The Endling on Comixology

The Endling Collections 6 (featuring chapters 21-24) and 7 (feat. chapters 25-28) are finally on Comixology! They include lots of bonus material.

 

The JOckeress: Emergence strip

I have illustrated the first strip of the comic version of The JOckeress: Emergence by Bryan Follins. Another strip is coming soon.

The JOckeress facebook page

Roll of the Die interview

During September and October I've drawn (and colored!!) the 16 pages of the story "Roll of the Die" by Michael Sebastian, which will be included in the anthology Death Saves.

Here you can find an interview about this project.

News and praise about Golden Age

Golden Age (written by Giulie Speziani & Rob Harrington and illustrated by me) is now available on Comixology:

 

 An interview with Giulie Speziani on Comics Alliance (features pages from our comics together)

An interview with Giulie on Girls Read Comics too

Praise on Part-time Fanboy:

While the story is very endearing what makes Golden Age work most is its beautiful art. Cecilia Latella brings a warmth to every page with her hand painted artwork. Every page is breathtaking and while this is actually a comic book, Latella’s style is on par with some of the best children’s books artists out there. When I first picked up the comic I was actually shocked as to how good the art was. Latella’s talent was of the sort that I couldn’t turn away from…she’s that amazing.

Praise on Major Spoilers:

The art of Golden Age is as beautiful as one would expect. Cecilia Latella has utterly simple lines filled in with water colour paints. This hand painted aesthetic highlights the whimsy of Rosa’s dream-life as the Wrangler as well as the inherent appeal in her bright, spritely self as a character. The environment, like Rosa herself, is painted in fresh colours that speak to all the potential resting on the horizon of Italy as a growing country and Rosa as a growing girl.
Cecilia Latella tackles every art duty on Golden Age with aplomb, while at the same thing not giving off the impression of showing off. She brings magic to the page complementing the wonderful story. Even those readers who focus solely on the artistic aspect of comic book production will find Golden Age a visual treasure trove.

 Praise on What'cha Reading? Golden Age is a Timeless Childhood Classic 

The artwork in this book is as sweet as the story it accompanies. Cecilia Latella has a knack for drawing children, and the vivid colors are bright like the memories of childhood. I also loved the shift in style for the comic that inspires Rosa to superherodom—it looks for all the world like a Golden Age comic about Hitler. 

Recent fantasy commissions

I have neglected this blog for too long. I have to make up for it!

A couple of latest fantasy commissions:

Commission for David E. White's RPG race, the Ashenja.

 

Commission for Michelle Murrain's character, Daneli, the protagonist of her House Trageri Saga.

The End of the Endling

Eh, uhm, somehow I have to acknowledge that THE ENDLING has finished, last Thursday.

It is somehow bittersweet to write this, after all this time. Jonathan was more eloquent than me, in his Thrillbent blog post. We stil, have the Collections to complete, but for the moment,

that's all, folks!

Commissions open!

Rules inside!

After one year and a half...

... I sent the pages for The Endling's last chapter this morning.

Daddy reprint

Justin Heggs' DADDY, a short story I illustrated in Summer 2011, has recently been reprinted along with some other stories by Justin in a single volume called *Previously Printed Elsewhere.

Read more about it here.

The Endling 34

The one issue I didn't wish to draw, finally online on Thrillbent.

Art for Mary Balogh's The Secret Pearl

I have been wanting to write about this topic for some time, and having spent the afternoon on this little drawing reminded me of this.


I have been working professionally as an artist for almost three years now, producing comics, storyboards, and occasionally ads and single commissions. I am not at all “born taught”, as we Italian say; I am slowly trying to get better and to draw in a more effective way.
I don’t always like what I draw. I don’t always get what I what at a first try. Most of my job, in fact, is made of corrections, re-drawing, throwing things I don’t like away. There are many drawings that never get scanned and posted online.

In the case above, I had first drawn the third picture. I have re-drawn Fleur’s face so many times that the eraser started to scratch the paper off. When I inked it, I didn’t like how I inked her at all. I had inked without a specific idea in mind.

So I re-drew it from scratch, despite the fact that I quite liked how Adam had come out, and that I still prefer the first Adam to the one I later colored. But the second try seemed to me more balanced, overall, and I inked also Fleur with a purpose. Not that I believe it’s a particularly spectacular drawing, but I enjoyed making it.

