| Zoopnium |
[04 May 2012|03:51pm] |
I just added a page to my website with info & screenshots from the ZOOPNIUM app I art directed for Digido Interactive:
www.steverolston.com/zoopnium
It's a pretty neat iOS app that encourages kids (or you!) to exercise. Just fire up the Zoopnium app, put your iPhone in your pocket, and get moving. Every step you take helps you collect Zoopnium. Collect enough and you can create your own custom Zoops and even trade them with friends.
ZOOPNIUM hit #7 in Kids iOS apps in Canada last week, which is very cool! But I'd love to see more activity from other countries. So go download it for free from the App Store and give it a spin!
Get it for FREE in the App Store!
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| Fan Expo Vancouver |
[20 Apr 2012|02:15pm] |
This Saturday and Sunday is FAN EXPO VANCOUVER, the first comic convention of its size to hit Van City. I'll be there, set up next to some of my favourite comic artists: Brandon Graham, James Stokoe, Marley Zarcone and Emily Carroll. I'll be selling my various graphic novels and I'll have a few 11x17 prints as well.
Some of the other comic creators attending include Greg Rucka, Stuart & Kathryn Immonen, Tony Daniel, Tim Bradstreet, Kaare Andrews, Pia Guerra, James Lloyd, Georges Jeanty, Jason Turner, Dave McCaig, Rebecca Dart and plenty more. They'll also have a bunch of actors like Adam West, Lou Ferrigno, Kevin Sorbo, Alan Ruck, a bunch of anime guests and the 1960's Batmobile. Y'know, if that's the kind of stuff that gets you out of the house.
So come downtown to the Vancouver Convention Centre and check out all the good stuff. 11-7pm on Satuday and 11-5pm on Sunday!
http://www.fanexpovancouver.com
=================
 In other news, I've updated my website with some info on SEEING RED: THE TRUE STORY OF BLOOD, a new educational kids book from Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Annick Press. Check out this page for more info and a peek at some of the comic pages and spot illustrations I did for the book:
http://www.steverolston.com/seeingred
I also stuck up a page from the Ernest Hemingway adaptation I'm contributing to THE GRAPHIC CANON vol 3 anthology being published by Seven Stories Press later this year:
http://www.steverolston.com/hemingway
=================
Oh, and Fictional Frontiers recently posted the radio interview where I got to ramble about GHOST PROJEKT for 20 minutes:
http://www.fictionalfrontiers.podcastpeople.com/posts/45931
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| Great Pacific Kickstarter |
[11 Mar 2012|01:09pm] |
I'm poking my head out of my work cave for a moment to bring something to your attention...
Did you like GHOST PROJEKT, the comic series I illustrated with writer Joe Harris? Well, if you did you should seriously consider contributing some money to the Kickstarter campaign for his next creator-owned comic, GREAT PACIFIC. The Kickstarter is still quite a ways off from hitting its goal and there are only 3 days left to go. Let's spread the word and see if we can give it the last-minute push it needs.
"Great Pacific tells the story of Chas Worthington, recent heir to one of the richest oil fortunes and most successful corporations in American history. In a defiant act that seems crazy to most and criminal to many, he sheds his former life of wealth and influence to settle the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch, planting his flag and declaring the environmental wasteland a new, sovereign country.
"Set upon a floating island of plastic refuse and trash estimated by scientists to be twice the size of Texas, and based on the true-to-life environmental catastrophe currently plaguing the Pacific Ocean, this series will explore a young man's attempt to tame this terrible new continent with the help of an astounding new technology that could change the face of the energy industry. But first he'll have to contend with the elements, harmful pollutants, mutated marine life forms that have been exposed to the toxic refuse his nation is built upon, and hostile natives from nearby islands. Looming beyond those immediate physical dangers is the United States government, which sees him as a reckless and dangerous fugitive who needs to be dragged back to the States using whatever means necessary."
