Sketchbook Sunday - The Lass of Steel?

Supergirl © DC Comics

Just playing around today. Sketchbook doodle, leather textures and Photoshop colors. :)

This is Post #1401

Phantom Girl & Ultra Boy - Rough

Phantom Girl & Ultra Boy © DC Comics

I spent a few hours painting a commission but it's no where near ready to show, so you are stuck with this rough sketch I did while waiting for paint to dry. Had to do something, it's much to boring to watch paint dry. I might try to ink this during the next painting session. 

This is Post #1400

Superman

Superman © DC Comics

Superman finished. Ink on 11" x 17" Strathmore Bristol Board. Have a good weekend everyone!

This is Post #1399

Superman - work in progress

Superman © DC Comics

Good news...I will be able to work on those commissions that I featured here a few days ago. Got a couple of commercial projects done and while I have a few others going, they are not as pressing. So I will try to get some painting done. In the meantime I have been inking this piece a little bit at a time. I was too impatient to wait for the ink to dry in order to scan it tonight, so I just took a quick picture. Still some work to do on it. :)

This is Post #1398

Sketchbook Wednesday

Artwork © 2011 Gene Gonzales

It's a sketchbook day again. I've been doing some commercial work that has been taking most of my time. And overlapping all that has been a massive headache that just will not stop. Thus, it's a sketchbook day. I love using "thus" at least once a day. Used to be "hence" was my favorite but not anymore. :) Have a good evening folks.

This is Post #1397

Ralph and Sue Dibny

Elongated Man & Sue Dibny © DC Comics

A quick ink sketch of the happy couple from their early days when Ralph still wore a mask. I was inspired to draw them after rereading Flash 209 (vol.1) on my iPad. There was a reprinted back up story with Ralph and Sue on their extended honeymoon. Fun times back then. :)

This is done in blue Col-Erase pencil and ink on a 9" x 12"sheet of Strathmore Bristol Board.

This is Post #1396

Superman - Rough

Superman © DC Comics

A lot of work today. Just a sketch of Superman saving a pug done in pencil on an 11" x 17" sheet of bristol board. I hope to finish this someday. :)

Okay, back to work.

This is Post #1395

Shrinking Violet - Commission Roughs

Another commission I am working on features Shrinking Violet of the Legion of Super-Heroes. As always, I tried to present a variety of poses and/or situations to choose from. Once I showed them, I was told all of them are great and it was being left up to me to choose which one to paint. How cool is that?

I went back and forth on it. Sought the opinion of friends and a higher source (my lovely wife of course) and ultimately it came down to my favorite of the three, "C". I've done other variation of Shrinking Violet in Colossal Boy's hand before but this one fits so well. The costume she is wearing is from the time that they were actually a couple. Around issue number 305 of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Oh, and can anyone guess the inspiration for "B". That is if you can figure out what the heck I drew there. :)

Shrinking Violet © DC Comics

I reworked the hand a bit and then transferred this image to the final art board. I will try to take photos and or scans of the process and share them with the final piece.

This is Post #1394

Karate Kid & Princess Projectra - Commission Roughs

I thought I would share the roughs of one of the commissions I am working on. I was hoping to be painting this one over the weekend but a last minute job came in so painting will have to wait a couple of days.

After the three concepts were roughed out, "B" was selected for the final image.

It's kind of a change of pace showing the characters like this. Princess Projectra is a Legionnaire who can create life like illusions. So real you can't tell they are an illusion. So for this piece I came up with her projecting an illusion of her boyfriend, the Legionnarie, Karate Kid.

Princess Projectra and Karate Kid © DC Comics

Above is the tighten pencil drawing that I used to project the image on the final art board. From there I tightened it up some more. I will continue to take pictures and/or scans of the process and post them with the final art.

This is Post #1393

Sketchbook Friday

Supergirl & Linda Lee © DC Comics

It's been too long since I have drawn Kara. After I doodled the top image, I started thinking about how old the original Kara was supposed to be when she first arrived on Earth. That lead to the sketches at the bottom where I was attempting a younger, cartoony version of Supergirl and her secret identity as Linda Lee. I also tried to make her cute but just a little "off". Of course she is going to grow up to be a beauty, but I thought it was fun to have her looks reflect that awkward time of being a "tween" that some kids go through. I would love to do a comic of her in this time period of being in the orphanage and being Superman's secret weapon. Ah well, it was fun.

I thought I would be painting all weekend but a job just came up this morning that needs to be done by Monday. So while I will be painting, I will be working too. :)

This is Post #1392

Shadow Lass

Shadow Lass © DC Comics

I finished Shadow Lass this evening. Before inking I reworked her legs and left hip. Making the legs a bit longer and thickening them up a bit. The hip I just raised a bit. Her name, a gray outline and some white gel pen work and she was finished.

Tomorrow I will be transferring the line art for the two paintings to the final boards and then it's a painting weekend. :)

Speaking of Legion paintings, my good friend Tom Fleming (@tom_fanfare on Twitter), owner of www.fanfare-se.com, just posted the commission series of Legionnaires I did for him almost a decade ago. I might have shared some on this blog at some point but it is much cooler to see them all together. Here is the link to his Comic Art Fans page to see them. And check out his collection of other art, it's outstanding. 

