 Whatsup everyone!
Here's another panel from the opening scene of the comic DEADLESS, as Joseph Montgomery decides to make his confession a little more intimate. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon, - D
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 Whatsup everybody!
This is a panel done for a series of prospective pages from the comic DEADLESS, written by Matt O'Keefe. The story opens with an honest priest doing his solemn duty within the small confines of a confessional. Though unfortunately the subject of this confession is that of one Joseph Montgomery, the 300 year old man who continues to age, yet cannot die. Their conversation? The faustian pact between Mr. Montgomery and that of a devil by the name of Azil. So desperate to move on from his ill-fated immortality that he's now charged with the obedience of his captor's every whim. Which in this case pertains to the existence of this particular church and this particular priest. "He offered me the chance to live forever, and I took it. Who wouldn't? But the cost, Father, the cost..." Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon, - D  Here are a few more designs of Bo, a character for an upcoming comic strip I'll be illustrating. I will say the story is based on actual events with characters created around real people. So it'll be as funny as, well, you might assume it to be.
Have a great weekend & I'll talk with you next week! -D  Here's a few character designs I've been working on for an upcoming comic strip. This entertaining fellow goes by the handle of Bo.
I'll keep you posted on further developments, but the meantime I'll let you in on a small secret - those may not be his real teeth. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - D  Whatsup everybody, here's another panel from the proposed comic, HARD RAIN.
This shot here is a tasty mix of 1/4 high-speed chase, 3 quarters spitting gunfire, a pair of blown Goodyears and a sharp jerk of the wheel. Drop in a handful of cherry demons, shake well and serve chilled. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon, - D  Whatsup everyone,
This is a panel for the proposed comic, HARD RAIN, from Mr. Matt O'Keefe (writer/creator of Deadless). Now, with this comic I did something a little unusual from most comics artists. And that's that I illustrated each panel individually on it's own separate piece of paper, as opposed to drawing the entire comics page on one sheet. After drawing & inking all the panels for the page I then scan them, import them into photoshop and piece them all together in the lovely sequential format we call "comics". This panel here, a chase scene of a very dangerous group of rebellious demons, is in reality about 17 x 11 inches - roughly the same size as the average original artwork for a comics page. 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, today we have a special THURSDAY post. Over the last few weeks I've been keeping a regular schedule of Monday, Wednesday & Friday and plan to do so well into the future (so please feel free to keep stopping by. It's most appreciated).
However, today deserves some attention. Why? Well, today the final page of LAST CARESS as been posted on Split Lip Comics website! That's right, it's all up there. 1 through 24. So if you've been patiently waiting to check out the comic from day one onto it's conclusion... Now. Is. Your. Time. Just click HERE and you can read all 24 pages of Last Caress beginning to end. For those who have been following the comic I just want to say thanks. As you may know after 6 years of continuous tales of horror, Last Caress is the final comic from Split Lip - making today the final page to be posted. It was a big decision for Sam but don't fret, he's currently hard at work on a new tale (told of course in the comics medium) so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for it. It's guaranteed to leave you with more than a few chills up your spine. As for me, it was an absolute pleasure to work with Sam and I'm honored to have been a part of the Split Lip family. 6 years, 37 stories and 550 plus pages of comics is a hell of an accomplishment. Congrats on a job well done, sir. All the best and I can't wait to check out what's brewing next. - 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 everyone! Earlier this week I was excited to find out that Moonstone Books has reprinted the short comic I illustrated for The Phantom: Double Shot - KGB Noir. Not only has it been reprinted but it's now currently collected in a mighty 432 page mammoth of a tome consisting of every story featuring it's main character, Captain Action. In case you may not know, like Transformers, Capt. Action was a toy icon (though in this case from back in the swinging 60's) that went on to become a cult comic book character.  The omnibus, titled Captain Action: Total Action "The Complete Adventures" can be checked out by visiting Moonstone's official website at www.moonstonebooks.com.
