Summit City Ink

Twas the Day after Xmas...

2011-12-26T18:44:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays to all the Summit City Inkers!

Happy Holidays from the McFarrens!

2011-12-23T17:04:00.000-05:00

Every year I do a hand drawn postcard from our family. Here's this years. Below is the invite I did for my son's bday party. Did both the same while my kids was convalescing from a sinus infection.

BLACK ROSE #5

2011-10-11T18:48:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!
The brand new Black Rose issue 5 is done and available at the online store!
Between Worlds (part 5 of 6): As Athelica erupts into civil unrest, our heroes are forcedto flee the capital. Their only hope is to find a ship that can take them tothe Coldlands – and to Arion’s old comrade, Bjorn. But they may not be free ofpursuit just yet…

Uncle Creepy

2011-10-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

....creepy....

Family tied

2011-09-15T19:37:00.003-04:00

Urrr-Kell...

I'm a little behind in posts. So this is for the way back machine.

Elephantmen

2011-09-06T19:43:00.003-04:00

I haven't been able to post any art for a while, but here is my latest. This is from Elephantmen by Image Comics. I had the chance to read the first issue, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I'm hoping to dive in for more one of these days.

"I Swear! I Put Right Into R2's Data Bank. Didn't I?"

2011-08-24T21:00:00.000-04:00

Never been much of a Dr. Who guy, which means I put a twist on the subject. Do the Dalek's look like trumped up R2 units?

Apologies to the good Doctor's fans. : )

Swamp Thing

2011-08-14T21:14:00.005-04:00

sorry for the crummy Ipod photo. I actually started this one during one of the Drink and Draws and finished it on a mountain in West Virginia (on vacation). All pencil with a non-photo blue rough in my hardbound 11"x17" sketchbook.

--Andy

Tin Tin and the Walking Dead

2011-08-11T15:44:00.004-04:00

With apologies to Herge.

TinTin Destructus

2011-08-09T15:17:00.001-04:00

Me as Tin Tin

2011-08-06T10:52:00.004-04:00

I drew Tin Tin as a self-portrait because when I had short hair I kinda looked like him. Definitely had the little whip of hair. So I added glasses and my new beard, but now it just looks kinda creepy. heh!

I remember discovering the Tin Tin books back in Middle School. I think the first book I saw was even in french. I couldn't read it, but the story telling captured me! I searched them out at the library and the adventure and action and childlike wonder still gets me today.

And, of course, because I can't get away from my love of the look, a half-tone version:

FInal Touch I promise I'm done now.

2011-08-05T23:05:00.000-04:00

Swamp Thing (Not Quite Done) (But Now It is.)

2011-08-05T21:52:00.002-04:00

EDIT

Added some water and a little more detail around the shadows and such. Done for now.

...but I needed to post SOMEthing.....Must confess: I never really got into swamp thing. Prolly just never really got into at the right time. But as a kid, I dug the movie. And we had one of those weird playdoh-like action figures where you could rip his arm off and stick it back. (Except when it got too full of carpet junk and animal hair!)

Swamp Thing FInished

2011-08-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

Added some texture and more highlights. I think he's done now.

Swamp Thing

2011-08-04T23:38:00.002-04:00

Swamp Thing

2011-08-02T16:20:00.003-04:00

Almost done. Maybe.

Updated

Not finished with it yet, but here's the beginning drawing...

Swamp Thing

2011-07-27T16:14:00.004-04:00

I was planning a lot cleaner image in my head when I ended up spending several hours in the emergency room with family and had nothing to do. Luckily, I had my sketchbook and pencil. It didn't turn out quite the way I wanted but for lack of drawing tools and reference material, I'm happy with how it turned out.

Swamp Thing

2011-07-25T18:57:00.002-04:00

Worked this one up with pencil and ink and then colored it in Photoshop.

Gone Fishing

2011-07-22T10:43:00.004-04:00

Man!! Been missing out on this site!

2011-07-19T08:48:00.001-04:00

No more I'm all in! Sweet Stuff Aaron!

Devil May Cry

2011-07-15T15:07:00.002-04:00

Colored up some old lines just in time for Capcom's DMC 10 year anniversary art contest, so I guess I'll be entering!

My Hellboy Cover

2011-07-11T20:13:00.000-04:00

My drawing for the "Redraw A Hellboy Cover Contest" for Dark Horse Comics. I blogged about it here. Man I had a lot of fun with this one!

Popeye the Sailor Man (toot, toot)

2011-07-10T19:17:00.003-04:00

I worked up this Popeye sketch with pen and marker at last Friday's Drink n' Draw.

Popeye

2011-07-04T21:13:00.003-04:00

first. a quick sketch!

and a second quick sketch! :D

I Yam Wut I Yam

2011-06-29T21:57:00.001-04:00

Oh my, did I watch a lot of Popeye as a kid! And, Oh, Boy! Did I wait for something awesome to happen every time I ate some nasty ol' spinach. I think my problem was that mom never gave us frozen spinach. I don't think Popeye's powers come from the fresh stuff.

I'm strong to tha finach cuz I eats me spinach

2011-06-29T00:45:00.004-04:00

POPEYE! I was so excited when I saw Andy Jewett picked this for our latest sketch challenge subject as Andy and I have a shared love of E.C. Segar's amazing creation, Popeye.

Like most people my age, and those that are a bit older too, for YEARS my only exposure to the character was through the Paramount cartoons, and the Robin Williams/Shelly Duvall movie--the Fleischer Studios episodes obviously being the greatest of them. Even at a young age, I rejected the later episodes in favor of the Fleischer cartoons. The later ones were passable, but not even in the same plane of existence as the Fleischer cartoons. Later in life (my late teens/early 20s), I discovered the Segar's original newspaper strips and fell in love all over again. I even think I have a pretty decent Popeye impression.

