Broad Strokes

2011 has been, thus far, a year of computer issues that I in no way have had time to lose for. I'm currently on Loaner Computer #2, my own computer may very well be dead-dead, and therefore the inking demo I was going to post today is going to happen next week.

I've found in the last few months working on your own really boils down to two things; routine and self-respect. Not really in that order, since it takes self-respect to stay on the routine. Being unemployed, broke, and facing setbacks left and right - that can be a tough thing to maintain. I admittedly did not start this with the same mental toughness that I've found this requires. Actually, I think its fair to say that any success requires mental toughness. And coffee.

I started working out again a week or so ago as well, and thats been an amazing help. 15 minutes a day very well spent.

Chapter 5 is inked and rescanned too, and will probably get grayscale this weekend or early next week.

98 Pages but a Bitch Aint One

I'm wrapping up inking on Chapter 5 today with a large establishing shot of the underside of the floating city, and I'm meeting with a friend and client about an illustration gig that should pay for the supplies I need to finish the book.

I'm a fan of this short section on Page 97 here in pencil and wanted to post it. This two panel scene is inked now - I'm extremely happy with the bottom panel inks and not happy at all with the inks at top. I'm thinking it comes together with a little digital paint and grayscale though.

I keep giving Hinei more space in the book , and on the blog, as time goes on cause he's my favorite character. My brother used to talk about how stoners were the best at FPS games cause they stayed so calm when people were shooting at them, and I decided a stoner pilot would have the same advantage. I also had never seen what a stoner-samurai would look like and started drawing - and here we are.

Functional Computer Appreciation

I enjoy this "Whoa" panel.

I've been having major computer problems for the better part of a month now, which sadly has limited my recent blogging activities. After exhausting all my options, it seems the monitor on my laptop really is dead and now I have to rethink how I should best arrange a new computer setup. Unfortunately I have plenty of time for that one.

After years of drawing with a 2H pencil, I ran out of lead about a week ago and have been using HB instead. And the madness has to stop. I feel like I'm drawing with a charcoal briquette.

All my brushes have been thrashed for awhile and I've been in denial about it, but my inability to get a decent thin line out of them pushed me back into doing more pen work and I've rediscovered my love for the 108 crowquil nib.