A little something for the season… a vampire bat greaser:
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This follows a few of my previous posts–Mummy, Golem, and Frankenstein Monster.
This sucks (but it’s supposed to)…
Monsters
Unholy marriage of potassium and pancakes…
This is pretty random, but every now and then, if you’re playing Lexulous with me, I might agree to a request to draw Nannerpus:
It’s too strange to explain, here’s the original:
Boy Meets Monster
Johnny Monster #1 (written by Josh Williamson, art by J.C. Grande) came out last week! Click here to see the cover for issue #1, and click here to check out the upcoming covers.
Here’s a little fan-art to celebrate their debut:
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Head to your local comic shop immediately and purchase a copy of Johnny Monster #1! DO EET!
Semi-Related Topics: Johnny Monster and the New York Comic Con
At the peak of my vile plague I was barely blogging and missed out on telling you all that Johnny Monster #2 was solicited. And now Johnny Monster #3 is available for order in the current issue of Previews.
Johnny Monster #3 (of 3)
Story by Joshua Williamson
Art and Cover by J.C. Grande
32 pages FC $3.50 April 15The peaceful habitat Johnny Monster created for the monsters has been invaded by violent mercenaries causing utter chaos! As a result, the largest monster the world has ever seen has been unleashed on New York City on a quest for revenge! Only Johnny can stop him… but does he want to? Don’t miss the exciting conclusion to this monster-ous mini-series!
Check out the covers to both #2 and #3, drawn by the talented J.C. Grande and colored by yours truly:
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Be sure to ask your local comic shop to order Johnny Monster #3! It’s on page 170 of February’s Previews catalog, and the Diamond order number is FEB09 2437.
Annnnnd, if you happen to be attending the New York Comic Con, be sure to drop by and visit Josh Williamson (writer of Johnny Monster, Dear Dracula, and Necessary Evil) and Vinny Navarrete (Dear Dracula penciller, Necessary Evil inker, and Johnny Monster logo designer). Those young ruffians wil be sitting with Shadowline at the Image Comics booth.
Post Script: Make sure you check out the Shadowline website, which has a cool Johnny Monster animation at the top of the page.
BONUS POST: Johnny Monster Cometh!!!
Well, what have we here… the current issue of Previews… under Image Comics and Shadowline…
Johnny Monster #1 (of 3)
Story by Joshua Williamson
Art and Cover by J.C. Grande
32 pages FC $3.50 February 18Johnny Monster is the world’s foremost super-star monster hunter, but what the world doesn’t know is that he was raised by the same monsters he’s “hunting”! Now, in order to save his adoptive family…he must fight them! Johnny Monster mixes Tom Strong with Godzilla movies by way of Tarzan and the Phantom to create a compelling and different monster mash! From the acclaimed writer of Dear Dracula and Necessary Evil!
Another offering from my crony Josh, with art by a new collaborator, the talented J.C. Grande! Johnny Monster promises to be a really fun comic, but let’s face, what I’m interested in is ME ME ME. Josh asked me to color the covers for Johnny Monster, and it was really the first time I colored someone else’s art. It was an interesting experience, and I’m pretty happy with the results. Here are J.C.’s bare inks, alongside the finished cover, with my colors, and a very slick logo by Vinny:
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Be sure to ask your local comic shop to order Johnny Monster #1! It’s on page 168 of December’s Previews catalog, and the Diamond order number is DEC08 2275.
Mutant Zoo! Gorilla + Octopus!
For the Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Gorilla and an Octopus:
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… despite their fearsome appearance and deafening displays, the Octorilla is a serene, family-oriented creature, inquisitive and gregarious…
This was the combination that originally attracted me to the Mutant Zoo jam, from a few weeks back. I wasn’t in time for the original deadline, but I actually designed this hybrid before I started on the Bat + Deer combination. I finally got a chance to color it up, so here it is.
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Mutant Zoo! Lemur + Tarantula!
