Justin Greenwood Comic Art

Roughs and Raw Ink

2012-01-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

What an exciting week! Wasteland #33 came out last Wednesday and I've been blown away by the great response the book has generated. Oni has a post up on their site that features some of the highlights from the reviews it's been given. Check it out HERE.

Also, I didn't do a very good job pimpin' the fact that the book was available digitally the same day it was released in your LCS. Wasteland #33 is available in digital form at Comixology, and I believe the rest of the arc should be released the same way over the course of the next six months. Check out the book digitally HERE.

I LOVE to see artists' process and sketches, and I'll try to put up this kind of thing as much as possible on my blog. I've often remarked that there's an energy in sketches and comps that is special, and it seems like the best artists are the ones who can capture that energy in their finished work. There is a balance and mindset to making the finished product look effortless, and this has been in the forefront of my mind as I've been drawing these past months.

Here are my roughs for the first few pages of Wasteland #33. I try and stay pretty loose, mostly interested with spatial relationships and value patterns. I really put a lot of emphasis on storytelling and design, and it's here that I make sure that everything has good rhythm and read. Click 'em to get a closer look.

After some mulling over and a bit of collaboration with Antony, I make notes on the comps and adjust what can be improved upon. Most pages have at least one observation written down, whether it's a revision or just a note to keep in mind. Here are the finished pages, ink to tone.

Thanks for checking out the work and supporting the book! More soon...

Wasteland #33 Out This Week and more Prelim Sketches

2012-01-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

The time has finally come- Wasteland #33 hits stands Wednesday and for only $1! I couldn't be more excited for the release of this book and to see what folks think of the return of Michael and crew.

As I write this I'm only a couple weeks from completing pencilling/inking of the final issue of the arc and I can't help but reflect on what a wild ride it was getting to here. Over the course of the last 6 months, we've bought a home, moved twice, had a baby, and endured a crazy set of holidays. I'm proud that this book has stayed on schedule despite it all and I think it's some of the best work I've done to date. It's an exciting milestone to see this issue out and on time.

Here is the last of the new characters preliminary sketches I did, the last one being Zakk!

As you'll soon find out, Zakk is another of the major characters in this upcoming arc. These sketches are probably the loosest of the group, although I particularly liked the bottom right face. The drawings were used to get a feel for the character but I think this one stuck as a solid reference.

Wasteland Prelim Sketches- Father Affon

2012-01-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

This week's Wasteland sketch is Father Affon!

(Click to Enlarge)

Another of the character who will be introduced in next week's Wasteland #33, Affon plays a pivotal role in the upcoming storyline. I really had fun designing him, trying to put across the junxtaposition between his withering body but very strong will. Maybe it's drawing all of the wrinkles and such, but I always seem to enjoy drawing the older folks.

Also, There is a 6 page preview that went up on Warren Ellis' site yesterday, where he shows off some new pages and was said some nice things about the book. Check it a small piece of the new story here.

Wasteland Prelim Sketches- Rikerd

2012-01-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years everybody! This week's Wasteland character sketch: Rikerd!

(Click to Enlarge)

What better way to kick off the new year than to show off one of the new characters to the Wasteland mythos. Unlike some of the other characters, I had a very clear idea of how I wanted Rikerd to look after reading through the script and he has definitely been one of my favorites to work on. I don't want to give away anything, but I will say he plays a major part in our story and I was really pleased with the way his sketches turned out.

Wasteland Prelim Sketches- Gerr

2011-12-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

This week's Wasteland character sketch- Gerr!

(Click to Enlarge)

Easily one of my favorite characters of the series, I was really excited to tackle this one- interesting looking and a great costume. I only wish I could have drawn him more with his hood on, such a great visual aesthetic.

That's the last of my drawings of the previous characters for now. Next week, I'll put up some ones of characters new to the series!

Wasteland Prelim Sketches- Abi

2011-12-19T09:39:00.000-08:00

Next up for this week is Abi!

(Click to Enlarge)

This character has gone through a lot of changes since her journey began, and I've often thought Abi was very enigmatic despite her honesty and big heart. It's something I've held close to me while drawing her and hopefully it comes across in the sketches.

This is probably it for the week so Happy Holidays to everybody and onward to the new year :)

Wasteland Prelim Sketches- Michael

2011-12-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

As we are start to get closer to the release of Wasteland #33 next month, I'm going to start putting up some of my preliminary sketches for some of the main characters on a weekly basis. It only seemed appropriate to kick it off with my initial drawings for Michael!

(Click for a closer look)

Most of the sketches are with a brush and washes, although the way the paper took it, they almost look like marker. I always loved Michael's look as a reader of the book so it was a lot of fun to experiment a bit with how to interpret him.

Next week: Abi!

HUGE Holiday Sale- Original RESURRECTION art!

2011-12-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays friends! We've decided to throw a big sale on a bunch of the original art from RESURRECTION. All prices have been reduced by about 25% and there are still some awesome deals available. You can check out a good sampling here and the complete list on The Interior Pages site.

Check out a handful of my favorite pages below:

Three Heads

2011-11-23T18:02:00.001-08:00

I've had my nose to the grindstone recently, working on lots of pages for Wasteland. In a couple weeks I'll start putting up some art from the series to prime folks for the exciting release of issue #33 in January. In the meantime, here are a few head drawing from warm up drawings in the last month or so.

I did this quick drawing from a photo of Larry David. A friend hooked me up with the complete series of Curb Your Enthusiasm and I've finally worked my way through it. What a funny show!

This one was done getting ready for a panel that really only required part of a head but I didn't feel like I could get it right unless I drew the whole thing and manually cropped it. Kinda liked the drawing though.

And lastly, a warm up head drawing to get in the zone one morning. I've been playing more and more with texture and line width, just trying to loosen up.

Thanksgiving is almost upon us- hope everybody has a good, relaxing holiday! Salud!

Wasteland News!

2011-11-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

The word is out and it's official: Wasteland #33 kicks off a new story arc in January, written by Antony Johnston, drawn by myself, and with covers by Christopher Mitten. And the best part? It comes to you at the super low price of $1! Now that's exciting :)

Although I briefly mentioned my involvement a number of months back, my first issue of Wasteland is finally close enough to be solicited in Preveiws for a January 18th release date. After working on it for so long in the dark, I'm really happy that the news is out and folks will finally get a taste for what we have in store for them.

I don't think I've ever told Antony and Chris, but I remember picking up the very first issue of this book when it came out at my LCS and being pretty bowled over by it. The art was completely original, so fresh and gritty, and with an intriguing story that had a rhythm and cadence all it's own. I was only recently out of art school at the time and as a young guy branching out into more mature, challenging comics, this book helped inform my understanding of the medium and see just how great indie comics can be at their best.

To be having the opportunity to draw it is a very excting thing for me and I hope the fans are pleased with what I have to bring to the table. Big thanks to Antony, Chris, and the Oni crew for letting me get up in the mix and play with their toys :)

You can find all of the official details here on the Oni Press site. In the meantime, here is an advance look at few of the upcoming pages from the book.

