Josh Williams

How-to-comics thing

josh — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:25:45 +0000

So, from time to time people contact me through this site to do some work. Well, here is a cover and a how-to-panel-by-panel thing I did for one such project. The panel-by-panel shows the pencil stage, ink stage, and the color stage. Basic stuff. And the cover? Well, it’s a cover. Everything was done in blue pencil first, then inked by brush (mostly) and colors were done in Photoshop. Oh, and text was done in Illustrator.

Comic Book Cover Sketch

josh — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:12:52 +0000

Here is one of those blank comic book covers, that you are suppose to wait in line for 3 hours to get your favorite artist to draw something really cool on (Wonder Woman tying up Black Canary….you know you were thinking about it).

Well, in this case my brother said, “Hey, why don’t you draw something on here for me?”. To which I replied, “Alright. Hulk, Cap and Iron Man good for you? Good!”

I did a few thumb nail sketches first to try and figure out a cool, action-pose-filled layout and then I sketched (with the non-repo blue pencil) it out on the cover. The surface is pretty good for drawing (makes sense right? But apparently it took the industry a few tries to get that right). I then inked it with tech pens (.02 and .05… I think). And then…Violin! a custom comic book cover.

Commissions are available upon request. Unless you’re my brother… you already got one, so move on!

Thank you!

Logos

josh — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:03:01 +0000

I added 2 new images to my portfolio section (to the Logo Design section specifically). Each of them shows a few options for the proposed final logo. One is the Rock Your World Logo for Vector Marketing and the other is the Deception Dice logo. I wanted to add some thing in this section that showed a little of my process. For every logo design (and for most designs I do in general), I like to present 3 – 5 options. Each option has elements that apply to the task at hand, but I like to show differing directions when I can. One logo option might have mostly dark colors and block lettering, while the second uses mostly black and white with a font that has more character, and the third option might be completely over the top.The idea is present good options with different directions to help the client narrow down what it is that they are looking for.

Sometimes a client doesn’t know what they want until they see it. Also, sometimes they know what they DON’T want when they see it. This process also, allows the client to feel like they have a hand in designing the logo…which makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

When I design each of the options I try to make it as strong as the other options I will be presenting. I know some people think “you should give them a couple of bad ones so that they pick the good one and it looks like you did a lot of work”. The problem that I have found is that 9 times out of 10 the client will pick your least favorite design. Then your stuck with a design your not happy about… and it probably won’t get you more work in the long run.

Portfolio up and running

josh — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:54:41 +0000

My portfolio section is now back up and updated.

I’ll be adding more pieces to the blog soon… I promise.

I’m Back!!!

josh — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:52:57 +0000

It’s been a while, but I had some work to do to this thing to get it functioning again.

The good news for you is that I have a ton of stuff to post. So, expect much more art on a more consistent basis.

First up is a book cover I illustrated for the novel “Dare, Life, Secrets & Truth”. The artwork was done digitally in Photoshop, working on top of a sketch I scanned in.

The book was written by a 16 year old! Impressive right? You can purchase it here.

Bird in a Bathing Suit – ON SALE NOW!

josh — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:33:00 +0000

You can now purchase the children’s book I did illustration work for.

It’s available on Barnes & Noble‘s website and Amazon.com.

Enjoy!

Ghost Rider Black & White

josh — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:26:00 +0000

Here’s a sketch of the Marvel comics character Ghost Rider.

It’s done in black ball point pen with some spatters from a tooth brush… and a little bit of black sharpie for the solid black area. You might notice a few “breaks” in the artwork. That’s because I made some adjustments to the artwork after I scanned it in. I am currently working on this piece in Photoshop and digitally painting it. Should be fun!

When it’s all done, I’ll tell you what it’s for… but not until then.

Cherry Delight – Dr. Sketchy’s

josh — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:01:00 +0000

These are from the latest Dr. Sketchy’s South Jersey session. The model was Cherry Delight and it was the first time she had ever posed for an art class. She did a great job! Fun costumes and very expressive.

The first one here is done in red crayon. It was an optional contest they had during the class for this particular pose. I won a sweet art/photography book called “Visions From Within The Mechanism” by Jeffery Scott. It’s published by Baby Tattoo Books, which apparently helps artists get their work printed.

The other 2 pieces here are done in ball point pen. It’s my favorite. I could say something really artsy here about how “the pen doesn’t allow you to erase and it forces you to make decisions”, but the truth is it’s smooth and you don’t have to sharpen it.

Red Sonja Sketch Card

josh — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:34:00 +0000

This is a Red Sonja commission I did. It was my first sketch card and it was fun. The images above are the sketch and then the final inked version. The sketch is the standard non-repro blue pencil and the finished inks were done with brush for the most part. The chain mail and a few other details were done with a tech pen.

The subject matter is a little grim, but hey… she’s a barbarian!

Enjoy!

Art for Sale!!!

josh — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:40:00 +0000

What better way to show that special someone you care than to give them an original Josh Will piece?
On sale now at ebay, you can bid on the four pieces above.

The pen & ink Metal Rules! Magazine Girl Art… here.

The painted Striking Dragon (old kung-fu dude) character art for the Fleer/Skybox card game Ophidian… here.

The pencil sketch of Conan the Barbarian… here.

The pencil sketch of an Orc Monk, a concept drawing for the miniature company Magnificent Egos… here.

Happy Holidays!