tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91595811564454861002024-02-07T05:39:21.014-08:00Dave Sullivan The IllustratorDave Sullivan is a freelance illustrator working in a variety of cartoon and comic book styles. Follow his discussions of style and technique as he showcases his illustration portfolio and muses on the life of a freelance artist.Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-36796628544683645082023-12-31T20:27:00.000-08:002023-12-31T20:41:19.584-08:00 THE CARDIFF GIANT RISES AGAIN - PART 2!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVEC3TK5rUNpeqWWtSWwDkSqdPZiHho0kfpDUUefGxILWC688x44gh5EZSuakttQBpmKEyaSbN3Z-Sk7pjx4YMtoLwDprhLTT50rYHl_UItIc2bkldchAnZ8TL-mQovkOCCFJVem4zTciTXLrrA7gYJ0so52VgIZIT0T9tn5Joy_CDWA5xA2cSwsXHlc/s1575/CardiffGiant19-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVEC3TK5rUNpeqWWtSWwDkSqdPZiHho0kfpDUUefGxILWC688x44gh5EZSuakttQBpmKEyaSbN3Z-Sk7pjx4YMtoLwDprhLTT50rYHl_UItIc2bkldchAnZ8TL-mQovkOCCFJVem4zTciTXLrrA7gYJ0so52VgIZIT0T9tn5Joy_CDWA5xA2cSwsXHlc/w127-h200/CardiffGiant19-1000pix.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>In this first scene, George Hull is depicted trying to age the surface of the stone giant with sulfuric acid. I utilized the old "ghost story-flashlight spooky lighting" here. Apparently the acid is giving off a glow illuminating Hull's face from below. I also like the rendering and lighting on his right hand.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWEP-N19ZsEhjLzF1v7HqKRGnyJZlYibznJiP595tg9LFY6a69ld62fcmQPmB9P5dZzsFPKxzZw8tCvaUf2vaT6y1TofhkePKydd_dZ6nhGzy_RlkSxKVU_RC2ip_10MRLeUGAE73imkuzN_vEWhAjcJgU1JH8m6OVNFe-ALQflvLciw06UzBdPuNt5w/s1526/CardiffGiant16-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1526" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWEP-N19ZsEhjLzF1v7HqKRGnyJZlYibznJiP595tg9LFY6a69ld62fcmQPmB9P5dZzsFPKxzZw8tCvaUf2vaT6y1TofhkePKydd_dZ6nhGzy_RlkSxKVU_RC2ip_10MRLeUGAE73imkuzN_vEWhAjcJgU1JH8m6OVNFe-ALQflvLciw06UzBdPuNt5w/w131-h200/CardiffGiant16-1000pix.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>This scene shows part of the origin of Hull's scheme. A visiting preacher named Reverend Turk is shown telling of Biblical passages that say giants once walked the earth. The minister is dramatically back-lit by the glow of the flames in the fireplace. I did everything I could think of to make each scene as visually engrossing as possible. Lighting was key to this process.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_evlawo2-hlsKRhy_hzeIz3xWWsXN5xd9gBIUILhrSD0t0EKg5v4eSee-_jnvC_EaQg3inH4IIVMN80Bk6MfnmcXBU9vuez76bTnB5cMEJ-iFTJWOedbNq-RU5gg6pY3ZNioyHKyu5y3-R4H-2pwIl_QCv0bv5NxPM1utMLw2U7pYtZk0R14EMqX6G0/s1591/CardiffGiant18-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1591" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_evlawo2-hlsKRhy_hzeIz3xWWsXN5xd9gBIUILhrSD0t0EKg5v4eSee-_jnvC_EaQg3inH4IIVMN80Bk6MfnmcXBU9vuez76bTnB5cMEJ-iFTJWOedbNq-RU5gg6pY3ZNioyHKyu5y3-R4H-2pwIl_QCv0bv5NxPM1utMLw2U7pYtZk0R14EMqX6G0/w126-h200/CardiffGiant18-1000pix.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><p>Here, the two sculptors hired to carve the giant from a large block of Gypsum are chipping off the figure's hair and beard, which had been originally part of his design. It was discovered, however, that hair does not petrify, so it had to be removed. All in the name of science! And deception...</p><p></p><p>I used copious amounts of spatter on the men's shirts for added texture, style and visual interest. Oh, and the guy at the top is based on an old musician friend, Dave Richardson. Just for the record.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Sa-JZlPaXOW666tBA2BZO1goqx4y4oM3MBMvNGs-PWQXn5E0pYcFpTIB_aosT-_bk6eL-ZtXIlVD1Ue605KwYmfmtzh-RmR2I76W2BfQulPI1CtagcO2S7IdtTpvhz-XyRgBT9s83FxlwmXsR9Ar2L0zV-es013m5Vjl4NHa3bKj2U4hYAD1PFEcPuI/s1592/CardiffGiant12-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1592" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Sa-JZlPaXOW666tBA2BZO1goqx4y4oM3MBMvNGs-PWQXn5E0pYcFpTIB_aosT-_bk6eL-ZtXIlVD1Ue605KwYmfmtzh-RmR2I76W2BfQulPI1CtagcO2S7IdtTpvhz-XyRgBT9s83FxlwmXsR9Ar2L0zV-es013m5Vjl4NHa3bKj2U4hYAD1PFEcPuI/w126-h200/CardiffGiant12-1000pix.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>This image shows a man seeing a large iron box being transported toward Cardiff a year before the giant was "discovered." Reports of that sighting started a controversy about the authenticity of the stone man. I mentioned in my previous post that I was working on how to effectively paint clouds, of which there are several kinds. This illustration is all about clouds. Stratus, anyone? Not sure I'd quite mastered the technique yet in this image, but it's dramatic! I also added a little interest to the horses drawing the carriage by having one looking over its shoulder towards the men at the reins. I was later told that that would be impossible unless the horse somehow slipped his reins. But I like that horse anyway.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnm-2OLR-oKIEsvzZnimo-BXkA_m2StMExOeHgc9rN_b5UhChvh-c1upAy5E0AAzRMDxLNJukKLA-lHjBWARF9PI87lCB-c1oWKRY4u_bB32mpw1PF5rCsPJS_AyPBbBhTgyobyrUMLyCvsYNlpa2TBessZQPqae_VIMbD3ZfHWJijT9I2u1cZq4yCaW8/s3371/CardiffGiant3-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3371" data-original-width="2142" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnm-2OLR-oKIEsvzZnimo-BXkA_m2StMExOeHgc9rN_b5UhChvh-c1upAy5E0AAzRMDxLNJukKLA-lHjBWARF9PI87lCB-c1oWKRY4u_bB32mpw1PF5rCsPJS_AyPBbBhTgyobyrUMLyCvsYNlpa2TBessZQPqae_VIMbD3ZfHWJijT9I2u1cZq4yCaW8/w127-h200/CardiffGiant3-1000pix.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>Here is Newell pointing out to his hired diggers exactly where he wants his well. They are skeptical of his choice, but eventually give in and start digging in the hard, dry earth. I recall that when I was initially finished with this illustration, I decided I was dissatisfied with the figures of the two workmen, so I painted them out and rendered them again. I've always been glad I did, because the second version was much better. You can tell I painted over them because the gray tones are cooler, having obliterated the warmer gray background washes I used for mid-tones and shadows. Shadows transparent, highlights opaque!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPKhDPbx6FS7Tmyin9RBA96DSYof66PdhXkGlBTAUe4N8DGTLlskJV2P8c20HenDsZE08LIXh22epjDRW8I3iLPw1UsmAxrIjlrJ7agRaQof07CMXzg0NTLAsKzTXDfwnh2aFi0xPyOzOcwia-JTj4ZL0MMYCy2r2UuKzbp79gRj-DLfrlMeI0Kqufms/s1558/CardiffGiant14-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1558" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPKhDPbx6FS7Tmyin9RBA96DSYof66PdhXkGlBTAUe4N8DGTLlskJV2P8c20HenDsZE08LIXh22epjDRW8I3iLPw1UsmAxrIjlrJ7agRaQof07CMXzg0NTLAsKzTXDfwnh2aFi0xPyOzOcwia-JTj4ZL0MMYCy2r2UuKzbp79gRj-DLfrlMeI0Kqufms/w128-h200/CardiffGiant14-1000pix.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><br />Finally, here we see <span style="color: #ffe599;">P.T. Barnum </span>watching over a couple of sculptors he hired to create a duplicate of the Cardiff Giant after unsuccessfully trying to first buy, and then even rent the original from the uninterested owners. He did quite well with his own fake petrified giant, even outselling the original when both accidentally simultaneously ended up in New York City. The "real" phony had to flee town and go to Boston, where he was once again a huge draw. <br /><br />I saved this piece for last because I rendered my old boss <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5063434/" target="_blank">Gary Newton</a>, for/with whom I worked at three separate establishments back from late 1975 to 1982 or so, as the bearded sculptor in the center. Gary was one of those "most unforgettable characters" I ever knew, and a multi-talented, creative dynamo nonpareil! I worked with him at three establishments, a local TV station, a popular counter-cultural newspaper, and his own design studio, all of which where he served as creative director. I met Gary not long after his run as a <a href="https://egorschamber.com/tvhorrorhosts/hostss.html" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #04ff00;">TV horror host</span></i></a> had finished! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SimonsSanctorum/" target="_blank">"Simon's Sanctorum"</a> ran on WCVB TV and in syndication in the early 1970s and was very popular. And creative! Some episodes can be seen on Youtube on <span style="color: #cc0000;">Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shocker</span>s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPeEmBRjMbQ" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bqDiVtyr_o" target="_blank">here</a>, and also on <a href="https://vimeo.com/501671914" target="_blank">Vimeo</a>, sans Penny, here. Sadly, Gary passed away much too young 23 years ago, and as I write this, I'm remembering that today December 31st is Gary's birthday!<br /><br />Backtracking ever so slightly here, I'd like to thank my editor, the charming and very expert Jane Hyman (whom I'm sure I thanked quite thoroughly 40 years ago) and another skilled and clever old friend <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">John Treworgy</span>, whose name appears in the credits of The Cardiff Giant book and may have been the person who got me the job! Memory fails, but John worked as a consultant with Gary and me around the time I did all that art for JEM Books, including the next book I did later that year, <span style="color: #ff00fe;">"UFO Teen Sightings."</span> More on John in future posts.<br /><br /> <p></p>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-38962349321305848912023-12-30T20:56:00.000-08:002023-12-31T20:29:50.188-08:00THE CARDIFF GIANT RISES AGAIN!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQEE4BdVHGsDTpnA8zRZ3li1WbyrS2amgnqHorvw0auvqQ0fgAFvf-lu74hT2BRT1vo6D8JP5biR3dsxpjoAR2gf_L49vj_jEguNsXm1bS0Eptvo5FsOeYjLE2qaf-u0egbLo8O8jzQ2x8V5u0_DBIBfq85cBR5J9blGGr_PIbsJe1CNAmwaZM5ejAtE/s1525/CardiffGiant4-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1525" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQEE4BdVHGsDTpnA8zRZ3li1WbyrS2amgnqHorvw0auvqQ0fgAFvf-lu74hT2BRT1vo6D8JP5biR3dsxpjoAR2gf_L49vj_jEguNsXm1bS0Eptvo5FsOeYjLE2qaf-u0egbLo8O8jzQ2x8V5u0_DBIBfq85cBR5J9blGGr_PIbsJe1CNAmwaZM5ejAtE/w131-h200/CardiffGiant4-1000pix.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>It can be a startling thing to unearth old art and find that it still stands up to some degree of scrutiny. I recently found the original illustrations to a book I drew a bit over 40 years ago. It was my first full-length book, and I really put a lot into it. All of my life and career, I have been fascinated by <a href="http://www.theillustrator.net" target="_blank">line</a>, and the vast majority of my professional output has been drawn in <a href="http://www.davesullivan.net" target="_blank">ink on paper</a>, often <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2015/01/niles-nemo-in-segaland-episode-2-columns.html " target="_blank">colored later, first with watercolor wash</a> and later digitally when I learned how to do that. For whatever reasons, I produced this book in mixed media using acrylic paint combined with various pencils and tightened up with my trusty Rapidograph pen. More on the technique later. I'm starting out with six pieces that I particularly enjoy for various reasons.<br /><br />But first, some back story on the book: It was titled simply "<span style="color: red;">The Cardiff Giant</span>." It's a true account of one of the great hoaxes in American history. It all took place back in 1869. A man named George Hull concocted an elaborate money-making scheme in which he hired some men to dig up what seemed to be a petrified giant buried on his relative, William Newell's property. Science took a back seat to fantasy here since flesh, human or otherwise, does not turn to stone under any circumstances, but there were innumerable credulous people willing to believe that this was the remains a giant human. The truth, of course, was entirely different. The stone giant was a sculpture carved by other men hired by Newell which was buried on his farm to be later dug up seemingly by accident by men digging a well. The first image I'm posting is of the workers digging in hard earth unknowingly about to discover something quite other than water.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmjyGUiZMqwrGCStgskoLTPYEFg5l1A4fdh2pdXg3KPp8SxHrdaCKdopmMd6-cHtxbh35QNe7Yw_i-kVrsqkPj1RORX1R5RUrPYjGkP6SIvOPrsEHdb_3sCDK6q2kWRfWgAumA9wXdiBNs_VfzIIll6kDBvs-8IyAvGd-9Lly_y50eyCvBFoht4YFKbA/s1537/CardiffGiant13-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmjyGUiZMqwrGCStgskoLTPYEFg5l1A4fdh2pdXg3KPp8SxHrdaCKdopmMd6-cHtxbh35QNe7Yw_i-kVrsqkPj1RORX1R5RUrPYjGkP6SIvOPrsEHdb_3sCDK6q2kWRfWgAumA9wXdiBNs_VfzIIll6kDBvs-8IyAvGd-9Lly_y50eyCvBFoht4YFKbA/w130-h200/CardiffGiant13-1000pix.