Scratchboard Illustration

An idea for a new mermaid piece - for a 4 year old

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 Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest;

An idea for a new mermaid piece.

I need a not creepy piece of mermaid artwork with earrings and a necklace and a tail and white that has rainbows. I'll see how well I can do that with a piece of black and white or work.

So now the "Say it ain't so show" has been going on for about three weeks now. In that time, I have sold five pieces of artwork. One original black and white of Richard Parker "Cargo Hold of the Deep" four small mounted prints. It's been reasonably successful for me showing people the artwork with them commenting about it. I've had other questions about the work. As you could tell by the beginning part of this blog, I was approached by my coworker. She wanted to have a piece of artwork done for her daughter, who happens to be four years old. Her description of what she likes about mermaids are as follows - "probably with not as long a tail and not and make it not as "creepy. " This made me laugh out loud. Which is four-year-old speak means to make the eyebrows not so pointed and jaggy, and it has to have rainbows.

Please refer to the piece of artwork "Spell Upon Richard Parker."

I might be able to do that. But right now, I'm in the process of working on three new big 18 x 24 pieces of artwork that have already been drawn out they've already been transferred over. It's a matter of just starting to work on it. I need to finish the last the let the previous three, and then start planning for number seven, the apocalyptic forecast. It'll be a 9 x 12, but I need to design that one out.

UPDATE: 8-29-21

Currently, I am looking over some aspects of looking for an artist's agent to help me find other venues to showcase my art. It has been pointed out that I might have to change my subject matter to attain a higher status with more "conservative tastes."

This is a personal choice for me. I can do such pieces (and who knows, I might actually do it just because), but I am not about to just change course on what I have set for myself. I've already changed course in trying to finish Richard Parker, and look where that has gotten me. Closer to being finished, but what does that really mean?

Anyway, heady thoughts for long-term stuff.

And I am outta here.

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Focus. Stay on Target.

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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.

A Week of Material

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A Week of Material

Hey, there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

The Watery Adventure of Richard Parker - as it stands has gone through another set of edits and additions to complete the wordless graphic novel.
While working on this project that has spanned years makes me wonder if Lynd Ward thought the same kind of thing when plotting out his wordless graphic novels back in the 30’ and ’40s? I can’t believe that he would have knocked it out of the park the very first time out.
This project is no different than a writer having numerous rewrites and edits on work before publishing.
Doing art is like that too. Lots of refinements and so on.


Well what I thought

Was the manna from heaven turned out to be a red herring - of a sort.
In between moving, art projects things got separated from each other so I had to go and dig in storage to find what I was looking for. But it came up short on a few topics.
Luckily for me, I left enough threads either written or visual to be able to make a brand new list of panels that are needed for Richard Parker and it's wordless graphic novel format. However, the biggest bonus on this was uncovering many images that were ready to be transferred were already set up for scratchboard. For me, this makes a huge improvement over what I already have. Once I have spent time working on the new list and have everything set up for what new images need to be completed, then Richard Parker can move into the final phases of being done.

Both illustrated, varnished, and framed.
Framing is going to be (I think) the most costly on my end.
Also, prints being made.

WHICH BRINGS me to another point, prints.

Now mind you, this is strictly my opinion for the following but humor me and follow the logic of it.
Since the worldwide pandemic spread like wildfire across the globe, having an art show seemed like, I dunno, a waste of time. I think that most people out there would think that because the buying public does not have the disposable income that they once had. At least as far as buying artwork goes anyway.
Artwork unlike food is a commodity, not a necessity. And with a lot of people out of work, there is no money coming in from showing and selling off art. Currently that I know of from galleries. But there is time for artists to work on their portfolios and build up work for some of those places that have opened up. Showing artwork at these establishments might require a physical place to show the work for longer periods of time since the foot traffic isn’t as heavy as it once was. Thank social distancing for this. This would be something that I think presenters need to be aware of any type of gallery situation.

ANYWAY
At least that is was I am thinking. But I do know this. With the cost being high showcasing originals showing prints might hook art buyers into buying framed pieces rather than the original. I know a lot of contemporaries might not agree with this stance but I'm being realistic (including how hard it is to sell artwork in the first place). Portland has been notorious for being a place where buyers like the artwork but can’t afford to buy the originals. But I think for the most part this is being realistic.
But this all the speculation on my part is based upon what I am seeing coming around. I do know that there have been more online sales of late than there has been in the past. So this is a hopeful sign that people are still buying art. There is a little more research that needs to go into this. And I am not the final say in anything outside of my scope of influence.

But as I said this was my opinion.

But today (23rd) was another break in the amount of preparation that has been done for Richard Parker. Seriously, that is no lie.

In one day after getting all the panels printed on edit sheets, I could see where I was lacking story bits that needed to be inserted into the visual story to make sense sequentially.

