Zombie Reindeer and Other Sketches

I hate large gatherings of people. Especially, when there’s no place to escape. If it’s freezing cold outside or it’s raining, there’s no place to go. No place to catch your breath from the mass of unending noise. That’s why I bring my sketchbook to these events. It’s a way to retreat. I’ll hide away in a corner, start sketching away, and some of the madness around me starts to fade away. I’ve never really shared any of these sketches with anyone before; this seemed as good a time as any. This sketchbook was from 2006 and 2007:

Christmas Party 2006

Zombie Reindeer!

Passed-out Santa

These next few are from my grandfather’s wake. I’ll never understand the purpose of having a wake, it’s just torturous. When I die, I just want my loved ones to get drunk and share stories about how awesome I was (or wasn’t). No standing around a room for 4 hours while a bunch of people you barely know tell you how sorry they are for your loss.

My cousin Brian

My cousin Kurt

How I process death: draw the deceased as a superhero

And, this one wasn’t dated…

Random Zombie

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 20

TURN AROUND!!!: The Latest Trend in Book Covers

A new epidemic is sweeping libraries and book stores nationwide: disrespectful book covers. These book covers feature women that refuse to look at you, the reader, and instead force you to stare at the back of their heads. I believe this trend started about six months ago with Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra biography, CLEOPATRA: A LIFE.

For CLEOPATRA: A LIFE, deciding not to show the subject’s face was a clever choice. No one really knows what Cleopatra looked like, so just showing the back of her head made logical sense. Nonetheless, it appears it was this creative move that opened the floodgates. Now every week, it seems a new book hits the shelves with a cover focused on the back of a woman’s head.

Publishers, I’m ignored by enough women in real life, I don’t need my self esteem dashed further by fictional women ignoring me as well. CLEOPATRA: A LIFE only hit shelves last November, but this practice is now cliche. I understand it may be a difficult transition to return to the days where the reader could actually see the main character’s face on the cover, but it’s time to move on. It’s time these women turn around.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 19

Murals

Sometimes I get too attached to my own work, and I’m incredibly hesitant to sell it. So, given I can’t tear down the wall and take it home with me, painting murals is an ideal outlet for me when I actually want to make money from selling my artwork. These are some of the murals I’ve done over the years.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 18

Whedon Wednesday: Marvel meets the Whedonverse

Joss Whedon started filming THE AVENGERS this week and because of that, on their Twitter feed and on Facebook, Whedonesque asked what Marvel/Whedonverse crossovers would everyone like to see. Well, I thought of one… and then two… and then ten. Rather than just posting them in reply on Twitter or Facebook, I decided to post all my crossover ideas here. Some are definitely better than others.

1. ILLYRIA VS. DARK PHOENIX (Writer: Matt Fraction, Artist: Stuart Immonen): In a giant crossover event, two ancient deities battle it out while inhabiting the bodies of two skinny white women.

2. SERENITY/STARJAMMERS (Writer: Jonathan Hickman, Artist: Steve Epting): The crew of Serenity runs into Corsair and company in the middle of space. No bullets are exchanged, just tales of space pirating and smuggling.

3. SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP featuring BUFFY: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (Writer: Dan Slott, Artist: Marcos Martin): The quippiest heroine in television history meets the quippiest hero in all of comicdom. At some point, Buffy asks Spidey, “is that you under that mask, Xander?”

4. JAYNE VS. THE PUNISHER: FOR THE LOVE OF VERA (Writer: Garth Ennis, Artist: Steve Dillon): Two men. One very special gun. Frank Castle wants Jayne’s beloved Vera and he’ll do anything to get his hands on it.

5. GUNN and IRON FIST: HEROES FOR HIRE (Writer: Ed Brubaker, Artist: Michael Lark): The new Power Man is super lame, so Iron Fist kicks his protege to the curb and recruits a new crime fighter to patrol the streets with. With a fist like unto a thing of iron and stakes carved from wood, Danny Rand and Charles Gunn are the new HEROES FOR HIRE.

6. JONATHAN & PUCK in TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE (Writer: Jeff Parker, Artist: Skottie Young): A giant battle ensues as two universes hang in the balance. When Buffy, the X-Men, Echo, the Avengers, Angel, the Fantastic Four, and Spike are all captured, the shortest heroes of both worlds, Jonathan and Alpha Flight’s Puck, come together to save the day.

7. ECHO & MOON KNIGHT in MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISASTER featuring guest-villainess TYPHOID MARY (Writer Brian Michael Bendis, Artist: Alex Maleev): It’s utter bedlam when three individuals with multiple personalities meet up.  And with super-scribe Brian Bendis at the helm, how many of their personalities will talk like an old Jewish woman? Answer: ALL OF THEM!

