Slappin' Some Color Down

I've got a coloring project running right now, too. It's kind of amazing, to me, that I get coloring work. When I was in art school, color was my big weakness. Of course, sitting next to the absurdly talented Sean Tiffany didn't help. The guy's got crazy color sense.

But, a bunch of artists I know online took me to the woodshed to teach me how to color. I was battered and bloody for a few months, but now I'm far more confident in my coloring skills right now. And, apparently I'm okay at it too, since I'm landing work as a colorist here and there.

Here's a little glimmer of the page I just finished. I won't post a larger link yet until I get an okay from the client. But this slice should be okay to share.

A Cloud of Dust

From out of relative nowhere came a job to draw a cover for a client down South. Since I'm showing part of the drawing before it prints, I'm not going to mention the name, not yet at least.

The important thing here is that, man, I hate drawing horses. I haven't figured out the anatomy. And, they're so graceful that any blip on a line looks completely wrong. So, in this cover where I have to draw a cowboy on a horse, I have to say I'm pretty proud of how this one came out. The art and style actually look a little better than I had in my head, so I'm happy with it so far.

It's on proof to La Clienta, so once she signs off on it, I'll finish it up and then link to it when the cover goes live.

Dogs and Cats Sleeping Together

I've got a little bit of time before I need to start this, but I did have to do the cover for the "coming attractions" at the end of Love and Capes #10. So enjoy your first look at the new issue.

The Fruits of Success!

Oh, yeah. It's time for the Mocha of Victory.

But, thanks to a moment of confusion and the exemplary customer service of the Starbucks Baristas, I got both the venti mocha that I ordered, and the grande mocha that they thought I'd ordered. Bonus coffee, or more accurately, bonus Mocha of Victory.

Heck, I deserve it. I brought the book in a week early on my internal deadline. Take that, Mr. Everybody Else's Blown Deadlines!

Guess what's finished?

Done, done, DONE!

I love doing Love and Capes. But I think love the feeling of being done even more. Technically, of course, I'm not done. I have to do the cover for issue #11, and all the ads and trade dress for the book. That shouldn't be terribly hard, and I've got time before that part has to be done anyway. For now, having the story part done and out of my head is a wonderful thing.

The story's 26 pages, as I've said lots of times before. I can only show you one panel from those last two pages, and I had to take away the dialogue in it. But, trust me, there are two whole pages in a done state right now.

The eleventh issue should be interesting, too. It'll certainly be lighter and less superhero-y than this issue.

Speaking of #11, some of you may have read how Diamond has decided to raise their minimum orders which is causing problems for smaller publishers. And yes, I'm a smaller publisher and, yes, it could cause problems for me. But I'm working on some things to make sure it's not a problem. I have top men on it. "Who?" you ask. Top men.

Mark Waid Has a Blog!

Mark Waid, who was nice enough to write the intro for Love and Capes: Do You Want to Know a Secret? now has a blog off of the Boom Studios site. Mark's a great guy, and Boom's doing some great stuff, so I recommend it. Heck, I've added it to my newsreader already. Go on over and welcome him to the internets.

New Items in the Love and Capes store!

By popular request, I've added some items to the Love and Capes store:

1. First, if you've already ordered or bought a copy of Love and Capes: Do You Want to Know a Secret? and just need a self-adhesive individualized bookplate. In the "special instructions" part, put the Love and Capes character you'd like drawn, and to whom you'd like it personalized to. And, if you're going to be at any of my upcoming shows (Next two are the New York Comicon and MegaCon in Florida) let me know, and I'll bring it with me.
2. The nine-pack of all current issues is now available for purchase at a special price.
3. Likewise, the advertised 8-pack (if you've bought one issue and need the rest) is also up. Just let me know what eight issues you need.

Thanks for all your support. It helps keep the book going.

Knock Knock Knockin' on the End of the Issue

Oh, fine, have some dialogue again. It won't spoil anything.

Normally, I'd be done. Love and Capes stories run 24 pages. But I couldn't rush this part of the story, hence the extra two pages. This part is coming together nicely, I think. Charlotte actually makes an art history joke at one point, which I think is so delightfully character driven, given that she's studying art history in Paris right now. I like it when the characters step up and take the reins of the funny.

Two pages left. I have a feeling once I start page 25, I won't stop until page 26 is done. Sleep? What's that?

Quiet Time

No more dialogue from here on out. In fact, I'm not even showing the version with dialogue balloons. This panel, from page 23, is from the raw art files. I'm pretty proud of this sequence. Lots of good acting. Even without any dialogue, you can feel what might be going on here.

Three pages left, and the last one should be pretty easy. It's a larger panel page. There's a more than even chance that I can get the book done this week, depending on client work and Council duties and other wackiness that may ensue. Every day's an adventure.

I'm getting that "Is this any good?" feeling about this. That's pretty common, especially in the last couple of pages of a story. You always doubt yourself, at least a little. I'm now of the feeling that this issue will either be the greatest issue ever or a spectacular fireball. I've described Love and Capes as a sitcom, and using that analogy, this is like the episode of Family Ties where Alex's friend dies and he spends the show in a psychiatrist's office. (It's called My Name is Alex, by the way.)

I think Michael J. Fox won an Emmy for that one, too.

The Countdown Continues

With four pages left, we're now at the point where dialogue will start disappearing from my preview panels. I don't want to spoil the ending.

This sequence is interesting. It's probably the most extended serious sequence in the series. It's also led to some really interesting discussions with the Secret Society of Super Reviewers. Maybe I'll reveal some of those after the book comes out.

Honestly, I just want to lock myself in a room and pump out the remaining pages. Honestly, I'll probably be done by the end of the week. I won't be able to stop myself, and the last pages seem to go a little faster since most of the backgrounds are already designed.

Back to work!