Dropping off of the map...kind of literally...

That's witty because I'm referring to my Seahorse webcomic, and the home page is LITERALLY a map.  It is LITERALLY a map.  See what I did there?

Anyway, I just updated the blog portion of the webcomic with exciting news!  I'll try not to spoil it here so go THERE and read it!  www.seahorsecomic.com

I'd also like to show off the art I just finished for the June poster for Memphis Roller Derby.  I don't mind sounding conceited here when I say it's THE BIZNESS.  I'm not sure if that's a thing people say, "the business", but I like to think my "BIZNESS" spin is 100% original.  In my mind, it means "BOSS", which means AWESOME.  For the old people following my blog...(are there any old people following my blog?)...that means GOOD.

I did the design aspect as well, but I won't post the complete poster until MRD has them printed.  It's also best that someone else proof my spelling and general design work because I am NOT a fontsmith.

I should also add that "THE BIZNESS" reminds me of my cat Remmington.  (Full name = Remmington Steele Pitters).  Anyway, Remmington is a fluffy cat with those little tufts of hair that stick out from the peds in his paws.  These result in reduced traction, and maximize a cat's ability to run and slide across your freshly polished hardwood floors or coffee table.  It also maximizes a cat's natural ability to knock your stuff over.  Anyway, he slides into the living room all Tom Cruise-in-his-socks a lot, and Ashley called him "Risky Business" the other night.  Risky Business is my new nickname for Remmington.  (the cat...not the cat burglar)  OOOOH...I just realized my cat isn't ONLY named after Pierce Brosnan's character, but he's named after a character that's a CAT BURGLAR!  Ordained in the cosmos, I tell you.

Can't Leave Well Enough Alone

I found two fonts that I had forgotten to install a while ago.  Both "celtic-y" in theme.  I think the celtic knots in the Celtic Decorative Drop Caps font might be a bit too much, but I think the roundness of the Stonecross font works well with the circular aspect of the Seahorse relic.

Or should I just leave it alone?

THOUGHTS???????

Also...these are roughs.  I would still trace the font, ink it, and then add the textures from the first font.

Also also...I think the kerning between the A and the H in the Stonecross logo needs some work.

I lied. NOW, I'm done.

The orange on the other one was...too ORANGE.

Done. Totally Done. I think...

Eh?

Ok...how about these?  I made two roughs.  One is a broken seahorse ring and the other is a little more orange oxidation/rust/whatever happens to bronze behind the E and it has a newer, simpler stroke.  Both of these are roughs and would require re-inking the little broken edges for the ring or the stroke for the letters.  (these were just quick photoshop tests...DON'T JUDGE ME).

Thoughts??

I'm close!  I think.

Entangled Indecision Over Webcomic Header!

So which one do you guys like??  I've tinkered with it so many times and created SOOOO many variations that it's all starting to run together.  I'd love specific suggestions if you guys have any.  I'm ready to finish this thing and move onto the rest of the home page layout and then start plotting out the individual comic layouts.

THOUGHTS??  QUESTIONS??  COMMENTS??

Merooga Chrigma! (Merry Christmas)

Skate or Fry...

I'll spare you the story of how I was a poser in 6th and/or 7th grade.  My pals were skaters and I was still in my chubby "I can eat 2 whole Church's chicken breasts, a couple of wings, 2 ears of corn, and maybe 2 of their peach pies" stage.  I also had a "skater" haircut.  I could not skate and I didn't have a skateboard.  To make matters worse, they misspelled my name in the yearbook that year.  "Shanea".  To be fair, in my state at the time, I had what could have passed for the beginnings of breasts.  Man, it also sucked that I wore THE SAME SHIRT for yearbook pictures two years in a row.  Thanks for watch dogging me there, mom.  Sigh.

But all of that is water under the bridge...or...ya know...asphalt under the wheels?  That was a stretch.  Sorry.

Anyway, this is a piece I did for the "Art on the Move" art auction organized by Hernando Skates, the folks involved with bringing a long overdue skate park to my hometown of Hernando.  I was asked by their public relations director (and old friend) Miranda Mitchell to donate some art.

This was one of the first things I've done outside of my editorial work for the CA and since my departure.  To be TOTALLY honest, I didn't even know how to approach image-making that wasn't guided by some type of article or narrative.  I just futzed around in my sketchbook for a while and after drawing lots of horned people in profile, which I have a weird tendency toward, I panicked, settled on one, and gave him a skateboard necklace and a pair of Chuck Taylors for earrings.  Then he just sort of turned into a devil guy with a flaming, severed head and I settled on the concept of "skate or fry" instead of "skate or die".  That's what all the skate rats said, right?  Skate or die?  Or am I totally square and just making up lame stuff?

If I had my druthers I'd make a few changes to this guy, but I'm just going to commit to him be a one-off print and call it a day.

Anyway, here he is.

When you wish upon a STAR...WARS.

The first of what will probably be many Disney/Star Wars themed pieces on the blog.  :)

Raise a little Hell

Here are both versions of my Hellboy for the Superhero Cocoa Halloween contest.  Check it out and you'll see Kayla Cline's awesome drawing of Castiel dressed as Hellboy!

Send me an angel...

...right now.  right now.

