Frank Stockton Art

Tangled In Blue

2010-03-10T14:30:00.005-05:00

Several weeks ago, Justin Long of Orange Coast Magazine emailed me to offer a feature in the magazine about the relationship between drugs and surfing culture. I grew up in the part of Southern California where the story takes place, so I was pretty happy to do the job.

These first two images are of the amazing layout that Justin did with the illustrations. I think it's one of the finest jobs someone has done laying out my artwork to date, and am happy that he's given me the OK to post them here. You can click on either one of the spreads to see the illustrations enlarged.

I wanted to be a little more subtle but still have an emotional impact on the opening illustration. This can be a really tricky thing, since people are usually flipping through a magazine pretty quickly. I was pretty adamant about not wanting to show any obvious drug references, but was also concerned that the surfboard leash wrapped around the figure's wrist would be too subtle. Fortunately, Justin agreed that this solution would work.

I re-drew this basic pose several times, but it wasn't working. I could have just toughed it out, but I decided to totally scrap this pose and start over. It's a tough thing to do sometimes, because you usually want to stay somewhat close to your initial sketch, and it's easy to get lost in trying to make it work. You have to art direct yourself a lot of the time, though that's sometimes very hard to do.

Finally, I came up with a pose for the underwater figure that I was happy with. The illustration before this point was starting to make me really anxious, but when I had the insight to switch it up, I knew I could do a good job on it, and could focus on the colors.

Lastly, here are some screen shots I took while trying to work out the color.

Thanks for reading!

frank

Star Wars Part II

2010-03-01T10:18:00.006-05:00

Howdy!

The recent release of the Star Wars Galaxy 5 card set means that I'm officially allowed to post my other contribution to the set on my website!

Here's the text I wrote up for the back of the card:

Between ESB and ROTJ, Luke withdrew to his former Master Obi-Wan's hut in Tattoine to complete his Jedi training in solitude. For this piece, I chose to illustrate the moment of him completing the construction of the light saber he would eventually use to defeat Darth Vader and rescue his father with.

It's been months since I did this piece, but I've grown to like it more and more as time goes on.

By the way, I'll be at the Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo this April 16-18 with a table at Artist's Alley. If you can make it, be sure to stop by and check out all the cool stuff I'll have to offer there.

Take care,

Frank

Making the Rounds...

2010-02-22T15:11:00.005-05:00

So, I'm not sure what's going on exactly. I guess something funky is going on with Blogger, so I've been hesitant to post anything until I see what the deal is.

But it's been a hectic last couple of weeks.

Last Thursday I was in two of Chang Park's illustration classes at Pratt giving a presentation/pep talk to the Seniors, and a presentation/critique of the Junior level work. Lots of fun. I have to say, that school has a ton of energy and talent.

Also, I've hit up figure drawing workshops a bunch of times over the past few weeks to get myself primed and ready to give a lesson in "drawing form with line" with Jillian Tamaki's drawing class at SVA. I spent all weekend working on a 6 page handout, which I hope they all read. Class was this morning and went pretty well. Great model, fun class.

Tuesday 2/23, I'm supposed to be giving an online presentation of my work for Rocky Mountain College of Art. I've been told this is going to be available streaming on the world wide web, but at this point in time I don't know what the URL is. All I know is that it's supposed to be at 11am Eastern time. Tune in to hear me massage your ears with the sweet, sweet sounds of success. Email me if you want me to give you the URL when it becomes available.

Wednesday 2/24, I'm doing a signing at Jim Hanley's Universe for the unveiling of the new Popgun 4, featuring (but not limited to) Hamburgers for One. Be there from 6-8pm if you dare, pick up the new book, and get ready to feel copasetic for comics.

Best,

Frank

The Last Unicorn

2010-02-01T14:58:00.008-05:00

Recently I signed on to doing covers for IDW's comic book adaptation of Peter S. Beagle's classic, The Last Unicorn.

After reading the book, I felt that a more classical fantasy illustration approach might be appropriate. Specifically, I started looking at the work of Edmund Dulac and Arthur Rackham, who both worked primarily in ink and watercolor. Each of them tend to have an degree of realism, while maintaining the graphic quality I strive for in my designs.

