Third Rail Design Lab Pin-Ups

[thirdraildesignlab]

This illustration was done for the R3 Jam on TRDL’s R3 Forum. Artists can participate in any open jams by heading here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...forum.php?f=27
The subject this time: ‘Insect Characters’

I went through about 5 or 6 different ideas in my head once the jam subject was determined this week. Many options! Even if you don’t include arachnid imagery, as some of our participating artists did. But as I often enjoy doing, I decided to go back to the inspiration of my youth, those glorious Marvel Handbooks. I didn’t even get to pulling them out… I just thought about them while laying in bed on Sunday night (well, early Monday morning, as the baby was awake and upset) and remembered Mantis, whom I have never drawn but always thought was kind of a fun cross between Marvel’s space fantasy business of the 70s and a Polynesian hula skirt situation. So, once settled on Mantis, I did a little research, and discovered how far they took that character later on… skin color, ‘celestial madonna’, and so on. Nope, I was sticking with the original look.

In this one, I was working from my imagination on the pose, but i think I got a pretty classic pin-up thing going on. The alien flower in her hair was a good prop, and also a nod to both her xenoflora powers she developed over time, and the spacy nature of the character herself. I was planning on spending some time tricking out the skirt, which was almost a separate project in and of itself, so I had to ink the pieces distinctly and composite them in Photoshop, much the way I do my sequential art work. I’m pretty pleased with the results…

Please enjoy.

:::

You can find a larger version here.


http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...mantis-pin-up/
Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business.
Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams!


Third Rail Thrills is a series of pin-ups inspired by classic cheesecake art. Some of these pieces may also occur in my other series' such as the Propaganda Art or Bomber Girls, but the Thrills series puts them against the showcase background and they are part of a growing collection on the main site.

:::

Options!

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...p?f=43&t=18111
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...mantis-pin-up/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im...40_mantisz.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

This TRDL pin-up is actually a modification of an erotic commission done for a client. Here’s the thing. I love Jean Grey. She’s Marvel’s original schoolgirl with super mega number one good powers, crazy red hair, and several deaths to her name. But my previous attempts to draw her were pretty weak. When I did this piece, commissioned as Jean with her signature Morrison/ Quitely era ribbed top on, and nothing else (what we call, around these parts, ‘yogi berra’n it) I discovered I drew a Jean Grey I actually really liked. Since TRDL is a family affair, more or less, I threw her tights on and made her a pin-up. So there you are!
This is also a modified version of one some of you may have already seen on my site, blog, FB, forum, what have you: some good comments about my ongoing experimentation with the bomber background motif led me to do some needed tweaks...

Please enjoy.

:::
The full post is here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...e-jean-grey-2/

Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business.
Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams!



:::

Options!

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...17550&p=146876
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...e-jean-grey-2/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im...ngrey10n_z.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

Here’s our Happy New Year pic for the 2010-2011 year, featuring old-timey Lois Lane leading old-timey Clark Kent down a scandalous path. This is also the TRDL holiday postcard that went out to the core members of the R3 Forum, though I have to admit, due to illness they went out late, and may not have even arrived for the new year. Anyway, we hope you enjoy the pic, and look forward to many exciting TRDL projects to be published in 2011, as well as another great year of the R3 Illustration Jams. Thanks for being a part of the Third Rail family!

Thom and Joao
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...lab-2010-2011/

:::

Options!

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...155262#p155262
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...lab-2010-2011/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im...1080_loisz.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

This illustration was done for the R3 Jam on TRDL’s R3 Forum. Artists can participate in any open jams by heading here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=27
The subject this time: She-Hulk

Oh, let me tole you, I was STOKED when this subject came up. I haven’t drawn She-Hulk many times in my life, and the last time was our earlier She-Hulk jam from years back, where I drew her smacking Hawkwoman around while wearing her unitard. Weak! I’ve been itching to draw her in her Jennifer Walters: She-Hulk Lawyer thing. Yeah, I love drawing officewear in retro pin-ups, so this was an excellent opportunity. I had a great time with the details on this one, from the herringbone vest to the glasses to, well, MODOK. I haven’t drawn that guy EVER. Anyway, two versions this time: the propaganda pic, being an advertisement for Jennifer Walters: Attorney at Law, and a Third Rail Thrills variant.

Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business. http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/blog/2010/10/10/third-rail-thrills-41-she-hulk-pin-up/
Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams!


Third Rail Thrills is a series of pin-ups inspired by classic cheesecake art. Some of these pieces may also occur in my other series' such as the Propaganda Art or Bomber Girls, but the Thrills series puts them against the showcase background and they are part of a growing collection on the main site.

