Optimus Prime :

Soundwave and Ravage :

Red Skull :

http://www.qualanoart.com/

For commissions or to contact Pasquale email :
info [at] qualanoart.com

FX Trade Cover :

Prelim :

Pencil :

Inked :

FX Page 4 (Sequential) :

I’ll start with an easy question. Where are you from?

I grew up in Washington, DC and later went to college at the Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio. Art has been a part of my life ever since I was 4 years old.

What are you working on currently?

I currently teach the comic book illustration class there, going on 4yrs. now. I have also completed a graphic novel, FX The Lost Land, with writer/creator Wayne Osborne, to be published by IDW. This is the second series in the story of FX.

Besides illustrations, what else takes up your time?

Outside of being behind my drawing board, I love cycling. For those road bikers out there, I love my Cannondale road bike. I bike as much as I can. I’m on the road during the warmer months and on the trainer in the winter time.

How would you describe your artwork?

Over the years it’s been hard to describe my work, but as time goes on, I tend to think of it as a stylized realism.

Are you self-taught? Training? Art School?

I would like to consider myself self-taught, other than the 4 years in art college. Outside of art school, you pretty much train yourself by getting involved in the things that interests you. And to me, I feel that you would want to naturally get better as an artist whether you have art training or not. There’s got to be a motivation there.

Who would you consider your artistic influences?

There’s so many, but for those that got my interest at an early age where, in no certain order here are Michelangelo, Velazquez, Vargas, Frazetta, Mucha, Sorayama, John Byrne, Patrick Nagel. Looking at these artist, really helped me take a closer look at my own work in order to take those steps to get better.

Thanks for your time and allowing me to showcase your works! Good luck with your future projects.

For more of Uko’s work :

• http://www.ukosmith.com
• http://www.ukosmith.deviantart.com
• http://www.ukosmith.blogspot.com

Catwoman :

Huntress :

Supergirl :

Red Monica :

Men in Black (MIB) :

Set information :

• Each box will have 24 packs of seven cards.
• Base card set of 90 cards

Costume cards 1 in 12 packs
Confirmed pieces include a shirt and cape from Thor (Chris Hemsworth), pants worn by Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and some of Anthony Hopkins’ “leathers” as Odin.

Film cell cards 1 in 24 packs.

Sketch cards 1 in 48 packs.
Sketch cards will be based on Thor comics rather than movie.

Autograph cards 1 per Case.
No list of signers have been announced as of yet, but in the past Upper Deck has done a solid job 0f landing a name or two of top talent such as Don Cheadle and Mickey Rourke for Iron Man 2. Potentials include Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman or Anthony Hopkins but nothing confirmed yet.

More sketch cards by Frankie Washington!
Would love to hear your thoughts on which ones you liked.

On another note, Sigmatestudio now has a Facebook page! It’ll showcase some preview art before it hits the main site. Please feel free to “like” this page.

Sketches :


Zombie Cover :


Batman Montage :

Thanks for letting me ask you a few questions. So tell me a little about yourself.

I love art, all types, comics especially but animation also, fine art and sculpting too. Like a lot of artists I have a good amount of art books, it’s actually burdensome at times lugging them around all the places I’ve lived but they are a good source of inspiration. I also have two of the best cats ever that keep me on my toes while I’m working.

Besides art what do you do for fun?

For fun I don’t need to do much, I’m pretty laid back and I’m easily amused. I see a lot of movies with my girlfriend, going out to eat, playing fetch with the cats, going to the zoo during the winter and during the summer I go to Zoombeezie a lot with my lady. I love anything out doors really so if it’s nature related I’m up for it. The last and greatest of all things fun for me is watching MMA/UFC, It’s a sickness really, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Once you get sucked in there’s no escape, two words “Showtime kick”, amazing!

MMA is great although I have to admit I’m a little bit of sucker for the theater that is “professional wrestling”. Anyway, I always like to throw this question in. How would you describe your artwork?

I would describe my artwork as visual Bacon (I love Bacon). It’s a little bit salty, kind of meaty but mostly greasy. I would hope that it’s fun to look at, eventually I want it to be clever and in my head at least it’s very rhythmic, I’m still working on this last one.

Are you self taught?

I am absolutely not self taught, I’ve graduated the Joe Kubert School and most recently the Academy Of Art University in San Francisco. I studied comics at the Kubert school and traditional illustration at the Academy.

The Kubert school is definitely well recognised. Is there any artist that inspire you?

I have a bunch of artist’s that I like, I don’t know if many come through in my work but I really like, JC Leyendecker, Mignola, Mucha, Wendling, Benoit Springer, Toppi, Dennis Bodart, Fechin, Sebastion Kruger, Marcelo Vignali, Carlos Meglia, the Creature box guys, the Blag Frog Studios guy, and Tan Eng Huat, I could go on forever but those are a few artist’s that I like.

So how’s your work progressing? Is there any of published work out there?

I have a few published so far, two full issues of Deadpool Team UP and one ten page story in Deadpool Team Up 900. I also did a short sequence of storyboards in an animated Monkey King movie. That’s it so far, I’m a newbie.

To have published something for one of the big 2 is incredible! What is your process for pencilling?

My process is pretty simple, for comics I read the script, make a few small doodles of panels as I read. Next I’ll reread the script and do my layouts digitally on a Cintique. Then I’ll print them out in blue on to the final Bristol board and do the finished lines over top of my printed layouts. If I’m inking myself the first two steps are the same and the last step is a combination of tightening up some areas of the drawing and then inking them or if I’m comfortable I’ll go straight to the inking phase.

Thanks for your time and answering the questions. Wish you all the best in the future.

For more of Chris’s work check out the below links :

• DeviantArt
• Portfolio
• Blog

For commission information please email Chris directly at chrisrstaggs [at] gmail.com

Zatanna :

Batgirl:

Poison Ivy

Huntress