Hiring - Concept Artist!

[Eddy]

To answer Fabrizio's question earlier, yes, we're still very much working on DC's MMORPG.

As a matter of fact, we're even looking to add to our ranks here in beautiful La Jolla, California:

"DC Comics seeks a Concept Artist for the MMO Production department. Position will design, sketch, and illustrate non-player characters, elements and environments based on list provided by Production Manager. Interact directly with clients to achieve desired look and style for assigned projects. Collaborate with MMO Production artist to ensure consistency in style and quality of art. Prepare final approved artwork in digital format for delivery to client. Other duties as assigned."

Monster

Wonder Woman

(Entry ricH)

I had started this piece a while ago and came across it while I was cleaning my home studio yesterday. It was so close to being done I wrapped it up last night.

I noticed a strange trend for me with drawing characters. I think most comic artists generally do a lot of figure drawings. Draw Superman....Bam. It's some cool action pose. I generally take a first stab almost always doing a portrait. I have no idea why other than I need to see the character right up close and personal...then maybe I feel like I know them and can relate to them a little more...and then hopefully over time I can tell their story.

This is I think the third time I've drawn Wonder Woman. She looks a little young, but that's sort of the way I pull characters.

Friday~!

ricH.

ASBR Covers - No Blur!

#5 - May 16

#6 - July 25

#7 - September

Scarlet Witch

(Entry ricH)

Here's a Scarlet Witch drawing I did tonight. I have been doing so many figure drawings and studies lately I wanted to do something fun tonight. I really like drawing girls, so this was like a reward for all the hard work I've been doing lately (inking 2 pages and day and coming home and penciling every night) This took about 90 minutes to do, and it was the first time I've ever drawn her.

Rich.

M.I.A.

[Eddy]

One WildStorm book, another DC arc and DC's MMORPG are more than enough to keep an artist busy and I'm not talking about Jim Lee either.

Carlos D'Anda may be missing from the blog lately, but he'll be back as soon as he catches a breather in-between Deathblow, JLA: Classified and DC's online game.

In the meantime, check out this Deathblow desktop pattern and a six-page preview of JLA Classified #37.

Lopez Lives!

[Lopez]

Hi there peoples, this is Mike Lopez back at Wildstorm and it's great to be back amongst all the super-talented folks here at the studio!

I saw everyone posting their work here and thought it would be cool to post something too. This is a commission I did for someone last year. Overall, I thought it was worthy of sharing with you.

I had another Supergirl commission too, but it was considered TOO sexy to show you (damn). Hope you dig Cap. Bye.

1 and 2 minute sketches

(entry Rich)

Here's a page of warm ups from tonight. As promised I am posting all this stuff in order and I am not leaving out much of anything. I do many of these pieces(more than posted online) and I am trying to always show the first piece of the night because I think it's the hardest to do for me. I think that keeps this thing pretty real. That's what I think people want to see.

These are just pencil on paper for the original. I am using a dull HB lead on typing paper (the after effects of neon I just do with some nob turning in photoshop) I set up a timer and I give myself no longer than 2 minutes.

uhm...what else can I say....I have seen some improvement and I am 5 days into this. I focused in on some tough areas for myself and you know honestly these last few days I have drawn a LOT of figures. It's starting to pay off a bit. I can do little parts that usually take much longer faster, and I am getting a little more confidence in the final look (not sure if it's apparent in these actual drawings) but it's moving along. It feels more solid and a little more confident. And that's the goal.

ricH.

reading:All-Star Superman

watching: The Simpsons

listening to: NIN

follow this daily and see all the art here:

Blasterkid

Nome - Joker

[Nome]

Hey y'all, Oliver here. Thanks to J. J., I started to learn coloring in Photoshop this week. It's somethng I've wanted to learn for awhile but couldn't find the time and honestly, I was a little intimidated to learn it at first.

I know it's far from perfect and colored with basic, intermediate techniques, but overall I'm happy with it...I also wanted the back panel to pop with the yellow, so there you go.

I'm enjoying this a lot and have started on my next piece already. When I post it, I hope you'll be able to see a little progress in my newly developing coloring skillz.

Kirby - Ultraviolet

[Eddy]

Milla Jovovich kicking and flipping all over the screen in a skimpy color-changing outfit is cinema eye-candy. Add in the guy who gave us "gun-kata" and some cool, sci-fi guns and swords for extra popcorn action. Finally, throw in a bunch of my favorite comic book artists for the opening credits and it's a must-see movie. Then the reviews started coming in and they just lost me.

