Nick Davis's Blog, page 51

Concept Animation of Rocket Raccoon and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy quite a Marvel

Rocket Raccoon and Groot Animation Still from Guardians of the Galaxy

I discovered these animation concepts of Rocket Raccoon and Groot online today and had to share (for as long as Marvel legal may allow me.) These two characters are going to be the breakout characters from Guardians of Galaxy movie. You see the rest of the concept still after the jump.

Rocket Raccoon and Groot Animation Stills from Guardians of the Galaxy

This is what I love about Marvel Movies, while we have DC unsure about putting Wonder Woman in her own movie, we have Marvel putting a three-foot Raccoon with a Machine Gun on-top of a Talking Tree and telling us to deal with it. And just that alone means this film is going to rock! I wonder if we are going to hear Rocket Raccoon’s  ‘Bang… I murdered you’ battlecry in this movie – that would be a shocker… Roll on the toys!

Check out Unconditional Hugs, a new Teddy Bear Tales Webcomic by Nick Davis

Unconditional Hugs – Opening Panels

A new comic strip starts today on the Teddy Bear Tales Website called Unconditional Hugs, a traditional comic strip of Tristan’s early years with his boy.

Unlike Tristan Goes to the Moon which was a full color page by page webcomic. Unconditional Hugs will have that black and white cartoon look that you find every day in your newspaper.

Unconditional Hugs was born of an art challenge I gave myself to draw a comic strip featuring Tristan the Teddy Bear. It had to be four panels and be a self-contained story, here is what I came up with:

Tristan the Teddy Bear Unconditional Hugs – First Strip by Nick Davis

I’m not going to try to hide the Calvin and Hobbes influences, it is no secret that I am a huge fan of what is perhaps the most beat perfect sequential story ever written, but Unconditional Hugs is very much going to be its own thing.

There we will be adventure, suspense, comedy, Monsters under the Bed, buddy moments and one little Teddy Bear who takes looking after his little boy very seriously.

So, welcome onboard, I hope you enjoy this new story… Hugs ahead!

Doctor Who Cuddly Sketch Patrick Troughton the Second Doctor

Doctor Who Patrick Troughton Second Doctor by Nick Davis

Filling the last of my Cuddly Sketch Doctors slots with a new Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. The last one was sold at the inaugural Awesome Con 2013.

Patrick was the original raggedy Doctor, the first regeneration and was tasked with carrying the legacy of Doctor Who after Will Hartnell was too ill to continue. This piece is finished in watercolor pencils and black ink. As we’ve only ever seen Patrick as the Doctor in black and white I reflected that in the illustration.

Buy the Art

You can buy this original watercolor Cuddly Sketch direct from my Storeveny Store.

Doctor Who Cuddly Sketch John Hurt War Doctor from the Day of the Doctor

Doctor Who John Hurt War Doctor by Nick Davis

A couple of months late, but here is my Cuddly Sketch Watercolor of the John Hurt War Doctor from Doctor Who 50th Anniversary – The Day of the Doctor. 

This piece is finished in watercolor pencils and black ink, and I think carries the hang-dog look that the War Doctor had as he struggled with his responsibility with the moment.

Buy the Art

You can buy this original watercolor Cuddly Sketch direct from my Storeveny Store.

Doctor Who Cuddly Sketch Peter Capaldi Doctor Twelth, Thirteen or First New Generation Doctor?

Doctor Who Peter Capaldi Doctor by Nick Davis

The latest edition to my Doctor Who Cuddly Sketches is the Peter Capaldi Doctor in his first season outfit.

Who is he?

This is Doctor number Twelve/Thirteen of the first of the next generation or something like that – although I’ve given up the numbering and going to name the Doctors now on after the actor who plays them.

Buy the Art

You can buy this original watercolor cuddly art direct from my Storeveny Store.

Doctor Who Cuddly Sketch David Tennant Tenth Doctor with Donna Noble

Cuddly David Tennant Doctor from Doctor Who with Donna Noble by Nick Davis

I’ve been a little lax at the moment when it comes to my Cuddly Sketches, but I’ve picked up the pencil and decided to fill up the missing files in my Doctor Who line up.

First up is the David Tennant Doctor from Doctor Who, this time paired with Donna Noble (my favorite modern era companion), finished in watercolor pencils and black ink.

Buy the Art

You can buy this original watercolor cuddly art direct from my Storeveny Store.

Work in Progress

Tristan the Teddy Bear Goes to the Moon Webcomic now available as a Children’s story book

Tristan the Teddy Bear Goes to the Moon

On Thursday I published the last page of the Teddy Bear Tales Imagination Adventure Webcomic – Tristan Goes to the Moon.

