At one point I was invited to be part of a charity anthology that for better or worse ended up dissolving. Anthologies are unfortunately notorious for falling apart before they begin. It's a dedicated process to coordinate so many different creative teams to meet deadlines etc., coupled with the fact that most anthologies are in the red financially, so publishers tend to shy away from them unless they're really stellar.

At any rate, these characters were part of my original story idea for that anthology. They were much younger, as the anthology was aimed at children, but the ideas were the same. They sort of morphed into their older counterparts in my mind, and this illustration was the result.

This illustration is also a bit of a personal pat on the back, because it was very challenging for me, and sat sadly taped to my drafting table for far too long. The colors also fought me most of the way, and while I still don't think I successfully captured everything I pictured, as a whole I think it's a solid piece. These characters have since found a place in a larger universe of stories, so hopefully you'll be seeing them again soon.

Labels: character design, ink, Photoshop, Tree Spirit

It made the rounds on twitter a few months back (I believe it was @jessnevins, but I think I got it via retweet by @warrenellis). The term was "Geisterpunk", a purported 1925 German pulp story title. Translated literally, it means "Ghost Punk". Since then, my mind's raced with the possibilities!

I've always had a soft spot for Steampunk as a sub-genre. I can't saw where that comes from, but it's probably been brought more to the forefront recently with games like Bioshock, or the (amazing) novel Boneshaker by Cherie Priest.

At any rate, this idea's been kicking around in my head for a few weeks now, and I thought the site could use a little color after all the black and white ink drawings. I believe this concept (if not perhaps this design -- still not 100% on it) solves a story idea I've held near and dear, but had gaping plot holes. Strange how these things work out. At any rate, enjoy!

Labels: Geisterpunk, Ghost Punk, ghosts, ink, Photoshop, steampunk

In attempt to get myself back in a groove, I very briefly toyed with the idea of doing an ink sketch a day this month. However, I think this is ultimately counterproductive, and doomed to failure. I can be prolific and feel rushed, or take my time and learn from each drawing; I can't do both.

These three drawing represent three distinct styles I find myself gravitating towards, but I couldn't say offhand which if any I prefer. Each has its merits and weaknesses. The first is a very quick character design trying a completely new style and toying with distorted anatomy. The second was a character design I loved, for a comic story that I enjoyed but never completed, aimed at an anthology I believe will no longer be coming out. However, I think I enjoy the last one the best. This was based on a picture I took at the zoo of a red panda (or Firefox). Believe it or not, he's not falling off the tree branch, but sleeping.

Back to the drawing board...

Labels: comics, crow, firefox, ink, red panda