Welcome to LA

It's been about 3 years since I did the first drawings for 'Jersey Boys'. Now it's come to Los Angeles! I hope to see the show in July. You should see it too!

The Ego has landed!

I had a post on April 15th that talked about computer coloring. I wondered if using a particular color palette could improve the black and white artwork and if a night scene would look better in reds and amber. I think I gave too much responsibility to the colorist and none to the black and white artists. I've gotten some responses from some professionals that I respect, and I think I should revisit the panel. This time, I'll focus on what's really wrong with it.

If you were to read the early posts on this blog, you would see some examples of me analyzing some poor stiffs comic art. I would also post my own art with comments. If I dish it, I should take it. I made a resolution to stop more than a year ago, but when I saw this page, I couldn't ignore what was wrong with it! Unfortunately, I thought it would look better with different color.

I took the time to sketch a version of the unnamed panel and suggest what could have been done differently.

In the original (top), the perspective is screwy and proportions are wrong. The car on the right is too small and is drawn badly. The white van in the BG looks like a toy. The inking over all is scratchy and scrawly. The page needed a lot more black ink and I tried to show that in my sketch below.

In my drawing, I added some dramatic lighting to the foreground figure on the left. Also, some solid black behind him and in the night sky. I decided on a perspective vanishing point and built the city around it. I did not leave the windows open for bright spots of light. It can distract from the focus of action and people usually close the drapes at night.

I guess I should have considered the uncolored art before questioning the colorist. My mistake!

I am adding a sepia photo that Steve refers to in a comment. Would this make a great night scene?

Kubert/Kubert cover

This is a cover by Andy kubert and Joe Kubert. Really nice cover, great compostition. You rarely see Joe Kubert draw Marvel characters, I guess he wanted to ink his son. As I recall, J. Kubert worked on an EPIC Comics project at the time. A stone-age character he created called 'TOR'.

More Dollar Comics

I picked up some more Dollar comics at my local comic shop the other day. I surprised myself by buying 2 issues of 'Mighty Samson' published by Gold Key comics in 1973. These were books drawn by real old school artists. Maybe the type that smoked cigars and drew any kind genre book out there. The book did not have any credits, but I'm sure I might recognize the artists' style if I looked at a few DC books of that era. Another treat was a bunch of KA-ZAR comics from Marvel. It had some of the sweetest art by Buscema and Alcala, but in color! The line work held up and Alcala did his own lettering. I especially enjoyed Issue 12 with a Kirby cover and Russ Heath art. I never knew the old KA-Zar books were so much fun. All that for a dollar each!

Comicbook color

I don't know how to color my own work on the computer. I have to surrender my art to someone else if It has to be colored. That's fine. When you draw for a living, you have to accept an Editorial process and evaluations and changes and blah, blah, blah. The problem is that there are a million ways to color a scene, and there are not many colorists that can be trusted.

I do not want to offend the colorists out there. Some of my best friends know how to rock Photoshop. It's just that I came across two examples of a night scene, and I wanted to talk about. The top drawing is a comicbook panel, and the bottom is a still frame from a movie. I love the movie frame and I think the warm hues add a creepy feeling to the scene. The cold blues of the top panel suggest fog and cold, but I think the art could be helped if the color person went with the warmer palette. I will not comment on the black and white line art.

Am I out of line with these comments? Are night-scenes better in Blue/grey as opposed to Red/amber? Gosh. I think I should take a class and color my own work.

Buscema Sketches

I think Jonh Buscema did a lot of sketches. On the back of art pages especially. I am posting two sketches he did that I really like! One is of character studies for a comicbook adaptaion of a movie. The other is from a Silver Surfer Graphic Novel.

Memories creep up on me!

I used to love to go to clubs and listen to music. I found this ticket stub while downloading my 'AMPS' CD onto iTunes. Is it really 11 years since that ROSELAND show in NYC? It must have been. I have a problem with nostalgia... I find myself retracing my steps, wondering where I could be if I would taken an alternate route. When I look at this stub I don't regret going. It was the first time seeing 'that dog'!

B is for Busy!

I wish I had more time to blog on the various site I blog on! I cannot because I am working on a few neat projects. Until I find more time, I will leave you with a sample of a job I'm pitching for.

Hot in the valley!

I left the office for a bite and I noticed a ribbon of smoke south of Burbank. I thought that there must be a fire near Universal City and I was right. Nothing I could do so I went to lunch. It was on the drive back that felt the effects of an intense and thankfully, short lived wildfire. Falling ashes, a strange haze and the smell of burning leaves!

Not a good feeling, but like I said, It was short lived.