Maybe this is just in my head, but for some reason I thought it would be my job to attract boys to a book with "Unicorn" in the cover, as it seems to be a given that girls would be willing to pick it up (sexist, I know). At any rate, it lead me to try to focus on making the unicorn much less cartoony while emphasizing the terror of the world around her.

And I haven't done this since college, but I did a whole bunch of color comps trying to figure out what would look best for the final. I even did some in watercolor to see if that would give me any good ideas.

In the end, the color comps were helpful, but I didn't wind up going with any one of them specifically.

The final is going to be sold as a variant cover for the first issue of the series, due out in April of this year.

For collectors, the original drawings can be purchased here. There's also a prints section with some new additions.

Have a great week,

Frank

Star Wars Galaxy

2010-01-18T10:43:00.008-05:00

Hello,

A few months back, I did two pieces of art for the new Star Wars Galaxy Series 5 trading cards by Topps.

I've been anxiously waiting for permission to be able to show these images to you, but have had to wait until they hit stores on February 20th to post them publicly.

Last week, I was surprised and honored to learn that one of my illustrations was chosen to be used for the promotion of the set, and so was given permission to show it to you a month early.

The scene illustrated takes place in the Star Wars Radio Dramas, which are available to listen to for FREE on Youtube -- I highly recommend them to you.

Almost as cool as doing the card itself was the opportunity to write my own quote for the back of the card:

While listening to the Star Wars Radio Dramas, I was struck by what is perhaps the most intense scene in A New Hope; Darth Vader's interrogation of Princess Leia Organa. The scene, which explicitely conveys the sick and twisted evil that had overtaken Anakin by that point, foreshadows some of the pivotal events that would leave us aghast in forthcoming episodes.

I've been really fortunate in the last several months to be doing some really fun assignments like this one. I promise there's more awesome stuff to come!

May the Force be with you,

Frank

Popgun Vol. 4

2010-01-12T10:35:00.006-05:00

Hamburgers for One, an original story I wrote and illustrated a while back, is going to be in print this February in Image Comics' Popgun Vol. 4.

There's a nice write-up on the Comic Book Resources website about the Popgun 4 anthology here.

The following is a quote about my story from the series editor, D.J. Kirkbride:

"'Hamburgers for One' is one of the centerpieces of the book," Kirkbride described of Stockton's contribution. "At 24 pages, it stands on its own and could be a one-shot. Frank has an amazing style, and this one surprised me after his very action-packed and humorous contribution to volume three, 'The Swordsman.' 'Hamburgers,' to me, is a great illustration of pacing. It's all very deliberate, and as a reader and writer myself, I learned a lot from it. A very subtle and interesting character piece with great visuals — Frank knocked it out of the park."

Read the entire article here.

Popgun is a XXL anthology of comics published by Image. It's a super-eclectic mix of different genres and stories that are calibrated to blow your mind. Volume 3 included my story "Swordsman MonsterSlayer: Monster Revenge." I highly recommend it.

Popgun Vol. 4 is available for purchase on February 24, 2010.

Best,

Frank

Unblogged '09

2010-01-04T11:56:00.004-05:00

The end of the decade is upon us -- WHAT?!? It seems like only yesterday I started stockpiling food, firearms, and gasoline in anticipation of the implosion of life-as-we-know-it called Y2K.
Well anyway, here are some pictures I did last year, but never blogged about. Perhaps I'll go more in-depth about some of them later. At any rate, I've got some really cool pieces I can't wait to show off in the coming months.

Best of luck 2010!

Frank

Sketches

2009-12-29T16:12:00.004-05:00

Quite often, I'll do a sketch or two that doesn't make it to final. Here are a bunch of sketches I did for jobs last year. Most made it to final, but some did not.
Edible San Francisco; Playboy's Advisor column.

Commander in Chief; Spot for PC World Magazine.

Bottom panel of INC comic.

Men's Health; Fast Company; Men's Health.

The Last Unicorn; The Grim Reaper.

Avatar for the New Yorker.

--Frank

Zombies!

2009-12-07T12:24:00.003-05:00

Hey guys,

A few months ago, I did this cover for Tor. It's for an upcoming mash-up of Tom Sawyer and Zombies. I've read it, and it is every bit as awesome as it sounds.

I'm also doing several interior illustrations for the book in black & white.

