Illustration Exhibit Reminder

Just a reminder that my Batman Illustration Art Exhibit will be closing in the next two or three days.  So, if you were planning on checking it out, now is the time.  I'm sad to see it end. 

However, there is a fantastic exhibit taking its place.  This one will feature the illustration art of identical twins, Jim and Joe Heins... two fantastic illustrators and designers from my region that produce amazing work on the national level.  I'll definitely be checking it out once it's up.

For now, though:

Batman: The Art of Brian Ashmore

August 1 - August 29, 2008

Toucan Gallery

2505 Montana Ave.

Billings, MT 59101

406-252-0122

Random Sketch of the Week

Here's an old Hulk sketch that I did before beginning work on the Hulk series I painted quite awhile ago.  This was a quick ballpoint pen sketch.  Is he laughing?  Is he angry?  Who knows?

Moving on...

This past week was my last week as an employee.  Of the last ten years,  I've spent the majority of them making my living as a freelance illustrator.  However, two years ago (almost to the day), I accepted a full-time position as an in-house illustrator and designer for a company that produces silk-screened and embroidered t-shirts and jackets and what-not, Sutton's Sportswear.  This was necessary, at the time, as my family needed a bit of normalcy (and a more consistent income) after I had spent so many years working around the clock on painted comics and other illustrations.  I left Suttons last week in a mutually amicable move back into full-time freelance illustration. While the work at Suttons was often quite fun, I really missed the kind of work that I was doing before taking the full-time position and was anxious to have the opportunity to get back to doing what I love... painted illustration!  I worked with some very good friends at Suttons and I will miss the day-to-day interaction with them very much.

So, now I'm on my own again.  I'm moving on.  I'm very excited about embarking on this new stage of my career and I pray that I will be successful in this endeavor.  I have some big plans in place and only time will tell if they come to fruition or not.

And so, in honor of Suttons and my time there, I've posted a few of the more "illustrative" designs that I produced for them.  Most of the work I created at Suttons was done in Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

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Batman and Joker Sketch Cards

I set the Wayback Machine to 1989 for these two cards.  They depict Batman and the Joker as they appeared in the Keaton/Nicholson Batman film.  They are kind of meant to go with the Dark Knight Batman and Joker from a week or go or so (Just for you, Bathunter!).

Anyone else remember how great it was to actually be seeing a "serious" take on Batman when this film came out in '89?  Sure, this first film can seem a bit dated here and there when watched today.  However, it was such a thrill to see these characters "living and breathing" up on the screen in such a way that was dark and not campy.   I can hardly believe that the 20th anniversary of this film is already next year in 2009!  I'm definitely getting old.   It couldn't possibly be nineteen years ago that I was sitting in the theater with my buddy Russell Walks feeling like a kid in a candy store waiting for the movie to begin.  I remember driving home after the film with a Keaton scowl on my face pretending I was driving the batmobile.  What a geek!!

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Random Sketch(es) of the Week

This is a page of sketched panels for one of the pages in DC Comics' Batman: Absolution. When my new website goes "live" later this month, there will be a section on the site about the process of working on a large, sequential project like Absolution. It will outline the process of producing art from the initial thumbnail sketches all the way through to the finished pages. There will be many preliminary sketches and drawings like this one to show the process of creating the finished work.

So, consider this a "teaser" of what's coming on the main site.

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Topps Heroes Sketch Cards

Okay, last batch of Topps sketch cards that I'll post for awhile (did I just hear a collective sigh of relief from the 3 or 4 of you that might be checking this blog from time to time?).  These are from the Topps Heroes card set from the first season.  I had a lot of fun watching the first season of Heroes on DVD while sketching all my cards for this set.  I hadn't seen the show during it's run on TV.  So, I got to have a "Heroes-fest" while doing these.  I think I did about 75 cards total for this set.

I haven't seen the second season.  How does it compare to the first?

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Star Wars Clone Wars Sketch Cards

Here are a few of the sketch cards that I did for the Topps Star Wars Clone Wars card set.  These are in a simpler style than I'm used to.  I was trying to approximate the characters' look from the forthcoming film which is completely CGI animated.  You may have to turn your monitor sideways to see Yoda.  It may not be worth it to you, tho.  If it is, seek professional help. 

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Random Sketch of the Week

Thought I'd throw this up as the random sketch of the week. It's a quick sketch for a small watercolor portrait. I guess I like something about the simplicity of this one.

Batman: Absolution in Gotham Knight DVD!!

Okay, you'll have to pardon my pathetic excitement over such a minor thing. Let me explain. Being the huge Batman fan that I am, I always make sure to watch the "Behind the Scenes" stuff on any and all of the Batman DVDs that happen to be released. Many of them use quite a bit of comic book art intertwined with industry experts talking about the character. They use A LOT of Batman art in these documentaries. So, naturally, having illustrated a Batman book, I'm always hoping for even the slightest snippet of Absolution to show up somewhere in one of these docs. It never happens. Oh, well. Life goes on.

However, today was different! Thanks to a tip from my pal Guenter in Germany, I finally got to see a tiny bit of Absolution on the new Gotham Knight DVD. It's a quick pan over the image above during the documentary called A Mirror for the Bat: The Evil Denizens of Gotham City.

Christmas came early to the Ashmore studio this year.

Also, as luck would have it, this is one of the pages currently on display at the Toucan Gallery during the month of August. Cool.

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Art Exhibit Opening

The opening night of my art exhibit at the Toucan was an exciting night. Hundreds of people passed through the Toucan Art Gallery during the Billings Artwalk. It was great fun to get to chat with comic book and art fans, alike. You wouldn't know it from the pics but we were pretty swamped with people checking out the Absolution watercolors and all the other fantastic art that was on display at the Toucan. My many "thanks" to all who stopped in to see the work!

The show will be hanging through the end of August. So, if you live in Billings or are in the area be sure to stop by the Toucan.




Batman: The Art of Brian Ashmore
August 1 - August 29, 2008

Toucan Gallery
2505 Montana Ave.
Billings, MT 59101

406-252-0122

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Absolution in the News

The Billings Gazette ran an article today on my art exhibit at the Toucan Art Gallery. The article talks about the show and the book I illustrated, Batman: Absolution. Must be a slow news week...Heh, heh. The story includes an image of an oafish, potato-headed old fart that they claim is me (Yikes! Aging is not for the faint-of-heart. Seek the help of a professional before trying it at home, kids).

Check it out (if you dare):

Billings Gazette Article

They also recorded a short audio interview (listen, if you are man/woman enough):

Audio Interview

AND, last but not least, an old interview when Absolution was first released (read it if you...oh, never mind):

Older Absolution Article

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