By the way, I also looked for references for 1822 fashion, but in the end I simplified her dress.

What’s the point of all of this? Possibly to support those who don’t like their first drawing and think that they are making it all wrong, too. That’s not the case. Art, or more simply a drawing, it’s not a matter of reaching your aim at first try. In fact, drawing over and over can be one of the most meditative aspect of the whole practice. Don’t give up after the first line went awry. Art is made with erasers too.

(tumblr)

The Endling 33/2.13

 Now on Thrillbent!

Artemisia (from 300: Rise of an Empire)

A fanart for Eva Green's character in 300: Rise of an Empire (still the movie I liked best in 2014.)

Rafe fb cover

Yesterday I quarrelled with Photoshop, trying to settle on a background for this...

I tried following a tutoria for colouring the character, but my skills with Photoshop are still a long way to go. Eh.

The Endling 29/2.09

I'm quite pleased with how this issue turned out, I felt like I could share a few pages. Read the whole issue on Thrillbent: http://thrillbent.com/comics/the-endling/the-endling-volume-2-chapter-9/#1

Featured on CBR!

I got featured on Comic Book Resources, for the Month of Women in Comics!
Read the article here:  http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/03/24/month-of-women-in-comics-the-endling-volume-1/

An excerpt:
Latella nails Amber’s personality so well. I think her depiction of Amber really sells the book the best. Latella makes Amber feel like a real person. Meanwhile, Latella also does a great job depicting all the crazy evolutionary enhancements that the Endling has, like the ability to cut off his own toe and control it to kill people. It’s sick but also awesome (and also based, kind of, on the properties of a real life animal).

You can read The Endling every Thursday on Thrillbent.com :D

The Endling collection 4

Cover for The Endling Collection 4 (featuring issues 13-16 + bonus material) now available on ComiXology.

Golden Age all around

Some news about our comic Golden Age...

 

Giulie Speziani talks with the Panel 2 Panel crew about Golden Age. I couldn't be there, but they also talk about me!

Some reviews:

On Comic Booked.com:

The color and art of Golden Age are wonderful. I enjoyed the softness of the colors and the lines as this helps keep the focus on the words and ideas of the story while still illustrating life in Northern Italy in 1946. Cecilia Latella brings the story together with her art and makes this a very impressive comic book. I would recommend this as a good break form the normal super hero fare. 

Bag & Bored:

The book has the look of watercolor, which lends itself to the feeling of a children’s book that I mentioned earlier. Cecilia Latella has a great eye for the tone of the book. It feels like someone has told this story, passed it down, and this is the recreation of that.
Rob Harrington and Guilie Speziani have created a book with no obvious hero, no obvious villain. (Though a case can be made for both.) It tells the story of how quickly children can heal, even after the horrors of war and loss of a parent. The comic book is only a peripheral part of the story here. It’s really about the power the imagination has to make us overlook the truly horrible things that can happen. Not only is The Golden Age a beautiful looking book, but it also packs a poignant, thoughtful story.

 Fanboy Comics:

A truly successful element of the comic is the artwork. The artist uses a unique watercolor style for the comic. It instantly reminds you of the paintings you often see children drawing; the inside panels transport you back to those pediatric waiting rooms sitting next to the piles of mommy/kids' magazines. The magazines always had a special look to them, unique to those magazines alone. And yet, Golden Age eerily and effortlessly captures a similar feel, an age of innocence, of youth. On page five we are introduced to the comic Rosa finds on the soldier’s body. They do an excellent job stylizing and aging the images of the discovered “comic,” so it looks like the newspaper comics of the time period - a completely different look and feel from the rest of the story. The style is so convincing, it’s as if you are reading a children’s storybook.

The Endling 23/2.03 online

Some angst from a chapter devoted mainly to action.

The Endling Issue 23/2.03 is readable online on Thrillbent: http://thrillbent.com/comics/the-endling/the-endling-volume-2-chapter-3/#1

Jonathan interviewed by Matt O'Keefe

Matt O'Keefe, the author of Deadless (for which I drew a short episode some time ago) has interviewed Jonathan about The Endling for The Beat. You can read the interview here:

Interview: For Jonathan Larsen, The Endling is only the Beginning

 I've also just read a very interesting article on Multiversity Comics (which was reblogged by Fiona Staples on tumblr),

What To Look For When You’re Talking About Comic Art, From Pro Reviewers and Pro Artists

"- It’s a story first: Reviewers often treat writers like the primary storytellers, but so much of the story – from the pacing and mood to the subtle bits that elevate the material – is created by the artist. The story isn’t a writer telling the story, but the writer and the artist doing that together."

