concord

Here is some work I did awhile ago, but got permission to post.  It is for a virtual card game for facebook, and the working title is Phaeton.  I don't know how far along it is, or quite how it is played.  But the core concept is based around some kind of school for teen supers, ala X-mansion.  
 
My friend Steve Ellis was lead artist and art director on this one, and it was both fun and tough to work with the constraints and character concepts he had set up.  Tough in that we have very different ways of working, especially when it comes to inking.  So, I was trying to come close to his inking style.  But that was fun too, because it pushed and prodded me to really think about how I do things and I learned a lot.
 
So here are a smattering of images that I done for the game.
 

Leah took a few tentative steps closer to where Jason and Kris were talking quietly. In her hands was Jason's sketchbook.
 
“I didn't realize that walking in on me when I was getting dressed stayed with you,” Kris said with a slight blush.
 
Jason gave her a bit of a smile. He reached out and caressed her face, not unconscious of the fact that it was where, until a few months back, she had carried a scar that he had caused. “Beautiful things always stay in the memory, Kris. You've always been a very sensual woman. You just never really admitted it to yourself.” Her blush deepened. He cocked his head slightly when she looked away. “Are you okay?”
 
Kris forced herself to smile. “We can't change the past.”
 
“Where our friendship is concerned I only ever regret one thing,” he told her quietly.
 
She stepped into him, wrapping her arms around and hugging him tightly. “And that's only an issue as long as you let it be. Let it go, Jason. No guilt for me. You carry too much and you fixed it.”
 
“Jason?” Leah felt like she was intruding, but still, “can I ask you something?” Kris, blushing again, gave Leah an embarrassed smile when she let go of Jason.
 
“What's on your mind?”
 
She flipped open his sketchbook to the picture of her in the evening dress. “I was wondering about this.”
 
“What about it? I thought it looked good on you,” he said with a warm smile.
 
“Except that I don't, and never have, owned a dress like this. I don't think I've even worn one when I was modeling.”
 
Jason looked confused. “Are you sure? Open back. Slit high on the one leg. I could have sworn I saw you in it. I've never been much for fashion design. Everything I've drawn like this, I've seen it somewhere before.”
 
“Jason, the only place I've seen this dress was in a nightmare.”

Re: Create a Hero Theme Team!
 

some inspiration....

The wine server poured more into Leah's glass before moving on to the others. Leah took a sip, delaying answering Warren's question. Warren watched her. Leah's eyes went everywhere except to meet his. “Leah?”
 
She let out a heavy sigh. “No, Warren, he won't give me my job back. 'When we agreed, in good faith, to allow you your leave of absence, it was understood that you would be returning within a reasonable, if indeterminate, period of time. We' and I'd almost swear that he was using the 'royal we' in the letter I received, 'do not consider a period of two years to be reasonable and as such refilled your former position accordingly.'”
 
“That sounds like a lawyer. So now what?” he asked. “Going to stay with the team?”
 
Leah gave him a bit of a smile. “Not like I have anything better to do. Maybe make it official this time.”
 
Warren chuckled. “You have always been official to the ones that mattered.”
 
“Warren?” Leah's tone was more somber. “How come you never told me about Cheryl? I mean about how she died. I know you loved her, but nobody ever said anything about Spears before. If somebody had said something, anything, I wouldn't have even bothered to talk to him. Looking back he was too... I don't know what I'm trying to say.”
 
“Too slick? Like a sleazy lawyer?”
 
“Yeah. I guess.”
 
“When... when you make a mistake... you know, we do this. We go out saving lives, fighting crime, trying to do right.” Warren stared into his wine glass for a moment. “This morning on the way in, I stopped in a diner for breakfast and a guy came in. I can't tell you what it was that made me aware of him. It might have been the way he moved. Or the way he held himself. I knew there was something off about him. Anyways, he pulls out a sawed-off and starts demanding money. Out of the till. From the waitresses. From the customers. He wanted it all. He just about crapped himself to find me standing there between him and waitress he'd pointed the gun at.” Warren set the wine down and took a drink from his water. “I can't tell you that waitress's name. She had dirty blonde, almost brown hair, and the end of it was this cherry red, like she had dip-dyed it. Her eyes were hazel. I can remember all this, but I can't remember her name. And I know I read it off her name tag.
 
“All the lives we touch, the people we help, and we never really know their names. You know what I'm saying?” Leah nodded. “And when you screw up and someone dies, those names you learn. Those names you never forget.
 