This offering features two of my favorite Popeye characters: Popeye and Goon. I wanted to fit Wimpy in there, but then thought I would save it for a later piece. Although, if I'm being honest, Wimpy is my favorite Segar character...but I digress.

The piece above is my favorite of the four I posted today. I don't know if the action is perfectly clear, but I am satisfied with it for now and there are NO direct swipes in this one. Just looking at how Segar presented his characters and trying to emulate him. I'm definitely more pleased with the color in this one than I am in most of the others, but I think that has a long way to go yet too.

Anyway, I hope you dig it! I had a blast drawing it!

Meep Meep...

2011-06-28T23:51:00.001-04:00

So I kinda got to thinking about this subject and wondered what the Road Runner sees when he gobbles up all of that bird seed that the Coyote leaves out for him and I came to the quick determination that it works like catnip or PCP.

Then I started wondering what terrifying delusions and nightmarish Hells he encounters when he's whacked out on seed. This is what I came up with. It's very Steve Ditko inspired and I'm sure you can spot the figure that I swiped directly from one of Ditko's early Charlton sci-fi books. (Incidentally, it's from Ditko's rendition of Rumpelstiltskin in issue #14 of THING!)

I dunno. I had a lot of fun with this piece. There are a lot of things that I would have liked to have done better, but despite it's flaws I just kind of cut loose on this one and, overall, I'm pleased with it. I'm also getting much more comfortable with the coloring. I'm getting close to the look that I want, but I'm not quite there yet.

Got any cheese? Good, because I have no parents and I am malnourished.

2011-06-28T22:15:00.000-04:00

This was a fun one. It's not a particularly great piece from me, but I think it's funny. For whatever reason giving Urkel a bleak, sort of hopelessness is funny to me. Maybe I'm a weirdo.

I did this one in Sharpie and then colored it in Photoshop. I used the same coloring process as I did for the Papa Smurf, but I don't think it turned out quite as well. Not bad, just not as good as before. I think it's mostly to do with the fact that I have no confidence in my ability to color--still learning and whathaveyou.

Anywho, I hope you think it's as funny as I do.

I'ma smurf the smurfin' smurf outta that Smurf

2011-06-28T21:25:00.004-04:00

The Smurfs was a BIG part of my cartoon routine as a kid. By no stretch of the imagination were they a favorite of mine, but I did enjoy the show and I had plenty of Smurf toys, Smurf sheets, and a stuffed Papa Smurf that survived 25 years until it was, ahem, mistakenly given to my dog as a chew toy.

I've mentioned this before, but you'll notice that a lot of my contributions to the sketch challenge will be swipes. Of course, I'm drawing them myself; but I'm still re-learning how to cartoon. So, while I try (mostly in vain) to re-learn anatomy and composition, swiping poses for these characters really helps. I make no excuses, and want to be as upfront as possible about it.

My Papa Smurf is based (swiped) from a pretty popular image of the character that, I believe, is by Peyo. But, the addition of Gargamel to the pot was my idea, and I thought it was funny. I penciled the piece and then used an ink brush for the finishes. I've also been fooling around with digital coloring and trying to find a style that suits the way I draw and I am comfortable working with. I don't know that I was successful with that here, but I am satisfied with the result (at least for now).

I Yam What I Yam

2011-06-28T15:52:00.003-04:00

The one-eyed sailor has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember... I was introduced to the character as a cartoon first and have enjoyed getting to know him again through the strips. I named my youngest daughter Olive, for crying out loud. Toot! Toot!

FOR SALE AT LAST!

2011-06-23T10:04:00.000-04:00

My graphic novel, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JULIUS DESTRUCTUS, is officially up for sale!
Buy one HERE!

The Cauldron In The Back Cabinet!

2011-06-14T22:26:00.000-04:00

That's right! My little baby is about ready to fly out of the nest and into the bright world! The first book is ready to print and I am taking pre-orders! You can check out the first 30 or so pages over here. If you want would like a copy, drop me a line and your name will go on the list!

It's 48 black and white pages with full-color cover.

$8 for the book and $2 for shipping and it will come to your door with an original sketch tucked inside!

(Let me know if you want the sketch kept PG.)

When Livi stumbles across a strange black pot in her parent’s kitchen she unexpectedly opens a door to a magical world filled with mystery.

How far through the door is she willing to go?

And can she close the door before it becomes too dangerous?

I will also have stuff at Summit City Comic Con again on June 18th at the Grand Wayne Center. Stop by and say hi and pick up a book.

Lots of other great buddies there with some great work for sale!

Hope to see you!

Road Runner

2011-06-12T20:24:00.000-04:00

I'm still learnin' meself some digital inking. And as a line snob, these lines are not what I'd like, but I did have fun with the background. Which, to be honest, is some of my favorite pieces of animation ephemera from 50's and 60's animation and the Chuck Jones directed backgrounds of Warner Bros.' Road Runner era where among the best. They influence me more than I think I even realize on a daily basis. All animation, really. So this is a send up to my childhood and all that is great about geeking out about something. Next time I'll do a better job on the lines!

The Tragic Passing of Carl Winslow

2011-06-09T10:53:00.002-04:00

I'm sure at some point in Family Matters, Carl said that Steve's antics would be the death of him. You were so right, Carl. You were so right.

