Daily Sketch 011- ARIEL, from GREEN WAKE

Hello again ! First off, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has given positive feedback on the daily sketches. I've really been enjoying doing them, and feel like I'm definitely growing as an artist by trying some new and different things.

Speaking of new things, I certainly did something a little different today. Today's subject is ARIEL, from Kurtis J Wiebe and Riley Rossmo's haunting and heartbreaking Image Comics series, GREEN WAKE. I decided to experiment with some color again. I used a slightly different watercolor technique, creating washes with different colored Bombay India inks. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out and I think it definitely conveys the type of mood and tone I was looking for. I really would like to try some proper watercolors eventually, so once i get a nice st of paints we'll see how that goes. Thanks for stopping by !

ARIEL
6x9, brush pen and watercolor on bristol
30 minutes

Daily Sketch 010- WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE

The late night sketch edition ! Tonight we have Ben Templesmith's WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE !

6X9, brush pens on bristol

Daily Sketch 009- OLIGNOSTIC

Hi guys. Had a little trouble coming up with a theme for today, and I really needed to do a quick one. I went with an Olignostic, from Monocyte, since the book is still fresh on my mind. Thanks for checking it out !

OLIGNOSTIC
6x9, brush pen & white gel pen on bristol

10 minutes

Daily Sketch 008- SVEN THE IMMORTAL

Today's Daily Sketch subject is SVEN THE IMMORTAL, from Brian Wood's Vertigo Comics viking epic, Northlanders. I've been trying to catch up and finish reading this series, and Sven has been my favorite character in the book so far. If you dig vikings, go check this series out !

SVEN THE IMMORTAL
6x9, brush pens on bristol

15 minutes

Daily Sketch 007- MONOCYTE

In honor of today's release of the fourth and final issue of the series, today I chose MONOCYTE. Monocyte is a mini-series from IDW publishing, created by menton3 and Kasra Ghanbari. This series has been a real inspiration to me as an artist. The first time I saw concept images for this book last summer they took my breath away and I knew it was going to be something special and followed it ever since. The fact that 2 Chicago guys can get together and publish their dream project and make it just an absolutely amazing work of art is very inspiring, and I can't wait to see what Kasra & Menton have planned for the future. Go to your local comic shop and grab #4 (and 1-3 if they have them) today, and make sure to preorder the oversized hardcover collected edition that's coming out later this summer !

MONOCYTE
6x9, brush pen on bristol
15 minutes

Daily Sketch 006- MATTY ROTH

Hey there, hope everyone had a great weekend ! I took a day off from the daily sketch routine to spend some quality time with my family for the holiday, but we're back today. Today's subject is MATTY ROTH from Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli's epic Vertigo series, DMZ. If you haven't read it, do yourself a favor and go check it out !

MATTY ROTH
6x9, brush pens on bristol
20 minutes

Daily Sketch 005- TETSUO SHIMA

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far ! Here's todays Daily Sketch entry, TETSUO SHIMA, from Katsuhiro Ootomo's masterwork AKIRA. I really like how this one turned out. Thanks for checking it out, and see you tomorrow !

TETSUO SHIMA
6x9, brush pens on bristol
15 minutes

Daily Sketch 004- HELLBOY

Hey, 4 in a row ! Another quick sketch on my lunch break today, Mike Mignola's HELLBOY !

HELLBOY
6x9, brush pen on bristol
15 minutes

Daily Sketch 003- JOHN PROPHET

Ok, here's number 3 in the daily sketch series, JOHN PROPHET ! Really had to rush this one (did it on my lunch break) do I'm not entirely thrilled with it, but hey it's something, right ?

JOHN PROPHET
6x9, brush pen, multiliner & Copic marker on bristol

Daily Sketch 002- PRINCE ROBOT IV

Hey guys, it's day 2 of the daily sketch routine. I'm on a roll ! Today's subject is Prince Robot IV, one of my favorite characters from Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples' amazing series, SAGA ! Once again, I'm not spending a lot of time on these or trying to create a masterpiece, just fast & loose. Back for another round tomorrow !

