Ethan Mongin Illustration

Birthday Card for my Sister

2012-02-09T13:00:00.001-08:00

Police Illustration for Graphic Truths Studios

2012-02-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

Post Card Illustration for Graphic Truths Studios

2012-02-08T22:30:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Heat Viper

2012-02-07T22:58:00.001-08:00

Columbia Crossroads Women's Bible Study Posters

2012-02-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

I've recently worked on several posters for a women's Bible study meeting at Columbia Crossroads. There are three different campuses, so I designed a specific poster for each campus with similar imagery.

Poster for the Downtown Columbia Crossroads campus

Poster for the Saint Andrews Columbia Crossroads campus

Poster for the Killian Road Columbia Crossroads campus

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Frag Viper

2012-01-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Eco Warrior Flint

2012-01-27T23:45:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Cross Country

2012-01-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Cobra EEL

2012-01-24T21:44:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Dr. Mindbender

2012-01-24T20:32:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Road Pig

2012-01-24T18:02:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Cesspool

2012-01-24T16:55:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Rock & Roll

2012-01-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Dojo

2012-01-22T21:58:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Stalker, Hardball, Range Viper

2012-01-22T20:11:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Cobra Night Creeper

2012-01-22T18:10:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Colored Cobra S.A.W. Viper

2012-01-22T17:44:00.001-08:00

This guy loves life....Can't you tell?

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Colored Cobra Crimson Guard Immortal

2012-01-22T13:23:00.001-08:00

Worried Illustration

2012-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

A recent illustration of mine involving the current state of world events. With Iran looking to create a nuclear weapon and the general economic upheaval of the United States, I feel that most Americans are pretty worried about the future.

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Crimson Guard Immortal, Hardball

2012-01-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

Crimson Guard Immortal

Hardball

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Stalker

2012-01-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Crimson Guard Commander

2012-01-15T21:51:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Road Pig, Saw Viper, Storm Shadow

2012-01-15T19:40:00.001-08:00

Road Pig

Storm Shadow

Saw Viper

Dino Rider Fan Art

2012-01-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Exquisite Terrible Art Show Submission: Robinson Crusoe, War of the Worlds, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula

2012-01-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Bob Jones University put out a call for art grads to participate in an upcoming art show called "Exquisite Terrible". I toyed with several ideas for art pieces, and finally decided to illustrate the theme of the show through literature. The "exquisite" are four well-written books that involve "terrible" elements as major plot points. From left to right, I illustrated scenes from Robinson Crusoe, War of the Worlds, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Dracula. The books I chose are linked though the uniqueness of their plot conflicts. Robinson Crusoe deals with man verses nature, War of the Worlds deals with man verses the otherworldly, Dr. Jekyll deals with man verses himself, and Dracula deals with man verses the supernatural.

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Interrogator

2012-01-11T19:29:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Battle Corps Dr. Mindbender

2012-01-09T23:59:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Eco Warriors Cesspool

2012-01-09T22:06:00.001-08:00

Dino Rider Artwork

2012-01-09T19:56:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Frag Viper

2012-01-09T19:54:00.001-08:00

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Battle Corps Snowjob

2012-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

Battle Corps Snowjob

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Dojo, Flak Viper, Salvo

2012-01-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Dojo

Flak Viper

Salvo

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Snake Eyes and Muskrat

2012-01-07T23:26:00.000-08:00

Muskrat...the most subtle undercover agent I ever owned as a toy...

Snake Eyes....my favorite version of him as a child...

G. I. Joe and Cobra Fan Art: Eco Warrior Flint, Range Viper

2012-01-07T11:39:00.001-08:00

Eco Warrior Flint

Range Viper

G. I. Joe Fan Art: Tunnel Rat

2012-01-05T21:18:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite G. I. Joes ever....Tunnel Rat in all his glory.

GI Joe Fan Art: Cobra Eel

2012-01-03T20:09:00.001-08:00

I loved these guys when I was a kid....I had at least three of this action figure. I think it was the yellow and blue colors and the spiky bits....

New Years Sketches: Death Elf, Woose, Pancakes

2012-01-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

So my wife and I have a running joke every time we pass a sex-store along the interstate. We imagine that one of three unsavory characters works in the establishment. Starting from the left, the employees are either Koko the Inappropriate Clown, the sock puppet Mr. Snakey, or the Super Religious God Bless You Vampire.

This last December was the sketchbook birthday of Death Elf and Woose. My wife and I decided to celebrate their birthday by enjoying a meal at their birthplace, The Pancake House in Columbia, SC. A fun time was had by all, including the birthday boys.

