GrantGoBoom

The End of the Beginning..

2007-07-28T02:17:00.000-05:00

After 456 posts, this blog is closin' its doors and entering retirement.. Well, sort of.. I'm actually just combining my blog and website into one package and giving it a new home. :)

So head on over to grantgould.com/grantgould.blogspot.com

Severus Snape

2007-07-26T00:32:00.001-05:00

Horcrux Fever

2007-07-23T22:32:00.001-05:00

3 Quick Things:

1) I am NOT going to be at Comic-Con this week, and as much as my nerd heart cries over having to miss it, I'm honestly kind of relieved I'm not going... I've got so much freakin' stuff to do this week.. I don't know how I'd be able to pull it off... @.@ So.. those of you that are going, please know that I will be stuck in my basement, hard at work, crying tears of jealousy while you're in San Diego having the time of your life.. *sigh*

2) Wizard World Chicago is almost upon us! August 9-12.. From what I'm told, my table (which I'm sharing with rockstar-supreme Katie Cook) will be #3804. You can check out a huge PDF of the floorplan by clicking the image below, so that you can run STRAIGHT to our table and grab all sorts of goodies before they're sold out. :)

3) I feel the need to apologize to those of you still waiting on art from me.. I was naughty and took a 2 day break from work so that I could read the new Harry Potter (and DUUUUUDE, it was so worth it - it was the best book of the series) and I have no excuse. It's all J.K. Rowling's fault, she had to go and write an awesome five-billion-page novel... :(

Which reminds me.. don't post spoilers here in the blog comments... I'll have to delete 'em. I don't want my art blog to ruin the book for people.
GAAAHH!! It's such a good book...

Okay, that's it for this update. Starting tomorrow morning - back to workaholic mode for me.

AR: Zyzeji

2007-07-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

A commission for Checkmark featuring a character of his own creation. :)

Maul vs. Asajj

2007-07-17T23:00:00.001-05:00

I just finished this commission.. Mike B., thanks again for being patient! I'm glad ya like it :)

Click for bigger version:

The final pic is huge (a whoppin' 18"x24"), so I'll post some close-up shots of the faces below. Art was drawn with brush pen, assembled and colored in Photoshop. Definitely one of my favorite commissions I've ever done. If only I could do this sorta thing every day. :)

So who do you think would win: Maul or Asajj? .. Pretty close call if ya ask me..

Harry Potter REVISED

2007-07-14T01:11:00.000-05:00

This is just somethin' I did quickly between jobs... That one Harry Potter picture I did was annoying me.. Thought I'd change a few things. I dunno.. I'm still not super happy with it, but I like it better than before, so.. whatevah.

For those that don't know, I'm finally catching up on the books. I've actually been listening to the audiobooks (which I highly recommend) while I work, so that's worked out pretty well. I'm about a third through "Half Blood Prince" right now. And, yes, I saw Order of the Phoenix -- AWESOME movie! I'm seeing it again this weekend. :)

Update & Maihack's Blog

2007-07-12T15:24:00.001-05:00

Busy busy busy busy busy @.@

I tell ya, sometimes I look at my "to do" list and mah brain starts to explode. I have around 30 separate projects (that includes sketch card sets, commissions, and design jobs) on my plate right now, some big, some not so big... some HUGE.. and about two-thirds of them have to be done by the end of the month, which stresses me out just thinkin' about it.

So yeah.. If you see a few new gray hairs on my head at the next convention, that's why. ;P
AND I wanna try to squeeze in a couple "me" things before WWChicago, but I guess we'll see..

I wanted to post a link to Mike Maihack's blog before I go. I like his stuff a lot, and he posted a cool step-by-step showing how he created this Phoenix pic. So go check that out. Never hurts to pimp out a fellow artist :)

HERE'S THE LINK

WWC Clone Wars Print

2007-07-09T18:24:00.001-05:00

Here's your FIRST LOOK at the print my fellow Star Wars artist Katie Cook and I created for this year's Wizard World Chicago:

Since we're sharing a table in Artists Alley, we thought it'd be fun to combine our cartoony powers and create a piece that showcases our artwork together. The scene was inspired by an episode of the "Clone Wars" where Padme and Yoda arrive on the ice planet Ilum to rescue some Jedi and kick droid butt. Katie took on Padme and I took on Yoda, and the result is the first-ever Cook-Gould-combo! :)

We'll have 50 copies, each one numbered and signed by both of us. It'll be first come, first served. Size will be 11"x17". We're not taking a reserve list, so if you want one, I'd suggest swinging by our table ASAP. We'll likely be limiting them to 1 or 2 copies per person.

Right now we have NO plans to make these available online, unless we end up having a few leftover copies -- If that happens, we'll post info in our blogs (here's a link to Katie's blog) after the show.

Wizard World Chicago is Aug. 9-12, 2007
Click here for show info!

Whooo America!

2007-07-04T01:57:00.000-05:00

'Hero High' Peekage

2007-07-02T14:57:00.001-05:00

Here are two of the characters I drew for Green Ronin's upcoming Mutants & Masterminds RPG sourcebook "Hero High."

