howy's new artwork thread

[howyadoin]

Since the threads I had here and on the Comm board have gone the way of the dodo bird, I figure it's time to start another.

Here's one of my newer pieces:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/serenity.jpg



All artwork ™ and © Bret Taylor. All rights reserved. Any reproduction without the express permission of the artist is prohibited. You have been warned.

[siekone]

I like that it would make a great cover to a sci-fi book I am sure.

[howyadoin]

A recent tattoo design:

[howyadoin]

And now to dig out some older stuff...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Out_On_the_Tiles.jpg

[howyadoin]

Something I threw together for my little sister (though it was inspired by something fly once wrote):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/little_boats.jpg

[howyadoin]

Man, losing the thread where I created this one is killin' me:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/rockroll_girls.jpg

[meethraa]

And now to dig out some older stuff...
This one's new to me. Very cool!

[meethraa]

Man, losing the thread where I created this one is killin' me:
Aww, damn! I will look around my backups. It's possible I might have some of it.

[howyadoin]

Aww, damn! I will look around my backups. It's possible I might have some of it.I still have all my JPEGs, but the text is allllllll gone.

Another addition:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/charger.jpg

[howyadoin]

And of course, the lonely gargoyle:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/gargoyle.jpg

[yellowrosegoddess]

these are awesome. what made you use serenity for the first one? thats my legal first name ya know.

[howyadoin]

these are awesome. what made you use serenity for the first one? thats my legal first name ya know.Serenity is the name of the ship on Firefly. My friend Jewel was on the show (and will be in the movie), so the picture was a present for her.


And thanks.

[howyadoin]

Colouring this pic was my baptism of fire in Photoshop:

[Austin]

Colouring this pic was my baptism of fire in Photoshop:

I thought I'd seen your work. I was wrong. The Iron Mac pic was the only thing I've seen.

I really dig it. The charger pic is probably my favorite, but a close runner up is the Rock and Roll girls.

Do you start and finish on the computer? Or is there still some hand drawn elements to it?

[howyadoin]

Do you start and finish on the computer? Or is there still some hand drawn elements to it?For the most part, I'm just doing assembly and detail work on the computer. All the textures and line work you see are done separately, scanned and then composited in Photoshop.

In the case of the chicks in the Buick, there were probably 40 separate scans done, if not more.

[howyadoin]

Some more goodies. Multiple attachments rock.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/galactus.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Tiger.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Turtle.jpg

[howyadoin]

And here's what'll probably be my next tattoo:

[howyadoin]

In the case of the chicks in the Buick, there were probably 40 separate scans done, if not more.Okay, I was off by a little. It was actually only 25.

Here's the initial set of scans:

[Voncaster]

Good photoshop work Howy. I think one very strong aspect of a lot of your work is the boarders. Boarders don't have to be square, straight and neat...very cool stuff! Keep up the work.

[howyadoin]

Good photoshop work Howy. I think one very strong aspect of a lot of your work is the boarders. Boarders don't have to be square, straight and neat...very cool stuff! Keep up the work.Good of ya to notice. I've been coming up with lots of new ideas for borders lately.

[howyadoin]

More on the "Rock 'n' Roll Girls" piece. To give you a bit of a idea how it was done, here's a closeup of the brunette in the picture:

[howyadoin]

And here are the various scans that went into her picture:

[Tadhg Adams]

More on the "Rock 'n' Roll Girls" piece. To give you a bit of a idea how it was done, here's a closeup of the brunette in the picture:
Can I get a top like that?

[howyadoin]

And of course, the sunglasses:

[howyadoin]

Can I get a top like that?I think it'd be a bit warm for San Diego.

[howyadoin]

More sci-fi:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/DUNE.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Darth_Maul.jpg

[Tadhg Adams]

You're right, of course. Nice work though. Me Likee.

[howyadoin]

A little rock 'n' roll:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/GNR.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Kurt.jpg

[howyadoin]

And a picture of my sister's boyfriend's car:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Dart.jpg

[kmeyers]

Wow. Great stuff. The details on the tiger, and turtle are impressive. I especially like the white paint spattered air bubbles in turtle. The composition is very photorealistic, and the spatters make it look very natural, and add a painterly quality to it. The framing of the canyon with those coral(whatever they are) is done really well, too. The light from above creates a nice sense of depth with how it interacts with the layers of coral.

I also like the DUNE drawing, probably because it's similarly well framed like turtle, and it's a nice simple, clean composition, and drawing.

The Kurt piece is great too...I know you use photoshop, but what did you use to draw Kurt? Charcoal, pastels, or something else? Same question for DUNE, which doesn't appear to be photoshopped at all, it looks like graphite and charcoal, though.

[howyadoin]

Wow. Great stuff. The details on the tiger, and turtle are impressive. I especially like the white paint spattered air bubbles in turtle. The composition is very photorealistic, and the spatters make it look very natural, and add a painterly quality to it. The framing of the canyon with those coral(whatever they are) is done really well, too. The light from above creates a nice sense of depth with how it interacts with the layers of coral.Thanks. Nice to get your input on it. Framing and composition are really important to me, and one of the benefits of compositing in Photoshop is that I can keep playing with that stuff right up till the end of the process.

The funny thing about it being so photorealistic is that only the turtle itself really is - everything else was as simple, quick and graphic as I could make it. And yet, I have a 20" x 36" mounted print of the piece on my wall, and people always ask me who took the "photograph".

Weird how art can trick the eye, huh?

[howyadoin]

The Kurt piece is great too...I know you use photoshop, but what did you use to draw Kurt? Charcoal, pastels, or something else?The Cobain picture predates most of my Photoshop experience. I did it in 1996 as a present for my little sister - it's inkwash on board, with some graphic white for highlights in the hair, then a layer or two of fixative, and then a blue watercolour wash on top of that. The word "kurt" is acrylic, and outlined in white china marker.

I did a fairly hi-res scan of the picture before I gave it to her, and added the lettering in Photoshop years later.

[howyadoin]

Same question for DUNE, which doesn't appear to be photoshopped at all, it looks like graphite and charcoal, though.Here's the scoop: I have an old (like, early 70s) copy of Dune that's in pretty bad shape. The cover's all dog-eared, and the pages are falling out. But I hang onto it, 'cause reading it the first time was a big bonding experience between me and my step-father.

So when I decided to do the poster for him, I naturally thought of the book. I scanned a blank page for the paper texture, and part of the cover for the logo:

[howyadoin]

I'd done a quick thumbnail in my idea book, and I wanted to capture the looseness of the lines, so I blew it up really big and drew right over it. Here's the thumbnail:

[howyadoin]

Here's a bunch of the different bits that I scanned. The files are all named with the specific medium in the title, which is also how I usually label the layers in the main Photoshop file.

