Gibson Quarter Art

Gutters 244 - Wolverine and the Eiffel Tower

2012-01-22T22:53:00.000-08:00

In all the excitement about Undertow #2, I almost forgot to mention that I drew up another Gutters...

Click here to see the full strip...but be warned, it may put a visual in your brain that you cant get rid of!! Especially if you like Wolverine.

UNDERTOW #2 - 5 Preview pages

2012-01-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

In a little over a one week, Undertow #2 will be out. It's launching at the Undertow/7th Wave booth Jan 28th and 29th at Wizardworld Con in New Orleans. After Feb 1st it'll be available online here.

The book will be black and white once again and thirty-two pages featuring two stories: THE FORGETTING illustrated by Jonathan A. Rector and Greg Harms, and THE ORGAN-GRINDER illustrated by me. Both stories are written by Luke Donkersloot.

So, whats it all about? My short answer is: a one armed gunfighter, his chain smoking monkey and a mysterious cursed organ he can't destroy.

Fortunately for me, I have acess to a much better description: "A one-armed man travels over the blasted plain of the old west with only his monkey Moses to offer him company. Few ever take the time to ponder why Jeremiah walks around with an organ box strapped over one shoulder. It certainly hasn't been bringing him any luck of late.

Despite mounting obstacles, it’s been years since Jeremiah was forced to pick up a gun to defend himself. But marauders in the unsuspecting town of Rioda, Montana are about to push the “cripple” one step too far. The deep dark secret of the organ-grinder is close to being released. You'd best cover your ears as that old tune begins to play. "

Note: if you have trouble reading them due to sizing by blogspot, please click over here.

Joe Madureira meets the Undertow...

2012-01-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

Joe Madureira is a big artistic inspiration to me.

His art captures energy, emotion and movement exceptionally well. Those elements are pretty much the 'big 3' that I'm constantly trying to put in my pages.

Anyways, Luke Donkersloot the up-and-coming writer of the Undertow, (and the Organ Grinder stories therein), had the opportunity to meet with Joe at last year's Wizardcon in Austin Texas. Joe was kind eneough to take a read through Undertow #1 and sign a copy for me.

It's much appreciated, and hangs in my studio. Thanks to Luke for braving the crazy long lineup, and thanks also to Joe Mad!

Breaking Bad with DEADPOOL !

2012-01-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to draft up a few new superhero prints for a while, but interior comic work has kept me VERY busy. I finally found some time to get to a request to draw Deadpool.

At the last Montreal con, a fan asked if I had any DEADPOOL art. I told her I could draw one up, and she requested that I "please put some tacos in it". Apparently Deadpool loves tacos. (who knew?) She showed me a Deadpool comic (issue #14 I think) where he's fighting while trying to eat tacos, and her request stayed wih me. So here you go Montreal fan, a nod to my favorite T.V show, and a print inspired by your request.

This print was inked (wonderfully!) by Guillermo Ortego and colored (wonderfully!)by my long time colorist Keiren Smith.

So yes, I do take requests! ;-)

UNDERTOW #2 - The Organ Grinder is back!

2012-01-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

You cant keep a one armed cursed gunfighter and his chain smoking monkey down for long. Undertow #2 is FINALLY set to be released in a few short weeks, and will debut this January 28th at the WIZARD WORLD con in New Orleans!

I have 17 pages of art in there this time around, which is the most amount of consecutive pages I've ever had in one book. It took me a while, so I'm happy to see it finally getting out there. Add to that the fact that its a GREAT little story continuing from where we left off in issue #1 AND that I get to draw monkeys...and we have a winner. ;-)

An added bonus for me is that I'll be attending The Con in New Orleans to launch the book. This will be my FIRST American con, so I'm pretty psyched!! I'll be joined by the publisher, writer and a 2 other artists involved with the book.

I'll have some preview art and full details here on this blog in a week or so. I'll be doing an in-store signing here in Toronto shortly after I get back In February, so folks that want to grab one can do so. Check back soon for all the details.

2011 -year end round up!

2012-01-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

2011 was a good year.

In reflecting on 2011 and doing some more fact checking, this is how it checked out. I had 5 comics/magazines published this year, as well as contributing to 2 trade paperback collections. I got to go to the Gutters once and finally joined twitter! ( @gibsonquarter ) I also managed 3 Comic Conventions, a T.V. appearance, and did 12 months worth of ‘paying it back’ via A3on11. I also have 2 books ‘in the can’ that are 100% drawn and done …I’ll be talking about them very soon. So, that's basically what’s been keeping me busy for the past 12 months! (whew)

My goal is to make my art in 2012 even better, and I'm working on that as we speak. I've got a number of Cool projects awaiting my attention, and I’m doing my first American con this year in a few short weeks. New Orleans here I come!

To all those who have helped and supported me this year, THANK YOU! There are too many important people to list individually, but you know who you are.

Happy 2012 everyone!

Season's greetings!

2011-12-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and yours all the best for this holiday season!

Festive colors on this are by 'Terrific' Tom Berry.

ROZA & 'Total Fear'

2011-12-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

Curt Sibling makes great comics called TOTAL FEAR, and has for a while. He is finally releasing a hardcover collection, and I'm happy to help him out.

Here is a new drawing of ROZA for the collection, along with one I did a while ago for an older issue of Total Fear. It was colored by Curt.

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - HOW do you train your writer?

2011-11-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

It’s hard for me to believe it, but its been exactly 12 months since I started ‘A3on11’ last November. Back then I committed to doing it for a year, and this installment fulfills that commitment. I'm starting to feel that posting ‘A3on11’ every month is a bit excessive...add that to the fact that I'm a SLOW typist, and it will go bi-monthly from here on out.

Without further ado, here is this month's question:

How do you "train your writer" to think in your style while giving their work proper respect?

Hmmm... this is a good one. I'm not sure I've 'trained' many writers, but I sure have made lots of suggestions, and I always respect their work.

When it comes to writers, I like to work with ones that are flexible and looking to partner with the artist on the project to get the best results. Respect is a 2 way street after all.

First up, I look to see what the STORY is that they are looking to tell, then I look to make it as visually cool as I possibly can WITHOUT changing the story. This means I will sometimes mess around with things like (but not limited to!):
changing the number of panels for pacing reasons, zooming in and out for close up/long shots, finding or creating action/emotion somewhere on the page, and generally cranking (cartooning!) up the levels on the page.

If I could 'train' other writers, here's a couple of points I'd recommend you consider.

1-Let your artist breathe his own life into the work, by leaving some areas less specific. Tell me you want the scene set in a "futuristic high tech control room" of a ship which I can design, instead of one that is "exactly like the battleship in Empire Strikes Back".

2- give your artist emotional context. Don't ask me to draw a 'dark room', if what you want is a 'creepy, sinister dark room'! I will draw those 2 descriptions VERY differently.

3-If something mentioned in the script is important later (or will be) tell your artist upfront! If that motorcycle in a street scene is the same one the hero is going to race away on in 3 pages, or next issue, let me know! I'll then draw it prominently enough to make it noticeable when people look back to make sure it really was there all along.

4-PLEASE! Don’t be afraid to leave some panels with NO dialogue. 'Nuff said.

5-Leave some pages lighter on panel count. This is a personal preference of mine. Look at your favorite Marvel or DC comic lately, 3-4 panels seems like more the norm now than 8 panels a page...and I'm happy about that!

I found this question to be a challenging one, so I hope I have answered it and helped writers looking to write for comic artists some new ideas.

Previous month's 'ask an artist' articles can be found over here : A3on11

Remember, I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month right here. Questions can range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. To shoot me a question, TWITTER it to me @gibsonquarter , email me : gibsonquarter27@yahoo.com , ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about just depends on what gets asked!

Deviant Art? Why yes, I do.

2011-10-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that based on page hits, many more people come here to this blog rather than my deviantart page .

Just in case you were not aware, I keep loads of art over at my DA site too. If you are so inclined, please check it out!

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - What now?

2011-10-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today’s question is an easy one: What are you working on now?

Right now I’m finishing up 16 pages of The Organ Grinder for Undertow #2. (Details on Undertow #1 can be found right here) Undertow #2 is set to be launched at the Wizard New Orleans con which I’ll be attending on January 28 and 29, 2011.

I’m also doing another cover and feature for the good folks at Futurequake. This one ties into the Olympics, with aliens added.

Lastly, (at the risk of jinxing it!) I’m very near a cool #1 issue for a North American publisher. I can’t say anything more than that yet, but hopefully by mid November I can chat all about it.

Until next time, here’s a page of art for Undertow #2.

Previous month's 'ask an artist' articles can be found over here : A3on11

Remember, I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month right here. Questions can range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. To shoot me a question, just email me (address on the right side on this blog), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about just depends on what gets asked! Thanks for the question. Keep 'em coming. See you next month.

Teuton pin up with inker Guillermo Ortego

2011-09-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Guillermo Ortego is an awesome inker. He's currently inking up the X-Factor books over at Marvel. He inks Emanuela Lupacchino's lovely pencils, and I'm a big fan of their work together. Here is a sample of their X Factor original art.

Nice work, eh?

To make a long story short... Luckily for me, Guillermo wanted to work on some of my pencils, and our schedules finally alligned. We recently jammed on a pin up for the Teuton Trade paperback for Bix Sexy Comics. It looks like this:

Teuton is a labor of love, You can tell when you read it...if you like 'Game of Thrones' then this book is for you! It's drawn by Adam Gorham and written by local D.J./T.V. personality and all around nice guy, 'Fearless' Fred Kennedy...It was officially launched at Fan Expo a few weeks ago, and is now availabe to order right here.

Guillermo and I plan to work together again soon. I kinda feel like he got ripped off a bit, as he likes the angular 'sharp' kind of look to my work, and I went off and drew the most soft and curvey drawing I've done in a while. (Sorry G, I'll make it up to you on the next one!) I'll be sure to draw up a hardcore Batman or Deadpool for him to ink one of these days soon...

Cheers

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - HOW much does working in comics pay?

2011-09-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to this month's edition of A3on11.

This month's question is “How much do you make for each page”?

Rather than get into the specifics about me in particular, I’m speculating that this means: How much money can I make in comics? Is it lucrative?

Comics can be a GREAT living, but alas, only for a small percentage of folks in the industry. Comic art professional page rates range from $50-$500 per page. This upper rate can go even higher for superstars who sell a ton of books. After that, the artist can sell his or her original pages to the art collectors market. Here too some of the ‘hot’ artists’ pages can sell for thousands of dollars! But wait…there’s more! You can also get that lovely royalty check every quarter as long as your back catalogue of work is still in print. The larger publishers track all that and pay out your % of the trade paperbacks sold.

Sounds good eh?

Time for a reality check.

The vast majority of folks in comics don’t make anywhere close to the big bucks. Even if they do, it’s usually after MANY years of working for REALLY low page rates, or even working for FREE.

Yes, I said it. FREE.

In the up and down world of comic publishing, you MUST be able to endure long periods of what I call ‘delayed financial gratification’ (DGF)! You gotta love the comics medium, and MUST be prepared to work for free when starting out. A perfect example of this dirty little secret was recently highlighted over at PJ Holden’s terrific blog. He was talking about the upcoming Fearless trade paperback. He penciled 4 issues when he was first starting out, and hasn’t seen a dime from it yet. He’s a consummate pro who keeps busy NOW, but as you can see …this wasn’t always the case. He survived the ‘DFG’ period that comics almost always demand.

