Dapper Dan's Pomade

2012-01-24T22:07:00.000-08:00

Just a quick and cool update while I'm penciling issue 7 of the Ghostbusters Ongoing. My lovely girlfriend took this photo...recognize anyone familar?

2012-01-10T23:41:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! It has been a remarkably time busy since starting the Ghostbusters Ongoing comic. The entire team is really putting 110% into the books, and we hope you are diggin what we are layin down. I rarely ever post pencils, and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do so. Don't forget, issue #5 is out on the 18th of January! It's a new story arc that is chock full of clowns, bats and evil monkeys. How can you go wrong with that combo? Cheers!

2011-10-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to post quickly to say thanks to everyone who helped Ghostbusters Ongoing #1 sell out within the first day! Everyone on the team is very gracious and we all look forward to hearing your thoughts on Issue #2, out October 12th. If you missed out on the first printing of Ghostbusters #1, don't worry, there will be a second printing out very soon! Here's a sneak peek at Issue 3's cover that Luis and I did in the mean time. Now I have to get back to page 16 of Issue 4, there is something sugary on the loose!

2011-08-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Things are still hauntingly busy with the Ongoing Ghostbusters comic book. I'm almost finished pencils for issue #3, and I'm excited to jump onto issue #4 next week. Just a reminder, that you can still pre-order issue 2! Also, be sure to hit up you local comic shop or online dealer September 21st. Issue #1 hits the stands that Wednesday. If you are having trouble finding a shop in your area, check out this great thread co-artist Tristan Jones cooked up.

To sweeten the deal, here's a sample of the comic, 7 pages worth!

Ghostbusters #1 Preview

Love to hear what you think, so post some comments on what you like and don't like. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Dan

2011-07-15T00:40:00.001-07:00

Things have been "supernormally" busy lately, as I'm now the lead pencil on the new ongoing monthly Ghostbusters comic for IDW! I'm very excited to be working with Erik, Tristan, Luis and Tom, and I know if you dig the boys in Gray, you will love the book! Be sure to place your pre order for the book with your local comic shop as soon as you can! Here are the first two covers I penciled for issues 1 and 2 respectively. Both colored by the great Luis Delgado! Cheers :)

2011-05-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

My daughter, mom and I watched Rio today. We all really enjoyed the film, especially my daughter, who loves Macaws. I def recommend checking it out, a nice animated film from 20th Century Fox/Blue Sky, who also created Ice Age and Horton Hears a Who. Tracy Morgan really made some of the scenes shine. The music in the film was equally as cool. After, I was inspired to draw up a few Macaws myself with my daughter's crayola twistable crayons (which are a blast to draw with btw!). Hope you digs!

2011-04-29T15:44:00.001-07:00

A sketch for this weeks Illustration Friday. The topic is "lesson", and what better creature to learn the lesson of change from, than that of a Dragonfly?

2011-03-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you some sketch covers I did for the upcoming IDW's Ghostbusters Infestation #1! I'm super humbled to be apart of the project, and getting to sketch out GB characters is always exciting. In total I did 250 covers, and there are a few one offs of specific characters in there as well. Here's a sampling of some of the covers. If you pick one up, let me know where and which cover! Cheers

Ghostbusters Infestation#1 hits stands March 9th!

Credits and Synopsis;

Erik Burnham (w) Kyle Hotz (a) Hotz, John K. Snyder III (c)

IDW's Infestation event continues here in this bi-weekly two-part Ghostbusters tale! Thanks to a plague of poltergeists that resist long-term storage in the containment grid, the Ghostbusters are dealing with a surplus of work... and their job is only going to get harder when Britt's zombies try to take a nibble out of the Big Apple! Written by Erik Burnham (The A-Team: War Stories) and illustrated by Kyle Hotz (Marvel Zombies).

2011-01-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks!

Just wanted to drop down a quick update as it seems the last one was a few months back. I hope everyone had a positive and productive 2010. Let's make 2011 even better I say! This year, is the year of balance. Which ties in nicely with these two sneak peek pages for the Kung Fu Panda comic titled Kung Fu Panda: The Art of Balance, I did art for. The book is due out on April 11. I really enjoyed the Kung Fu Panda movie, and I find it is one of Dreamworks stronger efforts. My favorite is definitely How to Train your Dragon though. That creative team managed to create strong characters, matched with strong design and great storytelling. What is your favorite Dreamworks film, and why?

I hope you enjoy the samples, and I look forward to your thoughts on the book when it arrives on stands in April!

Cheers,

Dan

2010-11-10T19:42:00.001-08:00

Just a quick heads up that IDW's Ghostbusters Haunted Holidays TPB is now on shelves! It contains all of the holiday one shots, PLUS an exclusive short 9 page Thanksgiving themed comic written by James Eatock (Cereal:Geek) with art by me. If you snag a copy, please leave a message here with your thoughts! Cheers

2010-11-01T10:41:00.001-07:00

13 of 13

2010-10-30T22:36:00.001-07:00

12 of 13

2010-10-29T00:59:00.000-07:00

11 of 13

2010-10-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

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2010-10-19T18:09:00.001-07:00

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2010-10-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

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2010-10-15T23:26:00.001-07:00

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2010-10-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

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2010-10-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

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2010-10-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

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2010-10-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

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2010-09-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

2 of 13

2010-09-26T00:37:00.001-07:00

Hallowe'en is upon us, and I wanted to share a little sneak peek for this years 13 Ghosts. Can you guess this years Ghostbusters theme?

