boardguy

My Poor Wife...

2012-01-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

...She gives and gives, but STILL becomes victim of her guy's twisted sense of tribute. Love it or hate it, she made the horror book's cover AND complete with super swingin' zombie funbags, no less!

Calgary won't be seeing the likes of me and the hard copy of it too soon, unfortunately. I'll be in Scotland on the Highland Trail over those dates. As folks know from the love letter below, Calgary's pretty much my favorite show so far, but we just couldn't get the guys together otherwise....Next year, I guess.

A Horror Fueled Summer

2012-01-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

That's the inks done on my horror anthology book; a few pages of color, lettering and a cover, and yours truly is all set for the cons which now apparently include Vancouver itself. See you there!

A Nice Quiet Spot

2011-12-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Aaaaaaaahhh, new digs. No more crazy amplified buskers beat-boxin' it, bongo slapping it, American Pie / Stairway to Heaven (Yeah, STILL!) whining it. Come January 1st I'm moving.... allll the way upstairs in the same building, different side. It ain't much, but it'll sure make a difference to my state of mind. One can never escape the bagpipers, I know...

Here's a spread from across the top of pages 2-3 on Mary Lou. Page 1 splash is down below. Way down below. Funnilly enough, I'm just getting to finishing it the exact week, a year to the week the 1st page was done. It's just about there for my horror anthology, though I still haven't got the name together yet. Tummy Worm Tales? Spew-iri-ffick Stories, Buskers in the Fruit Cellar, what?

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Over...

2011-11-23T20:28:00.000-08:00

Heeeeeerrrreeeee's the color updated pub image; a nod to a haunt back in Montreal. I notice now that there's a trunk up by the carriage I missed; I should retitle this the Blog of Never finished Hell! *REVISED, thankyouverymuch.*

Again, this was a sketch floating around in my desk that I thought I'd clear my mind with a bit. The Cool Air last page wasn't working for me, so I thought I'd go come back to it after I finish up my horror short Mary Lou (the 1st page is a few posts down) and fartin' around a bit.

COOL AIR

2011-10-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

*UPDATED with groovy color. I'm at a loss between the two title fonts. (See following post.)
Wow, tough crowd.

...Okay, okay, uh...sweat, sweat...how 'bout this one?...wipe forehead... here's page 1 of a Lovecraft story for the great folks at Graphic Classics. (Just the inks. ) this, Creature Converets and Mary Lou, and Reflections of a Werewolf'll all be going into a horror compilation. Any Good Name suggestions?

I'll also want some pin ups to put in it, so think old horror books before the code came in if you're interested!

MONSTERS & DAMES

2011-10-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hey all, and apologies for the long wait. I'm back from my globe-trotting, and am diving right back in; there'll be posts coming fast and furious the next little while as it turns out I came home to some fun stuff to do!

First off is this guy: Anyone who knows my blog here'll recognize the image, I've revisited it for Emerald City's Monsters & Dames book which accompanies the convention at the end of March. It sure feels odd seeing this image in a vertical composition, but it's an opportunity to get in a volume with the greats, last year's was a rockin' collection of talent! *UPDATE* The image has been accepted for the book out of 250+ submissions; the originals are auctioned off for charity. With mine being kinda cyber art, I've made it into the above limited edition poster.

Post By a Thousand Nibbles.

2011-07-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here's one I 've been putting together wilth 1/2 hours over the last few days, Illustrator's a great puzzle-piece program anyway...and it forces one to organize.

A Proper Braining

2011-07-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a B&W to color comparison from the Rook short, which is back up in My Comic Stuff!

Board to Death

2011-07-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Crazy lack of posts, but I'm in what I knew would be the thick of it. I have some boards from Wolverine & the X-Men to throw up (Urk!), but honestly don't know how (they're PDFs). I haven't put any of my REAL job up here, so I'll get them going while I don't have time for much more than a sketch!

Wollaton Hall

2011-06-30T08:22:00.001-07:00

A cool bit of news; Batman 3's shooting at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, UK.

I can't possibly express what a presence this building has in my life. Notts is my heritage; I spent a lot of my youth there, and lots of time in and around this site, enjoying the huge deer filled park that surrounds it, the caves that run under it, and art classes held within it's Elizabethan walls. Heck, My wedding pictures are in front of the thing! It's a beautiful, looming personality that feels like it's in some way partly mine, or at least we know each other a bit better than most. ( Could be this relationship that makes me love the original the Haunting so much.) I can only assume it'll be the new Wayne Manor. Go figure. I guess it's more his, then. Nice to see the old girl getting some screen time, anyway.

I'm there in 8 weeks as I start a bit of a tour that goes Notts>Helsinki>Moscow>New York. It's a big trip, and I'm just hitting silly season for doniroes, so when the posts (if they happen) get sloppy, do not adjust your set.

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

2011-06-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow.

I almost sluffed this one off with "I'm too busy," (the usual).

My last con was a disappointment that made me woefully unprepared for this amazing show. Apparently over 5,000 people came through on the preview night in 5 hours, leaving my small amount of stuff pretty scoured. I've jumped right in this year, doing my first show at APE in San Fran, KAPOW! in London UK, BIG WOW in San Jose a bunch of others, and this thing was just astounding. Calgarians, Edmonton... toinians?... tians... ites.... Edmenintights.... Folks from Edmonton.... The amount of costumes, talent, buyers, and flatout spirit sent it WAY over the top. I HIGHLY recommending anyone planning on doing the circuit to join this party. I mean, look at this kid. How awesome is that? Wait, it gets better; that's her parents also in the shot. ( Yes, the mom's Harlequin, wierdos.)

