I loved Looney Tunes as a kid (who didn’t?) and finally watched them with the kids in the past year. They hold up incredibly well – the comedy is timeless. This video explains why.
The Silence of Our Friends
Comics are a powerful medium. When I have new graphic novels in the house, I like reading them first thing in the morning with my coffee. Today’s read was The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long & Jim Demonakos (writing) and Nate Powell (art), with the tagline The civil rights struggle was never black and white Starting in 4th grade and until I finished high school, I went to Catholic school. In 1981 we moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, one block from Thomas Hooker School. My parents were happy that I could walk to school and I was looking forward … Continue reading
If it’s good enough for Herge, it’s good enough for me…
I’ve had the next Fried Cheese Balls strip thumbnailed for well over a month. It really should have been finished by now but I’ve been in a rut for various reasons. There’s some technical stuff, like how to create reusable elements in Manga Studio (you’ll see what in the next strip). Some ‘life gets in the way stuff’. And some ‘artistic roadblock’ stuff.
One thing bugging me is I’m still not happy with my inks. I ignored my inner critic and posted the last strip anyway but my inking is bugging the hell out of me. I’m pretty much at the fuck it point and will use whatever seems ok at the moment I’m inking (using a customized analog-style Daub Brush by Paolo Limoncelli – check him out, his brushes are my favorites). And then I’ll probably redo the inks all over again :/
I’m not settled on a style of coloring either and might just go for quick fills instead of the analog textures that so pump my nads.
But the biggest hitch in the past month has been … trying to draw my mom face. From the front. Front-facing cartoon faces are a pain and are hard to get right. I somehow managed to get my own avatar right but that style isn’t working for my mom’s face.
So I decided to take a look at the style I’m most closely aiming for: Tintin (except I want a sloppier feel). And just about every single face is in 3/4 view. Every. Single. One. And thus the problem is solved.
And while checking out Herge’s art I found this interesting video of him talking about his process – and a site with scans of the pix from the video:
- 1. Thumbnail sketches
- 2. Detailed pencils
- 3. Inks
- 4. He then redrew the page in blue pencil, painted it and redrew the inks.
- 5. Finish with text and shading
Do you know about the Google Chrome comic by @ScottMcCloud?
I’ve always loved comics – except for an 18 year gap in which I forgot they existed. When I was little I read any comic I could get my hands on: those 3 pack plastic bags in pharmacy spinner racks (my only source for the longest time) Archie digests Tintin Daily & Sunday funnies The Phantom (aka Bataal) (when in India) Amar Chitra Katha (Indian history, mythology, folk tales – sold in India or sometimes Indian grocery stores in the US) In high school I discovered comic book shops and spent most of my allowance there every Wednesday. One of … Continue reading
A cartoon non-guide to greetings & awkwardness by Sarah Glidden
Good comics can make anything comprehensible and relatable – that’s what I love about them.
Read the rest at Cartoon: a non-guide to avoid awkwardness when greeting human beings by Sarah Glidden
The problem with teaching classes (and getting paid) with Skillshare
I wrote this 4 years ago, on another site for a difference audience. While the figures may have changed, I stand by it. If you have an experience with Skillshare that you’d like to share, please do so in the comments and include hard numbers. UPDATE2 weeks after this blog posted, Skillshare decided to become less douchebaggy and changed their class minimum from earning from 100 to 25. They don’t say whether every class has to hit 25 students to make you money. Their recruiting page now mentions you can make money from their ‘royalty pool’ and being ‘compensated for new … Continue reading
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