May 11, 2013

• Sketch Cards

  

  Sketch cards are fascinating little things. It's quite the nightmare to the type of artist that's used to having space to work their magic. It does take adjusting. Hell, the fact that you have to do everything traditionally might turn some people off. I can personally say that Photoshop spoiled the shit out of me. I damn near had to re-educate myself with markers and coloring pencils. Despite all of that, sketch cards are just freakin' cool. You have a work of art compressed into a tiny area, but there's a lot of skill that goes into it. 

  So I wanted to get in on the action.

  I probably already went into detail with this, but my first sketch card gig, for a company that shall remain nameless, was a bummer. I took on too many cards for my first time, just like trying to be a basketball player and jumping straight to the playoff finals. Once I got into a groove, it wasn't that bad. Honestly, I think my inking skills have improved. Try inking 100 + cards, you'll get better---you have no choice in the matter. Of course, the negative side of the gig took place after I completed the cards. Slow payment was a major issue. Unfortunately, I had to send a few heated emails---a little strong-arming here and there, but I eventually got paid. It just took almost a year's worth of uncertainty to get it. Would I work for them again? That depends on the licensed property they offer me, but I'm sure they crossed me off their list of talent.

  I tried to find a different card company to work for and thanks to my good pal, Guile Sharp, I found Cryptozoic Entertainment. Guile is a great artist and a stand-up guy through and through. He was nice giving me the info. Much like a guy slipping into a club I'm not supposed to be in, I made the best of it. I didn't want my nasty sketch card experience to be the only sketch card experience. It turned out the folks over at Cryptozoic are awesome. Very professional and friendly, which is a great combination to have.

  With any card company you work for, the rules state that you can't post any artwork unless your cards are approved. In same cases, you can post depending on the release date. Concerning my first gig, I'm still waiting for that particular company to announce the set, release date, or something---anything. While I was waiting for payment, I always wondered if they had any intention of doing anything with those cards. I don't even care as much anymore. I guess the art side of me wants people to see the work.

  With that said, I'm proud to show you a sample of the cards I worked on for Cryptozoic.     

  The process was a bit of an experiment for me because, well... I wanted blood splatter. We're dealing with zombies, death, gore and all that good stuff. I wanted to make the cards seem like there was actual blood on them, so I brought red ink and used a spare tooth brush to flick it on there. It came pretty close to the desire results.

  The release date for the cards is June 5th, a day before my birthday. I'm seconds away from mailing in my invoice, so there's a good chance I'll be able to celebrate properly. Shit, maybe I'll have some beer. Oh, and I have to admit, it feels really nice seeing my name on their website. 

  I can't wait for the next gig. 

   

  Currently The Cabin In The Woods By Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams see related

   

  • 4:40 pm
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