i-strain productions

FridayDrinkAndDraw....

2012-02-14T18:47:00.004-05:00

I'm a huge Mike Mignola fan. I think Hellboy and B.P.R.D. are the bee's knees. So, during a #FridayDrinkAndDraw on twitter, I had a chance to take a stab at a favorite character. Daryl the Wendigo. Brush pen, Microns, White ink and water colour.

2012 sketch action.

2012-01-26T21:04:00.002-05:00

Some doodles from the sketch book. Just goofy fun. Microns, and brush pen.

Out with the old...

2012-01-12T19:37:00.000-05:00

A quick sketch for the new year. Seems like a shame to throw out a perfectly good Machine man. Microns, brush pen and white ink.

Merry happy!

2011-12-21T20:06:00.000-05:00

Happy holiday season everyone! Have fun, eat/drink it up, do something nice for someone and play safe! See you all in 2012.

Wind.

2011-12-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

Pick a theme and draw it. Something Kelly Williams came up with. A twitter challenge of sorts. So, in good fun, here's my sketch for Wind in the Willows. I'm really looking forward to see what Kelly comes up with. He's a great guy with awesome art chops. Check out Kelly's drawing here!

Fly by night.

2011-11-29T20:33:00.001-05:00

Wow! This month has been busy. Actually, it's a blur. Finding the time to do a sketch for fun was pretty tough. Well, I came up with a owl. I'm not sure why. Oh well. Brush pen and ink wash.

Up and at them.

2011-10-27T20:21:00.001-04:00

Happy Hallowe'en all! I updated last years look and by that I mean, I started to rot more. Have fun out there!

One, two...

2011-10-19T19:21:00.000-04:00

Rabbit or 3 from the comic WE3. Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely. A great book with unreal art!

Snow day.

2011-10-19T18:51:00.000-04:00

Pencils and inks from my sketch book. Wolverine escaping from the Weapon X program. Pen, brush pen and white ink.

Random 3.

2011-10-17T18:23:00.001-04:00

Weird owl.

Strummer.

Fly creek.

..as hell.

2011-09-06T22:25:00.000-04:00

Drinks, iFanboy's 300th podcast and a lack of sleep. Fun!

Shadows.

2011-08-28T19:56:00.001-04:00

I remember picking up this series as a kid and being blown away by the art. I've been a fan of Mike Mignola ever since. He's been a huge inspiration and influence. In my mind, he's comic royalty.

Before and after 3.

2011-08-25T20:32:00.002-04:00

A process piece. Rough pencils, to inks. Lester from Essex County. Doodled out while listening to Rush. Canadian content day! Be sure to head over to Jeff's blog for fun, awesome art and great writing!

August with colour.

2011-08-24T13:32:00.000-04:00

The sketch from last week with watercolour.

August.

2011-08-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

A lazy summer day of reading comics and doing nothing. Brush pen on watercolour paper.

Parable.

2011-07-29T10:50:00.001-04:00

From the sketchbook. Homage to the story that the great Stan Lee and Moebius did back in 1988.

A quick one.

2011-07-28T20:25:00.001-04:00

Fast one from the sketchbook. The Goon!! Brush pen action.

Chris.

2011-07-26T21:30:00.001-04:00

A quick one for my old friend. Brush pen in the old sketchbook.

Kaneda.

2011-06-29T13:32:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite characters from one of my favorite comics. I could go on and on about how much I love Akira. But, to save everyone from boredom, a process piece. It started as a quick sketch, then I broke up the pencils into three separate layers. Just to save my sanity on the perspective parts. Then inks.

Summer.

2011-06-22T16:06:00.000-04:00

Brush pen, ink wash and white ink. Enjoy the sun folks!

Before and after 2.

2011-06-15T22:15:00.002-04:00

A little before and after action. Skinner Sweet from American Vampire.

Late night.

2011-06-03T13:12:00.000-04:00

I was inspired late last night by the great Joker cover that Jock did. Homage or slight rip off, call it what you will. All I know is, it's nowhere as good as the original image that kept me at my drawing board.

Paper test.

