Some Dialogue First

So piggybacking on the idea of drawing some comics pages for writers to dialogue, and a follow-up notion of writing dialogue first, here is some dialogue.

I'm giving no directions for character designs, setting etc. Purely dialogue enough to draw a page or two, if you like.

A few artists at PnP have picked up on this... you could too if you like the idea.

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1_ YOU CAN GO IF YOU WANT ERIC, BUT I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO ALONE. I'M COMING TOO.

2_ WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS BEFORE SHEILA. YOU'RE NOT--

3_ I AM!

4_ LOOK, IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU TOOK THE CHANGE WITH YOU TO SEE GRANNY IN COVERTON. SHE'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO.

5_ GRANNY DOES WANT TO SEE ME AND BESIDES, SHE CAN'T ENDURE CONTACT WITH THE CHANGE.

6_ SHE'LL BE ALRIGHT AND YOU'LL BE SAFE.

7_ THE CHANGE WILL KILL HER AND I'M NOT ALRIGHT WITH THAT.

8_ SHEILA, IF YOU COME WITH ME IT COULD, IT WILL GET VERY BAD.

9_ I COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE, ERIC.

10_ SARAH, TALK SOME SENSE TO HER.

11_ NO. SHE'S RIGHT, ERIC. SHE HAS TO COME WITH YOU.

12_ MY GOD, IF THE CHANGE FINISHES TAKING HER WHILE WE'RE INSIDE, WE'RE DEAD.

13_ IF THE CHANGE FINISHES TAKING ME ANYWHERE, WE'RE ALL DEAD. BUT INSIDE, WE HAVE A CHANCE. I'M COMING WITH YOU, ERIC.

CAPTION: AND SO IT WAS SETTLED.

Big Machine

I was in the habit for a while of posting short reviews and commentaries on books I've been reading but I haven't been reading much of late. Took me a month to get through this, not because its bad or hard, but just because I'm reading briefly at night before bed.

Good enough, imaginative, lots of symbolic stuff going on. I'm not sure if the author was entirely in control of his metaphors and symbols, or I'm just too dense to track them. Either way, enjoyable enough urban fantasy to read and be unconcerned about all that deeper jazz.

The Grave Doug Freshley on Graphic.Ly

I am lifting this directly from my Partner Josh Hechinger's blog. DOUG is finally after years of waiting coming to life albeit for digital download, rather than as a print OGN. If it generates enough response and enthusiasm here, well, a hardcover book may come eventually.

http://josh-hechinger.blogspot.com/


The first three chapters of The Grave Doug Freshley, are finally (FINALLY) available for public consumption.

Here's step by step instructions on how to purchase this fine product:

Step 1: Download Adobe AIR from Adobe.com (you might only need to do this on Macs, but better safe than sorry)

Step 2: Go to Graphic.ly

Step 3: Create an account (this is free) and download the desktop app for your opp orating system of choice (also free).

There's also a Google Chrome app and an iPhone/iPod Touch app.

Step 4: Once you're set up, click the icon on your desktop and sign in.

Step 5: Click the Comic Store tab up top.

Step 6: Click the Archaia Comics link in the sidebar.

Step 7: Click through the pages, and click The Grave Doug Freshley (should be page 2 or 3 as of writing)

Step 8: Buy each issue. They'll appear in your basket in the upper right.

Step 9: Pay however.

Step 10: The comics will automatically download. You can see them under the My Collection tab.

Chapter/Issue 01 is free, the other two are $1.99 a pop. All of them are 30 pages, not counting ads and such.

Spinning is Up!

Spinning to Infinity

And I lead off with the Spinning to Infinity strip I drew. More cool stuff to come by some very exciting artists. This is something to bookmark and come back to.

Gertner _1

Artist Jason Copland presented a set of comics pages sans text for writers to assemble with dialogue into some coherent form. A nice challenge, and wonderful art. I have rearranged the sequence of the pages, although not everyone has done that.

I may have to draw and post some pages of my own and see what others come up with.

Gertner_2-6

Gertner_ 7-11

Still in Flux

Job is in flux. Looks like I'll be changing positions again at BN at the end of the year. Couldn't move the needle enough. But then I may not be there at all next year. Something is in the offing, and I'm hopeful of a sea change coming. But if it doesn't come, I'll be sorry to leave my current spot.

Art is in flux. Waiting on writers on four different projects, so I'm occupying myself trying some new art techniques. First I'm doing some drawings using ink wash... colored ink wash over smoothly rendered pencil. I want to move into painting and learned to do a slow patient ink wash technique a few years back in my Architectural Graphics class. This is in marked contrast to my usual slashing marks approach.

And I went out to buy some red, yellow and blue acrylics to mix into a rich black to try painting with it. I will be painting in black at first, because I just want to focus on handling the materials. I'll keep the size, subject matter, and color close to what I've been doing so I can just focus on the paint.

We'll see how it goes.

So Kinda Just Waiting

I find that I have a "free" day today. I've finished my class... finals last night and its just a matter of going in next week and picking up the results. but really, since I did not studying, I've been over for a week.

I'm kind of in that interim period where I've finished a long push with many things I wanted to be doing delayed. And now I'm free to start and I don't quite have the drive to pick something and dig in. I have lines in the water today about a number of different projects, and even the prospect of a new job.

Of course on these free days, i find that they get filled up with that which i had not intended. I got some reading done, and I've read very little these last few months. I took an unexpected trip to SF in the rain that failed to produce the desired result. I was going to go to a movie, and may yet go tonight.

I should go to the gym, but its raining and...

Maybe I'll just go to the table and draw.

Or sort through some drawers.

HM: Latest Character Sketches.

Ah. Here it is. Still getting feedback, and likely there will be some modifications, but we are making headway.

Head Mechanics Gets Rolling.

Maybe. Sort of...

At least after a bit of a stall, occasioned in part by me being tied up with school work, I think we have agreement on how Jack and Luna should look. Since my time is now opening up, I was able to draw more and once SH sent me back the earlier sketches that she liked, we got on the same page. Sometimes its best to actually see, rather then just talk about. I had thought it was a different preliminary version of Luna she liked, and have been way off base for jack right along.

Of course, all of his would have been easier if we could have sat down at the same table and drawn and talked, but London to San Francisco Bay is a bit too much. Patience will out.

I was going to post the image, but dang! Its on my other computer from when I scanned it in this morning and I forgot to Dropbox it. Tomorrow then.

December Update

So I'm back, hopefully with more regular updates again as I've all but completed my class and must get onto new activities. Comics and other creative ventures should be among these, but also I need to sit down and get on top on new software and in some cases not such new software that I've acquired and will need if I am to progress. One of my rationales for not taking more classes in the spring is simply that the time and energy spent on these takes away from what I have to do to get on top of the software.

Comics are still out there as well. Still working to get head mechanics up and running. i haven't quite nailed the character design yet for Jack,but have more time and energy to put into it now. I've attached the most recent model sheet (from this morning)and sent a copy to SH. lets see what kind of response we get, hmmm?