I'm going to be at Big Wow Con in San Jose!

Hey guys, just wanted to do an update on what's going on in my art world here. Just received an email, and I  was just approved to be in the Artist Alley in San Jose at the Big Wow Con at the San Jose Convention Center! The con happens on May 18-19th, and I can't be more excited!

This convention is like the little brother of WonderCon which abandoned the Bay Area to go to Los Angeles. But that's alright, because I can be here! I am going to have TONS of artwork available and taking commissions as well as promoting my webcomic, The Swaggernauts! Also there I will have my newest sketchbook and selling that as well. I may be giving away some goodies and things there as well to folks that really support me and what I am going to be doing there. I have a lot to look forward to, and am really excited to reconnect with some other artists that I met at WonderCon back in 2011. So it's gonna be a good time.

Come mid-April, I will be doing a commission list for those attending the convention that may be interested in getting a commission from me. Those commissions will be a limited number, and they will be available at the convention for pick up. I will be updating when we reach the official 30 day mark, and then counting down! I will be updating with more news and revealing things I will have at the convention. Until then guys, talk to you soon!

Ian Walker

New Swaggernauts, & Improvements

Hey everyone, it’s time for another week of artwork and of course, THE SWAGGERNAUTS! Be sure to go over and check out the new page that is up right now! Click the link below to check it out. You will also see a nice homage to something really cool this week as well. Hope you movie buffs pick up on it. 

Page 3 teaser of The Swaggernauts by Ian D.Walker
Live now at: http://www.theswaggernauts.com

I have been pretty inspired as of late to get my art going as well. Making money is really essential right now, and so the best way to do that is to show off more of my artwork, and do pics and get them sold.

I talked with a friend who saw my art sales site, and gave me some advice that I think I’m going to start following. Initially the work I had up there is for the collectors, and the ones able to shell out the cash to collect the artwork I draw. But I am finding that I do need to realize where we are in the economy and that original fan art is a luxury and not a necessity. But if I make it affordable, I will not have to feel like I’m making someone choose between feeding their kids or picking up my awesome Teen Titans Robin piece. So over the next few days, if you go to my site, you will notice subtle changes. I will be integrating the Facebook page with my blog site, making it easy to view my art work and easier to purchase it as well. Commission products will be available as well. So look for that really soon as well.

One thing I’m going to be making sure I do, is put up more of my sketches and artwork on a regular basis. I need to make sure I stay in you guys faces, and build up a presence! My first con will be in July, over in San Jose, and that gives me plenty of time to make sort of a name for myself, and become that professional that I know that I can become. You’re not going to see me take on lists of commissions on DA sites or any other site like that. I will just do everything through my blog here, the art store blog, or the Facebook page. I’m talkin streamlining it up!

Well with that said, I’m going to take off for now. I’m sure you guys all see my Instagram feed, so be sure to take the time to check out my pics, and follow my Instagram account. Make sure you follow @theswaggernauts as well. They need some love. They are on a strange planet after all. See you guys later!

Swaggernaut T-Shirts Available for Sale!

Hey guys, it's Ian Walker here. I just wanted to take some time to update more information here on the blog to let you all know about the line of t-shirts that I am coming out with in relation to my webcomic project The Swaggernauts.

Swaggernauts is an all ages book, but not all are too into comics. But no one is too old enough for fashion. I created a unique and simple line of t-shirts for Men, Women and Kids that is cool and fun. Also these will be able to spread the word about the comic as well. These t-shirts are not your cheap run of the mill 4.99 a shirt cheap copy shirt that will turn into a dust rag in 3 months. These are high quality t-shirts that can be worn for a variety of occasions. I look forward to getting these out to you guys and in your hands. There is a flat charge per t-shirt of $30 for adults, and $22 for kids large. Let me know what you think of this line.

To order your t-shirt, please click on the link The Swaggernauts Online Store to go to the storefront and get yours! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and let me know! Below are some shots of the t-shirts. Please enjoy!

