Artwork of the Day 8.16.11

I've decided to switch up how I post "Artwork of the Day". Instead of just featuring one artist I'm going to showcase at least five or more. It's a better use of space and (my) time and I think the Poison Ivy themed pieces look great when grouped together. I've kept the images relatively big to avoid having to zoom so be ready. That said, on with the show!

Joshua Middleton

This is probably my favorite of the bunch. The porcelain skin contrasted with the blood orange colored hair is divine. Quite elegant.

Andrea Rhodes

I love this stylized take on Poison Ivy. The olive green is a smart choice and the blown kiss dust skull and crossbones is genius.

Cinar

The loose sketch technique mixed with watercolors in this piece appeals to me. A very lush scene for our May Queen.

Arthur Adams

I'm floored by the lines in Arthur Adams drawing of Poison Ivy. That costume is obviously inspired by The New Batman Adventures style.

Bot

This is darling - from the flytrap to the Uma inspired hair cones. A wicked doll! I'm a huge fan of this style - be sure to check out the rest of the rogues from this collection.

Read more »

Poison Ivy Pin Up by Maria Danalakis

I don't spend a lot of time on Etsy but found myself there the other day browsing wigs of all things. (Halloween is only about twelve weeks away my friends!) Etsy showcases the arts and crafts of those willing to sign up and put their efforts out there. Some good, some bad. I decided to search for "Poison Ivy" related creations and found quite a few interesting things. That is what lead me to this adorable Poison Ivy pinup by Maria Danalakis.

She is sooo cute I could just pinch her lovely little poisonous cheeks. It's done in a retro style complete with victory roll pinup hair and a darling leaf dress to match. The gloves are a nice touch. So elegant. Maria also has prints of Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Cheetah and a few other familiar dames. Her prices are very reasonable. So be sure to check her out!

[Maria Danalakis at Etsy]

Read more »

Louie Vitiello's Lifesize Poison Ivy

I find a certain amount of joy whenever I stumble upon something Poison Ivy related - especially when it wasn't planned. Such is the case here with Louie Vitiello's lifesize Poison Ivy figure. This is a special find because it's something I've always wanted to do (but have not). My hesitation is mostly due to finances but also because I don't have the room.

From Louie's blog:

I am a NYC based artist. Though I like to work on many things, my favorite subject is superheroes, or more so the supervillains.

The mannequins are my specialty; making life size statues of my favorite characters. They are all hand painted/sprayed. Each one is signed, numbered and dated on the foot. Alas, living in NYC, I don't have the space to store them so I am forced to let them go from time to time.

What an absolutely amazing and fun hobby - and she's a beauty (see below). I love the bright and bold colors. The hair is also a great choice. This look appears to be inspired by various interpretations of Poison Ivy. I see a bit of Uma Thurman's costume mixed with the classic costume (Brian Apthorp style).

Check out Louie Vitiello's tumblr page for more images of this piece and other projects including Catwoman, Emma Frost, Mystique and more.

[louievitiello.tumblr.com]

Read more »

Cover of the Day : Gotham City Sirens #12

I suppose I should clarify. The gorgeous image you will see below is what was supposed to be the cover to Gotham City Sirens #12. Guillem March does not go into detail about why this cover was abandoned in favor of an image featuring Catwoman and Harley Quinn. But if you go to his blog you will see the preliminary sketches for this concept.

To the right is the cover that was actually used. While not bad I can't help but question why they *slighted Poison Ivy. Actually - after skimming through the book it's about one third Ivy and the rest is devoted to Catwoman's arc. (I'll give them that.) Remember that during this period Poison Ivy went under cover as Dr. Paula Irving at S.T.A.R. Labs to get her hands on rare plant samples. Naturally. But, like I said, this particular issue barely touched on Poison Ivy's story beyond her breaking free from Alisa's cage. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well then read the book! Forewarning - the art style tends to jump back and forth during this multi-issue storyline. Some is quite bad but I'll let you figure out what I'm talking about. Ahem.

Now about that cover. I don't know why I always feel compelled to defend March and his style. I suppose it's because one thing I've learned over the last few years (since he first hit) is that a certain contingent of comic book readers quickly dismiss his style as exploitive. It's certainly sensual at times but I don't think it's out of line. He's no Jim Balent (thankfully). The following piece is a perfect example of his ability to mix technical skill and sex appeal.

There she is - Poison Ivy posing as Dr. Paula Irving getting up to no good. I love the effect of her skin not being completely flesh toned as she turns away. So defiant! That sneer is one for the record books too. The detail given to all the lab equipment is pretty much amazing. I admire an artist who can draw without changing the weight of his or her lines. Maybe next time Dr. Irving. Also, don't worry, I won't be adding this much commentary to every Cover of the Day post. (Ha!)

*Allow me to slip into a conspiracy theorist head space for a moment. Fans of a certain character - let's just say she's a jewel thief - were incensed that Poison Ivy was often placed in the middle (or that she often took up more cover space than the other Sirens). But this wasn't true. I suspect there was enough noise to refocus the marketing of this title. Hence this cover never seeing print.

