WES CRAIG

Thunder Agents #3 In Stores This Week

2012-01-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here's the beautiful cover to issue # 3 by Dustin Nguyen.
I share interiors with the great Walter Simonson! One of my all time favorite comic artists!

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #3
Written by NICK SPENCER
Art by WES CRAIG and WALTER SIMONSON
Cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
On sale JANUARY 18
32 pg
3 of 6, $2.99 US
RATED T
The team is rocked by the death of one of their own. They won’t have much time to mourn, though, as a face from the past thought long gone returns! Plus, NoMan is forced to answer for the sins of his past…

Thunder Agents #3 In Stores Next Week

2012-01-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

Back from the holidays and there's another issue of Thunder Agents coming out next week (January 18th) in comic book shops and online.

Here's some process stuff from the first page of issue #1:

Thunder Agents #2 In Stores Today

2011-12-19T08:48:00.000-08:00

Thunder Agents #2 is out this week at your local comic book shop.
Here's the cover by the amazing Frazer Irving, and a scene from the issue in three stages: rough, inked, and colored.
You can find more info on the issue here

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-12-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

Thunder Agents #1 came out last week and it got a really good reception. Thanks to everyone out there who checked out the comic. Number 2 comes out December 21st so mark your calendars and such.
This week we have a page from Thunder Agents #3 in various stages of development, some Wally Wood inspiration, a page from a personal project I'm working on, and some pages from my sketchbook.
See ya next week.

Quick one...

2011-12-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

Knee deep in deadline right now. I'll be back with a regular blog post next monday.
For now check out this nice review for Thunder Agents #1.

Thunder Agents In Stores Today

2011-11-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

Hey out there. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS is in comic book shops today. Go check it out.
Click HERE to find a local comic shop.

Out this week: T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #1

2011-11-27T20:02:00.001-08:00

Thunder Agents #1 comes out this Wednesday from DC Comics. Written by Nick Spencer and illustrated by yours truly.
Click here to find a comic book shop near you: Comic Shop Locator
Download the comic this Wednesday on Comixology
Here are some preview images from the issue including the cover by Andy Kubert:

Thunder Agents Countdown: 1 week left

2011-11-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #1 in comic book stores and on your apps and such next wednesday the 30th.
Here are some shots from the second and third issue. Plus some random reading material, sketchbook stuff, etc. Enjoy.

Thunder Agents Countdown: 2 weeks left

2011-11-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

Two weeks left until the first issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS hits your local comic shop and digital doo-dads.
Below: an image from issue #2, a Fox, some new music and reading material, my favorite brush, and playing around with said brush in my sketchbook.

Thunder Agents Countdown: 3 weeks left

2011-11-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Inking Thunder Agents, pencilling Thunder Agents, doodling in my 55th sketchbook, and doing some writing. Possibly in that order.

Thunder Agents Countdown: 4 weeks left

2011-10-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

Random drawing, reading, and listening from the past week.
Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!

Thunder Agents Countdown: 5 weeks left

2011-10-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Character Sketch of "Menthor" from Thunder Agents.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents# 1 from DC Comics in comic book stores November 30th.
To find your nearest comic shop call 1-888-COMIC-BOOK.

Thunder Agents Countdown: 6 weeks left

2011-10-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

Character Sketch of "Colleen" from Thunder Agents.

Thunder Agents Countdown: 7 weeks left

2011-10-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Character Sketch of "Lightning" from Thunder Agents.

Thunder Agents Countdown: 8 weeks left

2011-10-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

Character sketch of "Dynamo" from Thunder Agents

Cover to Thunder Agents#2 by Frazer Irving.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents# 1 from DC Comics in comic book stores November 30th.
To find your nearest comic shop call 1-888-COMIC-BOOK.

Thunder Agents Countdown: 9 weeks left

2011-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

ABOVE: "NoMan" from Thunder Agents.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents# 1 from DC Comics in comic book stores November 30th.
To find your nearest comic shop call 1-888-COMIC-BOOK.

Thunder Agents

2011-09-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Getting started.

Character sheet for Dynamo.

Rough version of page one.

More Thunder Agents stuff

2011-09-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

Making notes on Nick's script for Thunder Agents # 1.

Sketching from the movie "A Beautiful Mind" for reference.

