Because He's Smarter Than You

This was time consuming but A LOT of fun to do.

Two of my biggest loves are for art and science so I decided to do something to combine them.

The guy started out as a little design for my pseudo comic book line Addiction Comics. I thought it would be funny to have a smoker drinking coffee on the cover.

Then I decided that wasn't really that funny after all so I changed it up. I started fiddling with it in photoshop and decided he looked rather professorial so I did this up and turned him from a punchline addict to a physicist.

All the technical looking stuff on the chalk slate behind him I got from science books of mine. I just drew the formulas and charts in one of my sketchbooks.

From pencils to inks to digital color and finishes I probably spent around 11 hours or so on this.

The Human Condition?

More personal commentary about modern man.
A dual natured beast, he's cracked and fissured while the filthy worm within fights with the humanity on which face will be shown.
To reinforce the duality the worm-man is two-toned (more or less) as is the background. Just thinking of my formal elements as I have some fun with the drawing.

Talking Heads

More commentary masquerading as vintage comic book covers.
I was thinking about the culture of the "talking head". The guy on your T.V. screen who, on the face of it, is full of pretense and bluster but
in realty is not speaking his own mind. Rather he is regurgitating what he's been told to say. Saying only what he/they think others want to hear.
This made me think of the 2004 Presidential election and how prevalent this type of b.s. was during the campaign (on BOTH sides). While this piece isn't specifically about the Presidential campaign or politics in general I dated the "cover" for 2004. A little personal laugh for myself I suppose.
I think the idea of putting this kind idea out there as a comic book cover works. Comics covers are designed to sell whats inside. However comic covers are frequently not truly representational of whats on the inside. Not all that unlike that culture of the "talking head".

Addiction Comics!

Okay, it's pretty clearly not a real comic book. The "Addiction Comics" logo is just a modified "Action Comics" logo. This one functions as Pop Art far more then any of the others I have done.

It's a bit of a "Red Scare" political statement I guess... 50 years after the fact.

"Mr. McCarthy" is of course a reference to Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Note the Communist Soviet robot says "made in the U.S.A.." on the back of its head. A reference to the "red menace" and the origins of hysteria in the minds of U.S.. citizens.

This one took a bit of time to draw and put together. To be honest I lost track of the time I spent on it. The robot and the "G-Man" are separate drawings. Mr. G-Man was drawn pretty small (5 inches by 7 inches at best) and photoshoped in.

All in all I probably spent 12 0r 13 hours on this piece.

**EDIT** I re-drew the "g-man" in a slightly more appropriate size (closer to 9 x 12). I feel it works much better now with the new character inserted in. Thought I must admit is bums me out some of his cool detail is hidden behind SPUTNIKA...

More Fun From the Sketchbook

I had originally drawn this one with skyscrapers popping up over the hills and mesas in the background but I felt they were poorly placed and thought out.


I was going to call it 5 Yard Penalty (for encroachment). If you're a football fan you'd get it...

That idea had whimsy and I liked it but I believe I like this version better with the only sign of invading modernity being the rather native looking mans cigarette.

Not only is that lone smoke a sign of an ever encroaching modern world but it is also outstandingly bad for him. Not unlike modernity in my humble opinion...

Pencils and inks took about 3 and a half hours.

This one could look quite rad with the experienced hand of a top notch colorist. My
skills at digital color are alright but I've seen some guys who could light up an image like this like a roman candle...

"Vintage" Superman

I've been drawing inspiration (pardon the pun)
from the great artist of old to the modern artist who celebrate the classic Golden Age of comic books.

One artist in particular is Matt Kaufenberg who has done some absolutely beautiful work with pseudo-vintage images.

These are a TON of fun to do because they allow me to step outside of my normal way of thinking when it comes to drawing. Especially when it comes to drawing in a comic bookie way.

From pencils to inks to digital finishes this one took about 4 and a half hours to do (give or take a bit).

October - Puss

This was just a little somethin-somethin from the sketch book. It was a fun way to blow a couple of hours.

**EDIT** I threw a little love on the sketchbook drawing in some down time. It was fun and really makes the image look cool.

"Vintage" Spidey

I really enjoyed working on this one. Drawing in such a retro style was cool because it got me out of my normal mindset when it comes to the look and feel of a character and his environment.

Additionally the style of drawing fits perfectly in with the retro color half tone.

The bit about pop art was just funny to me. Not to mention it makes the whole thing function as pop art in a sense so it's also pleasantly ironic.

From lines to digital work it took about 3 and a half hours to get to this point.

Everybody Wants Some...

...But not everyone knows how to handle it.
Thanks to Erin Clark for the use of the text.
She's rad.

This is yet another commentary about my views of modern society and the way it's "members" behave within it's borders.

From line work to digital colors this took about 4 and a half hours to this stage.