OFF THE DRAWING BOARD

I'm a Papa!

2009-07-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

Julia Morgan Jones, born late Saturday night, June 27th 2009, to Papa Jones and Mama Vendetti.

Comic-Con '08 was crazy, exhausting, and lots of fun.

2008-08-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con I met tons of new people, made a few new friends, caught up with old friends, and talked collaboration with a few more.

COMIC BOOK TATTOO got a lot of attention at the con, as did Tori Amos’ presence there. I felt the show as a whole was extremely well organized, and even with all the big media movie studio turnout, there seemed to be a proportionately larger comic book publishing presence this year. But I can no longer just call this thing a convention, it is now more of a festival that takes over the whole city. A pop-culture Burning Man?

There were long lines at the convention center everywhere.

Luckily just about the only line I stood in all week was to get a cup of coffee (about 30 minutes).

CBT Editor Rantz Hoseley (this guy is awesome!), with Tori fan Michele Santiago, showing off the Limited Edition book and print.

CBT cover artist Jason Levesque at the Image Comics booth Friday, when books were selling as fast as we could sign them and take people’s money.

The Saturday Comic Book Tattoo panel was a really fun experience. There were several hundred in attendance and the hour flew by quickly. From left to right: Kelly Sue DeConnick, Ted McKeever, Elizabeth Genco, Tori Amos, Rantz Hoseley, and David Mack. Yes that me in the red shirt in the front row.

We sold out of books Saturday after having them for only about 24 hours. Fortunately people who’d already bought the book kept coming back to get their copy signed by the various creators who cycled through the Image booth every hour or so.

Me and Tori with writer Jon Tsuei at the con on Saturday. What a day that was: panels, parties, signings, celebrities, good conversations, and plenty of Long Island Ice Teas by the end of it.

Some of the CBT crew and me at the Image booth Sunday. I was worn out by then, but in a good way.

The book should be in stores everywhere. So check it out.

Also original art for sale from my CBT story can be found here.

COMIC BOOK TATTOO in stores today and I’m off to Comic-Con!

2008-07-23T03:31:00.000-07:00

That’s right, the massive Tori Amos inspired anthology COMIC BOOK TATTOO arrives in comic book stores today (and music and book stores soon to follow).

It will also be debuting at San Diego’s now sold-out Comic-Con International (sorry, but 125,000 people is the limit!) where I’ll be signing copies of the book at the giant Image Comics booth (Booth #2729) on Friday from 1:00-2:00pm and Sunday from 2:00-3:00pm.

I will also be attending the Tori Amos/CBT Spotlight panel in Room 6B on Saturday from 11:30-12:30pm where you can see Tori herself, editor Rantz Hoseley, and some of the book’s creators talk about how the book came to be. Get there early, as seating is limited.

If you wish to meet Tori and have the book signed by her at the convention, you will have to be one of 200 people to purchase the book at the Image booth and receive a ticket to her signing upstairs in the Sails Pavilion at Autograph Area Two (AA2) on Saturday from 2:00-4:00pm. Twenty tickets will be given away with purchase on Wednesday evening, 75 on Thursday, another 75 on Friday, and the remaining 30 on Saturday. You’ll have to show up to the Image booth early to get a ticket (doors open at 6pm on Wednesday for Preview Night, and at 9:30am the rest of the days). Good luck!

Also, next week I will begin selling original black & white line art from my story Little Amsterdam in my Comic Space Gallery . You will be able to make purchases by Paypal or credit card. In the meantime you can check out a few of the pieces, like this one:

A recent interview with Tori can be found here,in which she talks about Comic Book Tattoo:

Every single piece had a uniqueness to it. I found that some of the stories shocked me… I was surprised at the heartache that some of these stories brought up in me when the song originally hadn't meant that to me.

And briefly mentions her thoughts on my story:

I was intrigued by the characters that come alive and who the mother is in the story…She's a working girl. She's a Southern white-trash hooker. It's a parallel universe.

And finally, here’s another sample page of Little Amsterdam:

(click images to enlarge)

COMIC BOOK TATTOO in stores in one month!

2008-06-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

The release of Tori Amos’ COMIC BOOK TATTOO is one month away, as it will debut at San Diego’s Comic-Con International and be available at a bookstore near you on July 23rd.

It'll be big, it'll be in hard and softcover, and it'll be published by Image Comics.

Check back soon for more news about events that will coincide with it’s release.

In the meantime here’s another page from my story Little Amsterdam:

(click image to enlarge)

Tori Amos’ COMIC BOOK TATTOO

2008-05-08T16:48:00.001-07:00

I wrote, drew, lettered and colored a story for the Tori Amos tribute book COMIC BOOK TATTOO, and it's one of my favorite things I've ever done.

What is COMIC BOOK TATTOO?

It's a 12 x 12 inch (record sized) 480 page full color coffee table art book, to be printed in three formats: Softcover, Hardcover, and a special Hardcover limited to 1,000 copies, signed by Tori and featuring some fun extras to be announced.

COMIC BOOK TATTOO will feature over 50 stories by more than eighty comic book creators spanning every style and genre in the medium, with an introduction by Neil Gaiman. Each story will be inspired by one of Tori's songs.

The song I chose was LITTLE AMSTERDAM from her album BOYS FOR PELE. Here's a sample page:

(click image to enlarge)

The limited edition hardcover can be pre-ordered through Amazon.com by clicking here (the page also features a complete creator list). The regular Soft and Hardcover editions will be in book, music, and comic stores everywhere this July (with a huge print run, so you shouldn't have a hard time finding a copy), and will debut at Comic-con International in San Diego this summer.

I'll be showing some more sample art soon, so keep checking back.

The SE7EN hardcover collection is in stores

2007-12-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Purchase it here or at a book store near you.

Wonder Woman benefit art

2007-10-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

October 28th is Wonder Woman Day, which also happens to be the day that Portland's Excalibur Comics is hosting a benefit auction of Wonder Woman art to support two domestic violence shelters and a crisis hotline.

Special guest signings at the store will include Wonder Woman comic book writer Gail Simone and artist Phil Jimenez.

Artists who have created Wonder Woman portraits for the auction include Adam Hughes, Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Alex Ross, John Byrne, Craig Rousseau, Guy Davis, Phil Hester, Steve Rude, Michael T. Gilbert, and myself.

Here's my piece:

You can bid on my art, or the work of dozens of other artists, for a good cause by visiting this webpage. Or if your in the Portland Oregon area, stop by Excalibur Comics at 2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd from 2pm to 6pm and see the artwork in person, meet some of the artists (including me) and maybe walk away with a door prize and a piece of original Wonder Woman art.

Back-To-School Zombies

2007-09-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not a hundred percent sure I understand the idea behind this one, but I like the results. Last week Tak Toyoshima, the Art Director for Boston's Weekly Dig, asked me to do, well...what you see below. He was nice enough to provide, as usual, an excellent sketch to get the ball rolling. This is, I believe, my fourth cover for The Dig, but the first one to be printed on their new slick cover stock.

My artwork:

Tak's sketch:

The finished cover, with some nice tweaking by Tak:

The issue hit the news racks today in the Boston area, and will be around until next Tuesday or so.

Chicago comic-con and some reviews of what I'm reading now

2007-08-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of me with David Mack and David Seidman signing copies of SE7EN: ENVY at the Zenescope booth during the Wizard World Chicago convention last weekend. Thanks to everyone who visited us and supported the issue's premier.

One of the most common questions I was asked at the Chicago convention was what comic books do I read regularly. A couple years ago, I probably would have answered that I rarely buy ongoing monthly comics, but instead tend to collect the work of cartoonists (writer/artists) who only put out an issue of their comic every year or so. But after a decade of finding little interest in ongoing monthly comics, I’ve become hooked on a few that keep me involved over multiple issues with no end in sight.

