HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!

This is my last post of the year and I wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe New Years Eve! It's been a very hard year here, but I'm thankful for all my family and friends who have continued to inspire and support me. I know a lot of this year, much of what I posted was sketches and pinups by artists of Drumfish characters, but next year promises to be much more productive. We already have a LOT of things done and I haven't been pumping them too much because I wanted to wait until they were closer to completion. So, 2012 will see more Drumfish comics out there then ever! More NEVERMINDS! The long awaited release of BUGGED! Hopefully a second SENTINELS Anthology! And the long promised webcomic written and drawn by myself. Yup, those are my resolutions and I plan to stick to them.

Happy New Year to all!!!

This awesome sketch of Alanis from NEVERMINDS was drawn as a gift for Jamie Fay by the talent Eric Guerrero (yes, the same artist who drew the Firebomb X-Mas card for me!). Go to his website and tell him to draw more, lol!!

ILLUSTRIOUS BITS WEEK 6: DEATH

Here's my contribution to Illustrious Bits Week 6 - Death, from the Endless. I decided to cute her up a bit and play with the hair a little differently.

Death and the Endless (c) DC Comics

HARLETTE BY LYDIA BURRIS

This sketch of Harlette from SENTINELS was drawn by Lydia Burris at the 2011 Mid-Ohio Comicon. I only got two sketches at this convention. Yes, only two, lol. I saw Lydia's work early on and knew that I had to ask her to draw something for me. I found her style very detailed and striking. I love the fantasy elements she puts into here work too (not in this sketch, but in her personal work). Please check out more of Lydia's work at www.lydiaburris.com.

ALANIS BY ELIZA FRYE

This sketch of Alanis from NEVERMINDS was drawn by Eliza Frye at the 2011 Mid-Ohio Con. Eliza's art caught my eye immediately with it's smooth style and bold colors. I asked her to draw any of the NEVERMINDS ladies and she picked Alanis. I really like what she did! I only wish she had purple paint with her that day for Alanis's costume, instead of her having to use red, lol. Check out more of Eliza's work at http://www.elizafrye.com/ .

SCORCH BY RAY-ANTHONY HEIGHT

This sketch of Scorch from the 1st Gen SENTINELS was drawn by Ray-Anthony Height at the 2011 NYC Comicon. Ray is an amazing artist who has worked for Marvel Comics, Images Comics, Mirage Studios, Alias Comics, Hasbro and many other comic companies. Seeing his work, it's no wonder he is in high demand. Ray also happened to be a fan of SENTINELS, which made my day! I love his line work and coloring and also try to follow what he is doing next. Please check out more of Ray's work here.

PSYCHED BY ZIGGY BLUMENTHAL

Following his tradition of drawing SENTINELS characters on kids playground rides, here is Psyched from the 3rd Gen SENTINELS by Ziggy Blumenthal. Ziggy is a hilarious guy and always put his unique brand of humor into his sketches. I love seeing what he will do whenever I get something by him. He never disappoints! Check out more of Ziggy's work here.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Holidays to everyone who has supported Drumfish Productions this year! I hope you are all enjoying family and friends this weekend. I had to show this holiday pup pic with this post. She looks like the poor dog from the Grinch with the costume my family made her try on, lol. Feliz Navidad!! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas!

HOLIDAY CARD BY ERIC GUERRERO

BIG thanks to Eric Guerrero for this awesome X-Mas gift of Firebomb from SENTINELS holiday card he gave me. I love it, Eric. Thanks so much! Check out Eric's work here and drop him a note and tell him to draw more!! lol

SAMANYA BY PETER NGUYEN

This sketch of Samanya from NEVERMINDS was drawn by Peter Nguyen at the 2011 NYC Comicon. I didn't get too many sketches at this convention, but Peter was one of the few artist I couldn't pass by without getting something. I love his light linework and the color wash he uses. He makes it look so easy! Peter has worked on various animated projects, including Wolverine and the X-Men, as well as many comic book series like Secret Six and Gotham City Sirens. Please check out more of Peter's work here.