So…if you are reading this and toiling away on a book or project you believe in without getting paid for it, have faith! Many of your favorites in the industry did the EXACT same thing. Keep your dreams alive, confident in the fact that this price has to get paid before you can grow into bigger and better things….and a decent page rate. ;-)

Take it from me, if you keep at it and stay positive, the money will follow. Then you’ll be doing something you love AND getting paid for it!

(I have a pet peeve about updating an art blog without putting any art up. So, here's a new page from the 2nd issue of Undertow , which I'm currently hard at work on)

Previous month's 'ask an artist' articles can be found over here : A3on11

Remember, I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month right here. Questions can range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. To shoot me a question, just email me (address on the right side on this blog), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about just depends on what gets asked! Thanks for the question. Keep 'em coming. See you next month.

Holmes Inc # 2 now out, with bonus video and FREE download!

2011-09-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Unless you live in Toronto area, chances are you've not been able to track down the 80 page giant that IS Holmes Inc. #2... I can now fix that!

The book is now out and sold briskly at last weekend's Fan Expo. The comic is 80 pages and its packed full of goodness. If you'd like to grab a copy head on over the the main Holmes site, as they'll be selling them soon. I have some copies too, so if you email me or catch me at a con, I'll be sure to hook you up. Heck, I'll even sign it for ya!

If you want a nice sneak peek at some of the art, and to learn a bit more about the history of this project, please check out and click on this great video which aired over at a few weeks back. Let's face it, T.V. coverage for comics is very cool!

If that video whet your appetite, please be sure to download the issue by clicking at any of these sites below...you can grab it for FREE! Yep, you heard me. Free.
DRIVETHRUCOMICS

GRAPHICALY

MY DIGITAL COMICS

THE ILLUSTRATED SECTION

Free is good. Enjoy!

In the Gutters... # 177 that is.

2011-08-17T05:06:00.000-07:00

I pencilled and inked 'The Gutters' #177, and it can be found HERE.

What is the Gutters? For those that dont know...In brief, Gutters is a series of standalone pages that parody the comic book industry and the heroes and characters that dwell within. Think of it as an editorial cartoon targeting comic books, and you'll be on the right track. Gutters is written by Ryan Sohmer, with Lar deSouza as Art Director and Ed Ryzowski serving as colorist. As for who will be doing the actual art, well, that's where things get interesting (and slightly different). Rather than have one artist pencil each page, we elected to have a rotating roster of professional artists, among them some giants in the comic book industry alongside new and emerging talent.

I met the Gutter folks at the last con. The editor liked my art, and plied me with a copy of the Gutter Omnibus. It CRACKED me up, and by the 5th page, I knew I'd be doing one. (or more!) If you know the comic industry, and dont laugh out loud at least 3 times by the end of that book... you might be legally dead!

As you can see I went a little extra cartoony with this one...check it out and see what you think.

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - What happened to WASTED?

2011-08-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

The question I've been asked the most this month by FAR..."What happened to WASTED?"

For those that haven't heard, WASTED magazine is no more.

The message on their website reads as follows:

Due to unforeseen and adverse circumstances, Bad Press Ltd is closing down. Thank you to all our writers, artists, colourists and letterers; to all of our customers, supporters, distributors and advertisers; and to all who only came to browse.

Please note, all existing email addresses and points of contact are in the process of ceasing business. For any further information, please contact:-
bp.liquidation.info@gmail.com

An article over here provides a bit more insight.

So, it appears that a lack of support for small independent books like WASTED has reared it's ugly head again.

I've gotten the impression that some of the people asking about the situation have been looking to hear 'sour grapes' and bitter, negative comments from me. That ain't gonna happen! The WASTED crew and Alan always treated me like gold, and I enjoyed every minute of working with them. So much so, that I was surprised how gutted (to use the U.K. expression!) I was when I got the bad news in early July. It really bummed me out for a few days. I had just started working on Alan's latest script for issue #9 at the time. I'm hoping that the pages will it one day see print...and they might.

The fall of Bad Press in no way restricts or prohibits our ownership/rights to the characters. I'm hopeful that Alan and I can find the "War on Drugs" and Johnny K a new home in the future. (If anyone can suggest any magazines/anthologies looking for this type of content...hit me up!)

So there you have it.

Here is strip from issue #2 that was one of my favorites. Let's go out with that.

As always, if you have a question …just ask! I’ll be back next month on the 11th to answer another question. They can range from very technical comic art ones, to very general questions- there is no such thing as a bad question. What I answer will depend on what gets asked. Feel free to email me at gibsonquarter27@yahoo.com , ask it in the comments section below, or shoot me a message on Facebook.

Other 'A3on11' blog posts can be found by clicking here.

When your belt buckle cracks...

2011-08-09T20:47:00.001-07:00

Dont you just HATE it?

This guy sure does. This is a panel from a 1 pager that Dino Caruso and I are whipping up.

I'll post more on this later if it works out!

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - Pacing and Dynamic layout...

2011-07-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Talk about good timing...it's posted on the 11th!

As you probably know I'm working with the fine folks over at Holmes inc. and they are just about to launch issue #2.

They had asked me to write a brief tutorial on 'Dynamism and pacing' in the laying out a comic page. I'm a bit afraid I've made it TOO brief, but you can judge for yourself over here. If you need/want more details, just LMk and I'll be happy to expand more on this in the future.

As always, if you have a question or want me to expand on any of the above…just ask! I’ll be back next month on the 11th to answer another question. They can range from very technical comic art ones, to very general questions- there is no such thing as a bad question. What I answer will depend on what gets asked. Feel free to email me at gibsonquarter27@yahoo.com , ask it in the comments section below, or shoot me a message on Facebook.

Other 'A3on11' blog posts can be found by clicking here.

Cheers!

Holmes Inc. # 2 Cover and promo art...

2011-07-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

Excellent.

I can finally show and talk about Leonard Kirk's excellent cover to Holmes Inc. #2!

Here it is in all it's glory.

Yes, it was drawn by THAT Leonard Kirk (Supergirl, X-Factor, JSA, and many other well drawn comics) It was coloured by my long time colorist KT Smith (Northern Guard, Revolution on the Planet of the Apes, and lot 'o' other stuff...like this for example! )

The book will be released on July 22nd. Details, and TONS of other art, tutorials and all things Holmes can be found here.

Feeling inspired by Leonard's cover, I whipped up a quick promo piece with the 2 main characters from my pages, Edgar and Elizabeth. Enjoy!

Yea, I'm doing the twitter thing

2011-06-19T20:42:00.001-07:00

I'm finally twitter-ing. Follow if you dare!

https://twitter.com/GibsonQuarter

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - Best Advice?

2011-06-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

This month's question: "What is the best advice you’ve ever received"?

I’m going to assume that this question is about comic art, otherwise I’d have a smart ass answer like “always eat your vegetables” or “never drink liquor after beers” or some such…

I’ve been a student of comic art for a long time, and ALWAYS will be. Because of this, I’ve had the luxury of getting to know a number of comic professionals. Each one of them has taught me something in their own way. When it comes to helpful advice, here are some of the highlights that really helped me.

The late SETH FISHER (R.I.P.) was a terrific talent and a super nice guy. In my early days he helped me a TON via emails and scans. Here are a few quotes from Seth’s correspondence to me that I found fantastically useful:

"Just draw to feel good and always raise the bar for yourself
on every picture you draw. in this way you will always move forward.

No matter what you draw it is still a vast
simplification of the object so don’t worry about perfection.
Perfection is dull. Character is interesting. Give your objects
and people character.

I’m guessing that the bottom line for you that distinguishes between really good pages and the mediocre is just the amount of time that you put into the page. A good page takes a long time to make and is often redrawn several times to make it work. This is a secret part of the process of course. People assume it comes out right the first try".

GQ here again….This last quote REALLY flicked on a light bulb in my head, as in my early days that was exactly what I did assume! Learning this ‘secret’ from Seth really helped me.

JOE MADUREIRA is another artist who’s an inspiration to me, and I’m a fan of his work. I found an online interview with him where he said:

"The best advice I can give you is to pick up a few books on animation. I LOVE animation and I really study how things move, react, etc. Im sure my love of animation has rubbed off on me in more ways than I can imagine".

That coupled with his speaking about ( and I’m paraphrasing a bit here as I cant find the exact quote) the fact that :

“you’re never as good as you think you are”

I found to very helpful to keep in mind…and I still do.

TY TEMPLETON has given me so much terrific advice over the last 4 years its hard to know where to start!!! To keep it brief, I’ll summarize the most helpful thing he ever taught me in 2 words:

“Narrative flow”.

It’s all about leading the eye around the page on purpose, and correctly. (I touched upon this a bit in the very first ‘A3on11’ right here…it’s the red line on the rough layout page)
The last piece of advice is more general, and comes from one of my favorite writers, BERNARD CORNWELL:

"In the end you have to write the book. Do it, and remember that everyone began just like you, sitting at a table and secretly doubting that they would ever finish the task. But keep at it. A page a day and you’ve written a book in a year! And enjoy it! Writing, as many of us have discovered, is much better than working".

Substitute the word ‘drawing’ in there for ‘writing’ and voila, instant comic artist advice. This quote is printed out and hanging above my drawing board to this very day.

That’s some of the advice that worked for me, and I really hope it’s helpful to some of you.

As always, if you have a question or want me to expand on any of the above…just ask! I’ll be back next month on the 11th to answer another question. They can range from very technical comic art ones, to very general questions- there is no such thing as a bad question. What I answer will depend on what gets asked. Feel free to email me at gibsonquarter27@yahoo.com , ask it in the comments section below, or shoot me a message on Facebook.

Other 'A3on11' blog posts can be found by clicking here.

Cheers!

Holmes Inc. # 2 is a wrap!

2011-06-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Holmes Inc #2? Yes! The game is afoot once again!

I'm happy to report that my pages for Holmes Inc. #2 are now all done and dusted. Ty Templeton says they are probably the best pages he's ever seen from me, and he's seen just about ALL of my work. (Probably because we ALWAYS seem to be sitting within spitting distance -or directly beside each other- at conventions. But I digress...)

'Polarized' is the tale I provided artwork for and it was written by Sam Ruano. This time I'm pencilling and inking myself. The story features abandoned Antarctic mine shafts, creeepy aliens and related family members making out. I'm serious. I couldnt make this stuff up.

Only Sam could...and did.

Once again, the overall creative process was a blast. Having a real 'bullpen' creative environment once a week at our update meetings was very fun. Seeing some of the other artist's great artwork makes one want to go and work even harder on their own, and I think there's real value in that. It's also heart warming to see folks who were new to the publishing game grow artistically and gain confidence over the weeks while we were at it.

This is the main Holmes Inc. website to swing over to. There are tons of goodies going up there every day and you can even do the twitter thing to grabs all the details.

The book should be out in about 4 weeks or so. Keep watching this space, and The Holmes Inc site for the exact date.

Anatomy of a comic cover creation

2011-05-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

Pete Wells has a FANTASTIC blog over at 2000ad Covers Uncovered, where he gets cover artists from 2000ad's 'prog' to speak about the challenges and inner workings of creating the terrific covers we see on the finished 200ad comics. While Wasted is not 2000ad, Pete was kind enough to toss up the process I used to whip up Wasted 8's cover. Please click over here to check it out.

