Artwork of Andrew Shirey

Lumpin' Happy Birthday

2012-01-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

For Dara's twentieth birthday, which was last Saturday. This is the interior of her birthday card, and I know what a fan she is of the Cartoon Network series Adventure Time. Lumpy Space Princess especially seems to get a laugh out of her, so I had to put her in it.

Sorry your birthday wasn't what it should have been, hun. But I hope that this cheers you up and makes up for a little of it.

Hiatus

2012-01-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

Apologies for my absence these past few months. Since starting my job in May, I've had much less time to spend keeping up with Blogspot, as well as my art in general.

Firstly, I would like to thank any of you that came by our table at this year's Detroit FanFare convention. It's great getting the chance to interact with other creators and fans alike. Caught up with a couple of former college classmates and made the acquaintance of a few artists. Even spoke with bibliographer Randall Scott of the Michigan State University Library, who purchased a copy of 'The Uniques Tales' to add in their archives, which is the largest collection of comics in the country. That alone made my year. I shared this with Adam Withers and Comfort Love, the creators of the series, so hopefully the rest of the writers and illustrators have been made aware of the exciting news.

As I mentioned before, I'm afraid that my art has had to take a back seat, between working a full-time job, seeing friends and family, spending time with Dara, and tending to other, everyday matters around the home. And while my actual art output has been severely slashed, I assure you that I haven't stopped working on personal projects. With Adam and Comfort's help, I've been gradually roughing out and refining a concept for a comic series, which actually got its start when I began working at my current place of employment. Oddly enough, I find that having myself occupied with menial tasks frees my mind to wander and put together ideas.

And don't get me wrong, I am rather fond of my job and the people there. The folks are friendly and assembling batteries for the medical field gives me a very real sense of purpose. As it happens, we had ourselves a company Christmas party a few Fridays back with a half-day of work. There was food, presents, and pleasant conversation with some good laughs. It says something when your boss will sit at the same table as you and take the time to talk and ask about you. And while I don't necessarily need another set of tools, the gesture is still appreciated.

Getting to the heart of the matter, I will not be taking on more commissions but with a few exceptions. And if you're curious and want to inquire, please feel free to drop me a note, comment, or write an e-mail. I'm not closing up shop entirely, simply limiting myself as my time has become more limited.

Thanks for following along, which I hope that you will continue to do. I trust that you all had a merry Christmas and happy holidays. I'll also take the opportunity to wish a belated happy New Year. May this one bring many good memories!

Detroit FanFare '11, pt.I: Friday

2011-10-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

Two weekends past marked Detroit FanFare's second show, and subsequently my second appearance there in Artist Alley. As with any convention, especially one that is still so young, it was a mixed bag of sorts. Moving the show from the Hyatt to Cobo Hall, the conference center contained easily four times the convention floorspace. Considering the size of last year's attendee turnout, it was certainly a move in the right direction to find a larger location. However, it is a fair statement to say that they had overcompensated, ballooning itself too rapidly. (This was, however, the result of a remodeling in Cobo Hall. The originally reserved space was about half the size.) There was a steady stream of attendees, but not nearly enough in number as was hoped.

But understand that a fair amount of this was not the fault of FanFare's organizers. Between the city of Detroit's lack of communication regarding that Saturday's Bike Tour of Detroit, significantly blocking off traffic to Cobo Hall, to being in the middle of a Red Wings and Tigers game, respectively, the convention had a fair amount of carpet pulled out from underneath it. And of course when certain special guests cancelled, whether completely or in the middle of the weekend, like Peter Weller (Robocop) or Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead) respectively, it doesn't reflect well on the show. But again, those are turn of events that are beyond the control of any convention planner.

There are always personal criticisms that can be given with any convention. But it's in my opinion that any shortcomings that Detroit FanFare may have had were easily outweighed by its successes. Everything that I liked about last year's show was still there and it had more to offer this time around, as you'll read on.

Working a full-time job has definitely had an impact on my time as a freelance illustrator, whether for better or for ill. I'll at least say that you find yourself rather tired when working a forty-hour week, attend a weekend-long convention with after-show events, then return to the regular grind right after. But the regular job provides where the illustrating does not, at least until it starts to bring in enough of an income. And I genuinely like the place where I'm currently employed, which was very understanding in letting me leave an hour early that Friday afternoon to begin the drive towards FanFare.

The first stop along the way towards Detroit FanFare was actually more of a detour, really, to the home of a couple that I consider both good friends and mentors, Adam Withers and Comfort Love. Having packed the previous night and loaded into my vehicle in the morning before work, it made for relative ease to place their displays, merchandise, and the like inside. While Flint is certainly not along the route from Brighton to Detroit, the carpooling offers three upsides: splitting the cost of gas and parking, but more importantly having good company and conversation during the drive down. When we did arrive, it also helped to have three pairs of hands to carry everything in to Cobo Hall instead of just mine, or in their case just two.

We briefly parted ways to set up that evening, where I rendezvoused with my former Kendall classmate and regular table-mate Jason Westlake. We kept in touch during the months and especially weeks leading up to the convention, planning accordingly what details needed to be addressed. But it was very good to see him again in person as it always is. There I also met Joshua Werner for the first time, a friend of Jason's. Up until that point, Joshua had been simply a name to me, a kind of second cousin to Harvey the rabbit to quote 'The Shawshank Redemption'. So it was good to put a face to the name at last. The first meeting was brief, since he also was setting up his table, but knew we would have another chance to get better acquainted.

Then a funny thing happens while we began set-up. One of the FanFare organizers, whose name regretfully alludes me (Gary Reed, perhaps?), approached us. He pleasantly asked how we were, if we were looking forward to the show, and a few other like inquiries. Of course we both were, having anticipated this show since last year, and nodded in agreement. Then he asks, perhaps a little coyly, "You see this table, here?" motioning to the one next to ours. We in turn nod again. "How would you like to have it?" As it turned out, there were some cancellations in Artist Alley and were kind enough to freely give us another table.

This worked well to our advantage as we began setting up at separate tables, since we could cover each completely on our own. And it dawned on me then: we had reached the point where we needed our own tables from now on. Jason saw this as well, and as Adam later said that evening it is all a part of growing. Regardless, we still plan on going together to more conventions down the road, which will be just fine. As with Adam and Comfort, we'll likely share hotel rooms again and of course hang out both between and after the shows.

About this time they began to shut off the lights in the Cobo Hall convention center, which was our cue to cut out for the night. There was the standard intermission of checking in at the nearby Marriott Hotel, then trafficking and unpacking our more personal items from the vehicle to our room. This was shortly followed by the five of us (Adam, Comfort, Jason, Josh, and myself) heading down to the basement level, where we had our pick of Burger King and Subway. By this hour, the rest of the food court restaurants had closed up for the evening. It wasn't that late, but apparently they run a different operation working out of the Marriott.

Here we enjoyed our evening meal together and conversed as nerds often do on topics ranging from comic-movie adaptations such as 'Thor' and 'Green Lantern' to the more nit-and-grit business aspects of comic conventions, including a slightly humorous subject that Adam aptly named "the idiot brain." I would elaborate, but Adam would give a much better explanation than what I could. And this continued on until it came time for the VIP Creators Party, held in a bar back at the Cobo Hall. Admittedly, the setting wasn't particularly ideal: too dark to draw well (though Adam and Comfort managed, being the troopers that they are) and too many background conversations to hold one well, unless you were standing right next to the other person. On the plus side, there was a free buffet table. Dinner had for the most part filled me up, but why snub free grub? So I ate again, albeit more skimpily.

The night wore on, and after a respectable amount of time had passed attending this party we retired back to our room. As the conversation in the food court had been pleasant, so too was our talk whilst walking the dusky sidewalks with their copper-glow streetlamps to the Marriott. These particular memories of fellowship with good friends of like pursuits I already reminisce about in rosy fondness. (My apologies, that little part of the poet felt the need to chime in.) This comforting lull lasted the rest of the night, until we went to bed with the white sound of a rainfall recording play. With the morning would come our first official day at Detroit FanFare, and we gladly anticipated its arrival.

Ash -Evil Dead II- PSC

2011-10-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

Made this sketch card specifically for Detroit Fanfare, which included Bruce Campbell himself as a special guest. Sadly, he cancelled his Sunday appearance, which is when I had the card finished and ticket purchased to see him. _*sigh* Oh, well. Maybe our paths will cross down the road and then I'll get his autograph on this.

This particular sketch card is not for sale, at least not for the conventional $25 USD. I'll be keeping this unless someone really makes it worth my while. If interested, make me an offer.

On a side note, thanks to my friend Jason Westlake for lending me his white Gelly Roll pen. I must make it a point to purchase one for myself. So much easier than touching up with white gouache.

The Mighty Tool Man Taylor

2011-08-31T20:38:00.001-07:00

For the upcoming Detroit FanFare convention in late September, this was my submission for the con's artists sketchbook, "Re-Imagining Detroit." The original theme is to use iconic symbols of the Detroit area, but they were flexible with me on this, which was much appreciated. 'Home Improvement' (which is set in Detroit) was a favorite of mine to watch while growing up as a kid, and the thought of the catastrophe-prone handyman Tim Taylor (Tim Allen) wielding mighty Mjolnir amused me to no end.

Expect to see this done up later in digital colors and available as a print. I'll be selling them at the convention, as well as online of course. And while I'm there, I'll hopefully get media guest B.K. Taylor's autograph, since he wrote a select few episodes of the TV series. I wasn't aware of this at the time that I started sketching this out, so it turned out to be a happy coincidence when I read about his appearance.

EDIT: Didn't get around to making this into a color print as originally planned. Maybe I'll have it done up for next year's convention. But outside the Detroit show itself, I doubt that there would be enough interested buyers to make it worthwhile.

Burgie Awards '11 poster

2011-08-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

Been waiting for Burger Beast to post this before posting this, myself. This mock-up artwork is for the food critic's upcoming 2011 Burgie Awards, parodying a variant of the 1933 'King Kong' theatrical posters. This makes for the third annual poster that I've been commissioned, having done this for all the Burgie Awards events thus far. And I have to say, this year's poster is my current favorite.

The WIP sketch

Haslett Community Yard Sale '11

2011-07-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

talking to Greg Spencer at my table - photo taken by a "lady in pink"

This Saturday marked the second run for the Haslett Community Yard Sale, and what a day it was. As far as the weather goes (aside from an uncomfortable heat) it was a picturesque, sunny summer morning and afternoon. Like Mother would always remind you: stay in the shade, wear your sunblock, and keep hydrated, which is exactly what I did. Although I still managed to get burned slightly in a few, smaller patches. Such is my lot.

