Mike Moran Illustration

Darksied VS Orion! and Black Cat

2011-12-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

Catching up!

First Darksied vs Orion

And also a Black Cat!

Each $40.00 contact shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com

Kamandi

2011-11-27T15:47:00.001-08:00

For sale. 9 x 12 bristol $40.00

contact shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com

The Flash

2011-11-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

9x12 Bristol

Brushpens and felt marker.

$40 contact shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com

Captain America

2011-11-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

9 x 12 Bristol

Brush Pens

$40.00 contact shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com

Frank's Monster VS Dracula

2011-10-31T14:57:00.001-07:00

A fun one for the comartalliance.com blog.

Darth Vader

2011-10-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here is The Dark Lord of the Sith!

Darth Vader!

Hellboy

2011-10-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hellboy

9x12 Bristol done with #2 Sable

$40.00

contact shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com

Jonah Hex

2011-10-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Really one of my favorite characters.

I love westerns.

9 x 12 Bristol. $40.00

Contact shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com

Grimlock gets justice..

2011-10-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

I love Generation 1 Transformers and Grimlock is my favorite. Now not the way he was on the cartoon. I am talking the MARVEL Comics Grimlock. He was the crazy Barbarian of the Autobots. I loved it.

The Swamp Thing!

2011-09-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

Another fun one for the Comic Art Alliance Blog

Pencil and then Brush Pen with some clean ups in Photoshop.

Cactus Wren

2011-09-25T18:19:00.001-07:00

Done for a good good friend as a birthday gift.

India Ink with a #2 brush and watercolor.

The Shadow

2011-09-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Done for the Comic Art Alliance blog.

Original for sale. 9" x 12" bristol.

Done with #3 sable brush and pen.

$40.00 contact shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com

Conan of Cimmeria

2011-09-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of the original stories of Conan by Robert E Howard. You can read more about that at www.conan.com

I am also a big fan of the Marvel Savage Sword of Conan magazine that had such great artists as Joe Jusko, Barry Windsor Smith,John Buscema and Ernie Chan.

I may redo this later on but I had fun with the #2 sable brush on this one.

9 x12 on Bristol. $40.00

Contact shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com for purchase. Thanks!

I R O N M A N

2011-09-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

IRONMAN on 9x12 Bristol.

For sale $40.00

Contact me via shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com

Thanks!

S H A Z A M !

2011-09-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

The power of Captain Marvel!

For Sale. $40.00

9x12 on Bristol.

Email me at shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com if you are interested.

Change in Direction..

2011-08-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well my original idea for this blog was to bring awareness and study of "classic" comic art and the artists.

Now that will continue on here from time to time but more so it will be a chronicle of what I am working on. Commissions, pages, various other art projects. I will probably still jump to do the occasional interview and post it here when I can.

If you are interested in Commissions then shoot me an email to shinmilkmanx at gmail dot com.

Starting rates are

Commission rates

One Bust $25 or Figure $50

Two characters/creatures Bust $35 or Figures $75

Done on Bristol Board and that is Inked prices.

Plus shipping.

Thanks for looking!

Nightwing

2011-07-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Quick sketch of Nightwing with some colors.

Gene Colan

2011-06-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

We lost another great on June 23rd 2011

Gene Colan.

A master of the form and a great guy.

Always working at improving and studying. A role model for any artist.

He will be missed.

Etrigan

2011-06-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post. Been lazy with drawing but trying to do more. I will also try to do some more interviews as well.

Here is an Etrigan I did for the Comic Art Alliance Blog.

The Amazing Loston Wallace!!

2010-08-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

I discovered Loston Wallace when I found the most excellent site for aspiring sequential artists that is PencilJack!

Loston is the kinda guy that is always there to give great constructive tips! He has the chops to back it up too. Without further ado here is the Loston Wallace interview!

1.) You draw in the classic style. What keeps you from doing the more modern thing?

I actually look at drawing as being something that's not bound by styles. I do commercial artwork, so I tailor the style to fit the project. However it is very true that I do like classic styles. It's what I know best, and what I like the most, and I'll make no bones about that. I grew up on classic comics--the kind printed on newsprint that you could get for under half a dollar. My art heroes were comic book veterans like John Buscema, Don Newton, Wally Wood, Neal Adams, Berni Wrightson and Jack Kirby. The sort of artwork they produced inspired me then, and still inspires me to this day. I'm often consider to be an "old school" artist by fans and other artists in the comic industry. I've never liked that term, but I do appreciate comic book artists of yesterday, and my artwork reflects that. I'm an artist who believes and who gets excited by artwork that reflects comic book tradition. Alex Raymond, Hal Foster, Frank Frazetta, Wallace Wood, Al Williamson--these are the artists whose artworks excite me. My artwork is in part a tribute to the great comic book legacy of the comics of yesterday. These comic traditions still live and dance freely inside my head. The artwork I try to produce is the sort of artwork that I personally love to see--what makes me happy. I think every artist producing work must first please themselves with their work before they can please others.

