TO WRAP UP 2010 - ROM : SPACEKNIGHT Illustration - FINAL * INKED * IMAGE

Well... we're one day from the end of another year... and to wrap up both the 2010 blogging year as well as the recent ROM SPACEKNIGHT original art series of posts (found HERE, HERE and HERE - wherein I went through the process of creating an original piece of artwork made especially for the fundraiser show/ auction to benefit former Marvel comics writer, Bill Mantlo - who was paralyzed and suffers permanent brain damage from a hit-and-run accident in 1992) I am presenting my original illustration here... in all its "final *digitally* inked glory" (if only I could put multiple "quote marks" around the word "glory")...

Click to see in all its """glory""".

 Original art by yours truly; PTOR.

The auction went well, some beautiful artworks made available to the masses for a good cause.
I can't rightly state that I understand the levels of bidding, however.
Some pieces, which, to me anyway, seemed slightly lesser than others, made off with large final bids, while other, artistic masterpieces of design, color and technique went by with only a scant (if any) bids.

I have two theories:

1. Pieces created by famous (or underground) professionals went for higher values - due to their fan-bases and potential high investment potential.
2. Pieces with any nudity and/or sexual connotations went for even higher levels - well... because sex sells.

With no sour grapes in any way, I'll own up to the fact that my own piece suffered, admittedly so, because I did not have time to color it.
Black and white pieces generally don't do well.
Especially, since mine was designed to BE in color, so it lacks the proper chiaroscuro and "spotted blacks" required of a piece meant to stand alone in stark black and white.
Simply put - I dropped the ball.

When reduced to the size of a thumbnail image (which is how they were seen in the auction listings - until one would click on it to see the whole piece made large), mine was unrecognizable as to what the image contained.

To rectify that, I am hoping to produce a fully colored version to present to the committee so that the color version might be used for the upcoming book release instead of the black/white version.

That is not to say that I am ashamed of this piece in any way.
Sure, like any artist, once I finished it, I IMMEDIATELY started picking it apart for all its varied mistakes and glaringly bad bits... that's just the nature of an artist to see where he/she could do better... but, that said,  I DO like it for what it is and stand by it as a sweet piece of comic art.

Best of all... because it was done for a good cause.

See you in 2011!
~P~

HELPING During the HOLIDAYS. FUND-RAISER AUCTION ARTWORK

Hello Art lovers, comic fans, and collector-enthusiasts of all ages...

I am here (after a few weeks of personal limbo - which I'll get to another time) to hawk the original artworks that are up for sale / auction over at the fund-raising event known as SPACENITE2 that Floating World Comics is holding to raise money for the medical bills of long-time comics writer, BILL MANTLO!
The link to Floating World's site is HERE - so you can preview the artworks in all their glory.
Their eBay auction link for the artworks can be found HERE.

As you may recall from my last post(s) -linked to [HERE] - I have a piece in the auction as well.
I submitted a finalized digitally inked Black and White piece of artwork which they are selling as a high quality, archival print.

MY piece is featured on their site [HERE] .
And the AUCTION for my piece is HERE.

For your convenience, I'll post a pic of the piece at the end of the post.

Now, remember, only ONE of each artist's work will be available.
Some are original works, in a variety of styles and media... some, like mine, are prints (since many artists work digitally there IS no "original").

The auctions end between December 26th and Dec 30th (depending on which images you're interested in).
So you have to bid early and OFTEN to make sure that you secure the one(s) that you want!

And also, (and most importantly) give some much needed funds to help pay for the continued medical care of a man who believed in the better aspects of humanity, and wrote about them in his many comics stories... and then... when he LEFT comics behind (or more accurately, comics left him behind) he became a legal defense attorney for those who had neither voice nor funds to pay for an expensive legal team to help them in their hour of need.

Bill Mantlo put his beliefs up front where he could use them to do good.
A real life super hero.

But, after being struck by a hit-and-run driver, he was left in a serious state of incapacitation, permanent brain damage and physical trauma. He will never be the same man again... on the outside.
But within him still exists the heart and soul of a fighting hero.

Please, be his hero now.

Bid early and often and while you get a sweet piece of artwork (AND a justly deserved feeling of do-goodery), Bill Mantlo gets to know that his words meant something to us all.

---

You don't have to bid on MY piece (but I'd appreciate it if you did)... but here is the blue-line artwork (before digital inks were applied).

Click to make "Galadorian" in size.

original work is

11" x 17" in blue pencil

Artwork by yours truly - PTOR

It's a jam-packed piece, showcasing nearly all of ROM SPACEKNIGHT's foes!
From left to right, top to bottom are;

• Female WitchWraith
• The "Dweller on the Threshold"
• The "Most High One"
• DeathWing
• Another female WitchWraith
• A "Thornoid" plant
• A WatchWraith android
• A Hell-Hound (in phantom form - in Rom's grip)
• A Male Wraith
• The Horror known as; HYBRID
• Another Hell-Hound (in Phantom form, with the Doberman dog form it morphs from at its feet)
• Another "Thornoid" (tangling ROM's arm and legs with its tendrils)
• Another Male Wraith (getting blasted into Limbo)
• Another Male Wraith (who is. Freaking. Out!)

