how i missed making you, comics!

So wow, I am actually inking Glass Hearts pages. Thrilling!

(P.S. - Steve Reich is a genius. Go do yourself a favor and listen to him. Electric Counterpoint and Music For 18 Musicians are great starting points. At least, that's how I got hooked.)

writing with sketches

When it comes to sketching, I just draw a mass of things. It is also in this time where I come up with ideas for writing my comic scripts.

Writing wise, I am currently rewriting an arc in Glass Hearts. (Basically I am rewriting the entire thing). Though I have a writer's block so bad that I had to close the chapter document last night. It's really funny because I just plowed one earlier in the chapter. All I need is to stay away from it for a while and I'll get through it.

But dang, it has been a while since I used Paint Tool SAI. I have to use it in a virtual machine, so loading that every time is time-consuming. But it is one of my favorite programs ever, and I love making lines and coloring in SAI and then finishing it up in Photoshop.

you betta werk

So much to my surprise and delight, my RuPaul concept got chosen! Though as a member of the student chapter of SOI, I can enter 2 (or 3? I forget) free entries for the competition. But regardless, yes! I get to draw Ru for school! How cool is that?

For next class, I need to basically put in the changes advised by my teacher (who has seen him before, much to my shock). This is my progress of that so far. I made Ru longer because obviously he is super tall. Also I was suggested the route of art nouveau. Me, having loved this movement since high school, readily kept an open mind for this. I might go all the way with this, because gosh just when I thought this couldn’t look any better, bam! ornate border took it to the next level.

driven in a magically badass way

(Art circa August 2012.)

This is the main character of Project 217!, the second comic that I want to publish. Well...technically I don't know which one to publish first.

What if your life got changed by:

1) The sudden appearance of things you always thought were fictional?

2) An organization who believes in the existance of these things?

and 3) An interdimensional mask-wearing crazy mistress planning to kill you?

...that is the case of Alana Wolfe, an extremely tempermental, teenage girl who doesn't believe in ghosts, demons, or aliens.

This story goes as far back as 5th grade, believe it or not. I grew up loving magical girl cartoons, such as the Powerpuff Girls, and Sailor Moon. And naturally, I wanted to make my own. Flash foward to today, I still love watching magical girl cartoons and I still want to make this comic! Though it has evolved into something so unlike what I intended as a kid, but I'm pretty proud of it. (So unlike what I intended as in woah explicatives everywhere and crazy-looking demons).

The webcomic version (found here and here) has been full-color and I mean, full on color. Everything about this comic is pretty strong, explosive, and ridiculous. It's a lot of fun to draw (apart from action scenes, which I haven't really mastered yet hahaha) and write.

And gosh. I just love both of my comics. And that is the most important thing about making a comic: love.

you're my friend, no matter what

(Sketch circa January 1st, 2012.)

So I decided that I should introduce my comics to this blog, because let's be clear: I am so about comics. I made smaller comics when I was younger, started a webcomic when I was 15, self-published a compilation book for my high school graduation project at 17, and flash forward to now, I want to be a comic book artist.

This comic, Glass Hearts, is one of two long comics I've been readying to publish for years. Here's a summary:

After two years, a 16-year-old Charlie McDermott returns to his hometown and to his previous friends. Many things have changed, some things haven't. Old wounds will resurface, and new wounds will possibly appear as well.

This comic is essentially what has led me to learn more about people, sexuality, and how the latter doesn't really matter. I've reflected what I've learned into this comic. With the webcomic version (still online at Smackjeeves and the Duck), I'm continually surprised by how my writing has come across to readers, and their feelings. That makes it all the more fulfilling for me.

fashion is power.

These are sketches that I did for tomorrow’s class. The last project is basically a free-for-all. So pinning down one concept just isn’t possible for me. Funny thing is all three include fashion of some sort. And I am okay with that.

Today I actually saw Wildfox editorial photos and it completely inspired me. So I combined that, my summer filled with being enthralled with grunge fashion, and Yo-Landi Vi$$er’s metallic tights. I either would like to do a crazy linear background like that, or just a simple color.

Frankly, I miss working on my babies: my comics. So naturally, one of these ideas had to involve one of them. This is Charlie McDermott of Glass Hearts, and he is super fashionable and fabulous. I love writing about him, writing his dialogue, and drawing him in all sorts of outfits I could imagine. As for the quote, it’s relevant towards Charlie, and fashion in general. At least, when I put on an outfit and it looks good, I feel so much more confident and powerful.

I’ve been engrossing myself in re-watching RuPaul’s Drag Race since Hurricane Sandy. And watching the All Stars season, which is going by way too fast!! Anyways, I find drag queens to be very inspirational people. That above quote also applies to them. They go through so much adversity and come up on top: strong. Since I saw fanart of people and cartoons, I figured “Why not?”.

Regardless of what gets chosen, I’m going to do all of these personally anyway. There’s no stopping me!

let's make this more difficult

For unknown reasons, my thumb of my dominant (right) hand started hurting last week. So drawing has been somewhat painful: which is not good considering oh hey I’m in a career for art. So this weekend I tried not using it much and massaging it with lotion. But whenever I wake up, it would hurt all over again. Not sure what kind of dark magic is at work here, but I want it to stop. (At least, delay it until I graduate!!)

Here is a bonus sketch of me from pitching a greeting card to clients. Let’s be professional.