Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Twenty-Five

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day twenty-five has everybody's favourite Elf: Buddy!

Pencilled and inked on *'x6" paper, with colours in Photoshop.

Hope you've enjoyed this if you have been following (which, according to the stats on this blog is about two people) and have a Happy Christmas.  Normally scheduling of sporadic blog posts will resume in the new year.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Twenty-Four

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day twenty-four has Batman and Catwoman from Tim Burton's brilliant Batman Returns.

Pencilled and inked on 8"x6" paper.

Hope this one was a surprise for some folk.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Twenty-Three

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day twenty-three features Father Jack from Father Ted's Christmas Special: essential Christmas viewing!

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Twenty-Two

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day twenty-two has the cheerful Ghost of Christmas Present from the Muppets Christmas Carol.

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Twenty-One

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day twenty one is Gizmo from Gremlins.

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Twenty

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day twenty features grumbling, bumbling burglar Harry, played by Joe Pesci, from Home Alone 1 and 2.

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Nineeteen

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day nineteen features international terrorist-cum-exceptional thief, Hans Gruber, from Die Hard.

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Eighteen

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day eighteen features some carolling Gremlins from the 1984 film.

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Seventeen

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day sixteen features The Ghost of Christmas Future from Scrooged, one of the best designs for the ghost in my humble opinion.

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Sixteen

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day sixteen features Riggs from Lethal Weapon: Not your typical Christmas movie, but then what's the fun in being predictable?

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper, with a bit of editing in Photoshop.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Fifteen

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day fifteen features Marv from the Home Alone movies.  I hear rumours of sequels after Lost In New York, but I refuse to believe them.

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Fourteen

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day fourteen has John McClane from Die Hard.

Pencilled and inked on 6"x8" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Thirteen

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day thirteen features Billy Bob Thorton's character from Bad Santa.

Pencilled and inked on 8"x6" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Twelve

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day twelve features the character of Frank Cross, played by Bill F**king Murray in one of my all-time favourite Christmas movies, "Scrooged."

Pencilled and inked on 8"x6" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Eleven

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day eleven features the character of Clarence Odbody, played by Henry Travers, in the 1946 classic "It's A Wonderful Life."

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Ten

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day ten features the character of Jack Skellington from A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper (cropped).

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Nine

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day nine features the character of Snakes from the movie-within-the-movie, Angels With Filthy Souls, from Home Alone.

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper (cropped).

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Eight

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day eight features the ghosts of Jacob and Robert Marley (Statler and Waldorf) from Muppet's Christmas Carol.

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper, tones added in PS.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Seven

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day seven features Rowan Atkinson's character from Love Actually.

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper, with a little bit of colour thrown on in PS.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Six

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day six features Jack Frost from the movie of same name.

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper, coloured in PS.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Five

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day five features Arctic Puffin and his pals from Elf.

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper, coloured in Photoshop.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Four

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day four features The Ghost of Christmas Past from Scrooged.

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper, colours in Photoshop.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Three

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day three features Kevin McAlister from Home Alone.

Pencilled and inked on 8x6" paper, colours in Photoshop.

Horatio Bottomley and "Brand of Britain"

I've recently finished work on a ten page story, written by Andy Luke, which will be released in a Graphic Anthology next year to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of World War One.  The Anthology is called "To End All Wars" and will be released by Soaring Penguin Press.  Andy's story, entitled "Brand of Britain" focuses on the exploits of one Horatio William Bottomley (March 23, 1860 - May 26, 1933), described on Wikipedia as "a British financier, swindler, journalist, newspaper proprietor, populist politician and Member of Parliament (MP)."  He was all that and more.

I admit to having never heard of Bottomley before Andy pitched this project to me and gave me some background on the man.  As it turns out, Bottomley has all been all but written out of history and, having read some of Andy's reference material, I can see why his role in WWI has been played down for almost a century.  Still, his story is a fascinating one and I urge anyone to do even the slightest of reading on him just to appreciate what a character he really was.  Better yet, pick up the anthology when it comes out next year and read Andy's interpretation of Bottomley's exploits as a successful War Recruiter and rascal of the highest order.

In the meantime, here's the process page from "Brand of Britain."

The story has been lettered by the talented John Robbins, release date and ordering information to follow.

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day Two

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day two features Gonzo and Rizzo from Muppet's Christmas Carol.

Drawn in pencil and scanned into Photoshop for a bit of colouring.  Enjoy!

Advent Sketching 2013 - Day One

I'm resolving to do a sketch a day on the run up to Christmas, based on some popular Christmas movies.  Day one is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Work In Progress: "Perceptions", Innocent Tales issue two

The first week of December will see the release of issue two of Innocent Tales from Gavin McCumiskey's Green Monkey Comics.  Innocent Tales is a little different to most ongoing series that I've experienced on Irish Independent Comic market in that it doesn't feature an ongoing narrative, or recurring characters (yet); it's more of an anthology of dark tales (the title "Innocent Tales" is intended to be ironic).  These stories aren't confined to any particular genre or topic either, they're just brilliant stories concocted by the mind of Gavin McCumiskey.

Issue One went down well with critics and customers when it was released back in August, and Gavin's long been at work on issue two, as well as a few other projects that he currently has gestating, which will be released in just a few weeks.

