Laying Down the Law

Here's two more of the Marshal Law posters I designed wayyyyy back in the 90's for the metal band of the same name in Newfoundland.  Pretty basic stuff here, mostly focused on letter design (which always has been a weak point for me).
The backstory for this character involved him being a lawman who had been lynched by outlaws, then returned from hell as a Ghost Rider-ish character to dispense justice in a bloody fashion.  Simple enough, but there's potential in there for any number of stories, and the concept was a good fit for the musical genre.  I'm sure Iron Maiden may have taken issue with this had it gone far enough, but it really wasn't intended as a ripoff of Derek Riggs's work on Eddie.  It's just that skulls and black leather are such iconic features of heavy metal music that it made sense to combine them in this way, and the name of the band suggested the form.

I've got one more piece to scan in this set.  If you like these so far, the last one should really blow your socks off!

 

He IS the Law!

Here's another blast from the past.  Back in the wild, free-rolling days of 1990, I was involved with the local music scene in St. John's, Newfoundland.  I rented an apartment with a couple of local musicians and we spent a ridiculous amount of our time either attending shows at the clubs or just hanging out with other musicians.  One of the benefits of this for me was that I occasionally got to do some design work for the bands.
Unfortunately, a lot of this work has been lost as I never bothered to keep copies of the posters I designed.  However, this one project was a favorite of mine and I still have good copies of the work I produced. 

Being a headbanger through and through, one of my favorite local bands at the time was a metal band named "Marshal Law" that did a mix of enjoyable cover tunes (from the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeath) and their own, very good, original work.  (This was, by the way, completely unrelated to either the English metal band by the same name, the American country band by the same name, or the comic book by Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill.)
The band never really did go anywhere, but I thought they could have if they'd bothered.  In fact, I was so taken with them, that I offered to do a series of drawings for their first CD.  I designed a (admittedly Derek Riggs inspired) character for their band, including a backstory that I was prepared to develop into a full comic book if anyone was interested in going in that direction.  Although the band liked the drawings, they broke up shortly afterwards and the work was never used.  So, technically, this is the first time some of this is seeing the light of day (although I do recall seeing a shot of the character clearly taken from my design used as tattoo in Skin & Ink magazine). 
Here are three of the ink drawings produced to pitch the character to the band.  These were not really meant to be finished pieces, but rather to serve as the basis for paintings for the CD.  I've got a few more that I'll post another time as they're scanned.  Enjoy!

Objectivism Funnies!

Who ever said that Objectivism doesn't have a sense of humour?  To put the lie to that, Ian McDonald offers a birthday card I made for him several years ago.

Click here to read about "The Philosophy That Made a Man Out of MacDonald".

Blast from the Past...

My good friend and sometime collaborator Ian McDonald is running a series of his old drawings over at Bruno the Bandit this week, and it's kind of inspired me to look back into my own archives once again and pull out a few pieces that I've never really shared.
One of my favorite older pieces is this portrait of my character DeathMask (previously seen here).  This is one of my graphic novel projects that's still in limbo, mainly because it got roundly rejected by the publishers to whom it was sent, and that really put me off my feed on  this one.  Still, I think the idea behind it is solid and might just have to blow the dust off it one of these days.  Meantime, there's images like this one to remind me of what it could have been.  By the way, this was colored the old fashioned way, using watercolors, back before I got into digital coloring.

If Disney Be My Destiny...

Naturally, the internet is abuzz today with the news that Disney has purchased Marvel (I'd take the time to look up a link for you, but just try to move on the net without tripping over one).  Also naturally, I'm hearing rumblings from Marvel fans that they're worried their favorite comics will become "Disney-fied" - clean, wholesome and otherwise unenjoyable.  One of the popular visual memes that's coming about as a result of this is the Marvel/Mickey mashup, with various Marvel characters heads shopped onto Mickey's body.

It's cute, but it got me thinking, what if it goes the other way....what if Disney instead becomes "Marvel-fied"?  One look at this thread of comments at Warren Ellis's site shows the possibilities should Mickey and friends fall into the wrong (right) hands.  Heck, look what happened when Marvel met up with Archie Comics.

So, thinking along those lines led to this, my contribution to the Mickey/Marvel mashup meme (now with bonus alliteration!).  Click to see full size.  Enjoy.

