SLUMBERING GIANT

A new beginning...

2012-01-26T15:20:00.000-08:00

Some sketches from the first SVA drawing session in 2012...
A few 2 minutes, a 5, a couple 10s, and one 15 minute sketch...
I almost killed the 15 minute sketch by working on it after the session was finished... bleh.

It appears that I can still catch a likeness, regardless of how rusty I am... whew.
I'm always worried that as I get older, my facility and flexibility will began to wane as my eyesight slowly diminishes.

Not yet, I guess.
I'm crossing my fingers!

Resuming progress...

2012-01-14T22:58:00.000-08:00

More progress on the Mythological series of paintings I had to put on the back-burner while finishing my recent graphic novel...

Trying to lay in Neptune now... MAN... am I out of practice!!!
After a few hours of frustration, he's beginning to come into focus now.

Wrestling with fine details in oil paint using weathered old brushes is turning out to be a real lesson in patience... but it is part of the process. If I can't be as "noodley" as usual with fine detail brushes, I find my strokes are more expressive and loose (as evident by the background sky). This is moving my hand away from my professional Illustrator's tight perspective and closer to the less restricted fine art hand of my younger days.

These shots are more contrasty than the actual piece, but they give a general impression... wish me luck on the finish!

Back in the saddle...

2012-01-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

After a bit of a hiatus... I'm back to work.

These were a tough few months, but I've rededicated myself to my goals and am now working steadily forward. Here's hoping that the new year ahead holds more promise and unique opportunities for me!

Still waiting on news regarding my story from Heavy Metal... just stack another item on my already towering pile of stress... Hmmf... I can hardly feel it anymore;-)

More to come...

In the meantime, here are a few semi-recent 5 ,10, and 15 minute life drawings...

"Junk-a-saurus"

2011-10-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

More poop from the SVA Alumnus drawing class... GADS, I'm out of practice.
Still... I'll only get my hand back if I keep after it and push through the rough patches.

Two 15 minute sketches I ended the class with. Not much else happened of any consequence;-)

Dropped off the book for my letterer to peruse this afternoon after many hours of preliminary bubble placement talks...
Scaaary.

Keeping my fingers crossed...

Sketchdump Redux

2011-09-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

Another group of sketches from a life drawing class I visit once a week... not all are successful, but they each show something a little different. Just trying to keep the hand moving between Photoshop sessions;-)

Hideously rusty is what I am though... yoink.

First is a 1 minute... followed by a couple of 3 minutes... and the rest are 10 to 15 minute sketches.

The last two are the only ones I have any intention of keeping. Something halfway slavagable in the gestures... might reuse the poses for a painting. Although I must admit, I wish I'd had more time on that 1 minute pose pictured first... who knows what might have come of it...

Done.

2011-09-22T09:21:00.003-07:00

Semi-final state for last story image... might add some sparks or effects to the background fire... not sure yet.

Still... it is finished.

I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.

"BOOM!"

2011-09-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

As the penultimate page is now in the can (barring possible last minute adjustments), I find myself reflecting back upon this seemingly endless project...

Will it all be worth it once I'm finished... or am I just putting it behind me before simply moving to another foolish obsession?

I think that once all has been said and done, the doing is the real reason behind the endeavor. I could have (and very nearly did on several occasions) quit this project when things got rough or difficult... put it all behind me and chalk it up to a "learning experience". But I'm hoping that the effort itself will be somehow gratifying once I've seen it to it's finish.

Or at least I'm HOPING so;-)

Hey... there's always the chance that Heavy Metal will actually print the accursed thing and pay me some cash for it!

Last Gasp...

2011-09-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Had some slowdown recently, work-wise... Lifeguard duty and the random shift changes really wrought havoc with my sleeping schedule (not that it's a really good excuse).
Still, some forward progress is always welcome.

I'm going to try to use the rest of this month to make some serious headway into the last two pages. They are complex, but I feel more confident with the tools with each passing panel. I hope that there will be minimal "touch up" on the older work once the main story proper is finished and I try to render the all pages into a general level of consistency.

This was a tough page for me, especially trying to match up the color schema from the earlier story sequence.
This is the point in the tale where the intro sequence and the story progression link up. We'll see how successful it all is once the next page is finished.

So.. without further delay, I'm off to work on the next page;-)

CONSUMMATION II

2011-07-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

And so does the slow grind to the finish continue... ever painfully forward with a seemingly glacial pace;-)
Still... any progress is a good thing.

This was a difficult page for me... and probably still subject to a few last-minute changes before I finish this thing.
We shall see.
The consummation panel is finally finished.. let's hope it carries the visual weight it must in order for the story's finale to have proper resonance.

3 more pages to go in the story proper... and then a fronts-piece... wish me luck!

"Reversal of Fortune"

2011-05-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

The endless crawl continues...

Still, with about 4 more pages to go, the end is certainly within reach now.

I'm trying my best to keep moving forward and resist the urge to "update" older pages. It isn't easy. I've learned so much from this journey, it's sometimes hard to look back at the early pages and not feel that they are almost substandard at this point. I suppose that if I have the time at the end of the project, I might allow myself a bit of revisionary time on the initial pages.

For now though... we push ahead...

"TOWER"

2011-04-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Another bit of progress...
Still struggling a bit with this one as I am trying to transition into more of a flat color schema as opposed to the heavily gradated style I used previously for the interior scenes. Hopefully, this will better fit with the prior and finishing exterior shots without making this sequence seem too out of synch with the rest of the story proper.
We shall see...

Also, here is a promotional design for the new sculpting class I hope to teach at the Art Students League this summer... wish me luck;-)

Backside Backside Squat

2011-04-09T20:48:00.001-07:00

Ok... some sketch work from the SVA Drawing Class I periodically attend...
Nothing too fancy, but it keeps the hand moving, the technique sound, and the wrist somewhat supple.

Can't let the old man get too rusty, now can we?

I'm curious if someone looking at these or prior drawings would wonder why I usually eschew drawing the facial details of the model and instead focus on the limbs, torso, and abdomen...
Truth is, I'm not all that interested in capturing a portrait of the sitter... I'm more drawn the the mass... the volume and weight that the figure occupies in deep space. Sure, a little extra observation results in a pleasant immediate result with a recognizable likeness... but in the meager time allowed by these short poses, I'm much more compelled to get at the core of the figure than represent the face of the model specifically.

Still... every so often it is good to flex the old foundation muscles and bang out a very quick likeness.

These are all 3 to 15 minute poses... it's fairly easy to see which one is what.

"STOMPYPUSS!"

2011-04-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Another tough page bites the dust...

I'm just trying to keep chipping away at this project with a even level of enthusiasm now...
Trying to keep the pages consistent.

