tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279032692024-03-13T16:37:08.303-05:00PENICKart ScribblesStuff wot I drew.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-29839527004829967042016-08-11T20:47:00.002-05:002016-08-11T20:51:14.471-05:00MY BLOG IS MOVING!My blog, this one right here, will now be integrated into my website. I know, I'm sorry. I should have done it ages ago; I think I might be the last person on earth to finally make the move. Please <a href="http://penickart.com/scribbles"><b><i>head on over</i></b></a> and enjoy. I'll be posting with more regularity now that it's all incorporated into one place. It'll probably take over as my number 1 form of social networking; all these different websites to keep track of gets to be too much after awhile!<br />
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It's not a clear as it should be, but clicking on the "head on over" text above will send you there. Or you can just click <b><i><a href="http://penickart.com/scribbles">here</a></i></b>.<br />
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Anywho, thanks for your interest and support - I've got a lot of interesting things happening right now, so there will be lots to share very, very soon. Peace!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-69198733744293864562016-07-08T21:50:00.001-05:002016-07-08T21:50:10.435-05:00Even more Patreon stuffYet another header image. This is a story based on an 8 page short I wrote and drew way back in... heck, I don't know exactly - '98 or '99 maybe? The expanded version was initially going to be a 12 issue mini-series, but I think I can tighten it down to 9 or 10 issues now. That often comes with getting better at writing: you learn to keep things shorter and more to the point (but still leave ample room for characters to breathe, etc...).<br />
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It's also gone through a name change. It was originally <u><b><i>Take That Job and Shove It</i></b></u>, but it was too similar, I think, to the well known song. This title is far better fitting for the story, which is about a guy who learns he has super powers and the life that happens around him while he's obsessed with chasing his dream of becoming a well known hero. You know how all those Disney films tell you to follow your dreams? And how the protagonist in those stories always succeeds in the end? Well, this ain't one of those stories. This is a story that resonates with the other 99% out there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVZd8ROSyOgEeryZu91BjS9Q9K71Yt2iMuKf9bRQlRhWf0LeLWI28k5_23C63k-kMBnB6OCe_RY9ceo8mZp3nIhst2JynYR2nD1RuqVME0V6v4dA1bU1MGnD-rs0qOFmyk3_l/s1600/Patreon_about_UpDownjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVZd8ROSyOgEeryZu91BjS9Q9K71Yt2iMuKf9bRQlRhWf0LeLWI28k5_23C63k-kMBnB6OCe_RY9ceo8mZp3nIhst2JynYR2nD1RuqVME0V6v4dA1bU1MGnD-rs0qOFmyk3_l/s1600/Patreon_about_UpDownjpg.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-71392090895665720572016-07-06T22:00:00.005-05:002016-07-06T22:00:54.221-05:00More Patreon stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Rf5vwuRMdRdScnyvjUGpkPnKcXKy9uZv67duI6fWo9zKbX-BEFHc7CISx4fGbvfz6gA7mOtTHzqKrm9S2z6poUQCMCZOfOt1EUV5EkBQSm-RZDRTBx49jKOtI2or-T5ovESZ/s1600/Patreon_about_RI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Rf5vwuRMdRdScnyvjUGpkPnKcXKy9uZv67duI6fWo9zKbX-BEFHc7CISx4fGbvfz6gA7mOtTHzqKrm9S2z6poUQCMCZOfOt1EUV5EkBQSm-RZDRTBx49jKOtI2or-T5ovESZ/s1600/Patreon_about_RI.jpg" /></a></div>
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Another header image for my upcoming Patreon page. Forgot to add this one last time. <b><i>Recovery Incorporated</i></b> - another story long in the making. Not as long as <b>Simon Brizdale</b>, but long enough. This one was originally commissioned for a british comics anthology magazine, but they ran into financial troubles early on. Not getting paid meant, for me anyways, not continuing to draw and submit the art for publication. I was pretty sad to see this project fall through and will be pretty happy to finally get it out into the world.<br />
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If you like Rene Russo's character from <u><i>The Thomas Crown Affair</i></u>, then you'll like this story. <b>Mia Raven</b> is very much like her character, but with a little more action added in. Kind of a mix of <u><i>Thomas Crown Affair</i></u> and <u><i>La Femme Nakita</i></u> (the original french version, thank you very much).<br />
<span id="goog_1277906373"></span><span id="goog_1277906374"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-84738585206738085472016-07-04T16:57:00.002-05:002016-07-06T22:01:09.197-05:00Patron stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Headers for the three stories I'm going to be starting out with on my upcoming Patreon site. More details to follow. First up:</div>
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<b><i>Simon Brizdale and the Gauntlet of Kings</i></b> - a fantasy adventure, my love letter to the stories I love, like Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Firefly, Lord of the Rings, Buckaroo Bonzai, The Rocketeer, etc...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PQLBWy684rlyFK_Hcvvy41bCvCFdvzcEaUb0ERwMMTfO3cNdrflciQ4sew26eiqsCTICfdDk45PnjBiuFOj5C7ahlyfWv8OY1NeIoa_oKEwq8LsM_wdNVgevlOlOTZ3fFXkO/s1600/Patreon_about_SB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PQLBWy684rlyFK_Hcvvy41bCvCFdvzcEaUb0ERwMMTfO3cNdrflciQ4sew26eiqsCTICfdDk45PnjBiuFOj5C7ahlyfWv8OY1NeIoa_oKEwq8LsM_wdNVgevlOlOTZ3fFXkO/s1600/Patreon_about_SB.jpg" /></a></div>
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Next:</div>
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<b><i>Bimbo</i></b> - an action superhero satire about a tomboy who gets unwanted powers and is forced to cope with the changes it forces in her life. The story takes a hard look at a lot of social codes we live by.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQqWzyalnHGAv1FOMiQhJ_MoPMPq2Ej6kY6TvfxwZjw71fng-Zvfz23pmExQAX4qPQ5OTh_EGeQ1lp_bLBNNANLqd2TNlOmhXKjd9fD3ObDpLlld2qF_vqwcLiFm4XY398ejh/s1600/Patreon_about_Bimbo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQqWzyalnHGAv1FOMiQhJ_MoPMPq2Ej6kY6TvfxwZjw71fng-Zvfz23pmExQAX4qPQ5OTh_EGeQ1lp_bLBNNANLqd2TNlOmhXKjd9fD3ObDpLlld2qF_vqwcLiFm4XY398ejh/s1600/Patreon_about_Bimbo.jpg" /></a></div>
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Third:</div>
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<b><i>ONE</i></b> - a modern drama about how we treat each other as human beings. My buddy Dean Deckard wrote this as a screenplay and I knew I had to adapt it into graphic novel form the instant I read it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhN4SK9GIJWACzptdagWgnCqOvcp-ksUKzdtOWiae7JObufQuCkYq_foOSCT0FVCfFhZJ3ZcBZLrnDTHF-d7h586vyTfMtVSRhXfcaDLvyHViLcIk4nmVtAS29beRP78K1xfj/s1600/Patreon_about_ONE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhN4SK9GIJWACzptdagWgnCqOvcp-ksUKzdtOWiae7JObufQuCkYq_foOSCT0FVCfFhZJ3ZcBZLrnDTHF-d7h586vyTfMtVSRhXfcaDLvyHViLcIk4nmVtAS29beRP78K1xfj/s1600/Patreon_about_ONE.jpg" /></a></div>
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I'll also be updating my website soon, using one of the newer sites that do all the heavy lifting for a person - I've spent too much time learning and relearning web design. No more. My blog will be incorporated into that site once I make the switch. Everything will be consolodated and more regularly updated once that happens. Yippie!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PQLBWy684rlyFK_Hcvvy41bCvCFdvzcEaUb0ERwMMTfO3cNdrflciQ4sew26eiqsCTICfdDk45PnjBiuFOj5C7ahlyfWv8OY1NeIoa_oKEwq8LsM_wdNVgevlOlOTZ3fFXkO/s1600/Patreon_about_SB.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-29209579238568333552015-08-16T21:39:00.001-05:002015-08-16T21:39:06.384-05:00Inks over Mignola<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>My inks over Mike Mignola's pencils. I think I could ink his work forever - so fun and so educational. I'll make a few changes digitally before coloring, but overall I'm satisfied with it at the moment. <br/>
<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jLvjUI98edI/VdFJSEqcIJI/AAAAAAAArNw/WvP5X6KajzM/s2560/1439779144108.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jLvjUI98edI/VdFJSEqcIJI/AAAAAAAArNw/WvP5X6KajzM/s350/1439779144108.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-56013397738904840632014-07-19T00:22:00.001-05:002014-07-19T00:22:02.934-05:00SAIL Magazine<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>My first illustration for the magazine just came out. It's for the monthly article "Voice Of Experience". Had a lot of fun doing this one (except for the all nighter and a half I had to pull to get it finished on time). I love the water, boats - everything that would make this a dream assignment. It's photoshop, start to finish. <br/>
Anywho, here's some process shots, ending with the published piece.<br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hLlXNLZzZoc/U8oAYsZfa1I/AAAAAAAAXys/K9tGib2WImY/s2560/1405747296318.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hLlXNLZzZoc/U8oAYsZfa1I/AAAAAAAAXys/K9tGib2WImY/s400/1405747296318.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5OG-JjOPeoE/U8oAZZ4uexI/AAAAAAAAXy0/8wpOTbv3ngU/s2560/1405747299171.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5OG-JjOPeoE/U8oAZZ4uexI/AAAAAAAAXy0/8wpOTbv3ngU/s400/1405747299171.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-niR3YHl4pdQ/U8oAaDuk5bI/AAAAAAAAXy8/jSA1q2vT0gA/s2560/1405747301834.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-niR3YHl4pdQ/U8oAaDuk5bI/AAAAAAAAXy8/jSA1q2vT0gA/s400/1405747301834.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wYpUOtQXuzk/U8oAa7hMIYI/AAAAAAAAXzA/OXAXyog82K4/s2560/1405747304484.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wYpUOtQXuzk/U8oAa7hMIYI/AAAAAAAAXzA/OXAXyog82K4/s400/1405747304484.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eo9biFURylY/U8oAbRSkqMI/AAAAAAAAXzI/sJLhlS4qQK0/s2560/1405747306832.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eo9biFURylY/U8oAbRSkqMI/AAAAAAAAXzI/sJLhlS4qQK0/s400/1405747306832.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T2dEuIWT4kU/U8oAb3VN9nI/AAAAAAAAXzU/Zesuh5TgYC4/s2560/1405747309097.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T2dEuIWT4kU/U8oAb3VN9nI/AAAAAAAAXzU/Zesuh5TgYC4/s400/1405747309097.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-A2302-0U5kQ/U8oActd_AKI/AAAAAAAAXzc/neCj6TRD5qI/s2560/1405747311657.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-A2302-0U5kQ/U8oActd_AKI/AAAAAAAAXzc/neCj6TRD5qI/s400/1405747311657.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mFZkEfU_7Co/U8oAdTJLcOI/AAAAAAAAXzk/amF7Xm_tpBQ/s2560/1405747314424.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mFZkEfU_7Co/U8oAdTJLcOI/AAAAAAAAXzk/amF7Xm_tpBQ/s400/1405747314424.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sL8KJ7BzrTM/U8oAeAaM6bI/AAAAAAAAXzs/egLz0vRXXjI/s2560/1405747317268.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sL8KJ7BzrTM/U8oAeAaM6bI/AAAAAAAAXzs/egLz0vRXXjI/s400/1405747317268.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/><p style='font-size: xx-small' align='right'>posted from <a href='https://market.android.com/details?id=pl.przemelek.android.blogger'>Bloggeroid</a></p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-31438102372358579962014-06-08T19:40:00.001-05:002014-06-08T19:40:34.455-05:00The Trusty UH-60<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Can't really share much of what I'm working on at the moment, but i figure a few ambiguous panels with no real context should be okay. <br/>
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<a href='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M12Da_JfVvE/U5UCfjMKI2I/AAAAAAAAWRg/CFz_0QBGiYM/s2560/1402274424926.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M12Da_JfVvE/U5UCfjMKI2I/AAAAAAAAWRg/CFz_0QBGiYM/s350/1402274424926.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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I wanted to share this one because of how much i love drawing UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Nostalgia to be sure. I spent an awful lot of time in these when i was in the army. I've jumped out of them at least 900 times or so (and other aircraft another couple hundred times), conducted sling load operations with them (where a buddy of mine damn near got crushed between a Hemmit - truck - and a Chinook - helicopter - ok, not a black hawk, but still), and been a part of massive air assault operations. <br/>
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I've seen them do some amazing things - things you wouldn't think them capable of doing. I've been on board them for several of these. I've actually experienced zero gravity in them. Truth! They can perform parabolic curves just like the vomit comet (the plane NASA uses to train astronauts on zero gravity effects). The Black Hawk's curves aren't as big, so the zero gravity effect lasts for a shorter time period, but i feel comfortable saying we could get twenty to thirty seconds worth. Enough time to tumble around in the back, doing flips, or watching a pal's coffee come out of his cup and float across the cabin in a giant blob (Dave Keres, I'm looking at you, buddy)! <br/>