In Brightest Day....

Here's a Green Lantern portrait I did for this thread over at The Drawing Board forums. I'm mostly pleased with the final result on this digital painting, although I can see a couple of areas that could use some work. Since it's just for fun, I'm not too worried about it.

In the Words of a Mad Englishman....

Found today at Warren Ellis's column "Do Anything" over at Rich Johnson site "Bleeding Cool", reposed here entirely without as much as a "by your leave" because I think it's bloody brilliant and perfectly states any number of things I think, including the reason I enjoy reading the work of insane Brits:

“There’s That Goddamn Sun Again”

Another day down the mines of our lives. We drink ’til we stink and smoke ’til we choke because that’s how we get things done, you and me. Spending our lives making things and making things out of our lives, because anything else would be dull as hell and we’re damned if we’re going to sit at the other end of whatever years we get saying, well, what the fuck was that for?

Years of scars, lipstick and tears, and every day the dawn comes on we turn our eyes up in surprise, saying, “There’s that goddamn sun again.”

© Warren Ellis 2006

Prime Giveaway

My comp copies of Nate Kenyon's "Prime" arrived in my mail yesterday, and I feel like sharing, so it's time for another contest.
For those who don't remember, "Prime" is the novel from Apex Books for which I did the interior illustrations. It's a science fiction murder mystery reminiscent of work by William Gibson, Philip K. Dick or Neal Stephenson, and it's an enjoyable read by any standard.
The copy I have to give away is trade paperback sized and signed by the author (and if you like, I can sign it for you as well). To enter to win it, you just have to email me (see the link to the left) or leave a comment with your email address to be entered in a random draw. The deadline for the contest is next Friday, 14th August at midnight Atlantic Time.
Jump in with an entry, and you might win yourself a nice signed collectible. Of course, if you can't wait, you could alway head over to the book's page on Apex and order a copy for yourself.

Reading Recommendation...

The latest issue of Apex magazine, vol. 3, no. 2, is now available through the Apex store. What makes this one so special?
Well, they're all special, just because they contain some great fiction and editorials. However, the latest one also has a full color half page ad for this site. This is the first time I've taken out advertising in print for my art. Apex made the rate so reasonable that there was no way I could turn it down. As a bonus, I also get a month of rotating ad banner space on the Apex site, so it's good all ways around.
Apex magazine is available in epub and pdf formats through DriveThru Stuff, in Kindle format via Amazon, and in a print on demand version. You can also get previews of the content at the Apex Book Company site. I've purchased the print version of issue 1, and let me tell you, it is slick. Good paper stock and a nice crisp cover image. Well worth the cover price.

Time to Face the Change...Ch-Ch-Changes

Astute readers will notice some changes to the blog in the last day. Besides tinkering around with my template, I wanted to highlight a few sections of the blog that are or will become more important. Mainly:

-Portfolio. Obvious, really. I want to provide a quick link to my best work for prospective clients.
-Tools. I plan on doing some writing on tools I use when creating.
-Reviews. In the past, I've been asked to do reviews, and wouldn't mind doing some more of them. If you're a content producer or distributor (e.g. books, films, software, luxury ermine lined sport socks, what have you) looking for an honest (key word: Honest!) review, hit me up with a sample or a link to download your product, and I'll review it here in my own funky fresh style.
-Contact. Also obvious.

If you are a constant reader and find that my tinkering has caused all or any part of this blog to break for you, please be a dear and drop me a line to let me know.

Gamer Girl

Just for a chance of pace this week, I decided to try one of the drawing jams over the The Drawing Board. The jam of the month is to do an interpretation of photo reference of gamer girl Olivia Munn. Not being a hardcore gamer, I've never heard of her, but when I saw the photographs, it just screamed out for a Coop style interpretation, so here's the result (SFW, depending on how strict your workplace may be)....

Nerd Rage!

