Earth's Mightiest Mortal

Fall Festival

2009-11-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

This past Friday I was able to do something that I've never done before. I had a sketch booth at my school's fall festival. Oh man, I had a blast. The sketches were done in pencil and inked or colored with sharpies or markers on 5x7 card stock. I had about 15 made up before the festival to display at my booth so people could see what they would be getting. I did mostly supers, but also had a few mascots, princesses, and toons as well. I even did a Barney Fife! I started at 5 and didn't stop sketchin' until about 9:30. When the eraser dust had cleared, I had sold over 30 of my sketches. I was super excited that I was able to raise over $100(sketches were $3) for our school! Lookin' forward to the next time!

Philip Rivers-GO BOLTS!

2009-10-24T21:25:00.003-04:00

I've been a Rivers fan since he started against Arkansas St. as a Wolfpack freshman a long while back. I thought I'd try my hand at sketching him in All Star Vinyl(Upper Deck sports figurines that are very cool) style for fun. Dig it!

Sequential Stuff

2009-08-01T21:45:00.004-04:00

Hey! Just wanted to show you that I've been busy drawing and coloring a book that my friend is writing. I've seen about eight pages from the script and have finished drawing seven of them. The coloring has been a fun learning process, but a slow one. I thought I'd post page two colored to let you see a little of what's to come. More to come soon!

Heroes Con!

2009-07-15T22:27:00.009-04:00

Just wanted to throw out the annual Heroes Convention blog post out before it got too far gone. We had a great time at the show this year in Charlotte. It was a blast goin through artist alley checkin out all the sketches, prints, and books the artist had. I got to see some old friends and pick up some cool con sketches from some uber-talented artist. This year we also did a couple of first. We went to the auction on Saturday night, and I participated in the 20 minute quick draw contest. The sketch contest was pretty cool. Shanna watched and took pics as I sketched with my chunky digits as fast as I could. I think the sketch turned out pretty cool for only having 20 minutes. Anyway, thanks to all those who had a part in making Heroes Con '09 a great time!

The Magnificent Mastersons

2009-07-13T23:44:00.005-04:00

Here on Earth's Mightiest Mortal we spare no expense to bring you the hottest new comic book information on the web. Today is no exception. For the very first time anywhere, I would like to introduce to you my very own creation-The Magnificent Mastersons. I have been working on their story and thought I'd get them on paper to help visualize them as they face off against the evil Body Count. The story will be full of action, drama, and alliteration. Hopefully soon I'll finish up the first story arc and get some sequentials posted. Until then, I'll try to get some bio's and pinups done to post. Let me know what you think!

Captain and Mary Marvel

2009-07-07T21:49:00.004-04:00

Okay, Heroes Con pics and report still coming soon, but I thought I'd throw this one up on the blog tonight. This is one of the first commishes I ever had done. This was done at Heroes Con '07 by Jerry "The Franchize" Gaylord. It is still one of my favorites so I couldn't resist making this another sketch that made my coloring board. This is actually a photo and not a scan of the original. It was a lot of fun to color(although it still took a while). I still have a lot to learn about this digital coloring stuff so I'm off to the digital crayolas. :) Don't forget Heroes pics are on there way!

-Chunky Digits

Captain Marvel Colored

2009-07-05T22:47:00.005-04:00

Real quick post tonight because I wanted to get this colored Captain Marvel pic up. Took me a little while to get the hang of it, but here is my first attempt at coloring digitally. Thought it turned out pretty good for a first timer! Heroes Con update and pics to come this week-be back soon!

The Villain

2009-06-02T21:34:00.003-04:00

This guy is the Villain from my comic book that I'm dabbling with in my spare time. I don't want to go into many details about this guy yet, but I will say that his name is Body Count. I know,pretty cool, huh? Go ahead, let your imagination run rampant with what his unique abilities or sinister goals may be and let me know what you think.

