![]() Whatsup everyone! Here we have the fifth and final illustration for the ALTERNA ORIGINALS creater-owned sketch card series. This undead action-packed World War II climax is based upon the New York Times Best Selling graphic novel series, FUBAR - from supreme commander (and writer/artist) Jeff McComsey, along with a multitude of other very talented artists & writers. A little while ago I expanded my world of subject matter by drawing my first zombie. Since then I think I may have gotten a small taste for it as I truly enjoyed working on this. Here's a brief description of the book... We have nothing to fear, but fear itself...and Zombies. This Zombie-Nazi smashing book spans the entire European theater from Sussex to Stalingrad as the Allies come face to face with the walking dead. Enticing, right? If you'd like to know more about FUBAR you can visit and peruse samples of the on Alterna Comics website right HERE. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - D
0 Comments
![]() Whatsup everybody, Hope you all had an excellent and possibly even restful weekend. Continuing onward with our ALTERNA ORIGINALS escapade we have an alluringly dangerous character from the graphic novel, DIARY of the BLACK WIDOW created, written & illustrated by Mr. Bret M. Herholz. As soon I saw Herholz's illustrations of the 'Black Widow' I knew I needed to take a stab at it. The refreshingly unique drawing style, combined with the striking design of the character, rightly grabbed my attention. There's something in the eyes that almost tells you everything you need to know... "A young woman with a habit of seducing and killing men attracts the attention of an oblivious Detective and his helper. Will they solve the mystery behind these murders, or will the Black Widow strike again?" If you'd like to drink in a few pages from the graphic novel simply click right HERE. Hope you enjoy and I'll be back soon with the series' conclusion! - D ![]() Whatsup everybody, Hope your Friday's begun with an electrifying start. Today's 3rd installment of the ALTERNA ORIGINALS sketch card series is the character Richard Sullivan from the graphic novel, THE CHAIR - written & illustrated by Peter Simeti. Peter is not only a fine wielder of pen & brush but he himself is also the president & publisher of ALTERNA COMICS. Yes, that's right, he's not only the owner but a member as well. What I found striking about the Sullivan character is this ragged yet hardened appearance. Just looking at his body language and overall all demeanor it's obvious the guy's seen and been through a lot, and most of it he'd probably prefer to pass on. "As the sole remaining inmate in the prison, Sullivan must find a way to escape his fate or let the insane events of the prison finally consume him". If you'd like to know more about THE CHAIR simply click HERE. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you next week, - D ![]() Whatsup everyone! This is illustration numero dos of my 5 card series for Alterna Comics' new collection of creator-owned trading cards, ALTERNA ORIGINALS. This bubbly character is from the 5 volume graphic novel series, Novo, from creator/writer/artist Michael S. Bracco. Anytime I have the opportunity to delve into the world of science-fiction I try to take it, and this portly fellow of dental magnificence was just that chance. If you'd like to know more about Novo you can check it out right HERE. Mr. Bracco and myself actually crossed paths a time or two, as we're both alums from MICA (Maryland Institute, College of Art). He actually published a pretty sweet comics magazine at the time called Rhino. Today though he's the owner of the website, SpaghettiKiss.com - "Unusual apparel design for men and women" based upon his graphic novels and illustration. Give it a look. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - D ![]() Whatsup everyone! A little while ago Alterna Comics announced they would be doing a brand new series of creator-owned trading cards titled ALTERNA ORIGINALS, based on the mass of successful graphic novels they've published over the years. Within this group of cards would be a massive 250 hand-drawn sketch cards from 50 different artists. This is a project I was very excited to hear about and I'm pleased to say my name is amongst the many talented artists on the roster. I've contributed a total of 5 originally illustrated sketch cards to the collection, and in celebration of the release of the cards this coming Fall I'll be posting each card right here on my site one at a time over the next week and a half. We had the opportunity to choose whichever characters we'd like to illustrate from any of their graphic novels (that in itself was tough, since so there were so many great lookin' characters). First up is a character by the name of Homer Hegal from Jeff McComsey's comic, AMERICAN TERROR. The unique look of this fellow immediately grabbed my attention and I knew I had to try my hand at him. Spectacles AND an eye-patch on one character. C'mon on, right? The exact ingredients of 'cool'. If you'd like to find out more about AMERICAN TERROR you can click right HERE. You can also visit Alterna Comics' website at www.AlternaComics.com to find out more about ALTERNA ORIGINALS. