gotta get at least one more in before july...

not much going on here, been a relatively quiet week recovering from heroes... so here's a coupla commissions.




as for tv, summer seasons are kicking in... after three episodes, i'll say i'm on board for "john from cincinnati"... "flight of the conchords" is a lot of bizarre fun... and "rescue me" is as good as ever.

oh, and the sox are back to double digits ahead of the yankees...

-c

back from heroes...

finally settling in after a longish weekend in charlotte for the 25th anniversary heroes convention (here's to 25 more, shelton!)...if you read 'ringo's blog ( www.mikewieringo.com ), you've probably already read his latest entry about the con, which pretty much sums it up. highlights were just hangin' with todd and mike... and the legendary nick cardy (who i'm proud to call a friend... not spending time with our fathers, we were able to share father's day with nick and had a great time hearing his stories). we sold quite a few copies of both trades and the con exclusive print and talked with lots of great folks who dig the 'haps as much as we do... and i did a buncha commissions (one of which i'll post below, courtesy of christian... thanks for the scan!)...



in all the hubbub, i did manage to lose an address for a jarek/koj commission i'm working on... so if ya read this billy (or one of your friends) drop me a line with yer address so i can get it out in the mail!

and before i went to charlotte, i also did this piece for my friend jill to give to keiran on father's day... (gotta love us nerd types)... and on that note, didja see the robot chicken star wars show? todd, mike and i were laughing our butts off in the hotel at a few bits.. (admiral ackbar cereal..."it's a trap!")



well, back to work.
-c

just a quick psot...

got a lot to do before johnny's birthday party this afternoon, but figured i'd post real quick...

first off, here's the colored version of the spider-man art for the heroes progam book (i'll have a few 8.5x11 prints for sale at the show)...definitely going for a more "illustration" feel (and would love to do more, we'll see)...



and here's one of the star wars 30th anniversay sketch cards i did for the upcoming topps set (and check out the rest of'm, kindly posted by keith over at at http://www.starwarssketchcards.com/ in the "star wars 30th anniversary" section... duh)... glad i didn't poke around the site before i did my cards (looks like some folks put a LOT of time into these "sketch" cards... more like full color illustrations... wow!), i never would've gotten done in the time i had...



and the sox've won the last 2 games (man, that was a tough hit to watch in the bottom of the ninth with only one out to go in schilling's game thursdya... tough break) and look like they've gotten back into hitting the ball last night (jd drew... wow!)...

i've got a bunch more commissions to post, so i figure i'll get one or two in before charlotte...

-c

heroes con

okay, so heroes con in charlotte is coming up quickly!

turns out this year's show is on the weekend of johnny's 3rd birthday, so we're having his party a week earlier (he's only 3, so it's not a big deal.. and heck, he has a party sooner)...i've been heading down to this show for years (only missed it 3 years ago when johnny was born... which was a pretty darn good reason) and always have a great time hanging out with friends like todd and mike (and WAY too many other to name... like you, mr. "can't be a booth boy since megan's gonna be there but we'll gladly keep you around " brian mulcahy) and talking with fans...

wanted to get a piece in the program book (and the theme was either silver surfer or spidey's black costume) so i came up with the one over the weekend...



besides that, i wrapped up my 100 sketch cards for the upcoming topps star wars 30 set (how could i say no?! i'll post'm later, i'm sure) as well as my latest dc licensing gig, so it's back to those commissions (thanks for being patient... oh, and if by some odd coincidence you're on the list and plan on being at heroes (robert?) lemme know if you want me to bring the piece and get it in person)...

we managed to get out and see knocked up this weekend as well (i absolutely loved it - but ithen again, i thought freaks and geeks was the best tv show in years ... trish, not as much) and got to watch some of the sox-yankees series (even losing 2, boston's still got a healthy lead )...

if you're a comics fan and reading this, i'm sure you check out ringo's blog... and WOW, is that new set-up sweet (makes me wanna redo my sitre... someday)...

well, back to work on this rainy monday morning...

-c

another wonder woman

hmmm, since it's been over a week, you'd think there'd be a lot to post... but with the two kids during the day and working on the dc licensing gig after the family's in bed, i haven't had much time for anything else... besides a few tv shows, which i'll get to in a bit.

we DID get a chance to visit our good friends jamie and karen at the hospital after the arrival of their beautiful baby daughter (good luck with her, jamie!)... since johnny couldn't visit, he's been going on... and on... and on... and on... about going to play at their house and see the baby (who's quite the cutie, i gotta say)...

should be (well, kinda have to be) done with this dc gig next week, so i can get back to a big pile o' commissions and get ready to head down to charlotte for heroes con (and before that, have johnny's big 3 birthday party)...

so, we've gotten to the end of another tv season... heroes seemed a bit anticlimactic, but still interesting... 24, well, it's over... sopranos is looking like it's gonna end with a bang (the last one was just crazy good), the office was great (if you didn't check out creed thoughts over on nbc.com, go do it now! man, i'm really loving that character these days... and the very last bit with ryan = priceless!)... and lost?! i won't spoil anything, but i'm glad i stuck around, 'cause it really picked up and i'm loving what's going on... but GAH, another show with a 9 month wait for the next season?!)... still haven't watched any of the latest veronica mars (figured i'd try and enjoy'm, since that's all we're gonna get... which is a shame, but it's not the first time a GREAT show got cancelled because it couldn't find an audience... at least we got 3 great seasons, right? although it does make me wonder about people when the pusscat dolls show gets better ratings)

okay, back to work... oh and here's that wonder woman i mentioned...



