True Powers...

I know I've said this before, but the variety of suggestions I get every Friday always leaves me wishing I had enough time to do more of these. For the last few weeks I've been doing several of the suggestions, but I'm going to have to return to the original plan of doing one every weekend because my freelance workload is nearing some deadlines. Of course, if it looks like I can reach those deadlines easier than I think I could return to multiples again.

Anyway, this week a couple of these have been requested several weeks in a row and one of them is a suggestion I've never seen before.
That 'never seen suggestion' is Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim from Powers by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. I've only read a couple of the TPBs, but I like what I've read. If you haven't read any of them you should check the book out.

The lovely Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (formally Dr. Girlfriend) from The Venture Bros. has been suggested several weeks and by different people. I actually started this a couple of weeks ago, but ran out of time. So this week  here it is:

And since I've already drawn Buffy and Angel it seemed only fair to draw the current (mature) vampire hearththrobs. Sookie and Bill of True Blood.

A glut...

This weekend it seemed like I actually had some spare time - mainly because there were no immediate deadlines for other work looming - so when I started the drawings for Fan Request Friday I thought I'd have a little fun and see how many I could get done before the weekend was over. Obviously I misjudged my time and that's why I'm posting a little on the late side.

I even decided to wrap up a drawing I had started last week and never finished (the two Storms). Both of these specific Storms were requested by different people and I thought it would be interesting to combine them in one drawing. The old S&M version (as I refer to her) and the latest version.

I also tackled several requests that I was able to combine (Logan, Kitty, Rogue) and instead of doing the usual X-Men: Evolution version I decided to go with the Astonishing X-Men design - I don't think I've ever drawn these characters in any other looks than X-Men: Evolution or Wolverine and the X-Men so this was a fun way to explore something new and to satisfy several suggestions at once.

I also took the opportunity to draw a couple of characters I've never drawn before: Kilowog of the Green Lantern Corps and Red Monika from Battle Chasers.

Unfortunately I was so ambitious, I also started a couple of drawings that I found I'd not allowed enough time for and I'll try to finish later in the week or next weekend.

Saving face...

I wasn't really happy with the faces on the latest Fan Request of Atom Eve and Invincible so when I finally got a moment I re-visited it and tought I'd give them a face lift. I think these look a little better....

Real He-men and girl...

It never ceases to amaze me the diversity of suggestions that come in for Fan Request Friday. It always leaves me in a quandary as to which to do and I often start the weekend thinking that I should do a half dozen or more. Unfortunately by the time I actually start to do the drawings I find myself short on time. If only weekends were longer.

Many weeks it seems like I end up doing a female - oddly enough a majority of the suggestions tend towards female characters. I guess there's no real surprise there and it's not like I mind doing them either. So when He-Man was suggested I thought what character could be more male than He-Man, eh?
But, since I never really cared for the way Filmation had handled him, I thought I'd throw a little of a Frazetta vibe into him. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I'm not quite sure it works for the character after all.

Before I ran out of time and had to get back to work I was also able to squeeze one more in. Invincible and Atom Eve have been suggested many times over the last few months and though I'm not very familiar with them I've always have liked their designs and the way Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley have drawn them - so I wanted to take a crack at them.

To draw a Mockingbird...

This weeks choice for Fan Request Friday was chosen because I used a Cos-player's pose to help out with last week's pic (Danger Girl) so it seemed I sort of owed her one. I hope she likes it though I'm not sure my Mockingbird comes off as well as her Mockingbird.
Up until recently I'd never even heard of this particular character and then a couple of months ago I learned about this Shield agent and then when I came into contact with Jen Richards (aka Mockingnerd) via twitter and FB it seemed to be a character that was forcing herself on me in a way. So I very well might have chosen to draw her regardless of my feeling like I owed Jen one or not.

But I don't want it to appear that I'm playing favorites so I also decided to draw a request that seems to have been mentioned almost every week since I've started this. I'm not sure I've done Angel and Buffy justice, but it's not too far off. Maybe I'll revisit them again later and give it another shot.
I was kind of late to the Buffy/Joss Whedon appreciation society and only started watching Buffy once I started working on XME at the suggestion of the producer, Boyd Kirkland, since that was sort of the model he wanted to base our show on - or at least try to. I started watching after the whole Buffy and Angel storyline had basically played itself out and just revisited those episodes in re-runs and after they were released onto DVD.
In fact the show and the characters made such an impact on me that many of the XME characters were somewhat modeled after several of the actors on Buffy. Jean/Charisma Carpenter, Kitty/Alyson Hannigan and Kurt/ Seth Green.