The Swaggernauts Webcomic - February 1, 2013

Hey everyone, just wanted to send out an update about the Swaggernauts project. There is a lot of amazing progress going on right now, and I am proud to say that the webcomic is ready to go live, and we have a release date for the webcomic! The comic will be released on various websites to try and get it seen by as many people as possible. A special thanks to Dallas Hoisington who allowed me to have some space on his site to publish my webcomic. His stuff can be seen over at FreakAnimes.com.

Here take a look at a few pics of the process that I am doing for the comic book. The amazing work is being done by myself and my amazing colorist Steven Lisefski out in New Jersey. I can't wait to finish this incredible project with him. I'm having so much fun with this book and finally a huge accomplishment for me as a comic book artist as this is my very first official and full project.

I can't wait to see what you guys think of the comic and the first issue that you will see all online! Talk to you folks really soon!

Swaggernauts Talent Search

So here is the deal... You all may, or may not know about the comic book project I am working on in Obsidian Studios called The Swaggernauts. If you do, awesome! If not, check out the Kickstarter on it, and help get this thing moving!

Swaggernauts Kickstarter Campaign

I am currently both the writer and artist on The Swaggernauts. I know how to color, but I simply just do not have the time to do that as well and get my project done on a timely basis. The Swaggernauts is going to be a web comic put out through my studio, Obsidian Studios. It is going to be a full 22 page comic book that will be posted up weekly online as a web comic.

To do this, I am looking and scouting for new talent. Talent that is brand new and wants to get their feet wet in the world of comics, as well as earn a bit of cash either bi-weekly, or monthly on the side. That's right... YOU GET PAID!!! What I'm looking for, is for someone to color up an image for me. The image that is chosen will receive $20 CASH, as well as your colors on a print that will printed for all to see. That is the immediate reward.

The second reward, is that you have an opportunity to get your very first PAID comic book gig, and at the end of the day you can call yourself a professional comic book colorist, and put that on your resume for the future! The work will be WORK FOR HIRE, and a contract will be involved for the colorist that is chosen. Page rate is likely to be $30 a page. You can be paid either weekly or monthly by check or by PayPal. You will need to be willing to put aside 2 1/2 months for this project if you are chosen.

This is a paying gig if you are chosen, but know that you will not be getting super rich either. It is steady freelance work for a time, your work will be seen weekly by comic lovers and readers, and it stands to chance that this could go to print as well. So this is a great beginners opportunity!

Here is the drawing that will need to be colored...

No, the job will not be of sketched artwork, but I want to see what you can do. The contest entry deadline is Dec 24th Christmas Eve. I am looking forward to seeing all the possible entries! Spread the word everyone!
Send your emails to: obsidianmoonrising@gmail.com. Subj: Talent Search

Ian Walker

Swaggernauts Kickstarter Campaign

Hey everyone! It's Ian Walker, here again with a great new Kickstarter campaign. As you all know, I am currently working on a few comic book projects. But the main one I am focusing on is called the Swaggernauts. I have been very tight lipped about it, but now is the time to let you all know what it is about! I put up a Kickstarter campaign to do a special 6 art prints to do for the new 2013 con season with the express purpose of getting the word out about this the Swaggernauts. I am hoping to get some kind of traction on this and reach the goals that I am looking for so that I can get this book seen by the masses next year. 2013 promises to be a good year for me, and what better way to kick this puppy off than to launch a promotional campaign about a book that I am really passionate about.

I understand that not many of you will be able to donate. All I am asking of each of you, is to simply get folks to take a look at the page, and spread the word about it. The more people know and are familiar with the Swaggernauts and anticipate it, the better this will be. I thank you all so much for taking the time to read this journal, and I hope to hear from you all soon!

The Swaggernauts Print Kickstarter Campaign

Been away for a minute, but I'm back! New Swaggernauts Print!

It's been a while since I have been on the interwebs. A lot of things are going on which I can't say is too good, but hopefully after the dust settles, it will be for the best. In my ongoing efforts to get Obsidian Studios up and going again, I am continuing the work on the Swaggernauts. This coming 2013, there will be promo blitz regarding this comic series, and a lot of things are in the works.