After last year's downpour during Perryfest, I had invested in a canopy tent meant more-so for tailgating parties. Not only did it serve well this time around to keep me in the shade, but it fit perfectly in the parking space where my table and displays were set up. As some of you may recall, the yard sale was held in the Haslett High School parking lot and each person, or group, is given two parking spaces: one for their vehicle, one for their wares. If you're at all familiar with the comic convention scene, tables are so tightly packed together. It's such a stark contrast, but I've begun to feel a little more accustomed to the extra space.

the table spread, which included: sketch books and cards, mini zombie prints, the watercolor female cardinal, and a copy of The Uniques Tales

I'll admit that this year's Haslett Community Yard Sale was a little disappointing in certain respects. None of the prints nor sketch cards sold. Though this came as no real shock, given that this isn't the same sort of crowd found typically in comic conventions. But I had hoped that I might find a customer to purchase my more recent watercolor painting of a female cardinal. However, no such luck. Ah, well.

Despite this, I was pleased with the response in regards to caricatures, though not without some patience on my part. The first pair of customers hadn't approached until towards early afternoon, which was well into the second half of the yard sale's hours. When an event only lasts for a single day, you tend to compulsively check your watch, wondering if you'll even get any business as hours pass by. Not so much pessimism, you understand, but more anxiety. It's fair to assume this is a common feeling. In the end the patience paid off, and that's what's important.

Andrea and Kara, holding their respective caricatures

As it happened, I was also visited later on by a nice, older lady named Lynne. It turned out that she worked as an aide in the same elementary school which I had attended for over twenty years, having recently retired. (And that was her in the elementary school for the twenty some-odd years, not me you wiserackers out there on the web.) She came back later with her daughter and three younger grandchildren, commissioning caricatures of each. Their time was limited, so I arranged to illustrate each child sometime thereafter and mail them out to her. So expect to see three more caricatures coming in the near future on this site.

The rest of the yard sale went without a hitch. Well, nearly without a hitch. A stronger gust of wind did cause some mischief and blew my canopy and displays over. Fortunately, nothing was lost or broken, though the same couldn't be said to my neighbor to the right (the shattered glass of a frame made for them a nice little mess). And speaking of my neighbors, a number of them came right to my assistance when it happened, helping catch and shift my wares and displays. For that I thank you, should any of you happen to read this.

My thanks also to the "ladies in pink," who helped coordinate this event and to Greg Spencer, a pleasant gentleman who discussed with me some interesting points concerning eidetic memory and artists. I'll definitely plan on attending the Haslett Community Yard Sale again next year.

And the nominees are...

2011-07-18T16:43:00.001-07:00

The Harvey Awards are currently accepting votes and as it happens 'The Uniques Tales' has been nominated this year for Best Anthology! This is a considerable honor to myself and all the other talents that contributed to the book, and with your help perhaps we can win this award. If you would be so kind, visit the Harvey Awards website to fill out and submit a ballot before the August 6th deadline. Votes are accepted only from contributors in the comic field (independent or otherwise), however, so keep that in mind.

Thanks, and wish us luck!

Burgie Awards '11 WIP sketch

2011-06-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

The first draft sketch for a poster design advertising the upcoming 2011 Burgie Awards. Each poster has thus far been a parody of a film, with this year's being the 1933 classic 'King Kong'.

female cardinal w.c.

2011-04-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Shiawassee Arts Center is hosting its 14th Annual Member Exhibition, lasting from April 26th 'til June 12th. This is my submission into the show. If you happen to be in Owosso within the next couple of months, be sure to visit the gallery! This framed, 5x7" watercolor painting of a female cardinal is up for sale at $60 USD. If it doesn't happen to sell while on display there, I'll make it available online afterward. Prints are available, so contact me if you're interested.

Batman -Crimson Mist- PSC

2011-04-16T10:18:00.001-07:00

Read Doug Moench's vampire trilogy, ending with Batman: Crimson Mist, a while back and began this sketch card shortly thereafter. Then work came up a few weeks ago, so I hadn't gotten to finishing this until yesterday. Even though it's less emphasized in the third graphic novel, the imagery of the red rain seemed essential to include, here. It was a little tricky, but turned out well.

Purchase this original art for $25 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs (except for international shipping). Contact me if interested.

EDIT: This sketch card has been purchased, so it's no longer available.

O.C. Gerxa PSC

2011-04-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Commissioned by Clowie, here's her original character, Gerxa. Have to say, this was probably one of my first few attempts at artwork with a steampunk theme, and it was awesome! The wallpaper in back was more Art Deco than the more appropriate Victorian style that's associated with steampunk. But I felt it needed those bronze and grays often used in the former style, especially after reading the character's biography.

Wayne and Ivy -Halloween- PSC

2011-02-12T16:53:00.001-08:00

Finished reading Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Batman: The Long Halloween a while back, which inspired me to illustrate this particular scene where Poison Ivy has seduced Bruce Wayne. This series's rendition of Ivy was the catalyst, to be specific. But instead of illustrating the scene verbatim, I took the liberty of drawing artistic influence from Gustav Klimt's painting, "The Kiss." The backlighting with the window helped to preserve some of Klimt's original, golden palette.

Purchase this original art for $25 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

The Holy Family

2011-02-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Commissioned for Susan, a local lady, as a gift for her mother, she requested a portrait of the Holy Family rendered in watercolors.

For our initial meeting, I brought along a big pile of art books from my personal collection. On a whim, I also did an online search for a handful of other paintings, which I took along on my handy li'l netbook. Like the books, I felt that my client would appreciate looking over various renditions of the Holy Family to help her decide on the details. Wouldn't you know it, she decides on one of the last minute, digital images.

As it turned out, this was a good thing. She took a real shine to "The Holy Family" by Janet McKenzie, whose work I wasn't familiar with in the least. So, I did some searching around and found that I liked a lot of her work and subject matter. While I may not completely agree with the artist's beliefs, I can still appreciate the paintings' beauty and themes. (Holiness & The Feminine Spirit: the Art of Janet McKenzie is a good reference.)

After some discussion, my client and I also chose to go with a more historically accurate portrayal of the Holy Family. So instead of White, or Black like in Janet McKenzie's original, here they are Hebrew. For this aspect, I referred to the artwork of James Tissot, whose attention to accuracy humbles me. Tissot's rendering of Joseph can be seen reflected in my own. (James Tissot: The Life of Christ is another good reference.)

Having finally finished this, I'm very pleased with the result. If you would like a print of this, or commission something similar, please contact me at andrew.shirey@yahoo.com.

Rainbow In The Dark, comic cameo

2011-01-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Friends and colleagues, Adam Withers and Comfort Love are independent comic book creators that have self-published titles like 'The Uniques' and the subsequent, collaborated mini-series, 'The Uniques Tales.' (Which, if you recall, yours truly contributed to in issue #3, "...As Defined by the Choices," with character designs for the Taskforce and a team pin-up.) Their most recent release has been 'Rainbow in the Dark,' a series that entails a world where most are unknowingly prisoners to a grey, mundane existence called "the Gloom." Just past this monotone haze are colorful, bohemian-like communities that rebel against these shadowy puppetmasters. Think 'Pleasantville' meets 'The Matrix' with a dash of Woodstock and overall hearty helping of rock n' roll, though that description doesn't do the title real justice.

'Rainbow in the Dark,' #3 cover

Getting to the point of this post, I learned that in their third installment of 'Rainbow in the Dark,' this artist actually makes a little comic cameo. Look at the last panel in the page below, towards the bottom left corner. You can see me seated amongst the others, who I assume are being indoctrinated into the Gloom mentality, as it were. But fear not, for apparently I do make it out. Having thanked Comfort, she replied that I will make another appearance and in color. If that page should be posted, I'll be sure to include it in this one as well.

So be sure to get yourself caught up with the first two issues of 'Rainbow in the Dark,' which are available for purchase online in traditional paperback or PDF/CBZ form. (The third will be available for download today.) It certainly gets my stamp of approval, for what it's worth.

"Welcome, my son. Welcome to the
machine." -Pink Floyd

Mr. and Mrs. Death PSC

2011-01-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

Adapted from the video games of the same name, the Death Jr. graphic novels are amusing with their mix of small town suburbia and the macabre. Plus, it has had contributions by three amazing artists, namely: Mike Mignola (cover art), Ted Naifeh (interior illustrator), and Guy Davis (comic short). Anyway, the best example of this mismatched marriage is Mr. and Mrs. Death, parents of the story's protagonist, Death Jr. It's an odd match, but they're very sweet.

Purchase this original art for $25 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Batman vs. Superman -DKR- PSC

2011-01-13T16:14:00.001-08:00

Another of my Christmas presents included Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. The most iconic scene, to me at least, is near the end when Bruce goes toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel. Don't get me wrong, Superman is a good guy, but nobody likes a Big Brother figure, least of all one with near invulnerability. So to see a man, albiet an extraordinary one, put a boot upside his head... Well, you just can't help at least smiling a little, if not outright rooting for the underdog.

Purchase this original art for $25 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Red Skull -Old Man Logan- s.c.

2011-01-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

Been going through some personal matters as of late, which has kept me near my family, but the circumstances have been difficult on us. So with what free time I have had recently, I've spent trying to lose myself, at least a little, in various stories told through graphic novels. Certainly, I have art projects to tend to, but everything has more or less been put on hold. (My clients have been very understanding, which I am thankful for.) And it just feels good to do something like this for myself. Gives me an outlet for what I've been reading while being productive at the same time.

At any rate, I'm a sucker for those alternate timeline, "what if?" type of tales (which you likely could tell by my previous, Superman: Red Son sketch card), and re-reading Wolverine: Old Man Logan put me in the mood to make this sketch card. Here's the Red Skull as the new American President in front of the former White House. As to why he's wearing Captain America's costume, the Red Skull eloquently explains, "The ancients wore the skins of their fallen foes. Why shouldn't I be allowed my eccentricities?"

Purchase this original art for $25 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Superman -Red Son- sketch card

2010-12-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

Among the Christmas presents received this year, one of my gifts included Superman: Red Son. I've read Mark Miller's graphic novel already, but this put me in the mood to make some artwork. So here's Soviet Superman, rendered after an actual propaganda poster of that era. The text is Russian, reading, "Superman. Role model of our Soviet youth." Or at least it should. Blame Yahoo! Babel Fish if it's incorrect.

Purchase this original art for $25 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Dara's Christmas card '10

2010-12-26T17:57:00.000-08:00

Wanted to make something special for my girlfriend's Christmas, and so for this card I drew a little inspiration from the old, holiday stop-motion TV specials. The Faber-Castell artist brush pens that I've recently accumulated came in very handy for this. I'll be sure to continue to put them to good use.

In case anyone was curious, the two little figures that are holding the banner above are supposed to be a sugar plum fairy and a snow angel. Hopefully it comes across more cute than cliche. I know that Dara found the whole thing pretty darn adorable, so that's what mattered most to me.

