DRAW! SKETCH! (a sketch for the cover of DRAW!)

This was my final sketch for the issue of Mike Manley's DRAW! Magazine that I was featured in, several years ago. While the drawing has its problems, most of which were beautifully fixed once BILL WRAY had painted it for publication, I still get a kick out of what I did here. Actually, there's a lot of good stuff going on, from the concept itself, on down to the drybrush technique I managed to pull off using a lousy, worn out Sharpie.

I don't always suck! Yay!

FOR MELISSA

Whose birthday party I couldn't get to last night.

PLUG!

You may have seen this image posted by our friend JERRY BECK on cartoonbrew.com. It's the cover to the upcoming Warner Video DVD release of Hanna-Barbera's POPEYE  cartoons from the 70's. 

Yatetta yatetta.

I'm posting it here because I think it looks kind of swell. I drew it, yes, but it was designed by JEFFREY SCHULZ, of Command Z Design. Jeffrey's also the guy who made my drawings on the Fleischer-Popeye DVD's look so darned slick. 

Thanks to Jerry for the plug, to Jeff for the opportunity to do good work with him, and to pal FRANK CARUSO at King Features for continuing to set me up with sweet Popeye gigs.

PUZZLE TIME

My goodness, children! Even though I know I drew this illustration (for religious publisher Guideposts), I did it so long ago--back in the 80's, in fact-- I've no idea HOW MANY MATCHES they requested I put into the final art.

CAN YOU HELP ME COUNT THE MATCHES?

...........

(blecch. look what a crummy job I did of eyeballing the ellipse on the bicycle's front wheel.)

WOODY WOODPECKER SKETCHES

Back in the late 90's, when Universal decided to revive Woody Woodpecker for television, show-runner and fellow Popeye maniac BOB JACQUES asked me to draw the series' model pack. It was an immense amount of fun. Bob supplied me with old Lantz cartoons (Bob has a famously encyclopedic brain for--as well as an excellent collection of--classic cartoons) , and I got to still-frame through some very beautiful Freddie Moore and Emery Hawkins animation, copying their poses to cobble together the exact right Woody we wanted. In the end, I'm not sure the final product reflected those efforts, but I do look back on that job with fond memories.

One of the more fun aspects of creating the series look was re-imagining lesser tier Woody-villains like "Ms. Meany" and "Dooley". 

VENTURE EPHEMERA

Two of my favorite Jackson Publick Post-It doodles.

THAT DAMNED KURTZMAN, II

I was wondering where this was---finally found my second Harvey Kurtzman LITTLE ANNIE FANNY sketch. Again, the organic composition on this drawing floors me. 

LAYOUTS

Occasionally, I get offers from friends and fellow comics professionals to do layouts for them. Jobs like these are always fun for me.

The first layout here is actually of an unused page for a JINGLE BELLE story SHANE GLINES had drawn for PAUL DINI. It was a short story, printed years ago, and Shane followed most of my layouts very closely, but opted to go much more simply on this page in the final art.

The next two pages were for a DEXTER'S LAB job by friends BILL WRAY (penciller and inker) and fellow INSTANT PIANIST and scripter, ROBBIE BUSCH. 

THE RUSTY VENTURE SHOW: OPENING SEQUENCE

More models and layouts from the Rusty TV show. Thanks to all who responded to these posts.

Next week, onto more cartoony stuff. Take care everyone!

HOW TO DRAW THE VENTURE BROTHERS, PART THREE: HANK AND DEAN

PLUS: Layouts from the old RUSTY VENTURE TV SHOW, never before seen!


TOMORROW--more layouts and models from the RUSTY VENTURE TV SHOW!

HOW TO DRAW THE VENTURE BROTHERS, PART TWO: BROCK!

I should point out that Jackson Publick himself did many of the drawings on the pages posted here, with me inking the final art. Mr. Publick is one of those renaissance men, producing, directing, co-scripting, designing, boarding and voicing each and every episode of the VB saga. How he has time to work with the homeless, teach Muy Thai and cater gourmet lunches every Friday at the producing studio is beyond me, but he manages!

Tomorrow, the final two pages of my tutorial, with lessons on drawing Hank and Dean, and perhaps a few models I designed for Season 3. See you then, and many thanks for all the kind words you've left since last night.