Issue two will, like issue one, feature three different stories - all penned by Gavin - illustrated by three different art teams: these are The Woodsman, Desperate Measures and Perceptions.  Back in May Gavin contacted me about illustrating the last story mentioned, Perceptions, so I've been sitting on this for months and haven't been able to share any of it until now.
I loved the story immediately: it's a story that plays with, as you might have guessed, perceptions.  Starting in the aftermath of a grisly murder, each page jumps back in time by a certain amount, revealing a different angle on the events you've already read and maybe making you see things a little differently.  I won't say any more in case I ruin it, but I hope you'll pick up the issue and enjoy it as much I did.

Here's a breakdown of page one from the seven page story from pencils, through ink and colours (by Eoin Hurrell) to the fully lettered page (by Gavin).

Enjoy!

Perceptions - Page One - Pencils by Ruairí Coleman

Perceptions - Page One - Inks by Ruairí Coleman

Perceptions - Page One - Colours by Eoin Hurrell

Perception - Page One - Letters/Script by Gavin McCumiskey

The issue will be released the first week of December so keep an eye on Green Monkey Comics, either on their website, Facebook or Twitter for when it goes live.

You can see more from Eoin Hurrell at his blog, or Twitter.

Second Marvel Pencil Sample

After meeting C.B. Cebulski at Dublin International Comic Expo last month, I was given the opportunity to do a second test sample based on a script of my choosing from a selection that C.B. emailed to me.
I chose a series of six pages from X-Men Legacy 260.1 which I felt gave a good mix of characters, environments and activity.  These are the pages I sent back to C.B. (thanks to Will Sliney for the suggested edits before sending!), I'll post any news I get back on the samples in due course.

Hope you like!

Quick DICE 2013 Round-Up and Marvel Pencil Sample

I should have written this post a lot sooner, but I went to Dublin International Comic Expo in Dundrum last month to meet a lot of people from the Irish Comic Community that I've met online over the past year but not seen face-to-face.  While meeting guys like Tommie Kelly, PJ Holden, Stephen Downey, Rob Carey, and Gavin McCumiskey was a highlight, as well as making new friends like Ben Hennessy, Eoin Hurrell, Ciaran Lucas and Nigel Flood, and meeting the likes of Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire and Will Sliney (all of whom you should check out), my main reason for being there was to tout my wares.

The following is a pencil sample I brought to show to C.B. Cebulski, Marvel Talent Scout, and anyone else who'd let me shove it under their nose really.  I got some really helpful feedback from the likes of Will Sliney, Declan Shalvey, PJ Holden and Stephen Downey on how to improve my work.  C.B. Cebulski also gave me a lot of invaluable advice (which I still intend to compile and post in a blog... Some day), and provided me with the opportunity to do a follow up sample for him, which I'll post after this one:

Tim Skinner: Retconned! Teaser Image

New web-series coming early next year.  Written by Andy Winter and illustrated by me, based on a character created by Andy Winter and Declan Shalvey.

For more info, check out the press release on Irish Comic News:

http://www.irishcomicnews.com/2013/09/news-andy-winter-to-return-to-tim-skinner-with-new-irish-artist/

The Woodsman #1 Cover

Coming soon from Gavin McCumiskey's Green Monkey Comics, the character of The Woodsman will be introduced in issue two of "Innocent Tales" (which features a story illustrated by me, details to follow) before getting his own mini-series early next year.

This is my first cover illustration: Pencilled and inked traditionally, and coloured in Photoshop.  I also designed the logo.

Judge Dredd Artistic Sample

The following six pages are an artistic sample for 2000AD/IDW of the character Judge Dredd, using the sample script "Cycle of Violence" from 2000AD.

Celtic Warrior: The Legend of Cú Chulainn

Last week, O'Brien Press released Will Sliney's graphic novel "CELTIC WARRIOR: The Legend of Cú Chulainn", telling the legendary tale of the eponymous hero and his battle with Queen Maeve's army, intent on conquering Ulster.

Artwork by Will Sliney

While I haven't had the pleasure of reading the book yet (waiting on a few payments coming though, the anthem of the freelancer...), I've read some glowing reviews and been perving on the artwork on the official Facebook page, and I'm looking forward to ordering a copy very soon.  In the meantime, however, I set to work on some fan art for the book, inspired by the imagery created by Sliney (and not initially beloved by the WWE's own Celtic Warrior, Seamus), after he tweeted the following cryptic statement:

Irish Illustrators out there. Want your work shown on a huge stage? Then get the Celtic Warrior art rolling in.Trust me, this one is big.
— Will Sliney (@WillSliney) March 31, 2013

Challenge accepted, Mr Sliney!

Zombies Hi Part 8

It's finally finished and one week from today (April 3rd), Zombies Hi Part 8 will be seeing the light of day!

Promo piece designed by moi and featuring the artwork of Damien Duncan, who makes me want to eat my pencil sharpener he's so talented.

Johnny's Angels

As part of this year's Creator Owned Day (March 5th, 2013) celebrations, I created a pin-up/print of Steph from Uproar Comics' Zombies Hi title.  We made a bit of an event out of it, posting the process on Instagram and sharing the images on Facebook and Twitter throughout the day: It was good fun and got a great response.  Here follows a re-cap of the creation process.

First Foray Into Digital Inks (Or "F*&k you, Digital Inks, you F*&king F*&k!")

Coming soon, issue 8 of Zombies Hi will return to Altnagelvin Hospital, which we last visited in issue 6, but this time things will look a little different as, for the first time since I came on board pencilling Zombies Hi, this issue will be inked before it is coloured.