Here are a couple of process pieces - the original sketch, which was drawn both in Photoshop and with Sharpie. The "red" colored version is another one I drew that I ended up abandoning.

And in other news, the PRINTS section of my site is now functional. If you want to order something for Christmas, be sure to make your purchase by Monday, December 18th.

Have a great week!

Frank

Charity Art Auction

2009-11-24T11:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've decided to release a new print in time for the holidays this year, "Swimming With Sharks," which I've been playing with, on and off, for the past 10 months.

I'm happy to announce that after all these months, its finally exactly how I want it.

Here are some process screen shots: Sharks 1; Sharks 2.

The first print from the Edition, #1 of 20, is available as part of a charity auction on Ebay with The Lunch Bunch:

"The Lunch Bunch consists of two friends that get together once a week to create home-made meal packages to pass out to the homeless of Los Angeles, CA."

There are some bona-fide superstar artists involved with the auction as well, including Tim Biskup, Gary Baseman, and Ana Bagayan.

And lastly, here's a link directly to my piece: Frank Stockton

"Swimming With Sharks" is signed and numbered in an Edition of 20, printed on 100% cotton Hahnemuhle paper, and shipped flat via USPS. The printed image size is 18x6.5"

Now's your chance to get a nice piece of artwork, and donate to a worthy cause. I will begin selling prints #2-20 after the auction ends in about a week.

Thanks a lot, and good luck bidding!

Frank

The Green Lantern

2009-11-16T10:52:00.001-05:00

GREEN LANTERN
Several months ago, I was asked to do a Green Lantern piece for DC Comics.

I'll let the images speak for themselves, but essentially I was trying to create an "epic" sort of poster of Hal Jordan and his story. The biggest challenge was making the entire scene "read" properly with all the different elements going on. The Star Wars look of this piece is not unintentional.

One difference with this illustration from most others is that the initial drawing was done on several pieces of tracing paper that I cut up and pieced together, mostly just to make subtle changes to the composition before inking it. Over all, it was a ton of fun to draw.

COMMUNICATION ARTS
In other news, I'm currently featured in the FRESH section of the November/December issue of Communication Arts. Check it out!

Listen to Your Father

2009-11-10T11:34:00.001-05:00

Vader, here, is a top-secret work in progress.

MoCCA Festival 2010
Does anyone out there have a table for MoCCA in NY later this year? I'm looking to share with somebody. Please email me: fstockton@gmail.com with "MoCCA" in the subject line if you or someone you know is willing.

AMERICAN ILLUSTRATION PARTY
Also, this THURSDAY is the annual American Illustration/American Photography party. If you're an illustrator, or a student of illustration, and want to rub elbows with some of the industry's power players, you won't want to miss it! RSVP Here!

Nucleus Anniversary Show
Did anybody get to the Nucleus Opening? The show is still up. If you're in So Cal, it's mandatory that you check it out. Here's the exhibition page with my pieces on it.

Take care,

Frank

Nucleus show on Friday -- Originals on display

2009-11-02T15:01:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,

This Friday is the opening of Nucleus Gallery's 5 year anniversary show in Alhambra, CA. I have two drawings that will be in the show, and there's a selection of prints of my artwork there for sale as well.

These pieces are from a series I've been working on of Hunter-Gatherers. They're drawn in graphite and colored with watercolor and/or gouache. The computer screen doesn't do them justice, so be sure to swing by the opening and see them in person, if you can.

ciao,

Frank

Painting + John K

2009-10-27T12:43:00.000-04:00

Here's a painting I did from life a few weeks ago, just for fun. Oil painting is so much fun...

Also, I recently stumbled onto one of the coolest blogs on the internet. From the man who brought us Ren & Stimpy is... the legendary John K!

Stay warm & dry,

Frank

The Point Man

2009-10-16T13:10:00.001-04:00

Here's a recent book cover I created for Irene Gallo of Tor Books.

The Point Man is the original story that came before my first job with Irene, The Long Man, of which I also did the cover for, earlier this year. Both novels were written by acclaimed comic book and screenwriter Steven Englehart.

An interesting thing that happened while working on this job was that I had to totally shift direction when it was about 80% complete, because the editor wanted some changes that would better reflect the story within. Fortunately, Irene let me take a couple weeks off to get the flaming magic skull version out of my system; I really doubt I could have done as good of a job if I had to immediately re-do the piece.