The day after the Toronto FanExpo

2011-08-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

We came, we saw, we drew, we shook some hands, we kissed some babies, we left...

Sketch for a fan in his Guardians of the Galaxy hardcover.

R2D2 zipping away from me.

Lego Hagrid

Three of the cutest kids in the known universe.

Spoils of the convention.

Thunder Agents is back in November!

2011-08-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #1
Written by NICK SPENCER
Art by WES CRAIG
Cover by ANDY KUBERT
On sale NOVEMBER 30 • 32 pg, 1 of 6, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
One of the most critically acclaimed series of the past year returns with a new #1 issue that serves as a great jumping-on point for new readers!
What kind of people willingly become Super Heroes, knowing that their powers will eventually kill them? That’s the question this new 6-part miniseries will explore as the team must face off against the Warlord and his Subterraneans! Nick Spencer (Morning Glories, Ultimate X-Men) teams with rising star Wes Craig for a twisted= tale of super heroics, espionage, and action!

Busy...

2011-08-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Hey out there, I'm going to be a bit busy working on some freelance video game stuff, so no up dates until I'm done.
I'll be back Monday the 22nd with more Thunder Agents art.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS!

2011-07-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

So the big news I mentioned in my last post was announced at the San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend: I'm going to be the new artist on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents when the series comes back in November 2011.

Real excited to be working on this series with Nick Spencer and editor Will Moss. Looking forward to putting my stamp on it, but also working in nods to the previous artists and the original series, excited to get my hands on a super-speed character, excited to see which artists they get for the flashback scenes, yeah... pretty damn excited about the whole thing I'd say.

Here's an article about it from COMIC BOOK RESOURCES.

ABOVE: Sketchbook drawing of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent's NoMan, drawn during the Con.

MojoBlender Mondays: San Diego here we come...

2011-07-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the San Diego Comic Con this coming weekend, hocking my wares and talking to fans at my table in Artist Alley (Table DD-04). If you're going to the show, pass by and say hello.
Soon after I come back I'll have some interesting news to talk about, just got offered a really cool comic book gig. Stay tuned...

San Diego Comic Con

the Help Feed Wes in San Diego Fund...

2011-07-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

So to help foot some of the bill for San Diego Comic-Con this year I've got some new features up here that you art lovers might want to check out:
I've finally started my online store, just two things up for sale right now: a Mighty Thor print, and most importantly my brand-spankin' new Convention Sketchbook just in time for San Diego Comic-Con!
Right now as a pre-convention special I'm doing a free sketch with every sketchbook bought so if you want one you can put in your order here then you can include the character you want in the paypal note section or email me at wesley. dot craig at gmail dot com

Cover

All the glories pages of art inside.

Also, to the left of this post you'll find a link for my Original Art Pages. For now I'll be putting on a Sale, all the prices you see on there have been brought down so it's a good time to buy a little piece of Guardians of the Galaxy, Wildstorm Revelations, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc.
And finally for the artists out there I have a Portfolio Advice link where I offer full, in-depth reviews for a small fee (more details in the link).

No link to page where you can pay for nude photos of me yet, but probably soon... :)

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON: Artist's Alley

2011-07-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

So according to bleedingcool.com (where I get all my super-accurate, always truthful comic book news) I've been assigned my table at San Diego this year:
DD-04!!!
Fellow nerds, I will be awaiting you!

MojoBlender Wednesday: Better late than never

2011-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy, busy...
Here are some pages from my sketchbook

Observations on different smoking mannerisms.

Playing around with the tools

Some random cover concepts I may or may never get to.

Extra: Superman

2011-07-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

This week for kicks I'm painting a two-pager that uses the first page of Action Comics #1 as it's inspiration.
I love that old style, ass-kicking dangerous Superman from the Depression, he's such a different character from the version we have now. Looking forward to seeing if Grant Morrison returns him to his roots in the new Action Comics in September.
I'm doing the second page first for some reason (?), using his original costume, and trying to give it a period, art deco feel, like some of the movie posters of the era. I'm also using previous Superman actors as inspiration, but mostly trying to make him look like a mix of Joe Shuster's Superman, and the Fleischer Superman cartoons.

Action Comics #1

Initial sketch

In progress. Watercolor and ink.

Final

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-06-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

Some random doodles from my sketchbook.