2010-08-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

It's been busy recently, with lots of cool stuff that I can share with you all in the next few months. Until then, here is a sneak peek at IDW's Ghostbusters Hallowe'en One Shot that I penciled. I had a blast working on it, and you'll definitely be seeing more Ghostbusters soon!

Cheers,

Dan

2010-06-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's the 26th Anniversary of Ghostbusters! In honor of the special occasion, I'm posting up a haunted treat for all you GB fans! Why? Cause bustin makes ya feel good, that's why!

Here's a sample panel (NOT FINAL ART) from the upcoming 9 Page Ghostbusters comic short I am providing the art for. It is written by the great James Eatock and published by IDW.

I am also happy to announce that I will also be penciling a 22 page Ghostbusters Hallowe'en issue written by the awesome duo of Peter and Kathleen David. I'm very excited about that and can't wait to show everyone what's cookin.

2010-04-07T08:02:00.001-07:00

My yearly Nintendo piece is in the works and I wanted to share some samples with you. This year was a toss up between the Donkey Kong and Star Fox universe. I decided to "barrel roll" with the latter, as I have always found the Star Fox characters to have good, distinct personalities, which helps immensely when drawing them. Don't get me wrong, DK is cool, but his mind set it's overly engaging. Hope you like these samplers!

Cheers,

Dapper

2010-02-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

Ghostbusters comic book pitch!

UPDATE! See below image and click for new news!

All content © copyright: James Eatock and Dan Schoening

2009-12-23T23:50:00.001-08:00

I would like to extend to you and yours a Happy Holidays! All the best, and here's to a positive and awesome 2010!

Cheers,

Dapper

2009-11-26T00:08:00.001-08:00

"O hai Doggie"

Hey everyone! Hope November has treated ya well, and a Happy Thanksgiving to all my American buddies. I always preferred chicken to turkey. What is your preference? I recall one Thanksgiving I had sushi, yeah I'm crazy like that sometimes. Up here in Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. Interesting how far apart they are.

At work we are gearin up to watch one of my favorite movies, The Room. Now, if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing this, I highly recommend it. It is amazing! Take everything you know about film. Now, put it in a burlap sack, and toss it out the window. It's that awesome. Anyway, I was lucky enough to partake in a recent sketch jam with some great artist buddies of mine. Here was the result of my efforts. Hope ya digs, and I'll be posting some holiday art very soon.

Cheers,

Dan

2009-11-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

One day late is better than never! Here are the 13 Ghosts of Hallowe'en! Hope you dig!

Cheers

Dapper

2009-10-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

"Peter: Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head. Remember that?
Egon: That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me."

It's that time of year again! Autumn, easily my favorite season. The crisp air, earthy tones and Hallowe'en of course.

I wanted to share some ghoulish links with you, to get you in the "spirit" of things.

James (Angry Video Game Nerd) is hosting a daily Monster Madness on his Cinemassacre site. It's an eye opener, as he reviews one horror film every day this month. I highly recommend checkin it out.

Branded in the 80's is also posting daily. They are showcasing an awesome collection of Real Ghostbusters Cels. I thought I had seen a lot of the RGB shows, but this site is showin off crypty creeps I have never seen, it's awesome.

Speaking of Ghostbusters, I'm currently cookin up this years 13 Ghosts! I'll give yee a lil sneak peek, and then post one a day closer to Halloween. Hope ya digs!

BOO!

Dapper

2009-09-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

Some Hanna Barbera characters drawn as realistically as possible. It's always good to go beyond and try new things in art. Keeps things fresh! More to come :)

Cheers,

Dapper

2009-08-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year folks! The Fan Expo in Toronto starts this week, from the 28th to the 30th. I will be in attendance with the talented Cale Atkinson, and you can find us at table #A66 in Artist's Alley (map below).

If you are going, stop by, it would be awesome to meet up. Here's a peek at a print I'll have at the Expo for sale:

See ya there!

Dan

2009-07-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month and a half since I last posted! Thanks to all the people watching the blog, it's greatly appreciated. I'm currently underway with some more DC books featuring Wonder Woman and Superman. Here's a illustration sample I did from a Batman book, due out this August 15th.

It's been an interesting process this time around, and I am enjoying the challenges.

I'm also in the midst of getting together a sketch book for the Fan Expo in Toronto this August. Here is the cover to said book.

Who is Ben Chalmer Stevens you ask? Well you'll have to buy the book to find out! (Shameless I know) He was kind enough to write a forward for the sketchbook. I will post more info on the con as it develops as well. I will be sharing a table with the awesome Cale Atkinson. Word on the street many cool cats from the Sketch Tavern will be in attendance, even the fabled Manotec (as pictured below.)

In other news, Red Fly was nice enough to post a thank you on their site regarding my name missing from the new Ghostbusters Wii game. Here's a few links if you care to read up on it;

Red Fly Dev Blog

Joystiq Article

So it seems that the SDCC is in full swing! One day I swear I'll pop down there! Some of my work will be at tables throughout the convention. One in particular is the Darkstalkers Tribute book. I was honored to come back and do another piece for Udon. The guys there are awesome. If you are in the neighborhood swing by the con and pick up the book. It's chock full of awesome artist's renditions on the infamous Capcom game. I wanted to roll with something opposite from what I thought you might see in the book. Instead of violence I went with love, something the world is in short supply of imho.

Last but not least, a big thanks to Randall Sly for featuring me on the Character Design Blog. You can check it out here if you haven't read it yet. It's a huge honor!

Til next time chaps, cheers!

Dapper

2009-06-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

"We're ready to believe you"

2009-05-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Huzzah! It's time for another post. Things are starting to get crazy around here, and there are a lot of things cookin in the oven.