While I wasn't happy with that decision originally, I am glad that things turned out the way they did. This is my favorite cover to date, but I hope to top it in the near future!

Best,

frank

Portrait

2009-09-22T12:10:00.000-04:00

--I don't usually do portraits, but I'm getting more and more comfortable with them.

This was a full page illustration for SooJin at AI5000, an online publication.

best,

f.

NY Magazine Comic

2009-08-31T13:26:00.000-04:00

Comics, comics, comics.

Its funny how I'll get waves of the same kind of job sometimes; I got the call from NY Magazine illustrate this story just after I finished the INC comic that I posted a couple of weeks ago.

This ran in the Fall Preview issue of NY Magazine that came out last week. It's a fictional story about Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, who are starring in a show together on Broadway this Fall.

I did the same feature for NY Magazine last year, about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes moving to NYC, but people seemed to get a lot more upset about poking fun at Craig and Jackman than about Tomkat. On the NY Magazine site the comments are pretty funny.

Between last year's and this year's comics, I find this one to be much funnier. I guess I just take Tomkat too seriously.

Have a great week,

frank

Inc. Comic

2009-08-17T07:25:00.001-04:00

In June, Inc. Magazine called me and asked if I could write a comic for their upcoming "500 Fastest Growing Companies" issue.

Aside from the fact that it was a comic, they were giving me the chance to write it myself. This is the first time I've gotten to actually write the text for a comic I've done for an illustration job. The most interesting part of the job was interviewing the subject of the piece, multi-millionaire Andrew Gross. During our conversation, he passed on to me the secret to becoming extremely wealthy. Thanks, Andrew!

Here's the final printed version of the story, in the current issue of Inc., on stands now.

Billboard Update

I'm still waiting for more pictures, but this is all I've been able to drum up so far. That white burst was added to the image after I got done with it, so I didn't have total control over it, but I still think it looks okay. One of these looks to me like it's a subway ad, and the other is a mural.

best,

Frank

My First Billboard

2009-08-04T16:49:00.001-04:00

Several months ago I was offered a job from an Irish ad agency called McCain-Erickson to do a billboard for the Heineken Music Festival in Ireland.

This was one of the most fun jobs I've been offered since becoming an illustrator. The money was great, the time frame was reasonable, and there was a lot of creative freedom in that I got to explore a different aspect of my imagination. I was also told that the illustration may appear on everywhere from billboards, to subway ads, bus sides, and street banners.

Heineken is doing a year-long music festival celebrating different kinds of music, and they asked me to illustrate "electro pop."

The examples the art director gave me for musical inspiration were Lady Gaga and "that Gwen Stefani girl." As I do with most music-based jobs, I listened to a few tracks to get the idea, then found something enjoyable in my iTunes that has a similar feel to me. For this job I chose Strawberry Jam and Merriweather Post-Pavilion by Animal Collective.

Because it was an advertising job and there was a limited amount of time for changes, I chose to be very thorough in the sketch phase; I wanted to leave as little surprise for the client as possible, so I sent PDFs of my sketches along with notes detailing what I wanted to do.

Many of the sketches included in this post were part of the initial PDF I sent to the client for feedback.

My final illustration was "too gray," according to the art director. I spent another two days tweaking the colors to be more in line with what they said they wanted. In the end, I like both versions for different reasons; the gray version has a great moody feel to it, like it could have come out of a Don Bluth film, and the other has a lot more of a "punch" that I think is more befitting of a billboard.

Supposedly the sign is up in Ireland, though I haven't had a chance to go see for myself. I'll mail a sketch to the first person who sends me a picture of it in the environment.

Also, send an email to fstockton@gmail.com to inquire about purchasing the final pencils or inks.

Thanks for reading!

Frank
p.s. I'm now on twitter!

San Diego Comic Con & AIGA Talk Reminder

2009-07-21T15:50:00.000-04:00

San Diego Comic Con

I'm going to be signing/sketching/etcetera at the Popgun table at San Diego Comic Con this Saturday from 2-3pm. My Swordsman Monster Slayer story was included in the third volume of the anthology.