For this week’s Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Lemur and a Tarantula:
… the tip of the Taramur’s nimble tail actually houses the creature’s spinnerets, allowing it to spin webs in almost any direction. The glowing eyes in the Taramur’s abdomen have excellent vision, and are capable of firing intense psionic blasts…
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Mutant Zoo! Ladybug + Rhino!
For this week’s Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Ladybug and a Rhino:
… despite their diminuitive size (roughly 2 inches long, tail not included), these normally docile creatures can pack quite a punch if disturbed while grazing upon spectral aphids, their food of choice…
Get ready for a Mutant Zoo blitz–there were two choices for this week’s jam, plus I drew up one of the older combinations as well, all to be served up momentarily. Stay tuned!
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Mutant Zoo! Pug + Shark!
For this week’s Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Pug + Shark:
… tenacious and affectionate, the Shug is often kept as a pet by aristocratic mermaids.
It took me a stupidly long time to color this… not sure the time taken is reflected in the end product. Bah!
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Mutant Zoo! Bat + Deer!
Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy are holding a jam over at Deviantart called Mutant Zoo. The basic idea is to draw a hybrid of two animals–this week’s challenge was Deer + Bat:
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… the Ba’eer is known to commonly appear shortly before the birth or after the death of a great hero or hunter. A Ba’eer with a flame above its antlers is carrying the soul of a fallen hero or hunter to the afterworld; an unadorned Ba’eer heralds the birth of such a hunter or hero…
The horns and face markings are based loosely on the muntjac, and the tusks are based on the muntjac, as well as the more exaggerated tusks of a water deer or musk deer. The ears and nose are loosely based on a leaf-nosed bat. I wanted to try a drawing with super-thin lines (pass), and had a certain look in mind for the colors, but it really didn’t quite work out (fail).
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Monsters of Breakfast (5 of 5): The Bite Stuff… PLUS WALLPAPER!
The Subject: General Mills cereal monsters.
The Twist: Drawing them in the style of Capcom‘s fighting game franchise, Darkstalkers.
It’s Halloween, and here’s the dude everyone has been waiting for–Count Chocula! Okay, maybe not everyone has been waiting for him, but the handful of people interested in this series of sketches have been waiting. Probably.
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Naturally, my interpretation of Count Chocula is based on his vampiric Darkstalkers counterpart, Demitri. This one was a lot of fun for me. I couldn’t tell you why exactly… it’s possible that I just enjoyed it more because it came together pretty easily. In particular, I’m happy with how the purply-brown color scheme and billowing cape turned out.
The pieces in this series were designed with a group composition in mind, so I’ve whipped up some wallpapers. For your convienience, both fullscreen and widescreen versions are available below. Happy Halloween!
click above for 1280 x 1024 (Fullscreen)
click above for 1920 x 1200 (Widescreen)
Monsters of Breakfast (4 of 5): Keep ‘Em In Stitches
The Subject: General Mills cereal monsters.
The Twist: Drawing them in the style of Capcom‘s fighting game franchise, Darkstalkers.
Now we’re finally getting to the heavy hitters–I present to you, Franken Berry! He’s alive… HE’S ALIVE!
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Rather than ramble on about whatever, I’ll let you all go about your business–you probably need to finish the last minute touches on your Halloween costumes. I’m dressing as a weirdo cartoonist who barricades himself in his apartment drawing obscure nerdy characters while watching cartoons and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. I guess it’s not so much a costume as much as on-going performance art. On-going for the past 31 years.
Monsters of Breakfast (3 of 5): Ghost of a Chance
The Subject: General Mills cereal monsters.
The Twist: Drawing them in the style of Capcom‘s fighting game franchise, Darkstalkers.
