Dave Dorman Progressive ZOMBIE ART

 

http://www.VinniePenn.net

Dear Friends,

Sorry it’s been a while, but I’ve been very busy painting. Yes, I’m working on the Dark Horse Star Wars Crimson Empire cover art, plus a ‘Droid Hunt piece for the 501st Midwest Garrison, plus I recently completed this piece below, including the logo design.

Project Description: This is book cover art for my friend, New Haven, CT Clear Channel deejay/author Vinnie Penn, who wrote a really fun zombie tale that takes place in Connecticut, my mother’s home state.

Art Direction: Denise Dorman, WriteBrain Media

Logo Design: Dave Dorman

Here are my art progressives for your perusal and comments:

My Digital Prelim Rough with Comp Colors

 

Dave Dorman Pencil Art for DJZom-B

My 1st Layer of Underpainting

2nd Layer of Underpainting for DJ Zom-B Book Cover

Details Are Becoming More Defined

 

Me, Happy With the Art So Far…

More Detailing, Painting Nearly Done

Vinnie Penn Asked Me to Do a Marvel-Like Logo Design

Final Cover Art with Logo for DJZom-B

Thanks for checking out my art, and as always, for being supportive of my career. Let me know what you think. Also, a special thanks to author F. Paul Wilson for his great lecture the other night at the Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville, IL. Denise & I really enjoyed seeing you again.

DAVE

Follow me on Twitter: @DaveDorman

Dave Dorman Paints Frank Frazetta Tribute in this Step-By-Step Post

Hi there.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season this year. Freaky current events connection alert: I’ve been on that Sugar Loaf ski lift that snapped recently, with one of my best friends, Phil Burnett, whom you will read about a lot in my new art book. That news story shook me up a little. Like me, Phil is a military brat, and the main protagonist in my Wasted Lands series, Thomas, is named after Phil’s son, whom we all lost way too soon. Thomas is forever in my thoughts and I immortalized him in my story.

Quick, quirky Phil Burnett story: Phil lived in Iran for a time as a military brat, and during Star Wars Celebration 3, an Iranian TV station interviewed me on the floor while Phil was there working in my booth. Imagine their surprise to see Phil, my blond, light-eyed Caucasian friend translating for me!

So Christmas this year was really wonderful at our house despite my father-in-law being hospitalized. Thanks to all who kept him in your prayers and on your prayer lists. My wife spoiled me via Amazon this year. Here’s my fulfilled wish list: Donato Giancola’s Middle Earth, Drew Struzan’s new collection, Stephen King’s The Little Sisters of Eluria, illustrated by Michael Whelan and the book of Hammer Movie Posters. I bought three F. Paul Wilson books for my wife, which I will also enjoy just as much. My writing partner, award-winning author Del Stone Jr. was also very generous to us and if he’s reading this, his gifts are still coming. He bought me an amazing t-shirt commemorating Eglin Air Force Base, and a really cool night light for my son, which shines the planetary system on the ceiling at night. Jack is very impressed. A special thanks to Julie and Dean Feece (RPG Gift Cards) who had us over for Christmas dinner.

What was special to all of you this year? Did anyone receive my new book, ROLLING THUNDER: THE ART OF DAVE DORMAN, as a gift? If so, send me photos of you with my new book – I will post them here. Please take the time to review the book on Amazon – it makes a world of difference to me.

This past fall, I saw a call on Facebook for artists to contribute to a Frank Frazetta tribute show judged for entry. Judges include taste makers like Spectrum’s Arnie and Kathy Fenner, Brom and Simon Bisley. Since Frank Frazetta was one of my greatest art influences, I had to jump in. Below are the step-by-step images showing my progression of this painting, titled “Attack in the Snow.” Please let me know what you think.