The earlier pages were quite simple... flat color and subtle gradations.
Once the titular character hit the final interior, I kinda went crazy with the techniques I'd learned recently and it's become a bit over-wrought compared to the clarity of the earlier work.
I'm hoping to switch back to the simple color schema once the story moves back into the exterior setting at the end.
We'll see...

Working on notes for the next session of my class at the League on the 16th... the first Comic Book Anatomy Class there seemed to be somewhat successful and I'm hoping to keep the momentum going for the following installations.

Wish me luck... "Go Sugar Rooster!!!"

"Now you see it..."

2011-03-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Again with the eye thing...
Still, with them considered to be the window to the soul and all... I suppose it is only fitting that such a monstrous voyeur should meet his demise in such a fashion.

Moving ahead again... slowly but surely.

Finally finished with the gore quotient of the story now... I can now focus on the character's resolution and the tale's dénouement.
Just got to keep moving ahead.

Recently several doors have begun to close in my life.
While new ones open to replace them, as they often do, I find myself wondering if the new directions are truly better than the roads already traveled... or merely different.
I suppose that I welcome the challenges ahead, for good or for ill...

Any type of change is better than just treading water... waiting for the next tide to roll in.

2011-02-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

Just a short supplementary post today... some drawings I did the eve of my birthday this past Friday.
I was lucky that these turned out as competent as they did... I had a meeting with someone very important to me that evening after the session, and I was so excited to meet them that I could hardly concentrate on the work.

As luck would have it... or more specifically, MY luck... we missed each other by 5 minutes.
This is the way it is for me.

Still, something good came of it. Maybe there is a bit of intensity in the lines of these drawings that would not have been there otherwise...

The first is a 12 minute sketch... the second a five minute attempt.

The 5 minutes.

"Good to the last drop..."

2011-02-19T22:35:00.000-08:00

Ok... another tough page in the books.
This one had a lot of tricky effects to it... I'm hoping that playing some of the background elements off the foreground action was successful. Who knows anymore;-)

Yesterday was also my birthday... a rather somber one in some ways... but in others... it was somewhat empowering.
Yes... things could be a great deal better (and not much worse)... but in spite of this, one fact remains...

I'm still here.

Just going to keep plugging away.
Something's got to give sooner or later.
I just have to be positive and be willing to be open to new possibilities... stop doubting myself.

Hey... it's a new year for me...

It's on!

"Tastes just like chi.. erh... finger."

2011-01-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

Another page in the books as I inch ever closer towards the finish line...
Less than 10 pages to go now in the story proper... and then the lettering and fronts-piece.

Things are very tough right now so it's difficult to concentrate on something that isn't immediately paying the bills... but at least forward progress is being made.

Alumni Drawing Classes have begun again now and although the first session's model was a no-show, we still had a good time sketching one another. This was a 10 minute sketch of a classmate (I actually started late on this one because I had broken the piece of conté I was using on the sketch before... so it's more of an 8 minute drawing).

Aaand some recent Calligraphy madness...

"All right, Herr Zeichner... I'm ready for my close-up.."

2010-12-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

Ok...

More progress.
I'm trying to keep moving while work has ~~slowed down~~ stopped.
I'm hoping to squeeze another out before the end of the year... maybe two;-)

I still can't get over how washed-out these low res scans are... but I just can't post the massive true files here;(

My Italian commission arrived with warm reviews this afternoon, so another heavy burden has been lifted off my shoulders.
I can't tell you what a relief this was... after the pressure of having to unearth my dusty, old architectural rendering skills for display for a respected client. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

Now, to get more work done on my paintings...

Mythologically Challenged...

2010-12-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Spent a little time painting today for a change...
Too much freelance crap has keeping me more focused on paying the bills than doing the work that I truly want to do.

After about 5 hours of work, I think I've actually gone backwards as far as progress is concerned... but I feel like I'm slowly rediscovering those old painting chops I once had more readily at my disposal years ago. Only time will tell...

Snapped these in my kitchen with a horribly outdated digital camera that can't capture natural color under artificial light (a new purchase that is terribly overdue at this point)... maybe some of the work is apparent if you squint your eyes hard enough;-)

Basically, more basic underpainting foundation for Daphne... and some foreground detail for the Poseidon piece.
More to come... hopefully soon.

Sketchdump Deluxe!

2010-12-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

More crap from the SVA model sessions... 15 minutes each and with a sanguine conté crayon.
It ain't art, but it keeps me sharp and allows me to reconnect my eye/hand coordination in the hours between the endless days of Photoshop garbage that passes as "work" these days;-)

Wish I could teach this somewhere... working on it...

Halfway through the next page now and hope to have it up soon...

Gutstomp!

2010-11-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Ok... back in the saddle for the time being...

Finishing up the Italy commission and recovering from a peculiar bit of "character work" for a major television sitcom!
Can't talk about the details yet... but let me just say that I've managed to somehow parlay my own obsessive sickness into a short but lucrative freelance gig! The world can be truly wondrous at times...

Here is the next page in the ongoing cataclysm that is this never-ending project.

I think at this point, as disgusted as I am with the thing and the missed opportunities it represents, I'm just committed to finishing the project to get it out of my head. Hopefully, I can just improve the thing as it goes forward... IF I can even manage to get the work published after it has taken so long to finish.

Gotta just keep moving forward...

Halloween Show and Italy photos to follow soon...

What is this "sleep" that you speak of?

2010-10-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

OK... it's that time of year again.
Spending plenty of time and energy on the madness in Brooklyn that comes but once a year.
A chance to flex my creative muscles and test my waning resistance to spray adhesive fumes...

Here is the new show flyer... will post images from the show's construction/props soon...

Hold me up...

2010-09-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

OK... took in a last drawing session at the Alumni SVA Life Drawing class before heading overseas to meet my destiny at Menirva Medica in Rome. Not exactly a confidence builder... but the old man can still churn out a 10 to 15 minute drawing with at least basic art school proficiency.

This by rights should be my last drawing on United States soil for the next half a month or so...
Hopefully I'll have some decent work to post from my travels in Italy when I next return to this blog.

I won't lie to you folks... I'm terrified.
When I'm standing in front of that ancient edifice, the time for excuses and hesitation will be over. I'll have to earn my reputation the same way the giants before me earned theirs... I only hope that they still have room enough on their well-trodden shoulders for my unsteady feet.

"Peek-A-Boo"

2010-09-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

Ok... another page in the can.
This one needed to get done before my big trip to Italy to confront the Minerva Medica in Rome...

I have the next page well in hand and it should be partially finished before I leave... I only regret that my paintings will remain somewhat untouched until I return. I simply haven't the time to put any meaningful work into them before I depart... shameful really.

Still, upon the completion of my journey overseas... I should return to work on them with renewed vigor and inspiration!!!
The work I'm doing bears an aspect of it's source from these lands, so I can only assume that I shall reap the benefits of walking in the very footsteps of some of the wordsmith philosophers that crafted many of the inspirations for my paintings.

