Alto-Shorter

I have moved.... again.

2010-05-20T12:19:00.001-07:00

Third time is a charmed, they say. I have recently acquired a domain name and server to host my own website. It has, to the addition to the blog, a gallery of my best work, and a webcomics section. The old blog will stay up as at least an emergency outlet if for some reason I loose my hosting space (which actually belongs to a good friend of mines).

The new address is now http://www.alto-shorter.com. Save it, savor it, and bookmark it for your pleasure.

IPad

2010-04-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Another completed assignment for my illustration class. This time it was an article regarding the IPad.

Doom

2010-04-17T22:51:00.001-07:00

A did a livestream session and this was the result. Really proud of how it came out.

Zombies

2010-04-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

My classmate Jaime asked me to do this for his final portfolio class.

Jay Leno

2010-04-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

This was an assignment for my illustration class. We were to illustrate an editorial for an article regarding Jay Leno returning to the tonight show. My aim was to reflect the feelings the author had regarding Leno and the closure of the whole fiasco.

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost

2010-03-17T08:24:00.001-07:00

I drew this while watching Ghostbusters one night. I tried to challenge myself into using more shading and highlihgts. I'm really satisfied on how it turned out.

This is also my first submissions into the newly formed Metrosketchual group.

After Staple 2010

2010-03-12T23:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a week since STAPLE, so it's good enough time for me to tell you about it.

Unlike last year, I actually left Dallas early to make it to the pre party and booked a hotel afterward. No driving late night for me. I arrived at Austin Books and Comics fashionably late. I met my friends and other affociandos, had a good time walking around. The store itself is massive and filled with books I haven't even heard of. After that I went to dinner with some peoples at a Thai restaurant, and I had the best noodles in my life. Are you noticing Austin is getting a good record so far in my books?

The day of the show comes and I arrived at the venue on time to set up. It was about an hour and half until showtime and I was walking around bored. Bored, bored , bored. By 10:30 my buddies started to arrived and I finally was able to do some idle conversation to pass the time, I even helped Matthew Warlick with his set up.

11:00 AM, it's showtime! AS usual with most cons, tit starts slow with only a few guests showing up. As time goes on, though, it starts to pick up, and where I was stationed got packed. Lots of traffic. Probably due to Guy Davis being in the same section as I. My neighbors were really friendly and had nice time chatting back and forth.

The day was winding down and we had to finally close down in the evening. I went back to my hotel room and chilled before heading out to the barbecue. The barbecue was excellent! I sat with Mike Hankins, Nate Branble, and Grant Sutherland. Awesome time when I hang out with those guys.

Then off to the after party at Shangri-La. Can't remember much of it except drawing, drinking, and talking to some drunk peeps that were sitting on our table. After that I left for the hotel where I had the mos awesome sleep in years. I didn't wake up until 11:50 AM and left Austin with a smile on my face.

STAPLE is probably one of my best convention experiences ever. One should always come to this show to have fun, and not let things like money and stuff get in the way. I know I don't, and I'll be damn sure to return next year. Thank you, Austin!

RHD #2

2010-02-06T21:58:00.001-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: REINHARDT DISTRICT ISSUE 2 AVAILABLE SOON.

After unforseen delays, the second issue of Reinhardt District will finally be available soon. It continues the story from the first issue, picking up where it left off.

Reinhardt District is the story of Victor Santiago, an experienced martial artist who returns to his home of RHD after being away for two years. During that time, to his dismay, his former friend, Tobias Braukner, has taken up organized crime and now leads a gang that controls the area. Now Victor has to settle in his new life at RHD, come to terms with Braukner's influence in his fights, and deal with thugs that are unfortunate enough to get on his bad side.

The second issue introduces a couple of new characters. Regis, another acquaintance of Victor, and Stoneman, a hired muscle. The story is also expanded upon and finally reveals the identity of Braukner, a character so far only alluded to.

