Sick

So I have been sick the past week to the point that I didn't even pick up a pencil or brush or pen for 4 or five days. It is frustrating when even going one day without working on something so a week was bad enough. I did this illustration to commemorate my sore throat and tiredness. I don't want to do THAT again!

A New Postcard

The previous postcards that I have been sending have been nice, but I think will pop most nicely. It's simple and focuses on my two characters. I call them "Larry Beary" and "Mary." It's fun writing THAT over and over again. Larry Beary and Mary Larry Beary and Mary Larry Beary and Mary!

Let me first say this. I don't know how long I've had this epson photo scanner, but it took me that long to figure out how to get a clean scan without all that horrible white filling up my work. Now my whites are whites and blacks are blacks and that's before it goes into Photoshop! True, the light washes are kinda blotchy, but it's something I can fine tune on my work easily.....

So it's also been a while since I have posted. Therefore, I have lots of new stuff to share. Mostly, it's just a sneek peak of what I am working on.

First are the character sheets for my GN.

Then a spread from a new picture book I am concocting. I am rather proud of this spread even if this tree branch doesn't physcially exist!

So I am pleased with how things are going so far.

Professor Boddington

Not many people know this, but for all the work that it takes to keep my studio, drawings, emails, and expenses up-to-snuff, I have a secretary. He is actually a retired professor named Professor Boddington. I thought at first that a professor would be a great help to me and my work. Instead, he's actually a huge hindrance. Professor Boddington is always yapping when I need quiet time. He never answers emails or the phone and he doesn't send out invoices correctly. And now, he's taking a month-long vacation which he claims is paid because its "good for his arthritis." So he's out galavanting in India right now!!!!! On my dime!!!!!

I need to get this dumb professor replaced.

Washington Crossing Park

I was very fortunate as a kid to grow up with Washington Crossing State park right behind my back yard. In hindsight, I did not take full advantage of the park (I was not a huge outdoor kid). I think only until moving out for college, I've begun to appreciate the scenery and nature the park was full of more. The sound of Canadian geese especially. Crickets at night. Lots of trees. It's funny how you don't appreciate something until it's removed from you. It may be the springtime in me that's talking right now. Appreciating being able to be outside more again!

More Felix

I've been itching to get the story written out so I can start sketching and drawing! So I made these to practice more drawing. I still can't decide to draw the characters in brush or pen. It's always been a question for me whether to use a brush or a pen to draw. Though the drawings come out mostly looking the same, there are very subtle nuances between the way I use a brush and a pen which can make or break a drawing for me. For most drawings now, I use them interchangeably.

I've also been wondering about the relationship between Felix and Jenny. When reading children books that I've enjoyed, I've looked at characterization. What makes them work? It makes me reflect upon an article that Al Capp of "Li'l Abner" fame wrote once. He said to study Dickens for their fully realized (or exaggerated) characters.

Though he wrote numerous novels (which one day I hope to read all), Dickens uses the same characters for each novel. The protagonists from David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and Great Expectations were always good-natured humans when ample amounts of affection and love. You can't help but like them. Then there's the angelic feminine creature that is always a moral compass. Then the expressive antagonists that enjoy their evil nature like Uriah Heep, Miss Havesham, and Fagin. Coming back to childrens book, I've noticed that the authors like Roald Dahl, Norton Juster, Lemony Snicket, and JK Rowling have developed their characters the same way. That's what makes the characters so colorful and pop!

Back to my story, if Felix is the protagonist of the story, he'd have to be good natured and likable. But how to describe the relationship between him and Jenny? Surely they'd be best friends. But how? This is where character sheets would help further define how they would act together. I've rambled on enough for now.

A couple video promos

Since the amateur cartoonist contest is happening again right now, I thought that I'd share my videos that I made for the contest from last year promoting "Buttoned Up." It was actually a ton of fun working with video and producing it. I think the videos also capture the humorous side of me (and some creepy faces!).

Buttoned Up? No. Scaredy Cat? No. Felix the Cat? Felix Felis?

I've been working on a form of Buttoned Up for the past two years since 2010. All of it as a comic strip off and on. I've done about 200 dailies. Then about two month's worth of Sunday comics. Always working with the hopes to make a daily comic strip that is syndicated.

In the couple years, however, I admit that I have grown very pessimistic about the state of the comic strip medium. Maybe it's because that I've been told too many that this doesn't work, that doesn't work, or "your work is great, but..." It may also be because of the failing newspaper industry in general and those that do get syndicated will never have a true shot at making money. Or maybe it's because too that there is so much mediocre work that is being produced anymore and those that still produce amazing work seem old and tired after seeing it for plus 10, 20, 30 years.

It pains me to think the industry that has made such great comics such as Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Cul De Sac, Mutts, Pearls Before Swine, Bloom County, and countless others have come up with such crap these past ten years. The only comic strips worth mentioning that got syndicated since 2000 is Pearls and Cul De Sac. Two comic strip features and the rest introduced mere slosh.

I think that because the industry is so dead in the water is the reason why any hopes of becoming a comic strip artist now make no sense. But I love the comic medium still. I've looked my favorite comics and am now thinking where do I fit into this comic world? I think that the past couple years, I've been finding my footing my the children's book industry. I'm finding the same things that I have loved in comics I am finding in children's books as well. The same fantastical adventures, colorful characters, and great artwork.

It's because of my working on picture books I think is now I think that I have a great idea for a middle grade graphic novel. One thing I don't see in the comics industry is the lack of comic work for younger audiences (besides the newspaper funnies). Too much adult work in Marvel and DC comics anymore. I think that my story would therefore make a great fit for middle grade.

So below are two sketches of Buttons and other characters. Right now, I am only working on an outline and character sheets so nothing is solidified. However, Buttons I think should be renamed to Felix. For a couple reasons, Felix means happy and is a reference to Felix the Cat, one of the early pioneers in animation. Then maybe Felix Felis (felis means cat in Latin). Felix Felis sounds great, but I fear may sound too similar to an elixir from Harry Potter (felix felicius I think). Who knows? I need to run it by people first.

Basketball

So I am told that Jeremy Lin and "Linmania" has saved the NBA. Apparently, it didn't save him from me drawing him! I think the drawing is great until it comes to his head. Oy! The ref looks cool though.

Local Political Cartoon

It's been a while since I posted a political cartoon. This one is of Smithtown from www.smithtownmatters.com.