It’s funny. I made the Photoshop brush for those shoujo bubbles for another project, and I said to myself, “I doubt I’d use this for any Valkyrie pages coming soon.” Then came time to color this page and here we are. I probably post a tutorial on how to make this brush for yourself in Photoshop in the near future (when I get time).
Also, if you want to know where I get my ideas for dress design, go trawl the dress section at sites like ModCloth or Bettie Page. Expanding your ideas of doing clothing for characters will keep your character design on its toes.
Today is Free Comic Book Day and I have some news and goodies for you.
First, I will be making a casual appearance at Comickaze Comics here in San Diego. I’ll be passing out preview booklets of Chapter 1 as well as bookmarks. If you want to get a copy of Book 1 from me, I will also have a few of those on me as well. I have The Square so credit card payments can easily be accepted.
However, I understand the vast majority of my readers don’t live in San Diego and won’t be able to make the event (unless you own a rocket and/or small aircraft?) so I’m including an extra special gift for you guys today: a sample preview of the digital book 1 I’ve designed specially for reading on tablets and iPads. Both Book 1 and Book 2 will be available in the store soon once reconstruction is complete, but if you’d like to preview the quality of the book you’re getting, download the PDF right here!
This is a piece of concept art/exercise art I did over a year ago. The challenge, put out by artist Amy King was to test your ability to draw different emotions on your characters. I took up the challenge, but tried it on Commander Duri, of all people. She’s not known for her range, hence the challenge. I had completely forgotten about this file and only recently unearthed this in some spring cleaning. Please enjoy!
I started using traditional inks using brush pens and liner pens back in early 2010 and I thought I had found my ideal method. However, the thing we must remember about the creation of comics on a deadline (or any commercial art for that matter) is that we’re not always in the most ideal circumstances to create comics. Sometimes we’re in a place where we can’t get to our draft table, or our scanner. Sometimes we’re on the road. Sometimes, we’re in the middle of a house move. Whatever the case, that deadline needs to get met and inking on boards to produce digitally colored artwork is not always the fastest way to get things done. Sometimes, inks just have to happen digitally.
I have a long, tortured relationship with digital inking. Honestly, I kind of hated the whole process up until recently. The default pens offered in most programs don’t produce the best results, doing straight lines can be a hassle, and the process sometimes feels like it DRAGS. I feel like I’m working twice as hard for half the results. However, every day is an opportunity to learn something new, and I’ve learned some new things lately that have helped the process along for me. I’d like to share some of these things with you.
This past weekend, movie actor and beard aficionado Shia Lebouf made an unannounced appearance at C2E2 showcasing a new series of independent comics he’s recently created (Note: Link contains some language). Depending on who’s been doing the reporting, Mr. Lebouf has either been lambasted, congratulated, or simply stared at in pure disbelief for his comics work. The disbelief doesn’t stem from the fact that he’s a fancy movie star who would dare sully himself in the slums of artist alley, but the fact that the comics themselves are, um, out there.
Shia LeBouf read the "How to Blend in at Artist's Alley" manual cover to cover.
I wanted to take a minute to discuss the merits of Mr. Lebouf’s actions with the rest of you, the readers, because I understand a good chunk of webcomic readers are either creators or aspiring creators. Simply put, Shia Lebouf has only three more comics under his belt than you. (more…)
I’m always trying new things around here, and the latest new thing is wallpapers! This here is a piece that started as a painting practice and morphed into something complete. No, I don’t know the meaning of the term “speed paint”, but are you complaining? Anyway, as a bonus for simply being a reader on the site, I’d like to share this wallpaper with you in a number of sizes. Just take your pick and download the one that best fits your device:
Keep your eyes peeled for more wallpaper opportunities in the future. Do you have a suggestion for a wallpaper you’d like to see get made? Leave a message in the comments!
