I think everyone has wanted to be a pirate at one point in their life. Especially when you’re a child. Thrills, excitement, danger, sword fights, and all of the swashbuckling fun that goes with being a scallywag. There are very few adventures you can undertake as an adult that hold that kind of wide-eyed wonderment, and even fewer jobs you can wind up having that fill you with that enthralling sense of fascination.

I’ve been very, VERY lucky the last 3 years of my adult life to have such a job. But I’m not sailing the high seas, raising a flag with a jolly roger on it up the mast, drinking obscene amounts of rum or pretending like I know how to handle a sword (well…that’s not entirely true, I do enjoy drinking obscene amounts of rum now and again) No, I’ve been coloring comic books and doing illustration and digital painting commission work, but mostly coloring comics.

So while that can be a pretty exciting job, that allows you a lot more freedom and the occasional moment of wide-eyed wonderment, it can also at times be the thing that causes the kind of stress which drives you to want to drink obscene amounts of rum for one reason or another. Trust me on this.

Taking into account all of the positive and negative aspects that come along with being a freelance artist, it is still almost like stumbling upon buried treasure when you come across a project that gives you freedom, enjoyment and offers you the opportunity to grow as an artist. So I was more than a little wide-eyed with wonder when I was given the opportunity to work on my next comic coloring project……

Neverland.

THE Neverland, of Peter Pan fame. My absolute favorite story of all time. Everything that you ever dreamed of doing when you were a child, meeting Indians, giant pirate ships, rescuing maidens in distress, fighting pirates and fighting WITH pirates, living in a treehouse, mermaids, fairies, sword fights, danger, excitement, and lots and lots of FUN. Especially when you take into account the fact that THIS version of Neverland is going to be a darker, more twisted version of the classic tale, complete with all sorts of new interpretations on the characters we all know, and introducing some new ones as well. All of the things I love, and an opportunity to really showcase all of the strongest elements in my work.

You can read more about the series here,

Neverland Interview

and yes….Captain Hook……

….if you’re listening, I really DO want to be a pirate.

been working like crazy here the last 2 months, and running around on top of it all.  Finally finished another concept piece for my personal project though.  It’s finally moving in the direction I want to end up visually I think now, which is part animated/part painted.  I’ve been writing more script the last couple of months than I have been doing artwork, but now that I’ve finished this piece, I’m moving on to more design work for the various locations in the story, the other characters, props and things.  In my copious “spare time” of course.  Enjoy!

Larger version can be found here.

redesign of the site and blog happened at a good time. I’m swamped right now. Working on editing and designing TWO graphic novels, both over 100 pages long, potentially coloring some interesting new projects, doing a few commissions, and working on my own creator owned project more here. Still, I’m getting a lot done this week, and am scheduling work for June. So if you need a colorist for your comic, a digital painter or concept artist for an upcoming project feel free to get in touch. We’ve been making due here somehow, but it would be nice to line up enough paying gigs for the entire summer, that’s for sure. The search for a day job is going absolutely nowhere right now, so that would be one less thing to worry about.

Can’t wait to start getting actual pages done for the Rift in Time project. The script is really writing itself and I’m having a blast with it. Very fulfilling, and it’s going to be a great all ages kind of project, very visually appealing, fresh and fun I think. A distinct animated kind of Don Bluth look to it all as well.

back to work here, just taking a short break to fill the void with a progress report.

so with deadlines out of the way on Monday, I took all of Tuesday off for the most part aside from a logo design I had to get done. I took a good portion of yesterday off, started colors on a pinup commission of Jean Grey/Phoenix, watched a bit of a Dylan Cole Gnomon DVD, and tried to get my body back to feeling somewhat normal. Still have a shoulder that is now only KIND OF sore, but I also have a kind of sore neck now, and I pulled something in my ribs of all places, while turning over in bed the other night. Talk about lame. However the upside…there is one I promise, is that I feel almost completely recharged mentally.

On the agenda today, more digital inks on Take a Chance #4, finish up the commission pinup, and get some of the flats for TAC4 pages I have back already dropped into my files for color scheming. I’m still in really good shape here for a somewhat EASY 2 page a day schedule on that book as I’ve set aside time to do NO other comic work for the next 2 weeks really BUT that book. I deserve a small break in my coloring schedule after 2 completely busy and insane months of cranking out pages.