Warm Ups and Life Drawing

2011-10-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

(Click for Large Image)

I submitted another Guest Check , this time a drawing of my baby. I'm thinking of doing more of these, but I'm not sure if it's because I like the drawings or the subject matter :) There's a been lots of good stuff on the Guest Check site recently, hit the link and check 'em out.

I was complaining to a friend recently that I've haven't made them time to do enough life drawing recently and he recommended an awesome site that has tons of phote reference of nude models. Not quite as ideal as actually drawing from life, but a fantastic substitute. I've been drawing these little 10 minute warms up to help limber up the brain a little bit. Here is one of the first of many of them:

More to come, and lots of great news too! Certainly an exciting months so far...

Getting Back to the Drawing Board

2011-09-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a number of weeks since I've done any serious drawing, concluding my longest period ever not drawing with regularity. It felt weird to be away from the table so long but I've been starting to get warmed up again and it's been great. In a funny way, I think it might have been a very good thing- sometimes it's good to recharge your batteries and get a little fresh perspective.

And with that, it begins again.

I've been working on a friend of mine's pitch to start getting warmed up and I've really enjoyed putting pen to paper again. I'm back to a schedule next week and I'm starting to feel ready to take it on again.

Here are a sampling of sketches and a couple of the panels I did to get rolling...

Couple of Bits of News...

2011-09-06T14:07:00.001-07:00

Just a quick apology for not posting anything in the last couple of weeks but it's not without good cause- my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world last week! We now have a beautiful, healthy baby girl and I will be on a brief sabbatical for a couple of weeks. We've both spent a lot of time doing this right here:

One other important thing to note: my art dealer and friend Jason Palmer with Interior Pages is organizing a fund raiser for a wonderful charity Cranio Care Bears. They have been a big help to some friends and we want to do something to help give back. Joe Eisma, Rahsan Ekedal and myself are donating some art as part of an auction to help raise money for the cause. 100% of profits go towards the charity so check it out and help spread the word!

The cover of Resurrection #13 is up for bid on this link right HERE.

Here is a close up of the finished page (click to enlarge):

Guest Checks!

2011-08-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

(Click to Enlarge)

My pal Super Ugly recently started an awesome website called GUEST CHECKS, where artists take turns drawing up whatever they feel like on a guest check form. From the looks of it, ol' Ugly knows a lot of talented, creative folks and I was happy to disguise myself as one of them for a minute. Check out his site at the link above and remember, don't forget to tip :)

Have You Been Reading- She Died In Terrebonne?

2011-08-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Doing a little double duty here, with a new "Have You Been Reading" and a recent drawing. Here is a pinup I did for the upcoming 4th collection of the fantastic webcomic She Died In Terrebonne from Kevin Church and T.J. Kirsch. I love me a good ol' fashioned crime mystery and S.D.I.T is no exception. And it's FREE! Check out the story on the link above, it's a great read.

Big thanks to TJ for his invitation to contribute! I started checking out what he was up to after he did an awesome short story in Resurrection #11. We were super fortunate to have a lot of great folks help round out the Resurrection world, and TJ drew what I thought was one of the better back ups in the group.

I'll also put up the inked version also, to have a look at the first go 'round:

Remembering Kazu

2011-08-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Painting @ Kazu Sano

I was a student for a long time. Between a couple of stints at Community College, a year at a University, and finally a full run at Art School, I took a ton of courses and had many teachers along the way. With all of those experiences, sadly I can only remember more than an impression of a handful of them, and of that handful maybe 4 or 5 that I regarded as a genuinely fantastic teacher or inspirational type figure.

Kazuhiko Sano was one of those teachers.

I went to AAU in San Francisco between 2001-2005 or so. One thing I learned quickly is that there were a ton of talented artists teaching there and some pretty amazing teachers, but to find both in one package was a rare commodity. I met Kazu later in my academic career but he made a big impact on me. Not only was the guy an amazing artist but he was an extremely personable, giving teacher. I remember coming home and proudly telling my dad how I had a teacher who'd drawn a poster for Return on the Jedi :) I had the pleasure of taking a couple of his courses and learned a ton in the process. I also had the chance to catch up with him outside of school once when he needed reference for an illustration. We spent most of a day shooting ref and talking about art and life. I was struggling with some pretty big issues with regard to direction and growing up and I remember how important that conversation was to me. It would still be a couple years before I resolved to tackle comics and make it a career, and I was at a crossroads for what I wanted to pursue.

I hadn't know Kazu was sick, and I was taken aback when I received an email recently that he'd passed away after a battle with cancer. I wish I'd reached out to him and told him how much of an influence he had been, not so much stylistically but in spirit. He was a bold artist, full of life and courage and his art reflected the eye and hand of a draftsman but with so much spirit and guts.

I remember sitting down with him in a review, looking at rough work and observational sketches. Kazu remarked that the human memory is one of our biggest downfalls. Imagine, he said smiling, if we could retain everything we'd seen and every memory we'd had, how much more enriched our lives would be. I'm fairly certain I will not remember even a fraction of what I've seen or experienced in life, but I'm know for sure I will not forget you, Kazu. Thank you for sharing your guidance and love of art with everyone.

Check out a bunch of Kazu's work here. I'll put some of my favorites below...

Inspiration and Intoxication- the SDCC 2011 Wrap-Up

2011-07-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

First off, I wish I had more drawings done from the show but I got completely sidetracked checking stuff out and talking to folks. I did the above sketches on the plane on the way in and was completely knocked out (and quite a bit hungover) on the ride back. Every time this con comes around, I leave feeling fired up and wanting to jump right back to the drawing board.

This show was hands down the most artistically inspirational one I've been to.

I don't know if it's just that as I develop I learn more about what is personally inspiring, or if it's just that I lucked into finding tons of rad stuff but I was overwhelmed by an amazing amount of talent and good will. All three of the new projects Oni had debuting at SDCC were powerhouse books. Phil and Tyler's book PETROGRAD has long been my prediction for best of show (check out the rest of the drawings on Tyler's site, this dude's a beast!), Ray Fawkes' book ONE SOUL is a ground breaker, and Joe and Brett's SPONTANEOUS is just the kind of series that, as a comic fan, I'd buy all day long. Big thanks to my friends at Oni Press for their hospitality, so good to see everybody.

Lots of other noteworthy highlights. I got to hang out with the WASTELAND crew and talk shop for a bit. Ol' Robbi Rodriguez hooked me up with a copy of FRANKIE GET YOUR GUN and as always, bowled me over with tons of great art and insight. Checked out amazing original art by Toby Cypress, Paul Azaceta, and John Paul Leon (who also had a bunch of cover comps and sketches on display that I couldn't get over). Picked up some crazy good books there too, including Wolves, Pixu, Infinite Kung Fu, Homeland Directive, Atelier, and lots more. *whew*

Amongst all the excitement, I got to run around with my pals from the Geek Savants and their extended family. Between having a number of drinks and listening to Dave and Super Ugly argue about their physical prowess, I had a grin on my face all weekend, funny guys and talented to boot.

