Category: Art: Inking

MONSTER MONTH: Day 12 – Frankenstein’s Monster

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date October 12, 2009

What MONSTER MONTH could be complete without at least one inclusion of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster? Despite having deeply explored this character in my “Frankenlisa” painting from several months ago (CLICK HERE if you missed it!), once in awhile he keeps rearing his strange flat head amongst my sketches. Here’s a doodle of him created in ink right from the pages of my sketchbook!

Try as he may, Frankie just isn't coordinated enough for "Thriller." — Try as he may, Frankie just isn’t coordinated enough for “Thriller.”

If you are a user of Facebook, come join the Chad Frye • Illustration Guy fan page where today I have unveiled a new contest open only to registered fans there! The contest is completely free with the prize to win a signed and sketched on print along with a copy of one of my children’s books! So come on over and join in the fun!

MONSTER MONTH: Day 5 – The Toe Dipper

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date October 5, 2009

What could possibly terrify a big, burly MONSTER? This is a question I ask myself often when doodling. This past summer I was sitting on the beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, when that very thought struck my mind. Together with the inspiration of the location, this sketch of a monster afraid of the water just emerged!

Who would have thought that THIS guy was afraid of the water?

Well, it started as a sketch – today’s dose of monster was really just an ink sketch in my sketchbook drawn on the East coast, then it was colored here in California turning it into a genuine illustration. So, this piece is truly bi-coastal! Originally I was just going to splash some color on it in Photoshop, but as you can see, it blossomed into a full-fledged digital painting. Enjoy!

And if you happen to see any monsters on the beach, just know that they aren’t there to cause any trouble. They just want to have fun in the sand and surf, too!

Art: Inking Art: Photoshop Character Designs Illustrations Monsters Random Doodles Sketchbook

MONSTER MONTH: Day 4 – The Orange Crusher

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date October 4, 2009

This happy guy just popped out of a random doodling session in my sketchbook. So, I inked him, scanned him, and colored him in Photoshop so he could live on in his orangey badness.

"Who's the big orange hairy monster? Hmmm? Who's the big orange hairy monster? That's right! You are! Good boy!" — “Who’s the big orange hairy monster? Hmmm? C’mon – who’s the big orange hairy monster? That’s right! You are! Good boy!”

Art: Inking Art: Photoshop Character Designs Monsters Random Doodles Sketchbook

An Announcement Under the Bed

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date September 30, 2009

Hopefully you don’t store your computer under your bed, for if you do, you will find a frightening scourge of MONSTERS under there during the month of October. Yes, that’s right – Chad Frye • Illustration Guy announces that from October 1st through October 31, it will be officially MONSTER MONTH on the ‘ol blog!

Frye_Angry_Eyes So, what does this mean exactly? It means that every day in the month of October a new drawing, sketch, or even painting of a monster will be showcased here on the blog. Some may be frightening, some silly, others just weird. But all will be fun!

Also, at some point during October in conjunction with MONSTER MONTH, a NEW CONTEST will be announced on the Chad Frye • Illustration Guy Fan Page on Facebook. If you are a Facebook user, be sure to join the Fan Page so you can have a crack at the contests held there where signed books and real live drawings have been given away! Cl ick HERE to see the Fan Page.

So, hopefully you have stocked up on night light bulbs, because beginning TOMORROW the blog will be inundated with MONSTERS!

Art: Inking Monsters Random Doodles Sketchbook

25 Years of Usagi Yojimbo

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date August 3, 2009

My friend, Stan Sakai, has been drawing his terrific comic book Usagi Yojimbo for the past twenty five years. Two weeks ago, the San Diego Comic Con paid tribute to Stan and his creation with a panel and by featuring it in this year’s program book.

I belong to an LA based professional comics writer and cartoonist organization known as CAPS (Comic Art Professional Society), even having served as it’s president for four years or so. Stan Sakai is one of the founding members of the 30+ year old organization. Somehow, without Stan knowing, we all got together and did drawings of his famous character for a special tribute page in the Comic Con program book.

This is my interpretation of Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo. — This is my interpretation of Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo created for the CAPS tribute.