“We don't talk about Spears. We just kept looking for ways to prove he was dirty. Try to catch him and make good for Cheryl. Anyways, everything was in the reports from our early cases.”
 
Leah sniffed. “You ever try reading those things? None of you were much for story telling.” Leah deepened her voice. “Thumper robbed bank. We stopped him. End of report.”
 
Warren laughed. “Working on your Ronon Dex impersonation?”
 
Leah laughed with him. “At least you're laughing. I was beginning to think you were slipping into the Pit of Despair.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I didn't mean to bring up bad memories.”
 
“There's good memories. And regrets. I can't deny that, but right now I really wish Kate were here. I haven't been able to take her dancing in the last six months.”
 
“Well, Speedy,” Leah said, “I guess you'll have to settle for dancing with me, then. What would Kate say if I left you sitting all night?” They both laughed.

Hocus & Pocus

Heh. Yup, totally going for the Raiders vibe with that pic, was part of the description from the patron. Maybe I made it too obvious?
 
I purchased today at the Standard Art Supply in Ithaca, NY, a new white pencil. It is a big, huge, thick white pencil that I hope doesn't break like my prismacolor white pencils always do INSIDE the pencil part. A tip breaking is fine, I can resharpen, but I hate when a color pencil breaks multiple times inside the wood and the lead starts falling out. Grrr.
 
So this was a quickie little sketch that I did at a coffee shop. I liked it, so I scanned it in and posted it for funnsies... not finished artwork by any stretch. The new pencil, by the way, is for Lyra, called, appropriately, "Color-Giants" and made in Germany. While I had a pencil sharpener, it is too fat for it and I didn't have my usual pen knife, so a bit awkward and clumsy for detail work...but I liked the feel for it. Hope when sharpened by a knife, get a bit more of a point to work with. At the moment, it is bit more like a crayon. But I like the solidity and feel of the pencil. The tip might break, but the lead won't break inside the wood due to any kind of normal wear and tear.
 

Aqua Lass

I once said that most of my Patriot type images always looked like Captain America. So my latest Patriot image is like this...
 

 
Liberty
 
A friend suggested trying something similar but different. So I came up with this...
 

 
Unity
 

Got another foursome for ya. 3 from Paul L. and these are bit strange.... I love 'em. I've got one more to do soon for Paul T., but it is a bit more involved. It is so fun to do strange.
 
And the karate Elvis is for Death Tribble.
 

 

 

 

Well, my site caught hacked again, after I wiped out everything. Then I rebuilt some of it, so it got infected yet again. So, I went to Securi, spent the money and had them clean the site and together, a bit more security (hopefully) was put into place.
 
Meanwhile, I've been getting artwork done. Here are a few pieces! Here are one from Paul L., his last of his oddball religious illos he had me do. And the Decathelete (my title) for Death Tribble as a new take on the "weaponmaster" archtype on super-hero/villain.
 
Working a lot with toned paper on these, doing both pencil to darken, and white acrylic for highlights. Then working with multiply, normal and color overlay levels in Photoshop and Manga Studio. I'm kinda digging it.
 

 

 

This was an idea for weaponsmaster as archers are the usual. And it suddenly struck me. Field athlete ! So here he is festooned with his armoury including mini-javelins which are like lawn darts but sleaker and better.

Paul C is one interesting patron. He has me do the usual single figure commissions for his fantasy game. But then he turns it up a notch and gives me these scenes to do with the previously done characters. And I get to do ACTION! I like doing action. A lot. These are a lot of work, but boy, both of these were SOO much fun to do. Getting to do monsters, neat locales and heroes in motion.
 
You know you are having fun when working late at night and your wife calls you to watch something and you can't tear yourself away. I hope that comes across
 
. Don't get me wrong, I like introspective scenes, single figures, landscapes...heck, I like doing pretty much all art. When I haven't done black and white brush/ink work in awhile, it is really nice to come back to that medium... or if I've been doing a lot of digital, it is nice to pick up an actual paint brush.
 
Both of these are digital, but the Black Dragon one was done over a very loose thumbnail, because I liked it a lot better than the pencils I was working on (more energy) from that thumbnail. Which I promptly abandoned about 1/3rd of the way through. Conversely, Marilith was done from pretty tight pencils on bristol. Both times I did sorta digital underpaintings with a tone layed down, punching the blacks up a bit and then going in with white to pick out highlights.
 
