I Speak Nerd

We're Moving

2010-07-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks. Patrick's blog is moving to www.ScullinIllustration.com <-- Click the link to update your RSS reader.

Greg Spalenka - Artist As Brand

2010-05-21T13:17:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick post about Greg Spalenka. A forward thinking illustrator teaching other artists how to brand themselves for success. He's putting on a workshop at BYU next month. I highly recommend it: #GregSpalenka #ArtistAsBrand Workshop at BYU June 15, 16, 17. Win a free $300 class through this #giveaway. http://bit.ly/aSGcep

Greg's Blog: ArtistAsBrand.com

Comic-Con 2009

2009-07-09T16:39:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again folks and Comic-Con is right around the corner. This year's show runs Thursday, July 23rd through Sunday, July 26th. I'm happy to announce that yours truly, cartoonist and master Jedi Patrick Scullin, will be attending this year's show. Visit me the entire week at table P-02 in the Small Press pavilion. This year we're listed as Super Siblings Comics so come on over, pick up some original art, buy some books, or just come by for a chat. Like you, I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones so don't be shy!

M.F.A. Exhibition

2009-04-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 18th 2009 from 6pm to 9pm is the opening reception for "Four Color Fantasy" a Master's of Fine Art Exhibition by Patrick Scullin. Come enjoy the art and mingle with friends and family. The exhibit will be open to the public Monday, Wednesday, & Friday - April 20th through April 30th from 9am to 1pm. Gallery location: West Gallery, Visual Arts Department - Cal State Fullerton, 800 North State College Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92831.

Drew Struzan!!!

2009-02-14T17:52:00.001-08:00

The wife and I went to a gallery opening for Drew Struzan last night. Here's a picture of us with the man himself. Drew's work is probably the most recognizable illustration of our day. He's done thousands of posters for everything from Star Wars to Harry Potter during his almost 40 year career. It was a rare opportunity to see some of his original work up close and more than that - to meet the artist himself. His art is breathtaking and really can't be appreciated unless seen up close. He was a very gracious and humble host. I enjoyed talking with him and telling him about the time when I was 13 and saw his work for the first time at an art show he had at the San Bernardino Library. It was also fun to hear about his experience living in Lake Arrowhead as well. Thanks Drew! If you're in the area visit Gallery Nucleus February 13, 2009 - March 2, 2009.

Let it Snow!

2009-02-10T14:13:00.001-08:00

Stan Lee!!!!!

2008-10-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

I had intended to write about my experience meeting Stan Lee much earlier but alas I have been too busy of late. In any case I'm very excited to say that I was able to meet Stan and on my birthday no less. Is it possible that there are people out there who don't know who Stan is? I guess it's possible – so for those who don't know – he is the co-creator of the entire Marvel comics universe. From Spider-man to the Fantastic Four, to the Hulk, to Iron Man and so on. By co-creator I mean the founder, writer and editor in chief at Marvel who for many years, working with artists like Jack Kirby, created our favorite heroes.

Quite by chance I heard about a networking breakfast where Stan was invited to be the keynote speaker. I looked at the date and was surprised to see that it was scheduled for September 25th, my birthday. It was fate I supposed and deciding to be uncharacteristically impulsive, I signed up. It was a little bit of a logistical challenge for me to get there, living 80 miles outside of LA but I made it work. I'd like to share a few tid bits that I gathered from Stan as I hastily took notes while he spoke. Here goes (his answers are paraphrased):

Stan opened by being gracious and stating that he wasn't really sure why he had been called upon to speak. As far as he was concerned he was a creative guy and didn't understand anything about the entertainment business. He may get the executive producer title a lot but he had no idea what that meant. (Note, Stan is a funny guy and had the audience laughing throughout.)

Q: What was the secret to his crazy output?

Stan said there is no secret it was just lots of hard work. He said he was usually able to think of ideas which he figured was a talent of his. Other than that he recommended that writers should read a lot to build up story ideas in their subconscious. For example the Incredible Hulk was a monster story that was inspired by the old monster movies with Boris Karloff like Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde. In his mind he wanted the monster to be the hero who from time to time turned into a regular guy.

