Adam's Blog

Ok....maybe I wasn't studying the motorcycle...

After my last blunder with the three girls, I decided to visit a tutorial by Ron Lemen I saw years ago that I still lean on today. I find whenever something isn't working for me (aside from color), it's usually value or composition. So after rereading Lemens notes again I decided to do a speed study of an Adriana Lima photo. ...man she's hot.

I did an analog sketch of the San Girls (whoever the hell they are...) and decided to color them. I also spent a couple of hours on this over a few days as opposed to my normal quicker studies. In the end I just kept slopping color around and aside from the fact that I painted the characterature out again, I can't stand the painting. I isolated the issue to not being loose enough and using small brushes too soon. I think I approached it like I would my already shabby painting process and it just didn't work. I think my next little excercise will have to be staying loose. Maybe I'll open painter and try palette knives or something. Maybe something like Zhuzhu, he's the friggin' man!

This was my first time working on a Wolverine title. I had to do this book more or less in three days so I broke a personal record with how fast I had to work. But I still managed to try a few things that I was happy with in the end.

This was probably the first Spiderman book of me starting to venture off in style again. I've always been hisitant to do something too radical on a MA title, but I've been approaching it like McFarlane did Amazing Spiderman, slow steps till one day they say, "WTF?" LOL

I woke up extra early and I thought I'd start off my morning by putting in at least an hour into a color study/painting--for once. And after an hour I ended up with something way too embarrassing to post. So to redeem myself I decided to do another quick study. To keep from getting too detailed I decided to do it extra small.

A color study from a photo.

A warm up sketch I did from a photo. I drew her pretty cartoony then I slowly made it too realistic and boring once I started painting too much. And then lost the likeness. She looks like Imogen twenty years later.

I've been so busy the last several weeks I haven't made any time for my warm up sketches. So to do something I decided to color a pic out of my sketchbook. I think I was looking at an ad for Apple Bottom or one of those urban brands that cater to women with...well you know. I saw Paul Richards do this toned paper kinda thing once so I decided to try something similar.

Usually before or after a book I try to think about what different elements I can bring to my coloring. My newest project is to add more color to my art. After looking at some of the other colorist's work out there, I decided to screw with a piece I colored around a year ago. The first one is well...the first one, and the second one is me playing around with it (a few characters anyway) this morning. I think this is the first time I've ever pulled out old art of mine, usually when it's done I just move on. ...mostly cause I can't stand looking at it again. LOL

After I finished those few issues of She-Hulk I moved over to MA Spiderman. These were from the first issue I worked on.

For my warm sketch (which I haven't done in a long time) I decided to do a sketch based on the variant cover of Marvel's Sky-Doll #1 variant reprint. Issue number one was sold out everywhere in town within days of the original and the reprint coming out. I FINALLY got my copy of number one a few days ago.

This is the poster for the comic Debbie Does Dallas. This time I did this to be a little bit more like the comic. The text will be changed though. The "porn" comment was me being stupid.

I also decided to make Debbie more slender instead of all curvy and hoochie-fied like the Candy Striper girls. I figured cheerleaders are usually leaner. I wanted her body to say more "athletic", instead of 50 Cent video. LOL Since Debbie is kinda thrown into an apocalyptic situation, I decided to make her a little surprised. I tried to hack Dean Yeagle a little bit to pull it off. ...gotta love the master.

It's funny how this transpired. I'm the colorist on Candy Stripers, but I felt like painting a pinup for the book. Then I got this idea for a retro type '70s movie poster. Everyone liked it so they're going to make prints for San Diego Comic con. They're going to change the text, this was the first draft. Originally I didn't plan on this being "for the book", so this one doesn't have as much to do with the comic itself. It was more a reason for me to draw naughty nurses. The book is actually a very dark and gritty fairy tale. I plan to do a set of these for all the Terminal Press/Arrow Productions comics.

I got this story (for coloring) Friday afternoon and it was due Monday morning. The hi-res files weren't requested until three weeks later. Yeah...it was like that. Although I crammed these pages into two days, I did like a few things about them.

After reading Beth's comment I decided to poke fun at a practically naked woman with a jacket. I'm not saying she won't catch a cold....but she does have on a jacket. LOL

This is the promo for Candy Stripers, a book coming out later this year from Terminal Press. And yes this book is based on the adult movie from the '70s. Though it won't be an "adult" title, it will have a "mature" rating though. It's drawn by Garrett Eisenheim and colored by me.