If you are an art process junkie like me, I HIGHLY recommend that you bookmark 2000ad Covers Uncovered and check in there from time to time...you'll be amazed at what you see there!

Cheers!

Wasted #8 now out!

2011-05-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

A package of Wasted #8s just showed up in my mailbox, so it's official...Wasted #8 is now out in the U.K. at newsagents everywhere! For those that don't live over there, just stop by www.badpressltd.com and they'll sort you out. 64 pages of comic mayhem! This issue sports a cover of mine and a six page 'War on Drugs' adventure with everyone's favorite American overzealous drug cop, Johnny K.

Alex Ronald's 'Vampire Vixens' also stop by this issue, again in full color! The writing on this one is by the Emperor.

'Tales of the Buddha' by Jon Haward drops by as well.

All this and about 45 MORE pages featuring various comic strips of all shapes and sizes. The last issue sold out VERY quickly (thanks Vixens!) so don't delay!!

Wasted 8 is available right here!

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - How to draw talking heads in an engaging way?

2011-05-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

This month's question comes from a local artist who is at the beginning of his career. He asked me: "When drawing comics, how do you make talking heads less boring?"

In the beginning I struggled with this(and still do!)but its very critical to learn. As much as I wish it wasn't so, writers will write scenes where people ACTUALLY TALK to each other, and not just fight,shoot guns or do other cool action stuff.

Comic writers have a lot of nerve.

Anyways, I have 5 major techniques that I use to help the talking heads scene that work well for me, and other major comic pros...as we'll see below.

In no particular order:

1-Extreme Emotional close up.
Use this one only when it's needed to deliver a character's emotion. Use it too much and you lessen its effectiveness.

2-Angle the panel.
Don't be afraid to 'tip' the characters in the panel to the left or right. Movie makers do this a fair bit and it keeps some visual variety and interest - too many straight up and down shots can get boring after a while.

3- Vary the head size.
This can be done with perspective and characters standing a distance apart in the same panel, or by switching the size of the heads from one panel to the next.

4- Move the Camera view around.
Don't just use straight shots and side views! You can go 3/4 views, go for an over the shoulder, overhead views, worms eye views...etc.

5- Pull in and out to show the WHOLE figure.
Just because heads are talking doesn't mean we have to see their lips move! I'd suggest pulling way out and showing the whole figure and space they occupy from time to time. Re-establish where they are in space often to remind your reader whats up.

So...that's some of what works for me and other artists. Look for these 5 techniques in your favorite comics.

In the new issue of HOLMES INC. that I'm drawing up, you can see me putting 4 of the 5 to use for this 'talking heads' page...

Here I've used #1, #3, #4 and #5 from above.

Now in this ARTHUR ADAMS page he incorporates #1, #3, #4 and #5

Over in Body Bags, JASON PEARSON uses #2, #3, #4 and #5

Lastly, in this Battlechasers page JOE MADUREIRA uses all 5, check it out!

Previous month's 'ask an artist' articles can be found over here : A3on11
Remember, I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month right here. Questions can range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. To shoot me a question, just email me (address on the right side on this blog), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about just depends on what gets asked! Thanks for the question. Keep 'em coming. See you next month.

Yanick Paquette gets WASTED!

2011-05-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Wasted -WASTED #8- is just around the corner, set to be out this week on May 5th. One of the cool things about this issue is that it features a teeny tiny bit of art (an Easter egg!) by YANICK PAQUETTE of Batman Incorporated fame.

Yanick is a friend of mine who takes his convention apperances about as intensley seriously as I do...as evidenced by this photo of us from the last fall's Montreal Con.

At the Wizard con after a conversation about art 'assists' that are sometimes happen in this industry, I asked Yanick if -as a lark- he'd like to draw a bit on the Wasted pages I was working on at the time. He said yes, and after a few minutes he drew the fellow in the bottom right of this scan. It was only later when I got home did I see that he'd also drawn his mustache and goatee in the upper panel. That cracked me up, and still does!

I can honestly say this is the first time I've inked a professional penciller for D.C. comics, and it was VERY fun. I had to 'GQ' Yanick's pencils up a bit so it wasn't too jarring a style switch in the middle of the story, but you can still see lots of Yanick in there!

The final published page is gonna look like this.

It's out This Thursday in the U.K. Grab one when you see it!

Cheers.

Sneak peek of HOLMES INC. #2 !

2011-04-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

After Holmes Inc. #1 (remember?) got good reviews and was so well received, it was elementary that there would be a second issue! (Sorry....I could NOT resist!)

I'm currently working on 7 pages for issue #2. I'll be inking myself this time (sadly no inks from Ty for me on this one) so it will look alot more like my work over at WASTED.

The book is again spearheaded (and the editorial whip cracked!) by Ty Templeton. I've heard all the pitches, read all the scripts and seen chunks of the art on this bad boy, and it's like the best parts of issue #1 are now taking steriods!! Yep, it's that strong.

The release date has not been set yet, but keep watch here, and over at Ty's website for all the details in a short few months.

If you've not seen issue #1 yet, see me at a con, or head over here and grab one!

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - Comic Conventions...Why?

2011-04-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

Video this time, let me know what you think...should I do another 'fireside chat' for a future A3on11?

UPDATE: Sometimes technology really SUCKS! I was able to put together a pretty nice video (IMHO) answering a question about conventions, but it will... Not... LOAD... Properly on the blog!! The audio and video are way out of synch. I've spent far too long trying to get it right...now I've thrown in the towel.

You win internet...this time. (-insert western gunslinger music here-)

So, my apologies.

In keeping with the theme of video and conventions and me answering questions, please check this informal interview from the Montreal con last year.

Cheers!

Hippy and Trippy!

2011-04-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

My pages for Wasted #8 are in the can!

I'm quite happy with this panel in particular...Alan Grant's script called for:

"Large panel. Johnny is massively stoned, with half strenght images/visons of peace, love, flower power, dancing naked ladies and a hippy band playing behind him.
JOHNNY: I QUITE LIKE IT! "

I think I got the message across, even is the girl isn't quite dancing. ;-)

By the way, I hope the folks that wanted it grabbed Wasted issue #7, as it has now sold out! I figured it would, but man...it went SUPER quick!

Wasted 8 will be out in mid May. I'll post details when I get them, so check back here for details or head over here.

Zarjaz #11 -On Sale now!

2011-03-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Zarjaz 11 is now on sale in the UK at FPI and now ORBITAL of London, and can be ordered right here.

This amazing cover is by regular ABC Warrior artist and 2000a.d. regular CLINT LANGLEY! Click on this beauty for a larger image.

Stories and talent featured in this edition are:

Joe Pineapples- Tin Man by Lee Robson and Chris Askham
Mongrol- Blogging by David Withers, Bolt-01 & Mike Carroll
Mek-Quake- Little Jobs by The Emperor and Conor Boyle
Deadlock- Unrepentant by Richmond Clements, Gibson Quarter & Jim Campbell (inks & letters)
Blackblood by Eric Moore and Dunk! Nimmo
Steelhorn- Shadow of the titanic by Matthew Badham and Matt Soffe
Robusters- Terror in the Baltic Ben Clark and Nick Dyer
A.B.C. Warriors- RICOCHET by Richmond Clements and Kevin Levell

I wanted to put up the first 2 pages of story, but I dont have the lettered versions. So, the final inked pages will have to suffice. Even though we have a quick decapitation here, it's 'family' rated when compared to the last page of this story...trust me!

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - What Materials do you use?

2011-03-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

The question this time around is: What materials do you use?

My working methods and supplies used have really changed since my "One pencil" days of long ago.

Here is a quick shot of just about all my 'tools of the trade' as it were. You cant see the photoshop program, but it's a big part of my work now too.

I use colored pencils alot more lately for layouts and underdrawing. I try to keep the gestural stuff (energy and lively lines) a different color than the tigher top pencil layer, where I'll lock in the parts I like while tightening things up. At this point I'll switch between technical and taditional pencils depending on what I'm rendering.

Once I'm done this part (often on seperate pencils in my sketchbook) I'll scan and throw in the individual section into photoshop to play around with. Photoshop is super helpful in the 'tweaking' of the page to help make it more dynamic when called for. Things like adding more of an angle to the panel, enlarging or shrinking etc, are all the types of descisions I'm confirming here. But all the while doing this, I'm keeping an eye on the layouts I've done previously.

Once the page is laid out in a manner I'm happy with,(and there is enough room for word ballons, sfx, etc) it gets printed out on quality paper sized at 11x17.

The inking starts and I'm now using lots of brush work (brushes size 2 and 3) for line weights and organic objects. After that a LARGE portion of the inks are done with a crowquill, Hunt 102 almost exclusively. Lastly the spotting of black gets the big old Sharpie marker treatment. Lastly, the touch ups are done with white ink -again with a crow quill- and I'm done!

I hope this answers the question!

Previous month's 'ask an artist' articles can be found over here : A3on11

Remember, I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month right here. Questions can range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. To shoot me a question, just email me ( gibsonquarter27@yahoo.com ), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about just depends on what gets asked! Thanks for the question. Keep 'em coming. See you next month.

GQ appearing at the Wizard World Toronto Comic Con

2011-03-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

Quick post to let you know that I'll be at the Wizard World comic con later this month. It runs March 18-19-20, 2011 (FRI-SAT-SUN) at the Direct Energy Centre here in Toronto.

Full details found here!

They have a host of great artists and celebs lined up. Folks like Yanick Paquette, Ty Templeton, Leonard Kirk, Phil Jimenez, Michael Golden and Mike Grell to name just a few!

I'll be bringing a precious few WASTED mags (get there early!), some Undertow #1's and also a few prints with me. I'm at table #606 in artist alley.

Fly on over, and I'll see you there!

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - Timing with publishing?

2011-02-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

This month's question is: "How far ahead do you work?"

Hopefully WAAAYY ahead of the deadlines...but that aint always the case! It's usually about 2-3 months from the time the page leaves my drawing board to when it gets published in the comic. For example, I'm currently working on pages for the next issue of WASTED which will be published in and around May.

I'm also just finishing up some Zarjaz pages which are set to be published in time for the comic expo in London mid-March. Admittedly, I'm cutting it a bit close on that one.

There is also the one comic that took about 8 years from when I drew it until it saw the light of day...that story is over here.

Comic covers have a much longer life cycle, as they need to be done very early for marketing purpose. (Website promo, the Previews catalogue, etc.) The next cover for Wasted was done back here, and that was done in early November. It'll be out in May, so that's like 6 months or so.

The publishing delay is frustrating to me. Once I finish the pages, I'm obviously happy with them or they wouldn't be finished! At this point I want to show EVERYBODY what I'm up to, and how they look. Problem is, publishers hate that and it will often spoil part of the story. (Spoiler alert- Johnny K. shoots a junkie!) You know, that type of thing. So...by the time the actual issue comes out, I'm usually thinking, "yea it's ok, but you should see these NEW PAGES I'm working on now...they really rock!" Unfortunately that art wont be out for about 3 months. The vicious cycle continues. ;-)

That's why I sneak in previews on my blog. It lets me my sanity, and show a little art to the world without getting in too much trouble.