I travel to the land of the Gods... and I shall bear their mighty spirits back with me...

"The Good with the Bad..."

2010-09-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

OK... here is the flyer/poster for the Dynamic Comic Book Anatomy Class I'm set to teach at the Art Students League here in the city.

This class, along with my Italian drawing commission (more on this in a later post) serves to compose the recent positive progress in my life... and they greatly offset the interfering obstacles that have lately afforded me little sleep.

I hope that this course garners enough interest (see: enrollment) to warrant its existence.

Cross your fingers with me...

The Holy "Grisaille" at last...

2010-08-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is to be the grisaille underpainting for the newest piece in the series...
Let's hope it continues smoothly...

Can't touch it really meaningfully again until this coming weekend, so I just have to glare at the thing until then and feel guilty about my protracted inactivity...

OK, back to the grind then...

"Put your back into it..."

2010-07-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

And another one bites the dust...

The pages are moving along nicely now... I'm hoping to at least keep a decent pace as the Summer months wear on, work schedule permitting. This was a fun page... but even now I'm still trying to restrain myself from further noodling with the shadow effects in the last panel. Gotta try not to kill the damned thing as a result of my own overly critical appraisal...

Wish me luck...

POW!!!

2010-06-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well... here we go...
Proof positive that I've got some seriously deep-seated issues regarding women!

In all seriousness though... this was one of the more difficult pages to color. It was just hard to look at such violent images for such an extended period,.. no less drawings of my own creation!
Still... it was necessary for establishing the utterly impersonal nature of the Pugilist's brutality... while also indicating the subconscious fury of the young woman at his helm.

The carnage continues...

"You wouldn't hit a girl... with glasses... would you?"

2010-05-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

More progress on the pages...

It's amazing to me... the more I get done, the more behind I feel!
I never seem to get any closer to the end of this cursed thing. I'm beginning to feel like a modern day Sisyphus...

Got to keep pushing...

PS: The next page starts with a bang... let me tell you;-)

Sketchdump Deluxe!

2010-04-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some sketches from the last SVA alumni night class that I periodically attended this past semester...

I'm anxious to start anew this coming September...

These are all 10 to 15 minute drawings.

"Giant Monsters All-Out-Attack Showdown!"

2010-04-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

OK... here it is.

This was last years live Halloween Show that we put on in Brooklyn... complete with full monster suits, a giant replica of the Empire State Building, and a shit-ton of chalk and cardboard building props!

This is a fairly condensed version... hopefully once it is fully processed, it will look a bit less pixelated.
Until then, enjoy the nuttiest Halloween Show in New York City in it's full color cubist glory!

Just click twice on the image to link to Youtube and watch the show uncropped ;-)

Atlas shrugged...

2010-04-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here are few sketches from the SVA alumni drawing class I occasionally attend Wednesday nights...

These feature a fellow with a tremendous physique... thick and sinewy... potentially perfect for a future Hercules/Atlas/Zeus painting for my mythologically themed series.

The first is a 10 minute drawing... the other two are 15 minutes.

Back in the saddle...

2010-04-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

OK... trying to get back on schedule again with the work...
This page came fairly quickly once I was finally able to put my full attention to it.

Lotsa junk freelance work to pay the bills interfering with what I want to do... need to do.
I have to keep sight of what is really important and get through this.

Some life drawing sketches coming soon as well...

Keep peddling, Greg...

"At least it's evenly divisible by 2... that's GOT to count for something, right?"

2010-02-18T00:02:00.000-08:00

42... Just another tiny footnote in human history... but it seems somewhat relevant to me for some reason.
Geez... don't feel any different... just a general malaise creeping into the back of my brain that tells me my habit of putting off the things I want to accomplish for another day is fast becoming a recipe for disaster.

This year needs to be different.

I will endeavor to make it so...

"Clusterfuck"

2010-01-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

Finished with this page... for now anyway.
There are still some things that bother me about it... but I need to keep moving forward.

I'll come back to it later for tweaks and small adjustments, but for the most part I think it does what it was designed to do... portray a chaotic scene full of desperate characters fighting for their lives. Sloppy and haphazard are the call-words of this page... and I hope that the work involved shows through on some level.

Hopefully... not so many figures per panel in the next few pages;)

"Even sexy on the inside..."

2010-01-26T23:38:00.000-08:00

Here are the assembled armatures of my latest "Sculpt-A-Saurus" class...
Pretty tremendous work for a bunch of amateurs that had never sculpted before!
Just wait until I post the shots of what they do with these babies later on...

I'm very proud of these kids... and we've just begun ;)

"Ignore the little man behind the curtain..."

2010-01-22T21:02:00.000-08:00

A brief interim post before the next page goes up...
Just a few tweaks away now... a bit of slowdown has me a bit discouraged, yet still undaunted.
Things will hopefully pick up as I gain momentum.

These are various 10 to 15 minute sketches from the alumni life drawing class I periodically attend to keep my hand moving...

Keep pushing, old man...

"Knock knock..."

2009-12-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

More progress... nothing too fancy.
Still, with everything else... at least I'm still moving forward.

I might blur the broken door pieces on the bottom panel a bit more yet... but for now, the look of the page seems satisfactory to me. That should change almost exactly 23 minutes from now...

Started a new painting recently and will post progress on that once it gets past the initial "color block" stages and is actually worth looking at. I'll also post some recent life drawings I've managed to squirt out recently to keep my "artsy" styled work from atrophying overmuch. I do love those conté crayons...

More soon...

"OH.., THE HUMANITY!!!"

2009-11-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

More Halloween madness!!!

Here is the posted preview for this year's show... the producer whipped this up just to drum up interest, I suppose.
It's crude and somewhat long... but it really gets some of the frenetic energy of the production across quite well;)

Watching it makes me anxious to get to work on the actual footage so we can post a proper video of the thing for everyone to see complete with full effects and sound!

Just click on the image once it starts to get the fullscreen treatment:

"Here... take a closer look..."

2009-11-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

Ok... back on track...

Here's the next page in the upcoming finale sequence. The whole timecode device ended up working nicely... even though it was an absolute pain in the ass to set up at first;)

This page features one of my guilty pleasure story panels... the "Head-butt Carnival". I truly DO feel bad about how much glee I derived from creating that fight sequence. Still, I feel it stands as a fairly effective piece of dramatic combat storytelling... albeit a brutally violent one!

On to the next ridiculous page... wait'll you see the funky lower panel on that one...;)

Some of the players backstage...

2009-11-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

Here are a few reference shots of both the Goji-suit and the version of Kong we used for the show... more to come, of course.
This is just the tip of the iceberg;)

"Goji-pants"

2009-11-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ok... here is a shot of the finished suit... albeit a bit dark and blurry.
It looks best in the video... this was just a pick-up shot we took during the insert sequences we filmed yesterday.
I'll try posting a better image of the costume in the days to come as photos roll in.

