Chris Sprouse's Blog, page 2
September 20, 2011
Commissions!Okay—I'm finishing up all outstanding commiss...
Commissions!
Okay—I'm finishing up all outstanding commissions in the next month. I've had a ton of requests for new commissions over the last several months, so I'm going to start a new commission list. I'm thinking of taking on more than the ten I did last time, but that would mean it may take even longer to get to the last requests.
Here are the details:
I'll be doing single figure fully-inked pieces only, with background included (sometimes that includes some supplemental characters as well). You can see some typical examples of last year's commissions above and below, or if you have my Modern Masters book, you can find older commissioned work in the back of the gallery section. Each drawing will be on 11"X17" 2-ply Bristol Board and I'll charge a flat fee of $200 up front, shipping included, except for international sales, which will require $10 more for shipping. Here's the difficult part: I will be doing these pieces in my spare time and my dayjob with its pretty rigid deadlines will always come first, so I may take a long time to finish your piece. Sometimes it's a VERY long time, but if you've ever commissioned artwork from me before, you know that I will do my best to make it worth the wait! I will state up front that the wait could be AT LEAST two to four months and often longer so that no one is surprised. If this is too long for you, PLEASE don't request a slot on the list!
So, send an email to sprousenetsales@hotmail.com with your name, address, and the character you'd like me to draw. Once the you have a place on the list and all details are finalized, I'll send out Paypal payment info.
Thanks for your time!
--C
September 10, 2011
The 2011 Birmingham Comic ConPeter Hogan alerted me to th...
The 2011 Birmingham Comic Con
Peter Hogan alerted me to the fact that someone has posted some video footage of the 2011 Birmingham Comic Con on YouTube (see above), so this seemed like a good reason/time to finally get around to posting about our UK trip. I really enjoyed the little film because I never saw anything of the convention other than a row of people in front of my table and-very briefly- the panel room. Now I feel like I have a sense of what the show was like for everyone else!
Now for the trip recap:
Things got off to a shaky start when the hurricane hitting the east coast of the U.S. caused massive delays. All of our flights were either delayed or cancelled and we ended up spending about sixteen hours sitting in two different airports over two days before we finally left the ground on Friday evening. I was supposed to attend a signing session for VIP ticket holders on Friday night in Birmingham, but we were somewhere over Northeastern Canada or the Atlantic Ocean while that was happening. My apologies to anyone who was hoping for a signature or sketch that night. We finally arrived in Birmingham at 7AM on Saturday morning, almost two full days after leaving our house.
The Birmingham Comic Con began at 9AM, so we rushed to the hotel and I went straight to the convention, where I met lots of really nice fans, signed comics, and sketched until nearly 7PM, when I had just about lost my ability to focus my eyes on whatever I was drawing--I was that tired. I'll offer my apologies again, this time to anyone who had a less than satisfying or enjoyable conversation with me or received a shoddy sketch--I was so tired I literally couldn't see straight by the time I left the show floor! You can see me ramble on and lose my train of thought at the Tom Strong panel when you watch the video above...I still had a really good time, even if I was dead on my feet. James Hodgkins, the person responsible for bringing me to the show, was wonderful as was the convention staff--thank you all! But the highlight of the convention for me was finally meeting Peter Hogan, writer of the two latest Tom Strong series and some of my favorite issues of the original series. Peter was a joy to spend time with and I'm glad we finally were able to talk in person. The post-show dinner was also a blast! Xan and I ate Italian food at a sort of enclosed shopping/living area called The Mailbox with Peter, James, Dave Gibbons and his wife Helen, and Dougie Braithwaite and his wife Sue. We talked about everything from metaphysics (well, Peter and Dave did the talking there) to the Norman Conquest, with the Watchmen movie and old Gerry Anderson TV shows somewhere in between the two. The next day, Xan and I stayed on in Birmingham, walking and shopping at record stores and a comic shop which was actually in the same building as the hotel. We had a nice little meal of UK comfort food (pie and mashed potatoes) at a sidewalk cafe and just generally relaxed after the whirlwind of the previous three days.
