My post this week is inspired by a regular segment on KEVIN POLLAK’S CHAT SHOW (an internet-based talk show) called The Larry King Game.  The rules of the game are as follows:

• Do a bad Larry King impression (since I can’t do an “impression” in a comic, I opted to draw a bad Larry King instead… in my case I used no visual reference)
• Reveal something about yourself, as Larry, while on the air.
• “Go to the phones” (preferably the name of the city that’s calling in should sound kinda funny)

I recently began following Kevin Pollak’s show, and it’s become one of my favorite things to listen to when I’m working.  Kevin hosts long conversations with his guests (usually 1.5-2 hours), often talking about what inspires them to create and how they got started or arrived to certain points in their careers.  Anyway, I thought it would be fun to try to do the Larry King Game in comics form, so here we are.

This clip below shows various guests doing the Larry King Game.  I thought I’d include it so you all could see some attempts that were actually, y’know… funny:

KEVIN POLLAK’S CHAT SHOW streams live on Sunday afternoons, though episodes are quickly made available on iTunes or YouTube.  You can find more info about the show, as well as more clips at http://www.kevinpollakschatshow.com/.

I just got in from seven days on the road. It was an amazing and much-needed vacation. The Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon were really spectacular, as well as a lot of the scenery all around. My favorite stretch was driving from Bryce to the Grand Canyon from southern Utah to northern Arizona. Anyhow, as you probably could’ve guessed, I didn’t get any drawing done. There was too much moving around, driving, and hiking, and it was hard for me to make time for it. But don’t worry! I have some goodness to share with you on my return.

At the gift shop in Bryce, they actually had some really awesome postcards and posters that were reproductions of old WPA posters. They are pretty awesome. Here’s the four that I nabbed.

I should have some new stuff up next week. While I’m waiting for the Americus edits to get back to me, I’ve got complete freedom on what I work on. I plan on making the best of it!

The first book I’m adapting is THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert A. Heinlein.

This was really only the first third of page 100.  There’s a lot more yak-yak-yakking and I was trying to keep the actual comic down to one page.  Also, the scene from panel two is out of my own head.  Just thought it would be interesting to picture Mike’s report about cyborgs to add some variety to the scene, though it’s probably sillier than something Heinlein would have envisioned.  Actually, the style of this page looks more cartoony than I originally intended.

…

You may remember me writing acouple of times about Joey Weiser’s fundraiser to publish his graphic novel CAVEMEN IN SPACE.  Well, the drive ended this week, and I’m happy to report that he met his target goal.  Congratulations, Joey!

…

An old buddy of mine, Nathan Kissel, recently started posting at a artblog that he’s keeping with another friend.  Go give them some love if you get the chance.  If it’s any incentive, Nathan draws a mean Wolverine.

Johnny Cash mourns the dying tradition of finding porn in the woods.  As do we all, Johnny…

We should have asked this guy to do an image for this year’s BPB calendar…

The book is printed on heavy newsprint, and the image quality is crude, like bad xeroxes of old photostats.  This is not to say the comic looks unreadable, but these touches give the feeling of reading something from the past.  This is the fourth book by Tatsumi to be released by Drawn & Quarterly, but it’s the first to have the physicality of the book recall the time period in which it was originally produced.  I’m interested in seeing if future books by the author follow this route, or if they will continue to experiment with each book’s design.

As for the comic itself, Tatsumi’s work seems overly simple, but there are many nuances in his cartooning that build tension to these prisoners’ tale of escape.  Tatsumi frequently plays with composition inside his panels, allowing some figures or objects to loom over others to create a disorienting effect.  The simplicity of his drawing allows actions to feel direct and explosive.

Throughout the book, the escaped prisoners have to make their way through a raging blizzard.  In these scenes, diagonals become much more prominent… snow pounds down in harsh, zipping lines, the panel views tilt and rock… All of this helps to create a disorienting effect.  We feel the characters’ struggle as they try to navigate the powerful storm.

It’s also interesting to note that Tatsumi builds the story on a simple six-panel structure.  One method of conveying the disorientation I mentioned earlier would have been to change up this grid, and use more unconventional layouts.  Instead, Tatsumi chooses to manipulate the composition within the panels.  I think it’s admirable that he can get such great energy out of a straightforward layout.

On a random note, this is probably my favorite panel in the book.  I just love that face.

Anyway, see you all next week… Same Bat-Channel, though hopefully not the same Bat-Time.

To try to break that up and in honor of me finishing up Americus wicked soon, I thought that I would show a little behind the scenes the next couple of weeks and document me in the process of drawing up a page of comics, as well as go over the tools I use to do what I do. This could be interesting to anyone who doesn’t really draw comics and potentially boring to anyone that does. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

Part I, Weapons of choice

I didn’t think I used that much when I draw, but after going through what I actually use I realized the list is longer than I thought, though not really that crazy or diverse. Anyhow, my weapons cache consists of a the following tools:

2H pencil

Pictured is Samson. He’s the pencil I used to draw EVERYTHING starting with my last year in college up until a year or two ago. Seriously, EVERYTHING. I think someone left him behind in one of my classes, and I picked him up and it was magic for many, many years. The only reason I started to use different pencils was because I thought I lost him and was forced to get a new ones.

