England’s ArtsThread.com recently conducted an interview with our very own Frank Espinoza. This UK based creative site showcases the portfolio of shining up and coming talent, focusing on recent design graduates. The interview was conducted by…special guest columnist, visual arts career coach Rod Berg of Rod Berg Creative. A small excerpt of the interview can be found below…

New York-based Rod Berg brings us the first of a series of posts on careers advice and interviews with up and coming creatives. Rod is a professional visual arts career coach and also has worked since 2003 as Associate Director of Career Services at Parsons The New School for Design.

Rod recently had the pleasure of teaming up with Frank Espinoza, an amazing conceptual illustrator and artist, with expertise in comics, graphic novels and animation. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Frank is a rising star in the industry and recently completed a wonderful comic strip promo for Rod’s consultancy.

Frank Espinoza: I started my career as an illustrator at the end of my sophomore (second) year at Parsons School of Design. I did freelance work as a character designer for a small independent 3-D animation studio. As a comic book artist, in mid 2010, I started my business, The Art of Frank, Inc. and I’m currently self-publishing my original comic book entitled, Regenesys™

RB: What advise would you give to a young illustrator with a passion for drawing and an interest in starting a career as a comic book artist?

FE: Two things, first, find a way to support yourself financially through a stable full or part-time job, design field or not. Second, any waking minute you’re not working at your ‘day job’ use it to produce your comic book! Comics take a great deal of time, effort and money invested to create and market but its all a matter of establishing your name and growing a following for your books.

The interview can be read in its entirety by clicking the following link: http://blog.artsthread.com/2012/02/careers-advice-rod-berg-interviews-illustrator-frank-espinoza/

Thanks to all for your support!  We welcome all of your questions and comments below.

The Art of Frank, Inc. is proud to unveil our latest project: A Comic Strip for our client Rod Berg Creative. Rod Berg, Creative Visual Arts Career Coach and founder of Rod Berg Creative, approached us with an idea for a… promotional comic strip reminiscent of the Sunday Comic Strips, ie Charles Schutlz’s Peanuts but with a modern super hero twist. We happily obliged and produced an eleven panel strip telling the story of how Rod Berg’s career coaching can help creative professionals achieve success in the job market. Our founder Frank Espinoza, was once a pupil of Rod back in his college years. His success in the art and design field is greatly attributed to Rod’s teachings. Coming full circle the two collaborate on a piece that touches on their journey and what Rod’s expertise can do for his clients.

You can read more about Rod and his company Rod Berg Creative by visiting his website at: http://www.rodbergcreative.com

Here is the final piece in its entirety:

Here are the panels individually:

Thanks to all for your support!  We welcome all of your questions and comments below.

We cant believe it’s been one year since we launched this company and so much has happened…

let’s recount the events that made 2011 that much special for The Art of Frank, Inc. with a top 10 countdown list a la David Letterman style:

10. NEW SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES

At Number ten, we have the announcement of our company social media pages.With every new social media website that emerges we do our best to be on top of it by having a company fan page on their site. We’re proud to have pages on Linkedin, Facebook, DeviantArt, Behance and more! 

Read more on the respective blog articles by clicking or copying and pasting the following links in your internet browser:

The Art of Frank, Inc. on Facebook and Linkedin:

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/09/regenesys-and-the-art-of-frank-on-linkedin-and-facebook/#more-750

The Art of Frank, Inc. on Behance.net

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/02/the-art-of-frank-inc-now-on-behance-net/#more-447

The Art of Frank, Inc. on Coroflot and DeviantArt

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/01/the-art-of-frank-inc-on-deviantart-com-and-coroflot-com/#more-403

9. SOCIAL MEDIA EXCLUSIVES

On our number nine spot, we have our social media exclusives… We know, we know! our ‘social media exclusives’ blog post was posted back in 2010 but ever since then we have been able to occasionally update these in 2011

See more images and read about this piece by clicking here or copying and pasting the following link in your internet browser:

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2010/11/previously-unreleased-artwork-and-social-media-exclusives/

8. TATTOO DESIGN

At Number eight, we have a devilish tattoo design we did for Mikey Dolan, Bassist/Lead Singer of “GimmieHead: The Greatest Living Motörhead Tribute Band in the World™” and the FTW’s. This was a very fun piece that came out great in the end!