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><p>The second illustration is of a couple of scientists examining the giant to determine authenticity. This gave me the irresistible opportunity to render my own version of the classic "eye enlarged by the magnifying glass" image, so beloved by fans of detective fiction.<br /> </p><p><br /> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILx3vpOUNsZvvZixFrRPGaY0HQ4G5c0QOYp3nbQKlNDT_aY4c2IhvaiqpDTDDwfVfnV3lkk17AyI8WqX4zORTjwCwRpUhwSadjpZ_yjoa6oSFxYbVWByVM60z-2-kYbYFzLZ0upuVKwLfBRr79xHXNSwrde8KvwJ3k9usdqDac-hBty5V-PyM7JFvTG8/s1585/CardiffGiant11-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1585" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILx3vpOUNsZvvZixFrRPGaY0HQ4G5c0QOYp3nbQKlNDT_aY4c2IhvaiqpDTDDwfVfnV3lkk17AyI8WqX4zORTjwCwRpUhwSadjpZ_yjoa6oSFxYbVWByVM60z-2-kYbYFzLZ0upuVKwLfBRr79xHXNSwrde8KvwJ3k9usdqDac-hBty5V-PyM7JFvTG8/w126-h200/CardiffGiant11-1000pix.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>The third image is one of my favorites, as several characters reading the news are known to me. The lady reading over the shoulder of the dapper gent is based on my lovely wife. The gent is me, as I looked back in the early 1980s, and the little girl is our daughter. To the right, the bearded chap is my friend <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/search/label/Dave%20LeBlanc" target="_blank">Dave LeBlanc,</a> who has been seen here on my blog making various cameo appearances. He has often appeared in my illustrations over the decades.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjeCShKQczOhjntoMw18M0t52Ce7AS3m4JEW7Zbq1seV6gVfrq4ndhVR12K-sdK6IYNJIxQc4n5TCJHR_btQiGNVWqhSb25h6S9MMfolZQnzBl0NCQMv0V6nRXwVnWG2cTzXdeWIzS62fkQqUEm4x_8QYsJooc4hluf4-iezgi3ogvMtHCAI5BeTjRQc/s1547/CardiffGiant6-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1547" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjeCShKQczOhjntoMw18M0t52Ce7AS3m4JEW7Zbq1seV6gVfrq4ndhVR12K-sdK6IYNJIxQc4n5TCJHR_btQiGNVWqhSb25h6S9MMfolZQnzBl0NCQMv0V6nRXwVnWG2cTzXdeWIzS62fkQqUEm4x_8QYsJooc4hluf4-iezgi3ogvMtHCAI5BeTjRQc/w129-h200/CardiffGiant6-1000pix.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>The next scene depicts a crowd that gathered quickly after news of the "discovery" spread. My favorite part of this bird's-eye view is the crying child, obviously unnerved by this spectacle. Kids crack me up.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7pWk4KbH1EqKx2C3q_Z1yi5Of15aUQLPt0ScDGmufy-Dum3BfA5MZwVbxYjqDMQslS_tDq8UDPflOIN7O5GDSID8R0-kWt0nbiOnDM9jQt_VCwf4zPfDB9vFtlvVLN0KwLLmez9DigDPatqXMBR243ZKzYkbW5thSi5Gbe9WvPoofPohUIhBeBmhF9Y/s1561/CardiffGiant10-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1561" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7pWk4KbH1EqKx2C3q_Z1yi5Of15aUQLPt0ScDGmufy-Dum3BfA5MZwVbxYjqDMQslS_tDq8UDPflOIN7O5GDSID8R0-kWt0nbiOnDM9jQt_VCwf4zPfDB9vFtlvVLN0KwLLmez9DigDPatqXMBR243ZKzYkbW5thSi5Gbe9WvPoofPohUIhBeBmhF9Y/w128-h200/CardiffGiant10-1000pix.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>In this scene, Newell is joined by investor and co-conspirator George Hull, as the giant is exhumed while a photographer and reported observe.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_kYZmKWVRsoNrCUjqRIAGr3UoXucXYY-8Epbl53Sv9jKa-Pz8sngTdm8bNdnaxW0-ySGlnRvtZSXYLnPYyUTn3cM0L0GHgm5K9_eTJxM11zeuqobs8X8-lyWotaJK5zLrl63XtOdHMi4pR2tkepB9weKTZbVrI4IGTJANejpeCkutVF-7_fFEa57dYQ/s1569/CardiffGiant8-1000pix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1569" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_kYZmKWVRsoNrCUjqRIAGr3UoXucXYY-8Epbl53Sv9jKa-Pz8sngTdm8bNdnaxW0-ySGlnRvtZSXYLnPYyUTn3cM0L0GHgm5K9_eTJxM11zeuqobs8X8-lyWotaJK5zLrl63XtOdHMi4pR2tkepB9weKTZbVrI4IGTJANejpeCkutVF-7_fFEa57dYQ/w127-h200/CardiffGiant8-1000pix.jpg" width="127" /></a></div><p>There were two factions who disagreed vehemently on the supposed authenticity of the "petrified giant." Scientist decried the possibility of a man turned to stone. Those more willing to believe the hype were happy to do so. There were other theories of the giant's origin. Some thought he was carved by ancient peoples. This scene is an imagining of that. And here, I'd like to point out a couple of creative aspects of my approach to the book. From the beginning, I wanted to employ lots of texture and bold brush strokes in the application of the paint, particularly in the backgrounds. I also set a task for myself wherein I would attempt to master the rendering of clouds. That was just something that interested me at the time. The sky here is one of my earlier in the book attempts.<br /><br />The Cardiff Giant was published in 1983 by <span style="color: #ea9999;">JEM Books (Julian E. Messner)</span>, a division of Simon & Schuster. It's pretty long out of print but a search for ISBN #: 0-671-43851-4 may occasionally turn something up.</p><p>Click on the thumbnail images to view the large illustrations, and stay tuned for the next batch!<br /> <br /></p>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-57937347885369961712022-10-30T22:31:00.001-07:002022-10-30T22:32:47.848-07:00ZOMBIE MOON RISES!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGqSgvmiM-59bKvRjBODTOzy7JmqKroCmt5FjMb2e-VNMjEJ8bJkaO9WwK5iprhLIOmK57hzEuSwrJ284YoP3kCKV4MBlOsydF7x66hbPca_UL-3vd2YpK4U9gSN143Vp1Mgz2_Xq8OW0ua7kAXlTBRnm8Cp3OLXnzid5IjSGjaPvxP60VCnUTPVc/s1000/Zombie-flat%20new%20with%20type%201000%20pix.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGqSgvmiM-59bKvRjBODTOzy7JmqKroCmt5FjMb2e-VNMjEJ8bJkaO9WwK5iprhLIOmK57hzEuSwrJ284YoP3kCKV4MBlOsydF7x66hbPca_UL-3vd2YpK4U9gSN143Vp1Mgz2_Xq8OW0ua7kAXlTBRnm8Cp3OLXnzid5IjSGjaPvxP60VCnUTPVc/s320/Zombie-flat%20new%20with%20type%201000%20pix.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Some of you may remember the above image of my buddy <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-halloween.html" target="_blank">Phil The Zombie</a></span> from way back in 2011 when I posted a version of it with Phil delivering a <span style="color: #ffa400;"><a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-halloween.html" target="_blank">Halloween greeting</a></span> from me. So, why has this zombie risen from the grave again? Well, dig this: A few months back, after <span style="color: red;">singer-songwriter-guitar-monster Sal Baglio</span> released his single <span style="color: #04ff00;">"Space Cadette"</span> with my <span style="color: #ff00fe;"><a href="http://www.stockillos.com/" target="_blank">stock illustration</a></span> (<a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2022/07/space-cadette-launched.html" target="_blank">see previous post</a>) promoting it, I half-jokingly told him that if he ever wrote a song about a zombie, I had a great drawing he could use with it. To my absolute astonishment, the very next day, Sal sent me an early mix of his new song, <a href=" https://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com/track/zombie-moon" target="_blank">"Zombie Moon!"</a> Sal had checked out my <a href="http://www.theillustrator.net/the_illustrator008.htm" target="_blank">zombie art here</a>, and was sufficiently inspired to create the awesome recording that is now available on <a href=" https://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com/track/zombie-moon" target="_blank">Bandcamp as a single</a>, and is also featured on his new album, once again with <span style="color: red;">The Amplifier Heads</span>, called <a href="https://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com/album/rectifier" target="_blank">"Rectifier."</a> Initially, the album was conceived to be a spooky, horror-themed collection of all-new songs with<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> "Zombie Moon"</span> as the title track. This idea evolved into a more complex group of songs with "Zombie" and also our friend the <span style="color: #04ff00;">"Space Cadette"</span> featured in the mix. I am delighted and gob-smacked to be part of the inspiration behind <span style="color: #ffa400;">"Zombie Moon."</span> It's an amazing song, which can be taken literally as a story about two zombies in love, or more metaphorically as a very touching love song about two people who are far from undead. The single can be <a href="https://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com/track/zombie-moon" target="_blank">downloaded here</a>, and the <a href=" https://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com/album/rectifier" target="_blank">"Rectifier" album/CD,</a> an eclectic and electric selection of hard-rockin' and moody gems which sometimes evoke such notables as Queen, The Ramones, The Kinks, and others, is available on <a href="https://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">The Amplifier Heads' Bandcamp page</a> <a href=" https://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com/album/rectifier" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">Happy Halloween!</span><p></p>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-34079635864119969272022-07-02T03:14:00.014-07:002022-07-02T03:42:29.394-07:00SPACE CADETTE LAUNCHED!!<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpQfLgesr24BZGBSOJWXXxSQXd7EzsAdIIprLMMnEFynL1g7AJT-BQhoD98l9Xre2G5hbuPoTxqHHxQEUdOP2FXjG99npsw29917RrcJze0CByVS0FYm8zB-IaTvr-z5idw9TugfkMgiXgaSu_vKM1EbMQZjYTcuVfLFv4c1_Hx7tEWoMjWVpwsp0/s1000/Space%20Cadette-FinalArt.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpQfLgesr24BZGBSOJWXXxSQXd7EzsAdIIprLMMnEFynL1g7AJT-BQhoD98l9Xre2G5hbuPoTxqHHxQEUdOP2FXjG99npsw29917RrcJze0CByVS0FYm8zB-IaTvr-z5idw9TugfkMgiXgaSu_vKM1EbMQZjYTcuVfLFv4c1_Hx7tEWoMjWVpwsp0/w320-h320/Space%20Cadette-FinalArt.JPG" width="320" /></a></p>There are few, if any, musicians out there as creative, versatile, and visionary as<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span> <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><a href=" http://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Sal Baglio.</a></span></span> </span> Back in the '80's, Sal fronted Boston rockers <a href="http://www.thestompers.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">The Stompers</span></a>, singing, playing blazing guitar, and writing most of the bands many hits. I met Sal later, some 20+ years ago, when he was performing in an acoustic duo with ace singer/songwriter<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><a href="http://allenestemusic.com" target="_blank"><span></span></a><span><a href="http://www.allenestesmusic.com/" target="_blank">Allen Estes</a></span></span></span> at an amazing little restaurant and pub that seemed to be a magnet for some of the best musicians in the area. Recently, Sal approached me with the idea to use one of my illustrations to promote the release of his new single <a href="https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/space-cadette" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">"Space Cadette."</span></a> The piece that caught Sal's eye was an illustration I did for the Washington Post a couple of decades back, a<span style="color: #ffd966;"> <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.davesullivan.net/retro-comic-book.htm" target="_blank">"retro-comic book"</a></span></span> image which I had<span style="color: #04ff00;"> <a href="http://www.stockillos.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">available for licensing as stock art</span>.</a> </span>I was delighted, to say the least. Sal is not only a world-class guitarist, but also one of the most innovative songwriters in the business. He is currently recording with a select group of musicians under the name<span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">"The Amplifier Heads."</a></span></span> There are a number of albums and singles available, some as CDs, others for download at <span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="http://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com." target="_blank"><span style="color: #93c47d;">theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com</span>.</a> </span> <a href="https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/space-cadette" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">"Space Cadette"</span></a> has just become available. You can find it, along with my humble art piece, here: <a href="http://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/space-cadette" target="_blank">rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/space-cadette</a>. And while you're at the <a href="http://theamplifierheads.bandcamp.