Ben started by [...]]]> Ben Dewey produced this custom cover painting for the Hero Initiative’s latest benefit and he’s decided to make it count. The image in question features no less than 19 of the Avengers of past and present teams, assembled to help raise money at auction for retired and struggling comics professionals.

Ben started by looking at Wikipedia for the rosters of the Avengers in various incarnations and with the help of other studio members whittled his initially insane list of “every single avenger ever” down to a couple sticky notes filled with a manageable number of names. “It started as a way to challenge myself” Ben said, “I had done a Josie and the Pussycats cover for The Hero initiative before and I wanted to top that image.”

Initial Sketches

blocking in characters

More underpainting

It took about 20 hours and in the long run Ben had to yield to a similar pragmatism in the process of painting; “Sometimes you have to stop before something gets over worked. I realized it would be tough to get it totally polished at the scale I was working and that I’d better put down my brush before I went nuts trying to render everything.”

Refined rough with some detail

Refined Rough 2 (cover detail)

More of his work can be found the upcoming book BADASS! by Ben Thompson. He’s also illustrating the autobiography of former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, and has a story in a Robert E Howard anthology coming soon from Dark Horse Comics.

Ben updates his free web comic, Tales from the White Pony on Monday and Thursday.

More info on the benefit auction and [...]]]> This week we’ll be showcasing a series of Archie Covers done by Periscope members for the Hero Initiative. Hero Initiative is a charity providing aid to comics legends who find themselves in need. First up: a cover drawn by Rich Ellis featuring Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

More info on the benefit auction and how to get involved with the Hero Initiative.

Comix 4 Sight is a benefit to help veteran comics writer John Ostrander pay for surgeries not covered by [...]]]> Three 6″X9″ watercolor & ink sketches by Colleen Coover are on eBay to benefit Comix 4 Sight! . You can view and bid on all of the items that are currently up for auction, here!

Comix 4 Sight is a benefit to help veteran comics writer John Ostrander pay for surgeries not covered by his health insurance, but necessary to prevent his losing his sight to glaucoma.

Bidding ends September 14, 2009 (20:05:38 PDT), so get on it!

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And although we ran out of blank covers the studio hasn’t run out of intiative with members providing cards and illustrations. Today is a Wolverine card [...]]]> This is Wolverine 100 week at Periscope Studio! The Hero Initiative has received cover illustrations by Steve Lieber, Colleen Coover, Jeff Parker, and Dustin Weaver.

And although we ran out of blank covers the studio hasn’t run out of intiative with members providing cards and illustrations.
Today is a Wolverine card by Dylan Meconis.

Dustin Weaver's sketch cover of Wolverine-Weapon X for The Hero Initiative