Digging Up Old Art-Entry 14

Nightmare

A picture of Nightmare I drew when SoulCalibur IV was first announced on PS3/360. This is a mixture of traditional and digital, and I still like it...not as much as I did when I first drew it, but still like it.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 13

Something Traditional

This is nothing really. It's just a pencil drawing I drew back when I worked at Gamestop as an assistant manager. During one of our usual slow mornings, I started sketching this while leaning over the main counter waiting for customers to show up.

This is one of MANY drawings that started that way and went further than originally intended.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 12

Gambit

I think this is from 2007, the year I returned to coloring directly over my pencils with digital water colors.

This younger looking Gambit from the X-Men comics/cartoons is one of Erin's favorite comic book characters, next to Batman, because he's Cajun, so I felt obligated to draw him.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 11

Mista Jonz

Yeah, that's right, my name actually has a character associated with it. Actually, it has 2 characters associated with it. This version of Mista was how I appeared on the VOID, or, Enter Void art battles, where one had to create a character and battle another artist's character through a series of comic panels. The prize for the tournament that I was in was a GBA SP, which sadly, I never got for reasons I'm STILL not sure of. No matter though, I know I won years ago because it was posted and I own so many video game consoles and handhelds now it's ridiculous so I could care less about the GBA.

Mista Jonz here was a sorcerer from another world who wore an enchanted skull of an animal from his homeworld on his head, which increased his magical powers. The technical term for his race was Plethora, as he was a plethora of design elements. I miss this guy lol!

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 10

PS2 Honeyz

This is one of many pictures I had published in PSM Magazine (years ago back when that was still on the shelves). At the time, I loved this picture, but as years went by, I HATED it. I'm still not too fond of it and I think it went through a few revisions (posted elsewhere) over the years.

Rayne from Bloodrayne in the center, Karen Koenig (I've never known how to pronounce that) from Shadow Hearts Covenant on the left and Kya from Kya: Dark Lineage on the right. This is another picture I'd love to go back and redo...properly, but time won't allow it.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 9

Video Game All-Stars

This is soooo old that...well, it's so old you can tell because of my line quality and the proportions. I don't think I've ever shared this with anyone online, and for good reason. I vaguely remembering starting to color it, but got overwhelmed by the amount of characters in the image.

Who's all here? I think...King Koopa, Toad, Kid Chameleon, Billy and Jimmy Lee from Double Dragon, The Battletoads, Bub and Bob from Bubble Bobble, the Snow Brothers, Pit from Kid Icarus, Earthworm Jim, Paperboy, the dog from Duck Hunt, I think those are some ships from Galaga or Galaxian...can't remember...and I think that's it.

So yeah, there you have it. Something I've never shared before finally posted on the interwebz!

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 8

Mantra

This is terribly old. So old in fact it's when I went back to coloring things by hand with Prisma pencils and Prisma markers because I hadn't quite figured out how to get the effect in Photoshop. This is Mantra, from the defunct Malibu Comics.

Those of you that aren't familiar with the character...if you're a dude and you got excited when you saw her...figure...I hate to inform you that Mantra is a man.

WHAT?!?!

Well, kinda. See, while the body is in fact a woman's, an eternal warrior was locked in battle with his enemy and the outcome of the battle had him transported into this woman's body...kinda like what happened to William Bell on FRINGE, minus the battle.

While the comic was short lived, I did enjoy it for the art and for Mantra's costume. Anyone wearing a hood or cape falls under category "AWESOME" in my book...Altair, Ezio, Azreal, Moon Knight, etc.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 7

Astro Boy

2004...Sega had announced they were releasing an Astro Boy game for the PS2...I own said game...and I LOVE said game. Actually, I'll watch/play/collect anything Astro Boy related...provided I can get my hands on it. I've been an Astro Boy fan for as far back as I can remember...sadly I don't own much more than the game these days. I had planned on buying the animated movie on BluRay, but I never got around to it. I missed out on getting the entire updated anime series on DVD because when I finally got paid, it was out of stock so I ended up just downloading it.

There's nothing special about this picture though. I basically just redrew the pose from the magazine I was reading. The only thing original are the coloring and the effects. Still, it works...I guess. It's Astro Boy, and you can totally tell that's who it is. I've got several other pictures of him as well, more original poses and whatnot, so maybe I'll get around to uploading those later too.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 6

Rocket Knight Adventures

Be it known that Rocket Knight Adventures by Konami on the Sega Genesis is one of the GREATEST games ever created...sadly my artwork dedicated to that game...not so much. This is from back in 2006 as well, and just like all my other drawing of Sparkster, it falls short of being good.

