Big Talking Monkey: A poem

This is a poem I thought up in a moment of boredom during a meeting recently. It is based on my soon to be webcomic called Big Talking Monkey

I have a monkey at my place
With a big talking monkey face.
He used to be my secret friend
when I was younger than age 10
But now he has come back to me
When I am over 33.
In my face, disrupting my life
And driving nuts, my beautiful wife.
I no longer need a monkey friend,
Why can't he go away again?

The Art Unleashed Forum

I have to take the time to give props ( as the kids say) to my buddies Bill Nichols and Bob Hickey, the guys that create Sketch Magazine, for the stellar work that they have done on the new forum board: Art Unleashed (http://bloodandroses.com/forums/). The old board was hopelessly ravaged by spammers, so they located a safer new board that they have tweaked into a great new place to hang out. If you are looking for a new all ages place to chat and especially if you are into comics collecting and creating and pop culture, I encourage you to check it out.

http://bloodandroses.com/forums/

My Favorite sayings

These are a few of my favorite sayings that I have picked up over years of too much pop culture immersion:

• Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal
• Climb down off the cross, use the wood to build a bridge and get over it!
• Alcohol kills braincells. You lose three more and you are a talking monkey.
• Be nice to dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
• I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them!
• We were on the losing side...I'm not sure it was the wrong one.
• Insanity is just a state of mind.
• Everything is dust in the wind.
  
• Any phrase with the words frak, frell or felgercarb in it.
  

AWOE Absent without excuse

I have been somewhat remiss in my blog duties of late and while I could use the end of the school year madness as an excuse, I've just been too tired and lazy to do anything creative lately. But as my work schedule winds down, I trust that my creative endeavors will finally get their time in the sun again...Stay tuned.

The Everyman Guide to Comic Conventions: The swag bag

You should carry some sort of bag around the con with you to store your stuff and keep your hands free. The type of bag is your choice but I would suggest something that you can sling over your shoulder or on your back. Awhile you will want to start each day with the bag mostly empty to fill with your swag, there are a few things that you will want to carry:

• a variety of pens--you can't plan on the person you want to sign your book to have one. Gel or roller ball are best. If you want a dark cover signed, bring a white gel.
• Camera: You just never know who you will see at these things.
  
• extra batteries for your camera--can't get those candid shots if you can't shoot.
• Gum and mints-- No buddy will want to talk to you about your new work if your breath is kickin'
• snacks--low blood sugar makes for an unhappy day. So do the prices at the concession stand. But keep the snacks to those that don't leave crumbs or messy fingers. You get Cheetos dust on that comic, you bought it.
• Some timekeeping device--be it watch, cell phone or laptop, set it to the local con time and make sure that you pay attention to the time of that panel you are dying to see. If you are late, you are either stuck standing against the wall or can't get in at all. And then you will be the last to know the special plans that Company X has for Stupendously Amazing Girl.
• Something with your name and address on it, attached to the bag. I wouldn't count on it but someone might find your lost bag and actually send it back to you. There are heroes in the real world too.
  

The Everyman Guide to Comic Conventions: The Proper Attire

I touched on this in another post but it bears expanding. Listen to me and you just might survive the con without being in pain or completely sick

• Wear something comfortable that breathes. Cotton is your best bet. Unless you are a member of the 501st Stormtroopers brigade or a very hot woman, dressing as a character from a comic or movie is dicey at best. Very few people look good in spandex anything and black leather chafes horrible after a few hours. You don't want to be the guy that makes the next issue of Wizard because of how ridiculous they looked in their outfit. You may have to quit comics all together to live that down.
• If you get easily cold, bring a small jacket or a sweater. The air conditioning in some of the panel rooms can be a little frigid.
  
