[VINCENT] EMERALD CITY COMIC CON!!!!

Hey guys,


Real quick. you know, cuz I gotta pack for this little con in Seattle. You might've heard of it: Emerald City Comic Con? Yeah, that's the one!


[P5] will be in full effect! Jonathan, Jana, and I will be at tables E-4 & E-5 in Artists' Alley so come find us, say hi and maybe get a print, drawing, or sketchbook from one or all of us.


I spent the last weekend giving myself the super-crash course in digital coloring and painting in order to get these little postcards done:

I'm pretty happy with the result considering I learned all of this in one and a half days (and am still learning). The whole process actually helped me get over my fear of digital coloring my own stuff. I'm actually getting the hang of the basics of it and think I can wade a little further out into these waters now. Well, after ECCC.


Oh yeah, these cards will be with me for 3 bucks each OR 10 bucks even for the four pack. Also, there might be a little surprise for the first 10 people to get all four.


See y'all in Seattle!

[JONATHAN] Seattle, here we come!

Seattle, here we come! :-D

This weekend is the Emerald City Comic Con and really looking forward to it! I've gone the last 3 years and really enjoy the city of Seattle as well as the show itself. It's an extremely well run show with an energetic and enthusiastic crowd. After the success of WonderCon, hoping this show will turn out equally successful!

Studiomates Vincent and Jana will be manning the [P5] table (along with yours truly) in Artist Alley. Our tables are E-4&5. We'll be next to Brian Buccellato and Nate Powell. We'll be selling our usual convention wares: sketches, prints, sketchbooks, and original art! Stop by and say hi if you'll be at the con. And speaking of the con, here's the website if you're interested.

Okay, gotta run, but lastly, here's a sketch from WonderCon that I finished up post-WonderCon. Unlike the usual convention sketches of superheroes and established characters, this person wanted me to draw her! Honestly, I was a bit nervous as I don't normally do sketches of the people requesting the sketch. Also, there's always that bit of anxiety that the requestor won't like it ("You think I look like that?!"), but once the nerves settled, I just went at it like I would for any drawing that I do. And turned out it was a fun drawing experience. I'm happy with the result. :-)

[JANA]

ECCC print preview

[VINCENT] Wonder What I Did This Weekend?

Hello,


Another week, another post.


This past weekend, me and friend and studiomate Jonathan Chan followed our hometown comic convention, Wonder Con, as it made the temporary (?) trip down to Anaheim for 2012. All in all, the trip was a success, for us and for Comic Con. Like usual, I was at chained to the table for most of the convention sketching like a madman, but since I was in SoCal, my cousin Charli decided to come out and I got to see a little bit more of the con floor than Jonathan did. Despite the crummy weather, we had a WONDERful time. Can't beat being right across the street from Disneyland, I mean, seriously.


I'll keep this one brief, so here are a few of the sketches I did:

A quick one for a horror fan's sketchbook. 

One of three Harley Quinns I did at the show.

The big one. This got me a good chunk of change and was fun to do as well.

I did do more, but wasn't as diligent with taking pictures as Jonathan was. I do wish I had that Marshal Law sketch I did. Oh well.

Oh, and...

I think these two are stalking me. ;)

Thanks to Jenny & Chris for coming by for the second year in a row and getting me to draw them superfied once again. This one's gonna be epic. I just know it. 

[JONATHAN] The blur that was WonderCon

This past weekend was the blur that was WonderCon! Studiomate Vincent Kukua and I did a quick 3-day jaunt to Anaheim and we're glad we did! The show was pretty busy and Artists Alley was active all weekend. We lucked out being seated in the middle of Artists Alley next to illustration superstars Sean Galloway, Ryan Benjamin, Ryan Odagawa, Bernard Chang, and Trevor Goring. They were awesome neighbors and had a great time hanging out and chatting with them.

Didn't really actually get to see much of the show floor - especially when the con was open. Had a lot of sketch requests and stayed at the table to do as many of those as I could. Speaking of, here's pictures of almost all the sketches I did (forgot to take pictures of a few).

Harley Quinn

Blackthorne (from Elephantmen)

Aquaman

Batman

Green Arrow

Scarlett Witch

Silver Surfer

Marshal Law

Ultimate WWII Captain America

Livewire

Galactus

13 Weapons (customer's OC)

A robot climbing the side of the page :-)

Now, gotta get some quick rest in and get ready for Emerald City Comic Con in 2 weeks!

[JANA] No Pants... I got nuthin'...

...Not even pants.

I would like to wish my mom a very happy birthday however. Thanks for the ocean filled weekend! Now for some pics...

From: eat fun on DA

Who DOESN'T love the Sunfish?!?!

From: Phobs on DA

Yeah, he's cool.

Must... create... something... *dies* (child's Invincible shirt upcoming!)

OH! I'm behind but didja know????

[VINCENT] Mo' bius!