Potential logo for webcomic.

I'm not sure yet what form the webcomics going to take but right now what I have in mind is one long form regularly updated comic call The Gravedigger's Union, and other short form strips and short stories. That could change as I move forward with it but that's the plan right now...

MojoBlender Mondays: Marvel Super-Heroes

2011-06-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Above: Panel from upcoming Marvel Super-Heroes #23
I've finished up work on my backup feature for the Marvel Adventures comic book. Now on to some work for my Grave-Diggers Union side-project for a few days...

READING: Book Of Negroes by Lawrence Hill.
LISTENING TO: Old Blues, Folk, and Mariachi music.

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-06-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak at a project I'm working on on the side.
"ShapeShifter Comics" is an idea I'm playing with as a way of putting out more personal material online. It would be a website linked to this blog where I put up my creator-owned comic work, from short strips to long-form graphic novels in installments.
(This won't include my series for DC comics though since me and DC are co-owners of that work.)
"The Gravediggers Union" is the first major story I'd put up there. It's a four issue series that's all written and roughed out, now I just have to sit down and draw the damn thing.
But first I have to get back to work on this Marvel Adventures story...

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-06-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hey out there. Currently busy working on a Marvel Adventures story to be releasead some time in the near future. I'll get you the issue number when I remember to ask. Here's a sneak peak from some rough pencils:

As for the other stuff I'm working on:
As far as I know the Pirates of the Caribbean Anthology ran into some problems and may not be coming out at all, it's a mystery to me.
And the publication of my creator-owned series I worked on for DC is on hold as they roll out all their new titles they have coming after their Flashpoint series. With all the promotion and publicity those new issue #1's are getting I wouldn't want to come out right now anyway. I'd turn invisible. :)
So that book's all done but it'll be a while before it sees the light of day, by that time I'll probably look at it like some ugly step-child I want hidden back in the house...
But never fear, I have other creator-owned projects I'm working on between gigs and I'll update you on those as they get done.

I'm even thinking of putting them out as Webcomics first...

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-05-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

So I picked up this cheap putty at some random store a few weeks ago and sculpted a little head while I was watching TV.
It's been a long time since I did sculpting of any kind. It was fun.
These two are the mashed versions of the head I originally did, but I actually like them better, go figure...

That's it for now, news on what I have coming up... sometime this year I hope...
:)

Trickster

2011-05-16T20:36:00.001-07:00

Have you heard about this TR!CKSTER thing?
Sounds pretty cool.
I'm not affiliated with it in any way, but I'm pretty sure I wish I was.
It's strange because the day before I read about them I was drawing Reynard the Fox in my sketchbook:

I'll definitely be checking those guys out during the Con.

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-05-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hard at work on some cover designs for a new project.
I'll have some thoughts on cover design next week; I think I might start that as a regular part of the blog; my thoughts on different aspects of comic books. Sharing what I've learned, (and still learning).
Here's a bloody, bad-ass sketch of Midnighter I did for a fan.

FUEL:
Music:
Foster The People
Art:
Chris Ware
Books:
Finished "Breakfast of Champions", now on to "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain

Back from vacation...

2011-05-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

So, back from a two week vacation, relaxed and refreshed...
Here's what's new:
Pirates of the Caribbean: not out in stores yet, I'll let you know when I hear more information on this.
Creator-owned series: That's in a bit of limbo at the moment as DC continues it's restructuring and other stuff I'm not really privy to. Again, I'll let you know the deal when I hear more.
BELOW:
Stuff from my sketchbook.

MUSIC:
New albums from Radiohead and PJ Harvey
ART:
Marcos Martin's work on Spider-man
BOOKS:
Got through two Kurt Vonnegut books while I was traveling: Slaughterhouse Five and Cat's Cradle, now I'm starting Breakfast of Champions.

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-04-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Graphic Novel Anthology "Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties" is coming out this month, so I thought I'd mention it one more time. Here are two pages from my part of the book, a fun story by Phil Hester and beautiful colors by Hi-fi.

You can pre-order it here.

And heres the description from Disney Press:
Pirates a'plenty are gathered at the infamous Faithful Bride tavern in the pirate haven of Tortuga, and as the night wears on and the rum keeps flowing, tales of Captain Jack Sparrow and his cohorts spill forth from drunken pirate mouths. These six stories are a kind of Canterbury Tales for the seafaring, swashbuckling set—and fans of comics and Pirates everywhere!