-c

the creature from the black lagoon

okay, here's yet another canson commission... always fun when it's someone/thing i haven't drawn (the upcoming list including josie of the pussycats and jasmine from aladdin, as well as hermoine, should be fun)...

still working on the dc licensing gig, not much else going on here workwise (which is good, 'cause that dc job is keeping me plenty busy)...

thinking about getting together a second canson sketch book for charlotte (although, since i didn't have the first one at last year's show, i might wait 'til baltimore, now that i think of it)... hmmmmm.

sox are on fire these days, dice-k finally showed us what he's really capable of last night and lived up to the hype... very nice. (funny that as a life-long red sox fan, i keep thinking i'd better enjoy this streak now, since the season's barely started... we'll see come september)

don't watch many commercials these days (thanks, tivo!) but i do catch those mac ads once in a while (downloaded and am enjoying the quirky book by john "pc" hodgeman)... as a mac owner, i do find some of those spots funny - not necessarily true, however... especially the mac "genius" spot, seeing that my experience with a "genius" was far from successful (me, after waiting about an hour - "hey, i think there might be a problem with my powerbook's drive, but i'm not sure", genius- "oh no, that's just the cd disc drive, sounds out of balance... it'll be fine for the time being, but you might want to replace it in the future", me- "um, okay... thanks" while thinking i should back up the drive again just in case, which i didn't get to do since the next time i started it up when i got home from the apple store, the hard disc crashed... and while i didn't get any "cryptic error" message like they say pcs get in another spot, i just got a question mark in a folder... not much more encouraging, if you ask me)

okay, enough rambling, back to work!

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this... "the else" by they might be giants

"two fer" tuesday

one of the great things about being in new england here is the changing of the seasons... spring is back and all the trees are starting to bloom (and the kids can play outside again)...

got to see a good game up at fenway ... ugly first inning from dice-k... 5 (runs on 2 hits? ouch.) but it got better.

had a good time up at jetpack comics on free comic book day ... and then spending a few hours at my local shop on sunday.

work moves along on commissions and the dc licensing gig... who knows, maybe i'll get motivated and start contacting editors at dc and marvel again soon...

here's another piece i did for hitoshi and his most impressive collection (check it out on the comic art fans gallery... sorry i don't have the link handy)...



so, there's an end in sight for lost... good for the storytelling, i think. (this season really bounced back after an uneven start... so did 24, to a lesser degree...) season (and series) finales are on the way in the next few weeks, looks to be some good tv.

-c

bring on the sith...

wow, what a beautifully sunny thursday here in new england... been working hard on yet more commissions and a fun job for dc licensing...

was able to catch a sneak of spider-man 3 last night. it was pretty darn good, although it seemed to try and fit an AWFUL lot into the story (with way too much connecting of story elements)... and a few bad "funny" moments ruined the momentum for me... but great action (maybe a bit too frenetic at times) and character development. i'm still thinking the 2 movies i wanna see this summer are superbad and knocked up.

heading up to fenway tonight to see dice-k in action, hope it's a good game!

man, i LOVED that new hellboy book that came out this week (duncan fegredo is easily one of my favorite artists working today... brilliant stuff!)

oh, yeah, here's a few star wars pieces i did for john higashi (hence the title of today's post... although i guess it should be "bring on the bug guys and trooper droids" but that just doesn't sound as cool)...




-c

x-ladies!

geez, with all these commissions i've got here, i could be posting more, huh? guess i don't wanna post'm too quick (in case i get bogged down and the commissions slow up... although at this point i've got at least a dozen in the queue... and all the ones i've already done and scanned).

anyway, here's another of hitsohi's pieces...



so, sox are doing great, yankees not so much (it's still early, i gotta keep telling myself!), randy moss to the pats.... strange stuff!

free comic book day is coming up this weekend, so i'll be up at jetpack comics in new hampshire on saturday (along with ed mcguinness and dexter vines!) and down at my local shop (stillpoint comics in somerset, ma) on sunday afternoon...

not too much to report on the work these days, doing another fun job for dc licensing... with any luck, we'll see what's going on with other pjojects soon...

well, gotta get back to work before i need to go pick up the kids at my folks' house!

-c


what i'm listening to as i type this ... year zero - nine inch nails

catwomen!

okay, so esther asked me for a silver age catwoman and went so far as to send me images for reference... which i glanced at quickly and went ahead and did the piece... not realizing i changed the boots to the golden age costume. not wanting to be trouble, she pointed it out and said she'd take it anyway... but heck, the customer is right (and i clearly wasn't) so i did a new one... luckily, she digs it (and the other one found a home in hitoshi's collection, so it's all good!)

and for folks who've read mike wieringo's blog about his feeling a lack of confidence in his work (or a place in the industry), it's kinda telling how many of his peers (and friends) express the very same feelings... myself most definitely included. i think going to conventions and seeing other artists' work can be motivating... and humbling... and downright depressing when i think about how my stuff compares... heck, i get that feeling almost every week looking through new books at the comic shop.

-c


just read that drive got the boot from fox... (heck, i still haven't gotten to watching the first few on tivo... oh well)

smallville!

okay, so we made it back safely from todd's last night (thanks again, brother! a great time was had by all)...

and now that it's been on the air, i guess i can finally mention one of the gigs i recently did for dc licensing...




smallville: justice and doom! if you were watching the show on the cw last night (sadly, i was busy and tivoing my name is earl), you'dve seen a minute and a half "animated" comic story featuring the smallvile version of the justice league (impulse, green arrow - that's my sample tryout piece above to prove i can do more than animated stuff- cyborg, aquaman, oracle) which continues a subplot on the show about lex luthor and project 33.1... and ties into a big cross promotion game thing with toyota yaris and more... the project was pretty cool to work on, doing all the art on different layers for the animation and effects. they're got 4 more done by other artists which'll air over the next month...

and if you didn't catch it , you can see it online (and learn more about the game) at www.cwtv.com/justice

alright, back to the commission pile! (what an eclectic list... some jedi, josie of the pussycats, creature from the black lagoon, hermoine... and that's just a few)...

-c

tivoed the first few hours of drive but haven't watched yet... but the shield was just brutal (in a good way, but damn if this is gonna get ugly).

ref got me hooked on one of my new favorites on the discovery channel ... survivorman

change of pace

well, we're off to visit todd for a bit... but before we go, i figured i'd post another piece...

believe it or not, this one's for "today's christian woman" magazine... it was a real fun spot illustration to go with a fun article... the client seemd to dig it. i'd say it's a safe bet that 99% of y'all will never see it in print.