There is plenty more to report but I'll wrap it here for now. Thanks to everybody who came over to say hello, and know that I am so inspired and humbled by all of the amazing work I saw.

Now it's time to get to work on making some of my own :)

SDCC 2011

2011-07-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time again friends- San Diego Comic Con is nearly upon us! I'll be headed out to the show over the weekend and I'm really looking forward to leaving my hiding spot in the studio for a few days to see everybody. I will be signing over at Oni Press (Booth 1833) at the following times so please make sure to come by and say hello :

Friday: 6:00

Saturday: 11:00 and 3:00

No signing Sunday + San Diego = nasty hangover :)

You will also be able to find me bumming around the booth at odd times or sitting around with my partners in crime at Action Lab Comics (L-03) or Super Ugly (L-12).

Warm Up- King City Sketching

2011-07-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

I was telling my wife for a couple of weeks that the next drawing I put up on my blog was going to be of Brandon Graham's KING CITY when lo and behold, I came across an awesome sketch done by my pal Tyler Crook on twitter, who'd done exactly the same thing! I immediately DM'd him and cursed him out for being a mindreader and a biter (this last part is absolutely not true but it sounds a lot more flashy than the actual conversation :)

Initally, I'd wanted to do a more finished drawing for one of my "Have you been reading..." posts, but instead ended up doing a daily warm up drawing of some of the characters. I started checking out the book after Brandon did a story for RESURRECTION that ended up being one of my favorites of the series. The dude is overflowing with creativity and you should check out KING CITY if you're not already, lots of inspiration to be had.

Cover Samples!

2011-06-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

(Click to Enlarge)

Here are a bunch of cover samples I did for Resurrection. Most of these have been up at one time or another but I don't have the ones I liked best collected onto one page so it seemed like a good idea to have one link for all of them.

Halcyon Pin-up in Color!

2011-06-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

(Click to Enlarge)

I've posted up the original drawing before but I wanted to show off the finished version of my Halcyon pin-up. Check out the colors by Halcyon series colorist Mark Englert- he did an awesome job on the book and I REALLY liked his colors on this pin-up, great work.

Things continue to progress with my other projects. Looking forward to posting up some more new work soon.

Have You Been Reading- Sixth Gun?

2011-05-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends.

It's been a couple of weeks since having a chance to post some new art, and I'm sorry for that- I've been playing catch up with the project I'm working on and kinda lost track of time. I finally got a chance to do a little free drawing and thought I'd do a new "Have You Been Reading..." installment (yes, that's been trademarked).

This week: Sixth Gun! I've been doodling some of the characters as warm ups in the last week or two and thought I'd put together a drawing in homage to the book. I really love this story and the art is fantastic- check out this book if you haven't already, it's one of my favorites and there is a lot to learn from the storyteling. I don't know why I picked Fournier to be the big image in the center, other than I just had a hankering to draw his face (and I have a hunch he will be sticking around in the book for a bit). It was nice to break away from the computer and just cut loose. I'll be returning to the drawing board at the end of next week so I should have some more odds and ends to post soon :)

Warming Up- Bob Marley

2011-05-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like Bob Marley? I was up early this morning listening to a bunch of his old music and it occurred to me once again just how powerful he was, both musically and spiritually. There are a lot of times where I just put that stuff on because it feels good and out of familiarity I don't really listen to it closely. However, every so often on days like today, the lyrics and message permeates through whatever was on my mind and I become SO caught up, marveling at how much he was saying with so little. Seems like the best, sharpest cutting ideas are built that way.

Anyway, I was warming up a little later and thought I might quickly sketch from some old photos on google. I like the first set of sketches a lot better than the second but I'll put them both up to check out.

Things Keep Marching Along-

2011-05-04T15:06:00.001-07:00

I've been steady drawing away on this project I've been working on. I just finished drawing the second issue of the arc and so far I'm really happy with it. Can't wait until things get a little closer so I can start posting some new sequentials.

I'd like to say that I have big plans for Free Comic Book Day but I'm getting out of town this FCBD! I'm gonna go hide out in the forest for a few days and soak up a little nature. Looking forward to getting out of town for a bit...

Warm Up- Jonah Hex

2011-04-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a warm up I did this week of Jonah Hex- I've always loved this character and thought it'd be fun to take a stab at him. I've been finding that the comic paper I use doesn't hold up well against the real wet stuff so it kinda made for a funny texture but I sort of like it for this particular drawing, old timey looking. It feels good to draw big when I'm doing sequentials all week that are much smaller and more careful.

Here is the inked version, before the washes:

I put this last version up on my newly minted Twitter account! That's right, I've broken down and gotten on twitter- no sense in putting it off any longer. You can now follow me at http://twitter.com/JKGreenwood_Art

More Preliminary Resurrection Cover Work

2011-04-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some more unused comps for different Resurrection covers from last year. Ultimately they were beat out for the covers but each of them has some element that was borrowed for the finished versions. I particularly like the other version of Susannah from issue #10, could have made a good finished drawing. Maybe one of these days I'll just draw it up for fun...

WonderCon 2011- Round 2

2011-04-12T19:22:00.001-07:00

Here's a couple more photos from WonderCon last weekend. I did a handful of convention sketches and here are a few more I got shots of:
Moon Knight-

Nightcrawler-

and what set of sketches would be complete without my childhood hero, He-Man

Als, being that it was a local show, a number of celebrities came by the table, including some of my absolute favorite people in the world. Here a few of my many adorable nieces and nephews. That definitely makes the show for me :)

The WonderCon Whirlwind Weekend Post Game Wrap Up

2011-04-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! Not only was WonderCon in town but I was wrapping up our move and cleaning up the old spot to boot- makes for a hectic week to be sure :) Despite being sat literally as far away from the front door as you could get, the con ended up being super busy and a great time was had by all. Thanks to everyone for coming out to say hello and check out our work. Here are a couple of shots of my talented partners in crime Dave Dwonch (far left in hat) and Super Ugly (middle). That's me on the right under the Super Ugly banner (appropriately enough).

Without these fellas, sitting in Artist Alley would probably lose a lot of it's charm. If you haven't checked out their podcast The Geek Savants, you're missing out.

I also spent a lot of timing signing over at the Oni Booth, talking up Resurrection and catching up with the Oni folks. An absolute show highlight was getting to check out a bunch of original art pages from amazing artists like Chris Mitten, Tyler Crook, and Brahm Revel. Seeing their work up close was so completely inspiring- lots to look forward to in the comic world :)

I did a bunch of Convention Sketches for folks and I'll start to post the ones that I had the foresight to photograph at the show. Here are a couple to check out for now:

It's That Time Again Friends...

