Angel of Doom

I drew this pic a few years ago and I never got around to finishing it. It was half inked when I picked it up again the other day. I inked it over and colored in. Didn't focus much on the background, just focused on the lighting and color.

Playboy artist Doug Sneyd

I had the pleasure of meeting Doug Sneyd at the NY Comic Con this past October. With a purchase of his Unpublished book, I got to have my face drawn in the book by Doug himself. =) =)

We had a pleasant conversation while I sat there and he drew me. Such a nice guy. He even drew the Playboy bunny ears on me. (Also heard he would draw boobies on request, lol)

Santa vs Dracula: Debbie Design 1

Little miss Debbie wants to be a vampire. She's one of the original characters in the comic.

Rainy Day version 2

The top image has the original shadows, but I like the image without it too. O__o

Rainy Day version 1

I was working on this image for a while. After taking a few months break, I finally went back to it but for some reason, out of all things, I had a hard time with her shadows. =/

I might go back and work with it some more so I'll be posting again soon.

Hot Painting!

Yup, this is a true story. This little incident happened a few years ago and I always thought it was funny. I decided to make it a single panel comic inspired by the comics Playboy publish.

I also included a close up because I work larger than the final size of the image I post, so a lot of detail go unnoticed. Well, I think it goes unnoticed, like the sweat drops on my friends back. (Yes, I'm the one with a shirt on.) =P

Santa and Dracula designs

So, here's Santa versus Dracula again. It's been a while but the project is going forward. More details soon, but in the meantime I've been redesigning the main two characters. Santa is redesigned to be a bit softer and more jolly. Dracula didn't change too much other than the color of his clothes and his character being a bit darker.

Any more changes and the animation will be completely different!

Lurking in the dark

Guess I've been in a Halloween mood. I had a specific image in my head but it wasn't easy to get on paper. Took me a while to get the look I wanted. The creature had arms at one point but it wasn't helping the illustration, so I removed them. Yup. Much better.

Sokora Refugees Volume 3: Blix

Yeah, it's been a long time since I actually drew this picture. It was back when I was actually working on Sokora Vol.3. The succubus, Blix (that's her name) was going to be featured in vol.3. She was a design I really liked, so I always wanted to go back and make her a full illustration. I started coloring it a few months ago, but it got out of hand for me. I went back to it a few days ago, organized my layers and finished it right up. This one, I'm happy with.

Halloween Girl

I sat to draw and this happened. Made it a Halloween theme and broke it down into the steps on how I develop a picture. The entire image was drawn on the computer using a Wacom Tablet and Paint Tool Sai.

I start with little rough thumbnails to see if the picture will interest me in continuing.

If I like it, I zoom in and add a some detail, developing the character a bit more.

Liking where it's going I take the small sketch and enlarge it. Now I do rough clean up, working out finer details. At this point I start thinking about colors. Since her bloomers look like a pumpkin, I'll stick with the typical orange and black Halloween themed colors.

Once I get the inks, I'll make changes if necessary if certain lines don't make up or if angles seem off. This particular image worked out pretty well so i didn't spend too much time on it. From beginning to end, I think I spent about 4 hours working on this image.

I start the coloring only working with 3 layers. A flat base color, the shadows and a layer for highlights and added detail. Sometimes I'll add a 4th or 5th layer for tweaking, but I'll usually combine them and keep it at a minimum.

Usually when I get to the end of finishing a piece, I'll show it to someone to get opinions, for me its always dynamaito. Other artists might point out suggestions in color, composition and details. But its always the non-artist that gives the most interesting feedback, like "the body looks weird," or "I can't tell what's going on in the picture..." Never take offense, but always take it into consideration, it'll make you a better artist in the long run.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Everyone loves boobs! Whether its for a woman's pride, a man's attraction, a child's comfort, or an infant's nourishment, nobody wants anyone's breast to go the way of cancer. In my family, both of my grandmother's were breast cancer survivors.

This pic was done for the comic strip I illustrate, My Cage, (which will unfortunately have its last run on oct.31.) On October 10, 2010, all Sunday strips distributed by King Features Syndicate will be colored pink for breast cancer awareness month.

For more information, visit www.comicsgopink.com . You'll also be able to donate money to any breast cancer research organization of your choice!

Remember get those boobs checked early and if you don't have any, I'm sure you know someone who does.

It's a fight worth fighting for.

Peace!

Updates

Okay, so I don't update as often as I like. These things do take time and its amazing how much gets in the way of my "catching up" time.

