Over the course of the last couple weeks I've sat-down with the task of doing a series of flats in Photoshop. Spirited by the fact that I have a wealth of backlogged work that needs a dash of colour here and there, I've been motivated to lay-down flats and actually flesh out my work more. The tools are all there -why not take advantage? The actual mechanics aren't important in the flatting process though theres always a long and short path to set forth on when you open a new PSD file. Tired and true-blu the method of hacking away at it matters little - only that you get it done. I often get sloppy with my colour-flatting so I've adapted my free-wheeling methods and been trying to fine-tune the technique. I'll find myself getting the lulz when discovering a new way of doing something (e.g. color-holds) and it dawns on me how simple it is; like a balloon, and... something bad happens! At any-rate, the flatting process can become pretty tedious after awhile since all you're basically doing is laying in base-coats of paint to rework later as needed. It gets frustrating (least for me) after flatting for hours and it doesn't seem like you've accomplished much, then once you start to render out the colours you'll quickly realize how important the flats are and how much simpler they make things. I've also found flats to be an excellent base from which to work with zip-tones. It's all worth-it when a piece is deemed "DONE" and you can move onto the next one with yet another finished project in the books and some new skills / knowledge in the arsenal. Back in high school we studied colour-theory, though I can't recall very much of what I learned then, it's been enjoyable revisiting it all. Colorimetry and all it's trappings fascinate and terrify me equally at the same time - when you see what a splash/dash of pigment can do for the perceptions, tickles the retina and brings life to the image. Studying the works of true masters like Dave Stewart and Tom Luth, trying to grasp how they understand color(s) and form. Working with different textures and tones is also within the reach of even the most pedestrian artist when in the digital realm. Before I think the root of my frustrations with colour came from physical limitations - having a particular Prisma Marker dry-up at the most crucial time or having the paper soak-in more than you'd like.. Blahh, don't have that to worry about now.
Even around the studio death and danger lurk so beware. Sitting in one spot long enough and I start feeling my body knotting-up; developed and dealt with exceptional back-pain awhile ago, hand cramps and twitches become routine, eye-strain as well is pretty unavoidable after an extended time glued to a retina display. About the only things you don't have to worry about while working digitally (as opposed to analog) are paper-cuts and lead poisoning. Earlier in the year when I made the decision to work (almost) exclusively digital -I started to develop bad back pain from all the time spent sitting. Piss-poor posture combined with an old worn-out office chair spelled "lumbar-dic doom" and really had me on the ropes for awhile. Investing in a solid office chair, working on my posture and yoga-fire were/are things I've had to adopt in-order to fight-off the effects of back pain. For my digits I looked to the interweb for answers, I came across a good series of stretches for my hands wrists and shoulders [link] which have helped combat stress and fatigue - hand cramps are the worst. Musicians and potters I believe could even benefit from some Ergocise. Just getting up-out and about daily does wonders.. the occasional C-Walk up the street at the park or tear-assing around the local ice-rink become a weekly necessity.
Recently I was approached by an old friend to help assemble graphics and layouts for reproductions of old NES games. Being a product of the 80's myself I felt it was a good fit and quickly jumped at the chance to test my digital-chops. An added incentive was the fact that one of the initial projects I'd be working on involved designing a box and label for Rockman: Exile. Essentially what you've got with this game is Megaman 2 on PCP. It's a ROM-hack made by fans where they've changed the entire game around from the colour palettes down to the individual enemies you face throughout the modified levels. It's an insanely difficult game for even the most seasoned side-scrolling player. It's not the only one, Megaman Ultra is another hack with some really bizarre variations within. While before I wade my way into this project I had heard of a few such hacks but it wasn't until I really started researching the phenomenon that I came to see just how creative some of these rouge-developers actually are. Much of the creative fervor comes from love of the game(s)- love of the culture along with-it and that's something I can get behind. It's sort of along the lines of a tribute and/or cover band, right? It's also a way to contribute to the same culture I grew-up with which is always appealing -nostalgia takes one back, yeh? I've had a blast working to 8-bit crunched goodness in the form of classic videogame soundtracks and of course going back and playing emulated NES games on my desktop. Of course, ones' got-to know when to unplug and stay on task - ADHD be damned.
"Sweet Home" artwork CMYK
Fan-hacks aside, there also exists a market for games that were released in other countries but not here in the states. "Sweet Home" is just such a game - it was released in Japan for the Famicom but was never ported out to other regions. It involves a good deal of work breaking open old Nintendo cartridges, reworking the chips and boards inside them and recreating a game that someone can enjoy on this side of the world. My part in this endeavor is simply to recreate the graphics for the recreated labels and boxes - the attention to deal means everything. I've found myself learning a great deal from this project in terms of using several applications I'd never even bother messing with. Endgame dictates I'll arrive at the final destination with something to show, some knowledge possessed and/or aspirations attained. All the hours put in have a good effect when I see improvement in other areas of my development while working digitally. Every so often I'll work in vector-zulu mode bringing stroked-paths and neatly packed type to bare. So it stands, we've been plying the trade and "tilling the soil" + having a bit of fun while we're at it. I now have working copies of the games I've created labels for and they're shway! It's been really gratifying seeing the finished product rolling out of the deeps of the darkness- positive energy activates, constant elevation.
