Author: Aaron McConnell

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

| Aaron McConnell

Shirking responsiblities last night at the movie house led to shirking the morning away with some fan art for Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  I’ve wanted to see it since it opened and good reviews had my expectations peaked, but I was not prepared for the emotional tour de force that was in store.  Go apes go!  Conquer!  (Wait, something seems to be wrong with this line of thinking…?)

Anyway, on an unrelated note, here’s my contribution to Occupy Wall Street:

The Mentor

| Aaron McConnell

Introducing Michael the Mentor, another character in the S.A. Williams’ Ronin Revolver project, currently on Kickstarter.  Learn more about the character and the story at Ronin Revolver Kickstarter.

And more bonus material tracing the development of the character illustration:  The first sketches of Michael and a thumbnail color sketch.

Ronin Revolver on Kickstarter

| Aaron McConnell

I’ve been working with writer S.A. Williams  designing characters for his comic book series Ronin Revolver.  Williams is currently raising funds on Kickstarter to hire an illustrator(s) to draw the stories.  I invite you to check out the site and consider making a donation to the cause.  Illustrators are often expected to draw pitches for low rates (and sometimes no rates!) and Kickstarter combats that less professional business practice by seeking an audience willing to invest in a project and provide the resources for artists to create their work.  One immediate incentive for investing in Ronin Revolver is the acquisition of a print of one of my character drawings starting at the $7 pledge and 2 prints starting at the $20 pledge price.  Here’s the character design for Ephram Tanner, the main character of Ronin Revolver. Learn more about the character and the story at Ronin Revolver Kickstarter.

*Bonus material*: Here are my early sketches of Ephram and a preliminary thumbnail (4×6″) for the finished color piece above.

Case’s Creature

| Aaron McConnell

As promised (*see previous post), a drawing of Jonathan Case’s Dear Creature.  Preorder the graphic novel from Jonathan here, and if you’re in Portland on October 14th attend the book release party, details here.

Watercolor and gouache on paper with some Photoshop manipulation.  Original size 7×11″.

The [Dear] Creature Emerges…

| Aaron McConnell

Periscope Studio is sketching to the tune of Jonathan Case’s Dear Creature this week.  Want to know more about Dear Creature?  Want to preorder a signed copy of the graphic novel from Jonathan?  Go here!

I met Jonathan Case back in 2006 when I first moved to Portland and attended the Stumptown Comic Fest for the first time. I bought the mini he was selling, which was the first handful of Dear Creature pages (known at the time as Sea Freak), and I’ve watched him develop it with assured persistence over the years at Periscope. His drawing/storytelling skills and his confidence in his work are an inspiration to me. I think people will be blown away when they discover this book.

Here are some preliminary sketches for the piece I’m working on. Tune in tomorrow to see the finished art.

Check the Periscope Tumblr for interpretations of Jonathan’s Dear Creature.

Trekker in the 21st Century

| Aaron McConnell

Ron Randall’s Trekker is the theme of the Periscope Sketch Challenge this week.  I’ve been behind pretty much all month and I haven’t had time to make blog posts, but I had to make time for this sketch.  We’re promoting Ron’s revival of his creator-owned series Trekker, now available in weekly installments at http://trekkercomic.com .

For now here’s my tribute to Trekker, let’s call it Trekker in the Sky with Diamond…knee pads.