See more images and read about this piece by clicking here or copying and pasting the following link in your internet browser:http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/11/the-art-of-frank-inc-designs-a-tattoo/#more-908

7. HEAVENLY PIECE

At number 7, an appropriate religious number, is a ‘heavenly piece’ we did for the recently ordained Father Sebastian of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

To see more images and read about this piece click here or copy and paste the following link in your internet browser: http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/05/the-art-of-frank-inc-illustrates-a-heavenly-piece/

6. BROOKLYN SMALL BUSINESS & PROCUREMENT EXPO 2011

At number six we have the design work we did for the Brooklyn Small Business & Procurement Expo 2011. We designed a multitude of graphic items and signage for this expo and you can see all of it by clicking or copying and pasting the following links in your internet browser:

Part 1

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/03/the-art-of-frank-inc-designs-graphic-campaign-for-brooklyn-expo/

Part 2

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/06/the-art-of-frank-inc-designs-graphic-campaign-for-brooklyn-expo-part-2/

5. PARSONS PANEL

At Number five, we have the Panel at Parsons School of Design where our CEO Frank Espinoza was invited to speak! We don’t have a blog post for this event yet, as the event just recently happened in December, however we will post the details and pictures in the beginning of the new year. In the meantime, see a quick snapshot above!

4. REGENESYS™ TEASER BOOKS

The number four spot belongs to our comic book teaser launch of our first original graphic novel property, Regenesys™! We are very proud of our “first baby” and we can’t wait to get books 1 and 2 of the 5 part series out to you in 2012!

To see more images and read about this piece click here or copy and paste the following link in your internet browser:

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/08/regenesys-teaser-books-are-here/

3. NEW YORK COMIC CON 2011

We’re getting very close to our number one spot, at number three we have the debut of the Art of Frank, Inc. at the New York Comic Con 2011! This was a huge milestone for all of us here at the Art of Frank, Inc. as this is the biggest Comic Convention in the east coast and it’s in the greatest city in the world… NEW YORK CITY! Having the “Home field advantage” we capitalized on this moment and exhibited with a great booth spot! It was a huge success and we connected with awesome supporters, fans and friends!

You can see more images and read about NYCC 2011 by clicking or copying and pasting the following link in your internet browser:

Part 1:

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/10/the-art-of-frank-inc-at-the-new-york-comic-con-2011-part-1-of-2/#more-809

Part 2:

http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/10/the-art-of-frank-inc-at-the-new-york-comic-con-2011-part-2-of-2/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

2. OFFICIALLY SIGNING WRITER LEAH GAHAGAN

The number two spot is held by: the official signing of writer Leah Gahagan! The second part of the creative force of Regenesys™, Ms. Gahagan is a gifted author whose drive for perfection and passion for success has made this comic book series more than a formidable contender in the independent comic book industry. We are so blessed to have her on our team and are truly honored to have her name on our book!

To see read more about this press release click here or copy and paste the following link in your internet browser: http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/04/the-art-of-frank-inks-deal-with-writer-leah-gahagan-2/

1. WEDDING INVITATION

And the winner of the number one biggest event for The Art of Frank, Inc. in the year 2011 is: the designing of our own CEO’s wedding invitation! Yes, Frank Espinoza wed his wife Mariola Espinoza in May of 2011 and we designed the coolest, most original wedding invitation ever!!

See more images and read about this piece by clicking here or copying and pasting the following link in your internet browser: http://www.theartoffrank.com/2011/05/the-art-of-frank-inc-designed-a-wedding-invitation/

Thanks so much for reading this article and we look forward to another great year of passionate art, innovative comics, Metal-inspired style, killer design and only the best from us at the Art of Frank, Inc.!

