Chapter 3 is on the way.

This is the first part of chapter 3.

Random Concepts and Stuff

"Off Cat"

"

"Id" Study

I've been messing around with stuff a bit this week (now that I have some free time), and have been doing twice as much work as usual...ah, the irony. The first picture was an idea that I had for a cat creature, however, it came out looking like a poke'mon...do with that what you will.
The second was a rough concept of another creature, and a study in patterns and line art.

More Death Ward

Fun times. Let's get on with the action.

Symbiote Character

Here's a character based on the symbiote creatures from Marvel's "Spider Man." Why trap or trick a host when you could raise a loyal one, right?

It's just a goofy project. There really wasn't much thought behind it.

New Comic: "SS"

Here's the new comic. They'll be presented much faster due to the way they're drawn. I don't think it's very well presented, but it's a start. I'll get better and quicker at this as I go.

The name I intended is being debated due to copyright issues. I know I'm not well noticed or even making any money off of this, but I still show respect to other artists. Besides, I might come up with something better. Until then, welcome to the world of SS.

Quick Enviromental Drawing

I drew a picture of a world in which creatures lived upon flying whale/catfish creatures that have entire ecosystems on their backs.

 ...yup...this is where my mind goes.

No matter what anyone things though, drawings like this are the backbone for anything I have ever done. Even the characters and environments that were seemingly normal evolved from something fantastic. I believe in starting wild, and then shaving things down to match the project at hand, NOT the other way around. This is actually the type of world I was planning on using for the upcoming game.

Nex page up. Getting schedule prepared for new job.

I've got a new job on the way. That's good for my budged, but bad for available time. Rest assured that I'll find a way to keep things running even while I'm working. With the changes, perhaps things will get updated even more frequently.

Random Batman Stuff

The idea was to have a batman redesign. I messed around with random stuff for a bit, just for fun. I settled on a batman that walked using a stick because I thought it looked like a bat's bone structure. I then looked into bat anatomy and reminded myself that it was actually extended fingers that made up the wings. So in the final design, I tried giving him long nails that he could use as walking sticks for his jacked up legs that are in bracers. All in all, I don't really like it that much. I didn't capture the spirit of the sketch at all. It's a shame really.

Here's the next page

I've started working on the characters for the other comic. While I'm not really bored of this comic, I am looking to create something else when I feel the urge to try something going in a new direction. The zombie comic is still about experimentation, as it has always been, but I feel as though it is establishing its own style, and I consider that the most wonderful thing that's happens to me this year. The feeling of solidifying a world, and the art style along with it, is why I live. It almost brings a tear to my eye. No joke.

Picard in Picasso

This was a quick school assignment that I did in about three hours. I thought it was kind of funny so I went ahead and put it up. Have fun fellow trekkies!

So...I went radio silent...let's talk about that.

Short story: Hard drive failure.

Long story: Due to lack of funds (That I have obtained at this time), I was forced to shut down the last section of the website that include the backup files for the primary sketches for the comic and html code for the site. I recovered the data, via an external hard drive, but the files are quite old and caused a major issue in sequencing the comic. (I.E. it turns out I drew the wrong page.) Next week I will have the comic sorted out once more, with brand new character sketches for other things. I'll also be starting speed painting again, just for giggles. In the mean time I'll share something that I enjoy looking at.

So please accept my apology for the down time, and enjoy this edited photo of a beautiful landscape.

Ah! Tranquil, ain't it?

Anime Study 2

Yep, I'm still on this. I REALLY think it's teaching me a lot about design and color. Plus, the mood of this particular drawing is very interesting. If life was an RPG, I just leveled up. (Forgive the reference.)

Anime Study

I usually try to stay away from anime/manga, since it's far too prevalent nowadays. However, I do think it's important to study many things, especially things that you are not good at. Anime is very precise, clean, and deliberate, things that are somewhat of a mystery to me since I tend to go for a much wilder, "spontaneous" approach. More studies will be on the way.