Dave Dorman Pencil Rough of Frazetta Tribute Painting

Pencil Rough #3, More Refined

Dave Dorman Pencil Rough #4

My Color Palette

Laying Down the Background Paint

Adding Main Figures in Foreground

Adding More Detail to the Main Figures

More Detail Rendered, Nearly Completed

Final Image, Frank Frazetta Tribute Painting “Attack in the Snow”

Thanks, everyone, for checking out the progression of my art. I look forward to reading and responding to your comments. If any of you are on LinkedIn, Twitter (@DaveDorman) or Facebook, you can find me there and I’ll be happy to connect with you. Be sure to follow my wife, Denise Dorman, on Twitter, as she sometimes post things going on here that I’m in the thick of and don’t have time to post. She’s @WriteBrainMedia.

Have a great day and I’ll be back soon. The logistics of the holidays and visiting my father-in-law sort of got in the way of me posting a lot lately, but I’ll be better about it now that things have settled down somewhat. I want to thank those of you who wore Star Wars gear to celebrate the Star Wars Girl recently. That was right in the midst of the chaos here, so I didn’t post your pictures as I would have liked to in a timely manner. My apologies for that.

Take care, everyone,

Dave

 

We Honor You, Star Wars Girl Katie Goldman

Today my blog honors Katie Goldman, aka Star Wars Girl.

As I told my gay friends and followers on the day we all wore purple to honor them, the bullying that occurs over our differences needs to STOP. NOW. Like Katie, my wife is also adopted. My wife is a geek. I’ve felt the wrath of being different as a kid – I was the painfully shy military brat moving all of the time…always the nerdy new kid in school, drawing comics silently in the back of the classroom, hoping no one would call attention to me. You might say we both identify with Katie’s plight. Denise was the one who brought it to my attention through a Facebook posting from ACME DESIGN.

We need to start celebrating our differences instead of clamoring to be the same. The Me, Too-ism Movement is clearly alive and well. Why else would women be financially challenging themselves just to wear the same overpriced designer brand purses, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses, etc. Why are men driven to buy luxury brand cars when the mechanical performance is often sub-standard? We’re all caught up in this endless cycle of sameness and trying to come off as too cool for school. I just don’t find it terribly interesting…or relevant.

I find individualism interesting. I find Katie’s bravery interesting.

Most of those “cool” celebs that everyone wants to be like? I’ve met more than my share. I’m usually disappointed. Leonardo DiCaprio sneered at me and wouldn’t stop smoking in a NYC elevator when I asked him. John Leguizamo talked shit about me–right in front of me–at the Telluride Film Festival. It turns out, he has some weird prejudice against sitting next to portly gents like myself. Dennis Miller is one of the few celebs who actually exceeded my expectations. He’s a class act. And he’s also a geek like me. Like us.

Today CNN.com picked up Katie’s story, but those of us in the know within the geek/nerd culture and Star Wars community have been following it online for at least 10 days or more. I think it’s very cool that  Star Wars: Clone Wars Padme Amidala voice actress Catherine Taber and  Her Universe.com founder and Ahsohka Tano character Ashley Eckstein took up the cause and very publicly showed Katie (and her parents) that Katie’s not alone.  Catherine’s online participation was the Tipping Point in giving Katie the credibility and social media support to thumb her nose at those know-nothing naysayers.

Apparently Katie’s classmates haven’t realized yet what every major movie studio knows, as they show previews at San Diego Comic-Con:  Geeks are the world’s taste makers. Geeks RULE.

So… all of those haters out there had better be nice to us or else their TV, videogame, book and movie options are going to suck. As for me and my house, we’ll be wearing Star Wars gear on December 10th to honor Star Wars Girl Katie Goldman. If you wear some, shoot me your photo and I’ll post it here on my blog.

Thanks for reading,

Dave.

 

My Thoughts on Thanksgiving Weekend

Dear Friends,

I have so much to be thankful for this year, I don’t know where to begin. I’m thankful for those closest to me–my wife, my son, my best friend Steve Smith, my friend Charlie Athanas, my in-laws who have helped me out tremendously this past year, Colin Pritchard of Rocket No. 9, Kevin Sandstrom at Blick Art Supply, the 501st, (especially Chris Spice of top-rated Star Wars site Sandtroopers.com) the great art directors and editors I’ve worked with this past year, and also for all of you who take an interest in my art and are the reason I keep doing what I do. I am thankful for my U.S. military family, for USACares.org and  for The Dennis Miller Radio Show who has been kind enough to have me on to share my projects and my military art passion project, Project 52.

