Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Color marker sketches...

This afternoon,out of curiousity, I bought a pack of 3x5 blank, White index cards at the office supply store. Amongst my drawing tools I had bought for my Live Art tool box were packs of Highlighter Markers. For a while now I've been wanting to try drawing some quick little color sketches with index cards and markers. I've always loved looking at color comps (those really rough,loose drawings with quick slashes of color marker scribbled over the image, just to get a sense of the final design with color).

My great friend Jason Martin, creator of the comic book SUPER REAL, has done sketch cards for several editions of the MARVEL MASTERPIECES series, and seeing his stuff had given me the idea of drawing quick, color sketches on a smaller canvas.


(click to enlarge)

So I drew these 3 cards featuring my characters EL MUERTO, MAN-SWAMP and DEMOLITION DOVE. I'm thinking of perhaps having these type of drawings available whenever I do conventions or signings. Maybe charge a very modest price for these. I've always been willing to give anyone a sketch, usually in pencil or with a black marker, at no charge whatsoever. I'll often sketch on one of the comics folks buy from me, or on a flier I give them or even in their own sketchbooks. The fans always appreciate it, and I really do enjoy the opportunity myself! But perhaps a little color drawing would entice someone to drop a buck or two in the 'tip' jar!

What I like about doing these sketches is the tools I'd limit myself to. Just plain, white 3x5 index cards, a blue pencil to sketch out the drawing, and a collection of markers: Sharpie Highlighter Markers, a couple of Sharpie Extra Fine Point markers, a black brush pen and a thicker black Sharpie to fill in blacks. Basically the materials you may find in a well-stocked office desk drawer. I really like the bright fluorescent colors of the Highlighters, and the fact that I would use those colors as regardless if they don't really match the established colors of the characters I'm drawing. I'd only use a regular Red, Blue and Green fine point marker to provide a bit of texture (Man-Swamp) or specific color accuracy (Demolition Dove's red strap across his T-shirt).

I've got a good enough stable of characters I've created (even if they haven't yet, or maybe never will, appear in a comic of their own) where I probably wouldn't use established characters. These color sketch drawings would be used to promote my own art and ideas. If someone wanted to commission me to draw a really nice Green Lantern or Spider-Woman, then we'll talk!

Ultimately these sketches are just another form of expression. And if they could raise some money for the ol' Los Comex Treasury, why not?!

4 comments:

Eric M. Esquivel said...

You should develop a card game around these, like POKEMON or MAGIC: THE GATHERING.

It'd be like printing money.

"Demolition Dove, I choose you!"

-e.m.e.

Javier Hernandez said...

Ha, too funny! Actually though, how about I make my own set of Loteria cards?? (For readers unaware, that's the classic Mexican card game that's like Bingo, only with cooler art!)

Jason Martin said...

Cool man, nice to see I may have inspired ya a smidge ;)

Diggin the cards, especially for quickies

Cards are fun, especially when you're good enough to do them fast :)

raul said...

Bro Nice job with the office depot art set. They'll never stop making those pens and cards! A good artist can create using any material available. Imagine Picasso saying" Oh no....I can't draw right now, I don't have my special hand blown venetian glass crow quill pen! or my rare obscure Albanian land octupus ink squeezed by a lefthanded one eyed professional bowler from Duluth. And I also only draw on paper hand made by the eunuch monks of a small monastery in the Himalayas, using their own spit and wood pulp from a tree tha went extinct 80 thousand years ago. Do you know how much they charge for time travel delivery?

Great Job JAV!