AIGA Hampton Roads

As I mentioned last week, I'm gearing up for a talk this Thursday, July 23rd for the AIGA Hampton Roads in Norfolk, Virginia. Here is an interview I did to promote the event.

doodle

I was going through some stuff and found this stream of consciousness ink drawing from when I was learning to use nibs. Enjoy!

frank

Communication Arts + AIGA talk

2009-07-09T18:19:00.000-04:00

Communication Arts Cover

I've been getting a lot of emails from folks who've seen this already, but I haven't blogged it because I'm still yet to receive my copy of the New Communication Arts Illustration Annual.

Anyway, it's one of my images on the cover. I got the call about it a couple of months ago and have had all that time to come down from my high--so if I seem very non-reactive to the whole thing, that's the reason why.

I'm fortunate enough to have several pieces inside as well. Pick it up if you get the chance!

AIGA talk

Also, I'm going to be giving a talk on July 23rd at the AIGA Hampton Roads in Norfolk, Virginia. I'll be talking about the Business of illustration. Click here to read more.

thanks for reading!

frank

Teaching Yourself to Draw from Your Imagination -- part 1

2009-06-28T17:57:00.000-04:00

Over the next few months I'm going to be posting some articles about teaching yourself to draw from your imagination. These ideas expressed on the subject of drawing come from both my own observations and from lectures from several fantastic drawing teachers I have had the privilege of studying with, such as Kevin Chen, Dallas Good, Steve Huston and Bob Kato.

Keep in mind that this is general theory and not to be taken as hard, fast rules about what makes a drawing "good." In fact, when it comes to making art, it's the ways in which we diverge from the principles that gives artwork its originality, style, and charm.

Also keep in mind that nothing I or anyone else says are going to make you instantly better; that's only going to come gradually and with a lot of hard work drawing people on your own and from life.

GESTURE

There are two elements present in all kinds of art: IDEA and FORM.

The IDEA is what you want to express, and the FORM is the different elements that make up the piece.

Another way of saying that is the form is like the notes on a piano, and the idea is how you string them together. And as in music, the quality comes not from how well you hit the keys but how they all relate to one another to form a song.

The GESTURE is the IDEA of a figurative drawing.

This can also be described as the "story," or the "pose." When related to drawing, these terms can be used interchangeably, and in fact I prefer to use the word "story" instead of gesture when talking about drawing because it is often much clearer as to what the goal is.

GESTURE = IDEA = STORY

If gesture means the same thing as story, then it should be clear that a "gesture drawing" isn't just a bunch of scribbles done in 30 or 60 seconds from the model, as was my understanding of it from the earliest days of figure drawing.

A gesture is any line or set of lines that gets the story across.

The gesture the most important element in drawing figures by far, because if you fail to tell a convincing story, no amount of style, anatomy, or rendering will ever be able to fix it.

A good draftsman can tell a complex story with stick figures because of his or her grasp of this concept.

I've chosen to use stick figures here to illustrate the point that people will forgive 95% of all your other artistic shortcomings if you can tell the story well.

This is where a lot of drawings fall apart, either in the beginning or in the later stages as you get farther away from the core message of what you're trying to say.

When in the early stages of learning to draw, it's often a good idea to start your gesture off with a single, usually swooping "action line" essentially serves as the "theme" of the figure. This concept is described in greater detail and with many fantastic examples in John Buscema's "How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way."

Also, I should note that the example drawings posted here don't necessarily represent my personal process of drawing; for that, you can look through older blog posts and get an idea of how I come up with my poses; it's a lot more organic and scribbly most times than it looks here. You're going to want to develop your own process, which I will talk about in another post.

Every line you put down should serve to strengthen the basic idea of the pose. If you're drawing a person who is tired or depressed, not only should your initial first few lines get that point across, but subsequent design decisions you make should reinforce that message. The reason being is that every time you put down a mark that gets away from the core idea, the less effectively it communicates its intended message.

In my opinion, the people who are the best at drawing from their imagination are usually animators. It's an animator's job to tell stories through pose. If the storytelling is just the slightest bit "off," everyone can tell. Therefore, it's extremely important that your drawings always focus on the story.

In addition to the initial sketch of a drawing where you get the general idea of the pose down, getting the details right is also important. As I mentioned before, any line you put down that doesn't strengthen the basic story of the drawing you're making serves to weaken it.

