Wandering Koala Cornered

These were drawn with Tombow Hard and Soft Brush Pens and then toned and colored in Adobe Photoshop CC.

Concept Illustration: Surprise!

I've always liked the idea of the common exercise to take a concept and then illustrate it. (I don't remember actually doing it myself, but I've always meant to.) While coming up with an idea for my next illustration, I thought of that exercise and realized I had finally done it (albeit accidentally).

I drew this with a Staedtler pencil, inked it with a Tombow Brush Pen, and colored it in Adobe Photoshop CC. The background was created with a couple of photographs and a lot of Photoshop effects. I really like how it turned out. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Wandering Koala rides The Wild Turkey (colored)

A colored version of the the engraved style drawing. I'm not sure if I like it better with or without color.

Wandering Koala caught by an Eavesdropping Dragon

Inked with a Tombow brush pen and colored and toned in Adobe Photoshop CC. Let me know what you think.

Wandering Koala faces The Storm

Inked with a Prismacolor Brush Pen and colored with Adobe Photoshop CC.

Character Sketch: Wandering Koala ready for his dance lesson

Our favorite Silent Wanderer ^TM is getting ready for his dance lesson. This was inked with a Tombow Soft Brush Pen and colored in Adobe Photoshop CC. The background was created in Photoshop.

Wandering Koala Leaping Thru the City

Our favorite Silent Wanderer(TM) is parkouring thru the city. This illustration was inked with a Prismacolor Brush Pen and colored in Adobe Photoshop CC.

Wandering Koala resists the Daylight Saver

Growing up I always hated Daylight Savings Time. Then I moved to Arizona, where they don't observe it, and realized that during the summer it was a nice thing. I just don't like how early it begins and how late it ends. Moving the dates was a huge mistake.

This illustration was inked with a Prismacolor Brush Pen and colored in Adobe Photoshop.

Wandering Koala Landing

Another sketch in preparation for the next Wandering Koala tale. This was inked with a Sumi brush pen and colored with Adobe Photoshop CC.

Wandering Koala Perched upon a Lamp Post

Another sketch in preparation for the Wandering Koala graphic tale inked with a Prismacolor® brush pen and colored in Adobe Photoshop.

Wandering Koala kicking

This was another sketch to test out possible styles for the upcoming Wandering Koala Graphic Novel. This was inked with a Sumi Brush Pen and then colored in Adobe Photoshop with the limited cmyk palette of classic newspaper comics.

Wandering Koala Crane Stand

Another sketch in preparation for the upcoming Wandering Koala Tale. Again drawn with a Prismacolor Brush Pen and colored in Adobe Photoshop CC.

Small Blessings - 2016 Christmas Card

This year's Christmas card. Enjoy!

The Auction, page 1

Read the entire story >>

Wanna hear a funny story? Okay, maybe not "ha ha" roll on the ground funny. More like strange and ironic funny.

It was a dark and stormy night.

Okay, not really. The sun hadn't quite set, and there were only a few clouds in the sky, so it was neither dark nor stormy. Oh how that would have added atmosphere. But it was night. Almost.

Fake it 'till you make it

I've written before about how the media you use should look like the media it is. That makes digital a little bit of a sticky wicket. It certainly has its own look, but at the same time it's really good at mimicking other media.

So is it wrong to try and make digital look traditional? I think so, because on is missing a real opportunity. There are things digital can do that nothing else can, and one would be silly to not take advantage of it. Of course, what does that mean? Certainly the time saving and money saving benefits. But what about the look of the final product?

I think even if one wants a work to look traditional, they should let a little of the digital's nature shine through to give the work that extra umph.

The two illustrations above were drawn with a Japanese brush pen and then colored in Adobe Photoshop to look like watercolors. But if you look very closely, you'll notice they are digitally colored, and I think it adds.

But what do you think?

Story Illustration: Wandering Koala crunches The Mad Accountant

Here is my latest in a series of Wandering Koala adventures rendered in digital watercolor. Enjoy!

Story Illustration: Pondering on the Meaning of Life

Have you ever found yourself alone amongst beautiful surroundings? Has the scene ever sent your mind down paths long ago tread? Have you ever wondered about why you are where you are and if that is where you are supposed to be? Do you ever ask your self "what if I had or hadn't" about choices made in the past followed by possible answers you will never know are right?

In the illustration above, the Wandering Koala is having just such an existential examination. I drew the image in my "combo brush" style with a Zebra disposable brush pen and Japanese brush pen, then colored it in Adobe Photoshop. This is a style and approach I'm considering for the next Wandering Koala story. Let me know what you think.

Pulp Illustration: Wandering Koala tackles Shark Lizard

I am a huge fan of Pulps from the 30s and 40s. They show the raw energy of writers and artists who are full of ideas that haven't been worn down by years of experience. There is something fresh about them. In our day, eComics, eBooks, and blogs serve a similar roll with wannabe professions throwing their ideas out there for the world to see. Most are rough and could use a polish, but polish tends to tone down some of the freshness and fun and uniqueness. Pulps, both modern and old, serve as great inspiration for myself and many others.

The image above was drawn with my Combo brush style (a thin Zebra disposable brush pen and Japanese brush pen), then colored in Corel Painter. I love how it turned out! The colors are much more muted than I usually use, but they work in this situation.

Let me know what you think.

New Sketches for a New Year

Happy 2016! 

I thought I'd start off the New Year with some new sketches. These were all done in pursuit of a permanent style for my upcoming Wandering Koala web comic. I've made a couple attempts at it with a couple of different blogs, but neither of them excited me like I wanted them to, so here's hoping third time is the charm.

The sketch above was actually done on New Year's Day. I drew it with a Japanese Brush Pen and then colored it in both Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter. I've tried a lot of different programs, but nothing gives you a truly painterly feel like Corel Painter. Adobe keeps trying, but it still looks and feels so digital, which isn't a bad thing, it's just not what I'm going for.

 These next two sketches were drawn in what I call my "combo brush". Basically I ink the figure with a Zebra disposable brush pen and then go over it with my Japanese Brush Pen to give it texture and grit. The background was also inked with the brush pen. I used a pattern effect in Photoshop to tone the image. I know it's retro, but there is something I just love about those thin mechanically-produced hatching lines. The color version was colored in Adobe Photoshop. I'm thinking of running it thru Corel Painter like the illustration above to make it look more painterly. While I approached both illustrations with the same basic technique, there is something so much more "painterly" about the above illustration.

As always, let me know what you think!

2015 Christmas Card

Here is the final Christmas card. Hopefully it will bring a little cheer to your corner of the world.