I am not really a big fan of graphic novels. I don't have anything really against them, they just aren't for me. There are, however, a few that I love. In particular, Frank Miller's Dark Knight series, were a favorite of mine--not so much for the writing but for the pictures. Miller's angular line work somehow doesn't keep his beautifully rendered figures from leaping from the page.
So, I was understandably excited to see SIN CITY this weekend. I am always interested in how filmmakers mate film and a visually stunning media such as comics/graphic novels. I had seen some of the clips and trailers, read some of the pre-release press that showed some pretty awesome stills from the film. It looked like this was going to be a romp.
As excited as I was, I was equally dissapointed when the film just sort of fell flat. Visually, it was stunning. The black and white, high-contrast look with splashes of color here and there was artfully done. It was paced well. The characters were pretty well designed--although Marv (Micky Rourke) looked a little bit silly. Even as one is able to suspend a fair amount of disbelief in a film like this, you can't help but be a little annoyed when the make-up starts to look like a bad halloween mask. Visually, Miller's work is about his characters cutting a dynamic silouette against the background. It works well on the page but in life it can have the effect of looking forced--almost as if they are trying WAAAAAY too hard to get Marv's coat to flutter out towards his left or right etc...
Still, as visually interesting as the film was, it was impossible for me sustain interest for more than an hour. The stilted dialogue, the hackneyed noir voiceovers, the obscene amounts of voilence... It just started to wear on me. I found myself truly, well, bored... I felt a similar reaction to SKY CAPTAIN--another film that is very much visual-effects-centric.
As to the whole genre of films adapted from graphic novels... FROM HELL remains my favorite. Faithful to the original, yet it is its own entity. SIN CITY is too closely connected to the source to be strong enough to stand alone. I wonder, why not just creat an animated adaptation--sort of in the style of COWBOY BEBOP? I don't know...
I still have high hopes for BATMAN BEGINS...
This is an illustration in a series that I am doing for a guy in Alabama. The site is a tribute to the Second Emergency Rescue Squadron. Their mission was to act as rescue support for fighters and bombers in the Pacific during WWII. They flew giant PBY aircraft which were basically giant flying boats. These planes would swoop down and rescue downed flyers who made the unfortuneate decision to ditch in the Pacific Ocean. It was an incredible mission--considering that theirs was a mission to save as many lives as possible, not take them. WWII aviation has long been an interest of mine. 
These illustrations are meant to illustrate the different uniforms and accoutrements worn by the pilots and crew. They also happen to be a caricature of the site administrator, Jim Teegarden's uncle Gary. In addition to running the website, Jim is a flight instructor at Ft. Rucker Al.. He's a great guy and this is a wonderful tribute to his uncle and fellow flyers. 
I hope y'all take a minute to check out the website. It's simply amazing. It's possible to get totally lost in it for hours! The volume of photographs is probably one of the best collections of WWII photos I've ever seen. This has been one deleriously fun project and I hope I am able to continue working with Jim.
I thought that I would get back to my ruminations on REVENGE OF THE SITH while I still had it fresh in my mind.
That's me on the far right... I am playing the preacher Jim Casey in the Clemson Players' 92 production of THE GRAPES OF WRATH. I came across some old pics online from my theatre days at Clemson University. It was quite a stroll down memory lane. 
My own little mischievious self portrait... Just a quickie sketch...
This is an old card I did for a friend a few months back. I think it illustrates the spirit of mischief pretty well. Cats are full of it...
I did this fairly quickly--about 30 minutes give or take. The idea is to get a solid feel for the palette and recreate it as best I can. 
Here is another exercise I did. I basically took a photo from Corbis and tried to recreate it in photoshop. The results aren't exactly photo-real, I realize. I am really more concerned with the process--what I'm learning about color, light and how things look in shadow etc... 
Here is a quick sketch I did of Russell Crowe from MASTER AND COMMANDER... I took a screen capture from the film and then sketched using the screen grab as a reference. The whole thing took me about an hour. I am pretty happy with it--for an hour's work, it's not bad. Practice makes, well, not perfect, but better...
I'm back on the IF bandwagon folks... This is something that sort of hit me this morning. Let me know what you think...
This past weekend was the annual auction to benefit the preschool where my wife Mandy teaches. It should also be noted that my good friend Ward's daughter is in Mandy's class--just in the interest of full disclosure.
I saw Ward's Illustration Friday topic and thought it was perfectly representing how I feel at the moment. 
As some of my other blogger friends are paying wonderful online tributes to their better halves, I thought I would do the same. This is a caricature of my lovely wife (and Ward-o-matic's daughter Ava's preschool teacher) Mandy. She is a truly beautiful person--in every way. She and I are celebrating 5 years of marriage this month! Jeez, it just hit me that I have to do something extra special for her! Sheesh! It is impossible for me to express how blessed we have been these past five years--and, as we are about to undergo in-vitro fertilization in the next two months, we hope that we will CONTINUE to be blessed. Who knows? 
