Last Days...

...Of the Pyroglyphics Raffle that is. This first time year end promotion on Facebook where I pick someone at random to receive a special "Pyro-Maniac Prize Pack". Just show your support and 'like' my FB Pyroglyphics page and you're automatically entered into a raffle. That's it!

The winner will receive a Prize Pack valued at over $200(!!) that includes shirts, mugs, art supplies, ORIGINAL ART and MORE!! Just for liking the page. If you already like the page, there's a separate, exclusive V.I.P level where there's a chance for you to win even MORE prizes,  if you re-post this blog or share the link on Facebook and get your friends and fam to like my page too.
And here it is:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/PyroglyphicsStudio

I thank you all in advance for your support and I can't wait to show you all what I've been working on for next year.

And just because I love you guys, here's a piece I've been holding back on. I think it both ties in the title of the blog, as well as gives a preview of things to come.

Cheers!
S

"...These are the last days, before I get cast way/It's a must, I have to Rock Hard like cafe..."- Outsidaz

Street Team: Video Game and Origins

I have a video game.

The Street Team package with the James Mason's Urban Shogun

Well me and 6 other creators, have a video game out called Street Team: Reign of The Iron Dragon, that's available for sale this very moment. Wow!
You can get it as a digital copy here: http://streetteam.bigcartel.com/
or you can get the hard copy (along with some other great products) here: http://www.urbanshogun.com/streetteam/

And to think, it all started about 2 and a half years ago with a really bad sketch(cue that tinkle-ly flashback music)

From the back to the front: Blackbird, Stalker, Bear(the dog), Dodger, Aaron

Actually, it started a little bit before that, but I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say, somewhere along the line someone mentioned a forum called "BlackSuperhero Talk" to me (www.blacksuperhero.com [BSH for short]) and I became a member. There, I meet tons of other independent artists and creators like myself who were trying to put out their own comics and creations, and at some point I became cool with a lot of these guys. Flash forward to an average day of really bad artist block, when I took it upon myself to sketch some of the other member's creations as a team. Hence the bad sketch you see above.

But the idea behind the sketch is what took root in the minds of the viewers AND the creators. Demand came in for an official poster. I've always considered myself a giver, so I went for it. I recruited a fellow BSH member by the name of Mase to do the colors, in exchange for bringing his character into the poster, and voila. The poster was a hit.

Clockwise from top: Blackbird-created by Charlie Fab; Stalker and Bear- created by Stanley Weaver; Tiger-created by James Mason; Aaron-created by Shawn Alleyne and Koran Curtis; Dodger-created by Joe Currie.

And remains so to this day.
But once again, I think it was what the poster symbolized more so than the art that was what took root in many people's minds. Why is that?

There are many reasons.
-Black people don't feel as though they have a voice in comics. Besides being a minority in life, the numbers become infinitesimal in the comic book industry, both in front of the camera and behind it.
-We don't have a lot of characters to call our own, and a lot of the ones we do have don't give us much to be proud of. (Bishop becoming the bad guy with a robotic arm and being stuck 1 million years in the future? C'mon!)
-There aren't that many black people working professionally  in the industry and of those that are, only a select few are super-stars. People don't even know some of their favorite artists on a book might actually be black, and if you saw them in real life you would probably confuse them with any other black person.
-Then, in the independent market, some of the books you find with black characters produced by black people(sometimes not), aren't the greatest literary works of art.
-And finally, there's this preconceived notion in comics(and most things) that black people don't look out for our own and can't work together. Which is ridiculous!

So here I come with a poster featuring an all black cast of characters (that were created by black people); that looks pretty decent; and was drawn and colored by 2 black guys. The very idea of it made BSH explode. And that's when I got the call.

But more on that next blog.
For now, don't forget to pick up the game and/or comic for a loved one; and "like" me on facebook to be entered into a year-end raffle. Share my raffle link and be entered into a special V.I.P drawing. Be sure to let me know you did though..otherwise I won't have any way of knowing if you did or didn't.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/PyroglyphicsStudio

Thanks for reading peeps.
S


"Waiting patiently, no..patiently faking/Anciently aching, anticipating the act so internally pacing..." - Geist

Where's That "Love" Button?

