LnkSketch

watercolor on bristol

6.875" x 8.125"

buying info at the SubSubShop (SOLD).

I call this thing a sketch because I drew it for fun, with no planning ahead of time, making it up as I went along. Watercolor is very forgiving when it comes to things like this, and I was able to make significant changes along the way, like washing out whole buildings or adding cracks on the statue. Things like that.


I really got carried away with this. The last few weeks have been kind of tumultuous for my personal life, so I was grateful to have something like this to get lost in for a few hours everyday. I think if things were going normally I might have dashed this off as quickly as the rest of my sketches, or I might not have done it at all.


I started playing Skyward Sword a few weeks ago. It's the kind of game where they reveal bits and pieces of the world to you a little at a time, but you quickly understand the scope, and that there is a lot to come. This feeling of vast, unexplored territory is always exciting, and for me, creatively inspiring. It's like when you see a book cover, and you immediately start to imagine all kinds of things that could happen. As excited as I am to play the video game, I found myself choosing to work on this rather than that. I don't really know why. But it's over now, I can't spend any more time on it and now I'm selling the original. (sold) It's waaay overpriced, but I don't think I'll be sad if no one buys it. Also, I'll be making cheap prints of it for this spring's convention season.

CCSLetters

CCSLetters, originally uploaded by SubSub.

here's some lettering I did for CCS the other day.
drawn with a nib & ink, colored in photoshop.

MoversSketch

Gouache and India Ink on Bristol
6.875" x 8.125"

Buying info at the SubSubShop.

LoseShoeSketch

Watercolor and India Ink on Bristol
6.875" x 8.125"
Buying info at the SubSubShop.

PSR in Stripburger

The newest issue of the international comics magazine Stripburger includes a story of mine. The story is PSR, from my book I Will Bite You!. I thought it would be appropriate for an international magazine since it is silent and the setting isn't very specific.
It's a cool magazine and I'm proud to be in it.


And I'm especially happy with the way it printed. In the photo you can see the version that was in my book was yellow for days, but the Stripburger version is a little bigger and in black & white. At first I was sad to loose the color, but I really really love the way the gray version looks. I kind of wish I made the paper color gray in my version.

This issue of Stripburger also features a review of I Will Bite You!, which you can read here. It's in Slovenian. I kind of tried to read it via Google Translate. I THINK it's a positive review.

WlughSketch

a sketchbook spread.
drawn with a nib and black and red inks.

Old Sketchbooks

This last week I have been going though my old sketchbooks. It's only a coincidence that it's the end of the year, but I've been in a reflective mood and that's appropriate for the season.
Pictured are 39 sketchbooks. All the sketchbooks I've ever had.


When I was a little kid I would draw on that computer paper with the perforated strips on the sides, THIS stuff. You know that stuff. Then I would take the best pages and keep them in a folder with pockets (or a dope trapper keeper). That way I could keep all of my drawings and sketches in one place and show them off to my friends.
As I got older the compulsion to show my stuff to people faded, but the act of having recent work close was a habit that I kept. I liked to keep track of my progress and to stay aware of my trends and habits, so I kept up the folder style.
Then in college (2002) I was required to have a sketchbook so I bought one of those big hard cover things (A). It was a big adjustment. I couldn't just throw away the shitty drawings like I could when they were on loose sheets, so I was constantly confronted with all my warts and imperfections. It took me the entire school year to fill that guy up. But I eventually got the hang of it. It just took time.

Obviously it's important to draw everyday, all day everyday. Right? But in addition I think I really benefit from having my work hang out with me for a bit after I make it. I think it's important to look at your stuff, to be confronted with it, and to be responsible for it. Even if it's just some bullshit. Probably especially if it's some bullshit.

For a brief period, when I was super broke I would steal copy paper from libraries and staple a small stack together (B). Then I got a job like a grown-up and started buying sketchbooks with a spiral binding so I could lay those dudes flat (C). Then for awhile I was super broke again and made a sketchbook. The paper was some posters with blank backs that I took out of the trash at work. I learned the stitch online somewheres. Look around if you're curious, there are tutorials all over the internet. I made a sketchbook(D) for the first time back in 2005 and haven't bought one since. The whole stack on the right is of handmade sketchbooks. Each one is a different size because I usually make them out of whatever paper I have available.

Okay, that's all for now. More later. Happy New Year and all that.