Steve Urkel

2011-06-05T19:41:00.002-04:00

Steve Urkel 90's comic version 1.0

2011-06-05T08:47:00.002-04:00

I never really watched this show that much when it was on, I did like step by step and full house. I remember watching some movie with him in it where he played the "cool" kid that was rapping. All I could think was that's Urkel!!! I am also sure that is what everone else was thinking about that......and every other time this poor bastard tried to play another role.

Since this was from the 90's, here is my comic version of Steve. Done with pen and copic markers.

Steve Urkel

2011-06-03T14:52:00.002-04:00

The Smurfs

2011-05-30T13:18:00.000-04:00

I loved The Smurfs as a kid. I listened to too many Post-Modern art history diatribes on how the entire world of Peyo was anti-Semitic so I kinda forgot how much magic and imagination there was in their world.

Now my kids want to see the new movie.......

Get Smurfed. Read Comics.

2011-05-28T01:05:00.003-04:00

a very subtle PSA this week.

Sex Smurf

2011-05-27T20:42:00.003-04:00

Isn't it Smurf

Luring disco Smurfies to a life of Smurf.

Grumpy Smurf

2011-05-27T11:22:00.003-04:00

He's grumpy, bub.

Smurfius Destructus

2011-05-27T10:21:00.002-04:00

Done in Photoshop.

Smurfs

2011-05-26T20:16:00.004-04:00

I grew up watching the smurfs....I always wanted to see Gargamel catch those little blue pains in the ass. This was done with sharpie and copic marker and some white paint.

Everybody Knows a burrow owl lives in a hole, in the ground.

2011-05-21T23:24:00.003-04:00

Hey man, what ever makes Jesus happy.

John Jesus Lennon

2011-05-20T11:15:00.003-04:00

"Imagine all the people living for today" -John Lennon

"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today" - Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 6:34)

Jesus Christ

2011-05-20T10:05:00.004-04:00

Wow. Not sure we could have covered a more interesting subject this week for the sketches. This headshot is decidedly less "white" than what's traditionally seen in most artwork and film. I hope you enjoy it.

Jesus vs. Zombies

2011-05-19T21:31:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago at the Pittsburgh Comic Con I had the chance to sit next to Stephen Lindsey creator of Jesus Hates Zombies. What a great guy, and a great book. So that was the inspiration for my choice this week. A bad ass Jesus that does what he wants.... and bashes zombies with a baseball bat! This is done in pen and ink with some white paint. I did not have the chance to finish this completely.....but I think it gets the point across.

Ecce Homo

2011-05-18T22:39:00.002-04:00

Young Yeshua and Miriam

2011-05-18T20:35:00.000-04:00

Pretty quick sketch this busy, busy week. Drew this is a soft cover, thin Moleskine notebook that I only use Brush Pen with. Straight drawing, no pencils. Usually the drawings are done whilst waiting for food or watching soccer practice or talking with people. This was drawn while watching my daughter roll around the Roller Dome for the first time with friends and no help.

When it came to the subject I like to consider the man, and in this case the boy before he became the man. We need to know more the childhoods of people sometimes. What kind of trouble did he get into running around between the huts with young Miriam, to be called Mary? Is that a hammer or sling?

I Am

2011-05-18T12:04:00.002-04:00

"And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet (act 1 scene 5)

For a while now, the subject of this challenge has been a favorite source to pool doodles from. While at one time these drawings were more satirical (fat Jesus, zombie messiah, etc) in the last year they have taken more of a intricate and visually confusing tone.

The pattern in this character's body was inspired by some of the data that has come out of the physics experiments that are seeking to discover the origin of everything.

I used a red ballpoint pen on moleskin paper.

M

Jesus: Earth's Mightiest Messiah!

2011-05-16T23:43:00.002-04:00

So Kevin had this week’s pick and while I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, it also has the potential to be a bit inflammatory. But, who cares? Art is supposed to make you feel something—even if it’s hatred or anger. And, while I certainly respect people who are genuinely religious, I am not a religious man. So a goof on ancient mythology sounded fun to me anyway.

I also thought this was a perfect time to step a bit outside of the box, both in how I looked at the subject and how I approached my piece. (As an aside, isn’t funny how I as a writer am getting REALLY into the process and thought behind each of my rather mediocre pieces?)

A little background on why I decided to draw Jesus, the Messiah, the way that I did: About a year ago, I left a voice mail for the 11 O’Clock Comics podcast where I impersonated Stan Lee. In the voice mail I, as Stan, made the outrageous claim that Stan had invented Jesus as a goof on how Stan will flat out steal any credit that’s not nailed down. As part of the story, I described how Jack Kirby had done the original, but ultimately rejected, design for Jesus.

So thinking back to that rather infamous moment, and thinking about this piece, I decided to visualize what Jack’s Jesus may have looked like. What you see above is the result. In true Kirby fashion, there is a great big “J” on the belt buckle. As most Kirby fans know, Kirby-designed heroes are often not complete without their first initial somewhere on their costume. I sorta tried to mix some of my favorite Kirby costume elements, and it ends up being part Eternal, part Galactus, part New God.

The piece was done in pencil and then inked with a Pentel Color Brush. I filled in some of the larger black areas with a marker and colored it digitally. Incidentally, this the first time I’ve colored anything digitally. I am surprisingly pleased with how it turned out. I tried letter it with "Jesus: Earth's Mightiest Messiah," but I just couldn't get it to turn out quite the way I wanted to, so I dropped it.

Also, my apologies to Tom Scioli, whom I pantently stole this character pose from. I swiped the pose from one that he used for Adam Archer in issue #14 of Godland. I love Tom's art and hopefully the look I was going for is an appropriate homage to him and Jack.