RHD is the work of Jose Esquivel, a Dallas-based comic artist who’s worked on Space-Gun’s “Synesthetic” anthology, David Hopkin’s “One Night Stand,” and has also participated in Indy Comic Book Week with the short story “Macabro”, written by his brother, Carlos Esquive.. Born in Mexico, Jose moved to the US in the summer of 97 and is pursuing a career in design while making comics. Reinhardt District is his first self-published work.

Reinhardt District #2 will be available at the STAPLE Independent Media Expo on March 6, 2010 as a convention exclusive pre-release. Issue 1 is currently available online through Indy Planet and issue 2 will follow the week after the show.

REINHARDT DISTRICT #2
24 PAGES
BLACK AND WHITE
STORY AND ART BY JOSE ESQUIVEL

CONTAINS MILD SCENES OF VIOLENCE

http://alto-shorter.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/altoshorter

Power Girl and STAPLE

2010-02-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

A pin up I did before Dallas Comic Con. I made it as a print, but it didn't sell as much as I hoped for. This would be my last print I make for sale since they're not my strongest item. I'll concentrate more on making comics and sketches. That's where my fort is at!

ALso, I'm going to be at STAPLE on March 6. I'm gonna be selling copies of RHD #1 and 2, along with Macabro and my sketchbook. I had fun last year and I'm looking forward to repeat the experience.

Regis Colored

2010-01-22T17:13:00.001-08:00

This is the colored version of an Illustration I did months ago. I never got around to work on it until now.

Black Panther

2010-01-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

Something I did after watching the Black Panther Cartoon. I was trying to emulate John Romita's style and experiment with shadowing and hatching.

RHD Number 2

2010-01-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

First Drawing of 2010

2010-01-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great holiday and are ready for 2010. I celebrated by drawing this sketch of Kaneda.

I spent most of my vacation watching Akira and Blade Runner.

Macabro Cover!

2009-11-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

It's finally here! The cover for my ICBW project, Macabro! The book is finally done, but I still need money to finance printing. So, I'm offering ad space for sale. E-mail me for details!

Help Finance Macabro, Buy Ad Space

2009-11-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

After some basic math, it came to my attention that I may not have enough in the budget for my desired print run quantity of Macabro for Indy Comic Book Week. As a solution I will make space available for sale for ads in my comic.

It's simple: If you, a creator wanting to advertize his/her book, or and organizer of an upcoming convention, want ad space you will need:

A 300 dpi, grayscale image of the Ad, with the appropriate dimensions for either a full page.
A Paypal account for me to bill you.
An E-mail address where I can be assured to be in contact with you.

Full Page (7 in x 10.5 in) Ad: $20

I have three pages available for ads. First Come First Served.

I plan to print 100 copies of Macabro for the duration of Indy Comic Book Week (Dec. 30th), and will also be available to purchase online during the holiday weeks. After that, I will discard the ads in future print runs. The book will see distribution across the Dallas, TX area stores and select retailers nation wide. I will need both the ad and payment by Sunday, Nov. 22, at 12:00 AM.

Contact me at delurio@gmail.com if you're interested.

Thanks!

DWEX This Saturday

2009-11-12T04:57:00.000-08:00

The Dallas Webcomics Expo will be this Saturday, November14th, 2009 at the Southfork Hotel in Plano, TX. I'll be there doing what I do best, so come say hi, buy a comic, get a sketch, and help finance Macabro for ICBW! Below is a map on where you can find me.

More info at http://dwex.info.

See ya there!

Birthday Gift

2009-11-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

So... after confusing blogs I fixed a small error that probably no one saw. Either ways, last week was Evan Bryce's birthday, so I drew him this.

One Night Stand contribution

2009-11-08T23:27:00.001-08:00

This is my contribution to David Hopkins' One Night Stand project. It has reached its goal and will available on Indy Comic Book Week, December 30th.

Macabro

2009-11-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMIEDATE REALASE: MACABRO AVAILABLE ON INDY COMIC BOOK WEEK.

The horror genre is no stranger to the comics medium. From EC Comics’ Tales from the Crypt to the recent House of Mystery revival, it shows that both creators and readers are interested in such stories. Now, there’s a new offering coming this December.

