8.20.2008

I have rediscovered an old flame and her name is SHARPIE.

At the most recent meeting of the Comic Artist Guild (Newhall chapter)
(http://comicartguild.com/) We got into a mean sketching session and for some reason, I decided to do some drawing w/ chunky Sharpie markers. Not just the "fine point" ones that are generallly considered chunky, but the fat "Chisel tip" markers.

It was so liberating. I've been in a mode of trying to fix and refine drawings for such a long time, that I forgot how fun it is to just throw a line down and let the chips fall where they may... Ok, I might have gone back in w/ some whiteout on some of them.

I sat down tonight and knocked out a bunch more today, just to unwind. Some of the drawings are crude, splotch messes, but after drawing for a while, I got back a little of that crispness that comes from knowing that the line you put down isn't gonna get reworked or lightboxed or flipped. You just need to put down what you want on the page and try to keep the stray lines to a minimum.

I'm definitely gonna have to make this a new habit. It was also fun to play w some of the partially dried up makers, using them to get some tone.

8.01.2008

I have finished inking my graphic novel. Think I'll spend the weekend gorging myself on comics & movies, then spend next week catching up on some other work, before starting to scan everything in, adding the graytones and getting it ready for print.

Probably be another 2-3 months before it's ready for me to start posting pages online.

Hooray!!!

7.01.2008

I just watched the trailer for the new DeNiro/Pacino film, RIGHTEOUS KILL and it looks awesome. The premise is that they're tracking down a serial killer who's a cop targeting criminals (yeah, I know DEXTER has the same premise, but f**KIN DeNiro & Pacino, man!!!)

Anyway, it made me think about the upcoming Batman & Punisher films. Punisher is less about being a hero, than a violent revenge crime movie, but what would be an interesting take on both franchises (and I am in no way dissatisfied w/ either of the current ones - they look awesome) ...would be a horror story for criminals.

To make a story where the criminals are literally terrified. That seems to be the situation the criminals are in in DARK KNIGHT, but Batman is still a hero, so the horrific edge isn't the same. The Punisher is more of someone to be terrified of, as he is a sociopath, but I'm thinking of something that has a SCREAM, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER vibe. Bad people getting hunted down like dogs, one by one.

I think both PUNISHER: WAR ZONE and DARK KNIGHT are wearing these themes to some extent, but it will be interesting to see how far they push it and how far someone like Wes Craven or Eli Roth would take it if they were given the chance.

As much as I think Thomas Jane is awesome, I'm really looking forward to WAR ZONE. Much like the new HULK Movie, it looks like everything that I had hoped the first one would be. I Sub the reboots!

6.20.2008

While working on my graphic novel this morning, I was listening to the podcast of NPR's Studio 360. During the intro to this week's segment, there was a sound bite of music producer T-Bone Burnett saying "There's more "evidence piling up that we're living during the apocalypse"

I thought to myself "... Shit. I'd better draw faster"

5.23.2008

Went to see SPEED RACER last weekend and I'm incredibly surprised that it's not performing better at the box office. While it didn't give me the fanboy joygasm that IRON MAN did, it resonated with me on an emotional level far more. There was more than one scene that got me choked up... Sure, call me a big wuss, I don't care.

The themes of staying true to one's dreams and working through family trials and tribulations were very powerful. It's rare for me to enjoy "Family" movies, but this was an all ages film that kept me engaged from beginning to end. True, there weren't really any surprising plot twists, but the ride was just what I wanted.

4.21.2008

Went to see the Keanu Reeves movie STREET KINGS. Personally, I loved it. During the film, I kept thinking to myself that it felt like LA CONFIDENTIAL for the Post MTV generation and was then pleasantly surprised to see that James Ellroy was credited as one of the co-writers. I don't know if it's based on one of his novels and that was the limit of his involvement, but it reminded me that he's another one of those authors who's books I haven't read yet, but sorely need to.