:::

Options!

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=18312&p=150743
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/blog/2010/10/10/third-rail-thrills-41-she-hulk-pin-up/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/images2/trdlp41_shehulkz.jpg
or
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/images2/trdltr_shehulk10_z.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

This illustration was done for the R3 Jam on TRDL’s R3 Forum. Artists can participate in any open jams by heading here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...forum.php?f=27
The subject this time: Flash’s Rogues Gallery

Well, I don’t read Flash. I’ve read about Flash in other DC comics, and I did collect that Butch Guice drawn reboot years ago for awhile, but grew tired of the speed-centric nature of all the cast and foes and such, though it was understandable, given Flash’s abilities. Anyway, as this jam was about Flash’s Rogues Gallery, I took a look at some of those characters and wasn’t too excited about my options, so I expanded my search. My initial impression of this character was: ‘Ew. Yellow uniformed ice skater. Gross.’
Then I started thinking of an ice skate to the nose bridge at 3,000mph. So that was the inspiration behind this piece. I know Bart Allen has died and lived and died and lived in his multiple identities in the DCU. In this particular instance, Ms. Snart got her revenge.
Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business. http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...glider-pin-up/
Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams!


Third Rail Thrills is a series of pin-ups inspired by classic cheesecake art. Some of these pieces may also occur in my other series' such as the Propaganda Art or Bomber Girls, but the Thrills series puts them against the showcase background and they are part of a growing collection on the main site.

:::

Options!

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...150990#p150990
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...glider-pin-up/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im...dengliderz.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

I'm kicking off 2011 by rebooting the numbering of my illustrations, and introducing the new format for the containers. Hope you like it, and stick around! I hit more than 80 published pieces in 2010, and that doesn't include private commissions and TRDL Universe product that hasn't gone to print. Let's see how 2011 shakes out.

TRDL Bkank Slate Redesign: Joker
This is a redesign of the Joker. Well, not a redesign, per se, but a BLANK SLATE design, based on the description of the character distilled to: 'clown-themed smiling killer' and trying to avoid reacting to the classic Joker image. It was partially successful, but I enjoyed it and liked the end result. This was instigated by an exchange I had with fellow LJ member Ted Naifeh, who published an amazing Joker design in a series of Batman-related pieces that just blew me away. I had mentioned I had a concept I loved and he wanted to see it. Unfortunately, the design I was referring to was really cooked after The Dark Knight just wiped up the floor with how rad Joker could be: too similar to it in some ways, so I went a different direction, and this is it.

More detail can be found in the complete post, which includes the thought process behind the piece and how I approached it, and process pics as well.

Please enjoy!

[url]This is a redesign of the Joker. Well, not a redesign, per se, but a BLANK SLATE design, based on the description of the character distilled to: 'clown-themed smiling killer' and trying to avoid reacting to the classic Joker image. It was partially successful, but I enjoyed it and liked the end result. This was instigated by an exchange I had with fellow LJ member Ted Naifeh, who published an amazing Joker design in a series of Batman-related pieces that just blew me away. I had mentioned I had a concept I loved and he wanted to see it. Unfortunately, the design I was referring to was really cooked after The Dark Knight just wiped up the floor with how rad Joker could be: too similar to it in some ways, so I went a different direction, and this is it.

More detail can be found in the complete post, which includes the thought process behind the piece and how I approached it, and process pics as well.

Please enjoy!

http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...late-redesign/

[thirdraildesignlab]

This piece was done for a project called Dungeons & Drawings, where classic creatures from the old Monster Manuals get a redraw, for fun and science. I made a shortlist of the most absurd creatures I could remember, which meant that I had actually USED them on players in my GM days. This was pretty high on the list. I mean, how do you wrap your head around a creature that mimics a small furry animal in order to lure adventurers close enough to be eaten by their concealed jaws? The best part of this drug-fueled anglerfish cipher is that all the hubbub about the fake furry seems to ignore an equally curious capability, which is TREE TRUNK mimicry. Anyway, I had a blast doing my modern take on the thing. You can read more about the progress of this piece below.
Please enjoy!
PS, if you are, or were, a D&D player, you’ll enjoy Something Awful’s review of the worst of the worst from various books here.

Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business.
Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams! The R3 Illustration Jam offers new characters weekly, but all jams remain open so you can contribute to any that you like, here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...forum.php?f=27

Other viewing options:

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...p?f=43&t=19623
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...s-clothing-dd/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im...101_jokerz.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

TRDL 2011 Series, No. 3: Gargoyle

This piece was done for the TRDL R3 Illustration Jam, which can be found here. The subject: Marvel’s Gargoyle.

