Another Head Turnaround..

Hello!

Where have I been, right?!.. Sorry, I'm just getting back into some regular drawing, after my cataract surgery. It's taken some time to shake all of the rust off.. But here's something I finally feel comfortable sharing:

This is another Head turnaround, that's designed to act as a kind-of model sheet for a showgirl character. I'm hoping to feature her in a short comic-book story, that I'm working on. I tried something similar a few years ago, and hit a complete dead-end. I'm confident I'll have some better luck, this time 'round..
She still looks like 3 different women here, unfortunately. But it's a first run-thru, and issues will begin to streamline themselves as I continue drawing her..

Hope to be able to show you more on this, as I get the images down on paper.. TTYLater!

FF's 50th Anniversary!

Many moons ago, I roughed-out a sketch of the entire 'FANTASTIC FOUR' group.. I'd bought a few of the Kirby/Sinnott ESSENTIAL trade paperbacks earlier; and found them really inspirational. That vintage artist team seemed to really click, on the series. And Joe Sinnott's slick inking, really made Kirby's pencilling sing!
Realizing that my original Layout would likely require some finessing, if I wanted all of the compositional elements to work.. I thought it'd be a good idea to put each character on a seperate page. They turned out pretty good, I thought. But unfortunately, I never got 'round to adding a background. Eventually I sold them all off thru a series of eBay auctions; promoting my 2003 self-published sketchbook..

More recently, I read that the 50th Anniversary of the FF would be one of many "themes" featured in the Souvenir Program Book at this year's San Diego Comic-Con.. So, I dragged out my old FF artwork & sketched out a Background that'd work behind what'd already been done.
There were parts of the old artwork that I was never quite happy with.. So, in addition to adding a background, I decided to "fix" stuff like Reed Richard's outstretched arm. As well as give The Thing a "new" face. Here's what I came up with:

It looks a bit odd, with some parts still missing.. But drawing all the Kirby -type machinery/gear, is always great fun.. And because I had the character placements already blocked-out, I was able to (hopefully) spot additional elements, without making the Layout overly busy & congested.. Even so, it still took a bit finagling inside Photoshop to get everything to fit properly..

The only thing I was sure of, for the Coloring stage,-- was that I wanted the back wall (with the large hole) to framed using a darker tone. Ideally, this would contrast nicely against the bright skyline..
I decided to add a colored line for the cityscape, so as to not distract too much from my Foreground details.
Here's how the Final Art turned out:

Even though I started working on this quite awhile back,-- the deadline of April 29th came up frighteningly fast. I barely got the image file sent off, just under the wire! With a bit of luck, the pic will see print at this year's biggest annual comic-book convention..
Anyways, it was a fun project. And one that I heartily recommend to any/all artists interested in self-promoting their abilities to a defined audience..
See ya!

Goshdurn DOODLE Dump!

It's hard for me to believe that I let another entire month slip by, before updating my Blog.. I had the best of intentions to post something in January. And had started a number of drawings that I thought would fit nicely. But alas, Life seems to always find a way of impeding my completion on these things...
In any case, I'm well past due for a Blog update. So I went thru the vast pile of unfinished illustration ideas & unearthed a couple of older sketches. Composited in a bit of "newer" stuff, too.. And figgered this would make a sufficient posting? I hope so..
Below, is one of these:

Some of these sketches are pretty loosey-goosey. My stuff usually ends up more finished-looking.. But I think the 2 weird figures at the Top Left were supposed to be a kind of strange Charles Burns -esque 'Santa Claus'?! I can't even remember why I did these..
The gaggle of more-finished "inked" figures are Elves, which I may still use in a future Christmas Card. I like how most of these turned out.. There's a nice contrast in the overall variety. I can recall the l'il marching ones, were adapted from a Frazetta 'Funny Animal' comic.. Always a fun exercise!
The other blue-pencil ones along the Bottom, were studies I'd done from a pre-code 50's Horror anthology, I purchased recently. In fact, I'm 99% sure the Ghoulie-Guy rubbing his hands, is from a Jack Cole story.. Cole was a brilliant artist whose artwork I cannot seem to get enough of!