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Amp-Heads Bandcamp page,</span></a> check out all the other music available there. Sal's songs are original, high-concept, deep and eclectic. They often summon details of the past, filling in the gaps with memories we didn't know we had. And his concept albums cry out to be enjoyed in one sitting, as they wend across a wondrous audio decoupage of myriad sounds and themes. The diverse guitar work, lyrics, and vocal harmonies may evoke sounds of the Beatles, the Kinks, or even Tom Waits, but the music is always original and in Sal's own distinct voice. Just when you think you know where a melody line is going, Sal takes you somewhere new, surfing on the crest of his sometimes hard-rockin', sometimes wistful arrangements. Sal and I share an appreciation for retro science fiction. <span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Space Cadette</span> will take you on a rockin' flying saucer ride to the edge of space and back. And for two bucks, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than <span style="color: red;">SpaceX!</span><br /><br />To get back to the art for a minute, Sal chose the above image and asked me to add the band name and title which I did. Not being able to leave well enough alone, and having done that piece when I barely knew how to use Photoshop, I did a number of variants, adding highlights and gradients to some of the art, in one piece little moons and planets to the bow-tie, and some comic book halftone texture and color to the background in the last one seen below. Sal also had two ideas for the word balloon text. <span style="color: #e06666;">"Klaatu" </span>won the day. As always, click on the images to see the larger versions.<br /><br />Sal, you might already know this:<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i> you rock!!</i></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i> </i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ev7b1Vh0p5Mc5-kB5RkKl1uUdMcgw_ryaqCHInK1OXjfXmwvp8f3ze40RXReA_44Yj_2dhqsFwcAnEToh2BsxESpf0X0I1lqeUIV0ntU253kuemiERY0j5Uk-rFsQeTxXnnthj-UoP_BpB2trbPh-JmaWjEWEEFfZ4uiMRPWPJ2cGzxX8Xnms99x/s1243/SpaceCadette-4-up-montage.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="1218" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ev7b1Vh0p5Mc5-kB5RkKl1uUdMcgw_ryaqCHInK1OXjfXmwvp8f3ze40RXReA_44Yj_2dhqsFwcAnEToh2BsxESpf0X0I1lqeUIV0ntU253kuemiERY0j5Uk-rFsQeTxXnnthj-UoP_BpB2trbPh-JmaWjEWEEFfZ4uiMRPWPJ2cGzxX8Xnms99x/w314-h320/SpaceCadette-4-up-montage.JPG" width="314" /></a></i></div><p><br /></p>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-52116801391871408212021-12-30T00:08:00.006-08:002022-01-11T03:51:17.288-08:00<div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;">TO THE FUTURE AND BEYOND!!</span></span></h1></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOWNX4YDULm0leDGUIQg_lZuzA4Leg5lvG1l0wO4GTjVrkrRTmYupxlCP-tOr3rsD81MZBq0ROMyzfU0dFGvE8cPpoiotRKgC_XWtFfZRn-OUGzY5jAw1SBLmhwltWKtCCqr3JkPSNYxJMlBO1DqDYrIKUKeebOJBET4hIA_6_iU5y_zXGV_esrmx-=s1597" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1597" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOWNX4YDULm0leDGUIQg_lZuzA4Leg5lvG1l0wO4GTjVrkrRTmYupxlCP-tOr3rsD81MZBq0ROMyzfU0dFGvE8cPpoiotRKgC_XWtFfZRn-OUGzY5jAw1SBLmhwltWKtCCqr3JkPSNYxJMlBO1DqDYrIKUKeebOJBET4hIA_6_iU5y_zXGV_esrmx-=w200-h320" width="200" /></a></div>If you're looking for something to look forward to in the coming year (and who isn't?), here's a sneak peak at some additions coming to <a href="http://thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The NoWhere-Men.com</span>.</a> The above image features <span style="color: #ea9999;"><a href="http://thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen012.htm" target="_blank">The Phantom Aardvark™</a></span> in pitched battle with <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen009.htm" target="_blank">The Maniacal Mister Bones™</a></span>. Although the pair eventually become fast friends and allies as members of <span style="color: #fff2cc;"><a href="http://thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank">The NoWhere-Men™</a></span>, they were not always as such and at one time were fierce rivals. I drew the pen, brush, and ink version of this image back in the early 1980's, and colored it years later in Photoshop, in 2001. Two decades later, I'm posting it here online for the first time! When this image is uploaded to <a href="http://thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank">The NoWhere-Men.com</a>, the two logos will be fully animated GIF images. Those animations exist already and are very cool, if I do say so myself. And if I don't, who will?! Updates to <a href="http://thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank">The NoWhere-Men™</a> website have been in the works for some time, but 2022 promises to be the year of their unveiling. Among the other additions, which include new full-color art, there will be a page featuring sketches of the characters. The image below is possibly the very first sketch of <span style="color: red;">The Maniacal Mister Bones™</span>. I believe this dates to 1975. Apparently, I was into some serious dramatic foreshortening back then! The creation of several of The <span style="color: #d9ead3;">NoWhere-Men™</span> predates even the Wacky Mr. B, by more than a few years. <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen012.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">The Phantom Aardvark™</span></a> was created by my NoWhere-Men collaborator and co-creator <span style="color: #fff2cc;"><a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/search/label/Dave%20LeBlanc" target="_blank">Dave LeBlanc</a></span> in the early 1970's, as was <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen011.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #fcff01;">The Electron™</span></a>, and <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen013.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Norbo The Vampire™.</span></a><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen010.htm" target="_blank"> </a><span style="color: white;"><a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen010.htm" target="_blank">A few </a><a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen005.htm" target="_blank">of my </a><a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen007.htm" target="_blank">creations </a>go back to 1969-'71 and <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen004.htm" target="_blank">we co-created </a><a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen008.htm" target="_blank">a bunch more</a> over the years.</span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuwtl8iQs-NN9c_t9zLw_phGl7wVNQFqPbFYd3v_3OPuGh2G1goa6i21xf1cAmAh_NaZAdH-KLWFwAAVcYHa5kmqP_PCLss01eHdlV5l-qApp3RIp7w4XhC8jao5eQyCYtTJsH4VTIxBNHDKDBYmJ9lU02X4reMhamUniT0upfiGr5-5yBnx0VGliz=s1287" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1287" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuwtl8iQs-NN9c_t9zLw_phGl7wVNQFqPbFYd3v_3OPuGh2G1goa6i21xf1cAmAh_NaZAdH-KLWFwAAVcYHa5kmqP_PCLss01eHdlV5l-qApp3RIp7w4XhC8jao5eQyCYtTJsH4VTIxBNHDKDBYmJ9lU02X4reMhamUniT0upfiGr5-5yBnx0VGliz=s320" width="249" /></a></div>But enough about the old days, here's to the future! May it be one of <span style="color: #ea9999;">hope and peace.</span> And maybe a little fun, too. Stay tuned for more updates, and, as always, you can click on the above images to see the full-size, awesome art!<br /><br /><p></p>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-18173073494794224652020-12-31T03:50:00.009-08:002021-02-12T00:36:07.274-08:00NEA TODAY!<pre style="overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm1Uz3SPToVMZ4Iqr7BxdTsqtbP-CTmOkqFBH52F59I6gbhkUa3LOOiTqaZXD95rthEYThZJH65BhOHwAGE0rOqgnDqiyCUJNmMNSZ57C4KTYWHv_lRjCpFoXXO9YjBLA2b4ZlzvGNGw/s1236/Issues+and+Impact-color+art+880pix+%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm1Uz3SPToVMZ4Iqr7BxdTsqtbP-CTmOkqFBH52F59I6gbhkUa3LOOiTqaZXD95rthEYThZJH65BhOHwAGE0rOqgnDqiyCUJNmMNSZ57C4KTYWHv_lRjCpFoXXO9YjBLA2b4ZlzvGNGw/s320/Issues+and+Impact-color+art+880pix+%25281%2529.JPG" /></a></div><pre style="overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another of my complex educational illustrations was the above piece which was featured in a spread in NEA Today, the magazine of The National Educational Association. For this piece, I was contacted by <span style="color: red;">Jay Groff</span> of</span><span> </span><a href="groffcreative.com" style="font-family: arial;">Groff Creative,</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> a terrific design studio that produces the magazine. Jay had seen an illustration I did years ago for a series of McGraw-Hill adult education books called "Short Cuts" on my page at the apparently now defunct TopIllustrations.com, and wanted something similar for an article on how the results of the mid-term elections could impact schools. </span></pre><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-EKIve4rKVdO_o3AEsenn4I9zl4UoxZ6qLyGXbolabFyoNfchYULjQR_9oK2GIycZZsHMf9MnmGjmSua8aaZrFMN78X6X0hyphenhyphenlbD_jajPPWfP9h9Os9viDBtMrGEVR7xKIJ4EibdXFoA/s700/Dave_Sullivan-School+interior-aerial+view-McGraw-Hill+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="577" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-EKIve4rKVdO_o3AEsenn4I9zl4UoxZ6qLyGXbolabFyoNfchYULjQR_9oK2GIycZZsHMf9MnmGjmSua8aaZrFMN78X6X0hyphenhyphenlbD_jajPPWfP9h9Os9viDBtMrGEVR7xKIJ4EibdXFoA/s320/Dave_Sullivan-School+interior-aerial+view-McGraw-Hill+%25282%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />This was once again an intricate illustration depicting all of the classes, departments, and issues that could be cut or diminished if the wrong candidates were elected. Funding for libraries, art classes, cafeterias, transportation, and much more was at stake. There were many details to include, from the school nurse's facilities to a transgender restroom. I managed to include some cameo appearances by family and friends, including my oft-depicted friend <span><a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/search/label/Dave%20LeBlanc">Dave Leblanc</a></span> (seen <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/search/label/Dave%20LeBlanc" target="_blank">here in a very old Niles Nemo adventure</a>) and my wonderful High School art teacher <a href=" http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2010/11/frank-petronzio.html">Frank Petronzio. </a> Once again, the results were a success. NEA Today Magazine can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.nea.org/publications ">https://www.nea.org/publications </a> As always, click on the images to see the larger version.</span></pre><div><br /></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div><div><p></p></div></div>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-85476220343686361262020-12-31T03:29:00.009-08:002021-02-12T00:33:11.612-08:00 DAVE GOES TO OXFORD!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZV3F3sJCp1tTKYnU6ya3uW4uI-uFVdpwFtYp5rM4s-KXSFEexLSbJSKg-OP_ochHYT56wSCyegZZGUtv42k5NzUN8RZCOr87XgtxPjcXlwSS4F-TU51_rIk0OXTUfmavVeishgLXf64/s1174/Oxford+U+Illo+800pix.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZV3F3sJCp1tTKYnU6ya3uW4uI-uFVdpwFtYp5rM4s-KXSFEexLSbJSKg-OP_ochHYT56wSCyegZZGUtv42k5NzUN8RZCOr87XgtxPjcXlwSS4F-TU51_rIk0OXTUfmavVeishgLXf64/s320/Oxford+U+Illo+800pix.JPG" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Actually, it was more like Oxford came to me. On a few occasions over the years, I've had the pleasure of producing art for <a href="https://global.oup.com/">Oxford University Press</a>. Sometimes, that has happened through the auspices of design studios. Last time around, I was contacted by <a href="http://bluebamboo.org.uk/">Blue Bamboo Studios</a>, a London firm that was packaging an educational textbook for Oxford. The art was an approximately 2/3 page image featuring a whole lot of goings-on in a shopping mall. One of the major points of the lesson was demonstrating proximity. Stores and mall-goers needed to be shown directly across from, or next to, or above other shops, restaurants, etc., even including an ice skating rink full of skaters. So, to that end, I decided it would be necessary to eschew my usual oblique perspective approach, which I usually use when showing large complex scenes and use parallel perspective instead. That way there would be no confusion as to what was where in relationship to everything else. I plotted out the perspective in blue line before penciling the finished sketch, which is something I very rarely do. As you can see from the illustration above, there was a lot of detailed information to fit into the scene, and I spent a lot of time tightening up the signage to make it as legible as possible. Friends and family made their usual cameo appearances. I missed angling the vertices like I usually do, but everyone was quite pleased with the results. I was paid in Pounds, and once again fancied myself a Rhodes Scholar, having tended to, if not attended, Oxford University!</span></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-25063722788961949002019-12-30T03:16:00.000-08:002020-03-05T21:41:43.695-08:00LOGOS, WE GOT LOGOS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndO0dSMEw9ivqMCN8yAkUzyAm6XenxPf8uTbpErynq3eA6j9-46mJOhDvqbL5f_ibnM9okOLPVkfmTb4b7PYIn8V1f9oBAgoIH0A_QZXVYUn967bjokZ-Z5Jb_X55mvTy4lm82Wa62Ho/s1600/Comicopia+logo+1200pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="1200" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndO0dSMEw9ivqMCN8yAkUzyAm6XenxPf8uTbpErynq3eA6j9-46mJOhDvqbL5f_ibnM9okOLPVkfmTb4b7PYIn8V1f9oBAgoIH0A_QZXVYUn967bjokZ-Z5Jb_X55mvTy4lm82Wa62Ho/s320/Comicopia+logo+1200pix.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