His Brain Is In a FREAKIN' JAR!

2011-05-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

God, I enjoyed this short story. I actually caught myself giggling at times. For those of you that got a look at it, thanks for the input, and I'll pass on info of when the book's out when I hear! In the meantime, I'll be at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo this June 17-19, come on by if you're in the area! There's some great guests at this one; I'm looking forward to bending George A. Romereo's ear and getting some shade under Elvira!

Well, back to the BOARDCAVE.

RAIN WANK!

2011-05-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

Good timing!

I had a window between my last show and BIG WOW! in San Jose, and managed to get this 8 page short done for the swell folks over at Airship 27. They've got some great old characters they're playing with, including some noir vintage '40s stuff like the Shadow and this guy, the Rook. There's a rockin' sequence coming up here, and an even groovier bad guy.

I've also just committed to a couple exciting series so between comics and cartoons, it looks to be another rockin' summer for yours truly!

Time to scramble together some mattes for my prints, and get ready for the weekend. If you're in the San Jose area, drop by, I'll be in Artist's Alley with our pal Jimmy Ricochet!

SHRIEK!!!

2011-03-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

I managed to bit & piece this one together over the last couple days ... I'm just getting rolling into a few episodes of a new gig, and getting ready for KAPOW! Comic Con in London, s0 I don't plum reckon I'll be heard of for a couple weeks...Spoke too soon; I'll be at Heritage Hall THIS weekend-March 20th. I've got some new stuff, bigger prints, and I'm considering drugging the wife and dressing her up like that lizard guy Captain Kirk fought!
* Wow. What other gig do you do for a living that comes with a letter that says THIS in it?:
"Your table is number 112 located in Artist Alley, the island of tables to the left of the Tardis and Darlek."
I'm so pumped I could PLOTZ!

GRAPHIC CLASSICS' GOLD KEY

2011-02-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

I was taking a break when Graphic Classics approached me with a short Edgar Allen Poe story "The Oval Portrait." No, I hadn't heard of it either. Cool enough though was it's premise of artistic wanking killing it's subject. You gotta love that; it's been my mantra forever (though I fall prey to the brass polish more than most.)

Anyway, they sent me a couple examples of other books in the series, and it's really great stuff. There's a great eclectic force of styles in the books, suited to the classic titles. Have a look at the website here. Personally, it takes me back to Ivanhoe days with Gold Key Classics.
Great stuff.

Our Girl Friday

2011-02-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Just getting around to putting Jimmy packages together for prospective publishers: here's a pen & ink / color comparison from my bios. This was actually done with a brush, as I just can't ever be happy with sketchbook pro inks.

Something of interest, there's now a photoshop knock-off that you can use for free on your browser. Give it a try, it's pretty great! It doesn't have touch sensitivity, but hell, it's free and available to everyone, everywhere!

Just Another Day Out West...

2011-01-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

I don't quite know where this one came from; kind've an amalgamation of a few things, I guess. .

UPDATED THING

2011-01-13T08:57:00.001-08:00

There we go. A funny Thing (sorry) happened on the way to finalizing this one, I found leaving the pencils over top helped rough it up a bit, suiting ol' blue eyes' rocks. Cool, no? Apologies for not putting up inks before colour, but honestly, they looked crappy. (And after last week's post, we all know what happens if I'm not happy with something.)

ZOMBIE TERRORS is bringing in some great reviews here & here. You can get your copy at Asylum Press!

More Warm Holiday Wishes....

2010-12-12T17:47:00.001-08:00

I expect this'll be my last post before the New Year / Apocalypse, so best wishes to all...and I TOLD YOU SO!

Jimmy Ricochet #1 is now available here as a web comic for the super groovy price of 3 bucks for all you international types I haven't got it out to yet! ( I plan on doing some travelling with the book this year, I'll let you know where and when.) Thanks to everyone for the support, I'm glad it seems to be connecting with folks!
Secondly, as stated in the post below, Zombie Terrors is also out and looking great, you can order it in it's horrific hard copiness at Asylum Press here!
Their next compilation is HillBilly Horrors, to which you're looking at my pen & ink splash page now!

As for next year, may you all have the physical tenacity of Keith Richards, and the luck of...well, YOU, I hope!

West is the New East!

2010-11-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

Holy Crap, is it freakin' COLD in Vancouver these days.

Don't get me wrong; this is nothing compared to the minus 30's of la Belle Province, but one gets used to a certain type of winter out here. Apparently, it's the fault of El Nina/Ninia/N-n-nn-NeeaAAGHHH!!! I better get some good skiing out've all this, is all I've got to say!

ZOMBIE ALERT! Asylum Press' anthology "Zombie Terrors" is out now! It's been bumped up to 184 pages of brain sucking goodness, including "Creature Converts," my cat -zombie tale, and STILL priced at the chained-down-in-the-bargain-basement price of $14.95!

Heritage Hall Nov 14

2010-11-08T16:54:00.001-08:00

Just a quickie to let any local yokals that might be interested know I've squeezed into this weekend's Heritage Hall ComicConvention. I'll be equipped with prints as well as Jimmy Ricochet #1! (This rockin' review was pointed out to me last week at Giant Fire Breathing Robot .com)

Come on by, just don't feed the monkey!

