Catastrophic fail

So the HDD on my main laptop is now fried. I'm not entirely sure yet if all my recent artfiles (the stuff I haven't backed up yet) are lost or not, but it isn't looking good. Luckily I won't have lost anything important, but as it stands, I'm sort of dead in the water for art (At least once I'm past the physical line art on paper phase0. Hoping to have a working solution of some sort by the end of the weekend if all goes well. Hmmm... Maybe naming my laptop the Zombie wasn't such a great idea after all. Should have called it the highlander.

Incoming

New images will be up soon, most likely within the next day or two. I have some things in various stages of done, but it's all TGA related and needs to go through Jay first. Patience all, and rewards will follow... Or at least some scribbly lines on paper heh.

Hal con Spidey and vote geek

Another Hal Con sketch, this one from sunday afternoon. Just a little Spidey/Rhino action in non repro blue. If there's anyone out there with some photoshop chops that would like to be a rockstar and give this the digital ink/full color treatment hit me up and I'll send the high res scan along. Color is not my strong point in the least... By a long shot. I'd love to find a colorist to bounce some lineart back and forth with in the near future. There are a few things I have in mind and know that I couldn't do them justice myself. If anyone has interest or knows someone who might, please direct them both here and to the ol' email, northend(at)comic.com Just toss something like "interested colorist" or the like in the subject line.

Also, on an unrelated note, to all the geeksploited out there Geeks versus Nerds needs your support. Go here and vote. Everyday. They could really use the funding to upgrade equipment, host more events, and possibly be able to start touring the show to conventions. If you've found your way here, this is your tribe whether you've realized it yet or not. Show some love.

Hal Con, The Gray Area, and lots of nerd love

It's been forever, but I am in fact, still alive. Still coming down from Hal con 2011 and getting ready to start counting down to 2012. I don't even know where to begin. I had a blast sitting at the ink'dwell comics table all weekend sketching and talking with everyone that stopped by. Jay and Heidi are definitely two of the best kind of people and I can't wait until we get to do it again next year. there was so much positive feedback for Infantasy and What The Wild Things Read. We got the chance to tell people for the first time about the project we're releasing in 2012 as well, but I'll get back to that.

It was a year of firsts for me all around. Had the chance to share said table in the artists alley, took part in a small panel for the launch of WTWTR, and even got to sign some books and posters... Surreal times heh.

I got to meet so many kick ass people over the course of two days. Matt LeDrew of Engen books, Josh Rodgers of Mushface comics, the crew from Kill Shakespeare (Connor, Anthony, and Andy), And Nick Bradshaw to name a few. Found myself outnumbered and being ganged up on by writers all weekend as well (Jay, Connor, and Matt I'm looking at you). A con highlight was having Andy Belanger flip through my sketchbook and offer criticism and advice. Much respect, that dude is good, like whole other level kinda good. Also, Nick Bradshaw was one of the most approachable, laid back people at the convention. I had no cash and nothing to sign, I just wanted to pick his brain and chat for a few minutes which he was more than happy to oblige.

The venue was huge and yet again the people managed fill every corner of the building, all while maintaining that same close knit, warm atmosphere that Hal con debuted with last year. The volunteer staff were great this year, and enough can't be said for the organizers and all the hard work everyone put in. It all sounds so cliche to type, but truth is truth. You guys rocked it!

I have make a point to mention this years Geeks versus Nerds show as well. Holy Hell guys, way to knock it out of the park, past the parking lot, and into the back of some homeless guys head 6 blocks away. One of the highest attended events of the convention, and I'm guessing one of the loudest as well. "Come out and meet your tribe?" Not anymore, the tribe seems to be turning into a nation.

