C2E2 here I come!

I got the email this morning informing me that I have been selected to be a part of Artist Alley for 2014! This is great news to come along the line. Whenever you apply for anything, it can be nerve wracking to wait and see if you get the call back and it made my day to get this email!

I will be debuting my book, "A Reason to Smile" in 2014 and can't wait to show it around the country! C2E2 is a huge place to show it at, but I am also trying to secure at least 1 show a month to be as active as possible.  Hopefully I will be able to hit as many places as possible this upcoming year, I am extremely excited at the possibilities that are opening up for me this upcoming year.

If you want a custom piece of artwork, feel free to email me at thelearningcurv@gmail.com and we can discuss your options. I love creating art as you know and the more creative and funky, the better! Lets make some art=]

Hulk will NOT Smash for you...

As I finished the inking of this piece, I realized it wasn't enough. I came up with the rational for the defeated Avengers from the AvX storyline and figured it'd be a nice quick fix to make it stand out even more. My childhood full of fun what if's helped inspire me. 

Power Rangers celebrates 20 years of being broadcasted in America! Seeing the cosplayers at comic con who pay tribute to this show are always so amazingly done, and as always I was inspired to make this due to the love they continue to get!

Below is the preparation I had in creating this piece. I wanted to get as much movement here as possible and continue to work scale and perspective into my work.  I hope you enjoy. 

My Upper Deck Sketch cards

Upper Deck is producing sketch cards when Thor: The Dark World is released and I was able to contribute to that set! Here is what I produced! 79 out of 81 cards approved... I like those numbers!

My approach to these cards was Thor's Mythology. I have been a fan of his since I first saw his first appearance on the cover of Journey into Mystery no.83. I always wanted a hammer like that so it automatically caught my attention. The stories or characters I depicted are those that I have the closest connection to. I have depicted his first appearance when Donald Blake finds the walking stick that is Mjolnir (imagine a Thor movie done like Lord of the Rings?! WOW!), all the way to fighting his uncle in Fear Itself. I wish I had more cards to depict some other classic stories of his, but I hope this was enough for you=]

All cards are 2.5 x 3.5 and are done with a 01 Prismacolor tech pen and Prismacolor markers... oh, and the AP of Thor on the horizontal piece is already sold!

Below are the cards I have available for sale outside of eBay or being lucky enough to get one within a pack. Send me an e-mail at thelearningcurv@gmail.com to purchase them! 

TMNT Pizza with everything on it!

I've wanted to do a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle piece for a long while.  I did a sketch of each character after the animated TMNT movie was released but that wasn't enough for me.  I have finally done my own full Illo and i am happy. I was able to include most of the characters that I felt made the most difference in the show as a kid and who have stuck with me all the way into adulthood.  Which turtle was your favorite? Is there a supporting cast member you would have liked to see here?  Do you still care about these guys?  I hope Michael Bay doesn't muck them up! heh Thanks for watching=]

After 25 years of drawing, I finally have a copyright on my own character... I present to you 

Luiza Brillante!

She is here to brighten your day and always give you a reason to smile...
I hope you enjoy what comes from her adventures!

I developed her for a children's book that I will be announcing upon completion (within the next few weeks) centering around Luz.  It is a slice of life type story where her interactions with those around her impacts them in an extremely positive way.  Her story will be great for kids and fun for adults as well.
Stay Tuned for more to come!

New York Comic Con!

New York Comic Con is October 10th - 13th and I can't wait! I have my table assignment and I'll be at table P10 in the middle of the show!  Come stop by and say hello, I'll have a lot of new work for you to see in person! 

Goku FTW!

In my travels across the country, there were many who enjoyed and debated the question... who wins between Goku and Superman?  I've always looked at it as a battle that would take 5 episodes. The end result would have the two being extremely exhausted and deciding it'd be best to go out for pizza, with a splash image of them trying to out eat each other with Chichi and Lois heading the cheering section of supporting cast members. 

That said, most fans feel Goku would win... so this is for them.

Inks done hand, edited in photoshop

Completed in my Sketchbook

The Shred Head

Above is a marker and Photoshop test to add to the TMNT piece I am working on now.  I did the marker portion to practice my marker skills for my Upper Deck assignment that I am currently working on. I've done marker drawings with simple blank backgrounds (i.e. Nova) and color backgrounds (i.e. Batman vs. Captain America) and I wanted to see if I could make a photoshop background that would help make the image pop as well. Integrating original art and computer art can make for some powerful art. I hope to show those cards for Upper Deck to you before the end of the month!

I've always enjoyed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ever since I was a kid, and thoroughly enjoyed the TMNT animated movie. I enjoyed it so much so that I did the drawing below inspired by the show! When exhibiting it at comic con's, it always got a smile out of people, children and adult alike. For that reason I've begun doing a full illustration based on these fun guys.

Since I'll be at the Baltimore Comic Con September 7th-8th, I want to have something new for that and will have that TMNT piece, in black and white at the very least, for visual consumption=] 

Sinestro's Glory

A while back, I did a illo about the Guardians of the Light in the DC universe and i wanted to do a new illustration with one of the characters, Sinestro.  He was at one time considered the greatest Green Lantern ever and at one time was their worst enemy.  The Sinestro Wars saw Sinestro at the height of his power and was one of the best stories to be done by DC comics. I wanted to spotlight him in the aftermath of him conquering the Green Lantern Corps above his home planet of Korugar.

This image began as a simple character study, since I want to do a single comic page staring him. As I was drawing it I wanted to make it more than just a sketch and decided an exercise in practice would be good.  I brought the conquering story into it and tested myself by drawing over 22 characters on one page in my sketchbook.  I also challenged myself by drawing characters in positions I've never drawn before.  Hopefully this is a successful image in your eyes as well, and now on to the next bit of art=]

Comics and the Amazing City!

I have lived in this wonderful city of NYC since my early childhood and am proud to be a New Yorker. It's served as the supporting character for a lot of art I've done throughout the years and I felt the need to share some of those pieces with you.  

2006, 20th st. and 5th ave.

2006, Grand St. in Chinatown

2006
Vanderbuilt Avenue

I was requested to have this image look like Spidey did in part 3...
That may be why so few have seen this image=]

2008 Big Apple Con exclusive
This was the first exclusive piece at my very Comic Con I attended as an artist

2008
Pearl St.

2008
40th St. and 5th Ave.

2009
Inspired by NYC corporate buildings in Midtown

2009
The Fashion District
40th st. and 7th ave.

2010
Union Square
14th btw 4th ave and Broadway 

2011
Rockerfeller Center
49th St. btw 6th and 5th ave

"Sticks on the Lamb", Shaun Hurley's story with his wife about Sticks the Giraffe forced into hiding after running into problems with the mob... Such a fun project! I hope I get to do more like this!

One thing I love about inking my own work is being able to edit and fix what I may not catch in my pencils.  It's a definite learning journey I go on with each piece.

Are you going to Heroes Con? Cause I am=]

I have been attending & exhibiting my art at Comic Book Conventions since 2008 & every artist worth their salt raves about Heroes Con. It's always been said that it is geared toward artists & is VERY artist friendly. What artist wouldn't want to attend a show with that kind of reputation?

I will be attending the show this year for the first time. I have been hearing more recently that Heroes is a show where original art is better received than prints. That made me take the time to do some Sketch Covers to have available at the show. I have pretty much every sketch cover ever produced, so if you'll be at the show you could either request one from me beforehand or get one at the show. 

Hope to see you there!