tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21695145941621505712024-03-13T04:41:54.799-04:00Eric Sailer IllustrationA Look Inside the IllustrationsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-30747915741311916562021-03-26T13:24:00.003-04:002021-03-26T13:24:44.866-04:00Artie and Merlo: The Graphic Novel<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ofLeYbGT05c/YF4TamXa_OI/AAAAAAAACUA/B0yxPd2_3p8eBoFsyQ0wutUu2V6nkODWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/playingSoccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1000" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ofLeYbGT05c/YF4TamXa_OI/AAAAAAAACUA/B0yxPd2_3p8eBoFsyQ0wutUu2V6nkODWwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h256/playingSoccer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Finally, after over a year since my last post, I am breaking my silence. (Has anything important happened since 2019????) It's been quite a journey, but I am putting out my graphic novel, <i>Artie and Merlo</i>, out to the wider world this year beginning <b>April 1st</b>. <p></p><p>All in all, the germination of the idea for the story took place about 4 years. It took about one year on pencils and then a year on ink and coloring. In all honesty, The majority of the time spent was writing, editing, drawing, revising, loving it, loathing it, getting critiques, losing all confidence, regaining all confidence, reediting, then rinse-and-repeat. Even then, if I consider how long that I've drawn and written about these two characters, the idea for Artie and Merlo, the idea of a kid being helped out by a wizard friend, goes back even further to 2010! (You can see many of these earlier iterations in this very blog.)<br /></p><p>I guess that what I am trying to say is how amazing it is that through the twists and turns of life, the ideas and characters morphed. They changed. They grew. Now, they fully culminate into what amounts to 174 pages. It seems miniscule, but I think this goes to show that it is okay for ideas and characters to organically develop over time. Some works of art can take years to develop, rather than knocking out of the park in one shot.</p><p>I'm very excited to share <i>Artie and Merlo</i> to the world and I hope for more stories to come! If you're interested, you can follow the latest pages of <i>Artie and Merlo </i>on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/eric.s.sailer/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> or read the whole story on my new blogspot: <a href="https://artieandmerlo.blogspot.com/">https://artieandmerlo.blogspot.com/</a>.</p><p>MEWWWWWW! Off to fun times!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PicXEk2vOng/YF4Ys7kCZ5I/AAAAAAAACUI/xc4v0DpCeUozUD9Q2sbg92bV2w595RI7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/bakingClass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="1000" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PicXEk2vOng/YF4Ys7kCZ5I/AAAAAAAACUI/xc4v0DpCeUozUD9Q2sbg92bV2w595RI7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h280/bakingClass.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-26428435440352374762019-12-13T17:55:00.004-05:002019-12-13T17:55:36.630-05:00A Year at the Drawing Desk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A work-in-progress of page 50 (or page 52… I've lost track)</td></tr>
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Hello everyone! It's been close to a year since I last posted or shared my illustration work of any kind. Even in this post is only a work-in-progress right now. So why is this? What is going on? Why have I not been sharing my illustration work for this past year? Have I stopped creating new artwork, picture books, or mailers?<br />
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The answer is a definite NOOOOOOO! I have been constantly creating artwork this past year. Specifically, I have been creating the artwork for what I hope one day to be a published graphic novel, <i>Artie and Merlo</i>. As mentioned in my last post (from last year!), I finished writing and sketching this story for what will amount to be about 160 pages intended for a young middle-grade or all-age audience. Since that post, I started doing the artwork including inking and coloring each page. While I have been creating the artwork, I've also been sharing <i>Artie and Merlo</i> with specific editors and agents in the hopes of finding a publisher. While I have not found a champion yet to help with sharing my story, I fully believe in this story and these characters, and it is something that I truly want to share with everyone! I just love it that much.<br />