That boring story being told, I like the 2H because they last forever, and since I do a lot of sketching and redrawing when I work on stuff, it’s nice that the hard lead doesn’t smear like softer Bs do.

100 lb. Strathmore smooth Bristol board

I used to use a vellum finish, which has a little bit of a tooth, but as I slowly moved to using the brush exclusively and relying on a more clean line, I have switched to the smooth. I’ve found that if you want to do some dry brushing, the vellum is better.

#1 Rosemary brush

I used to use Windsor Newton Series 7 Sable brushes up until very recently because in school we were told they were the Winchester rifles of brushes and that hype was generally lived up to. Then they started to suck. Like suck bad. Like every brush I would by would fray and lose its tip after the first time I used it. Luckily, my good friend, amazing illustrator, [and maybe roommate in the future] Meg Hunt introduced me to Rosemary Brushes. It’s this lady in England that makes the brushes by hand [I don't think she personally makes them.] Anyhow, I would swear by these brushes now. They’re incredibly affordable and I’ve found them to keep their tip through and through.

And as a side note to brush selection: I used to use a #2, but since drawing Americus, I’ve found a #1 gets me the fine line I need. I don’t know if it’s because my touch is getting less delicate, or if I’ve just needed to have a finer line in my drawing, but the #2 has just seemed a little too clumsly for me lately.

Micron pens, [#1 & #3]

I only use the Micron for tiny details that are too fine for me to get with a brush, like facial features in wide shots and what not.

Pentel brush pen

These bad boys are really, really great when you’re traveling and want to draw and sketch with a brush on the go, but don’t want to worry about having to carry around all your inking supplies. They’re nice because they have actual bristles. I’ve seen some brush pens that just have tapered felt tips and they are really, really horrible. Anyhow, I’ve also found the Pentel brush pens to be really great for lettering because the brush has a consistent tip and you don’t have to keep dipping them into the ink. It’s a completely different experience, but if you’ve ever wanted to start drawing with a brush and need a stepping stone these are great way to get the feel of the tool without diving straight in. They also come in varying colors, so you can try out some different stuff with them. I just have a black one and then a grey one in hopes of sitting down and practicing tones one of these days.

and finally

Windsor Newton Black India Ink.

To be honest, I haven’t really used a lot of other inks so I can’t bring up comparisons of them to the Windsor Newton stuff. I have used Windsor Newton ink since I started drawing comics and I haven’t found a reason to switch.

—

I’ll be finishing the first draft of Americus today, but I still have some edits to do and then I have to throw it all into a PDF and send it to my editor, but I should be able to start devoting more time to art for myself, and as a result, my blog posts should be a little more diverse and experimental. Please stay tuned!

This comic, as well as past comics by myself and fellow ‘bagger Jonathan are available in pdf form at the VNLP website.  I have a couple more comics about Lucy coming up, plus the VNLP will be putting out a mincomic collection of the strips I did for them last year.  I should have more news about those projects in the coming months.

Since this week has been light as far as  new art goes, I thought I’d do a quick bit of fan art.  Below are some characters from Joey Weiser’s comic CAVEMEN IN SPACE:

You may remember that I mentioned this comic a while ago, when Joey started a drive to raise money for its publication.  I’m glad to report that he’s raised around 2/3 of his goal, but he’s got to get his book the printers soon.  If you’re interested in learning more about this project, feel free to check out these links:

• Joey’s CAVEMEN IN SPACE Fundraiser page
• Read a preview of CAVEMEN IN SPACE from its distributor, AdHouse Books

Hoping to post on time next week.  See you all then.

You be the judge.

The second issue of the Ne’er-Do-Well Literary Magazine is finally put together. If you’ll remember, I did the illustration and screenprinted the cover. Anyhow, I got my copy the other day, and I’m pretty stoked how they turned out.

You can get them at Powell’s or order them from The Ne’er-Do-Well website. Be there!

And finally, I did another news spot in this week’s Willamette Week. It’s about the pros and cons of a high school redesign. You can read the article here.

Till next week, fair readers.

I hope there’s nothing embarrassing on my desk there… Anyhow, see you next week!

In particular, I really enjoyed Christopher Eccleston’s portrayal of The Doctor.  I’m used to seeing him play villians or tough guys, but in Doctor Who, he takes on a more comedic role.  He’s quite brilliant, and I was disappointed that he left the series after its first season.

Anyway, here’s his version of The Doctor, along with his travelling companion Rose and her boyfriend Ricky…  I mean Mickey.

Since I missed last week’s blog post, here’s the Tenth Doctor (played by David Tennant) on a horse.

http://tragic-planet.com/fund.html

Joey also does the weekly comic strip Monster Isle, which I’ve mentioned here before.  Both that and his website are worth checking out.

I don’t want to bore uninterested parties to death, so my year in review is after the cut.

(more…)