And of course, ROM; SPACEKNIGHT in the center of it all.

---
Thanks for looking!
~P~

ROM : SPACEKNIGHT Illustration - FINAL IMAGE - For the Spacenite2 Bill Mantlo Fundraiser

Hey all,

Well, I actually DID get to finish the ROM artwork for the Bill Mantlo benefit (that I mentioned last post - HERE) , but it wasn't until this past weekend that I actually had more than a moment to do so.

Luckily, Jason from Floating World comics (the awesome people hosting the Bill Mantlo fundraiser - linkee HERE) told me that late submissions were still accepted.

I just need a few more moments to transform my blue-line artwork into "digital inks" in photoshop, but alas... time is not my friend.
(* See crazy story at end of this post)

But, without further ado... here is the image that I managed to work up.

original work is
11" x 17" in blue pencil
Artwork by yours truly - PTOR

I had wanted to actually INK and/or digitally color the piece, but time... that fickle mistress likes to kick me.

It's a busy piece, showcasing nearly all of ROM SPACEKNIGHT's foes!
From left to right, top to bottom are;

    •    Female WitchWraith
    •    "Dweller on the Threshold"
    •    The "Most High" One
    •    DeathWing
    •    another Female WitchWraith
    •    a "Thornoid" plant
    •    a WatchWraith android
    •    A Hell-Hound (in phantom form - in Rom's grip)
    •    A Male Wraith
    •    The Horror known as; HYBRID
    •    Another Hell-Hound (in Phantom form, with the Doberman dog form it morphs from at its feet)
    •    another Thornoid (tangling ROM's arm and legs with its tendrils)
    •    Another Male Wraith (getting blasted into Limbo)
    •    Another Male Wraith (freaking. out!)

And of course, ROM; SPACEKNIGHT in the center of it all.

 I'll transform this into digital inks and submit the file, and in the meanwhile, will try to find time to actually INK it, so that it'll be a completed piece for the auction.

Maybe, when I have time, I'll colorize it.

So, let me know what you think.

----------------

*Crazy story found here:

So, as it turns out, with all the craziness of my life, I managed to finish the artwork and drove to Staples to get it scanned in on their over-sized printers, but got into a car wreck on the way.

My car could be "totaled" but I did manage to get to Staples to get the job done.

Then I tried to post this last night but my laptop seems to have some kind of virus or something and wont boot up, so I had to wait until now to quickly type this as I try to squeeze a few seconds out of another crazy day.

But... hey... it COULD be worse.

ROM : SPACEKNIGHT Illustration A Work-in-Progress For the Spacenite2 Bill Mantlo Fundraiser

If you recall, one of my previous posts showcased a piece that I had drawn for a charitable organization / event (for the MDA - Muscular Dystrophy Association) - as seen HERE.
In that post, I mention the worthwhile nature of doing such unpaid volunteer work for charitable purposes.

Well, this is another such instance.

I'm hurriedly trying to complete an illustration for the SPACENITE 2 - Bill Mantlo fundraiser event held by those fab folks at Floating World comics - link to site HERE.

Long story short, they have had some events in order to raise money for the medical bills of creator BILL MANTLO, former writer (of every issue of ROM and many other Marvel comics) whom, after leaving comics to become a public defense lawyer - has been incapacitated since 1992, after a hit-and-run driver struck him, causing irreparable brain-damage.

Sadly, while I KNEW about the fundraiser, I thought the artists commissioned were by "invitation-only", and so I never thought to inquire about submitting a piece.

Then, a blogger-friend sent me a note that submissions are indeed open for one or two more slots... BUT (and here's the rub) they have to be completed and submitted by Sunday, November 28th!
TOMORROW!!!

I only found this out on Thanksgiving day (Thursday).
So, I worked up a few sketches yesterday, and one "semi-final" rough, but still need to redraw it, to smooth out the rough spots, rearrange a few of the figures, add a bunch more and add tons of details to the background and such.

Unfortunately... with all that I have going on today... I'm not sure if I'm going to make it.

BUT, I will work on it anyway.

In the meanwhile, HERE is the "semi-final" rough (minus a TON of details and ideas that are present on the other sketches - which will, hopefully be added in the final image. Such details will include: A Deathwing, more Male and Female Wraiths, a Wraith getting blasted into Limbo, a few other Spacknights - shown in cameo and whatever else I can cram in from the ROM comic lore).

The original is to be 11x17, and this scan crops off a big chunk of it all around.

