Pencils 'n' Pixels - Art by Allen Holt

Casey Malone Is The Brute Squad: This Is Not Fucking Harmless

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:34:12 -0400

Casey Malone Is The Brute Squad: This Is Not Fucking Harmless:

This is fucking disgusting, and this sleazebag should not be allowed to make this happen. This is teaching people with middling-to-low social skills how to sexually assault women, and not a goddamn thing about that is okay.

caseymalone:

I love Kickstarter. I think that’s clear to people who know me by now? I love it. There’s a dude named Brad Muir and he works at Double Fine and I love the games they make, so much. But before Kickstarter, every time a Double Fine game came out I was a little worried it would be their last,…

artbyallen: I won’t claim I drew this FOR @thechrishaley, but I...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:34:52 -0400

artbyallen:

I won’t claim I drew this FOR @thechrishaley, but I also can’t say I didn’t think about him while drawing it. Seemed appropriate for this weekend, even if my opinion of the movie is dropping the more I think about it and the more I get away from what I wanted it to be rather than what it was.

Also, welcome to my new all-my-art-all-the-time Tumblr! The old one’s still here for reblogging other people and stuff like that, but this one will be my “gallery” site from here on out. My art.allenholt.com URL now points to here, and I’ll be filling it in with some older pieces shortly. Enjoy!

Yes, I’m reblogging myself.

brynndragon: I’ve got 99 problems and 86 of them are completely made up scenarios in my head that...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:48:00 -0400

brynndragon:

I’ve got 99 problems and 86 of them are completely made up scenarios in my head that I’m stressing about for absolutely no logical reason.

This is me pretty much all the time

Alternate ending for Man of Steel. (From Action Comics #583....

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:08:00 -0400

Alternate ending for Man of Steel.

(From Action Comics #583. Words by Alan Moore, art by Curt Swan.)

EDIT: Almost immediately after I posted this, I saw that Entertainment Weekly has a whole spoileriffic article up about precisely this point in this story. Well worth reading.

deantrippe: pixoholic: One of the few times I’ve really wanted...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:50:27 -0400

deantrippe:

pixoholic:

One of the few times I’ve really wanted a Mondo poster.

Man of Steel by Martin Ansin.

look. up in the sky.

Oh, man. So much want.

Cyclops, old-school style. I always loved the hell out of the...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:28:43 -0400

Cyclops, old-school style.

I always loved the hell out of the way John Byrne (among others, but Byrne is the influential one on me here) drew Cyke’s optic blast as a purely flat, purely red beam. None of that modern electric-lookin’ horseshit for me.

"push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to..."

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 08:25:17 -0400

“

push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.

2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.

3. erase processed food from your diet. start with no lollies, chips, biscuits, then erase pasta, rice, cereal, then bread. use the rule that if a child couldn’t identify what was in it, you don’t eat it.

4. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.

5. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.

6. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.

7. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.

8. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.

9. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.

10. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.

11. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.

12. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.

14. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.

15. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.

16. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.

”

- Sixteen Small Steps to Happiness (via pigmenting)

Not sure I can or even want to do all of these, but there are several excellent ideas on this list.

bigredrobot: katewillaert: Here’s another infographic I did...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:14:17 -0400

bigredrobot:

katewillaert:

Here’s another infographic I did for HalloweenCostumes.com, this time illustrating the history of the emblem on Superman’s chest.

Until I researched this, I had no idea just how many variations the shield went through in its first five years, before they settled on the classic design that went mostly unchanged for over five decades.

My previous infographic (illustrating the evolution of Iron Man’s armor) can be seen here.

Somebody on Twitter was bitching about how they wished the Man of Steel chest emblem was more “historic” or something and I wanted to be like, “Son, which historic chest emblem do you mean?”

My kids apparently play "1% Monopoly."

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:00:13 -0400

Kelsey, age 11: “We have our own rules for Monopoly. Everybody gets to be the banker, and you can take as much money as you want! And you can take other people’s houses when they’re not looking.”

Laurel, age 9: “Yeah, it’s more lifelike this way.”

[later]

Kelsey, gathering her five game tokens to her side of the board: “We’re on strike!”

Laurel: “You can’t be on strike!”

Kelsey: “Well, we are.”

Laurel: “You’re on the wrong side of the strike line!”

Kelsey: “Where’s the right side, then?”

Laurel: “Ha! There isn’t one!”

brianmichaelbendis: Bruce Timm’s cover for Adventures of...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 21:02:52 -0400

brianmichaelbendis:

Bruce Timm’s cover for Adventures of Superman #4.