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Even though zero g sounds like the coolest thing ever, i think the most amazing thing I've ever seen with Black Hawks is Air Assault operations. Being crammed in the back with two squads worth of infantry buddies and all our gear, looking out the windows and seeing twenty or thirty other Black Hawks flying in close proximity, with more infantry guys crammed in the backs, is a truly amazing sight. They're all bobbing up and down a little as they try to maintain their flight positions, heading en masse to a drop zone where they will all land, dump their cargo (us), and be off again inside of a minute, is awesome. It doesn't look as glamorous as seeing paratroopers jumping out the back of C-130s, but believe me, it's just as awesome. <br/>
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It takes a lot of skill for these pilots to fly in such closer proximity to each other - in the back, our lives are literally in their steady hands. <br/>
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The third coolest thing I've ever seen with Black Hawks (last one, I promise) is when they come in to land at night during combat (or simulated combat) conditions. They come in with no lights. I mean nothing. With the naked eye they might as well be invisible. What's so cool, however, is when you're wearing your night vision goggles. They suddenly look like something out of TRON. They've usually got one or two infrared strobes going and the rotor blades, which generate an incredible amount of static electricity, create a glowing ring around themselves. It's so science fiction looking. <br/>
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Maybe I'll have to recreate some of these as illustrations at some point. Sounds like fun. :-)<br/><p style='font-size: xx-small' align='right'>posted from <a href='https://market.android.com/details?id=pl.przemelek.android.blogger'>Bloggeroid</a></p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-43043896753036292022014-04-26T19:59:00.001-05:002014-04-26T19:59:40.712-05:00MERMAIDS! <div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Got hired to do the line art for a beer logo - the <b>Coronado Brewing Company</b>. Great job; loved doing it. Luckily they liked the results and I got to do a second one. Hopefully more will follow. Here's the first one, isolated from the rest of the beer label: <br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-i9pgFlkA800/U1xWXJ8omhI/AAAAAAAAUaU/EI9fhrFap7A/s2560/1398560347223.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-i9pgFlkA800/U1xWXJ8omhI/AAAAAAAAUaU/EI9fhrFap7A/s350/1398560347223.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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In the process of working up potential poses on the first one i decided it would be fun to do a series of them in more of an Alphonse Mucha type design. These are a few of the works in progress. I snapped pictures with my phone of the inks, pre-scanning, then added silly effects to them so they wouldn't be just black and white for posting on Facebook and Twitter. <br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JaidZClh-do/U1xWZXBKkQI/AAAAAAAAUac/NCJY7cEx4GY/s2560/1398560350175.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JaidZClh-do/U1xWZXBKkQI/AAAAAAAAUac/NCJY7cEx4GY/s350/1398560350175.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M_HrgjTv6fk/U1xWbwPy0XI/AAAAAAAAUak/sWJMhxR7Znw/s2560/1398560360263.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M_HrgjTv6fk/U1xWbwPy0XI/AAAAAAAAUak/sWJMhxR7Znw/s350/1398560360263.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z0RuXzvi7Tg/U1xWeb3zYPI/AAAAAAAAUas/UJQ3ezS9PRY/s2560/1398560369895.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z0RuXzvi7Tg/U1xWeb3zYPI/AAAAAAAAUas/UJQ3ezS9PRY/s350/1398560369895.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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I'll share the second beer logo once I know it's out on the shelves for everyone to see.<br/><p style='font-size: xx-small' align='right'>posted from <a href='https://market.android.com/details?id=pl.przemelek.android.blogger'>Bloggeroid</a></p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-68522757803260172452014-04-13T12:38:00.001-05:002014-04-13T12:38:37.601-05:00Graphic Novel frames<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Here's a few panels (pencils and/or inks) from a creator-owned graphic novel I'm pecking away at in between paying jobs. Written by my good friend and writing partner Dean, adapted and illustrated by me. <br/>
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<a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D19BSpn0uRA/U0rLhxOe7EI/AAAAAAAATyg/4TVJtRd3788/s2560/1397410689770.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D19BSpn0uRA/U0rLhxOe7EI/AAAAAAAATyg/4TVJtRd3788/s350/1397410689770.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XD74lyih18Y/U0rLj0owVGI/AAAAAAAATyo/beDynrXrlso/s2560/1397410698954.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XD74lyih18Y/U0rLj0owVGI/AAAAAAAATyo/beDynrXrlso/s350/1397410698954.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XHk66QiUjd8/U0rLmxIfKMI/AAAAAAAATyw/PzjHTv73lNI/s2560/1397410706584.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XHk66QiUjd8/U0rLmxIfKMI/AAAAAAAATyw/PzjHTv73lNI/s350/1397410706584.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
Much more on this to come in the future.<br/><p style='font-size: xx-small' align='right'>posted from <a href='https://market.android.com/details?id=pl.przemelek.android.blogger'>Bloggeroid</a></p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-82240920160845333152014-03-30T22:20:00.001-05:002014-03-30T22:20:53.383-05:00Something new! <div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>It's been too long since i updated the ol' blog, but I've moved into the 21st century (smartphone) so I'm trying something new. If this works then I'll be able to update things with much more ease, and not have it cut into work time. <br/>
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So one of the things I'm trying to do this year (and moving forward - however long it takes) is to finish all the unfinished pieces I've got lying around. There are a LOT of them. I was making some decent progress until i started getting busy, but no complaints - i like being busy. <br/>
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Anyway, these are a few shots i took with the camera on my phone. They're inks, pre scanning, that are a part of one of those unfinished projects. <br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CVVldwnbv6U/UzjezDcIQ2I/AAAAAAAATj0/fC5Cb6JxZ3w/s2560/1396235968629.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CVVldwnbv6U/UzjezDcIQ2I/AAAAAAAATj0/fC5Cb6JxZ3w/s288/1396235968629.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PByYXpTlFcU/Uzje5-ubBrI/AAAAAAAATj8/BPMu5_UZOtM/s2560/1396235996937.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PByYXpTlFcU/Uzje5-ubBrI/AAAAAAAATj8/BPMu5_UZOtM/s288/1396235996937.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5dX0CFD2JXg/Uzje9DGEybI/AAAAAAAATkE/aFiTNzAd9iw/s2560/1396236012802.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5dX0CFD2JXg/Uzje9DGEybI/AAAAAAAATkE/aFiTNzAd9iw/s288/1396236012802.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lQiqgBz9n_w/UzjfAg8Gs6I/AAAAAAAATkM/_UyRJSKzpIA/s2560/1396236025782.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lQiqgBz9n_w/UzjfAg8Gs6I/AAAAAAAATkM/_UyRJSKzpIA/s288/1396236025782.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
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<a href='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r2ObUvu36BA/UzjfD41hQKI/AAAAAAAATkU/M5GvJRBBm9I/s2560/1396236040222.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r2ObUvu36BA/UzjfD41hQKI/AAAAAAAATkU/M5GvJRBBm9I/s288/1396236040222.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 288px;'/></a><br/>
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By the way, if i posted these on the blog before, i apologize. It gets hard to remember, what with all the different social media outlets. This is the only set of images that might be a repeat though, so if it IS a repeat, this should be the only one. Happy drawing!<br/><p style='font-size: xx-small' align='right'>posted from <a href='https://market.android.com/details?id=pl.przemelek.android.blogger'>Bloggeroid</a></p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-31033646284422718352013-04-20T21:15:00.000-05:002013-04-22T11:05:32.735-05:00This Happened Just the Other DayMy wife and I were talking, so Siena wasn't getting what she wanted fast enough and started looking to get at it on her own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1PomC3a9PeV-cZJxXZUbS5TkhbGI8-gjEXssftDsV6G7bfA8jg9a8QmhSr0batdvNY2pXWT9DcX8IYg-ID7A3fjxRPXWwS4_djf5wZsrqHrdbiens7V9J1gKM2YyoGTs2oEZ/s1600/sketchbookScans039w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1PomC3a9PeV-cZJxXZUbS5TkhbGI8-gjEXssftDsV6G7bfA8jg9a8QmhSr0batdvNY2pXWT9DcX8IYg-ID7A3fjxRPXWwS4_djf5wZsrqHrdbiens7V9J1gKM2YyoGTs2oEZ/s400/sketchbookScans039w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I used Art and Abby from Business As UnUsual since they're more or less my conduit for chronicling my life. I guess this is a preview of the day when they actually have a kid of their own. For the record, there's no real effort at composition or anything going on here; I threw some quick color onto a scan from my sketchbook. Were I to finish it off I'd have the rest of their legs and chair at the very least.<br />
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Still, I thought it was funny enough to share. I'm finding parenting to be even more rewarding than I imagined it to be so far. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-37364839511471392122013-02-26T16:24:00.001-06:002013-02-26T16:24:03.767-06:00Hanna-Barbera does STAR WARSMore pieces for this month's theme - <i><b>Hanna-Barbera</b></i> - over on <b><a href="http://www.planet-pulp.com/" target="_blank">Planet Pulp</a></b>. Once I started doing some sketches of <i><b>Star Wars</b></i> characters in the <i>Hanna-Barbera</i> style I couldn't stop my brain from writing up little bits for each one. My brain proceeded to come up with more and more ideas until I finally had to force it to stop. I love <b><i>Star Wars</i></b>, I really do, but there are so many things about the franchise that just <i>beg</i> to be toyed with. As I type this, I suddenly realize that these remind me of the <b><i>Robot Chicken</i></b> <i>Star Wars</i> bits, which I love (obviously?). Anywho, here are the first two. More to come...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyfo4KZfbh0smshBI01k7h3MXIf1KSLnZrL9lEdRMC0SxgZFqiXmYSYPoRfncGdEJ_LkrM9RlxmodwfZUDIYYLyyVBdjquxncSAUNcp0fKT8pYS5xGZrUro75o85HOv1krpLy/s1600/HannaBarberaSTARWARS01w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyfo4KZfbh0smshBI01k7h3MXIf1KSLnZrL9lEdRMC0SxgZFqiXmYSYPoRfncGdEJ_LkrM9RlxmodwfZUDIYYLyyVBdjquxncSAUNcp0fKT8pYS5xGZrUro75o85HOv1krpLy/s400/HannaBarberaSTARWARS01w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbWcfIsRLphnsKYMz3OTfdHzNxYDbPiM3M5Zl8blCSaGCGuzV_In0PrOK9G8v5iNEBqPiLlIWKyEFgdxWsAWi7wG_X4LY9r_IWkN1d5tNzd4lHwHtsHPg2F3rvBFNL6szh2pT/s1600/HannaBarberaSTARWARS02w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbWcfIsRLphnsKYMz3OTfdHzNxYDbPiM3M5Zl8blCSaGCGuzV_In0PrOK9G8v5iNEBqPiLlIWKyEFgdxWsAWi7wG_X4LY9r_IWkN1d5tNzd4lHwHtsHPg2F3rvBFNL6szh2pT/s400/HannaBarberaSTARWARS02w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-37173869120855798472013-02-18T11:26:00.001-06:002013-02-18T11:26:41.070-06:00Back on the radar!So, yeah, I've been away for a bit. I wanted to avoid posting non-Troy art until the Troy poster was finished, but unfortunately I've been unable to get to it for quite awhile. I've either been working on paying gigs, <i>finding</i> paying gigs, or helping to raise my baby girl (who just turned 1 last week).<br />
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As much as I love realistic illustration, the market for it is small. I will continue to do realistic stuff for myself, but when it comes to getting paid for work I've turned towards a more energetic, cartoony style. Or styles, really. I love working this way but basically sucked at it for most of my life. It's taken a lot of practice and growth of my drawing ability to get moderately decent at it. Something finally clicked a few months ago though, and I've been sketching/drawing cartoony stuff every day for the last few months.<br />
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To that end, 2013 will be filled with those sketches/drawings/portfolio pieces. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the Troy piece this year, but making a living is my first priority, so I'll get to it when I have the time. Meanwhile, hopefully everyone likes this new stuff as well.<br />
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For anyone who likes my comic strip, <b><i>Business As UnUsual</i></b>, I'll be doing a lot more of those this year since it fits in perfectly with the cartoony style.<br />
