that other xmas gift...

since paul already got it (and dropped a nice note), here's zatanna.

hope everybody had a happy holiday !

-c

'twas the day before the night before x-mas

just a quick one, got plenty to do before the holiday gets in full swing... even though this is one of the 2 commissions i did for x-mas gifts for folks, i figured i could safely post this iron man one, since i doubt the 4 year old recipient frequents this blog...

i'll post the other one after the holidays, don't wanna spoil the surprise for a friend...

besides wrapping up that us army comic featuring captain america (written by paul tobin), i've been working on a couple of other fun adventures books (which, since i just saw both solicited, i guess i can mention now)... out on free comic book day (may 1, 2010) iron man : supernova FCBD 2010 edition (written by paul tobin... yay!) featuring iron man and nova fighting red ghost and his super apes! and in the latest solicits, it's the final issue of marvel adventures superheroes 21 (again with that tobin guy...!)... and there's other stuff in the works, but that's a while away.

work on the haps has been slow going, but we really hope to get things rolling again in 2010.

happy holidays.

-c

two fer

black widow and supergirl. 'nuff said.

(well, not really... due to a misunderstanding, turns out this wasn't really the look for supergirl the commissioner wanted... so i'm gonna throw him a second supergirl as soon as i get a chance)...

hard at work on the next marvel gig, hoping to make headway so i'm not stuck working over the holidays (well, i'll still have the haps to keep moving along...) as well as the next script already waiting here...

-c

... now with more captain america! (and even some invaders)

okay, so when i asked my editor if it was cool to talk about the project i just wrapped, i was told talk away...

so, while most folks might never see this book (seeing as how it's not gonna be available in comic shops), i had the privilege of working on a WW2 captain america holiday themed story with paul tobin and sweet colors by chris sotomayor (and a modern framing sequence by richard elson) that's gonna be distributed by the US army... it's got cap, bucky, human torch, soldiers, submariner, nazis, and more ... what more could you want?

since wrapping this one up, i've been working on another one off book for marvel (again with that tobin guy!), that i figure a lot more folks will be seeing next year... as well as getting a good chunk of pages done for the next issue of the haps (which will be out next spring or so, but in the meantime you'll be seeing the haps molly special by scott weinstein and jason copland!), getting a few more commissions done (or, well, more done than before) and more...

i'll try to post again before thanksgiving, but hey, if i don't.... happy turkey day!

-c

clobberin' time!

so, after managing to get my last book done on time (sorta) for a pretty tight deadline (hopefully i'll post artwork soon as i get the okay) with a house full of sick folks (luckily, i've been spared from the ick... so far), i took some time to catch up on commissions (like the thing, posted above), packing up stuff to get mailed, new 'haps layouts, cleaning the studio up a bit, and more... (heck, i even read a comic or 2...)

even though my next project is a one shot (due in january), i know if i don't start know, i'll be buried by the holidays ... so it's right back to work on that and the 'haps (seeing the pages for the molly one shot by scott and jason.. and the colored cover for an upcoming issue by jim starlin and terry austin(!) got me itching to get moving full steam)... right after i finish this very long in the queue, movie poster style 'haps pin-up sitting on my drawing board...

-c

(so, mad men ended in fine fashion - january jones on snl this week, not so much... yikes. - sons of anarchy has become a favorite these days... and glad to have fringe back... and i've been enjoying all 4 sitcoms on thursdays on nbc this season after warming up to community and parks and recreation )

clone wars

okay, so even though i've had the entire series piling up on the tivo, i didn't get around to watching any until AFTER doing my batch of topps clone wars sketch cards... but i do dig it!

above is a sample of some of the color cards i did (most were in b/w for deadline purposes)... pretty sure thee cards hit stores soon.

well, the 'haps halloween spooktacular (with guest art on two stories by by rich woodall and none other than fred freakin' hembeck!) is out in finer comic shops everywhere, and the final issue of iron man : armor wars should be out next week (and the trade is already scheduled for february of 2010).

