Walter Ostlie

Top 50: #42

2012-01-28T13:47:00.001-05:00

Another Question? How many faceless superheroes do you need? I'm just upset because I'm not great at drawing hats. No more hats!

Next week Jesse Custer and Iceman.

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Top 50: #43

2012-01-21T09:15:00.001-05:00

Human Torch 4x5 watercolor

Moving right along to #43. I am actually familar with these two. I hope this is a new trend. Actually next week is another The Question. Sigh, hats are so hard to draw!

I have my list of characters finalized almost. Looks like I will have a top 25. Only a handful of them are Marvel/DC. Most are from created owned stories that really blew my socks off and would recommend you read them as soon as possible.

Next week Colossus and The Question.

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Supergirl 4x5 Watercolor

Top 50: #44

2012-01-14T09:58:00.002-05:00

Thanos and Deadshot. I am pretty happy with the colors for Thanos. Really a pleasent surprise, looks pretty vibrant in person.

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Top 50: #45

2012-01-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Pickle and Trish 4x5 Watercolor

Loki 4x5 Watercolor

Flash 4x5 Watercolor

So this week I didn't do a character from my Top 50 list. The guy and gal up there are my characters that I am currently working with. Pickle is the dude in front and Trish is the lady in the back. It should be a fun little tale. If you've been following my stuff for awhile you might recognize the name Pickle. He was one of my first comic story creations. He's changed a bit and his partner has had a sex change.

The next character on my list was supposed Green Lantern (Hal) and I got to thinking why he was on my list. Sure, he was my favorite character when I was a kid. I thought he had the coolest outfit and his powers were wicked cool. But I think it was mostly that he looked really cool. Maybe that is why I like green so much today.

But now, I don't really follow the character, I didn't read Blackest Night. Actually I don't read much superhero stuff (except Invincible, which rocks hard). So long story short (too late) I decided I am going to revamp my top 50 list. First off, maybe not 50 characters, maybe only 20. Also there won't be many Marvel/DC characters, maybe 1, maybe 2. And they may not all be comic characters. Who knows. So until I finalize my list, it will only be CBR's top list.

I will start my list up when I figure out how many people are on the list. Next week Deadshot and Thanos.

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Top 50: #46

2012-01-02T11:43:00.000-05:00

Galactus 4x5 watercolor

My pick this week is Galactus. I don't know much about him. The first time I drew him, I gotta admit I didn't really get it. But I had a lot of fun drawing him. I've realized I've made my top 50 list as a kind of a 'I want to draw this character' as opposed to anything to do with the character's personality or story. Though once we start getting into the higher numbers, we will get into some character's I've actually read stories for. We will also get out of the Marvel/DC universes. Yay!

Don't know much about Spider Woman or Blue Beetle. I do love Beetle's costume though...But I do not like drawing it :-)

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Blue Beetle 4x5 watercolor

Spider Woman 4x5 watercolor

Top 50: #47

2011-12-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

Wolverine 4x5 Watercolor

The Invisible Woman and Lois Lane. I also decided to make my own list. So bottom of my list is Wolverine. I prefer the non-costumed version for several reason but the main one being I don't understand those wombat ears at all.

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Lois Lane 4x5 Watercolor

Sue Storm 4x5 Watercolor

Top 50 Marvel/DC: #48

2011-12-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

DC The Question 4x5 watercolor

Who is the Question?! I don't know if I remember this character at all. I watched the animated Batman series also. Oh well, I don't have to draw a face? Sign me up.

Ah Psylocke. I wonder if it is hard to the comic industry to find new and exciting ways to expose female flesh.

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Marvel Psylocke 6x3 watercolor

Top 50 Marvel/DC: #49

2011-12-03T14:19:00.000-05:00

Spider Jerusalem - PITT, Watercolor 4"x5"

Cable and Spider Jerusalem. Never drawn either. But Spider was pretty fun to draw. Drawing him reminded me of drawing The Joker a little. I think it is something to do with drawing someone that is derranged.

Cable? I had to fit at least one pouch in there.

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Cable - PITT, Watercolor 4"x5"

Top 50 Marvel/DC: #50

2011-11-26T09:30:00.001-05:00

Brush Pen, Watercolor. Watercolor paper 4.5x7.5

I've started work on my next project. It's a supernatural, action story. It takes place in an alternate version of our world. It's a little Hellblazer meets Leage of Extraordinary Gentlemen. B.P.R.D meets Sherlock Holmes. It should be a fun book. I am shooting for a February 2012 release online. Yep it will be a webcomic... or should I say a comic that is on the web?

In the meantime, I still will be doing warmups and whatnot to keep the art skills up. So I decided to do a weekly feature called Top 50 Marvel/DC. I always have problem deciding who to draw. It tends to be the same character. Batman, Gambit, Deadpool, Harley, Gambit, Poison Ivy, Gambit.

PITT pen, watercolor. Watercolor paper 4x5

So Comic Book Resources was kind enough to put together a list of the top 50 Marvel and DC characters based on fan votes. So I am going to do 1 from each for the next 50 or so weeks as warmup practice pieces. I will be doing watercolor for the first few and then branch out to different techniques.

If you want to see the list go here

First up is DC: Death and Marvel: Vision. Who the heck is this Vision guy?

Top 50 is part of a series based on CBR's top Marvel/DC list. To see the rest of the series look here. Here is CBR's List.

Pitt VS Spartan

2011-10-28T07:52:00.001-04:00

A little something different this week. Sequentials!

Not only that, but I go a little into the process from different thumbnails up to a semi completed page.

This is my first attempt at a layout. I don't have a script, I am just spit balling right now. I know I want a city, PITT and Spartan. I always loved PITT. He was just so brutal and made no apologize for not being anything more then that. And then Spartan (or is it Cyclops?) I just really dug his design. I didn't understand his leg fins but I didn't care.

So that first panel is supposed to be a city...hey I am just thumbnailing, leave me alone. Then Spartan faces off with a foot. Then close up of Spartan. Then PITT being stoic. Then fight. Then PITT chokes out Spartan.

I thought it was a little tight and the panels didn't really breath. There was no WOW moment either. All the panels are about the same size too.

So this is the second attempt. There may have been a couple other panel sketches. I will try to keep better track of all my skribbles and not erase them all.

Starts with the city. Then PITT crouching in foreground, Spartan in background. CU of Spartan and then aggressive PITT. Then attack.

Not much different then the first one. I thought the panels had more room and panel 4 was more exciting. But PITT was way too small in the last panel. LAME. I do like panel 4's PITT pose but it wasn't meant to be.

Here I get rid of the cityscape and just show the side of the building with a energy blast and PITT jumping to safety. Tried a more interesting composition in panel 2 with PITT kneeling in the foreground and framing Spartan in the background. But the pose didn't really work with the shot, his leg would have been in the way.