 

 

The Endling 22/2.02

Now on Thrillbent! http://thrillbent.com/comics/the-endling/the-endling-volume-2-chapter-2/#1

Brian Le Tendre spoke kindly of the Endling in his latest podcast (here). The part about Thrillbent and The Endling starts around minute 47. Thanks, Brian!

Off topic: Snow White

The Endling is back!

The Endling is coming back tomorrow!

Hi guys,

A short entry just to let you know that THE ENDLING, the digital comic I'm drawing for Thrillbent, will relaunch tomorrow after a four-months hiatus! This second half will pick up exactly where we left, with Amber and Zavi being chased in the lab building by Lee's men. 

You can find a recap of what happened so far here.

And an interview with our writer Jonathan Larsen plus a preview of Issue 21 here on Bleeding Cool.

Please join us on facebook and on twitter for more updates and discussions!

Use Comixology? You can buy the Endling here.

See you tomorrow!

The Endling news

I lost tracks for so long of what happened regarding The Endling in the last few months... Yes, we went on hiatus, but that only means we're working on it so it can flow (hopefully) without interruption in 2014. I've just handed in Issue 28 and working is going on. Anyway, just to recap:

The Endling is now available on Comixology! The first three collections, at least, each one featuring four chapters plus afterwords and bonus materials (layouts, pencils, etc.)

 

Jonathan, me and Paul Mounts at the NYCC

Jonathan and I were interviewed by Pipedream Comics: “Anything that expands the number of outlets for storytelling will open doors for more people to come on through” Jonathan Larsen and Cecilia Latella discuss digital publishing with Thrillbent and their sci-fi fairytale The Endling

 Pipedream Comics also published a review of The Endling. Have and excerpt:


Reminiscent at time of IDW Pubishing’s Memorial, it has a soft gentle pace, with an almost feminine feel to it – which in part is thanks to the influence of Italian artist Cecilia Latella. Her strong simple line work gives the book a very smart classic feel – especially when it comes to the characterisation of the Endling – and as well as mastering the modern world of the science lab, she also has a great grasp of the split world of the savagary of the Endling’s world juxtaposing the simulated world’s barbarity with the modern world’s tranquility.

By the way, I'd love to share also what a reader, Robin, wrote in the Thrillbent comments:

Loving everything on this site but so far this is the stand out comic for me. Genuinely thought Z was going to be replaced by the endling in the tank. Proper feeling of tension and only one innocent to root for with no idea who the true bad guy is. Keep coming guys.

The Endling will be back at the end of the month. Hold on, it will be worth it! 

Golden Age available!

'Morning! Happy New Year! I have neglected this blog for too long; an update was overdue. So, why don't I start by saying that GOLDEN AGE is now available on the Ginger Rabbit store?

After World War II, a young girl finds a stack of Golden Age comics and gets inspired to become the hero of her small Italian village.

Writers: Robert Harrington & Giulie Speziani
Artist: Cecilia Latella

available here 

Here on Poopsheet you can find a lovely review about GOLDEN AGE. I'll just quote a passage:

Latella’s art is simply gorgeous here, with full color vibrant watercolors (or ink washes?) that really pop, without coming off as garish. The production quality on this book is exquisite, with a heavy cardstock cover and some great design work. There’s no reason that mainstream punters couldn’t be converted to indie comics with a package this strong, I could even see it functioning as a teaser for a more extended length original graphic novel. Grade A+.

Latella’s art is simply gorgeous here, with full color vibrant watercolors (or ink washes?) that really pop, without coming off as garish. The production quality on this book is exquisite, with a heavy cardstock cover and some great design work. There’s no reason that mainstream punters couldn’t be converted to indie comics with a package this strong, I could even see it functioning as a teaser for a more extended length original graphic novel. Grade A+. - See more at: http://www.poopsheetfoundation.com/blog/2013/12/06/golden-age-by-rob-harrington-giulie-speziani-cecilia-latella/#sthash.UbIpLWJk.dpuf