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To start things off, here's a submission I just did for the current <a href="http://www.planet-pulp.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Planet-Pulp</i></b></a> theme: <b><i>Hanna-Barbera</i></b>. There are several different styles that can be associated with Hanna-Barbera, but the <i><b>Flintstones / Jetsons</b></i> look is the one I most associate with the brand, so that's what I went with. It also happens to make for the best contrast between the live action subject matter and their cartoon equivalent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2QU3p3RR9z-mdQEK_gc5DFAnqGsWk13QbWfGBBddOwAiBs6rCkcElU6pP5b77_8TlK2Q8VbnrpR1EIT3Z9HAQeBRtNzYh1a7IQzKpDvR_gS83Hj2UhtXr6bKQ7RTLy1MlAKP/s1600/HannaBarberaMATRIX01w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2QU3p3RR9z-mdQEK_gc5DFAnqGsWk13QbWfGBBddOwAiBs6rCkcElU6pP5b77_8TlK2Q8VbnrpR1EIT3Z9HAQeBRtNzYh1a7IQzKpDvR_gS83Hj2UhtXr6bKQ7RTLy1MlAKP/s400/HannaBarberaMATRIX01w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are some things I like about the Hanna-Barbera style, and I've learned some from working in the style, but there are a lot of things I would never do with my own work. The way they do/did male feet, for example. Ugh. Still, I had a blast doing this piece and I've got several <b><i>Star Wars</i></b> pieces to follow this one up, so keep an eye out for those.<br />
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Cheers!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-7730121534366519902012-09-13T13:10:00.001-05:002012-09-13T13:10:40.130-05:00Helen of Troy, part 2I don't think I thought enough about how much work the battle scene was going to be when I was laying this piece out, but you gotta do what you gotta do. You can't chicken out of doing the right thing just because it's hard, right?<br />
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So here's the first bit of progress on said battle scene.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6uP12WmKJGIaYcQ2uZxomjoNA1fedh_YA81NJEN4sQE5pxwtkyD9rUs4eOu2ZPJ5SJnG-Kok4giOUeowvhS80X1YOfMYmz8S2mXzTdsHGrm62pssXCbxj2k_Fl96ADZvXmf1/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP06w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6uP12WmKJGIaYcQ2uZxomjoNA1fedh_YA81NJEN4sQE5pxwtkyD9rUs4eOu2ZPJ5SJnG-Kok4giOUeowvhS80X1YOfMYmz8S2mXzTdsHGrm62pssXCbxj2k_Fl96ADZvXmf1/s640/HelenOfTROY_WIP06w.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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First thing you'll notice is that I've finished up Achilles's shield. I happen to have a letter opener that's Achilles's sword and shield, so I took pictures of it to use for the background bit. That was handy. Once I started working on the actual battle scene, which features Achilles's shield, I started to notice subtle differences between the full sized version used in the movie and my miniature. I'm not about to go back and make changes at this point though; those differences are pretty hard to notice unless you're up in its face and obsessing over details like I am when working on it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qHnS2CQo3rNujDlBQT22kbr2iJR3wFuYAtXE6YkRCrfeMu4i4hHXYCgAImOEA1Ind3KqUYfVQ7PnclRHom6yn10ZUtXFflR78LyWcn24SMFjZhDZUT09lIgnmq9T8Hsi8_Ng/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP07w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qHnS2CQo3rNujDlBQT22kbr2iJR3wFuYAtXE6YkRCrfeMu4i4hHXYCgAImOEA1Ind3KqUYfVQ7PnclRHom6yn10ZUtXFflR78LyWcn24SMFjZhDZUT09lIgnmq9T8Hsi8_Ng/s400/HelenOfTROY_WIP07w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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When I'm drawing something I have to decide, as I go, how much I want to do with my "pencil" brushes and what I want to leave for other "texture" brushes. In some cases I get carried away and do the textures as I go, like on Achilles's helmet and vest. For most things, though, I usually wait and do the textures once the "drawing" part of it is done. Achilles's shield looks awkward here because of this. Most of it is blank because I'll be coming back to it later.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvYh8Tsso1XmCZRN5UgezDD3IHFC9Ae1aNYjL9VSGU8Z92DRh6BN1s-E9kWCUH7TMIL_0QNu_Upoag3u0x6zQrzG_UnlgN1S0z2S1n81vpxTXTMbFPZ9NCn1xZmAxBPq26ZS_/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP08w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvYh8Tsso1XmCZRN5UgezDD3IHFC9Ae1aNYjL9VSGU8Z92DRh6BN1s-E9kWCUH7TMIL_0QNu_Upoag3u0x6zQrzG_UnlgN1S0z2S1n81vpxTXTMbFPZ9NCn1xZmAxBPq26ZS_/s400/HelenOfTROY_WIP08w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is another screen shot showing the image zoomed in to 100%. I think I mentioned this before: I usually work at 100%. I'll work at 50% sometimes, but nothing else really. Well, not entirely true. Every once in a blue moon I'll zoom in to 200 or 300 percent, but that's rare. I'm already crazy for working at 100%. It's just that the line quality suffers when you work zoomed out too far and my anal attentive nature won't let me do it. Hopefully you don't have this problem. :-)</div>
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I feel like there should be some kind of time lapse here because there were a LOT of hours between the previous image and the next one. For some reason I didn't save any process jpegs between that and this. Oh well. My master file was getting pretty big and unruly as I progressed on this part so I cropped my image, got rid of as many layers as I could, and saved the file as a different photoshop document. I save all the time, so when a file gets big and I have to wait while it saves the time lost adds up. Breaking off bits of an image to work on makes things flow much more easily. I'll combine all the bits and pieces later, once all the line work is done.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOR6eLn9coV17kKmcoz_KOgAjsTcte74Gkhy35_jthosMjUyGUyYVHv_PlLTDXX9VyEDVIWYHjTnAIo_bTT_b6bFLbBF9vFj5gGD93XnkpzU6jt6WlL5Vi-QGtlCqpcG_BYAE/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP09w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOR6eLn9coV17kKmcoz_KOgAjsTcte74Gkhy35_jthosMjUyGUyYVHv_PlLTDXX9VyEDVIWYHjTnAIo_bTT_b6bFLbBF9vFj5gGD93XnkpzU6jt6WlL5Vi-QGtlCqpcG_BYAE/s400/HelenOfTROY_WIP09w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, yeah. After a LOT of work - did I stress the LOT bit enough? I doubt it - a LOT of work, the battle scene is done. Holy Moses I mush have some screws loose in my head. </div>
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As it stands the two major figures don't stand out as much as they should, but that's where color will become king. If I were only going to have this as a black and white piece I would have done some things differently, like having more blacks surrounding the main figures to help the pop, but since this is for color it's fine the way it is. It's good to know where you're going with a piece - to have a vision - because it helps you make the best decisions along the way. </div>
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Of course things never turn out exactly as you imagine, so even with the best pre-planning you end up having to make adjustments. That's part of what makes the journey of creating artwork so much fun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGDIhtY8PgGx2SxtJJWo84f1aFLa0cXZZbUrm4HXA9J5SA6kw_3h4w1QPXSD4hOmcQ0M9O-2RD5BXpk6PALOVK7LjKF2-uYqvZPKM1uQaNVt41BHBOOmq0uFE__apgUINzZDXCQ/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP10w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGDIhtY8PgGx2SxtJJWo84f1aFLa0cXZZbUrm4HXA9J5SA6kw_3h4w1QPXSD4hOmcQ0M9O-2RD5BXpk6PALOVK7LjKF2-uYqvZPKM1uQaNVt41BHBOOmq0uFE__apgUINzZDXCQ/s400/HelenOfTROY_WIP10w.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
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You'll notice a lot of "splatter" here. There will be a lot in the final image, not limited to the battle scene, but it's always kept on its own layer so I can manage it as needed. Sometimes you have to get rid of it in faces because it can become too distracting. Hector's sword is a perfect example of a place where I cleaned it up. There's no splatter there at all. I want that sword to really pop. It's surrounded by textures and grey tones, so having it perfectly clean makes for a nice contrast. Once it gets blood on it, it should REALLY pop.</div>
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Anyway, the splatter draws a lot of attention to itself right now but, by the time it's done, it should blend in and just exist as a part of the overall texture. To end this segment of progress, here's another shot zoomed in to 100%. You can really ge a sense for some of the textures and the detail, or lack of details, in the background figures. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKud0Lc5PU3OMgdJSqFOjiEEKFKzu3-810wbyzG7hR9IiATnKuQ5tMAahfhPcwSU9DBdNZGux4hDcpnQBgidtXclEltOh0MPlQQa4Pb00p4N5Ev4hE1K9aC4DKjEp4lpWSzPaF/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP11w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKud0Lc5PU3OMgdJSqFOjiEEKFKzu3-810wbyzG7hR9IiATnKuQ5tMAahfhPcwSU9DBdNZGux4hDcpnQBgidtXclEltOh0MPlQQa4Pb00p4N5Ev4hE1K9aC4DKjEp4lpWSzPaF/s400/HelenOfTROY_WIP11w.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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Now to finish up the remaining portraits and move on to color. Hope you're enjoying the sharing of process as much as I'm enjoying creating the piece! Cheers.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-50373149037153038482012-09-05T09:05:00.001-05:002012-09-15T23:16:48.919-05:00Helen of TROY, part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9d_JhO_q2J9LgUM3hu2GEVmKNZ2AptoDmutgVBOodNsWeqy2-BV39ORs_N-HPXreeB6Gdp-vStS4YKj_4Vlq2DHx8iYYmD0ZKueEHN2EvC0_IKUgV3eoYD6Wh_wdQUxlwOmMLA/s1600/HelenOfTROY_PPw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9d_JhO_q2J9LgUM3hu2GEVmKNZ2AptoDmutgVBOodNsWeqy2-BV39ORs_N-HPXreeB6Gdp-vStS4YKj_4Vlq2DHx8iYYmD0ZKueEHN2EvC0_IKUgV3eoYD6Wh_wdQUxlwOmMLA/s640/HelenOfTROY_PPw.jpg" width="419" /></a></div>
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This is a piece I'm working on for an updated portfolio. Also for <a href="http://www.planet-pulp.com/" target="_blank">Planet Pulp's</a> recent theme "Femme Fatale". Above is the version that just made it into the month's theme, but it's far from done. Far, far from done, as you'll see here if you choose.<br />
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I loved the movie TROY, especially the director's cut (except for the change in music when Hector and Achilles fought - bad, bad choice). Still, I loved the idea of removing the gods from the ancient tale and leaving behind a story more plausible in nature. It explores the brutality of war, the loss and sorrow it leaves in its wake. So, when the theme came up on Planet Pulp I took the opportunity to make a piece of fan art.<br />
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Turns out it's the most ambitious piece I've ever done. I sort of knew it would be but it exceeded those expectations. By a long shot. I figured, then, it would be fun to share my progress as it comes together. The hours I've spent on this already is a little crazy. It's got to be close to 80 at this point and I'm not even half done. The finished poster will be 27x40 inches - movie poster size. To view a print of it any smaller would be a shame because I'd lose so much of the detail I've gotten into the piece.<br />
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Anyway, on to those details.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBf9ht9S-JTmIA2a2z0QfrLHJp3qsH73oGTIsNntmg9vObmKMhqoSqEX9r4Pok0bHdLsyEEdjUmx5Zg812piD6tFq4Ow7NGAHsgrnIzxbtKov-CyIL9doapKmf1QKp8kWp5Opr/s1600/HelenOfTROY_layoutW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBf9ht9S-JTmIA2a2z0QfrLHJp3qsH73oGTIsNntmg9vObmKMhqoSqEX9r4Pok0bHdLsyEEdjUmx5Zg812piD6tFq4Ow7NGAHsgrnIzxbtKov-CyIL9doapKmf1QKp8kWp5Opr/s640/HelenOfTROY_layoutW.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The Femme Fatale theme was a perfect fit for the vision I've always had in my head for my take on a movie poster for the film. Helen is the focal point around which the story takes place, so she should be the center of attention. All of the violence and death happened because of her willingness to flee her husband for another man. I wanted to represent this by having her umbrellaed over the rest of the imagery. Achilles gets a spot outside of Helen because, in the film, he goes there for his own, personal reasons. So with this idea you play around until you find a layout that works. I would love to have more of the violence in there but it needs to have portraits of the other key players. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Most movie stars have clauses in their contracts requiring their portrait on a poster be at least as big as anyone else's. That's why so many of the posters these days are just floating heads of the same size. It gets boring really fast when posters are made with such restrictions. Luckily I'm not bound by any of that for a piece of fan art. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">So now that the layout is set, it's on to the rendering. This piece is 100% digital, created in Photoshop CS5. I use a lot of custom brushes; half of them I make and the other half I get from various places, although some of my favorites come from Chris Wahl. He's got some of the brushes he made on his blog. Get 'em <a href="http://chriswahlartbrushes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a> if you like.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTpmfII8ECDYDWnWyz0wzQRyWMAovU8u2FjIOme98V7zeL0MT6Y_eSMzxBTUNTBrM0-4LIaiOnDi0nBUVyugl9ADXGRBlUc4TEBcGa5P5j2jNv7NWBsPedsCu8UOvXUDLZc-q/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTpmfII8ECDYDWnWyz0wzQRyWMAovU8u2FjIOme98V7zeL0MT6Y_eSMzxBTUNTBrM0-4LIaiOnDi0nBUVyugl9ADXGRBlUc4TEBcGa5P5j2jNv7NWBsPedsCu8UOvXUDLZc-q/s640/HelenOfTROY_WIP01.jpg" width="448" /></a></div>
