Inktober 2013

Today is the last day of Inktober. Over the last 31 days I've started the day by doing one drawing in ink and grey markers on toned paper as a way of getting my art day started.

INKtober was created by artist Jake Parker as a challenge to improve inking skills and develop positive drawing habits.

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

I also used it as a chance to draw characters I've never drawn before.
I might have to keep this up for the rest of the year.

You can see more on my Manny Cartoon Studio Facebook page.

Palm Con 2012

 This past weekend we attended Palm Con in lovely West Palm Beach Florida. It's by far my favorite one day comics show. It's fun and and very family friendly (a trait that's hard to find) The show's proprietor
Martin Pierro of Cosmic Times really strives to put together a a show that's safe for kids of all ages. 

One of the things on sale this year was the Official Palm Con t-shirt.

I designed the image with some direction from Martin. The idea was to focus on comics icons and specifically icons that kids would know instantly. This design was printed live at the show by Jordan Steele Thompson and The Fine Print Shoppe. It was great to see folks walk around with the shirt all day. A few even  came to my table to got the signed.

 
We filled our table this year with a brand new crop of prints as well as doing my special brand of cartoony caricatures. Here are a few of the highlights:

This is a custom Dr.Who based on the happy customer. I love using elements the subject is wearing and combining it with the iconography of the characters they love to create something familiar but unique to them.

This art was done as a prize for the kids costume contest winner. She was originally dressed as Boba Fett (Star Wars) and now she has the art to commemorate her first place win.

This Batman Adventure Time mash up was really fun to draw. The subject was dressed head to toe in Bat-logo gear and surprised me by requesting Finn, the Hero of Adventure Time. She's also quoted along with me in this Sun Sentinel article and the show.

If you're in the West Palm Beach ear please consider stoping by next year.

The Pepito Project

I was approached by HispanosEnMiami.com (HEM) a while ago to develop a branded version of Pepito, a Denis the Menace style character that appears in Spanish jokes. The jokes are usually based on word play as well as a mix of Pepito's quick wit and seeming innocence. The character will appear next to classic Pepito jokes as well as other funny content on their main site, Facebook and Twitter streams on a weekly basis.

Here's a look at some of the development processes.

In developing HEM's version we looked at designs for different ages and builds of boys. We noticed that the younger and smaller he got the harder the punchlines hit.

Once we agreed on a basic design we played with the different skin tones and styles that make up the HEM audience. We released this image on their Facebook page and the crowd made their voices heard. It was a great way of getting our version of the character out there and gauge interest.

After that it was just a matter of creating poses and expressions for the final design. Poses that work independently of the jokes as well as highlight Pepito's smart aleck nature. The poses above are some of my personal favorites.

HispanosEnMiami.com is currently releasing a Pepito joke every Monday morning with occasional supplemental bits durring the week. The latest joke is live on HispanosEnMiami.com's Facebook page.

Project Rooftop's Fan Art Friday's

This past week Project Rooftop posted their latest instalment of Fan Art Friday. This weeks featured character was Lois Lane, Superman's most well known co-worker and occasional wife/girlfriend. I modeled my version on her classic 50's Superwoman costume.Fan-art-friday: Lois Lane

Just to keep things interesting for me I switch up my medium and work traditionally. It's a good way to make sure my drawing and painting skills stay up to par. It's also fun to show that I'm more than just a stylus jocky.

I've also been featured on past instalments of PR's Fanart Friday.

Fan-art-Friday: Captain Marvel

Fan-art-Friday: Ultimate Spider-Man

A Marshmellow Roasting Dragon for St. Jude's

I had the the honor of taking part in differnt kind of fundraiser. Different artists were asked to take a childs drawing of a firebreathing dragon and render it in their style. The resulting images have been turned into POD (print on demand) store fronts. All the proceeds from the shop will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

This was all coordinated by the site comicartcommissions.com.