Nick Pitarra and Jose Holder Appreciation Thread

[Brandon Hanvey]

Let's give it up for these two talented artists.

[Mmmmmpig]

Man, I wish I were as talented as the 2 of you (especially if it were the 2 of you combined! Then I would rule the world... ahem).

Congrats guys! I am sure you have made positive impressions with people who have hiring capabilities

[davidbovey]

Congrats on making it this far to the both of you!

[escapegoat]

Three cheers for Nick and Jose!!!!

Jose, I didn't really catch your stuff in the submission round, but you were truely worthy to be in this competition. You have a very dynamic style that stands out on its own. You won me over in the first round. I know we'll be seeing more of you down the road.

Nick....soooo close. Keep up the good work. Your style sensibilities match my own. I know you'll make it in sooner or later.

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for both of you guys. Good game.

-Ty

[jasonbaroody]

Jose and Nick..sorry to see you guys go.:(
but i'm glad you both entered, it made for one hell of a contest!
my best to both of you on a job well done!

nick...now you can get back to work;)

[Spidey]

Rats! It was down to the point where you don't want to see anybody go. I wish you guys the best of luck. You both have a butt load of talent that I hope to see displayed in a published comic sometime in the future. You both have very unique styles compared to what's out there today and am certain will have little trouble finding professional work.

Nick: You have great grasp of storytelling and details, but you need to solidify your basics; anatomy and some perspective work will help your work.

Jose: You have great strorytelling capabilities, but you tend to want to run off on your own when it's inappropriate. I'd suggest communicate with the writer or research your resources properly before and diving in to the project.

Again, best of luck to you guys.

[bolapucc]

Nick, the ducks ruled... and you too!

Congrats!

[skatay]

goodbye to two artists who I voted for in different rounds.

Your drawings make me want to draw better.

[Maresk]

Good luck to both!

Jose, it's a shame to see you go, but I'm sure we'll your work in the shelves soon!

Nick, great game! Your art isn't really my cup of tea, but I wish you the best on your career.

[kymaera]

It's a shame to see you two go as you were my top two picks in this last round.
I'm sure we'll be seeing more of you in the future.

[R Santos Jr]

And with this, I no longer have any further interest in voting for the rest of the competition.
I look forward to seeing you guys go pro.

[CPWilsonIII]

You guys were awesome! ARE awesome! It's not gonna be the same without you, especially considering I was really looking forward to what you guys did every round.

[polystyleneman]

Well it looks like my colorings didn't have any unintended effect after all. Or maybe they did? I hope they didn't negatively affect anything for sure. Really sorry to see you go. I'm sure we'll see you working real soon and maybe we'll get to go up against you in the Play At Home thread!

[Muddy Waters]

Good luck, guys. Hope to see you both in a book credits soon.

[jpolacek]

Holder had my vote this round. He's got tons of raw talent. So much so that I think he'd be better off if he reigned it in a little bit. Playing it safe isn't his style though and his pages were consistently the most dynamic of the contest. I think if he can focus on doing layouts that tell the story in a clear, straightforward manner while at the same time maintaining his unique panel compositions, the sky will be the limit for him.

Nick, as has been discussed, is a forum member at our site, tentonstudios.com (http://www.tentonstudios.com), and if you think he's a funny guy here, you should see how hilarious he can be when given free reign to let his freak flag fly. We're all fans of his over there and when we found out he got into CBI3, we knew he would make a lot of waves. I was surprised to see him get 5th as he clearly has a big following and his bold insertion of the duck into the storyline this round brought a smile to us all.

Both of these guys are great artists already, and it's clear that they have tons of potential to be even great. Good luck to you guys!

[joshm]

Congrats guys for doing such great work and making this a great contest.

[chris Chua]

sorry to see both you go, both of yours were my favs of the round. Holder, I really like your dynamic layouts and really cool style.

nick! I thought this was your best round! love your style. I voted for you this round too.

good luck to both of you!

[Nick Pitarra]

This contest was awesome. And I'm leaving it smiling from ear to ear. I'm happy to take my standing O next to Jose Holder,there is no one else I'd rather be grouped with. He's an absolute pro, a great guy, and an innovator.

