Randy Martinez Blog

Holiday Season Art Sale!

2010-10-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, Halloween is almost here and that marks the beginning of the Holiday season, and big Holiday savings and bonuses!

This Holiday Season my entire inventory is 10% off ! That’s right 10% off EVERYTHING!
But there is more!
FREE Shipping (U.S. Residence only)!

Just a few samples here of what's for sale, much more at www.randymartinez.net

It’s the best time of the year to pick up some great art as gifts for your friends and family, or treating yourself to something your have always wanted!
Everything from Books, Posters, Tshirts, Trading Cards, Sketch Cards, and even Beach towels! Head over to my Website shop to see all the cool stuff I have to pick from.

www.randymartinez.net

But Order early as I have a limited amount of each item available. Once they sell out, they are out.

Commissions
2010 has been a great year, and you the fans have kept me busy with your great commission ideas! So busy, in fact, that I had a real tough time keeping up with all the work. It tells me that it’s time to make a few changes in how I do commissions.

Instead of raising prices, I’ve decided to simply limit the amount of commissions I do per quarter. YAY!

Remember folks, You can commission art larger than sketch card size!
I have wide vision cards, 5.25 X 8.5. and 9 X 12 bristol commissions for great prices!

Holiday Discounts:
This year I am giving an extra Bonus to those who Order their commissions early.

If you order a regular priced commission Between October 19, 2010 and October 31, 2010, receive a second commission (of equal or lesser value) at 50%* off!

If you can’t make that deadline, don’t worry you still save!
Commission orders Made between November 1, 2010 and November 30, 2010 receive a second commission (of equal or lesser value) at 25%* off!

Can’t make that deadline? Well, you get one more chance to save!
Commission Order Made Between December 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010 receive 10%* off your commission.

All orders come with Free Shipping (U.S. residence only).

Rush orders available for an additional fee.

Have a great time this Holiday Season everyone!

(*) Bonus Discounts do not apply to Commissions on Marvel 70th Anniversary Artist Proofs (Rittenhouse Archives), or Spiderman Archives (Rittenhouse Archives).

A few Samples of Commissions from the past.

Ironman, Wonder Woman mini Poster for San Diego Comic Con 2010

2010-07-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Fans, A real quick post here.
I just finished these pieces up for Comic Con.
I'm really happy with how they turned out!

The Randy Martinez across the front is a WATER MARK for internet purposes. This Watermark is not visible on the print.

I will have two version of each print available.

1. Limited Edition Digital print on Glossy Photo Paper. Limited to 35 Prints! You may Pre order your copy to pick up at Comic Con, or have it shipped to you directly. ($25)

2. Unlimited color copies, only available at my artist alley table GG-18. ($10)

The Color Copies look great, but the Limited Edition on Glossy Photo Paper look spectacular!

To Preorder please email me at : randy@randymartinez.net

See you at Comic Con

Randy

Martinez Summer Convention Schedule

2010-07-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hey Fans,

Well, it’s that time of year again, SUMMER CONVENTION SEASON! This summer will be busier than ever. Here is a quick run down of where I will be and highlights of what I’ll be doing.

July 21-25 San Diego Comic Con International, San Diego CA

Denise and I will be making the trip to San Diego Comic Con opening shop on Preview night in artists alley. I will be at Artist Alley Table GG-18. Easy to remember because it somehow reminds everyone of IG88 form Star Wars. I will have plenty of books, sketch cards, stickers, and lots of free stuff promoting Star Wars Celebration V (with flyers featuring my art!). I will be debuting two new 8 1/2 X 11 prints of, keep an eye out for updates and postings of the art.

I am really excited because this year I will be doing a free painting demo for Holbein Paints. I will be focusing on their great Acryla Gouache product. The Same product I used to create all of the Celebration V Key art, as well as my latest Trading Cards from Topps Star Wars Galaxy 5! I’ll be doing the demo on Saturday at 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at the HK Holbein Artist Materials Booth ( 5104 ). Come by early to get a good view! I’ll be signing items as well!

I’ll be zipping around a lot this year so if you don’t find me at my booth your bound to see me at my clients booths; Acme Archives(5629), Star Wars (2913), and Impact Books(1415).

I will be limiting the number of commissions I do this year due to scheduling, so be sure to get to my table early to get on my short list!

Important Facts:

- Artist Alley Table GG-18

- 2 new 8 1/2 X 11 Prints

- Painting Demo at Holbein Paints booth 5104 11:30am-12:30pm

August 12-15 Star Wars Celebration V, Orlando FL

It’s almost here, Star Wars Celebration V, and I will be there! I’m very excited about this years show because I created 13 pieces of Key art for the entire show. 6 pieces have been revealed so far, saving some of the best for last!

This year I will not be participating in the Star Wars Art Show/Artists Alley. But that does not mean I will not be available!

I am happy to announce that my main HOME at CV will be at the Artnsights “Art of John Alvin” booth. I am honored because the late John Alvin was a great influence on me both as an artist and as a friend. I am proud to be part of this booth and help carry on John’s spirit. Artnsights is featuring Original art by John Alvin, Tsuneo Sanda, and art by yours truly. I will be set up for 2-3 hours per day where I can talk with fans, sign items and even sell you some Original art! Come by and say hi! Appearance times will be posted soon!

I will also be set up for 90 minutes each day in the official Star Wars Celebration V Store where I can sign posters, postcards, program books and all kinds of goodies featuring my art! Times to be posted soon.

While you are in the Main Exhibit hall, be sure to come by the Topps Trading cards Booth. I’ll be signing cards, and who knows…I may be even drawing Sketch Cards on the spot! Appearances at Topps booth to be announced soon.

So Yes it is true I will not be in artists alley this year. It breaks a streak of 5 consecutive artist alley appearances. I was invited, but with my busy schedule during the show, having a table, that I would rarely be at, didn’t make a lot of sense. That does mean that I will NOT be selling a CV Exclusive Limited Edition Print, BUT, that does not mean I won’t have a Big Print available at the show. I am working with Acme archives to release a very special Limited Edition Print at CV. I will of course be on hand at the Acme booth to sign copies!

What would a Star Wars event be with out my “How to Draw Star Wars” Class? Well, good news, I am bringing my high energy, interactive how to draw class for 1 one hour session in the Star Wars Classes Series. For those not familiar, I have been teaching kids and adults of all skill levels how to draw Star Wars! What started as something fun, has grown into a headline act and just about every Star Wars event I can get to, including Jedi-Con in Düsseldorf Germany. Paper and Pencils are provided, so all you need to bring is you and a big smile. This is both a class and an interactive show, complete with lots of great prizes!

So come check it out. Come early as there are only 200 seats available and it fills up quick!

Times and room number to be announced soon.

On the more casual side… I will be wondering CV enjoying the show when I am not at the different booths or teaching my class. This is the first time I will actually be able to SEE a Star Wars Celebration. I was always working my table all day at previous shows. I will also be hanging out in the lounges sharing drinks with fans! I will have my magic bag with me filled with all kinds of goodies, so if you see me, come have a drink, or better yet buy me one…I may draw something for ya!

Finally the #1 question from fans so far “Will you be doing commissions at the show”? Yes…more on that later!

Important Facts:

- Home Booth: Artnsights The Art of John Alvin Booth

- Daily 1 hour signings in the Celebration Store

- Appearances at Topps Trading Card Booth

- Appearances at Acme Archive Booth

- New Limited Edition Print Released at CV with Acme Archives

- 1 one hour long “How to Draw Star Wars” Class/event; only 200 seats available.

- Hangin with the fans, drawings for drinks!

September 3-6 DragonCon. Atlanta GA

By far one of the most fun conventions around. What can you say about Dragon con? More news coming soon! But it will be a party!!!!

I will be participating in several Panels and of course will have a table in Artists Alley. Table number and schedules will be posted soon.

September 9^th-12^th Chicagoland Entertainment Collectors Expo. Chicago IL

This is shaping up to be a very exciting show with Denise and I scheduled to perform musically as well as participate in Artists alley! More news coming Soon!

Randy Martinez Poster Blow Out!

2010-06-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

Randy Martinez Poster Blowout!!!

Hey Star Wars Fans! Popular Star Wars artist Randy Martinez is making room for new art, so he is having a Poster Blow Out Sale!

This is your chance to get some amazing deals on hard to find Posters and Prints created by Randy Martinez.

Don't Miss the Bonus offers at the bottom of this BLOG!

First up, Fresh from Dusseldorf Germany, the official 2010 Jedi-Con Poster.

These posters celebrates the theme of Jedi-Con 2010, "Star Wars Rocks"

Randy was able to get his hands on a limited amount of prints to bring back to the U.S.

Get one before they are "All but extinct".

Jedi Con Poster:

Only 20 available!

33"X 23 1/8"

$50

Also Available

Jedi Con Badges

Only 10 available

5 1/8" X 3 1/2"

$25

Who can forget this classic Poster from Star Wars Celebration Europe.

One of the most rare and sought after posters in recent years. This poster Celebrates

30 years of Star Wars and 40 years of "The Beatles'" iconic album "Sgt. Peppers".

Also known as "Sgt. Lucas", This poster is filled with details and surprises!

Little known fact, Photoshop was not used to create this piece of art. The Original is 100% 3D.

Star Wars Celebration Europe Official Poster

Very Limited pieces available

23 1/8" X 23 1/8th"

$100

Also Available.

Star Wars Celebration Europe Official Program Book

Same Image as poster

9 7/8" X 9 6/8"

$50

The First of 3 Official Poster/Program Book Illustrations for Star Wars Celebrations Randy Martinez has created (Celebration IV, Celebration Europe, & Celebration 5).

The Star Wars Celebration IV Poster features the family and influences of Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader.

The Piece Celebrates 30 years of Star Wars, taking us back to that very first scene of Star Wars: A New Hope (The Star Destroyer Chasing Princess Leia's Blockade Runner).

Star Wars Celebration IV Official Poster

#6" X 24"

$30

Also Available

Star Wars Celebration IV Official Program Book

Same image as Poster

10 3/4" X 8"

$20

"Sith Rocks" is one of the most talked about and beloved pieces of "Star Wars meets Rock n' Roll" art ever.

This Limited Edition Print features all of your favorite Star Wars Bad guys rocking out to "Power of the Dark Side"

An absolutely fun and exciting piece filled with details and humor that will have you saying OMG.

Darth Maul Playing a Double sided Guitar, and the Emperor playing...cowbell?

This is the perfect poster for Star Wars and Rock N Roll fans alike!

Star Wars CElebration Europe (Sith Rocks) Limited Edition Lithograph

24" X 18"

Free with purchase of 3 or more Posters.

Special Bonus Offer!!!

Order (1) Jedi-Con Poster or (1) Star Wars Celebration Europe Poster get (1) Star Wars Celebration IV Official poster at half price for $15!

Buy Both (1) Jedi-Con Poster and (1) SW Celebration IV Posters receive (1) Star Wars Celebration Official IV Poster FREE!

Order (3) or More posters Receive (1) Star Wars Celebration Official IV Poster & (1) Star Wars Celebration Europe "SithRocks" AP Free!

To Order email Randy Martinez:

Please Subject the Email "Poster Blowout"

randy@randymartinez.net

Star Wars Galaxy 5 Artists Return Sketch Cards For Sale!

2010-03-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

They have arrived! It's always such a great relief to get these back! Okay folks, all of these cards are available and ready to go. Just a few heads up notes.

-Denise and I are headed to Germany for 12 days on April 1st. I am going to wrap the silent auction up pretty quick. So be sure to get your offers in quickly.

-I will not take offers that pay later. If you make an offer, you must be ready to pay the same day you win.

-I cover shipping to U.S. States

-International Shipping covered by customer.

- Cards that do not sell before I leave for Germany will be going with me to Germany.

-Euro fans who are attending Jedi Con. If you win one of these cards you may pick the card up at Jedi-Con (Dusseldorf, GErmany) or Star Wars Fest in Torino Italy, rather than pay for shipping.

-Due to the amount of PMs I get regarding my returns I ask interested parties to please EMAIL me rather than PM. Private Messages take for ever to log through and I don't want to miss any ones offer or question. my email is: randy@randymartinez.net

- Starting price for all the cards are $250 each.

