Happy 90th Anniversary, Tintin and Popeye!

Done on pencil sketch (January 9th), traced/colored on tablet in FireAlpaca tonight. :)

Happy New Year 2019!

A quick Rekira sketch to ring in the new year! My first art of 2019, naturally. Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Farewell, 2018

Done on FireAplaca in about an hour.

Superman and Spirou's 80th Anniversary!

You've already seen the one I did for their 75th Anniversary, but as that one was completely done on tablet, I was determined to do better. This time, I did a pencil sketch as the base for this drawing, "inked" and colored on tablet in FireAlpaca. This looks much better. :)

First art of 2018 - Happy New Year!

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.  :)

Last art of 2017

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Giant Robo's 50th Anniversary!

Done fairly quickly tonight on tablet in FireAlpaca, this is my tribute fanart of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Giant Robo (Toei; 1967), which premiered on Nippon Educational Television (NET, now TV Asahi) 50 years ago today!  Known in the US as Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot (and the compilation film, Voyage Into Space), this is one of my top favorite Toei tokusatsu (SPFX) series of all time!

Ultra Seven's 50th Anniversary!

50 years ago tomorrow, Ultra Seven (Tsuburaya; 1967), the third Ultra Series (and the most popular among fans) first aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and its affiliates!  As I discussed through the years, I have always considered Ultra Seven himself to be the Japanese equivalent to Superman, and one of the best superheroes of all time.

As you've noticed, the 1940s animated Superman by the Fleischer Brothers (the ultimate adaptation, IMHO) is the inspiration for this fanart.  :)

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Another new Rekira sketch.

Another new sketch of Rekira, this time somewhat simplified (the golden rib plates I added previously were difficult to determine on his fur body), looking more like his older self!  I guess some things are better simple.  :)

On tablet in FireAlpaca.

New concept: NEON ROCKET IRIS!

Those of you who went to Dragon-Con last year, among the works I probably showed you is this new concept I’ve worked on.  Now, I can show it to everyone...

Along with Rekira the Super-Monster and Lily Merriweather, here's a new project... Neon Rocket Iris!

This one's a 12-year old girl named Iris, with amazing powers, and a high-tech "Prisma-Gear" suit, dubbed the "Neon Rocket."

This is the concept art I started with (done last year on February 28 in FireAlpaca):

And now, here's the refined version of the character (with a somewhat crude version of the intended logo), finished this past Wednesday (May 10th):

 

And in case you noticed, yes, I deliberately went for a kind of 1980s feel with this one!

Dynamic Heralds 2017!

Wow!

I've been gone a whole year, due to moving to a new address (among other things).  But this time, it's permanent!  While those who follow me on Facebook have seen the continuing development of my projects, I've gotten back to the computer, after some frustrating technical difficulties.

So let's start with the Dynamic Heralds, the superhero team in my main project, Rekira the Super-Monster!  With work on the comic approaching, I've finally found a design that's more to my liking.  And the current colors, as you can see, are red, blue, yellow, orange, and green.  But I've also played with three different color types, as seen below.  These were all done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Type A: The "Stealth" Versions

This is the color scheme I've worked with most recently.  Note the current colors are red, blue, yellow, orange, and green.

Type B: The "Tech" Versions

I just started experimenting with this color scheme, though I've contemplated it for a while now.  What if they had a "high-tech" look, like an iPod or other cool gadgets?  I also love Herald 1 (Captain Vertex)'s Roger Ramjet look, too!


Type C: The "Traditional" Super Sentai-Style Version.

No doubt this color type is very appealing!  In a way, it definitely recalls even Toho's own answers to Super Sentai, namely Saucer War Bankid (Toho; 1976) and Megaloman (Toho; 1979).  While I think that that Types A and B are more subtle, I love the 1970s look this hearkens back to (which I was partly going for)!

Happy Valentine's Day 2016!

Done tonight on tablet in FireAlpaca.  :)

Cheliosaurus Portrait

This is based on the updated design for Rekira's first adversary, Electric Eel Monster Cheliosaurus (sketches of which you've seen on Facebook), so this is how it will look in color!  Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.  Started yesterday, finished today.

Entering 2016

I've been extraordinarily busy in the last two months.  So much has been going on, and I was behind in full art.  That said, here's the last art I did for 2015:

And the first of 2016:

Both done on vacation in the Outer Banks.

New art to be posted shortly...

Rekira the Snoopy Monster!

Done tonight on tablet in FireAlpaca, another character tribute to my own original kaiju, Rekira, featuring another of my favorite characters, who is a shoe-in for the role.  :)

The two faces of the Japanese Batman!

Currently recovering quite nicely from angioplasty over a couple of weeks ago, and with Dragon*Con just around the corner, I'm back to the drawing board.

I came up with yet another update to my Japanese-style Batman, and it's more satisfying this time around!  Inspired by Moonlight Mask (Gekkou Kamen), naturally, I referenced both the 1958 tokusatsu version and the 1972 anime version.  Done tonight on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Lily 2015!

A new Lily doodle.  Somewhat reminiscent of my early design!  Done yesterday on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Dynamic Heralds - 2015 Edition Designs

Yes, Rekira the Super-Monster is underway!  The storyboards for Episode #1 are already done, and designs are being finalized before I hit the board.

One such update you'll be seeing is the current designs for the Dynamic Heralds, my own Super Sentai-style superhero team.  You’ll notice the body molds are the same here; this is deliberate, just to illustrate the basic design for each member.

There's a slight change in color, but the designs are more streamlined (each bodysuit is black), and very satisfying!  My inspiration is mostly from bobsled suits.  Note that each member wears a different "mask" (goggles) on their caps.  These were done on FireAlpaca, based upon recent sketches I posted on Facebook a few weeks ago.  Dates depicted in the signatures.

Here's the group shot (with mostly Japanese text):

Herald 1 - Captain Vertex (Red)
Raymond Wertz

Herald 2 - Mysti-Girl (Blue)
Verena Freston

Herald 3 - Steel Hammer (Yellow)
Isaiah Vanterpool

Herald 4 - Therma-Gal (Pink)
Theresa Lin

Herald 5 - Aquati-Kid (Turquoise)
Brian Copcutt

More to come!

Je Suis Charlie

This is my first post of 2015.  I hope you've had a Happy New Year!

But things weren't so happy over in France, due to the shooting attacks at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo at the end of the first week of the year.  It was terrible.  We lost some great French cartoonists, and the country was in mourning.  Below is my own tribute.

Prenez soin de vous, mes amis!

Happy New Year! (Last Post of 2014)

Since I'll probably be busy tomorrow, I've decided to get ahead with my last artwork of 2014.  Done completely in Flash.

Have a great one.  :)