Tony Stark: Your GO TO GUY!

Iron Angel

2008-05-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Erik Lervold is the artist behind this unique piece, which he describes as an angelic Iron Man. It certainly has the feel of something you might find behind an church altar -- if it was an Iron Man Fanboy church! Hmmm...thinking about it, that wouldn't be a bad church to attend! I mean, the stainglass windows alone would probably make it worth it!

I love the serene expression on Iron Man's face in this one and the watercolour treatment. And the vertical orientation would also make a pretty hot bookmark -- one you could stick in your Essential Iron Man collection to mark the good Shellhead vs. Titanium man stories.

Poster of Iron

2008-05-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice one from artist and illustrator Paul Shipper. He writes that he felt inspired to make this faux Iron Man film poster for his nieces and nephews after taking them to see the recent film. So, using some existing film promo artwork as a guide, he digitally painted this awesome image. I love the rain/ligthning effect he added, as well as the cool credits and titles. And of course, the kids loved the artwork.

Iron Man in Silver and Red

2008-05-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Michael Lobasz sent in this one, which he admits he drew years ago. Back then he was a fan of the silver-and-red armour that Tony Stark rocked back in the late 80' - early 90's. Now, I personally didn't read Iron Man during that era (I'm a gold-and-red suit fan), but Michael was clearly inspired enough by those comics to draw up such a detailed portrait. In fact, he admits he even created a homemade Iron-man glove with a flashlight repulsor ray -- now that's a real fan!

Thanks for submitting this, Michael!

Happy Hour!

2008-05-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

Anthony Brennan's Iron Man looks like he's enjoying a great night out. The kind of night where the party's so good that everything is just sparkling! Apart from the eye-catching palette, I also dig the martini Tony's working on here -- its got an olive and a slice of lime in it. Personally, I've never had a martini with lime before, but then I'm not a billionaire industrialist genius. Maybe the lime gives him an extra energy kick!

Anthony's also got a variation on this fantastic drawing on his flickr set, which you should also check out.

Repulsor Blast!

2008-05-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

Jeff Victor sent in this gorgeous pic, which he was inspired to make while waiting feverishly for the opening of the new Iron Man movie. I love the line of action in this piece, and the shapes he used for the Iron Man figure: Tony looks a bit, well, husky in this one -- like he's been eating a few too many bacon-cheeseburgers. But hey, he can still kick some ass with those repulsor beams!

Up up and away!

2008-05-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Chad Geran is the name, and making cool drawings is his game. Case in point, this charming Iron Man drawing. I love the shapes in this piece, as well as the colour scheme. The whole drawing shows sophistication and restraint, as well as a great sense of fun.

Thanks, Chad!

Ultra-Massive Update pt 1

2008-05-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit lax lately in maintaining this blog. Ok, ok, I've been really lax in maintaining it. Mostly its due to my work commitments as an illustrator and cartoonist and how much it takes out of my time. It's certainly not for lack of Iron Man drawing submissions! Over the last 6 months, I've received an amazing amount of wonderful Iron Man artwork, and I'm very sorry to all the artists who've graciously sent in their drawings that I've been so late in posting them. I'm trying to rectify that, by doing some massive updates in honour of the new Iron Man movie that just opened this weekend.

So, without further ado...check out these awesome drawings:

This awesome 3D design and render is by Lee Anderson and is actually based on a previous drawing submitted to this blog by Jamie Egerton. Jamie created a great concept drawing for a new shell-head armour and Lee was inspired to actually model it in 3D send in this render. I dunno about you, but it looks amazingly real -- I can almost picture myself on a rooftop wearing that suit. Well, maybe if was a super-fanboy or something...which I'm not. Ok, I am.

Derek Toye is the great illustrator behind this piece. I've liked his art since I first saw it, and this piece is exeptional. He's chosen to go with the classic "fin-head" helmet, while incorporating a more modern redesign on the armour itself. Great concept, great lineart, and great colour!

John Skewes sent in this excellent drawing - he admits he was channeling some childhood memories of the big "tin can" armour that Tony Stark wore during his earliest comic appearances. I gotta admit my fondness for that suit as well -- there's just something about that big and clunky outfit that appeals to me. And, as you can see from many other submissions to this blog, it appeals to a lot of other artists as well.

This one's by Sean Hamilton and it features an appearance by War Machine. Now, I gotta admit I never read a single Iron Man comic with War Machine in it (I heard he appeared during the 90's -- a dark time in comic books for me), but Sean's drawing here is so charming that I might just check it out.

Matt Bennett sent in these two drawings -- and they're true Iron Man doodles. I personally love these kinds of submissions -- the kind the artist has drawn on the back of an envelope while talking on the phone. Or as a warmup for a day of boring drawing. I like the way Iron Man is wagging his finger in the second doodle -- like he's telling me "Cho, you chump! You should be updating this blog more often!"

