hopskotch SunDAY's World

Still off the grid. Occupy!!

2011-11-29T02:14:00.001-08:00

This is a post of mine from FB. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I hate the hunt and peck of an iPhone. Next week I should have a computer. And hopefully be out of this pit of regret and shame.
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I'm surprised and happy that the Occupy OKC movement is still going. Not to diss on my friends here on FB, I do like everyone I am friends with, but no one is talking about Occupy OKC. I didn't even know it was still going on. Do you guys not realize what this movement is about? I realize most people don't comprehend the amount of money the 1% has and how much control over everyone's lives they have. Most people are OK with the fact they can pay bills and watch TV, maybe go to Wal-Mart and buy some cheap, worthless extravagance. But you need to realize just how offset the classes are. There are people making BILLIONS of dollars a year. Some even in a month. AND they pay NO taxes. This is fucking ridiculous. Taxes go towards your police, your safety, your fire department, your streets, your buildings, your entire social structure. What it doesn't go for???? Education and health care. Are these not the most important things in any society??? So, you may be living an "adequate" life, but you need to take in and start looking at the bigger picture. Don't just sit back and buy into commercialism and all the meaningless Bullshit. Not saying you can't enjoy it, just BE AWARE OF THE BIG PICTURE, how people are fucking you and your family and your friends.. Your loved ones.

A Bit Off The Grid

2011-10-15T15:50:00.001-07:00

As you can tell, I have been slacking on updates. My computer is fried and all I have is my iPhone. Using the Blogger app for the first time. No bueno!!!

I'm working on my Uprise Book Project 1984 painting. It's a bigger one! 3'x2' I believe.

Also working on a logo for a friend's new internet radio show. Not sure how much she has told anyone about it. Will update when I find out more.

And Everett Patterson came out with his graphic novel, Savage Nobles in the Land of Enchantment and it is really good! I keep thinking about different aspects of it every day. That's a good sign. 8) So many good things about it that I am going to write up a detailed review when I have time and possibly a new computer. This peck peck pecking on my iPhone is tedious!!!

And hopefully I can find out how to link things on this app so I can direct you all to cool things.

Spread the Love!!

Monsterbation 2

2011-09-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am going to be part of the Monsterbation 2 show this coming First Thursday at The Pony Club. Come by and check out some explicit art!!

30 Minute Stories

2011-09-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

Here's another 30 Minute Story from Jon Hallman and myself. I liked this story quite a bit. Only having 30 minutes to do an illustration was really difficult on this one. I wanted to draw a more expansive view of the secret headquarters, but I knew that would take way too long so I had to just get across what I could given the time limit. One thing you learn from having such a short time limit is how to really focus on what is important to get a feeling for a scene and not waste time on every detail. I hope you like it. If you do, feel free to share with your friends. There are some fancy buttons at the bottom of the post. 8)

Click to enlarge!!

And here are the previous 30 Minute Story posts and the Introduction.

Intro and Powerless

Unnecessary

One Question

Monster Under the Bed

The Eyes of Fairview Street

New Doctor Who Painting

2011-09-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest painting from the world of Doctor Who, The Queen of The Starship England, Liz 10. I'm still learning about watercolors. I like what they can do and have only started touching the surface. Still so much to learn!!

Thor and Hymir

2011-09-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Looks like this never got posted. Here is the little 4 page comic I made last month from a story by Jon Hallman for the Ocean issue of Stumptown Underground. It's based on a classic nordic tale of Thor fishing with the Giant Hymir and was such an important story that it was carved on numerous large rocks around the country. I tried using a tighter inking technique than I have in the past. I also tried using various textures to make everything pop out. I hope you like 'em!! 8)

If you like 'em, be sure to hit the share or +1 button at the bottom of the post. Thanks for checking them out!

Going on Vacation!!

2011-08-29T00:14:00.001-07:00

Heading back home to Oklahoma in a couple days. Going to be gone from the internet except through my phone til Sept 7th. But I already have a couple drawing and painting sessions planned while I am there. I miss artin' it up with my friends in the The Killer Next Door - TheKND.com. Much Love!!

30 Minute Stories

2011-08-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

Here is another of the 30 Minute Stories Jon Hallman and I created. And here are links to the first three I posted.

Intro and Powerless
Unnecessary
One Question

Please share by clicking one of the tabs below. Let your friends know about it! 8)

I Love Doctor Who!

2011-08-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

I have recently been working on a series of Doctor Who paintings. There are so many great episodes and characters that I could probably do hundreds!!! But here are some of my favorites. The rest are posted on my new Deviant Art page and my Facebook Fanpage.

30 Minute Stories

2011-08-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another 30 Minute Story Jon Hallman wrote and I illustrated. Both of us limited ourselves to 30 minutes each to write and draw. This one was a fun one. It has a frog for crying out loud! Click on image to enlarge.

Stumptown Underground Release Party

2011-08-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today we are releasing the newest issue of Stumptown Underground, the local anthology zine I work on. This will be our 19th issue which is a flip book with the themes Summer and Ocean. We will be a part of the Art in the Park event happening from 12 til 8pm as a benefit for North by Northweast Community Clinic. There's going to be music, art supplies for people to be creative and more! Come by and say hi!!

30 Minute Stories

2011-08-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here's another 30 minute story by Jon and me. (click to enlarge)

30 Minute Stories

2011-08-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

My buddy, Jon, and I made a zine for the Portland Zine Symposium consisting of stories and illustrations done with a 30 minute time limit. It is a great exercise for writing or drawing, getting the creative juices flowing and teaching you how to focus on what is important. Here is our intro page and the first story. Click on them for larger images. And hit the back button to come back to this page. I will be posting more over time. If you would like a copy of the zine mailed to you for free email me your mailing address at hopskotchsunday@gmail.com and we'll zip it in the mail for ya. 8)

Portland Zine Symposium

2011-08-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

It's here!! The 11th Annual Portland Zine Symposium!! I'll be there all weekend with Stumptown Underground and some zines of my own. Stop by and say HI!

HAIR!

2011-07-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

Xtina's Birthday

2011-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the painting I made for my buddy, Christina's birthday. She takes great joy in dark things. 8)

Hairstyles

2011-07-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

Was working on guys' hairstyles today at the coffee shop. Most guys have some lame hair. And most that don't are hipsters. Same goes for clothes. Most guys just wear t-shirts and jeans, myself included. Hipsters just happen to have some sense of style. Just an observation.

UPDATE: After doing some more research there are a TON of hairstyles for guys. Most require product, but hey.

Jeff!

2011-07-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the painting I did for my buddy Travis' comic, "Jeff." A story of a guy that gets pulled through portals to save buxom beauties from dastardly beasts. Rawr!! (I have a pretty crappy scanner)

To Boldy Perform As No One Has Performed Before

2011-07-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Portland has many things to offer; one of the largest selections of craft beers in the country, tasty, tasty foods I had never heard of before moving here, film festivals showcasing obscure films from all genres, theaters that serve beer, pizza, nachos, burgers, etc, a diverse music scene which includes a ton of bands that never came through my home state of Oklahoma, more comic creators than nearly any where in the states other than New York, and... Trek in the Park.

We are very lucky to have Atomic Arts, the theater company here in Portland that has been putting on Trek in the Park for the past three years. Much like Shakespeare in the Park, performed in most major cities around the country, Atomic Arts has taken it one nerdy step further and are performing episodes from the classic 60's Star Trek in a stage format, with props and sound effects bringing the presentation to life. And it's free!!

Star Trek: The Original Series lends itself very well to this format. The series didn't rely heavily on special effects and most settings were fairly sparse. And the crew from Atomic Arts does a smooth, seamless job of transitioning. You can tell they spend a lot of time choreographing each scene and each segue to make the production flow. They can turn the bridge into the sickbay in a matter of minutes!!

This season they are performing "Mirror, Mirror," the second season episode where Kirk and crew get transported to a parallel universe and the Federation is a force for war instead of peace. And the actors are spot on with the characters. Adam Rosko, one of the founders of Atomic Arts with his sister, Amy, plays Captain James T. Kirk to a tee with his classic pauses while speaking, his over the top acting and his unique fighting skills. You should totally see his amazing flying kick! Jesse Graff plays the stoic Vulcan, Spock, nailing his glare and stare. He makes Spock seem very powerful. Paul Pistey plays Dr. McCoy, Bones, with great emotional exuberance, as a great counterpart to Kirk and Spock, rounding out the classic Platonic triumvirate. Nate Ayling has perfected Scotty's accent. Nearly every time he speaks you can hear the crowd giggle ever so slightly at how amazing he sounds. Dana Thompson, captures all the classic 60's nuances of Lt Uhura, such as her longing gazes and quick whips of her head as she responds in shock. Ryan Castro, also does a great job of capturing Chekov's accent. "There is a wessel approaching, Captain." (He also did a phenomenal job of portraying Khan Noonien Singh last season) And Kaebel Hashitani's glares and sneers as the evil and sly Sulu rounded out this perfect cast. The rest of the supporting cast did a great job as well. You really need to see them live to capture just how great everyone performs. It is one of the best productions I have ever seen.

The sound effects and background crew are quite amazing as well. You hear the swish of the doors opening and closing, the phasers blasting, the communicators opening, all the blips and beeps of the bridge with dramatic music setting the tone. The title music is played to perfection with Margaux Hash performing the classic vocals. They really make you feel as though you are there, watching the classic TV show being made right before your eyes.

I wish I had gotten more pics from this weekend, the first performance of Mirror, Mirror, but I was pulled into the play. They are performing every Saturday and Sunday in July, 5pm, Woodlawn Park, Corner of Claremont and Oneonta in NE Portland. If you decide to go, which I think EVERYONE should, you should get there very early. Most of the good seats will be taken by 2:30/3:00. Take a blanket, some food and a few games. Make a day of it. It will be SO worth it. You won't be disappointed.

First, there is a video showing the ingenious way they portray the transport from their world to the warrior world of Mirror, Mirror. Watch the transporter beam shimmer!! (I apologize for the shaking of the cam. I was highly caffeinated!)

The Eye of the Beholder 001

2011-07-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

I want to start showcasing from time to time artists that have inspired me, from all genres and movements and from different times in my life. There are a ton!! I used to spend the majority of my days as a young teen looking through art books at the bookstore as my family went shopping around the mall. I wanted nothing to do with mall shopping!! Just give me some books and some art. I was in love!

What originally got me into art were the covers to fantasy and sci-fi novels and comics. It wasn't until my mid 20's that I was introduced to Fine Art. And my late 20's til I discovered street art. Now I am trying to incorporate it all and find even more!!

So, where do you start something like this? Do you go chronologically, starting with your first influences, or do you go straight to your all time favorite?

I think I will start with a new artist that has caught my attention and has inspired me to try out some new techniques, Jamie Jones. Just like when I was a kid, I can sit there and stare at his paintings for hours! He does a great job of creating atmosphere with very few strokes. Here is one of his paintings that first caught my attention.

Not only do I love the huge robot looming in the distance, but I also love how he creates the city in the foreground with sloppy blocks of colors and haphazard lines denoting windows and shadows and such. I'm a big fan of creating depth and capturing shape and form with very few swashes of color or lines. Here's another one where he creates a sense of atmosphere. Just look at that giant in the distance. It's ginormous!!!

Here's another one where he captures so much with so few elements. Just look at that fella on the right. Just a few sketchy lines and WHAM there's a cloaked figure walking. And look at that background. Looks pretty messy, but conveys the sense of snow drifts in a dark, dreary forest.
And here is one of his figure pieces. Again, very simple looking, but capturing so much in a mess of strokes.
He is a digital painter, but he uses these dry brush and splatter techniques that I love. I'm working on developing my style for my comics am wanting to create the type of atmosphere created here. Something simple, yet tangible. Inspiration is all around us!!

New Header and New Projects

2011-07-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my new painting for my header here on my blog. I like how it turned out. It incorporates some of my new techniques with some of my old techniques and images. I've been using a much more muted palette.

Next on my list of projects is a pin-up for Travis Bundy's trade paperback, "Jeff." It's a story about a common guy with a joe job, jumping dimensions, fighting mystical baddies and saving the buxom ladies. I'm using this opportunity to test out some new techniques that I intend to incorporate in my painted comics coming soon. Been experimenting a lot lately. One of my favorite aspects of being an artist!!

Now, I am off to ride my bike around the water front. I rode about 10+ miles yesterday and got some great photos. Portland is a beautiful city!!

Clean Up and Prioritizing

2011-06-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Been taking it easy these past few weeks. I'm actually getting out of the studio and experiencing this thing I've heard about called a "social life?" It's been a good time, but I am ready to get back to work.

Been redesigning my blog here to become my new website. Soon the old hopsckotckSunDAY.com site will be gone and will be redirected here. (Hopefully, that link works for ya) With the addition of the new tabs up top I can collect everything I need right here. And for free!! I've condensed my paintings down to about one example from each year and have thrown a few drawings from the past few years on there. I'm going to work up some finalized pencil or ink drawings soon. There are a lot of techniques I want to try out.

There are still a few sections that need work. I am working on art pieces for the About Me and Contact pages. And I need to get some prints made for my Etsy shop. I'm also working on a few zines for the Portland Zine Symposium that I will add to my shop as well. If you have never been to the Portland Zine Symposium I suggest you get on over there the weekend of Aug 6th and 7th. Such a great show, filled with tons of people and their lil creations. I love the DIY culture.

Free Comic Book Day!!!

2011-05-07T22:43:00.001-07:00

Today was a blast! More fun was had than I ever expected. I took a bus up to Vancouver, WA to sign issues of ZFW with Josh Cantrell at The Odyssey Comics. Josh had to leave early to go help some kids. He's a giver like that. But fun was had nonetheless. Of course. It was Free Comic Book Day after all.