I especially thank all of you who have purchased my new art career retrospective and memoir book, ROLLING THUNDER: THE ART OF DAVE DORMAN, by IDW Publishing/Desperado Publishing, either for yourselves, or for a loved one as a holiday gift. Even if the book wasn’t mine, I would enjoy 4.5 pounds of art in hardcover to peruse over my mulled cider during the holidays.

Today I wanted to share another blog with you, written by my friend and fellow 501st member David Syczylo. David is the Snowtrooper who posed for me for this year’s Star Wars Celebration painting. He did an excellent job of explaining the poses, not to mention providing us all with a brilliant display he has created of my Star Wars Celebration prints:

http://www.djsyczylo.net/chronicles/DormanHoth/DormanHoth.htm

I hope you enjoy David’s blog as much as I did about how the Star Wars Celebration piece came about. The best part of this project? I have been very fortunate to get to know David over the past 6 months and he is a special person to me and my wife. You will never meet a kinder or more giving person. He drove all of the way to my home in northern Illinois from Indianapolis just to pose for me, and refused to take even  gas money. That’s the kind of guy David is. Ask him about his film career when you meet him. He has great stories.

Thanks for reading. More to come. I just did a Captain Marvel this past weekend for the very first time in my career, but I have to check with an editor first to see when I can post it.

Be safe this holiday weekend,

Dave.

P.S. I finally got to see “Walking Dead.” I’m hooked. What do you all think of it? Any of you watching? If not, check it out – let’s compare notes. My friend and fellow judge in the December 6th Chicago 10-minute horror play international competition Death Scribe 2010, Jay Bonansinga, is writing the novelization of the series and he’s an excellent writer.

Dave Dorman’s BIG BOWL OF ANIMATION FUN Contest Announcement – Win an iPad

Dear Friends,

I am working on an exciting new project that is so hard not to share with you already. However, there is one aspect to my project that is beyond my capabilities (yet): animation.  I am unschooled in animating (but not for long).  So, I’m putting it out to you, dear readers (as well as my artist friends who teach or have taught at art schools – Casey Callender, George Pratt, Durwin Talon and Mark A. Nelson).

I would like to provide students and self-taught animators with the following: (a) characters I’ve designed (b) my characters’ voice over files (c) some light art direction and conceptual information. They will use these digital files to compete and create animations for me to use for advertising and social networking campaigns. The potential for a serialized animated show also exists. In the end, I’d like to see some well-rendered :15, :30, :45 and :60 second shorts created to advertise my new low brow art character line, and the winner will walk away with an iPad preloaded with Dave Dorman art or a 4-day exhibitor pass to San Diego Comic-Con.

The idea behind this Dave Dorman’s Big Bowl of Animation Fun Contest is two-fold:

#1.  I want to see my vision for my characters morphed into a big bowl of animated fun.

#2. The quid pro quo, aside from the prize is this: I want to help the winning animator raise their public profile and walk away with something professional for their portfolio.

WHAT THE ANIMATION CONTEST WINNER GETS: KEEPING YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

The winner of Dave Dorman’s Big Bowl of Animation Fun Contest will receive either an iPad or a 4-day pass for San Diego Comic-Con, whichever they prefer. (Mind you, if they prefer to win one of my Comic-Con exhibitor passes, there might be some schlepping of my art to the San Diego Convention Center involved, so the smart winner will probably just go for the iPad).

Dave Dorman’s Animation Street Cred

Some of you may say, “Dave Dorman, who the hell are YOU to judge MY animation?!?” So, here’s my incredibly short and unimpressive list of credentials:

#1. I’ve judged film festival and animation contests in the past, most recently for Indiana University/Purdue University Indiana and the Geneva International Film Festival (Geneva, IL).