been hard at work on my next project and getting moving of the next 'haps story as well... seems the years of bad posture hunched over the drawing board have taken their toll and i needed to see a chiropractor about it (after a few visits, i'm already feeling better than i've been in ages... and not waking up with shooting pain, so there's that!)

been enjoying some great tv lately (can't believe mad men's season is close to ending already! and the guilty pleasure of sons of anarchy is getting better and better... finally getting into parks and recreation and community keeps getting better, and the office and 30 rock are strong as ever) and got out to see where the wild things are last week was just blown away by it.

back to the drawing board (and happy halloween, folks!),

-c

hellboy and choopie

not the first request i've had for these two together... and heck, any excuse to draw hellboy is a good one! (don't wanna jinx myself, but there's only ONE outstanding commission in the works... the 'haps movie poster style image...)

so, since calgary, we had a great time at the baltimore comic con (celebrating todd's b-day with the gang was a highlight, among others... like meeting caleb/impulse)

finished work on armor wars (issue 4 in a few short weeks and a trade should be out in feb) and started on a few other projects for marvel (i'll fill you in when i can) as well as the next arc of the 'haps and some covers...

looking forward to my last con of 2009 in boston this weekend... if you're in the city, stop by and say "hey!"

oops, gotta go get dinner ready!

-c

(saw where the wild things are last night and still taking it all in... beautiful and sad)

calgary, eh?

had a fantastic time up at the calgary toy and comic expo this past weekend and got to see some great stuff at the royal tyrell dinosaur museum (along with other guests including norm breyfogle and dustin weaver)... the show itself was great, kept us busy sketching and signing all day... mike even was kind enough to send me a scan of the flaming carrot piece i did for him.

made it home safely and jumped right back into getting iron man armor wars 4 finished up before the baltimore comic con this weekend (and you DO know that issue 3 is now out, right?)

so, if you're at the baltimore comic con this weekend, stop by booth 2408 and say "hey!" ... not likely we'll have the advance copies of the perhapanauts halloween spooktacular with us after all (unfortunate mix up at image... don't get me started), but we'll have the other books and swag ... and todd's smiling face, of course (not to mention booth boy extraordinaire, officer mulcahy)

... and when i get back, i think it's time to catch up on piles of unread comics, unwatched dvds, and some sleep ...

-c

incredibles!

so, this one is piece that i've owed a friend for longer than i can remember (even longer than you, bobby!)... in trade for a beautiful mignola cosmic odyssey page, i promised a superman commission... YEARS later, patient as ever, he reminded me about the piece and suggested maybe switching to the incredibles... deciding i couldn't in good faith make him wait any longer, i started it last week. after laying out the piece, i realized it was gonna be pretty involved, so instead of my usual transfer of the art to the canson paper with saral paper, i decided to do straight up line art on bristol, scan it, and print it directly on the canson and go from there...

besides that, iron man and the armor wars 4 is cooking along, as well as the topps clone wars sketch cards and perhapanauts design work and covers for the next arc...

passed the midway point on the first season box set of fringe (really can't wait to see where it goes from here) and watched the season premiere of the office oh, creed, how i've missed you this summer) after getting home from fenway park last night (tough loss, but a good game and great time with bob, jamie, steve, and those wacky chapmans)

-c

battle of the planets!

so, here's a scan of the color piece of princess from battle of the planets... yeah, i know it's really gatchaman, but i'll always have fond memories of watching the us version with 7 zark 7 and 1 robot 1 on channel 56...

so, working hard to get iron man and the armor wars 4 done and started working on the next arc of the perhapanauts this weekend, as well as getting through my VERY patient commission list (deadpool's done, working on the incredibles now .... then a 'haps movie poster montage... whew) ... and since i figured i'm not busy enough, i'm doing 100 sketch cards for the upcoming star wars clone wars season 1 set, too...