More downtime inevitably leads to more wheel-spinning. What's one to do when ol' man time appears to have turned his back and you're left to your own devices in the meanwhile. Well it ain't news - his back is never truly turned, father times' slow grind through the ages and we're but the span of seconds in the grand-scheme of things, yeh? I've been adopting a more rigid work schedule when it comes to creative expression, at least I've been trying to maintain it. When I arise from my waking-grave in the mornings I give Mr. Coffee the go-ahead to ignite and while I wait for the grind to transmute into java I'll usually spin around in circles just to get the blood rushing in all directions (south from the north pole). Sometimes when my vision is skewed and it's all in a whirl I'll have a moment of clarity, spinning after-all is a natural hallucinogen. Even on days when I work my day-job I try to put in two-hours before leaving for work, sketching usually for those first couple hours in the morning. I find that when falling into a (healthy) routine it's fun to see how long you can keep it going, like seeing "how many envelops you can lick in an hour - then break that record"[link] ..can't lie - over the years I've become an adept procrastinator. In recent times I've tried to manage my time more effectively and strive to make at least one solid move in my chosen direction. True enough -not having a concrete project to work on is detrimental; perhaps it's easier when you have a clear-cut goal and/or finish-line to cross.. or so it's been said.
Due to the bullshit that is the 2012 NHL lockout- I haven't had hockey to follow and distract me. Oh sure, the AHL isn't shutdown so I've been enjoying Charlotte Checkers games via interweb radio which is nice but I miss having Chuck Kaiton's call blaring out from across the room while I draw. I suppose having less hockey is a good thing in regards to staying on task and accomplishing something in the now. I prefer to listen to games rather than watch them while I'm work on stuff - can't concentrate when I have the visuals cause my eye will just want to follow the play instead of staying down on the paper. This lockout is truly depressing for Caniacs out there, this was the season where Karmanos and the new investors behind the team opened up the checkbook and gave Jim Rutherford the go-ahead to acquire some new pieces. Amongst Hurricanes fans the buzz was awesome, we haven't had an off-season like that in a while and the teams roster has major firepower now - line combos that would yield at least 3 SOLID scoring lines. This lockout came at a horrible time cause it feels like it knocked the wind out the the sails, least-ways when you see the amount of distress and anger some fans have exhibited and the reactions some of the players have displayed. All I've gotta say, "Thank the maker for Marek VS. Wyshynski" who's podcast has been the beacon of light in the storm of bullshit that is the 2012 lockout.
===Two Line Pass===
Word on the street is Aberrant Press and Gett Comics is going to have a table @ the December First Friday. I say bundle-up (straight jackets by North Face) cause hell must be freezing over. Years back I swore off having anything to do with the whole 1st Friday event downtown. Back in the day it was a totally different matter when the BlankCanvas collective was holding it down round the Box Office and Bunkhouse. Remembering back in '09 I was down there and had my car broken into- said the day I'd return to 1st Friday would be the day pigs fly. Since I'll be down there rolling hot on the 7's I'll report back if I see any swine in the sky. We've been working on getting a line of t-shirts going now that we have the equipment and the motivation. I've been working on several designs but I can tell I'm pressing and over thinking it. I've gotten a plethora of great tips/tricks from this great web article.
While @ the VVCBF wandering up from artist alley into the upper halls I stopped by the Critical Care Comics table. What caught my attention was the fact that they were giving away FREE Steve Rude comics - how could anyone pass that up? Checking out their site and from what I gathered at the table they essentially collect old back issues that get donated too them and they put those same comics in the hands of kids in hospitals. Pretty cool idea, right? Some comics aren't even worth the paper they are printed on and this is a good way to unload all those books you don't read anymore or have collected in an omnibus and the like. Now I know what you're thinking... "Whoa, great I can finally dump all my old 90's Extreme Studios books!" ..NOT SO FAST, if you were a sick child recovering in a hospital the last thing you'd want is a copy of Youngblood #0 sitting in the same room as you -would smell of grave-mold, rot and broken dreams- though I suppose even that book can inspire (artistic) hope in some. I thought it was a really cool charity/donation and fully intend on gutting my comic boxes and cleaning out the clutter. I remember back through the fog of time I once donated a ton of toys to a charity like this. Though they were old toys I remember as a kid that with just my imagination I could make even pinecones and twigs come to life -old toys can be just as good if not better (least-ways better made) than new toys. One thing I've continued to indulge in over the years; when I do have a sick day and I'm just laid-up in bed I usually haul out all my old Legos and just start building things. I can totally see how comics and toys can help pass time while in recovery +1
Dan (LEFT) and Jay (RIGHT) sketching and socializing.