Now the all-ages illustrated story is available as a printed story book, making this children’s tale a fantastic bedtime story to own and share. Take a look inside the pages of the Tristan the Teddy Bear Goes to the Moon Illustrated Adventure here.

Buy the Art

You can buy the art used in the Tristan the Teddy Bear Goes to the Moon Webcomic and Print book direct from the Altworld Storenvy Store

Creator Spotlight – Christoper Otto, Creator of A Dog’s Life a comic strip of canine comedy and adventure

This week’s Creator Spotlight shines on  Christoper Otto the Creator of A Dog’s Life webcomic that follows the antics of chocolate Labrador and his adopted sister, and if you’re not reading it… You should be!. Now take it away Chris…

My name is Chris Otto and I am the creative force behind the award-winning online comic, “A Dog’s Life”. The strip has been recognized by several sites in the online dog community (people who love dogs, that is; I’m not sure many dogs are online, but you never know!) as one of the top dog sites. This has opened many doors for me, from product reviewing to a couple of shots at national, even international exposure that I will get into in a moment, but first, a little about myself and the strip!

A life-long avid comic strip reader, I decided to start-up my own comic in 2010. I came up with the idea over the summer of that year after struggling to come up with an idea for a comic for a few months. I have two dogs, a Lab and a rescued mutt, whose antics were often comic worthy. I wrote out a few strips and started drawing dogs. Having never really drawn anything other than doodles in my school notebooks, I might have been better off finding an artist to collaborate with, but I was determined to do the strip all by myself. It is always interesting to me to look through my first couple of years of comics and watch my drawing develop into the style it is today.

The strip stars my two dogs, Hunter S. Thompson, a chocolate Labrador, and Gillian, his adopted sister. Most of my early strips are based on actual events, but eventually the stories tended to turn into long character driven tales, often straying from real life events. For example, the second year of the strip was one year-long tale guest written by my friend Ben Taylor (whom I met at the VA Comicon in late 2010, one of the best things for me personally to come from the strip) called “Bark To The Future”, which is a love letter to “Back To The Future”, which is a story full of time travel, Doctor Who, Star Wars and other references, and other things that dogs would normally not do. Like drive dog houses into the past. I do try to keep the dogs themselves acting as dogs would, though; not understanding time, scratching, thinking with their stomachs; dog behavior wrapped up in human like personalities.

I am in the fourth year of the strip, and 2014 is looking to be very exciting for me! I will publish my fourth book, a compilation of the third year of the strip, to add to the first two compilations and a coloring book already published. I will be partnering with Life With Dogs to do a monthly strip chronicling Hunter’s time as a puppy, “Hunter’s Puppy Tales”. Their site will push me into a huge international audience. I am also featured in an interview in Dog Fancy magazine, hitting news stands nationally in March. I already have several convention appearances planned in the VA/DC area, as well as setting up for my second year in the Kids Love Comics area at the Baltimore Comic Con.

What had started out as a little hobby to satisfy my creative impulses has really turned into something wonderful for me, and I have met so many great people because of it. I never expected my little scribbles to turn into what it has, and am very thankful for the many opportunities it has opened for me! Though I am far from the point where I could quit the day job (Radiological Technologist) and draw full-time, I am happy with the growth of the comic. I posted my 500th comic strip in the summer of 2013, a milestone I never really envisioned when I started it up. I look forward to posting many, many more.

Thank you for your time Chris, looks like big things are coming your way and I wish you well moving into 2014. 

Mobile Fighter G Gundam Supplement added to the Fight Dice Action Figure Duel Game

The Mobile Fighter G Gundam Supplement that contains a complete Mobile Fighter creation system and full tournament rules have been added to the Fight-Dice website.

These rules, once thought lost, are completely free to download are a fully contained gaming system. All you need is a printer, some Mobile Fighters and a lot of dice. Check out the full rules, download, enjoy and please leave a donation.

Re-Watch the Creation Debate between Bill ‘The Science Guy’ Nye and Ken ‘Creationist’ Ham #creationdebate

Creation Debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham

I highly recommend watching the Creation Debate at the Creation Museum between Bill ‘The Science Guy” Nye and Ken “Creation Theory”  Ham. I was initial skeptical thinking the Bill was playing in the Ken’s and the Creation Museum hands by agreeing to this debate, and forwarding the creationist agenda.

But as the debate started, I started to live tweet on the #creationdebate hashtag. It became obvious that Bill came along open-minded and rational, and Ken closed his mind to any thought beyond ‘God did it’ as an answer – and at some points started to go into a rant about marriage should be between man and woman. Then insulted Christians who believe in God, but also in science, logic, facts and evolution by calling them not proper Christians (I kid you not.)

In short, it was an embarrassment for the Creationist movement. I will leave it to you to judge as I have the entire debate available for viewing after the jump.