-I will take offers through March 21st (unless stated otherwise).

-high bidders will be informed via email if and when their bids have been outbid.

-In the event of matching or near matching bids all respective parties will be contacted.

Thank you so much for all of the great comments and accolades. You are the best! Good Luck everyone!
Randy

Star Wars Galaxy 5 Trading Card TRADE IN Offer!

2010-03-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

Hey Star Wars fans!
Galaxy 5 has finally arrived and is starting to hit stores everywhere.
They have already hit the shelves of Hobby stores (Comic Book shops, trading card shops), and soon they will be showing up at places like Target and Walmart.

What is Star Wars Galaxy Series 5?
Topps Trading cards has produced a series of Star Wars Trading cards that are 100% art.
No Photos, or movie stills.
Most of the set is made of of NEW art by today's most popular Star wars artists in the biz, while the other part of teh set is the best of Star Wars art from posters, games, toys, and publications.

Last year (2009) I was honored to have one piece of new art for Star Wars Galaxy Series 4. For Star Wars Galaxy series 5 I was asked to create art for 2 "Base Set" Trading cards and 15 pieces of art for the Foil Chase Card Set.
To top things off, Topps also produced 2 of poster designs from Star Wars Celebration IV. That's a total of 19 cards in the set!
I am very proud of this set and have been patiently waiting to let everyone know!

To Celebrate this great new set I am having a
STAR WARS GALAXY 5 TRADE IN SPECIAL!!!!
Many of you remember last year, where you could trade in your extra Star Wars Galaxy 4 cards (with my art on it) for discounts on commissions. Well, I'm doing it again for Star Wars Galaxy 5!
in Short... I want your extras!
And this time you have 64+ cards from the set to trade in. You will have 4 different cards from the base set, and 60 foil chase cards!

I need as many as you can spare.
Each card has a different trade in value. Mix and match your extras for a maximum of 50% OFF ANY ONE Sketch Card Commission!!!
If you have a HUGE amount of extras, we can work out a special deal too.

Here are the cards I did for the set. I'm looking for all of them!

Trade in Key:

Base set cards=5% OFF Silver Foils=10% Off Bronze Foils=15% Off Gold Foils=25% OFF Sketch Cards=50%OFF BUT THERE IS MORE!!! Trade in one of these rare cards for a Special Bonus! Prismatic Foil= 1 Free Full Color Sketch Card OR $150 off any Any Commission!
These are 1 of 1 Foil Cards. Instead of Silver, Bronze or Gold, these cards reflect a rainbow of colors.
Printing Plate Of any of my Trading Cards(Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, Or Black)= 1 Free Full Color Sketch Card OR $150 off any Any Commission!
These Cards are the actual printing plates that were used to create the trading cards with. There are 4 for each card (Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and Black).
Randy Martinez:Humpy The Ewok Sketch Card (any of the three)=1 Free Full Color Sketch Card OR $150 off any Any Commission!
I created 3 very special sketch cards of Humpy the Ewok doing his Michael Jackson dance.

My Full colro Sketch cards usually cost $150 each, so this is a great chance to cash in those extras you don;t need and get some great one of a kind Original art in return!
Just to remind you, if you have a more extras than you can use for trade in, please email and we'll make a special deal for ya!
I will be holding this trade in sale indefinitely, so take advantage!
Please email me at: randy@randymartinez.net
Subject: Galaxy 5 Trade in Offer

Thanks everyone! And May the Force be With you!

Clone Wars Widescreen Artists Returns are here

2010-01-27T18:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a long wait but I have finally gotten my StaR Wars Clone Wars Widescreen Artist Returns back from Topps.
For this set I wanted to Do a series of PADME cards where Natalie Portman is dressed in the outfits Exclusive to Clone Wars. She still looks great.
These are extra special return cards because they are the only Full color sketch cards I have done for this set.
Each card is hand painted and completely Unique. Rgese are not reproductions, each card is a real piece of art!

I am now taking offers, but I want to do this as quickly as possible. The highest offer in the next couple of days wins the card. Ball park offers coming in are starting at $250.00 each, but some have higher offers already, check out the high bids with the cards. So please shoot in your offers as soon as possible! Fans who have already made offers, they are still good!
Please email offers to my email at randy@randymartinez.net

BONUS!!!! Each of my Clone Wars Sketches Comes with a Full sized (9 X12)Graphite Sketch on Vellum. For the Padme cards, I did full sized sketches before I did the cards. You get each respective sketch for FREE with the card.

Padme in Blue Travel outfit.
SOLD!

Padme in Air suite from "Blue Virus" Episode.
Buy it now for $500
Or
Minimum bid $250

Padme in Red Top.
SOLD!

Padme and Anakin
SOLD!

Cad Bane and Bounty Hunters
Buy IT now for $500
Or
Minimum Bid of $250

Ahsoka Tano and Clone Troopers
Buy It now for $500
Or
Minimum Bid of $250

BUT WAIT There is More!!!

Here are the sketches that come with each card.
They match up with the relative card.
Except the first sketch goes with "Padme and Anakin" I decided not to do this card, instead opting for the couple piece.
There are sketches that go with the Cad Bane and Ahsoka, but I have not had time to scan them.

Help an ailing artist!

2010-01-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

I have some bad news. My girl friend and fellow artist Denise (Vasquez) has broken her right thumb. She actually did it a few weeks back, but was hoping it was just a sprain. But it hasn't gotten any better. We finally went to the hospital and the Xrays show a definite fracture near her upper knuckle, but there may also be some ligament damage. Like the trooper she is she played her guitar and sang three shows at the NAMM show, and drew 208 sketch cards for Star Wars Galaxy 5. Stubborn? Yes, she is, but her stubborness comes from her passion and virtue to get the job done she was hired to do. Even though, she was literally sweating from her brow as she drew each sketch card. Her virtue is inspiring. But eventually, you have to mend your wounds and she is now.

With a cast on, she cannot draw, play guitar, or even type very easily (All Left hand typing). We have no idea how long the healing process is going to take because the doctor is sending her to a SPECIALIST. This means I will be holding down the fort by myself for the most part, until Denise can find work were she doesn't need her primary hand. I have to focus on finding ways to support the both of us. I will most likely be starting a "DENISE AID" event where I will be selling stuff for great prices. In the mean time, Please take advantage of my Birthday Sale! It is good through January 31st. 25% off everything!!!!! Commissions, Prints, Books, you name it (Clone Wars returns are not part of the sale:). Every order will help a great deal. You can send her get well posts and messages here on her facebook page, but she'll definitely get them if you email her directly at socialbutterfly.denise@gmail.com Thanks everyone! Randy

Randy Martinez 2009 Holiday Sale!!!!!

2009-11-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

LINK TO RANDY"S HOLIDAY SALE!

Hey Fans and Friends!

Things have been really busy at the old drawing board here.

In fact 2009 has been one of my busiest years ever.

Just some highlights:

Creature Features (Impact Books): My first authored and illustrated how to draw Monsters and Aliens book.

Star Wars Galaxy 4 : 1 Base set trading card (#46 Tusken Hero), 150 Sketch cards

Acme Archives: Limited Edition Giclee Print “A New Hope: Escape”

Scholastic books “Star Wars: Rebel Force” Series: 4 Book covers with 2 more on the way.

Rittenhouse Archives: Sketch Cards for X-men Archives and Spiderman Archives.

The Star Wars Fan Days 3: VIP Sketch card program!

It’s been a great year, but what is next?

To end the year I have just completed all new art for 2 base set trading cards for Topps’ Star Wars Galaxy 5. Star Wars Galaxy 5 also features 15 exclusive Foil chase cards that features all new work by yours truly. To round things out for Galaxy 5, look for 2-3 trading cards featuring my artwork from past Star Wars Celebrations!

Look for Star Wars Galaxy 5 in January of 2010, AS Well as 200 Sketch Cards for Rittenhouse’s new Marvel 5oth Anniversary set.

I feel very fortunate that life has kept me busy and continues to keep great opportunities to come my way.

But, I would be remiss if I did not give thanks to those who have helped me get to this point. Of course I thank my friends family, and a big thanks to Denise Vasquez, but I really need to thank you the fans. If it were not for your continued support my work would not be as popular as it is today. So I thank you all so very much, from the bottom of my heart… But…

…Talk is cheap. So I’m going to prove my thanks by having an extra special Holiday Season Sale!

Lets start right off the top and take 25% off all commissions, Books, posters, and prints. Yes, that means everything!

Sketch Cards

Acme Prints

SW Celebration Products

Books

Games

Check out my Holiday Store to check out the savings!

But that is not all!

If you order two Commissions of any kind get 1 FREE Black And White Sketch Card!

But that is not all!

Orders of $100 or more get 1 Free Monotone sketch Card!

Wait, there is more!

Orders of $200 or more get1 Free Full Color sketch Card!

But wait there is one more Extra special bonus when you take advantage of my 2009 Holiday Sale.

As you may know I am raising my commission prices as of January 1, 2010.

As a “paying it forward” gesture, all orders made during my holiday sale will come with a 50% off coupon for one order in 2010. Redeemable at anytime in 2010! (Limit one per customer)

Dude, 50% off when you want 50% off!

You can’t beat that!!!!!!

PM me, or even better and SOOOOO much easier for me, email me at randy@randymartinez.net

Thanks everyone and Happy Holidays!

Randy

Star Wars Fan Days 3 UPDATE 2 V.I.P. Sketch Cards

2009-10-19T02:46:00.000-07:00

(Link to Denise Vasquez Blog and her card info!)

I made it!
Finished all my V.I.P Sketch Cards.
There are:
45 Black and White Sketches, all available for Color upgrade.
1 Quick Color Wash Card
4 Full Color Cards

Can you believe all these cost is a blank VIP Fan days 3 sketch card?

Each of the full color sketch cards regularly cost $200 each!!!!

I can't believe I',m doing this. I'm nuts:)

Really though...

I have been blessed with a lot of good fortune the last two years. I owe a big thanks to the fans for supporting my art, and taking care of me through the years. Part of the opportunities I have had come my way is because the fans have helped make my work popular. So to give something back like this, is all my pleasure.

Take care of those who take care of you right?

Plus, and by no means less important, Ban Stevens and Philip Wise (the organizers) do a great job at putting Fan Days together and REALLY take care of the artists and guests like ALL CONVENTIONS SHOULD!!!! They do it right and others should learn from their example.

I give them a huge nod of thanks. Doing These sketch cards for Fan Days is my way of saying thank you to Ben Stevens, Philip Wise, and all the fans.

Lets keep making Fan Days bigger and better!

So on to Pre order cards!

So I have a few cards left if anyone is interested in Preordering Fan Days 3 sketch cards to pick up at teh show. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A VIP MEMBER to order one of these. But they do cost money:)

Here is one Preorder I completed tonight.

A fan collects different aliens, and he gave me the choice between 5 Aliens from Jabba's Palace. I of course picked Salacious Crumb. Love this guy. Great laugh.

This piece is done in my Monotone style.

Pretty good eh?

$50 for Preorder.

$20 for V.I.P. Sketch Card Color upgrade

Any Character you want.

This next Sample is a Quick Color Wash.

This is is the only full color style I am doing AT Fan Days.

(The $200 cars take way to long to do at teh show)

$75 Preorder

$40 V.I.P. Color Upgrade

Any Character

Thats it for now. email me if you want to order!

randy@randymartinez.net

Star Wars Fan Days 3 UPDATE. V.I.P. Sketch Cards

2009-10-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Tick tock, tick tock.
That's what I hear while I've been working everyday. Fan days is next weekend, but we leave on Wednesday. Denise and I are driving to Texas. Yes, I know it is a LONG trip, but because of BAGGAGE prices on airlines we can take more stuff with us for our tables. It seems like this is what we will have to do from now on as our inventory is getting bigger and bigger. But it's okay, Denise and I have neer driven through the lower part of the U.S. I've been through the Flagstaff AZ and Santa Fe NM rout, but never along the lower parts. So it's an adventure. We might do some side trips which would be fun. Would love to hear some suggestions from people if you have any.

Anyway, I finished up my work for Topps and met my our first deadline for our new book. Man, it's been stressful. But worth it because the work looks really good. 'm really proud.

