i was given a link from a kind deviant today linking me to a website where i guess people can make t-shirts and sell them on their own.  and apparently this guy is taking deviant art work and putting them on these shirts. [link] my little robot snafu was used.  anyways, if you have an account with this site, please let the admins know or at least let this sad soul know that we know what he's doing.  it's unfortunate that people need to steal art to make a profit from it.  ass holes will be ass holes i guess.  anyways, make sure you check the guy's shirts to make sure that none of your work, or the work of someone you know is being stolen as well.

for those wondering exactly which one of mine was taken.  here's the shirt: [link] and heres a link to the art i did almost four years ago: [link]

UPDATE:  i contacted eric yohay of the finroo website and he has taken action to take down the art as well as retrieve the shirts already sold and suspend the user that stole the artwork.  by no means is finroo or eric at fault for any of this and it's awesome that they moved as swiftly as they did to get this issue resolved.  i have a feeling that more of this person's shirts are stolen from other artists, but it's difficult to figure out what belongs to who.  so if you do know, make sure you report it!  thanks to finroo and eric for such a quick response and quicker action on the matter!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

if you get a note saying something along the lines of "check this out" or "look at these photos"  followed by a link to a site.  

DO NOT CLICK THAT LINK!

it's spam and it will spread through to your friends accounts as well.  i stupidly clicked the link about a week ago so if anyone got one from me, then i apologize.  i've changed my password but i'm not sure if that helps.

oh and one more thing.  spread the word and let others know about it!  or else this is going to keep spreading!  it might also help to hide all the comments you get that have these spam links.  the fewer people that see it the better!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

Hey guys,  it's been a while since i've updated, and i totally apologize for that.  a combination of work and personal plans all coming together have really filled up all my time so i haven't had the chance to really keep tabs on this site.  if you've been keeping tabs on the street fighter comics, the new turbo comic is now out and it looks fantastic!  i'll try to put up the variant covers that i did for it as they're previewed on the official udon site.  they were really fun to do!

recently, i've gotten a fair share of facebook and xbox live friend requests.  and while i really appreciate the adds, i have to respectfully decline them.  just to clarify, this isn't a personal attack on those that i've said no to.  while things that involve work, like this page and during conventions, i try to be as communicative to people as possible. but when it comes to personal things that include facebook, and my past time activities like xbox live, i generally like to keep it private between me and my family and friends.  again, please don't take this personally! i'm generally a very private person in real life and i enjoy what little time off that i have with the people that i'm closest to.  i've gotten more than a few underhanded jabs because of this, and i gotta say, that really doesn't help! lol  people may not like the fact that i don't add someone that i barely know to a service that holds personal info and pictures of me, but i  guess all i'm asking is that people at the very least respect my decision?

thank you in advance, and i'll try to update the dA with more work!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

join the party on September 28th, 2008!

The Street Fighter Tribute book soft cover will be out in stores soon and there's going to be a party to celebrate it!  if you're in the toronto area and love street fighter, and love parties, then come on down and have some fun!  there will be tons of artists there to sign your tribute book as well as a street fighter 2 tournament!  all the details including the time, date, location can be found on the official event facebook page here! [link]

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

Hey guys,  

Past couple weeks have been really busy for me with all the conventions and other stuff.  Both Fan Expo and PAX were great conventions and coming one weekend after another has left me very drained and therefore i've spent most of the free time i've had resting and catching up with friends and family instead of keeping the DA updated.

The main reason for this journal is to let people know that Street Fighter Remix #0 is out in comic stores today!  For those who don't know what that is, it's the book that features 3 different Street Fighter Stories.  One that continues where the last Street Fighter 2 left off with art by the wickedly awesome CHAMBA.  One story that starts off the new Chun Li Legends book, with art by the other wickedly awesome OMAR DOGAN.  and the last story is a short story featuring a certain Street Fighter 3 grappler with pencils by yours truly, inks by CRYSTAL REID, and colours by ESPEN GRUNDETJERN!  

