TURTLES: Dawn of the Ninja - Graphic Novel PAGE 1!

Here it finally is! Page 1, painted by me for the fan-based graphic novel TURTLES: DAWN OF THE NINJA, a gritty, realistic approach to TMNT.



Here is the original layout sketch for page 1:


And here is the layout sketch for page 2, coming as soon as I can:


Follow for more! And visit the DOTN website: http://www.DawnoftheNinja.com

Drake REALLY wants to talk - Part Duex! HE... MEANS... BUSINESS!!

Okay, this one has a lot more talking in it. Until, once again, he sees the camera and becomes a Frown-enstein!



Starring Drake Asher Dillon (He's da baby; gotta love him!)
Co-Starring Renae De Liz (Da Momma)
Directed by Ray Dillon (NOT da Momma)

Baby Drake REALLY wants to talk!

Baby Drake Asher Dillon REALLY wants to talk, but then realizes he's being filmed. Usually talks a lot more, but never let's me catch him like that. :o)



Starring Drake Asher Dillon (He's da baby; gotta love him!)
Co-Starring Renae De Liz (Da Momma)
Directed by Ray Dillon (NOT da Momma)

THE LAST UNICORN #5 Preview!

MORE LAST UNICORN ART HERE!

MORE LAST UNICORN ART HERE!

RayDillon.com | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | DeviantArt

THE LAST UNICORN #6 Preview!

THE LAST UNICORN #4 Preview!

THE LAST UNICORN #4!

Last Unicorn #2 - Interior page previews!

Pencils by my wife Renae De Liz. Inks/color by Me. Check out previous posts for more art premieres of the new comic book adaptation of Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Unicorn!" for IDW Publishing.





That last one in particular, with the close up of the harpy... ! MAN! I love my wife! She can draw anything and make it look incredible! Beautiful things, scary monsters, whatever. It's a dream every time I get to work with her.

Thanks for checking this out and please spread the word! We'd love to hear what you think and I'd personally love to get my wife's work out there to the furthest reaches of the universe!

Oh, and catch up on Last Unicorn before the comic hit stands. Books, DVD's, CD's, Apparel, Awesomeness!



~Ray

Comics Art Career: A note about page rates

Hi, everyone-

Message boards are an excellent place to find countless threads on this subject, and most end with pretty good informations about what's "standard" in comics. What's gone before, what the highest rates are, what's considered entry-level, what is your time worth?

All that is fine information, but I think it's missing a key element.

What is a realistic amount to live on?
&
How much work will it be?
I think a lot of writer's with projects, and even a lot of publishing companies don't get this. They enforce monthly deadlines, but don't offer compensation to match. I think artists don't keep this in mind either. We ask, "What are industry standard rates?" not "What do I need to live?" and then we just go with what we can get.



For starting out, $75 is okay. But once you're established, and you have a family to take care of, that number becomes LOW. Think about it, $1,650 BEFORE taxes. That's around $1200 after taxes. That's not much to live on. Rent and groceries and you're done. And for full-time work, approximately 8 hours/day. That's about $9 an hour (not including the time for research, reading scripts, layouts, character designs--which are usually unpaid, paying for supplies, etc., etc). You can make that in fast-food. We're providing very specialized work. Without being money-hungry, WE need to determine the industry standard.

So, yeah, keep that stuff in mind. Who is your artist? Is he a single guy living in Kansas who can live pretty decent on $2,000, or a married guy with two kids living in New York who needs $5,000 a month to scrape by.

New artists (and old), please keep this in mind as you're forming your career. It's absolutely essential to be able to sustain it. Trust me, I'm still struggling with this stuff. Figure out your budget and if you can't get higher pencilling rates, try to find other ways to get to your budget mark each month, whether it be adding other skills (inking, coloring, etc.), moonlighting in other industries (film, video games, trading cards, etc.) or finding ways to do more work in your chosen area.

Oh, and just for the record, these are "Industry Standard" rates:

Entry Level: $25-$50
Mid-Level: $75-$100
Hardcore Pro: $125-$200
Superstar: $300-$1200
Ray Dillon: $5,000-$1 Million (includes inks, colors, letters, friendship, on-call assassin, lunch, dinner & a movie...)