As far as "modern" comics go though, I think it's important to realize that there's always something good in every generation of art. Many of today's artists draw upon Japanese influenced manga and anime art, as well as other outside influences. It's a real mash-up these days, but there are some extremely talented artists working today. Pick up a copy of DC'S WEDNESDAY'S COMICS and you'll quickly realize that guys like Ryan Sooke and Karl Kerschl are no slouches!

There are many modern artists working today that are steeped in great comic book traditions of the past. Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke both owe a great deal to classic artists like Dan DeCarlo, who worked for ARCHIE COMICS for decades drawing BETTY & VERONICA, JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS, and even MILLIE THE MODEL for Marvel Comics back in the day. You can't help seeing the work of artists like Wally Wood and Jack Kirby in their work either. You can tell that these guys grew up reading mags like Warren's CREEPY, EERIE & VAMPIRELLA or books like THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN. It doesn't take an art genius to see some of those same influences in the artwork of Eric Powell either. Who hasn't looked at Mike Mignola's artwork and seen the Jack Kirby influence to the figures, etc? Comic traditions of the past are still very much alive today. You just have to know where to look for them. Modern superhero comic artists across the board owe debts of gratitude to greats like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Gil Kane, etc. These artists defined superhero comics as we know them today, and the new generations can't helped but be influenced by the works of the past.

I loved classic cartoons growing up--Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, the Jetsons, the Flinstones, Pink Panther--I liked 'em all! I get excited when an old Hanna Barbera cartoon shows up on Boomerang, or even cartoons like THUNDARR, THE BARBARIAN! Man, that's the stuff for me!

2.) Can you tell us a bit about your influences and how they shaped your art?

I'm a child of the '70s and '80s, so I naturally loved and read the comics of these eras growing up. In addition, I inherited a lot of '60s comics, so I also got to experience that classic era. I can't possibly list all of my artistic influences. There are far too many to name. Here's a short list: Wally Wood, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Buscema, John Romita Sr, Don Newton, Frank Frazetta, Doug Wildey, Steve Rude, Mark Schultz, Dave Stevens, Berni Wrightson, Nestor Redondo, Alex Toth, Gil Kane, Brian Bolland, Bruce Timm, Dan DeCarlo, Darwyn Cooke, Al Williamson, Gene Colan, Joe Kubert, Will Eisner...this list could go on and on.

I will say that my favorite comics growing up were books like BATMAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN, and Warren Comics. In my teens I discovered EC COMICS via reprints and was blown away by WEIRD SCIENCE and the science fiction comics of the '50s. I loved the horror mags too! I remember buying Charlton Comics off the spin racks. When I was five I got my hands on a copy of DOOMSDAY +1 #1. On the cover there was a splash down landing capsule floating in the ocean next to the Statue of Liberty, which was mostly submerged under the waves with a burned out NYC in the background. That comic had a major impact on me. It was some of John Byrne's earliest comic art with Joe Gil providing the story. It was about astronauts returning to Earth after a nuclear holocaust had occurred. The nuclear fall out had thawed out a prehistoric Mammoth and a Bronze Age man, and they meet them both in the first issue! Astronauts, nuclear armageddon, a Mammoth attack and prehistoric man in one comic--Wow! What's not to like??!

3.) Do you prefer hand drawing/inking or digital or a combination of both? Tell us about your process.

I prefer to draw and ink by hand. I find digital inking to be a little cold and the line work often doesn't seems to have the same sort of energy that my hand inking has. I prefer to ink with a brush. I use Raphael Kolinsky Red Sable 8404 an 8408 series brushes--usualy the #3 and #2 brushes, which give me the best results. My ink of choice is Speedball Super Black India Ink. Properly maintained, this is one of the best inks available today.

I do like digital coloring though. I think Photoshop has been a great boon for the comic industry. Done with the right amount of restraint, PS coloring can be very effective. Dave Stewart is a colorist that really impresses me. He is an artist, and not just a coloring technician. He shows restraint where it's needed, and his coloring always compliments the storytelling. I love his approach!

I also enjoy having saved scans of my artworks. Often I sale the originals so it's good to have hi-rez scans of the pieces that could be used to make prints, etc.

4.) What tools are your favorite for Penciling/inking etc?

I use wooden pencils--the kind that you need a pencil sharpener or knife to sharpen. I've tried lead holders, but I don't care for them much, and I break mechanical pencils. Mechanical pencils aren't great for drawing spontaneous and energetic lines, IMO. They're for doing fine detail. I need a solid pencil for doing figure work, so I like the wooden pencils best. I often use those green Design pencils. I use H, HB, B, & 2Bs, depending on what sort of line I'm looking for.

As I mentioned above, I ink with brushes primarily. It's the old fashion way, and not at all modern, but it gives me the best results. I think a lot of modern inkers ink digitally because they find the brush to be a little intimidating to use. It takes time to develop brush inking skills. You have to put in a lot of work with the brush before you learn proper control, etc. It can be a scary thing I guess, and I think that's one of the reasons that a lot of modern inkers have turned to technology. I think that's too bad really, because most of the digital inking I've seen is fairly lifeless and mechanical. Some energy seems to get lost in the process. Also there is the issue of original art. There is a market for selling original artwork, and selling the original art is a great way for an artist to get additional income. Digital artwork produces no originals so you can only sell print outs.

