There Goes My Gun

Obviously no one has told this guy that it's dangerous to go pointing guns at things!

I'll be heading to Seattle for the Emerald City Comic Con on Friday! Come see me if you happen to be at the show on Saturday 'round 2PM. I'll be at the Pop Goes The Icon table! Oh yeah, and enter to win some original art while you're there, too! Details...? Click here!

Straight Outta Compton

Rough penciled splash page for the Zombie Bomb! story. I'll be going straight to ink on all the roughs. No tight penciling for this project. There's going to be a lot of dry-brush and splatter on these pages, too! I'm excited about that!

Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)

Look out!!! Behind you!!! (more zombie scribbles)

Hey! I'll be attending Emerald City Comic Con this coming weekend, mostly as a comic fan. I have a long list of people I want to stop by and see. The show looks to be even better than last year, which is great news because last year's was awesome!

Now, I said *mostly* as a comic fan because I will be there as a creator of comics, too. I'll be doing a little meet and greet at the Pop Goes The Icon table. Not only will I be there to hawk some wares but PGtI and I will also be raffling off the 2 pages I drew for PGtI's premier issue of Omega Comics Presents! That's right... enter to win both pages of original art... for free! All the details are right here!

I'll be mentioning the raffle through out the week and I hope to see you fine people there at the show!

The Show Must Go On

Work on my next Zombie Bomb short story collaboration with Anthony Schiavino has begun. I'm doing the roughs now and will be inking next week. This going to be a show stopper! Well, until part 3 comes along... ha!

Space (I Believe In)

Here's another panel from "The Last Leaf". The inking for this is 98% done, I just have a few minor things to touch up. Then it's on to the next project... more Zombie, I believe...

Wrapped Around My Finger

I'm trying not to start every post with a shot at Blogger but getting stuff up on my blog has become a real pain. Anyways....

I drew this last night with absolutely no idea what I was drawing until I already drew the hand around the smaller figure's legs. The hand originally was going to be robotic (you can see the metal "seams" around the fingers) but somehow the figure ended up being the Hulk. So then I added some tech-y stuff to the flying figure and suddenly it was Iron Man. Go figure.

100% ink on paper. I plan on colouring this... but that will be done digitally.

Walk Talk Madly

An idea for a new comic is forming. Don't want to talk about it too much but I thought I'd post a little something that is related to it.

All done on the cintiq.

Nothing To Say

A Last Leaf panel.

Umm... well... so... how about those Olympics...?

I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart

Hey, all!

Today's the big day. The Perhapanauts: Molly's Story one-shot is out in comic shops today! I haven't seen it in printed form yet but I hear it looks great. Run down to your local comic shop, grab a copy and let me know what you thought!

Also, the good people at Review2aKill have put together a heartwarming overview of some of my recent work. Please check it (and the rest of the site) out here.

I've been inking the Last Leaf pages and haven't had a whole lot of time for anything else. I did manage to scribble out the drawing of Batman (see above).

Greatest Mistake

Here's 2 more panels from The Last Leaf. The inking has gone well.... so far. Some of the pages are very thick with whiteout, though, which makes for some pretty ugly looking originals. Strangely, I don't really believe in "getting it right" the first time, in regards to inking. I don't mind making mistakes on the page. In fact, I've gotten good at using whiteout the moment things aren't going right.

Oh Yeah! You can get your own sneak peek of THE PERHAPANAUTS: MOLLY’S STORY (by Dezago, Weinstein, Copland and Thomas) : http://forum.superpouvoir.com/showthread.php?t=14426

Feel So Different

A new drawing of Davis. Still trying to get the look and feel of how I will handle the art of this project. This is pretty damn close. I think the real difference will be that I will ink it traditionally (this drawing is all digital).

Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)

This a character sketch for one of the main characters for The Last Leaf story.

Done on the Cintiq.

Gotta run!

Stars In The Sky

3 inked panels from "The Last Leaf". The pages are coming along. I seem to be happy with most of the inking, anyways. But, knowing me, that could change at any moment! ha

I just realized that there still needs to be some stars drawn in the windows in that first panel... oops.