Previous month's 'ask an artist' articles can be found over here : A3on11

Remember, I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month right here. Questions can range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. To shoot me a question, just email me (address on the right side on this blog), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about just depends on what gets asked! Thanks for the question. Keep 'em coming. See you next month.

Zarjaz #11 Preview

2011-02-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

I'm currently finishing up an A.B.C. Warriors 5 pager for the next issue (the A.B.C. Warriors Special) of Zarjaz.

It's been too long since I worked with the Futurequake crew, and its good to be back. The story is written by Richmond Clements, pencils by me, and inks by letterer extraordinaire Jim Campbell.

More sneak peeks, and the terrific cover, can be seen over here.

WASTED #7 now out !!

2011-02-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

Wasted #7 is now out in the U.K. at newsagents everywhere. For those that dont live over there, just stop by www.badpressltd.com and they will sort you out. 64 pages of comic mayhem, including about 8 or so drawn up by me.

Previews are at my link below, and also at Alex's link .
Folks that are paying attention will notice the the final printed cover is a bit different that the preview version I shared below...the swastika is outta there!

WASTED #7 -Preview the Vampire Vixens, and Narcobitch returns!

2011-01-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

Wasted issue 7 is locked and loaded, and set to be out in early February. This issue will feature the return of Narcobitch (remember her from issue #4?) & even more 'War on Drugs'. Along with the 'Tales of the Buddha' and other regular strips, this issue also features the debut of the 'Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht!' I've seen most of Alex Ronald's art on this one, and it's drop. Dead. GORGEOUS.

This one looks to be WASTED's strongest issue yet! Grab one when you see it on news agents after Feb 5th , as I suspect this one will sell out rather quickly.

Here's some preview art. All of it's found in Wasted #7. If its black and white it's mine, if it's colored, it's Alex's...enjoy!

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - Inspiration?

2011-01-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

This month's question is: "What inspires you?"

I honestly think when people ask me this they want to hear about some mystical creative secret that only a few folks know, and aren't allowed to speak about except in hushed tones. (ie: The first rule of ART CLUB is do NOT talk about ART CLUB!)

The reality? When it comes to inspiration...deadlines help.

Seriously.

As much as we like to think of comic art as true 'art', and take all the time in the world to create it -"I'm an artist dammit, it'll be done when it's done!"- the reality is when drawing for publishers you just dont have this luxury. Comic art comes with a timeline.

This means that SOMETIMES you have to crank up your own inspiration and draw when you really dont feel like it. When this happens to me, I usually flip through some comic works from my favorite artists, and surf over to deviantart. Just looking at other great artists can help get the creative juices flowing. The trick here is to not spend too much time surfing, reading, and generally 'getting ready'.

The right music always helps too. I've gotten some great band and disk suggestions from other artists, as we all seem to have a rather voracious appetite for tunes! Occupational hazard I guess. The right music can really get me ready and zoned in to draw.

If these options haven't got me going, I use my ace in the hole technique...I go to my bookshelf and grab Stephen King's ON WRITING book. I flip it open to page 151 ( hardcvover version). It's here that he writes "if you read alot , write a lot", and proceeds to tell the story of the writer Anthony Trollope. Anthony's "day job was as a clerk in the British Postal Department, and he wrote for two and a half hours each morning before leaving for work. This schedule was ironclad. If he was in mid sentance when the two and a half hours expired, he left that sentance unfinished until the next morning. And if he happened to finish one of his 600 page hevyweight novels with 15 minutes of the session remaining, he wrote THE END, set the manuscript aside and began work on the next book."

Sure he's talking about writing and not drawing, but that's not the point. For some reason, just thinking about that level of dedication to one's craft motivates the hell out of me and makes me want to get the pencil moving. So that's what inspires me. I hope that helps. Excuse me, I'm psyched now and gotta go draw something. ;-)

Previous month's 'ask an artist' articles can be found here: A3on11 !

Published work in 2010 - Round up!

2011-01-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

2010 was a very good year.

In reflecting on 2010 and doing some fact checking, I was busier than I thought! In total I had 8 comics published this year, work in one art book, and I drew 2 pages of an online web comic. Add to that my trip to Bristol Con, a few Canadian Conventions, bunches of interviews, and that's basically what I've been up to these past 12 months.

My goal now is to make 2011 even better, and I'm working on that as we speak. I've got a number of pages 'in the can' that I'll show and talk about when the books are set to come out. (*Cough, **cough, **Undertow #2!) I'll also be WASTED a few more times this year, and that's always a treat.

A big THANK YOU to all those who have helped and supported me this year. There are too many important people to list individually, but you know who you are.

Happy 2011 everyone!

Ask an Artist on the 11th! - A3on11 - books?

2010-12-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome to ‘Ask an Artist on the 11th, or ‘A3 on 11’ as I like to call it. It's a little early this month, as I'm keen to get right to it.

This month’s question comes to me via Facebook:
“Are there any books on art techniques/comic creating that "you" personally recommend?”

This is a perfect question for me, since I’ve read a TON of art books. (yes, a metric ton, I checked!)I mean, I have a really large collection of ‘em. This is partly due to the fact that I love to learn, and also due to an early phase I suspect lots of folks go through when first starting out.

See, back in the early days I thought if I somehow bought and read JUST the right book, everything would fall into place, and I’d become a great artist. An illustration ‘short cut’ as it were…no such luck. So, let me preface this discussion by warning that books are only 20-30% of what can help you. The rest is a combination of drive, focus and talent in my opinion. And practice! Lots of practice! I heard somewhere that every artist has 1000 bad drawings in them, you just have to get them out before you can really see improvement. I don’t know if this is true, but I sure choose to believe it.

I also believe that part of what will make a book ‘good’ for you, is where you are with your art. I’ve read a few books where it soon became apparent that it was a case of ‘too much too soon’ for it to benefit me. Basically, it was ahead of my time. I’ve gone back to books like this later on and they were much more helpful. Only THEN was I ready to internalize what they were trying to tell me…know what I mean? I think this is worth keeping in the back of your mind while you read art books. Sometimes it might be the right book at the wrong time.

By now you are probably thinking, GQ just say what damn books you like already! OK, alright! There are 2 books that I continually refer to, and probably couldn’t live without.

The first is ‘Gesture Drawing for Animation’ by Walt Stanchfield. This was available out on the web as download at one point, and that’s when I first read it. My copy is well loved, and I refer to it constantly. Basically, it helped loosen up my figure drawing, and helped me make a quantum leap forward with my art. With chapter titles like “Go for the Truth”, “A Visual Vocabulary for Drawing” , “Elements of the Pose”, & “A Sense of Story - talk to your audience through drawing”, I can’t think of a better more comprehensive art book. The first page of my dog eared copy says:

”Draw ideas, not things; action, not poses; gestures, not anatomical structures”

Reading that was like a light switch going off in my head. If that quote appeals to you, try and track this book down.
It has since been collected, updated and formally released as a 2 book set called Drawn to Life (The Walt Stanchfield Lectures) I bought these books, but I still prefer my old, worn, highlighted original copy the best. ;-) All the same material is in the new releases, but they messed up the order of the lectures and it doesn’t seem to flow as well to me . Still worth a place on your shelf though!

The 2nd book that really helped me advance my comic art was- and is- 'FORCE -Dynamic life drawing for animators’ by Michael D. Mattesi. This book really helped me figure out why some art has more energy and well…force, than others. Since energy and motion are elements I really like to play with, it helped give me a few tricks and tips to use to help turn up the volume in these areas as it were. (This one goes to 11…it’s one louder!)

With chapters like “Seeing life”, “Forceful Form” and “Forceful Shape” it stays very close to what the title promises. It deals with rhythym, balance and straight vs. curved lines -how to use them to maximize the force of your art. You know, the stuff that Bruce Timm and other great cartoonists seem to do effortlessly. For some inexplicable reason the author put a section about animals as the last chapter which I skipped over. Hey, it’s his book, I guess he can do what he wants. Don’t let the livestock section fool you… I highly recommend this book .

Remember, I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month right here. Questions can range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. To shoot me a question, just email me (address on the right side on this blog), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about just depends on what gets asked!

See you next month!

Commercial break- If you'd like to support small press, please go here and grab a copy of Undertow #1.

If you missed last month's 'A3on11', it was all about the process of creating a page of comic art from the script to the finished page...it can be found right here.

Undertow #1 and the Organ Grinder

2010-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

I can FINALLY tell the story of the Organ Grinder, Undertow #1 and 7th Wave comics! This comic has been over 8 years in the making…literally. I’ve been waiting a while to talk about this one.

Back when I was first starting out ( around 2002), I hooked up with a young writer named Luke Donkersloot through Digital webbing. He sent me a great little story and concept about a one armed gunfighter with a cursed organ and a chain smoking monkey. I LOVED the story, and signed on to do it. It was, I think, my 2nd or 3rd penciling gig. Luke and I were really in sync creatively. I drew and inked the first installment, and 10 pages of the second issue before the comic was shut down before ever seeing the light of day. Slightly crushed, (OK…very crushed!) I moved on to other projects and the Organ Grinder ( O.G.) pages sat in my drawer. A great story without a home.

*Sigh*

Fast forward to about a year ago, when Luke got in touch with me again, completely out of the blue. He also contacted all the other artists whom he had commissioned work from, and said he was arranging to get the work published in Undertow #1 with 7th wave comics. www.7thwavecomics.com Great news! So I grabbed my art from the archives and………realized that it wasn’t as strong as I’d remembered. *Double Sigh* I said to Luke,
“Wait! Don’t publish THAT! You have to let me rework the pages first before you go to print!!” Being the good guy he is, he agreed. I left the art's story telling alone as it worked well, but a few art tweaks/redraws were definitely in order. what I'm trying to say is that these pages represent a very unique hybrid of my raw rookie work and my art style now, 8 years later. Have a look and see what you think.

Good story so far, eh?

PLEASE support this comic by ordering one… right here! You need this book in your life! ;-) If you are of the opinion that more folks SHOULD support small press, here is your chance. Prove it by clicking over and grabbing your own copy. Good Karma awaits.

This is the first story (and first appearance) of the O.G., and we have big things planned for him over the next few issues. Check back for more O.G. updates shortly! In the mean while go grab the UNDERTOW #1, and tell them Gibson sent ya.

Wasted # 6 now out!

2010-11-25T07:22:00.000-08:00

Wasted #6 is now out at newsagents all around the U.K. and from Badpress’s website.

I have 3 pages in this one. For the benefit of North American readers, I’ll post up a sample page here. Due to an inking delay, the WOD ‘Narcobitch’ story mentioned below has been pushed out to issue 7.

My favorite story this issue has to be “Judge Head – He is the Blaw!” with art by Jon Haward. Shoulder pads that look like spliffs? Sweet design.

Alan Grant, Carlos Ezquerra, Alan Kerr, Jamie Grant, and Simon Bisley are just some of the great talent found in this issue. Do yourself a favor and grab it when you see it!

WASTED 8 COVER ART

2010-11-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, this cover I'm really excited about! I can't wait any longer to show it here on the blog. I landed the cover gig for WASTED #8, published by the fine folks at Badpress . On this one, Frank Quitely was the cover editor, Jamie Grant was on colors and I did the rest. Yes....that 'All Star Superman' artist Frank Quitely and colorist Jamie Grant. We were just missing Grant Morrison, but what can you do?

