Red Sonja Sketch Card

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!

My Face in Your Space

Our lovely receptionist (Sarah) at work sent out an email saying that she was joining in on an art show called "My Face in Your Space". The idea is that artists in the show draw each other. Sarah wanted to know if anyone there wanted to join in the fun.
So, I said, "Only if you make a funny face". She did and I illustrated it.
It's done with Ballpoint Pen (my new favorite) and then scanned in and colored in Photoshop.
In Photoshop I used a spatter brush set at about 20% opacity and then start painting.
I tried not to blend too much, I like the rough look. Keeps the life in the illustration.
If you'd like to see a print of this live and in person, along with other portraits (at least one of me) then go to the Nexus in Philadelphia starting September 10th.

The Mighty Ballpoint Pen

Here is a little illustration I did with ballpoint pen and then brought it into Photoshop to add color and texture. whew! Most of the color is under the Pen Line layer and some of the softer highlights were added on a layer above the Inks. The chic is from some ad I found online.. for hair color or something. I cartoonified her and added some computer magic! Those are all real terms.
On an unrelated note: I have a podcast with some friends where we talk about metal music (one of my favorites) and we talk a lot of randomness. It's definitely more fun than serious. For any of you that's seen my work in Metal Rules Magazine, it's the same bunch of guys. Go to www.metalrulesradio.com and listen. If you like it, you could leave an itunes review... and make us all blush.
Thanks!