Uncategorized

I Say “YES!” to Brand ECCC!

| Aaron McConnell

What a great time I had at Emerald City Comic Con this year.  It had been 4 years since I tabled at this or any Comic Con and I admit I was hesitant.  Turns out I should have been embracing it with open arms because it was a profound and positive experience.  I’m not going to name drop like crazy here, but I will say that it was great being a part of the Periscope Studio island of tables.  I sat between two of the finest Super Friends a fellow could hope for, Dennis Culver and Dustin Weaver and I had the distinct pleasure of rooming with a superb Spanish comic artist whom I knew only through email, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque.  My Dad joined me at the Con on Friday and Saturday (and took me out to his favorite restaurant in Seattle, Cedars) and I was able to experience the Con beyond my table vicariously through him.  I wanted to stay at my table as much as I could because the people who stopped by to browse, chat and occasionally support me with a purchase were really wonderful.  Thanks to everyone who came by, and hopefully you’ve found your way to my blog so you can  receive my appreciation in this form.  Let me tell you…I had such a great time that next year I’m going to announce that I’ll be there before the event, not after like I’m doing now.  Yes, that’s unfortunate, but that’s the only thing that was unfortunate about the entire weekend.  Thank you, Con Goers and Dear Readers!

Ciarán Hinds

| Aaron McConnell

Just a sketch of a guy with an interesting face.  The latest thing I’ve seen him in was “The Debt.”  And according to IMDb he’s in the John Carter movie.  There’s some information for you as I attempt to make this blog “informative” and “current.”

Dickenses

| Aaron McConnell

“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.”  – Charles Dickens

Below is the Black&White version with the values bleached out.  I like altering my drawings with the Photoshop threshold tool.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but I think I this is an interesting result.

 

(Just to be clear, there were more Dickens children, but I tried to approximate how many were born when Charles and Catherine were around the age they appear here.  I doubt it’s accurate, but “artistic license” and so forth.)

Starting Fresh

| Aaron McConnell

Nothing like uprooting everything you own and moving it to a new location to get your mind in the Clean Slate state of mind.  And when you haven’t been very active in the studio for about a month, you may feel like you’ve lost all your momentum and you’re back to Square One, or as this photo suggests Age 3.  But it could be argued that some child-like creativity would freshen up my stale adult drawings.  “Right Pablo?”  “That’s right, Aaron, remember that all children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”  “Thanks, Pablo.”

In the spirit of that Picasso sentiment, here’s a drawing my oldest son did when he was around 5, I think, and below is my “interpretation.”  I would certainly interpret it differently these days…I was really into Bonnie Prince Billy at the time;)  For one thing I would take advantage of that dust cloud around the musical prince’s feet.  He must be tapping up a storm, or as the kidz call it, “Peanuts Freestylin!”

Want more ACME art?  Check out his blog (and leave a comment encouraging him to add more posts!): ACME’s blog

By Crom! More Conan?!

| Aaron McConnell

Weeks between blog posts, and I’m posting another Conan drawing.  That seems odd, doesn’t it?  Well, here’s the story:  I was poking around online when I did my first sketch of the Cimmerian (previous post) and discovered the new Conan comic by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan, an adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s Queen of the Black Coast.  Furthermore , I found a contest that Dark Horse was hosting to promote the comic series.  I listened to an audio dramatization of Queen of the Black Coast and did a little doodling, and thought I might enter the contest if I found the time.  Cut to a day or two before the contest deadline and I decided to develop my sketch.  So now my drawing is in the running and part of an album on facebook that may contain the highest level of testosterone than any other collection of images found on the internet.  Hard to believe, isn’t it?  Have a look for yourself: Conan Fan Art Facebook Album

Here’s my color piece.  I wanted to capture the feel of Becky Cloonan’s art for the series, but I’m such a John Buscema fan, I tried to pay tribute to his Conan, as well.

And if you’re interested, here’s the ink and pencil drawing.  This was drawn to the edges of a 14×17″ piece of paper and I ended up narrowing it slightly for the cover version.

Blood Temp Rising…

| Aaron McConnell

The Cimmerian senses trouble.  2011 may be skeletal remains in the dust, but beware the ghosts!  Yes, I’m starting the New Year with cliched metaphors….no where to go but up!

Editor’s Note:  Conan was smaller in the original version of this sketch, but my Dad, a reader of Conan books and a comic artist himself, thought he should be bigger and made the revision in Photoshop.  I agree entirely!  Thanks, Dad!

 

Redrawing 2011

| Aaron McConnell

I’ve never cared for the term “Sketch Dump” which may be why I’ve never done one on this blog, but I wanted to wrap up this year with a look back at some of my sketches, and with the hope that a little reflection will help me set sail on a productive drawing year.  I have no idea how my work is perceived by others, but to me it sometimes feels like I’ve got different drawing brains that kick into gear depending on the subject.  I’m hoping to get a little more focused in the coming year.  We’ll see… I know it’s important to step out of your comfort zone to keep developing, too.  I went for some variety here, so I hope you find something that strikes your fancy.  Happy New Year!

 

Time to start wrapping…

| Aaron McConnell

Dear Reader,  This sketch is for you.  I hope you like Batman, or Poison Ivy, or Christmas colors.  This year I entered the blogosphere with some trepidation, but found it to be a very rewarding and liberating experience.  I can honestly say that doing the weekly (well, nearly weekly) sketches revitalized my personal drive to create art outside of work assignments.  I hope to be ratcheting that drive up another level in the new year with some original material, but I’ll address that when it becomes more of a reality.  In the meantime, please accept my gratitude for following my blog.  You are definitely part of a very small group (this blog is flying way below the radar), but I can tell that it’s a relatively consistent group based on my site stats and I genuinely appreciate your willingness to check in on my efforts.  So, thank you, enjoy the holidays and I will be here again in 2012 (if I don’t pop in again before the year is out).

Xtreme Xmas: the Penultimate Challenge

| Aaron McConnell

For me, Christmas can, at times, feel like an extreme sport.  I did this sketch a little while ago for a kids’ soccer team, The Blue Ice Dynamites!  It seems appropriate now, what with all the snow and ice (not that we have any here in Portland, OR).  In the midst of Christmas preparations and two boys revved up with anticipate for the big day I need to keep my eye on the ball if I want to stay in the game.