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So. Helen. I figure why not start off with the portrait of a beautiful woman. It's where I want the viewer's eye to start anyways. The face is done here but that's about it. In the next shot you'll see that the hair and head band have been finished off.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLM9rRIKYXnqor6-9cQxAuytHZGK45eGSN6umYB9yiBOS0rJBKIuEVKFV_wRPHD838YR29-hV74vwTcshzzOH9kwH2eG2g_FW00bx6HFufG9fFWzJ_2ljk8MBvjFyuESVP8XlY/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP02w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLM9rRIKYXnqor6-9cQxAuytHZGK45eGSN6umYB9yiBOS0rJBKIuEVKFV_wRPHD838YR29-hV74vwTcshzzOH9kwH2eG2g_FW00bx6HFufG9fFWzJ_2ljk8MBvjFyuESVP8XlY/s640/HelenOfTROY_WIP02w.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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I've also added an under-color to the whole piece. Working on a non-white canvas allows you to pick and choose the spots on a piece that will be white. This is important because it will give the piece a tighter sense of focus. In a photography class in college, a teacher taught us that every good picture - we're talking black and white here, although I feel it applies to color as well - should have black blacks, white whites, and a plethora of grays in between. There doesn't have to be a lot of black or white, but it needs the two extremes to be a balanced piece that includes the entire spectrum of value. This is what a non-white canvas gives you: the ability to spot whites as well as blacks, making sure that you've got that full range of values.</div>
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So, in photoshop, I've got a layer for my line work, a layer under that for the grey tones, a layer under that for the whites, and a layer under that for the base canvas color. I try to keep these elements separate so that the piece is more editable as I get further down the line. It's pretty frustrating when you have to spend valuable time towards the end of a job using the lasso tool to grab stuff that wouldn't taken two seconds if you'd just kept it on it's own layer back in the beginning. I've learned this the hard way, trust me.</div>
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Yes, I use photographs as reference. Closely. I use them as a starting point, tracing the outline of the face and features. From there I use the photos as a reference, setting it up on my second monitor to look at while I finish off that part of the finished piece. I also make changes, as necessary, to fit my design and end goal, and to make those changes, and finish off any given portrait, is where the real skill comes in. That's what art school was for, learning anatomy, form, perspective, etc... You learn to interpret real, three dimensional life into a two dimensional piece of work. As Drew Struzan said on his making of the Hellboy poster DVD "<b id="internal-source-marker_0.4013396995142102" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">artists are hopefully not just drawing what they see but what they understand"</span></span></b>.</div>
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I grew up with <a href="http://www.drewstruzan.com/" target="_blank">Drew Struzan's</a> movie posters. His style was ingrained in my brain before I even had a clue what any of that was. His ability to accurately capture likenesses is unparalleled. I mention Drew because he also uses photography to capture likenesses quickly and efficiently. Before computers, artists would use a projector, the most popular of which was the "artograph" to project a photo down onto a piece of paper. With a computer you simply have your image on one layer and draw on top of it on another layer. It's very efficient. But as I mentioned before, you use that as a starting point, getting the features correct (for likeness purposes), then move it to the side. The "tracing" is one, small starting step in a long process. Just wanted to be honest and clear about that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jF5Y3bX5QocUCNyqJaDf1zVBlq8BOYHT6lfVPo_HMMU4IeYljbFKDECJBhgUkfQWLaRc0YNESsB_OHwfLL9eaibTYT67Eq0beFJJlK55eAKk_-h4XQyLYe1Uad-w1Bvtqipi/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP03w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jF5Y3bX5QocUCNyqJaDf1zVBlq8BOYHT6lfVPo_HMMU4IeYljbFKDECJBhgUkfQWLaRc0YNESsB_OHwfLL9eaibTYT67Eq0beFJJlK55eAKk_-h4XQyLYe1Uad-w1Bvtqipi/s640/HelenOfTROY_WIP03w.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Now I've tweaked the canvas color, whitened Helen's dress, and started on Achilles and his shield. I must have spent four to five hours just on the hairs in Achilles's helmet. Serious. I think I must be a little crazy sometimes. But the effort is worth it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1DjN1GWX1L708SdFiuPD8mkns976iUcnR-q6IO9bbLAfqsRW3Mn2QCUFJnxOprQFPYSxgXTFH-VUN0QnEpFhNhUpBfiWpOJQbAlyL-ZK9VyA351Si6MtRIfck3-EQQ-QPQL2/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP04w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1DjN1GWX1L708SdFiuPD8mkns976iUcnR-q6IO9bbLAfqsRW3Mn2QCUFJnxOprQFPYSxgXTFH-VUN0QnEpFhNhUpBfiWpOJQbAlyL-ZK9VyA351Si6MtRIfck3-EQQ-QPQL2/s640/HelenOfTROY_WIP04w.jpg" width="438" /></a></div>
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Last bit: a look at the actual size of the piece. This a screen shot of photoshop with the piece zoomed in to 100%. I tend to work at 50% or 100%. The lines come out more accurately that way. I find that if you draw zoomed further out the slightest wiggle gets exaggerated too much for my tastes when you zoom back in. I use a couple of different brushes for doing the line work then let lose and play once it comes to the grey tones and textures. A few good brushes can make a lot of complicated textures that look really complicated with relative ease.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFnzQxSnQV9Bkh6jKAfyIPNdk8D2MaIE68s4-0gUeeEp0902IwTilGnztA-MH3hYzU2oe0r7C5fR1YD3Pjij5thm-HRtxwpA-kWI02AZSgGmAHvjhnxvRTzUGQ6VSzWzcwI5t/s1600/HelenOfTROY_WIP05w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFnzQxSnQV9Bkh6jKAfyIPNdk8D2MaIE68s4-0gUeeEp0902IwTilGnztA-MH3hYzU2oe0r7C5fR1YD3Pjij5thm-HRtxwpA-kWI02AZSgGmAHvjhnxvRTzUGQ6VSzWzcwI5t/s400/HelenOfTROY_WIP05w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Okay, thats it for part one. More very soon. Cheers!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-11454012937579664622012-06-16T22:02:00.004-05:002012-06-16T22:02:43.833-05:00Mustache Month!!That's right!! It's Mustache Month over @ Planet Pulp. If you haven't already perused the stache-y goodness, head on over there and let it tickle your... fancy. http://www.planet-pulp.com/<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFfPbuNzss2lT4QFHkJh4oTfdyVn0dTw4IRUEBvyq0DHmIkGu_LHZt2Sd22vATpbDKxXpzNcZxRB9x7kfgVwxkcr1M7Pjn5VGlSRmcGNqU_yHVgN_tpHxj24EI_5TGhQlUE2n/s1600/magnumPI_penick_web2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFfPbuNzss2lT4QFHkJh4oTfdyVn0dTw4IRUEBvyq0DHmIkGu_LHZt2Sd22vATpbDKxXpzNcZxRB9x7kfgVwxkcr1M7Pjn5VGlSRmcGNqU_yHVgN_tpHxj24EI_5TGhQlUE2n/s640/magnumPI_penick_web2.jpg" width="324" /></a></div>
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I HAD to do this one. Anyone who knows me knows that I had to do Magnum. I mean I thought someone else would beat me to it, but nope. I got lucky. I even watched a few episodes while I drew this. :-)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-87353768614518421892012-05-20T23:57:00.001-05:002012-05-21T16:55:14.519-05:007 Minutes of Storytelling Perfection<b>Pirates of the Caribbean</b>. The trilogy are some of my favorite films. No, they're not perfect, but they're as fun as it gets. The films are rich with character and charm and that's largely due to director <b>Gore Verbinski</b>, one of my favorites. He has a knack for finding the small character moments and letting them play out, giving his films a quirky personality that I love.<br />
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I'm taking a look at the 2 opening sequences of <b>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest</b> with this post. If you want to be a writer, a comic book artist and/or storyboard artist, or both, <b>this</b> is the kind of thought and care you should put into your work. I believe strongly that comic books can have the same kind of care and detail, although you'll rarely see it in American comics. Want proof it can be done? Read <b>AKIRA</b>. It's very cinematic in it's visual approach and is, hands down, my favorite comic book ever. I personally take a very cinematic approach to my comic book storytelling. Old school comic book artists will tell you that's not the ideal approach. They'll preach about more variety in your camera angles, leading the eye through a page more overtly, and the ability to break the 180Ëš rule that you can't break in films. What's the 180Ëš rule? Try <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/180_degree_rule">this</a>.<br />
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My personal belief is that you can do <i>all</i> of those things while still taking a primarily cinematic approach to your storytelling. There is one important side effect of this however: length. Stack the volumes of AKIRA on top of one another. It's big. <i>Really big</i>. And while the story <b><i>is</i></b> epic, it really isn't that much more complicated than any 2 part movie, like Pirates of the Caribbean, part's 2 and 3. It's the cinematic approach that gives it such length, taking time to have real beats, allow you to involve more of your senses than just sight (in your head at least), and let's the characters, and the pacing, breathe.<br />
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So what do I mean by <b>cinematic approach</b>? Most comic books are written in an extremely efficient manner, especially these days with writers going to all lengths to control the flow of information. They tend to write panel by panel, describing what happens in a given panel and the dialogue that goes with it. That's all fine and good if the writer also happens to be an expert in visual storytelling, but most aren't. That's why writers and directors are most often different people. Sorry, writers, but it's just the truth. That's okay though. The writer should be spending his or her time concentrating on character and plot, not the shot by shot visuals. But I digress.<br />
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Most comic books are written to fit within a given number of issues, usually 4 to 6 issues, with typically between 4 and 7 panels per page. That usually means squeezing a lot of story into a relatively small number of images. The writer <i>and</i> artist are forced to condense, condense, condense. Yes, films to do and they often suffer because of it, but films have the advantage of <i>moving</i> images and music. In one shot you can show someone looking up, then shocked, then pan the camera up to reveal what has shocked them. This requires either multiple images in a comic book, or one image that condenses all of that information. The vast majority of the time comics go the later route, and <b><i>that's</i></b> where they lose any sense of a cinematic approach. I would much prefer to tell that same bit of story with the first option. Using multiple images you gain a <b><i>huge</i></b> amount of control over the pacing of your story, allowing you to breathe more life and personality into it. Granted, you should know how to do both, giving yourself the maximum number of tricks in your toolbox.<br />
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So while I love great comic books and the art within them, and study them at length, I spend even more time studying movies and the visual pacing in them. Those serve as a much larger influence for me when it comes to writing and telling stories visually, regardless of the medium. I'll delve into this with examples at a later date.<br />
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Enough blathering. Here's the play by play, 7 minutes of perfect storytelling:<br />