This one didn't change much, I tried to make PITT bigger in the last panel. But it still was too small for me.

OK, now I am getting annoyed. Sequentials are tough. There are a million ways to draw something but prolly only a handful of good ones.

So we go back to the cityscape. panel 2 I decide to show full bodies on both characters plus some buildings. Then we do a close up on PITT, notice he is on the other side. The Spartan charges up. Then ATTACK.

PITT is pretty large in this last panel, which I like. I prolly tried to draw the last panel 20 times before I got this. I couldn't figure out the perspective of PITT in the air, Spartan on the ground and energy blast between then.

I take a step back and decide this is the best I can do right now. I am moving the camera from long to short distance. I am moving the horizon line up and down. I am including background.

So I decide to stick with this layout and now clean it up. I twisted Spartan in the last panel because the original pose was a little too lame. However it kind of threw off my alignment of characters. I could have slid PITT up a little but then I would have lost some of his hand. I could have broken the panel border but that would have made the reader skip panel 4.

Now I do a quick "ink". This is really loose for a finished page. I did it more for practice of composition then taking it too completion. I figure if I can fire off a lot of these quick layouts then I can get better quicken then if I did a page all the way to completion. Really after the layout it is just polishing. So hopefully you're polishing a diamond and not a turd.

All of these are digital. If I was doing this page for real. I would have printed out the blue lines above on 11x17 bristol and then pencilled it for real. And then inked it.

I know it is a lot of steps. but I am still unsure of my skills, so I take a lot of steps. Maybe in a few years I will be able to shorten the process.

I try to put some thicker border about the characters and foreground elements. thin lines on the background. Just trying to create some depth with line weight and quality.

Marvel Feedback

2011-10-18T17:03:00.000-04:00

Got the response from Marvel. Which was basically keep working. However they did give me some things to work on and tips. So figured you guys would like to see it also. These are things I've often felt I was lacking in and I am not really sure how to fix. Anatomy, perspective, no problem. I know how to study and practice those. But depth and cinematography? I think those are more natural born talents that are harder to hone.

"Change how close and how far away your camera is from the action. You are using mostly one distance from the action and it makes the story feel static. Make the reader feel like they are there in the scene with them. Move the camera around so the readers feel like they are moving around with the action, dodging out of the way of the characters, looking over their shoulders, knocked down and looking up at them etc. Pull the camera out to show more of the figures.

I’d suggest bringing as much scope to the panels as possible, with backgrounds and camera angles and camera distance. You’re doing that already but take it to another level. Think how Olivier Coipel is able to make even a two head shot feel like a window on a wider, grander world instead of a box around two heads. Make the reader feel like they can step through the panel and join the characters.

Try to draw the most exciting second of actions. It’s not enough to draw what is happening, but to capture the exact second when things are most exciting so the art is most exciting. Imagine what a sports photographer would look for if they’re trying to photograph a football game. What would be THE shot that would land them on the front page of a newspaper. This doesn’t have to be every panel but makes the story more dynamic and active. The reader then imagines the actions that led up to that panel and the ones afterwards and engages them more with the story."

Here are the pages I submitted.

Monstrous X-Men Pages

2011-10-16T20:51:00.000-04:00

New portfolio pages from the batch of scripts I got from Marvel. These are from Astonishing X-Men 37.

Overall I am pretty happy with how they came out. I never draw dragons, so I am not sure why I decided to pick this script. Dragons are tough. I think I just wanted to draw the city. I am most happy with page 2, but I really do like the Foom head on the bottom of page 5.

So these have been sent off to a dude at Marvel to look over. I am sure it will be a while before I am up in the queue, but once I hear back I will be sure to let you know any pointers I get.

If you guys want to leave me some pointers, I'd love to hear them. I really did learn a lot from these pages. Mostly what works and doesn't work for me. The other thing I learned was just to finish the page. Sometimes I know something is wrong, but I just don't have the time to rethink every move and erase an hour of work just because something is wrong. I have to file away that learning moment and use it next time I draw a page. Otherwise I would never finish. Plus you also get to learn how to try to hide mistakes. :-)

Princess Bride and Warmups

2011-09-26T17:09:00.000-04:00

Another week means time for another update. Well almost a week. First up we have some pieces I did for Drawn Blanks. Drawn Blanks is a themed sketch blog that I started with some friends. Each week we select a new theme and do our own take on it. Here we got Princess Bride and Silver Age Marvel. Check out the blog at http://www.drawnblanks.com/.

Below those we have some watercolor warmups. These are small 4x6 watercolor boards.

I am going to be getting back to my Marvel submission pages in the next couple of weeks.

Warmups

2011-09-13T19:11:00.003-04:00

First up is the completed piece I showed last time. Watercolors are super fun. I love the way the colors mix and how easily it is to blend.

Next up is all my warmups for last week. These are little 4.5x5 inch boards. I really wanted to play around with watercolors, so this was a really great way to introduce myself to them.

I think the watercolors allow me to be more 'messy' which is my natural state. Markers are cool, but I always felt like I had to be so deliberate with them.

I finished my set of cards for 5finity and will be sending them back this week. Hopefully they get approved.

Other then that I have some stuff I need to finish up so I can start working on actual stories again.

Down with the Warmup

2011-09-02T21:42:00.001-04:00

So I was thinking about these warmups and while they are awesome practice for me, I doubt you want me spamming you all day long with my trashy art.

So I have a new idea! I will keep doing my warmups but just not show them to you!

Well I guess that isn't really far. How about this? I will do my warmups and at the end of the week, I will compile some of the better ones and post them.

That way you can still see my dregs and not get daily spam from me. I will also try to include a more complete piece as well. So you can see why I warm up.

So in honor of that, I'll meet you halfway and give you a half-complete finished piece...does that make sense? This will eventually have ink wash...maybe watercolors....do I dare?

Warmup: Catwoman

2011-09-01T21:12:00.000-04:00

Ever do one of those drawings, where you don't actually look at what you're drawing? Well I just did that with this one. Wasn't really paying attention, just going with it. But now that I finished and am looking at it, I can see a bunch of insanity going on. Oh well...just a warmup right?

Funny thing about these warmups. I am pretty much warming up to do nothing. By the time I get off work and get everything else done, and finish the warmup, it is time for me to go to bed.

I guess it is still good practice.

Warmup: X-23

2011-08-31T21:52:00.003-04:00

A little X-23 action. I've actually drawn her a few times, but I never quite get her right. Eventually I will. Also I want to start doing some more poses that overlap body parts. So we will see how well they go.