Cameron in Australia

2010-12-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

Commissioned by Janelle, a friend from high school, this pastel piece depicts another acquaintance of mine, Cameron, during his trip down to Australia. The circumstances of this commission were a little saddening, but made as a belated Christmas present, so it was bittersweet. Plus, it has been a while since I last worked in pastels, so it was good to get my hands dirty again.

Apologies for the grainy quality of the digital photograph. This really doesn't do the actual piece justice.

Weird Winter Tales

2010-12-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Little more than a week ago, Miriam Palfrey, a librarian over in the United Kingdom, sent me a message about an upcoming weekend event at their central library called "Weird Winter Tales." She had seen my Lovecraft ink drawing and asked if it could be featured on their programme cover. Having been raised in the tradition of visiting our local library and nurturing a habit to read, which I accredit largely to my mother, I was more than happy to help promote this library function. Especially when it's theme is horror author H.P. Lovecraft.

Miriam was kind enough to e-mail me a digital copy of their programme, which I've included here, below. "Weird Winter Tales" took place last weekend, but if you live nearby one of the Reading Borough Libraries, be sure to look on their site for other, upcoming events.

Marquis sketch card

2010-11-29T08:56:00.000-08:00

As I previously mentioned in the Detroit FanFare '10 review, Guy Davis posted this Marquis sketch card, which I gave to him as gift art at the convention. The Marquis is Davis' own original series, which I thoroughly enjoy and especially admire the conceptual artwork. Davis is the lead illustrator of the B.P.R.D. series and has contributed to many other projects.

Great Romanian Personalities: Adrian Paunescu

2010-11-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

My fifth submission to the "Great Romanian Personalities" exhibit, here is Adrian Paunescu.

Detroit FanFare '10

2010-11-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend marked something of a small milestone in regards to my personal experience as an artist, case in point being my first convention as a true business trip. Granted, I've attended Motor City Comic Con over the past few years, but I could always drive back and forth between home and the show. And the one occasion when I did happen to stay at a hotel was only for one night, if my memory serves right. This time around, my stay remained in Detroit for the weekend and in addition served as the carpool driver, between Flint and Detroit with couple extraordinaire Adam Withers and Comfort Love, then again between Detroit and Dearborn (still technically Detroit) with former classmate Jason Westlake. As much as I wish that we all could have attended the same convention, sadly it was not meant to be. However, since we shared a room together at the Detroit Mariott at the Renaissance Center, Jason and myself managed to get a taste of what Youmacon was like. Needless to say it was a mixed bag, but I'll extrapolate more on that a little later.

Born with no natural sense of direction, I have five words to say: Thank God for Garmin GPS. Comfort can attest to this fact when I tried to lead us to our parking space in the opposite direction. It's almost scary that they would entrust me to navigate us to Detroit, but I digress. The drive down went very smoothly last Friday morning and we checked ourselves into the hotel on schedule. Now, you must bear in mind that I'm more accustomed to small town living, having grown up and still residing in my hometown of Perry. So to enter a building the size of the Marriott was, needless to say, a little daunting. That, and when you add in a crowd of hundreds, if not thousands, of Youmacon attendees it was at times almost suffocating. (Especially the elevators. Good Lord, those elevators...) Feeling halfway lost, the claustrophobic confines only exasperated the situation. As I understand it, the volunteer workers were severely understaffed to handle this convention.

POV from our Detroit Marriott hotel room

I spent a good deal of that Friday afternoon with the crowd, waiting in the registration line for over three hours. That isn't to say it was without its own rewards. While my patience eventually buckled, unfortunately denying myself the real anime convention experience that I hoped to have that Friday, just looking at the elaborate costumes that the cosplayers wore around me was in of itself a treat. Not every day you witness a silent dance-off between The Nightmare Before Christmas's Jack Skellington and a Mario Brothers' "Shy Guy," which was a hilarious spectacle. Really wish that I had taken a picture of that, now. Oh, well. Moving on, after a nap in the hotel room and a few phone calls to my girlfriend and family, I drove out to Dearborn and met with Jason at the Hyatt Regency. We set up our displays that evening and afterward had a late dinner at the Fairlane Town Center. Word of advice, don't take the chairs down from the tables in the food court. The gals working there don't like that.

Arriving back at the Marriott, we met up with Adam, Comfort, and a friend of theirs, whose name eludes me, in the hotel's own small food court to chat. Even at that hour of the evening, there were lots of anime con attendees around, which I'm sure was due in no small part to Youmacon's twenty-four hour-long activities that weekend. So I was very thankful when Adam and Comfort shared that they had brought along a "white noise" background soundtrack, which helped to mask the hallway ruckus that ensued into the early hours of the morning. Something that I'll have to keep in mind, should I go on another convention business trip like this. I tend to be a light sleeper as it is.

Jason at our convention table, sorting through sketch cards

The next morning, Jason and myself drove out to Dearborn for the first day of Detroit FanFare. We didn't arrive early enough to witness the pre-show "Zombie Walk", which was shortened due to the colder weather, but did see plenty of zed heads there during the show that Saturday. Having registered and set up our displays the previous evening, it made for a very pleasant and convenient transition. That's the best way to summarize the whole convention, really: very pleasant and convenient. This isn't to say that I dislike Motor City Comic Con, but there were plenty of perks that came with Detroit FanFare. Aside from the Hyatt Regency's free parking, the artists were set up all across the showroom floor. As the coordinators of this event put it:

"The design of our convention center is one that has all the creators interspersed with each other. In other words, there is NO artist alley as all the creators will be blended together. That means that a creator self publishing Bob’s Comics may be next to Jim Starlin or across from somebody like Patrick Zircher."

I also appreciated that this was strictly a comic convention, meaning no wrestlers, former Playmates, or other obscure "celebrities," though in defense of Motor City there have been some excellent guest stars, like Doug Jones (Abe Sapien, Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army), Julie Newmaar (Catwoman, Batman 60's television series), or John Schneider (Jonathan Kent, Smallville). And of course Detroit FanFare had its claim to fame, featuring Stan "The Man" Lee, but I'll touch more on that in a bit.

In addition to the convenient parking, integrated layout, and trimming the fat, the volunteer workers were fantastic and friendly to boot. Making regular rounds, they offered bottled water, snack-sized bags of Oreos and chips (all of which were free of charge), and would sit at your table should you need to leave. Just incredible service. Regrettably, the only downside to Detroit FanFare was how little business we actually had, which wouldn't have been so bad were it not for the additional costs of a hotel, gas, parking, and dining out. Still, we're grateful for the business that we did get and for the comic con attendees, who took the time to talk and look over our artwork. Also, a personal thanks to Shawn Amberger, who neighbored us on my side of the table, for the friendly chats we had occasionally during the show. A real nice guy, who I'll hopefully run into again at future conventions. I'm sure that Jason feels the same way about the artist who was sitting on his side, though I didn't have the pleasure to chat so much with him.

As I mentioned earlier, the special guest star of Detroit FanFare was Stan Lee. Having Spider-man as one of my childhood heroes, I would've liked to have met with him. Given that the tickets were thirty dollars apiece (forty if you weren't an exhibitor at the convention, who had paid in advance) and already hemorrhaging money, however, it was an opportunity I begrudgingly declined. Stan Lee was also kept away in another room for signings, so to add insult to injury I never got the chance to even see him in person. From what the artist sitting to Jason's side attested, Stan Lee was accompanied by two bodyguards who acted as middlemen, taking whatever article was intended for autographing and passed it between themselves before going to him. Couldn't help finding that mental image of the elderly Stan Lee with a pair of imposing men both odd and amusing, like one of those diminutive mobsters bookshelved between two rectangular thugs in The Triplets of Belleville.

an excellent animation, by the by -- I highly recommend it

Not much to my surprise, there were many attendees who I've seen frequent the Motor City Comic Con. As I understand it, many of the exhibitors there were pulled off of the Motor City guest list and sent invitations. That might explain why after years of retaining to a springtime show they suddenly decided to revive their autumn show, which conveniently happened to fall on the same weekend as Detroit FanFare. Guess they didn't take too kindly to the competition. However, this convention was pushed to a later date, then altogether canceled. But I'm veering off onto another rabbit trail again. It was nice seeing a handful of familiar faces and even nicer when they recognize you. Among those attendees was Paul Maiellaro, who recruited Jason and myself last year for The Treasure Chest of Art, which auctions original sketch cards to benefit their pediatric charity. Especially since the "Shots 4 Sketches" after-show charity event fell through, I was more than happy to accommodate Paul with another sketch card.

Thor sketch card for The Treasure Chest of Art

caricature of Cajsa, whose bottom teeth made this all the more adorable

Given past experience, Sundays tend to be more casual but scant on attendees. That, and given this was also Halloween, neither of us expected a big draw. But it was a very pleasant surprise to see a pretty decent turnout. With the children's costume contest that morning, perhaps that helped. Either way, it was cute to see the kids in costume trick-or-treating from table to table. Afraid that I didn't take any pictures again of that, but I did manage to snap a few shots of some adult attendees in costume. The people are generally friendly, so I still don't understand why I have to work up the courage to ask. Slight case of social anxiety, I suppose. But I was very pleased with the pictures that I did take while we were there. A good way to preserve some of those memories, especially for someone whose memory isn't always so good.

Spider-man (left), Skrull Wolverine and Storm (center), and a zombie hunter duo (right)

The real highlight for myself on Sunday was meeting artist Guy Davis again, whom I've made a point of seeing since the past couple Motor City Comic Cons. A personal favorite, Davis does some amazing work for titles such as B.P.R.D., a sister series to Mike Mignola's Hellboy, and his self-created The Marquis. With each visit I've requested a sketch card of a Marquis character, and to show some of my gratitude made Davis one of the series' namesake. And I have to say, having him thank me for the personal token was rather euphoric. Getting that feeling of approval from a professional that you admire is one of a kind. And as if to put a little extra spring in my already spry step, Davis said that he would post the sketch card on his Marquis blog. So to return the kind gesture, I'll also post his sketch card. (Heck, I was already going to. Who am I trying to fool?)

Marquis character, "The Misery"

All too soon, Detroit Fanfare came to a close early evening that Sunday. Really, though, Jason and I were ready to be done. Lugging our luggage down thirty-eight flights of stairs twice, just to avoid using the congested elevators at the Marriott, had taken its due toll on us earlier that day. After saying our goodbyes in the parking lot we parted ways, myself driving back to the Marriott to pick up Adam and Comfort. Having worked it out over the phone, the couple were already packed and waiting at the entryway by the time of my arrival. Soon, all was loaded onto the van and we were off toward Flint. And let me tell you, having Adam and Comfort along for the ride made the time go by. Seemed like the trip was almost over as soon as it had begun, and truth be told I would've liked to have driven for a few hours more, just to continue our delightful banter over those delicious Quizno's sandwiches. Having dropped them off, it was a tranquil evening ride back home.

