Sleepy Hollow Illustration Process

On Halloween, I shared a new illustration that I recently finished featuring Ichabod Crane from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Here’s some of the process work that went into the painting:

The original sketch, drawn on a regular sheet of paper. I used a red pencil to rough it out and then went over it with a regular pencil line.

Before I started painting, I did a few studies to figure out what direction I wanted to go with the color.

The initial color block-in:

Texture, shading, and details:

Final painting, with effects like wind and stars added:

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My Sister the Freak Volume 1 Books

I recently got a bunch of My Sister the Freak Volume 1 books in the mail. They look awesome! Thanks to Ka-Blam for the printing job.

This book marks a big milestone for me. It collects the first four issues of MSTF together in one volume to create one full graphic novel. It represents over a year’s worth of work and the completion of my first major writing/comic project. I’m so happy to see this story all together as it should be read.

The book is over 100 pages. Nearly half the book is bonus material, including a peek into my process, activities, and a super guest art section.

I have been slowly but surely getting all the preorders signed, sketched up, and mailed out. Thanks so much to everyone who preordered the book – I could not have gotten the printing done without you!

Every person that took advantage of the preorder is receiving a full-color watercolor sketch. Here is a sampling of some of the sketches I made for the orders already:

Thanks for waiting so patiently while I get these all done. I should have them all mailed off within the next week or so.

Here’s one book that already has a happy home!


[Captain Bacon for Mike!]

If you receive your copy, email or tweet me some pics. I love seeing ‘em!

The book is still available in my store. New orders won’t receive the watercolor sketches, but I’ll include a pencil sketch (and I’ll sign the book too of course!). There is limited quantities available. Once I get all the preorders mailed out, I’ll have to figure out just how many I have left. If I run out, you can also order it from IndyPlanet, who can print it on-demand.

And if you don’t want to spend $20, you can also get the digital copy for much cheaper here.

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Happy Halloween!

In honor of the holiday today, here is a spooky illustration of Ichabod Crane from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” that I recently finished for a client.

Have a safe and happy holiday everyone! Eat lots of candy.

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Books to be Published by Stan Lee’s Kids Universe!

I am so thrilled to announce that two of my books will be published in 2012! MONSTERS VS. KITTENS and ONCE UPON A TIME will be the first two books to be released by the Stan Lee’s Kids Universe imprint of 1821 Comics.

Stan and 1821 announced plans for the imprint over the weekend at New York Comic Con. It got some coverage by some impressive outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Galleycat. (And who wouldn’t be tickled to see a photo of their own drawing next to Stan the Man’s head? Awesome.)

Monsters Vs. Kittens will be the first book up. I can’t share a whole lot about it just yet (but I think the title pretty much indicates its awesomeness!). Once Upon a Time started as a self-published project that I shared right here on this blog. You can check out the process posts and webpage for more info.

The website for Stan Lee’s Kids Universe is up with an article and teaser image, where you can catch the first small peek at some character art for Monsters Vs. Kittens. I’ve put up my own dedicated page for MvK here. There’s not much there yet, but you can bookmark it for future updates and images.

Can’t wait for 2012!

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FROSTY THE GOURDMAN Returns!

Read the Entire Comic For FREE

FROSTY THE GOURDMAN, the Halloween comic I created with my sister Nicole last year, is now available to read online for free in its entirety. It will be up throughout October. After Halloween, we’re putting it away again. Please read and enjoy!

http://www.frostythegourdman.com/

About Gourdman

If you are unfamiliar with it, Gourdman is a comic we released in fall 2010. It is about 60 pages long. It is one of my most favoritest projects I have ever worked on to date, and it was really a labor of love for my sister and me.

Show Your Love!

If you read the story and enjoy it, you can support it by sharing the comic with your friends or buying books or art from the shop.

We also enjoy hearing your comments and stories. Feel free to leave a comment or review here or on the story page. You can also chat with us on the various social networks or by email. We enjoy sharing our work and love hearing from you!

Special Edition Books For Sale

As part of our special October celebration, Nicole and I are selling special “deluxe” edition books that come signed by us and with a free original character sketch by me. These will also be available only through October, or until supplies last. You can grab one here.

And if you have a fancy e-reader, the PDF version is also on sale for only $3.99! You can get that here.

Thanks so much for all your support! I hope you like the story. Have a very Happy October!

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Zombie Bunny and Dark Mischief

I’m happy to announce a new short comic that I just finished called Zombie Bunny. Here is a preview of the first two pages:

Zombie Bunny Page 1 Zombie Bunny Page 2

Update 10/21/2011: Here’s one more page for you!

Zombie Bunny 3

If you’d like to see the rest, the comic will be included in an anthology called Dark Mischief. Dark Mischief will be a collection of spooky comic stories. Other contributors include Jenni Gregory, Sara Turner, Kim Holm, Mark Rudolph, Mitch Byrd, and AP Furtado, among others. Check out more info, news, and previews at darkmischief.com.

The book will launch on Halloween and will be available in print and digital formats via Indyplanet.com. However, you can order it TODAY on the project’s Kickstarter page and get access to exclusive bonus materials like original artwork and hardcover editions that will only be available through Kickstarter. Pledges end on October 26. The money earned will go toward helping pay the contributors.

Go make a pledge now!

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The Illustrated Section Update

For those who may not know, I created and run a website called The Illustrated Section at theillustratedsection.com. It is an online store for digital books, specifically those featuring or related to art.

Over the past several months, the site has grown handsomely with lots of comics, picture books, and other art books. There are over 250 books and about 125 artists involved, with the numbers growing steadily. If you haven’t had a chance to browse through the work yet, go and do!

I just gave the site a major overhaul. There’s a brand new design, plus more features for both customers and contributing artists behind the scenes.

If you are an artist interested in selling a book in The Illustrated Section, you can submit a book here.

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