If you are interested in hearing the episode of 11 O’Clock where I called in as Stan, you can find it here: 11 O’Clock Comics: Episode 110

Guest Columbo Piece!

2011-05-16T13:57:00.000-04:00

This very special Columbo piece is from guest artist Paul McCall!

About the piece from Paul:

"I watched the occasional Columbo when it was first run (yes, I'm that old, I was in high school then, at least sometime during his run). I liked them but the thing about watching Columbo was all the old movie star guests from the 40s that were favorites of my parent's generation. And watching Peter Falk piss them off!

My piece is a gentle caricature done with Copic markers on Canson sketch pad paper 11" x 14""

You can see more art work from Paul at http://www.PaulMcCall.com

Check out my Story in Oz/Wonderland Chronicles - Jack and Cat Tales #2

2011-05-14T22:54:00.001-04:00

The folks at Buymetoys.com recently published issue #2 of Oz Wonderland Chronicles - Jack and Cat tales, which features a great short story by Ben Avery and yours truly.

Buy a copy HERE.

Columbo by Ben Tiede

2011-05-14T11:39:00.003-04:00

I'm happy with how Cartoon Columbo turned out! I hope you are too!

Columbo

2011-05-14T09:12:00.007-04:00

Columbo

2011-05-13T20:25:00.004-04:00

This is my stab at Lieutenant Columbo, done in Photoshop on a Wacom tablet. I think it has just a hint of Dick Tracy to it. Hope you likey!

Columbo

2011-05-12T09:50:00.000-04:00

art: Mr. Kevin Meinert

My very quick sketch of one of the greatest character actors ever. Done in pen and marker, with a little white paint

Yes, Lieutenant? ...sigh.

2011-05-12T00:56:00.000-04:00

Columbo...

2011-05-11T09:49:00.005-04:00

There were two shows I was introduced two by my father at a very young age, The A-Team and Columbo. I remember him as the funny detective that imagined would protect me from the monsters under the bed. I also remember thinking if a monster did come out from under my bed and confront him, he'd ask the bastard "just one more thing" before he would take him away to monster jail.

I used a ballpoint pen on Moleskin paper.

M

Columbo Contemplates His Lost Keys

2011-05-10T21:57:00.001-04:00

Gotta admit: I don't know much about this guy other than a few episodes I watched on a little RCA TV with one of those UHF/VHF dials and rabbit ears at my Grandma's. I'd prolly like it, the character is interesting visually, but, you know how these things go....

Brush pen, with some PS toning. I left the scanned sketchbook rings in homage to the whole P.I. thing. It might be cheesy, though....?

Greedo

2011-05-10T20:02:00.002-04:00

So a battle with the flu got me a little behind on our sketch challenge, but I managed to finish a simple headshot of Greedo. Enjoy!

Ya know what botha's me, sir?

2011-05-10T14:29:00.002-04:00

So it was my turn to choose the subject for this week's sketch challenge. I had an idea for a comic book character that I wanted to do, but then I changed my mind and went with one of my genuine, fictional, heroes; Columbo.

Not only is the good Lieutenant one of the greatest television characters of all time, he's one of my fondest childhood memories. The first time I saw Columbo I was in, maybe, 6th grade. I was home sick from school and happened to catch an episode that was being re-run on A&E. From there I was hooked and I have seen every episode and made-for-TV movie more than once, if not more than a dozen times. I can't help it.

Peter Falk's insurmountable portrayal of the character made him a hero to me and one of my favorite characters in any medium, and any genre.

So when I was thinking about who or what to choose for my sketch challenge subject, the thought of an artistic ode to my hero and his rumpled rain coat, his cheap green cigars, his battered Pugeot, his quirky behavior, and absolute genius made me smile.

It's certainly a non-traditional choice for this sort of thing and I hope the other guys have as much fun with it as I did. I can't wait to see the results!

About the piece: I did a rough pencil sketch, then used an ink brush for the line work and then colored it with water colors. I used the water colors for two reasons: 1.) I thought it would help cover up my shortcomings as an artist with it's looser nature and 2.) Using water color on the type of paper that I did created a ripply feel that I thought nicely complemented Columbo's rumpled rain coat, and frumpy demeanor.

Thanks for coming to look at it!

your pal,

zack

Sketch Challenge: Columbo

2011-05-10T11:31:00.005-04:00

Peter Falk played the role of his life as Columbo. The show is formulaic and the legality of Columbo's method is questionable at best, but I love the show. It's a reverse murder show. We see the murder, means, and motive in the first 15 minutes, then we get to watch Lt. Columbo slowly unravel the twisted web of violence. It challenges the comic book storyteller in me. How could you do a Columbo comic in 22 pages, and have Columbo show up on the 3rd page? Murder montage? I'll give it a try sometime, I'm sure.

Some trivia for you, just to get to watch an episode sometime if you haven't (it is streaming on Netflix after all). Peter Falk's performance was unique to him. His good natured politeness and bumbling were what he used to get to his suspects, unnerving them to the point that they'd crack. To get the best out of his guest star murderers, or perhaps just to be a jerk, Falk would ad lib and talk over the guest's performance to get them to actually dislike having scenes with him. So, when you have Leonard Nemoy yelling at Columbo on screen, he probably is actually frustrated with Falk.

More trivia, which explains the dead Batman in the background. Adam West's Batman show went from 1966 to 1968. Columbo one month before Batman's last episode aired. The world's greatest detective passed the torch to the world's most annoying.

(artist Kyle Latino has a blog at www.ktino.com, follow him on twitter @kylelatino)

Greedo's Last Bad Choice

2011-05-08T11:08:00.004-04:00

Almost missed this one with all the busy-ness of this week! Glad I didn't! Using the time my wife is taking a nice long Mother's Day shower to post this up.