Recently the ROCKETEER: ARTISTS EDITION was released containing scans of Dave Steven's inked pages from both of his ROCKETEER series. Dave was an amazing artist, and one of the greatest inkers in comic book history. I love that that book has been made available to modern artists. I hope it will influence a few of the digital guys to look into trying their hands at doing some traditional inking.

5.) Any future projects you are working on we should look forward to?

LORNA RELIC WRANGLER is a comic book that's coming out next March through IMAGE COMICS. Micah Harris, writer of the HEAVEN'S WAR graphic novel, created LORNA, and is the writer. I provide pencils and inks on the main story in the first issue. The art style I'm providing for LORNA is more animated in nature, along the lines of artworks by artists like Dan DeCarlo, Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke. LORNA has two industry mega-stars providing some incredible covers for us for the first issue debut!

Beyond LORNA, there is another green lighted IMAGE project down the road with Micah Harris. This one will be a horror anthology which will task me with providing some traditional comic stylings that are more akin to the sort of artwork you might find in the old Warren Magazines. I'm really looking forward to drawing that book!

6.) Where can we find you on the web and buy your stuff?

I have a website: http://www.lostonwallace.com/
And I have a DeviantArt gallery: http://lostonwallace.deviantart.com/

Many of my books are available on Amazon.com and other places. There are links to some of them on my website front page. These include movie tie-in books for kids, as well as DC Comics licensing books for kids. Here is a list of a few of these:

SPIDER-MAN 3: DELUXE SOUND BOOK http://www.amazon.com/dp/0696234092?tag=lostonwacom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0696234092&adid=0HVXXSZY5RXRWFXRVFMG&

SUPERMAN RETURNS: THANK YOU, SUPERMANboard book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0696229021?tag=lostonwacom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0696229021&adid=04NBA1JV4BV3V00KX0DF&

BATMAN: RACE AGAINST CRIME http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Race-Against-Crime-Black/dp/0696239582/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281682409&sr=1-1

SUPER FRIENDS: FLYING HIGH: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0375852085?tag=lostonwacom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0375852085&adid=1R119SAKTPM2ZC1NF6XW&

SUPER FRIENDS: BRAIN FREEZE: http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Freeze-Super-Friends-Reading/dp/0375862218/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281682600&sr=1-1

SUPER FRIENDS: IN ACTION!: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0375853294?tag=lostonwacom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0375853294&adid=19TF8S92AEG68EMVSTPE&

SUPER FRIENDS: DANGER FROM THE DEEP:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0375853286?tag=lostonwacom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0375853286&adid=1BFDSFRHGY4F4D2DWCMJ&

I want to thank Loston for taking time to answer these questions!

Come check out PencilJack! You won't regret it!

JULY

2010-07-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Whoa.

Sorry it has been a bit since I have updated.

Got a new Macbook Pro and Manga Studio 4 and Adobe CS4.

Work has begun on "Tales of High Adventure" anthology.

It is the premiere of my creator owned universe.

"Midnight Eagle"

Pics coming soon!

R.I.P. Al Williamson

2010-06-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

We lost another great legend in illustrators of amazing art.

AL WILLIAMSON

If you have not seen his work I suggest you check it out!

He was an amazing artist in his own right and a legendary inker.

KREATIV BLOGGER AWARD

2010-06-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have been given a "Kreativ Blogger Award"!
Good old Benito Gallego, from blog Callaghan's Inn has sent to me the nice award that you can see at the top. Thanks man, I really appreciate it! It must be because of that nice interview I did with him last year. ;-)

Now it's my turn because this award has its own rules.

Let's see:

(1) Thank the person that nominated me. (It's already done.)

(2) Copy the award and put it on my blog. (Done.)

(3) Link back to the blog that nominated me (Done.)

(4) Name seven things about myself other people might find interesting. (See below.)

(5) Nominate seven other Kreativ Bloggers. (Also below.)

(6) Leave them a comment so they know they have been nominated. (will do)

Seven things about me..

1.)Been married for over 10 years

2.)Train in Full Contact Bare Knuckle Karate(www.enshin.com)

3.)Never Broke a bone(at least not yet.)

4.)After not playing RPG's for many years I have recently gotten back in with some retro action(www.swordsandwizardry.com)

5.)I love Subaru's

6.)I have a large collection of Transformers from G1 to Movies

7.)I do not draw as much as I should!

Nominations....

http://warlockshomebrew.blogspot.com/

http://tomscioli.blogspot.com/

http://www.comictwart.com/

http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/

http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/

http://www.arcade-hunters.com/

http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/

Pulp Anthology coming soon....

2010-04-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am good friends with the gentleman behind http://www.indieonlycomics.com/

We have been talking about my pulp story lately and how he might ink it for me.

Turns out he has a story he would love to do as well!