• Wear comfortable shoes. If you don't know why, ask any adult woman you know. I'm sure they can do a 1/2 hour on the subject at least.
• Comic and movie tees are fine but it may not be your best choice to wear your bootleg Superman shirt in front of the folks at DC. They can get very picky about copyright. They are wacky like that. But don't overdo it either. It is kind of like wearing a shirt for the actual college you went to...you can do it but it is kind of lame.
• Bring a bag that you can sling across your chest or a good backpack. You will need a place for all your acquisitions and you can't carry everything in your hands for the whole con. Empty it in your hotel room and start fresh the next day. And as I said earlier, don't be that guy who drags the handcart full of stuff through the con, blocking aisles and running into people. We hate that guy.

Next time: What to carry in your swag bag other than swag.

I Saw It on the Web: The Portfolio Review

This is the first of a new section called "I saw it on the web..." , points of interest that I find in the myriad hours I spend in front of my computer.

It is said that the best thing a leader can do is surround themselves with people smarter than they are. As a writer, I know there are some things that others can say better than I can. On the subject of portfolio reviews, the following is one such example...check it out.

http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=182

What's in a name?

Those of us who have chosen the comics field as a pursuit beyond simple collecting and reading often find ourselves having to battle the prejudice of all comics as children's fare. I have often wondered why has been so hard for us to break the stereotype. Is it a nomenclature problem? We call them comic books but they are singularly too thin to be a book. They are, in fact more like magazines. Marvel has alternately referred to their books as magazines for some time. But odes this help us or hurt us? Magazines are generally seen as disposable things (although I keep many of mine, but I'm odd). But magazines are often revered or reviled for their content, not as a genre as comic books often are.

So are books or magazines better? Is there another alternative? Will it matter?

How To Review: Draw Fight Scenes like a Pro

Draw Fight Scenes like a Pro, Jeff Johnson, Watson- Guptill Publications, ISBN 0823013723

Be warned! This is not a book for the casual hobbyist comic artist. This book is a master class on what Johnson calls the “metaphor for the comic book story as a whole”: the fight scene. Johnson begins, as many do, with the basics; using stick figures. But his approach becomes unique when he uses those figures to create first the skeleton and then portray the musculature of his character. Then he even names each muscle group on the figure! Clearly a student of Gray’s Anatomy (the book not the TV show), Johnson gives his characters a solidity that most comic figures lack.

The introduction of the “arrow” into the drawing lexicon makes an even larger impact. First using it to show the direction and folds of garments as they drape over the figure, he then uses it to give his characters movement, showing the directionality of their punches, leaps and kicks. Unlike many artist whose characters seem to be posing statically in the middle of a fight, every muscle of Johnson’s characters is flowing in the direction of the blow being struck. Most of the rest of the book is dedicated to creating the illusion of movement, action and impact on the comic page.

One interesting aside from the action is the history lesson Johnson offers on the fighting styles of the world. From boxing to tae kwon do, Johnson details the characteristics of each style and the type of character that might use it. Lastly, Johnson turns the last chapter over to some colleagues to get their take on the fight scene. Dark Horse artist Scott Kolins, author /artist of Drawing Dynamic Comics Andy Smith, and Batman the Animated Series story boarder, to name but three , offer different techniques on the art of the smack down.

While a little much for the casual reader, this book will be a great deal of help to any artist that wants to make his characters move more fluidly and fight with real power

How To Review: Everything You Wanted to Know...

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cartooning But Were Afraid to Draw, Hart, Christopher, Watson-Guptill Publications, ISBN # 0823023591, $16.95

“Everything” is sadly a major exaggeration in this particular book. While the author does a great job of covering the basics (over and over again), he never ventures far beyond them. And because of that, sadly, the book fails to prove itself as the resource for illustrators and cartoonists that he touts it to be in forward, unless that cartoonist is under the age of ten. This would be a great first book for a very young cartoonist but to anyone who has spent anytime in front of a drawing board, this is second nature.
The author is one of the most prolific How To art authors in print today and has created a library of books that are superior to “Everything…” May I suggest hunting for one of those and saving this book as a gift for that niece or nephew who just started coloring within the lines?

