Carnifex Carys XXXIV (illustrated by Ron Chan)

Carnifex Carys XXXIV was, before his death, the ruler of Aurelia.

While some believe that his successor, Carnifex Carys XXXV, may have poisoned him, the truth is that he had terminal cancer.

Carnifex Carys XXXV did, however, murder his predecessor’s son, enabling him to attain the throne.

While Carnifex Carys XXXV hides in the tomb of the previous Carnifex, Carnifex Carys XXXIV, in his mummified state, returned to life briefly to accuse his successor of stealing the throne and to push him out of the window.

This Carnifex appears in Sandman # 52, on pages 22 and 23.

Ron Chan drew the Carnifex Carys XXXIV. He did an absolutely fantastic job, not only capturing the mummified state of the character, but also capturing the mood of the tomb in which is body is preserved.

Dreamer At The Wake # 24 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

This man is one of the many dreamers to attend the wake for Morpheus.

He appears in Sandman # 72 on page 15 in panel 2. He is on the left side of the panel in the front row.

This was one of the first portraits Lars did for the project. Nice, isn’t it?

Citizen Of Baghdad # 1 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In Ramadan (Sandman # 50), we are offered a glimpse of the magical city of Baghdad, where anything can happen and the streets are filled with exotic foods and clothing and treasures.

This particular citizen of Baghdad is one of many people who visit the marketplace. He can be seen in a crowd of people on page 8, panel 1.

He is a pretty obscure character and Lars did a fantastic job with him, I think….although he looks a little angry. He’s clearly not pleased about something…

Demon # 3 (illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa)

In The Kindly Ones, the angels Remiel and Duma are seen walking across Hell. Remiel is telling Duma that he has been trying to send messages to The Silver City regarding the disturbance in everything with the Kindly Ones confronting Dream and threatening to tear apart The Dreaming.

This Demon can be seen in Hell, assumedly torturing someone.

He is located in Sandman # 67, page 22, panel 1.

Ibrahim did a fantastic job with this demon. I like that he took this character and made him severely more menacing than his portrayal in the original published comic. It’s clear that this is not a nice demon!!!

Dancing Rabbit Salesman (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Sergei goes to Italy in search of some sort of resolution to his life, some way to erase the disillusionment he is feeling and perhaps reconcile his comfort with Death. While walking the streets of Venice, Sergei sees a Dancing Rabbit Salesman trying to scam a tourist. The Dancing Rabbit Salesman tells tourists that the little paper rabbits dance due to magnets on their feet and heads, but Sergie points out that it is actually due to a motor in his duffel bag connected to a very fine line and this makes the rabbits appear to dance.

Of course, the tourist does not buy the dancing rabbit and the salesman is disappointed by the lack of sale.

This character appears in "Death In Venice" from Endless Nights.

This is another portrait by Lars. He did a fantastic job with this character. I love the little rabbit.

Faery # 1 (illustrated by Ron Chan)

This faery is one of the many faeries who attended the first performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by William Shakespeare. The play was performed on June 23, 1593 at the Longman Of Wilmington (also known as Wendel’s Mound) in Wilmington, East Sussex, England.

This faery is visible in Sandman # 19, page 8, panel 3.

This is one of the first characters Ron drew for the Sandman Portraits project. I really like his work and his approach to drawing these portraits!!!

Colonel Sanders (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Merry Christmas!!!

I thought today would be a great day to start posting up new Sandman Portraits...my gift to you!!!

Colonel Harland Sanders is the creator of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food restaurant chain in the United States. He is an American icon and his image is still seen in KFC restaurants around the world.

When Morpheus escapes is glass prison (in Sandman # 1) he travels through the dreams of Mort Notkin in order to gain some strength. Colonel Sanders is present in Mort’s dream and Morpheus eats some of the chicken in Colonel Sanders’ bucket. This was the first food that he had eaten in seventy years.

This is one of my favorite portraits Lars has done so far. I like that instead of holding a bucket of chicken he’s holding a living chicken.

and On the Night Before Christmas...

I’ve known Ron for…a long time. I was at the Stumptown Comics Festival talking with Steve Lieber and he recommended that I check out Ron’s work. Ron did a sketch of Delirium and Destruction for me at the show and it was amazing. Of course now I try to buy art from Ron whenever I can and am always amazed by his work.

Ron Chan was born and raised in Portland and works as a freelance Comics Artist, Storyboarder, and Illustrator and is a member of Periscope Studios.

His comics work has been published by Dark Horse, Marvel, Image, Virgin, and Viper Comics. His most recent comic work was “Husbands” and “The Guild: Clara” published by Dark Horse. Ron has also done storyboarding work for 3D animation, gaming, internal development, user experience design, and advertising, for clients such as Microsoft, Dell, Amazon Kindle, Nike, Konami, and Sega.