Also the random face was a test of a new stylus I got and my ipad. I used sketchbook mobile. The stylus was from a Kickstarter project I backed. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/donlehman/more-real-stylus-cap

The stylus works fairly well. Way better then my finger. But I have to press a little harder to get it to register. Also the tip is rubber, it slides pretty well, but it also bends a lot. So I feel like with all the quick movements involved with drawing and painting, I will eventually tear the tip off.

I did all of it on the ipad. except the signature.

2 Guys and Guy

2011-08-30T19:32:00.000-04:00

At San Diego Comic Con, I met a Deviant Art pal I'd been following for a bit. Actually he was the winner of the Deviant Art SDCC contest. So you know this dude's got some skillz.

Plus he is a pretty cool guy with a wicked sense of humor. So today's warmup is a bit of fan art for his webcomic, 2 Guys and Guy. Strip about 3 people that just have a horribly, dysfunctional relationship but in a humorous light. Yes, the girl's name is 'Guy'. Want to know why? Then read my favorite strip.

http://www.twogag.com/archives/297

I would love to see Ost vs. Wayne (the blond dude in the middle).

If you like what you see, what not give him a quick, painless, single click vote on Top Web Comics? It's the right thing to do. http://topwebcomics.com/vote/13070/default.aspx

You can follow him on deviant art http://drunken-novice.deviantart.com/

Warmup: Black Cat

2011-08-29T21:35:00.000-04:00

Another female and my 6th day in a row of warmup sketches. Go me!

I actually do a couple of life studies and then I jump into one of these more complete pieces. I think next week I will move into doing it traditionally on 5.5"x7.5" pieces of watercolor paper so I can start testing my watercolor skills.

I also just got my first sketchcard job! Cards came in the mail today. I have no idea what the rules are about talking or showing the cards, but when I can I will show them off.

I am kind of nervous cause I am supposed to do 10 cards and I only have 10 cards. The cards are custom printed, so I can't really mess up and start over on a fresh card. I think there may be some lightboxing involved on the first couple.

Wish me luck.

Warmup: Buffy

2011-08-28T09:43:00.000-04:00

Buffy is one of my favorite shows of all time. Doesn't really make sense that I've never drawn her. I think the reason is because I don't do likeness very well. As you can see here, the cheerleader outfit and stakes are what sell this as Buffy.

I think doing caricatures and likeness is a different type of skill. One I never really practice. As much as I would like to be able to do it, there is just so many other things I need to learn.

Warmup: King Shark

2011-08-27T17:29:00.000-04:00

Well here's a character I didn't even know existed. I found out about him when I saw the cover for the new Suicide Squad. The one with the evil looking Harley on the cover. I didn't even see this guy in the background at first. I still know nothing about him.

Wonder if he would be a good match for Aquaman?

Warmup: Aquaman

2011-08-26T16:53:00.000-04:00

Let's just keep the ball rolling with another character I've never drawn.

I don't really know too much about this guy. King of the seas, can talk to sea animals. He just always seemed pretty limited to me. But who knows, maybe he is super awesome and I just don't know.

I will prolly check out Justice League #1 when it comes out.

Warmup: Juggers

2011-08-25T17:28:00.001-04:00

Never drawn this guy before. But Skottie Young did it recently so thought I'd give it a go. I've always been confused by this guy's helmet. I am not really sure how the head works in this thing and how the mouth and eyes are visible. Almost as confusing as Wolverine's ears.

I guess they are superheroes...they don't have to make sense.

Anyways, another daily warmup. that's two in a row. Look at me go. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

Spidey Warmup

2011-08-24T17:56:00.000-04:00

Just a quick spidey warmup. Will try to do more of these and get better at them. This is the first one, so no promises! Let me know if you have any suggestions and I will try to incorporate.

Wolverine

2011-08-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

Trying to figure out my voice on Wolverine. This is the Astonishing X-Men version...I think. I went with the smaller ear things. They are easier to understand. I'm not sure I actually understand what the large ones are doing in 3 dimensional space.

I went back and forth a lot with how built/tall he should be and how square his face should be. It was a really fun challenge, I must have drawn 100 heads of this guy. I even did more odd shapes and caricature type stuff when I felt really stuck.

I included some of the digital ones I did. The really weird and bad ones are locked away in my sketchbook though.

Sometimes he would be too thin, other times too big or too hunched. I think I am pretty happy with this Wolverine. I tend to want to draw really slim and tall people. But that wasn't right for Wolverine. But I also didn't like the almost troll body that some people do. Actually I do like the troll Wolverine, but it just wasn't right for me. Though I may end up giving him a little bit more of a hunch, to give him that prowling cat look.

Marvel Test Page

2011-08-05T17:17:00.000-04:00

So I came back from SDCC all eager to work on the Marvel test pages. So I thumbed out 6 pages, pencilled the first page and started on the second.

But now looking at the first page, I don't like it all. It's flat and stiff. But worst of all, it doesn't feel like me.

I am going to scrap what I've done and just start sketching these characters for a bit and get to know them. Then I will start thinking about the pages once I feel comfortable drawing these guys.

SDCC 2011

2011-07-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

Finally rested up enough to attempt a blog post about SDCC.

First let me start off with a HUGE thank you to the Red 5 guys. Paul Ens and Scott Chitwood are awesome. Not only did they pick up Cubicles for the Red 5 line, they also got me out to SDCC. I never thought I would make it to that convention. So I can't really thank them enough for making two of my comic dreams come to life.

I suggest you follow them on Twitter and like the Red 5 facebook page.
http://twitter.com/#!/red5comics
http://twitter.com/#!/paulens
http://twitter.com/#!/red5aggie
http://www.facebook.com/red5comics

MONDAY
Alright, so my adventure starts on Monday. I was at home trying to pack for the trip and also put out a fire at my day job. So I was hoping it would be a relaxing day and it was not. I was able to stuff every last copy of Cubicles in my suitcase.

TUESDAY
Get on a plane and fly up to Chicago and then back down to San Diego. Land, get my rental car. Soon as I pull out of the rental place, I am seeing SDCC banners and signage. This is 3 miles away from the convention center. So I decide to drive past the convention center before I go to my sisters. Downtown SD looks great. The weather is too awesome. It was a cool 76 degress at 2pm. For us Florida folks it is like 100.

WEDNESDAY
Didn't need to be to the convention until the afternoon. Had breakfast with my sister and she asked if I wanted to go for a run. I said sure and I don't think I even heard her when she said it was a 5 miles trail. So I think I got to about 1.5 miles before I had enough and turned back.

That is a choice that will haunt me for the rest of the con. So I clean up and head to the con. The place is a madhouse. There is a line that runs the length of the convention center already for the preview night that starts at 6pm.

Walking into the convention center before it opens is like walking into a construction site. There is hammering and power tools. Boxes and large machinery. I think I could have fit like 3 or 4 MegaCons in it...Maybe more.