FCBD the pictures

Check out yours truly hobnobbing with the guys from Sketch Magazine and more from last Saturdays free comic book day at Comics2games in Florence KY from the site called Comicsrelated.com, run by a cool guy named Chuck.

http://www.comicrelated.com/gallery/2008_fcbd.html

How to Reviews: How to Draw and Sell Comics

As an art teacher and an artist I am always on the look out for good instructive books. I have amassed quite a library and get new ones fairly frequently. When the mood strikes me, I will review some of these books for you to either save you a few bucks on a bad book or send you running to the store for a good one. Here is my first review.

How to Draw and Sell Comics 3rd Edition, McKenzie, Alan, Impact 2005, ISBN 1-58180-716-3, $22.99

At first glance, this book is not unlike the hundreds of other books on making and selling comics. The author gives a brief but informative history of the comics medium, goes over the basic tools and gives the obligatory lessons on drawing the body and basic perspective. All very well done and very informative, but we are not exactly covering new ground here.

However there are three sections where this book excels and makes it well worth the price, in my opinion. The first is an entire chapter devoted to storytelling. The author calls the script the one invisible component of any comic strip and goes on to discuss the importance of a good story line. He shows the difference between a ¨Marvel method¨ script and a full script, discusses pacing and layouts and to breakdowns. The best parts are two pages on ¨Understanding the Story¨. He believes that the story needs to say something, convincing the reader that they are reading the truth and that follows certain archetypes and themes that speak in some way to human nature.

Second is a very detailed section on inking. It is obvious that the author respects and admires the contribution of the inker in the comic creating process. Beyond his words the author also offers photographic examples of how to ink straight lines with both a brush and a pen. Being told how to do something is fine but a visual assist is always better. He also does an excellent job of discussing texture and how mastering them can greatly improve a piece.

Lastly, the author delivers his last chapter on selling your work. What makes this special is that he actually addresses selling yourself. He discusses how to handle your first professional job, dealing with editors and how to stay inspired and creative. He details self publishing, online publishing and makes the very true observation that breaking into comics isn’t nearly as hard as staying in.

All in all this is an excellent book that will undoubtedly have many more editions to come.

Free Comic Book Day--Florence, KY

As we speak, I am at Comics2games, the comic book store of Bob Hickey, publisher of Sketch Magazine. It has been a cool day of talking to people, schmoozing with folks and catching up with my friend and Sketch Editor, Bill Nichols. It was worth the drive and it makes me even more excited for the June trip to the Wizard World convention in Chicago.

Iron Man

I saw Iron Man today and while I won't ruin it for anyone I will say that it was and absolutely fabulous movie and you should stay all the way through the credits for a big surprise. Robert Downey Jr. was perfect as Tony Stark. Definitely the most dead on pairing of a character and actor yet. And look out for the prime part that director Jon Favreau kept for himself.

I'm going to the Comics2games comic store in Florence, KY tomorrow with my friend and Sketch Magazine editor Bill Nichols and Sketch publisher Bob Hickey. I'll have a great report on the day's festivities.

A good and bad Art afternoon

I had a good and bad art afternoon today. The good was I had a great consolation with the tattoo artist on my next tattoo. I really feel like he respected my ideas and is going to take the designs I made and turn it into something great. It is scheduled for Thursday the 15th, so I am really psyched. Also I got to see one of my favorite former students and his girlfriend today. He has a lot of unrealized potential as a cartoonist and his lady is a talented writer, so together they could be a force if they chose to be.

The bad wasn't really bad as much as frustrating. After I left my consultation, I went into a local coffee shoppe for a drink. This shop often shows the work of local artists. As I was waiting, I looked at the most recent work and saw it was essentially what I term as advanced sketching with some color added. They were framed and highly priced and were apparently selling! I am loathe to ever malign another artist's work but I would have never thought to put work like this on display in a professional sense. So either the artist has a ton of chutzpah or I have been selling my own work short and have apparently been cheating myself out of some money.

I hate losing money.