For the comic conventions we plan on doing this coming year, I am doing 6 themed Swaggernauts prints, a new sketchbook, and hopefully a new promo booklet from Obsidian Studios highlighting the projects that we will be coming out with, detailing some previews for these stories. The announcement for the next story will be coming out soon, so be on the lookout. For right now though, I want give you guys a small taste of the first print that I did. The first of the six Swaggernauts prints!

Enjoy!

The Spectre

The Spectre...  

Buy it here...

Finishing up commissions... Part 1

So I have been taking the time to finish up some long overdue commissions that I have been busy working on. After this, I will be doing some new sales to help me get my new place hopefully within the next 6 months. All will be custom artwork and really fun. Hopefully a sort of a one of a kind type piece/product.

So far though, I have 2 pieces left to go for one client. Two original character pieces of Star Wars characters for another, and two original pieces for another client. All together I need to finish a total of 6 more commission pieces. I undercharged a lot for these in the hopes to get a lot of business, but ended up using a lot of it for shipping. Took a HUGE loss on these. Gonna fix that next time I take commissions!

So here are the two pieces that I did today. 6 more to go!!!

After a funk, then... SHAZAM!!!

So I haven't drawn anything over the last couple of days except the commissions that I'm working on finishing and sending off. It's sad because I know that after those are done, I'm going to be starting another round of them to start on some stuff that I have been slacking on.

Anyway, after a long break for a bit and not drawing any big pieces, I finally came up with the idea to draw one of the most fun characters to draw in my opinion, and do a really epic looking Captain Marvel from DC Comics. I initially had the intention of doing a marker drawing, but as I went on, thought that this would look so much cooler if done in pencil, and then outlined in ink. So that is what you see below...

The piece was drawn on Canson comic book artboards and drawn strictly w/ pencil and ink, and a blender stub. I forget the technical name for those things... Anyway, what came out was awesome! I was amazed at how it turned out and was really happy with the results. Now of course I know that I still have some learning to do when it comes to pencil work, but being that I have done a ton of marker stuff, and went back to basics with this one, I'm glad that I did this. 

Now with the final question, how the heck do I seal the pencil so that it wont smear!? Any answers would rock. I'm going to be putting this piece up in my art gallery site for sale through PayPal so that a fan can buy it if they'd like. Anyway, that's it for me today. Thanks for reading!

Asaaj Ventress Sketch

Thought I would do a sketch a few days go. Practicing some marker techniques w/ my Copics, and I am really glad how this turned out. This is for sale on my art site right now for $50 if you are interested in it. Click the link above, or the link here... Asaaj Ventress Marker Sketch

Let me know what you guys think about the sketch here. I definitely plan on doing many more soon!

New Sketchbook Plans!

Had an amazing meeting yesterday morning over in San Rafael w/ Jackie and Adrianne at GlobalPSD. These girls are top notch professional ladies, and I was impressed with how they handled everything from the meeting and call backs, to the rapport, the conversation, everything! They are really down the earth ladies, and I cannot WAIT to do work with them! I am putting together a sketchbook in time for APE Con in SF this year, and I need to get to crackin on that bad boy now.

I'm confident that these ladies will be able to help me out with whatever it is I need. Right now, I have no working title for the book, but I can tell you that it will be AH-MAZING!!! This is going to be high quality stuff, and I know that it will help me be able to stand out in a sea of really big fish as an artist. Over the last few days, I have been thinking seriously about my path as an artist, and really have been considering attempting to do this as a full time gig, and just follow my dreams. I have so many plans, and so many things to do; and unfortunately all of this costs money. I'm going to be using these sketchbooks as a double sword to not only cut my path into a new career, but to also get my studio moving forward with my projects that have been lingering on the back burner. 

Got a few projects I am in the middle of that will be webcomics coming really soon that I will be promoting at APE, as well as the sketchbook. I'm going to get a few prints ready too! Anyway, I really appreciate everyone that is still around and reading my blog about my journeys as an artist. Talk with you guys really soon!

Ian W.