-c

whaddaya know... another canson paper piece...

okay, a quick one...
here's a domino commission.

now that the initial hype's over, maybe we can have some realistic expectations for dice-k's pitching here in red sox nation... (and that would mean the sox need to hit the ball, too)

not a surprise, but looks like nbc pulled the plug on andy barker... and the black donnellys got pulled off the schedule, too (usually not a good sign... although i won't miss it... lost interest after the second or third episode)

the shield is still going strong... and lost has got me hooked again... and just when 24 seems off it's game, they throw a curve like the final minutes of this week's show (granted, i doubt this season's gonna match last year, but we can hope).

-c (can't get the title track of fountains of wayne's new cd, traffic and weather, outta my head)

rainy wednesday

here's yet another canson paper piece... wasn't sure which miss marvel costume to go with, but figured i'd go with the new one...

finished up the latest project i've been working on (at least for the time being) so i'm diving head first into getting through a slew of commissions... and trying to drum up more work (and keep working on the next new project todd and i wanna get off the ground... not to mention get a head start on the next 'haps series)...

-c


man, is that new fountains of wayne cd good stuff!

and on the tv front, the shield came back as good as ever last night (took a few minutes to remember everything that happened last year, but... )... damn, it's gonna get ugly.

and i doubt we'll see more than the six episodes of andy barker, pi that were filmed... and that's a shame. (head on over to nbc.com to watch'm all... the "fairway my lovely" episode had some brilliant stuff in it)

holy frak!

okay, so that was a pretty interesting season finale of battlestar galactica (no spoilers in case you tivoed it) the other night (which leaves us with a LOT of questions)...but 2008?! damn. (that's long enough for me to forget most of the little stuff... heck, i can't remember most of the last season of the sopranos... or the shield, both of return real soon...)

thoroughly sad to see rome go, but it went out in style (man, once deadwood wraps up later this year after the sopranos, why keep hbo? bad enough i can't turn on one of the six(!) hbo channels without catching a star wars movie...)

watched the first episode of "this american life" on-line (over at the showtime site) and wish i was able to watch it every week (i love listening on npr), a strong first outing...

looks like i'll be getting through a good chunk of commissions soon, since work has slowed down... here's another one for hitoshi! (looking back through'm all, wonder woman is coming in third behind batman and batgirl as most requested... and well ahead of dazzler... and mento)

decided to go through the list of monthly (well, what should be monthly) comics i get at the local shop and really cut back... every week i bring home a handful of books and really only enjoy 1 or 2 (heck, most i get for the art these days...) ... after talking with a few folks (some who read this very blog...), i know i'm not the only one...

-c

what im listening to as i type this... arcade fire - neon bible (after seeing 'm live at saturday night live last month - and not being overly impressed, i gotta say - i figured i'd try out the cd... and it's growing on me... gotta love emusic!)

snowy samurai!

here's a pin-up i did (with rico on colors) for the upcoming dark horse trade of the second "samurai: heaven and earth" series. ron marz and luke ross have a fantastic historic-action-adventure-love story here, and if you haven't read it... you should (the first trade is out now)...
ron had the brilliant idea of doing a pin-up trade for both the perhapanauts and samurai (and if you've seen luke's pin-up, clearly todd and i got the better end of that deal)...

man, i can't stop looking at the recent "drink and draw" book from image... i've always loved dave johnson's stuff as well as jeff johnson, but i was blown away by dan panosian's stuff (and i've spent a good long time checking out his sweet blog... http://urbnbarbarian.blogspot.com/)

-c

so, season finale of battlestar is this weekend (and i imagine there's gonna be one helluva cliffhanger until next year)... and the finale of rome (it's a toss up which i liked more, this or deadwood... two of the best shows on hbo... or tv, for that matter)... and i certainly hope andy barker lasts longer than these 6 episodes, but i doubt it, which is a shame (last night's was pretty damn funny)

why i hate my convention sketches...

over the past 10 years or so, i've done a fair share of comic conventions... and more than a few sketches.

most folks are genuinely happy to get'm and are polite enough to not scoff when they see'm (after they leave the table, who knows)...

so, every now and then i happen to see a scan of a con sketch that makes me cringe... and wish i just stopped doing them (not all of'm are bad, mind you... but the ones that are just drive me crazy... i'd like to think other artists feel this way)... before the onslaught of on-line galleries and comic community sites, the only chance i'd have to see'm is when people bring the book back to another show to get another sketch (and usually after flipping through and being intimidated by all the other great sketches, i find my older efforts and think " well, at least i can try and do better this time")

so, when i saw an older batman/hellboy piece i did the other night, i just hadta go back and redo it for my own sanity.


oh, and had a great time at the new boston convention this weekend, and got a chance to see some old friends and new... and finally meet some folks who's work i dig (like scott wegener and nick dragotta)... and then had a fantastic time at a good friend's wedding that night (congrats again, joe and tina!)...

-c

didn't catch battlestar yet... and stupid me, forgot to program the tivo for the new hellboy cartoon... d'oh! (realized almost halfway through and checked... turns out i only had the first one in the season pass...) but manoman, was rome good. (only one left... gah!)... rewatched andy barker and just loved the small moments that really made it work.

happy (belated) pi day.

meant to post wednesday afternoon at 1.59 and wish y'all a nerdy "happy pi day" (3/14 1.59 ) but got wrapped up and never got around to it (then blogger was acting up yesterady, so...) maybe next year.

here's yet another commission piece... figured it'd go with the new look torch as opposed to the classic (although i miss all those black lines for some reason... and his having hair just seems... off) at this rate, i'll have enough for 2 more canson sketchbooks in no time.

decided last minute to head up to the convention in boston this weekend, so if you're there swing by and say "hey!"

-c

anybody catch "andy barker, p.i." last night? i really enjoyed it... we'll see if it has legs.

ooooh, a ghost....