Some Danger....girls...

This week's choice(s) for Fan Request Friday are Danger Girl and She-Hulk. Both are characters I've never really attempted before so they seemed ideal to try. J. Scott Cambell (the creator of Danger Girl) has always been a favorite artist of mine - I'm not sure I did Abbey Chase justice or not, but it was fum tryiong to decide what to do with her. I have a stack of 'close' but not 'close enough' poses that I rejected before settling on this one. I'm still not completely satisfied, but time was running out and I still have freelance to tackle before bed.

The other reason why time was short is due to the daytrip I took to San Diego for the San Diego Comic-Con (or whatever it's called these days). I had a great time hooking up with old friends and making a few new ones. Next year we'll ahve to plan a longer trip so it does feel like so much like running a gauntlet.

Just a Minute...

Once again I'm running late, but this time I actually have  a good excuse. My wife and I spent a wonderful weekend in Portland, Oregon with my son and his partner. We've never been up that way before, but I'm sure it won't be the last time.

For this week's Fan Request Friday someone suggested the Silk Spectre (not the first time she's been suggested either) and it occurred to me that I've never drawn any of the Watchmen  characters. I'm not sure which Silk Spectre they meant, but I decided to opt for the original Silk Spectre - Sally Jupiter. I thought that Carla Gugino was the perfect actress to play her in the film and would've loved it if there had been more of her in it  - yeah, I know she was barely in the comic, but I much preferred the era of the Minutemen then the later group of heroes.

I'm going to SDCC later this week, though I'm not exactly sure what day, but if you happen to see me wandering around, struggling through the crowds, say "hi".

 

Something a little Freaky...

This week's Fan Request is Freakazoid...hopefully some of you will remember him (other than the person who suggested him, of course). His show was on and off the air before many had a chance to see it -  including myself. Despite it's short run it seems to have some fans still - maybe it's the Bruce Timm connection?

Running a little late...

...well, actually quite a bit late.
But I have an excuse - I swear. I found myself knee deep in storyboard revisions and it took a lot longer than expected (doesn't it always?) and add that to trying to spend as much extra time as I could with the family and all I can say is thank God for three day weekends.

This week it seemed like a good idea to address one of the most consistent suggestions I get. Not only has this been a request every Friday since I started Fan Request Friday, but I also get asked all the time to draw these characters for commissions and whenever I'm at some event. Which is a good thing. It's nice to know these particular incarnations of these characters have left such an indelible mark on so many people.

So here are Wolverine, Kitty and Rogue ala X-Men: Evolution.

And as a bonus offering (since I was so late) I'm also including another character that is suggested quite often: Link from the Legend of Zelda.

I hope all of you had a good 4th of July!

Taking flight...

I'm running a little later than usual, but here's this week's choice for Fan Request Friday: Wilma Deering and Buck Rogers.

Many of you might know these characters from the old TV series staring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray. I decided to go retro and work from their original comic versions.

Who Knows...

...well, you know the rest (I assume) , but suffice it to say that this week's Fan Request Friday is The Shadow. I love these old Pulp charcaters and tried to figure out a way to include some of the others, like Doc Savage, The Spider, G-8 and The Avenger (not to mention all of Edgar Rice Burroughs' characters), but that was opening a can of worms that I thought would be better suited for other requests - or maybe even a new sketchbook that spotlighted all of my favorites. That's something to consider.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one and have a happy Father's Day  - we're off to see Toy Story3 in IMax later today. It better be good ;)

Two for one...

...sort of. This week, for Fan Request Friday, there were a lot of great suggestions - as always. I want to thank everyone and I really wish that I could do more each week, but there's only so much free time available. So, when possible, I'll try and sneak in a little something more. This week I chose a subject that had been suggested many times before...and since it kind of coincides with some of the freelance I've been doing - the DC books for HarperCollins that I mentioned below - I thought it would be fun to give a shot at the Women of Gotham. I couldn't decide between the heroes or the villains so I decided to do both.

Dove's a girl?...