Now then, about that new project. I've partnered up with Jay Paulin at ink'dwell comics again, this time to produce an ongoing series, "The Gray Area". It's super hero title, and despite jumping into a genre that is over saturated, kinda cliche, and damn near impossible to do anything new in that isn't totally ridiculous; I think we've managed hit on something very promising. Or at very least tapped into the right mix of elements to create a "capes" book with a refreshing feel. I'm going to leave all the specifics for Jay to dole out when an "Official" official announcement is made. If you stopped by the table last weekend and caught a glimpse of my sketchbook then you were most likely given the lowdown on things to come. I'm happy to say that reactions were positive all around, with a few people really getting into the idea and my reasoning behind it. Probably the best feeling I had all weekend was hearing some of the kind words and encouragement being given to ole nobody me and my little addition to the spandex club. Thank you everyone. For now though, we have the first images from said series. These are raw scans, untouched and ripped straight out of my poor, abused sketchbook.

Also...

"ZOINKS!"

NEWS! (sort of)

Like the title suggests, I have news... Sort of.

Work on a certain submission to a certain publisher is finally underway. Thumbs and sketches from that may find their way here in the coming days. Also, I hear there are rumblings coming from the IWC camp that a particular nobodies-even-heard-of-me artist may have some really exciting stuff to work on in the near future. Here's a hint; it involves panels and unitards. Wrinkles are being worked out and notes are being collected. There has been much scribbling lately, but nothing that can get posted at the moment. As soon as I can say and show more (or anything heh), trust me, I will. now it's off to more scribbles, and from the feel of it, naps. Everybody likes naps.

Spider Man called, he wants his pose back

Just a little piece of a piece of a panel involving... Ninjas!

However, Finally, all the projects on my plate are done. Time to start sniffing out some new ones I guess. Prospects, we have them. It's just a matter of some discussion to decide what is immediately next. My relationship with ink'dwell comics is now two projects deep, and will definitely be growing as the future progresses. You remember them, right?

There is also a certain submission to a certain publisher that's being worked on on the side with my writer from WTWTR, Jennie Roy. This one could take a little while to see the light of day however, as we want to absolutely nail this one.

And speaking of the goddamn Batman (well, I'm sure SOMEONE was), I've had an idea for a short (probably 3-5 pages) floating in my head for the last few days that I think I need to start putting on paper soon. It's less of an actual story and more so a personal exercise in visual transitions really. I know how I'm doing my page layouts and roughly whats going in every panel for the most part, but haven't even thought about the text itself yet. I may hand the finished art over to someone else along with an overview of the concept and let them fill in the words for me. I believe the appropriate term is "Holy ass backwards Batman".

And on a related note, I may be in the market for a colorist soon. I don't do colors. Well, I don't do them well at least. Having someone to collaborate with on that front would be amazing. I'd love to see some of my lineart fully colored (properly and well) so badly heh.

Hoping to start getting more art up soon and more often as I get the time to work on things that I can actually post here. I'm also thinking of posting some pics of my current work space in the near-ish future just to show the world how ghetto my studio really is. It is growing and improving (albeit slowly).

Until later days, Chewing sharpies and spitting on the page

NicO

Nom nom noms

Newest in the handful of "Spidey doing boring shit" pics that I've done. Parker's lunch break is waaaay better than yours... or mine.

Keep an eye out

Just a quick preview of the Infantasy cover. Well, part of it at least. Releasing this fall, keep your eyes peeled when this hits stands. Juss sayin'

They say he draws... On occasion

W00t! Set up with a copy of Photoshop CS4, installed, and even gave it it's first run through the paces tonight. CS4 looks weird :S I miss my old PS classic/legacy/whatever interface. Something tells me I've just completely missed an option somewhere; spacey artist is spacey heh.

I have new items that need scanning, some of which I'm even kinda proud of. And yes, yet others that are scanned and half done... They'll get done. Eventually. I swear... don't quote me on that.

