Hot Springs

I actually finished this a while ago but didn't post it here.  Life just gets in the way I suppose.  I wanted to do a more fantasy type of drawing, so I came up with this.  There is another that I want to redo from like years ago, and hopefully I'll be able to get to that (and make prints of it) thats sort of similar to this image.

Below is the initial sketch that I came up with:

At first, the background was going to be like a cave wall with water pools cascading down, but the whole thing just felt really claustrophobic, so I decided to open it up a little bit.  And I wanted her robe to be sheer to the point where it was going to be a little more than slightly see-through, but since I was going to get this printed out in a public place, I erred on the side of caution and to make her robe more opaque.  (I don't understand why my sketches on white backgrounds post on here as slightly gray, but whatever...)

And below is the final image that I decided to go with:

The spheres weren't in the sketch at all, and I just threw them in on a whim, but I definitely like how they came out.  And as you can see, I made her robe semi transparent, and you can see a slight silhouette of her figure, and I think thats probably just enough to get by and get this printed in a family friendly place.

I posted several work in progress images of this on my Instagram feed, so you should definitely check it out and follow me for more work in progress shots of different illustrations and other randomness.

And as always, if you would like to purchase this illustration as an 11" x 17" print on high quality gloss cardstock, you can do so at my Storenvy site and see my other prints for sale there as well.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Long Distance Relationships

Long distance relationships can be hard to maintain, but in the end, they're totally worth it.  No matter how many times you travel to see your significant other, you still get butterflies when you're on your way and almost there.  So, I guess I wanted to try and capture that.  I don't really do much storytelling with my drawings, they're usually just 'snapshots' I guess, so this was something a little different.  Below is the sketch:

This also turned out to be a coloring exercise with transparencies and glass...as well as reflections and related things.  Below is the final image:

Its great when you can draw something thats based on reality and something that you know and are familiar with.  It gives images I guess a sense of realism that just seems grounded.  As always, if you would like to purchase this image as an 11" x 17" print on high quality gloss paper, I can direct you to my storenvy store where currently I'm offering 15% off for Valentine's Day.  Just use the discount code VDAY14 to get 15% off.  

Back to the drawing board!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Selina Kyle

It's been a long while since I've drawn Catwoman...like a really long while.  If I were to guess, I would say somewhere around 4 years or so.  That means this was long overdue.  The drawing that I did 4 years ago was very similar, but it appears that I may have deleted it, so I can't really use it for comparison purposes.

But I know for certain that this one is better, just take my word for it.

I've noticed that recently my sketches has been looser and less refined than I used to do them.  I guess that means that I just fudge areas in sketching and will define them more when I'm inking and coloring them.  Good thing that I'm the only one completing my work from sketches to finishes, cause an inker and colorer would probably hate me.

I guess the sketch does serve its purpose though, I get the main figure down pretty much (even though some adjustments have to be made) and it gets the general idea across.  And below is the final image:

I think it came out pretty well.  I may go back in later and make the light source coming from outside the window more pronounced, but who knows.

If you would like to purchase this illustration as a high quality 11" x 17" print, you can do so (as well as view my other prints) on my Storenvy site.

Have an awesome weekend!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Harley Quinn WIP

As promised, here's a work in progress post of my Harley Quinn illustration via Instagram.  I decided to pull back the crop a little bit to show more of Harley, but the Instagram post doesn't show any of that really...like at all.  Whatevs.

Welp, enough selfish time for today, back to commissions I go.  Hopefully this will be completed sometime soon.
Without Wax,
-Charles

Sketchy

I've been doing a lot of sketching lately...I guess the creativity bug bit me....and I'm not complaining at all.  My mentality right now is to get as much of these random ideas down now, so when that inevitable art block hits I can ink them all and color them.  We'll see how well that plan pans out.  But until then...

Without Wax,

-Charles

Duality (sketch)

I probably should be working on completing some illustrations that I've already started, but when inspiration strikes, you just have to run with it.

I wish I could just sit down and devote time to all of these sketches and finish them, but I have commissions and other things piling up....which are problems, but very good problems to have.  I need to knock those out and get them completed, those right now are a priority. 

