new scene!

page 11, before lettering
so now Permanent Residents moves on to the first vignette, which is built around a rivalry between two Tejano volunteer soldiers in the Texas revolution. this comic takes place at the historic Menger Hotel, across the street from the Alamo, so in 1836, the site was actually a battleground. it was fun to dive into the period elements of the story (although it made me nervous when i read the script!). Period fiction has never been something i took interest in as an artist, so it is actually kind of fun to try it! i wanted to try to draw this totally in photoshop without drawing on paper first. i found out that i really like drawing cowboys, which i did not expect! so this vignette should be fun!
holla!
-samax

Movies That Should Be Comics, ghettoManga Quarterly, and other stuff i'm Doing...

Machete by Samax Amen. brush pen, photoshop. click to enlarge.
i've been keeping busy lately. besides working on the comic Permanent Residents for my client, i'm also writing, illustrating and quarterbacking the latest issue of my comics anthology/hip Hop culture magazine ghettoManga Quarterly, which is available for preorder now. the new issue will have the first installment in the series of illustrated articles Movies That Should Be Comics. the pic you see here is for that first article about Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse spinoff/mock-trailer-turned-actual-upcoming-movie Machette, whose star Danny Trejo was so easy to draw that I was able to knock this out in one sitting.
anyways, sorry i took so long between posts... i'll try to do better next time!

While You Were Sleeping

While You Were Sleeping pencil on paper by Samax (click to enlarge).

here's a classic joint from the archive...

Bee Girl Stance

Bee Girl Stance by samax. click to enlarge
here's a drawing of my daughter Marley that i drew today. just a quick ballpoint sketch, tightened up in Photoshop. my wife has Marley's nursery all decked out with a bumblebee motif (guys, you may as well know now, once you get married, women like to decorate rooms with themes), so i like to call Marley our little Bee Girl. she has recently just taken her first steps, but it would be stretch to say she is walking... i don't wanna rush her into pop-locking or anything. she falls on her face enough on her own, without me pushing her! she does love it when you beat box, though...
anyways, hope ya'll like it!
^___^
-samax
[EDIT: my wife pointed out that i forgot her birthmark, so i added it to her cheek!]

Marley's Favorite Video

Papa Moco Jumbie by Noggin
like all the babies i've ever been around, my daughter Marley loves music. her favorite video right now is Papa Moco Jumbie which they play periodically on Noggin. not enough for me and my wife's tastes (watching this little brown boy praise his daddy's job makes us almost as giggly as it does Marley), so i went and found it on youTube (after recording it on the DVR, of course). Papa Moco Jumbie is about a little boy who wants to be just like his dad, a Moco Jumbie (one of those guys on stilts at Carnival). obviously, Marley has no knowledge of her race, culture or any of that... she just loves dancing and singing along! but i'm glad to be able to have her dance and sing to this!

peace,
-samax

it's ALL about ME!!!

a pic of yours truly rockin' the live art on the roof of The Bone in dallas for the ArtLoveMagic/H4 Benefit Show.
that dude Sheldon interviewed me a couple weeks ago and posted it on 84Area.com. so if you're curious about me and what i'm talkin' about, click the pic and go check it out. leave comments. play nice. you know the deal...
-samax

Drew It Big...

Untitled (sketch portrait) by Samax. click to enlarge
no, my boy Drew doesn't have a rap album, action movie, or graphic novel coming out... i gave his portrait its larger-than-life aura because Drew is a big-time Superman fan. he has a tattoo of the Man-of-Steel's iconic symbol on his back, a Superman chain he wears on his neck... he's got a Superman TIE, for pete's sake! you only have to talk to him on the phone once to know he does everything Godzilla BIG, so i made sure to bring that superhuman steelo to his portrait, ya dig? anyways, i drew (heh) this with watercolor brush pens and cranked it up a few notches with photoshop. let me know what ya'll think!
holla!
-samax

Captain America

Captain America by samax. watercolor brush pens on computer paper.
okay, so for some reason i decided to enter this challenge on deviantArt to submit a new piece of art every single day for the entire month of July (this is the second one. for the first one, go here) . i'm not sure why i did it, since i am already MAD busy... BUT i do intend to keep pace. so as NOT to overwhelm the inboxes of all my email subscribers, i won't post them all here, but i'll definitely post some. i'll be using this challenge to catch up on some of the stuff on my "to do" list, including pending commissions and my comics assignment i keep talking about. anybody who wants a sketch of their favorite character, go to the sketch portrait post. same pricing will apply...
anyways, that's it for now....
-samax

I SWEAR it's NOT Common!

here's a portrait i was recently commissioned to do by a friend. no, i'm not friends with the rapper Common (so don't ask for his cell ladies... i don't have it) or Morpheus from the Matrix trilogy. Al is way cooler than those guys anyways, so i'm glad to be HIS friend instead! and he's already spoken for, so i can't give you HIS celly either, girls...
so anyways, here's the sketch joint i did for him. done with brush pens.
hope y'all like it!
holla!
-samax
Ziontific.com