I do think that this is the best representation of the suit though... and even this photo is taken after the thing has been abused a bit and been featured in three concurrent shows. We just never got a chance to shoot the damned monstrosity the day it was finished... too much to do... not enough time for such things...

More to come soon...

Mission Accomplished!!!

2009-11-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Halloween Show went off as planned with nary a hitch...

The Gojira suit turned out even better than I'd imagined... and soon I will post not only images of the suit itself, but also eventually the filmed show footage! Not everything was perfectly captured and we may need a few pick-up shots... but for the most part, it looks fairly amazing for the materials and budget that we had to work with!

Stay tuned for more soon... and expect new colored pages to follow for "The Pugilist" as well....

"Two arms do not great feats make... so feets, don't fail me now!"

2009-10-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ok... another quick progress post.
Nothing fancy... just a few photos to document the building of this foam shit-storm.
The materials are really starting to make their cheapness felt... very uncomfortable and ungainly... and I still need to stuff it with cotton batting to get it more bulky!

Still... the light at the end of the tunnel seems a bit less dim now.
More soon...

"We interrupt this madness for some... uhh... stuff."

2009-10-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween time again and the madness has already begun...

I've spent the last few weekends or so trying to bang out a full body suit using sub-standard materials and meager supplies... Hopefully, in the final stretch... I'll come up with something decent;)

On a side note, I had to come up with a promotional poster for both the new site and for advertising purposes...
Here was the tiny sketch I did on a napkin a few nights ago...

And here's how it turned out last night after a frenzied few hours work when I was told it "HAD TO BE DONE ASAP!!!"

Back to the grind soon...

Over the hump...

2009-09-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Whew...

This was perhaps the most difficult (image-wise) page of the story to get through...
With the unsettling imagery and multiple effects, this page was really a true test of my newfound coloring skills.

It was hard to keep the color simple but interesting while trying not to over-accentuate the brutality of the action on display...
I'm happy with the results... but I'm still sure that I will be tweaking the image further as I push forward and better master the tools at my disposal.

The next page contains the last two video panels in the story... but I've got a good handle on them now so I'm not as concerned as I was when I began this sequence. Also, the following story sequence contains one of the most violent panels in the entire tale... but because those involved are less than savory characters, it doesn't bother me nearly as much these past panels where an innocent girl is terribly violated and I can really get into the intensity of the image.

Heading into the final stretch soon... but still have a looong way to go before I can begin to relax...

"No... I'm not a real murderer... but I play one on T.V.!"

2009-09-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

Wow... was this one a doozy!
So many goofy effects, one after the other... this page has so many layers to it that I spent more time struggling to keep them from overlapping or obscuring one another than actually coloring them!!!

Still... I'm quite happy with the results.
I'll be able to re-use the video timecode effect for the next page as well... that should certainly save some time.

Good fun, this one...

A spare glance...

2009-09-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to cover me until I post the next page or so of progress...
This was a quick 20 minute sketch I did a week or so back. The model had never posed before and was a bit skittish... but the image seems to conveys her modest elegance...

Please pardon the crappy quality... I took the photo with my phone because of the scale of the thing. Maybe sometime soon, I'll re-scan it in pieces and put them together for a proper image.

Page 17 is finished... I'm just trying to figure out how to add a simple finishing effect to a few of the "video" panels.
Once the problem is solved, page 18 is nearly finished as well;)

More soon...

"And behind door number 2..."

2009-08-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the next page... as it stands now anyway.
I have to make a few decisions as far as possible changes go... but basically, I'm fairly satisfied with the results.

The face on the Pugilist in the third panel is one of those happy accidents that happen when you're just drawing without thinking... I couldn't match that crazed expression now if I tried!

Onward...

"Why yes... yes, that IS a giant inflatable woman in the background..."

2009-07-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

And so the final act begins...

I'm actually looking forward to the next set of pages as the action picks up exponentially with each panel.
Hopefully, I'll be able to keep my momentum going as I tackle the next page...

Wish me luck;)

What the Hell?

2009-07-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

This next page is killing me...
More specifically, by the time I get back from lifeguard duty, I'm completely spent both physically and mentally... I don't seem to have the inspiration/facility to move forward at any decent pace with this page.

If I can just get the basic character colors set up, I can more easily move ahead... but for some reason, the blue shift has me a bit befuddled.

I'm happy with the first panel though... hopefully, I can realize the rest of the accursed thing soon. Only the first 2 panels are finished in this scan... I'm slowly fleshing out the 9 figure panel as I write this.

Wish me luck...

Calm before the storm...

2009-06-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Ok... now we get to the nitty-gritty, as they say.
From here on, we introduce a new assortment of vile characters that only last a few panels past their introduction.

Soon, the main protagonist will be introduced... and the true tale joined.

"Plug-licious..."

2009-06-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

Popped by the MoCCA Festival at the Armory downtown this afternoon...
It turns out that the cover for "City of Fever" doesn't look too shabby after all!
They managed to get at least close to the tone of the original painting. Very surprising...

Sure... the very first interior credit page has two misspellings ("penceled" and "writen")... but at least my name is spelled correctly;)

All and all, worth the effort.

Back to the grind now...

"Lucky 13"

2009-05-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

OK... another page in the can.
This photo-to-location transition page turned out fairly well, I must say. I'm just hoping that it jives properly with the next page's imagery... only time will tell.

The madness really begins in the next few pages... the part of the book that I've been waiting to get to while wading through all these transitional sequences... the carnage fraught studio-turned-abattoir that provides the climax of the tale!

Onward...

PS: Dig the coffee stain on that photo, baby...

Shameless Plug #1...

2009-05-12T10:20:00.001-07:00

Just a quickie post today...

I painted a cover illustration for a friend's first graphic novel to debut at this year's MOCCA Festival this coming June.
It was a terrible rush job, given the circumstances... but in retrospect, I suppose that some of the loose spontaneity of the piece was only possible this way.

I hope that it's crude charm helps his sales somewhat...

I'm also including some interior color sketches I did for background elements for his editorial/intro page.

"1/3"...

2009-04-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

12 pages in the can now... what a relief.
Still, I've got a looong way to go yet... but now I'm at least moving at a more confident pace.

This page was a bit tricky, but I'm pleased with the results.
The next page is the last "set up" sequence... it's all action from there on out.

Thank goodness, eh?

"Dumbbells"...

2009-04-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

OK... here is 11 in all it's desaturated glory...
I hope that the spatter effect works well enough without it being overly gratuitous. I must admit that it went better than I had initially hoped.

I was also pleased with the panel where the titular character is escorted through one zone into another through color cues. This is the sort of transition that I spoke of in my last page entry as well...

Moving on...

The Coming Storm...

