Unused Pen and Ink Promo

A promotional piece I did for my strip, Camden Bottoms.  I worked for several days before scrapping it and starting over with a new piece. I can't shake the feeling that my old rowing instructor from Scout camp would be disappointed that I didn't stow the boat with the oarlock in the "down" position. 

Pen & Ink on Parchment

I recently did a pen and ink version of the crayon sketch from the previous post as an anniversary gift for my wife.  I've been getting some good results lately by using the smooth side of faux parchment paper I bought from Office Max.  I got the idea to spatter the blanket in the upper portion from Andrew Loomis' excellent "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth", now re-issued (finally) by Titan Publishing in a beautiful facsimile edition.

Sketching with Crayon

This was obviously done some 7 years ago, when my son was approaching his 4th birthday.  I was working out of an oversized sketchbook and until recently I wasn't able to scan anything out of it.  I grabbed one of my sons crayola crayons and sketched the rest of my family napping on the couch.

Knight Sketch

Character design sketch for a knight I'd like to use someday.  A ragged knight.

2 Dudes, 1 Cat

1 Cat and 2 Dudes .... Nuff Said!!

Newt's Wattles (study)

Apart from the contempt-filled sneer, these wattles could belong to any member of the House from either side of the aisle.  Ah Democracy!-snif-
Pen and Ink

Newt Gingrich, once candidate

This is from last Winter, when it was Newt's turn to lead the Republican pack.  Newt has a wonderful landscape of cascading chins and jowls which make for compelling drawing. 

A Sheepish Post

A long overdue update from around January, I think. I've been in love with excessive straps and buckles and ridiculously long limb appendages since Guy Davis' work on the Nevermen for Dark Horse.  I bought a page from Mr. Davis that featured one such character called "The Murderist".  The above finished in blue pencil with HB pencil.

Pen and Ink Formal Wear

All right, it's been a while since I've posted.  Most of my spare time has been swallowed by "Camden Bottoms" (see previous post).  This is from January when I was breaking in a new pen nib.

My New Web Comic

Here is some promotional artwork I did for the Web Comic I've started some months ago. I did this piece for the Spectrum Art Live show coming up in mid-May in Kansas City. The strip is called Camden Bottoms named after the bottoms of Camden, Missouri. It is sadly lacking in pop culture references, characters who call each other "Dude", and gags about video games - however, if you like scratchy pen and ink illustrations and mildly unsettling rural humor from another century, then I may just have what you're looking for. It posts new comics Sundays and Wednesdays rain or shine. Please come by and visit!

The New Catwoman

Not the new Catwoman. It was inspired, however, by my being accosted by my wife early one morning on the way to the coffeemaker as she was returning from a workout. She was awfully proud of her black workout togs. Pen and ink over blue scribbles.

More Nudes in Ink

More figure drawing from '96. Even with the false start on the arm, I was pleased with the composition of this one. As you can see it's testing the limits of my new scanner.

Nude with Dog Collar

Another figure drawing from 1996 or there-abouts. I was drawing directly in ink using an old steel pen nib that I'd uncovered in an old trunk I'd inherited from my grandmother. The nibs were pretty inflexible, so a varied line was few and far between. Drawing directly in ink taught me to (try to) commit to a line, an exercise I highly recommend.

Figure Drawing in Ink, '96

Feeling guilty about my poor post rate lately, I dug through the archives for something new. Here's a figure drawing from 1996, Diana Blackwell, model. I was sitting in on Frank Stack's figure drawing class twice a week at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Diana was one of the best models I've ever drawn. She was imaginative, engaged, and seemed to treat modeling as a performance.