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Having said that, the task of creating a graphic novel is no joke. Aside from the writing and sketching, the final artwork is very labor intensive. Traditionally, in the comics world, the tasks of penciling, inking, lettering, and coloring are handled by separate artists because each task takes a long time. For me, I love doing all these tasks myself, but that means that it takes a while to make the artwork. On average, I'm capable of producing only two pages a week (inlcuding the penciling, inking, coloring, etc.). Ideally, if 2 pages were produced consistently, it'd take about 80 weeks to finish the work (or a year and a half let's say). However, I must also live life and in-between work, reworking artwork based on critiques, learning from mistakes, and living life to the fullest, I do not see myself finishing my graphic novel until the end of next year.<br />
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With this in mind, I thought it best to focus solely on my artwork this past year and block out social media and working on other story ideas that I have shelved. While I admire people who are very prolific in sharing their artwork on social media in real time, I feel that sticking to a strict schedule of any sort is an added pressure that I don't think would be beneficial to the work. I want my work to be as beautiful and wonderful as possible before it's ready to share with the world.<br />
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In short, as I continue chipping away at the marble for what I hope to be the first of many <i>Artie and Merlo</i> stories, I will remain on hiatus from social media and sharing artwork. When I am finished however, I will be very excited to share with everyone the story of <i>Artie and Merlo</i> and have that come out in any way possible! I hope that it'll be a fun story filled with heart, cheer, and overcoming personal failures through friendship that everyone can enjoy.<br />
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Until then, season's greetings! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-39554491342094966362018-12-28T16:16:00.002-05:002018-12-28T16:16:45.549-05:00End of the Year Wrap Up<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IqvS-x7BOCc/XCaSi2PGiFI/AAAAAAAAB1w/OlFRzZjIaG8RVkBxRJsKvPJKhCjsOf5QACLcBGAs/s1600/benAndRhino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IqvS-x7BOCc/XCaSi2PGiFI/AAAAAAAAB1w/OlFRzZjIaG8RVkBxRJsKvPJKhCjsOf5QACLcBGAs/s200/benAndRhino.jpg" width="66" /></a>Whelp! It's been a productive and eventful year, but there are many new exciting opportunities on the horizon in 2019. I look forward to a couple school visits that will be happening in the near future reading <i>King Ben and Sir Rhino</i>. Additionally, I'm still hard at word on <i>Artie and Merlo</i>. As of now, I've finished all the writing and sketches (158 pages worth, <i>*phew!*</i>)! Besides a couple edits and changes, I'll start plowing into final art work shortly! I hope to in the near future share some of my favorite pages before they're inked and colored.<br />
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In the meantime, Happy New Year and stay coooooool.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-21753712317676193952018-08-07T10:11:00.002-04:002018-08-07T10:11:40.940-04:00King Ben and Sir Rhino is on sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-14b04Jy2Wvc/W2mn77AYuDI/AAAAAAAABzo/fG2IBCoOrsAMNnWu2oST5R32dDvZVMssACLcBGAs/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="1500" height="319" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-14b04Jy2Wvc/W2mn77AYuDI/AAAAAAAABzo/fG2IBCoOrsAMNnWu2oST5R32dDvZVMssACLcBGAs/s320/cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Today is the day! My very first picture book, <i>King Ben and Sir Rhino</i>, is officially out on bookshelves and on sale! I feel dumbstruck and amazed and a whole bunch of emotions and feelings. To finally see it out in the world and be able to share with readers is amazing. Below are a few sample pages:<br />
