Just Like Superman II
After three weeks of conventions, meetings and a little bit of a vacation, I'm back. For some reason, the "Sorry I've been away so long. I won't let you down again" scene from Superman II is running through my head.
I've started to find that Twitter and Facebook are ideal for updates while I'm on the road. I don't get to spend a lot of time in the hotel or connected to my computer. Heck, I think last night may have been the first night I've gotten eight hours sleep in over a month. It's totally worth it, but it does take its toll, especially regarding my online presence.
I think this was on my mind during my travels, because I seem to have bought heavily in the coffee mug category. I came back with no less than five new mugs, which is five more than the last few trips.
I now have, going clockwise from the upper left corner, a mug from Pixar, a Disney coffee mug based on the artwork from their tasty and well-designed coffee products, a Javva the Hutt mug from Industrial Light and Magic, a "Have You Seen This Wizard" Sirius Black much from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and near as I can tell, the only product Disney makes that features their villains, including Jafar, Cruella DeVille, Captain Hook, Ursula, Scar, Malificent and the Wicked Queen from Snow White. Missing: Chernobog and the guy who took the villians out of the Villain Shop.
I've Hit the Big Time! USA Today and Pop Candy!
Hey! I wrote a guest blog for Whitney Matheson over at the USA Today blog. She was taking a well-deserved vacation, and asked for some guest bloggers. I threw my oversized hat into the ring and she, in a rare moment of poor judgment, said "okay". Click here to check it out. It's all about what it's like to be an exhibitor at a Comic-Convention, San Diego in particular.
I've been bad about posting panels, I know. It's been a crazy summer, and it's just getting crazier, in a good way. And soon I'll be heading to the aforementioned Comic-Con in San Diego and off doing the LA thing, and a side trip with some friends, for three weeks or so. I'll try to post, but expect a little slowdown to be sure.
This is an image from page six of Love and Capes: Ever After #2. Charlotte's got a bigger part in this issue, so we'll see more of her.
I like throwing little things in to amuse myself. Here, you might recognize some of the other patrons of the Café Mobius.
Here, Fishie Fishie
When I went to the Lake County Captains game with my father, I got some of these stuffed Racing Fish from the Cargo Hold shop. These fish are based on the Bobble Fish designs I did a couple of years back. I have to say, they look pretty darn cool.
In stores now: Love and Capes- Going to the Chapel!
The second Love and Capes trade is in stores now! I've gotten my copies and it looks pretty good. Issue #7 of the series was the last issue that I thought printed a little dark, and it's nice to see it printed the way that I meant it to be seen. And the word balloon glitch in issue #10 is fixed, too.
(Full disclosure, pages 120 and 121 are reversed in order. It's a little speed bump in an otherwise great book, and not all that confusing, really. And, if you all buy enough that we sell through, we can fix it on the reprint.)
I'm thrilled with the IDW people and their collected editions. And, coming soon, IDW will be publishing the new mini-series, Love and Capes: Ever After. I'm working on the second issue of that right now, in fact. Heck, have a panel of it.
I really dig that image. It's got just the right feel to it. I love the darker colors and the lighting. It's always a bit of a challenge to make Mark and Abby work in the same space because of their size difference. The poses are pushed just enough to. Mark's really putting his weight onhis right hand, and Abby's leaning back against him just enough.
Anyway, the second trade's in stores. Please buy it!
I'm running a little late, but I'll still be in Charlotte tonight for tomorrow's start of the awesome Heroes Con. I'll be at booth AA-642, so come by and buy, or don't be shy, just say "hi", hopefully it'll stay dry, we could get some food that you have to fry...
...okay, I'm stopping now.
My First Dr. Sketchy's
I finally went to my first Dr. Sketchy's event here in Cleveland. It was located nice and close at the Beachland Ballroom.
For those of you who aren't hip to the good Doctor, Dr. Sketchy is kind of an anti-art school live model drawing event. usually sprinkled with some music and adult beverages. I've wanted to go for a while, but this was the first one that didn't conflict with some other excitement.
It was a lot of fun. It's not all rigid and intense like some life drawing classes are. The people there are there to have fun as well as to draw. They had a contest where, on a ten minute pose, you got to work on the drawing for five minutes and then hand it to a buddy to finish. Then the assembled artists got to choose their favorite and the winner won some prizes. I'm proud to say that my finishes over my new friend Mark's drawings got us some wonderful grease pencils and much needed kneaded erasers. (Sadly, it's the one drawing I don't have from the night, as it was in Marks sketchbook, so he got to take it.)