Well, for everyone who still wanted to check out the opening credits without sitting through the rest of the movie, here's JJ's Ultraviolet piece.

And below are some more I found around the 'net too:

Kieron Dwyer
Randy Green
Ed McGuiness, Dexter Vines & Brian Reber
Dustin Nguyen
Phil Noto
Jeff Parker
Rick Remender
LeSean Thomas & Stuart Ng

Maybe I'll check out that unrated DVD someday.

Ground and Pound/ quick sketches

(entry Rich)

A first in a series of 1 to 3 minute drawings I did to warm up tonight. I want to keep this visually interesting so I will be adding some of my style and techniques over the pieces to keep this fun.

I really had no clue what I was going to draw when I started this. I have NO experience in this area so I just sit down and draw either a head, a knee, or a set of shoulders and try and pull off a pose. I can already see that's a bad way to work so I am already picturing more exciting poses before I lay the pencil down to the page...it seems to work better.

r~

Opening the Book

(entry Rich)

This is probably one of the most terrifying posts I've ever made. I had this crazy idea and I played with it here a while back but I think it's time for me to reactivate it.

I decided I would document the rest of my journey into penciling comics right here. This leaves me really exposed and I honestly can't express how nervous this makes me. I am a pretty private person and my art is like the ultra extension of that. It's something that's always been mine and something I've used to express myself. Showing all the behind the scenes stuff is like peeling off my skin in some ways. But I think in the long run it will make me a stronger artist, and that's my goal. So the pain now will be worth it (hopefully) a year or two from now.

So every 2 to 3 days I'll be posting here everything I am working on. I'll be showing each step of the process, the flubs, and I guess successes along the way. At my deviant site you'll be able to get daily updates. I don't want to bog this place down with too many posts.

Some facts and a little background about me before we get started:

Although I have been involved in comics...I have not read a comic in almost 2 and half years. I had to work hard just to remember the last comic I read. I think it was Danger Girl/Batman. I did reread a few Hellboy issues about 3 weeks ago but other than that I haven't followed comics in a long, long time.

I've been penciling for 3 years now. I had about a 6 month spell recently when a family pet feel ill that I didn't draw at all. So it really adds up to about 2.5 years I've been working on my stuff. I am proud of what I've achieved so far because I know how much work it was to go from not being able to draw or finish anything(literally) to doing some ok pieces.....but I have a LONG way to go with my comic art. (and that's why I am doing this)

Here's some completely crazy info: I never have drawn Wolverine, Daredevil, Captain America and probably 95% of any other comic characters out there. I have maybe drawn Spider-man, Batman, and Wonder Woman two times. I've done 9 drawings of Voodoo and I think that's my world record. I have drawn 8 sequential pages in my life (all were published). I don't sketch, I just do finished drawings. I think that's all important to add just to kind of show how at square one I am starting. I am going to attempt to break MANY if not ALL of these terrible habits....and I hope people can learn from my experiences.

I think that's plenty for now. I'll be back Monday morning with some more work but again you can follow this daily at my deviant page:

Blasterkid

This image was just something to put up so I could get this whole thing going. I ran into my office and gave myself 10 minutes to sketch a piece out to add to this post. It's not anything but randomness. Wish me luck on this, I am going to need it.

ricH

Voodoo in training

(entry ricH)

I was talking to Joel today at work about our different take on comics, styles of art, approaches to drawing, and learning to draw etc. It was really fun. It got me thinking about my own past learning practices and where I had seen the most results.

Realistically for monthly comics you have to be able to draw a page a day (or at least one page every two days) That takes intense practice and study. You have to have your skills very sharp. You have to be able to go in and it's second nature.

I am killing two birds with one stone on this Voodoo drawing. I'm training a friend of mine to ink. I have hopes that he'll ink me in the future. I just don't see realistically being able to do the amount of work I want to do and inking it myself. So I am starting to pound through a training regimen for he.....and I.

I did this piece fast (one hour) which is REALLY quick for me. I am not totally happy with everything on it, but I am trying to break myself down...focusing in on sitting down and starting and finishing things in one session(with time limits on these first pieces). I had to do this all pencil too, so my pal Jon could ink it. He's training too. Hopefully we'll have our stuff working together well enough to land a gig by this summer.

ricH.

All Star Batman and Robin update

[jimlee]

Here's what I know...issues 5 and 6 are DONE. I'm knee deep in issue 7. Rather than come out with 5 when it was done, the decision was made to hold up issues and stockpile them so when they do start coming out, that there won't be any holdup between issues.

