1.1.10-Happy New Year!

10.19.09-Queen Amidala
This is a commission piece that I rendered with markers, color pencils and ink. I enjoyed working on this so much, that I'm even thinking about opening my schedule up for commissions.

10.15.09-Amber Atoms on Comixology
I'm excited to announce that starting today, you will be able to download Amber Atoms to your preferred handheld mobile device from the iTunes store. What's really cool is you can download the first issue for FREE through the Comixology app. After that it's only 99¢ an issue. So get your digital copy and enjoy the adventure!

9.28.09-Baltimore Comic Con
Fall is finally here and I think a great way to kick it off is by attending one of my favorite shows, the Baltimore Comic Con (Oct 10-11). I'm not sure where I'll be set-up, but if you're there drop by and visit. I'll have original artwork for sell and I'll also be working on sketches. Speaking of original artwork, I have updated my SHOP section with available artwork and will continue to expand over the next few weeks.

Well, I guess it's not an update unless I talk about Amber Atoms. I have just about finished illustrating the entire fifth issue. Check out the cover and an interior page below (click to enlarge). Also, for all you cool kids (and adults) out there who prefer reading their comics on an iPhone, Amber Atoms will be joining the Comixology family of products on iTunes. I don't have an official release date yet since the files are being converted, but when it hits I'll let you know.

Also, I do have some availability in my schedule so if you're interested in having me work on a project please feel free to contact me and we can talk further. As much as I love comics, I also have a graphic art background that I can apply to a wide variety of projects. GRAPHIC DESIGN

6.10.09-Double the fun!
Doctor Who: Autopia written by John Ostrander, illustrated by me and colors by Kris Carter, hits comic book stands today! I had a great time working on this issue and I think it shows. If your not able to pick up a copy this week that's OK, Amber Atoms #4 comes out the next so you can just get them both then. Right? I'm hard at work on issue #5 of Amber and hope to show a few pages soon.

It's convention season again and the next show up is HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC (June 19-21). If your interested in a sketch please contact me before the show or look for me in the program guide, since I'll only be there Friday and Saturday this year. Following HeroesCon will be San Diego Comic Con (July 22-26). I'm not sure if I'll be setting up yet, but I'll keep you informed. Hope to see ya'll there!

3.25.09-Amber Atoms #2 hits stands!
Issue #2 will be out today. I will be signing at Ssalefish Comics in Winston-Salem, NC from 4:30 to 7:30. m 4:30 to 7:3

2.18.09-Amber Atoms Blasts Off!
The premiere issue of my creator-owned book, Amber Atoms, hits shelves today! For those who live in the Greensboro, NC area, I’ll be signing at Acme Comics from 4pm-7pm today. So come visit and pick up your copy. If your not able to make it you can pick up a signed copy at Parts Unknown or wait until next month when I’ll be signing at Ssalefish Comics in Winston-Salem, NC. Thanks for your support and enjoy a peek at next month's cover...

I recently returned from the New York Comic Con where I set-up with my Tsunami Studio mates: Robert Atkins, Steve Bird and Brian Shearer. We had a great time at the con despite a bad location. A few highlights from the show was getting to meet the 6th incarnation of the Doctor from the British tv show Doctor Who, Colin Baker! (pictured below) Hanging out with my pals Todd Dezago, Craig Rousseau, Scott Weinstein and new friends Leanne and Rod Hannah. I owe many thanks to super cool guy Scott for the tickets to Saturday Night Live. Check out his book After-School Agent when you get a chance. Next show, MegaCon!

Speaking of Doctor Who, I forgot to post that I worked on 2 issues of Doctor Who: The Forgotten written by the very talented Tony Lee. I’m glad I got the opportunity to work on the project although I have to admit I too wanted to see Pia Guerra draw the whole series. Issue 4 was great to work on, but issue 6 was a little tougher. I drew half the issue in front of the computer because there was so much to reference and everything- pencils, inks and colors had to be done in 3 weeks. Crazy, but deadlines are deadlines..

And last, but definitely not least is a project I did for Simon & Schuster last year. I was asked to work on 14 illustrations for Christopher Krovatin’s teen novel, Venomous! It was an awesome experience and I’m not 100% sure, but I believe it won its’ first award. Congrats, Christopher!!!

11.20.08-Press Release - Kelly Yates' Amber Atoms lands at Image this February!

20 November 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - This February, after exploring the worlds of TELLOS, DOCTOR WHO, GREEN ARROW and JLA/JSA, artist Kelly Yates kicks off his very own ongoing sci-fi adventure series, AMBER ATOMS!

"AMBER ATOMS comes from a deep rooted love of space faring sci-fi adventures, like STAR WARS and its own inspiration, the 1930s Flash Gordon serials," said Yates. "Each issue fires off at as fast a clip as possible, with cliffhangers at every turn while still maintaining my favorite part of the book - Amber herself. A good sci-fi story is held together by the human perspective and Amber's certainly the series' heart."

AMBER ATOMS' life on planet Madisomme is far from the exciting one she always dreamed of. Yet when mercenaries and aliens suddenly invade Amber’s home she quickly learns her dreams may give her more than she bargained for, especially when a family secret could doom an entire galaxy. Yates' unique take on the sci-fi world has already caught the attention of many of the industry's own, including SAVAGE DRAGON creator and Image Founder Erik Larsen.

Larsen commented, "AMBER ATOMS represents an artist finally pursuing his passions after a long time spent in other people's sandboxes. I couldn't be more impressed by what Kelly's accomplishing here and look forward to reading AMBER ATOMS for years to come."

AMBER ATOMS #1, a 32-page full color comic book for $3.50, will be in stores February 18th.

Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently five partners in Image Comics (Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com

10.14.08-Clone Wars & More
So I ’ve been a little busy over the past few months. A lot busy actually, but not just with artwork. “Superbaby” Isaac was born on May 14 and has been a blessing in our lives despite the lack of sleep. I’ll have him saying Spider-Man before you know it.

On the artwork side of life I’ve been doing a little bit of everything. I finally decided to work on some of the Marvel Masterpiece sketchcards and I really enjoyed how they came out. Maybe I’ll try a few color sketchs next time around. However, the most excting project I worked on recently was the Clone Wars style guide for Lucas Licensing. I’m a big Star Wars fan so being able to work on these characters was great. I included the prints I designed since you probably won’t see them unless you have kids.

I was asked to donate an illustration to the Mike Wieringo tribute sketchbook so I went with Koj from Tellos. Miss you, Mike! I also did a commission of St. Pius X for my parish and few watercolor piece just for the fun of it.

Now, to figure out what or who will be my next project... who indeed?!