More Inks, Methinks!

Yes, it's been awhile.  But here's a fresh batch of new inks...still needs some touch ups, but this is a process blog after all....the big news is that this summer you'll be seeing all of this Red Vengeance goodness in living, downloadable color, as part of the newly formed digital comics hub of Artist Alley Comics!  Woot!  Until then, these will have to do.  So if any of you are still even coming here....thanks, and keep checking in! 

Inky Dinky Do.

Well, it's been awhile since my last post....things have been pretty crazy here at the Temple.  With school starting back up for me and the girls, there hasn't been a whole lot of time to blog it up.  With that being said, I've got 8 pages of rough inks for the latest installment of Red Vengeance.  They still need touching up, and eventually coloring and lettering of course, but hopefully you'll dig them...I'm having fun drawing 'em!  Although when you're writing, drawing, inking, and doing everything else, it takes a while.  Hopefully I'll have this first part done sometime this winter, get it out in front of people, and start the next one!  Enjoy!  Stay tuned...I'll try to update more often if anyone's watchin'!

Artamus Memories.....Comics Interview Magazine!

Back in the mid 90's David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview magazine did a feature on artist Mike Wieringo, a good friend of mine (and to so many others) who as everyone knows is sadly no longer with us.  I had the privilege of being an assistant at the studio in Hillsborough (named Artamus) where Mike and a lot of other comic artists were working at the time, and when the magazine came to photograph Mike, they decided on a group shot of everyone there. This was in the early days of the studio, a little before Casey Jones and Dave Johnson joined up for the later period. I had actually misplaced this photo for a long time, but recently when in Chicago visiting family (our cousins the Heniffs), they had a copy of it, and I was stoked to see it again!  I get a little misty seeing this, it really takes me back to a great time in my life. Most everyone in this photo has scattered to the four corners of the country now (Rich Case and Scott Hampton are still nearby, but Jeff Parker's in Portland Oregon now, Chuck is in California, John and Craig are in Georgia) so I really miss the gang, I considered them all close friends and great people.  I never really thought much about the studio eventually disbanding and people moving away (and of course Mike passing away didn't even occur to me), but I suppose change is inevitable. Even when it's the kind you don't want or aren't necessarily ready for, you have to embrace it at some point and go with the flow/adapt.  Had I known then what I know now....well, I guess that's the cliche, right?  The other slightly amusing thing to note is that for some reason they don't list poor Richard Case's name at all, yet they do name Scott Hampton, who wasn't even there that day!  Good times.  I miss 'em!

Here's One From Me, Just Because.

Red Vengeance pin up I did a while back, colored in black and white for that 50's retro feel. I think it was something I may have done for a proposal and it never made it in. And that's all I have to say about that.

No One Cooler Than Coover

Next up, the awesome Colleen Coover.  She is, to me, the ultimate embodiment of the word "cartoonist".  Her style is so fun, so energetic, and it encapsulates everything that is unique and appealing about cartooning.  All her figures are light and fluid, with perfect gesture and body language, her line work is sublime, and you just feel good looking at her stuff, regardless of what she's drawing.  Kind of like a modern day Herge. The woman could make a car wreck look charming, and that's no small feat.  She's like the comics equivalent of "The Andy Griffith Show"...you just can't NOT be in a good mood after looking at her work.  Like Jaime's piece, I had her draw John/Red Vengeance sans helmet, because I find her faces so darn charming.  Once again, an awesome piece that I'll treasure always.

Jaime. Freakin'. Hernandez.

Yeah, that's right.  Artistic Powerhouse Jaime Hernandez, of legendary "Love and Rockets" fame (and yeah, the comic came first, NOT the band, although I dig them too) came to Heroes Con in Charlotte back in 2006, and was rockin' the house.  I was of course terrified to approach him, as I'm a HUGE admirer of his work, but I just couldn't pass up the chance to get drawings from him, as it is so rare that he ever comes to NC (he hasn't been back since, so I'm glad I did).  What kills me is how fast he cranked this out.  Literally in under 2 minutes.  No pomp and circumstance, no glitz or glamor, just him sitting quietly at an empty table with a bristol pad and a few pencils.  A little handmade sign with his name, and that's it.  Why no one was lining up around the block for him was beyond me, but I wasn't going to argue.  Of course I couldn't decide on what to get him to do, so I got 2.  Red Vengeance, which you see here, and of course a Hopey sketch.  Absolute gorgeousness, done effortlessly in the blink of an eye, made to look deceptively simple.  He's such a genius with faces, I made sure he drew RV with his helmet off, showing John Conroy underneath.  If I had the money and if it wouldn't have made him angry, I would have stood there all day and just said "Hit me again."  "Again". and just had him do drawings the whole time.  Jaime, you da man.  And damn you for drawing my character better than me, in like less than a minute.  Gah!

Red Vengeance, From A Fan's Perspective (Me)!

One thing I get a kick out of when I get the chance, is getting artists I respect and admire to sketch Red  Vengeance and get their take on him.  It's always a rush to see an artist I'm a fan of draw my character, kind of like a pin up artist would do in the back of a graphic novel or something.  I've got a good little stack of them now, and I find them very handy to draw upon for inspiration from time to time.  Here's just a few.... 

First up, the awesome Craig Rousseau.  I mean, how cool is this?  I love the rhythm of the curves in the legs, the exaggerated proportions, the angles in the hands....it's a perfect balance of stylization. I also really dig the texture and "pop" that the color and Canson paper bring to it. Craig's one of the top artists in the biz, having done tons of work for DC (Batman Beyond, Impulse, and licensing), Disney (Kim Possible/Disney Adventures), and Marvel, as well as the super awesome creator-owned Perhapanauts series that he and Todd Dezago do for Image.  Plus, he's just a swell guy to boot.  I've always cherished this drawing, always will. He took my design and did it like a million times cooler, in my opinion. Thanks, Craig!