a couple of years ago i was commissioned to illustrate a “war time pin-up girl” as part of a promotional campaign for the video game Gears Of War. i was pretty excited as it was a) Gears Of War, and b) a pin-up girl, the kind to get you to support the troops and all that! i worked up a rough sketch for the art director based on the flavour i had in mind. which you can see in the rough below, however – to my surprise –  this wasn’t what the company had in mind, they wanted something more cartoony and supplied the pose that they would like to see the girl in. they referenced my new (at the time) comic “kukuburi” as the source of inspiration. a little saddened that i wouldn’t be able to draw the pin-up girl i originally imagined i followed the template provided and giving it my all as, at the end of the day, i’m here to make the client happy.

i’m quite satisfied with the girl i handed in at the end of the day – she was just a lot different than what i had expected when i signed on. i’ve include the rough of the second girl as well for comparison’s sake.

it’s interesting where your mind will take you when you sign onto a contract compared to what the client wants. usually i’m quite on the ball when handing over my concepts to art directors and editors, but sometimes they’ll surprise me and come up with a concept or direction that i wouldn’t have gone. but that is the nature of the beast.

i still quite like the original pin-up girl design. i think i’ll dust it off , finish it off, and post it to She’s My Kind Of Girl.

also, if you haven’t noticed the post below, please look again and take heed that i will be attending the chicago comic & entertainment expo this coming weekend! i will be doing sketches/commissions, selling original pages from various comic runs, and have a few giclée prints on hand; a couple of the last kukuburi and bns ons i have on hand, plus the new “blood money” giclée print limited to 200 units.

hope to see you all there!