... no, not that one from the 'haps, either. here's another recent commission... always glad it works out when i choose the right color canson paper to work on...

so, work is moving ahead, and commissions are moving along as well... things're good.

kinda wish this cold snap would break... or we'd at least get some snow to show for it.

-c

there's a lull in tv for a few weeks (well, a slight lull anyway... we've still got new rome and battlestar (frak! didn't see that ending coming)... as well as 24 (here comes the rickster! i enjoyed his run on nypd, hope he lasts more than one episode)... and i can catch up on my dvds at some point (just started season 4 of penn and teller's bullsh*t with the boy scout episode... sums up my thoughts about scouts lately, which is a shame)

back from nyc...

had a great time at the show, sketching and talking with lots of fans and great folks like tad stones and david petersen (and meeting folks like ted mckeever, jon bogdanove, roy richardson and june brigman for the first time)...

if you read todd's blog (and why wouldn't you? http://perhapanauts.blogspot.com/ ) you've seen some of the pics we took ( love the reaction shots to the choopie butt cards... too bad we didn't get any of those rare "hmmmmph. not funny." reaction shots)... i'll try and post a few that i managed to take...

folks seemed to enjoy the perhapanauts (and seeing andrew's kick ass choopie sculpt in person) and want more... let's hope we get the opportunity to do'm...

had a great time watching saturday night live with rainn wilson (thanks again, scott! and sorry, kelly... d'oh!)

seems like i'm getting swamped with commission requests (now handled through serendipity art sales... thanks, bob!) but i'm getting back on track ... here's one (of a few) recent ones...

-c

as far as tv goes, veronica mars goes on break on a high note - loved the last few episodes! prison break makes for a good 15 minute speed through on tivo these days while 24 continues to be a rollercoaster ride (as does heroes lately)... i wanted to really dislike the black donnelly's (since it's booted studio 60 from the schedule, but ended up enjoying it... the thursday comedy block is getting better and better (athough the office is tending to go for the outrageous behavior with michael and dwight at times, rather than just uncomfortably annoying)... rome is still amazing and lost gained some momentum back this week ...wow, good thing i work while watching tv...

gambit!

so, this was a commission i took on at the baltimore show but didn't quite get to finishing... and then it slipped between the cracks. first time i've ever drawn'm.

wow, only 4 days til the nyc show... should be a good time.

-c

while i've been enjoying battlestar quite a bit this season, the last few episodes seem to be lacking... well, cylons. i realize that's deliberate, but without the big conflict, it seems directionless.
other shows have been great lately, like heroes, rome, 24 (although the twists this season seem obvious), studio 60... and the whole thursday comedy line-up on nbc.

another 'haps

keeping with the trend, here's a molly...
with the canson paper, sometimes the color choice works with you, sometimes... not so much. a lighter blue would've been a lot easier... maybe i'll do another. we'll see ... (gotta get the others done at some point, too) ) *fyi - these two canson 'haps pieces are for sale over at www.serendipityartsales.com ...

work is moving along nicely on the new project, as well as some side stuff and commissions. got the pin-up in from ted mckeever (!) for the "second chance trade"... wow! (i'm sure todd'll start posting these in a few weeks)

also got in the revised pie story pages from rico (seeing as how it's not on newsprint this time, he was able to do a lot more subtle - and beautiful - stuff)

man, the more i see from jeff smith's blog, the more i can't WAIT for his shazam! book (the new series from winick and porter... well, i love the art... and i'll leave it at that...)

so, battlestar galactica and rome last night... two of the best dramas on tv (now, thursday and sunday are far and away the best nights of television... but now that i think of it, monday ain't too shabby either, with the guilty pleasure of prison break, then 24 and heroes -woohoo, tivo! - and studio 60 - when it's not too preachy, it's great tv... liberal, but great and witty tv )

when did dumping on john byrne become a status of a "cool" comic reader? i may not agree with him on a LOT of things, but damn, the man is a legend, and still producing some of the most powerful art today (too bad it's not in a monthly book... but some those commissions he does are amazing... like keep telling todd, "someday, someday we'll get a byrne perhapa-pinup... someday.")... eh, kids today.

okay, back to work.

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this... mojo box - southern culture on the skids

l'il bloodsucker!

funny that in the nearly 100 canson paper pieces i've done over the years, i hadn't done ANY of the perhapanauts... (todd and i were talking about doing some covers like this in the futures, we'll see if that ever happens)...

besides the slew of canson pieces i'm working on, i've got a few pin-ups in the works (in trade for pin-ups for the second chances trade) and chugging away on the new project (hopefully i'll have news about it soon, for anyone that really cares)..

working on that dc licensing gig made me realize that i kinda miss doing straight up super hero stuff (gotta start talking to editors again, although nearly everyone i've worked with over the years has moved on to other jobs... and you know, i've NEVER worked on any marvel books, just creative service stuff), which is not to say i haven't enjoyed the variety of projects and styles over the years (heck, disney licensing gigs to harry johnson to kiss and tell to ronin hood to cobbler's monster to the 'haps... that's a WIDE range of subject matter and styles)

so, tv is back in full force these days (with a spectacular 2 hour comedy block on nbc last thursday... and great episodes of 24 (interesting family tree jack's got, eh?), heroes, rome, veronica mars, extras, battlestar galactica... whew!) and i'm starting to get a huge stack of audiobooks to listen to as well (i've started "the areas of my expertise" by john hodgeman aka pc from the mac commercials ... very dry, witty, and funny stuff a la mcsweeney's ... )

well, back to the drawing board.
-c

what i'm listening to as i type this ... wincing the night away - the shins

so...