Q: What are a heroes key characteristics?

Stan said that there was nothing in particular other than believability. He said there must be something in them that people can relate to. Even though it's a fantasy story it must appear realistic. Like Spider-man who was a teenager with real problems, a regular guy. Characters should be credible so they come alive.

Q: Excelsior! I've heard a lot about Spider-man but I've always wondered what is the origin of Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane?

Stan started by saying "Well one night their mother and father got together..." (Audience laughs) He went on to say that they weren't based on any one but that Gwen was Peter's first love. He really liked the idea of creating tension with Gwen because she blamed Spider-man for her father's death but was still close to Peter not knowing his alter-ego. He used that kind of tension and conflict a lot. He said he figured Marvel must have had it out for the Stacy's because another writer decided to kill Gwen.

He thought it was too bad that they didn't reveal Mary Jane in the movies like they had done in the comics. MJ's introduction was always one of his favorites. He loved the idea that Aunt May was always pestering Peter to meet this "very nice girl". Of course Peter avoided her because he thought she would be so unattractive. As he put it the great John Romita drew the most beautiful girl he could on the last panel of the issue. Peter was speechless because he had just opened the door and finally found out who the "nice girl" was. Mary Jane had the last line and said "Face it tiger, you hit the Jackpot."

Q: What did you read growing up?

Stan said he read everything. Dickens, Hardy Boys, Robin Hood, Oz Books, Mark Twain, and Shakespeare because he loved the words even though he didn't understand them. He even read the bible, though he wasn't particularly religious. He read pulp stuff like the Shadow and Doc Savage. He said his mother used to say that he would even read the Ketchup bottle. He went on to say that Dickens was considered "pulp" in his generation. He thought it was funny that if you waited around long enough even pulp would become a classic. He then said "See someday you can tell your kids you met the classic writer Stan Lee."

Q: What do you do at your new company POW Entertainment?

Stan said it was his job to come up with ideas. After that someone else would take it and try to do something with it in television or movies. He was excited about a new idea that was picked up by Disney. Also his "Who Wants to be a Super Hero" show was a hit in Britain as a kids show and that maybe it would be brought back to the states that way. Who knows?

Q: How did you get your start?

Stan said first of all you need to be good at what you're trying get in to. After that and important most of all is luck. Everything, he figured, came down to luck. He said he was lucky he had applied to his wife's cousin's father's (or something like that, he couldn't seem to remember) publishing company. There was an opening in the kid's comics publishing department. At that time it was not prestigious or even considered a good thing to be working for a comics publisher, comics were thought to be for the illiterate. He was about 17 at the time. When he got there there were only two artists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. It was a very small operation. The publisher didn't pay much attention to it. Because it wasn't an important department he did what he wanted and was able to become the youngest editor at the time. In those days editor also meant art director, so he picked up a number of other skills. Of course as an editor he was partial, so he always gave himself the best stories to write.

Another attribute he thought he had that was important was the ability to get along with others. He tried not to be a threat because he was always working for people older than him. Many times he was treated as a threat even though he tried hard not to be. Comics is one of the hardest business in the world and people could be very selfish so go out there and help each other and be lucky! You need to create opportunities were to can meet the right people and be lucky. If you need an agent, try to get a job at an agency. Make friends with talented people.

After a few more comments he finished by wishing everyone the best of luck and saying "We've got to do this more often."

– Patrick Scullin

New Portfolio

2008-07-30T12:06:00.001-07:00

Here is a copy of my new illustration portfolio. Download a copy by clicking here. - Patrick Scullin

Harrison's Book

2008-07-30T11:43:00.001-07:00

Harrison Scullin has written his own book this summer. Each day he has come to the studio and worked on his new book "Middle Age Mice". He made me promise to take it to Comic Con with my Super Siblings Comic Books to sell. I made a few copies for him and he sold a dozen of them which gave him some spending money at the show. You can download a copy of his book by clicking here. He wrote and typed the book all by himself with no help from me except for the layout. - Patrick Scullin

Comic Con 2008

2008-07-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Another Comic-Con has come and gone. It was great fun with lots to do and lots to see. I'd like to thank anyone that came to visit us at the Banshee Comics booth. I had a great time promoting my illustration work and my Super Siblings comics. Thanks to Doug Sirois my booth mate and to the many other cool artists and Cal State Fullerton Alumni that we met. Here are some snap shots of me and Harrison at the event.

