-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

You can now order my 2010 Sketchbook TOO CARTOONY at the TX Shop!

Go go go! Buy buy buy!

Raspberry Beret

2010-06-13T12:36:00.001-07:00

Happy Trails

2010-06-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

The news has probably broken by now that I am sadly no longer involved with The Return of Bruce Wayne series. Unfortunately, several weeks back I was forced to make the difficult decision to leave the book. It was a decision that I struggled with, but sadly conditions were such that I felt that my work would be drastically compromised and subpar should I stay on board, and so I felt that it was best that I walked away. I'd like to extend big thanks to my editors for trying to do whatever they could to make it possible for me to stay, but in the end it just wasn't happening. At the time I left, nothing had yet been produced for my issue other than the cover, so there will be a new artist for its entirety, and there's literally nothing for me to post here other than the doodle above. I'd like to apologize to the readers and retailers who may have been influenced to purchase the book based on my involvement, hopefully you will still be happy with my replacement.

I'm not going to answer any questions about the specifics of this, as I don't feel the details are interesting or relevant to anyone who isn't directly involved with the production. Suffice to say that the parting was amicable, and all is well. I'm of course very disappointed not to do it but these things happen.

However, to take the sting away, I do have a couple of secret irons in the fire, including an upcoming new comic series based on an immensely popular property. It's doubly exciting because I will be writing as well as drawing, partnered with my friend and studiomate Karl Kerschl. Work is already underway and we're really excited and energized by it - hopefully you will be too when it's announced at this year's San Diego Comic Con.

Thanks everyone, and my apologies once again. Feel free to repost this wherever it might be relevant.

-C

Some New Drawings

2010-05-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of drawings I did.

(model - Natasha Negovanlis)

Too Cartoony - Sketchbook 2010

2010-04-30T13:58:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

I'm pleased to report that my new 2010 sketchbook, "Too Cartoony" will be debuting at this year's TCAF on May 8. It's softcover, 28 pages and filled with material culled from my blog and plenty of unseen stuff too. I'll be selling it for $10, or $20 with a sketch on the interior. After TCAF you will be able to order online through the TX store for $15/$25 (shipping and handling included).

Some sample images:

It's An Honour...

2010-04-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

...just to be nominated! I've been nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic, for my online serial graphic novel Sin Titulo.

Read it now!

Boston Comicon and C2E2

2010-04-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

I'm just about to head out to Boston and Chicago for the Boston Comicon and C2E2. If you're in the areas, come by and say hello! At C2E2 I will be sitting with my friends Ramón Pérez and Scott Hepburn, in Row F, tables 3 and 4. At both shows I will be doing sketches and selling prints.

Hope to see you there!

Batwoman

2010-03-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a piece I did for fun. I love this costume.

Bat Ballou

2010-03-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of more prep sketches from the Wild West issue of The Return of Bruce Wayne:

The Good, The Bat, and The Ugly

2010-03-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

It was formally announced today that I'm one of the artists on board for DC's summer mega-event The Return of Bruce Wayne, which tells the story of how Batman fights his way back through the timestream to the present after being banished to the dawn of time. Each issue is set in a different time period with a "historical" version of Batman. I'm drawing the "Cowboy Batman" issue. The costume was designed by Andy Kubert, but here's an early sketch of mine, working out how to draw the character.

B&R in B&W

2010-03-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

My time on Batman & Robin is officially over, but I'm going to prolong it for one more week by posting some of the original black and white pages from issue 9! Enjoy!

Oh yeah, did I mention that I drew this whole issue in just over 2 weeks?? Crazy!

Upcoming Convention Appearances

2010-02-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I will be appearing at the following comic conventions in the near future:

February 28 - Toronto Comicon

March 26-28 - Wizard World Toronto

April 10-11 - Boston Comicon

April 16-18 - Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo

May 8-9 - TCAF

Come and say hello!

Alas, Poor Batwoman

2010-02-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

The opening pages of Batman & Robin #9.

The sharp-eyed will notice that this is the page I was drawing in the videos I posted several weeks back...

Batman Vs Batman - FIGHT!