Bang! Anthology to be made.

Hopefully in time for the 3rd Annual Tucson Comic Con 2010.

Look here for some more info soon!

2010-03-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

RIP Dick Giordano

1932-2010

A legendary artist,a pioneer.

A friend to many other artists and an insanely good inker.

You will live on for fellow illustrators and comic fans for eternity.

http://www.dickgiordano.com/

The Art of Mike Powell

2010-03-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

So after some delay I finally got this one ready.

1.) Who has influenced you over the years and are there any that hold your interest over time more than others?

In the beginning, Todd McFarlane and Jim Lee. But over the years I've broadened my horizons to include many others. Jack Kirby, John Byrne, Frank Frazetta, Gene Colan, Sal Buscema, John Buscema, John Romita,John Romita Jr, Frank Miller, Erik Larsen, Norm Breyfogle, Mark Bagley, Ryan Ottley, Mahmud A. Asrar, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, Chris Samnee, Ivan Reis and Mike Norton. I know I'm forgetting someone. That's not to exclude the writers who have inspired me. I'm a huge fan of Robert Kirkman, Jay Faerber, and Geoff Johns.

2.) I notice you like to do a lot of Golden Age characters? Is it that they are out of copyright or just to do something different?

In the last few years I've been fascinated with the concept of the public domain, properties and works that have lapsed in copyright over the years and are availabe for anyone to re-imagine in their own style. In the near future some characters with heavy basis in the public domain will make appearances in my stories. I have plans for several figures from world mythology to appear as well.

Lately I've been sketching a public domain Golden Age character every night for my sketchblog (http://michaelpowellsketchblog.blogspot.com). I always post a panel or cover from the old days for comparison. Most of the time I don't make any changes to the design, but there have been times when I have.

3.) What tools do you use to work on your art? Paper stock ? Pencil's , Pen's , Brushes?

I'm pretty low tech, actually. For sketching I use regular white copy paper. For commissions and sequentials I use card stock. My inking tools are a regular pencil and kneaded eraser, PITT artist's pens, a bottle of black ink, and a brush.

5.) You have created some original characters,any plans for some stories about them?

My principal characters are Sovereign (the "Superman" analogue in my universe) and Ominus (my "dark knight" analogue). Sovereign is featured bi-monthly in the Arcadia Comics Anthology, now available from Indyplanet . The second issue is wrapping up in the next two weeks, and it should be available in March.

Ominus won't make his official first appearance until that issue, but earlier in his career he was known as Revenger. I've started a weekly webstrip featuring those adventures. You can read it from page one at http://www.drunkduck.com/Revenger/index.php?p=654185 .

6.) Can you tell us about any of these ideas?

Sure. Let's talk about Sovereign, since he's the heaviest hitter.

A while back I wrote a summary of exactly who he is and what he's about.

It goes...

"Imagine the archetype of the mighty superhero, the other worldly savior of humankind, faster than a speeding bullet and able to soar higher than any plane."

Now imagine his female counterpart, the immortal warrior princess from a far away land of myth.

In a bygone era they represent justice, and on many occasions they join together to protect the planet against unimaginable threats.

Now imagine what goes on behind the scenes.

A passionate love affair ensues, and unbeknown to the the mighty superhero, a child is conceived.

The princess disappears, determined to raise her child in secret, away from the violence and injustice of mortal man's world.

The child is named Aleksandr. He is raised by his mother in an island paradise, ignorant of his lineage, or the real reason he is so powerful.

In a moment of tragedy he learns the truth.

And so Aleksandr, now a man, ventures to the outside world in search of the father he never knew existed.

But he soon discovers another disturbing truth...
His father, the savior of humankind, once known the world over as Sovereign...is dead.
Lost forever to his mother's land and people, how does he find his place in a strange new world?

What does he do with himself? How does he honor his father's memory?

The answer...He continues the fight where his father left off."

So in a nutshell, "what would happen if Superman and Wonder Woman had a love child?" I wanted to tell a story like that to play with those archetypes. And I'm really looking forward to getting it off the ground.

Mike Powell

Thanks to Mike for giving his time! Check out his links below!

www.michaelpowellart.blogspot.com
www.powguero.deviantart.com
www.twitter.com/Mpowelljr
www.facebook.com/Mpowelljr

Slump

2010-03-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

I have hit a wall with my drawing lately and it is effecting the blog.

I have another interview to post up soon.

Benito Gallego

2010-01-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Interview with Benito Gallego [http://benitogallego.deviantart.com/]

I found him on Deviant Art and he just screamed to me a student of John Buscema. That can’t be a bad thing!

1.) You have a style very reminiscent of John Buscema? Can you tell us more about that.

Since I was a little boy I loved the Buscema Conan books and when I read other heroes like Ka-Zar, Thor or The Avengers it was always John Buscema's version the one I felt the best compared with the other artists. So when I started to try to draw I would imitate Big John's style. I just wanted to draw as good as the best.

