Bleh...

I've got nothing to show over this break. NOTHING!!! Except a half baked idea for a video game and a story I've started thinking about. I've got some sketches made, but that's about it. :( Tomorrow I might do something about it.

Just checking in!

You must go buy a copy of Kazu Kibuishi's "Amulet: The Stonekeeper" as soon as possible. Beautiful art, engaging writing, I was wanting to turn it into a video game. Good stuff.
I've been so lazy, I need the semester to start back up again so I can return to a schedule of productivity.
*edit*
Woo, I have the first printing of the book!

Huzzah for arts!

First of all I'd like to thank everyone who put in a good word for me. You know who you are. I couldn't have done it without you. :)
Secondly, I'd like to thank the artists from whom I took images to create this collage. Jen, Chris, Kazu, and Carson are all amazing artist and I hope to one day meet them and tell them how much their work has both inspired and encouraged me.
The painting was displayed at the UTD Arts Fall Festival and comes down on the 9th (Sunday), so if you haven't already seen it in person or seen it displayed, make sure you head down there soon and check it out.

Painters! A Product That Delivers

...is exactly what I discovered this week. "The Master's" Brush Cleaner and Preserver is a nifty little compound that, as the lid promises, "Keeps Brushes Like New." I had recently bought a few Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes, but seeing as how these are really fine, expensive brushes, I was hesitant to use them unless I knew how to take proper care of them. I researched the subject and found that there are special cleaners, so I took another trip down to Asel's and discovered this little wonder. It even promises to restore brushes!
So I put it to the test and found that it doesn't lie! I cleaned all my brushes and even restored hard oil brushes from the beginning of the semester that I thought were useless! While it didn't completely restore the shape of the neglected brushes, the bristles are now clean and soft and ready to touch the canvas again.
Look at all those clean brushes! (And no, they are not paying me. They should, though.)

The Contract

This is the final project for my Intro to Computer Mediated Communications course. Not completely happy with it, but proud that inking is done 97% with brush! (#4 round red kolinsky, I think) For more information on the horrible truths about modern copyright laws, check out Lawrence Lessig's lecture on free_culture.
Click on the images to enlarge.

(8"x10" in on bristol)

Voila!

This is a photograph of the finished painting. I hope people like it. It seems to be getting a fair amount of applause from the people at school. To think that at the beginning of the semester I didn't like to paint...


I plan to make some more paintings of original images soon. I am going to be teaching myself watercolor painting over the break, hopefully. I've failed miserably at it before, so let's see how it goes.

It's a Thanksgiving Day Miracle!!!

So the most exciting thing to happen over the Turkey Break was the rescuing of 5 puppies. Regrettably, the 6th of the litter had not made it by the time I arrived where the puppies had been abandoned. Rescuing them and then nursing them (which was the hardest thing I've ever done) was a highlight of this year.
My little brother video recorded the adventure and put together this very...creepy?...video.



My sister now owns one of the puppies. It's weird, though. Having nursed them, I feel responsible for their ultimate "destiny," for lack of a better word. Anyways, I hope they survive.

What do you want to be when you die?

I found this very entertaining video showing the many facets of th business of death over at The Fabulist. I decided that when I die, I want to help the environment, so just bury me as soon as possible with no preservatives in a cardboard box in my local forest.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you,

The Baron!


As he surveys his barony, he remembers the old land, his would be Baroness, whom he lost but in his memories. This is home now, Baron, this is home.

I'm almost done!!!

Click to enlarge!!!

Just a few more contour lines for the background and the Ellis image.

The Studio!!

HUZZAH!!!

I am getting the kitten!! ^_^!!!!!

Sad day...

I'm not getting that kitty. But I'm looking for another one.

I'm getting a Kitty!

Meet my future kitten! I'm picking him up tomorrow! It shall be a happy day!

Don't tell my apartment complex!

Painting's Progress!

I didn't do much tonight, but I'm getting close to almost done.

An actual painting!

This is a photograph of a work in progress. It is a 24"x30" painting of a collage of several images I found on the internet. Credits for found images go to Jen Wang, Kazu Kibuishi, Chris Appelhans, and Carson Ellis! This is being painted for my foundations of painting course.

I'll probably post another update tonight after another bout of painting! This is actually funner than I thought the final project was going to be.

DANG IT! I missed SketchCrawl Again!

Okay guys (ESPECIALLY YOU, ATEC PEOPLE!!!), I want to organize a meeting for the next SketchCrawl. If you don't know what it is, go to their website and see. If you like to draw, fancy yourself a drawer, or just like to doodle stuff you see, this is for you!
Since we missed the latest SketchCrawl, we have about 2 months to organize one for the Dallas area! What does this mean? It means that if we want to participate in this world wide event, we need to know who out there is interested. ATEC (or AP or AH) people, you would probably enjoy doing this! And if we can get a group to just hang out and sketch during the next sketchcrawl, that would be amazing (and probably really fun!).
I know this is fed to my facebook notes, so if any of you ATEC (or other art majors) are interested, leave a note comment (here or facebook) or send a message. If there is any interest, we'll start a facebook group.

This one's for you...