I got to talk to a bunch of interesting people about most of my favorite things; comics, art, movies, video games. There wasn't nearly enough discussion of Hume's "A Treatise on Human Nature," but I'll let that one slide.

The best part of the entire day had to be seeing all the small, small children being brought into the store by their parents who had no notion of what a comic really is. The blank look in their eyes was a dead give away. The questions about certain characters they had only heard about from their children were also a giveaway. But the looks of wide amazement from all the little ones was amazing!!

I was drawing a picture of Spider-man when a small boy came up with his mother, who was explaining to him some of the process in making a comic. I helped her out and talked about my own process. The boy was fascinated. As they were leaving I gave the drawing to the lad and his eyes went wide. He took it and ran up to his father and started waving it around. That was pretty sweet. I freakin' love kids!!

I also got to talk to a few artists and writers about their craft and explain my own. It's great getting to listen to people's different perspectives and, hopefully, learn from each other. I met so many nice people today.

Speaking of nice people, Tam, the owner, was super nice and accommodating. He was constantly checking on me and making sure I had food and drink. Two more of my favorite things. This was probably one of my best experiences on the other side of the table. I want to extend a very large "Thank You!!" to Tam and everyone else at The Odyssey. It was a glorious day indeed!!

I can't wait to do more signings and attend more conventions. I love interacting with people. Of course it helps that they are all, simply by being at these signings, into the same things as me. I hope everyone had the best Free Comic Book Day ever!!

It's a New Chapter

2011-05-05T13:15:00.001-07:00

I let my publisher know that I won't be working on ZFW once I finish up the first trade. It was a tough decision. Josh Cantrell, the writer and publisher of CEP, and CEP, themselves, have been super kind to me. Just giving me the opportunity to draw for them was something that I will cherish forever. They gave me my first foray into the comics world. But beyond that, they gave me a ton of freedom. They let me combine or remove panels to help story flow and never asked me to change anything. Very different than the horror stories I had heard.

I have also kind of built a relationship with these characters. I've drawn 100+ pages of these guys running around killing zombies. I've been refining their details and think they will always feel somewhat special to me. I'm going to miss these guys!!

But I am looking forward to pursuing some of the stories I have had for the past few years that I have had to put on the back burner while drawing ZFW. My wall has been covered with the same character sketches and other designs for a story I started over a year ago. It's time to really jump in there and start developing these ideas so I can get them out and start on all the other ideas I have floating around in my noggin.

I remember hearing a quote by Michael Jackson where he said he had to keep producing new work because there were always new ideas popping up in his mind that also needed out. If he didn't create as much as he did it would all become over whelming and flood his mind. That is how I feel. These stories have been sitting and stewing for way too long and have to be told, have to be set free, out of my mind.

I'm also wanting to get back into painting and showing work in galleries. I got a small taste of this lately and it reminded me how much I used to love working with paint, developing concepts and techniques, even designing and putting on an art show. I am looking forward to applying the same kind of work ethic I have had toward comics these past two years to painting for galleries and painting my own comics.

I'm also looking forward to writing more. Not just on my comics, but also philosophically and scientifically. I have folders full of different subjects I have been wanting to write blogs about that I haven't had the time to focus on. I want to write "kids" books breaking down certain concepts to a level anyone could understand. With the help of cute pictures, of course. 8) One of the first things I am going to do is to turn all these writings into zines and pass them around town and at the Portland Zine Symposium with the possibility of publishing them at a later date. With all I see happening in the future I think it's going to be a super fun year!!

Again, I thank everyone at CEP for letting me work with them. I hope I can still do some covers and other projects for you. I'm also still going to be there to help promote ZFW and hopefully have a few drinks after the cons. Spread the Love!! 8)

Painting Again!!

2011-04-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

The timing could not have been more perfect. I was just talking about wanting to get back into painting and then I was invited to participate in the Stumptown Cartoonist show this month at The Pony Club Gallery.

I was stoked!! I love The Pony Club. And there were other artists who's work I love in the show as well. If you are in Portland you should do yourself a favor and get down there and see the show. There is going to be a Stumptown Comics Fest after party at The Pony Club the last day of the festival, April 17th from 6 til 10. Perfect time to come by, talk to some comic creators and see the art.

And now I am painting again. There's something about slinging paint around, correcting mistakes, throwing on collage or spray paint and stencils, drawing in areas with pencil... I love it all!! And it gets a better response from people than my traditional comic work, which I feel is sometimes passionless. I'm looking forward to doing more painting, showing work at Last Thursday and getting back in galleries as well as painting comics.

Here's the first "page" I did for the show. It was a little bigger than my scanner. I'll have better pics of both pages once the show is over.

You'll have to go to the gallery to see what happens next!!

New Directions and Daily Sketch 024

2011-03-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile. I've been trying to figure out what I really want to say. This last trip to Emerald City Comicon didn't go that well. But I did learn a few things and am pretty stoked about what lies ahead.

The main problem I had with ECCC was the fact that I was sooooooo exhausted. I stayed up late the few nights before, working on getting everything ready. I had a friend come in from out of town the night before the convention. We ran around all day before we took off the next morning. And, as usual, I was anxious the night before so I didn't get much sleep.

Then once I got to Seattle I had to carry a big ol' box of comics, my backpack and a couple portfolios up the hills from the train depot to the convention center. If you have ever been to Seattle, you have seen how incredibly steep the hills are there. Geez Louise!!

To sum up, EXHAUSTED!! I kept nodding off and wasn't able to hold a conversation with anyone longer than a quick, "Hello." I didn't get to talk to any artists like I usually do about process or the biz. There wasn't any room for me to sit down at the booth we had set up for ZFW. I didn't hear about any of the fun get-togethers that night. Not that I could have stayed awake anyhow.

I also didn't get to talk to CB Cebulski. It's hard to believe that it's been two years since I first talked to Marvel. A lot has happened since then. The two people I showed my sample pages to gave me conflicting reviews. One said I had too much in my portfolio and the other said I didn't have enough. This is to be expected. Everyone has different tastes. Thankfully I was following CB on Twitter so I got to make my portfolio fine-tuned to his liking. The trick is to take everything in and use it all to make your portfolio the best you can to your own specifications. You can learn a little something from everyone.

I've got about an issue and a half left to go on the ZFW trade. I'm pretty stoked to see how it all turns out. I've learned a lot this past year working for Creator's Edge Press. I've gotten a little quicker with all aspects; penciling, inking, pacing, layouts, etc. But I haven't really been doing what I want.

Another thing that I get asked when I show my portfolio is "What do you want to do?" This is because I include comic pages and paintings. They prefer for you to focus on one or the other. I always think how I went to art school and learned various techniques; drawing, sculpture, printmaking, painting, and everything else.

So, this is my new game plan. I want to combine the two. I haven't been drawing the way I would like. I've been drawing how I think Marvel or CEP would like for me to draw. I want to start bringing in more of the style I developed when I first moved to Portland. Similar to these:

And I also want to get back into painting. All aspects of painting. I haven't really painted in years!! I want to paint my comics like I have painted in the past, mixed media style with collage, splatters, drips, spray paint and stencils, graphite, the works! Like these and these.

I have 5+ stories, comics, philosophy and kid's books, that I have put on the back burner for the past two years while I was sending samples to Marvel and working for CEP. I think it is time to get back to my original plan.

Back before I went to college I drew 2+ issues of a comic I was going to self-publish. I bought a ton of books about self-publishing and was talking to everyone I could about the business. I went to college to study art and philosophy to make my comics better. I got caught up in gallery shows and forgot about comics for a bit. And I have been distracted by the prospect of working with Marvel for the past two years. Now it is time to get back to my original plan.

When I finish ZFW I am going to start focusing on my own comics. I am pretty excited. Excited about painting, about writing, about setting up booths at conventions, about showing the painted pages at galleries, about creating my own worlds and telling my own stories.

I also haven't liked many of my daily sketches. The ones I like the most are the looser, sketchier ones as opposed to the traditional style. I want to work on developing my own style. I am getting tired of all the photo-realism in comics these days. It lacks style. One of the things I keep telling myself while working on ZFW is that everything doesn't have to be extremely detailed. The most important thing is to focus on telling the story. This also helps in creating comics faster. One of my favorite examples is Ben Templesmith. The artist for 30 Days of Night and many other great books. I love his quick, loose style and his painted colors.

Here's my latest Daily Sketch. I liked this one. Leaning more toward my own style. Hoping to get back to these sketches now that I have figured out my game plan.
Another thing I like about my new plan, I can keep being hopskotch SunDAY and not worry about having to use my real name. Lame!!

Woot!! Comics!!!

Daily Sketch 023

2011-03-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

Here's another daily sketch. Hoping to have a ton more coming. This is my buddy, the father phil, who came to visit me here in P-Town and join me in my adventures at Emerald City Comicon. He got to play a bit of his music out front of the Coffee Time, the coffee shop I go to and draw all the time. He had a great trip here and a great time at the con.

I, on the other hand, wish I could REDO!! I was exhausted the entire time and on the cusp of being sick. I'm going to write more on my adventures later. Right now I have to get back to drawing. Deadlines!! I will say that I learned a lot during this trip. And for that I am thankful.

Thumbs to Pencils

2011-03-04T02:54:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to post my thumbnails for my pages I did for Marvel next to the final pages. I always think it is interesting seeing the changes made between thumbnails and final pencils. Don't even get me started on inks or colors. Whew... Let me know your thoughts. 8)

Getting Ready for ECCC!

2011-03-02T13:01:00.001-08:00

I've been working on getting everything ready for ECCC this weekend. I finished the pages to show Marvel. Looking forward to seeing CB again and showing him everything I've been working on since I talked to him two years ago. Doesn't seem like that long, but when I look back to all I've done in the past two years I have accomplished quite a bit.

I'm hoping things go well. I have wanted to work for Marvel since I was a teenager. That's the reason I went to college to get an art degree. That's the reason I started working for CEP. That's why I've been spending 45+ hours a week on top of the day job drawing comics for the past two years. I freakin' love Marvel!! Always have since those first issues of Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men I bought at the local convenience store. Make Mine Marvel!! 'Nuff said.

I'm going to be at the Creator's Edge Press booth helping spread the word on ZFW. We got the numbers back from Diamond and issue one sold really well. Better than we expected. It's the highest selling issue for CEP. Woot! Can't wait to hang with the CEP crew again. I haven't seen them since ZomBcon. A buncha fun folks. 8)

Now to get my business cards made up, print out more drawings for my portfolio... Still so much to do!! And I need to get to drawing the pages for ZFW #'s 4 and 5 on top of everything else. I also want to get back to the daily drawings once the convention is over. Whew, doggy!

Here are the pages I did to show Marvel. It's from an X-Men script featuring Pixie.

Off to work!!

Daily Sketch 021 & 022

2011-02-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

Looks like I forgot to upload a few sketches. This first one was done after watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Good movie I just recently watched for the first time. Filmed here in Oregon. I recognized Depoe Bay when they were stealing the boat. Pretty rad.

The second one was done last night after painting all day. I still want to find a way to incorporate this style into my comic work. Unfortunately, my first impulse is always toward more realistic proportions. Trying to break that habit. 8)

Daily Sketch 020

2011-02-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

Here's the drawing I did yesterday. When I told my buddy, John Hallman, I was wanting to draw Batman's entire rogues gallery he suggested I draw Killer Croc. Again, this was about all I could do in 30 min.
I've been kind of sick or about a week now. Hoping it clears up in time for ECCC. I'm pretty excited!! I'm going to have a booth set up with CEP and copies of ZFW #1, I'm going to show some new pages to CB and Tom Brevoort at Marvel, and I always love to show my work to other artists and get some feedback. Not to mention getting sketches from some of my favorite artists, going to various panels, hanging out with tons of comic people after the convention, seeing the CEP crew again... I freakin' LOVE comic conventions. And my best buddy and fellow KND member, Jay Are, is going to join me for his first convention experience. Woot! Woot!

Daily Sketch 019

2011-02-08T03:50:00.000-08:00

Well, here's what I drew tonight. It was a late night drawing after working the day job. And after watching some Stargate Atlantis. The first one was done on the back of a wasted comic page.

The other was done on the front side. It was already wasted. The already-drawn panel lines gave me some spaces to work with. There's some Thing action and a guy in a biggo armored body suit. Just some random sketches done in about 15 min. I should have spent the next 15 min making Thing look more rocky, but I was moving on to the next drawing 8)

I had decided to scrap the page and start over. One thing I have learned lately was that the underdrawing done in a red pencil which is quite waxy doesn't erase well. So I am going to start doing very simple drawings in red and focus more on the actual pencils. They erase much much better. The original comic drawing I did was way too small and I wanted to zoom in a bit so I decided to just start over.

Daily Sketch 018

2011-02-06T12:51:00.001-08:00

I watched Two Mules For Sister Sarah last night on Netflix Streaming. It was a good one. I am loving going back and watching all these old westerns I refused to watch while growing up. I love the trippy music by Ennio Morricone. Thankfully the ending has never been ruined for me either. I had no idea! I loved Shirley Maclaine's voice. Actually, Clint Eastwood had a pretty amazing voice as well.

Daily Sketch 017

2011-02-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do something pretty big and epic. OF course, I wish I had more time to add details to the buildings, more debris floating around, people running in terror, add some grainy shading, etc. Only so much you can do in 30 minutes. One thing this exercise also helps with is learning how to draw faster.

Daily Sketch 016

2011-02-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

What got me into comics when I was 15 was Spider-man's Black and white outfit. The first comic I ever bought was Amazing Spider-man 298, the first appearance of Venom and Todd McFarlane's first issue. Of course, Two issues later Spidey went back to his red and blue costume. pfft. Thankfully Venom was a pretty fun character. (Even tho his role in Spider-man 3 was not the Venom I knew and loved.)