Now I'm older and many of the ideas and concepts that I used to rely on when I was a child have proven wrong but others I'm still certain. Among the few that I still manage today as an adult is the strong believe that John Buscema is simply the best you can get in comic-book art.

2.) Besides Buscema, what other artists have influenced you? Also why do you stick to a more "traditional" style compared to alot of "modern comics"?

I could name a lot of artists that I admire like Joe Kubert, Wally Wood, Neal Adams, Jordi Bernet, Frank Frazetta, Will Esiner, Carlos Giménez, Víctor de la Fuente, Mike Mignola, Adam Hughes, Lee Weeks... and many others. At some point they all have had some influence in my work and I'm continually finding guys whose art I enjoy.
And yes, it is true that my style is quite "traditional". Maybe because when I move away from it to try to develop a "modern" approach I feel like I'm losing something. So why do I have to eat a hot-dog when I can have a "paella"?

3.) Do you prefer hand drawing/inking or digital or a combination of both?.

I used to hand draw-ink and color but since the new technologies have developed and we can have software and computers that can help an artist's task it would be foolish not to take advantage of it. Today I use digital tools mostly for coloring but also sometimes for making sketches and even inking depending on the subject and style that I'm working on at that moment.

For me the most important advantage is that even when you use a traditional method for drawing or inking you know it is always so much easier now to make corrections digitally using a computers program than it was before.

4.) What particular Tools do you like to use for penciling,inking and programs?

If we are talking digitally, first I have an A3 size scanner that allows me to scan my drawings on the first try. You safe a lot of time when you don't have to join two or more parts when using a small scanner. Then I use a wacom tablet which is way faster and versatile than the traditional mouse. The programs I use are Photoshop for coloring and making sketches. And for inking I use Illustrator.

When using traditional methods I prefer an ordinary pencil to a propelling pencil. And for inking I use a quill to make the main lines and a brush to fill the blacks. I don't usually use markers or felt-tip pens which I find too hard and inexpressive except for making straight lines. And for coloring an illustration I use watercolors combined with crayons, markers and gouache.

5.) What inspired your Zuda story? How do you think it went?

The idea of a race of people dwelling in the underground "like beasts, in caves where no sunlight ever entered" is a recurrent theme that appears in "The Lost Race", "Worms of the Earth", "People of the Dark" and other tales by Conan's creator Robert E. Howard. I took that idea and thought what if there were such a race in our modern-day cities? I thought that they probably would live in the sewers and could be called something like "The Children of the Sewer". If you put a hero (or anti-hero in this case) in this context you have a lot of posibilities of building an epic tale of adventure, fight, fantasy and horror.

At first I didn't have much expectations to win the contest. I just wanted to participate and expose my work to see the public's reaction. But when you see that people seem to like your work and you are getting near the top you cherish the idea that "Yeah, I can make it, I'm really close to win". So t was a bit dissapointing when finally I didn't win although a second place is not bad at all.

6.) Any other current projects in the works?

I hope to retake Roy Thomas' ANTHEM and CAPTAIN THUNDER & BLUE BOLT series soon. Meanwhile I have been contacted by Gerald Cooper from InVision Comics ([link]) and hopefully I'll be doing some work for them in a near future. I have also a story about gypsies, tartars, kosacks and zombies! that I wrote some time ago and that I would really love to draw.

7.)Any other websites that feature your work other than here at DA?

You can take a look at my gallery at comicartfans ([link]) although most of the pieces are also on DA.
I'm also developing my own website ([link]) that I hope to have finished in a couple of months. I think I said something like that a year ago!!

That’s it for the first one. I would like to thank Benito Gallego for taking his time to answer my questions. Stop by his Deviant Art page.

http://benitogallego.deviantart.com/

Interviews

2010-01-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to do a series of interviews of other artists who are inspired or taken by similar artists.

If you drool over Kirby,Sinnott,Timm,Rude,Toth,Wood,Sickles,Caniff,Raymond,Romita,Wildey,etc.

Drop me a line!

First one should be up soon!

Storytelling now and then...

2010-01-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

Every Wednesday I meet up with fellow artists and friends at a local coffee shop.

There tends to be some great discussion of art of comics and other mediums.

This past week it was a much smaller group of us and it was the few that are really into cinema as well.

What we have all noticed is that storytelling is not just falling apart in comics but movies as well. I made a comment on how the 60-80's comics all had really good storytelling and that a few artists seem to really catch onto cinematic techniques.

I have been on a Hitchcock kick lately and started to notice that alot of my favorite artists seem to have sequences or shots right out of these classic films. I know Jack Kirby use to have his TV on almost at all time while he was working as company but I bet it influenced some of his visuals for sure.

Another one of the group noted how comics tried to be too much like movies now and the movies now are trying to be too much like video games. I hope they do find a balance in this. The story is what is the most important if you want to have something that is great. A weak story with great visuals is just a picture book. A great story with weak art is still a great story and can always be improved on later.

One of my own personal goals is to make sure I am telling the story first and using the art to guide you.

Brush Inking Tips...

2010-01-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

So in my own personal quest to become better at brush inking I have turned a great source.

