Visible Designs

Girls Would Kill covers

2010-01-02T22:09:00.002-04:00

A friend, Joe Hooley, had me do some mock ups for the cover to his bands first recorded release. Check out Girls Would Kill here for some music samples. I like Roxycontin. These covers are three which sum up the process I was going through - I probably have about eight or nine images to date, and we're still looking at maybe the final one, it's almost there!

Medicine Show Pages

2009-08-28T20:13:00.008-03:00

These are the five pages I submitted for the Oni 2009 Talent Search. The script is called Medicine Show.

Red Plains Issue 8

2009-06-21T22:26:00.003-03:00

These are two splash pages for the upcoming chapter 8 of Red Plains, viewable on TopShelf.

Red Plains #7

2009-05-12T21:32:00.003-03:00

Here's an image from the 5th page of issue 7. After using the ink I tried some charcoal - the blurry greys you see, for some shading. I splashed water over it with a brush to both adhere it to the page and blur it into the picture itself. It worked alright though I may try another effect for grey tones later on - it didn't have the exact look I was hoping for. This arc should hit Topshelf soon.

Visible Designs

Cold Days Hot Food

2009-05-11T20:57:00.004-03:00

Yes this is my first really good BBQ to kick off the season, and no, it’s not the selection platter. This was my plate. And I did eat it all. I’m really into the kebab love this year and might try the next one with a marinade of chimichurri sauce. Dig that.

This sketch may not be finished yet – I’m liking how it looks and may keep it. Or I could try a grey tone, some colour instead, or just fill it in with black ink lines. We’ll see.

Visible Designs

Bomb Girl

2009-04-28T16:20:00.003-03:00

Illustration I did a few days ago. Had the sketch for a few weeks and I just went over it with my new Pigma Micron .02, and the old PITT pen. I was going to try some photoshop colour to this - maybe later. If anyone wants to take a crack at it, show me what you did, I'm always looking for a good colourist.

Visible Designs

Rough Stuff

2009-04-26T12:19:00.005-03:00

These are some roughs from my vacation, just to get some good reference material while working on Red Plains. I was going to purchase a cowboy hat for ref. but didn't want to haul it back with me, so I opted to draw various angles. And swiped some horse, etc., work from the comic Scalped. Good book. I'm going to the park today, it's really warm. Maybe I'll sketch some people.

Visible Designs

Grandfather Illustrations

2009-04-25T13:34:00.005-03:00

An author contacted me recently to illustrate eight images for his novel which is forthcoming. Here are two of the completed scenes - along with the 3rd and final draft before completion of the two. The book centers around a grandfather and his grandson - each chapter has very teachable moments and the images are to encapsulate those chapters/ themes. Once the book is published and images are actually printed I'll post more scenes/information.

I used some heavy watercolour paper which absorbed the ink and also provided a good 'tooth.' India ink and a 102 Hunts nib was used for the final product.

It was a debate for myself to go with a typed font or hand made (which is certainly not as steady looking). It really depends on what aesthetic you want.

Visible Designs

Red Plains issue 6

2009-04-23T22:29:00.004-03:00

This is page 2 of issue 6 which has been posted on Top Shelf. I've just finished the pencils for the rest of this issue and will start the inking process tomorrow. I've been watching inking videos all day on YouTube. I stumbled upon them randomly today - it was great watching artist do up sketches at con's, and there was a Jim Lee tutorial (ignore the recording guy) - moving from draft to inks. This was a good spot with multiple artist, including Romita Jr. Francis Yu's Hulk - love his work, Hulk's ok I suppose. Check them out - and anyway I was second guessing my own inking process and may consider some other options but I'll have to wait until next arc because time's ticking for these pages.

Visible Designs

Vacation Ding Dongs

2009-04-23T22:14:00.005-03:00

After being on vacation for a month it was good to get back and start some productive creativity. If only for the change in atmosphere, setting and use of brain power. I did keep at it though, getting some pages done while away. There's a great cafe in Kentville, where I stayed, Just Us - a fair trade coffee spot. A good view, even for a little town, and I captured some of the buildings across the street while enjoying coffee and a great oatcake.

Visible Designs

Red Plains pt 2

2009-03-19T22:27:00.004-03:00

These are some samples of pages from the second half of chapter 5. I worked more of the screen(zip)tone into the pages which can be tricky but much easier to do in Photoshop than cutting and dicing the live sheets. It gives a nice shade for b+w images but eludes to manga which may be ok or cause adverse reactions in others. Visit Flickr for a few more pages.

