WOOLGATHERING DANCE PARTY!!!
ink & digital color

This here's a pin-up of the characters from my self-published mini-comic "Woolgathering". And even though we can't actually hear what they're listening to, from the looks of it, I'd say it's almost definitely some Michael Jackson tunes. Or maybe Motorhead. Who knows?

I had to take a bit of a break from the strip earlier this year but, over the last few months, I've been steadily working on new strips and stories, which will all finally see the light of day early in the New Year--in both print and on the web! So please keep checking in for news and updates.

Have a great New Year, everyone. See you in 2011!

X-MAS CARD 2010pigment ink, watercolor & digital

pigment ink

pencil

With so many cookie plates left out for Santa on Christmas Eve, Cookie Monster realized that it was the perfect night for him to feed his addiction. Or so he thought!

And you can also check out the awesome Christmas card my wife, Erin Gallagher, did over at her blog.

Thanks for checking in!

WATERCOLORS

Here are a couple of watercolor still lifes I did a few years ago and I just came across them again while organizing my studio the other day. It's been a little while since I've drawn or painted from life and I definitely miss it. I did do some recently when my wife and I were in Paris a few months ago and it was a lot of fun. I should look into take a class again soon.

SPIDER-MAN REDUX

brush, ink & digital

Hey everyone! This here is a revised version of a illustration I posted a few months back. Feel free to click here if you would like to compare this one to the original.

Back when I posted the first version, a friend and fellow artist gave me some feedback and said that while he really liked the Spidey, he felt the overall composition could be stronger. I'm not exactly sure what happened right after that because I flew into a blinding rage and blacked out for a moment. But later on, when I went to visit my friend in the hospital, I told him I thought about what he said and realized he was right. Oh, and also that I was sorry.

But I digress. Aside from the composition of the original, I wasn't really happy with how the building looked either. So for the revised version I re-drew the building from scratch then colored it digitally and now I think the piece is a lot stronger. Kind of like my friend's spine now that it has that metal rod in it.

DARKSEID

Here's the inked & colored version of the Darkseid drawing I posted a few months back as well as some examples of the progress. I also did a quick monochrome version just for the hell of it.

GRAVE SOLDIERScolored ink, watercolor, & digital

A bunch of college kids drinking in a cemetery at night...what could possibly go wrong?! Probably everything. This is a painting I did a few months back that was finally given the okay to be shown. It was used as part of a pitch, along with four other images, for a multi-media project. My illustration was for the character Buffy, the dude holding the baseball bat. You can click here for the details of my contribution (with a different logo treatment) as well as the work by the four other artists.

HULK!

Been watching the old "Incredible Hulk" TV show on Hulu the last few days and it put me in the mood to do a couple of Hulk sketches. I loved the show as a kid so it's been fun to watch it again. And I have to say, even though it's a bit dated and has some really goofy moments, there are elements of the show that still hold up pretty well. I love Bill Bixby's portrayal of (David) Banner and I think the Ferrigno-Hulk is a lot more believable than either of the two recent big-screen Hulks. In fact, I really wish the movies would utilize more old school make-up and camera tricks instead of pure CGI to create the Hulk. The show did a pretty good job with it and that was for TV show made over 30 years ago. I think a big budget movie today could do an amazing job with the right people behind it. It's been achieved in Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Lord of the Rings and others so I think it's definitely possible for a Hulk movie. Not to completely dismiss CGI--I think it can be pretty great when used right--but when it looks like Banner has turned into a video game character instead of a rampaging monster, it kind of loses it's impact. At least for me.

Anyway, end of rant. As for the sketches, I was going for the more old-school, primitive looking Hulk, which I prefer to the green body-builder look he's had for a while now. Guess I'm just in a nostalgic mood lately.

BATMAN

Just a few warm-up sketches done while finishing up some Batman sample pages. In the last sketch, it might look like Batman's trying to be scary but he's actually covering his nose because the Batcave reeks of guano. I know it's part of your motif, Batman, but it's really gross.

LOOK! UP IN THE SKY...

ink, copic marker & digital

...it's a Superman color sketch! You know, for a guy that gets his powers from the sun, he sure does squint a lot.

GIANT MONSTERS!

Here are a couple of ink-wash sketches I did while trying to come up with the look for a few creatures for a new Woolgathering strip. The last image is a panel from the strip showing them in action.