BONUS CONTENT: Sketchbook: Roka, Bocce

by on May 27, 2010 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog Entries

So here we have the costume designs I did for Roka as he appears on The Big Snow Job #1, Page 4 at the Arqq-Olem port. Basically, I just wanted to continue the long sleeve shirt and vest look that was established in the first story arc, since that seems to be his signature style.

Roka’s gun satchel was something I thought up for the first arc, although I never ended up drawing it. So I figured the opening port scene in Snow Job would be a good place to introduce it. I like that it’s something he can easily put on when he needs to be armed, but he can just as easily take it off if he’s on the ship and doesn’t need it. Since it’s the biggest gun of the entire crew, it would probably be a bit clunkier to sit around in than, say, Cember’s pistols.

Bocce’s outfit is the same from Bad Goods, but I needed to concept his energy cast and crutch, not that you end up seeing the crutch all that much in the actual story. I wanted to keep the crutch fairly simple and not over-design it. So it’s basically just a cool sci-fi crutch that can telescope to varying lengths or retract completely into a more compact shape.

Additional commentary about the outfits can be found in the posting for The Big Snow Job #1, Page 14.

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BONUS CONTENT: Sketchbook: Root Beetle

by on May 20, 2010 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog Entries

It’s funny how I can nail the look of a complicated piece of machinery like the Preegan gun in just a  couple sketches, but then something like a beetle can take so many different attempts. Ugh. Anyway, the root beetles first appear on The Big Snow Job #1, Page 7 and it took a little while to settle on something I thought looked believably alien.

Most of the early sketch attempts looked a bit too similar to insects that actually exist in real life. Given the sheer wackiness of Mother Nature, I’m sure the beetle I finally settled on resembles something in real life too, but as of now, I’m not aware of it. It will probably be discovered in the depths of the Amazon some day. Or tomorrow in my pantry, at which point I’ll go hoarse from all the shrieking.

Note to self: the final beetle design would also look pretty cool as a space ship…

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BONUS CONTENT: Sketchbook: Preegan Gear

by on May 13, 2010 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog Entries

As I mentioned in the post for The Big Snow Job #1, Page 7, I wanted the Preegan henchmen to have a Western bandito look, so I gave them crisscrossing ammo belts across the torso. But to make the outfit a little more interesting, instead of just being two ammo loops going diagonally across the torso, it’s one continuous belt, that goes around the back of the neck, crisscrossing in the front, and then attaching to the waist belt in the back.

Here I also did a few sketches of the Preegan oversized gun to figure out how it would work for four-armed usage. For all the thought that went into them, the guns ended up barely showing up at all in the actual sequence, which is kind of a bummer. But at least they’re already designed, so if the Preegans ever show up again, that concepting work will be done. Hurray for recycling!

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BONUS CONTENT: Sketchbook: Preegans

by on May 6, 2010 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog Entries

As you might guess, I did a lot of concept design work for The Big Snow Job. I’ll be posting images from my sketchbook in batches, breaking up the batches with other Bonus Content every now and then. This first group of sketches goes back to the first issue of the story arc.

Here we have the Preegans, the double-crossing bug aliens that first show up in The Big Snow Job #1,  Page 4. I wanted them to be small and insectoid but had a bit of trouble settling on something that didn’t look like just another typical alien bug. Once I sketched the roach/beetle-looking guy with the 90-degree bend between the torso and abdomen, that was it. I liked that the hunched-over back made them look a bit sneaky, while the round bellies kept them looking comical.

I figured I’d do a few quick facial expression tests too since I knew they’d have to look pathetic when pleading their case to Roka, and I wanted to make sure I’d be able to capture that in the art.

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BONUS CONTENT: Con Sketch

by on April 29, 2010 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog Entries

I thought I’d do something a little different for this week’s Bonus Content. A few weeks ago, I did this commissioned sketch of Sky at the Boston Comic Con. I thought it came out pretty well, so I thought I’d post it here. Sorry for the low quality of the image. I was working from a photo posted by the person who got the sketch, since I forgot to take a picture myself. Anyway, I touched it up as best I could (without spending a huge amount of time on it). I’m hoping to get a good scan of it sent to me, but in the meantime, I think this will work. If you ever see me at a show and would like to commission a RUNNERS sketch, feel free to ask! And I’ll remember to take a picture next time so I can share it here.

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