Harley Quinn #0

My contest entry for Harley Quinn #0, in which the winner contributes a page to the issue based on a script provided by DC Comics. Fingers crossed.

Here's the script from DC Comics: 

PAGE 15

4 panels

PANEL 1
Harley is on top of a building, holding a large DETACHED cellphone tower in her hands as lightning is striking just about everywhere except her tower. She is looking at us like she cannot believe what she is doing. Beside herself. Not happy.

PANEL 2 
Harley is sitting in an alligator pond, on a little island with a suit of raw chicken on, rolling her eyes like once again, she cannot believe where she has found herself. We see the alligators ignoring her.

PANEL 3
Harley is sitting in an open whale mouth, tickling the inside of the whale’s mouth with a feather. She is ecstatic and happy, like this is the most fun ever.

PANEL 4
Harley sitting naked in a bathtub with toasters, blow dryers, blenders, appliances all dangling above the bathtub and she has a cord that will release them all. We are watching the moment before the inevitable death. Her expression is one of “oh well, guess that’s it for me” and she has resigned herself to the moment that is going to happen.

- See more at: http://www.dccomics.com/node/305151#sthash.dNYrFtID.dpuf

PANEL 1

Harley is on top of a building, holding a large DETACHED cellphone tower in her hands as lightning is striking just about everywhere except her tower. She is looking at us like she cannot believe what she is doing. Beside herself. Not happy. 

PANEL 2

Harley is sitting in an alligator pond, on a little island with a suit of raw chicken on, rolling her eyes like once again, she cannot believe where she has found herself. We see the alligators ignoring her. 

PANEL 3

Harley is sitting in an open whale mouth, tickling the inside of the whale’s mouth with a feather. She is ecstatic and happy, like this is the most fun ever. 

PANEL 4

Harley sitting naked in a bathtub with toasters, blow dryers, blenders, appliances all dangling above the bathtub and she has a cord that will release them all. We are watching the moment before the inevitable death. Her expression is one of “oh well, guess that’s it for me” and she has resigned herself to the moment that is going to happen.

E 15

4 panels

PANEL 1
Harley is on top of a building, holding a large DETACHED cellphone tower in her hands as lightning is striking just about everywhere except her tower. She is looking at us like she cannot believe what she is doing. Beside herself. Not happy.

PANEL 2 
Harley is sitting in an alligator pond, on a little island with a suit of raw chicken on, rolling her eyes like once again, she cannot believe where she has found herself. We see the alligators ignoring her.

PANEL 3
Harley is sitting in an open whale mouth, tickling the inside of the whale’s mouth with a feather. She is ecstatic and happy, like this is the most fun ever.

PANEL 4
Harley sitting naked in a bathtub with toasters, blow dryers, blenders, appliances all dangling above the bathtub and she has a cord that will release them all. We are watching the moment before the inevitable death. Her expression is one of “oh well, guess that’s it for me” and she has resigned herself to the moment that is going to happen.

- See more at: http://www.dccomics.com/node/305151#sthash.dNYrFtID.dpuf

Website is Go!

It took a couple weeks of hard work, late nights and lots of Oreo consumption, but the website is officially live and ready for business. Let me know what you think. I tired to keep it clean and simple, so the design and illustration work would stand out. I plan on updating it frequently as I finish new projects, and as always, if you have any design or illustration opportunities you think I'd be suited for, please fill out the form on the contact page and I'll get back to you asap. Thanks for visiting, each click each is a tiny hug from you to me.

Dino doodles

Some dinosaur doodles for an upcoming project I’m collaborating on. Pretty excited about it.

Art School

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Columbia College Chicago. When I first entered college, I was an illustration major, and recently I’ve returned to illustration. I honestly feel like a student again and it brought back certain memories.

It boggles my mind to this day because I’m generally a responsible person, but I don’t think I started applying to colleges until Jan of senior year. I knew I wanted to do art in some form, but didn’t bother looking into an actual school that would best prepare me for this. Good thing my parents got on my case because I don’t know what would have happened. I applied at the Art Institute of Chicago, because, “hey, that’s an art school I’ve heard of I think”. They asked to review my portfolio in person, so I gathered up random doodles and art class projects, and brought them downtown. The admission’s person was not kind and tore apart my hodgepodge of projects. They were probably used to seeing people who had prepared their whole lives for this and wanted nothing more than to attend their school, and I put in about 10 minutes worth of effort.  Maybe it reality they weren’t that harsh, but being a cocky 18 who had always found drawing came easy to him suddenly was told he in fact wasn’t the greatest artist to doodle Batman on the back of a spiral bound notebook.

Panic began to set in, as my minimal effort that had carried me through most scholastic endeavors suddenly wasn’t cutting it. I always assumed  I could draw, why would I have a problem getting into a school? I remember pulling together another portfolio to apply to a random state school art program, when my Dad suggested Columbia College. Not really knowing what direction I wanted to take, it seemed as good as anything else.

It’s a weird feeling gong from being the kid who can draw well at your highschool, to being in college with hundreds of other kids who were also that same person at their schools. For the first time, I had to work my ass off, and I wasn’t taking it well at first. Art school broke me down. You’re a good artist? So is everyone else here. That’s how you think you do that? Actually, here’s the correct technique.

Training started back at the basics. Line, shape, color. Its seems simple and annoying at first, but now I truly understand how knowing the correct way to approach the core building blocks make all the difference in the end. Critique were stressful and pulled no punches. And while it made for uncomfortable, long nights, it was vital to make your skin thick, and teach you to learn from mistakes and do better next time.

I honestly didn’t love my time at Columbia. I lived at home, waking up early everyday and taking the train with all the business commuters into the city, followed then by a bus ride into the Loop. After class, you had to bail to make it to the train, otherwise you had a few hours to kill in the city, fun in the summer but depressing in the winter. There were no frat parties, drinking in dorm rooms or ultimate Frisbee on the quad. On top of that, my girlfriend was several hours away, and it was hard to make new friends when no one lived at school.

And it was hard work. They didn’t let you get away with anything (well, except maybe the math classes that involved playing with blocks because we’re dumb artists). I have very distinct memories of that first year; every Monday morning sitting in the train station, counting the minutes like a man on deathrow, before I had to get on that bus and start my dreaded History of Art Class. But all that said, I wouldn’t trade the education for anything. I don’t know if I would be an artist today that could earn a living from it, without Columbia. My portfolio was well rounded and I was prepared to be professionally reviewed. In retrospect, I wish I actually got more involved in the art scene there, more student clubs, more gallery shows, taking more advantage of the city as a whole. Columbia, I know talked some shit about you at the time, but, hey man, I get it now. I get it.