Well, log another good year in the books for the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival. The library hosts this event as well as organizes it under a larger umbrella across the city. Each year this little local event has built-up steam and we were prepared for this one to be just as good if not better than last years' (which was awesome) and sure-thing, this past Saturday was a blast! The attendance was great and only picked-up as the day wore on, the weather was perfect, though it did get a bit warm outside once the blazing ball of fire was directly overhead. Each year it seems they tweek the event little by little; the basic layout seems to stay the same but this year they moved the artists alley section across the way from where it was the previous year. This switch was great cause the conference room it was set in had great natural light and plenty of headroom. I personally thought the space was a bit cramped behind the table but when you consider it's 3 (three) of us in one spot + all our product and decor... congested, yeh? All-in-all our set-up was good and table placement wasn't too shabby. Thanks to a vicious promotional social-media campaign most people were able to find us without any difficulty.
Gett Comics in association w/ Aberrant Press brought the promotional heat with a free mini comic; "Jasper & Star" written and illustrated by Dan Blodgett. The mini comic was given out to all the VIP attendants and passed out free to everyone who walked by the booth. I heard from a lot of people that they thought it was "cute" and "clever" and I kid you not, in one instance it elicited a "screech of enjoyment" from a six year old I saw flipping through it infront of our table. Fun little book and a great way to get comics in the hands of people. The festival is after-all held at a public library, it's a free event and I think there's a good number of people who just stumble into it from off the street. Passing out free books at a public place like that is a good promotional tool. One would have to figure that it being a local festival that home grown talent would rule the day; true enough the Vegas scene was well represented with a lot of familiar faces and the usual suspects. Great seeing the ACC set in full-effect and it's always good seeing familiar faces stopping by the table. Nice seeing how something like the shared love of comics and all-things geeky can bring so many people together, fun seeing how it moves and inspires them. Credit is due to those who organize the whole thing - bravo and thanks for having us each year! Also I think our tax dollars might have contributed something to the effort.
I regret not spending much time at the table this go-round. Between the space given and all the stuff crammed in and around it I felt kinda cramped there. I did manage to spend a little time sketching at the table when there was an open chair. I think from now on I'll take a small folding stool to perch-up on, cause table presence is a terrible thing to waste. My two cohorts ended up doing really well on doing sketches [DEADPOOL-!!] alone and that's something I wish I'd have been able to partake in a bit more. I recently picked-up some little sketch cards that I can do little pieces on and they even come with their own individual plastic sleeves - they looked clever so I've been working analog on them here and there. In the last few years the whole sketch card thing's gotten pretty big. You see it at conventions and even online you can find people doing them and selling on eBay. The other day at work I managed to crank-out 3 that I was happy with but ended up leaving them at work so I didn't have as many for the festival as I would've liked. Sad to say that with all the build-up and lead-time I wasn't able to deliver the works I've been laboring over for the last month. Chalking it up to random events and collateral damage - couldn't be more simple, yeh? Still there should be no excuses.. "get it done, do the work." You hear it all the time but for me it was reading an interview with Guy Davis where he said; "When you're missing your deadlines, you're just hurting yourself- well, yourself and your publisher." Training our eyes on the future now - there's other conventions coming up that we plan on attending. There's many like Emerald City Con and SPX I've dreamed of hitting up.. "have pencil will travel" artistic adventures across the globe, powered by creation, others seem to do it.. why not throw my lot in? Arizona is right next door and for some reason we've never made it down there for a convention. Denver Comicon was pretty successful from all I heard and it's been a while since I've gone sky-high with my feet still on the ground. Even Idaho has a comic convention... strange. Well, at any-rate I look forward to hitting more festivals and cons in the future. There's nothing wrong with being the man behind the OZ-like curtain making the magic happen; just experiencing all the energy and enjoyment a convention or gathering can offer is pretty heady - for me it always gets me motivated and makes all electric. One thing I always enjoy is going out at night after a convention in a city like San Diego (gaslamp) and soaking in that atmosphere. Remember this past Comicon we hung-out in a big group at a sports bar downtown while the table next to us a group was recording a podcast and having a grand ol' tyme. At the time I thought it was pure hubris but looking back it was passion infused spontaneity - talk about infectious, one of our friends even jumped into the podcast recording. Guess bottom_line is obviously I need to get out more.