Anyways, this is definitely not my first cover, but it will be the one that has the highest profile of any cover I've done. It'll hit the streets of the U.K. in about 7 months or so.

Oh, and I'm also told that Wasted #6 is now out. As soon as I get a copy, I'll put a sample page up here, and blog about it a bit. Check back soon.

Ask an artist on the 11th !

2010-11-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the very first ‘Ask An Artist on the 11th’! Or, as I like to call it: “A3on11”. I’ll be answering any questions you ask on the 11th of every month for the next year. I think the questions will range from very basic ones about general art creation and processes, to very technical comic creation ones. In order to shoot me a question, just email me (address on the right side on this blog), ask me on Facebook, or throw it in the comments section here. What I talk about will just depend on what gets asked.

This month I’m going to answer both these questions:

‘What does a comic Script look like?’
and
‘Does the writer tell you exactly what to draw?’ ( which I think really means… ‘How do you know WHAT to draw?)

Alan Grant has kindly allowed me to put up part of his actual WOD script which will see print in an upcoming issue of WASTED. It looks like this:

This is Step 1. Get a good script to work from. Check. As I start reading I usually make little sketches/ thumbnails in the margin if I get a quick clear image in my head as I go. Inspiration and first instincts have always served me well in the creative process, so I try and capture them when I can. I didn’t do it too much here, but I knew I wanted to go for a big sexy glam shot to introduce Narcobitch.

I’ll generally read the entire script, then re-read it, then read it 3 more times. Gotta make sure that nothing gets missed! Alan always uses CAPITAL LETTERS in the script to make key items ‘pop’, and I find this VERY helpful. I recommend all comic writers do this.

At the top, the number of pages Alan suggested is 3 or 4, and the amount of panels required per page is not mentioned. Alan leaves this part is up to the artists. I could jam 17 panels onto page one in order to save room for a lovely full page splash on page 2 if I wanted. Hmmm….No, I’d never do this. I COULD, but I wouldn’t.

Please note how most of the design elements are vague leaving more room for the artist to work. It doesn’t say ‘crowded beach’ or ‘beach in the early afternoon on a cloudy day’. It’s left to me to design it visually. Since Narcobitch is going to murder someone in broad daylight, I decided it best to leave the beach pretty unoccupied. Especially since the next page is folks trying to figure out who killed the hippy agent. I’ve worked with writers who try and micromanage all the elements on a page. I don’t enjoy working this way. I think that if the script leaves room for interpretation, you get better results. Artists can then invest some of their personality and ideas. It is a collaborative medium after all.

I generally try to keep scene and same locations all on one page, but it wasn’t possible this time around. I thought about it, (hence the pencil mark above section 4) and tried it, but the last few pages became too tight and the story didn’t flow well visually.

I played around with the layouts for a while as evidenced by the very rough layout below. At this step I’m really just worrying about Narrative flow and word balloon placement. No actual drawing has been started yet. I also decided at this stage that an extra ‘beat’ would work well, so I split panel #3 into 2 parts by adding the silhouette panel and the close up panel with the smoking gun. I don’t do this often, but I felt it worked better in order to show her emotion as she spoke the dialogue. I used to minimize this layout step in my haste to draw stuff, but I’ve since realized that this is the MOST important part in making a good page of comic book art.

Now comes the fun part! I’m now confident that the eye will be pulled around the page as I want it to, and the dialogue is sorted. (ie: no crossed tails on word balloons. This keeps letterers like Jim Campbell very happy!) Now it’s all about cranking up the energy and emotion. Basically, just trying to make a cool page that will tell the story well!

Does this answer the question?

Sex, Violence, Wickedness and Suffering in Murky Depths #14 -out now!

2010-11-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

MURKY DEPTHS issue #14 is out now and on sale here. This issue features a 5 page story called ‘Performance Anxiety’. For this story, I penciled and inked over layouts by long time industry pro (and all around talented guy), Ty Templeton. The grey tones were done by artist Eden Bachelder, and it was written by Greg Dunford - he of Hard Drive fame!

This was originally commissioned for the ‘Sex, Violence, Wickedness and Suffering’ comic, which somehow never saw print…imagine that! It’s like the censors were just waiting to pounce. Anyways, this story features a naked man at work, violence, naked women-also at work, sex, a nuclear explosion, the end of the world…AND it has a touching ending. All in 5 pages.

I had to look hard to find a bit of to show that wasn’t too graphic for my taste here on the blog. I found this part of page 2 which I cropped, but it’ll give you an idea of what to expect…

For the complete story, please be sure to go here!

SCI-FI art now book ...out now!

2010-11-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

I blogged about the John Freeman's Sci-Fi art now book way back in April of this year. They selected art that I drew (and Keiren Smith colored) to be included in the book. I'm very jazzed about this, as it's my first coffee table 'art book'. Well, I'm happy to report that it's out and available right now. (just in time for Christmas!) Please click over here to order...

There are so many artists included, I can't begin to list them all. There is some really nice stuff in here. Also included are 4 out of 5 of my artist pals from the Fractal Friction webcomic...Kev Levell's entry is a personal fave of mine.

A great way to get a feeling for the artists invloved is to read through some of the terrific interviews with almost every contributing artist. Start here, and click around. It's facinating to hear directly from these creative folks. I've spent alot of quality time on the site .

Here is a brief blub about the book: SCI-FI ART NOW brings together for the first time the finest, freshest, and most exciting talents in the world of sci-fi illustration. Artists from around the world-from China and Singapore to the United States and Europe-are represented in this volume, which focuses on the latest and most imaginative work being produced today.

This book brings to light the most groundbreaking and talked about sci-fi art, ranging in media from comic books, movies, and TV programs to art, posters, toys, literature, collectibles, board games and video games. SCI-FI ART NOW is a comprehensive compilation that reveals fascinating background information, anecdotes, ideas, and inspirations relied on by the crème de la crème of contemporary science fiction painters, illustrators, and creators (whether established professionals such as Brett Norton, Liam Sharp, Paul McCaffrey, Klaus Hutter, and John Picacio, or brave new talents forging into the future).

This lavishly illustrated anthology shows the creative processes of speculative fiction’s hottest up-and-coming stars, and showcases some established creators who are breaking new ground to expand the genre’s already vivid visual landscape. Crammed full of exquisite art from around the world and fascinating insights from the artists and creators, SCI-FI ART NOW is perfect for the many fans of science fiction.

SpeakEasy comic show

2010-10-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

First up is another quick interview that got posted just last week . They asked some neat questions that I haven’t answered before. It’s posted over here

Next up, I’ll be attending the Speakeasy comics show on Thursday November 4th at the Gladstone hotel (at 1214 Queen St. West) here in Toronto. Doors open at 7pm. and run until 11pm. It’s ‘pay what you can’ at the door. This is the last public event I’m going to be doing until well into next year, so if you need some WASTED issues, and/or prints, please be sure to come by.

From the SpeakEasy website: The SpeakEasy Comics Show features an eclectic mix of Toronto’s talented comic book artists - from those who do newspaper strips and political cartoons, to underground comix and mainstream superhero comic books! The event displays an exciting cross-section of the comics’ community here in Toronto, as well as a glimpse into how good comics are made. As the old cliché goes, there is something for everyone.

GQ interviews

2010-10-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

I've been really, really busy working on art for the next issue of Wasted, the first 'Undertow' issue -featuring the O.G.- and a few art commissions that I'm just finishing up.

As soon as I'm able to, I'll post up lots more details and (of course!)tons of new art. In the meanwhile, here are a couple interviews I've done lately which you can check out....new and improved, with video! ;-)

First up, an interview from the Montreal con on Youtube.

Then a 'Waster Taster' interview from the crew over at Badpress.

HOLMES INC. launch and SPEAKEASY illustration show

2010-09-19T14:06:00.001-07:00

Holmes Inc is ‘officially’ launched this Friday! Please come on out to join the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop as it celebrates the opening of its new permanent teaching space as well as its FIRST student publication - HOLMES INC.! Original artwork from the comic will be on display and copies of the book will be available for sale.

It’s on Friday, September 24 at 7:30pm –midnight and the location is at: 486 a College Street (upstairs) TCW studio space. I’ll be there signing books and chatting comics and art with everyone , so please come on by!

A few weeks later, due to a happy mix-up, I’ll be at :

SpeakEasy's 15th Annual Illustration Show
Thursday October 7th, 2010
Take a peek inside the collective imaginations of 40+ talented illustrators whose work features original styles, techniques and media. SpeakEasy has a reputation for showcasing the talent of Toronto's best illustrators. This colourful event is sure to be a myriad of fun in typical SpeakEasy Fashion.

Time & Space:
Thursday October 7th, 7pm-11pm
The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen West
Second Floor Lobby + Studio Rooms

Cover:
Pay What You Can ($4.00 Donation Suggested)

See you there too!

More Fractal Fiction! page 38

2010-09-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's time for more FRACTAL FICTION! Fractal Fiction is a web comic done by a talented crew of folks in the U.K. They use me a pinch hitter once and a while, (remember this?) and its time for me to step up to bat again.

The colors for this were done by Matt Soffe inks and letting by Jim Campbell, and driving the knackered old bus with script in hand, is the Emperor

The original pencils, looked exactly like this.

There are plans afoot to collect this into a printed version, but for now, I recommend starting at page 1 and having a read through. It's a wild ride!

Holmes INC!

2010-08-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

It looks like HOLMES INC is set to drop very soon, so it’s finally time to talk about it! This is a project I’ve been working on with a number of local folks from the Toronto Cartooning workshops that I’ve taken. It’s all spearheaded by long time comic pro, and all around great guy, Ty Templeton.

The really cool part about this for me, is the fact that Ty has INKED my pencils for this one! As an added bonus, the lettering is done by Keiren Smith, who has colored my work in the past, and will again in the future. The pages look great, have a look below and see for yourself.

Advance copies of HOLMES INC. #1, will be on sale next week at Fan Expo. Look for it at the Toronto Cartooning Workshop/Fit to Print booth. Ty and I will be there signing the books on Saturday August 28th from 2-4pm. This book has lots of great new talent, and clocking in at 52 pages, it’s lots of comic for your money!

Please note: the ‘official’ release and launch party (along with website!) will be upcoming soon. Watch this space for details

Convention appearances- Toronto and Montreal

2010-08-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

They are coming up fast...so I'd better mention it here on the blog!

In 2 weeks, I'll be at Fanexpo Canada here in Toronto , in artist alley.
Or rather, MOST of the time I'll be in artist alley. I'm scheduled to run to panels interviewing Doug Mahnke (Green Lantern artist) Christian Alamy (Green Lantern inker) as well as Steve McNiven. ( artist on tons of stuff). If you don't know who Steve is, I can't help you. ;-)

A few weeks later (Sept 11th and 12th) I'll be at the Montreal comicon.

In both places I'll have some prints, WASTED magazines, Futurequakes and also the soon to be discussed 'Holmes INC.' comics with me. I'm sad to say all my sketchbooks are sold out as of the last con. However, my 'sketch hand' is strong, so feel free to come by and say hi!

WASTED #5 details and update.

2010-08-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

I just got my copy of Wasted #5 in the mail, and finished reading it up.

As always, it’s a hefty comic tome, as it has 64 pages! That’s a good read for your money in my book. The ‘War on Drugs’ I pencilled up has 5 ½ pages in this issue, including 4 of them inked by Gary Erskine, who did a great job. I really enjoy working with him. Check out page 1 below.