As a pre break before the final run to Fan Days 3 Denise and I took a little trip to Ventura to see my 4 year old Nephew play Soccer. The last time we went to a his game, we were still living in Ventura. He had just turned 4, and well, was not the best player on the team. Which is fine, but I'm it's important to not that because of what Denise and I witnessed Yesterday morning. Not only did my nephews team win the game, but my nephew scored 3 out their 4 goals. WOW. He's not only the best player on his team, the other parents were saying he's the best in his age group. He could still be a so-so player and we would be very proud of him, but we are proud that he has worked hard with his Dad, and understands that good things happen when you focus and give effort.

After that Denise and I came home to Hollywood and started right in to work. On this weekends menu? SW Fan Days 3 V.I.P. Sketch Cards. Don't know what that is? Read my Blog form a few days back about Star Wars Fan Days 3, it tells the whole story:)

The break did us good because we were both able to get right into work, and it is much more fun to do this with a fresh rested mind. Denise has been kickin' out some great looking cards, I'm very proud of her.
I'v gotten through about half of mine, so I thought I would post them here.
All of these will be available for color upgrade at the show.

STAR WARS GALAXY 5! My Art will be featured in my own series in the set!

2009-10-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news that I can finally share with everyone!
I'm sure many of you are familiar with the "Star Wars Galaxy" Card series. For those who are not, "Star Wars Galaxy" is a trading card set produced by Topps Trading cards. It is a very unique set of trading cards because the entire set is Star Wars artwork. No photographs, unless of course that is part of the art medium. Each set is broken up into several categories; just to name a few...
- Character Portraits
- Movie concept art from the Lucasfilm Archives
- Posters and Promotions
- New Visions, Star Wars scenes inspired by events not seen on screen.
- FOIL chase cards. Rare cards pressed with shinny foil
- Sketch Cards (first offered in Galaxy sets with Series 4)

There have been 4 set's of Star Wars Galaxy thus far. The first Galaxy set was released in 1993, and I loved it! I was a freshman in College, so I could not afford to collect them, but I bought the books that featured the art from the cards.
Star Wars Galaxy 4 was released in 2009, 14 years after the release of Star Wars Galaxy 3. For me, Star Wars Galaxy 4 was the realization of a long time dream as I had always wanted my art to be part of this unique and very cool series of cards. I was given the honor of creating a "New Vision" trading card to be included in the base set of Star Wars Galaxy Series 4. I mean the artists I would be associated with in this series alone was a dream come true; John Alvin, Drew Struzan, Ken Steacy, Basil Gogos, Marshall Arisman, Hugh Flemming, Jack Kirby, Boris Vallejo, Russell Walks, J. Scott Campell, Mark McHaley,Jason Palmer, Matt Busch, Sergio Aragonez, Jack Davis,...just to name a few.
The hardest part about this project was deciding what to create. What Character, what new vision scene can I do? So much to choose from. I finally decided on one of my favorite characters since I first saw Star Wars, the Tusken Raiders, or sand people. I always loved the design of these guys, and I always found myself drawing them. So I went with that inspiration and created this Trading card.

I titled it "Tusken Hero". It shows a Tusken Raider triumphantly holding his prize, a Krayt Dragon Pearl, which can only be taken from the gizzard of a Krayt Dragon. What's a Krayt dragon? Good Question. Krayt Dragons are sort of scene and heard in the Original Star Wars movie "Episode IV: A New Hope".
Remember, near the beginning of the film when C-3P0 is alone walking through the Desert? At one point you can see the bones of some long deceased creature, a very large creature. Well, that is, or WAS a Krayt Dragon. Those Bones are indeed the Bones of the Krayt Dragon in my Trading. So the Events in my card Happen some time between Episode 3 and 4.

A Krayt Dragon is referenced one more time in " A New Hope". When Obi Wan shows up in the Jundland Wastes to save Luke from the Tusken Raiders, the Tusken Raiders are scared off by a high pitch wailing. This sound is Obi Wan using the force to create the sound of a krayt Dragon. Interesting little nerd facts eh?

So that was Really cool. But that is fairly old news.

So what is the Exciting new news?

I am happy and very proud to announce that there will in fact be a Star Wars Galaxy Series 5!
I will once again have art work included into this wonderful series but on a much grander level.
My Art work will be FEATURED this time as the sets FOIL Chase card subset!
15 new pieces of art work printed up in glorious foil!
I'm so excited!!!!!!!
Each card will feature one of the main characters from the Star Wars Saga (Films Only for now).
Can you imagine lightsabers in foil? Sweet!
The style of work is the vector art that I have been producing for Acme archives, which has become very popular over the last couple of years.

"A New Hope: Escape" by Randy Martinez for Acme Archives

I'm very proud of the work I have produced for this project, and cannot wait to reveal some of it to you. And I will when Topps allows me to.
But that is not all!!!

In addition to the foil chase cards, I have been informed that a few selection of my art from past Star Wars posters will be reproduced on trading cards. And there is one more little thing that i am not permitted to talk about yet, but I will:)

This is far greater than anything I could have dreamed... okay, maybe not dreamed, but you know, I am a humble person and I know there are many great artists who are just as deserving as I am to be given this great honor.
On a personal level...I almost feel like I want to cry because I've worked so hard to just get a taste of something like this, and here I am right in the middle of it. It really makes me look back and reflect on everything I've gone through. I'm by no means done with the road I'm traveling, but to realize a dream like this is sometimes hard to appreciate while you are in it.
It feels really great to have my hard work, and the love I put in my work recognized like this, and seen as professional enough to follow in the footsteps of artists like Russell Walks (Star Wars Galaxy 4 Foils) & Drew Struzan (Indiana Jones Foils)

Stay Tuned for updates!

My art on "The Big Bang Theory"!

2009-10-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

I just got some really cool news that my Art will be used on the hit TV show "The Big Bang Theory"! I got a call from Acme Archives, whom I create limited Edition Fine Art Prints for, and they told me the news. Apparently they chose 10 prints from Acme Archives and 2 of mine were chosen.
Here are the two pieces they chose:

Bounty Hunters

Scoundrels

So keep your eyes open and see if you can spot my work on the walls.

BTW, I have artist proofs of both prints available for $100 each.

They are fine Giclee (high definition Prints) and are Limited Edition.

Email me at:

randy@randymartinez.net

Star Wars Fan Days: WIN A $200 Sketch Card!!!

2009-10-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

Update at bottom of page! 10/13/2009

Hey Star Wars fans!

Star Wars Fan Days 3 is coming to Plano Texas this October 24-25! Last years show was a great success and this year Fan Days looks to be twice the size and even more fun than last year. Star Wars Celebrity Autographs, Awesome panels, and of course an even bigger ARTIST ALLEY!

Fan Days 3 is all about the exclusives and Artist Alley has some of the best. Available ONLY at Star Wars Fan Days 3 will be exclusive Star Wars Fan Days 3 Sketch Cards. These cards will be in high demand, so if you can get your hands on one, this may be your one and only shot.

So how do you get one of these rare cards? Well there are only two ways.

Buy one directly from my table. I will have a small amount of blank Sketch cards that I will make available for on the spot sketches.

For Star Wars fan Days ONLY I will offer these great prices…

-Black And White Sketch Cards: $25 each (normally $40)

Sample only! This is not the actual card

-Color Monotone Sketch Cards: $40 each (Normally $50)

Sample only! This is not the actual card

2. The best way is to purchase a VIP pass. This insures you get an opportunity to get
5 sketch cards from your favorite Star Wars artists.

This description directly from the Star Wars Fan Days Web Site:

The low-down: Each VIP card set (given out free to VIP ticket holders) will contain 5 blank sketch cards that you can use to have these artists do a quick 30 second free sketch for you. So as not to over-whelm any one artist, each participating artist will do 25 free sketches per day. Once they have done their 25, they will have a sign on their table saying they are done for the day, and then it’s up to you to hunt down another artist. This is a great opportunity for you to meet all of our very talented artists! Artists will also be available to ‘upgrade’ your card to include a more detailed sketch, ink, color, etc. Those fees are up to the individual artist and it’s the perfect opportunity to take home a one of a kind sketch card!

Pretty cool huh?
Wait! There is more!

I am giving VIP ticket holders the opportunity to get a FULL COLOR Fan Days Sketch Card for the simple price of a blank Fan Days Sketch Card.

Sample Only!! Not actual cards.

How?

For the VIP sketch program ONLY, I will be pre creating 50 Sketch cards

before the show. 46 of these cards will be classic Black and White Sketch Cards; But 4 of these 50 cards will be in Full Color!!! A $200 value for each color card!

Sample Only!! Not actual cards

Now I know what you are saying. “That isn’t fair because the first 4 people at my table will get the full color cards.”

Nope, not necessarily.

Each of these 50 cards will be concealed and chosen at random by each VIP ticket holder trading in a blank Star Wars Fan days 3 sketch card.

So even if you are the last person in line you have a chance to pull a full color sketch card.

The great part is, even if you don’t pull a full color sketch card, you still pull a unique non-repeated Classic Black and White Sketch card. Of which you always have the option to upgrade for an additional charge (more about upgrading in a bit).

But what if you’re only coming for Sunday?…No worries, because I will only be offering up 25 VIP cards per day (23 Black and Whites, and 2 Full Colors).

To keep things really fair I will be initiating these very strict rules.

Should there be 25 VIP ticket holders at my table in large groups I will be holding a sort of Lottery to determine who chooses in what order.
For each Blank VIP SWFD3 Sketch card you trade in you may choose only 1 concealed Sketch Card. Example: If you trade in all 5 of your Blank VIP Sketch Card, you receive 5 choices. However, Should there be more than 1 VIP ticket holder at my table, you may only trade in 1 Blank Sketch Card for 1 choice until all VIP ticket holders trading in cards have chosen 1 card as well. After that you may trade in another card and then choose another card. This system will continue until there are no more VIP ticket holders trading in cards OR my Sketch Card supplies run out. Basically, I am making sure as many VIP ticket holders that would like a Randy Martinez SWFD 3 sketch card. Get one.
Cheating or being rude to your fellow Star Wars fans will not be tolerated and you will not be permitted to participate in this fun activity at my table. But honestly, Star Wars fans are the best in the world, so I don’t think we’ll have to worry about thisJ

UPGRADING!!!!!

Okay, so you did not pull a Full color sketch card. You are still over joyed to pull a great Black and White sketch, but you’d still like to see it with some color.

Good News, you may upgrade your card to color!

I am offering a great deal to add color to your black and white sketch card!

I will be bringing my watercolors with me, so I will be able to do two types of color.

Sample Only, Not actual card

Monotone- A Single color base but with different shades and lighting. I did this style for the Star Wars Galaxy 4 Target Exclusive Sketch Cards. I normally charge $50 but you can upgrade to Monotone for only $20.

Sample Only, Not actual card

Full Color Watercolor- Not the same full color cards you will get a chance to pull in the trade in, but still very nice. These full color cards are done with a loose, expressive watercolor technique. I normally charge $75 each, but you can upgrade to Full Color Watercolor you pay only $40!

These Prices are only at Star Wars Fan Days!

But Wait THERE IS MORE!!!

In addition to participating in the VIP sketch card program, I will have a table full of limited edition prints, official Star Wars books, sketch cards, and hard to find Star Wars collectibles.

Take a look at these highlighted items, and don’t miss the free bonus gifts!

BTW, All listed items here may be pre ordered for pick up at Star Wars Fan Days 3.

Remarks are free!

Limited Edition Prints and Posters

“A New Hope: Escape” Brand New Official Star Wars Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.

Only 20 Artist Proofs of this piece in existence, and I only have a handful left for sale!

This beautiful HD Giclee print is 13 X 19 on fine artists paper.

This piece depicts our heroes as they race to escape the cavernous DEATH STAR as seen in Star Wars: A New Hope. Each characters look and emotion is perfectly captured in this very popular piece. A true Star Wars Collectors item! $100

“Boba Fett: Legacy”

Official Star Wars Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.

Only 15 Artist Proofs of this piece in existence, and I only have a handful left for sale!

This beautiful HD Giclee print is 19 X 13 on fine artists paper.

