100 views

I have 100 views on my blog. Not bad for not having officially announced its existence these past few months :)

So I drew 5 pages of my first short comic, in blue pencil. I'm reworking the staging of the fifth page, which I'll probably need new photo reference for, but I'm glad I figured out it needed changing before I wasted any more time on the wrong thing ... Actually I'm basically scrapping everything I had for the fifth page and will DEFINITELY need to reshoot photo reference. SIGH. I think I'll just start with a fresh piece of board instead of erasing this whole page.

My perspective skills are still as poor as I remember they were in school. I was hoping they would have improved with time, as my line sensitivity has improved since graduation. My instructors likened the process of absorbing lesson material to a snake digesting a rat. Or something. It's supposed to mean, don't think about it, just swallow everything we say now and you might understand what we mean later once it's all come out on the other side.

It was actually true in some cases. So make of that what you will.

Hit a snag

I have become obsessed with Roy Orbison and have been listening to him nonstop repeat (except while sleeping) for the past 3 days. Incidentally – and I hope these things are not related – I have not been able to produce any good work for the past 3 days also.

Today I experimented with a couple computer-drawing approaches that failed utterly. I was trying to be more direct about it, and most of all, I just wanted to save some goddamned time. Pencilling, inking, scanning ... wouldn't it be great to condense those 3 steps into 1 by just drawing it directly into some photoshop file?

Unfortunately, my pshop doodling working method is totally incompatible to the 2 short stories I wrote recently. But really, the bottom-line is: I'm just not good enough at tablet drawing to justify using it.

So I'm literally back to the drawing board. I'm behind on my personal schedule but I'm sucking it up. Wish me luck.

What I had for lunch today

Teehee

Still working on storyboards/layouts. Which for me, takes FOREVER.

Body sketch

Alright, here's the first attempt at drawing them without reference, and with body & head attached.
oh my god i need to get back to figure drawing UGGGGHHHHHHHkillmenow

Mo character sketches

Thus mo blatant ripping off of fan pics. I found the man quite tricky to draw (without the famous musk ox stripes in his hair, anyway). I'm not happy with any of these but the bottom right one. Doesn't look like him, but a striking resemblance is not what I'm after. Of all his chameleon-like incarnations, this specific look and feel is just right for the character I have in mind. Luckily it's also the least stiff of the bunch, so I hope that means it won't be too much of a drag to repeat.

And here's something from the first sketch page again. I was practicing with different inking pens. The left one took DONKEYS to dry ... won't be using that pen for this project, methinks (it's a brush pen I bought from Kinokuniya that I normally looove). The one on the right was inked with both a plain old Tombo and a Faber-Castell artist pen. I might stick with that combo until further notice. Yuck I need to practice more.

Character sketches

The first (but not the last) sketches!
Totally based off one of my favorite SGs. But hey, I do what I can to stay motivated.
Speaking of which. This is what I actually consider Being Naked On the Internet. ::shudder::

Food Yes, Cook No #1 available for sale now

Finally I'm putting it up for sale. It was put together in November for APE 2008, and since then I'd just been too busy/lazy to announce its availability otherwise. 

But suddenly I couldn't resist having the yellow "Buy Now" button on my blog, so here tis, with a coupla previews. No way can you read it from here, so you might as well get it.  

FYI: If you buy it from me in person, it's just the $4, cos we ain't gotta do no crazy ship charges. Plus, you know, I can lick it or something. Or I can just sign it like a normal person. Whatever you want.