Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Black Axe #3 is currently in previews (order code DEC100735) And since I was so late getting the full cover art to you last time, I wanted to share this much sooner. The mead-hall design is one that I spoke about at the end of my model video. I tried illustrating a design after looking at Norse architecture, photos of real mead halls, and design work from Alan Lee and other folks with regard to fantasy illustration. None of my drawings made it very far, so I felt a model was necessary. So far, this is my favorite Black Axe cover, and it was fun to revisit the Ferret King's designs that I established back in 2009 for the Black Axe promo print given away at my SDCC panel.

When I found that lino-cut Christmas card I shared last week, I also found a hand drawn card that Jesse Glenn (real life Kenzie) gave me from back when I was 15 or so. Jess is mocking my enthusiasm and drive to barrel ahead on projects without fully understanding how massive they are. We did a great deal of mini-movie making (though we tended to do a lot of pre-production work and then stall out) so the caricature of me is juggling a hot melt glue gun, a puppet head, a welding torch, a tin-woodsman leg, spraypaint and the video camera.
The "O'Furry" & "O'Fearless" were nods to nicknames Cyclops and Beast mocked each other with in Xmen at the time

Fan Art: Sasha sent this sculpture she did of Saxon. I don't know what her materials are, but she did include this not in the email: "I've never actually said it, because I hate doing the shreeky fan-girl thing, but that's exactly what I am - a fan. I love your work and attached is my version of fan art. Hope you like it. "

I do indeed like it Sasha. Thank you!





2011 Appearances
MSU Comics Forum: Jan. 22
C2E2: March 18-22
Phoenix Comic Con: May 26-29
Cherry Capital Con: June 12-13
San Diego Comic Con: July 20-24
Baltimore Comic Con: Aug. 20-21
New York Comic Con: Oct. 14-16

5 comments:

Jesse Hutchinson said...

You evoke awesome imagery with the ferret king all suited up in armor. Somehow you manage to make a regularly lazy, seemingly harmless squishy creature into a terrifying menace!

Max West said...

Hey, that is a cool statue of Saxon. Hmm...I wonder what a line of Mouse Guard action figures would look like.

Anonymous said...

I love how you incorporated a mead-hall (reminds me of Beowulf). And the weasel look stunning! I looked at the pages for sale on your website and am very very tempted to buy one with a weasel in it! Will the weasels be able to communicate with the mice (I haven't read black axe 1 yet), and will they have an accent like the hare and bats? Or more of a * mark like the owl?
Thanks for all you do!
DAB

DPetersen said...

Jesse: Ha! Well, I suppose if you were a mouse the wouldn't seem so squishy and lazy.

Max: Diamond Select Toys made some Mouse Guard PVC figures a while back. You may be able to find them still.

DAB: The critters in Black Axe #1 are Fishers, much larger weasel cousins. They can speak, but never do in the issue.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, yeah I realized that after reading the issue on Christmas, one of my favorite presents by the way! Your work is amazing and I can wait to see Conrad alive again!

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