Creating a Graphic Novel : Art – Food – Photography

So you have your root beer in a chilled glass mug. Why not add some hot onion rings to the mix? *drool* The perfect accompaniment.

These 2 strips are my favourite so far. The first black and white is especially meaningful. For those who don’t know, the powers at Marvel decided to annul the marriage between Peter Parker and Mary Jane. They didn’t separate or get divorced, the devil (or the Marvel devil equivalent Mephisto) took their marriage away. Yes . . you did read right. The devil. Yes . . the devil. Anyway I won’t go on a rant but ending their marriage doesn’t seem right and Vitor covers it well in the below strip.

And it’s nice to see a retrospective strip (where Peter and Mary Jane are happy). *happy sigh*

Click here for :
The strip before BRAND NEW DAY

Brand New Day – Something’s missing :

Brazilian Luis XII has previously showcased some incredible art here, namely Mary Marvel and DC Trinity. He’s currently got some great art currently on eBay. Check out his art work and pick up a piece if interested.

Link to :
Luis XIII eBay Auctions

Supergirl :

As a followup from James Nguyen’s interview and showcase piece, he has provided some of his sequential works for Wingman. Very fluid work and it conveys a story even without any dialogue.

He’s keeping the below story secret but has stated :
Wingman is my new adventure in comics! Keep your eyes peeled! I won’t give too much away because its still in development and I may change some aspects.

Wingman 06 :

Wingman 07 :

Originally from Saigon, Vietnam, James moved to Florida when he was 3 months old before settling in Pennsylvania. For his showcase piece, James has provided a Deadpool piece from pencils to completed sketch. I love the action and how dynamic it feels!

Pencils :

Inks :

Coloured :

How long have you been into comics?

I always loved comics as long as I can remember but I never actually owned any until I was in my teens. I can remember collecting Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man every month and that’s where the addiction started. Then came Jim Lee’s X-Men and Whilce Portacio’s X-Factor, pretty soon Image Comics started up and I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up!

I love McFarlane’s Spidey too! I still have some of his issue tucked away in a box somewhere. You’re artwork is incredible btw. What are you doing now?

Now, I am 34 and married to a wonderful woman and have three amazing children. I currently work for a trucking company to pay the bills but I always hold out hope for one making a living through my artwork. The most important things in my life are: God, my wife & kids and drawing comic related stuff.

What do you do for fun? Is it drawing?

Yup . . . I draw, draw, draw. I read comics and watch movies every now and again. Occasionally, I watch TV, mostly Fox News–because I’m not a liberal, plus I don’t have normal cable so I’m limited to the amount of channels I have. I love playing with my kids, too.

How would you describe your artwork?

I think my artwork is a mix of eastern and western style comics. I allow all artwork to influence my style on a conscious level. I like trying angles that I see other artist do that are interesting or challenging. I am very open to incorporating all types of styles into my own so I am always growing and expanding my artistic vision.

Have you done any courses to develop your skills?

Other than high-school art classes and one semester of one drawing class at a community college, I am self-taught. Lots of lonely nights at the drawing table have really helped me feel confident in my artwork.

Anyone you’d consider as artistic influences?

I love all sorts of art so I don’t know every influence by name. As far as comic book artists go, my major influences are Jim Lee, Joe Madureira, and Joe Quesada, in that order. I love many other comic artist and too many to name here, but like good solid artists that can really tell a story at the same time. It’s so important to me that their storytelling is as good as their pin-up work. That’s the difference between a good artist and a great artist. Some new favorites for me include Travis Charest, Bryan Hitch and Francis Manapul, so you can see how diverse my taste in comics are.

Are you close to “breaking in” to the industry?

“Breaking in” is all relative, I think. I’ve just done four pages for a comic called Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #5 (in stores NOW!) so I am actually published, but I don’t think that brings me any closer than I was before I did it. I struggle with trying to “break in” to one of the Big Two and trying to make it on my own. Right now I’m starting my own project and I plan on submitting it to a few publishers and I am optimistic that someone will agree to publish it. If that doesn’t work, I’ll probably do some more submission pages to see if I can catch the eye of a DC or Marvel editor.

I believe strongly that you have to network in order to be given a chance in the comic book industry. Going to conventions and rubbing elbows with fellow artists and comic book insiders will give any artist a leg up in the long run. I’ve been starting to do this recently and it’s gotten me closer to “breaking in” than anything else I’ve tried.

Wish you all the very best of luck.
Thanks for all your time and your thoughts.

For more of his work you can check out :

• James Deviant Art
• Artwork for Sale

Interview with the creator Vitor Cafaggi.

Peter Parker learning how to use his webs!

A&W Root Beer is easily my favourite drink. Especially when served in a chilled glass mug, it’s so absolutely refreshing. Better than any milkshake or green tea latte. *sigh*

Interview with Kareem.

The weekend before his interview post was about to go up, Kareem emailed me a couple of his more recent works. I liked the pencils so much I thought I’d just post them up today!

26 year old Kareem Ahmed hails from Cairo, Egypt. Although current working as a graphic artist, story boarder and conceptual artist for various gaming characters, he’s looking to break into the comic industry. He mentioned that he wants to maintain a high level of detail while showing the subject from difficult angles.

Are you working on any comic projects now?
My friends and I are currently working on some projects but in Egypt, comics aren’t as popular like in America and it’s difficult to find a publisher. We are trying to change that.

Did you do any formal training?
I didn’t graduated from any art faculty so you can say I’m a self-taught. It’s all about trying and keep trying. See what other famous artists doing and trying to learn. It doesn’t just mean copying what their style but learning how they do it.

Do you have any favourite artists?
I like a lot of artists but if I had to pick, David Finch, Jim Lee and Mark Silvestri are the ones I find amazing.

Wish you all the best in your comic aspirations!

For more of Kareem’s work :
http://avalonfilth.deviantart.com

Interview with the creator Vitor Cafaggi.

A double strip! I couldn’t split this one up into 2 weeks as this was Peter’s first forage into photography! Love any strip that Mary Jane makes an appearance.