I limited myself to 30 min so I didn't get to work with any shading or line weights. This one definitely needs to be inked. Looks like these daily sketches are creating even MORE work for me!

Process

2011-01-31T10:55:00.000-08:00

I know I've shown and said most of this before, but here are some process pics for some layouts I did last night for some pages I am doing to show CB and others at ECCC. I included the script I am working from. I like how it includes little things like the weather and layout of Wales, the underlying character of the grandparents and Rhys, the bobby. This helps bring out little nuances in the characters. If you aren't interested in the script, then you can scroll down and see the layouts and character sketches.

PAGE 3

PANEL 1

The schoolyard. Megan walks with another girl (Rhiannon) who looks bored and disgruntled. Megan is questioning her, and it’s clear that she’s still troubled.

1 RHIANNON: Joey and Dai? They probably ran away to London. Joey talked

about it often enough.

2 RHIANNON: Why did you come back? Anywhere’s better than this dump.

PANEL 2

At home, in the small terraced house where Megan lives with her grandparents. They’re at the dinner table, sharing a family meal. Megan’s grandparents are kindly but unimaginative souls, decent and upright and well-meaning but as boring as dry bread: she loves them but has nothing in common with them.

3 GRANDAD: I don’t think it’s anything sinister, Megan love. It’s just how

some people are.

4 GRANDMA: Mrs. Leith next door, she said her husband has upped and left

her as well.

5 GRANDMA: Bed empty, and not a word. It’s a wicked world, ach y fi.

PANEL 3

A street in the town. Megan talks to the local constable, who wears the old-fashioned British police uniform with the high hat and rides a bicycle. The constable, Rhys, is middle-aged and benevolent in a heavy-handed, sergeant-major sort of way – the kind of bobby-on-the-beat you only get in remote rural areas. He’s almost a stereotype, except that there’s a slightly hard cast to his face underneath the good-natured uncle act. Megan shows him a list, which he looks at with no enthusiasm at all: everything about his expression and manner says that he thinks she’s over-reacting and probably being a little hysterical. Note about the town: Wales is incredibly hilly and incredibly wet, with two-hundred-plus days of overcast a year. This town, like many others, has been built up in a valley floor and then up and down the sides of the surrounding hills. Many of the streets slope, the housing stock is old and a little dilapidated, and the hills rise behind the streets as the backdrop to every external shot. The local stone is grey slate, and the hills have a forbidding greyness to them in any place where we can see the bare stone – but there are also occasional pastures up there where sheep graze. Megan and constable Rhys are talking on a busy street, but close to a small park with a children’s playground. It would be useful to establish the playground because we’re going to use it on p4.

6 RHYS: People lost and strayed, is it? Well I’d know if there was a

problem, Megan, wouldn’t I now?

7 MEGAN: But Constable Rhys, I’m talking about more than twenty people

I counted and I’ve got a list.

8 MEGAN: Look! Look at the list!

PANEL 4

Tight on Rhys. He has taken the list and now examines it skeptically, with distaste.

9 RHYS: A list, is it? I’d think a young girl would have other things to

keep her busy. But your da died in the two-mile seam, didn’t

he?

10 RHYS: No wonder if you think dark thoughts from time to time.

PANEL 5

Pull back. Rhys wheels his bike away from Megan, towards us, already dismissing her from his mind. She’s staring not at him but past him, into the foreground – and towards the playground. Her eyes are wide with shock. We can’t see what she’s looking at but we can see the leg of a N’Garai demon in the extreme foreground. The demon is perched on top of the climbing frame in the playground. Constable Rhys ignores it completely – seems to have no inkling that it’s there.

11 RHYS: But I’ll investigate this, never you mind. A man of deeds, I am, not a

man of words.

12 RHYS: Like that James Bond, or Sherlock Holmes.

PAGE 4

PANEL 1

Out wide to show the full scene. Two children are playing in the playground, their mother oblivious nearby, chatting on a bench to a friend. Two N’Garai are watching the children with evil, predatory interest: one perched on the climbing frame, the other clinging to the angle of a swing set. Constable Rhys walks past them without noticing, wheeling his bike.

1 RHYS (OFF): There’s not much that gets past me!

PANEL 2

Pixie is dropping her bag to the ground and starting to take her jacket off.

2 CAPTION: Well the gossips are gonna have a day to remember.

3 CAPTION: It’ll be like “Ooh, Barry Gwynn’s girl’s got wings now, has

she? There’s posh!”

PANEL 3

In tight on the N’Garai as they advance, preparing to snatch up the children.

4 N’GARAI 1: These ones be small and scrawny, B’Terak.

5 N’GARAI 2: But light and easy to carry, M’Drul. His time near, now. He

hungry all the--

6 CAPTION: But it’s not like I’ve got a choice.

PANEL 4

Rotate POV. Pixie (having lost the jacket and freed her wings) flies straight in between the two N’Garai, snatching up a child in each arm just as the N’Garai reach forward to seize them. She’s just manifested her wings right through her street clothes – she’s not in costume.

7 SFX: VIFFFFFFFFFF

PANEL 5

Tight on the two N’Garai. They turn to glare in the direction that Pixie went, baring their teeth in a furious threat display.

8 SFX: SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

PAGE 5

PANEL 1

Tight on Pixie as she flies – low because she’s heavily laden. She’s grim, determined, focused. The children, by contrast, are surprised and scared and indignant.

1 CHILD 1: WAAAAAAAAAH!

2 MEGAN: It’s all right. It’s all right. I won’t let them get you.

3 CHILD 2: Let who get us? Put me down! I wanna get down!

PANEL 2

Out wide. Pixie alights, and the two kids run towards their mother who is running to meet them. The N’Garai, if they’re in shot, are heading for Pixie – swarming over the ground like giant insects.

4 MEGAN: Go. Run. To your mother.

5 CHILD 1: I’m telling on you! I’m telling!

6 CHILD 2: Mam, there’s a scary girl with wings! Help!

PANEL 3

In tight on Pixie and the two N’Garai. She turns at bay, facing them as they advance on her with snarling, spitting malevolence. The background is still part of the playground – possibly a swing set or treehouse/climbing frame structure.

7 N’GARAI 1: Who come between N’Garai and prey?

8 N’GARAI 2: Let it speak its name as it dies.

9 CAPTION: Say it, Megan. If only to hide the sound of your knees

Knocking together.

PANEL 4

Close-up on Megan’s face, hard and angry and unafraid.

10 CAPTION: Say it like it’s true.

11 MEGAN: I’m Pixie.

12 MEGAN: Of the X-Men!

PANEL 5

Out wide. Pixie flaps her wings, sprinkling her trademark pixie dust into the faces of the two advancing N’Garai. One of them is caught full force by the dust: it snarls and squints, angry and taken a little by surprise. The other rears up or aside and is relatively untouched.

13 MEGAN: And I’m not afraid of you. Eat some dust!

First thing I did was to search for reference pics for Pixie, the N'Garai, small towns and bobbies from Wales, dragonfly wings, etc. After that I went through and did rough layouts with notes. You'll probably be lucky if you can make them out!! Then I did a cleaner, simplified version that is easy to read. This is mostly to make it easier for an editor or writer to make out when going over them to make corrections or suggestions.
I then did some character sketches of Pixie and the N'Garai, trying to figure out what she would be wearing, hairstyle, facial structure and all the bony in and outs of the N'Garai demons. Next I will do a quick drawing of Rhys, the bobby, Rhiannon, her friend, the small children and the moms. I do this so I can make them pop out as real people and not just slap a t-shirt and jeans on them. One of the things that helps this is to go out and draw real people and store all that info in your visual library.

Now off to do some layouts for ZFW #4!!!

Comic for Video Game issue of Stumptown Underground

2011-01-30T18:37:00.001-08:00

This is the comic I made with Jon Hallman for the video game themed issue of Stumptown Underground. If you are a creator and you haven't checked out SU yet, you should!! Jon and I are both editors for the zine and would love to see more people make submissions. We have a different theme every issue. You can check out our website for more information. Be Creative!!

Daily "Sketch" 015

2011-01-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

Today I did an ink drawing of The Riddler. I did a quick pencil sketch underneath and then inked it using a #4 red sable brush. I'm wanting to use less lines for shading and more solid blacks, giving the colorist more to work with and speeding up the penciling/inking stage. I'm looking forward to doing more of Batman's villains. He's got some of the best!

I included this headshot, because so much of the details are lost when shrunk down.

Daily Sketch 014

2011-01-29T11:55:00.001-08:00

I drew this Thor in about 10 min on a receipt at work yesterday. I miss the days working at 7-11 when I had plenty of time to doodle.
I drew this Cap later last night. I was trying to go for a quick loose style. I love Cap and what he stands for which is not necessarily what America has become. I did this one in straight ink and wish I could go back and lengthen his legs. That's one of the things with working within a time limit and with straight ink. You have to get it right the first time and fast!

I want to try to do loose pencils then see if I can ink it with a brush. Maybe that'll be my sketch for today. Better get on it!

Daily Sketch 013

2011-01-26T15:02:00.001-08:00

Decided I need to draw more girls which are so much more difficult to draw than guys. So here's one of the most powerful ones. I spent a little extra time on this one and worked in pencil so I could erase and tighten it up a bit.

Daily Sketch 012

2011-01-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

'Nuff Said.

Daily Sketch 011

2011-01-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

Drawing ZFW I don't get to draw muscly super hero types. Been playing around trying to figure out some anatomy. There are quite a few areas I want to focus on. I need a couple muscle types to model for me. Or start working out and get buff myself like Boris Vellejo and Julie Bell.

Daily Sketch 010

2011-01-21T02:54:00.000-08:00

Here's my sketches for the day. I just grabbed a piece of paper and started doodling with a nib pen. Not sure how I feel about a nib pen yet. It has its strengths, but I still love a brush.

Daily Sketch 009

2011-01-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

Wanted to see if I could draw two peeps in 30 min. I went old school! Classic Goblin! I did a quick pencil sketch then quickly went over that with my handy Zebra pen. I may do some touching up and shading later.

Daily Sketch 007 & 008

2011-01-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

Here's the drawing I did yesterday. Still feeling icky with a biggo headache. ugh. And I had to work the day job. Hopefully I'll be better in a few days.
Here is the drawing I did today. I'm wanting to explore Batman a lot more. Not only is he an amazing character, but I love his costume.

I'm learning a lot during these 30 min drawing sessions. Mostly aspects I need to work on, which is great because it'll help me grow as an artist. Also coming up with new drawings every day is exercising my imagination. Now back to ZFW. Only 4 pages left.

Daily Sketch 006

2011-01-17T01:39:00.000-08:00

Today I did some loose sketches and a couple head shots of two of my favorite Marvel characters, J Jonah Jameson and Peter Parker.

I'm still on schedule to finish ZFW #3 within a month. I'm looking forward to the next issue. I want to try out some different techniques, make my art a little tighter.

I love me some drawin'.

Daily Sketch 005

2011-01-15T22:08:00.000-08:00

I woke up today feeling all kinds of sick; coughing, sneezing, runny nose. Blargh... But I did doodle around a bit before working on some more pages. This is what I came up with. I still need to work on twisting a body and getting the part of the body away from the camera right. I'm going to focus on that tomorrow. If anyone has a problem drawing anything, I suggest focusing on that aspect until you figure it out and it becomes one of your regular tools you use when drawing. With enough practice you should be able to figure it all out. 8)

Daily Sketch 004

2011-01-15T03:28:00.000-08:00

Today is... HULK! I must say I am a fan of the emo-haired Hulk. With all those muscles how can you NOT be lost emotionally???

Daily Sketch 003

2011-01-14T04:08:00.000-08:00

This is what I drew today.

I started off with some quick stick figure sketches then drew Wolvie closer to the style I desire. I want to start incorporating my drawing technique I used in my paintings and drawings when I first moved to P-Town. Of course, I fucked up his left hand since I am drawing in straight pen, but I drew a nice snazzy one just above it. 8)

Daily Sketch 001 & 002

2011-01-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have decided to do daily sketches to warm up for the day. Another benefit is that I have something to post here. I don't like going for weeks working on comic pages that I am not allowed to show. I think this will also help me grow as an artist. I am only giving myself 20-30 min on each one. Here are the first two. Not incredibly happy with them, but I have noticed that I need to start working in all three dimensions. Both of their right arms are way too straight and rigid instead of going into the distance. There are also some problems with their torsos. Some things I need to work on. I love finding new aspects of my art to focus on. This is one of the benefits of a good critique, which I am always down for any criticism anyone wants to throw my way.

The first one is Julia, a character from ZFW #3, the current issue I am working on for Creator's Edge Press.
I drew this one of Speedball today. He has always been one of my favorite characters from his first appearance, created by Mark Gruenwald and Steve Ditko. He started off with some quirky adventures, but I came to love him in New Warriors. Thankfully I didn't keep up with him once he became "Penance." Oo, spooky. Whoever came up with that idea had NO love for Robbie Baldwin or Speedball. This is the one character I would like to revamp more than any other for Marvel

See you tomorrow 8)

Efficiency

2010-12-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

I need to start spreading the love on this here blog. I most often post on Facebook or Twitter since they are easier and faster. Sorry, blog, for neglecting you. I've done a lot since we last hung out. Let me catch you up.

I've been working on the second issue of ZFW. We've gotten some good response on issue #1. We also got issue #1 in Diamond Previews, the catalog that is sent to all comic stores around the country. With so many people jumping into the glorious world of comics it is really difficult to get in. There are a ton of requirements you have to meet. So I am very thankful we got accepted.

I tried to get our comics into some of the comic shops around Oklahoma when I went home to visit this Thanksgiving, but they were all hesitant to put an unknown indy comic on their shelves. Some of them also thought the market was being over-saturated with zombie comics. Which may very well be true, but while I was sitting in my car outside calling my publisher I saw a guy walk into the shop and come out with the Walking Dead trade. Just sayin'.

