Experiencing Technical Difficulties, Please Stand By

Due to some technical difficulties - the scanner I normally use is out of commission - I'll have to wait a while until I can upload new images.

But don't fret. I have a bunch of new illos and comics. So stay tuned.

Peace,
Frank

Loopity-Loop

Last week I covered the annual New York City Horror Film Fest. Over four days I watched about 50 films - features and shorts. Needless to say, I don't want to watch anything on the big screen for a little while. Hehehe.

Covering the fest pushed me back a little with my illustration and comics works. But I'll be in the swing of things by the end of this week.

Here's my piece on last year's Horror Film Fest - Bring on the Blood.

Late,
Frank

How To Create a Bloomzilla

For those of you who are curious about my working methods, here's a walk-through of my recent illustration for The Indypendent.

Keep in mind that I don't have a "fixed" system. Every assignment's different - eg. full-color versus black and white, hand-painted versus digital, etc etc. But below is an example of my general process.

1. I read the text and got a sense of the messages conveyed in the story. (Sometimes the full text isn't ready so an outline or synopsis is all I have to work from.)

With those ideas in mind, I sketched this little dinger. Usually I'll do a series of sketches - four to five or more if I can't "get it right." But considering I only had a couple of days to do this illo, I went with the first idea. (I strongly suggest doing multiple sketches before moving onto the final.)

Most of my "thinking" is done at this point. I look for strong composition and draftsmanship.

2. I plunged into pencils. I went online and used five reference pictures of Bloomberg to make sure I got his likeness. (Note: use multiple references to avoid legal troubles.)

I changed the head's angle so the reader can see his face more.

Though I did most of my thinking at the sketch phase, I still modify things as I move along the process. Surprises can be cool but too many of them can make your final look like a hot mess.

3. Using a couple of brushes, acrylic ink and a micron pen, I inked the bugger.

Any modifications at this point are nominal. Eg, extra hatching in various spots.



4. I scanned it in, cleaned up any blemishes, erased a stray line at the bottom and bumped up the contrast.

With the illo clean, I digitally added grays and sent the final to the designers.




And here it is.

Again, I don't have a "regular system" for doing illustrations. (Recently I've incorporated tracing paper into my illustrations. More on that some other time.)

But I always use the a) think and sketch, b) pencil and modify, and c) ink and finish process for my illustrations.

Hope you had as much fun placating my ego as I did. :)

Rock on,
Frank


© Frank Reynoso, Nov. 2008, All Rights Reserved

New York City Horror FIlm Festival 2008

It's that time of year again: the annual New York City Horror Film Festival. Michael J. Hein and his crew amassed a slew of movies that are sure to hit a nerve.

The fiendish festivities start tonight at Don Hill's and continue till Sunday.

Here are two of the fest's features.

Driven by biological excess, a young man and woman search for sexual fulfillment, unaware of each other's existence. Unfortunately, they eventually meet, and the bonding of these two very unusual human beings ends in an explosive and ultimately over-the-top sexual experience, resulting in a truly god awful love story. Directed by Frank Henelotter

Program 7
Saturday, Nov. 15th
10:00pm






Resident Evil: Regeneration is a fully CGI feature directed by Makoto Kamiya. The story takes place seven years after the first zombie outbreak in the US. Counter-zombie fighters fight to contain the outbreak and their own survival in a locked airport.

Program 1
Thursday, Nov. 13th
9:00pm









Photos courtesy of NYC Horror Film Fest

Bloomzilla

Here's an illo I did for the upcoming issue of The Indypendent.

Needless to say I had fun drawing our wacky mayor, who's running for a third term. And obviously he did it "legally."






© Frank Reynoso, Nov. 2008, All Rights Reserved

Venom Inked

Came out a little lighter than expected...
















© Frank Reynoso, Nov. 2008, All Rights Reserved

Geoff Vasile's Track Rabbit #3

Snarky characters, clean illustrations, and totally DIY, Track Rabbit by Geof Vasile's a choice comic.
















Track Rabbit © Geof Vasile, Nov. 2008, All Rights Reserved

Venom pencils

Last night's election kept me from posting new stuff. At any rate, here's a pencil of Venom.


If all works well, I'll exhibit at the NYC Comic Con in February. I'm still on their waiting list.












© Frank Reynoso, Nov. 2008, All Rights Reserved

Sample Panels from "Phenomenal Jock"

I've penciled additional pages for my old, unpublished comic "The Phenomenal Jock."

I plan to debut the comic at next year's MoCCA Fest.

Here are some sample panels.





















































































© Frank Reynoso, Nov. 2008, All Rights Reserved

A Few Pages from "Buenas Noches"

A while back, James Spruill and I made a comic titled Buenas Noches. We debuted it at this year's MoCCA Fest.

Here are the first few pages.










































For more of my comics: comicspace.com/illjodienda/

© Frank Reynoso and James Spruill, Nov. 2008, All Rights Reserved