This piece features the Bounty Hunter Boba Fett as the eyes of his father Jango Fett watch and inspire Boba’s every move. Another great Star Wars Collectors item! $100

“Bounty Hunters”
Official Star Wars Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs. This beautiful HD Giclee print is 19 X 13 on fine artists paper.
Bounty Hunters have become some of the most popular characters in the Star Wars Universe. Here we find three of the biggest scum in the bounty hunter business on their way to their employer, Jabba The Hutt. A rare appearance by Bounty Hunter Dengar makes this another great Star Wars Collectors item! $100

“Scoundrels”

Official Star Wars Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.
This beautiful HD Giclee print is 19 X 13 on fine artists paper.
Released as the twin brother of “Bounty Hunters” we see the other side of Scum and Villainy…the scoundrels. Here we see a scene pre Episode IV were Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca are obviously up to something dishonest. $100

“Eyes on Adventure: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”
Official Indiana Jones Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.
This beautiful HD Giclee print is 19 X 13 on fine artists paper.
The one that started it all, Raiders of the Lost Ark. This print captures the excitement and Adventure of Indiana Jones while Danger looms ovehead. $100

“Eyes on Adventure: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
Official Indiana Jones Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.
This beautiful HD Giclee print is 19 X 13 on fine artists paper.
Part two of my Indiana Jones “eyes” series. Here we see our hero with his adventurous family with Agent Spalko looking over all.
$100

Star Wars Celebration IV Official Poster
36 X 24
This is the Art Work for the Official Star Wars Celebration IV Poster and Program Cover. Only made available at Star Wars Celebration IV, these posters are from my own personal collection. Brand new, still in it’s original plastic tube. These posters are very rare and hard to find. Get one while they last!
$40

Star Wars Celebration Europe Official Poster
23 1/4 X 23 1/4
Also known as Sgt. Lucas this piece celebrates the very first Star Wars Celebration in Europe, The 30^th Anniversary of Star Wars, and the 40^th Anniversary of the Beatles “Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”. This is the piece that you all have scene and have always wanted. Very few people know that I was the artist behind this piece. EXTREMELY RARE item!!!! This Poster was only available at Star Wars Celebration Europe and sold out in less than 2 days. These posters are from my own personal collection. This is a must have a rare chance to obtain this classic piece. $100

“Sith Rocks!”

Limited Edition print from Star Wars Celebration IV and Star Wars Celebration Europe. This piece was just recently ranked the #4 (out of 12) most rockin Star Wars and Rock Music cross over on Galactic Binder.com. Check out The Sith as they rock the house and the Emperor gives us “more Cowbell”. On display!

“Obsession”
Released and only available at Star Wars Celebration Japan. Obsession is a true one of a kind print. Each piece was a hand pulled serigraph and was limited to only 250 prints. A must have for any collection. Come see teh real thing!

Books

Star Wars: Rebel Force
Target, Hostage, Renegade, and Firefight

Rebel Force is the new book series from Scholastic Books that takes place right after Luke Skywalker blew up the first Death Star. In case you did not know the Book covers and backs were illustrated by yours truly. I will have copies available for signing!
$8 each

Star Wars Celebration IV Official program Book.
The Same Art work that appears on the Official Poster in 2007.
The Program book sold out in 3 days, so it is a very rare item.
Take home one of these wonderful collectibles.
$25

Star Wars Celebration Europe Official Program Book
The Same Art work that appears on the Official Poster in 2007.
The Program book sold out in 2 days, so it is a very rare item.
As far as I know I am the only person to who has these unique items.
Take home one of these wonderful collectibles.
$50

Creature Features: Draw Amazing Monsters and Aliens
Impact Books
Draw Monsters and Aliens with me in my debut as an Author and Illustrator.
Over 40 lessons on how to draw all of your favorite creatures including some new creations from my twisted mind! I only have a few copies of “Creature Features left so come by and get your signed copy early!
$25

Trading Cards and Sketch Cards

Straight from packs of Topps' Star Wars Galaxy 4 comes my very first trading card "Tusken Hero".
I've got some really exciting Trading Cards coming up with Topps, so get your hands on my "Rookie" card while you can!
I'll have plenty of these cards to help you complete your set and to sign.
$5 each

I’ll have a variety of different official Topps Sketch Cards (This is just a taste!) as well as Randy Martinez Brand Sketch Cards for sale at my table.
$25 to $100 each

I’ll also be available for a limited amount of on the spot sketch at the show, but come to the table early to reserve your space.

I still have a few slots open for commissions to be picked up at the show. I’m very limited on time this year so I’ll only be able to accommodate a few more spots, so reserve your spot ASAP.

Prints

Like always I will have plenty of Non-Star Wars art for sale, including these popular prints.
$5 each or 3 for $10
FREE STUFF!!!!

I will have a TON of free stuff. Prints, Sketch Books, postcards…You just gotta come by to see!

There will be more surprises at Fan Days III so wing on by! See you there!!!

Randy

Update!!!!!
I just received my cards for the VIP sketch card program. As posted above I will be doing 50 Black and White Sketches for the program. 4 of which will be full color and given away at random. Well, I have also been given 9 blank cards to do with as I please. So I will be making these available to the fans for preorder and pickup. Prices depend on what you want on the card and what style. These are starting prices with Samples:

Full Color $150 (Fan Days 3 prices only) Comic Book Style $75 (Fan Days Prices Only)

Monotone $50

To Order Please contact me at randy@randymartinez.net

Concerning sketch Cards

2009-09-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

A lot of discussion has been going on between fans and artists concerning sketch cards.

(Sketch Cards are individual hand drawn piices of art on blank trading cards. They are manufactured by trading card companies and then randomly inserted into packs of retail trading cards. The card companies pay popular artists to do sketches on several cards, up to 3000 in some cases).

The most heated debates are over the subject of drawing repeats (multiple drawn cards that share the same "image"), and what some fans consider "less" effort.

For a little background, Sketch cards were started as a "chase card" in packs of cards where popular artists would "sketch" a drawing in black and white or very limited color. Collectors took to this hobby right away, and the popularity of this one of kind card collectible took off. Over the last 4-5 years sketch cards have evolved from simple sketches to some artists doing full finished art.

Fans naturally liked the finished art and demanded more. The problem is the pay for these sketch cards is very very minimal, sometimes as low as $1.00 each. Some artists are happy to accommodate the demands for finished art at their own expense, while some artists have continued to only do what they are contractually obligated to do, "sketches".

Some collectors have slowly but surely categorized Black and white white sketches as "lesser". Some have even taken as a personal attack on their enjoyment of the sketch card collecting Hobby.

There has been heated debates and arguments over the subject matter.

Recently on a sketch card forum this debate arose regarding a new set of Star Wars sketchcards that are being produced as we speak.

This is a post I made that I thought you might find interesting regarding the artist point of view on why some of us ONLY do "sketches". I believe it illustrates quite clearly that it is not a question of effort. It is a very calculated decision on behalf of our careers.

...

This is all stuff we (Matt Busch, Cat Staggs, Brian Denham, Denise Vasquez, and I) just talked about at our panel about sketch cards at Dragon Con.

The big issues we all tackled were things like repeats, and "sketches" vs "finished art" on sketch cards.

I wish we had video taped it because I think everyone here, and the sketch card collecting world would really have gotten a unique point of view from all the seasoned sketch card vets.

Titling them 1 of 1 is always accurate if each piece is hand drawn.
This is not just a sketch card thing.
Anytime there is a "series" of some sort, art is usually numbered in some way.
In this case it is a series of sketch cards. Since the sketch is unique in terms of it is not "reprinted", then it is a 1 of 1. this is very important to those who collect art.
I've had people who are not Sketch card collectors by my cards simply because they are 1 of 1 pieces of art.

But I do understand your sentiment. However, the more the consumer understands what they have, the more they will understand the value of each piece, whether or not the IMAGE has been repeated.
Another thing to consider is the ODDS. Out of the 1000's of cards that are illustrated, If I or some other artist does 4 sketches of the same Yoda image, Do you know how astronomical the odds of pulling 2 or more of those particular sketches would be? It's nearly impossible.
Obviously, the more cards you sketch, and the more repeats you do then the odds get lower. In defense of the card companies this is one reason they don't like to give out thousands of cards to one or two artists anymore. Lets take Topps for instance, they are very realistic in terms of understanding that many artists have to do repeats in order to get the job done in time.
If they tried to hold artist to do NO REPEATS...
1. No product would ever come in on time. MANY MANY artists would not be able to finish on time.
2. As a result many artist that the fans like would not do sketch cards anymore.

Lets remember that these are called "sketch cards". Some artists elect to do full art work for pennies. But that, quite literally, is coming out of their own pockets. When you think of the amount of time they spend on a card ,for $1.50, when they could be working a minimum wage job. That's a loss of $5.75 an hour. that adds up.
Now lets say you have other illustration jobs. lets say a job comes up for $1500, and it needs to be completed in a week. the same Full art work style they do on the cards. But, the cards are due next week too?
If the artist elects to do his cards full art, there is no way they can take on the $1500 job.
Lets take it a step further. Lets say an artist is able to take on both jobs. They complete both jobs doing full art work.
Now put your self in the place of the employer who hired you to do 1 piece for $1500, and then you find out the artist you hired did the same "finished" style of work on a sketch card for $1.50. Wouldn't you be upset? Would you ever hire that artist again? Not a chance.
The thing is folks, this is a REAL situation that working illustrators MUST be conscience of. If you start charging full price to one client, then giving it away to another, word will get a round quicker than you can imagine, and no one will hire you based on your reputation.

Sketch cards by definition, have always supposed have been "sketches".
That is where they started, and that is what our employers expect from us. The idea from the beginning was to give fans a "part of the process".
A "sketch" is part of the process, and in reality is a very RARE thing for anyone to own. Most artists throw their sketches away once they finish the art. I find it very unfortunate that many people have disregarded sketches as less valuable or somehow less effort. What I am illustrating here is that it is not a question of effort, it is a matter of understanding what you are receiving from the artist. Owning a part of the process is Quite valuable, and I believe the more collectors understand what they have in a "sketch" the more they will feel EXtremely happy to pull a "sketch".

So, lets say you don't care about the process, and you still want full finished art on your sketch cards.
Why not hire the artists you like to illustrate something for you that you know you will like rather than spend your money on a box of cards that you may be disappointed with?
Too often I feel collectors want something for nothing. Most artist love the fact that people are such fans of their art that they want "finished' work from them. But the fan also needs to understand that the artist is trying to make a career, and many can't afford to spend hours on one card for $1.50. I have to say, that MANY fans understand this, and I thank you, but some fans/collectors do not.
If fans are really into loving the artist, and wanting more art, then the better way to do this is to support the artist by buying their art from them or ordering commissions.
I'm not saying don't buy sketch cards. I'm saying collect all aspects of the artists styles and process, but support the artist by buying finished art from the artist rather than trying to get it for cheap from a pack of cards.

Artists need their fans, not only for strokes and accolades, but we really need you guys to help mold the trends, and life of what is popular.
The most unfortunate thing that is happening, as a result of the "expectation" some fans have for finished work on pack pulls is that many artists are NOT doing sketch cards anymore, and you can trust me when I tell you, I have talked to MANY of your favorites who are ready to follow suite. With no offense intended towards young or new artists on sketch cards, but the sketch card industry depends on keeping some well known names (artists) on the sets. If they lose those artists, it could spell doom for sketch cards as collectors/dealers will stop ordering cases.

So how is doing full finished art on pack pulls hurting artists?
I've asked many artist who have done full finished art on their pack pull cards over the years. It was my theory when people started doing full art for pack pulls (way back when), that it could potentially hurt their commission sales (For those who don't know, commission sales are VERY important to the career of many illustrators.). It came as no shock to me that 4-5 years after I made that statement that more artists than not (who did finished art on their pack pulls), saw the popularity of their cards on ebay go up, but their commission sales go WAY down. The reason? supply and demand.
think about it, why would someone pay you a good price for an original commission, if they can get one (that you did for $1.50), for half of what you charge for a commission (on Ebay)?

Hopefully, if your still reading, you are getting a clearer picture from the artists point of view, concerning the dilema of doing "full finished" art on your pack pull sketches.
In short, one could wrap it all up by quoting the Joker from "The Dark Knight"..."If you good at something, never do it for free."