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - D ![]() Whatsup everyone, I just wanted to pass along some very cool and heart-warming news in case you haven't heard. In support of the victims of the recent Aurora shooting some of the comic book industries best & brightest have banded together for the benefit event, AURORA RISE. The AURORA RISE: BENEFIT EVENT is organized by Jason Farnsworth, the manager at ALL C'S COLLECTIBLES in Aurora, Colorado. All C's is Aurora's one and only comic book shop and has directly felt the affects from the shooting, just 2 weeks ago. Some of the victim's friends and loved ones, and even some of the victims themselves, were patrons of the shop. "The mission of Aurora Rise is simple - we are going to do everything in our power to assist and aid the victims and victim’s families." In doing so the comic book community has stepped up to help. An in-store signing at All C's, silent auction and meet & great has been set up for August 25th & 26th with some of comic's most popular creators. So far Mike Mignola, Matt Fraction & Steve Niles have all signed on for Aurora Rise, along with Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics, DC Comics, McFarlane Productions and more - with many other creators & companies donating comics, merchandise, collectables and artwork for the silent auction, including myself. If you'd like to donate to this incredible cause you can contact All C's Collectables at their email [email protected] or visit their facebook page right HERE. All proceeds from the event will go directly to the victims, their families and/or designated charity or foundation. Thanks and have a great weekend everybody, - D ![]() Whatsup everyone! I just wanted to announce a project I'm beyond excited about. In the coming weeks I'll be collaborating on a series of illustrations with a good fellow named Stiles White for the very cool website, SIX-WORD TALES. Stiles, a film & TV screenwriter, began the project a little while back, dubbed SIX-WORD TALES - inspired by the famous boasts of Ernest Hemingway, who stated he could tell a great story in just six words. His example: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." (Cool, right?) Stiles has been obsessed with this micro-method of telling stories and because of this he decided to embark on the project. Now, many tales have been told using this particular format of six words, but Stiles wanted to try something a little different. Something unique. So accompanying each story is a specific illustration in partnership with the text. Some are photographs, some drawings, others are paintings. And over the course of the series he's attracted some of the most talented, credible and skilled artists around; Greg Ruth, Craig Spearing, Mike Manomivibul, Devin Roth, Matt Strackbein, Paul Harmon and that's just to name a few. Over the last couple years Stiles has been extremely busy outside of SWT with screenwriting, penning the scripts with his wife and writing partner Juliet Snowden for films such as "KNOWING" and the upcoming "THE POSSESSION" (in theaters August 31st. Be sure to check it out. It looks AMAZING), so he chose to take a hiatus from the project. The upcoming series between Stiles and myself will mark a return to SIX-WORD TALES and, as you can assume, I'm REALLY looking forward to it. The sketch we have above is for the forthcoming illustration for the first story. There will be a total of 5 stories with 5 separate and unique illustrations, all centering around one larger story. So where are those first six words? Well, we've chosen to hold onto them for now. Don't want to give too much away, ya know. But I will say it just may have something to do with the words "super" and "hero". If you'd like to check out the current lineup of stories you can do so by paying a visit to www.SixWordTales.com. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - D ![]() Whatsup everyone, this is the cover I illustrated for issue #1 of DEADLESS, from the masterful mind of Mr. Matt O'Keefe. For me personally the goal of this cover wasn't just to illustrate a particular scene in the story but to convey a strong sense of contrast. In one of the more apparent ways I wanted to push the contrast of light and dark with regard to rendering the forms; utilizing the brightness of the bristol board with the darkness of the india ink (Dr. Martins Bombay Black if you're curious). Then there's the main character, Joseph Montgomery. Born in the 18th century but still alive because of a deal made with a demon named Azil. He continues to live yet continues to age. An "old" man in every sense of the word. Paired against a character of great significance, a young baby girl. Joseph, who's life is never in danger of ending looking down upon one whose life is very much just that. The peace one may feel from their religion versus the fear released by a violent attack. Even the comfort of a small crib lined in soft cotton against the rough texture a splintering wooden floor. These are a few ideas that were going through my head while designing the cover that I was hoping to communicate. There's a couple more but, well, I'll step down from the podium and see if they'll speak for themselves. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - D ![]() In the mood for some jaw-dropping Friday the 13th knowledge? But of course you are!
