Sketch Cards

A Moana from last year I finally got around to coloring..

It's funny (in a tiresome way) how people suddenly disappear whenever I state a desire to make money with my art, even when it's just to try to make a few bucks because I'm always completely broke by the end of every month (and often well before).  Nevertheless, I persist.  Making a little art here & there is all I have the energy for.  Perhaps spurred on by exceptionally the dire straights my checkbook is in at the end of this month, I've had a little more energy for it than usual.  Of course no one is going to pony up the $10 I'm asking for one of these (honestly, given the time it takes and the quality I can pretty consistently touch these days, they're worth 2-3 times that [and that'd just put me at earning minimum wage in a state with a slightly below average minimum wage]) in time for it to make a difference this month.  But anyway, they're done, and I'm not entirely displeased by them.  So take a gander, if you would.  They're available for sale of trade.

Raven..

There's probably at least one a Raven in most bunches of sketch cards I reel off, but this is easily the second best attempt at drawing her I've ever done.

Snake Eyes..

I don't really have much to say about Snake Eyes.  The shading just turned out really nice.  Arguably the best of the entire bunch.

Gray She-Hulk..

I don't pay much attention to comics anymore, so I didn't realize She-Hulk had been going through some shit until recently.  I think I might like the gray version better, tbh.

Cyborg..

I very nearly completely ruined Cyborg with the paint pen, but ultimately he might be better for it.  I'm also quite fond of how the bits of cartoon Cyborg look on an otherwise basically comic booky version of him.

Supergirl..

The first card I drew up of this bunch, but I think only the eighth I finished.  I have a growing love for the Kingdom Come-style black background on the S on her chest.

Captain Marvel..

And now one of the later ones I started but the first one I finished.  Not much to say again.  I like it, but it's not my favorite.

Poison Ivy..

Getting into the home stretch with the last one I actually like.  I thought about, & briefly attempted to make this a Harley & Ivy puzzle, but alas.

Nightcrawler..

Unless I'm doing athletes, I usually traffick in girlie cards, but the dudes were respectably represented this time.  I don't like how Nightcrawler himself turned out (though I don't mind it as much, looking at it as I type this right now), but the BAMFing background is alright, I guess.

Catwoman..

Yeah, I dunno WTF is supposed to be going on in the background there either.  I had an idea for it, but I pretty much I botched it completely.  Oh well, the rest is passable enough, I guess. 🙄

And that be that.  Like I said at the top, hit me up if you're interested in anything.  Thanks for stopping by!

Until our next...

Some COMC Stuff

Not a whole lot to say.  It's exactly what the title says it is. Some of these I've had for awhile, some of them came in my last shipment of 2017 (January's shipment hasn't been scanned yet).  The cards pretty much speak for themselves.  So just sit back & enjoy this random, eclectic selection of sweet, sweet cardboardy goodness, with minimal commentary relegated to the caption.

Did you even know JAG cards were a thing?

Another strong contender for greatest photo variation of all-time..

It's less noticeable in the scan, but quality of the image on this card is terrible..

Lotta horizontal in the post.  Scan doesn't begin to show off this card's bling..

Artsy-fartsiness AND cracked ice.  Such a trip..

Love high end Marvel set inserts.  This is hella thicc..

Mini Kosuke plate!

That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by!

Until our next...

Sailor Rogue by Bun Leung

Back in October, a post by Raz inspired me to check out, and ultimately pick up two awesome pieces of art by Bun Leung.  There are a few more I hope to pick up at some point in the next couple months, but this is what I had the money for then.

AoA Rogue..

First up, we have the first larger Rogue piece in my collection.  It is, per the item description, roughly 8.5x9" and features her in her Age of Apocalypse costume.  I think that line going through it was caused by me.  It fell a couple times before I was able to find a place to safely tuck these additions away.  Anyway, I love the dynamic, cartoony art style, and I'm thrilled to call it my own.

She is the one..

