Snowflake.

Super Sculpey is so easy to use and you get nice results pretty fast.
On obtient vite un resultat sympa avec le Super Sculpey.

Rocket Science Comics. Part 1

Hello ever-growing-number-of-fans-on-this-blog yous!

Here is a pencil version of a drawing that will be apearing in a glamour girls book I am working on. I'll keep you posted on the completion of the book and some of the art to be featured in. Not all of them, as you understand I want YOU to buy this book, when it's out. ;)

It has a few nods to many of my favorite things. First of all, my very best friend is the model for this one. My all time inspiration when it comes to good girl art. She and I have hauled a long way, working together on many images thru out my professional carrier. I will never pay hommage enough to how inspirational she has been and hopefully will keep on being, during all those years.
Then my inconditional love for Frenchbulldogs! Hell, my website says it all, right?
The title for the issue is a nod to one of my favorite movies from Bollywood. K3G, for those who are in the know, Kabhi Kushi Kabbie Gham for the rest of you. I found the name, which translate to something like moonlight square market sounded like that of a distant other world, so I just decided to use it. Can't get more exotic than this.
Finally, my passion for everything from the 40's/50's era, when it comes to science fiction and adventure!

A perfect blend, I 'd say! I hope it shows...

Jedi: The Dark Side Cover 2

Hey guys,

It is showing on the Previews catalogue and various websites, so here it is from the original file!

My favorite of all them five covers!

Salut tout le monde,

voici la couverture finale pour le deuxième numéro du comics dessiné par Mahmud A Asrar! Ma couverture préféré, sur les cinq produites.

2nd Star Wars Jedi: THE DARK SIDE cover WIP

That's " WORK IN PROGRESS " for you philistines!

Ca veut dire " EN COURS DE FAB' " pour ceux là qui z'y parlent pas l'engliche...

Okay, so you undersgtand by now how I work, right? A quick prelim, scanned and fancyfully colored on Pshop, to sell the concept...

Donc, bon, maintenant, vous avez compris comment je procède, n'est-ce pas? Je vous rabaisse, je me calme et je reviens a mon sujet... Non, je déconne, je veux dire, au noveau de ma démarche artistique. Je tape un truc rapide au crayon, que je scanne et que je mets vite fait en couleur sur Pshop.



Then, knowing what I need as reference, I call my freinds and models that would fit the bill. This time, I had help from Emmanuelle, since she has a figure close to the main character to appear on the cover this time. Hey, it's NOT always going to be funny pics, okay? Doodling and drawing sexy girls IS serious business.

Ensuite, si j'ai besoin d'une reference, je fais appel à mes amis et modèles, en fonctions des besoins. Cette fois-çi, j'ai travaillé avec Emmanuelle, qui a la silhouette du personnage que je devais representer sur cette couverture. Eh oui, je ne poste pas toujours que des images débiles ou drôles, okay? Dessiner des mickeys, c'est un vrai metier.



Then I get started on pencils. For this assignment I decided to go full pencils and colors with Photoshop. I've grown really comfortable with the tonal paper from Strathmore, " Artagain " 12X18 60Ib. Several different colors you can pick from, usually for me, depending on the mood I want to set. First cover was a sunset so I went for yellowish tone. This one is going to be set in the blue, nightlike, type of mood.

Après cela, je m'attaque aux crayonné définitifs. Comme pour la precédente couv' ( merci, y'en a deux qui suivent... ) ( ah oui, mais en fait, y'en a que deux qui lisent, c'est pour ça..! ) je change de style graphique et me la donne à donf sur le crayonné, la couleur étant totalement appliquée sur Photoshop. L'avantage de travailler le prélim du début sur le même logiciel, permet de repiquer les couleurs que l'editeur a vu et validé, et de garder les effets appliqués a l'image, entre autre. Gain de temps et gain de temps, or, donc.

