Posts filed under "artwork"
A little over a year ago I wrote this, which basically explained what I wanted to do over the year that passed. What’s funny is that I completely forgot that I wrote that (having a blog for as many years as I do, does make events/posts blend into each other). Anyway 1 year later, I can report that I have definitely been moving in the right direction. The first thing I did was go to an art class at Central St.Martins. While the actual lessons taught me sweet fuck all, I learnt soo much from some of the peeps in the class (ok mainly from Mike) but most importantly I remembered what it was like to feel excited about making comics.
A couple of days ago I finally completed my first full comic book story. It’s a four pager for the Observer competition and it’s basically 2 months of my life. Is two months a lot of time to complete 4 pages? Well I was doing other things inbetween, like working, holidays (where I couldn’t take my art with me) etc. Also bearing in mind that some of the things that I did, I’ve either not done, or not done in a while.
This little experience taught me a lot about how difficult making comics can be, but also how amazing the feeling is when you’ve completed the story that was just a thought in your mind, as you built it, cultivated it, nurtured it, watered it, fed it and then ultimately moulded it.
I did need to take a few shortcuts to achieve the deadline. So I ended up computer colouring and lettering; even though I wanted to do both of these things by hand.
With this project firmly under my belt, it’s time to shift focus to actually start drawing more. However there has to be a deadline. A year deadline is not good enough. It’s too far away. It has to be broken down into smaller chunks. Where I do burn the midnight oil to achieve that goal. Could be 5-10 pages per month? Fully pencilled and inked. That’s a little over a page a week.
The thing is I also want to try my hand at some sci-fi as well. The only way I can think of is, to simply write and draw a panel to this other story every day. 1 small panel. The nice thing about that is that I will end up getting speed and it’ll help me try new styles and new ways of doing something different without it affecting a much larger project. It’s all building towards me having my own distinct voice and style and breaking away from influences.
Either way, it’s all exciting times, especially considering I go on sabbatical for 6 months so I have the chance to pursue all the above.
Beast and Boo! - The best art I’ve seen for the Disney/Marvel acquisition.
Les 24 heures de la bande dessinée (Edition 2009) - Talk about depressing. I mean seriously. Mike and I tried to do 24hour comic book day. We did 17 hours. Mike was getting there, I wasn’t doing it the right way. But the 2009 edition of the series in France brought out the above entries, which is an insane amount of work, by an insane amount of talented people. Flipping through the comics, you’ll see some rare gems.
http://www.brokenkode.com/les-24-heures-de-la-bande-dessin%C3%A9e
Carlos Latuff - In my research for the story I’m writing and drawing, I’ve inadvertently stumbled on a great political cartoonist from Brazil with the Palestinian cause as his main focus. It’s quite fitting really as I’ve only just discovered Naji Al Ali, who is the prototype Middle Eastern political cartoonist. The great thing about Latuff is that his stuff is seen from ‘Arabic’ eyes with a decidedly more ‘Western’ outlook.
I Can’t Stop Thinking - Collection of appendix comics for Scott McCloud’s Reinventing Comics book. I’ve not read it, but these strips and his overall style of using the expanded canvas of the internet with a very very long page, is the only comics that I accept to read of the web. All other attempts fall short for me, because they’re basically recycled printed pages tried to be shoehorned into a website. Fail. All these years later, Scott’s work still stands out as the standard; I’ve not stumbled on anything that is as well put together as this.
So on Saturday Mike and I attempted to do 24 hour comic book day. We failed. Well actually failed is not the right word. We didn’t finish it off to the letter of the ‘law’. Basically we made it to the 17th hour and then we gave up. I couldn’t draw a straight line, and Mike was drawing shit to get a page done, regardless of what was actually on the page (a far cry from the great pages he was churning out for the hours the came before).
The good news was that it taught me a number of things. Don’t attempt to do it, unless you’re completely creatively blocked and you need something to kick start your creative juices flowing. No amount of coffee will actually get me to draw. It’ll keep me awake, but not enough to draw.
Instead what I did learn was that the exercise was extremely useful for a total of 12 hours. If you concentrate on 1 page an hour, after 12 hours, you really do have the start of 12 pages that, although very rough, at least get you going where before they were just ideas in your head. For someone that can look at a blank piece of paper for an hour without drawing a line, this is actually a massive breakthrough. So I propose 12 Hour Comic Book Day, for those with an idea, that’s taking too long to actually draw and get onto paper.