Now this is the second go-round on this and I am sure that this won’t be the last time either but I am sure that I can get the rest of the images needed to be jotted down to round out the story as it is.

In this process, other items will be needed to bring things into focus on the project. The remaining scratchboards need to be bought, the tools needed, matting for framing, and the printing of prints.

That takes money and time when you are doing it by your self and coordinating it all.

But in the end, all of it is yours. And that is what makes it worthwhile.

And I am outta here.

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Blog Post for 7-18-20

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

Last Monster on EARTH! Enters its editing phase while coloring is being added. The grand task is being handled by Paula Akin.
Bit of background on Paula. She and I met about 6 years ago while being brought together on a small now-defunct film production for Velvet Coffin. I was brought on to help initially with storyboards for the film crew. Paula was a story editor and proofreader.
We began striking up a number of conversations after most of the readings that eventually lead to me asking her to edit one of my Comic book projects - Corpse Cop #2Arctic Wolf and #3 Inhuman Torch.
She doesn’t know it yet but there is another Corpse Cop #4 Death Walks the Stars that is being written and drawn up right now.
So with two books and a third literally a monster volume to edit she may be done with me!
I hope not!

THE REKINDLING OF RICHARD PARKER:
Now, this makes a huge turning point in the development of The Watery Adventure of Richard Parker. Namely finishing the story.
Truth be told that the beginnings of Richard Parker were a little like a shakedown cruise. Seriously, The story both written and spoken to others told me volumes that I needed to rewrite and rewrite the story and origin of Parker. Like any character when first envisioned always go through a change or changes to suit the character and eventually the story and plot. Verisimilitude as a couple you tubers I listen to use to describe TV series in their reviews.
Once I figured out the story and separating the “real” from the “imagined” it became clear and that I was going to have really focus on this wordless graphic novel.
But then came along Comic story called Last Monster on EARTH! And that put everything that Parker was on freakin’ hold. Damn bad sci-fi for having a hold on me!
But that project is completed for all intense purposes. And Parker has been trusted into the limelight again. It was always my intention to get back to this work because there also over the year that I have been inking and lettering LMoE for editing I had been approached by several other people that “Hey, what happened to that deep-sea diver character you were working on? I really liked that.”

Well, that has been re-ignited.

After looking through some of the packed up material during my furloughed status I realized that I didn’t have all of Richard Parker in one place.

Exhaustively, I found an old digital file on one of my old hard drives and downloaded it.

I was very excited about this discovery because the list could help me figure out how many more pieces I still had left to render. But after looking over the list it was a preliminary list of what I had already produced and not yet modified to reflect what I still left to do. Damn.

So I will have to rebuild the list but that is par for this course for me.

But there is one thing that I do know about my personality that with an unfinished project there is always that nagging feeling that will not go away until it is completed. So I am tracking all the pieces that I need to get this project completed.


And on that note, I am outta here.

Got some more investigative work ahead of me.

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Blog for July

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Blog for July

After a long break again and real life constantly throwing you a curve you gotta wonder what the “F!”
But for me the artist inside is loving the fact that I have been able to work on many old projects and finish finally the last couple panels of the Richard Parker saga. I swear to God that has been conspiring against (at first glance) me but as I have had the time to look back and re examine what has come before and maybe this was all the way things were supposed to happen.
With the free time of being furloughed but money still coming in art has jumped to the forefront to be completed. In this case a comic book graphic novel that had placed Richard Parker on hold is nearing completion and being prepped to be “handed off” to my editor leaving me free for time to re focus on Richard Parker. This makes me very excited! In a way we’re Richard Parker stated will be finished in the same household. That to me is great and a great accomplishment. The story and art of “Last Monster on EARTH!” was drawn and completed in the same household before I had move again so having Parker finished will be fantastic! Of course I will reference back to the earlier work to bring myself mentally up speed with where my head is at with the story. Once completed with that then it is back to comic book layouts and transfers for the the bookend series for Corpse Cop. Another project that started out as scratchboard and will finish with scratchboard.
AS A SIDE NOTE: the state of the comic book industry has taken some serious hits over the last couple months with the shut down over everything. Unfortunately at times like like in times of war, art and entertainment has always taken a backseat to the world at large. But as the major giants in that industry (that also spurred one of the greatest franchises in cinema history) find themselves scrambling for ways to infuse they books with personal politics and ostracizing other for having differing viewpoints, individuals with creativity have a prime objective in making their work known. This is the best time to strike with new ideas and styles of artwork that have not been seen by the mainstream public. Art should of all things be fun. And that to me is what completely lacking in books being produced currently.
I have a plan and where I want to go with that.
END OF SIDE NOTE.

So there you have it a new path is being forged and

Plotted. So watch here as new worlds unfold!
And I am outta here!