The above sketch page, is a little more finished.. But again, the ideas/concepts were never incorporated into anything I felt was worth completing. The inked stuff along the top, are studies from a classic Wally Wood MAD story, entitled: "Wreck Of The Hesperus".. The idiot daughter in that one, never ceases to crack me up! hah
The bottom tier is quite Wood-sy, too. Essentially, more riffs on his style.. A couple of weird Alien figures, in all of their resplendent nekkid-ity!
The stern-looking Male faces thru the middle, were an idea I once had for a kind of 'NICK FURY' -style Super Spy. He was supposed to look a bit like Robert Mitchum, I guess? I can't recall.. But I did like the way all of the l'il Ass Chins turned out on these! haha

Anyways, hope you'll enjoy perusing some of the detritus from these projects?..
Because I'm pretty positive there'll be more Doodle Dumps, in my future!

Happy Holidays 2010!

Season's Greetings, everyone!
Here is the 2010 version of my annual Holiday Card..

This year, I attempted another Art Deco motif; based on a few vintage cards that I've managed to collect off of eBay over the years..  Overall I'm happy with most of it. But in hindsight, it's probably a bit too close in overall design, to the Holiday Card that I did back in 2007..
The coloring was done digitally.. For the most part, it was applied color-to-color, without any holding lines. I cheated a bit here and there, though. The Birch Trees actually looked better with the remnants of linework, I thought..
Unfortunately, while the series of Gradient Fills I applied with Photoshop, looked pretty decent in the original file on my monitor.. The subtleties got a bit muddied in the actual printouts I received back from Kinko's.. Skewing everything, slightly darker. Parts of the Deer got lost on the Night Sky. As did some of the Pine Trees, etc.. 

The experience of making/sending out the Cards this year too, was somewhat bittersweet. As this was the type of project that I would traditionally do with my Mom; who passed away just last year. In fact, looking back.. I think I did it more for her, than for myself. She would nag me about getting the Cards done. And for whatever reason, I would always wait 'til the last-possible-minute, before actually finishing them. It was a real Dannys Christmas tradition! bwa-hah

As mentioned in my previous Blog posts,-- any Christmas Card done BEFORE my Birthday, is a raving success story.. So, I did alright this year! But I'm a man of limited financial resources, so I wasn't able to printout quite as many copies as I once did. But if you're on my Card List, expect a hard copy in your mailbox soon.. For the rest of my friends, I hope that this "digital" -version of the Card will suffice? Y'know, they say it's the thought that counts, in the end..

Anyways, I hope that everyone has a terrific Holiday Season.. Best Wishes to everyone at Christmastime!.. And hoping you have a fantastic 2011!

"When CAPTAIN AMERICA Throws His Mighty Shield!.."

So,-- here's a rough CAP sketch that I just finished.. Did you know this character will be 70 years old, next March?! I don't think he looks a day over 30!

I couldn't resist drawing a Kirby-style CAP running headlong towards those dirty Huns.. Hence, the whole "exploding off the Page" motif..
This sketch will be part of a more elaborate illustration. The weird sketchy stuff along the top may (or may not) be added to the final composition..I'd love to include the transformation of the scrawny Steve Rogers. And also, the Red Skull. But I dunno if I can fit it all in? We'll see..

The Marvel Essential CAPTAIN AMERICA volumes are pretty fantastic reference.. Not only is there some terrific Jack Kirby stuff in 'em. But you also get some of the "groovy" Jim Steranko artwork, too!
I'll confess that I can't really relate much, to the modern "Ultimates" -version of the character.. He always seems trussed-up with a crazy helmet, suspenders, goggles, elbow/knee pads, etc.. Has he gotten weaker, since I read him, back in-the-day? I doubt it.
I recently saw a cover where CAP was even geared up with an AK-47 machine gun?! Dat's just plain screwy, I sez!!

I know that Hollywood is currently preparing a live-action "Captain America" feature. So, I guess having him appear more like a U.S. soldier makes better sense than flashy spandex? The production pics I've seen, look quite intriguing.. (Especially casting actor Hugo Weaving as: "the Red Skull"!)
The film is being directed by Joe Johnston. Yup, the same guy that brought Dave Stevens' "The ROCKETEER" to the silver-screen.. At least we know the movie will "look" half-decent..
But let's face it,-- Hollywood's track record for translating comic-book properties into films, is notoriously piss-poor.  And for me, traditional 2-D animation still seems the most logical way to create a movie out of a comic-book!

Anywayz, I thought this'd make a nice Post.. Enjoy!

Deconstructing the Frazetta Female - Pt. 2

Hello, again!

Today, I thought I'd add one more drawing to the ideas presented in a previous blog posting, re: attempting to "figure out" how Frank Frazetta's comic-book women are put-together? For me, they're easily the most appealing female figures in the history of comic-books.. I can't stop looking at them!

