PAUL AZACETA

Quick link

2012-01-26T00:50:00.002-05:00

Robot 6 put up a little about a short story I'm doing for 12 Gauge's The Ride. Check it out HERE.
I'll be posting some more behind the scenes as i gets closer. More soon.

P.

Doodles...

2012-01-19T16:21:00.004-05:00

I've been trying to make my doodling around a bit more substantial. I'm always impressed when other artist have sketchbooks with practically finished drawings. People like Eric Canete or Chris Samnee ho somehow manage to fit in these terrific sketches in between actual work. I've been posting these on twitter and hopefully it'll lead to more drawing which means better drawing in the end. Hopefully.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2012-01-01T17:07:00.003-05:00

Just a quick Happy New Year with a small panel from The Ride short I'm working on. More soon....

P.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T16:30:00.004-05:00

It's been tough to get things done around the Holidays this year but I've been plugging away. Graveyard of Empires #3 has been done and I just got my comps in the mail. It looks great and I can't wait for it to finally be in stores. Because of the holidays that won't be till January but it's done and Mark and I are onto the next one.

Also, I've been getting a cover together for the incomparable Sam Humphries. If you don't know who he is you're missing some interesting comics. His last self published book was about dog love. Strange dog love. You'll have to read it. http://ourloveisrealcomic.com/ Now he's working on a great adventure book involving the Aztec Empire and time-travel and all sorts of neat ideas. http://samhumphries.com/sacrifice-comic-book/ I've seen the first two issue or so and it looks great. My variant will be for the 3rd issue I believe.

Lastly, I ran out of time for a proper Christmas card but I did a quick sketch. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to Mark Sable and his people. Happy New Year too!

Monkey off my back...

2011-12-09T17:17:00.003-05:00

With issue 3 of Graveyard off and done I feel much relieved. I feel bad it's taken as long as it has but I hope it's worth it to our readers.

On the other hand I've had some breathing room. Being that work has been coloring and other odds and ends I was doing, I spent my actual drawing time doing some sketches of the people that will inhabit my next projects. I'm relly excited about them. Especially, my own story that I will write and draw. I envy those artist that can be the full package in this industry. I hope to put out at least one of my own books a year (Starting in 2012). One book that's all me.

Commissions anyone?

2011-12-02T09:24:00.004-05:00

With issue 3 behind us we can move onto the last issue of the series. I've always said it was a story that started calm and gets crazier as it goes. I can't wait to draw some of the last scenes in the book even though they may be the hardest ones.

With that I wanted to try and accept some commissions. So if anyone in the States has any requests feel free to email me. I'll be taking only a few as I don't want people to wait forever for them. You can contact me through the email below and we can talk specifics:

paul@azaceta.com

Also, if you want to just send me (and Mark) some feedback feel free.

P.

Crowded....

2011-11-15T15:56:00.004-05:00

Been working hard on getting this latest issue done of Graveyard of Empires. I realize these issues have been taking longer than usual and I believe I've pinpointed why, it's alot of drawing. Between the zombies, the soldiers, the villagers and the research, it's alot that goes into each page. I just feel bad I couldn't foresee this better and I hope our readers have some patience as we try to get the best possible book in their hands. Here's an example of some of the crowded panels that fill our book. Hopefully, it makes for a great final product.

P.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-10-31T12:07:00.002-04:00

Just a quick sketch for Halloween. Inspired by one of my favorite movies, which also happens to fit in well with the horror theme, John Carpenter's The Thing. It's the kind of horror I love and who doesn't love Kurt Russell? Great movie that still holds up.

P.

MASH-UP

2011-10-25T17:08:00.005-04:00

Here's a panel mash-up from issue 3 of Graveyard of Empires (soon to be done and sent to the printer). NYCC passed and it was a crazy weekend but I thank all those who stopped by and picked up copies of the book and got sketches or just strolled by with a compliment. Even though I still have another issue to go I've been thinking alot about what's next and I'm really excited. Of course I can't say anything yet because it's way early but I posted a quick sketch as a tease on Twitter (here). I'm really looking forward to doing some personal work in the future and really wring all I can out if the medium. Art is supposed to be about expression and I'm not sure I've tapped even a quarter of what I should be. Anyway, more on that soon enough but I leave you now with the wondefullness that is "dot eyes"... Jason Latour knows what I mean.

NYCC table S16!!!!

2011-10-10T10:58:00.005-04:00

I always like to see step by step shots or behind the scene type stuff. So in that vein here is a step by step of a couple of panels from Graveyard of Empires #3.

Also, I'll be at New York Comic Con this weekend with Mark Sable and Sam Humphries. We'll be at table S16 in Artist Alley with copies of Graveyard #1 and #2. I'll be doing commission sketches (as many as I can) and selling some original art (probably from Spider-man) so come on by!

Keep it simple....

2011-10-08T11:38:00.004-04:00

When I first set out to do the covers for Graveyard of Empires I knew I wanted simple graphic covers. I had that image of the first cover hazily in my head back when the book was still just an idea in Mark's head. When it was decided that we were going to break it up into issues, I immediately started to figure out how to continue the theme the first one set on through the next covers. Hopefully they stand out. It is the main point of a cover at the end of the day and I thought if I sat down and draw the heck out of them they would just get lost in the mix. It was a fun experiment. I'm not a "pretty picture" kind of artist and covers always seem to go against what my goals are inside the books, but I always approach them as a chance to try something else. One of these days I might even paint a few.

Life as we know it...

