More tattoo flash

Another traditional piece of tattoo flash for my site at tattoosbybrian.com

Quick bit of tattoo flash I drew as a placeholder in the "artwork" section of my new web page...

My new business card and web graphic

This is the image I created for my new business card (minus the frame) and the front page graphic for my new website.

You can see the site at www.tattoosbybrian.com

Skull Painting...

Just a digital painting I did while I was bored at work.

Bizarro Superman...

A quick sketch of Bizarro Superman for a tattoo design...

Man I need to keep this up to date...

... not that anyone is reading it... but for my own sake. Anyway here's a quick sketch I did at work today. An original character named Bolt Bannon... commander of the Rocket Brigade. Maybe I'll do something more with this. I like the look of him...

It's Been A While

I haven't posted in a while so I figured I'd whip up something really quick. I had this vision of a Joker concept in my head for a couple of days so I figured that was as good a thing to sketch as any. A quick job but I kind of like it. Anyway... click on the image to see it full size.

Cash O'Riley cover

I finally got around to finishing the cover to "Get Lucky, Break Down Or Die!"... the soon-to-be-released album from Cash O'Riley and the Downright Daddies. At some point I made a 3D version of the black and white lineart... not sure if the band will use it for anything but it was fun to learn. I'll need to make more 3D art soon.

If you want to see the rest of the layout (all photos taken by Angela Teeples except the "Set list" pic taken by me) you can click the following links:

OUTSIDE COVER
INSIDE COVER
TRAY CARD OUTSIDE
DISC

The CD goes to press today so I assume it'll be out soon. If you want to buy a copy check www.thecashorileyshow.com

If you want to listen to samples of their music you can check out their myspace page: CLICK HERE

Click on the pic to see it full size

Batman: Downtime

A quickie I did while waiting for a download at work... I'm such a dork too 'cause I waited to add the little Batsignal in the sky until my download was finished. I figured if I had to get back to work so did Batman

Not perfect but what the heck... I got paid for it... sorta :) I kind of dig the shapes on his head. I might revisit those...

Click on the image to see it fullsize.

King Drifter

This is a logo I created for a local band... Seems I get a lot of requests for chrome... which is fine 'cause it's a cool look and as far as lettering goes it's kind of a fun effect to create.

Click on it to see it full size...

Bearded Conan...

A quick sketch for a drawing jam at the Drawing Board... Not exactly on model but I just figure Conan would probably have a beard... I just don't think shaving would be a real priority for a barbarian.

Superman redesign...

I threw this together last night based on an idea I had for reinventing Superman's origin. Make sure you click on it to see it full-size... the thumbnail looks pretty odd. Anyway, I was just fooling around. I didn't start out with the intention of creating a retro style image but it's just where it ended up. Anyway, if you feel like reading it, this is the idea I had for the origin:

It basically starts off similar to the standard origin: Doomed planet, last son shot to Earth. However the ship does not crash land with an infant on board. Instead it lands safely… piloted by an adult Kal-El. Having been in an induced sleep-state for the trip Kal-El is telepathically fed all the knowledge Jor-El has to offer… which is a pretty stale in-flight movie but it gets the job done. This is an adult Kal-El with memories of his home who is fully aware that he is the sole survivor of a planet that no longer exists, about to venture out into a strange world that doesn’t know what to make of him. His mission is to make a place for himself among these primitive people, try to save them from suffering a fate similar to Krypton and help them realize their full potential. At the same time though he has no vested interest in them at first and at times views them as an inferior nuisance. There is no Clark Kent. There is no Kansas upbringing. There’s just Kal-El trying to make his way.