The goal of this Kickstarter is to generate money to pay the artist/colourist Martin Morazzo a decent rate while he slaves away on this epic tale (as well as pay the letterer, designer and editor). I know first-hand how hard it can be to keep focused on a creator-owned project when you don't know how you're going to pay the rent. Help these guys move forward with their creative baby:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1772619273/great-pacific
========
While I'm at it, here are a couple other comic projects nearing the end of their fundraising:
LITTLE HEART anthology
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/765505753/little-heart-a-comic-anthology-for-marriage-equali
This is a collection of comic stories supporting Marriage Equality. They're a few grand shy of their goal with 5 days left to make it happen. Artists include: Tuesday Bassen, Emma Reynolds, Tim Sievert, Michael DeForge, Alex Fukui, Ellen Redshaw, Anna Bongiovanni, Hannah Blumenreich, Megan Tulius, Hedwig Vinson + Rachel Kowarski, Christopher Adams, Milkyboots, Luke Holden, Ed Choy + Sam Sharpe, Tammy Ray, Noah Van Sciver, Sally Madden, Jeremy Sorese, Emily Carroll + Kate Craig, Sean Lynch, Joseph Remnant, MariNaomi, Maurice Vellekoop, Zak Sally, Meghan Hogan; with Christopher Butcher handling the introduction/foreword.
MURDER BOOK by Ed Brisson
http://www.indiegogo.com/Murder-Book-Vol-3
This one already met its goal but there are still 35 hours left and any more money they make goes towards the well-deserving artists, Johnnie Christmas and Jason Copland. It's also a smart way for you to pre-order Ed's next crime comic (and/or get copies of the earlier issues).
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| warm-up page 08 |
[25 Jan 2012|02:38pm] |
This warm-up page is All Raccoons, All The Time! Trying to get a handle on how to translate raccoons into my style for a comic series I want to do at some point.
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| VanArts -- Vancouver Comic Con |
[12 Jan 2012|12:42pm] |
My comic book course at VANARTS is supposed to start up again next Monday, Jan 16th, but is suffering from low registration. If we don't have enough students signed up by Monday, we'll likely postpone the start date by a week. If we still don't have enough then, we'll have to cancel it for the semester.
The upside is that if we do get enough students to run the course, the lower class size will mean more quality time I get to spend with each student. Don't miss this opportunity!
http://www.vanarts.com/courses/introduction-comic-book-production
If you're interested and want to talk to me more about it, why not come down to the VANCOUVER COMIC CON this Sunday at Heritage Hall? I joined the line-up too late to be on the flyer but trust me, I'll be there:
Of course, everyone else should also go to the con to buy comics from our local talent. My top suggestion? Get yourself some MURDER BOOK--fine crime comics from writer & swell guy Ed Brisson.
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| OPEN FOR COMMISSIONS |
[09 Jan 2012|11:59am] |
*** UPDATE - My dance card is now full and commissions are CLOSED. If you're interested in getting a sketch or commission, feel free to shoot me an email so I can contact you the next time my schedule opens up. ***
Hey all. I'm opening myself up for commissions, likely for a limited time or limited number of requests. We'll see how it goes. I've categorized the types of drawings, depending on the amount of time & effort that's likely to go into them:
"HEAD SKETCH"
inked on bristol / one character / head & shoulders / no revisions
$15 -- 5.5" x 8.5"
"SKETCH"
inked on bristol / one character / waist-up or full-body / no revisions
$21 -- 5.5" x 8.5"
$30 -- 8.5" x 11"
$60 -- 11" x 17"
"FULL COMMISSION"
inked on bristol / one character / headshot or waist-up or full-body / two rounds of revisions at pencil stage
$45 -- 5.5" x 8.5"
$90 -- 8.5" x 11"
$180 -- 11" x 17"
UPGRADES:
+ 33% per additional character
+ 100% for digital colouring + high-res colour file
Plus shipping costs. Let me know your address so I can figure out shipping. Payment via Paypal.
Shoot me an email (steve@steverolston.com) to discuss the following:
- backgrounds
- elaborate poses or details
- using the artwork for commercial purposes (logo, cover art, etc.)