We'll definitely keep y'all posted!
Finally finished another one... Let me know what you all think!
Here is an illustration depicting Marion and some of his men fighting Cherokee during the French and Indian War. It's not finished--I still have to add some furious Cherokee warriors and other elements... I'm pretty pleased so far. It's very definitely reflecting my love of N.C. Wyeth's work. I have been pouring over his work for inspiration. His style--loose and painterly, is something that I think works for this subject matter. His illustrations for LAST OF THE MOHICHANS and others are forever in my head. Howard Pyle's work is also a great source of inspiration for me. His painting, entitled The Nation Makers is a wonderful example of the style I am after. 
Here is a new rendering of a Cherokee warrior. Scary isn't he? Well, I think that's the point... These guys were fierce, determined fighters. I have him carrying a French-issued smoothbore musket. In addition, he would be carrying a belt knife and a tomahawk. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Cherokee were very prominent in the South Carolina Piedmont and surrounding areas. Although they were generally peacful--trading and co-habitating with many settlers in the back country, they could be provoked into a terrible wrath.
Here is a color study that I whipped up of a Cherokee warrior. It's a fast, speed-rendering I did to try out some different color schemes. During the French and Indian War, Francis Marion fought with what was probably the provincial militia against the Cherokee indians. The Cherokee were imbedded deep in the back country--mainly in the northwest or Piedmont region of South Carolina. Clemson University is perfectly situated in what would have been the heart of Cherokee country during the eighteenth century--right where the Blue Ridge mountains "yawn their greatness..." In fact, Fort Hill was the site of Fort Prince George, I believe. Fort Hill looks down on the East end zone of Death Valley, which in the eighteenth century would have been prime real estate...
This is a depiction of Francis Marion and some of his men fighting some Cherokee. During the war, Marion led a small detachment (possibly around 32 men) of militia against the Cherokee. During the engagement, all but 8 men were lost in what must have been a bloody battle. Of course, the irony in all of this is that many of the men who, at the time, were fighting for England and the colonies, had, until recently, lived in harmony with the Cherokee. Marion, in particular, was said to have counted among his friends several Cherokee Indians... I am not positive that this was the case as I am not sure how many Cherokee were living and working openly in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina at the time. Who knows? Anybody have any ideas out there? Please do let me know.
HAPPY EASTER Y'ALL!
Another Revolutionary War soldier. This is the Second South Carolina Regt. which Francis Marion commanded for a time prior to the Fall of Charleston in 1780. These are really my favorite uniforms of the Revolution with Tarleton's green jacketed dragoon uniforms a close second. You'll notice the heraldic crescent on the leather cap. It's the same crescent that appears on the SC state flag. The significance of the crescent still puzzles me. Many eighteenth century uniforms featured heraldic symbols and the crescent has been seen on both American and British uniforms from the era. It's significance in heraldry is meant to signify the "second son" or, perhaps, second regt. It also is heavily connected to Moors/Muslims. Who knows? Anybody out there have any ideas?
Hey y'all... Here is a detail of the two page spread I've been working on for the picture book on Francis Marion. I'm pretty proud of it. Y'all let me know what you think. Constructive comments are welcome! 
The text will be on the right--or facing page where the smoke and stuff is. I didn't want to totally fill this scene with people since the focus is primarily on Marion. As I mentioned before, I am really trying to get the feel of the old Howard Pyle/N.C. Wyeth paintings. Those old illustrations captured my imagination as a kid. It wasn't that I was concerned with how many buttons any uniform had--or even if the depictions of the battles were particularly spot on accurate. It's that were so DRAMATIC. It's the stories that they told. Nobody painted pirates like Howard Pyle--and N.C. Wyeth was the only illustrator I ever associated with Robin Hood. I have some pretty high hopes for this project. Stay tuned and y'all let me know what you think.
This is a detail of a painting I did for the picture book about Francis Marion. It's still very much unfinished. I have yet to add smoke and other elements to it. It depicts Marion directing the last cannon volley from Ft. Sullivan at the British fleet in Charleston harbor during the first British attempt to take the city from the sea. I'm pretty pleased so far. This represents a day's work--I hope to have it finished by the end of the day tomorrow. I really want this book to be a slam dunk--pictures, words everything... Y'all let me know what you all think. 
While I was working on CHASING THE SWAMP FOX, I had the opportunity to spend some time with some reenactors, riding horses and stuff (I'm the portly gent in modern dress in the foreground). It was amazing fun. I have few material needs in my life--I don't need a lot of stuff. However, if I were ever to have the means I would definitely get myself a horse or even a couple of horses--maybe move out to the country... I don't know... Maybe I'm too citified.