WASTED also found another WOD strip that I did about 5 years ago and have since forgotten all about. It involves George Bush as president, so that should give you an idea about when I drew it! Just when I think they have used all my old stuff up, they find another page. ;-)

Some of the other terrific artists in this book are: Jon Haward Kevin Eastman, Kevin o'Neill, Simon Bisley, Alan Kerr, Jim Devlin, Alan Burrows & Curt Sibling. And that’s not all of them!

Please keep an eye out for this at news stands in the U.K. or they can be ordered at http://www.badpressltd.com/
Alan Grant has just sent me a great WOD Narcobitch script for the next issue, which I’m soon to pencil now that I’ve finished up all my other artistic commitments.

I will have 3 other books coming out in the next 3 months, so please check back soon, as I’ll post up the details when the books and their websites are ready.

Cheers!

WASTED #5 is now out!

2010-08-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

I've no time for a big update, but more details soon...in the meanwhile, if you see this at your local newsagents in the U.K., you wanna do yourself a favor and grab it!

COLORS ...by Tom Berry

2010-07-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I CAN NOT do any type of coloring...at all. Sure, I know good coloring when I see it, but as far as doing it myself? No so much. Luckily there are some fantastic color artists in this world, (who probably all have computers that are much faster than mine!) some of whom like to work over my linework.

You may remember Tom Berry was kind enough to color the Venom Vs. Wolverine pic I did a while back. It looked alot like this:

When Tom saw my Dredd pages over on my Deviantart page, he asked If he could color one up. I emailled him a large scan, and just the weekend he sent along this page:

Pretty spiffy, huh? I dont even want to ask how long it took him, but there are many, many hours of work in there...trust me.

Tom Berry's a really good artist as well, just check his Deviant art site for a real treat!

Thanks Tom, this blog needs a dash of color every now and then. Good job!

Wasted #5 -So fresh and so Clean!

2010-06-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

I’m working on the next issue of Wasted right now –number 5, and I’m really looking forward to this one coming out in the fall. It’s gonna have Gary Erskine on inks, and my pencils as seen here. I’m to have 5 pages in this issue.

Going forward, Johnny K and the ‘War on Drugs’ strips, will now have the latest and greatest art I can make. Wasted has now burned through the inventory of pages that I’d had banked over the last few years- including the ones I’d originally done for Wasted’s predecessor, ‘Northern Lightz’ magazine. Over the last few issues I think my art has been a bit uneven in places, mainly due to some of it being done 2 years ago! However, that’s all history now. I’m really happy to get my newest stuff out there, as I’ve learned a lot and improved dramatically in how I approach my pages. I think that the stories will be stronger for it. When compared to the older WOD work, I’m now trying to be more dynamic and exciting in the layouts and the ‘movement’ of my art…I hope it shows!

I’ll post up here when it hits the stands in the fall.

Cheers!

Get the lead out!

2010-06-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

It occurs to me it’s been a little while since I actually posted any new art here on my ART blog. There’s a good reason for that, and it’s that things have been crazy busy with the cons, travel, and life in general. I’m also working on stuff right now that won’t be published for a while, so it’s a bit too early to show it off just yet. That said, I suppose I can always throw a sneak peek of a rough panel from page 2 of the next ‘War on Drugs’ strip ….

At the moment I’m working on 3 projects. They all have deadlines that are WAY to close for my liking. Basically, I’m a very busy boy right now! I’m penciling Wasted’s pages for issue 5, then I’m doing 7 pages for ‘ Holmes INC.’ with FTP. ( For folks that like art production stuff , very early details of that can be found over here.) I’ll be talking about FTP and Holmes INC more as we get closer to the launch of this one. Lastly, I’ve got a long delayed 8 pages for the O.G. over at 7th wave productions. Hang in there Luke, they’ll be over to you soon, I swear!

Many thanks to all the folks who came by the Fan Expo last weekend and said hello! I really enjoyed my 2 days there, and it went really well for me. I sold out of my Wolverine prints, (don’t worry I’m making more for the next con), all the Wasted magazines I had, and my sketchbooks also sold out! I’m planning to take some time and re-do the format for my next sketch book. I’m thinking I’ll balance it a bit by including both finished pages (like the Dredd page here)and the ‘sketchier’ stuff like Johnny K above. What do you folks think? Do you like to see ‘sketchy’ stuff, finished art, or both from the artists you like? I’m certainly gonna think this one over before I put out my next sketchbook. Feel free to LMK what you think. I’m just an email or comment post away.

A special shout out to the guy who brought me the pre-made, home-made ‘Wasted’ War on Drugs PAPER for me to draw on. My photo was taken a few times while I was sketching a Narcobitch for him, so if I get a picture I’ll post it up here to show you what I’m talking about. Trust me, it was a very cool!

Now back to the drawing board.

Bristol con wrapped. Toronto Fan Expo soon!

2010-05-26T04:42:00.000-07:00

I’m back from what can only be described as a fantastic weekend at Bristol con. It was really tiring, but very, very enjoyable. I caught up with some old friends I hadn’t seen in a while, and made lots of new friends as well.

Big shouts out to the Glasgow light house crew - Jamie, Vince, Rob, Gary. Thanks for the hospitality, curry lunch, and translating the heavily accented Glaswegian waitress for me!

Bristol is a beautiful town. I had the good fortune of arriving 2 days before the con to visit friends. Those days were amazing. I lucked out with the weather, 25 and sunny the whole time I was there. Perfect weather for having a few pints, eh Paul?

The con itself was a bit weird in that it was split between 2 hotels that were a 5 minute walk from each other. I’ve never seen any con set up like this before, but it worked out fine. Upon arrival I realized a great bit of good fortune. Purely by luck, I was stationed right beside the Futurequake table! Awesome. This meant that Dave, Richmond and myself were able to spend time chatting away when there was a lull in the action. Top chaps those guys. The show was busy for me. I sold quite a few prints, ‘Wasted’ magazines which I was able to sign for folks, and sketched away for free as I’m known to do. With the exception of Nick Dyer’s Dredd, I didn’t really get any sketches myself. I was solo, and didn’t want to leave my table for very long. Big props to those kind folks who brought me caffeine to keep me going, you guys are saints.

Being the organized fellow I am, I forgot to pack my camera. So I’m only able to show one picture, and it looks like this. I’m there with Nick Dyer, Richmond Clements and Jim Campbell. I know a number of folks took my picture, and I’m hoping a few of those make it onto facebook or my email in basket. Next year the camera will be the first thing I pack.

My next order of business after catching up on some pages that I owe to Luke, is the Toronto Comicon Fan Appreciation event on June 5th and 6th . Details for that are over here. I’ll have some Wasted and Futurequake magazines with me so drop by and pick one up…they’ll finally be available outside of Europe!

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY…and GUY DAVIS

2010-05-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

THE GOOD

Issue #4 of Wasted is now out! It’s available at newsagents across the U.K., and also available over here. This issue’s cover features ‘Narcobitch’ who’s a character that I created with Alan Grant. The coolest thing about this cover, is it’s the first time I’ve seen one of my characters drawn by another comic artist professional. This time out, she was drawn wonderfully by Dave Taylor of Judge Dredd and Batman fame.

THE BAD

There was a mix up with some of my pages and the wrong art was used. Some of the WOD strips I drew were done years back, before I had a vague clue of what I was doing. Now that I’ve learned a thing or 2, (thanks Ty Templeton!) I’ve redrawn many of these old strips to a much better standard. Unfortunately, the new ones were not published, but the old ones accidentally were... So, if you get this issue please print out these 3 pages and glue them over the published ones. ;-) There is talk of doing a Wasted ‘war on drugs’ collected magazine, so all will be made right in the future. But for now…this is the best I can do. The Narcobitch strips were wonderfully inked by Gary Erskine BTW.

THE UGLY

One or 2 of the panels I drew on the old, accidentally published pages. Trust me.

GUY DAVIS

The second time I’ve seen one of my characters drawn by a comic professional was at a con here a few weeks ago. Guy Davis gave a great seminar and then drew up Johnny K from the War on Drugs in his own smooth style. It looks a lot like this:

For folks in the U.K., a quick reminder that I’ll have a table at Bristol-con this weekend. (ash cloud willing that is!) Details can be found over here.

Cheers!

My Interview at fan expo -The video

2010-05-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Here's something neat. I remember giving an interview at the last con, and then I promptly forgot all about it. That was until I was directed to this link

I recall the interviewer being very cute, and the surroundings being very LOUD, so that I had trouble hearing her questions. We talked about quite a few things, but she went with the Frank Quitely angle. See home many times I name drop the guy...Geez, how embarrasing!

I would put the video up here, but I dont own it, so please click over here to check it out.

More Dredd for your head.

2010-05-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

Pages 4 and 5...I'll post up the inks soon.
Cheers,
GQ

DREDD-FILLED update!

2010-05-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

Time really does fly! Hard to believe I’ll be over in the U.K. at the Bristol con in a few short weeks. Besides prints and sketchbooks, I’m bringing along 6 pages of Judge Dredd sequential samples for the 2000ad Editor. ‘Tharg’ sent me a great little script written by Gordon Rennie, called ‘Last Respects’. It has already been published, but I’ve not seen any of it yet.**

This time out I was asked to make the pages “less cartoony” than some of my previous work in Futurequake. So…if my art looks a bit different this time out, that’s probably why. Hopefully I was successful in this. I tried to think more like Cliff Robinson and less like Humberto Ramos on these pages. I also made sure I did some very tight pencils, even though I’m inking these myself. That’s due to the fact that I plan to send these samples to some other publishers who like to keep the penciller and inker work separate, unlike 2000ad.

These are the first 3 pages, and the next 3 are basically a massively crowded gunfight…you know, the fun stuff to draw!!

**( Rest assured, I’ll track it down when I’m over there and compare it to mine!)

Sci Fi art now book.

2010-04-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

John Freeman just informed me that the 'The Extinction Hunter' cover that Keiren Smith and I did, has been selected to be in an upcoming art book called : SciFi Art Now , which is due for release in October in the U.K. and it looks like there will be a simultaneous release in the US.

Pre-order via amazon.com:

Pre-order via amazon.co.uk:

This is very cool news for me, as its the first hardcover art book I've been in. The introduction is from veteran SF illustrator Chris Foss and the final line-up of art is a good cross section of talent, including work by Bob Eggleton, Ron Miller, Lee Gibbons, John Picacio, Rian Hughes and many others, at varying stages in their careers.

The blog is up at http://scifiartnow.blogspot.com . Closer to the release date, I'll be doing a '10 Questions' segment to answer whatever questions they can throw at me...and speak a bit about what I have coming out later this year. Keep watch here, I'll be sure to mention it!

Original Art on EBAY -Fundraiser

2010-04-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

I've just been told that the original art I donated to the Shuster foundation for a fundraiser has been posted up on Ebay. You can check the auction out here.

I have never sold any of my art, and actually have everything I have ever done, except for 3 pages which were given as gifts. I may consider selling some in the future, but I really feel uncomfortable letting any of it go right now. The upshot of this is, if you are interested in pciking up some of my original art, this may be the best and only chance you'll have for a while.

Any hey, its for a great cause!! Check out the Shuster site for more info.

