This is a comic I created last month at the Cartoon Art Museum during a comic jam (CAM JAM 2 on 8/16/09) and at the San Francisco Zine Fest (8-22/23-09).
The challenge: draw a mini comic that I could experiment and play around with without worrying about consistency and style.
When I polled my friends on Facebook and Twitter to find out what format they would prefer, most asked for the comic to be posted all at once. I wanted it to last a few days so my final decision was to break down the comics into a few big chunks. This is the first one.
Please comment and let me know what you think. I find it encouraging to get feedback and it makes me want to post more comics and art for you folks.
Labor day weekend has come and gone which, for many, signals the end of the Summer season.
Of late my blogging has gotten more sparse, so I have lots of catch up with news of my projects and cartooning classes (instead of just posting random art and interesting links). I know that folks like to know whats going on, but I find more personal blog post hard to do since I could say the wrong thing. After all the internet is forever and what you say can come back to haunt you. But I would also like to tell you folks a bit more about whats going on. I guess I am just am not going to bear my soul.
The classes I taught this summer were all really awesome. The kids in the four week-long classes all did an amazing jobs and really produced some amazing work. The kids created characters, drew comics, and created animation (both at the Schulz Museum and the Cartoon Art Museum.) I have posted some of the animation on my YouTube account and some of the artwork has been posted here on the blog too. The summer was really busy, but rewarding as well.
I have cartooning classes lined-up for the fall school year with many returning clients. I am hoping that my full schedule starting from a year ago will have provided me with some wisdom on how to do this teaching thing more efficiently (starting next week). Keeping your life/work flowing is always an interesting challenge.
Just last week I just got a new illustration assignment from a previous client with an exciting challenge for me. I am looking forward to working on it.
I am also working on some graphics for Silicon 2008 in San Jose CA in October which should be appearing on the website and other media fairly soon. Well, I am just finishing them up so you will just have to wait and see. But you can get to see some rough sketches I did for the images below.
Well, that is it for this post. I sure wish more folks, besides spammers, would comment. But I don’t keep my breath held too much. After all some of the most awesome artist in this world of ours get only a handful of comments too.
Dang nab it, being an artist can be hard.
Art Show and Parking for Silicon 2008.
Night Time and Information for Silicon 2008.
Activities/Entertainment and Science Alley for Silicon 2008.
Not sure what I was thinking, but there images I like… for Silicon 2008.
OK folks, here is some new art I have done. These were done in watercolor, then photoshoped for cleanup and color. I have been trying to work more graphically, inspired by the work of Michael Cho. He does his inks as shading, but not outlines per-say and then uses flat color to help shape the design.
Hey all, here are some recent paintings I did. Enjoy. The first one was inspired by the work of this artist, though it might not look like it. I started with a sketch in orange and then I did the lines on top. This watercolor painting is from the Southwest Airline magazine I got on my trip down to San Diego. This creature was a piece I did while teaching one of my classes at a Youth Center in San Francisco. The animals were suggestions by the young adults I work with. The pirate was drawn completely in watercolor, starting with some blue constructions lines that are still there. The cats and parrot were done with patches of color and then the outlines were drawn on top of those.
I am happy to announce I will have a new convention sketchbook at Wondercon 2008….
MAPS, MAGIC, and MENAGERIE
The sketchbook features 32 pages of black and white art with a RPG theme to tie it all together. Each page of characters and critters has been given a special location on the map in the center of the book, making it a great inspirational tool for game play and story telling. PLUS you get an custom original creature drawing too with it’s own ‘home’ on your map. For sale this weekend at Wondercon 2008.
Featuring:
- 32 Pages of Art – 69 drawings
- a full fanciful map
- printed on lovely parchment-like paper in glorious black and white
- Custom one-of-a-kind character drawing in each book
- Custom one-of-a-kind map location in each book
- Signed limited edition of 30
Come and pick up a copy at Wondercon 2008 this weekend!
UPDATE: See my writeup in the SF Weekly HERE. I got a photo and everything. Below is a scan from the actual paper. There is one mistake: I do not give lessons in my home. It would be in my studio and I do not have it set up to teach in at this time.
My class MIGHT still have a few space, so call Andrew at the CAM right now if you want to sign up for the class. Click on the banner to find out more.
 Here is the cover to the SF Weekly so you can know which issue to pick up this week.
I did these drawings while watching the movie Twelfth Night based on the play by William Shakespeare. The play is a real gender bender with the lead female character dressed a man most of the story. The cast of the movie contains many of great British character actors.
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The story of Twelfth Night is the story of orphaned twins Viola and Sebastian who are separated during a storm at sea. Viola is rescued by the ship’s captain and they are wash up on the shore of a distant country that is at war with their own. Viola disguises herself as a man and serves Duke Orsino who is wooing the Lady Olivia. The Lady Olivia falls for the disguised Viola who is falling for the Duke. As you can see it is in classic Shakespeare fashion there are misunderstandings and confusion until we get to the happy ending where Viola is reunited with her brother and everyone is in love.
I always find it fascinating how they adapt Shakespeare into modern movies by keeping the dialog, but changing the setting, reading, pacing and editing to add new meaning and ideas. For instance Viola’s brother Sebastian is saved by a sailor, Antonio who in the original play is just a dedicated friend. But in the movie he is shown to be attracted to the young Sebastian. There are also scenes where the confused Duke Orsino is feeling very odd feelings for the disguised Viola, who he believes to be a young man. The words never change, but how they are said and how they are show do.