Gijoe Fan Art: Night Creeper

2012-01-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

My second favorite GI Joe character from childhood, the awesome-looking Night Creeper!

Gijoe Fanart: Shockblast

2011-12-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

The nostalgia bug bit me for the Gijoe comics I read when I was a kid...thought I'd draw a couple of my favorite Joes, starting with Shockblast (or Shockwave).

Gun Bunny Comic Character Designs

2011-12-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

Some character designs for a project I'm working on right now. All characters from a psycho-animal-mad scientist world.

Good Shepherd Comic

2011-12-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

This is a birthday present for my father in law. He was one of the first men to fly a mission into Iraq during the first 36 hours of the Iraq invasion. During his mission, he saw an Iraqi shepherd that reminded him of the Good Shepherd passage in Psalms.

Final Cirque Du Soleil Alegria Poster

2011-12-18T07:31:00.001-08:00

Death Elf and Woose's Homeworld

2011-12-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

Diagram of Death Elf and Woose's Homeworld.

Death Elf and Woose Christmas Greetings!

2011-12-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Death Elf and Woose search for the true meaning of Christmas....candy!

Geisha tattoo, version 2

2011-12-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

I decided to revisit my Geisha tattoo idea and simplify it.

Cirque du Soleil Alegria Poster

2011-12-11T23:58:00.000-08:00

A poster for Alegria, a Cirque du Soleil show that came through Columbia recently.

Christmas Drawing Commission

2011-12-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a commission that I've just completed for a couple in North Carolina. I took a reference photograph that they provided me and turned it into a 14 x18 pen and ink drawing.

Here's the reference photo that was given to me.

Lillie and Mr. Fang Comic 2

2011-11-28T19:30:00.001-08:00

Page 1

Page 2

A Christmas Carol Poster

2011-11-26T18:20:00.001-08:00

Christmas Carol Poster

Awkward Penguin and Prickles Comic

2011-11-25T17:06:00.001-08:00

Intro to a comic my wife and I are putting together about married life...

Uncouth Thanksgiving Cards

2011-11-25T00:40:00.001-08:00

I was inspired to make Thanksgiving cards for several of my comic characters today.

Thanksgiving Greetings!

2011-11-23T22:11:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Greetings from the Mongins.

Painting Study

2011-11-23T18:51:00.001-08:00

Acrylic painting study for an upcoming oil painting commission. Just something quick to get an idea of what to do for the final.

Advent Conspiracy Church Posters and Handouts

2011-11-16T12:18:00.001-08:00

Another project for my local church. Two posters and some handouts for a Christmas fundraiser.

Christmas Toy Trade Posters and Handouts

2011-11-16T12:07:00.001-08:00

More projects for our local church. I created a 4x6 handout, an 8.5 x 11 poster, and an 11 x 17 poster for the upcoming Christmas fundraiser and outreach.

Church Christmas Play Posters and Handouts

2011-11-16T12:03:00.001-08:00

Some promotional projects that I've been working on for Columbia Crossroads St. Andrews Church in Columbia, SC.

Library Book Sale

2011-10-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

The Richland County Public Library recently held their annual fall book sale. It couldn't have been a better event. My wife and I got up early, drove to the library where the sale was being held, and arrived the instant the doors opened. We spent a good two hours crammed in with a hundred or so people picking through the books for sale. I, being the dork that I am, instantly sought out any comic books that I could find, followed by fine art, theology, and history non-fiction books.

I feel that I struck gold in the comic book categories. I had $15 on me and I picked up the following comic books as well as an extensive book on Salvador Dali and a book on fantastic surreal art by Italian Romanticists. My wife stocked up on a box or two of books for her 4th grade classroom. Afterwards, we had exactly two dollars left to our names, so we trotted over to the local comic book shop and purchased several .50 comics that we plan to frame and hang in our hallway among our family pics. All in all, it was a tremendous date. A beautiful October morning, comics, wifey, and thrifty shopping. Pretty much the closest thing to utopia on earth for myself.

This was the biggest find of the book sale. This is the very first graphic novel featuring the ninja turtles. It also holds the honor of being the very first comic book I ever checked out of the local library. It holds a special place in my heart. It's a object that I associate with the better memories of spending time with my dad and grandparents...and the less savory memories of my sister getting angry at me for not letting her read my comic book. She stole the book from me and found a mild profanity on one of the pages. She showed the page to my parents and promptly got me banned from checking out comic books from the library for the longest time....yeah...so good times and bad times. An awesome book. And it only cost me $2.