I wanted to do the classic Issac Gargoyle from the Defenders, though what i discovered was that my memory of the character differed quite a bit from the way he appeared in the books, not just in contemporary redesigns, but even the very images I remembered, such as in the ever-useful Marvel Handbook. I made a number of digital adjustments to compensate, though mine is still not grotesque enough in massing to look as gruesome as he was meant to be. But regardless, here he is, battling it out with another gargoyle, Demona, from the animated series of the same name. You can read on for my process notes and progress details as desired.
Please enjoy!

Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business.
Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams! The R3 Illustration Jam offers new characters weekly, but all jams remain open so you can contribute to any that you like, here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...forum.php?f=27

Other viewing options:

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...p?f=43&t=19625
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...o-3-gargoyles/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im..._gargoylez.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

TRDL 2011 Series, No. 4: Fett Boba [TRDL Blank Slate Redesign]

This is a TRDL Clean-Slate Redesign project. The subject: Boba Fett.

The inspiration for this project was two-fold:
One, regular readers will know I’m always into redesigns, both on-model updates of recognizable characters, and wholesale redesigns from original source material description. I recently did a redesign of The Joker, which was done with the intent of taking a fresh look at the simple concept of a grinning, clown-themed villain. But I didn’t have any text description of Joker to design from in a raw sense. My redesign was necessarily responding to the original material, rather than from a blank canvas.
Two, I recently posted a look at various designers attempting to redesign Darth Vader based on script description. Here, I felt like the designs, while awesome, were still reactions to his film imagery, and understandably so.

My challenge this time was to design from a Star Wars script reference for Boba Fett, but to do everything I could to divorce the description from the familiar character design we know and love.

Unfortunately, unlike Vader, Fett wasn’t really clearly described in the script, but rather referenced and then dependent upon the design team to be fleshed out. As I was trying to avoid being influenced wherever possible by the original design work, I avoided the behind-the-scenes descriptions of how McQuarrie and Johnson came to the familiar look we have etched in our brains. I looked at the brief script reference, and then hopped over to Wiki for a little more description to work from.

"Boba Fett stems from initial concepts for Darth Vader, who was originally conceived as a rogue bounty hunter..While Vader became less a mercenary and more of a dark knight, the bounty hunter concept remained, and Fett became "an equally villainous" but "less conspicuous" character. … Fett’s armor was originally designed for "super troopers", and was adapted for Fett as the script developed…Screen-tested in all-white, Fett’s armor eventually garnered a subdued color scheme intended to visually place him between white-armored "rank-and-file" Imperial stormtroopers and Vader, who wears black. The character’s armor was designed to appear to have been scavenged from multiple sources, and it is adorned with trophies.]"

I chose to include the reference to the screen test in white (A design I’ve actually already drawn, here) because I wanted to take into consideration that he should look somewhere between the absolute black of Vader and the absolute white of the Stormtroopers. However, I ignored actual design cues from those designs. In other words, no familiar Stormtrooper details in the armor. I basically had to de-McQuarry the character, which is admittedly hard to do.

The description was boiled down to this:

1. bounty hunter.
2. less conspicuous ie. less iconic in design than feature characters would be
3. super trooper armor framework, ie. non-vacuum militarized infantry armor of some type
4. scavenged from multiple sources
5. adorned with trophies

You can read on in the link below for my process notes on how I got to this design, and see progress pics, etc.
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...late-redesign/


Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business.
Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams! The R3 Illustration Jam offers new characters weekly, but all jams remain open so you can contribute to any that you like, here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...forum.php?f=27

Other viewing options:

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...p?f=43&t=19716
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...late-redesign/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im...1104_fettz.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

Third Rail Thrills No. 43: Mrs. Doctor Girlfriend
TRDL Illustration Series 71 of 80 for 2010

This illustration was done for the R3 Jam on TRDL’s R3 Forum. Artists can participate in any open jams by heading here. The subject this time: The Venture Brothers cartoon…

I’ve drawn the Venture Brothers stuff twice before: Dr. Girlfriend and the Mighty Monarch, and then Molotov Corktease, as described to me, sight Unseen, by Lung. This time I did Dr. Girlfriend again, but in keeping with my Third Rail Thrills series, I drew her in a more sensuous, pin-up style, and in fact a pretty restrained pose. The front of this costume is so ridiculous, I decided to play with the naughty factor a bit by really giving her a Joan-level decolatage. To compensate for the open corset and physics-defying apparel, I gave her a very demure posture. I thought it might even out. I very rarely draw the boobs this size, as a matter of personal taste, but also to try and buck that convention in comic art in general. I mean, my Power Girl drawings aren’t even this stacked! But anyway, experiments…

Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business. http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...friend-pin-up/
Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams!


