One-a-Day #20 and #21

Ok, so this is another short comic book story: Fields of Gold. I feel that it could have went on for a couple of pages...maybe even having the last panel being just like the first panel showing how things always revolve in cycles :)

One-a-Day #19

Black on white on black

One-a-Day #18

I just recently read "Warlord of Mars" and I really loved the whole retro-sci-fi idea. I did some searching on the web and discovered that a noted illustrator, Frank Schoonover, was the original illustrator for "Warlord of Mars". Here is his cover and my sketch based on it. It was fun to do, I had lots of fun figuring out the gun belt and all the doodads.

One thing I was playing with the John Carter's hair style. He was a Civil War veteran, so I wanted to give him a bit more of the Buffalo Bill look.

One-a-Day #17

This is the one and ONLY collaboration between the Alex S, Nik S, and Charles Dana Gibson!

The girl face is me trying to do a Charles Dana Gibson style, the two guys are me copying random Gibson images (and inking them with a dip pen---I have never inked face shadows with lines like that before), and the two figures (with long hair) are by Nik :)

One-a-Day #16

Just keep on experimenting....

One-a-Day #15 (Conan)

I love Conan. I can't explain "why" or "why" I love Barry Smith's version and not John Buscema's. I would put my money down in a heartbeat if Sandy Plunkett drew a Conan graphic novel, but I still have not picked up a Paul Gulacy's "Skull of Set" Conan story. I like Cary Nord's approach and I loved Corben's pages in the Conan relaunch...but I don't pick it up on regular basis. It's all one big mystery...but here is "Barbarian, a Girl, and a Wizard".

One-a-Day #14 (Corbenesque)

I used a brush to do the fur on the right hand side and I used a dip pen to do teh fur on the left hand side a-la Richard Corben.

One-a-Day #13 (I try to letter and look at Steranko)

Steranko used to do this 3 panel thing showing figure movement in a fixed background, I decided to use that when I sat down to draw and had fun trying to figure out where to fit it in. Ended up in the top 3 panels.

One-a-Day #12 (Marvel trivia!)

One of the early Red Sonja/Conan versions I sent in to Marvel for review. After a while I actually got a letter back from the submissions editor. By the time I got a response I found all sorts of things wrong with the storytelling, so I was not surprised that Marvel did not offer me any work. The editor was actually very kind and encouraging. He commented on the story page by page, and there was even a mention of how he saw some promising things in the pages.

I usually throw letters away, but now I am kind of sorry I got rid of that letter because I would like to be able to reread it and see if I worked on the things that were suggested.

One-a-Day #11

Page two of the story. Done in one session and I am now starting to roll along.

The funny thing about this particular short story (that I call "A Fair Fight"), is that this is the 5th time that I am drawing it. The first 3 times that I drew it, it was Red Sonja and Conan, and the last time I drew it it was Niko and Cherokee (just like this time...only different).

One-a-Day #10

Because I was not happy with that last panel I redrew it and now with the magic of Photoshop I can present the whole page :)

One-a-Day #8 & #9

At first this sketchbook was going to be just me sketching character designs or doodling rough layouts for comic pages, but a few pages into it I started inking the sketches and doing some more or less finished pictures. I figure this is because right now this is my only source of output and I love to ink. Anyway, with this page the sketchbook morphed again. It became a place where I can try to do short stories with a goal of drawing a page every 1-2 hours.

I drew the first 2 panels in the first session and finished it off next time...although I was not thrilled with the composition of the last panel.

One-a-Day #7

I was tired and only had 20 minutes before "bed time", but I felt that it was important to me to try to get a sketch in. It's simple and has problems, but I kind of like it...probably because it is simple and has problems :)

One-a-Day #6

One of the failed experiments...I learned that if I am going to draw a silhouette, I need to think of basic shapes and not try to draw the figure and then just black it in (so it can look awkward and flat).

One-a-Day #5

Just drawing stuff and I tried to do something simple and at the same time interesting with the black shapes behind the figure. It was fun just to grab a brush and swirl it around. I am so used to having tight control over the brush it and doing this felt kind of odd :)

One-a-Day #4

I worked on a lay-out for an 8 page short Robotika story called "Spartan Methods" that David Moran wrote. The idea here was that Niko is undergoing virtual reality training and he is participating with 300 Spartans in the Thermopylae battle. The story will be done in blues or grays to highlight the fact that it is virtual reality (to separate it from fully colored panels that will take place in "real" world). Niko's figure would be outlined in red (or orange) to identify him...of course he would also be the only samurai at the battle. This is pages 1-4:

One-a-Day #3

Still trying to get used to using a blue pencil and just wanted to draw a goth-like girl

One-a-Day #2

Recently I finished reading "The Princess of Mars" and was really taken with the imagery (and all those Frazetta drawings now make a LOT of sense!). I tried to come up with a different idea for a creature with 2 sets of arms and I stumbled upon a concept of one set of powerful arms for fighting and heavy lifting and a second set of arms for delicate work like writing or eating. So here are some visual ideas:

The sketch posted earlier has the same idea, but being an early try at it, is not very clear (the folded arms look like some sort of weird abs)

One-a-Day...and Robotika

The second Robotika double-sized issue is now being solicited in previews (JUN090696) and can be either pre-ordered through a local comic shop or bought right here at Heavyink.com

I finished a few pin-ups recently. One is for an Italian comic book called "Justice and Bullet" and another for a collected edition of "Primordia" published by Archaia. Doing the pin-ups got me thinking that I have been drawing a lot of Robotika lately and not enough of other genres...so 2 weeks ago I started a sketchbook. The idea is to draw something (anything) everyday that is some sort of an experiment for me (either in theme or execution). Here is the first page (I am going to try posting every day a new sketch):

Robotika

Robotika is being published again!! April Previews!!

Archaia Studios Press is back...and so is Robotika.

I had the second Robotika mini-series, Robotika: For A Few Rubles More, finished for almost a year, but regretfully the publisher, Archaia, went into restructuring after releasing the very first issue. However, they are back and Robotika is being published again! I just hope that everyone who has enjoyed the series is still interested and will be curious enough to pick-up the new comics.

To relaunch the series, Archaia is printing a double size issue of 64 pages containing the first issue of "For A Few Rubles More", published back in 2008, and 32 new pages of story and art.

Diamond issue of April Previews (out on April 1st) contains the listing for "Robotika: For A Few Rubles More" double size issue (64 pages). Code: APR09 0652 Price: $4.99

There is also a listing for the hardcover collection of the original Robotika mini-series from 2007. The collection is 128 pages (120 story pages and an 8 page sketchbook section). Code: APR09 0651 Price: $19.95

For those who are interested in ordering a copy, I (with a lot of help from Dan Foskett) created a "coupon" with the order codes. Just click on the picture above, print the coupon, circle which book you want, take it to your local comic book store and ask them to order a copy for you. That simple :)

For those of you who don't get out to the local comics store, you can order on line from Heavyink.com. Just click on this link:

Robotika Double Sized Issue #1 at Heavyink.com

First Robotika Collection at Heavyink.com

You get 20% and shipping is a flat fee of 99 cents...so while you're at it get some more comics including this awesome release from Archaia:

Awakening Hardcover Collection
This hardcover collects issues 1-5 of the award nominated Awakening series from Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn. Wonderful series that Nick has once described as: "a zombie series...that might or might not have zombies in it." Nick originally introduced to me the whole idea of an order "coupon", so go and get Awakening coupon here!

1, 2, 3...

Sketch...Pencils...Inks...

Something Wicked This Way Comes