Creating a Graphic Novel : Art – Food – Photography

From Kansas City, Arie Monroe was kind enough to share one of her works “Pillow Fight”. It’ll probably be best to let the artist describe her work for herself.

So . . . tell me more about this piece.

This is a fun illustration. The style is inspired by Bruce Timm but also has a little bit of anime influence as well. I love the way Timm uses color though and I wanted to bring that into some of my own work. The materials used are color Prisma Color liner and Dr. PH. Martins translucent watercolor. These are great cause when you paint with them the color is very bright and rich but it retains the quality of your line work as well instead of covering it the way regular water colors will.

I like to do playful fun but sexy stuff so I guess that was the idea behind this illustration. I wanted to show the characters’ personalities as well as having Harley be her carefree self and Ivy being annoyed but prepared to participate and defend her honor. I usually start with a few sketch poses. I choose a pose blow it up and refine it into a more finished rough. After that I do finished pencils and inks and then add some paint.

So where are you from and how did you get into illustrating?

I am originally from Kansas City but lately I seem to be a bit of a nomad. About 3 years ago I left home to go to school at the Joe Kubert school in Dover, NJ. I quit and started working at an illustration company in NY after my 2nd year ended. After about a year there, which I loved, I was forced to move again to Ohio and I have been freelancing and doing private commissions from my home ever since. At some point I hope to get back into a studio environment cause I love the inspiration other artists bring to the table.

So what keeps you going?
Any favourite foods and / or loves?

My favorite foods are Bok Choy and homemade pita pizza. And I love animation and comics.

For your work, how would you describe your style? Any particular artists that have influenced you?

I have a very wide variety of influences. Everything from Norman Rockwell, Hiroaki Samura, Disney and Frank Frazetta to Claire Wendling, Bruce Timm, and Rumiko Takahashi. I would say my style is a cross between the old anime style and Disney with a little bit of comics all mixed together. That I guess is where I get the big eyes and then sexy bodies in most of my pin up work. I also tend to work in a wide range of styles but am trying to tame that down cause it confuses people. All and all it just depends on the requirements of the project.

Thanks for your time Arie!

Also as a special treat, Arie wanted to show a simple design process from beginning to end.

Initial sketches to establish pose

Inked drawing

Final completed colours

To see more of Arie’s work be sure to check out her Deviantart page. There’s some absolutely fantastic stuff there.

Other links :

• Comics, Illustration, and Caricatures by Arie Monroe
• Arie’s Animation Blog

The first question you’re thinking probably is “What is Char Kway Teow?“. It is a Malaysian dish of fried flat rice noodles. There are many variations of ingredients that can be added. However, cockles, eggs, prawns, bean sprouts, chives and chilli are usually added whilst frying. Originally a fisherman’s dish to finish any unsold cockles for the day, it has become part of the Malaysian food psyche.

A question that was raised to me quite often is “What makes a good plate of Char Kway Teow?“. After giving it some thought, I have listed the top four criteria for Char Kway Teow.

(01) Pork Fat
It has to be cooked in pork fat and contain bits of deep fried pork crackle. This makes the dish less healthy but swapping it with other alternatives (e.g. vegetable oil) ends up tasting sub-standard.

(02) Charcoal Fire
Although most vendors cook with gas, the truly divine plates of char kway teow are cooked over a charcoal stove. I’m not too sure of why, perhaps the charcoal adds additional flavour or maybe it provides more heat than gas. Anyway the difference in taste is very noticeable.

Fantastic charcoal fire cooking to perfection.

Picture of a very famous Penang hawker. He’s one of the last few cooking with the traditional charcoal method.

(03) One at a time
Some vendors will cook multiple plates at once. Overcooking will lead to bad “batches” with soggy kway teow or inconsistency of ingredients. The key is to keep it simple; perfect one plate and repeat. One at a time and repeat.

(04) Garlic
Garlic is essential. It adds to the taste and more importantly to the aroma. A nice fragrant aroma makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

An oil painting on canvas on Heath Ledger’s Joker by Michael Bridges. Usually this site only showcases work but this is also a rare opportunity to own this piece. The artist currently is running an email auction here for any interested buyers.

This is first my first movie of 2009. Bolt (voiced by John Travolta), an “actor dog” believes he has super powers. After accidentally being shipped to New York, he attempts to make it back to Hollywood to see his owner Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus).

This is an enjoyable movie for everyone (not just kids)! The animation is superb and the detailing (e.g. Bolt’s fur) is amazing. More that that however, the story has real heart. The sequence with Bolt as a puppy and Bolt “learning” to be a dog make you melt. Highly recommended.

Frankie B. Washington (born and bred in Boston, Massachusetts) has one of the most detailed artwork I have ever seen. He enjoys cheeseburgers, steaks, french fries and cheesecake but let’s not get diverted into food, although Boston has the best cheesecakes in the world. He was kind enough to run through some questions about himself and the projects he is current working on.

