This is hilarious...

Nifty Echo Park Shirt

This is what all the cool kids will be wearing to this year's annual Echo Park Art Walk...



...will YOU be among the elite???

Writer's Chronicle Cover

Got this in the mail the other day; it's a recent magazine cover illustrated by Yours Truly. Came out pretty good!

This was a fun job, because they pretty much let me do whatever I wanted, based on the feature story. Below are some of my thumbnail concepts. I actually liked them all, for different reasons, but you can see they chose my first go...

I guess sometimes the first instinct is the best. Below is the finished art without the logo...

More art soon! Happy May.

Hey, Kids...Comics!

Hey there! So, my brother Brian has been working on a lot of cool comic book stuff lately (more than me!), and so I thought I'd give him a little shout-out. He's recently gotten a lot of attention as co-writer on DC Comics' The Flash, working with artist Francis Manapul on the New 52 reboot.

He's also doing some darn-fine coloring on that book, I must say. (taught him everything he knows!) ;)

Additionally, he has been self-publishing a book of his own creation called Foster. It's a small-press affair that has been gaining momentum and some really nice press. So far he's published 3 issues...no small feat. As a sometimes=self publisher myself, I'm very pleased and appreciate the hard work behind a venture like that. You all should check it out, there are links on his website.

And while you're at it, take a look at his new Kickstarter campaign. In another ambitious move, Brian plans to publish an anthology of stories that will provide a deeper look in to the world of Foster... and get it printed in time for Comic-Con this July. That's just around the corner, so this will require some minor miracles.

But YOU can help him out! Just follow the links to his Kickstarter page where you can pledge any amount of cash, large or small. In return, you can receive some interesting rewards. For example, pledge $50 and you can get a copy of the printed anthology that includes an original sketch cover by Yours Truly. Oh, did I mention that I'm drawing something on the inside?

Personally, I'm hoping this all comes together as planned. This year I will be at Comic-Con again, with a table in Artist's Alley. And I will have copies of the book. If you plan to be in San Diego too, you really need to come by and take a look-see.

Meanwhile, a word from my handsome little brother...

Busy-ness...

Here's a sample from a recent illustration job for DARE. Been busy with some other random illustration & design work, lately. Will share when I can!

Just Foolin' Around...

...with my new Cintiq.

I'm actually surprised at how much pleasure I'm getting from this new digital drawing tablet. I've been using it to create some nice, finished work for different freelance jobs, but it has also been a great tool just for sketching out quick ideas and concepts. Never underestimate the power of the "undo" function!

Here are a couple rough sketches just for fun...

Yeah, I've been watching all of Breaking Bad lately. Awesome show...

Above, are some VERY rough ideas for a character I'm creating for a future story (tease!). The beauty of the Cintiq is that I probably spent all of two minutes roughing this out, and decided that it was worth saving as a JPEG for further development. Easy peasy, lemon squeezie. Or whatever.

And lastly, this is basically a "phone doodle" that I messed around with while talking to someone about something completely unrelated! This was after reading Mike Mignola's terrific illustrated horror novel, Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, which I really enjoyed, BTW. Worth reading!

I'll share some more finished stuff soon!

Time Flies...

Yeesh! Imagine my shock when I pulled up my blog this morning, and realized that I have not posted in over 2 months! (Sorry 'bout that) I'm still in full-on busy mode, and that's a good thing. No complaints. Keep it coming, I say.

I have a few items that I can share today. First, some basic design work that I did a couple of months ago...

Nothing earth-shattering here; just some basic package design for some DVDs that are currently on sale from Kino Lorber. I haven't done a lot of these before, but they're kind of fun! I think key art is interesting to me simply because of the subject matter; I love film.

Here are a couple of unused designs I worked on for another client earlier this year...

These were an interesting challenge for a few reasons. There are 2 packages, each with a different number of films/discs included. The designs here are for 2 covers (each), split down the middles. The idea is that you could line up the two packages side-by-side and they would create one cohesive design. There were several of us working up comps for this project, and I think the client (WB) went in a completely different direction. On this project, I really enjoyed creating the different type treatments for Tim Burton's name.

I've also been doing some commercial storyboard work and sketch art for the entertainment biz. Here's an example of a sketch that was used for a photo shoot...

Here's the photo, from the website of the new Disney TV show, Jessie...

Interestingly, when I drew the sketch, the show was not yet cast, except for the lead, Debbie Ryan. The rest of the kids were just described to us by "type." This was my first time doing this kin of "sketch art" for entertainment marketing. I think it's cool how similar the photo ended up being to my sketch. For fun, here are a couple of alternative sketches, they didn't use...

I've done some sketch art for a few other projects,lately. It's been educational. I also recently met a guy who does this regularly, named Jesse Vital. He does all of his sketch art digitally, and he talked me into buying a Cintiq, so I could do the same. I got mine in early September, and it has truly changed the way I work in a profound way. It's an awesome tool, and I'll need to devote a blog post just about how great it is. Since I got the Cintiq, I have finished several illustration projects (including some comics stuff), without touching a oiece of paper.

Here's an example of a comic book page, drawn (or "painted") completely digitally, for LION magazine...