Cheers!
GQ

Colored WOD print for the cons.

2010-04-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Just got the final file from Jamie Grant, and he did a great job on coloring this up. Apparantly, this will be the back cover for the next issue (4th) of Wasted magazine.

I will have some of these to sell at the cons this summer (Bristol in May and Toronto in early June). They look great printed up...and I hope you agree!

I'm working right now on some Dredd pages for Tharg. A six pager sample from a terrific Gord Rennie script. It's a script that's already been published, but I've not seen it in print. I'm working quite differently on this one, using photoshop more than I ever have to help with certain shots/layouts etc. I'll post up the fruits of these labors- well one or 2 pages anyways- in the next few weeks. I'll bring all the pages with me to Bristol con in May, for those Dredd heads that wanna check them out.

Happy birthday, Gibson Quarter art blog!

2010-04-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

It’s amazing to me…but I’ve just realized this blog is 1 year old as of this weekend. I didn’t really know what to expect when I started, but 31 posts later and it’s still going strong!

I want to thank all you kind folks who stop by and check it out. When I first started I kind of thought I might be talking to myself. (tap, tap…is this thing on? …Hello? ) Turns out that’s not the case! It’s kinda crazy how many hits I get, and it’s really exceeded my expectations. I don’t know where you guys come from, but I really appreciate you stopping by. Extra love to those that leave comments, as every single one is read and appreciated!!

The only frustrating thing about bloggin’ is the fact that I often can’t show everything I’m working on until it’s released. Rest assured that when I can show stuff I will, and I hope you agree it’s worth the wait.

Thanks for all the support!!

Fractal Fiction! – page 12

2010-03-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

What’s Fractal Fiction you ask? It’s a way cool web comic by some of my U.K. friends as written by Emperor . I recommend you go here and click the start here button on the right. Basically, you need to read the blog from the first starting post to see all the pages in order.

Fractal Fiction’s art team rotates, and I’ve just seen my ‘guest artist’ page put up, so I can now post it up here to share it with you. ‘Enigmatic’ Emperor wrote it, ‘Mysterious’ Matt Soffe did the colors and ‘jumping’ Jim Campbell lettered it up.

For those that like such things, here’s a look at the lines I drew before the U.K. magic was applied to it.

Cheers!

Inks for fun!

2010-03-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

I’ve been taking a course on inking over the last few weeks which is being taught by some comic industry professionals like Pat Davidson, Ty Templeton, J.Bone, and Ramon Perez.

The biggest thing I’ve picked up so far is to use a damn BRUSH!

I used to use markers and nibs for almost all my inking. On the last few pages I’ve inked, (including a soon to be released Fractal Fiction page) I’ve been using brushes a LOT and I’ve been really happy with the results. I’ve gotten over my fear of the brush, and now I can’t believe that I’ve avoided them this long! The Darwyn Cooke page below was 70% inked with a brush, and the Ed McGuinness Hulk was about 40% brush work.

Why was I so scared of brushes all this time? In my best Tony the Tiger voice…”They’re great!”

I’ve posted Ed’s Hulk pencils for comparison, but sorry…I don’t have a Darwyn pencil scan. Darwyn’s blue line page was handed to me and I started on it right away. It looked pretty close to the way I’ve inked it though. ;-)

Futurequake #15 -on sale soon!

2010-02-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

In a few short weeks Futurequake 15 goes on sale in the U.K. For all the juicy details keep watching the FQ blog and/or the main sight here.

I'm quite happy with it, and I hope folks enjoy it. It was written by Greg Dunford, and greyscalled/colored by Keiren Smith. Please keep a sharp eye out for it.

Since there's a neat 'making of' this cover posted over at the the Futurequake Blog, I'm finally able to show the cover off here. I found it rather interesting that the cover I wound up drawing was NOT the one I would have picked myself! That's why I enjoy getting other artists opinions. Everyone (Including a few pros like Frank Quitely) told me to do the one you see below, rather than the homage to 'Death Dealer' by Frazetta that I was gonna whip up. Just goes to show you that Bolt-1 and the FQ folks have a sharp eye for cover design.

WASTED #3 is now available!

2010-02-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

I just got my trusty copy of Wasted issue #3.

"for today's youth gone wild!"

cover by SIMON BISLEY

The "War on Drugs" has Johnny K spreading mayhem over 6 pages in this issue, including this one.

Johnny K is on drugs?!? What madness is this?!? How will he survive? Only Alan Grant can write Johnny's way out of this one...and he does. Pencils by me, and inks by an uncredited Pat Davidson, with tones by Keiren Smith and Jamie Grant.

Other great strips include
TALES OF THE BUDDA
THE DOPRANOS
THE DIRTY DOG
LUSI SULFURA
SPLIFFY THE STONER CHICK
WACCY BACCY RACES
plus loads more

all for £3.25 from your local Menzies paper shop (For those in the U.K.) OR available direct from the

Total Fear!

2010-02-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

Curt Sibling , and artist who publishes TOTAL FEAR www.lulu.com/content/5533098 and has drawn stories over in Wasted with me, got in touch and asked me to do a pin-up drawing featuring two of his characters from Total Fear. He wanted a ‘Shard Vs. Roza’. Below are Curt’s illustrations of them along with his colors.

It’s a WEE BIT different stylistically than the way I draw. ;-) I was quite keen to draw it up for him, BUT in my style. Here’s what I came up with.

Pretty different, eh? I did keep them Curt Siblings nipples though! They really seemed to jump out at me from his art…ahem.

Curt was pretty happy with it, and colored it up. He did a great job, check out the image at the top of this post. Chalk it up to another blending of differeing styles that works out great!

WAR ON DRUGS! Well, a W.O.D. poster anyways...

2010-01-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make an art print based on the 'War on Drugs' strips I do with Alan that appear in 'WASTED'. http://www.badpressltd.com Since Wasted #3 is due out in a few weeks and I'm going to be at the Bristol Con in May to sign them, its seemed like a perfect time to whip one up! Here's what I came up with. This print includes almost every element that will appear in the first 5 issues of Wasted. I'm ahead on these strips, so consider this a sneak peek for what's ahead!

I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and hope you guys like it too.

Now if it just had some color... ;-)

Deviant Art & Wolveine Vs. Venom colored

2010-01-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

I’ve recently joined Deviant art, and I’m now KICKING MYSELF FOR NOT JOINING SOONER!

D.A. is AWESOME! There is so much amazing work there, I’ve found myself spending loads of time looking at terrific art. D.A. is also how this Wolverine Vs. Venom print just got colored by the super talented (and quick!) Tom Berry - a.k.a. Radiator.

I’ve admired Tom’s work for a while over at the monthly art competitions on the 2000ad boards. I really like his coloring sensibilities. His work is very unique, in a great way. Check out his DA gallery for proof of this.

http://tomberryartist.deviantart.com/

I posted up the black and white linework of this print (shown down below on this blog) over at MY D.A. site:

http://gibsonquarter27.deviantart.com/

and next thing I know Tom says he’s like to color it, but it might take a few months. Fair play. I can wait. Tom said he’d try and get it to me before I head to the UK for Bristol con…then 2 days later, he’s done! Perhaps Wolverine is his muse...I dunno. But I DO KNOW that he did a great job.

Thanks Tom!

Proof pin up for Image comics

2010-01-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

Proof #25 came out today, and I did a pin up in there, so check it out!

This was originally gonna be colored by Riley Rossmo and I was very psyched about it, as he colors in a very unique way –see the cover for an idea of what I’m talking about...pretty spiffy , eh? In order to work with his coloring style, I left it penciled as I thought it would mesh better with Riley’s colors. Anyways, the deadline monster reared its ugly head and it was published directly from my pencils as seen below. To Alex Grecian’s credit, he did say if I waited for the next issue he’d get it colored and in there….but I opted to have it in #25 , as this was always scheduled to be a special issue with a number of Pin ups in there.

That Alex and Riley...top fellers they are…check out this book!

‘Creativity nerve Central’…a.k.a. where the work happens!

2010-01-03T18:59:00.000-08:00

Happy new Year ya’ll!

Over the holidays I had the time to read ‘Studio Space’ by Joel Meadows, which I really enjoyed. It’s quite interesting to me to see where the folks whose work I admire do what they do. Everyone’s workspace is so unique- just like their work. I highly recommend this read, it’s a great book.

With that said, here is my studio set up, where I’ve created almost all of my published work in the last 3 years.

Probably the most important thing that you can’t see is my computer and scanner. They are to the left of me when I’m sitting at my art board. My computer is where ALL my music comes from, so if I go deaf on my left ear only…now you know why! ;-)

Oh, and the Frank Quitely Authority page taped to my table is NOT an original (obviously) but a photocopy I made a few years ago. It was put there for inspiration originally, and now it has about 142 dots on it. Why dots you ask? Well almost every page I’ve worked on has had 2 or 3 vanishing points go off my page, so its come in very handy!! Actually, my whole table looks like it might have the chicken pox for this very reason…

sketches

2009-12-17T14:35:00.000-08:00

So you know how all art books you have ever read, always tell you to do sketches from life and you read it...think its a good idea, but still never do it? YOU SHOULD. Get over the fear that a person at Starbucks might freak out when you are drawing them..they never do. Often times they'll even ask to see what you drew!

In the last few months I've really ramped up the daily sketching and its helped a ton. It felt a bit like work at the beginning, but now its one of the highlights of my day. It REALLY helps to 'loosen up' your art.

The only frustrating part is that folks never stay still for very long!! Occasionally you'll get a great sketch going, then they move and its finished...its part of the territory! In order to help combat this, or when you can't make it out, just pop in a DVD and sketch out what you see. You can always hit the pause button to help work it out.

My last word of advice on this topic is to go for the GESTURE when life drawing, not the anatomy! I find if I start thinking anatomy, its over...you just dont have the time when you are dealing with seconds per pose. The gesture is really what you should capture here.

Now, when working from a live posing model, I've found....wait, that's a post for another day!

Futurequake cover -line art

2009-12-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update today. Have recently finished the lineart for the cover of an upcoming Futurequake (issue #15)

The Extinction Hunter story is set to run in this book. The cover is off the colorist, I'll be sure to post up the color scan early in the new year, closer to the actual publishing date.

Creating art from scratch..my process in detail.

2009-11-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

OK, so I have to admit I love, LOVE reading ‘how I do it’ type web entries for the artists I follow, (Frank Quitely, Eric Canete, Art Adams, Gary Erskine etc) and I thought that it’s about time I share how I draw up what I do. Art geeks of the world…get ready!

I start with my sketch book and I focus on getting a good line of action. I’m working very loose, very, VERY small, and generally just mucking about for ideas and inspiration. In this case my idea was to try a Wolverine Vs. Venom type battle. I made about 10 very small sketches and the one pictured was the most successful Wolverine one…. It felt like he had energy, and life. Basically, it spoke to me! ;-) To give an idea of how small I work I scanned it with a penny for reference. The other nine sketches get thrown out cuz they were ugly and just not working.