I Can Get You a Toe, Believe Me.

2010-09-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

Just a cut-in/elaboration of the last sketch posted ( I have my last board on the desk, but for the life of me, just can't get rolling...)

Hum dee dee dum dumm... Must concentrate...Stay focused...think of the schedule...

*Meanwhile, inside Craig's Brain:

"What's up, Dude?"

" It's not happening, Walter. I'm diggin' and diggin, but it's not happening. I'm lethargic, man.

"Who's lethargic, Dude?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, DONNIE!"

"Walter! Jesus, man!"

"Fuck it, Dude. Let's Bowl."

Diggin' for Crude...

2010-09-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

After a few false starts, I am actually, positively back. I did in fact post a couple times, but was so unhappy with what I put (brought) up, I came back and removed them. Now I find myself with the worst of challenges, the blank page. My book's done & at the printers, (more on that later) the two shows I was juggling are wrapped, and the summer guests have gone. Just me, time, and a fresh slate to come up with something.

Damn.

2010-07-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

It's the first of 4 firework nights here in Vancouver, and everybody goes absolutely batshit, a mystery to me. Every other province just sorta shrugs in a "been there done that" way of indifference. Of course, I'm just a grumpy fucker these days...

Zombie Terrors!

2010-07-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

The home of my Zombie Cats short story "Creature Converts" is coming out for Hallowe'en...(It's kinda hard to get too excited, I did the thing last May) Interesting cover though, I can't wait to show Mom...
What's that zombie got on his (exposed) mind, anyway? Our lovely heroine doesn't look as worried about the stretched out sinews of flesh she's losing as much as the fact this creep's ripping here favorite dress.
You can see a preview at the Previews site, or right here at Asylum Press.

ALMOST THERE....STAY ON TARGET....

2010-07-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

As well as overdoing it like most of us "Post-Recession-Survivors" with the multiple show work juggling, I've also passed a milestone with Jimmy #1. The color's now done; I just need to do the Illustrator characters and cut in the dialogue. It'll be nice to get back into relaxin'....

It's sure been a while since I posted anything. I suppose at this point no one's left out there? (Hopefully I'll be meeting new & old friends at APE in San Fran come October!)

PLANET HULK!

2010-04-10T22:29:00.001-07:00

No posts due to being "Board to Death." Hopefully all's well with you, my fellow space travellers. Here's an item of interest: PLANET HULK DTV. I would've loved these Marvel videos in the day. Of course, I might be the only one. Does anyone else remember Timothy Dalton doing a turn as Dr. Strange in what must be a horrible MOW? (Though MY memories are fond...)
Anyway, I did boards on this one, it has it's moments (not necessarily mine) check it out!

Beta Ray Bill

2010-03-03T18:45:00.001-08:00

An Ode to Walt Simonson's tenure on Thor...For those that don't know Kenneth Branagh's directing ol' winghead's feature, we're well on our way to an Avengers flick!

Boarding in the Belly of the Beast...

2010-02-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Grrrrrls with Guitars

2010-02-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

Another poster, this time for a newly spruced up haunt of the old school. During the Olympics these guys'll have the Gibson bus parked alongside the pub, (which is apparently something super groovy to behold) as well as decking the place out as a bonafide axe museum.

The Olympic Opening Ceremonies are this Friday, (notice the light rings?) As you can imagine this place is a zoo. Great stories are ALREADY coming out of the Irish Pavillion/Pub Tent. It's still so loud at 3:00am local residents are going absolutely Batshit AND the city's finally saying...calm down, it's not even started yet. This place will actually have some life after 10:00pm.

Dances With Smurfs

2010-01-24T14:12:00.001-08:00

Those South Park guys sure nailed it. Still, despite all his cheese, nobody grabs hold of you better than James Cameron once the thing starts rolling. (Thought I'd try something retro Hogarth-Tarzan style with it...)

My First Gig Poster

2009-12-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

My very first! And, as it turns out, CD cover, too!

It only mkes it sweeter that it's a rockin' band to boot, BC boys you can check out hereand on myspace here.

I don't know what's up with new changes on blogspot; I had an earlier pass on this I couldn't edit. Pictures that you try to edit now appear as HTML that you can't delete or do anything with. (You can't even right justify or center your writing anymore?!) DUDES!!! I'm just barely holding this shit together!!! Gimme a break and keep it simple, wont'cha?

Warmest Holiday Wishes...

2009-12-13T16:16:00.001-08:00

What?! It's got snow in it!

"COMEDY AIN'T PRETTY" or: "the ZIT"

2009-11-29T15:21:00.002-08:00

Man, I love that zit.

The artwork for Jimmy's done , at least the Black & white hard copy. And, as a a bit of a surprise to myself, I found I was well into this last spread before even realizing I was taking a shot at Twilight fans. (I've since learned they prefer to be called like, "Twi-Hards.." [shudder]). Aahhhh, lovely deep nestled, unrecognized hatred...how symbiotic our constantly growing relationship is... (SFX: rattlesnake purr)

Ain't That a Screwdriver to the Head

2009-11-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Ricochet's first issue is on the way! I'll have the B&W artwork done in about a week's time, which, at a 30+ page count has been no easy feat while working for this damn eating habit of mine... Hopefully it'll be ready for this summer, specifically Comic Con, as that's where the story is set! I've got to hunt down some permissions for likenesses; there's some cameos and general digs at the state of the "Hollywoodization" of the Con.
Any new followers of the blog can see Jimmy's first short story which appeared in the CAKE anthology by hitting the "Tales of the Craigster" link at right. As I've mentioned earlier, the series has a darker, noir storyline with, well... screwdrivers in the head, for one!