Elephant (Animated)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYrAzuSqnGo

There's that. Fun stuff, more on the way.

So...I've been away for a bit...

Yah, so, I've been very busy with my latest animation endeavor. During this time, I got a little "too into it" and I went a little radio silent. For that I am both sorry and embarrassed.
I've also learned a few new tricks for creating environments more quickly. I am REALLY excited to see how these tricks will change the overall look of what I create. As for the new comic...perhaps a teaser is in order...this week.
The comic has been put on the back burner, as of right now, and in a couple of weeks I'll release the next animation I'm doing. To boot, I'll also be starting the brand new comic that will run alongside Death Ward.

2 Weeks left till the animation is complete

In the mean time, here is the next page. The animation has been a rough project so far, and it's worth is debatable. We'll see how it ultimately turns out.
I have also have started production on the sprites for an upcoming flash game. The team still not clear on the complete intentions of the product, i.e. if we are going to sell it or not, but it looks like something interesting and I'm always up for a challenge. I've also been awaiting the moment when I might actually be able to work with other people again. I'm all warm and fuzzy about the whole thing.

I don't know if you have heard, but...

Since I currently do not own photoshop right now, there will be a delay on the comic. Not that it really matters that much anyway due to me working on the new animation, but it's worth noting. You can expect that in a few weeks.

No comic...but something IS coming.

Well, the website has gone kaput due to lack of funding. The good news is that I have may have joined up on another project to actually make some money to get it back. Joy for me!

The comic is also a bit behind due to the upcoming surprise set to hit you guys in about 2 weeks. I think you guys will find it interesting.

2-4 is up

I've decided I'm going to take liberties with the characters designs and costumes. Since this is my personal project, if I suddenly decide Lewis here will look better in a clown hat/thong, it will be so...but I wouldn't hold your breath for either of those.
I've been poking around game design lately, expect some updates on that soon. I'm thinking something...2D.

Moar Komix

Upcoming Collaboration Project

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Can't talk about it too much, yet, but something is in the works. 

The comic will be a bit late this week, but next week I'm going to try to create two images per week. So, yah...fun stuff coming up.

Next Part

First week back to school, this week. I'm pretty pooped.

I think I've finally figured out how I'm going to manage weekly projects. So there will be alot more, alot quicker. I'm not sure if I'm going to do the "black and white" thing. I might switch back to color at any time.

I'm also working on a unity game that can be played over the website, as well as working on the website itself. fun stuff...so tired...bed now.

Woot! The second part starts.

The page above is the style I ultimately have decided on while tinkering for the past few weeks. I went thought ALOT of different styles from very anime, to a more painterly approach. I really like how it turned out. Keep in mind the style will more then likely change over the course of the comic, since this is my own project and I will draw it as I see fit. Then again, that's part of the fun. It's also in the spirit of the comic, since it was designed to be spontaneous from the get-go.

Another thing to keep in mind is color. The weekly pages may be in black and white, since this is a one man project and I do have other things that must be done. Perhaps some day the entire thing will be done in marvelous perfection, without the constraint of manpower or ridiculous time limits. in the mean time I'm going to have fun watching where it goes.

2D Animation and the new system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8goOxI3THiw


This was a two week animation that I created as a final project for my 2D animation class. I used a combination of flash and photoshop to get the visuals.


I've finally got some time to work on the comic. Though things have taken a turn for the worse I intend to get as much done as possible. On one hand it is good that people are asking me to create for them, on the other hand it is starting to come in at a very high volume. I'll need a better filtering system for future commissions. One of said filters is that I do expect to be payed. A lot of work goes into what I do, and I don't ask for much. Charity work is beginning to eat up my time.

