Near The End

Getting to the end of the print run on my convention sketchbook, Marks On Paper 1. Each book is only $5, it includes postage to where ever you live PLUS an original sketch of your choice. Here's the latest sketch done for one of my recent sales.

If you are interested in getting one of the last few sketchbooks remaining, drop me a note in the comment section below, or email me at j dot copland at telus dot net.

I Like To Rock

This is a recent sketch I did for another sketchbook. Good ol' Sgt. Rock. I didn't ink this one because I had erased quite a bit and the paper was getting thin. If I had inked it, the ink would have bleed a bit, which would have made the whole thing look like crap. So, instead, I included a small inked drawing (below) to compensate for the lack on inking inside.I've got some time between things, right now, and I don't know what to do with myself. I'm just sketching random stuff, some of which I'll post on Wednesday, I guess.

Swamp Song

With my part of the Braids pitch finished, I now have the time to get to the sketchbook drawings I owed to a few patient people. Here is one of them, hot off the drawing table.
Swamp Thing. My first time drawing this character. He was fun to draw, actually.

I still have a few sketchbooks left, BTW. For $5 you get the book plus a sketch of your favorite character on the inside. Interested? You can read more about them here.

Have a great weekend!

The Joker

"Tachy! Tachy! Tachy! You talk in yer sleep, stranger! Drivn' me crazy!" - Packrat, from RONIN.

This is one of the earliest sketckbook sketches I did. Not my best (hey I did this one at work in about 15 minutes!) but this was done as a necessary response to this "gift" (below) my friend Ian from work sent me through the internal mail system...
WHAT???! It turns out that Ian, who is a huge comic fan, doesn't dig the best frickin' comic book ever created! Something about not being able to understand it or something like that. Anyways, since he so obviously needed to be educated about the pure genius that is Frank Miller's RONIN, I whipped up this sketch in hopes that it may spark an interest in something that isn't wrapped in spandex. He says he likes the sketch so maybe there is hope for him!

Hey Ian, have you started reading that copy of RONIN I gave you, yet?

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

Coloring on the Braids of the Gorgon pages has begun. Ken, James and I decided that I should give the coloring a try, so I've been doing that, mostly. I'll post a finished page once I get the thumbs up from the crew.

click image to see it bigger

In the meantime, I did manage to do a few more sketchbook sketches. I'm almost all caught up on them, now! Here's one I did for my friend, Dino. Thanks for your patience, it's in the mail!

Speaking In Tongues

click image to see it bigger

I was hoping to have the trade dressed final Perhapanauts cover image for you today, but Todd has been so swamped with stuff that he hasn't been able to send one my way. That's cool. I've got something else to share with you good people!

The above image is a sketch I did in a convention sketchbook for Robotika creator and friend, Alex Sheikman. It's a drawing of Cherokee Geisha (CG), one of Alex's Robotika characters. I'm a huge fan of his book and thought I'd do a drawing concerning the "controversy" over the way CG's word balloons were drawn (in a vertical manner). I thought it was a brilliant way to convey the difficulty people have understanding others who speak with an accent. The reading public? Not so enthusiastic. So in the second Robotika series, Alex "corrected" how she spoke and all was well again in the comic blogosphere. Sigh.

"For A Few Rubles More", the second Robotika mini series will be starting to come out again very soon. Make sure to try and track it down. It's good stuff!

Love Calling

click to see image bigger

Another Convention Sketchbook sketch. This one is for an old high school friend and fellow music lover. Hope you dig it, Jason.

She Blinded Me With Science

Here's another sketchbook sketch. I don't draw superheroes very often but, as I've stated before, I have a soft spot for drawing Daredevil ( and Thor) . My apologies for those of you waiting for a sketchbook. The past couple of weeks have been very busy and getting to the Post Office just wasn't in the cards. They will be in the mail very soon. Thank you for your patience!

Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons

click image to see it bigger

Another sketchbook sketch. I've been having a lot of fun putting marks on paper for people!
This one is going out to my good friend Dee!

Friendship Test

One of the many sketches I've done in the sketchbooks people have purchased. This one is for Nuv, a friend from work and a strong supporter of mine. Nuv is a big fan of the creature that was on the first page of my 2007 24 Hour Comic noble failure. I fact, one day, he'll actually own the original page. Until then, I hope this will do! Thanks, man!

Finest Worksong

click image to see it bigger

I've been drawing a lot lately. Work on the Braids of the Gorgon layouts has begun! Looks like Ken, James and I are going to do 6 pages for the pitch, most of which are action packed! This is a panel from one of the pages of rough layouts. I'm having a blast on these!

In addition to the Braids stuff, I've been working on the sketches for all the Convention Sketchbooks that I've sold (they're still available. see this post for details!). I've been pretty happy with them. Hope the recipients are too!

Love For Sale

click to see image bigger

I am now selling my convention sketchbook. For a measly $5 you get 28 pages of black and white drawing goodness wrapped in a cool gray card stock cover. There is a great range of subject matter and drawing styles contained within. And, there is even a space on the first interior page for an original sketch... by me!! That's right! If you wish, I will sketch you something original right in your very own copy! Please specify what I should draw, if you don't want me just drawing something of my own design. Postage is included in the $5, if sending it regular snail mail is cool with you, otherwise we can work something out.

If you're interested, just leave a comment here (with a way to contact you) or email me at: j dot copland at telus dot net

Here Comes The War

click on image to see it bigger

Here's another page from my convention sketchbook, Marks On Paper. This was a character concept sketch for a book I'll (hopefully) get around to doing sooner than later. Ink drawing with markers for the gray tones. I don't use the markers very often as they are very stinky.

Heart Of Lothian: Wide Boy/Curtain Call

click on image to see it bigger

Here's a page from my new convention sketchbook, Marks On Paper. These are a few panels from a short story that Josh Fialkov and I did for a anthology that never materialized. On the left are the panels in their pencilled form, and on the right are the same panels in their final inked form. I like pages like this, as they help show my process, sort of a peek behind the curtain.

The sketchbook will be making its debut at Fallcon, which happens in a few weeks! The books have already been shipped and they will be waiting for me in Minnesota upon my arrival.