2011-09-01T11:58:00.004-04:00

I finally had a little time to go to a figure drawing session. It's such a relaxing and freeing way to spend an evening. I promised myself when I started to make time for life drawing that I would try something different each time. I posted some other sketches I did in ink and I have some in pencil, so this time I thought I'd give charcoal a shot (at least for longer poses. the shorter ones above are still with pencil). I never use charcoal so I'm not sure I was bringing out the best aspects of the medium. But I had fun learning as I went and I may have to use it again next time so get more into the technique of it. Doing something out of your comfort zone is always rewarding in the end even if it is a failure. Now if only I can make some time to paint.

Breathe

2011-08-30T11:29:00.002-04:00

I thought this page was innocuous enough where my editor wouldn't mind. Also, I think it's a great example of one of the themes that ran through the first arc of the "Icelandic Trilogy" in Northlanders. One of the things that I felt Brian did so well in the scripts was give space to show the landscape that is Iceland. As much as the story is about a family and their struggles with making a life for themselves, it's also about this harsh land that didn't want to be occupied. It kind of reminds me of a Terrence Malick movie where the slow pans and wide countryside shots give you a real sense of immersion into their world. Hopefully, I was able to capture some of that in the issues. Space is always something that I'm concerned with when laying out comics. It's the main problem I run into when I read a script and I'm sure it's a headache to the writers. I find myself more and more just trying to divide the page in a way that gives the important moments there due rather then composing each panel within that page. I think Brian Wood was pretty great at having those moments in the script and I had fun trying to keep that impact on the page.

Issue 2 Tomorrow!!

2011-08-23T18:04:00.004-04:00

Seeing as issue #2 of Graveyard is coming out tomorrow I thought now would be a good time for an update. Now that Mark and I are looking more towards the end of the story rather than the beginning I'm really anxious to get to some very cool scenes we've set up. I always described the book as a ride that gets crazier as it goes and so what I get to draw now is off the wall fun. Look for the cover above and here's a couple of previews folks were nice enough to put up:

Newsarama Preview

CBR preview

Also, I can't say enough cool things about the other book I'm working on, Northlanders. It's a shame it's not continuing because that means I won't be able to draw things like this anymore.

So back to work.

Moving forward....

2011-08-12T10:27:00.002-04:00

So I'm back from lots running around on planes and such. San Diego was great and the response Mark and I got from people (including some Military) was awesome. So glad they think we did them justice in Graveyard of Empires. It was a big concern of ours and a bit of a weight off my shoulders that I'm doing okay with the ref I have. Issue 2 will be out soon and it looks great. I actually already have my comps and I'll update everyone about the in-store date. Also, Northlanders #42 is out there and #43 is coming so I have a bunch of things out for people to see. I posted some pages from #1 since that's out and when #43 comes out I'll post some pages from there. I'm really into adding the grey layer now and I'm really starting to think about pages with that in mind. Without jinxing it I think it's the next step in my art and I'm excited I'm moving forward. Being stagnant with you own art can be the worst thing and I hope to never get stuck in my own style.

Getting ready....

2011-07-18T01:07:00.004-04:00

These are a group of panels from the second issue of Northlanders (issue 43). Issue 42 came out and from what I saw it received some nice press. I'll say it again that Brian is pulling out all the stops here on the last huge arc and it's a pleasure to work on these scripts. Here's a link to one of the reviews: Northlanders #42 review.

Also, I'm going to making my way to San Diego this week so swing on by. I'll be with Image comics and Mark Sable at booth #2729. We'll have some Graveyard of Empires copies for sale and I'll be taking commissions. I'm going to bring some Spidey pages too so if you're looking for some original art feel free to check them out.

In progress....

2011-07-11T12:29:00.004-04:00

Up to my ears in work right now but I figure I'll start posting panels or in progress stuff to keep things moving here. Here's an unfinished panel that I don't hate right now. I've mentioned how I like drawing little people (despite my lack of proficiency) and I have plenty of opportunities for it in Graveyard of Empires. Although the main cast will get whittled down (someone has to die to make it a proper zombie book) the book actually gets more populated as it goes. Can't wait for everyone to see what's coming.

Back to life and Bad Drawing

2011-07-03T10:25:00.005-04:00

I know it's been a while. I've been up to my ears in work and life but it's all looking much more calm nowadays so I'm trying to get back here and post.

Graveyard of Empires #1 came out and as far as I can tell it was a success. Thanks to all who bought a copy or told there friends. We're getting issue 2 ready for print and it promises to be much more crazy. I've posted a mash-up (ala Dan Panosian) so you can see a glimpse of what's to come.

I've been a regular visitor to Leif's blog about illustration for quite a while now and it always impresses me how much he puts into each post. His recent post (as of this moment) is about "bad drawing". I'm a firm believer in not just drawing what you see but trying to add (or in alot of ways subtract) to what's there. The art that always excites me is the stuff that almost shouldn't be good but ends up being genius. It's so much harder to simplify than to complicate. Alex Toth might be the best and most used example of what constitutes simple, solid, good drawing. He expertise in just drawing what's needed has influenced a multitude of artists after him. But if you want artists of today doing great work in nonconventional and out of the box of realism I can name a bunch. Mike Mignola might be the best example of someone that is as crude as anything and still manages to make his art beautiful. In the past I've heard people say that they love his earlier stuff more and I couldn't disagree more. His evolution into his own entity in the art world is something we should all strive for. His latest (and best in my opinion) work is so simple and deliberate that I sometimes sit back and marvel that it still works. It takes a masters eye to be able to make something so simple stand up to the most detailed art pieces. Tony Salmons is another underrated and often overlooked genius of our time. When you break his work down it really shouldn't work. His anatomy is all over the place, his backgrounds aren't always in perspective and his lighting is often super stylized. But underneath that is a energy and a life that is undeniable. There's so much movement and power in his work that you could never achieve if he cared where Batman's kneecaps should be. Last but certainly not least is Jorge Zaffino. Maybe the most classical in structure and drawing of the artists I've =mentioned but he destroys all that with this inking. The power that Salmons brings to his compositions and anatomy Zaffino puts in his brushwork. It's almost like he's so excited to draw each page that he rushes into it and his hand zooms from one panel to the next. Of course that's what it looks like but it's far from what it is. trust I've tried to be as carefree as he was and it's miuch much harder than it looks. I actually own the page I posted here and it sits right above my drawing table. I think I probably habitually glance at it before every page. A reminder that real art isn't about where everything goes or how accurate I can be but about the life behind each line and the effect it has on the viewer.