2011-03-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

WonderCon is returning to the Bay this weekend and we're lookin' to mix it up with you! I'll be posted up in Artist Alley with my pals Dave Dwonch and Super Ugly and they've put us in the back corner where the bad kids hang out (seemed appropriate enough). Check out this promo Dave put together:

We're gonna be hanging out and doing commissions so please come by and say hello. Also, I put together a sketchbook this year and they just showed up in time for the show. 42 pages for $5, it's a bargain...

Hope to see you there!

Cleaning House...

2011-03-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a bit of sorting and cleaning here at the house. We've been packing up for a move, and I found myself sifting through a bunch of old drawings. It inspired me to put together a convention sketchbook of old drawings, rough work, and life sketches I've done in the last 4 or 5 years- I should be getting it back from the printer next week!.

In looking things over, I found a bunch of preliminary comps I did for covers of Resurrection that didn't make the sketch book because I only had low dpi scans left over but I thought it'd be cool to post some of 'em up against the finished cover. Here are a bunch of comps I did when coming up with a cover for Resurrection #5:

The one above didn't make the cover but I used the compostion for a double page spread instead- I also cropped it and used it for the top of this blog :)

This comp was the one that actually ended up as the cover:

... and as you've probably seen, the finished cover:

Warming Up on a Cold Day...

2011-03-07T17:21:00.001-08:00

Here's a rough sketch I did of Michael from Wasteland while getting warmed up today. I've been toning pages for the last couple of weeks and I definitely needed a chance to loosen up a bit. Not the most successful drawing, but not too bad either.

I've also been doing a bit of sorting things out at my house recently and I've been coming across all kinds of cool stuff I haven't seen for a long time. We're starting to pack up in preparation to move *groan* and I've been stumbling onto all kinds of neat old drawings. Here's one I did of my brother Cary a few years ago that I really liked. I'm starting to put together a sketch book for conventions this year and I'm thinking I'm gonna add it to the mix.

Halcyon Pin Up- Revised!

2011-02-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

I went ahead and dropped in the character Oculus into the currently-in-progress Halcyon pin-up I've been working on. I love the design of the character and wanted to work him in if possible. There's a chance this one will see some color too- if it works out, I'll definitely post it up for folks to check out...

Have You Been Reading- Sweet Tooth (cont'd)?

2011-02-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

(Click to see full size)

Continuing my Sweet Tooth themed warm-ups, here is the more finished sketch of some of the characters from the book! Strangely, I found it most difficult to catch a likeness to Jepperd, despite his being the only regular human I drew.

I wanted to work in the guys wearing the masks with the dog people, but it looks like I'm out of time for now. Something to look forward to another day...

Have You Been Reading- Sweet Tooth?

2011-02-08T10:36:00.000-08:00

(Click to see full size)
I wanted to do a warm up sketch today and decided on Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth. I really was struck by how great the storytelling was in Essex County and decided to check out Sweet Tooth when it came out- fantastic book! There is such an emotional quality to the way it's drawn, so good.

I'm going to sketch up some more of the characters for next week's warm up on this same sheet of paper (it's much bigger than the sketch)- I bought a bunch of hot press watercolor paper and want to try out some techniques for applying a looser style to the comic stuff.

Have You Been Reading- Halcyon?

2011-02-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

Another book I've been really into recently is Halcyon, written by friend and collaborator Marc Guggenheim and drawn by the talented Ryan Bodenheim. I always check out books that my pals are working on, but this one has really been a fantastic read with the current issue #3 being the best of the group. If you're not reading this comic, you should be- it's a surprising mystery that never stops twisting and asking interesting questions that keep me coming back.

Initially, I just intended to throw up a sketch based on the series but I got kinda wrapped up in the characters and designs. More sketches from comics I've been reading to follow...

Kid Sketching!

2011-01-26T13:51:00.001-08:00

In keeping with some of my previous posts of old drawings from life, here are a bunch of sketches of children I did at a school a few years back. Kids are particularly fun to draw because they are always expressive but you have to draw fast if you are going to get any drawing done- it's pretty tricky to get a complete child down on paper, they're constantly moving.

Make That Money...

2011-01-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

Check out this drawing I did a few days ago for my friends at the Get It Group- they wanted some hands cashing in to use as a logo with their name. Make that money cuz...

Been working non stop for the last couple of weeks on Wasteland pages- looking forward to posting up some work for folks to see, but it's still pretty early. More drawings from books I've been reading coming soon...

Fighting The Villain- Last Goodbye Cover Art

2011-01-10T07:22:00.000-08:00

I recently finished up some cover art for the local east bay group FIGHTING THE VILLAIN and thought I'd post it up to check out. Their EP Last Goodbye is dropping pretty quick here and they were kind enough to let me draw up their cover. It was a lot of fun to do and you guys should check out their music, good stuff.

Here is the line art for it:

and the finished art:

It was the first time I've drawn with color for a while but it reminded me how much I like it- hope you guys do too...

And in comes the new year...

2011-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm back from a bit of traveling and getting ready to sit down at the ol' drawing table with a cup of coffee and begin the New Year the right way. Here is a quick warm up I did to shake the rust off and get rolling...

Hope everybody had a fun and safe New Year's and that 2011 starts off on the right foot!

Happy Holidays from the Greenwoods!

2010-12-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

This next week is going to be a bit chaotic with Christmas so close so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a fresh post up this week but for those of you I will not be seeing, have a great set of Holidays! Looking forward to an exciting new year...

WASTELAND News!

2010-12-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

I did this collage on a big 16" x 20" piece of Clayboard recently while playing with texture and getting a feel for some of these characters. Why you might ask? Well I've just signed on to draw an upcoming story arc of Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten's awesome post-apocalyptic comic WASTELAND for Oni Press! Not to nerd out too badly but I'm a huge fan of this book and I really enjoyed doing an illustration for the hardcover-I'm pretty stoked to contribute to the larger story.

I'll be posting up rough work every now and then to let folks have a look at what I'm up to. It's a black and white book so I get to play with ink washes and filters a bit, should be a lot of fun...

Animal Sketching!

2010-12-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

First off, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how stoked I am that Howard Stern announced today that hewill continue on Sirius for another 5 years. His show is a constrant companion to me while I'm drawing and it's been that way since I was about 16 (and that is definitely not recently :). Funny, funny stuff.

In keeping with some of my previous posts I thought it'd be cool to post up some more old sketches, this time of animals. The tigers were done from a photo but the rest of it was from life, even the half elk/skull head! I forget exactly where I came across that thing but it was on display at an animal preserve- pretty cool, right?

Warm Up- Black Bolt

2010-12-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

If it seems like I fell off the face of the earth for a couple weeks, it's probably because... I sorta did. The holidays got the best of me and although I've had a blast this last week or two, I've been a bit lax on my blog updating. Sorry about that, I'll be sure to get some extra posts up next week to make up for it :)

Here is a warm up I did to get loose of Black Bolt. I've always loved the look of this character, and a lot of the inhumans for that matter, so it was fun to mess around 'em for a bit.