It's news to me. Last time I saw these characters I was a young kid buying comics for 12 cents. Frankly, I didn't care so much for the characters even with Ditko and Kane art in them, but when I heard of Dove being a girl that definitely intrigued me. Since these characters (in this boy/girl incarnation)  had been requested  several weeks and by a couple of different people I went with it for Fan Request Friday.

It's a little late because yesterday I spent most of the day at a charity event for the City of Hope. They were having a picnic and Scott Shaw! was looking for artists to sit around and draw requests for the kids and their parents. I must have drawn a couple of dozen (at least) superheroes and other misc characters. It was good to see these kids so happy and excited and hopefully I was able to contribute a little to that. There were lots to do there in the way of games and food to eat as well as costume characters from Star Wars, Harry Potter and DC comics. There might have been more going on, but I was too busy drawing.

I also wanted to alert you to the fact that my latest book from HarperCollins is now fully listed on Amazon and you should probably rush out and order it before it becomes a collector's item. Well, maybe not, but you still might enjoy it and the price is good. Just click on the link below and while you're at it look for my other books from HarperCollins and also my Shrek 4 book from GrossetDunlap

Running late...

...as usual, but my way of saying "oops" is to do a little extra.
Since I started doing this Fan Request Friday on Twitter and FB these two (actually three) characters have been suggested every week, so it felt like it was time to finally do them. Once again, I was very unfamiliar with any of these characters though I had at least heard of Cowboy BeBop (My son used to watch it all the time if I recall right), but I hadn't a clue about Ch'p from Green Lantern.
I hope they succeed despite my lack of experience with them.

Now have a good Memorial Day and remember it's not just about BBQ and a day at the beach

Worth a try...

....though I'm not sure it works. Here is my take on the much requested (for Fan Request Friday) Asterix and Obelix. If you're not familiar with them here is a link that will give you some idea and reason to possibly agree with my original assessment. Next week I'll try to go more traditional...

Fan request booster

These two guys have been requested consistently more than anyone (aside from X-M:E Rogue that is) so I thought it was about time I gave them a shot. I'm not real familiar with Booster Gold at all, though I do recall a Blue Beetle from way back when I was still buying comics for 12 cents - though he didn't quite look like this as I recall.
I was sorely tempted to do a Frazetta tribute piece (it was suggested), but since I still plan on writing up my Fire & Ice remembrances I figure I'll include one at that time. Hopefully I'll be able to do all that by about mid-week.

Fan Rquest Friday again...

Last week there were a lot of great requests and ideas (I wish I had time to do more of them, but  there wasn't much response from my blog followers, but I thought I'd try it again.

Send in your ideas and suggestions and I'll pick one to do over the weekend to post on Twitter (which would cover Facebook) and here as well.

I'm also planning on writing something up about my time on Fire & Ice working with Frank Frazetta in tribute to his recent passing away...maybe even a new drawing or two if I have the time.
In the meanwhile here's a drawing I did of Darkwolf a few years ago that is in my first sketchbook---

A little Modesty...

This week, in honor of Peter O'Donnell's death I decided to choose Modesty Blaise as the subject 0f Friday's fan request. To be honest I hadn't heard of his death and even on the web-sites I visit there was no mentiuon of it so I thought I would do my part to give him his just due with my little picture. By the way, if you're unfamiliar with Modesty and her creator, I linked to sites that could help explain them better than I ever could.

That time again...

...for Fan Request Friday. Last week's sketch of Deja Thoris got a lot of great reactions - thanks everyone. Not sure what I did different than usual (except draw a beautiful mostly naked woman - oh, never mind), but I'm glad everyone seemed to appreciate my effort.
Send in your suggestions for a character and I'll pick one to draw up over the weekend. I might even post a non Fan Request Friday post...pretty exciting, eh?

A little Deja vu...

When I was much younger (back in the days of the dinosaurs, as my kids will tell you) one of my favorite authors was Edgar Rice Burroughs and my favorite story of his was the Princess of Mars. I used to draw John Carter and his Princess Deja Thoris even before I could draw something that resembled a woman. So when for three weeks running someone put in a request for Deja Thoris I mulled it over for awhile and desided to give her another shot. Usually I've drawn her in more or less an action pose (or ready to take action, at the very least) so I thought I'd try something a little different and try a pin-up pose. Not sure I quite suceeded, but it was worth a try.