Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas


I have a favorite Christmas Hymn. It is: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Not too many people know this but the Hymn was actually written during the civil war and stanzas 4 and 5 are often omitted from modern hymnals, probably because they are too gloomy for church, but the message of the hymn is one I feel that is more important today than ever. So If you would please allow an old sentimental fool this one luxury I'd like to post it here on my blog:

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

We live in a time of uncertainty and war. My daughter, Erica, who is 8 has lived her whole life with America at war. I hope this coming year we can have the more peace. I hope our soldiers come home safe to their families and I pray that there is more peace on earth and good will toward men. Merry Christmas everyone!

Love,

The Chad Hardin Family.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Farscape in Christmas Colors


Hey all, Christmas is this week and I'm busy shopping, working, and running around, but I figured it was time to post some artwork. I told you all a while back I was doing some work for Boom Studios on Farscape covers, well the first cover I did has finally hit the rack! I figured it was a perfect time to share it here on my blog. Ironically the color schemes seem to fit right in with the time of year. Red and Green! This first cover is nothing special, I just did the typical pencils, inks and digital colors, but the cool thing about Boom is that they allow me to experiment with the process. Trust me, the last two covers I did for them look really cool and they have inspired me to keep working on changing my technique until I can come up with something I'm really proud of. I'll post them here when they hit the rack. On another note I have matched last years posts. I didn't update every week, but at least I didn't loose ground. Hopefully next year i will do better. We'll see. Keep coming back and I'll keep posting!

Monday, December 07, 2009

The Lost Drawing


It has been a long time since the Seattle ComiCard Convention, but while I was there I wasn't able to finish a drawing for a fan named Krishen before she had to leave the convention. I finished the drawing later that night but when it came time to mail it I could not for the life of me find Krishen's address. Flash forward to a couple of days ago, low and behold while using the last piece of paper in my Bristol pad. I found her address clinging to the last board with static electricity. I sent out the lost drawing Priority Mail and finally, a half year late, Krishen got the artwork she had been waiting for. Here is the drawing. Hope everyone is having a safe time getting ready for the Holidays. Talk to you laters. - Chad

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

COME GET SOME!


In the spirit of the Holiday SHOPPING Season I am proud to announce that there is finally a place to buy my artwork. Lots of people have asked how they can get a hold of my artwork, and before today there really wasn't a good way unless you were lucky enough catch me at a convention. That is no longer the case! I have teamed-up with Scott Kress of Catskill Comics to market all of my original Comic Artwork. Scott works full time selling artwork for several comic artists and I'm happy to announce that I'm now one of them. Every single piece of artwork I have is now up on his site (link in the sidebar ---->). You can preview the artwork and if you find something that tickles your fancy, you can grab it anywhere, anytime. Scott accepts all major credit cards and Paypal and he has an impeccable reputation. If you check out his ebay power seller status you can see he has 100% positive feedback after selling over 6000 items! That's unheard of! Anyhoo. In the mean time check out the diggs on some more Anti-Venom Goodness. Stay tuned for Comic Cards, Warlord, and Farscape. Talk to you laters...

-Chad

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Holiday Spirit


Hey Guys I realize its been an incredibly long time since I posted. I've been busy making up time from being sick with the H1N1 and I'm under the gun with a hot dead line. So this post will be short and sweet. I want to plug the new Spirit TPB out from DC Comics. Its called The Spirit Book Four. I'm posting the cover to the TPB Masterfully done by Mr. Kubert himself and a page from the book done by Wayne and myself. I have lots of fun tidbits i can share. I'm doing another issue of Warlord. Its always fun to be back working with Mike. I'm drawing cards for Iron Man 2, and I'll post some as soon as I get them approved. I'm also still cranking on Farcsape covers, however I've been asked not to show them until the end of February. I also have some huge news coming just around the corner. I'm really excited about it, and if you ever wanted to buy a piece of art from me you'll be excited about it too. Anyhoo I gotta go! I'll keep you posted. Have a happy Thanksgiving! -C