Here are a list of some of my favorite artist contacts at the event:

Art Baltazar - Tiny Titans DC Cartoonist
Aaron Lopresti - Comic Artist
Mike Mignola - Creator of Hellboy
Moira Hahn - Fine Artist & Illustrator
Doug Sirois - Fantasy Illustrator
Matt Busch - Star Wars Illustrator
Dave Kellet - Sheldon Cartoonist
Hoang Nguyen - Illustrator
Mike Bennett - Poster Artist

"Damn Dirty Ape"

2008-07-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

The Legendary Charlton Heston - "Taylor" from the Planet of the Apes series.

Planet of the Apes

2008-07-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to complete some science fiction illustrations for Menagerie Creative. Here is the first in the series "Caesar".

Book Expo America

2008-06-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended the Book Expo America in Los Angeles. It was a great opportunity to meet and great folks involved in publishing and selling books and graphic novels. As an illustrator I looked for opportunities to talk with artists, buyers and publishers. One nice thing about this year's event was it's focus on Graphic Novels.

I started the event by attending the Graphic Novel breakfast hosted by Diamond and with panel members Jeff Smith creator of Bone, Art Spiegelman creator of the Pulitzer-Prize winning Maus, Mike Mignola creator of Hellboy, and Jeph Loeb who has many hollywood and graphic novel credits, including the TV show Lost. It was great fun to listen to them discuss their careers and comment on the industry. In that regard I was most surprised by Spiegelman who turned out to be a truly interesting artist, with a very funny presentation and clever comments throughout.

At the end, I took a chance and went to introduce myself to Jeff Smith. To my surprise there weren't that many people lined up to talk with him so it was fairly easy. He was very gracious and friendly and I appreciate the time he took to look at my work and talk about self-publishing.

Another surprise came when I literally, almost ran into R.A. Salvatore in the Wizards of the Coast booth. I've been reading his fantasy novels for a few years, and as luck would have it, I picked up one of his graphic novels from the Devil's Due booth earlier in the day. I had no idea he was signing at the show and must have looked really silly when I exclaimed "It's you!" after I saw him. Incredibly I had the graphic novel for him to sign and I happened to have a tearsheet with my fantasy illustration work on it. I don't know if he understood me completely but I showed him that two of the four paintings were actually inspired by characters in his books. For example Catterbrie and Bruenor.

So after all, the show turned out to be fun for me as an artist and as a fan.

Keep this Dragon!

2008-04-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that a new paperback edition has been released of Janet Lee Carey's fantasy novel "Dragon's Keep". They re-used the cover illustration I created for the hardcover edition but this time the color and contrast are much, much better. I am very pleased, visit Amazon to take a look. - Patrick Scullin

Aesop's Fabled Fable

2008-03-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Howdy – I recently finished a sample children's book based on Aesop's Fable the Lion and the Mouse. The illustrations were done in pen and ink. Feel free to download a pdf version of the 8 page book. I'd love to hear what you think. - Patrick Scullin

Wizard Wrap

2008-03-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Wizard World is over. It was a fun and exciting weekend. First of all THANK YOU to everyone that visited my booth. It was great to meet everyone and talk shop. This was my first year at WW so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was definitely much smaller than Comic-Con which affected product sales but the smaller crowds made it easier to chat with other professionals. Here are some highlights:

My booth mate was pop artist Mike Bennett. He's an animation industry veteran who channels Jack Kirby in his dynamic poster art (He even knew Kirby which is cool). He is so prolific that he only sells originals because he's able to produce 2 or 3 unique posters a day. We had a good time shooting the breeze and talking about the biz.

