Happy Holidays!

Wishing all of you the very best and Happy Holiday!

Quorra de Tron

Like most individuals, I too was part of the numbers that was Tron. Can't say much about it other then I enjoyed it for the entertainment value that it was. Small info about the piece, Quorra was created with India ink splats in 9X12 Bristol, some liquid paper here and there and some Photoshop highlights to wrap up the piece. Electrifying!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Hack/Slash Sketch Cards

Just a quick drop by to share the Hack and Slash sketch cards that I did for 5finity. Reading the books for some time now, I was excited to be able to work on this card series. First time sketching Vlad and Cassie, hoping it will not be the last.

WIzard World Wrap-Up (sort of)

Why sort of? Because where the intention was to visually share the awesomeness of the Austin Con, I would realize photo ops to late. Also I would remember to take photos of the pieces I did at the con 10 seconds after the person walked away from the table. To everyone who waited patiently for art, thank you. For everyone who came and talked to us and embraced us as old friends, thank you. And to everyone who made us sell out of Lonely in Black issues, THANK YOU! By Sunday afternoon we were officially sold out of issues of LIB that I ended up offering free sketch cards in replacement for the issues not available. Above are two kind guys that I was able to snap a picture with holding original pieces.

On a side note I have been asked about when LIB #4 will be available for public consumption and the answer is now. A link will be up soon on the blog for purchase but if your needs are now, shoot me an email and we will expedite the order.

Lonely In Black #4

The title says it all, yes its out. Written, Drawn and Printed! It really was years in the making and I'm really without words for the accomplishment this has been. This time though instead of me running on and on with words of expression, I proudly hand over the mic to Mike-E whom without his words the book would be a sad picture book...

It's been six days. Six days that the tiny blinking cursor of my word processor has flashed at me mockingly from the top of an empty white page. Six days since I was given the task to announce the release of the latest issue of Lonely in Black. I've written countless introductions and announcements in the past, a few mini stories here and there and four scripts for the comic. Yet this one simple announcement has been the most difficult thing I've ever had to write throughout the years that Andy and I have been working on the book. That's because this issue of the comic wraps up the storyline and brings us to the end of the Lonely in Black quadrilogy. It's been a decade in the making and I've got to admit that, while I'm not normally at a loss for words, polishing off the final issue has left me completely wordless. I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that there is no way I will ever be able to express how utterly momentous this occasion is to Andy and I. I would like to say that it’s kind of like learning how to drive, watching a baby take its first steps, owning your first home, taking a dream vacation, wrestling a bear (and winning), traveling through outer space, and capturing a unicorn. In that order. One of the greatest joys, however, comes from the fact that we get to share all this with you. So without further ado, I am pleased to announce the fourth and final installment in the Lonely in Black saga.

When and where can I get mine you ask? Well it will be making its debut at the Wizard World Con in Austin this weekend. Once the dust settles, it will be available here on this site. And oh, just because it is the end of what we started doesn't mean that its the end of Lonely in Black. There's a LIB special release planned for early next year. Stay tuned....

Late Halloween

And just like that, October is done. I meant to post this image on Halloween but just ran out of time. Part of being an artist is having the opportunity to try different mediums and on Halloween I get asked to either draw on people or make there character believable. In this case a little of both. My subject wanted to be a Zombie Prom Queen so with a bit of imagination, make up and rainbow magic we pulled it off. What you are seeing is my artist rendition of what the loving zombie prom queen's photo would have looked like. Happy Belated Halloween everyone!

Chalk the Block 2010

And cut! That is a wrap and another Chalk the Block event under our belts. As before, it was an awesome time to be had and a great opportunity to meet with people that we would normally not have the chance to converse with. The task was simple, chalk up a large block outside the art museum within 12 hours. Mike-E and I started the journey on Friday evening, got the first layer out in four hours and then continued the rest the following day from 6am to 2pm. Most of Saturday was spent detailing and obsessing. The piece represents my take of Mother Nature, hence the title Madre Nature. Dressed in a Spanish dress and sporting raven long black hair, she provides El Paso with the nurturing that it needs. Simple to understand and most of kids got it. Others thought she was a vampire. Oh silly children and their Twilights.

I'd like to give a GRAND thank you to Mike-E for the long hours assistance (I promise to buy you robot knees with I get rich), Jenny for the love and all that she does, Candie for the awesome photos she took, our family and friends for their support and a special thanks to Marina, Marisol, Victor and the rest of the Chalk the Block gang for the opportunity to contribute to this years Chalk the Block!

