#2 Of Poe, the mini series written by J. Barton Mitchell with art by Dean Kotz and a cover by myself (seen above) is out this week. You can see a preview over on Comic Book Resources.
Dec.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
28 DAYS LATER #1; PAGES 1-3 PROCESS
Since i've posted the first three pages of the new 28 Days later book, i thought i might show the steps i took to make them.
Obviously, first i read through the script a few times. Then, i take out my sketchbook and get started on the layouts. This is the most crucial stage, as this is where all the storytelling, composition, letter placement and problem-solving is figured out. It's the toughest stage, but also the most rewarding.
You can see i made a note of 'no hands' at the bottom of the second layout. I think i got carried away and thought the child looked in the tent first. Upon rereading the script i realized that was my own imagination, and that the football pops out of nowhere in the next page. You have to be very careful of details like that.
Layout pages 1-3 from my sketchbook
Then, instead of redrawing the whole image from scratch, i blow up the layouts and light-box them onto an A3 sized page. I do this in an effort to retain the spontaneity of the original layout. In the past, i've completely redrawn the image, but it always lost 'something'. I'm mush happier with the end page when it's as close to the original layout as possible.
As you can see, the drawing is much more fleshed-out; establishing proper light sources, folds in cloth, and just overall adding more detail. I do leave a lot of work to be figured out in the inking stage. For example, in the first page, you can see i just made a circle for the light from Selena's torch, leaving a lot of it to be worked out in the inks. Because i ink my own work, i like to leave a lot of embellishment for the inks, and have the pencils be mainly construction.
Full-sized pencilled pages 1-3
Finally, my favourite stage; Inking. I just enjoy the solid mark-making involved in inking so much; it's very satisfying. I try to be as loose as possible when i ink. All the detail added in the pencils can end up inked very scratchily, if that's a word. Basically, just because it's been pencilled doesn't necessarily mean it will be inked; it depends on whether i think it will look good or not.
In the case of page one, i actually ended up adding a lot of texture, especially in the last 2 panels. I'd drawn the basic forms in pencil, but waited til inking to properly work them out, using varying kinds of line, splatter from my brush/pen nib. I think i even went back to the 5th panel and added thumb-prints in white ink. In the second page, when i had done all the line-work, even with all the white space, i thought the environment didn't look 'snowy' enough, so i sprayed white ink all over the line-work, to break it up and add more atmosphere. When inking i now try and create as many 'happy accidents' as possible, ie, ending up with something on the page i wasn't planning on having, be it a loose line, or a blob of ink. It makes the pages look more like an interesting drawing, i think.
Finished inked pages 1-3
Well, there you have it. Pages 1-3 in all their stages and me prattling on about it. Hope you found it of some interest.
Dec.
Since i've posted the first three pages of the new 28 Days later book, i thought i might show the steps i took to make them.
Obviously, first i read through the script a few times. Then, i take out my sketchbook and get started on the layouts. This is the most crucial stage, as this is where all the storytelling, composition, letter placement and problem-solving is figured out. It's the toughest stage, but also the most rewarding.
You can see i made a note of 'no hands' at the bottom of the second layout. I think i got carried away and thought the child looked in the tent first. Upon rereading the script i realized that was my own imagination, and that the football pops out of nowhere in the next page. You have to be very careful of details like that.
Layout pages 1-3 from my sketchbook
Then, instead of redrawing the whole image from scratch, i blow up the layouts and light-box them onto an A3 sized page. I do this in an effort to retain the spontaneity of the original layout. In the past, i've completely redrawn the image, but it always lost 'something'. I'm mush happier with the end page when it's as close to the original layout as possible.
As you can see, the drawing is much more fleshed-out; establishing proper light sources, folds in cloth, and just overall adding more detail. I do leave a lot of work to be figured out in the inking stage. For example, in the first page, you can see i just made a circle for the light from Selena's torch, leaving a lot of it to be worked out in the inks. Because i ink my own work, i like to leave a lot of embellishment for the inks, and have the pencils be mainly construction.
