Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Final Five - The Big 400 2013





        

           Finished work for the upcoming Big 400 gallery show here in Portland. The opening is Saturday December 14th, in downtown Portland. It's a great night to get out, view an amazing selection of local artists, and, maybe, go home with a piece of original artwork. Enjoy the work.

-Cheers-
Daniel DePaolo

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

BIG 400 - 4 & 5 Out of 10 - Botflies and Frog Rider



  

          Featured here are two more finished pieces for this year's BIG 400, a group show here in Portland, Oregon. I've got five out of ten of the works done, and hope to be able to share more with you in the near future. These are both scans of the original artwork, which, in my opinion, represent the work better than some of the pictures I "share" on other social media sites.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Big 400 - 2 & 3 Out of 10 - Songbird and Butterfly Kisses



 

          Two more pieces finished and ready for this year's BIG 400. I've been posting pic on Facebook and Twitter, but these are far better representations of what the finished imagery looks like.

-Cheers-
Daniel DePaolo

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Tender - The BIG 400

  

          Haven't been overly active on the blog for a bit, so I thought I'd share a finished colored pencil piece that will be featured in this year's BIG 400 show in PDX.

Tender
8x8 Strathmore toned paper
colored pencil

-Cheers-
Daniel DePaolo

Thursday, August 22, 2013

A Quiet Place to Perch



          Hope your day is going well. Here's a long necked gentle-bot, holding painfully still to provide a quiet place for our feathered friend to perch. Colored pencil on black Strathmore sketch paper. Enjoy the rest of your week.

-Cheers-
Daniel DePaolo

Monday, August 19, 2013

My Little Island



     I'm not sure how many times I've drawn some derivation of this image. Some funky little dude (kinda Calvin and Hobb's-ian, mixed with Looney Tunes, with just enough hip-hop sensibility) standing  on a small chunk of land, isolated yet content. It's a bit redundant, but it's always fascinating to see how the essence of the image changes with each rendition. As life moves on, we change, and some times it becomes evident through the subtle ways a 'formulaic' image is recreated/reimagined. I may be telling the same story, but the narrative has shifted and the character has more genuine life than it did before. To me it shows more maturity in my style and my sense of design, but it also gives me a point of reference for the next time I draw my little guy on his own little island.

-Have a good week interweb-
Daniel DePaolo

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Pistol Packin' Rocketman



          Working on multiple things at the moment, and unfortunately haven't been budgeting time to update my blog. With that being said, only good things coming post Summer 2013. For now enjoy a little space cowboy, who walks softly and carries a big gun...

-Cheers-
Daniel DePaolo

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Space Scooter



          For those who don't live in Portland, or Oregon for that matter, summer is the time for road construction.  This summer's construction has grown and steadily flanked my whole little neighborhood here in South East Portlandia. Running out for a beer turns into a hassle, unless you hit a dumpy local convenience store. You better be content with being stuck in traffic. Seeing anyone cruise through the congestion on a bike, scooter, or mo-ped only sparks jealousy in me. So, for today I give you a space man cruising above it all on his little Vespace Scooter ( I know, but it's the best I could come up with on short notice)...

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo
 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Prognosticating Pachyderm



      A quick piece combining a few icons from the East. Elephants are kinda Buddha's in their own way. I'm also posting this because the photo I posted on Instagram is crap.

-Stay Tuned-

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Addressing Process and Time

          It's a fairly common occurrence, when I'm out and about, to be asked about what I "do" for a living. The typical reaction I get when I say, "I'm an illustrator who works on children's books and comics," is a pretty universal response, along the lines of "that must be fun!" I don't disagree with this statement. I mean, it's truly an amazing and rare thing to be trying to make a living doing what you love. However, I agree--with reservations.
          It seems in the illustration market lately, the prevailing attitude of "that must be fun!" also equates to a quick devaluing of all the times when the job is not only fun, but work as well. When you work through an illustration that you truly love, there is always a lot of time committed to a piece before it becomes an image someone looks at and says, "Wow! That must have been fun to make!" ...Understanding this, I thought I'd devote this blog to a quick examination of my process when creating any work that will still hold up after time.