Presented here, are a few more classic poses of some of the women that appeared in Frazetta's 50's-era comic artwork. I set them up on a line, so that I could work towards building a formal Turnaround -type model sheet..
I compared them to my prior attempts.. And the proportions stack up fairly consistently with them. And while I have no knowledge of Frazetta's familiarity with the Andrew Loomis instructional drawing books,-- I was surprised to find that (for the most part) the proportions match-up rather closely to those, as well.

Granted, the Frazetta women tend to be a little fleshier. I think I detected that Frazetta draws the breast-line a tad higher. His women are also a little more "hips-y".. And definitely feature a little more exaggeration in the Derriere department!

Bettie Page!

I was digging thru a few of my older drawings, when I came across this one.. I did it as a commission for a friend, almost a half-dozen years ago. It was a bit rushed. And though it was close to what I'd intended, I was still never completely satisfied with the finished results.. So, I thought I'd revisit it to "fix" the parts I didn't like. And take some time to apply some color to the image, as well..

Bettie Page was perhaps one of the most-famous pinup models of the 1950's era. She died a few short years ago, at the age of 85. Preceding her by less than a year, Dave Stevens (the artist most-responsible for bringing her back into the public eye) would also pass on, succumbing to a rare form of cancer.

Even so, the memory of Ms. Page endures thru (literally) dozens of Internet websites, blogs, and tumblr sites.. And she will undoubtedly reappear in a 'ROCKETEER' comic-book anthology series, scheduled to be published by 'IDW Publishing', sometime in 2011. Can't wait to see what that project will look like!

That's all for now.. TTYLater!

Another BURBY Baseball ALL-STAR revealed!

Hello again!

Yeah I know, it's been TOO long between Posts for me.. But a number of Freelance projects occupied my time, and kept me too busy to present anything new here..
But here's an Image that I've just completed.. It's yet another "Hall Of Fame" -type personality, in the ever-growing BURBY Baseball Card series!
This time 'round, our featured ALL-STAR player, is none other than: John Lei.. Another Animation guy, that I met (and worked with) thru the late-90's.. I think we first met at the (now defunct) 'Phoenix Animation' studios?
Unfortunately, I don't have any "Lifetime" stats recorded for John.. So, I'm going to assume that he only started playing Burby, sometime after 1996?
I can tell you that he was a solid Pitcher. And always batted somewhere in the high .300's! The important personal stats that John provided me with, are as follows: Born in Hong Kong, in November of 1970. Stands 5' 7 1⁄2" tall & weighs 142 lbs. Bats: Right and Throws: Left..

Every Card first starts out with some reference photos.. Which I shoot, as best I can. John's photos turned out a bit dark. So I had some difficulty making out the details around his eyes. But he gave me a solid hang-dog/all-business expression.. Which makes the drawing, all that much more fun to do!
I won't bore you with all of the "process" details again, re: the making of John's card. But if you click thru the "Burby" tag at the bottom of this Post.. You'll be able to follow the same techniques, which I used on Sasa Radosavcevic's artwork.
Again, the coloring is intended to mimic the old 50's-era "painted" Baseball Cards.. Slowly applying light washes of pencil crayon color, blending them carefully to build the right tones/values. I didn't take very many scans of the card as it was being put together.. But here's one, to help give you an idea of what I'm talking about:

The white shirt John had on in the reference photos, helped me map out the Red piping on the Jersey. And I altered his Black Glove to a more traditional leather color scheme. As I couldn't find any examples of Black leather gloves in any of the 1950's reference I had..
Below, is the finished Final Art:
John (and his wife Sasha) have been longtime friends of both myself & my sweetheart: Suzanne.. So, when we finally decided to get married, last April.. John and Sasha, were natural choices to act as witnesses at our Wedding. But what I only had an inkling of then, was what a great photographer John was!
We were both ecstatic when John also offered to take a series of Wedding photos of us, during/after the ceremony. Which he presented to us on a digital CD, about a week later..
I look a little "pink" in this one, but Suzanne looks fabulous here:

The game of Burby has under gone something of a resurgence here in Toronto, lately.. Mainly due to the diligence of it's organizer: Adrian Golombek. You can follow the week-to-week progress of the highly-organized 'Toronto Burby League' by clicking thru on the highlighted Link.
Me and John had a bit of a chuckle when I described the differences between their version of the game, and the version we used to play.. But I've gotta give credit where credit is due. They're definitely a highly-motivated bunch of players!