My daughter lost her first bball game yesterday by a large margin, but she was one of the 3 girls who actually scored any points (the team only had 5) and I think…I’m going to leave it at that. It will be a long year for her, there will be a lot of unrest and turmoil within that team, and it won’t change until they all get on the same page and really start to care about the game. *edit* I just typed a bunch of crap about parenting, pride, and respect that I’m going to delete as it contradicted me not leaving it at that.

On to the art related stuff now. Somewhere in the last 2 months, I think it was after I passed 70 pages worth of work just after the New Year, I came to realization. I like to paint more than I like to color. I’ve been trying to paint as much as the comic page will allow, but sometimes pages just don’t make sense for that type of thing. I really got to do a lot of it with the giant sized Grimm Fairy Tales issue in Decemeber, I’ve been getting away with it on some pages for the Take a Chance book, a couple of pages in Herbert West 3, but not many really in Grimm Fairy Tales 35 which is what I wrapped up on Monday here. So as I sat there yesterday, after realizing that I had done almost 120 pages in about 6 weeks (which included some commissions) but basically almost 6 books worth of work, I was feeling an odd mixture of pride and disappointment. Sure that’s a LOT of work. MOST of which I’m proud of. But honestly, I felt more like a machine set to automatic at times than I did any kind of artist. So I started thinking hard about what it is that I enjoy the most in my work, and it’s really the painted elements. When they’re present that is.

So I’m contemplating things here now. Do I see myself as a top tier colorist at Marvel or DC some day? Because really that is probably the only way I can continue this as a career in the future. With the comic industry shrinking, and it was already small, I can’t answer that question really. There are some amazing artists working there already as colorists, and on a GOOD day of mine, I can come close to them. On a consistent, page by page basis though, I fall short. So I wonder if that is a circumstance of my own creation sometimes. Would I be able to aspire to BETTER work if I only did about 44 pages a month? I damn well could come a LOT closer than when I’m doing 90 pages a month, that’s just the truth of the matter. I know I have the drive, and when it comes down to it, the confidence in myself and my abilities to get to that place, but it comes back to the question, is that what I REALLY want? I don’t know many people coloring comics that make a living doing it WITHOUT working for DC or Marvel. The fact that I’ve been able to get by for going on 3 years here doing just that, is still kind of hard to figure out. With the changes to the market that have taken place over the last 3 years, and the changes that are occurring now, it makes me wonder how feasible it’s going to be for me to keep making the kind of money I’m making now WITHOUT moving on in my career.

Without rambling too much more this morning, because I have some things to do today, here’s where I’m at. I’m thinking of really making a push towards matte painting and concept art here. I really think that it’s something I can excel at. Looking at what I’ve done in the last 6 months, I think that I have a much higher upside if I were to focus more of my energy into that, than if I was to continue to sit here and crank out 80-90 pages worth of comic work a month. I’m seriously considering enrolling in some of the Gnomon online workshops that they offer for things like that.

HOWEVER, with the way the economy is right now, the fact that my wife’s job is tied directly to the automotive industry as a 2nd tier supplier, and with so much uncertainty in THAT, I’m not sure that I can justify turning DOWN any work that comes my way. Especially when I can GET that much work, and have smaller publishers willing to pay my page rate, outside of the Big 2 in the comics industry. I offer something that evidently JUSTIFIES my page rate or I wouldn’t keep getting work.

It’s a tough position. It’s hard to find people to talk to really in either industry, that I can relate to. My situation is really, honestly, pretty unique. I’ve talked with a lot of colorists, comic artists, concept artists and designers, and really….just looking around, I sit at home scribbling all day and make money without really working for any BIG name companies. Things just end up working out somehow in the end every time for me. We all take different paths in life. I guess it comes down to which fork you end up taking in the road sometimes. My problem I think is that I’m at a crossroads here now and it feels like there are about 10 different forks in that road of life. Which one do I take?

I think I need more coffee this morning. That’s about the only thing I’m sure of today.