I meet the Red 5 guys for the first time. They are really nice and tell me not to worry about being stuck to the table the whole show and to enjoy myself. But I still wanted to help out as much as possible. I walked around a little before preview night started. I headed over to artist alley and it was pretty empty. But there was one dude there, already setup. Nathan Fox. This guy is awesome. He wasn't on my list of people to see or buy stuff from, but ended up buying two books from him. 'Flourescent Black' and 'Black and White'. I also gave him a copy of Cubicles and Drawn Blanks flyer.

I don't think I did much else till the convention opened. I did get a little 101 from Scott on how to sell Red5 books. The convention opened and we sold some books, including Cubicles.

I met Kevin Grevioux. The creator of Underworld and also writer of Red 5's Zombies of Mass Destruction. This guy was also one of the wolves in Underworld, his voice is scary as hell. Other Red 5's I got to meet were Kevin Rubio and David Gallaher.

Also the creators of Comixology. How cool is that. These guys are the word on digital comics and I got a chance to talk to them. I even talked to one of them about the price of Invincible still being print price. He said he would look into it. And I just looked and the prices are now lowered. So I bought all the issues as I promised. Thank you very much Comixology!

THURSDAY
First day of the convention. I think I spent most of the morning selling stuff. Around Noon I decided I would try to check out the portfolio reviews. I got there and realized I misunderstood the process. I figured I would just show up and wait in line. But they actually had a pretty good system for reviews.

You put your name on a piece of paper for the company you want to meet with. You could fill out an entry for more then one company. You had to get your name in the hat 30 minutes minutes before that company's time slot started. Then you go back and check that company's area 20 minutes before they start and look at the list. The list is basically a lottery. So I had missed out entering for Oni Press. But I filled out my name for Dark Horse while I was there. I also ran into a cool cat named Dwayne Harris. He has a book called Amnesia which is being released through Arcana. He told me that he had tried last year to see Dark Horse and didn't get a chance. So I was a bit worried.

I went back to Red 5, sold some more comics. Told the guys that they could give away copies of Cubicles to any production companies that came by. Which there were a lot of. Not sure how Cubes would work as a movie, but still cool to think their is some hotshot out there reading my book.

Went back to the portfolio area to check on Dark Horse and I am number 4 on the list. So I sit there patiently waiting my turn. Once it is my turn, I sit down and the guy starts flipping through. He seemed really indifferent to the whole thing. Maybe it just seemed that way because I was totally freaking out on the inside. He said my figures looked good, nice angles. Said to remember the reader doesn't know everything you know and to emphasize elements that have to stick out. I was ready for the brush off just because he seemed so ho-hum about my work. But he closed my book and said great stuff and gave me his card to send him my next batch of pages. I looked at his card and he's like the VP of Publishing. So I was pretty happy after that.

Went to Humberto Ramos' Booth and got FairyQuest. Which I found out he sold out of his entire print run. He made its debut at SDCC. So he must be on cloud9.

Ryan Ottley also sold out of his sketchbook, but I don't think he brought many. I ended ordering it online when I got back in town.

I also talked to Jason Brubaker and Jeremy Dale. If you haven't picked up Brubaker's Remind, do yourself a favor and get it. I also traded Jeremy a copy of Cubes for his book, Skyward. I haven't read it yet, but it looks stellar.

After the show I went to Trickster. Pretty cool, if tight, setup. They had a model posing for some life drawing. So I did that for a bit before I had to go home and get sleep. Remember how I mentioned that run with my sister? Well my legs were super sore. Actually they were sore up until Sunday. Not just a little sore. I am talking almost limping sore.

FRIDAY
Today was my day to put my portfolios in for DC and Marvel. So I mentioned the portfolio process above, Marvel/DC doesn't follow this standard. DC you have to go to a lecture in the morning, get a form, fill it out and drop it off. Marvel you just drop off your portfolio. Then you go back the next day to see if you made their call back list. I got in line for the DC lecture behind Dean Hsieh, follow Zuda contestant. Except he actually won. I talked with him for a bit while waiting. The DC lecture was just a way not to do speech. Number 1 rule? Don't be a douche.

After I dropped off my portfolios, I walked over to Sean 'Cheeks' Galloway and Ryan Benjamin's booth. I got a sketchbook from both of them. Also got a headsketch of Gambit in from both of them. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to Ryan, but I chatted with Sean for a while. Totally awesome dude, uber nice. I gave him a copy of Cubicles also.

Oh yeah, I also dropped off a Drawn Blanks flyer at all the Artist Alley tables.

SATURDAY
First think I run to DC to see if I made their call back list. I didn't. Then I went to check Marvel. Holy COW! I made their call back list. Awesome! I just found out also that it was C.B. Cebulski who looked through the portfolios for the call backs. So I met with the Spider-Man editor and he said he LOVED my stuff. He said I could quote him. So now I am in touch with a Marvel Talent Coordinator and I need to send them some new sample pages using their scripts.

I also meet with Stone Arch, Arch Enemy and Committed Comics. They were all positive and I gave out some xerox portfolios to them. At Arch Enemy I met Tone Rodriguez. He is a really cool cat and had some nice things to say about my art and also gave me some pointers with layout and marker use. He had actually seen my art before hand, so that is pretty cool. I think I hooked them all up with Drawn Blanks flyers.

Also talked to Steve Bryant and he hooked me up with his book Athena Voltaire. He happens to be a member of ComicTwart, so I gave him a Drawn Blanks flyer.

Also chatted with Jeanie L.S. Galster and she gave me her book Reverence.

Also got a copy of Project 26 from Anomaly Comics.

SUNDAY
I was still pretty happy about my Marvel and Dark Horse reviews, so I decided just to sit back today and pat myself on the back. Plus I had about 14 Cubicles left to sell, so I wanted to focus on that. So I was able to sell them all. That's right, SOLD OUT...in the good way. So there are no more left, except the copy of personal copies I have. Unless the Red 5 guys put it out in print.

Went to Boom and picked up Dingo and The Savage Bros. I had read both of these digitally on Comixology, but BOOM was doing 50% off, so I decided to pick them up. The art and stories are great.

I swear these guys are at every con. Who wants a t-shirt?

Artists never show up early. Artist Alley on Wednesday 4 hours before open.

American Vampire is awesome. You need to read it.

see the hands in the door?

Couldn't find a pair to muster up the courage to talk to this guy. I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!

Johnny Knoxville!

Mignola Batman!

Biggy T in Lil' C

2011-07-15T06:54:00.000-04:00

Piece for the Drawn Blanks sketchblog. Me and 5 other artist rocking out new art daily based on a weekly theme. Check it out.