ILLUSTRIOUS BITS WEEK 5: STARFIRE

Here is my entry for the fifth week of Illustrious Bits. This week was Starfire from DC Comic's New Teen Titans and Red Hood and the Outlaws. I wasn't really happy with with sketch when I first pencilled it, but after inks and some color, I liked the final version. Starfire is always a fun character to draw. :)

Starfire (c) DC Comics

CASCADE BY ANDREW CHARIPAR

Here is a fun sketch of Cascade from the 3rd Gen SENTINELS drawn by my buddy, Andrew Charipar at the 2011 NYCC. I'm a huge fan of Andrew's work and his comic "Tales From the Cornerstone" and can't say enough great things about him. And of course, if I do that, his head will get bigger, so I will stop, lol. Andrew was the mastermind of the new "Illustrious Bits" blog that I'm part of. It's been a fun exercise to contribute to and we've been getting more and more artists involved each week. Please check out Andrew's work here and don't forget to check out the Illustrious Bits blog!

ILLUSTRIOUS BITS WEEK 4: SPIDER-WOMAN

Another fun choice to draw this week. Here is my contribution to Week 4 of Illustrious Bits! I really enjoyed drawing her and love her costume design and colors. I was hoping to do a full figure of her this week, but didn't have time. The background didn't quite turn out the way I planned either, lol. Still, I had fun working on this.

Spider-Woman (c) Marvel Comics

GAMBIT COLORED

Here's my latest drawing for Illustrious Bits of Gambit from the X-Men colored by the extremely talented, Danielle Alexis St. Pierre. She makes my work look sooooo much better. Thanks, Danielle!

Gambit (c) Marvel Comics

ILLUSTRIOUS BITS WEEK 3 - GAMBIT

Here is my contribution for Week 3 of Illustrious Bits! This week's pick was chosen by me and I picked Gambit for two reason. First, because we hadn't drawn a male character yet. And two, because I had wanted to do a print of Gambit for next years convention season. What you see here is my lineart and hopefully I'll have a colored version to show soon (hence why there are no faces on the playing cards, they'll be added digitally). Check out the Illustrious Bits blog here.
Gambit © Marvel Comics

GOSPEL BY CHANDA FREE

Since I just posted a short plug about Chanda Free's "The God Machine" graphic novel, I wanted to share this awesome sketch she did of Gospel from SENTINELS for me at the 2011 Wizard World Philly Con. Chanda was super nice and did this sketch really fast for me. It was good to talk comics with her for a short while and I love her unique style! Please check out more of Chanda's work here.

READ IT: THE GOD MACHINE

I'm a big fan of DeviantArt and a while back Chanda Free's amazing art caught my eye. I immediately started following her on DeviantArt and was excited to see her first book (which she had been working on for a few years) was coming out. Fast forward to the 2011 Wizard World Philly Con, and I saw that Chanda was schedule to be there. I found her table (one aisle away from mine) before the show even opened and introduced myself and got a copy of "The God Machine"! Just looking at the cover and interior art, you know this is a different type of book. The art is truly beautiful and powerful in tones and design. Published by Archaia Studios Press, "The God Machine" is a nicely bound hardcover comic that is "a modern dark fairy tale that deals with one boy's immediate reality changing into something fantastical". There are monsters, secret organizations, romance and adventure all mixed together in a dark setting that leaves you wanting more of this world. It also has a good deal of humor in it. It's rare that you find a great mix of story and art that totally sings it's own story, but that's just what "The God Machine" does. If you're looking for something different and new to read, I highly recommend this book! Check out http://www.spookychan.com/ to learn more about Chanda and "The God Machine"!

NEVERMINDS BY CHRIS WILLIAMS

This sketch of the NEVERMINDS team (Alanis, Samanya and Nina) was drawn by Chris Williams at the 2011 Wizard World Philly Con. Chris has a real energetic style that makes his characters pop. His figure work and facial expressions are superb too! Check out Chris's Deviant Art page here and see how great his art is!

ELECTRON AND SPLASH BY JERRY CARR

Here's another cool sketch I got at the 2011 Baltimore Comicon. This is Electron and Splash from SENTINELS drawn by Jerry Carr. I really like Jerry's clean linework and animated style. He added some color to this sketch for me, even though he usually colors his work digitally. His digital coloring rules! Check out Jerry's gallery here, you'll see how amazing his work is!