ELEKTRA

2009-11-10T13:36:00.001-08:00

Morning hookie. (sigh) Back to work....

'Tis the Season...

2009-10-11T19:11:00.001-07:00

I assume there's a few good things happening with my pals dans la Belle Province this month, Have fun folks! Hyde n' I'll be watching Nosferatu projected with the VSO playing along live on the night. We're looking forward to Hallowe'en out here for once!

Timmy the 22 Foot Tapeworm !!

2009-09-27T19:46:00.001-07:00

Imagine the toy line!

Hemorrhoid Helens' Huggable Hiney Hugger!

Abe Vigoda's Varicose Pegoda!

Warthington's Genital Wart Glove Warmer(s)!

Connie's Colostomy Bagged pet Carp!

Terry the Tuba Shaped Tumour! (Educational!)

Play with them all, and don't miss "Two Kidney Stones Passing in the Night, " the smokin' hot new release by Delna & the Diarrhoetics!

A Word on Creation...

2009-08-06T16:29:00.001-07:00

Looking for a bit of inspiration, I found myself going here from an older book I did a few years ago. It's nice to revisit the series and see it still holds water, though I should give it the editing pass it so desperately needs.
Unfortunately, I have a hard time stopping and finessing something once it's done the first time. Every image on this blog is an example of this aggressive, A.D.D-type of creativity; while there's always room for improvement to a piece, once I'm done, I'm done.(I have a rolodex of justification, so don't bother...)

Maybe one day I'll have a book compiled of all these previous projects that didn't make it....

...and then, of course, there'll be something about the cover I hate, but never bothered revising.
*UPDATE* - You can see the windmill tower showing through the ribbon thingy in the bible from when I had to multilayer for some reason...you see? It never ends!!.... I'll get back t--awww fukkit.

Back in the Saddle

2009-07-30T16:02:00.001-07:00

A grueling few weeks to be sure. Take a new show with immovable deadlines, add the parents visiting for a couple weeks, construction everyfuckingwhere (bloody Olympics), and throw in the city's first heatwave in years... it's a surprise I'm not frothing at the mouth.

No more than usual, anyway.

Waitin'....

2009-07-05T14:55:00.001-07:00

The glories of being on a new show. Board it out, and float while it goes through the spontaneity abattoire....

2009-06-27T21:41:00.001-07:00

Apologies for he lack of posts, I'm sure it made getting to sleep difficult. Summer came a little early for me & the missus. Seeing some scheduling hell approaching, we managed to get away to Nue Yorq for a short break; now it's back to it...

I just watched the first Alien w/Ridley's insights. If you haven't had the opportunity, this guy gives good commentary, the Gladiator one's also fantabulous.

COMIC BLOG

2009-05-22T16:18:00.001-07:00

I've added a link to my comic stuff, peruse away. I'll note whenever I update it, though it looks like I'm going to be getting board to death for the next little while anyway. I've got older stuff to throw in there at some point, too.

The Black Cat

2009-05-18T18:15:00.001-07:00

"Upon it's head, with red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman. I had walled the monster up within the tomb!"

sigh.

Ever have one of THOSE days?

ZOMBIE CATS!!!

2009-05-06T20:04:00.001-07:00

Sweet Jeezus! Freakin' ZOMBIE CATS! KILLER KITTIES! PHENOMINALLY FEARSOME FELINES!! ....MEOWING MARAUDERS!...um...ATTACK OF THE KITTY-LITTER KILLERS!!...oh OH!! NINE NIGHTMARE LIVES OF DEATH! ( PART 3.)

Jumpin' On the Zombie Bandwagon!!

2009-05-01T18:35:00.001-07:00

The fine folks at Asylum Press have invited me to contribute a short zombie tale to their upcoming anthology "Zombie Terrors 1!" So it looks like I'm doing more horror stuff outta the gate than initially thought.

Their big mistake is letting me write the thing, I think the title lets one know to expect something...different.

Got Darth?

2009-04-23T23:18:00.001-07:00

Where the Mild Things Are...

2009-04-21T17:45:00.001-07:00

This book was so ...well, wild for a kid. I've never seen anything that came close to it's intensity 'cept James and the Giant Peach, and look what happened to that.

Please, please, please, may the planets align, lightning be bottled, and the lamp be the only thing getting a vigorous rubbing with the behind the scenes making of this flick. Thing is, what I've seen so far is about as defanged as I'd expected it to be. Hell, right off the bat, the palette's all warm sepias instead of bold, hard blues & blacks. My take above might be darker, but it's a lot closer to the the vibe of the book I got as a kid than a a warm fall day with a sad looking monster peeking out from behind a tree at you. Ooooooo, danger, danger!!

Obviously, the unimaginative machine HAS to raid the talented vaults of yesteryear, and if anyone's going to direct it, Jonze's the guy, but....

Ahhh, it's gonna be shite, period. Bets?

They're Coming to Get You, Barbara....

2009-04-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

Moving into some Eerie / Tales of the Crypt style stuff for a bit while I get the Jimmy packages together. This is the first one that came to mind, though it doesn't feel like one of those as much as your standard zombie fare.
The Gaines thinking was more on the lines that the person in peril is usually getting their just desserts from "The Thing in The Box," or some such nastiness.