This ink, marker and white gel paint on 11" x 17" Strathmore Bristol Board.

This is Post #1391

Shadow Lass - Rough

Shadow Lass © DC Comics

I'm in a Legion state of mind. I did some work for a client today, moved on to the final pencil art for a Karate Kid/Princess Projectra painting, moved on to doodling some ideas for a Shrinking Violet painting, and then pulled out a sheet of 11" x 17" Strathmore Bristol Board and whipped up this rough of Shadow Lass. I'm not sure if I will ink or paint it. I love days like this. Long Live the Legion! :)

This is Post #1390

The Riddler - Finished

The Riddler © DC Comics

Just finished him about 30 minutes ago. This is done in ink and watercolor on a 8" x 10" Arches Cold Press Watercolor Board. This piece is for sale. Tomorrow I will put him in my Big Cartel shop. But feel free to contact me tonight if you are interested. :)

I will probably be having a few sketchbook days coming up as I work out some of the line art for the two commissions I am doing. Again, I can take one more painted commission for this month if anyone is interested.

This is Post #1389

Riddler - Work in Progress

Riddler © DC Comics

Just started this one today. It's based on the rough I posted a couple of days ago. I started this too late in the day to finish it but I will probably have it done tomorrow. And it will probably be up for sale too.

I have picked up another painted commission today. Another Legionnaire too! I will be able to take on one more painting if anyone is interested. Just email me at gene_gonzales(at)mac(dot)com and put "commission" in the subject line.

This is ink and watercolor on 8" x 10" Arches Watercolor Board.

This is Post #1388

Sketchbook Sunday

Poison Ivy © DC Comics

Just another sketchbook day and another Ivy rough. :)

This is Post #1387

Sketchbook Saturday

Riddler & Poison Ivy © DC Comics

Just another sketchbook day. Contemplating some more 8" x 10" portrait paintings. Over the next week I will be working on a very, very cool painted commission featuring a pair of Legionnaires. I have a nice little break in my workload going on right now so if anyone is interested in a painted commission, drop me an email at gene_gonzales(at)mac(dot)com. Just put commission in the subject line. I can probably take on two more, depending on the complexity.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

This is Post #1386

Sketchbook Friday

All characters © their respective owners

Artwork © Gene Gonzales

Just a sketchbook friday for today. Too tired after getting only 3 hours of sleep (saw Harry Potter at midnight) to do anything but the work that needed to get done and the doodles I did after lunch.

While I was having lunch with my lovely wife Deena, I got an alert on my phone that my Batgirl piece from yesterday was shared on the Major Spoilers Art Appreciation of the Day page. That's pretty cool! :)

Have a good weekend everyone!

This is Post #1385

Batgirl!

Batgirl © DC Comics

I really didn't think I would be finishing this piece so soon but once I got started I couldn't stop. For those that might be interested, I have put it up for sale on my Big Cartel page.

This is done in ink on 11" x 17" Strathmore Bristol Board.

This is Post #1384

Batgirl - rough

Batgirl © DC Comics

There has been so much talk about Barbara Gordon lately on the comic sites, I felt inspired to draw her in her more traditional Batgirl outfit. I didn't feel like doing some action shot, I just wanted to get back to that joy she had when I first started reading her adventures. So I put her on a roof top overlooking the city she protects.

If or when I get around to finishing her, it will be inked.

This is pencil on 11" x 17" Strathmore Bristol Board.

This is Post #1383

Storm

Storm © Marvel Entertainment

Someone mentioned I should draw this version of Storm. I honestly can't remember who said it or where they said it, but it stuck with me. Though I have been doing paintings lately, I wanted to do this one in ink. Her outfit and the textures work well this way.

I have just opened up an account at Big Cartel. Artwork that I post here will be for sale there. With the exception of commissions, of course. Then reason for this is that I sometimes miss emails from people who want to know the price of a piece they saw on this blog. Or sometimes they ask in the comments section and I don't know if they get my reply. This way if I am selling something, you will find it at my Big Cartel site. The price and shipping costs are all there. Right now I am only shipping within the U.S. But that may change if I get enough requests to make me have to figure out how to set that up. :) I have also provided a link in the right hand column.

This piece was done in ink on 11" x 17" Strathmore Bristol Board.

This is Post #1382

The Wasp! (Now in living color)

The Wasp © Marvel Entertainment

I was going through my flat files this morning, looking for a rough sketch idea for a painting I wanted to do of the classic Ms. Marvel. It's a rough I posted here a while back. During that search I came across this inked piece of the Wasp. For some reason it got left at home during my convention appearances. I really love this costume and this image so I decided to add some color to her. So today's post is a re-imagined rerun. :)

This is ink and watercolor on 11" x 17" Strathmore Bristol Board.

This is Post #1381

The Huntress - Finished

The Huntress © DC Comics

Here is the finished piece. This was done in watercolor and some ink on an 8" x 10" Arches Cold Press Watercolor Board. Below are some photos from the process.