[howyadoin]

Next I drew the worm itself - line art with a Sharpie on a Letraset bleedproof marker pad, and pencil shading on the same pad, which gave me a pretty cool effect, I think:

[howyadoin]

Then I kinda mooshed the whole thing together on the computer. (All the layers except the signature and paper texture are set on multiply, for anybody who's curious.)

And here's a close-up of part of the piece, so you can see the textures:

[kmeyers]

Damn, I was way off. the kurt, I thought was photoshopped wasn't. The DUNE I figured was not photoshopped, was. You're good.

It's so cool to see the way you went about creating this composition...I would have had a totally different process to get to that result.

[howyadoin]

Damn, I was way off. the kurt, I thought was photoshopped wasn't. The DUNE I figured was not photoshopped, was. You're good.

It's so cool to see the way you went about creating this composition...I would have had a totally different process to get to that result.I'm really happy with the creative process I use. It's very forgiving, and it allows me to do things you couldn't easily do with traditional media. And yet it has all the texture of real media, because in a sense it is.

I'd say my biggest influences in that area would be Jose Villarubia (colours a lot of Jae Lee's work in watercolour and puts it together in Photoshop), Team Red Star, Dave McKean, and Bill Sienkiewicz. (I'm also swiping new techniques from Juxtapoz magazine all the time. Ever read it?)

Anyhow, my thanks to one and all for the kind words. I've been drawing and painting all my life, but it's only recently that I feel I'm starting to come into my own. Where I go from here is anybody's guess...

[Jaye]

Just wanted to say, re the Rock N Roll Girls How-To... the thread and words may be gone, but what I learned from them (and I'm sure others did) is still fresh in my mind everytime I use Photoshop. So thanks!

-13th

[meethraa]

Lots of great stuff here. It's really rewarding the see the pieces come together like that.
And the thread might still be here somewhere. I'm still looking on the very breef moments in which my cd drive decides to work.

[Noir_Dark]

What makes this a great thread (besids howys awsome art) is the step by step stuff.
Can’t get enough of it.

THANKS!

[howyadoin]

What makes this a great thread (besids howys awsome art) is the step by step stuff.
Can’t get enough of it.Next piece I start, I'll show it from start to finish in this thread.

[howyadoin]

Every time I think I've got all my shit in this thread, I remember something else. These two were obviously done together:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/aquarium.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/fishbowl.jpg

[Core]

This is the first time I've checked out this thread.

Howyadoin is now (un)officially my new art tutor.

Great stuff, bro.

[Noir_Dark]

This is the first time I've checked out this thread.

Howyadoin is now (un)officially my new art tutor.

Great stuff, bro.

I've been Stealing Howy’s stuff for weeks.

[howyadoin]

Thanks, fellers. Assuming I make it through my current computer problems unscathed, I should be starting some new projects in the coming weeks. If and when that happens, I will be documenting everything step by step in this thread.

[studioDcomics.com]

Great artwork! Nice colouring & love the car designs.

When you attach images to messages, does it resize them for you? Or will it simply not attach if it's too large?


later
don

[howyadoin]

Great artwork! Nice colouring & love the car designs.Thanks, I love doing the automotive stuff. Really need to get off my ass and do some more...

When you attach images to messages, does it resize them for you? Or will it simply not attach if it's too large?Nope, you've gotta resize 'em before you can upload them.

[howyadoin]

Rough concept for a tattoo design for my brother. It should run up the outside of his calf. Now that I've sketched it out and given it some thought, I figure the wings will be longer, skinnier and more vertical.

(The pose, of course, is blatantly ripped off from a Jim Lee panel in the latest Superman.)

[Noir_Dark]

I likes. Be sure to get a pic of the tattoo and post it here.

[howyadoin]

Here's a little detail (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5384) from the updated version of the Little Boats piece. I gave a copy of it to fly on the wall in San Diego recently.

Words courtesy of fly, lettering courtesy of 13th.

[Puma]

And of course, the lonely gargoyle:


I love this one, so glad you re-posted

[JadeDragon]

Great stuff, Howya!

I really enjoy the step by step tutorials. I'm looking forward to your next one.

Doug Chiang and Brian Bolland have some neat Step by Steppers out there too. I wonder if you have seen them? (I cant remember where they are...would have to google 'em)

That DUNE piece was really cool. What were you thinking about for your next project?

Can't wait to see more!

~~~Patrick

[howyadoin]

Doug Chiang and Brian Bolland have some neat Step by Steppers out there too. I wonder if you have seen them? (I cant remember where they are...would have to google 'em)Here's (http://www.brianbolland.com/gk37/) one of the Bolland tutorials.

That DUNE piece was really cool. What were you thinking about for your next project?Well, I still owe Spike a top-secret project that keeps getting put aside.

Beyond that, I've done research for close to 20 different projects, and there are thumbnails in my Idea Book for about 50 more. I really saw what a market there is for cheesecake art when I went to San Diego, so that's an area I'd like to explore.

[meethraa]

I'm looking forward for your cheesecake, Howya!

[JadeDragon]

Beyond that, I've done research for close to 20 different projects, and there are thumbnails in my Idea Book for about 50 more. I really saw what a market there is for cheesecake art when I went to San Diego, so that's an area I'd like to explore.

Dang! Sounds like you have a few irons in the ol' fire!

And I second Meethraa. Bring on the cheesecake!

A buddy of mine was selling an ashcan/portfolio at the Con in artist alley. He had some cheescake in there, and it was prominently displayed to bring people over to the table. Worked like a charm! He sold a ton of those things!

Gives one ideas for next year for certain!

And thanks for the Bolland link! Love those things.

~~~Patrick

[howyadoin]

A buddy of mine was selling an ashcan/portfolio at the Con in artist alley. He had some cheescake in there, and it was prominently displayed to bring people over to the table. Worked like a charm! He sold a ton of those things!Yeah, I bought quite a few sketchbooks, too - Adam Hughes, Dan Brereton, Jim Silke, Phil Noto, Eduardo Risso...

[howyadoin]

Initial sketch for my latest piece:

[howyadoin]

Refined, a little:

[howyadoin]

"And that's when I decided I needed a jet engine..."

[howyadoin]

Base colours added. I'll most likely be doing a backdrop with markers and scanning it later.

[JadeDragon]

Man, that's shapin up real sweet Howya (I'm a huge car nut...but cant draw em worth a darn).

