The tale of a Green Lantern and a Sea Hag

More absurdity from my sketchbook.  This time a Green Lantern and a Sea Hag enjoy!

Sketchbook Ahoy!

It's been a while since I've posted and it's been for good reason.  Life has kept my brain busy elsewhere but as things are getting leveled out I'm finding more time to jump back into a brand new sketchbook!  Here's a 2 pager based on the Adventures of Buck Rogers.  A friend gave me a collection of the old comics and it has fascinated me!  So much so I put pen to paper, enjoy!

Five Years.....

We've lost far too many greats so far this year, but greats we are fortunate to have shared an Earth with. 

Thank you Gents.

Popeye el Marinero

A good friend of mine couldn't make it up to Carol and John's Comics for Free Comic Book Eve and lamented not getting a sketch.  He said, "maybe next year I'll get you to do a Luchadore Popeye for me!"  Why wait till next year I say!!!

This sketch is brush pen and good ol' crayola marker.  enjoy!

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen

After watching Daredevil on Netflix I too was bit by the gotta draw some Matt Murdock bug!  It was a great opportunity to play with ink and to see, again, how few colors I could get away with in one piece.  I got this one down to 4 if you don't count the ground color.  Enjoy!

Rescue!

Click and count the lines. 

It’s no secret that this is about my kid being born. The difference in scale is entirely intentional as I wanted Robin to only be able to hold Batman’s finger, just like my daughter did when I met her. 

This is EXACTLY how I remember it happening...Ladder and all. 

Just like the other monsters, this original piece is for sale at FCBD at Carol and John’s comic shop, as well as prints of an (upcoming) colored version. You should buy them, my kid is almost two now and she needs a Robin costume.  

In Search of...

Remembering the passing of the great Leonard Nimoy in my sketchbook this week.  Drawing on recycled paper, bleach , graphite, white colored pencil and a little acrylic.

Tim the Enchanter

This portrait is both WAY late and WAY early.  

After last week's Rust Belt post on birthdays I remembered I hadn't yet finished my portrait of Tim!  So here it is.  I have been inspired by Tim's work long before we started the RBMC.  Ever since seeing his work at Doctor Sketchy he was one of the reasons I came back every month, someone to marvel at and someone to push me to draw better!  He still does that weather he knows or not.  As one of the new Doctors at Doctor Sketchy Cleveland not only does he inspire but supplies a jungle gym for the rest of Cleveland to learn on.

He's an amazing guy with an amazing talent and a friend I wish everyone to have: honest, level headed and always there when you need him.

Happy WAY late and WAY early Birthday Tim!!

Take Matters Into Your Own Hands

...Or feet as the case my be. 

Your Pal, 

Randy Crider 

Art Nerd Toughness

Skulls are tough, painting is tougher. Id get this tattooed if there weren't so many tiny lines...Or if I was tougher. 

Your Pal, 

Randy Crider 

Happy Birthday Henry!

One of the best things I've been involved with in the last couple of years is the Cleveland Chapter of the Drink and Draw Social Club.  So so so many talented people in the area come out to draw silly things and get to know each other. Henry Pope of Pink and Nonook fame is one of those insanely talented people I've had the pleasure to get to know.  The man is a MACHINE!!!  One of the most dedicated, talented and motivated people I've ever known and is truly an inspiration.

This lil drawing is my take at his Pink and Nanook characters.  A lot less sexy but fun to draw nonetheless.  SO head on over to the website, check out his work then swing by his Facebook and wish him a happy birthday!

Calling A Big Ol' Soft Spot

With Valentines Day around the corner, it was a good time to celebrate my love...of wrestling. If you've been following my Instagram, you know how just how often a masked gentleman will make an appearance.  I'll take a wrestler over a superhero most days, but it might be because I don't own any capes. 

Since Valentines Day is right around the corner, I've released this as a print and a sticker in case you've got a special wrestling nerd/mask enthusiast in your life. Stay cool out there, friends. 

Your Pal,

Randy Crider 

Trash Day?

A happy Oscar the Grouch, perhaps too happy. 

Erik

Favorite movie monster?  Quite possibly.  Love the Phantom of the Opera in every form.  This, the classic Lon Chaney Phantom.

Taking Aristotle for a walk

Pugsley and his pet octopus Aristotle (Fang if you prefer the animated series).  

Happy inktober!

The Darkseid High-Five

If you have such hap hazard eye lasers why would you hold your hand up when you were firing them off?  Cause your Darkseid that's why!  

It's 5:00 somewhere

Part of a poster illustration I've been working on that I thought I would share.  Graphite on vellum.  The final will have vector, traditional drawing all tied together with a little Photoshop, will keep you posted!

Creature Comforts

I was asked to contribute some monsters for the first opening at Gallery Galore tonight. Alongside some color prints (I'll share those next week) they asked me to produce some sketches to sell unframed. Boy oh boy I sure fun with these. It's  been a nice reminder that Im capable of quickly taking sketches to ink and that I enjoy it a whole heck of a lot.  

If you follow me on instagram (@randycrider) you've already seen these, but I wanted to formally share them on the blog.  We're the Rust Belt MONSTER collective after all.  

Your Pal,

Randy Crider

Poor Lil' Guy

Hi all my buddies!  Here's something that's been floating around my studio for months. This fella started as a doodle in the cartooning class that I teach, and after weeks of making tiny lines in my free time, he's the crosshatched monstrosity that stands before you.  I'm pretty fond of him, especially since I based his hair on the "hairstyle" my newborn daughter had at the time. Good chance you'll see more of him, or in the very least some of his crosshatched brothers and sisters. 

Your pal, 

Randy Crider 

The Orgin Of The Painter

One of the pieces from SPACES Monster Draw Rally April 12, 2014

Last weekend all six of the Rust Belt Monsters descended upon Spaces Gallery for their annual Monster Draw Rally fundraiser.  We painted two 4'x6' murals in 5 hours (More photos on www.rustbeltmonster.com soon!), and I had a chance to share someone from my sketchbook who'd been tooling around for three years. 

Original concept sketch, with added paint splatters from the mural.

I keep every sketchbook, even if they only have one drawing in them.  They serve as a way for me to communicate with my past, and now as a father, to communicate to the future.  Without a doubt they are my most valuable possession. 

I hadn't been to SPACES gallery in three years, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to look through those sketchbooks and see where my head was at the last time I was there. 

Early sketchbook piece circa 2011

Three years ago was when I started drawing in earnest, and when I started putting double page stream of consciousness spreads in my sketchbooks. The fella in the left corner popped up a lot in those pages usually rampaging a city. Having three years between the pages, it felt appropriate to give him a paintbrush, since that's how I've been rampaging the city since then.