I used to hesitate about putting certain pieces of art into the world. I’ve put off comics projects because I didn’t want people to pigeonhole me. I didn’t want to do this genre or that, or this style or that, lest people thought I was a writer or artist of that one thing. I’ve hesitated to use color more often because my ego wants me to be known as a pen-and-ink, black-and-white guy. It’s all stupid. … Read More
AKA: Be Smarter I just completed a fairly small but substantial project. It was for a book illustration contest held by The House Of Illustration and The Folio Society, both in England, which I found out about at the beginning of October 2017. This year’s contest involved three different Sherlock Holmes stories. Entrants were to draw a single illustration for each story, plus design a book binding. The contest deadline was Wednesday, January 17, 2018. October … Read More
I’ve been thinking about a few tweets I read a couple days ago that politely detracted Inktober, and why I think Inktober is a good idea. Inktober 2014: I spent 31 days reacquainting myself with my pen nibs and getting back into the habit of drawing regularly again. Inktober 2015: I decided to do 31 finished, simple illustrations and use the best ones in my portfolio. This year, Inktober 2016: I decided to improve my familiarity … Read More
A good representational artist (one who illustrations something that represents something in real life, despite whatever style it is drawn in) is always looking to improve their craft, whether by improving their fundamentals, studying new techniques, exploring different mediums, etc. Figure drawing is a basic fundamental that illustrators are always trying to improve upon. We study proportion, structure of the form, and anatomy. But ultimately, drawing a live, human body posing right in front of us … Read More
On 2-26-2016, I took a last-minute trip to Yosemite National Park with a couple of friends. I took some pens, a sketchbook, and my iPhone. Yosemite. I had never been there before. And it was great. I love cliffs, and I love trees. The only thing missing was the ocean, cliff-side, but that’s okay: there were plenty of rivers, creeks, and waterfalls. I was sketching with my new Pentel Pocketbrush brushpen. It’s pretty nice, but it … Read More
This past Monday night (the 15th), I had a portfolio consultation with Penguin Books Art Director, Giuseppe Castellano, via his online school, The Illustration Department. I’ve learned there are other art education sites that offer similar consultations, such as Society Of Visual Storytelling (group setting) and Schoolism (one-on-one, limited spots). I went with Mr. Castellano for a few different reasons: 1) the consultation was very affordable; 2) it’s a one-on-one consultation, so it was going to … Read More
Know what I like about the Internet? Access. Having access to a ton of information may seem like such an obvious answer, but, as an artist, there’s one thing in particular that I very much enjoy: Access to other artists. And I’m not talking, necessarily, about Twitter and Facebook. Of course, those platforms are nice, too. Twitter and Facebook can be fun ways to waste time. And, yes, they’re a means interact with others, but they’re … Read More
I was commissioned during the 2015 Christmas season to do a portrait of someone’s former dance troupe leader and his partner. After sending me photos of the couple, one of the first things I said was, “Damn, those dudes are dapper!” So, I knew right away the piece had to look stylish. But I didn’t want it to look too slick, like some other portraits I’ve done. I wanted something loose, a little “artsy” (whatever that … Read More
Blade Of The Immortal is an extremely important comic to me. I finally got to watch the first couple episodes of the anime adaptation. It is not good. There are so many things wrong with it. The writing is bad. The music doesn’t fit. It’s trying to do too much and be too much while accomplishing little. The story of the original manga is there but the spirit and tone isn’t there at all.
The other day, Canadian artist and fellow Tumblr-ite Kimberly Parker posted some thoughts about artists comparing themselves to other artists and how to go about it positively and instead of being all doom-and-gloom about it (my words, not hers). It’s a quick read, so go ahead and read it. Without getting too personal, I, like so many others come with some emotional baggage. And I’m constantly battling them in order to get off my ass and … Read More
I’m issuing a challenge. To myself. It can be difficult for a busy person to draw everyday, but if one wants to get better, one should do it. I’m no exception. And there are many things I need to improve upon. Remembering standard architectural details of a building’s facade; a person’s posture during a certain mood; how a muscle flexes during a certain action. I could go on, but I won’t. I don’t need to divulge … Read More
This is a “warm-up” sketch I did on 1-13-2015: The goal was to limit the time spent doing the sketch. This time I chose to work on larger paper. My sketch from the previous day was done in a 5×7 sketchbook, which somehow made me want to work meticulously. It’s probably due to the page space being small enough to sketch fairly freely, but not so small that I was forced to go into “thumbnail mode”, … Read More
I have very rarely done warm-up sketches. I understand the value of warm-up sketches. I admit, when I was younger, I thought, “Why do I need to warm up my drawing muscles? Why can’t I just draw?” Of course it helps to loosen up the fingers, the hand, and the arm before doing any drawing that is meant to end up as a finished piece. But when you have a limited amount of time to spend … Read More
UPDATE: 01.02.2024 – This post is old. Since then, I have learned much, refined much, and also put all my desktop publishing skills to use at a commercial print shop where I learned and refined even more and became a prepress expert (although, there’s always more to learn). While the information in this post can still be used, I find its accuracy to be limited and outdated. I have also found some of the writing to … Read More
Defining Web Comics: Motion and Sound in Web Comics I posted part of this article on the Fanboy Radio Forum. Unfortunately, the original post no longer exists. This article has been added on to and edited for this site. EDIT: 6*9*2003: This post stands as is, regardless of whether or not I hold the same views today. *** 1. The introduction or changing of frames or panels is the only acceptable form of motion in web … Read More
A Response to Bryan Hitch and Wizard Missed the original letter, printed in Wizard Zero? Read it here This letter was NOT printed in any subsequent issue of Wizard. Too bad. At the time, I thought I crushed Bryan Hitch’s response. EDIT 6*9*2005: I’m not exactly sure when I wrote this, but seeing as how Wizard Zero was published in August 2003, I’m pretty sure I wrote it then… I will correct the date if I … Read More
Comics aren’t film… a letter to Wizard Printed in Wizard 0 This is a letter I wrote to Wizard on 5-20-2003. Why to Wizard? Despite their pushing of trends and their never-ending crusade to cater to the mainstream instead of to the art (is that a harsh thing to say?), Wizard is a widely read periodical by both industry pros and fanboys (and girls). This makes Wizard the perfect arena for getting a message across to … Read More
a letter to Scott McCloud Read the preface here This letter was written on 9-22-2002 after reading Scott McCloud’s online comic essay about, well, online comics. After re-reading it, I found some things I would’ve liked to have edited, but it’s too late for that now. The letter is presented in its original form, mistakes and all (with the exception of one comma, which I’m sure no one cares about). This letter is also presented in … Read More