Does anyone else remember the 80's stunt BMX movie RAD?  I loved that movie.  I mean loved.  To be honest I was probably obsessed with it.  We watched the VHS tape so many times that it became discolored and fuzzy.  That may or may not have also been due to it being a bootleg copy.  Who knows?

But Shane, what does that have to do with the images of Hellboy below?  I'm glad you asked.  There's a scene in RAD in which the hero, a guy named Cru Jones...which I just thought was the shit at the time...has a dance number with Lori Loughlin (another stunt rider) during the high school prom.  It's pretty epic.  If you don't think so that means you probably suck at understanding epic.

Anyway, I may or may not have "Send me an angel" by Real Life in my iTunes playlist and I may or may not have thought of it when I drew this picture of Hellboy dressed as an angel from a popular tv show.  I can't say who just yet, but you'll see soon enough.  This is a promo piece I did to accompany a really awesome promo piece by bestest pal Kayla Cline for the SHCC Halloween 2012 contest...which I am immensely excited about.  I am so excite!  ehem.  Anyway...

CATS!

Here's a sneak peek at a little fella I drew recently and who will soon make his debut on shirts, posters, and a billboard for the House of Mews somethingth annual Meowathon, "Run for the Claws". It has a lot of names. I'm pretty sure this is the 9th annual race, but my brain might also be making that up. In that case I'll come back here and correct it. Anyway...

 

 

I don't know what I'm doing

Hey Everyone, it's been a long time since we rocked and rolled...or you know...since I posted.  So long that things around here got dusty and there were some bots posting.  Is that a thing?  Is that a real thing?  Am I using that correctly?  I'm sure I'm not.  I don't know what a bot is, but I had people posting advertisements for products as comments on my posts.  For now I will call them bots because it's less offensive than RATSOUPEATINGMOTHERFUCKERS.  oops.

Anyway, in honor of my push to start working on more personal work again...I'm posting this thing that I never finished and haven't looked at in years.  Someone offer some suggestions.  "Throw it out and start over" is also a suggestion.

Love,
Shane

I know. I know. I haven't posted in a long time.

A long time.  For now, enjoy the updated advent calendar...which you've all probably already seen in the paper...IN DECEMBER.  Get over it.  I'll post some new illustrations later this evening.

And here it is...the completed calendar!

You're welcome.

2011 Advent Calendar...complete with CHIPMUNKS!!!!

So here's this thing I did in a few minutes...

...and by few minutes I mean like 2,500 minutes.  Maths.

Anyway, take a look and tell me how great I am at making cute things.  Hopes and desires to be a serious artist doing serious work?  NO.  I'll just draw some effing chipmunks.  Why can't I escape drawing sweet things?  Where are all those dragons and monsters...and dragon-monsters.  Sigh.  Oh well.  A wise man once told me not to fight drawing what you want to draw.  I think it was Joel.  There's a good chance I just made that up and only think I remember it.  Good times.  I should add that I've inserted the version that contains todays spot already in place.  You're welcome. 

If you want to see last year's calendar just click here:
http://www.theflyinglighthouse.com/2011/04/it-occurs-to-me.html

Without further ado...  (is that right?)

More Krampus sketches and some wolves.

Every day I'm strugglin...to draw wolves that don't suck.

2011 Holiday Comic stuff

Krampus sketches!  Well, Krampus HEAD sketches, anyway!

Back in the posting swing!

But probably not really. I wish I posted more frequently, but given that I have a full-time illustration job at a newspaper and I'm teaching two illustratino/comics classes this semester...I'll just have to accept my limits.  I feel old and tired these days.

I'm in the process of scanning lots of pages from one of my most recent sketchbooks so I'll probably make a HUGE post with that soon. In the meanwhile I offer a few old illustrations.

First is an illustration about setting boundaries. I don't know that it's as clear as it should be, but the girl has painted a line in her mind and she's not letting anyone get past that line. The story was about not letting people walk all over you. I hope it reads that way and not as if she's just not letting anyone in.

Second is an illustration about the wave of republicans that replaced all our favorite democrats a couple of years ago. I think this ran BEFORE the elections. At any rate...I really like my foaming wave crest of elephant heads and trunks. Didn't notice before? Now you do. And yes, I'm that awesome.

Thirds (I meant to put an s on thirds) is an old one from...(I'm going to check the date)...(I'm back from checking the date)...December of 2005! I was just a kid then! Not really, but it was my first year at the CA and I love Christmas-themed illustrations. Partially for sentimental reasons, but mostly because of the colors and the general feeling of being warm when it's cold outside. That has little to do with this illustration, but whatever. This was about being surprised by your gift on Christmas. I wanted the kid to look surprised, but not necessarily in a disappointed or pleasant way. Just surprised in general so the viewer could project their own feelings into it.

And that's it for now. More after the sketchbook scan.

Finally finished.

This has been a hard illustration of which to let go.  I'm still not completely happy with it, but I doubt I ever will be.  This one is very close to my heart because J.C. Leyendecker is my God.  He was an amazing illustrator.  Simply amazing.  My attempt at homage falls so short of what he deserves, but I can at least say that it is from the heart. 

I printed most of the posters tonight, but I have a few left to finish tomorrow.  There's a limited number and they'll be available for sale this Friday evening at the This Poster is Gay show held at Harvest downtown.  See previous posts for the link providing details.  50% of the proceeds go to the Memphis Gay and Lesibian Community Center!

Cheers.

Almost done...for real this time. Really.