#ResetTheNet

If you haven't already, help reset the net!  Drop by and check out the privacy package to find ways of taking back your privacy!

From the Archives: Hyenaman

Here we have a sketch from some time ago of a man animal.  Initially my thought was of a hyena, but this isn't very hyena like at all.  Perhaps he is just a smug werewolf instead?  Now that I think about it, this looks a little bit like Scar from The Lion King.

{Graphite}

Featured Creature: The Waverly House

"The Waverly house has been abandoned for well over ten years.  Every spring, the property used to be covered with brightly colored flowers, but after the Waverly family disappeared, it grew thick with wild grass and tall weeds.  Over the years several real estate companies have tried to sell the property, but as soon as any of them toured the house they changed their minds mighty quick.  Eventually, the Waverly house was condemned by the city.

The summer that the Waverlies disappeared saw some of the worst storms on record in Colby county.  One night, lightning struck the tall oak at the back of the property.  That same night, the youngest child, Nathaniel, died suddenly.  A tornado had ripped up the northern part of the county as little Nathaniel was breathing his last.  The coroner's report listed that Nathaniel died of crib death, but anyone who has seen the Waverly house at night knows otherwise.  Something bad come down out of that storm and took root.  That house ain't been right ever since.

Psyche Delectus: Indigo Priest

In his growing silence of thought,
miracles become manifest.

Saturday Sketch: Golden Age Inza Cramer

Here we have, Inza Cramer, trusted companion to the original Doctor Fate.  Inza eventually marries Kent Nelson, host of the Doctor, and eventually goes on to assume the mantle of Doctor Fate herself.  This piece was fun because I had the opportunity to explore the hairstyles and clothing of 1939-1940 from around the time that the Doctor and Inza made their first appearances.


{2.5x3.5,  created in Adobe Photoshop}

I claim no copyright for the properties represented in the Saturday Sketches.  All copyrights and trademarks are retained by their respective owners.  I make no money from what I am presenting here.  It is presented for portfolio and appreciation purposes only.

Skin Crawling Comics May Update

The Skin Crawling Comics website began earlier this year and regularly posts pages to the individual stories of the anthology every Tuesday and Thursday.  I'll be doing an update at least once a month with links to the newest pages.  Drop by and check out the latest updates!

A Zombie Walks into a Bar Page 1

A Zombie Walks into a Bar Page 2

A Zombie Walks into a Bar Page 3
Behind You!  Page 1
Buried Cover Page
Buried Page 1
Buried Page 2
Buried Page 3

If you haven't already, check out last month's pages.  Also visit Skin Crawling Comics at Twitter and Facebook!

From the Archives: Hangerman

I forget the exact inspiration for this sketch, but I'm sure it had something to do with shallowness.  How certain person's identities are little more than a support structure for the surface window dressing they surround themselves with.  Perhaps this may be a thought on the human ego in general.

{8x4.8,  Graphite}

Featured Creature: The Rathbone Assignment: Part III, Derrick Comes Home

The Rathbone Assignment: 

Part III, Derrick Comes Home

~ Continued from Part II, 
Instructions in the Dark ~

Erica closed her eyes against the sorrow that gripped her.  She felt as if the ground beneath her had suddenly opened up and that instead of being buried, she had fallen into empty space.  There was no land to break her fall, no release, just an endless descent.  She pushed her hand against the back of the recliner to feel something solid.  She ran her fingers across it but it was only a thick cloth wrapped tightly over the frame of the chair and gave unpleasantly under her touch.  She retracted her hand and scooted herself closer against the wall.

Erica reached out instead with her mind for something solid to latch onto.  She thought of the locked doors and windows and the remains of the duct tape on the kitchen counter.  These held no comfort, no safety.  She thought of the trees on her drive home and the air as she drove.  This offered her a moments refuge but then she remembered the steaks and asparagus growing warm on the kitchen counter, the soda bottles in the driveway, and the bag with the test in it still sitting in the passenger seat of the minivan.  She clenched her teeth to try and contain the sob that threatened to erupt from her throat.  She held her legs against herself in the darkness and rocked herself gently until her tears subsided.  

Saturday Sketch: Golden Age Fate's Tower

Returning my focus to DC Comics, I figured I would pick up where I left off with Classic Doctor Fate and explore some of the people, places, and artifacts from the beginning of his mythos.  Here we have the classic version of Fate's Tower.  I've always been fascinated by the Doctor's tower especially in more modern versions with its Escher like mystical landscapes within.  I'd never read the older Doctor Fate stories from More Fun Comics until I began working on these pieces.  They have a Sunday newspaper comic strip quality to them.

{2.5x3.5,  created in Adobe Photoshop}

I claim no copyright for the properties represented in the Saturday Sketches.  All copyrights and trademarks are retained by their respective owners.  I make no money from what I am presenting here.  It is presented for portfolio and appreciation purposes only.

Featured Creature: The Rathbone Assignment Part II, Instructions in the Dark

The Rathbone Assignment: 
Part II, Instructions in the Dark

~ Continued from Part I, Erica's Test ~

Erica's knees gave way.  Her elbow hit the kitchen counter and her right arm went into the sink, breaking her fall.  The pain was excruciating and she nearly lost her grip on the phone, but it prevented her from collapsing completely.

"Mrs. Wilson!  Are you Alright?!" 

"I'm Okay, I'm Okay.  I just slipped...just- just gimme a second."  She pushed her breath out hard.  She lifted herself up, using the counter for support.  She had not realized that her vision had blacked out until she began to see the dim light from the kitchen window reappear.  She slowly pulled herself up to a standing position.  She held herself there for several moments, focusing on the rise and fall of her breathing.

"Hold on, I dropped the flashlight."  She used the light of her phone to scan the floor and quickly found the flashlight in a corner.  She picked it up and twisted the head.  It shone with a dull yellowed light, creating a small halo around her feet. 

"Okay.  I've got it." 

From the Archives: Dueling Self

An older sketch about when your internal dialogue is a fight.  I think this sketch comes from the same thematic realms as the tornado of self...an echo as it were.

{Graphite}

Skin Crawling Comics Update: Buried Begins!

Today the first story that I colored for Skin Crawling Comics, Buried, begins posting.  I previewed a couple of pages recently for my SPARTANCON table.  There are eleven pages including the title page so they will be posting the every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of this month and all of June.  Please drop by Skin Crawling Comics and let me know what you think!  I hope you enjoy!

If you haven't already, please check out Skin Crawling Comics on Twitter and Facebook! 

Psyche Delectus: Darkened Doorways

In the corners of the world 
it gathers into itself.
Within the dust and the trash,
unseen by mundane daylight,
the emptiness waits.