For one, Rapunzel is done! I'll update with that again once all the pages are up. Here's a panel to keep things interesting.

Second, my page on Estrigious has been revised as an online portfolio, so a lot of my work is a bit more organized.

Until next time! (I'll be catching up.)

Mel

Anniversary Strip

Maybe it's the hot weather that makes it hard to keep up with work and such...Anyway, I made this little mini strip for my anniversary. A gift to my hubby. Thought I'd share it since it wasn't too personal. ;)

Santa vs Dracula designs: The Hunchback/Igor

Santa vs Dracula is coming back. After working on the 8 page comic for Zuda and the the animated preview for Aniboom, Ed and myself are going to finally work on the entire story for SvD. In the last few weeks, I've drawn new character designs, drew up some mock covers and even did rough thumbnails for all 144 pages.

Here we have 2 designs for The Hunchback/Igor. I drew them as they might have been two different characters, but in the end, we stuck with one, The Hunchback with the unicycle. I figured since he was hunched over so much, he might need support, so I chose a unicycle peddled by his front arms. :p

More designs coming up!

...and we're back!

It's been rough the last couple of weeks for various reasons, including the heat wave that keeps my laptop from running properly....but I'm back for a steady stream of updates!

Just yesterday the My Cage website was updated with new (and exciting) info! From now on, on a weekly basis we'll be featuring web exclusive strips that won't be printed in newspapers, or rather strips that were rejected because they couldn't get past the censorship.

Our Sunday strip also featured many characters from the webcomic community, so you can get links to the sites where the individual characters are featured in.

Check it out and let us know what you think!

Next update Wednesday!

Doctor Who?

So I've been watching the new season of Doctor Who with Matt Smith. It's been okay so far and I'm still getting used to the new Doctor but I really miss David Tennant.

Sometimes TV shows and movies inspire the creativeness in oneself and well, lately I haven't able to indulge in hobbies, but when you mix Rob, Doctor Who, inspiration, and hobbies, you get something like this:

Rob, ("Dynamaito" over at chromaengine.com), always had a knack for video editing, something I've always enjoyed seeing from him. It was a hobby of his back in the old days when he used to do it with VCR's. O__O!! Nowadays he does it on PC with Vegas Video. Fun stuff! He used clips from the Doctor Who series with David Tennant and the song 'Ghost of You' by My Chemical Romance.

Anyway, I thought I'd share his video because I miss David Tennant and I enjoy watching Rob's videos. =)

Thinking Process

Just a drawing I did to practice my line work and colors. I didn't think the whole illustration through, so I'm a little stuck now. I made two set of shadows and now that I have the flat colors down, I want to leave her flat. =/

I'm gonna work on the back ground outside her window. Maybe that'll help steer me into a direction for the rest of the illustration.

Computer Mice

I swear, you think think idea would have been done to death but honestly I haven't found anything like it.

Okay, so I'm obsessed with figure design....I got this idea from 2 seconds of the movie Wall-e, where he gets tossed into a dumpster and computer mice scurry away. GENIUS! I totally want one but alas, nothing like it exists.

Anyway, I think it's safe to say I was influenced and came up with this design. Simple idea, but with modifications. I submit the design to Patch Together in hopes that, with enough votes, it could be make into a figure...so that I can own one myself.

So check it out, sign up and vote! =D

Greek Mythological creatures can be hot!

I'm a big fan of figures so I became a member of Patch Together. You can submit designs and with enough votes get your design made into a figure! Joy~
They had a Greek Mythological creature challenge this month (assuming the idea came from Clash of the Titans...) and luckily I was planning on making some Greek Myth art. Whatever I had originally planned, I didn't draw or finish. So I made a new one.



This strange chic here is Megaera of the Furies. She's the one who represents jealousy and envy.

Anyway check her out on the site! I have a complete turnaround for her.

Space Comic Finale Part 8: Vampire Zombies in Space!

We've finally reached the end and it was a fun ride! (At least for me it was!) The comic itself might not continue as I plan to work on other projects but it doesn't mean its the last you'll see of it.
As mentioned before the original pages are on display at the Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art until May 30th. Check the website for details!

Also, if you've missed the last bunch of strips, here they are for your convenience!
Vampire Zombies in Space
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

Space Comic Part 7

Almost there!

An all new high

My model kit addiction has brought me to an all new high. I believe it was Miss V who told me about this site, Patch Together, and immediately I was hook. I stalked the site for a while and though its still feels new to me I've tried submitting some of my art.

Basically, people post their designs and if enough people vote or show interest, the owners of the site make it into a figure. It's like heaven for me....