That's all for now. I usually don't spout off on rants but I thought I'd give it a shot. More soon... promise.

It's Here!!

2011-06-06T15:36:00.003-04:00

Charlotte was a ton of fun. Thanks to all the fans that came over for sketches, signatures, or just compliments and thanks to the guys over there who run a great con every year. Thanks to Latour who was a gracious host and did so much with so little. If that wasn't enough I came home to a package waiting for me. I have now in my hands something that took alot of work to put together, Graveyard of Empires #1. It's not over yet but just having the first issue in my hands is a relief and I can't wait to show it off. Mark and I will be doing a signing when it hits stores on the 15th (more info to come) but for now I'm happy having this box sitting in my living room.

Heroes Con!!!!

2011-06-03T00:58:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to let you know I will be at Heroes Con this weekend in Charlotte, NC. I'll be doing commission sketches for as many people as I can and I'll have some art from Graveyard of Empires and Spider-man. Unfortunately, I'm having internet troubles and I don't have my table number. I believe I'll be sitting next to Jason Latour so look for me there. So come on by and say hi..... I'm tired already.

I suck at the internets....

2011-05-31T13:06:00.002-04:00

Or so I've been told recently. I guess I believe it because here I am a whole month (or more) later before I throw up another update. I have been pretty busy and I have that excuse to fall back on but in the end perhaps that person was right about me.

The reason I've been so busy is my two latest projects collided and I've been working hard to get both out the door. Graveyard of Empires #1 is coming out soon and it was alot more work getting that together than I originally thought. The rest of the issues should go smoother but the all important tone setting first issue was a real trial. Look for it June 15th and hopefully Mark and I will be doing a signing in New York for the release.

The other book is Northlanders which I couldn't be more pumped about. I've never worked with Brian Wood before and when the opportunity came up I jumped at the chance. I only have the outline and first bits of the story but it's already promising to be epic. Which brings me to the art attached here. I've been thinking alot about the final product, thanks in part to working on my own book, and it's changing the way I approach my art. There have been many times before where I just did my job handed in my inked pages and crossed my fingers. So in an effort to see something in print closer to what I have in my head I started adding some grays and tones to the pages. I added some purely digital bits (like the shoreline and some of the mountains) and other odd and ends to give the colorist (in this case, Dave McCaig who's done a wonderful job on the series) a much better starting point. It's an experiment and I may abandon it halfway through but it's a step in the right direction. That's all for now but more soon.... really.

ZOMBIES!

2011-04-20T12:00:00.003-04:00

Mark and I have been working behind the scenes to get the word out and hopefully we'll have some interviews and previews to show real soon. For now here's one of the great panels I get to draw in this book. I've been trying to convince Mark to throw some zombie camels in the book too but no dice yet. I may have to sneak them in in the background.

Panel inks...

2011-04-17T03:14:00.002-04:00

This may be the sweetest panel in Graveyard of Empires. I haven't finished the book but it really goes downhill after this. A zombie book doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.

Plugging along....

2011-04-16T01:38:00.005-04:00

I've been knee deep in Graveyard of Empires so I can finish it before I start my next big project. It's been solicited so I'm guessing it's not a secret any longer. I'm doing NORTHLANDERS with Brian Wood! I really really can't wait to jump into it as Brian has promised it's gonna be dark and mean. All together it's 9 issues so it's gonna be epic. Vikings and swords and horses and blood! Not to mention sprawling country sides and harsh elements! It's going to be like nothing I've done and I can not wait.

Also, here's a panel in progress from issue two and the inks for the cover of two as well. I wanted to be really simple and graphic with the covers while at the same time have each one represent a different side of the war. The first is the Marines so the second had to be the Taliban. Actually, zombie Taliban to be exact. mark and I have really been trying to get the word out so hopefully soon you'll start to see some interviews and the like popping up around. Here's a small glimpse that IFANBOY was kind enough to do, GRAVEYARD PREVIEW. More soon.

Thinking out loud...

2011-04-05T19:41:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd post a quick I did when I was trying to figure out just what Graveyard of Empires would look like. It always helps me to sit down and just start drawing when I'm trying to come up with something. Rarely do I have something fully formed in my head before pen touches paper. This especially is true with covers.

Back from the dead.....

2011-04-01T21:21:00.004-04:00

So it's official that Graveyard of Empires is coming out in June. It's in the latest Previews catalogue and hopefully we can really get the word out. So feel free to to ask about it in your local store or pre-order a copy.

In the meantime, here are some rough sketches form some recent pages. I'm finally getting into the meat of the zombie fun. Nothing beats drawing Afghan zombies except maybe Afghan zombies getting blown up. We've set up the book so it gets progressively crazier and more action packed as it goes so I'm looking forward to drawing the hoards of undead.

Also, here's the final cover for issue one. I'm pretty pleased with it. I wanted each cover to be a simple graphic image and I think the first two really worked out.

Lastly, to make up for the lack of posts I threw in a life drawing I did recently that I thought came out pretty good. That's all for now. More soon...