2011-06-01T13:30:00.000-04:00

A quick ink wash sketch of Boston. Just wanted to test out some new water colour paper.

The kids are all right.

2011-05-13T15:37:00.001-04:00

Ink wash sketches of Gus and Bobby from Sweet Tooth. If you haven't checked it out yet, you're missing out. Go on over to Jeff's blog for updates and great artwork!

Before and after.

2011-04-26T19:56:00.001-04:00

Process post. Pencil sketch to inks. Good old Cap during WW2.

Heath Huston.

2011-04-21T16:21:00.003-04:00

If you haven't read Rick Remender's Fear Agent, stop what you're doing and go and get it!

Spring.

2011-03-25T22:19:00.000-04:00

Brush pen, ink wash and white ink. Bring on the warm weather!

Random 2.

2011-03-23T14:50:00.002-04:00

A sketch dump of some things I did over the last little while.

B-day doodle.

2011-03-05T16:58:00.000-05:00

Cigar.

2011-03-04T00:45:00.000-05:00

My friend wanted a sketch. I wanted to use some halftone on a drawing. Like chocolate and peanut butter.. The Thing! Thanks Cameron.

Cardboard.

2011-02-11T11:33:00.000-05:00

A little Jonah Hex action on a piece of cardboard I had kicking around. Pen and brush pen.

Winter wash.

2011-02-05T19:00:00.000-05:00

This came from a weird dream and a quick scribble. Pen, ink wash and some white ink.

Beats me.

2011-01-23T11:32:00.001-05:00

Every once in a while, I'll doodle something that cracks me up. I'm not sure why, but this sparrow was the winner this week.

New year, new sketch.

2011-01-14T16:57:00.002-05:00

I woke up really early today and decided to clean up this quick little sketch. I hope everyone has a great 2011!

Last sketch of 2010.

2010-12-31T16:47:00.000-05:00

See you in 2011.

Happy Holidays.

2010-12-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

Have fun everyone!

Brutal.

2010-12-10T20:31:00.002-05:00

Well, all good things must come to a end. Tonight is the last local show for my long time friends band the Brutal Knights. I've known Jon, Matt ( though he left the band ) and Katie for a little over twenty years. I was really lucky to have the fun of drawing a ton of stuff for the band over the time that they were together. So, here's some of the stuff I did. From the crappy logo ( which I love for some reason..), to 7 inches, albums and t-shirts. Punk it up!

Winter.

2010-12-07T19:37:00.000-05:00

A quick one using the trusty brush pen, ink wash and some white ink.

Up late.

2010-11-11T15:23:00.000-05:00

I couldn't sleep last night, so I decided to sketch away. This is what I came up with. Bone is one of my all time favorite comics and Jeff Smith is a master. Originally, I was going to put my own spin on Fone Bone and the Great Red Dragon, but decided to try and stay on model as much as I could. The old animation training kicked in I guess. It's missing that Jeff Smith magic though.

That time of year.

2010-10-14T19:44:00.001-04:00

Happy early Hallowe'en! I realize I'm two weeks early, but I'm a go getter. A little zombie action never hurt anybody. Oh wait..

Fall.

2010-09-23T16:04:00.000-04:00

I did this while taking a break from roughing out Boston issue 2. Brush pen, ink wash and some white ink. Happy second day of fall everybody!

New place, new sketch.

2010-09-16T12:32:00.000-04:00

I was up really early today and just started drawing this guy while having a coffee. All the detail stuff was done with the handy brush pen and a little white ink.

Last at Bellefair.

2010-08-27T20:59:00.006-04:00

Ok. I'm a liar. I'm posting again before I move to my new apartment. I'm sorry. I was packing stuff up, listening to tunes and the bug hit me. Quick and just for fun

Summer.

2010-08-17T20:59:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone is having a great summer. So far, mine is flying by. That being said.. time's a wasting. See you in a month, relaxed... hopefully and living in a new pad. Rock and roll!

Random.

2010-07-26T19:29:00.002-04:00

A bunch of quick sketches I did over the month. I posted most of these already on Twitter, but I figured what the hell. Some of these are purely music inspired, others by friends that were at the San Diego Comic Con. Oh summer! Sorry I'm slacking folks.

