Time for the Monthly update!

And my, how things are happening. I recently sold another piece through Gallery Nucleus, and did a book Cover for an Author in San Francisco.... The book isn't really my cup-o-tea, but I am a capitalist, so as long as the check clears, it doesn't have to be anybody's tea!

Here's the cover:

Now then, on to what you all have come for: News on Black Rows!
Yes. There is news. I am working hard, On the Comic, Freelance Side-Work, and helping my in-laws at their business, not to mention Home, and Auto Repairs, and Just life. Even though I always feel a little buried these days, I always make time for Black Rows, and am INCONSTANTLY on the lookout for more work.

Black Rows is progressing Very nicely, and I am very happy with the results. I am fielding publishers, and have Illustrated 12 Pages this month. It doesn't seem like very many, but when you factor in everything else I've been doing.....it's still not good. But by Mid-February it should be much easier to make time for the Comic.
And now, for your obligatory Preview!


Blammo! -How fun is that Wide-Angle perspective? That's become a little bit of a theme in the book, making appearances on 4 pages so far.... so watch out for more of that.

-Till next time!

It's been a while. 

This morning I did a mini-Interview for Varoom Magazine, about my illustration in Popshot Magazine....Lost? Doesn't matter. the point is, If you want to see my work in British Illustration Magazines this Season, you have two chances!

-What's the British equivalent of "HOLLAR?"

ALSO, Let not your hearts be troubled. There is movement on Black Rows.... You know, this Blog's seemingly inexplicable namesake? I'm currently working on yet another facelift. (Which will Hopefully the last.)

Still Just trying to find a style that communicates the story, and also grabs people.

As you can see, it's the same old Black Rows, just with a new Style....

 newly redesigned page 2 panel 1.  Original panel

 The problem with being a specialist in mimicking other styles for advertising and marketing purposes, is sometimes you forget to just use your own style. -I'll tell you this much, it goes WAY faster when I just relax and have fun with the drawings.

I still haven't even decided how I'm going to color the new stuff, if at all, but the plan is to re-submit the Comic to Publishers EARLY 2013. I am Bound and determined to make this book happen.

Anyway,

Thanks to everybody who's stuck with me here. Be sure to keep spreading the word about Black Rows, and like the Facebook page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Rows/166167746774992

The Newest issue of PopShot Magazine is out, and it's got one of my Illustrations in it; Now isn't that fancy!
-You can see the joy in my eyes, Can't you?

It was nice working with Popshot. They were really nice, and gave me free reign to come up with an Illustration for a flash fiction piece they were publishing. The Magazine is thick, I and chock-full of writing and Illustrations of various styles and mediums. If you're a reader, or if you just appreciate Art, you may  wanna check it out.

They actually had a preview of the magazine on their website last month, but I forgot to post a link to it, Anyway, here it is now!!
http://www.popshotpopshot.com/blog_2012_september_05.jpg
Better late than not at all, right?

It actually arrived at the perfect time,  all my hero's and friends are sketching and shaking hands at NYCC, as I wish so desperately I was doing. So, while my Facebook, and Instagram have been flooded with crazy good Comic art, it was a nice distraction to have my own lil' accomplishment to reduce the sting.

April and I have been working Like Clydesdales on our new Diggs, and it's coming along Very nicely, IT's just eating up ALL of our time. Morning to night, we're there, tearing down walls, tearing up carpet, painting, landscaping, drilling hammering.....We are little Go-Getters. It's been fun, but really cut into the Comic-Making time. We're planning to be finished by Halloween though, and things will be back on track.


Here's a panel preview for your eyes. Maybe next year I'll be at NYCC, Right?

Let's make this official: I have indeed been working on another Graphic Novel. It's working title is "Hunter," It's a Western, It will deal with a lot of crazy existentialist, stuff, and will be just Crazy-Boss....Can you tell I'm Excited about it?
It's been a labor of love, and something I've had to cram into any time I can find, but it's been surprisingly fast moving, all things considered.