In other news I'll be traveling for the last two weeks of April so I won't be posting anything in that time, but I'll be back the first week of May, so please check back in then. Thanks.

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-04-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

ABOVE: Commission for a fan.

MUSIC:
The Strokes, Armistice
ART:
David Mazzucchelli on Rubber Blankets, Sergio Toppi
BOOKS:
The Spartacus War by Barry Strauss, H.P. Lovecraft on audiobook

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-03-28T09:32:00.001-07:00

ABOVE:
Heres a commission I did for a fan of Rogue. A few more commission posts coming up in the next few weeks.

MUSIC:
Prison Work Songs Compilation, Howlin' Wolf, Foster The People, MGMT
ART:
R. Crumb, Dave Cooper
BOOKS:
"I Was Looking For A Street" by Charles Willeford, "The Spartacus Wars" by Barry Strauss

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-03-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with doing storyboards recently.
Like many of us nerds, I have an idea for how I would do a movie starring my favorite superhero. In my case it's Superman.
But the problem is; we're never actually going to get the chance to do that. So I thought "why not just do it?" A storyboard version of it for my own enjoyment. It's not a top priority so one day I might look back at this post and say "oh yeah, remember when I thought I'd have time to do that?" (hello future me!), but it's a fun little thing to play with on the side.
To start off I did a test storyboard of a different Superman idea.
The full-length movie I have in my head is a story of the modern Superman, but here I went back to Action Comics #1 for inspiration and did a quick little short film take on the original depression-era Superman.
Click on the image twice to increase the size.

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-03-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

I got the color files back last week from my editor at Disney for the Pirates of the Caribbean Anthology and I was blown away by how nice a job Hi-Fi did on the colors. Belicimo.

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-03-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

Last week I finished the final pages of inks for my original series. If all goes well this week I'll be able to wrap up the coloring and lettering on it and call it a day. Exciting times!

ABOVE:
Commission for a fan of Hourman and Liberty Belle. Ink and watercolor.
Sketchbook doodles. Red and black pen, pitt brush-pens.

MUSIC:
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Spinnerette, Lykke Li, Beirut, PJ Harvey
ART:
Communication Arts Typography Annual, "Sketchbook: The Hidden Art of Designers, Illustrators, and Creatives: by Richard Brereton, Emily Carroll
BOOKS:
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Daytripper by Moon and Ba.

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-02-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

FROM THE SKETCHBOOK part two
Here's some more recent stuff from my sketchbook:

A watercolor sketch of a frame of Daniel Plinview at the beginning of There Will Be Blood. Riffing on the black oil theme.

More Daniel Plainview, did this one while I was scanning stuff.

Some character sketches for a little short story I want to do this month.

Randomness, sometimes wiping off your brushes can make some beautiful patterns.

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-02-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

FROM THE SKETCHBOOK part one
Some recent work from my sketchbook, playing around with colors, mediums, and styles.

A frame from the movie There Will Be Blood done in watercolor.

Frames from the movie Snatch using black and red ink, and Photoshop.

Random sketches of different types of women using black and colored inks.

Wonder Woman

2011-02-15T19:53:00.001-08:00

I did this sketch of Wonder Woman in my book just for fun, and I liked the way it looked, so I took some time out this week and did a more polished version. I usually like drawing her with the roman soldier skirt like Darwyn Cooke drew her in New Frontier, but I liked the way her hips turned out and I couldn't bring myself to cover it up with anything. The high boots were just something I wanted to try out to give her a slightly different look. Plus I think they add authority to her costume.
Back to regularly posting on Mondays next week.

Portfolio Advice

2011-02-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

For a $10 fee you can get a full, in-depth, and honest portfolio review from me.
Here's how it breaks down:
THE PORTFOLIO REVIEW:
- At least 2 full pages of notes on what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong, and what you need to really concentrate on to get to the next level. Breaking it all down panel by panel and element by element.
- A digital red marker overlay of the pages to demonstrate specifically what I'm talking about, and different ways of approaching the page and your drawing.
If you're interested you can contact me at wesley.craig@gmail.com:

2011 Sneak-Peak

2011-01-31T08:11:00.001-08:00

Part four of my 2011 preview (Check out the last few posts to see what else I have coming for 2011).
The last thing I have planned is a fantasy series set in modern-day England. It’s a continuing series of short, interconnected stories about the people of a strange little city. This one’s a little ways off and I’ll be doing it in between my company gigs for Marvel and DC for the time being. But I hope to have the first story arc released online by the end of this year.