If anyone is interested in purchasing one of these head shots that I have done for the blog or wish to commission one, just send me an email at gene_gonzales(at)mac(dot)com. The price is $75.00 plus shipping.

This is Post #1380

The Huntress - Pencil rough

The Huntress © DC Comics

I thought I would share the start of one of the 8" x 10" portraits I am doing. If I can remember, I will take shots of the progress and post them with the final art. This is pencil on an 8" x 10" sheet of Arches Cold Press Water Color Board.

This is Post #1379

Emma Frost, The White Queen

Emma Frost © Marvel Entertainment

I was playing with watercolors today. Yesterday I got a shipment of ten 20"x30" Arches Water Color boards and today I cut them down. I planned it so that I wouldn't waste much. Each board gave me two 11"x17" inch boards and two 8"x10" with minimum scraps left over. So I have a big stack of boards to paint on. I also ordered some paint. The Holbein Artist Watercolors I use are not cheap. For example one 0.5 fl. oz. tube costs over $11.00. Of course it will last me a long time but still it's pricey.

I am using the 8"x10" boards for head shots mostly. When I have some time to paint, but not enough time to do a big piece, I will do some head shots. If anyone is interested in getting one I could make a list to work through. I don't have pricing yet, I figure I will see if there is an interest first. For today's piece I went with Emma Frost. I used a bit of ink in this piece, but I will be trying some other approaches as I play in the future.

This is Post #1378

Black Cat

Black Cat © Marvel Entertainment

Just a little piece I did this morning using watercolor and ink on a 9" x 12" sheet of smooth bristol board.

Apparently, Google is doing some work under the hood on Blogger. Every time I clicked on my "New Post" button, I got some jumbled url that didn't work. Sorting through the gibberish I managed to find the core url and got to the right page. Only the page has been redesigned. I took a minute to figure out the new set up and hopefully this post goes up without a problem. Hopefully. :)

This is Post #1377

Kitty & Lockheed

Kitty Pryde & Lockheed © Marvel Entertainment

Just a piece I did for fun this afternoon. Ink and watercolor on 9" x 12" smooth bristol.

This is Post #1376

Sketchbook Tuesday - Legion State of Mind

Timber Wolf © DC Comics

Just a sketchbook Tuesday folks. I was doodling and it ended up coming out at Timber Wolf from the Dave Cockrum days of the Legion.

I wish I could recapture that excitement I felt when I was young and found back issues of Legion stories. In Superboy and The Legion of Super-Heroes #197, they introduce this look for Timber Wolf. And we learn he was thought to have died in an adventure they recount in this issue. Man, I searched every book store on Hollywood Blvd. for that issue. There wasn't an "editor's note" that said what issue it happened in so I was searching blind. And back then, I hadn't discovered comic book stores because there weren't many of them around. Cherokee Books and Collectors, both on Hollywood Blvd, were the only book stores that I knew that had comics organized. No bags and boards back then. The other book stores just had boxes that you would have to search through. So the big search was on. Only I didn't know that the story was never published, it was just part of the plot for issue #197. Damn. :)

This is Post #1375

Deena's Ink - Final

Artwork © 2011 Gene Gonzales

Deena has been excited to share her new ink so here it is. The area is still a bit red but that will heal. The tattoo artist was really cool and she was really receptive to the artwork. Actually everyone in the shop who saw it liked the art, which made us happy. They were also impressed that Deena didn't complain or whimper at all during the two hour process. Seems that tattooing across bone and the spine in particular can be uncomfortable.

This is Deena's second tattoo and the first (that I know of) that is based on my work.

I will be posting some art later.

This is Post #1374

Happy Independence Day!

I hope everyone has a good and safe holiday!

This is Post #1373

Tattoos, comics and cappuccinos (oh my?)

Artwork © 2011 Gene Gonzales

Anyone following my Twitter posts will know what I was up to today. For those who don't, I was parked in a Starbucks across the street from where Deena was getting her tattoo done. So while Deena was being stabbed repeatedly by a needle, I was sipping a grande non-fat triple shot dry cappuccino and working on my comic. Productive time too: Penciled a page and inked half of a page. Oh, and Deena's tat came out absolutely incredible. I will share photos very soon.

This is Post #1372

Phoenix - Finish

Phoenix © Marvel Entertainment

Finished her this afternoon. As was the plan with doing these pieces I learned a few new things and will apply them to future pieces. This was done in water color with just a bit of acrylic.

This is Post #1371

Phoenix - Watercolor in progress

Phoenix © Marvel Entertainment

I finally figured out what character to use for the pose I posted a few days back. This is what I have so far. Only managed to work on it for a couple of hours. I spent the rest of the day roughing out three more pages of my creator owned project. Man, I'm having fun with it. Gotta work fast before my real work starts coming in again. :)

Have a good weekend everyone!

This is watercolor and terra cotta Col-Erase pencil on an 11" x 17" sheet of Arches Cold Press Water Color Board.

This is Post #1370