I want Kelly Sue to come hang out with my daughters. In the...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:54:35 -0400

I want Kelly Sue to come hang out with my daughters. In the meantime, I’m just gonna have to get more of her books for them to read.

kellysue:

I’ve got three things I’ve got to get turned in today, two kids to get fed and dressed and a bag to pack and a flight to catch, so I can’t respond to this the way I’d like, but I’m putting it here so I don’t forget.

I also need to let my temper subside a bit. If I were to reply right now I’d resort to name-calling and insults and we all know there’s no ground to be gained there.

Instead, when I’m not shaking anymore, I’ll recount my career trajectory AGAIN. [Magazine writer/research assistant—>comic reviewer—>7 years adapting manga into English—>anthology shorts—>co-writing gigs—>one-shots—>minis—->ongoings]

Maybe I’ll get Alejandro Arbona to attest—AGAIN!—that I was blind-submitted for my first gig at Marvel. I’ll offer that if you’re looking for Men to Credit for My Career, you should look first to Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Peter Rose, Steve Niles and Jamie Rich — all of whom were responsible for making introductions or getting me chances to submit my work well before Matt Fraction had any pull in the industry. (I’ll also state in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t sleeping with any of those men, because I know, dear Anon, that is your next assumption.) Or Brian Bendis, who had championed my work in a way I will never be able to adequately thank him for. (Ditto Steve Wacker.)

(Also not sleeping with Brian or Steve, just so we’re clear.)

Maybe I’ll ponder why it isn’t Fraction who’s considered to have benefited from nepotism. After all, more than 10 years ago now, Matt Fraction was my plus one to Joe Quesada’s 40th birthday party and it was me who sent copies of Last of the Independents to Joe and Axel. I mean, clearly, it was those gestures that got Fraction his career — certainly not the merit of his work, right? I mean, come on — those Hawkeye Eisner noms are part mine, right?

(I can’t imagine how sick Fraction must be of hearing me tell that story. But I bet it’s not half as sick of it as I am.)

(The first person I met in the industry was Wil Rosado. Through him, the first editors I met were Andy Ball, who’s since moved on, and Joey Cavalieri. Just in case anybody wants to make a chart. This would be… maybe 4 years before I met Fraction, Gillen, Ellis, McKelvie et al on the WEF.)

Okay, deep breath.

Bendis is going to tell me that I shouldn’t acknowledge this, that I’m feeling trolls, but here’s the pickle: people deny that this happens. We’re told that the insults to our dignity working women face are in our imagination, that it’s a thing of sexy Mad Men past. It’s WOMEN who make this a thing, right? (Hysterical, don’t you know.) We’re to the point where I meet young women who won’t identify as feminists because the struggle is over and it’s only a thing if you make it one.

Bullshit.

It’s not a natural assumption to leap to the conclusion that I got my job because of my marriage. It’s the product of deeply-ingrained sexist thinking. I can name for you a half a dozen men who did, in fact, get their first big two gigs because of who they knew and their dignity and their qualifications have never been called into question. I’m lucky if I go a week.

I was recently directed to a post on a snake pit of a message board (what was I thinking, even going to look?) by a man I’d known as long as I’d known my husband, a man I’d met at the same time—a man who had felt free to ask professional favors of me on multiple occasions—who was lamenting how “easily” I’d gotten to where I was because of Fraction. When friends of mine pointed him to my CV, he half-apologized because he had no idea. Apparently he thought Marvel—a publicly-owned company—was in the habit of handing out gigs to freelancer’s wives just for kicks. Then he threw up the bit about it being a natural assumption.

I would say simply ‘fuck that guy’ and chalk it up to his not being half as smart as he thinks he is, but here’s the thing:

That guy has daughters.

For them, and for my daughter and for your daughter, I am going to occasionally shine a light on these things… even though it both enrages and embarrasses me.

I don’t know if it’s the right call, but I know that ‘ignore it and it’ll go away’ isn’t working.

I need to figure out a way to contain my outrage enough to talk about it in a way that doesn’t attack, but invites dudes like Anon to rethink their ‘natural assumptions’ without setting myself up as an uppity bitch that they’re invested in proving wrong.

I… I clearly don’t know how to do that right now. But I’m going to figure it out.

Later.

Right now, the kids need breakfast and my son has questions about the xenomorph that can’t wait another second.

I’m out.

Happiest Boy Evar. This was my weekend project, started while I...

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 18:44:23 -0400

Happiest Boy Evar.

This was my weekend project, started while I was at Cape Cod and finished a little while ago. I have very little Internet access, and therefore very little reference material available - but I did have Andrew’s Bouncer (his most very favorite Skylander) nearby, so I drew him. Then once he was done, I realized he was still missing something…so I added Andrew hanging onto him, which would certainly make him the happiest kid in the entire world.