Having just arrived in a ship designed to prevent him from being exposed to any harmful radioactivity such as the deadly Kryptonite core of his home world, Kal-El is just now soaking in the rays of Earth’s yellow sun. And while he feels himself growing stronger almost instantly (and sometimes painfully) his powers will not fully manifest for some time. Though he is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, outrun speeding bullets, and overpower locomotives he is not quite up to his full potential. At times, however, he does employ a Kryptonian jet pack to fly (an ability he has yet to discover). The rocket pack helps him cover more ground and allows him to reach the only place he can feel at home and collect his thoughts in peace: The Fortress of Solitude. However this is not the arctic fortress of past Super-stories. This is the modified ship in which he arrived nestled in orbit over the Earth.

Upon arrival Kal-El does not instantly engage the world publicly. He first tries to gain their trust by performing heroic deeds. Having no name for this stranger, humans interpret the symbol on his chest to be an “S” and dub him “Superman”. The “S” perceived by the humans is actually the negative space behind the four yellow Kryptonian glyphs that make up Kal-El’s family crest (hence the squared-off redesign). And though he only refers to himself as Kal-El he doesn’t take offense to “Superman”.

Lunchtime Logan

Just a very simple sketch I did to pass my lunch-time at work... Nothin' spectacular but it's always fun to draw Woverine.

Shirts and caps...

Check out the new shirts and caps I designed...

You can see (and order) them here: www.cafepress.com/3threat

Lots more designs to follow so check back...

Superman: A Work In Progress...

This is an unfinished piece (that's why there are little spots of color floating around him) I've been working on... hopefully I'll have it done this week. This is a tightly cropped version. The finished one will include his legs and clouds... I'm just doing it for fun and to refine my digital painting technique but as it turns out this picture served a purpose. A radio show was giving away passes to the local premiere of Superman Returns... and the host happens to be a huge Superman fan. So I sent him a copy of this pic and told him when I was done I'd make only one signed print and give it to him. Not that my signature is really worth anything but people like one of a kind stuff whether it's from someone famous or not. I'll post updates on this one as it nears completion.

Click on the image to see it full scale...

Custom Work for "Sketch-It"...

Did this one last night as a commission for the "Sketch-It" website... Chrome is always fun to render so this one was right up my alley. As you can see there are a couple other chrome lettered pieces here too... people seem to dig that look.

Not sure when it'll be posted on the Sketch-It site but you can check the site out here: Sketch-It

As always, click on the image to see it full size...

Just stumbled on this one...

I was looking for something else on an archive disc and found this pic I drew a couple of years ago... there are some things I'd do different now but all in all it made me giggle... so I figured I'd share. It was done for a band called Starbelly and while the aged superhero has been done to death now at the time it wasn't so cliché... plus it was the theme of like four of the songs on the album so it's what they wanted. Hand painted with acrylic on illustration board...

The second one is the tray card for the back... I wanted it to look like the clippings he saved from his glory days and incorporate some band stuff...

Late-night Swinger...

I couldn't sleep so I drew up this Spider-Man. I don't know why I draw when I can't sleep... It just keeps me awake longer because I just want to get it finished. Sketched manually, inked in Illustrator then colored in Photoshop. I tend to draw Spider-Man pretty skinny... I just think he works better that way. I may have gotten a little carried away with stretching his limbs but I kind of like the exaggerated look of it...

Anyway, click on the image to see it full scale.

Nobody's Business logos...

These are the new logos I designed for the band Nobody's Business... a band I did a CD cover for late last year (shown below on an earlier post). They wanted to emphasise the "NB" so along with that line of thinking I made one with the full name of the band and one with just the first initials...

If you wanna check out more of Nobody's Business click HERE

"Jelly" Logos...

Another "Sketch-It" request I put a little more time into because I was overdue in completing it... but before you think I'm a slacker this one and the request for the little girl came when my son was pretty sick so I couldn't get to 'em as soon as I wanted. Hopefully I made it up to them. This one was a request for a website called... You guessed it: "Jelly"

Click on 'em to see 'em full size.

Sketch-It sketch...

