Not Lino

On account of how time’s scrambled up my brain, I couldn’t remember how I drew that thing from a couple of weeks ago, and so here’s a screenshot for reminding myself whenever I need reminding. Basically, I tend to do these things in Flash, just ’cause I’m used to the environment and for whatever reason don’t enjoy working in Illustrator as much. Plus, this way, if and when I ever get around to animating this junk, which is probably my number one dream (this week), then I’ll have a bunch of images ready to go. I mean, yeah, I know, you can import vector stuff from other programs, but, I’m 104% self-taught, so I probably have a lot of other bad techno habits besides just that one. Such as, just now, looking at the layers, there are probably too many of ‘em, and the name “textures” isn’t right for what I ended up doing. Anyway, the figure, of course, is drawn as a mask, which is simply easier for me than drawing it with an eraser and letting the background show through that way. Otherwise, the main reason for the mask is that I like to see marks from underneath go in pretty random directions, and especially like it when they cross over from one figure to another. So I start with a ground layer of scribbles, regardless of whatever the composition’s gonna be, then refine the scribbles from there, and then hope to see some unpredictable results when the mask gets laid on top (this one’s actually less like that than I’d like) . The colors ended up being too muddy on this thing, so I need to work on that, but the idea is supposed to be sort of vaguely like what happens when you print a woodcut on top of a monoprint. In any case, I need about 90 more years of practice, and also a ton more patience, if I ever plan to get to the faraway place I’m trying to go with all this type of work.

Hombre Secreto

So, that artist’s statement I wrote for class the other day, I went back and overhauled it as best I could yesterday. So that now it’s very slightly less annoying, although it still has way too many personal pronouns. Anyway, the first draft was even more full of ‘em than the second draft, so it’s progress to even drop two or three. But, again, if only it could be way, way shorter. Of course, since my wife’s a Real Life Writer, I’ve been getting excellent advice about my millions of extra commas and whatever, but when I complain about having to work with words and suggest to her that writing must be easier for actual writers than for us visual folk, she lets me know real quick it’s pretty hard for everybody. Speaking of which, although I’m freaking out about getting all my work done this semester, you oughta see the giant pile of work she’s gotta do…all of which I’m extremely proud of her for doing. But, man, if and when I get my next degree, I’m definitely gonna get it in something easy, like doodling or perhaps Mad Libs.

Okay, so, anyhow, here’s an ancient drawing from back when I was gonna do a weird little comic book which ended up never going past this cover. And, well, I guess I also have half a napkin of scribbled character notes, the only part of which that’s still decipherable says, “Robot fashion designer, model named Z something, not always masked (too El Borbah).” I can’t recall what the heck any of that was supposed to mean. But, you know, even though there’s a lot wrong with this particular picture, I wish I could remember to fill spaces with dots more often, ’cause it sure looks like fun. Meanwhile, maybe tomorrow I can do an actual brand new drawing. I hope.

Really Old Art

In the workshop all dang day, which, as usual, wasn’t the plan. But, whatever, me and plans never agree on much. At least now I have the first of the four folding book-like things I’ve gotta do by the middle of March sort of built and ready to collage on and stuff. Meanwhile, although I’m pretty desperate to get back to work on some fresh new drawings of the same old junk I always draw, there won’t be time for all that this evening, on account of various kinds of Other Work I’ve gotta do, like, you know, watch Fringe (for some unknown reason) and also learn, once and for all, how to handle a Bezier curve. So, anyway, here are a couple of really, really old drawings, which I don’t remember doing, and even more don’t remember why I did ‘em. But, I guess I still like little parts of ‘em, here and there. I mean, it looks like they’re from when I was working toward getting rid of the horizon line I always used to hang onto so much. And I like how it looks as if I didn’t care how they came out, ’cause I used to over-compose every single piece in advance, which I know now was the wrong way to go about things. Not that I know the right way yet.

Ghost Book

I don’t actually have anything new to post (isn’t it nice to know that from the start?). Being empty-handed, of course, wasn’t the plan when I made all those resolutions a few weeks ago about how much more I was gonna draw in 2009. I guess my excuse is that school is all the sudden back in session, and so I’m doing a lot of math for some reason, instead of doodles of spacemen and famous lady bowlers and hungry dogs. Although, I’m supposed to also be working on actual art, too, like this thing down below, which is a page from a book that I sort of made with no plan whatsoever. It turned out about 1/3 okay and 2/3 just plain bewildering, but it gave me a big idea for something to do this semester, so that’s good. Meanwhile, I guess I manage, from time to time, to make art notes in the corners of class notes, mostly for projects I’m 98% sure will never see the light of day. Which is fine…the world could probably do without my fake folk art, considering how much of the real stuff there is. Anyhow, that’s all I know at the moment.

Except, I got some helpful feedback on my artist’s statement in class this morning, so now I think I know how to rewrite it. If I could get it all down to about 25 words, I’d be happy…as it is now, it’d put the reader to sleep in about 14 seconds, which makes it an effective-as-hell soporific, but not so much good for anything else. For sure I need to eliminate this dumb long list of influences I’d included, ’cause it’s just name-checking for no reason, and I never like that much when I see that kind of thing elsewhere. Anyway, our professor recommended keeping our statements to 3 paragraphs max, which sounds about right. I just wonder why writing is approximately 9 billion times harder than drawing, not that drawing’s all that easy for someone with weirdo eyesight like I’ve got.

Another Cover

Not Penny’s Boat

According to the 2008 edition of Who’s Who In Indie Music, there are now 37 bands named Not Penny’s Boat. There were 38, but the Not Penny’s Boat in Cuyahoga Falls changed their name a few weeks ago to The Odd Jobs (after about 48 hours of being known as The Unbearable Lightness). So, since you need to be more specific nowadays, whenever you do stuff for bands, this piece here is for the Not Penny’s Boat based down the street from where I live, wherever that is. Anyway, if they ever come through your town, you’ll know it’s them ’cause they’re the only Lets’ Active tribute band in the Southeast, now that the Bottle Trees have all gone their separate ways. And, well, I guess I oughta mention, this thing’s for a single (A-side only) that’s coming out on Monkeybar in the spring. All of which, of course, is mostly untrue. And, yeah, the nest is supposed to float.

Illustration Friday – Pale

Umbrella

Test Pilot Pirx

Notes for Pictures and Stories