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I want to be able to share the whole thing! You can find it though at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/King-Ben-Rhino-Eric-Sailer/dp/1503939847/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533650201&sr=8-1&keywords=king+ben+and+sir+rhino" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/king-ben-and-sir-rhino-eric-sailer/1127794784?ean=9781503939844&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_New+Core+Shopping+Top+Margin+EANs_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP213156&gclid=CjwKCAjwhqXbBRAREiwAucoo-9_-IDV0n0kzbAt2dR3CYiRCJqo94iFEUMljR-zU_yFpgzgbdGitFRoCftoQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Barnes & Nobles</a>, and <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781503939844" target="_blank">Indiebound</a>. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-60021044777187320802018-01-10T15:17:00.002-05:002018-01-10T15:17:58.546-05:00New Year and Comics!Hello everyone! It's been one year to this day since the last post. I didn't plan on this, just mere coincidence. Anyhow… 2018 is shaping up to be a great year. My very first book, <i>King Ben and Sir Rhino</i> will be coming out in August! I'm in the final stages now with Amazon Two Lions in going over the proofs. Additionally, I'm working on interior illustrations for a YA novel which may wrap up in a couple months. So it's exciting times! <br />
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Lastly, I set out a goal to entirely pencil my very own graphic novel! Since my earlier years, I've always wanted to draw comics, and only now I think that the time has come to realize that goal.<br />
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About 12-13 months ago, I came up with the current iteration of <i>Artie and Merlo</i>, a couple characters that I've been drawing for a long while now. I remember those specific moments when I was rattling my brain for the concept of the characters and their story. It was like a large jigsaw puzzle came into focus in mere seconds. When the idea came, so came the story and I started writing. Needless to say, with much help, the story went through continuous iterations until it came to where I'm extremely proud of it.<br />
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Now comes the fun part of drawing it! So for the goal that I started back in mid December, I hope to completely pencil the graphic novel by the end of May/beginning of June. Having paged everything out, I think it's going to be around 155 pages. Which is CRAZY! I've never tackled so large a project for myself, but I'm super excited for the goal.<br />
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In addition to this goal, I plan on using my nascent <a href="https://www.instagram.com/eric_sailer/" target="_blank">Instagram account</a> to show my progress of <i>Artie and Merlo</i> by posting each finished page as I continue. I kinda failed the first 31 pages I've done so far and didn't get around to posting any of them until today! However, now that I'm all caught up, I hope to share this work in progress as it comes to fruition!<br />
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Lastly, some sample <i>Artie and Merlo</i> pages!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-22777898921500213232017-01-10T23:48:00.003-05:002017-01-10T23:48:30.266-05:00Robot Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qXLCD8LU_Ik/WHW5DyezQoI/AAAAAAAABog/Qvh5zPraKe8lSYIoDCzMATtLe033PQs3wCLcB/s1600/robotDinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="369" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qXLCD8LU_Ik/WHW5DyezQoI/AAAAAAAABog/Qvh5zPraKe8lSYIoDCzMATtLe033PQs3wCLcB/s640/robotDinner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-32802611009688413262017-01-03T09:37:00.001-05:002017-01-03T09:37:39.187-05:00The Distant Future. The year 2000.Happy New Years everyone. What better way to kick it off than with robots (and Flight of the Concords).<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hzdwl12ENCM/WGu2q469Z7I/AAAAAAAABoQ/BWQaCSGtue8sSoRPcZuRDQFmDUhA1iGewCLcB/s1600/robotXmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hzdwl12ENCM/WGu2q469Z7I/AAAAAAAABoQ/BWQaCSGtue8sSoRPcZuRDQFmDUhA1iGewCLcB/s640/robotXmas.jpg" width="484" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eg5JvRjiGOY/WGu2q6EqIEI/AAAAAAAABoM/mUYd_nWrULsG6yUn2NCpBlo37_C6WqnHQCLcB/s1600/tubular.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eg5JvRjiGOY/WGu2q6EqIEI/AAAAAAAABoM/mUYd_nWrULsG6yUn2NCpBlo37_C6WqnHQCLcB/s640/tubular.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-19990120758391389312016-10-18T22:16:00.001-04:002016-10-18T22:16:10.885-04:00Opaque watercolors, caseins, and safaris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t4eNgPgB11o/WAbTaWt4HvI/AAAAAAAABnA/XReZ8GaBFdEYi9OJ5pc_7ln-r2djk_OBwCLcB/s1600/koalaHut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t4eNgPgB11o/WAbTaWt4HvI/AAAAAAAABnA/XReZ8GaBFdEYi9OJ5pc_7ln-r2djk_OBwCLcB/s640/koalaHut.