A Journey through Art and Making Comics.
A comic book nerd who enjoys creating art. This artist blog, RSC Arts is where he shares his creative process, insights, inspirations, and comics.
I started creating this piece for a silent auction being held at a Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention. Here are the finished inks. I decided not to enter it but continued to finish it. The original drawing was on a 24″x19″ 2 ply Bristol board paper. The next step was inking it. I’ve seen a lot of great comic artists use a grey wash in their inkings, so I wanted to try that. I also added some movement lines in the background of the main panel. I used a 102-nib pen and a brush to ink it. In the past I’ve focused on digital inking, but lately, I’ve been enjoying inking by hand. Once I finished inking this piece titled: Renegade. I framed it and hung it on my wall. I’m proud that this piece and I had a lot of fun working on it.
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
Here are some pencils I did for fun. I was planning on creating it for a Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention. The convention was looking for art to be added to their silent auction. I created one that was inspired by sequential storytelling, a giant comic book page! The drawing is on a 24″x19″ 2-ply Bristol board paper. I used a 9.0 HB mechanical pencil and kept to mostly quick and gesture line work. In the middle of working on the piece, I realized the con was looking for work around the size of 16 inches. Mine was a little too big. I decided not to enter it but still wanted to finish it. I was having too much fun working on a piece so big. The pencils were the first step in the piece I titled: Renegade. Next, I’ll ink it.
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
A few months ago I took a much-needed vacation. The first I’ve actually taken since moving to Santa Fe in 2008. My girlfriend’s brother invited us to his home in Seattle WA. For the week he took us to many cool places. We got to see the waterfront, the city’s booming downtown, and art galleries. On our second to last day there, he offered to take us to a comic shop his friend used to work at. Knowing that I’m a comic fan & aspiring comic artist. To my surprise, the comic shop was The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.
Fantagraphics is the world’s most notable independent comic publishing company, best know for titles like Ghost World, Love & Rockets, and the works of R. Crumb. I’m more of a fan of superhero/sci-fi comics, but I have read these comics too. I completely believe that comics are a legitimate form of art and literature. This has been Fantagraphic’s belief too since it started publishing in the late 1970s.
Is was very cool to browse the bookstore and see all the cool underground-type comics. The bookstore isn’t your typical comic shop. They were no back issues, mostly selves of paperbacks. All Fantagraphics titles too. I saw a lot of titles I’d never really heard of, but all were very interesting. It’s great to see the underground/independent comic scene doing so well in Seattle. In this new world of the internet and instant downloads finding a comic shop full of art, people and music is always an awesome site to see.
I’m very thankful that I got to opportunity to visit this really cool comic shop/gallery. Even though I didn’t buy any comics there. I do have a huge respect and appreciation for Fantagraphics and the comics they produce. (Check out the cool Super Heroes painting) I did find a great deal on sketch paper; a small booklet for 3 dollars and an 11×17 pad for 7 bucks. After leaving I was very inspired to start working on my own personal comic project.
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
Atomic Blast – Character Design for The REPLICANTS Project
The idea of Atomic Blast came from a challenge to create a superhero team based on an existing superhero team. The REPLICANTS Project was created by Dean Rivet. Atomic Blast was inspired by Sunfire of the X-Men.
Susan Rosen’s grandfather Jason Rosen worked on Trinity, the first atomic bomb nuclear weapons test in New Mexico. While working on the test site, Jason was exposed to high radiation levels. Due to a genetic anomaly, he was able to absorb the deadly energies. He found he could control this energy in the form of a green flame. He became a crime fighter known as the Green Flame.
As a child, Susan began to manifest the same power as her grandfather. She keeps it a secret not knowing she inherited the power from him. Susan’s parents died in a car accident when she was 17, leaving Jason as her only living relative. With no one else to take care of Susan, she moved in with him. She discovered he had the same powers as she did. Jason trained Susan in the control of her powers. She decided to follow in his footsteps and become a crime fighter. With his help, she has taken the name Atomic Blast and uses her powers to fight evil.
Here are the different steps I took when creating this character design. First I did my pencil drawing, I use a .5 HB Mechanical pencil. I then scanned and turned the pencils into blue lines. I went ahead and printed the blue lines and inked them. I used a nib pen 102. I then colored it in photoshop. I had fun with this illustration. I tried a few different techniques in the inking and coloring. I am very pleased with the results!