watching season one of fringe on dvd now (5 episodes in... damn, it's good!), hoping to get it done before all the fall shows return... and listening to the audiobook of frank portman's new book andromeda klein (with a SLEW of others in the queue... david cross, stephen king, dr. denis leary - gotta get back into the habit of listening while working in the afternoon when the kids aren't around) ... my comic pile's getting larger, really gotta get beter about books i actually plan to read as opposed to just "oooh, this looks good!")

back to work (well, after watching this week's mad men)

-c

black widow

well, here's another canson color piece for a very patient customer... (i've got a few more commissions to wrap up - incredibles, deadpool, hellboy/choopie, and the haps movie style poster- and get the list empty for a change... whoo!)

let's see, issue 2 of iron man and the armor wars comes out this week, so make sure you grab your copy (with another sweet scottie young cover!)... and as a guy who hasn't been following iron man at all for the last few years, i can say it's an all ages book that anybody can pick up and enjoy - i really think marvel's got the "all ages thing" figured out with the books nate cosby's putting out as editor...

the perhapanauts halloween spooktacular is off to image and set for it's release right before the baltimore comic con in october (you ARE going, aren't you? ) speaking of baltimore and conventions, i'll also be in calgary the first weekend of october and then boston the last weekend, whew! (luckily, no shows in sept or after october, so i can keep working on the haps and my next marvel gig)

oh, for folks looking to buy original art, head on over to comic art house and see everything that's available ... and be sure to check out the ebay auctions for some great deals...

okay, back to work!

-c

(really enjoying the latest patton oswalt cd while working... when the kids aren't home)

back to the future...

well, that title seems oddly appropriate for a coupla reasons...

first off, today's sketch was a warm up i did after reading that dc was bringing back batman beyond (and A. no, i'm not drawing it... B. dunno if anybody at dc even knows who i am these days, and C. i'm mighty happy to be working at marvel on iron man and the armor wars - issue 2 out in a few weeks! -and on the 'haps, thank you very much) ... gotta say, i'm pretty excited to this character come back, seemed like there was SO much potential that was left untapped (and while i enjoyed my two years on the comic based on the cartoon, i felt like it didn't always hit the mark...) after trying to hew closely to the general style guide, it was fun to put my spin on the character (granted, it's years later and i'd like to think i've grown as an artist as well)

secondly, this past weekend was my 20 year (!) high school reunion... after hemming and hawing a bit about going, i'm certainly glad i did... (granted, it was right down the road, so i didn't need to take a trek to get there)... it was a pleasure to catch up with old friends and see what's been going on these last two decades, (but as todd pointed out over on his blog, facebook's been a great way to reconnect as well, so i've been reconnecting with those who couldn't make it...)

alright, gotta go get dinner on the table!

-c

back from chicago...

made it back safely from chicago (but sadly, didn't get to go to the weber restaurant)...

had a great show, met some new and old friends (and now i can say " i know katie cook!"), sold some art, books and stuff... even with the big publishers absent, it seemed like a very busy show (and quite possibly their absence got more folks to spend time in artist alley) ...

glad to be home, working hard on issue 3 of iron man and the armor wars (issue 1 came out a few weeks ago... you DID pick it up, right?) and getting the last of the files to image for the haps' halloween spooktacular (which, with any luck, we'll debut in baltimore...)

anyway, here's a scan of an impulse color piece i did at the chicago show (thanks for sending it, kieron) as well as the prelim...

okay, back to work!