8. X-FACTOR guest-starring ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS (Writer: Peter David, Artist: Mike Deodato): When X-Factor is hired to investigate a series of vampire attacks even Layla Miller doesn’t know how to stop it. So Jamie Madrox asks for a consultation from everyone’s favorite vampire with a soul, Angel.

9. WORLD TOUR with LORNE & DAZZLER (Writer: Kathryn Immonen, Artist: Greg Land): The talented team of demon and mutant tour the world, perform in front of millions, and solve crimes on the side.

10. WESLEY WYNDAM-PRYCE & BLADE: ROGUE DEMON HUNTERS (Writer: Mark Waid, Artist: Mark Bagley): What’s better than one Rogue Demon Hunter? Why, two of course!

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 17

Previously… In Comics (Books Released on 4/20/11)

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #503: $3.99 (Writer: Matt Fraction, Artist: Salvador Larroca): If you’re a regular reader of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN like myself, you were probably a little baffled to see the FEAR ITSELF cover dressing gracing this issue. This is the third part of an ongoing Doctor Octopus storyline and I couldn’t imagine how exactly the finale of that arc would tie in to FEAR ITSELF. Well, it really doesn’t tie in to FEAR ITSELF at all. Sure in the last few pages Tony Stark pitches his concept for building a new Asgard on Midgard for Thor and friends, but that storyline has been running through this book for months. So if you loved the first issue of FEAR ITSELF and you’re ready to scoop up a bunch of tie-ins, don’t pick this one up. It will only disappoint you. As a conclusion to the Doc Ock arc, the issue isn’t particularly satisfying. Part of that is clearly intentional, but part of that is also the art doesn’t do a solid job of portraying what exactly is going through Tony Stark’s mind at a key moment of the story. Though I will give Larroca credit for so effectively switching up his style for the flashback elements of the book.

THUNDERBOLTS #156: $2.99 (Writer: Jeff Parker, Artist: Kev Walker): This month’s THUNDERBOLTS jumps between two stories: the T’bolts first mission with new member Satana (daughter of Satan) on-board and the recruiting of the T-bolts minor league squad, the Underbolts. These stories on their own may have worked well, but together the narrative fails to get going. I love those issues when a new team is formed, but here the process is so very bland. Speaking of bland, let’s move on to Kev Walker’s artwork. I love Walker’s style, it’s incredibly unique and fun, but the current Thunderbolts line-up is full of villain/heroes with bland white, grey, brown, and black costumes, there’s no pops of color in the action scenes. Everything feels so muddy. This line-up desperately needs some cool colors (bright blues, greens or purples) to even it out.

GREEN LANTERN #65: $2.99 (Writer: Geoff Johns, Artist: Doug Mahnke): Sometimes a comic book has a brilliant cover that entices you to buy that book. Sometimes that same cover gives away the only worthwhile plot point of the entire issue and makes you regret buying the comic. This is one of those issues. On the cover of GREEN LANTERN #65, Hal Jordan stands with a yellow ring on his finger and wearing the full Sinestro Corps uniform. The entire issue just feels like filler until, in the final pages, he finally puts the ring on. It’s rare you can call Geoff Johns out for using decompressed storytelling, but he does it here, and after you’ve seen the cover, there’s no real reason to buy the book.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 16

Previous Previouslies:
4/13/2011 Releases
4/6/2011 Releases
1/21/2009 Releases

Figure Drawing

When I was a Freshman in college and had to take my first figure drawing class, I was incredibly fearful what reaction my 19-year old body might have to drawing beautiful, naked women who were standing mere feet in front of me. Little did I know, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Years before I started attending Sacred Heart University, a female student who modeled for the art department had a major freak-out moment and since then the art department was no longer allowed to use student models. As a result, nearly all the models I had to draw were old, wrinkly, occasionally smelly, and possibly homeless. My first day of figure drawing class, I walked in and found out our model was a big, fat, black man who took Theodore Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” adage very literally, as he decided to model with a long Bo staff that would make Donatello of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles jealous.

Anyway, these are some of my charcoal figure drawings from college. These were all longer studies, probably between 15 and 30 minutes. This first one I love because of the face. I think this is the best face I’ve ever drawn. I love how effortless it all feels, especially the beard. The beard’s just a few jagged lines, but it’s perfectly readable. Here’s the full drawing:

Now here’s a close-up of the head:

These next two are of an old Russian woman who had a glass eye. My instructor, who was a woman, would constantly tell me my drawings of the model were too skinny. My instructor would always be pointing out cellulite that I hadn’t drawn or rolls of fat that I missed. The model was only like 10 feet away, so obviously she could hear all of these comments, I just prayed she didn’t understand English (which was a strong possibility).

For the next piece, I was instructed to go against all my natural instincts, and draw in direct opposition to my normal style. So, for me, that meant no blending, and using a lot of hard jagged edges.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 15

Happy Easter from Spider-Egg!