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We start on black, hearing the slow, deep beats of a heart. The movie centers around Davy Jones and his heart, so not even these first few frames of blackness and the titles are wasted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUukJrqib0_tU9FpXM8vvNicYFcH6sxOA6s3JbScyaGYo8sq8W5-LPIg-IkKQqKFcqIFl5-eFmiyy5I57XkryH5npF-QtbhzxgXN7sE-cbL_dX0x4PkYdQFN1OYAG2CsNFCuoR/s1600/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUukJrqib0_tU9FpXM8vvNicYFcH6sxOA6s3JbScyaGYo8sq8W5-LPIg-IkKQqKFcqIFl5-eFmiyy5I57XkryH5npF-QtbhzxgXN7sE-cbL_dX0x4PkYdQFN1OYAG2CsNFCuoR/s400/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fade out, fade in. Begin a montage cram-packed with information, all vital to the plot of the film. There's a basic rule in visual storytelling: show, don't tell. It's inevitable that you'll have to delve into the barrel of exposition at some point, so avoid it as much as possible. Better to reveal information with visuals - action visuals - instead of with talking heads and voice overs. And "action" doesn't necessarily mean fighting, running, driving, and explosions. It simply means "doing". Show people in the process of "doing", not talking about doing. Then, when it comes time to talk, you can spend more time exploring character and motivation, giving your story the balance that's necessary to all great stories.<br />
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Anyway, back to the breakdown. Most stories start with some sort of happiness. You set the scene, showing what counts as "normal" in your world, and then throw a wrench into the works. Granted, Dead Man's Chest has an entire prequel to help with this, but the film still manages to accomplishes all of this with the first shot: a beautiful image of fine china under a deluge of rain.<br />
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Fine china: something nice, something formal was taking place. The rain, however, has interrupted the event. It is also a symbol that something is wrong, out of place. It's a preamble to the <b><i>real</i></b> interruption that's coming.<br />
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So <b><i>who</i></b> is this all happening to: <b>Elizabeth Swann</b>. In only two shots we've established something nice, a wrench thrown into the works, and who it's happening to.<br />
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And now we start getting into the details.<br />
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Lord Cutler Beckett.<br />
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I love this shot. It's not just a guy being brought ashore by his soldiers, it's a guy being brought ashore <i><b>ON A HORSE</b></i> by his soldiers. It's so audacious, but it also implies <i>immediately</i> that this is a person of power; it very effectively delivers a lot of information with minimal amount of time wasted.<br />
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The <b>East India Trading Company</b>. This is a logo that will be repeated over and over in the coming scenes, helping plant the idea of this company and what it represents without the need to waste time talking about it. <b><i>That's</i></b> effective use of visuals for informational purposes.<br />
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Port Royale.<br />
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British soldiers. <b>Redcoats</b>, under the command of the mysterious man on his horse.<br />
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A reveal: the interrupted formal affair? Elizabeth Swann's wedding.<br />
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And now, as Lord Cutler Beckett's feet appear in the foreground, we finally get to see our protagonist and antagonist meet.<br />
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Redcoats storm Port Royale, breaking down doors.<br />
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And when we finally see them enter a set of doors it's a familiar location: the blacksmith's shop where Will Turner works, established in the first movie. To ensure we remember where we are we get a shot of the donkey, a key source of levity during the first fight between Will Turner and Jack Sparrow.<br />
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Will Turner in irons, escorted by the Redcoats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpEQUvj-CP7j4gOEWchlFMFOrUTf5C7RXVU0bnvh4zAIBJ6T4Vrq_3RgIpScjkMMvmxaqpnFdAnrE0vARwwVQUKfy9O9JzQZ_M9dJe5k5_dMVCQ09v5XTr_ylGj3hcgHA5Frx/s1600/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpEQUvj-CP7j4gOEWchlFMFOrUTf5C7RXVU0bnvh4zAIBJ6T4Vrq_3RgIpScjkMMvmxaqpnFdAnrE0vARwwVQUKfy9O9JzQZ_M9dJe5k5_dMVCQ09v5XTr_ylGj3hcgHA5Frx/s400/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz029.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Elizabeth and Will brought together under the monkey-wrenched situation.<br />
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Elizabeth smiles, joking quietly. "I think it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride on the wedding day." The line is exposition, no doubt, used to reinforce the visuals we've seen so far. Still, the exposition is camouflaged by being heartfelt and character centric, reestablishing Elizabeth's ability to find humor in the face of adversity. This was meant to be a special day, and what event could more effectively communicate a special day than a wedding? It's the ultimate symbol of happiness and joy. It also shows the natural progression of our returning heroes, Elizabeth and Will.<br />
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<b>Governor Weatherby Swann</b>, Elizabeth's father.<br />
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With his arrival we not only reestablish his character but also place a figure of authority into the scene to help reinforce the predicament our heroes will find themselves in.<br />
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And, finally, <b>Lord Cutler Beckett</b> finally gets a face and a name as Governor Swann reads the warrant handed to him.<br />
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Everything up to this point has been to establish the inequality of power in the situation. It also firmly introduces our antagonist for the next two films. Governor Swann, naturally, will try to counter this, only to learn just <b><i>how</i></b> out of balance the power is. Beckett, now a Lord, holds "the arrest warrant for one William Turner." Swann reads the paper and responds, incredulous. "This is a warrant for Elizabeth Swann."<br />
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Beckett, in a great moment of character, replies in his deadpan way. "Oh is it? That's annoying. My mistake. Arrest her."<br />
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This is great because, knowing we're now stuck with exposition, the writers make the scene fun, unfolding it in a less-than-straightforward manner. What we <i>think</i> is a warrant for Will Turner is <i>actually</i> a warrant for Liz. It's not just one of our heroes in trouble, it's two of them. And it gets worse.<br />
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The warrant for Will Turner is produced and then another for <b>James Norrington</b>, a character we haven't seen yet, but due to his mention here can count on seeing later. Governor Swann dismisses the thought of Norrington by replying that "he resigned his commission some months ago." Maybe we think that's why we won't see him again, but no, it's so that when we <b><i>do</i></b> see him again it's not completely out of left field. It also, very efficiently, gives you enough information to know that Norrington <i>might</i> just have <i>his own</i> motivations later in the story. Set up, set up, set up! And while the viewer might not take all this in on a conscious level, it's still there, swimming around in your brain, just waiting for more information to help it connect the dots.<br />
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Governor Swann continues to read the charges. "Conspiring to set free a man who has committed crimes against the crown and empire and condemned to death, for which the pun..." Swann trails off in horror. He looks to Lord Beckett, who steps up and finishes the charge, cementing his complete control of the situation. "For which the punishment, regrettably, is also death."<br />
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What's genius about having Beckett finish the line is that our attention is <b>on Beckett</b>, the <i><b>source</b></i> of <i>all our heroes' misery</i>, as he exerts complete control. The verbal information we've received has been thoroughly reinforced by showing the storming of Port Royale, the incarceration of our protagonists, and by having the focus on Beckett as he drives home the gravity of their situation.<br />
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Lord Beckett steps up to William Turner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYa0Gdrv8qCNXcPNXEGTJgT56m9-MOypEECBwRLkI6W3xaBiAhzGpJIlyPchZlGW1OBHRQrZMp_cqkHi5Y5NTPhiewtVvU_yNeL_smoBQXKfywQgMFKsU_GBCWKChkeWMDyuY5/s1600/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYa0Gdrv8qCNXcPNXEGTJgT56m9-MOypEECBwRLkI6W3xaBiAhzGpJIlyPchZlGW1OBHRQrZMp_cqkHi5Y5NTPhiewtVvU_yNeL_smoBQXKfywQgMFKsU_GBCWKChkeWMDyuY5/s400/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz050.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Having Beckett step up to Will is fantastic foreshadowing because it's so subtle. Once we come back from our reintroduction to Jack Sparrow we will learn that the <i>reason</i> Beckett has shown such a display of power is because he <b><i>wants</i></b> something, and he wants <b><i>Will</i></b> to get it for him. There's no better position to be in, when you want something, than to be holding all the cards. This is what will drive Will's motivations throughout the story and it's perfectly incapsulated in this one shot.<br />
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Face to face, Beckett segues us to our next sequence. "Perhaps you remember a certain pirate by the name of Jack Sparrow?"<br />
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Cut to: a set of rigging lines and a voice chanting an old pirate's poem: "Fifty men on a Dead Man's Chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum."<br />
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The camera tilts down to reveal - and reintroduce us to - <b>Gibbs</b>, Jack's (more or less) First Mate. Rum in hand.<br />
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I love this because you would expect us to cut straight to Jack Sparrow himself but instead we get Gibbs. So where's Jack? That's exactly what we're <i><b>meant</b></i> to ask and once again we're brought into a scene with our interest piqued.<br />
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Birds fly overhead and the camera follows them as they fly past, revealing a new, creepy looking location.<br />
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The first scene is played out to ominous music and after a brief lull during the talky bits, it continues through to this scene.<br />
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We cut in close and understand very quickly that this is not a nice place. Men in chains, men in cages, some dead, the crows feasting on their remains. This whole bit is cast in sickly yellows.<br />
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Down at the waterline some of the prison guards throw coffins into the sea. Men come here to die and once they do they're buried at sea. The camera follows as coffins are thrown into the rocky surf. The camera follows one of them as it drifts out to sea.<br />
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Fade to: a shot of the cloudy sky. The camera tilts down to reveal several of the coffins adrift on a calm sea.<br />
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Using a landscape shot, or a setting shot, is a great way to indicate a change of location and/or a passage of time. The sky can tell us it's a different time of day, or the leaves on the tress the season. Rain, snow, the moon, or sun, or just the location itself. So many things to use, all of them a break from the people we've been focused on before.<br />
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A crow lands on one of the coffins. It pecks at the coffin lid. The music has died off, as have the sounds of the ocean. All is quiet except for the crow's pecking. This is allowed to continue for a moment, lingering juuuuusst long enough for us to be taken off guard when...<br />
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... <i><b>BLAM!!</b></i> A shot rings out, obliterating the crow. Certainly running counter to expectations (more on that in a second).<br />
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And then, through the hole, comes a hand holding a pistol. In a great example of personification, the pistol looks around as if <b><i>it</i></b> can see whether or not the coast is clear. Impossible and yet it works, yielding the humorous and quirky effect we expect when dealing with Jack Sparrow.<br />
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And speaking of Jack, out he pops as his musical theme queues up.<br />
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The first movie introduces us to Jack in one of the best character introductions I've ever seen: Jack, standing tall and proud atop the center mast of his ship. Heroic to be sure. Or so we thought. The camera tilts and pans to reveal that his ship is almost completely sunk. He's standing atop the rigging <b><i>not</i></b> because he's on top of the world but because he <i><b>has no choice</b></i>. It lets the audience know right away that we dealing with something truly different, that this movie, and this character, will consistently defy expectations. It's fun and it's brilliant.<br />