Created by brothers Carlos and Jose Esquivel, MACABRO is a short story influenced by Italian horror movies. It tells the story of Selena, a high school graduate, who moves to Milan, Italy to attend the Lombardi School of Arts. Believing she’s now on the path to fulfill her dreams, she becomes tangled with the harsh reality of her choice, the alienation from her classmates, and gruesome murders.

MACABRO was first proposed as an entry for the anthology Synesthetic, the brainchild collaboration of Space-Gun Studios, who also spearhead the Indy Comic Book Week event. The story, however, was rejected in favor of another story by Jose Esquivel (whose other works include One Night Stand with David Hopkins and Reinhardt District), Swordancer. Now, the opportunity has arrived for MACABRO to see the light after two years of being shelved.

Aside from being the first collaboration between both brothers, and Carlos Esquivel’s first comic book script. This also the first opportunity for both creators have their work be known to a greater audience than before.

MACABRO will be available on December 30th, 2009 in celebration of Indy Comic Book Week at participating stores and online at Jose Esquivel’s own website (http://alto-shorter.blogspot.com).

RETAILERS: MACABRO CONTAINS SCENES OF HORROR VIOLENCE AND GORE.

MACABRO
16 Pages, Black and White
Story by Carlos Esquivel
Art by Jose Esquivel

http://alto-shorter.blogspot.com
http://www.indycomicbookweek.com

Dallas Webcomics Expo and ICBW

2009-11-06T21:54:00.001-08:00

Hey, there, everyone. First a quick important update, this is my new home at http://alto-shorter.blogspot.com. I just though I could use a relatively easier to remember name rather than the one I already use right now. This blog will still be up but I will quitely fade it and segue into the new one. All the old posts are still here for your convenience.

Also, I just signed up for the Dallas Webcomics Expo. They had one spot left, so I took in a rare moment of impulse. According to the map, I'll be in table #17. Their site is at http://dwex.info.

I'll be selling my remaining copies of the Sketchbook and RHD #1 plus pimping out Indy Comic Book Week.

See ya there!

Immortal Iron Fist

2009-09-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

I loved Brubaker and Fraction's Immortal Iron Fist Run, espeically with David Aja's art. They did a lot of stuff just right. For this piece I wanted to start using highlights and gradient value for sources of energy like Iron Fist's... fist. The kanji was done separately and Kun-Lun in the background was done with a brush, with the rest done with a dip pen.

One Night Stand and Indy Comics Week

2009-09-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

A little event I'd like to promote: Indy Comics Week.

I'll be creating a mini comic to be shipped on December 30th, plus I'll be working with David Hopkins on One Night Stand.

And for that book here's a little proposal:

Illustration

2009-08-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

A quickie for today.

Art and Coffee

2009-08-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

I'll be there selling my books and doing live art.

Punisher

2009-07-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

The Punisher: Frank Castle

Birdy the Mighty

2009-07-13T03:33:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of the anime.

Reinhardt District Issue 2

2009-07-13T03:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pages from RHD #2

RHD and Sketchbook at IndyPlanet

2009-07-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

Finally, my first two books, Reinhardt District and Jose's Sketchbook, are now avaialble at IndyPlanet.com. Just follow the links:

RHD #1 - http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2432

Jose's Sketchbook - http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2393

Upadate on RHD issue 2 coming soon.

Daily Sketch 2

2009-06-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

Another daily sketch, this time is Seras from Hellsing.

Daily Sketch 1

2009-06-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here's my first Daily Sketch. This is something I'll try to do often as a means for an exercise since I haven't draw much in the last couple of months due to school keeping really busy.

A-kon was all right, not as succesful as last year. I will post a through review of it soon.

A-kon

2009-05-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again! I'll be at A-kon 20 this next weekend (July 29-31) at the Sheraton Dallas.

I'll be selling my remaining copies of RHD and Sketchbook, plus prints.

See ya there!

Free Comic Book Day

2009-05-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

This is in really short notice, but it's not that much of a deal compared to A-kon. I'll have a table at Madness Games and Comics tomorrow, Saturday, May 2nd, for free comic book day. I'll have my books for sale and all that good stuff.

