Aaron McConnell

Lazy Bloggin’

Aaron McConnell — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:02:17 +0000

I’m in Studio Lock Down to crank out a short comic that I’m very excited to be drawing, but more on that later. In the meantime, I’ll just direct you to this extensive article on Forbes.com about 13th Age. ”Say what?!” Don’t believe me…just check it out for yourself…Check Yo’self. They do not condone Lazy Bloggin’ at Forbes.com. (Their standards are slightly higher than mine, evidently\:-P)

Pixies No 13 Baby

Aaron McConnell — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:52:57 +0000

Rob Heinsoo keeps releasing thumbnails for drawings I have yet to finish for 13 True Ways. Makes me nervous, but since it’s already adrift on the internet waves I’m owning it here. Read more about the Murder Pixies at Rob’s blog.

I’m in a state… Pixies No 13 Baby on Youtube

Marvel Comics and Me

Aaron McConnell — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:08:49 +0000

Some of my blog readers may know that my dad, Dan McConnell, inked Marvel Comics in the 90s, including X-Men #1 (thepizzahutedition). I worked on a few Marvel issues a couple years ago as an assistant (either assisting with background pencils or background inks), but never credited. However, this time assisting Karl Kesel on background inks for Fearless Defenders #4AU I will receive my first credit in a Marvel comic for some of my inking, further establishing me as a “chip off the old block.” I was hoping to get a glimpse of what the colorist did with the inks and today I was rewarded with this Preview on CBR. I had a hand in only two of the preview pages there, the rest of the credit goes to the extraordinary talents of Karl Kesel and the colorist, who appears to be unlisted in the preview. Phil Jimenez, the penciler, had something to do with it, too, and of course the writer Cullen Bunn. Anyway, check out that preview and I’ll proceed to curb my enthusiasm for being a small part of the corporate machine.

“Shaking off the stink” at Stumptown!

Aaron McConnell — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:24:28 +0000

“Shaking off the stink” is the phrase that comic artist Leland Purvis used to describe what it’s like for illustrators to leave the confines of their studios to interact with the public. I’ll continue to do that today with the help of my son Acme on Day Two of the Stumptown Comic Fest. Today Acme will be running our table by himself for a while, and he’ll be selling some of his prints, cards with original art, and a sketchbook that he and I collaborated on. If you happen to be reading this Sunday morning, come by Table M03 and help socialize my son…and if I’m there, Lord knows I could use a little socialization myself;-) Here’s the cover of our sketchbook (also available as a print):

And here’s the original sketch:

Process: 13 True Ways

Aaron McConnell — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:09:38 +0000

I met with Rob Heinsoo and Lee Moyer the other night. After enjoying a bowl of Lee’s chicken hominy soup we went through the “Art Order’ for 13 True Ways to see where we stand in the process. There’s a lot of artwork in this book, but a good amount of progress has been made and I will continue illustrating finished pieces this upcoming month. This weekend at Stumptown Comic Fest I’ll bring prints from the first book including many of the Icons and some interior illustrations of gnomes, elves and other high fantasy adventurers. Here’s an illustration that will be included in 13 True Ways:

And the thumbnail sketch:

Announcing!…

Aaron McConnell — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:50:47 +0000

…A New Website! But before I give you the link, I’m going to build up a little anticipation with the following process art from The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation. This is how the magic happens;)

Now that I’ve revealed all my secrets, please go to graphicgettysburg.com to learn about the graphic novel with videos, visual annotations, essays, recommended reading and more!

Curious Concepts

Aaron McConnell — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:21:23 +0000

I’m going to test the limits of my blog this week (but hopefully not the patience of my blog readers:p) in preparation for the upcoming Stumptown Comics Fest April 27-28, Sat-Sunday. I spent a good part of yesterday rifling through old drawings to put together a little collaborative sketch comic with my son. Layout is taking longer than I expected and I’m pruning out some stuff, but leftovers may as well end up here. This is a random page from a 2012 sketchbook. I think the pen was doing the thinking…

I got a blog…

Aaron McConnell — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:23:21 +0000

…and I nearly forgot. I’ve been wrapped up in a lot of scribbling lately, and eventually the results will show up here (and in print!), but for now I offer a random sketchbook page. Head studies. Some of these were drawn from photos (can you spot a celebrity or two?) and others were drawn from comic panels by Hugo Pratt, and still others appeared from the mind’s eye. My studio practice compressed in a page.

“But where’s the life drawing?!” you ask. Alright, it’s embarrassing, but here’s a self portrait drawn on the Odopod sketch site:

Now I feel naked.

Ronin Revolver Character Designs

Aaron McConnell — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:54:41 +0000

I took my time finishing these, but I finally completed this set of character designs for S.A. William’s Ronin Revolver, a samurai/wild west mash-up story currently in development.

Aaron McConnell — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:38:29 +0000

Just a quick post to say I’m backing a kickstarter project that ends today. P. Craig Russell has significantly influenced the way I think about comics and I look forward to learning more about his work through this DVD series. Take a look!