Click for bigger version:

The book is printing now, I believe, so it should be in stores soon. This will be the second time I've done work for the Mutants & Masterminds series -- I drew five or six interior pieces for the 'Ultimate Power' sourcebook too. If you're a tabletop RPG fan, check 'em out! :)

Cap Sketch Cover

2007-07-02T03:50:00.000-05:00

A collector commissioned me to draw on one of his blank variant covers for Marvel's "Fallen Son" comic. You can see his full Cap cover gallery right over here.

They put some kind of glossy coating over the blank drawing area (I'm guessing to try and keep it from bleeding through to the interior pages?), so my Prismacolors weren't working very well.. Usually I do a lot of blending and layering with the markers, but I couldn't really do any of that in this case.. Dang glossy finishes! :P But still, a very fun, unique commission.

Solo animated style

2007-07-01T02:09:00.001-05:00

I based this on the likeness of Gentle Giant's Han Solo animated-style maquette. Drawn with brush pen, colored in Photoshop.

Work Update:
This coming week I'll be focusing on commissions, trying my best to get the last of the "April Rules" ones out the door, as well as hopefully making a lot of progress on a design job I've been chipping away at for a couple months.. Then I'll be heading up north for a couple days of much-needed reeeeelaxation. :)

Wizard World Chicago is creeping up quickly. I have much to do before then.. I'll have a few kewwl announcements before then... Oh, and I've had a few people asking me about Comic-Con, so I'll say again: I will NOT be making it to Comic-Con this year.. Sucks, but whaddaya gonna do..

Random update over. Have a great 4th of July week, everyone! Don't be a boring workaholic like me -- Go out and have fun!

Goblet of Fire

2007-06-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

This one's for sale - Bidding starts at a penny
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

DC Legacy - DONE

2007-06-24T11:05:00.001-05:00

I finally finished my DC Legacy cards and will be mailing them off first thing tomorrow morning. 300 full-color cards = done done done :)

For those who might be interested, here's a breakdown of how many I did of each character:

Aquaman - 2
Atom - 1
Batgirl - 3
Batman - 15
Batwoman - 1
Black Adam - 1
Black Canary - 15
Blue Beetle - 15
Brainiac - 1
Catwoman - 5
Cyborg - 1
Darkseid - 1
Dr. Fate - 15
Dr. Midnite - 15
Flash - 15
Firestorm - 1
Green Arrow - 1
Green Lantern - 15
Hawkgirl - 1
Hawkman - 2
Hourman - 15
Joker - 15
Lex Luthor - 15
Martian Manhunter - 15
Mr. Freeze - 15
Nightwing - 15
Poison Ivy - 15
Raven - 15
Robin - 15
Spectre - 1
Starfire - 15
Supergirl - 3
Superman - 15
Two-Face - 1
Wonder Woman - 3

I also drew one Bizarro card, but he wasn't on the approved list of characters to draw (oops), so that one might not end up in packs.. There were a couple other characters I wanted to draw, but they weren't on the list -- Harley Quinn & Doomsday, for example. I'm not sure why they were left off.. but whatever. No mo' DC Legacy for me!

Now I get to deal with all the angry fan emails asking why I didn't draw any Zatannas or Shazams. ;P

Gutz. Paul Gutz.

2007-06-22T18:55:00.001-05:00

I'm selling three rockin' cool Lord of the Rings sketch cards drawn by my pal Paul Gutierrez (he's a fellow Star Wars and LOTR card artist). 7 day auctions, starting at a penny a piece!

Links:
Legolas
Arwen
Aragorn

And speaking of my pal Paul Gutierrez.. Check out this kick-ass Starbuck drawing he did for me. 11"x17" and even cooler in person.. seriously, this scan doesn't even do it justice. Paul, you rock -- Thanks, buddy! :)

Those of you thinking, Hey, I should commission that Paul guy for some art... Yes, you frakkin' should! But unfortunately I'm about 99.9% sure he's pretty backed up on stuff right now, so you may have to settle for those rockin' LOTR cards I'm selling if you want some instant art goodness.. But either way, definitely bookmark his site, which will hopefully be updated soon: GotGutz.com

Back to DC cards for me..
With a little luck, I'll be mailing them off tomorrow. WHOOOOOOOOOOO

Cap Ain't Dead..

2007-06-20T16:30:00.001-05:00

Collector Matthew Reed commissioned me to draw this Cap vs. Death Adder pic last year -- I actually posted a semi-crappy digital photo of it here before (see), but he just sent me this nice scan, so I'm showing it again. :) Thanks, Matt!

11"x14", colored with Prismacolor markers

StarWarsShop.com <3s me

2007-06-19T22:47:00.001-05:00

For anyone who may have missed Celebration IV, StarWarsShop.com is now selling copies of my limited edition art print. Here's the link!

Closed for Commissions

2007-06-17T22:16:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the huge response regarding new commissions, everyone! Alas, my plate is now full again, and I don't wanna bite off more than I can chew, so commissions are closed once more.

Quick update on the "April Rules" commissions:
I finished over half this weekend, which is good, but not quite as many as I was hoping to finish (where does the time go??).. I wanted to be a warrior today and try to crank out a bunch, but to be honest with you, I'm experiencing some bigtime art overload and need to catch up on some sleep. So I'll be working on those remaining pieces over the next week or two.. I'll get everything out the door ASAP.