3.24.2008

Adventures in Vector

I've been very comfortable with Adobe Illustrator as a design tool for a number of years now, which is amazing, considering how much I hated it the first few times I used it. ...Yet I was never interested in it as an illustration tool... until recently!

During my stint in the toy industry, I found myself vectoring illustrations for packaging, products, or as part of the design process, and while I still passionately love the fidelity of pencil and ink, there's a clean, crispness that is unparalleled in AI.

I had always believed that the drawback was the sterile stiffness found in so many vector illustrations, but I've come to realize that it really comes down to how good you can illustrate traditionally, and only recently have I been able to bring my game up to the point where I can exploit AI to a fuller potential.

True, it's just another tool, like a paintbrush, or acrylics, but I've also noticed, from working on the art director side, that there's a propensity for people to be drawn to spot illustrations done w/ illustrator and my hopes are that, I can shift gears and start doing a little more illustration work, instead of being primarily a designer. I've been pleased w/ the results of some of my recent vectoring, but I wanna spread my wings a little bit and see where I can push things.

2.26.2008

How can someone unemployed possibly be so busy? I recently left my long-term day job and one would think I'd have ample time to work on the graphic novel until I find a new one... WRONG!!!

I realized the reason I end up with design jobs is because I keep putting design work in my portfolio. Yeah, it's easier to get, than illustration work, but hell... I think if I have to spend my day not working on my comic, I'd rather it be drawing something. At least that way, I'm constantly improving my chops. So I've embarked on a quest to do a flurry of concept art/illustration pieces, in the hopes that I can land a gig doing something more in line w/ my passion.

Not that I hate design... I'm probably (c'mon... more than probably) better at design than illustration, but there's magic that happens when I'm drawing that doesn't happen quite the same when I'm pushing pixels.

Yeah, there's always the fear that drawing full time will burn me out and I won't be able to draw comics when I come home... but that's a gamble worth taking. If that happens, I'll burn that bridge when I come to it. Still, I gotta land the illustration gig first.

1.28.2008

T-Minus 90 and counting...

So I have 90 pages left to ink of the graphic novel. I'm inking the book reverse order, from last page to first. My drawing changed quite a bit over the course of penciling it, so my plan was to ink at the end, knowing that my inks would be pretty shaky at the beginning... then, as I went a long, my inks would improve and I could fix mistakes I made in early pages and didn't catch.
Well, to say that my inking is rough would be a grand understatement, but after 40 odd pages, I'm starting to pull things together. Hopefully, I'll have a decent looking book by the time I reach the end.

Sadly, work and some side projects are gonna keep me away from the book for a while. I hate the idea of not working on it everyday, but dude's gotta pay the bills. At least I'll still have my weekly life drawing class. I can't give that up.

On the media tip, a close friend just sent me Vol 1 & 2 of THE AUTHORITY: REVOLUTION by Ed Brubaker & Dustin Nguyen. I'm dying to tear into it, but I make a soft resolution this year to read a prose book (fiction or non-fiction) between every graphic novel I read. I've got ample comics & novels laying around that I haven't gotten to and I really wanna dig in. I just finished ULTIMATES vol. 2 HC, and I'm starting on Walter Mosley's DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS. I never saw the Denzel movie, and I've been wanting to read more Mosley (I've only read one of his books to date.) So far, very much digging it, and I don't think it will be the last Mosley Book I read.

I also am surprised at how much I'm enjoying TERMINATOR: The SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. I wasn't even planning to tune in, but I happened to be at my girlfriend's place when the premiere came on and we were kickin' it in front of the tv. It's been consistently good, these first few episodes, and I love the fact that I can watch it online during my lunch time at work. Lets me have uninterrupted creative time at home in the evenings. I don't even mind the writer's strike that much, since it's letting me catch up on reading and getting more artwork done.

... Still, LOST is coming back this week. It's like a bad habit I can't kick.

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