The exposure that came from this contest has meant everything. It looks like I'm lined up to get one heck of a consilation prize, and thats thanks to J. Torres, the mods...Brain and Brandon(forgive me if I'm forgetting one of you), and comicbookreources. The hours of time and effort they've put into this is really opening doors for aspiring creators. I'm proud to have been apart of this, and I hope they all are equally as proud of this talent engine they have created. I deeply appreciate everyones support and crits throughout this thing. People I don't even know taking the time to support me...taking the time to color my work...taking the time to comment and crit...you guys made this a blast. I mean...when you log on and see a guy by the name of "The Goddamn Batman" posting, how can you not grin? I love comics and I love this postitive experience that CBI offered.

I'll take some time to thank the judges individually in a later post...or in my goodbye blog.

All the best guys and gals,
nick

[warren_0]

Three cheers and a few beers for two champs! You guys made it a lot of fun to watch, and it was really tough picking who to vote for! And extra kudos for gentlemanly conduct during some heated debates, true smooth operators, the both of you.

I look forward to buying your upcoming books, may they forever grace the comic book shelf! We ain't seen the last of you two, this much I know.

[Patrick_McEvoy]

I hate for this to sound like sour grapes, but Jose was really the only artist in the competition who grabbed me, with sheer talent that I thought was dramatically above the others. I'll try to retain some interest in the next round, but frankly for my money it was Jose or no one.

Jose - you seem like a great guy with a good work ethic, and some incredible drawing chops. Congrats on the well-deserved attention you got here, and I hope to see you well employed in comics soon. :)

[joh james]

On my end, my eternal thanks to the gang at CBR for putting on a Comic Art Extravaganza that totally rocked the house! I was honoured to be chosen as a participant and hope my contribution lived up to your expectations. Torres and Hanvey did a lot of behind the scenes work to help us at every turn and for that you have my solemn appreciation. It isn't every day you get to play in the sand box with friends of similar interests, and whose talent pool inspires you to work harder and smarter. The comradery inherent in forums of this type is of immeasurable significance to the lone figures that pine away at their work in bedrooms, basements, and makeshift offices. I, for one, am new to the whole experience and feel that it's grown on me in a lot of ways. As a professional storyboarder you deal mostly with the other creators and suit types, rarely ever engaging the public on a one to one level. So I hope to repeat the experience, definitely.

And to you crazed, foaming, enthusiasts who kept me up at night laughing(and sometimes cursing the gods - in that Star Trek/Wrath Of Khan way), my sincere thanks for your input, passionate and sometimes scathing as it was! Ha! Let's hope I DON'T see you next year, if you know what I mean! Ciao4Now.

[MartinRedmond]

What? You're not drawing round 4 anyway? Start the voting for round 3 over.

[polystyleneman]

On my end, my eternal thanks to the gang at CBR for putting on a Comic Art Extravaganza that totally rocked the house! I was honoured to be chosen as a participant and hope my contribution lived up to your expectations. Torres and Hanvey did a lot of behind the scenes work to help us at every turn and for that you have my solemn appreciation. It isn't every day you get to play in the sand box with friends of similar interests, and whose talent pool inspires you to work harder and smarter. The comradery inherent in forums of this type is of immeasurable significance to the lone figures that pine away at their work in bedrooms, basements, and makeshift offices. I, for one, am new to the whole experience and feel that it's grown on me in a lot of ways. As a professional storyboarder you deal mostly with the other creators and suit types, rarely ever engaging the public on a one to one level. So I hope to repeat the experience, definitely.

And to you crazed, foaming, enthusiasts who kept me up at night laughing(and sometimes cursing the gods - in that Star Trek/Wrath Of Khan way), my sincere thanks for your input, passionate and sometimes scathing as it was! Ha! Let's hope I DON'T see you next year, if you know what I mean! Ciao4Now.

Well with any luck I'll be good enough to take you on next year! ;) (Part of the reason I've been working so hard to show I can meet every deadline)

[willustrator]

Hard luck guys. You two were in my top three. Nick Iv seen your work since the days of your Wildstorm tryouts last year on digital webbing. Im sure youl break in very soon, youv had two near misses and you should be proud of the work you did. Jose Im shocked you didnt go through, you're very strong in every department. I thought your CB pages in particular were brilliant. Im looking forward to seeing your work in the regular issues very soon

[Steev]

You two guys have always been a couple of my favorites in this thing.

Holder for some amazing artwork that took me back to those old Warren magazines and the Shadow comics by Cruz! I will absolutely buy any comic you draw. I'm a fan.

