_________Kev Ferrara___________

[Bruce Pluto]

Very nice stuff Kev
The “Pirate Gal” pencil looks way cool. Just plain beautiful. There is a lot of movement going on in your pieces. Something to keep the eyes bouncing around yet always drawing them back to the main subject. I like that. Not sure if you’ve posted the date for Deadlander’s release. Just wondering when I’ll be able to pick it up. Anyway great work, keep it up.

Bruce

[Randis]

I like the face in the old version better, it looks more female. The eye looks better without the highlight. What bugs me a bit is the perspective of the spyglass cap and see some brush strokes where you painter over her back, one of em cuts into her back. Her hair seems to melt with her shirt.

[kev ferrara]

Here's a small step by step...

This panel was causing me a headache. Narratively, the panel was exactly what I needed for the story, but I totally botched the execution, as you can see in the second image version. The Shaman's face is flat and goofy and feminine looking, the forearm is way too long, the back was awkward, etc. etc. etc.

So I did a quick paintover on it... and then another based on Randis' helpful critique... and now here it is!

I hope you can tell the first image is the paintover!

kev

[ASVogel]

A pen and ink of General Cavanaugh, one of the charcters from The Deadlander...

I just saw Blazing Saddles again lately, so this pic of Cavanaugh reminds me of Gene Wilder in that film...with a sort of French take.

Will have to look for Deadlander on the stands!

[Kan Muftić]

I think, I saved every single image from this thread in my computer.
Phuckin love it, Kev.
Keep spreading western badassness, will ya?
Cheers,

[Randis]

It looks much better now

cheers
Randis

[Beelow]

I've always enjoyed visiting this thread. You never disappoint at all Kev. Thanx for sharing.

[Artguy]

Amazingly cool stuff. I love anything to do with comics.

The black and white work reminds me a lot of Berni Wrightson, but your color work is a little more dramatic and modern, than his was.

[one2hit]

Killer stuff in here! Thanks for updating this thread often! The shaman looks great as well

[Niva.]

Hey Kev, I appreciate all the help you gave me, your SB is amazingly neat - the inks are very very good. I especially like your witch sculpture - the crack gives it character - I hope it baked ok and survived

Thread is bookmarked, looking forward to your future updates. Again thanks for the helpful crit on my latest project.

[kev ferrara]

Here's a page I just pencilled.

I'm going to post some pen and ink doodles and stuff in my notebook if anybody wants to go see that kind of thing.

kev

[schlichte]

really nice pencils, would love to see some of this pin and ink you speak of

[Chris Noeth]

Great stuff you have here! I totally dig your style.

Keep it up and thx for visiting my thread!

Best,

Chris

[Dizon]

Thanks for taking the time to help me out! I'm glad to say that I've learned something new. I also enjoy reading your older posts, especially the things you say about illustration and what makes it work.

Looking forward to learn more!

[g.owen]

I love the seventies comics vibe.

Maybe Elwell is actually talking about something else, but the linework of much of your work reminds me of "The Savage Sword of Conan" (that I would purchase monthly during the late 70's and early 80's). It was a B&W mag with art that was often similar to some things hear. There were several artists that did the art for that. Your style reminds me of one of those artists (I'm too lazy to dig those books out of my basement and find the name of the artist).

I like the use of line work in that piece where the wall is falling on the cowboy. I think my favorite is the Samurai. And in your second piece, it is cool how the light is passing through the zombie guy's bullet holes. Would have been cooler if you somehow highlighted that aspect of the piece; as is, the light rays through the holes sort of blend with the other light rays, making it a feature of the piece that is easy to overlook.

[kev ferrara]

Deadlander tidbits...

[aedman]

Great stuff, I also wanted to say thanks for posting your thoughts on process and method- whenever I see that you've given critique on a post I check it out- there always seems to be new and helpful information. So thanks for taking the time to do that, it's a real benefit even if I'm not the one receiving the critique in a primary sense.

[croovman]

Kev your Deadlander project seems very interesting, I'll simply have to check it out when it comes out. I just had to comment to recommend you view a movie named Bubba Ho-Tep, if you haven't already and you have time.
Not only does the subject matter of the movie resemble your project in several ways (in a good way!), it also corporates a number of genres (horror, drama, comedy), instead of just focusing on one, which seem to be what you're going for in The Deadlander.
Good luck with your project : )

-Stav

[aquq001]

marvelous works~

[Olof]

Wonderful works. I'm not sure which one I like the most, your inks or your pencilworks

Is comic books still alive in USA? Over here (sweden) there's only bad strips in newspapers and some disneystuff selling. There's like 4 halfcrappy comicbook stores in my city :/

Not that I'm any old, but I miss comics in regular stores.

.cheers

[Kan Muftić]

I just realized how your style of sketching is similar to Frazetta's, in terms of shading and massing out the shapes. That's why everyone say it reminds them of old comics.
It's incredible how much volume you put in these..
Wow...

[Moftah]

alot of good stuff u got there,good job,really like the pastel sketchs,and u have lots of great compositions in ur work.


Moftah's Sketchbook

[FoxinShocks]

Wow Kev this stuff is amazing! Your composition especially is always really dramatic, very sweet. Even your horses look good, which pleases the pony-club girl in me I always hate it when the horses in comics look either dorky or excessively noble, but these are really nice.

[bhanu]

Hey Mr. ferrara,
Umm I ahve a question , what sorta brush and do you use to ink your pencilled panels. I have ben inking pencils with normal inking pens but it all just appears so stiff.
Anyways, thanks for the inspiration.

