Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs as Luke Cage: Power Man, Sketchbook Chronicles No. 8, ink, watercolor paint and Copic art marker on sketch paper. Art by Coyote Duran.
A couple of years ago, I decided to dedicate an entire sketchbook to pieces that didn't take much time to do (more on that later...) and call these "journal entries" the "Sketchbook Chronicles." This was meant to be an extremely frequent exercise just to keep me sharp but, of course, life got in the way (and that's not a bad thing!). Entry No. 8 was supposed to be a timely entry but the capitalist pig (coyote, really) I am got more involved in commissions. (Hey, I've got bills to pay and mouths to feed too, you know.) See, Netflix and Marvel Studios premiered their "Luke Cage" series in September of 2016 and I got the bright idea (no, really, it was) to render former world heavyweight boxing champion Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs (who, incidentally, will face Fres Oquendo for another heavyweight title belt on June 3, 2017...at age 45! Let's go, Champ!!) as the 1970s version of Cage, the "Hero for Hire" known as Power Man, to coincide with it. Originally, I started the drawing then and meant to finish it shortly afterward but, as I mentioned, commissions, money and paying bills, man! I actually finished last night (hence the dual dates by my signature)! Anyhoo, I hope you dig the latest (and I do mean that in the most late of senses!) Sketchbook Chronicles entry, done in ink, watercolor paint and Copic art marker on sketch paper, Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs as Luke Cage/Power Man.
Two-division boxing champion Bobby "Schoolboy" Chacon, ink on sketch paper by Coyote Duran
Sketchbook Chronicles No. 7: On Wednesday, Sept. 7, the boxing world learned that one of its own, former two-division champion (at featherweight and junior lightweight) and Hall-of-Famer Bobby "Schoolboy" Chacon, 59-7-1 (47), had passed away while under hospice care. Despite suffering the tragic losses of his wife Valerie (Chacon would fight the following day, stopping Salvador Ugalde in the third round) and son Bobby Jr. (a result of gun violence three years after Chacon retired), Chacon could still find the wherewithal to smile. That smile became the trademark of a warrior, who would gradually succumb to Pugilistica Dementia. As simple and bold as his smile, I offer an equally simple and bold tribute to Bobby "Schoolboy" Chacon in my latest "Sketchbook Chronicles" entry, done in Micron pen and Pentel Pocket Brush Pen on sketch paper. Rest in peace, Champ.
Sketchbook Chronicles No. 6: Christian Kane as Captain Marvel (Shazam), Micron pen and Pentel Pocket Brush Pen on sketch paper, July 2016, by Coyote Duran
Sketchbook Chronicles No. 6: Sometimes, if I'm feeling highly productive, I really enjoy knocking out sketches of things like pro wrestlers, superheroes or boxers. That idea begat my "Sketchbook Chronicles." Nothing fancy-schmancy or high-level artsy-fartsy. Just good clean fun meant to keep me sharp and fuel my imagination. (I might be a grown-up but I'm still a kid at heart; you know.)
So, I give in to my dopey whimsies from time to time and create what my imagination asks me to. With that comes my latest piece, an ink rendering (notice I didn't say, "a quick sketch"? It drives me nutzoid when a VERY talented artist - and I'm not saying that condescendingly; I swear - coughs up a beautiful piece on the Instagram, then refers to it as a quick sketch. You don't have to bullshit me, kids. It's worth letting one and all know your work takes time. Other than that, it only makes you sound like one of those folks who does or presents something monumental and caps it off with, "No big deal." Ugh) of my absolute favorite superhero, Captain Marvel. (Micron ink pen and Pentel Pocket Brush pen on sketch paper. And no, this is the real Captain Marvel, not DC Comics' imitation called "Shazam." I'm sorry but current main continuity Cap, these days, killed the real deal in 2011.)
However, I wondered what he - and the rest of the Marvel Family - would look like based on established Hollywood types. With Cap's sister Mary Marvel, I thought Danielle Panabaker (of the "Friday the 13th" remake, "The Crazies, and the CW's "The Flash") would make a fantastic reference or would even be a terrific Mary on the big screen. I looked at Chandler Riggs (of "The Walking Dead") as the perfect Freddie Freeman/Captain Marvel Jr. and for the good Captain himself, actor/country singer Christian Kane (of "Leverage" fame).
Mind you, few renderings are perfect without previous attempts, hence my latest Instagram go-round, which looked like Christian Kane and John Travolta's love child:
Yeah, I had to start over. But now, Cap looks like an amalgam of Christian Kane and Tim Matheson. Oh well. I like it and I still had fun. Maybe next time, I'll crank out something a little more detailed. :)
As I promised in my last blog post, I threw a little color in my recent "Sketchbook Chronicles" piece (No. 5!), an ink study of Spider-Man (done during the Coyote Clan's weekly "Drink and Draw"!). Here, I used Prismacolor and Copic art markers as a foundation and tossed some highlights in with Prismacolor watercolor pencils. I hope you dig it!
Sketchbook Chronicles No. 5: I know it's been a long time but, I figured, between larger portrait projects, I'd knock out some light-comicky stuff. Here's my latest entry in the "Sketchbook Chronicles," Spider-Man, done mostly during our family "Drink and Draw" (every Saturday night at the Coyote Den. If you're into creating art or sketching like the Coyote Clan, I also encourage you and yours to make this part of your weekly routine also! I mean, don't feed booze to the little ones or the teetotalers. Give them juice, soda and/or chocolate milk!). I know the ink is a little light in some areas but this is something I'm planning on coloring (I'll post that separately!), so those light inked areas will get squared away then. This was done mostly in Micron pen with a little bit of Pentel Pocket Brush Pen here and there.