So if you're into the SF books.  heck, even if you're not! make sure you go check this out!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

next weekend (aug22-24) is the big toronto fan expo.  of course i'll be there, being a short 40 minute drive/45 minute train ride away for me.  if you're going to this show,  stop by and say hi!  i'll be in the udon booth #445.  you can find a map of the convention centre here: [link]

also.  i'm looking to fill up my street fighter tribute book with signatures!  so if you're in the book make sure you stop by so i can get you to sign my tribute book!

my little web comic imperium is also under way!  it looks like updates will most likely happen on wednesday nights/thursday mornings.  so check it out if you already haven't: [link] and if you like what you see, don't be afraid to let people know!  i'm always down for some pimping!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

Hey guys!  So the other day i was chatting it up with and he was working on his awesome aardehn comic [link] and that really got me thinking.  I've had this idea for a comic for years now and i never got a chance to really get it going.  i was really impressed at how eric was able to just go and start working on his creation his way, and on his schedule.  so it really inspired me to actually start my idea that's been in my head since college!  also seeing Jim Zubkavich [link] and Matt Moylan [link] with their online comics (Jim even put it out in book form!) added fuel to the fire!

so i went ahead and made a dA account for the comic and have posted the first strip!  I've already got the second strip drawn out, i just need to add the dialogue.  eventually i'm going to get an actual website up for it, but for now dA will be it's home.

so check it out if you can, i'm always open to feedback.  just make sure you read the journal on that dA page first!  

Imperium:

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

So i just got back last night from san diego and boy was it tiring! the whole week flew by but i'm glad to be home to relax for the next couple days. i appreciate all the friends and fans that went out of there way to find the booth and say hi.  i love meeting and chatting with people in person opposed to reading text on a computer monitor.  if all those people hadn't stopped by, i wouldn't even know where to begin to find them!  i took a bunch of pictures but they're not quite up yet so here is a link to jim zubkavich's sdcc gallery!: [link] also had a blast with the udon crew.  crazy fun moments that still make me laugh when i think about it.  


thanks guys for making another SDCC fun as always!

i got a chance to play street fighter 4 for a little bit and i have to say, it's REEAALLY fun! i can't wait to pick it up for my 360!   omar dogan and i shared an elevator with stan lee!!  that was pretty surreal.  he's easily the nicest guy in the business.  very approachable and always with a smile on his face!  it's too bad the elevator in our hotel is so freaking fast, or else i would have tried to talk to him more!

also, i might be a bit late on this, but i was totally floored after watching the dark knight last week.  best super hero movie.  ever. heath ledger was amazing and it's so sad that such a talent is not with us anymore. the whole movie was just so frantic and crazy.  intense from start to finish!

now i'm going to go and chill for the next couple days!  maybe i'll put up some sketches!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

So the big SDCC is upon us again!  As always, i'll be with the Udon Crew.

for those who are going and want to stop by, you can find the map of the con and our location here: [link]
we'll be selling a whole whack of goodies including the street fighter tribute book, prints of some of the artwork in the book, as well as the new Street Fighter Remix #0!  the return of street fighter to american comics!  let's not forget me along with a whole handful of other udon artists will be there for sketches and commissions!  Go to the Udon deviant art page to see all the info!


hope to see you there!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

It's apparently my week for pimping.  but alvin FINALLY got a dA account!!  although i'm sure he won't need my advertisement.  i expect him to clear my pageviews easily!  lol why are you still reading this?  go add him already!!



-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

A lot of you already know that i'm never shy to pimp out my friends.  Not too long ago a buddy of mine Marcus just signed up to deviant art!  he needs some super hero loving eyes to glance to his direction because his stuff is so fresh and so clean!

