Sketch Charlotte

So here's the opening page for that story idea I was talking about way back when... I wanted to experiment with a different genre, and also try out using color for a change. Am realizing that at some point I have to decide whether I am composing this as a web comic or stick with the traditional 6.5 x 10" format, because you lose a lot of detail when you show an entire vertical page on-screen. Thoughts? Advice?

Have you seen this? It's a timelapse figure drawing from the inside out.

http://fcmx.net/vec/get.swf?i=003702

Believe it or not, I'm working on a genuine bona fide comic, with panels, recurring characters, speech balloons, even a plot... in the meantime, though, here's yet another local music sketch, from last night's late show at The Evening Muse. http://myspace.com/crrollyson

The last surviving sheep at the family farm in Smithtown, Long Island. Shellie has been suggested as a name, but since she is the last one, we mostly just call her "the sheep," or "the ewe."

Because if you only draw people while you're at the mall, you're kind of missing the point...

It is a faintly surreal experience shopping and going about town the day before a major holiday. I would have expected the Borders at South Park to be packed, or at least busy at 7 PM tonight. Instead, the place was nearly empty. The clerk who rang me up said that they called this day "White Wednesday"--the calm before the retail onslaught of "Black Friday."

Similarly, when we arrived at the movie theater, there were only a half dozen other people there to see The Fountain.

I highly recommend seeing this film soon, because the visuals are stunning and I doubt it will stay on the big screen long. In fact, Blake and I were both amazed that this movie got made at all, much less with a major theatrical release and the actor who played Wolverine in the leading role! Director Aronofosky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) takes the kind of risks with chronology and plot that most big Hollywood films avoid at all costs. Interweaving multiple genres and story lines for the two lead actors, The Fountain creates a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. You may find the film melodramatic, murky, or just plain silly in places, but I give it points for ambition. The closest analogy I can give is an inward-looking 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Ok, this isn't going to look that impressive, but for me it's a personal breakthrough...

I am working on a lengthy illustration project for which I had chosen ink with gray wash as the medium. I had started by using a croquill dip pen with India ink, followed by a bamboo brush with an ink/water mixture. But I was getting really frustrated, mostly because even when I got an inked drawing that I liked, it was easy to mess up at the wash stage.

I continue to have a love/hate relationship with dip pens. Love the line they give. Hate the fuss and mess. To complicate this relationship, I have this Cross fountain pen which I got in high school:

It's supposed to be a writing pen, not a drawing pen, but the line quality is superb. Plus it's portable, and you get several hours' supply of ink before having to refill, rather than a minute or two. Only catch is, the ink isn't waterproof. (You can buy waterproof ink for fountain pens but it doesn't work very well.) So I had ruled it out for this particular illustration project. Until now...

Of course, there is no single right way to draw an indie comic (or any other type of comic). But I found Jessica Abel's DIY tutorials extremely helpful when creating my first-ever narrative comic--lots of great stuff on materials, panel setup, scripts, lettering, inking, not to mention production and distribution... perfect for people who want to at least know what the rules are before they break them.

http://www.artbabe.com/comicsandart/diy/index.html

Her La Perdida series (now out in graphic novel form) is good too.

These are really rough, but in answer to Rich's challenge, I am posting a few quick sketches from the past 72 hours:

Final Fantasy (solo project of Owen Pallett of the Arcade Fire), at The Milestone on Saturday night

I usually carry around a mini-sketchbook (~ 3 x 5") so that I can draw when the opportunity presents: mass transit, waiting at restaurants, live music, etc. Here are a few selections.

Girl waiting at airport

Juju sings for the Mosquitoes, Visulite

Sea of Cortez plays the Double Door Inn