I had the opportunity to meet and talk with cover artist Michael Golden. He was a special guest of the show and happened to have a booth not too far from mine. He came by and complimented my illustration. He was very friendly and very encouraging. We had a good discussion about art and technique and I believe he proves that in spite of fame, you can still be a good guy. At this show and others I've meet plenty of artists who are not so giving which makes Golden a class act.

I also took a chance and introduced myself to Dan DiDio, Senior Vice President and Executive editor at DC. He was making the rounds and was stopping to talk with some of the big DC artists near my booth. I got his attention and we talked for a few minutes. He reminded me that he wasn't there to review anything but I was able to give him a Super Siblings promo card. Can't get much better then handing it off to the main guy, here's to taking a chance. Anyways, Dan was also very nice to me and I appreciated that.

I had the opportunity to meet with a few other celebrities but hey, who else can claim that R2D2 is a fan? He just kept coming back to my booth. Another surprise at the show came when I ran into Devin Parker. That was a real blast from the past, he and I were friends and you might even say artistic rivals in middle school and high school. It's fun to see that both of us are still out their working it to make some artistic dreams come true. I wish him the best of luck!

Well, that's it, if I think of anything else important I'll put it up later. - Patrick Scullin

Wizard World LA

2008-03-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Wizard World Los Angeles 2008. Can you see me through the horde of adoring fans?

Wizard This!

2008-03-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Wizard World Los Angeles is here, March 14th - 16th at the Los Angeles Conventions Center. Order your tickets today and visit with yours truly in Artist's Alley. That's me Patrick Scullin and I will be at booth number 2240. Don't be confused by the Wizard World listing, since the time that exhibitors were listed on their website, artist David Malki and I have switched booths. If you wind up at his or at mine by accident we will kindly direct you to the correct booth. I look forward to seeing and greeting anyone that comes by to check out the fantasy art I've got to sell and the comics I'm promoting.

Save the Date!

2008-02-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

Wizard World LA is coming in March! Don't miss it – March 14-16, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Aside from all of the wonderful celebrities appearing this year, there will also be a host of non-celebrities like me. So when you come to the Con, don't forget to stop by and meet non-celebrity artist Patrick Scullin in Artist's Alley. Exact times and booth numbers will be posted here when the info becomes available.

Let it Snow!

2008-01-25T16:06:00.001-08:00

This is what I get for living in the mountains.

Spider-Man "Brand New Day"

2008-01-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

Marvel has done it again. They've gone and messed with tradition and... I love it. I've mentioned in previous posts some of the things that have happened with Captain America and now it's Peter Parker's turn. This time, instead of some one dying, it's the fact that someone "lived" that changes everything. I'm not going to discuss all the details but I found an interesting interview of Joe Quesada at AICN. Quesada points out that the things we all remember and love about comics, those things that become the "water shed" moments, all have one thing in common - change. I think it's easy to say that fans fear change but I suspect that most feel like me because I don't fear change, I fear change that serves no purpose or is just done for publicity's sake. I think these changes in Spider-man serve a purpose and I can see the creative skill and intent behind them. While the boy inside me who still reads comic books hates for things to change, it's the adult inside me that appreciates the art form who needs it.

Sorceress

2008-01-11T15:00:00.001-08:00

Here is another illustration from the series I recently completed. Again I've included the sketch from my sketchbook and the finished digital painting created in Painter.

Medieval Wench

2008-01-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

Here is another illustration from the series I recently completed. Again I've included the sketch from my sketchbook and the finished digital painting created in Painter.

Elf Queen

2007-12-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here is one of a series of digital fantasy paintings I completed this year. More will follow. These paintings are done in Corel Painter after starting with a scanned drawing from my sketchbook.

Create Magazine Award

2007-11-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

I'm proud to announce that "See" Monster has won a Create Magazine Gold Award. My poster design won in the student category for graphic communication. As a graduate student at CSUF I originally designed the poster for the 2007 Hollywood Reporter Student Key Art Awards, but didn't win. The concept I came up with was to create a treasure map out of the movie poster. So if you follow the riddle and fold the poster you get a secondary image. Pretty cool. I'm glad it's being recognized by the create awards. The November/December 2007 Create Magazine Awards issue is on-sale now. - Patrick Scullin

Make My Logo Bigger!

