X-Men, Wu-Tang and Wrestlers... Oh MY! The Eclectic Artwork Of Erle Tompkins

You know that saying "never judge a book by its cover" that is always thrown around so willy nilly? Yeah, I never really subscribe to that theory. I tend to be very observant of people on purpose... and I can usually figure out people pretty well. I have an especially keen 'bullshit detector' sense as well... one that very rarely fails me. I had made the acquaintance of a very talented artist, Erle Tompkins, a few years back and I must say that in this case I was completely off in my judgement. His cousin Frank introduced us, and we hit it off right away with geek talk galore (mostly about comic book movies). He told me he did some art, and I told him to email me. He never did... and I assumed that he must not be very talented. I would see him from time to time, and always it was pleasant to see him. But every time we chatted, still no email and still no artwork. So I just chalked it up to him being not all that good and getting cold feet sending it to me. This weekend I ran into Erle, and he pulled up an X-Men movie universe piece he had just finished working on. Although I was looking at it on a 5 inch I Phone screen, I instantly realized that my man Erle had something... and I couldn't wait to see more. I told him that he needed to email me this instantly, and that I wanted to see more immediately. I made him do it right in front of me so he didn't "forget" to do it later. I forced his hand... and I am able to write this article about his awesome art because of it.

See more after the jump...

Erle has a Tumblr that highlights his unique style of art, but it his interesting array of subjects that make his blog so appealing. He jumps flawlessly from the world of comics to the world of Wu Tang Clan. But he makes his most important contributions in the world he loves the most: Professional Wrestling. He re-creates old matches, particular poses and scenes, and iconic images from WWF, WWE, WCW and NWA fame. He hits on all the regulars, and even digs deeper to include lesser popular stars. And his trademark, at least in my opinion, has to be his "bloody" stuff... the pieces where he highlights the destruction of the human body in the ring. These pieces transport me back to the days of a child watching Saturday Night's Main Event, playing with my WWF Wrestling Superstar rubber figures. Man, these are great. 

So in closing, sometime you really can't judge a book by it's cover. Er;e Tompkins is a soft spoken and nice kid, but I certainly didn't think he had the talent he actually possess. I am glad he finally shared it with me, and I am happy to share it with all of you. Make sure you hit him up at his AMA page, his Society 6 page, and check his Tumblr often for his newest works. Order up kids... and tell 'em CCD sent ya!!!!        

Rob Duenas Takes On The Star Wars Universe Via His Sketchcraft Blog

Rob Duenas is an artist that runs a very interesting art blog. Sketchcraft is a place where Duenas posts his current works of art, but he does so in a very interesting way. He posts multiple steps of the process that goes into creating a particular piece. His 'work in progress' pieces taking you through a step by step process of how a finish piece gets that way. It is a unique process that most artists don't really like to show. Whether or not they don't want to divulge their techniques, or if they just don't want a non-finished work seeing the light of critiques... it is rare that we get a glimpse into the whole process. What is real cool is that he posts different pieces at different stages of completion, and so you are never really zoomed in on one particular piece of his. You are seeing many different steps of creation for multiple pieces at once.... a great idea. His latest series happens to take on one of my favorite character groups, the Star Wars universe. Boba, Chewie, Han, Leia, Luke and Vader... yup, the gang is all here. You can see plenty of Duenas work on his Deviant Art page, and you can see his constantly 'work in progress' pieces update constantly on his Sketchcraft Tumblr. You can also see the Star Wars pieces after the jump...

And here is an example of the Work In Progress style of Rob:

and finally:

Usagi Yo Jimbo vs Invincible by Ryan Ottley

For those of you who don't know who Ryan Ottley is, he is the kind of guy working in the comic industry that I adore. The reason is because he is a true self made man... dude hated his regualr job, so he began creating his own personal web comics to gain exposure. Instead of submitting samples to the comic companies and hoping they would change his life with a job offer, he published his own stuff and it was seen by the right person... Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead, and he loved it! So he offered Ottley a job penciling Invincible... and the rest is pretty much history. Ottley kills on Invincible, and also has drawn variant covers for The Walking Dead and Haunt, which was a collabo between Kirkman and Todd McFarlane. The guy is a great artist, and I really dig his whole path to success. Joe Fletch sent me a cool ass pic he had posted over on his Deviant Art page featuring one of my favorite lesser known characters, Stan Sakai's Usagi Yo Jimbo taking on Invincible himself. The piece is beautiful, but also humorous... it plays up to Yo Jimbo's fearlessness but also the impracticality of attacking Invincible with a sword. Great piece. You can see much more of Ottley's work over at his Tumblr, Deviant Art page, and Blog... and check out the awesome Man vs Rabbit piece after the jump...