See? I told you people love drawing the tin-can suit! This one's by the ultra-talented Jason Chalker -- and its another great doodle. Believe it or not, he actually drew this on a post-it note while at work. No wonder its got a vacation theme to it. Strangely though, I also sense a weird Magnum P.I. vibe off of it. Maybe its the fact that Tony Stark bears a slight resemblence to Tom Selleck. I dunno, maybe its just me...

Another cartoonist whose work I respect is Dean Trippe, and he sent in this gorgeous and sleek drawing of an Iron Man redesign. He actually sent it in as a promo for a shell-head redesign contest being run at Project Rooftop, but sadly I was way way late and didn't post it until now. I hope you'll forgive me Dean -- cause I think your Iron Man design is tops!

Another cool piece of Iron Man fanart, this time by Michael Langdale. I dig the foreshortening and action in this one -- its a real two-fisted action drawing!

This one's a totally fun one -- it's by Dylan Ekren and features a really cool redesign of the armour, as well as a hilarious and charming pose. I wonder if Tony's all skinny-legged and pear-shaped from not working out enough -- maybe he needs to ditch the armour for a while and get back to the gym...

Well, that's it for this ultra-massive update. Again, my apologies to all the excellent artists who submitted drawings and were waiting patiently for me to update this blog.

Digitally Painted Shellhead

2007-09-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

Carlos Villagra sent in this digitally painted piece -- and its pretty sweet. Being fairly unfamiliar with the recent versions of Iron Man, I'm not sure if this is a wholly new armour created by Carlos or an interpretation of a current shell-head suit, but whatever it is, its really well drawn and coloured! I especially like the textures on the body and the hint of a circuit-board or schematic in the background.

Great work, Carlos! Thanks for submitting it!

Ball-Point Powered!

2007-09-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Oh man oh man -- this one is a beauty! When I saw this awesome drawing by Dan Boyd in my mailbox, I was totally floored. Not only because its a great drawing, but also because Dan busted it out with a ball-point pen! Apparently, Dan recently purchased a statuette of shell-head in his original tin-can suit, and felt inspired to draw this great pic. And I'm thankful he did -- its just the kind of Iron Man drawing I love: charming, full of energy and enthusiasm and loaded with old-school style!

Thanks, Dan!

Chris Frye's Iron Man!

2007-08-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

Of course, my little Iron Man blog isn't the only site devoted to Shell Head on the net -- Iron Man and the internet kinda go together like repulsors and transistors! Hence, Chris Frye found my blog via another excellent Iron Man resource, Advanced Iron; a repository of all kinds of information on our steel clad hero. After surfing through this blog, Chris was kind enough to submit these excellent pencil renditions of Iron Man in two modern versions of his armour. I especially like the tricked-out War Machine version -- it seems that version of Shell Head is almost as popular a subject for artists as the Ditko-finned version or the Tin-can Iron Man!

Great work, Chris -- thanks for the submission!

All Fired Up!

2007-08-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

Previous contributor and all around artistic talent Kyu Shim sent in another excellent submission -- this time of a beautifully rendered chiaroscuro Iron Man! I've dug Kyu's work since back in the day, when we were buddies in art school. His painting background is quite evident in this drawing, with its excellent light-sourcing and modelling of forms.

Take a bow, Kyu -- this one's a beauty!

Iron Brats!

2007-08-10T15:05:00.001-07:00

Oooh...long delay between new posts lately, so I've got a real treat for you! Jason Quinones has provided a DOUBLE treat, with two great Iron Man drawings. Actually, as he describes it, they're more like Iron Boy drawings, but I can't complain -- they're just too damn charming! I especially like the grey "Warmachine" design -- he makes that character just so huggable!

Thanks, Jason!

Crashing through the 4th Wall!

2007-06-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Fans have J. Michael Stovall to thank for this great black and white sketch of our favourite Avenger, and like most of his work, its a beauty. I really like how he's rendered the armour in this drawing -- it reminds me of the look of the classic Iron Man comics of the 80's inked by Bob Layton (a sentimental favourite of mine). And the expression and body language here is great too -- no doubt if you just crashed through a granite wall, you'd have a kink in your neck too. Especially if you went head-first.

Thanks for such a fine submission, Mike!

The Tin Man

2007-06-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

Artist extraordinaire Robb Waters submitted this great colour drawing of the original "grey tin can" Iron Man and I can't say enough good things about it. So I won't even try. Instead, I'll leave it to you to just bask in its greatness. Ok, maybe I'll just say a couple things -- 1) I really dig how you can still see Tony's mustache through his mouth vent and 2) I just absolutely love the colour scheme of this picture. That's it. I'll shut up now and let you appreciate the wonder!

Thanks, Robb!

Celluloid Iron

2007-05-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

Chad Townsend sent these in -- and what awesome artwork it is! In case you don't know, Chad was the designer on the recent Invincible Iron Man animated movie that came out earlier this year. And as he mentions in his email, he designed the look of the armour for that feature. Now, I haven't seen the movie yet (actually, my favourite Iron Man cartoon is the old '60's Marvel Heroes show -- especially the theme song!) but I'm definitely more inclined to do so now, having seen these cool designs. That first piece of toned concept art, especially, gets me in a fanboy lather. Check out his wonderful site for more examples of his design work from the film!