Will I be attending Detroit FanFare, or perhaps Youmacon, next year? Well, unless my current financial situation should change considerably within the time before either show, I'm afraid that I doubt it, as much as I would like to. But fear not. I'll still plan on Motor City Comic Con again, come next spring, and possibly JAFAX near my college romping grounds in Grand Rapids. Hopefully I can persuade Jason into attending the latter as well, since the Youmacon crowd left a rather sour taste in his mouth. But as I've been told, anime conventions can be very lucrative and the attendees have an unparalleled exuberance not seen at most comic conventions. We shall see.

She-hulk -PINK- sketch card

2010-10-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

She-hulk presented something of a challenge, that being how to fit the pink ribbon into the picture. Given her super strength, bending an iron beam into a ribbon shape was my first concept. However, given that it was similar to what Wonder Woman was doing with her lasso, this idea seemed too much alike and so I abandoned it.

Instead, I went with my second concept, which was having her accidentally breaking thru a wall. Granted, the ribbon shape is a little obscure here, however the way it silhouettes She-hulk and the pile of bricks seems suggestive enough. It's not blatantly obvious and the more subtle approach works in its favor, in my opinion. That, and an embarrassed "Oops, oh well..." expression adds some amusement.

Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Seventy-five percent of the purchase will be donated directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Contact me if interested.

Batgirl -PINK- sketch card

2010-10-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

I'll admit this sketch card gave me some trouble, but the result was well worth the headache. Purchase this original art for $30 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Seventy-five percent of the purchase will be donated directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Contact me if interested.

WW -PINK- sketch card

2010-10-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Finishing the black-and-white movie monsters set of sketch cards, I've decided to do a small handful of pink-themed, superheroine cards in honor of breast cancer awareness this month. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Seventy-five percent of the purchase will be donated directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Contact me if interested.

The Fly sketch card

2010-10-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

A personal favorite monster movie of mine, here's The Fly. And yes, that is indeed Vincent Price. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Golem sketch card

2010-10-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Precursor to the Frankenstein story, here's the mythical Golem from the German silent film adaptation, Der Golem. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Dracula sketch card

2010-10-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Another classic vampire, here's Bela Lugosi from Dracula. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Detroit FanFare: Mark your calendars!

2010-10-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, there's been a recent appearance of sketch cards in the gallery. This is in part due to the upcoming Detroit FanFare, which is fast approaching. Be sure to mark this October 30th and 31st in your calendars, especially those who live nearby or within the Dearborn, Michigan area.

True, this convention falls on Halloween weekend, however there should be plenty to see and do for those who attend, including a "pre-show" zombie walk that Saturday morning. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the artists and vendors handed out candy to the kids, either. Might do a little of that, myself. And I would be remiss if I failed to mention special guest Stan "The Man" Lee. Even if you aren't especially a Marvel fan, you've got to admit he's established one heckuva legacy in the comic industry.

If visiting yours truly for a little one-on-one time at the table isn't enough, I'll be attending the "Shots 4 Sketches" after-hours event on Saturday night. I'm not much of a drinker and Jason has given it up all together, but then again the artists don't actually have to drink the shots. (Working the following day with a nasty hangover is not my idea of fun.) A portion of the proceeds also goes to charity, and I'm usually inclined to help a good cause. In relation to that, the American Red Cross Detroit Chapter will be there that Saturday to take blood and money donations as part of the "Blood 4 Comics" event -- pretty self-explanatory.

So stay tuned for further posts, and if you can come visit the table that would be great! Expect to see more sketch cards and at least another zombie mini-print or two. Maybe another special addition as well, but for now that's my little secret.

On a side note, I'll be wandering about Youmacon for a time Friday, October 30th, as a visitor rather than an exhibitor. Adam Withers and Comfort Love, husband and wife duo extraordinaire, were kind enough to offer a carpool down to Detroit. Adam and Comfort will be attending that particular convention during the same weekend as Detroit FanFare, so it should be interesting to compare notes of our first-time experiences at our respective conventions.

The Burgies '10

2010-10-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a handful of photos taken during the second annual Burgie Awards hosted down in Miami, Florida, at the Transit Lounge by the Burger Beast himself, food critic Sef Gonzalez. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to partake in the food and festivities. But for those of you who are curious, read the details here. Despite not being there in person, seeing the winners holding my artwork as a trophy of sorts gives me a certain degree of pride.

Charm City Burger: Best Burger Broward

Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog

La Camaronera: Best Sandwich

Latin Burger & Taco: Best Burger Miami-Dade

Quickie's Burgers and Wings: Best Specialty Burger

The Filling Station: Best Wings

Yellow Submarine: Best Hot Dog

Mummy sketch card

2010-10-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Imhotep from The Mummy, still wearing the bandages but sporting a fez. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Frankenstein sketch card

2010-10-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

To compliment the Bride, here's the first Frankenstein's monster. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Wolf Man sketch card

2010-10-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

When rendering The Wolf Man, how can you not have him howling at the full moon, I ask you? Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Black Lagoon sketch card

2010-10-16T11:50:00.001-07:00

Even though I haven't seen Creature from the Black Lagoon, I felt that the monster was pretty cool, even as a young kid. So here's the Gill-man almost on top of Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams) in this sketch card. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Nosferatu sketch card

2010-10-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

Another horror-themed sketch card, this time of Count Orlok of Nosferatu. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Bride sketch card

2010-10-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

After illustrating the Witchfinder sketch card last Sunday, it put me in the mood to do another card. So here's Universal's classic Bride of Frankenstein. Depending on how this sells, I may do more. I'm currently setting the price at $20 USD. Because of its size, there's no additional charge for mailing costs and comes in a plastic protector. Contact me if interested.

Witchfinder sketch card

2010-10-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

When the individual issues were being released, I followed along with another of Mike Mignola's Hellboy offshoot series, that being Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels. However, it wasn't until this afternoon that I borrowed the graphic novel and read the series in its entirety. Good stuff, needless to say.

Recently, I was also sent a reminder of a sketch card charity event, The Treasure Chest of Art, which I had agreed to participate in at the last Motor City Comic Con. And having just finished Witchfinder, it seemed like a fun choice for my subject.

If you would like to have this original piece of artwork, purchase your very own chest set, which includes an additional forty-nine sketch cards. All proceeds will go towards the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation, a worthwhile cause.

Perry Fest '10

2010-09-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, September 17th-19th, marked our annual fall celebration in my hometown, known as Perry Fest. As of last year's festival, I've been attending among a handful of other guests as part of Edna Bentley Memorial Library's Literary Alley. Literary Alley, unfortunately, is a Saturday-only event. However, seeing as they've offered the table space to me for free, I really can't complain.

The weather, on the other hand, I can complain about. Despite forecasts the evening before that called for a pleasant Saturday, it was, needless to say, less than pleasant -- typical Michigan weather. There was a light shower that turned into a downpour during the morning, and personally owning no space covering posed a serious problem. So instead of setting up and ready to go by 10 AM, as was scheduled, I had to take a drive out into Okemos to purchase an instant canopy. Not a particularly cheap purchase, either. At any rate, the rain had cleared up when I returned to City Hall and set up my tent, table, and displays around noon.

As luck would have it, though, another downpour came around 3 PM that afternoon and essentially ended the rest of the day's festivities. Fortunately, Saturday was not all for naught. Two little girls posed for caricatures, Maddie and Ella, while attending Perry Fest with their parents and eldest sister. Natalie, a teenage girl, also posed even as the second downpour came, sitting underneath an umbrella and I under my canopy. I'm sure that anyone else watching would agree that this sight was somewhat surreal.

camera shy, and needing a nap, poor lil' Maddie was less than happy in this picture

Ella must be short for elephant -- she sported pachyderms in her hair and around her neck

sitting amidst the rain, just for a drawing -- very flattering for an artist

Regardless of the rain, Perry Fest still had its high points. And in spite of losing a few prints to water damage, much more artwork would have been lost if not for the instant canopy. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that next year will fare better.

Lovecraft ink drawing

2010-09-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

A simple ink drawing of cosmic horror author H.P. Lovecraft.

SAC Fall '10 class schedule

2010-09-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that it might encourage more parents to sign-up their children for art lessons at the Shiawassee Arts Center, at least perhaps those who happen to follow along online, if the schedule was made available. There are other instructors and Fall classes available, certainly, however here I'll only include the courses that will be taught by myself. The rest can be read on the Arts Center's website.

Classes are available to age groups Kindergarten through 3rd Grade from 1 PM - 2:15 PM, then 4th through 8th Grade from 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM. Each is held on a Saturday afternoon, since we keep in mind the active school season. The cost is twelve dollars per class, but SAC members have a reduced rate of ten dollars. Annual student membership is fifteen dollars, for those who are interested. Contact Linda Ruehle at lindar@shiawasseearts.org to sign up for Fall classes or Arts Center membership.

And now, here are the available Fall '10 children's art classes, instructed by myself:

September 25th - Symmetrical Aliens
"Extraterrestrial special, out of this world art! Learn about symmetry."

October 2nd - Watercolor Sunflowers on Rice Paper
"Big & Bold."

October 9th - Downtown Architectural Drawing
"We will be walking downtown, weather permitting. SAC, inside if not."

November 20th - Watercolor Portraiture
"Bring a good reference photo to work from."

November 27th - Illustrating Children's Books
"Be it The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Grimm Brothers' fairy tales, or your own short story." (one class only, 1 PM-2:30 PM - $15 Member/$17 Non-member)

CCAC '10 summer art camp: caricatures

2010-09-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

As you may remember in my past post, SAC '10 summer art camp: caricatures, there was mention of teaching a similar children's summer art class over in St. Johns, Michigan, on behalf of the Clinton County Arts Council. Unfortunately at the time, my netbook which contained photographs of my students and caricatures from that class were presumed lost, since the computer was malfunctioning. I feared the most likely solution was that the hard drive would have to be wiped. However, with help from a much tech-savvier friend than myself, my netbook was restored to its prior state before the malfunction with all files intact. *Phew!* Much thanks, Jon! And with that, here are the aforementioned pictures.

Adventure Time: Algebraic!

2010-08-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

A little gift art for my girlfriend, Dara, to help cheer her up. And from what I've seen, it's an amusing little cartoon. If you enjoy this style, regarding both artwork and humor, then I suggest that you might also take a look at The Perry Bible Fellowship webcomic. Fair warning, though, P.B.F. does often make use of adult-oriented humor.

2nd Burgie Awards poster

2010-08-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

If regular followers are having a sensation of slight déjà vu, it's only natural and for two main reasons. This commissioned piece parodies one particularly iconic theatrical poster of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971). The commissioner was Sef Gonzalaz, a.k.a. Burger Beast, for his second-annual Burgie Awards event, the first of which I also illustrated as a parody poster in the style of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).

