Okay. These Blogs Are Dead

I'm leaving the Blogger platform for now for a few reasons, but I'm starting to draw again after five years of cooking in a few Bay Area kitchens with a short six month run with an Los Angeles catering company back in 2012.

Thanks for all the good times, Blogger.  We'll see where things go from here.  Cheers.

Q1. Is this blog dead again?

A1: Nope.

Q2: Did the Hernandez Bros' work at Cartoon Art Museum make you want to draw comics again?

A2: Of course.  It was a good visit with a friend I hadn't seen in years, but I'd like to spend more time looking at those pages again.

I will say that we are lucky that printing quality is at a point where we can get amazing books like David Mazzucchelli's Daredevil Born Again Artist's Edition from IDW.  Editions like that one give us a chance to get a detailed look at the original art from some wonderful artists.  The reprint of Wally Wood's EC work also comes to mind.

Q3: What work will you share here before the year's over?

A3: You'll have to wait and see, but, in the meantime, I say we watch the latest Walking Dead episode accompanied by a nice Belgian ale or maybe some pudding.

End.

Still Going

Today at breakfast, I saw this guy with his gorgeous girlfriend, both on their cell phones and barely saying anything to each other.  What happened to interesting conversation in the 21st Century?  So I could stop making these silly spot illustrations, but I keep seeing examples of people who can't separate themselves from their technology.  The Borg & Terminators are going to win.

Spot Illustration Redux

Click for a closer look.

You'll see why I had to redraw this one in Photoshop.   Must draw...faster...

Late Warm-Up

Was working on stuff today but just did this silly sketch to get ready for more work tonight.  I need to simplify that dog's face...yikes.  I also need to go out for a jog.  Till next post.

Manga Studio EX4 Test

I redrew one of the spot illustrations in MS EX4.  It was a bitmap image and printed fine, but I'm wondering how it'll look on here. 

 

I guess converting it to grayscale & saving it as a jpg is okay for screen display purposes.  I need to work on some drawings due Wed but wanted to see how this worked first.  Hope you all had a good weekend.

Hit Pause

Breaking Bad Season 4.  Saul's bodyguard and secretary.

Sci-Fi Nonsense

I keep saying it, but sci-fi is great because you can draw things that don't make sense and just say that cultures from far away regions of the universe don't make sense.  This one is only strange for that furry thing on his shoulders.  It could be alive or not. 

 

Four posts in three days!  I still have to do everything faster, but at least some work is getting done around here.  Must sketch for the remainder of the studio time because I haven't done so at all today, and then I have to get to designs for the lookbook project.

Even Extraterrestrials Need Directions

This off-world visitor must have forgotten all of the high-tech gadgets on his/her spaceship.  Luckily, the gentleman with a mustache has navigation on his phone!

I need a beer.

Clicking may signal alien invasion fleet.

You've Seen This on the Street

Clicking may cause enlargement of image.

A few things are not to my liking in this illustration, but I'm moving on to another one tomorrow when I wake up & get to the studio.  I can re-edit stuff once 10 of these plus other portfolio pieces are past the sketch & initial drawing phases.

You've seen the above often enough.  Some folks cannot pick a restaurant let alone a meal without consulting their smart phones.  It's nice that people on social media are being helpful, telling you what their favorite dishes are, but just pick your own lunch special without the phone.  It's not a life or death situation, right?  I'm sure some of you have a vegan joke to throw in at this point.

In a related note: Trader Joe's Cinnamon Apple Snack Sticks are addicting because they're not overly sweet.  I didn't have to do some online research before trying them by the way. 

It's 2:30am PST.  Don't take any of this too seriously.  Jeez.

He's Going to Post It to Instagram

Spot illustration sample with things I don't draw enough...zombies & machetes.  I should have nine more spot illustration samples along with some sequential work, character design, and environment design.  A lot of work to do, but I need to keep producing before I contact some people for some freelance work.  Kanpai!

Click to enlarge if you'd like.

In Between Bot

While figuring out lookbook images and how to redraw those 10 portfolio pieces, this robot head materialized in the sketchbook.

"01101000 01110010 01110010 01101101."

Update: 18:55:  Now, less robot and more masked wrestler or crime fighter.  Wonder what to color this guy.  

 

Morning Sketch

Wish the cats were in this one.

Deadline Right Around the Corner

Need to finalize the style/look of this upcoming illustration project. Just three more hours till our DTLA building closes, and I'm running on a macaron & brownie.

Oh...and I was browsing the audience & pageviews for this blog, and China is beating the USA 82 to 60. Hello, China!

That was one of my few attempts to reach out to anyone reading this blog.  A couple of friends & family members have left some nice comments on my "business" Facebook page which I 'd never thought I'd get around to updating, but it's there if you socialize over internet networks.  Cheers!

First iPad Sketches

Lost my first stylus and just got another one, so hopefully, I can use the sketch app more often especially now that the case from Treegloo is finally shipping.  Their customer service needs work, and I say that as someone who rarely gripes and moans on the internet (disregard all the tweets about being hungry or wanting beer).

Why did I think of these two today?

Happy Hour Sketch

These are exponentially more fun when the pretty girl asks you to draw her...even if she's not sitting still at all.  You admitted you weren't, Jenn.

at Spring St. Bar.

Happy Fri the 13th

I haven't forgotten about this blog!  Sketches...  Working on some spot illustration samples, but won't post the set until they're all done & on the site's portfolio section.

Warm-ups to Start of July

Nothing to say except that June left us too quickly this year.  Our family vacation was fun, and I can't believe it's over already.  Afternoon coffee or tea is in order, but not before I drop off a package at the UPS drop box.

 

Post #100!

Back to some sketching at happy hour today!  Why was everyone facing my right?

Was drawing bartender, then made hime generic-bearded-man.