I don’t feel like resizing just to post a picture this morning BUT evidently this swanky new wordpress engine will resize things for me so all you have to do is click on the image for a larger view. I worked on this double page spread yesterday afternoon into the evening (might make a few more value adjustments to a couple areas IF I have time to). Came out pretty good I think, even though I could easily have spent another 6 or so hours making things REALLY shine if I had the time or if my pay was getting doubled to do it. back to painting more dragons now, 7 pages to go before Monday.

Finally found a good printer to produce my digital paintings on canvas in spectacular fashion. I’ve spent the better part of 6 months looking for just the right place to produce high quality work, at an affordable price. There are only 2 paintings up in the store now, however I will be producing on average hopefully 1 new painting each month (maybe every other month) for the rest of the year, most fantasy or sci-fi based works, branching out into different color schemes, themes, etc…..

Visit the store now!

So, the store is now live. High quality canvas prints are available on matte canvas, gallery wrapped and constructed with sturdy wooden frames. Vibrant inks, fade resistant up to 100 years. I’m also going to be offering commissions on various themes, genres, etc….so if there’s a particular type of painting you’re looking for, feel free to get in touch for a custom quote.

Visit the store now!

Been a pretty shitty week. The digital canvas prints I had done arrived this week, and turned out TERRIBLE, so I got in touch with the printer and they made excuses about this or that, and are reprinting but I won’t hold my breath. I’ll have to just suck it up, crack out the tubes of paint and my brushes and touch up the canvas traditionally (which is going to take likely as long to do as it took to complete the ENTIRE painting in PS) YAY!

As if that was a great thing, I pretty much may have to just swallow my pride and drop out of the upcoming exhibit I was invited to display at the end of May because I can’t freaking afford to get any more work around to put in (the mixed media piece I damn near when into town to get my 40×36 canvas for and some other supplies on Wednesday is just going to be too expensive now to finish) So THAT has me pretty frustrated.

Also, I’ve had to drop 2 of my books, and one of them is something that I nearly and dearly will miss, Hero By Night. Not everyday that you get to work on superhero books in this industry, unless you work for Marvel or DC, and this was an amazing superhero book. The reviews we’ve been getting for the last year and a half have been nothing BUT stellar. Looking at major reviews sites, seeing the weeks books reviewed, and watching HBN be the highest reviewed book over stuff like X-men was a great feeling. Knowing how successful it has been online was even MORE of a jolt of cool. We really wanted to see it on it’s OWN site, supported by ads, because that’s how it could have made the most money, but just knowing that we’ve had more readers each month than stuff like Batman has been an enormously cool thing to be a part of. All the emails from fans, the interaction on message boards and comments with them, talking to dads and moms and kids and EVERYONE at all the conventions that LOVE the book…it’s been a great thing. So yeah, my hands were pretty tied, and I was basically FORCED to make this decision yesterday. Doesn’t help that DJ Coffman, creator, writer/artist and all around comic book guru, is probably my best friend. So to the Universe right now, I’m saying, “you damn well better have something better in store for me right now cuz THAT really sucked!” I’m thinking that what that something IS, is for me to focus more on my digital painting and to finally get around to launching my OWN project that I’ve been working on for a long time. I just don’t know if the timing is perfect yet, because I’d like to pay my bills and mortgage this month before I start leaping off a cliff with something that has no guarantee of making me any money right away. I am going to focus more on that though, it’s part of my new direction I want to take my work so maybe this was just the final nudge that was needed (even if it felt like getting SHOVED off the cliff instead of jumping of my own free will)

So now, my Dabel Bros. book is on hold as I wait for an inker to be found and get me pages again, hopefully it won’t be an entire month, my only other book, Dragon Cross at Big City Comics, is going through some major changes as after issue 5 the co-creator and artist left to pursue other things, and they had to find a replacement and scramble to get things moving. So THAT book has been in limbo for almost 3 weeks now, not exactly sure when pages are going to start rolling in. Billy Dallas Patton is onboard as penciler though, so I AM excited to work with that guy, cuz I love his work, but yeah…..more waiting game.

Yesterday and ilkely most of today, will be spent scrambling myself. I have a lot of bad fortune to recover from here in short order, or things will just blow up by the end of the month. I need to find more work, bottomline. I know this, and knowing is half the battle right. The thing being, I can’t wait 30 or even 60 days to be paid for said work. So most of the time I work on 50/50 terms, but the sad reality is that most comic publishers don’t PAY on those terms, it’s 30-60 days (if that) I’ve always prided myself on how well I perform under pressure (even though I secretly HATE IT) and now I’ll guess I see if I can make magic under some of the most intense pressure I’ve been under in years here.

