The Element Maaaaaaaan!

I did another in my sketch-a-day super couple project in preparation for WonderCon. This time I did Metamorpho and Sapphire Stagg. I've been wanting to draw him for a while. I think he's perfect for my style. The problem with shape-shifting characters is that you really want to draw them using their power, but you also want to draw them recognizable. Part of the fun of Metamorpho is all the textures on him, so I didn't want to go too crazy.

Man, if DC were still doing the Johnny DC line, I think he'd be perfect for it. With me writing and drawing, of course.

Also, I love his theme song. What? You didn't know he had a theme song? Well, check it out here, but your brain will never be the same again. (And, as always, click for biggimization!)

Couple of Things About Me and WonderCon

One of my goals for Con Season 2012 (which continues next week at WonderCon, by the way) is to do more commissions. I've had previous commissions on display, but nothing fresh that I could sell. So I've received the wise counsel to do a series of pieces to show off what I can do as well as have more products. I was trying to think of a unifying theme, something that would make it easier to choose who to do. With Love and Capes being what I'm best known for, I hit upon the idea of super-couples.

I'm trying to do one a day up until WonderCon, so I'll have about a dozen by the time the show hits. Here are the first five. These will all be for sale at WonderCon (except for the Black Bolt/Medusa which has already sold). And, as usual, click on any to embiggen!

Last Week's Triple Shots

The MegaCon to WonderCon work schedule is kind of whipping me around, so I haven't been posting as much. But I have been drawing. Like the wind.

I've done Triple Shots of Green Lantern John Stewart, Superman, Dr. Crusher, Deanna Troi, and Leia in Endor dress. Click on any image below to be take to the full Triple Shot.

The Triple Shots are going to go on hiatus for a couple weeks, too (aside from the couple that are still available). Work is stacking up, and I know you all want me to make sure I get some of this Love and Capes book done. But, we'll be back by the end of March. And, there might be some other commission projects that pop up in the meantime.I'll certainly be taking commissions for my first appearance at WonderCon, so be sure to give me a shout at tz (squiggly at) thomz.com

MegaCon Sketch Roundup

I was at MegaCon this past weekend where I was selling some books and doing some sketches, and maybe having a couple of Ghardelli sundaes. The books are packed away, and the sundaes, if they ever existed, are gone. But the art remains.

First was for a sketchbook of a guy's son with different super villains.I did Doctor Doom, for Doom is awesome. Plus, it's always nice to do an Ultimate Nullifier joke.

The other was a sketch cover of Deadpool. With all the consternation about con sketches, I figured, why not slaughter all the sacred cows at once?

MegaCon! Me!

I will be at MegaCon tomorrow and all weekend. Come on by, meet me, the lovely Amy Ratcliffe, and the almost as lovely but always well-dressed Steve Conley! We'll be selling books, doing sketches, and being generally charming. And, for a bunch of reasons, I only get one free bag on the way home. If you were to buy a sizable number of books so I can make it home without paying for a second, I'd be appreciative.

MegaCon! Disney! Potter! Me!

Yeah, life's rough sometimes. But you could have been a cartoonist, too, but nooooooo, you wanted to play sports and date in high school. Now who's laughing?

Seriously, I'll be at MegaCon next weekend set up with the dapper Steve Conley of Bloop fame. I'll be selling Love and Capes as well as doing commissions? If you want one, now's a great time to get on the commission list, and it may get fancier if I can start it a little earlier. If you want something, e-mail me at tz (squiggly at) thomz.com. And, if you want a spiffy Love and Capes t-shirt, be sure to order it here.

I'll also have my limited edition Orlando print at the table, featuring Mark and Abby and some of their friends waiting in line at a legally-obscured indeterminate amusement park. Five of the them are gone already! Click to embiggen, as usual.

Speaking of which, I've still got four more to do this year: San Francisco (which will be the WonderCon print even though it's in Anaheim this year), Seattle (where I'll be co-hosting a panel with Ben Thompson), Chicago and Houston. That's the cycle!

MegaCon is February 17-19. Hope to see you there!

The Announcement! New Sketch Product!