About half a lifetime ago, in addition to being a <a href="http://www.theillustrator.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">freelance illustrator</span></a>, I "daylighted" as an <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">art director</span> for a couple of ad agencies and one TV station (<i>Assistant</i> A/D there, to be precise. I was right out of college.). As such, I often wore many hats. Among other things, I did layouts ("marker comps" in those days), art directed photo-shoots, sometimes did the photography myself, did type specs and paste-up (in the pre-digital days of galleys, Xacto-knives and rubber cement), was a sound engineer and occasional voice actor for radio spots and audio-visual productions, provided in-house illustrations, and once in a while <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">designed logos</span> for a host of clients. All that lasted about 10 years, and then I went strictly freelance and have remained as such ever since. The bulk of my work has consisted of illustrations in the ensuing decades, but there has occasionally been some graphic design to be done. See <a href="http://www.theillustrator.net/the_illustrator011.htm" target="_blank">here</a> for some examples of characters, cover design and logos for <span style="color: #e06666;">Nestle Corporation</span>. I've also created several logos for my own projects such as <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">The Nowhere-Men™</span></a>, and these comic covers for <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2009/12/nowhere-men-art-1.html" target="_blank">Joe Comet™</a>, and <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2009/12/nowhere-men-art-2.html" target="_blank">Hour Father™</a>.<br />
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So, when nearly a decade ago, <a href="https://comicopia.com/" target="_blank">Comicopia</a>, the local comic book store where I had shopped since it opened up (now over 30 years ago!), sponsored a contest for a new logo design for their store, I decided I was uniquely qualified to give it a go. My entry is posted above. I took a very ad agency approach to the project. The design is deceptively complex. The letter forms are all reminiscent of various comic book logos, some, like the two "C's," have roots in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artie_Simek" target="_blank">Artie Simek's</a> <span style="color: red;">Marvel Comics</span> logos such as "Thor" and "The Fantastic Four." The "I" recalls horror comics of the 1950's. Others are more in the style of funny animal comics. The panels behind the lettering separate each syllable as each depicts a specific genre of comics, to wit: Humor, Superhero, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Manga. <span style="color: yellow;">Comicopia</span> specializes in Manga, so that was essential to the mix. I did my research and synthesized a couple of characters in a typical Manga style. You can see echoes (but not strict copies) of Disney, Archie, and even R Crumb in Panel 1. I downplayed the superheroes a bit, only showing a fist, a cape and a boot in Panel 2. The others are pretty much all from my imagination, though that fedora-sporting fellow might be related to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Stranger" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">The Phantom Stranger</span></a>, <a href="http://www.willeisner.com/spirit/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Spirit</span></a>, <a href="https://thelivingshadow.fandom.com/wiki/Shadow_Comics" target="_blank"><span style="color: #45818e;">The Shadow</span></a>, or even <span style="color: lime;"><a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Steve_Ditko_(Earth-1218)" target="_blank">Steve Ditko's</a></span> <a href="https://www.comixology.com/Steve-Ditko-Archives-Vol-3-Mysterious-Traveler/digital-comic/50975" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">The Mysterious Traveler</span>! </a> And for the record, the lettering (and the rest of the line art) was all done the old-fashioned way, by hand with pens on paper.<br />
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Well, long story short, I was the front runner until the last day of the contest when a quirky little treatment caught the eyes of the staff, and I became the runner-up. Their current logo is far less specific and literal, and they've done well with it. Nevertheless, I am very proud of my design, and thought it was about time the general public had a chance to see it. And there you go! Click on the image for the big picture.Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-54323673424308096342019-12-30T00:22:00.000-08:002020-01-09T00:35:04.400-08:00CAMBODIAN YOUTH SELF-HELP BOOK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QIvEao0jFA-g5iRgSGztdjzJTJS_Y33lFoIPSUJJXqqLscQFFdCH-XRE3fgLMmKX_VwPWquWYL3-U1oIwh0nd9boemu7ngbQ96kDBbHq2MmD1f3uMZkfdFW-Q5E-2MU_Ju4BP_-aglE/s1600/Make+Your+Luck+cover+800pix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QIvEao0jFA-g5iRgSGztdjzJTJS_Y33lFoIPSUJJXqqLscQFFdCH-XRE3fgLMmKX_VwPWquWYL3-U1oIwh0nd9boemu7ngbQ96kDBbHq2MmD1f3uMZkfdFW-Q5E-2MU_Ju4BP_-aglE/s320/Make+Your+Luck+cover+800pix.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
I've been meaning to post this image and story for some time. A few years back, I was contacted by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3184917.John_Pavese" target="_blank">John Pavese,</a> an author and publisher for whom I had illustrated a couple of book covers in the past, to create an image for the cover of a new book he and his wife <a href="https://wingsofhope.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2017_woh_annual-report.pdf" target="_blank">Sokhary Kong Pavese</a> had produced for a young, native Cambodian audience. The book <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/make-your-luck/id1020741262" target="_blank">"Make Your Luck, A Cambodian Teenagers’ Guide to Success"</a> is designed to help young, mostly teenage Cambodians achieve a better life for themselves through learning simple skills that will help them adapt from their predominantly rural upbringings to the changing, more industrialized country Cambodia is becoming. It also projects a philosophy that "success at any cost" will not produce a happy outcome. The book warns the readers to be careful of the corruption that infects much of modern Cambodian society on many levels. The <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/author/sokhary-kong-pavese/id1020741263" target="_blank">author, Sokhary Kong Pavese</a> grew up in rural Cambodia on a rice farm. She worked for four years in Cambodian factories after high school before attending university. As <a href="https://www.jggcharity.org/contact-us" target="_blank">Chairman of John Givonetti Giving (JGG)</a>, a Cambodian based charity, she has personally helped thousands of Cambodian teenagers develop the skills needed to be successful. The text of "Make Your Luck" is written in both English and Khmer.<br />
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For more on <a href="https://www.jggcharity.org/" target="_blank">John Givonetti Giving</a>, a wonderful charitable organization, <a href="https://www.jggcharity.org/" target="_blank">see here</a>. JGG founder John Pavese is the nephew of<a href="https://www.jggcharity.org/john-givonetti" target="_blank"> John Givonetti</a>, for whom the JGG is named, and who spent his life quietly performing charitable acts benefiting people around the world. More on <span style="color: #ffd966;"><a href="https://www.jggcharity.org/john-givonetti" target="_blank">Mr. Givonetti</a> <span style="color: white;">can be found</span> <a href="https://www.jggcharity.org/john-givonetti" target="_blank">here</a>,</span> and a detailed and moving <a href="https://www.clockfuneralhome.com/obituary/326171/John-Givonetti/" target="_blank">obituary</a> is located <a href="https://www.clockfuneralhome.com/obituary/326171/John-Givonetti/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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John Pavese and I worked closely on the cover illustration, which depicts two young Cambodians and their water buffalo against a rural native background. Despite its outwardly appearing simplicity, I carefully researched each element in order to distill the concept down to an accurate image. The illustration, for the record, is rendered in my <a href="http://www.davesullivan.net/cartoon-style-two.html" target="_blank">Cartoon Style 2</a>, which I have utilized for many educational projects. <br />
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<a href="https://www.jggcharity.org/john-givonetti" target="_blank">The book is available for purchase here</a>.Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-79243557226772895172018-12-28T17:36:00.000-08:002018-12-28T17:37:23.305-08:00STAN LEE'S BIRTHDAY!<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcBVoBPpy7oT-LAbLm6IIFWefbQj3eUN2wK4nyfPit20yha_GQIpVKAfyHYDUU1aqLZsKEACeTLm6yf8N5ZoY4OQMjQLu7DLQLBYJVauyegaZqvafXl7EoNqtkovGq4RxJQQxJ8duN8c/s1600/StanLeeToast12-28-18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1000" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcBVoBPpy7oT-LAbLm6IIFWefbQj3eUN2wK4nyfPit20yha_GQIpVKAfyHYDUU1aqLZsKEACeTLm6yf8N5ZoY4OQMjQLu7DLQLBYJVauyegaZqvafXl7EoNqtkovGq4RxJQQxJ8duN8c/s320/StanLeeToast12-28-18.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Today is Stan Lee's birthday. I can't add much to what I said in <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2018/12/stan-lee-passing-of-hero.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">my previous post</span></a><span style="color: red;">, </span>but I wanted to do something to commemorate this day. I don't know if Stan was a drinking man or not, but here's a toast to his memory. The glass in the photo is a souvenir from <a href="http://newburycomics.com/" target="_blank">Newbury Comics</a> from Boston Comic Con 2015. That was when and where I finally was able to meet my life-long hero. Every time I've drunk from that glass, I've thought of Stan. I've surrounded the glass with a selection of Stan's books.<span style="color: cyan;"> Here's to you Stan! </span>A toast with love and grateful appreciation. And one last <span style="color: yellow;">"EXCELSIOR!"</span></div>
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Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-31517325940842320602018-12-24T02:56:00.001-08:002018-12-28T04:15:32.504-08:00STAN LEE - THE PASSING OF A HERO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT359NYbS5T1XnO-YZD2xPJiMC-Ki8-DQyzMMsg5P5efoIzpqb0z2R4sSwX1q1pQyEP50jK3mFGokmjnu-wPmTLG3M7h03WqTHMcY9kkfq1mWplxw5sOiR5NMVg9TpMDCR2vY8qVSf1sU/s1600/StanLeeSalute1000pix2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="1000" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT359NYbS5T1XnO-YZD2xPJiMC-Ki8-DQyzMMsg5P5efoIzpqb0z2R4sSwX1q1pQyEP50jK3mFGokmjnu-wPmTLG3M7h03WqTHMcY9kkfq1mWplxw5sOiR5NMVg9TpMDCR2vY8qVSf1sU/s320/StanLeeSalute1000pix2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
There is a hole in the universe where a man once stood, or more accurately <em>sat</em>, behind a typewriter, tirelessly creating that very universe that he and countless millions of avid devotees inhabited for many decades. I, myself, inhabited that universe for more than fifty years before finally meeting my hero, <a href="https://therealstanlee.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: cyan;">Stan Lee</span></a>, for a few brief but indelibly memorable and indubitably magical moments only three years ago. Our quick exchange (the line for the photo shoot snaked far out of sight) allowed me to thank him for that 50 years that so immeasurably influenced my life and career, and Stan (Mr. Lee, I called him) thanked <em>me!</em> Legends live forever in our hearts and memories, and no one could ever leave a greater and more lasting legacy than <span style="color: cyan;">The Man</span> without whom, the comics industry itself may have withered and died. Unfortunately, all men must depart our world, even the long-lived and and in-all-ways-but-one immortal Stan Lee. The news hit me like a blow from Thor's hammer when I heard of his passing, and I've been slow to adjust to a world without Stan Lee in it.<br />