Myself and Peter Hogan at the Birmingham Comic Con (top); dinner at Zizi'z (bottom)
Xan and I in a Birmingham park (left); inside "The Mailbox" (right)
Monday, we were up and on the train for London, where we spent the remainder of our trip. I had never traveled on a train in the UK or Europe and I didn't know what to expect, but I loved it! We passed through lots of picturesque little villages and some beautiful English countryside. We also passed by the site of the Reading Festival and stopped and picked up hundreds of concertgoers on their way home after spending three days in mud and altered states of consciousness, so that was interesting...
View from the train (top); dismantling the Reading Festival (bottom)
In London, we set up camp in a really cool hotel near Paddington Station, the Hotel Indigo...
Paddington Station (top); the Hotel Indigo (bottom)
From there, we took the tube and walked all over the city for the next five days or so. We tried to see some new sights and hit some areas we didn't visit last time, such as Trafalgar Square and Portobello Road, but we did repeat some of our favorite things from our 2006 trip, such as shopping at the Tintin Store and some of the same record stores. We also walked through Westminster to the Thames again, but we chose a different side of the river to walk along this time. Xan was even able to find some rare non-U.S. Pez dispensers along the way.
Trafalgar Square (left); overlooking the Thames just outside Parliament (right)
George Orwell's home (left); Portobello Road (right)
Rough Trade Records off Portobello (left); Savile Row and the Royal Academy (right)
The Baker Street tube station (left); 221b Baker Street (right)
On Thursday, we met Peter Hogan again for lunch before our scheduled signing at the Forbidden Planet store on Shaftesbury Avenue, and after lunch Xan explored all the funky stores in the area while Peter and I did a brief interview at a coffee shop. Then it was on to Forbidden Planet for a couple of hours where we signed and met more wonderful people (both staff and fans) followed by a great Indian dinner with Peter.
The pile of books waiting for us at Forbidden Planet (top); Peter and I signing (bottom)
On Friday, our last day in the UK, we hit a few more record stores (Sister Ray and Reckless)and a large and frankly nerve-wracking toy store before ending the day and the trip with a visit to the Doctor Who Experience. This consisted of a live audience participation "adventure" wherein we were able to step through the doors of and "pilot" Doctor Who's Tardis (that's his time machine, for those who've never seen the show), interact with some Daleks and other scary series villains before finally being let out into a massive exhibit of sets, costumes and props used on the BBC TV series. This ended up being one of the most enjoyable things we did on our trip--definitely a great way to end our stay.
Outside the Doctor Who Experience (left); a Tardis prop from the 1980's (right)
A 1980's Tardis control room set--still "functioning" (top); K-9 (bottom)
Various Sonic Screwdriver props from throughout the years
Panoramic shot of the David Tennant era Tardis set
Davros and several Daleks on display
The enormous Face of Bo prop(top); the smiling face of Xan and the creepy face of a Matt Smith wax replica on either side of me (bottom)
Now it's back to work and our everyday lives. Hopefully another five or six years won't pass before I'm able to take a vacation again...
--C
Peter Hogan alerted me to the fact that someone has posted some video footage of the 2011 Birmingham Comic Con on YouTube (see above), so this seemed like a good reason/time to finally get around to posting about our UK trip. I really enjoyed the little film because I never saw anything of the convention other than a row of people in front of my table and-very briefly- the panel room. Now I feel like I have a sense of what the show was like for everyone else!
Now for the trip recap:
Things got off to a shaky start when the hurricane hitting the east coast of the U.S. caused massive delays. All of our flights were either delayed or cancelled and we ended up spending about sixteen hours sitting in two different airports over two days before we finally left the ground on Friday evening. I was supposed to attend a signing session for VIP ticket holders on Friday night in Birmingham, but we were somewhere over Northeastern Canada or the Atlantic Ocean while that was happening. My apologies to anyone who was hoping for a signature or sketch that night. We finally arrived in Birmingham at 7AM on Saturday morning, almost two full days after leaving our house.