Now I grab a piece of cheap blank printer paper. My focus here is to keep the life and energy from the sketch, make it bigger, figure out a few details, and to make sure that everything will fit on the page. I’d hate to have it ¾ drawn and then have an arm or leg cut off or cropped badly. ( I learned this one the hard way! ) I’m staying very aware of ‘squash and stretch’ at this point in the process. I also decided that I’d need some heavier blacks in the lower left corner to help balance the Venom’s heavy black that I’d be using on the right. In my best teacher type voice: ‘Gotta keep that page looking balanced!’ Somewhere here, I also realized that I’d draw Venom’s head WAY to big, and wrote a note in blue pencil to shrink it and push it forward for more energy. No worries about mistakes though, that’s why this stage is here. The hard part for me is to NOT DRAW THE COOL STUFF, like faces muscles etc. I’m just getting a ‘template’ built that I’m gonna act on in the next (and final) pencil stage.

Ahh…the actual drawing! This is my favorite stage. The most bang for the buck! I use the template from the last stage and blow it up to about another 40% larger, so it now fits on an 11x17 sheet . I take a nice piece of Strathmore 500 Bristol and light box in my work from the last step. I’m using non-repro blue pencils here. Then once it’s all down, the rap music gets cranked, and away I go with my trusty mechanical 2H pencil! I’m pretty happy with it at this point. This is where I’d love to have a pro inker to hand this bad boy to…but since I don’t , its up to me to ink it.

Inks are a bit funny for me. I enjoy it, but it just seems to take WAY longer than I think it will. I’ve learned lately to slow down and just enjoy it. Here I’m trying to use and create different textures. The jury is out on how successful I am at this! For most of the figures I’m using India ink and my trusty 102 nib, that’s old and worked in the way I like it. I also use some Microns for minor corrections after my erasing.

Now it’s off to the colorist for the magic to continue.

I hope you liked this post and/or found it helpful. Feel free to LMK. I may do another post like this again sometime!

Cheers,
Gibson

COLOR is good!!

2009-11-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

I just realized that my blog is looking a little drab, as I haven’t posted up any color scans in a while.
I must admit that I’m not a strong colorist, nor have I spent the time yet to become one. My philosophy on this is… I’d rather become REALLY good at straight penciling and B&W work, instead of so-so and B&W and so-so at coloring by doing both at the same time. So, I’m focusing quite hard on my penciling right now. I have the luxury to do so as I’ve been blessed with great colorists!! I’m talking about folks like Jamie Grant over my work in WASTED, and Keiren Smith for everything else- including this Spidey. She does a great job, and can be reached at ktsssssmith@gmail.com for all those editors and folks that want to hire her!

Big thanks to all those folks who came by to say at the Speakeasy Gallery night last week. It was WAAYYY busier than I thought it was gonna be, and it was nice to see all sorts of comic-art interested folks.

Cheers!

GQ

Extinction Hunter -Futurequake 6 pager

2009-10-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by!!I figure a blog update is overdue, so here you go.

I'm currently inking up a 6 page story 'Extinction Hunter' written by my pal Greg Dunford ( of Hardrive fame http://cyberpunkcomics.com/ ) Extinction Hunter is a great little story that will be in the next issue o Futurequake. I will also be drawing her for the cover of that issue, but I've not come up with a cover design I'm happy with yet. Once I do have it done and colored, I'll be sure to post it up. I'm really happy with how this story turned out -even with the new rather shocking and graphic ending. Here is th first page to give you a feel for the look I'm going for.

Those that know me, know I'm happy to work with good inkers, and I've been blessed with a few good ones. *cough, Gary Erskine, Cough!* However, this time it's 100% me on the pens and brushes. It's not that I dislike inking, I just find that it takes me a LONG time to do it. Couple that with the fact that it can seem like I'm just drawing the same image for a 2nd time, and I'd normally rather just stick to pencilling. This time though, I'm inking more freely and so far, I'm quite happy with it.

BTW, before I forget, For those in the Toronto Area, I'll be at the SpeakEasy comic show Thursday November 5th, 8pm-Midnight at The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St.West. Come on out and say hi!

Cheers,
GQ

Non -repro BLUE ?!?

2009-09-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

“How does that non repro blue thing work?”

This is question I get a lot when I mention that I use ‘non repro’ blue pencils to layout pages and do large chunks of the under drawing with it. Since it’s a topic of discussion over at the 2000ad boards, I’m posting up some big images to help folks have a look at what I’m talking about.

I’ve scanned this panel in COLOR, so you can see what it looks like to me on my drawing board.

Now here it is again, scanned in Grayscale, to be sent along to the inker ( who is not me in this case) See how the blue vanishes? Cool, eh?

Please note that NOT ALL BLUE WORKS! You need to be sure to get ‘Non-Photo blue’, also called ‘non-repro blue’ in some art stores. The ones I use are Staedtler Non Photo blue drawing pencils.

Hope this helps those who were wondering... I’m talking to you Emperor!

Cheers,
GQ

Dredd and Mrs Gunderson

2009-09-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to show the entry for this month's art competiton over at the 2000ad forum.

I didn't think I'd have time to squeeze in an entry, but this one jumped out of my pencils very, very quickly.

Mrs. Gunderson must be my muse... ;-)

PROOF from the con...

2009-09-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Kids,

Sorry it's been a while since I checked in...been busy working on stuff that I can't show just yet. However, I can show you a nifty 'PROOF' pin up for a future issue of Alex Grecian and Riley Rossmo's PROOF from Image comics.

I had the pleasure of meeting Alex and Riley at the last con, where I learned about Proof. I've since tracked down the trades that they sold out of...and this is a GREAT BOOK! You would do well to check it out. In a nutshell, it's about Bigfoot as a monster hunter, and its a great read. Crazy Kelly Tindall does some great little Archie Snow back up stories as well.

I'll be sure to let you know when the issue that features this pin up is out, and you can see for yourself what a solid book this is!

Cheers!

James Bong...licence to chill

2009-08-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Here's the latest update. I'm currently working on a 'James Bong' story for GMP, the first page of which can be seen below. I'm also gonna throw in a panel from page 2 just cuz it cracks me up everytime I look at it!

I'm a bit worried that its starting to look like I'm channelling J. Scott Campbell, but that seems to be what happens when I go for a more 'cartoony' type of look. Regardless, I'm having a blast drawing it, and I hope it shows.

REMINDER! I'll be at the fan Expo here in Toronto this weekend, so please do drop by if you can and say hello. I'm in artist alley, just not sure where exactly yet. There's your challenge...try and track me down!!

Cheers,

The Amazing Spiderman

2009-08-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Because 'eerybody' loves Spidey!

Judge Dredd for Zarjaz...

2009-08-09T09:51:00.001-07:00

Hi gang, just a quick sneak peak at a page for the next 'Zarjaz' issue (#8) .

This is probably for me, one of the best and funniest Dredd stories I've read in a long time. Paul Glasswell wrote it, and he knocked it out of the park. I think that it would have been in 2000ad were it not for the content of the story...*hint* it involves Dredd's bodily (baby making) fluids!

Its due to be out in about a month or so. More details can be found over here http://thequaequamblog.blogspot.com/

Cheers!

The best part of working in Comics.

2009-07-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my vacation, now another year older and raring to go!!

One of the best aspects of comics (IMHO) is that you get to work with many other talented folks -writers,editors and artists. I often find with some of my favorite creators, the resulting combinations makes the overall product better. ( Think Byrne/Austin and Morrison/Quitely) case in point for me is Gary Erskine. Gary's a very nice pro inker and artist who has inked over me in the past and has recently done it again. I can't show you the whole pages or the folks at 'Wasted' magazine http://www.badpressltd.com/index.php would probably kill me, but check out a panel of my pencils and then again with Gary's inks on it.

Pretty cool eh? To the untrained eye they probably look exactly the same, but they are not. Gary does neat little things to her hair, making it look more 'hair like' . Also her arm band has a texture of worn leather instead of looking just like her boots for example. Small stuff, but it helps to make what I intended look better to the reader and gives the person reading the book a better bang for their buck- even if they don't realise it.

Cheers to Gary! I love working with pro inkers.. ;-)

Wasted #2 -Great review!

2009-06-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

This made my day...Wasted #2 gets a TERRIFIC review at http://www.comicbitsonline.com/ ...its rates a 10/10! 'War on Drugs' gets noted as 'wonderful work' Check it out....I'm looking forward to reading more reviews as the issue gets out there...

Wasted update and Zarjaz review!

2009-06-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

Looks like things are screaming ahead now for Johnny K and the 'War on Drugs' art that I have done. ( and am doing at the moment actually!)

Please go have a look at this link:

http://www.badpressltd.com/

Also... in a first for me, I have just listened to my first 'audio' review! While I wasn't mentioned by name, the overall review for Zarjaz #7 was positive ,and they loved the 'tidal wave of werewolves' page which can be seen in the Slaine post down below.

The review is here:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/geeksyndicate/ECBT2000AD-Ep4.mp3

and Zarjaz is in the first few minutes.

Cheers,

Judge Dredd -road rage!!

2009-06-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

More Judge Dredd!

Colored by the talented KTS

Great day!!

2009-05-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Lots of good news to report. The fine folks over at Wasted http://www.wastedcomic.com/ are now going through Diamond distrobution, and issue 2 is to be out this summer. A panel from that can be seen here. Issue #2 also has a panel that is being used for the 'War on Drugs' T-shirt. Pretty cool...be sure to look for it!

Also, today I got a email from MICK MCMAHON! He saw the Dredd print below and was kind enough to comment on it. That's like meeting a rock star for me! I really hope to get a chance to meet him in person one day.

Cheers for now!

Gibson

Judge Dredd print

2009-04-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

So I'm happy to report that the Wolverine prints flew off my table. I was really very happy with the response, and support. I even had a few people tell me I should be charging MORE for them as they were buying them from me! LOL. I didn't though, that would be cruel. ;-)

So, it DID pump me up to try a nice DREDD print, as he's a favorite of mine from way back, and I'm gonna do at least one U.K. con next year, and he's loved over there.

Here's what I came up with.

I decided to get away from B & W and see how colored prints sell, as I noticed that most folks at the con here were selling color prints. Lucky for me I know a terrifc colorist, -KTS. She laid down all the color on this one, and did a GREAT job. I'm hoping this is the first of many more collaborations. We've worked together before in the hard to find Ed the sock #3 comic.

But I digress.

Enjoy the print and look for the latest issue of Zarjaz ( #7) for the published version of the Slaine work below.

Cheers,

Wolverine Print for the cons!

2009-04-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

OK, so everyone is telling me that selling prints at cons is a good way to go. I'm not a hundred % sure, but I'm gonna try it and see how it goes. I know I LOVE buying art and prints off my favortite comic artists when I see THEM at cons, so I guess it should get with the program!!

I plan to print and number 40 prints of this Wolverine.

Come by and grab one next time you see me!

Cheers,

6 Dredd pages for Matt...

2009-04-07T23:35:00.001-07:00

Enjoy!

Slaine Zarjaz 4 pager

2009-04-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

For this one, I tried to hand letter for a more 'older' type barbarian feel.

Never again.

I now see why they use computers for lettering! ;-)

Slaine -Zarjaz page sneak peek for the Wasted crew...

2009-04-06T07:24:00.000-07:00

I've just finished my SLAINE 4 pager for the next Zarjaz, which is the Pat Mills special.

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2009/02/pat-mills-zarjaz-special-planned.html

Have a wee peek!

2009-04-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

First art post....

2009-04-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hi folks

If you have found this blog, then you've found Gibson Quarter art!

I'll post up some of my more recent pages for you to see and enjoy.

Cheers,
GQ