I equate a good ongoing, regularly published, comic series with some of the best - and most addictive - TV shows I watch. Television is also something I’ve recently returned to after more than a decade of ignoring it. But for me I’ve found, in the last couple years, that most movies rarely deserve to run longer than an hour, and few can hold together a decent third act, while TV shows, like serialized comic stories, are pretty much all second act. They need to end eventually or they'll wind up sucking, but there are some that can stretch that second act pretty far without losing my attention.

However, I don’t watch TV shows an episode at a time, but in big season-long chunks on DVD. Similarly I rarely read individual comic issues anymore, but very much enjoy the collections. Here are a few that I’ve been enjoying:

Y, THE LAST MAN by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
(DC/Vertigo – So far I’ve read 48 issues collected into eight volumes)

For me Brian Vaughan is the comic writer of the moment. He writes comics that read like good serialized television, which is the way I think ongoing comics series should read. It's no wonder this guy is now story editor on the TV show Lost. That's why he's writing two of my favorite series of the last few years. In fact I'd have included Vaughan's Runaways on this list as well, except I have a soft spot for Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz's original New Mutants and can't stand to see that series upstaged. Won't admit that is has been upstaged, I mean. There seems to be so many ways that a story about the last man on earth could go, but the path Y has taken is far beyond anything I would have imagined. It's a brutally hilarious dark comedy that touches on most everything about human nature. A stunning achievement in writing, brought to life by the simple, understated artwork of Pia Guerra, who I'm so totally jealous of right now.

B.P.R.D. by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Guy Davis
(Dark Horse – So far I’ve read approximately 26 issues collected in six volumes)

I'm a Hellboy fan mostly because I love (LOVE!) Mike Mignola's art. He can draw space raccoons or mutant thumbs, it doesn't matter, I'll buy it. But when Hellboy is being drawn by some other artist, I rarely have any interest in the character. Similarly I had a hard time getting into the early B.P.R.D. collections because Mike wasn't drawing them. But once Guy Davis took over the art chores with the third volume Plague of Frogs, I was hooked. And the subsequent three volumes, The Dead, The Black Flame, and The Universal Machine just keep getting better as they add to the ongoing storyline. It’s kind of weird because the first Hellboy collection Seed of Destruction was essentially a team book, and then bit-by-bit it became a solo series. So it’s nice to see it come full circle (even without the red guy) and do so successfully. I can honestly say I enjoy B.P.R.D. as much or more than I ever did the Mignola drawn Hellboy comics, and that's saying a hell of a lot.

EX MACHINA by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris
(DC/Wildstorm – So far I’ve read 27 issues collected in five volumes)

Hmmm, politics. Not my favorite subject in or out of comics. Politics in America remind me of commercial sports: you pick your team, stick with them no matter how much they suck, and ultimately, when the flag waving and the insults die down, it’s all the same stupid ballgame. Well, that's just boring. Ex Machina, however is not. I think I first picked up this book because Tony Harris was drawing it, but after a few issues I was hooked by the unparalleled ability of Brian Vaughn to write such sharp witty dialogue that cuts through the political bullshit and shows what it might actually be like to juggle the multiple responsibilities asked of a young New York City mayor.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
(DC – So far I’ve read six issues collected in one volume)

Grant Morrison has more or less been my consistently favorite comic book writer for about twenty years, beginning with his early run on Animal Man and The Doom Patrol in the late 1980's. Sure, there are other writers, such as Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, who've received more accolades and more press, but neither of them alone or combined can match the staggering wealth of good stories that Morrison has written, which span all genres and he may have invented a couple along the way. I first became aware of Frank Quitely's amazing storytelling talents in JLA: Earth 2 (also written by Morrison), and was stunned by some of the fantastic visual choices he made in We3 (also written by Morrison). But even combining their talents again, I never thought these two would get me to read and enjoy a Superman series (what am I, ten years old?). Well, I was wrong. This series takes all the absurdity of the Superman universe and makes it so incredibly, awesomely, fantastically fun that it's impossible to put down.

THE WALKING DEAD by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard
(Image Comics – So far I’ve read 24 issues collected in four volumes)

Zombies again? Yeah, this has been done over and over and over and over, but somehow this time it seems different. I think this is the movie-versus-television thing. The Walking Dead works because once it starts it keeps going and going and going. There is no end. And that's what makes it scary. There’s no neatly wrapped third act. You know the still-living characters aren't going to win. The question is, how long can they hold out? I’m willing to find out.

DAREDEVIL by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark
(Marvel – So far I’ve read 93 issues collected in fifteen volumes)

I've never cared much for the character Matt Murdock or his alter ego Daredevil. Maybe it's because the guy is just bad luck incarnate and it makes me want to keep my distance. In any case, his only good fortune seems to be attracting excellent writers and artists to tell his story. Yeah, I really liked the Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli run on Daredevil back in the '80s, but I've got to say that with Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada's revamp of the series in 1998 (and continuing in the hands of David Mack, Brian Bendis, and Alex Maleev) I've become a true fan of Daredevil’s ongoing drama. It’s rare to see a superhero book from a major company where the character (and his situation) is constantly evolving, and by-golly this book definitely is. Which leads to the current team of Brubaker and Lark. At close to a hundred issues, this book is pushing it’s luck with me, and so with the new creative team I wasn’t expecting the quality of the colossal Bendis/Maleev run, but so far, after two collections, they’ve kept their heads above water. Looking forward to a third.

ASTONISHING X-MEN by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
(Marvel - So far I've read 18 issues collected into three volumes)

Okay, so I was a huge X-Men fan in my teen years. I had every issue of every series that had even a slight connection to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (Power Pack, anyone?). It was the geek soap opera supreme. But nearly 20 years later I find it hard to understand just what I loved so much about those old issues aside from the overall addictive nature of their overwhelming complexity. When the X-Men movies came out (I liked the second one a lot), many of my friends having seen the movie, who new I used to be an X-freak, asked me what comics they should pick up that would continue the stories told in the films. I didn't have an answer. X-Men has no set beginning. None that most would want to read anyway. What makes it so appealing to the Marvel Zombie insider is also what has alienated it from the rest of the world. That is until Astonishing came along. I can happily hand the first collection to anyone and in all confidence say, if you liked the movies, here's something you'll enjoy. No overly-complex back-story to wade through. Just cool characters like Wolverine, saying cool lines like "I'm not doing anything that doesn't have the word beer in it" drawn in a clean realistic style that doesn't alienate the casual reader, and allows old-timers like me to re-live the glory days without having to actually, you know, read all those issues.

SE7EN: ENVY to debut at Chicago comic convention

2007-08-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

It's official.

SE7EN: ENVY will be released in time for the Wizard World Chicago comic convention next weekend, where I will be signing copies at the Zenescope booth (#124) along with writer David Mack and cover artist/designer David Seidman.

SIGNING SCHEDULE:

Saturday, August 11th

1pm – 2pm
David Mack, Writer SE7EN, Kabuki, Daredevil
Leif Jones, Artist for SE7EN, Robotika, Aliens
David Seidman, Artist for SE7EN

4pm – 5pm
Leif Jones, Artist for SE7EN, Robotika, Aliens
David Seidman, Artist for SE7EN

Sunday, August 12th

Noon – 1pm
Leif Jones, Artist for SE7EN, Robotika, Aliens
David Seidman, Artist for SE7EN

2007 illustration round up (the first half)

2007-07-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

While doing the art for SE7EN: ENVY took up a good chunk of early 2007, I did squeeze in a few illustration assignments. Below you'll find some samples:

Three of the character templates I did for Monte Cooke's World of Darkness game.

A few of my latest illustrations for the card game Vampire: the Eternal Struggle.

click images to enlarge

And a small sampling of designs I did for an upcoming fantasy board game. I did over a hundred illustrations for this, so there will be much more to share in the future.

I'm off to the San Diego Comic-con this week and should have some fun stories and pictures to share (and hopefully a couple surprises), when I return.

Unfortunately SEVEN: ENVY has been delayed, so I won't be promoting it at San Diego as I'd expected to. Check back soon to find out when the release date for the book will be.

