WOO!

Okay, so it has been a few months since my last post, and not much has happened besides a really really really good show.

I got to see The Decemberists here in Dallas this past wednesday. Needless to say, the show was amazing, as the band itself. The latest album, The Crane Wife, is perhaps the bands most well-rounded album, having a circular, epic feel that leaves wanting to listen from the beginning once it is over.

Colin Meloy, with his prowess at the art of showmanship, made the show a spectacle to be seen. Even though my guest to the show didn't quite appreciate it as much as I did, my appreciation for the show was worth the entire 40 dollars I paid. I can proudly say Colin Meloy made a phone call from my phone to my sister during the show and sang part of "The Culling of the Fold" into it. IT WAS AMAZING!!!

The next page of the comic might go up over Thanksgiving, once I have free time. I'm looking forward to that. Either that, or I will cut this particular story short and write stand alone stories.

Time to relax.

I have not even started working on the next page of IS. But be assured that before long you will see the next issue. In the meanwhile, I have been sketching alot. I am ridiculously tired right now though. I built a pinhole camera and have been having fun with that. Also expect some product photography! Right now, I need a drink.

I started my Teach For America application yesterday. I can't believe it. Last year of my undergraduate education. Life hasn't turned out the way I thought it would, but rarely anyone's does.
I am torn between applying for the big city that never sleeps or a rural area in South Dakota Native American reservations.

WOO WHO!!!...?

Here is page three. Enjoy! Page four will most likely be a week from now.

EAT THAT POOR SELF-IMAGE!

Wednesday, I can say, was productive.

Comic was inked, scanned, arranged, flattened, colors removed, ready for painting. Photogram ideas floating around my head, fixed the light leak on the bellows to my new (to me, anyways) camera, taught Jacob and John how to set up the dark room, and John was there for clean up. Went and picked up Days We Would Rather Know, a collection of poems by Michael Blumenthal. Amazing, go pick up a copy. The way things are going, time will run out for me before I finish life. Imaginary Stitches is tearing out my stitches. This is, however, a lesson in writing. I need to write in images, and make each one meaningful, and make every part essential. Perhaps every page in this comic is essential, but I feel it moves too slowly. Maybe that's just the me that wants everything fast speaking. I need to slow down and breath and go to sleep soon to wake up, bright and early, to go learn to be a poet, and come back and paint all day long. Paint Paint Paint! Comic might be done tomorrow evening. As long as I don't die, it will be here before the weekend!

AAAGHH!

I am so behind schedule for the comic. This week, although I will try my hardest to get it done as soon as I possibly can, seems to suggest that the release of page three will not be until Friday. I am so tired. I've been up since six and working pretty much non-stop. I got home at around 7 and have been organizing my room as a studio and bedroom. At least I have an internet connection now. This will make uploading things easier. Huzzah!

Today's thing to think about...

I need to talk about Vera Brosgol some more. More specifically, her one page work in Flight Volume Two, "Salmoning."
There's plenty of times I always wonder if I'm going down the right current, or if I took a wrong turn somewhere, and I can't turn back and go the right way. Well, besides the deep philosophical implications of this work, the work is truely Vera Brosgol creating beautiful work.
Go buy Flight, all three volumes so far, and read all the rest of the stories. I can't promote this series enough. So go buy them.
Click on the title for a link to Vera's "Salmoning" from the Flight 2 preview site.

The now deleted idea...

Was total bullcrap. I'll be working diligently and producing artistic works with literary value no matter how much time they take, although you can expect something weekly.

Page 2!

Page two, still on wednesday, as promised. I need to start working on page three immediately to get it done on time for early wednesday next week. Without further ado...*artstuffs partially contributed by the talented Claire Brown.

So Far, So Good.

Page two progress is going great. Scanning right now. I'm much happier with the new drawings, and I even had time to do a sketch! I drew this and then played with some prismacolor pencils, so I didn't color all the hair. This took about 3 minutes. I hate coloring in hair by hand.

I can't get no satisfaction

...from looking at page two, so I am going to redraw it and rescan it. I'll be working on this all day today, so late wednesday (afternoon or evening) might be when page two will go up. Hopefully I will be happy with it.

Quick drawing of the day!