I've been leaking teaser images all over the place; Instagram, my Personal, and Professional Facebook pages, Cghub.com, and the like; So, if you're not following me on those, DO! -Not because I feel a particular need for followers, but because I'm trying to get people riled up about my new dip into Comics.
Anyway, Here's a little Process progression for you, from a panel I was working on tonight.

And a couple of shots I posted on my Instagram, You can see more by Following me!

Keep watching the Blog for Updates, huh?!

.....curious? 

Time for my monthly update!

I just Submitted my piece to Popshot Magazine, and it's scheduled to go into print on October 8th....(I think) This is my first time getting my work published in a Magazine on it's own merit...It's not the first time I've been hired to create work for a magazine, but it is, on it's own credit, and not for advertising or something like that, Anybody Familiar with my work as a Pinstriper, and Hot Rod Builder has seen me in "Kustom Kulture Magazines" under my Pseudonym.

I'm also still working for Spyderwise Media, doing graphic, and Iconography Design, but trying to find something a little more.....Stable?

My Beautiful wife and I just bought a house, so the studio is moving again, and life has been every kind of crazy because of it.

 I have been working hard to finish up my  work with Andy Velasquez. This final part of the project has taken a lot longer than I had expected it to, but I am going to be sad to have it end. Andy's a really good guy, and really easy to work with. -Check out his latest title release through Cryptic Games: Neverwinter.
It's an MMORPG, so, not my thing personally, but if you like 'em, go look, it's pretty popular.

Speaking of MMO Video Games, Be sure to check out the title Guild Wars 2, which just dropped last night.; My pal Horia, and his Old Man, and about a million of the greatest game-artists on the planet worked on it so it's gotta be good!


I think that's it for this month, but there's always more happening ALL THE TIME in my life, so keep your eyes here.

-Bryndon.

Sheesh! -I  haven't updated this blog in quite a while, have I?

So, here are some relevant headlines: I've set up a Facebook account for my artwork, you can see it here: http://www.facebook.com/BryndonEverett.Art

My new Website is up and glorius, thanks to the efforts of Michael Kramer of Sciosphere. Among other things, It's got all kinds of new sections, and a new, Extra-Amazing contact page which I think is just the topps. you can eyeball all these new, amazing things in the same 'ol place, here: http://www.bryndoneverett.com/

I even got a new, fancy phone, and an Instagram Account....I am all sorts of Digital-Age these days, No?. Anyway, I've got one, so follow me, I'll follow you, and we'll go around in circles.....because that's how that would work. My Instagram name is "bryndon_everett"      -Incidentally, That's also my real name.


I have been accepted to be published in the British Art/Literature Publication PopShot Magazine later this year, and I am very excited about that. -The theme is going to be a challenge for me, but I like a challenge, and .....well, more on all that jazz later.

I have been working a lot on Graphic Novel / Storyboard projects lately, and thought it might be fun to hammer out a quick personal one to show my process



Step By step.....almost. This does exclude the Inking Process, but it's ALMOST all there.....alsright fine, here is a bad photo of the inking process, and a shot of the materials used:


As you can see, Step one = red prismacolors, blue Verithins,
Step 1.5 - INKING,
Step 2 - Greyscaling (Which this time I did digitally, not with Tria Markers)
Step 3 - Colorwork. This is the most time consuming part, and I really need to learn flatting.
Step 4 - Shading and Texture....Obviously there is a lot involved with each step, including color halftoning, rendering, overlaying -TOO much to list here, but I thought it might be fun to see the broadstrokes (so to speak) of my process.

AND the final piece, bigger, and with the Title at the head.


For anybody who can't read Ukrainian, (Pssshhht...who CAN'T, these days?!?) I leave it to you to guess what it says.

-Go see all my Cyber stuff!

Thanks for sticking around; Until next time,
-B.

Another of my Gallery Nucleus pieces has sold. "Have we been introduced" will be heading off to Australia this coming week. If you have your eye on it's sister piece, "Her heart is in the wild" Don't hesitate, it may be gone!

New Work:

"Back to the Father" 5X7....times 3 pencil, ink, and marker, on paper.