-c (can't believe it's his 20 year high school reunion this weekend)

quick one

okay, so, as usual, i'm swamped with work and realized it's been a while since the last post... since i've been busy wrapping up issue 2 of iron man and the armor wars and our perhapanauts halloween spooktacular story, i haven't done any new commissions to share... so i'm diggin' deep.

but before i do, here's preview of the first issue of armor wars, check it out!

and for the folks heading to chicago next weekend, stop on by artist alley booth 4500 and say "hey!" (i'll have some books, sketchbooks, and maybe some art...)

okay, back now? so, here's one i did back in '95 to send along to editors as a thank you note for taking the time to look at samples (you know, back when editors would look at cold call samples... best, constructive reply i got was from kevin dooley at dc... funniest was a rejection letter from dc after i had been working on impulse for a year - i was thinking it was gonna be my check)... i've started scanning some older samples (x-men, thor, generation x, books of magic, dreaming, mister miracle) that i'll be posting pretty frequently...

-c

really enjoyed green lantern - first flight on dvd... and finally getting to watch dollhouse, so far, so good...

and STILL taking in everything that happened on the wire (dammn!!) - even noticed "omar" in the big fight between hulk and abomination in the incredible hulk the other day on hbo... and realized it was gordon from sesame street as the patrol cop in season 5

king choopie!

okay, been a while since my last post...

went to cleveland (and had plenty of time to hang out with todd and mark mchaley since the show was a bit... slow), been working on the haps halloween "big in brazil" story (you did see that todd posted the first page in b/w over at his blog a while back, didn't you?) and iron man and the armor wars ...

haven't had much free time to get to the few commissions waiting patiently, but i DO have this piece... my homage to conan ... after realizing it wouldn't work for the cover to issue 3, we scrapped it (only getting as far as loose pencils - check out the new image trade for that)... after seeing it the trade , jim asked me if i could ink it up, so i did... i had fun with this one...

up next week, i'll dig deep into the file draws for old samples and miscellaneous stuff you've probable never seen.

-c (finished watching the wire on dvd... damn, i can see why it's considered one of the best shows on tv... days later, i'm still letting it sink in...)

back into the swing of things...

had a great time in charlotte with the usual suspects (todd, sharon, matt, suzanne, christian, angie, cully, nick cardy, scott, gino, chris, rod, leanne...) did a lot of sketching, sold some art and sketchbooks, met a lot of great folks (and saw a lot of familiar faces)... the highlights were seeing the first 'ringo scholarship being awarded and father's day breakfast with nick and company)...

i DID come back home to an imac in need of a new hard drive - with apple care covering it (and everything backed up via time machine) it just boiled down to time lost... finally got back up and running last night, scanned the final pages of iron man and the armor wars 1 and more of my 'haps halloween story...

and even managed to mow my lawn this beautiful tuesday afternoon (after weeks of rain, it really needed it)...

on the tv front, besides rescue me, there's not much i'm watching, so i dove headfirst into the box set of the wire... damn.

alright, i've leave you with a wonder woman i did at the show (thanks for the scan, richard) as well as a composite superman sketch that was never picked up (usually leave a show with one of these stragglers)...

-c

packin' up for charlotte

okay, so heading out to tf green in a bit to catch my flight to charlotte for heroescon... (looking like its gonna be one of the best yet)...

i know i'm forgetting something (but, like roger reminded me, pack a towel and DON'T PANIC)...

almost wrapped up on issue 1 of "armor wars" and making some good headway on my haps halloween "big in brazil" story...

and on that note, here's a poison ivy i wrapped up for a VERY patient timothy chandler (this IS, in fact the year for that poison ivy piece)... so, if you're at the show, stop by and say "hey!"... if not, have a happy father's day weekend.

-c

so, you wanna get a sketchbook?

okay, so more than a few folks have emailed about making sure they can get a sketchbook before i go and sell'm all at heroes (ha! i like their wishful thinking... but hey, you never know, right?), so to ease any worries about missing out...

here's the skinny -

- folks can pre-order the books now for $20 each book ordered - and i'll pull any aside at the show and mail'm after i get back from heroes...

