Hey, it's Inktober and this week, I'm doing a series of Flying Pigs to commemorate the fact that I, Luddite that I am, now own a cell phone. And not a flip phone either (thought it does have the pull-out keyboard.

This is a little plane loosely based on the P-26 Peashooter but made a little chubbier as befits a Flying Pig plane.

This is based on the old Evil Nazi Jetpack Penguin pack. Two GIs take over an experimental airfield

Just a Generic Jet Trainer as part of the Flying Pigs demonstration team

This is my favorite aircraft ever: the F-104 Starfighter Not the greatest but, what's not to like about a manned missile with wings?

On to a starfighter of a different kind: the Starfury! t's a little bit of a cheat. Just doing the linework was 4.5 hours starting at 9AM today. so, I decided not to ink the whole sky but, instead, relied on Photoshop to make some space...

Thiis drawing depicts LtCdr. Pigatha Leigh, Commander Space Group (C.S.G.) of Zeta Squadron during the Secession of Babylon 5

listening to while posting: "Do what you want" by OKGo

Wow! Long time!

Sorry for the long gap. Things have been busy this summer. I'm now Assistant Service Manager at Earl's Cyclery & Fitness and, as you might guess, I've been a Busy Backson* all summer. I miss the days when I could just leave work and not have to worry about things.

 But, I've been managing to get in a lot of riding AND a lot of drawing!

 Mostly sketches, but I'm trying for some finished works. here's the most recent.

Just last night I finished inking a new portrait of Meridian Delacourte. Watercolor to follow but, I'm actually terrified of starting. I'm staying away from digital works because I like the risk; there's no Command + z here. Actually, I wish I was good enough to have it not be a risk but, I'm not there yet. Anyhoo.

We'll see if how the watercolring turns out. I'm also working on two pieces to submit for consideration to the Art of Horror show at the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery. Not sure if they're truly horrifying for that crowd but, I can only try.
Listening to while posting: "Show Me Something New" by the Shout Out Louds

Spacegirl Madness Continues!

I'm working on a triptych and trying to decide if it's too cheesy to live. For fun (and practice) I've been playing my bass along with a bunch of songs. This song, in particular, made me think of making art. Well, THREE lines in particular to make a triptych.


Now that I've finished the final pencil drawing (to later be inked and colored) and started sketching the next two, I'm wondering if it's too cheesy to continue and complete. What do you all think? (click to enlarge. The original is about 11" x 14")

Listening to while posting: "Two Reasons" by Young Rival

COLOR!

Holy crap! Color!

 I had a dream back on February 17th about this swordswoman. It was a short dream but, pretty cool. She'd just fended off a group of men, then (and this is a bit weird) set up a wooden drying rack, hopped up on it and said the line. It was all very cool and cinematic.

I worked out a sketch ( I changed the rack to a crate but, the pose is the same as the dream), ink-lined it and it turned out pretty good! I then proceeded to over ink it with odd shadows and stuff that I didn't like.

Today, I grabbed some watercolors from Sweet Enemy and decided to try to paint. I haven't done a watercolor in at least five years. It turned out better than I thought and I may re-visit the whole ink-and-watercolor thing. In the dream, her outfit was more of a coffee with cream color but, I fell in love with Mars Violet and decided to use it. (Click to amplify!)

 I just now decided her name is Meridian Delacorte.

Listening to while posting: Tom McShane "A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea"

Spacegirl time!

It's always spacegirl time. Those who know me, know that I do love the retro spacegirls. I prefer the butt-kicking types to the follow-the-hero around types, of course.

Anyhoo. This was the second piece I did for the Sweet Tarts show for the show at the S.P.A.C.E Gallery. The deadline was fast approaching when my original second idea sort of fizzled. Stuck for an idea, I decided to re-visit a piece I did as an art trade with pinup artist Becca (I got a Cdr. Susan Ivanova pic in return. Zowie!).

This first is the one that is on display at the gallery right now. Given the deadline for submission was a day away and my watercolor skills need work, I opted to avoid color.


The two color ones are tests for Christie, the gallery owner. She wants to turn the spacegirl into a promo sticker! Holy Skamokaway! Couldn't decide between these two color schemes. Any thoughts?




Listening to while posting: "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis. In my head. Haven't turned on SOMAfm yet. Weird.

Flattery will get you everywhere

So, last month I was asked to participate in a show at the Soda Plant Artists' Collective Environment (S.P.A.C.E) Gallery . It's a gallery that Sweet Enemy, who has shown there many times, and I frequent often. We're now good friends with many of the artists who show and work there.

The show was called "Sweet Tarts" and was an exhibit of pinups and erotic art. Yup. I don't usually do that stuff but, when asked, I oblige. Especially when asked to be in a show by a gallery I respect and among artists I admire.

Did I say 'flattering'? I meant incredibly daunting and quite intimidating. I mean, to do pinup/erotic work to be hung beside such artists as Jme Wheeler and Justin Atherton is intimidating enough. Add to that the fact that I don't do much erotic art and not many pinups recently and it's a definite nerve-fest.

The first one took weeks. Scraping the brain for ideas, then sketch after sketch. A critique, more sketching. Revision of final work, then more sketching. I've got tracing paper bits all over the place; a head here, a leg there all to be traced onto the final piece of Bristol. I finalized the work, then began the next difficult step: remembering how to do ink rendering. I've done lots of line work in the past year but, not much rendering. Boring line work seemed too gauche for my second real gallery show.

The inking too lots of experimentation and two failed attempts.

I was worried because the image is a little risque. Not for the crowd but, for me. For all that I love erotic art I don't do much of it. At least not for public consumption.

So, here you go. My first piece of public erotica (Super Marvel nerds will see a bit of "slash" here. Should I offer a prize?).
Click to make huger

It went over pretty well, I guess.

I say "I guess" because I was a bit to busy hob-nobbing to ask for a proper critique.

There was to be a second piece, a very ambitious second piece. However, it flopped. I'm still not sure if it is because of my abilities, or if the idea just will not work. Put simply, I could not get a workable, let alone interesting, composition going. Two days before the deadline, I started drawing. As time was of the essence, I decided to re-work a piece I did as an art-trade with the fabulous pinup artist Becca: a spacegirl for her Wall of Barbarella. I took six or so hours of sketching the body with another two or so on the face. Then tracing onto Bristol for a three hour inking marathon. No full rendering as there wasn't time.

There also wasn't time for scanning. The ink was still wet Friday night. Saturday night was for drinking nearly too many cocktails with friends. Sunday was for leaving on a plane to D.C. for four days. Sunday was also Delivery day. So, no scan.

 Yet.

So, if you can make it to the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, please do so. It's a great space fill with great art and artists.

 Listening to while posting: "The End of the World As We Know It" by REM