Sketch Card for March 30- Alien 2/5

Brett. This character has one of the most memorable death scenes in film history. Great actor, too.

Heck, they're all great actors.

Pitt sketch from WW Toronto

Had fun doing this one.

Hell, had fun drawing all of 'em this past weekend.

Sketch Card for March 29- Alien 1/5

Was about to go to bed when I realized I hadn't posted today's (ahem -- yesterday's) sketch card.

I didn't want to start a series for this week and have a materials issue interrupt the flow like the copic problem last week (got the refills today, so I'll likely post the remaining Invincible cards tomorrow). So I decided to draw everything in pen. I decided to use the pen (Uni-ball Vision Elite) fellow artist, Guy Dorian gave me this past weekend.

It's a very nice pen. Nice ink and flow on the bristol.

The subject this week is the 70s Alien film. I don't know that I'll even draw the creature since the characters are all so amazing. I decided to lean heavily on the reference for these as well.

Here's an in-progress shot.

When I was a kid, the Alien photonovel was one of my most treasured possessions. I loved the movie - I think I saw it over a dozen times in the theater. Even today, if I'm channel-surfing and stumble across a broadcast of the film I usually start watching regardless of whatever else may be on.

Even though I loved drawing as a kid and this was frequently close at hand, I never drew from it. I should have -- I think I would have learned a great deal about lighting.

Sadly, this is a replacement for my lost original. I've no idea what happened to it -- it just disappeared at some point.

Hope you guys like this series of cards and won't mind my essentially "swiping" from stills for this -- I guess I'm just making up for something the 12-year old me should have done.

Joker Sketch from WizardWorld Toronto

I was sent a most excellent scan of the sketch I did this weekend.

It was a little weird to draw an old-school Joker for someone made up EXACTLY as the Heath Ledger Joker!

He's a talented artist as well! Check out his website!

I finagled a few promises to send me scans of my sketches from more than a few people at the con, so hopefully I'll get to post more of them soon.

Pitt

Heya -- two things:

First, my copics ran dry and my local art supply didn't have refills, so my sketchcards for Wednesday, yesterday and today are sitting unfinished beside my table. I might be able to grab some while in Toronto this weekend and catch up with a massive post on Monday.

Second, I'll be at Wizardworld Toronto this weekend, sitting next to my pal, the insanely talented Dale Keown, so I decided to make a print for the event.

Say 'hi' if ya see me!

~R

Sketch Card for March 23- Omni-Man

Yesterday's Invincible was too overworked, so I pulled back and was much happier with the result for today's card, Invincible's dad, Omni-Man.

I'll probably take another shot at Mark before the end of the week, bumping one of the other characters from the Kirkman-verse I was planning on doing.

Sketch Card for March 22- Invincible

New week, new sketch card theme! Today it's Robert Kirkman's Invincible!

Bendis Board Wonder Woman redo

Was really looking forward to this one, but ended up not having the time to really do with it what I wanted. Oh, well.

Sketch Card for March 19 - Hellboy 5/5

Yay, Copic colour for the last Hellboy this week. I get to show off how poorly my old 11x17" Mustek handles colour scanning.

It's always awkward drawing like someone else, but there's something so wonderfully attractive about the way Mike lays down shapes. The last two cards were kinda fun for playing with elements from Mignola's style, but I now feel I should draw another two cards that are more honest .

Sketch Card for March 18 - Hellboy 4/5

Second last Hellboy. Finally working on a smooth surface that I can live with. I tried to simplify towards Mignola's style, and I'm not sure I was very successful. I liked the pencil sketches of today's and tomorrow's cards better than the finished pieces.

Sketch Card for March 17 - Hellboy 3/5

Brush and ink on tiny, tiny illustration board.

Sketch Card for March 16 - Hellboy 2/5

With this one I used the last of the rough textured cards from the Strathmore sample pack. Lots of sloppy bits and things I'd like to redraw show up when I upsize these things, but I figure it just gives me incentive to get better.