2009-04-01T14:00:00.001-07:00

OK... I've got two new pages to post soon.
Barring a disaster, I'll have them both up by this weekend... I just need to adjust a few niggling details before I'm comfortable seeing them here in their full pigment-drained, lackluster glory.

Here is just a teaser panel I'm putting up just so I can say that I have an April Fool's post...

"38 up, 10 Down..."

2009-02-27T17:07:00.000-08:00

And another page in the can...

I'm embarrassed that it took so long to get this one up, but I've been a bit occupied lately with other interfering influences.
I'll be able to speak more freely about them once they are behind me for good.

This was a challenging page, to be sure... but I'm fairly pleased with the outcome.
Barring a sudden change of heart, this is how the page will basically look (albeit more saturated) in it's final form.

The bottom panel marks where the special lighting of the old coot's office area intersects with the rest of the outside world... a sort of transition between two differing zones.

"In 2001, Greg would do almost anything for cash..."

2009-02-06T20:54:00.001-08:00

Here's an old blast from the past...

This was to be a cover illustration for a certain New York Gaming Magazine to illustrate the featured editorial exposing the exploitation of women in the video gaming industry. Needless to say, while they LOVED the piece once it was finished and approved the progress through all the editorial stages, when it came time to go to press... they hadn't the testicular fortitude to follow through with the idea and ran a tame photo instead.

As a sort of lame compensational gesture, the magazine owner offered to buy the original artwork after the whole debacle (he gushed about the piece as soon as he saw the thing)... but the price he offered for the original painting was so insulting I actually burst into spontaneous laughter in his office! I told him that even if he offered double that price, I wouldn't have sold it to him on principal...

What an utter douchebag...

Anyway, here it is in it's lackluster glory... enjoy.

"Peek-a-boo"

2009-01-16T12:14:00.000-08:00

Ok... I'm almost on schedule now... kinda.
With page 10 in the works now and nearly 30 more to go, it might seem that I am screwed beyond imagining if I want to finish the colors before July or so... but I am going much faster now and soon most of the pages will have only a single color scheme working within them (aiding selection time), so I should make up a bit of time.
Again... maybe...

Whatever...

If I can get around half of the thing done, I might just try to get it published in two installations...

We shall see....

"Going up..."

2008-12-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

Another page bites the dust...

I still might try and put a shadow above the Pugilist's head to imply how tall he is and that he barely fits into the elevator compartment... we'll see.

As I'm learning new special effects and lighting techniques, it's really hard not to use them willy-nilly on the newer pages...
Still, I'm trying to keep the simple look of the color and the integrity of the prior page's mood.
Wish me luck...

Onward...

"Filed away..."

2008-12-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

Another page in the can and work presses ever onward...

I'm getting excited that the pages are moving more fluidly than before and that each successive panel is taking less and less time to complete, effects and all.

It isn't easy to learn Photoshop on the fly... but at least I'm slowly carving away at the thing and coming up with my own shortcuts. I'll definitely benefit from the lessons learned the hard way... as agonizing as they might seem at the time.

On to 8 now... I'm eager to start getting into the "action" portion of the story as well...

Sketchdump...

2008-12-16T16:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some more sketch samples from my life drawing classes...
All are 3 to 15 minute drawings in charcoal or conte' crayon.

Also posted is a rescan or two of a previously posted drawing that I felt needed to be represented... don't ask me why;)

"Pressing matters..."

2008-12-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

Number 6 is now in the can, as they say... with 7 on the chopping block.
I'm slowly becoming more comfortable with the Photoshop tools with each successive page (and I mean "successive" in only the progressive sense, believe me)...

The next page is super dense with a lot of fancy panel work but I hope to have it finished in a few weeks.
I just wish that I could devote whole days to the endeavor, but for now I must fit in coloring sessions between the scarce freelance gigs.

Ok... back to work...

"Not forgotten..."

2008-11-22T23:45:00.001-08:00

This is a small tribute post... nothing too fancy or overblown... but just the sort of thing that this particular individual
might find some strange satisfaction in.

It's not much... but it's the best I have to offer him.
In some ways though,.. it is the smallest things that make the biggest difference... so I'm just putting this out there now in the hopes that I can come up with something better in the future.

Anyway,.. he will certainly be missed.

Hey buddy... you were always my favorite.

You know who you are ;)

GREG

Interiors

2008-11-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

On to page 6 now with number 5 basically in it's final stages of color...
This one was a tough nut to crack as I continue to learn Photoshop on the fly as I move from panel to panel.

I'm especially happy with the light sourcing on this page... it really helps to have some sort of coloristic surprise when showing successive "talking heads" panels.

Again, colors are much more vivid in the actual files... but hopefully you can get some idea of what the finished page will look like.

Onward...

"GOLEMITE!"

2008-11-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

Just a brief teaser to give an idea of what this years Halloween show looked like...
A pretty ambitious production this time,.. full of big sets, pyrotechnics, and multiple props and lighting rigs...
We even had a sound-guy to cue up effects and theme music for the on-stage antics!

I'll post the full video compilation once we have a properly edited cut on You-tube in a week or so...

Page 5 is also almost finished and is only a few texture effects from being posted here as well.
Got to stay on target...

"Sweatbox- Part Deux"

2008-09-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ok... here is the new fourth page.
It's still a bit raw, color-wise... but aside from minor tweaks, this image is finished.
Hopefully, progress will continue steadily as it has for the last few days. Between freelance illustration and calligraphy gigs, it's hard to really sink any large block of time into the color chores... but the rent has to get paid somehow.

More reddish-brown pages to follow as we zoom into the penthouse office of that building in the last panel...

In a stall...

2008-09-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

OK... a recent influx of freelance work has currently delayed progress on my graphic novel coloring chores... but rest assured that work will continue as soon as I've swept this obligatory crap under the carpet where it belongs.

As an apology for being lax on the comic updates... here is a recent 10 minute study from the last SVA alumni drawing class I attended. A brand new season has begun... and I can hardly wait to get my hand moving again in a more classical vein.

Perhaps there are even a few paintings waiting to be inspired by the work...

Who knows?

"It's all about the gravy..."

2008-09-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Here's an image of an old LP cover that just screamed at me to post it for the world to see...
Enjoy!

A relevant post with some new imagery is on the way...

Recoup achieved....

2008-08-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

OK...

I am now roughly at the spot where I previously stood when I lost all my hard drive data.
This is a major landmark for me and I just felt that it warranted at least a small post.

A few more hours of work and it will be all new territory for me... and let me tell you, that's a good feeling.
The pages look even better than before and I have some new ideas regarding execution that I'd have never conceived of if not for this sort of forced "retrospect"...

Wish me luck...

"Paging Dr. Dobberful..."

2008-08-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Hey Jim...

You out there?

I lost all your contact info when my hard drive went out awhile back...
Please come in, sir...