Spider-Egg! Spider-Egg!

Does whatever an egg drawn to look like Spider-man can do,

Sits in flowers, hides in leaves,

Look up now, he’s in a tree!

Watch out! Here comes that Spider-Egg!

The Amazing, Astonishing, Spectacular Spider-Egg!

Happy Easter everyone! — Erik

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 14

Self-Portraits

I wonder sometimes if the reason many artists get so full of themselves is because they’re forced to do so many self-portraits in school. If you have to stare at yourself in the mirror and on paper and on canvas enough, I’ve got to think it’s going to inflate your opinion of your own self-worth. I had to do a lot of self portraits in college. It seemed like in every drawing or painting course one of the projects was a self portrait. Below are the ones I could find in an attic full of high school and college art.

This was a gift for my sister, look how adorable I was!

I did this piece for sister for her birthday one year. I used watercolor and watercolor pencils. I was such a cute kid and then puberty hit and everything went wrong.

Self-portrait in graphite

I don’t think this one actually looks that much like me, but the overall technique is pretty strong. I drew this either Freshman or Sophomore year of college.

Self-portrait in charcoal (Spooooooooooooooooky....)

I remember this piece was for a figure drawing class in my Sophomore year. I was supposed to use a single light source, but, in addition to the lamp I set up, I was watching the latest episode of the X-Files. I apparently didn’t think the light from the television would effect the light for the piece, it totally did. And I also think it effected the mood of the piece because that is one totally spooky version of myself.

Idealized self-portrait (oil paints and crayon -- yes, the crayola variety)

This was an idealized self-portrait I painted in oil and drew with actual crayons. The idea being my ideal self is that little kid drawing and having his imagination come to life around him. Everyone seemed to love this piece… except for my instructor. We got into a huge argument during the critique. He thought the kid’s drawings looked like fake kid drawings and not real kid drawings, and that the child was too photo-referenced. I thought he was a jackass. I was not so great with constructive criticism back then. While we butted heads a lot that semester, he definitely made me a better painter. Before his class, I would basically draw with a brush, rather than paint.

Obstructed self-portrait in oil paints

This one I did at the end of Junior year or the beginning of Senior year, I can tell because my hair is insanely long. This assignment was to paint an obstructed self-portrait. I had a bunch of ideas for this one, so I shot reference for my three favorite ideas. I ended up using this one where I’m obstructed by the canvas for the assignment, but later used one of the other photos in my Senior year portfolio class. And that one is just below.

Obstructed self-portrait, graphite and white charcoal pencil on gray canson paper

So, like I said, this was one of my other ideas for the obstructed self-portrait. I thought it was a strong image, so I definitely wanted to use it at some point. So I drew it Senior year when I was filling gaps in my portfolio. When I took the photos for this piece, digital cameras were not readily available. They may have been on the market, but they were too expensive for me to buy one. So I had to get these pictures developed at CVS, and that was the most nervous I had ever been to pick up photos. I was just waiting for the lady at the counter to say, “Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?” And now we’ll end with one I’m working on now.

Work in progress... graphite under-drawing with acrylic paint

I hadn’t done a self-portrait in a long time and I wanted to immortalize this beard I was positive I wasn’t going to keep for more than a week or two (it’s been four months now), so I decided to paint this one. I’m happy with the under-drawing.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 13

Fantasy Casting Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

The biggest downside of Disney buying Marvel is that all the studios that currently have the film rights to Marvel properties are going to continue to crank out comic book movies just so the rights don’t revert back to Marvel/Disney. One of these properties being forced into production is DAREDEVIL: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR. Fox already brought Daredevil to the screen once in 2003 with Ben Affleck as the title character. Personally, I think that film has been unfairly lumped in with some of Affleck’s other atrocious films released around the same time. DAREDEVIL was a good adaptation in the early days of comic books movies, though choosing screenwriter Mark Steven Johnson as director was a mistake. He was clearly in over his head making a film of that scale.

David Slade (HARD CANDY, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE) is already attached to direct the rebooted Daredevil, but little else is know about the direction the film will take or who might be cast. Here’s my opinion on who should play the Man Without Fear and the supporting players.

GUY PEARCE as MATT MURDOCK/DAREDEVIL

Yeah, he's 43, so what?

When Daredevil was being made into a film the first time, the two actors I thought would be perfect for this part would be Edward Norton or Guy Pearce. Now it’s eight years later, Edward Norton has already played a Marvel hero and I still maintain Guy Pearce is right for the role of Matt Murdock. Sure, he’s 43, and the studio is going to want to go with a younger actor, but Daredevil isn’t Spider-man, if you’re going to tell Daredevil’s origin story again, you don’t need a young actor. Matt Murdock wasn’t Daredevil in high school. He was blinded as a child and became Daredevil much later on. And, frankly, I don’t see Daredevil as a long term franchise anyway. Make one great movie with the right actor and take it from there. Plus, Robert Downey Jr. is two years older than Pearce and Iron Man certainly turned out alright.