...one of the reasons i haven't posted much lately is that i've been so busy trying to wrap up projects, i haven't had much art to post (yeah, i could post pages, but i figure you'll see'm soon enough)... but with finishing up both the dc licensing gig and 'haps, getting the second trade all wrapped up, and getting underway on the next thing, i've found a bit of free time to get back onto commissions and sketches... so i'll be posting those a bit more regularly for a while...

and here's a mary marvel (by way of marylin monroe) i did the other day for our pal, bill nolan, in his amazing mary marvel themed sketch book...

im working on a slew of canson paper pieces, so check back on monday...


and i'm sure i'll have a few things to say about sunday's battlestar galactica... and the pats - colts game.
speaking of tv, rome is back on hbo... damn fine stuff (sad it's only two seasons... but at least we're getting those two)...


wow, only about a month until the new york show ... looks like it's gonna be a good show (speaking of which, i'll be sketching, but probably not the colored paper pieces... if you were interested in getting one, drop me a line and i'll see about getting a few done before the show - no promises - besides the few i'm already committed to bringing for folks)

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this ... fegmania! - robyn hitchcock and the egyptians

um, yeah....

so, the story behind this one is pretty straightforward... a good friend asked me to do a canson paper drawing of a friend's childhood hero creation... the beholder (get it? beholder... big eye... oh, come on, he was a kid)... don't quite know what the mecha-carrot is, but anyway...

turned in the files for the haps issue 4 today (hoping it's not the last, but time will tell) and work is underway on the next gig...

still lining up some sweet pin-ups for the trade as well (we're rushing to get it done in time for heroes con... and asking friends we'd planned to ask for the third volume to contribute this time around, on short notice)

oh, and bill - the sketch's almost done!


-c

what i'm listening to as i type this ... meet the smithereens

phantom stranger...

here's another canson piece i realized i haven't posted here...
or in my sorely neglected canson gallery on the site... with any luck, i'll get around to that big gallery update real soon...
(and the fan art of the 'haps site should get an update soon, too... fyi)
besides the new project i'm working on, i'm getting through a buncha commissions, so i should have plenty to post here for a while, anyway...
and speaking of posting, todd's gonna be showing off some of the sweet pin-ups we've been getting in for the second trade paperback soon, so check out the perhapablog over the next few weeks (if you don't already)...

and wow, how 'bout them pats this weekend? any other team, i'd say it was dumb luck... but come on, they've been doing this stuff for seasons now...

first 2 hours of 24... darn fine (albeit illogical and improbable) television!

back to work!
-c

a quick one...

somebody made a comment the other day on my comicspace page that they enjoyed IMPULSE... and looking back, i did, too...
haven't followed much of what happened after todd's run but i know he's all grown up now... which is sad, since he was such a fun character, which clearly isn't wanted in today's dc or marvel (at least he's not wearing a spiked armor costume that causes him pain to get his powers to work, right? ... ugh)

anywhoo, it got me to do this sketch.

oh, and issue 4 of the haps is all done. onto the next project.

here's hoping that wasn't the last 'haps we do... heck, at the very least, we've got too many folks we wanna get pin-ups from to put in the next trade! (and wait til you see the ones we've got for this one!)

-c

what i'm listening to as type this... frank black - christmass

first post of 07...

... and it's barely begun. how 'bout that? (yeah, i'm talking to YOU, nolan)

work's been crazy busy, what with that dc licensing job and the fourth issue of the 'haps (which will be out JUST in time for the big nyc show... if you're there, stop by and tell us if ya dug it... or better yet, buy it from us)...

the third issue of "second chances" came out this week, and both todd and i agree it's the best yet...

don't have much new art to post, really... but here's a quick sketch i did of turok (tad stones, who's working on the new cartoon, asked me to submit a few designs... they went with somebody else... which is alright with me, 'cause clearly i've been swamped as it is...)

since tv has been in mostly re-runs for the holiday season, while working i ended up watching the entire run of arrested development over the course of a week or so... some of the funniest stuff in years, even better the second time around.

well, here's to a happy and healthy 07 for everybody out there!

-c

...forgot about this one...

not too much new stuff to post these days, been crazy busy trying to wrap up the final issue of the 'haps second mini (hopefully not the last...) and lining up pin-ups for the second trade, doing a fun project with dc licensing (when i get the okay to post about it, i will...), and the holidays rapidly approaching doesn't help...

but in backing up files i came across a commission i did the pencils for... with some sweet inks by my good pal, bob almond...
funny seeing "real" inks over my stuff after doing the simple dead weights for so long...

anywhoo, with tv mostly on it's december break*, i've been able to hunker down and rewatch the last season of 24 on dvd (man, it's addictive when you can watch in 2-3 hour blocks - over the top, crazy unbelievable... but damn good tv) ...

* battlestar ended on a great cliffhanger for a pretty damn amazing first half of the season, and the new staff in scranton are certainly adding to the mix on the office (and making michael and dwight a bit more grounded in reality has helped)... and of course it's just great to see scrubs again... 30 rock just keeps getting better (nice to see a show get a chance to grow and mature these days), making thursday night the best 2 hours of comedy on tv...

and wow, the pats certainly bounced back from that painful loss last week.

well, i'm sure there's more, but i got work to do...

-c

just signed up for the comic version of myspace over at www.comicspace.com ... if you haven't, check it out.

december already?

so, here's yet another commission that was a long time coming... i think it was first requested around thanksgiving... of 2002.

four years later, joshua is FINALLY getting his commission... better late than never, right? (and look at it this way... i draw much better now than i did four years ago)

it's 11.30 on saturday and i'm watching tenacious d on snl... hope todd and sharon are having fun at 30 rock watching it live...

-c

ohhhh, a martian...

realized i've never posted this image, so i figured now's a good a time as any...

here's the piece i was lucky enough to do for dusty abell's invincible handbook for image... (dusty's a cool cat who, after doing some fantastic stuff in comics a few years ago, has been spending most of his time working in animation, currently working on king of the hill)...

invincible (written by robert kirkman and fantastic art by ryan ottley) is currently one of (if not the) best superhero comics out there these days, so it was a treat to do a piece for this project (and the list of folks working on it is pretty damn impressive)...

random notes...
-perhapanauts #2 is out next week (perfect for an after turkey read)...
-looks like the second trade should be out for the convention season next year (just WAIT til we start getting some pin-ups to show)
- should have new pics of the finished choopie sculpt in the next few weeks as well...
- just lined up a fun dc licensing gig, which i'll share with y'all ... at some point.
- commissions are still moving along, so no worries...