Thanks so much for the comments y'all. Here's what I've come up with. The card itself will be 4/6 on matte coated--mainly because that holds up the best. Please let me know what you think. I am working on another card to gear towards another targeted audience--mainly kids... We'll see what happens. I'll let you all know what happens!
I am currently in the process of putting together a self promo card to send out to some prospective clients. The reason this illustration looks so light is because it's an underpainting I did in Photoshop. I will take the underpainting and finish it in Painter. The caption is going to read, "Tasty Illustration!"
I just finished this piece today for the Revolutionary War book I am working on. It shows the British fleet attacking Ft. Moultrie in preparation for taking the port city of Charleston, SC seen in the distance. Before the British could attack the city, they had to run the gauntlet of Charleston Harbour--which is treacherous in any era, and get past the guns on Ft. Moultrie on Sullivan's Island. Today, you can go to Ft. Moultrie--now a national park, and see the city from the same perspective that the city's defenders probably did. As the boats were sailing in, the British army, having landed at Tybee Island to the south, were busily laying siege to the city from the western side. On May 11th, 1780 Heny Lincoln surrendered the city of Charleston and over 5,400 continentals. It was the greatest loss suffered by the Americans to date. 
I know, like, nothing about jazz actually. This is what sprang to mind... I just have this picture of a bunch of guys with cigarettes in a smoky bar listening to music. I don't know, I have to see if I can figure this jazz thing out...
I then tighten up the anatomy and create a nude figure which I will then add clothing and other accoutrements to.
Here is the final blackline. As you can see, I moved the right arm a bit and made some other minor adjustments to the pose but all in all a pretty sound figure drawing. I should also add that clothing and weapon and other period reference images are critical in clothing and outfitting the figure. I will now bring the image into Painter and complete the rendering in color with the blackline image on a seperate multiply layer. I'll post more on that later.
Here is a redcoat for the aforementioned book. Notice that his uniform isn't clean. It's dirty and there are buttons missing--exactly as there would be. The British were well supplied during the Revolution and their red coats were often stolen and turned inside out and then re-dyed by the rebels. One thing that REAAAAAALLLLY bugged me about THE PATRIOT was how clean the uniforms were. There were no sweat stains or dirt visible. No missing buttons. Certainly not at all the way it would have been.
Here is the latest illustration I am doing for a series on the American Revolution in South Carolina. It's for a book that is going to be published by my mom and dad's small press. It's supposed to be a picture book for young students--like third graders. They're going to pay me which is cool and I really dig the subject matter. It just means I have to put all the other stuff I'm doing on hold for awhile. 
Okay, so it's not a spectacular submission but, I think, appropriate nonetheless. I had originally planned on doing something sort of poignant and meaningful--but, honeslty, silliness just won me over.
Here is a sketch I did a couple of days ago... I've been noodling around with some ideas for doing a series/portfolio with some of my characters and monsters etc... I am working on doing a few images of greek/roman gods and goddesses. This is the Roman God Vulcan--god of fire. He is the maker of arms and amour. He also is supposed to be sort of an ugly cuss. Y'all let me know what you think! I really need some constructive comments! I desperately need to get some self promo pieces out... Gotta make some money yo!
This, as the caption shows, is a piece I did for self-promotional purposes. I have a thing for flying machines--especially rocket backpacks. Who knows why?
Earlier today I was surfing web-related tutorials and came across 
As a Clemson, SC native and a die-hard tiger fan, I couldn't resist the urge to poke a little fun at my University of South Carolina brethren (their mascot is the Gamecock). I graduated from Clemson in 1993 with a degree in English. I still think of Clemson as my home even though I have lived in Atlanta for over 6 years now. I grew up going to football games at Death Valley--tailgating with family and friends before every game. Even now, I still get a wee bit emotional when I am amongst the pageantry of Clemson Football. In spite of how morally bankrupt and insideously revenue-driven college football has become, I can't help but swell with pride when the tigers run down the hill...
Just a little sketch for the homies. This is another in the alien/monster series I've been working on. I am REALLY starting to feel the burn to get into something other than just plain illustration. For frequent visitors to ARTSMEAR, this will come as no real surprise. I go through one of these career upheavals a week these days. It's just that I don't really see myself as an animator per se--although I do see myself working with the moving image in SOME capacity. I guess a lot of it has to do with the fact that I was in Borders the other night looking around and ran across 
I am always fascinated by the symbiotic relationships that exist in nature. Something about those little birds perched atop those great hulking, moving mountains... I wonder if they "greet" one another. The bird arrives and says something sort of like, "Morning! Just going to be up here picking ticks and other parasites off for a while. Just give a holler if any areas need my particular attention!" In return, they live in relative safety--unmolested by other animals. I guess it's kind of like the nerdy kid who lives under the protection of the school bully in return for letting him copy his homework. Symbiosis. What a concept!