Yojimbo

Yojimbo is an interesting film to me, primarily because it shows how hypocritical the people around me are. I watched the film with my father, who quickly dismissed the movie, saying that the story seemed pointless. Keep in mind that my father is a big fan of westerns. When I told him the movie influenced Fistful of dollars, he outright denied having ever said anything. As far as he was concerned it was just a Japanese attempt at a spaghetti western, to him.
The movie takes place in a town ruled by two warring factions. While each side is gathering their army, a wondering samurai walks in and offers his services to the highest bidder. From there on, the whole movie becomes a delightful guessing game as to who will stab who in the back next. Long story short, our hero retaliates against both factions, by pitting them up against each other, then promptly gets captured, beaten, then returns to slay the remainder of his enemies.
My favorite character had to be the wondering ronin, played by Toshiro Mifune, who I immediately liked due to being a fan of anime. Seeing the forerunner to all of my favorite heroes was quite a treat, and the character did not disappoint. It's worth noting that many of the actors in this movie seemed to have characters in anime today that mimic the characters in this movie. This is really fun for me, since I will be looking at anime in a new way from now on.

Japan and Such

So, yah, I haven't been on in a while. Preparations for SXSW bogged down web development quite a bit, but you'll be pleased to know that there are plenty of things to show. I've taken to animation as of lately and have resumed development of my own game. (At quite a zealous pace I might add.)

THE BIG NEWS IS:

There was recently a major tragedy in Japan. A tsunami hit a large part of the nation with devastating force. This all happened, ironically, while we were all having fun at SXSW. (The ironic part being that many of the games we were playing were developed in Japan.) The point of all this is simple:

If you are a gamer, and otaku, anime fan, ect., you owe a lot to Japan...maybe this is the time to give a little back. Check out redcross.org.

Mega Man - Fan Film

I’m usually a little hesitant to watch “indie” films, though I can’t really figure out why.  The low budget doesn’t really bother me, and the writing is sometimes shockingly superior to that of your average AAA movie. Top this with the fact that it’s a movie about a video game, a dark corner that has rarely been visited successfully, and you could have made a solid bet that I would never ever watch this movie. One night, however, I was feeling really adventurous and started it up.

The plot of Mega Man, the fan film, is what you’d expect. The ingenious Dr. Light has created a series of robots, in order to assist humanity. Dr. Wily, impressively portrayed by Dave Maulbeck, is here to do exactly the opposite, and reprogram the robots to enslave the world and do his bidding. Mega Man, Dr. Light’s latest creation steps up to stop the “evil” robots, and does so using a variety of abilities he gets from each enemy he defeats.

While it’s no surprise that Mega Man wins in the end, it is surprising how well all the characters worked out in a live action setting. Smalltime stars, Jun Naito and Edward X. Young, do impressive jobs as Mega Man and Dr. Light. Sung-Mo Cho even pulls off a convincing Proto Man. The only actor that falls off a bit is Jeanie Tse, who plays Roll…but it’s debatable whether it’s bad acting or the characters dopey demeanor.

It would be easy to say my favorite character was Mega Man, but that really isn’t the case. Dave Maulbeck is easily one of my favorite villains this year. Wily has always been a very stereotypically evil bad guy (angry at the world, wants to take it over, monologues excessively, ect.), yet he does it quite well. I really do think it takes true still to take a goofy guy like Wily, keep the goofiness, and still make him appear threatening.

            In short, it’s good stuff. It’s video game movies done right. Directors should take notes.

White Zombie

White Zombie

White zombie is an interesting movie to me because it marks the debut of a monster that is quite popular today. Though the zombies in the movie don’t act the way the ones in the movies do today, they are an important part of what made the creatures that we know today.

The movie starts off with a couple, set to be married, settling in to a large castle, where they will be staying the night before the wedding. Apparently the setting was supposed to be Haiti, which I think is kind of odd because there is a castle there. Perhaps there are castles in Haiti, but it’s not the first place I would imagine having one. Reguardless, on the way to the castle, the couple runs into a voodoo doctor who is using the zombies as servants for a sugar mill. When they arrive at the castle, the owner secretly disappears and speaks to “Murder,”(Bela Lugosi)  voodoo man. He gives the man a potion to transform her and he slips her the potion.