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Anti-Venom #2


Greetings true believers! Today Anti-Venom #2 hits the stands and yours truly did 11 pages of pencils for the issue. Above is a sample of the art. So make sure you pick it up when you go to your favorite comic store. Also I want everyone to know I'm heading to Boston on Friday to be at the Boston Comic Con. I will be selling original artwork prints and sketchbooks in Artist Alley so stop on by. If you're a Warlord fan I have pages from issue #3 that are HOT! I will also have pages from Marvel Apes as well. If you are attending make sure you stop by, introduce yourself and pick up some stuff.

On another note I found out on Monday that I had the famous H1N1 virus. I'll almost all better now, but it made for some slow drawing days. Now that I'm done coughing up a lung things should be getting back to normal. Stay tuned for some Iron Man 2 sketch cards, Farscape, and Cover illustrations. Till next week...

-Chad

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Sketchcard Warm Up


Hey all. I'm gearing up for sketch card season here is a peak. More soon. 2.5x3.5"

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Farscape


Hey All, Its that time again! Time to show off a little more of what I've been up to. Today I've chosen some character concept sketches I've been doing for Farscape (published by Boom Studios). Look for my art on some of the up and coming Farscape covers. In other exciting news. I'm doing some more sketch cards for Upper Deck which means I will soon have more artist proof sketch cards! Yeah!!! I'll post them here as I get them done. But I'm excited. Anyhoodle I'm busy so I'm going to leave it at that and get back to the drawing board. Till next time!

-Chad

Monday, September 21, 2009

How About Some ART!


Long time no show and tell! I've been busy. First off: I'd like to thank everyone who came out to support Jake at Dragon's Keep. We helped raise a serious chunk of change in 5 short hours and it was a great! Mental note. Next time bring Obama Reference! Rumor has it we might do another fund raiser up in SLC. I'll keep you posted. Check out some of the links on my Facebook Profile and you will catch some of the stuff the other artists and I cranked out. Anyhoo. I need and I mean NEED to post some Warlord stuff. Issues five and six have come out since I last posted and I didn't even plug them. SHAME ON ME!Mike's fans seem to be warming up to me just in time for Mike to do a two issue stint on the art. So when I come back for issue 10 they will hate me all the more. I can't blame them Mike stuff is stellar. I tell you what, If I was a Mutant I'd want my power to be able to absorb other artist's talent. Anyhoo here are some pretty pictures. I'll try and post more. No promises, but I'll try.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Jake Black Benefit Fundraiser


As many of you guys know, I operate out of Southern Utah. As isolated as I am, the comic professionals in the state are a pretty close knit group. We've all met at one function or another and we keep tabs on what each other is up to. A few years back I was privileged to meet Jake Black at a signing at Dragon's Keep for Free Comic Book Day. We kept in touch through social networking, chatted back and forth; call us Facebook pen-pals if you like. Last year we even pitched a book to DC together (although it seems that pitch never took roots). Shortly after our fruitless endeavor I also found out from Jake that he had a lump on his chest that turned out to be cancer. Jake has been fighting it for while know and is doing a good job kicking it despite scary set backs like pneumonia. This whole time I've empathized as best I could, prayed and offered words of support; but for the most part I've watched helplessly as someone who I consider a friend has suffered. No more! Thanks to some super swell guys like Bill Galvin, John Ortiz and the crew at Dragon's Keep in Provo we (the comic creator's of Utah) are gathering together to help raise funds for Jake Black.

The event will take place Saturday Sept 12th. Starting at 10:00am at Dragon's Keep (260 N. University Ave, Provo Utah, 84601) and the list of Talent helping out is huge! Guys like:
  • Ryan Ottley the best monthly artist in the industry on such titles as Invincible and Haunt for Image Comics.
  • Bill Galvin of Simpsons and Archie Comics.
  • Derek Hunter the creator of Pirate Club.
  • Howard Taylor the creator of Schlock Mercenary.
  • Tyler Kirkham artist for TopCow on huge books like Spider-Man and X-men.
  • Sal Velluto who's worked on more projects than the lot of us put together,
and several others including myself.

