Tor by Joe Kubert
Joe Kubert is one of my gods. So much of my childhood is wrapped up in reading and loving Joe's work. He is instrumental in my wanting to become an artist.
This piece was done at the insistence of Scott Hampton. Joe had asked me to come teach him how to do watercolor. So Scott and I went to Dover New Jersey and I did a demo for Joe and walked him through how I utilize the Burt Silverman watercolor technique.
Joe did an incredible piece of Tarzan fighting a Bull Ape. Wonderful!
Batman by Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson was the creator of the Joker in Batman. I met Jerry with Archie Goodwin at a gallery show of Chip Kidd and Chris Ware. When we left the gallery Jerry was egging me to join the National Cartoonists Society and did this sketch as we walked along Broadway. Super, super nice guy.
Michael Kaluta
Mike Kaluta was the first professional artist I met in New York. He was so damn kind to me, a freshman in art school. I went to his studio, arriving about 8AM. I didn't leave until 8PM that night. We were on the floor poring over Alphonse Mucha books on the Slav Epic and Joseph Clement Coll work, etc. We played guitar and laughed and just had a great time.
He knew what getting to meet a hero was all about and made that day so incredibly special. It's always amazing to meet your heroes and they end up being as great as you hoped they would be.
Mike's work on the Shadow was mind-blowing, and the Studio Book was life-altering for me and most of my generation of artists.
Alberto Breccia
I was extremely fortunate to have met Alberto Breccia twice. The first was at the Angouleme Comic Art Festival in France. A wonderful medieval town that gives itself over totally to this festival. I had gone into a gallery show of Alberto's work and was ogling the drawings. His granddaughter was there and asked if I'd like to meet him. I freaked out. He came out and we sat a table in the gallery and she translated for us. What an incredibly warm guy he was. So nice. A privilege to have met him. He drew in the first volume of my Paramus hardcover. I'll scan that next.
This sketch was was drawn on the steps of the opera house in Lucca, Italy where I next met him. He was very frail by this time. Two men next to him held the pad while he drew with my fountain pen.
Torpedo by Jordi Bernet
Joe Kubert introduced me to Jordi Bernet at Angouleme and he drew this beautiful Luca Torelli sketch for me. Love his work!
Ivor Milazzo
I had originally seen Milazzo's work in Aces magazine from Eclipse comics. He was doing a detective film noir strip. I loved his work, but it was nonexistent in the US. When I went to Lucca, lo and behold there he was! I snagged on as much of his work as I could and got him to sign as much as he would allow. Ha! :) Very nice guy.
José Muñoz
I'm a huge fan of José Muñoz. His Joe's Bar was a wake-up call on how to use loads of black. Just beautiful stuff. I met him in Lucca, Italy where he befriended Kent Williams and I.
The last night of the festival there was a terrific thunderstorm that blew out the neon sign in front of the hotel and killed all the power everywhere. We were in the hotel bar where José was buying us drinks and telling us stories about his father being a musician. Indicating the rain he regaled us with a story about a terrible thunderstorm that was raging outside his studio once. He said he was just reaching for the telephone when lightning struck and melted the thing right before his eyes! If he was holding it he would have been fried. Crazy!
Tanino Liberatore
I met Liberatore in Paris, France. I was there with a girlfriend and we were visiting Fershid Barucha (sp?) at his offices. He mentioned that Liberatore was coming in and we got to hang out for awhile He didn't speak any English, except for some incredibly ribald cuss words, which he demonstrated for us reminiscing about when he was a cab driver in Italy. We were in stitches laughing about it. I hooked him up with Kevin Eastman to do a Ninja Turtles cover at that time.
He whipped this sketch out in my book using my brush pen.
Miguelanxo Prado
I was super fortunate to have been Invited by Miguelanxo Prado to attend the Comic Art Festival in Corunna, Spain where they had a nice show of my work. It was an incredible trip and so wonderful to get to know Miguel better.
What an amazing talent! I love the way he draws and his storytelling is superb. Like my buddy Scott Hampton, Miguel makes drawing look so damn easy, effortless. He was so giving of his time while I was there and a fascinating tour guide of the surrounding regions. So much history there!
Miguel and I did a trade of finished work, which was amazing. And he drew in every book of his I purchased. I'll scan the rest and post them here as well.
The Joker by Bill Sienkiewicz
Bill's a virtuoso at just about anything he puts his hands to. A joy to watch work and a great guy. He was working a lot earlier than I was and so I thought he was much older than I. But he was in the trenches early and cranking away on tons of beautiful work. I get to see him about once a year at the MegaCon in Orlando and it's always great to catch up.
