Back to the Fellowship. The final two members were also the youngest members of the Party. This included today's subject.. Peregrin Took, aka Pippin. Billy Boyd played Pippin in Peter Jackson's trilogy. To be honest, Pippin is one of my least favorite characters. Not because of Billy Body's acting- he did a great job. Pippin is the group screw-up. When he knocked the bucket and chain into the well in Moria and alerted the whole place to their presence.. well, that was a cringeworthy moment. But he also has some great lines in the movie.. "What about second breakfast?" is probably my favorite. He breaks down and tells Denethor the truth about Boromir even after Gandalf tells him not to speak.. and ends up getting drafted into the Army of Gondor for his trouble. 

   As for the sketch, Mike does a good job of capturing what I call Pippin's "sleepy eyed" look, which I'm sure is more of a byproduct of Billy Boyd's physical features than anything. Or maybe it's his need for second breakfast. 

   Whatever the case, that's all for today. Thanks to all for stopping by and reading! 

#lordoftherings #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #lotr #pippin #peregrinetook #fellowshipofthering #thetwotowers #returnoftheking #lordelrond #frodobaggins #bilbobaggins #samwisegamgee #aragorn #legolas #gimli #boromir #merry #gandalf #billyboyd

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

 

    I got a late start so this will probably be a short entry. Today's sketch is an Anakin sketch from 2010 Star Wars Rise of the Bounty Hunters (some people call this set Clone Wars Season Two). I've never asked Mike about this set, but I think just from looking at the sketches his deadline was tight. Almost every sketch I've seen from that set by Mike are just inked and not colored, after he had done a lot of color sketches for previous sets like Clone Wars Widevision and Galaxy 4. Mike put a decent amount of detail in them even if they aren't as refined as some of his other work. Like on this sketch, I like that Mike includes Anakin's scar and that he's holding a lightsaber- great touches for this card. Another thing that I like about sketches like these are I can usually pick them up for a fairly reasonable price. Full color, highly detailed sketches by Mike can sell for high prices, especially in today's market, and I'm usually priced out of those sketches. I have a very cool (and very similar) Obi Wan from this set that goes very nicely with this sketch. I'll try to post it soon.

   Well, that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by and reading! 

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #anakinskywalker #anakin #jediapprentice #sithapprentice #darthvader #vader #lordvader #haydenchristensen #obiwankenobi #obiwan #lightsaber #thephantommenace #attackoftheclones #revengeofthesith #clonewars #riseofthebountyhunters #ahsokatano #ahsoka

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio  

     I always thought Jedi Master Plo Koon looked cool and had the prototypical Jedi mentality. He was wise, he was always calm, he was a protector, and he was a leader. And I thought he was mega cool looking. Personally, my favorite thing about George Lucas' Prequels were all the cool Jedi he wrote into the stories. They're my favorite characters. If I could build my collection off of only one one type of character, it would be Jedi. Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Obi Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn, Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi... on and on. If my collection only contained Jedi, I would be a happy man.

   This sketch is another from the Revenge of the Sith Widevision set. I say it with every Widevision sketch I blog about- I love them because they give the artist more room to work. This one appears to be another in Mike's series of (what I call) "up close and personal" sketches from that set- head shots. I do like how Mike added a lightsaber to this one, as lightsabers always make a sketch better! And if I never mentioned it before, I like how Mike draws lightsabers- a little detail like the specks that Mike scatters along a lightsaber to me show off the energy of the weapon. Mike is great with the little details. Plo Koon has a really detailed face, and although Mike didn't do fine detail on all of it, I like that he did on one of Plo's coolest features- his eyes.

   That's all for today so thanks for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #plokoon #jedimaster #jedi #georgelucas #lukeskywalker #luke #Yoda #obiwankenobi #obiwan #benkenobi #macewindu #quigonnjinn #shaakti, #kitfisto, #kiadimundi #lightsaber #revengeofthesith #anewhope #empirestrikesback #returnofthejedi #thephantommenace #attackoftheclones #theforceawakens #thelastjedi #riseofskywalker 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    Mike started transitioning to his Sugar Boogerz style I believe in 2012's Galaxy 7. That's the first set that I can remember firsthand seeing that style sketch cards. In fact, the last sketch that I blogged about in my original Locoduck blog was a Sugar Boogerz Darth Vader with two Snowtroopers.  

   Which leads us to this week's sketch, which ironically is a Sugar Boogerz Snowtrooper. This one is from 2014 Star Wars Chrome Perspectives. I picked this one up in a big sketch sale along with three other Durons. That was a great day for my collection! Normally I don't collect Trooper sketches, but I make exceptions for my favorite artist. And I like the fact that it's a Snowtrooper instead of just a plain old Stormtrooper. There are many cool things about the movie "The Empire Strikes Back", and Snowtroopers are one of them. George Lucas was a marketing genius with his Star Wars troopers. He had them for every weather condition and scenario. Me, I would have used Stormtroopers in every scenario. So thank you George Lucas. And I'll just say it now, Snowtroopers are my favorites. That being said, I'm also including a picture of that Galaxy 7 Darth Vader  w/Snowtroopers sketch that I mentioned earlier. 

   That's all for this week. Thanks all for stopping by and reading! 

