Steel Nerves.

Since I'm on the subject of "Dead Man's Duel", I thought I'd post some of my preliminary designs for it. I typically do this after the thumbnailing but before the roughs.

Dead Man's Duel.

I really enjoy seeing process, so I thought I'd show a little. This is a progression from thumbnail to final for a page from my latest Rex Steele story for Afterworks 2

Once I have a thumbnail I like, I'll enlarge it to letter size on a copy machine (or printer). Then I'll put it on a light box, pop another letter size sheet on top and tie down the drawings. I do this to maintain the proportions I worked out on the thumbnail.

Once I have a rough I'll enlarge that slightly (maybe 10%), put it back on the light box to ink. I usually ink on a large sketchbook paper (I need something thin enough to see through it), and with a brush, brush pen, and a Micron or something similar for the fine lines. Then the finished inks are scanned as bitmap line art.

Once all that is done, I'll spend too much time fretting over what colors to use, try alot of pallets that don't work, and eventually get to something I can live with.

Danger Thickens!

I did this piece sorta recently. It was for a show called "The Indie" at Gallery 1988 in San Fran.

It's a bit embarrassingly overpriced, okay VERY embarrassingly overpriced. Live and learn I guess.

Here's the study.

Adventure Beckons.

Hi I'm Bill. I'm a story artist mainly, sometimes I do some comics if I'm lucky. I'm starting this blog in an attempt to trick myself into drawing more. More fun stuff for myself anyway (I draw at work all day but I can't show that stuff to nobody). Hopefully I can get to the point where I can be enthusiastic about drawing stuff besides girls. We'll see.
So anyway, welcome! Take off your shoes and make yourself comfy, but please close the door when you leave, this place isn't a barn you know.