SE7EN: Anatomy of a Panel (episode two)

2007-05-23T00:46:00.000-07:00

Page twenty of SEVEN: ENVY was essentially six panels of a static image, with a couple changing foreground elements. So I put a lot of time into making that one image look nice.

For the apartment intercom, I started off with what is a rather boring line drawing; a framework, really, for the detail and texture that I would fill it with.

I created a bunch of cut out slips of paper, with names in various handwritten and typed styles, to give some personality to the other tenants of the building. Tenants we'd never see, but who would hopefully feel real through the limited amount of information I was able to convey in this panel.

I added layers of splatter texture to make the whole thing look old, grimy, and used. Then lots of color, shadows, and highlights to bring it to life:

(click images to enlarge them)

Here's a close up look at the final background:

Next I drew the gloved hand of John Doe pressing the intercom button for the Mills' apartment. I added various layers of texture to the glove, including one scanned from an old leather-bound book, and threw in a subtle layer of red - as if blood had been quickly, but carelessly, scrubbed from it (the Pride victim?).

I dropped the finished gloved hand over the background and added some shadow:

Then I drew in ink a close up profile of John Doe's face speaking into the intercom, scanned it, added an old paper texture for the skin, and colored it:

Three drawings combined to make six panels, with some added dialogue and sound effects.

Here's the final page:

SE7EN: Anatomy of a Panel (episode one)

2007-04-20T05:54:00.000-07:00

Cartoonist Jesse Hamm recently wrote a brilliant LiveJournal post regarding why comic book writers shouldn’t, if at all possible, tell the artists what to draw. The main rebuttal to which seems to be that many comic book illustrators are incapable of telling a story visually. This to me raises the question “who is hiring these people and why?”

Thankfully, I was rarely given any specific panel descriptions by David Mack in his script for SE7EN: ENVY. Most often there was just a simple sequence of actions performed by the character John Doe, and I had to visually match it however best I could to Mack's superb narration.

After reading the script through a couple times and taking some notes, I laid out the pages as small pencil sketches, marking the possible placement of text in red pen. After sending the page layouts to Mack, we worked on the details over the phone, making sure we were in agreement about how the story would be told, and the mood it should convey.

The following is a step-by-step of how I created the dominant panel of page four: (click images to enlarge them)

Using my original thumbnail sketch as a guide, I drew the basic drawing in ink (using Sakura's Pigma MICRON pens on cheap printer paper) and scanned it to Adobe Photoshop at 600dpi.

I then added a flat layer of bright color and a mid-gray layer of shading to the line art.

During the making of SE7EN: ENVY, I created a few dozen hand made paper & ink "textures" using brushes, sponges, sandpaper, woodblocks, and whatever else was on hand. In order to the give the book the dark and gritty feel of the movie, I then combined the textures with the artwork as low opacity Photoshop layers.

I decided to make the background red (I don't plan ahead with color or even give it much thought while I'm doing it), then combined it with the line art , adding in the texture, gray shading and colors.

So far, everything had been flat shades of color, grays, and black. But this is where the real details start to take shape:

I painted some heavy shading for John Doe's body using the Photoshop brush tool, then added a second round of texture - including some "blush" color to the skin. Note that only The Box on the shelf doesn't have texture of some kind.

Now here was the difficult part for me: Adding the blood in all its forms. Blood diluted in water, blood smeared across surfaces, blood trickles, blood splatter, blood soaking through gauze, and raw bloody meat. At this point I'd never done anything quite like this before. But all the comic book stories I've illustrated have been experiments. That's what makes them fun.

Although I added some scanned splatter I'd created in ink, for the most part I painted the blood in thin watercolor-like layers using the brush tool again.

And here's the result:

Lettering:

Once I'd decided to letter SE7EN: ENVY as well as illustrate it, I came up with the look of the captions by tearing dozens of post-it notes into various shapes and scanning them, where I then added some splatter texture and a subtle "aged" color in addition to the text itself.

Here's the finished page:

Thanks for having a look, and check back soon for another episode of SE7EN: Anatomy of a Panel.

My Emerald City Comicon experience

2007-04-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5am last Saturday morning and drove to Seattle's Emerald City Comicon. It took about four hours, with me driving like a grandma and stopping a couple places on the way. Finding overnight parking downtown was a bitch, but once I did, I took a leisurely stroll to the convention, which was in the Qwest Field Sports Stadium Event Center, which is right next to SafeCo Field. This is the kind of mass marketing clusterfuck I usually try to avoid, with two hundred foot banners of athletes I don't recognize, but as it turned out the venue was nice and relaxed. I found my pro-badge laying on a table and didn't even have to talk to anyone on my way in.

As usual the excitement of attending a convention turned into instant dread once I was actually there. This is probably because I don't go to enough conventions anymore and once I'm inside the con I don't recognize anyone I know. Everyone I see is having a great time socializing, and I question why I'm even there. I feel like I've just crashed a party that some friend of a friend invited me to and I'm craning my neck above the happy heads looking for that one person in the crowd I recognize.

That one person of course was David Mack, who I'm currently collaborating with on a SE7EN comic book. David attends most conventions and is surrounded by tons on fans (deservedly so) and seems comfortable and relaxed in the venue. But then so do I, on the outside.

I'm not intimidated by individuals, no matter how talented, beautiful, successful, or famous they are. I played darts with Michael Caine when I was a little kid, in the pub he owned and bartended when not working on movies. I met Arnold Schwarzenegger at age thirteen (when he was an action movie god to many boys my age) while filming the climax to Commando on the beach near Hearst's Castle (I lived nearby). And there has been many since, including some of my childhood heroes (comic book creators, mostly) who I've had the opportunity to collaborated with on occasion. When it all comes down to it, they are just people. But crowds of people do intimidate me, because I usually feel like the odd person out, caught in a riptide, even in a place where I very much shouldn't feel that way. Like a comic book convention.

Once acclimated to the con, which took an hour or so of me browsing (or pretending to browse) the vendors, saying hi to Mack, meeting writer Ron Marz (who did the intro to the Robotika hardcover I worked on), chatting with Michael Golden (the superhero artist of my teen years), and talking to Rick Remender about how we'd both recently moved to Portland from California so we could buy a house we could afford. Circling back to Mack's booth I stumbled into writer Derek Fetters, who I'd arranged to meet at the con, and we went out to lunch nearby.

I must say, the highlight of the convention for me, of which there were many, was meeting the immensely charming (and talented) Joshua Dysart, who wrote the most awesome review of my work a couple months back. We'd never met, but one of Dysart's publishers had set up a table for him and I introduced myself. We talked animatedly at his table for nearly an hour and then walked around the convention floor until closing, then had dinner across the street with a large group of conventioneers, followed by a taxi ride to the Fantagraphics after-party at their new retail store and gallery. Although that turned out to be mostly people standing around drinking cheap beer from cans and browsing books I'd already read, I did meet some interesting people and have a few fun conversations.

After the party Joshua and I bar-hopped around Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood along with House of Parlance editor Sean Cranbury and Tabloia creator Chris Wisnia, until we finally got a taxi back to our respective hotels at 3am. Probably the longest almost-continuous conversation I've had in years with someone I'd just met.

What had it been, twelve hours?

My "hotel" was actually The Green Tortoise Hostel right across from Pike Place Market. I'd stayed there years ago (and it's San Francisco sister-hostel) and rode the Tortoise's Adventure Bus line a few times. Lots of fun. I'm opposed to paying a hundred and fifty bucks for a hotel room I'll only see for thirty seconds before my face hits the pillow, so renting a bed in a hostel works just fine when I'm traveling alone.

Miraculously I got nearly six hours of sleep. Late Sunday morning I pulled my car out of overnight parking and drove to the convention center, coffee in hand, feeling rather good.

No convention dread on the second day. And no hangover.

I bought a stack of Joshua Dysart penned Swamp Thing comics (I had really only read his Conan stuff). I also bought an issue of Tabloia from Chris, while chatting with his wife Elizabeth and their baby (who I think was wailing a Led Zeppelin song at one point). And I was given several issues of Kabuki by Mister Mack, for which I offered a single issue of Robotika in trade.