(Click to Enlarge)

Also been doing some preliminary work for a new project I'm starting to work on. I should be able to put the word out about it pretty soon...

Scarlet- Round 2!

2010-11-15T13:23:00.001-08:00

Here is the second of my two Scarlet drawings! Again, if you're not reading this great new series, you're really missing out- this book is so full of life and every issue is building into a pretty awesome, aggressive tale. Really brings me back to some of the first indie books I read, and reminds me of the genuine creativity and special voice that makes these creators so unique. Great stuff.

I'm thinking about doing a bunch more sketches based on other books I'm currently reading. Now if I can only find the time...

Have You Been Reading- Scarlet?

2010-11-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

I've been loving the new creator owned series by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev and thought it would be cool to do some sketches of the main character. This one is still in progress- I still want to add another building across the way from her.

I have one more that's almost finished- I'll post it up next week...

The Punisher and Friends

2010-11-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

I started doing a warm up of the Punisher and got kinda wrapped up in it. I hadn't really intended to work it up to finish but I liked it and decided to run with it. I love the character and thought it would be fun to tack on the Daredevil and Bullseye. The Kingpin was a last minute addition and I'm still debating leaving him out- it looks a little out of place over his shoulder, but sorta appropriate in a way.

Oh Bury Me Not...

2010-10-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

I've had this idea to translate the Johnny Cash song "Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie" into a short comic story for a while now, and I finally made some time to start laying it out recently. I don't really want to write a story around it so much as just draw up a visual for the song. The strongest image in my mind came out on the second page, and I thought I throw it up here to let folks check out. I hope I can get around to finishing it up soon but these kinds of things always take a while to get back to. Who knows though- I really like this page so far so maybe it'll be sooner than I think.

Bart Sketching 2

2010-10-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some more old Bart sketches, mostly done while riding to school. Drawing in pen allows for a lot of freedom and spontaneity, which I really like in retrospect. It's a direction I'd like to go more with my finished work.

Some interesting things have come up in the last week that might make for a pretty exciting announcement- stay tuned for more news soon...

Another beautiful day in Oakland!

2010-10-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

I woke up to another amazing day over here in the East Bay- seems like it's been clear and sunny for weeks (not that I'm complaining :). I've been doing a lot of sketching recently, reworking some old ideas and messing around with a few new ones. I remember growing up reading tons of X-comics and lots of ones with Wolverine so I started drawing up some head studies just to kick around the old days a bit. I've been continuing to experiment a bit with line width and texture and it seemed like a good place to practice. There is also a guy on the bottom that's not at all related but I'd hated one of the characters I'd drawn for Casting Call and decided to swap 'em out at the last minute and I did the redraw on this same page. Blame it on the economy...

Casting Call- Full Story!

2010-10-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the full story that writer Ryan K. Lindsay and I did for a submission for the new CLiNT magazine. I really liked the finished product and thought folks might want to have a look at the complete story.

Wasteland: The Apocalyptic Edition HC Vol. 2 Released Today

2010-09-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

-Click image to get the details-

I meant to put this up sooner but the second mammoth collection of Oni's great series Wasteland hit the stands Wednesday as well, and I was lucky enough to contribute an illustration to accompany one of the Walking the Dust text pieces (Thanks James!). Big props to Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten for creating such an awesome series- I always look forward to when this book comes out and Mr. Mitten's art blows my mind, dude's got serious skills.

I'll include the image I contributed below. It was a lot of fun to briefly play in that world and spread the apocalyptic love.

Resurrection TPB Volume 2 on sale Wednesday!

2010-09-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

The second collection of Resurrection Vol.2 comes out this week, collecting issues 7-13! Don't miss out on the final (and in my opinion most exciting) arc of the series thus far. And fear not, the series will return with a new volume after our work on Stringers is concluded. It still blows my mind 13 issues have already been published- time flies when you're having fun...

Casting Call- Part 2

2010-09-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple more pages from Casting Call. I'll post up the complete story some time next week...

Casting Call!

2010-09-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a little 5 page comic with my friend and writer Ryan K. Lindsay for a submission to the new CLiNT magazine. They are taking short story submissions and he had some pretty cool ideas that sounded like a lot of fun to draw, so we put one together over the last couple of weeks. I don't know if it's exactly what they were looking for but we had a blast working on it and I'd thought I'd put it up here a few pages at a time.

Bart Sketching!

2010-09-08T18:23:00.001-07:00

(Click to Enlarge)

I've been trying to do a bit of reorganization and sorting through a bunch of old drawings- what a blast from the past! I used to spend so much time drawing from life (something I need to do more of, always) and I found some cool old sketches from a few years ago, a lot of it from when I was a student riding on BART every day. LOTS of "back of some guy's head" drawings. I'm going to try and periodically post some up.

In a way, I find it inspirational to see them- I've been wanting to find a way to use this same type of style and draw a comic book story this way but it's gonna take some figuring and the exactly the right kind of story, I think. A project for another day...

More Original Art up at the Interior Pages!

2010-08-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

I updated the last of my Resurrection pages and covers for sale with Jason over at theinteriorpages.com With the addition of issue #12 and issue #13, this completes all of the original pages and covers I've drawn for the series (for now, anyway). I was looking over the last couple of issues worth of work and thought I'd post up some of my favorite inked pages.

(Click to Enlarge)

Samurai Sketchin'

2010-08-23T17:49:00.001-07:00

I've been loosely drawing up some samurais for an illustration I'm working on- I thought I'd throw them up here to check out. The second one is completely aped off the reference I was given, so take it with a grain of salt. I particularly liked the first one though- I'll have to find a use for it one of these days...

Space Time Condo Pin-Up

2010-08-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read Space Time Condo? Well if you're not, you should be!

My buddy and sometimes collaborator Dave Dwonch writes and draws a very funny webcomic called Space Time Condominium- it posts every Wednesday and is getting ready to make it's triumphant return next week. The story follows the exploits of a guy named Griffin who lives in a house with versions of himself from different dimensions who are radically different folks. It's always a lot of fun and he works hard on it, so when he asked me if I wanted to do a pinup for his upcoming TPB, I jumped at the chance.

I thought it would be kind of cool to see an overwhelmed Griff surrounded by the most random collection of Griffins that my wife and I could think of. I've still been considering going back into it and dropping some gray wash but I like the way it came out and thought I'd post it up!

Another Green Lantern Commission!

2010-08-08T10:53:00.001-07:00

(Click it for a closer look!)

Here is a another commission I did of Green Lantern, this time focused on the Hal Jordan version. The same guy who asked for this one also bought the original art for the cover of Resurrection #1, so I really wanted to give him something more finished. I was real pleased with the way it came out, it's one of the closest ones to exactly what I had in mind from the start. I also worked it up a bit farther using some wash and eventually some green-

When I was warming up to get a feel for the costume, I also did another smaller drawing. After stepping back and looking at it, I felt like maybe I was channelling my inner "Oeming," I don't know, maybe it's the chin. I liked it also, although I noticed that I got the mask wrong in the sketch. At least I caught it in time for the finish ;)

What'cha Think About That?

