Clawbber!

I was fortunate to rock this pinup art for an upcoming release of Brandon M. Barker's Warlords of Wor series. It features the powerful Clawbber in a fight for his life against some lethal vine tentacles, no doubt the agents of his vile nemesis, Bog-Nar!

This issue of Warlords of Wor will be debuting at C2E2, later this month. Brandon & company can be found near my setup in The Block, on the convention floor. Visit www.warlordsofwor.blogspot.com for more info!

"Collapse! Unload it! Pop, pop! I must accumilate!"
- Dave C.

King Gum Comic!

I'm ecstatic to say that, after years of toiling on work-for-hire jobs, I've found myself in a position to focus more on creator-owned projects. The first one I've completed is an 8-page comic titled, "In The Clutches of The Derby Queen!" This short story features my alter ego, King Gum, in the days before he won his crown. On this adventure, he's been taken prisoner by a race of deadly Derby Girls. The only way for Young Gum to win his freedom is by defeating their brutally beautiful Queen in all-out combat!

This comic will appear in the next volume of Titmouse Inc's MOOK comics anthology (release date TBD), so I can't show too much online. But finishing this piece has rekindled my love for making comics. I've already begun work on a handful of other sequential stories, so there'll be lots to look forward to in 2013. This is just the tip of the iceberg!

"Let's take a drive, love... so we can make up our minds, love...
to commit the crimes of passion that sets us free."
- Dave C., aka King Gum

"Hither"

"Hither" is one of many pieces I started about a year or longer ago. In going back and finishing up art commitments from my days in Oakland up to now, I've really been clearing out the creative sinuses.


It helps that, as I work through this incredible pile, I'll come across old sketches like this one. They make a great foundation for a quick warm-up piece. Late at night or early in the morning, a blank sheet of paper can be pretty daunting. But a scrap of board with a sketch already in play can be just the spark my imagination needs.


In addition, with the drawing already roughed out, I'm able to move on to paint, ink, etc. So I can get even more of my creative muscles going at full throttle. RAW!


"I like to swim, into the mosh! Kickin' & stompin', so I don't get squashed!"
- King Gum Crosland

"Explorer 1"

I was just messing around in my sketchbook before work, this morning. I've been on a real space & underwater exploration kick, lately.


"Two outta the five of these fuses are wired live. If I wanna survive I gotta FIND THOSE DETONATORS!"
- Dave C.

"Almost there. Almost... there."

Just about done with the Dark Side piece I've been posting progress shots of, these past couple weeks. I thought you folks would enjoy one more look at it before the final touches are applied.

"It's like a newborn baby, unseen sound so hold it. I worked too damn hard for you to fuckin' download it."
- Dave

The Dark Side Cometh!

Above you can see some of the color layering that's going into a Dark Side-heavy Star Wars piece that I'm working on.

I swear, I'm still a huge fan of how skull-like and imposing Stormtrooper armor is. Too bad it's anything but blaster proof, and Stormtroopers are anything but crack shots.

"I know it drives you crazy when I pretend you don't exist. When I'd like to lean in close and run my hands against your lips..."
- Dave

Jumpin' Jungle Jive!

Another page-in-progress from the sci-fi project I'm doing with writer Chris Kirby. I actually started these awhile ago. It's almost surreal finishing them now, because I'm approaching the pages with all the lessons I learned from doing Alphabet Attack! for 3 months. It kinda feels like I just got out of an illustration boot camp!

"This ain't Whistler playin' with his mom's cassette. This is Ronnie, George and Ollie North with contra jets."
- Dave

New Sketchbook Brewing & Comic Page Stewing

Here's some work from today, ya'll! The in-progress ink drawing is the cover of a new sketchbook I'm making for Tr!ckster/Comic-Con, in July. And the comic page is from a fun sci-fi/adventure project I'm working on with writer Chris Kirby. Busy, busy, busy....

"Camp Anawanna, we hold you in our hearts..."
- Dave Budnick

From Pencils to "POP, POP!"

I've been doing my best to document my process, lately. Partially for posterity, and partially to analyze the work as I'm churning it out. Above, you can see some of the jumps from the pencil drawing stage, to the painting and, finally, to the finished piece.

There are lots of decisions made along the way in these color drawings. Some of them are very technical. But there's also a lot of instinct involved. Personally, I'm always trying to find that balance between utilizing learned skills, and letting the beast loose on the canvas.

"Chase these clouds away! I hate this sunless Saturday!"
- Dave

Alphabet Attack! - Series 2 Wrap-up & Future Plans

This week saw the conclusion of Alphabet Attack! Series 2, with "Zarana." Be sure to check her out, as well as the 51 other drawings I've created, since my daily art blog began back in early March.

Also, read today's post to discover what's in store for the future of Alphabet Attack!, including prints, book collections and the next run -- Series 3!



"Schools he bombs, he bombs."
- Dave C.

Aeon Flux

Just re-watched the very first Aeon Flux short, this morning. It's amazing how well it stands up. And I feel like I notice even more minute details, seeing it years later.

"... it's got to do with lots of lovin' and it ain't nothin' nice."
- King Gum

DALEK!!!

A brand new Dalek drawing for all you Doctor Who fans. Seriously, there are a lot more of us that I ever, EVER expected. I guess that's what happens when a character has a television show that remains popular for a series of decades, huh?

"I'm thinking y'all are a mess, too. But insecurities will make your bios sound less cool."
- Gum

Dalek In Progress

These are some progress photos of a new rendition of fan-favorite, DALEK! He's up to his old exterminating ways. Oh, Dalek. So hateful... so lovable.

Just a tiny taste of the stack of drawings I'm catching up on. Whew!

"You got something I need... kind of dangerous."
- Gum.