It's been too long peeps, but I'm back with something special. I'm officially running a year end promotion on Facebook where I pick someone at random to receive a special "Pyro-Maniac Prize Pack"!  More on that in a sec, but here's the breakdown:

I'm asking everyone to show their support and 'like' my FB Pyroglyphics page, (if you haven't already). If you have, I'm asking you to spread the word about my humble little corner of this vast internet world by getting your friends and fam to like my page too. Once that's done, you're automatically entered into a raffle. That's it! Easy, right?

And what do you get? Well, besides the art I pour my soul out over and will continue to deliver, I felt the need to give a lucky someone something a little more tangible. The winner will receive a Prize Pack valued at over $200!! It includes shirts, mugs, art supplies, ORIGINAL ART and MORE!! Just for liking the page.
So head on over and get your like on(Ok, that was corny, but you get the idea): http://www.facebook.com/#!/PyroglyphicsStudio

UPDATE: If you post this blog or share the link on Facebook, you'll be entered into a separate, exclusive drawing to win even MORE prizes.

I thank you all in advance for your support and I can't wait to show you all what I've been working on for next year.

Oh, and since I've been gone so long, here's 3 blogs worth of art I wasn't going to show just yet.

Cheers

 

WIP Omega Red--Colors by Renee Clarke

Clayton "Chef" Clement- Crime Boss to make a Street Team appearance.

Oguun-- Major baddie from the Street Team book.

Breakdown

Hey peeps, hope the week's been swell. Wow...that sounded corny as hell.

Anyways, no time for anything deep, so I figured I would just post extra art. Today though, I'm doing something a lot of people keep asking me to do-- show my creative process. No real magic..I just do a bunch of scribbles to get the feel of what I want; look at some pics to get inspiration(thank you Google); and do a finished piece.

Today's subject is a character called Tusk, also from A Hero's Diary and an entry into the upcoming Street Team Universe Guide. This character was co-created by me and Koran Curtis, and is a particularly nasty fella who lives in Philly's sewers and subway tunnels, doing dirty sewer and subway things.

Starts with a rough sketch to get the body type and/or specific features down. In this case we were thinking of making him disfigured and misshapen.

 

 

Went away from the misshapen, just...different. Thought of giving him a mask and making him the leader of a (literal) underground gang. I don't know what the HELL that thing is in the right corner.

Cleaned up the scan a little. Not sold on the design though.

Tweaks...going back to just slightly misshaped. Still thinking about a mask or some kind of weird element to his face. Like Faust from Guilty Gear.

Official entry for the book, all nice and inked. Liked the pose from the sketch so kept it kind of similar. Combined some elements from the sketches-- he's only slightly deformed(is there such a thing? lol) Swapped out the hook on the chain (too Lobo-ish) for a man-hole cover(still going to hurt and if swung right can still slice ya). Threw a tire on his face. Yes, I said it, a F*$#ing TIRE.

And that's it. More details on this guy will be dropping in a month or so.
Now, it's on to the next one..some sketches and a special project called PORTAL!

Peace


"This is the Book of Eli years, where lost artwork is the sacred prayers/
And where our work is here/ in libraries that span a 1000 acres/
Yet endangered so pages is buried in craters/
Surrounded by morlocks and lasers/Bio-marauders and gators/
Only reached by sideways moving, geo-fueling elevators..."-Geist

Now The Fun Begins.

My first ever Black Friday/Cyber-Monday sale is officially over, and I would like to thank everyone who bought a print and requested a commission. The next month is going to be one busy pain in my ass...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

So because of my schedule, nothing major today, just some new art. Meet Apofis Set (Uh-Poh-Fis Set), a villain I created for the Street Team story who will be a major thorn in the side of my hero Black Aizan and in the future, his protege Aizan.

