Big Green HULK(s)!

Well, I've been shamed into a new Blog posting by my good friend: Dave.. He brought to my attention, that an entire couple of months had slipped by since my last post?!.. Thanks, Dave.. That's what friends are for!
Here goes..

Here's an old drawing of 'The HULK' that I just finished coloring.. My favorite comic-book characters are usually the most iconic characters; and HULK is certainly no exception. He reminds you first, of Frankenstein's Monster. But adds an interesting Jekyll/Hyde dynamic, too; which contrasts the anemic Dr. Bruce Banner against his angrier, green alter-ego..
I contributed this drawing to a Charity Auction at one of the early Paradise Comicon shows. And I found out later that it was won by one of the organizers of that convention: Kevin Boyd. He has the original black-and-white artwork posted in his CAF Gallery, here.

This was an attempt on my part to try and create a version of HULK, in the art stylings of Jack Kirby. The artist that invented the character.. And who (in my opinion) still epitomizes the best take on the character!
I'm fairly happy with the way it turned out. Though I noticed as I was coloring it, that I goofed on the Light Source. The shadows simply don't jibe with the position of the Moonlight..

Years earlier, I did a more-cartoony version of the character.. Which I included in the sketchbook that I self-published, in 2003. Different time of day, granted. But very similar.. I've always described this HULK as more of a confused, drunken midget wrestler.. I recall that when I e-mailed this image to Dave Stevens, his immediate response was: "Love the drool.. hah!"

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!

Tony Curtis, R.I.P.

I heard this morning that Tony Curtis passed away, at the age of 85.. I had no idea that he was already that old. He's one of those actors that seemed eternally young..
Many years ago,-- I had the idea of casting Tony Curtis in a 50's-style teen romance comic. I did a few model sheet drawings of him. And even got as far as doing some story breakdowns too, before my interest level completely slipped away.
Anyways, I thought it'd be a good excuse for a blog Post..

Tony Curtis was by no means a favorite actor of mine. But he's a personality that I associate with what might be called the "Golden Age" of Hollywood, I guess? The old-school glamour thang..When he married actress Janet Leigh, it was a pretty big deal. And I guess they became one of Filmdom's power couples, for a short time? Later on, he just got kitschy..
It's easy to dismiss a lot of his acting work. Because of his looks, he got offered a lot of lightweight roles. And appeared in straight-out fluff, like: 'Some Like It Hot' or 'Operation Petticoat'..
As early as '53, he self-produced a biopic on Harry Houdini; which is a guilty pleasure of mine. But he made an equal number of other brave choices as an actor, which also deserve mention.. I think 'The Defiant Ones' is certainly a standout. But the role that I will always associate with him the most, is his stellar performance as "Sidney Falco" in 1957's 'The Sweet Smell Of Success'!
He cleverly uses his trademark good-looks to portray a real manipulative slimeball of a P.R. man, continually sucking up to Burt Lancaster's "J.J. Hunsecker" character. That film is completely brilliant, in every way!

Okay,-- not Tony Curtis, granted.. But when I was unearthing the old artwork files, I also found a drawing I'd done of actress: Terry Moore. She was to be my female lead in that 50's-era romance story I mentioned. So I couldn't resist adding her to this Post, as well..

See ya!