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this... augie deblieck's pipeline podcast with todd dezago!

another one a long time coming...

so, after (mostly) finishing this red sonja piece and emailing it to the person who i told i'd do it for YEARS ago (as art adams' art rep, john was kind enough to give me one of art's kick ass books at san diego a few years back), he was pleasantly surprised.

it'd been so long, he'd completely forgotten about it. so all you folks waiting for commissions, have faith... (yes, joshua, that means you, too!)

would love to be getting to'm quicker, but things've gotten even kookier around here with the arrival of our baby daughter catherine last week (john's settling into the role of big brother pretty well so far...) ... still trying to keep the haps on something of a schedule is tough enough...

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this .. oddly enough, not a crying baby (she's been pretty amazing so far) but rather... foo fighters - skin and bones

'cause i felt like it...

even with looming deadlines and more than a few commissions to get through (fyi - gambit, mary marvel, domino, jack sparrow, gwen stacy are all coming soon... well, relatively soon), sometimes i just wanna do something for the simple reason that i want to...

one of my favorite dc books of the last several years (which was cancelled WAY too soon, alas) was stars and stripes (written by geoff johns with fantastic art by lee moder)... great fun all around. courtney (star spangled kid... or is it star girl now?) went on to become a member of the jsa, so at least she's still around...

and onto other things...

-response to perhapanauts - second chances #1 has been good... and i think it only gets better (not just because of a certain security team member in issue 2...)

-already lining up some great talented folks for pin ups in the next trade... just wait!

-should be getting the finished choopie sculpt soon (then it's on to casting a few copies so i can share the fun)

-patriots just steamrolled over minnesota last night (although there were some calls in their favor, the pats clearly were gonna dominate)

-heroes continues to be a fun ride as the story unfolds (stupid tivo cut off the last minutes....d'oh! and was anybody really surprised by the twist with the neighbor? i've been waiting weeks for that to happen...)

-hellboy cartoon on cartoon network was hellafun (again, stupid tivo- or more likely the networks - cut off the beginning)... loved a lot about it, thought it looked fantastic for a tv animation budget... i'm sure it'll flow better on dvd (coming in feb 07) without all of cn's seemingly arbitrary commercial breaks...

-been rewatching the second season of the office on dvd...just gets better (and more painful)... and some of the deleted scenes are priceless... they really spotlight some of my favorite characters like creed and toby (by FAR my favorite character on the show, hands down)

-had a fun time at the halloween party this weekend with all the kids (and reff as otto, of course) in costume...funny how our parties have changed in the last few years...

well, i'm sure there's more, but i gotsta get back to work... plenty to do before the baby arrives.
-c

(what i'm listening to as i type this... achtung baby -u2)

teevee!

a quick recap... discuss.

well, heroes did certainly pick up steam this week...
and studio 60 was pretty strong as well (not great, but good... even though a lot of the big plot moments could be seen from a mile away)...
prison break... wow, didn't see THAT twist (most of the others in this episode, sure... but THAT one, not so much...)
battlestar is hellagood, (loved the new caprica stuff, glad it didn't drag TOO long...plenty of stuff to follow up on.)
the office has become somewhat over the top with michael and dwight, but the grounded moments in the office(s) more than make up for it...
veronica mars is still great tv (again, glad to hear the story won't drag out over the whole season)...
lost was solid, but like the first few episodes of last season, i'm really expecting things to pick up soon... and maybe even get a few answers we've been hoping for. (before the mid-season hiatus for taye diggs' "groundhog day with guns" show.)...
the nine has been fairly engrossing as well, we'll see if it lasts the season, though...


saturday night live... ouch.

-c

perhapanauts:second chances #1!

so, i figured i'd mark today's release of perhapanauts: second chances #1 with a 'blog entry...

and i also figured, bah, why go the obvious route and post 'haps art, so here's plastic man instead.

now go buy the 'haps.

-c

a loooong time coming...

just a quick one, foks, 'cause i'm SWAMPED with work.

so, as an artist working in comics for a number of years, you have the pleasure of meeting a lot of great folks who like your work... and in some cases, you get to know these folks pretty well and become friends.

and i'm sure you know, doing things for friends sometimes takes a back seat to other things, knowing they'll understand...

in the years (yes, plural) i've had a particular friend's book, more than a few "i should get to it soon... honest!" have come and gone... as luck would have it, i was holding the book (with some beautiful stuff already from adam hughes, jim mooney, mike oeming and others) when a fire happened at his house... so i guess it's a good thing i procrastinated, right?


anyway, this one's for ray. (and you other friends, i haven't forgotten... honest. who knows, you might even make into the 'haps someday)

-c

on the tv front, battlestar galactica and veronica mars are back... frak, that's good tv! not to mention lost. hoping studio 60 gets better ratings and enjoyed 30 rock...

the best laid plans...

well, let's just pretend i never said i was gonna try to update regularly... okay?

i've been swamped working on the 'haps and a project for friend out in california... and i'm sooo close to finishing my kitchen re-do...

that plastic man i mentioned should be up early next week... but in the meantime, here's one i did a while ago (and immediately lost the scan of... thanks esther, for the new scan!)

and a few random thoughts/ responses to blog comments...

man, earl just keeps getting better and better (and yes, randy is just a great character - LOVED the end of the "lost pilot" from the dvd - but then again, the sign that it's a great show is that all the characters are great)

i'd say the office is still firing on all cylinders (despite todd's misgivings about the ratio of funny to painful)

still haven't gotten to heroes, but hope to this weekend...

did enjoy the first robin episode of the batman last weekend...

man, next week is gonna push the tivo to the breaking point with all the good stuff on...