What an utterly, ridicously awesome movie. What the heck is going on? Who cares...Kung FU! I give it up to the Kaymonstar for picking this topic.

I wanted to pay homage to the original movie poster. The guy who did that poster is a master, so I didn't want to recreate it, but I wanted my own little movie poster. I had ideas of just jamming it full of references, but in the end, went with something more open. I knew I had to have Jack Burton to be large and in charge. Glorious mullet and oil chest in full effect.

I started with trying to get a likeness down, but realized that just isn't my thing. So I completely scrapped it and started over. But I think it ended up looking more like him then I intended.

11x17, Copic Multiliner and Copic Sketch, Gelly Roll white.

Marvel Girl Sketch Cards

2011-07-08T15:51:00.000-04:00

Did these to practice with my copic markers. I have to say this is a great way to learn how to use markers quickly. I had been doing full 11x17 illustrations and doing markers on those. But after spending so much time on them, I was worried about messing it up during the marker phase. So I would play it safe. But just whipping out a small sketch card is nothing. So I was more adventurous when it came time to color them. The main thing I was trying to play with was secondary, colored lighting. I have these pieces in the order I did them, left to right, top to bottom.

So you can see with the Psylocke piece that was kind of rough with the pink lighting. So much so that I didn't do any secondary lighting on the white queen. Then with She-Hulk I did a little bit, but I did some background elements. Even the the lighting was small, I was pretty happy with the suit rendering. Then came Mystique. Here I just threw the purple highlights on right away. Previously I would color everything and just leave open white spaces for the secondary lighting. So I went with the secondary lighting first on Mystique so I wouldn't have to be worried about ruining anything. Also it was a head shot so it was quicker to create. Overall I was pretty happy with it, looks better in person. They all do. Last was Storm. I am really happy with this one. I did all the blue lighting on the body first and then I went to town with my new Gelly Roll White Pen.

Red 5 and Cubicles, San Diego Comic Con and More

2011-07-06T11:37:00.001-04:00

I've been sitting on this information for a while. So it is good to finally be able to spread all the news.

First off Cubicles is now part of Red Five's digital initiative. You can read more about that here, link. Basically Cubicles will be released on Comixology, iVerse, Graphicly and Panelfly. It is up on Comixology right now and will be released on the other platforms this summer. So you will be able to read Cubicles on your iPhone, iPad or Android devices. You can download the first chapter for free. So you you have comixology, if you would even download the free version that would be awesome. Check out the Cubicles cover with that sweet Red 5 Logo. Now that is hot.

There is the press release for the book over at Comic Buzz.

Second bit of big news (for myself mostly) is that I am going to be at San Diego Comic Con at the Red 5 booth. I will be helping out Paul and Scott with running the booth and also spreading the awesome that is Red 5 Comics. I won't have my arsenal of product, but I will have what can be carried in a backpack and will take any commissions that come up (but I will need to the night to work on them, no drawing at the table because I want to talk to people.)

Another bit of news, I finished a rough outline for Cubicles volume 2. It should be just as fun as the first volume was. It is going to have a little 'Enter the Dragon' or 'Mortal Kombat' vibe to it. I also have 2 other stories that are percolating in my membrane.

Also I started a sketchblog with some local art friends called Drawn Blanks. We have a new theme every week and new art posts daily. We've already done Metal Gear, Harry Potter and Final Fantasy. Next week is Big Trouble in Little China. Make sure you tune into Drawn Blanks. Here is the Harry Potter piece I did.

And I am hoping to have a new sketchbook ready for Megacon2012. Maybe in color.

Well that is it for now.

Sirius and Harry Back together!

2011-06-29T07:10:00.000-04:00

This piece went up over at Drawn Blanks. A sketchblog I've started with some local artists. Each week we select a new theme and we all do our own version of the subject matter. So if you like my potter pic, please head over to Drawn Blanks and check out the other cool Harry Potter Art! Drawn Blanks

So let's just get one thing clear. I am a freak for Harry Potter. I think the stories are just brilliant. The world breathes. The characters are all so beautifully flawed that they are perfect.

Sirius is by far my favorite character. Dark, brooding...maybe slightly insane. I can relate. And when "you know what" happened I was so pissed. GAH!

So maybe with the power of pencil and paper, I can give Harry, and myself, one more moment.

Below is a process shot. I would like to say I copied at each step for teaching my process, but really it's because I am paranoid I will mess up at any given stage.

Finally there is a commission I did at Heroes Con that was the inspiration for this piece. I was so jealous of the person I did this for, that I had to make one for myself.

Atomic Robo

2011-06-21T17:24:00.000-04:00

11x17, microns.

If you haven't, check out Atomic Robo from Red 5 comics. Fun book. Also if you get them digitally it is super well priced. I think 4 bucks for an entire trade. That beats DC/Marvel/Image with this same as print costs. blarg.

Ayways, I really want to color with my Copics, but I have no idea how to tackle it. I want to do the gun blast glowing off the skin of the monster thing in the back. Fears of ruining the piece are high.

Commission Practice

2011-06-08T22:37:00.000-04:00

At Heroes Con I was really impressed with all the marker work being done for commissions. I would really like to add the skill to my arsenal. So I decided I would start practicing.

If you want this piece or would like to request your own commission, please email me at wallyisazero at yahoo dot com. Prices are $40 for single character, 8.5x11, marker. Similar to this image. Price includes shipping.

Art Jam Sketches

2011-06-08T20:25:00.000-04:00

Some sketches done at my local comic store. They run a weekly art jam. It is pretty sweet stuff. If you are near the Orlando area you should check it out.

A Comic Shop

Heroes Con 2011

2011-06-06T20:15:00.001-04:00

I survived HeroesCon 2011! I am mega worn out. After 3 days of convention, driving for 8 hours back home, 2 hours of sleep, and then working for 8 hours of work; I am pretty much ready to drop.

It was pretty fun though. I got Eric Canete's Chocolate sketchbook and an indie graphic novel called Rodd Racer. I wanted to pick up this other book called Breathers but I missed my chance. I found his website, so debating on print or digital copies.

Eric Canete
Breathers
Rodd Racer

I also chatted with a couple of webcomikers. They do a comic called Awesome Hospital. It is basically a hospital drama but with awesome stuff. Like ninja attacks and illnesses of rocking too hard. Check them out.

Awesome Hospital

And now the photos. My booth and all my commissions.

I am so happy someone asked me to do a Harry Potter piece. I almost didn't want to give this one up, but it was in her sketch book, so I couldn't take it :-)

Thanks to everyone who got a sketch from me. You all really made my weekend.

Mine's the Man Bat.