Tess! Today's was written around the premise of drawing Tess's hair. I like how it turned out, but constructive criticism is welcome. This is the second Last Chance. Tess, I hope you like it!

Le yawn. It's bed time. I'll post this to DA tomorrow.

Photos, for a change

Some recent peekatures. Drawings from Starbucks signs I did. My favorite is the Italian Roast one. I drew VENICE!

Kinda the daily?

Here's two to think about...

The Daily 007, from 6/10/07

I like this one still. This is a smaller version of a previous project. I should get the large one completed...

Hurray, I got it done by the time I said I would. Today I used brush and black india to ink the strip. My hand shakes too much, and thus I have squiggly lines. I need to work on steadying those hand muscles. Today's also taken from an idea I had last fall. Here is today's Daily:

This week I might be doing a five day long narrative, depending on whether I get it written out today or not. If not, expect it for next week. I'll try my best.

That narrative sucked.
Oh, by the way, I've started adding the text I originally wrote on the facebook.

NEW COMIC!

I've started a new comic strip, much like the daily, only not so daily. I call it Last Chance, for many reasons. Here is the first one!

The Daily 006, first released 6/09/07

Silly one I had come up with a year or so before I made it into a daily:

Yeah, I know it's late. I was going to have it done at around one, but I was stolen from my drawing. Anyways, this is a rather silly one from an idea I had last summer. I don't know what to think about the execution of it (I tend to err on the "it sucks, make it better," side). But here is today's instructional comic for all you indie rockers who can't afford a turntable(*edit* phonograph is what I meant to say. I have been corrected by the indie rockers) because you bought a mac:

Tomorrows will be out early! Possibly still in the morning hours. Notice I still have 20 minutes left! HA! Take that, time!

Copper Is Back!!!

Kazu has posted the newest Copper comic over at Bolt City! It's been a WHOLE YEAR since the last one, and fortunately we are promised one for October. Go check it out if you haven't already, and don't forget to read the archives if you are new to Copper.

The Daily 005, originally released 06/08/07

Today is perhaps the first comic I was really happy with. This is perhaps because I like the art and the narrative.

Today's comic took a while to think of and draw. I broke a couple of pens and came to the conclusion that pigma microns are really crappy liners. My trusty Staedtler came through though. And here is the first multipanel Daily, far better than any of the previous strips (in my opinion).

Woo!
*Edit*
Oh yeah, I had something else to say. Working withing 3"x7" space is really challenging. Not only must I steady my head to make good linework, but actually fitting everything I have to say within that small rectangle takes alot of thinking and brainstorming. I am benefitting from this exercise!

The Daily 004, originally released 06/07/07

This is one about the part of my dream when I couldn't let go of the things that drug me away. Those balloons carried me so far.
Original text:

"Thank you for all the kind messages and notes! I've been encouraged to keep this up. I'm glad you've enjoyed the last few strips, though they were really not my favorites at all. Thanks! Here's today's comic:

Single panel comics are too easy, as in they are not challenging me to find creative ways to tell short yet complex narratives. Also my attempts to make non-seqiutor strips add to the complications. I will attempt multi-panel comics soon, maybe even tomorrow."

The Daily 003, originally released 6/06/07

This is about when I started working at Starbucks. I swear this really happened!

The Daily 002, originally released 06/05/07

This is about little things with big meanings and history attached to them. Besides that, only one other person would really know what it is about.
Original text:

"Yeah, these comics are rather trite and contrived. This is the point of this excercise: to develop a stronger writing style and to develop strong imagery and art. Here's todays strip.

Maybe I should give myself a 30 minute time limit on drawing and inking the art. I wrote this one in a really short time, too, without much thought, when I saw the little black spider."

Steve Hamaker, color artist for Jeff Smith, tutorials

Steve Hamaker works on coloring pages for Jeff Smith, and he's amazing at it. He has recently posted the first video in what he plans to be a series of video tutorials on YouTube. It's an informative short with the basics for digitally coloring a traditionally produced comic (i.e., paper and ink). He explains the relationship between the linework, the importance of black and white versus grayscale, and the color, explaining the effectiveness of working in layers. A good intro to coloring in you need a place to start.

The Daily 001, from 06/04/2007

The thing I remember when I first wrote this comic was that I felt ostracized, looked down upon. Yeah, kinda depressing, but I made this little thing.
Original text:

"I'm trying to get into the habit of disciplining myself is several aspects of my life. One of them is my drawing and writing. To solve this issue, I have started a new strip simply entitled, "The Daily," in which I will draw and keep memoirs. So far, it's conceived as a non-sequitor, but that might change, as does daily life.

Enjoy.

Obviously publishing on Facebook notes will decrease the quality of the image, so I will work on formatting it so that it does look so bad...
*Edit*
I guess you can click on it to make it bigger."

After a long hiatus, I bring comics!