Pitarra - what can I say? I've always been impressed by the stuff you draw. You're an evil genious and I can't wait to see what chaos you cause now. Hurry up and get really famous. You owe me some artwork and I want it to be worth something when I sell it on EBay. ;)

[kamgates]

Well... my top three this round were literally the bottom three at the end, so as happy as I am that Dan made it I'm twice as bummed to see you two go. Nick and Jose you two both have such great style! The completion will be a little less these next two weeks without it.

Nick, back a few years I was really into Grant Morrison's 'New X-Men. I noticed when Frank Quitely was penciling that the issue was a lot funnier and the pacing was better than when he wasn't. I was surprised at the time that the artist could have that much effect on things like that. After seeing what you did with the Invincible script I think you share that quality with Quitely as well as some style points. I'd love to see your work on the shelves soon because I KNOW I'll be entertained.

Jose, you've got this cool Walt Simonson/Barry Winsor Smith love child thing going. Combined with your solid fundamentals I think this original look with really serve you well. You rendering and page designs were far and a way the most interesting in the competition. Right now it will probably be good for you to have someone to suggest when to rein it in and when to go wild, but before long I think your compositions will be universally blowing audiences away.

I'm assuming you'll both be getting work out of this so please come back sometime and tell us all about it. ;)

[Nick Pitarra]

You two guys have always been a couple of my favorites in this thing.

Holder for some amazing artwork that took me back to those old Warren magazines and the Shadow comics by Cruz! I will absolutely buy any comic you draw. I'm a fan.

Pitarra - what can I say? I've always been impressed by the stuff you draw. You're an evil genious and I can't wait to see what chaos you cause now. Hurry up and get really famous. You owe me some artwork and I want it to be worth something when I sell it on EBay. ;)

Ha! Yall freaking harvest my sketches at tenton! I think I owe everyone atleast two by now. It would be poetic justice if i was the high bidder for the sketch...and then you didn't send it for a year. LMAO. If anyone hasn't been amazed by steev's work yet, go here and get humbled.
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=195727

~nick

[azubird]

Cheers to Holder and Nick, two very classy contestants and their work a sheer joy to look at. No doubt people will soon be knocking down doors to work with you both... I look forward to seeing your impact on the comic world in the future...!! well done...

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the contest pans out... eyes on CPW!!!

[the goddamn batman]

I mean...when you log on and see a guy by the name of "The Goddamn Batman" posting, how can you not grin?

Goddamn right!:D

Nick, I think you do some crazy original work, and I was honestly shocked that you went out this round. By one vote... Goddamn. You can't say CBI doesn't love you, Mr. Pitarra!

But it looks like you're getting a sweet deal regardless, so congrats, and best of luck. I can't wait to see what you do next... and buy it!:)

[the goddamn batman]

Jose, I was shocked again by how few votes you got this round. Honestly, that's some crazy ass shit! I think your pages are a little cluttered, but not so much that you should get such a low vote count.:confused:

Your style is awesome, and I don't think we've seen the last of you. I hope we haven't. Don't let the robbery bum you out, you do great work! A little fine tunning and you'll be well on your way!

Be sure to let everyone know what you're up to next!

[Mmmmmpig]

I would love to see what you gents would do to these pages with one round of crits from an editor. Every little issue would go away for both of you...You will both do well profesionally

[joelcook]

Hey Nick, sorry to see you go... I loved your art... if you need a beer, lemme know... Im probably just down the block in Houston.

[joelcook]

Ha! Yall freaking harvest my sketches at tenton! I think I owe everyone atleast two by now. It would be poetic justice if i was the high bidder for the sketch...and then you didn't send it for a year. LMAO. If anyone hasn't been amazed by steev's work yet, go here and get humbled.
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=195727

~nick

That's awesome... I had no idea that Steev had work in the "Jesus Hates Zombies" anthology.... I got stuff in there too!

man, small world!

[fporreco]

Two of the most talented guys booted off? What kind of social click votes for this thing?

[Reed]

Jose: www.geocities.com/thejoseclub/index.html

Nick: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=9703

[Nick Pitarra]

Hey Nick, sorry to see you go... I loved your art... if you need a beer, lemme know... Im probably just down the block in Houston.