If you have any questions or comments then we’d love to hear your voice on our comments section below or on our social media sites. Thanks again and continue to catch up with us as more great things are to come! Happy New Year 2012!

The Art of Frank, Inc. wishes you and yours a very joyous holiday season and a very happy new year 2012! Thank you all for your kind support and we look forward to another great year filled with opportunities, growth, awesome artwork and the best service we can provide! Thanks again for everything and we wish you all the best!

Warm regards,

Franklyn “Frank” Espinoza and The Art of Frank, Inc.

After a successful exhibition at the New York Comic Con 2011, The Art of Frank, Inc. was hired to design a tattoo design for an old client… Mike Dolan, lead singer and bassist of “GimmieHead: The Greatest Living Motörhead Tribute Band in the World™” and the FTW’s. Pictured below:

To refresh your memory, below you’ll find the mascot design we did for “Gimmiehead” a few years ago:

Frank Espinoza and Mike Dolan reconnected at the recent New York Comic Con 2011, where Mike approached Frank with a tattoo design proposal, which Frank gladly accepted! The tattoo design idea was of a hand bearing a pentagram symbol. Frank’s first conceptual interpretation can be seen below:

Frank took the hand bearing the Pentagram symbol as if it were literally “bearing” it, like a gift. He was corrected and he revised the design, see below:

Now he was much closer and with the next drawing he was “warmer” by “Branding” the pentagram like a hot, searing cattle brand onto the hand:

We’re almost there, Mike directed Frank to have the next design expose the inside of the palm to reveal a clearly visible branded pentagram.

Mike is happy with the revision! Frank, on third base, slides on down to home plate by tightening up the lines as vectors for the tattoo artist to easily trace and work from…

Without further a due, we present the finished tattooed piece:

The tattoo artist added their finishing touches of some blood, scales, highlights and a very nicely scripted message. All in all, a very fun assignment that permanently  bonds this collaboration of Art and Music, Darkness and Metal and in the end, for lack of a better word: a BAD-ASS Piece!

To check out Mike Dolan’s bands check out the following links and it is highly recommended to go to their live shows in the NYC area! Visit their websites for more show date information:

Gimmiehead: The Greatest Living Motörhead Tribute Band In The World™

http://www.myspace.com/gimmiehead

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gimmiehead-the-Greatest-Living-Motorhead-Tribute-Band-in-the-World/36441792626

The F.T.W.s:

http://www.myspace.com/theftws

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-FTW/177273077236?sk=wall

Thanks for your time and if you have any questions or comments then we’d love to hear your voice on our comments section below or on our social media sites. Thanks again and continue to catch up with us as more great things are to come!

Our video for part two of our two part New York Comic Con 2011 coverage is…finally here! Please see the you tube videos below of our footage, video interview and even a drawing demonstration from Frank!

This is our own video, edited by Frank and filmed by his wife Mariola:

In our video we were interviewed by Anthony of Igor’s Lab.com, check out the actual interview below and also check out his great website at: www.igorslab.com

Here is a brief drawing Demo by Frank Espinoza on his Cintiq 21UX, captured by Anthony of Igor’s Lab.com below:

Thanks for your time reading/viewing our special edition NYCC 2011 coverage. If you have any questions or comments then we’d love to hear your voice on our comments section below or on our social media sites. We’re very grateful for all of your support and we cannot wait to see you at NYCC 2012!

We are back from a successful exhibition at the New York Comic Con 2011 and we’ve got the pictures and footage to show for it! It was one hell of a ride and we… are very grateful to those who came by our booth and supported The Art of Frank, Inc. at this mecca of Comic Book goodness!

Below you’ll find pictures of our booth, sweet swag, Regenesys™ preview books, awesome friends, kind supporters, cool staff, some bearded dude named: “Frank,” Animation/Comic book legends and more:

The Art of Frank booth day one!

