Sunday, October 23, 2011

Busy weekend.

Here is a quick edition update to the last entry I posted. I knew when I inked the Captain Spectre piece it was going to need color to clear it up some...so I couldn't rest til I saw it with some color on it. So thought I would post it sooner than later.


Also with more and more conventions starting up in the central plains/midwest area and with my new plan of starting to get to more of them and advertise a bit more, make some friends and fans, and actually get some work published ( the number 13 from Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse) and self publishing Captain Spectre...I figured it was time to look into a new banner. As I was looking around I found a place that has those roll up display banner things at a good price. Those things used to be so expensive I couldn't justify them, but now it seems they are cheaper and you can get two for less than just one of them used to be. So I decided to promote two things, my art - myself, and Captain Spectre and Action Science magazine. So here are a couple of designs I churned up.



Friday, October 21, 2011

Legionnaire Express update

Well things are starting to shake loose and move forward again, even I have to exclaim, 'it's about time'!
Here are the inks to Virginia Maxon splashing in the water, as her new future friend 'number one' looks on. A true stalker before the term was used.

This piece was done with a bit of a new process, no the brush was still pulled across the bristol board and all that labor and sweat still prevails in the piece. But I did incorporate a bit of technology as I sketched it out until I was fairly happy with the drawing, then printed the pencil drawing in light blue on the bristol board, then inked that board. This was done with the help of a new printer. I haven't had a printer at home for about six years and sometimes it has been a real pain. So I finally sprung for a large format printer that can handle bristol board and most papers up to and including 13x19, for some reason but I have never seen 13x19 paper sized anywhere. Anyway it will print an 11x17 borderless and that is what I wanted. I hope it improves me drawing speed a bit since I can now sketch out panels for a page concentrating on just the panel image, then scan them all and composite them in photoshop to get the sizes and panel flow just right. I then print them out in a light blue or very light grey and I can ink them. It kind of skips the full blown pencils stage, but with me inking my own work full blown pencils are destroyed in the process anyway as after i ink them i erase all the pencils. So anyway experimenting with it all to get the best results with consideration of upping my production rate, which is very slow.

Also another 'concept' cover to Number 13. This one goes for the creepy got to grab the reader at the newstand kind of marketing. Plus I had fun doing it and like it alot. It is done totally in photoshop, so no original to sell. Alas the curse of a digital world.


Also I know I have neglected Captain Spectre a lot lately. With all my problems and jobs and things going on he never leaves my mind. I am planning several things which I will reveal in the future. But for now a little taste of some good ole' Captain Spectre. 


Also this is one of those pieces that just screams 'finish me'! So expect to see some finished pencils and inks sometime very soon. 

Friday, October 14, 2011

Yet another long overdue report!

I am truly sorry for the lateness of this progress report, such as it is. More than a week ago I woke up with a leg that was throbbing with pain. It felt like that nano second when you get a super cramp. The problems were that it covered my entire leg, not just one muscle or muscle group. It went from my hip socket to my toes. It had that sharp cramping feeling, but the cramp never came, just the pain. And it lingered for a couple of days. I was still under the assumption that I had some form of cramp. I have had alot of cramps in my legs since I was a kid, but this was something new. So I gave it a day or too. Nothing changed so I got worried. Again thinking it was something to do with the fibromyalgia, which it did turn out to be. But before the doctor would own to that, I was checked for other things like blood clots and all that. Especially since all I do is sit. I drive to sit, then get up to drive to sit some more. I am a professional sitter, ha. Anyway I was scanned, poked, drained and prodded and it seems more nerve things are going on. Oh boy. I am still kind of down and out because of this. Even tho I am sitting 99.9 percent of the time, the pain is kind of distracting for sure. Anyway add that to the arthritis and the rest of the fibromyalgia I have and it makes for a great combo of pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles. So needless to say things have been moving slowly here at Lightning Legion secret HQ.

Here is another concept piece for Number 13, enjoy the pencils because I am gonna slop some ink on it soon.....

Also when I was in a late night pissed off at all the pain I started a impro kind of life strip that I will try to work on when the pain is too much to do any kind of quality work...ha.


I actually did two strips of this before the pain got too bad and my mind was traveling elsewhere with the doctor appointments and pain and tests and all....so enjoy both as the plot heats up....ha


And once again I will try harder to keep you loyal Legionnaires updated as much as possible. Just sometimes I haven't made much progress, and even I get tired of myself complaining about the pain....

thanks Legionnaires for baring with me.