Finished page 115 so I'm done with the first of three verses for this track. The photo's not too flattering, but the lens seems to have a lot of distortion, too. That's ok as I warped the final pencil drawing anyway. I knew I wanted to put some graffiti in the background, so hopefully this takes care of issues with the WIP version seeming too much like just a photo. The color palette expands and will only get more wild, I think, when I start on the rest of the track. Might change the colors of the lower right graffiti; I want to sleep on it. I think I will go do that thing.

 

 I only got so far today, having finished the other page. This will go before that one once the text is in and all that. There will likely also be some graffiti throw up in the background. I hoped to finish, but I think it's a good thing to sleep on it and get a fresh perspective later.

 Got this finished today. Now to do the page BEFORE it. Well, sometimes these things happen. What can you expect when you don't plan things ahead? That being said, I'm happy with Digby atop a giant pile of cash. The buildings in the background are from photos I took in LA while there, modified and recolored. That's indeed me in the reference photo looking like a doofus. The things I do for my art. I cannot count the number of photos of myself I've taken over the years, most at least as goofy as this one. Finally is the pencil sketch. This one feels almost like a poster and the colors are kind of nuts, but that's ok. Now to go back a page...

 Started the next page which turns out to be the NEXT next page. When I got the cash and the fox together, I found I didn't want to shrink them so will shove a page before this one to take care of the previous lines in the refrain. The cash is from a stock photo online, which I'm not happy about but I did warp it, resize it and will recolor it enough that will make it nearly unrecognizable. I hope. It was the one element I really just didn't know how to do otherwise such that it would fit into the rest of the track's style. I went a little further than this but only have done the one WIP image. Should finish it tomorrow and be able to start the previous one. Might post the ref photos for this on the final because why the hell not?

 Had a bunch of small details to change but managed to finish the page today. I drew Digby in as the driver, though he would actually be in full shadow. I think it works ok. Also added pale headlights. Had to fix some outlines on the arms, change the colors of the overlays, isolate two words in the text, recolor those and generally balance things out. The page is busy but I think it works ok. Another one down.

 Got a chance to start working on page 114 yesterday. I got further than this but these are the only two WIP images I have. Top is simply from a photo I took of a streetcar in Budapest. I wanted something to go with the line, "Take me to the end a the line." And hey, it's the first vehicle in all of City Silent or Tamino. Because I can't draw them well. I shouldn't be lazy and should generate a third WIP. Hold on...

There we go. Got some colors and text. It's kind of loud and wild but I think I like that. Still have some work to do on the colors overall but it's closer to done than I thought.

 Finally got a chance to finish the page today. There was a LOT of futzing around to get the logo to work on the shirt. Decorating the shows was more fun. It does what I want to do and I'm pretty happy with it. I want the rest of the song to start loosening up, so I will work on that, especially as the refrain is coming up which can represent a slight visual shift.

I want to do another video of "How NOT to Make Comics." My process is getting so piecemeal. This one page has 29 separate elements and it's not even one of the complex ones.

 Had to work today which gave me little time to do any art. That being said, I did do some stuff to the latest page. Exporting a WIP, I managed to get the text done and positioned, though I may re-color some of the words for emphasis. The purple overlay, which is the same as last page, is a place holder and I will likely change one or both. So far, I'm happy. I need to get Digby's logo onto the shirt and shoes and that will pretty much be it for this page. There's a couple layers of texture in there, a modified plywood scan and some graffiti I used for the recent doberman image. They add interest without being specific. I rather like them.

 Getting to work on the next page of City Silent. The verse talks about putting a logo on shirt and shoes, so I wanted to be literal. Did some quick posing but shoes are complex enough that I needed to grid them out. While the sketch is kind of not great, it looks fine in vector. Sometimes that happens and I just have to trust that the sketch is a good foundation even if it's not a good drawing on its own.

 I'm calling it done. I readjusted the leaf some so that all legs of the chair and his forward foot were actually ON the leaf. I also came up with a background that worked as well. I took one of the photos of a Hawaiian sunrise, vectorized it and 'dumbed' it down quite a bit. Also had to edit out some palm trees. They're clouds, but they're also somewhat nebulous, forming either horns or an imperfect halo around his head. I darkened the details of the face a little as well. There's symbolism here if one wants it; none of it was thought out ahead of time, but I can see where things can stand for other things.