So why do sketch cards?
I can only speak for myself. But speaking with other artists I know many share some of my reasons for doing sketch cards.
1. They are fun. Who wouldn't like to draw fun stuff?
2. It's extra money. For the most part, if a sketch is all they require, then I feel the pay is pretty fair. If they want more, they pay more. If I don;t feel it's fair, i don't take the job.
3. It's a great way to report with fans.
4. It's an introduction to new fans of my work. If a fan likes the sketches, they usually go check out my website. If they like the art there, there is a good chance they will follow me as a fan, and perhaps even buy some of my art directly form me.
5. It's challenging sometimes.
6. It's an opportunity to try new art styles.

Okay, I've been procrastinating long enough this morning. Better get back to work.
In closing, I know not everyone will agree with what I wrote. I'm definitely not telling anyone "how it is", I'm just sharing my point of view and information I have gathered from speaking to other artists about the subject.

Take care,
Randy

Dragon Con 2009!

2009-08-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Dragon Con is upon us!

September 4^th through the 7^th 2009 Atlanta GA

This will be my first Dragoncon appearance and will be accompanied by my lovely Denise Vasquez (with her own table). We are both really excited and are anticipating one of our best

shows for the year! Along with having tables, Denise and I will be participating in some really great art & industry related panels (read further down for times and dates)

I will be at table at Table #54 with a ton of free stuff

and things to buy! So stop by my table if you will be coming to Dragoncon.

I will also be participating in some fun panels during dragon con.

Many fans like to think ahead and get exclusive or limited Edition items before they are all bought up. So here is a list of everything I will be making available at Dragon Con 2009.

Limited Edition prints:

“The Red Dragon”

For the first time ever I will be making art from my book “Creature Features: Draw amazing Monsters and Aliens” available out side of the book. What more appropriate place to do this than at Dragon Con? And what more appropriate to release than the fiery “Red Dragon”. This is a very short run of (50) 8 1/2 X11 prints, printed on high quality paper. Only 50 were created for Dragoncon 2009 so pick one up before they all fly away!

“Eclipse”

Introducing “Eclipse” Randy Martinez’s first ever PIN UP Girl. Eclipse is a creation of Randy Martinez and is being LAUNCHED at Dragoncon 2009. A very Limited Edition of 10 Prints will be available on high quality paper (8 1/2 X 11) for $20 each.

Unlimited Color Copy prints of Eclipse will be available for $5 each

“A New Hope:Escape”Brand New Official Star Wars Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.

Only 20 Artist Proofs of this piece in existence, and I only have a handful left for sale!

This beautiful HD Gicle

e print is 13 X 19 print on fine artists paper.

“Boba Fett: Legacy”

Official Star Wars Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.

Only 15 Artist Proofs of this piece in existence, and I only have a handful left for sale!

This beautiful HD Giclee print is 19 X 13 print on fine artists paper.

This piece features the Bounty Hunter Boba Fett as the eyes of his father Jango fett watch and inspire Boba’s every move. Another great Star Wars Collectors item! $100

“Bounty Hunters”

Official Star Wars Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.

This beautiful HD Giclee print is 19 X 13 print on fine artists paper.

Bounty Hunters have become some of the most popular characters in the Star Wars Universe. Here we find three of the biggest scum in the bounty hunter business on their way to their

employer, Jabba The Hutt.. A rare appearance by Bounty Hunter Dengar makes this Another great Star Wars Collectors item! $100

“Scoundrels”

Official Star Wars Fine Art Giclee Print from Acme Archives! Limited Edition Artist Proofs.

This beautiful HD Giclee print is 19 X 13 print on fine artists paper.

Released as the twin brother of “Bounty Hunters” we see the other side of Scum and Villainy…The scoundrels. Here we see a scene pre Episode IV were Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca are obviously up to something dishonest. $100

“Creature Features: Draw Amazing Monsters and Aliens:

Impact Books

One of the best and most fun “How to draw” books in some time. Learn to draw Classic Monsters like Frankenstein’s Monster, Mythological Monsters like Medusa, and Aliens from every corner of the Universe. Authored AND Illustrated by Randy Martinez.

Pick up a signed copy! $25

“Star Wars Rebel Force”

Scholastic Books

This brand new story line features heroes from the Star Wars Original Trilogy just weeks after the destruction of the First Death Star.

Covers illustrated by Randy Martinez

Pick up a signed copy! $25

Sketch Cards

I will have a variety of predrawn sketch cards from all different titles for incredible prices! Stop by to see what I have, or should I say to see what I have left!

Commissions

I will be doing a limited number of Commissions during Dragoncon so get to my table early to be sure to get your name on my list! Prices vary depending on what you want drawn.

PREORDER:

This is the best way to be SURE you get the items you want. You may PREORDER any item I will be bringing to Dragon con.

You simply paypal me the total of your order and then pick it up at Dragon Con. Items not picked up at Dragon Con will be charged the appropriate Shipping and handling charges.

If you would like to preorder, or if you have any questions please email me at: randy@randymartinez.net

I will be participating in these Panels at Dragon Con…

Title: The Thrill of the Chase - catching up with the sketch card craze 
Time: Fri 02:30 pm
Location: Hanover F - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: The exciting world of sketch card collecting is explored with some of the genre's most popular illustrators. 

Title: Star Wars in Art 

Time: Sun 04:00 pm

Location: Hanover A - B - Hyatt (Length: 1) 

Description: Lucasfilm-approved Official Star Wars artists discuss the different licensed work they do, their creative process and how they began their SW careers.  

Title: That's Illustration! - a look at entertainment art 

Time: Sun 05:30 pm

Location: Hanover F - Hyatt (Length: 1) 

Description: Enjoy this look into the wildly popular genre of entertainment illustration with a stellar lineup of creators.  

Title: Quick Sketch Contest 

Time: Mon 11:30 am

Location: The Learning Center - Hyatt (Length: 1) 

Judge for panel Description: Join us in America's largest quick sketch competition for the discovery of new talent, with prizes for individual character and best comic page.

See you at Dragon Con!

New Star Wars Art From Acme

2009-07-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping this under wraps for some time now, but I have just been given the green light to announce my newest Star Wars art to be produced with Acme Archives.

I've worked really hard and lost a lot of sleep over this piece, and I think it really paid off. It is titled "A New Hope- Escape" and it is here just in time to make it's debut at San Diego Comic COn this next week!

Each piece will be a fine Giclee Print and will be limited Edition (Edition Size TBD).

"A New Hope: Escape" is designed to match "Bounty Hunters" and "Scoundrels" (2 of my other Acme Giclee Prints) at 13 X 19. Each piece comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

It depicts our four favorite Star Wars heroes (Chebacca, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo) making their way through the cold corridors of the First Death Star. While the piece captures a scene from the movie, it was my goal to try and capture the feelings of each individual character in that moment.

Chewbacca, ever so intimidating is ready to fight, but at the same time has a bit of apprehension about the mission.

Princess Leia has the look of both determination and fear. It's beyond hope because she does not have complete faith in these rogues to get them out of this.

Han Solo, seems to eat it all up with a spoon. He lives for the action and a "good fight". Not quite the leader yet.

Luke Skywalker takes his first step into his role as a leader, and a hero. Of the four heroes, he's the only one who has enough who whole heatedly believes they can get out of this. Is he just young and naive, or is it something more?

I will have Artist Proofs soon for sale and presale. If your going to Comic Con come to my table early to get your Print.

2009-07-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Saw Bruno last night!
Hilarious!

I loved it.
It is very much in the same style as Borat, but it is over the top outrageous funny.

At first was thinking it was okay, but not as good as Borat, but as the movie goes on it gets REALLY funny. I left feeling it was real equal to Borat in terms of funny and that style of mockumentary, but it's just totally different.

What is the same, which I think is BRILLIANT on the part of what Sasha Baron Cohen does with his comedy is he makes us look at ourselves (as a culture) in a rather savage mirror. Comedy is happening the entire time, but it's spawned from the real ugliness of racism, bigotry, and violence that exists in our society. Just like in in Borat you find your self laughing at things, that you feel maybe you should not think is funny.

Bruno, like Borat, are truly innocents in that where they come from, the things they do are accepted and are normal. They have complete comfort being who they are. When thrust into our world, it really exposes the intolerance our culture has for anything that is different. It's a sad commentary, but it's unfortunately true in many people.

The most interesting thing about this film is with all of the sex, gratuitous nudity, and over the top raunchiness the GROSSEST things in the film the behavior and thoughts of some of the REAL people Bruno encounters.

Is this movie for everyone? Absolutely not. If you have any issue with the homosexual life style, this movie will no doubt take you past your threshold. But, at the same time I would recommend this movie because I believe you have to confront things that you don't understand. But, at the same time I understand some people just don't want to see anything of a sexual nature, which I totally respect.

After seeing Bruno, I felt like this movie was not about a man being gay, it was about a man desperately trying to fit into a world that will not accept him for who he is.

But my God is it funny.

Star Wars.com interviews me about Star Wars Art

2009-07-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

Wondering how I create the covers for the Scholastic Book Series “Star Wars: Rebel Force?”, Well you can read al about it at the official web site for Star Wars.

Bonnie Burton wrote a great article that features an interview with yours truly!

The response to these books has been over whelming, and I feel honored to be part of it.

I’ll let the article do the rest of the talking.

Check it out here.

X-Men Archives are here!

2009-07-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

Finally out in Hobby shops, if ther are any left , is “Xmen Archives” from Ritten house Archives.

Xmen Archives are trading cards featuring Marvel Comics own group of misfits, The X-Men. Randomly inserted in to packs of cards (at least one per box) are hand drawn Sketch cards by some of todays most popular illustrators in Comics, fantasy and Scifi.

I was one of the lucky artists to participate in this great set. I complete 147 unique sketch cards in full color for this set. I’m getting great response from the fans, and I am really digging the style I am working in for these Comic Book cards.

I have been a fan of the X-men for years, but I no more than when I was in Jr. High School. I Lived for X-men comics! My cards have a very obvious 80’s flavor to them, as I harkened back to my early teen days!

You can check out the full gallery of my cards here at my Webs site.

How do you get these cards? Hobby Shops bought a lot, but many are selling out quickly, so I would call before you head out to the shop.

Ebay has boxes on sale, and if you want one of my cards specifically, Ebay is your best shot. There are several up there right now for pretty reasonable prices.

I will have a few Artists Proofs that I will be able to sell once I get them.

Contact me for more information on that.

Mighty Mugg Project

2009-07-14T17:00:00.002-07:00

All the rage today is collectible designer toys. You can now pick up Toys hand painted by some of today’s mos

t famous artists. Granted, it will cost you a pretty penny, but it s a sound investment as each piece is one of a kind, and they look cool.

One of the more popular versions of thee designer toys are the “Mighty Muggs” fr

om Hasbro. They make Mighty Muggs for Marvel Co

mics, Indiana Jones, and of course Star Wars. I thought they were kind of weird at fi

rst, but they really caught on and people love them.

Out of shear demand Hasbro started to produce BLANK Mighty Muggs so artists can paint their own de

signs on them. This is the basis of one of the coolest events at San Diego Comic Con this year. Lucas film LTD has contacted several of the most popular Star Wars artists in biz today to design their own Star Wars Mighty Mugg. The only restriction was it had to be Star Wars related. The artists went crazy and produced some really great designs that will not only be

displayed at the Star Wars pavilion at Comic Con, but will be auctioned off one by one, with all proceeds going to the Make A Wish Foundation.

I was one of the artists chosen to create a Mighty Mugg for the event, and I tried my best to do something a little different. I started out with a few ideas, to create a Mugg for Characters they m

ost likely would never produce. Like Jaxxon, The Ice Cream Machine Man, or the horse head pilot. But, that challenging little voice inside my head wanted to do something more outside t

he box. So I gave it some time, and let inspiration come to me. The next idea I got came from watching Denise make her mighty Mugg of Steve Sansweet (Lucasfilm LTD Director of Fan affairs). Denise did such a great job of executing the piece, but more than that I really liked how she did something so very Star Wars, but at the same time completely thinking outside the box. My idea was for the world’s greatest Star Wars fan. He was going to be equipped with all kinds of toys, Star Wars clothes, sleeping bag, everything. But I ran out of time to do this.

Now I was in trouble because I was running out of time, and I had no

ideas that would not take a couple weeks to do.