This is a picture I did for the Sketch-It site. If you're not familiar with Sketch-It, the idea is you can go there, make a sketch request and pay $1 for a sketch. Good deal right? The catch is, the artists only guarantee they will spend a grand total of 1 minute on your sketch (What did you expect for a buck, the Mona Lisa?)... But since artists tend to be an egotistical bunch I think most of us tend to spend more than a minute but typically I don't put as much time into them as I did this one which was about an hour. Still relatively quick which is why it's a bit rough around the edges... which I don't mind though. I think it gives it some charm and a looseness that works in my opinion. Any way you look at it, its a steal for a dollar. Why did I spend an hour on a $1 commission? Because I felt guilty for taking to long to fulfill the request that's why. I do have a conscience and what little is left of a reputation :) Anyway, I thought it was a cute (that's right, I said "cute") sketch so I thought I'd post it... gotta show my sensitive side too you know. It can't always be about screaming zombies and superheroes! Oh and if you want to visit Sketch-It and request a sketch of your own CLICK HERE Just don't expect to get something this detailed... and don't forget to request me specifically :)

As always, click on the picture and zoom in to full size. It looks better that way.

Another help sketch...

This is just a quick markup I did to help someone with a drawing they were working on... He was having trouble with the anatomy and, for whatever reason, decided not to give the guy a face so I sketched one in 'cause I thought it looked better that way... but that may be just my opinion. Anyway the guy's drawing is the stuff I turned red underneath and my markups are in black. I just thought it was kind of gruesome and interesting to look at. His original sketch had the vertabrae showing through the stomach and some elements he handled nicely like the hands so I didn't mess with any of that stuff. I guess this is sort of a collaborative sketch... I wish I could remember the guy's name. I'd give him credit. I'll try to look it up and post it later.

Cartoon help...

Recently I helped someone having a hard time constructing a cartoon head and I created this as an example for him... I though he was amusing enough to post. He ended up looking a bit like Jimmy Neutron as a teenager (probably because of the hair)... but this was based on the guy's design so that's not my fault :)

Click on the picture to see it at a decent resolution...

While I'm clearing out old sketches...

Another one I did at the tail end of last year and just stumbled on... I drew this sketch for a CD project I was working on and ended up going another direction all together... I may actually revisit this one and finish it. I'm kind of proud of that Elvis tattoo... I did that with no reference though I had a particular picture I had seen a lot in mind (I'm an Elvis fan). Which is funny because I was able to draw Elvis with no reference yet I needed a reference to draw the tattoo of the swallow on her other arm... go figure.

Click on it to see it full size and not all jaggedy-like.

The Crow?

Not a new sketch but I stumbled across this and thought it was funny... I was wondering why all the guys in "The Crow" movies were guys with perfect, flowing, long wavy hair, bodies in perfect shape, etc... How come a crow never brings back a guy like this? Short fat guys never have anything to avenge or a wrong to set right? I say Danny Devito should be in the next Crow sequel... that would be cool!

Like always, the preview pic looks all choppy so click on it to see it full size.

Hulk sketch...

Exactly what the title says... a sketch of the Hulk. I've been trying to do some sketches during my lunch break and this is one of 'em.

Like always... click on the image to see it full size.

Dangerville Disc Design...

This is the disc design I created for Dangerville's CD. The logo design for "Dangerville" was created by someone else a long time ago. What they didn't have was a version that wrapped around like this one so I had to recreate it in a circular arrangement to get the look I wanted while remaining consistent to their existing logo. I actually used a 3D design software to create the linework then rendered it in Photoshop. It was a bit of a pain but it turned out well I think. If you want to check out more from Dangerville CLICK HERE.

Click on the pic to see it larger...

Dangerville CD Insert...

