This little package came on Friday...
Bookplates for the Comic Art Museum's Sandman book. Mike Drigenberg did a fantastic job penciled it. and tried not to goof it up too much when i Inked it. - Mike suggested it would be cool to do the reverse of how we worked together on Sandman.
Just wanna assure anybody who ordered it this limited edition Sandman art book, that - yeah, it *does* exists . . .
. . and it *is* going to be mailed to you - soon as Mike and i finish signing these suckers. I'll leave a space for Mike to sign on the left.. since he's penciled version got the ball rolling.
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Same goes for those 25 drawings for the Limited Maxx collection. Those are FINALLY done too!!! - they went out to IDW last week.
Will try to throw a few extra pics of those too in my next post.
But enough of that sketch stuff....
* * *
Now back to starting various Maxx covers..
... in various states of decomposition.
I tend to work on batches of Maxx covers at the same time . .
.. . . sorta like multiple downloads.. traveling at different speeds . . .
This one's changed since i took this photo yesterday. It looks pretty gruesome here while it's wet, and the bronze paint is better blended now. Kinda fights the purple here. Hopefully I can pull it all together.
Okay, let's jump over to this one now. I'm trying to stay lighter on this cover, not over-work it like i did the previous one.
I love jumping from one cover to another. I like to think doing a series of covers together... means they may influence each other. But maybe not. Who can say? It might just feel like that in my head.
Either way, doing a "gang of covers".... it creates the *illusion* I'm getting a lot done,
Or the possible alternative is . . . . . that i'm slowing myself down by finishing several covers at once. Maxx is peaking out from behind this branch here.
It's weird how. . . after you draw it, it seems like it's really happening, does't it? Even when your the one drawing it.
I don't seem able to not do pages, stories or covers out of order, and thrive on doing on various projects at once. Doubt I'm alone in this.
Looks confusing until i finish this tree, doesn't it? 'Floating mushrooms' on a yet-to-be-drawn-tree . . .
Wanna try to make the Maxx logo here like different too.. more fantasy like, just for this one.
But for now let's jump to a third Maxx cover instead...
This one has Gone in it.. here's the whole thing. I penciled it tighter than usual here. Not sure i'm wild about Maxx right elbow sticking out like it does.
Okay, bold choice - rounded off that elbow. . . not it looks like Maxx's arms are an inner tube, doesn't it?
Might be a huge mistake... on the other hand, Maxx is the ideal character to distort, sorta like a beefier version of plastic man, isn't he?
Well in comics energy and moment is everything. It's amazing what you can get away with if your bold and confident. Or sometimes you don't.
Either way i doubt one elbow will make or break this cover.
I'm changing my focus from "the elbow question" back to Gone's face.
Here's a goofy accident, swirling this cover around and it got caught in the ripped bristol i use as a pallet on my art table. But it also makes a handy 'grip' to hold the cover in place.
Leave some space for Gone's fingers to dig into Maxx's arm here. All thefolds in Gone's cape means this Cover will take longer, so won't get far on it this round.
Color helps... but still a ways to go on this sucker.
Meanwhile, here's a fourth one I finished last week.. so you have something more finished to feast upon.
Sadly this one happened to fast i didn't have time to even grab a camera.. sometimes you get in a groove and hate to break the spell.. you know?
Okay, hopefully that will hold you for a little while.
Wanted to add, thanks for all the comments. While I rarely get around to replies, your comments feedback and praise is *never* lost on me!!!!!
Thanks
Sam