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As for the above image, it's my guess that when the also recently and sadly departed <a href="http://comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=101" target="_blank">Steve Ditko</a> fashioned the hand gestures that were used by both Spider-Man to shoot his webs and Doctor Strange to conjure spells, he probably didn't know that it was also <a href="https://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/i+love+you" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">sign language for "I love you."</span></a> In my illustration, some of Stan's most famous characters pay tribute to their creator. I included a certain shield-slinger because, though he was created by <span style="color: lime;"><a href="https://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/" target="_blank">two other guys</a>,</span> <a href="https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2018/11/celebrating-comics-champion-stan-lee/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Stan Lee's first published story at Timely Comics</span></a> (<a href="https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/files/2018/11/captainamerica_n3_pt1-749x1024.jpg" target="_blank">seen <span style="color: yellow;">here</span></a> <a href="https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/files/2018/11/captainamerica_n3_pt2-706x1024.jpg" target="_blank">and <span style="color: cyan;">here</span></a>) was in Captain America #3, and also because Stan's 1960's revival of the character really brought him to life, in more ways than one.<br />
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One of the challenges in executing an illustration is knowing when to stop. I thought about including an image of Stan in the night sky above his creations, or perhaps his signature in the stars, but ultimately I decided he would be more conspicuous by his absence, which after all, is the sad point of this tribute.<br />
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To paraphrase one of Stan's most enduring proclamations, "With great responsibility comes great power!" Throughout his career, Stan gained the power to touch and influence the lives of countless millions of people world-wide. He did so with grace, humor, integrity, and vision. Never has there has been, nor ever again will there be another like him. <span style="color: lime;">Thank you Mr. Lee, and of course,</span> <span style="color: red;">"EXCELSIOR!"</span><br />
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<br />Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-81006845041329612422018-12-15T16:10:00.001-08:002018-12-15T16:47:33.378-08:00A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM BOBBY KEYES!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2kBYe_qkDPOSdbfh7-iXPG16gVBYRSKiDyFp-u9BAYOD-a6GhIdJLW-WJ-szA9Tlrxo-FLVTu5PIpJsRf5JNa59dr0F20dwiz0nZOq2RQT5Cz7hEVXDGJhOzzhkzsOBxf9Tho7GIGkA/s1600/Bobby+Keyes+Christmas+CD+900pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="900" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2kBYe_qkDPOSdbfh7-iXPG16gVBYRSKiDyFp-u9BAYOD-a6GhIdJLW-WJ-szA9Tlrxo-FLVTu5PIpJsRf5JNa59dr0F20dwiz0nZOq2RQT5Cz7hEVXDGJhOzzhkzsOBxf9Tho7GIGkA/s320/Bobby+Keyes+Christmas+CD+900pix.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Man, time sure flies, doesn't it?? It's been nearly two years since my last blog post, and a full eight years since I first posted my retro-cartoon style rendition of <a href="http://www.bobbykeyes.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Bobby Keyes</span></a>, which was designed to be the cover of <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2010/12/retro-cool-new-art.html" target="_blank">his Christmas album, way back in 2010.</a> At the time, Bobby had recorded several tracks, but needed a few more to flesh out the album. A few months back, he contacted me to see if I could send him the cover art again, as he had finally completed 10 tracks and was at long last ready to <a href="https://www.beehiveboston.com/event/bobby-keyes-2/" target="_blank">release the CD</a>. I was delighted to do so, and added some tonalities and textures to the guitar and chair, which I thought added to the piece, and also removed the Santa hat, which Bobby didn't feel was quite his style. That was easy, as I'd had the foresight to render it on a separate layer in Photoshop just in case. Bobby's son Django did the graphic design for the CD, and it's now available for your listening pleasure. And what a pleasure it is! Perfect for playing while wrapping or unwrapping presents, enjoying a fine holiday feast or just unwinding after the big day. Bobby is as brilliant a guitarist as you'll hear anywhere, and his arrangements are beautiful, intriguing, and engaging. If you think you don't need to hear another Christmas album, I invite you to think again. <br />
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And <span style="color: cyan;">Happy Holidays</span> to all!Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-2564138992139312612017-01-14T04:39:00.000-08:002017-01-14T05:01:08.498-08:00NILES NEMO & SONIC THE HEDGEHOG IN SEGALAND-Episode 6 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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From the final issue of <a href="http://segaretro.org/Sega_Visions" target="_blank"><span style="color: #93c47d;">Sega Visions Magazine</span></a> produced by <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">The Communiqué Group</span>, the Winter 1991/92 issue. This issue featured the winner of the "<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wNVvrDX6yOfylKMgyY9Bdg1oolAB1xxWd4SZxf_7_5jD_Oi9bRyt95KRQi0gzngOIyRGDXksZQvj5Cvf3tC1FV3IGO-yF5h5-JNI5NJHlf6o1Fp4apK-99ZZPtoqCLZDRFHQ8N0DG2Q/s1600/Niles+Nemo+art+contest+ad+1500pix.JPG" target="_blank">Draw a Sonic the Hedgehog Comic Strip</a>" contest, a talented youngster named Kuanray Huang (who must be in his 30's by now!). I worked from a single photo of Kuanray, as I recall, and can only assume the likeness was reasonably accurate. With this episode, I finally stopped using a Rapidograph pen for the lettering, switching to a broader-nibbed Micron marker, and was much happier with the result, as I also was with the <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2016/12/niles-nemo-in-segaland-episode-5-niles.html" style="color: #d0e0e3;" target="_blank">improved color registration</a>. I think the layout for this spread was one of my very best, and there was plenty of good action. Too bad it was the last installment before Sega took the whole project west to San Francisco with new corporate oversight, and Niles disappeared into Segaland for good. <span style="color: red;">FUN FACT: </span>As I have mentioned in my oft-referenced interview with <a href="http://segascream.com/ken-horowitz-interview/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffd966;">Ken Horowitz</span></a>, the Sonic game was new at the time, and I was the first artist to draw Sonic in comic book form. A short time later, Sega produced a small, Manga-style Sonic comic book, and over the years, many others have been published. This two-pager was the first Sonic The Hedgehog comic appearance, however. <span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="color: lime;">BONUS FUN FACT:</span> </span> <span style="color: white;">A few yea</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white;">rs after Niles ended, I had the pleasure of meeting one of my all-time favorite comic book artists </span><a href="http://comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=793" style="color: #9fc5e8;" target="_blank">Gene Colan</a></span><span style="color: cyan;"> </span>and his wife at a Boston convention. We had a long, very enjoyable chat, and I showed him some of my work, including the Niles/Sonic spread. His very genuine and generous response was "Oh, you know what you're doing!" I remember that most fondly, indeed.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">********<span style="color: orange;">SUPER-BONUS</span> <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">SPECIAL FEATURE!!</span>********</span><br />
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In a complete departure from everything I've ever done before on this blog, I am showcasing art that was produced by someone besides me! Here is the never-before-seen "lost" Niles Nemo adventure which was plotted, scripted and produced in layout form by none other than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Kunkel_%28gaming%29" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Boisterous Bill Kunkel</span></a>! I don't know why Bill did a layout for this episode, maybe just scratching an itch, but it's the only one he ever did for a Niles adventure. I always worked from a general script. I recently found this two-page layout in my files. It is reproduced here from a photocopy of a FAX, and has some rough spots. I retouched the lettering where it was broken, but did not change it in any way, not even Bill's backwards (or perhaps lower-case) "N's." There are a couple of places where the lettering was too broken to decipher, but you can get a good feel for the story. This last and lost episode, featuring "Basketball Dexter," was mentioned in my <a href="http://www.sega-16.com/2006/02/interview-dave-sullivan/" style="color: #9fc5e8;" target="_blank">Sega-16.com interview</a> with <a href="http://segabits.com/blog/2016/02/01/swingin-report-show-84-interview-with-sega-16-com-founder-ken-horowitz/" style="color: #f6b26b;" target="_blank">Ken Horowitz</a>, but at that time, I didn't even know a copy of it had survived. Here it is for the first (and probably last) time ever! Click the image, and enjoy!!<br />
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And there you have it! Everything you always wanted to know about <span style="color: lime;">Niles Nemo In Segaland</span>, and <i style="color: cyan;">a whole lot more!</i>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-4116547130143667152016-12-29T04:13:00.000-08:002017-01-20T11:23:01.928-08:00NILES NEMO visits the Consumer Electronics Show-Back cover house ad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbjd2bO4alujCFXpNDDeX5MRIgXU6swfarRSb12LaNRalBpW4iF2ChGO_5eoowlUVkrz8Cm_oe266vj_ZCL7IZPjcoqxpAuIBQBjRJDwKzvjUvgu7-bmaDLMlRJnq5MP-J4boEN-lvT8/s1600/Niles+house+ad+back+cover+1000pix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbjd2bO4alujCFXpNDDeX5MRIgXU6swfarRSb12LaNRalBpW4iF2ChGO_5eoowlUVkrz8Cm_oe266vj_ZCL7IZPjcoqxpAuIBQBjRJDwKzvjUvgu7-bmaDLMlRJnq5MP-J4boEN-lvT8/s320/Niles+house+ad+back+cover+1000pix.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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From the Summer 1991 issue of Sega Visions Magazine. For whatever reason there was no Niles adventure that issue, so we ran this promo on the back cover. Not sure if all the anatomy is spot-on in that drawing, but ya gotta love those shoelaces! They're as loopy as Spider-Man's webbing! Oh, and there's my buddy <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Dave LeBlanc</span> again, last seen in <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2015/01/niles-nemo-in-segaland-episode-2-columns.html" target="_blank">the "Columns" episode...</a><br />
