Wayne and Ivy -Halloween- PSC

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.