Marcus:

for those who don't know, Marcus is currently working for Aspen and pencilling the soulfire book!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

I woke up this morning and logged onto my computer going through my regular cycle of websites when i click on the first comic news site on my favourites list i see in bold "Michael Turner passes away at 37".  my mouth practically dropped to the floor as i read the headline over and over to make sure it was real.  i knew that he was still battling cancer but for some reason i never thought he would pass away so young because of it.  the comic community loses another great inspirational artist.

while i admit that i was never the biggest fan of his art, i was never shy to say that he was a great person.  i met him only once back in 2003, back when i was working with the now defunct dreamwave.  my boss pat at the time introduced me to him and michael was nothing but friendly and open to talking to me.  i was still very new to the industry back then and meeting an artist of his caliber was so exciting as he spoke to me like we were already good buddies.  i never got a chance to talk to him again after that.  he was always busy at other conventions that i saw him at and i don't think he even remembered who i was, but i'll always remember him as the first A-list comic pro that didn't treat me as another comic fan-boy.  

the comic and art community will certainly miss you Michael!

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

Some of you may have him already on your watch list, and some of you may not, but a fellow Udon artist and inspiration of mine Joe Vriens is now open for commissions!  if any body is looking to purchase some awesome work  from an awesome artist, they should give him a shout!  even if you're not interested in getting a commission, at least check out his wicked gallery!

Joe Vriens -

in other news:  

i've been extremely busy lately and have neglected this account once again.  usually if i'm not working i'm spending time with family and friends or enjoying the wonderful weather we've been having.  we can't live our whole lives holed up in a studio workspace right??  San Diego is a month away and i'm really looking forward to going back this year.  it will actually be one of the first conventions i'm appearing in in 2008 which is a bit odd because usually it's one of the last of the year for me.  but due to work and other obligations, i was unable to attend cons that were scheduled earlier.

i've also recently purchased a new laptop.  my old computer was chugging pretty badly to the point where i couldn't use my web browser and use photoshop at the same time.  now i've got a nice little toy to play with that has at least enough memory to let me use the graffiti application on facebook!  ha!!

speaking of facebook, i've been receiving a bunch of facebook requests from people that i don't recognize.  if you're one of them and i've rejected your request, please don't take it personally.  i only add people that i know personally and have actually had a lengthy conversation with at one point in my life.  oh and co workers  too.  what can i say, i can't let people i don't know have access to all the scandalous pictures i have up! (i kid)

ok that's all for me.  i'll keep you updated on anything else that's going on in my journal.  i can't really promise any new gallery stuff anytime soon, but i'll try?

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

Sometimes i get asked the same questions over and over again, so to make things a little easier, i've made this journal to answer those questions. This way i won't sound like a broken record every time i answer them.  This journal will be updated as more frequently asked questions pop up.

Where did you go to school?

Sheridan College in Oakville Ontario.  I studied illustration interperative.

What kinds of pencils do you use to draw?

I use a mechanical pencil mostly at a .5 thickness and a 2H lead.  The 2H lead is soft enough to leave a dark enough mark, yet hard enough that it won't smudge as easily as say, an HB lead.

What pens do you use to ink?

I rarely ink my drawings.  I'm terrible with it and would rather give my drawings to someone who knows what they're doing.  If you see a drawing that i've done that looks inked, it's most likely not inked and it's just my pencils.  if I do ever ink anything, i'll say in the description what i used to ink it.  The only other time do i use inks is during conventions and i'm sketching for people.

Do you work for Udon?

Yes

Are you available for commissions or requests?

Fortunately for me (and perhaps unfortunately for the person asking this question), Udon gives me enough work to keep me busy enough that i can't do any outside comissions.  I VERY rarely do free artwork for anyone unless its for something or someone special.  All the personal artwork you see in my deviant art is done during my personal time.  Time that I'LL decide what to do with.  I apologize in advance to those wanting to ask about commissions.  the best way to get a commission from me is finding me at a convention that i'm attending.  i usually try to do as many as possible.

Can i colour some of your lineart?

Anyone is free to take the lineart from my page and add colour to it.  I'm grateful that people appreciate it enough to want to add colours to it.  I do however ask that I'm credited for doing the line art and would appreciate a link back to my page.  I rarely give away hi res linart to people though, and when i do, it's because me and the colourist have already made a private agreement about it.

Will you enter my contest?

While contests can be fun, i just don't have the time to enter them.  sorry

How do you get your lines so clean?  what is your process when doing an illustration?

The amount of times this question is asked almost baffles me because the answer can be found right in my journal!  Just click on my Step By Step link and you'll find the answer!