Charlie Bones

2011-05-26T22:32:00.000-04:00

Ran across this creator owned character and the design totally blew my mind. So I had to lay down some ink. It is like a cowboy mixed with Grifter mixed with Deadpool mixed with the Mexican holiday 'Day of the Dead'. I just freaking love it.

The character belongs to Jeromy Smith. You can check him out here http://jeromysmithart.blogspot.com/

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

2011-05-23T22:38:00.000-04:00

Indiana Jones VS. Red Skull

2011-04-23T23:57:00.000-04:00

Entry for this month's Penciljack's PUMMEL. I think this one got away from me a little.

Captain America Man Out of Time

2011-04-23T16:41:00.000-04:00

Some portfolio pages from Captain America Man Out of Time script by Mark Waid.

Silver Surfer and Galactus

2011-04-08T11:11:00.000-04:00

My local comic shop has an art jam every month. Last month was to do a cover image for a random character pulled out of hat. I got Silver Surfer. One guy got Krypto the wonder dog. I think I would have tore that piece of paper up.

Commissions

2011-04-02T15:36:00.000-04:00

Last batch of sketches for the Kickstarter project. Combination of pencils and colors. My hand is tired!

MegaCon 2011

2011-03-31T18:08:00.000-04:00

MegaCon was a blast. Great crowd, super jam packed on Saturday. That was to be expected with the Shat being there though. That guy is a freaking rock star.

Anywho, I did some commissions and I actually took pictures this time. I got most of them. Though I did miss out on a few good ones. Even a 10 minute head sketch which looked freaking awesome. I had to finish it before they kicked the guy out.

Started to channel my inner Jim Lee a little.

Yeah, that's a stormtrooper playing Rock Band.

Runaways Portfolio Pages

2011-03-23T07:20:00.000-04:00

Now that my graphic novel is complete, I am working on some portfolio pages to show around.

This is for Marvel's The Runaways. It is a pretty good book and it is the only book from Marvel that I've read all the issues for...at least this current volume. Not sure if there was some past incarnation that I don't know about.

Anyways we find our heroes at the mall and it is time to go, but they are about to have bigger problems then just being late. This is a script I wrote for myself. Also I've only roughed the last page because I am not sure if I need another page or if 5 is enough.

Batman's Rogue Gallery

2011-03-14T21:39:00.001-04:00

Batman Rogue Gallery. This was a pretty fun piece. Trying to do my own spin on each of the characters. Really I just picked my favorite pieces of each rendition and mashed them together. The Penguin was pure Danny Devito. I just loved how nasty he was.

Batman Rogue Gallery

2011-03-10T11:39:00.000-05:00

Piece I am working on. Can't figure out how I want to color it. The colors seem to ruin the contrast, but it helps with character separation.

What's an artist to do? Maybe Dave Stewart will color for me? Riiiiiight.

Wizard World Miami 2011

2011-02-28T19:58:00.000-05:00

I am back safe and sound from Wizard World Miami. It was a good show, great really. I didn't know what to expect since it was the first one, but it seemed like a success. It was for me. I sold 3 large original piece of art. I had sold smaller sketches and done some on the spot commission before but never a large completed art piece. To the people that purchased them, thank you so much. You really made my weekend.

Besides that, I didn't do many sketches. Just a few, which is odd, cause I am usually busy all day. The good news is that I did sell a lot of merchandise. Prints, sketchbooks and copies of Cubicles (YEA!).

Bad news is that I was at my table the entire time. I have a really bad habit of never leaving my table. I don't leave for food or the bathroom. The worse thing is that I don't leave to see the other artist or any of the convention. So I miss out on a lot. One of these days.

So not many pictures to share but here a few.

This is the first time I had a full 8' table. So you can see I had no idea at first what to do with all the room.

I eventually figured out what to do with all the room.

So here is one of my commissions. I didn't have very many commissions yet somehow I still forgot to take pictures of them. But at least I got one, I didn't take any at my last one.

Since I didn't have any commission I started sketch heads and it turned into this. I actually like it and plan to do a more detailed piece based on it.

Micronauts

2011-02-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

Another piece for PencilJack.com's PUMMEL contest. These are the Micronauts incase you didn't know. I believe they were a toy line that become a Marvel comic book. They were later brought back through Image Comics and then Devil's Due. I had only intended on 3 characters and the bad dude in the back, but somehow this happened.

11x17 Bristol. Micron, Brush and Ink Wash. Digital colors.

Gambit Vs Grifter

2011-02-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

11x17 Microns, Ink Wash.

I have to say that these are some of the coolest looking superheroes. At least in my opinion, so it was fun to finally draw them together.

I did this piece for Penciljack.com's PUMMEL competition. It is a monthly contest where two artist go head to head on the same subject matter. The rest of the site votes for their favorites and the winner moves up the ranks. I just started but it seems like a great way to push your envelope. I suggest you try it if you want to get better.

Iron Man Sketchcard

2011-01-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

Done with PITT pens and COPIC Sketch markers on a 2.5x3.5 sketchcard. Took about an hour.

I recorded myself working on it if you'd like to see my process.

Coloring Process Video

2011-01-15T19:02:00.000-05:00

Coloring the cover to my graphic novel. Please check out my kickstarter page for pre-order info. Pre-Order for only $10 (includes shipping/handling).

Kickstarter Project

2011-01-12T22:07:00.001-05:00

Launched my Kickstarter project. Check out the video, I did all the soundFX with my own vocal chords.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1717578189/cubicles-the-moviethe-graphic-novel

Also if you want a copy of the graphic novel, this will be the cheapest way to get it (unless you see me at a convention). You can get a PDF for 4 bucks and a print copy for 10 (includes shipping and handling). Basically you are getting the print copy for the print cost. I make no profit. You can't beat that. But if you want to give me some profit there are bigger rewards for you to choose from.

They include stuff like sketches, commissions, and the original covers. Plus another insane one that I put there from insanity's sake.

Thanks for the support, pass it to your neighbor.

Cubicles Site

2011-01-10T08:36:00.006-05:00

The Cubicles website is up for my new graphic novel. Which is complete. So expect some information on getting your own copy soon.

There is also a 7 page preview on the site. So check it out and let me know what you think.

I plan on adding some process videos and tutorials as well. There is already a page process where I go over my method, including tools and equipment.

7 page preview - Here

Site - Here

Cubicles Trade Cover

2011-01-03T00:33:00.003-05:00

Here is the cover for the trade. Wanted to have the tentacles on the white so that it would pop. at least that was the idea. Not sure how well all these greens will translate in print. hopefully only slightly dull.

Cubicles 6 wide cover

2011-01-01T09:29:00.001-05:00

Decided to take a page(s) from the big boys and do one of those multiple page covers. What a horrible idea. Not that it was really horrible, just more work then I had planned on.