Compiled by fellow member Jim MacQuarrie, many of the guys participated with their version of Usagi. In case you can’t read their signatures in the image below, beginning with the top row, here are the names of the contributing artists: Mell Lazarus, Stan Lee, Jim Wheelock, Chad Frye, Dan Spiegle, Dean Yeagle; 2nd row: Gary Goldstein, Nat Gertler, Bob Foster, Scott Shaw!, Mike Gray, Jim MacQuarrie, Tim Burgard; 3rd row: Andy Mitchell, Steve Greenberg, Randy Reynaldo, Benton Jew, Michael Aushenker, Rubèn Procopio, Sergio Aragonès; 4th row: Kazu Kibuishi, Bill Morrison, Doug Gray, Anson Jew, Mike Kazaleh, and Floyd Norman.

This is the tribute page by members of CAPS as seen in the 2009 San Diego Comic Con program book.

If you are a professional in the cartooning biz, and are interested in learning more about CAPS, please visit their website at CAPScentral.org.

Art: Inking Cartoons Comic Books

Mini Frankenstein

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date July 6, 2009

A quick watercolor sketch of Frankenstein's monster. — A quick watercolor sketch of Frankenstein’s monster.

The other day as I sat at my desk, I had the inspiration to doodle another Frankenstein head. True, I explored a few approaches to this character which I chronicled in detail here on this blog, but the possibilities are endless, and my fascination continues. Frankie just couldn’t be contained.

So I grabbed some scrap paper, and with a brown ink line and some quick, well-placed brush strokes of watercolor paint, this little guy has come to life!

Art: Inking Art: Watercolor Character Designs Frankenstein Monsters Sketchbook

Rocket Ship Caption Contest

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date June 2, 2009

It is time for another CONTEST! Over on Facebook I have a Chad Frye • Illustration Guy Fan Page where from time to time I host contests with real prizes. I’ve given away a couple of drawings so far, and this time I’ll be giving away a copy of my 1998 children’s book Jonah and the Very Big Fish complete with a sketch and autograph inside!

This book illustrated by Chad will be the prize in the new caption contest.

And HOW, pray tell, can you have the opportunity to win such an item? Well, first you have to join Facebook if you are not already among the millions who are regular FB users. Then, join the Fan Page by first going to the page by clicking HERE, and then underneath the image you see there on the left, click on “Become a Fan”.

If you have done both of those things, then you can add your comments to the contest! Just go to the Rocket Ship Caption Contest photo album, read over the rules, and submit your captions! Easy peasy! Contest ends on June 9 at 12 noon P.S.T.!

And here's the drawing that you can submit a caption for in the contest over on Facebook! — And here’s the drawing that you can submit a caption for in the contest over on Facebook!

Well, there you have it! Come join the fun over on Facebook!

And just so there is no confusion, I am turning off the comments feature for this blog post. NO CAPTIONS can be left here! Only on the Facebook Fan Page! Thanks!

Art: Inking Art: Photoshop Cartoons Character Designs Contests

Jack Kirby’s Captain America

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date April 26, 2009

Well, here’s a comic combo no one ever thought they’d see – a Captain America splash page penciled by the late great Jack Kirby, inked by Chad Frye.

My friend Steve Wyatt organizes a comic book convention each year in San Jose, CA called Super-Con. This year the event takes place on May 16 and 17 at the San Jose Convention Center. One of the events during the weekend is an auction of original art with some of the money going to The Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco, and some to the Hero Initiative (a non-profit that helps out cartoonists that have fallen on hard times).

Steve had four drawings for us to choose from to ink. They were all printed in blue line on bristol so we could just pick up and go. Besides the Kirby drawing, three other drawings were penciled for the event by my pal Bill Morrison of Bongo Comics, Alex Ross, and Mark Schultz. I chose the classic Kirby one to ink.

Captain America penciled by Jack Kirby in the early 1990s, inked by Chad Frye in 2009

Steve has an impressive line-up of artists who are inking pages for this event. Along with mine, others in the auction were inked by Alex Niño, Ernie Chan, Adam Hughes, Frank Cho, Jason Palmer, Howard Chaykin, Micheal Golden, Talent Caldwell, Craig Hamilton, Buzz, Bill Morrison, Mick Gray, David Williams, Steve Mannion, Stuart Sayger, Mike Bair, Tony DeZuniga, Danny Bulanadi, Tim Vigil, Wade Furlong, Steve Leialoha, Bill Pressing, Pablo Marcos, Dan Brereton, and even more as the event draws closer.

So, if you are in the San Jose area that weekend, perhaps you’ll have a crack at this and the other pieces in the auction at the Con.

If you want more info about the Super-Con, please click HERE.

Art: Inking Comic Books