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
I’ve been a huge fan of zombie movies, have been since I was a kid. It’s cool to see so many new zombie fans in the past few years. When I first saw George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead back in the day, I was blown away. He created the modern-day incarnation of what a zombie is. More importantly, he uses these zombie outbreaks to explore the human condition. Something lacking from a lot of modern-day zombie movies.
I was very excited to hear he was working on a new zombie flick (6th), “SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD”. Unfortunately, it didn’t get a mass theater release. I was content with the knowledge I would see it, but probably not until it hit video (DVD). But on a random trip while hitting up the local comic shop I came across a flyer for a 2-night special show of the movie. Yes, I would get the opportunity to see it on the big screen!
There were only three showing! I made it to the final showing on Saturday. The movie was a classic B-style horror film. A few great moments that made me jump. I even got the last free poster they were giving away! – Yay!
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
The original cult classic Fright Night movie has always been one of my top favorite vampire flicks. So when I heard there was going to be a remake, I was very excited. It turns out the Assistant Prop Master on the film was looking for comic book artists to work on the movie. They were looking for completely original work in the genre of monsters, demons, dark goth, swords/sorcerers, witches, devils, and all things scary. The film director would then review all the submitted samples. Wow, what an opportunity!
Digital Dark Shadows illustration
Not having a lot of this type of work in my portfolio I decided to do a jam session and create some. The samples need to be received by July 5th. So I spent all day of July 4th penciling and inking several pieces. I created some zombie comic pages and a few monster pinups. ( a Werewolf, Frankenstein type create, and a Vampire.)
To be honest, these weren’t my finest pieces, so I wasn’t overly surprised when I wasn’t chosen for the project. But I had a blast working in a different genre. It’s always good to get out of your comfort zone and explore new territories. It’s also really cool to know that a local comic artist will have his or her stuff in a major motion picture!
Here’s a sampling of the pieces I created in my 4th of July Horror Drawing Jam!
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
Lionsoul – Character Design for The REPLICANTS Project
The Character Design idea of Lionsoul came from a challenge to create a superhero team based on an existing team. The REPLICANTS Project was created by Dean Rivet. Lionsoul is inspired by Thunderbird of the X-Men. Mikhail Selimovict aka Lionsoul is a survivor of the Bosnian Genocide during the 1990s. During the Srebrenica massacre, Mikhail’s family was separated. Mikhail with his father and younger brother Jacob were taken to be executed. It was at this moment that his powers manifested. He found that he had accelerated senses, speed, and strength. He was able to save himself and his brother by fighting off the Bosnian Serb forces. Although they were able to survive, Mikhail and Jacob were now alone in the world. They have spent their time looking for their mother and sisters. Mikhail has taken the name Lionsoul and helps people when they are in need with his powers.
Here are the different steps I used when drawing the character design for Lionsoul. I first did the pencils. I didn’t want his look to be too superhero. He’s more of a guy who fights when he needs to, he doesn’t want to stand out in a crowd. Next, I scanned my pencils and tuned them into blue lines in photoshop. I then printed them out and inked them. I do this so I can keep my original pencils. I then color those inks in photoshop. I’m pleased with his look. I had fun designing his lion tattoo too.
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
Yes! I Am An Avenger! A few months ago Marvel Comics was heavily advertising their relaunch of the Marvel Universe into The Heroic Age. The Avengers was the headlining title for this new direction. Receiving several new title relaunches. As a promotion, Marvel announced a contest to be an Avenger. Found on www.IAmAnAvenger.com.
Basically anyone could sign up, send a photo, and hope to be chosen. Whaza! A few weeks later I received this cool email from Marvel comics. Congratulations True Believer! I won. I was chosen to the ranks of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers. My photo would be highlighted in the upcoming first issue of the new Marvel monthly comic, the Secret Avengers. so if you get a chance check it out.
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
Aurora Light – Character Design for The REPLICANTS Project
The idea of Aurora Light came from a challenge to create a superhero team based on an existing team. The REPLICANTS Project was created by Dean Rivet. The inspiration for Aurora Light came from Wonder Woman. What I did was look at what makes Wonder Woman a cool character. She has a rich history centered around Greek mythology. She’s an amazon warrior for peace. She’s also in this world, but not of this world.
I took these core elements in the creation of Aurora Light and Sylvia Knightley. She is from another world, a world of monsters and angels. but she is on earth as a protector of humanity. Instead of looking at mythology, I centered her world around folklore. She is Lilith’s daughter, also known as Adam’s first wife. Like an amazon, Sylvia comes from a world of warrior women. She chooses to protect humanity from the dark evils that wish to harm it.