And a nifty "background" that I used for the same job...

I'll tell you more about that particular project next month.

Lastly, I'll share this:

It's a page from the second issue of Firestorm from DC Comics. I'm doing the digital coloring on this series (yes, using the Cintiq!) over line-art drawn by the talented Yildiray Cinar. The comic is a great part of DC's "New 52" relaunch and worth checking out. Unfortunately, issue #2 had some printing problems, and the actual comic doesn't look this great. Very sad, but I hear that the digital version available on Comixology looks terrific, and that they will try to fix the glitches in the collected trade paperback.

That's all for now. I'll leave you with this blurry phone pic of me working on my new toy...

M.I.A.

Hey everyone. yes, I am still alive. Can you believe it's September??? Haven't been posting the the old blog lately, because I've been crazy-busy this summer...which is a good thing! Normally, I like to share images from my projects here, but lately I have been working on a lot of things that I'm not (yet) permitted to share. Besides the usual comics stuff, this summer I've been working on video game projects, advertising sketch art & storyboards and a bit of graphic design. It's made for an interesting change of pace that I'm enjoying a lot. Here's a little sample; mostly heavily cropped and out of context...

The obvious bits are the comics stuff. The Kitty Pryde piece is for a Marvel magazine that, alas isn't published here in the U.S. (line art by Scott Koblish), and the Firestorm piece is from the new series debuting this month as part of DC's "New 52." I'll be the regular colorist on the book, working over the line-art of Yildiray Cinar. I have a bunch of other cool stuff that hopefully I will share with you soon. 'til then...

Old Glories

While digging around the disaster that is my office, I recently found some of my early work for Marvel. This 8-page story featuring Captain America appeared in the Marvel Comics Presents anthology, back in 1990. It's one of the first published comic book stories I ever drew, when I was but a wee lad!


The story was written by Len Wein, pencilled by Yours Truly, inked by Gerry Talaoc, lettered by Janice Chiang. I colored the story, as well. Obviously, this was from the pre-digital era, hence the hand-painted photocopies with the mysterious codes written all over. Definitely old school.


Naturally, a big part of me is horrified to look at my old artwork, and I fully admit that I am reluctant to share it in a public forum. Especially here where I have my current portfolio galleries; I wouldn't want prospective clients to think these are examples of my recent work!


Still, looking at these color guides after all these years, I can't help but be fascinated and amused by them. It's like an archeological dig into the depths of my own career and artistic education. These pages are drawn in a classic storytelling style that completely went out the window, right about the time this comic was published. No splashy "pin-up" panels or "decompressed storytelling" here. None of the action is drawn out or cinematic; cause and effect all happens within each single panel. Entire conversations elapse in the time it takes for Cap to throw his shield.


It's interesting to look at these pages through the lens of today's visual storytelling sensibilities. Those conventions that I used back then were the norm, built on decades of tradition. The classic text, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way was the Bible. I was just a kid at the time, so I don't think I ever intellectualized it, but I learned to tell a story this way.


And then, I suppose I "unlearned" it. Or, I built upon those lessons with a more modern sensibility, having the same influences as my contemporaries who were coming into their own at the same time (Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Mike Mignola, etc.), and, in turn, being influenced by them, as well. I've often wished that I'd spent more of that time honing my drawing skills, rather that taking a detour into comic book coloring.


People say that modern audiences are more sophisticated. I'd agree, as a gross generalization! But looking back at this particular work, I have to admit that I miss the simplicity inherent in these old stories. They were designed to be a jumping-on point for any reader, sophisticated or not. The problem with my generation of comic book creators is that we were overly-fascinated and influenced by the game-changing "Mature" superhero books of the time (Dark Knight, Watchmen, Elektra, Etc.) With every new knock-off, narratives became more convoluted and storytelling more obtuse.


Looking at these old pages, I must admit that the art is pretty weak, but at least it's clear.



Ahhhh, I must be getting old!

In other news: this week is Comic-Con! What better way is there to make me feel like a kid again?! The crowds alone are enough to make one feel small as a toddler! Seriously, though, The crowds are pretty unbearable these days, but I'm really looking forward to making the rounds and being inspired by the fantastic work that the "kids" are producing today.

That, and I can't wait to see the new Captain America movie! I think the trailers are awesome!


I'll see you in San Diego!

"Yikes!" Magazine Illustration

More sophisticated humor for the teen gossip crowd...

Crime

Last night I attended a very entertaining Writersbloc event featuring the hot new Scandinavian Crime writer, Jo Nesbø, interviewed by the incomparable James Ellroy. Nesbø has been something like the literary flavor of the month around my house, thanks to my in-laws, who have hooked my wife on Nesbø's crime novels, and my son on his little-known children's books. Actually, I have not read Nesbø's work yet, but his novel Redbreast is officially on my massive "To Read" pile, and the description of his work sounds right up my alley.


Furthermore, this article from CNN last Sunday lists some of Nesbø's influences as Jim Thompson, Knut Hamsun, Henrik Ibsen, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Bukowski, and Frank Miller. Sounds good to me!