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Our reintroduction to the character here is almost as good, having him pop out of a coffin at sea and using a leg of the dead man within to row his way back to his ship, where (as previously established) our good man Gibbs is waiting.<br />
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But <i><b>first</b></i> Jack takes the time to put on his hat. It was established in the first film just how much he loves his hat and effects but it's reinforced here and it's important. Fairly soon we'll see him lose his hat and choose <b>not</b> to retrieve it, something his crew understands to be <i><b>truly</b></i> out of character. It will show just how afraid Jack is and how desperate he is to get to land. That scene really works because the storytellers take the time <i><b>here</b></i> to remind us of Jack's infatuation with his hat. Again: set up, set up set up!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KH6ZlRim1nMVIIrJVCVF3FVQJasMnKaE62_8f6rxJsBXjG8UckFgiij0ugNQTviyG3qOoybzO-Hu-AyFMhKo-cwJjQ9viiLsq6FTj0pMk6CPLanlfwWn4AYvO-eyYp8tmJIK/s1600/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KH6ZlRim1nMVIIrJVCVF3FVQJasMnKaE62_8f6rxJsBXjG8UckFgiij0ugNQTviyG3qOoybzO-Hu-AyFMhKo-cwJjQ9viiLsq6FTj0pMk6CPLanlfwWn4AYvO-eyYp8tmJIK/s400/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz071.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, to finish off the second sequence, we see Gibbs's hand ready to assist Jack aboard ship, but instead of Jack's hand... <br />
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... we get the corpse leg.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IxiUqFn97gqucvQXNRGJgChtIHqU4Stx9omJKAxHjZCxx300gTK3Y9PSLOWgj010KxbqBPt_LBYd2o4WrLv9QjUl8CQgwMdALNrMR9BUFEsFRzSmBkjkFN2Hi3KFbRKI204R/s1600/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IxiUqFn97gqucvQXNRGJgChtIHqU4Stx9omJKAxHjZCxx300gTK3Y9PSLOWgj010KxbqBPt_LBYd2o4WrLv9QjUl8CQgwMdALNrMR9BUFEsFRzSmBkjkFN2Hi3KFbRKI204R/s400/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz074.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Not important by any means but a moment of that trademark quirkiness I love about Gore Verbinski's work. Jack climbs aboard and Gibbs, looking at the leg, says, "Not <i>exactly</i> according to plan."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggT0012U8yoSGkQAm6i3KnfkGR1Gnn7lH64kJlUUHpYHccn_05UGnV_B2GKNdzcLPWY0FCGxoxihp65NudQ6cZZ0Rfxs3RMQiASu8sAIYAHg-9XMbne2tMh-Sz7FgU-o5y7wnc/s1600/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggT0012U8yoSGkQAm6i3KnfkGR1Gnn7lH64kJlUUHpYHccn_05UGnV_B2GKNdzcLPWY0FCGxoxihp65NudQ6cZZ0Rfxs3RMQiASu8sAIYAHg-9XMbne2tMh-Sz7FgU-o5y7wnc/s400/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz075.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Jack: "Complications arose, ensued, were overcome." Typical Jack.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6zv-V9JS1WctWVPJ43JCjbwU_OUxdmUEA0w8nGh09lvf8YkXTPRKOM2sZPaARHAsnD8xdtK3_ynKg-X5w-iV5o97rdduMzzUsoa_HH_P3MrizvamiTe9SPworH4XvPb2FyCd/s1600/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6zv-V9JS1WctWVPJ43JCjbwU_OUxdmUEA0w8nGh09lvf8YkXTPRKOM2sZPaARHAsnD8xdtK3_ynKg-X5w-iV5o97rdduMzzUsoa_HH_P3MrizvamiTe9SPworH4XvPb2FyCd/s400/MPlayer+OSX+ExtendedScreenSnapz076.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Gibbs asks if he got what he went in for and with that we're off to setting up the motivations for Jack's story arc.<br />
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The next sequence will establish Beckett's interests, Will's motivations, Whetherby's and Elizabeth's too, all of which set our protagonists against one another. And how great for our antagonist that he can turn the heroes against one another. Norrington and his desires will only complicate matters once he comes into the picture.<br />
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To me, this is what makes good writing/storytelling great: delivering the unexpected, doing it efficiently, minding the balance between plot and character, and always staying three steps ahead of your audience. Know your story inside and out and take the time to lay the groundwork early for what comes later.<br />
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Anywho, the two opening sequences of <b>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest</b>. Not a wasted shot. It's clean, efficient storytelling - everything full of meaning and consequence - and yet it doesn't feel rushed or confusing. It reintroduces all of our heroes as well as our villain, has fun defying your expectations while doing it, and does it all in 7 minutes.<br />
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Oh, and one last thing: even though he's not in the opening sequences of the film, I can't talk about PotC: DMC without mentioning my favorite villain ever: <b>Davy Jones</b>. Weta threw down on ILM with the work they did on Gollum for the Lord of the Rings films but ILM, grabbing themselves by the bootstraps and hauling themselves back up, gave us Davy Jones and his crew. Well, them and <b>Bill Nighy</b>. For my two cents: Best. Performance. Ever.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-499456421622306282012-04-20T22:15:00.000-05:002012-04-20T22:15:12.044-05:00"This... is a violation... of... my personal... space!"Commission I just finished for a friend, in his giant sketchbook that starts out with a painting of Superman by Steve Rude (gulp). Talk about pressure. Hopefully I brought my A game and made something worth looking at. Now to color it...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzax7QGwekiBweQoTqOfOG7RveKq-Ybh77SCeGS7qdKSrJ0vid4F9JEGHFi6LE_ZIj2dBF4ACPnNIcJCmJHBL1shSb-DDoNuEdBA9b3KwkN2P5axjGGD3YaQ2cdvdc6xz9nC9/s1600/Hellboy_tentacles1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzax7QGwekiBweQoTqOfOG7RveKq-Ybh77SCeGS7qdKSrJ0vid4F9JEGHFi6LE_ZIj2dBF4ACPnNIcJCmJHBL1shSb-DDoNuEdBA9b3KwkN2P5axjGGD3YaQ2cdvdc6xz9nC9/s400/Hellboy_tentacles1b.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-30048303861376419882012-04-20T22:06:00.001-05:002012-04-20T22:06:09.272-05:00Recovery Incorporated teaser pagesSince RECOVERY INCORPORATED is up for sale, found <a href="http://graphicly.com/lux-comics">here</a>, I thought I'd share some pages. These are the first five pages of the story:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vwkhuGrqxIFRKQhB-Xqu4DcV_t9gQ5aw2uqqsv93D1XZbgiHilOjQSiKBsksx9C5o11xRh67sZpvnAsPkyxHRwq6otFuyH5ajBqIhkZ_mid4hqNhfvChN47yl_GPOCANNVlG/s1600/RI01001Cw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vwkhuGrqxIFRKQhB-Xqu4DcV_t9gQ5aw2uqqsv93D1XZbgiHilOjQSiKBsksx9C5o11xRh67sZpvnAsPkyxHRwq6otFuyH5ajBqIhkZ_mid4hqNhfvChN47yl_GPOCANNVlG/s400/RI01001Cw.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNP799EdZFmO-wICZSbFw1kgMHVWw9wggva1rGcCa4OIKDTgG8CFcm_tZ0thEro0zV7Q1STY9Xp6ySsSffwvImmAX7fGdO1pgm0STq-lmyU-HYJJoEVqn-w0EU8zd6_06UbQ2/s1600/RI01002Cw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNP799EdZFmO-wICZSbFw1kgMHVWw9wggva1rGcCa4OIKDTgG8CFcm_tZ0thEro0zV7Q1STY9Xp6ySsSffwvImmAX7fGdO1pgm0STq-lmyU-HYJJoEVqn-w0EU8zd6_06UbQ2/s400/RI01002Cw.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHq5dIDSbRktexIN1_TdGuTaelmuH5e-M0u4fIOlAurdDTDv95xFRNKMrpmkzdS7JhKZHBodUy3WmaQRmZfj3v0TmvDlaikrzCvpEk7M0nhIUcpfwVfDOUDF5kPmYc7ZqGGJ0/s1600/RI01003Caltw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHq5dIDSbRktexIN1_TdGuTaelmuH5e-M0u4fIOlAurdDTDv95xFRNKMrpmkzdS7JhKZHBodUy3WmaQRmZfj3v0TmvDlaikrzCvpEk7M0nhIUcpfwVfDOUDF5kPmYc7ZqGGJ0/s400/RI01003Caltw.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6G1jqPtil08rpGi-ZGr4m3pWlk1dZXTQAD2HityYzGko8CfGcQ3q1tYvQtwm6SHWa3yK6yh25FZath1IJPA0bva7cXOVkbkd10O5fsc6b6nNC1a9Vv6qb-R1PvOjNXBM6w5q/s1600/RI01004Cw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6G1jqPtil08rpGi-ZGr4m3pWlk1dZXTQAD2HityYzGko8CfGcQ3q1tYvQtwm6SHWa3yK6yh25FZath1IJPA0bva7cXOVkbkd10O5fsc6b6nNC1a9Vv6qb-R1PvOjNXBM6w5q/s400/RI01004Cw.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJQ1GHo9Pl3ETE_7SNh_J1XLSeU1upaX6WpfYv8h0O7bRBTcouaTb6fMnERvJeGByBcbGoAkmu-Y1gYpsxdZ3BCiCt3FnVGaMQCq1dy_8Jo1pFCCdpnUveQF8vksbG1-9yJks/s1600/RI01005Cw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJQ1GHo9Pl3ETE_7SNh_J1XLSeU1upaX6WpfYv8h0O7bRBTcouaTb6fMnERvJeGByBcbGoAkmu-Y1gYpsxdZ3BCiCt3FnVGaMQCq1dy_8Jo1pFCCdpnUveQF8vksbG1-9yJks/s400/RI01005Cw.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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And to show that it's not all cliched action, here are a few other pages just to show more of the scope:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFUO3uO-sX_RBDCIL0znvyW9pW4twyE4Q-2J_jtuxehUHGPDQMb6dVF6tU4ppQnKbtfNKeBK1TKJdlguiUJlYl-AHxMCOa-a6qC46BBAH5_y_NOeiVtWIpsv5iQh-zBKyopcR/s1600/RI01009_final_w2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFUO3uO-sX_RBDCIL0znvyW9pW4twyE4Q-2J_jtuxehUHGPDQMb6dVF6tU4ppQnKbtfNKeBK1TKJdlguiUJlYl-AHxMCOa-a6qC46BBAH5_y_NOeiVtWIpsv5iQh-zBKyopcR/s400/RI01009_final_w2.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWO_vSZQE9mnSGWTHVBGXaORiAWy_GJe_nfqIX8zrCYwFU2DKV_h6WJwte4oRzQfqKXu-Y_jzPzOgCkRhuAjhUoziER09dxe2qeTOhUM8P-uk9QfvDXgrswHkAcWVJBC2H4Ti/s1600/RI01011_colorW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWO_vSZQE9mnSGWTHVBGXaORiAWy_GJe_nfqIX8zrCYwFU2DKV_h6WJwte4oRzQfqKXu-Y_jzPzOgCkRhuAjhUoziER09dxe2qeTOhUM8P-uk9QfvDXgrswHkAcWVJBC2H4Ti/s400/RI01011_colorW.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zJs6DH-gJM82DYM9Yb6Mg-FWdfAZK2CjerZNTUFZDDkZM_3loYW6UgkuB1pKnopIHR4w0R03vvzcB0-L5CPFTE59jbBT6M2KcBNOtaxWQxagmKc_L3I3h_3VfKaSLOnIaypB/s1600/RI01014_MAGAZINE_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zJs6DH-gJM82DYM9Yb6Mg-FWdfAZK2CjerZNTUFZDDkZM_3loYW6UgkuB1pKnopIHR4w0R03vvzcB0-L5CPFTE59jbBT6M2KcBNOtaxWQxagmKc_L3I3h_3VfKaSLOnIaypB/s400/RI01014_MAGAZINE_web.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIg6sApOwJ3a-jqwQEbVZA_ZWm_Breh2Dum0ObuTGMGmxCYn8r17WlPRBUpmchaQyA4uiGRdMJAewO52jPj8Y6W8CISCjZeBZUjeTIyDiz9uZ_z6J5qbeoyDlUrd3VsZa9_Mi/s1600/RI01022_colorW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIg6sApOwJ3a-jqwQEbVZA_ZWm_Breh2Dum0ObuTGMGmxCYn8r17WlPRBUpmchaQyA4uiGRdMJAewO52jPj8Y6W8CISCjZeBZUjeTIyDiz9uZ_z6J5qbeoyDlUrd3VsZa9_Mi/s400/RI01022_colorW.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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The first issue is all set up for the action sequence that follows (which is the entire second issue). For those in the UK, you'll see this in the pages of STRIP Magazine UK, starting up (again) in issue 7.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-41539802535574715192012-04-13T23:26:00.001-05:002012-04-13T23:26:55.630-05:00Black WidowDid this not too long ago. I guess I'm looking forward to the Avengers Movie.<br />
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Pencils - well I SAY pencils but they're done digitally, so maybe I should say "penicls". I do most of my prep work digitally these days; the computer allows for so much edit-ability that it's hard to go back to old school pencils. The pistol was rendered from Google Sketchup. Again, it's just too easy. Why make a job hard if it doesn't have to be? So, anyway...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSg183b-kifWui_Ep_hMljMi8R5XnFW9Dog-5i_SzpXLHO2UoqC2zuWfQsrApZVbIrvn49HYJQ7WQCEKr-HWoVEDkPgP4knptKkHSPL3oEq8GFT0Pbw_CNtIz6KVU7IXj2fEWbA/s1600/BlackWidow1_pencilsW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSg183b-kifWui_Ep_hMljMi8R5XnFW9Dog-5i_SzpXLHO2UoqC2zuWfQsrApZVbIrvn49HYJQ7WQCEKr-HWoVEDkPgP4knptKkHSPL3oEq8GFT0Pbw_CNtIz6KVU7IXj2fEWbA/s640/BlackWidow1_pencilsW.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Inks - Black Widow is printed in a non-photo blue ink on 500 series bristol board and inked old school. The Avengers A was done in Photoshop (it's just too easy that way). I've been using brushes for a long time now so I thought it would be fun to try something different on this one, using mostly pens:</div>
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And finally the colors. Playing with textures and channeling late era Bernie Fuchs, keeping everything low contrast and dark except for the warm area where the focus of the piece should be. I probably could have spent more time on the face but I was putting other, paying work to the side to do this little experiment so I had to keep the time commitment to a minimum. I'm pretty happy with the results nonetheless. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-49975732349230529662012-04-13T23:09:00.002-05:002012-04-13T23:10:12.711-05:00LUX Comics premiere issue!!Do you like beautiful, strong, charismatic women who can be sexy with class? Do you like women with deep, rich histories and complex interpersonal relationships? Do you like it when those women are the lead characters in action dramas? Do you like movies like The Thomas Crown Affair, the Jason Bourne trilogy, or the original La Femme Nikita? Then RECOVERY INCORPORATED should be right up your alley!<br />
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My first creator-owned title, RECOVERY INCORPORATED: Another Day At The Office (part 1of 4) is now on sale through Graphicly.com. Here's the link:<br />