PRINCE ROBOT IV
6x9, brush pen & Copic sketch markers on bristol
15 minutes

Daily Sketch 001: JOE THE BARBARIAN

I've made a little bit of a breakthrough art wise the past few days. Things are definitely looking better. I've decided to start a daily sketch routine to keep myself on my toes and get myself to draw at least something small every day. Gonna keep these small, loose and quick.

The first one here is Grant Morrison's JOE THE BARBARIAN. I just finished reading that book today and it's fantastic. This took about 10 minutes or so. Tune in tomorrow for the next one !

JOE THE BARBARIAN
6x9, brush pen on bristol

TRYING TO FIND IT

So over the last month or so I've really been struggling creatively. Every time I sit down at my drawing table it's like I just forgot how to draw. I know artists block is something every artist goes through, but in this case it's lasted long enough that it's really starting to bother me. A while back I did some work for a 3 page backup story in an independent comic. I was really happy with how it came out and felt I was really on to something. And then for some reason the wheels just fell off.

I'm most definitely a perfectionist when it comes to my own art. If it doesn't come out exactly the way I pictured it in my head I get frustrated and I'll never be happy with it. That's happening every time I draw lately. I'm trying to do some design work for a comics project that's going to eventually made public. It's a lot of stuff to design, but the project is something I'm really excited about. I'm working with an awesome writer and we have a really unique concept that I think people will really dig. But in the midst of doing the design work nothing has been coming out right and it's all ended up in the trash. So decided to take a break from designing and work on a couple pieces featuring my character, THE KING.

They turned out great, in my opinion anyway. I thought I had made a breakthrough and was really ready to take this comics project head on. And then I sat down to work on some designs and it's just not working. My pencils are erratic. My inking looks amateurish. My composition and anatomy and layouts are all over the place.

At this point I've decided that I've been putting too much pressure on myself. I honestly want this project to be the best thing anyone's ever seen, but I realized that I have to enjoy it just as much as anyone else does. So I've decided that I'm going to try some new things stylistically. I AM going to find something that works, and I AM going to make it something that I enjoy doing. Instead of trying to emulate something I'm really going to make a stronger effort to define myself as an artist. I think this project is something that could turn some heads for myself and my collaborator, and I want to make it fun and unique and interesting and amazeballs and awesome sauce and whatever term you want to use to describe it.

So I'm going to make some changes. I'm going to play with my style. I'm going to make it fun again and not dread sitting at the table to draw. Things will definitely look a little different, but I can guarantee you that it will be fun and unique and interesting.

Also, my wife Liz and I are having another baby in less than a month. I couldn't be more excited about it and obviously family comes above everything, so this project may be coming a little later than we originally planned but you can bet your ass that it IS coming and it will, to quote my awesome partner B Alan Hubbard, "melt faces AND cashew butter". I promise we will live up to that !

Thanks for bearing with me during my little venting here. And what would an art blog post be without some art, eh ? EH ?! So here's the 2 THE KING pieces I did a couple weeks ago. I may eventually do some prints of these, but we'll see what happens.

Thanks for reading !
RJW

MORE NEWS AND MORE ART

Hey guys, here's some more news on upcoming projects and some more new art from the last few weeks !

DEAR DINOSAUR

I'm pleased to tell you that I will be doing a pinup that will be featured in the upcoming print edition of Ryan Schrodt's hilarious webcomic, DEAR DINOSAUR ! Ryan has been running a Kickstarter campaign to fund the book, and it's already been 100% funded ! there is still time to contribute and get yourself a copy of the book, and you can do so by clicking here !

STICK CITY

The Stick City crowdfunding project is still live, and we need contributions ! This 3 page backup story will be my first published comic work, so it is very important to me that people know about it and contribute to the funding of the book. Brennan has added some awesome new rewards for the second half of the drive, so PLEASE check them out and make a contribution HERE !!!

