Priorities!

Almost didn't make it to Drink n Draw last night, but I'm glad I did. I told myself I HAD to clean the bathroom (company's coming over on the weekend and I might not have time tonight. Oh and if you feel like dropping by my pad, now is the time. The place is looking cleaner than it has in a while. But I digress...) and I had to finish a long overdue commission for my friend, Twyla.

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Twyla's is the first pic and it turned out better than I thought as I don't consider myself too good at drawing from actual human people. It's a tricky business.

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And why add this shitty Iron Man? I guess just to prove to myself that I did some drawing yesterday. We did lots of chatting and I had a great tme, but I didn't exactly bust my hump to finish any pieces.

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This is only the third time I've drawn Iron Man. I always avoided him because I've never been too good at drawing robots and tech stuff, but a kid paid me 5 bones to draw Iron Man at the Calgary Expo and low and behold, I enjoyed it and the kid did too. It's also encouraging to see talented artists like Eric Canete and Skottie Young tackling ol' shellhead, as their style is more animated and their renditions still look great.

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"You can't win with robot junk!" ??? Just ask Fiona.

No Drink? Just Draw?

Once again I have some Drink n Draw pics to present. Do I ever draw sober? Maybe. If it's any indication, I'm sober right now...but I'm not drawing.

What makes these pieces special is they were done on the Saturday Drink n Draw of the Calgary Expo, which was crap loads of fun and even featured a visit from such pros as Steve Rolston, Stuart Immonen, Jim Mahfood, Derrick Robertson and a half-cut Andrew Foley. Didn't get to chat much with any of them (dammit), but it was nice to chill with them for a bit before we were ejected from the pub at the unholy hour of ...12:30? What pub calls last call at 12:15!?! Rubbish.

That batman is undeniable proof that I need to work on my rendering of closed fists. "Behold my freaky left hand!" the Batman screamed. "It knows all!"

Tonight is another Drink n Draw. Not sure if I'll go or not. I'll see how much work I can get done before 7:30. But if I do, I'm sure I'll have something to post for tomorrow.

Oh and you simply MUST check out the new VA vids on YouTube. They're impossible to hate... unless you hate awesome that is. In which case I feel very sorry for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYnR7c7UrJU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ZQ_W4nY4Q

Rough It In, Rough It Out

Alright, so here are a few of the pics I liked from last Drink n Draw. All of them are pretty rough, so behold the magic of the process:

The first pic was done with a regular ballpoint pen. Surprised with the textures I got out of it. That little yellow guy looks like a twisted version of CHEESE from FOSTER'S. And yes, I believe he is scary.

Secondly are the rough pencils for a pinup I'll be doing of Gabriel Bautista Jr.'s I LOVE HAM characters. These guys are tons of fun to draw.

And finally, here's the Slacker Hero who needs no introduction, SCOTT PILGRIM. Also tons of fun to draw. I look forward to inking and coloring his rambunctious ass. I've got lots of writing to do this week, so here's hoping I can squeeze some drawing in. It'd be nice to get started on The Holiday Men Episode 2.

--Oh, and on a completely unrelated note: I saw Indy 4 on the weekend (didn't like it too much) but on the way out, my roomie Chad spotted the HIVES! The very band we had seen the night prior at one of the best shows I have ever seen. I actually got to shake Howlin' Pete's hand! I managed to maintain composure unitl after he left, at which point I hid behind a column, grinning and giggling like a maniac. It was magical... I regret nothing.

You Know What a Zoomer is, Don't Ya Sammy?

My work will be gracing the interior of Beatroute magazine for the second time and I'm much happier with this one than of the Breeders pic I did for them in April. This piece will be in the upcoming June issue and focuses on the band Wolf Parade and their new release "At Mount Zoomer." The concept was all Jesse's (the writer guy) and even though this is a few days old, I still like it. I was quite pleased with how the coloring came out.

-----I'm going to check out the new Indiana Jones flick this weekend. Should be fun.

-----Plan on posting some drink n draw pics this weekend or maybe Monday.

-----Saw the Hives in concert last night. They blew my mind. It was fucking delicious.

-----I can't get paragraphs to work on this stupid blog!

And So the Drifter Roamed the Seattle Streets...Passportless.

Got back from Seattle's Emerald City Comicon this past Monday. It was great time aside from losing my passport in the US and almost flying off the frozen Alberta roads on Thursday night. I'll definitely be heading back next year with an eye to exhibit. Thanks to Peterson and Barkman for being great company.

Notables? Andre of "Groove Junction" fame. Cool guy. Great comic. Can't wait for the next issue. Gabriel Bautista Jr. , seated to Andre's left. Very talented. Look for his work in the second Popun anthology.

Bryan Lee O'Malley signed a copy of Scott Pilgrim 4 for me. I read it through in one night. Damn good fun. can't wait for the flick. On a panel, he mentioned that he knew about a million people who all claimed to be the real Scott Pilgrim and his ambition is to have them all fight to the death in the middle of Toronto for the official title. I'll pay to see that. Hell, I'll fight to compete.

Anyway, what precedes my rambling is another skecth dump from another Drink n Draw. Twas good fun. Really digging Random Guy. Especially his smashing boxer-briefs. Also my preferred choice of undergarment.