You know, after all these years of being a Star Wars nerd, I've never really considered wether or not Han actually shot first. I was always just into the whole unpredictable cowboy/rebel thing of Han's and thought it was cooler than whiny Luke. Does it matter? Probably not. Not sure I would have waited either.

Plus, Han was more funny.

The Life and Time of Julius Destructus Teaser Trailer

2011-05-06T23:32:00.001-04:00

Greedo

2011-05-06T17:14:00.003-04:00

Here's mine! I hope this one was a fun one to start off with! It looks like it y'all got some good ones done this week! Noice.

Greedo Driver

2011-05-06T15:38:00.005-04:00

I think this about as far as I am going to be able to get this week... fledgling attempts with Manga Studio. Thought a Taxi Driver/Greedo Mashup would be fun. Are you talkin' to me?!

Greedo

2011-05-06T09:17:00.000-04:00

by Kevin Meinert!

Greedo's last stand

2011-05-05T23:02:00.005-04:00

Fear not true star believers, as soon as our man Greedo went to check the safety on ol' betsy, he was sure to notice his faux pas.

Sketch Challenge: Greedo

2011-05-05T08:52:00.006-04:00

You know, Greedo, like any bounty hunter that shows up in Star Wars, is talked about a lot by fans. Like, he was the baddest dude ever, and only the great Han Solo could kill him. I always thought of him as a screw up who was always going to get shot while trying to act tougher than he was. But still, he is one of the many memorable and well designed characters that made Star Wars seem so alive, when I was a kid.

(artist Kyle Latino has a blog at www.ktino.com, follow him on twitter @kylelatino)

A CGS Super Show Comic by Matt, Zack, and Ben

2011-05-04T20:13:00.004-04:00

this comic was drawn by me, Zack Kruse and Matt Gross at the Comic Geek Speak Super Show 2011! It tells a true and harrowing adventure of our return home to Indiana...

Sad Greedo!

2011-05-04T19:47:00.006-04:00

GREEDO! One of my favorite Star Wars universe characters. Not only do I just think he's cool bounty hunter and scoundrel, but with one shoehorned in jump cut he single handedly turned Han Solo into a pussy.

So Ben finally got us started on our weekly sketch posts (thank god) and picked Greedo as our first subject, which, like I said, is a great choice. Really, though, I'm mostly just excited to see what the other guys come up with for their sketches.

Being a writer, and not an artist, I hope that you'll forgive my crude drawings, inability to properly use perspective and so on. Looking at my submission from this week, I see plenty of flaws. But I try to make up for them with comedy, so please forgive this lowly writer for his poor cartooning skills and enjoy all of the submissions from the real artistic talent in Summit City Ink.

2011-02-20T21:25:00.002-05:00

At long last, I can announce this!

I drew this book 3 years ago and now it's finally coming out! You have no idea how difficult it's been to keep this quiet for so long, especially since I got to collaborate with CHUCK DIXON, of all writers! The book is out May 10, 2011 and is now available for PRE-ORDER.

Also, Mr. Dixon was recently did an interview about the project itself, and also had some nice things to say about my art which made me blush. Honestly, I didn't feel worthy to draw this man's script and feel very fortunate to have been given the job.

Needless to say, I am glad this story is finally seeing the light. I put a lot of time and energy into it -- lost a lot of sleep drawing it -- and it encompasses some of the most brutal pages in my portfolio!

Hope you'll check it out!

CAAATS!

2011-02-17T10:03:00.006-05:00

The cats have finally made their way onto the interwebs and I'm excited! We ended up launching a little later than planned, so to make up for lost time, there are two strips up this week instead of one.

A new page will go up every Wednesday. It's time to tell your friends, enemies, relatives and pets. Go read CAAATS!

http://www.caaats.com/

New Story at Red Rocket Comics

2011-02-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

I'm going to present stories that don't fit into the Red Rocket mold here under Comics Odds and Ends. The first one is "The Gift".

I've been getting out some past comic projects that never saw much daylight (done as I was finishing my teaching license and in the middle of having kids) whilst putting together a portfolio. I've always been fond of this story and really pleased with the way it turned out - though now I would take out the self-portrait and any autobio reference. Maybe I'll do that when I color it, but I'm happy with it and wanted to "get it out there". I'd like to add color and get it looking a little more "web friendly".

Hope you like it.

Artlink's Visual Art Awards

2011-01-11T21:12:00.001-05:00

Fort Wayne's Artlink Gallery is sponsoring the 1st Annual AVA Awards. You can vote for a whole mess of talented people for your choice of Outstanding artist in a whole range of categories. I was fortunate to be nominated for an award in the Drawing category. You can vote here.

Hopefully you'll vote for your favorite! To maybe sway your opinion in the leastest, here are a few examples of my work.

Some other great nominees and some friends of mine are Nate Utesch and Drew Kora and Jake Sauer in Graphic Design; Eric Tarr in painting; and Clare Christian Tarr in Fabric Design.

CAAATS! Is Becoming a Webcomic!

2011-01-04T08:54:00.004-05:00

That's right! The cats are getting their own official webcomic! Pages are going to be updated every week and while I don't have an official launch date just yet, I can tell you that the site is being worked on as we speak, and I'm loving what I'm seeing. I've got a lot of great comics lined up and can't wait to unleash them on the world (look for them early this year). More details to come soon!

BLACK ROSE Comics/Prints available NOW.

