Brian Quinn Illustrator

manga pitch

2008-06-10T09:49:00.001-07:00

some head shots I created for a manga pitch I just made last week

Incinerator

2008-05-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

a page from a short story I illustrated for my pals Sean & Mary. It will be appearing in an anothology that is being hammered out by folks that post on Mike Oeming's jinxworld forum. a great bunch of people that will undoubtedly produce an entertaining volume. a good example of my "dirty water" technique.

ugh...

2008-05-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

what excuse can I come up with to justify not updating this wonderful (and very free) blog? none... I mean, I'm busy! don't get me wrong. my days are filled with freelance goodness. Also, pimping my book "Wicked Samurai" around to find it a proper home (more on that later), and also working towards other new goals related to storytelling of one sort or another. anyway, here is a drawing I did in response to a jackass in the "sports entertainment" industry that I had dealings with recently. The likeness and demeanor are spot on...

Wicked Samurai (that never was) part two

2008-01-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

the hope is that Wicked Samurai will be made up of mini-series and one-shots, similar to how Hellboy and the Goon are handled at Dark Horse. my first proposed 5 issue mini will consist of an oversized origin story in the first issue, 2nd issue will be made up of 2 short stories, and then finishing off the last 3 issues will be an epic story between the Wicked Samurai and a brood of ninja vampires. These pages here are from that story, but yes, they will not be apart of the finished product.

Wicked Samurai (that never was)

2008-01-31T13:44:00.000-08:00

hey all, a bunch of stuff I just scanned from my portfolio of upcoming WS stories. the thing is, none of these images will appear in any upcoming issues of the book. I am retooling the stories, and will tackle the art chores once again on both tales. There are aspects that I like with the stuff I'm showing you here, but I am making slight changes in how I approach both stories, that now require me to redo pages. for now, enjoy what could have been.

Keri

2008-01-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

another drawing from my sketchbook. a combination of faber-castell markers and mars 3000 duo markers (red & black). photo of my dear friend Keri used as reference. don't let the "scary quality" of this image fool you; Keri is actually a very attractive young lady. She will also be the model for the main character on a sci-fi mini I hope to do this year along with Wicked Samurai. more on that hopefully soonish. for now, enjoy!

2008 sketchbook

2008-01-25T15:43:00.001-08:00

hey all, something from my most recent sketchbook. I usually do not use my faber-castell markers in my sketchbooks, instead preferring to use something more "immediate" like a felt tip or brush marker. anyway, here is an exception to the Quinn rule. marker and some dry brush in my moleskine book. head over to Barnes & Noble and buy up these books. you get 3 lineless notebooks for $15. they make perfect notebooks now that I cannot find a9 lineless blueline books.

Holiday Card Image

2007-12-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

hey all, check out this year's holiday card! this is probably the fifth or sixth year I have done my own card. I went with a more "father Christmas" look this time instead of the Coca Cola version of Santa.

Have a great Holiday Season and a very safe and happy New Year!

Process

2007-11-27T01:48:00.000-08:00

here is a unique series of images resulting in a pinup done for Oeming's book "Hammer of the Gods." at some point there should be a trade coming out at Image. This headshot was turned down for a more dynamic image that I created later.

I wanted to share these images however, since it gives a rare glimpse into my process of creating an image. Loose pencil sketch, a marker sketch, and then of course the finished pen/ink version.

At some point soon I hope to show how I actually do a finished ink drawing; either by shooting a short video or by posting photos of me working and different stages of completion.

Wicked Samurai Swag!

2007-11-27T01:42:00.000-08:00

hey all, how's this for interesting swag for my book? that's right! you can get your very own Wicked Samurai votive candle by following this link http://www.qassa.com

now I need to strike up a happy meal deal...

Wicked Samurai (Kwaidan)

2007-11-27T01:25:00.000-08:00

A full page image from book I "Reminisce."

I am working on a few one-issue stories right now for Wicked Samurai. Trying to train my "comic muscle" to create an interesting story in just 22 pages. I am finding out just how difficult it can be to create an interesting tale with the limitation of that page count. Either not enough space or the story is swimming with way too many pages. It's important to me to do this exercise a few times; not only to flesh out the main character of the story, but to also work within the accepted confines of a standard comic book format.

Regarding where I am getting some story ideas right now, I have looked no further than two books I have that were written by Lafcadio Hearn ("Kwaidan" and "In Ghostly Japan"). Lafcadio, a westerner whom spent the last 20 years or so of his life as a resident in Japan, was one of the first writers to bring Japanese folklore to the rest of the world. He got most of his material from books that he obtained in Japan during the late 19th century, and re-wrote them into stories for a western audience. So perhaps it's appropriate that I have farmed a few goodies from his book to now translate into comics. I'm certainly not the first, assuming some of you are familiar with Mignola's famous "Heads" story from Hellboy. but anyway, check out Lafcadio on Wiki, and buy some of his books too.

back in action...

