X-citing work

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to say a quick thanks to Chris and everyone for having me here!
For my first post I wanted to post my latest cover for Marvel's
Wolverine and Jubilee series, with a little bit of the process as well.

Based on a discussion with my editor about the story and overall
tone of the issue, I worked up a few thumbnails to send her. We
wanted the main focus of this cover to be Jubilee, and the pull
her new transformation is having on her. For anyone who hasn't been
keeping up with the X-men Universe, Jubilee was recently turned
into a Vampire, and lost her mutant powers (this happened way before that though)
and now she's trying to deal with these new abilities and urges.
She's been having regular blood transfusions of Wolverines blood to try and keep the vampire cravings under control, and maintain some semblance of humanity.

It's a really great series so far, beautifully illustrated by Phil Noto, and amazing writting by Kathryn Immonen.

Once we decided which direction to go in, I worked up a revised
pencil, and we went to final.

These covers have been a mix of excitement and nervousness to work on; I feel really fortunate to be able to draw these great characters...but at the same time it feels like a lot of pressure, I want to make sure to do them justice...they're more or less my childhood heroes!

Jeanine and Jody were amazing through out this whole process, offering a lot of really helpful advice.

Here's some of the process for the first issue.

The first issue has gone into 2nd printing and the new one should be out this coming Wednesday, so please go out and grab one if you have a chance.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

N

My first "Big Head" and Cover illo

(cover)(interior spread)(final sketch)

Hello all, thank you for having me here!

Soooo, here is my first cover illo for PLANSPONSOR Feb 2011 issue.

It's also one of the most difficult illustrations I have done so far.

First, it took me a few rounds of sketches to nail the idea this time. (I was stressed out and having brain freeze because it's my FIRST COVER, also the concept was very abstract yet specific: "Finding the right adviser/partner/help")

Second, my computer monitor started dying and fading when I was almost done with the illo, so the colors that I thought was right was actually very off...

SooJin has being really patient and helpful with me the whole time. And we are both happy with the outcome of the final illo. It was also one of the pieces selected into Communication Arts Illustration annual 2011.

It's always great working with an AD who trusts you.

Here are some of the rejects...

RESIDENT EVIL COMIC PAGE + ILLUSTRATION UPDATE

I finally got some time in between projects to enjoy some PS3 gaming. Resident Evil 5 was my most recent adventure and I absolutely love that game. I decided to do a 3-4 page comic based on the gameplay and the image above is the first of the set. 

I also recently acquired the Wacom Intuos 4 tablet.  While it took me half a day to get used to the new, more textured and natural feeling of the surface, it's a huge improvement despite the quick tip wear. The drawing feels so much more natural and the texture truly feels like paper at times, especially after using the slicker surface of older models for so many years. 

Below is a panel showing the inks using my new favorite custom chisel brush. It really feels like drawing with a marker. :) I highly recommend the new tablet if you do most of your work digitally.

I have also been illustrating these half page, three-panel comics for Boy's Life Magazine each month and here is an example of this long running series that will be out in the next issue.

Thanks for reading guys, 

-Tin

The "Young Guns" Tour

(please click for a much larger view!)

Coming to a city near you! "Ska Is Dead" Presents: The "Young Guns" Tour, featuringWe Are The Union and The Forthrights! Find more info HERE! and don't forget to buy some cool new shirt designs HERE (or on tour)....

The Silence of Eggs

A while back I was contacted by Sagoma Editore to do the cover and back cover for their upcoming book "The Silence of Eggs" or "Il Silenzio Dell'uovo" for those of you in Italy.  I received a brief, in awesome broken English, describing a fictional biography of a 19th century poet obsessed with the silence of things. They wanted to push the bizarrely humorous nature of a person stubbornly preoccupied with an egg's silence... as if the egg was holding out on the poet and the poet wasn't buying it. Oh, and another goal was to have the feel of high class literature. But,  you know... with an quiet egg.

I sent a couple ideas to see if I was in the ballpark of what they were looking for and quickly found out they really had no clue what they were looking for. Through a series of some of the most baffling art direction I've ever received, I produced a number of very loose sketches. 

The interrogation chair and the duct tape make me stupidly happy.

Of course they picked the only one I was sure they would not.

Yay.

So... I was to paint an egg for the front cover, with a monochromatic background. Before I could moan about the mind-numbing boredom of such a choice, the client sent a request for the back cover. He wanted the same egg, but now crushed by a frustrated poet's fist. Somehow, without knowing it, they asked me to create a rollover like I'd done many times before.

Of course, just the right flavor of angry/desperate/insane took a couple tries to nail down.

And despite all the struggle I'm pretty satisfied with the final. Maybe it's my narcissism since that poet is basically me with a mustache.

 -S