2010-08-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about my blog recently and wanted to give it a look that was a little more "comic-booky" so I gave it a facelift today! Unfortunately, it meant taking down my previous face:

The image I've been using was a picture that my wife took from outside the front window of our apartment. We have a pretty little view of the lake and downtown Oakland and I always liked the shot so I thought I might post it here for posterity :)

Also, a special thanks to my buddy Steve for helping me make the move to a new address- that fella knows his way around a computer...

Ares Commission

2010-08-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post up this commission I finished over the weekend of Ares, God of War! This was actually the redesign- I'd started a different composition and was part of the way through when I'd found it just wasn't dynamic enough and decided to change it up a bit. I'm much happier with this one and figured I'd share the finished product.

Stringers Announced!

2010-07-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

If you've already read Resurrection #13 than this will not be much of a surprise, but Marc and I announced our new project STRINGERS for Oni Press while we were at SDCC. Stringers will be a completely new OGN that I will be diligently working on for the immediate future. This is something that we've been rapping about and beginning to work on for a while now, and I'm very excited to finally let the cat out of the bag!

We were interviewed by CBR about the new book and what it means for Resurrection as part of their CCI follow up- you can check it out here.

As I'm working on the book, I'll start posting pages and roughs from time to time. I can tell this project will be a lot of fun, and I hope everyone enjoys having a look.

Resurrection #13 released last week!

2010-07-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

It's true, ol' Comic Con had me a little bit distracted last week and I hadn't gotten the chance to put the word out- Resurrection #13 is out on the shelves and ready for you to pick up today!

Issue #13 marks the end of this storyarc and concludes volume 2, and what an ending it is! Hands down, it is my favorite issue of the series and one of the most exciting. Don't miss the shocking conclusion that leads into a whole new set of changes for the book!

SDCC 2010!

2010-07-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time again friends- San Diego Comic Con is nearly upon us! I'll be popping in at the Oni Booth (#1833) off and on over the course of the weekend but if you want to catch up for sure, here are my official signing times:

Thursday: 12:00-1:00 ONI PRESS Panelmonium (Room 9)

1:20-2:20 Oni Booth signing

Friday: 1:00-2:20 Oni Booth signing

Saturday: 10:00-11:20 Oni Booth signing

We're gonna be making some big announcements about our upcoming work and hanging out with folks so don't be shy, come by and say hello!

Resurrection #12 Released Today!

2010-07-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Resurrection #12 is on the stands today and things come to a head as our heroes lose one of their own- and who's responsible?

Also, due to scheduling and SDCC, issue #13 will be coming out next week and will wrap up our current storyarc with quite a bang... literally. Don't miss out on the surprise ending and big announcements!

Avengers Commission, Part 2

2010-07-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

I drew up the second of my two Avenger commissions recently and wanted to post it up for folks to check out. I didn't draw the first one with the intention of making one image out of it but after getting the second one, I thought I'd draw them in roughly the same plane so it could feel like one drawing. Or maybe a diptych? I don't know, but I thought it looked kinda cool. Here is the second one by itself below:

Big news on the way next week, with San Diego only a week and a half away! Stay tuned for some exciting developments...

Thanos Attacks!

2010-07-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

*click to enlarge!*

Thanks to Jason over at The Interior Pages, I recently finished a commission of Thanos battling it out with a bunch of Marvel's cosmic heroes and thought I'd post it up to check out. I received pretty specific requests on what he was looking for, so I was happy that I found a composition that managed to capture it all and not be too cluttered. I'll also include some earlier sketches to have a look at too- there was one more with Adam Warlock in the extreme foreground that I considered using too but it took too much emphasis off Thanos and I think I must have tossed it.

Resurrection TPB Vol.2 Cover- Roughs and Finish(es)

2010-06-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here are my roughs for the cover of the upcoming TPB, collecting the Church of the Cosmos storyline. So much of the series is about Spock and his secrets that I really wanted to keep the focus on him, and hint around at some of the other story elements that make this run unique. Right off the bat I hit on the image of Spock sort of hiding his face behind the COC imagery and really wanted to retain it- all of the rest were based around this idea.

All of the compositions are pretty similar, just rotating around which secondary scenes to use and looking at spacial relationships. However, after talking it over with the Res crew, we decided to go with 1B- there is a lot of mystery there and it makes for a great shot. I stayed pretty close to it, but added the descending ship and the space element in the background to make the overall shape more interesting.

All in all, I was pretty happy with how it came out in ink. After looking at it mocked up with the logo and dressing, we found that it could be potentially cluttered around the top and we agreed to adjust the space shape behind the heads and instead use some really cool cosmos coloring that Dan came up with. Again, Dan killed it on the colors and I think the final cover came out great! The final product hits shelves sometime around the end of August...

Avengers Commission, Part 1

2010-06-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent commission of some of the Avengers from different periods. I'm actually gearing up for a second one with a different group of Avengers, so it'll be a set by the time I'm done.

Here's to the Best of Us...

2010-06-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

We lost my sister-in-law Lindsey Kessler on Friday morning after a 4 year battle with Brain Cancer. When my wife and I started dating 13 years ago, she was the one who was our constant co-pilot and had one of the warmest, most genuine personalities that you could ever meet. Over the course of her long struggle, she never complained or gave up, and to say that she has been an inspiration to everyone around her would not do her justice- most of us are in awe of her ability to accept and make the best of everything.

After an amazing turnaround last year (her battle had many ups and downs), we held a benefit for Lindz and I designed this logo for her and all of her supporters, of which there were many. It seemed appropriate to post it while I was thinking of her today. She will always be in our hearts, and I will miss her very much.

New Green Lantern Commission

2010-06-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

I just finished my first commission through The Interior Pages and thought I'd post it up for folks to check out. I was asked to do some busts of some of the classic Green Lanterns and wanted to find an interesting composition to present it. I sketched out a very basic version that I thought worked well but decided to change it up a bit at the last minute and try something different.

Original Art for Sale! Commissions!

2010-06-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jason at The Interior Pages, I'm going to be selling my original art on their site- there are a bunch of pages and covers from Resurrection posted up there now just waiting to be held in your hands!

Also, I'm going to start taking on commissions as of this week, so if there is something you've been wanting to see me draw, now is the time. It's a one stop shop over there so go check it out now...

Sketching Away- Wasteland

2010-06-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some sketches I did recently while trying to warm up again to drawing on clayboard. It's a fun medium and offers a lot of versatility for textures. Too bad they don't sell an 11x17 size. Some of the scratchy texture got lost after I laid the wash on, but you know, live and learn I guess.

The characters are from Oni's long running, post apocalyptic comic Wasteland. I've been a big fan of the art for a while now but it wasn't until recently that I sat down and read the whole series up until the current issue- it's a great book! If you're not reading this one, you are definitely missing out.

