Blog

I used to hesitate about putting certain pieces of art into the world. I’ve put off comics projects because I didn’t want people to pigeonhole me. I didn’t want to do this genre or that, or this style or that, lest people thought I was a writer or artist of that one thing. I’ve hesitated to use color more often because my ego wants me to be known as a pen-and-ink, black-and-white guy. It’s all stupid. … Read More

AKA: Be Smarter I just completed a fairly small but substantial project. It was for a book illustration contest held by The House Of Illustration and The Folio Society, both in England, which I found out about at the beginning of October 2017. This year’s contest involved three different Sherlock Holmes stories. Entrants were to draw a single illustration for each story, plus design a book binding. The contest deadline was Wednesday, January 17, 2018. October … Read More

Okay, well, since I probably won’t see DCI semis or finals, here’s my impression of prelims: Unfortunately, many of this year’s shows were rather boring. Compounded by the overuse of electronics and narration, many of the shows don’t differ in overall tone, which makes everything worse. The best shows emphasized brass and percussion music and visual design, using electronics and narration as *supplements*, not focal points. An arguable exception would be Carolina Crown’s show, where the … Read More

There’s a good article in The Atlantic that delves into why Marvel, and similarly, DC Comics have had trouble making money publishing their comics. It’s a good read for anyone that cares about popular comics. I have several criticisms that are both touched on and not presented in the article. If you don’t want to read my word-vomiting, at least read the article for an actual journalist’s insight into the world of Marvel (and DC’s) publishing … Read More

I am not afraid of stereotypes. Oh, I acknowledge there are stereotypes that are detrimental to any group, but I’m not afraid of those, either. Stereotypes generally come from true origins, so any stereotype is likely to have roots with a deeper meaning in fact and history than the stereotype exemplifies. I’ve seen stereotypes of all sorts portrayed in media with respect and sensitivity, and I’ve seen them portrayed as ridiculous, superficial traits that could be … Read More

(Skip to the tr;dr summary) I really liked Netflix’s Daredevil, with its high characterization and great street vibe. I thought Jessica Jones was absolutely stupendous with an extremely good writing, great characters, and great acting to match. I was disappointed with Luke Cage; it didn’t meld that “street” vibe found in Marvel’s Netflix shows, including Jessica Jones, with the Blaxploitation genre the showrunners very much wanted to pay homage to in a smooth, enjoyable way, and … Read More

I don’t normally get teary-eyed at the passing of a celebrity. And I don’t often feel prompted to write about them afterwards, either. Sure, celebrity passings, especially of the iconic, are sad, but it’s difficult for me to become emotional about someone I didn’t know, despite however much I admired them or how much they had an impact on my life. But Carrie Fisher’s passing is different. And the only time I can remember getting teary-eyed … Read More

I saw Star Wars: Rogue One. It wasn’t bad. Say what you will about George Lucas’ prequel Star Wars movies, but they are distinctly Star Wars. And not just because he’s the creator. His Star Wars movies have a sense of wonder, magic, and mythology, amongst the drama, humor, and cheese. They were operatic. They were epic. You don’t have to like them, but they are distinctly Star Wars, just as the original trilogy is (despite … Read More

I’ve been thinking about a few tweets I read a couple days ago that politely detracted Inktober, and why I think Inktober is a good idea. Inktober 2014: I spent 31 days reacquainting myself with my pen nibs and getting back into the habit of drawing regularly again. Inktober 2015: I decided to do 31 finished, simple illustrations and use the best ones in my portfolio. This year, Inktober 2016: I decided to improve my familiarity … Read More

This comes from a comment I left on a friend’s post about Corey Feldman’s performance of his song, Go 4 It, on The Today Show. Let’s just say… the public, on the whole, didn’t like it, and Feldman knows it. As an artist, myself, that risks negative and positive reaction (or, no reaction) by releasing stuff online, I have a lot to say about this. This is the comment as I posted it, warts and all, … Read More

I try to draw something, anything, every day. Unfortunately, there are times when I just don’t get to. Everyone has things get in the way. Even if they’re minor. Maybe it’s hobby, a class you’re taking, a meeting, or a friend’s birthday. Sometimes you’ve got a bunch of errands and chores to do. Family obligations. Other times, you’re just way, way, way too tired to physically do anything. I mean, you could make yourself get up … Read More

The following is an email I sent to NPR regarding their Ombudsman Elizabeth Jensen’s response to their reporting of the AP’s claim that Hillary Clinton had won the Democratic nomination before the primaries took place on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. It is presented here, warts and all, as originally sent. — This email is long (thus, I apologize for any typos I may have missed). I ask that you take the time to read what I’ve … Read More

This was originally a Facebook post, but I’ve decided to share. I have not stated in public which presidential candidate I support/will vote for, nor do I intend to. However, I saw segment on The Daily Show from the other day that made fun of Bernie Sanders’ supporters’ general unwillingness to listen to criticisms of his plans. It made me think about the difference between goals and plans, and the fact that people generally put more … Read More

A good representational artist (one who illustrations something that represents something in real life, despite whatever style it is drawn in) is always looking to improve their craft, whether by improving their fundamentals, studying new techniques, exploring different mediums, etc. Figure drawing is a basic fundamental that illustrators are always trying to improve upon. We study proportion, structure of the form, and anatomy. But ultimately, drawing a live, human body posing right in front of us … Read More

Finally, after many years of wanting to, I attended a comic convention not as an attendee, but as a guest and vendor. Andrew Leung, owner of Toy Fusion and ToyWorth was nice enough to have me as a guest artist at his booth at Sac-Con on the weekend of March 12th and 13th, 2016. I wasn’t expecting to do much really, other than draw, pass out business cards and postcard samples, and see if anyone would … Read More

On 2-26-2016, I took a last-minute trip to Yosemite National Park with a couple of friends. I took some pens, a sketchbook, and my iPhone. Yosemite. I had never been there before. And it was great. I love cliffs, and I love trees. The only thing missing was the ocean, cliff-side, but that’s okay: there were plenty of rivers, creeks, and waterfalls. I was sketching with my new Pentel Pocketbrush brushpen. It’s pretty nice, but it … Read More

Just a short one today. I missed last Friday’s blog post because I took a day trip to Yosemite (which I’ll write about later, complete with sketches!), and I just didn’t finish the post earlier in the week. Since then, I’ve wanted to write about a number of things. I love black and white illustration. To me, it’s powerful, raw, and visceral, even when the content is “even” or serene. Despite however complex the illustration might … Read More

This past Monday night (the 15th), I had a portfolio consultation with Penguin Books Art Director, Giuseppe Castellano, via his online school, The Illustration Department. I’ve learned there are other art education sites that offer similar consultations, such as Society Of Visual Storytelling (group setting) and Schoolism (one-on-one, limited spots). I went with Mr. Castellano for a few different reasons: 1) the consultation was very affordable; 2) it’s a one-on-one consultation, so it was going to … Read More

Know what I like about the Internet? Access. Having access to a ton of information may seem like such an obvious answer, but, as an artist, there’s one thing in particular that I very much enjoy: Access to other artists. And I’m not talking, necessarily, about Twitter and Facebook. Of course, those platforms are nice, too. Twitter and Facebook can be fun ways to waste time. And, yes, they’re a means interact with others, but they’re … Read More