CHEMO GIRL COMMISION

Here's a character design commission I did for a girl named Virginia. Virginia is a cancer survivor, and her battle has inspired her to write a comic about a cancer fighting teenage superhero ! I'm very happy to have had a part in the creation of this character. Chemo Girl is something that is obviously close to Virginia's heart, and I can't wait to see what she does with the story !

CHEMO GIRL
11x14, ink on bristol
Logo treatment done in Manga Studio

LUTHER STRODE

LUTHER STRODE, for the Challengers ASSEMBLE! art blog.
11x17, ink on Strathmore comic art board



TRANSMETROPOLITAN

TRANSMETROPOLITAN, for MOEBIUS tribute week on Challengers ASSEMBLE!
8.5x11 ink on bristol


MONOCYTE

MONOCYTE, personal work, 2011
11x17 ink on Strathmore comic art board


MODOK INKS

Finally, here's a quality scan of the David Finch M.O.D.O.K. piece that I inked a while back. Once again I'm really happy with the way this turned out.


That's about it for now. I'll be back here soon with more stuff !

Thanks for reading !

NEW ART AND NEW NEWS !!!

Hi there folks ! I know it's been a bit since I've posted, but things have been pretty busy lately. Anyway, I've got a lot to catch you up on, so here goes :

STICK CITY

First off, I am very happy to announce that I will have a 3 page backup story in STICK CITY #Pi: First Slice, the first issue of a seven issue mini series by Brennan Neil, available June 13th ! This is a really cool book with an awesome concept. Brennan has been working his tail off on putting the book together and trying to spread the word about it. He recently launched a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo, which is an international version of Kickstarter. This campaign is a great way to pre-order the book and make sure you don't miss out on it ! If he gets enough funds, he will be able to reach a much wider audience and get the books in a lot more comic shops. So head over to Indiegogo and help fund both of our budding comics careers !

NEW ART

So with working on the Stick City pages and also some other top secret stuff, the only other art I've had time to do is my weekly pieces for the Challengers ASSEMBLE !  art blog. Here's the last 3 weeks worth of posts I did, and as always, make sure you check out all the other great art on the blog !

Week 9- Your least favorite comic book character- WARLOCK

8.5 x11, brush, yellow & black India ink on Strathmore smooth bristol


 Week 10- March M.O.D.O.K. Madness

8.5x11 brush pen on Strathmore smooth bristol


Week 11- Batman: Year One

8.5x11 brush pen on Strathmore smooth bristol


That's all I've got for now, folks ! Make sure to pre-order Stick City !

Thanks for reading !

GALACTUS, DEVOURER OF WORLDS

Hey everyone ! Here's a piece I did for week 8 of the Challengers ASSEMBLE! sketch blog. The theme was obviously Galactus, and I'm really pleased with how this came out. I've include a scan of my original pencil work here as well because I really am happy with my work on it. Make sure you head on over to the blog and check out all the other great artists who contributed this week.

Thanks for reading !

STAR WARS - Boba Fett sketch

Here's a quick Boba Fett sketch I did this afternoon. My son and I were just sitting around watching RETURN OF THE JEDI, and I decided to just do some sketching. I've been meaning to do some Star Wars art for a while, so you might see more of this type of thing. This is just a quick 15 minute sketch, but hoping to do some nice finished pieces to post here.

Thanks for reading !


BOBA FETT
8.5x11, brush pen, Copic sketch markers and white gel pen on Strathmore smooth bristol

Challengers ASSEMBLE ! - Week 5 - Image Comics

Last week's sketch blog theme was Image Comics. There's obviously quite a bit of material to choose from in Image's 20 year history, but it was an easy choice for me.

THE NIGHTLY NEWS by Jonathan Hickman is my all-time favorite series from Image. I first read this book about a year ago, and I've probably read it 5 times since. It's honestly like nothing I've ever read. Hickman is really a comic making genius, telling a great story with a phenomenal sense of design that is truly unique. I've since read all of his other Image work, including PAX ROMANA, A RED MASS FOR MARS, TRANSHUMAN, and THE RED WING, and I can honestly tell you that Hickman is now my favorite writer currently working in comics.

