A sketch for my studiomate David Hahn. He’s got a new comic coming out and you can download the entire first issue for FREE at his website.
He’ll love you for it! He’ll also love you if you tell him that his work is “amazing” and if you call him “Bro.” (First sentence true, second notsomuch.)
By the way, Periscope Sketch Challenge is “Pirates” this week. Two birds one stone! Ain’t I proud?
…of body.
My wife saw this over my shoulder as I was coloring it and it wasn’t clear to her that the figure above is the same as the man, Dr. Strange, in the trance. I think I may have failed in that regard. While an out of body experience can be disorienting I didn’t intend for the depiction to be. I think I should have used the candle smoke in a way that suggested a more dynamic change in the mental state of the character. Plus I should probably try to experience a trance first hand. See you in the outer realms…
No Periscope Sketch Challenge drawing from me this week, I’m afraid. I used up all my spare time doing background work for Ron Randall to fatten the wallet. Ron has kept me employed over the past few years assisting him on many titles including Outsiders, Batman/Superman, Action Comics, Anne Steelyard, to name a few. He’s a skilled illustrator who has helped me gain valuable experience drawing mainstream titles. Not familiar with Ron Randall? Check out his website!
So, the issue we were working on was Outsiders #40. Here’s a panel with some sweet rides! (You’ll have to buy the book to see Ron’s drawings of Batman on this page…and don’t worry, my vehicle titles won’t be included.)
I’m not sure when this will hit the stands, but keep your eyes peeled for some exciting comic book action! We deliver some thrills and spills in this one, let me tell ya;)
Here’s another late sketch for the Periscope Sketch challenge. See the others here: Periscope Tumblr . I haven’t seen the movie yet, but everything I’ve heard points to a good time at the theater.
Below are the grey wash drawings sans color. 11″x17″ on bristol.
First Thursday in Portland tonight. Hope you can make it! And I hope I can make it! Don’t worry, I’ll brush my teeth.
Arriving late with my Fashion Disaster for the Periscope Sketch Challenge. I would have liked to color this, but that’s not going to happen. Try to imagine Lynn Varley colors on this;) I’m sure the comic readers out there recognize the Dark Knight Returns reference here. Batman in the pose of the cover to Book 3 and the Batarang in Joker’s eye, but the more obscure reference is from one of my all time favorite comics from childhood, Batman Vs. The Hulk written by Len Wein, penciled by Jose Garcia Lopez and inked by the late Dick Giordano. Here’s the scan from the page where Joker has the power to make all of his own wildest dreams come true. 
I just wanted to see what it might have looked like if Miller included it in The Dark Knight Returns. Batman does not look happy to be initiated into the Insane Clown Posse, does he?
Can you tell what I’ve been poring over these days? You are correct! “Torpedo” it is. I had to get this out of my system. Apologies to Jordi Bernet and fans the world over. No apologies to Wonder Woman fans, though. Let’s get Bernet drawing that title!
Hey Look! It’s licensed characters! How familiar are you with the DOOM Patrol? I knew of them and liked the character designs, but hadn’t really read many DP comics. I thought I’d start at the beginning by checking out a DC archive book. I retrieved volume 4 from the library and really got a kick out of it. These are zany, wacky comics. Good stuff, very imaginative, unique characters and situations. And to boot, the drawings by Bruno Premiani are delightful. I’m happy someone picked this as a Periscope sketch challenge, and I hope my studiomates get a chance to contribute drawings despite Stumptown Comics Fest preparations for this coming weekend. There is sting with this theme, though, and that is the unfortunate news that the current run on Doom Patrol has been cancelled. Ron Randall was having a good time doing some of the art over the past few months and he was sad to see it go.
I need to site an inspiring reference for two of the poses in this drawing. I received a wonderful postcard of Bruce Lee and a young apprentice from my sister last week. As you can see I blatantly swiped it. Who wouldn’t?
**EDIT: Here’s the link to the posting on eBay Original Art on eBay**
Periscope Studio will be posting original artwork on its eBay site next week. The work that will be auctioned is going up this week on the Periscope Tumblr. All proceeds from the eBay sales will go to the Japan Relief Effort.
My piece is inspired by a short story from the book After the Quake by Haruki Murakami. The stories were written after the disastrous 1995 earthquake in Kobe. Murakami is best know in the states for” The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: Norwegian Wood” and I highly recommend his work. Murakami’s stories have a touch of the absurd, and I’m not sure if “surreal fiction” is an accurate category, but he is extremely readable and the stories are powerful in a way that creeps up on you. All the stories in “After the Quake” are in the service of healing. My drawing is based on the story “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo” and, like all his work, it has descriptive passages that evoke strong visuals. I chose a spoiler-free image that I hope entices you to read the story. I tried to sketch a scene from the end of the story, but I couldn’t succeed in capturing the feeling that the prose gives me. I suppose my failure may be a testament to the power of imagination, which is a key element in this story.
Aaron McConnell 