Resurrection #13 Cover Comps and Finish

2010-05-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

I finished drawing the conclusion to the Church of the Cosmos storyline in issue #13 last week and I've got to say, this arc ends with some pretty major happenings- I found myself drawing the last couple of pages with a big ol' grin. Fun, surprising stuff.

Here are some of the comps for the cover of issue #13, along with the finished inked version. Like it was with the previous cover, I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to be on the cover, but it came down to two of the comps with regard to layout. The first two are pretty much the same shot, just different spacing. The third was the same image but from a different angle.

After collaborating with Marc and James, we decided to go with the third one, comp 2; it was a little more engaging and probably framed the shot best. I also have to give a special thanks to Keith Wood, Oni's Art Director and designer extrordinaire, for helping me get the most out of the image by adjusting the design a bit to work better with the logo.

Now Those Are Some Good Lookin' Fellas...

2010-05-22T19:32:00.001-07:00

I just came across this photo from WonderCon and thought I'd throw it up on the site- I shared a table with partners in crime Dave Dwonch (center) and Super Ugly (right) and we had a great time, despite my being roughed up pretty good on that Saturday. Both of these guys got mad skills as artists and they also do a weekly comic/pop culture podcast as the Geek Savants. Definitely some very funny guys but probably not for folks with delicate sensibilities. Personally, I'm a child of the eighties and I like a little edge to my humor so it's no wonder I find myself chuckling along with them. Check 'em out here.

Resurrection #11 Hit Stands on Wednesday!

2010-05-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Church of the Cosmos storyline continues as our heroes face off with the Infected and come to grips with their situation. I had a good time drawing this one and I loved the back up Resurrection Tales by Jen Van Meter and TJ Kirsch, very cool.

I really liked the lead in on this issue- it was very ominous and set the stage great for what was to come. Here are the first few pages after I inked them:

Resurrection #10 Page Comps

2010-05-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

It's May already? When did that happen?

Time's been flying and I've been jamming over here, cranking out work and goofing around alike. Oakland's been starting to warm up and it's looking like it's going to be an awesome summer. Crossing my fingers...

I wanted to put up some page comps for a few of my favorites from issue #10 (still on sale in comic shops everywhere!). My finished ink pages came out pretty close to the originals, but I alway like putting a little rough work up to check out. Here are the little comp versions for pages 9, 10 and 11:

And here are the finished ink versions:

Salud!

Resurrection #12 Cover- Roughs and Finishes

2010-04-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my rough ideas for the cover to issue #12. I had a pretty specific plan about what subject matter that I wanted to feature for the cover- over the course of this storyarc, we lose some pretty major players and I thought it would be cool to play up the mystery of who is going to make it out alive!

My first idea was to focus on Sara kneeling down at a grave marked with a Church of the Cosmos cross. Despite the fact that Sara is the most common thread of the book, I don't think we've featured her on the cover since the book relaunched.

I also thought it could work out well to put one of the followers of the COC in the extreme foreground carrying the body and have Sara and Frank responding to the sight of it.

After looking everything over, we decided to go with the third comp, mostly because it had a little better drama and using the leg of the body framed the shot well and created a good rhythm. It ended up being one of my favorite covers so far! You can check out the color version on the right hand side under Upcoming Issues.

Resurrection #10 Released this Week!

2010-04-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Resurrection #10 hits the stands this Wednesday and really ramps up the action in the Church of the Cosmos storyline- our group of heroes meet a brand new faction of affected people living in the aftermath of the alien resurrection and they are not too happy about being held captive!

The issue opens with our trademark double page splash and this one is one of my absolute favorites of the series so far. Check out the inked version below-

and here is the color version after Dan knocked it out of the park! Pretty sweet image.

Convention Sketching and Caviar Dreams

2010-04-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

Man, what a weekend- WonderCon 2010 marked my first convention as an exhibitor and between that and the AAU alumni panel Thursday night, it was a pretty intense week. But what a blast! It was a nonstop weekend that left me with a ton to do but it was great to just sketch and do commissions for folks. Thanks to everybody who came by and had kind words to say about the book and my art- much appreciated.

I did a bunch of commissions, although I only got pictures of a few of them. Below are some of my favorites, plus a bunch of sketches for an idea I've been kicking around.

Lots of Comic Book Excitement coming to the Bay this Week

2010-03-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to attending this panel on Thursday at my old school, poking around on the old campus and meeting some new folks. It's open to anyone so if you're in town, come on by and check it out- should be a lot of fun!

Ah yes- last but not least, WONDERCON is in town this weekend. As many times as I've been to conventions, I've never exhibited before but this year I'll be hanging out in Artist Alley at table 65 with Geek Savants Dave Dwonch and the infamous Super Ugly. I'll also have copies of Resurrection available, original artwork, and I'll be taking commissions over the course of the weekend so don't be shy- come by and say hello!

Some older Character Designs- FATE!

2010-03-25T12:58:00.001-07:00

Right before I started working on Resurrection, I drew up some character designs and some pages for a pitch called Fate, written by friend and Comic blogger Ryan K. Lindsay (who recently interviewed me for the website he writes for, Weekly Crisis- check out one of my recent posts for the full article). I was recently thinking about his project and thought I'd put up some of the character designs that I liked best.

Resurrection #11 Cover- Roughs and Finishes

2010-03-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

For the cover of issue #11, I wanted to do an in-your-face drawing of some conflict between one of the new characters shown at the end of issue #9 and Spock, our resident alien. Most of the other cover of this arc are relatively quiet scenes and this we wanted this one to be a bit different, up close and personal.

These were the three comps that I thought represented this idea best. They are relatively straight forward interpretations of one of the scenes in the upcoming issues. After mulling it over with the group, we picked the first comp and I stayed pretty close to the comp when finishing it.

I thought Dan did a particularly good job coloring this one when it was done, it came out great. You can check out the finished cover over on the Upcoming Images area on the right.

New Interview up at Weekly Crisis

2010-03-10T15:06:00.001-08:00

Big thanks to friend and comic blogger Ryan K. Lindsay, who interviewed me for the site he writes for, WEEKLY CRISIS. Check out our conversation and let me know what you think!

http://www.weeklycrisis.com/2010/03/fireside-chat-with-justin-greenwood.html

It's Raining Trades and Floppies Out There!

2010-03-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

That's right, my friends- not one but TWO Resurrection books hit the stands this Wednesday!

Behind on the monthlies, you say? Not familiar with the previous volume? Here's your chance to get all of the previous work plus the first story arc and all of the Resurrection Tales in one easy installment. The Resurrection Volume 1 Deluxe Edition TPB is on it's way and it is one fine looking comic. I just got my copy in the mail today and it really came out great. Special thanks to Keith Wood and the gang for putting everything together such a nice presentation.

Already read everything so far? Enjoying the Church of the Cosmos storyline, you say? Well look no farther- Resurrection #9 is dropping tomorrow and you don't want to miss it. This issue marks the beginning of a lot of changes for our group and things are about to get a lot more complicated.