Okay, to backtrack a little: the previous night, while having dinner upstairs with Joshua Dysart, retailer/publisher Mike Wellman and others at the nearby Pyramid Ale House, I found a message on my cell from Mack telling me that he was downstairs having dinner with his own group. I went down, beer in hand, and said hello to actress/model Mandy Amano, writers Brian Bendis and Ed "I just killed Captain America" Brubaker, and spent quite a bit of time talking to current Daredevil inker Stefano Gaudiano.

So, on Sunday I had the opportunity to spend more time with Mack, hanging out at his table, perusing his artwork, and talking to Marvel editor Jen Grunwald and writer/artist Mike Oeming, who invited me to join them for lunch, which was a relaxing way to wrap up the weekend. I decided soon after to hit the road.

I made it back to Portland in three hours, convinced I must start attending more conventions, as I had a really excellent time. And I should probably do more comics too. That way I wouldn't be crashing the party. I'd be the party.

Two panels from SE7EN: ENVY

2007-02-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of panels I recently finished (I'm not showing many full pages at this point to avoid spoilers). I chose these two, from different pages in the story because they share a similar shape and both feature silhouettes, but are otherwise so different I thought I'd post them to contrast and compare.

click image to enlarge

The panel on the left is unique to the book, as it's the only panel not set in "reality" (it's a memory), and its also the only panel that crosses over with a scene directly from the movie (Doe hitting Mills in the head in the alley). So I decided to draw it in a more abstract way to make it stand out from the gritty textured look of the rest of the issue. The result reminds me a bit of the work of Saul Bass, the artist who designed many a Hitchcock movie poster.

The panel on the right represents a turning point in the story for John Doe, where he decides to sacrifice himself to do God's work. The staircase is him figuratively descending into Hell, as a result of his own sin (envy). But Hell is a light at the end of the tunnel for him, because it's showing the path to complete his mission.

David Mack actually wrote this panel as Doe walking down an alley, but I was inspired by the last scene in the movie ANGEL HEART in which Mickey Rourke's character descends into Hell on a freight elevator inside (what I think) is the building featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. At least it looks like the same building to me, and the themes kind of match up. Elevators don't really work for this sort of thing in comics, because without "speed lines" or some other ploy, it's difficult to tell if they're ascending or descending. So I chose the staircase.

I'm a drug

2007-02-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

"Mr. Jones is a goddamned art monster. His work makes me high. I can't get enough of it. I just want to shove him up my ass so the art can filter straight into my bloodstream (I'm afraid of needles, so injecting him is out)."

-- from the blog of Swamp Thing and Conan writer Joshua Dysart in reaction to my Conan sample pages, which he described as "A little Bob Fingerman. A little Richard Corben. A whole lotta Leif!"

Here's a sample:

The rest can be found here.

Jersey Devil

2007-01-31T07:08:00.000-08:00

Here's an illustration I did for White Wolf's World of Darkness Urban Legends book. This is the first book illustration I've done for White Wolf since I broke the wrist of my drawing hand, back in the fall of 2003. After having created literally more than a thousand illustrations for White Wolf's game books over several years, beginning in 1994, it felt strange to return to the format after so much time had past.

click image to enlarge

The art description was fairly detailed:

Chapter 2: The Jersey Devil
This is a forest scene in New Jersey; the trees are mostly evergreen. In the middle of a clearing, a girl of about 12, sits on a fallen log reading a 30-year-old edition of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. A stuffed backpack leans on the log next to her. (It contains all the stuff she packed when she ran away from home.) Looming to Linny’s right (our left) we see a frightening, winged shadow in the woods. It is Jehrameel Leeds, the Jersey Devil. To Linny’s left (our right) is another, smaller shadow: a man with a rifle. The shadows are abstract — we aren’t looking at silhouettes in the trees, exactly, or shadows cast from characters outside the frame; the shadows represent the forces at work in the story.

SE7EN interview

2007-01-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

Alex Ness of PopThought.com interviewed me for his Thoughts From the Land of Frost column. We mostly discussed the SE7EN comic book I'm currently working on, how it compares to the movie, and what its like to collaborate with writer David Mack.

You can read the interview by clicking here.

And because I never post without adding a picture, here's another little peek at SE7EN: ENVY in progress:

SE7EN: ENVY ordering info

2007-01-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

Cover by
David Seidman

Here's the Diamond Distributer's listing for SE7EN: ENVY from the January Previews catalogue:

Product Code: JAN073981

By David Mack, Leif Jones, & David Seidman
John Doe is at a crossroads as he struggles to remember his past, the man he was before his "rebirth." But he knows he is losing grip on the memories of his former life. Doubt creeps into his mind: why was he chosen? Is this the right path? This doubt fuels his need to remember the man he used to be. Consuming him enough that he begins to envy the life of the young detective that is on his trail. But when his own sin triggers an incredible revelation, the true meaning of his work is finally realized. It has all come together as his purpose finally becomes crystal clear. His work will be studied, puzzled over and followed...Forever.
MATURE THEMES
Softcover, 32 pages
Full Color $3.99

You can pre-order the issue now through one of the following online stores:
SilverBulletComics.com
TFAW.com
DCBService.com

The official release date is Wednesday March 14th, so if you don't want to pre-order you can hopefully find it at your local comic book store. To find a comic book store near you, visit the Comic Shop Locator Service and type in your zip-code.

In addition there is an excellent interview with David Mack about this project which can be viewed here.

Does it snow in Portland Oregon?

2007-01-16T08:05:00.000-08:00

Apparently it does.

Here's a photo I took of my house this morning.

Bad Weather Delivery Guide

2007-01-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

Almost exactly a year to the day after my last Winter-themed cover for Boston‘s Weekly Dig hit the news racks, another one is due to be released today. This time the subject is essentially “why go out to eat in this awful weather when you can hire some poor schmuck to deliver the food to your door.”

As with the last cover, I worked from art director Tak Toyoshima’s rough sketch, which pretty much nailed the composition.

New Comic Project: SE7EN

2006-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited to announce that I'll be illustrating an issue of a comic book based on one of my favorite movies: David Fincher's SE7EN, to be published by Zenescope Entertainment in partnership with New Line Cinema.

This will be part of a seven issue series, each issue being devoted to one of the deadly sins (with each issue by a different creative team), and although it covers the same events as the movie, the comics will show the events from the killer John Doe's point of view. The issue I'll be illustrating is the sixth and most tantalizing: ENVY.

Even more exciting for me is that the issue is written by one of the most highly regarded creators working in comic books: Daredevil writer/artist and Kabuki creator David Mack. Mack and I have discussed collaborating on a project since we first met in 1999 (initially it was to be a Kabuki spin-off series), but our mutual stars hadn't aligned until now.

David says, on his website, that he's been meaning to work with me for 10 years, which I guess means he's pretty excited about this collaboration too. David also noted that "writing from the POV of a psychopath came incredibly natural to me." Having read the script I'd have to agree.

While I'll be doing all the interior artwork, including color and some lettering, the book design and covers are in the hands of the highly talented David Seidman. I just got a sneak peak at the Envy cover and it's awesome!

For now I'll leave you with a teaser panel I did for the issue, but be sure to check back for further updates and previews regarding this project.

Robotika hardcover collection is out!

2006-12-08T00:12:00.000-08:00

The first four issues of Alex Sheikman's samurai-cyberpunk-western-sci fi comic book series ROBOTIKA have been collected into one volume, and can be purchased through Amazon.com or a retail book store or comic book store near you.

Even if you purchased the original issues, I recommend this for Alex's sketchbook section alone. And I can assure you Alex is hard at work on a new storyline for 2007.

The collection also features pin-up art by Ryan Sook, JH Williams III, Frank Cirocco, Tony Salmons, and myself. Plus I illustrated and lettered the short story Bronki's Tale.

Click on this link to find a comic book store near you.

Most recent location design

2006-11-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

The interior of the Old Mission Church for Human Head Studios.