Share your thoughts on this and feel free to ask questions.

Thanks for reading!

~Ray

More great books on Comics & Art Career

"The Last Unicorn #2" Comic Book - Creepy little snippet!

Pencils by my wife Renae De Liz, inks/colors by Me!
Published by IDW Publishing, based on the novel by Peter S. Beagle

And if you haven't already, make sure you tell your local comic book store to order issue #1 and the rest of the series! Also, if you're at Wondercon, you have the chance to get an advanced signed copy by Peter S. Beagle.

My Interiview @ MasterDigitalColor.com!

Read about the creation of my new Superhero Team "The Shen," and Having a Comics Art Career! CLICK HERE:


I originally created this Superhero Team to be used in the Superhero Hero Style section of the book Master Digital Color. You can see how Brian Miller of Hi-Fi colors this piece and get a hi-res downloadable version to practice on from the CD Rom that accompanies the book!

And see an exclusive preview of this excellent new how-to book from Hi-Fi "Master Digital Color":Within the pages of Master Digital Color you find the ultimate comic book art gallery to color along with detailed step-by-step tutorials, hands on challenges, advice from the experts. Also features a Bonus DVD with Video tutorials - Artwork for all tutorials & challenges - Color guides, sample & reference art - Photoshop Add-Ons: Brushes, swatches, actions, scripts, & more - Click-A-Tone create - Manga style grayscale comic artwork - Hi-Fi's 1-2-3 Automation one-click color separations - Bonus artwork

Here are the progress steps that went into making this piece. Concept sketch, cover sketch & cover Inks me. Colors by Brian Miller of Hi-Fi.





About The She'n: In ancient Chinese mythology there is a long-forgotten. tale of four beings who ride within a storm and fall from the sky. All face death, are resurrected after four days and are granted powers. They walk among men to stop a great war and endless bloodshed. In modern day, these are four strangers from around the globe visiting Shanghai who manifest powers after a plane crash and are considered gods among men, or "She'n." One of whom, their leader, follows another meaning of "she'n" as a shapshifting dragon who creates mirages. China needs them to stop the political war that has begun, the plague of violence and decay on the streets, and new unforseen supernatural forces soon to be released to bring an end to the world.

The Characters:
Benjamin Song (the Dragon)
Jena Huang (the Hawk)
Billy Hu (the Tiger)
Cali Hung (the Bear)

The Shen is © Ray Dillon, 2009

Read the Interview HERE-->

VIDEO: Me Painting RPG Fantasy Warrior Woman!

http://www.RayDillon.com

This was a commission for http://www.BigIronVault.com a role-playing game magazine.

I was asked to do a lookalike tribute to a Larry Elmore painting. Tried to do my best with that.

The model in this piece is Jessica, the wife of Keith Foo, owner of Big Iron Vault.

Please, let me know if you think the length and speed of this (and my other) videos is good or two slow/fast. I greatly appreciate your feedback.

ARTISTS: Check out these instructional and motivational books on art and career: LINK

Thanks for watching!

~Ray

VIDEO: Me Painting April O'Neil for DawnoftheNinja.com!

http://www.DawnoftheNinja.com
http://www.raydillon.com

-- This is a fan-based graphic novel and film concept that I'm illustrating. Created by Luke Keith & Steve Lee. Written by Jeremy Fiest. Drawn by me!

--Music used with permission:

-- Song #1: "Underground" by Loch - http://www.youtube.com/lochofmceo

-- Song #2: "Righteous Ninja" by Duece Z - http://www.DueceZ.net

To hear the FULL songs, go to: http://dawnoftheninja.com/player.php

ARTISTS: Check out these instructional and motivational books on art and career: LINK

Thanks for Watching!

~Ray

New TMNT Paintings! Shredder, April O'Niel, Beebop, & Rocksteady!

I'll doing concept paintings and illustrating the graphic novel for Dawn of the Ninja, a gritty, dark, realistic take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's a fan-based graphic novel and movie concept.

Go to http://www.DawnoftheNinja.com to learn more!

How-to Calm Your Baby & Stop the Crying!