"Heartache" -100% Digital

"Time to Die" -100% Digital,

This here is the final version of my latest piece for Gallery Nucleus.
It's 5X7 watercolor, pencil, ink, acrylic, Tria, AND Prismacolor on medium paper....THAT is a lot of materials on one small piece of paper!
I'm sending it out in the morning, but I'm not sure when you can expect to see it for sale on their website, either way, it's going to be $50, with proceeds benefiting The American Red Cross.

Been working hard, as always.

Literary piece

 Just clearing my head

Quick Digital Sketch for a Traditional media Gallery piece (more info to follow)

 I've had a busy few weeks, and haven't had time to draw much at all, so I've been making up for lost time.

These are only a couple of the pieces I've been working on. The girl was drawn on "Painters Paper" I bought a huge roll to do my floor, and ended up with loads left over. I like working on it. It's really inexpensive, very resistant to wrinkling from paint, doesn't bleed with markers, and is pretty resistant to creasing.....It's really nice, but terribly dark!

Ths second piece is done on leftover old newsprint from my Days at Gnomon (Man, I can't believe how long it's been) Anyway, I sketched it out, inked, and painted it, then decided it needed a little something extra, so, I scanned it in, and plotted out the lettering around him, and then put the piece through the printer to get the letters around him.....Kind of a lot of effort for a sketch, I'll admit, but I really like how it came out, and now I know how to do it for future works, so it works out all over.

I also decided to re-draw one of my own digital works in traditional media. Again, I used the Panter's paper ($10 for 60 sq.ft. at HomeDepot!) This is how it came out: I'm pretty happy with it. I again used the scan-and-print method I devised earlier to ad the blue behind the subject of this piece.

I've also been working on a couple of commissions and contract pieces, but I'm not yet allowed to share those, stick around though, maybe soon.

Newest piece. I sketched it all quickly-like just to hash out the idea, but then, in a fit of insomnia, I ended up taking it too far. It's just office-style paper cut down to 5X7, So it wrinkled up from the paint.....I kinda like that it did though....I think it kinda' ads..
In fact, I like it so much, I've decided to sell it off, $30 including shipping -OR, I'd throw it in absolutely FREE, if you buy one of my Gallery Nucleus Pieces - That's 2 for 1 on my artwork, Y'all!

http://www.gallerynucleus.com/gallery/pin/13663

I've taken this weekend to get some things done that have been neglected lately; 

Chiefly, I spent time working on my Motorcycle, watching Mad Men, and catching up on commissions. I have been very swamped lately. I haven't fallen behind, of course.....after all, it's me; But works been coming at me a lot the past few weeks. -It's really nice!

Anyway, I've been working on this commission for the guy who bought my first Gallery Nucleus Piece. He hired me to conjure up a companion piece. He wanted it to keep the literary/nautical theme of the last piece, but this time he requested Pirates and Mermaids as well.
I decided to document my process this time, unfortunately I didn't think of it until I was already working on the final iteration. It's been a fun piece, but it's taken quite a bit of tossed ideas to get to a composition I liked. -and I REALLY like it.-So here we go: 
After I had sketched the piece out digitally, I transferred it to thick bristol paper. I do this different ways depending on a projects time constraints, and what's available to me at the time. i.e. Tracing paper, transfer paper etc. I then draw it with a mechanical pencil. .05 or a .03 depending on how small the details, and how dark I need the lines.

  

After that's done with, I go over key lines in ink. For this I use a Prismacolor premier 005, a Farber-Castell B, or Higgens India ink. it all really depends on the Line-weights I'm trying to achieve.

Next up I painted the background. Recently this has just consisted of a colored circle. It's not only crazy easy, and simple, but I think it's pretty effective in offsetting the piece without being distracting, or a time-suck....Perfect!
In painting these, I use .50 acrylic from the local craft store. It's cheap, doesn't ripple my paper, and dries quickly, so a jackass like me won't spear it when he runs his hand through it....and I always do. (It's hard to believe I have a successful second career as a pinstriper/signpainter/pinup painter, but I do!)