Happy Friday the Thirteenth and I'll talk with you on Monday! - D NOTE: My wonderful grandparents Bill and Mary Draper celebrated their 53th anniversary today. Happy Anniversary to them! ![]() Whatsup everyone! If you've been following my blog here you're probably aware of a series I've been working on with my uncle, Michael Draper. The series, based on true events, are short stories recalling the memories of my uncle's childhood. Times of hunting & fishing in a spot on Maryland's Eastern Shore dubbed by he and his brothers as 'The Country'. This story in particular is of the time when, well, I'll let you read it. You can check it out on his site by clicking right HERE. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - D ![]() Whatsup everybody, I don't usually "re-post" a piece on the blog here but I thought this was an interesting exception. Last year I worked on a project called Project Run-a-way - a theatrical performance that through individual monologues told the stories of a handful of slaves, indentured servants, and convict servants. In the stage background was a variety of projected imagery to accentuate their story, and amongst that imagery were a number of illustrations I created of pertinent characters. One of these characters was the gentleman on our left, Captain Edward Dix. Captain of the HMS Menelaus of the British Royal Navy. A man known for his great character, honor and was responsible for the livelihood of one Maryland slave in particular, William 'Rolla' Ross. A little while back something very interesting happened. My world of art-making and imagination was briefly touched by reality when I was contacted by a descendent of Captain Edward Dix. A man by the name of Ross Dix-Peek of Dublin, Ireland. He himself a writer & poet, had written an article on the life of his descendant. Being that the captain lived from 1778-1837 there are no known images of him and in fact when I depicted him I did so based solely upon the personality that came through in the script of Project Run-a-way. Because of this Mr. Dix-Peek merely wondered if he could have permission to use the piece for his article. And which of course, after a pleasant back & forth of emails, I was more than happy to give. Here's an excerpt from the article, "The Life of Captain Edward Dix, Royal Navy (1778-1837)"... What transpired is that only he (Dix) and eight others were to escape a subsequent outbreak of yellow fever, of which imprecation he knew well, and approximately thirty-three of the crew were to succumb, the Arab there-after returning to Spithead whereupon the remaining crew was paid off and the ship placed in ordinary at Woolwich and sold in September 1810. Dix, “worn as he was by incessant fatigue of body and distressing anxiety of mind, was the only officer it spared”. Years after, there were members of the crew who would often declare that it was thanks to the endeavours of Dix and his “active benevolence of character” that they were to survive, and that they were forever indebted to the “humane and tender assistance” of Edward Dix (to whom was also attributed “a strong constitution” and “a cheerful evenness of temper“). Of interest too, and further testament to his character is the fact that the procurement of the comforts and refreshments needed by the ailing crew was done thus through the utility of the young lieutenant’s slender purse which was stretched to the “uttermost”. If you'd like to read the full article you can simply click HERE. I couldn't recommend it more highly. It's a short and wonderfully documented biography of an honorable man - one I'm pleased to have had the opportunity to visually interpret. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - D ![]() Happy July 4th everyone! Here where I live in Maryland it's currently 93 degrees outside with a heat index of a comfortable 96... well, maybe "comfortable" is reaching a bit. Wonder what it's like in Brownsville, Texas. To celebrate this extraordinary and momentous day in the history of our country I thought I'd post a scene from the history of Brownsville, Texas. I've posted a couple thumbnails of this piece in the past as teasers, but today I'd like to unveil the fully inked illustration I've done for the potential graphic novel based on the life of Charles Stillman, a 19th century entrepreneur. This scene in particular is a depiction of the moment Stillman reveals to his wife, Elizabeth, the map of the future town of Brownsville, Texas - which he founded on January 13, 1849. This is but one of the many interesting moments in the life of Stillman, an intriguing and even controversial character in American history. For the events that