The Blonde Squad

This is a pin-up that I did for the forthcoming Blonde Squad issue #2 comic book by Michael Troy.  This piece shows the Blonde Squad: Blonder Man, Drain, Psight, and Speedbump in their natural habitat, the Red Carpet, while their arch-foe, Dark Swan, menaces them from above.

The Blonde Squad comic book is a fun take on celebrity culture using superheroes.  For this pin-up, I wanted to really find my own take on these characters, and I had a lot of fun with that, especially on Speedbump, whose back had never been shown in any source material I'd seen.  That gave me the opportunity to express his cheeky nature there.
Blonde Squad by Kevenn T. Smith ©Kevenn T. Smith 2011My take on the Blonde Squad Team is also available on T-shirts, hoodies, and stickers in assorted styles, colors, and sizes at RedBubble.com!
Blonde Squad T-Shirt by Kevenn T. Smith ©Kevenn T. Smith 2011

A Happy Birthday

Today is my sister's birthday, and part of my birthday celebration is showcasing this artcard I did of her a couple years ago for a Christmas present.  She and my sister-in-law wanted pictures of themselves dressed in Victorian style dresses.  So that's what I did!  Happy Birthday, Little Sister!

And here's the one of my sister-in-law - just to complete the pairing:

Both pieces 5.5 x 4.25 inches.
Pencils, inks, Prismacolor color pencils
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011

Site Remodeling

I've switched servers for my website, so right now, not all of the areas previously available on my site are up.  The blog is still here.  Also, my store at RedBubble.com is still up, so you can buy any items there in the meantime.

Thanks for your patience!

The Sea Fairies Illustration by Kevenn T. Smith

This is an illustration that depicts a moment in L. Frank Baum's 1911 book, The Sea Fairies.  At this point, Baum had written six Oz books and wanted to write other stories.  He wrote The Sea Fairies about a young girl named Trot and her friend, an old peg-legged sailor named Cap'n Bill, visiting the mermaids and exploring the ocean.  Yes, it was decades before Finding Nemo and Disney's Ariel.  The book is mostly travelogue in nature until the last third, when the plot about an underwater villain really kicks into gear.  This image features the mermaid, Merla, swimming with Trot and Cap'n Bill, who have been transformed into merfolk themselves, by the magic of the mermaid sea fairies.

Baum followed The Sea Fairies with Trot and Cap'n Bill's further adventures in Sky Island, which is one of my favorite books by him.  Oz characters Button Bright and Polychrome appear in the book.  However, Baum's readers wanted more Oz, and so he resumed the series.  Trot and Cap'n Bill traveled to Oz in the ninth book of the series, The Scarecrow of Oz, and joined the cast of Oz characters for the following books.  I consider these two "spin-off" books to be essential to Oz reading.

A grayscale edition of this illustration will be featured in the program for 2011's Winkie Convention.  Programs are available for purchase here.  The original colored art piece is debuting framed and matted today (Friday June 3rd) in the Lakewood, Ohio Beck Center for the Arts Student Art Show.  The piece will be on display in the lobby until the end of July.  It is also available for sale.  Contact me for pricing information.  This image is also available as cards, postcards, prints, and posters on RedBubble.com!


8 x 11 inches bristol board.

Pencil, ink, Prismacolor color pencil.

©Kevenn T. Smith 2011

WonderCon 2011 Wrap-Up

I had an amazing time at WonderCon!  I got to meet so many people who were more than nice and see some great talent there.  I'd say it was an absolute success.  Thanks to all who came by the booth and supported us.  I made 3 artcards right before WonderCon, and one of them sold, and I wanted to spotlight them here.  First up is Psyche from Brian Andersen's So Super Duper.  This image is now available as cards, prints and Posters at RedBubble.com!



4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.

Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.

©Kevenn T. Smith 2011

Speaking of So Super Duper, I had the opportunity to go by Whatever Comics in the Castro, and issue #11 of So Super Duper with my 10 page back-up story was on display in the front window!  You can't miss the hot pink cover:

Issue #11 of Brian Andersen’s So Super Duper is on sale at the shop at Prism Comics.com and Indy Planet.com!!!  The 10 page back-up story that I wrote and created the artwork for is lettered by Ray Caspio (who also has a pin-up illustration in this issue!).  Just click on the preview thumbnail images below to enlarge them.

All artwork and images ©Kevenn T. Smith 2011

Another artcard I did was of DC Comic's Batwoman.  For this artcard, I wanted to capture some of the "feel" of J.H. Williams III's art in the Batwoman stories that he illustrates.  This image is now available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.


4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.

Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.

Batwoman ©DC Comics 2011

The third card that I made before WonderCon was of one of my favorites, She-Ra. I also couldn't resist the chance to illustrate the Whispering Woods backgrounds from the She-Ra cartoon again.



4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.

Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil, Prismacolor marker.

She-Ra ©Mattel 2011

UPDATE: Brian Andersen wrote about his own experience at WonderCon and mentioned me in the write-up over at Comicbook Queers.com.  Take a look!