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #empirestrikesback #snowtrooper #darthvader #vader #lordvader #sithapprentice #Sithlord #jamesearljones #davidprowse #sugarboogerz @michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    If you follow this blog it's probably not much of a surprise to hear me say I like Mike's early stuff the best. It's a combination of the style and the fact that those were the first sketches by him I had seen. I got into the hobby with the 2008 "Clone Wars" product- the animated movie, of which I was a big fan. Obviously all those sketches were of animated characters. So when Topps announced it's next product.. Galaxy 4.. I was all in (well, all in for as much as I could afford). Being a noob to the hobby, at first I didn't realize how big of a deal this set was going to be. But I was frequenting the Scoundrel Art message boards multiple times daily, and I soon found out. People on there were FREAKING OUT! And when I say FREAKING OUT! I mean "running around screaming, hands in the air, then falling on their knees and crying, then curling up in the fetal position and sucking their thumb FREAKING OUT!" And looking back, that was the appropriate response. Not only was this the first Star Wars Galaxy product made by Topps in 14 years, Topps was loading it up with all kinds of goodies. One Sketch per box, for the first time ever (in a Star Wars product) Shaped (die-cut) Sketches, Printing Plates, Artist autographed cards, Retail only Sketches, Foil Art insert cards with bronze (1:box), gold (#/500), and refractor (1/1) versions, Etched Foil inserts with the chance (1:44,000 packs) to pull the original artwork done by Joe Corroney, Lost Galaxy inserts, Retail only (and mega rare to find now) Galaxy Evolution Foil insert cards, and the piece de resistance... Lost Yoda Reprints, and signed (by artist John Rheaume) Lost Yoda Reprint cards. When you look back it was mind-blowing. I think the artists doing sketch cards for the set also realized what a milestone set this would be, because previews we were seeing of artist approved cards on Scoundrel Art were top notch amazing!

   I, of course, was looking forward to seeing what my favorite artist was doing for that set, and Mike crushed it! Which leads us to today's card. This card was a gift from a good friend as part of a major trade deal we had worked out. He knew Yoda was my favorite character and this one, well.. what a scene! The death of Yoda. Luke Skywalker by his side, mourning the death of the Jedi Master who taught him most of what he knew about the Force. Pretty powerful piece.

   And it's not like this piece is loaded with fine detail- it's not, but Mike conveys the moment in a beautiful way. I love it and I hope you do too!

   Thanks to all for stopping by and reading! Stay safe and check me out again next week.

#starwars #michaelduron #locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #yoda #masteryoda #jedimaster #dagobah #lukeskywalker #luke #jediapprentice #jeditraining #topps #toppsgalaxyfour #favoriteartist 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    Today's post is about one of the most beloved characters in all of Star Wars. A character who has been in (a tie for) the most Star Wars movies ever... ten (10). He was Luke's favorite companion, and although I have never understood a word he said I still think he's cool. He's my favorite droid and yours... R2D2! Or as R2 would say "boop beep beep boop!". 

   I picked up this Revenge of the Sith Widevision 3D sketch last year in (I believe) the Star Wars Card Collectors group on Facebook. Mike did a few of these "close up" views of characters for this set. In fact I believe I posted a General Grievous in this style a while back. I've probably said this before, but I'm a big fan of Widevision sketch cards because they give the artist more room to work. To be 100% honest, I'm not a huge fan of these close up sketches by Mike. Personally, I'd rather see the whole character, especially one like R2D2. But I still love having this sketch in my collection. 

   I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the actor who played R2D2 for most of his Star Wars movies- Kenny Baker. He passed away in 2016, but he was a key member of the core actors that made the original trilogy so special. Thanks Uncle Kenny.

   That's all for this week. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

#starwars #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #r2d2 #artoo #r2 #kennybaker #anewhope #empirestrikesback #returnofthejedi #thephantommenace #attackoftheclones #revengeofthesith #theforceawakens #thelastjedi #riseofskywalker #rogueone 

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio 

    Months without a comic book cover post, and now two back-to-back. Truth be told, I just got this one in off Ebay last week and I might be trading it to a good friend as part of a 3 person trade, all parties Duron fans and all parties receiving Duron cards and or comics in the deal. But back to the custom comic book cover at hand..

   The Hulk has always been a favorite of mine since the Lou Ferrigno/Bill Bixby "The Incredible Hulk" TV show of the late 1970's- early 1980's. Yeah, you go back and watch it now and the special effects are almost laughable, but I was 10 years old when that show debuted and I thought it was awesome at the time! Plus that show is 44 years old, so cut it some slack lol. So I have been a big Hulk fan for a long time. I wasn't as much of a fan of the 2003 Eric Bana "Hulk" movie, but I did think the 2008 Marvel "The Incredible Hulk" movie with Ed Norton was pretty good. I know there are many haters of that movie out there, and maybe I liked it because I'm a fan of both Ed Norton and Liv Tyler, but there it is... I liked that movie. And of course the latest version of Hulk has been played brilliantly by Mark Ruffalo in various Marvel Avenger and Marvel superhero stand alone movies. I thought the Hulk stole the show in the first "Avengers" movie. Best line in the movie (in my opinion) was after Hulk ragdoll thrashed Loki in Tony Stark's building and as he walked away muttered "puny god". Two words bring a smile to any Hulk fan.. and those two words are "Hulk smash!"

   This custom comic book cover is from 2014, so not too long after the "Avengers" movie came out in 2012. I love how Mike drew Hulk- in all his glory! Mouth open, fists clenched... you can almost hear him say "Hulk smash!". One small detail that I also like is how low the Hulk's ears sit- kinda makes me laugh when I look at them. That's what Mike's art has always been about for me- it makes me smile. 

   Well that's all for today. I promise next week won't be a custom comic book cover, it'll be back to a card. Thanks to all for stopping by and reading!

#marvel #michaelduron #Locoduck #locoduckduron #artistsketchcard #artistsketch #sketch #theincrediblehulk #thehulk #hulk #theavengers #markruffalo #edwardnorton #ericbana #louferrigno #billbixby #stanlee #jackkirby #ironman #captainamerica #thor #blackwidow #hawkeye #nickfury #loki #kevinfeige

@michaelduron @locoduckduron @michaelduronportfolio