2010-02-16T10:45:00.000-08:00

Here's the big Bat-on-Bat fight scene from Batman & Robin #8, presented in the original black and white.

When laying out this scene I watched a bunch of vintage martial arts movies to get the choreography to look convincing. Hope it worked...

Batman & Robin #7 - More Layouts

2010-02-12T16:06:00.001-08:00

Here's a few more pages of digital layouts from issue 7 of Batman and Robin.

I got a little carried away drawing Batwoman here, this was just the layout stage!

Ah, this is the page with the infamous lettering error which confounded so many people and made them think it was one of Grant's more experimental works. As you can see, the page was laid out with the characters oriented consistently from left to right, but after I'd completed the final artwork I was asked to reverse panel 3 because the dialogue (which is written after the art is completed) required Batwoman to be on the left. I did make the change but somewhere along the way the original art file was used by mistake, and thousands of readers scratched their head in puzzlement.

Note the difference in the final page - this was my first attempt at it and felt that the hand exploding from the pit didn't have the right dramatic effect with the characters standing in the background. However there was dialogue that needed to be on this page, and so the compromise for the final was to split it into two panels. I don't quite think it works as well as I'd wanted but that's how it goes sometimes...

Batman & Robin #7 - Layouts

2010-02-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, here's a few pages of my rough layout drawings from issue 7 of Batman & Robin. As I've shown in previous posts, I draw these digitally using a Wacom Cintiq tablet and Manga Studio, then print them out in blue on the artboard and then draw the finals directly in ink. These are actually some of the tighter layouts, as the deadline looms (and I start to hit my stride) they get very sketchy indeed.

(The Squire has a different bike here, it wasn't until after I'd sketched these out that Grant decided it was to have the horse's head on the front.)

(Note some of the differences between the layouts and the final printed artwork in the traffic scene. This was my first attempt at it, and I did some revisions to punch it up for the final.)

Stay tuned, I'll be posting more soon, and some black-and-white final pages also!

Blackest Knight Begins

2010-01-26T08:40:00.001-08:00

Here's page 1 of my first issue of Batman & Robin, which kicks off the "Blackest Knight" storyline:

Colours by Alex Sinclair

(This page has been met with much shock from the fan community, I didn't realize it was such a significant image but I haven't been reading Blackest Night)

On sale tomorrow, Wednesday the 27th! Please pick it up and let me know what you think!

Heads

2010-01-13T10:01:00.001-08:00

Some late-night practice drawing while watching a movie, trying to draw interesting character types.

Girl Fridays

2010-01-08T08:58:00.001-08:00

This is actually a commission piece, I got an email from someone asking for a portrait. Since I'm always happy to draw cute girls I managed to do this late last night before going home:

I'm quite happy with the inking on this one - I am trying to make a change in my drawing where I am looser with my inking on pieces like this, trying to bring the roughness of my inking on Sin Titulo (returning soon!) to all of my work. I inked this very fast and instead of controlled smooth curves (compare with the New Year's illustration below) I tried to ink with short, sharp scratchy flicks of the wrist. I'm pleased with some of the irregular line weights here, like the curve around the top of the head. I'm making it my New Year's resolution to draw like this a lot more.

Happy New Year

2009-12-24T12:04:00.001-08:00

I did the cover for the Montreal Mirror this week, for their New Year's Eve party guide issue:

The illo was partly inspired by this photo I found while searching for reference, which gave me the idea to do the year 2010 in the spout of champagne:

Batman and Robin Inking Videos

2009-12-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of videos demonstrating my direct-to-finals approach to inking - I do my rough layout drawings digitally in Manga Studio 4, print them out in faint blue on the bristol board, and then take the plunge and go right to final drawings. It doesn't always turn out perfect (as you'll see in the first video, I make the occasional error) but it's a fun and efficient way to work, and really builds confidence.

Batman and Robin #7 First Look (Again)

2009-12-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, DC Comics has finally officially released a few pages from my upcoming Batman & Robin arc. This is the page I posted and had to pull a couple of months back, plus a couple more! Enjoy!

