Sunday, October 31, 2010

Halloween 2010

It has only just begun! Our first Halloween in Maine!!

Went to the Freeport, Maine Pumpkin Festival:



Carved our Jack-o-Lanterns (my wife's, mine, baby Drake's above mine carved by my wife, and our son Tycen's)


Playing some Booooo-opoly (Halloween Monopoly)







Stay tuned for more!

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Friday, October 29, 2010

Island Tales - Pencils/Inks in progress

Some new pages in progress from ISLAND TALES. Colors to come. (Pencils, Inks, Colors by Me).






Here is the first page, fully penciled, inked, and Colored by me.



ISLAND TALES LINKS:
http://www.IslandTales.com
http://www.Twitter.com/IslandTales
http://www.Facebook.com/IslandTales

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Halloween: Best Jack-o-Lanterns Ever!


We LOVE Halloween around here. We're carving our pumpkins tonight and I was looking up some inspiration. These are the coolest Jack-o-Lanterns I found online. Really impressive stuff and cool ideas! And those last two are something I've never seen before, but is really amazing because of the varying colors: Watermelon Carving! Unfortunately I couldn't find the artist's names on any of these, but they deserve exposure! If anyone knows, please let me know! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!












~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Painted Pg.5 of "S.E.A." Comic & Movie

Click for Larger

For more info and previews of S.E.A. GO HERE

Tools: Photoshop CS5 & Axiotron Modbook Apple Tablet Computer

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

The Caffeine Power Nap!

This is a real method I use all the time for the countless allnighters I have to pull for my overloaded work schedule and to take care of our baby who also never sleeps. Might not work for everyone, but it works for me. Obviously sleep is important for health and I'm not encouraging anyone to deprive themselves or anything like that (don't sue me if we all find out not sleeping kills you, it was your choice to try it), but being overloaded is a reality in everyone's lives and if you just can't help but miss sleep, you might give this a shot. I feel much better after!
"The Caffeine Nap is simple: you drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a 15-20 minute nap. Researchers found coffee helps clear your system of adenosine, a chemical which makes you sleepy. The combination of a cup of coffee with an immediate nap chaser provided the most alertness for the longest period of time in tests. The recommendation was to nap only 15 minutes, no more or less and you must sleep immediately after the coffee." - via http://www.sleepdex.org/caffeine-nap.htm

I'd like to add that for best results, stay hydrated. REALLY hydrated (which also helps keep you awake) and JUMP out of that bed/chair/floor/computer keyboard. If you jump up and get moving, get that blood going, your body and mind will feel much better much faster.

Let me know if it works for you! Good luck with your deadlines!! If we keep at it, we'll reach success and get away from the sleepless nights!

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Books on Visual Storytelling

What is Visual Storytelling?

Telling a story visually, that's what! And it's a very important and difficult thing to learn. Most books you see on "How to Draw Comics" talk about anatomy, perspective, and composition and touch on some of the smaller points of storytelling, but leave out all the really unique parts that really make an artist a powerful storyteller and a book a success!

Pace and Mood are two of the most powerful tools a comic book artist can master. The size of the panels, distance between them, the way you represent passing time, dramatic lighting, how the angle and placement of the 'camera' can make your reader feel (bird's eye = safe, worm's eye = down in the action), to the way a silohuette and the choice of not using dialogue can take a characters mournful posture from sad to distraught, depressed, hopeless.

I've picked some of my favorite books that look outside of the normal grids and action shots of how to draw muscular superheroes and delve into the intricacies of the art and craft, Visual Storytelling.




Please let me know what you think and if you have any favorites of your own. If I haven't read them yet I would LOVE to!

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

[VIDEO] Business of Art Vol. 1 by Massive Black

This is the trailer for a downloadable video series that will be very important to the art community. Business is never covered to any length or in such a direct way as this appears to be. Getting the entertainment business advice directly from an entertainment lawyer is fantastic! So, check out the trailer and got to http://www.ConceptArt.org and keep an eye out on the Downloads section for this to be released!



~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Monday, October 25, 2010

"S.E.A." Graphic Novel & Movie

Project I'm painting & lettering.


ABOUT "S.E.A.": A bio-weapons scientist driven underground by NATO violently reemerges to take back his stolen research even at the cost of relinquishing his last connection to humanity - the crudely bio-enhanced soldier made from his dead brother. http://www.NegativeImages.com




Some of the cast of characters:


"Betrayal is the birthplace of revenge."


Sketch to Paint



Tools: Photoshop CS5 & Axiotron Modbook Apple Tablet Computer

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Friday, October 22, 2010

Paranormal / Ghost Book I'm Illustrating



Don't think I can tell you much more about this project yet, but there is lot more to come. Hope you enjoy!

Pencils, Inks, Colors, & Letters by Me. Tools: Photoshop CS5 & Axiotron Modbook Apple Tablet Computer

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Monday, October 11, 2010

Zombie Ray Play Kickball!!

Here in Portland Maine, they have an annual Zombie Kickball game where everyone dresses up like Zombies and... play Kickball!! Just a reason to dress up, be silly, and get in the Halloween spirit! This was my first time and it was so much fun!

Makeup by my wife Renae De Liz - she's incredible at anything she tries! Both me and my son were done in an hour and it was her first time ever trying!
Our son, Tycen (7) even got into the action:
Our baby boy, Drake, was just a light snack between innings. :o)





See my photo stream of the day here: http://plixi.com/raydillon Click the arrow to the left to continue in order. Some really flattering pics of me in there. :o)

For more on Portland Zombie Kickball follow these links:

Official Facebook Page
YouTube Search for Portland Zombie Kickball
John A. Macy Photography

Thanks for looking!

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt

Monday, October 04, 2010

Island Tales!


Island Tales is a comic anthology based on folklore and mythology from the Pacific. Some stories are adapted from traditional stories while others are modern retellings of the classics.

Created by our great friend Stephen Smirl. He's a genius and one of the nicest guys in the universe!

This first story I'm illustrating for them is based on the old poem "The Battle Between Two Chiefs" and the legendary Chief Gadao.

Pencils, Inks, Colors, & Letters by ME.
Written by Jeremy Fiest

FOLLOW ISLAND TALES!!
http://www.twitter.com/islandtales
http://www.facebook.com/islandtales (Almost 15,000 fans!)
http://www.islandtales.com



I pencil, ink, color, and letter digitally in Photoshop CS5 with an Axiotron Modbook (Apple Tablet Computer)

You can also see Island Tales work by my wife, Renae, and I. She pencils 'Pono Loa' and I ink and color.

I will be doing a ton of work for Island Tales, so stay tuned for more! And please spread the word! Let your comic shop know, share it on your social networks. Help us make this something special! Thank you!!

Thanks for looking!

~Ray

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | DeviantArt