updates and art!

So much has happened during these last few days. Most importantly, Hurricane Irene happened on Saturday and Sunday, as you all know.

Don't worry folks! I'm not dead-- I'm getting better. ;) Seriously though, the past few days were a stretch. Yesterday, for a good chunk of the day, my home was stuck without power and couldn't use the internet. There were also huge gusts of wind which made it impossible to go out during the afternoon (it was safe to go out in the morning though). Luckily, this morning, the power was up and running which gave us our ability to compulsively rely on our technological obsessions. ;)

Anyway, just because I was out of power, during Hurricane Irene, doesn't mean I didn't produce art. Luckily, I had ways of keeping myself occupied. ;)

Aqua (Bruce Timm style)

Yes sir, Kingdom Hearts fans! I decided that it was time to release my inner Kingdom Hearts fanboy spirit and show off this sketch of Aqua, for the first time ever, drawn in the style of Bruce Timm. This isn't the perfect pic that I've drawn, but it certainly does deserve credit for being passionate when drawing this character. I'll admit that I haven't played the new Birth by Sleep video game, but that didn't stop me from watching Aqua's Playthrough on youtube. I swear, she moves gracefully like a blue bird, but fights with the spirit of a stallion. ^^

Chris/Justin

And of course, in honor of the completion of my first Trouble Shooters prototype comic (which remains unpublished online as of now), I decided to draw Chris Peeper and Justin Casey getting into an argument. XD It seems as though that Justin thinks that he has more fangirls who think he's cuter. :P

Hand Practice

While there was no power yesterday, this was when I decided that I could practice with my hands from real life. I find the bottom middle and the top middle to be the best because they show more emphasis on detail. That little thing on the bottom right is a finger.

Mike Mignola practice

Here's some Mike Mignola art that I've been toying around with lately, while I've been getting the last few details finished on my comic...

This is my first attempt of Mr Mignola's sketch of Dracula, according to the source.

And here's another sketch Mr. M's attempt at Jacob Marley. There's still some missing details, but I'd say it's a job well done.

And of course, what's an experimenting post without a sketchdump to experiment with? 

HINT: One of these guys are not like the other....one of these guys is a character idea for another project that's in the back of my head! :D

Nickelodeon Brings Back the 90s

(and they still are)

Back when I was young, and still in Elementary school, I grew up with the usual stuff that a kid would watch, during the 90s: Looney Tunes, Toy Story, Pokemon, Lion King, Mulan, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, A Goofy Movie, Superbook, etc. All of those were a great part of my childhood, but the best part of my childhood was when I'd watch the programming that aired on Nickelodeon.

At a time where there wasn't any Avatar: TLA (one of the few good show that has aired on Nickelodeon) or Butch Hartman, there was a variety of TV shows that kids could get into and enjoy. 

Now, back in the day,  I didn't have cable; and, the only place where I could get more channels was either my neighbors/friends house, or my grandma's house in Bayonne. Eventually, when I would watch cable over at either destination, Nickelodeon would be the first choice of channel that I would pick.

Of course, there was the usual decent animated programming such as Beetlejuice, Muppet Babies, Inspector Gadget, Looney Tunes, etc. Eventually, this lead to the developement of the channel's own animated series; you know them by heart as, Nicktoons. In the 1991, the first Nicktoons that aired were Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren and Stimpy show; all of which became successful shows and have reached fanbases that still retain for the past decades.

In later years, that spun off more sucessful Nicktoons such as Rocko's Modern Life, Aaaah! Real Monsters, Kablam!, Hey Arnold, Angry Beavers, CatDog, etc. 

Of course, what would a kids network be without live action oriented material? At the same time the Nicktoons premeiered, we got live action shows like Clarrisa Explains it all, Double Dare, Are you Afraid of the Dark?, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Kenan and Kel, etc. Many of these shows were also recorded in front of a live audience at Nickelodeon Studios, at Universal Studios Florida.

But the most popular live action show that aired during that time was....

Fresh out of the box,

Stop! Look and watch!

Ready yet? Get set-- it's All That!

Yes, All That-- the ultimate Saturday Night Live, just for kids. A lot of notable alumni who starred on the show were Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes, Lori Beth Denberg, Josh Server, Angelique Bates, Katrina Johnson, etc. and have acted in countless sketches like Good Burger, Vital Information, Superdude, The Loud Librarian, Everyday French with Pierre Escargot, and much more. 

Anyway, back to the matter of Nickelodeon. Because of the success of their programming, Nickelodeon has struck a larger audience that has stayed true to this very day.

Don't believe me? Just look at these charts...