Be kind. It's just a rough sketch.
ROM: SPACEKNIGHT vs from top left to bottom right:
Female Dire Wraith, Watchwraith robot, HellHound,
Hybrid, Hellhound
and Male Dire Wraith getting blasted into Limbo by ROM.

Enjoy.
And wish me luck.
Oh, don't mind the watermark.
It's a comic-book related piece, so I put the logo of my comic blog on it.

Original artworks will be auctioned off some time in December, and prints will be sold of many others, all to raise funds for Mantlo. So, save your pennies and bid early, and often.

If you've EVER enjoyed an issue of ROM, or any of Bill's other comics (of which there is too long a list to recap here) feel free bid OR... if you aren't the bidding-on-artwork kind of person, feel free to make a donation.
Those wishing to make direct donations may send them to Bill's brother Michael who has long been caregiver of his brother.


Michael Mantlo
425 Riverside Dr #12-E
New York, NY 10025

Of course, if PayPal is more your speed, drop by this link to make a direct donation at the Floating World Comics site.
[HERE]
Make a private donation to the SPACENITE - BILL MANTLO FUND directly from your Paypal account. 100% of the funds go to Mike Mantlo.
Or, if money is tight, drop a letter to tell how much you love Mantlo's work.

Children's style artwork Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) - 1997

I'd like to take this opportunity to present a piece of artwork that I was commissioned to do for a charitable organization; the Muscular Dystrophy Association (M.D.A.), for their annual Awards Ceremony in 1997.

I say "commissioned" but I accepted no payment for it - this artwork was donated to their cause for their usage free of charge.

Most people know the MDA as the organization with whom world-famous actor and comedian Jerry Lewis (and his "Jerry's Kids") is affiliated - most notably with their annual fund-raising telethon.

Representatives from the MDA offices approached me and asked that I produce a piece, after seeing some of my work elsewhere, to be used as the cover for the program book as well as for the invitations of their annual Gala Event dinner.

The theme that I was presented to work from was called "Night of a Thousand Dreams", representing the fulfillment of the goals, hopes and wishes of the many children who deal with Muscular Dystrophy's neuromuscular diseases.

Taking that theme to heart, I worked up several different concepts - but kept coming back to the image of children, unfettered by any challenging "handicap" or ailment, literally flying as high as they could.

Sadly, as usual, the deadline for this was pretty short. I don't think I had more than a week or so (two weeks at most) from the day that I was contacted to the day that it was due.

Still, I think it worked out fairly well.

This is the final piece that I submitted.
(The finished, printed cover is further below)

*click image to enlarge*

Wanting to keep the general feeling of the piece light, free and full of dream-like innocence, I worked in a children's book style of simplistic forms.

Also, I opted to obscure any details of faces by back-lighting the children via starlight.
This helped to eliminate any off-chance of accidentally coming close to anyone's actual likeness, or offending anyone by not representing any ethnic "type".
It also suggested an open, empathic nature to the piece, so that the children could sense, more than actually see, themselves - and identify with whichever body they wished.

The absence of much detailing maintained a feeling of pure form and lightness of being.
More "spiritual body" than physical form. Their dream-selves taken flight.

The artwork was drawn in my oft-used manner of black pencil finishes over blue pencil roughs on vellum-finished bristol illustration board.

"Old-school" rub-on, dry-transfer stars of varying sizes were dispersed across the background.
I could have drawn the stars in by hand, but having the uniformity maintained via the dry-transfer decals aided in keeping the piece balanced.

While in the design stage, I experimented with font styles and placement, and when I found what I liked, I typeset the text of the piece on a separate layer of paper (making sure to keep registration marks aligned for the printer, thus ensuring that the text wouldn't be misprinted).

Finally, I was asked my opinion of what single color to be used in the printing process.
(I'm not sure if the printer volunteered their services free of charge or at a discounted rate, but still, single-color printing would ensure a low cost).

We all felt that blue was the way to go - helping to maintain the "cool night air" feeling of the artwork.

This is what the final printed piece looked like.
(without my copyright "branding" of course)

The gently windswept hair and garments, with the blue-tinted, muted colors, suggesting a cool night's air as the children rise, unencumbered, to great heights.

Inside the program, the image would be reproduced several times, in "5th" color metallic inks of bronze, silver, and gold - to coincide with the sections within the ceremony where awards were bestowed.

The following year, in 1998, the MDA offices contacted me and asked if I would let them use the piece again. While I would have been willing to produce a new image, they all loved this one so much - it being requested by multiple people, that they wished to reuse it for that 2nd year.

Honored, I agreed.

In the career of every artist, the likelihood of being asked to do "pro-bono" work (or even "work-on-spec") is a certainty.
However, whether one agrees to do free work for other professional agendas, it is always good and rewarding to do so for a worthwhile (and/or quite possibly charitable) cause.