Cant wait to see where you're taking this!

~~~JadeDragon

[howyadoin]

A bit more colour added:

[howyadoin]

Took a second look at everything today, and decided there was a buncha stuff I wasn't happy with. So I redid the linework in pencil, made the car a bit longer, and repositioned the wheels slightly.

The result:

[howyadoin]

Base colours for the revised version:

[howyadoin]

Marker backdrop roughed into place:

[Anim8r13]

Howya, much improved on the car! I really like the way you lengthened it and good call on the wheel readjustments. Keep up the good work! Can't wait to see more.

[howyadoin]

A little something I whipped up tonight, inspired by JadeDragon's "Sketch a Day" thread:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Boogie_Van.jpg

[meethraa]

Marker backdrop roughed into place:
That is one sweet looking car! I have to admit I wasn't too happy with the reddish asphalt but I was waiting to see where you'd go with that. It's much better now.

[howyadoin]

That is one sweet looking car! I have to admit I wasn't too happy with the reddish asphalt but I was waiting to see where you'd go with that. It's much better now.I've still got a lot to do on it; hopefully I'll get back to it in the next couple days.

[JadeDragon]

A little something I whipped up tonight, inspired by JadeDragon's "Sketch a Day" thread:

Dude, Now THAT'S a kick ass van! Especially them back wheels. Super colours on the hubcaps. You have a sweet design sense, and I dig how the van looks hunched and ready to peel out. Nice piece for the ol' portfolio. :)

I'm really curious what sort of photoshopping you are doing at work these days. You are still freelance, right? Dang I miss that.

Great to see you busting out the daily sketch as well! I hope to see MORE MORE MORE upates here in this thread! That supercar is looking killer.

Keep up the great work, Howya!

Yer drawin pal~~~JadeDragon

[Roquefort Raider]

Nice, nice, nice work, howy! You have a very sure hand and I love the way such a hard and angular thing as a car or a van become alive under your pen. Cool stuff!

Keep 'em coming, man!


- Ben

[howyadoin]

I'm really curious what sort of photoshopping you are doing at work these days.A lot of photo retouching. The interesting thing is that one of the clients in particular never uses digital photography, so when I'm doing the retouch I have to match the film grain in the existing shot. Some of these images end up with 10 or 15 different layers to make it all work.

[JadeDragon]

Nice. I like the motion blur on the taillights. Sweet touch there.

Sounds like you have an interesting job. Is it mostly advertising images you retouch? Is it a lot of clone stamping and airbrush? I spend a little time "res-ing" up smaller images we create to print size. The small DPI looks jacked up when enlarged, so the artwork needs tweaking. Wonder if your job is similar?

Anyways, I look forward to seeing some more car-toons! And when are those "Cheesecake" pics gonna start rolling out, eh? :)

Have a good one!~~~JadeDragon

[howyadoin]

Sounds like you have an interesting job. Is it mostly advertising images you retouch?Pretty much. The funny thing is, there aren't many art directors in town who know how to get what they want out of a photo shoot.

Which is where I come in.

Is it a lot of clone stamping and airbrush?Not all that much airbrushing, really. I find it usually looks really obvious when you retouch with it. The clone tool is definitely the major one, though. That, and the gradient tool and layer masks.

I spend a little time "res-ing" up smaller images we create to print size. The small DPI looks jacked up when enlarged, so the artwork needs tweaking.Here's (http://www.genuinefractals.com/solutions/gf/) what you need. It allows you to increase the size of an image by up to 600% without any visible loss of quality. Most of the big stock photography houses use it.

[howyadoin]

Another of what I call my Hot Wheels cars:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/ol_55.jpg

[JadeDragon]

Nice!

Love the side exhaust. How many in this series have you done? That's a neat portfolio you are putting together, Howya!

And thanks for that link for the Digital site. Looks cool! A lot of the stuff we rez up is artwork we create at a low pixel count, so when it's upsized, the art looks booty. We have to sort of re-paint over the top of it. I wonder if that program would help make it easier, or if it is just for photographs?

Keep up the great work man!

~~~Patrick

[howyadoin]

Love the side exhaust. How many in this series have you done? That's a neat portfolio you are putting together, Howya!Thank you, sah. This is only the second so far, but I'm planning to do many more. They're a ton of fun to do, and they're quick, so I won't get bored with 'em any time soon.

And thanks for that link for the Digital site. Looks cool! A lot of the stuff we rez up is artwork we create at a low pixel count, so when it's upsized, the art looks booty. We have to sort of re-paint over the top of it. I wonder if that program would help make it easier, or if it is just for photographs?It should work, but it really depends on how low the initial resolution is. Why not just create the initial artwork at higher rez in the first place?

[howyadoin]

Yet another car:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/checker.jpg

[JadeDragon]

THAT is one KILLER taxi, Howya! Love the extreme foreshortening! Digging the fact that you are doing these as a series. More please. :)


It should work, but it really depends on how low the initial resolution is. Why not just create the initial artwork at higher rez in the first place?

Oh, because we draw so many "Comps" that we need to keep the file size small (like maybe 5 inches tall). A lot of the time we will take a rough comp that the client chooses, rework it and finish it from the original. Sometimes it needs to be blown up for P.O.P.'s (Point of Purchase) ad standees or posters. Often those things are like 40 inches high. If we made the comps that big then it would take half of our workday just re-saving the big files as we work on em. I hate that part. :mad:

Anyways, keep plugging away on those car-toons! Great stuff there!! :D

Ciao!~~~JadeDragon

[Papergirl]

Heh! I know some NYC cabbies that would LOVE to drive THAT taxi!

Great job, bro!

[Roquefort Raider]

Did you ever design CD covers, howy? (Back in the old days, I guess they would have been LP covers).

Those cars fairly rock, I do proclaim.


Keep on truckin'!


- Ben

[howyadoin]

THAT is one KILLER taxi, Howya! Love the extreme foreshortening! Digging the fact that you are doing these as a series. More please.Already started on the next one, and I've got ideas for about 10 more. I'm havin' a blast with the perspective, that's for sure.

Oh, because we draw so many "Comps" that we need to keep the file size small (like maybe 5 inches tall). A lot of the time we will take a rough comp that the client chooses, rework it and finish it from the original. Sometimes it needs to be blown up for P.O.P.'s (Point of Purchase) ad standees or posters. Often those things are like 40 inches high. If we made the comps that big then it would take half of our workday just re-saving the big files as we work on em. I hate that part.I'd say the best compromise would be starting with a file roughly twice the size for the comps, and then blowing them up in Genuine Fractals. (I think Extensis has a similar program, too.)