Yes, because of the mass audience and fanbase that Nickelodeon has reached, TeenNick's gonna bring back the glory days of Nickelodeon, a few shows at a time; unfortunately, these shows are going to be shown at a time where the younger generation won't be up. However, if the reruns of these old shows prove to be successful, it's guaranteed that Nickelodeon will do more to bring back the best of 90s Nickelodeon and reach out to the younger generation, which could lead to a new level of demands for creative kids shows.

Being a cartoonist/writer who grew up on the Nickelodeon Generation, I hope to make an impact for the greater good of Nick, and possibly pitch some of my ideas in the future.

So, as I conclude this blog post, I shall play this old Nickelodeon bumper theme...

new art!!

I enojyed drawing Harley Quinn for the first time, so I thought I'd give her another sketch. I actually have a sketch gag idea involving her, so I might draw it.

And of course, I drew Toy Story 3 last night, which encouraged me to draw Potato Head. 

"That's Mr. Potato Head to you, you back stabbing murderer!"

Murderer?! How dare you!! XD

I also drew this cute little funny, involving Kirby, and the AC from the Brave little Toaster. I'm actually planning on submitting to my college paper when I return to school, this September. :)

My ideal Nike ad

 

Just because I haven't drawn Joy for like weeks. She's really fun to draw. :)

Strangers....from the outside!!

Once again, I watched another Toy Story movie with my family, Toy Story 2. I almost forgot how Toy Story and Pixar had a big impact on my childhood 10+ years ago.

It was nice to draw these two cute aliens from Pizza Planet (I wish I drew the 3rd with this pair).

Lately, there's been a few Toy Story ideas floating around my head. I may release them in the future, after I get some progress done with my Trouble Shooters project (another project with the 'TS' acronym XD)

And speaking of Trouble Shooters, I have made more progress tonight on the next page, which means I have at least 2 pages left. :D

updates!!

 Hey gang! It's been 3 days since I updated this blog, so I decided to fill this post in of what I've been doing and what I've been drawing.

"Humphrey Bumble at your service!"

Since I haven't been focused on my Trouble Shooters project for a bit, I decided to draw ol' Humphrey here just for some motivation for the project.

And of course, I decided to update my character, Amelia, a bit. Nothing too different (other than the fixed up shoulder).

And let's not forget another sketchdump, featuring: Gaz, Stimpy, AC [Brave Little Toaster], Aang, Earthworm Jim, Toy Story martian, and Ork [my alien character]

I've been sooo caught up watching Invader Zim, that I decided to learn the style of Jhonen Vasquez's art, starting with this take 1 practice of the Invader Zim cover I found online.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!

I watched Toy Story with my mom last night, so I got motivated to this extraordinary sh*tty sketch of Buzz Lightyear. Look at those badly inked lines; they make me puke!

But of course, I was able to save myself the humiliation of ruining Buzz Lightyear and did this better looking sketch of him. While it's not 100%, it certianly looks a lot better than before. 

I think when school starts again, I'm gonna start drawing more Toy Story characters to get my childhood out of my system. :P

And of course, I have 4.5 pages left to work on for my Trouble Shooters comic I've been slaving away soo hard on. I'm gonna see it that it gets done before school lets out.

Dangerous sketches...

I've been checking around Sabrina Alberghetti's art earlier this week, and decided to sketch some of her Darkwing Duck art, just to get a feel for drawing Darkwing, which I've been having trouble with-- up until now.

It was also nice to sketch Bushroot, since I find him the most fun to draw.

Of course, this wouldn't be an experiment post if I didn't attempt to sketch some art by Jack Kirby. Unfortunately, Cap'n A looks crappy in this sketch, while Nick Fury looks much better.

gag sketch + new character idea

As you all know, Boom! announced that they'll be ending their Disney Afternoon comics, which includes Darkwing Duck and Ducktales. Unfortunately, Negaduck's not taking the news well; thus, here's what happens when Boom! cancels their Disney comics-- Negaduck winds up holding the main Darkwing Duck artist, James Silvani, hostage. XD

And of course, I finally decided to sketch my goth girl character that's been in my mind for the past summer-- Amelia. I remember when I was in bed, inspiration came for her look; so I quickly did a small doodle of what her initial look would bestow her.

Amelia's not only a goth girl, but she also loves to practice the mystic arts, witchcraft and all things that make Harry Potter look a pansy. ;)

New drawings...

Recently, after watching Invader Zim on Nicktoons TV, I decided to sketch some of the characters so I could learn the style of Jhonen Vasquez.

Of course, this wouldn't be a blog, where I'd sketch down my ideas, if I didn't sketch down this character idea-- Mole Osteen. I like the mix between Spumco, Disney, Tyler Crook, etc. that I gave this character.