Chalk The Block III

It's official, I will be a featured artist at this years Chalk the Block event in beautiful downtown El Paso! What will I be taking to the ground this year you ask? The lovely above whom goes by the name Madre Nature. With the awesome help of a young Mr. Michael Garcia, we will be covering a 10' x 5' block of downtown El Paso, outside the art museum by the waterfall, starting on Friday and Saturday. This will be the second time the young Garcia and I will take to the ground but not the first time we've collaborated in the form of art. Did someone say Lonely in Black? More chisme on that after the break. So if you have some time, come on by and check out the live art and the art festival on hand. For more information about the event, check out the Chalk the Block link.

Music Angel

Its been a Month?! My Apologies to those who visit the site and have not seen any updates. There has been a few deadlines that just prevented me from getting on. The upside is that I will have more material and news to share in the next coming months. As for the pink winged lovely, carrying around the ghettoblaster, she was created on a 15X20 illustration board as part of a show I took part in last month.

On a side note, I want to thank all who bid on the sketch cards that benefited the March of Dimes. The event was a success and raised a good amount for the babies!

Zombie Bride

Zombie Bride, an original piece created for a live art show I was a part of in August. Just having fun with ink wash and a white Prisma pencil on textured paper.

March of Dimes

Recently I was given the opportunity to contribute some art on sketch cards to help the Third Annual steve4mod sketch card auctions benefiting the March of Dimes. All proceeds go to saving babes! The art you see above are the cards in questions, fortunately the Jack and Sally were so well received that they were immediately purchased! If you would like to purchase one of the remaining cards and help contribute to a wonderful cause, simply click here. Oh and yes, that is the first ever produced Goth Grrl/Wesley sketch card! Happy Bidding!

Mahfood Mix Tape Cards PT2

Above you'll find three more sketch cards of the twelve that I did for the Jim Mahfood Mix Tape card series. Over-sized Crayons, Ladies, Blasters, whats not to love.

Mahfood Mix Tape Cards PT1

A couple of months ago, I was asked if I would like to partake in an upcoming sketch card series for none other then Jim Mahfood's Mix Tape. WOULD I!! As most of you know Jim Mahfood is one of the most rad artists out there today and an obvious influence on the way I approach my live art. With no hesitation I jumped on it and produced 12 original sketch cards for his series. Above are two of the 12 cards that were produced and has made it out to the general public. For those unfamiliar with sketch cards, it is basically original art created on a trading cards. I definitely had a blast mixing this set and I look forward to future jams.

Post Live Art

What wild times we live in and as I have said times before, I am grateful for the opportunities that I get to have as an artist. Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to jam out some live art with fellow artist Daniel Dagones (bottom left) and Justin Brooks (bottom right) at the Border City Ale House and it was a great vibe. From speaking art techniques to meeting some great folks from El Paso and Las Cruces, it was definitely an event to remember. My contribution for the night was created from black and red ink on Illustration board (top right). The night also set up a stage where the three artist would change off on a collaboration piece where each would add something else where the last artist left off (top right). Thanks to all the folks who joined us and showed their support, a special thanks to the folks at Limelight Productions (Gabby, Brenda and James) for putting this together and the rad folks at the Border City Ale House for giving us a place to shine. On a side note, if you want to see some stellar photos taken of the event, visit Brojo Photography and click on Bordercity Ale House tab and click on the Limelight_Art_Project at the bottom of the page. Thank you El Paso and Las Cruces, Good Night!

The Art Project I

Really looking forward to rocking out next to the super talented art styles of Justin and Daniel while vibing to the fresh beats from DJ Louie Loudini! Thanks to the awesome individuals from Limelight Productions, we are going to be the first artists to be featured in their series of live art shows called "The Art Project". Location is at the Border City Ale House August 4th 7pm-11pm. Artwork will be on exhibit and for sale during the show. It will be rad gig, so bring your friends, and tell your neighbors!

Dia de la Page

Oh Bettie... Have a live art event that I have been preparing for and in the mist of what to do for display for the show and what I have been trying to get on board, came a tribute to Day of the Dead and Bettie. What feels so wrong became so right. I started with the intentions of showing the process but after I laid most of the reds, I became to involved with the piece that it was done before you knew it. The final piece measures 16x20 and was mostly done with black and red India Ink with the exceptions of a dab of acrylic paint.

Blast Her

Busy bee. Been blessed with a bit of regular deadlines but unfortunately most that I cannot speak of, much like that Harry Potter fellow. One thing that I can mention though is come August I will be participating in a live art show! More on that as the details are finalized. As for the lady with the flying speakers, just something I whipped up to get warmed up.

Spider-Munny

Well here is one project that I can speak of, a request for a Spider-man Munny. It all started with a request, some cans with compressed paint in them, splashes of paint and ink and the finally photo shoot to share. Yes he is that shiny.

As a quick update, there are a few workings that I cannot mention as of yet but will soon, Lonely in Black is getting done and I will be in attendance at a huge convention later this year. OOHHH!

