Mesmerizing

I could watch this over and over and over again.



Amazing. Fun. Mesmerizing.

Beards Rock

Dammit, I wish I could grow a beard. Even Robocop looks badass in a beard.


And here's Batman rockin' his beard.


All thanks to artist, Vanja Mrgan.

Amazing Drawing

Nate Van Dyke is an amazing artist. I just love to watch artists work.

Also, check out his website.

Because Everyone Needs A Little Classical Art in the AM

Andy Helms watched too many Blade movies over the weekend:

Quick Draw by Jim Lee

Here's a great (and quick) sketch of Gambit by original artist, Jim Lee.

JH Williams III

I came across the website for an extremely talented comic book artist today - JH Williams III. I've enjoyed this artist's work for quite a while now, and for some mysterious reason, never thought to check out his web presence.

The site is set up as a blog full of illustrations and examples of his work and process. There's not a lot to read, but the images are quite fantastic.

Click on over and see just another reason why it's so difficult for me to give up my habit of comic books.

(Above is his take on Batwoman for an upcoming DC Comics series.)

New Media - August 14, 2007

New media arrives in stores on Tuesdays, so once a week – I try to limit myself to once a week – I go shopping for new books, DVDs, and music.

Here’s a taste of what has been added to my collection in the past week.

Books:
Pen and Wash by Robert Jennings
Perspective by William F. Powell
They Hunger by Scott Nicholson

Comics:
Casanova #8
Justice League Elite vol. 1 (TPB)
Alan Moore’s Complete WildC.A.T.S. (TPB)

DVDs:
The Last Boyscout
Smallville: Season 5 (TV series)

Music:
Live from Austin, TX by Neko Case
One Cell in the Sea by A Fine Frenzy (yes, I bought it again)
The Singles Collection vol. 1 by Dropkick Murphys
Brace Yourself by Dropping Daylight
Another for the Underdog by 12 Stones

Look for these materials to join The Stacks in the near future. Some might even sneak by The Stacks and end up mentioned here before you know it.

New Media - August 7, 2007

New media arrives in stores on Tuesdays, so once a week – I try to limit myself to once a week – I go shopping for new books, DVDs, and music.

Here’s a taste of what has been added to my collection in the past week.

Books:
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-Up Book by Stephen King
Art Nouveau by Klaus-Jürgen Sembach
Spook Country by William Gibson

DVDs:
National Treasure
Grindhouse Experience (20 film collection)
Virtuosity
Wolf
American Dreamz
United 93
Rome: Season 1 (TV series)
Rome: Season 2 (TV series)

Software:
Corel Painter X

Comics:
Grendel Archives
Grendel: Devil by the Deed
Grendel Tales: Homecoming
Grendel: Devil’s Legacy
Gear

Music:
rodrigo y gabriela by Rodrigo y Gabriela
The Bourne Ultimatum by John Powell

Look for these materials to join The Stacks in the near future. Some might even sneak by The Stacks and end up mentioned here before you know it.

New Media - July 31, 2007

New media arrives in stores on Tuesdays, so once a week – I try to limit myself to once a week – I go shopping for new books, DVDs, and music.

Here’s a taste of what has been added to my collection in the past week.

Books:
Bite by Richard Laymon
I, California by Stacey Grenrock Woods
I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
13 Bullets by David Wellington

DVDs:
300

Magazines:
Corel Painter: Official Magazine #5

Music:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Nicholas Hooper
Duality by Ra

Games:
Picross DS (DS)

Look for these materials to join The Stacks in the near future. Some might even sneak by The Stacks and end up mentioned here before you know it.

More with Corel Painter

I attempted to use the digital watercolor tools in Corel tonight.

I'm not so sure how well I like this sketch - a swipe of Andi Watson's cover from the Free Comic Book Day edition of Love Fights #1. The pencil sketch of the figure turned out pretty well, but the watercolors on top of it...well, I'm not so happy with them. I think I need to go through more of the tutorials to get the "feel" of each material in the program.

I probably won't have the time to do so until after RAGBRAI, but it gives me something to look forward to.

Hard At Play With Corel Painter

After watching my brother play around with Corel Painter last night, I had to practice with some more sketching.

I have a really cool drawing and sketching book - Drawing and Sketching by Jackie Simmonds - that teaches basic techniques throuh simple exercises. It also talks about how to use all the different materials, like watercolors, pastels, chalks, charcoals, and colored pencils. The great thing about Corel Painter is that you have these different materials at your fingertips. Now, I've stuck mainly with the pencil and eraser, but I'm still just playing around, not attempting to create a masterpiece.

Click on my tree and leaf study to view the image in more detail.