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Next: <span style="color: orange;">The final episode of</span><span style="color: lime;"> "Niles Nemo In Segaland!!"</span>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-73055694888876558442016-12-29T04:07:00.000-08:002016-12-29T04:07:39.581-08:00NILES NEMO IN SEGALAND-Episode 5 "Niles & The Ninjas In The City Of Fear"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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From the Fall 1991 issue of Sega Visions Magazine. This was a pretty straight-forward Ninja game, as far as I can tell from this adventure, with the possible exception of some robots and a big green floating head being part of the fray. There are lots of fun action poses here, and the layout had some nice twists. Cool Asian-influenced lettering on the logo, too. Maybe a little too much purple... <span style="color: orange;">FUN FACT:</span> I'd long been unhappy with the color registration on these comic pages. As I detailed in my <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2015/01/niles-nemo-in-segaland-episode-2-columns.html" target="_blank">Episode 2 "Columns" blog post,</a> I very laboriously and meticulously applied the color to a separate overlay, which I carefully registered to the line art (using those old peel-off registration marks of yore), and yet the registration was always off on the printed art. After seeing the mediocre printing on this episode, I inquired of Creative Director John Sprague to look into what was going on in the pre-press process. He discovered that the pre-press people were shooting the line art on a <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">photostat camera</span>, and scanning the color art on a rotary scanner (state of the art in those days). Well, anyone who's ever used a <span style="color: lime;">stat camera</span> knows they are operated by cranks, gears, and pulleys and have more in common with medieval torture devices than digital technology. You bump into it or even breathe on it, and you change the calibration. Trying to duplicate the exact size on a separate device is a fool's errand. Apparently, it was cheaper than a scan, but for the next issue, we finally arranged for both the color overlay and the line art to be scanned. Little did we know that Episode 6 of Niles Nemo In Segaland would be the last!<br />
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<br />This issue also featured the house ad announcing the "Draw a Sonic the Hedgehog comic strip and win an appearance in the next Niles Nemo in Segaland adventure" contest. Lots of hand-lettering in that word balloon...Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-9865962746370970722016-12-29T02:31:00.000-08:002016-12-29T02:31:28.333-08:00NILES NEMO IN SEGALAND-Episode 4 "N.N Meets M.M." <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />From the April-May 1991 issue of Sega Visions Magazine featuring "Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse™". Bringing this Niles adventure to life was in some ways a wilder ride than that of Disneyland's Mister Toad! When I was told I'd be illustrating a story featuring Niles encountering Mickey Mouse™, I was excited at the prospect of drawing my own version of one of the world's most iconic characters. I assumed that the good folks at Disney would send me some model sheets, and I'd take it from there. Not quite, as it turned out. Early in negotiations we were informed that Mickey could only appear on the game box, and everywhere else where he "appeared" in the comic, he would have to be<span style="color: lime;"> </span><i><span style="color: lime;">unseen,</span> </i>speaking<i> <span style="color: orange;">off-panel!</span> </i> Disney Corp. retains stringent control over the use of its characters, and no one outside of their auspices could be allowed to draw Mickey, nor could he be shown interacting with characters outside of the Disney oeuvre. So much for that! Ultimately, I came up with the pencil art, and that was submitted for approval. All was okay, except on Page 1, I had depicted Niles wearing mouse ears (like hundreds of millions of theme park visitors have done over the last 60 years). Nope! The ears had to go. I'd originally had Niles discarding his hat in the last panel on Page one. Now he's juggling a jewel from the game. So, here comes the <span style="color: red;">FUN FACT: </span>When I laid out the page, I worked out a way that Mickey could subliminally appear! Only after the final art was done did I share this fact with the Creative Director, John Sprague. I drew a quick tissue overlay outlining the hidden Mickey. John's astounded response: <span style="color: yellow;">"Dave, you are </span><i style="color: yellow;">CRAZY!"</i><span style="color: red;"> </span> Well, it all went to press, and no one ever spotted the little trick I played on the good folks at Disney. See the progression I created to demonstrate the gag below: <br />
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Many years later, in 2006, I very nice young chap named <span style="color: cyan;">Ken Horowitz</span> approached me out of nowhere to interview me about my experience drawing Niles, and over the course of said interview, I revealed my secret. The interview can be found <a href="http://www.sega-16.com/2006/02/interview-dave-sullivan/" target="_blank">here on Ken's Sega-16 appreciation website.</a> It was conducted via email, and I think it went pretty well, except I said "cookie," where I really meant <a href="https://www.wired.com/2011/09/bill-kunkel-dies/all/" target="_blank">"Easter egg,"</a> which coincidentally is a term coined by Niles co-creator <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/09/07/bill-kunkel-tribute" target="_blank">Bill Kunkel,</a> according to at least one <a href="https://www.wired.com/2011/09/bill-kunkel-dies/all/" target="_blank">Internet source.</a> Mr. Horowitz also conducted an <a href="http://www.sega-16.com/2006/02/interview-bill-kunkel/" target="_blank">interview with Bill, which can be found here.</a> This Niles Nemo adventure may be the most surreal of them all, with wild layouts, painful puns, and crazy characters such as a witch, a clown, several animated toys, and strange creatures of the forest. Click on the thumbnails and enjoy!<br /><br />Next time: <i style="color: orange;">Ninjas!!</i><br />Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-6980268325073495502016-12-28T23:52:00.000-08:002016-12-29T00:12:14.213-08:00NILES NEMO IN SEGALAND-Episode 3 "Golden Axe"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9avKtlg22xCR_nqy-sCZVY54-_Z-iGNzMHwrwKiSN6KdaDfuVtrJsD4CBucwSQL8ICQn6yMfL57_-TV9fHn8SLLT2RXk9MppuexsaWsnwoKySfWspQyU4uVyTiwXQexZXSfVxKMY2JdU/s1600/Niles+Nemo+3b+1000pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9avKtlg22xCR_nqy-sCZVY54-_Z-iGNzMHwrwKiSN6KdaDfuVtrJsD4CBucwSQL8ICQn6yMfL57_-TV9fHn8SLLT2RXk9MppuexsaWsnwoKySfWspQyU4uVyTiwXQexZXSfVxKMY2JdU/s320/Niles+Nemo+3b+1000pix.JPG" width="236" /></a></div>
<i>Moving right along...!</i> From the Winter 1990/91 issue of Sega Visions. This third episode of Niles features a cast of barbarians, elves, warrior skeletons, Huns, dragons, a couple of female warriors, and a cameo appearance by me, as I more or less looked at the time, disguised as a one-eyed Norseman (Page 2, Panel 4). Another complex story brimming with characters and as much plot as Bill could cram into two-pages while simultaneously demonstrating the basics of the game. FUN FACT: I originally drew the game controller as the Sega-16 model, it being the current version, but before publication (and luckily before inked art), someone discovered that the game was not available yet for Sega-16, so I changed Niles' "weapon" to the Master System controller.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Next up:<span style="color: #ffd966;"> </span></span><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="color: lime;">Dave Digs Disney,</span> or my complex encounter with <span style="color: magenta;">the Mouse Factory!</span></span>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-33057965103192087952015-01-23T03:38:00.000-08:002015-01-23T03:38:02.411-08:00NILES NEMO IN SEGALAND-Episode 2 "Columns"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsy4n5Y_YhIgg6FLm0Wpz5dmOdRz9QoUeYP9E0KMVdc0P9jn3ibnbPm077DxEit7GOim1h4gij-7geQvW5mDx01mI4qV1O7_08VTUyXu2jTrrEIgeNGJ1hvjUBCZcc724bnVyfamqDqI/s1600/Niles+Nemo+2a+1000pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsy4n5Y_YhIgg6FLm0Wpz5dmOdRz9QoUeYP9E0KMVdc0P9jn3ibnbPm077DxEit7GOim1h4gij-7geQvW5mDx01mI4qV1O7_08VTUyXu2jTrrEIgeNGJ1hvjUBCZcc724bnVyfamqDqI/s1600/Niles+Nemo+2a+1000pix.JPG" height="320" width="236" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCt8ihoF_zyyBbr1oVcg4D1djw7XX3VfPPzvYYwW_7dVREnx5egAzDJMuVM3mH4QCREVFqlrRvpTzNOujoWKYhag0JjAk6iZ0c36Y-t3pZqsLzlBkNBQaNp4JOlGxl9VPzc8ww1cXOkGs/s1600/Niles+Nemo+2b+1000pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCt8ihoF_zyyBbr1oVcg4D1djw7XX3VfPPzvYYwW_7dVREnx5egAzDJMuVM3mH4QCREVFqlrRvpTzNOujoWKYhag0JjAk6iZ0c36Y-t3pZqsLzlBkNBQaNp4JOlGxl9VPzc8ww1cXOkGs/s1600/Niles+Nemo+2b+1000pix.JPG" height="320" width="233" /></a></div>
Here is episode 2 of Niles Nemo in Segaland from the October-November 1990 issue of Sega Visions Magazine, almost a quarter of a century ago! The Sega Genesis version of Columns was brand new. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Kunkel_%28gaming%29" target="_blank">Bill Kunkel</a> wrote another great script with some very creative characters and scenes. FUN FACTS: The stage manager character is a cartoon rendering of my friend and <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/" style="color: red;" target="_blank">The NoWhere-Men™</a> writing partner, <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Dave LeBlanc</span>. Dave is not a little person, nor does he normally wear a toga, but otherwise he looked just like that circa 1990. Also, this was the first Niles Nemo adventure where I rendered separate art for the line art and color, using a fairly complex technique to get the look I was after in the color. If memory serves, I believe I went through this process because I was less than satisfied with the fact that my hand lettering was printed in color in the first episode, rather than separated out and printed in just black ink. Separating the line art from the color also gave me crisper black line work throughout. <br /><br />Here's the rundown on my technique:<br /><br />Having done the pencils on a large layout pad, and then inked and lettered them on a light box onto Bristol board, I next rendered the color on a separate overlay. I did this by putting a sheet of watercolor paper over the inked art and tracing the color areas in colored pencil on the light box. For example, Nile’s coat would be outlined in red pencil. Then, I could paint in the colors using overhead light, which gave me more control over the tonalities. Finally, I would add some airbrush effects, more colored pencil, and voila! This was in the early days of desktop publishing, and though the rest of the magazine was produced using various graphic programs, I was many years away from learning how to use a computer to generate art. Today, I still use pen and ink for all my illustrations and then scan, and finish them in Photoshop.<br /><br />As always, click on the images to see the larger art, and stay tuned for more Niles Nemo adventures! <span style="color: orange;">NEXT: </span><i style="color: orange;">Barbarians, dragons, and elves! Oh my!!</i><br />Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-44693729024678407322014-12-30T20:52:00.000-08:002014-12-31T13:32:43.300-08:00NILES NEMO-The first adventure!Here's the first ever Niles Nemo adventure! It was the only one I drew and painted all on the same layer. After that, I started doing the line art separately and rendering the color on an overlay. That was a particularly daunting and exacting process, as I chose to paint the color on watercolor paper, which even when it's on a light-box, is fairly opaque. I used a combination of colored pencil, watercolors, and an airbrush effect which was accomplished by blowing air from a can over the tip of a marker. More on that process later! Meanwhile, here's Episode 1 of Niles <span style="color: yellow;">Nemo in Segaland</span>, written by the awesome <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Kunkel_%28gaming%29" target="_blank">Bill Kunkel</a> and illustrated by Dave Sullivan!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZGaCLShTSVpCVwTH_y1y4JVH9txFbnfEuo2lvugfYdVNUivBcfOVt1IljlnIP5LU3JNfmmOxmMKnuRHxDrfV2WsRJflEEFjKrjoBhhF9uLameKBk9lUs-gzIONtqJoUCF2loPZzKy6c/s1600/Niles+Nemo+1a+800pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZGaCLShTSVpCVwTH_y1y4JVH9txFbnfEuo2lvugfYdVNUivBcfOVt1IljlnIP5LU3JNfmmOxmMKnuRHxDrfV2WsRJflEEFjKrjoBhhF9uLameKBk9lUs-gzIONtqJoUCF2loPZzKy6c/s1600/Niles+Nemo+1a+800pix.JPG" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbzs2Pt4fRAV1GDc5U6Mzlf3mMTipvjaAUt95XBDZuAYeFNmALgw_djOQ1zH2MhjfE8rb5QOa6CG0TTm_bSqq_cHTJuLZQna2RTnAJxi_ngbCit4wG31XiltMui0WhoqTXkW6dDTHNzI/s1600/Niles+Nemo+1b+800+pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbzs2Pt4fRAV1GDc5U6Mzlf3mMTipvjaAUt95XBDZuAYeFNmALgw_djOQ1zH2MhjfE8rb5QOa6CG0TTm_bSqq_cHTJuLZQna2RTnAJxi_ngbCit4wG31XiltMui0WhoqTXkW6dDTHNzI/s1600/Niles+Nemo+1b+800+pix.JPG" height="320" width="241" /></a></div>
Bill was great to work with, allowing me a lot of leeway to condense the
script or discard some parts if I felt there was too much to fit into
