Early Mignola Hellboy

[Neil Hill]

I've mentioned this sketch before, but I thought ya'll might get a kick out of seeing it for yourselves.

This Hellboy sketch was drawn in my Pacific Northwest Comic-Con #5 (July 17-18, 1993) booklet by the legendary Mike Mignola. I'll never forget his enthusiasm at the very idea of getting to do this character, his ebullience practically infectious! Little did I know that this convention and this character would change my life forever in very unexpected ways. I'll also never forget how long it took me to figure out that those things on Hellboy's noggin weren't goggles. :p

Enjoy!

[ADamUnRama]

Thats pretty sick, I like it.

[hellboyone]

Thats pretty sick, I like it. Is it yours? Or did you find it online?

Did you read what he wrote?? :)

Nice blast from the past, Neil!

R.

[ADamUnRama]

Did you read what he wrote?? :)

Nice blast from the past, Neil!

R.


Yea dude I read it. Duh, I mean. . .


I'll be honest, sometimes Im lazy and I just click the link. Sure I look like an ass, but it saves time. Inevitably I always go back and read it though

[hellboyone]

I do that, too. Just messin' with ya. ;)

R.

[Neil Hill]

I love how it looks like Mike is still trying to sort of find the Hellboy style, as it were. This sketch was created before Mike abandoned crowquills in favor of pigma liners, and really started to chip away the excess from his style (although he'd been doing that for years up to this point), but it's still Hellboy for my money. :)

[ADamUnRama]

I love how it looks like Mike is still trying to sort of find the Hellboy style, as it were. This sketch was created before Mike abandoned crowquills in favor of pigma liners, and really started to chip away the excess from his style (although he'd been doing that for years up to this point), but it's still Hellboy for my money. :)


Wow, I took 2 years of Greek in college, and your still speaking Greek to me

[Neil Hill]

Wow, I took 2 years of Greek in college, and your still speaking Greek to me

Huh? What part is passing you by here, Adam? I was just stating that the sketch is Mike before he really started to define the "Hellboy style". I know it's just a quickie Con sketch, but you can still see how much work Mike was putting into working out the character.

[ADamUnRama]

This sketch was created before Mike abandoned crowquills in favor of pigma liners

I was just joking around. I know its all art terms. Im just giving you a hard time. But siriously, whats a pigma liner?

[Neil Hill]

I was just joking around. I know its all art terms. Im just giving you a hard time. But siriously, whats a pigma liner?

Similar to micron pigma pens:

http://www.gellyroll.com/products/pens/pigmamicron/pigmamicron.html

I believe the brand that Mike uses aren't Sakura, but I could be wrong on that. I personally love Micron Pigma's because the line doesn't bleed as much on the paper, however, I'm sure other pen companies put out an even better product these days. Rick, Tad, other artists, any further insight here?

[hellboyone]

Most of the pigment liners seem pretty similar, but I tend to like the Staedtler (http://www.staedtler-usa.com/pigment_liner_us.Staedtler?ActiveID=24194) best. I have a few of the Itoya (http://www.itoya.com/Catalogs/Itoya_Pen/Itoya_Pen_html/Finepoint.htm) pens as well (they have some of the in-between sizes). And I always keep Tombow (http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discount-art-supplies/online/688/art-supplies/4) black brush pens handy....they're cheap and great practice for brush inking. Also great for filling black areas with ease and cleanliness.

R.

[Tad]

Mike uses the Staedtler pens. 01, 03 and I think 05s. I like the Tombow brush pens because real brushes and ink scare me. They don't last long though. At work I sometimes use a micron pen for small storyboard thumbnails after my colored pencil notes get unreadable.

[Neil Hill]

Mike uses the Staedtler pens. 01, 03 and I think 05s. I like the Tombow brush pens because real brushes and ink scare me. They don't last long though. At work I sometimes use a micron pen for small storyboard thumbnails after my colored pencil notes get unreadable.

I asked Mike at a show once what he uses to ink, memorized the brand name, went out and purchased one or two myself, but always encountered excessive bleed on the paper when using them. Mike is somehow able to get a really nice non-bleed line on the artboard when using them, but I think that may be more due to his experience and ability than the pens themselves.