La teinte du papier varie selon l'humeur ou l'ambiance que je veux donner à l'ensemble, au final. Ici, une baston nocturne, seulement eclairée par la lune et les tirs de blasters deviés par le sabre laser. Toujours le même papier, Strathmore " Artagain " 30,5X45,7, mais au lieu du jaune de la première couverture, j'ai opté pour un bleu/gris plus à propos.


I'll just show the final cover when the publisher has posted it on its website... in the meantime, that is the best I can provide...

Je vous montrerai bien le rendu final, mais la couverture definitive n'est pas encore postée sur le site de l'éditeur, alors en attendant, il faudra vous contenter de ça...

...Enjoy!

J'espère que ca suffira!

Hommage to Blacksad WIP

Salut Les Mickeys,
Ah merde... Pas bien malin de vous hêler en vous affublant du blaze d'une souris pour parler d'un greffier... Enfin.

Hello ya cool cats,
Just a little work in progress on my latest art break of the week end. Like a leisure crew on the banks of Spain. For that Awesome character that is John Blacksad comes from the minds of Uber-talented artist Juanjo Guarnido and Juan Diaz Canales.

Rien de plus logique, cependant, lorsqu'il s'agit de John Blacksad le personnage de Juanjo Guarnido et Juan Diaz Canales. Ceux qui on déjà vu les dessins postés sur ma page Deviant Art seront peut-être interessés par l'observation de détails similaires mis côte-à-côte sur ce blog.

Those of you who already know of my Deviant Art page have seen the final art on those pieces. Here is a bunch of hilites from both, so you can compare styles and rendering.

Je vous laisse faire vos propres commentaires, que ce soit pas toujours les mêmes qui bossent!

I have to get back to work now, my break is over!
Enjoy!

Ways of the Force...

Hi Guys,

Since the cover is out now, I thought I'd show here part of the process I go through for such assignment. I get a few lines from my editor and start sketching a few lay-outs. Very loose.




At this stage, to me, it's more about the idea. To hint people with where the characters will stand and what they'll be doing. No intention of light, or mood/colors. Sometimes, if I feel someone might find it too loose to anticipate what it could look like, in the end - Not everyone has the ability to project himself in what the image will look like - I quickly put colors with photoshop on the lay-out. It usually sells the idea better.
I also need sometimes to refine the lay-out, so I get to solve a few inconsistencies or tricky questions that might arise later, at pencil stage, and that I'd hate to be stuck with: tangents, between characters and background elements, or between characters themselves. From there, I know I'll still make last minute changes, slight ones, that no one will notice but will help the image be better. Says the less objective party in this.



At any stage, what really matters is that whoever commissions and/or validates should know I only try to improve on the image.

Then comes a decisive part of the process. At least for me, always aiming for more realistic rendering with a blend of graphic licence, still.

Anyway, it is always more fun when you have someone to assist you. A pain to deal with on your own: photo reference. Costume, obviously, never fits with someone my size. Not to mention the model looks ridiculous, too. heh. But it serves its purpose.
That stage is actually helpful to gather data on how folds run on fabric, given the position of the arms, the way light hits that awesome six-pack... So on and so forth... Not to mention it's a tremendous help to "break" the habits of, let's say, drawing cloth and folds the same repetitive way. The process of relying on skills that have proven their efficiency pages after pages - and which sometimes helps define a style can also become a drawback - no pun intended - and I tend to assimilate it to artistic sclerosis. indulging in the same gimmickes slowly kills creativity, in my opinion.
It has been one of my main struggles over the years, when it comes to my art: always try, as much as possible, to switch from one style to the other, and try in instill, inject a little bit of whatever I could understand from the previous. It helps break any of the bad habits that could lead an artist to choose the same angle to draw a fist, or a clutching hand, the same foreshortening view or the same expression. Any artist knows what I am talking about as well as how hard it is to go against his own natural inclinations...

But enough considerations on what makes your habits-in-rendering become a style.
All I know is observation is the key to rendering with variety.