First off, I will be attending the Toronto Fan Expo Aug 27th - 3oth this summer with the uber talented Cale Atkinson and Jessika von Innerebner. This will be my first time in Toronto, so I'm excited to see the city and take part in the convention. As soon as I know the Artist Alley table number I will post it up here. If you plan to attend, please swing by and say hi.

I am excited to be apart of The Autumn Society Of Philadelphia's 80's Pop! Show. Opening night is on June 5th at 6pm. If you live in the area, definitely swing by and see the awesomeness that is the 80's. I decided to pay tribute to my favorite 80's movie, wait... favorite movie of all time, Back to the Future.
Above is an entry for Sean "Cheeks" Galloway's Kuta Vinyl Contest. I love the Bastion 7 characters, the designs are smoother than a Michael McDonald/Doobie Brother's song. There are some wicked entries in the mix, check them out here!

Don't forget! Attack of the Monstrology, brought to you by APE Entertainment, is now out in stores and available for purchase online. It's chock-a-block full of awesome stories and art. It includes a short story illustrated by myself and written by the ever cool Mike Jungbluth. If you snag a copy, please let me know what you think!

Cheers,

Dapper!

2009-04-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Zombie Pig Resurrection: The Back Bacon

Spending time with the wacom. I'll post another update soon!

Cheers,

Dan

2009-03-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted to start off with a big thanks to all that are following my diddies, it's quite an honor!

Things have been extremely busy for me for the past while, and on top of that I have a move at the end of the month. I think moving is a big hassle, but this one is worth it. Also, I think it's a mind pattern for everyone to loathe it. There are only a handful of people I know that actually like it. How do you feel about moving? Any good/bad experiences you'd like to share?

The art train is starting to pick up steam, and I'd like to share some goodies with ya. First off is a fun colab I did with Sean "Cheeks" Galloway. He asked if I'd like to color the pencils to this, and being a big fan of his work I jumped at it. I picked up quite a few tid bits on the way, that I've translated into some recent drawings. Thanks for the colab Sean, it was a blast!

Above we have some samples for my upcoming yearly Nintendo piece. I'm not going to do as many as the Punch Out or Zelda piece, but I will hit up my favs. I haven't played Prime 2 or 3 yet, even though I own 2 and it's still in the shrink wrap. I don't get to play games much, lol. Also 3 is out of my league as I don't own a Wii. Sad tines. Hope you dig these samples. The Rundas one I will only post here, no were else. That is until it's all complete. I'm aimin for June.

Big new with the Ghostbusters too! I can't give much away, but I've teamed up with a wicked writer who KNOWS the characters so well, it's a perfect fit. When the cat is out of the bag, we'll post the art and writing. I better zip my lip....

Thanks again for followin the work here, and I hope to post again soon!

Cheers,

Dapper

2009-02-04T00:15:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the lack o' updates! And thanks to all that are following the ol'tine blog here too. I wanted to drop a few pieces of art, just so you all know I'm not dead. At least the mirror under my nose shows signs of life, lol.

I've been reading up on old folk lore and stumbled upon the story of the Beast of Gevaudan. A very interesting read, and I suggest checking it out.
I'll be back soon with some updates and thoughts, thanks again for swinging by!

Cheers,

Dapper

2008-12-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidaze Everyone! Whatever you celebrate, there is one underlying similarity that we all should practice. That is spending time with the ones you love the most. So here is to you and yours!

All the best,

Dapper

P.S. Thanks for the crit Geoffrey! I used the words of wisdom and re did the layout :) Hope you digs!

2008-11-25T22:46:00.000-08:00

The winter holidays are coming up quick it seems. So, I thought I had better post some holiday cheer. My family celebrates Christmas, but what is Christmas really? I'm not religious by any means, and I believe that everyone should practice whatever they feel is right for them. But why is there a tree in my place, and where did Rudolph come from? I suppose I should just research it, but I would like to hear what you think and feel.

First off is my yearly tradition, paying homage to one of my favorite films. A Christmas Story is one of those films you can easily define as classic. I think the thing that is so enjoyable about it is that it's completely sincere in what it is saying. Also, through Ralphie's eyes you see everything with that innocent perception adults seem to lose growing up. I've been itchin to do this scene for a year. Probably as much itching as you would do if you had to wear that Pink Bunny costume, lol.

Secondly, is another yearly pic. It's a humble homage to one of my favorite writers, Dr.Suess, and one of my favorite animators, Chuck Jones. The book is amazing and the cartoon is genius.
I felt last years pic suffered from poor composition. This year I'm trying to incorporate more tension and use of negative space. Plus, this is the first time I've tried my hand at Max. My daughter absolutely adores him, and I really hope she likes this pic when it's done. I'll be sure to post it when I'm done.

Thanks to all that are coming to the page to check out my work, it's very appreciated!

Cheers

2008-11-16T23:35:00.001-08:00

Last week had an endless supply of Bond! I caught the trailer for Quantum, and thought it looked like it could be an exciting film to watch. I still hadn't seen Casino Royale and from other people's thoughts on the film, it was a must see. Thursday night a friend and I watched the film, and I have to say that I enjoyed it more than the Connery films, which were at the top prior to seeing this. I think it was the pacing of Casino that made it more successful. Also, I think Daniel Craig's Bond is right up there with Connery's. These two actors get "Bond". The attitude, the charisma and the ruthlessness. The intro for Casino is totally noteworthy, I really enjoyed the visuals and flow to it. Without getting into a full review of the film, I'll say that it's a sweet ride and highly recommended. My only quirp with the film was how Vespar died. That scene felt awkward and forced. I can understand that it was a huge turning point for Bond's character. However, I think her death (which was necessary) could have happened in another manner.