Full-sized pencilled pages 1-3
Finally, my favourite stage; Inking. I just enjoy the solid mark-making involved in inking so much; it's very satisfying. I try to be as loose as possible when i ink. All the detail added in the pencils can end up inked very scratchily, if that's a word. Basically, just because it's been pencilled doesn't necessarily mean it will be inked; it depends on whether i think it will look good or not.
In the case of page one, i actually ended up adding a lot of texture, especially in the last 2 panels. I'd drawn the basic forms in pencil, but waited til inking to properly work them out, using varying kinds of line, splatter from my brush/pen nib. I think i even went back to the 5th panel and added thumb-prints in white ink. In the second page, when i had done all the line-work, even with all the white space, i thought the environment didn't look 'snowy' enough, so i sprayed white ink all over the line-work, to break it up and add more atmosphere. When inking i now try and create as many 'happy accidents' as possible, ie, ending up with something on the page i wasn't planning on having, be it a loose line, or a blob of ink. It makes the pages look more like an interesting drawing, i think.
Finished inked pages 1-3
Well, there you have it. Pages 1-3 in all their stages and me prattling on about it. Hope you found it of some interest.
Dec.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
28 DAYS LATER #1 PREVIEW ONLINE
I can FINALLY show some 28 Days Later art! A preview of the first 10 pages went on line on Newsarama yeasterday. AND they spelt my name right this time. Life is good.
I'll post the black and white versions of the preview pages tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's the first 3 pages without text. Colour by the great Nick Filardi.
Issue one is out in 2 weeks; 26th of August in the US, 27th in the UK/Ireland. See the preview here.
Dec.
I can FINALLY show some 28 Days Later art! A preview of the first 10 pages went on line on Newsarama yeasterday. AND they spelt my name right this time. Life is good.
I'll post the black and white versions of the preview pages tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's the first 3 pages without text. Colour by the great Nick Filardi.
Issue one is out in 2 weeks; 26th of August in the US, 27th in the UK/Ireland. See the preview here.
Dec.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
HOLIDAY SPECIALS; PAGE ONE
Hey all. Apologies for the lack of posting; been really busy with 28 Days Later, and life in general for the last couple of weeks. Anyway, to make up for the silence; a new post for every day this week. Plus, i've plans to update the blog on certain days therefore making silent stretches less frequent.
Right, well the above image is from the first page of a pitch i was working on with Simon Spurrier, of (2000AD, Gutsville, and Ghost Rider fame). We came up with this late '08/ early '09, but unfortunately, after much discussion, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It's a shame, as i really enjoyed working on these sample pages. I had been working on Sweeney Todd for months and was looking for the chance to work on something set in contemporary times.
These pages were lettered, but i really don't want to give away any of Si's ideas, so i'm showing them just in black and white and in colour. I coloured them all myself, in my beloved FLAT COLOUR. I'll post the rest of the pages every day this week til Saturday.
Dec.
Hey all. Apologies for the lack of posting; been really busy with 28 Days Later, and life in general for the last couple of weeks. Anyway, to make up for the silence; a new post for every day this week. Plus, i've plans to update the blog on certain days therefore making silent stretches less frequent.
Right, well the above image is from the first page of a pitch i was working on with Simon Spurrier, of (2000AD, Gutsville, and Ghost Rider fame). We came up with this late '08/ early '09, but unfortunately, after much discussion, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It's a shame, as i really enjoyed working on these sample pages. I had been working on Sweeney Todd for months and was looking for the chance to work on something set in contemporary times.
These pages were lettered, but i really don't want to give away any of Si's ideas, so i'm showing them just in black and white and in colour. I coloured them all myself, in my beloved FLAT COLOUR. I'll post the rest of the pages every day this week til Saturday.
Dec.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
PEGBAR; This Saturday; 8th of August.