And maybe, just maybe, we'll have some subs fromt he subway next door.

A-kon 20

2009-04-26T00:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, I'm at the end of the semester and it's been super busy.

I entered A-kon's T-shirt contest, but I didn't win. Bummer.

I do have a table for this year table with I'm sharing as part of an organize team up with a couple of friends so we can all have a chunk of the AA as a headquarters, or something similar. We're doing this just for the sake of keeping an eye on each other's table.

A-kon will be held at the Sheraton in Dallas, TX on the may 29-31.

The Strange Adventure of Jose in Austin

2009-03-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was in Austin, TX attending STAPLE, and independent media expo where comic creators sell their goodies. I was there promoting my two books, RHD and Jose's Sketchbook.

Unlike my friends from Dallas, I had the genius idea of heading down there on Saturday at 6:30 AM. The drive was boring as hell, but made it even worst that my CD players was busted. Luckily the local stations had a huge range and it would be a while before they started the static symphony. The most interesting thing is that I found a neat indie station while nearing Austin and they were playing songs I haven't heard in so long.

I arrived in Austin, but I couldn't find the venue for close to an hour, ending up on the other side of the city. I eventually found it and rushed into check-in. Before the show started I made my rounds and mingled with Nate Bramble and Grant Sutherland. After setting up I met my neighbors and things where under way.

The attendees and fellow exhibitors were friendly, which is kind of a sharp contrast to the anime conventions that I've done in the past. After being behind the table for hours I got some rest and walked around the show. I saw fellow Dallas-ites Space-Gun, David Hopkins, and Paul Milligan, who were also exhibiting, and did my usual salutations and mingle until it was time to get to work. While exhibiting, I saw my good friend Brandon and he, along with other con-goers, bought my book. Now that I think of it, the book was selling in a consistent rate. I pretty much made back the table expenses.

After the show I tagged along Paul and David to Hooper's Cooking, a southern cajun restaurant, and then went to the after party live art show. Didn't stay long and left for Dallas that same night, ending up sleeping on a random picnic area on the road.

Overall, it was a great show to be at, and an extremely different vibe from the shows I usually attend. It bums me that it's only done once a year because there aren't many shows like this especially in Dallas.

Here's a video recap done by Texas Geek TV

You can see me at around 3 minutes in.

I'd like to thank all of you who bought my books, Michael Dulce for his free copy of The Sire, and to Uncle Staple for putting such a neat show.

I'll be back next year!

Jose Sketchbook

2009-03-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Jose's Sketchbook Vol 1.
Art by Jose Esquivel
32 Pages B&W

This issue will debut at STAPLE this coming Saturay, and soon will be available at indyplanet.com.

RHD

2009-03-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

RHD #1
Story, Art, and Cover by Jose Esquivel
24 Pages B/W

Victor Santiago, an experienced martial artist, has returned to his home of Reinhardt District after two years of absence. He finds that his former best friend, Tobias Braukner, has taken up organized crime and controls the area. Now Victor has to settle in his new life at RHD, come to terms with Braukner's influence in his fights, and deal with gangs that are unfortunate enough to get on his bad side.

Available also at IndyPlanet.com

SPALE! 2009

2009-02-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

Just a little update. I'll be at STAPLE on Saturday, March 7, 2009 in Austin, TX at the Monarch Events Center in Austin, TX. I'll be selling copies of my comic book, Reinhard District, and Sketchbook. My table is 62B between Kristian Donaldson and MBD Studio. Hope to see some of you there.

http://www.staple-austin.org

Siamese

2009-02-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

Here's something I did for CA.org's CHOW challenge. I didnt' finish it in time, though.

Plans for the Year

2009-01-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

I got back from my trip to Mexico this past week and I'm in semi-crunch mode. I'm preparing for both Ikkicon (Feb. 6-8) and Staple (Mar. 7), both in Austin. I also was invited to post at the Staple blog, which is awesome, and will post something soon. In the meantime, enjoy this:

Happy New Year's

2008-12-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

That is all...