The Burgie Awards is set to take place in downtown Miami, Florida at the Transit Lounge (729 SW 1st Ave.) on September 13th, starting at 8 PM. Again, like last year, I would go if I wasn't living on the opposite side of the States. However, if you happen to frequent the Miami area then be sure to stop by for good food and friendly competition. Tell Burger Beast that Silent Sketcher sent you.

Haslett Community Yard Sale

2010-08-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hosted by the Friends of the Haslett Library, the Haslett Community Yard Sale was created in an effort to help raise funds for the Haslett Library's upcoming move. Applicants, such as myself, reserved a parking space at the town high school for a nominal fee, which went to the charitable cause, and there set up shop to sell goods and services. Talk about convenience. It doesn't get much easier than arranging a table and displays directly out of your own vehicle.

I must confess, I wasn't expecting to have a parking space for my van and an additional one for my wares. My thought was that I would have a single space, which would be filled by my van with the table and displays set up right behind. Compared to the tightly-fit comic conventions that I've attended in the past few years, this was an excessive amount of space that I honestly wasn't prepared to fill.

first time having all three display panels for myself

note the distance between the table and the displays

table covered with my wares, namely: prints, sketchbooks, and monochromatic drawings from last spring's Motor City Comic Con

Yesterday's forecast predicted rain, which would have put a significant dampener on the entire event. (No pun intended.) However, the high school was fortunate enough to not see even a slight shower for the duration of the yard sale. Overcast and cooler, the weather actually made for a very comfortable summer day. But as I've learned this can be awfully deceptive. Being sensitive to sunlight, I had turned a nice shade of medium-well pink by the end of the event. Curse my melanin-deficient heritage.

Business wasn't particularly booming, speaking solely for myself, but a few folks came by to have their caricatures drawn and a handful more took business cards. Potential clients are still good, regardless. Plus, afterward I spoke briefly with one of the "ladies in pink" who helped to coordinate the event. This summer was the first community yard sale that Haslett had put together, and next year they plan to publicize any attending specialties, such as artists like myself. So should I attend the second Haslett Community Yard Sale, it promises to have better potential for vendors with artwork. Sunburn aside, I had a pleasant time and hope to do this again next year.

penciling out my first caricature of the yard sale

regular patrons should recognize librarian Joe

awwwww -- two and too cute

"Better than the one I got at Cedar Point." -- I'll take that as a compliment

Bureau of Vital Statistics

2010-07-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Remember the Bureau of Vital Statistics storyboards done back in November? Matt Keatman, the independent filmmaker who hired me for the storyboard work, has uploaded the entire short film onto YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Feel free to watch it there or the embedded video, here.

It's an incredibly surreal feeling, watching what you've illustrated brought to life with real men and women in actual places. Most storyboard and conceptual artists for films must feel this way, I'm sure.

SAC '10 summer art camp: Caricatures, 2

2010-07-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my last lesson in regards to the Shiawassee Arts Center's summer art camp classes, which also ended on a good note. The older group usually goes over better, plus caricatures tend to be more popular on the whole. Here's a pair who modeled for our class demonstration, along with a couple girls who drew me for a change. How's that for turning the tables?

SAC '10 summer art camp: Caricatures

2010-07-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks on Wednesdays, I've taught children's art classes on "High Fantasy Cartooning" over at the Shiawassee Arts Center as part of their summer art camp program. The responses were varied, which didn't exactly put me at ease. Perhaps it was more my own personal interpretation of how it went than anything else, since I felt that the lesson plan suffered due to tiring adjustments in schedule. Thankfully, this Tuesday and next are on a very familiar topic: caricatures. This afternoon's class went well, with the exceptional small snag here and there. But when you're teaching last, and working with the younger children at the end of a long afternoon, it's to be expected. Here are a handful of troopers who were patient enough to pose for caricatures by yours truly.

This is also worth mentioning, as long as we're on the topic. Three weeks prior I taught another children's art class, also on caricatures, over in St. Johns, Michigan, on behalf of the Clinton County Arts Counci l. Haven't had any dealings with them before until this time. Mrs. Darling, a friend of the family, was coordinator of this summer art camp program and put in a good word for me. Perhaps I'll be called in again to teach, come next summer.

Regrettably, the photographs of my students and their caricatures from that particular class were lost, so sadly they cannot be included in this post. Goes to show what happens when I put off posting. Be sure to check in again next week for more pictures from my second SAC '10 summer art camp class on caricatures.

-SD- Maus the Mouse King

2010-06-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Some additional Salad Days fan art, made a number of months ago. Here's Maus the Mouse King, modeled after her namesake from 'The Nutcracker Prince', albeit namesake in title. From the very, very little German that I am familiar with, "maus" is our English "mouse". An appropriate choice.

MC '10 caricature - Gina

2010-06-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

Gina Verdoni, a friend and former Kendall College classmate of mine, was kind enough to scan and send me this digital image of the caricature portrait that I drew of her during the Motor City Comic Convention. Gina's was one of my favorites drawn that weekend, so the gesture was very much appreciated.

The Unique Tales #3

2010-05-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

So here's the big reveal of all the work that's been going on behind the scenes as of late. The latest issue of 'The Unique Tales' has made its online debut today and is available for your reading pleasure, absolutely free. If you're a fan of Adam Withers and Comfort Love's 'The Uniques' series, I probably don't need to elaborate too much. But for those of you who are unfamiliar, 'The Uniques' is a present-day, superhero comic book series revolving around a younger generation, rag-tag team of heroes. Issue three of 'The Unique Tales', 'The Uniques's sister mini-series, delves into the Golden Age of their heroes' precursors during World War II. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Read 'The Unique Tales' #3, "...As Defined By Our Choices," here.

I have to really applaud Adam and Comfort with their undertaking in 'The Unique Tales'. It's no small task orchestrating a mini-series like this, collaborating and constantly deliberating back and forth with the contributors involved. They may not work for Marvel, DC, or the other big name publishers out there, but make no mistake they are true professionals. (And quite frankly I am glad for their independence. They have their own, real identity as artists and in their work.) So it's been a privilege working with them and indirectly with the others contributing to this particular issue.

Aside from the Golden Age Taskforce character designs, here's my main contribution to issue three. From top to bottom, left to right, the team is composed of: Ghost, Virtue, Guardian Angel, Liberty, Countryman, and Mercury. Technically it's still a work in progress, but I was satisfied with this stage of the pin-up for the web premiere deadline of this issue. I'll be sure to post the finalized variant sometime before 'The Unique Tales' reaches the publication point. In the meantime, however, I'm going to take a break from this beast and work on some other interests. And if you're interested, 11x17" prints of this pin-up are also for sale. Contact me via e-mail.

Motor City Comic Con '10

2010-05-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

This makes my third year attending the Motor City Comic Con, and I have to say that it feels good having another one under my belt. Again, I had the pleasure of sharing a table with Jason Westlake for a second time, as well as Brandon Cox, a first-timer to the comic convention scene. Both are former Kendall College classmates of mine and all-around real good guys, too, so it made for a very comfortable visit of drawing and chatting during the show. Sadly, while Adam Withers and Comfort Love (creators of the self-published series, 'The Uniques') were unable to attend, we were able to see some other familiar faces from the Grand Rapids area, including Gina Verdoni, Scott Wygmans, and Damian Goidich. It was very encouraging to visit with each of them for a bit.

convention table setup, early Friday

Jason with his spread of sketch cards

As has been the case from personal experience in past shows, Friday was an expectantly low-key day. Business was slow, but Jason and I did manage to drum up a little for ourselves. As for Brandon, he wouldn't be joining us until Saturday due to work obligations. Even with just the two of us, the table and display boards were pretty well covered with our artwork, a good sign in this artist's opinion. During our downtime between the occasional sale or visit from passerbys, I kept myself busy hammering out some drawings of my own to sell. If I've learned anything, it seems that original artwork tends to sell better than prints. Jason did rather well for himself last year doing this, and likewise this year with the sketch cards, so I try to follow by example. Figuring out what works and what doesn't was a big part of why this year was more profitable for myself.

The Joker - $15 USD (plus $3 for S&H)

Captain America - $15 USD (plus $3 for S&H)

Doctor Octopus - $20 USD (plus $3 for S&H)

Thor - $30 USD (plus $3 for S&H)

Granted, none of these particular drawings sold at the show, but they are available for purchase through this site. What was fun about this was trying my hand at monochromatic markers, which gave the 9x12"inked drawings a very distinct look. Definitely going to get my hands on a set before next year comes around. Jason was kind enough to lend me his set during the convention.

What turned out to be a smart addition to my goods and services was offering caricatures, which was a big success. I've done a few children's art classes on caricatures and worked as a caricature artist at a graduation open house before, so I know firsthand that they tend to go over pretty well with people. As it turned out, caricatures made up over half of my sales this year. Those aside, the Fast Food Mafia prints were well received and it was interesting talking to some of the individuals who came by and commented on it. You can wager that I will explore further into both of these venues.

Saturday was drastically different from Friday, with patrons of comics and pop culture alike filling the aisles. While I did not wander about the previous day, deciding to spend my free time sitting and drawing, Saturday was one where I couldn't afford to leave my seat. Indeed, Saturdays have always been the busiest day during the Motor City Comic Con weekends. And as such, it is always the most lucrative. Compared to last year, you could see that people were much more willing to shell out for artwork. Given the situation with the economy in recent years, it would seem that we're finally starting to turn the corner on this depression. Good news, especially for us freelance artists.

Sunday, surprisingly, actually turned out to be busier than I had anticipated. The first year that I had set up table at Motor City, Sunday was all but a ghost town in regards to attendees. Last year, my second, was better but about on par with the Friday trend. This time around it had an even better turnout with more attendees, and business, than Friday. I can only hope that this Sunday crowd will remain constant or continue to incline. So while I was kept occupied off and on with occasional sales, I managed to spend the last hour of the show wandering about, visiting a couple other artists of particular interest to myself, namely Scott Wygmans and Guy Davis, and browsing through the discounted graphic novels. Aside from the two graphic novels that I purchased, the rest of my Motor City goodies were free.

'High Roads', 'The Marquis' pin and convention sketch, 'High Moon', and a pair of stickers by Scott

postcard zombie prints: NotLD's Karen Cooper

2010-03-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here's the next postcard-sized print in my series of cinematic zombies, Karen Cooper (Kyra Schon) from Romero and Russo's 'Night of the Living Dead' (1968).

Aside from the gruesome discovery of young Karen devouring her father's remains, the most memorable bit of this sequence was the stabbing of her mother with a bricklayer's trowel. In some respects, the "ghouls" of 'Night of the Living Dead' were more revolutionary than their modern, shambling (or in some cases running) counterparts. After all, these were tool-users. Additionally, unlike Romero's later adaptations, these zombies seemed to have an immediate grasp of the concept. In films like 'Day of the Dead' and 'Land of the Dead' it was a gradually learned process, whereas in this first film it was instinctive. Personally, that notion instills a greater sense of dread. I wanted to convey this in Karen, capturing her with the trowel raised in hand menacingly.