That was until I was sitting in my living room where we have a framed copy of my “Sith Rocks” poster form 2007. Inspiration hit m like a thunderbolt, and I decided to make Rock and Roll Darth Maul, but even more Glam Rocked up with sparkly gold horns, and a sparkly double-ended Guitar. The easy part was painting on the Toy, the hard part was creating the 3D objects like his horns, Guitar, and oh yes, the Gigantic Tongue.
I broke out a box full of sculpey and went to work. This stuff is fun, and so easy to use!

A little Glue, and some Sparkly Paint provided by Denise was all this little guy needed to make him the meanest Glam Rock hero in the Galaxy.

Unfortunately I did not finish my Mugg early enough to have it featured on the Web site, but you can See Denise’s “Steve Sansweet”.

Mighty Mugg Project

2009-07-14T17:00:00.001-07:00

Style D Commissions. 50% off intro sale!

2009-07-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to add a commission style guide to my web page. Here I list all of the different styles of art I do, complete with examples, and a general price guide. Check it out here "Style Guide"

One of the new additions to the style guide is my Style D art work which is more commonly

referred to as my "Monotone Style".

I love this style because it allows me to get away from the rules of color. It's all about light and shadows. Also the style allows me to be really loose with the wet media i use to create these. Usually watercolor, inks, or acrylic.

The effect is a very moody, emotional finish that I really dig.

Like style B, these don;t take me nearly as long to do as style A commissions. Therefor the price is extra nice. $50 for sketch cards, $100 for 9 1/2 x 11s.

But wait, there is even more!

Right now I am holding an introductory 50% off sale on all style D commissions! that is right 50% off all Style D commissions ordered before August 31 2009.

But hurry, anytime I have one of these big sales my list gets really long. So get in early to get your commissions done right away!

You can check out examples of Style D here.

I'm taking orders as you read this so hurry!

New Style B available for commissions! Intro Sale!

2009-07-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

One of the new additions to the style guide is my Style B art work which is more commonly

referred to as my "Comic Book Style". Style B is exciting because it lets me get back to my roots. Some of my earliest work was inspired by comics, but I pretty much abandoned the style in high school. I suppose I just got into other things, but I continued to love comic book art, and longed to make some again.

Well, this year I got my chance by doing 147 sketch cards for Rittenhouse Archives new trading card set "X-Men Archives". The whole set is based on all the characters from the Xm

en Comics, from all eras. It was such a fun set, and I dove straight into bringing back the comic book artist in me.

Now I have continued to work in this style on my own, and am now offering it up for commissions. The great news for me is Style B is not only fun, it's also fast. These cards take me a fraction of the time it takes me to do my Classic Style A art (highly rendered illustrations). I like it because it allows my brain to move at the pace that it likes and I can move on to a new piece of art in no time at all.

The great news for the fans is since these cards take me about half the time to make, they cost half the price as Style A commissions. $75 for a sketch sketch card, $125 for 9 X11s... The List goes on and on.

But Wait, it gets even better! To Celebrate the introduction of Style B, I am offering a 50% off sale on Style B commissions through Aug 31, 2009.

But sign up now, to get your name on my commission list early. Anytime I do these 50% off sales I get slammed with orders!

Check out samples of style B

I'm taking orders as you read this so hurry!!

New Art For Sale!

2009-07-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

Get Ready folks, I’ve got a bunch of great announcements, products and new offical web site stuff all this week, and leading up to San Diego Comic Con.

Check out all the Newest Posts at my Website www.randymartinez.net

Today, it is my pleasure to announce that I have official started to overhaul the “Art for Sale” section of my Web page. Fans were getting really confused with the way I had it before, so I am taking steps to making it better.

New Art For Sale!

I have added a ton of new really cool stuff and I’m selling a lot of for cheap. Including Official Original art work from the Book covers have been illustrating for Star Wars: Rebel Force. The New Star Wars book series from Scholastic Books. I added even more Original art to my store, this time from my new how to draw book “Creature Features” (Impact Publishing). Just about everything from the book is there and fairly priced.

Sketch Card Blow Out!

I added a section just for Sketch cards I have been hiding away in my card drawer. Every thing is for sale and on sale. The cheapest prices yet! Everything from my Topps Terminator Salvation Artist Returns, to Star Wars Heritage and Indiana Jones. There is also a TON of Randy Martinez Brand cards just waiting to be scooped up!

It’s a Sketch Card Blow out!

Commission Style Guide

Finally I put a Style Guide page for fans interested in getting commissioned art from me. This Style Guide Describes each of the distinct different styles of art that I work in. It’s actually quite interesting and I think will give fans a chance to consider other types of art from me, that they may not have even known I do.

To make this guide even more comprehensive I have posted a general price list of the different kind of commissions that are requested most.

So go check it out. Tell me what you think and hey! Order something. I think you will be surprised at how reasonable my prices are.

Thanks everyone!

Randy

Terminator Salvation ARTIST RETURN Sketch Cards Available for sale.

2009-06-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I wanted to let everyone know that I have received my return sketch cards for Topps Terminator Salvation sketch cards and they are available for purchase.

Each card is Unique and hand illustrated with Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and acrylic pain. These are the ONLY full color sketch cards I did for this set. Only 6 are in existence!

Each piece is 3 1/2" X 2 1/2" on OFFICIAL Topps Terminator Salvation Sketch Card stock.

Normally my Return cards sell for $400 or more,

but I am selling these cards for a low flat rate of $250.00 each.

This covers Shipping and handling (on sketch cards) for customers in the U.S.

Discounts available if you buy multiple cards or order other "Randy Martinez" commissions or products with the card.

I great piece for any sketch card Collection!

Email me if interested.

randy@randymartinez.net

Thank you!

Randy

New Style to keep things fresh

2009-06-23T01:25:00.001-07:00

Hey kids, a new style and some new art.

Everything but the Aayla Secura, and Princess Leia are for sale.

The card stock is from Star Wars fan days II 2008.

Each card is painted in acrylic paint.

$100 each.

That covers shipping and handling for customers in the U.S.

Let me know what you think!

Randy

Art runs in the family

2009-06-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

So who said this blog had to be all about me?

My sister sent me this awesome drawing my 4 year old nephew Lucca did of Wolverine.

Taking after his uncle?

Jabba is Tons of Fun

2009-06-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

Finished up a commission piece of Jabba the Hutt tonight. I have to tell you, Jabba the Hutt is so much fun to draw and paint. I know he's gross but he got so many different textures and colors, it's just fun.

I don;t want to call thsi a break through piece because it looks pretty uniform to my recent work, but it was a break through for me personally to let go of the Markers. For the last year I've been doing work almost exclusively in colored markers and pencils. I love the colores and what I am able to do with the markers, but at teh same time they are very rigid and don't leave a lot of possibilities to experiment with out ruining my pens, well, at least I don;t know of any yet.

The thing is The markers are a must for sketch cards as they don;t buckle the cards, but for bigger stuff I have been really wanting to use REAL paint again, and play with the wet media. So for Jabba I went for it.

I broke out the WATER COLORS, and started puddling bold colors instead of trying to match the photo tones in my reference. Relearned a lot of things like patients, and knowing when to layer more color to get different effects.

I used to work EXCLUSIVELY with watercolor for many years, but I found that I was limited when I need to do things that only acrylic could do, so I started using acrylic a bit, but got frustrated and stopped. But I love acrylic, and I'm hoping that venturing BACK into watercolor will lead me back to doing acrylic again.

The other thing I enjoyed about this Jabba piece was working bigger. This piece is only 9 X 12 but compared to the little 2.5 X 3.5 sketchcards, it felt like I was painting on the great wall of China. I love sketch cards, but when I do TOO many of them I start feeling like I'm drawing in a little tiny room. Working bigger lets my limbs and joints move around more which makes it more relaxing and fun for me.

Let me know what you think of this EXPERIMENT.

I'm gonna start doing a lot more!

Randy

Well, you can't win them all...

2009-06-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm sure you all are wondering if I'm devastated by the Lakers loss tonight.

Truth is I'm fine with it. I fully expected the Magic to come out and give their best effort tonight and they did. They shot almost 70% on jump shots. It would be hard to beat a middle school basketball team shooting that well. Yet, the Lakers were right there with them the whole game.

The Lakers actually played well. They still rebounded. They created turnovers, and they scored.

Kobe made a couple bad plays down the stretch, which was weird, but despite the Magic playing their best, the Lakers could have won the game tonight.

Absolutely nothing to hang our heads about.

I give the Magic credit for playing up and winning a game they had too.

Game four should be a good game, and will really show what each team has in themselves.

I expect the Lakers to attack this game as the one they REALLY want. Orlando still has the pressure on them to HAVE to win, and I think it will effect their shooting and metal. Tonight they played with nothing to lose. Now they have a win, and they have some hopes. They don;t want to let that go so they will naturally tighten up a bit.

The Lakers need to come out and stomp em.

I still think the Lakers will win in 5.

That's it, now I have to go finish this Jabba the Hutt painting... surreal world I live in:)

RARE Star Wars Book Cover Art For Sale!

2009-06-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, I am offering my original cover art from Star Wars: Rebel Force "Renegade". This is the third Book in the brand new Scholastic series. This is not a sketch card people this is the ACTUAL art work from the book cover. Okay, I know the Art on the book is so small. Well, I don't actually create the art that small I work much bigger, and then we shrink it down. For this project I do each figure separately, and then we photoshop the cover together.

So this makes for several pieces of ORIGINAL art.

. The goal for all of the art on these books is to show outfits or poses that are not seen that much or at all in the movies. Some characters like Han Solo, don;t really change outfits that much. But with Luke, there are a few different looks that not many people have seen, so it's fun to step out of the normal white tunic.

We have to be careful too, because the story line takes place right after the first death star has been destroyed. So the character still have to have that late 70's look to them.

For "Renegade" we chose to go with Luke Skywalker wearing his briefly seen PANCHO. He does wear this poncho in Episode IV: A New Hope. we see it when Obi Wan and Luke are arriving at the Millenium Falcon in Docking Bay 54 on Mos Eisley (right after the cantina scene for all you non Star Wars nerds:). It's the scene when Luke utters the famous line "What a piece of Junk".

The funny thing about this Pancho is he put it on right before they go to the docking bay. Luke boards the Falcon with his Pancho on, and then the next scene he has obviously taken the poncho off, never to be worn again... Until Book 3 of Star Wars:Rebel Force. Right?:)

So here is Luke on the cover in all his Pancho Glory. Lightsaber ignited. BTW, it is intentional that Luke looks a little unsure about holding the lightsaber. He's not really "Return of the Jedi" expert Lightsaber wielder yet. All that is explained in the Book.

At his sides are his faithful droids R2D2 and C-3P0.

Amazingly it was really hard to find a clear photo reference of these poses. I worked with Lucasfilm photo archive, and believe it or not the production photos from "A New Hope" are TERRIBLE. Seriously, it looks as if George Lucas had an aunt come on the set with an old Instamatic camera and take OFFICIAL shots. It's comical! One picture looks good, but it's blurry, while another one cuts off the top of some ones head or their feet right at the ankles. Crooked pictures ALL over the place. Which is why for " A New Hope" we see the same pictures over and over again. But it was explained to me that there are few production pictures from A NEW HOPE because most of them got lost...I mean, they still have a lot, but they HAD 5-10 times more photos back in the 70's. Things were different back then in the 70's.

Here are some of the reasons they lost photo's, or what was explained to me.

1. They had several photographers take lots of photos, but many of them kept the negatives and original prints. Records from "A New Hope" were apparently a mess, so the names of many photographers got lost. Many of those Photographers probably lost the photos themselves.

2. Boxes were mislabeled, or never labeled at all in the archives. So there actually could be a box of pictures hiding somewhere.

3. Star Wars had such a hard time finding screen to play on (in the beginning), many people figured it would be a flop and scrapped all their Star Wars stuff, only to regret it a few months later.

4. Time, some pictures deteriorated with no copies ever being made.

In a way, I feel privileged to be able to bring back to life rarely seen outfits and poses. It's fun.

For the back cover we have a completely new Star Wars character X-7. This was great because I got to design a never before seen Character in the Star Wars Universe. I don;t know...that is just COOL!