HOW TO DRAW THE VENTURE BROTHERS

One of the first things I drew as Storyboard and Design Supervisor for Season 3 of the VB's. Here are the first four pages of a ten page tutorial.


Tomorrow: DRAW BROCK...DRAW DEATH!

DESTEFANO RETURNS!

I RETURN, AS SEEN IN THIS KRAZY KARAOKE PHOTO (possibly taken by the lovely SIOBHAN MULLEN). 

If you think seeing me burst through a wall and singing Springsteen's DANCING IN THE DARK is thrilling, (and it is), wait'll you see the upcoming posts I got in store for ya'll.

Seriously, it's nice to be posting again, (thank you, JACKSON PUBLICK for the nagging encouragement) I'll get something juicier up for tomorrow evening. The VENTURE BROTHERS SEASON 3 is over for me now, I'm a free agent for the next several months (and I welcome all serious offers for freelance work) while waiting for SEASON 4 to start.  In theory, I should have plenty of time to post regularly here, as well as work on my very secret and dear-to-my heart project. Which I've been working on for several years. Which I'll share with the Blogosphere shortly, I'm sure.

Good to be back, everyone. Many thanks for the posts in my absence.

SDe

BUON NATALE

And to celebrate, here are scans of pages from an old Christmas card I'd written and drawn!

My very sincerest wishes to all who read this for a New Year of Peace and Good Will. 

Merry Christmas, Stephen DeStefano

GO TEAM VENTURE!!!

A few random storyboard pages and panels from the upcoming VENTURE BROTHERS, Season 3. 

I CONFESS

It was me. I was the one who redesigned Black Canary's costume in the mid-eighties. I did away with the fishnet stockings. I gave her the godawful headband and the cowl neck. I'm not proud of it. But you've got to understand--this was Post-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS DC. Everything was going to be new, and whatever wasn't new, would soon have to be. Or so it seemed. I was still a teenager back then, lurking the halls of DC, trying to get my first regular series, 'MAZING MAN off the ground. And I originally got my job at DC by designing characters. Len Wein said that Black Canary was going to have to be redesigned anyhow. And I didn't see why, because I always thought her costume was so nifty. But, I figured, hell, if it HAS to be redesigned, let me be the one to do it. My original sketch was different, all grey and black, no blue. No headband, but a feathered head piece. Bad ass feathered head piece, not a pansy one. Len and Marv Wolfman asked me to change it. And then they bought it. And then Brian Bolland burned it.

Also around that time, I redesigned Elongated Man. This one seems to have faired a little better with the fans as well as the pros. Brian Bolland never burned this costume. Carmine Infantino drew it once or twice. Bruce Timm and his designers and producers even used it for their JUSTICE LEAGUE series (surprise Bruce! I work for you even when you don't know I work for you!). It's even been used on Mattel toys. I'm kind of proud of that. I should get money for that.

Sometime, remind me to tell you the story of how I redesigned the FLASH for Len and Marv.

An all new Flash, not a speedster, but like a laser-guy, for the Post-Crisis Universe. It never got off the ground. 

TOM BAYNE IS A GENIUS

VENTURE BROTHERS film editor Tom Bayne is a genius. Check out this kookie film he created in a weekend while he was a student at SVA. It slays me.

POLLY AND HER PALS DAILY

No, I don't own a Cliff Sterrett original (don't I wish)! This piece from my collection is by Paul Fung, one of my favorite of the classic comics ghost artists. Fung went on to draw BLONDIE comic books for years, quite beautifully I think. Yet another piece of inexhaustible inspiration, for me.

I DRAW CAPTAIN CARROT

Yeah. I digitally painted Captain Carrot. So what?
It's my time. And the character's making something of a comeback at DC these days.
And I like to draw funny animals. I've drawn all sorts of funny stuff at DC, but
never Captain Carrot. Or his Zoo Crew.
I felt like taking a couple of hours to draw in Photoshop.
So?
And my girlfriend's not here.
So?

ED WHEELAN

Gosh, but I like his stuff.
Bits and pieces of a scan of an original I own.
Very corny, but very inspiring.