Sittin' here keepin it real...

Sittin' here keepin it real...
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

So it's about 4 am, whew! Gotta say I love my job! I've been drawing since about 1 in the afternoon and I'm still wanting to go! Also I just happened to crank out the first page of my new project! Yay! I know it seems as if I haven't said much about it but trust me, I'm just holdoin' off a bit. We plan on doing a formal announcement at next week's Wiz Chicago show. After that you my fans will get a definite behind the scenes peek at the process behind creating a new series! I plan to involve you guys alot!

Also I plan on involving my whole creative team! Writer Allen Warner, artist Rich Friend, and color genius Cris Walker! I'm hoping to get all these guys involved with the blog with this project! It's exciting for me mainly because for the first time Rich and I will combine forces! The result I'm sure will be nothing less than stellar! No worries, I'm excited about the other monkey's too but I've worked with them in the past, lol! Both are top notch talents no doubt!

So keep an eye up! Look for some exciting news in the next week or so! Aside from that here is a commision of Dark Phoenix. Completely off subject I know, but hey I'm holding off on the good stuff ;)

-a
"be cautious" PSHOO!PSHOO!

damn BIG robot heads!!!

damn BIG robot heads!!! Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

(entry: Carlitos)

... I don't know why I never thought about it, but thank you guys for pointing out 'comic art' sites (as a way of finding past 'con-drawings'). I did a little search the other day, and came across some pieces I had totally forgotten even doing, and some I JUST did at this San Diego show.

Jim (Lee) was the first guy I noticed asking fans for scans of sketches he had just given them, and NOW it totally makes sense. There have been some pieces I've done at shows that I really wish I had a scan of.

For me, when I do sketches, or commissions at shows, I tend to feel more relaxed, and because of that, whatever I draw tends to come out more 'spontaneous' maybe? it might just be the simple fact that you know this particular drawing is more personal, it's from you, to a fan, so there's less 'page-fright' (^_^)

There was one show if particular that I felt REALLY in the 'zone' :).

Jim, Cammo, Lee, Grazia, Michelle and I (same crew that was at the signing in Las Vegas this past weekend) were signing at a comic shop in Reggio, Italy, and we were just doing 'random' sketches, and 'auctioning' them instantly at the shop, and then the money would go to a "Tsunami victims" fund (if I am not mistaken).

I think we all stayed and did sketches for something like seven hours? ... that day, my sketches were just 'flowing', one after the other, and you get into a really cool rhythm that you wish you could keep for ever. Jim and I had very little ink, so we watered it down, and out of necessity, we did a bunch of ink-wash pieces, which always allow you for more 'subtlety' then a regular 'sharpie' sketch...

... anyway, there's a couple sketches from that day I wish I would have scans of.

This piece here was ALSO the first or second time I've ever drawn Supergirl. I don't know if I got her to look as 'innocent' as I wanted, but overall, I was happy with the way it came out. (^_^)

... oh yeah, and somebody asked me where I got my 'pencil-case'? I think I got it at TARGET a while back, but don't quote me on that! :)

peace'

Carlitos

Friday Nite Flashback

Friday Nite Flashback
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

So I was perusing the comicart fans site and I came across this Death sketch. At first I didn't even remember doing it, heh. Then it came back to me. I did it at Wondercon a couple years ago. It's funny looking back at it all I can think is I remember really being into Eduardo Risso at the time. Anyways, thought it might be a cool little flashback, peassssssssss.

-a

"GOALLLL" PSHOO!PSHOO!

... some more ComicCon. doodles ... yay!

... some more ComicCon. doodles ... yay! Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

(entry: Carlitos)

... I can't remember exactly what ComiCon I drew this at, it might have been from last year's, or maybe even a little older. The fan had asked me for a "Wonder Woman", and because this was probably my first time EVER drawing her, and I don't really consider myself all that good at the 'cheesecake' stuff, I felt I needed something else in there to 'spruce' up the piece, so why not having her beat the crap out of a giant robot?!? gives the piece a bit of a sense of scale as well, I just hope the fan I drew it for liked it. :)

... speaking of ComiCon pieces, like most artist out there, there have been times when you draw something at a show and you end up being pretty happy with, and really wish you had made a copy of it or whatever (lots' of happy accidents seem to happen at shows), so, if any of you BLOG readers have ever gotten a commission or a sketch from me (that doesn't suck.. heheh), please let me know, I'd love to get a scan of it if you guys are kind enough (^_^)

peace!

Back to comicon

Back to comicon
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

Wanted to go back a bit, retouch on San Diego and how great it was. See I've been in comics for quite awhile. I remember not too long ago the con seemed as if it was getting smaller, and it seemed as if less people were interested in going. With that it's amazing how big it's gotten! Sure most of it is because of hollywood's involvment, but who cares?! The show has became so large I almost wish I had one of those motorized scooter thingies just to get around.