2007-11-27T01:19:00.000-08:00

hey all, it's been a while once again since last I posted. I have had some medical issues that I am now addressing (started physical therapy today. hoo hooo!). I will start scanning in alot of new stuff soon, so expect some illustrations from Wicked Samurai and some other "things" real soon. For now, enjoy a pic of my pals Mike Oeming (center), Sean McManus (right), my chest hair (below my carefully hidden double chin), and well of course, me (leftish). Cheers!

Wicked Samurai Book I cover image

2007-10-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have not posted this on here yet. Cover image for Book I issue 1 of Wicked Samurai. We are still pitching it around to publishers so hopefully I have good news about it soon. For now, enjoy my original b&w image and then the lovely color version brought to life by Nick "f***ing" Filardi.

Mice Templar art

2007-10-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Mike Oeming and Bryan Glass invited me to do a spot illustration for their latest series "Mice Templar." I provided an image of the "Salmon of Wisdom." This should be in issue 2 out sometime in Nov.

I will also have a pinup in a future issue; either 3 or 4 from what Bryan told me.

If you have not done so already, go and check out the first issue of this book. It is something alot of us on the "inside" have been waiting a long time to see Bryan and Mike produce, and could not be happier now that it is starting to come out bi-monthly.

Wicked Samurai Book 2 Sketches

2007-03-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

hey all, as I get closer to finishing Book I "Reminisce" I'm already starting up a sketchbook for the 2nd book (no title yet). The idea is to have a 5-issue mini-series ready to roll right on the heels of the one-shot "Reminisce." Can't say too much about this one yet, but here are some sketches I have come up with so far. enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

hey gang, way too long I know. 2007 promise much more. health issues in the fam, keeping way too busy with my book "Wicked Samurai" and other projects have kept me away from poor ol' blogger. well, hopefully 2007 will see alot more from me. to end things the right way, check out my Christmas card. I was working on a whole series of Nutcracker images, but this was the only non-scary one. maybe I'll post the scary pics too.

2006-09-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

random panels from my next book "Wicked Samurai." I'm messing with some dry brush to go along with my pen/brush stuff that you all know and love (right? gang? anyone...).

fan and pro response to my WS pages has been very encouraging.

2006-09-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

a panel from my pal Rob Reilly's upcoming comic "Convention Confessional" no. 3! yes, that's me with the "Blood River" t-shirt.

Fly

2006-07-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

hey all, a look at my new logo. still so much work to do on my book, but this is the nifty fly that I will be popping onto t's and other swag real soon. doing the Baltimore con in early september so expect to see some stuff there

B

I'm Famous and Stuff

2006-07-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

a podcast interview with me at the Wizard Philly show a few weeks back. I was very tired and punchy at this point. I know Boss Hogg so don't think i'm a total dick with everyone that sticks a camera in my face. this video is also responsible for me starting a strict diet. I'm down 10 lbs from this vid. that is most of the weight from my fat neck I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF4RGT3FASE&search=brian%20quinn

the fine folks at Variant Edition have also interviewed me. Check out episode 7 from their archives http://www.variantedition.com/ also, in episode 17 they really go out of their way to inflate my ego; lots of nice things said about my book "Bood River" as well as some original art they purchased from me. I am pretty sure a future episode features yet another interview with me as well as a time lapse thingy of me doing a drawing.

The Samurais are Coming!

2006-06-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

yep, I'm still around. sorry for such a silly long delay. busily working on my samurai one-shot. here's a sketch of my main character and 3 panels from the actual book. Mike Oeming is editing and I am writing and illustrating this bad boy. I will also have some amazing talents doing pinups for this book and future books. more to come soon, I swear!

B

Variant Edition Video Podcast

2006-04-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

hey all, an interview I did at the mid-jersey con a few weeks back appears on a great little video podcast show called "Variant Edition." Check out there website at
http://www.variantedition.com/
and also check out the episode featuring interviews with Mike Oeming, Mike Hawthorne, and myself. You can see my lovely long hair and double chin right before I shaved it all off (well, working on that double chin; takes more than a trip to the barber unfortunately).
http://media.libsyn.com/media/variantedition/VariantEditionEp7.m4v
Brian

Still Here!

2006-02-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

yeah, I have not posted in a long time. I suck. things are definately happening though. working hard on my next book, a samurai tale that I have talked about a few times here. I will have new stuff up to show real soon. for now, enjoy my hair!