"Tapestry"

2008-08-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

If you could have only seen how sublimely elegant this model was in the flesh...

This is one of my more successful renditions of this languidly sensual model... just wait until I can get a proper scan of the thing!
It looks SO much more restrained in execution on the coarse paper. Somehow... the scanner inherently pushes the contrast and saturation levels too severely in every scan... and then there's the blur...

Oh well... I can only hope that when the classes begin again, this gal makes another appearance...
I actually challenge anyone to get a bad sketch out of her...

Interim...

2008-08-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

I've seen a lot of life drawing work on my friend's blogs recently... and because I've posted so rarely these last few weeks, I figured that I would jump on the bandwagon as well!

These are a few drawings from the symposium I attended at SVA a few months back for school alumni.
Keep in mind, these are awful, blurry scans from a dying piece of hardware without the proper flatbed space for full-size newsprint pad images...

These are all 5 to 15 minutes drawings... with the exception of the last head shot ( I squeezed in another few minutes afterwards on that one to make it an 18 minute drawing).

I hope to replace these images once I get a proper scanner...

"Retread"

2008-08-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is the re-do of the third page...
A bit fancier than the last go... but basically the same animal with a few touch-ups.

At this point, I just want to get the accursed thing finished...

Again, the color is much more vivid and striking in the actual full res scan... I just wish that I could post those suckers here.
What a difference a few 100 degrees of DPI makes!

"Mustn't ... give... up..."

2008-08-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

OK... I'm on my way back, folks!

Pages 1 and 2 are completely finished (sans final tweaks) and page 3 is already 3/4 completed as well...
It's been an ugly journey so far, but at least I've managed to crawl my way back into the saddle once again. Once page 3 is squared away and I'm immersed in page 4, I'll be ALMOST back where I was before the big crash...

To be honest, the new colors look even a bit better than before... most noticeably on the third page. I'll be sure to post it once I finally get it squared away.

I'm just hoping that my new sense of urgency continues onward through the new work... wish me luck!

I'll have more artsy stuff posted soon... just gotta keep my nose to the grindstone right now...
Thanks to all of you that commiserated.

Seriously...

DISASTER...

2008-06-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Yup... it's all gone.

My hard drive crashed as I was trying to transfer files to a DVD a week or so back... and now I'm faced with the horrific prospect of starting over on my coloring chores from scratch.

Unbelievable.

I lost 4 years worth of work, files, and personal items...
I was trying to burn it all off to DVDs, but I guess I just wasn't fast enough... or fortunate enough to have more leeway.
Even with all that I have lost, it's the lost color work that stings the most... the final panel of page 4 had over 30 full figures in it (and even more partial background figures) and was perhaps the best color comic book panel I had ever produced to this point. Agonizing...

All that is left are the super-condensed files I posted here for feedback...
I can't even use them to re-create the original colors because of their bleached out tonality and severely pixelated textures.

No one could save the drive... and I even sent it to Drive Savers in California who are supposedly the best at that sort of thing.
I'm completely heartbroken and discouraged... maybe this is just a sign that this story was simply never meant to be... I've met setback after setback at EVERY stage of this book.

Perhaps someone is trying to tell me something...

Well...

FUCK whoever it is... I restart the color work this week anyway. This book gets done by the end of this year or I take a header off the Brooklyn Bridge...

PS: Eric gets all my DVDS... maybe I'll leave the Godzilla stuff to Justin. With the cash he'll get from selling it all off, he might even be able to commission a proper Kamen Rider Amazon Custom motorbike;)

Sweatbox

2008-04-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

A bit more progress on page 4 of the book... almost halfway done with this nightmarish task...
I'll drop the full page on this post once I finish with the color chores completely.

This panel is far more yellow-green in it's full resolution to push the hot, hazy atmosphere of the panel...
I hope that even in this compromised version, the oppressive heat of the crowded city streets can be felt.

"Lucky trio..."

2008-04-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Just got to see a copy of "Eye Candy from Strangers" over the weekend... a sort of hodge-podge showcase of sexy girl art published by Brand Studio Press to promote both area Illustrators and their art book line... and saw my painting inside!

I was shocked to actually see it in full print glory covering a full page... man, Alberto must've been hittin' the bottle awful hard during that editing session! Regardless, it was nice to have more work in print...

Funny thing is... this is not truly a painting at all... it is actually 3 small oil sketches from a series of female nudes I painted using the phases of the moon as a lighting motif. Each painting was executed using only black, white, and one saturated color (some of the luminosity is a result of the ochre wash I used to prime the masonite boards prior to painting. Each color study took exactly 15 minutes to render...

I just scanned three of my favorites, crammed them together alongside one another on a scanner, and turned them into one piece... weird, eh?

"Intro finale"

2008-04-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Still some minor nips and tucks to apply... but basically, here is page three...
I'm quite pleased with the simple layout of this page as opposed to the panel density of the two preceding ones.

On to page four now... and the beginning of our tale...

PAPAYA!!!

"Forward..."

2008-03-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ok... here's a bit of progress on the second page...
I'm still fiddling with that half-toned center panel, but for the moment... it pleases me.

I'll post the final once I make my usual adjustments...

On to three now!

"Into the breach..."

2008-03-10T00:29:00.000-07:00

Just a bit of sample progress on the first page...
Still needs a tiny bit of tweaking, but the basic idea is intact.
I'm still not sure about the sky yet... but it looks pretty cool. Who knows if I'll change my mind tomorrow...

Basic scene establishing shot at dusk with the the first main protagonist on display... the second main character appears in the next panel. I like how the bottom panel background recedes against the black-line layer now...
Geez... by shrinking the file down so dramatically, I've totally killed the color... but I hope it still comes across.

Accursed Photoshop!!!
Why won't it simply execute my dark, eldritch desires upon command?

What a goddamned gyp...

"On letting go..."

2008-02-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

Florence Migatz died late yesterday evening as I was coloring the first page of my strip.

She was 89 and was planning to celebrate her 90th Birthday surrounded by her family on May the 25th of this year.
In the end, even though her doctors and my Mother were still desperately trying to save her life... she asked to be let go.
I can't begin to understand what that terrible instant was like for my Mother...

While I was present at both the deaths of my Grandparents, and nearby when the decision was made regarding my Father... I was never required to make that specific choice myself. All I could do was advise those empowered to do what I thought was in the overall interest of those concerned. Even when I disagreed with the course taken, I still tried my best to be positive and supportive.

Of course, this is quite easily done when one knows he needn't be the one to directly shoulder the responsibility for that decision.

I'm very proud of my Mother... letting go of the relative closest to her heart... a woman so beloved that her greed for even a few moments more almost clouded her judgment and set her on a ruinous course that she would have certainly regretted later.
No... she took the only path that could be humanely taken.