Thanks, Chad!

Iron Monkey!

2007-05-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here's another fun one -- this one by talented part-time illustrator, Kyu Shim. I've known Kyu for years -- in fact, he's one of the reasons I started drawing comics when I got out of college. When I'd visit his studio back in the day, he'd routinely blow me away with his comic samples. The fact that his submission here has a monkey theme makes this one extra sweet. I love the way his armoured suit is banana-powered --just like mine.

Thanks, Kyu!

More Fins! More Fun!

2007-04-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Previous contributor Ronald Salas drew up this beauty, which he posted on the drawingboard.org, and which he graciously allowed me to post here. I've always dug his work since the first time I saw it -- Ron has such a great command of lights and darks and shares some of my sensibilities when it comes to lighting. He's also a big fan of the fin-head Iron Man design, and that makes him tops in my book!

Thanks for sharing this, Ron!

The Invincible Iron Ape!

2007-04-11T01:02:00.000-07:00

Talented young cartoonist, Evan Shaner sent in this submission and it's a doozy. I can't say enough awesome things about this drawing, mainly because it combines in one mind-blowing image so many of my favourite things: 1 )Iron Man, 2) the fin-head armour and 3) gorillas! Evan has drawn gorilla versions of some other popular superheroes that he's posted on his gallery, but hey, all I needed to see to make my day was the Iron Ape!

Fins Make Everything Better

2007-04-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

Gregory Giordano, aka Flameape sent in this one -- another fine drawing of Iron Man in his early Fin-head helmet. I like the way Gregory has worked the textures in this one a lot, and the way Iron Man has a big smile on his face. Its always nice to see a superhero just enjoying himself and letting loose with the smile instead of the cliche big "asskicking" grimace.

Thanks, Gregory!

Tony Stark Smash!

2007-04-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Many, many times I've sat at night wondering to myself "Dang! I wonder what would happen if gamma-irradiated-super-scientist Bruce Banner had worn the Iron Man armour??" Ok, ok, well maybe I haven't. But Mark Osberg has! And he's even taken the time to draw up a fine cartoon with his answer!

I really dig this drawing, especially the way Hulk's legs are just oozing out of the Iron cuff boots. And that expression on his face is priceless. Mark calls his creation the Iron Hulk, but I just call it hilarious!

Thanks for the submission, Mark!

Iron Man Salute!

2007-04-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

Craig I. sent in this one -- and as he writes in his email:

"Here's an old shellhead doodle in pencil I did a long time ago. I'm not sure what's going on with his right hand, but it looks kind of like he's reciting the pledge of allegiance ... anyway, that's why I call this one 'Iron Man Salute!'"

Thanks, Craig! All hail the Iron Man!

More Fin Fun!

2007-03-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

See? Even I can't stop drawing the fins! This one was drawn when I was taking a break, probably while working on a boring assignment or something or other -- I can't resist the urge to doodle Iron Man when I'm drawing something dull. I drew it all out in marker, so even the construction and underdrawing was done with a red marker and then inked with a black pitt brush pen.

Fins make the (iron) man!

2007-03-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Of the many fine submissions I get for this blog, I'm constantly delighted at how many of them are of the old "finhead" iron man design created by Steve Ditko. I mean, that design was used for only a couple years at most in the comics, yet it remains a real favourite among Iron Man fans. Really, it should be no surprise, since its so damn cool, but I'm always glad when someone sends in another finhead drawing.

Fellow canadian artist Patrick Ypperciel sent in this one, and its a very nice and loose sketch of that classic design. I like the tough expression on Iron Man's face here, and the explosion in the background that seems to imply "watch it, kid -- I'm kicking major ass here!". Thanks for the fun submission, Patrick!

He Lives!

2007-03-16T00:28:00.000-07:00

Wowie! This fun Iron Man was drawn by the talented and charming Diana Tamblyn. As well as being an excellent writer and cartoonist herself (check out her mini-comics!), Diana is also a world-class comic geek and works hard behind the scenes to try and promote canadian comics and comic creators. Personally, I really dig the big head on Iron Man here (I am such a big-headed super-hero fan) as well as the fact that she chose to draw the old grey tin-can armour. Best of all, I actually OWN this piece, since she was kind enough to give it to me as a gift!

Diana writes in her blog entry that this was her first drawing done with the Pitt brush-pen markers -- looks like a fantastic start to me!

Two Tone Tony Stark doodles

2007-03-13T02:03:00.000-07:00

...and here's a post from me! I drew up these doodles in marker while I was warming up at the drawing board one day. I think I was fooling around with trying to come up with an avatar/icon thing for my favourite avenger. Of course, I had to give up once I started getting busy with work again...but maybe another time?

Chunky Iron Man fun!