More on the character will be revealed in a month or 2, but here's a little origin on the name.
Apofis -- 1) taken from the word Apophis, the name given to a near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 because initial observations indicated a small probability that it would strike the Earth in 2029.
2) taken from the Greek word Apophis, the variation of the Egyptian name Apep, who was the great adversary of the sun god, Re and was the very embodiment of the powers of dissolution, darkness and non-being. He was known by many epithets, ranging from evil lizard, opponent and enemy to world encircler and serpent of rebirth.
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/apep.htm
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apep
3) Apophis was a ruler of Lower Egypt during the fifteenth dynasty and the end of the Second Intermediate Period that was dominated by this foreign dynasty of rulers called the Hyksos.

 Set (also spelled Seth) was in Ancient Egyptian religion a god of the desert, storms, and foreigners but in later myths, was shown as the god of darkness, and chaos.

Now this is where things get interesting and the two names form a cohesive meaning. Set was at first benevolent and was even depicted as a protector of Ra, standing on the prow of his night barque spearing Apep(Apophis).During the Second Intermediate Period, a group of Asiatic foreign chiefs known as the Hyksos (literally, "rulers of foreign lands") gained the rulership of Egypt. Set was the god they found most similar to their own chief god, and became to be worshiped as the chief god.Set, who had traditionally been the god of foreigners, thus also became associated with foreign oppressors.The Hyksos King Apophis is recorded as worshiping Set in a monolithic way and so represented a manifestation of evil. Set was equated with his old enemy, Apep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_%28mythology%29

Just to show you there's more to mine from than just stories of Thor and Brothers Grimm.

Peace

"I'm better than 99% of these heathens/Pick a region,
Demonstrated in a flow harder than asthmatics breathing.."- Geist

Saleroom Doors Are Now Open!

My special BLACK FRIDAY to CYBER MONDAY SALE has officially begun! Looking for some great art for you or someone you love? Why not skip the malls and craziness this year and indulge your inner geek as I offer a sale on all posters in my portfolio for 50% OFF!! 
Not only that, but you will receive A FREE GIFT WITH EVERY PURCHASE!!

Just check out the art on my facebook page and make your choice now!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.206007222784611.64756.198162636902403&type=3

Now let's say you already purchased one of my posters but would love a piece of ORIGINAL art-- I'm offering a discount on ANY commission you name. How about a pin-up, character design or logo? How about a special holiday themed commission  for Christmas, New Years or other? You name it, it's yours for a REDUCED PRICE!

* In addition, I have black and white versions of almost all of my pieces available, and those are only $8 or 2 for 10!!
* Just $5 covers all shipping and handling on all prints.

And to celebrate the sale, I recently added 5 new prints to the black and white gallery on facebook.
While you're there, make sure to "Like" my page cause at the end of the year I'm doing a random drawing where someone can win a Pyroglyphics Prize Pack. You're welcome.
Here it is again in case you missed it (lol) http://www.facebook.com/PyroglyphicsStudio


I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving.

Peace,
Shawn

Ahhh what the hell....here's some new art for ya. Don't say I don't love you guys.

Black Friday Sale!

Yup, I may not love the name but that won't stop the sales. From this Friday all the way through the weekend to Cyber-Monday, I will be offering a sale on all posters in my portfolio for...wait for it......50% OFF!! 
Not only that, but you will receive A FREE GIFT WITH EVERY PURCHASE!!

And just in case you don't find what you're looking for but would love a piece of ORIGINAL art, I'm offering a discount on ANY commission you name. How about a pin-up, character design or logo? How about a special holiday themed commission  for Christmas, New Years or other? You name it, it's yours for a REDUCED PRICE!
So check out the art and make your choice now!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.206007222784611.64756.198162636902403&type=3

*Also, there was a mistake on the price listings for the posters, and you'll be happy to know that the price of the 14x20 posters isn't $20, but ONLY $$15! So you'll be getting 50% off of $15.
* In addition, I have black and white versions of almost all of my pieces available, and those are only $8 or 2 for 10!!
* Just $5 covers all shipping and handling.

So to celebrate the sale, here are 5 new available additions to the black and white gallery:

Dodger- 11x17 $8 (2 for $10)

Dr. Doom - 11x17 $8 (2 for $10)

Heroes and Villains- 11x17 $8 (2 for $10)

Omega Red 11x17 $8 (2 for $10)

Sinestro 11x17 $8 (2 for $10)

Peace.