- anything else not covered here
Here are some examples of what you can expect:
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| lookin' at a few of my past students |
[05 Jan 2012|04:13pm] |
I've been teaching a part-time comic book course at VanArts since 2005. It's been a pretty neat experience, helping artists hone their storytelling skills and teaching them all the knowledge that was either passed down to me from other creators or learned through my own trial and error.
In total, I've have 83 students complete my course so far. They all listened to me ramble on and nitpick their work for three hours every Monday night for twelve weeks and I hope that most of them walked away feeling stronger about their ability to craft a visual story.
I know not everyone is going to dedicate their life to comics. We all have our own priorities... and distractions. But I thought it would be nice to spotlight the students I've had who have continued their efforts to tell stories in the comic book medium.
============
 JERI WEAVER
http://gurukitty.com
Jeri was becoming a bit of a regular at the local Vancouver Comic Cons, selling her self-published comics and merch, well before she took my course. In collaboration with her sister, she's been serializing the fantasy webcomic DAQUERAN and she says the story should be wrapped up in the next few months. You can read it online:
http://www.gurukitty.com/daqueran/daqueran.php
...or buy the physical copies from their online store:
http://gurukitty.com/zencart
Recently they also organized and published an anthology of comics called GHOST TALES. I hear they'll be giving it a proper launch at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo in April. You can skip the wait and order it online now:
http://gurukitty.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=1
They're already working on a second anthology, this time a collection of Fairy and Folk tales. If you're an aspiring comic creator who wants to be part of a published book, you might want to check it out:
http://gurukitty.com/wordpress/2011/11/01/once-upon-a-time/
During my class, each student ends up creating a 4-page comic. Jeri chose to create a teaser for her next graphic novel endeavour, entitled THE BACHELOR AND THE PYTHON. You can read all four pages here:
http://gurukitty.com/wordpress/2011/07/28/batp-4-page-teaser/
============
 BRITTANY LANGLOIS
http://www.brinnyart.com
Brinny has been posting some rather good autobio comics online. She's developed a nice sense of timing. Do yourself a favour and read through her archive here:
http://brinnycomic.smackjeeves.com
And she has some other comics tucked away in this corner of her site:
http://www.brinnyart.com/comic
============
 TOREN ATKINSON
http://www.thickets.net/toren
During my course, Toren crafted an admirable short comic entitled SPACESHIP ZERO, which acted as a prequel to a tabletop role-playing game which he also illustrated. I understand the concept for both spun out of the SPACESHIP ZERO album by his band The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. That's a Renaissance man, right there. A couple years later Toren added a fifth page to the comic and published it in Cloudscape's EXPLODED VIEW anthology. You can read his comic here:
http://www.thickets.net/toren/artwork/spaceship-zero-the-comic-book-prequel/
Toren's been involved in a couple of the other anthologies from the Cloudscape Comics collective and bump into him now and again at local comic-related events. The most recent comic work I've seen from him was part of his WORLD WILDLIFE FEDERATION OF JUSTICE:
http://www.worldwildlifefederationofjustice.com/
============
 CURT STECKHAN
http://www.steckhan.ca
Curt was another student who ended up with a piece in Cloudscape's EXPLODED VIEW anthology, which is available in print or PDF form from their online store:
http://www.cloudscapecomics.com/store/exploded-view-preview/
And if you go to the Cloudscape site you can even read THE GIFT, the 4-page comic Curt did in my class:
http://www.cloudscapecomics.com/webcomics/curt-steckham-library/the-gift/
============
 JENNA SOKALSKI
http://thedramaticmonarch.blogspot.com
Since she took my course I've seen Jenna set up at quite a few local conventions and book fairs, selling her mini-comics and sketch cards. Here's a little one-page comic called GAZING taht she sent me to share:
http://thedramaticmonarch.blogspot.com/2011/05/gazing.html
And here are the four pages that she drew at VanArts. A little story called THAT RAVE LAST NIGHT:
http://thedramaticmonarch.blogspot.com/2010/08/that-rave-last-night-short-original.html
============
 ANAT RABKIN
http://www.lunarblade.com
If you go to the following page of Anat's website, you'll find the webcomic THE THREAT WITHIN, which she was already collaborating on when she took my class:
http://lunarblade.com/anatrabkin/ttw.html
I'm a little sad she hasn't put up the four-page comic she did during the course, since I thought it turned out quite well and showed a lot of improvement in her storytelling.