Uncle Ben...The Bossman

I caught this article at the NYTimes website. I like that the company is changing a formerly racist stereotype and putting him in a true position of respect and power.

Another Western Cover

As excellent as this cover is, I think I like the lettering best. "Bite the desert dust --and die"? How do you read that and not buy the book? And at 20 cents, It's quite a bargain!

Western Cover

This is not really a cover from a Western comic. It's from an issue of MARVEL FANFARE! Alan Weiss drew this cover and I am waiting for that retrospective book about his life and work. His brush work is the some of the best I've ever seen and his characters are strong and brawny! I forget what issue number this book is, but the art looks better in black and white.

Khan Sketches

I drew a book for Moonstone Comics called KHAN. It was a sword and sorcery style book witten by Tom DeFalco. I drew the first issue and penciled the second before they cancelled the book! So here I am with 23 pages of un-inked pencil pages. I don't mind the wasted effort, just the wasted time. Maybe I'll have the book inked and it may see print. Until then, here is a sketch.

New Gallery

I went to a gallery opening on the West side of Los Angeles last night. It's a big, beautiful, U shaped space with a back patio. The space was great, and the art was excellent! The wildest part of the night was it's location. The gallery was across the street from the Mar Vista Bowling alley. I used to bowl there every Wednesday some years ago, and the neighborhood has really improved.

After the gallery show I had a drink at another new attraction on Venice Blvd., Club Good Hurt. They feature unsigned bands on the weekend. Cool! The bartender girls dress in dopey nurse outfits and they can't make a decent martini. Bummer.

Ad Agency

About two weeks ago a got a cold-call from an Ad Agency I won't name. The woman left a message about finding my work on the internet and wanted to know about my availability. She saw some art I did a year or so ago and kept some samples around. Neat!
She called about my availability, but I'm kinda busy these days. I did two spec frames from a script she sent just to show her that I would like to work with her in the future. I can't tell you what the product is, you'll have to use your imagination!

Costume Design

Congrats to me! I am working on a Star Trek Story for TOKYOPOP. I won't tell you the story, but it does involve a beautiful space princess! No shock there! I'm looking forward to drawing the story, so I am getting some character designs together.

I have to create the Princess. I'm not a fashion designer, so I think it's a cross between a Prom Queen and a Paegent Contestant. I don't want to put some crown on her, but a headdress would be appropriate. Oh, I don't know. Opinions are welcome!

Drawing of the day!

This is a frame from the Jersey Boys show. I haven't seen the show lately so I don't know when it pops up.

More Dollar Comics

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am buying some old comics at my local shop. Some guy sold his collection and The shop is selling most of them for a dollar a piece. This is is a bonanza for me because most of the books are from the Eighties and the unknown collectors buying habits were similar to my own.

The early eighties were a very furtile time for Independent books! There were more than one distributor and the direct market could give you exposure. I remember in High School, hearing about a new comic called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was such a big deal, but I thought the art was heinous. I shouldn't talk. My art back then was just as bad. Anyway, The book was a direct market smash and it inspired all kinds of artists and publishers.

This image is of a book called The Survivors printed in 1983. It looks like it was created by just one guy in a studio and printed as a labor of love! I can relate! It was published by Steve Woron out of Connecticut, and I wonder what happened to him. Is he in the business or gone on to another field? If you are out there Steve W., know that you have a fan. Independent publishers rule!

Help!

I checked my TokyoPop blog and I saw this stat! Please someone visit it so I can get rid of this profile viewed number!

Star Trek

I did some Star Trek samples for a job. It's the drawing of the day!

Morgan Freeman

I found this snapshot in a magazine. I wonder if J. Aniston has seen this coaster.

Final Salute

Okay. Captain America is dead. I doubt the Simon and Kirby creation will disappear forever, The character has always changed with the political climate. He was at times a commie-basher, a nomad without a country and a weapon against terror. The problem I have with the news of his death is the dopey storyline that brought him there.

I have been reading the current Captain America series since issue one. The stories have been very good and well drawn, but I gave up on the book when the Civil War storyline started. If you don't know it, the Civil War plot is about having persons with superpowers register with the government. Some Heroes are for it and some are against it. Nice enough idea, but I knew things were heading south when Spider-Man registered and disclosed his secret identity.

The whole Civil War storyline saddens me because it seems like the inmates are running the asylum at Marvel right now. No one seems to be protecting the characters for future readers and the writers have more power than they should. I read a NYTimes articlethat had a quote the publisher Dan Buckley. He said "Sometimes stories just take you places" Maybe he's right. But killing Captain America takes me somewhere I don't want to go.