These prints are for sale, so send me an e-mail if you are interested in purchasing. My current asking price is $1.50 USD each ($4 for four prints), plus an additional $2 for mailing costs. Prints will include my personal signature as well. There will also be no watermark, as seen here.

NOTICE: The background is the original poster artwork from the film. It's a filler and gives recognition to the movie from which the depicted character is derived from.

postcard zombie prints: NotLD's Cemetery Zombie

2010-03-24T18:26:00.001-07:00

Here's the next postcard-sized print in my series of cinematic zombies, the Cemetery Zombie (Bill Hinzman) from Romero and Russo's 'Night of the Living Dead' (1968).

Hinzman's zombie appears at various points throughout the film, but the scene most memorable to myself is his attack on Barbra (Judith O'Dea), when she is trapped inside her brother's car. Something about the way he slammed his palms against the windows made it intense, so it seemed to me that it would make a dynamic pose in this print.

These prints are for sale, so send me an e-mail if you are interested in purchasing. My current asking price is $1.50 USD each ($4 for four prints), plus an additional $2 for mailing costs. Prints will include my personal signature as well. There will also be no watermark, as seen here.

NOTICE: The background is the original poster artwork from the film. It's a filler and gives recognition to the movie from which the depicted character is derived from.

postcard zombie prints: RotLD's Tarman

2010-03-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

With the Motor City Comic Con nearing, I've decided to get a start on some artwork to sell. Here is the first in a series of illustrations depicting cinematic zombies, the Tarman (Allan Trautman) from Dan O'Bannon's 'The Return of the Living Dead' (1985).

There's also a cameo of Tarman in 'The Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave' (2005), which did an awesome rendition of the zombie, but I decided to opt for the original version instead. These postcard-sized prints are for sale online as well, so send me an e-mail if you are interested in purchasing. My current asking price is $1.50 USD each ($4 for four prints), plus an additional $2 for mailing costs. Prints will include my personal signature as well.

Next on the agenda is George A. Romero's movies, starting with the 1968 classic, 'Night of the Living Dead'. Expect to see the Cemetery Zombie (Bill Hinzman) sometime next week.

NOTICE: The background is the original poster artwork from the film. It's a filler and gives recognition to the movie from which the depicted character is derived from.

Gremlins sketch

2010-03-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a little something that I sketched back in December, after re-watching 'Gremlins'.

Petals and Prince Zebulan commissions

2010-03-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple digitally-colored portraits, one done a few months back, the other done today. These were commissioned by two separate individuals, but I decided to include them together in this post.

Petals Around The Roses

Prince Zebulan

wedding picture w.c. painting

2010-03-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

A friend of the family through our church has been serving in the military and was married some time back. However, because of their separate locations they decided to opt for a proxy marriage, so they weren't able to have a traditional service and ceremony. His mother wanted something memorable for the two of them as a belated wedding gift, so she commissioned this wedding picture done in watercolor. Finished just in time, too, since he arrives back in the States tonight for a brief break. I know his mother has been looking forward very much to this, especially to meet her new daughter-in-law and two (as well as her first) grandchildren.

She requested Irish scenery, thus the landscape in the background, beyond the arch. The scanner included most of the artwork, but cropped a portion off. You can note a very small part of the clovers in the bottom right corner.

Unique Tales: golden age Taskforce

2010-01-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

Been keeping myself busy, partly with a special project for Adam Withers and Comfort Love, creators of the self-published The Uniques superhero comic. If you follow them you'll likely know this already, but for those not in the know they're starting a new series called Unique Tales with short stories written and illustrated by other artists that expands on the history and setting of The Uniques. I've been working out character designs for several WWII era superheroes, the Taskforce, which has been exciting since I love this line of work and greatly admire Adam and Comfort. There will be some adjustments made, as you can see with Countryman, but these are the initial designs.

________________________________________

Countryman
the original design

the modified design________________________________________
Virtue
This design was too decorated for Adam and Comfort's liking,
however the uniform will be used for more ceremonial scenes.
________________________________________
Mercury
________________________________________
Liberty________________________________________
Guardian Angel
________________________________________
Ghost

tufted titmouse w.c. painting

2010-01-07T13:36:00.000-08:00

It was my mother's birthday yesterday, so as a gift I did this small watercolor painting of a tufted titmouse for her. I haven't done much with watercolors for a while now so it felt good to do something like this, which was simple and could do within an evening.

Mom and myself with her painting

Communist portraits commission

2010-01-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here's Luise K.'s commission, a Christmas gift for the guy rendered on the right end of the row. It was a little tricky trying to stylize his portrait to resemble the other three, who are, from left to right: Marx, Engel, and Lenin. Drawing all those details felt more like topography than facial features.

Christmas play sets

2010-01-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Here I am standing by the backdrop painting, hung behind the choir seats.

Each year my hometown church of Perry Baptist traditionally puts on two Christmas play programs: one with children, the other with adults. This year I was asked to assist with set designs for the children's play "Miracle on Main Street" by painting a backdrop, requesting that it be a town square with a visible church. Rarely do I work large scale like this, so even after spending nearly two weeks working on it, it only managed to be mostly complete before the deadline came. Had I a better notion of how much work would go into such an endeavor, I would have started earlier. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Still, the painting was satisfactory for the play and afterward I put on the finishing touches, as it may have a use in future Christmas plays.

Great Romanian Personalities: Iorga

2009-11-21T13:19:00.001-08:00

My fourth submission to the "Great Romanian Personalities" exhibit, here is Nicolae Iorga.

Storyboards: Bureau of Vital Statistics

2009-11-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

Bureau of Vital Statistics, by Matt Keatman, is a short film about generic-looking office worker Henry Morten, whose job it is to decide how people die. The project is still underway, but when it's finished I'll post the video here, or at least a link to it. As an additional treat, I've included a couple of videos relative to the project. The Black Hole (note: this short film was not by Keatman) stars Napoleon Ryan, who has been cast for the part of Henry Morten, and musician "Scampi", seen in My Friend, will be composing/performing the musical score. This is a real unique experience since this is an international collaberation, with Keatman and Ryan in England, "Scampi" in France, and myself in the States.

And here, below, are the storyboards.

caricature art class

2009-11-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I taught an art workshop on caricatures again at the Shiawassee Arts Center. The kids always seem to enjoy it, so I was looking forward to it, and was not disappointed. It was a smaller group of five, but I've had as little as three and I don't mind. Having a smaller class can make a more comfortable setting, since it's not as apt to get noisy or rowdy and I can be sure to give each kid plenty of attention.

More often than not I forget to bring the digital camera along to take pictures of my classes, like I did last Wednesday for my class on comic creation, but I made sure to this time. It's especially nice to teach this class, since I get to be more involved by doing a demonstration on drawing a caricature with a volunteer student model. Of course, I don't want any of the kids to feel left out, so when it comes to this part of the class I just keep going and draw as many as time will allow. Below, here's three of my students that I was able to do their portraits in caricature.

Great Romanian Personalities: Teodoroiu

2009-11-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

My third submission to the "Great Romanian Personalities" exhibit, here is Ecaterina Teodoroiu.

BPRD trio pin-up

2009-11-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

Sometime I'll get back to finishing my six-part series of Hellboy pin-ups. But in the meantime, here's a variant 11x17" print that includes the three main characters: Abe Sapien, Hellboy, and Liz Sherman. If you've been on the fence, unable to decide on which of the three individual prints to buy, perhaps this combination will do it for you. You can purchase one for $7, plus an additional $5 for mailing costs. I accept payment through PayPal.

Great Romanian Personalities: Eminescu

2009-11-02T20:17:00.001-08:00

An additional submission to the "Great Romanian Personalities" exhibit, here is Mihai Eminescu.

Great Romanian Personalities: Caragiale

2009-10-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you forget how big the internet is until someone gets in touch with you from halfway across the globe. Ms. Ana Lugijana of a Romanian cartoonists association reached out and asked if I would partake in an upcoming exhibit, "Great Romanian Personalities". She gave a list of about ten individuals, but mentioned their particular interest was in having Ion Luca Caragiale and Mihai Eminescu, so I went with the former. (These three are the same man, but at different ages; the top being the youngest and the bottom being the oldest.) Though I won't have the pleasure of visiting and seeing the artwork in person, I'll receive a catalog, as will all the artists who likewise submitted work.

The cartoonists association I mentioned before has a site, which can be found here. Unfortunately, it is currently down for reconstruction.

Makiev commission

2009-10-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Another digitally-colored portrait I finished not so long ago, here's the Soviet assassin Makiev, an original character designed and commissioned by Matt K. I took a great deal of pleasure hammering out this one, as I find the World War II era rather interesting in of itself. For those of you familiar with Mike Mignola's Hellboy, you'll likely notice the similarity of Makiev's mask to Karl Ruprecht Kroenen's. The design of that particular accessory was indeed inspired heavily by it. On another side note, the eyes may seem off. That is due to his left eye, which is slightly clouded over.

Commander Deth commission

2009-10-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

A little while back, I created a digitally-colored portrait of mech pilot Commander Ian Benjamin Deth, an original character designed and commissioned by Julie D. She loved it, so much so that she even had it framed, along with a print of my Fast Food Mafia piece that she purchased. Julie sent me a picture of the framed prints today, so I wanted to share it.

Perryfest and art classes

2009-09-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I've been going down to the Edna Bentley Memorial Library in my hometown to help out. With a book sale coming up it was good timing, as they needed someone to sort through old and donated books. And as luck would have it, the head librarian Pat Brown offered me a free space to set up a table during the Saturday sale, which was happening during Perryfest. Now, Perryfest is an annual, weekend-long town festival that started up some years back. Between those folks interested in the book sale and just wandering between other town events, it was a good spot to be. Unfortunately, I could only stay for the morning, since I had to fill in that afternoon for an art instructor. Business was slow, as you would expect for the morning. But I did enjoy the neighboring folks, who likewise had tables set up. Plus, I did have one caricature commission, so it wasn't a total loss.

Later that afternoon, I taught a pair of children's art classes on painting landscapes in watercolor. Like the caricature classes I've previously taught, I gave a little demonstration to help them understand how to break down their reference pictures and start their paintings.

My first class of three started with practice paintings on smaller-cut sheets of watercolor paper. However, the girls got so involved with them that we decided to keep going for the duration of the class. They were quite pleased with their work, as you can tell.

My second class of three did some practice painting, but quickly took to the larger-cut sheets of watercolor paper. Unfortunately, their interest in painting petered out a bit early, but they are kids after all so I couldn't blame them. Landscapes can be just as tedious to adults. But all in all, both classes were pleasant and the kids were good.

