Is that a Raygun in your pocket?

My work has been getting tighter, slicker, cleaner and I felt as though it were distilling into a bit of a “house style.” See above. I really admire the flexibility of the old school, iron-man, Jack-of-all-trade illustrators. The sorts of guys Leif Peng rescues from the depths of near obscurity, making us all feel less capable in comparison.

My own sources of inspiration are probably obvious based on my work. I’m a huge fan of Bernie Wrightson, Wally Wood, Milton Caniff, Johnny Craig, Frazetta, Alfredo Alcala, John Romita – I could go on and on.

I’ve been learning so much from them all. Between Bridgman’s collected books on anatomy and mass, Harold Speed’s great The Practice and Science of Drawing, and the constant specter of those aforementioned illustrator’s flexibility, I’m allowing myself to take more chances. Painterly work. Mass drawing. Letting style be the result of fulfilling a need rather than a means to an end – a true designer’s philosophy towards illustration is something I strive for.

With that in mind, I’ve been trying to branch out:

Lots of process after the fold.