sketchbook spotlight

Convention season is well under way, offering fans the chance to come face to face with their favorite artists, and offering artists a chance to meet the people their art has inspired. Conventions are also a chance for fans to show their appreciation by commissioning original pieces featuring some of their favorite characters, and every convention produces a feast of amazing works that deserve to be shared with a wider audience. With Sketchbook Spotlight, we’re picking out some of the best. Evan 'Doc' Shaner is probably best known to fans as an artist who loves to celebrate the two-fisted pulp joy and derring-do of superheroes --- a love exemplified in his work on Flash Gordon at Dynamite, and his too-brief turn drawing the Big Red Cheese in Convergence: Shazam. It also comes through in his sketches, and we've collected a few favorites here, including commissions, warm-ups, and personal pieces. We also asked Shaner to participate in our short Sketchbook Spotlight Q&A.

Convention season is upon us once again, and with it a chance for comic artists to emerge from the cloister of their studios into the world at large, and revel in the well-deserved appreciation of their fans. One of the best ways for fans to show their appreciation is by commissioning original works of art featuring some of their favorite characters, and every convention produces a feast of amazing sketchbook commissions that deserve to be shared with a wider audience. With Sketchbook Spotlight, we're picking out some of the best. Kevin Wada's glamorous renditions of heroes and villains have fast transformed him from an illustrator who enjoys making fan art to one of the most in-demand cover illustrators in the business --- and one of the most in-demand artists at conventions. Wada typically takes commissions before and during shows, and every piece he produces is breathtaking, so fans are advised to get their name down early. We asked Wada to be the first participant in our new Sketchbook Spotlight Q&A.

For most people New York Comic-Con marks the end of convention season, capping off a long summer of announcements, reveals, and other assorted fun. As such, it’s also one of the last big places for fans to get amazing sketches and commission pieces from artists, who tend to cap off the season with some truly amazing art. Full disclosure: Erica Henderson is not only a friend of the site and a collaborator with our own Chris Sims on Subatomic Party Girls, but also a contributor to the site, most notably with her Sims portrait for the ongoing Ask Chris feature. All of which just means we noticed her considerable talent before everyone else caught up. ow she's working with Ryan North on Marvel's recently announced Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and her skills were in high demand at NYCC.

Around here, New York Comic-Con marks the end of convention season, capping off a long summer of announcements, reveals, and other assorted fun. As such, it's also one of the last big places for fans to get amazing sketches and commission pieces from artists, who tend to cap off the season with some truly amazing art. You may already know the amazing James Harren from his work on Dark Horse's BPRD and Conan. If you don't, get ready to have your mind blown by a few of the commissions that he did at NYCC, including a bullet-riddled Wolverine, a Right Hook of Doom from Hellboy, and Deadpool rocking a gun so large that even Cable thinks that it might be a little excessive.

Around here, New York Comic-Con marks the end of convention season, capping off a long summer of announcements, reveals, and other assorted fun. As such, it's also one of the last big places for fans to get amazing sketches and commission pieces from artists, who tend to cap off the season with some truly amazing art. For Declan Shalvey, producing amazing art is pretty much just a standard operating procedure. Books like Moon Knight, Deadpool and Venom have shown fans how great he is at sequential art, but the sketches he produced at cons are every bit as next-level as his pages. Seriously: There's a Batman he drew that is one of the best Batman sketches I've ever seen. Check out our favorites, gathered from Shalvey's Twitter feed, and then visit his website to see more beautiful art and inquire about getting an original piece of your own.

For most people New York Comic-Con marks the end of convention season, capping off a long summer of announcements, reveals, and other assorted fun. As such, it's also one of the last big places for fans to get amazing sketches and commission pieces from artists, who tend to cap off the season with some truly amazing art. Marcio Takara may be best known to long-time readers for his extraordinary "tiny characters" series, or for his work on Captain Marvel, Smallville, and the Kickstarter-supported original graphic novel Earthward with writer Bryan Q. Miller. He's also one of the hardest working artists you'll find in any Artists' Alley at convention season, and New York was no exception; his commissions include Captain Marvel, Rocket Raccoon, and a very striking Illyana.

Around here, New York Comic-Con marks the end of convention season, capping off a long summer of announcements, reveals, and other assorted fun. As such, it's also one of the last big places for fans to get amazing sketches and commission pieces from artists, who tend to cap off the season with some truly amazing art. Case in point: Kris Anka. You may know him as the artist of Marvel's All New X-Factor or Uncanny X-Force, but this weekend, he busted out the pencils to create some fantastic pieces of art, taking on characters like Star-Lord, Kitty Pryde, and even everyone's favorite irredeemable scumbag, Gambit. Check out a few of our favorite picks from his NYCC commissions below!