It can also be found in, or ordered by, anywhere that sells comics including your local Books-a-Million, Barnes & Noble and so on. But of course one always wants to support their local comic shop so I'd head over there first & foremost. They'll be happy to hook you up. If you'd like to see a few pages from the comic you can click right HERE or if you prefer you can do a little spelunking through the 'Sequential Art' section of my site. Lastly, a big high five to my pal Brennan for the headsup and the very cool pic. Much thanks bud! Have a great weekend everyone and I'll talk with you on Monday, - D  Whatsup peoples! Just wanted to pass along a tidbit of tasty information... LAST CARESS, the newest comic from horror author Sam Costello and yours-truly, is available right NOW... RIGHT HERE! Yes, you heard correctly, it's right HERE for the viewing - that is, the first 16 pages. Split Lip Comics has been publishing one page online every Tuesday & Thursday and they're now 2/3 of the way there with yet another page coming, you guessed it, tomorrow! I wanted to wait until there were a sizable number of pages to be read before announcing - that way you can sink you're teeth in just before being teased to wait until another Tuesday or Thursday. Yeah, I'm that kinda guy.  BUT for a brief description of LT... Last Caress is the tale of Sybil, a woman in her late 40's running a modeling agency in Manhattan. A woman not terribly pleased with life and one hard-pressed to wear a smile. Though that's not the only thing unusual about Sybil. She see's things a little differently. She see's people differently. In an industry that's hellbent on the next young thing through he door Sybil's view of the world has skewed around her towards the furtherest degree... "Everything looks... desiccated, ancient". That is, until she see's Sun Yoo.  I have to say this as been an incredibly fun comic to illustrate. If you're familiar with my previous comics you'll probably see I took a different approach towards the art. Utilizing some old friends of mine - the pen and the marker. This is the first time I've taken this approach to a comic and I think Last Caress was the perfect fit for it. Trying to punctuate certain aspects of the story using a graphic, high contrast look with a gritty, loose feel. Much fun for myself and I think you'll enjoy it as well. For Mr. Sam Costello Last Caress was inspired by the song of the same name by the Misfits - and one verse in particular really triggered Sam's mind to begin turning and churning out this rather wicked tale. Which verse? Anymore than that I can't tell you. You'll just have to discover it yourself!  And for those of you eager and maybe even slightly impatience folks (it's okay, you can be honest. We're all friends here) Last Caress in it's entirety is available for purchase in Split Lip's 4th volume, "SPLIT LIP: LAST CARESS and OTHER STORIES"!
Just visit the STORE section of their site, or simply click HERE, and you can pick up not only Last Caress but a slew of other stories from the mind of Mr. Sam Costello. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon! - 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  Whatsup everyone,
here's another sneak peek at LAST CARESS, Sam Costello's and my newest horrifying effort. This time we have a 3 panel shot of Sybil taking on chicken sectioning duties. Always a fun job - if you like getting your hands dirty, that is. However, remember to wash. Nothing's more horrifying... than salmonella. Hope you enjoy, - D  Whatsup everyone,
Just wanted to post a quick panel from LAST CARESS, the upcoming comic collaboration from horror-master Sam Costello of SPLIT LIP COMICS and yours-truly, taking on the duties of the visual. I'm immensely excited about this and can't wait for it to come out, which is just right around the corner. I'll keep you posted on an exact date and any of the "noteworthy" details. Hope you enjoy and I'll talk with you soon, - Doug  Whatsup everybody, Happy Alla Hjärtans Dag. Or, for you non-Swedish English-speaking ladies and gentlemen Happy "All Hearts' Day". Enjoy the chocolates, - D  Whatsup ladies & gents, here we have the final stage of the ADRIFT concept piece...
As you may already be able to tell this is created using that weird substance known as "paint". It's been quite a little while since I broke open the acrylics and gave them some attention so I thought this would be an opportune time to do just that. I love working in color and I love working with paint, despite believing they're two of the most difficult areas of art-making, but from start to finish I had nothing but fun on this. There's a curious quality to paint that allows it to just give a work life, especially if you've been on a black & white binge-fest. So starting off I tried to keep the process as simple as possible - with laying the ground down, using simplified versions of the color scheme, and then as things progressed narrowing in on the details, the light laying on the various surfaces, the shadows that light casts, and any reflected light bouncing around. Mix that together and this is what I came up with. Hope you've all enjoyed this sneak-peak at my creative process and I'll talk with you soon. - D  In this stage (part deux) the goal is to clarify the original sketch. This is done in a few ways. One is by cleaning up the line work and identifying where the light lands on each particular subject, as well as where the shadows fall. Another area I bridge into is reference photos. Not knowing precisely what the walls of a canyon look like or what the design of a 1950's house boat is I span the all powerful google, or any other resource, for answers.
I've also decided to move the composition up an inch or two to allow for room for the text that's to be included later on - an extremely important part of illustration (one I've learned the hard way a couple of times) As you can see too I've left out the shading from the previous sketch. The reason for this is that the "drawing" stage is meant to support the stage that follows. By leaving the shading absent I find it easier to reproduce this stage into the next. And it also allows for a sense of improvisation, which is incredibly important for keeping the image feeling fresh with vitality and life. Always a consistent goal. Hope you enjoy and I'll back on Monday with the completed illustration, - D  Over the next few days I've decided to post the process of a concept piece I did for the ADRIFT folks. They wanted an image that summed up the mood & feel of the story and I was of course happy to oblige. And starting off this series of images we first begin with the "sketch" phase.
For this project it's all about communication. Which goes for both the illustration itself and with those I'm collaborating with. So, I do my best to keep those doors between the director/writer and myself as wide open as possible. And for me this always starts with notes. I do a lot writing before the sketch gets to paper because I want to retain as much detail as I can get from the image in my mind - and writing is the quickest way to get it out there. You can check out my notes based on Will & my conversation right HERE. Then from there I move towards communicating those notes through quick pencil sketches - like the one we have here. Hope you enjoy and I'll have part deux for you tomorrow, -D |