More to come in the future! ;)

experimenting again...

This time I decided to try 4 different styles at once: James Silvani, Jack Kirby, Jim Davis, and anime.

It was nice to see that I can draw 4 styles in one night. I outta draw more anime though.

The Bad Breakup of the Best Band Ever

I don't know where to start, really. I'm sitting downstairs in my basement, thinking about what to sketch, and I'm trying let out my feelings over the breakup of one of my favorite bands of all time. Yes folks-- that band is...

(He doesn't scream; he just uses a lot of inhale/exhale techniques to pull it off)

Back in my early days of High school, the only music I really listened to was Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Flyleaf, Deftones, Norma Jean, etc. It wasn't until my Junior year that I discovered Alexisonfire, playing on a radio station one night, as my dad drove me to Youth Group. As they played one of their songs, I didn't know who they were, nor did I know what the name of the song was, at the time; still, I felt so captivated by their sound that I had to know more about them. So, I googled part of the lyrics I've heard, check for results, revealing this well known tune that has become so loved and cherished amongst the fans, and myself:

After the song was done, I simply had to know more about these guys. At the time, I was also still learning how to play guitar, so I decided to play to this song and memorize every chord and the passionate vocals of Dallas Green.

After that, I looked up some more songs off their album 'Crisis.' Slowly, but surely, I discovered more of their albums after I wiki'd their name and then typed in their songs on youtube. Shortly after, 'Accidents', 'Boiled Frogs', 'Control', 'Get Fighted', 'We are the Sound', and 'To a Friend' became part of my list of my favorite Alexisonfire songs of all time, right around the time 'Young Cardinals' came out around May of 2009.

Two months later, the most amazing thing happened to me....

WARPED TOUR 2009

Yup, that first photo is of me, two years ago, just when I was an 18 year old kid trying to find my Identity in the world. It's amazing how 2 years can change the hell out of you. ;)

But of course, Alexisonfire was what I expected them to be-- they played all of my favorite songs, performed a kick@** show, help create a huge mosh pit, and of course, I got George Pettit's photo. I also got myself some AOF pins at their booth, and got to buy their 3rd album 'Crisis'.

The rest is history, my friends.

Then in 2010, AOF released a new EP called 'Dog's Blood'. It was certainly a throwback to what they did in the early 00s. And likewise, it rocked. After that EP, I was ready for AOF doing what they do best again, and anticipated another great concert from them, in the future. As an artist, I dreamed of getting the privalege of actually designing one of their upcoming albums, once I reach 100% Professionalism.

Then came this breaking news:

AOF is no more

So in conclusion-- a sad end for such a great band. It really demonstrates how old you get and how fast things change around you. But in the end, while it does change me a bit, it does not change my favor for this great band.

I will still keep track of what they're doing, especially with Dallas Green's amazing side project, 'City and Colour'. Also, look forward to some AOF tribute fan art that I may draw and then post in the future. And I'll pray that I get tickets to that possible farewell tour that's taking place in Canada, and hopefully reach the states. ;) Above all, AOF, and their music, will always share a special place in my heart.

To officially conclude this blog post, I will post this song by City and Colour in honor of Alexisonfire, as well as an AOF song that currently holds a special place in my heart:

R.I.P AOF: 2001-2011

Peace, Love and Rock on my babies!

-- Jer Fus

Rorschach Gizmo

Gizmo + Watchmen = Rorschach Gizmo XD

This could suffice for one of my story ideas for that Trouble Shooters project. ;)

Still Life comparison practice

I took a lot of photos of the Villa Resort I was staying at, with my family's camera, during my vacation time. It was nice to work with depth and perspective using Still Life again. Too bad I still need a lot to learn. But it'll be worth it down the road. Why, I remember when I could barely draw this well.

I'm going to try drawing more vacation pics down the road.

BTW, as a reminder for those viewing, Tyler Crook/Phili Gelatt's new comic, Petrograd, debuted today. Be sure to pick it up at your nearest comic book store. God knows that I look forward to buying it. ;)

Young Justice studies

I've always enjoyed watching the new Young Justice TV show, being produced by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti. So, I decided to sketch them in a unique cartoony style. Aqualad's more realistic/Mignola-shadowed, but still has a cartoony bit to him.

I also got 2 panels of the 5th page done; im gonna finish up the last panel tonight.

Iron Vulture take 3

Just another take of the Iron Vulture that I did last night. I'm starting to see the improvements in the design; I still need to work on the body, the rear tail, the ship's sides (composed of air balloons and propellers), and the front beak, located near the cockpit, etc.

All in all, I see some improvements with the ship. I'll continue with another take after I get some more work done with my comic (which I got another page done tonight).