ADVANCED NOTICE! PACC 2011!

Make sure you find yourself in Philadelphia on August 14 for the Philly Alternative Comic-Con. I'll be there along with other great comic creators from Philly and elsewhere selling cool comics. Put it on your calendar NOW!

Poster by Pat Aulisio

The Children of Stark

I made up this illustration based on Game of Thrones (or A Game of Thrones, for the book aficionados out there) for a mini-zine that someone is putting together. Hopefully it makes the cut, but nevertheless, it was fun to make.

I'd like to think that this is a full blown illustration, but at its heart it's fan art, I know. And is that such a bad thing? I think most of the work I make is inspired by someone else's work, and while my effort pays tribute to their work, at the same time it tries to capture the same energy and spirit that the original work was created with. That doesn't make much sense, but that's the best way I can describe it.

And so, it should be known that George R.R. Martin's books have become sort of an obsession for me. In a matter of two months I've consumed the first two books, and I'm now on the third, and this coming from a very slow reader. Chances are that the rest of the summer will be devoted to the fourth and fifth books, and then I have to wonder what I'll be reading in the fall because I doubt that I'll find anything to live up to this series. And from what I hear, the HBO adaptation is top notch, so I can't wait to finally see that (I lack the means for cable TV).

Also, I fell in love with the pencils I made for this illo, to the point where I was considering just leaving it at that (with the exception of the bottom text, that always needed work). There was just an energy and vibrancy to the pencils that I really liked, and that I've rarely been able to capture through inks. But at the same time, the ink forces you to commit to something, whether a line, expression, or layout, and it has a very good way of exposing your mistakes. So, in the end, I'm pleased with the final result, and I'm even thinking this may deserve a watercolor treatment down the road.

Dr. Sketchy's - June 11, 2011

A selection of sketches I made during the steampunk-themed Dr. Sketchy's June session (in Philadelphia).

Spider-Man Sketches

If you've been keeping up with the blog, you may have seen me mention something about a personal Spider-Man project, just a five page sample to try my hand at something 'mainstream.' The project is somewhat...stalled at the moment, due to other projects, of course. I have the page layouts complete and the panels roughed out, but at the moment I'm not sure when I'll be able to pick it up again.

However, I have been able to work out some sketches for the characters I'll be using. I have to admit, my sketching style can be infuriating. I'm always amazed by people's clean sketching styles, because it is the complete opposite of mine. My own is always frenetic, like my brain and hand can't get the drawing out quick enough so that the next one can be drawn. I don't particularly like the practice, but that's just how it has always been, and I've learned how to work around it. Honestly, I'm amazed I get anything done.

Mary Jane Watson

Your Friendly Neighborhood Web Head

Electro

New Online Store & Featured Products

Jeez, been exactly a month since I posted to the blog. Sorry dear readers, things have been busy, but things are always busy, right?

One of the things I've been busy with is setting up a new online store through Big Cartel. Etsy was nice, but the slow sales were getting frustrating, and I liked the look and flexibility of Big Cartel. So, you can find the store here: Mike Sgier Comics & Illustration - Big Cartel

I'd like to highlight two items that I've recently completed, and are available to buy. First, I created a reproduction of my Sketchbook Project 2011 contribution The Fibonacci Device. You can get a glimpse of the complete book at a Tumblr I set up for it: fibonacci-device.tumblr.com

And you get your own copy of the book here: msgier.bigcartel.com/product/the-fibonacci-device

Also available at the store are a set of sketch cards I made based upon the films of Federico Fellini. At first this project was a just a fun 'hobby,' but it turned out that I really enjoyed it, people liked it, and I kept coming up with ideas for cards. It gives me a chance to tackle a lot of subjects in a short amount of time.

You can buy your own set of Fellini cards here: Fellini! a celebration in sketch cards

And there's plenty of other stuff there too, so please, browse around!

That should do it for one night. I'll try not to be a stranger!