Also I do think our comic has a different spin on the zombie tale. It's about a bunch of old vets that have been through war and know how to fight as a tight unit. When the zombie apocalypse hits they are ready and willing to bring the pain. Who would you want at your back when the zombie horde comes? Your overweight, sweaty neighbor and his little chihuahua or a freakin' group of trained soldiers? As much as I love sitting back and drinking a pint with some friends I want some seasoned warriors at my side when the undead are attempting to feast on my brains!!

Getting comic shops interested in our comic is one of the many hurdles we are going to have to overcome. Being accepted by Diamond is just opening up the door. Now stepping in that door and getting shops to actually take a chance on our comic is going to be the real challenge. We are contacting various shops around the country in an attempt to get them to at least try out our comic. Here's hoping they like what they see! Next time you are in your local comic shop let them know there is a comic you are interested in that is going to be in the January issue of previews. ZFW!

I've always been interested in the business side of comics. Before I went to college I had written and drawn two issues of a comic and had started doing some research into self-publishing. (I still wish I would have continued down that road, but eh, whatev) Now that I have gotten hooked up with a new independent publisher I am getting to see the ins and outs first hand. This is going to help a lot when it comes to me publishing my own comics. I always get a little giddy thinking of traveling across the country (or even the world) going to conventions and spreading the comic book love. I love meeting new people and talking about my creations and comics in general. Ah, the life. 8)

I also went home for the holidays and had an art show the first night. It was the 10 year anniversary of The Killer Next Door, aka the KND, the art collective I have been a part of for nearly 8 years now. It was a great show. I got to sell a buncha copies of ZFW and my 24 hour comic. I also got to hang with life long friends and met a lot of new people. I love going back home and seeing all my friends and family. They are the greatest!!

I also got to hang out with a ton of little kids. Everyone is having babies!!! I love seeing my little nieces and the new little nephew, but they are out of control! Seeing how my buddies Jay Are and Rachel raise their two cute lil boys reminded me how much structure can bring balance to one's life. The kids have a schedule with a time for everything. This does so much to keep them calm and focused while at the same time getting a lot done throughout the day.

This efficiency can be seen in businesses and the military as well. As much as I am against war and violence in nearly any form (except video games, movies and comics, of course) you have to admit the structure helps get more done in less time. So, I have made a weekly schedule to better organize my life.

I broke down everything I want and need to get done each week. I wrote down and color coordinated each area and placed them on magnetic strips. I also left a few hours each day to help move things around or get a little more sleep if possible. I do like naps.

This schedule has really done a lot to improve my productivity and my peace of mind. Now instead of always feeling like I need to be drawing, I know my drawing is getting done and I can feel guilt free when I am working on other projects. When I am sitting there drawing and feel the need to do some research, which inevitably leads to wasted time getting lost in Wikipedia, or have an urge to check my Facebook, I can stop and tell myself, "Not now. This is not the allotted time for that. Focus on drawing for now." This helps tremendously in getting everything accomplished.

Since I kept nearly everything in small chunks of time throughout the day I am always changing up what I am doing and keeping interest in every aspect. I suggest setting up a schedule like this for yourself if you are a freelancer or working on your own time trying to make some art or get some writing done. You'll see a great change in your productivity. 8)

Speaking of productivity, it's time for me to get on it, myself. I'll be back soon, blog buddy. Sorry for neglecting you. I still love you, friend.

ZomBcon

2010-11-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

ZomBcon was a truly amazing time. Even the trip there was beautiful. We got to see the sunrise through a very foggy morning.
This is mostly for my Oklahoma peeps. We passed a few logging trucks on the way there. This is something you never see back home. We also saw a HUGE mill or plant with stacks and stacks of these giant logs. I estimate there must have been at least 500 logs per stack and about 30 to 50 stacks if not more. That's like more than 25,000 logs! I bet there were even more if not two or three times as much. You could build one hell of a log mansion with all that wood!
We also came across Sleater-Kinney Road. I had no idea the band was named after a place in the Northwest. Who knew?!?!

There's Seattle!
My first brush with celebrity happened right when we got to the hotel. I had to print out my ticket while Yoshi and Xtina parked the car. Afterward I went up to the room, but Yoshi and Xtina hadn't gotten up there yet. I went to the elevator to go down to the parking garage and as I entered and stood there for a second I looked over to realize Ted Raimi as standing right next to me. Holy Cow!! I love Ted Raimi. He was hilarious as Joxter in Xena.
He's also been in Darkman and all the Spider-man movies his brother Sam Raimi directed. Pretty much every movie Sam Raimi has made. He was super nice and very meaty. Look at that meaty paw on my shoulder!!
When I first walked in the con my first thought was, "This is it?" It was a fairly small room with wide open walkways. There were barely any people there and it was very quiet. Eventually people started shambling in and the place got pretty crowded. It was packed and loud on Saturday.

I got to meet the people of Creator Edge Press, including Josh Cantrell the writer of ZFW, Chuck Messinger, the one that got me the job with CEP, Robert Elrod, who is doing pin ups and covers for ZFW, Travis Bundy, who makes the comic, Jeff, Chad, the colorist for Jeff, and Sage, Jew and Ash, employees of CEP. All of them were super fun and I had a great time hanging and talking to them all. You can go here and check out all the different books Creator's Edge Press has put out.

We didn't get our comic in by Friday. The printer was supposed to send them in three days, but the guy doing the shipping sent them in a week. So they wouldn't get there till Monday. No Bueno!! So we called them and they printed up about 100 copies and shipped them overnight. I'm just glad we had them for Saturday, the busy day. I got to meet a ton of people and sold about 30 copies. Enough to make ME happy. 8) I thought it was a good first showing. Looking forward to doing more releases and conventions. Felt good to get some work out there.

One of the first panels I got to see involved Geekscape, Mark Rahner, the creator of Rotten, an interesting take on zombies where each issue it is discovered that the zombies are created in different ways and the reason is to be revealed in the upcoming issues, Steven L Frank, creator of Zombies Vs Cheerleaders, a comic about... well... Zombies and Cheerleaders, and Stephen Lindsay, writer and creator of Jesus Hates Zombies, a comic about Jesus' second coming to save the world from zombies. I got to talk shop with Stephen Lindsay and some other people Sat night. More on that later. Check out his comic!! He's a funny guy. I can't remember what Mark Rahner had said, but Stephen Lindsay's face palm explains it all.
The sound was horrible and you could barely hear anyone talking even right in front of the stage. They eventually fixed the sound and you could hear every panel all across the con, which was pretty rad since my booth was on the other side of the building.

On the way back to the hotel, Robert Elrod and I saw George Romero at the crosswalk. He is pretty much the Godfather of zombie movies. He made Night of the Living Dead in 1968 and not only completely changed the conception of zombies, but also the horror genre itself. Here is a great write up about his influence on the genre.

Romero is a tall tall man!! About 6'6" I believe. Once I got to the hotel I saw him sitting in a chair doing an interview. The interview was over and I saw him heading to the elevator as I was getting in. I held the door open for him as we went up to our rooms. He got off the same floor as me and I got to talk to him a bit. I asked him about his next project and he said he was still trying to get his last project off the ground. I asked him if he thought these cons helped and he said only time would tell. He was a super nice guy kind of reminiscent of a wise old grandpa. He was amazing!
And, yes, Yoshi and I played Magic for 9 hours that night!!
We also got a picture of Malcolm McDowell thanks to Xtina and her fearlessness. I wanted a picture, but was happy to keep playing Magic. Xtina made me get up and go with her and now I have a picture of Malcolm McDowell and the story of how he squeezed her hip... Twice! And I saw him groping for her again as we parted ways. Dirty old man. 8)
The next morning I went early and got to see Bruce Campbell cut the zombie tape opening up the con. I even got to hear him say, "Shop smart. Shop S-Mart." Awesome! I also learned that he lives in Oregon and has a lavender farm. Lavender of all things. Bruce was the only celebrity I was wanting to see that I didn't get to actually talk to. He also hosted a wedding that I didn't get to attend.

I did get to meet the Sco triplets of Code Z, an independent movie about three sisters fighting the zombie apocalypse directed by Taj Jackson, son of Tito Jackson. Hott! They also looked OK. I guess.
I also got to meet Brian Lewis, the monk from Gamer's, Dorkness Rising, a hilarious movie about a group of people playing a D&D game. You can watch it on Netflix. If you have ever played a role playing game you should check it out.
This is William F. Nolan, the writer of Logan's Run. Not sure why he was at a zombie con, but I freakin' love Logan's Run. He said he didn't like the original movie because they changed too many things in the book. He said they are talking of making a remake and that made me very happy. I think it would be one of the best remakes... EVER!!!!
And here is the Creator's Edge crew, many of whom I got to meet for the first time. They were a lot of fun. Looking forward to seeing them all again!!
That night I got to hang out with Chuck from CEP, Stephen Lindsay, Nate "Rock" Quarry, the UFC fighter and zombie cage fighter, Hunter Jones, and my buddies, Xtina and Yoshi talking about promotional techniques and the other aspects of the comic and show biz. Was one of the highlights of the con. I love talking about the business of comics and promotion, trying to learn all I can. File that shit away!!

I also ran into Chuck Palahniuk, the writer of Fight Club, Survivor, Choke and a plethora of other books. Not sure why he was at a zombie convention, but I love his writing. He was a quiet, reserved kind of guy. Much different than what I expected. But he was friendly with all his fans.

Such a great time!! I love meeting new people and getting to talk comics and movies and everything else I am interested in. Can't wait to do it again.

And here are just a smattering of the zombies!!!

This guy's costume was one of my faves. He could control his arms in a way that made it look like he was a giant guy with a severed head hanging from his neck. Pretty rad costume.
Bob Ross!

Here's a zombie eating my comic.
The winners of the costume contest.

"If I only had a brain."
This girl's eyes were really amazing. She put black screen over her eyes and zombie make up around them. Very creepy in person.
I saw this girl in the coffee shop in Portland the day of the zombie walk.
Boobies!
This lil kid was a lot of fun. Look how proper his form is with his hand behind his back.

The arrows sticking out were a nice touch.

I got these two Russian soldiers to take a gander at my vet zombie killing comic.
Gumby!

This father/son group was great. Especially the lil boy's mustache. 8)

Looking forward to next year!!

Working on ZFW #2

2010-10-10T11:28:00.001-07:00

My first published comic, ZFW, is being printed as we speak and will be released at ZomBcon in Seattle on Halloween weekend. I'm super stoked. I will be bringing the original art for the cover and possibly original pages. I haven't decided on that yet. I know some artists that don't sell original art and keep them as a sort of retirement plan. I like that idea 8)

Here's a colored page from ZFW. I'm glad it is being colored. It is interesting seeing someone color your work. I like it. I like color and plan on coloring my own comics, but it is nice focusing on the linework and having someone else color it. This is one of my favorite pages.

And here's a lil Cap sketch I did while waiting for my computer to load up.

I drew nearly three pages of ZFW #2 yesterday. Hoping to finish the third and the next two today for a total of 5 pages in two days! Off to work!!

One more thing, here's my Facebook fan page that gets updates a bit more frequently than my blog.

Spread the Love!!

2010-10-05T02:21:00.000-07:00

Just a sketch. 'Nuff love to go 'round.

Let The Right One In

2010-10-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this movie and are the least bit interested in Vampires or artsy love stories then rush out and rent it tonight. It is a beautiful movie! Here's my drawing of Eli, the 200+ year old vampire stuck in a 12 year old. Great movie. Can't say enough about it!!

Got Some Sketching Done Tonight

2010-09-25T23:49:00.001-07:00

Here are a few sketches I did tonight while listening to DeWayne Feenstra's podcast with David Peterson, creator of Mouse Guard, a super cute comic about lil fantasy mice. Check it out 8)

The first one is a drawing of my buddy, Switchblade Rosie, a roller derby girl that said she needed new kneepads to keep them from exploding during practice.

The other one is just a quick drawing I did of a cowgirl with a futuristic gun. ZZZZAP!!

In Between Projects

2010-09-23T01:14:00.001-07:00

I'm kind of in between projects right now and I haven't just drawn in quite some time so I went to Coffee Time today and just drew. I drew people standing around, I drew various people in the shop, I drew some of my favorite supes and I drew a buncha quick "stick figure" poses. It really does help to start off with some sketching to get your artistic/creative juices flowing. I started off with these peeps.

And then I started drawing various people that came in and some faces of my own, trying to capture various poses and emotions.
And then I had to draw Spider-Man. He is still one of my favorite peeps to draw. After scanning this in and looking at it, I wish I would have drawn some crazy ass webbing. But that's the beauty of doing sketches. I can take this sketch, blow it up in Adobe, print it out and lightbox it adding in a ton of detail and then ink it. Any drawing you do can be cleaned up and used at a later date.
Here are some drawings I did of Angel, Gunn, Wesley and a lil demon dude. I'm sure he has a very comical and friendly demeanor, but still evil nonetheless. I did all of these freehand without looking at any reference. I think I have drawn them all enough to capture something close to a likeness. I'll let you be the judge. For those of you out there that know the characters, do they look like them? I love drawing people and attempting to capture a likeness. I hope it works. 8)
And then I drew Supergirl. My fellow OU alum, Sterling Gates, is writing her comic. I hope to someday work with Sterling. He is a great guy 8)
After all that, I drew some more peeps in the shop. Two of which are always in there. The guy on the upper left is always there programing... "something." He usually cusses out his computer a few times a day. It was the first time I had seen the guy on the upper right, but I wanted to capture his features. He was Asian and had an interesting face. The guy on the bottom, Joseph, he is there nearly every time I go and is always helping Emily during shift change. He is always watching things and lets the barista know when people are getting out of hand. I like drawing at Coffee Time, an interesting crowd to say the least.