Its gonna be HUGE! So if you read this blog come join the fun and help out Jake! Dragon's Keep will be donating a percentage of the day's sales and artist will be donating various artworks to help raise funds. Hope to see you there! Bring your money and take home some good karma!

Here is a Link to the event: http://dragonskeep.com/dsk_cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=698&Itemid=31

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Sketchbook


Hey guys, things are still crazy here but I thought I would take a second to plug my sketchbook for this year. Its the first one I've ever done and its a nice mix of stuff I've been doing for games, comics, and cards. If you are a fan of my blog I'm pretty sure you'll love my sketchbook. I'll be selling them across the nation at cons this year (some of you might have picked one up at San Diego) if you catch me at a signing or a show they are $10.00 (US) or you can by them over the internet or through the mail for $15.00 (US).

To purchase over the internet send $15.00 to hardinart@hotmail.com via Paypal and BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR CORRECT SHIPPING ADDRESS.

To purchase thought the mail send a money order or cashier's check Hardin Art Studios 5178 N. Bulldog Rd. Cedar City UT, 84721. BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR CORRECT SHIPPING ADDRESS.

The book is 32 pages long, in black and white and limited to 500 copies. If you get one be sure to leave me feedback here so I can make an even better one next year! The image at top is the front and back cover.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Seattle ComiCard Con

Howdy all. its been an insanely long time since I've updated and I applogize, but ever since the Seattle Comicard Con I've been so stacked I couldn't think straight. I'd like to thank Steve Miner for being such a gracious host. I spent the day drawing sketches for fans and I also had a great time. Besides meeting a ton of awesome people the highlight of the Con for me was being able to meet the comic legend Mike Grell. Mike and I have been working with on Warlord for the past 4 issues but we have never been able to meet. Mike was great about showing me some of the tips and tricks of the trade, and I tried to soak up as much of his teaching as I could. It is clear why Warlord fans are so devoted to his art. Mike has mastered his craft and if you think his stuff looks good in print you should see it in person! Anyhoo I'm still super busy so I dont have a ton of time to blog. I have tons to show and share. I still haven't posted about San Diego Comic Con, Warlord #5, Farscape, My new Marvel gig, my brand new sketchbook, and the upcoming Boston Comic Con. Hopefully I'll get to post more soon. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Warlord #4



Hey guys! Happy Wednesday to you! We all know what Wednesday is around here right? Its the day all the new comic books hit the shelves in stores across America. When you go to the comic shop today make sure you check out Issue #4 of The Warlord by DC Comics. This issue was done under the gun but I'm happy with the way it turned out. I'll let you guys judge, if you like what you see here make sure you spread the word and support the book. Enjoy!

-Chad.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Spider-MAAaN!



Tomorrow Amazing Spider-Man Family #8 will hit the shelves. Hallelujah! Here is one preview page (You gotta buy it and write Marvel and demand that they give me more work before I post more;-p). I can't tell you how great it was to actually get to draw Spider-Man for Marvel. These pages were masterfully inked by Mark Irwin, I'm not sure who did the colors but I hope they print well. Thanks for the opportunity Steve, Tom and Chris! I hope we get to do it again and again! -Chad

Marvel Apes: Grunt Line Special #1



Hey true believers, its time to show a little Marvel goodness. Here is some stuff from my back-up in Marvel Apes: Grunt Line Special. Fun stuff. Enjoy! I told you guys I had some great stuff coming! Thanks for sticking around. Also I'd like to welcome the new followers to the blog. Its good to have you aboard! We have over a hundred followers' not too shabby! I'll have to think up a way to keep people coming back for more. Maybe I'll give out some commissions or something.