Day two, back in black and there's Frank behind his Wacom Cintiq 21UX

There's Mariola Espinoza, Frank's wife, behind the laptop and besides her is Leah Gahagan co-author of Regenesys™, writing away on her pad.

A snapshot of some of the portfolio work and promotional material on our booth.

Our founder Frank Espinoza, sketching away behind his Cintiq, the laptop displays what Frank is up to.

A visitor's view of the other side of the Cintiq, as Frank sketches away.

Frank and Leah signed many purchased Regenesys™ preview books for our kind supporters.

Signed purchased "Suffer-Droid" sketch print, thanks for the support!

Center/Leftwing for the Detroit Red Wings Henrik Zetterberg, or shall I say... FAKE Henrik Zetterberg of the online webseries stopped by our booth and talked it up NHL® style! (Let's go RANGERS!!) Check out their webseries at: http://fakehenrikzetterberg.com/

Frank Espinoza and Marvel's "Ultimate Spiderman" artist: Sara Pichelli! Check out her amazing artwork at: http://sara-pichelli.blogspot.com/

The legendary Bob Camp (pictured in the center) of Ren & Stimpy fame dropped by to check out Frank sketching behind the Cintiq. Great honor!

Frank's professional mentor, Mr. Louis H. Mitchell! Character designer for Sesame Workshop, Mr. Mitchell was doing a drawing demonstration at the Sesame Workshop booth close by.

We were filmed and interviewed by Anthony of Igor's Lab.com. We will post that interview once it's up. Thanks, Anthony!

Our very close friend and supporter, screenwriter Bruce J. Bickley stopped by, chilled, supported us while rocking a fresh Art of Frank shirt! Thanks, Bruce-Juice!

This is a New York Comic Con 2011 exclusive artwork of "Babylon", lead character in Regenesys™, drawn "fresh" on the Cintiq by Frank as he engaged with curious visitors. A little too risqué for the website but it enticed a buyer enough to be...

SOLD! Exclusive NYCC 2011 "Babylon Red" artwork was sold to this gentleman, with a Regenesys™ preview book signed by Artist-Writer team of Frank and Leah. Thanks, Burack!

Signed Regenesys™ preview book sold to this cool dude! Thanks for your support!

Cos-playahs: Geremy (Left) and Toni (Center) dressed as Ganta and Shiro of the "Deadman Wonderland" Animé posed with Frank. These cool cats need not fight for our free "shameless bowl of candy" at our booth. Thanks for the support, guys!

Toni AKA Shiro poses with her newly purchased sweeeet Art of Frank tee! Thank you so much for your kind support, Toni!

A family that buys a Regenesys™ preview book together... gets an autographed signed copy and pic with the "new dynamic duo" together! Thanks so much for your support, guys!

Frank signing this kind young lady's copy of an illustration...

"All I can say, is that our lives were pretty plain," until we met this nice young lady and heard her touching story of how this illustration of "blind Melon's Bumblebee girl" reminded her of a pleasant turning point in her life. A simple drawing can say more than words can ever describe... We thank her not only for her support but for spending the time to share a powerful moment in her life with us as we closed our booth. This is how you end Comic Con, with a warm smile and an even warmer feeling in your heart.

Thanks for checking out our NYCC 2011 special edition blog post and viewing these pics of our jorney. We have actual film footage of the show traffic and more that we will share in our next blog post.

We received some good press as well, click the following links to read more on their blogs…

Anthony (Pictured in the images above) of IgorsLab.com wrote a recap of Indie-Horror comics he picked up at NYCC 2011. The Art of Frank  and Regenesys™ are mentioned and pictured in the article below:

http://www.igorslab.com/home/2011/10/16/nycc-2011-saturday-more-indie-horror.html

We were also mentioned in the following article at BleedingCool.com:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/03/top-twenty-exclusives-and-debuts-at-new-york-comic-con/

Thanks for your time and if you have any questions or comments then we’d love to hear your voice on our comments section below or on our social media sites. Stay tuned to our next blog post: Part two of our New York Comic Con 2011 special!

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