Eurotour 2009 - iPhone Paintings

2009-12-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

To avoid weighing myself down with too much stuff I didn't bring a sketchbook along with me on the trip, but I did try to do some quick paintings on my iPhone with the Brushes app. Here are some of the better ones. They're not terribly complicated, mostly they were quick sketches of things I had in front of me when sitting down for an extended period of time, but I like that they immediately conjure up very vivid memories of the exact time and place where I did them.

Eurotour 2009 - Sketches!

2009-12-04T10:43:00.000-08:00

I'm back from my big European tour with my friends Karl Kerschl and Ramón Pérez! I'll post some photos from the trip shortly but for now, here are a few of the sketches I did for people at the various festivals and comic shop events:

(Yes, they are all quite similar headshots, but these were free and so I was doing them quickly)

Euro Trip

2009-10-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

I'm literally minutes away from leaving on my month-long trip around Europe with fellow TXers Karl Kerschl and Ramón Pérez - if you are in any of the following cities, please come and visit us!

October 23-25
Festival Internacional de Banda Desenhada na Amadora (FIBDA)
Amadora, Portugal
http://www.amadorabd.com

October 28
Kingpin Books
Lisbon, Portugal
http://kingpinbooks.blogspot.com/

October 31-November 1
Lille Comics Festival
Lille, France
http://www.lillecomicsfestival.com/html/main_UK.html

November 2
Album Librarie
Paris, France
http://www.album.fr/librairies/librairie-album-comics/librairie-album-comics.htm

November 7-8
La Fete De La BD
Andennes, Belgium
http://lagrandeourse.over-blog.com/pages/FETE_DE_LA_BD_2009_ANDENNE-1447954.html

November 11
Alastor Milano Fumetto
Milan, Italy
http://www.promocard.it/locations/show.php?id=7809

November 12
Alastor Novara
Novara, Italy

November 14
Forbidden Planet
Dublin, Ireland

November 16
Comica - ICA Nash Room 7:30pm
London, England
http://www.ica.org.uk/visit

November 19
Orbital Comics
London, England
http://www.orbitalcomics.com/

November 21-22
Thoughtbubble Festival
Leeds, England
http://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com/

Please check with the individual event websites for more information.

More Digital Drawing

2009-10-13T22:25:00.001-07:00

Here's another panel from Prince of Persia, with a video of the drawing process:

Girl Fridays

2009-10-10T01:22:00.001-07:00

Technically it's Saturday morning, but I did this to to unwind after a long work day today.

Yes, I do draw to take a break from drawing.

Selina

2009-10-06T15:08:00.001-07:00

Here's that final Catwoman piece from yesterday's video...

Digital Drawing

2009-10-06T01:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of videos I made of me drawing digitally in Manga Studio, with a Cintiq tablet.

Batman & Robin

2009-09-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry, everyone, for having to remove the page of Batman & Robin #7 I posted last week - unfortunately I jumped the gun and posted it without going through the proper channels and so, quite understandably, I was asked to remove it.

To make up for it, here's an early drawing I did of the characters to get a feel for them. This is NOT appearing anywhere in the series, it's not a cover, it's just a drawing I did for my own practice, but it's a decent enough example of what my work on the book will look like...

PS I've had dozens of people ask why Batman & Robin #7 wasn't in the December solicits - I actually don't know, I don't have anything to do with that decision, the book is completely drawn so it's not because we're behind schedule or anything. I'm sure there's a valid reason for it but I'm not the guy to ask. Sorry!

The Palace

2009-09-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a little snippet from Prince of Persia...

You Go In The Cage, Cage Goes In The Water

2009-09-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

A birthday card done for a shark-loving friend.

Batman and Robin #7 First Look

2009-09-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: SORRY - HAD TO REMOVE THE PAGE

Here's a page from my upcoming Batman & Robin story. I'm not going to show too much on this blog, because obviously we want you to buy it, but I'll ration out a few bits and bobs as we go...