Dr. Who Warmup Sketch

A new warm up I did of good ol' Dr. Who w/ floating TARDIS! This was a fun one to draw as I have never drawn Dr. Who before. Done on 8.5 x 11 high quality bristol, and Copic Markers w/ Pentel ink brush. Who fans, can get their hands on this one for a decent price over at my Big Cartel store! Let me know what you guys think of it!

http://iandwalkerartsales.bigcartel.com/product/dr-who-original-drawing

Harleyquin - Warmup Sketch 1

This is a warmup sketch that I did to start out my day. This was done on high quality 8.5 x 11 cardstock paper, with Copic Liners, and colored with Copic Markers. Harley has always been a fun character for me to draw. This is for sale in my new Big Cartel shop for only $20! Go grab it now! I'm going to be selling all my warm up sketches there from now on, so watch the blog here, or my twitter to see when I put a new one up!

http://iandwalkerartsales.bigcartel.com/

Saw Dark Knight rises last night, and it was AH-MAZIIIING!!! Will definitely go see it at least one more time. And to me hands down the best Batman film Nolan has made. Very well done, and very well executed. Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!!! More on this later! In the meantime, let me know what you guys think of my drawing.

Bane Sketch

Sketch of the Day of Bane!

Couldn't go see him in the theatre, so I did the next best thing... I drew him!!! Gonna go see the Dark Knight Rises movie tomorrow, so look for a review in the next couple of days!

The Swaggernauts

This started out as an idea for a team name for some colleagues of mine at work. The team leader named us The Swaggernauts. I'm not one for the word swag, or any variation of it, but even I had to admit that this was a cool name. After trying to figure out what a Swaggernaut would look like, I then took my vision further and came up with what you will see below.

I have been studying movie posters for B-Movies, and came up with this idea. I think it came out really good. I am going to be taking this idea and running with it, and turn it into a daily comic strip really soon from Obsidian Studios soon. Thinking about something to do with life. We shall see when the time comes. In the meantime though, let me know what you guys think and enjoy!

White Ninja Guy Kickstarter LIVE NOW!!!

Very excited right now to announce that my Kickstarter project for White Ninja Guy Saga #1 is up and running NOW!!! I have 30 days to raise the appropriate funds needed to make my dream a reality! Please be sure to spread the word about my project to family, friends, whoever is interested in fun, comics, and action! I really look forward to seeing how this project will turn out!

If you can't donate, don't worry about it. Just go ahead and tell everyone you can. Link the link wherever you can to let folks know about the project, and I will greatly appreciate that! If you guys have ANY questions, please don't hesitate to send me a note here, or send one to my email.

 

White Ninja Guy Saga Kickstarter Campaign ---------------> http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iandwalker/white-ninja-guy-saga-issue-1

2012 Sketchbook - Understanding Women Vol.1

This is the cover to a new full color sketchbook that I will be coming out with in the later part of the year! Still putting this together, so the page count is still up in the air. This will showcase all of my sketches and drawings, including fan art of all female characters over the years spanning 2010 to 2012.

I will be self publishing the book, and doing a limited number release of books under the Obsidian Studios banner. This will also be revealed in the next few months as well. Pre-Orders for the book will be available once everything is set and ready to go to print. So keep watching and looking for details!

Free Comic Book Day 2012

This was a great great time at my local comic shop FTW Comics here in Santa Rosa.  Got my mind off all the stresses of the last 2 months, and I met some new and amazing people! Sold only 2 of my books, and got only 2 commissions, but all in all, I think it was really great.

I will be posting up one of the pieces that I did that day up here soon! I know that I will be definitely doing this every year forward. Now that FCBD is done, I now need to gear up for APECon! That means new projects must begin, and I need to be ready and solid to go come October 2012!

The Avengers: A Movie Review

There is not enough good things I can say about this film. Anyone that knows me know that I am a DC fan boy. However, my opinion is this... The Avengers will go down in history as the GREATEST comic book film ever made. Here are a few reasons why...

 

THE HULK... THE HULK... THE HULK!!! Aside from the Ed Norton film which was AMAZING in it's own right, and set the precedence for realism for how the Hulk should look, the Hulk in this movie was simply amazing! I remember how when Mark Ruffalo was revealed to be the new Banner, people (including myself) were miffed that this role wasn't reprised by Ed Norton. But recognizing the trend that most of the CG Hulks are modeled after the real actors themselves, I was thoroughly pleased with not only the performance of Ruffalo as Banner, but also the LOOK of the Hulk. With a tiny bit of exaggeration, he ended up being an amazing likeness to the classic Hulk we see in the comics. Seeing him reminded me of Dale Keown's Hulk w/ the exaggerated features and such. 