Now that I have gotten my drawing juices flowing, I am ready to bust out some more pages. I like what one of the professional comic writers I follow on Twitter said once, something about "A writer should never leave their artist with nothing to draw." As of now, I would love to have a consistent amount of work coming in. I work best with a project and a deadline.

Now I am off to sleep so I can do it again. 8)

Adventures in P-Town

2010-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from my adventure in Portland the other day. I had stayed the night at a friend's house after a block party the night before. I arrived late so I didn't get too out of control. I did get to sleep in though which was the best way to start an adventure.

I started out by going to see the R. Crumb show at the Portland Art Museum. It has been up for a few months and i finally went to see it on the last day it was up. And I only live three blocks from here!! Pfft. I get so busy in my studio sometimes that I forget there are so many things to see and do around me.

The show was great and packed!! I was surprised to see so many people. There were probably 400+ original drawings, all of which were pretty impressive. It was hard to get close to them because each one was surrounded by 5 or 6 people, to give you an idea of how packed the show was.

I love Crumb's shading. With his crosshatching there is no need for gray tones or washes. It was nice occasionally seeing where he had used some white out. And of course, since he drew them all word for word from the Bible, I can't remember which version, there was a lot of sex. Go figure, eh? I was also impressed with his lettering, both on the pages themselves and the title pages. All done with hand. Not only was I happy that Portland's Art Museum would show someone like Crumb, but also that there were so many people packed in to see his art. Go Art!!

This is the park outside the museum a couple blocks from my house. It's nice having a bit of nature downtown. Of course, the guy on the bike freaked out the old couple walking, but living downtown you get used to bikes and skateboards flying by you.
And the trees are old trees, very tall, very old trees.

Some old buildings down in old town. And I have always loved old 'Vettes. 8)
The sky was pretty rad. Not as beautiful as an Oklahoma sky, but gorgeous nonetheless. You can kind of see how HUGE the river is. I love walking down on the waterfront.
Here are some peeps on paddle boards and a boat flying across the river. It was a busy, busy day on the water.
Corgis!!! I had never seen a Corgi before I moved to Portland, but they are one of the freakin' cutest lil dogs. I'm going to make a photo album of all the unique breeds of dogs I have seen in P-Town. So many breeds I had never seen before.
A shot of Chinatown. Tons of old buildings downtown. I stopped on my adventure to refuel and had some sushi. Sushi in Portland is the best I have ever had. Tasty!! I also stopped by Powell's for bit. I was wanting to sit in the coffee shop and draw people, but it was packed!

When I got back to my studio I had noticed that my Sunflower had finally bloomed. I think it is the runt of the litter. It's only 3 feet tall. Who knows though. Sunflowers can get gigantimous!!

All in all, a pretty good day 8)

Updates and Angel Drawings

2010-09-18T14:28:00.001-07:00

It seems it may be awhile before my first comic, Nightmares of the Macabre, is printed. It takes a lil while for a new publisher to get the ball rolling. Hopefully, once the ball does get rolling it will build up like a biggo snowball!!

In the meantime, I am still working on drawing Angel and crew. Here are some of the first drawings I have done using a lightbox to capture and learn the little details. I have some time to build up a pretty nice portfolio to send to Dark Horse. Like I have said many times before, I would love to draw the Angel comic!!

I'm also going to send some pages to C.B., the talent scout for Marvel I talked to last year who liked my work, and see about getting some new scripts to work from. I think it's time for me to start sending Marvel more samples since I have been getting more practice with drawing and inking.

I also have some paintings I need to finish. Geez, Where are those extra days of the week I need?? 8)

Done With My Second Comic, But Still Working

2010-09-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

I sent in my last pages for ZFW #1. It's always a weird feeling finishing a project. You spend so much time with these characters and then it's over, leaving a void in your life. Thankfully Josh has sent me the script for issue #2. This one's got some fun scenes to draw in it as well. Zombie parts are gonna fly!! Smashin' Zombies!!

Also, my first comic The Anti-War Museum of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a story in the anthology Nightmares of the Macabre, has finally been sent to the printer. We are releasing it at the Jet City Comic Con. After my experiences with the Portland Zine Symposium I am looking forward to hanging out at a comic convention and meeting a ton of new people. I also want to prepare a bit more. There are so many things you can do to bring attention to your work. I'll have some of my original art for sell there as well. And maybe some sketchbooks.

I'm finishing up a collaborative painting. About to send it off to have the next person work on it. I love seeing what other people do with my art. It's never what I expect, but so far I have always been pleasantly pleased with what I get back. 8)

I'm drawing a ton of Angel and the rest of his cast. Dark Horse is going to start publishing Angel comics next year with Joss's input and it is going to be part of the canon Buffyverse. Anyone that knows me would tell you that I would LOVE to work on something with Joss and have seen every episode of Angel nearly 20+ times by now. I'm a fan.

I am printing up some more sketchbooks and copies of my 24-hour comic. I opened up an Etsy store. Getting things together to start posting items for your eyeball happiness. I'll post a link when it is ready to burst forth on the world. I also need to find out the laws about selling drawings or sketchbooks with copyrighted characters in them. I've seen a ton of people, even professionals, sell drawings of copyrighted characters both on Etsy and at conventions and even Last Thursday here in P-Town and wondered how they can get by with something like that. If anyone knows how this all works, please let me know.

I'm still trying to find my look for Jinko, my webcomic. I want to keep the line work and colors simple. I need about a week to work on it to find what I am looking for. But I am still making progress. One day I am going to have to just make it, go with it. Someday soon!!! My actual existing comic work gets first priority. 8)

I am also about ready to send in some more samples to Marvel. Working with Creator's Edge and Josh Cantrell has given me a lot more time to hone my skills. I haven't traditionally penciled a page since I stopped sending samples in to Marvel back in March. I think it will be interesting to see what I come up with now that I have two comics under my belt. The same goes for finished ink pin-ups and drawings since I have been inking with a brush for a few months now.

So much to do and such little time!! I told everyone that I would hang out this week since I haven't been able to these past few months, but now I am remembering how much it costs to go out. I need to get back in my studio and lock myself away for awhile. 8)

Talking About What I Am Thinking About Working On

2010-09-04T14:15:00.001-07:00

Here are some more drawings I have found going through my stacks and stacks of old drawings. These are going to go into my latest sketchbook. I will soon have my 24 hour comic and my sketchbooks up on Etsy once I get some more copies made.

Almost done with my latest comic for Creator's Edge, ZFW. Zombies. Finishing up the last page today then on to #2. But first I am going to go off and draw a kajillion pictures of Angel, Wesley, Illyria, the entire Angel cast. I am also going to draw a short Angel story to send in. They haven't decided on an artist for the new Angel series at Dark Horse. It's on!!

In the meantime, if there really is any "meantime," I am getting close to start working out how I want to color my Jinko web comic, watercolors, acrylics, digital... Need to work that out.

I have also decided that making art is more important than networking. Too many people talk about what they are thinking about working on rather than actually working on something. Yes. I know I am sitting here right now talking about what I am thinking of working on, but I make this point to express the lack of frequent posts on here.

Gotta get back to work!!

Zine Symposium Adventures

2010-08-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Portland Zine Symposium is done for this year and it was a mighty good time. I got to hang out with my fellow editors at Stumptown Underground for two whole days!! That in itself made the weekend worth it. The fact that I was surrounded by so many other creative types made it even better.

Being one of my first experiences on the other side of the table, I got to see a different set of reactions than I have being a walker. I've only been one of the walkers myself so I haven't interacted with the other people walking around on any kind of personal level. There were SO many people walking around. You got the shy ones that seem afraid to approach your table. You have the super talkative ones that don't even pick up your zine but stand there for 20 min telling you of some amazing idea they have. You have the ones that are inquisitive about how to make zines.

Most zinesters at the symposium were extremely friendly and very happy to be there. I took the passive approach. If someone looked at my table or stopped by for a sec I would simply say hello. If they picked up my 24 hour zine I would give them a brief explanation of my 24 hour experience and what goes into making a 24 page zine in that time. But I was never pushy. I mostly sat back and watched their reactions when they looked through them. My 24 hour comic must be somewhat disturbing. It got a lot of strange looks. I'm comfortable with that.

Another thing I realized was how the symposium isn't really about making a profit off your zines. Granted, there are some people who are and always will be driven by profit, but for the most part, most zinesters are there to connect with other people and to just be heard, to just get there zine into other peoples' hands. I traded most of my zines. I did sell three and that more than paid for what it costs to make my zines.

There were also quite a few lil ones running around. One lil girl around the age of 8 or so stopped by and offered a trade for one of Katie's zines. Just the fact that a child that small would want to make a zine and then go to symposium to trade it is amazing. The fact that the zine was about inventors and included a story of how Edison was a mean man for stealing Tesla's ideas, complete with a lil drawing of Edison with a circle and a bar though him, "No Edison!" and an entry on Winchester and how to load a rifle, really made the experience... rememberable. And freakin' cute!!

There was another lil girl that walked up to me and asked if I wanted her to give me a tattoo. She had a box of colored sharpies and a lil wad of cash. I only had a dollar on me and was regretting not being able to buy a buncha zines the first day, but this was completely worth it!! I told her to draw anything she wanted and she drew me a kitty. It was drawn with an orange sharpie and then the face was drawn in black. I miss my orange kitty. 8( She did give me the heads up that they were "only sharpies and would wash off." Cute!

And another lill boy around 6 said he was working on his new story. It was about a chicken that knew karate and fought a big robot. He was very excited and wanted to tell everyone about it.

I also got to experience zinesters with followers. There was a girl that came up and told the zinster beside me that she had read all of their zines, but she missed one and was hoping that they had it with them and she was looking forward to coming to the symposium to get the newest issue. I love it when someone enjoys my work, feels emotions from something that I created and wants to see more from me. That is one of the aspects of creation that keeps me going. It's a lot of hard work, but it is so worth it.

I am looking forward to making more zines. Another great thing I realized at the convention is how diverse a zine can be. You can do about anything when making a zine. Different types of paper, various sizes, writing, drawing, both, clip art, pieces of typewritten paper glued together with sequins, things that could barely be called a book, etc. ranging from personal experiences, focusing on a genre or specific movie or author or musician, short stories, poems, doilies with drawings of dogs wearing wigs... Whatever!! Even some of the stories that I know I want to publish on a bigger scale I can make in zine form to get some feedback and gain some interest. And I do have a few things I would like to talk about. It's going to be a lot of fun.

I've always wanted to make a living of of my creations, my stories, my art, my anything. That has always been a dream for me. Imagine, being able to set your own hours, make up your own stories, draw all day long, which can be done nearly anywhere, and then traveling around the world meeting your fans and other creators. So much you can learn just by talking to other people who have been through the same experiences, working at home, struggling with stories or concepts, making the convention circuits. It creates a pretty amazing community. But I have always wanted to make a living doing this so I never wanted to make a zine.

But now I see that I can be making a living making comics or doing a painting and be a part of the zine community as well. I have also heard people talk of blogs reducing zine culture as people opt to do a blog over a zine. I have never associated the two, but now I am starting to see how it is similar to the argument made that digital media is going to ruin comics. Some of the earliest sci fi has expressed this fear of technology overtaking life. I don't think digital media will take a substantial amount of desire away from creating hard copies of one's work or purchasing said work. Like I have said before about webcomics not affecting people selling a hard copy of their comic, I don't think having blogs out there will stop people from buying a zine.

One of the aspects of the zine community I like is that it is a more local phenomenon. You pass your zines around to local shops and people in your community start to get to know you and your work. I kind of like this aspect of zine culture. You may eventually get your zines further out there, but the majority of them will be exchanged within your local community. You could even limit yourself to only releasing your zine locally and never put them up to sell on the net.

Needless to say, I learned a lot from my experiences at the symposium. I am definitely looking forward to next year when I will be more prepared and have more zines to show. Thanks to everyone that came by my table. It was great meeting everyone. Hope to see you again next year. 8)

Here are some pictures and a video.

The attack of Joy!!

And a video!

Got Me Some Mini Comics!

2010-08-28T04:16:00.000-07:00

I spent 6 hours tonight making 20 copies of my 24 hour comic for the zine symposium tomorrow. Come out and see what all these creative people do in their spare time. I, myself, am looking forward to seeing what everyone has created. 8)

I'll be making more copies tomorrow. I will have them up on Etsy soon. But if you are in P-Town then you should come out to Peter W. Stott Main Gym from 10 till 5 tomorrow, Saturday. Spread The Love!!

Coloring Comics

2010-08-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some comics from the early 90's and I am sooooo glad that the coloring has become so much more of an art form. I would hate to spend so much time drawing a detailed background and then have someone just color the entire thing one color. Comics have gotten so much better over the years 8)

I talked to colorist, Nathan Fairbairn, once and he said that he hated it when the artist rendered everything with extreme detail. It took all the work out for him. He had no way to express himself. He showed me an example that he colored and when he took away the inks there were just three or four blobs of color underneath.

Sometimes in the comics of the early nineties no matter how much detail and crosshatching and rendering was done in the background some colorists would simply color everything a dark purple or some other color that darkened it so much you couldn't really see anything. But since the penciler/inker DID put so much work into it I bet the original art was amazing to see.

That's one of the things I think about working on this new comic. It is going to be colored by someone else so technically I could ink a bit less, but I think of it as an original piece of art. Something that will look good when someone is looking through my portfolio or looking to buy some original art.

Back to drawing 8)

How to Make Comics

2010-08-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me what she needed to make comics. "Just bare minimum as I am poor." This is what I sent her.
________________________________

Comics are one of the cheapest things to make. Most money goes into printing.

On the most basic level all you need is an idea, a pencil and paper. Draw it, letter it, print it, fold them in half and staple them down the seam. Bam! Done! DIY style.

