Stingray by John J. Pearson

A beautiful "con-sketch" from Baltimore Comic Con 2025!

I wasn't intending to get any commissions AT the Baltimore show, but as I was walking around, I stumbled across the booth of John J. Pearson. I had just followed him on Instagram a week or two prior to the con and didn't realize he was going to be there. I was pleasantly surprised and stopped to check out his art in person. I immediately loved everything I was seeing and *almost* bought a cover from a comic that I'd never heard of.

John was super friendly and was more than happy to talk to me about his art, some of the techniques he used, and even went so far as to show me how the finished pieces turned out with the addition of digital colors. Most of his work seems to be more in the realm of horror or suspense, so I asked him if he would be down to draw a super hero. Like most artists that I commission, John was not familiar with Stingray, so I assured him that that was normal and pointed him to my Instagram to see some reference. He agreed to do a Stingray commission for me at the show.

Early Sunday afternoon I went back to visit John and pick up the commission. I immediately fell in love with it. It's definitely not traditional super hero work; it's much more painterly and looks like it belongs in a museum. The way Stingray is launching upward through the water like a rocket taking off is such a dynamic pose. His head lifted high, looking upward to the water's surface and the sky beyond... it feels so powerful. You just know that the accompanying splash when Stingray breaches the surface will be HUGE. Then there's the little details like the subtle reflection of red in the surface of the water. The fish with the small highlights. And the way the sunburst on Stingray's chest is more of a circle here. Between motion blur and occlusion from the water, it just makes sense, but it's not something I would have thought of. Guess that's why I'm not an artist.

9x12 mixed media on water color paper.

Follow John on Instagram at:
John J. Pearson

Check out this piece as part of my:
Baltimore Art Haul