When pros fail

Glad to see that even a professional can screw something up. Give Joe Giella points for trying. Where does Mary hide all that hair? I thought she had an Ann Richards style hairdo.

Realistic drawing

I sometimes entertain fantasies about drawing realistically. I'm sure my skills would improve with practice. A book recently hit the shelves that has two of my drawings in it: http://www.tamu.edu/upress/BOOKS/2008/adamsrattlesnake.htm. One of the drawings is quite realistic and the other combines realistic with cartoony.

I find I can draw more freely in a cartoon style. I get too caught up in getting it right and end up feeling frustrated. I do envy those who can draw realistically.

I can draw a reasonable facsimile of something that I am looking at, although the perspective can get a little weird.

I've been experimenting with a simpler cartoon style. Those cartoons should go up in a couple of weeks.

In comics, great writing can overcome bad art. Look at XCKD or Wellington Grey - both stick figure comics.

Texas A&M in the funnies and it's not even an Aggie joke

I expect to receive an e-mail from Dr. Murano (not a personal one but a university-wide one) asking everyone to stop pointing out today's Baldo to her or asking her about it. Baldo does not run in the Eagle but it does appear on the Houston Chronicle website. Tomorrow, the Eagle might mention Dr. Murano's appearance in the funnies. Then maybe not because the Eagle might have to explain its tiny comics section (tiny both in terms of selection and print size). I bet the comments will be turned off for that article online.

For those who do not follow Baldo, Gracie, the little girl writing, has been working on her essay for Hispanic Heritage month since Monday. Baldo is a good comic strip and would make a great replacement for any of the zombie strips*.

Speaking of zombie strips, it looks like Terry Bryson is working on her escape from Toby's stupid. Don't bother using the door, Terry; go out the window, that way you will avoid walking behind Toby and catching some of her stupid. As a security expert, Terry has already mentally scoped out the room and knows which objects she can grab quickly and use to defend herself.

I'm no longer certain about background continuity anymore. When Terry and Toby first entered this room the window was directly behind them. Now it appears the window has moved but it is consistent with yesterday. What is that in the lower left hand corner of the second panel? That better not be Toby's monitor. Gah! Now I have a headache!

The sad thing is that despite Joe Giella's age and funky scenery shifting he still draws way better than I do.

*Zombie strip - a comic strip that continues to run in the papers despite the death of its creator.

The UTI has passed or at least no longer causing me discomfort.

The whale in the parking lot

A chalk outline of a whale drawn on the parking lot behind the building where I work. Somebody from physical plant tried to erase it but they stopped when told that the drawing is for a class. I think it is a blue whale. The whale drawing appears every spring semester. The rain will wash it away but it not only gives the students taking the class a sense of scale of a whale but others who walk in that parking lot also learn something.

No funny for you!

Today and yesterday I did not draw anything particularly funny. Cartoon creepy but not funny. I've felt compelled to draw things but not funny things. Part of it has to with the season another part has to do with stuff going on in my life. Both parts have to do with death. Odd that I would feel the effects of the autumn season because this part of Texas really does not experience an autumn in the usual sense. More like spring with slightly muted colors. A few leaves change and die off but most trees keep their foliage.

I should sit down and write some gags since the funny does not seem to happen when I start drawing. It usually happens but not this week.

Frustration

Drew is so excited that he has to use both hands to hold the phone and cover the ear piece.
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Sometimes, I get a comic type character image stuck in my head and I have to draw it. I see the process in my mind's eye - curves of the lines, the motions of the pencil and pen, the final product. In my mind the process is very fluid and the final product amazing. So, why doesn't all this vivid imagery translate when I actually draw? The difference between vision and execution is a source of frustration for me.

It's sort of like driving. I took lessons, read books, passed the test, watched others drive and visualize backing out of the driveway smoothly but I still bump the mailbox or garbage can when actually backing out (this is a metaphor - I'm a good driver - the rut in the lawn that happens to be the same width as my tires, pure coincidence - I've never hit an object, person or animal).

The gulf between vision and execution also finds its way into other parts of my life.

I suppose if I keep drawing it will click, become fluid and vision and final product will match. I've been drawing for over 2 decades. Maybe I should accept that comic book is not my style. What to do about the compulsion to keep trying to draw that way? I don't know. I need to stop thinking about this. Otherwise, I end up in a "I suck" spiral that depresses me the rest of the day.

Yes, I now see that the hips are too elongated, even for a cartoon character. Not that freakish anatomy acts as a barrier to success. The existence of Ann Coulter bears that out.

Speaking of Ann Coulter, check out Maxim's suggestions for perfecting Ann Coulter.

Totally Cool Web App

Sketchcast (http://sketchcast.com/) is a totally cool web based app that allows the user to draw little sketches and then embed them into blogs like YouTube videos. People can see the work in progress and you can add voice to your recordings

Below is my first attempt. I don't draw well with a mouse. It looks the same as my attempts to draw left handed.