2007-11-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

A friend forwarded this link to me. These amazing products do the trick when dealing with those pesky amateur clients! Enjoy!! makemylogobiggercream.com

Cathedral

2007-11-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a rough sketch I did this week with my students. I was teaching them some digital painting techniques in Painter.

Portrait

2007-11-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here is another painting done with my students in Digital Illustration. This is my favorite day in the course when we paint a picture together. There is something very relaxing to me about painting and I love it. It's done completely in painter and I follow a traditional technique. I find it's best to approach digital painting the same way you approach traditional media. Out of habit I like to start with a blue pencil drawing, followed by vine charcoal. I then do a sepia value painting with digital watercolor, followed by opaque color added with wet acrylic and air brush. It's still rough and unfinished but I like it. - Patrick Scullin

Inferno

2007-11-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

The studio has been closed for the past 10 days due to the terrible slide fire in the San Bernardino Mountains. The mountain communities have been affected like never before. We know many folks who lost their homes, including my parents, and our hearts go out to everyone. We would like to thank all of our friends and family for their concern and prayers. Thankfully my parents place wasn't completely burned and as they've returned home they've discovered that they will be able to salvage many things. The brood has been couped up in a house with cousins and extended family for two weeks and everyone is anxious to get back to normal. Finally the evacuation for Running Springs has ended today so we're headed home. - Patrick Scullin

P.S. The picture is a view of the fire from Running Springs.

Captain America Returns!

2007-10-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

Marvel has announced that Captain America will return next year. CBR News has an article about it repleat with new costume designs by Alex Ross and story details by Ed Brubaker. I'm going to patiently wait and withhold judgement until I see how this turns out when the new Cap finally appears in issue #34. Ed does confirm in the article however that it's not going to be Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, who picks up the cowl and shield. The revelation that someone else will take over as America's greatest hero for me is bitter sweet. I want my favorite character to return, but I'm hesitant to accept someone other than Rogers, the heroic World War II veteran, as Cap. We'll just have to wait and see, don't fail me Brubaker. - Patrick Scullin

Elf Queen

2007-10-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've been able to post. Here's a new sketch from my sketchbook. I'm turning it into a digital painting. I'll post that when it's finished too. - Patrick

Quirl Burt Myers

2007-08-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

I got the news that this past week one of my mentors had passed away. This painting is one his that hangs in my home. I have two of his paintings that he gave me and I will always cherish them. Each day I pass by them and observe his brush work and marvel at his talent. I am grateful to have these paintings to study. His style has had a great influence on my artistic sensibilities. Burt was a private man and a very deep and thoughtful artist. I grew up with him and he was a grandpa figure in my life. I can't put into words all the things that he meant to me as an individual and as an artist but, suffice it to say, I will miss him. I quote a favorite hymn of mine and Burt's by W. W. Phelps "There is no end to glory; There is no end to love; There is no end to being; There is no death above. There is no end to glory; There is no end to love; There is no end to being; There is no death above." Burt, until we meet again - Patrick.

Comic-Con This!

2007-08-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well some time has passed since my debut at Comic-Con 2007. Thanks to Doug Sirois for being my booth mate. And thanks a bunch to Michelle, Dana, and Dan for hanging and helping out. It was a lot of fun with lots to see, and lots to do. I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to make as many contacts as I could and promote myself and Banshee Comics too. I got a wide variety of responses from "you're not ready for this" to that is "totally awesome". The best response I got was from Art Baltazar the creator of Patrick the Wolf Boy. He was very encouraging and very helpful and I appreciate that. To sum up Comic-Con was fun, exhausting, and really, really cool. I'll be back again.