Another quick one.

2010-06-29T19:37:00.000-04:00

Alright. I'm not going to lie to you. I've been really busy with work and I don't have any new sketches to show you at the moment. So, here's some process stuff on something that I've been working on. Basically, from roughs to inks. I think it's from page two. Sorry, It's been a long month. Stay tuned, more to come.

Trouble in Vegas.

2010-05-30T17:56:00.011-04:00

I did this drawing for my friend and Johnny Enduro collaborator Rob Delorme. The rough version of this has been kicking around for a while and Rob was getting on my back to finish it. So, here's a really early birthday present to Bobby Ottawa.

Brain dead april.

2010-04-27T18:06:00.069-04:00

I've been trying to think of something to put up here for weeks... but, to no avail. I'm blaming spring.

So, a quick one of myself, stumped on what to draw. Normally, I'm only half as angry looking.

Here's a piece I did for Jeff to congratulate him on getting his new gig writing DC's The Atom. Even though Jeff has been doing great comics for years, it's not everyday that one of your buddies gets a super-hero book. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

Boston.

2010-03-16T14:52:00.031-04:00

Here's a little story that I was lucky enough to work on. It was written by Josh Flanagan, lettered by Charles Pritchett and I handled the art duties. There's also a colored version coming down the road, done by Jordan Boyd. Hope you dig it. Check it out HERE!

A quick one.

2010-02-28T18:48:00.001-05:00

More quick character designs.

Get going.

2010-01-26T18:17:00.013-05:00

Usually when I start a new project, I like to do a drawing to get me going. Sort of like a promo poster / style guide / work out the kinks type of thing. Well, here's one for something I'm going to work on in the new year. I also threw in the initial rough, just for kicks.

New year, new things....

2010-01-08T19:09:00.007-05:00

Some rough character designs for a story I'm going to work on in the new year. Story wise, I'm keeping it hush, hush for now. The only hint is that the old man is the main focus of the whole thing.

Happy Holidays.

2009-12-23T00:00:00.012-05:00

Enjoy the holidays and see you in the new year!

Pancakes.

2009-11-21T10:16:00.012-05:00

A quick Hellboy sketch using the old brush pen. How can you not like a guy with a big stone hand? BOOM!

Twitter test 2.

2009-11-10T20:43:00.009-05:00

Another Twitter post, another Twitter sketch. Paul Montgomery threw out the idea of a guy in an antique diving suit fighting a yeti. One of the oddest things I've ever been asked to draw. I'm not sure if this is what he was thinking, but here it is.

Yamagata

2009-10-31T20:37:00.001-04:00

Oct. 31, 2001 - Oct. 8, 2009.

Sketchers.

2009-10-03T17:17:00.012-04:00

Here are some drawings from the old sketch book. Done after a long day, usually watching tv.

Time flies.

2009-09-11T21:23:00.022-04:00

I was looking through the old blog, when I realized that it's been a year since Josh and I have been collaborating. So, here's a Cap sketch to celebrate. He's been a great friend and I think he's a hell of a writer. We have a new project in the works and it should be ready soon. Another cool thing about working with Josh, is that I got to know other great people. Such as Jordan Boyd, who will be supplying his excellent color work to the project and Charles Pritchett killing it on the letters. Hooza!

Sweet Tooth.

2009-08-05T19:03:00.019-04:00

Here's a little something to thank Jeff for the great drawing he did. My take on his character Sweet Tooth. Be sure to pick up the first issue in September. I can't wait! Check out Jeff's work HERE!

Twitter test.

2009-08-01T13:32:00.008-04:00

Just trying out a little something. I put out a post on Twitter asking for ideas for a drawing. Well, this is what happened. Thanks to Josh for the idea. Giant toothy aliens!

Testing.

2009-07-29T21:05:00.006-04:00

Nothing crazy here, just testing out a new brush pen.

Awesome.