What version of Photoshop are you using, by the way? Might be able to send you a copy for "evaluation purposes".

Heh! I know some NYC cabbies that would LOVE to drive THAT taxi!

Great job, bro!Thanks. Just think how quick people could get to work.

Did you ever design CD covers, howy? (Back in the old days, I guess they would have been LP covers).Never really had the opportunity, unfortunately. It's a really competitive field, because everybody who studies graphic design wants to do it, and students will usually do it for free.

Those cars fairly rock, I do proclaim.

Keep on truckin'!You know it.

http://cougar.slvhs.slv.k12.ca.us/~pboomer/chemlectures/qual/keepontruckin.jpg

[howyadoin]

Speakin' of truckin':

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/veedub.jpg

[Roquefort Raider]

howyadoin = sheer coolness.

Who hasn't dreamed of touring the world in a VW van like that?

[howyadoin]

*please delete*

[JadeDragon]

Bravo, Howya!

My brother has a VW van. He loves those things. I'm curious, what kind of cars have you owned, since you seem to be a car enthusiast like me...

The drawings are looking great. I can relate to wanting to tweak constantly. Half the artistic battle is knowing when to say "This is finished" and walk away from it. Especially when color is involved....

Hope all is well!~~~JadeDragon

[howyadoin]

Next up is a '49 Ford:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/49_ford.jpg

[howyadoin]

I'm curious, what kind of cars have you owned, since you seem to be a car enthusiast like me...Nothing but crappy old shitboxes, unfortunately. First it was because of poverty, and now it's because I can't justify spending the money on something I'd only drive once or twice a week.

In a couple years, maybe...

[JadeDragon]

Nothing but crappy old shitboxes, unfortunately. First it was because of poverty, and now it's because I can't justify spending the money on something I'd only drive once or twice a week.

In a couple years, maybe...

Heh. I have owned my share of C.O.S.'s. My favorite passtime was digging myself into a financial hole with cars I loved but didnt love me back. Always managed to have fun with em tho. Mostly Datsun 280Z's. Drove them suckers into the ground.

Ahhhh...memories....

Lookin forward to new car-toons from ya!

~~~JadeDragon

[Jaye]

These are great! I enjoy the Checker Cab one a lot- especially the perspective. Nice work.

-13th

[howyadoin]

The beginnings of a work in progress:

[Roquefort Raider]

The unassuming movement lines at the bottom part of the tires are very effective. I look forward to the development of this one!

Now the only criticism my old tech art teacher would have about these cars is that they lack breasts. Can't win 'em all.

You have a great eye for color work, you know that?


Cheers,

- Ben

[Jaye]

The unassuming movement lines at the bottom part of the tires are very effective. I look forward to the development of this one!

Now the only criticism my old tech art teacher would have about these cars is that they lack breasts. Can't win 'em all.


Yeah, those motion lines are great.

Boobs? They don't even have a penis like the Batmobile.
Howy, give your cars some sex, dude.

-13th

[howyadoin]

A few tweaks before I start doing the watercolours:

[Roquefort Raider]

How did you create the shiny effect on the front grid? it looks pretty sharp. I would have used a dry brush with some white paint, but would probably have made a mess of it!

[howyadoin]

How did you create the shiny effect on the front grid? it looks pretty sharp. I would have used a dry brush with some white paint, but would probably have made a mess of it!Its just fingerprints, actually. I have several scans of prints from previous projects, so I dropped some into my new Photoshop file, inverted the layer, and set it to screen mode. Then I merged it with the exisiting line art layer so the colours underneath would show through.

Here's a close-up:

[howyadoin]

Here's the initial watercolour application:

[Jaye]

Here's the initial watercolour application:

It looks awesome.
That color is moody, I like it.

-13th

[howyadoin]

Major progress tonight. A couple more hours work tomorrow, and it oughta be finished:

[Roquefort Raider]

Man, it's really impressive to see how you add layers of complexity like that. The car looks really beautiful.

Thanks for the technical tips, too!

[howyadoin]

Man, it's really impressive to see how you add layers of complexity like that.Thanks. I want to explore more of that in the future.

Here's the finished piece, by the way:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Model_A.jpg

[howyadoin]

A closeup to show some of the texture:

[elheffe]

A closeup to show some of the texture:
Nice. Old toothbrush?

[JadeDragon]

Thanks. I want to explore more of that in the future.

Here's the finished piece, by the way:

NICE! That is definitely my favorite one so far. Really aggressive looking. Great watercolors.

Excellent job, Howyadoin!!

Cheers!~~~Patrick

[howyadoin]

Nice. Old toothbrush?For the ink spatters? Yup, you can't beat the toothbrush.

Sometimes I use it with a comb, too.

[howyadoin]

By the way, I've got the beginings of an online portfolio set up here (http://photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin).

[Jaye]

Gallery page looks good so far, glad you made one!

-13th

[howyadoin]

Gallery page looks good so far, glad you made one!It's a beginning, anyway. Still have to organize it a little better, though.

[howyadoin]

Something old, and something new. What you see so far is an illustration I did 14 years ago, when I was in college. The only thing I've done to it is scan it and beef up the black outline.

So far, anyway. But I've got big plans for this one...

[Spike-X]

It's good to see an artist who's obviously done a little research before drawing a guitar. Some of the monstrosities I've seen in comics over the years... *shudder*

[Roquefort Raider]

From cars to guitars...

You just like drawing fenders, don't you? ;)

[yellowrosegoddess]

And here are the various scans that went into her picture:
I like the finger.
I swear if that was tatooed on my forehead people would take me seriously!

[howyadoin]

It's good to see an artist who's obviously done a little research before drawing a guitar. Some of the monstrosities I've seen in comics over the years... *shudder*Believe me, I know what you mean.

The funny thing is, guitars aren't that damn complicated. I think it's just laziness that leads to badly-drawn ones, 'cause damn near everybody has at least one CD with a picture of a guitar in it.

From cars to guitars...

You just like drawing fenders, don't you?Had I foreseen that joke, I would've drawn a Strat and not a Les Paul.

I like the finger.
I swear if that was tatooed on my forehead people would take me seriously!You don't think we take you seriously, Moonberry?

[howyadoin]

Here's a little something else from my distant past. It's the exterior establishing shot of a never-finished Daredevil submission, and it's the only panel in the whole thing that, in retrospect, doesn't suck.

(Note: at the time, Wilson Fisk was definitely not running the show in Hell's Kitchen.)

[Spike-X]

From cars to guitars...

You just like drawing fenders, don't you? ;)
It's a Gibson, you philistine!!!

[JadeDragon]

Awesome new web portfolio, Howya! Looking forward to how you get that all set up. So far so good!

And nice guitar drawing...damn. Perfect!

And I didnt know you had done some sequential samples. You been holding back on us! Thats hilarious putting Big Willie in the hot dog booth. That chick is cool...insert foot long hotdog joke here. ;)

Great stuff, howya!~~~JadeDragon

[howyadoin]

And I didnt know you had done some sequential samples. You been holding back on us! Thats hilarious putting Big Willie in the hot dog booth. That chick is cool...insert foot long hotdog joke here.The concept for the submission was a scene in a boardroom where Daredevil has been captured and is seemingly unconscious in a chair while the boardmembers debate whether or not to kill him. While this is going on, the Black Widow is infiltrating the building through - what else? - the ventilation shafts. A big brawl ensues, and the flash you see at the top of that panel is DD and one of the bad guys crashing through a window.

When I look at the unfinished pages now, it's pretty clear that I was heavily into my Jim Lee phase at the time.

[howyadoin]

I swear this will eventually make more sense:

[Spike-X]

I like it so far...

[Roquefort Raider]

I find your pieces to be good enough right from the start, but you always manage to make them better, and better, and better...

[howyadoin]

Slowly moving along, here. Still figuring out the background, and there's still a few things to be drawn and scanned:

[JadeDragon]

Interesting!

I'm intruiged by the pentagram on the girls eye.

Looking forward to seeing where this is headed. Looks great as is!