As always, thanks for your patience! One of my goals for the rest of the year is to take on fewer projects so I don't feel like I'm running around like a headless chicken. I've got a bad habit of underestimating the amount of time it takes me to work on stuff, then I feel bad making people wait for art.. bah.

Anyhoooo,
Happy Summer, everyone - and Happy Father's Day to you fathers!!
Talk to ya soon. :)

AR: Athena

2007-06-17T04:57:00.001-05:00

From "Battlestar Galactica"

AR: Ep4 Obi-Wan

2007-06-17T00:56:00.000-05:00

AR: Ep3 Obi-Wan

2007-06-17T00:08:00.000-05:00

AR: Clone Wars Kenobi

2007-06-16T22:31:00.001-05:00

AR: Ep2 Obi-Wan

2007-06-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

AR: Ep1 Obi-Wan

2007-06-16T18:47:00.001-05:00

Jawa Sketch

2007-06-16T15:48:00.000-05:00

This is a Celebration IV sketch I did for a guy named John Rose -- He sent me a scan of it, so I thought I'd show it on my blog here. Thanks for the nice email, John!! :)

AR: Jack Sparrow

2007-06-16T02:55:00.001-05:00

AR: Supergirl

2007-06-16T00:19:00.000-05:00

AR: Jack from LOST

2007-06-15T21:43:00.001-05:00

Open for Commissions

2007-06-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

I've had so many people (especially folks I met at Celebration IV) asking me when I'll be taking commissions again, I figured I'd better go ahead and start taking orders again. :) So if you wanna hire me to draw somethin' cool for you, here's your chance!

Head over to
GrantGould.com/commissions.html

Please keep in mind, this is NOT a sale like my "April Rules" deal was. This is for regular full-price commissions.

An update for those of you waiting on "April Rules" commissions:
I should be done with them by the end of this weekend, and they'll be mailed off ASAP. :)

One other thing --
I'd like to thank Scott Woodward for sending me this photo.. Scott's the one who commissioned me for that Clone Wars Obi-Wan drawing. He framed it and has it displayed by his Obi-Wan statue, as you can see. Very cool. :) So thanks for sharing that with me, Scott -- and I'm glad ya like the drawing!

Thanks, everyone!
Again, if you're looking to get a commission, please head over to GrantGould.com/commissions.html for more info.

AR: Drizzt

2007-06-14T22:32:00.000-05:00

From the "Forgotten Realms" series

AR: Kaylee

2007-06-14T18:36:00.000-05:00

From "Firefly"

AR: Gurney

2007-06-12T03:26:00.001-05:00

From "Dune"

AR: T'Pol

2007-06-10T18:02:00.000-05:00

From "Star Trek"

AR: 7 of 9

2007-06-10T16:44:00.001-05:00

From "Star Trek"

AR: Audrey

2007-06-10T00:20:00.000-05:00

From "Twin Peaks"

AR: Bill the Butcher

2007-06-09T22:41:00.001-05:00

AR: The Flash

2007-06-09T20:41:00.001-05:00

I've been working on "April Rules" commission orders today. I actually have a lot more than I thought I did (I was thinking I had around 20 orders, and it's actually closer to 40), so I won't be able to finish them all this weekend -- I'll have to finish them up next weekend after I send off my DC cards.

I thought I'd scan some in as I go and share 'em with my loyal blogger watcher people (ie. you), so enjoy this first one of the Flash. :)

For those of you wondering when I'll be taking new commission orders again, right now I can't say for sure when that'll be, because I'm mondo busy and don't wanna promise anything prematurely. But it'll probably be late this month. Keep your eyes on this here blog and I'll make an announcement when that happens.

Alrightee, I'll be back in a few hours with more "AR" scannage.

Random Update

2007-06-06T16:17:00.000-05:00

I think I'm gonna have to start abandoning some of my online hang-outs.. I just don't have time to keep up anymore.. @.@ So many... bookmarks...

Click:

Anyway, for those of you who like to know what I'm working on -- I'm knee-deep in DC cards right now. And this weekend (unless something happens that forces me to change plans) will be my big APRIL RULES commission marathon, so that'll be fun -- I'm looking forward to doing those (sketch cards are eating my brain). Hopefully I'll get most or all of 'em done. And again, if you're waiting on something from me (that isn't part of the "April Rules" thing) please feel free to send me a reminder and ask when I might get to it. I feel like I'm juggling so many things, sometimes a quick reminder helps me out a lot. T'anks, everyone! Talk to ya soon :)

Good news this is..

2007-05-31T16:47:00.000-05:00

I just sorted through my Celebration IV receipts and crunched the numbers and am HAPPY to report that Celebration IV was my most successful show to date! Whooo

These cons are always tricky, because you go into them trying to be realistic and not expect much, but somewhere in the back of your mind you hope you'll make tons of money, and it's hard not to feel disappointed if/when that doesn't happen.. In any case, while I didn't make tons of money, I did turn a profit, which is great considering how much I spent on going to the show... Hotel, flight, printing, table cost, etc etc.. So I'm happy. And like I said, looking at the numbers, CIV was by far my most successful show. I feel loved.

HUGE thanks to each and every person who bought prints and original art from me -- Seriously, you're the best, and you helped make CIV an awesome experience for me. :)

I'll leave you here with two Yoda sketches I did at the show for people -- One OT era and one Prequel era:

I'll be back with more art and updates soon.. I'm still trying to recover from the show and get back into the swing of things..