This is the insert graphic for the band Dangerville's CD titled "Chaos Theory". Myself and a friend (Craig Esper) went to Thomas Video... a video rental store that has a ton of vintage televisions arranged around the store. We could have probably taken pictures of each TV where it sat and arranged them later on the computer but the owner was kind enough to allow us to actually stack the TVs in the exact arrangement you see here. I shot this with a cheap 3.5 megapixel camera... the lighting conditions were horrible. We only had the fluorescent overhead lights, the flash from the camera and a huge window behind all the TVs that we tried to cover with a blanket to remove the backlit condition that was less than ideal. Needless to say I had to do a LOT of corrections in Photoshop. All the images on the screens were later superimposed in Photoshop. This was one of the most fun projects I've done.

Click the picture to see it fullsize...

Pop Girl in Progress...

This is something I started as part of what was to be a two picture set... I still may finish it but the idea was that it would be hung in my living room. Well we moved, and it doesn't really match now. so if I do finish it I might have to pick a new color scheme. Or I could finish it and let it stand on it's own for what it is.

Click on pic to see it larger...

CD Cover in Progress...

This is a CD cover I'm currently working on (slowly but surely)... the final version will be full color and there will be a version in 3D!! Not much else to say on this one...

Click on the image to see it larger.

Wacom Spidey

This was actually my first attempt at drawing anything with a Wacom tablet directly into the computer. I never got around to finishing it... it was really just to get a feel for the device. I kind of like this one so far... just wish I could get motivated to finish it.

Click on the image to see it full size. (Sorry for the somewhat blurry jpeg. I'll try to upload a cleaner version at some point)

The Joker...

I'm not too sure this one screams "The Joker" or not... I went for a more graphic quality with this black and white drawing. I was shooting for a 40s look. I've thought about coloring this to make it stand out as the Joker a little more but there's something I like about the stark black and white. I'll probably just leave it as-is.

Edison Wattage...

I drew this guy for a character jam based on Matthew Schuler's original character "Edison Wattage". I don't think this character has seen print in a comic yet but I think it would be cool if he did. There are some flaws in this I might fix at some point... I drew this on the computer with a mouse before I got my Wacom tablet. Still... for drawing it with a mouse I kind of dig it.

Click on image to see it full size.

Amazing Man

This is an old superhero from the 40s. Amazing Man... also known as "The Green Myst". This quickie was done as a submission to a character jam where heroes with a color in their name were featured.

Click on image to see it full size.

CD Cover

This is a CD cover I was commisioned to do for the local band Nobody's Business. They wanted something with a 1950s look to match their musical style (Rockabilly). I'm a big
fan of Rockabilly so the opportunity to do this type of cover is a fun thing for me. Check out the Nobody's Business website by clicking HERE

Click on the image to see it full size.

Motorbilly Emblem

This is a logo I designed for an internet radio show that plays Rockabilly.
I rendered everything from scratch... even the wood grain so I'm pleased with the way it came out. Of the logos I've designed I think this is my favorite.

Super Spider

Just a goofy little drawing I did last night during a bout of insomnia... Just a design based on the idea of combining Superman and Spider-Man kind of like those Amalgam characters Marvel and DC came up with some time ago... Click on the pic to see it full size.

EDIT: Since posting this I learned that I have inadvertantly created a nearly identical chest symbol as the DC/Marvel Amalgam character "Spider-Boy". Oops. Guess you can't be completely original all the time.

The Black Terror

This is a somewhat obscure hero (even though he looks like a villain) from the 40s called The Black Terror. This was done for a monthly drawing jam as well. The theme was "Characters with color in their name". This was the first thing I've drawn exclusively in Adobe Illustrator. It came off as a little cartoony but I kind of like it... as always, click on the image to see it full size.

Captain Marvel

Did this one for a character jam at The Drawing board. Captain Marvel: The World's Mightiest Mortal. Click on image to see full size view...

Just gettin' this thing up and runnin'

Well... everyone else has a blog so I guess it's my turn. Until I get a web site up I figure this will be as good a place as any to post some of my work. Since this blog is a work in progress I thought I'd start by posting a work in progress: Tarzan Lord of the Apes (click on the image to see it full size). I'll be posting a lot more soon so check back. Thanks for checkin it out.

Brian