So this is page 6 of “Painted Ladies of San Quentin”- and it’s on.  A full splash page that I give credit to Aaron Kuder of Marvel fame for telling me at NYCC 2012- “get the hands in the foreground, up close” and he showed me a cover he did from Avengers for me to think on- see attached photo.  Keeping this in mind, I did three elements- a horse, jumping “Chinaman” with weapons, and Elijah’s revolver shooting and missing in the foreground. All three are in motion in a triangular pattern on the page, with the ground on an angle.  I’m pleased with all three elements, and the motion and action (whoa Chinaman jumping off the horse!!) the hand close up brings it all to a sense of immediate action which makes the whole splash page work- thanks for the tip Aaron!

As an aside- I did this on a scrap of paper in my niece’s 3rd grade class on 11/26/12 in a child’s chair and desk in the back of her art class while I sat in while we were in Florida for Thanksgiving.  I had no references, and did it in 90 minutes, and as my UGLI Studios collaborator and friend Brian Allen said- “I love the expression on the horse.  He’s like F This!”

Aaron Kuder’s art at NYCC…