New Comics Pages

here's the first two pages to Permenant Residents, the new story i'm working on for my client. i'll try to post my progress here weekly, although i'm still not sure what day i'm going to be posting on... we'll see what works best as we go. click them to enlarge (they should be legible...) let me know how you're liking it... holla!
-samax
Ziontific.com

my first Father's Day

photos by Jenice Johnson.
i'm sitting down to work after enjoying my very first Father's Day! of course the weekend got off to a bang on friday when my wife Charlene gave me my first ever Father's Day Gift (a bicycle, which i REALLY wanted, but was not expecting!) and card. i had no idea how special it would make me feel to get one until i actually got it! i mean, i'm still getting used to the idea that i am someone's daddy (not to mention husband, but that's a whole 'nother blog post), but to then have someone say "happy Father's Day" to me, and realize the "Father" in that sentence is ME? kind of a big deal...

so anyways with day one made memorable by my new calorie-burning wheels, on to day two. the ArtLoveMagic Father's Day show (which, since it was on Saturday, i consistantly referred to as the "Father's Day Eve Show") was off the hinges! thanks to all my Twitter f(r)iends that came out, and a sincere "nice to meat'cha" to all the fine folks i met for the first time. i sold some comics and prints, and made some useful contacts. but most of all, it was just a fun show. accomplished photographer Jenice Johnson took lots of cool pics of all the dads and families in attendance (including the pics shown here of my daughter Marley and me), and i just really enjoy it when my girls can be with me while i'm working! i was already shoulder deep in my art hustle when my wife and i got together, but marriage and fatherhood have motivated me more, so that my daughter can grow up believing that it's possible to make a living doing what you love. having Charlene and Marley around sometimes to watch and help out is a great feeling!

After the show, we stayed in a hotel. we checked out this morning and went out to eat, dropped by the comic shop (yay!) and ran around a little before coming home and chilling out around the homestead. so all in all, a great and memorable holiday weekend. after not having as much of a relationship with my own dad as i would have liked (RIP Daddy... love you!), and not being much of a holiday person anyway, i was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed my first Father's Day. i hope you enjoyed yours just as much!
peace,
-samax.
Ziontific.com

Happy Father's Day Weekend!

"BARACK.... I AM YOUR FATHER!"
"I will NEVER turn to the Dark Side... NIGGA, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"
yo, everybody have a safe Father's day weekend. i wasn't close with my Dad growing up, now that i have a family of my own, i'm glad to be able to celebrate. Yesterday, my wife gave me a great Father's day gift (a new bicycle... don't laugh! i really WANTED one!), and tonight we will be at the ArtLoveMagic Father's Day Eve Show. if you're in Dallas, drop by and kick it with the artsy folks and our families! Live Art, Live Poetry, and breakfast buffet. hit up ArtLoveMagic.com for details and directions. but whatever you do, have fun, and be safe.
peace,
-samax
Ziontific.com

new Portrait

It's Just Goldie by Samax

piece from a recent sketch Portrait commission drive of one of my Twitter peoples... did this with watercolor pens and a little photoshop. i did a couple versions, but this is the one i liked the best.

peace,

-samax

Ziontific.com

ArtLoveMagic H4 was DOPE!

David Rodriguez and Playdough KILLED it at Hip Hop Helps Heal! Playdough is one of my favorite rappers, and David Rodriguez has got the live art performance on lock... so when the two combined unexpectedly at last weekend's Hip Hop Helps Heal show, it was out-of-control-awesome! ArtLoveMagic dropped the videos on their youTube page, and i combined 'em together into one playlist for easy viewin' pleasure!
enjoy!
-samax

Food, Art, Music, and Family

Hey Fam!

if you'll be in the Dallas area this Saturday, you're invited to my next show!

ArtLoveMagic is presenting a special celebration, dedicated to families, this Father's Day Eve. The event is only $5 to attend and features over a dozen area artists, musicians, and poets hanging out and performing in a fun casual environment. There will be interactive art, live music, live pottery and painting, and performances of poetry.

This will be a positive and inspiring experience that audience members of all ages can enjoy. If you'd like to attend, you can prebuy tickets for only $5 a piece at artlovemagic.com, or show up at the door and buy them for $8.

Presale tickets are availble only until Thursday evening. This event is in the Addison area at the Egg and I Restaurant (Monfort and Arapaho), 15203 Knoll Trail Dr, Dallas, TX 75248

Art and Music are not the only things on the menu...The Egg and I will present a $5 buffet available on site. Trust me- you'll want to try it.

Their food rocks and breakfast for dinner is cool. That's $10 for the event AND dinner. Can't be beat.

Artists and performers will have work for sale so bring some extra cash if you'd like to go home with an original piece of art or a print. I'll have books magazines and some original stuff too. so come hang out with me and my family and celebrate Father's Day weekend!

peace, love, etc.

-samax

Ziontific.com