But in the meantime, feel free to check out my new Behance profile as well as my About.me page...or, buy a print or two.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get all of this stuff done.  Gotta keep that penc...err, stylus busy.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Sailor Scouts Sketch

I'm such a nerd...I just noticed the alliteration in my post title.

Anyways, I've been trying to get into the habit of drawing/sketching more, and there are a lot of sketches that I've done already that I'm not too happy about...and have subsequently been scrapped.  But I started on this one a couple of days ago, liked it, and kept on going with it.  Be sure to click on the pic to see it in higher resolution.

The Sailor Scouts!
Sailor Moon, Mercury, Jupiter & Mars

I've been thinking about doing a picture with not only just Sailor Moon, but the rest of the scouts too.  Doing them all in one pic would probably have been troublesome, unless I did a drawing with some proprietary canvas size.  I tried my best to stick to the 11 x 17 dimensions as I could, hoping that when this is finished, it would make a pretty decent print...as long as I don't mess it up.

Things in this image a more than likely to change as there are some spots I'm not too fond of, but be sure to keep your eyes here on this blog, and I'll update it with process pics!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice (WIP)

Experimenting with doing a poster style image...and then I thought, what better subject to use than the Power Puff Girls??  I guess in this case, it would be Power Puff Women, but that doesn't really have that nice of a ring to it.

African American PowerPuff Girls defending the city of Townsville

Inks and colors hopefully coming soon.

Without Wax, 

-Charles

Black Ares (work in progress)

One of my favorite drawings from last year was my black female version of Ares, the god of war.  I've been thinking recently how cool it would be to just draw like a short visual story (like a comic...I guess...) of her character, but I would have to flesh out the story and come up with a background and all that jazz.  Actually, the more that I think about it, the more that it just might happen.  Anyways, here's a redraw sort of...

More progress will be posted soon.

Without Wax,
-Charles

Korra and Naga

I never really watched Avatar the Last Airbender at all...I think I made it through like 12 minutes of one episode before my attention started drifting elsewhere.  That's why I was very skeptical in giving the Legend of Korra a chance.  I sat down one day and watched the first two episodes, and then I was hooked.  I could see why it has such a massive following.  So I decided to scribble this up really quick...being sick and all.  I may go back and add more to it before I ink/color it...and of course, that too will find its way on this blog.  

Without Wax

-Charles

African American Samus of Metroid sketch

Yeah, I know...I just drew a picture of Samus from Metroid...but I decided to draw another anyways.  I'm not really a fan of her Zero Suit because it doesn't make much logistical sense to have a suit like that without any contacts to her outer power suit.  And plus, I just wanted to do something with a lot of detail in it.  I got like 80% done with this sketch like a day ago, and photoshop crashed and gave me a black image with red noise all over it.  I wanted to just trash it, but I started over, and it didn't take nearly as long this time.  But anyways, moral of the story...save often, and backup often to avoid such headaches.

This one may take a little longer to ink and color...but I guess that's half the fun.

Without Wax
-Charles

Tumbl With Me

Lately I've been slacking on this blog...I guess that's really not a secret. I need to get back into updating this one more frequently, especially considering that this is pretty much the only blog that I try to maintain on a pretty decent schedule. But...I do have another blog...on Tumblr. You can check that one out, because I update that one rather frequently....and artwork generally gets posted on there like within an hour after I'm finished. And I post sketches on there some times...which I never do pretty much elsewhere.

Okay, now that the wall of text is over...on to the pictures! First, I finished that Cleopatra sketch that I posted in my previous entry...now with colors!


And my favorite Transformer, Soundwave. I never really noticed this until I was drawing it, but Soundwave's head is pretty much the Decepticon logo...

I guess I'm getting better at these Transformer pictures...which is making me to seriously reconsider redrawing all of the older ones I've done.

And my favorite meteorologist...Ororo Munroe aka Storm of the X-Men.


So, then I was thinking, that there is a serious lack of good African American super heroes/heroines in comics in general. I mean, aside from a select few, the rest are pretty crap...and have ridiculous stereotypes. So, to fix that, I decided to re-imagine some super heroes as being African American. And the first was Batgirl:


And then I thought...why just stop at super heroes...why not just do other pop culture things like cartoons as well...and then this Scooby Doo picture came out. Its still unfinished, but I thought that I'd post it regardless:


And the others; Rogue, Wonder Woman, and Black Canary:




And I still have stuff thats sitting on my hard drive and sketch pad. I'm loving this sudden rush of creativity. And follow me on Tumblr and leave messages...and I'll be sure to return the favor!!