Dave McKean
These sketches are from Angouleme, France at the Comic Art Festival there in the early 1990's. I think a couple were also done later back in London.
Dave is a joy to watch draw. He tells some great jokes too.
Dave McKean
These sketches are from Angouleme, France at the Comic Art Festival there in the early 1990's. I think a couple were also done later back in London.
Dave is a joy to watch draw. He tells some great jokes too.
Dave McKean
These sketches are from Angouleme, France at the Comic Art Festival there in the early 1990's. I think a couple were also done later back in London.
Dave is a joy to watch draw. He tells some great jokes too.
Dave McKean
These sketches are from Angouleme, France at the Comic Art Festival there in the early 1990's. I think a couple were also done later back in London.
Dave is a joy to watch draw. He tells some great jokes too.
Kent Williams
Kent Williams
Kent Williams
Jon Foster
Jon's a great guy and an amazing talent. Another that makes it look too easy. Everyone knows his paintings, but few get to see much of his sketchbook work, which is brilliant. He did this sketch during the Illustration Academy where I teach with him during the summers. Talk about an unassuming individual. Humble almost to a fault.
Anita Kunz
Anita Kunz is such a wonderful person and amazing talent. We get together and just laugh and laugh. I was lucky enough to meet her through John and Mark English during the Illustration Academy and we've been fast friends ever since. The drawings she does from life during the Academy are beautiful!
Craig Russell
Craig Russell is one of the artists that made me want to draw. I love his work and he was a huge influence on me when I was in high school.
Fat Freddy by Paul Mavrides
Nathan Fox
Al Feldstein
Got to meet Al at the Motor City Con in Novi, Michigan. He had John VanFleet, Mark Chiarello, Bill Sienkiewicz and I laughing like crazy.
Rebecca Guay
Rebecca was a student of mine years ago and it's so gratifying to see her work absolutely take off. She could always draw so beautifully. We dated for awhile and so I'm lucky to have lots of her drawings and sketches.
Rebecca Guay
Rebecca was a student of mine years ago and it's so gratifying to see her work absolutely take off. She could always draw so beautifully. We dated for awhile and so I'm lucky to have lots of her drawings and sketches.
Rebecca Guay
Rebecca was a student of mine years ago and it's so gratifying to see her work absolutely take off. She could always draw so beautifully. We dated for awhile and so I'm lucky to have lots of her drawings and sketches.
Rebecca Guay
Rebecca was a student of mine years ago and it's so gratifying to see her work absolutely take off. She could always draw so beautifully. We dated for awhile and so I'm lucky to have lots of her drawings and sketches.
Rebecca Guay
Rebecca was a student of mine years ago and it's so gratifying to see her work absolutely take off. She could always draw so beautifully. We dated for awhile and so I'm lucky to have lots of her drawings and sketches.
George Pratt by Rebecca Guay
Rebecca was a student of mine years ago and it's so gratifying to see her work absolutely take off. She could always draw so beautifully. We dated for awhile and so I'm lucky to have lots of her drawings and sketches.
Rebecca Guay
Rebecca was a student of mine years ago and it's so gratifying to see her work absolutely take off. She could always draw so beautifully. We dated for awhile and so I'm lucky to have lots of her drawings and sketches.
Vanessa delRey
Vanessa's cranking these days. She was a student of mine at Ringling College of Art and Design. A bunch of us would go out and hang at Barnes and Noble or Starbucks and sketch the day away. She's a lot of fun to hang out with and is now working on lots of comic projects since leaving Moonbot Studios.
Vanessa delRey
Vanessa's cranking these days. She was a student of mine at Ringling College of Art and Design. A bunch of us would go out and hang at Barnes and Noble or Starbucks and sketch the day away. She's a lot of fun to hang out with and is now working on lots of comic projects since leaving Moonbot Studios.
Vanessa delRey
Vanessa's cranking these days. She was a student of mine at Ringling College of Art and Design. A bunch of us would go out and hang at Barnes and Noble or Starbucks and sketch the day away. She's a lot of fun to hang out with and is now working on lots of comic projects since leaving Moonbot Studios.
Scott Hannah
Malcolm Jones
Malcolm Jones
Malcolm Jones
George Pratt by Hermann Mejia
George Pratt by Hermann Mejia
Hermann Mejia
Hermann Mejia
Tommy Lee Edwards
Andrea Wicklund
Bo Hampton
Bart Simpson by Tim Burgard
Raul
Multiple Students' Sketches
Multiple Students' Sketches
Napoleon by Roger Armstrong
Multiple Students' Sketches
Multiple Students' Sketches
Multiple Students' Sketches
Sarah Watts
Sarah Watts
Denys Cowan
Jane Radstrom
Mark English
Doug Chayka by Mark English