How do they get out of this one?

I want to read more about this before I comment. So please stay tuned.

Sketch of the day!

And what is the sketch of the day?

Dollar Comics

I stopped by my local comic shop and theyv'e had a bunch of new back issues. About a dozen new long boxes in new bags and for sale for a dollar. The manager told me that they bought someones private collection. The shop pulled the rare books and put the others out there priced to sell. I love reading comics. I noticed that this guys collection looked a lot like mine! I wonder when I might let go of my collection.

Editorial in 1990

I spotted this Bullpen Bulletins from 1990. Dwayne McDuffie leaves Marvel and Tom Brevoort takes his place. Tom used to be Marc McLaurens assistant! I think I was at VALIANT at the time so I missed the shuffle. It was always interesting to see the Editorial cards shuffling back then. I remember dating a girl who started as a secretary at Marvel, and when she got an assistant Editor job, she kept her secretary salary. It was more than the normal assistant starting pay and it caused a commotion. I wonder how Marcus remembers it.

Allen's Page

My friend and fellow blogger Allen Gladfelter posted a blog last week, Feb 17th. He's working on a comicbook and he had an issue with a page he was working on. He drew the page, but he thought he could have done better. He put it out there for public comment and I think he was brave to do that.

I think Allen is an excellent artist! He constantly works on improving his art and I can relate. Take a look at his blog Click Here As for critiquing his page, I did a few sketches. In the early days of my blog, I used to comment on other peoples art. What an ego! But this is not some mean dress-down of his art, just a response to his blog.

1-I changed the camera angle. The Hero looks in the window, and is surprised by a guard! I put the guard inbetween Hero and window. The hand touches the window showing interest.

2-Turn the head of the guard. Allens' page lacks close-ups and if there is any dialogue, you should have at least one head shot. Also, I show The Hero reacting in the BG.

3-The guard has a weapon and he is about to use it! I put the gun in the foreground. The Hero reaches out at the reader/camera.

4-I sketched 2 ideas for the fourth panel, 2 camera angles. The Hero gets his hands on the Guards throat and takes the weapon in the same move. The guard is supposed to hit the ground, and I address that in the next panel.

5-I put the camera on the ground to show the knocked out guard and the victorious Hero. The low-angle shows the Hero dominating the frame. Other guards enter the scene and it looks like they don't have a chance.

It's up to the artist to decide lighting and everything else. So there is my two-cents and I hope I was able to help.

Sketch of the day

And what is the sketch of the day?

Time to drink!

My local comic shop does not carry CRACKED Magazine. It does not mean that it has stopped publishing! Look at the aggressive AD Promotion going on in the bars! They are looking for the over 21 demographic, and I have taken notice.

My Weekend

I planned a trip to NYC to spend some time with a friend, D.K. I didn't call any other friends to hang out, so I apologize to anyone I did not see over the weekend. It was a coincidence that there was all kinds of Comic book related action going on during my visit! I can't recap the entire weekend, so here are a few high points!

I went to the Illustration House early Friday with D.K. I found out that they were offering some Michael Golden art for sale, and I wanted to see if any of it was in my price range. I was out of luck. The Golden cover on the flyer was listed at $6,500 and the beautiful Alex Ross paintings in the photo were listed at $115,000. Wow.

The New York Convention took place at the Jacob Javits center starting Friday. D.K. does not work in Comics, but she was into seeing what went on at such a place. We stopped by the Con and It was a lot cooler than what I expected. It was a mess last year, but very nice this year. There were so many people that I haven't seen in years! D.K. was impressed by my old school Marvel background and she even bought a bunch of books!

I had some excellent meals and travelled around the changing city. There's a place in Tribeca called Dylan Prime that serves a nice steak. D.K. and I also ate some Korean Fried chicken on 35th Street!

On Saturday, I returned to the Con and hung out with my friend Rob. He had a booth with Tokyo Pop but we walked around the show. The original art prices are just as ridiculous.

NYC was cold and windy. My trip there was fun and relaxing!

Revisions!

I am working on my Western book and I'm taking time to streamline a few pages. The top panel shows our hero Anuteh in an old West kitchen. It's a messy place with a lot of activity going on. The top panel was the original and the bottom is the revision. I made the change for a few rew reasons.

I wanted to show that Anuteh is covered in blood and grease from working in the kitchen. The top panel has her in a patterned dress that is just too busy. Plus the BG has too much going on. Anuteh is in the center, but she gets lost within the details of the room.