*EDIT* I can't believe that I forgot to post my African American Power Puff Girls piece!!!


Without Wax,

2011 and Beyond.

When I first started this blog back in what...August of 2008 (wow, its been that long already) I just mainly wanted to do it as a real place to post artwork other than my other blog, which wasn't about artwork at all. And then I thought that maybe I could meet and collaborate with other artists and stuff on here. And while at first everything was very frustrating, I think that posting my work here on blogger has made me a better artist, and also forced me to do things that I normally wouldn't do while I was just drawing for myself.

I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with art when I first started to take it seriously. I just knew that I wanted to meet other artists to learn from them and possibly work with them. And while I'm still far off from being where I want to be, I know (and can visibly tell) that I've grown alot artistically in that short amount of time. I didn't even know where to begin as far as digital coloring in 2008...and I was coming off a huuuge absence from picking up a pencil and drawing anything seriously. So, I've decided to set some goals for myself this year and from here on out, to maintain and stick to, as well as just using it as a road guide so I don't ever get lost again.

1.) I definitely want to get published this calendar year...whether its being picked up by an actual publisher, or being self published...or both. I want my graphic novel to be published (hopefully by a publisher *fingers crossed*) and I'll be self publishing a sketch book later on in the year. And I really hope that both of them turn out to be successes.

2.) I plan on drawing more...and more seriously. I still sketch, but not as often as I should. And I don't really push myself as much as I know I should.

3.) Get these commissions off the ground!! Lets face it, art supplies don't pay for themselves. I need to find a dedicated source of income art wise...that doesn't interfere with other things.

4.) Have a 'real' studio...or work place. If you see the way that I do things now, you would be amazed that I can do some of the things that I do. Its really sad. I need a dedicated workstation to do things at and get things organized.

5.) Fill up at least 3 sketchbooks. I have a mini sketchbook that I used for pen sketches...but I got away from it. I need to go back to it, and just sketch away in my art downtime.

6.) Go to a convention. I can't market myself magically and through the ether. I need to put myself out there and see if some editors are willing to see my stuff...and there's no better way to do that than at a convention. Who knows, maybe other people will love Redux Deluxe too!!

There are definitely others, but those are the main things that I need to get handled and tackle relatively soon.

And I don't want to make an art blog post without any art...that would be just silly :-).

So, below is something that I drew not too long ago, my rendition of Alice in Wonderland. And also a work in progress commission for a friend of mine for his hip hop site. Gotta stay busy!!

Without Wax,

Incon-Sequential

I never set out to be a 'comic book artist'...thats never what I really wanted to be. I never wanted to be known as that guy who draws comics...but I love a good illustrated story...especially a graphic novel that can keep my attention and wows me with every passing page. I just want to be a well rounded 'graphic artist', I guess...who likes comics.

I had an idea for a story that turned into Redux Deluxe. I want to get that published, and for that to be taken seriously as a graphic novel. And about 4 months ago, I had a great idea for a more mature themed graphic novel, but I knew to make that happen, I would have to get serious about drawing comics for that to come together. And other than Redux Deluxe, I don't really have any experience doing sequential pages. So I thought, what better time to practice than now? So, here are 3 pages from a 6 to 7 page story featuring the Hulk and Spiderman. I may have to go back and redo that first page because I totally hate it...and may even add a page that precedes that one...who knows. Its all about time constraints at this point. I hope you enjoy! Oh, and click the images for larger hi res versions.







Without Wax,

Super Girl Process (Continued)

Here's more coloring process on the previous Supergirl picture...and it also marks my first time creating an animated gif image, so yay me!

The first step is the flatted picture (with a corrected Super 'S' logo). The second step is the shadow stage. I do this before doing highlights because it adds volume to the picture and gives me a better idea of how things are going to flow and lets me see problem areas ahead of time.