2007-03-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Cartoonist and illustrator Hurk sent in this one. What a cute and charming drawing! I like how Iron Man is whipping up a big cloud of dust with his chunky hands here -- but doesn't he realize that the gaps between his arms and chestplate are just gonna be clogged with dirt then? There's nothing worse than getting sand in the armpits of your armour!

Portrait in Iron

2007-03-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

Michael Dooney has got some real painting chops. You can see it for yourself on his blog, where he showcases some fantastic painted sketches. I like his style because it reminds me of old-school artists from the golden age of illustration. Luckily for us, he's taken his talents and applied them to this great portrait of Iron Man. As Michael points out in his blog post, he prefers the older silver-age Iron Man design (me too!) but he chose to do paint the contemporary anime-influenced design for fun. Any way you look at it though, its a sweet painting -- thanks for submitting it, Mike!

Demon in a Bottle

2007-03-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

Kyle Latino sent this hilarous drawing in and, as you might figure, it's a gag on Iron Man's role in the recent big-ass Marvel Comics event thing that went down. As he states in his email:

"Despite what this picture looks like, I was totally on Stark's side for Civil War. Ironman rules, but you can't forget about the Demon in the Bottle."

Personally, I don't get much involved with the marketing cross-over thing myself, but this picture is just fantastic. Thanks, Kyle!

Min's Manga Man

2007-03-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

And now for something completely different: here's a fine manga-ish treatment of our favourite avenger by William Min. Actually, as William states in his email, he drew the lineart, and the colouring and effects were done by colourist Kwinz. Both are pretty talented, and this image looks to me like a cover for a propsed manga Iron Man series -- one that would run hopefully for 50 volumes or so! I know I'd pick it up to check out -- manga and shellhead just seems a perfect fit. Thanks, guys!

More Rendered Madness!

2007-03-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with our recent trend of fully rendered Iron Man images, here's a nice little one from Ben Morse. He states in his email that he was aiming for a cross between Timothy Dalton and Clarke Gable in his rendering of Tony Stark's face. I kinda like the sly expression on him, and that skin tight sprayed-on Iron Man armour look. The whole image looks like a frame from an imaginary all-CGI iron man movie!

Paint it Iron!

2007-03-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Wow! Here's another awesome fully painted Iron Man contribution -- this time from the exceptionally talented Scott Seeto. I don't know if he did this one in natural media or digitally, but it kinda reminds me of the fully painted covers for the old Marvel TPB collections put out by Fireside books in the 70's. Of course, I only saw an FF, Captain America and Doctor Strange collection back then, but if they did a Iron Man one, well, this one would have made a hell of a great cover. I love the textures and the lighting in this painting and the care put into the background rendering. Thanks, Scott!

Smooth as Iron

2007-02-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

Check this one out -- what a smooth and fantastic fully-rendered Iron Man pic! We have Chris Stewart to thank for this excellent submission. Chris states in his email that Gene Colan and Don Heck are his favourite Shellhead artists, so I can guess that he digs the old-school Marvel bullpen guys as much as I do. Thanks, Chris!

Ryan Cody's Shellhead

2007-02-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

Another great kirby-influenced submission, this time from the young and talented Mr. Ryan Cody. In case you're not aware, Ryan also draws the excellent Villains comic book for Viper Comics. He's a pretty original kind of guy, and this is a pretty original Iron Man redesign. I like how he's flipped the colours around on the chest plate and made it yellow -- such an interesting idea! But I have to wonder how shell-head communicates with other people if he doesn't have a mouth opening. Maybe he has speakers in his hands? I dunno -- I leave it to Ryan to explain!

Everyone Loves A Man in a Grey Tin Can

2007-01-23T00:42:00.000-08:00

Brent Schoonover has impeccable taste. He's a self-confessed Kirby fanatic, as well as a fan of the original, classic grey-tin-can Iron Man design. And really, what's not to like about that? And what's not to like about this spectacular illustration, which really captures the energy and excitement of those early Iron Man appearances? When I saw this submission, I thought my eyeballs were gonna pop outta my head -- its that cool.

Aside from working as an illustrator, Brent has also drawn the comic Horrorwood for Ape Entertainment and also has another series coming up called Astronaut Dad. Check out his work for yourself -- its chock full of old-school charm.

Iron Man, well Boy...

2007-01-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

The award-winning Bryan Ballinger submitted this awesome 3d version of Iron Boy (or is it Iron Lad - or is he part of the Metal Men? I get confused)! Bryan has worked for Microsoft, Nintendo and Big Idea - the guys behind Veggie Tales. Be sure to check out his blog here for a step-by-step "making of" Iron Boy. Bryan is a man of many talents and his website showcases all of them. Thanks for the great submission.

Iron Pulp

2007-01-10T06:28:00.000-08:00

With a website like Super Robot Monster, who better to do a great Iron Man pin-up than Paul Conrad. His take on Tony is to make him into a 1930's pulp hero in the vein of the Shadow and the Spider - with a little bit of the Rocketeer. Paul has been featured on Drawn, a great website for Illustrators.