Yeah, I know... Handsome Jedi, except for the short skirt.

I usually add a few filters on Photoshop to help me get in the color mood for the image, too. Praise Photoshop.

I decided to go for tonal paper on that series of covers. It helps on many levels: Setting the mood faster, because the shadows and hilites pop out immediately, making the color of the paper a third tone that adds volume to the designs. At this stage, I also use reference to capture the likeness of the actor, because it is requested. The tricky part was to make him look younger, especially given the size ( on the final piece he is only 6 inches tall ). Pressure? Naaaaah...




And then there was the chick. Scarce information on her is an understatement. Thank God Mahmud had a design he made of her. I hope my pencils do it justice.


For the rest of the piece, I drew the ship on a separate sheet. Then imported it on the final file. before putting the colors. I made the front look like the actual front view of the T shaped cooning towers for Star Destroyers. That's how much of a geek I can be, just in case the picture with the cheap suit didn't give it away already.

The 25 is because the cover was made as a celebration piece for Dark Horse 25th anniversary.

Hope you enjoyed the tour... Now get some art done, Damnit!

Cover artist ( Variant ) on Star Wars

Hello ye few,

Salut les fidèles

So, it begins...

Ca y est, c'est parti...




This is an alternate cover for Scott Allie and Mahmud A. Asrar's " Star Wars: Jedi The Dark Side # 1( of 5 ).
I am trying to build a progression in colors and composition with the next covers: One major color tone for each upcoming cover, and drawing - no pun intended - closer to the main character - and moving backwards again, after issue # 3. As if, within the body of work of all 5 covers, you'd progress closer to the character on the cover... like a zoom in. And after issue # 3, That would be a zoom out. I am also aiming for iconic poses. Mahmud is doing such a great job on action covers, in general and specifically on the title. Go check his blog.

Voici la couverture alternative au comic-book Star Wars écrit par Scott Allie et dessiné par Mahmud A. Asrar intitulé Star Wars: Jedi-The Dark Side #1 ( sur 5 ).
J'essaie de constituer une progression par la couleurs et la composition, au travers des prochaines couvertures: une tonalité principale par couv', et une progression " physique " vers le personnage representé ( different sur chaque couverture ). Puis une régression, après la numéro 3, un peu comme un zoom avant, progressif de la couv' 1 a la 3, puis un zoom arrière, a partir de là, pour revenir a une taille de representation des personnages dans l'image, similaire a la première couverture...
Ca sera plus clair en voyant toutes les images, à la fin. là, désolé, je ne suis pas abilité a tout balancé. Patience, jeunes Padawans...

J'ai opté pour des poses de "poseurs", plus iconiques - en tous cas, j'ai essayé - proposant autre chose que ce que Mahmud fait déjà, sur les couvertures officielles, avec tellement de talent. allez voir son blog.

So I focus on the more paused characters. It also helps me get familiar with the SWU if you can believe that. Ich bin ein UBER Star Wars fan since year one - yeah, I am THAT old, but so young at heart, with the Force. Heh - so I didn't want to screw up things on my first Dark Horse assignment.

J'avais besoin de me familiariser avec l'univers Star Wars. Ca va faire marrer ceux qui savent que je suis un Ouf de SW, mais professionellement, c'est une autre paire de manches! On a pas envie de se rater...

I'll post some related funny stuff - Do I look ridiculous in a cheap jedi halloween costume or what? - Which were really helpfull though, to achieve realistic rendering and pose. No, really.

Je posterai bientot un " work in progress " un peu amusant, puisque j'ai eu recours au plus mauvais modèle pour la séance photo me permettant d'affiner ma technique de rendu réaliste. En l'occurence, ce modèle, eh ben... c'est moi.

Hope you Fewllowers like it. More to come soon in... The French Wookiee Strikes Back!

J'espère que ça vous plaît, en tous cas. A suivre dans... Le Chiktabba contre-attaque!