X-7 is an interesting character. You gotta read the books to get the details.

When I got the description of X-7 I was perplexed. Basically they said "X-7 needs to be fierce, scared, and grizzled yet calm, unintimidating, and easy to talk to". WHat?

We went through so many looks, and nothing was coming back ok.

Finally I decided to use my Brother in law as my model, and BINGO they loved it. They said "That is x-7"! So, Ladies and Gentleman, X-7 is indeed my Brother in Law Guillaum. Granted, I added the scars, but he really does look the part.

All of these pieces are available for purchase.

Each piece is 9 X11, illustrated with MArker and colored pencil on Bristol.

For more details and prices visit my webesite randymartinez.net

These are the only four pieces from "Renegade" so get them before Someone else does!

Randy Martinez

randy@randymartinez.net

kung PAU! The Lakers and Comic Book Metaphors!

2009-06-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, not that was a hard game to watch last night. Both teams really came out awkward and ugly. 15-15 after one quarter? Felt like I was watching a game at the YMCA not the Finals.

Although, I have to say I wasn't upset. The Lakers played good defense, really good defense, but they had no offense. But to me, that is okay. I'd rather the offense go to sleep than the Defense.

It should be a lesson to anyone learning basketball. As long as you play Defense you have a chance to win. And the Lakers did.

I asked guys at the gym today if Orlando should feel confident that they almost won a game, or discouraged because they lost to a struggling Lakers Offense? I think the latter of the two.

No matter what Orlando does, The Lakers just have to many ways to win.

Comic Book Metaphors and Sports:

Most interesting in these last two season has been the growth of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.

I was ready to throw the towel in considering Lamar Odom after last years no show in the Finals. But, as a Lakers fan I am very proud of the way Lamar has turned things around and instead of fading away he is embracing the fact that the Lakers need him. He came up big last night rebounding and on defense.

Pau has grown in to the leagues most consistent reliable player. Coming to the Lakers his rep was a skinny finesse player who simply couldn't rise to the occasion. Great talent, but no real threat. Last year Gasol definitely played Robin to Kobe's Batman. And he did it well. But I think that may have been his down fall, really the whole team. They played well, but to use another Comic Book simile, the 2008 Lakers were like Wolverine leading the New Mutants on a Mission.

In contrast this years Lakers that we are watching now is like the full team of Xmen.

Each player is a Super hero in their own right, but they use their super powers together to defeat any foe.

So who is who

in the Lakers X-men team?

Wolverine: Kobe Bryant

The Rogue Leader. Like Wolverine Kobe CAN single handily take over a mission and destroy everything and everybody. Both are unstoppable ad both love a good fight. Kobe and Wolverine are both masters of their art and take it to a whole other level when you piss them off. While they can go solo, they have learned over time to trust their teammates for a group effort.

Cyclops: Derek Fisher

The Elder of the team. The total leader by example and poise. Has seen just about every situation, and while they have few weapons, what the do with their powers can be powerful and clutch.

Night Crawler: Trever Ariza

Like Nightcrawler's Teleportation BAMF! Trevor Ariza seems to appear out of nowhere to steal a ball. Fast, Agile, and incredible leaping. Not the strongest on the team, but no doubt valuable to the teams success. Has BAMFED in to save the day at the last second MANY TIMES.

Gambit: Pau Gasol

Both have funny accents at times. But like Gambit Pau can do so many things and be devastating with them. Pau is agile like Gambit and has great hands, Gambit has great hands too... that can create explosives. Both came to the team as outsiders, but have become key members of the team. Both have cool hair too!

Beast: Lamar Odom

Super Strength and Agility. For a 6' 10" guy he makes moves quicker and better than some little guards. Like Beasts super strength Odom can out mussel just about anyone in the league for rebounds. Like Beast Lamar Odom has gone through different metamorphosis but has mutated into a dependable force.

Colossus: Andrew Bynum

The lumbering Giants. Both posses great power and strength. Immovable and dangerous on defense. Intimidatingly HUGE, but both have soft spot right on the surface. Until they turn their skin to metal and then they are unstoppable.

The Bench:

Iceman: Jordan Farmar

Cocky as hell. Loves to show off their COOL powers. Sometimes gets the best of them. Jordan is fast like ice.

Storm:Sasha Vujacic

Sorry Sasha, you get to be the girl. Why Storm? They both can make it rain...3's that is:)

Angel: Shannon Brown

Both seem to have Wings and soar.

ThunderBird: Luke Walton

Solid, dependable.

Bishop: DJ MBenga

Both have big guns.

Long Shot: Adam Morrison and Sun Yue

The Power of Luck. Adam and Yu are just lucky to be on this team.

Go Lakers

Back at it.

2009-06-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot to write about today. Hit the gym, so-so work out. Lifted weights for the first time in a couple months, then tried to play basketball. It was like playing with two lead pipes for arms. But you know, lifting upper body just feels like you didn't do a whole lot at first, but like right now, I feel it. So I shouldn't feel as bad as I do for not coming home drenched in sweat.

So last nights game was Great! The Lakers look fantastic! I love their focused attitude FINALLY!

Orlando just looked like they didn't know what hit them. I was most happy with the way the Lakers kept Orlando off the Offensive rebounds. That killed us the last couple of series. But rebounding is a mind set, once the series starts, if your not focused on boxing out, it's hard to change gears. So I was happy to see that they were making an effort to grab every loose ball.

Kobe was just killer.

I'm not being biased here at all, but honestly, I think Kobe is better than Michael Jordan was.

Yes, Kobe has had a bumpy road to this point, but he's arrived as the complete player now. His understanding of the little things and energy of the game put him in another galaxy from everyone else.

What puts Kobe over the top of Jordan is, having watched both play, Kobe has had to play through WAY more physical play, he's had to play through refs not giving him calls, he's had to play through negative media. Through all of that, he does things that I have never seen Jordan do. What has made Kobe a complete player, is he has finally understood how to be a leader.

Magic is still the bast basketball player ever, as far as all around. I put Larry Bird at a close second. Michael Jordan was third, but I have to put Kobe above him now. IF Lebron James can become a better leader...then he'll pass Jordan next.

But Kobe, in the playoffs, just has something in his eye, in his swagger that you just know beating his team is next to impossible.

So after the game I was all jacked up from the win. I wanted to get some work done but damn it I was still in the at BLAHS. So i sat down and wouldn;t you know it, I started drawing something FOR ME! That was the trick. I was all excited about teh Lakers, so I went with it. Drew out a cool Pau Gasol, and I'm gonna draw teh whole team eventually. But it's exciting, because it felt like I was expressing myself through my art for the first time in a long time. It wasn't work, it was FUN. I'll post the art as I finish it, it's just in sketch phase right now.

Okay, gotta go make lunch.

Have a great weekend!

Over and out!

Randy

GO LAKERS!!! Why I love the Lakers!

2009-06-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have been salivating since Friday. That is when the Lakers eliminated the Denver Nuggets to advance to the NBA Finals for the second year in a row. I am a proud Laker fan at that fact alone, but as you know the Lakers simply made it last year and lost to the Hated Celtics. Disappointing would be an understatement for me. The fact that it was the Celtics... has driven me crazy for a full year! So here the Lakers are, one year later BACK in the Finals against the Orlando Magic. While Full redemption would be to take the championship back from Boston, winning it this year would help us Lakers fans move on... a bit. :)

Understand I LOVE the Lakers! I mean, I am totally emotionally invested in this team. You can ask Denise how involved I get into the games. When they win I am on top of the world. When they lose (especially in the playoffs), I get depressed... for at least a couple hours.

Only a couple hours? That doesn't sound like a real fan to you?

I should clarify that I am PHYSICALLY depressed for at least a couple hours, but the underlying competative fire is never put out until they win again.

I admit, I am not the kind of fan that tailgates, spend all my money on game tickets, and decorates my entire house in Purple and Gold (well, I don't do this since I started living with Denise:). Sure I have both Home and Away Lakers Jerseys with "Martinez" across the back. Sure I have a huge Lakers logo for my desktop wallpaper. Sure I drink almost exclusively out of my Lakers cup. Of course I have a Magic Johnson Action Figure...BUt who doesn't:) There are all kinds of ways to express ones fandom, mine is just a little more subtle in between games.

But make no mistake I am a Faithful Lakers fan, with my second favorite team being Anyone who plays the Celtics.

So where does this Lakers fanaticism come from? Why so Crazy about the Lakes!

I grew up in a very sports involved family. There was not a season that went by with out my siblings and I playing Baseball, basketball, vollyball, or football. We didn't just participate, we all excelled and if we were not the star players, we were KEY to the teams success. My family drank up the glory of victory and tears of defeat. Because of that, I was born into being a fan of all the local the Dodgers, Angels, Rams, Raiders, and of course the Lakers. But being born into a Lakers family is not really the reason I'm such a big Lakers fan.

Over time some of those other teams have dropped off of my radar for one reason or another.

The Rams dropped off because they moved to St. Louis. The Raiders dropped off because they moved back to Oakland. But more than that, over time I just really came to caring about Football at all. I just lost interest in it. Following suite I lost a lot of interest in baseball. The Angeles are okay, I don;t dislike them, but I can take them or leave them. I would say I am still a Dodgers fan, even though I don't follow baseball that close. I like the Dodgers because I like going to the ball games, that is fun, and I have a lot of great memories from my childhood at Dodger Stadium. So why have a stayed a big time Lakers fan? I would say that a big reason is I just LOVE basketball. In my life basketball has been one of the five things that bring me absolute happiness(Basketball,Art, Music, Star Wars, and Sex... c'mon if Sex doesn't bring you bliss, you may be doing it wrong:).

The other reason I 'm such a huge Lakers fan is one person... Magic Johnson. Magic is my all time favorite basketball player, and was my idol while I was growing up.

Watching Magic play was just awesome. You never knew what he was gonna do next, and it seemed like the each move he did was more incredible than the last. The feeling I remember most while watching Magic and the Lakers as kid was exhilarating. Some much so that it was one of the fist times I felt "I want to do that". So I guess you could say that I love basketball because Magic Johnson sparked a passion for the game in me. I would watch my lakers videos over and study the moves of my heroes Magic, James Worthy, Kareem Abdule Jabbar, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, AC Green, and all of the supporting cast that played with them through the years. During the 80's the Lakers won the World Championship 5 times, including Back to Back titles in 1987 and 1988. This was a lot of exciting basketball through out my childhood and I loved every minute.

But it wasn't just because of the winning and the excitement. The Lakers had a much more personal meaning to me while I was growing up. Much like Star Wars was for the Lakers represented something positive during a time in my life when there wasn't much to be happy about. I had a rough time with my parents getting divorced, and continuing to fight through out my whole life. Different circumstances made me a very insecure little kid, and I was pretty depressed most of the time.

My saving grace was my star Wars movies, and of course the Lakers. There was nothing I looked forward to more than Laker games. Every once in a while i was lucky enough to go to a live game at the Forum with my brother. Those were extra special times.

During a time in my life when I was really sad, Magic and the Lakers gave me excitement and hope. They made me believe that if you worked really hard you could accomplish your goals, or come really close to it.

So the Lakers became like family to me, and I shared all of their emotional ups and downs....and that tradition continues today.

I love the Lakers, and I will be glued to each and every game of this series.

Go Lakers! Make us all proud!!!!

Randy

Artist's block. Do's and don'ts to beat the BLAHS.

2009-06-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I get what I call artists block. I guess it's sort of like writers block, except it's not a lack of ideas, it's more a lack of motivation. It's a weird feeling because there you have a list of a TON of things you can and should do, but you just feel kind of BLAH. As noble as we all try to be as artists and say that we are always inspired by art... There is a shred of BS to that line.

I don;t think it matters what you do in life, no matter how passionate you are about it, sometimes we just get the "Blahs".

I'm not comparing careers or anything, but I can say that the BLAHS are a bit more difficult for the artist. Simply because to create art you do need at least a bit of inspiration to make good art. The worst thing you can do is sit there and poor out uninspired art. Everyone can see through it, and most of all you the artist know it. When you make a living with your art, it is important to learn ways to get over it quickly because deadlines don't wait for anyone.