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wanting more strong, bold color in my watercolor work (colors that don't require layering and layering to build that color), I'm exploring using opaque paints more now. A couple years ago, I think I mentioned that I avoided the opaque watercolors colors with the large particle size (to get the sort of transparent colors I wanted). Well, it looks now that I'm swinging back the other way towards opaque paints again! Colors like Cerulean Blue and French Ultramarine make GREAT opaque colors. So either with little water or the addition of a filler pigment like titanium white, there's now a new way to get opaque, matte colors that wasn't achievable before.<br />
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But even building that matte colors can lead to fun results. The koala hut image also employs not just watercolors, but some casein paint as well, a new fun medium. Then lastly, some safari sunsets. Some great colors to consider moving forward with my work.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-30027199673047601962016-10-13T11:23:00.001-04:002016-10-13T11:23:14.803-04:00Bedtime storyAs I drew this, I wondered why do robots have tongues?<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b6ePqMJ5liU/V_-m0ZcD4OI/AAAAAAAABmo/Rf-seEHMDkAOmfEtLqeinsNSv840xkgFgCLcB/s1600/bedtime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b6ePqMJ5liU/V_-m0ZcD4OI/AAAAAAAABmo/Rf-seEHMDkAOmfEtLqeinsNSv840xkgFgCLcB/s640/bedtime.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-39561129904409189422016-10-05T08:52:00.001-04:002016-10-05T08:52:07.883-04:00Inking (Inktober)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vTsKzAI6E6Y/V_T1CFoqtmI/AAAAAAAABmY/FAHzthKS738mE7K1WRnvjhCczZz7P2UcwCLcB/s1600/emmarobot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vTsKzAI6E6Y/V_T1CFoqtmI/AAAAAAAABmY/FAHzthKS738mE7K1WRnvjhCczZz7P2UcwCLcB/s640/emmarobot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
A lot of people are participating in Inktober, that magical month of vampires, monsters, ghosts, and inking. I've haven't done it myself, and probably should at some point. But I thought that I'd share my inking at least for one day.<br />
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The drawing above is done with the Winsor Newton Series 7 brush size 1. Fancy, I know, but this brush is probably the most exciting aspect of making art for me. I absolutely love drawing with a brush. The amount of energy and variation that can be captured with the one tool surpasses all others. What is particularly great about the series 7 brushes is that amazing point that they make. That point enables me to get from the thick lines to razor thin lines. Even with the brush, I can get thinner lines than a crow quill pen. This brush makes my day.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-15105870068112558182016-09-29T16:51:00.004-04:002016-09-29T16:51:48.234-04:00Afterword<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9q0joeAtz0I/V-1zTY23mdI/AAAAAAAABmE/gy4P_6c095s6aKUEUbmw7f_grS6FqOC9gCLcB/s1600/sample01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9q0joeAtz0I/V-1zTY23mdI/AAAAAAAABmE/gy4P_6c095s6aKUEUbmw7f_grS6FqOC9gCLcB/s640/sample01.jpg" width="532" /></a></div>
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Normally the posts are in the same section as the artwork, but since the last post was a complete story in itself, here is an afterword. This story was a personal project, for no one in particular other than me drawing it. The idea grew from personal experience as well. Missing out or not being included as part of the group has been a common occurrence since childhood.<br />
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From this kernel grew what came to be an unexpected party for Artie thrown by Merlo the wizard. Since conception, the self-imposed limitation of making it 8 pages proved challenging, since the first draft of the story ballooned to 8 pages of writing in itself. However, it helped cut as much fat as possible to the story giving it a very brisk pace. The story was not intended to be riff of the beginning of <i>The Hobbit</i>, but when it took shape, I was curious to see how a bunch of dwarves would interact with a shy kid and a carefree wizard.<br />