SPAM
  
  This really isn't a question but i suppose it still applies since i've been getting SO much of it lately.  if you send me spam notes or messages on my dA (sent to a mass of people at once, either advertising their site or contest they're holding, or maybe direct links to their work).  i'll simply ignore it, hide it, or delete it.  i pay for a subscription so i won't get advertising on my page, i don't need it sent to me from other members, thanks!  it's fine if i get personalized notes and messages but i won't even look at the spam ones.


Can you get me a job or work with Udon?

Probably not.  I don't really have much of a say on who Udon hires to do work for them.  Once in a while I may recommend an artist for them to look at, but I'll only do that with people that I've known for a little while and can rely on them to hit deadlines and be easy to work with.  It's generally easier just to contact them directly for work.  Although I'd advise that you read their FAQ first before doing so since they're not always looking for people.

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

okay so this has been bugging me for the past few weeks.  it involves the street fighter tribute contest that Udon was holding.  i've recently seen all the entries that got in and i have to say i'm really impressed by the awesome submissions people have sent in.  obviously not everyone could get in so i'm sure there were some that were on the bubble but just didn't make the cut.  of course that's not the issue that i have a problem with.  the thing that really bugged me was the amount of people that whined and complained about not getting in.   i admit there weren't a lot of people that acted this way.  for the most part the people who didn't get in acted very professionally, respectfully and maturely.  they understood that perhaps the talent level in this competition was very high and a lot of them even took this as a motivational experience to only get better at their skill.  but then there were the people that couldn't believe that they didn't get in and resorted to conspiracy theories!  this sort of stuff makes me a little angry because i know for a fact that udon really tried it's best to make this competition as fair and open as possible, even letting in 3d entries and sculptures.  then there were people who stated that only the friends of udon got in.  of course these people didn't really read the contest description because it clearly stated that the friends of udon got their own pages already reserved and are not part of the competition section.  and then there are those who feel the need to bash their fellow deviant artist's entries because they thought their entry was better.

it's unfortunate that some people have to act so immaturely and put a slight damper on an otherwise successful contest.  but then again, this is the internet and stuff like this is a given.  i understand everyone has an opinion, i just wish everyone stated those opinions in a little less whiney fashion.

oh and one more thing that i wanted to mention, but mr. dogan worded it so well i'll have to quote him on this:

"Anything worthwhile takes effort, and not every piece you do is your best.

For those of you that didnt get in, it doesn't necessarily mean you are not good. Just keep trying and do what you love to do.

Ask any professional how many revisions they go through and how many pieces don't make it."

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

Hey guys,

Due to a pretty big, yet last minute project popping up, i'm unfortunately canceling my appearance at the Calgary Expo this year.  while the convention is great and the organizers there treat the guests really really well, the turn around for this project is pretty tight, even for comics, and the convention would take too many of my work days away during the middle of this project.  so for those who were planning on stopping by and saying hi, my apologies and maybe i'll see you guys next year!

in the mean time, a friend of mine and an awesome artist that i actually met at last year's calgary convention, Francis Manapul, just joined deviant art!  make sure you check out his page and give him some love!

click here ----->

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

so i think the snow is gone for good over here.  i don't think i could have taken much more of it.  hopefully the coming of the spring will get me rejuvenated work wise.  lately i've been feeling like i've hit a bit of a wall creatively.  hating everything i do and all that jazz.  every artist goes through phases like this and i know it will pass.  i've been starting to work on some projects that i'm really excited about so hopefully that will get me going a bit more.

i've been checking out some of the entries to the street fighter tribute contest and i have to say, there are some really kick ass looking pieces being submitted by pros and fans alike!  i'm still working on my submission unfortunately.  it's been slowly dragging for a couple weeks now.  doing a little here and there but it should be done by the deadline.

i find it a bit amusing just by doing a quick search for "street fighter contest"  how many people have put up their entries on dA.  wasn't it recommended that people NOT do that?

that's all i have to report for now.

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

This past Monday I flew to Edmonton Alberta to meet up with a young boy named Jayce.  Jayce has T-cell leukemia, which is a form of blood cancer.