Visible Designs

Red Plains

2009-03-15T20:32:00.004-03:00

The first 11 pages of issue 5 have been uploaded to Flickr so you can preview it without the dialogue. I'm half through the next 11 and the comic should be on Top Shelf soon. The first pages were inked with Faber-Castell "Pitt" pen with bold (in place of a brush) and fine (in place of a nib). They are easier to use, but I don't think I like the feel and style they have - I'm trying the current pages with brush and nib exclusively and though it just gave me carpel tunnel, it's looking good.

The above page is the pencils before the inks.

Visible Designs

Big White Tilted Table

2009-03-12T14:48:00.001-03:00

I have a preoccupation with my work desk – it’s like a mini-home, but I just sit there and it has little that would help me survive in any real sense. But it’s comforting to be there surrounded by work you enjoy. Like the office, but almost in reverse. Here’s a shot of me working on the ending few pages of Red Plains (without me in the picture). My sketch book, some straight edges, plenty of marking tools and some ink.

The tools I use on any random page are represented here. The top has the Staedtler lightfast marker I like for ruling out panels, and that’s pretty much it for him. Some Speedball ink – good, but can use with a bit of thickening. Fat eraser. Down left there’s Hunt’s 102 nib, Q #2 series 5L watercolour brush, dark and light blue pencils (as seen in the image), a 2h and 3B pencil. Sometimes I branch out with different things, but I get by with what’s here.

Cowboy Hats

2009-03-08T18:53:00.001-03:00

I ended up renting some Western movies for inspiration before starting any work on Red Plains. Appalooza, then 3:10 to Yuma. Both were great, just different from each other. Also this bizarre Japanese over-the-top flick presented by Quinten and I can’t remember the title. There were some really cool cowboy designs though. Anyway I sketched out some hat shots because I think cowboy hats are one of the most difficult things I’ve had to draw. Does this say something about my spatial eye?

Visible Designs

Red Plains

2009-03-03T15:22:00.002-04:00

Caryn A. Tate recently contacted me to work with her on her continuing comic series Red Plains. It's a b+w Western (naturally) that I'll be taking over from artist Noel Tuazon for Top Shelf 2.0. Just finishing up pages 1-11 of the 5th story arc, I'm starting the thumbnails for the next 11 pages. Here are the finished inked (along with some ziptone I tried experimenting with) pages 6, 9 and 10. You can read the story from the start here and my pages should be on the site soon.

Visible Designs

The Kid

2009-02-28T00:29:00.001-04:00

A friend at work had this portrait made as a present for his family – this is his grandson. I think I did pretty well on the overall’s.

Safe Guard

2009-02-25T21:42:00.001-04:00

Lincoln Crisler contacted me to illustrate his comic book, Safe Guard. This is starting out as a collaboration to date, and since the time I completed pages 1-5 for the first issue, he'll have contacted several publishers to have this distributed. This started back in Nov. It's a good script and hopefully it will go further. Here are penciled and inked pages 1 and 5, ther rest can be seen on my website or Flickr.

People and Places

2009-02-25T00:10:00.001-04:00

Dec 13th and 23rd 08 pages from the sketch book. I enjoy working in pen because it lends itself to creating a sense of fearlessness in the artist.

That’s probably overstating the process, but you do have to rely on the intuitive hit you get when you can't erase and there's a 4 second window to get the likeness, pose or movement. It's a good practice really, just give it a try - and I also find ink is a good medium for this kind of exercise.

Visible Designs

She Was A Great Old Lady

2009-02-20T20:53:00.000-04:00

Some charcoal and graphite for this pic I did of my grandmother awhile back. It turned out to be a picture that was happy and sad.

I really enjoyed working on this, though I seldom look at it.

Sketch Page

2009-02-18T13:03:00.001-04:00

Wanting to add some pages of my sketch book, I had to go back a few months. Here's one from Nov 12, 08. Most of the people, though you would never recognize from the sheer scribbliness, are locals caught in my view from the coffee shop where I often dedicate some hours at capturing people during their best movements.

It’s a good habit that I found has really punched up my ability to capture people. Now if you think this page looks bad you should see my sketches from 07 and then you would see my point – you have to know where I started from!

Visible Designs

Some Words

2009-02-11T12:41:00.000-04:00

Words I enjoy hearing and saying:
Banana
Stoplight
Hecatomb
Analog
Lasagne
Persnickety
Insular
Radiance
Dizygote
Augmented (though not the forth)

Other’s I care little for:
What
Drawing
Gracious
Corps
Rawk
Thru
Live and Live (why?)
Malt

I may consider additions later.