- free headsketches (of your choice) will be in the "regular" sketchbook (just let me know what to draw when you place your order)

- US priority mail shipping is a flat $5 (outside the US, $8)

- any previous books are still available as well (canson volumes 1, 2 or 3 are only $10 each with any order and the b/w sketchbook 2004 is a steal at $5)

payment can be made via paypal (payable to sketchbook at craigrousseau dot com) or mailed snail mail (drop me a line for mailing info)... specify which book(s) you're ordering (and, again if it's a "regular" sketchbook, what head sketch you want)

-c (off to see UP with the boy!)

sketchbooks!

alrighty then... not one, but TWO new sketchbooks are on the way (and will be on hand at heroes con NEXT weekend)...

both books are limited to 100 copies, 8.5 x 11 with 28 pages (so plenty of room to show off this stuff )... the canson book's full color, the sketchbook is b/w with 12 color pages (and will come with a free headsketch inside)... each book'll run $20 (with flat $5 us shipping)

for folks who aren't able to head down (or catch me in chicago, cleveland, baltimore or boston this year), i'll be offering'm for sale through the website soon...

you're really super, supergirl...

whew, i've had that xtc song stuck in head for days now...

i'll post again later this week, gotta get back to work on iron man : the armor wars.

-c

another work in progress

so, nick's been waiting very patiently for me to finish this one... with any luck, it'll be done by the end of the weekend. (did this one a bit differently than peter parker by going with the white outline first...)

working hard on iron man and the armor wars (just saw skottie young's cover to #2... SWEET!) and getting into the halloween story for the haps...

realizing that heroes con is only a few weeks away, it's time to get cracking on not ONE, but TWO new sketchbooks... (one's the next canson, the other is commissions, sketches, etc) trying something a bit different this time around ( finished size'll be 8.5x11 instead of the smaller ones to allow the art to be bigger and uncropped... ) for folks who can't make to a show this year, i'll post ordering info when they're ready...

-c

so, since tv is slow for the time being (phew), i'm diving into dvds that've piled up... currently it's andy richter controls the universe (very funny, slightly surreal and canceled WAY too soon), next up, the complete box set of the wire.

gwen stacy.... and i am (drawing) iron man!

first things first, a gwen stacy commission i finished up a few weeks ago...

okay, so if you saw the august solicitation previews that got posted today, this isn't new to you... otherwise, here it is... my next gig for the fine folks at marvel... (no art to post yet, sorry)

(and when i get the okay to post some of the x men art, i will... val staples did a KILLER job on the pages, making me look good)

IRON MAN & THE ARMOR WARS #1 (of 4) Written by JOE CARAMAGNA Penciled by CRAIG ROUSSEAU Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG Cash, cars, boats, houses...Tony Stark has got it all. The only thing that could ruin his day? If every single one of his IRON MAN armors were stolen, and then turned against him. Join us for a nail-biting, strapped-to-your-seat adventure as Tony battles his greatest creations, and tries to discover who could (gasp) OUTSMART him!?!? 32 PGS./All Ages ...$2.99

... and it's done.

okay, after a few days away (ending with a great visit with "uncle todd and aunt sharon"), i figured it's time to finish up the step by step on the peter parker commission...

besides going in and making any last little tweaks to the general colors, i usually go around the contour with a bright color (in this case the white) to really make things pop... and at the last minute i realized peter's shirt needed a little something, so i threw in the stripes... and i also figured the "spidey sense" lines made sense as well...

and that's a wrap!

issue 6 of the haps is off to image and we're working on the next issue in the next few weeks... and i'm hip deep in my next marvel gig ...

most tv seasons are wrapping up (the office, 30 rock, lost, 24 ... ) or have already aired season/series finales (chuck, scrubs) so i'll get back to the dvds piling up here (granted, there's still some great shows on like rescue me... and a few on tivo i never got to - fringe, dollhouse)

saw x-men origins:wolverine last week ... eh.

step by step... part 4

okay, so we're in the home stretch on this commission... you can see at this point i've added more mid range/ shadow colors to fill it out... and usually a quick trick to make it pop is adding a different cooler light source opposite the main one (and again, that light purple does the job pretty well)... not much left but the finishing touches...