Nocturne

2006-11-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here's another card illustration I did for Vampire: the Eternal Struggle. This one's of a creature made of shadow.

The original pencil art for this piece is available. E-mail me if you're interested in purchasing this or any of my other original art.

One state, two state, red state, blue state.

2006-10-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

I usually shy away from political flavored illustration work, as I don't see eye-to-eye with the Right or the Left on most issues, but when this offer to do a political MAD Magazine-style"fold-in" newspaper cover came along, I couldn't resist.

Right-wing Senator Rick Santorum is campaigning his way through the small towns and farming communities of central Pennsylvania, while giving less attention to the East side (Philadelphia) and the West side (Pittsburgh) of the Keystone State.

This week's cover of the Pittsburgh City Paper hypothesizes that it's because Pennsylvania is both a "red state" (in the middle) and a "blue state" (at it's urban edges). To show this, I was hired to create an illustration of Santorum and a couple of his fictional small-town supporters which, when folded as directed, will disappear leaving only a blue map of the state.

click image to enlarge

This was a follow up to the Grand Theft Auto spoof I did for the City Paper last Winter, which had it's own unique twist. And like that cover, I only had a couple of days to get this one right. The final art was sent off this past Monday, after an early morning hailstorm of revisions.

I recieved this "unfolded" thank you for the great cover message this morning from City Paper Art Director Lisa Cunningham, regarding the difficulty of putting this together on such short notice:

You can view some of the pencil work from this cover by visiting my newly resuscitated Sketch Blog

Never seen one of the old MAD fold-ins? Here's one:

(the answer, when folded, is LIBERTY'S TORCH)

Art by Al Jaffe

My only convention this year

2006-10-19T01:46:00.000-07:00

"With all-star comics artists continually flocking to Portland from all over the world, and an ever-growing crop of new faces sprouting up from its picaresque, rain-soaked earth, Portland has been increasingly referred to as the greatest comic book city in the country. And at this year's Stumptown Comics Fest, they intend to prove it!"

I plan on getting my pre-Halloween juices flowing by attending Portland's Stumptown Comics Fest this October 27th and 28th. However, rather than sitting at a table full of my unfinished BRAINPAN stories, which would be kind of pointless, I've decided to just wander around and meet people.

Will I see you there?

Theo Bell in LA

2006-09-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is a promotional illustration I created (based on an idea by Robert Goudie) for the North American Continental Championships of Vampire the Eternal Struggle, hosted by V:TES in LA

You can read more about my involvement in the project and the event itself by clicking here

White Wolf's announcement of the event can be viewed here.

Bunker & Underground Laboratory

2006-09-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the initial piece I did for Human Head Studios that got me the job doing the other location designs for the Normal, Texas game.

click image to enlarge

This one is still my favorite of the bunch.

Where I spend much of my time

2006-09-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a corner of my new studio that's my primary work cubby, built into what used to be a closet, and before that a fireplace that divided the two main downstairs rooms (maybe).

It's not fully set up yet, but it's getting there. Pinned to the cork board are 24 pages of layouts (actually only 18, as I write this six are still blank) for a new comic I'll be illustrating shortly. More on that when everything's signed, dated, and approved.

I still have my old drawing table (in another corner) and I still draw everything by hand, but the computer is becoming more and more an integral part of the creative process. I also like to have everything in arms reach, which has never quite been possible in my other studios, but when I'm finished setting this up, it just might work.

Lovely card image

2006-09-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Another Vampire: the Eternal Struggle illustration for White Wolf. Isn't this pretty? I wonder why I'm not getting work with Hallmark or American Greetings?

This one's called Notorious Brutality, and the description I was given was simply this: "A vampire ripping the arm off of someone and beating his head with the bloody stump." And you thought I made this stuff up, didn't you?

The original pencil art for this piece is for sale, if you dare.

DON'T BE AFRAID!

2006-09-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've redesigned my blog so that it better matches the look and feel of my website, but the same old posts and links are available for you to enjoy.

In addition I'm making an effort to post much more often than I have in the past. At least a couple times a week.

Lots to share vs. time to share it.

Which will win?

Pub Talk

2006-09-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

One of the smaller "skits" I'm working on for BRAINPAN is a series of one-pagers titled Cocktail Wisdom, which feature a variety of fictional pub patrons doling out little nuggets of senselessness from the point of view of a bartender. These are not things I've overheard, but are actually squeezed straight from my imagination.

Here's a sample:

click on image to enlarge

Superhero pencils and final art.

2006-09-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another piece I did for Green Ronin's Ultimate Power book.

(Eeeek! Look at those colors. All superheroes are blind).

Interior location designs for Human Head Studios.

2006-09-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

High School interior

Area 52 interior

Alien Crash Site interior

Air Force Base runway

Abandoned Mine interior

Superheroes...why are they always hitting people?

2006-09-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

I don't know, but I recently drew some for the Mutants & Masterminds Ulitmate Power book. It'll be available this Fall from Green Ronin Publishing.

Portland life (quiet version)

2006-09-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

The house.

Reading The Acme Novelty Library in my new studio.

Working on Brainpan.

Enjoying my notebook and a beer at the Bridgeport Ale House on Hawthorne Avenue.

MySpace Cadet

2006-09-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

I've finally joined the MySpacers.
In doing so I've found a couple of people I hadn't spoken to since 4th grade, made some new friends, spied on an ex-girlfriend, and wasted a bunch of time.

As an alternative to my website and this blog, it's a slightly more personal side of me. If you care to know what my favorite movies are or that sort of thing, check it out.

www.myspace.com/leifjones

More location designs

2006-08-26T02:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my exterior location designs for Human Head's Normal Texas game.

Ghost Town

Normal State

Army Base

Abandoned Mine

Old photo of new home

2006-08-25T09:04:00.001-07:00

After more than a year of living in the Oregon boonies (okay so it was a town of 30,000 people, but it was not an inspiring place to be) Sarah and I have moved to downtown Portland. This is where we wanted to move when we left California, but it would have been a nearly impossible commute to work for Sarah.

Now Sarah has changed employers, moving into a position closer to her chosen field: horticulture consulting (A.K.A. plant doctor), which allows for an easy commute to and from the Southeast part of the city.

Above is an old photograph of the house we've moved into, in the Richmond/Hawthorne area. Today it's surrounded by a picket fence, trellised gate, and several large trees and bushes - of which Sarah would know the names.

Nice as it is, all the foliage obscures a clear view of the house's structure, which looks pretty much the same, but with an added downstairs bedroom in back. The South facing bay windows on the bottom right side of the photo are where my studio is being set up.

I'll share some contemporary photos, inside and out, over the next few days, as I finish unpacking.

News from Normal, Texas.

2006-08-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last winter I created a series of location designs for Human Head's new 50's B-movie inspired game Normal Texas. Mole people, alien crash sites, secret laboratories, and a parade of seemingly "normal" building as well. Sometimes (well, most of the time, really) the boring stuff is more of a challenge to draw than the made-up technology.

Here are the first few designs: exteriors of an old Spanish Mission Church, Area 52, an Air Force Base, and Normal High School. I'll be posting additional location designs every few days for a while to come, so check back soon.

Thanks to Jason Blair for some excellent Art Direction on this project.

And yet another!

2006-08-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is my latest promo card illustration for Vampire: the Eternal Struggle.

This one's called Reverend Adams, and here's the description (written by Robert Goudie) that I worked from:

"Daniel is a thirty-year old, bespeckled male with pale white skin and bright red hair. He has a few freckles on his nose. Daniel has a short red beard without a mustache. He stands in the doorway of a massive green and white striped tent. Daniel has one hand in his pocket and his other is wrapped around a Bible which he has pressed against his chest. Affixed to the outside of the tent is sign that reads, 'Revival - 8:00 PM'. It is dark outside but some light comes from the tent opening."

I'm currently finishing up five additional cards this week for White Wolf, while packing up my studio. At the moment pretty much the only things not in boxes are my drawing table, my mechanical pencil, some paper, my scanner, and my computers.

