Iron Outlaw, 2007, graphite with digital color.

You can bet he's up to no good!

Blackman, Cally. 100 Years of Fashion Illustration. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2007.

Fashion's a common research topic for me at the library. Recent research uncovered Cally Blackman's 100 Years of Fashion Illustration. The clothes depicted are fabulous but even more compelling to me are the colors and layouts used in particular drawings.

Surprise! Most of my favorite drawings are from the Sixties.

Of the artists whose work is featured in the book, two favorites are Constance Wibaut and René Gruau. The work of both artists seems to span several decades.

Constance Wibaut, Sketches from Paris, 1966.

Of this illustration Blackman writes, "Wibaut's sketches show the clean, spare lines, imaginative cutting and helmet-style hats associated with Pierre Cardin" (230).

René Gruau, Original illustration for advertisement for Dior perfume, 1967 or 1968. Brush drawing, gouache, and collage.

Of this illustration Blackman writes, "Gruau's campaign for Dior perfumes continued into the 1980s and was an ongoing contribution to illustration through a lean period for the genre" (233).

Boy, I love this stuff. Few things're as fun as dressing a figure.

Link to Powell's listing for 100 Years of Fashion Illustration

Car Wars Submission, 2000, ink.

Several years ago I was invited by Steve Jackson Games to submit a sample suitable for the relaunch of the Car Wars franchise. I was told they wanted a snazzy "animation" look for the new product(s).

As I recall, I had roughly 24 hours to complete and submit the piece. I ran to the store, selected a few promising Hot Wheels, and got to work. Sending the image took some conniving since I had neither home internet service nor a scanner.

Following a few days of aniticipation, I received an e-mail message which amounted to, "Oh, when we said animation, we meant anime."

Lord Rogan and the Jam, 2007, graphite.

This is the fourth of four drawings I completed for the upcoming second edition of Uresia, a fantasy game setting created by S. John Ross. Once I got to work, this one was quickly assembled.

Studies for Lord Rogan and the Jam, 2007, graphite.

Choosing grannies was tough. I tried to create ones that seemed to me both iconic and true to my own experience (not mutually exclusive qualities, I suppose).

Draft of Lord Rogan and the Jam, 2007, graphite and ink.

Posing Lord Rogan was fun, as was designing his costume. While drafting the costume I tried to channel Tenngren and Kirby.

Pirate and Parrot, 2002, ink with digital color.

I spy a pirate post!

The image above is an old item of homework for Drawing Class (eventually Drawing Jam) on the Drawing Board. Its background is lifted from an engraving by Gustave Dore which illustrates some editions of Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Pirate tee designs, 2005, ink with digital color.

As the sub-heading indicates, these're proposed tee designs. I imagine green and blue shirts'd be fun, too.

SBPJ Prepares to Battle Goat Goon, 2005, graphite and ink with digital color.

I imagine it'll be a brief battle, don't you?

Darkseid and Orion, 2005, graphite.

I drew these Darkseid and Orion heads while reading a collection of the original New Gods series. I love the thinly-veiled references to world mythology and pop culture in Kirby's creations.

To me Orion's helmet loudly barks, "Bulldog!" so I tried to reflect that in my drawing.

The New Gods created by Jack Kirby. The New Gods, the distinctive likenesses thereof, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.

One-panel gag, 2002, graphite.

I'm fairly certain this drawing (an item of late-filed homework for Drawing Class) is the first I posted on the ol' Drawing Board.

Prehistoric Running Mates, 2007, graphite with digital gray tones.

I try to be conscientious about use of filler in my weblog. Still, in the immediate future, you may be forced to routinely consume familiar filler while I focus my gaze on tempting targets.

Might I suggest you add mile to your jog or do a few extra crunches to avoid the adverse effects of filler?

Concerned for your welfare, JMc