Colossus

2009-05-29T23:37:00.003-04:00

Colossus is the metal muscle man of the X-men. He's also too cool and fun to draw! Here's the big Russian ready to bring the pain to some mutant baddy. Das Vadanya!

New Sketchbook

2009-05-28T22:22:00.003-04:00

Here's the Dark Knight from my new sketchbook I bought a couple of weeks ago. When I bought my sketchbook, I wanted to fill every page with a different superhero or villian. Shazam got the top page, but Bats slid into the second slot. Anyway, I got the idea from Andie Tong an artist from the UK at last years Heroescon. Hope to have the book filled with sweet sketches someday soon. So far it's been fun trying to give the characters I love the Branman treatment!

Birrrrd MAN!

2009-05-27T22:00:00.003-04:00

Definately not Birrrrd MAN, Hawkman is really a bird by another feather. The hardnosed hero was a childhood favorite of mine on Saturday mornings while watching the Superfriends. It was a no-brainer to try to tackle him on the ole sketch pad. I really liked the way his face and expression came out on this one. Thanks again for lookin'!

Go with a Smile

2009-05-26T18:30:00.004-04:00

WoW! Can you believe this will be the second post in two days! Joker gets the billing today because on a rainy day everybody needs a smile. I got to say that I enjoy drawing Mr. J. He just seems to have enough anarchy in his smile to keep you comin' back for more. I'm trying to get some colors on my drawings as well, so I splashed some on Joker and in the background for this one. I think it turned out swell! Thanks for looking and turn that frown upside down!

Feelin' Sketchy

2009-05-25T15:50:00.008-04:00

With all this Free Comic Book Day stuff and Heroes Con just around the corner, I've been a little sketchy lately. So I thought I'd share some of the drawings that I've done over the past few weeks. I'm going to try to get a new sketch here every day this week so make sure to check back daily. Here's the first-Chuck and the X-men. Hope you dig!

Free Comic Book Day at Heroes!

2009-05-03T22:56:00.005-04:00

Jakeemthundah on deviantART"WoW! What a day! I hope that everyone was able to get out to a comic shop somewhere and enjoy some of the sweetness that is FCBD!

This year my wife and bro got up with me at the crack of dawn to head down to Charlotte, NC to enjoy FCBD at Heroes Aren't Hard To Find. After making my wife(aka Quilting Queen) happy by taking her to a huge fabric store for 2 hours of selecting the fabrics to make her next classic quilts, we were off for the main event!

We arrived at Heroes at 11:30 and began wading through the crowd to pick up copies of the free comics that had been placed throughout the store. Soon after, the artist showed up and began sketching for the crowd that had gathered. Oh, did I mention the artist that showed up were Adam Hughes, Brian Stelfreeze, Mark Brooks, Andy Smith, Allison Sohn, Budd Root, Sanford Greene, Matt Herms, Jason Latour, Chris Schweizer, Chris Brunner, and more! Oh yeah-I know what you're thinking, but it's for real though! Anyway, I was pretty fortunate to walk away with a few sketches and alot of great memories! One of the highlights of the day was watching my bro go wacko from watching Brian Stelfreeze do an incredible water colored Ra's Al Ghul for the girl in front of him. He kept saying, "Branson, you got see this, you gotta see it!" Man, what a great day. It was almost like a prequel to Heroes Con in June. "Let it begin! Let it begin!"

CAP SMASH PUNY GREEN HULK

2008-11-05T21:13:00.005-05:00

Here's a sketch I did for a student that won a contest for our fall fundraiser. She was supposed to get just Captain America, but when she asked if I could somehow include the Hulk(Bucket O' Characters), I coudn't refuse. Anyway, I think this really turned out pretty cool , and it was a blast to do! On a side note, the Bucket O' Characters will have to take a backseat for a while. Last year I started drawing sketches for my students at Christmas time, and in order to continue the new tradition, I'll be working on their Christmas list until it's finished. However there is no need to despair, I'll be posting those sketches as I get them completed.

