Unwanted Valentines: Alien (1979)

Unwanted Valentines:
Alien (1979)

It's time again for an Unwanted Valentine--Valentines so nerdy and built upon puns so terrible that no one would be pleased to receive them... especially a loved one!  I'm revisiting "Alien (1979)" for this Unwanted Valentine, calling back to my (by far) most popular Unwanted Valentine featuring a Facehugger.  Rather than the "Hugs and Kisses" Facehugger, it's a Chestbursting overflow of Love!

Yeah, I know the Chestburster is a lot bigger than in the movie, but I'll just say it is enlarged to show texture, as they say on the cereal boxes!

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STEP ONE:  Here are the digital blue pencils, done on a 2,000px x 2,800 @ 300dpi canvas.

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STEP TWO:  And the digital inks, done mostly with an 8pt and a 12pt brush.

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STEP THREE:  The colors were done on the layer below.

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Done digitally with Clip Studio Paint

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Batman-uary 2025 - Jungle Batman (Part 2)

BATMAN-UARY 2025:
Jungle Batman (Part 2)

Just under the wire, it's Batman-uary: Jungle Batman: Part II.  I had this idea halfway through doing the last post with Jungle Batman and it amused me (not that it takes much to amuse me, of course).

There was an all too brief fad of drawing male characters in the pose of various female poses on covers and pin-ups with predictably ridiculous (and amusing) results.  So, continuing that tradition... here it is!

I will admit that I cheated a little bit on this one, as I had done a GIANT (20" x 30") recreation of the "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle" cover for a friend, so I already had some pencils of the cover I could digitally ink over in Clip Studio Paint.

Once again, here is the original cover to "Batman #72" (1952) with Jungle Batman.

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It was done as a parody/homage of Dave Steven's "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle #1" (1985).

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STEP ONE:  Here are the scrawled, digital pencils done on a 2,000px x 3,000px canvas @ 300dpi.  I quickly scrawled over my pencils for the recreation of the cover I did earlier for Dave Stevens' "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle #1" (1985).

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STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks, mostly done with a 10pt brush.  Luckily, I was able to save a few steps by just inking over my pencils/inks from the cover recreation.

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STEP THREE: Here is the finished digital work, done using a series of layers for each color, and a very slight paper texture over top.

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Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint.

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Batman-uary 2025 - Jungle Batman

BATMAN-UARY 2025:
Jungle Batman

It's Batman-uary: Part II.  This time it's Jungle Batman from 1952's "Batman #72".  The story involves...  Well, now that I think about it, I'm not entirely sure, nor am I sure I want to find out.  I believe it involves a shipwreck on a desert island of some sort.  Maybe they find Gilligan and the rest?

Here is the original cover to "Batman #72" (1952).

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And it was done as a parody/homage to Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns #3".

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STEP ONE:  Here are the scrawled, digital pencils done on a 2,000px x 3,000px canvas @ 300dpi.

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STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks, mostly done with a 10pt brush.

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STEP THREE: Here is the finished digital work, done using a series of layers for each color, and a paper texture over top.

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Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint.

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Batman-uary 2025 - Mummy Batman

BATMAN-UARY 2025:
Mummy Batman

Once again, it's Batman-uary... and my 600th Post!  To kick it off this year, it's Batman's costume from 1963's "Detective Comics" #320, featuring Mummy Batman.  Apparently, Batman and Robin are exposed to some sort of alien substance which turns their skin green.  In order to make sure people don't guess that the suddenly green Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson suspiciously have the same complexion as Batman and Robin, they wrap themselves up as Mummies.  It was the 60's, what can I say about Mummy Batman other than it worked and was completely logical, of course. 

Originally, I thought about doing something more horror-related and a realistic, decayed Batman Mummy--and may still in the future.  But, what could be more fun than mashing up that Mummy costume Batman with one of many classic Frank Miller panels from "The Dark Knight Returns"?  I immediately knew I had to do it that way, instead.

Here is the original cover to "Detective Comics #320".

And it was done as a parody/homage to Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns #3".

And here's the Batman-uary Logo.  Feel free to use it as you please...

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STEP ONE:  Here are the scrawled, digital pencils done on a 2,000px x 3,000px canvas @ 300dpi.

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STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks, mostly done with a 10pt brush.

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STEP THREE: Here is the finished digital work, done using a series of layers for each color.

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Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint.

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Happy New Year - Superman-uary

Happy New Year!
Superman-uary

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

It's a New(ish) Year, 2025.  Sure, it's week-and-a-half old, but it still has that New Year's smell.  Mostly.

Just a real quick note to thank everybody who stops by to look at my meager Blog site (probably more akin to rubber-necking at a 20 car pile-up on the I-90, but I'll still take it!), and a special shout out to the people who have graciously been following my work.  It's mind-boggling to me that over the past 13 years I've been doing this, one-third-of-a-million people have stopped on by and taken a gander (it's 91 people shy of 333,333 as I write this, so it should be over that number by the morning).  It's all very humbling and a heartfelt thank you to all: Past, Present, and Future!

With the New Year, I'm kinda hoping to do a few larger projects here on this Blog, along with some of the usual shenanigans.  So, stay tuned and check back often.  Not too often, of course, we don't wanna be weird about it...  Y'know, casual often.

I know I'm a little late to this party (hey, I've been busy with other projects), but I must have watched the James Gunn "Superman" Teaser Trailer at least 50 times so far (no exaggeration, alas).  It is probably my most anticipated movie of the year, to be honest.  In spite of it showing Supes just getting wrecked every time he's on screen, it did give me something missing from the more recent incarnations of Superman on the screen: Hope.

Speaking of, here's to hoping things go well for everyone this year.  As I mentioned, I have a few big things I wanna try, so you know I've got the New Year's Delusions of Grandeur, which I'm keeping right next to my Delusions of Resolutions!

Also: Superman-uary?  Don't worry, I won't try to make that a thing; this was just a one-off.  The next post will be back to our regularly scheduled silliness, Batman-uary style!   

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Because I was goofing around with a few Apps I hadn't opened in a while, and I did this all on a single layer, I wasn't paying attention and didn't save a "Work in Progress".  Given all the programs it passed through, that would have been a mess to save and show.  I mean a mess worse than usual to save and show.

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Done digitally in Procreate and Art Studio Pro, with as assist in Photoshop for the lettering.

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