I need more coffee, and maybe a shot of Baileys in it today.

—————-
Now playing: The Cure - Letter To Elise
via FoxyTunes

so every one of my books I’m coloring is on hold for one reason or another right now. I spent the weekend away with the wife for our anniversary and also contemplating my future artistic focus. Also spent the latter part of yesterday, and some time this morning doing the same thing-trying to figure out what direction to take. Every move that I’ve made the last few years has worked out eventually for me, and has met various levels of success. I’m not worried about branching out, or changing directions really. After all, art is art. Whether it’s comics, painting, mixed media, writing, whatever. It all amounts to the same thing, expressing your creative voice and telling a story. I seem to be able to do that in a few different mediums, all with varying degrees of competence. Right now, I’m getting togheter some digital paintings for an exhibit next month, working on a mixed media piece (paint and iron on canvas, ) as well, and also picking some pen and ink drawings I have framed to go in said exhibit. Versatility isn’t something I’m afraid of, and actually, it’s probably one of my strengths as an artist. That, and selling myself. I’m not bad at talking up my work and BACKING up that talk. So I’m going to go with the flow here, speak my mind, follow that artistic voice wherever it leads, and see what happens. I’m not really afraid, I think it’s more anxious/nervous kind of excitement more than anything. that whole, starting a new job feeling that you get sometimes. Of course, money is nice too, and I need to be VERY conscious of that, but I think that will work itself out for the best as well. Being timid doesn’t ever get you where you want to go. Fortune seems to favor the brave and bold. So holding yourself back isn’t a good option, but is a simple trap to fall into. I think in some ways I fell into that trap for a while, and I’ve been holding myself back. It’s time to turn the table, break that mold and get some things done i think.

been busting ass today here. Have about another 2 or 3 hours to go yet before I get done everything I wanted to get done today. I think working a 16 hour day here, justifies a gin and tonic or 2 after the first 13 hours are down. It’s not like I do BAD work just because I’m drinking. Now if I was doing something more complicated than painting rocks and sunsets and dragons and coloring gypsy caravans, it would be a different story of course. I’ve also decided that the best brush to use for me from here on out, is the medium oil brush. I paint a hell of a lot better than I color, so why not play to my strengths. You don’t want to drink on the job though people, seriously. I can drink on the job if I choose simply because I work for ME, and if the boss says it’s okay, then it’s okay. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else trying that, unless of course you are your own boss like me. k, i’m rambling now, but this gin and tonic hits the SPOT tonight.

It’s been a long time it seems since I’ve redesigned my main website. I had plans to get to that in January, as I do every year. It’s just getting so cluttered it seems, older work in lots of places, and just generally not feeling very user friendly. Sadly, it’s looking like all that web design stuff is going to have to wait. I’m extremely busy here, trucking away coloring 3 books right now, and also inking AND coloring another. It’s a damn good thing that the 4 projects are not ALL monthly books, there’d be no way I’d be getting it all done. Things are getting crazy enough as it is. WWLA is coming up next week, looking forward to being able to head out there. I’m in need of a recharge I think. I’ve been feeling a LOT like just being lazy lately, and my creative energy has just been so low that it’s actually BEEN HARD WORK to stay productive and keep on painting an coloring here. It seems like the winter is dragging on here, and I’m tired all the time. Maybe some day, we’ll be able to afford to pack up and head somewhere with palm trees and warmer weather during the winter, once the kids are all grown up obviously. I think it would a lot easier to work and stay refreshed if it wasn’t so damn cold and gloomy out so much during the winter. Or I could just be cranky and in a bad mood lately too, that would explain a LOT of things as well.

So, the website thing, is on my list. Not sure if it’s in the top 10 things I need to accomplish before December just yet, but it’s at least ON the list now. Hero By Night seems to have moved into the top FIVE downloads on Wowio now. I’d say we’re surprised by that, but I think we’ve always known that there was a good chance it would be that popular there, so we’re just quietly pleased I think. Alright back to work here.