Roller Grrl (The Process)

This piece was obviously going to be made by me sooner or later. I have had the privilege recently of seeing the awesomeness of a roller derby thanks to the lovely ladies of the Sun City Roller Girls. Safe to say that I am forever a fan of the sport! This go around I made it a point to show a few steps my art takes from start to finish. Nothing to complex, just a few pencil strikes, a slab of ink to fine the lines and then come the crayon colors via Photoshop. Simple. On a final note, the piece will be on display at the What's Up Dig "A Quest for the Best of the Best" event May the 19th. Hope to see you all there!

Scary Godmother

Something I just brewed together as a quick warm up on the sketchbook. Tried to capture the spunky attitude and warmness of Jill Thompson's Scary Godmother. Enjoy!

Ink Works

Lonely in Black 4 in the works.... it's going to get done!

Big Radio

Nothing much than just messing around with some tones. Most may remember this image from the Music artbook I did last year only now it has a splash of color. This image best viewed with hip hop on the blaster and an old Atari box opened and set up ready for dancing!

Rose

Yes I have been ink washing very regularly lately. What can I say, its been working for the things that I have been producing lately. The image above is Rose from the Raised by Squirrels comic and was done for Bram Meehan.

Finished size: 9x12 on Bristol, Ink (really) and red watercolor for splash.

Lemons

I needed a warm up today and the lemon lady above is in reference to a comment a friend made "when life gives you lemons..." Thought it would be be a nice way to start a sketch hot potato game with. In short, game on my friend, game on!

On a side note, I wanted to answer the question, will Lonely in Black have its 4th & mini series ending issue done this year. The answer is yes. Mike-E and I have master planned the issue and are only 17 pages away from wrapping it up. I will post some "in the works" pages soon.

Lady Ink Wash

Had some extra time between flights and I had doodled the lovely lady above. Decided to ink wash to get that classic black and white tone from vintage films. For the version that got a dab of Photoshop "bedazzle", it can be viewed on the Facebook photos page under "The Ladies!" tab. More to come!

30 Minute Munny Ewok

While attending the Photoshop World Conference, I ventured over to the expo area in-between tutorial breaks and the kind folks at istockphoto handed me a Munny. The challenge was to go to town with the Munny and when done they would take a photo and post it on their website. With a 30 min window and a few colors to use, an Ewok Munny was born.

Girls With Slingshots

My take on Girls with Slingshots Jamie McJack. I highly recommend the web comic by Danielle Corsetto.

Medusa

Catching up on sketch requests, above is Medusa. I figure if she was ugly then no man would tempt to look her way so I made her softer to the eyes. Pen and ink with a dab of Prisma.

Man From Mars

Above is a project that I was asked to participate on at Staple! which was a unique and fun experience to be a part of. Brian Bird has a story mapped out and provided artist with a page with a caption and an empty box. The mission, if one chose to except it, was to render their interpretation of the caption. I was one of a few to be asked and I am excited to say that I was part of the The Man from Mars project.

On a side note, thank you Brian for giving us a rad keepsake of our day at Staple!

First of the Batch

Here is the first commission I received at Staple! this past weekend minutes before the show opened. I don't recall that I've ever illustrated pets before but the photos that were supplied made it easy to capture their personalities. They were just a couple of guinea pigs keeping it real.

Staple! 2010

As always Staple! always delivers. As a quick recap, we made some good friends, caught up with some old friends and had a blast meeting a bunch of new friends. As a creator this is definitely the show that charges me up and never disappoints. From the Meet and Greet to the After Party after the show, it is an energy of creativity in the air. Thanks Uncle Staple and everyone behind the scenes for making the show possible and thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello!

Above is a commission piece from the show that was done for Crystal. Oddly enough I thought that I would be asked to do more Alices on this particular weekend but this was the only one.

Staple! Weekend!

It is officially Staple! weekend and I am on route to begin the journey. Located at table 12A, I hope to see all of you there! For more info about this awesome show, go to: http://www.staple-austin.org/

New Buttons

Just wanted to drop a line really quick and share the new buttons that came in today. They are taken straight from the art of Lonely in Black book and are ready for Staple!

Bird on a wire

Above is a request from a young Maya whom is contemplating her first tat.
Ink & Watercolor on white.

Grim

Quick doodle of Grim, Billy and Mandy.

Coraline

Working off of memory after watching it over and over and over with the kids. Coraline, be careful what you wish for.

Harley Day

Harley is now officially finished. Time to sit back and have a blast!

A Bride

A quick rendering of Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. On to the next!

Free Sketches!