2010-10-25T15:01:00.002-04:00

Hey All,
Aaron here. Just wanted to share the first two covers of the creator-owned "Fantasy-Steampunk" comic book series I’m working on. The first two issues along with cover prints are available for purchase online at the official website, BLACKROSECOMIC.COM
Check it out!

Another 24 Hours

2010-10-20T21:49:00.009-04:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my experience with 24 Hour Comics Day back in 2006. And on October 2, 2010, I gave it another shot.

This time around, I created my book at Discount Comic Book service in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was able to work alongside fellow Summit City Ink members, Zack Kruse and Ben Tiede, along with a handful of other talented individuals.

So how did it go? It went well. It went well indeed.

For starters, I ended up much happier with the final product this time around. I decided to do a comic based on my two cats, much like the ones posted on this blog. It's basically a superhero action romp, following Olive and Hazel as they fight off an invasion of dog-martians. My goal was to create a funny comic that people of all ages could enjoy, and I think for the most part, it works.

There were a lot of funny things that happened that day too. In the first hour, we had a small child come in to work on a book. He couldn't have been older than four or five and was brought in by his Dad. He kept a steady supply of funny lines coming like, "Dad, why do you make me draw all the time?" and "the boy's cat died ... the boy was sad." Needless to say, a child that young wasn't about to draw for twenty-four straight hours, and at roughly the one hour mark, he seemed to have gotten more than his fill and departed. I still applaud him for his effort.

The hours continued to pass as we pressed on. We seemed to keep each other entertained with a steady supply of impressions, which was great. Zack does a dead-on Stan Lee who's alway taking credit for big ideas while Ben does a really good Harvey Pekar who doesn't seem too thrilled with anyone's ideas. I pride myself on being able to imitate Christian Bale freaking out at the Director of Photography on the set of Terminator Salvation.

We also owe some credit to Stan Bush, whose music kept us going in those last few painful hours. If you're never heard of Stan Bush, just know that every song he's every written is about fighting, winning and rising to the top. If Chuck Norris had a theme song, Stan would be the man to write it.

Eventually, twenty-four hours drew to a close, and we now have a handful of books to share with everyone. The goal is to put them together in an anthology which will be available to purchase. I was able to catch glimpses of the other books as we worked, and what I saw looked great. I was even able to read all of Zack's book about Johnny Appleseed, and I have to say that it's one of the funniest things I've read in a long, long time.

I've also included a few of my favorite pages from my cat comic. I will have copies available at the Mid-Ohio Con in just a couple of weeks.

Artlink's Toy and Book Illustration Show

2010-10-06T20:14:00.001-04:00

Going to be a fine show of art over at Artlink in Fort Wayne coming up. They are sporting a Toy And Book Illustration Show. Work featured in books and with books and toys as the theme. I have some work from my RocketBoy book in the show as well as local illustrators and artists. I'll be selling copies of the book at the show, too.

Also, check out the the installation show that will be there, too!

24 Hour Comics Day

2010-09-28T19:12:00.002-04:00

I’ve never really been one to pull “all-nighters.” I would always hear guys talk about it in college and just assumed that they were spending too much time hittin’ the sauce and chasin’ the ladies, which then put them in an impossible time crunch. I tended to pride myself on good time-management, and while there were many late nights, there were never any all-nighters. Yeah, I know, I’m boring.

Then, a few years ago, I heard about 24 Hour Comics Day. The event in which you have 24 hours to create an entire comic. Holy crap. You stay up all night drawing comics? Sounds awesome on one hand, but kind of like a nightmare on the other. I decided to give it a try.

First of all, the event isn’t any easier than it sounds. I remember lots of guys showing up, getting burned out after several hours, and heading home with a partially completed book. But for those of us who stayed, it was awesome.

I was lucky in the fact that the store that hosted the event had a big-screen TV and a healthy pile of DVD’s to serve as background noise. Do you know how many DVD’s you can burn through in 24 hours? I lost count, but I can remember Serenity, the Back to the Future Trilogy, several Justice League episodes, some old Wonder Woman episodes and ALL FOUR of the old Superman movies. Ever watch Superman III at 4 a.m. while sleep deprived? It makes for one of the crown jewels of cinematic comedy.

So the hours passed, and we worked … and worked … and worked. Gallons of coffee were consumed, and hands became cramped. But the next day eventually came, and we were all alive. And we all had a book that we were really, really proud of.

My book was about dinosaurs. I’ll always remember my wife, Meghan (actually girlfriend at the time) coming to pick me up at the store. I flopped into her car like a pile of cooked linguine and closed my eyes. All I could see for the entire drive to my house was the dinosaurs I’d been drawing for 24 hours.

But I still have that dinosaur book. And I still think of that viewing of Superman III and how hysterically funny it was.

I guess what I’m saying is that if you’re thinking of giving 24 Hour Comics Day a shot this Saturday, I really think you should. It won’t be easy, but it’s not an experience you’re going to forget any time soon. And if you can pull through to the end, you’ll have an entire comic book with your friggin' name on it! That's AT LEAST as cool as all the Superman movies put together.

Seven years of Webcomic-ing

2010-09-08T09:24:00.006-04:00

Today marks the seventh year online for "Bridgette's Belly" For those who might be new to me and and my take on comics, my name is Andrew Fraser. I do a webcomic called Bridgette's Belly. "A Rubenesque comedy about a romantic girl." Bridgette Ouvry struggles with every day life, friends, lovers, motherhood, her waist line, and having her parents arrested on national TV by federal agents and US troops raiding a cave in Afghanistan. Another detail worth mentioning is, Bridgette is a mouse. The house maid that cares for her is Bea, a giraffe, Bea's fiancee is Doug, a cat, Silvia (Bridgette's best freind) is a rabbit, Silvia's Autistic twin brother Georgie is also a rabbit, Cleo is a squirrel, Becca is a platypuss, and I have absolutly NO idea what kind of animal Jessi is (Cat-guinea pig-tiger-girl your guess is as good as mine). As you might have noticed, Yes. I do furry. Why? Ask Chuck Jones who said it's easier to humanize an animal than to humanize a human. So to sum up, Seven years, four kids (three fictional, one real), five books, two convention apperences, 400ish fans, and an animated short film in the works.

