Todd Merrick Novak Art

[beanlynch]

I haven't posted here in a while but I hope it's okay if start a thread for my art. I have an Art Blog (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com), As well as my regular website (http://toddnovak.com). I'm trying to get subscribers to my art blog, but of course, only if you like my art. Of the email subscribers (which are the only subscribers I can track), I draw a different email address each month and do a free one character (of the winner's request) commission for that person. So if you like what you see here, come to my Art Blog (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com) and sign up.



http://toddnovak.com/art/The_Shadow_knows_revised.jpg

I love the Shadow, especially his convoluted continuity in the pulps, and of course the 70s comics with Kaluta art. I go into the appeal for me a little in my Art Blog (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com/2008/08/shadow-knows.html), if anyone else is interested in The Shadow.

[beanlynch]

here's my version of "Super Lois". If it interests anyone there's an explanation for the inspiration on my art blog (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com/2008/04/super-lois.html).

http://bp2.blogger.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SBa94zKrxjI/AAAAAAAAALw/azyEsune6U0/s400/superlois.jpg (http://bp2.blogger.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SBa94zKrxjI/AAAAAAAAALw/azyEsune6U0/s1600-h/superlois.jpg)

[beanlynch]

This is my take on the original golden age Batman from 1939.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SBo3PzKrxkI/AAAAAAAAAL4/XGIO5twlgMI/s400/goldenagebatman.jpg (http://bp2.blogger.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SBo3PzKrxkI/AAAAAAAAAL4/XGIO5twlgMI/s1600-h/goldenagebatman.jpg")

If you're interested about the story about it you can read about it on my art blog (http://"http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com/2008/05/old-old-school-batman.html").

[beanlynch]

This was the first one I did of The Shadow. I'm pimping WordBalloon in this one, which is a podcast about comics that I really enjoy.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SE73CVnu-xI/AAAAAAAAANE/0cQGsDtVL4g/s400/The_Shadow.jpg (http://bp3.blogger.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SE73CVnu-xI/AAAAAAAAANE/0cQGsDtVL4g/s1600-h/The_Shadow.jpg)

[beanlynch]

http://toddnovak.com/art/Spider-Man.jpg

I'm not completely sure how I feel about this piece. I kind of loosened up a little for it, and a part of me really likes it, and another part of me isn't sure it's something that's going to connect with people.

[beanlynch]

Here's a commission where I was requested to do Spider-Man and Deadpool. Deadpool isn't a character I've connected with before and I tried to make that connection through the art, but I'm not sure I've hit it yet.

There are some foreshortening issues I'm not thrilled about, but I guess I'll have to learn from those issues with the next one.

http://toddnovak.com/art/Deadpool_Kills_Spider-Man-400.jpg

[beanlynch]

This is one of two commissions I'm doing for a man who lives on the Wisconsin/Illinois border who has been an enthusiastic supporter of my work. We have a lot of similar tastes in comics, stuff like Master of Kung Fu, Kaluta's The Shadow, Ditko's Spider-Man, etc., and I really appreciate being able to draw the stuff I really dig while making a little money.

http://toddnovak.com/art/crime-master.jpg


The Crime-Master is a favorite of mine, but I came to understand the character more through this drawing. I've always seen him as a gangster, but what really came through to me as I drew him, is that he's a blue collar gangster. He's not The Rose, whom is a Spider-Man villain from the 1980s whom also is an underworld character who wears a suit and a mask, but whom is rich, stylish, and powerful. The Crime-Master wears drab colors. For some reason I'm seeing him as old school Irish-American. He's a small time gangster, muscle, with bigger ambitions; hence the mask. I also think he's smart. He's been in the trenches, he's a survivor and there's blood on his hand. He has perspective. If he had been allowed, he could lead the mobs and he's brutal enough to do what it takes to hold power. Unfortunately for him, because of this social class and ethnic background, that's not a role open to him through the mobs. Hence the mask, which allows him to grab for power without becoming a target.

If you go to my art blog (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com/2008/08/crime-master-takes-aim-at-spider-man.html) you can see the original pencils to this. Also, you can subscribe by email, which qualifies you to win the monthly drawing for a free commission.

[beanlynch]

Here's the completed splash page for the portfolio I've been working on in my free time. There is a very intentional reason for my choice not to use a hyphen in the name "Spiderman", and I go into it on my Art Blog (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com/2008/08/amazing-spiderman-39-pg-1.html). I think people whom are interested in this stuff will find that an interesting read, even if it's a bit lengthy and could use some editing. Let's just say that he lack of a hyphen and the explanation behind it tells a lot about my motivation regarding this project.

http://toddnovak.com/art/spiderman49p01.jpg

[beanlynch]

I posted this in another thread, but I might as well have it here as well, since it applies.

http://toddnovak.com/art/Spider-mansm.jpg

[spaghettikiss]

Love the inks!!!!