I'am a little tease, I know...

Samples of my last issue on Zatanna.

Enjoy!

les riches vous disent...n'allez pas voir ce blog!

Et pourtant, ca défoule...

Kids teach you humility.

A year ago, I met two young fans at my friends Terri and Peter's home, in Glen Rock.

Well, to be honest I must admit only one out of two of the wonder twins was a huge Spider-man fan. I sat at the table - we were having dinner - and a little before the end of the meal, I saw two lovely blonde girls entering the room.

Not even impressed by the French ( Can you believe it? my charisma has a limit and it's cool that way. ) I was told it was Sylvie ( football Tee shirt ) who was a Spider-man fan. So I started to work my magic.

Hah! She didn't seem impressed at all! Ooooh, the irony...

Nevertheless, I know from experience how decisive a moment like this can be, when a grown up comes to you and says : " I remember when I was ten and you did that drawing in front of me..."

So I made sure I wouldn't crawl under a stone, should that piece show up in a few years on the internet. That's when little Michelle ( pink stripes ) granted me with a " Yeah, he's not too bad! "

Hahah! A good lesson in humility.

It's been a year almost day to day now, and I promised those little Angels I'd post the picture. I am so proud and happy to have you as fans, girls!

Oh yeah, here I thought I had made such a poor impression on the girls and I just learned that they met with Terri this week end... asking what had become of the comic book artist.

BIG HUGS to Sylvie and Michelle, and Terri!

Okay Peter, Big hug to you, too!

Dejah Thoris Part 4

And ...it is complete! Ready for NYCC, right on time.

A close up view, for the technicians...


I call this one " Marching Martians ".

Dejah Thoris Part 3

Here is a commission that will be available at NYCC. It IS NOT DONE, but I can't resist the opportunity to show it here, as a work in progress, since the pencils are already on that blog ...


Voici une autre des commissions preparees pour la convention de New York. Alors oui, bon, elle est pas finie... Mais je la presente quand meme parce que je ne resiste pas au plaisir de lire commentaires, toujours aussi nombreux et constructifs sur ce blog! et puis le crayonne etant deja la, je me suis dit que vous mourriez d'impatience de voir la suite... Sisi, je me suis dit ca...

La grosse commission de l'automne, part 2

Nothing beats going back to traditionnal painting. So so much fun, struggle, pain and fun!
Rien de tel que de remettre les mains dans le cambouis! ca a ete dur, mais je me suis e-cla-te!


It is done. Now I can get myself prepared for NYCC.
Bon maimtenant, faut se preparer pour New York!

Autumn commission/ La grosse commission de l'automne...

Hi guys,

Here is a work in progress of a commission long awaited. I wanted to wait for the last week before delivery to show it here. Ze tease in me, again...
It's always very tricky for me to get back to traditionnal painting, because I am not very patient when it comes to see what the piece is going to look like.
I guess I got used to the quick result a blend of fancy computer FX and textures can do on a scanned line art, as opposed to a piece like this one, which takes time if you want it to reflect your level of skills as well as the different moods you were in throughout the whole process.
My only hope is that it doesn't show too much of the struggle I went through with the likeness, the lighting, the textures, etc...


Make no mistake, I'm struggling on a piece like this!
Not because of the foliage - so many tiny leaves to avoid when painting the different layers that help define the volumes and shape of the body - but more because of my impatience.
As it happens, way too often, I didn't do any prelim.
It is my curse, that impatience.
I feel I would get over so many obstacles - anticipated or not - if I DID what I keep suggesting any aspiring artist to do. Spending time on prelims, to solve possible composition struggles, to anticipate the possible wrong message this color conveys, associated with this other.
When it comes to being alone at my drawing table, with anyone else but me to work with, I just don't feel like going through the whole game of prelims. As much as I like it when I work with a team - let's say, in the animation industry, for example, where it is more of a team effort - I have no problem exchanging views, drawings, ideas, concepts, before getting to the final work. Well, the final work doesn't reflect your personal touch too often, either, in animation, but that is another story...
So anyway, what happens is I'm usually too aware of everything that is already brewing in my brain, ready to spill on the piece i'm doinf alone, in my studio. Alone. with no one to talk to me and say: " Look what I sketched. You might want to go and start again from what I did, since you seem stuck!". Stuck. Alone. But I can't help it, when I work ( alone ) it feels like: giving it away beforehand, on a prelim, would be lost.