Find out why people say: "It's better than it sounds. No, really it is."

TALES FROM THE FRINGE #3: OUT AUG. 25TH

2010-08-20T15:29:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to give you all a heads up that I have a new book coming out next Wednesday, August 25th, 2010. If you are fan of the television show FRINGE, you should totally check it out! I did some pencils and inks on this one.

Info:

Written by DANIELLE DISPALTRO and KRISTIN CANTRELL and JUSTIN DOBLE • Art by AARON MINIER • Cover by DIEGO LATORRE • 1:10 Photo variant cover

Based on the hit TV show! In the lead story, learn how Astrid Farnsworth solved her first murder and came to the attention of the FBI. In the backup, discover the lengths to which people will go to acquire the world's deadliest weapon.

Wildstorm
32pg.
Color
$3.99 US

Order Online!

I'll try and send out an update with artwork next week if anything art-related gets released.

Thanks so much,

Aaron

Draw, draw, draw!

2010-08-18T09:03:00.007-04:00

I've been drawing a lot lately. A LOT!

Between my job, my cat comic and Mystery Solved!, things have been pretty busy, but I couldn't be more excited about the work that's coming together.

The script that Zack sent me for Mystery Solved! is awesome and exciting and I think the artwork is really coming together nicely. I might go so far as to say it's some of my favorite work that I've put out and I can't wait for everyone to see the comic we're creating for you.

In addition to that, I've found some time to devote to CAAATS! I was tossing around ideas for covers and came up with three that I liked. Most likely, I will end up using all three, letting the dear reader choose whichever cover tickles his or her fancy.

Do you have a favorite cover? Sound off in the comments!

CAAATS! (Again)

2010-07-27T12:11:00.003-04:00

Hazel and Olive have kind of a love/hate relationship. They won't leave each others side, but they're never really getting along either.

This was made really evident to me one day when I was eating breakfast and noticed the two of them sitting together on the floor. Olive looked over at Hazel, grabbed her by the head and licked her affectionately. Seconds later, she looked over again and smacked her in the head.

I knew then that it must become a comic.

Mystery Solved! The webcomic of skepticism and adventure!

2010-07-15T14:44:00.001-04:00

My new webcomic Mystery Solved! has launched! We're two weeks in and I'm really excited about it and I hope that you all give it a look.A new page will be released every Thursday and I will be updating the blog as is necessary on the other days of the week. The comic can be found at http://www.mysterysolvedcomic.com.

Mystery Solved! is the webcomic dedicated to skepticism and adventure! It revolves around the investigations of globe-trotting raconteur, Colonel Randall Thaddeus Winchester IV. The Colonel, for short. The Colonel's adventures square him off against gullible ghost hunters, phony faith healers, mysterious beasts, and all manner of paranormal happenings various and sundry. So join us every week for each remarkable installment of MYSTERY SOLVED!

The comic was created by me and features the incredible artistic talents of Jim Miller, Dave Dwonch, Dave Wachter, Daniel Logan, Vince Bonavoglia, and Summit City Ink members: Ben Tiede, Andy Jewett, Matt Gross, and many more.

So go check it out, tell your friends, tell your enemies, and tell your cat. Tell 'em all!

your pal,
zack

We Are Fercocious

2010-07-12T10:16:00.001-04:00

Greetings! Jeremy here to shout about Ferocious, a new anthology of illustration and storytelling put together by local wunderkid Nate Utesch of Metavari and One Lucky Guitar. It features images by an international roster of amazing artists, including a 6 page excerpt from my comic. This is quality, folks, pure and simple.

More CAAATS!

2010-07-10T15:05:00.003-04:00

The craziness continues with the latest page of my cat comic.

While the first page was pretty true to real life (minus the talking), I decided to get a little kookier this time around and put Olive in a superhero costume. Any similarities to existing superheroes are strictly coincidental. I can't go getting sued or something.

That's about all for now. As always, sound off in the comments and let me know what you think!

The Troll and The Giant is available online!

2010-07-05T21:44:00.008-04:00

That's right, shoppers! Now you can score yourselves a copy of The Troll and The Giant from the wonderful Discount Comic Book Service. It's almost as cheap as stealing, but much easier.

Since I've blabbed about the premise in another post, I've just thrown up some interior pages from the book this time. If it looks cool to you, hop on over to the store and nab yourself a copy! http://www.dcbservice.com/category.aspx?id=6&catID=7zzr

RocketBoy

2010-06-14T16:14:00.000-04:00

I've self-published a kids book!

It's an "ABC Adventure Story" that tells a tale about an intrepid young adventurer that is aimed at parents who read to their kids and the big kids who like adventure stories. The structure follows the basic "A is for..." format introducing more complicated words while telling an exciting story reminiscent of the the space adventure stories of the 50's and 60's.

The book is self-published through lulu.com. If you decide to order it through them, they will ship it after your order is placed. You could also hit me up with and email and a check for $15 and I will send you out one with a drawing!

CAAATS!