ILLUSTRIOUS BITS WEEK 2: ZATANNA

Continuing with our weekly blog over at Illustrious Bits, this week's character is Zatanna! Here is my sketch of her. I miss the top hat and coat!

Zatanna (c) DC Comics

NEVERMINDS SKETCHES GALORE!

Here is some really amazing art I've been meaning to post for a while now. These were all done by artists on Deviant Art. The first two are by Stephane De Caneva and finish out the previous NEVERMINDS team members Steph drew for the Drumfish Art Contest on Deviant Art. Here are Alanis and Henko! See more of Stephane's art here. These next two works are by Asia Kendick-Horton and are of Nina and Henko from NEVERMINDS. These were done for colorist of NEVERMINDS #1, Rey Arzeno. I was very impressed by them and love Asia's style. Please check out more of Asia's work here.

Next up is a colored version of the NEVERMINDS team drawn by Javier Cruz Winnik. Javier had entered this piece in the Drumfish Art Contest on Deviant Art but wanted to color it after the contest was over. He really wowed me with his rendition of the team. See more of Javier's work here.

Next up is Samanya drawn by May Wilson. She sent Jamie Fay and Rey Arzeno this awesome sketch of Samanya from NEVERMINDS looking tough!! See more of May's art here.

And last, but certainly not least, we have this fun team up of Alanis from NEVERMINDS with an original character created and drawn by Taylor Bryant. Taylor did an awesome sketch of Alanis previously in the Drumfish Art Contest on Deviant Art and we love this one just as much! Please see more of Taylor's work here.

ILLUSTRIOUS BITS BLOG! WEEK 1: WONDER WOMAN

Earlier this week a new blog started that was the brainchild of Andrew Charipar (artist on Serpenta's story from the 1st SENTINELS Anthology). Andrew approached Jamie Fay and I to start a project where we could all contribute sketch every week or so and post them. At first, we will each be picking a character, subject or theme for a week and then each post our drawing of it at the end of that week. Then we'll be opening it up to others to contribute too and eventually we'll be taking suggestions and do some kind of voting thing as to what we draw next. We hope this will be a fun blog and inspire each of us to draw more. Our first week's pick is Wonder Woman (my sketch is with this posting). Check out the blog here and join in!

Wonder Woman (c) DC Comics

HARLETTE BY JOSH HOWARD

This sketch of Harlette, from SENITNELS, was drawn by Josh Howard at the 2011 Wizard World Philly Con. Josh is the writer/artist/creator of the Indie hit, Dead @17 , published by Image Comics. I've been a fan of Josh's for a long time and loved that he had time to do this sketch. Josh's style reminds me a bit of Bruce Timm's, but more crisp and clean with his lines. I also like the attitude he gave Harlette here, lol. Perfect. Please check out more of Josh's comic Dead @17 and see work here.

HENKO BY FABIO REDIVO

This sketch of Henko from NEVERMINDS was drawn by Fabio Redivo at the 2011 Wizard World Philly Con. Fabio is a teacher at the Joe Kubert School as well as an inker for Archie Comics. Fabio's color work is really unique, check out the texture on Henko's jacket and hair here! See even more of Fabio's work here.

SERPENTA BY ALEX RIEGEL

This amazing sketch of Serpenta from SENTINELS was drawn by Alex Riegel at the 2011 Wizard World Philly Comicon. As soon as I saw Alex's work, I was blown away. His sketches have a lot of energy and life in them. I love the extra detail Alex puts into his figures and background too. So cool! He's also a super nice guy and seems to love drawing. Please check out more of Alex's work here.

CLOCKSTOPPER AND IGNITE BY JOE HALEY AND T.J. DORT

This sketch of Clockstopper and Ignite from the 3rd Gen SENTINELS was drawn by Joe Haley and T.J. Dort. I've gotten a few other drawings by them over the years, all of the 3rd Gen kids and this last sketch completes the entire team. I'm a big fan of Joe and T.J.'s work and their book, the Underburbs. It's a great all ages comic that everyone should check out. See more of their work and learn more about their comic here.

