Grace and I were looking through Polly Guo’s amazing DeviantArt gallery and were inspired by one of her “Kawaii” style drawings of Thor.
So, we each created our own “cartoonier” version of the Odinson. Hope you enjoy.
And, we have a collaboration with Polly coming up soon!
Like a lot of children of the 70s and 80s, my education on drawing cartoons was largely shaped by the masterful Ed Emberley. I had five or six of his books, which break down the complex art of drawing bodies and faces into simple shapes and step-by-step instructions. I loved it.
So, naturally, as we’re working on both drawing with shapes and faces, Grace and I spent some time with Mr. Emberley’s books. She really took to it and was able to understand his lexicon. I decided to have some fun and draw the Avengers as Ed might have!
High school. Superheroes.
For Grace, a child who has seen High School Musical, like, a shameful number of times, this is a match made in heaven. So, baby, it was time to draw.
I was goofing around on J. Bone’s Web site a few weeks ago and came across this drawing from 2007 — another awesome all-ages concept that never made it to the page. (Grrrrrr!) There must have been something in the air, ’cause Project: Rooftop found it and posted it, too. Man, this is awesome idea! If only … if only… J. Bone, we salute you!
P.S. If you look closely, you’ll see that Gracie is working on joints with lines and circles! The girl is working hard and it’s paying off.
I’m having so much fun with my new brush pens, I decided to freestyle a few 5 Minute Marvels on my lunchbreak. And, it all started with Loki. And, then led to two of my favorite indy characters. Hey, Chris Samnee, thanks for the inspiration, Bro! Keep Thor coming!
It’s been a few days since Grace, Cate (YES! She’s back!) and I last posted, but we’ve been busy.
Last week and this, Wednesday brought us comics from our friends Jim McCann (www.JimMcCannOnline.com) & David Lopez on Hawkeye & Mockingbird and Chris Samnee (www.ChrisSamnee.com) on Thor: The Mighty Avenger.
And, Evan Shaner (www.EvanShaner.com) created an awesome Mary Marvel on his blog. So, Grace and I decided to draw for our buddies. And, Dan McDaid, my fellow lover of all things Kirby and Doctor Who (seriously, he and I were seperated at birth) proposed the Sandman for www.ComicTWART.com
Away we go!
Kudos to Jim and David for breathing new life into two characters who have lived on the fringe of the Marvel U. for many years. I have always loved the Phantom Rider (Long live the Rangers!), but Dominic Fortune … not so much … until now. Jim and David have made him the Han Solo of the Marvel spy game … and I look forward to his brief appearances almost as much as I do for Hawkeye & Mockingbird — my two favorite comics characters. That’s some feat.
And, what can I say about the majesty that is Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Marvel’s new Thor book for reads of all ages? I know … BUY IT! Daniel Von Eggidy at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find (our comic shop in Charlotte, NC) called it “Frank Capra’s Thor.” Man is he right. From Chris’ playful art, to the lush colors by Matt Wilson and writing by Roger Langridge, this book is everything that got me into comics into the first place. It just has a great heart. And, that’s somewhat hard to find in comics these days.
This week, a fave — Ant-Man — showed up to battle, then befriend Thor. So, we drew. Grace knows Ant-Man’s helmet is silver, but she got to use the “grown up” black marker to ink her work … and she took full advantage.
And, finally, Evan “Doc” Shaner — the world’s most passionate fan of Fawcett/DC’s Captain Marvel — put an awesome drawing of Mary Marvel up at www.EvanShaner.com. We were inspired. Grace’s Mary looks a little weary, but I love the way she drew Mary’s eyes … and she spent a lot of time on the hair.
Over at www.ComicTWART.com, the weekly theme is The Sandman … and how many choices there are. Most of the TWARTers have gone with the DC hero, Sandman — a great choice. But, I think Dan McDaid, who proposed Sandman, was leaning toward the Marvel villain Sandman. So, we chose to go in that direction and to draw him in his late 60s/early 70s costume designed by Jack Kirby. Ah, feel the Kirby Krackle!
I know I’m partial to her work, but I love Grace’s Sandman here. He just looks like so much fun to be around … like a day at the beach. (Oh, that was a truly poor choice of words …)
In honor of our Pal Chris Samnee’s new all-ages Marvel book, Thor: The Mighty Avenger, coming out today, Grace and I drew Thor’s opponent in the book — the super ugly, Mister Hyde. Nothing is more fun than drawing a villain with poor dental hygene.
Check out Chris’ amazing Thor sketches over at his blog, www.ChrisSamnee.com. And, BUY THE BOOK!
And, since Chris asked fans to send him photos of them picking up the book, we decided to do a little video …
HeroesCon is here in Charlotte, NC and the 5MM Girls and I are pretty jazzed about it. We have lots of sketches to share with artists and … when Grace heard her buddy Chris Samnee was in town, she wanted to draw for him. So, we chose the Odinson, start of Chris’ new all-ages series, “Thor: The Mighty Avenger!”
Chris Eliopolous, writer and artist of the webcomic Misery Loves Sherman and Marvel’s Lockjaw & The Pet Avengers and Franklin Richards series, dropped by to share this incredible 5 minute sketch of The Mighty Thor from when he was transformed into a frog. Check out his Web site here: www.MiseryLovesSherman.com
Grace was joined by her good buddy Ella Williams on this sketch. And, we had a ball drawing this.
Thanks, Chris!
A 5MM premiere for the work of Ella and her mom. Ella is one of Grace and Cate’s best buddies, so the fact that they’ve gotten her thinking about … and drawing … the mighty Norse god of Thunder is, well, smashing!
All I can say is … WOW! Jim McCann, writer of Marvel’s upcoming Hawkeye & Mockingbird series and the world’s foremost Dazzler fan, sent in this drawing of the chubbiest viking from the pages of Thor … Volstagg the Voluminous! Dig it! The girls lover drawing the beard. Thanks, Mr. McCann! Follow Jim on Twitter here!
5 MINUTE MARVELS 
