SOVENA RED

I mentioned a while back that I had some “commitments” I needed to take care of before I felt comfortable starting on the drawing phase of HAND ME DOWN HORROR. (I have the first issue re-written to my (sort of) satisfaction and am ready to begin.) I just need to do a few sketches and finish my last few Perhapanauts pages. But there have been a lot of distractions.

I keep circling the blog sketchbook we’re working on for Mike’s scholarship fund but I can’t seem to get traction. I realized we needed to start at the beginning but Mike had migrated to a new blog halfway through and some of the content didn’t make it over. There were some scans missing and some entries seem incomplete. I’m trying to sort it all out while organizing the original sketch art for re-scanning. And there’s a LOT of it. So this is going to take longer than I’d anticipated. Please be patient with me as I’m basically doing this alone.

Along with the usual distractions of work and the holidays, I’ve also been dealing with a sick relative. I won’t go into detail because it’s a private thing but it’s been a sad, strange experience and I’ve been fortunate in my life that I’ve not had to deal with much of this sort of thing. But, as a result, I’m not sure what to do to make things better for this person. Suze has been amazing, as usual, and I don’t know what I’d do without her.

Still, I’ve managed to find some free time and so I’ve been chiseling away at the fun little side projects I’d promised folks I’d do. The first was last week’s THOR sketch. The second is the drawing you see above of Rod Hannah’s SOVENA RED character.

SOVENA RED is a great comic book idea Rod came up with and has been working on for some time. It’s a fun story (something we need more of in comics) and an appealing character. Things are starting to heat up now and Rod’s got some exciting things planned for Sovena, so do yourself a favor and head over to ONCE UPON A SUPERHERO and do some clickin’. There’s some great art on display by various talented folks. (My personal favorite is Mike Maihack’s pinup. I could stare at it for hours.) There’s also an 8-page preview for your enjoyment. And bookmark that sucka so you can keep checking in. Rod’s going to be making some announcements and you won’t want to miss them. While you’re at it, order a copy of the first Sovena Red story. It’s available in digital and print formats.

While I was working on this drawing for Rod, I stumbled across an inking technique that is probably so elementary that everybody does it without thinking about it. Yet it was something that had never occurred to me. I’d been having trouble with my linework and couldn’t manage to ink long lines without my hand starting to shake and giving it a wobbly look. So I was inking with the harder nibs and just going over and over a line to make it thicker in places. But I was bad at that too. Then, the other night, I took off my glasses (the only way I can ink now, is with my glasses off and my face inches from the paper) I held the brush pen a certain way, with the barrel pointing in the direction I was inking, and started moving (not from the wrist but from the elbow) and BOING!...I got it. I actually slapped my forehead when the realization hit me. I’d always held the brush like a pencil, straight up and down, tilting the barrel toward my body and baring down hard to vary the line. So, hopefully, this will mark an improvement in my inking technique. Or maybe not. But at least I won’t be so afraid to ink my drawings now.

I hope you like the drawing. Have a great week. Next up, a mystery Avenger for Craig Rousseau. If you knew where Craig wants me to draw this, you would pray for me. You would. Gulp.