Ron also is working on a fantastic web comic called Roy’s Boys.

You can find more of his work here: www.ronchan.net/wordpress/ And don’t forget to check out Roy’s Boys: http://roysboys.ronchan.net

On the 2nd Day of Christmas...

I’ve known Emonic for several years. I think I first saw his work for the Sandman 20th Anniversary show in Los Angeles in 2008. He had drawn Despair and it completely blew me away. A few months later I had the opportunity to meet him at the Stumptown Comics Festival. I think I’ve seen him just about every year since the first time I met him and I try to buy art from him whenever I can. He is one of the nicest people in the comic industry and incredibly talented and I am very happy that he agreed to join the Sandman Portraits project.

Emonic (also sometimes called Emo Gonzales) has been creating art since he was a child. As a youth he was heavily influenced by skateboarding, comic books, music, movies and graphic design. He is a self-taught artist, however he does hold an A.S. degree in Multi-Media.

Emo has begun to receive recognition through his various freelance work for local musicians and other businesses in the bay area. His work has appeared in many gallery shows (most recently The Fresh Produce show for Gallery Anno Domini in San Jose) and he is currently working on a book that will hopefully be announced soon.

Check out more of his work on his blog http://emonicart.blogspot.com/

On the 3rd Day Of Christmas...

I’ve known Zack for awhile. He’s everywhere. He’s at the local comic shop I visit. He’s at practically every convention I attend. Heck, he’s even at the post office when I am there. He. Is. Everywhere. The first piece of Zack’s art I saw was a commission of The Spectre and it was awesome. It had a very silver age feel to it and I was impressed. So I sought out more of his work and then asked if he’d be interested in joining the Sandman Portraits team. I’m very happy to say that he said yes!!!

Zack Soto lives in Portland with his wife and their cat. He’s the publisher of Study Group Comic Books, co-editor of Study Group Magazine, and creator of The Secret Voice and Ghost Attack comics.

I’m very happy to welcome him to the Sandman Portraits project.

Please check out Study Group and his other works: http://studygroupcomics.com/main/

On the 4th Day Of Christmas...

I can’t remember exactly when I saw Isabelle’s art, but I was instantly in awe of the style. I loved the dark lines and the splashes of red. For me her art seemed intense and beautiful. I am very happy that she agreed to be part of the Sandman Portraits project!!!

Isabelle Melançon lives in Montreal and works primarily in illustrations and comics. She has published Rose and Psychopompes. She has been featured in art shows, has done illustrations for books, event posters as well as private commissions. She has also done storyboards and character design work for short, semi-professional animations.

She is also currently working on a webcomic called Namesake.

You can find Namesake here: http://namesakecomic.com/

and check out Isabelle’s site for more of her art and information about her books: www.isabellemelancon.com

On the 5th Day Of Christmas....

I have never met Max, but I’ve seen his work on his Comic Art Fans gallery and have been looking for an excuse to commission him…and it seems that I’ve found one!!!

Max Rugers was born in The Netherlands and has worked in the art field for a number of years. He has done everything from illustrations to murals to teaching art for children and adults. At the moment he is enjoying his job as art teacher and doing some freelance work on the side.

Aside from drawing and painting he is also quite a comics fanatic and is, himself, an art collector.

You can check out his work on his Facebook page or his website: www.maxrugers.nl/

On the 6th Day of Christmas....

Rebecca Woods is someone I’ve known for a long time and she’s painted a lot of the Endless and is currently working on a giant epic painting for me. She’s one of the most energetic and friendly artists you will ever encounter.

Rebecca has worked on Robin and Batman: Gotham City Secret Files for DC and Sexy Chix for Dark Horse. She has also shown her work in galleries and has worked in sculpture. She works in just about any medium imaginable, but prefers oil and watercolor.

Please welcome Rebecca to the Sandman Portraits project!!!

On the 7th Day Of Christmas....

I met Russel Roehling earlier this year at the Emerald City Comic Convention. As I was walking past his booth, his art caught my eye and so I arranged a commission with him. He drew me an absolutely amazing Delirium!!!

Russel does a wide variety of freelance illustration, including comics, storyboarding, and conceptual art. He is currently working with Oni Press on the comic series Wasteland (beginning with issue # 40).

I am looking forward to working with him on the Sandman Portraits project as well as commissioning him for a lot more art in the future.

Please visit his site at http://www.roehling-animation.com

On the 8th Day Of Christmas....

I met Joëlle Jones in 2003 or 2004 at the Stumptown Comic Festival. She was doing adorable sketches and I commissioned her to draw Death for me in my sketchbook…and I’ve been buying her art ever since. I just can’t get enough!!! She’s a wonderful artist and I want to welcome her to the Sandman Portraits blog team!!!