Friday night, I caught the 10:15 showing of Quantum. I will not say anything about the films plot points or scenes in particular, as I hate to ruin the surprise of films. It's rare I watch trailers even. I will tell you one thing I liked and one thing disliked. I did like the action, and what do you expect from a Bond film. They are classic for over the top action sequences. Unfortunately the camera work was REALLY hard to follow during fight scenes. It's like the director took his cues from Joel Schumacher's Batman daze. There is one scene that doesn't suffer from this though, and it's a good one. A lot of people are having mixed thoughts on this film. I think of it as a bridge to bring in the big guns, an action intermission if you will. I have a feeling the next installment will be the best of the 3, just have to be patient for 2 more years.

2008-11-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been very busy lately, but I am making a New Year's resolution for January to post more often. I also plan to post more sketches and thoughts instead of final works. Some insight as to how I work and what the process is.

I just finished an illustration for a card set featuring the AVGN James Rolfe. I'm a big fan of both James and Mike Matei's work on the show, as well as their individual works. So, getting to do a card was a great opportunity.

On Octorber 31st I finished the "13 Ghosts of Hallowe'en." It features 13 of the spookiest haunts from the Ghostbusters universe. I would like to do a Ghostbusters comic book, so if any of you have connections let me know! Here are some samples below, you can find the rest of the ghouls here; Ghostbusters Gallery

I've also wrapped up the last of the Marvel Masterpieces 3 Artists Proof cards. These were so much fun to do, mainly because I used traditional mediums as opposed to my usual digtial work. Some of them turned out pretty swell. Here are some samples,

More art to come! Thanks for looking :)

Dapper

2008-10-07T23:45:00.000-07:00

Hallowe'en is fast approaching! Anyone that has followed my blog here for a while knows that I think it's the cat's pajamas. Fall is easily my favorite time of the year.

I did have some big things planned, but had to hold back on them due to some other matters of importance. As always though, there will be a Ghostbusters piece, maybe even two...or three more. Above you will see Vinz, who just possessed Louis Tully. Apparently many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you. Here is also a detail of one of the upcoming pieces.

I did a pin up for Udon's Street Fighter Tribute book, which came out at the San Diego Con this past summer. I was humbled to be asked to participate, as I have always had a soft spot for the first few SF games on the SNES. Had to roll with Blanka on this one. Never liked Ken, so he got the brunt of the electric attack. I'm also selling official prints of this. Each print is 8x10, and comes with a quick sketch of your favorite SF character. All that for only $15!

I cannot express enough how important this next subject is to not only me, but to every person on this planet. Consider for a moment, a "Revolution of consciousness." I have a firm belief in the good of humanity, and the endless possibilities of the human spirit. I'm not a religious person, or a person that is quick to accept any given knowledge. I question everything. I recommend everyone who reads this to take some time out from whatever you are doing right now, and watch this video; Zeitgeist: Addendum Part 1. Please watch all 13 videos, and sincerely question what is important to you as a human, and what you want out of life. There is so much more than what we have now, and all we need to do is remember who we are. I'm sure you have heard the news about the US economy, and it will only get worse. Once the US falls into possibly the worst depression in the known history, it will send aftershocks throughout the world, affecting everyone. John Lennon's lyrics in these songs describe two things. 1) What we are now, and 2) What we can aspire to be if we truly believe in ourselves. It's time to wake up

Sincerely,

Dapper

2008-09-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

I think it's about time for a new post! First off, I'd like to mention that I'm now selling my Artist Proof Sketch Cards from the Marvel Masterpieces 2 collection. I have 7 cards left! If you are interested in these rarities, let me know in this post, and I'll contact you. I'm also offering some on E Bay for those of you that are auction savy, Auction 1 & Auction2 .

Secondly, I'm way over due for a Teen Wolf picture. I'm not ashamed to say that I loved this movie when I was younger.

I was hoping to get one of my Nintendo pics in this years Iam 8-Bit, but alas I never heard back. Perhaps next year the Metroid pic will garner a place on the wall. Above is the finished Punch Out piece.

Hopefully I'll be postin some more goodies soon! Thanks again to everyone for the feedback, it's awesome!

Cheers

Dapper

2008-07-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the new Batman film coming out this week? I don't normally get very excited about seeing a film, but this one looks to be a great take on the dark knight. I like the direction, in that it isn't a complete take off from the books, at least as far as the Joker is concerned. At first, I wasn't sold on the look for Mr.J. However, I know that being an artist, making something your own is the most important thing when you are adapting something. It makes it unique and sometimes better. After watching the 4 or so min long sneak peek, with Joker robbing a mob bank, I was hooked. The way that he is portrayed is much more disturbed than that of the prankster Nicholson brought to the table. I'll always enjoy Jack's version, and Cesar's as well. Both completely different, but great. I've been enjoying James Rolfe's reviews of Batman in film. His take is smart, funny and rings true. Swing by and watch them on Spike TV here. Feel free to share your fav and least fav Batman moments in cinema. I'd like to hear what you all think :)

Cheers,

Dan

2008-06-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of doing up the cover for issue 4 of Cereal:Geek magazine. I have only tried my hand at the cartoon version of Peter once before, so this was a great opportunity to try the other guys. This issue will go on sale early next month. It's a Horror issue as well, so get ready for some haunted Saturday morning insight!

Swing by Graham Crackers if you want a copy :)

Cheers!