This is just another way of saying that to draw is to design.

In drawing just as in storytelling, you're usually going to want to communicate as clearly as possible. Silhouettes offer the fastest, clearest communication of gesture. Will Eisner explained silhouettes in his book "Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative," which I highly recommend.

Foreshortening

Obviously it is often more difficult to show the gesture on a foreshortened figure than on one shown at a more conservative angle, because a strong grasp of three-dimensional form and basic anatomy come immediately into play in such cases.

Consider your pose in such instances; it may be possible to tilt the angle of the viewer so that there is a clearer story expressed in the silhouette.

The biggest challenge with designing foreshortened figures (after the actual foreshortening part) is keeping the silhouette from being a "bean" and losing all the dynamism of the pose.

Also, you can use a digital camera and a self-timer, or a friend to quickly check and adjust accordingly the way you've designed the pose and make necessary adjustments.

It's essential to use reference while drawing. Failing to use a camera, mirror, or something else when you need it is like not using a dictionary to first look up a word you don't know the meaning of that you want to use in an essay.

Designing for the page

A key difference between the way an illustrator draws and an animator or cartoonist draws is in designing for the page.

Often times in illustration there isn't as strong of a need to stay "on model" as there usually is in comics, cartooning and animation.

Letting go of the principles you've practiced over and over in the drawing workshops to make more interesting illustration can be both extremely daunting and exciting at the same time.

The key to making this work is realizing that there are no limits to what the figure can do when you put it down on paper; as long as you are able to communicate the idea, the possibilities are as endless and free as you permit yourself to imagine.

Always push your design. It's much easier to take a step back from going too far than it is to push forward when you haven't gone far enough.

If you've noticed, this is just "design" in a broader sense, not just figure invention.

The ultimate truth of drawing figures or anything else is that it comes down to your skills as a designer; if it looks good, it's because you designed it well, and if it looks bad, it's because you didn't design it well; it has nothing to do with how much anatomy you know or how well you understand the principles of drawing.

All that knowledge is helpful for informing your design choices, but it doesn't guarantee you a good drawing.

Practicing

It's important that no matter what teacher you are learning from that you practice drawing out of your imagination on your own, AS WELL AS from life.

You MUST set aside time on a regular basis if you want to improve. It's more beneficial to spend 30 minutes studying the figure on a daily basis than it is to spend four hours in a workshop once a week.

Life drawing should be thought of essentially as "the lab" where you test out ideas and try to figure out what works for you.

Drawing from life is a key component of the over-all equation of learning to draw, as is drawing from your imagination and studying the drawings of other artists.

Do whatever you have to do to make practicing interesting and fun for yourself. If the idea of practicing the figure sounds boring to you, your brain will essentially shut off and you'll just be wasting your time. Find a way to make it fun.

Do not strive to copy exactly the way any one teacher explains to you to draw. It MUST be a process of trial and error. You are essentially trying to find out your own way to do things. This is how you will engage your brain so that you learn quickly.

Practice on your own. Your deficiencies in figure invention will become immediately apparent. Make note of your weaknesses and attack them when you draw from life. You are working to develop your own understanding of the figure.

One way to practice figure invention is to draw comics, which can give you scenarios you never thought of to illustrate.

Listen to different teachers and find out where their ideas overlap. Strive to find the principles and the core messages they are delivering; don't get wrapped up in their process.

Any teacher is explaining to you their own unique understanding. You cannot understand things exactly the same way they do, so you must strive to find your understanding. You must walk your own path parallel to your heroes, but not try to follow in their footsteps.

Pink Sky, Green Cloud

2009-06-24T13:22:00.001-04:00

Hey guys,

It's been hectic around here and I apologize for neglecting you, but a lot of the stuff I've been working on for the past month had NDA's attached so I've been unable to blog about it.

I know, I know. The excuses are pathetic.

Back to business though...

Earlier this year I did this piece for Scholastic for a short story called "Gracie," based on a film about a high school girl fighting for the chance to play soccer on the boys' team at her school (where there was no girls' team).

The cool thing is that this was for Scholastic, which means that a hundred billion middle-schoolers across the country got to see it and read aloud Gracie's story. I can only hope that my buttoned-down, conservatively styled illustrations were still fun enough to keep them interested.

