French Soldier # 2 (illustrated by Ron Chan)

This French Soldier was one of the soldiers searching through Johanna Constantine’s personal belongings in hopes of finding the stolen head of Orpheus, although I do not believe any of the soldiers knew what they were looking for.

He is visible on one page of Thermidor. He can be seen in Sandman # 29 on page 6, in panel 1. He is the solder on the left looking through the wooden drawers.

This French Soldier was drawn by Ron Chan. I like the line work on his face and his expression. I also like the use of brown ink in this portrait. It gives the portrait a flowy feeling that I can't quite describe, but really like.

Demon # 352 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

In P. Craig Russell’s adaptation of Dream Hunters, a Fox and a Badger make a wager to see who can make the Monk leave his small temple.

They each try a variety of methods to convince the Monk to leave and nothing seems to sway him.

One evening the Badger created an illusion in which an army of demons surround the temple and shout that if the Monk doesn’t flee they will eat his flesh.

The Monk exits the temple and expresses his unhappiness with these tricks and chases the “demons” away with a torch. Where the demons once stood a badger remained. The Monk threw the torch and singed the tail of the Badger.

This was the last time the Badger attempted to trick the Monk into leaving his temple.

This Demon is one of the Demons that the Badger created in order to scare away the Monk.

He appears in Sandman: Dream Hunters # 1, on page 14, in panel 4.

Lukas did a fantastic job with this portrait. Each time I look at this portrait I keep expecting to see someone’s face inside the Demon’s mouth.

Worlds’ End Patron # 40 (illustrated by Jöelle Jones)

Brant Tucker wanders around Worlds’ End, waiting for the storm to pass so he and Charlene can continue on their way to Chicago.

The storm continues to grow in intensity and lightning and thunder rattle the inn.

This tiny creature is one of several of his kind that are frightened by the thunder.

He appears in Sandman # 55, on page 1, in panel 7.

I absolutely love this portrait. Jöelle did an amazing job with this character. I love the expression on his face. Her line work adds layers of skin to his wrinkly body, which I think is a great touch and the choice of colors is perfect. This is probably my favorite portrait that Jöelle has done so far!!! It’s just perfection.

Interlude: Emerald City Comic Con

Tomorrow is the first day of the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington.

There are a lot of great guests at the show, including several Sandman Portraits artists. Here is where you can find them:

Ron Chan - Table 1124
Joelle Jones - Table KK-11
Lukas Ketner - Table 1124
Ibrahim Moustafa - Table A-15
Isabelle Melancon - Table F03
Lars Brown - Table DD-02
Russel Roehling - Table AA-07
Jeremy Haun - Table L-04

Please stop by and say hello and tell them how much you enjoy their portraits. Also, buy some of their books, prints or commission an original piece of art from them...and tell them I said Hi!

French Soldier # 7 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

This unfortunate French Soldier was attacked and beaten by Johanna Constantine as she escaped from the cellar with the head of Orpheus tucked under her arm.

He is seen in Sandman # 29, page 22, panel 5.

I knew that Lars would do an excellent job with this character and so I picked it specifically for him. I was right…he did do an excellent job with this character. Once again, Lars’ sense of humor comes through to this portrait.

Scarecrow # 1 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In The Kindly Ones, Dream met five small children who were searching for their lost mother. He entertained them with scarecrows “who whispered among themselves in the voices of the stars of the silent screen.”

This is one of the four scarecrows who performed for the children. He appears in Sandman # 64, page 1, panel 1.

Anna’s personal touches, like the spirals in the scarecrow’s hair and the thick linework make this character fun and interesting to look at. I appreciate the use of deep pinks and oranges; they add a nice warmth to the piece.

African Sailor # 1 (illustrated by John Carmine)

In Worlds’ End, Jim recounts one of his many adventures on the seas while sailing aboard the Sea Witch. He tells the group of listeners about the other sailors aboard the Sea Witch. There were people from many different countries.

This man is one of the African sailors aboard The Sea Witch.

He appears in Sandman # 53, on page 6, in panel 4.

John did a great job with this portrait. I like the perspective of this portrait. We get a glimpse of the Sea Witch’s riggings and the gray sky above the ocean. This really adds a lot of context to the portrait, which I appreciate.

Here is African Sailor # 1…