Go with a Smile

WoW! Can you believe this will be the second post in two days! Joker gets the billing today because on a rainy day everybody needs a smile. I got to say that I enjoy drawing Mr. J. He just seems to have enough anarchy in his smile to keep you comin' back for more. I'm trying to get some colors on my drawings as well, so I splashed some on Joker and in the background for this one. I think it turned out swell! Thanks for looking and turn that frown upside down!

Feelin' Sketchy

With all this Free Comic Book Day stuff and Heroes Con just around the corner, I've been a little sketchy lately. So I thought I'd share some of the drawings that I've done over the past few weeks. I'm going to try to get a new sketch here every day this week so make sure to check back daily. Here's the first-Chuck and the X-men. Hope you dig!

Free Comic Book Day at Heroes!

Jakeemthundah on deviantART"WoW! What a day! I hope that everyone was able to get out to a comic shop somewhere and enjoy some of the sweetness that is FCBD!

This year my wife and bro got up with me at the crack of dawn to head down to Charlotte, NC to enjoy FCBD at Heroes Aren't Hard To Find. After making my wife(aka Quilting Queen) happy by taking her to a huge fabric store for 2 hours of selecting the fabrics to make her next classic quilts, we were off for the main event!

We arrived at Heroes at 11:30 and began wading through the crowd to pick up copies of the free comics that had been placed throughout the store. Soon after, the artist showed up and began sketching for the crowd that had gathered. Oh, did I mention the artist that showed up were Adam Hughes, Brian Stelfreeze, Mark Brooks, Andy Smith, Allison Sohn, Budd Root, Sanford Greene, Matt Herms, Jason Latour, Chris Schweizer, Chris Brunner, and more! Oh yeah-I know what you're thinking, but it's for real though! Anyway, I was pretty fortunate to walk away with a few sketches and alot of great memories! One of the highlights of the day was watching my bro go wacko from watching Brian Stelfreeze do an incredible water colored Ra's Al Ghul for the girl in front of him. He kept saying, "Branson, you got see this, you gotta see it!" Man, what a great day. It was almost like a prequel to Heroes Con in June. "Let it begin! Let it begin!"

CAP SMASH PUNY GREEN HULK

Here's a sketch I did for a student that won a contest for our fall fundraiser. She was supposed to get just Captain America, but when she asked if I could somehow include the Hulk(Bucket O' Characters), I coudn't refuse. Anyway, I think this really turned out pretty cool , and it was a blast to do! On a side note, the Bucket O' Characters will have to take a backseat for a while. Last year I started drawing sketches for my students at Christmas time, and in order to continue the new tradition, I'll be working on their Christmas list until it's finished. However there is no need to despair, I'll be posting those sketches as I get them completed.

SHADOW OF THE BAT-ALFRED PENNYWORTH

Here's number 3 from the bucket-Alfred Pennyworth. I guess in my opinion, Alfred is more superhero than alot of the guys walking around in spandex. I mean does Bats have a fool proof plan to stop Alfred if he goes rogue?! I don't think so! Yet if Big Blue skips in line at the water fountain-KaPow! It's Bat-Kryptonite time! Really had a blast drawing this one. Next up...the Green Goliath!

SHAZAM SPLASH SMACKDOWN!

Here's the second sketch from the Bucket O' Characters-Shazam! My youngest girl picked the Big Red Cheese from the bucket about a week ago. Because Captain Marvel is one of my favorite characters, I decided to use an 11x17 comic art board and gave him a little extra attention. In our story, young Billy Batson witnesses an explosion causing him to speak the magic word- Shazam! Now transformed into the World's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel uses his might to battle the evil forces of Dr. Sivana. It was the first time I had used one of the art boards and did a sequential page. I think it turned out pretty good! Next up for the drawing board-Alfred Pennyworth!

Bucket O' Characters

I decided it was time for me to get better at this sketchin' stuff so I devised a plan to help. I realize I'll never be the likes of the many talented artist here on DA, but I'd like to be somewhat in the same city as the ballpark they play in. So...I came up with the Bucket O' Characters. I found that I spend most of my time doodlin' or sketchin' with no purpose. I figured that I draw much better when I have a definate idea to work with(I know-rocket science right?). Enter the Bucket. I wrote down as many characters as I could think of, cut them up into little strips, and put them into the Bucket. Before sketchin' begins, I pull one and Shazam!-instant idea. With this new technology, I'll hit 3000 page views in no time! Now if I can only fix DC's Final Crisis.