The Birmingham Comic Con began at 9AM, so we rushed to the hotel and I went straight to the convention, where I met lots of really nice fans, signed comics, and sketched until nearly 7PM, when I had just about lost my ability to focus my eyes on whatever I was drawing--I was that tired. I'll offer my apologies again, this time to anyone who had a less than satisfying or enjoyable conversation with me or received a shoddy sketch--I was so tired I literally couldn't see straight by the time I left the show floor! You can see me ramble on and lose my train of thought at the Tom Strong panel when you watch the video above...I still had a really good time, even if I was dead on my feet. James Hodgkins, the person responsible for bringing me to the show, was wonderful as was the convention staff--thank you all! But the highlight of the convention for me was finally meeting Peter Hogan, writer of the two latest Tom Strong series and some of my favorite issues of the original series. Peter was a joy to spend time with and I'm glad we finally were able to talk in person. The post-show dinner was also a blast! Xan and I ate Italian food at a sort of enclosed shopping/living area called The Mailbox with Peter, James, Dave Gibbons and his wife Helen, and Dougie Braithwaite and his wife Sue. We talked about everything from metaphysics (well, Peter and Dave did the talking there) to the Norman Conquest, with the Watchmen movie and old Gerry Anderson TV shows somewhere in between the two. The next day, Xan and I stayed on in Birmingham, walking and shopping at record stores and a comic shop which was actually in the same building as the hotel. We had a nice little meal of UK comfort food (pie and mashed potatoes) at a sidewalk cafe and just generally relaxed after the whirlwind of the previous three days.
Myself and Peter Hogan at the Birmingham Comic Con (top); dinner at Zizi'z (bottom)
Xan and I in a Birmingham park (left); inside "The Mailbox" (right)
Monday, we were up and on the train for London, where we spent the remainder of our trip. I had never traveled on a train in the UK or Europe and I didn't know what to expect, but I loved it! We passed through lots of picturesque little villages and some beautiful English countryside. We also passed by the site of the Reading Festival and stopped and picked up hundreds of concertgoers on their way home after spending three days in mud and altered states of consciousness, so that was interesting...
View from the train (top); dismantling the Reading Festival (bottom)
In London, we set up camp in a really cool hotel near Paddington Station, the Hotel Indigo...
Paddington Station (top); the Hotel Indigo (bottom)
From there, we took the tube and walked all over the city for the next five days or so. We tried to see some new sights and hit some areas we didn't visit last time, such as Trafalgar Square and Portobello Road, but we did repeat some of our favorite things from our 2006 trip, such as shopping at the Tintin Store and some of the same record stores. We also walked through Westminster to the Thames again, but we chose a different side of the river to walk along this time. Xan was even able to find some rare non-U.S. Pez dispensers along the way.
Trafalgar Square (left); overlooking the Thames just outside Parliament (right)
George Orwell's home (left); Portobello Road (right)
Rough Trade Records off Portobello (left); Savile Row and the Royal Academy (right)
The Baker Street tube station (left); 221b Baker Street (right)
On Thursday, we met Peter Hogan again for lunch before our scheduled signing at the Forbidden Planet store on Shaftesbury Avenue, and after lunch Xan explored all the funky stores in the area while Peter and I did a brief interview at a coffee shop. Then it was on to Forbidden Planet for a couple of hours where we signed and met more wonderful people (both staff and fans) followed by a great Indian dinner with Peter.
The pile of books waiting for us at Forbidden Planet (top); Peter and I signing (bottom)
On Friday, our last day in the UK, we hit a few more record stores (Sister Ray and Reckless)and a large and frankly nerve-wracking toy store before ending the day and the trip with a visit to the Doctor Who Experience. This consisted of a live audience participation "adventure" wherein we were able to step through the doors of and "pilot" Doctor Who's Tardis (that's his time machine, for those who've never seen the show), interact with some Daleks and other scary series villains before finally being let out into a massive exhibit of sets, costumes and props used on the BBC TV series. This ended up being one of the most enjoyable things we did on our trip--definitely a great way to end our stay.
Outside the Doctor Who Experience (left); a Tardis prop from the 1980's (right)
A 1980's Tardis control room set--still "functioning" (top); K-9 (bottom)
Various Sonic Screwdriver props from throughout the years
Panoramic shot of the David Tennant era Tardis set
Davros and several Daleks on display
The enormous Face of Bo prop(top); the smiling face of Xan and the creepy face of a Matt Smith wax replica on either side of me (bottom)
Now it's back to work and our everyday lives. Hopefully another five or six years won't pass before I'm able to take a vacation again...