At this point her mind goes blank and the owner, Charles, begins to regret his decision. Neil, the girl’s soon to be husband, saves the day, breaks the curse, and kills both Murder and Charles, via a cliff near the ocean. My favorite character had to be Murder. Bela Lugosi brought a way of acting to the table that was spooky, intriguing, and sadly dismissed these days.

Most of the conflict was between Charles and his decision to transform Madeleine. This is a bit odd, since he is a villain, technically. You don’t normally see antagonists at the receiving end of conflict for the whole movie. Ultimately his decision leads to his death, when he realizes that he has to stop Murder from transforming more people.

Robin Hood (2010)

Holy snap, I love Robin Hood! When I heard about this movie a while back, I was pretty psyched to see some robbing…with hoods. So one could understand how shocked I was when I saw the previews for Ridley Scott’s 2010 version. Featuring no robbing, and very few hoods, are two big mistakes one can make when making a “Robin Hood” movie. I must also note that I’m really tired of that bland, generic, filter they’re putting over medieval movies to make them look darker. In fact, that’s this movie’s biggest issue. It’s very, very, generic.

As for the plot…the whole thing was painted so bland I really don’t remember too many details story wise. The best I can gather is that this all takes place before the events of the story that we know as Robin Hood. Several historical people, whose names I cannot remember do to poor pacing, are having themselves a war. Robin and friends are recruited to fight, and upon returning, tells the king what he thinks about him. The king breaks his promise not to persecute anyone for the opinions shared at that time, and Robin and his friends are taken captive. (Big surprise) Robin then spends the rest of the movie showing the people the king is a very bad guy, and that their political system is not all that hot.

There’s also some hints that Robin’s father designed the democratic system and some other random bits that all end when the higher ups (the king and his men) eventually decide that Robin has been a very bad man, and is labeled an outlaw.

Because of this declaration, during the last ten minutes of the movie, there is a fight, some arrows, and it finally started acting like a Robin Hood movie instead of a high budget history channel special.

The only character that was even remotely interesting was Marian, if not for the fact that she seemed just a bit more realistic then your typical “Maid Marian” character. She’s cold towards Robin for the first half of the movie, but warms up to him after he shows her how “politically impressive” he can be. Seems like a weird thing to get off on, but whatever. The whole movie was apparently rewritten several times. The first time as Robin and the sheriff in swapped good and evil roles, the second time, as Robin and the sheriff as the same person, then rewritten so that Robin becomes the sheriff…then they must have gotten tired of trying to be creative and opted for historical accuracy. 

Messing with the comic

I've been very busy tweaking things for the next part of the comic. Although I don't really have anything to show for it, I've learned a lot about how I work as an artist. I think I've finally found a way to balance my unruly art style, with some checks and balances that should make things look much cleaner in the future.

Messing around with flash

Yah, so I haven't been doing too much concept art this week. I've been busy tinkering with my new toy. I've been performing some experiments to test the limitations of the system and see how I will use it in my personal work flow process. I've learned a lot this week, and I think it's something that I feel really strongly about.

I'll also be updating the website a bit more this week, and see if I can fit in some places for more animations like these...except longer...and more dynamic...with fire. (cuz fire iz c00!)

The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog is Disney’s new take on an old story. The new parts are really just there to extend what otherwise would be a very, very short story.

Said story takes place in a town in Louisiana, who’s residents apparently communicate frequently though large choreographed sing and dance numbers. One of these residents is a girl named Tiana, who dreams of opening a world class restaurant. As it so happens, a prince is also visiting from his homeland, in order to marry into more money. The prince is cornered by the mysterious “Shadowman,” and morphed into a frog. Tiana runs into the prince and, after some haggling, agrees to kiss the prince in his frog form just like in E.D. Baker’s novel.

