Design Workshop: Jason Hoagland creates a Hypersmash Universe character (2nd in a series)

CHARACTER DESIGN: THE MYTH



Today's featured character is the Valyrie Warrior, The Myth! She's a member of the premiere supergroup in the Hypersmash Universe, Battle Team Omega. Click on each image to enlarge to get a better appreciation of Jason's detailed art.

Jason and I are still trying to lock down some of the fundamental aspects of her character. In many ways, she's still a work in progress.


Jason has made an effort to incorporate authentic Norse armor into her costume, to help distinguish her from other characters wearing your standard superhero gear.




I like the way Jason spots blacks on the image to the right, using dramatic lighting to give the character a very solid feel. The strong use of shadows makes this pic look different from the rest of his work.

This modern-day Valkyrie is a character with a strong sense of mystery to her, and she has many layers still waiting to be revealed. (Even to me and Jason. And we're the guys who created her...)

Hope you enjoyed this brief glimpse into Jason's different design ideas for The Myth. I'm just as curious as you are as to what she eventually looks like!

5 Questions with a Hypersmash Artist: Jason Hoagland

This is the second in a series of snapshot interviews with the artists of Hypersmash Studios. (If you missed the first one with Scott Arnold, you can check it out here.) Taking the time to answer our questions is the artist on Battle Team Omega, Jason Hoagland. We hope you enjoy his responses.

1) Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? What do you do for a living? And what is your artistic background?

Jason Hoagland - My full name is Jason Dean Hoagland. I was born on October 31, 1976 in Norwich, Connecticut, where I also spent my first 17 years, and I'm the oldest of my parents' three children. I currently live in Somerville, Ma, right across from Tufts University, and I work for a small company called Avian Securities where I do what I like to call "investment research", even though I really just eat fake sushi and surf the net all day. As for my artistic background, my high school had several excellent art teachers, and I attended the Massachusetts College of Art, majoring in illustration.

2) Who are your artistic influences? Could you name a couple of your favorite comic books and comic characters?
Jason Hoagland - I've had lots of favorite comics artists over the years and I love to talk about them all, but I'll try to keep this short.

I'm proud to say that my very first comic was Master of Kung-Fu #117, which was extremely well drawn (and inked) by Gene Day. I think very highly of issues #114 through #118.

Michael Golden's stuff has always been on top of my desk, especially the first issue of the Micronauts, Doc Strange #55, his early issues of The 'Nam, and several of his stories that appeared in Batman Family.

I loved the Fantastic Four as a kid and so most of the artists associated with that comic were a big deal to me, particularly Jack Kirby and Keith Pollard. I used to get pissed if Joe Sinnott wasn't the inker on my FFs.

John Romita Jr's issues of Daredevil were a big influence on me when they came out in the late eighties. I look at his dad's Spider-Man stuff all the time. Steranko's pop-art/psychedelic imagery resonates with me. Issues 22 and 25 of the original Nova series with art by Carmine Infantino, and only those two. Batman and the Outsiders #26- art by Alan Davis.

In recent years some of my favorite artists have been Chris Sprouse on Tom Strong, Frank Quitely on X-men, Takishi Miyazawa on Mary Jane (the comic), Adrian Alphona on Runaways, Alberto Dose's issues of The Flash, Kevin Maguire's Justice League stuff. Seth Fisher's Flash, Green Lantern, and Doom Patrol stories are cool and wierd. I recently discovered that I had really underappreciated how awesome Curt Swan was. Kurt Schaffenberger too. I'd love to get a hold of CC Beck's Captain Marvel stories from the forties. The collision of National Geographic with the newspaper cartoon in TinTin always makes me feel like I'm reading something worthwhile. I'm thumbing through Jesse Hamm's "Good as Lily" right now. My misremembered idea of what Saturday Morning Cartoons of the early eighties were like kinda inspires me. I also feel really intellectually stimulated after watching spaghetti westerns. Musically, Stevie Wonder, Arthur Lee, and The Kinks.