Anyhoo, should be some fun on the horizon. Incidentally, this is Sketchbook Pro with my standard Photoshop wank EFX thrown on...

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

2009-04-12T14:50:00.001-07:00

Sorry to freak anyone out with the overly loving nature of the last post...

Happy Wednesday!

2009-04-01T20:39:00.001-07:00

Cryptic...

2009-03-26T19:56:00.001-07:00

Interesting days in the Great White North; does anyone know about the CTF business going on?

Good times.

Jimmy Ricochet-Issue "0 ?"

2009-02-10T20:10:00.001-08:00

Here's the cover for the short story "Jimmy Ricochet: Reflections of a Werewolf." You Art Jumblers'll be able to read a slightly abbreviated version of it on the new "Comic Jumble" March 5th.
Meanwhile, I've opened up the back end of it, (Hey Now!!) as there was a bit too much "Jimmy-ness" to be constrained to the 11 pages alotted in CAKE 2, and am getting some copies printed to stir up publisher interest as I finish the first full origin issue!
I'll be shambling around Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con April -5th, and look forward to seeing you there!

Off Model Betty

2009-02-04T20:03:00.001-08:00

Not much to report; I got sidetracked on the slopes...

I also managed to flay my pinkie wide, got my inner Scotsman out and scotched-taped that bad boy up, and now walk around looking like a freak. (Didn't stop me going skiing again though, sans gloves...)

Universal Poker Night

2009-01-31T13:47:00.001-08:00

I came across this sketch while cleaning up the wreckage of my studio after a crazy year of juggling . I honestly don't remember the drawing or what possessed me to do it, but here it is zipped up in Illustrator.
Nice of me to leave myself something fun to do rather the usual post 40 "search-for-the- keys/glasses/wallet/gloves while muttering" marathons I've become a pro athlete at...

Another Hookie Day...

2009-01-16T23:02:00.001-08:00

Well, the apple didn't fall far from the tree from my last post did it? All the components are pretty much the same...kind've like my cooking!

Wolverine & the X-Men

2009-01-09T20:10:00.001-08:00

So, after a bit of a wait, "Wolverine & the X-Men" is now airing in North America! It was a BBC co-production, and had to air in it's entirety in the UK before it did over here contractually. (Who knows...) It's turned out to be pretty hot, and there's murmers of a new season coming up which would suit me fine!

Here's a promo trailer; there's a few sequences I'm waiting for to put up, including a multi-Wendigo fight sequence, and an Arch-Angel freeway chase that were a blast to do, and look great, despite the animation being what you'd expect. But the writing's a blast! A combination of things from the Byrne :"Future/Past" content, all the way up to the new Joss Whedon stuff. Just great serialized, well written, disposable superhero adventures, the way it was meant to be digested!

Incidentally, there's no Hellfire Club employee decapitation / dismemberment in the show. Just me playing hooky.

And giggling.

Scrooged!

2008-12-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

Or, "Tiny Tim's Stocking Stuffer."

FSZZIINGG!!

2008-12-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

What was that? Oh,the last few months of my life wizzing past. Zoiks.

This is my first day to chill out...do some unprovoked doodling, push away from the desk in the afternoon, and walk amongst the the panic stricken shoppers on a truly magnificent snowy winter's day. No doubt on that account, either; Vancouver's looking pretty easterly this year, and that just adds to the disbelieving, tortured faces in the crowds.

I think it's great, this town sure needs a little wake up smack from the malaise that encroaches on it. I'm all for getting some snow and a change of season. (That, and my odd fondness for shrinkage.)

Cars are skidding out left and right, cheeks are rosy, and dogs are staring at their bonehead street surfing masters with a look that could very well say "If you don't get it together, I'm just gonna have to move on ."

Live Trace, Anyone?

2008-11-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

Here's the last Jimmy Ricochet short story post I'll be able to put up. Unfortunately, anything else'd be a plot spoiler (Unfortunate because I don't know what else CAN go up in Jimmy's place! He's still gonna be taking up my extra time for a bit). Guess I'll have to loosen up and start dishing some less polished stuff for a while.

So now the big question: What IS the deal with Live Trace in Illustrator? I used to use Streamline Pro, now it's gone, and I can't find the proper settings in this thing. Any comic types have advice / specific settings for illustrations?

A Word From the Gear Head

2008-10-27T21:05:00.001-07:00

Not that this is any real worthy tech-jargon, but I keep getting asked what the Jimmy Ricochet process is, how much is Flash / Illustrator, that kinda stuff.
It's all pen / brush & ink, colored in Photoshop, except for Jimmy & Lucy (the two in this scene.) The lettering'll be in Illustrator of course, but that's it! Simple like my little pea brain....

Happy Hallowe'en to all, especially my pals dans la Belle Province, I wish we could've made it; it's always the best party!

Happiness amongst the End of the World!!!!!

2008-10-18T09:14:00.001-07:00

Well, it's worth a shot, anyway.

Just when things didn't look like they could get tighter for me between work and getting this project through, "they," you know, as in "the man" pulls me for jury duty! Not that I ever thought much about it, but I was suprised it actually happens in Canada! Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be screaming "Fry the Bastard!!" before they even start the proceedings on the donut thief, but sheesh... I'll be working on getting out've this, or at least push it back 'til the new year. How's that for a self absorbed Seinfeld-ism? (Extra points for reading this next part aloud in your best Jerry voice!) "While I don't mind performing my civic duty, do ya think we could just keep the accused in a holding cell for a few months? Of course, then it'll be the ski season.... Y'know, I hear spring's a wonderful time for life sentencing...."