In terms of recognizability, today’s subject probably falls on the median–surely many of you must be accquainted with Boo Berry. In terms of back-story, I imagine Boo Berry was a jazz singer (something of a dandy) from New Orleans, who got involved with some criminals and was killed. His ghost can be seen haunting the New Orleans night, singing mournful jazz ballads, and battling supernatural creatures with his powerful super moves and combos. I’m not sure where the blueberries enter into the equation.
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I’m unsatisfied with how Boo Berry’s ghostly aura turned out… it doesn’t really read.
Is anyone sick of my punny non-sequitur titles? I know I am, but I’ve set a precedent, so my hands are tied.
Monsters of Breakfast (2 of 5): Fur Real
The Subject: General Mills cereal monsters.
The Twist: Drawing them in the style of Capcom‘s fighting game franchise, Darkstalkers.
Today, I present the most obscure of the General Mills monster pantheon, Fruit Brute. You will note that I maturely refrain from making any jokes about his name.
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I basically drew Fruit Brute as a palette swap of Jon Talbain wearing overalls. Horrible, multi-colored overalls, as per the source material. So, yeah… werewolves are cool.
._.
Monsters of Breakfast (1 of 5): All Wrapped Up
The Subject: General Mills cereal monsters.
The Twist: Drawing them in the style of Capcom‘s fighting game franchise, Darkstalkers.
The Reason: I love Capcom’s character design style. Capcom’s art direction is amongst the most influential in video games in general, and particularly with 2-D fighting games. I often find myself looking at a random character and wondering what it would look like as a character in a Capcom fighting game. So, fusing that mode of thinking with breakfast cereal and the Halloween season, here we are.
First up, Yummy Mummy:
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I kept Yummy Mummy’s basic colors, but rather than giving him multi-colored bandages, I redistributed those colors to parts of his re-designed costume. The added accoutrements are based loosely on those of Anakaris (the mummy character from Darkstalkers). The ceremonial thingy (i think that’s the technical term) draped over his shoulders looks awkward–I was trying to emulate the geometric, almost blocky quality of Anakaris’s design, but it didn’t quite work out.
Something for the Season…
I’m very excited–Dear Dracula, a 48-page hardcover children’s book, published by Image Comics, and created by my dear friends, Josh and Vinny, will be available for purchase this Wednesday (October 15, 2008)! If you can’t find it at your local comic book shop or book store, you might try Amazon.com.
The book tells the story of a funny kid named Sam, who’s obsessed with Dracula, and decides to write him a letter–honestly folks, a fantastic all-ages book, especially for the Halloween season.
In honor of this momentous occasion, I was inspired to cook up a little Dear Dracula fan art:
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I promised something more substantial today, and I delivered, right? I mean, come on, background, multiple characters, what more could you ask for? A better composition you say? Yeah, okay, this composition is a little weird. Bah, forget my fan art, just go buy the real thing. Seriously.
Claws For Alarm
For no particular reason, a companion piece to my Jason Vorhees sketch, it’s Freddy! Waaaugh!
I now realize that I learn a lot more working on these quick little cartoony pieces than on more complex pieces. The stripped down style really lets me concentrate on form, motion, composition, and color, instead of sweating the details. I think the result tends to be a more cohesive illustration.
BTW, I watched Nightmare on Elm Street recently–it holds up pretty well!
The Other Jason
Better Late Then Never. Sort of.
Last Saturday was Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day. In recognition of that, this is what Friday’s post was supposed to be:
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The punchline in this picture arose from a typically dorky IM session between myself and Charles. For those not in the know, an Owlbear is a Dungeons & Dragons monster, and possibly the offspring of Smokey the Bear and Woodsy the Owl.
GIGANNN!!!
Just a little digital painting practice today. The lineart was drawn a couple of years ago for a friend who got me a copy of Godzilla: Final Wars.
Gigan is one of my favorite kaiju from the Godzilla franchise. The version here is sort of an old-timey cartoon version of the classic Gigan, as opposed to the modernized version that appears in Final Wars.
Just go watch Final Wars already!