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In the end, I found that even dwarves can be as exclusive as a bunch of kids. At least kids won't throw down their axes wherever they find convenient (at least I hope not!). <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNe-iZbt8GU/V-1zTSGhL7I/AAAAAAAABmA/RESP36Egkhsij4p24HXFVskQPe29IN_1wCLcB/s1600/sample02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNe-iZbt8GU/V-1zTSGhL7I/AAAAAAAABmA/RESP36Egkhsij4p24HXFVskQPe29IN_1wCLcB/s640/sample02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-33991276510383057872016-09-29T12:09:00.001-04:002016-09-29T12:09:24.489-04:00Artie, The Master Party Pooper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1P8SciRMng/V-08CndvFsI/AAAAAAAABlQ/ZzOwcM_ECrILegGFrw4x62j_sou03fQVQCLcB/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1P8SciRMng/V-08CndvFsI/AAAAAAAABlQ/ZzOwcM_ECrILegGFrw4x62j_sou03fQVQCLcB/s640/01.jpg" width="491" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-2893098020790412432016-07-28T10:32:00.002-04:002016-07-28T10:32:30.714-04:00Tribute to Richard Thompson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday, Richard Thompson of Cul de Sac fame passed away at the age of 58. </div>
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Richard Thompson's work was very influential to me. First there was the artwork. His drawing skills are ridiculous. How can so loose a line be so exact and right? It's amazing how much the line quality can say about the artist. What sticks out most about his drawing is the blend between excitable nervous energy and also pure joy. There's always a happiness permeating his drawings that you don't need words to say. That joy infiltrates its way into his editorial illustrations and his comics and his characters.</div>
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His watercolors then… I'm not even going there how good THEY are. </div>
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Lastly, his storytelling and characters. Richard Thompson is one of the last standard bearer of the traditional newspaper comic strip, and while the newspaper industry and the comics that are in it are on life support, it may be a long time until we see his likes again. But even as the newspaper industry is gasping for air while the internet came of age, along came Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac.</div>
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His writing alone would have made an amazing comic strip. Even if you took away his irreplaceable art, you'd still believe Alice and Petey are real. They were real kids. Richard Thompson somehow knew how kids talked (Not what they said, HOW they said it). The joyful banter back and forth, the seemingly non sequitars between Alice's preschool friends, the incessant worrying of a milquetoast brother. It's crazy how talented this guy was.</div>
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The mark that he made on my work (and on countless others!) is incalculable. It's upsetting that he was taken away so fast from Parkinson's, and my thoughts and prayers will be with his family and friends as they grapple the loss. I want to close this by emphasizing to everyone what joy he brought to the world through his art. Thank you, Richard!</div>
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<a href="http://richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">His blog to see a lot of his amazing artwork.</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-57515192336384802102016-07-11T11:17:00.001-04:002016-07-11T11:20:14.825-04:00Medieval RobotBeep. Boop. Bop.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-23951578025875972452016-06-15T13:04:00.000-04:002016-06-15T13:04:27.877-04:00Silent Films/ Flying RobotThe past couple years I've had an idea percolating in my head for a picture book that somehow takes inspiration from the silent films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. In a way, old silent films employ the same storytelling aspects as do some picture books.<br />
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One example is the use of the film card. Is the separation of words and visual storytelling that much different from the separation of words and image in picture books?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Modern Times</i>. Such a great movie. The first fifteen minutes is magic.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IS3AGpIu-vM/V2GGGWewLrI/AAAAAAAABjs/55Ar5OTxMAMYR0P0Hqr8etg9-N-tZuzVwCLcB/s1600/haveYouSeenMyHat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IS3AGpIu-vM/V2GGGWewLrI/AAAAAAAABjs/55Ar5OTxMAMYR0P0Hqr8etg9-N-tZuzVwCLcB/s400/haveYouSeenMyHat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Have You Seen My Hat? </i>A modern take on the classic picture book layout. Used to hilarious effect.</td></tr>