Step 3 is the basic highlights, where I set the light source. I also add depth to her skin like blush to her face, and tan everywhere else. The final step is where I add the rest of the details, like doing secondary light sources (which unfortunately at this resolution you can't really see except under her breasts and arms), color holds on lines...and warming the drawing with an overlay layer.

That's pretty much my process for coloring most of my stuff. This picture is in no way shape or form completed though, because I have to go back and add in a background and make sure that it looks okay and works and all that jazz. Fun stuff. I'll be sure to post that as well.


Without Wax,

Super Work In Progress

Just some drawing because I was bored. All I've done so far is ink and flat...pretty boring so far. Still, thought I'd post since I'm kinda bored on this Thanksgiving Eve. Happy Turkey Day everyone, I hope that you all are spending it with the ones you love.

*edit* And yes I am aware that the Super logo colors are reversed...hey, I was tired when flatting this!!

Without Wax,

8-Bit Player

I love videogames...thats like deeply encoded in my DNA. I love the newer games on Xbox 360 and PS3...and I love sports games, first person shooters (especially!!), adventure games, racing games (just a smidge below FPS's) and just about everything in between (ooh and fighting games! I'm looking at you Tekken and Street Fighter). But what I REALLY love, are the classics. I love Super Mario, Metroid, Zelda (but to be honest, I've only played Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker...but all of those are ridiculous!) So I just had to do a Super Mario pic...and when I was done with that...I just had to do a Metroid pic. And when I was done with that...a lil' bit of Street Fighter came out. And probably when I'm done with that...I'll tackle Zelda. But in the meantime in between time, I just thought I'd post up what I've done so far. Hope you enjoy!





And a lil work in progress of my Street Fighter pic...


Without Wax,

In Anticipation of the New Movie

Thats right...Tony Stark, aka Ironman!

Not much really to say here...but ummm...here's what I'm currently working on/drawing/coloring as we speak...



I mean...this is an art blog...so the focus should be on the pictures. And there you go.

Without Wax,

Supergirl WIP: Stage 2

Yesterday, I posted the flat colors of my work in progress picture of Supergirl. Nothing too fancy really, just started with the basic figure, inked it, and applied some flat colors in Photoshop. Fun, fun stuff (*sarcasm*).

Anyways, here's stage 2 of that drawing. I altered her left hand, because it bothered me to no end, and it just didn't look right. This way, it flows better, and fits with the rules of foreshortening. And I added depth to the colors by adding both shadows and highlights based upon where I want the light source to be. Lately, all I've been doing is cell shading, so its great to get some practice in the style that I started with.

Also, to add just a little bit more of dimension to her, I added a purple-ish reflected light source from underneath her to make her pop against the background that I'm going for. Speaking of backgrounds, I have 2 in mind...both of which I may do. The first, and obvious one, is have her flying through the Metropolis cityscape. I may play with angles and such, or I just may keep it simple with 2 vanishing points. The next I wanted to do is have her flying low against a calm river with a full moon in the background and have the water produce an illuminating effect. This may be more difficult than it sounds, so it all depends. If it turns out to be nothing how I have visioned in my head, I'm just gonna scrap that idea altogether.

Stage 3: Backgrounds.


*Make sure you click on the pic to see it in greater detail.


Without Wax,

Supergirl WIP

Its hard trying to find time to do drawings that aren't directly related to my webcomic because whenever I find time to actually draw, I'm trying to devote most of my time to making Redux Deluxe the best that it can be. So, I finished 3 pages ahead of schedule just so that I can draw something entirely different. So, here it is...my version of Supergirl. Its not done right now (very far from it), but I thought that I would chronicle my progress and let you see how a simple line drawing turns into a full illustration.

Basically, right now, its just the underdrawing. Its done on basic computer paper (because I'm cheap) and inked with a Uniball pen and a Sharpie marker for added line weight (again, because I'm cheap). Then I lay down flat colors just to get things right. These hues may not be the final hues at all, because I may adjust them in photoshop to get the continuity and mood that I'm looking for. Right now, I want her to be flying, maybe through the clouds at sunset or something...or that may change too. Who knows...lets just see how I feel and go with the flow.




Make sure to check back periodically throughout the week to see the progress!!

Without Wax,