The Iron Trinity

2006-11-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

Rich Woodall submitted this very charming drawing of Tony Stark and two of his best Iron Man suits. I love how "playa" Tony looks in this shot. Rich is the talented artist behind Johnny Raygun -- check out the link and see his stuff for yourself!

Thanks, Rich!

The Perez touch!

2006-11-17T14:16:00.000-08:00

Ramon Perez is an incredibly talented and versatile artist. Proof: he drew this hilarious Iron Man drawing for a 90-minute-pinup sketch-off! You can check out his regular online comic strip Butternut Squash or his blog to see for yourself.

Iron Manale!

2006-11-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

Frequent contributor Steve Manale sent in yet another fun Iron Man, this time done solo instead of with inkers like Darwyn Cooke and Jason Bone. Check out the archives for more of Steve's work!

The Acrylic Iron Man!

2006-11-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

This is a dynamic submission by artist Bradley Fish. As he explains his process for creating this in his email:

"Here is a pic of Iron Man that I drew based on a Superman pose on the cover of Wizard magazine

This is one of the first pieces of art that I did using acrylics and it was even harder than usual because it was the first art I did on an A3 piece of paper.

I did a rough sketch on an A4 piece of paper first, refined it then started on the A3 piece using pencils, then I inked it when I was finished with the pencils. I painted with the acrylics and filled in the large shadows of black with black acrylic. When I was done the acrylic paint had made some of the inks fade so I redid them to make them stand out more

It has featured in issue 67 of the Iron Man "Advanced Iron" fanzine at www.advancediron.com

Bradley Fish"

Thanks, Bradley -- the final result looks great!

Nick Daring's Man of Iron!

2006-11-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

Nick Derington is one incredibly talented guy. He's young, but he's got old-school chops and can really swing a brush. I dig his art -- and he obviously digs Iron man!

The Wonderful World of Will Kane

2006-11-12T12:31:00.000-08:00

Two absolutely fantastic Iron Man drawings (check out that classic Avengers lineup!) by the ultra-talented Will Kane. What an awesome artist!

Travis Christian's Shellhead

2006-11-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

An very peaceful looking Iron Man by Travis Christian.

Joel Carroll's Iron Man

2006-11-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

An ultra-nano-futuristic Iron Man by Joel Carroll.

Sorry about the Delays, Folks!

2006-11-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post here to apologize to those who've patiently waited for updates to this blog and to those fine artists who sent in their Iron Man drawings and have waited for them to be posted. I've been very very tied up the last few months, more than I thought I'd ever be, and so I haven't had all that much time to maintain this blog. However, I am trying to get caught up on posting all the excellent submissions, so to make things easier, from here on in I'll just post the drawings with a quick link to artist who created/submitted them.

Thanks for your patience, folks!
Mike

Digital Cocktails!

2006-08-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

This one's an awesome digital illustration by Dave Perillo, and its in keeping with what seems to be a recurring theme around here -- Iron Man and booze. I really dig the friendliness and charm of this drawing, and the cool vibe in the background. I think Dave has drawn him stumbling home after a night on the town, but I like to think that he's pouring out that beer on the curb for his fallen Avengers homies, and about to give a repulsor salute with the other hand...

...either way, it's a fantastic pic. Thanks for submitting it, Dave!

The Great War

2006-08-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...I have no idea what Iron Man and the Great War have in common, but its clear that Darryl Cunningham does. He sent this fine doodle with backgrounds inspired by the World War One battlefield paintings of Paul Nash.

...and it just goes to show that shellhead can fit into whatever doodling theme might inspire you. Nicely done, Darryl!

Just a sad tin man...

2006-08-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a doodle from Jason Brown. He describes this one as "Ironsad" -- which fits his pose quite well. I love the long legs on this redesign. And if I were wearing as cool an Iron Man suit as this one, I wouldn't be sad at all.

Marvel Team-up!

2006-08-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here's another great submission that I've taken waaay too long in posting. This one's by the all-star team up of Steven Charles Manale and Darwyn Cooke. Mr. Manale is, of course, a die-hard Don Heck fan and a backup point-guard for the Boston Celtics (fantasy league), and Mr. Cooke is, as if you didn't already know, the multi-award winning writer and artist of DC's hit comic, the New Frontier.

And this is one heck of a great team-up!

Tony Stark -- A Man out of Control!

2006-08-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

The drunk-Iron-Man thing is becoming something of a subtheme on this blog, and here's a great submission along those lines from one of my favourite artists, J. Bone. I don't think I need to say anything at all about the awesomeness of this piece - Mr. Bone's art already speaks volumes about his talent. All I can say is "Sorry it took so long to post up, J.!"

Attack of the Loo-Bot

2006-07-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Check out this mixed-media version of ol' Shell Head!

This submission was created by Jason Loo. This cryptic artist is as unique as he is diverse. His website www.jasonloo.com contains a large gallery of his work. It includes a section called the "hu-bots gallery", which is a great collection of weird robots and other creations. Jason's blog contains life drawings and other work. I personally like his comic book work - it has a very cinematic feel to it.