We should get together for drinks sometime! I bounce between my parents place and my apartment, my parents live in NW houston...close to the Jersey Villiage area. My apartment is almost mid town, sheperd and westiemer. I'm probably going to be at chuy's tomorrow on westiemer...for happy hour. Margaritas are only 3 bucks and floaters are only 1.50 extra, and you can get patron, or don julio...1800(my personal favorite), the bartender there is cool and he gives us a great discount. And they have a free nacho bar. After 4 or 5 ritas and a couple of beers...everything feels better. I'm not a 100% sure if I'm going or not yet...I'll pm you and let you know if I'll be up there or not tommorrow.

best,
nick

[mightyfineline]

Wow... this was a real nail biter. I think this round of voting had me more stressed out then the one where I was eliminated.

HOLDER - I saw it coming down the line man but even still it was a bitter pill to swallow... I guess you'll just have to settle for 'critical acclaim'. For what it's worth, when you've got people like Ryan Ottley and C.B Cebulski voting for you I don't think there's much to worry about.

NICK - You're a kook Dude. Your work has genuine charm and I can't wait to see your stuff on the shelves.

Good Luck to both of you!

[Pól Rua]

If it's any consolation, I do the ordering for the comic store where I work, and I will be keeping a very keen eye out for work by either of these gents in the future. Best of luck, fellas, you both deserve it.
Oh and remember what I said, Jose! PIRATES, man! Seriously!

[Vig]

Nick is out? Wow, that surprised me.:eek:
Though his work need polishing, i felt he brought something unique and fun to the game. Love to see what he does next.

Jose, i have a feeling we'll see him very soon, on some kick@ss comic. I would love too see him on a horror title. Just imagine Jose on Ghost Rider. that would be cool aint it?

[Jack Flash]

I am majorly bummed. Two of my favorites lost in the same round. I wish you both the best of luck. I'll buy any book either of ya'll put out there.

[Mateus]

I can't believe these guys went down so soon!

Jose, you've been great since round 1 and sadly your voting results never reflected how much people were enjoying your work. I hoped your popularity would be always growing so that you could be at least in the top 4 but sadly this didn't happen.

Nick, I really kind of didn't "get" you until this last round, but I just found your Invincible pages amazing, it was my number 2 favorite and the duck was great but that wasn't all. Anyway, congratulations on whatever you got there.

And good luck to both of you, I'm sure you'll get a lot of opportunities to show your work, so I just hope your future books become big hits so they'll get published here in Brazil so I can buy them!

[rjdimariamiskovic]

Nick: I like your use of the "art deco" style. You have a strong design sense and likable characters. I can't really say anything bad. I'm certain that (so long as you don't sit around watching the Simpsons, pondering what went wrong) you'll be working in the field before you know it. You've gained a lot of attention here and walked away with a huge fan base. Good luck in the future.

Jose: Wow... I just can't believe it. Please. Keep submitting to publishing companies. Your talent should be printed and reprinted, for the masses.

Sincerely,
"Jerk-face":(

[Maxmen Chuen]

Nick, Jose - don't forget you still have the Play @ Home thread to strut your stuff!

[joelcook]

We should get together for drinks sometime! I bounce between my parents place and my apartment, my parents live in NW houston...close to the Jersey Villiage area. My apartment is almost mid town, sheperd and westiemer. I'm probably going to be at chuy's tomorrow on westiemer...for happy hour. Margaritas are only 3 bucks and floaters are only 1.50 extra, and you can get patron, or don julio...1800(my personal favorite), the bartender there is cool and he gives us a great discount. And they have a free nacho bar. After 4 or 5 ritas and a couple of beers...everything feels better. I'm not a 100% sure if I'm going or not yet...I'll pm you and let you know if I'll be up there or not tommorrow.

best,
nick

YESSSS im in the heights!

[azubird]

Wow... this was a real nail biter. I think this round of voting had me more stressed out then the one where I was eliminated.

HOLDER - I saw it coming down the line man but even still it was a bitter pill to swallow... I guess you'll just have to settle for 'critical acclaim'. For what it's worth, when you've got people like Ryan Ottley and C.B Cebulski voting for you I don't think there's much to worry about.

NICK - You're a kook Dude. Your work has genuine charm and I can't wait to see your stuff on the shelves.

Good Luck to both of you!

i know what you mean about a nail biter...geez. it was stressful watching those polls...i was obsessing! it was definately a tough round and no doubt we will be seeing holder and pitarra in the near future. all the best fellas!!