Youtube.

So far this video explains so much and is very informative.

Another good one I found is here.

http://bee-chan.deviantart.com/art/Bee-s-Ink-and-Brush-Tutorial-16628747

There are many more but I found these 2 particular ones to be the most helpful.

Good luck!

Traditional Inks or what I like to call sexy…

2010-01-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Now it should be no clue that I prefer traditional inking on comics/pop art.

I can not tell you exactly why. I just think it looks really smooth and its easy to read.

Part of that is how the ‘weights’ of the lines draw your eye to parts of the illustration.

A master knows exactly how much of this to add or subtract from the pencil art.

In the hands of a master craftsman like Joe Sinnott it is amazing. He knows exactly how to make each image in a panel come to life. Pushing what needs to be in the foreground there and letting the rest seep into the background.

Even a complex image like this cover to FF #100 you can read each character easily even in Black and White.

I feel that the image should be readable in Black and White and maybe enhanced by color. I feel that modern comics almost depend on the color too much.

The Shadows of the soldiers on the wall here are a great example of making the image read. He could have just made them all black but it would have overpowered the rest of the image. Letting us see the bricks in the shadow let us see the characters easier.

Ask anyone in the biz who has been there since Joe Sinnott and they will tell you they learned from him or wanted him to ink their stuff. Stan Lee said that artists would fight over Joe’s schedule. He made it that good.

Here are some other artists who were also renown for their inking.

Wally Wood.

What is there to say that the picture can not? Not much. He was a master of using light and shadow. Even over Kirby (some say he overpowers Kirby’s style but I say it looks amazing…you get Kirby dynamic and Wood’s sexy shadows!)

He was also just an amazing artist in his own right.

Alex Toth

Someday soon I will get to a whole topic on one of my all time favorites Toth. (after IDW releases their new book about him late this year…)

Anyway. Toth has a simplicity that can be deceiving. It looks simple but its not. He just leaves out the unnecessary and highlights the best part of an illustration.

He was a huge fan of Noel Sickles(another blog topic to come soon!) and it shows!

Check out Ralph's posts on Noel Sickles here (http://the-unmutual.blogspot.com/2009/09/scorchy-smith-and-art-of-noel-sickles.html)

Mike Royer

(more info here courtesy of 20^th Century Danny Boy http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2007/08/looking-back-with-mike-royer.html )

Another of the legendary Jack Kirby Inkers. He is known for being true to Kirby but still enhancing the little things.

An amazing artist in his own right he now freelances and does some work for Disney on Winnie the Poo!

Doug Wildey.

While he was known for being meticulous he has an amazing line.

Creator of the TV Show Jonny Quest.

He studied the classic Newspaper strip artists like Milt Caniff, Noel Sickles and Alex Raymond.

Holiday break!

2009-12-21T10:26:00.000-08:00

Have not had time to make any updates here due to the Holidays and some commission work.

Coming in 2010 is an article on the lost art of inking.

Featuring the lines of

Joe Sinnott

Wally Wood

Mike Royer

Alex Toth

and more!

Stay tuned!

In the meantime check out this great book from www.twomorrows.com publishing!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Happy Holidays! Have a Happy New Year!

Saving the Comic Book....

2009-12-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

Can the American Comic be saved?

At this point it is hard to say. It has been dying a slow death since the gloss paper direct market promo cover craze of the 90's.

That decade alone probably hurt comics more than anything.

They disapeared from news stands altogether. They also got very expensive. The inflation of the US Comic is more than almost any other product. $1.50 was about the rate for your average DC or MARVEL book at the time. IMAGE came in with $1.95 on nicer paper. Everyone followed suit.

Now they are $2.99- $3.99!? Its ludicris.

For about the same you can get SHONEN JUMP magazine. Its full of Manga comics printed in black and white on cheap paper. You wonder why all these kids love Manga/Anime and this is a major reason.

You know what? Thats what the kids are reading. They are not reading Spiderman or Batman. Only the BABYMEN are.

Why MARVEL or DC have not tried this I have no idea! They are crazy. Too proud and stuck in this system that is beyond its use now.

I am in the process of trying to find means to print comics cheap in a book like this with some other artists. I think its a much better model and it seems to serve the Euro and Asian markets very well. The popular stuff gets made into Trades and/or TV shows.

Will the US comic survive? Not for long at the rate they are now.

They can survive in the format they are now but unless they get an alternative back on the magazine racks,at grocery stores,toy stores,etc then they risk dying all together.

Kids don't read comics because they can't buy them easily. There are not alot of Direct Comic Book stores and alot of the ones there don't cater to kids. In fact some of them go out of their way to discourage kids to come in. I have seen it at a few shops when kids come in and want to look at comics (DUH) and the employee's scold them for (GASP) reading them!

Nice way to get some future customers...

Props to Tucson Comic Store HEROES and VILLIANS for not having this policy. The owner doesn't carry as much as I wish he did but he does get the kids to come in.

Thor Test Page for Jam at PencilJack

2009-12-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

Recently I have discovered a great site for artists.

www.penciljack.com

Great people there. They all love illustration and comic books.

