Monoprice 19" Interactive Pen Display

19-inch Interactive Pen Display - (1440 x 900) TFT, 2048 Levels, 5080 LPI, 16.7M Colors from Monoprice.
Under $400, compared to Wacom's latest, lowest-priced option, a 13" display for $1,000. 

Tempting, but out of my financial comfort zone, is Wacom's new Cintiq Companion Hybrid, a 13" computer tablet. I've been waiting for someone to make the next logical step from my old Motion Computing tablet w/ Wacom pen, but it's taken 9 years! And a 13" screen is still too small to draw on.

IF "secret"

Digital on top of pencil.

A good friend of mine is in a commercial. : )

Derek Nielsen. A talented abstract artist who deals with fractal designs. He's doing a favor here for a video director friend. He's even got his paintings in the background and the french accent down. (He speaks french, ladies) Made me smile.  


https://www.youtube.com/doritos?x=us-en_submissionsphase_9176_

It's unlisted so I'm having trouble getting it to embed. That plus I'm an idiot. 

IF "Entangled"

Digital on top of pencil. -Wes

Young Frankenstein

Hello!

Good morning down there...

Birdie

Another one of my favorite topics. Watercolor with digital.

Drawing With My Eyes Closed

Spanish Poster

Clouds

Got a nice shot of some local clouds the other day. These are what I call "N.C. Wyeth clouds."

The Old Barn

Here's another pic of the barn. I don't know much about it. Our house was built around 1930, so the barn could date to around the same time. I assume it was built with trees that were cut when clearing the land. One log busted some time back before we bought the house, on the lower right, but it's still really solid. My dream is to fix it up some and make the hay loft into my studio. The barn is the reason I wanted the house.

That's a blackberry bush on the left, my kids trying out a new bow, and pumpkins starting in the foreground.

Superpowered Poster

Trapped

Finally caught one of those crazy kids that are often seen running around in these parts.

Sofa

Foothills Farm

McBroom

I love the original McBroom books by Sid Fleischman and illustrated by Kurt Werth. I bought these as a kid through Weekly Reader, and found them again few years ago at a library book sale.

I tried duplicating the loose look of the illustrations, tough, since my inking is fairly tight, but fun. Played around with the watercolor brush in ArtRage. I don't think anything can replace real watercolor.

Tree

PUBLIC NOTICE

IF "Together"

Watercolor on 500 Imperial Strathmore hot press with digital touches.

A test page for a possible dummy.

The spider might be a bit on the small side, but I'm trying for him to be very non-scary here.

What's (not) Cooking?

Pencil and digital.

Illustration Friday- "Totem"

More Bugs. Pencil and Artrage.

Spider wants to convince you...

Pencil and then Artrage software. Yes, I know he's missing some eyes. -Wes

MLK Drawing

Warm-up ink drawing.

Unused Concept Art

Bob Montana Book

Bob Montana, creator of the Archie comic strip — one of the most popular comics ever to run in newspapers far and wide — was a fascinating person. He gave back to the community in which he lived (Meredith) and he was far ahead of his time in progressive projects such as organic gardening.

“I never knew he lived here!” is the comment Carol Anderson heard often as she interviewed people and gathered material on her soon-to-be-published book about Bob Montana.

She said everyone has seen the Archie comics but many do not realize the creator and artist who drew the comic strip lived for years in Meredith.

Anderson, the author of The History of Gunstock, is putting the finishing touches on her book about Bob Montana. Thus, she has lived and breathed the life of Montana for many months and, when she speaks of him, she lights up.

“He contributed a lot to the world,” she says. “I wanted the book to celebrate Montana the man, not just his work as an artist. He volunteered his time and talents to many causes, both local and national.”

Anderson became aware of Bob Montana while researching the Gunstock book. Like many people, she knew he was a Lakes Region resident but she did not know a lot else about him. When she found a comic he did on Gunstock, she realized the talent, the humor, and the way Montana could seamlessly work local scenes and people into the Archie comic strip.

“That is how a book usually starts,” she says. “I see something and it sparks an idea. I might see an article or a photograph on something I didn’t know about before. Then, as is always the way, I see it everywhere!  It just grows from there.”

She began to dream about doing a book on Montana and her publishers at the History Press liked the idea. But first, she approached Montana’s daughter, Lynn, who still lives in the area.

“Lynn loved the idea of a book on her father and so did her siblings [Bob and Peg Montana had four children]. They were thrilled that someone wanted to write about their Dad’s life,” Anderson recalls.

