Happy 2019!

A new year means a fresh start for everybody, including me! I’ve taken a long 2+ year hiatus from Citadel and a lot of art work in general, however after several months of planning and organizing, I hope to return to comics-making in earnest this year…starting immediately! I hope you enjoy my annual holiday illustration with this post, obviously inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A year on from the release of it’s final DLC pack, it’s still an inspiring game to me and I think about it frequently, even if I’m no longer booting it up regularly.

My wife and I have had many adventures this past year including my first ever trip overseas to her homeland, Thailand! I picked up much inspiration on the journeys we’ve had and the adventure now continues, hopefully on paper as well as in life!

Ink on Bristol, colors in Photoshop CS6
Original illustration is © 2019 Randall Drew
All Rights Reserved

Kickstarter Sketch Card – Flame On

Here’s a fiery Bowser sketch card I did, I believe, for Scott Baer of the Lost at Home Podcast. Give it a listen, it’s hilarious and thought provoking, and you’ll get to hear some very unique guests on the show! Scott is also the second half of Green Mountain Graveyards which focuses on artistic photography of the many, old, and very interesting graveyards found throughout our home state of Vermont!

Pentel Pocket Brush, Prismacolor, Copics on card stock.

-RD

Original art is © 2015 Randall Drew
Bowser is © Nintendo

Kickstarter Sketch Card – A New Power

An unfamiliar and fearful new power.

Pentel pocket brush, Prismacolor and Copics on card stock.

-RD

Original Art is © 2015 Randall Drew
Rydia is © SquareEnix

MeCAF 2015 Report

Another spring has arrived here in New England and that means comics shows are back! This is my 6th year doing the Maine Comics Arts Festival. I’ve been lucky enough to table at every single show since it started way back in 2008. This show has grown, evolved and moved venues over that run, but continues to always be a bed-rock show for me. I almost always do well at MeCAF, even in a down year. This year was no exception.

Beyond Mode 7 was very well received at the show, despite the fact I had to borrow some copies to sell from my co-editor Jesse DuRona. We’ve had high hopes for the Anthology from day 1 and seeing all our copies go at MeCAF really helped solidify those feelings. If you were there and didn’t get a chance to check it out of pick yourself up a copy, it’s always available at my store page!

Normally I’d have a bunch of photos from the show floor, but this year I was busy enough that I didn’t get to take any! This is a bit of a transition year for RKDIA Comics as well, as Jesse and I split to independent tables after co-tabling for many years, and my presentation is going to evolve in the coming season as I try to re-evaluate what it is that I want to share at comic conventions, and what the public is looking for from me.

To that effect, I did notice sketch cards were way down this year for me, and a few other artists I talked too on the floor. Perhaps it was placement (Jesse, who was near the entrance, did a ton of them) or perhaps it was just me not pushing them as hard. Either way, it’s something I’m going to take into account on-the-whole when it comes to cons and trade shows…almost everyone does them now.

I saw so many familiar faces but sadly did not get around to say hello very much. Check out the Guests List to see who was there and what they do…everyone is just amazing!

Next year I hope to be a bit more on-the-ball with MeCAF, I’m lucky and grateful that it went so well for me as I was woefully under-prepared. Sleep or no sleep (this year being the later) I always have fun in Portland and can’t wait to go back!

Cheers!

-RD

Kickstarter Sketch Card – Wahoo!!!

Toad says it all! Today is the one-year anniversary of the successful completion of the Beyond Mode 7 Kickstarter!

The opportunity to work with so many amazing artists, fans and backers was tremendously awesome!

The book will be available this weekend at the Maine Comics Arts Festival, Sunday from 10am-5pm at both my and Jesse Durona’s tables! If you don’t want to wait, or can’t travel to the show, you can still get a copy at my RKDIA Comics Shop online!

No comic page last week or this week as a result of prep for MeCAF as well as some commission work, but I should be back to regular updates next Thursday!

-RD

Kickstarter Sketch Card – I Take Up 5 Screens

Kraid! A sketch card for backer, mentor and all around amazing comics legend Steve Bissette who loves monsters! Why not draw for him one of the coolest giant monsters in gaming? (Yes, the title is lyrics taken from Starbomb)

Pentel Pocket Brush, Microns, Prismacolor on card stock.

-RD

Original Art is © 2015 Randall Drew
Kraid is © Nintendo

Kickstarter Sketch Card – Do a Barrel Roll!

Hey everyone. I was busy participating in the White River Indie Film Festival/CATV 8/10 48 Hour Film Slam competition this past weekend, so there will be no comic page this week.

There will, however, be two sketch cards, since I missed one last week! Here’s the first one, Fox McCloud from the Star Fox series!

(Note I had to scan this one in before I had a grey color to finish his jacket! So the final version that shipped was a bit different!)

Pentel Pocket Brush, Microns, Prismacolor and Copics on card stock.

-RD

Original art is © 2014 Randall Drew
Star Fox is © Nintendo

Kickstarter Sketch Card – Master Sword

Link puts his thinking cap on over the Master Sword. Pentel Pocket Brush, Microns, Prismacolor and Copics on card stock. -RD Original art is © 2014 Randall Drew Link is © Nintendo