3) What were your first impressions when you saw the art of the other Hypersmash artists?

Jason Hoagland - Jeremiah looks like he will add a really cool atmosphere and a lot of cinematic verve to Rogue Agent Zed. Scott's style is perfect for Lightning Girl loves Rocket Boy in that his art is so in tune with the modern youth culture that those characters live in. And yeah, that Doctor Straightjacket would perform brain surgery on himself is an awesome idea.

4) How would you describe the title you are working on? What is the most appealing part of working on the title? And are you working on any other projects?
Jason Hoagland - I would describe Battleteam Omega as being about an elite team of superheroes who collectively adopt a teenage girl, not realizing that stewarding a teenager to maturity is a lot more demanding than fighting robots or aliens. What makes the comic interesting to me is that there is this huge divide between our teenage protagonist, who is trying to assert her own individuality and make her own mistakes, and our heroes, who desperately want to reign her in and provide her with some direction but who have widely divergent ideas about how to do that. Hijinks ensue. So, I think there's this interesting dynamic where the reader will be able to subjectively relate with both sides of the teen/adult rift in a way that he or she couldn't when they themselves were teenagers. And all of this drama is set against the popart backdrop of alien invasions, robot uprisings, and zombie outbreaks. I'm not currently working on any other projects except for this, as I want to make this a success.

5) Is there anything you would like to say to the readers of the blog?
Jason Hoagland - Red Sox rule, Yankees Drool? Also: Let There Be Lasers!! Plus, Don't Eat Yellow Snow. P.S. I Love You.

Design Workshop: Jason Hoagland creates a Hypersmash Universe character (first in a series)

CHARACTER DESIGN: VELOCITY HAWK

I wanted to take a moment to examine the visual evolution of an original Hypersmash Universe character -- in this case, the speedster known as Velocity Hawk. Sitting in my office at Harvard, I have a stack of designs with literally hundreds of variations of the hero, with some interpretations looking wildly divergent from the others. This is Jason Hoagland's approach to creating a character: he strives for perfection. And it's a fascinating process to witness firsthand. (Click image to enlarge.)

This is intended to show the chronological development of the character's look. But you'll have to forgive me if the order isn't completely accurate, because it can be pretty hard to keep track of all the changes.

Jason and I are both fans of the iconic Japanese hero, Ultraman. At this stage of development, the costume borrowed heavily from that influence.

The original art for the costumes above are done in color with markers, trying out different color combinations for each one.

Some logo ideas.

Because he's a speedster, it's important to take Velocity Hawk's footwear into consideration.

Can't forget the gloves, the back, and the side of the costume.
That's a very nice model turnaround sheet, isn't it?

And this is what the character looks like today. more or less.

Man, Velocity Hawk has a killer booty. Huh. Who knew?

And that wraps things up for now. In a couple of posts, we'll have a more abbreviated look at Jason designing a different character -- our Valkyrie Warrior, The Myth! Hope you enjoyed this exclusive first look.

And coming up next? A look at some of Scott Arnold's rockin' sequential work. Definitely check back for that because Scott does some amazing work on those pages (which isn't surprising in the least, since he's one talented dude!)

Sketchbook: Jason Hoagland, artist on Battle Team Omega

This week, I'm going to post eight pieces from each artist's portfolio to help showcase his individual style and considerable skills. Getting us off to a hot start is Jason Hoagland. Check it out! (Click on the image to enlarge.)

What I like about Jason’s rendering technique is that every line has meaning. He’s creating a sense of form and substance, as opposed to adding extraneous lines to make a piece look artificially busy. It’s almost from the classical school of cross-hatching, and it displays his excellent fundamental skills.


You can really see Jason's ability to portray textures in this image. Denim, cotton, metal, leather, and even fur all given a different feel that helps make the drawing more realistic and, in turn, makes the character more convincing.
Note: all of these illustrations are original characters from the upcoming Hypersmash Studios book, Battle Team Omega.