In researching the artist, Anderson soon realized there is not much out there on Montana. The basic facts she found were that he was born in 1920 and his father was, at the time, known as the world’s greatest banjo player. Montana’s father was a performer on the vaudeville circuit and his family accompanied him on the road. The family summered at a farm they owned in Meredith and later opened Montana’s Restaurant in the town. The Great Depression made it difficult to keep the restaurant going and vaudeville had fallen out of popularity.

The Montana family moved to Boston and Bob’s parents opened a restaurant there, which became a going concern. “His father died of heart problems when Bob was only a teenager and it was difficult. But Bob was talented and he went on to attend art school and then went to New York City to work for a comic strip company.”

An original sketch of the Archie gang by 

cartoonist Bob Montana. Photo © Montana family.

Because the details of how the comic strip came about are in the book, Anderson says that she would rather hold off on that pertinent information. “You can read about it in the book, which is titled The New England Life of Cartoonist Bob Montana: Beyond the Archie Comic Strip.

- See more at: http://thelaker.com/a-life-well-lived-bob-montana-book-to-be-published#sthash.dFupLvhz.dpuf

Penny Pincher Stickers

This is a set of stickers I did for SmileMakers.

An old guy selling discount tours.

Come an' get me...

Happiness is a Warm Roll

The story is, a fan at a 1974 ComiCon dinner didn't have a sheet of paper, so asked for Charles Schulz' autograph on a dinner roll.

San Diego Comicon 1975

When Comicon was actually a comics convention...

(From Stan Lee's Soapbox, 1976)

Okay, gang, it's name-dropping time again! Recently, I was guest of honor at the San Diego Comic Convention, and what a terrific Con it was. Let me just take a minute to thank Richard Butner and Shel Dorf for being the best hosts possible, and -- while we're at it -- I thought you'd like to know some of the really great guys I ran into out there.

First of all, there was Jerry Siegel, the creator of Superman, looking as young as he did when he used to toil her in the Bullpen. Then, there was artist-writer Don Rico, now teaching a course in comics at UCLA, and as much fun to bend an elbow with as when we were both teenage rookies in the early days of comics.

Sci-fix greats Ray Bradbury, Ted Sturgeon, and George Pal would have made the Con a success by themselves -- and next year I hope we can spend still more time together.

And what's a ComicCon without my ol' pal Will Eisner and me tryin' to upstage each other on the podium? And you should'a seen the great sketch that MAD's Sergio Aragones presented me with -- if I thought I looked that way I'd shoot myself! (Put the gun away, Forbush -- I'm only kiddin'!)

It was great seeing Mell ("Miss Peach" and "Moma") Lazarus again, even if I do envy the fact that he's moved to the West Coast! And, helping me judge a costume contest, was none other than Jim Steranko, who's really a great judge ('cause he agreed with all my choices!)

And let's not forget the mighty Marvel contingent! There was Marv Wolfman, all over the place, as budding artists and writers pursued 'im like mad with their samples. Also, it was a real treat running into Russ Heath, Jim Starlin, Ernie Chua, and not only Jack Kirby -- but the whole captivatin' Kirby clan -- son, daughter, grand-daughter, and Jack's lovely wife Roz.

Hey, I almost forgot -- Chuck Norris, one of the greatest martial arts experts of all, gave an exhibition I'll never forget -- and you'll be reading more about it in our own kung-fu mags.

Yep, it was a real classy Con -- and it'll give us something' to shoot at this Easter when we have our own Marvel Con in New York. (And those of you who attended our last Con don't haveta be told -- we're pretty good shooters!)

Two more things I've gotta say before we wrap this up. I also met Captain Sticky and Gabe Wisdom. Captain Sticky is a real, live, costumed superhero who's become a sensation on the West Coast. You'll be seeing him soon in some of our comicbook yarns, so I won't say much more 'cause I don't wanna kill the surprise. But I'll tell you this -- the guy is too much! As for Gabe Wisdom, he's a radio personality who's been doing a Thor act in Hawaii and on the Coast, and he's so great at it that I've gotta find a way to get him to our Con this Easter -- along with Captain Sticky.

Yep, there's a lot of fun and excitement coming your way, gang, so stay tuned to Marvel and, while you're waiting, never tickle a tousled tadpole, 'cause the eyes of Marveldom are ever upon thee!

Excelsior!

Fennec Fox

This is a recent poster design. I drew it in ArtRage and then worked on it some more in Photoshop. It was inspired by this awesome photograph of a fennec fox kit by In Cherl Kim, the PR Manager of Samsung Everland, a theme park in South Korea.