[phoenixgs]

:eek: Wow sooo close Nick... I was routing for ya all the way. You were my favorite artist in this! I loved how you did your characters, and the level of detail you have. Im sad to see ya go bro. But i think you will have alot of opportunities in the future. Congrats for a job well done man.:)

Garret

[phoenixgs]

:eek: Wow sooo close Nick... I was routing for ya all the way. You were my favorite artist in this! I loved how you did your characters, and the level of detail you have. Im sad to see ya go bro. But i think you will have alot of opportunities in the future. Congrats for a job well done man.:)

Garret

[Chris Ring]

Jose and Nick, thanks for the show guys. Keep on doing what you do best.

www.chrisringart.com
www.t5design.com
www.93cobra.deviantart.com

[gwor]

Nick, I admire your incredible work ethic and pure joy you bring to each page.

You was robbed, dude <g>.

Jose, I thought your pages were probably the strongest this round, really dynamic, and I applaud your creativity.

[frbarba]

On my end, my eternal thanks to the gang at CBR for putting on a Comic Art Extravaganza that totally rocked the house! I was honoured to be chosen as a participant and hope my contribution lived up to your expectations. Torres and Hanvey did a lot of behind the scenes work to help us at every turn and for that you have my solemn appreciation. It isn't every day you get to play in the sand box with friends of similar interests, and whose talent pool inspires you to work harder and smarter. The comradery inherent in forums of this type is of immeasurable significance to the lone figures that pine away at their work in bedrooms, basements, and makeshift offices. I, for one, am new to the whole experience and feel that it's grown on me in a lot of ways. As a professional storyboarder you deal mostly with the other creators and suit types, rarely ever engaging the public on a one to one level. So I hope to repeat the experience, definitely.

And to you crazed, foaming, enthusiasts who kept me up at night laughing(and sometimes cursing the gods - in that Star Trek/Wrath Of Khan way), my sincere thanks for your input, passionate and sometimes scathing as it was! Ha! Let's hope I DON'T see you next year, if you know what I mean! Ciao4Now.


dang! i missed 2 polls this time now *sigh*
i was about to vote for you! oh well, youre still a force to be reckoned with, jose, goodluck in the future!

[joh james]

Thanks for the great compliments and well wishes, dudes and dudettes! Nick and I are better artists for having participated and reaped the benefits of your crits and enthusiasm. You guys are the ones that make the competition interesting to follow with every juicy tidbit of commentary. And yeah, the voting thing to.... Ha!

[mattbib]

I absolutely love Holder's dynamic style. I expect to see great things from him in the future. :)

[joh james]

Thanks, Matt. I expect to live up to....at least SOME, of your expectations. Guarantees are hard to come by these days! Ha! Ciao, bro!

[MartinRedmond]

So what are you working on? Come on, say it!

[joh james]

Mums the word, bird! But you should ask, Nick! Hee-hee...

[Nick Pitarra]

Joel!...Hey man I'll probably be up at chuy's around like 6'ish, I'm pming you the rest of the details!
Best,
nick

Hey Nick, sorry to see you go... I loved your art... if you need a beer, lemme know... Im probably just down the block in Houston.

[Fodaum]

Nick, I admire your incredible work ethic and pure joy you bring to each page.

You was robbed, dude <g>.

Jose, I thought your pages were probably the strongest this round, really dynamic, and I applaud your creativity.


I´m a brazilian fan your style... :D
Good Look.

and sorry my english...

its very bad.

[Mmmmmpig]

Fodaum:

Your English is much better than our Portuguese

[Muddy Waters]

Fodaum:

Your English is much better than our Portuguese

In fact, is also better than HIS portuguese...:D

[Mmmmmpig]

In fact, is also better than HIS portuguese...:D

Now that is FUNNY... so what is Portuguese for "SMACK?"

[Muddy Waters]

Now that is FUNNY... so what is Portuguese for "SMACK?"
You can use: "Sifudeu coió"

[Steev]

In fact, is also better than HIS portuguese...:D

Ooooh! Smack! :D

[BillR]

I'd be honored to write comics for either of these gentlemen to draw.

[Fodaum]

Que seja...

Que abram as portas da esperança.

My portuguese is perfect...

Fodaum is foda. :evilsmile

hauhauhauhauha

[Fodaum]

Fodaum:

Your English is much better than our Portuguese

Thanks... I will try to make best.

[Muddy Waters]

Thanks... I will try to make best.

Não esquenta. Vc está se saindo bem.

Don't worry. You're doing fine.

[Patrick Zircher]

----------

[Christian Andrews]

I hope all you guys get picked up by a company! You deserve it.