We also got to see a lot of the Hulks personality as well. He was a pissed off destructive force, but smart enough to understand at the right time, he needed to work together with a team. This was done wonderfully and the Hulk was a major asset to the team, showing you how muscle should be used in a team. There is so much more to the Hulk, but if I say more, then I will be spoiling ish. One thing I will say though, is that from the second we see the green behemoth to the end of the film, he is tearing through EVERYTHING, as the Hulk should be! No sentimental BE-TTY moments with her single tear on his finger. He simply HULK SMASHED!

The chemistry between everyone in this film was wonderful as well. The mix of humor brought to us graciously by Robert Downey Jr aka Tony 'Iron Man' Stark was wonderful. The relationship between Hawkeye and Black Widow that we all know of in the comics was played on brightly as well. Hawkeye honestly is not a character that is given the opportunity to shine very much. Not too many people I know care a lot about Hawkeye, and I think that Whedon and the writers knew that. So even though they didn't capitalize on his background too much, I think they played a very smart move here by making sure that whenever Hawkeye was on the screen, he was doing something really cool. In effect, this would make folks who never cared about the character go... Hmmm. Who is this dude? After this movie, if I didn't know who Hawkeye was, I would be checking him out afterward for sure. I think they were really smart with this. Captain America was shown as the worlds greatest leader in this film, and the character I feel was given another side of which was seen in this film. You need to see it to understand what I'm saying. 

Thor throughout the film was just annoyed with his brother, and it kept a realism and a much different element to the movie in regard to the relationship to Thor and Loki. He still really loves his brother, and will do anything for him, but he never ever once condoned the actions he was taken. Thors growth as a character was plain as day in the movie. It even seems as if the writers wanted us to see that he had grown and learned a lot more since the Thor movie that had come out, and I thought that was nice to see.

I like to call Nick Fury as wonderfully played by Samuel L Jackson, the Great Manipulator. The thing I love about Nick Fury and his role in the film is that he is a friggin GENIUS! The man knew how to fight, he knew how to think, and motivate the Avengers to get their butts in gear, and do what he knew in his heart what they could do. Sam Jackson is not an action star by any means, but give this dude some lines, and that ish does not even matter. I know very few actors that can do this, and Sam is one of them. He made Nick Fury a very cool character. And it does help a lot that the Ultimate Nick Fury was modeled after him, so to see this come alive in film was amazing.

Finally, Joss Whedon... I have been a fan of this guy since Firefly. I didn't really expect him to do much for the film honestly because this wasn't a property that HE created, so I didn't expect him to pull off his usual amazing skills. But BOY was I wrong. After seeing this film, Whedon, and his writing team say a few things to us as comic book fans. 

1. We are sorry for all the crap hollywood had you sit through and waste money on. Here is our gift to you.

2. You are a fan, and so are we...

3. The comic book movie CAN be done like the comics. 

4. There are no more excuses for not putting together quality films just like the comics, since comic books are essentially movies, and TV in printed form.

5. Comic companies (Mainstream or indy) MUST invest in putting together their own studios to create films that stay true to the characters they create. And these must also be willing to cater to indy creators that want to see their properties on film as well. This eliminates the risk of any tampering with those who just want money or who only want to please Hollywood, and not the fans.

This man can do and touch anything he wants from this point forward. He like Christopher Nolan of the wonderful Batman films and his other great films have the ability to touch anything and turn it into GOLD!!! Whedon from this point on has proven to me, and even more so to his hardcore fans that he is an undeniable talent. And I'm going to call this right now... After the Avengers film, the next great TV project he creates will survive for more than 2 seasons. Hollywood now has NO CHOICE but to recognize the talent for what he is. The Rise of Joss Whedon has begun!

Thanks for taking the time to read today! If you want to leave comments, leave them here!

Talk to you guys soon!

Ian W.