EDIT: Just wanted to throw up the Diamond order code for those interested - APR110400

Getting back into it....

2011-03-09T14:35:00.004-05:00

I had a great time this weekend and it was nice to see all the people I don't usually get to see even though we don't live very far from each other. Also, thanks to all the people who came over and said hi. Mark and I were able to get alot of the ins and outs of our book down this weekend and I really feel like it's happening now. Can't wait to have some of the actual finished pages to show now that we have everything set.

It took me a bit to get back in the groove after Seattle but I think I'm back in it now. I thought I'd post a follow up of a previous post. It's the inks from the "small people post". I think they came out alright. I always try to keep some of the spontaneity from the pencils in the inks and not think about it too much. I also have more life drawings I did this week so I'll post those soon.

Emerald City Con Week: Part Four

2011-03-03T19:27:00.004-05:00

I'll be in Seattle this weekend with Mark Sable at the Emerald City Comic Con. Feel free to swing by with anything to sign. I'll also be doing commission sketches. I'm bringing a bunch of Graveyard of Empire pages so if you're curious to see what all the talk is about you can check them out. Mark and I will be a table G-25. Just look for this poster above.... or just start yelling our names like a Marco Polo game. Hope to see you there.

Emerald City Con Week: Part Three

2011-03-03T00:14:00.004-05:00

It's not technically Wednesday but this is what happens when you keep odd hours. Here's a whole page from our book to make up for it. I'll have a bunch of the black and white art with me this weekend in Seattle so if you're around come on by and take a look. I do feel it's some of my best work and hopefully it all turns out well when it finally prints. It's exciting because I really feel like I'm making comics and not just drawing them (if that makes sense). Working with Mark again and collaborating like we are is resulting in the kind of fun I got into to comics for. Hopefully, that also comes through to the readers. Tomorrow (or later today) I'll be posting all the info for Seattle and the book. More soon....

Emerald City Con Week: Part Two

2011-03-01T23:18:00.004-05:00

I love when people take the language of comics seriously. To many times comics are trying to be something they're not and don't take advantage of the things that make comics unique. One example is throwing in graphic elements to better sell the info you're trying to get across to the reader. Why confine yourself to only what's in the real world? It's not the best example of it but here's one I did recently that I think makes for fun comics.
Speed lines, sound effects, action bursts, motion lines, dizzy stars, and even those little dark clouds over angry characters, are just some of the things I wish more people would throw into their work. By the way, I also feel the same about the opposite situation. I also hate when movies try too hard to be something they're not. Maybe I'm just a purist. Anyway, I also have a quick sketch I did while I was trying a different style. Many times I'll see a drawing or painting and get inspired to try and duplicate that style. It's fun and hopefully helps add new dimensions to my own work.
That's it for today. Tomorrow, actual Graveyard of Empires news.

Emerald City Con Week: Part One

2011-02-28T14:17:00.005-05:00

Little People--

In lieu of not posting frequent enough I'm going to post something everyday for the next four days until I leave for Seattle and the Emerald City Con. Graveyard of Empires promotion starts there and we hope to get the word out in every way possible. I'll have more about that later. In the meantime....

Amazingly, my favorite bits from other artists always ends up being the small stuff. I'm a big believer in Alex Toth's principles of "keep it simple". So when the task comes along to draw people in the distance or a crowd or even a wide street shot, I'm always looking for two things: How do I simplify this and how do I inject some energy into it? That's the other side to it. I'm always in awe when an artist can make a little blob or scribble look like a person. It really takes a strong foundation to be that free. It's something I strive for and still feel like I fail at. Below are some examples of that very thing coming into play for me. I'll see if I can post the inks later on.

More Life...

2011-02-17T11:53:00.004-05:00

Been a few days but I was caught up finishing a Captain America short for Marvel (see last post). Anyway, I've been making my way over to life drawing sessions and these are what came out of it. I've been trying to keep it all loose and have fun with them. I made a small pact with myself to try a different approach every time I go. Hopefully some of this finds it's way into my comic pages. I'm back to working on Graveyard of Empires and I'll have some updates soon (including when it'll be in stores).

Home stretch....

2011-02-08T12:49:00.003-05:00

I'm working on finishing the Cap short this week and then back to Graveyard. I'm a little daunted by the amount of work I have for the rest of the year but I can't wait to get into it.

I've also been thinking more and more about color as I draw. The great Matt Wilson is lending his talents to this short and I definitely have notes. It's something that can really help tell the story and I'm actually surprised how many don't take full advantage of that. I also believe simple is always better. A bold color can do just as much to shock the reader as a sound effect or splash page.

More soon...

People of Earth.....

2011-02-04T23:27:00.004-05:00

How are you?

Any Stern fans? Anyway, I got a little backed up with work but I'm not going to let this much time pass between posts again. Speaking of work, I'm in the middle of a Captain America short for the anniversary issue. I'm excited because not only is it a cool story written by Mr. Frank Tieri, but the other creators on the issue are really great. My good friend and super terrific artist extraordinaire Jason Latour is also doing a short in it too. Hopefully I don't bring the party down. This cropped bit is from a splash in the story. Frank called for a bit of a stylistic change and it was fun doing something a bit different. I thought of doing an actual Black and white watercolor but, with the little time I had, in the end I just went for some grey washes. If I could find the right project I may do something like that for the whole story. It always seems time is against me. I also accepted a job for right after Graveyard of Empires (my creator owned book) and I can not wait to get to it. It's a genre I haven't drawn yet (at least professionally) and it's gonna be a real chance to play. 2011 is shaping up to be a really fun year for me in comics.

BOOM! and POW!