That’s it for the stuff I have planned (See? I haven’t been sitting on my duff doing nothing all these months).

As for the unplanned stuff, who knows?

2011 Sneak-Peak

2011-01-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

Part three of my 2011 preview:
So far I’ve shown you Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties and the Original-Series I’m doing with DC Comics. This week is a preview of something completely different.
Like my DC original-series I can’t really say much about plot details or the name of the strip until it’s ready to come out but what I can say is it’s an all-ages adventure strip starring a team of action-seeking kids. I’ll be releasing their first adventure online in 2011. After that, and if time allows, I’d like to bring out a new adventure two or three times a year.
Lots of fun.

Friday's Tomfoolery: Galactapomp

2011-01-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

2011 Sneak-Peak

2011-01-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

Continuing with my preview of stuff I'll be up to in 2011:
Last week I showed some previews of Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties. This week I’m previewing more images from the Original-Series I’ve been working on for the past few months. I’ve mentioned it already in previous posts but it’s finally almost complete so I thought I’d go over it one more time.

It’s a five issue series coming out from DC Comics in 2011. Story and art by me. We won’t be setting an exact release date until I’m done, but I should be wrapped up by February so more details on that in the coming months..

I’m keeping the name of the series and plot details under wraps for now but I can tell you it’s a modern fantasy, it’s set in the late 1920’s and if it’s successful it could become a series of books in the future.
Here are some more images form the series:

Friday's Tomfoolery: Thing-Pomp

2011-01-13T19:20:00.001-08:00

2011 sneak-peak

2011-01-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

I've been hard at work over the past few months, toiling away in secret on my comic books. And with the beginning of the new year I thought it would be a good time to share some of the work I've been doing.
For the next few weeks, every Monday I'll be previewing a project I'm working on that'll be coming out some time in 2011.
Probably the first thing that'll see the light of day is my story in Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties. It'll be full color, written by Phil Hester, and starring Jack Sparrows. This one will be hitting bookshelves in April.

Here are some preview images:

Friday's Tomfoolery: Wonder-Pomp

2011-01-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

MojoBlender Mondays

2011-01-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

I've been mostly relaxing over the holidays so not much to show this week but starting next week I'll be doing a month long preview of the stuff I have coming up in comics.
And check back here on Friday for more TomFoolery (and super heroes with pompadours).

DIG IT:
COMICS: The Invisibles Volume 4
MOVIES: The Fighter
TV: Batman: Brave and the Bold
ARTWORK: David Mazzucchelli on Batman Year One
MUSIC: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

(early) Thursday's TomFoolery

2010-12-22T21:23:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone!

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-12-19T21:43:00.001-08:00

Here's a random drawing from my sketchbook. The colored ink I used on the sketch had a nice opaque look to it and so I wanted to play around with it a bit in photoshop and see what I could get.

DIG IT:
COMICS: KANE by Paul Grist, ESCAPO by Paul Pope, STRAY BULLETS Vol. 2 by David Lapham
NOVELS: TALES FROM FIROZSHA BAAG by Rohinton Mistry
MOVIES: BLOOD SIMPLE, and RAISING ARIZONA by the Coen Brothers, A PERSONAL JOURNEY WITH MARTIN SCORSESE THROUGH AMERICAN MOVIES
ARTWORK: Otto Dix at the Montreal Museum

Friday's Tomfoolery: Bat-Pomp

2010-12-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-12-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

No Super Hero sketches this week (busy, busy) so instead I've posted some work from my sketchbook I did over the Fall.
I'm back to work on my Original Series; just finished up #4 and now it's on to the final issue. Still no idea when it'll be released but keep checking back in, more details to come.

Friday's Tomfoolery: Super-Pomp

2010-12-10T12:38:00.001-08:00

MojoBlenderMondays: The Flash

2010-12-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Finished illustrating my part of the Pirates of the Caribbean Anthology, lots of fun to work on Phil Hester's script.
Now back to wrapping up my Original Series.

