Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 17

Week 17: Collector.

Matryoshka Batman. Freehand sketches of "Batman" characters (based on photos of my action figure collection) in brown Slick Writer permanent marker, coffee wash, gold Kindy Glitz and watercolour pencils on watercolour paper Matryoshka shapes, collaged onto a separate sheet of watercolour card.‬

Update:

Week 17: Collector II.

"Reverse Santa." Climbs out of the chimney with your treasured collections. Sketch in black Sharpie and watercolours on watercolour card.

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 12

Week 12: Costume

"Science fiction media convention costume parade". All of these entrants are me - Tellarites, Andorians and Robin the Boy Wonder - based on photos from several decades of costume parades, drawn and painted in a Perth hotel room. Sketch inked in black Sharpie on watercolour paper, coloured in watercolours and metallic Signo.

Update:

"The Not-So-Happy Dragon." Based on an actual event - when I walked into a dressing room at a charity fundraiser, to put on my superhero costume, and met half a naked dragon! No one is supposed to see who's inside the St George Bank's Happy Dragon mascot. But I did - and now... so have you! Black and green Sharpie markers with watercolour on watercolour paper, collaged onto purple handmade paper.

Week 12: Costume II

Holy wooden acting, Batman!

Handpainted wooden (unlicensed) Dynamic Duo found in a Merimbula souvenir shop in 2007. (There were many other characters, all dated underneath in pencil by the artist! These are marked as March 2005.) Batman's mask and Robin's hair are built up with a textured medium. The bendy legs are made of stiffened sash cord.

Holy fine finny fiends, Batman!

Okay, I know they found a bullshark swimming in a flooded Brisbane street this week, but I found *this* in my garage yesterday! It took me a while to work out exactly what it was - but it's the interactive shark fin prop I made when Hoyts Cinema Centre in the Sydney CBD asked us to dress up and do a series of weekly "Rocky Horror Picture Show"-type events for the 60s' "Batman" movie revival in January 1987!

As Robin, I ran across the screen with this "fin on a stick" just before the famous "rubber shark scene". Ah, fame is so fleeting sometimes.

Grayson!

Although I'd heard of this amazing fan film trailer, I'd never bothered to seek it out, and here it was on Youtube.



I love it. For fans of Robin the Boy Wonder, "Grayson" (2004) is an alternate, Batman-less future, where Dick Grayson decides to come out of retirement, threatening his happy family life with Barbara Gordon (Batgirl). The costuming and makeups are excellent. Some fun cameos by various DC Comics' heroes and villains. It is written and directed by a guy named John Fiorella, who also stars in the trailer as Dick Grayson and Robin.

Enjoy!

Holy smoke, Batman!

CHICAGO (April 24) - "Batman" Filming Site in Chicago Catches Fire
Fire broke out on the roof of the city's vacant former post office Tuesday where a movie crew had been filming scenes for an upcoming "Batman" sequel.

Fire department spokesman Kevin MacGregor said a building engineer suggested the fire might have started in the ventilation system. He didn't know of any injuries. At least a dozen ambulances and fire trucks were at the scene, just south of Chicago's downtown business loop.

MacGregor said it was unclear if the fire was related to the filming.

"The crews had been filming there all week," said Pete Kearney, who works next door. Letters affixed to the side of the old post office read: Gotham National Bank.

"We assumed it was part of the movie," Kearney said of the smoke Tuesday morning.

Outsiders Down Under

The former Boy Wonder, Robin (Dick Grayson), Batman's ex-sidekick now known as Nightwing, and his superhero team called the Outsiders, have been in Sydney:


Outsiders #44, 2007

Funny, I don't remember a thing. Do you? Hmmm, I guess they're right...


Outsiders #42, 2007