This Iron Man painting has great composition and I am totally into the different textures. Great job Jason!

Full Metal Jacket

2006-07-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

The gloves come off for this post! Take a look at this mind-blowing illustration of our favorite gold-armored avenger taking out the Viet-Cong. Beautifully rendered by Benjamin Marra, I think this piece captures a side of Iron Man that we rarely see. I love the old Captain American vs. the Nazis or Viet-Cong(usually Jack Kirby stuff), but we never see Iron Man in these situations. Taking into account his origin, I think this image is brilliant.

Please go and take a look at Marra's website and get lost in his totally unique and mind-altering style. Benjamin is a professional illustrator who currently lives in Philadelphia and has all kinds of illustration degrees and credits. His clients include the New York Times among others.

This image of Iron Man is hard-core and not for the faint of heart - neither is any of Benjamin's other art. I am in love with his Black Panther pinup - you can find it and more on his site.

Break Room Armor

2006-06-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

From the brain of marginally famous cartoonist, Jamar Nicholas, take a look at the most useful version of ol' Shell Head's next suit. Jamar is an accomplished hip-hop cartoonist with killer style. He also does a great job combining his unique art with political cartoons. Check out his blog here. Jamar has a comic strip that you need to check out called "Detective Boogaloo: Hip Hop Cop". Great concept!

I LOVE the Iron Giant coffee mug and I want this suit in my kitchen to replace my ancient micro-wave. Now if we could only get Tony to install a movie projector instead of repulsor chest beam, we could really have something.

Nano a Mano!

2006-05-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

Wowie!! My eyeballs nearly popped out of my sockets when I saw this submission in my mailbox. In case you can't guess, this drawing is by multi-award-winning cartoonist, fellow canadian and all around nice-guy Jay Stephens and features a very handsome and interesting re-design of the Iron Man armour.

Now, I met up with Jay recently at the Toronto Comic Con, and one night over some drinks he explained to me, and fellow Iron Man enthusiast Steve Manale, just what HE would do if given the chance to re-design Iron Man. Being a thinking man, Jay reasoned that Tony Stark's armour would have gotten sleeker over the years as technology advanced, and not clunkier as most redesigns had made him. Instead of all the shoulder-cannons, pseudo-anime-tech and general "chunkiness" of the last 15 years of designs, Jay envisioned an armoured suit that would have eventually become refined to resemble the silver-surfer's form-fitting covering. Especially if it was all tricked out with the latest in nano-technology!

I agreed with Jay then, and when he sent along this sketch a few days later, I was TWICE as agreed! I still can't get over how cool everything about this drawing is! Jay's redesign is sleek and friendly -- I love how he's redesigned the repulsors to not need the opening in the hands and how he got rid of the "iron shorts". The pose and linework evokes the best of the classic silver-age Iron Man, while the design and colouring are completely 21st century. And that streamlined brush-style of his -- man, he's gooooood!!

Thanks for sending this in, Jay! A Twin Repulsor Salute to you!

The Invincible Iron Lad!

2006-05-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a great drawing submitted by the talented Chi-Yun Lau. If you're a fan of Iron Man comics from the 80's, you might get the reference right away, but for those of you scratching your heads, I'll let Chi-Yun explain it himself. As he wrote in his email:

" Do you remember an issue of Iron Man (around the time Tony kicked the sauce habit) with a short backup story about a bunch of kids who dressed up as the Avengers? Well, I always loved the Iron Man kid's helmet, which was a tin pot with holes cut in it for eyes. I thought it was awesome and seriously considered ruining one of my mom's pots for the same reason."

Now, I only vaguely remember that story, but that doesn't stop me from really digging the charm of this drawing. Chi-Yun has great lines and expression in his figure and the way he's drawn this shows a lot of confidence. Plus, that costume design is dynamite! I wish I had an homemade Iron Man costume like that when I was a kid.

Man of Iron

2006-04-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

All freelance artists should fear the name of Francesco Francavilla. Apart from being the talented artist behind these sublime Iron Man drawings, he's also the most prolific illustrator I've ever seen. Francesco's main job right now is providing the art for his awesome creator owned the Black Coat comic book (check it out -- it's real cool!), but you'll soon be seeing his work everywhere. Why? Well, his work speaks for itself. This is a guy who has that most dreaded of combinations: talent, speed and dedication. In other words, he's got great chops, he's faster than you, and he's gotten even better while you were reading this. In fact, if he wasn't such a nice and humble guy, I'd want to hate him...well, until I saw these Iron Man drawings anyway.

I love how fluid and spontaneous these drawings look -- in an era of slick tracing, this is an artist who can still flat out draw in ink. Francesco can really move that brush and he has a unique and original style that still evokes memories of past comic masters. And need I mention he drew the tin-can suit? The guy is awesome!

Silver Age Iron!