oh, and since michael dooney (a CRAZY talented artist, i must add) asked a while back - all the inks for these (and 95% of what i ink) is faber castell pitt pens (either the S/superfine of the F/fine tips... and if i need a thicker line weight i'll redraw the line a few times, building it up slowly)...

okay, besides the commissions (i've got a few more to post soon, like a princess from "battle of the planets", a canson gwen stacy and a canson supergirl... and canson black widow is in the works now), i'm on my last page of our framing story for haps 6, the story for uncanny x-men first class special is done (i'll post a page or two when i get the okay) and work on my next marvel gig is underway...

i'm sure there's more i was gonna post, but since it's slipped my mind... next time.

-c

OH, i did want to mention i'll be at stillpoint comics in fall river, ma this saturday (may 2, 10am - 2pmish) for free comic book day, sketching and signing and more than likely, reading comics!

step by step...3!

alright, so here we go with some color... since the highlights and shadows usually play a strong role in these, i start with deciding where the light source is coming from - for this one, it's a dramatic up-lit image... laying in some highlight colors really sets the mood (and again, it lets the value of the paper play a big role in the finished colors)... i do all the colors on these with prismacolor colored pencils... from here, the next step will be laying in some darker values and some edge lighting and a contour to make it all pop...

hope everybody had a good week (and picked up their very own copy of the new haps trade that came out last week)... after being under the weather a bit (damn ick tearing though the house), had a great weekend with friends (some of whom have,alas , succumbed to said ick) and saw a great game at fenway on sunday with perfect weather for a game... finishing up the x-men story and jumping on a new supercool project at marvel for the same editor this week and getting everything ready to send issue 6 of the haps to image next week (finally!)

-c

step by step... part deux

i know some of you have been ANXIOUSLY awaiting this second post in the step by step process, so here we go!

after getting a tight sketch on plain ol' white copy paper i'm happy with, the next step is to transfer to the colored canson paper (i'm using the mi-teintes line, a heavier textured color paper that comes in a 19x25 sheet in a slew of colors) i should point out that choosing the right color goes a long way in making the picture work (trial and error has shown me that the mid-range/darker papers usually work best... and matching it to the larger color elements - costume, cape, etc - is a smart move... choosing the wrong paper becomes a struggle to get a solid color with the colored pencils - the green on the orange paper for aquaman was a good example of working against the paper).

since the paper is too heavy to see through on a light table... and i'm not about to redraw the whole darn thing, i use saral paper (think carbon paper - but i usually use the white) to transfer the image to the canson paper - simply laying the drawing on top of the canson with the saral in between (AND facing the right way - more than a few times i've traced the whole thing, only to find the saral was wrong side down... d'oh!) and tracing the sketch, leaving the white line art on the canson...)

once i've got the white tracing line down, it's time to ink (and by the time i'm done, i've smudged away most of the white lines... )

okay, so that should tide folks over 'til we get to the coloring in progress next week...

and hey, didja know, next week sees the release of the long awaited first haps trade from image?

-c

(season finale of friday night lights already?! damn)

step by step...

first off, had a great time at the boston comic con last weekend (spent plenty of time geeking out over mike allred who was sitting to my right - -he and his wife laura are absolutely the nicest folks you can meet )... thanks to everybody who stopped by and said hey (or, in the case of our own officer mulcahy, expertly hawked my wares all weekend as i sat with my head down over my drawing board)

okay, since i'm hard at work on getting pages done for both books right now (haps 6 and uncanny x-men first class special), i figure i'd use the next few posts to step through the process of a canson paper color sketch.... first up, the sketch.

so, the request was an 11x17 spidey loves mj style peter parker in an iconic pose... after a coupla false starts, i figured this was the way to go (after so many of these things, i don't do much prelim/thumbnail stuff, just get to the drawing)... after getting it tight enough, it's on to the next step...