IMAGE REMOVED

Now, here's what I need you to do. This Wednesday, September 16, the solicitation for Batman & Robin #7 is in the new Previews catalogue (for those of you unfamiliar with the comic book direct market system, Previews is the distributor catalogue that all comic book retail stores use to order stock). I need you to go in to your local comic shop and talk to the people who work there, and tell them that you're really looking forward to this, and if you really want to be bold, suggest that they should probably order a few extra copies to be safe. I feel like, as a guy who hasn't done a whole lot of big mainstream superhero work, I'm the dark horse in this race and I need all the help that I can get, and it would be great if advance word-of-mouth could help make a little jump in sales. Thanks for your help!!

The Bat's Out Of The Bag

2009-09-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping this secret for months, but it's finally been announced that I will be drawing issues 7 through 9 of DC Comics' Batman & Robin, with my frequent collaborator Grant Morrison. I couldn't be more excited about this and I hope that you'll be along for the ride.

Below, the line art for my 1-in-25 variant cover for issue 7 (the regular cover will be by original artist Frank Quitely):

Digitally Blonde

2009-09-06T16:16:00.001-07:00

Here's a drawing done for geek girl extraordinaire, Carol Zara of Digitally Blonde:

Fan Expo

2009-08-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

If you're in Toronto for the Fan Expo this weekend, you can come and see me in Artist's Alley, where I will have prints, books, and original art for sale, and be signing and sketching all weekend. Look for the giant row of TX Comics banners, you won't be able to miss us.

If you're at the show TODAY, Friday the 28th, please come to the WEBCOMICS 101 panel at 5pm in Room 713A! Hope to see you there!

Stars and Garters

2009-08-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

Photo Reference

2009-08-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

Something that comes up time and time again in discussions I have with others about comics, and illustration in general, is the use of photographs to produce the artwork. There's a particular popular trend in contemporary comic art to be "realistic," to have the characters and environments look like stills from a film set, and quite often this effect is achieved by using extensive photo reference. Personally I dislike this aesthetic, particularly when applied to superhero comics, as I feel it is reductive and a lot of the time ends up looking stilted and ironically unconvincing, and I much prefer to see an artist's individual style rather than a series of traced photographs.

I'm not saying that an artist should not use photographs in their work, in fact quite the opposite - I use quite a lot of photo reference, and studying photographs provides a wealth of detail and nuance that make the drawn image feel more authentic and natural. What I don't do is copy or trace the photographs exactly, as I feel that can rob the drawing of its character and spontaneity, and also appear quite lazy. For many of my pinup girl illustrations, generally what I do is to do a quick initial sketch based on the photograph, including general impressions of most of the details, and then I put the photograph away before I start work on the final piece. Once the photograph is out of sight I am free to stylize and distort the shapes and interpret it in my own way.

I usually don't trace photos, but occasionally a tricky pose or angle can prove to be quite frustrating and time-consuming and so a quick trace can help reduce the stress. I decided to do an example for this post. I chose this photo of a friend of mine (and yes, I got her permission to use the photo):

I chose it because it's a difficult angle and pose and would be much harder to draw from scratch than a simple eye-level portrait. Then I did a quick, loose digital sketch over it:

Once the basic shapes are there, I remove the photograph and start working on the final drawing without referring back to the original, using my memory/imagination/understanding of figure drawing to do the rendering.

The final drawing hopefully retains the authenticity of the photograph, while still having some spontaneity and character that a direct trace wouldn't.

(I don't intend this post to be any kind of legal advice for using photographs in hired illustration, mainly because I'm not qualified to dispense such advice and copyright laws probably aren't consistent worldwide anyway. This is just an example of how I use photos in my own work. Generally speaking if you are to use photographs it's safest (and most ethical) to use ones that you've taken yourself, or to ensure that you've got permission by the photographer.)

My Favourite SDCC Souvenir

2009-08-19T12:32:00.001-07:00

During this year's San Diego Comic Con I went for some lunch near the convention centre with a bunch of friends. Most of the surrounding restaurants get into the spirit of Comic Con and have special dumb "superhero" menus or whatever, and the place we chose was no exception. As I was looking over the menu something caught my eye - it was a drawing I'd done years ago of Mr Fantastic of the Fantastic Four. I held it up to show my friends and noticed two more drawings of mine on the back:

(not shown: Invisible Woman)

I had an idea. I called the waitress over and told her that I had drawn the pictures that they were using on their menu.