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Another way (which a lot of modern TV and film constantly abuse to death) is the placement of the camera (or shot). In older films (because the industry is just figuring out how to edit and didn't use multiple cameras yet), camera shots were set in one place. Kinda like a stage play. It was the film director's prerogative to capture as much as possible in one shot. Just like a picture book.<br />
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So I'm thinking all these thoughts the past couple years and only now I may have discovered a little scamp of a robot to start playing around in these ideas. Mashing of ideas. More to come.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4RH0DYQc_g/V2GKX1rL1ZI/AAAAAAAABkE/oaS_ezAo1Jk42Lqur8bqhSrmhFQTdo8RQCLcB/s1600/flyingRobot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="339" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4RH0DYQc_g/V2GKX1rL1ZI/AAAAAAAABkE/oaS_ezAo1Jk42Lqur8bqhSrmhFQTdo8RQCLcB/s640/flyingRobot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-58680042078774566922016-06-10T09:14:00.001-04:002016-06-10T09:15:45.542-04:00NJ SCBWI conference work.I updated <a href="http://www.ericsailer.com/" target="_blank">my </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">website</a> just now and thought I'd share a couple pieces prepared for the NJSCBWI conference this past weekend. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sIbFyKuNPrs/V1q8_oCMnxI/AAAAAAAABjE/Z2df18onX_kluY_D7AKuvXXjxgrHTYAxgCLcB/s1600/home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sIbFyKuNPrs/V1q8_oCMnxI/AAAAAAAABjE/Z2df18onX_kluY_D7AKuvXXjxgrHTYAxgCLcB/s640/home.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9iYGozTu_k/V1q9B3RrQ4I/AAAAAAAABjM/haah-vwF0EYiDQKppjPi3tJuSIO7u5sqgCLcB/s1600/illustrations_013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9iYGozTu_k/V1q9B3RrQ4I/AAAAAAAABjM/haah-vwF0EYiDQKppjPi3tJuSIO7u5sqgCLcB/s640/illustrations_013.jpg" width="507" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-1621663630869314372016-04-14T10:57:00.001-04:002016-04-14T10:57:05.714-04:00Science Lesson: Blackbody Radiation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xxEHewmD4hI/Vw-vKb5tTpI/AAAAAAAABik/BiMJsHM1ZkA4e5PfMOiXdW8OzdlhJ22XwCLcB/s1600/lava.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xxEHewmD4hI/Vw-vKb5tTpI/AAAAAAAABik/BiMJsHM1ZkA4e5PfMOiXdW8OzdlhJ22XwCLcB/s640/lava.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Today's science lesson is "liquid hot magma" (extra credit if you can guess which movie character I'm referencing.)<br />
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I've been writing and rewriting a lot recently on my graphic novel, "Artie and Merlo" and I've been playing around of which dire situations in which to put him. One was Artie's floor literally becoming lava, a game I love playing to this day! <br />
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Now, as I drew this, I thought, "Why DOES lava glow red and yellow?" The same goes for iron when it's red hot. Why does it glow? It doesn't have energy like a sun does, does it?<br />
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Answer? Blackbody radiation. Science seriously rocks. Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0OUCElghmsY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0OUCElghmsY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-24976744884867195832016-03-21T10:12:00.001-04:002016-03-21T10:12:37.293-04:00Productive WeekendProductive weekend. Lots of writing and sketching.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kA35hy3KZJ4/VvABRpAbXTI/AAAAAAAABh4/fT2TBQyExIYGxHoJV-zNreBZjKUUFnjPw/s1600/weekend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kA35hy3KZJ4/VvABRpAbXTI/AAAAAAAABh4/fT2TBQyExIYGxHoJV-zNreBZjKUUFnjPw/s640/weekend.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-6115991257527831632016-03-18T12:04:00.000-04:002016-03-18T12:04:03.067-04:00Baseball Season<div style="text-align: center;">