As of next week I'll be living in Portland.

The original Reverend Adams art has been sold.

Work in progress

2006-08-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

I've been spending quite a bit of time recently on my personal project BRAINPAN, which is an exploration of art and storytelling in a more unique form than anything I've done before. This includes plenty of failed attempts that will probably never be published, so I'll be sharing some of those from time-to-time along with samples and excerpts of work I do intend to publish. Plus lots of sketches.

A couple of months ago I did this image: Headwaiter (12x16 inches, colored pencil on art board).

For me it's a success. I feel it captures the blend of empathy and creepiness I was aiming for. Headwaiter is the first of a series of similarly, and very dissimilarly, dissected floating cartoon heads, which I intend to be the base for my first art show in Portland Oregon.

Sarah and I will happily be moving to Portland in a couple of weeks (more about that in upcoming posts).

In the meantime I'm writing (and beginning to draw) short story material for the early issues of BRAINPAN Comix, a whatever-I-feel-like-doing variety mag in the tradition of the early issues of Eightball and Yummy Fur. My emphasis at this point is on humor - particularly wild, absurd, uncomfortable humor.

Although I've been doing quite a bit of commercial work over the last several months, the reason I haven't posted much of anything in so long is because most of the confidentiality agreements I sign don't allow me to show the work until it's been released by the client. Over the next couple of months you can expect a dizzying amount of posts from me, both commercial and Brainpan related, as well as some insight into our new home in Portland.

Third Edition vampire cards

2006-05-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a sample of the latest portraits I did for White Wolf's Vampire: the Eternal Struggle card game, third edition.

click image to enlarge

Vampire card preliminary drawing

2006-03-28T12:13:00.000-08:00

Here is a pencil drawing I recently finished. Once scanned and colored in Photoshop it will become a card illustration for White Wolf's latest Vampire: the Eternal Struggle expansion set.

click image to enlarge

The description I was given: A strapping Romanian man in his early 20s. He has medium-long brown hair pulled back in a pony tail. He wears thick clothes. His claws and fangs never retract.

This sketch has been sold.

Vampire cards

2006-03-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more of the printed Vampire: the Eternal Struggle cards I illustrated last summer for White Wolf . Visit my RECENT WORK gallery to view larger versions of the art. (Well, except for the Kikiyaon which I'm posting for the first time).

This was my first foray into the pencil/digital style that I would later use for the comic book story Bronski's Tale. Below you'll find a sample of the pencil art for Sanjo that was the base for the final illustration.

click on image to enlarge

I'm currently working on more card illustrations for the next expansion set, in a similar pencil/digital style, and with any luck I'll be posting samples of those in a couple of months.

Bronski's Tale in stores

2006-02-23T22:26:00.000-08:00

The second issue of Alex Sheikman's ROBOTIKA (featuring the story Bronski's Tale, illustrated and lettered by me) is now in comic book stores, and can be ordered online either through Alex's Store, or from Silver Bullet Comics. I also collaborated with Alex on the front cover, illustrated the back cover and have been serving as "script doctor" on this and the other three issues. Check it out. And buy the first issue while you're at it. Hell, why not buy all four?

To find a comic book store in your area, visit the Comic Shop Locator Service and type in your zip-code.

Snowboarding cover for Beantown

2006-01-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

I once again had the opportunity to do an Alt Weekly cover illustration while awaiting approval of my latest location design sketches for Human Head Studios (I'll be sharing them someday). This time around the newspaper was Boston's Weekly Dig.

Like last month's cover for the Pittsburgh City Paper (see previous post) it was a four-day deadline. This time I finished it in a day-and-a-half, for two reasons: a.) it consisted of a single character pose with no real background, and b.) my wife was returning from a week-long trip to Minneapolis and I wanted to spend the weekend with her.

For me the only trouble was being asked to depict a snowboarder - I've never been snowboarding in my life and don't have any real knowledge of the sport. So I felt compelled to do some research in order to get the details correct, and of course so I didn't come across as a complete ignoramus.

Fortunately the Dig's art director (and Secret Asian Man comic strip creator) Tak Toyoshima whipped out a thumbnail sketch as an example. So taken was I with Tak's sketch that I skipped doing any sketches of my own (lazy aren't I?) and plunged into the final pencil drawing based on his idea.

In a matter of a couple of hours I went from a rough drawing to tight pencil art, which I inked upon receiving approval (and a well deserved goggle revision) from Tak. The line-art was then scanned into Photoshop to be colored and I put the finishing touches on the image the following day. Check out the steps below:

click images to enlarge

I actually enjoy Alt Weekly illustration not in spite of, but because the deadlines are so short - it helps keep me on my toes while otherwise being immersed in other projects that can take weeks or months to complete.

This issue will be on the racks in and around Boston from January 12th through the 18th. Get it while (or if) you can.

Quicky Cover for another Alt Weekly

2005-12-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

Not only was I allotted just four days to do this cover, I did it while I had the flu. snif.

Pittsburgh City Paper Art Director Lisa Cunningham was willing to overlook the fact that I've never been to Pennsylvania and hired me to illustrate the cover of the year's last issue, featuring a spoof on the immensely popular video game Grand Theft Auto. The story is about Pittsburgh trying to encourage video game companies to set up shop in steel town and hold on to the few that are already there.

I was asked to draw 1.) the Pittsburgh TV news helicopter 2.) a big haired beer swigging bikini girl (try saying that fast five times) 3.) a kid doing a "wheelie" on a bicycle (do they call it that anymore?) 4.) a car forced to make a detour (apparently there's an excess of road work being done in Pittsburgh) 5.) a mullet haired Steelers fan 6.) the local sightseeing ferryboat 7.) an old "punk" lady 8.) a couple with matching sunglasses, and 9.) a police wheel boot. Careful where you park once you've made that detour, pal!

Each image was drawn separately (ink on paper), scanned and colored in Photoshop, then pasted into the framework I created based on other Grand Theft Auto ads. Lisa added the CP logo and additional lettering.

The issue will be on the racks from December 28th though January 3rd.

I'm going back to bed. snif.

ROBOTIKA issue two, ready to order

2005-11-23T15:02:00.000-08:00

As of today, the second issue of Alex Sheikman’s ROBOTIKA can be ordered through Diamond Distribution's Previews catalogue (page 222).

For those of you who don’t generally pre-order comic books (and I expect that’s most of us) the issue, featuring a cover by Alex (left), and a back cover by myself (below) will be on sale in February - hopefully at a comic book retailer near you.

This issue also features the six page story Bronski's Tale, which I illustrated. See my previous post for a preview.

ROBOTIKA is published bi-monthly by Archaia Studios Press in full color. To find a comic book store in your area visit the Comic Shop Locator Service and simply type in your zip code.

click on images to enlarge

Story preview

2005-11-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Bronski's Tale, my most recent collaboration with Alex Sheikman, is complete. I'll discuss more of the creation of the artwork and the design elements as the February publishing date approaches, but for now you can click HERE for a preview of the pages, minus dialogue.

Let me know what you think.

Wall of Mud

2005-10-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

Following the recent success of my work for the Sacramento News & Review (see previous post), I was asked by art director Karen Steichen to produce a single color illustration for the Seattle Weekly, depicting the city destroyed by a wall of mud that will, in theory, some day be caused by the eruption of the presently dormant Mount Rainier. Kind of a depressing illustration for what is no doubt a fascinating article.

The issue hit the racks today, and will be available in and around Seattle for most of the coming week. Here's a peek at the finished article and illustration:

click on images to enlarge them

Alt Weekly "Best of" cover

2005-09-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you living in California’s capitol city and surrounding areas, make sure you pick up a copy of the Sacramento News & Review's 16th Annual Best of Sacramento issue this week (September 29th - October 5th), featuring a cover and several interior illustrations by none other than yours truly.