Iron-Man

2007-07-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Here's Iron-Man, another one of my quick sketches. Funny thing, a few years back I was hired to design a program book for the Iron-Man triathlon at Camp Pendelton. The crazy thing was I had to take snap shots of the event that day and put that together with real-time race results for 100's of people. All that data then had to be formatted and printed over night and bound in a booklet and available the next morning at the closing breakfast. It was an all night affair for me and the printer. I still don't know how it ever got finished. Why do I bring this up? Because I'm undergoing another self-impossed marathon trying to complete my materials for Comic Con 2007. No matter what it seems, my creative work, no matter how hard I try, is a marathon down to the very last minute. Back to work. - Patrick Scullin

Comic Con, Comic Con, Comic Con

2007-07-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick sketch of Wolverine in honor of Comic Con 2007. It's getting closer and closer, July 26th - 29th, 2007 at the San Diego Convention Center. I'm looking forward to being there this year for the first time as an exhibitor. I'm in booth #4921 with Doug Sirois in the Fantasy Illustrators section. I'll have lots of materials to pitch and tees and prints to sell, so come one come all and BUY something. - Patrick Scullin

More Than One Patrick Scullin There Is!

2007-07-11T19:55:00.001-07:00

I thought I would clear the air about something I discovered recently. If you have ever "Googled" your name you may get some interesting results like I have. I have always figured that my name is pretty unique, but there actually ARE other Patrick Scullins. And one in particular inhabits the top spot of a google search for Patrick Scullin. It's quite embarrassing infact because that particular Patrick Scullin had something to do with a not to be named "girlie magazine" (I don't dare write the name and further increase his search results). In any case, that Patrick Scullin is NOT me. I'm doing my best to knock him out of the search results. Hopefully it won't take to long. - The REAL Patrick Scullin

Cap

2007-07-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sketch I did recently of Captain America. I just finished reading the Fallen Son series from Marvel. It's a five part story about the affects of Cap's death on different heroes that knew him. I think the stories were very well written and I have to say that I'm really enjoying a lot of things that are coming our of Marvel these days. I'm in a Comic Book reading mood this week so I thought I'd say something about it here. - Patrick Scullin

Buy Prints!

2007-06-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Shameless self-promotion alert! Buy prints of my illustrations. I've set up a new online ordering system. I'll keep updating it frequently with my favorite images. Did I mention I want you to buy my prints?! I've got a few fantasy and sci-fi illustrations to choose from. (Plus I need to make sure I programmed the Paypal system correctly). - Patrick Scullin

Quark This!

2007-06-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Some of us spent the day in downtown Los Angeles at the Quark 7 symposium. It was an invitation event put on by Quark to support the launch of Quark 7 and try to convince us all to start using it. We had great fun and I learned a lot. It seems to me that they've finally got the message and they've included great features that InDesign has had for a while. I for one and going to use it because I WON A FULL VERSION copy of 7 in their raffle drawing! Not bad for a free conference, it was pretty awesome. - Patrick Scullin

Indy's Back

2007-06-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

I found this picture on IGN.com, one of my favorite sites. Click here for the actual link. It's cool! It's for real! They actually are making Indiana Jones IV. Lots of speculation abounds on the internet about what this movie's going to be about. I plan on doing my best to remain unspoiled and ready for May 22, 2008. I can't wait, it looks to me like Harrison Ford won't have any trouble reprising the role.

Key Art Awards - Update

2007-06-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

We had a good time at the 2007 Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards. This is a snap shot of the Fullerton crowd. It was great to see Cheryl, Larry, and Doug. Also, we met a few celebrity guests which was cool. We said "Hi" to Dave Foley from News Radio (one of our favorites) and Rob Corddry from the Daily Show. All in all we had a great time.

Key Art Awards

2007-06-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

Today is the day of the Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards. I was an entrant in this year's student competition with my See Monster poster design for Pirates of the Caribbean. Unfortunately it didn't win any anything but I'm looking forward to the awards ceremony regardless. It should be a great time and hopefully I can meet some good people.

Sponge Bob

2007-06-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun painting I did for my animation background class with Cliff Cramp. We used actual Nickelodeon painting tests so the idea was to duplicate the look and technique of the original. I picked Sponge Bob because he's the best. This painting was done in traditional acrylic on illustration board. If you'd like to see more of my background painting you can download my portfolio, click here.