I'll post some sketches I did while I was on my trip for the holidays this weekend.

Getting Ready for Oklahoma

2008-11-17T00:53:00.000-08:00

I've been preparing myself for a little trip I'll be taking this weekend with a good friend of mines. We're going to Oklahoma for the weekend at Izumicon. I'll be in the artist alley doing the usual, selling prints and doing comissions. I will most definately bring this new piece I finished recently:

I may do some slight changes in the color, but this is how it will look.

I'm also done putting together a sketchbook for next year. I pretty much compiled the best sketches, illustrations, and pages I've done in the past year. It should hit the printers by new years.

Also, enjoy this Batman:

Schooling

2008-10-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry for lack of update, but I'm going to school and it's taking me a while to manage my time since it's now classes are more demanding. But here, have some watercolors I did for a project.

Donations

2008-09-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, Hai!

Last night I went to the POW Live Art Show and Auction hosted by The Hero Foundry. Hero Foundry is a charity group that provides schools, libraries, and hospitals with graphic novels. I donated the following two pieces for auction.

Synesthetic Release Party

2008-08-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was at Titan comics for Synesthetic's release party hosted by ArtLoveMagic. Synesthetic is a graphic novel anthology featuring stories by about 20 creators, including myself. The Space-Gun peeps, ring-leaders of the project, were there to sell the book along with Nate Bramble, Grant Sutherland, Ryan Roberts, and others to sign sold copies. All profits made from the book will go into printing more copies for Baltimore Comic-Con. I'll post some links to pics as soon as I find them.

Also, I'm not going to Baltimore.

Also, also, grammar is your friend.

Some more sketches, pondering about Baltimore

2008-07-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

I almost got everything down on the website. I updated the Sketches and Illustration section with a new piece and a old one. In that order.

The first is an exercise done in Photoshop. I was focusing on my color theory and use of more blues for shading. I kept using grays for the clothes so it still looks bland.

The second was self-portrait done for an college entry portfolio review. It details a daily struggle in my life.

Another thing of note is that I updated the links section with my friends Nate's website. He's a talented cartoonist that has about three self published comic books on sale now plus a sketch book on the way.

He also related something on his facebook website about something that happened to him around May. It's old news, but I just caught wind of it:

I just wanted to share with you all a recent experience in which I was totally screwed by a comic show promoter, James Vaughn of JMV Entertainment. He contacted me about two months ago and invited me to be a guest at the next JMV comic show down in Houston. That was supposed to be today, but when I arrived to the show at the hotel in Houston I was met with a blank stare from the hotel reception person. There was no show scheduled. They'd never heard of JMV Entertainment. There was a hotel lobby full of very pissed off people; exhibitors and artists and comic fans who all came for a show that wasn't there.

Vaughn didn't contact me or anyone else to tell us that the show had been cancelled. I spoke to some of the other invited guests and they are all as pissed as I am. Even as I type this the JMV Entertainment web site is still using my name and a few others to promote the non-show today. I flue to Houston, rented a car and paid for a night in a hotel all for nothing.

-Nate Bramble

I checked his website and I saw that he schedule another "show" in July. I think it's either ineptitude or intentional demeanor for getting plenty of people mad. I'll be wary of this person.

Speaking of conventions, I'm still pondering attending Baltimore Comic-con on September. My friends, including Nate, are all attending, and I find the hotel expenses to be fair. The only problem would be plane tickets...

Change of Format

2008-07-01T03:15:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new way on how I organize my art in this page.

I separated the art in 4 sections: Illustrations, Concepts, Comics, and Sketches. These post will be edited to add new art and then post about in newer blog entries. I will have links to the individual sections at the side bar.

Sketches

2008-07-01T03:05:00.000-07:00

Roughs and other preliminary work.

Comics

2008-07-01T03:02:00.000-07:00

Macabro short story.

RHD

Sword Dancer - For Synesthetic Anthology.

Illustrations

2008-07-01T02:58:00.000-07:00

Miscellaneous illustration work.

Concepts

2008-07-01T02:50:00.000-07:00

Character Concepts

Environment Concepts