FIREBOMB BY NICOLE MCDONALD

So, I have a bunch of sketches that I just haven't had time to post lately. Most of them are from earlier in the year and were gotten at various conventions. This sketch of Firebomb was drawn by Nicole McDonald at the 2011 Wizard World Philly Comicon. Before the show opened I was walking around the convention floor a little and as I walked by a table, I heard someone say something about Tyler School of Art. That caught my ear because I went to Tyler School of Art for my Bachelor's Degree. I stopped and asked the group of people if they went to Tyler and three of them said yes. It turned out that they had just graduated and it was there first convention selling their art. Even more odd was that their table was directly behind mine and then the artists one row over where also from Tyler too. Of course this meant I had to get a sketch from one of them. Nicole McDonald decided to draw Firebomb from SENTINELS in exchange for me drawing an original character of hers. I really liked what she did and was happy to have a Tyler Alumni in my sketchbook now!

JAMIE FAY'S "WHAT IF..." COVER

A while back I posted about the DC Fifty-TOO blog. It was set up to feature different artists interpretation of what their n#1 of a DC Comic title would look like (In conjunction of their big relaunch). The blog got some great buzz and amazing talent involved (of which myself and Jamie Fay were honored to be involved with). Well, now the blog is featuring the same sort of thing, only now with Marvel characters in a "What If..." theme. I didn't have time to do something for the project this time, but NEVERMINDS artist, Jamie Fay, did.

Anyone who knows Jamie or meets him at conventions, knows his appreciation for X-Men and more specifically, the female characters of the books. So, when given the chance, Jamie jumped at doing his version of a "What If..." cover. He took the most recent storyline in the X-Men titles, the "Schizm" saga (which ultimated divided the X-characters between taking sides with Wolverine or Cyclops) and added his own twist to it by dividing the team into male and female characters. Since Jamie is a master at drawing the female form, it was a dream project for him. Take a look at Jamie's entry into the Marvel "What If..." project at www.dcfifty-too.blogspot.com and read about Jamie's vision for the team there.

In the past, I predicted big things in the future for SENTINELS artist, Luciano Vecchio. And now he's drawing Ben 10 for DC Comics and something else I'm not at liberty to talk about. But he's hitting the big time and I'm so happy and proud for him!!! Well, the same goes for NEVERMINDS artist, Jamie Fay. Mark my words, one day soon I'll be posting great news about him and hopefully reporting that he's drawing one of the X-books. Marvel needs to get him on a book asap!!

HARLETTE AND SAMANYA MUNNY STATUES BY CHARLES HOLBERT JR.

These amazing Munny statues of Harlette from SENTINELS and Samanya from NEVERMINDS were done by Charles Holbert Jr.. Charles name might sound familiar to SENTINELS readers because he was the artist on Harlette's story in the 1st SENTINELS Anthology. I've always been a big fan of Charles work and keep waiting to read about him drawing Batman or some high profile book for DC or Marvel soon. It'll happen! I know it. In addition to being a talented artist, Charles also does these super cool Munny figures. I LOVE what he did with Harlette and Samanya. Aren't they cute too? lol. Please check out more of Charles work here (or in the 1st SENTINELS Anthology! lol). Thanks again, Charles!!

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING....

The last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy for me. There was NYCC and then Mid-Ohio Con a week later. I've never done back to back shows, so it was exhausting (or I'm just old now, lol). On top of that, I've been working my real job and running around getting other projects and things done. So, I haven't had much time to post a blog entry.

NYCC was such an amazing convention. It was truly one of the best shows in a long time. On the flip side, Ohio was an odd show. The first day there was really great and looked like it was a big success. Then the second day was the complete opposite. Weird. But we met some cool people and got to see the sites a bit. So, even though it was an event filled two weeks, it was great.