Thundercats Concept Art - What could have been, but sadly, won’t be. Hopefully in the years to come, the powers that be will see sense and make this money making machine!
Gummisig - One of the best looking blog/websites I’ve seen in a good long time. It’s the combination of the colours, gridlines, and big bad bold type that does it for me.
SDCC 2009 Dark Horse News - Easily the highlight of the Comicon news for me so far. This press release just made my week.
New BlackSad (I’ve got the first two volumes and the behind the scenes art), great series, I’ll be having some of that.
Final Fantasy Boxset? Yoshitaka Amano? Yeah bring that on.
Furry Water and Mesmo Delivery? Rafael Grampá? You had me at Mesmo Delivery, which I’ve been trying to get a copy of for a few months now.
The Art of Blade of the Immortal - Best news of the convention so far. I didn’t even know this existed in Japan. Hiroaki Samura, in colour.
The Observer and Random House Graphic Short Story Competition - Definitely going to be entering this year. The only, only thing I need is the story, four pages long.
Please Love Me - Banksy exhibition near Covent Garden (damn that boy is getting around this summer isn’t he).
“Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?” Steve Jobs - Great quote, great collection of posters as well.
http://www.brokenkode.com/why-join-the-navy-if-you-can-be-a-pirate
David Mazzucchelli at MoCCA - Talking all about Asterios Polyp. Definitely an interview one needs to read after finishing off the book.
The Beatles Rockband Absolutely stunning combination of animation and music. Fell of my chair when I saw this (ps the site is pretty awesome as well).
Joe the Barbarian - Never seen or bought anything by Sean Gordon Murphy, but the pages I’ve been seeing from him definitely make him one of those new and upcoming artists to look out for (I really hope I’m right by saying he’s new and isn’t a veteran of like 20 years in the industry or something like that).
In case you’ve not gone out and bought this, you owe it to yourself, really you do. Don’t believe me, here are a couple (one, two) of reviews.
Far Arden - The full graphic novel which got published this week. I was about to pick this up, but I had a few other more pressing purchases to make. After reading the actual history of this book’s creation however I am definitely interested in having a closer look at this. 288 hours, is basically 12 24hour days of comic book creating over the span of a year, creating 288 page graphic novel. In the next year I will definitely be doing a couple of these 24 hour sessions, but using them only as ways to create the basic thumbnails and roughs (maybe even some of the dialogue as well), in order to speed the process.
I read a few things about this a little while ago, but it’s only until I actually saw these amazing images by Richard Wilkinson that I actually decided to go out and investigate further.
Basically ‘Little Brother’ is a creatives commons licesenced book, by Cory Doctorow and apparently it’s pretty damn good (winning awards left right and centre at the moment), with the kicker being you can download it for free and remix it if you want. I’ll be sure to review once I’ve finished reading it.
Leandro Castelao - And another one for the inspirational folder. Great design work, with a lot of attention to detail and colour.
The Art and Illustration of Kevin Dart - One for the inspiration folder.
http://www.brokenkode.com/the-art-and-illustration-of-kevin-dart
Habibi - Production of Craig Thompson’s next book Habibi looks set to be a massive tome, bigger than his previous one.
OokahBlog - Pascale’s blog, who’s in my art class (which sadly ends tomorrow evening). So much work seems to go into any one post, but some how it’s a pretty engaging scroll. In a day and age where I can’t be bothered typing out more than a couple of lines, she’s creating montages and cartoons for her posts.
James Stokoe Won Ton Soup - The last time I was actually excited about a new comic book series from Oni was YEARS ago. Don’t know how I missed this, but the title alone just sounds like great fun.
Blacksad Gallery - Without a doubt, one of my favourite series, and a huge inspiration for me in the art department. If there is one thing that ‘Aitus Moralis’ is trying to learn is just the general attention to detail that this series claims. The other is the mixture of inks and watercolours onto a page. Truly stunning work that deserves your attention. Book Three is coming out this November (not sure who is going to be publishing it in English though). Here is a review I wrote 2 years ago regarding the first book.
Banksy vs The Bristol Museum - One word, awesome.