Sorry for the lack of posting of late. Some news though;
From the Pegbar blog;
"Pegbar is holding another one of its amazing events! But this time round we’ve got a whole day of talks from industry professionals.
There will be talks about the animation industry, the games industry, moving image, running small studios and making features. And we’ll finish the night off with our networking event.
So Pegbar will take place on the 8th of August, in Filmbase, 11am to 5pm.
There will be a workshop on making comic books for young artists in Filmbase 11am – 1pm
And then in the evening our ‘it’s a pegbar affair’, will be taking place in Murrays Bar, on O’Connell St, 8pm til late! Where there will be loads of cool animations playing and an enjoyable place for everyone to network.
There will be a colouring competition, to which the winners take home loads of Pegbar goodies"
I will be giving the talk mentioned above about making comics so if you're aged 12 - 17 do come along. More details to be had on the Pegbar blog.
Dec.
Sorry for the lack of posting of late. Some news though;
From the Pegbar blog;
"Pegbar is holding another one of its amazing events! But this time round we’ve got a whole day of talks from industry professionals.
There will be talks about the animation industry, the games industry, moving image, running small studios and making features. And we’ll finish the night off with our networking event.
So Pegbar will take place on the 8th of August, in Filmbase, 11am to 5pm.
There will be a workshop on making comic books for young artists in Filmbase 11am – 1pm
And then in the evening our ‘it’s a pegbar affair’, will be taking place in Murrays Bar, on O’Connell St, 8pm til late! Where there will be loads of cool animations playing and an enjoyable place for everyone to network.
There will be a colouring competition, to which the winners take home loads of Pegbar goodies"
I will be giving the talk mentioned above about making comics so if you're aged 12 - 17 do come along. More details to be had on the Pegbar blog.
Dec.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
PUNISHER VS DEADPOOL PENCILS
Here's the pencils to the commission i've been working on; yeah, it's Punisher Vs Deadpool. Fun. Never drew Deadpool before and i've been meaning to do a good Punisher drawing for a while.
Had to change things up from the layout. The original black clouds i was going to do were cluttering things up a big, so i moved them to one side. Made the moon bigger to make it a bit more visually interesting too. Temptation was to go in and add detail on the moon, but i thought it was better off as it was. Whenever i get the feeling i shouldn't add more to a drawing, it's usually the right call. The lack of detail in the sky is balanced by all the junkyard detail, i think. Looking forward to inking this.
Just realized the first issue of Poe was out this week, the one with the fancy cover i did a while back. Must have a look for it in the comic shop. You must, that is.
Gonna be busy for the next few weeks, so posting will be less frequent than the usual every second day, sorry.
Dec.
Here's the pencils to the commission i've been working on; yeah, it's Punisher Vs Deadpool. Fun. Never drew Deadpool before and i've been meaning to do a good Punisher drawing for a while.
Had to change things up from the layout. The original black clouds i was going to do were cluttering things up a big, so i moved them to one side. Made the moon bigger to make it a bit more visually interesting too. Temptation was to go in and add detail on the moon, but i thought it was better off as it was. Whenever i get the feeling i shouldn't add more to a drawing, it's usually the right call. The lack of detail in the sky is balanced by all the junkyard detail, i think. Looking forward to inking this.
Just realized the first issue of Poe was out this week, the one with the fancy cover i did a while back. Must have a look for it in the comic shop. You must, that is.
Gonna be busy for the next few weeks, so posting will be less frequent than the usual every second day, sorry.
Dec.
Friday, July 17, 2009
COMMISSION SKETCH
I posted some rough doodles for a commission i'm doing a few days ago. People liked a certain layout, so i fleshed it out a little and decided to go with this. Looking forward to drawing it.
Also, just a reminder, tonight is the Comic Cast Birthday Bash; with comedians, live bands, comics and it's free, FREE i tells ya (before 11).
Twisted Pepper, Dublin Town. See ya there.
Dec.