Read more »

Artwork of the Day : 1978 Calendar

Poison Ivy and The Floronic Man battle Batgirl and Robin!

This artwork is from the DC Comics 1978 Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters. (The month of May.) Poison Ivy is seen here in a classic style along side The Floronic Man in a dynamic throw down. We have longtime artists Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin to thank for this fun piece.
[comicartcommunity.com]

Read more »

"DC Women" by Felipe Massafera

Every now and then I see a piece of art that leaves me speechless. This panel done by Felipe Massafera is one of those times. It was submitted for public viewing on June 24, 2009 but I only noticed it today. Shame!

I happened upon this piece when I found myself at the DC Women Kicking Ass tumblr. (Upon last viewing it is their current header.) Of course my eyes immediately darted to lower left when I spied a woman wearing green lipstick with leaves in her hair. It's Poison Ivy and a determined Batgirl looking for a fight with the rest of DC's finest females in tow.

"DC Women" by Felipe Massfera

I honestly don't know much about Felipe Massafera as of this writing but I do plan on spending some quality time at his deviantART page. His work is immaculate and immediately evokes the style of Alex Ross. However, there's a certain glamour in this piece that differs from Ross. I think Alex Ross has a tendency to portray his women in an overly masculine (tough) style. Whereas Massafera allows his female characters to be strong yet feminine.

Poison Ivy detail

Upon arriving at the deviantART page that features this piece I noticed Mr. Massafera doesn't share many details about this panel beyond these few words.

This is a commission i did for my friend Hao last year, it was really fun paint all these beauties, many thanks to my friends Lara and Aline who posed for me. Its gouache on strathmore illustration board.

I don't mind the brief remarks because something this beautiful speaks for itself in so many ways. It's wonderful and atmospheric and frankly I wish I could be there to watch this battle take place. Bravo!

Read more »

"Club Villain" by Your Favorite Martian

I discovered this video while browsing the Comics Alliance website. The preview image featured stylized cartoon versions of Catwoman and Harley Quinn so I decided to check it out. The basic premise is that the main character Ray finds himself at a new joint in town called "Club Villain". Once inside he discovers that Club Villain caters specifically to supervillains from all genres. He hangs out and spies the room only to discover the lust of his life, Poison Ivy, is seated across from him. You can watch the rest below...

That's when I saw her there, from across the room,
Poison Ivy doing Jell-o shots with Dr. Doom.
Like the Eye of Sauron, I couldn't look away.
She was with some Joker, but the dude was probably gay.

Read more »

Deadly Garden: Banner 8/6/09

As you've probably noticed, there's a new banner for the blog. The original banner was more or less a place holder until I could come up with something unique. My style is...well I don't know how I would self identify. I prefer a pin-up style; gorgeous and glamorous depictions of people and life. Poison Ivy is an ideal candidate for such a thing. Her coloring and shape (including the spiraling hair and vines) lend themselves to fantasy and beauty.

My original concept was fairly cliched. Poison Ivy casting lusty gazes while surrounded by lively plants. And you know what? It works. That's why it's been done hundreds of times. Below is my original sketch for this piece. I'm fairly no nonsense (and often broke) so I just doodled this on a page in an old sketchbook.


I tend to not follow rules when it comes to inking. In fact, this time around I used nothing more than a simple Bic ball point pen. It's easy to push/pull a line in any direction without a lot of mess. I also don't do a lot of crosshatching. I'm not good at it so I rarely bother. However, it does leave the inked image looking a bit "coloring book-ish" in appearance. Pretty though.


When coloring images I like to mix a slightly airbrushed effect with a mostly flat background. I've figured that if everything is eye-popping sparkly you run the danger of treading into Lisa Frank territory. So the more detailed surfaces and colors go to the focal point. I prefer a more sallow skin tone for Poison Ivy rather than the She-Hulk green that is often used. There is such a thing as too much green (even in this instance). To push the image further I decided to go with colored ink lines instead of the standard black. It really makes things pop. I recently learned a new Photoshop technique to do that very thing. I had been doing it the hard way -- but this new process is so much easier.


And there you have it. My little effort to bring beauty to this neck of the woods (pun intended). I really do enjoy drawing -- especially this character. So we'll see what the future holds. FYI by clicking on those images you can see larger versions.

Read more »

Dustin Nguyen

I've been familiar with the art of Dustin Nguyen for some time -- most notably his comic book covers. He was the featured artist for Detective Comics before moving over to Batman: Streets of Gotham with Paul Dini.

I happened upon his blog when following a link (from a link from a link). While there I decided to view all of his Poison Ivy art pieces. I found quite a few nice offerings. Traditional art pieces as well as more stylistic and cartoonish renderings.

His techniques are varied. Dustin uses a mixture of pens, pencils, watercolors (his signature) and the occasional program like Photoshop. A nice mixture of old and new. Though he doesn't overuse the software (thankfully) so his art retains an illustrative feel.

Dustin's Poison Ivy is a simple girl. She's often seen wearing nothing more than a leaf leotard. Perhaps the occasional pair of tights and boots. Sometimes no fuss is the way to go. Be sure to check out his SDCC 2009 print too. It features Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn on street bikes.

Read more »