Composer Series - Olivier Messiaen

This is the second piece in a series of paintings of my favorite composers with animals representative of their music. The first piece was of John Zorn (I suppose I should post that one as well). This is French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), who transcribed bird-song for solo piano and wrote a "Quartet for the End of Time" while a prisoner during WWII. He also experienced synesthesia - perceiving sound as color and sounds from colors.

Rough Sketch

Painting in Progress

Final Painting

I'm planning on doing Ennio Morricone or Koji Kondo next.

Hellboy's 20th Birthday

Didn't get a comic page done this week because I was working on these submissions to Multiversity's 20 Years of Hellboy art contest. These are two parts of a triptych (the third will depict Hellboy in Hell). Compared to the epic Gustave Dore inspired lineart of the second, I don't think the first holds up so well, although I do love drawing kid Hellboy. I think the second drawing is probably one of, if not the best illustration I've ever done.

Bill vs Chupacabra pages 1-5

  

p1

p2

p3

p4

Mama Cabra!

Every page I've done has been an experiment in defining a "style"/work flow/methodology. I plan to come back to these later to tighten them up and color them. Please give me your honest critique - point out everything I've done wrong before I take these to the "inking" stage. Pacing, anatomy, rendering, inconsistency - if you spot something that bothers you, let me know! Also, if there's anything you think turned out good, I wouldn't mind hearing that either.

Below is a small example of the many design sketches I did to design the "Mama" Chupacabra. The two in the top left are fairly recent, the one in the bottom right was done a few years ago. I think the expression of the guy in the middle is the best.

B-Day Sketches 9, 10, 11

Russell Wilson for Aunt Lisa

Spidey vs Sinister Six for Cordell

Brain Escape for Melanie Schliebe