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http://graphicly.com/lux-comics/recovery-incorporated/1<br />
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Give it a chance, I dare you! I beg you! I highly recommend it! You'll thank me later. I'll thank YOU later. :-)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOe4_2yKIpaO5t3cwxeX9cu8yCsfXFZl5o_X36V6VTa3wHk7T6O20KpTHpnruT9pmo6YFBvP0MY5lXWaujrU6BfIGuVVHoiuJdKjpDsA4N7zsImrRllcdOraFN4y_5B4wed2jO/s1600/RI_cover01_colorW2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOe4_2yKIpaO5t3cwxeX9cu8yCsfXFZl5o_X36V6VTa3wHk7T6O20KpTHpnruT9pmo6YFBvP0MY5lXWaujrU6BfIGuVVHoiuJdKjpDsA4N7zsImrRllcdOraFN4y_5B4wed2jO/s640/RI_cover01_colorW2.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
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And LUX Comics, by the way, is the imprint Dean and I created for our creator-owned titles. Just so you know.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-81527604744448543412012-03-01T00:42:00.001-06:002012-03-01T00:44:19.580-06:00The Many Faces of the Changing TableElena and I had our first child, Siena Catherine, on Valentine's Day. The first two weeks of her life have been an absolute joy for me. My wife is a rock and Siena is an angle. Happily I've got tons of work to do and I'm enjoying the struggle to get it done and play dad at the same time. It's a happy problem.<br />
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I'm not going to post many pictures here but I thought this one was a good one. Siena really lights up when we put her on the changing table. She's usually just woken up, has been recently removed from her swaddling gown (or whatever it's called) and she's letting lose. It's my favorite part of the day, despite the dirty diapers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUPEk8FylN04P-Fo0MOS5HyCYsdUOVRCaq4xcpX0Bi5sekj5cLIw885euVMsby7Wh3eqc0WVzevhcqlWEm3pWFWe6YUzkFSsm_1GjwjESeUVjnJlXJqMg49S8G6CqBot-Xhxy/s1600/faces01w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUPEk8FylN04P-Fo0MOS5HyCYsdUOVRCaq4xcpX0Bi5sekj5cLIw885euVMsby7Wh3eqc0WVzevhcqlWEm3pWFWe6YUzkFSsm_1GjwjESeUVjnJlXJqMg49S8G6CqBot-Xhxy/s1600/faces01w.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-81682933349166112862012-02-01T22:19:00.002-06:002012-02-01T22:19:57.595-06:00Art Dump!With all the social media outlets these days it's hard to keep up with them all, but I think it's time to go back to making my blog my main source of sharing. Other social media sites can be too distracting; the blog keeps things focused on stuff going out, not coming in. I've got a ton of work to do this year so the focus will help.<br />
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And we're having a baby in a couple of weeks, so that should add to the need for focus. So here are a bunch of sketches and stuff that I've put up on DeviantArt but not here.<br />
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I got a nice watercolor block and decided to do a series of Hellboy watercolors on them. Here are the first two. I like the less saturated colors on the second better I think.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynrOkZSIQve9tQI8NcHEMaTPZvrT9-Rv1-UVHg4iC5a9g3RsTUt-RtJ6tXFMyIFhyVN4mq726NfqUUyY7KnPweaFQfOSxhyphenhyphenbBL86-61cdkRbjNnPande1iDnwVsBKL6pB76rO/s1600/BPRD_square1_colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynrOkZSIQve9tQI8NcHEMaTPZvrT9-Rv1-UVHg4iC5a9g3RsTUt-RtJ6tXFMyIFhyVN4mq726NfqUUyY7KnPweaFQfOSxhyphenhyphenbBL86-61cdkRbjNnPande1iDnwVsBKL6pB76rO/s400/BPRD_square1_colors.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKYYoDojKNBdGakdrGyA5iFjpnTBiN1lblFvMzRIIp1FQmCc6UDdDtZX6D-eFDvP3IoYEhWi9C4RLxrIk6mPNoH7swVXX-2HtWyRrVeMf6guWhxD72wZj5ogpW23AG968k2nI/s1600/BPRD_square2w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKYYoDojKNBdGakdrGyA5iFjpnTBiN1lblFvMzRIIp1FQmCc6UDdDtZX6D-eFDvP3IoYEhWi9C4RLxrIk6mPNoH7swVXX-2HtWyRrVeMf6guWhxD72wZj5ogpW23AG968k2nI/s400/BPRD_square2w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a sketch of Storm, from the X-Men. I had been looking at a bunch of Chris Sanders drawings before doing this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZVSanIAxtpMSiwEjq-vgqq3MP-CSRBJY-XLnjiQomasVNv5Jyb30d4BtfSAoCb-8CFFXmc_SjLkACN7I1O4pDpnoEClRYO-xNDWvA67UNpHFpN8jENrP0YomaUQpGrQ9LreN/s1600/PP02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZVSanIAxtpMSiwEjq-vgqq3MP-CSRBJY-XLnjiQomasVNv5Jyb30d4BtfSAoCb-8CFFXmc_SjLkACN7I1O4pDpnoEClRYO-xNDWvA67UNpHFpN8jENrP0YomaUQpGrQ9LreN/s400/PP02.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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Let me tell you, drawing in a Chris Sanders style is a lot harder than it looks. I thought this Vampirella sketch might turn out okay but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should stick to a more normal approach. Hats off to you, Chris, for making what you do look so easy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1rS9raOpMzldNE1n6_B29nhEn-SEI2f0jHWpC1UAkOeNCg8Xy-c7Gfcmv1lIZqUTrA2dZi8UqOi67zYXo4XX4mCwkdf05Uq7JpKvUzdNIwQJXn1aIt6-C70LhJ2eKV7YOTlD/s1600/PP03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1rS9raOpMzldNE1n6_B29nhEn-SEI2f0jHWpC1UAkOeNCg8Xy-c7Gfcmv1lIZqUTrA2dZi8UqOi67zYXo4XX4mCwkdf05Uq7JpKvUzdNIwQJXn1aIt6-C70LhJ2eKV7YOTlD/s400/PP03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here are a couple of 5x7 inch sketches, more my style. I like Anakin still but not Ventress Asajj so much. That's the curse of most artists, not liking what they do very much. Time passes and all our mistakes become obvious to us.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d3YVGedJN6xo1zIIOSOID3M1P_EJnqU9uSLmbMx_EMUMLDiDVDuJV7C4TGq2Ekj5EM2Ae6x3TooXXt1zMFSMgg6YUuefG8CQJFXdsSyV_2fL6LAJ_P_Yrj4bP3eJ-k0Of7IF/s1600/anakin_asajj_w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d3YVGedJN6xo1zIIOSOID3M1P_EJnqU9uSLmbMx_EMUMLDiDVDuJV7C4TGq2Ekj5EM2Ae6x3TooXXt1zMFSMgg6YUuefG8CQJFXdsSyV_2fL6LAJ_P_Yrj4bP3eJ-k0Of7IF/s400/anakin_asajj_w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next up: a series of commissions. I should try and do more of them but it's hard to keep up with them, mail them, etc... Still, I'm happy with the entire bunch here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1iZFYA_EZQpoarwIR6PzL_VGcDxzm6QKEk5Yiu4nKensTo4CTGH-QvNIHd1gD7o2SukN3c4y9iFoGjy238gOKT0TuC2aGaLRz-B1v5YRjhxqHKAlB-gw7t4dzhzFe59VFABo/s1600/blackcat2Wgrey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1iZFYA_EZQpoarwIR6PzL_VGcDxzm6QKEk5Yiu4nKensTo4CTGH-QvNIHd1gD7o2SukN3c4y9iFoGjy238gOKT0TuC2aGaLRz-B1v5YRjhxqHKAlB-gw7t4dzhzFe59VFABo/s400/blackcat2Wgrey.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrS-ktgcl9pPC8YHsTh72LmGJx9efFg8oBSuW8cK7nEG0t3_Z-fROAUZ8IKk1FdAEuJAfCn5GxcaTzRU8PO2SrZXe-GrCONfPuygrgM8GnXb8POsAn1_vbnNQq3834Y0iWfVy/s1600/rogue2Wbw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrS-ktgcl9pPC8YHsTh72LmGJx9efFg8oBSuW8cK7nEG0t3_Z-fROAUZ8IKk1FdAEuJAfCn5GxcaTzRU8PO2SrZXe-GrCONfPuygrgM8GnXb8POsAn1_vbnNQq3834Y0iWfVy/s400/rogue2Wbw.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqiPxhgVmLRiGNykzHZNz_Utn3qlE7JFQ67pPsQ2_BQyW4kOMfIfGLMz8C-B3YQcMlagQQb3IAl5JFjtQ62XZk4Y4nr6tWrcP4yv873BpOFLUgUfFUUQK0vc4OLtBplzYpotw/s1600/whitequeen1w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqiPxhgVmLRiGNykzHZNz_Utn3qlE7JFQ67pPsQ2_BQyW4kOMfIfGLMz8C-B3YQcMlagQQb3IAl5JFjtQ62XZk4Y4nr6tWrcP4yv873BpOFLUgUfFUUQK0vc4OLtBplzYpotw/s400/whitequeen1w.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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This one is Dream's sister Death, from the Vertigo comic line. Sandman was a great comic written by Neil Gaimen and Death was easily one of the best characters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqzAkoehszEAYPoNRhe9KMBYqmSx__6krvWk52SZLK_HwqQgU4QGK7mb83ALo0wLLP6WNPhahjABIm15j2wiC28sXbhH_88QcbUqfc6q7ctniog9KzsZKuh5r6d8B7cSVUQdL/s1600/death01w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqzAkoehszEAYPoNRhe9KMBYqmSx__6krvWk52SZLK_HwqQgU4QGK7mb83ALo0wLLP6WNPhahjABIm15j2wiC28sXbhH_88QcbUqfc6q7ctniog9KzsZKuh5r6d8B7cSVUQdL/s400/death01w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This one was pretty popular on DeviantArt so I added some color.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5epNEzfkGTdIdwkTB4a7PMbg2hQMfb7P_QQGhwL1qh6HOe3ZQzOv6vmtXZHXeKkPI-dvNDqryson2_6KU5tGJ1CpE5GV1qQ319O_BGPfN_Njayfr0t8MtlkGErAsQzAgFr-Gi/s1600/dreamSISTER_colorW2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5epNEzfkGTdIdwkTB4a7PMbg2hQMfb7P_QQGhwL1qh6HOe3ZQzOv6vmtXZHXeKkPI-dvNDqryson2_6KU5tGJ1CpE5GV1qQ319O_BGPfN_Njayfr0t8MtlkGErAsQzAgFr-Gi/s400/dreamSISTER_colorW2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A few months ago I started contributing to the website/blog <b>Planet Pulp</b>, found <a href="http://www.planet-pulp.com/">here</a>. It's one of my favorite websites because of the diversity of subject matter and diversity of art showcased. It's really fun and worth following if you don't already.</div>
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The theme here was our favorite Sitcoms. <b>Better Off Ted</b> was only around for two half seasons (which should be a crime) but it easily became one of my favorite shows during its short run. This one was a lot of fun to do.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_Aeki6M2kgH7_Ki1EkTvyiyxyJNMgq9iXAT6VR9dl_hI4DeLOXTCayzE2CjgHkOV3Cint6BV1Dj0M9zipaH7Nq-RsEOR_JsJXN4HbrF_Mirdzm3tlx0EOB7PWDhi7msTc9uM/s1600/BetterOffTed_finishedpieces_WIP1w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_Aeki6M2kgH7_Ki1EkTvyiyxyJNMgq9iXAT6VR9dl_hI4DeLOXTCayzE2CjgHkOV3Cint6BV1Dj0M9zipaH7Nq-RsEOR_JsJXN4HbrF_Mirdzm3tlx0EOB7PWDhi7msTc9uM/s400/BetterOffTed_finishedpieces_WIP1w.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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And now to end this post with a piece not shared anywhere else. I did some sketches awhile back that I still like so I decided to add some color to them. I love <b>The Clone Wars</b> animated television series. I feel like it has all the fun of Star Wars without all the family drama. Call it a guilty pleasure.</div>
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I would love to do some real, official Star Wars art at some point, especially if it centers around this show.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_fCMsWByKY8_vfSVt8dDQYQW5M2EGB_yBpQU9Hvn-xDMUQGWe7M0bmCvoypGFQ4kON2yJulUEkux9hG7rWR-URbS5WRcQ9FibyadzTP7MtFol9lsEZ8lR3gGzECiiEJcLly5/s1600/CloneWars01w1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_fCMsWByKY8_vfSVt8dDQYQW5M2EGB_yBpQU9Hvn-xDMUQGWe7M0bmCvoypGFQ4kON2yJulUEkux9hG7rWR-URbS5WRcQ9FibyadzTP7MtFol9lsEZ8lR3gGzECiiEJcLly5/s400/CloneWars01w1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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Okay, back to work! For me. Not you. Unless you should be working.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-38082364913203620102012-01-10T10:02:00.002-06:002012-01-12T14:46:27.047-06:00Remembering Childhood Pranks<br />
I just finished chapter 2 of the <b>Steve Jobs</b> biography and as interesting as Steve Jobs is, I have to say, I find Steve Wozniak endlessly more interesting. And funny. I guess I just identify with Woz more; I laughed so much during this chapter, reading about some of their pranks.<br />
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I love pranks. I grew up in Alabama and didn't have any of the tech type skills that Jobs and Wozniak had, but I had the same penchant for pranks.<br />
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I remember that a friend and I figured out one time that you could call a flower shop and order flowers for one person and have the bill sent to another person's address. I find it hard to believe that it could work but I remember specifically picking a delivery address on my street and we were <i>floored</i> when the flower truck <i>actually showed up</i>!! We laughed ourselves silly because we knew that 1) the person receiving the flowers would have no idea why they were being delivered, 2) they wouldn't know the person they were from (most likely), and 3) the person getting billed would be so confused and pissed when the bill showed up. Hahahaha, that was fun. We did it a few more times but it got boring because we never really got to see, firsthand, the results.<br />
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Then there was the X-Lax gum incident, where a girl in our class dared my friend Lewis and I to replace the gum in a Chick-lets package with X-Lax gum. They looked exactly the same. We were dared so we had to go through with it (no 'man' could shy away from a real dare). We were so gleeful, meticulously opening the Chick-lets gum package, discovering that the X-Lax gum <i>really did</i> look exactly like the Chick-lets gum, and then replacing them and resealing the package.<br />
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Then we gave the devious pack of gum away on the bus, to a kid named Bailey. We offered it up and a few kids declined. We, of course, had real Chick-lets gum to help sell the idea that we had gum to give away. Bailey took the gum and Lewis and I hunkered down in our seat, laughing our asses off. <i>We did it!</i> We would peak our heads up every few minutes to see Bailey chewing, renewing our laughter fest. Then we looked up and he wasn't chewing anymore. That was unexpected. We asked him what he had done with the gum. We were still chewing our own, so we were afraid he had thrown it out. He answered "I swallowed it" and our jaws must have dropped. <i>Oh my god!</i> This was turning out even better than anticipated.<br />