The Perhapanauts: Molly's Story should be out in a couple of weeks! Make sure to grab a copy if you see it! And, I know you all know this but that UFO story I drew is now being serialized on the Ape Entertainment webcomics area. Here's a link to the latest page. Check it out and feel free to leave a comment and/or rating. Thanks!

A Statistic

I just received an email from Blogger informing me that they aren't going to allow me to post via FTP as of March 26. Apparently, I'm part of a very small percentage (.5%!) of Blogger users that use the FTP function, so they are shutting it down. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about this new predicament.

This Loki sketch was done digitally.

Whole Lotta Rosie

Ink brush and marker sketch done while watching the Calgary Flames lose another game. That was their 9th straight loss. If you add that up with the current 12 straight loses for the Edmonton Oilers, you have a whole lotta unhappy people in Wild Rose province (Alberta), eh?

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

Inking on The Last Leaf story has begun! Working in digital is fine for some things but it feels good to be inking it with good'ol brush and ink.

At some point, I'm going to be colouring this story, too. THAT will be done digitally.

Mind Eraser, No Chaser

I finished the layouts/pencils for The Last Leaf and thought I'd blow off a little creative steam drawing whatever came to mind. This, it seems, was what came to mind.

Digital drawing.

Don't Change Your Plans

A rough panel from the Last Leaf story. I'm just finishing up the last of the roughs so I should be starting to ink the pages tomorrow.

That's the plan.... anyways.

Take It On The Run

Run, Thor, run!

Finished this up last night when I should have been sleeping.

All done on my cintiq.

Next To The Moon

This is what I'm currently working on, this morning. This is a panel from The Last Leaf. You can see that the hand is next for tightening up.

Digital drawing.

Life In A Northern Town

So, remember I did the art for a 7 page UFO short story for Ape Entertainment called, Life Is Funny? And remember how I said it was going to be part of an online comic anthology (for now, anyways)? Well, the first 3 pages have gone "live". You can see them by going here! Please go check it out, and if you are in the mood, you can rate the story and/or leave comments. The more positive feedback the better. :)

The story was written by Chris Beckett, coloured by Osmarco Valladao, lettered by Josh Aitken and drawn by me. The above page is page 1 (FYI).

Let There Be More Light

Here's the fourth page of the Kill All Monsters! pitch. Hell yeah, this stuff was fun to draw. Maybe more soon....?

Lines by my and colours by Scott Keating.

Once Upon A Time In The Projects

I'm finishing up the layouts/pencils for The Last Leaf. I'm pretty happy with them. This is a shot of one of the main characters tinkering with his latest project.

This is a mix of pencil and digital drawing.

Break My Body

This was a page I did while I was in art school. I was asked to be in a group show that had a centralized theme of "The Body". We could take it however we wanted. This is where I took my piece.

These are characters that I created that I still have some interest in using... in some capacity.

Shock To The System

I'm still working on the layouts for "The Last Leaf" short. I'm well into them, actually, and they are turning out to be far more detailed than I was originally planning on them being. Which is ok, I guess. Makes for easier inking, when the time comes.

Also, I still haven't figured out a system on how to do the layouts. I thought I was going to do the them completely in digital form but I found it hard to get a sense of the page as a whole. I've gone back to pencil for the most part and will use the Cintiq do tighten them up, after scanning them. Seems to be working.

All In A Mouse's Night

Decided to throw some colour on this drawing from last week. First timing colouring with the Cintiq. It was definitely easier than colouring with the mouse.

So Lonely

Here's another look at how I work out the perspective for a panel. It's a shot from the same setting as the last perspective image I posted. The background will be mostly be us looking out into space through the huge windows. The Last Leaf story has a real despairing and lonely feel to it, so I am trying to make the settings reflect that.

All done digitally.

What's He Building In There?

I took an old ballpoint pen drawing of some downtown Vancouver buildings I did years ago, roughed in some figures digitally, printed it out in non-photo blue and inked it using one of my brush pens (while watching an old episode of That 70's Show).

It needs some colour.

Somebody Get Me A Doctor

I'm working on the futuristic retelling of O. Henry's "The Last Leaf". It will be a part of the Digital Webbing anthology that revolves around the idea of re-envisioned fairy tales with a sci-fi slant. I don't think the project has an official name. I'm working with writer, Jason Mullikin, on this.