2009-07-18T12:40:00.012-04:00

Here's a drawing that my friend and Flying Burrito line mate Jeff Lemire did. It's for something that Josh and I are working on. Actually, there''s a teaser up at Josh's blog. But I'm keeping hush, hush for now. Sorry folks. If you haven't read any of Jeff's comic work, head over to his blog and check it out! I highly recommend the Eisner-nominated Essex County Trilogy. But it doesn't stop there. His newest graphic novel The Nobody was just released and is amazing. Plus, Jeff has a monthly comic coming out through Vertigo comics called Sweet Tooth. If you like good comics, do yourself a favour and pick up Jeff's stuff.

Sketchers.

2009-06-30T21:08:00.017-04:00

A little lunch time sketch that I threw together really quick. Tetsuo from Akira. I'm a huge fan of Akira the film, but I love the comic. I remember picking up the Epic comics version of this masterpiece back in 89. I have multiple copies of the entire run. My favorite is the latest that Dark Horse comics put out a couple of years back. I can't stress how big of a fan I am of this title. As far as I'm concerned, it's as close to perfect as a comic gets. Hopefully down the road, I'll do a series of proper drawings. Until then, here's to number 41.

Sketchers.

2009-05-31T19:38:00.014-04:00

Here's a quick sketch I did a couple of weeks ago. I have something coming down the pipe, but it just isn't ready yet. Dog's are cool though, right?

The works, with a side of color.

2009-04-20T18:13:00.010-04:00

Here's an updated version of " Logue's patrol". Thanks to the talent of Jordan Boyd. He really made the pages pop. Thanks again to Jordan and Josh for all the great work! Check it out HERE!

The Works.

2009-03-23T06:36:00.001-04:00

Well, here it is. A small Captain America spec story. It was written and lettered by Josh Flanagan . As far as I'm concerned, he did a awesome job. It's funny how a random e-mail can end up with a great script and new friend. Watch out for more stuff to come down the line. Check out the story HERE!

Almost...

2009-02-28T09:16:00.010-05:00

Wow, the end of February. Time flies when you're working way too much. Josh posted this page up on his blog a couple of days ago, so, I figured I might as well do the same. Plus, it saves me from drawing up something new. Sorry, but I'm really tired. The entire story will be ready really soon. I'm just tying up a few loose ends. Be sure to go over to Josh's blog, or enjoy the sweet sounds of his day job at IFANBOY . If you like comics, you'll love the great work Josh, Conor and Ron do.

Time out.

2009-01-31T22:31:00.006-05:00

Nothing art wise to show right now. I've been really swamped at work and with stuff on the side. Things are coming. But for now, I'm giving the boys the day off.

In the works part 3.

2008-12-31T11:01:00.004-05:00

Here's hopefully the last sneak peak. If everything goes well, I'll have something to show at the end end of January. Last post of 08, so I'll see you in the new year. All the best.

In the works part 2.

2008-11-30T09:57:00.005-05:00

It's been way too long since the last post. Between my day job and a little side project, the month just flew by. I wish I could show what it is I'm up to, but I've got to keep it under wraps for now. But I have to post something, so here's a little peek.

Happy Halloween.

2008-10-31T19:08:00.017-04:00

Well, it's that time of the year. This is a update of a drawing I did a while back. I just added a beard. Zombies are a little over played, but I still love them.

As a side note, happy birthday to my little buddy yamagata. Is that you Tetsuo?

In the works.

2008-09-28T10:36:00.007-04:00

A quick little sketch for something in the works. Now that the fall is here, it's time to get back to work. I just wish there were more hours in the day. Oh no, hockey season starts soon... need more hours!

Summer slacking.

2008-08-17T11:25:00.023-04:00

Well, it's nearing the end of the summer and I slacked off on the old blog. But I haven't been slacking off. The Spidey villains are all wrapped up, so it's on to something new. This is a teaser of something a friend and I are working on. A little taste of the buffet coming down the pipe. Now, back to working on my tan. See ya in the fall.

Eddie Brock.

2008-07-01T08:52:00.009-04:00

Venom. Or the Symbiote. Double the trouble. I vividly remember picking up Secret Wars, issue 8 with Spider-man on the cover. But this wasn't the Spidey I grew up with. He had a spanking new black suit. And man, did I love it! It still is one of the coolest designs I've ever seen a super hero go through. Then came that faithful night in a church steeple. With the Symbiote being separated from Peter, along came Eddie Brock and all his hatred for Spider-man. With the two of them teaming up, one of the coolest and deadliest super villains was born. Poor, poor, Peter.

