Calley O’Neill

While on a trip in Hawaii, I (literally) stumbled upon artist Calley O’Neill plying her trade. We got to talking and I quickly discovered she is the Artist in Residence Four Seasons Resort Hualala’i at Historic Kaupulehu, where we were staying on our vacation. She was sketching with a mechanical pencil, so I naturally handed her a Blackwing and she began drawing with it immediately. Calley creates breathtaking murals, paintings, drawings and more inspired by the islands of Hawaii. One of her most intriguing projects, however, is an exhibition titled “The Rama Exhibition.” Rama was an Asian elephant who used his trunk to paint canvases. Calley worked with Rama by choosing the colors Rama would use and adding her own collaborative twist to the finished paintings. You can read more about Calley and Rama’s project here.

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Mahlon

Archie vs. Predator

This week saw the release the first issue of a 4 part mini-series, Archie vs. Predator… WHAT?! I wouldn’t say this is my dream crossover, but I’ll be honest here, I will consume ANY media that features the dreadlocked badass who caused Arnie so much grief back in ’87.

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Alex

Jonathan Glapion

We’ve celebrated a few comic pencilers in these posts, but this is uncharted territory. This morning, I came across a tweet recommending Blackwing pencils to Greg Capullo, the penciler behind the current run of Batman comics. Greg is one of my favorite comic artists, so I was, admittedly, pretty stoked. The Twitter user who sent the tweet was @jonathanglapion, a name that immediately looked familiar. As it turns out, that handle belongs to Jonathan Glapion, the inker who worked on the first 15 issues (or so) of the New 52 Batman series. I spent the better part of the morning scrolling through Jonathan’s DeviantArt gallery in awe of his drawings, sketches and ink work. If you’re a fan of comics or the art of inking, I highly recommend you check him out.

The post Weekly Discoveries 04.17.2015 – Calley O’Neill, Jonathan Glapion and Archie vs. Predator appeared first on Blackwing.

Dork Tower

A recent Twitter conversation led me to discover that John Kovalic, illustrator of the popular card games Apples to Apples and Munchkin, is a Blackwing user. Not only that, he uses Blackwings on all of his Munchkin work.

@Blackwing SERIOUSLY? I use Blacking for all my Munchkin work!

— John Kovalic (@muskrat_john) January 29, 2015

This led me to John’s other ventures, including his Dork Tower comic strip. I’m a big webcomic fan, and John’s jokes, references and musings are right up my alley. If you consider yourself a “dork” in any way, I suggest you check it out.

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Mahlon

Zanadu Comics

In January, I had the opportunity to spend a few work days in Seattle. When I’m on the road, my first order of personal business is to find the local comic shops. I like visiting comic shops because there aren’t exactly any nationwide chains, so each shop you visit has a unique look and feel to it. I found Zanadu Comics and decided to check them out. This place was RAD. They have a section dedicated to works by popular authors, they also have a section of books broken up by genre rather than publisher which I thought was a neat twist. The staff were super helpful and even offered up a quick tour of the store. If you’ve got some spare time and are in the Seattle area be sure to check them out!

John

Janet Jackson – Control (1986)

Control is a wild album.  Produced by the duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it’s full of wild synthesizers, Russell Simmons–style drums, synth basses and even the odd 80’s guitar solo.  It’s Janet’s first album after she broke ties with her father Joe’s management, and she appropriately sings about finding herself as an independent woman and artist.  The real treasures on this album come towards its ending: “Let’s Wait Awhile” and “Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun)” are the album’s final two tracks and they’re the only slow-jams on the record.  The latter closes the album out with Janet speaking some sultry French as she reunites with a departed lover. 

The post Weekly Discoveries 01.29.2015 – Dork Tower, Zanadu Comics and Control appeared first on Blackwing.

Matt Fraction and Christian Ward’s ODY-C 

As a fan of comics and Greek mythology, I owe it to myself to check out the latest effort from Matt Fraction. This limited series titled “ODY-C” is essentially a retelling of Homer’s epic The Odyssey, of course with some twists. Said twists include moving the setting from ancient Greece to space, gender swapping of prominent characters and more. The first issue came out this week and I can’t wait to check it out!

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Grant

My Brother the Bear

I got a text from Willy Tea Taylor the other day that read “look up My Brother the Bear – Deadball. Do it.” So I did. You should too. His real name is Daniel Beyer and he’s definitely a songwriter’s songwriter. And everyone knows I’m a sucker for a song about baseball.

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Alex

Ien Levin

Tons of people are seduced by brightly colored tattoo art, but the true measure of a tattoo artist rests in his or her line work.  When I saw one of Ien Levin‘s tattoos for the first time, I was floored. Ien’s tattoos are almost 100% line work, and he is damn good at it. From fine lines, to bold strokes, Ien is truly a master of his craft. Don’t believe me? Check out his gallery. 

The post Weekly Discoveries 11.27.2014 – ODY-C, My Brother the Bear and Ien Levin appeared first on Blackwing.