Concept Art




Hey All, today I got a little treat I did for CCMG. A character concept for a game called Animosity. You can check out the details at http://www.cottoncandymonster.com. Also I found out my Spider-Man story will appear in Amazing Spider-Man Family #8 out in stores on July 1st. Check it out! In the mean time enjoy the artwork.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Warlord #3 Pencils




Hey All, Its still "Warlord-Fever" here at the studio. Its been requested that I post some pencils for Issue #3 and I figure that it would be a great time to do so. I just got back from the Seattle ComicCard Convention. Thanks so much to Steve Miner and his crew for having me out. I got to meet and spend the day with Warlord's creator Mike Grell and other comic professionals. I chatted it up with Seattle's comic scene and spent the day doing convention sketches. It was a blast but I'm still a little jet lagged after all the flying and driving. Anyhoo I'll post convention pictures as soon as I get them off my camera. For now some pencils of issue #3 go out and get your issue now!

Monday, June 08, 2009

Warlord #3





Hey Guys, I know its been a while. Trust me I've been busy. I have been cranking on Warlord issue #4 which I had to come in and pinch hit for. Turns out Joe got sick and I was DC's Huckleberry. No worries we got the issue done and it should hit the racks on time, but for me there was a lot of drawing going on and nothing else. I took breaks to sleep (some of which was done on the floor by my art desk) and eat but not to blog. The good news is I have tons to show. These are pages from Warlord #3 which was masterfully inked by Wayne Faucher, Walden Wong, and Dan Green and beautifully colored by Daniel Curiel. These pages shown are all inked by Wayne. I have lots more to post but I'll save it for later. It was great working with Mike Grell, he has a lot to teach a guy like me and I look forward to doing more Warlord. I would also like to thank Kal5000 for giving me vote of confidence on DC's blog. Kal if you can catch me online or at a con do so and I'll hook you up with some cool art.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

School is Out!






Hey guys, long time no art. I decided to keep this post short and sweet. Here is my final I did for my drawing from imagination class. In case you can't tell its Snow White. I opted for this because I thought it would make a nice gift for the girls. Alas, My wife thinks Snow shows a little too much cleavage so maybe when they are older. Enjoy the process!

-Chad.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Free Comic Book Day


Hey Guys, Free Comic Book Day was May 2nd and Joy, the kids and I spent it in St. George UT this Year at Comics Plus. It was a great event, well attended and a fun time was had by all. I have a funny story for the day. A little boy no older than 8 came up to me and asked if I could draw his mom a picture for Mother's Day. I was very impressed with with the little guy's thoughtfulness so I said, "Sure what would she like?". To my surprise he said "Bloodrayne". I laughed in shock but replied "Okaayy!". I started drawing the card and after a while the boy's father came up and I did a double check with him and asked, "Did you know your wife is going to get a picture of Bloodrayne for Mother's Day?". He responded, "She loves Bloodrayne and Witchblade! That's awesome!". Now being doubly impressed with the little guy I gave him a free signed copy of Primecuts #1 and told him: "There you go bud, tell your Mom happy Mother's Day".

Fun stuff!!! Thanks Dave, his family and friends at Comics Plus who made the day fun and exciting. Special thanks to the Star Wars Legion Cedar City Chapter, Spider-Man, Catwoman, and the Joker for making the day especially fun for me and the kids!

That's all for now.

-Chad.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Blue Beetle TBP Cover


Hey all. I know you all have to be saying: "Duuude what happened?" Well long story short, s--- happened. It started with getting some type of food poisoning or stomach flu. I'm not sure which because I never went to the doctor. I suspect food poisoning because I never ran a fever and it all started when I ate an olive from a jar that didn't "pop" when I opened it. This lovely little stint laid me up for four days. I tried working though it but was only able to produce one page in five days. Most of the time was spent hovering close to my toilet, 'nuff said. Next I was informed of the passing of a very good friend and mentor; Arnold Christensen. I found out about his passing 3 hours before his funeral. Mutual friends had tried to contact me though Facebook but I hadn't been on due to the health situation. Long story short I wasn't able to attend the funeral which made me severely depressed. I wish my sad story ended there but the bad luck continued to the point where I started wearing my bicycle helmet indoors while drawing. Slowly I've clawed my way out of being really behind in work as well as school. and I should be able to post some artwork again as releases start to hit the shelves. One of my pieces just released is my first ever cover for DC Comics. Its for the Blue Beetle "Boundaries" TPB. The DC Web site gives Rafael Albuquerque the credit for the cover but I promise if you open it up and read the inside of the book it says my name. Anyhoodle... Less talk more art. See you soon, hopefully. -Chad