SHADOW OF THE BAT-ALFRED PENNYWORTH

2008-10-23T22:29:00.003-04:00

Here's number 3 from the bucket-Alfred Pennyworth. I guess in my opinion, Alfred is more superhero than alot of the guys walking around in spandex. I mean does Bats have a fool proof plan to stop Alfred if he goes rogue?! I don't think so! Yet if Big Blue skips in line at the water fountain-KaPow! It's Bat-Kryptonite time! Really had a blast drawing this one. Next up...the Green Goliath!

SHAZAM SPLASH SMACKDOWN!

2008-09-10T22:05:00.004-04:00

Here's the second sketch from the Bucket O' Characters-Shazam! My youngest girl picked the Big Red Cheese from the bucket about a week ago. Because Captain Marvel is one of my favorite characters, I decided to use an 11x17 comic art board and gave him a little extra attention. In our story, young Billy Batson witnesses an explosion causing him to speak the magic word- Shazam! Now transformed into the World's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel uses his might to battle the evil forces of Dr. Sivana. It was the first time I had used one of the art boards and did a sequential page. I think it turned out pretty good! Next up for the drawing board-Alfred Pennyworth!

Bucket O' Characters

2008-08-30T21:22:00.004-04:00

I decided it was time for me to get better at this sketchin' stuff so I devised a plan to help. I realize I'll never be the likes of the many talented artist here on DA, but I'd like to be somewhat in the same city as the ballpark they play in. So...I came up with the Bucket O' Characters. I found that I spend most of my time doodlin' or sketchin' with no purpose. I figured that I draw much better when I have a definate idea to work with(I know-rocket science right?). Enter the Bucket. I wrote down as many characters as I could think of, cut them up into little strips, and put them into the Bucket. Before sketchin' begins, I pull one and Shazam!-instant idea. With this new technology, I'll hit 3000 page views in no time! Now if I can only fix DC's Final Crisis.

HEROESCON!

2008-06-24T11:16:00.009-04:00

WoW! Heroescon was unbelievable this year-we had such a blast! On Friday, the day started with madness as I ran from table to table trying to lock up the sketch commissions I wanted. I just missed the cut off for a few that I wanted, but was able to score a sweet Batgirl from Phil Noto! I picked up a commission by Jonboy Meyers of an amazing Shazam! that I had already ordered before the show. Inker Marc Deering was kind enough to do an incredible job inking it for me. Continuing with the Shazam! theme, I got sketches from Billy Fowler and Sunny Lee that were really cool. I also met Andie Tong, a super nice guy from England(but really all over the place) who worked on the UK version of Spidey. He had some fantastic sketches and pages that he was selling. Saturday was a little more easy going. Jeremy Dale hooked me up with a sweet Red Tornado, and Nate Lovett did a great Panthro for me. We also met Loston Wallace, a local illustrator who did an awesome Superfriends reading book we got for our daughter(she loves it!). Of course we did take a short break to go to a monster fabric store for my wife, the Quiltinator. She is really an amazing quilter! On Sunday, we took it very easy. I picked up a few sketches that were being finished and took a break for pizza! Another super nice guy we met Sunday was Kevin Sharpe. He had some good stuff goin' on with his tight sketches! Overall, it was a Heroes to remember. It had cool comics, awesome artist, and spectacular supers! I mean where else can you get your picture taken with men in tight stretchy pants? Don't answer that! Thanks to all who made Heroescon '08 a great time!