I'm not a big transformers fan. I liked the toys as a kid, but there's no love lost or nostalgia for them in my heart. I'm probably one of the few people who have more fond memories of the Beast Wars toys and tv show than the G1 toys and cartoons. That said, the artwork of this comic was interesting to me, one of the first transformers comics that ever caught my attention. Also a 2 dollar purchase.

My wife and I are huge Firefly fans, so of course I purchased this. $2 again....and cheapskates the world around let out a muffled "awwwwwww"....

I was introduced to this Batman comic while in undergrad. The entire story is told in watercolor paintings, an amazing feat in itself. What makes this book more important in my eyes is that the story deals with religious themes and the illustrator is a believer in the Bible. $2.

The Asterix comics are the epitome of perfect sequential artwork, no way I was going to pass up this at a $2 price tag.

Not a huge fan of the Clone Wars stuff outside of the CN animated miniseries that preceded the release of the final movies in the prequel saga. The artwork in this was just a step removed from the awesome samurai jack inspired clone wars artwork, so I purchased it for a dollar.

I'm a huge fan of Frank Millar's Sin City artwork. The crime noir and black and white grotesqueries found in these comics were a major influencer in my undergraduate years. I love the size and feel of these books as well, they simply scream out to you to read and prize the book as a cherished object. At $2, I was ecstatic to find this...my favorite find after the Ninja Turtles book.

Books A Million Sale

It probably seems like I've been purchasing a ton of comic books recently. Well, I have. I've found a number of sales, so when I can purchase comics at an affordable price, I'll stock up on them. I hadn't purchased any comics for about ten years until my last year of graduate school. Graphic novels were just too expensive when one is paying out the wazzoo for undergraduate school, working a job or two, and trying to maintain good enough grades to get into graduate school. When in graduate school, I found myself with a little more disposable income and I stumbled onto book sales. Our local Books A Million has a shelf of clearance comics that I've been visiting when I have a little expendable cash. The books below were purchased for $15 the other week, at 75% off the cover price.

I love the main story in this book as well as the artwork. The story is perfect comic book material, outlandish and bizarre. It involves aliens, cows, circus freaks, and the Thing. The artwork is wonderful, sort of a Geof Darrow-light with nicer coloring than Hard Boiled.

I'm not usually a fan or realistic artwork, but this comic's cover really grabbed my attention. The first short story in this book has a cartoon/realism aesthetic that I really enjoy. I wish I could emulate it.

I like the concept of this graphic novel. It tells a fracture narrative that builds up over a period of decades and then intersects with many comic story lines from the 80's that I remember reading as a child. Not a huge fan of the artwork, but the artist makes Mr. Sinister look badass and the story telling from a writing perspective has a great nostalgic hook.

A Christmas Carol Poster Inks

2011-10-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

The next poster that I'm currently working on...

Artistic Inspiration: Amazing Spiderman Trade Paperbacks

2011-10-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've quickly become a huge fan of the Amazing Spiderman "The Gauntlet" trade paperbacks. I love how each of the five books reintroduces classic villains in very sympathetic ways. Back stories are recreated with more pathos and emotion, and elaborated in short stories that relate to events in larger narratives. The lizard stories in this particular issue are very well written, and the coloring and thick line art in the issue are pretty eye catching.

The way this guy draws women's faces...EPIC!

Huge fan of the inking in this comic.

I love how this sequence plays out. The coloring and narrow horizontals really hype the tension.

More examples of great facial expressions from this book.

I'm not as huge of a fan of the stories found in this trade...but there is one out-of-the-box illustrated one that immediately caught my eye. I like that Marvel lets some not so "comic booky" artists work on the shorter, more humorous stories. The artwork really pushes the rather lackluster writing and gags into a better place when it's allowed to be unorthodox and whimsical.

Sexy.

Love the sequencing of this page.

This villain is pretty fly.

Much love for the typography of this and the following page.

Type = orgasm

Well-drawn faces.

Artistic Inspiration: Jill Thompson

2011-10-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

I just discovered Jill Thompson's work at the local library. I love her watercolors. The rich colors make me pee with glee a little every time I see them.

Artistic Inspiration: Sonny Liew's Wonderland

2011-10-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hands down, one of my favorite artistic interpretations of Wonderland!

I love the panels in this sequence.

The evil little cats are freaking incredible. So fever dream inspired.

I like the caterpillar's shape, nose especially.

Another great sequence. Love the pink and severed head in the same panel.