--C
August 30, 2011
SALE ON ORIGINAL ART!
After nearly pulling my arm out of ...
SALE ON ORIGINAL ART!
After nearly pulling my arm out of its socket and having my original art case break under its own weight this week, I've decided I'd better thin the herd (so to speak) a little bit! So, I've lowered my original art prices drastically in order to unload as much art as I can. Everything is $40 until I decide otherwise, and anything already priced at $40 will now be $20. If you've ever wanted some of my artwork, now is the time to pick out some pages for yourself at my art sales site, the Sprousenet Art Emporium.
--C
After nearly pulling my arm out of its socket and having my original art case break under its own weight this week, I've decided I'd better thin the herd (so to speak) a little bit! So, I've lowered my original art prices drastically in order to unload as much art as I can. Everything is $40 until I decide otherwise, and anything already priced at $40 will now be $20. If you've ever wanted some of my artwork, now is the time to pick out some pages for yourself at my art sales site, the Sprousenet Art Emporium.
--C
August 24, 2011
Old Stuff
We're preparing to leave for England right now...
Old Stuff
We're preparing to leave for England right now--I'll try to post some photos from the trip while we're there. In the meantime, I thought I'd post a link for anyone who ever wanted to see one of Alan Moore's scripts. A friend from Italy who goes by the name Smoky Man has a website devoted to Alan's work. Today Smoky Man posted a piece on Judgment Day, a crossover mini-series Alan wrote for Rob Liefield's universe of comics. My first work with Alan writing was a few pages I drew for one of the Judgment Day issues. I also drew a little six-page comic called the Judgment Day Sourcebook which was a freebie bundled in with an issue of Wizard magazine in the mid-1990's. I provided scans of Alan's Judgment Day script pages to Smoky Man, who also owns the entire set of layouts for the Sourcebook, and he has all of these things up at Alan Moore World for everyone to see. Enjoy!
--C
Note: for everyone asking about the possibility of me doing sketches at the Forbidden Planet London signing on Sept. 1, all I can say right now is that I won't be able to do anything in advance, but if we end up staying longer than an hour at Forbidden Planet (or if no one shows up and we're left sitting around with nothing to do), I'll see what I can do. It's up to the store and how quickly they want to move us along, really.
We're preparing to leave for England right now--I'll try to post some photos from the trip while we're there. In the meantime, I thought I'd post a link for anyone who ever wanted to see one of Alan Moore's scripts. A friend from Italy who goes by the name Smoky Man has a website devoted to Alan's work. Today Smoky Man posted a piece on Judgment Day, a crossover mini-series Alan wrote for Rob Liefield's universe of comics. My first work with Alan writing was a few pages I drew for one of the Judgment Day issues. I also drew a little six-page comic called the Judgment Day Sourcebook which was a freebie bundled in with an issue of Wizard magazine in the mid-1990's. I provided scans of Alan's Judgment Day script pages to Smoky Man, who also owns the entire set of layouts for the Sourcebook, and he has all of these things up at Alan Moore World for everyone to see. Enjoy!
--C
Note: for everyone asking about the possibility of me doing sketches at the Forbidden Planet London signing on Sept. 1, all I can say right now is that I won't be able to do anything in advance, but if we end up staying longer than an hour at Forbidden Planet (or if no one shows up and we're left sitting around with nothing to do), I'll see what I can do. It's up to the store and how quickly they want to move us along, really.
August 12, 2011
Legion of Super-Heroes #3
My pencil art for the cover of...
Legion of Super-Heroes #3
My pencil art for the cover of Legion of Super-Heroes #3 can be seen above, while the inked and colored version can be viewed by clicking HERE. This comic is out in November.
--C
My pencil art for the cover of Legion of Super-Heroes #3 can be seen above, while the inked and colored version can be viewed by clicking HERE. This comic is out in November.
--C
July 14, 2011
Legion of Super-HeroesBlogging from scenic Lock Haven, PA...