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

More Darned Dirty Apes



It might be April's Fools but this is no joke. Marvel Apes: The Amazing Spider-Monkey is out just in time for the most annoying holiday of the year. Here are some of the pencils. Now do your part to support your local artist and go get your copy today!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Mavel Apes / Darwin



Hey guys! Don't you think its about time we debuted some Marvel pages? Well as I said before this was actually my second gig from Marvel but it made it to print first. Above are a couple of pages for the Darwin Back-up story of Marvel Apes: Speedball Special. Enjoy! Let me know if you can you spot the Wolverine cameo!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Marvel Apes: Speedball #1


Marvel Apes: Speedball #1 is out and it has the first part of the Darwin Story I penciled. I thought it would be out in April under Marvel Apes: The Amazing Spider- Monkey but this will have the second part of the story. My bad! I didn't know until my friend Slade told me he picked it up. I was confused as to how he got a copy a month ahead of time, but after he called I did some googling and found out he was right! Must be nice having a comic store in town. Anyhoo, I did not do the art for the cover. It was masterfully done by John Watson. I'll post some of the pages to wet your appetites soon, but in the meantime go pick up your issue today!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Heads


Quick update sorry I didn't update last week its been crazy busy for me. These are heads drawn from indirect reference, part of my homework for AAU. Can't post my homework this week due to eveyone being nekkid! In other news: rumor has it my Marvel Apes story is out. If that's true I should have more to post soon! As is; I need to get back to it. - C

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Castle


Good morning every one! I have a bit of 3 point perspective to show off this Tuesday. As you should all know by now I am taking a drawing class this semester which focuses on drawing from imagination and perspective. I'm proud of myself in that I was able to finish a 5 page essay for another class, draw a page for DC and finish my homework as well as fill out an insurance application. Got to love hitting deadlines. Anyhoo. I feel I'm really getting a better grasp on perspective and can't wait to continue to learn more. Hopefully I'll post again on Friday. Until then: Adieu!

PS- I apologize for the spelling errors. That's what I get for blogging at 4 in the morning.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Vampire Hunter


Hey all here is your eye candy for Tuesday. Its an assignment I did for AAU. Fun class with a lot of talented artists. It helps to make me push harder to make my stuff better. More drawings coming on Friday. Check out Jay's link in my side bar. He's one of my classmates. Keep coming back and I'll keep posting. In other news I've gotten some inking samples back for Mark Irwin on My Spider-Man story I did for Marvel, they are looking drop dead gorgeous! I'll see if Steve Wacker will let me post them. Cross your fingers!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Reign in Hell #7 (for reals)




I made a slight mistake last time I posted Reign in Hell pages. I said they were for Issue #7 when they were for #6. Well I've corrected the mistake. These are the REAL pages for Issue #7 which is out on the stands right now so run out and grab it. This issue I had a lot of fun. Got to draw Supergirl, and Zatanna. Hopefully I'll get to draw lots more of Zee. We'll have to wait. Finally I just want to pat myself on the back for posting twice in one week. I hope to keep it up! So check back soon to find out.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

George Finished.


Hey all! It seems in this world gone mad I have gotten the posting on Tuesday down now but have dropped the posting on Friday ball. Well Nobody is perfect. Here is the finished George piece! Enjoy! Also I'd like to thank everyone for "following" the blog. Keep it up and tell your friends!