2011-01-29T11:52:00.002-05:00

Let's face it, sound effects are the reason comics are cool. I haven't added my own SFX much in comics but I love when I get the opportunity to. With my own book, that was one of the things that I was most looking forward to. Between the war and horror elements, sound becomes a major player. A small "creak" down a dark hallway can do more to scare you then a big shot of a monster. The deafening sounds of war is a big part of what makes it so intense (the threat of death helps too). So here are a couple of recent panels in which I tried to capture some of the sounds of our story.

Fixed

2011-01-26T15:20:00.002-05:00

I just realized today that some of the recent post didn't have clickable images. I fixed them so they all open up to a larger view. Sorry 'bout that.

Drawing From Life

2011-01-26T14:57:00.005-05:00

It's been quite a few years since I've been to a life drawing session and last night I made my way over to one. I didn't realize how much I missed it. It's been said before but there really is nothing that compares. The place was great and the model was terrific. I had alot of rust to knock off so I'm not sure it's great to look at but here are some of the results. They consist of 30 second, one minute, five minute and a couple of ten minutes poses. I actually brought along some ink and a brush for the longer poses. I can't wait to go again and I think I'm going to drag a couple of people with me next time.

Rush Job

2011-01-25T10:58:00.004-05:00

I did a quick two pages this weekend for an upcoming Spider-Girl issue. It was tight so I didn't have any pencils to scan (just roughed it in and went to inks). It was fun. Probably not my best work but not bad for the speed I did it in. Here are a couple of panels that I didn't hate.

I think my favorite bit is the guys right arm in the first panel. The thick ink line. Thanks to Matthew Southworth (the actual artist on the issue) for doing his Spider-Girl in silhouette. Made my job easier.

Mondongo for everyone!

2011-01-20T12:25:00.007-05:00

I started a short job (12 pages) and I'll probably post some process stuff next. In the meantime, I thought I'd just throw up some bits from different things.

This is a quick I sketch I did while half-heartedly looking in my little mirror. So it half-heartedly looks like me. It actually gave me the idea for the new header up top so I guess it was useful after all.

Who doesn't love dog eating innards? I know I do. I haven't drawn many dogs so this one was fun in that "how the hell do I do this?" kind of way? When I get more into my book I may have to do a montage of things eating other things.

Two for Tuesday!

2011-01-18T13:42:00.003-05:00

I have a couple of things that are keeping me busy these days but the one I'm most excited about is my creator owned book with Mark Sable. We haven't worked together in years and it's fun to come back together with what we've learned since way back when. Technically our reunion was What If Spiderman? that came out recently but getting to work on our own book from the ground up is where the real fun is.

I don't want to tip our hat too early but I can say it's not like anything you've seen before from either of us. Here are couple more bits that might give a hint to the genre of the story. (It rhymes with "klombie")

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

2011-01-18T13:30:00.002-05:00

I knew I shouldn't have named this blog the way I did. It was only a matter of time before I abandoned it for laying on the couch, watching DVDs, or staring at the wall.

So here is my attempt at restarting this blog and hopefully keep it up to date. I make no promises. Also, so this new post is worth the wait (has it really been over 3 years?!) I added a little art from my current project. More soon....

More POTTER'S FIELD!

2007-06-22T10:24:00.000-04:00

Here's an interview with the illustrious creators of POTTER'S FIELD.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=10961

And, so the post's not too boring, I slapped together the three covers I did for the series. I scanned and colored them all seperately so they don't fit perfectly but you get the idea. It wasn't my fault I swear.

Update!

2007-06-20T12:06:00.001-04:00

Still recovering from the Philly show this past weekend but here's what's new. JOHN DOE is finally solicited but under a new name (I guess JOHN DOE was too common) POTTER'S FIELD. So that means the first issue should hit in August and Mark and I are starting to beat the drums. Heres a newsarama article that went up recently.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=116264

Next is BPRD.... Well Im well into #2 and it's just getting more fun by the page. Can't wait to get to #3 because theres some crazy stuff coming up.

Lastly, I did a pin-up for a friend. Rafael Albuquerque is hot young artist whose work you might know from BLUE BEETLE (published by DC). I've met him a couple of times now and he's really one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure to talk to at a convention. His creator owned book is called CRIMELAND and it's really stunning. I knew I wasn't the only one doing a pin-up and since it was a crime book, I was sure everyone would do some cool nior pieces. So I decided to try something different and out of my comfort zone. I'm pretty happy with it and it was fun to do.

P.

----edit----
Just saw this new review for POTTER'S FIELD. check it out!
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33067#1

Almost final cover

2007-05-10T22:27:00.000-04:00

Here's the colored version. I still have some tweaks but I'm leaving it like this for the solicitation. I figure I'll get a bit of distance from it and hopefully improve it later. Sorry no steps but my "process" was such a meddled mess that I wasn't sure how best to show it. Suffice it to say that it was alot of layers, channel play, hue messin', saturation fixing, and all around craziness to get this. I have to get into coloring more so it won't be so trial and error.

The Process...

2007-05-10T01:32:00.000-04:00

Here's a cover I've worked up for JOHN DOE. It's actually cover one of three and the all connect. A throw back to the Jim Lee days of crazy covers. Actually, I just wanted to do collage type covers and I figured why not take it a step further and do one big collage. This here is the thumbnail idea. I kept it vague with just the main elements I wanted prominent. They'll be dense but I'm gonna color it myself so I can knock out linework and fade things back and all that fun stuff.

Here's the rough of the first cover with a bit of ink. AS you can see it's not tight at all as I'm always impatient to get to the inking.

Next is the main elements fleshed out. The rest is really detailed "clutter" so I was focusing on getting these three figures finished first.