LISTENING TO:
Spinnerette
LOOKING AT:
Sharaz-De by Sergio Toppi
READING:
Maximum City by Suketu Mehta
Scalped Book 3 by Aaron and Guera
Y The Last Man by Vaughan and Guerra
The Plastic Man Archives by Jack Cole
The Authority Book 1 by Ellis and Hitch

Friday's Tomfoolery: the heart of DOOM

2010-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

MojoBlenderMondays: Mr. Miracle

2010-11-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

I'm almost finished my part on the Pirates of the Caribbean anthology and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'll post some pages as soon as I get the okay from the Mouse.
And after that's done it's back to work on my Original-Series. More on that in the months to come...

ABOVE: Mister Miracle, one of my favorite characters of all time.

Friday's Tomfoolery: Martian Manhunter

2010-11-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

Martians have giant nipples, you didn't know that?

MojoBlenderMondays: DarkSeid

2010-11-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

What a brat.

MojoBlenderMondays: Thor

2010-11-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

Original version. Black Ink, watercolor for the graytones, white gouche.

Final version. Colored in Photoshop.

Here's a sketch I did of my favorite Marvel character to draw.
I'm a big fan of mythology, grew up reading books on Greek and Norse myth at the same time as I was reading comics. So for me I have an equal affection for the traditional Thor (red hair, burly, etc.) and the Marvel version. Although for me, if you're gonna give him blonde hair, you at least gotta give him the beard. He's a Viking for god's sake!

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-11-11T22:29:00.000-08:00

What to do with a blog when you want to show stuff, but "stuff" hasn't been published yet?
What to do, what to do...
Well, when in doubt I go for the thing that looks like the most fun. So starting here I'll be posting simple sketches, and updating you on projects as they come out. On Mondays it'll be more "serious" sketches of your favorite heroes, aliens, detectives, monsters, etc, and on Fridays it'll be wacky reinterpretations of different superheroes.
Take for example this classic disco Power Man and Iron Fist.

Kickin' Punchin' and talkin' jive.
Yeah...

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-11-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

MojoBlenderMondays: Pirates!

2010-10-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

Musical Inspiration: The Great Tom Waits.
The Song? Singapore.
And of course in the land of the internet where every idea or thought you've ever had, no matter how silly, has already been done, here's a video mashing together Pirates of the Caribbean with... you guessed it, Singapore.

It's really quite good actually ...

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-10-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Biker-Ork.
Have a mischief filled weekend.

MojoBlenderMondays: Inspiration

2010-10-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

N.C. Wyeth, painter of Pirates and other things.
You can see more of his work, and many other classic illustrators and comic book artists here.

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-10-22T08:43:00.001-07:00

YEARG! AHOY! AND ALL THAT...

2010-10-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

I'll be illustrating one chapter of the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Chanties Graphic Novel coming from Disney Publishing. My story's written by Phil Hester. Here are some preliminary character sketches.

You can read more about it here.

Convention Burnout...

2010-10-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on the posts but I'll be back next week with new stuff to show.
It was announced at the New York Comic Con that I'll be contributing to a Pirates of the Caribbean Anthology from Disney Publishing. So I'm gonna post some pirate drawings starting next week on MojoBlender Mondays.

MojoBlender: NYCC!

2010-10-03T23:26:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the New York City Comic Convention this coming weekend (October 8th -10th) so if you're going too, come by and say hello. I'll be at table J10 in Artist Alley; doing sketches, talking to fans, and stealing sips of whiskey from a flask under my table.

ABOVE: Just started sketchbook number forty-six! Always a creatively invigorating time for me.
Here's a picture of my new sketchbook (Bateman Books are by FAR my favorite, this one's a very portable 6x9 size).
And a picture of one of the shelves for my previous sketchbooks.

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-09-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

So you may have heard the news that DC Comics is closing it's Wildstorm Imprint at the end of the year. The close leaves a lot of questions but the one I'll focus on here (for obvious reasons) is
"what does this mean for your creator-owned book?"
Well I've been assured (as far as anything can be assured at this point) that my passion project is safe and that I should continue working on it. We aren't at the finish line until the comic is published and out there for fans to read, so cross your fingers, but I have faith it will still come out some time in 2011. Although now I guess it'll be under the DC banner instead of Wildstorm.