Spring training!</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DiS9UtKX41k/Vuwmzw4naFI/AAAAAAAABho/vW2T3c9clLAK0f_nMxZPqDNFVIrMF-_eg/s1600/baseballmerlo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DiS9UtKX41k/Vuwmzw4naFI/AAAAAAAABho/vW2T3c9clLAK0f_nMxZPqDNFVIrMF-_eg/s640/baseballmerlo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-88032077326144887122016-03-09T10:00:00.000-05:002016-03-09T10:00:03.957-05:00Rainy Day and A Peek into Painting Process<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bplhTfwxQeo/Vt-sk3mZijI/AAAAAAAABhE/6-MXR_mJlrc/s1600/rainyday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bplhTfwxQeo/Vt-sk3mZijI/AAAAAAAABhE/6-MXR_mJlrc/s640/rainyday.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
NOTE: For those interested in the painting process, read on! If you find reading about the technicalities of painting boring, DON'T READ ON! Enjoy the rainy day picture.<br />
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Okay, if you're still with me, awesome. So I consciously set out to do two things with this painting:<br />
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<li>Create textures</li>
<li>Play more with opaque and transparent paints</li>
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To address the first point, over the past couple years, I moved away from any watercolor paints that "granulate" (meaning paints whose pigments are a large particle size). I did this because these granulating paints make horrible flat washes, especially on hot press watercolor paper (the paper on which I draw and paint). What can be even worse is that these pigments can be lifted more easily from the paper especially after painting multiple washes. So in general, I avoid these paints like the plague.<br />
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Having said that, their granulating nature can be an advantage, especially if texture IS desired. So for this painting, I painted all my colors with some mixture of Schminke's Ultramarine Finest, a blue with the least amount of granulation compared to other brands. (I LOVE ultramarine blue's color too). In the painting above, it lent itself well to the stormy sky where it's okay to be messy. This is one way to introduce texture.<br />
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Granulating colors that I find lend themselves well to creating texture are ultramarine blue (used above), cobalts blue and green, cerulean blue (a definite texture), iron oxides in found often in black, brown, and yellow pigments, and cadmiums red and yellow.<br />
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The second venture was playing more with opaque vs. transparent paint. I wanted to explore going back and forth more between painting gouache and watercolor. One reason is to explore more textures (see the roof on the house), but another reason is to build upon the painting itself. A popular notion in oil painting is "fat over lean" where one paints thin layers of paint first, and as you continue layering, you add more paint to each layer. A similar idea can be applied to watercolors where once a few layers of watercolor are applied, you can go over those areas with gouache. One reason could be to create a fully deeper color. Another could be to paint a completely new shape over the area.<br />
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I did the latter with the trees in this painting where I added pro white to my watercolor paints to make more opaque. Also, with the nifty tool of liquid frisket (masking fluid), you are able to create negative shapes in the painting.<br />
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The ability to go back and forth with opaque and transparent watercolors makes painting for me a real joy. The rainy day picture is mostly successful I'll say, and I'll probably continue exploring these avenues in future work.<br />
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Note1: For those looking to research further into watercolor paints themselves (like the granulating colors I explained), definitely visit <a href="http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/water.html" target="_blank">handprint</a>. This website will go into crazy detail about every aspect of watercolor painting which is almost scientific. I love talking shop like this.<br />
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Note2: A lot of this can be accomplished in Photoshop given brush presets (and the nifty command+Z!), but the same ideas apply.<br />
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Phew! Thanks for sticking to the end. Signing out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-82823296775595749542016-03-08T09:55:00.002-05:002016-03-09T00:54:16.038-05:00Detective Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VMwZOySlb9I/Vt7nylA2iHI/AAAAAAAABg0/qwztJ0yq8lY/s1600/detective2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VMwZOySlb9I/Vt7nylA2iHI/AAAAAAAABg0/qwztJ0yq8lY/s640/detective2.jpg" width="469" /></a></div>