Sometimes...not often, fortunately...I'll fire off a piece of work and forget to follow up on it. That was the case with this one, which I sent to the publisher over a year ago, and only remembered yesterday when I was browsing through a disc of older projects.
This is a pinup page that was done for issue #3 of the comic "Pencilneck" from Paperstreet Comics, a very well done comic by Vic Carungi, Jeff Blascyk and Antonio Brandao. It's the story of a mild-mannered banker who finally gets pushed too far, giving us a look at just what people are capable of under the right (or in this case, wrong) conditions.
Not only did the page make it to issue 3, but they've also seen fit to include in their trade paperback collection of the story. If you're interested in reading it (and I do recommend it...my own copy's on the way right now), the individual issues as well as the trade paperback...along with Paperstreet's other comics...are available from their estore.

Atomic Power!

Another week, another post at Whitechapel. I'm still enjoying the hell out of this every week, but I'm starting to think that it's eating into productive time, and I may have to leave it alone for a while. At least until I get a couple of personal projects done.
Meantime, here's the latest Remake/Remodel, "Atomic Man". From the character description:

"Adam Mann is conducting experiments with the radioactive isotope Uranium-235, and is caught in a "weird chemical accident" giving him atomic powers. He uses these powers to covertly fight crime and Communism as Atomic Man. His powers include super strength, flight, and projecting energy blasts from his right hand. To control and neutralize his power, he wears a lead glove over his hand and takes it off when he wants to turn the powers on. "

I was inspired by the covers of some recent Marvel comics for this one, especially covers by artists like David Finch and Richard Isanove. I think this one turned out particularly well. Comments or criticisms?

Click the image to get a full view in glorious color.

The Winner Is....

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the draw for the free copy of Paul Jessup's "Open Your Eyes" from Apex Books is Angelia Sparrow.
Angelia was kind enough to link back to me from "The Den of Debauchery's Garden Gazebo" (now there's a blog title for ya!) and will be receiving a copy of the book by snail mail just as fast as the U.S. Postal Service can deliver it.
Thanks to Angelia and to all who entered, and be sure to check back for more contests in the (near?) future.

Meantime, if you just can't wait to get your own hands on a copy of "Open Your Eyes", it's available from the Apex Books store, and according to their blog today, is one of their top sellers for June. I've started reading it myself, and while I'm not a fan of this kind of high concept sci-fi, I find this book quite accessible and well written. Fans of "Solaris" and Danny Boyle's "Sunshine" should love this one.
Get your copy while it's hot!

Open Your Eyes to a Contest!

Apex Books has kindly sent me a couple of complimentary paperback copies of Paul Jessup's latest book, "Open Your Eyes", described as "a surrealist space opera of haunting beauty and infinite darkness." I've just started reading it, and while some of this high concept stuff tends to turn me off, I'm finding this one very accessible so far.
To give readers a chance to sample Paul Jessup's work and to check out the kind of offerings available from Apex, I'm putting up a copy of this book as a contest prize through this blog.


But you don't get it for nothing...no, no, far from it. In order to qualify, you've got to give me some link love. Here's how it works:

• if you have a blog, create a post linking back to this blog (you can use either http://paladinfreelance.blogspot.com or www.paladinfreelance.com...all roads lead to Rome). If you run a website, give me a link in your "Links" page or perhaps post a news item to your front page linking back here.
  
• Leave a comment with an email address, or better yet, send me an email with your name and a link to the site where I can see your post (my email address is just off to the left there under "Contact Me". See it? Good.).
  
• Once you do that, your name will go into a draw for the book to be held in one week, on Friday 10 July. The draw will be completely random, under the close scrutiny of an impartial panel of judges (i.e. my wife will pull a name from a hat).
  
• If you are the winner, I will contact you via email for a mailing address where I can send the book.
  

Only the winner's name will be posted on this blog, and all other personal information will be deleted once the book is sent. Scout's honor.

If this contest does well, I may have other goodies to offer in a similar fashion in the future. Good luck, and get those entries rolling in!

Of course, if you don't want to wait, you can always surf over to the book's product page at Apex Books and buy a copy either in old-fashioned paper or new-fangled ebook version.

Prime Number Two

As promised in my last post, here's a color version of that image from Nate Kenyon's "Prime". The color scheme was very much inspired by B-movies and sci-fi/horror comics of the 50's. I wanted it to look really garish to get across the power of the scene. The illustrations in the book are in black and white, so this one was done just for my own, and hopefully your, enjoyment.

07-01-09 is a PRIME Number!

July 1st marks more than Canada Day this year. It also marks the release of "Prime", the new book by Stoker award nominated author Nate Kenyon. What makes this a landmark day for me is the fact that "Prime" is illustrated by none other than yours truly.