This is a great way to introduce wonderland, it's one of the book's first double page spreads.

Comic Line Art: Lily and Mr. Fang

2011-10-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Page 1

Page 2

Line art for a comic that a college buddy and I hatched up over the summer.

Sketches of "The Help", "Troll Hunter", and others...

2011-10-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Cops and Robbers...my style.

Modern Day Gangster...Vs....

...Old School Gangster....

Sketch of a scene from the movie, The Help.

Sketch from the movie, Troll Hunter.

A final sketch of the Geisha.

Inked version of a funeral sketch I did in July.

Death Elf and Woose, Webcomic Prologue

2011-10-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

The first couple of pages of Death Elf and Woose's web comic prologue.

My Studio

2011-10-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

The studio as it stands...had the in-laws over today for a visit and figured I'd snap a pic or two of the studio before I messed it all up again.

Dorky Birthday Card Collages

2011-09-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Sooooooo....I like to make dorky little photo collages for my family member's birthdays. The collages aren't super great but I enjoyed sticking them together. I like the fact they aren't "picture perfect". My family seem to like them. My dad and I both like Tom Baker aka Dr. Who and the cat and puppies were the family pets.

Recent Project

2011-09-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

A recent project for Preserving American Heritage. Jim Frye designed the poster, I tweaked it and prepped it for the printer. This is the first in a series, which we'll begin to work on over the next several months.

Webcomic Characters: Gun Bunny Villains

2011-09-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

These are the henchmen for the main villain in Gun Bunny's adventures. The large brute, is GimpCat. A genetically altered cat/mouse monster with a fetish for wearing leather and spreading anarchy. The second is D.O.G., a long time nemesis of Gun Bunny, who having suffered one too many defeats and lost body parts, has had his head and brain transferred into a nearly indestructible metal body.

Artistic Inspiration: Sonny Liew Spiderman Artwork

2011-09-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

I wasn't too thrilled with the main stories and artwork in this book. I purchased it because of this specific short story. I loved the way it was drawn. It was only five pages long, but I loved how it was a fusion of cartoon and classic 70's Marvel artwork.

Artistic Inspiration: Graphic Novels

2011-09-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

Books A Million recently had a huge sale on graphic novels. I picked up about 60 dollars worth of comics for 20 bucks. I generally pick up comics because of their artwork and coloring, rather than their stories. I was really surprised to find out that some of these books had some really fascinating stories. I especially liked The Gauntlet's sympathetic take on the Rhino and the return of Silvermane.

Bible Study Sketch: Christ as the Bread of Life

2011-09-27T23:16:00.001-07:00

A sketch from John chapter 6, where Christ offends the Jews by stating that he is the Bread of Life.

Gun Bunny Comic Teaser

2011-09-27T23:08:00.000-07:00

Greenville Little Theater Poster: Alice In Wonderland

2011-09-13T02:07:00.000-07:00

Greenville Little Theater Poster: The Music Man

2011-09-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

Another poster for the Greenville Little Theater. This time for the Music Man. There haven't been too many posters for the production, so I thought I'd try something out of the ordinary. Most people portray Howard Hill in his band regalia...and that's pretty much it. I chose to highlight the conman aspect of the story, with Hill swooping in like some sort of transcendental Buddha, bringing culture and empty wallets to the people of River City.

Comic Strip: Death Elf and Woose #2

2011-09-11T01:13:00.000-07:00

Sketches of Dinner Party and Band

2011-09-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

My wife's friends held a birthday party at a local Mexican restaurant last weekend. We got there late and I ended up at the far end of the table, out of conversation reach of everyone but my wife. So I chose to embrace my momentary social pariah status and I used the down time to sketch everyone at the table. We were waiting for stragglers so we sat for a very long time without food, hence all the bottles.

After the dinner party, we ran over to local bar and watched an Irish band play. Everyone was drinking, which made me the social pariah yet again since I don't drink. I took the opportunity to sketch the band as they finished up their set.

Comic Strip: Death Elf and Woose #1

2011-09-07T21:06:00.000-07:00

The first strip of the comic I'm working on in my spare time.

Geisha Tattoo Design

2011-09-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine asked me to create a Geisha-themed tattoo....Here's the tat as it currently stands. It's still a work in progress.

Artistic Inspiration: Ukrainian Icons

2011-09-02T04:20:00.001-07:00

Artistic Inspiration: Angel Graphic Novel by Adam Pollina

2011-09-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

I recently checked out this graphic novel illustrated by Adam Pollina. I love the soft pencils in this graphic novel. The colors, story, and overall art direction has tons of atmosphere. I also like how the artist worked iconoclastic symbols and compositions into the narrative.