[kev ferrara]

Hey bhanu, thnx. I like your drawings a lot.

The philosophy of inking: We all hit the wall at some point or another. And the technical side of things is often directly tied in with the expressive/psychic side of things. If you are feeling cramped, your art will get tight too. Gotta free up!

Strange thing, you can free up your mind by freeing up your art. and you can free up your art by freeing up your mind. Pick the end you want to start with!

Inking stiff? Ink with a tooth brush! I have. Ink with your finger. Ink with a stick. Splatter it. Ink with a sponge.

Don't use some instrument that has no expression to it whatsoever. Some of those tech pens don't even go from thick to thin. All one line weight. Like a piano with one key that can only play at volume level 4, never loud or soft, never legato or staccato.

Even this website can get emphasis and its freakin' code!

I remember hearing that Sienkiewicz used a 33 rpm record to ink some piece! Now that's freedom!

Get some ink. Learn how to use a brush. The standard is Windsor & Newton series 7 sables #0-5 (thin to thick) but they're expensive. Buy a cheap one and use them in every way you possibly can think of to get various line qualities. From ultra slick feathering to scribbling, to drawing with the tip, to using the side of the brush, dry brush, spatter, whatever. Go!

Hope this helps.

Best,
kev

[jim b]

hello kev, i am really inspired by the ink drawings you have here. i see so much freedom in your mark making that i have been inspired to get out my brush and ink.
i know that certain textures and lines might call for a brush, and others might call for a pen, so are you constantly switching back and forth from pen to brush? or will you do the brush work first, and then go in and detail with the pen?
thanks for your time!

[kev ferrara]

Yeah, jim b, I switch back and forth. (Honestly often depending on which implement has the least crud on it!)

And it sorta depends on the drawing. Some drawings are naturally more gestural, so maybe the brush might be better for that, and then go back in and pick out some details.

You can do this with opaque watercolor too, like Pro White from Daler Rowney, which is so good its like inking with white. So it becomes sorta like cyber-inking in photoshop... you can ink back into black with the white and vice versa.

And some drawings are just filled with minutiae, so I use pen there. I tend to use Hunt pen nibs of various types. Pain in the ass to use though. And I'm still looking for the perfect india ink.

I wish somebody would invent a better dipping pen that works equally good in all directions. I've been working on designs but I need to take in a few materials engineering courses in order to make it happen.

The important thing is to put down fresh marks. They're little graphic designs, y'know. Each one. And they're more "you" than almost anything. They're the handwriting of art.

Best,
kev

[GriNGo]

nice! that cactus seems like it's giving the finger! kick ass work Mr. Kev!

[Wheeljack18]

Hey kev,

I said I'd post and here goes with my paltry observations.... Dead lander sounds better than Badlander and I'm glad that you were forced to make the change.( Forced isn't probably the best word but hopefully you get my meaning) Deadlander gives it that horror feel you are going for where badlander sounds like an 80s movie. Out here, the badlands are where you find whoodoos and Dinosaur Bones and bad old fashinoed Diner's with inflated prices. (Maybe my opinion is biased) For the Logo, if you did not design it yourself, would Dark horse have done it for you? How did that process work?


Post #22 Love the 2nd one and teh 1st is very John buscema. Interestingly the group here tend to remark on the similarities to old man Frazetta but I see a range of silver age comic book illustrators. If anyone has seen the john buscema sketchbook you'll understand what I mean. Also, I see a lot of mark schultz (cadillacs and dinosaurs) in your work but most especially in you pencils. Do you have his sketchbooks? I see alot os Schultz especially in #54.


#26, Pencils are great! The border and feeling are definetly period. I could see this sitting beside a dimestore novel about the real life adventures of billy the kid. Is it fair to say that you were going for that? Maybe you could get it printed in a 5"7" format on really cheap rag and then you'd have a really authentic feeling product. Probably overkill but maybe it's a good marketing gimmick for when you release the 25th anniversary graphic novel.


#34: Your rough is very rough. Perhaps that is why ink with pen is not so rewarding for you? Personally, I have to add at least one more stage to refine the image and plan out my marks( ALA J.C.C.). Without it, for me, things tend to fall off of the rails. You are so right about Brush work though. Especially the part about when "you are on your on" and "when your not your not". Truer words have never been spoken...The rest of it is great, especially the color scheme. It feels like rotting flesh and greasy fluids. Gravelly death etc.


The last page of Pencils is great too. I see allot of Greg Capullo / Todd McFarlane in the Eye in Panel 4. Very Sam and Twitch. Like I said the page is great but I am having trouble following the story b/c of panels 3 and 4. Without knowing the story or having any dialogue, it's unclear to me what is transpiring? Is the Zombie cowboy "messing" with the heavy guy in a Dream and then he wakes up in shock in panel 3-4? The pages starts and ends with the Zombie Cowboy ( not sure of his name) but the middle has a heavy guy who is pointing and then sleeps. Without knowing more of the story I feel lost and I have alot of questions running around in my head.

Just thought of something and I forgot to mention it in my PM to you but I came across this link a while back and you might be interested in it. Basically it is a Alex Toth crit on Steve Rude. It's pretty harsh but full of all kinds of wisdom and since sharing is the name of the game here on CA. Here goes http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=77013

[Chief]

Wow. I just wanted to drag this up to say that you're, like, my hero. I think I saw multiple people saying that in this thread... I love your work, everything from your mindset to the actual product. Thanks for showing it.