Hear The 2007 Al Bigley Radio Interviews!

Click below to hear my 2007 radio interviews for Canada's CJAD station! Helmed by the great Peter Anthony Holder, listen in as he asks me about my career, my "how to" book, advice for beginning commercial artists, and so much more!

Want to hear more terrific audio from Peter Anthony Holder? Just click here!

1940s "Golden Age" Batman Sketch! DC Comics!

For this one, I was inspired by images from the first BATMAN stories, published in the late 1930s! Batman was first presented as a sleek, lithe, and "bare-bones" kinda character then, with a simple costume that was soon to evolve...

Below: The first apearance of "The Bat-Man," in a 1939 issue of DETECTIVE COMICS!

I also wanted a simple stance for the character, based on the panel above, so I stared doodling, as you can see in the sketches below:

Below: The final pencils, ready for transfer to the board! I looked at the simple style of Batman's "hood," the odd angle of the ears, the early utility belt, incorporating all...

Below: The final inks, with the border and shadows added to the background...I wanted to use some kind of logo in the composition, and chose a modified 1966 BATMAN TV show logo! It was simple, stark, bold, and had the most drama!

The SHADOW Knows! The Making of a Fan Commission Piece! 2012 Artwork!

Here is a great and fun commission from an overseas SHADOW fan! He wanted something mysterious, but action-filled, with all the Shadow trademarks (cape, scarf, slouch hat, etc...), including a dramatic close-up of the 1930s pulp magazine hero! Click each image to enlarge each of my steps!

Below: My starting doodles, trying to zero in on exactly what I wanted. You can see the hashed-out facial close-up below the figure...

Below: Getting closer, with the main figure and outfit much more developed, and the idea of the close-up on the right now in place...

Below: The finished close-up put in place (after being flopped), via Photoshop! Now to figure out how the cape and scarf will be arranged behind the figure, and how they'll frame the face...

Below: The final pencils, ready to be transferred to bristol board and inked! Still had yet to finalize Shadow's famous weapons!

Below: The final inked illo! I wanted the cape and scarf, along with the cape trim, to come together and create a swirling mass, one where it would be hard to tell what was what, as they coalesced to form the positive and negative space around the facial close-up on the right! Almost forgot Shadow's famous ring!

The Making of the 2012 WONDER WOMAN Charity Illustration! DC Comics!

I once again wanted to produce something for the terrific WONDER WOMAN DAY charity auction, so I set about sketching up some ideas to get started! I wanted to do something a bit more abstract, and maybe incorporate a cape in order to get more blue into the design (the Wonder Woman outfit has very little blue in it)...Click below to enlarge my first initial rough pencil sketches!

Below: Getting the powerful (but graceful) figure to where I wanted it! I modified portions of her outfit to better accentuate the flow of the figure and pose!

Below: The final inked version, ready for color! 

Below: The computer-colored finished illo! I subbed in a simpler, computer-rendered version of 70s WW actress Lynda Carter's face, making the character appear softer and more interesting...I also added bits of white reflection to her body, in order to tie parts of the figure and outfit together...

Want to bid on the art and print, and help out a great charity? Just click here!

Here Come the WILDCATS! School Mascot Superhero Designs!

Here are some fun character designs for a high school in central Flordia! The school has used "the Wildcats" as their mascots for years, and wanted a male and female superhero team designed, using only that name in mind! Of course, it was difficult to not rely on the established DC Comics "Wildcat" character, so I leaned more toward a "panther" direction in their creation!  In addition to the usual "superhero" look, I added more fur on the outfits, capes, tails, and claws for both the hands and feet! Of course, the school's (Wesley Chapel High) specially-designed "logo" appears on their outfits, as per any self-respecting superhero! Click below to enlarge the pencil rough designs, as well as the finished inked versions!

FANTASTIC FOUR! Original Sketchcard Artwork! The Thing! Marvel Comics!

Here is a small sample of my one-of-a-kind "sketchcards" for a recent Marvel Comics/Rittenhouse Archives trading card set! A certain amount of packs had these hand-drawn cards inserted into each, as a buyer's incentive! I was allowed to utilize any character from the FANTASTIC FOUR's five-decade history, so you'll see not only the main FF members, but also such lesser-known characters as Black Bolt, Medusa, Puppet Master, and many more! These small pieces or art were created using artist's pencil, a variety of inking pens, and colored pencil! Click here to see my work for DC Comics' own card sets! Click to enlarge images below!

Remembering The TITANIC! Pencils From a 2009 Educational Graphic Novel!

With all the recent talk about the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's tragic voyage, I thought I'd present some pages of pencil art I created for a 2009 educational graphic novel about the doomed vessel! The publishers produced a series of such hard-cover comics, all to be placed in schools, and covering a variety of subjects, such as history, science, and even pop culture topics! Ton of reference and research was invloved, but I tried to imbue the final pencils with a sense of movement, action, and engaging fun! Click to enlarge!

HUMAN TORCH Commission! The Making of a Color Illustration!

A while back, I was commissioned by a fan to create a color illustration of the Fantastic Four's own combustible kid, the HUMAN TORCH! I knew I wanted to show the Torch in action, but what about creating a full scene that could also make for an interesting composition and background? I wanted to use an obscure villain, Tomazooma, a colorful (and oversized) foe who appeared in a 1968 FF issue! I was now off and running! Click all images to enlarge!

Below:The rough pencil sketch of the Torch, working out his flying pose and expression...

Below: Work begins on the background, as well as roughing out the overall composition and relationship of the figures!

Below: Zeroing in on the final layout! After scanning in my pencil roughs, I moved, cut/pasted, flipped, and composed much of the design in Photoshop, even roughing in the "fire burst"and direction the Torch will take in the final art! I also liked how this final composition created a great sense of depth! 

Below:The final color illustration, finished in marker and ink!

Read All About Al! 2012 INSPIRED VIEWPOINTS Article and Pics!

Click here to enjoy a great article I was asked to write, by the fine (and creative) folks at INSPIRED VIEWPOINTS magazine! I discuss my career, influences, art/cartooning teaching, upcoming new projects, and so much more!