Totally Rad

2007-05-31T07:07:00.000-05:00

I'm home... I survived Los Angeles... Celebration IV was amazing. It was a week of nonstop drawing, socializing, and geeky goodness. The Star Wars soundtracks were played over and over on the loud speakers constantly thoughout the show, so now I can't stop humming Duel of the Fates, the Ewok March, etc... it won't stop.. o.O

I'm in sleepy catch-up mode right now.. definitely don't have the energy to post a convention report (you can go look at my photos).. But I did want to quickly mention this:

I got to meet the guys from THE TOTALLY RAD SHOW, which is one of my favorite video podcasts! Very cool guys. Anyway, they gave me a shout-out (about 20 minutes in) on their latest episode. Go check 'em out -- you can also download 'em on iTunes. TRS guys, you rock. :)

Mmmm.... must sleep again now... zzzz..

Slave Leia

2007-05-22T04:03:00.000-05:00

Here's another pre-ordered CIV commission... This is the last post of the night (morning?) for sure.. I gotta sleep now.. My eyelids are closing.. @.@ CIV .... almost.. here....

Clone Armor Obi-Wan

2007-05-22T00:21:00.000-05:00

Another CIV pre-order. I thought it'd be fun to show the stages - pencil, ink & markers.

Two more..

2007-05-22T00:09:00.000-05:00

Scanned in a couple more of the "super-cartoony" pre-order cards.

CIV Photos

2007-05-21T12:24:00.000-05:00

I'm guessing my freetime at Celebration IV will be pretty limited, but I'm gonna do my best to snap some cool photos while I'm there and upload 'em to my Flickr site throughout the week and weekend.. Here's the link: flickr.com/photos/gould/sets

CIV Card Pre-Orders

2007-05-21T01:39:00.000-05:00

I had a bunch of requests for my "super-cartoony" style with the CIV pre-orders, which was awesome. :) Here are a few I did tonight.. Got a few more pre-orders to do tomorrow.. The clock is a-tickin'!

A Borg.. And Jack...

2007-05-19T14:03:00.000-05:00

Aallmmosst ttherre........

2007-05-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

Rancor art magnet:

I meant to post some more commission scans in the ol' blog here this week, but I've been so mondo busy trying to get ready for Celebration IV... This weekend I'll be busy drawing pre-order stuff, and I've got a wedding to go to, and I have to run errands and get some things printed at Kinko's, and do laundry, and and and and....

Man, I can't believe next week is CIV already. In approximately 4 days I will be in Los Angeles, ready to get my Force on.

As for commissions.. My goal was to get ALL of them done before CIV.. Well, I almost made it.. I got most of 'em done and mailed off. But there are still a couple left, and I will be working on those after I get back from CIV. I hate to leave people hangin', but at this point I'm outta time - I just have to ask folks to continue being awesomely patient. And, seriously, feel free to email me anytime and ask for the status on your commission... Except those of you waiting on "April Rules" stuff -- I'll be tackling those all in a group, probably around mid-June. After that, feel free to bug me about it. heh :)

Oh, one other thing before I get back to the grind:
I'm planning on posting photo galleries from the Celebration IV convention.. Right now the idea is to upload a new gallery each day of the show... but who knows, it'll all depend on how much time I get to wander around and snap photos, how often I'm near a computer, etc.. But here's the link to keep bookmarked -- right now I only have a CIV art gallery up, but there will be more comin' thoughout the show:
www.flickr.com/photos/gould/sets/

Force-Cast Interview

2007-05-16T13:13:00.000-05:00

I was part of a group interviewed by the Force-Cast -- which is basically the unofficial official Star Wars podcast, in case you're not already a listener. :) Anyway, we talk about Celebration IV and a little bit about ourselves. You can find it here or type "forcecast" in iTunes and download the newest episode. My portion begins right after the 43 minute mark. And, yes, I'm aware of the fact that I sound like an idiot.

The other artists interviewed are:
Cat Staggs
Allison Sohn
Dave Dorman
Thomas Hodges
Adam Hughes
Russell Walks
William O'Neil
Joe Corroney
Mark Brooks

Harry Potter

2007-05-15T02:53:00.001-05:00

On my To-Do List: Read the Harry Potter books.

Click the pic to check out a larger version --

I've seen all the movies.. That counts for something, right? :)

Boxing Kara

2007-05-14T17:50:00.000-05:00

Starbuck from one of my all-time favorite BSG episodes, "Unfinished Business" --

Personal sketch card, colored with Prismacolor markers.

NSU Winners

2007-05-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

The Non-Sport Update Card Forums had a sketch card contest a few months back, and I volunteered to draw some of the prize cards for one of the particular entry groups. First place got a color card (he asked for any LOST character, so I chose Locke), and the second places got b&w cards (they asked for the Batman villain Scarecrow and General Grievous). I hope they like 'em. :)

Vader the Hater

2007-05-12T03:18:00.000-05:00

Here's a recent "Revenge of the Sith" aftermarket card I spiffed up for someone.. Anakin's all the rage.. haha.. get it? (This is why I shouldn't update my blog at three in the morning...)