Good evening,

It's been a long week and as time goes on I seem to just keep getting busier and busier. Convention season has just started, with the success of Image Expo to start things off on a good foot. P5 will be representing in Anaheim this weekend as we follow our beloved Wonder Con to SoCal. I hope it goes well, and am curious to see how well it goes in the new venue. Then, back up to the bay for more day job work, then further up to Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con. Hopefully by then, I'll have something physical to sell AND new business cards! Woohoo!

Now for the bad news. As my P5 partner, Jonathan Chan, said in his previous post, the great cartoonist Jean Giraud, more famously known as 'Moebius' succumbed to cancer at the age of 74 this past weekend. It was heartbreaking news to hear, and, as I am wont to do, I immediately got online and checked out who was saying what about the man and his work. Facebook was flooded with links to pics of his artwork spanning his whole history in illustration. Some people had personal stories to tell about the one time they met the legend, or how much he's fueled their own passion for pursuing art. It felt good to see the outpouring of love for the man after his death. I won't go into all of his achievements as an artist. Other, more professional, writers have written much more eloquently in tribute to the man than I ever could.

What I can do is show you what I did this week. Looking at all of this art again, I was inspired to do a tribute piece. I, somewhat stupidly, decided to do it on 11x17 board and in a similar style to his own. Needless to say, the task is proving to be a challenge. Tonight I'm posting a part of the work-in-progress, touched up in PS with some quickie colors.

My first encounter with Moebius' work was when I was very young. Both my uncles were artists and I looked up to them (still do) in that regard. I wanted to draw and paint all day and night. My first experience going to a comic book store was with my uncles. I remember my uncle Larry having a bunch of graphic novels and collections in his library, one of them being The Dark Knight Returns (the old Batman and Superman fighting is still burned into my brain), and the others was Marvel's oversized collection of The Incal. Despite the nudity, I was allowed to read the books, and I honestly don't remember any of the story. what I do remember was the epic visuals that pummeled my young eyes. The giant, open cities and spaces. Ships and vehicles, people, costumes, that seemed so simple in construction, but also elaborate, deep, and well-thought out. Everything felt like it belonged there, like I was looking in a window to another, very real world. to me, that was Moebius' greatest gift; to take the often mind-expandingly surreal concepts in his head, and make them not only tangible, but relatable on whatever level the reader demands of it.

In continuing to draw in the Moebius style this week I started to realize how much of an influence the man and his work had on generations of illustrators. Some of my favorite artists nowadays are very directly influenced by him. Off the top of my head, Brandon Graham, James Stokoe, Paul Pope, Joshua Middleton, etc., etc. Especially in Graham's fascination with organic material in scifi as a direct contrast to the staid, cold metals that tend to dominate the genre. Moebius has given us so much in his life and I hope that, in his death, people's remembrance of him continues (hear me Humanoids! Keep republishing that stuff!).

Here's more random stuff inspired by Jean Giraud:

 Have a good night!

[JONATHAN] Times of change

First off, I just never thought I'd see the day Peyton Manning was no longer a Colt. How fast things can change huh? Just 2 seasons ago, the Colts were an offensive machine and a playoff team. Then one bad season later (a REALLY bad season) and the man who was responsible for turning around the Colts into an annual championship contender was cut by the team.

And then last Saturday, the world lost an artistic legend. I was so sad to hear that Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, passed away. I remember that back at my first comic book convention in 1993, Moebius was a headline guest. I'd heard of him at that point, but I was too young to comics to really know who he was. And I just figured I'd see him again at some point. In fact, I don't exactly remember when, but I did see him again. I remember thinking "Oh there's that Moebius guy again." But again, I was still too young to really appreciate who he was.

It wasn't til many years later that I really began appreciate the genius of Moebius. And it wasn't even through his own work. It was seeing commonalities in styles of artists like Ladronn and Frank Quitely that I really liked. Their use of open spaces and efficiency of line work really stuck with me. It was then that I started seeking out Moebius' work and looking at the original influence.

His simple, efficient line work blew me away. I thought it was absolutely ballsy the way he could just throw down a few lines and not feel the urge to render something in the open spaces. He was confident in his choices and let them stand on their own. There was a strength to his work that was simple and daring at the same time. I hope to imbue some of these qualities in my own work. My Elephantmen pin-up that I posted a little while back is as much a tribute to Moebius as it is to Elephantmen.

And then today, another big change. After six seasons, Monta Ellis was traded from the Warriors to the Milwaukee Bucks. Being a big Warriors fan, I watch more than my fair share of games. No matter how bad things got, no matter how badly they were losing, Monta was always exciting to watch. I know people say he's a ballhog and that he shoots too much, but whenever the Warriors needed a basket at the end of the game, who got the ball? Monta. He fought hard every game and was incredibly durable for the amount of contact he takes. He's been playing at an All-Star level the past few seasons and never got the credit he deserved. I hope now that he's in the Eastern Conference, he'll get the well-deserved All-Star nod.

Funny enough, even though I had drawn a picture of Monta two years ago, I never updated the drawing to the current uniform -- until this past Friday. My brother was going to the Warriors-Clippers game on Sunday and there was a chance he was going to get Monta's autograph. Turns out my brother did and Monta signed my drawing of him in a Warriors uniform, in what turned out to be his last game as a Warrior. He will be missed.

