Work demo, an iPad copy of a Matisse self portrait. This, I think was one of my better ones.

Ghiroy, page 24. This page, I switched to using a graffiti font I found online. If I ever choose to publish Ghiroy, I'll have to find a way to get a license for the font or redo all the lettering with something else. It was just taking too long to do all the words by hand. I think the text of any given page was taking as much time as the art, which is nuts. And does it matter? I don't know. The lettering doesn't bother me at all but we'll see.

In other, unrelated news, my buddy and I finished the 8th episode of our new podcast, due out soon. It completes the first series, more or less titled, "You haven't seen that?!" as it involves a movie only one of us hasn't seen before. Links for it here soon.

This one has a lot going on, even for me. There are three separate drawings in ink, one of which was warped and twisted to make three. The colors are kind of neon, there's a hidden drawing that will make itself known and the text goes around the outside. Busy, but I like it. I think this is my favorite page of the current song, certainly. Well, that's just me.

Another page of City Silent. Also took a screen shot of what it looks like in AD with everything selected and outlined by their vector paths. Kinda freaky. Did lots more with the iPad with this page. All the windows come from one drawing, manipulated in Procreate. Bricks, too were made there and warped there. The text as always is done there, made to fit. Just Silas is inked. Makes things both possible and faster.

Drew this goofy little Rooster today for no good reason. Even though I killed him off, he doesn't seem to want to go.

Haven't posted one of these in awhile as I haven't really been doing them. A work demo, this time copying Lautrec. Turns out he's actually really good to copy at work as he's so sketchy and that lends itself pretty well to the iPad. Had a few people really interested come over to talk, which is the point. The little ones on the left are the originals, mine are the big ones on the right. Was pretty happy with these even if unfinished.

Worked a little on images for the next page. I want to move into a little weirder, visual area and so tried to push Silas around. Some of these are fun and I might use them. I worry that I might confuse what few readers I have if I do. We'll see.

City Silent page 46. I will admit that this isn't my favorite page. That being said, it does what I envisioned to some extent. I want the pages, as the song progress to get a little more trippy, a little more dreamy, so this is a transition page. I just have to push myself more and more or the effect and 'play' won't work. Have to keep that in mind.

City Silent page 45. I've only posted up to 43 online as they were out of order. Used the iPad more than anything else on this page; Silas was pencilled and inked as usual but the window, bricks and graffiti were all done with Procreate not least of which because I could distort those elements far better there than anywhere else. To my eye, they work together fine and I don't think anyone would think they were made with such different tools. I'll admit that this song is, visually, a bit one-note, but I wanted a typical night spent by the crow and that's what this is. There is a 'payoff' page at the end, which I am dreading because it's a lot of work. I think, in the overall, it will work fine. And there will be time and place for things to get a lot wilder later on. The comic proceeds, I'm happy with it.

This next part really is just for me. There seems to be even more ugliness online these days, having to do mostly with politics and bad behavior all around the planet. There's no way to even tell what's truth and what's not. I honestly think we live in a time nearly devoid of it and no sure way to determine truth available to the average person. I don't react to it online as I think that's both a waste of energy and emotion. I am outraged but shaking my fist at the internet does no one any good. I vote, I do my job and I treat people as they ought to be treated which, being in retail, means a lot. All that being said, I am somewhat coccooned, and I know it. What I am doing is trying to make something of beauty while I'm alive. That's what these comics and art are all about. I don't expect others will go for them. At the end of the day, I hope I can at least say that I didn't add to the ugliness of humankind. It's sad that this is now considered a huge step. And beauty is relative. I think I achieve it here and there. My movement forward, as small as it may be.

I've been feeling dissatisfied with the look of Ghiroy. Poking back into the comic, I kept settling on the opening image, the 'cover,' more or less. It's the only image where the characters are drawn that way and I don't know why that is. They seem the most cartoony here, the most solid and the most fun. Since then, the characters have slowly slipped into something more 'realistic,' more defined and complex. This isn't what I want or the feeling I thought should be expressed. So I went back and did some model/design work on the characters then did this page. Francesca doesn't look so different yet, but Mikilo does. I really should have done model sheets before this to really tie down the style. Well, from here forward, I will try and keep some consistency. Page 23.

Same drill as the last page; layouts on the iPad, finish on the mac. Managed to get TWO pages of two different comics done today. To be fair, the character and graffiti for the City Silent page were done before, but I don't think that matters. Just made me a little lazier. Ghiroy is a fun little nothing. I still really like drawing the characters and shoving it all together. Wish it didn't take so long to make as it feels as if the plot is slow and yet it's only 22 pages into the story.

City Silent page 41. Finally got this one done. Did myself a favor, though and did the background stuff on the iPad instead of by hand with ink. Why is this a favor? It went SO much faster this way and I was able to distort things the way I wanted without resorting to using those tools in my cranky copy of AI CS5. Also, making straight lines in Procreate is so much easier. The window and fire escape were done in three separate parts on paper first, so I could use my ruler. Then I took a photo with the iPad right in Procreate and inked right there. Play about, export as a jpg then vectorize. Much, much faster and no smudging. I'm not sold on doing my character work this way, but it's now a hint where before it wasn't even a whisper. Four pages into this song now. The last page is going to be a pain, but there you go.