The Li'l Sketchbook - Part 1

This is a tiny 4 1/2"x 3 1/4" memo notebook (affectionately dubbed "Li'l Sketchbook") that I decided to start carrying around with me and filling up with nonsense from my brain whenever I feel like it. Sometimes a guy just has the urge to draw a bunch of ducks, a honky-tonk robot, a diaper-clad monkey, and maybe even a gentleman zombie or two. Am I right, fellas? So I'm pretty much keeping a diary of my thoughts, without all the frilly words and pensive brooding.























The book is 160 pages, so I'll keep uploading my "entries" a little at a time.

Frankie

I don't usually draw in this style, but it's good to try new things, right?

Monstrous Pencil Sketches

Wolfman, Frankenstein, and The Phantom of the Opera. These are all pencil sketches and I just changed the color saturation in photoshop. Yes, they are a little scary so if you are under the age of 13, avert your eyes!

Duck Dracula vs Frankenquack!

Here's an absolutely terrifying new comic I created. Warning: the following comic is not intended for the faint of heart; this includes young children, pregnant women (or women who may become pregnant), and the elderly. Sensitive ducks may also wish to avoid the comic, as they may be offended by the blatant portrayal of their species as evil monsters. To everyone else: enjoy!

The Creature Goes Green!

. . . literally. I made the original black and white picture a couple of years ago. I just recently decided to experiment with it and add some color. I thought it turned out pretty cool. Like some sort of freaky black light poster.

The Various Looks of the Bride

We all know how particular women can be when it comes to how they look. Undoubtedly, Mrs. Frankenstein must have suffered from the same indecisiveness concerning her appearance as many women do today. Which leads us to wonder, was she nervous before her wedding? How long did it take to perm that hair? Is the lightning-bolt streak natural, or just a punk rock fashion statement? And how many designer dresses did she try on before settling on that famous "white-bed-sheet-and-bandages" look? We'll probably never know.

Anyway, to celebrate the Bride's diversity of style, here are several new pictures depicting her in various shading styles. From top to bottom: pencil sketch, inking, line shading, inkwash, halftone (you might have to look close to see the difference), and sepia color saturation. The last one is my favorite.

Monster Mash

I recently found a copy of Del Rey's Monsters at a local bookstore. The book is now out of print (although you can find it through various sellers here) so you can imagine my outpouring of nerd-like glee when I discovered it. The lavish photos of classic Universal monsters contained within its precious pages inspired me to create my own little montage.















It kinda reminds me of the Brady Bunch. Can you imagine a 60's sitcom about all these guys living in one house together? I bet Creature would be the "Alice" of the group.

Cartoon Devil Ad

My personal ad for a generic, red hot candy. I drew the little devil guy for fun and thought he turned out pretty good. So, to give him purpose and meaning in this bleak, cold world, I decided to stick him in an ad for an imaginary candy. Now all is well with his evil little soul.

Monster-in-the-Box!

Here are a few original ideas I had for monster themed jack-in-boxes. If these things existed in real life I would definitely go out and buy them. Especially that wolfman. What a cute little guy.

Cereal Monsters!

I have always had a very soft spot in my heart for the General Mills monsters cereals. As a small child, I would often flock to the cereal aisle in hopes of retrieving some precious Count Chocula cereal or, if I was very lucky, his buddies Franken Berry and Boo Berry. I guess I was always more attracted to a cereal box that featured some kind of monster on it as opposed to a fluffy rabbit or friendly bumble bee. Heck, I still am. Anyway, here's my new pen and ink drawings featuring some of the gang.

Character Design - Knockout Mouse

So basically, I was reading an article about a "knockout mouse" (which is totally a real thing, thank you wikipedia) and thought, "That would be a cool name for a cartoon." So I came up with this guy. I was trying to create a character that was definitely not cute and did not resemble a certain famous cartoon mouse in any way. I guess I succeeded. I wouldn't want to meet this mouse in a dark alley.

Vintage Women

Taking a break from monsters and superheroes for a moment to try my hand at some old-fashioned ladies.

New Pencil-to-Ink Comparisons

New Stuff

The Process - Drawing Swamp Thing

Hey guys. I started working on a new picture today, and I thought it would be cool to take pictures of it in each stage so you can see how I work. Here goes. . .









I've been reading some old 70's Swamp Thing comics lately, and I thought it would be cool to try my hand at drawing this poor, misunderstood monster. So I start with a simple sketch, like the one shown above (the arrow indicates the direction of my imaginary light source).














Next, I refine the initial sketch and start adding detail and shading.













After I've finished refining the picture in pencil, I start inking. I generally use a size 0 brush for outlining and small details, and a 9 to fill in the larger black areas.













Finally, I sometimes like to apply a little ink mixed with water to a picture. It just adds extra tone and dimension to the overall work, and it works especially well on something that is supposed to look creepy or scary, like our moldy plant friend here. Anyway, that's my process. Pretty much as low-tech as you can get!

Various Works

A random compilation of some of my work created over the past year.

Some Monsters, a Superhero, and a Girl

Ok, so that sounds like the title of a bad sitcom. Or maybe the most awesome sitcom of all time. I'd watch it. Either way, here's a random assemblage of some of my new work.

Batman and Villains

Here are some inked drawings of Batman and a few his famous enemies. I think Two-Face turned out the best. And by best, I mean the grossest looking.

Swift the Raccoon

Here's a website for a food service management company, specifically for public schools. Why should you be interested in this, you might ask? Well look at that unbearably adorable little raccoon in the corner. See him? I created that guy. My first paying gig as an artist. Aren't you proud?






http://www.schoolflair.com/

The Search For the Golden Joe

In case you haven't seen it before, I present you with the premiere work from Jerkbag Productions - "The Search For the Golden Joe: Act One." In full, glorious HD splendor. It's pretty good except for the main character, Kevin the Loner. Man, that guy looks like an idiot.

The Search For the Golden Joe: Act One from Jerkbag Productions on Vimeo.