Cover Recreation

Because of my process in working on Love and Capes, I don't actually have original artwork. But I have started taking commissions for artwork recreations. Recently, I was contacted about recreating the cover for the forthcoming issue #11. Here it is, along with the Figment statue in my office (courtesy of ace voice-over guy, fine promoter, and good friend Roger Price). The finished piece is 11x17 on bristol board.

These are a lot of fun to do, so if anyone else is interested, please let me know.

This also seems like a great time to tell you that Love and Capes #11 will be in the June Previews Catalog, for reals this time, order code JUN091021.

Bed Head

I'm back on the Love and Capes horse, drawing away and working on new pages. I'm taking the opportunity of this long weekend, which isn't really a weekend off for those of us who are self-employed, but is at least a little slow. I've had to cut the copy from the sample panel here, so I don't spoil anything.

I was stuck on page fourteen, too, and then started breaking down the rest of the book. That's when I realized that I didn't have enough room for my planned page fourteen, so I cut it, solving any number of problems. Yay for space management.

Also, the weekend has brought a flurry of last-minute RSVPs for Mark and Abby's wedding and the cover promotion. That was great to see. This promotion has gone better than I could have hoped.

Dax What I'm Talking About

The third Powerful Women sketchbook continues to fill up with some interesting requests. Here's a recent one for Jadzia Dax from the awesome Trials and Tribbeations episode of the criminally underrated Deep Space Nine. Man, those old uniforms and the Enterprise bridge are fun to draw.

There are only about ten spaces left in the new sketchbook, so be sure to get your commission requests in!

All You Need is Ted

I did a commission of the Blue Beetle (the real one) for my friend Nick in Texas. He's got the original, but there's no reason you can't share in the eye candy, digital style. I borrowed heavily from the excellent Brave and the Bold cartoon style, as excellently voiced by Wil Wheaton.

FCBD in 2 Days!

AMAZONIA is MISSING THE POINT of Free Comic Book Day!

And Now We're Walking Out of the Forest

You know, for a book that I announced I was taking an "operational pause" on to work on a couple other projects, I seem to be doing a fair amount of pages. Really, I just needed a week off and then poof there were two more pages.

Today's comes from page twelve, a scene in Leandia with Mark and Abby, Amazonia, one of Amazonia's sisters, Oriana, and the Queen Leandia. I figured that the dimension, the city and the ruler's name are all interchangable. Hey, it's my world, I get to build it the way I want.

I had to design another set piece for this one, the royal chambers in the castle. It's open enough that I can reuse it a few times over this issue. And I think the giant Kirby Krackle energy pillars are kind of cool.

And, to show you how much I love this book, and the craziness it brings, here's what happened. Yesterday, I had a busy day, but I managed to pencil page twelve. Then, after fulfilling my duties as a Timberlake Councilman at one of our longer Council meetings, I inked it. After that, I colored and "built" the royal chambers set. By the time it was all done, it was 1:00 am.

My alarm went of at 6:00, as it often does. I'm a freelancer, and my morning workout class doesn't start until 9:00. I could have gon back to sleep, as I've done so many other times. But I couldn't. I had to get up and start working on the page, managing to color and almost finish lettering the page before I left to go Kick the Boxes.

There are other times and other projects that Ive had to get up early for. It's never pleasant, and I don't always roll a save against sleep. But for LNC, it's actually kind of easy.

Twelve pages down. Twelve to go. Do the math.

Ooops, I Did Page Eleven

Really, I meant to take a mini-break with page ten. I mentioned on Twitter that I had an epiphany about how the end of this issue will work, and I was glad about that. But I didn't really expect to do another page over the weekend.

Then, of course, the page just bubbled in my head until I went ahead and did it yesterday. I finished coloring and lettering it yesterday.

It's more adventures in Leandia, as Amazonia, Abby and Mark are heading to the Queen's castle.

And here's something I can't figure out how to mention: the big flying disc. I think it's a cool way for them to get around but it looks kind of unsafe, right? Well, borrowing off an idea I think I may have read in an old V novel, the discs have artificial gravity which help "lock" you in place. So, the disc could turn sideways or upside down, and you'd still be drawn to the disc as if you were right side up.

Okay, I thought it was cool.

Page Ten

There's other stuff I should have been working on other than page ten, which you'll probably notice is done by the panel I'm posting. Sometimes time management is a tricky beast. I'm at a break point in the Love and Capes #11 story here. I know what happens next, but I don't have the exact how yet. So, I decided to pound out this last page that I had figured out.

Then, I can work on some other projects while the page 11 percolates in the back of my mind. I won't have to fight against my urge to do more Love and Capes and will be more productive on the other project.

And that's the way my mind works.

See Exotic Places

When I work on Love and Capes, I do it in what I call "animated" style. I design a background/set and then lay the characters on top of it. Coming in the next issue, we go to Amazonia's home dimension. So I had to design an exterior.

Amazonia is obviously based on Wonder Woman, but I didn't want to borrow too much from her. So, instead of making it a Paradise Island kind of place, I went with making it a little more Flash Gordon-y, circa the "I know it's not good but I still dig it" 1980's extravaganza. I wanted a bright, technicolor landscape that Amazonia would look natural in. The film was famous for some skimpy costumes, so it makes sense that Zoe came from a place like that.

Click to embiggen, as usual.

And, Lo, There Shall Come a Ninth Page

Here's an oddity. I usually have the jokes written when I start drawing. Here, I didn't. The panel eight beat was essentially "Abby accepts the situation. And make it funny." What had to happen was dictated by plot. I just had to bring a smile, which isn't always easy.

So I did what I usually do in these situations, I talked it out. I played both characters and it just kind of happened. On top of that, I kept cutting words until just minimum was there, which made the last beat funnier.

Of course, you'll have to wait until July to see if I'm right.