I like this sketch because I think it shows that Jason’s art looks great in a clean, open style as well. Jason doesn’t use cross-hatching to cover up a flawed understanding of anatomy, but rather as another aspect of his art that he can use to great effect.


In might not be immediately obvious, but images 1, 5, 6, and 8 are all of the same character (Battle Team Omega member, Devil of Destruction.) The reason that the four drawings don't look all that similar to each other is that Jason loves to constantly tinker and re-design each character until he feels that they're perfect. It's one of his defining characteristics.
The next time we visit Jason's art a couple of posts from now, we'll take a look at his meticulous design process in the creation of an original character, Velocity Hawk. But more immediately, our next post will feature the sweet indy-punk art of Scott Arnold. We'll see you then!

Meet the artists of Hypersmash

Okay. That’s enough about me. For the next several posts, we’re going to shift the spotlight to the true superstars around here and the folks who really deserve all the attention – the tremendous artists of Hypersmash Studios. I realize that I’m extremely fortunate getting to work alongside these guys, and once you see their work, I’m sure you’ll see why.

We’re very proud of the scary collection of talent at our disposal. They are really, really, really good. No, really. (To be honest with you, I don’t know why they’re working with me instead of raking in the big bucks. Now that I think about it, did they maybe sign on by mistake? Huh. Well, you know what they say about not looking a gift horse and all that…)

Bringing a diversity of styles and approaches to their work, we try to match each project with an artist’s respective strengths. Things have worked out pretty well so far, so let's go ahead and meet this inspiring collection of talent. (Click on the images to enlarge.)

Jason Hoagland: Jason is a friend, a neighbor, and the first artist to join the illustrious Hypersmash Studios stable. Simply put, the dude is a machine. He has been known to crank out thousands and thousands of character designs in preparation for drawing a comic. An art chameleon capable of switching styles with ease, Jason brings a kinetic power to everything he draws. He is currently the lead artist assigned to Battle Team Omega and you can bet that once he decides to take the step to putting pages together, he’s going to be totally ready for anything.




















Scott Arnold: Scott is an icon designer for a leading wireless communication company in Toronto. He brings a fluid, street graphics-influenced vibe to his work. His linework is very clean and his art exudes a sense of lively, playful energy. As the lead artist on Lightning Girl Loves Rocket Boy, his knack for blending goofy humor and touching drama will be put to good use as he continues to work tirelessly to help my material shine. When he’s not helping me out on art chores, Scott also runs his own shop, Industri-Studios.














Jeremiah Goldson: Jeremiah works for a webhosting company in Montana. His art is astonishingly detailed, often featuring futuristic themes with a heavy cyberpunk and manga influence running through it. Using a labor-intensive process that seamlessly blends multiple stages of pencils and inks, he’s an expert at creating landscapes populated by violent loners at odds with a world full of chaotic technology. Probably best known for his comic creation Monica Furious, Jeremiah is a breathtaking talent and a proud addition to the Hypersmash Studios roster. He is also the mad genius responsible for Lead Salad Studios.




Ryan Torres: I like all the artists working for Hypersmash Studios, but I have to admit that Ry is far and away my favorite in the bunch. That’s because he happens to be my brother. So that helps!

Ry is currently a full-time student at the Art Institute of Boston (AIB) where he is concentrating on graphic design and typography. He is equally comfortable with traditional and digital art, and his computer skills make him a great resource whenever I have any technical questions. Ry and I are only separated by 1.5 years and we’ve grown up sharing a mutual love of comic books. We’ve always talked about working on a project together, and Hypersmash Studios is the perfect vehicle for us to fulfill those aspirations. He has always been a source of support for me in all facets of life, and a constant inspiration in everything I do. He is the co-creator and original artist of Rogue Agent Zed. I flat-out love the guy, and I’m looking forward to whipping up a dream project with him once his course schedule clears!

Alright, in our next post, we’ll take start taking a look at some of the sketches that make these guys so great. Batting lead-off will be Jason Hoagland, who will give us our first look at the characters of the Hypersmash Universe. Come back and check it out. Until then, take care and see you next time.