After that's done, It's time to move on to greyscaling. for this I use only the best...8 year old Tria markers I bought for my Visual Communications class at Gnomon...I don't think I used them more than twice since then, until a couple of months ago. Tria markers are amazing. Some people like prismacolor markers, and I've used them...heck I have a drawer full of them, but my heart's with Tria. They blend better, they come with 3 tip-sizes on one marker, and hell, they've lasted me 8 years....So, my money's with Tria.

Next up was the shading with the tria markers. I just go over the points I want shaded after the original pass has dried, with the same marker.
-It makes the perfect level of shading.

Normally I'd call that about done, but on this project, the client requested purple tailed mermaids, and, since I am not in the business of telling clients "no" I used crayola watercolor to ad the purple.

It's not called "Not selling art" People.You do what the client asks.

 Finish up with a few little touches to shading,

Then it was just a matter of using a razor, and ruler to cut it out.

I hope you found this enlightening...or at least entertaining.

-Fin.

As promised, here's a picture of the two pieces I submitted to Gallery Nucleus.

They went online yesterday, they haven't sold yet, but if you want them, you should be quick about it; My last one sold within something like 20 hours

Also, you should act fast just because I think they're pretty swell.

You can see detailed shots, or if you feel so inclined, purchase one, or both of them by following these links:

http://www.gallerynucleus.com/gallery/pin/13664

http://www.gallerynucleus.com/gallery/pin/13663

Also, something worth talking about, I have been working part time/freelance as an advertising illustrator for Spyderwise media in SLC for some time now. They recently contacted me, and I have been given the position of Lead Illustrator for their company!
So, if everything goes as planned I, the Mrs., and the Studio are going to be moving again!

Thanks for stopping by.

-B.

Two New Pieces headed off to Gallery Nucleus today. and as promised, I'm posting them here before they sell...........Of course, I'm not actually going post them here until they're up on Nucleus' Gallery, so this is complete Bullshit.

But here's a shot of me drawing one of them!!

 Hopefully these two new pieces are as successful as my last one the Gallery sold.

SPEAKING of my last piece, the buyer is shipping it back so I can put Iris' in her eyes, apparently the way I draw eyes it gives his wife a case of the uncomfortables. Truth is, she's not the first to lodge such a complaint to me, and I am more than happy to oblige. He also wants to commission me to do a companion piece, which promises to be quite enjoyable, as he would like something with mermaids!

this whole experience has got me curious however, as to whether postmen would be annoyed if they knew we were making them lug the same thing back and forth across the pacific for us.....oh well!


Anyway, back to the new pieces for Nucleus: I made the classic blunder and sent off the wrong file to the Gallery. (What a Bing-Bang I am!). And had to do write the embarrassing email explaining myself, and sending them the right one....Oh well, It wasn't the first time I've had to do that, and won't be the last.
I have somewhat of a predilection for making a fool of myself.

My piece went live on Gallery Nucleus' Website yesterday, and it Sold only hours later.
I figured that I had  plenty of time to make a post here about my work being available in case anyone wanted to buy it....Guess I was wrong.
A Big thanks to Both Gallery Nucleus, and the buyer for the great experience!

I will be submitting 2 more pieces to the Gallery very soon, and I'll be sure to update the blog here much more quickly.

Thanks for all the support!
-B.

I've been invited to participate in Gallery Nucleus' "Power-In-numbers Project.

I'm selling one original piece, but preparing 3; So most of my time lately has been spent working on that. 

I used to visit the Gallery like gang-busters when I lived and attended school in So-Cal, so it's an extra-great honor to work with them.



The pieces are 5X7's on Watercolor paper, done in Mixed Media on Watercolor Paper.
I don't usually draw on a large scale, but 5X7 is pretty small even for me, so it's been a fun challenge.

 

Holy cow, things may be changing around here. this blog will no longer be exclusively Black-Rows related...It's going back to being my General work blog. Black Rows news will still be found here, but mostly it will be found on the Good 'Ol FaceBook Page.

Let me start this second paragraph with a post-preface: I know that things have not been happening much in the World of Black Rows. With all the side work I have going on I've had to make a lot of adjustments, and move a lot of priorities around.

