Comic-Con Sketches: Part 1

Yesterday, I wanted to post images from my sketchbook, but I couldn't scan the images because the metal rings on the sketchbook prevented me from scanning the pages correctly. Since I didn't want to rip the pages out of my sketchbook just to scan them, I did the next best thing: took photos of them with my handy dandy digital camera.

Since I have over 30 images to post, I'm gonna split this into two parts to make things easier. Here we go:

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The airport terminal is one of those perfect places to draw people. I spent about 3-5 minutes sketching until they announced to board the airplane. Interrupted again...

On the plane, I waited until we taxied out to the runway. Minutes passed, & we didn't move an inch. I finally took out my sketchpad when they announced that it would be another hour 'til we even left the terminal. I drew this out of frustration, much to the amusement of the passengers next to me.

We finally took off an hour later. When I didn't feel like watching George Carlin specials on my iPod or eating Terra Blues & ginger ale, I drew. The big-nosed caveman was actually a character I came up with a few weeks ago, the design based off my old man. I think I'll call him 'Chim'.

Ever listen to music on headphones, & the music starts to go a little silent, so you turn the volume up a little bit higher, then when you least suspect it the music suddenly goes 'BOOM' & you nearly go into cardiac arrest?... Well, that happened to me halfway through my flight. I bet my neighbor thought I was goin' into cardiac arrest too.

I was listening to Rolling Stones on my iPod, so I was inspired to draw Steve-O as Keith Richards (but not as fugly). I threw in some 70's looking backup players for kicks & giggles.

I finally got to San Diego. Sunny, dry & beautiful! I skipped preview night to settle down & grab a bite to eat at a local diner.

I've noticed that I've been drawing Randy a lot more lately, definitely for the better. He's starting to sneak into the spotlight a bit more each day. The 'bust' of him on the top left is probably my most perfect drawing of him ever, perfect proportions! The tough boxing pelican is a character who'll be appearing in my next comic story, which I'm currently writing& will hopefully get to once I finish the soup story. One of my favorite doodles on the trip was the 30's toon Randy. The 3 fingered gloves cinch it.

After lunner (lunch/dinner), I went back to my hotel room & sketched the rest of the evening. I love to draw Steve-O with the disgruntled unibrow look. 85% of my drawings have at least one of them on each page. I like to make each one a bit different though, so I don't get into too much of a rut (which explains the rabid one on the lower left). You'll also notice a bootleg Pink Panther & the half-done Inspector I gave up on.

I also tried to draw my manly mug, looking in the mirror above the hotel room desk. After doing the top three sketches, I just went crazy, drawing myself in all kinds of styles: pointy-chined (like I usually do), like a duck, a happy face, Butch Hartman-esque, like an AIM smiley, like Popeye, like Peanuts, like a 30's cartoon & like a UPA character.

I continued a bit on the top, drawin' me like a puppet & a chibi anime character, then took a rest from it. The rest is just random crap that flew into my head while I was drawin' them.

God, I love pages like this one...Near the end of my trip, I was running out of room in my sketchbook, so I went back & drew over pages I thought were lacking or just scrap. This page is just a jumble of random doodles, which definitely catches one's eyes when they flip through the book. I probably filled up this page in about 15 minutes.

My first day at the Con, I met up with some friends & acquaintances at the Newgrounds/Behemoth booth. This page is just filled with drawings & signatures by people I met/knew there, including Chris Zito on the top left, Chris "Kirbopher" Niosi at middle left, Kira (Rina-Chan) at middle right, EgoRaptor (creator of the Metal Gear Awesome series) in the middle & Andrew Dickman bottom right. Sadly, I wish I got the other guys names written down next to their drawings, since I can't quite read their handwriting. Maybe somebody out there'll help me out.

Later that day, I took a breather from the Con & sat upstairs to rest my legs. A perfect opportunity to sketch! Earlier that day, I had my first visit over to Chris Sanders' booth & picked up a copy of his Kiskaloo book, along with a bunch of other stuff. I got my friend Chris Zito into Kiskaloo & we were both trying to draw Ogo as best as we could. The thing about Chris Sanders' style is that it's very difficult to replicate, especially when your a novice like me. The simple yet difficult design of the characters & the quality of the line work is what really throws me off. Still, I try.

You may also notice Steve-O pretending to be the "West Guy" from The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack at the top right. "Weeeeeeesssssssssssssssttt!"

While resting, I also drew fanboys, nerds & tired ol' me. I threw out my shoulder from carrying 50+ pounds of swag (left) & I was spending money like an oil tycoon (right). The drawing at the bottom was not drawn by me, it was drawn by an acquaintance (I can't recall his name) at the Newgrounds booth later on.

Later that night, I went to the Newgrounds/Behemoth party with the majority of my friends & fellow Newgrounders. Throughout the night, when I wasn't playing Xbox, Mario Kart or eating tacos, I scribbled in my sketchbook to pass the time. The next page ain't really that special, except for my interpretation of Chris Zito top right & Kira (Rina-Chan) bottom right. She signed her name next to it.

While chattin' & shootin' the breeze with the guys, I drew quick caricatures (or at least attempts at caricatures) of the people surrounding me. Some are a little realistic, while some are downright wacky (which I prefer to do).

The king of the party was the Castle Crashers video game, which caught plenty of eyes, ears & eager game-playing hands at the Con. At the party, the game was projected onto the wall, & controllers were passed around the party to those who wanted to play a few rounds. I drew one of the CC knights with a bazooka for fun.

The only thing I'm really "known" for in the Newgrounds community is my part in NIN10Doh!. I was surprised to find that a lot of people really enjoyed my segment, & a select few even asked me to draw a Topi or Ice Climber for them in their books. I'm not used to people asking ME to sign THEIR sketchbooks, so it was a real surreal moment for me. Those were the moments I felt really proud of my work. Sure it's a sin to feel proud of oneself, but what the hell, it felt good.

During the last few moments of my night, me & Chris Zito had a bit of a sketch-off. We ended up drawing Ogo again. God, he's hard to draw...

Well, that concludes part 1. I hope you enjoyed them!

I'll be gone for the rest of the weekend 'cause I'm goin' camping with my cousins for a few days. I'll finish posting my drawings once I get back (probably some time Monday)