Collaboration

Walter and I are collaborating on a graphic novel. He's writing and doing layouts and I'm drawing, scanning and lettering. This is my first project with serious content. We collaborated on some funny projects during the first years of our marriage. This will be a challenge for me because the story requires a drawing style that I don't use very often. I have to sharpen some very rusty skills. I'm a bit worried about my ability to bring Walter's vision to life.

I need to draw some model sheets; something I haven't done in years.

We've decided on Edgar as the name for our new parakeet. He chirps and makes his own set of noises now. I think he has become comfortable with Salvador. Still trying to teach him to perch on one of our fingers.
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Royboy didn't look at his neighbor's paper, he stole in between panel 2 and 3. It's little mistakes like that, in which I don't want to make on this graphic novel. The advantage of drawing single panel comics is that one does not have to worry about continuity errors.

Leroy, never mock a woman carrying a crowbar.

Ah, poor Mary, she didn't really expect Dr. Jeff to actually fund raise. The fundraising bit was to ease Dr. Jeff's guilt about leaving those sick children without a doctor. Mary does not care about children, she just wants Dr. Jeff. But he's raising the funds and not paying attention to Mary. How will Mary put a stop to this?

Wow, Dr. Jeff has recovered nicely, even looks several years younger.

100th Comic for 2007

I just posted the 100th comic for 2007. Now, you know why I rarely draw multi-panel comics.

When I wake up in the morning, I will be Past-President of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley. Oh the anticipation of all the wisdom that will flow through me. Oops, took a wrong turn. Anybody got any wisdom I can borrow? I'll trade you for some humor.

I look forward to putting my talents to a different use for the church. I've had my sights on the web site for a while. Thankfully, I found Faith and Web. I need to add it to my bookmarks.

Dynamic Gesticulation!

I'm jealous of Giella's ability to draw hands. Giella's perspective is often skewed, his continuity sometimes non-existent and his scene composition occasionally insane but he can draw hands. Maybe one's strongest skill is the last to go in the long downward spiral of Alzheimer's disease. Eventually, the art in Mary Worth will be reduced to stick figures with well-drawn hands.

Watch out, Mary! Vera is about to stuff a fist full of STFU down your gullet.

I have a damn cold. Mostly sinus congestion. It shouldn't affect my affect my race performance too much this Sunday. I hope to feel much better by then. I'm not using all 8 cylinders right now.

Alice is my role model. I would prefer to use a blunt object rather than hurting my hands because my hands create such wondrous objects of beauty that - hey, the cold medicine kicked in. I wonder if beating an idiot's head would cause their underused neurons to fire? My higher truth knows that beating the willfully ignorant is best for me.

Dick joke! Dick joke on the comics page!

I find drawing hands challenging but I do work it out by using my own hands, visualization or asking someone for help. I can understand how the artist for Flight Deck can screw up the handshake. I do it quite a bit but I correct it when I figure it out or do something different if I can't get something quite right.

Enough with the exclamation points! This conversation is not that exciting! Stop shouting at each other! No, there's no irony! Just a dumb observation!

The irony is that Mary's higher truth is in direct conflict with every sane person's higher truth!

People come to Ella for advice, period! Mary, if you believe that what Ella dispenses is higher truth, then you have a damn shallow, meaningless existence! Go to a church, temple, synagogue, mosque, the woods or someplace far away from Charterstone and Santa Royale to gain some higher truth! Shit, yeah, I'm overusing exclamation points!

!

Last night, I posted my 1,500th comic. I've drawn over 1,500 comics. I need help.

Holy crap, Stanley! You're about to explode!

At least Harriet is wearing a less dangerous bra.

The characters are named Stanley and Harriet Parker. I had to visit the King Features website to find that bit of information because nobody ever mentions names.

According to my Red Cross Blood Donor card my last blood pressure reading was 104/62, so in doing the math that equals 52/31, so actually I'm a zombie.


Mortimer Creech is a great name. I want to meet someone named Mortimer Creech. Mortimer Creech , it's fun to say. I like the way it feels. Mortimer Creech, Mortimer Creech, Mortimer Creech, Mortimer Creech, Mortimer Creech, Mortimer Creech...

Yes, we can make a difference without interacting with the sick, deformed Asian children.

This comic does demonstrates why I don't like to draw multi-panel comics. As a non-professional cartoonist I have the tendency to worry about little details like where everyone is sitting and try to maintain some continuity from panel to panel or at least make clear something happened off panel that would cause a change in seating arrangement. Apparently, a professional cartoonist does not have worry about such details.

If something happened between the panels of this comic that caused Mary to go from an aisle seat to a window seat then it is the responsibility of the artist to indicate that. An onomatopoeia would be useful. I propose FLURMPH to represent the sound of the space inside an aircraft folding and unfolding thus causing the passenger seating to switch sides. A side effect of the FLURMPH is that everyone loses interest or that they are resigned to the fact that Mary and Jeff are not going to shut the hell up despite the withering stares.