         Everything of any importance starts as a thumbnail or rough sketch. As a younger artist, I operated under the false impression that working straight from the mind to the page was the "purest" way to achieve any "true piece of art." Only after looking at many finished illustrations that had been erased and drawn over too many different times, did I appreciate the power of a few pages of preliminary sketches and a good thumbnail. For me the thumbnail is a time saver, not a time waster. By the time I break out the blank page, I've already worked out the major elements on the page: the camera angle, the format, and in some more detailed instances, a sense of light for the piece. Total working time for the preliminary sketches and thumbnail usually takes about an hour or two.
        The example above is the rough I created as an assignment for an SCBWI conference. The project was a double-page spread devoted to a selected passage from Snow White. I added the calligraphic border element in the top left to give a sense of showing two scenes without overpowering the main image that stretches across both pages. While it was important to show Snow White fleeing through the woods, I found it to be more integral to the storytelling to show the moment of relief when Snow White emerges from the dark, creepy woods to find the dwarves home.




          If I were more of a painter, this finished line image would be a moot point. But, considering my background in sequential art and comics, I'm still married to a solid line drawing. You can see the image of Snow White has changed a bit from the rough. I've also moved the dwarves' house behind the tree line that Snow White is emerging from. This decision had everything to do with feedback from the coordinator of the SCBWI class where the assignment would be presented. 
        While it hasn't changed much from the rough stage, the major work was more taking the thumbnail and blowing it up to a 12x18 size. I drew the image in pencil first and then proceeded to ink the piece using a combination of brush and pen. My only advice to any one out there who loves line is: become just as good at inking your work as you are with your pencils. Unless you are a phenomenally amazing draftsman with the pencil, learning how to ink your work makes you a double threat, and therefore able to command higher prices in some industries. Happy with the result and the four to six hours devoted to this step, I move on to the more finished color illustration...




          The major mistake made between the line work and the color phase had everything to with the ink in some of the tools I used to create the line. When working in water-based medium (watercolor), it's always a good idea to make sure the line you're painting over won't smudge or run (i.e., is waterproof), and in the case of this illustration, some of the line work wasn't. I dealt with this problem by applying a coat of a workable matte fixative. It renders the surface waterproof (mostly) but also can be problematic when trying to achieve smooth watercolor washes. While I was not pleased by this annoying misstep, I worked around it to create the finished image you see here on the screen. I'm happy with the results. The total time spent working on this step was another four to six hours. 
           So... taking all these steps into consideration, the total working time for this piece was anywhere between twelve to sixteen hours... It has become work. When that "fun" idea takes more than two full work days to complete, it becomes work. Don't get me wrong, I love telling stories through imagery, it's amazing, but when a person equates this "work" to something "fun" it devalues the sixteen hours spent creating the work. Most artists are creating art for much less than they should--because of this attitude. Ask anyone trying to pay the bills doing this. It's not that there aren't projects to be made. It's trying to get paid an asking price that doesn't undercut the next guy waiting in line...

So... if you see me out and about, and you ask me, "What do you do for a living?" don't read too much into my wry smile after you tell me, "Wow, that must be so fun!!" I agree, but with reservations.

Stay Tuned
Daniel DePaolo

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Sketch-A-Day - Day 25 -



     Day 25 is an attempt to stop inundating you folks from the constant barrage of fez sporting, mustachioed, smoking characters that have been clogging up the blog space of late. With that said, here's a little three eyed monster staring deep into your soul, with a long thin plug for a tail. He's kinda cute, but looks a little concerned as well. Seems like a testament to life right now...

-Stay Tuned Interweb-
Daniel DePaolo

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 24-



     Day 24 is a dapper mustachioed fellow with noodle-y arms and a charming fez. I'm a pretty fond of the negative space in this sketch. The handle bar mustache isn't half bad either. Hope you like it.

-Stay Tuned-
Daniel DePaolo

Friday, June 7, 2013

Sketch-A-Day - Day 23 -



     Day 23 is a salute to Friday and the upcoming weekend. May you all enjoy the refreshment of a bubbly beverage, a tall fez, and the company of compatriots. Just to make up for no sketch yesterday, I'll make sure to post another sketch later on in the day. For now, I must conquer the ever lengthening grass in my front yard. While my cat may find it an ideal outdoor playground, I'm sure my landlord would cringe if she were to drive by. Have a great weekend.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Sketch-A-Day - Day 22 -



     Day 23 is a small piece about curiosity. The steam bot stands in wonder as tentacles stream in from the left side of the scene. While these appendages may be harmlessly searching their surroundings, they may also be a preview of a more menacing creature lurking off panel.