You read right, FREE comic convention level quick sketch. Whats the catch? None. For the next two weeks am going to "get in shape" for the Staple! show and the way I am planning to do that is to crank out quick sketches from now till the Friday before the show. In this case March 5th. This year I thought I would open the what to draw to you all and in return give you your suggestion in form of the original illustration if selected. To participate all I am asking is to drop me a line either as a comment here or to the facebook fan page or my email address andyperezartist at gmail dot com and tell me what you would want me to illustrate. From the suggestions, I will select one to do for the day. If yours is selected then I will get in contact with you and get the image mailed to you as soon as possible. That simple. The illustration will be mostly, if not all, black & white and will be of a single subject matter only. Please keep in mind that I am not doing a sketch for every single suggestion and this is only open till Friday March 5th. There will only be a total of 12 free sketches that I will be doing. Can't wait to hear the ideas.

Just In!

The art of Lonely in Black. And there it is. I've been spending some time in trying to put this together mostly to give people a chance to have an art book containing works from past and recent LIB. Much like the piecing of what to put in your band's Greatest Hits album, there was much debate to what should go into the art book. The end result, definitely some classics (Goth GRRL in devil outfit) and some new (Bikini Summer). The book will make it's world debut at Staple! in a couple of weeks. Thank you to everyone whom expressed their interest in this project enough to have pre-ordered it when it was nothing but a random idea someone tossed out.

Valentines Basket

This season is filled with cards and baskets filled with joy and love. In spirit of the season I did just that. Above is the cover for a Valentines Card I was asked to do to visualize the deep emotions one had for another. The message: "I got my significant other a motorcycle helmet and I need a card to go with. Please Andy, pimp my card!" Intro music and a dab of holiday basket and there you have it. From what I hear it was well received.

To all the lovely headcases, Happy Valentines Day!

Is that a Zombie?

In spirit of previewing things to come, above is my page contribution to the Staple! program book being made for the show. I have been mentioning a new project that I have been working on and there it is, in full camera phone glory. Wanted to keep it raw like them good old days and letter the thing by hand having the words permanently be part of the artwork. If I can find enough liquid paper and a dictionary, I might venture to do a whole book like that!

With about a month away from the show, I am getting ready with new things to share with all. Also looking forward to revisiting with fans, some of my peers from years past and partaking in the traditional/annual live art show after party. Staple! is a definite can't miss.

RollerGrrl

In spirit of the rad time we had watching the Sun City Roller Girls on Saturday, I re-shed some light on the image above. Some may recognize it from the art book last year only now with a dash of color. Looking forward to more events!

The Legend of Zelda

Taking a break from the usual stuff I do, I wanted to try and memorize the coolness that Zelda Rubinstein was. My wife and I being fans of things that go bump in the night were saddened to hear about Zelda's departure. Although her presence did bring some eeriness to Poltergeist, there was a sense of relief when she let us all know that "This house is clean."

Rest in Peace Zelda Rubinstein

Cheers!

Summer is doing a happy dance on my behalf as I enjoy the completion of a book that has just gone to print. Can't say much on the matter other than it was fun, it has been sent to the printers and it's in full color. More details later. Oh and for all that pondered if there is a Facebook page, yes there is! The link is somewhere on this page. I am planning to add images there that have not been seen here and the blog will still continue to be my online sketchbook. Time to go, time to paint...

Summer's Body

Not much to say other than it was bound to happen. For those of you not familiar with the Lonely in Black storyline, Summer (pictured above) is a cheerleader who is madly in love with a goth boy named Wesley. Although she would never hurt him, she is still very obsessed with him. Yes, the image was inspired by a recent DVD release. Image created with inks on marker on my sketchbook.

JTHM

Another classic from the depths of the pile. This gem was done for a San Diego Souvenir Book back in 05' I believe and it was chosen as one of the pieces to celebrate the 10th year anniversary. How time flies. I remember the first time picking up the book and amazed that comic books existed without claws, capes or superpowers. It was the start of all books Indie. Thanks Dave.

The Closet

There I was, shuffling things around looking for who knows what when I came across a classic. Oh the "Seven". Most people don't know but she was my first attempt at a creator own publishing book years ago. She was the remedy to the super lady books that were the draw at the time. The pencil piece was actually drawn years after the published book and was part of a contribution for a gallery that focused on comic book art and its role in art. It's rare to see pencils like this from me because most times I take off running and don't stop until I have inks or colors. Funny thing is I love to see pencils in its raw stage. Go figure. On an unrelated note, there was a bit of a blog make over.

Just Hanging out

It's just Wesley, just hanging out. Been doing a lot of re-learning of sorts with the cast of Lonely in Black lately. Has been a while since I've last approached them and now that I may have a couple of projects in the works I was in need of a crash course. I might be posting a few more characters in the near future as I try and get of hold of them again. Image above, inks and grays.