-c

what, no rufus?

okay, so here's the third commission i finished up the other day... always fun drawing the kim possible crew (and i dig that new stylin' outfit she got in the last season)...

so, marvel solicits just came out the other day and the cat's outta the bag... besides doing the captain america back up that month (1940's cap vs. P.R.O.D.O.K.), i'm also doing a 16 page story with super cool cat jeff parker for the uncanny x-men first class giant size 1 (whew, talk about a long title... almost as awkward as marvel adventures superheroes featuring captain america... glad the next project i'll be working on at marvel won't have such a long name...!)... and it turns out, the softcover spider-man loves mary jane trade is solicited for that month, too... phew.

looking forward to seeing folks up at the boston comic con in a few weeks... and looks like i'll be heading out to the chicago comic con this august (i'll have more info on that later, i'm sure)...

REALLY dug the finale to battlestar galactica the other day (well done, and great send off to a thought provoking show)... and man, friday night lights, the office and 30 rock have been stellar lately... and if that was the final ever flight of the conchords, it went out on top.

here comes the fun cooker!

-c

Only a master of evil, Darth.

well, here's another commission i finished up the other day... never bored doing star wars stuff...

on the work front, i wrapped up the flashback story of the next cap issue of marvel adventures superheroes and started on another project (just a one-off for me, but it's pretty sweet!) for my editor before doing the other part of that issue...

looking forward to the BSG finale tonight... damn, can't believe it's over. heckuva run, though...

wild thing!

so, here's the first of 3 commissions i did this weekend, trying to get back into a groove (need to finish those last pages of 'haps 6 so y'all can see leanne and jason's stories)... 

again, not a character i'm familiar with, but fun to do (guess she's wolverine's daughter in the spider-girl continuity)...

so, 24 is having a great season of "wow, this is totally unbelievable... but i can't WAIT to see what happens next" action, the clock is ticking down on battlestar galactica (and wow, they've got a lot of balls in motion in the homestretch), lost is at a creative high point these days (the show's mythology keeps getting more interesting... i've read a few theories that, if true, are very interesting indeed), friday night lights is just damn good drama... and castle was fun, if not breaking new ground (nathan fillion really made it worth watching)

back to work.

-c

etrigan!

so, i was inspired to this one by matt's super sweet etrigan he did a while back... (and the omnibus he and squeeze got me for x-mas... thanks again, guys!)...

not much new to report, still getting back into the swing after NYC, trying to get some pages finished on the next cap story so i can fit something else in for marvel before the next one... (this 4 month gap between issues is working out well! as soon as i can spill on what's on tap, i will)

signed off on the proofs for the first image haps trade today, so it's coming (and so is issue 6 as soon as i finish a few pages on my story... scott and leanne and todd and jason are waiting on me... good thing it's my name over the title or i'd be outta work)

only a few episodes of BSG left, can't wait to see how it all wraps up.

-c

back from new york comic con...

so, made it back in one piece and back to work on my next cap story and haps 6.... it was a great show (realizing now i didn't get to see half the folks i wanted to... and even the ones i did see i barely had time to talk to...)

random highlights include - BBQ at virgil's (mmmmmm); dinner with todd, rich woodall, kelly yates and rod and leanne hannah (and an excruciatingly painful/funny story from rich); getting to 30 rock to see SNL (thanks yet again, scott!!); meeting new/old friends like david and julia petersen, shane glines, greg and marianne adams, and WAY too many more to mention; getting my sketchbook back from andy macdonald with a killer piece in it! (and it was extra sweet, since i thought i had lost it for good - and it had a nice piece from 'ringo in it); selling out of most of the 'haps we brought with us... and all the great response to the book still...

wanted to thank everybody who stopped by the table to get a book signed, get a sketch or page of art, or even just say "hey!"

and some folks who were at the show saw this color print i had done since the first issue of my marvel adventures superheroes featuring captain america comes out this week (wow, say THAT name a few times...)

okay, back to that work i mentioned. 