If you want to put a lil more time into it you can write your story out then number a piece of lined paper straight down the left from 1 to however many pages you want. Standard comics are 22 pages. And then put the basic action or thought that you want to convey on the line corresponding to the page. This way you can be sure you pace your story the way you want.

Then do thumbnail sketches on paper where you make boxes about the ratio of a comic page but only about an inch or two tall. Then plan your panel layouts, size and shape and how many panels per page, and use stick figures to get an idea of composition within a panel.

Then draw it out on paper. Regular printer paper is fine if you are sticking with pencils or pen. Fine tip ballpoint pen is fine. (I like the Zebra F-301!!) Microns work as well for darker lines. Even sharpies! Use stronger paper like bristol board if you plan on using brush and ink. You can rule out your panels or just wing it.

You already have an idea of who goes where so just lightly pencil in the stick figures, adding details and building up the figures to whatever extent you want. You can use a camera to capture facial expressions. The internet is full of reference photos. Read a book on perspective if you don't already know the basic rules. It really does help.

Then get an elliptical template, a piece of plastic with ellipses cut out in it. Use this to create your word balloons or just wing this too. You can use an Ames lettering guide to draw out level parallel lines to letter on or use a ruler or just wing it. This can also be done afterward on the computer in Photoshop, but I have yet to practice with that.

Then go over everything with a pen or in ink and erase the pencil underneath. You can draw in a blue or red pencil and take that color out in Photoshop as well. I draw in a red pencil.

Then add color if you like. Make a cool cover and there. Done!! Take it to a printer, print out some copies, fold them in half and use a long stapler to bind them and you have yourself a stack of comics. I hope that helped!!

Paintings on Cardboard

2010-08-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some paintings I had in a benefit show for my buddy, Father Phil, who was in a motorcycle accident. We raised a bit of money to help pay his Gigantimous medical bills. I did some of these in oil, which I haven't used in forever. I'm looking forward to making some time to push some oil around again. 8)

Birthday Bugs

2010-08-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hello, all. I am still working on some comic work that I can't show you, but here is a drawing I did on my birthday. I finally got to get away from the comic work and I still end up drawing. 8)

I'll be posting my cardboard paintings I did for my buddy, Father Phil's benefit art show soon. His show is tonight. I should be posting them this weekend. I should be making copies of my 24 hour comic soon as well. I'll post the cover to that as soon as I can. Busy Busy. Better get back to it 8)

24 Hour Zine Challenge

2010-07-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took part in the 24 Hour Zine Challenge to help promote the Portland Zine Symposium. The challenge was to create from conception to final work a 24 page zine or comic in 24 hours. There were 9 people that signed up, but only 5 of us finished by the deadline. I'll put up a link when I get multiple copies printed out.

It was a real challenge. I spent the first few hours coming up with a story and then penciled and inked 96 panels in about 20 hours. Whew!! To put it in perspective, it usually takes me about 8 to 10 hours to pencil 1 page and about 5 hours to ink. One thing this showed me was how much you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. Having said that, I better get back to drawing. 8)

Picnic With SU

2010-07-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday I went out to Skidmore Bluffs here in Portland on a lil picnic with the Stumptown Underground editors. I really enjoy hanging with the SU crew. I got to meet Kirsten, another editor who is moving to Korea to teach English. I'm glad I got to meet her before she took off for her Asian excursions. I hope the best for her. We also witnessed Blue's amazing tree climbing skills. Impressive.

I once wanted to move to Japan to teach English after I graduated, but moved to Portland instead. Who knows what adventures I would have had in The Land of the Rising Sun! I still hope to make it there some day. I love Japanese history and culture. Japanophile!!

Skidmore Bluffs is a great place to sit and watch the Sunset. It is at the west end of Skidmore Terr. in North Portland, sitting just above the industrial area, overlooking the Willamette River. Here are some pictures of the amazing view and the bike ride back home.

This is the view over the industrial area. I'm not too keen on industrial areas. They tend to bring up feelings of pollution, waste, and big corporations making way too much money. But I have always had a soft spot for trains. I used to sit and watch them all the time when I was young.

The Sun had just gone over the ridge.

This is the Steel Bridge and Downtown on the way home with the Moon to guide me.

Promotional Piece For My Next Comic With Progress Pics

2010-07-12T01:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest piece I did to help promote my next comic, ZFW. I felt as though we needed something to show people to get them interested in the comic since we can't show any actual pages yet. Suffice it to say, some veterans are gonna lay some smack down on some filthy undead!!

I started off sketching a drawing that was about 6"x7".

I then scanned it in and made a few adjustments. I noticed the zombie head was a bit small for the perspective. Barely as big as his cowboy boot!! So I cut out the head and blew it up, I blew up the left arm since it was so close and I angled both arms to focus on Butch's head, making the composition more solid.

I then blew it up to 11"x12" and threw it on my fancy schmancy light box and transferred the image to an illustration board. (picture may differ from actual subject) 8)

I then went to town inking the entire thing with a #3 Windsor Newton Red Sable brush. I hope this helps some of the people reading this blog that are interested in techniques to improve your work.

Here is a separate image of the logo. If you guys could use this image to link to this page that would do wonders to get the word out there to the masses. And I would so super appreciate it!!

Prepping for the Cardboard Show

2010-07-06T17:55:00.001-07:00

I am preparing for the KND Cardboard show to benefit my buddies, Jay Are & Rachel. All proceeds are going to help pay for their hospital bills. Anything I can do to help is a pleasure and a half for me. Nothing but Love up in here!!

Those that have seen my work before know that this is just the beginning stages of my work. There are going to be layers and layers added. At this stage I like to work on many pieces at a time, assembly line style, sharing colors on each and building up layers across the... board.

I thought the Dead Guy Ale, while also mighty tasty, would be fitting since Jay Are almost joined the little fella. Thankfully he is feeling better and isn't part of the club yet. 8)

Stumptown Underground

2010-07-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

I don't remember how I discovered it. I think I was just looking for people on Twitter from Portland to get a feel for the town. I started following a few locals and this helped solidify the fact that Portland is the town for creativity! Not only does Chuck Palahniuk, the writer of Fight Club, Survivor and Choke, etc. live near here so does Brian Michael Bendis, one of the biggest names in comics and Gus Van Sant, the director of Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho. And that's just the tip of the creative iceberg. This town is chock full of creative individuals!!

One of the people I came across was Christina "Blue" Crow or lovemotionstory on Twitter. She was part of a collective that was self-publishing a local zine spotlighting creative individuals in all mediums; comics, poetry, illustration, prose and even recipes. I loved this idea. It seems like a great outlet for all the people who may not be able to get their work noticed. Any one of which could be the next Van Sant, Bendis or Palahniuk.

I decided I wanted to do more than just submit. I wanted to be a part of the creative force behind this anthology. I got to hang out with some of the editors that make up the Stumptown Underground collective and see how they put these zines together. It was an amazing time that took me back to art school and The KND, the collective I am a part of back home in Oklahoma. It felt good to be in a room with fellow creative types and to help build every copy of this anthology by hand. The smell of the glue, the sound of the printer, the cutting of the paper. Everyone working together to make it all come together: lining up pages, folding signatures, sewing seams, creating fliers, gluing covers, updating the web page. I loved it.

And then there is the marketing and tabling. They have the zine in most of the comic shops around town and set up tables at most local conventions. You can find them all over if you look hard enough. They have recently started setting up at Last Thursdays on Alberta as well. I love that they are working to get the zine out there and I want to do anything I can to help the creative people of Portland be recognized. I have recently started learning about marketing with my own comic book and I am hoping I can help apply this to this zine as well. It feels good to be a part of the creative community. It was nice meeting the editors and the people who submitted.

And if you haven't yet, you should submit something to the zine!! It is a great way to start getting your work out there and it just feels good to hold something you created in your hands. Do it!! 8)

Feel The Power!!

2010-07-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest sketch of Jinko, the main character in the webcomic I am developing. I was wanting to explore how the power he has access to is going to look. It is going to look different for each character that has access to it depending on their personality. This was all done in straight ink with a Zebra F-301 ball point pen, my favorite sketching tool!!

Father Phil

2010-07-02T00:21:00.000-07:00

My best buddy in all of infinite time and space, Jay Are Connaughton, aka Father Phil of the Killer Next Door, was in a motorcycle accident this last weekend. He struck a curb while on his way home from a music show at the KND studios. He suffered from broken ribs, a punctured lung and a fractured face. He was unconscious for the first few days and the doctors didn't know if he was going to make it. He is stable now and on the road to healing. He has come down with a case of pneumonia from all the liquid in his lungs and he is going to have surgery to reconstruct his eye socket, but things are looking a lot better. He is awake, talking and laughing. Which probably hurts, but good to hear. 8)

He is one of the original members of the KND, the art collective I have been a part of for the past 10 years or so. We have helped build a pretty solid art community back home in Oklahoma. A ton of our friends have put together a music and art benefit show to help pay the hospital bills. I am working on a couple pieces for the show myself. I have probably painted Jay Are more than anyone else and his house if full of my art.

Here's a collaborative piece we did. Father Phil did the background and I painted his beautiful mug.

Here are ink drawings of his wife, Rachel, and him.
Here are some paintings I have done of them. The first one is of Father Phil with a glass of wine, Dasha and his lil teddy bear he put in all his paintings. The one of Rachel was my thanks for her getting me out of my one and only trip to the big house. She Rules!! The next one is of them having a cupcake spaceship battle of love!!

This is the first one I did of Doug and him, two of the original members of the KND.

And here's the one I did for Doug with most of the original KND members. KND Forever!!

And here he is in my first comic, The Anti-War museum. I had to put my best buddy in there!! Here's hoping that he makes a quick recovery so I can go kick his ass for scaring me!!

Running Around Town

2010-06-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have spent a lot of time running around town these past few days. I went to five different comic shops in town to pass out promotional packets for Creator's Edge Press. My comic should be coming out in a week or two. I'll be making my rounds again when that happens.

It was nice getting to talk to some of the retailers around town about how to get books in shops. Everyone I talked to was very friendly and helpful. Most of them said they would put one comic on the shelves and if it sold they would order more. Some said that they would take a stack of five at a time. I'm wanting to contact some of the bigger shops around the states and see if I can send them a couple issues as well.

Today I got to meet Meredith Gran, the creator of Octopus Pie, one of my favorite comics around. Her new collected book, There Are No Stars In Brooklyn, came out a couple days ago and I had to get it. I can't wait to read it. I've only read the first few storylines online. Can't wait to read the rest. She is a very witty writer and I dig her style. Everyone should go to her website and check out the strip for themselves. You'll love it! You can also find her on Twitter.

I also submitted a new piece to Stumptown Underground's latest zine. The theme was Bikes and Other Self-Propelled Transportation. I had some time to work on this one so I decided to draw it in a style I haven't got to use in quite some time. I'm hoping to do more work like this and to synthesize my styles into one cohesive whole some day. It'll come naturally. 8)

My Foundry Work

2010-06-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here is an old post from 2006 when I was working at a bronze foundry. That was a pretty amazing job. Here is a rundown of the entire process. Pretty involved. I just cut and pasted everything to save time so some of the pics are a lil cropped.

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i've been meaning to post images of what it is i do all day long at the foundry. it is actually pretty amazing when i step back and look at what it is i am doing. i am pretty lucky.

i work at a bronze foundry where we make bronze sculptures ranging from tiny lil things to 15 foot tall monuments. unfortunately we do a lot of horses and such, but i digress.

we get pieces that have been through different stages of the process and only work on them in certain areas, but this is how the process works.

first, we get the original sculpture that is either made entirely out of clay or, if way big, made out of foam covered in clay. these are pics of a horse sculpture we are working on. if the piece is a biggun we cut it up into smaller, more manageable pieces.

we then put shims down the center or down a leg or another high point making it easier to take apart. we then cover it with a rubber mixture.

we then cover it with plaster and remove it from the original. we have a LOT of molds on hand.

this is an original we had finished making a mold of that was lying outside. it is an emaciated dead woman. it has been cut up and set outside where the rain has ran some of the clay off. it looks quite gruesome.

the molds are then taken to the wax room so that we can make a copy 1/4 of an inch thick out of hot, 200 degree wax. the wax has to be painted on and torched to get rid of any air bubbles which will show up in the metal. this is a mold in the wax room.

this is the mold covered in wax.

these are some waxes that have been taken out of their molds. josh and tom in the wax room "chase" or repair seam lines, textures and all that is necessary to recreate the original sculpture. this is mighty tedious work that makes me doze off. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... i worked in the wax room a bit and much preferred making the waxes as opposed to chasing.

yay. guns. these are for the bigger than life size louis and clark statues we are making.

this is one of the guys here.

here is the wax of the emaciated woman.

the 1/4 inch wax copy is taken to the dip room and dipped in a silica solution multiple times building up a ceramic shell around it. that chap on the left is one of louis and clark's guides.

these waxes are then placed in a kiln where the wax is melted out leaving behind a ceramic shell. we reuse the wax to create more wax copies. i had a lot of fun playing around with the wax. it is amazing how much you can do with it. some artists create a shape out of clay and once it is cast in wax they melt it and reshape it before creating the ceramic shell thereby creating unique pieces.

here are some ceramic shells waiting around to be filled with metal.

unfortunately, i am usually helping with the pour and do not have any pics of us pouring. we wear these reflective suits and face shields and gloves, etc. the bronze is brought to 2000 degrees F. i will be sure to get some pics and post them as soon as i can.

the shells full of metal are then taken to the devest room where joe takes a sledgehammer and a jackhammer and removes as much shell as possible. they are then sandblasted until every piece of shell is removed leaving behind nothing but the bronze.

here are some different horse pieces that were made into a 15 foot tall, 1 and a half life-size, sculpture for the land run downtown.