"Oh, that's so cool!" she said.
"Yeah, I think we should get some free drinks or something in compensation, right?"
"Uh, well...I'll have to check with my manager."

Shortly after she returned with the word from the manager, who said that in order to get anything on the house, I had to prove they were actually my drawings. Fair enough. Luckily I had my iPhone and was able to use Google Image Search to find a photo of me right next to the drawing of Mr Fantastic.

We got those drinks.

The Song Remains The Same

2009-08-17T23:18:00.001-07:00

This blog's been pretty one-note lately, lots of headshots and pinup girls. I wish I could post more exciting stuff but both of the comics projects I'm working on at the moment are kept under lock and key and I can't share any with you. As soon as I get the greenlight though I'll post some images from the comics, which hopefully make me look less one-dimensional.

Gamer Girl Sketch

2009-08-17T23:13:00.001-07:00

I started sketching out this drawing, which is intended to be a girl with a video game controller, but then I realized that the pose basically makes no sense for the activity she's doing. I've posted it here to show a bit of the creative process.

V-Line

2009-08-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a drawing I did to unwind from work tonight. I think it's the cool blue but this drawing has a Michael Cho quality to it.

Pinup Girl

2009-08-17T13:57:00.001-07:00

I was asked to do a drawing of a pinup girl as a mascot for a company that sells pinup-style wigs, corsets, etc. The character is based on the owner, herself a pinup model.

Photos used for likeness, but not for the pose.

Purr-casso

2009-08-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

While working on commissions tonight, my good friend and studiomate Karl Kerschl said that I should try drawing Catwoman with my eyes closed. I gave it a shot:

What's surprising to me is that most of the elements are correctly drawn, they're just in the wrong place. It's like a weird Cubist Catwoman.

The Grim Gondolier

2009-08-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

A recent commission. I was asked to draw "any Seaguy character" and instead of doing the obvious ones I chose Death:

I hope he doesn't mind.

Portrait Study

2009-08-04T16:36:00.001-07:00

Just a quick something to break up the workday...digital drawing, from a photo.

No Pants No Problem

2009-08-02T23:09:00.001-07:00

Just a quick doodle. Don't have my scanner handy so it's a photo of the drawing...

Mum Would Be So Proud

2009-07-22T02:40:00.000-07:00

If you're in or around London, England, you might want to go see the exhibition "Deceitful Moon" at the Hayward Gallery in the Southbank Centre, which is a collection of artistic works depicting the moon as a hoax or fraud, in honour of the anniversary of the moon landing. Among the work on display is an original drawn page from the first Seaguy miniseries, my me and Grant Morrison.

This is the first time my work has been, or is ever likely to be, in a real, proper art gallery, so that's fairly exciting. I believe admission is free.

Prince of Persia

2009-07-21T18:35:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been announced, I'm working on an anthology graphic novel based on next summer's fantasy action blockbuster Prince of Persia.

The 120-page book is written the by the original video game's designer, Jordan Mechner (it blows me away that 20 years on he's still so closely involved) and include six prequel stories set in the world of the game/film. The other artists are Niko Henrichon, Bernard Chang, David Lopez, Tommy Lee Edwards, and Tom Fowler, all wrapped up in a cover by Todd McFarlane. The book will be out in April 2010 from the Disney Press imprint, as part of a line of graphic novels from Disney. For more information come see me, Mechner, McFarlane, and several of the other artists at the Disney panel, Friday at 11:30 at the San Diego Comic Con.

I think its gonna be a great book, a lot different than the usual movie tie-ins.

Here's a small taste of my story, but this is all I'm gonna post for now...

Another Warm-Ups Sketch

2009-07-19T13:37:00.001-07:00

Another front page sketch in a Warm-Ups sketchbook...

