_________Kev Ferrara___________

[Chris Noeth]

Your art really rocks Kev! love your books.

Best,

Chris

[DANKA]

This is an amazing thread man! You have very stunning works!
In your hand I can see the southamerican style of great artists like, Arturo del Castillo, Vieytes, Salinas but also Frazzetta, Wrightson...wow love it!
Thanx!

[Michael Wasik]

amazing work man!
and thanks so much for the crit and paintover you did for me!

[Cryptcrawler]

Kev, thanks again for the note - it made my night.

I could have sworn I had commented on this!
This is such phenomenal work! God!
I grew up on CREEPY magazine, Corben graphic novels, Heavy Metal and Frazetta - your work has that old magic, I could have sworn I even smelt the pages of those musty, old magazines just by looking at your stuff.
Honestly, this body of work in amazing - it has that special something thats undefinable, that goes beyond technique and shop talk.

Youve got a new fan.

[Chris Bennett]

Anyhow, here's a pencilled panel I've scanned in because I'm probably about to ruin it with ink... and if that happens I can always just use the pencils in the graphic novel.

That pencil is a bloody marvelous image Kev. I'm trying to figure out what it is that makes it superior to the ink since the compositional dynamics are doing the job equally well in both...........
I reckon it is something to do with a deeper resonace that speaks through evidence of communion with the surface. The poetry of the interface between your hand the graphite the erasures and the resistance of the paper. All things that are of course largely irrelvant when printed and given the purpose of the graphic novel, but they are in that drawing large and proud. I look forward to a private view of works like this in a big posh gallery in New York!

[kev ferrara]

Here's a portrait of my Uncle's dog Mikey. Oil on canvas 26x30. This is designed to match the tone and color of my uncle's living room, which has a very beach-like feel. Also, this picture is designed to "stay on the wall" so it won't clash with the quietude and soft decorative quality of the room.

Post up comments as you wish on this or anything so far. I love to hear what people are thinking, especially those who stay on the thread for an hour!

And thank you for looking.

kev

[Quike Garcia]

I really like the mood and light.. I thought beach before reading your post.. really achieved

[Uli]

Hi Kev,

Chris Bennett sent me here to learn about composition ;-) I just noticed that I have been here before.

In an early post you said something like: think tree bark, not lines when you ink tree bark.
My aunt recently gave me a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, a buddhist monk from Vietnam. In one chapter he described an artist who asked him: "How should I look at a flower to get the best out of it for my art?" He replied: "When you look at the flower you can't be in touch with it- let go of your intentions and be with the flower without exploiting it or wanting to take something from it." (my translation from German, sorry)
That's pretty close to what you said. It's also to do with "honest art". It helps to feel what we paint in the body, to "become a flower" in a way.

*Goes back to learning from your art*--

[kev ferrara]

Hi Uli, I really like that quote from Thich Nhat Hanh. Harvey Dunn said that when you paint a man, you must be that man. When you paint the side of his nose, that is your nose you are painting. This has to do with mentally projecting yourself into all aspects of your work in order that the results may have an inner life of its own... an inner life that is really your inner life being encoded into the art. The ability to do this is my definition of talent.

Here's an ink vignette of Uncle Creepy.

[squidmonk3j]

Beautiful inkwork, as always

[Cos Koniotis]

Your work is beautiful Kev, thanks for sharing.

[kev ferrara]

Thanks...

Here's the way that panel came out, where the guy was shot off the horse. I shied away from the gore in the inking, but found that the picture lost something without that shocking splatter coming out the back, so I added it back in with the coloring.

Comments are encouraged as always.

kev

[Jonas Heirwegh]

Very awesome! I agree that the splatter does add to the whole feeling.

[Chris Bennett]

The colouring has given a lot back to the drawing that the inking had removed for some reason. I like the ink splash touch on the blood as if your pen holding the red ink had been jogged. Great stuff.

On your quote in your signature about Icarus at least trying I'm reminded of what Stanley Kubrick said regarding his view of the moral significance of the myth:
"Forget the wax and feathers and do a better job on the wings".

[DMadd]

Here's another entire page from the Dead Rider that will not be in the final miniseries.

The page was done early in the project's life, so there's all sorts of "meaningless" ink strokes flying around. By meaningless strokes, I mean those strokes that don't concisely describe the character of the object being depicted. These kinds of strokes are almost always either wasted effort or detrimental to the work.

See that witch's head? That is the drawing to the right, which I created to replace what is under there which shall remain buried!