-Stay Tuned-
Daniel DePaolo

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 21-



     Day 21 is a noodle-armed big headed young boy marveling at the techno-fireflies buzzing around him. It's pretty much par for the course, incorporating a cartoony character, some sci-fi bugs, and a distinct source of lighting. The grey of the background comes from the use of Copic markers, which I have only recently started to incorporate into my work. It helps to push the contrast a bit and allows me to use the original tone of the paper as a bit more of a medium light brown. Hope you all had a fun and uneventful Memorial Day weekend. Stay tuned later on this week for a glimpse at my process in relation to a new illustration created for the Spring SCBWI conference here in Portland.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 20-



     Day 20 is another limited color palette piece on black paper. I'm still finding my way working on such dark paper, but it does pump the contrast of light and dark. Now, I just need to fine tune the medium tones and I'll be golden. I like the horns growing from our rolly-polly friends head and the goggles (because everything is better with goggles). He's a friendly looking guy with a genuine curiosity about change and personal growth.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo 

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 19-



     Day 19 is another in the series of portly characters toasting to your good health, happiness and prosperity. While it may not be in time to kick off your weekend, I still hope you had a good one. I envision running into this guy in some swank European night club where the techno music is blaring,  you wake up the next morning with a noticeable ringing in your ears, and you sound like Louis Armstrong from shouting all night. To you my friends, enjoy the coming week.

Daniel DePaolo

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 18-



     Day 18 is one of my favorites out of the series of sketch cards I've been creating for those who've bought copies of "Dingo and Willy's Donuts". It kinda speaks for itself. Don't we all yearn for that spacesuit we can climb into, and that jet pack we can strap on to fly away into the unknown? I know some days I do.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-A-Day -Day 17-



     Days 17-20 are late, I know...but I have a great reason for neglecting you diligent watchers. I've been polishing my portfolio and working on an illustration assignment for this weekends Spring SCBWI conference. The piece I prepared for one of the seminars was based around a pre-selected excerpt of text from Snow White. I plan on sharing the process with you here either later today or tomorrow. I hope you'll enjoy it. For now though...Day 17 is an exercise in drawing hats, hummingbirds and orchids. The noodle armed kid with the abnormally large head is just par for the course. More catch up posts coming later today...so for the three or four people out there watching stay tuned and enjoy your weekend.

-Take Care-
Daniel DePaolo

Monday, May 13, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 16-



     Day 16 is another colored pencil original I created for Emerald City Comicon in Seattle at the beginning of March. I drew the piece with nothing more than the intent to create some wild hair . The steam tech drone, ramen, and chopsticks were added merely to make the image a little more random and engaging. This piece sold to an amazingly nice teacher living in the Seattle. She liked the piece because she thought it looked like Einstein...I'm just glad she bought it and liked it...

-Happy Monday-
Daniel DePaolo

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 15-



     Day 15 is a few days behind, but I plan on being caught up and on track for next week. This piece was one of a handful of finished works I created to sell at Emerald City Comicon. While I really like the drawing, it has not sold, yet...but you can find it for sale on my Etsy shop. Working with a limited color palette and drawing some of my favorite things, Day 15 is an homage to retro technology, space walkers, and the secret desire of every little boy to have a trusty chimp there for them throughout life. Happy Mother's Day everybody!!

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo


Friday, May 10, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 14-



     Day 14 is a plug-in samurai robot piece, where the buildings populating the background resemble large hair spray or shampoo bottles...As I add more bits and bobs to my robot characters, the more I realize that working at this size (about a 1/4 of a page of an 8 1/2 x 11) can become problematic when trying to emphasis the details.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-A-Day -Day 13-



     Day 13 is a few days late, so for those keeping count, you'll once again be seeing a triple blog post today. Hope you like it! This one was an attempt at drawing a mountain Gorilla (my first, by the way). Although I would have liked to get a little more of the body in there, I do like the drawing for its minimal palette and for the kid with a little bit more of a normal sized head.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 12-



     Day 12 is a tip of the hat to James Bond and all the 'high-tech' gadgets he played with through the course of any of his many films. Of course, to look at the gadgets now we'd all be taken aback by the "retro" quality of all that high technology. It's also another fine example of anthropomorphisis of an animal. For some reason I kept saying to myself, "The missions of Super Secret Otter...because no one ever expects the otter..." Who knows, that may become a catchy tag line for a kitschy homage to both Bond and Rocket Raccoon.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Monday, May 6, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 11-



