Oh yeah. I almost forgot to post this. I drew this week’s L’il Depressed Boy strip. Here’s the original pencils:

And here’s the inks:

I’ve been trying to strengthen my black and white compositions lately… looking at a lot of the later Scott Pilgrim trades, Road To Perdition, some old Osamu Tezuka stuff. I really want the panels to be simple and immediately legible, but still feel full and thought out. Some of this page succeeds (I’m particularly fond of panel 3), where others still feel a little forced (panel 4). I’m still feeling out my inking tools – trying to make the lines feel right. Weighing options between computer generated zip tones vs. hand drawn lines and find a happy medium. I’m taking a Graphic Novel course next semester, so hopefully that’ll help out a lot.

Well, school’s out for the next three weeks and just in time. I am WRECKED. All in all, I did fine in my painting class, but I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily happy with my performance. However, I take comfort in the fact that I’m improving. I dunno, I guess I’m just tired of trying to live up to my own unrealistic expectations – maybe this short break is just what I need.

Addition on 3/18/10: In an effort to fully recharge my batteries, I’m gonna take a little break from updating the blog. I need some time to catch up on some non-school projects I’ve been neglecting (and that aren’t really that interesting), and also maybe squeeze in some personal projects I’ve wanted to tackle for awhile now. In any case, school starts back up the week of the 6th, so, at the very latest, I’ll start posting again somewhere around there.

Final project for this Situation and Environment class, and not a moment too soon. This semester has been incredibly trying and stressful, so I’ll be glad to get a few weeks off… Even if I’m gonna spend them working on pictures for friends and (time permitting) recreational paintings. I’ve had a couple of emotional moments of crisis during this one, but I think I’ve gotten it to a point that feels pretty good. Or, at least I’m at a point where I’m not really sure what areas need more work. So I’m finding excuses not to look at it for awhile so maybe the next time I look at it something will jump out at me. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

In class piece done in 2 sessions.

So, my buddy Aaron has one of those autobiographical web comic things called My Life In Scribbles. The title sort of inspired me to draw a portrait of him where all the marks were just black line scribbles. So, this is kind of a study for that pin-up that may or may not ever get drawn. I don’t really like the photo reference that I had or the pose, but I guess the drawing was more about playing with the style rather than making an awesome picture. In any case, I think it kinda  looks like him. And, I didn’t consult with him at all before drawing this, so hopefully he’s surprised to see a random drawing of himself of my blog. Probably not. I think he actually hates me.

Ladies and gentlemen… I introduce you to Hipster Kitty. Don’t ask.

Oh yeah! Before I forget, my L’il Depressed Boy strip is finally posted… words and all. Head on over and check it out. Lemme know what you think.

I like this painting okay, and I think it’s helped to pinpoint my problem with all my previous paintings. See, I don’t think that I’m necessarily a “bad” painter, but I do think that I might be a slow painter. We got two class sessions to work on this one (roughly 10 or more hours), so I felt like I could bring it a little closer to the level of detail I like. I also think I’m starting to understand how to control the medium and the colors a little better. Still needs work, but even I have to admit that it’s a definite improvement. Maybe there’s hope for me after all.

Notice anything familiar about the strange hipster on the second page? Here’s the inks:

Just  in general, I like my pencilling much more than my inking. There’s a looseness and confidence in the pencil lines that the inks never seem to capture. Anyways, I’ll keep workin’ at it.

And here’s the original photo reference as well:

Okay… Recently someone offered a fair and fully reasonable critique on my blog recently, and I felt this constructive criticism deserved a thoughtful response. So, here’s the problem: I’m not really sure how to broach the subject without sounding really “sad-sack” or “whiney”. Also, I don’t want to come off as combative, because that is not my intention – Like I said, someone pointed out a “short-coming” of the blog, and I think I should address it.

It has been recently suggested that I am, perhaps a teensy-bit hard on myself – especially with painting. And my way of expressing my frustrations is through (for lack of a better word) “whining” on the blog. That’s fair. It was never my intention to be so constantly negative, and I will surely try to watch that in the future. Now, that being said, I hope you guys can understand where I’m coming from. See, this whole grad school thing is a really, really, gargantuan gamble for me, and I am absolutely terrified that it won’t pay off. So, every time I see a mistake, all I can think is, “That’s the one mistake that will keep me from getting hired.” And because the short-comings in my paintings are so glaring, I tend to freak out a little bit. There’s more to it than that, but that’s a lot larger subject of some much deeper-seated issues, but I hope it gives you some sort of idea of why I’m always so uptight. So, to wrap this up, all this negativity is really my thinly-veiled neurosis shining through. I’ll try to relax a little bit.