two pages. I never took advantage of that, however. It was more fun to
think of creative ways to tell that whole story in two pages. For
example, in this episode, there are 12 panels on page 1 and 15 on page 2
including all the insets.<br />
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I never met Bill during the course of our collaborations, as we were thousands of miles apart, but had several enjoyable phone conversations with him in those pre-email/texting days. We'd been out of touch for some time, probably since shortly after the publication of his excellent autobiography, <a href="http://www.rolentapress.com/Products/Confessions%20of%20the%20Game%20Doctor/Preview.htm" target="_blank">"Confessions of the Game Doctor,"</a> and it was just now, while researching this blog post, that I discovered very sadly, that he had <a href="http://www.wired.com/2011/09/bill-kunkel-dies/all/" target="_blank">passed away</a>. Bill sent me a copy of his book, and I was was pleased to discover that it was a breezy read, as they say, even for a non-gamer like me. He also asked me to draw an updated (2006) version of Niles Nemo which is seen below. Why Bill wanted that, I can't recall, but I believe it was on his blog for a while. A belated sayonara, Bill. You were <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/09/07/bill-kunkel-tribute" target="_blank">the greatest.</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNsye50L21-hp7O8hWMJHGiAtSzHiZWLNhlRhHeQCrrvIVGBidyJFZpMd0y8ljWJAEMWQkrShMMp-X42SxqnVHCnFkjwAgKAIkUXGlxMZO2Whx4y2nRIErYWwYQo8bmZwNz2qTrJc9Ec/s1600/Niles+2006+800pix..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNsye50L21-hp7O8hWMJHGiAtSzHiZWLNhlRhHeQCrrvIVGBidyJFZpMd0y8ljWJAEMWQkrShMMp-X42SxqnVHCnFkjwAgKAIkUXGlxMZO2Whx4y2nRIErYWwYQo8bmZwNz2qTrJc9Ec/s1600/Niles+2006+800pix..JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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The updated (and now outdated!) Niles seen here has a darker, grunge/slacker look and is outfitted with an iPod, and a wrist brace to help with his carpal tunnel syndrome, a by-product of years of video game playing. The "Sega" logo he used to have shaved onto the back of his head has been replaced by a tattoo.</div>
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More Niles adventure to come! Stay tuned! </div>
Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-29973516940211372372014-12-30T19:12:00.001-08:002014-12-30T19:15:20.284-08:00NILES NEMO-From the archives!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OMgJJBaRsvWmJaEamcutrymOEkI5byxie2UJeiUWPb4Tx5gOFNkzewp3OQVzI8LXm9a-DyrqwV1I55LGW_TTpsn5MUoDLZR1Gt8TeBaggH7Pt-lwiSx9dwik6HudwKRDQYtb8pVhJEE/s1600/Niles+Nemo+and+Alex+Kidd+concept+art+600pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OMgJJBaRsvWmJaEamcutrymOEkI5byxie2UJeiUWPb4Tx5gOFNkzewp3OQVzI8LXm9a-DyrqwV1I55LGW_TTpsn5MUoDLZR1Gt8TeBaggH7Pt-lwiSx9dwik6HudwKRDQYtb8pVhJEE/s1600/Niles+Nemo+and+Alex+Kidd+concept+art+600pix.JPG" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
I've been thinking for quite a while about setting up a gallery of the complete episodes of "Niles Nemo In Segaland," a two-page comic book feature I illustrated back in the early '90s for Sega Visions Magazine. So, why not do it here? I'll add more about the history of Niles Nemo, his origins, etc., as the gallery grows. Right now, I'm starting with a special, never-before-seen image of Niles and Alex Kidd. I rendered it as a concept drawing of the two characters before drawing the first adventure. A smaller version of the scene appears on page one of the first Niles story, when the two characters meet. You're seeing it here first, dudes and dudettes!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5H4v5AR0PN5C8gJuc6jebQWk2_P9DTZbcl3VfTK-WxPnAnUhOXqbUYhkooHGaelVyKal2AC_9Gr_KoZU0kCXNvuLoD92wE_20tKmzU_fvVlrulAVjGP3B2GZteuNNvF2w7ZBJmmxUp3I/s1600/Alex+Kidd+concept+art+800pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5H4v5AR0PN5C8gJuc6jebQWk2_P9DTZbcl3VfTK-WxPnAnUhOXqbUYhkooHGaelVyKal2AC_9Gr_KoZU0kCXNvuLoD92wE_20tKmzU_fvVlrulAVjGP3B2GZteuNNvF2w7ZBJmmxUp3I/s1600/Alex+Kidd+concept+art+800pix.JPG" height="268" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoJ4SK4I-G8plSkq1CrY_bE_9TEtPzpLrpK9X8BPemPVMQgGmES1WUybdMhafFyXjZDn8UasZAif2XttStfhF7DgNReT__nXUnuCndMJuv6NpMV2nF5-B5eNpR5ftiqPIUd90xnHBGMM/s1600/Niles+Nemo+concept+art+800pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoJ4SK4I-G8plSkq1CrY_bE_9TEtPzpLrpK9X8BPemPVMQgGmES1WUybdMhafFyXjZDn8UasZAif2XttStfhF7DgNReT__nXUnuCndMJuv6NpMV2nF5-B5eNpR5ftiqPIUd90xnHBGMM/s1600/Niles+Nemo+concept+art+800pix.JPG" height="263" width="320" /></a></div>
This painting is fairly large, about 22 inches wide, so given the size limitations of the blog, I'm also presenting it in two parts, so you can see the characters in greater detail. As always, click on the images to see the larger art.Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-65212985091999582972013-12-31T16:35:00.000-08:002014-01-06T00:45:20.965-08:00IS THERE A SUPERHERO IN THE NEXT CUBICLE??<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqpSI4V12XLOVI_SE_UNXXu_cYxCl7pPsP98pED8N5GSuYUvJXXjjzAVLYsi9xJ7pAVb2AuCT6p-jx_tw5kfN9NQb5H7QtCHk6Tq1uSd9syPQpFQp1k5pkIixDIs76kUEeOZIlGWCbEA/s1600/Heroes+montage600pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqpSI4V12XLOVI_SE_UNXXu_cYxCl7pPsP98pED8N5GSuYUvJXXjjzAVLYsi9xJ7pAVb2AuCT6p-jx_tw5kfN9NQb5H7QtCHk6Tq1uSd9syPQpFQp1k5pkIixDIs76kUEeOZIlGWCbEA/s640/Heroes+montage600pix.JPG" height="640" width="408" /></a></div>
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Earlier this year, I was contacted by <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/patricia-bacall/2/b77/768" style="color: lime;" target="_blank">Patricia Bacall</a>, the multi-talented head of <a href="http://www.bacallcreative.com/" style="color: magenta;" target="_blank">Bacall:Creative</a>, to design a series of superheroic images for a marketing campaign for <a href="http://www.crucial.com/" target="_blank">Crucial.com</a>. The concept was a very clever and original one: First, find the person in your office whom everyone turns to when computer malfunctions erupt, causing widespread chaos and panic, who is uniquely capable of solving the problem. Then, nominate him/her online for an award: <a href="http://www.crucial.com/company/media/releases/pressrelease.aspx?id=C3ACC415EFA2B68E" target="_blank"><span style="color: cyan;">"The Official Unofficial Office Computer Go-To Superstar" </span>Award</a>, to be precise. The competition seems to be over now, and the website down, but you can <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130408005415/en/Survey-53-Office-Computer-Users-%E2%80%98No-Thanks%E2%80%99" style="color: #b4a7d6;" target="_blank">read all about the competition and Crucial.com</a>, plus scan some other interesting data <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130408005415/en/Survey-53-Office-Computer-Users-%E2%80%98No-Thanks%E2%80%99" target="_blank">here</a>. <a href="http://www.crucial.com/company/media/releases/pressrelease.aspx?id=C3ACC415EFA2B68E" style="color: #e06666;" target="_blank">Crucial.com's announcement about the contest</a> is available <a href="http://www.crucial.com/company/media/releases/pressrelease.aspx?id=C3ACC415EFA2B68E" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I created <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqpSI4V12XLOVI_SE_UNXXu_cYxCl7pPsP98pED8N5GSuYUvJXXjjzAVLYsi9xJ7pAVb2AuCT6p-jx_tw5kfN9NQb5H7QtCHk6Tq1uSd9syPQpFQp1k5pkIixDIs76kUEeOZIlGWCbEA/s1600/Heroes+montage600pix.JPG" style="color: #9fc5e8;" target="_blank">six images for the campaign</a>, seen in the above image and the enlarged single hero illustration below. Click on the pictures for larger views. Each character was a pastiche of an ordinary office worker and a superhero. Special thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/patriciabacall" style="color: lime;" target="_blank">Patricia</a> for finding me and handing me the illustration reins for this very entertaining project!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkmbDT6LPbCRBBfh7elkLchfEBCRGIgimbRjuIRCYIH0szEcPOZ90mWceOaE1b3FIeejMpKp_SyGVZf3QHjy4QcSTrpmearGkPpdz8xE37f0UvoU3dZzlqyAF8g3fJaQydYIe50ubFAc/s1600/Hero-1+background+color.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkmbDT6LPbCRBBfh7elkLchfEBCRGIgimbRjuIRCYIH0szEcPOZ90mWceOaE1b3FIeejMpKp_SyGVZf3QHjy4QcSTrpmearGkPpdz8xE37f0UvoU3dZzlqyAF8g3fJaQydYIe50ubFAc/s400/Hero-1+background+color.JPG" height="400" width="347" /></a></div>
Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-27423961401451560412013-12-16T14:49:00.000-08:002014-01-06T00:52:00.843-08:00THE NOWHERE-MEN™ NEW ANIMATED LOGO AND CHARACTERS ART ONLINE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_En6ypLuo5PSyHXyKzB8OiU1F9tnRYjvrWWSfwb3UsW6easO9iTupnTCEGE-2fiPfPGS8-9-K9vt74mf8hw3VBmQJYgEUFTWUDKrlxAkLwSiaOpAdqYrbh9B79kvlRftO3neMa7AUxF4/s1600/TheNoWhere-MenCliff13-600pix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_En6ypLuo5PSyHXyKzB8OiU1F9tnRYjvrWWSfwb3UsW6easO9iTupnTCEGE-2fiPfPGS8-9-K9vt74mf8hw3VBmQJYgEUFTWUDKrlxAkLwSiaOpAdqYrbh9B79kvlRftO3neMa7AUxF4/s400/TheNoWhere-MenCliff13-600pix.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQRK0nC87fOXK3EMLm0QIIzykM9T2TqYSK-JnUhGTfXJg6B7ZXLoRD5peISsCAeQjiYSzD0z6SqFjWcAl8ns0Tc0EQptN7keYiOUB2Hwdhwkacust0qB9kZQXnmchhJlljoJJTjnHhqU/s1600/new_the_nowheremen_tm_dark_tshirt+color.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
A year passes like nothing, or so it seems. The first six months of 2013 are a total blur, as I was busy with a major book project. The rest of the year has mostly involved catching up with everything I put off during that period. Hence, it's been over a year since my last post and even longer since I revamped <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/" style="color: #9fc5e8;" target="_blank">The NoWhere-Men™</a> website with this <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank">very cool and dramatic </a><span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank">animated art</a> </span>featuring all of the heroes on the cliff with the logo animated and some striking lightning and lighting effects. It's an animated GIF and at 2.5MB can be a bit of a download, but is worth the several seconds of wait time in my opinion. The above image is one frame from the animation. Click on it for <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_En6ypLuo5PSyHXyKzB8OiU1F9tnRYjvrWWSfwb3UsW6easO9iTupnTCEGE-2fiPfPGS8-9-K9vt74mf8hw3VBmQJYgEUFTWUDKrlxAkLwSiaOpAdqYrbh9B79kvlRftO3neMa7AUxF4/s1600/TheNoWhere-MenCliff13-600pix.jpg" style="color: red;" target="_blank">the larger version</a>, or <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank">go to the site</a> for the animation Several more updates for <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">The NoWhere-Men™</span></a> site are in the works, including adding <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2009/12/nowhere-men-art-1.html" style="color: cyan;" target="_blank">Joe Comet™</a> and<span style="color: yellow;"> </span><a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2009/12/nowhere-men-art-2.html" style="color: yellow;" target="_blank">Hour Father™</a> images, as well as animated logos and a wild illustration featuring a face-off between <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen009.htm" style="color: #f6b26b;" target="_blank">The Maniacal Mister Bones</a> and <a href="http://www.thenowhere-men.com/thenowheremen012.htm" style="color: #9fc5e8;" target="_blank">The Phantom Aardvark</a><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">!</span> <span style="color: red;">Stay tuned!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQRK0nC87fOXK3EMLm0QIIzykM9T2TqYSK-JnUhGTfXJg6B7ZXLoRD5peISsCAeQjiYSzD0z6SqFjWcAl8ns0Tc0EQptN7keYiOUB2Hwdhwkacust0qB9kZQXnmchhJlljoJJTjnHhqU/s1600/new_the_nowheremen_tm_dark_tshirt+color.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQRK0nC87fOXK3EMLm0QIIzykM9T2TqYSK-JnUhGTfXJg6B7ZXLoRD5peISsCAeQjiYSzD0z6SqFjWcAl8ns0Tc0EQptN7keYiOUB2Hwdhwkacust0qB9kZQXnmchhJlljoJJTjnHhqU/s320/new_the_nowheremen_tm_dark_tshirt+color.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