      Day 11 is a perfect example of how heads and hands make a piece. I especially enjoy the shape of the noodle-y body and the automaton/contraption in the figure's hand.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Friday, May 3, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 10-




     Day 10 is a tip of the hat to my Scandinavian roots, as well as a bit of a recurring character type. I enjoy playing with character design, and varieties of differing body shapes. This one is a big viking-esque guy raising a refreshing glass of grog and toasting to the weekend. Which if you live in Oregon is looking to be pretty f'ing spectacular. So "Cheers" to you my friends wherever you are. Come back Monday through Friday for more Sketch-A-Day randomness. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

-Cheers-
Daniel DePaolo

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 9-




     Day 9 is a bit of a random non-planned piece that took shape while out with friends at an Illustration club meeting. Illustration club is a sporadic meeting of friends/illustrators here in the Portland area. Where we: socialize, get a little work done, and generally force what is a normally reclusive home bound group of individuals into public places. It generally is just a lot of sitting, drinking and lamenting about: projects we're involved in, the state of being in a constant search for jobs/revenue, and the frustration that comes from the constant devaluation of our creative services. Ok... now I think I know why I drew a big-eyed apathetic dude throwing a molatov cocktail. 

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Sketch-A-Day -Day 8-




     Day 8 is a nice combination of some of my favorite things. I love creating anthropomorphized animals, and drawing retro inspired space suits. So, this is a nice melding of the two. I picture this guy stepping from the shadows on a moonlit night and perhaps startling the observer...

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo 

Sketch-A-Day -Day 7-




     Day 7 is two days late, I know, but that just means I'll be playing catch up today. You'll have the privilege of seeing three posts, and I'll be all caught up. This one was a piece I sent to one of my best and oldest friends, Zachary Schneider. He is an amazingly talented actor, a kick ass father, and the Drama teacher at my old high school. I also can tell you that he is single handed-ly (with the help of his dedicated students) resurrecting the Drama department there, and making it something that everyone in my home town can be proud of. I thought of him as I worked on this sketch. So, if you see any similarity it's completely intentional.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day6-




     Day 6 is a day late, but whadaya gonna do? Sometimes when I draw random characters I like to play with the squashing and stretching of proportion. So here we have a squashed face, with big hair, big hands, and chunky headphones. It's a little bit of a tip of my hat to music and the profound influence it has on all the artwork I create.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Friday, April 26, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 5-




     Day 5 is one of the better monkey-style steam-bots I've done. I enjoyed the results that came from working on a black paper. It instantly makes even the most drab colored pencils pop. I hope you've enjoyed the work this week...more Sketch-A-Day Monday through Friday. Have a great weekend!!

Daniel DePaolo

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Sketch-A-Day -Day 4-



     Day 4 is a bit of a regular when it comes to subject matter. But it is interesting for me to sit down and draw up a random graffiti guy just to see how it comes out. This guy has seen many incarnations in my body of work. I do like the pencil marks themselves in this piece. To me, the mark making takes precedence over the subject matter.

 -Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Sketch-A-Day - Day 3 -

    

     I've been enjoying the juxtaposition of the Fez, the mustache, and space suits in terms of accessories for different character/ body types. I'm pretty sure Day 3 is either looking for coffee or a croissant. I like the soft minimal white on this one.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Sketch-A-Day - Day 2 -

    
    
     Day 2 began with the heart shaped head. Everything else kinda fell into place, as this faerie/ gorilla/ smug dude took shape. Some of the light blue construction line is still evident on the sketch, but I like a small roughness still evident in most pencil work.