Warm-Ups Interior Sketch

2009-07-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'm almost out of my 2008 "Warm-Ups" sketchbook (see sidebar). I'm going to try to sell the remainder at San Diego but after the show if I still have some left-over you can still order them from me. If you choose to get an interior sketch (for an additional $10) it will look something like this:

Wonder Woman, Take 2

2009-07-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

You might remember the lame Wonder Woman sketch I posted a few days ago. I wasn't happy with it so I sat down to have a second crack at it, and came up with this:

Limited Edition Catwoman Print

2009-07-16T17:19:00.001-07:00

Come and see me in San Diego (details below) and you can get one of these:

Here's the black and white lineart for the curious. This was actually done in Manga Studio, so there's no physical piece of artwork, which probably will have lost me some money. Oh well.

San Diego Comic Con '09

2009-07-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, if you're attending the San Diego Comic Con next week and want to know where you can find me, here's where I'll be:

Thursday, July 23

1pm-2:20pm
Oni Press, signing with Ray Fawkes
4pm-5pm
Vertigo Comics, signing

Friday, July 24

11:30am-12:30pm
Disney Press: Comics and Graphic Novels (Room 3)- Jordan Mechner, Prince of Persia creator and writer of the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time graphic novel, and artists Todd McFarlane (Spawn), Cameron Stewart (Seaguy), Bernard Chang (Wonder Woman), and Tommy Lee Edwards (Daredevil) for a discussion and Q&A session. Plus, get a sneak peek at the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time graphic novel, and an advance look at the book's connections to the secrets within the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie.

Saturday, July 25

11am-12pm
Vertigo Comics, signing
5:30pm-6:50pm
Oni Press, signing with Ray Fawkes

Sunday, July 26

10am-11:20am
Oni Press, signing
3pm-4pm
Making Webcomics Panel (Room 4)- Join Ron Perazza (Zuda), Kwanza Johnson (Zuda), Kevin Colden (Fishtown, I Rule the Night), Cameron Stewart (Sin Titulo), Molly Crabapple (Backstage, Dr. Sketchys Anti-Art School ) and others for an inclusive, round table discussion about the advantages, challenges, questions, solutions, costs and benefits of making webcomics for fun and profit. Topics include working with a publisher, self-publishing, promoting yourself, best practices, style and moving from web to print (or vice-versa)!

Inbetween the above events, I will be found mainly at SplashPage Comic Art, booth #4400, where I will be taking commission requests, and selling original artwork and some merchandise.

Then, I'm hitting the bars to get my drink on.

See you there!

Girl Sketch

2009-07-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

A fast sketch to loosen up. About 5-8 minutes, no model used.

Catwoman Study

2009-07-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a study of Catwoman for a possible print for San Diego...

Mo' MODOK, Mo' Problems

2009-07-12T00:01:00.001-07:00

This is a couple of years old now, but I've never put it on the blog. One of, if not the, most popular covers I've ever done, all the more satisfying for being the most freakout weird one.

Blunder Woman

2009-07-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a sketch for a Wonder Woman commission I'm working on...I think it's kind of bland and uninspired... I'll probably redo it.

Birthday Pin-Up

2009-07-08T13:44:00.001-07:00

I did this as a gift for a friend's birthday.

I hope she liked it. It was difficult to tell.

Death

2009-07-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Just a doodle of a character I have "endless" fun drawing. HA HA! GET IT??

The Apocalipstix - Liberty Comics

2009-06-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a completed page (minus colour and lettering) from the upcoming Liberty Comics short featuring The Apocalipstix, and the digital rough that preceded it. I drew the rough in Manga Studio 4, a program which I think will be great once I get the hang of it - at the moment it's a bit overwhelming and confusing after working with Photoshop for so long.

It's been a while since I drew these characters and after working on Seaguy and Sin Titulo it's taking me longer than I'd like to get back into the right frame of mind to work on The Apocalipstix, so I've been struggling with it, but I'm sure I'll settle into it soon enough.

Apocalipstix Teaser

2009-06-29T21:24:00.001-07:00

Here's a little taste of the Apocalipstix short I'm drawing for Image Comics' anti-censorship charity anthology Liberty Comics #2 :

More soon!