-c

oh, and does anybody else see the ad for the new scorsese film (which looks fantastic) and think the voiceover should really be saying "the depahted" in a wicked southie accent...?

what i'm listening to as i type this ... straight outta lynnwood - "weird al" yankovic (it's a sign of how little mainstream radio i listen to these days that only knew one of the songs parodied... but it's still a darn funny album)

that didn't take long...

okay, so the whole M/W/F thing might not stick, but i'll try...
another short one today (and really, the main reason the handful of you check this blog is the purty pictures, anyway... right?)

watched the premieres of earl and the office - great stuff all around! easily one of the best hours on broadcast tv these days.
(and i watched er, too... every time i think i'm gonna pass, i end up getting sucked in) haven't gotten around to watching kidnapped and smith off the tivo yet (and given brian's less than glowing review, what little interest i had in smith is dwindling)...

and couldn't help picking up the my name is earl soundtrack the other day... and it's been in heavy rotation with the new bnl double cd...

looking forward to checking out heroes this week (and then lost comes back the following week.....woo.)

don't know how many of you folks are here in the bay state, but if you are, i hope you get a chance to catch christy mihos' late night commercial for his bid for governor of massachusetts (due to it's frankly amusing take on big dig officials and current gov't in mass, it's run only between 10 pm and 6 am... saw it on the news after er thursday...)... this is no way an endorsement of the guy, but i will say it's a funny spot.

working my way through several canson paper commissions, along with some freelance design stuff ... and of course, the next issue of the 'haps. (speaking of which , i should have some more updated photos of andrew's sweet choopie sculpt soon... it's pretty cool to have something you've created take shape like this... )...

and speaking of those canson pieces, this one's for bryan... his plastic man should be the next post... (reminds me i need to update the gallery of my site with all these... who knows, at this rate i'll have enough for volumes 2 and 3 of the color canson books... if i can sell through volume 1)...

-c (okay, not so short after all)

what i'm listening to as i type this entry...plans - death cab for cutie

on the shelves today!

well, today's the day the 'haps trade finally hits comic shops, online retailers and book stores (that's one last shameless plug for the trade... now it'll be the 'haps' "second chances" series starting in october)... we're pretty proud of this one (and even more proud of "second chances")...

studio 60 is off to a good start, i'll keep watching (well, tivoing... i'm still gonna tune into csi:miami - you're right, dana, caruso is so crazy good/bad these days! - or monday night football )

picked up the season one collection of my name is earl yesterday (the "lost pilot" is pretty amusing stuff)... all these tv shows on dvd are great to watch... who needs reruns these days?

oh yeah, that color piece above is mento from the teen titans (gotta say, bill ... i've had some obscure requests, but this one takes the cake... so far)

well, back to work...

-c (barely making it in on a wednesday post.. not a great way to start my m/w/f plan... but we'll see)

why not?

well, since todd and mike are updating on a monday/wednesday/friday schedule, i figured i'd try that, too...

just about wrapped up the second issue of the new 'haps series and then it's onto issue 3 (duh)...

i'm dangerously close to actually having several rooms finished in the never ending construction project we call home (we'll see how far i get before we have our baby in november!)...

really looking forward to the premiere of studio 60 on the sunset strip tonight as well as a few other shows this season (but mainly looking forward to returning favorites like the office, my name is earl, scrubs, battlestar galactica, 24*)...

patriots managed to hold on and win yesterday, as well as the sox taking 3 of 4 from the yankees ( not that it matters at this point, but it's still good to see'm play well... there's always next season, right?)


and for your viewing pleasure, that's a recent commission of spider-man and mj...

-c

what i'm listening to as i type this ... pixies live in boston (12.9.04)


* since there hasn't been much on tv the last month or so, i've managed to rewatch seasons 1-3 several hours at a time... good, albeit crazy absurd at times, stuff!

back already!

so, i'm back after a quick weekend in baltimore (and a day in pennsylvania at my good friend bobby's wedding... congratulations, you crazy kids!)... seemed to go by WAY too quick (somehow we gotta convince marc nathan that it should be a three day show)

was really only able to spend sunday at the convention (stupid fire alarm saturday morning) but had a great time, easily one of my favorite shows to attend (it's a toss up between baltimore and heroes, both with the same "love of comics and fans" family vibe) ... did a few convention sketches, got to talk with some nice folks, hung out in the booth with todd, mike and randy...


speaking of the booth, todd and i have decided we'd be better off staying away and letting our good pal brian mulcahy run the show! not only did he talk up the 'haps like a born carnival barker, he managed to sell through all the trades we brought with us (with folks looking for more!)...

i'm sure there's more to say, but work's piling up (i'm on it, dana! you too, todd!), so i'm outta here...

-c
oh, the pic above is a commission for another good friend, officer white...

what i'm listening to as i type this... fountains of wayne hotline - robbie fulks

off to the airport...

packed up my stuff (including the HOT OFF THE PRESSES PERHAPANAUTS TRADE PAPERBACK! and a few commissions for folks i'll see at the show... like lou's green arrow above), dropped the boy with his grandparents... and i'm outta here.

maybe i'll see you in baltimore.

post when i get back.

-c

end of the month already?!

so, august seemed to have flown by pretty quickly, eh? figured i'd get one more post in before september rolls around...

well, deadwood and rescue me both had their season finales this week... wow (brian- not knowing any of the actual history of deadwood, i couldn't say for sure what was going to happen... but i figured it might end along those lines... and glad it did, actually ... goes to show the strength of the show without falling into the usual hollywood stuff ... glad we'll see at least a few more hours next year.... gonna miss it. a lot. ) and rescue me certainly ended on a "holy crap" moment (not to mention entourage)... at least the new fall season starts up soon (and yes, brian - i already have been sucked into the new season of prison break... )

had a good time at the frank black show earlier this month down at the beachcomber (thanks for asking, rich) ... it was just frank and his guitar (or in the case of six-sixty-six, not even a guitar)... while the performance itself was great, i couldn't believe how many people paid the ticket price to just go and drink, talk loudly and not even listen to the show... one of the most annoying shows in that sense... still say my favorite frank black show was with the catholics a few years back (at the call in providence)...

i'd talk about the red sox... but why kick'm when they're down ...

in the course of the last few weeks, i've managed to entirely gut our kitchen (with the help of a few friends), re-sheeetrock, paint, have new cabinets installed, appliances delivered... and work on the plumbing and put in our new ceiling fan... oddly, the last room we started work on will be the first to get finished... looking forward to the time when all the work on the house is done (well, i realize it's never "done", but at least it'll be little things, not trimming out windows and putting in floors)...

work on the 'haps is moving along nicely (issue 2 is in the new previews!) and todd heard the trade is on the way, so we'll have copies for baltimore next week! (really looking forward to hanging out and seeing everybody there.. and heading out to see my good friend booby get hitched on saturday as well)...

i'm sure there's more, but peep and the big wide world is over... and it's time for johnny and me to have breakfast...


and before i forget, that flash piece above is the other one i did for matt w.