The model was a Pittsburgh performer and jazz singer, Phat Man Dee. She's the subject of my sketches here. Obviously she's not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an art school model, but you have to draw people of all shapes and sizes, and everything's got its own set of drawing problems to be solved and lessons to be learned. She was no exception. She even sang for us, which was a treat.
It's interesting, too, the things you work on in life drawing. I was taken with the way her hand splayed on her hip in one pose, so I did a couple different studies of that. It's moments of focus like that which make these events so good for one's development as an artist. You can always get better, and this is how it happens.
I had a good time there, made a couple new acquaintenances, and who knows, maybe even lined up a new gig. They haven't announced the next Dr. Sketchy's event, but if I can, I'm going to be there.
And, as always, click to embiggen any of these sketches.
Gibbs-smacked!
Here, on page nineteen of the first IDW issue of Love and Capes, we get to see an old lady Gibbs-smack Paul LaCroix (Darkblade.). Yep, octegenearians beating up superheroes. Comedy gold!
Gibbs-smack, for those of you not in the know, refers to Mark Harmon's trademark whack-to-the-back-of-the-head move from NCIS. Usually Michael Weatherly's character gets the brunt of them. It's one of the endearing little touches to NCIS.
At since I've brought it up, I find NCIS and Donald Bellasario shows pretty interesting. He's worked on some popular ones Quantum Leap, Magnum PI, JAG, and even on the one-season wonder Tales of the Gold Monkey. I'm pretty sure he worked with Stephen J. Cannell, who's another favorite of mine, and it's interesting how he writes television shows. Most of them start off kind of rocky in the first season. I certainly didn't care for the first season of NCIS, I just watched because Mark Harmon is so likeable and because a friend of mine was watching it, too, but in the second season, things really pulled together. I think he figures out how to write for the actors he's hired after that first season.
He also seems to lose a character in the first season (Kate from NCIS, Harm's first partner on JAG, Dom from NCIS: Los Angeles) as well as introduce a minor character who goes to regular status after the first year (Tim on NCIS, Bud on JAG). And it can't be underestimated how he finds some really good actors to carry a show. Mark Harmon's my favorite, and if I ever grow up and can't be William Shatner, Mark Harmon's a good second. He's good in almost everything. I dug Reasonable Doubts, which I'm pretty sure I was one of the ten people who watched it, and his turn on West Wing as Agent Donovan was just brilliant. His target shooting scene still sticks in my head as both engaging acting and sparkling Aaron Sorkin dialogue. "I can fire a gun without falling down, if that's what you mean." I'd cast him as Jesse Colt in Raider, if that ever became a movie.
But David James Elliot really carried JAG, and I think Chris O'Donnell's built for TV. He's one of that class of actors that I just like everytime he's on screen.
NCIS certainly isn't the greatest show ever, and NCIS: Los Angeles is still in its growing pains season. But they're consistently good and there's a lot to be said about solid bat in your lineup.
Yesterday was my Birthday
I posted this on Facebook, but it bears reposting here: Thank you one and all for the kind birthday wishes. I had a wonderful day… weekend, actually. Got to spend time with my friends and family, had some cake and other good food, saw some movies, and celebrated another year of being fortunate enough to wake up every day and draw silly things and tell stories…plus I had the top down every day. Here's to making next year even better with all of you along for the ride.
And, because I had a really good day and felt happy, I thought I'd share this, which also makes me feel happy:
The Opposite of Mass Confusion
It's no secret I love my iPhone, but there's an application I've been begging for someone to create, and then someone did. I've wanted a Catholic Mass Finder. And turns out there is one, the Catholic Mass Times Church Directory.
And it works well. I was staying in Burbank for Free Comic Book Day. I'm not normally in LA over a Sunday, so I don't know where the local churches are, let alone when they have Mass. But this app found where I was, where the closest church was (St. Charles Borromeo, in this case) and when Masses were. So I was able to fulfill my Sunday obligations pretty easily. Win!
The Church was even having a bake sale that morning, so I was able to bring dessert to my previously-mentioned lunch at the Baileys. Double-win!