Judge Parker Process

 

Here is the pencils for the Sunday coming up featuring Sam's retirement which has been part of the story line for well over a year now in the strip and was announced before the whole RV/Storm/Dude/Waverly story line which occupied the better part of last year and was a real doozy to draw. The RV was one of the tougher environments to draw over and over as it wasn't a great visual set and cramped, even though they had a Mammoth Car of an RV. The most enjoyable was drawing the outside environments which gave me more to play with design wise.

This Sunday was a doozy with just about every major character in the strip except for the two girls who are in school or in the warehouse. This is the type of strip I'd love to have photo-ref and more space and size like the old days. Woody still writes the strip like the old days but the space I have to draw strips like this sometimes feel like a vise.

Judge parker Process

Here's the latest week of Judge Parker strips in pencil, ready for my inking fingers to finish them. Its finally goodbye to the Dude, the little squirrel who played stowaway on the RV for the last years it seems of the strip. I enjoyed drawing him the most of everything or everyone in the strip the past story line---which took place over the last year--but was less than a week in strip time. Sam couldn't even raise a beard in that time. Thinking back over the six years on the strip I don't think even a year has passed in strip time. Its never snowed, and rained maybe two times? No holidays or birthdays or anything to mark the passing of the seasons though I do draw a X-mas strip each year. Everybody is driving a 2010 car, as that is the ref I had when I started from the previous artist, Ed Barreto.

Everyone has an iPhone 4 at least, if not a 6, yet we never saw them buy or upgrade---that happens between panels I guess. In the old days things didn't change much on a strip like this. The poor folks still eat in that same lame, weird 70's kitchen with the planters on each side of the kitchen table--ugh! Man I hate drawing that weird set-up, which I'm sure looked spiffy in 73.

Who knows really if anyone but a few old time readers or the feverish message board trolls pays any attention to this type of thing--but as the artist on the strip this is part of the gig. I notice other strips in the heyday of continuity and soap strips did have plenty of change of seasons in the stories and I think that added another layer to them and made them more realistic. Sophie is 16 and has been for 6 years, Woody asked me to mature her a bit, which I have but I guess she'll be stuck there for another 20 years---if the strips lasts that long in papers.

Looks like we are about to revisit Derek, AKA Bender Blaster Master, Sophie's boyfriend( or was he) and that storyline from my first year or so on on the strip. Excerpts of that story was used in an anti-bullying comic.

Burlington Plein Air

This past weekend along with my regular crew the DPC I participated in the beginning of the Burlington Plein Air Festival, taking place in the historic city, founded in 1677 by the Penn Quakers. The event this year is run by 28 Gallery and has around 30 participating artist from across the region.

                                                           My set-up on Wood Street.

                                         Alina the new Lineman---or Woman of the county

Saturday Will, Alina and I drive up from Philly to get or canvases stamped and then spent the rest of the beautiful day painting in the historic sections of the city near the river front.

                                                           Wood Street 12 x 16 Oil

I'll be back up with the group painting again later this week.

Philly Plein Air

Yesterday I got together with the gang (AKA The Dirty Palette Club, AKA Philadelphia Plein Air Painters) and this time we went plein air painting in Washington Square Park in center city Philly. The park is one of the many beautiful green spaces planned and built into the city by its early planners. It was a nice day even if a bit hot--even in the shade but we painted away and tours on segways went past and families, dog walkers and interested passer-by came and went through the park.. I am going to start having more free time now that some projects are done and others have died on the launching pad--which is all great as I'll be able to get back to painting more.

                                                  Washington Square Park 10 x 20 OIL

Judge Parker Process

 More pencils and inks from a recent Judge Parker Sunday as the Spencers return from the year long  ( just a few days in strip time )storyline trapped in the RV park.

I inked 99% of this with an old Esterbrook pen nib which you can find by hunting around.

I did use a XS Pitt marker for the small faces. Looks like its a long story about building a factory and possibly a romance with Neddy and her Hunk assistant Hank. But one never knows in JP land, it might just be a year of blue balls for everyone.

Commission: Batman Zero Hour

Here is one of my latest commissions, a new version of the cover to Batman Zero Hour. Using the toothbrush for the splatter is fun, but it make your fingers dirty like Frankenstein's Monster!