I'll have more art stuff soon. I've been on a commission-catch-up rampage, so I'll do some scanning tomorrow before I mail 'em off... yup..

Cartoony Heroes Cards :)

2007-05-08T18:21:00.000-05:00

For sale, if anyone's interested.

Artcast - Claire Coloring

2007-05-08T12:14:00.001-05:00

My pal Anton Peck has a great video podcast called the Artcast -- It's usually about twenty or thirty minutes per episode, and he focuses on showing techniques for creating and coloring artwork in Photoshop. Whether you're just starting out with digital artwork, or a pro looking to pick up some new tricks, I highly recommend checking it out.

In his latest episode, Anton uses my Claire drawing to show some ideas for creating skin tones, flesh highlights, etc. He and I have very different ways of coloring in Photoshop (I would say my style is much more 2D looking, whereas his is more 3D, if that makes sense), so I find it incredibly interesting to watch his process. He's a master, I tell ya! :)

Here's a link to the video: antonpeck.com/artcast/008_coloring_skintones
Or you can grab it on iTunes -- do a search for "artcast" and it should pop up.

Harrison shows some SW love

2007-05-07T15:43:00.000-05:00

Some exciting breaking news for those of you that collect the card sets --

Harrison Ford will be signing randomly inserted autograph cards for the Topps Star Wars 30th Anniversary Set!!

Keep an eye on the Topps Star Wars blog for more updates and info as it rolls in.

I gotta say, this is really shaping up to be the must-have Topps set.. I can only imagine what people are gonna be forkin' out for those autographs on eBay after the set's out..

Anyway, that's pretty cool news. It adds that something extra to the 30th anniversary. :) And just think.. it's possible you could buy a pack and pull an authentic Harrison Ford autograph and an original sketch card by Grant Gould.. O.O heh

SW 30th Sneak Peek III

2007-05-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at a few more of my sketch cards for the upcoming Star Wars 30th Anniversary set:

I did 500 total. The set should be coming out sometime in June or July.. I'll announce when they're out. :)

CIV Reservations/Pre-Orders

2007-05-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

I'm now taking reservations for CIV prints!! As well as pre-orders for sketches and personal sketch cards. (This offer ONLY applies to those who will be attending Star Wars Celebration IV.) Head to GrantGould.com/celebration for all the info :)

Added to my eBay store:

2007-05-03T20:00:00.000-05:00

MARVEL Dr. Strange
MARVEL Iron Fist
TMNT Rafael
TMNT Beastie Critter
Harry Potter
Hermione, Snape & Voldemort
HEROES Future Peter
HEROES Future Hiro
Grindhouse - Pack o' Terror!!

Future Heroes

2007-05-02T01:34:00.001-05:00

For sanity's sake, I had to take a short break from my work pile... I was inspired by this week's episode of "Heroes" (plus people keep askin' me when I'm gonna draw Hiro), so here ya go -- The future badass versions of Hiro and Peter:

If you want a nice glossy print of this so you can show all your friends what a sweeeeeet Heroes fan you are, head over to GrantGould.com/prints.html :)

MicroCon '07

2007-04-30T02:15:00.001-05:00

MicroCon was fun. Had pretty good crowds all day, chatted with friends, etc. Here are a few photos - all taken by Jessica Hickman (which is why she isn't in any of 'em).

Best way to spot a comic convention: look for the guys holding Captain America shields.

My pal Paul Taylor and his wife (in the blue shirt) holding their baby boy. It was awesome seeing them again. :)

My pals Mike May and Sam Hiti. Mike and I shared a table. Sam sat on the other side of the convention. They give him his own solitary Nation of Sam. He's cooler than us and smells like power. You can see the power in his gaze.. Mike, on the hand, smells of sweet innocence and desire.

Random shot of part of the show..

Someone had me draw a Lenore picture. (I didn't really take any pics of my sketches this time.. I didn't feel like having the camera out.) Alex Ness is sitting in the background there. For those who don't know, Alex writes for PopThought and is a fellow contributor to Sasquatch. He also likes to send me disturbing emails.

Our pals Kristin (Kristin, what the hell's your last name?) and Darla Ecklund, who sat next to Jess:

Our Table o' Love:

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and bought some stuff! :)

Punisher

2007-04-29T00:05:00.000-05:00

This was a pencil sketch I'd done for someone last year - He had me add inks and finish it up. Colored with Prismacolor markers.

I'm headin' out to MicroCon in about eight hours... Better get some sleep.. @.@

Red Sonja & DC Update

2007-04-28T02:21:00.000-05:00

She-devil with a sword!!

And I thought I'd point out that Rittenhouse and DC have finally posted some info and sneak peeks of the upcoming DC set that I'm working on... Here's the linkage: http://www.scifihobby.com/products/displaysetdetails.cfm?SetID=160

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

If you're in or around Minnesota, be sure to swing by MicroCon on Sunday -- I'll be selling sketchbooks and prints and doin' my thang. :)

One-Day Buffy Auction

2007-04-27T00:24:00.000-05:00

One-Day Buffy Auction

SW 30th Sneak Peek II

2007-04-26T13:08:00.000-05:00

OMG, I saw Bigfoot!!

