Here is the inking to my character of Alcatraz. This was created for the 30 charterers challenge held every November. I created a back story where for this character named Alcatraz. He is a pit fighter who dreams of escaping the fights. The only way out he believes is to never lose. Eventually, the bosses will move him out of fighting and work for them outside as an enforcer.
This inking was done on the original pencils. On 9×12 2ply Bristol paper. I use a 102 nip tip pen.
Here is the inking to my character of Dra’Zun the Guardian Droid. This was for the 30 charterers challenge held every November. I created a back story where this Guardian Droid has gone a little crazy. He’s raising and training a group of orphans. Eventually, there will be only one. He’ll put them through tests and trials to find one he believes is fit to live.
This inking was done on the original pencils. On 9×12 2ply Bristol paper. I use a 102 nip tip pen.
I’ve been listing to the DC 52, a Graphic Audio Book for the past few weeks (when I’m on the bus or during my lunch). One of the main characters is Black Adam. I’ve really enjoyed the adventures with the Black Marvel Family. So I was inspired to pencil and ink this drawing of Black Adam.
For the pencils, I used a .05 HB mechanical pencil. (which can be seen in a previous blog post:Black Adam Pencils ). For this inking, I used a 102 nib pen and a #3 sable brush with black India ink. My standard inking tools. I have fun with this one. In the next few days, I plan on coloring it next. SHAZAM!
Inking of Skull – One Veritech Fighter from Robotech
A few weeks ago I watched a Robotech marathon and was inspired to draw my own Veritech Fighter. So I drew the Skull Leader! Originally Roy Fokker then Rick Hunter fighter in the Macross Saga. I finally got to inking it this weekend. Using only my 102 nib pen, I really like the way it came out. For this inking, I used thicker lines than I usually do. It gives it a nice solid feeling. Plan on digitally coloring it in the next few days too. so keep an eye out! -SHAZAM
Here’s a quick Spider-Man sketch and inking I did. The pencils took me about 10 minutes to draw and the inking even less time. This was a personal exercise to test out my newest inking tool. A Pentel Medium Tip Brush Pen.
I saw the brush pen at my local Hobby Lobby and thought…”What’s this?”. So I had to buy it and test it out. When I ink my work I usually like to use a nib pen, I’m not very proficient in using a brush. This new discovery bridges the gap I have between the nib and brush. Its nylon brush tip inks like a standard brush but gave me the control I like with the nib pen. I really enjoyed the look my inking has too. I was able to get some nice thick lines. The inking looks and feels looser than my usual inks. I’m excited to see how I can incorporate this into my evolving inking style. – Shazam!
A few weeks ago I posted a drawing I did of Bloodshot in the 90s. Excited by the announcement that Valiant Entertainment would be publishing comics again in 2012. I wanted to share this piece I did as a kid. I then was inspired to create a new Bloodshot drawing. I penciled this Bloodshot with a more lean and slick look.
Here are the final inks of my new Bloodshot piece. I inked over my original pencils, I’ve been doing this lately with my work. I used an India ink with a 102 Nib pen, #3 Sable Brush, and a Micron 0.25 pen. I modified the piece from the original pencils. His hair is now solid black and I’ve given the pants folds instead of leaving them solid black. I had a lot of fun with this one. I’m planning on doing some more Valiant characters in the near future. – Shazam!
I’ve recently started to enjoy inking with pen and ink. In the past, I’ve focused on inking digitally using either Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. But I decided to tackle inking in the physical world. I have found inking with pen and bush to be more satisfying to me personally. I still believe that digital inking is a great technique. But for the time being, I will try to sharpen my skills in more traditional ways. My tools of choice have been a 102 nib pen and a size 4 sable brush.
I’ve been inking my own work, and that has been a great experience. I’ve decided to try inking other comic artists’ work too. My hope is that this will help me learn new creative approaches to comic art. I looked all over for a penciled piece I’d like to ink, then I found this super awesome piece of Thor vs. Taskmaster by comic book artist Mahmud Asrar. It comes from Avengers: The Initiative #32 Page 4. I found this on Mahmud’s DeviantArt page. I had fun inking these pencils. I will definitely be inking more comic pages in the future. – Shazam!
The original cult classic Fright Night movie has always been one of my top favorite vampire flicks. So when I heard there was going to be a remake, I was very excited. Then I learned it was going to be filmed in Albuquerque, NM. That’s a 40-minute drive from Santa Fe (where I’m living right now), I was Super Excited.
It turns out the Assistant Prop Master on the film was looking for local comic book artists to work on the movie. They were looking for completely original work in the genre of monsters, demons, dark goth, swords/sorcerers, witches, devils, and all things scary. The film director would then review all the submitted samples. Wow, what an opportunity!
Shadows by Ralph Contreras
Not having a lot of this type of work in my portfolio I decided to do a jam session and create some. The samples need to be received by July 5th. So I spent all day of July 4th penciling and inking several pieces. I created some zombie comic pages and a few monster pinups. ( a Werewolf, Frankenstein type create, and a Vampire.)
To be honest, these weren’t my finest pieces, so I wasn’t overly surprised when I wasn’t chosen for the project. But I had a blast working in a different genre. It’s always good to get out of your comfort zone and explore new territories. It’s also really cool to know that a local comic artist will have his or her stuff in a major motion picture!
Here’s a sampling of the pieces I created in my 4th of July Horror Drawing Jam!