Meanwhile, I've added some <span style="color: cyan;">new products</span> to <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/nowheremen" style="color: lime;" target="_blank">The NoWhere-Men™ gift shop</a>, including a very cool new<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/mf/66439015/new-the-nowheremen-tm-_tshirt?shop=nowheremen&productId=1211875520" style="color: #9fc5e8;" target="_blank">black T-Shirt</a> adorned with the classic cliff scene. Check it out<span style="color: yellow;"> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/mf/66439015/new-the-nowheremen-tm-_tshirt?shop=nowheremen&productId=1211875520" style="color: yellow;" target="_blank">here!</a>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-57508646366742355422012-12-10T03:29:00.001-08:002012-12-10T03:29:59.245-08:00MY UNO COVER WINS TWO CASE AWARDS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtekDCXeWZXvAbja7aHK3Ds1lF8wi-Pp2KOnqX4HbbkDWldNIMIzx9KBEk1z1plg53nn5PfyHc1likyM22YWFxJEoA2-4jpdcBncCbqM__u1PoOvrwO_yKJNcP3JOfwVIE1B7Z7XN7Jg/s1600/UNO+magazine+with+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtekDCXeWZXvAbja7aHK3Ds1lF8wi-Pp2KOnqX4HbbkDWldNIMIzx9KBEk1z1plg53nn5PfyHc1likyM22YWFxJEoA2-4jpdcBncCbqM__u1PoOvrwO_yKJNcP3JOfwVIE1B7Z7XN7Jg/s320/UNO+magazine+with+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I thought I was done talking about my cover art for the <span style="color: cyan;">UNO Alumni Magazine</span> summer issue. That was until I found out that the cover and my illustration won both the <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Silver</span> and <span style="color: #f6b26b;">Bronze</span> <span style="color: magenta;">CASE Awards</span> in their category. <span style="color: red;"> The CASE Awards </span>are bestowed by the <span style="color: lime;">Council for Advancement and Support of Education</span>, and the cover won for excellence in design in the Communications and Marketing category. For more about <span style="color: #ffe599;">CASE</span>, click <a href="http://www.case.org/About_CASE.html" target="_blank">here.</a> For details about the cover art awards and others won by the <span style="color: orange;">University of Nebraska at Omaha</span>, click <a href="http://unoalumni.org/case2012dec" target="_blank">here.</a> To download a copy of my own press release, prepared by my friend and colleague, the incomparable <a href="http://www.hebertcomms.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">John Hebert</span></a>, click <a href="http://www.theillustrator.net/UNO%20Case%20Awards%20Press%20Release.html" target="_blank">here.</a> My thanks to him, and again to the <a href="http://www.emspacegroup.com/" target="_blank">Emspace Group</a> and ace Design Director <a href="http://www.emspacegroup.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm?SRC=MD008&SRCN=index&GnavID=1&SnavID=33&TnavID=&StaffBioID=12" style="color: #b6d7a8;" target="_blank">Heidi Mihelich</a>, with whom I worked on the project. More about all that is <a href="http://davesullivantheillustrator.blogspot.com/2012/10/omaha-overrun-by-humanoid-animals.html" target="_blank">two posts below.</a>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-88933894927779073742012-10-12T03:48:00.000-07:002012-11-17T21:31:36.198-08:00JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeZ-Htxsm6dbsahl-4qVU5skWsLqcOTeihEhf43-vcvmLABvIbzjzWDSVXS_RPGGjujW1F9xPmU5AjZkRTE-F3Kk6fnjh7Quxcn0JQPIwC0-OppQs8KUel2baKEmb2VcxkXSxEcoHarc/s1600/Jack+Kirby+illo-black+background1-600pix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeZ-Htxsm6dbsahl-4qVU5skWsLqcOTeihEhf43-vcvmLABvIbzjzWDSVXS_RPGGjujW1F9xPmU5AjZkRTE-F3Kk6fnjh7Quxcn0JQPIwC0-OppQs8KUel2baKEmb2VcxkXSxEcoHarc/s640/Jack+Kirby+illo-black+background1-600pix.JPG" width="288" /></a></div>
Early this past spring, I was contacted by my long-time client, the awesome <a href="http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/jodie-bernard/12/391/288?trk=pub-pbmap" target="_blank"><span style="color: cyan;">Jodie Bernard</span></a> of <span style="color: lime;">Lightbox Visuals</span>, regarding an unusual assignment for an English book titled <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Modern Morsels: Selections of Canadian short Fiction and Poetry."</span> To be featured in the book was a poem about comics legend extraordinaire <span style="color: red;">Jack Kirby</span>, his experiences as a soldier in World War II, and the influences those experiences may have had on Kirby's later characterizations, particularly his villains. There was no specific concept for the accompanying illustration, so I was asked to come up with one. I submitted two ideas. The one which was decisively chosen is the image above. My idea was to draw Jack in uniform, as he was in WWII, fending off villains with a giant pencil wielded like a rifle. I also wanted to draw the piece in a close approximation of Jack Kirby's own, unmistakable style. My other concept was similar, except that it would have shown soldier Jack riding the giant pencil through space like the <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Silver Surfer</span>. I liked that idea because it would have given me the chance to draw some <a href="http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/33krackle.html" target="_blank">"Kirby Krackle,"</a> but the chosen concept was a much more literal interpretation of the poem's message.<br /><br />Little did anyone know that I was a decades-long fan of "King" Kirby's work and was also familiar with his WWII experiences. That helped make this a very special assignment for me. I was determined to do a fitting tribute to Jack, so I immersed myself in numerous back issues of <a href="http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=98_57&zenid=uv35i4l4qckncq8fp2dus6k4j0" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">The Jack Kirby Collector</span></a>, some Sgt. Fury comics, and reprints of monster comics from the late 1950's. When I'd absorbed enough Kirby-isms (such as his treatment of lightning and craggy mountains), I started drawing. There are no "swipes" in the illustration, just my attempt at capturing the Kirby style, his treatment of anatomy, drapery, dynamic perspective, etc. For the inking, which was usually handled by other artists during most of Jack's career, I leaned toward <span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Mike Royer's</span> style, which is considered the most faithful to the original pencil art, rather than attempting to ape the style of my favorite J.K. inker, the great <a href="http://www.joesinnott.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Joe Sinnott</span></a>. Joe (whom I've had the pleasure of meeting a few times over the decades, including at the <span style="color: yellow;">2012 Boston Comic Convention</span>) had a way of smoothing out and adding just a touch more naturalistic sculpting to Kirby's pencil art, but this piece was all about Jack.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.ilit.ca/" target="_blank">book</a> is finally in print and can be ordered <a href="http://ww.mhrmath10.ca/school/explore/9780071066990/ilit+modern+morsels:+selections+of+canadian+poetry+and+short+fic%20%20tion/" target="_blank">here</a>, with a full description of the contents <a href="http://ww.mhrmath10.ca/school/products/9780071066990/ilit+modern+morsels:+selections+of+canadian+poetry+and+short+fi%20%20ction/#tabs-description" target="_blank">here</a>. It's an English Literature textbook, and the Kirby poem is the only comics-related feature in the book. My special thanks to <span style="color: #ead1dc;">Jodie</span> for choosing me for this highly enjoyable assignment! Click on the image for a larger version.Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159581156445486100.post-54261393470082255692012-10-02T02:28:00.000-07:002012-11-17T21:35:35.252-08:00OMAHA OVERRUN BY HUMANOID ANIMALS!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91Af71-TGi0OvPVJOyhhdX6PAO5Njtd96KDaikeHdeRX29cWvBrgS3CDGUUTkfEbEKsA9qBUnlKdWE2JWxdWk_xg1ZCqzEQXVauxiryQhfpTKyNiTVJytEoj9k-uCdJeIhkkxDrDTDTY/s1600/UNO+Cover+600pix.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91Af71-TGi0OvPVJOyhhdX6PAO5Njtd96KDaikeHdeRX29cWvBrgS3CDGUUTkfEbEKsA9qBUnlKdWE2JWxdWk_xg1ZCqzEQXVauxiryQhfpTKyNiTVJytEoj9k-uCdJeIhkkxDrDTDTY/s400/UNO+Cover+600pix.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSLkIaLnFF2EzH9mbRgm_40hCVn_dUevB24xpOce0Lrv19revxmmx0iTbPqJ19267ChWwCHVKC27v5m__Z7cq2sku-gOWVrHeIx3RrqWAf_YtFCLCquReiPEd6Dt8DhaGevyEZXCS8bE/s1600/UNO+Cover+600pix+back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSLkIaLnFF2EzH9mbRgm_40hCVn_dUevB24xpOce0Lrv19revxmmx0iTbPqJ19267ChWwCHVKC27v5m__Z7cq2sku-gOWVrHeIx3RrqWAf_YtFCLCquReiPEd6Dt8DhaGevyEZXCS8bE/s400/UNO+Cover+600pix+back.JPG" width="287" /></a></div>
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A few months back, I was contracted to do a wraparound cover for <a href="http://unoalumni.org/unomag-summer12" style="color: red;" target="_blank">UNO Magazine</a>, the alumni journal for the <span style="color: #f1c232;">University of Nebraska at Omaha</span>. It was a complex project, as the art was not only to be used as the front and back covers, but sections of the illustration were to be utilized as interior spots accompanying a number of articles and features. Several buildings and landmarks from the UNO campus needed to be depicted on the front cover, and slice-of-life scenes would be interspersed throughout the piece. All in all, a few dozen specs were assembled into one large cityscape scene. Of particular importance was the style of rendering. The Design Director of <a href="http://www.emspacegroup.com/" style="color: #cfe2f3;" target="_blank">The Emspace Group</a>, the remarkable <a href="http://www.emspacegroup.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm?SRC=MD008&SRCN=index&GnavID=1&SnavID=33&TnavID=&StaffBioID=12" target="_blank"><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Heidi Mihelich</span></a>, UNO Mag designer extraordinaire, requested I draw all of the characters in this somewhat fanciful Omaha as humanized animals, reminiscent of <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Richard Scarry's</span> children's books, particularly the very busy <span style="color: #e06666;">"What Do People Do All Day?"</span>. I employed my usual <a href="http://www.davesullivan.net/" style="color: lime;" target="_blank">cartoon line art style</a> with color tones and textures added digitally. It was great fun creating the animal characters. I chose to stick mainly with mammals and generally naturalistic, human-like proportions to clearly depict the intricate interactions.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVVzjUw0b16DAoH83BcFalVWSCaOU5ihxKYRedyJ1oPCOkcbHimA4ZNf7R94b2eXXz78jVWg_5rqW30f_gao2PkyHya7Mi5iWB2K4MM49WxzhVDakPwQrMRZ0mxJ4jXeqDVAD7XsMvlI/s1600/UNO+Cover+detail+600pix.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVVzjUw0b16DAoH83BcFalVWSCaOU5ihxKYRedyJ1oPCOkcbHimA4ZNf7R94b2eXXz78jVWg_5rqW30f_gao2PkyHya7Mi5iWB2K4MM49WxzhVDakPwQrMRZ0mxJ4jXeqDVAD7XsMvlI/s320/UNO+Cover+detail+600pix.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9z3VKB-OW6p3ey-IeEyYkpLGPSuDg2saATyzAOcdkBM6q4k0pRFvd82-3gwfW57vNF77PY8dLi_rOdjHdCjLcThPH2Poe37syRHcv8Z0zeA_GPA9ZGe7cGXneRLXbfKXK3vRXJgPFP4/s1600/UNO+Cover+detail2+600pix.JPG"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9z3VKB-OW6p3ey-IeEyYkpLGPSuDg2saATyzAOcdkBM6q4k0pRFvd82-3gwfW57vNF77PY8dLi_rOdjHdCjLcThPH2Poe37syRHcv8Z0zeA_GPA9ZGe7cGXneRLXbfKXK3vRXJgPFP4/s320/UNO+Cover+detail2+600pix.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Included above are a small image of the entire cover, including areas that were covered up by the logo and mailing address graphics, larger versions of the front and back covers, and a couple of large details to better show the line quality and textures. All for your viewing pleasure! The entire issue, including the cover, of course, can now be seen online as a <a href="http://www.unoalumni.org/unomag-summer12/flipbook" target="_blank">flipbook</a> or a free downloadable <a href="http://unoalumni.org/document.doc?id=897" target="_blank">PDF</a> file at the <a href="http://unoalumni.org/unomag-summer12" style="color: #e06666;" target="_blank">UNO Magazine</a> website. Many thanks to Heidi for finding me at my <a href="http://www.theillustrator.org/" style="color: #b6d7a8;" target="_blank">PictureBook</a> gallery and for her invaluable help with this massively complex visual project. In closing, here is the image from a <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">1995 book cover</span> I drew that inspired the whole thing. As always, click on each image to see a larger version.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Tza5zqU-C9Wj6Qz2H4aqRWvOp_Js8c1OcuROUn4CdPYsPLIXhDfnI-oXFFJlw_fqsqY0z7uOo9XCSm-QJgQ886bIRbSighdJTZAxySoMLd5rMZfuJJwjYXtTtc0DqjPGc-vCm3WJnxA/s1600/ShortCuts1Cover600pix.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Tza5zqU-C9Wj6Qz2H4aqRWvOp_Js8c1OcuROUn4CdPYsPLIXhDfnI-oXFFJlw_fqsqY0z7uOo9XCSm-QJgQ886bIRbSighdJTZAxySoMLd5rMZfuJJwjYXtTtc0DqjPGc-vCm3WJnxA/s400/ShortCuts1Cover600pix.JPG" width="400" /></a>Dave Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14088528875509717772noreply@blogger.com0