Working some more.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-18141679606978482382016-02-21T23:36:00.002-05:002016-03-09T00:54:25.463-05:00Hard Boiled Crime Eggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5vf8HCP56qU/VsqPxGh3n9I/AAAAAAAABgc/FX07X1BNBLI/s1600/detective.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5vf8HCP56qU/VsqPxGh3n9I/AAAAAAAABgc/FX07X1BNBLI/s640/detective.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
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I can't say what I particularly like about film-noir and crime stories. There's melodrama. Then gumshoes, femme-fatales, murder, mystery, action! And then the visual black and white with the dramatic shadows and angles. And the way they talked too.<br />
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All these things blend together to make something totally unique but also ubiquitous at the same time. I love it, but my knowledge of the genre I feel is lacking. Any good film-noir movie recommendations are welcome!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-5363340691097891902016-02-11T10:27:00.002-05:002016-02-11T10:27:21.880-05:00Giant Scary Ant MonsterBeen doing a lot of sketching for <i>King of the Jungle</i>! Then as I was doing my sketches, I thought, "Ant monsters are cool." Violà. <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DK3cITDzRnI/VryoPIyyB0I/AAAAAAAABgM/WjcfIPyCn9s/s1600/giantantmonster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DK3cITDzRnI/VryoPIyyB0I/AAAAAAAABgM/WjcfIPyCn9s/s640/giantantmonster.jpg" width="441" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-73745611467102946832015-12-17T15:38:00.000-05:002015-12-17T15:38:01.115-05:00Revisiting Dinosaurs (And my blog)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I put these illustrations up for anyone who is interested in seeing embarrassing work. You see, the idea for a dinosaur wanting to fly started over 3 years ago now. I left it alone for three years and only until this year I began revisiting this idea. </div>
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While a lot of visual ideas from three years ago has been chucked and reworked, this idea of a bunch of dinosaurs laughing at the little protagonist stuck. I even made a new illustration of this encounter. For fun, I thought it'd be fun to compare it to what I did three years ago. Let me say, seeing this illustration again <b>MAKES ME CRINGE!!!!!!! </b>Uggggh, what was I drawing?! The horrible line work, the splotchy background. <b>YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!!!!!! </b>I'm just happy that at the time I didn't get discouraged and stop. I kept working. </div>
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So let this be inspiration to any illustrator, writer, creative out there, if you keep working, you <b>WILL </b>get better and better! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RN8tcJZtbKg/TqgA1W-nztI/AAAAAAAAAO8/fLgoyFq98S8/s1600/page07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RN8tcJZtbKg/TqgA1W-nztI/AAAAAAAAAO8/fLgoyFq98S8/s320/page07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 years ago.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4uA6x6ezv2Y/VnMYzpdMETI/AAAAAAAABfo/IoPR9iXjjq0/s1600/page1213b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4uA6x6ezv2Y/VnMYzpdMETI/AAAAAAAABfo/IoPR9iXjjq0/s320/page1213b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 month ago.</td></tr>
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(Note: the further back I go in this blog, the scarier the artwork gets. EEEEEEK!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2169514594162150571.post-17618025089059782342015-12-17T15:06:00.000-05:002015-12-17T15:06:22.854-05:00More Polar BearsHere are some more Polar Bear and Penguin illustrations. I am looking forward to warm weather too already!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzZ5IH9DjHs/VnMVdWGBNYI/AAAAAAAABfY/gfN6LxIV41E/s1600/polarbearpenguin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzZ5IH9DjHs/VnMVdWGBNYI/AAAAAAAABfY/gfN6LxIV41E/s320/polarbearpenguin2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RWgE3WZgsHc/VnMVc2S9XiI/AAAAAAAABfU/7DV4-MYE--4/s1600/polarbearpenguin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RWgE3WZgsHc/VnMVc2S9XiI/AAAAAAAABfU/7DV4-MYE--4/s320/polarbearpenguin3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0