  

Haunted Places by Daniel Danger

My good buddy Cal from North of the Border sent me a very cool collection of art from a guy named Daniel Danger that was featured on horror blog Trixie's Treats. Danger has a plethora of work under his belt, but his specialty seems to be capturing the magic of haunted places. Spooky houses, desolate areas, and outdoor locales are done in epic fashion by Danger... and truthfully I am getting into the Halloween spirit just looking at them! I went over to his Tumblr page and found some great ones to share with you CCDers. Thank to Trixie for posting so Cal could see and then share with me... From the well know locales to the anonymous ones, you will like them all... trust me! Check em out after the jump...

Jody Steel Ain't Sketching Around....

An artists is a artist all the time... no matter what it is they are doing, their artistic nature bleeds through. When someone has an artistic talent, they look to incorporate it into every activity they do. Even if that activity is doodling to waste time... on their own leg! Artist Jody Steel is a very talented illustrator (as you can see from the many pieces she has drawn that are displayed on her Tumblr). But her most impressive and detailed pieces are the ones that she is drawing on her own thigh... yup, you read that right, her own THIGH! Steel started doodling the face portraits on her own thigh and must have realized just how good they were, so she started photographing them and putting them on her Tumblr as well. The detail on these pieces are amazing, and I love that they are largely done with a pen and very minimal color. But when she does add color... wow! Those pieces really pop. It also helps when you have legs as perfect as Ms. Steel's to display the art on... good lawd! Check out all of her work on her Tumblr and check out my faves after the jump....

Bonus pic: She can even design a banana!

The Captain America Trading Card Collection Of Agent Coulson...

One of the hidden gem moments of the Avengers had to be the conversation between Agent Coulson and Captain America when they first meet face to face. Coulson is a complete Cap fanboy, and he is trying his best to maintain his composure while being confronted with a childhood icon of his. He tells Cap that he watched him while he slept... which leads to a very awkward silence that is very funny.  The conversation delves into an area where they are discussing a vintage trading card collection that Coulson possess that features Cap... and Cap shows an interest in the fact that such a trading card collection exists. This thrills Coulson, and Clark Gregg plays the little kid trapped in a grown mans body perfectly. (For a good laugh, check out the Cap/Coulson Tumblr page that plays up the weirdness in this scene by clicking here.) Leave it to the 'Net and our buddy Cal to find some of these cards and share them right here for your perusing pleasures. I wish I can see all of them, but these will have to do. Check em out...

99 Problems: A Tumblr That Takes A Look At The Real Issues Jigga Has...

Jay-Z is one of my favorite musical artists in the game. He has been since the first time I heard Dead Presidents (his first official single) way back in 1996. One of the most memorable musical moments of his career has to be The Black Album, an album that many thought would be his last at the time. The 2004 album is a masterpiece, and also featured the return of long gone uber producer Rick Rubin with the track '99 Problems'. The songs hook has been used in many instances by people since 2004, but I have never seen an interpretation as fantastic as the blog 99 Problems. This tumblr features daily pictures by Ali Graham, and the pics depict a cartoon Jay-Z dealing with everyday problems. While a bitch might not be a problem Jigga has to deal with (hehehe), things like not getting the part in a movie or tying a bow tie lead to some hysterically animated pieces. There are 67 entries in the blogs roll so far, and I am not really sure is Graham plans on continuing after she reaches 99, but you can click here and check them all out and click here to buy prints. You can also check out my personal faves after the jump. Great idea for a blog, and even better execution by a very cool artists.