2007-04-25T15:08:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that SASQUATCH is now in stores! It's over 250 pages, features a ton of awesome comic short stories (one of 'em's by me) -- and if you don't wanna drive out a comic shop to pick it up, you can also order it from vipercomics.com/shop :)

SW 30th First Look

2007-04-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

Topps gave me the green light to show off a few of my 30th Anniversary sketch cards.. Normally artists like to show off their top coolest cards right away, but I thought I'd show some variety instead.. I'm trying to have as much fun as I can with these and fully embracing my super-cartoony side. So, yeah.. Hope you like this sneak peek. I would give you a link to more set info, but Topps.com still doesn't have anything up.. *shrug* I believe this set ships in June, and you'll be able to find it at hobby stores, comic shops, etc.

Vader & Gimli cards

2007-04-22T17:24:00.001-05:00

I'm selling these two aftermarket cards -- I don't have the patience to deal with eBay right now, so I'm just posting 'em here and hoping they go. If you're interested in one of 'em, send me an email - grantgould-at-hotmail.com - and make an offer. Please only email me about this if you're serious about buying. Thanks, folks.

2007 Sketchbook

2007-04-20T16:20:00.000-05:00

My 2007 Convention Sketchbooks are back from the printer and they're pretty dang spiffy! Head on over to GrantGould.com/sketchbook for all the info. :)

Minnesota MicroCon!

2007-04-19T14:51:00.000-05:00

Sunday, April 29th is the MN MicroCon show -- a one-day convention that always has a bunch of local creators, comics, toys, all sorts of good stuff. It's always a great little show, and a nice way to kick off convention season (for me, at least). I'll be sellin' sketchbooks and prints, and I'll probably be doing some quick sketches, too. Should be fun. :)

SW 30th on StarWars.com

2007-04-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

StarWars.com just posted an announcement about the 30th Anniversary card set that I'm working on and gave a few details, including a full artist list. Here's the link.

In case you're wondering who those two images on the banner are by -- the cartoony one on the left is by my pal Katie Cook, who'll most likely be sharing a table with me at Wizard World Chicago this year -- and the Obi-Wan on the right is by pal (I have so many pals!) Cat Staggs, who I'm looking forward to drinkin' and partyin' with at Celebration IV. And I must point out that my talented girlfriend Jessica Hickman is also on the list of artists, which is cool -- this is her first Star Wars gig, so I'm happy for her. Look at all that girl power! O.O

Misc. Update

2007-04-13T19:04:00.000-05:00

DeviantART posted a cool gallery showing "Red Riding Hood" art -- my pic's one of the featured ones, so I thought I'd post a link. :)

This morning was my weekend. I treated myself to a movie (Pathfinder - which i liked!) and now it's back to the normal grind.. Plowing through the DC cards, Star Wars cards, and this corporate kids' booklet I'm designing for a Canadian company.. and trying to get commissions out the door..

I really wanna get a small b&w con sketchbook done in time for Micro-Con too, so I'll probably have to spend a few hours on that.. I'll probably create some of my first-ever Harry Potter sketches for it.. ooOOOoooo...

One last thing to mention: GentleGiantCollectors.com is keeping a nice gallery of all the Star Wars Celebration IV art prints that have been previewed so far on the starwars.com website -- You can find it over here. Lots of really amazing work there.... On one hand, it's very intimidating, because mine's a really different style from the majority of them.. there are only a couple cartoony styles in the group, and mine's one of 'em. But variety's the spice of life. I like my cartooniness. :) (.. is that a word?) Hopefully there'll be some cartoony-lovin' collectors at CIV.

Okay, enough blogging. Time to get back to work.

Creepshow

2007-04-12T02:21:00.001-05:00

An 11x14 commissioned piece (colored in Photoshop) based on the stories in Creepshow -- LOVED working on this one. :) Thanks, Matt!

NBC Heroes Gallery

2007-04-08T22:06:00.001-05:00

NBC set up a "Heroes" fan art page -- figured I'd send 'em my Claire drawing, and hey, they slapped it up there. :) Anyway, just wanted to point that out. I've had a couple people contact me saying they found my site because of the gallery, so that's cool. Here's the link: NBC.com/Heroes/auction/fan_gallery.shtml

GRINDHOUSE

2007-04-08T02:26:00.000-05:00

I apologize to those of you whose commissions I should've been working on tonight. I got hit hard by the fan art bug and couldn't shake it off. I had to take a few hours to make.... my very own fake PLANET TERROR comic cover.

What can I say... I needed a quick dose of spontaneity. It's a form of re-self-energizing.