It's finally over... nothing left to think on now but missed opportunities...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, I am in for the evening, sick with a terrible flu that came upon me suddenly. While this in itself is nothing of particular note,... my old Ex from Japan chose tonight to finally respond to my desperate e-mails requesting her new whereabouts (I hadn't heard from her in over 3 months, since she last visited me with her old travel agent friend and stayed in my apartment to save on Hotel fees)...
I knew something was up... but I was not prepared for what she told me.

It appears that she's finally met a brand new beau (it's true what they say about weddings)... and he is very uncomfortable with our continued friendship... even through simple e-mail posts.

Sigh... while I am honestly thrilled that she's finally found someone special to fill her life (truly, I am)... I am also heartbroken that a 5 year chapter of my life is now coming to an abrupt close. It's really just too bad... we were very good with one another. I daresay that she understood me better than any other woman in my life up to this point... it just didn't work out the way we planned in the end.

But I suppose it's for the best, really...
It's just the timing of the news that galls me a bit...

I will miss her.

I will miss them both.

Trying to keep hopeful...

2008-01-26T23:06:00.000-08:00

The prognosis is not so good...

She's hooked up to a respirator now and will remain in that situation until she stabilizes.
She had most of her bowel removed, got an Ileostomy and is
resting quietly.
At least this way, the doctor says with time she can
have a good chance at recovering and having a normal life for whatever
time she has left.

He says it will take at least 3 months before her body heals enough to
go in and reconnect what's left of the bowel to her insides again... and even that is a hopeful assessment.

It's not a pretty picture, but it's the only one we have right now.

I keep thinking that there must be something we've done in the past as a family that warrants this sort of run of bad luck.
This could very well be the 5th major tragedy among my immediate relations within the last 3 years... both my Father's father and step-mother, his real mother, and then my Father himself...

I'm trying my level best to be positive... but it's getting to be a harder and harder sell with each successive blow.

Keep working, Greg...
Keep working...

"Cross your fingers..."

2008-01-24T18:30:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a long night for me...

My Grandmother is under the knife as I write this.
She is undergoing surgery to remove the blockage within her colon that is keeping her from being able to defecate properly.
Although at her age (89) this sort of operation is incredibly risky, her physician has so far been unable to dislodge the blockage through conventional or standard alternative means... and something radical has to be done to prevent her waste from poisoning her system further.

I was supposed to go visit her this coming May on the 25th to celebrate her 90th birthday...

I guess that I'm just hoping that I'll still get to make that trip for that purpose.

I find myself thinking back to the last time I visited her and my Mother last year...
She was never one for sentimentality... and when I tried to tell her that I loved her one evening after dinner, she asked me to leave her apartment out of flustered embarrassment. It wasn't a mean-spirited sort of reaction... just a sort of unconscious adaptation she had developed for avoiding uncomfortable situations, I suppose. She just told me that she was suddenly tired and needed to get some sleep and hurried me out the door. It was so awkward and forced... if she really wanted to think it through, she could have told me that my Mother was surely getting impatient waiting for me in the car in the parking lot below. It didn't matter though... in our family, that sort of affection is rarely put on proper display, so she did what she had to do to pass an uncomfortable moment.

I suppose that I can only hope that in the many months since those few minutes passed between us, those simple words might give her some comfort in the hard times ahead for her...

I'm just sorry that those humble past sentiments are all I have to offer her now.

First night....

2007-12-05T17:38:00.000-08:00

OK... so it took a secular goyim to remind me at the last minute that Hanukkah started earlier this year...
Nonetheless, the candles got lit and the blessings said...

I used the menorah that was given to me from my Grandparents upstate while I was caring for them a few years back.
They both died from cancer... 6 months apart from one another. I decided to home-hospice them myself so that they could die in the comfort of their own homes and without the prostelitizing interference of the religious vultures that often accompany the upstate chapter "Meals on Wheels" programs. I couldn't be there every day of the month, but I did the best I could given the situation... and to be frank, even with the terrible monetary ramifications that decision inflicted on me then (and still does to this day)... I don't regret a single moment of that choice.

This humble cast iron candle-holder is one of the few things I own from their estate... the legions of curiously absent relatives that miraculously showed up around the time of their funeral processions took care of most of the available swag to be had at the cabin. All I managed to snag were a few books of photos, an old wooden Don Quixote effigy, and this odd little menorah.

Again, I regret nothing...

Well... maybe one thing...

I only wish that I'd had the foresight to record my Grandfather speaking...
He had an amazingly deep baritone voice and could tell a WWII story like no one else I've ever heard...

I miss them both a great deal...

Happy Hannukah.

Finale

2007-11-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

OK... here's the final panel of the story...
It looks much more effective at full print size, but post constraints only allow for so much enlargement.

There will be a bit more detail behind the figures in the form of firelight casting and licking flame elements in the background... but most of that will probably be done in the color stages.
There will also be a decent amount of text accompanying the image... small scattered dialogue boxes to bookend the story elements... but there should be enough room in the negative space of the page to avoid any image overlap... at least I hope so.

Now I just have to come up with an apropos title page image...

"Fireworks"

2007-10-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Another bit of progress...
I'm working on the title page now and trying to decide if I should go a multiple panel route as opposed to my usual full-page image featuring the title logo. I think I've got the text semi-realized now so I'm wondering if I should deviate from the obvious intro style that I've always favored in the past...

We'll have to see...

"The End is nigh..."

2007-10-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Yup... it's finished, folks (the main story proper anyway...)!

I still need a frontspiece for the title page, but I'm actually thinking of doing a small painting for that while I'm waiting for Rick to catch up on the Inks. It'll keep me busy during the off-time when I'm not working on my new teaching resumes.

I'm fairly pleased with the last full-page image... it's kinda a pin-up at this point... but I figure that it can't hurt.
I'll be posting more of the transition panels before slapping up the final page...

Here's the final sequence from flashback to initial set-up...

Enjoy...

"Running to stand still..."

2007-10-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done now with the new transitional page I had to add before moving to the final image... and I'm quite relieved with the results. I'll try to post a few of the panels in the next day or so and see what sort of feedback it garners... if any.

I'm not really sure why I even bother... I suppose that I am a bit starved for reaction from my peers. Lately, I've isolated myself a bit from those whom I once shared an artistic exchange... for many reasons... none of them particularly weighty or significant.
For lack of a better venue, I guess that this place is as good a spot as any to pick up random criticism...

I want to start attending the SVA Alumni Life Drawing classes being offered at my alma mater... but I just feel that I have to at least completely finish the pencils of the story proper before engaging in another potentially distracting aesthetic venture.
At least that's what I keep telling myself...

My God... I'll be 40 in February...

"A slight setback..."

2007-09-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

AArgh!
A good friend of mine was kind enough to point out a certain visual oversight to me in the final panels of the tale yesterday... resulting in the horrifying realization that I might actually have to go ahead and extend the story one more page for it to have the necessary final impact I desire.