2010-06-11T10:32:00.002-04:00

Cats do funny things. They scratch, they lick, they punch each other in the face at 3 a.m., and they steal food from each other (and from people). And when you have two cats like I do, the laughs keep on a comin’. So the other day, I made the decision to start chronicling the hijinks of the two furry ones in the form of an all-ages comic.

I had never thought too much about all-ages comics before, that is until Summit City Comic Con. The day was really successful, and a huge part of that success had to do with the number of kids swarming around my table.

It was great! The kids were excited and having a really good time. One little girl asked for a Deadpool sketch card – as I drew it, she stood there singing a song she made up about Deadpool. It went “Deadpoool, Deadpooooool. Deadpoool, Deadpooooool.”

At the end of the day, I thought, “Man, I should have had a book for those kids!” Sure, I had copies of “The Troll & The Giant” with me, which has a fun, cartoony feel to it. But it also has a shot of a guy with his drawers down, not to mention a brutal beating.

So here we are. Cats. They’re cute, they’re funny, and they’re mostly harmless. Right now, the plan is to keep creating these little one-shots and then putting them all together in a print edition later. I will definitely have one for the next Summit City Comic Con, but hopefully it will be done sooner. Hope you enjoy it!

P.S. Please feel free to sound off in the comments and let me know what you think!

Summit City Ink's Andrew Fraser on the Comic Related podcast!

2010-06-09T10:25:00.000-04:00

At this year's S.P.A.C.E. Andrew had a table for his webcomic Bridgette's Belly and was interviewed by the guys from Comic Related. He's the second interview on the show.

You can download the episode here: http://comicrelated.com/news/6754/the-related-recap-199

Check out Bridgette's Belly here: http://bridgette.comicgenesis.com/

The Looking Glass

2010-04-28T19:18:00.004-04:00

The Looking Glass is a collection of art inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. With over 30 illustrations by 17 talented artists, including myself, this book is an explosion of vivid color and striking imagery. Gaze as each artist guides you down the rabbit hole and through their whimsical visions of wonderland. Read small biographies on all the contributing artists and find out what makes them tick. Will you be able to answer "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" You may just find that answer in... The Looking Glass. The book is on sale now and will have a special release at this years Motor City Comic Con in Michigan where myself and many of the artists will be on hand to personalize your copy.

You can check out and order the book at......
www.thelookingglassbook.blogspot.com

Summit City Ink at S.P.A.C.E.

2010-04-21T15:11:00.000-04:00

Hey! What are you doing this weekend? Nothing? Great! Be sure to get down to Columbus, Ohio April 24 & 25 for S.P.A.C.E.! The Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo.

S.P.A.C.E. is a good show, with lots of great creators in attendance. People like Tom Scioli, Guy Davis, Jon Kulczar, Sean McKeever, Nate Powell, Jim Rugg, and it will also be host to our very own Andrew Fraser from Bridgette’s Belly! Be sure to swing down there and check out Andrew’s table and say hello, and spend some money with him. If you’re lucky you may even spot a few other Summit City Ink members roaming around the convention floor on Sunday.

The Troll and The Giant

2010-04-13T21:15:00.006-04:00

Trolls are grumpy, smelly creatures who dwell in basements and are online at all hours of the day.

Women in particular are terrified of Trolls and will have nothing to do with them.

When Trolls aren’t online finding out about the next superhero film before everyone else, they’re online criticizing superhero films that have already come out.

There is nothing a Troll hates more than a Giant who has created a bad superhero film.

This is the premise of The Troll and The Giant, a book I’m in the process of writing and illustrating. The particular Troll of my story is so angry about the last superhero film he saw, he has decided to do more than just write angry blog posts or light up message boards with colorful rants. This Troll has decided to be the first of his kind to confront his target in person.

I won’t spoil the results here, but if you’re a fan of comics and are at all familiar with how passionate we geeks get about the medium (and the movies based on them), you will enjoy this story.

The Troll and The Giant will make its debut next month at the Summit City Comic Con. Along with the book, I will be selling sketch cards, prints and sketches. And I can draw other things besides Trolls. Like that Batman character people are always talking about.

So if you’re at the show, stop by and check everything out. Hope to see you there!

Welcome!

2010-04-11T22:15:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the Summit City Ink Blog!

Summit City Ink is a collective of artists and writers in the Fort Wayne/Northeast Indiana area. Contributions to this blog will include updates on our current works, convention appearances, art, and so on.

We are a dedicated group of professionals who are passionate about comics as a community and as an art form. This blog is designed to help you, reader, find our works and share your thoughts with us in an effort to grow and solidify the comics community.

Our roster currently includes:

Aaron Minier -- Artist: Push, and several upcoming titles from Wildstorm Comics
Andrew Fraser -- Cartoonist/creator: Bridgette's Belly
Andy Jewett -- Cartoonist/Creator: SICKO, In This Corner, Artist: Zombie Crisis, Awesome 2: Awesomer
Ben Tiede -- Artist: Scuba Frog, Mystery Solved!
Kevin Meinert -- Sketch Card/Pin-Up Artist
Matt Gross -- Cartoonist/Creator: The forthcoming The Troll and The Giant
Zack Kruse -- Writer/Creator: The Contingent, Mystery Solved!

That list will absolutely grow as our group grows. In fact, there are three to four members that I anticipate will be added within the next few days/weeks.

You'll see intermittent posts from each of us, and you'll be able to find us working collectively at conventions, on projects, and so forth. You'll also see this page update with an eventual logo, and ads and links to our individual sites.

We're all here because we love comics and we have a mutual respect and admiration for each other. If this blog helps to share that love with you and build our individual and collective audiences, then we have done what we have set out to do. We hope that you subscribe to the blog and stick with us for a long time to come!

your pal,
zack