Insights about comics, prog rock, classic cartoons and films, higher education, sexuality and gender, writing, teaching, whatever else comes to mind, and comics. I know I said comics twice. I like comics!
Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted this here yet.
One of my first printed pieces, this was used twice in the booklet for Gentle Giant's Under Construction, a 2 CD set of rare GG material.
The piece was done on coquille board using grease pencil (AKA China marker) and ink. While I wish I would have spent a bit more time on the background, given that there was text laid over it in both its final uses, it's probably for the best. In the world of illustration, the client's needs come first.
I think it's time to take a realistic tack on this.
Rather than plan on posting specific material every week, I plan on posting art every week, and will post new pages in A Private Myth when they are completed.
Needless to say, this is a response to my not having the new page done yet this week- again.
However, I do have a fascinating new piece to post.
A while back, I was playing with the colored pencils and spontaneously came up with this.
For a change, the scan captures most of the nuance of the piece.
I used to be troubled by the force lines coming off his sleeve. Then I realized that he wasn't giving energy to the Earth, the Earth was constructing him out of Her energy.
I avoid conventional fantasy art, because it's been done to death and because there are pros out there who can do the material splendidly despite The Cliche' Factor. I'm thinking of folks like Colleen Doran (see side links) and the indomitable Patrick Woodroffe and Dave McKean, frequent collaborator with Neil Gaiman.
New page next week if all goes well- I'm very inspired by this one and want to give the work the time it needs, within reason!
I slept through this when it aired this past Sunday, in anticipation of a possible (but by his own admission unlikely) Oscar win for Neil for CORALINE, a film I thoroughly enjoyed.
If, like me, Sunday morning is sleepy time for you, here's what you/we missed.
While bemused by The Strangeness of It All, the interviewer managed to transcend the usual Muggle sort of attitude in mainstream reporting of SF/fantasy events and to recognize the innate quality of Neil's writing.
I've thought for some time now about the potential for a Gaiman film fest:
Neverwhere
A Short Film About John Bolton
Princess Mononoke (Gaiman translation)
Mirrormask
Stardust
Coraline
I'm sure there's something I'm overlooking, but I hope Neil will forgive.
I haven't posted much of a musical nature for a while, but this is making the rounds of the Gentle Giant list.
What with my housemate's devotion to the land of India, posting this seems a good idea.
As so much of music is really about moving energy, can it be any coincidence that forms meld in the Far East, the seat of Buddhism, Shinto and Krishna?
Here's some more on Motherjane!
So nice when all the pieces fall together.
Technical notes: this page was done entirely in tech marker and crowquill. The gray values are the same trick, grayscale marker with a box blur added in Photoshop.
For the next page, I'm going to try to structure it entirely in shadows, or as much as possible, stealing from the masters Krigstein and Rude.
Plot- wise, things are moving forward. Slowly, slowly. Remember, this IS a novel, and we're on p. 8!
Well, finally got the scan done. Looks like the new Alvin tech markers are the short-term answer to my scanning woes, though I may take a friend's advice and go to the disposable tech pen.
Still need more darks!
Ahem.
The page:
Not mad for that last tier. The middle tier is doing what I want it to, but it may seem ambiguous until more of the plot is revealed.
I'm using the old form of overlapping multiple plot elements, all revolving around the central character. Reed Waller and Kate Worley were/are Zen masters of this process/style in their work on Omaha.
Finally got the scan done!
Once again, issues with the relative depth of blacks from markers vs. ink. This time, I elected to just push all the grays into the black range.
I'm content with the results. Still working on a front end resolution to this issue. I love tech markers for the mechanical stuff- borders, geometric shapes, lettering- but I just dont' get the uniform rich blacks I like.
Also, I find that I really need more weight in my panels.
The story proceeds apace. More in a few days!
The good news: the next page of A Private Myth is done.
The tentative bad news: I don't know if I'll have time to scan today, what with grading and lecture prep.
Just to be safe, I'm posting some previously unposted pages from TranScending. I do want to keep posting every Sunday no matter what.
This is the pot-addled romantic/erotic fantasy our heroine goes on at the end of a VERY difficult day.
I will post the new page of APM either later today or within the next 48 hours. Have faith!
Note that pp. 12 and 13 are intended as a double page spread.
Also, the musical notes echo her mental travels, a device stolen from P. Craig Russell.
I was pretty happy with these pages in general, but the story lost its meaning as my perceptions changed over the years. I may come back to it if I can figure out something fresh to say. Most stories about trans people are about a very few things: self-discovery, transitioning, being outed, love lives, or suicides. Until I find something more interesting to say that hasn't been said before, this one is on the back burner.
Just taking a quick moment before getting ready for a Post Office run, an art opening and a birthday dinner.
Last night was the last time jazz musician and beloved local jazz scholar/teacher Charles Beasley will ever play in public, possibly at all.
The founder and leader of Beasley's Big Band, now in his early 80s, sat in for two numbers at the Wabasha Caves last night, then hung for one set and called it a night, leaving with one of his daughters and with all our love.
I've been going to see Beasley's Big Band on and off for 15 years now. Always a delight, like spending time with family and hearing some high-energy big band at the same time.
Now, his health an issue, Charlie wants to devote the rest of life to friends and family.
Thinking about Charlie stepping down reminded me of the film Eraserhead. You know, the offbeat freshman entry of David Lynch. Eraserhead begins and ends with a man in a chair pulling a lever and silently screaming as sparks fly. In between these scenes, the story of a young man's life is told in surreal, disturbing and humorous imagery.
What some people, including me, think this film is about is simple. A man is killing himself by electrocution, and we are seeing his life flashing before his eyes, distorting by his frying brain cells.
So what Lynch is essentially saying in this movie is, "I did everything I was supposed to in life- a career, a love, a family- and it was all worthless."
A comment on what life is worth. According to Lynch in this film, not much. Might as well give up. Like the song in the film says, "in heaven, everything is fine." This implies that here on Earth, not so much so.
Mind, I still admire the film, but with this perspective in place, I can't find as much pleasure in it.
Charlie arrived at a different decision. I hope that when it gets really hard, we all find the strength to find something worthwhile in life.
Here's Charlie talking about his life, his love of music and the band. I have some other footage of them playing that needs to be digitized for download. Anybody else still have old VHS tapes to convert?
I was alerted to this by my friends on the Gentle Giant list. For those that don't recognize this, it's an unlikely medley of several GG pieces.
This took Silver in the Indiana Percussion Association/WGI 2006 competition.
The next page of A Private Myth is still on the drawing board, but finally ready to ink.
Really tight pencils and a good layout. Happy with it.
Just not ready to post yet.
Aargh.
Many of the delays are due to time spent prepping papers for presentation and publication, alliteration unintentional but kind of fun.
However, I do have new work to post.
Neil Gaiman announced the 9th Anniversary of his blog. I'm not going to bother posting a link since I link to his blog elsewhere on this site anyway.
However, Neil requested images of congratulations that incorporate the number nine.
Thanks to my camera (not much point in saying "digital" any more, is there? That's pretty much all there is now.) and Photoshop, I came up with and posted this image.
8 Gaiman books and me. That's 9. Also, the books form a nine. Pretty on the nose, but fun to do, and a nice diversion from a page that's taking way longer than it ought.