When did you get started drawing?

My earliest memory of drawing started with my first comic book which was a Marvel Comic Spiderman which I bought from a small store which used to be a school bus (seriously). I remember tracing the artwork and then from there began to naturally draw stuff. When my mother purchased groceries from the supermarket the brown paper bags became my paper of choice.

Me and Dawn (my younger sister) were supported by my single mum who instilled within me a strong work ethic deprived from her southern up-bring. Drawing was the easiest thing for me and my mother would on occasion offer critiques even though she wasn’t an artist- she still had a pretty good eye for human anatomy.

Did you follow up with drawing through high school?

I was fortunate that during my high school years there were a few programs which catered to the arts and I made full use of them. I continued to watch a lot of television and collect comic books, finding myself enthralled by artists like Jack “The King” Kirby , Berni Wrightson, Neil Adams, John Burn, Herb Trimpe, Paul Ryan and the Buscema brothers. In my head when I am illustrating, I mentally have in the back of my mind the styles of John Byrne and George Perez – I love drawing lots of detail. Dreaming of drawing a multi-character scene that can sit in the same place in history as the stuff done by Perez, Geoff Darrow and Alex Ross.

That’s a great who’s who of the best comic illustrators. I think all their work is great especially Alex Ross. I have put up 2 samples of your work : Fantastic Four’s Thing and Punisher.

Another two of the artwork you provided were Atomic Robo. Can you tell me more about that?

First off- Atomic Robo is an amazing series done by my friend Scott Wegener and Brian Clevinger (http://www.atomic-robo.com). I asked Scott if he would be interested in a pin-up and he was cool with it. I did a giant monster scenario with Atomic Robo fighting a giant lizard creature and he loved it. He said that it would be appearing in Atomic Robo vol 2 TPB – so I’ll wait and see if it makes it.

I also did another pin-up with Robo as a gangster in the 1930’s. It will be fun seeing the pin-ups in the TPB when it comes out- fingers crossed.

Both pictures are very detailed. The colouring really adds something to the work. Are there any projects you are working on at the moment?

I am currently working on 2 projects very close to me. Firstly Project One is a comic book concept that I helped to create with my writer friend Chad Lewis (http://shoxstudios.com) who currently has two titles on the Shox website called “Devil’s Child” and “When Ages Collide”.

The concept he and I created was conceived four years ago but this past August was dusted off and we are currently in the development stage with it. This comic book series will definitely push my skills when it comes time to start drawing.

And the second project?

Project Two is called “Da Otha Gurl” – a unique concept which was born from a conversation me and wife, Crystal, had about her past experiences in high school. I was intrigued by her story and found myself drawing female characters that personified her feelings of “Being The Other Girl” or outsider who doesn’t fit into any cliques.

Crystal and I, see ourselves as eclectic minded persons so Da Otha Gurls are a representation of the eclectic who is making their way in a world set in rules. She and I are currently working on drawings and have opened two online stores (Zazzle and CafePress).

More of Frankie’s work can be accessed through his website http://www.frankiebwashington.com. For commission information and pricing please email him directly at turtle.totem [at] comcast.net and any enquiries will be responded to.

Update 13-Jan-09 :
Unfortunately I have received an update that due to publishing constraints, all Atomic Robo pin-ups have been removed from Vol2 TPB.

I’m usually slight skeptical about drawing books however, this one was pretty insightful. It covers different topics such as foreshortening (perspective) and basic approaches to the human form. It’s worth checking out and useful as a guide to practice and improve.

Originally an editor, Shelton decided to move into illustration working on various mediums from pencils to oils. His showcase work below was a commission to illustrate Harley Quinn’s dreams. The initial sketch captures the concept very well and has a very surreal feel to it.

Preliminary Sketch :

However he decided to replace the teddy bear with a rattle in the second preliminary sketch to see how it would look.

Second Preliminary :

The colours really bring out the final piece which gives it a “dream” like quality.

Final :

If interested in any commissions from Shelton you can reach him at sbryant12[at]nc.rr.com or check out more work on his website Comic Art Fans – Shelton. He considers himself the “hired help” and will help you translate your designs to something cool.

There’s three main points I’d like to highlight from 2008 :

1. Featured Artist category is now up showcasing some of the most fantastic artwork!
2. After long last, I enrolled and completed a Life Drawing Course. This was a lot more fun than initially expected and I learnt quite a few new techniques.
3. And finally . . my first published work appearing in Tango 8! Can’t wait to try for more future submissions.

The post which received the most comments for 2008 was Cookie Monster!!! It probably doesn’t come as a big surprise after all it is Cookie Monster!!!

On the eve of 2009, wishing everyone a Happy New Year!
Make sure you stick to your resolutions and hope the new year turns out fantastic.

From Amiya, Zatanna ushering in the New Year.

Wishing everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Be good now y’all.

Festive Supergirl picture by David Enciso.
Check out his website for more of his work at :
http://www.davidenciso.com/