I did this piece a while back--even before the "Crash Course" piece a couple of months ago, but the way I did the clouds and the grass background on this are what inspired a good two months' worth of experimentation that isn't anywhere close to being done.

Also, I was particularly proud of the crazy colors on this piece, and the art director liked them as well, however the POWERS THAT BE thought that a green cloud and a pink sky were too off-the-wall for the teeny boppers to handle. So I did a more "natural" colored version which isn't shown here.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

--Frank
p.s. I'm going to be at San Diego Comic Con for a day or two. I don't have a home base yet, but if there is any expressed interest, I will consider bringing some original drawings to peddle while I'm there. Email me at frank@frankstockton.com if you'd be interested in seeing anything in particular or in general.

Have a Green Day!

2009-05-21T15:35:00.000-04:00

Two years ago I received a phone call from Rolling Stone magazine asking if I was available to do an illustration. Unfortunately, I had just arrived in San Diego on vacation and was forced to decline the job.

"No problem," I told people, "they'll call back."

In April of '09 they finally called back. The timing wasn't so good. If it wasn't the Rolling Stone and I didn't know how long it took them to get back to asking me to do a job for them, I would have said "no." But Rolling Stone is one of the four magazines I've always wanted to have as a client, so I made it work.

The topic was Green Day's new album, "21st Century Breakdown." The review described it as theatrical, ambitious, and patriotic.

I don't do a lot of portraits, so this was a challenge, but I was really happy with the composition that I came up with. I tried to invoke a bit of the composition from Queen's second album cover (Green Day's new album was also compared to Queen in the review for the theatrical content).

Also, I tried to make them look as patriotic as possible. I did two versions, one with a colored U.S. flag, and one with a black and white flag, and the AD rightfully chose the colorful version.

____

After the issue came out, I excitedly went to the local magazine rack to see if it had hit the stands yet. It had--last month's issue with Bob Dylan on the cover--and opened it up to the page with my illustration.

Much to my dismay, the image had printed far too yellow, in a way that made the figures look very acidic in their coloring. The subtlety of the muted reds and blues had been spoiled in the translation from computer to print.

This is why I like seeing my work in print. People coming across your work in a magazine or book is much better advertising than sending out a postcard or email, so I like to see how things come out.

My first thought when I saw the printed version was "is it my fault?" As in, did I do something in Photoshop that made the colors this way, or did the designer alter my final version himself. Reason being is that I want to be sure to make necessary changes so that next time this won't happen.

A couple days later I emailed the art director and asked him for some tear sheets, and I asked if they altered the image or if what I did made the image too yellow.

The art director told me that the yellowing of the printed image was the printer's fault, and that he had already spoken to him about it.

While I'm glad it wasn't one of the first two possible reasons for the faulty appearance, I'm still kind of bummed that it didn't print out how I had envisioned. I hope that the next time I do a job for Rolling Stone that it comes out pristine and beautiful.

Just goes to show you that there are factors outside of our control as illustrators.

Thanks for reading,

Frank

The Bear Hunter

2009-05-05T02:24:00.000-04:00

I've done a lot of work for Neil Jamieson at Field & Stream over the last year, but it was bugging me that I had not gotten the chance to do something I felt was really great for them. A handful of spots, quarter and half-pagers, but no features or anything that I could really stretch myself on.

So one day out of the blue, I took it upon myself to just ask Neil if I could do something bigger for them, either full page or larger.

He seemed keen to the idea, and a few weeks later, he emailed and let me know that he had something that he thought I would be perfect for.

The story was basically about a man who felt spiritually very close to bears. So close, in fact, that he liked to track and hunt them with a bow and arrow.

For the assignment, I wanted to combine several other ideas I'd been toying with in previous illustrations, such as framing the piece in an organic shape, and working with a lot of highlights.

Also I should mention, I enlisted the help of my friend and fellow illustrator David Hollenbach to pose as the hunter. Thanks Dave!

Fortunately I was also given enough time on this job to experiment a lot and come up with something different and exciting. Most of the time, illustration has such short deadlines that I don't get a lot of freedom to experiment.

I'm really happy with how this piece came out, I hope I get to do more like it in the future.

Thanks for reading,

Frank