Goodbye, LOST

I loved the finale. I caught it live on Sunday night, and then watched it again first thing Monday morning. As is the case with any huge show coming to an end, fans seem pretty torn. Some are angry that we didn't get every answer to every question, or they didn't really get the ending or the meaning behind the "sideways world." For me, everything made sense, and I thought it was completely emotionally fulfilling. I liken it to the ending of the comic series "Y: The Last Man" -- it was about the journey and the characters, not scientific explanations. Anyway, the show went out on a very high note, in my opinion, and I'll miss it. Congrats to the cast and crew for six crazy years! :)

I fully plan on creating some new LOST season 6/finale fan art (c'mon, you know I can't resist), but right now my Lucasfilm deadlines are sucking up every spare minute. I have two Star Wars projects due the first week of June... So I probably won't have my new LOST print done in time for HeroesCon. But I *should* have it done in time for CV in August. Anyway, I'll post more info later.

Namaste. 4 8 15 16 23 42.

See you in another life, brotha.

LOSTie head doodles

Gettin' myself warmed up for the big finale tonight.

Oh, and I'm back from my trip up north. Going to catch up on emails and such ASAP. Thanks, everyone. :)

SpringCon in the can, Heroes around the corner

This is an Ahsoka headsketch I drew on orange construction paper at SpringCon (thanks, Eric!), with a little white and red pencil thrown in.

The show was a huge hit -- I had a really fun time. THANK YOU to everyone who came out and stopped at my table! :)

Now I'm diving back into the usual grind. Lots of Lucasfilm/Celebration/Clone Wars stuff on my plate. Lots of emails to get to. Lots of commissions to catch up on. Yadda Yadda. HeroesCon is coming up VERY quickly, too. I'll post more info soon.

Also: I'm going to be taking a short vacation later this week. A brief escape to the North Shore - my brain is in need of some fresh air and re-energizing. And of course Sunday is Lost Day. So if I disappear from the internet for a few days, that's why.

Have a great week, everyone!

Clone Wars Season 1 Webcomic Collection

The Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 1 webcomics (written by Pablo Hidalgo and drawn by Jeff Carlisle, Katie Cook, Tom Hodges and myself) are finally being collected into a trade paperback collection! It'll be published by Dark Horse Comics and Dreams & Visions Press, and debuting at Star Wars Celebration V this August in Orlando. After the show, it'll be available exclusively at StarWarsShop.com.

The book includes the entire run of season 1 webcomics, PLUS a cool bonus section featuring concept art, pinups and never-before-seen sketches, PLUS a foreword by supervising director Dave Filoni. It's going to be a must-own for all Clone Wars lovers. (And, hey, it has an awesome wrap-around cover drawn by Tom Hodges and colored by me!) :)

Click here to read the official announcement at StarWars.com!

SWFD sketch cards: bounty hunters!

IG-88 on a Fan Days III sketch card, and Bossk on a Fan Days II sketch card.
If you'd like to get your own original Star Wars sketch card from me (I still have stock available from both Fan Days II and III), I charge $50 per card. Right now I've got a lot on my plate and a lot of commissions to catch up on, so don't expect a super fast turn-around. But if you're interested, shoot me an email: grantgoboom@gmail.com
:)

SpringCon - Saturday & Sunday

This weekend is the very first Minnesota SpringCon, and it's gonna be an awesome show! Check out their site for info, guest list, and more: midwestcomicbook.com

I'll have a table there and will be selling copies of my 2010 sketchbook "Inglourious Lizerds" for $20, various 11"x17" art prints for $10 each, "Wolves of Odin" for $5, and "Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars" for $15. As far as sketches go, I'll be doing something similar to what I did in Chicago for C2E2. I'll be offering $50 character drawings - more detailed posed shots, inked with some greytones added, on 8.5"x11"/9"x12" cardstock. I'll probably only be able to do one or two each day, so if you want a sketch, head to my table ASAP and get on the list.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at grantgoboom@gmail.com -- I'll do my best to respond to emails before the weekend. Just write "SPRINGCON" in the subject line so I don't miss it. Thanks, everyone! Looking forward to the show! :)

Rest in peace, Frank Frazetta

The art world lost an icon today.
:(

NY Times: Frank Frazetta, Fantasy Illustrator, Dies at 82

Creating an Indy sketch card

This was the last of my Indiana Jones return cards (they're all gone now)! I thought it'd be fun to show each step of my sketch card process.

Step 1: Pencil sketch. I generally use blue illustration pencil because when I digitally color stuff, I can scan in the drawing and easily erase the blue lines in Photoshop - just makes my job easier. So I pretty much always use blue pencils. I don't even think I own any "normal" pencils anymore.



Step 2: Lay down the lighter colors. I do yellows and flesh tones and such BEFORE I ink, so that my brush pen lines don't smudge. If I ink and then add skin tone, for example, then my ink lines get all weird and bleed into the color.



Step 3: Inks. After my lighter colors are dry, then I take my trusty ol' Faber-Castell brush pens (fine and brush nibs) and do my linework. I might add in some color flats, too, like the background.



Step 4: Colors & final touches. I let my inks dry, and then add all the final colors. Once those are dry, then I'll add some shading, add some white pencil here and there, and basically tweak whatever needs tweaking. And there ya have it - a sketch card. Punch that Nazi in the face, Indy!!!

Original Yoda cover for NSU magazine

I had the great honor of creating an exclusive cover piece for the latest issue of Non-Sport Update, the entertainment trading card industry's top magazine. It's available at all major bookstores - Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. - or you can grab it online.

Be sure to check out the NSU website and forums: nonsportupdate.com :)