Oracle’s Last Supper

On September 23, 2011 · 5 Comments

Here’s the line art for the still-ongoing drawing I’m making of “Oracle’s Last Supper,” featuring nearly every female hero of DC’s “Bat” family arranged in a “Last Supper of Christ” pastiche, plus a dog. There are 17 figures in all. Please click to see it larger.

It’s still not finished — there will to be two versions, a hand-inked version that will be auctioned for charity as part of Women of Wonder Day, and a computer-colored print — but I kind of like the clean look of the line art.

From left to right, the characters at the table are Katherine Kane (the original 1950s Batwoman), Betty Kane (the original 1950s Batgirl, Katherine’s niece), Robin (Stephanie Brown), Spoiler (Stephanie Brown), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Batgirl (Stephanie Brown), Oracle (Barbara Gordon), Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Batwoman (Kate Kane), Huntress (Helena Wayne), Robin (Carrie Kelly), Black Bat (Cassandra Cain), and Batgirl (Charlotte “Charlie” Gage-Radcliffe, aka Misfit). In the background is Robin (Rochelle Wayne) sitting on a robot dinosaur; Blackbat (Barbara Hardy) on the giant rook; and Robin (Trish Plover) flying near the ceiling. And the dog in the foreground is Ace, the Bat-Hound.

Stephanie Brown takes a photo of Stephanie Brown posing with Stephanie Brown

On September 21, 2011 · Comments Off

These are figures from a drawing-in-progress I’m working on, featuring the Last Supper done with 16 Batgirls, Batwomen, female Robins and female Black Bats. Plus Oracle,Spoiler, Huntress and Ace the Bat-Hound.

Rochelle Wayne, also known as Robin, on a gigantic toy dinosaur

On September 12, 2011 · Comments Off

Ongoing work-in-progress for a drawing that will be auctioned off as part of this year’s “Women of Wonder Day.” The woman in the drawing is Rochelle Wayne, who was Robin in an “Elseworlds” Batman comic set during the French Revolution. Rochelle Wayne was designed by the wonderful José Luis García-López; my attempt to draw García-López hair looks pretty silly, but it was fun to try!

The completed drawing will include 4 female Robins, 5 Batgirls, 2 Batwomen, 2 female Black Bats, Huntress, Spoiler, Oracle, and Ace the Bat-Hound.

Sketch of the 1950s Batwoman and Batgirl

On August 24, 2011 · Comments Off

Katherine (Kathy) Kane and her niece Betty Kane were the original Batwoman and Batgirl, in the 1950s.

This was kind of interesting to sketch. I had to draw things I virtually never draw, like — well — superheroes. And high heels.

Wacky face from my sketchbook

On April 10, 2011 · Comments Off

Just because.

Another Portland Opera Drawing: The Bewitched Child

On March 30, 2011 · Comments Off

As I said in yesterday’s post, Portland Opera was kind enough to let me and other area cartoonists view their latest production, a double bill of The Spanish Hour and The Bewitched Child.

My previous drawing was from The Spanish Hour; this one is from The Bewitched Child.

To see what other cartoonists at the Opera have done, search on twitter for #pdxoperacomics.

(You can see previous Portland Opera illustrations I’ve done here.)

Portland Opera Comics — first illustration from The Spanish Hour

On March 29, 2011 · 2 Comments

Once again, Portland Opera graciously hosted me and a gaggle of other cartoonists to see the dress rehearsal of one of their productions, this time a double bill of The Spanish Hour and The Bewitched Child.

Here’s the first drawing I’ve done as a result, of a man hiding in a clock. (The Spanish Hour is the sort of comedy in which a lot of men hide in a lot of clocks.)

To see what other cartoonists at the Opera have done, search on twitter for #pdxoperacomics.

(You can see previous Portland Opera illustrations I’ve done here.)

Character drawing from a short non-Hereville comic I’m working on

On March 24, 2011 · Comments Off

Sketches of Fat Guys for Fat People Art Week

On February 9, 2011 · Comments Off

It’s Fat People Art Week! A few contributions….

I’m trying to learn how to paint in Photoshop, and I was playing with some more painterly approaches in the drawing below (although I still didn’t give up the crutch of line art!). Still a long way to go…

And here’s the exact same drawing, except I took the colors and just smudged the heck out of them:

Another fat guy drawing, this one finished in my more typical style:

And a third, this time playing around with cross-hatching:

The Portland Opera’s Turandot

On February 3, 2011 · 2 Comments

The Portland Opera likes to bring in local cartoonists to see their dress rehearsals; in return, the cartoonists draw the opera they’ve seen. I participated back in November, drawing Hansel and Gretel. And this Monday, I saw Turandot. Here are my Turandot drawings (click on the drawings to see them bigger):

Here, we see our hero, whose name is something of a mystery. He spent a lot of the opera hugging himself in his big leather trenchcoat.

Here, the hero struggles to ring a gong, while three colorfully-dressed city bureaucrats try to talk him out of it.

Thanks to Portland Opera for the chance to do this (and for the free food!).

Mike Russell has a complete summary of Turandot’s plot in cartoon form! (My favorite line: “Don’t get up or anything!”). And Matt Grigsby has several drawings from the production. This is just the start of the Turandot drawings — there were a bunch of us there. If you’re interested in seeing more, watch the #pdxoperacomics tag on twitter.

UPDATE: And here’s a third drawing:

School Visits
I love doing author visits, either in person or over the internet via Skype! Click here for information about having me speak at your school.
Archives