HXMP Series

This has been an incredibly busy summer, but the weather her in Burbank, California has been great. After some careful scanning and digital clean-up, several of the designs from my Heavy Experimental Military Platform (HXMP) series have gotten a dash of color and rendering in Photoshop. These big girl-inspired machines draw a lot from my fascination with 80s Japanese robot model kit illustrations. Most were exercises in freehand inking with Microns and technical pens. It has been fun to test my hand-eye coordination and discipline. For example, I still have an unfortunate preference for drawing straight lines freehand instead of using a straight edge.

The final booklet turned out great! Below are some spreads and a shot of the cover.

Updates Coming Soon!

It’s been a busy month, but I am looking forward to a return to the Detroit, Michigan area for the Motor City Black Age of Comics convention. If all goes well, I will be sharing a couple of new releases from my growing Afromancers/Afroids IP.

A Gangly Dangly

I recently decided to take a hovering mech sketch done during WonderCon 2022 into acrylics. I completed the piece over the course of a week, working in roughly 1- to 2-hour spurts.

The Underdrawing

With the underdrawing completed, I still feel like the right side of the mech needs to be even more in shadow. The face has also lost the roundness and appeal in the original sketch. But I am happy with the armored crustacean-like feel of this design.

The anime series Raxephon included the "dolems" which were massive, floating mechs that reminded me of ancient Mediterranean figurines and ceramic ware. They had a majestic and eerie elegance that left a lasting impression me.

Sealing the Underdrawing

My discovery of clear gesso came at a time when I was still reluctantly relying on spray fixative to seal graphite drawings for glazing with acrylics. I first saw the spray fix used in a demo from my copy of Hajime Sorayama's self-titled softbound book of erotic pin-ups and sexy chrome robots. After several developing the final idea via sketches on tracing paper, Sorayama rendered his illustrations with crisp precision using a hard graphite pencil directly on the bare illustration board. Spray fixative protected the drawing from subsequent layers of acrylic paint. The technique was both efficient and effective in achieving his iconic "hyper-real" look. I learned from his demos how good reference and masterful drawing techniques support realism. His use of acrylics instead of oils was also a good fit for me as I toiled away on my bedroom floor, or in the chilly garage of my parent's house. While I knew a bit about oil's superior blending and relative consistency of color as it dried, I had concerns about the longer drying time, clean-up, and odors from the solvents.

My approach to this kind of painting borrows heavily from Sorayama's process. One significant difference is the use of water-soluble graphite pencils which become permanently affixed to the surface after water is applied. I like being able to achieve smooth gradations of value with just water. Another advantage is how the tooth of the paper can either be exploited as texture or overridden with a watercolor technique. I had actually tried unsuccessfully to formulate my own graphite-based watercolor before coming across a "liquid pencil" product that actually worked. The pencil option let me easily layout, render, and edit a drawing until I am ready to "paint" it in.

I used to carefully brush a thin layer of acrylic medium over my drawings to seal them. If I used a soft brush, most of the drawing stayed put. However, I missed the nice, toothy texture I got from using a standard gesso ground. When I finally found a clear gesso, I was skeptical. To my surprise, it was transparent and included just the right amount pumice.

First Glazes in Acrylics

After a second coat of clear gesso and a light sanding, the board is ready for painting. As expected, I lost a significant amount of shadow detail that will either have to be reimagined in paint or ignored completely. There also seemed to be an unexpected yellow tint from the gesso, but its warmth helped to guide the spirit of the color palette and first transparent layers of paint. My goal was to keep the warm earth tones of the original ink and marker sketch, and to depict a misty, atmospheric background that suggests inhospitable sulfuric gases and other noxious vapors.

Final Stage

Fortunately, the initial value pattern from the drawing held up all the way through to the end of the process. The major forms read clearly as did most of the textures I wanted to portray.