So what do I do to get out of this feeling of lethargic creativity? Over the years I have tried many many many many many different things. Because the Blahs are brought on by different things, not every remedy is right for every kind of blah. So naturally, the first step is to figure out what brought this feeling of "Blah" on. This is not always easy. A lot of time it's difficult to slow down in life, meditate, and ask ones self "So what's the story there Sparky?" (sometimes a little self sarcasm helps ease the tension of that first pick at the ice). Sometimes, this could be the very problem we just start going to fast in life and don't meditate.

But if it's a little more deep than that I try to get everything out that I have been thinking about. Often, the BIG issue that is giving you the"Blahs" is something lingering in your head that won;t allow you to focus. It's like getting a sharp pebble in your shoe. You can walk around like, but it's constantly irritating you until you take the shoe off and remove the pebble.

If your like me, you have a TON of things floating around in your head. Even if I don;t have the BLAHS, I have difficulty organizing my thoughts.

The worst thing you can do is just think "Get over it. Push through it". If it's in the middle of a project your already working on, okay, I'll give you that, but if not, Never just "Get over". Work it out, and fix the issue or it will keep coming back to haunt you.

So here are some things I do to find the problem...

1. I talk to someone. Never doubt the power of human interaction. Talking to people is underrated sometimes. Granted you have to have some one to listen to you, and sometimes you can't find anyone free to talk, but if you can find a helping ear, just talk and listen back.

2. Write it down. This is probably one of the best ways to get things out and figure out what ails your mind. I actually need to do this more. The hard part is starting, but once you do everything starts flowing out. I like to number my thoughts, and then maybe even put a little star or two to denote something that has been on my mind a lot.

3. Write a Blog, Why do you think I'm writing this one right now?:)

4. Meditate, Go hike somewhere quiet in comfortable clothes and just chill. allow your self to completely space out. If you can learn deep meditation skills. Meditation, is sometimes the easiest way to clear your head and find out what the big issue with you is.

Once you find the issue, you have to find a way to fix it, or at least get the wheels in motion so it will be resolved. As I said before there are different remedy's for different BLAHS.

These are some remedies for different things that give me the BLAHS.

1. Exorcise, I am a firm believer that Exorcise helps EVERYTHING. IT's very simple, exorcising makes you feel good physically, it makes you feel good about yourself doing something good for your body, therefore it effects your demeanor and self esteem in countless positive ways. That boost in self esteem can usually help you feel like you can deal with any troubles in life, and helps you see things more clearly. Walks are good, but I find that a good sweat is the best. Get the blood pumpin' so all your focus is on your exorcise.

2. Eating Healthy, This is similar to Exorcise that it helps everything. Eating an ice cream might give you a jolt of good feeling, but then you feel like crap because you know you just ate crap your body doesn't really want. It's a knock to your self esteem. I don;t ever go HEALTH nut, but you know I opt for a healthy sandwich rather than a Burger or Pizza. Oh I eat bad too, but when I get the BLAHS junk food can put you further into the hole.

3. Go See a movie, I find that this is helpful if your stumped with creativity. Basically, your getting your mind off of your art, and you let someone else's art inspire you. For me a good movie will make me feel like creating something good myself, and a good movie will usually spark some sort of conversation afterward, and thus usually sparks an idea to create from. A bad movie is inspiring too. Bad movies make me feel like "I can do something more creative than that". Either way a movie usually gets me past the creative BLAHS.

4. Go do something fun. Anything, just get your mind off things and smile. Sometimes you just need a jolt of laughter and fun.

5. Fix something around the house, Helps you get your mind in the problem solving mode. Thinking step A, to step B might be the best thing for a BLAHS caused by say something wrong in a relationship. Helps you see that if it's broke you can fix it.

6. Spend some time with friends. Hangin' with friends and hearing about what they are doing can really help you put your issues in perspective. And your friends can sometimes help inspire you. Good for beating Blahs caused by routine (if your routine isn't already hanging with your friends).

7. Deal with it, Sometimes the issue is bigger than you are allowing your self to see it as. At this point you really just have to confront the issue and deal with it head on. If you've got money issue, sit down and figure out ways to make some money. If you're in love, profess that love. If your not getting along with someone sit down and work it out with them.

Sometimes it takes doing these steps more than once, but as long as you are taking positive steps to get out of the BLAHS you should be cool.

Well, writing this blog has helped me out a bit.

Instead of writing it, I need to go do it.

Till next time...

Randy

BTW, I know the image has nothing to do with BLAHS, but I thought it would be fun to post this ancient piece of work I did for self promo. Actually seeing the piece does inspire me...I see how far I have come since then. Not just with skills but from where I was in life back then. Wow, that does make me feel good.

50% Off Sketch Cards Sale ends on the June 15th 2009

2009-06-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't heard Denise and I made a move back to Hollywood! It is really great to be back home. Ventura was nice but LA is where we are connected.

Anyway, To celebrate my good mood:) I put on a 50% OFF sketch card sale through April and May. Well, I never really announced a cut off date, so I am officially extending the deadline to JUNE 15th 2009.

All Sketch Card orders (before June 15th) are 50%.

Black and Whites down to $20

Full color Sketch cards just $40

Panoramic Full Color Sketch Cards just $80

To order email me at randy@randymartinez.net

ATTENTION!

Order now because this is the VERY LAST TIME I will be offering my "Style A" sketch cards at these low prices!

Seriously, no way no how will you be able to get them this cheap again!

All orders after June 15th are subject to new 2009 Prices!

Yes, it is true my prices are going up a bit for my "Style A" artwork. Because of a bigger work load, and the amount of time it takes to render these little cards, I have to raise the price of my Style A Sketch cards.

What is Style A? (see attached samples)

Good question. Over the years I have tried a few different approaches to the style of art I put on my sketch cards. I've found the most popular so far has been a more realistic rendering of the subject I am drawing. I use many different colors, and use a multitude of Colored Pencil colors to render these up and get fine detail. It is a time consuming process.

I call this high rendered technique my "Style A" Sketch cards.

I do a number of other styles from Cartooning, and Caricature, to graphic design.

I am currently working on defining these styles Better, and thus will have the distinction of "Style B, C, and D"

All will have separate price tags, which will give collectors with small to large budgets the chance to own some of my art.

These Styles and prices will be announced very soon!

Thanks in advance everyone!

New iPhone

2009-06-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

So Denise and I broke down and finally got with the times and bought iPhones. All I can say is WOW! These things are so much more than I ever thought they were. I am so happy that we took the big step and entered 2009. I was really happy with my T-mobile slide phone that I had had for 3-4 years (and it looked 3-4 years old), and the service was fine, but I had been itching to get something new. I had been checking out the iphones a little, nd it seemed everyday friends, associate, and family were getting them. I was afraid it was all a fad, so I held out. Denise caught wind about a year or so ago, and increasingly wanted one. Just couldn't swing it. That was until Denise got a little birthday money and decided the iphone would be here prize! So we went into the Apple store down at the Grove in Los Angeles...which is always a dangerous place to go for us Mac users. End up buying half the store. So as denise was being helped and shown the features, i listened in, ask questions of my own, and started looking at everyone walking around with iphones. Then I kept looking at my old slide phone, then the iphones, then my slide phone... and I have to say that the moment swept me up and I said screw it, I'm getting one too (trusty credit card ready to go). I have to admit, I was DAZZLED before asking all the questions, and figuring how this was a MUST have for me. I just wanted it.

However, sometimes following your desires work out, and in this case it has. Having spent tow days with my iphone, I have discovered so many things that WILL make my life better, easier, and improve my buisiness practice. So it actually was a MUST have all this time. The appa are very cool, but right now, my favorite feature is how it syncs with our Macs and the Macs work as control centers for our phones. It really is revolutionary, in my life at least. I now have all my contacts, emails and everything in one spot, with my iphone acting as a satalite of my mac.

The most helpful part for me will be the info you can store about your contacts. I meet a lot of people out there at cons and in business. It makes it really tough to remember everyone on top of the fact that I am HORRIBLE with remembering how I know someone I've only mete a few times. I'll admit it, I'm HORRIBLe at it. But with the iphone, I can add photos and notes to how I know anyone in my contact list. It's like having an extra brain!

The only down side I have found to my iphone is that it is so damned addicting. I spent an hour just playing with the lightsaber app. OMG how fun is this simple little app?

Part of the addiction is setting everything up for the iphone. My ipod lay lists, iphoto albums, movies, contacts, calendar, wall paper, and OMG ring tones!

How stupid is the ring tone idea, but how brilliant at the same time. Do we really need fancy ringtones? Hell no. But can we get enough? Not on your life. And itunes knows this, so they charge an extra .99 cents for it. But it rocks because you get to create your own 30 second ringtone from the full song that you buy from itunes. But still, for under $2.50 you get a complete song, and ring tone (if you ever decide to make a ring tone out of the song).

I made three!

I like to change the tone from time to time, and some tones are better to use in a loud room.

My default right now is the "Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes back.

But I also made ring tones out of Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop" (Opening riff and verse Makes a great ring)

And "Nobodies Fault but mine". This is my LOUD room ring.

I used to use the opening riff to ACDCs "Highway to Hell" on my slide phone, but I kind of played it out, so Wanted something new.

I have a couple songs in mind once these songs get old.

"Basketball Jones"-Cheach and Chong

"Superman Theme"- John Williams

"Asteroid Field"-from Empire Strikes back

So now I have pretty much everything set up. So I better get some work done!

If you thought about it, go get an iphone, especially if you are a mac user! This rocks!

X-Men Archives Sketch Cards

2009-06-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned a little here and there but never fully announced that I will be part of the much anticipated Trading card/Sketch card set of "X-men Archives". These cards are being produced by Rittenhouse Archives Ltd. and will be available at most hobby shops or online. This is a Really fun set which covers everything and anything that has to do with the Xmen. I tried to cover as many characters as I could on 100 cards. Of course I did some different variations of popular characters Like Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, and Rogue (Just to name a few), but I also did a hand full of bad guys too. This will be my first run with Rittenhouse, and I'm very excited as I have wanted to work with them for years.

Xmen Archives will be released: July 8, 2009

Get more info and samples here: Rittenhouse Archives LTD.

Workin' Out

2009-06-01T09:45:00.001-07:00

Here I am again, tying to wake up, and get my butt out the door to the gym. I love the gym, but I hate waking up. I go in the morning for a couple of reasons. First and foremost because here in Hollywood, that is when people get together to play Basketball at the YMCA. Seemed weird to me at first when I started going about 6-7 years ago. But it makes sense. Most everyone that works out and plays at the Y during the morning hours works in the entertainment business. Most everyone works AFTER 12 noon, so the morning run is perfect for all of us. I Love basketball, so to get my fix first thing in the morning 3 times a week is like heaven to me.

It's ,y goal to lose some weight...okay, a lot of weight and get back to looking HOT. I wanna feel great inside again and Basketball is my best means to getting there. Running, Jumping, Shooting, and the best work out of all is wrestling for rebounding position. Yeah, I come home with cuts and bruises that Denise hates to see, but it's the only way I LIKE to exorcise. treadmills and machines bore me.

I love playing in the morning because it gets that great work out in and it leaves me energized for the rest of the day. Problem is when I stay up late, it makes it REALLY hard to get up.

But my other motivation to go is the community at the gym. Over the last 5-7 years at the Y I have made some really great friends that I love to see. So playing basketball is not only my work out, it's all my social activity...one of them anyway.

Okay, So I'm about ready to split here. My eyes are staying open now:)

Time to sweat and get in shape!!

Twitter

2009-05-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, you really knowhow behind you are in tech until you sit down to catch up. The network lines on what connects to what where is confusing:) I think my problem is I'm actually trying to understand.

I created two twitters, one for news, and one for general B.S. Why not put them both on one?

Well, my website is going to hold a News feed, and I only want the news on my website, not the fun banter I have on my regular twitter.

I dig how you can share your blogger blogs with Twitter, and it gives a link to the blog.

One of the reasons I rarely wrote a blog is that I wanted it to go on all my network pages and my website.

I am trying to get better at the blogging thing, and get more connected with everyone concerning all things. I'm trying, really am:)

So there, my first blog on blogger, now to see it zip to twitter!

Creating more web presence

2009-05-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

Trying to figure out how to catch up with the times concerning blogs and tweets and all that.

It's frustrating, but I'm told it will help me:)