This is a panel from that story. 100% digitally done. I will end up inking this traditionally but damn if those digital lines aren't super close to being good enough for print.

Sense Of Doubt

I doubt it will take the form of a historical fiction project but there will be a project that I draw which will contain a kilted man as one of the main characters. You can take that to the bank.

Marker on paper, with digital enhancing.

Ramblin' Man

Sorry, folks. Just a page of sketches to show. Haven't had any time or energy to whip something up. I'm sick. Again. Great start to 2010, eh?

Going to be putting all my time into drawing the Last Leaf story, for the Digital Webbing anthology. After that, I've got some zombie stuff to do for the 3rd installment of Zombie Bomb.

After that? Hoping to be going into production on a large project with writer and pal, James Powell. I've also been given word that I may be drawing another Perhapanauts Special, this one written by Rich Woodall. It starts Big, one of my favorite characters from the book, so I'm pretty stoked on that!

I'm rambling, now. Time to go take some decongestant and lay down.

One Night Love Affair

David Hopkins' One Night Stand is now out in the world. It was part of "Indy Comic Book Week", an event staged by indie comic creators to fill the new comics gap that occurred this Wednesday. Diamond Distribution, the distributor of almost every comic book publisher, decided to give its workers some Holiday time off and not send out any comics this week. This created a void that needed to be filled... with indie comic goodness. Thus, One Night Stand was born!

Due to very low distribution, I'm posting my one page collaboration with Hopkins here. It was a fast and dirty affair.

New Years thoughts and resolutions coming soon! I know you can't wait.

Happy and Safe New Years wishes to you all! See you next year!

Can't Get It Out Of My Head

During the Christmas holidays, I managed to squeeze in some sketching time. Some of the sketches were influenced by the Alien Legion book I was reading. Some were influenced by the Northlanders book I was reading. And some of it just came out of my own head, uninfluenced.

Marker on paper.

Just Got Back From Baby's

Just got back from a few days away. The Coplands spent a couple of days up at Whistler, just chillin'... literally. Man, it was cold up there.

Santa was good to me. I got a bunch of comic trades... let's see... Alien Legion Omnibus, Northlanders: Sven The Returned, The Umbrella Academy: Dallas, Scalped: Dead Mothers and Jack Kirby's: The Demon! Nice haul, no?

Raphael, of Teenage Mutant Ninja fame.
Marker and whiteout on paper.

Distance Equals Rate Times Time

Time is running out for pre-ordering your copy of the Perhapanauts: Molly's Story one-shot from your local comics retailer. Please, please, please consider going to the shop and asking them to order you a copy. Chances are, if you don't get them to do that, there won't be one there for you to pick up on release day. Take the following code with you and ask them to pre-order it for you. DEC09 0376

Written by Scott Weinstein and Todd Dezago and coloured by Mike Thomas. The book will feature a flip cover drawn by Perhapanauts co-creator, Craig Rousseau! So please, take the time to order one for your LCS. All involved will be forever grateful! Plus, I think it's a great book... :)

Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!

Jason

Perspective

Boning up on my 2 point perspective. This is what's on my Cintiq, right now. It's a design for a dining hall in a spaceship. It's going to go through a few more changes but it's getting close.

Still

I once did a 5 page Puck sequence for a Marvel submission. I got a really nice letter back from Joe Q. saying to keep at it. I guess I'm *still* at it...

I might have one more post in me before the Christmas holidays set in. But, if not...

Happy Holidays to you and yours!
\
Cheers!
Jason

One Week

One week until Christmas. Wow.

Finally put some ink on that Cannonball/Hulk clash.

Marker and whiteout on paper.

Welcome To The Occupation

Last zombie panel I'll post... for a while. I've finished the art for the Dino Caruso zombie short that will in an upcoming Zombie Bomb volume. I'm going to start on the 14 page Digital Webbing "Last Leaf" short story today, so expect to see some character sketches and rough layout type stuff for that project occupying this space for a while.

I think I'll start doing some more super hero ink drawings, too. Those seem to get the kiddies coming to the site.