MoCCA 2009

2009-06-04T13:44:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates of late - after wrapping Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye (the final issue of which went on sale yesterday), I took a bit of a vacation and haven't been producing much that's worth sharing.

However - this weekend I will be in New York for the annual MoCCA Festival! If you are in the area and attend the show, I will be at tables 708-709 with my TX Comics friends, and will have books, comics, and original artwork to sell. Please come visit us!

Hold Me Closer, Tiny Batman

2009-05-06T10:17:00.001-07:00

Here's a tiny Batman doodle I did. I didn't intend to draw it this small, I was just scribbling out a bunch of superhero action poses and liked this one, and instead of trying to recreate it larger I just lightboxed the sketch at its original size.

Click to enlarge.

Finger Painting

2009-04-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

I love my iPhone for many reasons, but one of them is the application "Brushes" which is like a miniature version of Corel Painter. I was fiddling around with it tonight and did this painting of Hellboy. I'm going to try to do more with this app - it's quite difficult to paint with your finger, it's not terribly precise but I think it will be an interesting exercise in trying to paint in broad strokes.

Busy Bee

2009-04-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

A quick doodle of my studiomate Karl Kerschl, as seen from my desk:

The Man From SNIKT

2009-04-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a page from my upcoming Wolverine short, "The Man From SNIKT," which is appearing in X-Men First Class Special #1, The lovely colours are by Christina Strain!

Uncanny X-Men: First Class Giant-Size Special #1 is on sale June 3! Buy buy buy!

Action!

2009-04-21T11:10:00.001-07:00

Looking over the posts from the last few weeks I realize this is in danger of becoming a blog about people standing still. Here's a few action pages from the next issue of Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye, on sale May 6!

Building A Cover - Wolverine: First Class #17

2009-04-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Regular readers of my blog might remember that a little while ago I mentioned that I had a bit of an itch to draw Wolverine. Almost immediately I found emails in my inbox, some from established professional writers, some from aspiring amateurs, and one from an editor at Marvel, who offered me a couple of Wolverine-related jobs, which I of course gladly accepted.

The first was to draw the cover for issue 17 of Wolverine: First Class. I was given a fairly open cover concept by my editor - it was to feature Wolverine as "Patch," his suave, James Bond-ish alias, and Kitty Pryde, accompanying him on a spy mission. I was instructed to draw Kitty attempting to look "bad-ass."

This was the first sketch I submitted, placing Patch and Kitty in Monaco, or similar exotic locale:

Most illustrators will tell you that you should never go with your first concept. My editor rejected this sketch immediately, citing a few major problems - Wolverine wasn't placed prominently enough in the composition, Kitty looked too confident and cool, and he also felt that she also was a little too sexy (Kitty is only 13 in this series - eep!).

So I revised it, this time placing them on a Moroccan-style balcony, and adding an eyepatch to Kitty to indicate that she is trying to unconvincingly emulate Wolverine:

My editor liked this one but still had a few notes - he thought Kitty's pigeon-toed stance was too awkward, and she needed to look slightly more confident, but Wolverine's body language should suggest that he finds her bravado amusing. A few more tweaks:

Success! This sketch was approved and I was given the go-ahead to proceed to final. I did a tighter, more detailed drawing over the rough, in Photoshop using my Wacom Cintiq tablet. The latticework in the background and the tile pattern on the floor were quickly made in Illustrator and dropped into the sketch:

And then I printed this off in light blue on artboard and did the final inked drawing. I inked the lattice and tile by hand (tedious!), using the Illustrator patterns as a guide:

Once the inks were complete I added colour. This is not usually my strongest suit and so I consulted some friends and ended up with a nighttime palette, based on suggestions from my friends Brian McLachlan and J. Bone:

All that was left to do was send it to Marvel!

Wolverine: First Class #17 is out in July.

The Horror

2009-04-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

The 6th in my Umbrella Academy series. It was a brutal work day today but I still managed to fire this one out before I go home. I'm going to be away from the studio for most of the week so Spaceboy will unfortunately have to wait until I get back!