I've got some goals for 2012. Among them are to draw more and, honestly, get paid to draw more. So I've come up with something that I think will help with both of those. I've come up with a new product, these Triple Shots. They're a chance to see the whole drawing process, from pencils to inks to colors. They measure 5.5" x 17" and feature a reproduction of the pencils, the actual inks, and then a colored version of the art. I'm going to take orders online, as well as sell them at conventions.

Here's how I'm going to make them available.

Every week I'll put a certain number of these on sale, based on my workload and schedule. Tomorrow I'll make three of these available, first come, first served, for $25.00, and free shipping during this first week. Most importantly, you get to pick the character.

If I don't sell them out, I'll pick whatever characters strike my fancy. And then I'll make those available for sale for $15.00 for the first week. After that, they'll be $20.00 online and at conventions.

Every week, I'll make another few available. I'll announce it 24 hours ahead of time on Twitter and Facebook, and again an hour before, and I'll vary the time to be fair to those in different time zones. Tomorrow's will go on sale at Noon Eastern Time. The samples seen here will go on sale for $15 at the same time.

So there's flexibility for you. You can get exactly the character you want. You can wait and see what's available and get a deal. Or you can buy them when you see them at a convention. It's up to you.

One More (maybe two) Chances to Be on a Love and Capes Print!

Riddle me this, Batman: How do you do a con print featuring a city when everything memorable about that city is protected by copyright and battalions of lawyers?

Like this:

February is MegaCon and that means a trip to Orlando for me. Yeah, I know you're not sympathetic. But on a day where my flight to LA got out and out cancelled thanks to snow in Chicago, let me assure you that it's not as glamorous as it looks. (I typed this Thursday night. By the time you read this, I'll hopefully be on my way to LA.) That also means the start of the con seasons.

I started these con prints in June at HeroesCon, so I figure that'll be a cycle. Which means Orlando, Anaheim, Seattle, Chicago and Houston are yet to go.

Now, where some artists say "Oh, no, not a crowd scene!" I see an opportunity. So I'm going to sell spaces in line for this print. That's right, for $50 per person, you can be waiting in line with Mark, Abby and whoever else I draw in to fill the spaces. For that, you'll get an exclusive signed and numbered print (a $25 value right there). You can pick it up in Orlando, or I'll mail it out.

I figure I can fit about 15 people on it, and that means that if it sells out, I'll have only ten of them in Orlando, which will make them all the more exclusive.

And, one randomly selected participant will also get the original art!

The button to sign up is below.

Name(s) of attendee(s)

While I'm on the subject… WonderCon. The show's traditionally in the target-rich landmark environment of San Francisco. This year it's in Anaheim, mostly known for a theme park of its own. So, I put it to you… If I can get fivepeople committing to be on that print, I'll do a sister print. If not, I'll do San Francisco, as if Mark accidentally went to the wrong city.

The choice is in your hands!

Convention Schedule 2012

My adventures in conventioneering continue in 2012. This is my tentative schedule, with probably more dates to be added. And, if you'd like to bring me out for your show, give me a shout ad we'll see if we can work it out.

Here's my 2012 Convention Schedule (so far)…

MegaCon in Orlando, FL
February 13-21

WonderCon in Anaheim, CA
March 16-18

Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, WA
March 30-April 1

C2E2 in Chicago, IL
April 13-15

Free Comic Book Day at Captain BlueHen in Delaware
May 5, 2012

Comicpalooza in Houston, TX
May 25-27

HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC
June 18-19

Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA
July 22-24

Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA (tentative)
August 31-September 3

Baltimore Comicon in Baltimore, MD
September 8-9

WizardWorld Mid-Ohio in Columbus, OH
September 29-30

New York Comic-Con in New York City, NY
October 11-14

Akron Comic Con in Akron, OH
November 10

One… More… Con!

Just so you know, I'll be at the Long Beach Comic Con this coming weekend at booth #1907. Yeah, fifteen shows just wasn't enough. But sometimes the West Coast beckons. As usual, I'll be doing the signing, selling and sketching thing. I'll even have the new Love and Capes Long Beach print… and maybe some extra Columbus ones. Those Ohio State fans are ravenous.

But, for realz everyone, this is my last convention appearance of the year. If you want to see me set up at a show again, you'll have to wait until MegaCon in Orlando.