Wonderin'

The final inks have been added to this panel. The progression is almost complete. All it needs now is someone to add some colour. I wonder who that will be ...?

Plynth (Water Down The Drain)

Wow. I got the coloured Perhapanauts pages in my inbox, this weekend. Mike Thomas has been working hard on them and has done what every artist hopes their colourist will do.... make them look good. Some of the colours are EXACTLY what I was seeing in my brain, like the image above. Perfect!

The full issue of The Pehapanauts that I drew is in the current Previews magazine. Unless you go to a indie friendly comic shop, this NEEDS to be ordered by you to make sure there is a copy for you. The order # is: DEC09 0376

Please please please talk to you retailer and ask that they order this book (should you be interested in it, of course). Thanks!

The Voyeur (I Like To Watch)

Some of the funniest writing on the internets is created on this woman's keyboard. Miss Teen USSR is part observational comedy and part confessional voyeurism. She cuts to the core of the issue with a no holds barred ferocity. She's part of the ReView2aKill site but maintains a blog all to herself. Please do yourself a favor and check her out. And then read her site.

The above illustration is of Miss Teen USSR. Marker and whiteout on paper.

Ed Is Dead

This is another panel from the Zombie Bomb story I'm doing with Dino Caruso. On the left is my digital rough and on the right is the result of me inking it traditionally (brush, whiteout and ink).

Sweet Leaf

In between all this zombie stuff, I'll be working on a futuristic revisioning of O. Henry's "Last Leaf", written by Jason Mullikin. The story is a part of a Digital Webbing anthology that will be out sometime in 2010. This is my first attempt at developing the "Johnsy" (renamed "Shea" for our version) character's look.

Marker on paper.

Can You Taste The Waste?

I'll be inking zombie pages for the next few days, so I was trying to get my zombie ink flowin'. I was inspired by a panel in the first Wasteland trade. This drawing doesn't look like the panel, really, but its genesis was from that excellent book.

She's So Cold

Man, it's cold in my studio!
This is another illustration I did for the brand new site, ReView2aKill.com .

ReView2aKill is the brainchild of Nuv Takhar and it's live! So head on over, read some cool columns and tell them I sent you!

Marker and whiteout on paper.

Fun Fun Fun

Here's that last panel but with more lines on it. I'm not sure why I'm tightening this drawing up as much as I am. My plan was to do the tightening during the inking phase. I guess I'm still just having fun figuring out how to use the Cintiq.

Business Time

I feel like I`m starting to get the hang of this Cintiq business.

Here`s an almost complete rough drawing of one of the panels for the Zombie Bomb story I`m working on. I still have to draw in most of the zombie figures... but that stuff tends to be easier to draw.

All drawn on the Cintiq.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Yesterday saw the beginnings of a new way of making comics, for me. I'm starting to use my new Cintiq tablet for the rough drawing/layout steps. It's a liberating way of working in that I can "erase" my mistakes and resize/move things that I've drawn that aren't quite right. I've barely scratched the surface of what this thing can/will do for me so that I can make comics in a faster and more immediate manner.

For those interested, here is a look at one of the panels for the new Zombie Bomb short story I'm doing with writer Dino Caruso called, Zombie Night In Canada. The top image is the panel I drew with the Cintiq and the second image is the final inked drawing, done over a non-photo printout of the Cintiq sketch, using real life brush and ink. I still don't see me doing "digital inks" on the Cintiq, though. I think traditional inking is still the best way for me to retain the quality of line I'm looking for. Maybe I just haven't found the right digital tool/brush to make my marks with.

2000 Light Years From Home

This was the very first homepage for my site. I don't think it was up for more than a few weeks. I had created this really cool Flash website that had active buttons and stuff but it was pain to update and I quickly abandoned it for the Blogger layout you see before you.

The image above was created with overlays of transparent and semi transparent sheets of plastic that I had drawn on, using many different mediums, such as ink, oil pastel, chalk, acrylic paint, oil stick. These transparent sheets were arranged over photocopies of random things from an electrical engineering book until I had a design I was happy with. This was how I was working just as I was leaving Art school. Controlled randomness.

Strangely, this sort of what I starting to aim for in my comic book work. Not at this level of experimentation, but in the general ballpark.