They are there to learn from and help each other. Not a place to go if you think you know it all or aren't willing to "unlearned what you have learned"

So far I am on track to being a better artist. I have a skechblog there for crits and it has helped me a ton. I try to join in on some of the community projects too.

This Thor page was for one such Jam.

I am not happy with it. I have learned from it though and that is what matters to me as an artist.

Onward and Upward as a certain Sensei has told me many times.

Steve "The Dude" Rude

2009-11-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

Where do I start.

I have not always been a die hard fan of The Dude.

I have always known of his amazing talent though.

For some reason I never got into Nexus in the heyday.

So The Dude was under my comic radar for years. Then I was at Cactus Con 07 and I met The Dude. He was so awesome and so was his wife. I got a few things from them.

Later when I was at another dealers table I got the old Steve Rude Sketchbook.

Wow. I had no idea what an artist he was till I got that book.

In alot of ways he is my model for what I strive to be. It is because of The Dude that I am now completley relearning how to draw. From scratch. Throwing out years of gobbled gook. I am going back to the basics with life drawing and lots of good instruction from Loomis and Hamm.
I also seem to be able to notice more things now thanks to The Dude.

He is influenced by alot of the same artists that I love. Jack Kirby, Alex Toth,Doug Wildey, John Romita and Andrew Loomis.

Did I mention that he paints? Amazingly well I might add!!

Steve strives to be a better artist with each application. His dedication is amazing.

So when he started NEXUS with writer Mike Baron he decided to do cover paintings. They are all amazing and get better with each issue. Unfortunatley for now NEXUS has had its run.

They went from Capitol Comics to FIRST then to Darkhorse. At Darkhorse the sales just weren't high enough to continue publishing the book. I have no idea why! The books are amazing. I want to blame the speculator market and the me too hotshot artist books. Does anyone care about either of those now? Probably not.

Steve us also not one to buckle to trends and I for one am glad. I want him to be that same level of class and artistry that we have all come to know and love.

He also did a great down to earth superhero book at Darkhorse with writer and inker Gary Martin.

THE MOTH!

Pure fun and again amazing art. Great storytelling and fantastic characters.

Again it didn't sell as well as Darkhorse would have liked.

Steve and his Wife decided to self publish. That was the birth of RUDE DUDE Productions.

There he could re-launch NEXUS, The Moth, and a new anthology book.

We got the NEXUS! Space Opera. Amazing! Go read it now!

Unfortunatley the industry does not care about artist's who can draw really well and tell amazing stories.

Rude Dude Productions for now has closed shop.

I wish The Dude the best. I want more MOTH!

He is still painting and doing commissions. Check out his book!

Steve Rude Artist in Motion.

Probably some of the best money you will ever spend if you are an artist.

So if you are looking for amazing stories with artwork that will blow you away then look no further. Run don't walk to get some Steve Rude comics.

I recommend The Moth trade and check out NEXUS! You wont be sorry. He also did a few books for Marvel and DC.

Check out his website www.steverude.com

and by all means check out the amazing deals at his online store www.steverudeart.com

Tom Scioli

2009-11-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about comic art and illustrators last night. Actually I do this pretty much at various times all day as I am awake.

Anyway.

Tom Scioli

He came onto the scene with his own self published comic The Myth of 8-Opus.

I have not read too much of that but I soon will remedy that as I contacted him directly to order the Trades.

That garnered him some attention as a “Jack Kirby Clone”

At first that’s what I thought as well. I don’t deny that.

Then he blasted onto the scene with g0dland co-created with writer Joe Casey and published by Image Comics. I understand that Eric Larsen was the one who got Tom in contact with Joe to make this book.

This is where I discovered Tom’s amazing art.

At first you would dismiss it as very Kirby Copied.

Inspired for sure but not copied. I think he gets a bad rep for that but you have to know your Kirby to know your Scioli.

He is using a bold and dynamic style like Kirby. If you really look at it though he has his own thing going on. His character designs are amazing!

One of the critiques I had heard of Tom was “How does it feel to be the equivalent of a Kiss tribute band in comics”

Cover bands take a band and copy them exactly. They play that bands songs and they try as hard as they can to be identical in sound and performance. Tom is not trying to do that here. If he was he would be redrawing FF 1-101 or New Gods or The Demon each month with his name on it.

I will relate it to the genre of Rock Music which has sub-genre’s

Kirby was almost like that raw spirit of Rock and Roll. That spirit that was in Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. Then Rock and Roll started to get watered down and technical. Rock music was dying. Then the spirit in the late 60’s and early 70’s came back with Punk. Bands like The Stooges,MC5 and the Ramones.

That’s Tom Scioli. He wants to rock and he wants it to get back to awesome storytelling that is a comic. He is out to make fun comics again. I really want to personally thank him for that. There are not enough people doing that in my opinion. The big companies are too busy trying to please the babymen to see it.

So if you want to read some fun comics that know they are comics and not trying to be a Hollywood critically acclaimed film then check out some of Tom Sciloi’s stuff.