MORENA BACCARIN as ELEKTRA

Morena shouldn't play the Wasp, she should play Elektra

There’s been plenty of fantasy casting for the Wasp in THE AVENGERS or ANT-MAN where Morena’s been picked for the role. I don’t see that at all. Sure, she has short hair now, but a role is more than just a hairstyle.  The olive skin, the drop dead gorgeous looks, the way she carries herself, she’s Elektra. That’s the Marvel role she should be playing. (If you haven’t seen my painting of Morena as Elektra you can see it in this post from Wednesday.)

MARTIN FREEMAN as FOGGY NELSON

Martin Freeman is the perfect best friend

For the last ten or eleven days, I knew I was going to do a Daredevil fantasy casting post, and for about the first 9 of those days, I had no clue who I was going to cast as Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock’s best friend. In the comic, Foggy’s at least a little pudgy, and every overweight actor I could think of would be an utter disaster as Foggy. Then I got to thinking about the BBC’s new SHERLOCK series, and everything fell into place. Martin Freeman’s doesn’t exactly fit the physical description, but he’s the ideal best friend. He’s the actor you want to play the guy you can always trust, the guy who will always be there for the hero, he’s the perfect everyman. He’s also good comic relief.

WALTON GOGGINS as BULLSEYE

Hawkeye? Bullseye? What's the difference?

I’m doing my best to avoid repeatedly offering the same actors’ names in these fantasy casting posts, but I’m doubling up on Walton Goggins here because he’s too damn good an actor not to. In my AVENGERS fantasy casting, I picked Goggins to play Hawkeye. Bullseye and Hawkeye are two sides of the same coin. They’re both expert marksmen. They both crack jokes while doing their jobs. The only difference is Bullseye is a psychopath. And if you’ve seen Goggins on THE SHIELD or JUSTIFIED, you know having him play a psychopath would be total genius.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 12

Five Disturbing Children’s Book Covers

Working at a library, I probably check-in or check-out 50 to 100 books in a 4-hour shift. So, yeah, I see a lot of book covers. Book covers are an art. The good ones should be celebrated, and the bad ones should be pointed out and laughed at. There are a ton of non-fiction books that have horribly unattractive covers, but those are the books you use for school projects. Those covers don’t need to sell you on buying the book or picking it up in the library. When it comes to children’s book, apparently putting incredibly phallic imagery on a book’s cover must draw readers in, because it’s not an entirely uncommon occurrence. I refuse to believe no one at the publisher looked at these covers and said, “wait a minute… doesn’t this kinda look like…?” Let’s start with one published by Scholastic featuring a beloved children’s literary character.

CLIFFORD GOES TO WASHINGTON

Clifford Does Washington

Really? No one at the publisher saw this and said, “why is Clifford giving the Washington Monument a hand job?”

BOYS IN CONTROL

In control of what?

The title is from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s Boys vs. Girls series. This series is on our town summer reading list, and it’s been fairly popular, but when I look at this cover all I can think is, “what exactly are the boys in control of? A child pornography ring?” The girl’s face is painted with make-up, the dress is falling off her shoulder, and the boy is cackling with glee while taking photos of this girl who’s clearly very uncomfortable with the situation.

THERE’S A DRAGON IN MY SLEEPING BAG

What is that in my sleeping bag again?

When I first started working at the library, I got into an argument with a co-worker about this cover. She thought it was completely innocent, I thought the dragon’s tail was beyond phallic. A third co-worker sided with me, agreeing it looked way too much like a giant green penis.

THE CLOSE SHAVE

What did you do Thomas? What did you do?!

At least what’s supposedly happening here is in the title. The green train, Duck, is getting a shave.  The thing is none of the trains have facial hair. And Duck looks awfully shocked by whatever just happened. And Thomas seems way too happy about Duck’s misfortune. I’m not too familiar with the anatomy/mechanics of an anthropomorphized tank engine, but it appears Thomas may have spooged all over Duck’s face. Whatever happened here, I’m pretty sure Sir Topham Hatt’s going to have to get Duck a lot of therapy.

THE FLY GUY SERIES

"Up in the sky! Its a bird! Its A plane! Its a... eww... what is that?"

If you put a picture of Fly Guy in between picture of an actual fly and a picture of some dude’s dong, Fly Guy is guaranteed to resemble the latter more than the former. I do not know how a children’s book series gets green-lit when the main character is basically a flying penis, but it happened.

They say crazy people don’t know they’re crazy, I’m a little worried this Blog-A-Day Challenge has taken away my last bit of sanity. If it has, the proof is this post.

Blog-A-Day Challenge Day 11