Have a fun Easter, everyone! I'll be spending the day hunched over the drawing board.. No rest for the self-employed... heh :)

Celebration IV Print

2007-04-06T01:43:00.000-05:00

StarWars.com has previewed my C4 art print, along with several others. The one they have up there isn't my final version -- I emailed 'em, so hopefully by the time you're reading this they've updated the site with the right one. :) Anyway, here it is:

Chicago Art Forum

2007-04-02T23:51:00.001-05:00

I wanna help my pal and fellow Lord of the Rings and Star Wars artist Cynthia Cummens spread the word about this:

ChicagoArtistsForum.blogspot.com
Artists in the Chicago area, come out to Blick Art Materials on the second Saturday of the month for the Chicago Area Artist Forum. Location: Blick Art Materials in Wheaton -- Open to all professional and emerging artists -- Next meeting: April 13, 2007 6:30, pm til 9pm

Click the link for more details! :)

APRIL RULES

2007-04-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

THIS WEEK ONLY I'm taking orders for single-character marker commissions and charging only $50 a pop. More info over at grantgould.com/aprilrules
EDIT: Time's now up. Thanks to everyone who ordered one! :)

1st Look - DC Cards

2007-04-01T00:48:00.000-05:00

Some collectors have been posting photos from a recent non-sport card show in Philly. Apparently the folks behind the upcoming DC set were showing samples to the public, including a few of mine - Bizarro, Supes, and Wonder Woman! And these are actual scans of the first three cards I drew for the set (I haven't physically mailed them the three cards yet). So, yeah, I thought that was kinda cool -- an official first peek at some of my DC sketch cards. :)

Slave Leia Sketch

2007-03-29T20:01:00.000-05:00

Just a quickie. I added it to my eBay store.

Click for big version:

DC and Star Wars 30th

2007-03-29T00:43:00.001-05:00

I'm being told I can officially announce both card sets I'm working on right now (and will be working on until sometime in May). Both companies seem to be a little behind in their website updates, I don't see any set info up yet.. but I'm sure that'll change soon. As far as I know, both sets have a summer release. And both sets are gonna RUUUUULE.

DC Universe: Legacy
I'm doing 300 full-color cards, featuring all the DC heroes and villains.. I'm excited about this because I'm kind of a dummy when it comes to DC, so now I'm learning who the characters are, what they look like, etc.. Definitely a cool gig. And did I mention - ? ALL COLOR :)

Star Wars 30th Anniversary
I'm doing 500 cards, all A New Hope themed -- some will be pencil sketches, some inked, and some color. And the artist list on this set is amazing.. If you're a comic book fan, your jaw will drop when you see some of the names.. It's gonna be the Darth Vader of all card sets.

More info soon...

C4 Program, SW Stamps

2007-03-28T12:35:00.000-05:00

I'm slapping you with yet another non-art post. (Sorry, almost everything I'm working on right now is stuff I can't show yet.) But here's some more Star Wars coolness recently announced and shown on StarWars.com :)

First up is the official Celebration 4 program book artwork, created by my pal Randy 'Lover Not A Fighter' Martinez. It'll be sold as a poster, too.

Second is our first look at the Star Wars postage stamp collection! I guess they'll be available May 26.

I'm tellin' ya... Celebration 4 is gonna be a madhouse of amazing stuff... Just make sure you buy one of my posters, people! I'll be sellin' 'em cheap! hehe :)

Oh, that reminds me, I've had a couple people ask me about my Star Wars print/poster. It's done, Lucasfilm approved it, it's all set to go. I can tell you that it's 18"x24" in size and it's A New Hope themed. What I can't do is show it to you yet. StarWars.com wants to preview all of the artists' prints first, and then after that I can post it here. So until then, hold on to your blasters.

New eBay Items

2007-03-26T22:03:00.001-05:00

Marvel: Spidey, Cap, Hulk, Iron Man, Spiderwoman
Marvel: Wolverine, Thing, Human Torch
007: Dr. No
007: From Russia With Love
Dr. Doom and Red Skull sketches
Qui-Gon and Watto pencil sketch
Cartoony Starbuck (BSG)
Creature from the Black Lagoon

I'm also selling a Pirates of the Caribbean 5-piece booty pack where you get the two full-color prints and all three original drawings. Yaarrrr, what-a deeal..

Bear McCreary Q&A

2007-03-26T03:10:00.000-05:00

Just a quick non-art post -- I had the honor of setting up and conducting a Q&A session with Battlestar Galactica's mondo-talented composer, Bear McCreary. If you're a fan of the show, go check it out! :)

R2-D2 Mailbox!

2007-03-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

I'm sure most of you have seen the Artoo mailboxes by now, right? :)

My girlfriend and I hunted down the Minneapolis one today and took a couple photos. Figured I'd post a shot of me and Artoo here in the ol' blog.

And, hey, while I'm on the topic of Star Wars..
Check it out, StarWars.com unveiled the official Celebration IV poster by artist John Alvin:

Pretty snazzy.
It's both mellow and epic..

There are certainly going to be oodles of awesome posters and prints for sale at Celebration IV... All you fans that are going: you're gonna wanna bring your credit cards! hehe :)

Dead Man's Chest

2007-03-24T02:06:00.000-05:00

PotC: Davy Jones & Jack Sparrow
Colored in Photoshop -- Prints are available!

Rancor & other cards

2007-03-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

A few cards I finished up tonight (click for a bigger view):

The top three are (obviously) the Rancor scene -- the middle bottom card is Figrin D'an from the Star Wars cantina band, and the other two on the bottom are G.I. Joe/Cobra characters. :) As with all my sketch cards, these were made with brush pen and Prismacolor markers.

Learn to Draw R2-D2

2007-03-21T22:04:00.000-05:00

My latest "Learn to Draw" feature is up at starwars.com -- Here's a link for ya! This one's got kind of a special place in my heart -- Artoo's always been one of my favorite characters. Easily the coolest little droid in the galaxy. :)

If you're an Artoo fan and want a full-color print of the final pic (as seen below), head on over to my prints page.