#2. I’ve watched animation evolve for the past 48 years.

In short, I know good animation when I see it. I’m always right in my Oscar predictions for animation wins, much to my wife’s chagrin. I watch international animation regularly and I can’t get enough of it.

However, it’s not just me judging these animations. I would like to help the animators submitting to gain public recognition, and to that end, I will post the animation samples for YOUR votes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If Howard Stern or anyone else decides to get get subversive and start crowd sourcing voting for the worst animation (ala Stern’s modus operandi during American Idol’s “Season of Sanjaya”) I do reserve the right to override the votes. I will smell anything that smacks of animation voter anarchy early on.

So… stay tuned to my blog. We still need my wife to script the shorts and get the voice overs recorded. I’m thinking Jeanie Bonansinga of children’s music group Jeanie B! and the Jelly Beans will be at least one of the character voices–she’s excellent. I’ll let you know when we’re completely ready to start sharing digital files.

In case you ever wondered what I might look like animated, here’s how I see it (and no, this image has nothing to do with the animation contest):

Dave Dorman As An Animated Character

Judge Dredd: Dave Dorman-Style

Dear Friends,

As promised, here is my oil painting of Judge Dredd, which doesn’t appear in the new book, so you will only see it here.  I did this piece in the early ’90s as a graphic novel cover. It was a lot of fun for me to do, as I’ve been a fan of the Judge Dredd series for a long time.

Judge Dredd by Dave Dorman, Cover Art from Early '90s

Now I’m going to tell an embarrassing tale on my wife. When Denise and I first started dating, my post-divorce home was pretty much bachelor pad decor, so this very painting hung in my breakfast nook. Denise, who had never even heard of Judge Dredd, glanced over at the painting one morning and said, “Why is that muscle-bound guy in front of a sign for ‘Hee Haw’?” I rolled my eyes so far into the back of my head, I feared I was permanently blinded. Once my baby blues refocused, I patiently explained, ”It says ‘The Law’.,” ”Oh.” was all she said in return, not even mildly embarrassed. Needless to say, Denise has had a masters degree-level schooling from me in licensed properties since that day. Now she even knows the difference between Little Nemo and Captain Nemo, and that a true representation of Captain Nemo is of an East Indian man, as it was in the really fun 2003 film “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” Her gaffe was very nearly a deal breaker, but we trudged ahead, and here we are today, married 7 years on August 9th and blessed with a beautiful son.

I guess for my fellow pop culture authorities, the parable is that if you date someone who is new to the geekier side of things, have enduring patience with them. If they love you, they’ll eventually find it as interesting as you do. And let’s face it, your significant other has to love it to have the high level of energy required to enjoy the convention scene.

Well, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the art. Let me know, okay? I’m about to close down the survey on LinkedIn regarding whether you enjoy more doing traditional art, digital art or a combo platter of both. If you want to take the survey, you will need a LinkedIn profile (and be sure to link with me if you have one), and here’s the link:
http://polls.linkedin.com/p/91557/nthen

For those who have ordered my new book directly through me, I’m finishing up World of Warcraft artwork and plan to do the personalized sketches & ship the books out at the end of this week, just so you know my schedule.

Thanks for reading,

Dave.

Dave Dorman Posts Star Wars Celebration 5 Art

Dear Friends,

As always, I thank you all for taking an interest in my work. Here is the final artwork for the art prints I’m selling at Star Wars Celebration 5. As you know, these prints sell out quickly, so be sure to place your order if you are attending the show. I can only sell signed & numbered prints to those who pick up the artwork in person at SWC5. They retail for $100. All pre-orders must be picked up by noon on Friday, August 13th. (Don’t worry, unlucky numbers seem to have the opposite effect on me.)

So, here is my painting for its very first unveiling. The piece is called “A Slight Disturbance in the Force on the Battlefield of Hoth.” True Star Wars fans will “get” it.