Neverwhere sketches

2009-09-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and I was itching to sketch the characters, especially after I took a look at the 1996 TV miniseries which was, frankly, rather disappointing. So this is more or less how I would envision them.

Burgies Awards night

2009-09-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Though I couldn't join in on the festivities of Burger Beast's 'The Burgies' it certainly looks like the night went without a hitch, attracting well over one hundred attendees. You can read more about the evening of food and fun at his blog, but I wanted to show a couple of pictures taken that featured my artwork.

John Martin's Irish Pub door with Burgies Awards poster

El Mago, winner of "Best Frita", with son and daughter

Fast Food Mafia pin-up v.2

2009-08-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are interested in some of the more recognizable characters, here's a condensed version of the previous Fast Food Mafia pin-up with just the first five that I drew. You can purchase a 9x12" gloss print for $5, plus an additional $4 for mailing costs. Just contact me at andrew.shirey@yahoo.com if you're interested. I accept payment through PayPal. And of course the prints won't include the watermarks.

Burgies Awards poster

2009-08-20T17:34:00.000-07:00

A commissioned piece for Burger Beast and his event 'The Burgies Awards', which is being held in Coral Gables, to celebrate south Florida's "everyman food" as well as commemorate the blog's one year anniversary. So if you live in the area be sure to swing by and enjoy the venue of hot dogs, pizza, chicken wings, and of course burgers, just to name a few items on the menu. I'd go if I weren't living at the opposite side of the States.

Lord of the Rings fonts can be found here.

Fast Food Mafia pin-up

2009-08-16T19:06:00.001-07:00

This really just started out as a simple drawing to amuse myself. But after getting a lot of positive feedback I decided to make more of these fast food mafia characters and create a pin-up with them. Going from left to right, top to bottom, the fast food chain restaurants and their respective persons/mascots parodied here include:

Jack in the Box -- Robert "Jack in the" Box
McDonald's -- Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and Birdie
Burger King -- "The King"
Wendy's -- Wendy
Kentucky Fried Chicken -- founder Harland Sanders
Papa John's Pizza -- founder John Schnatter
Little Caesars -- Little Caesar
Taco Bell -- chihuahua dog
Panda Express -- panda
Sonic Drive-in -- founder Troy Smith and Katie the carhop
Quiznos -- talking baby Bob
Subway -- spokesman Jared Fogle
Dairy Queen -- talking red lips

You can purchase an 11x17" gloss print for $7, plus an additional $5 for mailing costs. Just contact me at andrew.shirey@yahoo.com if you're interested. I accept payment through PayPal. And of course the prints won't include the watermarks.

Caricature Art Classes

2009-07-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday and last I taught a two-hour long summer art workshop class for kids on the subject of caricatures. The first group was thirteen kids, ranging from kindergarten to third grade, and this last group of eleven was from fourth to eighth grade. Very different groups, I came to realize, but both were pleasant and wanted to draw. So to prepare, I drew a batch of celebrity caricatures, which you can see below.

This seemed to work out well, since it got me warmed up for the class and provided examples for the kids to see. I also provided them with photographic portraits of anonymous people that I found through Google, so they could start practicing. Then, this would help work them into drawing live figures. (It's useful when trying to break into life drawing because: (1) the image flattens the figure, (2) the subject will stay perfectly still, and (3) they can take as much time as they like drawing, since they don't have the model's needs to consider, like needing breaks.)

It's been my personal experience that a demonstration can be very insightful, so for each class I had a volunteer student sit and pose for a caricature, letting the other kids watch as I drew. I'd like to think it was helpful to them, before they started on their own caricatured life drawings. The kids took turns drawing each other in pairs, as well as drawing those who posed in the center of the classroom, who were sitting primarily for me. After seeing the demonstration caricature, they each wanted their portrait drawn by me. I was more than happy to oblige, though we were limited on time and could only draw a portion of the class. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera on hand with the first class, but I was able to take pictures of those in my second class who volunteered as models (as seen below).

Motor City Comic Con '09

2009-05-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of the weekend-long Motor City Comi c Con held in Novi, a suburb of Detroit in Oakland county. This was my second year as a guest artist, setting up a table and displaying my work. Last year I shared a table with Jason Heuser and Matt Geerling, both classmates at Kendall College. Plans were made to do the same this time around, but ultimately Jason wound up at a different table with some friends of his while Matt was unable to attend. However, I was fortunate to share my table with Jason Westlake, also a former Kendall colleague, whose company I enjoyed immensely. And speaking of good company, I was able to see some other familiar faces, including: freelance artist couple Adam Withers and Comfort Love, Image Comics' The Astounding Wolfman artist Jason Howard, fellow Kendall alumni Scott Wygman, and Mouse Guard writer/artist David Petersen. While I've only met David Petersen briefly when he spoke as a guest at my college, the others I consider friends of mine or at the very least acquaintances.

Here's my table on Sunday near the convention's end.
Jason worked that day, so I spread out my material.

Fridays are always slow at the convention, as I've seen firsthand last year and heard from Adam and Comfort, so business was slim but not unexpected. I managed to sell one print, which I spent the pay on the latest issue of The Uniques, a comic written and illustrated by the a fore mentioned couple. While the goal of attending the convention is ultimately to earn money, it's hard not to spend a little of it. Besides, it's a personal belief of mine to support fellow artists, especially those that are your friends.

The Uniques, issue six

On Saturday it was like the floodgates had opened and the people just poured in. Still, business wasn't much better for Jason and myself, though we did sell some work and do a couple convention drawings. With the economy as it is, it's no real surprise. Even Adam and Comfort, who have been attending as guests for years at this convention and developed a following of regulars, have felt the pinch. Instead of buying a large print, someone buys a sketchbook. Instead of commissioning a full body drawing, someone commissions a portrait drawing. There was a noticeable pattern of people downgrading their purchases, Adam explained, and if they themselves didn't meet a bottom line quota of earnings, they might not come to Novi next year. I certainly hope that won't be the case.

To encourage my own sales I took a lesson from Jason, who did pretty well for himself by selling original artwork. Many of the comic dealers sell trade back graphic novels for half-price, which is a real steal, so I purchased Alan Moore's The Watchmen and did a few character drawings to add to the table. With the popularity of the recent movie, it seemed like a smart move. As luck would have it, however, none of them sold.

While this may be discouraging, I still enjoyed myself. There were plenty of good points that highlighted my time there that Saturday. For instance, my parents visited and took a look around. Before I started coming as a guest artist, my father had taken me, along with one or two friends, to the Motor City Comic Con a couple of times, so he was familiar with the convention scene. However, this was my mother's first time ever coming to one, so I can imagine how unusual some of the sights were, especially the cosplayers. But there were sights and people she did enjoy, like meeting actress Julie Newmar, who she grew up watching as a girl.

Julie Newmar -1960's tv series Batman

Eric Avari - tv series Heroes, The Mummy, Stargate, ...

John Schneider - tv series The Dukes of Hazzard, tv series Smallville, ...

No Motor City Comic Con is complete without a few Star Wars cosplayers.
Jason joked that it would make a good drinking game if we could take
a shot for every stormtrooper we saw.

That Saturday I also met for the first time artist Guy Davis, who is especially known for his on-going work in Dark Horse Comics' B.P.R.D., a spin-off series to Hellboy. Despite being anxious, I knew I shouldn't pass up the opportunity to meet him. Intending initially to get his autograph on my copy of The Marquis: Danse Macabre, I expressed my admiration for his Marquis series. But when I saw him doing miniature convention drawings for free, I knew I had to have one of the Marquis. After Mike Wieringo's passing, who I never got the pleasure of meeting but had wanted to for some time, I've compelled myself to at least see these artists I admire if I'm able. You never know if the opportunity will come again.

Finally there was Sunday, the last day of the convention, which felt very much like a repeat of Friday with it's thinned attendance. However, comparatively, my sales were slightly better than those of the first day. Regardless of the the humdrum, the atmosphere was even more casual than before, which was pleasant. And as things wrapped up near the end, I was given a couple of prints: one from Adam and Comfort, the other from Alan Schell, who I first met that weekend. I didn't know of Alan or his work, but being a stranger didn't stop him from coming over to my table occasionally to make friendly conversation. He was a nice enough guy, who I hope I'll see again next year. After all, profits aside, part of going to the conventions is to make connections.

Hellboy pin-ups

2009-05-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Been working on a six-part series of Hellboy pin-ups, which can be pieced together to form one large picture in the background. (This was inspired by the '94 Fleer Marvel Cards of Spider-man, which did the same in sets of nine.) So far Abe Sapien, Hellboy, and Liz Sherman are available. Eventually this will include Johann Kraus, Roger the homunculus, and Captain Daimio. You can purchase a 10x15" gloss print for $5, plus an additional $4 for mailing costs. As an added incentive, you can purchase three prints for $12, plus $4 for mailing, which saves you a few dollars. I accept payment through PayPal.

Salad Days fan art

2009-05-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

For a few years now, since around '07, I've been a fan of the manga-esque comic Salad Days as well as good friends with its creator, Nafisah Tung, better known as Tyshea in some circles. The motto of Nafisah's comic is "Salad Days: a time of youthful innocence... Yeah, right," which perfectly captures the overall feeling of the story. It is, as she describes it, "a slice-of-life comedy and drama about a supernatural high school that focuses on the silly exploits of four friends". These four friends include: Ashley "Ash" Reinhardt, a grouchy and sarcastic vampire; Autumn Yates, a gentle ghost with journalistic aspirations; Mint Talbot, a werewolf just bubbling over with sunshine; and Renee "Ren" Tunone, an awkward, tomboyish grim reaper. After initially seeing the conceptual art and preliminary comic drawings, I just fell head over heels in love with it.

This drawing was the one that started it all, my very first piece of Salad Days fan art. It was a two-for-one, as it was both an art trade with Nafisah and an entry into a Salad Days fan art contest, which incidentally won first place. Here is Ren with "were-puppy" Mint tucked into her hoodie, also including Ash's spastic younger brother, Tony, in the signature. (If you don't get the cabbage exclamation, that's understandable. It was an inside joke, based on a drawing of Nafisah's in which Tony is sitting in a shopping cart with a grocery bag on his head, making this remark to Ash.)
Similarly, this was for another Salad Days contest. It didn't win, but was given an honorable mention. Anyway, what makes this one special is the backstory it tells. For winning first place in the last contest, Nafisah let me create a custom character to be used in her comic. Thus was Drew O' Shire the cu sidhe made. You can think of him as similar to a werewolf with phantasmal powers. Which brings me to the actual werewolf, Mint Talbot. Nafisah and I both thought it would be adorable to have Drew and Mint be childhood friends, so this comic tells the abridged story of how they first met. Cute, no?
Here is a drawing with Drew O' Shire (right) with Wormwood High art teacher, Art Tunone the leprechaun (left), and a fellow student, Aria the banshee (back). Drew's outfit here was based on a design Nafisah created for him in another of her Salad Days drawings. I've become very impressed with her skill for fashion illustration.