Enjoy
-Daniel DePaolo-

Monday, April 22, 2013

Resurrecting the Sketch-A-Day - Day 1

     Almost two months have flown by after an energizing, amazing weekend in Seattle attending Emerald City Comicon. I've been trying to fill my time organizing myself for the many projects I should have in the works this year...note the use of the word should...I've recently put copies of my children's book up for sale on my Etsy page. But first, I sent a bit of a mass e-mail to family and friends asking them if they would like copies of my stock. The response was instant, and when all the checks and Paypal money comes through, I will have sold all but 3 copies of "Dingo and Willy's Donuts".
     As a bit of an extra for all those who have paid for their copy of the book, I'm creating two custom sketch cards per copy ordered. That means, I'll be creating 40 different sketches, scanning the work, and stuffing them inside the front cover of each book that leaves my house...so...knowing that, I will once again revive the Sketch-A-Day until all copies are in their rightful owners hands, and I'm burnt out on sketching on toned paper.
     Day one- Enjoy the "Heavenly Ham" as he serenely floats through a cloudless sky. When, I got done with this one, I couldn't help but think about my dad and his love of collectible piggy paraphernalia.

-Enjoy-
Daniel DePaolo

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

So this happened today and it was pretty cool

Stack of Hardbacks
     It will always be a weird thing for me to work on projects using digital medium. Sure, I've got a great collection of original inked pages from this particular book, but I wasn't so sure about how the digital colors would turn out. Did I format all the pages correctly for print? Would the typeface have smooth edges or a compression halo? What would a hardback look like when it was printed, bound and ready for sale? You can wrack your brain over the minutiae of the finished product, but there is always a point where you HAVE to LET GO and realize that you've done your part.
     If anything gets messed up from here on out, it is out of your hands. You've done your part. And now, almost three months after delivery of the files, a box arrives with 30 books that you've made. Pardon me while I breathe a sigh of relief. This box has made my weekend worthwhile. As I prepare for another Emerald City Comicon, I'm pleased to offer something new at my table for 2013.
     "Dingo and Willy's Donuts" is a sturdy gloss hardback with 72 interior pages on matte paper. It retails for $18.00, and it will premier at this year's comic convention. I will also make it available through my Etsy shop once the weekend is over. If you want a book that's perfect for your young reader, this is it. Easy to read, filled with colorful characters -- and donuts -- what more can you ask for? This 30 pound box has made my day and my weekend.

-Daniel DePaolo-

Thursday, February 21, 2013

7 and Counting

TryLo-saur - 5
     Counting down to Emerald City Comicon. I'm excited to be up in Seattle tabling with my fellow compatriots: Jason Pott, Alan Bennett, and George Leon. I've received word from the printer, and my children's book "Dingo and Willy's Donuts" will be available for sale that weekend. That's a huge relief and an exciting addition to my selection. I'm also on pace to have between 13-14 original illustrations completed and available for sale at my table. Not to mention limited edition 11x17 posters and original sketch cards. All in all, it should be a good representation of original and printed materials. Now I just need some fun loving folks with money to spend and the show could exceed even my pragmatic expectations.
     In the meantime, I thought I'd share an illustration of another Dino-Human hybrid from my upcoming comic, "The Muscle." The TryLo-Saur you see is old by any standard, but his experience and unrelenting toughness make him a trusted elder in his community. His thick hide renders any attack with projectile or laser weapons an exercise in futility. His love of "old" culture makes him an authority on classic games and motivates him to construct an industrial size cricket mallet for smashing thick heads with small brains. Respect your elders -- or a swift beat down is in order.


-Daniel DePaolo-

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

9 and Counting


Lacan - The Hollowing
          For those who don't know me, I'm a pretty voracious reader. While, I haven't made the transition to digital books, I do read most of my "news" on the internet. There is still something about the smell of books, though. Opening them and closing them when your done. The process feels organic, linear, and there is something to be said about finishing something as well. I've recently been captivated by a series of books written by Robert Holdstock. The characters and stories within, are fantasy by conventional definition, but there is a rotten, pervading darkness about everything. When the story is over the ending seems appropriate but by no means does it pass muster as "happy."          

The accompanying illustration is one of the characters from the books. It is my attempt at creating a slightly darker character without falling outside a "cartoony /children's book oreinted" style. I quite like it (hope you do too...). Pencil and colored pencil on Strathmore Illustration board.


-Daniel DePaolo

Friday, February 8, 2013

A Little Alien

Big Head/Long Tail Alien
     Hey kids! In three weeks time, I'll be in Seattle for three days of glorious nerd revelry. That's right, Emerald City Comicon is quickly approaching, and I can't tell you how awesome it will be to once again share table space with my friends: Jason Zachary Pott of Neo-Trash Comix, Alan Bennett of Black Box Comix, and George Leon of "Luchadores in Space" fame.
     With any luck at all, and a little help from the fates, I should also have copies of my newest children's book "Dingo and Willy's Donuts" for sale. If the printer doesn't deliver in time, I'll still have all my books with Neo-Trash and a collection of original art and prints for sale. So, if you've got the time, a few bucks kicking around, and live in the Seattle area, drop in and say "hey." I would love to see you. Our booth is in artists alley, and we'll be at tables E-07/08.
     For now, enjoy the fruits of my drawing labors last night. A big headed alien with a long tail. Enjoy your weekend.

