Sons of Anarchy

A recent commission for a guy's wife for Christmas.  I never watch the show, but she's a big fan.  Obviously, heavy photo ref on this one.

Grendel

More artwork for the Ten Ton Sketch Challenge.  This time it's Grendel, created by Matt Wagner who I've actually had the pleasure of meeting.  Fun design and great premise.  Hopefully I will get to do more reading of this character when time allows because I was intrigued by what I found when researching for the sketch.

Graphite on 9x12 2-ply Bienfang smooth Bristol.

Street Sharks

Apparently, there was a cartoon on in the 90's that was a lot like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but with sharks.  Yeah, Street Sharks.  Anyhow, this is the character selected by last week's winner of the Ten Ton sketch challenge so we all have to draw them this week.  I did a quickie this week since I'm working on a paying job at the moment and I wasn't too jazzed about the subject.  I'm sure they could be drawn cool, but not by me, not today.  2B & HB graphite on extra white copy paper

Hogarth Studies

In my continued effort to educate myself in the workings of anatomy, I bust out my faithful Dynamic Anatomy book by Burne Hogarth.  I've read it before and looked at it frequently, but never really did studies from it.  Here are two sketches based on his drawings in the book.  Helpful, but not quite as much as I'd hoped.  Still, I plan to do more from his book and many others in my collection.

Done with HB graphite on typing bond paper.

Aquaman

I don't think I've ever drawn Aquaman before.  This one is also for the Ten Ton Studios sketch challenge.  Done 11x17 with HB and 2B graphite.

As you can see, I'm still trying to work through lots of anatomy issues and continue to struggle with hands.  I used the wrapping lines a bit more decisively than in the Green Lantern picture, but still working to get them to help define the forms and not creating too much surface texture.

I've been working digitally more in the past few years with my Wacom Intuos2 in Adobe PhotoShop.  This has spoiled me in some ways.  Mainly, if I draw something too small or just plain wrong I can re-size or add  layer on top and draw over it.  Can't do that in traditional ways as easily.  Unfortunately, the Ten Ton challenges are for traditional media only, so the digital isn't an option.  I supposed I could work it all out digitally, print it, lightbox it, and finish it that way--but that's way too much work for a sketch.  Plus this is good practice for doing convention sketches.  That said, I'd still love to get my hands on a Wacom Cintiq 21ux and do the majority of my work on that. :)

Hal Jordan: Green Lantern

I am trying to participate in the Ten Ton Studios website sketch challenge more.  This week is Green Lantern.

I've been studying Vilppu lately.  He sometimes draws around the form to help define how it recedes or protrudes into space.  I'm starting to incorporate some of that idea into my drawings.  I still have anatomy work and a host of other issues to confront, but study is helping and these practices are extremely valuable exercises, too.