Blue Milk Special

Vader is, of course, one hundred percent correct. On a separate note, Wrenga “Jix” Jixton, seen above, looks eerily like Matt Smith in a Mad Max movie, doesn’t he?

Today, I thought I’d explain a little about commissioned art on behalf of Leanne, but first I think the Shadows of the Empire plot needs a quick recap!

Jix, is the mercenary that Darth Vader hired to capture Luke Skywalker and to ensure the kid makes it back to his father alive. After successfully infiltrating Jabba the Hutt’s evil biker gang, Jix learned that there was more than one bounty on Luke Skywalker’s head: one for him captured alive, which Jix already knew about, and a new bounty for him dead. Worse still, someone is trying to discredit Vader in the eyes of the Emperor by making it look like the Dark Lord of the Sith is responsible for Luke’s impending death. Vader correctly surmises that the dooshy Prince Xizor is behind this.

Honestly, I think the plot is really shaky and not really worthy of the whole epic that is built from it. It just feels inherently flawed. The major objective on the part of the primary antagonist (Xizor) is to become the Emperor’s right hand man. That’s not very compelling as far as Star Wars plots go and it’s not very imaginative as far as villains are concerned. The stakes aren’t really as tangible. Luke Skywalker and company are just bystanders to Xizor’s scheme to become second fiddle to the Emperor, rather than remaining third. Whoop-dee-doo!

Xizor’s presences does serve the function of providing a face turn for Vader, but this is somewhat lost as the Dark Lord is not really a major focus of the story. As for Jix, let’s be honest, he is one of the most forgettable, throwaway characters in the mess of a story. It is implied that Vader has some sort of friendship with the mercenary, and I find that really hard to swallow. But don’t worry, Shadows only gets worse!

Commission Sketches 101

Ever been a fan of an artist and thought how cool it would be to commission them for an original piece of art that you can own, maybe even frame and place up on your wall, but something held you back? It might be intimidating for some casual convention goers, not so much about approaching the artist, but the many options and prices. Fortunately, there’s also the internet and the ability to contact an artist through email or a social networking site like Facebook and ask if they take requests. While Leanne isn’t currently taking requests over email, I did think that it might be a good time to talk about the process of commissioned sketches now that Annapolis Comic Con is right around the corner.

So, what would you be getting? “A piece of original artwork on 9 x 12 bristol board,” Leanne explains. However, what level of detail you would like is up to you and ranges in price. “Nowadays, fans aren’t limited to bringing cash,” Leanne adds, “most creators are able to accept credit cards at shows too.”

If you have an idea for a character you would like Leanne to illustrate, while it does help to bring reference, smartphones and Google image search mean that reference is only a few clicks away, provided that the wifi works!

“It’s a good way for fans to get a unique piece of original artwork of a character of their choosing, while also being able to meet the artist at the same time.”

While Leanne does not do colored pieces at shows, she does do digital colors at her studio, from which she can print the final piece. At conventions, the different choices include pencils, inks, graytones. The latter might need some explaining. A graytoned commission is inked artwork colored using varying tones of gray markers. “It gives a piece more definition than just a penciled or inked drawing,” Leanne adds. “It looks more polished.”

Here are a few examples of Leanne’s convention sketches:

Pencils…

Inks…

Graytones…

Leanne also offers graytone Sketch Cards both at conventions and via email commission. These are on 2.5″ x 3.5″ inch card, inked and graytoned. Sketch cards come with a hard plastic sleeve for protection. Leanne’s sketch cards are like getting miniature versions of a full size graytone commission, only they cost less and take less time to complete.

Outside of conventions, Leanne’s commissions can be much larger and much more complex like this color villains piece and this Harry Potter graytone. These commissions are much more expensive and often feature digital colors.

While you can have your sketch on 9 x 12 bristol board, you can just as easily have the illustration drawn directly onto a page in a sketchbook. Many convention goers purchase a sketchbook and slowly fill the book with illustrations from a variety of artists over several years. Inside the cover is also a great place to hold pages of reference you may have brought for an obscure request.

Leanne offers some good advice: “Find me early in the show, so it gives me time to put your request on my list and gives me time to work on it.” Waiting until the last hour of the show to commission a piece is not a good idea.

Larger conventions, like Baltimore Comic Con, held over multiple days allow time for a longer list and more complex requests like graytones. Single day shows like Annapolis Comic Con only allow enough time for a handful. It depends on the type of requests and how busy the table gets with the interest of attendees creating conversation or buying prints. That’s where I try to help out.

Some days there really is only enough time for three or four commissions. To help con goers understand, pencils can take from 30 minutes to an hour, while inks and graytones can take up to 2 hours. It all depends on the circumstances.

It’s a good idea to let the artist know when you will be leaving before committing to the commission. If the list is already very full and you can’t stay the whole day then it may not be possible. Ideally, there is still time for the artist to stand up and stretch, grab a decent snack for lunch, and maybe even get out from behind the table for a few minutes to meet fellow artists or participate in a panel. Taking on too many requests can literally keep an artist up all night over multi-day conventions, trying to complete commissions back in the hotel room and missing out on unwinding with rarely seen friends from all over the country. Fortunately, Leanne has been doing this long enough now to know how many to accept each day. It can be grueling work, but the thrill of meeting people that appreciate that work ultimately makes it worthwhile.

Popular requests at comic conventions, quite naturally, are comic book characters, but there are no limits. Although Leanne enjoys drawing Robin, and often gets Batman and Wonder Woman requests, what you want is up to you: sci-fi, fantasy, animation, musicians… Whatever you like, really. Of course, requests should be tasteful. You can usually tell how far an artist might be prepared to go by looking through their portfolio and work that is on display at their table.

So, remember, it’s also a win-win– you can get a piece of unique artwork and support the creators at the same time.

For more info on Leanne, check out the following links.
LeanneHannah.com
Leanne on DeviantArt <- latest work Leanne on Twitter