I think I've now got about 2 (possibly 3?) unfinished Cards, left to complete. The Chris York one, has literally been "half done" for quite a few years now. . At this point, it's become a real grind to finish them. But I'm so close to finishing the entire set, I almost feel I have to get 'em done!

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed, 'til that day arrives.. See ya!

Frank Frazetta, R.I.P.

While downtown this afternoon, I heard the news that Frank Frazetta has passed away due to a stroke, at the age of 82.. He was easily my favorite artist of all time. Perhaps not a great surprise to anyone that has followed this Blog?

When I was a wee lad, I happened across a copy of Ballantine's 'FANTASTIC ART OF FRANK FRAZETTA Volume 4' at the Cole's Books shop on Yonge Street, near the old Scientology offices. I recognized the paintings inside that book, as the same mesmerizing images that I'd seen on my favorite Paperbacks, at our local libraries. So in the weeks that followed, I spent all of my available allowance money at Cole's, buying up all of the previous 3 Ballantine volumes of Frazetta's work!

Words fail me, in knowing where to begin to describe how his artwork has affected me personally.. I've probably written about him on my blog, more than I already should have, for fear of boring everyone. But if you're interested,-- you can peruse my earlier postings on Frazetta, simply by clicking on the "Frazetta" label on the bottom of this post..

I know that Frazetta has had a very difficult time lately, with the children squabbling over his artwork & museum. I wish that he didn't have to live long enough to witness any of that ugliness, firsthand..
And with his history of health problems, it must've been a heavy cross for him to bear. But I had a hunch that when his wife Ellie passed away, that it would likely have made it very tenuous for him to go on.. And part of me is actually happy that he's found a peace where he can finally join her, once again.

See ya, Frank.. You were quite simply the Best that ever was!

DAREDEVIL Doodles!

The month of March is almost over, so I figger I'm probably overdue for a Blog update? Life has been awfully busy, so I unearthed a couple of old sketches. And added a bit of "new" stuff to the mix, as well..
I've never been a huge Gene Colan fan.. But I've always loved Marvel's DAREDEVIL character! Wally Wood did some killer stories, back in the day..
The doodle page above, never quite got nailed down. The Foreground Leg gave me a few fits.. And I left a few ghosted versions of it in, so you can see where I was going with it. The inking is a little scatterbrained here, too. But that's what sketches/doodles are for: exploring variations!

This 2nd sketch is a little more finished. I think it probably started out as a Kirby study, from some of his NEW GODS work.. But halfway thru, it struck me that the Figure looked a bit like "Ole HornHead".. So I converted it over, into DAREDEVIL. The inking is a little more polished, in this example..
More recently, I've enjoyed seeing some of Kevin Nowlan's DAREDEVIL commissions.. I think he does a fantastic rendition of the character. And it'd be a real treat to see his do an entire story with DD some time!

Anyways, hope you've enjoyed the Posting..
I'll try to be back soon, with s'more stuff!

A Few More Frazetta Gems..

Hello Blogosphere!

I've been quite absent, haven't I? Humble apologies, ..again! I'll conveniently blame the Holiday Season hullaballoo, for my inactivity here.
In lieu of a personal Art posting, I'm going to share some of the fine Frazetta trinkets that arrived in my morning mail.. A bunch of color photocopies of some of his Frank's gorgeous comic-book/illustration work, which were shot/scanned directly from the 'Original Art'!
Presented here, are 4 of the 12 illustrations that Frazetta created for the men's magazine, entitled 'GENT'; as published in their August 1966 issue.. Ain't they purty?! The female figures were intended to represent each of the 12 months in a Zodiac Calendar..

Unfortunately, none of the plates seem to be labelled.. So I'll allow you to make your own best "guess", as to which beautiful lady pertains to whichever specific Astrological Sign? Some of these have been reprinted in a number of different venues, over the years.. But these copies are the most detailled, that I've yet seen..

And even more surprising, is.. After checking these images against the ones in my Frazetta files, I discovered that the Brunette undressing in front of the mirror does NOT match the version printed in 'GENT' magazine. A similar (but different) pose was used. And the woman appears as a Blonde, rather than a Brunette.

Hope you'll find them all as enjoyable to look at, as I do!

My Good Friend, Sandy..

I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to a longtime artist friend of mine: Sandy Plunkett..
Some of you may have noticed his name in the Links section, on my Blog? Though more of you likely, probably have never heard his name before?.. I'm convinced that this is due to change!