I posted some rough doodles for a commission i'm doing a few days ago. People liked a certain layout, so i fleshed it out a little and decided to go with this. Looking forward to drawing it.
Also, just a reminder, tonight is the Comic Cast Birthday Bash; with comedians, live bands, comics and it's free, FREE i tells ya (before 11).
Twisted Pepper, Dublin Town. See ya there.
Dec.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
28 DAYS LATER EXCLUSIVE
.......well, kinda.
This Friday sees the first birthday party for the Comic Cast; Ireland's premier (ie, only) comics podcast. As part of the celebration, they're projecting artwork from various artists (some from other Eclectic Micks too i believe) at the venue. Along with some various drawings, as a 'birthday present,' i gave them the first proper 28 Days Later drawing i did of Selena, the main character from the book. I haven't shown any sequential pages (and won't til near it's publication date) but the image i've given the lads is the only proper non-sequential drawing i've done for the book. You wanna see it? You gotta come to the Comic Cast Birthday Bash. This Friday. Free in before 11pm.
Details here.
See you there.
Dec.
.......well, kinda.
This Friday sees the first birthday party for the Comic Cast; Ireland's premier (ie, only) comics podcast. As part of the celebration, they're projecting artwork from various artists (some from other Eclectic Micks too i believe) at the venue. Along with some various drawings, as a 'birthday present,' i gave them the first proper 28 Days Later drawing i did of Selena, the main character from the book. I haven't shown any sequential pages (and won't til near it's publication date) but the image i've given the lads is the only proper non-sequential drawing i've done for the book. You wanna see it? You gotta come to the Comic Cast Birthday Bash. This Friday. Free in before 11pm.
Details here.
See you there.
Dec.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
LIFE DRAWING
More from my life drawing sketchbook today, this time of the male model. Don't get much reaction to the life drawing here these days, but i know a couple of people who like seeing it, so i'll keep posting it from time to time.
Don't forget Tuesday means Tuesdec on the Eclectic Micks blog.
Dec.
More from my life drawing sketchbook today, this time of the male model. Don't get much reaction to the life drawing here these days, but i know a couple of people who like seeing it, so i'll keep posting it from time to time.
Don't forget Tuesday means Tuesdec on the Eclectic Micks blog.
Dec.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
'FOR THE LOVE OF GOD' EXHIBITION... ONLINE
For all those who can't make it to see the exhibition i've been ranting on about, all the work can now be seen online here
While i'm at it, i thought i'd point out my 3 favourite pieces from the night. Though the exhibition as a whole features many different kinds of mediums, my favourites ended up being the paintings. Two of which are actually acquaintances from my art college days.
My favourites were...
Kevin O'Keeffe, 'The Brontosaurus finally dead...' Oil and Gold Leaf on Board
Stephen Murphy, 'Leather', Oil on canvas
And my favourite out of the whole exhibition...
Stephen McCarthy, 'Ballad of a Gentle Pause', Acrylic and ink on canvas
Dec.
For all those who can't make it to see the exhibition i've been ranting on about, all the work can now be seen online here
While i'm at it, i thought i'd point out my 3 favourite pieces from the night. Though the exhibition as a whole features many different kinds of mediums, my favourites ended up being the paintings. Two of which are actually acquaintances from my art college days.
My favourites were...
Kevin O'Keeffe, 'The Brontosaurus finally dead...' Oil and Gold Leaf on Board
Stephen Murphy, 'Leather', Oil on canvasAnd my favourite out of the whole exhibition...
Stephen McCarthy, 'Ballad of a Gentle Pause', Acrylic and ink on canvasDec.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
TRIPWIRE ANNUAL 2009
Should really have mentioned this a while back...
This year's Tripwire Annual, in which i have a 3-page strip (page one, two, three) hasn't been picked up for distribution in the States. Dick Move.
However, it will be distributed in the UK and Ireland, so all who read this should really order it in from your local comic shop. Tripwire is a great publication with in-depth interviews and features and this year's is no different(see a heap of preview material here)
You can also order it from it's website here
Go on; get to it.