In the lower panel I wanted to show how she would have become so messy. Skinning rabbits or cleaning game. The kitchen staff back then got dirty. Also, I left out the Bg wallpaper pattern and put the focus on Anuteh. The lamp in the upper left gives the colorist something to work with.

So I will keep working! I hope to be finished with the entire story and have it out this year.

My new Ipod!

I have had an ipod mini for a long time now. I bought a bunch for Christmas gifts a few years ago. I kept one for myself, But I never considered using it until recently. The blathering at work made listening to my own music a lot more appealing, so I took time out to download some tunes.

I love my Ipod mini! It's easy to use and I was able to upload some songs and get rid of old CDs. But some guys at work told me not to throw out the CDs in case my computer crashes. That's the reason for using ITunes and my Ipod! Less CDs! I am happy to get rid of the discs with one good song and ten crappy ones.

Yesterday, the cassette tapes went, now the CDs are on the chopping block.

Ebay

So I blogged about the Kotzky daily page on Ebay. I guess I wasn't the only guy watching it. I did not get it. The final bid was $130.00. That's a reasonable price.
Maybe next time!

Original art

I am brousing the EBAY original art listings and I am saddened by the high prices! The was one guy listing a blank page for $200 Dollars. Has the Original comic art market gone crazy? I understand if you have a nice piece and you want to make a profit, but some of that stuff is ridiculous! By contrast, I found some excellent Newspaper Comic strip art, that could be bought for 50 bucks or less. The drawing above is from an Apt. 3G daily strip. Drawn by Alex Kotzky. Excellent work and within my budget!

What bomb scare?

I must admit, I am pleased to hear that a Cartoon Network VP was fired over the marketing stunt gone wrong. When I read the first report on Friday, I thought that someone has taken the mistake in marketing seriously.

I know that the report said 'resignation' but when you leave at 5:00 on Friday, I say 'Firing'. My point is the removal shows that the corporation that owns Cartoon Network is taking responsibilty for the mistake.

I think I would be a mean boss.

New from TESHKEEL!

Have you bought the latest issue of The 99? If you have not, this is what you should look for. I recently did some work for TESHKEEL Comics and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Reference part 3

Let's say you are drawing a story, and the main character has to carry the unconscious love interest to safety. So now you have to draw some guy lifting a girl. Do you look for a couple to pose for you while you sketch it out? No! Go to you Reference File! Love love my magazines and over the years, I have been able to clip some useful shots.

Need a hotel room?

It's that time of year! I tried getting a hotel room in San Diego for the Comic-Con and guess what happened? I got a room. It was harder than ever to do, but I did it. I started the speed dialing at 8:59 and I got the booking agency at 9:44! I stayed on hold until 10:02. I booked my acommodations at 10:15. Thank goodness I took the day off from work. I talked about the lack of hotel rooms last year on this blog and I hoped that more hotels would be available. It seems like just enough rooms were available.

Reference part 2

Yesterday I talked about reference and how to use it. In this post, I show it in practical use. In the Kolchack book, I had to draw the character in a plane going home. The tough thing about drawing the inside of a airplane are the seats! The shape of the seats are kind of odd. I was lucky to find the right ref for the interior of a jet. This really isn't some kind of industry secret. Every artist should know how to look for and use background and location reference.

Reference and how to use it

Allen Gladfelter has a neat post on hisblog about drawing locations. If you've never lived in NYC, a place like Grays' Papaya or Central Park can seem as exotic as the Valley of the Kings in Egypt ( I should say that I've never been to the Valley of the Kings!).
Allen really got his locations right on the money using the right reference. His script said New York and he did his homework.

I recently drew an issue of Kolchak, The Night-Stalker where the writer put a scene in a Motel room. He described it as an older place, Clean but with furnishings from the Carter Administration. Sounds simple enough, but If you fake it, people notice. I am a big fan of reading Magazines and I was able to dig up some excellent reference. Everybody should have a reference file and having it made my job easier.

Bad day

I had the most tiresome day dealing with the most tiresome person. I had to do some Storyboard work to day and the lady I dealt with could not figure her way out of a unlocked room if she had a map and a guide dog. I'm just tired and venting. The upside is tommorrow is the Big Game! Footballs' season ending show in FLA!

Brenda Starr by Joe Kubert

Brook Shields starred in the movie adaption of the newspaper strip Brenda Starr! It was part of a wave of comicbook movies that came out in the 80s. Films like Popeye, Supergirl and The Conan movies. Some were excellent and some were never seen again. The Brenda Starr film disappeared but this piece of artwork remains. It looks like the plot of the film in 12 panels. Drawn by J. Kubert, he does a great Brenda Starr!