A BBWU/Warmup sketch. It was from a photo of the badass Kelly Hu.

I was reminded just now why I don't put faces on my sketches. Once I put eyes on there I won't leave the face alone until I'm comfortable with it (which that never happens). So my "warm up sketches" with faces turn into drawn out title bouts. Why did I become an artist again? Oh yeah, cause selling insurance stunk.

These pages I colored from Marvel Adventures Hulk #9. I read a review of this issue on a comic site and they basically bashed the script. Why you're thinking? Because Doc Sampson stole Bruce Banner's girl. I'm thinking if I had the choice of stealing the Hulk's woman or Tony Soprano's woman, I'm taking Tony's. Call me crazy.... Apparently Hulk and Sampson fought about it and you can see Sampson didn't win.

I like looking at pulp art and older comics and illustration from time to time and I came across White Princess of the Jungle. So it seemed to be another Sheena, Shanna, jungle woman book. Since I had already poked fun at Jungle chikcs, I decided to do something different for my warm up sketch. Behold: SHENIQUA BLACK GODDESS OF THE PROJECTS.

I started to like the gesture that I started but I should have done some things to correct her posture a little. But I guess on BBWU sketches I don't really give myself much time. So whatever I barf out gets posted.

Here's another page that I scanned from my sketchbook. I decided to bring the pic into Painter and do a little highlight and shadow execercise. I didn't technically do that, I just sorta messed around. That's the beauty of art, as long as you have no preset goal in mind, you can't go wrong. Well, sorta.

When I sketch, I draw real loose so there's usually not much to post from my sketchbooks. But I figured I would go thru some of them and post a pic here and there. Here's a compilation of a bunch of head shots.

I had no goal in mind here.

I've helped out on this title a few times and I usually just try to blend in with the other colorist. This time I had to do the entire end of the book so I just figured I'd kinda do my own thing.

This is a BBWU sketch. I liked how the color was coming along so I should fix her anatomy, add details etc. But notice the stress on "should"... LOL

I did this pic of Denise Milani using ref. My wife saw this pic and wondered why I exaggerated her proportions so much. Well if you've seen her before you'll know I didn't exaggerate much of anything--like I usually do. ;) Therefore I'll attach ref so you don't think I'm crazy.

I don't even like this but I figured since it's the first thing I've drawn in 2008, I need to post it. I've been pretty busy so far this year so I haven't had much time for sketching or anything--moving didn't help either. Anyhoow, I did a few gestures then got stupid after that.

I started messing around with different smude brushes in Photoshop and decided to play on a sketch by Frank Cho.

I was going through my archives and ran into this Fangoria cover. If you haven't heard, Fangoria went belly up a month or two ago. I was never paid this cover. But then again if no one ever screwed you, would it still be freelance?

No story to this one, I just wanted to do something this morning.

Just messing around before I have to act like a parent.

A color study.

I decided to study a little Don Flowers. I swear if that guy was alive he'd be an inker like Scott Williams or Joe Weems. Or he'd be a fashion illustrator somewhere. Or he could be strung out on a prescription drug somewhere...you just never know. Oh yeah, and don't ask me why she's holding a personal massager.

When I was in San Diego I was stopped by the creators of Bootywoman. At first I thought with a name like Bootywoman it was probably just porn. Then the creator explained her powers such as "Invulnerabutt", "kinetic ass control", and bootyhealing capabilities". I couldn't quit laughing. The more he explained the more I kept laughing. So this is my homage to Bootywoman. ...who says I don't support independent press? LOL

This was a cover I painted over pencils (not my pencils) for a custom book Marvel did with Triple A baseball. I had to do it in like one afternoon so it really sucked because I would have loved to been able to put some real time into this.

I call these my first Con sketches. I decided months ago I was going to go old skool. I had some Copic markers, bristol paper, and a pencil. LIke with my Wacom I couldn't think of anything to draw in two days but I do now understand the hype of Copic markers--they were really nice.

I don't like these two drawings but they did help pave the way to learning how to do what I want with the markers. I guess that's the point right?

This is my tribute to all the new female jungle comics that have came out in the last year. I love women in bikinis in the Amazon as much as the next guy but let's face it. Most of these characters don't care about men and there's not a razor in site for miles. Yeah....it's like that. LOL

Just messing around with Painter before bed. I brought it into Photoshop to do a few things to it. I need sleep.