But for the time being I'm going to stop beating the promotional war-drum on my book until a firm release date is set up and I can tell everyone exactly what it's called and when it's coming out.

Meanwhile, I have other stuff I'm working on that I hope to talk about in the near future, among them is another creator-owned idea I might be releasing online in 2011, and a short-story I'm illustrating for a publisher I've never worked with before.

It involves pirates...

More next week.

ABOVE: sketches from Sketchbook #45: Brooklyn and freeze frames of the tv series "Rome"

MojoBlender Mondays: creator-owned series update

2010-09-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

Another shot from my creator-owned series.
Cheers (witty)

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-09-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-09-12T22:45:00.000-07:00

Whoops! I didn't post last week, sorry about that. Busy, busy.
Here's another panel from my Creator-Owned series that hasn't come out yet and I can't say anything about. (I think it needs an acronym for now, how about C.O.S.T.H.C.O.Y.I.C.S.A.A., too hard to remember?)

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-09-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

These new drawings I'm posting on Fridays are doubling as research for a little personal project I'll be doing on my own time for now (separate from my main gig), as well as being something fun to post on Fridays. No more Hefty Super-Heroes for now, but hopefully you guys will find these just as entertaining.

Plus they're not as personally offensive to people with weight problems, which is always good.

The above sketch probably not the best example of that, but oh well...

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-08-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the Toronto FanExpo, a great time had by all (or at least most, I heard the line-ups were pretty brutal).
Now I'm back in the studio and ready to get back to work on my comic.
Here's another preview image from the first issue:

Check back on Friday for more Tomfoolery.

Thursday's Tomfoolery/Toronto FanExpo

2010-08-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the Toronto FanExpo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre this Friday and Saturday. I'll be doing sketches and generally shooting the s#!% with fans. If you're going to the show, come by and say hello.

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-08-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some more new images from my Original-Series for Wildstorm. This past week I wrapped up two more covers and I'm hoping to have the first half of the forth issue done by the end of the coming week.

...they look scared.
I'll be at the Toronto FanExpo this coming weekend (Saturday and Sunday) doing sketches and talking to fans in Artist Alley. Come by and say hello.
And since I'll be gone Friday, check back on Thursday for an early installment of TomFoolery.

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-08-19T21:34:00.001-07:00

So I think I've drawn as many overweight super-heroes as I can draw for now. So here's my new subject for Friday's Tomfoolery. Stay tuned for more every week.
And a special thanks to everyone who responded to Mondays post about my creator-owned book. Lots of unexpected and appreciated emails from fans, friends, and fellow creators who are all looking forward to the book coming out. Trust me, no one is looking forward to that thing hitting the comic racks more than me.
Come back next Monday for another sneak peek!

MojoBlenderMondays: Original-Series

2010-08-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

After a short break I'm back to work on my original-series, and posting on this blog.
I've finished the first three issues and the cover for issue #1. Now on to the rest of the covers and the remaining two issues to finish up the story.
The image below is of my main character, seen here for the first time. What's his name? Why's he look so sinister? Well you would too if you'd been where he's been. But all that stuff's a mystery for now, so you'll have to wait a few months more to find out all the details.
...I know, it's killin' me too. But for now to tie you over, every Monday here on the blog, I'll be posting a small image from the book, a piece of the puzzle, so to speak, until Wildstorm can release an official announcement.

Check back on Friday for some all-new TomFoolery.

catching up...

2010-08-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Running a bit behind. This last week was filled with activities that put a stop to my work, so this week I'm playing catch up.
I'll have more updates soon, probably next Monday so check back in then.

Thanks,

-Wes

I got them Post-San Diego Blu-u-ues...

2010-07-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

Just got back from San Diego last night. Fun with freinds, new art books to look at, etc. A good (but over-stuffed) time had by all.
Special congrats to Cameron Stewart for his Eisner win for Sin Titulo
Here are some pics from the show:

Two Predators just shootin' the s*%t.

Huge shiny Bumblebee.

I don't know that guy.

Mission Beach.

Tuesday's Tomfoolery

2010-07-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

So I'm off to San Diego tomorrow for the big Comic Convention and I thought I'd leave off with this last little bit of Tomfoolery.
Enjoy.