[howyadoin]

The style definitely suits some characters more than others, but it definitely works here:



http://bp2.blogger.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SBo3PzKrxkI/AAAAAAAAAL4/XGIO5twlgMI/s400/goldenagebatman.jpg (http://bp2.blogger.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SBo3PzKrxkI/AAAAAAAAAL4/XGIO5twlgMI/s1600-h/goldenagebatman.jpg%22)

[Kara Zor El]

Your style is very compelling. Anatomy seems off but your style makes up for it in spades.

[beanlynch]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SMA3IuGfIwI/AAAAAAAAAPc/TZQw3dER0Gw/s400/The_Shadow_knows_600.jpg

It's been a little while since my last post. I've been a bit wrapped up with other things, but there are some things I've been working on that I'll post in the next couple of days, mainly artwork that I've colorized, but I do have some new pieces coming as well.

Here I've added color to my latest "The Shadow" piece. Because ink is my media of choice, I've had some fundamental rules about applying color to my line art. I would probably have avoided color altogether but black and white doesn't shine on monitors as well as color does, and that is, after all, the way to get my work seen. As it turns out, my "rules" don't compliment the work as well as I would have liked so I've started deliberately breaking my rules, playing around with my Photoshop skills (to which I have a wide variety) to see what works and what doesn't work.

The reason for my rules (which I won't go into because I'm sure they're not interesting to anyone) are still on my mind, so even though I am breaking these rules, I am still thinking about the reasons I came up with them. And I think, what will happen, is that both my inks and my colors will move color to complimenting each other. Graphic black is still very important to me, but perhaps there is some give when adding color.

[beanlynch]

So this is my Super Lois in color. It's actually a couple of years old but I've wanted to color it for some time.

http://toddnovak.com/art/superlois300.jpg

Because guys like Crumb have inspired me to use lines to sketch with to create form and I kind of went heavy on this piece, it's a bit of a challenge to figure out how to get dynamic, dimensional color to interact well with graphic black lines, especially when I had all these rules about how color should never break up the graphic quality of black line art. So this is the piece where I really played around and decided to bend those rules a bit. It really opened me up. It doesn't hurt that I'm passionate about the female form and really want it to be something I find attractive.

I also cleaned up the line art a bit as I colored it, mainly because I didn't think I captured the "natural" form of the body. I think it's very important that form carries weight and isn't just floating, and I think it's a much stronger piece than the original line art was.

[beanlynch]

Here's the previous Crime-Master piece, this time in color.

http://toddnovak.com/art/crime-master_stickup_spidey.jpg

I've written a bit about the Crime-Master already, he's a character that's almost completely untouched since the 60s, and to which I envision a lot of potential.

This piece is a little dark, but I felt it had to be. I really wanted to make the point that The Crime-Master is more of a blue color villain. I see him as an Irish Mobster, a low man, muscle, whom isn't happy with his place, hence the mask and the schemes. He's cunning, and no principles or loyalty and he'll betray your in a heartbeat. Like I mention somewhere on my forums, in his one storyline (unless you count retcons in Untold Tales of Spider-Man), which I do only for those stories) it's often forgotten that he's the one whom double crosses The Green Goblin, not the other way around. In fact, The Goblin seems very idealistic about his partnerships, and seems diapointed when they go wrong, which is the lost appeal in the early Goblin, that he was the "geek" of the villains who didn't get respect. The Crime-Master is the badass who hangs out at the wall that all the other kids stay away from because he's always kicking someone's ass. So the Goblin and him come together out of mutual convenience. But, the Crime-Master proves to be to uncontrollable for the Goblin, he double crosses him, and becomes a real wildcard.

[beanlynch]

This commission of Mysterio is requested by Chris Johnson, of the Amazing Spider-Cast (http://theamazingspidercast.podomatic.com/).

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fesRQ00_Apo/SPqGivQw3MI/AAAAAAAAAW4/26UPYvwYbEo/s400/mysterio.jpg (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com/2008/10/mysterio-master-of-illusion.html)

In drawing this, I wanted to keep Mysterio's body small, so that he didn't look like a muscle man. I paid a lot of attention to the way Ditko used his hands, it was distinctively different than the way Dr. Strange did, less quirky, more bold and commanding. He was also drawn very upright and almost stiff looking. His arms never looked loose. His poses have that very rigid movements, almost like the Nazi soldiers used.

The rest of my notes on this one is on my art blog (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com/2008/10/mysterio-master-of-illusion.html).

[beanlynch]

I'm not going to say to much about this one. Of course it's a vintage Batman pose, but if you want the story about it, visit my Art Blog (http://tmnvisions.blogspot.com/2008/10/batman-teaser-image.html).

http://toddnovak.com/art/batman_moonlight.jpg

[beanlynch]

Here's the piece that the teaser is a part of:

http://toddnovak.com/art/batman_color.jpg