I have had a ton of sketches to post from the last four conventions that I really need to show off soon. Then it's back to work on NEVERMINDS, BUGGED and a 2nd SENTINELS Anthology (yup, we're definitely doing one, but still getting things lined up). But I wanted to write a quick something tonight and say thanks to all the amazing people we met at both NYCC and Mid-Ohio! We haven't had this much fun in a long time and it's all because of you folks! Over the next week, I'll be catching up on the sketches by other artists I got, then I plan to start showing more previews of what we've been working on, make some announcements and also share some of the cool books that I've been enjoying that people might not know about. Hope everyone is doing well!

NYCC AND MID-OHIO CON

The 2011 NYC Comicon was this weekend and two days later, I'm still exhausted! The show this year was four days long and they zoomed by. I can't even begin to talk about how crowded it was, let's just say it was HUGE! I also don't think I've sold more at a show than this past weekend. It was a big success! Books, prints and original art were selling quickly and I was also getting asked to do more commissions than usual (see the pic of them with this post). I even had to turn a few down because I didn't have time. Each day I had to bring back more SENTINELS and NEVERMINDS copies and it was awesome! Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by our table. It was great seeing old friends and making new ones. But we're not done yet, this weekend (October 22 and 23) Jamie Fay and I will be at the 2011 Mid-Ohio Con. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello. We'll be in Artist Alley at table 915!

NEW YORK COMICON - OCTOBER 13-16!!!!

I'll be at the 2011 New York Comicon this weekend (Thursday to Sunday) in Artists Alley at table T-12 along with NEVERMINDS artist Jamie Fay! We'll be selling copies of SENTINELS and NEVERMINDS, prints of both of our art and doing commissions! Stop by and say hello if you're at the convention!

GREEN LANTERN COLORED

Here is the four and last new print I will have for NYCC next weekend. This was colored by colorist extraordinaire, David Delanty . He did an amazing job! Check out more of David' work here! Thanks so much, David!

Green Lantern © DC Comics

CAPTAIN AMERICA COLORED

This is actually an older sketch I did during my "sketch a day" project, but I thought it held up well, so I asked the talented colorist of NEVERMINDS #2, Danielle Alexis St. Pierre, to color it for me. I think she did magic to it as she did with my Phoenix pic. Thanks, Danielle!

Captain America © Marvel Comics

2ND DRUMFISH ART CONTEST DEVIANTART RESULTS!

We're proud to announce the winners of the 2nd Drumfish Art Contest on DeviantArt! We had a great turnout with 24 entries that made it really difficult to judge. And here are the winners....

In first place we had a tie!

Samanya from NEVERMINDS by Stephane De Caneva.

You can see more of Steph's art here.

and

Serpenta and Phazer from SENTINELS by Sean Izaakse.

You can see more of Sean's art here.

In second place:

Firebomb and Phazer from SENTINELS by Joman Paras Mercado.

You can see more of Joman's art here.

In third place:

Alanis from NEVERMINDS by Gavin Michelli.

You can see more of Gavin's art here.

HUGE thanks to all of the artists who entered the contest! You all did amazing work!

2ND DRUMFISH ART CONTEST ON DEVIANT ART ENTRIES

Our second Drumfish Productions Art Contest on Deviant Art has officially ended!
We really can’t express how happy and proud we are of all the entries that were submitted.

For our first contest, we had 8 entries submitted. For this second one we had a whopping 24 entries! Unbelievable!!!
All of the artists made us feel so great with their work and before we announce the winner, I thought it would be nice to show all the entries here on the blog. Each and every entry was amazing and each of them showed something special to us. I think about each of the artists who submitted and I want to thank them all for their time and dedication. I know how hard it is to sit at your drawing table and begin creating on a blank piece of paper or look at a blank screen on the computer and begin to design. It’s tough! But each entry showed what true artists they all are.

It was great to see others become inspired by our characters and have fun with them. We are truly impressed by all of them and each of them have, in turn, inspired us to be better creators and artists!

Deviant Art is a great place for artists of all levels to interact. We are the past, present and future of creators there and can all learn from each other. If you’re a creator and not on Deviant Art, you should be!

Soon, we will announce the winners of the contest (as soon as we have all finished voting, it’s a tough choice with all these great entries!) and we will then contact all participants and post the winners! HUGE thanks to all the artists who entered. We hope they had fun! See all the entries below this post!