Dave Dorman's Star Wars Celebration 5 Painting

A special thanks to all of those valiant members of the 501st who posed for me. My wife Denise did take progressive photos of this painting as it evolved, so stay posted as we determine where that will launch, as stills and as a slide show/video. There are some high profile media outlets interested in it, so we’re waiting to see who wants it most.

I look forward to seeing you all very soon!

Dave.

Yes, Dave Dorman WILL Be at Star Wars Celebration 5

Dear Friends,

I’ve gotten a lot of questions via FaceBook over the last week about whether I’ll be exhibiting at Star Wars Celebration 5 in Orlando this coming August 12-15th. Yes, I will be there, but not in Artists’ Alley. I will be in my own booth next to artist and friend Jason Palmer. 

I will also have a brand new print for sale. It will be in the same letterbox format as my previous Star Wars Celebration prints. My wife Denise will be photographically documenting the progression of my new painting, so once the show is over, I can share that with all of you on my blog.

I will also have with me at Star Wars Celebration 5 my new book, ROLLING THUNDER: The Art of Dave Dorman, which Denise co-authored. It’s 312 pages of my memoir, artwork and never-before-seen work and stories. I hope you all like it – it was a LOT of work, digging in my Indiana Jones-like warehouse of archives to compile it all. It is published by IDW Publishing in conjunction with Desperado Publishing, and it’s a gorgeous book. There’s a regular version for $49.99 and a signed, limited edition version with a separate cover for $79.99. I’m donating 10% of our earnings for USACares.org as I’m a former military brat who supports NFPs that support our military families.

I thank you all for your interest. It means a lot to me.

Dave.

HARVEY PEKAR and ME

Dear Friends,

I’ve had a lot of questions over the past 24 hours about Harvey Pekar - what did I think of him, did I know him, etc. So, here’s the scoop:

I met Harvey at a comic book convention years ago. True to form, he did his curmudgeonly schtick at the show, just like the person you saw on The Late Show with David Letterman. He knew my work and liked it. His wife approached me and asked me to do an entire Harvey Pekar comic book for FREE, because she apparently felt that I wanted or needed to hitch my wagon to Harvey’s star. At that point in my career, I had already won an Eisner, had a best selling art book with Ballantine, a worldwide fan base, etc. Also, while Harvey’s American Splendor comics appealed to those fans who enjoy that slice-of-life style of comic, they held zero appeal for me personally. Mind you, his wife approached dozens of comic book artists for free comics – not just me. So, while I enjoyed Harvey’s David Letterman appearances very much, I can’t say I was a true fan of Harvey Pekar. Paul Giamatti’s portrayal of Harvey in American Splendor was brilliant and spot on. If you’ve never seen this movie, put it on your NetFlix list or rent it at Blockbuster as soon as you can.

The David Letterman-Harvey Pekar phenomenon is yet another indication that having an abrasive, abrupt or odd duck personality will get you booked on talk shows in a New York minute, but those of us in comics who are merely pleasant or not somehow socially retarded in our talk show  interviews rarely have media “juice.” I’ll have to adopt some weird schtick to appeal to those producers – let me know if you have any kooky ideas for me.

My next posting will be my San Diego ComicCon schedule. I’m doing 3 different panels this year and as a featured guest, I have autograph signings slated a few times with the convention, aside from those at my booth. I am at Booth #4500 this year. Joining me will be artist Charlie Athanas, Blueberry/Star Wars artist Colin Wilson, his agent Royd Burgoyne and Australian indie publisher Wolfgang Bylsma.

As many of you already know, at San Diego ComicCon this year we will be unveiling my new book from IDW Publishing/Desperado Publishing, “ROLLING THUNDER: THE ART OF DAVE DORMAN,” and remember – 10% of my earnings from this book will go to USACares.org - the not-for-profit raising money for financially challenged military families. Comedian and radio personality Dennis Miller is their official spokesperson, and I look forward to promoting the new book on his radio show soon. The book will be in all nationwide bookstores as of August.