~~~JadeDragon

[howyadoin]

Interesting!

I'm intruiged by the pentagram on the girls eye.

Looking forward to seeing where this is headed. Looks great as is!Thanks, bud. Here's the next stage of development:

[howyadoin]

More progress to report. I've done a lot of the shading and highlights, and added the black lace on the chick's top. The main thing left to do is the second asteroid.

I've also attached a closeup of the signature - the red metalflake on the lettering is copied from what I did with the drum kit.

[howyadoin]

Did a little shading work on the chick's face. Have a look:

[meethraa]

That's really good!
That guitar looks practically photo-realistic, which I'd take as something hard to do.
The rest is pretty good too, but damn that guitar!

[howyadoin]

That guitar looks practically photo-realistic, which I'd take as something hard to do.
The rest is pretty good too, but damn that guitar!It's mostly just coloured pencils, with a few highlights added in Photoshop.

[meethraa]

I kid you not when I say my first thought was that you had just pasted a photo in there.

[howyadoin]

Finissimo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Power_Trip.jpg

[Copper]

You're really making me want to dust off photoshop now. :D

[Jaye]

As we say in Boston: Thats wicked nice.

[howyadoin]

You're really making me want to dust off photoshop now.By all means, man. There's a lotta fun to be had.

As we say in Boston: Thats wicked nice.As we say in Vancouver: thank you.

[JadeDragon]

Nice!

Is that you in the easy chair? Sorta Godlike surveying all the good things you created and create with?

Excellent! Nice details on this one. And its cool to see you do a complicated piece like this.

Great work, pal!~~~JadeDragon

[Roquefort Raider]

Wow... It's like the Vertigo version of Kirby's New Gods (with howyadoin as Metron)!

Very beautiful piece, my good man! Congrats and thanks!


- Ben

[howyadoin]

Nice!

Is that you in the easy chair? Sorta Godlike surveying all the good things you created and create with?Nope. It's Dave Wyndorf from Monster Magnet (hence the title of the piece).

Wow... It's like the Vertigo version of Kirby's New Gods (with howyadoin as Metron)!

Very beautiful piece, my good man! Congrats and thanks!Funny you should mention Vertigo; I'm been consciously analyzing Chris Bachalo's art lately.


And thanks, guys.

[Anim8r13]

Great job Howya! I've been following your progress on this. It turned out really well and I love. . .I say love that guitar! Keep up the awesome work.

[antonio7512]

Howyadoin....I really kike the selection in the color palette, beautiful and also the design imput you selected..Beautiful...have a great day!!..JESUS ANTONIO

[TurboBassist]

I kid you not when I say my first thought was that you had just pasted a photo in there.

I thought the exact same thing :D.

[howyadoin]

Howyadoin....I really kike the selection in the color palette, beautiful and also the design imput you selected..Beautiful...have a great day!!..JESUS ANTONIOThanks. I spend a lot of time on the design and composition. One of the benefits of the way I put this stuff together in Photoshop is that I can keep making adjustments all through the process, if need be.

[howyadoin]

*please delete*

[Roquefort Raider]

It bears repeating: that's very beautiful work.

The girl doesn't look at all like a typical comic-book lady: is she based on anyone from the real world? I really like her hairdo.

Excellent work, effendi!


- Ben

[howyadoin]

The girl doesn't look at all like a typical comic-book lady: is she based on anyone from the real world? I really like her hairdo.Yup, she's based on a Christian Dior ad that Milla Jovovich did a few years ago.

[Beren]

Colouring this pic was my baptism of fire in Photoshop:

I like the BURN in the hand hitting the BLAST switch! That's comics!

There's something very deep and artistic, about the brightest, most brilliant part of the pic coming straight from the hand... of Iron Man...? Or...hmmm... :confused:

[howyadoin]

I like the BURN in the hand hitting the BLAST switch! That's comics!It's funny how little comics art I've done, now that I think about it.

Maybe it's time I did some painted superhero stuff.

[JadeDragon]

Power Trip turned out AWESOME! That guitar drawing is freaking brilliant, man.

It's funny how little comics art I've done, now that I think about it.

Maybe it's time I did some painted superhero stuff.

By all means!! I would love to see you do some more comic stuff!

Go! Go! Go!~~~JadeDragon

[howyadoin]

Power Trip turned out AWESOME! That guitar drawing is freaking brilliant, man.Many thanks.
By all means!! I would love to see you do some more comic stuff!Well, I did promise Kid Omega a Green Lantern pic once upon a time...

[Jaye]

Well, I did promise Kid Omega a Green Lantern pic once upon a time...


OH YEAH PLEASE!!!
I mean: that would be great to see your take on GL.
-13th

[howyadoin]

A little something I whipped up over the last couple days. It's gonna be one of my little sister's Christmas presents:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/newfoundland.jpg

[howyadoin]

OH YEAH PLEASE!!!
I mean: that would be great to see your take on GL.Started brainstorming tonight. I originally had an idea of doing something about his test-pilot days, 'cause Kid Omega (then Kamandi) and I had a conversation awhile ago about The Right Stuff and the Apollo astronauts.