At this point things go a little haywire and instead Tiana is transformed into a frog as well. During their journey they run into several characters who help them figure out how to regain their original forms. In the end, the Shadowman is defeated, and the characters realize that “all they need is love.” (Yes, that was a Beetles reference.) This is a Disney move after all, it’s mostly expected how things play out.

This brings me to my one, out of two, complaints about this movie. It seems as thought the production team was given a checklist of things to put in, in a certain order, with very few surprising events. (Though, there are a few.) It’s like Disney left them a manual that has been collecting dust all this time, and the animators have just now decided to pick it up…and follow it in a deliberate, literal, and cult like way. Don’t get me wrong, Disney was a good animator, but I don’t think he was looking for a formula to follow for ever, like the kind the Disney staff seems to be searching for. He was an innovator after all.

The second complain revolves around the interesting character of the Shadowman. Who’s motives were never really revealed outside of the mustache twirlingly clichéd plan to, brace yourself, take over the town. I cant help but feel that if the character was being manipulated or if I was supposed to feel sorry for him he would have faired much better. The reason it bothers me so much is , as with many Disney villains, the character is a visual marvel to watch, more so then any of the good guys for sure.

All in all, it’s a good movie. Just don’t expect any variations on the “Disney formula.”

Tooth Girls

I think I'm going to make a themes every month from now on for my random pictures. These themes aren't something I'll be following as a set of rules, but more as a set of guidelines because I'm bored. These are the kinds of games I play in my spare time.

I've completed more pages on the website. I'll work on that more tonight.

I've been doing some heavy thinking about the next part of the comic, and I've decided to try to turn it into something a little more "unique." I don't want to say anything about it yet because I really don't want to commit to something I don't feel that strongly about. We'll just see where it goes.

I'm also setting up some animation stuff, shorts, more specifically.

Review: Secret of Kells

The Secret of Kells is an interesting film for several reasons. Reason one is the fact that the film is foreign and in many cases, especially in animation, films from other countries tend to be overlooked here in the states. The other reason is that it tells bits of its story from an abstract perspective that purposefully tries to stray from reality. You guys remember abstract 2D animation right? Before it was mandatory that everything had to be realistic and make logical, physics based, sense at all times?

The story takes place in the ninth century, during the time of the Viking invasions. Our protagonist, young Brendan, is being trained by his uncle, Abbot Cellach, to be the next abbot of the monastery that they live in. All is normal until Brother Aidan appears carrying his “Book of Iona,” a piece of literature that is, like Aidan himself, highly revered by the other monks. While Brendan embraces Aidan’s emphasis on writing and drawing, his uncle is more focused on building a wall to block off the incoming Viking invasion. Brendan ends up going against his uncle by focusing more on creating Aidan’s book, which Aidan has requested that he finish for him, instead of the construction of the fortress wall.

It all is wrapped up in the end when Brendan flees the Vikings, who ended up breaking through the wall after all, and returns many years later to a forlorn Abbot Cellach. Cellach admits that the book was important after all, and he finally sees the completed work. My favorite character had to be the fairy Aisling. Who was brilliantly animated throughout the film, and put a sense of wonder into the story as a whole. For a character who is drawn in such a simple style, it is surprising to me how much personality was squeezed into her. I think people should pay more attention to this because, as low budget animation becomes more popular, animators will need to find ways to instill the same amount of life into their characters as they do with the big time projects.

All in all, there’s a lot going on in this film. Certainly more then what I’ve written about. If you miss it, you’ll be missing out on something truly spectacular.

Evil Contortionist

So...Yah! I'm kinda feeling irritable this week, so I'll be drawing some weird stuff...joy.

Feb Skyfall

Sketch'n around.

More Stuff

Well, I had to re-sketch the next chapter of the zombie comic due to a glitch in saving. I've taken the opurtunity to push some stuff around and try things that I thought of after I had drawn the old one...so I guess it's not all bad.

The website was coming along...till I got sidetracked by my brand new flash animation program. I'm planning some fun stuff for that later.