It does not disappoint.

http://www.tomscioli.com/

The KING

2009-11-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to do this blog yet. I found a great link though!

Check this out

KIRBY FILES

Now I have a weird history with Kirby(similar to Bruce Timm's incidentally)

I think I was 5 or 6 when I first saw it and it was powerful. I loved super hero cartoons and comic books but I was really into Batman at the time.

Later on when I got really bit by the Comic Book bug when I was 12 I had to stay at my Godmothers house one day.

She had an older son who collected comics when he was a kid.

She had a whole box of comics! Mostly mid 60's Marvel and DC comics!

It was there that the Kirby hit me like a freight train! The X-Men as I had never seen them! Thor's battles with Mangog! The trials and tribulations of 4 heroes transformed from cosmic rays! I had been reading X-Men mainly at that time and Image was just coming around.

So I really enjoyed the power of it but I was really into the modern style trappings of the early 90's look. I did get to meet The King in 1993 not too long before he passed away. It is a monumental day in my life and I think of it often. He was the nicest guy and said nothing to discourage a young comic fan who wanted to break in the biz.

I would continue to admire him for what he had done but it hadn't set in yet.

That same year was when I really got into the Batman Animated Series and discovered Bruce Timm. That had me re-thinking what I liked about Comic art. It was simple but elegant and powerful. They put out a book called BATMAN A-N-I-M-A-T-E-D and in there I saw it. Bruce Timm design sheets that had a ton of Kirby influence! I started to get more into the classical comic form with smooth inked figurework.

The final Kirby Addiction happened when I stumbled upon a used copy of The Jack Kirby Collector!

I was floored. Tons of great Kirby art in pencil form. Stories from artists that were influenced by him. Tales of his career. Also around the same time the Superman Animated Series had its New Gods episodes and I lost it. That was it. Foaming at the mouth for Kirby.

That was the point where it clicked! The storytelling. The drama and power of his figurework. The guy is a genius.(don't ask me just ask Mark Chiarello!) He took mythology to new levels. Sci Fi would not be the same without the ideas Kirby used. Actually I doubt anything in the visual medium would be had it not been for the giant of a talent! At his peak no one comes close to Kirby for me.

I have been collecting everything he has done since then! Sometimes I get lucky and find something cool like his Heroes and Villians sketchbook for dirt cheap! Now is a great time to be a fan of Jack Kirby. You won't get the opportunity that I did meeting him but you can get his best stuff in nice Hardcover reprints to cherish for years to come.

Thank you Jack Kirby for making my life a better just by talking to you for a few minutes back in 1993.

Check out The Jack Kirby Museum!

Mike Manley's posts about the industry...

2009-11-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

He is really right about alot of things he points out here.

http://drawman.blogspot.com/2008/04/walled-city-of-babymania.html

http://drawman.blogspot.com/2008/04/undreroos-in-bunch.html

http://drawman.blogspot.com/2008/06/much-ruffling-of-feathers-and-lot-of.html

http://drawman.blogspot.com/2008/06/wolverines-hairy-nipple.html

http://drawman.blogspot.com/2008/09/babyman-its-catching.html

Man its so true! Now I know why Steve Rude's The Moth didn't sell. I loved the Moth. We need more comics like that but alas... anyway.

If you don't know Mike's work you should check some out! He is a fantastic illustrator.

I remember liking his stuff as a kid but I didn't care for Darkhawk(sorry Mike!) but I loved his Batman art.

Now he is the editor of DRAW! Magazine.

(http://new.twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=98_59)

a great magazine from Twomorrows(which itself will be a subject soon!)

So if you are interested in Comic book illustration I suggest checking that out!

Now back to studying Kirby gestures!

Pulp inspired comic coming soon!

2009-11-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

One of my current projects is a pulp inspired comic set in the 1930's.

I wanted an era with some technology but not enough to demystify everything. It is also a great era of growth,turmoil and mystery!

The storytelling options I found are great! I also love old planes and thanks to Noel Sickles Scorchy Smith and Milt Caniff's Terry and the Pirates I can't stop drawing them!

Stay tuned for it will make its premiere here! I have the series bible completed and the first story arc plotted out.

2009-11-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

TUCSON COMIC CON! This Saturday November 7th 2009 at HOTEL ARIZONA 10am to 7pm FREE

Get your exclusive Mike Moran Sketchbook!

Special Inks by Paul Fini!

2009-11-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

So where to begin?

I am an aspiring artist who loves classical comic illustration.

My inspirations are the great storytellers of our past.

Jack Kirby,Alex Toth,Noel Sickles,John Romita,John Buscema!

Also some of the modern storytellers who have these kind of values!

John Romita JR,Bruce Timm,Steve Rude,Darwyn Cooke,Erik Larsen,Etc.

I appreciate the sexy inks that the brush work can do. The way the light and shadow play in these panels!

Things you will not see...

Line art with no weights or straight to pencil panels

Overdone photoshop disease art.

I did this pic of Steve Rude and Gary Martin's THE MOTH!