I know, I don’t live in Sacramento and never have, but my wife was born and raised there, so that’s the (sort of) connection. Actually I got the gig by sending SN&R’s Art Director Don Button a postcard several months ago promoting my website. Turned out I was his pick for designing a retro-futuristic time traveling reporter’s costume (but of course!), and so that’s how it began – this is the final result:

The theme of the issue (aside from "best of") was TIMEWARP - a series of articles about Sacramento's past, present, and future written by the aforementioned fictional time traveling reporter. I have to credit Don with most of the ideas for the illustrations and the issue’s visual design. It was his time machine, I was just along for the ride.

Although this was my first foray into Alt Weekly newspapers, it probably won't be my last, as I quite enjoyed it.

And for those of you who won't be able to pick up a copy of the paper, I'll leave you with some samples of the issue's interior pages and illustrations...

Most of the issue is also available online at SN&R's website.

Click images to enlarge.

ROBOTIKA issue one, ready to order

2005-09-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

As of today, the first issue of Alex Sheikman’s ROBOTIKA can be ordered through the Diamond Distribution Previews catalogue (page 227, order number OCT052776). For those of you who don’t generally pre-order comic books (and I expect that’s most of us) the issue, featuring a cover by Ryan Sook, will be on sale in December, hopefully at a comic book retailer near you.

Although my contribution to the first issue wasn’t much more than some script doctoring and moral support, the second issue will feature a back cover by me, front cover colors (over Alex’s line art) and a six page fully rendered back-up story (written by Alex) that is startlingly different from any of my previous comic book work. At the moment, a single tantalizing page of this story can be viewed in the RECENT WORK section of my website. More to come.

The listing:

ROBOTIKA #1
by Alex Sheikman with Joel Chua
A steampunk sushi samurai western about loyalty, honor and revenge. In a world populated by silent samurai, fast-talking geisha, deadly mecha-betsushikime, digital djihits, morphing butterflies, and corporate corruption, Niko, a member of the elite bodyguard corps dedicated to protecting the queen, is sent on a mission to recover a stolen invention that, in the wrong hands, could trigger a bloody civil war. The ever-present violence and chaos that exists on the fringes of this “civilized” society couldn’t care less about Niko and his mission… The first issue features a cover by Ryan Sook (Arkham Asylum, Hawkman).
MATURE THEMES
32pgs, FC SRP: $3.95

ROBOTIKA will be published bi-monthly by Archaia Studios Press in full color. You can view the first half of the first issue, colored by Joel Chua, if you click here. Also you can read a fine interview with Alex at Pop Thought.

To find a comic book store in your area visit the Comic Shop Locator Service and simply type in your zip code.

Vampire promo-card news

2005-09-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here's what the Alan Sovereign (Advanced) promo-only card, which I illustrated back in June, looks like.

Apparently the only way to get your hands on one anytime soon is to partake in one of White Wolf's Vampire: the Eternal Struggle game tournaments, beginning October 1st. How you would go about doing such a thing is beyond me, but I believe White Wolf's website has the details.

In related news, the African vampire portraits, which I also created in June, are being released by White Wolf as Legacies of Blood cards, and will be on sale at a game store near you November 14th.

Gallery redesigns, additions, and updates

2005-09-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished updating most of my website's art galleries - something that hasn't really happened since my site went online about ten months ago. I've now added a RECENT WORK section (replacing the previously vague MAIN GALLERY) which I'll continue adding to as projects are completed.

I've added work to almost every gallery, with multiple new additions to BOOK and MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION and the EARLY YEARS. I've also updated some no-brainers like my mailing address, new clients, and my resume. However some of the biggest changes and additions are still in the works

Doin' the TIMEWARP

2005-08-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was asked to create a promotional image for the Sacramento News & Review, a large circulation Alt Weekly newspaper serving California's capital city. The image above (and the one below) is from a postcard that was mailed to potential advertisers announcing SN&R's annual "Best of Sacramento" issue. I designed and illustrated the futuristic reporter, while the background text and graphics were created by art director Don Button.

Next I'll be illustrating the cover to the "Best of" issue (September 29th - October 5th), as well as several interior illustrations that tie the TIMEWARP theme together.

Visit my My Sketch Diary to see how this and other projects progress through their preliminary stages. Click on images to enlarge them.

Playing with color

2005-07-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is a random panel from my work-in-progress BRAINPAN, of which I'll be sharing much more in the coming months.

"What is BRAINPAN?" you may ask...well, for starters it's the middle of COBRA IN PANTS - what else it is will be revealed in due time.

I'll also be sharing BRAINPAN sketches in My Sketch Diary,as well as snippets of other various works in progress. Check it out.

Artwork gets a second life

2005-07-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I’d share a photo of a piece of my artwork purchased by Robert Goudie, which is now among the art collection of Glendale's Vampire the Eternal Struggle Playgroup.

I sell a lot of my originals (the ones that aren't sold often suffer an eternity stashed away in my studio's closet) but rarely do I know what happens to my art once it's sold. I enjoy seeing someone taking the time to matte and frame a piece of mine.

The smaller version at the bottom is the printed card - titled LEGION - for which the illustration was intended.

Three illustration projects before leaving California

2005-07-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

I thought perhaps if I turned my News page into a blog, I might actually update it more often – considering it’s been more than three months since I last did this, I have much to share with you. Although some of this news includes Sarah graduating from college, our moving to Oregon, and my beginning work on my personal comic book project BRAINPAN, much of that will have to wait until future updates. I plan to begin updating this page on a project-by-project bases, or whenever relevant news arises.

For now I would like to share the last three freelance assignments I completed before leaving California…

As mentioned in my last News Update, in early April I created ten "monsters" for Sword and Sorcery Studios’ third Volume of the Tome of Horrors! This was my first attempt to move away from pen and ink and gray wash (which I had begun to feel was severly limiting some of the options I wanted to explore in illustration), and try my hand at something different. Among the benefits of this new style, I found that I was able to finish the assignment in less time, as I was not essentially “redrawing” the image a second time in ink.

Although I consider the monsters to be somewhat successful, it was only the first step in a process of experimentation. The next time I took this approach (and went a giant step further) I discovered I was really onto something special.

Following the monster assignment, I illustrated a logo design for a green tea import company called Dragon Pearl. The idea was for me to create an original Chinese dragon design to be printed on a black teacup, but would only materialize when the cup was filled with hot liquid.

There was a lot of back and forth and more revisions than I would have prefered, but I'm quite happy with the final result, which is a layered Photoshop image where each color can be changed individually to create an endless variety, thereby leaving the final color choice up to the art director.

And in May, as Sarah was preparing to graduate, we were packing for our move, and participating in what seemed like an endless parade of goodbye dinners and going away parties, I accepted an offer from White Wolf Publishing to illustrate eleven portraits of vampires.

As the art director, Mike Chaney, was whom I’d worked with on the monster assignment, I was given the okay to experiment with the new style I had been developing, but taking it a step further into digital color. The result was beyond my own expectations.

After rough sketches were approved, I would create a finely detailed pencil drawing (taking me about two to three hours to complete), which I would then scan into Photoshop and color (taking me anywhere from two to five hours). The level of detail and realism I was able to convey with this technique surprised me.

After gathering all my pencil drawings together to create the book Scratching the Surface, and after working exclusively in pencil for Visual Purple as location designer and storyboard artist, I realized that my skill with a pencil was my best asset and needed to be exploited to a greater degree, rather than made to look more slick and graphic and ultimately covered up with ink.

I enjoyed this assignment so much, and the new “painterly” style that evolved with it, that I will soon be illustrating a six-page comic book story in a similar pencil and digital color approach, to be published in November. But I’ll save the details of that for future posts, and with it the story of moving to McMinnville Oregon, Sarah starting a new career at Monrovia, my work on BRAINPAN, and my fourth collaboration with Alex Sheikman. I’ll conclude this Update by leaving you with a couple more of these uniquely African vampire portraits.

(click on images to enlarge)

A Job, a wedding, a plan for the future.

2005-04-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

In early March I accepted a full time conceptual art job for a few weeks of work, with an option to extend. The company is called Visual Purple, and is located just a few miles from where I live, although until they contacted me I never knew they existed.