Man, do I ever love José Luis García-López. When I first learned...

Thu, 30 May 2013 12:07:00 -0400

Man, do I ever love José Luis García-López. When I first learned how to draw Superman long, long, long ago, it was García-López drawings I learned from. <3

ETA: That is one dead-sexy Lois Lane, Señor García-López. Just felt that needed to be said.

(via Newsarama.)

Chris said all this so I don’t have to. Listen to...

Thu, 30 May 2013 07:52:24 -0400

Chris said all this so I don’t have to. Listen to him.

chrishaley:

Once again..

Literal.

Actual.

Tears.

I spent a long time just being guarded and cautiously optimistic about this movie, and I’m trying my best to maintain some of that because, as anyone who knows me knows, Superman.. this dude.. this my dude.

I have so many good and bad life experiences and emotions tied up in this character.

I know this is silly, but this dude means the world to me.

You don’t have enough time to listen to how long it would take for my heart to sing it’s full song to Superman.

Again, I know I am a ridiculous person, but I’ve lived a ridiculous life, and this is who I am.

I don’t know if there’s any more defining fact about me than the fact that I love Superman.

You know that scene in All Star Superman where Lex Luthor finally sees everything the way Superman sees it, and finally understands how beautiful it all is and we all are?

That’s how I see Superman.

Not just what he is or what he’s been, but everything he represents to me and everyone else who loves him, as well as everything he’s capable of being as a character and a symbol and an ideal.

If I had my wish, one day I’d be able to make everyone the world over see Superman the way I do.

I’ve been drawing Superman since I was old enough to hold a crayon, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to draw a picture of him that does him the justice I think he deserves, so occasionally I have to go on these over-emotional rants because I don’t know what else to do, and I have to keep trying to make people understand why I think he’s so great.

I owe it to him.

I owe it to him, but even more than that, he deserves it.

So, I want this movie to be every bit the incredible, moving, funny, epic adventure that a movie about Superman should be.

More truthfully, I hope it will be.

Because the marketing is right, I see that S and it does what it always does: It gives me hope.

-ch

christianberanek: Art and Technology comic by...

Wed, 29 May 2013 20:34:58 -0400

christianberanek:

Art and Technology comic by http://www.scrollon.com creator Doug Lefler. Scrollon goes live in the Apple App Store this coming Monday, June 3rd.

Funnily enough, this was the very next post after I put up my actual drawn-on-paper drawing. And yes, more than once while drawing, I mentally hit the undo button before reaching for the eraser. :)

Colossus. I wanted to update his classic threads a bit — I...

Wed, 29 May 2013 20:19:14 -0400

Colossus. I wanted to update his classic threads a bit — I tried to keep many of the elements of his original costume but modernize it a little bit. And I changed the bright blue to a darker red to reflect the fact that he’s not as bright a character as he was back in the day.

I also wanted to try out a new technique — get this, I actually drew this with a pencil. I know. I promise I am shitting you negative. It’d been far, far too long since I’d drawn with actual pencil on actual paper, and I’d forgotten that it engages my brain in an entirely different way than my all-digital workflow does. Think I’ll be doing more that way soon!

(Colored in Manga Studio.)

anniewu: Apologies to Mr. Allred.

Tue, 28 May 2013 13:13:29 -0400

anniewu:

Apologies to Mr. Allred.

twentypercentcooler: birdstump: Lois, Jimmy and Clark designs:...

Sat, 25 May 2013 21:42:20 -0400

twentypercentcooler:

birdstump:

Lois, Jimmy and Clark designs: take three — by Brittney Williams

I’m on-record as being pro-trunks for Superman, but that Lois and Jimmy drawing is faaaaaaaantastic.

stickfigureno: Page one of Monkeybrain’s new Subatomic Party...

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:59:43 -0400

stickfigureno:

Page one of Monkeybrain’s new Subatomic Party Girls #1. Page one of All-Star Superman #1.

The essence of pop music. The essence of Superman.

I’m not saying SPG is as good as All-Star Superman (that is for history to decide, Chris Sims), but I am still saying you should buy it for 99 cents as soon as possible. If not for this page, then for the last page.

(Subatomic Party Girls is by Chris Sims, Chad Bowers, Erica Henderson, and Josh Krach. All-Star Superman is by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant, and Phil Balsman.)

Supergirl. Just ‘cause. Done in Manga Studio 5.

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:43:05 -0400

Supergirl.

Just ‘cause. Done in Manga Studio 5.