Train Kept a Rollin...'

2008-10-10T21:33:00.001-07:00

Work work work....do your own stuff for a bit.... work work work.... try to ignore the "Stairway to Heaven" guy....

I swear, Granville's nuts. The buskers range from Finnish (no lie) acrobats to the Bagpipe-Accompanied-by-Tupperware-Playing-White-Rasta-Doofus, to the guy who just didn't GET that his "Wish you Were Here / Stairway to Heaven" over and over, every fucking day on a little shit amp missed his time by...well, 3 FUCKING DECADES AGO!!

Sometimes I just sit in my Green Lantern costume at work and growl.

Detailed moon for Vinnie!

2008-09-26T21:37:00.001-07:00

So, the cat's a little outta the bag. The short story's theme, other than lycanthropy, is mirrors, reflections, looking into yourself, etc. No worries, True Believer! When the book comes out, you'll still be led down a beguiling path of merriment in this, the most exciting of Uber-Positive Sleuth mysteries! The 1st / origin book of Jimmy'll be coming out in tandem with CAKE's short story, so...hope to see you in San Diego next year!!

The CAKE layout deems a 2 page opening, hence the spread. It actually helped me chuck a page that had to go to fit into the 11 page length. Enjoy (or get blinded by) the color 'til it all gets covered by word balloons....

On a sadder note; it's been one hell of a year for losing people.

RIP Richard Pimm, further proof the good die young and assholes live for fucking ever.

The Little Sister....

2008-09-16T20:26:00.001-07:00

Frothin' and crazy, but cute as a button. Chandler's unsupervised schizophrenic laudanum junkie. The basis for the Big Sleep, she gets some more twist and turns in the written word. Why not pick up a copy?

CHRYSLER GIRL

2008-08-12T20:49:00.001-07:00

The initial idea was for, well...you know know... a lady with a gun, but THIS TIME, she's got a peacock fan of the Chrysler building behind her...and try to go back a step in stylizing with Illustrator.

BEATING A DEAD HORSE?

2008-08-05T21:41:00.001-07:00

It might seem like it, but I'm still working at something here. I figure If I can add some dynamic posing to this Deco inspired Illustrator stuff, I'm solid for a book idea I've got. (Of course then I've gotta master textures....)

Anyhoo, not the most successful outing, but it gets me where I need to go. (It's actually losing a bit of the graphic edge and starting to look like any ol' drawing I do....

BIG RED

2008-07-27T21:45:00.001-07:00

This business....when there's work, you feel you've got to try and eat all of it.

I actually hit a bit of a wall boarding today and HAD to do something else. That's a new one, for me at least. I can usually find a thread and the characters'll take me along for the ride but boy, if the road construction outside wasn't so loud, the crickets in my skull would be thunderous!

*A WEE UPDATE*

- The rounds cannister was off kilter on the original and bugging me too much to let go (I'm usually pretty good, really!)

- Also, the red slash was buggin' me, so I killed it real quick this morning, come home, and see a comment liking it.

Thanks Zee, for the reminder that there is NEVER one particular right way...

20's Dame / Tammy Gunn

2008-06-25T20:26:00.001-07:00

It's been a while! I'm usually quiet good at schedules, but I've been banging my head against my first Flash board, and didn't want to keep wingeing on here as much as I have been learning Illustrator!

Go figure; once things clear up, where do I go to relax? Trying out a deco style in the previously mentioned vector-based abomination!! Thank God I picked it up though, I never would have wrapped my head around Flash without it.

Here's looking forward to some more regularly scheduled programming!

Black Cat

2008-05-27T18:57:00.001-07:00

A great wankin' character to draw, even if she IS a rip off of Catwoman. (Gotta give Marvel credit though, they did "Aerosize" her.)

Praise for Quickies!

2008-05-15T22:01:00.001-07:00

KILL BILL week at Art Jumble.

This is one of those 90% inspiration things you hit over coffee. I wasn't going to post it on this blog. Being such a toss-off, I didn't think twice about it, but then reaction was fairly strong over there.

I like surprises like that. If only you could bottle these things better, instead of what ol' Granpappy used to call "Turd-Polishin'!"

Jimmy's on the way!

2008-05-05T23:02:00.001-07:00

I FINALLY crossed the last hurdles and have gotten past the learning curve. 3 pages down & 25 to go; Jimmy should be ready in a couple months, barring any crazy overtime hours in the real world!

This'll be the last post on the subject 'til it's done; in the meantime I'll be throwing up lots of CAKE & Jumble....

You Wanna Hear a Fish Outta Water Story?

2008-04-26T00:46:00.001-07:00

This one'll kill ya.

No dialogue yet, but yes; these two images DO go together and are part of my long suffering foray into Illustrator. (Actually, at this point, it's the wife long suffering.) I'm FINALLY rolling , and am looking frwd to folks' opinions!

-*ALSO*The Jumbles' putting together their 2nd book anthology, ("CAKE," another "FLIGHT"- style anthology) and they were great enough to invite me in. I'm not completely sure what I'm contributing yet, but more than likely some free-standing prologue / teaser to this tale. More on that later, as I think it can only be purchased...through me...

hm.