This short novel contains four black and white illustrations produced specially for this first edition from Apex (Note: The cover's not mine, but rather the work of the clearly talented Katja Faith). I'm not just blowing smoke when I say I had a great time creating them; this book was as enjoyable to read as it was to illustrate, and that always helps fire the imagination.

"Prime" is a dark science fiction story with ideas that recall some of the better urban science fiction novels, such as Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", William Gibson's cyberpunk novels, and Neal Stephenson's "Snowcrash". It's a futuristic murder mystery that skilfully avoids most of the cliches of other genre-crossing detective fiction to take an insightful look at where our use of technology may be headed and consider some of the unexpected consequences that may be the result. It is satisfying both in terms of entertainment and intelligence and although it is a relatively quick read, it is definitely time well spent.

As for the quality of the illustrations, I'll let you judge for yourself. Below is one of the four pages produced for this book. (Quick side note: I had originally intended to upload a color version of this page, but either Windows Vista or The Gimp lost its mind while I was saving, and dumped all of my color work. I'll update with a color version as soon as I can).

Be sure to check out "Prime" at Apex Books website. It's available to order now for $13.95 US, and even if you're not a fan of my work, I think you'll find that it will be money well spent.

Many Years From Now...

This week, LiveJournal user Phil McAndrew is running a contest based around the idea of drawing yourself as you think you'll be at age 100. My own entry is below.
In short, I see myself as somewhere between Sid James and Yoda. I figure once I hit 65 all bets are off, and an orgy of hedonism unknown since the reign of Caligula will commence. Of course, it will help that I'll be rich beyond the dreams of avarice by that point, and will be able to afford a steady supply of Jack Daniels whiskey, imported cigars and Vargas girls in nurse costumes with butts just a made for slappin'.
Please note the artificial leg; I figure I'll have at least one limb replaced by a plastic polymer prosthetic (say THAT fast five times!), probably manufactured by Apple. Also note the wetwired earbud implants, inspired by Lobo, which will deliver a constant feed of Tom Waits and Danzig directly into my cerebellum...just for mood.

Also, in the future, everyone will be required to wear fuzzy Cthulhu slippers.


Yes, I know that background is crappy. I dithered over it for about an hour before finally going with what I call the "Bloom County" solution...."Just wing that mother!"

Hunting the Alien

Here's the latest from the Whitechapel Remake/Remodel thread, this time a spin on the Arthur K. Barnes character Gerry Carylyle.

The thing I love most about posting to these weekly threads is that I get to play around with a variety of styles and try out new techniques. I make it a point to make each week's submission an experiment with a different yet recognizable style.
In this case, I wanted to do something in the vein of the modern crop of kids' comics like "Alison Dare" or "Amelia Rules". In past weeks, I have done mockups of Cartoon Network DVD's, 70's mystery novels, 40's pulp novels, and recently, an homage to Moore and Gebbie's "Lost Girls".
I find that it really helps spark the creative fire to take a chance on something artistically and not have to worry about the consequences if it doesn't work out. It really brings back the fun that often gets lost in concerns of deadlines and client demands. Sometimes my postings get positive responses from the other forum members (a talented bunch; praise from them is high praise indeed), sometimes they get no comment at all. Either way, the best reward for me is the moment when the piece is complete and somewhere close to what I pictured when I started out. I know then that I've learned something valuable and had fun along the way.

The Ants Come Marching...

Over at Apex Book Company, they're running a piece of cover art I designed for them...well, sort of. They're giving me full credit for the cover of the ebook version of "Last Dragon" by J.M. McDermott, but only about half of the work is mine. I just did a little redesign work on the ants and added the title and author credit. Nevertheless, I'll take what I can get.




I haven't read "Last Dragon" yet, but it's getting good reviews from around the web, including being picked for the Editor's Top Ten Science/Fantasy Picks of 2008 at Amazon. When you consider the number of fantasy books cluttering the field right now, that's high praise indeed, so you can guarantee this one will be going on my reading list.
If well-written fantasy is your cup of tea, why not drop by the book's page at Apex and check it out; it's going to be available in the coming week for the Kindle and at Fictionwise, and I'm sure it will be well worth the price.