Comic Con 2007

2007-06-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

Annoucing the premiere of Patrick Scullin - illustrator extraordinaire : ) at Comic Con 2007. Fantasy illustrator Doug Sirois of DAS Illustration, has invited me to be a special guest in Booth #4921 in the Fantasy Illustrators section. I'll be there all week July 26th - July 29th. Come and see us!

Henchman

2007-05-31T16:34:00.000-07:00

This illustration is part of a pitch proposal for a new graphic novel entitled Henchman. Henchman was written by Steve Whitestone. This image is a panel I penciled, inked and colored. Steve and I decided to enter a publication contest at ComicCon 2007 put on by Platinum Studios. If we are selected their may be an opportunity for the public to vote in support of our idea so we'll keep everyone posted.

The Prestige

2007-05-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

During my Cal State Fullerton class with Cheryl Savala of Menagerie Creative I designed this poster for "The Prestige". The assignment was to create a poster that was a visual metaphor. So the poster needed to be a "dual" image of sorts. This is what I came up with.

Comic Space

2007-05-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Now that this semester of Grad School is coming to an end it's time to rev up the 'ol comic business. Banshee Comics is my new venture that will include the graphic novels and web comics I've got in the works. I've created a profile over at ComicSpace.com to promote the work. Starting this month, (May 2007) on that page, I'll start uploading artwork for "Hunter" the science fiction / action adventure graphic novel I am creating. Check it out! I'm going to try and release both penciled and completed pages each week as I prepare for "Hunter: Issue #1's" debut at Comic Con 2007 in San Diego.

"See" Monster

2007-04-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

As a Graduate Student at Fullerton this semester I've been able to take the Entertainment Graphics Class taught by Cheryl Savala of Menagerie Creative. It has been a great experience. The animation I'm showing here is based on the design I created for Pirates of the Carribean Dead Man's Chest. The concept I came up with was to turn the poster itself into a treasure map. Like those old Mad Magazine inserts, when folded in the proper manner, the poster shows a hidden image. I have also entered the poster into the Hollywood Reporter's Student Key Art competition and I have my fingers crossed that I might win something. I'll know how that goes in a few months and let you know here. If you'd like a copy of the poster let me know I've printed a few hundred as promotional items.

The Death of Captain America

2007-04-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last year I resumed my hobby of Comic Book collecting. Marvel successfully lured me back after a 15 year hiatus with it's Civil War mini-series. I've since gone on to read many other new titles like Planet Hulk and Bullet Points (two of my favorites). And of course the first title I bought in 2006 was Captain America. My all-time favorite hero is Captain America. I probably have over 200 of his books dating back to the 1960's. On March 19th, 2007, Captain America #25 changed everything: "On his way to an arraignment at the Federal Courthouse in New York City, Captain America was shot in the right shoulder by a sniper's bullet. Several subsequent shots were fired point blank at Rogers by Sharon Carter. Captain America was pronounced dead on arrival at Mercy Hospital." Captain America is dead. I won't go into the why's or what if's of Marvels decision to kill a high profile, classic character like this. Instead with this post I would like to pay my respects to the character and the ideals he represented. Strangely I'm not angry with Marvel. At this point I trust the writers to be doing something siginificant instead of just using it as a cheap publicity stunt. In any case, Long Live Captain America! And Marvel, don't disappoint me!

2007 Addy Awards

2007-03-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

On Friday, March 2 2007 the Inland Empire Ad Club held their annual Addy Awards Ceremony. As a Designer working with Vertical Advertising, I was able to win a few. The first was a Gold Addy for "Best Website Design" for the site created with Dea Goldsmith and Steve Bradbury for Kroh Architects. The second award was a Silver Addy for "Logo Design" for Fiesta Village. The third was a Silver Addy for "Flash Animation" for Matisse Footwear. And the final award was a Bronze Addy for "Corporate Campaign" created with Dea Goldsmith and Hayley Raynes for Amphion, Inc.. We're all very happy and proud of the results.