But then New Frontier came out and made that idea redundant.

Anyhow, now I've got the basic concept worked out in my head, so I'm just gonna let it ferment there for a couple days.

[Roquefort Raider]

A little something I whipped up over the last couple days. It's gonna be one of my little sister's Christmas presents:

Nice! Reminds me of the days when maps were also works of art. I have an old map of Canada that my mom's grandad drew in school... (it was still called a dominion back then)! I must admit it didn't look as good as your Newfoundland, though. For one, the calligraphy wasn't as elegant; and the sea didn't look half as... well, liquid. That's what you get for using watercolors, right?

I look forward to the development of this new work!


Cheers,

- Ben

[JadeDragon]

Hey, thats a cool map, Howya!

Reminds me of this old wooden globe my grandpa used to have, it made music when you cranked it up and it spun. In the waters, there were all sorts of sea creatures and ships and stuff...made sailing look like quite the daunting task!

Yer sis should love it. ~~~JadeDragon

[howyadoin]

Needs a little fine tuning, but here's the Green Lantern pic:

[Jaye]

Its very nice!
As far as design, I'm curious why you decided to go with clean lines up front on the figure, but much much looser with the lantern siloutte? I like the loose wash of the blue background, but am curious what it would look like if the lantern had more solid form. Not a big deal, just wondering how you layed it out to begin with.

The green burst from the ring is especially cool.

[howyadoin]

For one, the calligraphy wasn't as elegant; and the sea didn't look half as... well, liquid. That's what you get for using watercolors, right?The calligraphy is just a font called La Figura.

As for the background, my mom gave me a pad of watercolour paper when I was a little kid, and now I've finally used the last page.

Reminds me of this old wooden globe my grandpa used to have, it made music when you cranked it up and it spun. In the waters, there were all sorts of sea creatures and ships and stuff...made sailing look like quite the daunting task!Do you have any photos of that?
As far as design, I'm curious why you decided to go with clean lines up front on the figure, but much much looser with the lantern siloutte? I like the loose wash of the blue background, but am curious what it would look like if the lantern had more solid form. Not a big deal, just wondering how you layed it out to begin with.I just wanted a semi-abstract background, instead of something too literal. I figured if I drew a more detailed battery, it would look like Hal was trapped inside it or something. A little too much like a goofy Silver Age cover for my tastes.

As for how I had it laid out in the beginning, I basically just had a thumbnail of Hal's torso with a circle drawn around it. It wasn't till I started the actual piece that I thought of using the battery as a framing device.

You oughta be watching your mailbox, by the way.

[howyadoin]

Another possible option for the GL piece:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/green_lantern.jpg

[Jaye]

Another possible option for the GL piece:

Yeah yeah! That works really well, for some reason it helps my eyes take in Hal much much better. Of course, either of them are fine, but I really like this change.

*watches mailbox*

[howyadoin]

Just found some interesting stuff on technique on Dave Devries's website:

http://www.davedevries.com/Pages/technique%20home.htm

[Jaye]

The Namor piece was interesting. Much of it was, I look forward to him beefing up the step by steps - or adding to them. Thanks for the link.

[howyadoin]

How I spent my Halloween:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Green_Goblin.jpg

[Jaye]

Excellent, love it!

[howyadoin]

The beginnings of a new project:

[howyadoin]

More progress:

[howyadoin]

Further progress - did a background in acrylic.

[howyadoin]

Further progress. Still got a long way to go, but most of the major pieces are in place now.

[JadeDragon]

Thems bottles are comin out right perty they are!

Great work there, Howya!

Looking forward to the finish on this one~~~JadeDragon

[Roquefort Raider]

Really beautiful stuff, howy. You're very versatile in your choice of subjects and manner of execution!

[howyadoin]

Finally got some more done on the wine bottles. Hopefully in the next couple days I can finish it - just need to warp the background behind the transparent bottles and add shadows on the wall.

[Jaye]

I got it! I got it! I got it!

Howy sent me a print of his Lonely Gargoyle (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=475), and its brilliant. So much more vivid and awesome in real life. Damn, this screen does not do our artwork justice. It actually makes me wonder if we should host an art swap for the NEB. Maybe in January after the holiday stresses. Anyway, its so nice, and will look great in my office. And if I splashed something on it by mistake, it would just wipe right off because the surface is all laminate-like. Woot!

Thanks so much, Bret!

[i_mmmchocolate]

Finally got some more done on the wine bottles. Hopefully in the next couple days I can finish it - just need to warp the background behind the transparent bottles and add shadows on the wall.

Love that, Howya.

I like the earthy background too.

[howyadoin]

I got it! I got it! I got it!

Howy sent me a print of his Lonely Gargoyle (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=475), and its brilliant. So much more vivid and awesome in real life. Damn, this screen does not do our artwork justice. It actually makes me wonder if we should host an art swap for the NEB. Maybe in January after the holiday stresses. Anyway, its so nice, and will look great in my office. And if I splashed something on it by mistake, it would just wipe right off because the surface is all laminate-like. Woot!

Thanks so much, Bret!Thank God. I was starting to worry it wouldn't show up. (That's a UV laminate, by the way. Prevents the sun from fading the print.) Once you've got the picture up, can you take a photo of it and post it here?

I think the art swap is a fine idea. And if we stick to 8x10 or 8.5x11 prints, it could be done fairly cheap.

[howyadoin]

Thems bottles are comin out right perty they are!

Great work there, Howya!

Looking forward to the finish on this one~~~JadeDragonThank you, sir. Hoping to finish it up over the next couple days.

Really beautiful stuff, howy. You're very versatile in your choice of subjects and manner of execution!And thank you. When are we gonna see some more of your space opera?

Love that, Howya.

I like the earthy background too.And thank you, chocolate. The background is one of my favourite parts of that piece.

[Roquefort Raider]

When are we gonna see some more of your space opera?


I finished page 39 last weekend (with mixed results... I'm a crappy inker) and I'll start on page 40 as soon as possible. I've also scanned all the 85 pages currently done. I'm getting closer to electronic publication, at least!

I've been distracted recently by working on a huge caricature of all the professors here at the department: it was meant to be auctioned to fund the students' graduation party. It was a big success, but it may be just so that people can throw darts at it!

I love your bottles. man. I really do! That's a print I'd pay good money for! Good job!