Now, I've never really been that much of a Sailor Moon fan, and if I were to collect anyone from the series, it would be Sailor Mercury, but this has to be just about the absolute most magnificent rendition of the character I think I've ever seen.  For such a low price, I absolutely couldn't pass it up.

Another reason I went with it is that ever since I realized how affordable original art could be, I've kinda wanted to put together a lil collection of original anime art, and I just don't see a whole lot of it out there for sale.  Perhaps paying more attention to places like Etsy (shop of my own still coming soon!) and StoreEnvy & the like will help me find what I seek.

Anyway, guess that's it for now.  Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, and btw, don't call this a comeback.  The urge to blog has been rising for awhile now, and I expect I may be able to to squeeze 10-12 new posts out of it, but this is me we're talking about, and things are going to end up going like they always do.  I'll reel off what I can, but nothing has really changed.  I don't have the focus or the energy to hang around real long.  So... Enjoy this while it lasts, because who knows when, or if, I'll be back once I run out of steam again.

Until our next...

Sketch Card Mania Volume 2: Comic Book Heroes

Well, not all heroes, I guess.  Karai is a villain and Sleepwalker and Swamp Thing are more antiheroic in nature.  Whatever, enjoy the art!

Sleepwalker..

Sleepwalker was an early-'90s Marvel creation that never really caught on, but was interesting (and maybe good) enough that the series and character have a small cult following in the here & now.

Squirrel Girl..

Speaking of Marvel cult classics from the early-'90s, Squirrel Girl was a bizarre one-off character from the era that's grown into a hugely beloved icon.  She's known for being the anthropomorphic personification of fun in the Marvel universe and having a knack for taking down villains seemingly far beyond her (or ANY individual, and most teams') weight class.

Swamp Thing..

This Swamp Thing might still be my favorite card I did in the entire bunch.  I feel like it was pretty strong through every stage of the process.  I never really struggled with it at any point, which is still a fairly rare feat, even with simple headshots.

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Karai could have fit in the cartoons & anime post as well, being a fairly prominent, though usually easily dispatched, recurring antagonist in the awesome (it could've been all-time great if not for the BS executive meddling) 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.  There are a couple in the third post that could've gone into this comic post as well, but also fit in with that bunch just as well, which makes every post even in number of cards.

Kitty Pryde..

Finally we have Kitty Pryde.  It's fine, I love how most of the colors turned out.  But no, I don't know why I tried to go sexy with it either.  I suppose it stands a better chance at eBay success that way though.  Whatever, I'm done for today.  We'll see if my computer's slowdown issues are sorted out (they seem to be!) in time for me to keep me personal record posting streak alive tomorrow and at least into the weekend with Sketch Card Saturdays, which will happen regardless, because they don't require that much effort to put together and post.

That's all for now.  Dell computers suck!  Thanks for stopping by.

Until our next...

Wild Chibis Appear!

The previous post ended with a preview of June's small-ish COMC shipment, but these oversized cards/mini paintings from my recent impromptu Twitter #artswap with @chibi_celina just came in yesterday and they are so freakin' rad I had to bump them up the list.  Behold!

She-Hulk, Rogue, and Starfire!

They all measure somewhere in the 3x5" range, with Rogue being slightly larger than the others and on lighter stock.  You can't really tell in the scan, but most of Starfire's skin & a lil of her hair also has this amazing shimmery effect that is makes her even more mesmerizing in person.

If you like these, you can probably hit up Celina at the above link to her Twitter and see about commissioning her, or possibly work out an #artswap of your own if you also happen to be an artist.  She's a cool cat, and as you can see, she does great work!  I'm delighted to finally get some of her famous chibis (the first time we swapped, I got a more traditional piece, which she also does well, if the chibi style isn't really your thing).

That's all for this one.  Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your Independence Day celebrations safely.  Packs are hard to open when you're missing a thumb (h/t @JunkWaxTwins on Twitter for that joke).

Roll that stone away.. ♫