Hey, gang- before we say goodbye to 2024 I have a couple more of my recent sketchcards to share with you…and the above art I did for my wife Nicki’s “Dumpster Fire Response Team” co-workers’ Christmas cards.
For this post I’m going to show you steps on how I drew another Boba Fett and a Kermit The Frog sketchcard.
Kermit was drawn on one of my custom personal blanks I had printed a while ago. I started off with a click mechanical pencil. Then I started coloring with several shades of green and yellow markers. I used a mix of brands of alcohol based design markers on these two.
I keep a tote full of markers at work for the MSCA Sat-Art-Days (next one at 901 Comics East is January 25, 2025), and for when it’s a bit slow and I’m caught up on things around the comic shop.
I used a couple shades of blue/aqua on the background, and some red and pink on the tongue. I then did the line are with a black Pigma Micron pen (I usually use a 03 nib). I then hit some white highlights with a Gelly Roll pen. I went back over a few areas here and there in markers to add a bit more color and felt-like texture.
I hit the card with a light mist of Krylon Workable Fixative before using a white Prismacolor pencil for more highlights and blending. The light spray helps give the surface a bit of a “tooth” for the colored pencil to hold onto. Once finished I spray it again with another coat of fixative, let it dry, and then put it in a sleeve to sell at my table at shows around town.
For the Boba Fett card, I started off with pencil on an official Star Wars: Galaxy 7 sketchcard blank. I’ve got several left over from my days of working for Topps. I then started using a mix of markers to color it.
A lot of greens, blues, yellows, tans, and greys. I see a lot of folks just use one shade of this or that for their colors and it tends to leave the drawing looking flat. Creating highlights and shadows is fairly easy, and even the simplest shading can really help make the images pop. Once I had my colors worked in, I then used a Pigma Micron for my black lines. I try not to go crazy with my inking. I can overwork it if I’m not careful. I tend to usually use an 03 nib pen for inking on sketchcards and sketchcovers, but occasionally will use an 01 for finer details, or an 05 if I need a thicker and more “cartoony” line weight. Most times I won’t ink the backgrounds to give it a bit more atmospheric distortion/depth.
I used a silver metallic gel pen for the scraped parts of the armor, and a white gel pen for the highlights. I went back over some of the highlights with a light grey marker. I then sprayed a light coat of spray-fix, and then used a white colored pencil to finish off the highlights. Like Kermit, I sprayed the entire front surface with a couple more light coatings of spray-fix. I recommend taking it outdoors or in a well ventilated area to spray.
For my Christmas stocking my wife always gets me some markers, pens, and/or pencils. This year she got me a couple packs of Sakura pens– white 08 Gelly Rolls and black 03 Pigma Microns. I bought myself a couple of new LED light sheets (one to keep in the studio and one to keep in my laptop bag), and a new arm table to use for my laptop and sketching when I’m in the living room on the loveseat. When she and I first moved in together I used to do a lot of drawing while sitting on our old futon couch. I want to get back to doing more of that, and reading books and comics instead of so much social media surfing. It’s really bad for my mental health…and thumbs!
It’s been a really busy 2024 and a super busy fall and holiday season for me. Not sure what 2025 is going to bring, but I have applied to a couple events an plan on being back at the Memphis Library Con, Crosstown Concourse Annual Record Swap & Zine Fest, Memphis Monster Market, the Memphis Monster Con, possibly at more Rogue’s Gallery events out at Crosspoint Toys & Games (CLICK HERE for some pics from some of those events), and more art shows with the Mid-South Cartoonists Association and Desoto Arts Council. I have a few art projects I want to do including new zines and trading card set, and am working on a new “Drawing Funny” podcast episode (Click here to listen my new DF promo spot on Spotify). I plan to be volunteering at the DAC here in Hernando more next year- including an airbrush demo/workshop there on the back patio. I’m also looking to do more MSCA Sat-Art-Days around town, and schedule a LEGO portrait night at the new Bricks & Minifigs in Hernando in 2025.
Oh, and I also have some of my sketchcards for sale back out at The Cellar: Tabletop Games & Comics in Bartlett off Bartlett Blvd., and a few of my art prints at the Desoto Arts Council in Hernando on HWY 51 near Courthouse Square. You can pick up some free MSCA and Drawing Funny stickers at both, as well as many comic shops around town like 901 Comics (midtown and Cordova) and Comics & Collectibles on Poplar.
I’ve been really trying to figure out what path I want my art to take, and think I’m heading in the right direction. It’s definitely good to be getting back out there again.
Hope to see ya around in 2025!
Lin
The Cellar: Tabletop Games & Comics
2737 Bartlett Blvd (near Stage Rd. and Bartlett Park)
Bartlett, TN 38134
(901) 382-8623
Store Hours:
12:00 to 7:00 every day, and are open for counter sales, curbside pickup and mail order delivery.
901 Comics East
8551 Macon Road
Cordova, TN 38018
(901) 249-7959
Store Hours:
Monday – Saturday
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM – 5:00 PM
DeSoto Arts Council
2465 Highway 51 South
Hernando, MS 38632
662-404-3361
dac.desotoarts@gmail.com
Gallery/Gift Shop Hours:
(Currently closed- reopening January 30,2025)