Dan

2008-05-30T23:25:00.001-07:00

I have many art traditions that I like to keep on top of every year. One of them being the annual Ghostbusters pic, the Christmas Story art and last but not least...my homage to the Nintendo Entertainment System (It really spans all of Nintendo's systems, but the 8-Bit is still king!). First it was Super Mario Bros, then The Legend of Zelda. This year I actually started two games, and decided to truck forward with one that has a little more "punch." I'd say this is about half done so far, with another handful of characters to join such as Doc, Dragon Chan, Mr.Sandman and Bear Hugger. It's nice to switch up styles once and a while so things stay fresh. When working in this style I really try to focus on the flow of lines. How they go into each other and overlap with color. I'm pushing the colors more this time as well, giving each character a larger palette than in the two previous NES pics. Let me know your thoughts! Aside from this, there are a few other cool things on the horizon. I'll keep you posted :)

Cheers,

Dan

2008-05-16T14:58:00.001-07:00

In lieu of the new Indy movie due out in a few weeks, I've done up a few sketches. There are really so many scenes in the movies that make for great interpretation but I settled with these three. I'll do a fourth one after I see the movie and post that up too. Cheers!

2008-05-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since the last post. Not too much to report though, keepin busy and enjoying the fact that the sunny weather has finally decided to make an appearance this year. Perhaps that image above can help keep ya cool in the heat? It's a detail of a larger pic, and will hopefully have that done within a few months. I'm hoping to start up another Nintendo piece, similar to the Zelda and Mario ones. I'll post some roughs of that soon.

Also, the Power Girl animation that I did for DC is up and on their myspace page. Swing by here:

Power Girl Animation

Let me know what you think :)

Cheers

Dapper

2008-03-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, thanks again for the comments on the work here. Greatly appreciated it is! Just thought I'd toss down some work so that you all know I'm alive. I don't have much to say art wise though. I'm in a process of re-new, and it's time I hit up the ol' life drawing again. I'm finding that my work isn't at a lvl I'd like it at, so I need to push it further. Also recently watched Bill Melendez's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." I remember watching this as a youngin'. My daughter loved it too. You can say that the animation isn't the best draftsmanship, but the story and acting here make it shine. You could say that about his work on the peanuts. Sure he was confined to the comic strip models, but the story's and heart in all of them show that he is a brilliant storyteller. Something in today's day and age is hard to find.

2008-01-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

Long time no see! Here's a piece for Illustration Friday titled, "Leavem' In Stitches". The Joker always knows how to dropem dead ;) Alas, I had no time to color it, perhaps in the future. I've been super busy, and this month is no exception. There are lots of cool things coming up, and 2008 is gonna be one heck of a ride!

2007-11-19T23:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun pic I did for Illo Friday! "Superstition" is the theme. Unfortunately, lucky human feet just don't work the same...

Cheers,

Dan

2007-10-15T21:59:00.001-07:00

Who ya gonna call? Four years and counting, here's this years Ghostbusters pic! Thought I'd show some love for #2 and a villain with possibly the best hair ever, Vigo.

Happy Haunts!

2007-09-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Who ya gonna call?

Ghostbusters...2!

This year I'm gonna pay respects to the sequel that may not have topped the first movie, but was fun in it's own right. Plus who can beat a floating Vigo the Carpathian head? This here is the rough, and I'll have the final posted on October 24 th :)

2007-09-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well I thought I'd post some stuff on my blog here that I wouldn't normally post. I like to consider the blog here as a place to showcase things I don't put up anywhere else, as I think I have a very small amount of visitors checkin' this page out. I dig that, it's like going to a pub and sharing some work with a few buds. I have been a little out of the loop from art as of lately, but I do have some prior commitments that always need tending. Here's a smackerel of things that I've been working on. Feel free to leave some comments or feedback. And yes...even critique is welcome! Actually, I encourage it. No time like the present to get better at what you do. Hope you all digs!

Here's a pic that I colab' with Mike Jungbluth on. After reading the Sinestro Corps I was mused to doodle them up. Mike took my pencils, inked them and then popped down some sweet colors. After that I added some efx and viola! We had this as a print during the Chicago Con and it sold rather well if I do say so myself.

Last but not least, is this here Power Girl. Why Power Girl? And why did I draw her chest so small? Well, the latter question first. Her chest is smaller, as I hate drawing big boobs. Seriously, sometimes they get drawn a little over the top, but that is my personal preference I guess. I'm more of an ass guy anyway. But that is another story. Power Girl was chosen as the next DC animation that I'll be doing. Under the color model you will see some cleaned up stills from the animatic. At this stage, after the timing is down and the keys are done, I'll start to color the characters, and get them ready for animation. I finished up a Batman animation, that should be up mid October on the DC Comics Site, just in time for Hallowe'en. Good fit for the Bats I say. And using that prelude to All Hallows Eve, there is currently a new Ghostbusters pic in the works. I'll post the roughs for that next week ;)

2007-08-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Well the Chicago Con from the 9th to 13th of August has come and gone. Some great memories, and new faces made this one to remember. To all the people that I met, it was a pleasure, and I hope to repeat it next June. Here's a little synopsis of what my travels were.