With all this change going on, I decided to add on some of my own.

I've been meaning to do a website update for a while now and just felt like tonight was the night I wanted to make the change. So, spent the last few hours going blind over coding tweaks. :-P It's up and running properly now. So, feel free to check out the new-look of jonathanchan.com. Hope you like it. It's vaguely similar to the last design, but much cleaner, which I'm happy about.

OH, and one more change. This Friday, studio-mate Vincent Kukua and I will be headed to Anaheim for Wondercon. It's not going to be in Moscone this year (I told you - more change!), so it'll be interesting to take in the convention at a different venue. If you'd like to come say hi in person, we'll be in Artist Alley at table AA-113!

[JANA] No Baby Pants Monday

Just onesie pants. Well, ok a onesie doesn't really have pants but, um... it is, uh... I was struggling with the Pants reference ALRIGHT?!?!

Anyway getting to - or rather choosing to - work with my hands again (not including drawing) was fantabulous. It is made from one 2XL shirt that had the Invincible image printed too small, but it is just right for baby clothes though, eh? Next on the list: a toddler shirt!

Still waiting for inspiration on the cover for my meager sketchbook. I think I'd rather work on art projects. I have a few knocking around in my brain but they are not making themselves apparent to my hands... mostly due to all the "TV" I've been watching lately. And reading. And traveling. And gymming. Soooo, I'm off to the gym! But first a li'l ad I did. The logo I made wouldn't load so f**k it, I ain't posting it. >_<

[VINCENT] What Did You Say?

Hello,


The above picture, taken just before this post from my crappy phone camera, is a tiny part of the Captain Sully page I'm working my way through tonight. It also seems appropriate since I've been in this "Hell yeah! I'm an introvert and everyone else can just go get over themselves!" attitude lately. Partially because after watching a TEDtalk posted by comic book artist and Sindiecate member, James Harren, hosted by writer Susan Cain, I picked up her latest book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking and haven't been able to put it down since I got it.


I'll keep it short, but the gist of the book (at least so far. I'm only two chapters in) is that the world over the last hundred years has shifted from a civilisation that cherishes the introvert and the considered thought and intelligence that this personality type can contribute to one that holds up the extrovert as the be-all, end-all of everything and that this shift is to the detriment of society as a whole. She breaks down how, especially in North America, the public perception of the introvert has become increasingly negative and synonymous with "lack of leadership skills" and "unsuccessful". Her contention is that, not only is that perception counter to the facts in history, but that it hurts us when we only listen to the loudest person in the room or force people who naturally are comfortable thinking things over, or consider their words before they speak, to be more "outgoing" and "extorverted", in effect, making them suppress those instincts that also make for successful people and leaders in their own right.


I guess I say all this because every word I'm reading in this book hits me like a ton of bricks. It hits because it reminds me of all the times I felt guilty for not wanting to accept an invitation to go out somewhere because I'm more comfortable at home, or that I'm more ready to express my thoughts written down rather than spoken off the top of my head. The main reason I give to people who ask why I don't speak often is that I don't have anything to say. That's partially true, but I'm also not one for small talk. And, I tend towards serious conversation if I do get into one. Kinda like this post I guess. Cain's book reaffirms that I'm fine. That my tendencies to want to be alone with my thoughts are fine and I shouldn't feel bad for wanting that. In fact, the book goes into so much detail about how prevalent this "glory to hyper-extroversion" is that I'm starting to feel like it's almost oppressive. But, that's clearly not the lesson to take from the book (again, at least so far).


So, I'll keep reading and thinking. To myself. :)

[JONATHAN] LINSANITY

Gotta love what Jeremy Lin has done this year.

I will admit it. I was a doubter. Being a big Golden State Warriors fan, I saw Jeremy play in a bunch of games last year. He was clearly a fan-favorite, but I was uncertain if he had what it took to stay in the league. After being cut from both the Warriors and the Rockets for salary reasons, I thought maybe Jeremy's time in the NBA had run its course. When he got picked up by the Knicks, I thought maybe he'd have a chance to get a solid backup role, since the Knicks were having all sorts of point guard problems.

Then all of a sudden, Linsanity struck.

I didn't think he'd have more than 3 good games. And by "good" I mean like 14 pts and 6 assists. Instead, Jeremy goes on to break NBA records. Who scored the most points in their first 5 starts? Allen Iverson? Shaquille O'Neal? Michael Jordan? Nope, it's the undrafted, Asian kid from Harvard that's been sent to the D-League twice and doesn't have his own apartment because he's not certain if he'll be with the team at the end of the year.

HAD to do a Jeremy Lin drawing.

Did the line art a few weeks ago, but was sidetracked getting ready for the Image Expo. Finally got a chance to revisit it and put some colors on the piece. May done some graphic design stuff to it later, but for now, here's where it's at!

[JANA] A Quiet No Pants Monday

Uhhhh... I am at a loss of what to post today (I blame it on too much sun and fantastic weather this weekend) so here are some sample pages of my 2012 sketchbook. I need inspiration and ideas for the cover, whatcha thinkin'?