The Force is Strong in My Family

2007-02-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

So my friend Steve sends me this personality test. Usually I avoid those kinds of forwarded emails. This time I couldn't resist because they tell you which star wars character you are!!! As a true fan I turned out to be Yoda. Not bad, why don't you try it out, click the image:

Dragon's Keep

2006-12-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

Good news - Dragon's Keep written by Janet Lee Carey, with cover art by yours truely has gone into publication. I found it today on the Harcourt Trade Publishers Website. I also found it on Amazon. It's great to see some of my work in actual print. It looks like the book will be available in Spring '07. The picture associated with this post is the original illustration I produced. They did change it significantly for their final publication which dissapoints me, but whatayagonnado? Anyways hopefully I'll get the opportunity to do more!

Comic-Con 2006

2006-07-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well it has come and gone and this years convention seemed bigger and better than ever. Not much to report other than delivering my portfolio to a few publishers and then spending time ogling on the show floor. Also spent time at the Marvel Studios presentation and I must say Iron-Man sounds cool and I can't wait for Captain America!! Maybe next year when the graphic novel is finished I'll become a presenter, at the very least that would allow me to get in without waiting in the line from Hades. http://www.comic-con.org

Superman Returns

2006-06-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

So I've seen it. And I imagine I was one of the first at 10pm Tuesday night. Since Superman "V" plays into the creation of this post (read 1st post), I thought I should write my own review: Four out of four stars ****, a fitting tribute to the best Superman films and a great beginning to reignite the franchise. The film makers and actors created their own world while not stomping on the past. We couldn't ask for anything better.

Bat Cave

2006-06-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

And who couldn't resist a stop by the original Bat Cave.

Disney Studio

2006-06-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

This is the original location of the Disney Bros Animation studio in Los Felices, now a fax and copy center. The owner has a tiny hand painted sign in the window identifying the location.

Walt

2006-06-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Not long ago I finished the biography of Walt Disney. It was a great read and I learned a great deal about the man behind the mouse. A friend of mine and fellow Disney buff decided to visit a few historical sites from the book. Most aren't found on any map and are left undiscovered and owned by private individuals. This image is the corner lot in Los Felices where Walt and Roy owned identical homes in the 20s and 30s. The garage is where the original Mickey Mouse cartoons were said to be made in secret while his animators we're being commadeered with Oswald the Rabbit.

Making Progress

2006-05-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

I've decided to display a preview of my lastest illustration project. I've spent the last few months working on a graphic novel that will be produced in 2006. The story has been written, the layout work has been completed, and I am moving into the final phase of digital painting. This image represents my first completed panel and I've still got quite a few to go. I am very excited to finish the work and see how it all comes together. When it's ready it will be made available to the public. Most likely in digital form first and then hopefully not too long afterward, as a printed graphic novel. This is actually the first in graphic novel in a three part series, so if you're patient there will be more to come.

Frustrated

2006-05-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

I tend to get side tracked when I should be doing other important things. And it seems the busier I get the easier it is to get side tracked. Today should have been spent working hard, but of course I spent it hardly working. I've had this idea for a while to build an arcade machine based on MAME. I want to build a complete working cabinet just like you would find in the arcade. And of course it's easy to get lost in all the computer code trying to make these blasted ROMS work. Anyways, I was unsuccessful in my latest attempt to get a valid frontend for MacMAME running on my Mac. And I may need to abandon the whole idea with a mac system and find an old PC, but I really, really don't want to do that. But the new intel macs do offer up interesting possibilities. I guess that's a project for another busy day.

It's Working

2006-04-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a cool digital painting I did today. I was forced to do a quick study for my students and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. For once my technique is starting to make sense.

It Begins

2006-04-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here goes nothing. I'll start by explaining the title. My wife, son and I went to Comicon in 2004. My young son was wearing his Superman T-shirt. When the three of us exited the shuttle we entered the crazy and wild world of Fandom. We were surrounded by fans dressed in every possible kind of costume. It was definite culture shock for the wife. Within minutes a stranger confronted my wife and while pointing at my sons t-shirt said, "The jury is still out on whether there will be a five." She looked at me totally confused and even a little frightened. Of course it made perfect sense to me. Our friendly neighborhood geek had been referring to the fact that at the time no one knew if they were going to make a Superman 5. I comforted my wife by telling her to stay close and not venture off because "I speak nerd."