August 9th, alarm goes off at 3:40, after only going to bed about 4 hours prior. I rush out the door and drive out to the Victoria International Airport. Little did I know, I left my alarm on, so the neighbor downstairs was awoken every morning at 3:40 to blaring music for what I believe to be 15 mins. Flight to Vancouver was smooth, usually about a half hour. Then it was off to Chicago after a layover of and hour. I was unfortunately treated to "Shrek 3" as the in flight film. Now, I don't think Shrek is the worst looking animated film, besides the boring design, but this film was so horrendous...let's just say they murdered my love for "The Immigrant Song," by Zeppelin. Bonham is turning in his grave. I arrived at O'Hare at about 2:30, ahead of schedule. Called the Chairman and Matt, and I met them with little probs. After that, Mike arrived at vestibule 3d. We snatched him up and began our drive to the acclaimed Motel 6. Did I mention we got lost? After driving through 5 towns, and asking for directions 2 tines, we found it. Then it was off to the Con to meet up with Tim and Ian at the Ape booth. Hilarity ensued, as the rest of the weekend was filled with sketches, finally meeting Hen, more sketches and cardboard pizza.
Although the trip to that one deep dish place was good tines. Also something about Megaman glowing and DK not tossing barrels. I was blessed to meet up with some new and old faces alike. Matt from DA who did some wicked colored art to show me. Von Toten, who is as cool as they come, not to mention talented like a beast. Shapestrong, who handed me an amazing maquette she did, Jessica "Animator Xtreme" Plummer, and Joe Bluhm, the best caricature artist I've ever seen! Jon Riggle, Superdookie, Spagetti016, AgentBill, Chip14, uber talented Jeff "Chamba" Cruz, Kweli, Bender, Robb Mommaerts, Yoni Limor, Mike Kasinger, Lucian X and slew of other cool peeps. Hopefully I didn't leave anyone out, I'm sure I have, so please take no offense. My brain has been reduced to mush since arriving back. Kinda like this overview of my trip...so without further ado, the pictures to fill in the gaps! Thanks again to all that swung by, look forward to doing this again in June!

Cheers

Dapper

2007-05-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to announce a contest we're holding to celebrate the release of Cereal & Pajama's . Here's the low down;

CEREAL AND PAJAMAS ‘BACK OF THE BOX’ Pin-up Contest!

Saturday morning cartoon comics sharing the fun!

Ape Entertainment is pleased to announce the CEREAL AND PAJAMAS ‘Back of the Box’ Pin-up Contest!

Give us your interpretation of any character or characters from the variety of stories packed into the CEREAL AND PAJAMAS Anthology. The three best pin-ups (as judged by the Cereal and Pajamas creators) will be published in the CEREAL AND PAJAMAS anthology! Entries are due June 10th and the winners will be announced June 15th.

"This book has given all of us involved a chance to show our interpretations of the type of shows we loved as a kid," says contributor/ co-editor Mike Jungbluth. "What we hope with this contest is to give 3 more artists a chance to show the world their own unique take on our characters."

Ape Entertainment co-publisher, David Hedgecock added, “CEREAL AND PAJAMAS is a unique anthology that is giving voice to some of the most incredibly talented ‘up-and-coming’ creators of this decade. With this contest, now there are even more opportunities for new talent to shine.”

CEREAL AND PAJAMAS is a collection of original stories meant to evoke the nostalgia of Saturday mornings with a grown-up twist. The stories compile the talents of up-and-comers such as Ray-Anthony Height (Noble Causes, Darkstorm), Jeffrey Cruz (10th Muse, Sinbad: Rogue of Mars), Dan Schoening (Invincible Handbook Vol. 2, DC Online) and Israel Cruz (Atomik Mike), as well a slew of artists from the fields of television and games. The book features a cover by Jack Lawrence (Lions, Tigers and Bears, GoGo-Gorilla and the Jungle Crew, A.T.O.M.)

Inspired in style and execution by fond memories and fueled by mature storytelling, the creators of CEREAL & PAJAMAS bring you endless worlds of adventure: faraway galaxies, zombified tomorrows, fantastic landscapes, crime-ridden cities and many more. Saturday morning grows up with 11 original tales by industry veterans and newcomers alike.

CEREAL AND PAJAMAS currently contains over 128 full-color pages of completed stories and will be released in August. You can see more at APE Comics or Cereal & Pajamas @ ComicSpace

Prizes

1st Place
- Your artwork printed in the Cereal and Pajamas anthology
- A free Collector's Edition copy of Cereal and Pajamas.

2nd and 3rd Place
- Your artwork printed in the Cereal and Pajamas anthology
- A free copy of Cereal and Pajamas.

Cheers

Dapper

2007-04-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

In anticipation for the new Spidey flim, and news of a Spider-man animated series designed by Sean Galloway, I thought I'd drop some art. I was trying to really push the posing with Spidey, as he is amazing, so why not try and give him amazing poses. Now, I'm not saying the drawing is amazing, but I know I couldn't stretch that good. Also, it's a nice juxtaposition with having Spider-man very agile, while Parker more subdued. As a bonus, my good friend Cale Atkinson sketched up a Spider-Man VS. Venom pic, which I had to color up. Hope you all digs!

2007-04-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to the DC Comics Myspace page and scroll down a tad to watch the video play out :)

Hope you all dig it

Hat tip

Dapper

2007-03-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

ZELDA!

2007-03-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

Cereal and Pajamas Anthology!

Back in August a good friend of mine Will Caligan approached me about doing a short story for an anthology that he was putting together. I was a little hesitant at first as I'm not fond of drawing comics. I guess it's the lengthy process of drawing things panel by panel. It's weird as I love storyboard, and animation itself takes way longer than any comic possibly could. The short story could also be anything you like, so the freedom to create was foremost appealing. I'm not much of a writer so I mentioned to Will that I'd like to take on a co-created character of his. He hooked me up with the writer and we put our heads together to get something that wasn't the normal fair for comics. I really wanted something human, with feeling and emotion upfront. This way, the story would be more personal to the reader, and it would test my metal at showing emotion in my art. The story itself starts with the hero, Leo, chasing an arch villain through a mid-income residential type area of town. Leo corners the villain and to get away the villain blows up the lower lvl of an apartment. Leo then has to choose between getting his man, or saving the innocent people trapped inside. The rest of the story follows Leo, saving the residents of the building. After he brings out the last person, he finds out that two children are still inside. Exhausted, Leo runs back into the apartment. He finds the kids, but as he runs towards them the floor beneath him breaks and he falls into the fiery floors beneath. Leo awakens in a hospital, only to find out that the children he so desperately tried to save didn't survive.