Guess what you're getting for Christmas?

Eaaaaasing Back In....

2008-04-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

Well, it looks like my time off is coming to an end, thank God. We STILL have an amazing amount of snow up in the mountains here, and as I've resultantly had the best ski season of my life. Thing is, the snow keeps getting heavier with the warmth, and compounding that with daily fatigue...well, it's just luck I haven't got scraped off a tree yet. Alas, work seems to be coming around, and I STILL haven't mastered Illustrator enough to do a full comic with it yet, so it's time to hit the books again.

What's that? It's a nice day tomorrow?

DUDE! Let's hit the SLOPES!!

Finnish lil' Red Riding Hood....

2008-02-27T20:18:00.001-08:00

I don't where birch trees and winter fit into this story...

For anyone paying attention, I AM persevering w/Illustrator. This is just how I don't come to the mall and KILL . ALL.

Family portrait

2008-02-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Freaks!

Talk About Green...

2008-01-08T19:53:00.002-08:00

Holy Crap, is Illustrator tough to wrap your head around. What an awful experience, trying to get an image together for the Jumble. Well, it's the first one out of the gate, it's gotta get easier, right?

RIGHT?!!

Hats off to the stylistic inspiration for this, I'm pretty sure his name's Ragnar.

Surfin'

2007-12-30T20:23:00.001-08:00

I know lens flares are the Devil's work; blame it on the rerelease of Blade Runner theatrically.

I'm teaching myself Illustrator this week, (Yeah yeah, I'm SO cutting edge) so I did this guy off quick. Best to all over the new year, health, happiness, puppy manacles...

YETI

2007-12-20T22:09:00.001-08:00

Hey, I did two, count 'em TWO lighthearted posts!! (And more to come.)

Ironically, I find this image quite hilarious.....

Jimmy meets Kevin Smith

2007-12-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

My script is done, and I've roughed out the book in a thumbnail manner. Now comes getting into a smooth, constant style that looks like you've been drawing it for years. Anyone that's done a book knows that by the time you reach the end, you want to burn the first few pages, then the next few, then...well, Oroboris'll tell ya, it never ends.

So to avoid this, I did up a quick page (out of context) that I'm not sure will survive the last editing sweep that is the penciling pass. Man, there's a lot of finessing better happen, including simply using the proper materials. I inked this with a Pilot Fineliner. I don't know why, I've always hated them, and just had to remind myself why , I guess.

Anyhoo, here's the test page. A definite change of pace for me, it's going to be fun. Well, until I get to the end and go back to fix this page up. Just this one, honest....

Jimmy Ricochet!

2007-12-10T11:23:00.000-08:00

On my table and on the way, it's.......Jimmy Ricochet!

I did a newstrip submission with Jimmy about 5 years ago, the thinking being that every month there would be a new mystery that this uber-positive kid would somehow get through. The first series introduces him as he's mysteriously left a P.I. agency by a detective he's never met, and he has to solve the shamus' murder to find out why. The syndicates didn't go for it, and the main critique that I got was that it was more comic book than daily strip sensibility. Right or wrong, I did what I always do in these cases, and threw it on the "turnaround" shelf and forgot about it.....

So, a few years go by, and like a bunch of different ideas, this one simmers, and hopefully grows richer. Then my dad introduces me to Michael Connelly's books, and his protagonist, Harry (Heironymous) Bosch. It'd been years since I'd read fiction, seldom interested. But the writing and the character hooked me immediately, and I plowed through all the books voraciously. (I HIGHLY recommend them, "The Black Ice" is the first book.) They so jazzed me, that I blew the dust off Jimmy, have written the first mystery as a script, and am just about to give it my second pass while I niggle with the style and characters.

More to come!

Purely Sedimentary....

2007-12-02T20:02:00.001-08:00

There we go. Another Art Jumble illustration snuck in amongst storyboarding duties. I keep these within 4 hours, so upon looking back at them, always see things that'll drive me nuts. This image has quite a few things that bug me, but I'm definitely loosening up with the medium, and would never consider myself more than a concept artist anyway. By closing the door on it, my baby may be a retarded ,Rosemary's-devil-crucifix-masturbator, but I love it. AND have learned from it.

For any Jumblers that come blog cruising this way, I'll make a habit of putting my B&W's here with the final color.

I'm particularly proud of my laziness with the "Dissolve" filter giving me easy sediment !

Back Alley Fairy

2007-11-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest Art Jumble I did; I really liked the B&W, so here's both! Let me know what you think!

I was emailed recently asking how much time I put into my Jumbles, and it depends on the time I have to give. They're running about 4-6 hours right now (with colour), I imagine it'll be pretty evident when it becomes less....

Knight to Bishop 3, protects Queen

2007-11-15T18:13:00.001-08:00

Y'know, there's SO many other things I'm supposed to be doing, but an idea hits you, and that's that....

Show announcement in Pheonix

2007-11-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Oh, it's simply divine being an art-eest, dahling!

Ollie takes a break...

2007-11-10T09:36:00.001-08:00

Here's the last mighty Oliver illustration for a little while, another casualty of the writer's strike down south. Zoiks, between this, the Stephen Colbert report, and a plunging US buck, I might have to get a REAL job!!

NAAAAAAHHHHHHH.....

John Wilkes Booth

2007-11-07T19:38:00.001-08:00

That wacky Booth. Can we get one of these guys now? NO!!

All Hail Sergio Aragones!