2006-04-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

Like me, Rich Dannys likes to kick it old-school. While his day job in animation is cool, whats even cooler about the guy is how much he helps out beginning artists. As the moderator "Attezarf" on the Instruction forum at www.drawingboard.org, Rich is always there to dispense good advice in a friendly and welcoming manner to all manner of artistic inquiries. I don't know how he does it. This is a man who can answer the question "what brush do you use?" or "how do you get started doing comics" several times a week and actually convince you he's smiling while he's doing it. You gotta be a good guy to do that!

Anyway, this is Rich's tribute the the Silver Age Iron Man and its a real beauty! Iron Man looks is drawn so cool and Kirby like, and the background details are a real treat! If this was the cover of a Tales of Suspense back in the day -- I would have bought it fer sure. The great colouring by Phil Craven is also highly noteworthy and really captures the ben-day-dot-screen goodness of silver-age comic colouring. Wow -- Make Mine Marvel!

A Portrait in Pencil

2006-04-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

Matt Schuler is one talented guy. And this Iron Man drawing of his is proof. As Matt has pointed out, its based on the very first cover appearance of shell-head, as originally drawn by the great Jack Kirby. Of course, Matt has used his skill with charcoal to add several nice touches. I especially like the lighting flare around the chest lamp and the excellent handling of reflections and hi-lights all around. In some ways, this kinda reminds me of those "collaborative" paintings Alex Ross does, where he does a tonal painting over someone else's lineart, like George Perez or Dan Jurgens. Sometimes I like those paintings, sometimes I don't. But there's no grey-area for me here -- this Iron Man drawing ROCKS!

Iron Man at the Children's Museum!

2006-03-30T23:02:00.000-08:00

This is a very sweet submission sent in by the talented Manuel Aguilera. Believe it or not, he actually drew this at an appearance he did at a children's museum. While entertaining kids with sketch requests, he got one from a mom who wanted an Iron Man drawing. All I can say is -- that's one cool mom! And she got an even cooler Iron Man drawing! Manny's fiance coloured it and, lucky for us, made a scan of it before giving it away. I like the bright colours in this piece; it compliments the boldness and looseness of the strokes that make up the figure.

That's one confident convention sketch!

Here I come to save the day...!

2006-03-22T00:50:00.000-08:00

Whoah! Long time between posts so I thought I'd post this little marker doodle I did today as a warm-up. It was drawn pretty quickly with Pitt pens so please excuse the sloppiness.

And of course, I just HAD to go with the ditko fins!

Note: I liked this one enough that, a little later, I drew up a tighter version of this doodle. Compare the final below with the rough if you dare!

It's the 'stache, Cap!

2006-03-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Ronald Salas for letting me post this great Iron Man panel he drew up. I gotta say, his website and comic art is awesome. And he really knows how to handle b&w art. It's hard to believe he's not drawing a book fulltime. I love this panel for all the little things -- like the tone he's put on and the expression on Cap's face.

Thanks again Ronald!

Tin Can Wallpaper!

2006-02-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, how many times have you thought to yourself: "Damn, I could really go for some Iron Man Desktop Wallpaper for my computer! Especially with that Tin Can Iron Man I love so much!". I'll bet Dick Cheney is reading this right now and nodding his head. Well, maybe not. Maybe its just you and me. Either way, you'll be extra pleased to know that certified photoshop expert Jeremy Mace has been there and done that! And he's even decided to share it with the world!

I really like how Jeremy's managed to build the backgrounds to this piece out of old Iron Man pages and covers, especially from the silver-age! I don't know what kind of filters he used, I just know he used them on Iron Man -- and that's cool.

Shower-time Fun!

2006-02-26T20:33:00.000-08:00

Paul Maes sent in another great Iron Man pic, this one painted by Kevin Scalzo and from the collection of art collector Pete Graham.

This is a great painting with lots of charm, but even more so, it features the original tin-can Iron Man suit! And I'm getting a strong after-shower vibe from this, like Iron Man's just gotten out of his Hi-tech Iron-shower and is twisting up his iron-towel into the most invincible rat tail ever! Super wicked!

Iron Man Vs. The Driveway!

2006-02-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, its really a great week for submissions! Here's yet another fabulous one, sent in by fellow Toronto cartoonist and illustrator Chip Zdarsky. He painted this exquisite image of Iron Man shovelling his driveway. I gotta say, this is one incredible painting! The photorealistic technique and the treatment of the background is so good, at first glance I thought it was just a photo of someone in an Iron Man suit standing in front of a house!! And that house TOTALLY screams "downtown Toronto".

Seriously, a big thank you to Chip for emailing the awesome painting. Check out his work in his great comic PRISON FUNNIES, and his blog with his studio at www.royalacademy.blogspot.com.

Its Hard Being a Hero...

2006-02-23T00:14:00.000-08:00

Another incredible submission, this time sent in by the talented Paul Maes. I really dig the pathos and melancholy in this one. As I told Paul, it evokes memories of Van Gogh's "the Night Cafe"...only with Iron Man and the Hulk! I love the way Iron Man is holding his drink and the way Paul has drawn the classic block-head hulk! And is that a filtered cigarette that he's smoking?