Salud!

It's a Hard Knocks life for us-

2010-03-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

I was looking through some older drawings this weekend and found this drawing of a character from an early pitch of a book I wrote a couple of years ago called HARD KNOCKS. I had wanted to ink it then but hadn't made the time so I thought I might ink it up and post it for folks to check out. It's a project I'll get back to one of these days but I've got my hands full at the moment. One of these days...

Some cool upcoming stuff...

2010-02-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

I normally like to post an inked page or two from the upcoming issue of Resurrection, but after looking over the final art, it's not easy to pick one that doesn't reveal too many surprises- lots of changes coming your way! I did really like this panel of Spock though- simple shapes but it hit just the right note in the context of the page.

Some time in the next couple of weeks, the deluxe edition of the complete Resurrection Vol.1 is hitting stores and I'm pumped to see it all collected. This one is a whopping 368 pages and it's got it all, baby- don't miss this opportunity to check out the whole schebang in one shot.

Also, one last bit of news- I've been asked to come participate on a Career Day event at my alma mata, the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. There will be a panel of AAU alumni who are working in the comic book industry, and I'll have the pleasure of sitting in on a panel including Chris Marrinan, Rahsan Ekedal, Chad Hardin, Chris Staggs, and Dan Brereton. It is being put on by Daniel Cooney and Chuck Pyle, and moderated by Marvel's CB Cebulski- should be a lot of fun! Guess I'll have to shave...

Resurrection #8 In Stores Tomorrow!

2010-02-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

Heading your way tomorrow-

Issue #8 marks the beginning of an exciting new set of revelations for the book. Be the first to tell your friends what ol' Spock is up to- it's gonna be a bumpy ride...

Resurrection #10 Cover and Roughs

2010-02-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

The cover for issue #10 is one of my favorites of this arc and was one of the hardest for me to pick a favorite after brainstorming a bit. There is a lot of material to choose from in this issue, but this imagery definitely resonated with me the most and I centered the comps all around the same concept.

I really like this one and still want to work out a finished version just to sort of finish the thought- I'm sure we could find a use for it somewhere.

Taking this same idea and trying a different emotion. It wasn't as dynamic so it wasn't in the running, but I did like the drawing.

This was my other favorite and ultimately we decided to go with it for the cover. I liked the quiet of the moment and it was a nice contrast to the previous cover, which was energetic and crowded. We played around with the scale and placement, once it was decided I finished the cover using washes, which is a look that I really like. Some time down the road, I'd like to do an entire book with washes, I think you could get some great atmosphere out of it.

Some Times It's the Little Things...

2010-02-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

I drew a panel a couple of days ago that was exactly what I was after that day. I wish this could be said for every day but it's just not always the case, you know; how often do you really express exactly what is in your head? I work about 3-4 issues ahead of what is being released and where this book is headed is a lot of fun- mysteries, guns, surprises, loss- all the good stuff that makes comics fun. In the last week or so, I've drawn a cover, a double page splash, and a splash page that depicts a real game changing scene. But for some reason it was this panel that got me fired up. It's not exactly complicated or intricate, but it's exactly what I had in mind for that shot. And sometimes getting that down feels pretty good.

Of course, in a week it's possible that I will hate it and be picking it apart. Ah, to be an artist...

Resurrection #8 Page Breakdown

2010-02-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

I really need to start getting in the habit of scanning my pencils so there would be more process to see but I always end up diving right in- there is something very satisfying about inking and I almost never remember to take the time to scan pages at that point. Well, either way I thought it'd be interesting to check out this big splash from the upcoming issue #8. We briefly revisit an existing story in Resurrection and I had to draw an already established image from a previous back up story, drawn by the talented Dominike Stanton. It's always fun and a little bit of a challenge to interpret another artists image, and in this case we were extending it into a two page spread. Here is the rough for the page:

This rough stayed relatively true to the original but allowed me to make some small changes to the layout and other related details (like time of day). After working out some other odds and ends, here is the finished inked page:

Resurrection #7 Drops Today!

2010-01-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

The new story arc begins here- Who are the Church of the Cosmos and what does it mean for Sara and the crew?

Resurrection #9 Cover- Roughs and Finishes

2010-01-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

Man it's pouring out- it's like END OF DAYS here! Thunder, lightning, and hail are not exactly common in the Bay Area, but it's kinda cool, nice change.

Here are some of the comps for the cover of issue #9. I really wanted to use the patterning of the robes to create cool shapes and rhythm. Here were my two favorites for this round-

I thought both would make pretty good covers but it was the second one that won over Marc and James. The finished version stayed pretty faithful to the comp- I added a suggestion of steps and the cross to help give a little context and push the action a bit. It was one of my favorites when it was all inked up and finished.

And a Few More...

2010-01-13T15:53:00.001-08:00

I particularly liked these ones but I'm not sure why exactly- something about the balance between stylizing but still being realistic enough-

and these were characters that were new to the book (except for Lassie of course). It was fun to draw a superhero type character, it's been a while since breaking out the spandex.

Psych!

2010-01-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

I drew a little one-shot comic for the television show PSYCH last summer that was given out at ComicCon after their interview panel. Written by the witty Anupam Nigam, (who also writes for the show), and produced by the good folks at Oni Press, it was a fun little project and I thought it would be cool to check out some of the character sketches and warm up material. There are also some of the inked pages in the "Comic Gallery", on the right hand side of the screen.

Here are some head shots of the two main characters...

...And some shots of the two of them, trying to capture some of their banter and mannerisms on the page.

More Love from Fresh Ink-

2010-01-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

Game Reviews - E3 2010

We got a brief mention on G4's Fresh Ink- the always supportive Blair Butler gave a quick rundown of issue #6 and had some nice things to say about the book.

Resurrection #6 Released Today!

2010-01-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

The conclusion to the Red Lion story arc is in stores today! This one promises to have more than one surprise in the mix- exciting stuff!

One more while I'm on a roll

2009-12-28T18:09:00.001-08:00

Thought I'd post up another rough work/finished work comparison, this time for issue #6. Sometimes my roughs are very specific, but this one really is pretty loose. I had something specific in mind but left it to resolve until I started laying it down. Probably not a good practice but luckily it worked out well this time round (in my humble opinion, of course).

...and here was the finished version:

Recent Mention on CBR's Robot6

2009-12-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/12/another-roundup-of-best-of-lists/

I ran across this about a week ago- always nice to see some positive press for the book! It still trips me out to run across my own name on a comic news website...

Ah, the Holidays

2009-12-28T17:50:00.001-08:00

Well, like everything else around the holidays, I've fallen behind on my postings! It's going to happen sooner or later I guess. I was cleaning up after Christmas and ran across this picture of some of my brothers and me, goofing off before my sister's wedding. Does it have anything to do with art? Not really, but it makes me chuckle every time I see it so I thought I'd throw it up here anyway.