here is the rider for the horse. the metal guys have to weld everything back together and chase the metal, recreating textures and removing seam lines, pits and other imperfections.

here it is starting to come together

after the metal guys are done, it is sent to me for patina, the coloring process. i check it over and make sure nothing was missed. the metal guys hate to have it returned, which more often than not, there is something they missed. it is easy to do on a three dimensional piece. we all miss things all the time. that is why it is good to have many people overlook every stage.

here is the horse and rider once i have looked it over and have started turning it black. a typical french brown patina starts with a wash of potash sulfate, which smells like ass (sulfur) and turns the piece black. we then wet it and wash back the black leaving the highlighted parts a lighter shade. this patina is a solid black so i don't need to wipe it back.

i had to use the forklift and cherry picker to make sure i hit all the lil hidden spots. this was during the 110 weather we were having as well. whew. lotsa gatorade.

normally on a typical french brown patina i heat up the metal to 400 degrees and spray it with ferric, rusty water, turning it a dark brown. if you do not heat up the metal enough it turns yellowish/greenish and if you heat it too much it becomes red or purple. you can fix a yellowish/greenish but you are screwed if it turns red. it has to be sandblasted and started all over. it is a small window. you also have to deal with varying thicknesses of metal which heat up at different temperatures. touchy stuff.

this was a black patina so i mix black oxide with the ferric creating a more forgiving opaque patina. i then wax it and buff it making it look nice and shiny.

here i am in my metal shop gear. you have to wear sleeves to keep the metal flakes off your arms and a leather apron to keep yourself from being mangled by the wire wheel. there is no a/c and you can get pretty hot in all this. sweat usually drips in my safety goggles or face shield. i usually work through it and when i am done with a piece i wipe it off and drink more gatorade.

these are the various brushes and waxes i use.

here are the various chemicals i get to play with. the nitrates are toxic. the oxides are good for opacity and slight color changes. the nitric acid is used to make the ferric. one of the guys i work with said that the patinuer is the closest thing he has seen to wizard. hell yeah!

here i am in action. you have to heat it up to the proper temperature, making sure not to focus on any one area, creating an oven affect. when you spray on the ferric it cools it down so you have to spray, heat, spray, heat, spray, heat. it is kinda like a dance. i sway left and right, spraying and heating. and spinning the piece around and around. trust me, i have screwed up a few of them. thankfully you can always sandblast and start over.

here is the piece above when i got it. it started out a goldish color.

here it is next to the biggun i finished.

turned black with potash.

wiped back to reveal the highlights. you can control how dark or light something will be by how much you wipe it back. i wiped her skin back a lot so it would be lighter and shinier.

after this i heated it up, sprayed it with ferric, then painted the mane, tail, legs and eyes black using a small brush and oxides while still applying and heating and applying and heating. then i painted her shirt a light blue and her jeans a dark blue. when the metal is too hot the paint will splatter and you have to cover up all those lil dots. i liked this one so it made it a little more fun. the worst is getting a horrible sculpture and having to recreate every horrible detail. ugh. here is the finished piece.

here is the maquette, or small version, of the louis and clark piece. this is a typical french brown.

patina can be lotsa fun. by controlling the temperature, brushwork and chemicals just right you can make bronze look like anything. you can stipple and create rings. you can layer color on color. you can work opaque or translucent. i really want to experiment painting with this process. oh yeah.

here are various other patinas i have done. this one is by shirley thomson-smith. she is awesome. the first thing she said to me when we first met was, " i am the asshole! Ha ha ha!" oh, man. she is a firecracker. she will look at a patina when it is done, say she loves it, then take it home, look at it for days, then decide a color is too dark or that the surface isn't shiny enough. i've had to redo patinas she has had done at other foundries as well. i don't mind. i like her and her pieces. i am doing a 9' one similar to this one sometime soon.

this is a governor from arkansas that i did. i was told that he was a known racist so his daughters got an african-american sculptor to do it. i don't know the validity of this or what i think about it. i do know his right forearm is all jacked up. the sculptor was a nice guy. he wasn't into the piece really. i met him and his daughter.

this is the ballerina that is stepping on the surface of the water in a pretty cool fountain outside the dance school on the OU campus. it is by kim walker ray. she is fun as well.

the bill of rights i did for norman north high school.

this is a farm boy by russ faxon. whew, this one didn't go right. we worked with what we had and got it done in time. not quite like we wanted it, but you also have to work with time sometimes. russ was an interesting guy. i asked him while he was looking at the piece where this was going. still looking at the piece he said, "to a sausage factory." he turned to me and said, "they kill pigs." i giggled. the way he said it was funny. i am a vegetarian.

and finally, this is another shirley piece that is giving me a hell of a time. she wants a shiny rubbed surface which makes the patina difficult to adhere. then she wants a cupric base, which is toxic and touchy. it can go from bright blue to a solid green. then she wants ferric brushed on top making the surface a brownish color and leaving green in the recesses. it'll be pretty once we get it pulled off. i can get a nice cupric base but once i apply the ferric it builds up and rubs off messin' the entire thing up. we've tried it three times so far. i am going to try to weaken the ferric and heat it up a bit more next time. i think that will help. here's the cupric base.

real pretty piece. i'll figure it out.

so, that's my day job. 40 hours a week. i also wash dishes at the service station for about 20 hours a week. i paint all my free time. i have a show this friday, sept 8th, at IAO gallery in okc. here is a piece i finished today that i am entering. i have been painting more, now, working 65 hours a week, than i ever did when i was in school working 20 hours a week. yeah. hope this was enlightening and interesting. i am an artin' fool!!

~hop 8)

Walt Disney Memo From '35

2010-06-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a memo written by Walt Disney back in '35 on training an animator from Letters of Note. Some great advice. The man is a Genius!! (Once you get past the '35 notion of men, men ,men. Different times.)

I especially liked his discussion on the little actions we take while linking major actions. I love to have characters doing something in a previous panel that will lead to an action in a forthcoming panel. It's little things like this that an artist can add to an already amazing script to bring it to life.

I also liked his talk on balance. I am always trying to figure out what to do with the other arm when drawing. Now that the notion of balance has been brought to my attention I want to draw a thousand arms!!

Click on images to enlarge.

Sketching While Watching Movies

2010-06-15T12:58:00.001-07:00

I watched the new Star Trek movie again last night. At least some of it. I didn't start till late at night and started falling asleep pretty early into it. It was my like 6th viewing so I wasn't really missing anything. Just watching something as I fell asleep.

Such a great new take of an old classic. It is missing some of the philosophy that I hold dear from the classic version, but it was still a good ride. Here are some quick lil sketches I did before I started falling asleep.

Exterminate!!

2010-06-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here are a few sketches I did at work a few days ago. They are done with straight pen which I think is the best way to sketch. If you can erase and redraw you spend too much time on a drawing that was just supposed to be a quick sketch. The first one was a variation on some drawings I did a bit back. Supergirl is doing some exterminating of her own!! And then some good ol' fashioned hackin' and slashin'. Now back to drawing some more Zombie pages for ZFW. Brains!!

More Character Sketches

2010-06-12T15:43:00.001-07:00

Here are some more sketches I did last night. Trying to find that middle ground for Jinko. I remember back when I was first drawing him he was kind of boring without his antenna and ponytail. I'm liking him more the more I draw him. These are quick and messy, but more loose like I have been wanting to try. I'll get there.

Here are some roaches. I think they look too realistic. I think I am going to go with smaller noses and shadows around their eyes instead of the Ninja Turtle headband.
Here is the Grandmaster. I like the irregular shape of his head. I want to run with that and see where it goes.

Back to drawing zombies!

Gonna Need Some More Work

2010-06-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

After drawing the two queens today I thought I wanted a more realistic look to the characters, but after trying to convert Jinko himself to that style I think I am going to have to work on it a bit more before I find the look I like. He doesn't even HAVE a nose!! I do know that I want to get away from the Ninja Turtle look. I'm only giving myself a week or two before I just run with what I have. I can't waste too much time on this stage. I got comics to make dammit!!!! (And I wanna loosen my style up!!!)

Jinko Revamp

2010-06-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

After giving it a day of thought and messing around with these current drawings of some of the characters I think I AM going to redo the first two issues. My style itself has changed quite a bit and I have learned a lot about layouts and such. I had panels that were huge with one or two figures and no background and ones that were tiny with five characters and and a background. Not to mention 15 years of experiences to make my writing better as well. There are certain scenes I want to flesh out and others that can be trimmed down. But at least I have a solid foundation upon which to build.

I'm going to go for a more humanistic approach and not so cartoony. I still want to keep it pretty simple so I can produce the pages pretty quickly. I am going to experiment with different coloring techniques and find what best suits this story. I'm hoping to start putting pages up by the beginning of July. Pretty excited about this. So much to do!!

Progress

2010-06-08T13:31:00.001-07:00

Here is my Fear Agent painting so far. Knowing only a handful of people visit my blog, I feel OK with posting these in process pics. If I get to the point where more people are visiting my blog I will keep these things under wraps until the final product and then show the process, but as it is now I would like some feedback during the process to help me grow.

I like it, but it has taken a LONG time to get to this point. I get tired of painting on the same painting for days or even weeks. I would like to finish a painting in a day or two, three at most. This is why I keep saying I want to go for a more loose style. That and the fact that paintings done with a loose style have more energy and passion.

There are still a few things I want to work on. I want to differentiate between his right leg and the Tetaldian's blaster. They kind of merge together as it is now. I want to add some slime to the tentacle. And I want to touch up his face and hair.

Hopefully I will finish it today or tomorrow so I can get cranking on the zombie comic I am doing for Creator's Edge Press.

I'm also debating how to go about publishing my Jinko comic. As much as I would like to rework the first two issues I have made into a new webcomic, I kind of like how they turned out, even with their amateur style. And it seems like a waste of time to redo something that has already been done. I rant all the time about George Lucas redoing Star Wars. You can always see mistakes in your work. To go back and tweak them can go on forever. (Like that damn painting above. Ha!) It is better to move forward than to remake one thing over and over.

Not to mention I already pretty much have two comics ready to be published. If I put them out now, bimonthly, that would give me four months to get started on the rest. Bimonthly comics kind of bug me because I hate waiting, but once I get going I may be able to crank it up to monthly. Also, most self-publishers seem to make most of their money on the convention circuit, which is fine with me. I freakin' love conventions.

One of the main things I would like to redo is moving away from the ninja turtle/manga style. I like how I draw eyes and expressions now. I would also like to redesign some of the costumes and add a little detail. I'm thinking I could do this with the subsequent issues. People may not be into these first two issues, but somewhere down the line they may pick it up and go back and search for these early ones. There is some dialogue and camera angles I would like to change as well. I'm not sure. It's a lot to think about, but I tend to overthink things. What do you guys think?

If I did decide to rework these pages, it wouldn't take too long. I can lightbox the original pages and keep the things I like while tweaking the details like the eyes and such. That in itself may be a fun exercise. I could also simplify the line work a bit. I was thinking of adding some light color. Ugh. Not sure what to do. Any opinions or advice would be much appreciated. 8)

Here is the first issue so you can see what the original looks like.

It All Comes Full Circle

2010-06-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have been racking my brain, trying to come up with some idea for a webcomic. I tossed around a few ideas when my buddy, Jason, suggested I make my original comic idea, Jinko, The Kung Fu Cricket, into a webcomic. I don't know why I didn't think of this before!!

Before I went to college I had created two issues of a comic. It was a story with anthropomorphic insects. The Wasp Queen, the Queen Bee and the Grandmaster Cricket all had this power they could use and different beliefs on where this power came from. The story focused on Jinko, a young cricket that is introduced to these belief systems and his adventures in the back yard. It is chock full of fantasy, sci-fi, far east and philosophical concepts.

When I went to college and they frowned on comics I decided to put comics aside and focus on art. I planned on using what I learned in school to make my comic that much better. I even got a second degree in philosophy. It wasn't til this last year that I remembered my love of comics and have been working toward my goal I have had since I was a wee lad.

And now I have rediscovered my first creation. I am excited about reworking the story, making a webcomic and getting into self-publishing which was my original plan. Here are some of my old school drawings from back in the day. These were all done over 10 years ago. As you can tell I loved manga and the ninja turtles. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with it now. A part of me wishes I would have published these first two issues back before I went to college and had continued working on it then. Would have saved me $60,000...

Here is the very first drawing I ever did of Jinko. It was done while I was working at a shirt factory about 15 years ago. Let's just say that job offered a lot of time to draw. Boring...

This is the caterpillar girl Jinko meets along the way.

And this was one of my first drawings of the ninja roaches.

This is Polistes, the Wasp Queen.

Here are the first three pages of the first issue.

But for now, I am going to have to focus on my next comic project with Creator's Edge Press. I penciled and inked my first comic in a month and a half. I am hoping to get this one done in less time, closer to a month. So, I better get to it!!

Zombies and Goth Kids

2010-06-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some sketches I did today of some goth kids and some zombies. I was basically just trying to get down some details. One thing I discovered is it is pretty damn hard to sketch goth kids wearing black with zippers and studs and rings and buckles and such. It will be much easier to fill in the blacks with ink and then add the details with white.

So these guys are just outlines. I can't wait to draw hordes of zombies gnawing on fleshy humans. Body parts and entrails as far as the eye can see!!!

My First Cover

2010-06-01T14:51:00.001-07:00

Here is the first image from my first comic, Nightmares of the Macabre #5, The Anti-War Museum of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, written by Neal Bailey and published by Creator's Edge Press. I'm glad I got to do the cover at the last minute. I'm stoked for it to come out and actually see it in print. I'll let everyone know when it is available. It is going to be very limited. I'm hoping to get the word out there across the country once it comes out. Spread the Word and the Love!! Comics Rule!!

