SCAD ATL keep it coming

The newly crowned Atlanta branch of SCAD is rapidly becoming a favorite haunt for me. Not only have they had Art Spiegelman give a talk on the 12th of this month but I went to a round table discussion with Andrew Robinson, Eric Canete, Yuko Shimizu and James Jean! All for free! Well, the gas from my tank not withstanding.

All the folks were incredible to hear speak but I was most taken aback by Yuko because I was wholly unfamiliar with her work. A really incredible blend of traditional Japanese art and illustration. Awesome. She is immediately finding herself on the list link to the right.

Squeak another post in for January

As I mentioned in the previous post, I've been working on a new mini. I had been plotting several shorter pieces for sequential excercise and decided on an incidental that I imagined to be in three brief parts. I was (and still am) fairly happy with the story and the preliminary work but I haven't felt like I'm pushing hard enough on the finishes yet. I need to let go of that preposterous notion that it has to be brilliant...because it won't be. It will hopefully be good and worth reading and a move in the right direction. Scrapping it means that I won't have it ready for the Atlanta Comics Expo coming up on the 8th of February but since I'm on no deadlines because the piece is for myself, I'd rather give it another go at getting it right instead.

So, I think I'll post some early ballpoint scratches. I scanned four different ones but think I'll post only the three most tangentally related sketches so as to not give much away.

First, some quick sketches of intimidating faces (boxers Iran Barkley and Sonny Liston).

Then, some vultures.

Confused? Good.

Breaking in the New Year

After bouncing around some ideas and working on sketches I have a new mini underway. I may post early sketches soon or may keep it entirely under wraps until it's all done. Haven't decided.

I did want to share the great idea going on over at Joel Priddy's blog. He's got a little one on the way and is taking black and white (since that is what is supposed to visually stimulate newborns) contributions for flash cards wall hangings, etc.. Below are my two contributions in a little bit better form than what they appear over there. I sent these to him after the first set didn't go through. They must have showed up later because they're the original images. I didn't have the heart to bug hima again as he is busy with baby concerns and other things more important than updating my images so I'll post them here.

The first image is based on our daughter...

and the second embodies our son in many ways.


Both were kind of a fun departure for me. I recommend contributing if you need a small project for a change of pace.

Testing the old adage

Since I missed posting the entirety of November I'm trying to figure out if absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. While I'm sorting, I'll mention a couple of things.

My boy is as tough as nails. He has been poked, prodded and analyzed at the age of four more than I ever had by the age of 11. New challenges keep coming up and he keeps bouncing back with a deeply good nature intact. Not only do I love him but he has my utmost respect. To celebrate this, here's a piece I did for my wife a few years ago that also never made it to the website.

Since the last post, I've been trying to sort out new working methods for upcoming sequential work. I've been doing what I'm going to bill sequential "fractures". Hopefully, I'll have some worth posting soon.

I love doing portraits. When you know (or feel you know an individual) in some way it can inform a portrait more than any close likeness ever could. That said, portraitists from days when you could be beheaded also have a large place in my respect category. There are so many concerns about representation and how the person you are doing it for will perceive the piece. I did this image as a commission for a friend. I have only met his wife very briefly on one occasion. He gave me a basic framework of what he wanted. I hope they're both happy with the image.

Exit and Joan conclusion

Pages 13-16 of exit.





The previously shown page 5 of Joan.

Exit part 4+

Isn't assembling RTA furniture a blast?

Exit pages 10, 11 and 12.




Joan page 4.

Exit part 3+

Exit pages 7, 8 and 9.




Joan page 3.

Exit part 2 +

Exit pages 4, 5 and 6.



Joan page 2.

Exit part 1 +

Thanks to those who have already given me feedback on the mini, those who will give me feedback and even those individuals who at the very least took the time to read it. It was good clean fun and I know there will be more to come.

Exit is a narrative that was an attempt to visually remind myself of what's important and let go some of old mindsets. I would have preferred to have done it in color as I'm more comfortable with it but budget required black and white. Making the mini may have brought a fair amount of shortcomings out into the light of day but I still am proud of a few passages here and there and plan on more. Below the first three pages.




After talking with a few folks about the black and white color issue, I was surprised to discover that quite a few had not seen or would like to see again the Cohen "Joan of Arc" panel breakdown. I thought after two years I had pushed that under every nose that I know by now but I promised to put up the full deal here as a contrast to the Exit pages. Discuss...

First, the cover.

Very belated SPX overview

I have to say that SPX was without question the comic con that I felt most at home at out of all I have attended. Granted, I have only attended a handful of them but, regardless, it was great. I got to say hello to publishing luminaries like Chris Staros (Top Shelf) and Chris Pitzer (AdHouse) and tell them how great their output is as well as meet in person many talents I admired then and some that I admire after meeting. I also was surprised to see Bob Schreck there and took advantage to thank him for pointing me that way. I blew too much cash on all the great items that I found but tried to play it smart by only purchasing rarities and minis I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else.

Among the greats of these were the J. Chris Campbell (a small publishing luminary himself)"Fat Pack" of minis, a mini sketchbook pair by Jamie Tanner and (even though I have not read his acclaimed Johnny Hiro) a really clever mini of portrait progressions of Michael Jackson over the years by Fred Chao. I did break my rule to buy Jeff Lemire's Essex County vol. 2: Ghost Stories because I loved the first volume, Tales from the Farm, so much (and the second volume is quite good as well), Rutu Modan's Exit Wounds because I enjoyed her panel discussion and she was doing great sketches in the books and Joey Weiser's The Ride Home because I had someone recommend it to me.

My wife usually enjoys the cons to a fair degree but really dug this one. She used to purchase comics but had stopped. However, she came home with an appreciation of Jamie Tanner's near obsessive sense of cross hatching as well as her first two graphic novels, Nick Abadzis' Laika and Matt Kindt's Super Spy. Abadzis was also on the panel with Rutu and impressed us both. I've read Laika and it is very good. To Matt Kindt's credit, Lisa was sold almost completely based on his art alone. He merely had to summarize his book to her and it was sold. Still waiting on Lisa to finish that one so I can read it myself.

Nearly all of these talented folk may be found to the right in the list as well (I'm still working on a few of them). I urge you to check them out.

Images on their way soon...

ARRRRGGG! I knew I was going to forget someone. I also have to give a thanks to the highly talented Nate Powell who gave me a couple of names of books to look into regarding ASD (and, of course, his collection, Sounds of Your Name, was well worth buying even though I already own some of the material). I'll be emailing you for those titles again very soon, Nate.