Leonardo Bedtime Sketch (04-05-2011)

The wife and I had to make an unplanned trip to the hospital yesterday to check on the baby, which is never fun. To pass the time, I pulled out the sketchbook. This time it's Leo, and like the Donatello from last week, I finished it while laying in bed watching Conan.

I really like sketching this way. Too often I get wound up about having to draw in the "right" atmosphere. All that does is create opportunities to not draw. Approaching it casually means there's no stress to make a perfect drawing. It's just a fun time scribbling. Whatever happens on the page, good or bad, is ok.

Speaking of ok, the baby checked out great. All is good, and she's on track to arrive next month (yikes)!

Update: I've had to removed this drawing from the blog for now.

Donatello Bedtime Sketch (03-29-2011)

With the baby just 7 weeks away, the wife and I have been doing all the first-time parent stuff, including the Lamaze classes (which are full of some great - and scary - info). I take notes in my sketchbook during class, and try to sneak some sketching in when possible. I started this one the other night, but didn't get too far, so decided to finish it up this while laying in bed last night. The bedroom was dim, so I didn't worry too much about what I was laying down; just pulled out a few pens and had some fun.
Update: Well, this is bananas. This just made it onto Bleeding Cool (with a somewhat questionable headline).
Update 2: I've had to removed this drawing from the blog for now.

Raphael Sketches

A couple of Raph sketches from my sketchbook; the first one was done on my train ride in to Burbank. I used to get frustrated at sketching on the train because I couldn't be precise with my lines, but I've come to really appreciate the bouncy ride. It forces me to stay loose, and I've found that some of my favorite quick sketches come from my morning commute. The second Raph sketch was done for Rutger's huge TMNT autograph collection, which you can learn more about here.

Krang Remix

Finally found a little time recently to color the TMNT Krang drawing I inked months ago. Unfortunately, when I sat down to work on it, I discovered that I kind of hated it. Not sure what was bugging me about it (aside from the perspective problems), but the design didn't feel right, so I scrapped it. Here are a few sketches from the remix.

Sharp Pointy Things!

A couple more doodles from this week; Wolverine and a Cylon Centurion show off what they're workin' with. The awesomeness of Battlestar Galactica not withstanding, my money's on Wolvie.

Morning Train Sketches

A few sketches from my train rides in to work the past couple of mornings. I want to put my own spin on Krang, but without totally abandoning the campy 80's design. They're quick and dirty, just laying lines down in search of the right shapes.

Filo Train Sketches

A few quick sketches I did on the train ride to the studio this morning. Nothing fancy to look at; most are pretty raw, actually. I'm just trying to nail down the head shape for a character my brother created years ago. I've been pressuring him to tighten up the story he wrote for this lil' guy, because I'm itching to draw another comic. Anyway, none of these are exactly what I'm looking for, but there are a couple in there that evoke something I like.



Incidentally, this is what he looked like when I first drew him in 2004.

Bebop (Part I)

Here are two passes for my Bebop print: the initial Cintiq sketch and the final (pre-ink) Col-erase drawing. Not pictured are the other dozen or so drawings that it took me to get from point A to point B. I often re-draw the same thing over and over, tweaking one thing at a time until I like what I've come up with. Sometimes I can work things out in a couple of drawings, other times it takes a few more. Inevitably, there's always some sort of spark or energy I like in the initial rough which ends up getting lost in the translation, but I've learned to deal with it. There's also a photo of a practice page I used to try out a few different pens. For years I've cleaned up my drawings using a 4B pencil, but lately I've been getting back into using ink. In addition to my trusty Kuretake and Pentel Pocket Brush (the "Master Swords" of inking utensils), I tried out several new Japanese pens I picked up recently, including a Zebra, a Pilot Pocket Brush, and a disposable Kuratake. Some I dig, others not so much, but I had fun trying them out and hopefully I can find some time this week to ink the drawing for real. Ok, Conan's first Tonight Show starts right now, so thanks for looking. I'm out.

Bebop. Splinter. Bebop. Magneto?

♫♪♫ One of these things is not like the other ones, not like the other ones... Hey'a. A few random quick sketches from the train and whatnot. That is all for this transmission.

Hard 8 is coming.

Hard 8 is coming. We've got an anthology in the works that'll debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2006. I'm proud to be working on this with a bunch of talented friends including Eric Gonzalez, Eren Blanquet, Garrett Shikuma, and many more. These are some of my sketches for my pages; Check out the Hard 8 Comic Blog for our production diary of the book and art from the entire crew!