Charles "Sandy" Plunkett was born October 18, 1955. He spent his childhood growing up in New York City. And before he'd even finished high school, he had begun drawing comic-book stories professionally!
Here's what the man looks like..He made his debut in the comic book world in the late 1970s, creating artwork for 'Gold Key Comics'. But eventually, also completed assignments for Marvel and DC Comics, too. Thru the 1980s and 1990s, he did a lot of cover work for Marvel. And even wrote his own stories, for their EPIC Magazine imprint..
Sometime around 1990, Sandy made a move to Athens, Ohio. A small college community, where Sandy earned a solid reputation as "the Town Artist.." Working on all manner of art-related jobs: creating CD covers, wine labels, bicycle touring maps, brochures, political cartoons, business logos, and t-shirts..

Together, we've cultivated a really enriching (weekly) e-mail conversation, that's lasted over a decade. It's not often you get to connect personally with an artist that you've grown up admiring.. So, I consider myself quite lucky! We enjoy talking about everything, of course. But particularly about Art, including our own..
Here's another example of Sandy's artistic prowess.. He gave the 'Original Art' for this t-shirt design to me, after I did him the favour of hosting a number of eBay Auctions on his behalf..
In 2005, I talked local convention organizer: Kevin Boyd, into bringing Sandy up to Toronto as a Guest Artist, for a comic-con. I helped pull together a Poster for the event, using some of Sandy's CONAN artwork. And Sandy even conducted a very successful seminar on "Inking", at the show. I think he was a bit embarrassed, by all of the fawning attention? hah
I'm the guy wearing the goofy grin.. Yikes, bad photo alert! To my immediate Left, is another good artist friend of mine: Dominic Bugatto, who seems to be closely scrutinizing some of the artwork Sandy brought with him.. And I think that's Ruth Tait, behind us?
The reason I feel that Sandy may be adding a few more fans, in the near future.. Is that in April of 2010, OHIO UNIVERSITY Press is planning to publish a 224-page book featuring a lot of the artwork from Sandy's own private sketchbooks.. The tentative title for the project, is: 'The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist - The Private Sketchbooks of S. Plunkett'.. Here's a prelim of what the cover is supposed to look like:

Both a softcover & a limited-edition hardcover release, are planned. The book will feature a 'Foreword' written by one of Sandy's artistic heroes: Michael Wm. Kaluta. And the contents will include almost 400 selected artworks, from sketchbooks that Sandy has kept thru the past 20 years!
The drawings are said to cover a wide range of styles and subject matter; though all are rooted in the visual vernacular of illustration, comic art, and popular art of America. Evincing influences as diverse as Thomas Hart Benton, Frank Frazetta, George Herriman, and R. Crumb.
Images of creatures, both real and imagined, fabulous characters, and dreamlike worlds that are juxtaposed with studies from Plunkett's own life.
The book will also feature an updated interview with COMIC BOOK ARTIST's Tim Barnes, provides fascinating insights into Sandy's artistic process..

Recently this short 6-minute has been posted to 'YouTube' to promote the project:


Keep yer eyeballs peeled for this tremendous book, come the Springtime.. I promise you it'll be worth it!

Deconstructing the Frazetta Female - Pt. 1

Hello again, folks.. Sorry for the long delay, since the last post!

Today, I thought I'd present a couple of drawings that were an attempt to edu-ma-cate myself.. On why exactly I find the women in Frank Frazetta's comic-book work, so durn appealing?
My first guess is,-- that it has everything to do with his take on Proportions..

I'd really like to be able to (eventually) draw women like the ones Frazetta drew in his early comic-book career. So to examine things more closely, I decided to grab a few classic poses of some of the women that appeared in Frazetta's 1952 comic-strip: "JOHNNY COMET".. Set them up, along (and build) a formal Turnaround -type model sheet.. To better see how I can construct them, myself. As well as find out what precisely, makes them tick!

Here are some of my results:
It's important to remember, that I'm talking about Frazetta's comic-book work, and not his oil paintings. The women he painted in those, are probably more recognizable to fans.. And I enjoy them, too. But those Female figures, are much more fleshy & exaggerated. And for me (at least), are somewhat too caricatured, to be useful as an effective Female model for telling a story anywhere outside of a Fantasy setting..
As you can see, I kinda copped-out on the pure Profile view. But you get the general idea..