As I said, I really wanted to bring humanity into the comic, to show that he is a vulnerable character with flaws. I hope that it shows in the art to come.
Due to commissions and contracts I had no time to color it, so I was stoked to find out that Luxun (Silas) was interested in coloring it. See the pin up above for his awesome work. Keep an eye on him, as he will be a rising star soon enough in the color biz. Stop by his Deviant Art page to get more juicy pics that he's colored up, Luxun's Gallery

The pages will be fully colored by April 1st, and then off for printing. I plan to be at the Chicago Con this year with Hen, Mike, and Tim Kelly so we'll have plenty of copies for sale there. And as a bonus, Jack Lawrence of ATOM, Lions, Tigers and Bears and Darkham Vale fame will be doing the cover. HUZZAH!

I'll post some completed pages next month :)

Cheers

Dapper

2007-02-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

100 DC VILLAINS! Way back in May of 2005 I began doodling some sketches of some favorite Batman villains. Low and behold almost 2 years later, there are 100 villain designs. It was a labour of love that almost lost the muse in the end. However this last batch made it, and I'd like to share a few of them with ya. Feel free to post any C&C you have.

Cheers

Dapper

2007-01-23T08:52:00.001-08:00

Well over the past few months I've been busy, doing work for DC Comics, a little short comic for an anthology and trying to find my muse inbetween. The best thing this winter besides my daughter and I enjoying Christmas, was that I got to see my brother again. I hadn't seen him in over 4 years, so it was just the right time now for him to fly all the way from sunny Australia to snowy Victoria. He was here for about 6 weeks, but it went by so fast. Hopefully within the next 2 years I'll be over there to visit. I lived in Australia for 8 months when I was younger, and thought it was cool. Although being from Canada, the heat almost made it too hard to breathe. LOL.

The Sketch Tavern is planning on hittin up either the San Diego Comic Con, or the Chicago one once more this year. I'll be sure to keep this blog updated, and if any of you reading plan to go let us know. It'd be awesome to meet ya.

Cheers

Dan

2006-12-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

What does the Holiday season mean to you? I celebrate Christmas myself, and I'm not a religious person. Honestly, I'm tired of the "buyme-buyyou" attitude, and I sincerely hope within atleast the next few decades (yes it'll probably take that long) peoples thoughts of this time of year changes. I'm a firm believer in that this time of year is a time to relfect and be thankful for the things you have done to make your own life and others around you richer. It's a time for family and friends, and as long as you have a bit of that, you'll have all you need. No Ipods, No XBox's, No Designer clothes. Just people you love. I will always remember the last few lines of Suess' classic, which I think embraces this time of year very well;

"Christmas Day is in our grasp so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand."

Cheers

Dapper

2006-11-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

The Bunny Man Cometh

Here's a pic I did for my good bud Tim Kelly
Thanks for all the feedback guys, I'll be posting a bigger journal very soon!

Cheers

Dapper

2006-10-31T12:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Hallowe'en Everyone! Here are some ghoulish treats for all you spectres and spooks!

-Undead Dan

2006-10-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Sketch Tavern is holding a new contest for Hallowe'en! If any of you guys want to join in feel free to pop over and sign up. Here are the rules and guide lines:

The Tavern's very own Haunted Contest! Read the description and rules below. Follow the link here to enter: The Haunted Tavern Contest

The Haunted Tavern's Horror Movie Madness Contest
Contest begins Friday October 20 thru to the closing date of November 3.
All entries will be submitted to either Tim Kelly or Dapper Dan via Private Message at the Tavern Forums. Please use a image host or your own site to submit art.
Winners will be chosen by the Sketch Tavern Crew and announced shortly after the deadline.

“Horror Films are designed to elicit fright, fear and disgust from their viewers. In horror film plots, evil forces, events, or characters, sometimes of supernatural origin, intrude into the everyday world.”

You’re ghoulish task for this creepy contest is to think of an original concept for a Horror movie. The 2 week contest will challenge your design skills, composition skills and overall ability to project the mood required to give people the cold running chills.

Sign up in this thread and state which design you will be creating for week one. The designs will be due one week from today. Send all art via PM to Tim Kelly or Dapper Dan no later than the 27th of October, at midnight. 6 winners from this round will be chosen. They will then will move onto round 2.

1st Week
-Design either a Hero or Victim
Create one design for the main hero or victim of the Horror film you would make. Flesh them out well with a biography, pose sheet and one pose with colors. You cannot use an existing character from any genre, the design must be original. Winners from this round will move onto the second round.