As far as WildCats--I can't draw what I don't have script for. Once I get that back on track, I will let you know. My enthusiasm for both titles remains sky high; last year was the toughest year for me personally but fortunately, things have lightened up this year allowing me to return to the drawing table.

Here's some pages just so you know I'm not pulling your leg. I've blurred out parts of my pages so no one official gets bent out of shape showing work before it gets printed! I don't have official release dates for the books but once I do, I will put em up as well. Just relax and know many issues will be coming out this year.

Oh and one last thing...it's only the fact I have been getting work done that has allowed me to schedule the additional con appearances I posted recently. I turned down shows to Barcelona, Philadelphia and Chicago to focus on getting the work back on track.

Hope you guys dig the pages...

Gomez - Wetworks Process

[JOEL]

Hey all...just wrapped up Wetworks #10 and I wanted to post a page from the book in each stage of it's inception, from layout to pencils to inks.

I have always found it interesting to see the many different processes my favorite creators use to get the job done. Comics is a collaborative effort...and I think it's fun to see what others bring to the table and how it can affect that working process.

I happen to be fortunate enough to work with WildStorm inker extraordinare, Trevor Scott! You can see how the pencils translate from layout to the beautiful finishes Trevor is known for above. Enjoy!

Ink Havok

[Eddy]

"Jim Lee's in Artist's Alley!" Jim Lee's in Artist's Alley!" Now, it's one thing to suddenly find Jim signing at the DC Comics booth unannounced, but discovering him in Artist's Alley meant something else for one fan: Jim was sketching.

And this time, it wasn't your usual backing board-sized head sketches either, but nice, larger than 11" x 17", pieces. And they were free too. How could you beat that?

The next question you gotta ask yourself though, is which character to ask for? This fan happened to have Jim's first Uncanny X-Men issue, #248, on him and asked for Havok. He's a great choice for con sketches too, because he's got that simple, black and white costume and those crazy, concentric circle powers of his.

Here, Jim did his usual pencil and ink work, but then he flicked some white-out here and there, smudged his fingers a little bit and even streaked the ink with a napkin to create those cool effects.

At the end of it all, not only did the fan walk away with a great con sketch, but everyone got to watch it come to life right in front of them too!

Kirby - Hellstrom

[Eddy]

Man, this piece stinks! And I don't mean the art, but there are actually fumes coming off this piece from all the markers JJ used. It hits both your eyes and nose at the same time.

Anyway, JJ just finished this in a fan's sketchbook and I think he did a killer job! I don't think it's a stretch to say that this is the best piece in the sketchbook now too.

He also touched it up in Photoshop to help pop the piece here and there. He was thinking about adding a fireball in his hand too, but I still think it looks hot without it.

It's also amazing that JJ's still using the same Berol markers he bought back in 1992. Fifteen years later and those markers are still going strong!

Texas Wants Me Dead

(entry ricH)

mixed media on bristol board.

48" X 48"

2007

Tin Can with Strings To You

(entry ricH)

pencils, some inks and a lot of water color dyes. I try and move through multiple pieces in the same style to nail down the things I am trying to accomplish. Quick studies seem to do the job nicely. This isn't really the style I am interested in working in permanently but there were some sloppy aspects of quick work I wanted to go back to and disect.

I've been penciling a lot (lately) and I found myself slowing down on my finished pencils. I was drawing tighter and tighter because I like the look of very tight and carefully detailed work. I remembered that doing a new piece each night loosened me up and made me learn to react quickly to things like problem solving or just to avoid over thinking little details instead of 'BAM' that's the drawing.

I equate it to falling down a set of stairs and trying to land on your feet.

r~

Mari's Fairy

You're never too young to be a Jim Lee fan!

This was done at WonderCon recently, where Jim made a brief, but surprise appearance in Artist's Alley.

And you can see the final image here.

Two Brides

an experiment with pen, ink, ink washes, water color dyes, and paint on board.

(entry ricH)

Been a long time

(entry ricH)

It's seems like it's been a LONG time since I posted here so I wanted to drop by. I have been checking the blog out occasionally and it's really cool to see all the new office mates posting up art and their insights.

I've been decently busy working on Batman and some other stuff...Gas prices are slowly choking me out, the news is always frustrating to watch on tv......movies have been really cool lately.....hmmm..what else?

I attached a little piece I did a few months back. "Nun Mourning". I am thinking about painting this in oils, I have been doing some smaller studies and I can move paint around ok. Not sure how it all will end up. But, 'it's the journey' as they say.

:)

ricH.