And here is the final inks. as you can see it's a bit dense but that'll be fixed in the coloring. I didn't want to do things on different layers because I wanted to have the whole three part piece stand on it's own. Some of the elements will spill over onto the next cover (buildings and names) but the main thing is the map. As you can see from the thumbnail I wanted the main unifying thing to be a map of the area this all takes place with the island taking a more upfront spot on the final cover. Hopefully this will turn out at least semi cool and I don't ruin the the whole thing with my lousy colors.

I'll post the color steps and the final soon. BACK TO WORK!

My "office"

2007-05-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

I've seen other people post a "Whats on my desk today" and lacking all originality I decided to do the same. So here it is. On my desk is a mish-mash of my current projects... layouts, penciled pages, a favor for a friend, and lots of character sketches for BPRD.

Also on my desk... Remnants of Lasagna. Sometimes I'm lucky I remember to eat. I'll post cooler things soon I promise.

***** Fixed first pic. Now it's clickable!

Busy Busy Busy

2007-04-27T18:03:00.000-04:00

Since I started working professionally I never seem to have just one project going at a time. That's pretty much the norm in the comic industry but I always make a point to have at least a couple of things going at once. Being able to jump back and forth from different stories really helps me keep my excitement (not that BPRD needs any help in that department) going from day to day.

Here are some select panels from both books I'm working on now. Both of them are horror books so I get to really amp up the darkness of it all. I really can't wait till I get further along in these books because, as any horror-lover knows, it only gets darker, creepier, and more fun as the story unfolds. The ending to both the stories are so great (in different ways too) that I almost wish I could skip to the end now. I'll try to be patient.

Fun sketch

2007-04-11T15:04:00.000-04:00

I did this today as a break from penciling. I really think inking is the most fun part in making comics. At least for me it is. I do most of the work in that stage and it's always fun to be messy when you are creating. Sometimes I miss it while I get the next batch of pencils ready to go.

I chose a samurai because eventually I really want to do something set in Feudal Japan (maybe a Iron Fist one shot... Marvel? Are you listening?) Let's face it Samurai are awesome and everyone likes a good sword fight. I also want to do other period pieces sometime down the line. Maybe I'll just do a series of them or something.... Food for thought.

Fun with the Harbinger of DOOM!

2007-04-01T15:15:00.000-04:00

Here's the only shot of Hellboy I actually got to draw so far. The book Im doing is actually focused on Prof. Broome and Hellboy isn't but 2 years old or so. Actually none of the regular cast is in it really... I dont mind though because it actually saves me the trouble of pitting my versions of the crew against Mignola's. So I hope to get a scene with more hellboy later but he's pretty much not in the book. Im almost done with the first issue and I wish I could post more but I dont want to spoil anything (trust me its worth it).

Fun with characters!

2007-03-25T14:56:00.000-04:00

I know I posted about "making characters unique" before and how I'm always trying to push that as much as possible. One of my favorite things about Alex Toth is how he would have such exaggerated characters without crossing the line into "cartoon". They always held up to realism even when he pushed things. I'm always trying to find that middle ground. Here are some soldier characters from BPRD. I tried to give each one a distinct look and hopefully a distinct personality when it comes to the pages. Also heres a Prof. Bruttenholm with a hat. I've never seen Mignola draw him with a hat but I think it fits him and Im gonna throw it in where I can (Yes.. these are the silly things that I occupy my mind with).

Knee Deep!

2007-03-16T16:59:00.000-04:00

Been busy with BPRD (not a bad thing to fiil up my days with) and haven't had much to post because I don't want to give too much away too soon with this. Im also starting work on THE PACK with Mike Raicht. That one will be going slowly on the side but hopefully I'll get done with that later this year. I already did the preview for it which I posted about before and when I get those colors back maybe I'll post a page or two of that. I've never had the luxury of planning my year out as I am doing this year so I'm crossing my fingers it all works out. After I get through these two I'm also doing something with Mark Sable again which I think will kind of suprise people as it's not at all like the last book we did together. Can't wait for that. Anyway, here's a pencil to ink panel from BPRD 1946. As you can see I definitely do more in the inks (I even added some crosses in the back to make it feel a bit more HELLBOY). Talk to you soon!

Post- NYCC

2007-02-27T00:47:00.000-05:00

The convention was a blast this weekend and I'm loving that NY finally has a big con. Basically because I don't have to travel and the city is a great place to hang. Here's a couple of sketches that I did over the weekend (and I did a bunch too). Thanks to the guys who are posting them on comicartfans.com or messageboards so I can save a jpeg and have a copy. Sometimes I like the way some sketches work out at cons and it kinda sucks only to have a foggy memory of it. So thanks again

ALSO... Scott Allie over at Darkhorse mentioned my new project so I figured it was time to mention it here. I'm just getting my teeth into a new BPRD miniseries that really is like the history of the BPRD. Hellboy and Mike Mignola are at the top of my list when it comes to comics so it's a dream project for me. Hopefully I'll do it justice and won't disappoint any Hellboy fans out there. I'm hoping to make this the best thing I've ever drawn. I can't leave without mentioning Joshua Dysart. He's co-writing the book with Mignola (much like John Arcudi is in the other BPRD series) and he's doing an awesome job of it. I'm not lying when I say I was on the edge of my seat just reading the breakdown/synopsis of the series. It's gonna be a blast! Here's that "mysterious" sketch I posted a while back. It's actually my first crack at a young Prof. Bruttenholm. Don't worry I'll post some other cool stuff soon. Thanks!

NYCON HERE I COME!

2007-02-21T12:22:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the Con and I'm hoping its as big as last year. I'll be at my table in artist alley (Table A139 for you savvy map checkers) with Mark Sable selling some GROUNDED trades. I'll be doing commission sketches as well as FREE sketches for anyone who buys a GROUNDED trade. You heard right! FREE sketches for those wonderful people who pick up some GROUNDED goodness. I'll be there all weekend and I hope to see you there!

