Purrrr-Fect Eartha by Kevenn T. Smith

This piece has been living in my head for a while now, demanding to be made.  Eartha Kitt, as a performer, thrills me.  I think our world is a suckier place since she passed away in 2008.  She is my second favorite live-action Catwoman.  (I have to cop to Michelle Pfeifer's psychologically driven performance in Batman Returns as my favorite.)  However, I think Eartha's Catwoman is the most fun and slinky Catwoman of all.  When Julie Newmar (whom I also loved) bowed out of the 60's Batman series in its third season, casting Eartha Kitt was a no-brainer.  Look at her album covers from the fifties and sixties - she already WAS Catwoman.  Eartha Kitt was a global citizen years before the rest of us started to get onboard.  She spoke four languages and sang in seven. 

She was the kind of celebrity that is becoming extinct - one with a truly individual voice, the likes of Bea Arthur, Phyllis Diller, Grace Jones, and Carol Channing.  Nowadays, vocal sounds are so homogenized.  There's rarely any character and distinction in a lot of the voices I hear in mainstream singers and celebrities.  I feel like everyone is too busy trying to be "hot" to be distinctive.  You can't tell me Eartha Kitt's voice wasn't hot.

This piece is after Eartha's 1957 cover of Norsk Dameblad magazine.  I chose red and leopard print for the background colors because Catwoman's lair in the Batman series had red drapery and a leopard print upholstered chair.  This illustration is available at my RedBubble.com store.
Eartha Kitt as Catwoman by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2012
Catwoman ©DC Entertainment 2012

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!

WonderCon 2011

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be attending WonderCon 2011 in San Francisco April 1-3!  I'll be at Brian Andersen's CBG Comics table helping to promote the So Super Duper comicbook.  I'll also be selling some of my artwork there.  I'll be selling original art cards (each are unique and handmade!) and I'll hopefully have a handful of prints of the DC Heroines 2007 and 1 or 2 of the prints that are left of the DC Villainesses 2007 available for purchase.  This is your chance to buy these pieces without having to pay for shipping!  I hope to see you there.

Shh! Santa Scraps Is Sneaking by Kevenn T. Smith

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This artcard is my way of saying "thank you" for all the support from so many people that I have been given this past year for my work.  It's been quite a year for me, and I am very grateful for what I've been able to accomplish.  Whichever of the Holidays you may celebrate this time of year, if any, I hope you find peace and love in your life.  Thank you.  So please enjoy this illustration of Scraps, the Patchwork Girl of Oz, sneaking as Santa underneath the Christmas tree.

This artcard is available as cards, prints and posters at RedBubble.com!

4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.

Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.

©Kevenn T. Smith 2011