-Daniel DePaolo-

Saturday, February 2, 2013

A Sunny Saturday Blog

Technosaur - 19A
     It's a sunny Saturday here in Portland, Oregon. I'm sitting staring at this screen for as little time as I possibly can today. This week has been disappointing in terms of productivity, and I hope to make up for it by turning out a little work today and tomorrow. The only problem is the sun. When winter hits in Oregon, it's as if a grey blanket has been pulled over the sky. Moods become dreary, and you generally just want to dig into a cozy fort of blankets and pillows and hibernate until the next scant sunny day. So, will I actually get anything done today or tomorrow? Or will I go outside, soak up a few rays, improve my mood, and let fresh air in through my windows that have been closed for months? The choice is mine.
     For now, enjoy this shot of one of the "Muscle" from my upcoming comic. A spry young Technosaur who stumbles onto an "assignment" that may be a little more than he can handle. Will his ego get the best of him and lead him into danger, or will this be a learning experience? Only I can tell, but there will be a kick-ass fight scene between him and an older Tricero. Which wins, age and experience or blind ambition? Stay tuned...

-Daniel DePaolo-

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Balancing Act

Space Otter - Asteroid Comber
     Downtime can be a blessing and a curse. I sit in my studio, preparing a small collection (about 20) of illustrations to take to Seattle at the beginning of March for Emerald City Comicon. I spend my days thumb nailing what will be an amazing comic, and I wait for word on the latest project. The contracts out and you can either sit around wasting time, or use that time to your advantage. I'd like to say that I'm using it in a wise manner %100 of the time, but that's not so.

     For now, I content myself on dusting off a few "traditional" techniques that sit in the tool box. Waiting to remind me how cool it is to detach myself from a screen every once in a while, and enjoy the tangible experience of creating a physical piece of "art". Glad for the time, but waiting for the work as well...ah...well...for now, enjoy the space otter combing a piece of asteroid in search of a tasty treat. Enjoy the rest of your week.

-Daniel DePaolo-

Thursday, January 17, 2013

In The Works

Kids With Guns, Kids With guns...They're takin' over, it won't be long - Gorillaz
     January is moving right along, and personal projects meld with paid projects as I attempt to maintain momentum for 2013. I'm working on a variety of things for 2013, and thought I'd give you a little taste of what's coming through the pipeline.

     Baysmore Books has me booked for a few projects this year. First, I'll be creating the imagery and the book jacket design for a horror novella titled, "Humble Hill." This one is a bit of a quick project filling time between now and when I begin work on the upcoming title "Dingo and Willy Take Their Driver's Test." I expect this project to occupy a fairly decent chunk of time this year, as the publisher wants this title to be a full color children's comic or another illustrated children's book. I'm eager to continue my work with this particular publisher, even though we've never met in person, it has been a mutually beneficial collabortation.

     I'm also thumb nailing out pages, creating character designs, and generally starting to cook on my personal comic project "The Muscle" a.k.a. "Dino's with Guns." I will be writing and illustrating this title. I envision the first story being about 60 pages (penciled, inked, and colored). When it comes time to print/promote this piece, you'll be inundated with visions of a dystopian future where the long game of societal domination is played by corporations and the mega-rich, and the pawns are genetic human-dino hybrids. A bit of Sopranos meets Blade Runner, where the tough guys are muscle-bound dino thugs. Should be fun. I can't wait to share finished work from this one with you.

     In the mean time my first/only comic convention this year is quickly sneaking up on me. I will be tabling with my compatriots in Seattle the first days of March. If you live in the area and would love to get your hands on some nerdy stuff, cool comix, and original artwork(some of which I'll be posting on this blog), you should make it a point to come out to the Emerald City Comicon 2013. Hope to see you there. Well friends, family, and interested parties, it's time to get to work...Enjoy the rest of your week.

-Daniel DePaolo-