Everybody do the comic book shuffle!

2010-07-18T23:10:00.001-07:00

I'm heading off to the San Diego Comic Con this week. Some fun in the sun with my comic book compatriots.

Above: Sketchbook experiments with colored inks

Friday's Tomfoolery extravaganza!

2010-07-15T21:25:00.001-07:00

Hey out there,
So next week at this time I'll be at the San Diego Comic-Con (no table, just strolling around) and for two weeks after that I'll be really busy with some exciting personal stuff.
So I won't have much time to post anything for a bit. But I was almost wraped up this Batman verses Daredevil showdown, and I couldn't leave you hanging, so here's the whole thing from the begining, and the last two all-new shots at the end.
So my posts will be a bit sporadic for the next three weeks, but after that I'll be back with new stuff to show from my creator-owned book, a new theme for Fridays, and a new look for the blog.
Enjoy the weekend everybody!

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-07-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

So according to my clock it's no longer Monday, so this can't be a MojoBlender Monday post, but what the hell right?
Here are two more pages from my sketchbook, mostly life drawing studies.
Tune in this Friday for the grand finale of Pudgy-Batman and Pudgy-Daredevil's epic battle!

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-07-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, just when you thought it was over...!

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-07-04T21:35:00.001-07:00

Creator-owned update: I've finished up pencils, inks, and watercolor washes on issue #3. Next up: letter and color the issue. And then paint the covers for the whole mini-series.
Oh, and do the logo .....

Man I've got a lot of work to do.

I'm hoping to have all that done by the end of the month but I'm also doing a bit of traveling, and some personal stuff too (all good personal stuff though, don't worry.) So who knows. I'll try my best.

For this weeks sketches it's another installment of "pages from my sketchbook."
Drawings from The incredible Hulk, Angela's Ashes, and Rome. I'm working on the beginning stages of another original-series and the setting is very poverty stricken and cavernous so I wanted to do some visual research on what that would actually look like. Along with some random faces, watercolor experiments, and other stuff.
Enjoy.

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-07-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

But wait, it's not over yet...

(Sorry I was away this past Monday, July is going to be a hectic month for me so posts might be a bit more sporadic, but I'll still be here most of the time.)

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-06-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

My friend Matt Manning suggested at this point they would be tired and need to stop for a sandwich, and I fully agree, but my week was to packed to draw that so just imagine between this panel and last weeks panel they stopped for a snack and now they're back at it.

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-06-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

This week: Random sketches and Original series update.
Here are some pages from my sketchbook, mostly figure drawings for the book I'm working on.
And speaking of the book I'm working on, I'm almost done the inking for issue #3 and should be wrapped up on it completely by the end of the month. But I'm doing a lot of traveling this month, and the weather is real nice out there so who knows?
See you here on Friday for another installment of "Batman and Daredevil kick the crap out of each other."

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-06-17T20:36:00.001-07:00

Have a nice weekend everybody, see you on MojoBlender Mondays.

Interview with Optimum Wound

2010-06-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here's an interview I did with optimumwound.com's Richard Serrao, a really nice guy I met this year at the Montreal Comic Con.
For the interview click here

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-06-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hey out there,
I haven't updated you guys on what I've been doing for a while, so here's a quick one:
1) I'm working on issue 3 of my original series for Wildstorm (see the side bar to the left if you don't know what I'm talking about)
I have to admit my work has slowed up a teeny-weeny bit but what can I say? The weather's beautiful, and I live in Canada, which means that's gonna last for three or four months tops, so I've been getting work done, but also taking time to smell the roses. Can Wes have his cake and eat it too dear readers? Only time will tell...
2) I've got some other original ideas I'm working on in my limited spare time, I hope to flesh these out a little and have something more to talk about early next year.
3) I walk my dogs, a lot.
That pretty much sums up everything I'm doing at the moment. So nothing out in stores, but I'm doing a lot of stuff in private right now that I'm hoping will bear fruit in 2011.

It's coming sooner than you think.

For now here's the last of my little color sketches.

.
See you on Friday for Batman and Daredevils continuing epic battle.

Friday's Tomfoolery

2010-06-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

Have a nice weekend folks!

MojoBlender Mondays

2010-06-06T21:41:00.000-07:00