Now I can open up my big yap. Well, not all the way.

Tomorrows NEWSARAMA (Jan. 25th) is supposed to have the announcement of Paul Dini and I handling DETECTIVE.

I’ve been sitting on this nugget since last June and my avatar here in ComicBloc has been a big hint. So, there you have it. I’ll comment more once I see Dan Didio’s official announcement.

RAGS.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz-zexy!

Yeoman’s back with Star Spangled Woman!

a work-in-progress piece by one of the Comics Cup members… Gavin

looks like you are making big strides with your art, gavin. thanks for sharing!

art from Wizard’s Last Man Standing… makes you wonder why doesn’t Wizard come up with a compilation book of all their Last Man Standing issues!

here’s another example of why there should be a Rags Morales sketchbook…

awesome!

Not sure if Hawkman will be back as JSA chair but at least we are sure that Rags is again joining the team. woohoo!

Image is from Hawkman #23 page 22 (courtesy of Michael Bair)

Hey I’m back. Been quiet, I know, but I’ve been whipping into shape my scantilly clad assistants and thats a job all in and of itself.

Where to begin….I know. My run on Wonder Woman is done, finito, gone; my last issue is #223. Now I haven’t been able to complete many issues of Wonder Woman and I am ashamed of that. It’s not the way I wanted it for such a great character and her fanbase. But I had many abrupt changes going on personally, and unfortunately they collided with my work load. Fortunately though, Greg Rucka, the man with the plan, came up with such great stories that my presence was not all that necessary. For those of you who where there you were treated to Diana at her best, thanx to Greg, and for those of you sticking around you’re in for a treat. That book is just gonna get better and better, even with a relaunch. So why a relaunch for such a great character? Why not. Lets face it- every single character gets a new direction and that is always with a new run. Even Superman and Batman–The Untouchables–from time to time get a facelift. I’m so sick of the griping over Diana starting with another #1 and not the “other two”. But lets remember that they do start over, in spin-offs. The only staples are Action and Detective. Sensation died a long time ago, so deal. It’s not like she is lost in comic limbo for the last 30 years. Plus there is a movie coming out in 2007 for her, and DC only goes to the silverscreen when the character has clout.

Where to next? J.S.A. of course. Yes, one of my little dirty secrets is out. Starting with issue #83, Paul Levitz, our Grand Poobah, and I will be handling 5 issues of J.S.A. that is connected to the One Year Later thing. I’m proud that DC has asked me to contribute to J.S.A. again with Master Levitz (contractually I have to say that) and I’m sure you folks will love it.

AAAANNNNDDDDDDD for those of you from the Art of Rags Morales fan site that was started at MSN. I have held true to my promise. In issue #83 of J.S.A. I have put up the graffitti usernames for those who signed up, so check it out.

Personally, my Jets have thrown in the towel until they can get healthy again, The Knicks are having trouble getting acclimated to Larry Browns system, and The Mets are still looking for a right fielder and bullpen help.

Too bad I’m not a hockey fan, otherwise The Rangers are doing well.

See ya next time!

P.S. I just picked up Soulfly Dark Ages. If you’re into Heavy Metal, check ‘em out.

shades of Ultimate Spidey… a nice piece that definitely would look nice inked by rags

Originally Posted by Epic
Hey Rags, I know DC supplies their own art boards but I was wondering what kind you would use other than the Company Exclusive boards. I was also wondering what kind of pencils, leds, erasers, etc. you use. Would you mind filling me in? I’m in the market for new supplies and the Blue Line Pro Art Boards have left a dissatisfying taste in my mouth. I was wondering if you could offer some decent, affordable alternatives.

Originally Posted by Rags as his reply
Don’t kill yourself paying for art equipment. If you want nice paper that has a little “tooth” to it, go to any decent art supply store and get a pad of Bristol Board-vellum finish. A pad of 11″X17″ will do. When you draw your live space (a.k.a. image area) do it in a 10″X15″ space. Thats close enough to real proportions.

Pencils, believe it or not, I get at a dollar store. For a buck I get Lovett #2 pencils for a box of 20. Ticonderoga makes excellent pencils too. I really like their non-repro blue pencil as well as their #2, and also inexpensive. For sharpening I get sandblocks. These are strips of sandpaper stapled onto a piece of wood. I use an exacto blade and whittle down the pencil to its lead, and then sand it to a nice, sharp, point.

For rulers, I use a rolling ruler religiously (sorry for the Stan Leeism). The key to them is to put modest pressure in the middle of it as you roll. It takes a little bit of practice, but you will get it easily enough. Invest in a set of french curves and as many circle and eliptical templates as you can afford.

I like to use Design kneaded erasers for the bulk of my erasing. Kneaded erasers are great to lift off the excess graphite when you sketch in the image. I like to dab, or roll the eraser over it like a rolling pin to lighten up the image before I do the final drawing of strengthening the work. Kneaded erasers are a work horse tool, but they are labor intensive if you want to do some wholesale changes.

Any rubber eraser will do. You can use the eraser at the end of your pencil or invest in a Kohinoor plug-in electric eraser–more costly but an excellent investment when you need to erase major areas of your work. Helix has a small hand held battery operated electric that does some intricate erasing, or even for some drawing with an eraser.

If you don’t like the erasers on your pencil, just get a box of those erasers that you stick on the end of your pencil. You, know, the stuff we’d use in school.

Also get yourself a brush to clear away not only eraser bits, but also to wisk away excess graphite once you complete a page. Sometimes you may need to use the kneaded eraser to clean up the haze of graphite in the gutters and margins when you brush a page. Makes it a little easier for inking and for handling.

For ink, well, they don’t make it like they used to. But Higgins Black magic and Pelikan are still the best out there. I’d stay away from Kohinoor as a brush ink. Its best to use it in tech pens. I don’t use the tech pens alot but I do have a .25 and a .50 pen nib for technical drawing–buildings and such. The kind of thing that requires a ruled line. Pelikan opaque white is excellent for white out, as is Pro White.

Brushes are a tool that is worth an investment. Winsor Newton is the top line product. Rafael used to be inexpensive, but has caught up to Windsor Newton. Most pros use a range of #1-#4 in brushes. #2 being the most popular. I have crappy ink control, so I like the #1 for the fine work.

But really, in the end work with whats good for you. Just don’t think that everything that is top of the line in price is necessary. Experiment and disregard anything you don’t like. You’ll be surprised how little of the bells and whistles will become part of your everyday repetoire.

And don’t forget…”its a poor craftsman that blames his tools.”