Here's the deal. Sporadically throughout the summer I wrote a comics I called the daily. You might be asking yourself, "Sporadically? Daily? Sporadically daily???" Yeah, it started out as a daily offering mostly as a practice of my writing and my art. However, busy-ness kicked up and I was struggling to write and draw and sleep at some point during the week, so it tapered off as the summer drug on. But, in an attempt to be productive (rather, to seem productive, as I have been working on several story lines, that in hindsight hinders my productivity) I am posting all of them here daily as an archive. As an added bonus, I will throw in the original commentary of the piece PLUS a retrospective commentary. Like a DVD set! The first one in a few minutes!!!

The Lemonade Girl

This drawing was made on the day the last entry was published. Bleh. I like it. I totally stole Jen Wang's style for this one.


You can see through to the next page because I didn't tear the page out of the sketchbook. Maybe more to come soon. Check out my facebook notes for my daily comic. Maybe I'll put them up here too sometime.

I love her style!

Jen Wang is an amazing artist with a great style of drawing. One of my favorites, and an influence on my work. Check out this short comic by her. It's beautiful.

Click on it to see the whole of it. Hope you enjoy it.

Character Inks

Character Sheet

This is the character sheet I made for my preproduction course. Eh, not my best work.



I have been working on thumbnail sketches for the story. I'll get the first chapter done, and post one page a week. I don't know when they will be colored though, so expect a black and white image.

Comics!!!

I got to meet the McCloud family this past Monday! I am amazed at how the whole family is as much a part of the tour as is the talk. Winter asking for someone to teach her to purl (which she found and learned!), Sky with insightful comments, Ivy was very friendly, and of course Scott was funny AND informative. A very friendly family. I wish them luck and safety on the road.
I bought a copy of Daisy Kutter today, and have been reinspired! Yesterday and today, I have tried to draw but was not able to. I felt like Peter Parker in the second movie, afraid I had lost my powers, but not really realizing why I can draw and why I WILL draw.
I will be up all night working on a paper. Hurray coffee!
Also, i'll be working on a character sheet for Emma and Ishmael for my preproduction class. Of course, this is what I'm looking forward to the most tonight. The world is developing well in my mind and on my sketchbook, and I am contemplating the story. So far, I've written how the siblings make it into this magical world. I don't have a name for it yet, though.

SKETCH DUMP 07!!!!!

Or, at least a few weeks of 07.

This is who I am.

In human terms: unforgivable. I am a despicable man. I am a detestable person. My hands have spilt the blood of others. My body committed more grevious sins than most. My depravity gave birth to perversity, and that perversity killed. It maimed. It makes me unforgivable. The body and bloody of one cries of the guilt and of the shame of mine. With that guilt I will die. With that shame I won't make ammends. She stands and accuses me, and I plead guilty. I stripped her of dignity, and I brought her down to nothing. I stole a portion of her soul which did not belong to me. I sinned against her and against God.
There is the blood of another. He who was not sinful took this heinous crime that I committed and made it his own. We sinned against him and crucified him. With all our sins, he died, his blood trickled to the ground, and there, beneath the cross, it also speaks. When we murdered him, he forgave us. His blood points up to the cross and tells me he took my sin; he became my sin and removes my condemnation.
I am Cain. I have murdered and the Lord has found me guilty. My shame is too much to bear. But the Lord has been gracious. He has blessed me with forgiveness, when I did not deserve it at all.

I do not deserve it at all.

I was thinking about it when I heard this on the tele:

From the Travel Channel:
"The west coast attracts all the fugitives and refugees of the US. Portland ends up with the sort of most disturbed people."

Luke 5:27-32 tells the story of Jesus calling Levi, AKA Matthew:

27After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, "Follow me." 28And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" 31And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

Jesus tells me to follow Him, and he calls me to Portland. There are the people Jesus came, died, and conquered death for: the rejects, the socially outcast, the fugitives and refugees who need a place to rest, and Jesus is the rest we all long for, whether we know it or not.

Preproduction class

I am luckily in the storyboarding class. HURRAY!!! I have not drawn more in that short amount of time. Hopefully, this class will get me closer to where I want to be artistically.
Soon, I will post the work from that class. Also, I'm required to have a deviant art account, so I'll link it in a few days. Any ideas for a name for my deviant art account?

Art and God

To say beautifully and render wonderfully the works of the Creator, the plan of the Redeemer, the awe of the King Jesus, this is why we were made. Worshippers for Jesus. We all worship, whether we believe it or not. We worship drink, we worship sex, we worship knowledge, we worship ourselves, wasting our time finding lasting satisfaction worshipping created things, when we were made to worship God the Creator. Art is a form of worship, poetry is a form of worship. It is for this reason that art strives to beautifully render the world, the creation, and the pain. We then worship the art, we house it, we buy it, we sell it and value it highly, yet secular artists are some of the most depressed people there are, with suicide rates among the artist community being higher than most other occupations. But what if we were to stop worshipping the creation of art, and instead, worship the Creator through art? The beauty of our Creators plan, the flawlessness of His sovereignty. Only worship of him through the method God created us to enjoy will satisfy us, and yes, it is hard work. It's not going to flow easy, and inspiration will only come from many hours of work. Artists were created by God, and we're still under the curse, and we still have to work hard to eat, and we still have to suffer, but it is in that suffering that He speaks to us tenderly, and it is in that dry wilderness of the soul that he fills our mouths with cool water.