The Art of Matthew Childers

Weekends are for catching up on things that I just couldn’t do during the week. I inked a page of Moon Hunters already and am working on some commission sketches of Cthulhu from Cthulhu Is Hard To Spell and Cthulhu Cat #fantasy #comics #comicbooks #cthulhu #fantasyComics #fantasyart #artistoninstagram https://www.instagram.com/mattcdrawsalot/p/BwfEsWoBfI7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17av1o0qbw4gp

This particular page sat on my desk 90% finished for like three days. The last ten percent I finished up this morning and they made a huge difference. I'm sitting here now looking at less than 8 pages left of black and white artwork for issue three of Moon Hunters and thinking, holy crap. I'm almost done. #makingcomics #comics #comicbooks #comicbookart #fantasycomics #fantasyart #fantasy https://www.instagram.com/mattcdrawsalot/p/BwAb3BfhW3r/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=18kh1y8oplfc9

Tried to finish this whole page today but real life got in the way so we’ll have to settle for just a panel. Lyria seems to hang from flying creatures quite a bit. #makingcomics #comics #comicbooks #makecomics #comicbookart #comicbookartistsofinstagram #fantasy #fantasyart #indiecomics https://www.instagram.com/mattcdrawsalot/p/Bvz5GYhBxLp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mrd1afa7xkw1

Here is a page I literally just finished. I've struggled so hard with one panel on this page. And it's probably not the panel you think. But once I got it sorted out the inking didn't take very long. Finished most of the panels yesterday and sat down about an hour ago and finished the top panel. (I always work middle down and then go back to the top because my drawing table is flat most of the time and I hate having to draw that far away. Weird I know. Anyway that's another one down. I think I'm down to nine pages to go? Really.. seriously. Wow. #makingcomics #comicbooks #comicbookart #comics #indiecomics #makingindiecomics #comicbookartistoninstagram #fantasy #fantasyart #fantasycomic https://www.instagram.com/mattcdrawsalot/p/BvXXfV2h6Qu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=if3rxgloymct

Here is a page of Moon Hunters I just finished today. This one was way complex and really made me regret making my bad guy so darn complicated to ink and draw. I also completely changed the last panel from my original pencils. Seriously, I'm just glad to have gotten it done. #makingcomics #comics #comicbooks #comicbookart #indiecomics #comic #fantasy #fantasycomic #fantasycomics #fantasyart #artist #artistoninstagram (at Johnson City, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/mattcdrawsalot/p/BvAHlhWhnCN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ho230mwvu7pn

When I started the day I wasn't sure I'd even get close to finishing this page. My daughter had a field trip that was going to take a good half of the day. Then I had some design work to do as well. Luckily I somehow pulled it off. This was visually a very complex page, with a lot of perspective changes and movement. Luckily I think I pulled it off. This is another page from issue three of Moon Hunters. I'm slowly creeping up on the climax of the story. I really hope I can pull this off as well as it's flowing in my head. #makingcomics #makecomics #fantasy #fantasyart #fantasycomics #comicbooks #comicbookart #comicbookartistoninstagram #moonhunters https://www.instagram.com/mattcdrawsalot/p/BuewVTRBP-7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1axqtsfkt1t4g

My first Moon Hunters page in like two weeks. I've had so many commissions I needed a page just to get the feel of my favorite character again. I do think that closeup panel is one of my favorite images of her. This is from about 3/4 into issue three. #makingcomics #makecomics #fantasy #fantasyart #fantasycomics #comicbooks #comicbookart #comicbookartistoninstagram #moonhunters https://www.instagram.com/mattcdrawsalot/p/BuZl2dshPzI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1e0k3m3nizbm4

Inked the first panel last night and just banged out the second this evening. Pages this fun don’t happen every day but I’ll take it. #makingcomics #comicprocess #artprocess #artprocess #comicbooks #comicbookart #fantasy #fantasyartist #fantasyart #storyteller #inking #drawing (at Greenville, South Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtCbuUmBmFu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=wa74jit02pq9

Been toying with a new promo illustration for the Moon Hunters website. Not only that but using my coding skills I was able to give it a little bit of an animated feel using a multi-layered parallax effect. It's rare that my love of comics meets my love of Wordpress coding. I KNOW I can make this work even better but you know.. things to do. Still very happy with how this looks now. You can check it out here on desktop http://moonhuntersonline.com The animation doesn't work on mobile just yet. #makingcomics #comics #fantasy #fantasyart #fantasycomics https://www.instagram.com/p/BsJZGzAh7dK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=swxthsu2m2dg