Sketch Card for March 15 - Hellboy 1/5

Opted for a batch of Hellboy sketch cards this week. I'm still using up the last of the Strathmore sampler pack and so I decided to stick with pen & brush & ink for the first 3.

~R

Power Man -- Bendis Board Redesign

This week the challenge was to redesign Power Man/Luke Cage over at the Bendis Board. There were a number of amazing drawings and redesigns up -- check it out if ya can!

I actually like the current "street clothes" take on the character, so I thought he'd only opt for a costume if it wasn't too clowny. I (and many other people) felt that he'd go for a sports uniform look. Looking back at his original yellow shirt/black pants combo lead me towards a Pittsburgh Steelers look.

Sketch Card for March 12 - Bearfield Elston

Just read a really cool Bearfield Elston story in advance of a pair of upcoming illustrations. In the story he narrates he's pretty busy causing more trouble than could be believed. I suspect, when regaling his drinking buddies about the events, I suspect he'd have reason to look as bemused over the plain stupidity and lack of proper manners as he does here.

Sketch Card March 11 -- Thoth Amon

Pen & ink.

I kinda like the current interpretation of Thoth wearing an Egyptian hat rather than the Loki-like horns he used to be depicted wearing.

Sketch Card March 10 -- Skull-Face

Brush and ink on a watercolour paper sketch card. Used Liquitex acrylic ink as the Higgins Eternal sits on my shelf slowly evaporating down to something worthwhile.

In retrospect, I'm thinking I should have pushed the skull-look a bit more, but I didn't want him to end up looking too much like a zombie.

Sketch Card March 9 -- Solomon Kane

So, I complained a fair bit about the rough paper in the sample pack yesterday and here's the first card I did on one of the pieces. I believe this one is supposedly a canvas texture on a very thin sheet. I was initially looking forward to working with this as it reminded me of some rough textured DC paper I was able to play with back in the early 90s. That paper took dip pen very well.

This not so much. I ended up finishing it with a brush and some un-thickened Higgins Eternal ink. I don't think I've ever experienced such a thin ink out of the bottle. It's now sitting, open, on a shelf in my studio and will likely do so for many weeks before I consider using it again.

I let the paper get to me while working and I think it shows. I "lost" the other sheet of canvas textured paper. While the other REH characters this week are also on rough surfaces, all turned better in my opinion.

Last Iron Man II Sketchcard, March 5

This is the last of the Iron Man II marvel sketch cards. I really enjoyed doing them and posting them like this.

So, starting next Monday (March 8), I'll start posting more sketch cards, but this time it's anything goes as I won't be limited by the rules Marvel needed to put in place.

I expect that I'll be getting a few artist blanks for the Iron man II series in the not too distant. Not too sure that I'll leave 'em open as commissions or just draw all of 'em and see if anyone is interested afterwards. Either way, I'll let those take over the card a day when they arrive.

~Richard

Iron Man II Card for March 4

I always wondered why he wore a helmet missing its top.

Bendis Board Flash Redesign

This week's redesign over at the Bendis Board was the Flash. I think it was grant Morrison who said that the Flash had a perfect costume and I really can't disagree. My late friend Mike Wieringo's version of the Flash is the one that comes to mind when the character is mentioned so my inclination is to draw the Flash thicker and more muscular than most people.

That being said, I kept coming up with little more than variations on the Flash/Kid Flash costumes so i jumped at the first one that didn't completely suck and quickly wrapped it up.


Threw a few textures and a little blur to polish my lame attempt up and violá!

Not sure who's next weeks victim. . . .

Iron Man II Card for March 3

Wolvie!

Two more cards to go!

Iron Man II Card for March 2

A last Black Widow.

Iron Man II Card for March 1

Beginning the last week of my posting these with a rather mediocre Ms. Marvel. The remaining four get better as they go. I got too sloppy and rushed with the hair and inking as I rushed through the last few to meet the deadline.

I'm thinking I might try to continue something like this next week. Either more sketchcards or maybe postcards to allow for slightly larger drawings.