I was a little bummed that I only got to sign at the DC booth on preview night. I tried to crank out as many freebies as possible. For some reason people keep asking me for Batman sketches? Good thing I enjoy drawing the guy. Here is one some guy requested asking if he could get a version of my DK interpretation he saw on the blog. Yay blog fans! To make up for my lack of time spent in SD I will be in Chicago next week. And most likely, spending a majority of my time at the DC booth. So if you get a chance come by and ask for a Batman sketch, or whoever else may be your fav character!

-a
"come over late night" PSHOO!PSHOO!

Alternate Signing

Alternate Signing Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

This past Saturday at 3pm, we all did a store signing at Alternate Reality Comics in Las Vegas. Though it's off the strip, it was only a short 20 minute ride there and we were warmly greeted by the owners Ralph and Kate and their incredibly hospitable crew. They had snacks, fruit salad and plenty of water and soda laid out for us and we signed for about 4 hours.

It was very well planned and organized and we barely made it through the line in the time we were there. Not as many sketches this time and oddly, nearly all of them were of Batman. Here is one I did for the man in charge of security at the event.

Grand Contemplation

Grand Contemplation Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

Tracking back a bit, here is another pic from the copter tour of the Grand Canyon (as requested by Elayne). I have mpeg footage of it too but the colors are all washed out, mostly because it was overcast. This shot of Giuseppe Bazzani, writer of an Italian comic called Road's End, is a better representation of the colors of the rock formations. We were on a cliff overlooking the muddy Colorado River.

Luckily the temperature was only 90 degrees F; normally it's 120 F down in it. It's amazing how small the Colorado river looks now. To think rushing waters created all this gives you a scale of how insignificant we all are in the big scheme of things. That said, we need to know we make a difference...otherwise, why create art, right?

A Backwards We Will Go

A Backwards We Will Go Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

[jimlee]

So, like Ale, I can only recount the last two weeks in reverse. Although Ale and I hung out all weekend in Vegas, we did spend some quality time apart. Sunday morning at 8am, after 4 hours of sleep, tequila and cigar smoke still oozing out of my pores, I went on a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. You can get there from Sin City in about 45 minutes. On the way, we flew over enormous Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam and then dropped down half a mile into the Canyon and touched down for some champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

The contrast between the serene, peaceful, stone cliffs of the Canyon and the noisy, crowded, cacophonous turbulence that is the Strip in Vegas was very moving emotionally. You really felt humbled and insignificant in the face of the majesty of Nature. I had seen the Grand Canyon several times before from the Southern end but never wandered much from usual tourist viewing sites. This time, I got to sit and stare and meditate at the base of the Canyon itself. I walked off from the group a bit and felt like I was the only person in the entire universe--that's how dwarfed you feel by the Canyon. The ride back was eventful as well as we checked out numerous colorful sand/rock formations and then zipped down the Vegas Strip. Here is a shot of the Bellagio where we ate the night before.

exoskeletal junctions...

exoskeletal junctions... Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista2.

(entry: Carlitos) ... one of the (many) good things about putting a sketchbook together is going through old personal sketchbooks, dozens of loose drawings on typing paper, the backs of scripts, napkins, etc, etc, and find stuff you had totally forgotten even drawing, and this here is one of 'em. I think I drew this when Ale was first gonna' do "Graduation Day", and this was me trying to re-design Cyborg.

Anybody out there who is familiar with my work (or even purely through this blog) knows my 'fetish' with machinery, so this was me messin' around with this character. When it comes to re-designing 'classic' characters, you always stumble with the SAME problem, how can you change it 'just-enough' not to mess with it, but still have it look a little updated.

Re-designing doesn't always have to be a drastic thing, hardly ever actually, and more times than not, those re-designs just DON'T work (anybody remember that weird outfit BATMAN had in the early nineties? how 'bout that lame SpiderMan with the hoodie?!? ouch!!! ) ... so here, my 'attempt' was to keep the 'tech-pattern' the same, but the actual machinery to look a little more functional?

Mostly thanks to Anime and Manga, gone are the days of just putting 'rings' on a character (Colossus, Ultron, Cyborg, you name it) and call it "high-tech". Stuff now has to look a bit more believable, and 'armor platting' more functional ... so anyway, here was my attempt at Mr. Cyborg (^_^)

As per request...

As per request...
Originally uploaded by Gelatomettista.

[ale]

As per request here is a pic of me, John and lead singer of SOAD Serge. This was taken at the W hotel in downtown San Diego. We were celebrating John's Birthday, good times!

-a
PSHOO!PSHOO!