In hindsight, I think the application of more fine details with opaque paint might have brought the piece closer to the style I enjoyed seeing on those original Japanese robot model kit boxes.

Wondrous WonderCon 2022

Way back in 1989, I attended my first-ever WonderCon in Oakland, California. It was the year Tim Burton’s Batman was coming to theaters. I left the convention inspired. Downtown Oakland had a handful of futuristic skyscrapers that sparked my imagination enough for me to create my first Def Squad X comic. That comic earned me first place regional drawing category of the NAACP ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics). The following year, I would compete at the NAACP national convention in Los Angeles.

The urban crime and cyberpunk themes in Def Squad X were a mix of cliches from both genres, but also representative of me trying my best to reconcile the prideful social consciousness that characterized African-American identity in the late 80s early 90s with the mind-blowing visuals showing up in manga and anime. The former valued accessible contemporary fine art that “uplifted the race” through mostly figurative genre work. The latter brought to life dystopian futures with amazing tech and impeccable design.

The advent of “afrofuturism” and related initiatives intended to add diverisity and BIPOC voices to these entertainment genres has been bittersweet. I am still an industry outsider in spite of having dedicated countess hours to the craft of comics, characters, props, mechs, and illustrations. I distinctly recall the tepid response of Tor’s art director when I showed her my work during the Illustration Master Class. Today, the same illustrators who consciously avoided including black or brown characters in their portfolios (unless they were drows, demons, or aliens) get hired paint them for covers.

WonderCon 2022 being my first major convention was a comedy of errors, but I am glad that I went. The biggest challenges were in being seated between two industry pros with large followings. Groups of their friends and fans had a tendency to spread out and block my table. In spite of this, it was good to see where working for Marvel or DC can get you. They seemed to make most of their sales from originals, autographs, and commissions. You have to really understand the market and the behaviors of buyers to know how to price your work.

I learned that it would be best to be placed among independent artists in parts of the convention where attendees are looking for original stories and art. Copies of the Afromancers Primer Book I and II sold very well and my HXMP series was well-received.

Into the Forest

I will have a series of drawings and paintings included in the upcoming group show Into the Forest this September at Warehouse 416 in the uptown arts district of Oakland, California.

About the show:

In fairy tales and folk tales, the Forest is a place of mystery, magic and personal transformation. It is the place where the main character is sent into exile, presumably to die or never be seen again. Whether the goal is to win the heart of the Princess or simply to survive and make their way back home, the hero/heroine must set out to perform a series of seemingly impossible tasks. Having completed these tasks, he/she gains wisdom, experience and a deepened sense of self-awareness.

The inhabitants of the Forest can play an important role in these stories, oftentimes holding equal billing to the main character. Examples of this are the witch/crone or wizard. Forest animals and other creatures (both real and imaginary) can serve as adversaries or allies, sometimes operating as both within the same story.

In many ways, the Forest is symbolic for the unexpected twists and turns of life, the catalyst for big changes and challenges of all kinds. It is also Nature, with its powerful ability to destroy and create in an unending cycle of death and renewal. Working within a wide range of mediums, styles and personal perspectives, the participating artists will explore these various themes and ideas.

— Tina Banda, Into the Forest Curator

Opening on First Friday 9-6-2019

Saturday Stroll Dates: 9/7, 9/14 and 9/21 from 1-5pm

Closing date: Saturday 9-21-2019
https://www.warehouse416.com/

Natural Playground Invitational Art Show

I will have two new ink and watercolor pieces at 4th Street Fine Art. The opening reception is on Sunday, July 14, 2019 from 5 to 7 pm.. The “d-form” series draws from themes of isolation, decay, and references fictional megastructures and vessels for space travel. Influences stem from vehicle design concept art and the techno-organic aesthetic found in 1980s Japanese cyberpunk and mecha genres. The series also has a kinship with the natural gestures and obsession with organic forms present in my croque debris series.

http://www.4thstreetfineart.com/natural-playground.html