And we even have some newness up tonight, woo! Took me long enough >.>

I'm still trying to get a decent looking scan of pieces colored in marker, but these are leaps forward from what I was coming up with. There's a very 'Saturday morning cartoon' feel to these in particular. I find they give me a really nostalgic feeling, like sitting on the floor in my pj's watching reruns of the old 1960's animated spidey. You've probably noticed my aversion to drawing the web-detail on the whole costume. Well, that's where it comes from. Mask, gloves, boots; the rest can stay solid red and unobtrusive. I like to think I take cues from guys like Ditko and Romita Sr. and mix them with McFarlane, Ramos, Hererra (sp?) for a mix of very old spidey through a modern lens. But enough hot air, enjoy the silly men in tights punching each other, and new updates should be a little more frequent and regular again. Scouts honor lol.

Chewing sharpies

nico

Minor complications

Well if it isn't one thing it's something else. Had to reinstall windows last night, but managed to save all my art stuff this time around. Lessons learned the hard way in the past about making back ups heh. So many pages filling up lately, and so many things I want to scan, finish up, and post in between project work. I say want because at the moment I can't. I'm currently without a copy of photoshop and until get my grimy li'l fingers on a new one, I'm dead in the water for the most part. I will get something up soon, even if I have to start uploading some cell phone photos.

Also... Spider-Man.

That is all

Vampires, Werewolves, and Zombies Oh my.

So that thing I finished recently is now officially online and viewable. It's a very cool blog written by the talented Kell Harker and posted on SFX magazines website. This was a lot of fun to illustrate because... Well... Monsters are fun to draw heh. Everybody should head over to SFX immediately after reading this and check it out. And of course feel free to throw copious compliments to Kell in the comments and force the poor lady to blush across the internets :P

Moving right along, I have two active projects on the go at the moment as well. I've been commissioned to do the cover image for a one-shot being released sometime between summer and fall-ish (if I remember correctly) by ink'd well comics. I've mentioned it before, I think, but it bears repeating. Jay is a great guy and a talented writer, and I'm stoked to be able to have the chance to do this for him. It's a short project, but it's already proving so fun to do. I have the thumbnail design done to where I'm happy with the layout and can start on the full size soon. I should probably mention the title is "Infantasy".

The other project on the go is a 5 page short for the upcoming "What the wild things read" compilation due out later this year. It's being written by Jennie Roy, who like the previous two individuals mentioned, kicks ass by the cart load. We've got a really fun concept going that's been a blast to work on from point one. What I will say about the strip for now is this; "Fucking Ninjas". Because we were 80's babies and therefore the ninja is king! Also there may be other plans involving this short after it's "WTWTR" release, but that's getting way ahead of myself.

As for getting some art online here, you know, the kind you can actually see now instead of in six months or some such; it's on the way. I'm working on the Spidey/green goblin piece that was previewed recently, and started colors on the eluded to "much better" piece just the other day. What's the "much better" you ask? Well... Batman is a bad ass, do I really need to say any more than that? Really?

And there you have it, projects afoot, and some personal stuff in between. New art up soon, fanboy's promise.

-chewing sharpies

Derailed wheee

the previously previewed Spidey pic that's hanging out here seems to have been sidetracked... By something MUCH better in my opinion. I finally read "The Dark Knight Returns" for the first time today, so I started scribbling out Batman stuff. What I ended up with is something I'm actually pretty proud of. to be scanned very soon and posted.

A preview of somethin new

Something I'm working on for the lulz. Just finished working on something for someone last night. Links to follow when it's online.

Not Dead... Really

I'm not dead, I swear. The past couple of months have just been insane for me and keeping up the blog of scribbles has fallen to the wayside. Christmas, birthdays, a death in the family, unemployment, new employment, a birth in the family, have all kept me from here. Also, some art projects have been acquired and are in the process as well (one even pays Oooooo!). there were scanner troubles for a while as well that were hampering things too.

However, my hands have not been broken and there are many new pages sitting in the sketch books waiting to be made digital and posted as soon as I get around to it.

Things to look forward to in the future (hopefully near future) include many more Spidey fan arts (because I'm obsessed), 6 year old ninjas, a cover image, a set of 5 pics heading online elsewhere in the foreseeable future, and I think others that I'm forgetting at the moment.

-Still chewing sharpies and spitting on the pages 'till my tongue goes numb,
Nic