It turns out one of the key players in the company is Chuck Pfarrer, who wrote the Dark Horse comic Virus, then went on to write the screenplay for that comic's film adaptation. Some of Chuck's other screenwriting credits include Navy S.E.A.L.S., Barb Wire, Dark Man and Red Planet.

Now Chuck's involved with Visual Purple, a company spawned from Tsunami Media, which develops interactive entertainment and training software. Currently they are contracted with the Department of Justice to create a 3-D animated interactive movie to help train law enforcement and emergency workers in the event of a terrorist attack. My job has been to design the locations that the 3-D modelers will use as a guide.

This is the first time in many years that I've risen early in the morning, left my studio behind, and gone to work in an office environment. One of the reasons I've been reluctant to do this in the past (aside from the obvious) was my concern that I would not be able to draw with others looking over my shoulder and the numerous distractions one can discover while working around a large number of people.

I was happy to find that my apprehension was unfounded and I could sit in the middle of a conference room and scribble away without feeling the least bit self-conscious. If for no other reason, I thank the people at Visual Purple for enabling me to jump that hurdle and in doing so open up many more options to pursue in the future.

Unfortunately, the job presented itself at an inconvenient time, as the following week I was due to be married and leave on my honeymoon.

On March 16th Sarah and I exchanged rings and vows on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The place was Dream Point, nestled miles from civilization between San Simeon and Big Sur, hidden from the coastal highway by overgrown berry thickets and a small grove of trees.

Sarah and I have been together for five years and felt it was time to let others know that our relationship was meant to last. Our wedding was a planned elopement, a surprise to most, and attended only by our friend S.E.Miller, who took photos so gorgeous I believe he actually came as close to capturing the moment and the way we felt as is humanly (and digitally) possible. Thanks Steve.

As synchronicity would have it, we later found out that Sarah's coworkers had pitched together and bought us one of Steve's large Universe of the Leaf canvas photo prints as a wedding present.

Our honeymoon included a trip to Portland Oregon and the surrounding area (specifically McMinnville) where we'll be moving in June, as Sarah has a job waiting for her there, as soon as she graduates from college.

We returned a week later and I promptly resumed work at Visual Purple, finishing up the location designs and moving on to storyboards, which I LOVED doing. I'll definitely be seeking out more storyboarding jobs in the future.

My involvement with the movie ended this past week (at least for now) and so I'm catching up on some of my freelance work, among other things.

Next up, I'll be creating a logo design for a local company called Dragon Pearl, as well as drawing some monsters for Sword & Sorcery Studio's third volume of The Tome of Horrors! Fun stuff.

I'll be sharing those in my next news update, along with the Visual Purple storyboards and anything else that happens to fall off my drawing board in the meantime.

Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy of my book Scratching the Surface so far. I've heard nothing but compliments on the book's content, and that alone made all the time putting it together worthwhile.

A new book available, an old comic book series revisited, my second attempt at website design, and more.

2005-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

One hundred and fifty-four pages, perfect-bound, with a full color wraparound cover. Featuring nearly 1000 individual pencil drawings and sketches, spanning a creative journey of more than ten years...

Scratching the Surface is complete and available through CafePress for only $17.95 - a steal by art book prices.

This volume collects never-before-seen personal drawings, rough ideas for hundreds of my published illustrations, pencil art from numerous comic book stories, insight into my future work, and plenty more.

A preview of Scratching the Surface is available by merely clicking on the link to the left. And if you like to live life dangerously, you can go straight to purchasing the book by clicking on the next link down.

As reported last month, I've been putting together a website for my friend and fellow illustrator Alex Sheikman. Well, the website is now finished, available for all to see, and easily accessible through my friends & artists links.

Also I recently had the opportunity to draw a logo for ROOTAMENTAL, a skateboard and clothing company. It was a simple drawing, but at the same time a challenging one because it was so simple. Check out the image link in the right hand column for a close up look

The first two parts of my initial publishing effort from 1994, the four part vampire comic book Blood & Kisses, has been resurrected for viewing online at a readable size and in a convenient scrolling format.

Best of all, it's free. So if you don't like it, no complaining, okay?

And finally, my LINKS section now actually features some links. So far the links are only to websites of a few other artists who's work I admire. Some of them I know personally, some I've met briefly, and some I've had no contact with at all. Expect more, most likely categorized, links later this year.

Website updates, new art, and a book in progress.

2005-01-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a month and a half since my site went "public", and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to everyone who's offered feedback so far! The only criticism was that some people (specifically those using Firefox browsers with pop-up blockers) were unable to view my portfolio images which, when clicked on, open in new browser windows. To rectify this, I've begun adding slideshow features to my galleries. Although only the first three galleries have slideshow options as I write this, the remaining galleries should be updated shortly.

In addition I've added images to almost every gallery, including revised versions of the COMIC BOOK PAGES and STORYBOARDS galleries, which are now MUCH easier to view. The SERVICES section now links to a copy of my resume, for potential clients to view. And most notably, the SKETCHBOOK section features a slideshow preview of my upcoming book Scratching the Surface…

Spanning the past ten years, in semi-chronological order, with upwards of 100 pages (the exact number is still undecided at this point), this book will be jam-packed with a massive amount of my sketches and pencil drawings, most of them previously unseen by everyone but a select few.
Initially Scratching the Surface will only be available online, through this website and Café Press, so if you're interested in purchasing a copy, check back in February.
I aim to make it worth the price.

Also, as promised, in the right hand column you can view not only the pin-up I drew for Alex Sheikman's upcoming comic book series Robotika, but also the initial pencil sketch. This is exciting for me, as Alex and I have been friends for years and we've both talked extensively about doing our own comics again for almost as long as we've known each other. Alex beat me to the punch with Robotika and I'm very happy for him, and wish him the best. Since I'll soon be putting together Alex's website, I'll have updates on his progress in the coming months.

This coming February, I'll be attending San Francisco's WonderCon, and it will be my first convention of 2005. Although I've been attending WonderCon irregularly since 1992, this will be my first visit to it's new home in Moscone Center.
I'm predicting 2005 to be a year of significant, possibly even monumental, changes for me on many different levels. However I'm not at liberty to spill the beans right now, so you'll have to check back and see What's New in the coming months!

The big news?

2004-11-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

This website.

When I began working on my website a few months ago, I had little to no idea what I wanted the site to look like, what it's contents would be (aside from my artwork), or how to go about creating it. I've learned a lot.

The catalyst was Sarah Vendetti signing me up for a web design class at the local adult school. I hadn't been inside a classroom in thirteen years, and found it rather creepy that, although the computers had improved, little else had changed.

During my spotty six or seven years of formal schooling, I was never a good student. That hasn't changed much either. I learned very little in my web design class, leaving early the last week out of boredom.

But the class did give me that little nudge I needed to finally sit down and play around with this Dreamweaver program that'd been laying around my studio for a couple of years, collecting eraser dust.

And so my thoughts began to focus on designing a website. From that point on I did what I do best, I taught myself and made plenty of mistakes along the way.

First I had the big idea to create a website without rectangles of any kind - circles and ellipses only - and while my initial design (despite some poor color choices) was promising , it was about as impractical as you can get. You see, most of my illustrations have four corners. So what was I to do?

Change my design, that's what. And change it again, and again, and again, until I refined it to what you see here.

In-between I caught the flu, did a couple of illustrations for Black Gate magazine, completed some work for the upstart animation company Digi Films, and thanks to a referral by the amazing Ryan Sook, Curious Pictures commissioned me to storyboard and illustrate three short spots for PBS Kids! television. That was fun.

Next up, I'll be putting together a website for my friend and fellow illustrator Alex Sheikman, who's finishing up his comic book ROBOTIKA, to which I will be contributing a pin-up illustration.

This website isn't finished - not by a long shot - and probably never will be. But the important stuff is up for all to see, and I'll be adding plenty more in the coming months. So come back and visit. I'll try to make it worth your time.