Corpse Cop Cover for issue 4, “Death Walks the Stars”. A work in progress from black and white rough illustration to transfer page to scratchboard. It’s a process.
Read MoreWhy are Comic Book Characters fun to work on?
Corpse Cop 4: Death Walks the Stars.
"He kills other zombies because they cut into his food supply."
Read MoreINSPIRATION x 3 =
“His science fiction stuff really caught my attention but it was always flavored with horror.”
Read MoreThe Style Round
“There is nothing soft about these men.”
Read MoreNext on the List
“That dynamic effect of black and white had me looking for his artwork”
Read MoreThere are Freezes and then there Freezes
“And I am always dabbling into something new.”
Read MoreThose Whom Inspire
One artist that inspires me to be a better illustrator - the work of Wally Wood.
Read MoreSTYLE AND INSPIRATION
…And do you know what that question is? “Where do you come with your ideas?”…
Read MoreThe Darkside of Creativity
“Does a person’s creativity have a “Darkside”? I know saying that out loud sounds silly. But it doesn't invalidate the question any less.”
Read MoreFar Out of Left Field
“The great unseen barrier.” Always referenced but never seen - only felt.” A real rough thumbnail of something out of left field.
Read MoreSo when is too much too much?
“When is too much too much?”
Read MoreThe End o the Year
“His thirst for Vengence is over. Now to embrace the curse.”
Read MoreMore On
“More On the State of the World?”
Read MorePerseverance OR....
“Perseverance. So is it a physical thing?”
Read MoreTwo Days
Two Days before what?
Read MoreMoving Forward
The recognition of the struggle to get work off the ground is what you are looking for from people - not the finished product.
Read MoreUNIFIED - another story idea for later.
“Ancient Migration”
Read MoreLet's talk about Parker
“How bad is it?”
Read MoreFocus. Stay on Target.
Hey there Sports Fans, Al here with the latest:
What is a creative issue that prevents work from being done?
Fear is usually the first one that comes to mind. Real or imagined can cripple the creative spark within all of us.
Misdirection is another. This one is tricky because real life doesn't always run parallel with the creative flow. In fact, sometimes I have found myself falling into this problem because you don't want something to end other times you fall for ... wait for it...
lack of enthusiasm for a project.
I think that this happens all the time to creative people. Probably the best well-known person is Geroge R.R. Martin and the "Game of Thrones" books. It has been shown that he has been busy writing other stories and scripts for tv and buying a ton of stuff that most nerdy collectors would kill for. But he can't bring himself to finish the books. But down deep in the heart of the creative when you are bored of working on a project. Like you would be working at a restaurant in the dish pit and you are doing the same job over and over again your body just goes through the motions and your mind shuts down. It's like that returning to any art project.
HOWEVER, there are times when a renewed vigor comes in like a long-awaited tide to cover the rough edges that you had so many issues with, and then you are left with a self-question "why did I stop doing this?"
What has this to do with anything? Well, funny you should ask the metaphorical question. In my case when I was cranking out a bunch of Richard Parker stuff before the Pandemic lockdown I had a major hard-on for getting my Robot Monster story completed and written and drawn. At the time I wanted to prove to myself that I still could make a regular comic book that I would be into as a kid. And when the lockdown happened I had remarked to my girlfriend at the time, "Well at least now I can finish Robot Monster."
But what of Parker? He rolled out to sea like the morning tide. But with so many things in life like the lockdown, the civil unrest, the break-up from a long relationship, a move, a wildfire threat, rehired, move again, "Last Monster on Earth!" finished and sent off to my editor, and the recent election Parker rolled back in.
And as I had mentioned before - FOCUS.
A large explosion of creativity burst forth - where do I need to fill in the visual gaps to make sense to the reader? If I were picking this up for the first time would it make sense? I will admit that sometimes the burden to see things through is tough because you do sit down at an art table day after day using the same techniques to flesh out a character or general idea. But focus to sit down just to start is a good beginning. And unlike those dishes being stacked there is an end to the story.
Focus.
Moving into the Future
Hey there Sports Fans! Al here with the latest:
I’m not talking about time travel - yet! I’m still working on that. Probably something closer to Donnie Darko.
And I’m not talking about the time change either.
So, people are ramping up spikes - or at least that my opinion anyway from what I am hearing BUT WHAT does that have to do with art?
Honestly, absolutely nothing. Just wanted to say it.
But really, I am going to focus and try to get the remainder of Richard Parker. There I think that I have 5 panels I have left to work on to finish off the book, the story, and everything. And then it's a change-up in the focus of the book and the upcoming show. Hard work first, get the creative part locked down and hi res scanned.
Collate them into a Large PDF format.
Send out a couple of dummy copies to a few people to look over and see if there are any gaps that I am missing in the story and then it's off to the races to find someone who wants to take this monster on OR crowdfund this beast and take it across the ocean (both of them). And then see what happens.
If anything. I have hope because I know that my scratchboard work is very good and yes, I just patted myself on the back but it was worth it. If I can in a small show sell a chunk of my art both original and prints then a collection of the work on one topic should do well.
So that is happening.
And then there delving into the podcasting deal that I brought up this week. That is not just talk, it is something that had been on my mind just like it was when I started thinking about getting into electrical work and a license because there weren't a lot of guys who were doing it or had been trained as part of their job service.
But because I love comic books and mediums of the past. I am not so much into the modern stuff that is coming out. I think Doom was about the most interesting that I have been reading. Though my favorite villain that I have yet to see really done justice is Kang the Conqueror. A time-traveling world despot. I think that is what the world needs right now to unite. One secular focus. My God, what we could do if we all came together. A podcast I think could be really fun. I can't think of another topic that other than talking about trek. There I said it. "It always comes back to trek."
…and on top of that…
There are also the short stories that I have been working off and on again. my version of the future in a story concept called Star Trek Nomad. I have been working out the plot for the story and talking them out loud and soon to work it into a draft of some kind either it being a comic or a novelization. The point of the matter is that the current trek that is out there sucks. I just don’t like murder trek. There isn’t any theoretical science to explore or the morals that intelligent beings have with one another. Even the concept of time travel is messed up. And there are so many things you could explore by asking questions. Again Star Trek is about exploration both of the adventure outside and the struggle to be better inside. This all stems from a response that I had to one of those YouTubers named Robert Meyer Burnett https://youtu.be/_-ckM1fMrKw . At 27min. 15sec in Is a letter that I sent in that started this off. His response to my letter gave me the jumping point to write a story. And that story is still evolving.
