Monthly Archive: January 2006

Jan
26
2006

Inspiration by the comic masters

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Sometimes when I want to be inspired by the comic book artist of the past, I visit sites that are displaying or selling their original art. Here are some of my favorites.

collectingfool.com
They have excellent gallerys on Phil Noto and Alex Toth that are worth checking out.

Comics at HeritageGalleries.com
For this site you need to sign up, but thanks to a snazzy Flash interface you can zoom in on comic book covers.

frankgiella.com
Lots of great cover originals to see

comicbookartgallery.com

kwanchang.com
snazzy site, reddd!

nickkatradis.com
Check out the amazing painting from Joe Jusko. Really amazing.

anthonysnyder.com

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Jan
26
2006

What kind of Burger Joint are you?

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A few weeks ago, when I was at MacWorld Expo. I went to In-N-Out burger(because a man’s got to eat). I am always impressed with In-N-Out: a) their staff is always polite, well trained and professional b) the menu is simple, but the quality is superb.

Now at McDonalds or Burger King they have lots of choices, but the quality is not usually there.

So my question is what kind of business do you want to have: a) a company that does a few things well or b) a company that has lots and lots of product, but does not do any of them really well.

And can it apply to other types of companys.

Something to think about.

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Jan
26
2006

Book Publishing Scams MP3

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I found, through a link on absolutewrite.com, a radio interview about Book Publishing Scams. I think it’s important for all of us who self publish, or want to be publish to know whats going on. Very interesting.

from the WTOP: Of Consuming Interest site:

Daniel Steven, co-author of ‘Street Smart Author’, discusses common scams new writers face while trying to get published.

Listen Now (direct link to the MP3)

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Jan
13
2006

AARRRRR, it’s 826 Valencia St.

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Last Friday, a week ago, I had the pleasure of visiting 826 Valencia St. 826 is one of the the writing centers founded by writer Dave Eggers (editor of McSweenys literary magazine) to help kids with their writing.

Simply put, 826 Valencia helps students, ages 8–18, to develop their writing skills. Whether the students are working in the realm of fiction, nonfiction, or English as a second language, we are here to help them explore their love of writing. We offer free drop-in tutoring, workshops, and storytelling. We also help students create their own story collections, zines, and other publications.

You can’t miss the building, its big white “header” is covered with a fun mural by cartoonist Chris Ware.

A great organization to empower young story tellers is always something that is wanted. But there was another reason to go: THE PIRATE STORE.

To support the non-profit writing center, there is the Pirate Supply Store. With its abstract woodwork, drawers of odds and ends, and a selection of eccentric items for sale, it is a place of sheer delight. You can buy publications of young writers’ work as well as giant striped socks, glass eyes, dice, locks, flags, scoops of lard, postcards, and much, much more.

I dug through the sand for a piece of treasure and bartered for it by drawing a picture in a sketchbook at child height. You could also barter by singing a song, telling a joke, and who knows what else.

So when you are in San Francisco, stop by 826 Valencia St. You will be glad you did. If you are farther away, you can visit their centers in Seattle (space supply store), New York (superhero supply store), Chicago, Ann Arbor, and LA.

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Visit http://www.atomicbearpress.com/comics/log/ to see my
production art for my comic book, Beyond the Great Chimney
as well as other art, sketches and drawings.

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Jan
13
2006

Mr. Trogert the Dwarf

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Here is a new character in the Beyond the Great Chimney universe. He will be appearing later in the story.

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Jan
11
2006

thoughts on the creation process

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I have been thinking more about my working process, and was pleased to see a comment on one of my last post from animator Michael Sporn himself.

For me, one hang-up has always been the feeling that I need to have a script in hand to finish a comic book story. But I was reminded by this post by Mr. Sporn about how a project is an organic creation and that no script alone is enough. But in the name of perfectionism I sometime don’t trust my instincts.

For comic books, words can tell more detail and can do more, but pictures are more specific. Visual page real estate is more valuable.

- Then there are the type of storyboards which are more comfortable to me. These are more alive and flexible. The closer they are to what will be the final film, the better it is for the film and the director. But it has to be expected that there will be changes even in the best board. I like to see layouts grow beyond the storyboard; animation grow beyond the layouts, and even the coloring/compositing add to the animation. It’s all about making a successful film you’ll be proud of.

It seems Michael will be bloging lots of inspiring information on his process, so it might be a good idea to set your RSS feed to catch it all. He also has added a page for there on-going feature project POE.

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Jan
10
2006

Pat Smith Animation on your iPod

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Animator Pat Smith has again posted three of his movies: Handshake, Drink, and the music video Moving Along. The movies are in iPod video format and can be watched through the iTunes program from Apple. The downloads are for a limited time and can be pulled at any moment.

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_____________________________________
Visit http://www.atomicbearpress.com/comics/log/ to see my
production art for my comic book, Beyond the Great Chimney
as well as other art, sketches and drawings.

Leave comment

Jan
10
2006

Sporn on Storyboards and Animation Production

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Michael Sporn has posted an interesting post on his Splog(blog) about his process on using storyboards and how they fit into his animation process.

Mr. Sporn writes:

…All aspects of the film are organic; the film continues to grow and develop until it’s completed. Since mine is a small studio, I can easily oversee any aspect I want. Since I have a large part in the animation, I can even alter things at that phase. I also work with animators I trust, and I like to give those animators a large say in what they want to do.

I found this interesting in regards to how my comic book is created. I find that writing a worded script is hard for me. I am an artist first, so I think in pictures. AND I have worked on some ill fated animated projects that only can now be seen in the storyboard pictures that have been strung together in After Effects (and before, Macromedia Director).

But the experience of trying to construct a story for a film, I believe, has helped my Graphic Novel in the end. I am also grateful that in the process of trying to write, I have gotten a bit better.

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