I could never draw Sparkster, even as a kid. What I was trying to do here was draw him in a way I was used to drawing my own cartoon animals, but it just didn't work. Sure, it's still cartoony, and has at least SOME elements from the game, but the truth is it could be a lot better. Hell, if I ever get the time (now that I have a kid) I might go back and redo this picture to look like...well, a picture. For now, it remains one of the few pieces of fanart I've ever done of the character. If I do a new version, I'll base his look of his most recent appearance from the Rocket Knight game that was released on PS3/360/PC last year...that one looks a lot simpler.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 5

Cliffjumper

2006 again. More of my trying out a new painting style in Photoshop (version 6 at the time). This picture went through several changes over the past few years. It's also one of the few Trans-formers drawings I've ever posted online. I'm TERRIBLE at drawing machines, and anything with straight lines and perfect curves, i.e., vehicles, mechs, architecture...so I usually avoid it. The only reason I did this was because at the time I was helping some friends out on a game with these characters (doing storyboards and 3D models..though they sucked royally) and I was working on Cliffjumper. You'd think this old G1 style would be easy for me to do, but you're wrong. I think I've drawn maybe 4 or 5 characters from the original series of Trans-formers and NONE of them turned out the way I wanted...well, maybe Optimus turned out ok, but that's about it.

The way I'd go about doing these images was taking my pencils into Photoshop, use the smudge tool like a graphite blender, then paint over them on several layers until I got the effects I wanted. Not rocket science, but if you've never used Photoshop, you'd be lost. I've really only used this style a few times last year and it was for some t-shirt designs...not work for my personal portfolio.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 4

SLIDERS

This isn't that old actually, but I love it, despite its imperfections. I drew this after rewatching the ENTIRE run of SLIDERS. That show made so much sense to me, that I really believe that everything that happened, and was explained in that show, is truly possible. I would love for someone to make an animate series of SLIDERS, which is where this picture came from. I wanted to see if I could capture the look of Jerry O'Connell (Quinn) and one of the Kromags in cartoon form. I think it turned out ok. It really just makes me wish there was a SLIDERS cartoon on TV...boy would I LOVE to have a chance to work on that...like you wouldn't believe!

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 3

Unknown Soldier

Back in 2006, I started digitally painting directly over my pencil sketches/drawings, for that concept art look all the art snobs were using. I think I was trying to prove to myself that I could draw more than happy, cheery cartoon characters, but still, no matter what I did, things always ended up not dark and serious. This guy looks like he could be a character on the 90's version of G.I. Joe.

I also sucked at drawing guns. Hell, I STILL suck at drawing guns. In fact, I try NOT to draw guns at any cost. I'm not a big fan of them (especially since I've actually had a loaded one pointed at my face by a robber) and they fall into the mechanical drawing category...another one of my weaknesses. I never gave this guy a name, other than Soldier, and no backstory was ever given to him. I also have no idea what happened to the original pencil sketch. Knowing me, I threw it out in a fit of rage after convincing myself that I sucked at art all around. Oh well, such is life.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 2

Track Lion

Another drawing from my days working at (insert t-shirt company name here) back in 2005. I think this was for some field day t-shirts, and the class mascot was a lion...you know...in Kindergarten when all the classes were represented by some silly animal. I can't remember what I was at that age, but I know my sister was a Giraffe.

Anyway, this uses my usual cel-shading technique that I had been using for years and like all the other shirt designs, the final artwork was a single color print (to save on cost...people were EXTREMELY cheap lol). I'd been drawing cartoon animals for years and years so whenever we'd get a job like this, I usually took the reigns. This may also be one of my most dynamic poses I've ever drawn (a lot of my work is just static poses or some odd perspective). I NEED to draw more people, as that's probably one area I could use more work on.

Digging Up Old Art-Entry 1

Space Turtles

Back in 2005 I worked as an art director/graphic artist for a t-shirt printing company that will remain nameless as I'd like to go on believing they no longer exist after what they did to me, but I digress.

Most of the time I was employed there I designed characters for several Jewish organizations (I'm not sure what all the letters stood for) to use on all the different shirts they'd order. They were never this detailed, as far as colors go, to keep cost down, and at the time, the shop didn't own a direct-to-garment printer. I usually just colored them all this way when we had downtime, for my portfolio. This space turtle is one of my favorites, mainly because I was partially inspired by Mega Man and Sonic when I was drawing him. Another reason I like him is because of the glowing LEDs on his knee caps...something I was constantly doing in my older designs. Anywhere I could fit LEDs, I would. This was also during the time I was experimenting with new painting techniques in Photoshop after my cousin and I had been training ourselves to be better artists.

Sometimes I miss 2005. I was growing as an artist both in my career and skills. I think I've hit the end of the road now, topping off at level 99 or so and I can't get any better. We'll have to see...

Mista Blogz

I've been gone...for a long time, but I'm back. I had been posting my thoughts and experiences on my portfolio, but it seems more appropriate to do an actual blog instead. Anyway, I'm a parent, and have been for about 3 months now. It's cool..most of the time, I just wish people would stop telling me how to raise my child. We're not stupid, we know what to do and what not to do, but so many people want to pretend they're experts just because they've raised children. The truth of the matter is, NO ONE is an expert. Every child is different, as is every parent.

The next person that tells me how to raise my son, I don't care if you're family or just a friend, will be on the receiving end of a soul shattering "F**K YOU!". Seriously, I'll make it so you want to crawl into a corner and wait for death to take you away if you tell me one more thing without me asking first. Geez.

Now back to work and gaming...