Friday, August 18, 2006
Girl Rocks Out on Burning Train
My Love/Hate relationship with humanity continues. First off, for people who don't know me, I use the un-P.C. term 'retarded' like other people use the word 'hello'.
Loves:
There was a cute retarded girl on the train today, about 12 years old. I shouldn't say she was completely retarded, but there was definitely something different about her and she had one of those 'dumb' looking faces. She was pretty, but slack-jawed and with that glazed look in her eyes. Anyway, she had on headphones and was doing that spastic continuous rocking thing, with an occassional arm flap (like excited 14 month olds do). I didn't get the tripping-on-something vibe, just an I-need-vestibular-stimulation vibe. Every so often, she would shout, loudly, "HA!" and turn and suddenly hug her travelling companion, who I presumed to be an older sister. Rock on, little quasi-retarded girl, rock on!
Hates:
I don't care if you are escaping from a burning bus or fleeing a collapsing World Trade Tower, don't tell reporters you "barely escaped with your life," if you are still holding your briefcase or shopping bags. I know that in times of panic a person may hold on to their purse or whatever and not even realize they are still holding it. However, to the guy I once saw on the news who escaped a burning jetliner in Devner, who told reporters "I barely had time to grab my briefcase," a gigantic FUCK YOU. I'm sure the guy standing behind you, waiting to exit as the cabin fills with toxic smoke, didn't mind one bit that you took a few extra seconds to grab your potentially exit-blocking briefcase. Maybe I am being too hard. I mean, in a situation like that, what's a few extra seconds?
Loves:
There was a cute retarded girl on the train today, about 12 years old. I shouldn't say she was completely retarded, but there was definitely something different about her and she had one of those 'dumb' looking faces. She was pretty, but slack-jawed and with that glazed look in her eyes. Anyway, she had on headphones and was doing that spastic continuous rocking thing, with an occassional arm flap (like excited 14 month olds do). I didn't get the tripping-on-something vibe, just an I-need-vestibular-stimulation vibe. Every so often, she would shout, loudly, "HA!" and turn and suddenly hug her travelling companion, who I presumed to be an older sister. Rock on, little quasi-retarded girl, rock on!
Hates:
I don't care if you are escaping from a burning bus or fleeing a collapsing World Trade Tower, don't tell reporters you "barely escaped with your life," if you are still holding your briefcase or shopping bags. I know that in times of panic a person may hold on to their purse or whatever and not even realize they are still holding it. However, to the guy I once saw on the news who escaped a burning jetliner in Devner, who told reporters "I barely had time to grab my briefcase," a gigantic FUCK YOU. I'm sure the guy standing behind you, waiting to exit as the cabin fills with toxic smoke, didn't mind one bit that you took a few extra seconds to grab your potentially exit-blocking briefcase. Maybe I am being too hard. I mean, in a situation like that, what's a few extra seconds?
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Insane Madison Avenue Morons
Hey Quizno's, your BBQ brisket sandwich commercial is stupid. The old let's-take-a-cultural-stereotype-of-a-simpleton-and-have-him-speak-in-big-fancy-words-like-he-is-smart is lame and old hat. Ranks right up there with the old fake congressional hearing on Honey Bunches of Oats.
And while we're at it, can we stop using the word 'insane' as a universal descriptor for...anything and everything? I recently saw a documentary about deep sea exploration that was narrated, appropriately, by James Cameron. Everything was fine until Cameron expounds upon the mysteries off the deep as containing "some of the most insane sea life you will ever see." Mentally unstable Angler fish. Cool.
Sketchbook page.
And while we're at it, can we stop using the word 'insane' as a universal descriptor for...anything and everything? I recently saw a documentary about deep sea exploration that was narrated, appropriately, by James Cameron. Everything was fine until Cameron expounds upon the mysteries off the deep as containing "some of the most insane sea life you will ever see." Mentally unstable Angler fish. Cool.
Sketchbook page.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Back to the Drawing Board
Today's post will be a Bite Club page from the upcoming issue #5 of Bite Club: Vampire Crime Unit. Nothing special, just an example of my process.
First, I do a thumbnail breakdown of the page on the script pages as I read the script. From there, I do a more tightly rendered version of the page (above), about 2" x 3". I do these breakdowns in batches of about 5-6 at a time and submit them to my editor, Shelly Bond. After her approval or suggestions, I go to the full size pencil art.
Here is the pencil art on 11" x 17" paper. I stuck pretty close to the original layout. This page is a bit rougher than I normally do (even when inking myself) because of time constraints. Actually, I really don't need to go tighter than this, but I tend to anyway when I have the time.
I scan the pencil page and print it out as cyan on smooth DC comic stock paper. I don't like to ink on original pencils because I hate to erase pages. I also use various types of pens when I ink, and some don't stay fast when an eraser is put down. The page will be scanned and cleaned up in Adobe Photoshop. Here I will also drop in any patterns or lettering, like the grid on the ceiling and the '8' on the eightball. Above is the final page that will be loaded as a bitmapped image onto DC's FTP site.
And done.
First, I do a thumbnail breakdown of the page on the script pages as I read the script. From there, I do a more tightly rendered version of the page (above), about 2" x 3". I do these breakdowns in batches of about 5-6 at a time and submit them to my editor, Shelly Bond. After her approval or suggestions, I go to the full size pencil art.
Here is the pencil art on 11" x 17" paper. I stuck pretty close to the original layout. This page is a bit rougher than I normally do (even when inking myself) because of time constraints. Actually, I really don't need to go tighter than this, but I tend to anyway when I have the time.
I scan the pencil page and print it out as cyan on smooth DC comic stock paper. I don't like to ink on original pencils because I hate to erase pages. I also use various types of pens when I ink, and some don't stay fast when an eraser is put down. The page will be scanned and cleaned up in Adobe Photoshop. Here I will also drop in any patterns or lettering, like the grid on the ceiling and the '8' on the eightball. Above is the final page that will be loaded as a bitmapped image onto DC's FTP site.
And done.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Less Airports, More Drawing!
Every time I watch an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that features Q, I feel as though I just watched an episode of Bewitched.
Here is my third 1:400 scratch built terminal since I entered this hobby a few months ago. This time it's a Lufthansa terminal, though you can see some other company airliners sneaking into the pictures. Enjoy!
Here is my third 1:400 scratch built terminal since I entered this hobby a few months ago. This time it's a Lufthansa terminal, though you can see some other company airliners sneaking into the pictures. Enjoy!