But I just touched base with her and she says she is working on a couple new comic projects, which I was glad to hear.
============
 EMMETT HALL
http://emmetthall.blogspot.com
Emmett was also in the midst of doing a webcomic when he took my course. His was a strip called STARBUN:
http://emmetthall.blogspot.com
He was doing regular instalments of the comic for quite a while but it looks like he fell off the comics wagon a couple summers ago. He did make it up to 170 comic strips, which is rather impressive. Here's hoping he gets back to it soon.
============
 RYAN DIRKS
http://ryanrossdirks.wordpress.com/
Ryan was in my second group of students, way back in 2005. He says he didn't do much comics right away but he's been getting back into the swing over the past year or so. As you can see on his blog, he's currently drawing a loose adaptation of a short story by Kobo Abe for an upcoming anthology.
http://ryanrossdirks.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/kobo-abe-adaptation/
I'm told he'll be printing up a new comic soon. You can see a few pages from his last self-published comic, GOLANTI, online:
http://ryanrossdirks.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/my-first-printed-comic-coming-april-16/
============
And my last group had a few particularly enthusiastic and promising artists that I hope to see keep at it. If you guys are reading this, get crackin' so I can link to your awesome comics!
If you or anyone you know in the Vancouver area wants to join in the fun, my next course starts up on Monday, January 16th. You can find more info on the VanArts website:
http://www.vanarts.com/courses/introduction-comic-book-production
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| Geekin' Out podcast |
[20 Dec 2011|04:46pm] |
 So apparently it's been TEN YEARS (and nine months) since QUEEN & COUNTRY first came out. To commemorate, Geekin' Out did a podcast with Greg Rucka and yours truly:
http://geekin-out.com/?p=3839
Doing the podcast made me think about the impact Q&C had on me as a creator. Sure, it was my first proper comic gig and we won the Eisner Award for Best New Series, which was all very cool... but I think I'm more grateful for the storytelling sensibilities and other attitudes that rubbed off on me from working with Greg.
If you've ever read Queen & Country, you know that the pulse-pounding action scenes are balanced by the bureaucratic side of the spy game. And while the action scenes were certainly a challenge to draw, I'd say the other half was just as much of a challenge and perhaps more rewarding. Illustrating the quieter scenes of awkward tension or inner turmoil really brought into focus the importance of subtle acting and what you can accomplish with believable gestures and expressions.
Not to mention what I learned about dramatic pacing and timing. I have a feeling my storytelling priorities would have developed differently if my first major assignment was something like a less well-written superhero knock-off. So, for better or worse (I'd say better), Greg had a pivotal impact on how I approach drawing and writing comics, as well as what types of projects I'm attracted to.
As for the podcast, I do wish we'd talked more about the other Queen & Country artists. I thoroughly enjoyed the series even when I wasn't drawing it and I think seeing all those artists cover the same territory was a good learning experience too. It's humbling to see another artist tackle aspects of a character better than you did. It helps remind you that there's more than one way to do things and we all have different strengths.
Anyway, I do want to say thanks to Greg Rucka and Oni Press (specifically Jamie S. Rich, Joe Nozemack and James Lucas Jones) for taking a chance on me a decade ago and for continuing to put up with me.
If you've never read Queen & Country, I highly recommend it. The Definitive Editions are a great value: http://www.onipress.com/series/1
And if you like this sketch I just did of Tara, you can bid on it over on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270878025238
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| warm-up page 07 |
[16 Dec 2011|12:11pm] |
It's been a while since I filled up one of these. I actually started this one five months ago but I stopped doing warm-up drawings when I was under the gun on deadlines. I'm hoping to get back into the habit now.
Hover over the image on my Flickr page to read some notes
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steverolston's journal