Becoming an even bigger fan, I was compelled for a time to illustrate some Salad Days minor characters, as well as the main four, which you note in the third pair of illustrations seen here. I won't go into detail as to who is who, but excluding the central characters, the rest were created by fans. This is, in my personal opinion, one of the things that makes Salad Days so great: fans can develop their own original characters and create side stories within Wormwood High. After all, the setting of Salad Days is in a high school, which means there needs to be a student body, and that's a lot of characters for one person to create.

Nafisah has found a brilliant solution that pleases her and the fans alike by letting them contribute to the comic in this way. In this sense, Salad Days becomes more than a comic, becoming something of an interactive story. A fan can create individual stories with their original characters or get together with other fans and collaborate, making stories together. After all, while Salad Days revolves around Ash, Autumn, Mint, and Ren, Wormwood High itself has many students, each with their own stories. It becomes so much more involved and expansive in this capacity.

(There's more fan art that I'll post, but I'm tired so that will have to wait for the time being.)

Children's Art Classes

2009-04-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's the little things that make something worthwhile. In this case, I'm referring to my occassional work with the Shiawassee Arts Council, where I've taught a couple of art classes for children. I'll admit it's not where I imagined myself after graduating college, but it's something for now. The work is simple, the pay is decent, and a few of the kids can make the experience particularly rewarding. But what really made my day was seeing this.

The Argus Press, a local newspaper, published an article about my most recent class. That Saturday, I was taken a bit by surprise when one of the paper's writers, Michael Peterson, showed up before my class started, wanting to talk and sit in during the class. Despite being unexpected, I felt very much at ease with Peterson's comfortable personality. It was a pleasant interview while I waited for my students to arrive. When class started, he sat and listened as I worked with the kids, sometimes taking pictures, and talked to each of them as well.

I was fairly flattered by the attention and afterward was looking somewhat forward to reading the article, expecting it likely to be tucked away somewhere in the middle or back of the paper. After all, it was a small art class, so I wasn't expecting it to be exceptionally newsworthy. So when we got a phone call today from an aunt of mine, saying how surprised she was to see me in the paper, I thought it a bit odd. When I was able to see a copy for myself, I understood when I saw the article featured on the front page. Not only that, but accompanied by a good-sized photograph of myself with my students. I know it's not a huge publication, but it still was still exciting and gratifying. It's nice to know that people take an interest in your work.

Pastels

2009-04-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

Of the mediums I work with, pastels I can really get my hands into, quite literally. During my time at college, initially, I was discouraged from touching and blending with my fingers by my pastel professor, but after resisting for so long and seeing my results, she couldn't argue and let me be. But this is what makes pastels so unique from my other drawings, namely sculpting with the colors. If you know me personally, this is rather unusual as I am prone to work very clean and fine. To put it simply, I don't care to get my hands dirty. But despite my nature, I feel compelled to do otherwise with this medium. And I think the only comparison I can make to such a compulsion is the painter J.M.W. Turner.

"...Delacroix is taken aback that [Turner] looks rather like a farmer with unwashed hands. Oh, there's dirt under Turner's nails, all right, but it's likely to be gamboge yellow or Prussian blue, not farm muck. And the worst thing is that he seems to wear his unwashed hands like a badge of professional pride.

"When a young gentleman aspirant artist comes to see him, Turner grabs his lily-white hands and growls 'You're no artist'.

"Turner himself uses his fingers to make his art, keeps a nail deliberately untrimmed so he could wield it like a claw to cut into the paint surface."

-Simon Schama's Power of Art, "Turner"; BBC Video

Certainly I don't get as messy as Turner, and his work was with oil paints, not pastels, but there is a definite, mutual satisfaction in being able to touch and mold the medium on the surface; almost like working with clay, but in a two-dimensional sense. And after all, it's only natural to want to touch, isn't it?

Anyway, I've lingered long enough on my feeling towards the medium. Here are examples of my work in pastels. This collection will be updated, just like my paintings and the others.

Storyboards

2009-03-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people can take you in directions you wouldn't have gone otherwise. The person responsible for getting me into storyboard illustration would be Jamie Hanks, now Mrs. Jamie Allison, who I knew from my high school years. It was during my first half of art college when she asked, on the behalf of "Team Zulu", a group consisting of two other film students, Scott Lynch and Nicole Davenport, to aid them in creating a short film called "ONE^3". They were in a tight spot, needing the storyboards done very soon and, as far as I know, without any other potential takers. How could I refuse? Needless to say, after a hectic week of school, storyboards, and sleep deprivation, I was tired but quite pleased with the work.

In the end, the unexpected rewards vastly outweighed one stressful week, as it earned us a trip to Japan in Microsoft's 2005 Imagine Cup short film competition. During this time I came to know Scott, who has since then has used my services to illustrate the storyboards for a short film, "Breathe", (it was, unfortunately, never made due to insufficient funds) and a Heinz Ketchup commercial contest entry, "The Artist". And as recently as this month, I've illustrated a storyboard for a short film in the works, "Dangerous", for Cameron Crosson, an acquaintance of Scott's, who wrote and directed "The Artist".

Storyboards:

ONE^3 (2005)
Breathe (2006?)
The Artist (2007)
Dangerous (2009)
Bureau of Vital Statistics (2009)

Storyboards: Dangerous

2009-03-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

Dangerous (2009)
Cameron Crosson and his team will be submitting this short film into Microsoft's 2009 Imagine Cup competition. I anticipate seeing the actual film when it is completed and, hopefully, will be able to post it here.

Storyboards: The Artist

2009-03-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

The Artist (2007)
After my experience with the first two storyboards, I decided inking was not the way to work for me. For this one, I went with my first love, pencils, which allow me much more detail and forgiveness.

Storyboards: Breathe

2009-03-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Breathe (2006?)
While never making it to film, the storyboards were, however, adapted into a sequential animation of sorts with accompanying music written specifically for this film. It's strange, I find it, that while I personally illustrated these storyboards it wasn't until seeing them put to music that my heartstrings were really tugged by the story it told. To give a general synopsis, it's about a man who receives emergency treatment for polio in an iron lung and, while struggling to breathe, has flashbacks relating to his son's death by drowning.

Watch it here: http://www.cardboardboxfilms.com/fileserver/breathe/BreatheSBConcept.wmv

Storyboards: ONE^3

2009-03-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

ONE^3 (2005)
This short film reached the finals in Microsoft's 2005 Imagine Cup competition and was the only finalist from the United States. Scott went on the following year to create another entry in the 2006 Imagine Cup, making it into the finals held in India, though I wasn't involved, personally.

Watercolor Paintings

2009-03-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

Of the mediums I've painted in, I've become most comfortable with watercolors. Each of my paintings started out as a light pencil drawing before applying the paint. Some were rendered directly from life, others have been created with photographic references.

These portraits were all rendered from life, that is, each person sat and posed for the duration of the painting:

Unless you're a model, the typical person has a low tolerance for holding still for hours on end. I've found that it's useful to do an initial sketch, let the person take a break while copying the drawing onto watercolor paper, then have them resume the pose when you're ready to paint.

While using photographic references has received plenty of criticism, they are no less art than any other piece. It's like telling an inker that his job is just "tracing". Artists know what is and what is not copying. Here are three cityscapes that were made with the use of photographs:

Two of these were scenes from my hometown, the third from a neighboring town. I'm not particularly fond of rendering architecture or cityscapes, but it's hard to argue when you get the finished piece.

And here are a few more watercolors:

The first is untitled, the second is Vitruvian as the Urizen. A combination of two master works, Leonardo's Vitruvian Man and Blake's The Ancient of Days, this piece is also a combination of watercolor and acrylic. It's also come to be a rather iconic image for me, as I've used it for the basis of my current business logo. As for the third, it was for a college art project where I designed a painting around a fictitious rock band of my own creation.

Comic-style Illustration Commissions

2009-03-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's difficult to set a standard price on works like watercolor paintings and pastel drawings, since factors like surface size, the subject matter, and other details make each commission unique and as such the price is negotiated. However, I do have a list of standard prices set for the more comic-style illustrations one would find at a convention. But before I get into that, it's important to cover some ground rules in regards to these comic-style illustration commissions, which are as follows:

I reserve the right to refuse work when I see fit. And I absolutely refuse to do pornographic work. That aside, I'm pretty open and flexible to anything else.
I accept payment through PayPal. I will not work on your commission until I receive payment AND have come to an agreement on the commission itself. All the details need to be hashed out before I begin.
If you are interested in commissioning me, contact me at andrew.shirey@yahoo.com, my business e-mail.
For personal promotion, I will post commissions on Blogger.com unless a client specifically expresses not to. Watermarking your commission is also an option.
Reference images are helpful and good descriptions are key. I can't help you if I don't understand what you want.
I keep the original work, unless you're willing to pay extra.
The time it takes to complete a commission varies. Circumstances may also come up that can affect my work time. Regardless, once we've agreed on a commission, it's a done deal: you will get what you've paid for. Also, I try to work on a first come, first served basis.
Unless some personal reason is expressed against such, I might be inclined to make prints of the commissioned work available to others for purchase. Keep in mind, this would only be in the case where it seems very likely to sell. Such an example would be a detailed pin-up of a popular, copyrighted character. If the character does not belong to you, I see no reason why not.
No refunds. Sorry.

Now for the commission rates themselves.

Line Art (pencil):

character bust portrait - $15
upper/full body character - $30
additional characters cost the same, but after 3 characters I'll knock off $5 for each extra
background - $10-30 (depends on detail)
example: see below

Shaded Art (pencil):

character bust portrait - $20
upper/full body character - $40
additional characters cost the same, but after 3 characters I'll knock off $5 for each extra
background - $15-40 (depends on detail)
can be in standard gray, graphite pencil OR monochromatic in a single color pencil
example: see below

Digitally-Colored Art:

character bust portrait - $25
upper/full body character - $50
additional characters cost the same, but after 3 characters I'll knock off $7 for each extra
background - $20-50 (depends on detail)
example: see below

Miscellaneous Details:
Commissions can be done on 8.5x11", 9x12", or 10x15". The first is typical paper while the latter two are bristol. If you are interested in a print or having the original mailed, we'll discuss that as we hash out the commission details. Also, since I find 10x15" (and larger) work a pain, both to draw on and to scan, I charge an additional $5 for commissions of that size. In regards to backgrounds, if you want just a plain color/shade or simple design, I won't charge for that. I understand this isn't a perfect commission system, so there are items it doesn't cover. We will work those out in e-mails.

If you are interested or have any questions, feel free to ask.