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Well, Bailey wasn't on the bus the next morning. We thought that was funny. Not as funny as the day before, but funny. Then, close to lunch time at school, I got called out into the hallway where the principal was standing with Bailey's mother and all the other boys from the bus. My amusement turned to utter fear. <i>I was in big trouble!</i> Bailey didn't really know us so I guess he couldn't name us specifically as the culprits. The other boys were cool enough not to rat us out, so there we all were, standing in the hallway, getting lectured about the dangers of laxatives. Bailey had been shitting his brains out all night. He was going to be okay but what we did was very dangerous. I felt really bad but couldn't believe we had gotten away with it! My parents would have <i>killed</i> me if they had found out.<br />
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A couple of days later, on a Saturday morning, I pulled my bike out of the garage in order to ride to a friend's house. I noticed a bunch of older kids hanging out on their own bikes down by my mailbox. That was strange. The mailbox was on the left side of the driveway - the direction I needed to go in. Instinctively I turned right instead. Most of them followed, calling out to me in angry tones. <i>Uh-oh. </i>Luckily I had a ten speed, which was fast. Most of them were on dirt bikes. I liked speed too, so I was comfortable flying around corners on my bike. I took the long way to my friend Ron's house. A couple of the guys had gone another route to try and cut me off but I was going so fast I beat them to the cut-off corner. I flew into the driveway and back yard of Ron's house, my adrenaline pumping hard. I didn't know exactly why, but these older boys were out to give me a beating. From the safety of Ron's back yard I asked why they wanted to beat the snot out of me. They said I had tried to give the X-Lax gum to one of the guy's younger sister. I denied it, big time, but they were right. I had. I had to watch my back for a few months after that. I guess that was my first real lesson in tactical paranoia, hahaha, something the infantry would later teach me much more about.<br />
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There were so many other pranks. Relentless calls to radio stations requesting the dumbest songs, ring and runs, firecracker pranks, rotten eggs in mailboxes, flaming poo, etc... We tried to get our school bus to overturn once. That one took coordination but, surprisingly, the kids were game.<br />
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There was a particular turn on our bus route where the two adjoining streets were both going downhill. It felt, everyday, that the bus was really listing as we turned that corner, so we got all the kids to jump from the uphill side of the bus to the downhill side of the bus right as the bus reached its peak point of listing. It didn't work but to this day I can't believe we actually convinced a busload of kids to actually try this. The bus driver was pissed, obviously, but that was nothing new.<br />
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My friend James and I rigged my house with fishing wire a couple of times, putting taught lines of it from furniture to furniture, cabinets to cabinets, etc... in the dead of night so that when my parents or sister got up they would walk right into them unexpectedly.<br />
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My friend Steve and I got to go to a Commercial Art competition in high school along with another classmate, Jason. The three of us were put up in a hotel room in Ft. Worth, Texas. Jason stayed out later than Steve and I so we moved all the furniture around, turning the sofa on end and placing it just inside the door to the room. We put toothpaste on the bottom of the door handle so that when Jason showed up he would get toothpaste all over his hand. That really distracted him. We could hear him through the door, hahaha. "What the hell?" Then the door opens - it's so dark in hotel rooms when you've got the curtains closed and the lights off - and Jason walks right into the upturned sofa. Bam. <br />
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I almost got hospitalized from one of the firecracker pranks, or rather the <i>repercussions</i> of the particular prank. We thought it would be really funny to throw a string of lit firecrackers on top of a passing car, so we did. The car had a couple of older high school kids in it and it scared the hell out of them when the string of firecrackers started going off right over their heads. We laughed ourselves silly. About fifteen minutes later that same car came down the street again. We were so caught up in our own mischief, wanting to throw another string of firecrackers on top of the same car, that we didn't even <i>think</i> about them having any. The car goes by, I throw our string of firecrackers, and didn't notice the giant M80 the guy threw out the car window at me. By the time I <i>did</i> notice it, it was too late. It went off right by my side and tore me up pretty good. I had a slight burn scar on that side for a few years. It must not have been quite as close as I thought it was, because if it had been a couple of inches closer I'm sure it would have done some major damage.<br />
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My life eventually took me to New York City and Chicago, two cities that I love dearly. The more liberal mind set suits me. Looking back, though, I have to say, growing up in Alabama was a lot of fun and I treasure the experience and what the place had to offer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433754969047411027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27903269.post-27334834554133946662011-10-27T18:16:00.002-05:002011-10-27T18:16:38.227-05:00How to THINK you're getting work done without actually getting any work doneI love Google SketchUp. Seriously. Some purists might consider it a cheat, but I don't. I think it's using another tool to help the comic book artist. Our job is already one of the most difficult jobs there is in the storytelling world (we're the actors, the directors, the cinematographers, the editors, the set designers, the concept designers, the continuity person, etc...). Utilizing whatever tools you can to help is just smart business to me.<br />
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Anyway, I'm no 3D wiz, but I can stumble my way around SketchUp okay and I continue to learn how to be more efficient when making my models. Regardless, it's a time suck to be sure. My hope, however, is that by making models of locations that I'll come back to over and over, I save time in the long run. Oh, how I hope. Anyway, below are a few of the models I've put together for RECOVERY INCORPORATED.<br />
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This first batch is Mia's home, a penthouse loft on the upper east side of Manhattan. I built the building but cobbled together most of the other parts using all of the awesome models you can find on Google's 3D Warehouse. Mia's pad is a pretty cool place, indicative of the lifestyle she leads. It's large and open, accessible only through the regular elevator, the service elevator, and the stair well. Only her closest friends and family know the code to access the penthouse floor. The biggest part of the loft penthouse is devoted to her own in-home dojo, decked out with all the proper equipment. And to contrast that physical part of her life? A zen garden in her bedroom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcj6XK9PmH-NCSOYBp5VjSfRJhbZhwhOtSEmANOcrdw_2L8Xk1uOuFPyXR7H4pHFpNbLjWMq6DgZ9MWSJyyMWQUxEbAonw08fHK0PxPZDH-ZXb0d0dwQRf0NwxBPR4ntmkM4H/s1600/RIloft_skup801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcj6XK9PmH-NCSOYBp5VjSfRJhbZhwhOtSEmANOcrdw_2L8Xk1uOuFPyXR7H4pHFpNbLjWMq6DgZ9MWSJyyMWQUxEbAonw08fHK0PxPZDH-ZXb0d0dwQRf0NwxBPR4ntmkM4H/s400/RIloft_skup801.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8gIjRRV2jT6q3qNAIjc_faO1TYQs6r9jXBsFs4in7nZGX4ZTvpnNvUvqOy_e3i89liiAXBf68XpWFDPQoLBQox0nnssl6r6yWn6-LQF6TJ-czzDIXS4tOhzaGVVcUoEL6-yS/s1600/RIloft_skup803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8gIjRRV2jT6q3qNAIjc_faO1TYQs6r9jXBsFs4in7nZGX4ZTvpnNvUvqOy_e3i89liiAXBf68XpWFDPQoLBQox0nnssl6r6yWn6-LQF6TJ-czzDIXS4tOhzaGVVcUoEL6-yS/s400/RIloft_skup803.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkmNuQZ-6r5pZWzoYKBpbgV98a3qSLgk3LtS9R7p080kna7e2Yb1vFrC_C0N8_Loqe6PKa_H3VSW9NBSSeCjlqkvwDxrfXiIXfOLjcu-W4LGVUgR5jYN2wuyj_ybf_Ri9y_bO/s1600/RIloft_skup805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkmNuQZ-6r5pZWzoYKBpbgV98a3qSLgk3LtS9R7p080kna7e2Yb1vFrC_C0N8_Loqe6PKa_H3VSW9NBSSeCjlqkvwDxrfXiIXfOLjcu-W4LGVUgR5jYN2wuyj_ybf_Ri9y_bO/s400/RIloft_skup805.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJS1Pi628d_VMHl5thKDHWIEo6Cstw4zqZ1jgZusXM6MQrH4-MrOf42h1eoDPJScpLusN7HXG0xInraH3oz3r7_QWawfOUgTmICXCn9QjbfFZjCw3ipvOjGds3hqJI2zQA9nU/s1600/RIloft_skup815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJS1Pi628d_VMHl5thKDHWIEo6Cstw4zqZ1jgZusXM6MQrH4-MrOf42h1eoDPJScpLusN7HXG0xInraH3oz3r7_QWawfOUgTmICXCn9QjbfFZjCw3ipvOjGds3hqJI2zQA9nU/s400/RIloft_skup815.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next up is her office. She has the first two floors in a corner building off Broadway on the upper west side of Manhattan. The lobby, where her cousin Jackie works as her assistant, is lavish. It suggests to potential clients that she is good at her job, hence the ability to afford such a place. Up the stairs and to the right is her office, which is considerably more low key and sparse. It's nice but she doesn't spend an over abundance of time there. Still, it is up to date technologically. She may not be a techie but she's always on the cutting edge; it behooves her to be due to her line of work.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissBRz50deQowxgjH-LMAwyBfxPCtXZULTj4V1XGwHc06KtD4h6HekhEFY0_cqzJFzoCR7VSo211_ucPEIRlv-KqllOcZ6ldxKRZV3SArOn2th0THE1l50Qws9LYLADgJjZfuz/s1600/RIoffice002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissBRz50deQowxgjH-LMAwyBfxPCtXZULTj4V1XGwHc06KtD4h6HekhEFY0_cqzJFzoCR7VSo211_ucPEIRlv-KqllOcZ6ldxKRZV3SArOn2th0THE1l50Qws9LYLADgJjZfuz/s400/RIoffice002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhJEORPIyC4zlYDg1V7kVSP7npNsT1azIjUpW3uSQ8-gBOco3ebHi304lHQLMj8BIod8FMo6SC606QFsXUxamRjKKCBsLSeNP3x3Fo8aamhopjFwwEsWEezvr5gsnfAhEN5vy/s1600/RIoffice003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhJEORPIyC4zlYDg1V7kVSP7npNsT1azIjUpW3uSQ8-gBOco3ebHi304lHQLMj8BIod8FMo6SC606QFsXUxamRjKKCBsLSeNP3x3Fo8aamhopjFwwEsWEezvr5gsnfAhEN5vy/s400/RIoffice003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLs_ReJVHtvKws894gYA_Iqw_NWssQieB8lQM7JCe30GEMXWBKlR2vu95NLn2YriGTf-oAeXBFJyCkpZzWXd-AyLnyVj8-A9jgCn0WugY_srLslQ1uU7AKkb40GxqmOX6gUkg-/s1600/RIoffice_office+only001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLs_ReJVHtvKws894gYA_Iqw_NWssQieB8lQM7JCe30GEMXWBKlR2vu95NLn2YriGTf-oAeXBFJyCkpZzWXd-AyLnyVj8-A9jgCn0WugY_srLslQ1uU7AKkb40GxqmOX6gUkg-/s400/RIoffice_office+only001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last up for now is a simulation of the Mount Sinai Medical Center on 5th Ave. in Manhattan, where Mia's mother is in the hospital. I will eventually be able to use this model for other things, replacing the building but keeping the general street and traffic. This saves a ridiculous amount of time when it comes to pencilling and inking, believe me. Like I said above, it's offset by the amount of time it takes to build the model, so it's a wash at the moment, but once I get to use it on a few more occasions my time savings will creep into the positive.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yBU0pnRXKQP_j3IFmXPQZP0I5LYnp876MZRj1rs_J7rsrCbV2O7cl90F6EDkXXOCXA2gO2Ky_jUiOFxzhcr7nSO4FA0aCG8hGneSkWgCd8DuKfeKz_4ldlCnW65dlqe0Wxqp/s1600/RI_mtsinia14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yBU0pnRXKQP_j3IFmXPQZP0I5LYnp876MZRj1rs_J7rsrCbV2O7cl90F6EDkXXOCXA2gO2Ky_jUiOFxzhcr7nSO4FA0aCG8hGneSkWgCd8DuKfeKz_4ldlCnW65dlqe0Wxqp/s400/RI_mtsinia14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And one more thing: so you can see how such a model winds up in the book, here's an inked page showing Mia at home and a page of my "pencils" showing Mia out front of Mt. Sinai.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2ortSxKuOlkVfa8WHxNmv-CR1j7puC8FiDhVaku9yx1rnBPJxMfeNXdSjb8KUnajfnoTnq51UUL6Doe0VI3A00RwV85akFqjKDkoWvQPmfPFoC-JHz30wK0xQf35JYXnuQU0/s1600/RI01012w_inks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2ortSxKuOlkVfa8WHxNmv-CR1j7puC8FiDhVaku9yx1rnBPJxMfeNXdSjb8KUnajfnoTnq51UUL6Doe0VI3A00RwV85akFqjKDkoWvQPmfPFoC-JHz30wK0xQf35JYXnuQU0/s400/RI01012w_inks.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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Two posts in one day! How about that?</div>
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