Reading these books over the last year or so has really changed the way I look at making comics. To me they show that you don't have to follow the "rules" to make an incredible piece of work, and they've opened my eyes to a lot of different things process & storytelling wise.

Ok, I'm done ranting now. Make sure you buy this book, and if you can, pick up the new oversized hardcover edition. It's definitely worth it. And please, head on over to Challengers ASSEMBLE! and check out all the amazing art there !

Thanks for reading !


THE NIGHTLY NEWS
8.5 x11 Copic Multiliner & Copic Sketch Marker on Strathmore smooth bristol

Challengers ASSEMBLE ! Week 4 - Panel Re-Creation - Process

So last weeks theme on the sketch blog was panel recreation. We had to choose a panel (or panels, in my case) from a comic we read the previous week and re-create/reinterpret it. I happened to be reading NORTHLANDERS Vol 1 - Sven the Returned, by one of my favorite writers, Brian Wood, and amazing artist Davide Gianfelice. The particular page I chose was from issue #6, page 5. I decided to this blog post to show my process from beginning to end of the piece. Here goes :


PREPARATION

 I start by by getting my workspace (aka coffee table) and materials together. I have my source material, a sheet of 8.5x11 Strathmore smooth bristol, my pen/pencil case loaded with numerous weapons, a small plastic t-square, circle templates, and of course way too much caffeine.

The first thing I do on the board is take my t-square and rule out my working area with a 2mm pencil. For this particular piece I'm doing basically a comic page, so at this point I also rule out my panel borders. Since I'm doing some hand lettering as well, I also use my circle templates to place word balloons so I know where I have to work around them.


PENCILS

After everything is ruled out and set to go, I go directly into penciling. I typically use 2 pencils for this process, .7mm and .4mm Pentel Graphlet drafting pencils. I really like the grip and the sturdy feel of these pencils, and they're small enough to give me good, tight lines. For a lot of the pieces I've been doing recently, I basically do a pretty rough sketch and then add most of the detail in the inking process. For this piece however, there is quite a bit of detail involved, so I decided to do tighter pencils to help avoid mistakes when inking. Here's a few detailed shots of the penciling process :

And here's how the full page looks after the penciling is complete :

LETTERING

One thing is for sure, lettering is not my thing. My handwriting is not the worst in the world, but it's pretty dreadful. Anyway, I just used a small ruler to measure everything out, and then the .4mm pencil the write in the words. The only thing I'm unhappy with in this piece is the lettering.


INKING

The first thing I do in the inking process is ink the page & panels borders, and also the word balloons and dialog boxes. For this I used a .5mm Copic Multiliner SP. I love these pens, and I'll use them a lot for fine and technical lines in a lot of my work. I also used these to ink the lettering on the page.

After that, it's in to inking the body of the piece. In this case, I worked from panel to panel, left to right & top to bottom. My favorite tool for inking is the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen.  I love this thing. It makes great lines, the brush tip never loses shape, and best of all it's refillable ! I also use various sizes of Kuretake disposbale brush pens when i want to work in some smaller detail. All of these are filled with permanent, archival quality india ink.



I usually start each panel by outlining all the black areas that need to be filled in :

And then add some detail :

And then fill in all my black shaded areas :

When all the ink is on the page, I go over the entire page with a white rubber eraser to eliminate all traces of the penciling that I worked so freaking hard on :( Then, at last we have our :


FINAL PIECE

I'm really happy with the way this turned out. I really enjoy this series, and I wanted to make sure I did Gianfelice's art justice. In my eyes, I was able to pull that off.



Make sure you head over to Challengers ASSEMBLE! to check out all the great artwork that's been posted there so far. I've really enjoyed doing this for the first month so far. It's helping me be more creative with my art, and I've been able to draw things that I wouldn't necessarily do on my own. This weeks theme is Image Comics, and the new art will be posted on Friday. For my piece I've chosen my favorite Image series of all time, which is...... a surprise ! Well, until tomorrow anyway.

I hoped you enjoyed this look into my process. If you have any questions, comments, critiques or suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comments section below this post,

Thanks for reading !