B

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

hey all, here's my Holiday card. I try to do a new one each year. It's nice to now hear that some people hold onto each card and now have a collection of Quinn originals. I have no clue what this image is even supposed to be. enjoy and happy holidays!

batman

2005-12-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

a recent headshot of Batman I did for a friend.

Busy!

2005-12-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

hey all, I'm busy starting work on my next project, with some obstacles in my way. I should have some pages to preview here soon (just as soon as I get Leon off my drawing board)

B

Big Apple Con Sketches

2005-11-29T12:53:00.000-08:00

I did a ton of sketches at the Big Apple Con two weekends ago. There is a great site to check out http://www.comicartfans.com that provides a search engine of images. Type in my name to see some other sketches I did at that show. Thanks to all that went through the trouble of scanning my sketches, and certainly thank you for requesting a sketch from me in the first place.

Brian

stolen properties text

2005-11-15T03:05:00.000-08:00

hey all, getting ready for the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan this coming weekend. I will be there with a bunch of friends in the comic biz along with people I have idolized for years. I get to sit alongside the likes of guys like Walt Simonson?

The spot illos below are from a little chapbook I am trying to finish in time for the show. Filled with characters from comics and movies that I enjoy. I may actually be able to sell a few! sorry, no Wolverine drawings though.

hope to see some of you at the show!

B

More Stolen Properties

2005-11-15T03:03:00.000-08:00

stolen properties

2005-11-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

Blood River comments

2005-10-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

hey all, about 8 weeks away from Blood River finally coming out. I posted 3 pages below (start from bottom up to top). Some language there, so don't blush. Mike Oeming and Dan Berman penned this one, and I handled art chores. Image Comics is putting it out as a one shot book in late December. The original story was taken from a Weird NJ article from a few years back. the WNJ folks were kind enough to let us use some of that material in our extra features. You will have to wait for the book to come out to find out which story though. heh heh.

B

Blood River pages

2005-10-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

Shamisen

2005-10-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

something I just did in my "samurai" sketchbook. The sketchbook is there for me to work out certain ideas for my next graphic novel project. It is especially useful when I have to draw traditional japanese wardrobe or instruments such as the shamisen.

I used a "water" brush from japan. It is actually a kid's toy that I discovered a few years ago. I put ink in it instead of water (you're supposed to rub the brush with water loaded in the synthetic bristols into water color tablets) and use that in sketchbooks. it is actually a pretty unreliable tool for drawing, even sketches, but I have managed to do some fun stuff with them over the years. I also used a Pigma Brush for the details. These brush pens are nice, but the tip gets beat to hell real fast, especially on your typical sketchbook paper stock.

Self-Publishing

2005-10-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

when I do conventions, I try to come up with a little something to sell at the shows. I did a few "ashcan" books in the past, most of which I still have. I decided to do a comic book for the Wizard Philly show this past Summer. The cover for that book is up above. Didn't sell many of those either, but at least it's something cool to hand out to editors and other creators when I do shows. If you are interested in my self-published offerings, drop me a line at bcq031@yahoo.com.

Weird Outtake!

2005-10-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

hey all, an illustration originally completed for Weird TX, a book coming out from Barnes & Noble soon. This one was turned down for another image that showed a few more indians and an old guy with one of those metal detectors combing a beachfront. I dig this one so I wanted to share it with you all.

Theater

2005-09-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

one of three illustrations I did for posters that were used by a theater in northern New Jersey earlier this year. It was for their season of plays, none of which I had a chance to see. The money for the illustrations was good, but man oh man, just another example of why I wish I had more control of the actual design of a finished product. the posters and theater books they sent to me were awful!

So Much Anger...

2005-09-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

yet another illustration from an upcoming Weird book. I think this is for Weird New England. I have done many illustrations of ghosts of people whom died horrible deaths, and now I am doing illustrations of serial killers. This spot is of a guy named Holmes from the 19th century. He had a house of horrors set up in which he would torture and kill dozens of people in creative ways.

Brian

More Weird!

2005-09-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

another post already? sure, why not...

This is an illustration I did for the upcoming Weird NY hardcover book to be released by Barnes & Noble. I think I will be in a total of five or six hardcover books put out by B& N in association with the Weird NJ/US team. The books are great reads, and the magazine "Weird NJ" is as good as ever.

Brian

Finally!