Oh, my gosh!! I'm so excited!! Anyone who follows my Twitter knows that my wife and I just had a baby and we haven't slept since. We've been having a really a hard time calming our baby and getting him to sleep. We've tried books, online videos, advice from all over, and nothing quite worked. Some worked a little, some worked once and never again. THIS worked instantly and is continuing to work. Please, if you have a newborn, get this DVD! Have a stress-free time with your new baby! I know WE wanted and needed that. I'm sure you do, too!

ARTISTS: Todd McFarlane Bio DVD - HUGE inspiration!

Are you a struggling artists fighting to make something big happen with your life and art? Do you have a family to take care of? Are you a Todd McFarlane / Spawn fan? Do you just like biography DVD's? You gotta see add this to your collection! I've watched this DVD somewhere between 1 Million and 1 Billion times and it STILL keeps me highly motivated and inspired to keep goin!

Hearing him and his wife tell the stories of when they lived in a trailer, he was working two jobs, and staying up all night at the table. Him sending in 40 submission packets a month before finally getting picked up, and the rise to fame and success. Seeing the roots will be an invaluable asset to anyone struggling to make it!

And seeing how his constant drive and attitude propelled him to success is a big lesson, too. He worked mopping floors, and by cracky, he was the fastest floor mopper ever! Turned it into a challenge!

You also get to see the quirky side and the family side of Todd McFarlane.

It's a fantastic, motivational story and a really well-made DVD. Get this, take the inspiration, and make things happen in your own life! And, please, share the link: http://bit.ly/aRAakO

~Ray

Artists: You need this book!

Hey, you! Are you trying to learn perspective and it's super confusing?? Or are you well versed in perspective, but hate how long it takes to set up grids and what a pain it is to plot points 3 feet away from your paper? This is an absolutely essential book for any form of artist, not just comics. Features PERSPECTIVE SHORTCUTS that will definitely improve and speed up the way you work.

PLUS, it is a GRAPHIC NOVEL! I mean, it's literally all illustrated panels following characters as they discuss perspective. Fun, fast read and you'll understand perspective more than you ever have. Trust me, I read ALL the perspective books! All the complicated, dragging, confusing ones with chapters on just how to make a spiral staircase with perfect measurements. THIS book is what you're looking for.

VIDEO: Really Short LEGO STAR WARS Stop-Motion Animation w/ my Son!

I was attempting to teach my son, Tycen (7), how to make stop-motion animation with his toys. Super short and silly, but I think he got the idea and we had a lot of fun! Made in, like, 10 minutes, so...

Made with my Blerkberry Dumbphone, FrameByFrame, and iMovie.

We don't own Lego or Star Wars ... you probably needed to know that.

We do, however, own AWESOME!

Drake Asher Dillon is BORN!!

Drake Asher Dillon - Born 2.5.2010

Renae De Liz (Dillon) and I are comic book artists who met at San Diego Comic-Con 5 years later got married there, and just had our first baby.

Not much going on in this video, but it's his first public debut! :o)

Drake means Dragon.
Asher means Happy.
Dillon means Loyal, like a Lion.

D.A.D. were my dad's initials, too. Little tribute.

For more info on us, please go to http://www.RayDillon.com and http://www.RenaeDeLiz.com

And follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/raydillon & http://www.twitter.com/renaedeliz

~Ray

VIDEO: Me Painting Michelangelo for DawnoftheNinja.com!

I'm doing concept paintings and illustrating the graphic novel for Dawn of the Ninja, a gritty, dark, realistic take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's a fan-based graphic novel and movie concept.

Go to http://www.DawnoftheNinja.com to learn more!

The music used are 2 POWERFUL original songs created for our project! Loch121 "Underground" and DeuceZ "Righteous Ninja." Follow them on Twitter! Hear the full songs here!

CLICK THE GEAR TO VIEW IN HIGHER QUALITY

FOLLOW ME ON TWEETER!

TMNT!

VIDEO: Me Unpacking Moving Truck - Stop-motion Timelapse

My wife and I recently moved from Salina, Kansas to Cape Elizabeth, Maine. This truck unloading was a lot harder than it looks in this video! :o)