Everything and the Kitchen Sink Too! A New Commissioned Piece

Here is a pen-and-ink and watercolor commission on 14" x 17" Strathmore 400 Drawing for Los Angelino Greg Reed, showing Megaton Man, Stella Starlight, and their love child Simon Phloog at home in Ann Arbor (around the era of Return of Megaton Man #3, 1988).

Megaton Man struggles with a jar of mayonnaise in this domestic genre scene!

If you are interested in an original Don Simpson work of art, please check out the Commission Price List!

A Few Don Simpson Links (In Case You Are Curious)

Here are a few links to get you started:

Don Simpson Commissioned Art Price List
For one-of-a-kind works of cartoon art, including a gallery of recent pieces I've created for fans, collectors, and connoisseurs!

A Pictopia to Call One's Own: Independent Worlds vs. Corporate Crossovers
Video of my pseudo-scholarly presentation on team-ups and my own work such as Megaton Man and just-completed War of the Independents #4, featuring Bone, Cerebus, Flaming Carrot, Zippy the Pinhead, and a host of other indy characters, along with The Tick and Megaton Man in a cameo.

How Megaton Man Has Evolved In Thirty Years and Why I'm Still Drawing It/Him
Some notes on the Megaton Man meta-narrative and my work-in-progress graphic novel planned for 2016-2017.

Whatever Happened to Megaton Man #11, or, The Limits of Creator-Owned Comics
Some of the obstacles to the development of the Megaton Man narrative that I've had to struggle to overcome over the years, along with some hindsight insights.

The Clarissa Project: The Secret Development of Ms. Megaton Man!
The origins and thirty-year history of the break-out character featured in the new storyline.

Atomic Aftermath I: The Serial Continues...
Previews of the new graphic novel continuity.

Click around on all my blogs...there's more where that came from! Thanks.

From My Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Days: Jagwar!

Here is a recent drawing I drew for Tim Prowant of Greenville, Ohio, of Jagwar, a character I originally drew in a story for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #14 (Archie Comics, September 1990). I really enjoyed penciling this issue and only wished I could have inked it myself! It was fun to draw the character finally in pen and ink (although I think I overdid the rendering a little, as the pen point kept tearing up the paper). I colorized it in Photoshop. I did a good bit of freelancing for Mirage Studios (originators of TMNT) and the Archie TMNT in those days, and it's surprising and pleasing that a lot of readers fondly remember those comics. (For collectors who have a favorite character from the past or anything else you'd like me to draw, see my commission price list!)

Two Orphaned Drawings from Personal Appearances

Update 12/12/14: Watch videos of me drawing this Spidey! See final colored Spidey drawing below.

Ms. Megaton Man, from Genghis Con, Cleveland, Nov. 30, 2014.

I will part with no drawing before its time! Here are a couple of drawings I began at recent personal appearances (Ms. Megaton Man at Genghis Con in Cleveland, Nov 30, 2014 and Spidey at the Frank L. Melaga Art Museum in Brownsville PA, Dec 8, 2014), but ran out of time to complete them on-site. I later finished inking them, including making minor corrections, at home.

There is nothing more tragic than a homeless cartoon drawing, especially during the holidays! If you can provide safe, warm shelter for works of art like these, please contact me. Or, if you would like to commission a completely new, custom made drawing of your favorite character, please visit my commission rate page. Thanks, and have a happy holiday season!

Spider-Man colored in Photoshop.

Ms. Megaton Man is ™ and  © Don Simpson 2014, all rights reserved. Other characters are ™ and  © their respective creators/owners.

Gallery Talk and Cartooning Demo at the Melaga

Here are some pictures of the gallery talk and demo held this past Saturday at the Frank L. Melaga Art Museum in Brownsville PA. As you can see, the turn out was good and I looked at the work of several aspiring cartoonists as well. I demonstrated my tracing paper technique as well as penciling, inking, and some corrections. The exhibit, Megaton Man: Rebirth@Half-Life, was supposed to end this coming weekend, but is going to be held over to Sunday, February 1, 2015! So if you haven't seen it yet, make your plans to visit Brownsville!

Yeehaw! Cowboy Gorilla Rides Agin'!

Here is a rootin', tootin' pencil sketch of Cowboy Gorilla commissioned by Bill Lait, a connoisseur of fine contemporary cartooning (see Bill's gallery at Comic Art Fans)! It was created at the opening of my gallery exhibit at the Frank L. Melaga Art Museum in Brownsville on October 11. The exhibit runs until December 14, and I hope you can catch it! (Here are some photos from the show.)

If you would like to commission an original piece of artwork in time for the holidays, see my commission price list and give me a holler at donaldsimpson1713 (at) gmail.com, and we'll rustle up a masterpiece for ya!

Megaton Melaga: Will Our Hero Be Well-Hung?

Some photos of Patrick Daugherty and I sorting through our options for the upcoming exhibit Megaton Man: Rebirth@Half-Life, opening Saturday, October 11, 2014, at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum in historic Brownsville, PA. The opening is from 1 to 5 pm, and mom is making cookies! I will be chatting and sketching, and there is a limited edition print that will be offered for sale. I will also be previewing the upcoming Megaton Man graphic novel and other works in progress.

The show will feature sketches and penciled and inked pages along with examples of coloring, as well as figure studies from 30 years of cartooning. These photos show the art being spread out and organized before final hanging. I will post some shots of the final installation in the days to come. Or better yet, visit the opening or the show (on view until December 14) yourself! Hope to see you there.

Museum director Patrick Daugherty arranges art before hanging.

A showcase features originals from my collection, including pages by Maries Severin and Wally Wood, John Romita and/or  Joe Sinnott and John Veerporten, and Jack Kirby.

A whole wall will be dedicated to the art I created at rehearsals of Point Park's 2012 production of M33.

Bizarro Batman and my Jim Shooter Comics Journal cover will be featured.

An original art page by John Romita and John Veerpoorten from Fantastic Four #103 (1971), heads from which appear in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Romita (1978).

The company of M33 in rehearsal and from memory.

Heidi Friese in M33 and Megaton Man from 2000.

Carly Otte and Grant Haralson in rehearsal from M33.

Pencil stubs and other realia from the bottom of my drawer to dress the showcase.

That is really not going to go there at all. I am just posing with a framed picture in my hand, pretending that I am doing something. A hands-on guy!

M33 materials waiting to be framed.

Art from my personal collection.

Art from War of the Independents #4 (forthcoming), including the pencil and ink version of the back cover.

Art from Border Worlds, Kid Noir, and King Kong.

Maurissa Auer, a beautiful dancer from M33.