Roderick Kingsley.

2008-06-22T12:03:00.005-04:00

The Hobgoblin. Not a major player in Spider-man's rogue gallery, but I was really into this guy as a kid. Roderick was just as crazy as Norman Osborn, maybe even more so. Super strength, bat glider, pumpkin bombs and the ability to shoot electric blasts from his hands. Nuff said.

Aleksei Sytsevich.

2008-05-02T11:11:00.004-04:00

The Rhino. Not the brightest villain Spider-man has, but possibly the strongest. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of his in the comics, I loved him in the animated show. I can still remember the episode where Aleksei stole all the gold in New York and made a huge statue of himself. I still don't understand why he would do this, but hell, who's going to argue with a guy who can smash head first through a bus.

Mac Gargan.

2008-04-29T12:02:00.010-04:00

A.k.a The Scorpion. Paid to go through an experimental animal mutation therapy by J. Jonah Jameson, Mac went insane. But, he also got super powers. Not a bad pay off. His costume has changed over the years, making it more Scorpion like. I stuck with the original. Recently he's been delegated to a sort of second tier Spidey bad guy. Actually, he's the new Venom... Not for me. For my money, he's still the same wall smashing lunatic that I loved as a kid. I'll get you Spider-man!

Sergei Kravinoff.

2008-04-07T11:26:00.018-04:00

Kraven the hunter. The final member of the Sinister Six. This famous big game hunter has given Spider-man a pile of trouble over the years. I still remember the shock of reading " Kraven's Last Hunt ". Besides Mike Zeck's beautiful art, I was blown away ( I know, bad pun..) with Kraven taking his own life. If you haven't read that series, I highly recommend it. I almost wish he was still around.

Norman Osborn.

2008-03-20T12:32:00.010-04:00

It took a while, but here he is. The main man. The Green Goblin. Forget the movies, the real deal is in the comics. Pumpkin bombs, razor bats, and a high powered glider. What else could a young boy want in a villain. Poor Gwen Stacy.

Quentin Beck.

2008-02-04T19:47:00.001-05:00

Mysterio. Another member of the Sinister Six. This guy may have a hilarious costume, but he's one bad dude. My only complaint is that they killed him off in a Daredevil comic. Thank you Kevin " smarty pants " Smith. I mean, Daredevil. Really? But, no need to fear. Quentin is alive again and up to no good. Huh?

Max Dillon.

2008-01-23T22:49:00.002-05:00

Electro. A founding member of the Sinister Six. Easily in the top two of the best of the bad. Max has sort of a lame costume, but his super power is one of the coolest. Screw robbing banks. I would ride lightning bolts all day long.

Dr. Curt Connors.

2007-12-02T12:34:00.000-05:00

The Lizard. Great in the comics, but my heart is with the animated version of this bad boy. I'll never be able to shake the image of Spider-man making water skis and a propeller out of webbing. Beautiful! It's been a while since I looked at them, but I remember McFarlane doing a pretty killer story with the good doctor in the Spider-man comics.

Flint Marko.

2007-11-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

The Sandman. Another member of the Sinister Six. One of the first comics I remember ever getting, was a reprint of the amazing Spider-man #4. Who doesn't love a shape shifting bad guy? Oh yeah, Spidey.

Dr. Otto Octavius.

2007-10-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

Doc Ock. Leader of the Sinister Six. Baddest of the bad. I loved him in the cartoon, but he was at his best in the comics. Easily one of the greatest villians Spidey has ever had to go up against. Excelsior!

Adrian Toomes.

2007-10-21T16:10:00.000-04:00

A.k.a. The Vulture. A founding member of the Sinister Six. I wasn't a huge fan of this guy in the comics, but I loved him in the Spider-man cartoon. Especially the episode where he had that crazy helmet that was able to control birds. Curse you spider-man!

Dmitri Smerdyakov.