-c

(caught up on my friday night lights, BSG, the office, 30 rock and 24... whew! that's damn good tv)

harry potter

well, here's a harry potter i did for a friend of a friend (who has, like many, been waiting patiently)... 

starting to get everything ready for the new york comic con this weekend, trying to get through a few more cap and 'haps pages and few more commissions...

and i don't know about everybody else, but i gotta say, tv is really hitting some high notes right now (bsg - frak!, 24, lost, and friday night lights are all delivering in a big way... and some returning favorites are as solid as ever - 30 rock, the office, earl, scrubs, chuck)

exiles

okay, so i've never read the book, but i hear it's good... so good, in fact, that one of my friends commissioned this drawing... (over a year ago, but that's a whole different story)

getting ready for the new york comic con next weekend (feb 7-9), we'll be over in artist alley at table M4 (stop by, say "hey!", pick up a book or two or maybe some original art)

-c

back to tellos

here's another canson commission that's been in the queue for a bit (thanks for being so patient, billy!)... srra and dani from tellos. it's the third in a series of commissions so far (the last few years at heroes he's asked for a color piece... the first i did at the show - rikk and hawke - and don't have a good scan of it... the second was the koj/jarek in the gallery somewhere...)

finished up my first captain america issue for marvel adventures the other day and hard at work on the second one (looks like it's out in early feb, so i certainly stretched the deadline a bit... the next one should be a bit easier) and getting in a groove on the next haps book as well...

besides that, getting ready for the nyc comic con in a few weeks... and lost is back tonight! (and man, talk about good tv lately, friday night lights is back in fine form, battlestar galactica too... and even  24 looks like it bounced back from the last season pretty well... woohoo!)  

-c

another old one...

not much to report, putting the finishing touches on my last pages of the cap story, working on getting stuff together for the haps trade and issue 6 (you DID pick up issue 5 wednesday, right?)

really looking forward to both friday night lights and battlestar galactica (nerd alert - set your dvrs to record a few minutes extra on bsg... or so i've read)

oh, and this art is just another old painting of the beast i did back in 95 (i had done some x-men samples at the time as well, i gotta scan'm) ... REALLY wish i had the time to get back to this kinda stuff... i'd LOVE to do a painted haps cover down the road... oddly, in getting touch with old friends on facebook recently, everybody's telling me they got old drawings i did way back when... and i just cringe (heck, even the dark horse stuff makes me cringe at times)... i think i've got maybe 3 pre-college drawings around...

diggin' deep...

okay, since most of the stuff i'm doing these days i don't wanna spoil (like the fate of poor karl... oh, leanne and rich, i fear i've said too much... ha!), i figure i'll dig into the old stuff that i'm sure nobody's seen...

back when i got out of school and was working on my samples, i dabbled a bit in painting stuff... 

like this image of chamber from generation x... ( and was clearly showing my love of bachalo and fegredo... funny that my fist comic work was so cartoony, since that wasn't where i thought i'd end up... as you'll see when i post some samples down the road)...

-c

hoping to get better than 1 or 2 posts a month...

so, looking back in the archives, i realized i'd only had a few posts a months most of the year... we'll see if we can do better this year, shall we?

okay, so i'm pretty sure i didn't post this one before (i did it just before the baltimore convention last year)... one of those "off the beaten path" pieces, first time i'd ever done my take on gandalf... i'd say it came out okay, and david (the owner) seemed pretty happy with it...

i'm headlong into wrapping up the first issue of marvel adventures captain america, finishing a few "deleted" scenes for the haps trade and working on my story for issue 6 ... and  starting to think about getting ready for the nyc show - might be time for a new sketchbook or two... and possibly get a few pre-show commissions done -  (looks like the cap book should be out by that week... and diamond says issue 5 of the perhapanauts is out next week!)

-c