At the same time, it'a a subtle and complex process, because I don't HAVE the image clearly there, in my head, before I even start drawing it. Of course I get a sharper view of what it's going to look like, as I get more shapes, and then details, layed out along the way, but I also try stay opened to what my mood will throw in - at the last minute - to keep the whole object very " alive ", almost on an organic level...
As the piece is going through its very unique full growth, the expansion of it is as much the result of a thought-out subject, as it is of a " go with the flow " philosophy.
Again, it's something I try to keep in balance through the whole building process. But it takes a lot of energy I KNOW I should put somewhere else, sooner, in the whole creative strategy, to achieve a greater piece.


I am just afraid I might get bored putting the finishes on something that misses the raw energy I put on the prelim, or the attempt to render this part of a piece with subtlety or shyness - a quick color wash and voila! - that I might achieve on the color study... I feel like I won't be able to reproduce it or make it as great!
Let's face it, I am a coward. And I'm lazy. I know people wouldn't say or think that of me ( What? Come oooon, Guys! )... But it's there. Just on a deeper, more concealed level.

I rely too much on my memory, and my growing experience, but I can tell it's taking so much of the focus I could use to achieve greater images. Lazy coward.

I am not saying at all I don't like a piece like this! It has a special meaning for the person who commissioned it and I try to make it a personal thing too, everytime. Don't get me wrong! This one is no exception. I just wish I could fight more efficiently that old bad habit o' mine ( Lazy cowaaaaaaaard! ) and deliver a greater piece.

Hopefully, this piece not being finished yet will allow me to change that.

Sometimes, laying it all down, putting words on it, makes it all a bit easier.


So yeah, this blog is my therapy ... So what?

Ca fait un bail.../It's been some time...

Hi faithfull followers!

Hard to deal with a jet set lifestyle, a daily job AND a bunch of web sites to update! Even worse when you lost the passwords...

But I ain't complainin'! Jes hope the goodies I'm bringing here will satisfy yer appetite. A little work in progress for you guys, whether you're pervs or prudish ( are there any here, really? )


This here work in progress of a commission is from a character I am asked to draw more and more these days - Dejah Thoris, a princesse of Mars, love interest of John Carter, a confederate captain that is magically transported to Mars...

Dude, I dunno what this Edgar Rice Burroughs was smoking back in 1912, but it was the real deal!

Okay, let's cup ... errrr... Cut! Cut! CUT to the chase, and remind the visitor that a Dejah Thoris piece was already posted some time ago, on this very blog! Aaaaah technology, my friend...

So I like to tease! So what? This Dejah Thoris piece, once completed, will be available at NYCC in a week. along with a few other stuff, such as a Red Sonja or a Vampirella, as well as a Magdalena.

Hope you like the art!



Salut les fideles,

Dur de gerer une vie de jet-setter et une activite professionelle ET trois ou quatre sites en meme temps! Pire encore quand on a perdu les mots de passes!
Mais enfin, je ne cherche pas a me faire plaindre, j'espere juste que le biscuit que j'apporte calmera la faim de tous ceux - et ils sont nombreux, je le sais! - qui guettent avec une assiduite qui force le respect, la mise a jour de ce blog, que les americains nous envie ( en fait, ils s'en foutent! )

Anyways, comme on dit dans la langue de Cervantes, voici un petit " en cours de fabrication " qui ravira les plus obsedes d'entre vous et fera pousser des cris d'orfraie aux plus pudibonds ( Ah bon, y'en a ici? Dommage... )

Ce dessin represente un personnage qu'on me demande de plus en plus souvent - et quand on ne me le demande pas, je le dessine aussi, la preuve! - Dejah Thoris, une princesse de Mars, interet amoureux du heros des aventures martiennes de John Carter, capitaine de l'armee confederee americaine assez bizarrement transporte la bas...donc.