So these will be the interior covers for Cubicles. One for each chapter. They will never be printed in color, so I am not sure why I did it in color.

iPhone painting

2010-08-06T08:40:00.006-04:00

Messing around with sketchbook mobile on my iphone

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Get some Deadpool

2010-07-26T06:53:00.003-04:00

Been doing a lot of work for some peeps, so I don't really have any new work I can post. So I thought I would put this piece up.

It was something I got ready for a print for SuperCon. The B/W version is also in my sketchbook. If anyone wants a sketchbook let me know. They are 15 bucks (shipping included). Just paypal me and I will send you the book with a free sketch of your choice.

CLiNT Mag Collab with Gabe Ostley

2010-06-28T07:12:00.005-04:00

Our last names are practically the same, we may as well be brothers. So we had to work together. Mr. Ostley handled the pencil and lettering dooties and I handled the inking and coloring dooties.

Check out Gabe's blog at http://gabeostley.blogspot.com/

Austin Janowsky's TAN retake

2010-06-27T15:58:00.001-04:00

At SuperCon I had the chance to meet Austin Janowsky and he introduced me to his character TAN. Pretty cool looking character. So cool that I found myself doodling the character a couple of days later. Which lead to some experimentation. I came up with this custome retake.

Be sure to check out the original TAN at Austin's website. http://www.austinjanowsky.com/

Clint Mag Sub

2010-06-02T21:15:00.004-04:00

A 2 pager for Mark Millar's Clint mag.

This was all digital which was tougher then I thought it would be. Usually when I paint digitally, I get very experimental. I couldn't do that as much because I had to be able to repeat the style across panels and pages. A really big learning experience.

It was kind of nice because I was able to thumbnail, pencil, ink and color all at the same time.

Digital Media Assignment Daniel Pink

2010-04-10T16:14:00.002-04:00

Just uploading this to show to my class team. Though you feel free to look at it :-)

MegaCon 2010

2010-03-18T16:16:00.002-04:00

Back from MegaCon 2010 artist alley. Is was super fun. These are my pictures. I suck at taking pictures. I only took pictures of my sketches mostly and I didn't even get all of them.

I did a really sweet Hulk bookmark and didn't get a photo. If you are the guy who got it then please send me a pic.

Blue Beetle.

The Thing. This guy's head is hard to draw. I am not sure I quite understand it.

That's my table

Parthenon. The actual dude from Stan Lee's hero show asked me to draw this. How cool is that?

Danielle Soloud had this great drawing of SuperGirl in Batman underwear. So I did a quick sketch of it. I did it super fast and thought it came out really well. Someone saw this on my table and picked up it.

This was the last drawing of the convention. I wasn't even doing it for anyone. It came out well I think. I wasn't trying to go for good, just crazy looking. I didn't get it too crazy looking cause I started to try to make it look good. But some of the original intention is still there.

This was the first drawing of the convention and I did it through out 2 days. It was inspired by the chesire cat.

Got some free trading card paper at the convention. Did the Mad Hatter and Harley from Arkum Asylum. Also another bookmark I did. Reminds me of another sketch I didn't get a picture of, I did kind of a sinister looking mad hatter, somone picked that up also. Send me pics!

Pinups and Printed comics

2010-03-08T07:59:00.002-05:00

Couple of the pinups I did for display at my artist alley table at Megacon.

Also got my webcomic printed out. I am running a contest to win your own copy along with an original piece of art. Check it out. http://www.drunkduck.com/Cubicles/index.php?p=676934

The Girls of Batman

2010-03-01T10:51:00.002-05:00

11x17 PITT pens, Microns, and Copic Sketch Markers. 13 hours. Ouch.

First Digital Drawing ever

2010-02-28T09:40:00.001-05:00

This was my first drawing ever done digitally. I had just went to Circuit City and bought an intuous 3. So this was my 'Getting to know you' drawing. This was done 11/04/2007. I can't believe it was that long ago. Prolly just a month after I decided I wanted to learn how to draw and do my own comic books. I guess I've come a long way looking back at this piece. Well here's to more improvement.

Joker in the Moon

2010-02-22T09:49:00.001-05:00

Working on some pinup pieces for display at my first artist alley. Hopefully they will attract some attention. Next up is a group shot of Catwoman, Ivy and Harley. PWN

Quick Sketch Practice

2010-01-21T08:23:00.001-05:00

So I am practicing for MegaCon 2010 in March. This will be the first time I've gone to an artist alley. So I have no idea what to expect. Here are a couple of sketches. Most of these took 20 minutes, the catwoman and batman head took 10. That crappy Gambit actually took 5 minutes. The color was done with cheapy watercolors.

I have no idea what is normal, can I charge 5 bucks for these sketches?

New Cubicles Arc starting

2010-01-15T09:54:00.003-05:00

I have a new Cubicles arc starting, start reading!

http://www.drunkduck.com/Cubicles/index.php?p=652925

More fun with sketchbook mobile

2010-01-11T10:57:00.003-05:00

Another drawing with Autodesk's sketchbook mobile

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

Some anatomy studies

2010-01-10T21:31:00.001-05:00

Just some anatomy studies. I am trying to learn the skeleton and also the muscles without any skin over them.

I also sculpted a skull in some playdo. I want to learn to sculpt also.

First drawing on my iPod

2010-01-07T09:56:00.002-05:00

This was done on my iPod touch using sketchbook moble x. Awesome and free from autodesk.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

Concept Art

2009-12-01T18:02:00.004-05:00

I have mad respect for concept artist, especially environmental artists. I have some more practice/warmup environments. The character is a longer piece I am working on. I am currently at the detail sketch/thumbnail stage. I will post more images of it as I move along.

Warmups 11292009

2009-11-29T09:59:00.002-05:00

Just some warmup stuff I've done over the past month or so. I was really busy with some projects, some art, some writing. I also think I am going back to school. Art major this time instead of computer science...blargh.

I am starting to learn some digital painting and environmental painting. Which is hard.

Due East Fan Art

2009-10-05T21:10:00.001-04:00

Some fan art for a really great webcomic on Drunk Duck. Its won the Drunk Duck award for best spiritual comic and also was a finalist for the mmost profound.

Check it out. http://www.drunkduck.com/Due_East/index.php

Testing out halftones in photoshop

2009-09-02T20:16:00.002-04:00

Pretty cool stuff and not too hard to do. Maybe I will post a how to.

Halftones are those little dots. screentones, tones, whatever you wanna call them.

Holy Crap

2009-07-14T15:06:00.002-04:00

My brother...nay, my AWESOME brother just hooked me up with my own personal wet dream. A Wacom Cintiq 21UX. Oh hellz yes. This thing is huge. I am going to have to reprogram my brain to actually work at this size. Will also have to rearrange my work area. I will post pictures of that when I do it.