Yesterday I woke up with the urge to pencil this page and today I woke up with the desire to start inking. For the most part I've had a severe case of the doubts the last month or so. By that I mean I just felt uninspired to do anything. I felt like I wasn't good enough. I've still made art but it's been harder. Today was not that type of day. I felt much better about myself. Now that doesn't mean this are the best three panels I've ever done. Far from it. They work. Kinda. I wish I had planned my blacks better. But the art is sound and I can move on to the next two panels on the page (which I think are the strong parts of the page) I'm also back to using my Windsor Newton series 7 again. I had essentially given it up in favor of the Zebra brush pen, which can making inking a page a much faster process. But I find myself enjoying the results more with the Windsor Newton series 7. Especially once everything is said and done. I do feel rusty with it though and hope I can knock off those cobwebs. #makingcomics #moonhunters #fantasy #fantasycomic #makecomics #comicbooks #comicbookartist #comicbookartistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #comicbookart #inking #inkingcomics #fantasyart https://www.instagram.com/p/BrifDHpBahe/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pitfhllinhjw

Postcard Sketch of my character Lyria Two-Horns for a friend on Twitter. When people engage with me and buy things from me I feel compelled to send them free stuff. #makingcomics #comics #fantasyart #fantasycomics #comicart #fantasy #penandink #inktober #inktober2018 #inktober2k18 (at Sunset Beach, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo1ghKenqfD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=t4obxde8y6bk

Here is a thing I did today. Inked a couple panels from this page. Got a couple other panels that are still in progress and will share those tomorrow when they are done. Really had a ton of fun with that first panel although it seemed to take forever. The second panel went super fast. It's weird how after almost 70 pages of art I'm so comfortable drawing these characters now. Not used to that. - - - - - #fantasy #fantasyart #comics #comicbooks #art #comicbook #illustration #drawing #sketch #ink #draw #artoftheday #artwork #fantasylover #storytelling #moonhunters #matthewchilders (at Kingsport, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnsQEWonle2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1shcvo6cfjazp

#moonhuntersmonday - working on a new page. One panel down two more to go. #makingcomics #comicbookart #fantasy #fantasyart #comicbookartist #artistprocess #matthewchilders https://www.instagram.com/p/BnkQkQ4nCuH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dvwsry4dffhx

What would a #friday be without another page of Moon Hunters? Four of five panels here penciled and inked in just a few mere hours. But one in particular took me just about the same amount of time as all the others combined and still didn't come out great. Oh well. Next page. #makingcomics #comics #comicbooks #comicbookart #comicbookartist #comicbookartistoninstagram #fantasy #fantasyart #fantasycomics #fantasycomic #fantasyartist #artistoninstagram #struggles #artstruggles #matthewchilders #matthewchildersart #moonhunters (at Johnson City, Tennessee)

It's #moonhuntersmonday again. And luckily I did not disappoint myself. Here's another page complete. I had to draw people sitting in chairs at a table. One of those things that always can be difficult. Aside from one little art goof (the rocks on the right of the door in panel four shouldn't be there) everything turned out swell. #makingcomics #comicbooks #comicart #fantasycomics #fantasyart #moonhunters #matthewchildersart #matthewchilders #comicbookartist (at Kingsport, Tennessee)

Yesterday was busy. I knew I needed to ink a page of Moon Hunters issue three, so I picked a page from my sketchbook that I knew would not require a struggle on any one panel. By struggle I mean, I wouldn't have a lot of decisions to make. This one had most of the decisions laid out for me. Other than some perspective work on a couple panels, it was mostly figure drawing which with these characters I can almost do in my sleep. #making comics #comics #comic books #fantasy #fantasycomics #fantasyart #moonhunters #matthewchildersart (at Kingsport, Tennessee)

Moon Hunters Issue 3 art has begun. The inks on this came out much better than I hoped. Also, the Blorglestomp cannot be stopped. #makingcomics #inking #fantasy #fantasyart #comicbooks #fantasycomics #artistoninstagram #matthewchilders #matthewchildersart #inkingcomics (at Kingsport, Tennessee)