Art Process: Here are the different steps I took to create my character design illustration of Aurora Light. First I penciled out the original drawing. I used a .05 HB mechanical pencil. Then I scanned the pencils and turned them into blue lines in photoshop. I printed the blue line version on card stock paper. I used a nib pen and a Kohinoor Rapidograph Technical Pen .50mm to ink it. I did most of the inking with the nib pen though. Once I finished the inking I then scanned it again and sharpened the contrast in Adobe Photoshop. Then I created flats in photoshop and used them to help in digitally coloring the illustration. It was a fun challenge.
Character Biography: Before Aurora Light became the heroine of humanity she was taught to despise the children of Eve. Aurora Light’s given name is Sylvia, the warrior daughter of Lilith. Sylvia’s mother Lilith was Adam’s first wife before Eve. Lilith declared that she was Adam’s equal and would not be his subordinate. She flew away from the garden of Eden to find her own destiny in the world. But God sent three angels Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof to take her back. When she refused they declared that she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day. Lilith’s sons were creatures of darkness and her daughters were born of perfect beauty. Lilith allowed her sons to die and raised her daughters as cunning warriors. Teaching them that the world was rightfully theirs and not the children of Eves’
Through the many centuries, Lilith slowly created an army of her daughters that she planned to take back the world. The strongest of these daughters was Sylvia. Sylvia was a natural warrior. Besting her sisters in training battles and tactical exercises. She was her mother’s most devoted follower, believing that mankind needed to be eliminated. These feelings changed though when she encountered Sansenoy, one of the angels initially charged with taking her mother back to Eden. On one of Sylvia’s daily running exercises, she discovers Sansenoy, and she is taken aback by his angelic beauty. Sansenoy and Sylvia began a secret romantic relationship. Meeting every day during her runs. Sansenoy had a true love for humanity and shows Sylvia the great potential and wonders that mankind could achieve. She slowly sees that humanity is not the great evil her mother has taught her. She starts seeing them as brothers and sisters. She keeps her new insights private for fear of her mother’s wraith.
Her relationship is interrupted when Sansenoy has to leave to prepare for a great battle. She soon learns that the great battle is with her mother and sisters. Lilith was mounting an attack on humanity. Sylvia is given the lead of the army, but she is torn between her loyalty to family and her new love for humanity. On the day of the battle, thousands of her brothers and sisters fight as many angels. Both sides take heavy losses, but Lilith’s army begins to take ground and the battle looks to be swaying in her favor. It’s at this moment Sylvia sees Sansenoy battling her sister Rachael. Rachael overpowers Sansenoy and Sylvia sees him take his last breath. Sylvia decides at that moment she cannot allow her lover to die in vain. She turns on her sisters and fights with the angels to stop her mother’s dark army. The surprise is enough to turn the tide and give the angel’s army the battle.
Sylvia leaves to earth and swearers to protect humanity from all evils, especially her mother. She moves to San Diego as Sylvia Knightley and takes the name Aurora Light when she fights evil. She choose the name Aurora Light in remembrance of the northern lights, where she and Sansenoy would spend time together.
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
I’ve been participating in a fun collaboration with some great comic artists in The REPLICANTS Project.
What we are doing is creating our own characters based on existing characters. Similar to how Marvel Comics Squadron Supreme was based on DC Comics Justice League, and how the Watchmen characters were based on the Charlton characters. We’ve mashed up half the 70s X-men and half the Justice League into a Heroes and Villains team.
Creating Cool New Characters for The REPLICANTS Project
The idea came from Dean Rivet who set up a blog on Posterous. The blog’s name is The REPLICANTS Project. We create the character inspired by that week’s chosen character. We design original costumes, character names, and back story. We then email the post to a Posterous email and PazoOoW it appears on the blog.
The Heroes
Wonder Woman, Thunderbird, Sunfire, Storm, Nightcrawler, Green Lantern, Flash, Batman
The Villains
Wolverine, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Cyclops, Colossus, Banshee, Atom
I’ll be posting the process I’m using to create my characters; from pencil drawing and inking to the final coloring in upcoming blog posts. Here’s a list of the characters that we are using as inspirations for The REPLICANTS Project.
This blog post was originally published on my former website, Comic Book Graphic Design and has now been migrated here to RSC Arts, Artist Blog.