Solo/Fett Prints

2007-03-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

If you're interested in grabbing one of my limited edition signed & numbered Solo/Fett prints, now's the time to grab one -- Time's almost up!

Gaius Baltar

2007-03-19T02:32:00.000-05:00

Battlestar commission -- 8.5"x11" (blue pencil, brush pen & Prismacolor markers). Definitely tried to go more serious and portraity with this one. I hope ya like it, Annie! :)

Davy, Mara & Wolvie

2007-03-18T11:54:00.000-05:00

Three quick things:

1) I posted a Davy Jones doodle over at the Daily Scribble:

2) Here's an art magnet I recently did -- another Mara Jade:

3) And here's something cool. A fan of mine named Fiona (who you may remember many months ago recreated one of my old Leia drawings on chainmail) worked her chainmail magic once again, this time using a Wolverine card I did a long time ago.. In her email she says it has about 5100 rings in the inlay.. so, pretty amazing stuff. My mind is boggled. Thanks for sending the photo, Fiona! :)

Here's what the original drawing looked like:

Order Freeze

2007-03-14T17:22:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know -- I'm no longer taking orders for commissions, sketch cards, or magnet art cards.

This isn't a permanent thing -- it's just something I have to do right now so that I can catch up on already-existing commissions and orders. Plus I'm up to my neck in projects right now, including a couple sketch card sets, comics, and more (some of which I haven't been able to announce yet). My "to do" list is at max capacity, so I wanna clear my plate before taking on anything new. Keep your eye on my main site -- I'll announce when I'm taking orders for stuff again. It'll probably be around June or July.

In the meantime, keep my eBay store bookmarked -- http://stores.ebay.com/grantgould -- I'll be putting new goodies up there every week or so.

Thanks, everyone! :)

Wormwood G.C. TPB

2007-03-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

This puppy is out TODAY, people!
It's 152 pages, features 2 stories, the "Leroy's Special Brew" short from the Taster #0 issue and the full miniserial " Birds Bees Blood & Beer," plus a cover gallery and pinup gallery, a look behind the scenes, and a forward written by David Slade, the director of Hard Candy and the upcoming 30 Days of Night movie. And it includes a pinup by yours truly. :)

So check it out, especially if you haven't been buying the individual issues. The collection looks really great, and Ben's a great guy and the comic is fun and twisted.. Go buy. Now!

PotC: Tia Dalma

2007-03-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

This is the original drawing for the Tia Dalma pic I posted over at the Daily Scribble. I've had a couple people ask about what kind of pen I use to ink -- I use Faber Castell Pitt artist pens (the brush nib ones). They're pretty cheap - usually around $1.50 a pop. They're not for everybody, but I love 'em. :)

Obi-Wan & Boga for sale

2007-03-09T21:31:00.000-06:00

8.5"x11" marker drawing -- Available on eBay! 3 day auction! Starting at only 99 cents! :)

How To Draw Asajj

2007-02-28T22:56:00.000-06:00

My latest "How To Draw" Kids Feature for StarWars.com is up now -- featuring that nasty lil' Sith Witch, Asajj Ventress.

http://www.starwars.com/kids/activity/draw/f20070228/index.html

Baltar Book Cover

2007-02-28T02:04:00.000-06:00

I took a little break from work tonight to have some Battlestar Galactica fanboy fun.. I recreated the cover of Baltar's book from "Dirty Hands." I grabbed a few screencaps from the episode, Googled for James Callis' photo (then attacked it with Photoshop filters), found a font that looked right.. basically did everything I could to make it look as much like the actual prop as possible.

So there ya go.. I hope you other BSG fans out there dig it. :) Here's an 8.5x11 print-ready version for those of you that wanna hang it on your fridge or wall or somethin'..

Alrightee, back to work. heh

Leatherface

2007-02-27T15:05:00.000-06:00

Here's a 9x12 marker commission I finished last night -- Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I don't wanna scare off some of my more sensitive blog readers with a big scary picture, so you can click here if ya wanna check it out at full size.

Han Pencils & Inks

2007-02-26T02:16:00.000-06:00

Here's an animated gif showing the pencils and inks for that Han Solo pic I drew. Mmmmm.... animated gif...

And allow me to once again plug mah goods: Han & Boba prints are still available.

Waiting to ship

2007-02-23T13:43:00.000-06:00

Some of you are waiting to get a package from me (eBay wins & prints) -- I just wanted to let ya know the reason I haven't shipped 'em yet is because I'm supposed to be getting my new promo cards any day now and I wanted to include one of 'em in your packages. Normally I try to mail stuff off right away, so I feel guilty having these sittin' on my desk.. heh :)

Anyway, if you're waiting on a package and don't care about the new promo cards, just send an email my way and tell me to go ahead and ship now. Otherwise I'll just keep waiting for the cards to arrive -- it shouldn't be much longer.

Thanks, as always, for your patience, everyone! Busy busy busy :)

Robbins Interview

2007-02-21T18:59:00.000-06:00

I had the honor of conducting a community interview with Battlestar Galactica actor Ryan Robbins (who appeared in the mini-series and now season 3) -- It's a really fun interview, any fan of the show should check it out. :)

Interview with Ryan Robbins