I'll shut up now and show the art.

 

 

Monstruo

Okay, it's time for a new hero!
 
The secret to his powers is the composite material from which his armor is made. The unique combination of metals and polymers gives the armored plates piezoelectric properties--every time the armor takes a blow, it produces electrical power that is stored in the armor's storage cells. The armor also protects the wearer from harm.
 
He combines advanced science with old-fashioned heroism. Armed with a high-tech alloy sword, an energy-absorbing shield, and magnetically-induced jet packs, he fights crime as...
 

 
TecKnight!

"Nobody's Hero" by Rush, from the Counterparts album.

Got three femme fatales for ya! The first is another Death Tribble special, I called her Jewel, we didn’t really come up with a codename besides that.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jewel
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Next we have two ladies who are for an author’s upcoming fantasy novel. I don’t know much about it, just got a request to doodle up his creations based on his descriptions. When he gets his work up and out, I will certainly share it with y’all.
 
 
 
 
 
Reeka
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Zaama
 
 

 

Rapunzel

Der Reiter v1
 

 
Der Reiter v2

Lady Goldhammer!

The following are members of the Consortium of Death
 

 
Doctor Haydes
 
Doctor Haydes is the leader of the Consortium.
 

 
Achlys
 
Achlys has romantic interest in Doctor Haydes, but he isn't one to return the favor.
 

 
Death Seeker
 
Death Seeker is one of Doctor Haydes assassins.
 

 
Deadeyes
 
Deadeyes is another one of Doctor Haydes assassins. He's a little on the looney side.
 

 
Nikola
 
Nikola is another one of Doctor Haydes assassins. She is wild and crazy. Achlys is jealous of her beauty seeing her as a rival of Doctor Haydes attention.
 

 
Klaus
 
Klaus is the brother of Nikola, and like her is one of Doctor Haydes assassins.
 

 
Hanz
 
Hanz is the brother of Nikola and Klaus. He's Doctor Haydes right hand man and chief mad scientist. Naturally Achlys hates him.
 

 
Imps
 
Imps are the henchmen of Doctor Haydes. They all wear mind control helmets that were designed by Hanz.

He's a dangerous and deadly adversary. He has a genius-level intellect and has trained his body to the peak of human physical potential. Even more dangerous is his near-total control of the energies of the electromagnetic spectrum. He is only beginning to make a name for himself as threat to the safety and security of the world. He is....
 

 
Doctor Halo!

Katyuska
Chauffeur of Super-Villains

Rebel

Kris watched Jason walk Leah out on the dance floor and smiled. She watched Jason take her in his arms as the two of them began to move to the music.
 
 
“They look good together. Don't you think?” Warren asked nobody in particular.
 
 
Marlene stared at Warren. “Those two always look good. Is there something you're not saying?”
 
 
Warren blushed a bit. “No.” He laid his hand atop hers. “I'm glad you're happy,” he told her with a smile.
 
 
“I'm just glad that he's talking with her again,” Kris told him while watching the dancers. The song changed to I Never Told You. It was slower in tempo and Leah moved closer to Jason, resting her cheek on his chest. She could tell that they were talking quietly.
 
 
Jason's phone must have alerted him. Kris saw him take it from his belt and look at the screen. She saw Jason give Leah a bittersweet smile and break away from her. She turned her attention to her plate and heard Dani give out a low “Oh, my God.” When she looked back, Leah had a firm grip on Jason's head, pulled down and giving him a very hot, very wet kiss. She also noted one hand of his around the small of Leah's back.
 
 
Leah broke away and ran towards the women's room. Kris spared a glance at Marlene. Marlene was stunned. Jason watched Leah run and turned to face Marlene, Leah's lipstick smeared across his mouth. Marlene's face grew dark.
 

So, the series of modern vampires and their prey and hunters I've been doing are for a collection of characters for a novel by Paul Leone.
 
 
 
 
Here is Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Vatican-Vampire-Hunters-ebook/dp/B00BRIENTS
 
 
 
 
 
And here is the link to his website with cool notes and background stuff: http://paul-leone.com/miscellany/
 
 
 
 
 
And here is another one of the above mentioned characters, fresh off the Storn Art table.
 
 

 
 
Next up is a "post-modern" superhero...
 
 

 
 
And then we have fantasy duo versions of Caliban and Prospero