I think you can see the big difference in the inking between the add on witch's face and the rest of the page.

kev

Hey I know this is like, a year late, but I am just going through your sketchbook for the first time. I really like it. I love this page. I am a total western nerd but can never quite capture it in my own work. Yours is spot on!

edit: i guess the image did not show up.....Oh well. Great work.

[Genius_Malignus]

Hi Kev and thanks for your comment on my project.
I am quite impressed by your work, even though your style is not my favourite. Your craftsmanship is superb. I like your black & white inks the best - really powerful and full of life.
I wish I could say something constructive, but unfortunately I suck compared to you, and can only offer my encouragement to keep up the good work!

[kev ferrara]

Thank you Jonas, Chris, DMadd, GM...

Here's an update...

This is a post about a panel from my Dead Rider graphic novel, (which should be out early next year from Dark Horse comics...)

I did a sketch for this picture and I thought I really captured the emotional tone I was going for... heroic, lonely, windswept... But each time I lightboxed the sketch off onto good paper and drew it out and inked it... I lost the point of the original sketch...

Part of the problem was that the original sketch was *really* sketchy. Its really difficult to tell which lines are the lines that mean what I want to say, and which ones are just random scribble, or errors, or thoughts that can be discarded.

Something about the sketch was "right" for the expression, but it took me a while to figure out what that something was.

So here's the original sketch... two botched attempts to bring it into reality. And then a better attempt at the pencils and finally the final product on the finished page...

[Dave_Lynch]

You've got a lot of great stuff here but the second drawing in this thread is very very similar to a particular Frazetta drawing. Was this an exercise.

[kev ferrara]

Thank you for the complement, Dave.

Unfortunately, you take away more than you give with the second part of your post. With regard to that second drawing, it is surely my own. However, if you have a link to the Frazetta piece you think I ripped off, that would be great to look at. I certainly don't want to be thought of as a thief. And I pledge here and now that I will put the drawing in a shredder if your assessment is correct.

Here are portraits I did of CA members Chaotic Knight and LoveandaSandwhich from elsewhere on this site.

[artmessiah]

Nice work Kev, the dog painting is beautiful, and thanks for the drawing progressive really inspiring.

Wayne

[Dave_Lynch]

Sorry, I didnt mean to come off as accusatory at all. "Master Copies" are a great exercise, I was just wondering if thats what it was. Frazetta is a great source and you've definitely got that great inking style he used on his comic work.

[Quike Garcia]

I really like the upshot progression, I find it quite instructive

Wonderful inks as usual

[kev ferrara]

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

[Jordan85]

I think I allready said this b4 but the gestures and rhythm in your drawings r crazy!!!

[Raziel_mn]

Hey very cool old style comic up there, like im in 70's. I like ur movement actioning styles and characters so great. Im graphic novel artist too, good luck buddy

[vardoburrito]

Post 527 That's magic man.

"it took me a while to figure out what that something was"
I somewhat like my faces to remain sketchy and rough ... the abstract expressions/initial energy I can never replicate when moving into finals. It kills me.

Post 516 Paw shadows, perhaps?

I love the pencils and inks.
Can I ask how you are colouring these? Digital or trads?
Motivated and inspired. Again.

[Raoul Duke]

I really need to find your books. Next Comic Con I really need to hunt your ass down and buy everything I can afford.

[steven6]

Hey Kev,
I really enjoy your work. Technically it's beautiful and as an artist I love exploring your images. I've been lurking here, checking in from time to time, and as much as I love your art, I "do" want to hear your thoughts about art, technique, etc. As you're a pro in the industry I like hearing your advie and perspective. I liked what you said about aiming to creat realism, and perfecting your craft. . .learning all you can, setting your sights and asperations high. . .don't just aim to be a comic book artist, aim beyond that, and chances are you'll aquire the knowlege to be a comic book artist, concept artist, or whatever. It is so true.
Best

[Andy Brase]

Hi Kev-
nice work & I really like that panel where the guy was shot off the horse... well done! It's always cool to see your art.

[kev ferrara]

Hello to you personally. Yeah, you, the person reading this.

News: I just did an 8 page black and white story for Creepy (Dark Horse) that should be in the next issue, which I hope you'll all check out. And I've just finished up with a bunch of commercial stuff and now I'm back working on finishing up my graphic novel. The below is a panel from yesterday that I worked on as an individual drawing...

Hope everybody is okay around here. Don't forget to leave an absurdly flattering comment. (Or heckle me mercilessly. I enjoy both types of comments equally.)

kevbot 2.0