Taskmaster pencils...

Warm up for today's post. This is one of the few con sketches that I've needed to catch up on.  I'll be doing these this week, and the pre orders for the Canadian Joe con coming up. Lots of good blog material to do. Lately I've been busy with cover work that I can't show until it's solicited or on the shelves. Since it's been so time consuming getting that done in time, I haven't been able to do to many daily sketches. But my schedules FINALLY loosening up some and I can do my warm-ups again. If feels like a pair of comfortable shoes.

This last year I got so used to doing a figure drawing before even starting my pages, that I forgot in the last month or so how that helped me. This was a breath of fresh air to do and got me loose for the day (night) before I started my Elders of the RuneStone page.

Taskmaster  - Pencil Sketch - 391

This was penciled on a 9x12 2-ply Bristol Board.

I don't normally pencil a sketch this finished before I start inking. I will post the inks tomorrow. But I am also having Juan Castro ink this as a chance to try a new style in our collaboration, and I wanted to finish it enough to give him the lighting, and details of the costume and character. I tried to leave it open enough for him to make some decisions and see what he comes up with different than how I would do it. There has to be a lot of trust between a penciler and inker partnership. His lines will be what represents my final art. All my work is erased away or taken out as the underdrawing when he's done. I have to trust that the inker can finish and even improve on what I've presented. 

For Comments and Questions email me at

Robert@RobertAtkinsArt.com