The Art of Matthew Childers

The last week or so I really wanted to get back into gear with working on the last issue of Moon Hunters. Got some pages back from my flatter and actually colored four pages. Here are a couple that I enjoyed. I have some commissions on my desk right now so doubt I'll be able to color more until next week but I'm at least making some serious progress again. #indiecomics #fantasy #comics #fantasycomics #art #comicart https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzx5TB8BBzF/?igshid=1jg8p3hpn2dpj

Somehow inked a page of Moon Hunters this week. Not sure if I'm feeling my inking jobs lately. Or my pencilling. But this one turned out okay. In all honesty I think there is only one really good panel here. But you have to keep moving forward. #makingcomics #comicbooks #comicbookart #fantasy #fantasycomics https://www.instagram.com/p/BxutTs0hHLx/?igshid=46zq0azizcz2

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

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

So I'm deep in the woods of Greenville, South Carolina babysitting my parents dogs this week while they are on vacation. While this means I'm totally missing my wife and kids it does give me a chance to just sit and draw. My day job has been rather busy lately so it's been harder and harder to find time to really concentrate on Moon Hunters. I had penciled some pages earlier this month and saved them to ink just for this week since I know I'd have time to just sit with pen in hand. At first I was worried since I hadn't inked anything in a couple weeks but once I got into it, everything went pretty smooth. I really had a ton of fun with this page and am really glad this scene is on my board. #makingcomics #comics #comicbooks #fantasy #fantasycomics #comicbookart #comicbookartist #inking #inkingcomics #comicbookartistoninstagram #greenvillesc (at Greenville, South Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs9M4AqhtxS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1y0uqrccja9bg

One of the things that I *highly* suggest every comic creator does is take time every so often to look at the book he's working on as a whole. Take a step back and look at the big picture. I don't do this nearly as often as I should but when I do I really start to see what I'm struggling with, what I've accomplished, and what needs to be done. With issues one and two of Moon Hunters complete I'm working on the third issue. The first half of the book was a breeze to draw. I had started the second half but just kept hitting a wall. I even had to rethink a whole major scene because the setting was just too generic. I think I've finally got a good sense of what to do next now that I'm seeing it as a whole. I sat down today and just did what I normally do. I put it all in front of me and just absorbed it. Overall the art for this issue is a step above issue two. Issue two was a step above issue one. The coloring on this issue, though not much is done is a step above issue two. Taking that time to step back and look at the entirety of a project is one of those things that inspires and can help with the block. So here is hoping the next couple weeks I can really push through and get a ton done. I'm excited. I'm ready. I just need to knuckle up and press the nose to the grindstone. #makingcomics #comics #comicbooks #makecomics #fantasy #fantasycomics https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLa65rBXDZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gcwn1993ueq7

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

Working on some promotional art for Moon Hunters. These character illustrations will be combined into a single piece that will semi-animate on the website. So I had to draw them full height and separate. I took the holidays off from doing any actually drawing. I needed a break and also needed to do quite a bit of work on my websites to get them updated and set up. But now I'm back and feeling ready to tackle the world of comics once again. #makingcomics #moonhunters #makecomics #comicbooks #art #comicart #drawing #fantasy #fantasycomics (at Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsEKpB1B1vV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ulyh5cod73hr

As a follow up to yesterdays inking I finished the last two panels today. These two panels worked quite a bit better than the previous three. Although I still feel really rusty. There's still quite a bit of struggle using my Windsor Newton Series 7. I do think once I started adding the black borders it all suddenly came together. The whole book is drawn that way so my panels all seem to work really well with it. I'm also popping in an image of the pencils for these two panels just for giggles. #makingcomics #comics #comicbooks #comicbookart #fantasy #fantasycomics #makecomics #fantasyartist #comicbookartist #comicbookartistoninstram (at Kingsport, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrlcStXhpl2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=123j0slsdan2h

Lyria Twi-Horns hangs precariously from her sword above the red river of death. Nothing survives falling into the treacherous lava, except maybe the monstrous Slothat The Ever-Creeping. After the kids went to bed last night I colored this cover, then immediately followed it up with several games of Battlefront 2. #makingcomics #fantasy #fantasycomics #fantasy #comicbooks #comicbookartist #comicbookartistoninstagram #comicartprocess #comics #comiccoloring #coloringcomics https://www.instagram.com/p/BqfYB4ohPqR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dwutbwkr536v

Working on the cover for the third issue of my book Moon Hunters. Finished the inks this afternoon. You can see the progression of the page so far from thumbnail to the inks. The color version here is a color mockup from the pencils just so I know what I'm getting into. #makingcomics #fantasy #fantasycomics #fantasy #comicbooks #comicbookartist #comicbookartistoninstagram #comicartprocess #comics (at Kingsport, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqdSLwph5RG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=u5fdvcn1jjq1

This page was seriously densely packed with linework. Probably the most dense page I've done in a while. In this page we'll discover the history of Durgas The Dreadful - a hornling from the past who turned against his own people for power. While there is a lot about this page to like, I had a struggle with it. Kept having to start and stop and it just ground me down. I've got a commission to work on next that will give me a few days break from the book so I'm hoping that helps switch things up a little. #makingcomics #moonhunters #fantasy #fantasycomics #comicbooks #makingcomicbooks #makecomics #comics #fantasycomics #fantasyartist #fantasyillustrator https://www.instagram.com/p/BpxQMJohZOq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rwk5h2qzlv2

Time-Lapse Video of me drawing a panel from Moon Hunters Issue Three. Help me name this evil warlord character. This is a flashback panel from eons past when a hornling warrior succumbed to the power of the Earth Gem and raised an army of evil. It was only when the Moon Hunters banned together to fight him that he was finally banished from the realm. But honestly I'm horrible at naming. So I need your help bringing him to life. #makingcomics #fantasy #fantasycomics #timelapse #timelapsevideo #timelapseart #art #drawing #inking #inkingcomics #comicbookinking #comicbooks (at Kingsport, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpsOIjQhvVD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1czexe749birk

I've had a week where I honestly don't know where the time went. But I did get this done. Small accomplishments really are the bread and butter of my week. Getting something done that I enjoy makes it all worth it. This is another page from issue three of Moon Hunters. I can't wait to move to coloring this issue. #makingcomics #comics #comicbooks #fantasycomics #fantasy #inktober #inktober2018 #penandink #comicbookart #comicartist #artistoninstagram (at Kingsport, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpZtVclhBXv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1hfqpvxu6esus