2007-11-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

I wasn't going to bother posting this, but reaction on Art Jumble was higher than I expected! I don't know if Sergio's still illustrating for MAD magazine, or Groo. Hell, I don't know if anyone even knows WHO he is anymore. (Goddamned kids deze days. Don't read ..hurmph...)

There's nothing like having a teen living with you to make you realize just how big the "gap" is, and how your tenuous grasp on hipness actually slipped quite some time ago.

that's a BIG sucker...

2007-10-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

C'mon, kinda funny...

ahhh, marriage.

2007-10-23T11:09:00.001-07:00

A quickie for the Art Jumble; after the nit-pickiness of what I've been doing, it was nice to whip one off. I'm enjoying illustrating a lot, I just know there's a truckload of storyboards about to drop on me at any second....

A tweak tweak here....

2007-10-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Not a heck of a lot of difference, at least on the monitor, but when I went to print up the earlier version of this, it looked like hell.

That being said, I have to wash the "niceness" of the subject matter out of my mouth; Art Jumble has zombies this week!

Zombies, Jerry.

Zombies.

2007-10-21T23:25:00.001-07:00

An image in progress; I'm finally giving my drawing tablet the proper due, but it'll take time to get the bugs out. First off; the over heavy colors that seem fine when they're blown up 200%. (I'm used to my big Mac screen.)

Still, it wouldn't go up without a bit of pride.

FYI-the story starts in Ohio; I pulled some Cleveland ref, hence the Cavalier basketball shirts in the previous posts & the steeple in the BG here, simply cut & pasted with some touch ups...

Poor Ollie

2007-10-18T13:32:00.001-07:00

Just when he raises the courage to talk the little red headed girl, our hero is humiliated before her! It's great to come up with something completly fresh and original!

Happy Happy!

2007-10-13T13:48:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to wash the bitterness from the last one away, it was kind've bothering me the idea of people coming by and seeing a rant. Even stranger were the personal emails that people sent, getting all conspiratorial on the subject. It seems sometimes a nudge is all it takes to take the ball and run with it, even if that's not what was intended.

Anyhoo, onwards and upwards.

Here's another Mighty Oliver image from an upcoming illustrated novel; it's becoming a nice gig, actually. He's not exactly the most attractive character, but with a simple line and bright funky colours, after a few shots, the project starts to take on a character all it's own. After all the storyboarding, it's nice to change pace and do some broad strokes literally, rather than cinematically.

Wouldn't you know it....

2007-10-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

Now that the Canuckabuck has passed the yankie dollar, guess where ALL my work is coming from? Unbelievable.

Not that there isn't any work about, but thanks to the social structure of our entertainment industry giving out grants and monitoring them provincially, I can't live in Vancouver and freelance on a gig in Ontario. WTF? I was contacted by a studio, because they wanted me on the team, but then realized that unless I lived and paid taxes in that province, they'd be hooped when they invariably get audited during production. Nice, huh?

Okay, forget for a minute the arguments of limited talent pools, getting the right person for the job, and oh yeah, a FREE COUNTRY without BORDERS, let's try to work around the bureaucracy. Out of my own pocket, I offered to open an Ontario wing of my incorporation in T.O, then all the tax dollars related to the job would stay there. Simple, right? It's kinda bullshit, but so is the system, and in it's own dick-up-it's-own-ass way, makes sense.

Nope.

I gotta frikken' MOVE there and pay my PERSONAL taxes there as well! Gee, what happens when work finishes and some starts in Saskatoon? Sheesh.

So now, I'm doing boards for New York , (LA), Book illustration (above, also for LA), artwork for live action (LA),and guess who now has screwed themselves outta my GST quartery infusion of waste doniroes? Don't even get me started on GST...

What a great system. Especially full of barnyard aroma is that this is what happens to a relatively little studio trying to get going and make a decent product, while the more established machines STILL get all the Telefilm grants etc., and have the bucks to throw it around and get artists from out of province when they feel it's needed. (Finish that last thought yourself.)

What a great way to run an industry! Vive la Golden age du Cinema!!

Before & After...

2007-09-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

I actually had time to get into an Art Jumble week! Here's the image from rough to color final. ( Preheat oven, brush and ink, photoshop to DEATH.)

fumblin' & tumblin'

2007-09-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of my first stabs at computer coloring from what doesn't actually seem that long ago. Back before I knew about multiplying layers, and would separately select & delete the whites from my ink layer!!

Anyhoo, another time-bider before I dig into my next project, which'll be showing up here soon.

P.S: I will get to changing your link address Errol, apologies for the wait!

procrASStination.....

2007-08-31T00:01:00.001-07:00

Hey all; I'm not doing well with keeping up here. I'm either working too much, or enjoying my time off too much. (Curses to Face-Book as well! That popularity contest eats WAY too much time..

I'm currently wrapping up a new X Men series, and am gearing up on my new book / failure afterwards.....

The following images are for some buddies of mine, not TOTALLY my thing, but one makes the best of the opportunity.

WALES !

2007-08-11T09:48:00.001-07:00

We managed to squeeze a trip in for ourselves; a hike along the coast of Wales. A real step back in time, and one hell of a beautiful place.

ZOIKS!!!

2007-06-14T21:47:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been a while!

Things've slowed down, and it's time to enjoy summer and the fruits of the labours.....

for a month at least.

I bought a tablet and am taking my first baby steps with Sketchbook Pro.