Legion of Super-Heroes
Blogging from scenic Lock Haven, PA tonight...
DC Comics just officially announced it, so now I guess it's okay for me to post it: I'm now the regular cover artist for the new Legion of Super-Heroes comic beginning with issue #2, out October 19. Above is the cover for #2 in pencil form. Click HERE to see the finished color version. Inks by Karl Story and colors by Guy Major, the guys who made my work look a gajillion times better on Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1. This is my first legion-related work since the mid 1990's!
--C
Blogging from scenic Lock Haven, PA tonight...
DC Comics just officially announced it, so now I guess it's okay for me to post it: I'm now the regular cover artist for the new Legion of Super-Heroes comic beginning with issue #2, out October 19. Above is the cover for #2 in pencil form. Click HERE to see the finished color version. Inks by Karl Story and colors by Guy Major, the guys who made my work look a gajillion times better on Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1. This is my first legion-related work since the mid 1990's!
--C
June 16, 2011
Forbidden Planet London SigningI'll be going to England f...
Forbidden Planet London Signing
I'll be going to England for the Birmingham Comicon in August, but once the show's over, Xan and I are going down to London to play around. While there, I'll be doing a signing with Peter Hogan at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Thursday, September 1 from 6PM to 7PM. Click HERE to go to the Forbidden Planet site for more info or just to do some shopping! I should mention that if you're hoping to get a sketch from me, you'll have a much better chance at the Birmingham Comicon--the single hour provided for the Forbidden Planet signing means I will almost certainly not have time to draw anything there.--C
I'll be going to England for the Birmingham Comicon in August, but once the show's over, Xan and I are going down to London to play around. While there, I'll be doing a signing with Peter Hogan at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Thursday, September 1 from 6PM to 7PM. Click HERE to go to the Forbidden Planet site for more info or just to do some shopping! I should mention that if you're hoping to get a sketch from me, you'll have a much better chance at the Birmingham Comicon--the single hour provided for the Forbidden Planet signing means I will almost certainly not have time to draw anything there.--C
June 15, 2011
Peter Hogan InterviewLast time I mentioned that I'd post ...
Peter Hogan Interview
Last time I mentioned that I'd post when writer Peter Hogan's Amazon.com interview went up.
Well, click HERE to go to Amazon's blog Omnivoracious to read Peter's interview promoting the Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom collection--which is in stores and on sale at Amazon.com right now!
--C
Last time I mentioned that I'd post when writer Peter Hogan's Amazon.com interview went up.
Well, click HERE to go to Amazon's blog Omnivoracious to read Peter's interview promoting the Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom collection--which is in stores and on sale at Amazon.com right now!
--C
June 8, 2011
New Interview at Amazon.comLast week I did an interview f...
New Interview at Amazon.com
Last week I did an interview for Alex Carr at Amazon.com's blog Omnivoracious in order to promote the Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom trade paperback collection. The interview has just been posted--click HERE to go directly to it. Peter Hogan was also interviewed, and I'll post a link to that as soon as it's up. While I'm at it, HERE's a link to Alex's take on the original Tom Strong series.
--C
Last week I did an interview for Alex Carr at Amazon.com's blog Omnivoracious in order to promote the Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom trade paperback collection. The interview has just been posted--click HERE to go directly to it. Peter Hogan was also interviewed, and I'll post a link to that as soon as it's up. While I'm at it, HERE's a link to Alex's take on the original Tom Strong series.
--C
June 6, 2011
Even More New Art For Sale!I just listed lots and lots of...
Even More New Art For Sale!
I just listed lots and lots of new Tom Strong original pages for sale over on my art sales site, SprouseNet Art Emporium. There are even pages from the upcoming Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril #1 (plus an unused finished pencil page from #2). The prices are listed at the top of the site, and if you scroll down you can see clickable/enlargeable images of every page up for sale.
--C
I just listed lots and lots of new Tom Strong original pages for sale over on my art sales site, SprouseNet Art Emporium. There are even pages from the upcoming Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril #1 (plus an unused finished pencil page from #2). The prices are listed at the top of the site, and if you scroll down you can see clickable/enlargeable images of every page up for sale.
--C
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