2nd Week
-Make a Movie Poster
Details to be announced after completed designs are submitted…muahahahaha

Prizes

1st Place
- Ghostbusters 1&2 DVD Set
- A Starring role in Lightbomb Mike’s “Eat the Robinsons” short story for the published anthology “Cereal and Pajamas” due out early next year.
- One Sketch from Lightbomb Mike, Hen, Tim Kelly and Dapper Dan (4 sketches in total)
- Dapper Dan’s Ghostbusters “This Chick Is Toast” Print and “Cleanin Up The Town” Print
- Dapper Dan Sketch book
- Lightbombmike Sketch book

2nd Place
- “You being killed by Zombies!” A Supporting role in Lightbomb Mike’s “Eat the Robinsons” short story for the published anthology “Cereal and Pajamas” due out early next year.
- One Sketch from Lightbomb Mike, Hen, Tim Kelly and Dapper Dan (4 sketches in total)
- Dapper Dan’s Ghostbusters “Who Ya Gonna Call” Print
- Dapper Dan Sketch book
- Lightbombmike Sketch book

3rd Place
- “You as a lifeless corpse!” A Supporting role in Lightbomb Mike’s “Eat the Robinsons” short story for the published anthology “Cereal and Pajamas” due out early next year.
- Dapper Dan Sketch book and a sketch
- Lightbombmike Sketch book

I've recently been jammin with some buddys online as well. We all pick a topic and rock out a piece within 20 mins. Here are the ones I've done so far:

Thanks again for all the awesome feedback guys! It's greatly appreciated!

Cheers

Dan

2006-10-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

For me, the Fall has to be my favorite time of year. The smell of autumn, the rustic colored leaves, and of course my favorite holiday...HALLOWE'EN! Over at the Sketch Tavern (see above image) we have a spooky animation that Cale Atkinson and I cooked up in the cauldron.

I'm extremely excited this year too, as I get to take my beautiful daughter out to a few houses for tricks or treats. I'll post up pictures of my little Witch (her costume) after All Hallows Eve. But until then, here's a haunted ritual I started 3 yrs ago. Every year I do a pic based on one of my favorite movies ever, Ghostbusters. Until next time, happy haunts!

2006-10-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

More from today

And thanks again guys for your comments

:) Dan

2006-10-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

Behind Green Eyes,

No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through

Thanks a lot for all the positive feedback everyone. At this time, it's extremely positive to hear.

Take care,

Dapper

2006-10-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Sad times for the Dapper :(
"Some think that holding on makes us stronger, but the true test of ones strength is letting go..."

2006-09-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to drop down some more art and say thanks for all the feedback and comments! I'm just posting some sketches this time + one colab between Tim Kelly and I. Tim and I did the roughs in Chicago whilst chillin in the Motel 2...ummm er 6. Also the post it's are a part of Cale Atkinson and I's daily ritual of drawing, that's us as Pirates! YAAAAARRRR. October should be a very busy month for me with work and other things going on in my life.

Cheers

2006-09-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while since my last post! So little things to do, and so much time.....strike that, and reverse it. Here's a few pieces that I've done in the past month. Thanks for all the feedback as well! I'll be back with something more filling soon. Cheers

Dan

2006-07-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd drop some more DC heros up here. Not too much to say other than I'm still getting stuff together for the con. Actually, I have to kick my ass in gear as it's only a few weeks away. Hehe, artists, such procrastinators! Cheers

2006-07-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

Nananananananananana...BATMAN! Can never resist the temptation to sing that tune when presented to me. Not too much news to speak of. I've gotten my sketch books back from the printers, and they look pretty fine. I'll be taken them with me to Chicago in August along with some prints and original work. I'll try and post more work on here next week, as I've a busy week ahead of me. - Hat tip

2006-07-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

Day after Canada Day, and it's back to the grind stone! Well, to be honest I work everyday, so I guess that saying doesn't apply to me. Currently I'm working on putting together a "Sketch Book" for the Chicago Comic con. Just going through this past years sketches and pics and deciding what should go in the book. I'm getting quite excited to go as well. Being able to meet Jess (hearts) and Tim is a highlight, and being in a huge area full of art is sure to fire up the muse. I've actually never been back east, so this trip will be one to remember. I'll be sure to take pics and post them when I get back. I hope to network a lot while I'm there, and nudge nudge some big wigs in the biz. Personally, I really don't like to do sequentials, but I'm very excited to do pin ups and covers. On another exciting note, the Sketch Tavern should have it's very first Podcast up in August. The crew will discuss news relating to animation/comics, a roundtable discussion and a q&a with a featured artist. This weekend I also discovered that wireless internet connections are a pain in the ass to hook up. So now, I'm taking that wireless router back in exchange for the good ol' full of wires one. Ah, isn't technology grand?

2006-06-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share a few newer pieces on this here Bloggy McBloggerton. The Mario piece was inspired by an artist friend and ST alumini Tim Kelly. If you haven't seen his work, do so, it's fresh and wicked in style and color. Tim Kelly's Work: http://timkelly.deviantart.com/ With the Mario pic, I went in a new direction, trying to keep the line of action flowing thoughout the characters design. I also applied this to the Pee Wee Herman pic, which was done for the Sketch Tavern's weekly jam. The last pic was done for the Invincible Handbook, published by Image Comics, which will be released at the San Diego Comic Con in July. The handbook is a collection of artists doing all the characters from the Invincible Universe. It's a must have if you are a fan of the book! On a side note, if anyone out there is going to be at the Chicago Comic Con in August, Tim Kelly and I will be there with fellow artists Jessica Plummer and Ian Seniff, pimpin the Sketch Tavern. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

- Hat tip

2006-06-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome! My name is Dan Schoening, and I'm currently working as an animator/illustrator in Victoria, BC. I also share a colaborative website with some fellow amazing artists called the Sketch Tavern. I'll post an more in depth blog sometime soon, so in the mean while I'll share some recent work with ya. Also a shout out to Cale for getting me on here, be sure to check out his page, as he's got some great work posted there.

Thanks very much for stopping by, and hurry back now ya here!