However, Black Rows is not the only project being moved to the back to simmer in it's own detritus like a fat man in a hotel hot tub, I have had to shelve a few projects, none that I love as much as Black Rows, but still, they aren't moving forward;  At least not RIGHT THIS SECOND. That doesn't mean I don't love them, or have aspirations to complete them -AND SOON- ...But I do have to prioritize, and do what I believe is going to be best for my Career and for my new life.

When I started Black Rows, I was a different man, I know it was only a year ago, but things were different!
I had nothing really going on Career-wise, I was single, and I thought it would be picked up by a Comic Publisher.

in the last 3 months alone, I have gotten 2 freelance jobs, interviewed and put together a portfolio for a major game studio, begun illustrating a Children's book, Started writing a Novel, and I'm doing work with Gallery Nucleus.
-In this industry, Crap happens fast when it happens at all.

Anyway, on to other business!!!
 my computer is crapping out and freezing up, like so many rocketpops when I use Photoshop, so I'm trying to set up a new (used) PC in the Studio, which is never fun to me, (I hate computers)
-OH! and there's a studio now! It's beautiful and all my own, look at it. Look at it with your glorius-gooey-eyes!!!

We are on Stand-bye *again*

I've been invited to participate in Gallery Nucleus' "Power-In-numbers Project." 
go to their website and check 'em out. they're a bitchin Gallery, and represent some of the coolest artists around.

Also, I'm working on a few side-projects, including two video-games, and another writing project.....Busy is good, but it means everything has to move more slowly.

Thanks in advance for your patience, everyone.

-B.

Allow me to be the first to say it...... The pallet is richer, and somewhat darker than the last page. I KNOW!!! - But I think it's good!
 I think I'm locking in on a good color style, and I'm just enjoying exploring things at this point. I've said it before, this Graphic novel garbage is all new to me, so I'm sorry if you don't like the ever changing color, and layout. -Kinda'

Page one V.2

If you're not a follower of BLACK ROWS on Facebook, then you have no idea what's going on, and I apologize for that. I really need to be better about updating both outlets.
- I could type it all out for you, but instead, here's an excerpt from the FB page:

".....The point is, early on in the comic's development, it looked VERY different than what any of you have seen here. 
-It was very colorful, and frankly, kinda' Pop-art-ey. I changed it because I thought it clashed with the style of the story and would make it less marketable.....My story is mine, and I've realized I should do with it what I want....SO! the comic will be gone for a while longer, but it'll be back, and it'll be back the way it always should have been: Presented in glorious extra color."

So that's the long and Short of it.
 Look, Comics are new to me! Not from a reader standpoint, but from a creator standpoint it's all-new, Brand-new, and I'm just trying to get the hang of it, and work out how I want to do this.
I'm sorry if you don't like the new style. -Frankly, if you're familiar with my work, it shouldn't come as any kind of surprise. Expect more evolutionary changes moving forward, and let's keep our finger's crossed I don't drive what few fans I DO HAVE away with this little stunt.

-Hopefully at least YOU'LL be here for the next update.

Page 5 V.1

We're trying something different.
things have been NUTS lately, and, I am barely keeping up with the things that NEED to get done, let alone Black Rows, which is just something I WANT to get done. So, I've decided to break up the pages in halves. It'll draw out the story, and give me time to work on it; and also make it easier to read since the font should be bigger!
I hope you're all on board.

Page #4

*****WARNING about BLACK ROWS****

There is a bit of Language, and a few Racial Slurs used not only on this page, but all throughout this story. I want to make it clear that I am writing for fictional characters, and that I do not share their points of view on Racism any more than I do their views on Murder, Excess, Adultery, or any of the other terrible things in which you would expect 1930's mobsters to engage

 
Almost missed Thursday!!!
Page 4. We're quickly catching up to where I've got finished pages already....I need to get the heck to work illustration this thing!

Page #3

I'm still working everything out in this comic, so, as always,  please feel free to comment or critique.
Hope you're all enjoying the story!

Page #2

Looks like Thursday's going to be the official day for updates.

Please feel free to leave comments, I'd like to know what you think.