Dewey's Tuesday Grab-Bag!

I have a few 'targeted' blog posts coming up but for now I have some drawings and points of interest that I'd like to share before I forget! The first of these somewhat unconnected offerings is a little painting I did of my cat in anticipation of a project that I'm developing with writer Paul Tobin. More on that front as it becomes appropriate to divulge details.

I'm really enjoying the qualities of Gouache. I might even make a painted comic, of modest length, as an upcoming project.
I played a show with my friend Josh Malm at the Aladdin Theatre on the 11th of this month and I was able to do a little drawing of one of the opening bands. All I had was a sharpie and a 0.05 micron. It's like having a broadsword or a scalpel when you want to spread jam on your toast.

These guys knew how to work a crowd but they were a little crass backstage; I suppose that is rock n' roll for the most part.
Here is another drawing of Lindsey that I did while we were eating at a restaurant. We went to Genie's to try their breakfast fare. I liked Lindsey's French toast but I was not a fan of my own pancakes. I think it was probably a fluke because the rest of breakfast was great. I think Lindsey is very pretty and I like to draw her.

My current sketch book has really thin paper so I didn't add a wash behind her; I still like this image as it is with the tints of white pen on the off white paper.
I've got plenty of drawings in process and lots of projects in the cue. Come back and visit. Feel free to tell me what you think and what sorts of things you might like to see on the blog. I'm open to including suggestions and stealing your ideas! Happy Tuesday. Thanks all!

Sketchy Sketch Sketch.

I'm continuing my work on the avengers pages and while working up thumbnails I generate a bunch of little ideas. These are for page 3 of my sample script.

A few of these vignettes work well as stand-alone images but they might not function well as part of a page comprised of several panels. I wanted to post them because I find the rough searching quality charming.

Sometimes the fragile nature of those sketches can't be reproduced in a finished piece; the preparatory work has a vitality with its' own value but isn't conducive to conveying information clearly.

I hope you've enjoyed looking at my drawing without its' makeup on.

Banner Fun.

I'm progressing along making my blog better and trying to get other aspects of my life in order. My first order of business was to make some appealing headers/banners. Lindsey suggested that I do a different one for every month like another blogger she reads. I started with a space theme featuring Lindsey herself but I decided that I need to repaint it because of proportion issues.

Here are the banners in various states of finish. The top is the redrawing of my 'Lindsey in space' banner. The bottom is the current banner before I added ink and highlights
This is the June banner in it's un-cropped, finished state.
I've got more ideas to come. You may have seen one in a previous post that involves woodland creatures. I several planned: undersea, old West, dinosaurs, rock n' roll, scientists, friend portraits, cats and more! Keep checking back to see what is happening.

Avengers Assemble Once More

Here is another page of pencils for my Marvel samples. I got an email a few weeks back from them requesting more samples so I'm working up a 5 page set for the first script in the hope that it will lead to a new job!


I'll have to light box this whole thing to get rid of any sketchy lines. I could ink this from the point that it is at but there's no telling what sort of work arrangement I might end up in (penciler but not inker, shooting straight from pencils etc) and I want to be sure that there is as little room for interpretation as possible. You can luck out and get a great inker but that isn't assured so it's best to do what you can to make your aesthetic come through clearly.

Heroes, Robots, Girlfriends; Oh My

Right now Periscope Studio is very busy working on a big commercial gig that I have a substantial part in, I'm doing backgrounds on Justice League 'Retro' and trying to produce some Marvel samples. I don't mind the juggling but I sometimes feel like I lose track of things that I promise myself I'll finish "when I have time." Here are a few recent drawings I've done outside my professional obligations.

I was walking down the street with Lindsey a few weeks ago and a guy walking towards us raised his hand in the air and shouted "Green Lantern!" As he passed us it occurred to me that I was wearing my (now ten year old) G.L. hoodie. We high fived and as he continued on his way he added "...only black super hero!" It was a nice little nerd-bonding moment between strangers.

John Stewart is a fun character to draw. With the movie coming out, focused on Hal Jordan, I thought I might reiterate his place in the pantheon of the Green Lantern Corps. This gouache painting is 6 X 6 inches.
Buy it from the Periscope Etsy Store while you can!
When I sketch I tend to keep it pretty loose. I don't like the idea of a sketchbook that exists as a strut. I believe it is a place for a person to work out ideas. I did a new banner for this blog, improving on my initial sketch, and I wanted to work out the robots that would accompany Lindsey:

Lindsey got me a sketchbook and filled it with quotes that she liked. She's embarrassed by it by I like it.
Speaking of Lindsey, here is yet another sketch of her at our (or mine at least) favorite breakfast spot. I didn't get her likeness but I think it's worth posting my failures too.

She was moving around a lot and our food came super quick so this one has some issues but I still like it.
I'll be returning to old projects, starting new ones and reinventing my web presence this summer. This new blog format and name are just one piece in that larger puzzle of advancing my artistic and commercial appeal. I'm having a lot of fun so far taking on that challenge. Many exciting developments are on the horizon so come back and visit soon!

Birthday Sketch Roundup.

Today is my birthday and I tried a little gouache painting test for the banner and background that will eventually top this blog. I set my first attempt as the current banner and I like it! I thought I might throw up a handful of my sketchbook images too. I'm having a great day so far. Hooray!


These other two ideas will probably get a similar treatment and be rotated through as the site is refreshed

These are the carts across from the studio
My dear Friend Ben B. getting his hair cut on the day of his wedding.
Lindsey and Jacquie watch the West Wing together!

Thor Brings The Thunder

I've been working on getting some Marvel Sample Pages; I get to practice cleaning things up a bit. My typical penciling can be a bit smudgy and with the help of the 'Paper mate tuff stuff eraser stick' I have been able to edit and clean as I go! My friend/ studiomate Natalie Nourigat showed me this fine addition to my arsenal and I owe her big time. I recommend it to those of you out there who get tangled up in construction lines.

Marvel Avengers Super Heroes page one at a middle stage
Here is a Thor Montage I had started back when Periscope was putting up images of the thunder God on our Tumblr for the ongoing studio-wide sketch challenge. I still have a Mario, a Mad Men and a few tid-bits here and there left to share. Check back with me here and let me know what you think.

See if you can name all of Thor's friends and rivals without looking it up on wikipedia!

Star Wars Sketchcard Frenzy!

I got a request from a reader to do a few star wars sketch cards. He sent along a few cards; one had a promo piece I had done already printed on it along with my name and title. Now that I'm done with My Work for Dark Horse I have a little time to catch up on little things like this:

Approx. 3 X 7 inches; ink on cardstock
Approx. 4 X 2.5 inches; ink and gray marker on cardstock
If you want a sketch card like this you can send a crisp 20 dollar bill and a self addressed stamped envelope to Periscope Studio Care of Ben Dewey! You can also look for my Star Wars Digest title "Strange Allies" coming December 6th (mark your calendars!) to your local comics retailer. You can also pre-order online