The gesture could mean that he's directing people away, being dismissive or he's trying to draw attention away. The faded superman shirt could suggest someone who thought himself a hero but is fading along with his symbol. The chair is so much a throne, I couldn't have planned that if I tried. It suggests a king as does the red draped 'robe' on the back. The leaf, as a plinth is obviously delicate and tenuous. And the horns of the day, coming to an end, an imperfect halo could suggest the coming of the end of some kind. I can see where all these symbols could be interpreted in that manner. I honestly didn't choose any of them that way. My dad was dressed that way, in that chair. I did choose two photos where he's gesturing in one and looking away in another. I did position myself as I did, and I did choose the reference I did. This one just came together really well mostly on its own.

There's a lot of weight in this one, as it's my father. Our relationship, though he likely has no idea of this, has been troubled since I was little. I'm glad I did this, that I spent as much time as I did on it as well. I'm happy with it. All that remains is for it to be printed and framed, which I might do one day. I imagine it quite large, perhaps 2x4 feet or more. Likely, I never will print it but one never knows.

 Got a lot done today. A last detail, one I'd thought about using but wasn't sure was going to work was the leaf. I took a photo of this gargantuan leaf while walking through a park near my father's home in Hawaii. You never know when you're going to need or want reference like that. As soon as I decided to sit down and work on this, I knew it was going to be a part of this. Originally, it was just going to hang in the background. Then I thought about laying it down in perspective. I didn't remember it being so full of holes, so fragile, but that works to my advantage, though cutting all those damned holes out was a pain in the ass. To me it ads a sense of precariousness to the whole thing, perhaps evens suggesting that the solid chair/throne isn't sitting on something all that steady. Maybe its age. Or the reign won't last. Something like that. The only problem is that I think it leaves the upper background a bit too empty. I can also tell that this is a point where I should stop and step back, let it sit without me looking at it for awhile. Getting close, just not yet, I don't think.

 Progress. I got a lot filled in, but spent a lot of time going back and forth with the wrinkles on the shirt. I redid them entirely last night as I was not happy with the originals. I still wonder if they're too 'busy,' if they distract too much from the face. With the low contrast, I think it works ok. It's a lot closer to done than I thought I'd be. Last major part is the arms of the chair as they're carved lions. I want their suggestion without, again, distracting from the face. So, off to do them. I have done some tracing in this one and will do so with the lions along with a little freehand editing before making them in vectors. Always feel guilty about any tracing but then again, Warhol.

 Work proceeds. I did some fiddling with the face and then decided I could move onto the body. They're done on different sheets and are different scales, but it was easy enough to paste a copy of the head onto the body file and resize it as I had left myself marks. Something I've been thinking about is the idea that a lot of the details just wouldn't be obvious until you stepped closer to the work, which is made possible by the low contrast. That means it still needs to 'read' properly from a distance. It also might mean that people just glancing will think they've seen all there is to see. I might be ok with that. It's an invitation to look closer and a reward for those that do. Sort of. Regardless, I made some progress. The chair is going to be a pain in the ass as there's a lot of detail. It's carved with designs that make it seem like a throne which is the point. There will also be a lot of adjusting of colors as things go on. But so far, it's going where I want it to go.

 Some progress. The hair took me a really long time as I decided to draw a fair amount of wispiness in it. So far, I think I have the likeness down pretty well, which is good. The colors are not final but do have the low contrast I was looking for. There will be lots of fiddling down the line.

 Started work on the next portrait today. This one will be a full figure but I wanted the face to be much more detailed than the rest of the body so I zoomed in to do what will be an insert for the final piece. Before I went to Hawaii, I knew I was going to take photos to do a portrait of my father. It's almost a compulsion though he and I have never been close. It had been over 30 years since I'd seen him face to face and mentally, he hasn't changed at all. Physically, that's a different story. The setup could not have been more perfect as it will feel like there's a lot of symbolism in it though none of it was my choice. Still, I did choose the pose and which 'costume' he will be wearing, or, rather, which day's photo will make the best composition. I think it's going to be very low contrast which will enhance the feeling of age. From here, I'll work up a second grid for the figure then try and decide what the background should be. I have an idea or two, but we'll see if they work. This will be a big one.

 Still not feeling well, but my Covid test came up negative. So far. We'll see. Slept til noon and am headed back to bed now, but I managed to get the page done. The colors changed a lot but I think they work. The outline is new, but is going to be a part of the continued dance of Digby so I think it'll transition ok. I do think I should go back and put his little logo in the previous pages and will likely do that. Later. Still, here's a page done for '22.

Couldn't resist making at least one post on the first of the year. I did some work yesterday, wanted to get more done today, but after Covid exposure, today I felt kind of crappy and spent most of my time sleeping. Won't know til after a test tomorrow morning if it's the big C or not. Might just be a cold. I'm vaxxed and boostered so if it is C, it'll likely be mild. Regardless, I started a new page. Did something a little tricky and instead of trying to warp the drawing, I just took the photo at an extreme angle. Worked like a charm. More later.