The Boy and Pogo

2009-04-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

The 5th in my series of Umbrella Academy drawings...

The Séance

2009-04-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

Another in the series of Umbrella Academy drawings. I'm starting to get requests now - don't worry, I'll do them all...

Brainpicking

2009-04-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

Hey there - the Mindless Ones, one of the best comics blogs on the net, recently stalked me, captured me, and forced me to answer a bunch of questions for them. Read the whole sordid story here.

The White Violin

2009-04-09T10:43:00.001-07:00

Another Umbrella Academy drawing - these are fun! I'm not as happy with this one though, the others were done late at night after a full day's work, when my brain is a flurry of activity and I am full of creative energy - this one is the first drawing of the day today, to get the engine started, and so it's not as loose or as vibrant as I'd like. Also - don't try to draw a violin from memory. Lesson learned.

The Rumor

2009-04-08T19:36:00.001-07:00

Another Umbrella Academy drawing, for fun. I'll likely end up doing the whole team...

The Kraken

2009-04-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I was pretty cynical about The Umbrella Academy when it was first announced - a superhero comic written by a rock star (Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance)? Pssssh. There have been a few celebrities to try their hand at "writing" comics and the results are usually pretty lame, low-grade attempts to exploit comics' current fashionability as movie pitch packages.

I originally picked up The Umbrella Academy on the strength of the artist, the amazing Gabriel Ba, and was pretty surprised to discover that I actually really enjoyed reading it - maybe it's Way's pre-rockstar background as an intern at DC Comics, but rather than an awkward vanity project I thought the book was well-written and engagingly off-beat, in the vein of Grant Morrison's early work on Doom Patrol (one of my favourite comics as a kid). I haven't yet read the current miniseries, "Dallas," but I look forward to picking it up once it's collected.

Anyway all this to say I was sketching last night for fun and I did this drawing of The Kraken.

Batman and Robin

2009-04-08T09:48:00.001-07:00

Here's some late-night sketches of Batman and Robin, inspired by Frank Quitely's work on the upcoming series by him and Grant Morrison.

It's Always Tease, Tease, Tease

2009-04-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here's part of a page of the Wolverine story I'm working on for X-Men Special Class Special #1, out in June.

At Long Last

2009-04-01T07:02:00.001-07:00

Today's the day! Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye #1 is released in shops in North America, and tomorrow in the UK and elsewhere. 5 long years of wondering if the story would ever be finished are over. The three issues of Vol 2 will be coming out monthly, then I'm going on a bit of a break to work on The Apocalipstix Vol 2, and then it'll be back to Seaguy Eternal, which should be out sometime in 2010.

Please check it out and report back here with your reactions! Thanks!

Sin Titulo

2009-03-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Click to read!

Li'l Rorschach

2009-03-15T16:39:00.001-07:00

Girl Fridays

2009-03-15T16:35:00.001-07:00

Here's a couple of sketches I posted over on She's My Kind Of Girl (Warning, site may be NSFW)

Sin Titulo

2009-02-22T18:41:00.001-08:00

New Sin Titulo strip online now!

Click to read!

Charity Auction

2009-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

At last summer's San Diego Comic Con, NYC Mech artist Andy MacDonald was badly injured after falling, and taken to hospital. Unfortunately his medical bills from the accident have been astronomical and so a group of comics artists including Darwyn Cooke, Adam Hughes, and myself are auctioning artwork on eBay to help raise money to help Andy pay them. Any money raised beyond the cost of the medical bills will be donated to the HERO Initiative, a charity that provides financial security for aged and retired cartoonists.

My piece is pictured below, please head on over to the auction page and place a bid for charity. Thanks!

SIN TITULO returns

2009-02-15T17:49:00.001-08:00

Click to read!

New York Comic Con

2009-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

I'll be at the New York Comic Con, February 6-8, at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan. You can find me along with
studiomates Karl Kerschl and Serge LaPointe at table C1 in Artist's Alley. Floorplan below:

Hope to see you there!

Doodles

2009-01-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Some late night scribbling.