Also here's a fun pages from JOHN DOE 3. Mark left the layout up to me (I believe the script said "shovel-fu" and that's it) and I really wanted to play with silhouettes. I like the page and spent too much time actually figuring out how the fight would realistically play out. Anyway, enjoy!

Baby steps...

2007-01-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

With my art I always try to outdo what I've done. I feel like I have so much to learn and my tiny brain can only grasp so much at one time. With JOHN DOE I hope it will be better then anything I've put out so far and so far I think I've succeeded. Of course it helps that you have the talented youngster Nick Filardi on the book covering up my mistakes with his colors. I never thought much about coloring before I saw my first work in print and ever since then I've become very anal about it. Colors can really bring out the best in a drawing or destroy it(I wont post examples but we all know them). Luckily Nick has been around and never punches me in the face even when I nit-pick all his wonderful work. So here's a JOHN DOE page fully colored and ready for lettering.

That's him. Mr. John Doe himself. I really can't wait for this to be put out but I'll be busy with my new project anyway. If all goes well I'll have lots of good stuff this year!

P.

A new year

2007-01-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

It's been a little crazy since this new year started. Projects collidin and problems around. But I can't say I'm not having fun. I wwent to Dominican Republic for the Holidays and brought along some paper and pens. Here are some straight pen sketchs I did while hanging around the tropics.

My main goal was to just relax. I didnt care about making them pretty or even spending much time on them (probably 7 or 8 minutes at the most). Just relax and draw. If only I could bring some of that looseness to my actual work....

P.

Pain in the ASS!

2006-12-20T13:30:00.000-05:00

Took me a while but I finally figured out what was going wrong on my last two posts. I fixed the link problem so now you can click on them. Damn blogger!

Anyway, I'm off to the Dominican Republic for the holidays. Hopefully when I return I can finish off John Doe and start my next project . It's a secret for now (attached jpeg is a clue) but I've signed the contracts so it's definitely a go! Can't wait to post about that! See you next year!

P.

A bright New Year ahead....

2006-12-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

Well with issue 2 of John doe in the books and three moving along I have to say I'm pretty pleased so far. I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this before but Mark Waid is a pretty talented writer. He also involves me in the process so it makes working on the book a pure joy.

But with the end of the last issue in my sights I can't help but get totally excited about my next project. With the release of John Doe w/ Waid and then getting to work with one my favorite comic creators/creations, it's really gonna be a big year for me and I can't wait! Here are a couple more pages from issue 2 of John Doe.

P.

Been a long time....

2006-11-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

Well to make up for not posting to frequently I've decided to make this one packed with stuff. First I wanted to mention a great book coming out from Image comics. It's called Wonderlost. It's an anthology filled with autobiographical stories by the one and only C.B. Cebulski. I've known C.B. for many years now and it's taken a long time but we've finally done something together. Here are a couple of pages from the short I drew for him. When I first read the story (to me) it really felt like something that too much drawing would get in the way of. It's a kind of quiet moment and I didn't want to pull to many tricks with it. So after a little trial and error I went with a real simple style that I hope compliments the story. I even lettered it myself and purposefully didn't try to be too neat so that everything can have that hand-made feel.
Next are more pages from John Doe. Everything is moving along and I'm moderately satisfied with my work so far. First is the same page I posted before but finished and then two other random pages. Soon I'm gonna post about the cover. I have something in mind that, if I pull it off, it could be pretty damn cool.

Happy Halloween!

2006-11-01T17:16:00.000-05:00

A quick sketch for the greatest of all holidays... well not really. What the hell is the point of Halloween anyway?

P.

UNFINISHED...

2006-10-27T17:23:00.000-04:00

Wow! I've been knee deep in John Doe so I haven't posted as much as I want to. Here's an "in progress" page I was working on this week. It serves as an intro to one of the supporting characters in the book. Mark Waid has really delivered with this book and I hope people give it a look. He mentioned he really wanted to make the first issue something the reader can feel he got his moneys worth and I think he knocked it out of the park. It's a dense issue without feeling claustrophobic. My hats off to him. Maybe he'll teach me some tricks so one day I can actually give the writing side a shot..... Maybe if I pay him

P.

The Cast

2006-10-19T12:15:00.000-04:00

As I've said before I'm really trying to push the envelope on making distinct characters. At least with my own work. So when it came time to do some of the cast for John Doe I was determined to make them each there own person. What I've been doing lately is start with a celebrity or actor and find out what makes them distinct. Then try to duplicate that without making it a likeness. I really don't like doing likenesses (probably because I'm so bad at it) so I stay away from them as much as possible. In these sketches Paxtin was at first based on Steve Buscemi but then kind of went more into an older grumpy looking man. Steinway is based on Jim Norton who I think has a great face with great expressions that I hope to capture somehow. I'm also gonna try to really give them there own persona from the way they dress to the way the walk to even the kind of expressions they give. Hopefully in the future I can really make characters as distinct as real people and give a sense depth just in the visuals. I guess we'll have to what and see how that goes.

P.

Behind the Curtain!

2006-10-11T19:15:00.000-04:00

So here's a basic behind the scenes of how I approach a page. The first Image is my thumbnail for page 2 of John Doe. When doing a thumbnail I'm never concerned about getting a tight drawing. In fact it would be the exact opposite. I just try to lay down a basic composition and pick shots that best tell the story. That's it. Simple. When I get to the actual page is when I start to think about the drawing, where to lay blacks, and especially the acting.