Third Rail Thrills is a series of pin-ups inspired by classic cheesecake art. Some of these pieces may also occur in my other series' such as the Propaganda Art or Bomber Girls, but the Thrills series puts them against the showcase background and they are part of a growing collection on the main site.

:::

Options!

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...18529&p=151716
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...friend-pin-up/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im...lfriend43z.jpg

A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[Count Yoda]

Very interesting Boba Fett redesign you have, almost makes me want to contact you for concept art work!

[thirdraildesignlab]

Very interesting Boba Fett redesign you have, almost makes me want to contact you for concept art work!

Almost, you say?

You almost DID!

Well, you can email me or contact me through here. Or head over to the main site and hit me up that way, and we can discuss. http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com
Cheers
thom

[thirdraildesignlab]

TRDL 2011 Series, No. 5: Iron Man Series – Modular Armor [TRDL Redesign]

I’ve always wanted to draw all the iron Man armors I could find, so in 2011 I thought I’d start. Despite being a lifelong fan, I’ve drawn comic continuity armors fairly rarely, usually doing redesigns or what have you. I decided to tackle the armors in this series, one at a time. Were I could, i’d just draw the continuity version of the armor, and where I wasn’t feelin’ it, I’d redesign it. But any redesigns in this series are merely updated designs based on the target model I’m just doing with my flavor, rather than a blank slate redesign from the original character description. In other words, still recognizable as the character in question, just my version.

This time, I started with one of my least favorite armors, the ‘Modular Armor’ from 1994. When comic design is dictated by toy sales, you know it’s going to be bad. I couldn’t handle this then, and I can’t now. I even drew the on-model design, which you can see in the progress notes below, but in the end, I decided to redesign it. This piece is my take on that armor.


http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...modular-armor/
Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business.

Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams! The R3 Illustration Jam offers new characters weekly, but all jams remain open so you can contribute to any that you like, here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...forum.php?f=27

Other viewing options:

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...p?f=43&t=19820
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...modular-armor/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/im...immodularz.jpg
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

TRDL 2011 Series, No. 6: Tech Spidey

This costume was featured in Amazing Spider-Man #656. I know nothing about it, but as a kid i loved these one-shot temporary unnecessary costume changes, so I was inspired to give it a try. I was originally going to do Iron Spidey from the Civil War period, but this caught my interest.

Please enjoy...

http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...pider-man-656/
Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business.

Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams! The R3 Illustration Jam offers new characters weekly, but all jams remain open so you can contribute to any that you like, here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...forum.php?f=27

Other viewing options:

You can see this illustration here on the R3 Forum: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...p?f=43&t=19819
Or here, as above, on the TRDL blog: http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...pider-man-656/
And you can see a larger view right off my TRDL Illustration Site, here:
A choice for everyone!

Thanks for looking,
Thom
Third Rail Design Lab
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com

[thirdraildesignlab]

TRDL 2011 Series, No. 8: Iron Man Series - Original Armor [Tales of Suspense #39]

I've always wanted to draw all the iron Man armors I could find, so in 2011 I thought I'd start. Despite being a lifelong fan, I've drawn comic continuity armors fairly rarely, usually doing redesigns or what have you. I decided to tackle the armors in this series, one at a time. Were I could, i'd just draw the continuity version of the armor, and where I wasn't feelin' it, I'd redesign it. But any redesigns in this series are merely updated designs based on the target model I'm just doing with my flavor, rather than a blank slate redesign from the original character description. In other words, still recognizable as the character in question, just my version.

For the second piece in this series, I drew my interpretation of Stark's original armor, as seen in the comics as opposed to the MK I version of the films. I stayed with the continuity design throughout except for slight touches here and there. I've also included a variant in the color scheme I used in my redesign of this armor done for Project Rooftop some time ago, for science.

An explanation of the project and process notes below...


Click through to read more about it and see process pics and the like, if you enjoy such behind-the-scenes business.
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/bl...riginal-armor/

Artists, come join us on R3 and submit to the jams! The R3 Illustration Jam offers new characters weekly, but all jams remain open so you can contribute to any that you like, here:
http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/fo...forum.php?f=27