Cheers,

- Ben

[kmeyers]

And thank you, chocolate. The background is one of my favourite parts of that piece.
Yeah, the background does look really nice. is that background the actual size you painted, or did you blow up a smaller section for that?

the whole composition looks great, the only thing that I would add, is a just a little detail on the corks to make them look more round.

Great work.

[howyadoin]

Okay, so for now it's finished. I'll probably revisit it in a couple days and make a few tweaks, though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Bottles.jpg

[howyadoin]

Yeah, the background does look really nice. is that background the actual size you painted, or did you blow up a smaller section for that?The actual physical piece (acrylic on board) is only about 8" x 5", but it's stretched in the Photoshop file to roughly 20" x 10".

the whole composition looks great, the only thing that I would add, is a just a little detail on the corks to make them look more round.Not a bad idea. I'll give that some thought before I revisit the piece. I tried to make them look fairly sketchy, but that could change...

[kmeyers]

The actual physical piece (acrylic on board) is only about 8" x 5", but it's stretched in the Photoshop file to roughly 20" x 10".
I thought you did something like that...it looks really good...I need to take spots in some of my paintings, and blow them up for backgrounds, like that.

Not a bad idea. I'll give that some thought before I revisit the piece. I tried to make them look fairly sketchy, but that could change...
It's just a tiny little thing, but the corks look a little flat to me, while the bottles are round. not that big of a deal, really.

It still looks really nice.

[howyadoin]

I need to take spots in some of my paintings, and blow them up for backgrounds, like that.Not a bad idea. I've scanned my palette a couple times. Haven't actually used it in a picture yet, but sooner or later...

[kmeyers]

Not a bad idea. I've scanned my palette a couple times. Haven't actually used it in a picture yet, but sooner or later...
I've had some really cool looking palettes before too, I just never had a camera...and now do, but I (still) have no paint.

[howyadoin]

I've had some really cool looking palettes before too, I just never had a camera...and now do, but I (still) have no paint.Once you do get some paint, you should be looking into a scanner rather than a camera.

The downside, though, is an image area limited to about 8 x 10 inches.

[kmeyers]

Once you do get some paint, you should be looking into a scanner rather than a camera.

The downside, though, is an image area limited to about 8 x 10 inches.
right...almost all of my paintings are way bigger than that. I like to paint big. but I should still get a scanner for drawings, and sketches.

[howyadoin]

Here's the beginning of my latest piece. There will actually be a fire escape on the building when I'm done:

[i_mmmchocolate]

Here's the beginning of my latest piece. There will actually be a fire escape on the building when I'm done:


I like your color choices, especially that bright red. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

[howyadoin]

I can't wait to see how it turns out.I have to admit, I feel the same way.

[howyadoin]

I was just reminded that I never posted these pieces from last Christmas:

[howyadoin]

Phase two of the fire escape:

[Dark Sun]

Phase two of the fire escape:
i can see flames coming out of those windows by phase 4, and people jumping out of them by phase 6 but thats just my sick imagination

[howyadoin]

i can see flames coming out of those windows by phase 4, and people jumping out of them by phase 6 but thats just my sick imaginationAww, my mom's gonna love her Christmas present!

[bert]

oooo

I like the Goblin pic. .

but that Green Lantern kicks butt!

(I prefer the 1st posted to the 2nd. . but both are good!).

great work Howy.

bert

[howyadoin]

Latest developments - added curtains in the windows, some watercolour and charcoal to the fire escape, opened two of the windows, flopped the background red, and tweaked a few minor details.

Tomorrow the detail work continues. I'll be adding some potted flowers, a cat, maybe a chair, and a kid blowing bubbles.

[howyadoin]

Here's a close-up to show the textures:

[howyadoin]

A little somethin' I threw together tonight:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Ghost_Rider.jpg

[Jaye]

The texture gives it a crayon-y feel.
But then there's this flaming skull...

Nice!

[Roquefort Raider]

I like the Fire Escape more and more. It's like watching a tree grow.

As for the Ghost Rider, its uncommon rendering gives it an originality the character hasn't had for a long while. It reminds me of a Howard the Duck cover all done in collage; it was very different from what had been seen before, and very nice to look at. (Predictably, readers hated it. Ah, well).

Will we see the rest of the Ghost Rider? With his motorcycle, perhaps? I'd love to see a howyadoin bike.

[howyadoin]

*please delete*

[howyadoin]

Will we see the rest of the Ghost Rider? With his motorcycle, perhaps? I'd love to see a howyadoin bike.I've got a couple ideas in mind for bike pics, now that you mention it.

Something I might have to jump on after Christmas.

[JadeDragon]

Great Ghost Rider!

And I agree, I dont think Ive seen a Hog from you. I bet that would be one rad set of wheels!

Looks like you have a lot of projects in the works. So organized!

Always great to see what you are working on, Howya!

Cheers!~~~JadeDragon

[i_mmmchocolate]

I've got a couple ideas in mind for bike pics, now that you mention it.

Something I might have to jump on after Christmas.


*reads list*

Mmm...cheesecake.

[howyadoin]

*reads list*

Mmm...cheesecake.Hint: it's not about food.

[i_mmmchocolate]

Hint: it's not about food.

Cheesecake? Not food? Then what? No wait...I don't want to know!

Ignorance is bliss.

[Leo]

Good stuff. I'm liking the way you've played with the transparency in the gecko picture. The gargoyle's pose is great too.

Yer backgrounds are me favourite. Hints of a wash in there?

[howyadoin]

Good stuff. I'm liking the way you've played with the transparency in the gecko picture.Y'know, I think you're the first person to comment on that.

Yer backgrounds are me favourite. Hints of a wash in there?Yeah, lotsa watercolour and ink washes in my work. I use some of the backgrounds more than once, too. The turtle, Galactus and Green Lantern pics all use the same basic wet-on-wet watercolour background; I just change the colour, rotate it and/or scale it. I've got half a gig's worth of scanned textures and ink spatters on my hard drive now.

[howyadoin]

More progress on the fire escape pic. Have to finish it in the next couple days.

[Dark Sun]

does the bbq on the bottom level catch fire by any chance?

yes i was a pyro as a child, sorry for my shameful humour

[howyadoin]

Other than a bit of shading and detail work, she's finished:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Fire_Escape.jpg

[Roquefort Raider]

Wow, that piece really comes alive despite its urban theme! The contrast between the hardness of bricks and steel stairs and the fragility of the child and her bubbles is very good.

And you draw a better cat than Steve Dillon!

Good job, sir!

[Jaye]

That's a really sweet one, howy.
Nice job!



.