Last Thursday i got an email from Jay Bardyla, owner of the award winning Happy Harbor Comics shop in Edmonton.  He told me that Make-A-Wish Foundation contacted him about Jayce and that one of his wishes is to go on a shopping spree which included coming to the best comic store in Canada.  He was told that Jayce was a really big Transformers fan, and that's when Jay got the idea to contact me about flying up to Edmonton and meet the boy in person and do a sketch or two for him.  After a day of changing around my weekend schedule, I packed the few things I needed for the trip and flew to Edmonton Monday morning.

I've been really sick the past 4...5...6...9 days so i haven't checked back here very often.  I'm feeling a lot better now, but now i have to catch up on work!  So other than that, nothing really new to report.

I recently got the Justice League New Frontier animated movie the other day.  I actually enjoyed it a lot.  I'm told the comic is much better and more fleshed out though, so i'll have to check that out if i ever see it in stores.  What really interested me though was the little Batman: Gotham Knight sneak peak in the special features.  It looks fantastic!  6 different Japanese animated styles for 6 different Batman stories.  From the looks of it they're all pretty well known japanese animation houses too!

Anyways, a lot of projects have been popping up lately so i'll probably be MIA again haha...  I'll try to respond to comments and notes when i can.

EDIT:  in case you haven't already checked it out, UDON is having a Street Fighter art contest for it's upcoming tribute book!  check out all the details here: [link]

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!

i'm probably going to get a lot of backlash from this but here's my 2 cents on the whole thing:

this sort of stems from the new "fair exposure" thing that dA has adopted.  but i'm not entirely sure if it really has anything to do with it.

i personally think that a lot of people here on deviant art use this site as a way to ramp up their own egos.  people are too concerned with how many favourites or page views they get and i just don't think that's what art or this website should be all about.  a couple of years ago i used to be one of those guys that was really focused on getting a lot of page views and watchers and comments... but then i started realizing something.  the amount of fav's i got didn't get me work.  my WORK got me work.  it had nothing to do with however many pageviews i had or daily deviations i did or didn't have.  and i think that's one of the biggest problems this site had.  i could probably draw a stick figure naruto with boobies and it would get me quite a few page hits and favourites.  but i knew if i tried to put that in a portfolio and sent it to a company, they'd probably laugh at me and send me away.  sure the more people that saw my work the better exposure i got, but it's not like i'm hinging my entire career on my deviant art site!  if an artist is just using deviant art to sell his or her portfolio then i'd say there's something seriously wrong with that artist's advertising plan.  how about actually sending portfolios to editors and going to conventions or galleries?  after all, it's their opinions that really matter right?

if people are kind enough to check out my work and even press the little fav button, then i'm totally grateful for it, but if i don't get the however many favourites people think they need to feel "popular"  then it really doesn't bother me.  i use this site to communicate to other artists and to check out artists that i admire's work.  and then once in a while i'll post something up to see what people think.  

here's where i think the fair exposure thing that dA has adopted will really help.  i believe that we'll see a lot more varied works in the front page and not the usual anime fan art or nude women photographs that is plastered all over it. (no offense to the people that do that, but you have to admit, there's a lot of it)  and yes there's going to be a lot of people who abuse the system, but i think this way, it's easier for the mod's to police those that are abusing it.  (hopefully they do)

so i guess this is also a message to the people who think they're getting shafted because they aren't going to be in the popular section for the 10th day in a row.  who cares about the favourites and page views, give the newer lesser known artists a chance.  check your ego at the door so to speak.

edit:  in conclusion i guess here's what i'm really trying to say just to clarify some things:

in the popular section of this site, generally people who get the most pageviews get showcased more. but hopefully they've adopted a system where people who don't get the millions of views would get more exposure. i'm not saying people shouldn't care about exposure, but that people who already get enough of it, should at least be ok with people who aren't as popular to get some as well.

(copied from a reply i just made XD )

-joe


before you ask me a question, make sure i haven't already answered it by clicking the Frequently.Asked.Questions link!