"real" character designs (and a new comic, too)

All about the character designs here lately. This is for what'll be the next comic I serialize here. Doing a little more planning before I jump in this time (don't worry, not too much...)

Been a bit slow posting this week because of the deadline crunch for this, my entry into Calamity Jon Morris's collaborative comics project, "BOO! Halloween stories"
When Flies Were Big was written by Jon hisself and, um... embellished by yours truly.

Check out all the comics springing up at the OuCoPo site and remember, this is monthly and open for anyone to contribute. (Every month has a new theme. It's not year-round Halloween, as cool as that sounds)

Happy Halloween, everybody!

one hundred character some head and profile designs

The other day I read (via sirive's LiveJournal) about a character design exercise that Steve Bissette and James Kochalka give to their cartooning students. The assignment is to design one hundred recognizably different characters in one week. Seems like a good enough way to fill space here until I start something new.

Of course, mine number significantly less than a hundred, are more floating head designs than character designs, and only took me about fifteen minutes total.

Well... I've never been good at following directions.



Ahhh... another exciting Friday!

Lost and Found - part sixteen

That's the end. Last page in the notebook too, so I guess I had to stop.

Hope you've enjoyed this little story. It started as an experiment in "installment writing," meaning I initially came to a new page each day not knowing where I would go with the story (Additionally, I wrote and drew these things on my breaks at work, so even the installments came in installments). Slowly the storyline warped and then solidified in my head (there's an image) until it ended up like this. Kind of rough and disjointed but not without it's charms.
I've decided to re-write and re-draw the story. I have a lot of changes in mind already, including a new ending. I've talked to Cat Garza about including it in his upcoming MoCCA anthology and he gave me the go ahead.

That being said, if anyone wants a kind of ashcan edition of this version, then let me know. I think I've found a method of publishing that won't lose all the charm of the notebook pages (and it's cheap!)

Now, on to something else here at the blog. But what?
I've got some more ideas, but probably just some random sketches for a bit...

Thanks for reading.

Lost and Found - part fifteen

One more page to go, I think.

Lost and Found - part fourteen

I had an idea that this might happen. And then I though tthat it probably wouldn't. I didn't know for sure until today, though.

Lost and Found - part thirteen

Edit: Put up the wrong cartoon at first. Whups.


Lucky part thirteen today. Starting to wrap this up.

Over at the LiveJournal, David Yoder suggested I collect this in a physical format as a mini, something that has crossed my mind. There is a kind of charm to this story and it presentation on the blog. I'm not sure the ad hoc process of creating this makes for a cohesive work. It's been fun trying to keep the continuity going one installment at a time, but looking over it I'm not so sure it works as a whole.
Another idea is fixing the errors and redrawing the whole thing. I think I'd be more satisfied with the end result there - it'd certainly have more polish - but is it worth the time it'd take to redo it?

I'll decide when the things all done, but I'm curious as to what anyone else thinks.

Any ideas?

Lost and Found - part twelve

I didn't even erase the pencil lines on this one. That goes to show how HARD CORE I am today!
Yeah!

whatever...

Lost and Found - part eleven

Lost and Found - part ten

I've just about hit critical mass as far as the number of projects I'm working on right now. I'll probably have to scale back to shooting for the every-other daily doodle rather than daily. Not too different from how I'm posting lately anyway.
I might fill in the off days with some sketches and other non-comics stuff.

Lost and Found - part nine

This was supposed to go up last Friday (note the cliffhanger leading into the weekend - I'm starting to pace this like such a sap), but things didn't work out that way. I think it's finally clumsily loping it's way to some kind of conclusion, though.

Lost and Found - part eight

Lost and Found - part seven

Page seven introduces the posibility of a whole new subtext that I probably don't need. Oh well, what's done is done.

This weeks turning out a lot less talky than last week.

Lost and Found - part six

Lost and Found - part five

Next week: a change of scenery!

Lost and Found - part four

Dear Blogger people, I have been unfaithful.
Yesterday I began cross posting at my long dormant LiveJournal account. Her wiles, they were just too great. And my friends egged me on besides.

This need not be the end of our relationship, however. If you keep an open mind, we can still enjoy the pleasure of one anothers company. Let's think of this as an "open" relationship. You are free to see others as well (or even join me and my LiveJournal for a sort of menage?).
Here. It's all explained in this book. All I ask is you read it.


(Too creepy?)
My Live Journal

And speaking of menage, have you heard about OuCoPo, Jon Morris' new collaborative anthology?
Every month there will be a different theme and everyone is invited to submit comics based on said theme.
The goal is to flood Jon with so many submissions that running the anthology will absorb every second of his time and ruin all hope of gainful employment, relationships, and other general enjoyments.
So submit! And often!
The first theme is BOO! halloween stories (to which I contributed last year)

Lost and Found - part three

Lost and Found - part two

Lost and Found - part one

on language

sorry...

can you find it?

Here are the "answers" to Monday's cartoon post:


1. Speaking out of place
2. Strong Words or Tough Talk (Derik got that)
3. His words have come back to haunt him.
4. The voice inside his head.
5. His words have come back to bite him on the ass.

These might have worked better with a little refinement, but in the end I decided it wasn't worth the time.
Thanks to those who played along though.