lead up to the founding of Brownsville were also one of the very reasons for the coming of the Cortina Wars a decade later. And for a little "Interesting Trivia"... Charles Stillman is believed to have named the first three streets in Brownsville after himself, his wife Elizabeth and his father Francis. These Streets are named St. Charles, Elizabeth St. and St. Francis. It is believed the sign making company who made the street signs originally misread the order and mistook 'street' (St.) for 'saint' (which is also St.). Hope you enjoy and Happy 4th of July! - Doug ![]() Whatsup everybody, I thought it may be enjoyable to bring you along on something that's relatively new territory for me, at least as far as what you may be aware that I do. And that's the logo design. This one in particular is for Delmarva Bag Limits, a website devoted to "Helping you make the most of your hunting and fishing adventures". It's actually run by my uncle, Michael Draper, who you may know as the fellow responsible for writing the shorts stories "The Country" which I've been illustrating over the last couple months (BTW, I just may have another one on the way so keep your eyes peeled). Logo designs I've noticed are an entirely different animal with entirely different needs so the direction one must take is a bit different than that of say, a short story illustration. Though at the same time it's extremely enjoyable, especially if you're able to have a close detailed discussion with your client like I had with my uncle. There's a tremendous amount of subtlety in a good design that can open up new parts of one's perspective and skills. This is one of the many reasons I feel fortunate to do what it is that I do - this seemingly unlimited way art can be applied. Look forward to sharing more with you all. In the meantime I hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you on Friday! - D ![]() Whatsup everyone, Just wanted to post the cover I did for the comic entitled DEADLESS. A tale told by the talented and up & coming writer Mr. Matt O'Keefe. Demons, gritty streets and Las Vegas. What's not to love? This piece is in fact for the cover of issue #0, which consists of four short tales revolving around the origins of the characters that make up DEADLESS - each story illustrated by a separate skillful artist. The good part? The complete issue #0 can be read online for FREE. The second good part? You can check out the masterful job my good pal and supreme colorist Jesse Turnbull did on not only coloring the cover (see stage left) but also on all 4 short stories. Just click and enjoy right HERE. And for a brief description... In the early 1700s Joseph Montgomery made a deal with the demon Azil that allowed him to live forever while still causing him to age. Centuries later, regretting his decision, he finds Azil and begs him for a way out. Azil offers one. In exchange for a year of servitude, he will lift the contract. What happens in Vegas, well, doesn't always stay in Vegas. Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend! - D ![]() Here's my illustration for the second installment of The Country series - an ongoing series of short stories written by and based on the real-life experiences of my uncle, Michael Draper, as he, my dad and my uncle Neil hunted, fished and everything in between in the place near and dear to all their hearts. A place nicknamed "The Country". If you'd like to read this story, entitled "The Country: Black Cherry" you can find it HERE and if you missed the 1st installment you can simply click HERE. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon, - D ![]() Happy Friday everyone! Just wanted to post a couple photos of this joyful undead gentleman. This is actually my very FIRST zombie drawing.. Ever!.. that my memory recalls of at least. I started this just for fun at the previous month's 3rd Friday event after a friend of mine brought up The Walking Dead. Then it struck me that I'd never tried my hand at a zombie. So here's a quick progress shot of this fellow in the early stages. I actually did this with straight pens, makers & paint markers. No pencils in sight. ![]() This gives it a sketchy loose appearance that I enjoy and have been doing much of lately. It makes the process very intuitive and reactive with the white paint markers allowing it to feel almost like painting, which I'm a big fan of. I actually finished this drawing up at the Eastern Shore FAN CON the following week where my extremely friendly convention neighbor, and Zombie Prom coordinator, Sherry Billings bought it. Thanks again Sherry, hope you dig it! And if you're curious about the Harford County Zombie Prom you can visit them online right HERE. Thanks too to Michael Perry for the great photos. Much appreciated man. If you'd like to see more of Mike's work check out his excellent website at www.lensface.com. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - Doug ![]() Hey Whatsup everyone, Here are a couple new illustrations I did for the award-winning LA based production company, Plastic Palm Tree. These are concept pieces used in the creation of the advertising pitch for Spike TV's new show, Big Easy Justice, which just aired last month. If you're not yet in the know on Big Easy Justice, it's a reality-based show about a bounty-hunter taking down the "bounty-hunted" in New Orleans. I haven't seen the show myself but it looks like a lot of good tattooed cajun fun (in fact the guy's name is actually Tat-2). You can check out more on Spike's website right HERE. ![]() There are two other pieces in the series as well that I'll share over the next couple days, so keep your eyes peeled for those fellows. If you'd like to see the completed Big Easy Justice ad designs by Plastic Palm Tree, as well as more of their impressive portfolio, you can do so on their website right HERE (just click on "TV"). Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - Doug ![]() If anybody knows my dad's side of the family you'll know that they're all big outdoorsman. It doesn't take long to figure it out either, as at least one of them will be wearing some kind of camouflage or talking about hunting or fishing. At any given moment on any given day this is a guarantee. And if you ask either my dad or his two brothers, Neil and Mike, what they're fondest memories of childhood are they'd all tell you the same thing - going down to "The Country". This is the nickname given to the family farmhouse where my grandmother was raised. It sits on a small amount of land on the outskirts of the town of Cambridge, MD, out on the swampy flatlands where the smell of marsh never leaves the air. This is where they'd all go together with they're dad (my grandfather) and hunt, fish and anything else they could get themselves into. Now myself, I'm not a hunter. The pencil and the paper is where I've always gravitated. But you can easily see the positive affects this place has left on the Draper brothers. You can see it in their eyes and hear it in the tone of their voice as they perk up with excitement whenever the topic comes up. This is one of the reasons I'm happy to be part of an ongoing series of short stories written by my uncle, Michael Draper, as he briefly recalls the memories of his own childhood experiences with my uncle Neil, my grandfather, my dad and all the other characters who were fortunate enough to spend time in "The County". I'll be doing an illustration for each story in the series, which will then be published alongside the story on my uncle's website. Above is the piece I came up with for the first installment, entitled "A Ride to The Country". If you'd like to read the story itself you can click right HERE. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon, - D ![]() How's it going everybody, I was talking with writer and pal, Gary Raisor recently and he mentioned he was going to the second largest convention in the country this year, which is of course Dragon Con in Atlanta. Gary was promoting quite a many project there: books, comics and even a short film of a short story of his. One of the many entree's on Gary's dinner plate is a story called Less Than Human. He's currently in the midst of putting together a film script and graphic novel adaptation of LTH and wanted to know if I was curious about contributing a concept sketch of main character Steven Adler. I've read both Gary's original novel of LTH as well as his film script of it and one of the many things that stands out are his characters. Deeply crafted, real and very often funny as hell. Steven in particular. In a sinister manner of course, being that he's the "bad guy". So of course I worked up a drawing as fast as my hands would allow and the results rests right here. Now, I've done sketches of Mr. Adler in the past but this time I wanted to really visually express his personality, while also touching on those mysterious aspects of his character. A funny guy? Yeah. A nice guy? Well, no. Working on this drawing was, as is the case with all of Gary's characters, extremely engaging and I had a good time with it. (Word has it Gary even had the chance to show it to Lance Henriksen while at the show. And, well, that's just plain cool). Anyways, hope you guys dig it and I'll talk with you soon. - D |
Categories
All
Archives
February 2025
© 2025 Douglas E. Draper Jr.
|