I guess my conclusions were, that despite a few unique nuances in the Legs/Hips/Waist.. The overall approach was similar in many ways to the classic versions that Andrew Loomis presents, in some of his educational drawing books.
I should add that I also referenced my very favorite Frazetta book of all time, to fill in some of the details.. The 1973 oversized Russ Cochran 'UNTAMED LOVE' book, reprinting four of Frazetta's 'Personal Love' romance stories..
It's an absolute classic collection!! And if you can still find a copy on eBay.. I'd definitely advise you to grab it!

"Checkers Girl" redux!

Hello, again!

This is an older Pinup drawing, that I finally got 'round to coloring. I used a similar method to the way that I'd approached my Burby baseball cards. Essentially, colored pencils over top of lightly-toned markers.. In my opinion, this gives an image a slightly warmer, more organic "feel"?
Perhaps ironically, I'm not the biggest fan of pure digital coloring.. Even though I love tweaking my drawings (including the color elements) inside of Photoshop!

I'm pretty pleased with the results, here.. The only thing that sucks, is that occasionally some of the linework gets corrupted (or worn out), after applying repeated layers of colored pencils. You can lose some of the pure black. Eventually, I'd like to get to the point where I can save the linework as a seperate layer in Photoshop. And work out the coloring on a blueline (or something similar) of the drawing..

The woman (and pose) featured, is based on a composite of different photo reference pics. But mostly, on a nice photo I had of 50's-era actress: Barbara Nichols. She never had much of a career in film, unfortunately.. But you may recall the small role she had in the 1957 noir classic: "Sweet Smell Of Success".. Where she appeared, opposite Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster.

Thanks for dropping by.. See ya, later!

Haughty BLONDE Hottie!

Hello!

Not much to report.. But I felt like the Blog deserved a new posting..
Here's something that I've been sketching, over the past couple of evenings:

This is my first run at a Head turnaround, that's designed to act as a kind-of model sheet for a Blonde woman character. I'm hoping to use her in a short comic-book story, I'm working on. I did it mostly, to try and figure out the landscape of her face. And to also try and come up with one consistent version of her hair..
Unfortunately, she looks a little different here, in each of the views! Oh, well..

She's supposed to look a little aloof & snobby, though.. And I'd like to think that I was a little more successful, in that particular regard? Hope so!

WOLVERINE dry run..

Okay.. Time again, to "Feed The Blog.." Damn, this thing gets hungry!
Anywayz,-- here's a WOLVERINE pinup I've just finished..
WOLVERINE is easily one of Marvel Comics' most-popular characters. When I was a wee lad, I guess I was quite a fan, too. I can remember drawing him a number of times, when I first got interested in comic-books, etc..
However, tastes change over time.. And ole WOLVIE doesn't really do it for me, anymore. And isn't a character I'd necessarily gravitate towards drawing.

Even so, I'd promised myself that I was going to make an art contribution towards the "Visions Of An Icon" Gallery that accompanies each year's 'Joe Shuster Awards'; annually highlighting excellence in the Canadian comic-book industry.
Last year's theme featured Joe Shuster's SUPERMAN character. But with the recent Hugh Jackman film still fresh in everyone's mind.. I guess the organizers thought that perhaps a down-home Canuck character like WOLVERINE, might generate a few good art pieces, too?
I've gotta admit he is a fun character to draw!

I'm not entirely happy with the way this pic turned out.. I told myself to keep it simple. So I picked a pretty generic pose.. It turned out a little stiffer, than I'd have liked, though. And I got a little too cute, with parts of the inking...
I'll probably do another version, for my actual submission. This one, was up for auction on eBay.. Right now, my own sad state of impoverishment is my current favorite "charity"! haha

Hope you enjoy the Posting, just the same.. See ya!

Darwyn Cooke's "PARKER"!

As I get older, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to find stuff at my comic-book shop (The Beguiling) to get genuinely excited about.. Maybe it's because my tastes run a bit too "Old School" for today's product? I'm not really sure. But there are very few working artists today, that really whet my appetite..

One of the few that DO garner my attention, is: Darwyn Cooke!
Some of you may be more familiar with Darwyn as an Animation artist, working alongside Bruce Timm etc. over at Warner Bros? Or, perhaps the 'Men In Black' cartoons, he directed while at SONY Animation?
Well, what really impressed me,-- was that at the height of a very secure Animation career -- he simply walked away from it all. And pursued his first real love: Comic-books!
How ballsy is that?!