Move Review: Ponyo

Ponyo is an animated movie about a goldfish princess who longs to become human. It’s a story clearly inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s, “The Little Mermaid,” but stands on its own quite well. In the beginning, Ponyo escapes her overprotective father and falls in love with a boy from a seaside village named Sosuke. Her parents ultimately give her a chance to make her dream of being human a reality by testing Sosuke’s ability to love Ponyo as she is, both as a fish and a person. Sosuke is successful, Ponyo is transformed, and the world is saved…literally.

Ponyo’s plot is very simple, and by that I mean there isn’t much in the symbolism department, which is odd for a Miyazaki film. However, it is beautifully animated and perfectly fits the needs of a child’s story. My favorite character had to be Ponyo's father, show started off as an antagonist, but actually changed roles pretty smoothly. Note that I’m not saying it’s only for kids, far from it. Ponyo is a real treat for anyone who enjoys high caliber animation. As with any of Hayao Miyazaki film, the music is great, the characters are well designed, and the dubbing is top notch. Just don’t expect anything deeper then what it is. Princess Mononoke, this is not. 

Review: Waiting for Guffman

The film, “Waiting for Guffman,” is a mockumentary that takes place in the fictional town of Blane, Missouri, whose residents have decided to put themselves on the map by celebrating their town’s 150^th anniversary in the form of a musical, honoring the town’s history. In order to create the show, they hire the local drama teacher, Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest), a flamboyant New York playwright whose eccentric ideas have exiled him from the big apple’s stage. Corky then goes about gathering his cast, who include the local dentist (Eugene Levy), two married travel agents (Catherine O’Hara and Fred Willard), a taxidermist (Lewis Arquette), a young mechanic (Matt Keeslar), and a local Dairy Queen employee (Parker Posey). He also enlists the help of the local music director (Bob Balaban), who sets the bar for contrast with the other characters by playing the stiff, logical, and truly talented, “straight man.”

Eventually Corky ends up at odds with the town’s leaders, after asking for a hefty $50,000 extra to fund his play. After being denied this, he spirals childishly into a wacky depression. The cast learns about Corky’s fate and, ignoring the advice of the music director, decide to go to his aid. This forces Corky’s epiphany, that he has made a difference in the cast members lives, and he returns to finish his work.

In terms of pacing, the film seemed to start off a little too slow for me. The character’s introductions seemed to linger on a bit, forcing out intentionally awkward speech gags. However, once the show gets rolling it does manage to garner a few giggles. Guest does an excellent job of moving so that his character acts the way you could expect him to act, even when the character is literally “acting” as a character from a script. As a personal side note, one part of film’s ending was genuinely sad for me. The Dairy Queen waitress goes back to working for the restaurant. I’m not really bagging on anyone that works at Dairy Queen, but it saddens me that the character truly didn’t learn or change a damn thing about herself…which is tear jerking in a “Oh what a sad reality this is!” kind of way.

Lots of planning...not that much happening.

Well, nothing really got done last week, and this week was mostly spent messing around with applications, scholarships, ect. The only thing that I really drew were random speed paintings.

I have been struggling with the new comic. The style that I showed last was what I ment to do...but I might tweak it a bit to better reflect the attitude of the comic. I'm having a good time with it, and seeing as I'm not on anyone's payroll...I'm going to spend as much of said time as I want.

The reason the zombie comic hasn't seen any updates, is because I'm busy creating character sheets and schematics to increase accuracy from panel to panel. Once again...lots of planning...fun stuff.

New Comic Preview

I've been working on a new comic that will run alongside the other one. I'm thinking the style will be something like the guy above.

The website is looking better and better. A little more work is required though...I ran into a bit of a hangup, but it's nothing that a little tinkering can't fix.

Burnin' fer U

My last week off...damn shame.

I've been slowly churning out scripts for a game in Unity 3D. That might evolve into my next big project. I say "might," because there's always a possibility I might make another comic. I really do want to get back to game design though.

My call for other game designers has gone unanswered. I am...disappointed.