Of course, I'm a huge James Ellroy fan, so this event was something of a surprising treat for me (for some reason, I didn't realize that Ellroy was part of the program). As a public speaker, Ellroy is larger than life; his speech is deliberate, eloquent, unapologetic, and peppered with "colorful" expletives (they don't call him "Demon Dog" for nothing!). He asked Nesbø about 8 (excellent) questions about his background, writing process, the recent spotlight on Scandinavian Crime Fiction, and the genre in general. Both men were impressive in their thoughtfulness and candor.


Nesbø did not approach writing as a serious pursuit until he was 38, after successful careers as a musician, stock broker and economist. But his family life was always rooted in storytelling, and understands that there is something intrinsically human about the act; storytelling is in our blood.

Some highlights:

Ellroy proclaimed that the entire genre of crime fiction is complete bullshit, and nothing like any of the typical investigations we read about has EVER happened in real life. Yet, it's an agreement between the writer & reader. We're all in on it; everyone knows it's bullshit--but it's OUR bullshit. And we love it, with all the trappings.

He also disparaged all other types of fiction, saying that crime fiction is "The Real Shit."

Love that.

Nesbø admitted he was not an expert at any of the many disciplines that he evidently writes so eloquently about, but writes how he believes things could or should be, in those worlds. Afterwards, he turns to experts in those fields tell him if he's way off. Imagination is more important than accuracy.

He said that his writing is a "reaction to reading," humbly stating that he stands on the shoulders of tradition. That is, all he has read, by many masters of this and other genres.

"The punch line is NOT the story."

Regarding research, and extrapolating from it: "You lie better if you know you are lying."

All in all, a very entertaining, lively and enlightening conversation between two master storytellers. I'm looking forward to getting sucked in to Jo Nesbø's stories, and Ellroy's new memoir, The Hilliker Curse. His earlier autobiographical work, My Dark Places is among the very best books I've ever read.

LA Arthritis Walk

Guess what? Today is my birthday!

Another one of those pesky milestones when we can look back and ahead, and reevaluate the progress of our lives. Tuesday isn't such a great day for a birthday, but I had some very nice times celebrating with friends & family last week. I feel very lucky, indeed.

Today I'm thinking about someone who isn't so fortunate, yet who has a wonderfully positive attitude. Our family friend's daughter Sophia was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of two. This is a debilitating disease that has devastated her young life, as well as the lives of 300,000 kids in the U.S. alone.

This June, my wife and I are participating in the LA Arthritis Walk, to support Sophia , her family, and all the others. If you'd like to help, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Arthritis Foundation by following this link. Your support would be great gift to Sophia...and to me, on my birthday! :)

Below, you can see Sophia, herself...



THANK YOU!

More Samples

In my continued effort to diversify my portfolio with design samples, I've put together this game package. Nobody has given me any feedback on this yet, so I hope I'm not posting this prematurely! Anyway, consider it a work-in-progress, and let me know what you think!

The logo is actually a type treatment for a webcomic side-project of mine, that I'll tell you about sometime when it's more "real." I decided to repurpose the logo for this fictitious western-style video game. The image on front is a composite of photos "found" on the internet, and the back cover images are (obviously) from the video game Red Dead Redemption. I haven't played that game (yet) but it looks super-cool. Rockstar Games published Red Dead, so I used their logo here...my apologies!

Enjoy...

Revised DVD Cover Design

Here's a revised version of the To Live and Die in LA DVD cover that I posted last week. Just to be clear, this isn't a "real" job, but something I've been doing on my own to build up and diversify my portfolio. I've been fortunate enough to have been able to get some very good feedback on my original comp, by some generous people who do this stuff for a living (including one legendary designer who I met last weekend--more on that later!)

Take a look, and please leave me any feedback of your own, if you have the two cents to spare!

Klaus

I just read this article about my good friend and mentor Klaus Janson, and thought I'd share it here.

I've worked with Klaus several times in my career, most notably on Batman: Death and the Maidens and Batman: Gothic for DC, and on the Daredevil Visionary books for Marvel, which collected his legendary collaboration with Frank Miller. I first met Klaus when I was just a teenager at Marvel, and was always impressed with how personable and supportive he would be toward me and my fellow interns. I believe that's a terrific way to judge a person's character; to see how they treat people they don't need anything from. Sadly, not all of my teenage heroes lived up to that particular test.

Later, when I was editing the Shadowline Saga titles for Epic, I had the pleasure of really getting to know Klaus, as worked with us on St. George. Shortly there after, when I decided to go freelance, Klaus was very supportive, and took me under his wing. I worked alongside him in his studio on Gothic, and I can confidently say that every important thing I know about coloring comics, I learned from Klaus. I can even give him some of the credit for getting me into digital coloring, as my first digital project was Batman/Spawn, which he illustrated. It was largely due to Klaus's support that DC gave me a shot to color this high-profile book, using my fairly untested Photoshop skills!

Klaus is a great guy, and I'm proud to have him as a friend! He's been there for me many times, including when he flew out to LA for my wedding. Congratulations on his induction to the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! (Even though he once put me and my family out in the snow during a blizzard...Now, that's a story...)
:)