Darwyn has already set the World on fire with his terrific 'NEW FRONTIER' project, amongst others.. And again,-- instead of playing it safe & sticking with DC Comics.. What does he do? He decides to blaze his own path, developing more-personal projects with IDW Publishing & the like.
Now, that's bravura folks!

Darwyn's latest and (in my humble opinion) soon-to-be greatest project, is: 'The HUNTER'.. The first of 4 adaptations of Donald E. Westlake's (written under the pseudonym: Richard Stark) "PARKER" novels.. Gripping, gritty crime-dramas that have all of the 'Film Noir' touches that make the material a glove-fit for Cooke's raw talent..
Beginning in the early 60's,-- Westlake wrote roughly 30 of these "PARKER" novels. 'The HUNTER' is the first of these.. Here's another tasty Cooke morsel from this adaptation, that has been posted online:
Unfortunately, Cooke has no real online presence. He has a 'Yahoo Group' which is pretty much dead. Recently however, a fellow named: Calum Johnston.. has managed a blog that is (literally) "Almost Darwyn Cooke's Blog"..
He also runs a comic-book shop called: 'Strange Adventures' in Halifax, where Darwyn Cooke now lives.. Anyways, he's recently been running a Contest to giveaway "freebie" copies of 'The HUNTER' to the Top Five "PARKER" images that artists submit to him. So, I thought I'd take a crack at it, too!
Here's my Entry:
I'd read a great interview with Darwyn at Tom Spurgeon's blog.. Wherein he stated that Westlake had initially imagined actor Jack Palance as the visual model for his "PARKER" character? I liked the idea of trying to draw a young Palance in the role.. I don't think I completely nailed the likeness. But hopefully it'll suitably impress some of the judges, at Contest's end! hah

See ya later, gang!

Beware The FACE!!

Hello!

Here's a quickie illo I did for the current Jam Thread in the "Superheroes" section of 'The Drawing Board'.. This month's Theme is entitled: "Appearances Can Be Deceiving.." In other words, characters that wear disguises, can change their shape.. Or, are simply pretending to be something/someone that they really are not..
I chose a character that I really know next-to-nothing about: "The FACE"!!
According to what I could find online about him.. "The FACE" was a WW2 war correspondent who fought America's enemies with his typewriter (as journalist Tony Trent).. And with his fists, as the crimefighting "FACE" alter ego!
He debuted in Big Shot Comics.. And was spotlighted in his own comic-book title, during the early WW2 years.. He later reappeared in 1948 and 1949 for a couple more issues, under his civilian name: 'Tony Trent, The FACE'!
The creator of 'The FACE' was Mart Bailey.. A solid artist, who earned a quick reputation for direct storytelling; though perhaps, without a lot of flair. Not much is known about him, really.. He worked as an Art Director on the children's comic-book series: 'Treasure Chest' thru most of the 50's.
Sadly, his career was apparently cut short sometime in the 1960's, after he endured a violent mugging..

I would never have heard of 'The FACE', had it not been for my good friend & fellow artist: Drazen Kozjan. He e-mailed me the following artwork as a JPEG.. An item that he'd purchased on eBay, a few short weeks ago..
"Ain't it the most, Daddy-O?!"
We both agreed that this fabulous image has a genuine Charles Burns "feel" to the overall Design & Inking.. Can't you just see Burns doing a riff on this guy? It'd be brilliant! Give 'em a crazy 'El BORBAH' -type crime story, with a lot of witty banter & fisticuffs?.. I'd definitely get in line at my retail shop, to lay down my buckaroos for that comic-book!

The DOLLMAN!

Heya!

A long time between Posts, I know. Been busy trying to track down some solid employment..
To keep my skills sharp, I jumped onto this month's JAM Thread in the 'Superheroes' section of 'The Drawing Board'.. This month's Theme is: "Weird Science".. In other words, any character that is featured as a Scientist. Or, the creation of a Scientist..

Well, being a HUGE fan of Golden-Age characters.. Particularly, anything that was done by Reed Crandall or Lou Fine.. I chose to add an illo of "The DOLLMAN" superhero; who happened to be both a Scientist, as well as his own creation!
Part of me thinks (also), that perhaps my choice may have been influenced by my fiancée's current obsession with Barbie Dolls? If you haven't checked it out, yet.. She started a new Blog that's JUST about that subject. Click HERE to give it a look-see!