Je sais pas ce qu'il fumait, Edgar Rice Burroughs, en 1912, mais apparement c'etait de la bonne came!

Bon, pour revenir a nos mel... moutons, precisons juste qu'il y a sur ce blog un post plus ancien relatif a une edition personelle de ce meme ouvrage ou apparait Dejah Thoris pour la premiere fois.

Ceci est un avant-gout des commissions que je compte proposer a la convention de New York, dans une semaine.

En attendant, " Enjoie! " comme on dit encore en castillan!

Tiger Queen

A commission I did some time ago. Will be completed in colors sometime this year, by the model herself. How cool is that?

Une commission que j'ai fait il y a peu. La version finale, en couleurs, sera disponible dans un prochain recueil de dessins, principalement mis en couleurs par le modèle elle-même. Elle est pas belle, la vie?

catching up on doodles...

Hi there, long time since I posted doodles. A little something from the Parisian subway, one from fellow artists Mike Choi and Eric Canete in Chicago, time off from the Convention, and the last one on my way from Tahiti to Moorea... Enjoy!

Deja Thoris Sketch. Part 1

THIS f.....g made my day! Will Allred, a collector of ( character ) Deja Thoris art and his lovely wife Stacey, made me a very special gift: a hardcover limited edition of ( only 6 of them Earth and Barsoom included! ) Edgar Rice Burroughs' "A Princess of Mars " with a sketch he got from me! Of course, Expert in Martian Arts Adam Hughes' in it too, How could it be otherwise? The bottom line is, we delivered art to someone who's so appreciative of the talents he wanted to thank us for the good work... Well, That's a helluva great gift you did to us, Will! Thank you so much for coming up with this great idea and granting me with such an honor!

Alors celle-là... Si c'est pas la classe! Un collectioneur de dessins basés sur l'univers créé par Edgar Rice Burroughs - le Papa de Tarzan- est venu me voir à ma table pour m'offrir une édition limitée du roman " Une Princesse de Mars ", mais contenant les sketches que certains artistes ont fait pour lui. Et j'en fait partie! Déja Thoris est un de mes personnages favoris depuis que je l'ai decouverte ( et plus d'une fois, devrais ajouter - ma modestie dusse-t-elle en souffrir... ;) au debut des anées 90. J'ai toujours eu deux énormes raisons de la dessiner avec plaisir. Enfin voilà, quoi... tout ça pour dire que ma representation d'une de leur plus sublime ambassadrice figure a présent dans les chroniques Martiennes...

MockingBird origins pencils.

Pencils for an Origin page of a Marvel character. Fun to work on. Especially the Skrulls. I like it when I get to reshoot a scene that readers light have seen in the actual story with the characters. As on panel 4. This was made after Leinil Yu's secret invasion version. Trying to stay true to the original art and bring my own stuff in it. Hope I succeeded. I got Julien Hugonnard-Bert to ink this for Marvel. Not a new-comer but that is his first assignment for the House of Ideas. Watch it, True Believers, this guy might as well become the next great inker for the upcoming decade!

What's cooking?

Had this one in my mind for a long time. Jason's idea to display a fake menu for the rates was great but I wanted to push the design a little bit further. I'm glad this is ready right before flying to Kansas City. A good way to test it...

Ca faisait un bout de temps que je voulais modifier un peu la bonne idée que Jason avait eu de faire un menu pour les prix des sketchs en convention... Mais on avait fait ça à la va vite. Je pousse l'idée un peu plus loin, en espérant que ça ne sente pas le réchauffé...