The Ebb and Flow of Painting

2010-05-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

I've decided to completely redo the background on my Fear Agent painting. I've seen some artists that draw everything out and then start at the top left corner (if they are right handed) and meticulously paint everything from top to bottom like coloring in a coloring book. Other artists just start putting colors on the support and let the images create themselves as they refine the details. I tend to work somewhere in the middle.

Most of my paintings have started with me dripping and splattering paint on a background of various layers then adding an image on top of it. For these illustrated pieces I have been doing I have started with a drawing then transferred it to a board, covering everything in flat colors and then building up the forms.

Everything I have painted lately seems a little too solid and complete. I want to start working more like my previous paintings and try to be a little more impressionistic with them. I feel as though I need to practice this technique a bit before I attempt an actual piece. That is next on my agenda.

I was recently doing some research on mythology and rediscovered one of my favorite artists, Bouguereau. He was at the cusp of the Impressionistic era and a lot of the impressionists laughed at him, saying his paintings lacked the life or emotion you would find in their paintings. I can see their point to an extent. This is one of the reasons I want to try a more impressionistic approach. But damn, Bouguereau created some beautiful pieces of art!! I will always consider him one of the best painters ever. Here are a couple of his pieces which I think are amazing.

I like how she is floating above the water, barely touching the surface.

This is one of my favorite paintings ever. I love how the nymphs have caught the satyr spying on them and are going to toss him in the water. It amazes me that these painters could capture people so realistically without any kind of photo references. Those models must have been phenomenal at holding long poses.

Still Working on Heath

2010-05-28T20:23:00.001-07:00

I've been working on my Fear Agent painting most of the day. Sometimes I like the idea of having a solid image in your mind and transferring that image directly to a support. But my mind doesn't work that way and I am OK with that. I tend to start with an idea, sketch it out, start painting and then change things as I go along with the end product blossoming into something quite different than my original idea. I like the give and take, the ebb and flow of painting.

Right now, I am reworking the background. You would think a background would be the easy part, but I don't like to cop out. I like for the background to recede in the background and the main image to be the focus of a piece, but I also like for there to be a ton of little details hidden in the back that people can get caught up exploring.

Tomorrow I am going to focus on character sketches for my next comic project. In the meantime, here are some more sketches I have done at the day job during my break.

Need to Get Caught Up!!

2010-05-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

I'm still drawing all the time. It's just that most of it can't be shown yet. But here's a sketch I did when I was trying to come up with something for the Mythology issue of Stumptown Underground. Yeah, I know. Another mermaid. What can I say? Not only do I like them, but I think they are pertinent to my life. 8)

Fear Agent is Moving Along

2010-05-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Making some progress on my Fear Agent painting. I have finally gotten color on the entire piece. Much like laying down flats when coloring digitally, my first priority is making sure everything has color on it. This helps give me an idea of how each color works with the colors around it. I then go in and change colors and darken and lighten it up by adding highlights and shadows to make everything pop out.

This has a long way to go before I am done. I'm glad I have a few days to focus on it. This painting has been SLOW going. I'm hoping to be done within the next few days.

I'm sad to see the series coming to an end. I love Rick Remender's writing. Not only do the time travel and sci-fi elements make for an exciting story, but his dialogue is great. I love his characters. And Tony Moore does a great job of capturing all the emotion and action. I have learned a lot by studying his art. He is great at creating a sense of solidarity to each scene. Check It Out!!

It's a Wrap!

2010-05-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finished my first official comic gig. It was a fun experience and I am pretty happy with the outcome. I'll say it again, I got lucky to get such a fun story right out of the gate. I'm all about some Anti-War action and with a horror twist to boot!! I can't wait until I can post some images and give out a link so everyone can get a copy. Soon... Soon.

In the meantime I did this lil piece as a submission to Stumptown Underground. I spent an entire month thinking of what all mythology means to me and in the end I just whipped this out at the last minute. I decided to keep it simple and just go with it. If anyone is interested in creating and getting something published then I suggest you check out SU's next theme and get to work!!!

I'm starting the character sketches for my next project and finishing up my Fear Agent painting this week before I dive in full tilt on the next comic. So many projects and such little time. 8)

Daleks and DC Action

2010-05-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the drawing I have been working on during my breaks at work. The true form of the dreaded Daleks!! Exterminate!! Exterminate!!

I woke up this morning and did some quick sketches to get the juices flowing. I focused on flying poses.

And here's a drawing of Supergirl I did after I warmed up.

Now it's time to go to the coffee shop and do some inking. Getting to last of my comic pages. Looking forward to seeing it in print. 8)

Remnants

2010-05-02T02:53:00.000-07:00

I may not be able to post my comic pages, but I can post the leftovers from a day of drawing. My studio smells like wood shavings when I walk in the door.

Oh, and here's principle Figgins giving Joss Whedon a lil smooch.

Some Sound Advice

2010-04-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

Since I can't post my comic work and haven't had time to work on much else, here are some drawing tips by a couple of great artists.

Dan Panosian and Chris Samnee

Yet Another Link in the Chain of Creativity

2010-04-25T17:44:00.001-07:00

I have redefined my game plan. Again! I think it is a good thing to be able to continually reshape your principles, your world view and your goals in life. It's even better when you come across a revelation that helps hone your game plan instead of redirecting, changing everything.

I went to the Stumtown Comic Fest this weekend here in Portland. There were so many people selling their self-published comics. I went to the Self-Publish Like a Rockstar panel with Erika Moen, Meredith Gran, Lucy Knisley and Shaenon Garrity. I have wanted to self publish since I was a wee teenager and studied how to go about self-publishing way back in the early 90's. This panel got me all fired up and wanting to create my own comics, which is what I have always wanted to do. They had a lot of good information on how to go about publishing your own comic from good printing companies to use, what programs are useful for design and marketing strategies. They also said that most of their sales come from attending conventions. I love conventions and can't wait till I am setting up booths all across the world and meeting so many people. That sounds like the life!!

I have a new perspective and respect for web comics now. I always wondered how a webcomic could ever support the artist. Why would people buy a hard copy if they can get the online version for free?? But apparently, people still love having a hard copy! And this made me very very happy. Not that I jumped on the "Everything is Going to be Digital in the Future!!!" bandwagon, but it was refreshing to know that not only do people still like a real paper book, but these creators were making a living doing what they love, making comics.

So I came home with fire in the veins and ready to work on my various projects when I had to stop for a minute and remember what my original game plan was. I had decided to get work penciling comics first, improving my skills, so when I had my stories completed I would have a more solid style, have practice working on a schedule and will have hopefully gathered some peeps who were interested in my work and would create a base of people who would buy my comic.

I spent the entire day today reorganizing my studio, getting rid of distracting projects laying about, condensing down my shit ton of art supplies to those that I use most and working out how to go about making my own comics.

First off, I am still constantly working on my first comic project, "The Anti-War Museum of Tuscaloosa, Alabama" written by Neal Bailey and published by Creator's Edge Press. Here is the press release. I got really lucky for getting a story that I can stand behind right off the bat. It fits right in there with most of my political art I did back in college. Thanks, Neal, for writing such a good story!!

And I have received my second script as well, which is another story that should prove a ton of fun to draw. I owe CEP mucho thanks for letting me draw for them. Represent!!

I'm also ready to start developing a different, more personalized style. I'm not a big fan of overly realistic art. I think working in a realistic manner on these first few books is going to help create a solid foundation to build my own style on. Not to mention all the practice I am getting drawing so many different poses and characters. Right now, my style of drawing takes me so much time, about 15 hours a page. I am getting slightly faster I think. I'm sure after working in the industry for a year or more I will get faster at the entire process.

I am also going to try to make my submissions to Stumptown Underground into a serialized comic. I'm working on the first set now for the latest issue about Family. I think this will be a great way to introduce some recurring characters that I can then use throughout the life of the anthology. Each month has a different theme. I think it will be an interesting practice to make the comics flow from one month to the next, not knowing what the next theme will be. When I have enough pages I can gather them together and publish them in a book.

So, that's the plan. Keep working and developing my penciling and inking, develop my own stories and use Stumptown Underground to get some comics out there. Oh, and draw a gazzilion pictures from Doctor Who. I have a stack of sketches and a list of episodes and characters I want to get to eventually. Love it!!

So much to do. I better get at it!!

~barry

Those Gassy Slitheen

2010-04-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

Here is my first drawing from Doctor Who. I plan on posting quite a few of these in the coming weeks. I am in love with the new show and all the crazy critters running around in that 'verse.

These fine looking fellows are the Slitheen, which is the family name of this race of aliens that tried to destroy the Earth and sell off the salvage. They wear a compression field generator around their neck to shrink themselves down to human size so they can fit into human skin sacks. They have problems with the gas conversions and tend to fart quite a lot when hiding in human skin. Dirty lil buggers.

Coming up next will be the Daleks and The Face Of Bo. And maybe more Slitheen...

What I Have Been Learning

2010-04-12T02:24:00.000-07:00

I've been super busy. It takes me about 13 to 15 hours to pencil and ink a page. I've been doing about 3 pages a week. That's about 40 to 45 hours on top of my day job. Whew!! I would like to get to the point that I can pencil and ink a page a day. That is about what is necessary to do a monthly comic. I don't know how some professionals do it. Todd McFarlane, John Romita JR and Scottie Young have all done multiple pages of pencils and inks a day. Amazing.

I think I will get faster over time as I learn what kind of shortcuts to take. I've been outlining figures and going back and inking in the shadows when I need to just draw the shadow, creating the outline as I shade. I expect to also get faster the more I draw. I saw Jim Lee once whip out an entire scene with multiple figures in no time. Someone asked him how he could draw so quickly and he replied that he has drawn hundreds of poses hundreds of times. His visual library must be huge!!

I am really liking inking with a brush. The lines are so much more organic and lively. I have even been doing the straight lines with a brush. You can make straight lines with a ruler by holding the ruler at an angle. Like this.

I still need more practice on maintaining a solid thickness instead of the wobbly lines I have been making. I also need to work on fades, as in a light fading out on a wall or a shadow fading into the light. I know this can be achieved with color, but this comic is going to be black and white. That means I have to do a bit more shading to help differentiate layers and objects. This also takes more time.

I've also been using some white acrylic on top of the finished blacks to clean up and add some depth. I want to start using more experimental techniques such as using different brushes or sponges or spray paint. I would like to experiment before using these techniques on these pages, but I don't really have much time.

Well, I am doing what I have wanted to do my entire life. I am drawing comics. And that is way rad and worth it!! I have to remind myself occasionally that this is reality. It doesn't seem real yet. What will be even more rad is when I can quit the day job and focus on art alone. These 80 hour work weeks are wearing me down. 8)

What I've Been Doing Lately

2010-04-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

I've mostly been working on my new comic project. It's been a lot of fun and a learning experience. Unfortunately I can't show anything here, but I'll let you know when the comic comes out. I am so stoked about it! The story is great and I get to draw some interesting scenes. Not to mention every once in awhile the realization hits me that I am a comic book artist. Rad!

In the meantime, I still draw all the time in my sketchbook when I am traveling on the bus or streetcar. I made my own sketchbook. Moleskines are great, but so expensive. I bought a ream of printer paper which I use to draw on most of the time anyway, and a sheet of colored paper and made my own sketchbook. I used black thread and sewed the seam. Cost me about 40 cents and has some originality. It is cut all askew. 8)

As I have said before, I love sketching people on the transit system. Best way to capture little details which you add to your visual library and can bring into your drawings.

I also like to do a bunch of various poses. You can do an entire page in just a few minutes and when you do so many it makes you think of new poses and expands your artistic mind to think of new ones. It does so much to help you grow as an artist.

I also bought a brush pen which I have been experimenting with. These were done with straight brush without any underdrawing. Trying to get a feel for it.

I have set a schedule for myself for 3 to 4 pages a week. This is my first priority. If I get them done in time I can work on my other projects. The foremost being my painting of the Fear Agent. Not only do I love the character and have been given the go ahead on getting it published in the comic itself, but it is going to be a movie soon. That is something I cannot wait for. Going to be so much fun!!

Speaking of painting, here is a video of Mark Ryden working on a painting. I have loved Mark Ryden since I first saw him in Juxtapose years back. I always love getting to see other artists and how they work. Really makes me want to get back to painting. 8)

Oh, and robots...

Been Busy Lately

2010-03-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

I've been busy working on my first comic project so I haven't been able to draw much outside of that. I'm not sure how much I am allowed to say. I am stoked to be working on it. The subject matter is right up my alley.

I'm both penciling and inking the issue. I started inking with a pen as I usually do but it ran out of ink the night of my self imposed deadline. I switched to inking with a brush and fell in love with it. Lines created by brushes are so much more organic. It also saves time and money. You can get thick or thin lines without having to go back over them with a pen. And a bottle of ink lasts forever compared to a pen.

I'm expecting to learn a lot during this process. I'm hoping to learn how to work faster. The first two test pages I did took me nearly 25-30 hours to pencil and ink. Whew doggy! I've been given a nice chunk of time to finish these pages, but I am imposing a shorter deadline for myself. I want to spend an adequate amount of time and love on each page, but I would like to eventually be able to do a monthly comic and have time to work on other projects as well. I need to get back to my Fear Agent painting before it gets too late.

I still want to draw other things while I am working on this. It's good for keeping things fresh. I get to draw a bit during my break at the day job. I did this drawing of some bat werewolf creature thing at work the other day.

I better get back to the drawing board. One thing I will say in closing is that I LOVE drawing comics!! 10 hours of drawing is so much more fun than 5 hours at the day job. 8)

Keep on drawing

2010-03-21T03:56:00.001-07:00

Here are a few things I drew tonight. After drawing my first ever official comic page. Once I get going it's hard to stop.

And here is what was left over after my day of drawing.