Joëlle has worked on tons of books including the graphic novels 12 Reasons Why I Love Her (my personal favorite), You Have Killed Me, and Token as well as drawn issues of Madam Xanadu, Dr. Horrible, Madman Atomic Comics and has appeared in anthologies such as Sexy Chix and Popgun.

She is currently working on a new book for Oni Press called Helheim.

I highly recommend checking out her books and her art. Visit Joëlle’s website at http://www.joellejones.com/

On the 9th Day Of Christmas...

Once again, my wife deserves the credit for me meeting Gabriel Frizzera. We were at the Emerald City Comic Convention and she asked Gabriel to draw her a Smurf and it was fantastic. His style was unique and captivating and so I commissioned him to draw Destiny for me. It was fantastic!!!

Gabriel was born in Brazil and currently lives in Canada where he writes, draws and publishes his own Independent Graphic Novels, including “With Just One Bullet,” “Heavy Metal Heart,” “Isthmus,.” And “Codex.” He also works as a Concept Artist and Illustrator for the game and movie industries.

You can find more of his work on his site http://www.gabo.ca

On the 10th Day Of Christmas....

It’s my wife’s fault that I met Lars Brown. In 2008 we were attending the Stumptown Comic Festival and my wife was checking out artists that she liked and asked them to draw sketches in her Smurf themed sketchbook. Lars was one of the artists who drew a Smurf for her. Earlier this year I was at another local convention and Lars was there. I liked the Smurf he drew for my wife and so I asked if he’s be interested in doing a Sandman commission. He asked if he could draw Fiddler’s Green. It was after seeing his painting that I knew he would be a perfect artist for the Sandman Portraits.

Lars graduated from the University of Idaho in 2006 after spending four months in Japan teaching history on a naval base. Shortly after returning he started writing and illustrating North World. Currently there are three North World graphic novels available from Oni Press. He has also been published in various anthologies including Popgun (from Image Comics) and Lava Punch. 



He is interested in the writings of GK Chesterton, Alexander Dumas, Western philosophy, apologetics and SNES Squaresoft RPGs. If you see him at a con he might have a harmonica on hand.

Check out his site for more of his art http://www.larsbrown.com/ or his Tumblr: http://larsbrown.tumblr.com/

On the 11th Day Of Christmas....

I had heard of Ibrahim Moustafa before I had met him. A few people told me that I should check out his work and that he was a pretty awesome guy. I would hear his name pop up in various places. Once I heard him mentioned on a podcast I listen to regularly. I saw his name on fliers for in-store signings at various local comic shops. For me, he was sort of an enigma and I wanted to meet him. Thankfully I met Ibrahim earlier this year at the Rose City Comic Convention. Everyone was right. He is a pretty awesome guy.

Ibrahim is a self taught sequential artist from Portland, Oregon. His contributions to such charities as “Wonder Woman Day”, “Full of Pryde”, and “The Marla Bea Benefit” gained him recognition in the original comic art collectors scene, and in 2009 his first published work launched the inaugural titles “Citizens” and “Faction” for Carpet Bomb Comics.

Recently, he penciled and inked a series for IDW, "The Pound Vol. 2: Ghouls Night Out", which released in September of 2012.

In January 2013, he will be releasing "High Crimes" along with writer Chris Sebela (Captain Marvel, Screamland), a crime thriller from MonkeyBrain Comics.

You can find more of his art on his website: http://theartofibrahimmoustafa.blogspot.com/

On the 12th Day of Christmas....

Beginning today, for the next 12 days, I will be introducing you to some new artists working on the Sandman Portraits project.

I can't wait to show you the portraits they've drawn.

Today, I would like to introduce Anna Hybsier!!!

Anna is one of three artists working on the Sandman Portraits blog that I have not met in person…and it’s a shame since I very much like her art.

I purchased my first piece of her art in 2004 and whenever the opportunity arises I always try to buy more. She is an absolutely fantastic artist and I am excited to share her Sandman portraits with you.

Anna Hybsier was born in 1981 in Germany, but spent most of her life in Asia. Since she was young, she had a strong interest in art, but at the age of 12, she read her first superhero comic and, since that day, it was clear that Anna would pursue a career in art and her fondness for comics would continue to grow.

She studied illustration and graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Since then she has worked in comics, animation and advertising and has donated art to several charities including the CBLDF.

Anna now lives in Germany where she works as a freelance illustrator. She is currently working on a webcomic called Temudjin: The Real Story Of Genghis Khan, which will be available on her site www.ahybsier.com/

The 12 Days Of Christmas Countdown

Hello Everyone! Happy December!!! As usual, time has sort of slipped by me faster than I was expecting and now it's already December 5th. I thought now would be a good time to announce that beginning on December 13th, we will be doing a 12 Days Of Christmas countdown to Christmas. Keep your eyes posted on The Sandman Portraits blog for some exciting new art and news...and don't forget to check back on December 13th!!! See you then!!!