Yup.. It was in 1939, that scientist Darrel Dane (working in the Lab of his mentor: Professor Roberts) developed a serum that was designed to shrink a man down to the size of Doll.. But rather than go thru a series of ultra-boring "testing",-- he decides instead to play the role of Guinea Pig, himself.
The serum works.. And he immediately shrinks down to approximately 6 inches in size! But his mind can't cope with the rapid change. And initially, he goes a little insane.. nearly killing his colleague/mentor: Professor Roberts..
Fortunately, he soon masters the ability to change size.. And can eventually do so, at will. But rather than gaining wealth & power as a criminal mastermind.. He decides that these amazing skills must be exploited, for the wider Good of the World. And commits himself to devote his newfound powers to "crusade against all Crime & Evil!" *yawn*
Just kidding..

On the upside for him, apparently his girlfriend Martha (the Professor Roberts' daughter, natch) has no real problem with the fact that he's now hung like a gerbil!! ha ha
Pretty understanding of her, don'tcha think?! *wink*

See y'all later!

For Dave: IRMA The Body!

Heya!
Time for another of my Stripper/Burlesque posts, methinks?
If you're a comic nerd like me.. Then you already know that the San Diego Comic-Con 2008, has just ended. I didn't get to go, this year.. And I'm not that sure that I'll ever go, again. I keep hearing how crowded it is. And how it's changed for the worst, lately..
To be honest, my main reason for attending the convention in 1999, 2001, and 2003.. was to meet my favorite artist: Dave Stevens!
I had been e-mailing with Tom Ranheim for many years.. He's the webmaster of the official Dave Stevens website.. And, also a good friend! We decided we'd go make the trip to San Diego together, in '99. And again, in 2001..
By the 2001 trip, we'd gotten to know Dave quite well.. Gone out to dinner with him. And we were invited to his home/studio, too. It was quite a revelation, seeing all of his Original Art up close.. Intimidating, too!
In any case, Dave & I shared a passionate interest in 50's-era Striptease/Burlesque. And as it happened,-- I'd just acquired a slew of great stuff off eBay: the personal photos & scrapbook clippings of "IRMA The Body"; one of Burlesk's top performers, back in the day!
I picked them up in California, during the trip.. Fortunate for me, the Seller lived just north of San Diego!
Well, Dave couldn't wait to dig thru my cache of goodies.. And decided then-and-there, that he would love to do a painting of "Irma" (her real name was: Mary Goodneighbor). For reference, he borrowed the 2 candid photos, shown below:
"Irma" was a real looker, don'tcha think?!!
The one on the Left, was taken during a photoshoot celebrating her engagement to a man attending a Naval Academy. The relationship didn't last, and they never ended up getting married..
I prefer the photo on the Right.. I think she really looks great, in that pose! Hard to believe the photo was taken in 1970.. She still looks so young. And I'm pretty sure she had "retired" from performing, by then.
Dave sent me back the photos thru the mail, once he'd made copies.. I honestly dunno if he ever got 'round to painting "Irma". I guess we'll find out when his big 'Art Of' book gets published, sometime next year..

Today, would've been Dave's 53rd birthday.. When he passed away from Leukemia earlier this year in March.. It didn't hit me quite as bad, as it does now. I guess I associate him so closely to the San Diego Comic-Con.. A convention that he volunteered at long ago, way before he ever became a professional artist..
Here's one of the last illustrations that Dave completed before he died.. It was a commission for fellow CFA-APA member: Wally Harrington. A great guy & a personal friend of Dave's, over many years..
I've been trying to find some online reports about the "Dave Stevens Memorial" panel at SDCC '2008, without much luck.. If anyone knows where I can read about how that event went.. Please post a weblink, in my Comments section.. I'd love to see some photos & read what was said!
It's sad for me to think that there won't be anymore "new" Dave Stevens artwork to anticipate.. Hopefully, there'll be a ton of unseen gems in the Arnie Fenner -produced hardcover, due in 2009!
I picked up the most recent issue of 'The Comics Journal'.. There's an excellent Dave Stevens memorial piece in there, written by his dear friend: Bill Stout.. I was surprised to learn that Dave had been diagnosed with his cancer, back in 1999. A terminal diagnosis, that generally means the patient has only months to live.. Dave hung on, for a full 8 years longer!

I'll cherish the memories of "hanging out" with Dave, the few times I did. I'll miss his e-mails especially.. He had a very witty writing style, even when he didn't write often..
I hope that he's up there somewhere, without pain.. Sitting in the Front Row of the best dang Girlie-Show that ever was!!