I drew this today, pencilled and inked, trying to draw something heartfelt. I don't know about anyone else, but there is something about public transportation, listening to music, and holding hands that makes my heart hopeful. Someday. Well, yeah, this is kinda cheesy, but I'm a pretty cheesy fellow.

I'm back!

The last couple of days have been hectic. Miserable, I might even go as far to say. But I've started page two and should pencil and start inking tomorrow. I do, however, have class from 9 to noon, so I should be going to sleep soon.
I'm looking forward to "Project: Romantic." You can find a link to a preview by clicking on the title of this entry, or clicking here. My favorite page is Part IV of "Kingdom Animalia Illustrated."



























Sometimes you see things that make you laugh at the heart break you've been through, and that helps. But enough emotional talk.
I am nearly finished with the comic paintings I'm doing of Claire and Caroline. They are the actual real life incarnations of Shelly and Amy, respectively, from John Allison's Scary-Go-Round. Seriously. So I might take them to the imaging people before I give them the paintings, or if that fails, take them up to school and use the copy stand. I'll have to get good slide film and scan them on my computer once they are developed. I will not, however be putting them on here, for I think that takes away their value. Caroline will be posting hers on her myspace, however.
With that said, I can't wait to recieve my copies of Flight 1 and 2, and I'll have to re-order volume 3 since it got water damage tonight. Grr!

It's Wednesday!!

And as promised, here is page one of Imaginary Stitches. Expect page two next week.

Something good to listen to.

The broadcast I heard this last saturday of This American Life on the radio was perhaps the most touching program I have ever listened to. "Last Words." This is all I can say about it. Go listen to it. You can find it here. Although morbid, powerfully thought-motivating.
Expect to see a comic on death after Imaginary Stitches, the first page of which will go up on Wednesday, and a new page will be added every wednesday after that.

The First Story's First Page.

I finally got one page of the first story completely drawn, inked, scanned, and colored. Scanning took longer than I though it would take, mostly because i had a very hard time lining up the parts of the scan. My flat bed scanner has a recess where the glass is, and when the top is closed, the flattener pushes part of the board in and it creates a curve, distorting the scan. then it's nearly impossible to the all the lines to match up. I finally got it to work by scanning in two parts, not using the flattener, and putting part of the board on the outside of the scanning area. I spent a couple of hours in this step.
The first story I've decided to illustrate (my mom used this word for what I'm doing, I liked it better than comicking) is Imaginary Stitches, one of my better short stories. I wrote this one last summer. If you have read the story, good for you, but if you haven't, you'll get to see it in living color!
Anyways, I haven't yet decided a schedule for the comic (although for sure I've narrowed it down to one update a week, at least for now, as it takes me forever to get a single page done. I might increase to two a week once I get the hang of it), and I'm still working on ideas for an actual website for the comic. I don't want to put up the first page yet though, maybe tomorrow. In the meanwhile, here is a sneak preview at perhaps my serial comic, which will be a factual account of my life. Seriously. (Character based on me, although I did take some flattering liberties.) Click to GRANDITIZE IT!!!

This is another test. I was messing with creating the lines in their own layer, and checking how color was going to work. This was done using the trackpad on my powerbook. I definitely need a drawing tablet. I might have to go buy one right now.

I might as well get started.

Today I purchased a copy of photoshop and a scanner, which will double as a tool for my photography and my comic art. I haven't started coloring yet, but I scanned one of my test drawings and tested photoshop's ability at removing blue lines. It works.

Seeing as I am not going to school for drawing and classical animation, I have taken it upon myself to learn from others by reading what they have to say and seeing all the wonderful works. I, being the sappy sap that I am, have fallen in love with Vera Brosgol. I did not know this until today, but she is the author of "Return to Sender," a wonderful comic that was never finished. I was first introduced to the comic last year when Sarah showed it to me. I also found out Vera drew the "Skeletor Tries His Luck" sketch, which was Sarah's AIM icon for the longest time. Who would have known I'd considered Vera Brosgol as one of my top favorite artists. Check out her art and animation at www.verabee.com.

The point of this entry is clear. I am going to start inking "Imaginary Stitches" (and continue drawing it) as soon as I get a desk, which should be this weekend. If not, I'll keep on working on the floor.

Classes start next Thursday. I'll be buying a large format camera soon, and cheap 35mm film to do those annoying introductory assignments.

Stay Tuned.