2007-09-23T13:44:00.000-04:00

Better known as The Chameleon. I loved this guy as a kid. It's a shame he hasn't been up to much. But then again, since he's a master of diguise, maybe he is.

The Burglar.

2007-09-17T22:53:00.000-04:00

He's not super powered or my all time favorite, but he is the first. If it wasn't for this guy, Peter might have stayed in the wrestling ring. Poor uncle Ben.

What the ?!..

2007-09-12T20:48:00.000-04:00

Another note book sketch. Spider sense is tingling and for good reason. Over the next couple of post, I'm going to do some of my favorite Spider-man bad guys. Just the classics. There won't be any clones or carnage. They were the worst thing to happen to comics since Superman died and came back to life with that stupid mullet. Stay tuned web heads.

'76 baby.

2007-09-08T12:09:00.000-04:00

Yet another one from the note book. These two bad dudes are from a comic that my buddy Tigh Walker is doing. Go to the people in the know section and check out Tigh's stuff. It's sure to please. Freeze sucker!

Hockey season.

2007-09-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

This is a quick doodle from my note book. This big guy can be seen in Essex county vol. 2: Ghost stories. It's a great book done by super artist and Burritos team mate Jeff Lemire. Go to the people in the know section and check the man out. See you on the ice.

Logo?

2007-08-07T18:17:00.000-04:00

Well, if nothing else, this is just a little water color test. I wanted to put this as my header, but the damn thing won't do what it's told. Bad header! Bad eye ball! Scrub the deck!

Swearengen.

2007-07-17T15:05:00.000-04:00

This is a quick one of one of my all time favorite characters. Good old Al. I did this really quick and I'm surprised it turned out.. Oh, how I miss the days when a new episode would air. Thank god for DVD's. Now, get out of my F...in' bar!

Still life with chainsaw.

2007-07-11T16:44:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick one. Good old Johnny Enduro and some zombies. Summer always makes me think of zombies...I have no idea why. Oh well. Enjoy!

Method to the madness.

2007-06-04T14:59:00.000-04:00

Here's a little step by step. From early pencils to final inks. Hopefully I'll get around to doing some story stuff with these two characters. Until then, keep swinging!

10 down.....

2007-05-09T16:44:00.000-04:00

Do you know where you were ten years ago? Neither do I. Well, not really. I know that I just finished college and could not have been happier. I always hated school, even if I was drawing for my credits. So, I got my diploma ( which I never had to use ) and started looking for work. And looking back at it all now, I'm amazed that I'm still doing what I love to do. It hasn't always been a blast, or easy. But, nothing is. I've been lucky to have worked with some awesome people, on some highly creative projects and for some great studios. Thanks to all. Extra special thanks to my family and friends.

Style baby, style. Example 3.

2007-05-03T17:09:00.001-04:00

A more graphic approach.

Style baby, style. Example 2.

2007-05-03T16:55:00.000-04:00

Still too cartoony.

Style baby, style. Example 1.

2007-05-01T19:13:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows what they want. It's just really hard sometimes to convey that information to others. Especially when it comes to the look for an animated show or short. It's all part of the process. Now, I know. For anyone who works in the animation/illustration industry this is old news. But, for those who don't... here's a little show and tell. Some directors or producers know exactly what they want. Some, even design the entire look of a show themselves. That's great! But what if, you know what you want, but you can't draw? You go out and get someone who can. But, it doesn't stop there. Just because someone can draw, doesn't mean that the job is done. It's still a matter of trial and error. Without getting into the specifics, here are some different takes on an idea. Same two characters, different styles. This one was too cartoony.

Boards and concept 2

2007-04-26T13:42:00.000-04:00

Here are some boards I did a few years back. It was a concept for a quick 15 second short. But, then another job came up and this baby was put on the back burner. I'd still like to get around to doing it someday. The boards are pretty clean. I was going to use them as a sort of rough character design. I should also state that I did these before the remake of war of the worlds came out. Ahead of the curve as usual.

Boards and concept

2007-04-09T15:18:00.000-04:00

Here are some quick boards and character designs I did a while back for a client. I think it was for a new type of cracker that was coming out. The idea was having a mouse sell cheese flavored snacks. I think they ended up going a different direction.