Never Been Kissed
July 30, 2010, filed under: El Cid, Sketchbook, by LexHere are the most recent pages inked for Kid Beowulf vs. El Cid. I realized as I finished the scene that this is the first kiss I’ve drawn in the series (there’s generally not a lot of room for romance from a 12 year old Swede), but El Cid is one of the more romantic epics (as I mention here) and for all the elements in my story to click, I really have to sell the fact that Rodrigo and Ximena are in love. The following scene is early in the book, after Rodrigo has gotten a drubbing in a duel and Ximena is nursing his wounds. It’s in this scene where the two of them talk about their hopes and dreams and all that other lovey-dovey stuff, while Rodrigo’s famed horse, Babieca, snickers in the background. (click to enlarge)
From the sketchbook and on the web…
May 19, 2010, filed under: News, Sketchbook, by Lex
In lieu of something to post I found this sketch in my sketchbook. I’m not really sure who she is but it’s been a while since I put any artwork on the blog so here you go. She’s not Kid Beowulf related, but these links are: read a review by Trevor Reece of the Four Colors blog and then follow it up with an interview I did with him. Thanks Trevor!
SMASH!
May 4, 2010, filed under: Sketchbook, by Lex
While at Stumptown I got to meet the dynamic duo, Chris and Kyle Bolton–brothers and the creators of the rock-solid webcomic SMASH! Smash is the story of young boy who in a freak accident gets the powers of his city’s most powerful hero, Defender. Written by Chris and drawn by Kyle, the strip is a lot of fun to read look at with great character designs and a breezy, episodic flow full of fun and adventure.
As fans of each others work we traded sketches: I did my version of SMASH (which you can see on their website here) and Kyle did his take on Beowulf and Grendel. click to enlarge…
El Cid: Turnarounds
February 24, 2010, filed under: El Cid, Sketchbook, by Lex
After weeks of reading and research for Kid Beowulf vs. El Cid, I’m finally getting to the stage where I can start to draw! This past weekend saw a flurry of character designs that I’ll be sure to post down the line, for now I wanted to post the most important one: Rodrigo Diaz (who will one day be known as “El Cid). Click to enlarge…
Cuba Sketchbook: SEK & Snoopy Part II
February 17, 2010, filed under: SEK & Fika, Sketchbook, by Lex
SEK’s travels in Cuba continued with a visit to the home of the famous Cuban cubist, Jose Fuster! Fuster’s home is a wonder to behold, as every square inch of it is covered in art: paintings, mosaics, and sculpture is everywhere and took him over 15 years to complete! But Fuster didn’t stop there, as his mosaics bled into the surrounding neighborhood.
Decorating neighborhoods must be contagious in Cuba, as the next stop SEK and Snoopy made was to a small neighborhood just outside Havana, dubbed “Muraleando” for all the murals that adorn the buildings.
Once a squalid place filled with garbage, the people of Muraleando slowly transformed their home into a work of art through community activism; now artists from all over come to Muraleando to add some of their own color (real estate to paint on is becoming scarce).
As the days wore on SEK’s cigar supply was running low, so he took a tour of the Partagas cigar factory. A five story building just across from the capitol building in Havana, each floor of the factory is dedicated to one specific cigar making task: separating and categorizing tobacco leaves, rolling the cigars, adding the cigar rings, creating the boxes, etc.
Roughly 25,000 cigars are made in a day (some of the individual rollers can average upwards of 100 cigars in a day!). Some of the most famous Cuban cigars like “Romeo y Julieta,” “Montecristo,” “Sancho Panza,” are named after the books that the rollers are read while they work!
After his resupply trip, SEK wandered out to Finca Vigia to visit his old friend Ernest Hemingway. As much as SEK enjoys Hemingway’s writing, he’s less a fan of his decorating…
Finally, SEK made his way back to Havana where he met up with Snoopy for one last round of mojitos.
It was a terrific trip and SEK would do it all over again if he could. The people of Cuba are wonderful: full of warmth and hospitality and they carry a genuine affection for America (just not her policies). And despite one awful encounter with a Cuban buffet and a grouchy US customs official, SEK’s trip went without a hitch.
But you’ll have to read Tom’s blog for that story…
Cuba Sketchbook: SEK & Snoopy Part I
February 11, 2010, filed under: SEK & Fika, Sketchbook, by Lex
Snoopy & SEK run through the jungle.
Generally SEK travels with his Fika, but on a recent trip to Cuba he met up with his old war buddy Snoopy for a week in Havana. The boys reminisced about their days in the revolution and took in all the old haunts, as well as some new ones. First up was Revolution Plaza, where the two heroes are commemorated for all to see. (click sketches to enlarge)
Afterward the boys went drinking at one of their favorite dives in Old Havanva, an Austrian brew pub where they serve the beers in huge hookas! There was much rejoicing.
Of course, no night on the town would be complete without a little dancing, so SEK and Snoopy took in a terrific flamenco performance at the old opera house.
Afterward they made their way to another haunt; a local favorite where the music is loud, the crowd is friendly, and the cigars are Cuban (naturally)!
While there they met up with Hilary (Rhymes with Orange) Price and Tom (MAD) Richmond, who shared a cigar kiss!
As the night drew to a close SEK wandered back through the cobbled streets of Havana to his hotel, El Tejadillo, where he looked forward to a recuperative sleep, but was scared pantless when he opened his room door to discover the bedsheet in the shape of a swan?!
It was a Cuban chambermaid custom poor SEK never got used to.
But those mojito night-caps were surely something he could get behind!
El Cid: Rough Riding!
January 12, 2010, filed under: El Cid, Sketchbook, by LexBelow is the first sketch of Rodrigo Diaz (aka: El Cid) on the back of his fabled Andalusian horse, Babieca! I’ve been doing lots of reading and researching on book three, Kid Beowulf vs. El Cid, and I’m still knee-deep in that phase, but my drawing hand has been itchy these last couple of weeks and I needed to draw something related to what I’ve been reading.
The scene above is from the first ride that Rodrigo takes on his new horse. There are several competing stories about how Rodrigo came to own Babeica. The one I like is when Rodrigo was given the pick of an Andalusian herd as a coming-of-age gift from his grandfather, Pedro El Grande. Rodrigo inexplicably picks a weak and undistinguished horse (or so his grandfather thinks). Pedro calls Rodrigo, “babeica!” (stupid!) and in a defiant and prideful move, Rodrigo picks the horse anyway and dubs him “Babieca.” Years later, both Rodrigo and his warhorse would be remembered for their great deeds together.
I envision Babieca and Rodrigo as two of a kind and that Babieca wouldn’t be broken so easily; that’s why both he and Rodrigo look a little worse for wear in this picture after their first ride!