Freaking Loving It! Thanks Bro.

P.S. I am working on the Zuda XO poster for this month. Why aren't you?

Outlaw Roughs

2009-07-12T01:09:00.001-04:00

pencil roughs for the outlaw entertainment search. I will ink over these. I don't have the patience to get more detail then this in the pencil stage. I like to keep moving. Something I really need to work on. Jim Lee spends 8 hours pencilling 1 page. I get pissed if I spend more then 2-3 hours on pencils. I have to learn to enjoy it more. oh well, one day.

Warmup

2009-07-11T09:31:00.002-04:00

This one didn't flow so well. I haven't had a chance to draw as much this week and I think my skills have decreased a smidge. oh well, can't be perfect all the time.

Man with a Gun

2009-07-03T09:20:00.001-04:00

Warmups are fun. I can pick something I suck at drawing like....buildings or cars or trucks or robots or....today it is guns. And since it is a warmup I don't have to care if it sucks or rocks.

And today it is well...eh.

So here is the final drawing and the screencast of me drawing it.

Ha cha cha!

Jump Jump

2009-07-02T10:21:00.001-04:00

Quick warmup of a dude jumping over a wall. Had some problems with this pose. All I knew starting off was that I wanted his foot to be in the foreground and went from there. Maybe not anatomically correct, but good enough to translate the idea...I hope anyways

Screencast Test

2009-07-01T11:09:00.001-04:00

So I've started watching some artists as they draw on USTREAM. It is pretty neat. So I figured I'd give it a shot also. The is my first test, trial run. As you can see, the first part you can't really see anything. Not sure if i can change the contrast or darkness or what. Will try that for next time.

If you skip forward to about 3 minutes in, you will actually see what I am drawing. I don't think there is any audio capture, it is really low. So don't crank your volume. maybe next time.

No reference was used for the truck and I didn't think of perspective before I started drawing. So just a really loose warmup piece.

1 and 2 and 3 and sketch

2009-06-27T09:44:00.002-04:00

Warmups are always good for getting the kinks out. it is like stretching before running. Here are a few I've done recently.

I think the really tricky part is to remind yourself that no one has to see these. I tend to erase sometimes and there is no point, so move to another piece of paper and leave that crappy drawing right where it is. It lets you get more comfortable which leads to thinking less.

Of course I say no one will see it, but then I post it here. oh well, you can see my suckiness and feel inspired :-)

Cubicles

2009-06-26T07:20:00.002-04:00

Cubicles is relaunched and running. 2 strips in and I am still on schedule! go me. I have mad respect for people who've been turning this stuff out for months, years.

Take a gander http://www.drunkduck.com/Cubicles

So I was going to work on this one comic I wrote for Zuda, but then I came up with another idea. So I think I will do this new one first. Always freaking ideas popping up faster then I can draw. Oh well, I should be thankful for that.

Cubicles Reboot

2009-06-21T20:07:00.001-04:00

So the first strip of Cubicles will go live tomorrow. Anyone who read the Zuda entry will notice some serious differences. First of all it is a daily strip now. Well daily as in I will update Monday and Friday. Monday will be office hijinks and then on friday we dive into Wally's psyche.

Eventually I want to set up on own web site for cubicles using comic/wordpress. But I have to learn how to use that. So for now it is living on Drunk Duck. Once I get the comicpress setup I will still post to drunk duck.

I've included some character sketches and the new logo. I had to redo Wally's design because I think it looks way too much like Wally from the Dilbert strip. So he has a little more hair and lost the glasses.

Here is the link to Cubicles' home on Drunkduck.com http://www.drunkduck.com/Cubicles/

Zuda Entry

2009-05-06T11:55:00.001-04:00

Read and Vote for my Comic CUBICLES.

Thanks

I am proud to annouce that Zuda has accepted me back into their contest. So for your reading enjoyment, I offer you Cubicles.

Office Space humor mixed with Star Trek science fiction. It is about these two co-workers who are trying to make it through the day and have fun. But besides having to deal with annoying office managers they have to deal with all the rigors of the space age.

If you like it, please vote. Take a look at the other comics also. There are some really good ones. I am really liking Lily of the Valley and Sides.

Besides the contest they have a bunch of free, ongoing comics that are really good. I know money is tight, so where better to go then a free comic website? I really recommend Celadore. If you like Buffy or just anything good and funny, you will like Celadore.

Inking Practice

2009-05-01T07:20:00.002-04:00

I am trying to learn some inking skills other then just tracing my pencils. I really want to be able to give some character, texture, movement with the inks. This piece was supposed to be a practice of flame or hear, smoke, something like that and I think it was a fail. But it still ended up looking cool. just wasn't what I had pictured in my head.

Zuda fun

2009-04-23T07:26:00.001-04:00

Been putting in a lot of time working on my next Zuda submission. I actually already have one in the can to them two weeks ago. Of course I think that will mean it will take another 1.5 months to hear anything at the earliest. Which gives me plenty of time to work on the next submission. I am not sure if it will make it in. It has a very rough feel about it and it has been posted elsewhere already. I dont know how Zuda feels about that sort of thing. Guess I will find out.

For my next submission I thought of the title as a joke, but the more I work on the project the more excited I get about it. I don't want to give anything away till it is accepted or not. But it is a futuristic, apocolyptic adventrure.

I have the script written, thumbnails, and character design complete. The only thing I have left to do is location design, some bug studies and actually drawing the pages.

Also for those fans of the rejects, I haven't forgotten. I've thumbnailed up to page...crap I forget. but I got a few in the bag. I may go back to digital for this since it will be much quicker and cheaper on supplies. The image is page 9 of The Rejects done in traditional ink.

Umbrella Academy - Space Boy

2009-04-21T09:17:00.002-04:00

I really dig The Umbrella Academy...and not just cause that one dude from my chem wrote it.

It is a really interesting story. I mean Space Boy had his head attached to an alien gorilla body. It can't really get any cooler then that. So go read it.

You can find me on deviant and twitter. So check out my stuff and I will be happy to check out your stuff. It will be like playing doctor.

http://slidestudios.deviantart.com/
http://twitter.com/slidestudios
http://www.walterostlie.com/

Yeah Blog

2009-04-14T07:43:00.001-04:00

First blog.

I am an aspiring comic book artist. I would say I have an indie, america-manga type style.

You can check out some of my artwork at http://slidestudios.deviantart.com/. I was also in last month's Zuda contest. I placed 5th with the Rejects.

If you don't know what Zuda is then go check it out at http://www.zudacomics.com/. It has free online comics. There is also a monthly contest which allows the winner to publish their comic on Zuda's site.

My entry is here http://www.zudacomics.com/node/1080.