OilCan Drive, Track Two

And so it begins again!

After about a month off from publication, OilCan Drive's webcomic launches again today with the beginning of the second chapter, Track Two!

I'm still in the middle of drawing this newest adventure and, let me tell you, it is getting a little crazy as every character in the comic finally comes face to face with each other. If the cover is any indication, not everyone is going to get along as well as I'd hoped.

So, head on over to the OilCan Drive site, strap in, and enjoy the newest cover as we get this adventure started again!

Ryan's Hockey Jersey

 It's no secret that I took the design of the hockey jersey that Ryan Burke from OilCan Drive wears from the old Colorado Avalanche hockey jerseys that the team wore in 2001, the year I first came up with OilCan Drive.

Over the years Ryan has worn that jersey proudly, even when the actual Avalanche team wasn't doing so well. In 2007 Reebok took over the manufacturing of all NHL jerseys and some teams, the Avalanche included, changed the design of their uniforms.

I asked a friend if I should change Ryan's jersey as well to keep with the times and his response was, "keep him in the same jersey when the Avs won the Stanley Cup. It ain't gonna get better than that." So, I kept Ryan in the same jersey I had designed for him back in 2001. But, recently, I've come to like a lot of aspects of the newer jerseys and when I see the older jerseys at a game or on TV they just look dated.

So, it may be time to give Ryan an upgrade.

This last week I downloaded a blank hockey jersey template and played around a bit. While there are a lot of elements I like in the new jerseys there are also a few I don't like. So, instead of copying the new jersey I thought I'd take the elements I liked and leave off the ones I didn't.

One of the parts of the jersey that every fan seems to hate are the two double striped lines coming off of the neck down to the arm pits. This design alone has led a lot of fans to deem these jerseys "the uni-pron" since the lines makes it look like every player is wearing an apron with apron strings. So, I left those off.

But, I like the idea of a thick black line between the white and burgundy of the jersey and I really like the coloring on the sides underneath the arm pits. I kept the logo I designed for Ryan, an "A" I created so I wouldn't run into any legal issues by using the Avalanche's actual logo and I kept the big foot shoulder patches I designed as well.

And, because I was having so much fun with it, I designed a "home" jersey in the burgundy and blue colors. I'm not sure I'd ever put Ryan in this but you never know.

The question is, should I keep the old jersey Ryan currently sports in the OilCan Drive comic or move him into the present with the newer design? I am currently drawing a sequence where I could rip up and ruin his old jersey, forcing him to don the new one, or I could save the old one and keep it intact.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet but it was definitely fun to take a break from the regular illustration work and design a new jersey.

We'll see what Ryan's fashion future is soon enough!

Have a great one and I'll see you all soon.

The Happy Couple

I'm feeling a bit better after sleeping most of the day away today. I think a lot of rest is just what I needed. I can't remember having an extended period of time off since October of 2012 before all the client work, OilCan Drive, and Kickstarter fun seemed to take up all my time. I just figured I could keep working seven days a week and never take any time off forever.

But, I think it all finally caught up with me.

So, today I'm glad I got some much needed rest.

I felt a lot better tonight and got some work done with a clearer head than I've had in weeks. It really felt nice and I think I may have to put a few more of these rest days into my schedule more often than every eighteen months. We'll see how that goes.

And I finally got Mari and Robert's piece all shaded and colored and done. From what I hear this piece will be used for their "save the date" notices as well as being put on some magnets. I can't wait to see how both of those turn out but, for now, here is the finished piece from my end. I just hope they both like.

Okay, I am off. Have a great one and I'll see you next time!

Scanned and Prepped

The inks are done, the piece is scanned into the computer, and the color is prepped! Now to add some shadows and tones and make the piece pretty.

I haven't been feeling too good this weekend and I'm hoping it's not the flu but I'll get this piece done by tomorrow. Have a great week everyone. I'll see you all soon!

A Couple of Inks

I got almost all of the inks done on Robert and Mari's piece today. All I need to do now is erase the pencil lines and fill in the black areas indicated by an 'X.' Then it will just need a bit of touch up with the white-out and we'll be good to go.

I think I'll put this piece down for the night and let it dry a bit more before tackling it again. I'll get the finishes done on it tomorrow and then it will be time to scan it into the computer and add a bit of color.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you all soon!

An Engagement!

2014 has already started off with a bang and the announcement that a couple of friends of mine have finally gotten engaged! As a way to help them announce their "save the date" day I got out the art supplies and did my best to draw the happy couple.

I had a bit of trouble capturing the pencil sketch with the camera so I had to mess with it a bit in Photoshop to make sure you could see the image. But, so far so good, and I'll probably get a chance to jump on the inking this weekend.

For now, congrats to Robert and Mari! It couldn't have happened to a more wonderful couple!

Have a great one and I'll talk to you all soon!

Happy January and Happy New Year!

 Happy January and Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone made it through New Year's Eve and we're all still safe and sound.

I finished up the Henry illustration early this morning and got it all laid out in the newest blog header. I really like the way this piece came out and now the whole band is done! I'll probably make little stand-ups out of all the figures now and put them up on my shelf. It's the next best thing to having fully sculpted statues or action figures of OilCan Drive looking over my shoulder.

Now, the question is, who am I going to draw for February? I have a whole month to figure that out but if you have any ideas or anything you'd like to see let me know.

And here is the fully finished figure of Henry. As much as I wonder what I am doing sometimes when I see finished pieces like this it all makes it seem worthwhile. I just hope you like the way he came out as much as I do.

Here's to a great new year. As long as there are no floods, gas tank leaks, or cancer in the family this coming year it definitely has to beat 2013. Have a great 2014 and I'll talk to you all soon!