With the second image you can see that in the beginning I'm more focused on getting a solid drawing and less preoccupied with what the final drawing will look like. As in this panel I often draw on a separate piece of typing paper so I can be as loose and messy as I want. Then I'll quickly trace it over in marker for easy viewing through the bristol on my light table. THEN when I trace the basics onto the actual page I go straight to inks. I rarely do this but on this panel I was playing with maybe blacking out the buildings totally for that dark alleyway feel and you can see some quick sketches of that under the panel. .

Here's where the fun starts and most of my time is probably spent. I really don't have any rules I follow (I used to but as I've gotten better at inking my own stuff they went out the window) except to make it look good. I use anything from a brush or brushpen to a quill pen or marker. A whiteout pen is invaluable since I seem to always be making mistakes. It also works for some effects like the light from the flashlight (which is a bit of smeared whiteout).
The first few pages are a kind of intro to the series so I kept that four tier layout with the three panels in the box. I think it worked so far and I'm pretty happy with them. I'm really trying to make each work better then the last. So that's a glimpse into my working process and I'll see if I can do it again. Maybe on a more complicated page so you can see the fun of storytelling problem solving.

P.

The Cross Bronx! The Cross Cross Bronx!

2006-10-06T12:44:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to throw up a quick post about CROSSBRONX. If you don't know about it then you've been living under a rock. Mike Oeming and Ivan Brandon have gotten together to bring you a compelling story about crime, gangs, and santaria. If you like Oeming on Powers you'll love him on Cross Bronx. He's really kicking ass and drawing his balls off for this book. Ivan's not slacking either when it comes to the noir feel. The pacing is great and the lush storytelling is top notch. GO get it now!!

Why am I going on and on about someone else's book? Because they were nice enough to print my pin-up in the inside back cover of issue #2. Here it is and I'm working on getting this John Doe stuff up so stay tuned.

2006-10-02T15:40:00.000-04:00

I never understood comic artists that say they only want to draw the "action". The fun for me has always been the problem solving. How do I make this read clear? How can I add drama to this scene/panel? How do I make this interesting? I have just as much fun (if not more) making a great character moment happen then drawing Spider-man punch Doc Ock threw a wall. I get excited when I have two people talking in a room with nothing going on. Picking the right camera angles or staging the "actors" to bring the dialogue across is amazingly fun. It's the little character moments that I try to capture. Like in The Godfather when Al Pacino is telling his brother-in-law his punishment. The way he sits, legs crossed, and picking at his nails. All the while you can feel his power and viciousness. That's fun! I'm not sure I've really succeeded in that but it's something that keeps me going and why I love drawing comics. So like I said, I never understood some artists.

Speaking of artists. We had the unfortunate luck of a great (perhaps greatest) comic artist pass away recently, Alex Toth. I finally got a chance to pick up The Alex Toth Doodle Book . I haven't even been able to fully read it yet because I keep getting side tracked by the illustrations. It's an amazing book about an amazing artist. I'm not sure what to say that hasn't already been said to death. Here's a small homage to Mr. Toth. It's a few quick sketches I did recently while trying to train myself to draw different and distinct people. Toth was known for filling a page with these quick doodles that rivaled in skill what others spend a lifetime trying to achieve. I know mine isn't as good but I gave it a shot damn it!

2006-09-30T15:23:00.000-04:00

So I figured I'd post some of the John Doe stuff I have laying around here because that's what I'm diving into now. I don't think I have to say what an amazing writer Mark Waid is and how awesome it is getting to work with him. The first image is the promo piece I did up. I hardly get to color my own stuff so it's always a bit troublesome to get what I want. There are some really great computer colorists/artist out there and hopefully I'll find the time to hone my skills enough to do some really nice pieces. Mark wanted an ambiguous piece that kept a mystery about the book. A cool tease... I think it works.

The quick sketch below is of the main character. We went for a real world look (nothing fancy and far from a "superhero" look) and something easily put together. I think I'm actually gonna give him some stubble to rough him up a bit. I never really do full body sketches when I'm trying to nail down a character. I guess I figure that the body is the easy part and the part I focus more on is making the character's face distinct. I never wanna be an artist that has a stock look for his characters. I've been trying more and more to really make each character his/her own person. Well I've rambled enough... I'll have more stuff soon.

2006-09-28T12:09:00.000-04:00

Here's a new panel I did today for The Pack. I'm really trying to be a bit looser with this book because of the horror angle. I actually watched a few horror movies to get into the mindset before I tackled these pages and I think it really helped. I never liked reading "horror" comics that didn't take advantage of the visual language of horror stories. There really is a more specific shot selection that goes into making it work. Too many times have I seen people just splatter some ink on the page or use moody coloring and pass that off as scary. Granted I'm not sure if I'm gonna succeed but I wanted to really try to translate what makes a scary movie into the book.

By the way... The book is written by Mike Raicht (yes the former Marvel editor Mike Raicht) and if you don't know his work check out his new Marvel book called Zombie. It's drawn beautifully by Kyle Hotz (The Hood) and I really think Mike nailed what makes the zombie genre work.

My pencils were a little light and the scanner didnt pick them up but next time I'm gonna do a step by step. Thanks!

P.

2006-09-27T12:41:00.000-04:00

Here's a panel from a new project I'm working on. It's something on the side so it's gonna take a bit to finish. I've been itching to do a horror comic and I'm trying to tailor my storytelling to make it as scary as possible. We''ll see how that works out.

I'll have some scans soon from my main project right now JOHN DOE. It's written by Mark Waid so you know it's good... unless I really screw the pooch.

P.

2006-09-26T13:41:00.000-04:00

I thought it would be cool to document my progress on my next project and hopefully have something cool for people to look at. So welcome to my blog! Exciting isn't it?