Silencio

Sometimes I work in front of the television, on the couch, and if I have a movie on and there are interesting-looking characters on the screen I sketch on the back of my page. Last night I finally got around to watching Mulholland Drive.
Hopefully, Superman won't object...

(click for a larger version)

I... live...

Yep, I'm still kicking, I've just been very, very busy.

I get monomaniacal when I'm deadline crunching, and things like shaving, emptying the trash, and you know, updating the site kind of fall by the wayside during these times.

So since tonight I happen to have 20 minutes to catch my breath, and you've all been so good and patient, I thought I'd show you what I've been up to. I've added a whopping 10 new pieces to my gallery, all in the Covers and Comics sections.

These include: Some selections from my first Voltron backup story, which just squeaked in before the book got canceled; my recent run of Infantry covers; the cover and first two pages of the Vampirella Vs. Witchblade one-shot that I'm currently hard at work on; and finally, cover art from the forthcoming Vengeance of the Mummy, seen above.

Track of the day: Pick up the Phone - The Notwist

Thighs Wide Shut

I mentioned in a previous post that I had to redraw a page (two pages, actually) from Outsiders #20 because they were deemed too controversial for print! Well, the issue has finally hit the stands, so there's no longer any reason to keep these pages hidden from my three faithful readers!
I've decided to include the description from Judd Winick's script, so you can see how it all went down. Personally, I think I still prefer the original spread in terms of the quality of the drawing. The figures are more interesting and because it's a full body shot, there's a better sense of location as I could show more of the ship's interior. But in contrast, it does come off a bit harsh.
Also, I think the redrawn version, which I was asked to do as more of a close-up so as to avoid any suggestive poses, compromises the actual storytelling. It's not apparent at first glance that it's a sex scene, and the whole point of doing this shot as a double page spread was to hit the reader with an eyeful of weird, alien sex.
This just looks weird and alien. And in my opinion, it's a waste of a page because it could have been done in one.

Page 2 & 3 A double page spread of Indy and Shift having "sex" on the floor of the Pequod. Now, let's talk about what this should look like... Indy is nude and on her back. But naughty bits are totally covered by Shift. Shift, whose head and shoulders and maybe one arm we can make out, is wrapped all around Indy. It's not exactly a BLOB, but it's a bit of a twisted mass. And in the mass, there's rock, leaves, froth, all manner of elements and COLORS. Indy looks surprised. Shift looks calm.

Shift
Hey guys... you ever hear of knocking?

Title
BACK TO NORMAL

Credits...

And now that you've got something brewing in your mind's eye, check out:

Sex Scene (First Attempt)

and

Sex Scene (Final)

Too racy? Not suitabe for children? Artistic oppression? You decide!

The Dragonfly

[click to enlarge]

I had it in my mind to do a story about a dragonfly a few months back. This is one of the concept sketches, which I coloured today.

That old man's mad

Rop-Top! Take No Gop!!!

Inspired by Marc Bell's brilliant Rop-Top strip, Matt and I spent a delirious hour or so producing some 3 AM fan art. A mini-illustration jam of sorts; however, neither of us was allowed to see the other's Rop-progress until the full image was complete. Also, since we can't agree, we're curious to know which piece of fan-art you think is better... that is, which one POPs the other's CHOP!

So, without further ado, feel the searing anger of... ROP-TOP!!!

And remember, kids. Take NO GOP!!