[howyadoin]

Here's a closeup of the girl with the bubbles:

[Dark Sun]

theres something missing cause the bubbles dont look quite right, like maybe they are too close to the front of the page or too close together.

[howyadoin]

theres something missing cause the bubbles dont look quite right, like maybe they are too close to the front of the page or too close together.They're supposed to be floating closer to the camera as they descend.

And sorry 'bout the lack of fire.

[howyadoin]

Special megasuperduper Top Secret announcement tomorrow.

More than this I cannot say at this time.

[MissKale]

Special megasuperduper Top Secret announcement tomorrow.

More than this I cannot say at this time.

Hope its fun!

There are things I like about the Fire Escape, but I don't think its my favourite of the things you've done. I think its because I also have a problem with the bubbles for some reason.

[howyadoin]

Okay, I've been keepin' this one under my hat (more or less) for a year or so now. Spike-X commissioned it as a present for Cirocco, and if things have been proceeding according to schedule, he's given her the picture within the past couple hours.

(If not, I might have blown it.)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/red_sonja_med.jpg

[Spike-X]

She really, really liked it. My ears are still ringing from the squeal.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/Spike-X/misc/shelikesit.jpg

[Spike-X]

That's the illustrious Pol Rua with her, by the way.

[howyadoin]

She really, really liked it. My ears are still ringing from the squeal.That's cool as hell. I'm putting it in my signature.

[Jaye]

I think I told you this before, but in case I didn't, its awesome!
The background bottom is incredible. Nicely done all around, serious coolest gift-- Spike and you are quite the visonaries on this.

-13th

[Roquefort Raider]

Wow... That must be one of the best Sonja images I've seen, especially because it doesn't pander to the tastes of prurient fanboys. The background is nothing short of gorgeous, and Sonja herself is both darn good-looking and mysterious, particularly with her pensive attitude and that spooky glowing pendant.

Very beautiful work, howy.

[howyadoin]

Thanks, guys. I actually had a lot of problems in the creation of that picture, so it's nice to hear people say that it turned out well.

[David Bircham]

wow Howy your artwork rocks man

[David Bircham]

Look guys i'm just gonna say this straight up I'm an artist too and i got an idea that I've got published. Has any of y'all seen it

www.brodieslaw.com

[howyadoin]

wow Howy your artwork rocks manThank you, sir. I've been at it for a long time.

[howyadoin]

Been at my parents' place for almost a week now, and bein' away from my computer and my art supplies is starting to make me twitch.

I've managed to come up with 3 or 4 nice ideas for future work, though.

[howyadoin]

Work in progress:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/In%20Progress/darkseid.jpg

[atoningunifex]

Work in progress:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/In%20Progress/darkseid.jpg


M...m......mom?





but seriously- cool darkseid, howy

[howyadoin]

The finished piece:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/darkseid2.jpg

[howyadoin]

Finally some more car stuff:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/scarab.jpg

[Jaye]

Finally some more car stuff:


That's f'n beautiful.

[Noir_Dark]

Finally some more car stuff:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/scarab.jpg
How do you get that luminous quality around the lights? Is that just Photoshop airbrush?
Lovely by the way.

[howyadoin]

How do you get that luminous quality around the lights? Is that just Photoshop airbrush?Yup. Nothin' more complicated than that. (I think the opacity of that layer was around 70%.)

[JadeDragon]

Howy!

New stuff is lookin great! I dig the Darkseid head, but it's that car that kills me.

Too cool...love the futuristic look mixed with the retro engine pipes. Nice highlights too.

I love yer car stuff!~~~JadeDragon

[Julie Hatcher]

Love the Serenity picture, but you knew I would, huh?

Maybe Joss will see them and want prints for cards or something, wouldn't that just rock!

Regards,
Julie

[howyadoin]

More stuff tomorrow, I think.

One hint: Testa Rossa.

[JadeDragon]

Go man go!

I wanna see the new stuff!

Vroom vroom! :)

~~~JadeDragon

[howyadoin]

Go man go!

I wanna see the new stuff!

Vroom vroom!Here ya go, my friend:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/testa_rossa.jpg

[JadeDragon]

Now THAT'S what Im TALKING ABOUT!

Sweet Ferrari, Howya! That one really turned out great.

Is that portfolio of car toons coming soon?

More!~~~JadeDragon

[Roquefort Raider]

I like the way the last two cartoons used a specific color palette. The blue tones of the first one conveyed an atmosphere of resting power, while the red tones of this latest gorgeous one just roar Ferrari!

Beautiful work, Howy.

[comicartfan]

I am so envious of all of the talent here. Howya, those are Great!

[howyadoin]

Thanks, guys. I'm thinkin' of doing a series like this, for some of the great racing marques. Jaguar, Maserati, Aston Martin, etc. The only problem is, in the early days of racing everybody used their national racing colour (red for Italy, green for England, and so on). Well, the national colour for Germany is silver. So if I'm gonna do Audi, Porsche and Mercedes - which I pretty much have to - I'm at a loss how to treat the backgrounds.

[Roquefort Raider]

Some kind of blend between light grays and pale blues? Perhaps even some shiny patterns of black on gray like Byrne used to do on Colossus?

I have faith... you'll find a way!

[howyadoin]

Present for Mr. Strange.

[howyadoin]

I whipped up this quick background for a friend of mine recently. She's gonna use it in some ads she's putting together:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Etcetera/Waves.jpg

[miss5050]

And here's what'll probably be my next tattoo:

so u got it? :)

considering two pics HotWheels.jpg+gryphon_tattoo.jpg
i would love to see your phoenix ;)

[howyadoin]

so u got it?Still haven't, actually. I'm slowly in the process of reworking it, so until I get something I'm happy with, it'll have to wait.

In the meantime, I'm thinking of getting this as an armband:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Tattoos/little_wing.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Etcetera/little_wing.jpg

[howyadoin]

Something I'm workin' on for a friend:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/In%20Progress/SBH_Tree_200.jpg

[Roquefort Raider]

Neat!

I really like the personality that shines in those faces. Are these folks your friend's family?

[howyadoin]

Neat!

I really like the personality that shines in those faces. Are these folks your friend's family?Yeah, that's her on the right, and the other two are her parents. Her dad was ridiculously easy to draw.

[Nikita]

Awesome stuff as always Bret. :)

[JadeDragon]

Very cool portrait, Bret! I really like the "Life" in their personalities and something about them reminds me of the old Johnny Quest characters.

I was wondering what you've been up to. Anything new since then?

Ive been slacking on the nightly drawings.

R U still doing the car portfolio?

Curious Dragons need to know!~~~JadeYouKnowWhat