Birthday Best of Both Worlds

2008-05-23T21:56:00.005-04:00

Recently, we celebrated our oldest daughter's 5th birthday. Being a comic book fanboy and the only man in a family of four, I always get out-voted on the theme for each birthday party. In the past, my ideas have lost to the likes of Carebears, Nemo, and Princesses. But this year was different. Yes, this year would be THE birthday celebration that would make up for all the furballs, seaweed, and divas. This year we would have to put the S. H. E. I. L. D. helicarrier on auto-pilot, lockdown the Fortress of Solitude, and draw straws to see who would have watchtower duty so the many superheroes of the world could attend my 5 year old's birthday bash. Dressed as Supergirl, my super-girl had her friends dress as their favorite heroes in order to save the day from the vile Party Pooper. Even my youngest daughter got in on saving the day. Dressed as Batgirl, she amazed and astonished party-goers with her charisma and cuteness. The World's Finest tandem led the other little heroes in the various missions throughout the day. The party guest seem to soar through the atmosphere while playing musical chairs to the Superman theme. A superhero scavenger hunt to find the world's greatest heroes was completed to save the world. Finally, Wonder Woman's spectacular macaroni and cheese defeated my nemesis Hunger. When the party was over, my World's Finest retired to their stasis chamber for an afternoon nap. Silence once again filled the Halls of Justice, and all was well in the world. With the end of this successful heroic mission, you can bet that I've already begun planning my 2 year old's super birthday party in September.

HEROESCON ULTIMATE ARTIST ALLEY CHALLENGE!

2008-05-07T18:12:00.005-04:00

I need your help. Heroescon is coming soon and I have a difficult decision to make. The decision is not whether to go or not-I'm so there. The incredibly difficult challenge that lies ahead of me is what sketches I leave the convention with this year. Sketches like the one posted above by Jerry Gaylord. Do I get the traditional Batman or go for the backwards Batzarro? The Spidey and His Amazing Friends or Iron Spider vs. Sinister Six? Can you see my dilemma? So many cool ideas- so little fundage. Give me some ideas about what would be the ultimate commission for this years Heroescon. It could be a single character, a versus battle, or a team up. An A-list superhero or a B-list bystander would be fine. I'm open to suggestions. Whatever I choose, I'll post after Heroescon. See you at heroes!

Free Comic Book Day!

2008-05-04T21:58:00.005-04:00

Wow, has it really been that long since I've blogged? Well it's about time! Just had to blog about the great time I had at Heroes Aren't Hard To Find for FCBD. This is how FCBD should be. The store was filled with folks scooping up those free comics and fanboys talking about the Ironman movie, the next crisis, or the next Skrull. Outside, the dollar bins were being swarmed by bargain hunters seeking to fill in those full runs or looking for those diamonds in the rough. The real fun started at 1:00 when the artist and writers arrived. It was awesome! I didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked, but I did manage to score a couple of sweet sketches while I was there. I started off in Brian Stelfreeze's line. The man is incredible! I watched as he sketched a two-page Zoro to start his day of sketches. I was blown away! He seemed to really be having a great time sketching and goofing with the sketch seekers. After giving me a little bit of a hard time about Shazam being kinda lame, he proceeded to make the Big Red Cheese look as unlame(if that's a word) as he could look! If I would have left after that it would have been well worth the 150 mile trip to Charlotte, but there was more! I got in Sanford Greene's line next. After waiting in line for a short time, Sanford was able to sketch an electric Black Lightning for me to take to the house. Just like Brian, he seemed to be having a great time. A great time seemed to be a common thread among everyone there. After that, I moved through the crowd and to my car. That would be all the time I had to spend at FCBD this year. I had to be on the road to get back for a prior commitment, but the time I spent at this year's FCBD was time well spent. What a great way to get geared up for Heroescon! Thanks to the folks at Heroes for the fun day!

Super Sketches

2007-12-11T22:58:00.001-05:00

Superman Attacks! - Maybe?

2007-11-11T16:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, been workin' on this and can't really figure it out. I like the pose, but I really don't know what Supes is gettin' ready to do. Maybe he's gonna lay the smack down on Solomon Grundy born on Monday or just rescue a cat from a tree?! Please help the Man of Steel-give him purpose, or you can just tell me you like it-thanks!

Smile for the Camera!

2007-10-04T21:03:00.000-04:00

I came across this pic and just had to post it! Is this the way it really is in the Wonderful World of Disney? It reminds me of my own two little princesses and the way that they can sometimes act for the camera.