Painting for High School Literature Classroom

2011-08-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked to do a painting for a high school literature teacher in the Columbia area. She asked me to create a visual aid for her classroom that would include symbols from each of the books that her class would study during the school year. I suggested the idea of depicting a city that was made up of different time periods represented in the books, with symbols from each book depicted either literally or as advertisements on city billboards. The painting includes references to about 10 different books.

August Sketchbook Sketches of Comics, Movies, and Bible Studies

2011-08-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

Destro from GI JOE

Weapon X

Omega Red

A Cool Dude from WaffleHouse

Loki

Captain America

Crock Dun Dee

Dr. Mindbender

Bible Study Notes on the end of John chapter 3

Hancock

Sketchbook: Pattern Monster Experiments

2011-07-25T02:03:00.000-07:00

Some random marker sketches of pattern monsters....

More Musical Inspiration

2011-07-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

Some more awesome musical inspiration for working on artwork.

Artistic Inspiration: More Screenshots of The Secret of Kells

2011-07-25T00:16:00.000-07:00

Some more awesome screenshots of the artwork from The Secret of Kells....

Sketchbook: SciFi Character Sketches

2011-07-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

Some character sketches for a story I've been working on.....

Sketchbook: Church Sketches from John 4

2011-07-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

A sketch illustrating how many Christians make themselves the focus of worship rather than God.

A church sketch illustrating how many professing Christians don't allow their church lives to influence their daily lives.

A sketch illustrating how many professing Christians have a head knowledge of Christ, but who don't allow their profession of faith to affect their actions.

Sketchbook: Fantasy Sketches of Sentient Food

2011-07-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

Some more sketches of characters for the story my wife is writing and I'm illustrating.

Musical Inspiration: Soundtracks and Broadway Musicals

2011-07-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

I love to listen to dramatic, high energy music when I'm working on art. I can't really work to music unless it has some sort of narrative attached to it. Movie soundtracks and Broadway musicals are pretty much all I listen to these days. They get my visual juices stirring. Just listening to the radio or a random rock station doesn't cut it for me. Give me something composed by Hans Zimmer and I'll work from dawn to dusk. Give me Lady GaGa and I'll pull my hair out and be frazzled all day long.

Artistic Inspiration: The Secret of Kells

2011-07-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Secret of Kells is one of the best animated movies of all time. It's a fairly new movie, about a year old now. The art direction was taken from the artwork from the Book of Kells. The characters, environments, textures, are all visual eye candy. After watching this film with my wife at the local art house theater, I went home and started imitating this art style. I'd been exposed to illumination before, and I've always been a lover of Medieval religious paintings, but this cartoon really helped be see that the older styles of art could still be used in a modern way. The illustrations that I did for my graduate thesis were indirectly influenced by this movie.

Artistic Inspiration: Alice in Wonderland by Camille Rose Garcia

2011-07-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

One of the most amazing books I've seen in a long, long time. This book is simply beautiful. The colors, compositions, characters are all breathtaking. I saw this book over a year ago, but wasn't able to get my hands on a copy until this last week. It was the inspiration for me to illustrate Alice in Wonderland's sequel.

Sketchbook: Mural Idea

2011-07-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

A sketch for a painting that I'm working on for a local public school teacher. It's a collage of various images from a number of high school literature required reading.

Sketchbook: Monsters and Such

2011-07-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sketchbook: Watching Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2

2011-07-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Sketchbook: Cable from the Xmen

2011-07-12T08:51:00.001-07:00

Sketchbook: Satan Sucks!

2011-07-11T20:44:00.001-07:00

Sketchbook: Coast Guard First Tour of Duty

2011-07-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

Someone in the coast guard was describing his first tour to Antarctica....he said this was pretty much how it felt.

Sketchbook: My Fair Lady

2011-07-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

I'm working on ideas for further posters for the Greenville Little Theater season. This was one that I was playing around with, wondering what it would look like as a more refined thumbnail. The basic idea is that the professor is obsessively observing Mrs. Doolittle's speech. A bit more mad than scientist if you get my drift.

Sketchbook: Church Notes

2011-07-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

Illustrated notes from John 3: 17 - 21. The gist, Light comes into darkness in the form of Jesus, people like darkness better, so they go hang in the darkness away from the light.

Sketchbook: Character Sketch

2011-07-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Some more sketches for a world that is currently stuck in my subconscious.