For more of his work, you gotta check out Paul's AWESOMELY FUNNY drawings on his blog at http://www.paulmaes.blogspot.com. Honestly, I cackled in laughter all the way through it...

Toné Toney Tony!

2006-02-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

I drew this one up today while warming up with my markers. I've always enjoyed working in 2 colours -- it forces your thinking to be bolder and more rigorous...even with your Iron Man doodles!

The Iron Man Design Sheet

2006-02-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

Here's an absolutely FANTASTIC submission, from 3D modeller and artist Jamie Egerton. I don't think I need to say much about this, you can see for yourself how much his Iron Man KICKS!! I love the samurai-armour vibe he's infused his design with and all the meticulous, perfect details he's worked out. I could stare at this for hours.

Honestly, folks, if there's a rich billionaire-playboy out there right now who wants to design a real Iron Man suit, jamie is your GO-TO-GUY! He's got it all figured out.

Thanks again, Jamie!

The Bi-Polar Iron Doodle!

2006-02-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Steve Manale, co-host of this blog and backup point-guard for the Boston Celtics sent in another great submission. This one's a REAL go-to-guy doodle -- Steve apparently was on the phone when he drew this one on the back of an envelope. I dunno about the "uno-dos-tres", but the "bi-polar" must be refering to Tony Stark's repulsor circuitry or something...

Tony Stark -- the Invincible Iron Mack!

2006-02-16T22:59:00.000-08:00

Here's an awesome one, drawn by talented writer/illustrator Brian Mclachlan and focusing on the man inside the mask. There's so much to love about this drawing -- from Tony's monogramed bling to his slicked-back hairdo to the red and yellow theme of his bedroom! I could go on and on...but you can see for yourself how much it rules!

For more of Brian's madness, be sure to check out his hilarious online strip the Princess Planet.

Pencil doodles

2006-02-13T23:58:00.000-08:00

Some new pencil doodles:

That hand is PHAT like Neal Adams!

Our hero's the guy in the middle...dunno who the other 2 losers are but they look like they just smelled something funky!

Steppin Out!

2006-02-13T23:57:00.000-08:00

A few more Tonys inked with a Pitt pen. These aren't new, but rather from my files (I may be a nerd and a freelancer, but there's no way I have THAT much free time):

Ok, that one was a bit boring. He kinda looks like he's gonna start tap-dancing...

Only the very best superheroes are confident enough to rock the mustache look!

Iron Man Vs. Titanium Man

2006-02-04T01:04:00.000-08:00

Here's the rest of that great home-made Iron-Man comic drawn by uber-fan Steve Manale. Hard to believe he whipped this thing off over an afternoon. Great, great stuff and worthy of a twin-repulsor salute! Take a bow, Steve, you've earned it!

Ditko Shrugged!

2006-01-31T13:23:00.000-08:00

Another contribution by Steve Manale -- this one of a Steve Ditko Iron Man page. I have no idea where this was published -- Steve?

Iron Jams!

2006-01-31T12:27:00.000-08:00

When titans clash! I love it when artists collaborate -- especially on a cool drawing of everyone's favourite armoured avenger! This one's by Steve Manale and J. Bone.

The man behind the mask

2006-01-31T12:18:00.000-08:00

Steve Manale, Iron Man fan #1, comic artist extrao-ordinaire and lifetime Don Heck fan sent in these great pics!

Sometimes the man behind the Iron Man mask is a 30 year old italian guy...and sometimes the mask is actually made of paper and elastic bands, not transitor powered steel...

Wow! An awesome 2 tone Tin Can Iron Man!

Thanks Steve!

Flying Finhead!

2006-01-31T00:16:00.000-08:00

I also love that Steve Ditko design with the pointy-fin mask.

Hulk Vs. Tony!

2006-01-31T00:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I doodle figures, sometimes I doodle whole panels...

Tony Stark -- Spam in a Can!

2006-01-31T00:08:00.000-08:00

I just really love that original tin-can Iron Man suit.

Tony Stark: the invincible Michelin Man!

2006-01-30T23:44:00.000-08:00

A bit of a blimpie Iron Man in his original big fat suit. I forgot to draw in the transitor antenna.

Tony Stark IS the Invincible Iron Man!

2006-01-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok, I'm gonna admit it. I doodle Iron Man a lot. A LOT. In fact, if I may be so geeky, I would consider Tony Stark my "Go-To Guy" when it comes to doodling. What is a "Go-To Guy", you ask? It's whatever you happen to doodle when you doodle without thinking, like when you're on the phone or listening to music. Many, many times I find myself doodling variations on Iron Man. I really don't know why. Perhaps you're like me, and also have this strange affliction. If so, this site is for you! In the interest of world peace, I've started this blog so that artists who also doodle pictures of Tony Stark, The Invicible Iron Man can share those pictures with the world.

Join in the fun! Anyone who wants to post their Iron Man drawings is welcome to do so! Just drop me an email here or post a comment and I'll set it up so you can post too.