Sure, it's a pain in the ass... and it kinda takes a bit of the steam out of my drive to pound out this "last" page... but in the long run, it will make the story smoother and it's conclusion more dramatic (I hope).

So... now it's 2 more pages again...

Crap.

Tri-Phase

2007-09-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

Quick update...
I'm in the final stretch now... the last page is under construction as I write this...

Sure... there are a few adjustments to make in previous pages and a frontspiece to worry about... but I am finally closing in on the last vital images of the story! What a relief...

I'll have prior page progress posted in the next day or so... but until then, enjoy this bit of madness...

This triptych is an assemblage of three 15 minute oil sketches I did of a nude lit in a sequence according to differing phases of the moon. This piece is to be featured in an upcoming volume of "Eye Candy from Strangers", a collection of sexy gal art to be put out by Brandstudio sometime in the near future (hopefully). I don't really know why they chose it in the first place... but regardless of how sexy I feel it to be... it made the cut... and I am grateful for it.

More soon...

"Hold on... just a bit longer..."

2007-09-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Work on the penultimate page is progressing at a fairly good click now that other "distractions" have been removed from the fore...
Sure,.. I'm unhappy about the way things worked out... but I suppose that it is for the best. No one wants to be anyone's "mistake", that's for sure...

I hope to post more panel progress soon...
I just need to more fully realize a few of the visual passages before I feel confident putting them up here for relatively public consumption. A couple of the images have turned out rather well and I'm anxious for some further feedback from those of you out there that still actually give a shit whether I finish this or not (even if it's only out of a sense of pity).
The pages are getting rather cramped as I try to fit it all in within the constraints of the format I've set for myself...

Who knows... maybe another page wouldn't kill me after all...

I am such an idiot....

"Consummatus"

2007-09-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

OK... here we go...
My question for the peanut gallery is this:

Does it bother anyone that you can't see a sliver of the girl's face through her hair as she presses herself into the chest of the Golem? Theoretically... the encompassing darkness of the giant's body would probably obscure her profile in the first place... but does the image of the embrace communicate clearly enough without showing the girl's likeness pressed to his chest?

I used the inset to make her desperate relief apparent to the reader... do I really have to make what's happening in the prior panel more clear for it to read visually?

I ask this question to you... o' unwashed masses of comic book geek-dom... (and any other various and sundry types of artistic folk that care to weigh in on this bit of worthless minutia...)
Don't let me down now...

In all seriousness though, this image marks the consummation of the relationship between the two main characters of the full story arc. Here we see the lynchpin moment that sets our true protagonist upon her fateful new path... and some brief insight into the true nature of the tale's title character.

The next page will be a doozy... I have to bring the story back full circle (I started the narrative at it's climax) and seal the deal in a satisfying fashion that has both good closure and implied continuity...

I am so boned...

"Exit main antagonist..."

2007-09-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

Progress again... nothing to write home about, but forward momentum nonetheless.
Tomorrow I will post a panel that I'm quite pleased with... but have some reservations about.
I suppose that I'll just pose the question to anyone interested in responding then...

Here's hoping that the next page turns out as well...
I'm deternimed to make these last two pages ones that I am proud of... regardless of how pressured and anxious I am about their execution....

"Hand-off"...

2007-09-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Just a bit more progress from the last page... I'll be putting up another image tomorrow as well to keep me motivated and actively updating this site. I've been far too lax in my posts lately... letting all the verbage build up dangerously inside me instead of purging myself of it's polluting influence through this helpful forum.
I always feel a bit better after venting a bit here after a tough few days or so....

Not much has changed in my tumultuous life... things are still unbearably complicated, and the lack of resolution in my private life has somewhat stymied my creative output. Still... I'm doing my best to keep a positive mindset about me so that I can continue plugging away at the story. I just need to get this project finished and out of my life before I can truly concentrate on the next stage before me...

2 more pages now in the story proper...
Only 2 more....

These are a few transitional panels before the big money panel below that illustrates the lynchpin moment when the two main characters effectively become one.

Just a little more to go now....

"Hmmm... that gun looks familiar..."

2007-08-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

Another progress post...

It's the last week of Summer Lifeguard duty, and I'm certainly going to miss the friends I've made at the pool...
Hopefully, I'll be able to maintain some contact through my weekly visits to the pool (if they don't close it for renovations) as a civilian swimmer once my tour ends.

I'm also looking forward to getting back to drawing again full-time to build my portfolio and keep the content current.
I hope to land some sort of university teaching gig in the near future to try and keep a consistant income coming in through the pipe... (put my Master's degree to work for me)

This whole freelance grind is getting a bit tiresome and I'd appreciate it a great deal if I could pick the jobs I want to accept more readily because I have some financial stability to back my choices.
Here's hoping that I can manage to land something sooner than later...
The classes at the Museum are now coming fewer and further between... not to mention the budget cuts... so a new strategy must be devised.

Wish me luck...

"A Bird in the Hand"... and a little fishy...

2007-08-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Just a short post today... I'm not exactly feeling my best.
A lot has been going on in my life lately, and while it certainly has provided a great deal of fuel for future imagery... it hasn't exactly made me very happy.

Let me just say that this whole ordeal has made me even more grateful for the few close friends I have to confide in... and it is quite comforting to know that although I haven't the swelling cadre of companions I once drew to my side at my beck and call, the loyal few I have managed to retain are of such sublime quality... that their number becomes meaningless.

For this I give thanks... you know who you are...

2 1/2 more pages to go in the story proper... recent distractions have hindered production a bit, but soon I'll have an entire month or two to get the thing drawn, colored, and lettered for delivery.

Here's hoping that in completion I can find some small measure of satisfaction.
I can hardly remember how excited I was when I first started this anymore... I suppose that I've just got to get back to that place again...

Oh... and "Little Fin's" name is Tomo...
Hard to believe, eh?
It's been a long time coming...

"A bough in the shade of your laurels..."

2007-07-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been an utter whirlwind for me...
From frantic last minute page renderings, to the maelstrom of convention-floor madness,... I've had my hands fairly full.

Things are just starting to settle down now, so I will now attempt to properly update this site with the appropriate content that was previously absent before my trip. This might take a bit of time with all the catch-up freelance crap I have to contend with... but I will endeavor to make the transition brief if I can.

In the meantime, here is a little 3 hour oil study I threw together before my trip to prove to myself that if I were ever again pushed into a corner by a demented Art Director,... I could still come up with a fairly representational figure painting on a crackpot deadline. Making the image file size small enough to read on the web totally killed the piece's luminosity and vibrancy as far as color goes... but the overall visual is still fairly represented...
What think you?

(For the mythologically challenged... it's a slight visual variation on the Greek legend of Daphne and Apollo...)

More to come soon...