2005-09-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long, almost a month since I posted last. The positive side of that is that I am incredibly busy. Way too many things going on and even more on the way. Anyway, here is something from my latest sketchbook. I am keeping smaller sketchbooks and doing them by subject. I tend to lose interest in a sketchbook about halfway through and go buy another one. so, with these nifty college-style books, that are pretty thin and 8' x 11.5" in dimension, I can go through them relatively fast, and keep the interest level high.

The sketch is from a solo-project I am working on. It involves samurais and demons. This demon came out looking way too much like DC Comic's very own "Demon."

Brian

Samurai Tale

2005-08-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

I just began writing a one-shot book that I hope to shop to one of the alternative comic companies soon after "Blood River" hits the stores in early December (it was pushed back a month by Image Comics).

I have been addicted to samurai movies this past year, especially the "Zatoichi" series that ran for many years in Japan in the theaters as well as tv.

Based on my viewing habits I have come up with a story involving a samurai (well, actually a ronin) whom is mixed up with the demonic world. I hope to have it run either 48 or 52 pages in black & white. I will keep you all posted on my progress. To start things off, here is an image from my new sketchbook that is dedicated to the page layouts and design of the book.

Brian

Halloween?

2005-08-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

I went into my local supermarket to pick up juice and watermellon for breakfast and made my way past the magazine section. the seasonal aisle is located nearby and it stopped me in my tracks... Halloween? literally two weeks worth of back-to-school crap was put out and now... Halloween? whew! I guess Christmas starts Labor Day this year. to add to the confusion, here is a cover I did for my newspaper's entertainment tabloid two years ago for, you guessed it, Halloween. Oh, and a scary photo of me that illustrated an article written about me in that same issue. Last time I had my hair cut.

Brian

Weird NJ

2005-08-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

some images from Weird NJ. I actually have not done anything for the magazine in over a year. Mark & Mark (the publishers) have kept me busy with their line of hardcover books published by Barnes & Noble. I can be found in the Weird NJ, Weird US, Weird Illinois, Weird Texas, Weird New England, and Weird New York hardcovers.

Brian

Blood River Page

2005-08-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Mike Oeming posted this image over at his message board. I love doing pages like this.

brian

newspaper illustration

2005-08-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

a recent example of my illustration work for a local New Jersey newspaper. I provided the black & white image, and a staff illustrator popped in the color. It was a piece on annoying roommates in colleges.

B

convention sketches

2005-08-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm planning to do the Chiller Theatre convention this October as a guest at the Poker Industry tables (http://www.pokerindustries.com). I will probably do the Big Apple Con in Manhattan in November as well. Here are some examples of brush and marker sketches that I do for a small fee (I think $20 was my going rate at the Wizard Philly show where these came from). It's challenging to do stuff on the spot like this, and I usually get really odd requests; stuff I'm not used to drawing day to day.

pinups

2005-08-21T05:14:00.000-07:00

while I worked on my graphic novel, "Blood River," I began to receive offers from friends in the industry to do pinups for their books. I have had the great fortune to have contributed images to NYC Mech written by Ivan Brandon, Miles Gunter, and illustrated by Andy MacDonald. I did a piece for "The Wicked West" a original graphic novel written by Robert Tinnell and Todd Livingston, and illustrated by Neil Vokes. Actually, I worked on a prose short story for that one, providing several illustrations for what is supposed to read like a penny dreadful. I did a pinup for Mike Oeming and Bryan Glass's "86 Volts" (pictured above) and have another one ready to run in Mike's upcoming "Hammer of the Gods" trade collection. oh, and I did a Marquis pinup for Guy Davis's amazing series from Oni Press. Not sure when that is coming out.

oops!

2005-08-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

the image below was actually colored by Oeming as a color guide for Nick. here is the image that Nick colored:

blog 1.

2005-08-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

hey all, my brother, John, just started an art blog here, so I jumped on board as well. check his blog out here:

http://jtq3.blogspot.com

when I get calls from some poor kid at Rutgers getting their degree in art, and they are trying to raise money for them, I am forced to tell them of my experiences there over 15 years ago. I had fun there but I didn't learn much about the "real world" of art and illustration. I thank god every so often that John is my older brother. Just look at that stuff on his blog.

anyway, I managed to carve something of a career for myself. Those of you that have purchased Weird NJ or now the Weird US books from Barnes & Noble have most likely seen my work already. I'm now involved with comics. Image Comics is releasing my first graphic novel "Blood River" that was created and written by comic phenom, Michael Avon Oeming, and co-penned by the very talented, Daniel Berman. This book is coming out in early November (cross fingers). here's the cover colored by the amazing, Nick Filardi. I ever get a color book, I'm kidnapping this guy and not letting him go until my book is completely brought to life by his color!

Brian

old bridge, nj august 20, 2004