Anyway, the site is getting the creators to promote their stuff so here it is, my Cat-girl huntress Anya.

Space Comic Part 6

The end is near. >=D

Space Comic Part 5

Space Comic Part 4

Don't forget to visit the NeoIntegrity Exhibit at MoCCA to see the original pages of my "Space Comic."

If you haven't read it yet, check out Part 1, Part2, and Part 3.

Enjoy!

NeoIntegrity at MoCCA

Hello all,

I'm taking a brief break from my "Space Comic" to announce that it will be on view at NeoIntegrity: Comics Edition Exhibit at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art! Not only will my original comic pages be on display there, but so will many other popular artists! If you want to check out who will be there, all names are listed on MoCCA's website: http://www.moccany.com/

If you're in New York and want to check out the NeoIntegrity: Comics Edition Exhibit, here's the info:

Opening night will be on March 12, 2010 and will continue on to May 30th, 2010.

MoCCA is located at:

594 Broadway, Suite 401

(btwn. Houston and Prince)

New York, NY 10012

Tel. 212-254-3511

Hours: Tues-Sun 12pm-5pm

General Admission: $5

Children 12 and under: Free Admission

It's going to be great!! You won't regret it!

Hope you'll all make it!

xoxo

Space Comic Part 3

Back for more? What's going on so far? This is Part 3 of my mysterious "Space Comic."

If you haven't read it from the beginning check out

Part 1

and

Part 2.

Enjoy!

Sprites and Pixel Art

So I decided to try this "Pixel Art." Been hearing about its reemergence in the game industry for mobile games. Anyway, I sat down (approximately 5 hours), and pixel drew an old character of mine. Yes, pixel by pixel. Though it took a few hours I found it to be very fun! The only thing is, the sprite is small. ^__^

Space Comic Part 2

Hey all, back for some more space story? Here continues Part 2 of my Space Comic. If you haven't read the first part, scroll down to the previous post, or click here: Space Comic Part 1.

Enjoy!

Space Comic Part 1

I came up with a short idea, and like always, once I put it on paper, it ends up being pages long. To make sure I finished, I kept this mini comic in a format I was comfortable with, "widescreen format." My work in animation influenced me working this way, and since I planned to have it viewed on the blog, I figured it would read well vertically.

Next installment will be for Tuesday, 02-23-10.

Enjoy!

Mermaid: Working with separate elements

I'm starting to think my works-in-progress never get done. This one here is an illustration I planned on submitting as a figure design, so she was drawn with a turnaround.

When I started inking I knew I wanted to work with and practice my thin lines. It was something I used to do ages ago but working on animation and comics, I had to learn to work with thicker lines. I miss working with thinner lines and still prefer it for my illustration work.

Anyway, I added color and because of the detail of the ink lines, the coloring came out "tight." I prefer a "looser" style, more energy and movement in the lines and color. My mermaid is finished but her turnaround and background elements are not. I need to keep working on getting the balance I want.

I added the background after the mermaid was finished but it feels out of place. This always happens to me when I work on elements of an illustration separately. When I was teaching, I always taught my students to draw out the whole illustration first before adding detail and color.

The illustration/figure design is paired with a centaur so I'm still working in an awkward way for myself. So lets see how that goes, still gotta long way to go. O__o

Sketches!

Thought I'd post some sketches. Was trying to draw a teen girl in a hoodie. Don't know why she has two heads though....

Model Kit Addiction 03: Asuka Langley

I don't remember when I did this model but I'm pretty sure it was when Neon Genesis Evangelion was still new and I was still a fan. That was years ago and years since I took these photos, so I don't have a complete turn around for Asuka.

It was still an early kit, so I made no attempt to use pins to hold the model in place. I focused mostly on color and texture and the detailing, which I think, I used a rapidiograph ink pen to do. I do remember her leg not fitting well so I had to do a lot of sanding and putty-ing to fix it to my liking.

I put a lot of work into my modelling, but since I've completed this model, I have moved twice. And twice, she broke... It's hard to get attached to your work and have it ruined. But, since it's just a hobby, I move on. Lesson learned. Pin the pieces together.

RPG Zombies!!!

Over a year ago, Rob was trying to make a Resident Evil mock up game cover for something. I think it was for a "Tales of..." game, online contest. I thought it needed zombies, so I drew some. Since it was RPG themed, I made RPG zombies. (Makes sense right? Probably not...) The cat girl is my original design but the other two were inspired by Tales of Phantasia Chester, and Mint. Never played the game but it did make some interesting zombies.