Rumor has it that my friends Tom Baxa and Mark A. Nelson will be sitting right next to me at the show, so this show will be even more fun than usual. Mark used to teach illustration at my wife’s alma mater, Northern Illinois University, and used my Star Wars: The Art of Dave Dorman book as his required text book for class. Those added book sales were much appreciated!

If you are looking for my usual San Diego ComicCon booth cronies, e.g., Christopher Moeller, Scott Hampton, John vanFleet or Durwin Talon, they will be in Artists’ Alley this year, and by the time of the show, I should have data on their exact booth #s to hand out to you, as well as a promo piece on Comix Academy, which we will do next year the week before the show.

As always, thanks for reading. Until next time,

Dave.

My podcast:
http://www.itscomicbookday.com

Follow me on Twitter: Twitter.com/davedorman

Dave Dorman Doing Live Painting @SDCC

Steampunk Girl Created at Reverie '09 in Dallas, TX

Dear Friends, 

When I’m at San Diego Comic-Con, I tend to get anxious because I’m not painting while I’m there. Painting is an addiction for me, and fortunately, I’m able to make a living doing it. So this year, I’ve decided I’m going to paint. I will do a live painting over the course of the 5 days that I’m there. Please let me know what you’d like to see me paint, and whatever the majority of people request will influence my final decision on what I’ll be painting. (Of course, if someone wants a commissioned piece, that will take priority, and I will be happy to work in my favorite size — 24 x 36– and ship it directly to the new owner at show’s end.) So, let me know if you want a hot Heavy Metal-style babe, G.I. Joe, Batman, Alien, Captain America, Buckaroo Banzai, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or something from my Wasted Land series, or even a brand new concept art design. 

For those not attending SDCC, Denise will be there to photograph the piece in phases and will post it here on my blog for you. The painting up above is what I created live during Reverie ’09 in Dallas, which was put on by Massive Black and ConceptArt.org. 

Dave Dorman Raising Funds for the Gulf Coast BP Oil Victims

I will know shortly if my friend Bill Paetzold can supply the giclees I want to sell to help raise money for the BP Oil victims along the Gulf Coast. I will post a link here once I can make it happen. I will send all money beyond printing and shipping costs to the financially challenged folks on the Gulf. As you  know, the Fort Walton Beach/Shalimar area in Okaloosa County, Florida was my home for more than 25 years, so I’m watching the situation with a heavy heart. Here’s an image of Navarre Beach, which was near my home, as of today:
http://www.nwfdailynews.com
. My longtime friend and the author I hired to write all of my Wasted Lands series, as well as our Bram Stoker Award-winning zombie book Dead Heat (Mojo Press), Del Stone Jr., is the Associate Editor of the Northwest Florida Daily News, and he handles the paper’s popular online edition.

Where in the World is Dave Dorman? My Summer Schedule:

Sometime in July - I’ll be on Dennis Miller’s radio show, raising awareness that my new book, Rolling Thunder: The Art of Dave Dorman (IDW Publishing/Desperado Publishing) raises funds for USACares.org, an organization that helps financially challenged military families. (As a former military brat, I can tell you unless someone is a trust fund baby, they’re ALL financially challenged). I am donating 10% of my earnings from this book directly to USACares.org.

July 10, 2010 - Signing all day at Gail Borden Public Library for Elgin, IL Comic-Con. Click here for details on the event. (A special thanks to Darlene Nauman for letting me know this local show was happening.)

July 22- 25, 2010 - I’m a “special guest” this year at San Diego Comic-Con. Look for me at my “Rolling Thunder” booth – that’s how we’re listed in the show guide.

August 12 -15, 2010 - Star Wars Celebration 5 in Orlando, FL.

You can always find me on my pop culture, comics & art podcast, “It’s Comic Book Day”, free on iTunes, and on Twitter, I’m @DaveDorman. Please follow me there, too, for breaking news.

As always, thanks for reading. I hope to see you all this summer.

Dave.