-c

stuff

okay, just a quick update while john and i watch "peep and the big wide world " (easily my favorite kids' show these days)...
here's one of the 2 pieces i did for my pal "mafus" (aka matt wieringo, mike's brother) ... got a few more canson pieces to post over the next few days or so...

issue 2 of the next 'haps series is well under way with issue 1 in the can (luckily, we gave ourselves enough time on the schedule to go back and make minor corrections this time around... ) hope everybody digs it as much as we do...

so, the fall tv season is starting up again real soon (not sure if i'll get sucked into prison break again... but we'll see) and the summer shows are wrapping up (can't believe deadwood and rescue me are almost done already... both fantastic shows)

trish and i are are heading to the cape this weekend to see frank black down at the beachcomber (sweet place! saw bob mould there a few years ago)...

baltimore comic con is coming up real soon (i'll be at the show for a bit on saturday and all day sunday)... and only a month til wierd al's new cd...

-c

canson sketchbook...

ordering info is up at the site...

canson color paper sketches volume one

enjoy the weekend!

-c

back from san diego!

had a great time, but... man, is that a big show...
completely overwhelming ( i had my laptop with me so i was able to read what actually happened at the show since you can't take most of it in there)...

always a pleasure to meet artists whose work you dig (like david peterson of mouseguard fame, who did me a sweet sketch i'll post to the site next update), tad stones (hellboy animated producer and all around cool cat), jonboy meyers, and way too many more to mention... and that's not even taking into account seeing those guys you get to see a few times a year at shows like this...

but now i'm home, hard at work on the 'haps and other stuff... speaking of which, todd and i got preview copies of the trade this week... and i couldn't be happier! can't wait for y'all to get a chance to see it.

(and speaking of the trade, saw wizard reviewed it this month and gave it a fairly good write-up with a nod to a saturday morning cartoon feel, but only a B- ... and complained that "nothing's wrong with fun-loving stories, but from the softened fight scenes to the somewhat overly-sentimental dialogue, hardcore horror fans should beware - you won't find buckets of blood in these pages." ookay, so technically they were boxes of blood, so they've got us on that point... and um, yeah, hardcore horror fans might find a bit lacking in AN ALL AGES BOOK... kinda like complaining there's not enough nudity in disney films... dunno what they'd be expecting, really... anyway, back to the blog)

got my sketchbooks in, and they look fantastic (much thanks, rico!)... i'll post ordering info next week... in the meantime, that's a sample spread above to give you an idea what it's like...

okay, back to work...

whati'm listening to as i type this... plastic s\seat sweat - southern culture on the skids

new stuff!!

so, figured i'd try and get at least one more post before the madness that is ... san diego comic con...

before i get into all the random comics stuff, a few quick things...

...the sox'd be completely screwed without papelbon.... i mean, come on, taveras?
... could deadwood be any better this season? (and for that mater, rescue me?) although i've learned the hard way to turn off hbo right after the always entertaining entourage - lucky louie = shudder.
... screw on head makes for a damn fine (and rightly odd) cartoon over at scifi.com (vote to make this one an ongoing show, folks)


okay, i'll be finished with the first issue of the second 'haps series before i go (should be in this month's previews) so i can enjoy myself out there (and pimp the book to anyone that'll listen... usually, i leave that to todd, but since he's not going...)

i'll be bringing the promo postcards for both the trade and the new mini, along with the soon to be infamous, hit of the heroescon "choopie butt card" ... and doing a signing at the dark horse booth friday from six to seven...

besides wandering the ginormous convention center picking up cool sketch books and the like, most of my time will be spent at the beckett table in the image booth helping out and promoting THE COBBLER'S MONSTER, which hit shelves this week! (and thanks fort he compliments, brian!)

i'll also have a few copies of my old sketchbooks to sell.... along with the limited BRAND NEW CANSON COLOR SKETCHBOOK! ( a manageable size of 4x5.5 full of 42 color images...) for those who aren't going, i'll have ordering info on the site when i get back...)...

whew.

anywhoo, if i don't post early next week... i might see you in san diego.
i might even try and post from the road... we'll see.

-c

(what i'm listening to as i type this... songs for goldfish - ben folds)

back from charlotte!

... had a great time at one of my favorite shows. plenty of time to hang out with 'ringo and todd and scott (heck, we probably coulda just skipped the show and hung out all weekend and had just as much fun...) and catch up with folks i see once or twice a year (always a good time at the bar, and was great to just hang out with ralph and shoot the breeze), not to mention getting a chance to see "superman returns" ... wow.

jeff amano had some advance copies of the cobbler's monster, so i got a chance to see the final product (damn, wayne and guilia made my stuff look good!)...

was glad to keep real busy sketching ALL weekend (right up until 5.30 on sunday.... phew) doing both black/white and canson color pieces (wish i had scans of 'm to post, some came out pretty good...) for plenty of great folks and friends...

did manage to get up and check out some of the art around the show... always inspiring/intimidating seeing all that great work... but it was great motivation to get back to the 'haps... which is where i'm heading right now! (not to mention todd and i talked a few folks into doing pin-ups for the next trade... and beyond!)

hope everybody had a good fourth (and wasn't TOO crazy, ray)

- c