Countdown to Big WoW Con Blog Series - Part I

Convention Banner, Lines n' Dymes

So this blog over the next 18 days will be my chronicling of the days leading up to Big WowCon in San Jose CA, on May 18,19 2013. I'm going to be showing some drawings and some behind the scenes stuff regarding my preparation, and hopefully some of you will be able to use some of what is in this blog series to help you prepare for a convention that you have to go to this year. This will be my third convention that I will attend, and I am really excited. Big WoW is slated to be one of the newest and biggest cons in California, and I wanted to make sure I jump on this bandwagon because when it goes live, I want to be able to say I was there. Nothing wrong with that, right!?

So anyway, to start off this post, I have a pic of my convention banner that I got for myself. Can you believe that this banner was only $80!? It was a great buy for my first convention banner. I know that I may be changing it soon considering that I will be going into pinups and illustration in the next few months, but this is great. Finally makes me feel really official as an artist.

Another thing that i will be debuting at the Big WoW Con is my newest sketchbook Lines & Dymes - Volume 1, which is a collection of lineart sketches, greytone, and full color pictures, and pinups of various female character artwork that I did. I lay it all out in here. The good and the bad. There is no sparing anything in here. Anyone that purchases this will see the growth and hopefully appreciate what is contained in it. There will be a limited run of this sketchbook of only 50 copies! After these are gone, that is IT!!! I'm doing the brown cover so that I can do a head sketch of a female character on the cover of the book. These books are 28 pgs. and will be sold for $20 a pop! So be sure to stop on over and grab one!

So this week I'm going to make sure I get to Kinkos and get these covers printed up and then following the next day, maybe get the pages redone, and printed up as well. I'm thinking of doing a video blog but we shall see. Anyway guys, that's what I got so far. Talk to you all tomorrow!

Talk to you later!

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

Gettin mah DRAW on!!! Render Sketchbook Review

Here are a few sketches that I did last night in my new Render Marker Sketch book. This thing is amazing. It's the first ever sketchbook made specifically for marker work. This thing does NOT bleed through the paper and is incredible! I think that even with really heavy alcoholic base markers like Prismacolor, or Copic, you will do very well. I'm an avid Copic user and they held up pretty well. I did a few sketches in it so far and they are pretty cool.

 Wonder Woman

 The Black Dame

Spiderman

 Zion - T / K-Pop Artist

Leonard & Sheldon

What I like about the book too, is that the colors displayed when u draw are still really vibrant and nice looking. They don't blend into the page or dull at all. The book was only about $30 at my local art supply store, and I think it was well worth it. Any marker artists out there that do comics, grafitti artwork, or tattoo art, this is a sketchbook for you! Never have to worry about losing valuable sketching space in your books due to marker bleed! Out of 5, I give the Render Sketchbook a 5+! 

Hope you guys found this useful! Leave comments or questions below, and be sure to share this with friends and fellow artists! Talk to you later!

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.

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!

It's Creator Owned Day!!!

I wanted to do a giveaway for Creator Owned Day today. So it's really simple as far as what to do. Be a legitimate follower on my blog. Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite character is, and just check out my other stuff! That simple! The first 10 to do this, and send me an email w/ their address gets a copy of my 2010 Sketchbook: Introducing - The Sketches of Ian Walker, and a signed copy of White Ninja Guy #0: One Shot! I may throw in something else as well, who knows! Thanks so much, spread the word, and talk with you folks soon!

Sketch Shot - Day 12: Female Elf Warrior

A female elf warrior for today's sketchshot. More like lineart actually. but all the same kinda. Hope you guys like it! If you want to color this at all, let me know!

Sketch Shots - Day 9: Old Lady on a Bench

I let the folks of Twitter decide what I should do for a sketchshot today. This is what they came up with for me. An old lady sitting on a bench. Very different for sure.

Sketch Shots - Day 6: Mighty Mouse

Here is a quick sketch that I did of my version of an updated Mighty Mouse. I LOVE Mighty Mouse, and wish the cartoon would come back on. We will just have to wait for that I guess. I'm considering whether or not I should take this on Manga Studios, line it up and color it. I don't know yet. This particular sketch is not for sale at all because he's in my personal sketchbook. But who knows what may be the case for him in the future! Either way, ENJOY!!!

Sketch Shots - Day 3: Power Girl

This is todays new sketchshot of Power Girl. I have been inspired by the art of Darwyn Cooke for the past few days as well as some others, so there is a bit of influence there. This is actually a piece that's in my personal sketchbook, so there is no separate physical sketch. So no sale here. But please enjoy, and let me know how you guys feel!

Ian W.

New Mission - Sketch Shots Day 1: Batman

As artists, we are told that everyday we need to draw, and sketch to get better and better. I'm going to be doing that for the next year. Everyday, I will be putting up a single sketch shot on my blog. And they will be all original works of art. The originals will all be available for sale too if anyone wants them. I will let them go for $10 each. So anyway, I'm going to start it off today with a little Dark Knight action.

Cover

So I have finally made the cover for my new sketchbook that I'm putting together right now. I made 2 concepts, and I am happy with the final one that I chose. I downloaded a 30 day trial of Photoshop CS3, so that means, i'm gonna take 30 days that I have and put together my White Ninja Guy webcomics, and try to finish up this sketchbook so that I can have it out by the end of the month. I also am gonna try to go ahead and color some pics that I have piled up that I want to get done too. So anyways, I wanted to get a blog done before the end of the month, and so here it is. Here is the image of the final choice for my new sketchbook.

I am thinking that this looks more sleek and professional. This is going to be the first of a few sketchbooks that I am going to be putting together. I hope that they sell. I am going to be making a total of 30 books, and I will be doing it print on demand. I don't want to have sketchbooks sitting up in my house collecting dust you know? Anyways, thanks for taking a look.

Be back later...