Dec.
Should really have mentioned this a while back...
This year's Tripwire Annual, in which i have a 3-page strip (page one, two, three) hasn't been picked up for distribution in the States. Dick Move.
However, it will be distributed in the UK and Ireland, so all who read this should really order it in from your local comic shop. Tripwire is a great publication with in-depth interviews and features and this year's is no different(see a heap of preview material here)
You can also order it from it's website here
Go on; get to it.
Dec.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
ROBERTO!
Anyone who regularly checks out the Eclectic Micks blog will know i recently did a piece with some of my favourite robots from Futurama (see here), one of which was the character Roberto.
Well, i looked through some old files and found two drawings i did a few years back of Roberto. They were part of an exhibition i had in Limerick after i finished college. They were probably the first things i every coloured on computer (it wasn't even Photoshop; as i hadn't gotten the program at that stage).
Anyhoo, i can't show any 28 Days Later stuff yet, so i thought i'd stick these two old pieces up today.
Dec.
Anyone who regularly checks out the Eclectic Micks blog will know i recently did a piece with some of my favourite robots from Futurama (see here), one of which was the character Roberto.
Well, i looked through some old files and found two drawings i did a few years back of Roberto. They were part of an exhibition i had in Limerick after i finished college. They were probably the first things i every coloured on computer (it wasn't even Photoshop; as i hadn't gotten the program at that stage).
Anyhoo, i can't show any 28 Days Later stuff yet, so i thought i'd stick these two old pieces up today.
Dec.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
'FOR THE LOVE OF' EXHIBITION THIS THURSDAY
Mentioned this last week, but just a reminder to any Dublin-heads who read this blog, that the Rocketeer drawing i did for the Eclectic Micks blog (that everyone likes so much) is included in a group exhibition this Thursday. The exhibition runs until the 16th of July, but the opening will be at 7pm this Thursday, in Mill Street Studios.
Any time i've said 'Mill Street' to anyone i hear "Where....?" so here's a map for your benefit.
Might see some of ye there.
Dec.
Mentioned this last week, but just a reminder to any Dublin-heads who read this blog, that the Rocketeer drawing i did for the Eclectic Micks blog (that everyone likes so much) is included in a group exhibition this Thursday. The exhibition runs until the 16th of July, but the opening will be at 7pm this Thursday, in Mill Street Studios.
Any time i've said 'Mill Street' to anyone i hear "Where....?" so here's a map for your benefit.
Might see some of ye there.
Dec.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
28 DAYS LATER ALTERNATE COVER
Hey all. I've already posted the Tim Bradstreet and Sean Phillips covers for issue 1 of 28 Days Later, but i saw this recently; the third alternate cover by Brett Weldele
He drew a graphic novel called The Surrogates that's being made into a movie. I dug around a bit and found the has posted more 28 Days Later covers too. Check them out here.
(That was an easy post; didn't have to draw anything for it for once)
Dec.
Hey all. I've already posted the Tim Bradstreet and Sean Phillips covers for issue 1 of 28 Days Later, but i saw this recently; the third alternate cover by Brett Weldele
He drew a graphic novel called The Surrogates that's being made into a movie. I dug around a bit and found the has posted more 28 Days Later covers too. Check them out here.
(That was an easy post; didn't have to draw anything for it for once)
Dec.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
'FOR THE LOVE' OF EXHIBITION
Just framed the Rocketeer piece i did for the Eclectic Micks blog today. It's been accepted for an exhibition next month. Considired yourself invited. Yes, i mean you. And that guy beside you. Not the other guy though. He's weird. More about the exhibition here.
Dec.
Just framed the Rocketeer piece i did for the Eclectic Micks blog today. It's been accepted for an exhibition next month. Considired yourself invited. Yes, i mean you. And that guy beside you. Not the other guy though. He's weird. More about the exhibition here.
Dec.
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