Daily lady

Lady fighters are pretty rad, cause they are ladies and they are tough. If there's two things I respect, it's ladies and toughness. and, apparently not grammar...

Anyway, Rin Nakai has a unique body and like to pose, so there are numerous shots of her from various angles, which is a great way to study. and, there's lots of fight footage, so I can see her in action. and I would definitely base a character on Rin, if for no other reason, she's really fun to draw.

Also, so are towers and yojimbo's.

In other news, shipped out my first copy of LFCv2, and boy did I doodle all over the package.

-Jams

Lingua Franca Comics, vol. 2

Lingua Franca Comics, vol. 2 is available here!

The first round is out and ready to be disseminated across the globe. Get them while I still feel like assembling!

-Jams

sketchbooks and conventions

 Sketch pagies, some of this goes back to the summer, so I haven't dumped in a while. First off, Raboy studies for an issue of Master Comics I covered before Robert Goodin closed his awesome blog. See both versions here.

 Some condensed doobles, and the process by which I become Hibudon Kaiju, apparently.

 Some erotic studies, since, ya know, porn is so good for figure drawing. These are based on Riley Reid, although my favorite one is too cluttered by other drawings to get a proper scan of it, you'll just have to imagine how magnificent it is. Also, my first porn comic will be premiering soon.

and some wash experiments with Pope and Samehada, accompanied by some attitude donated by Tank Girl.

photo by Michelle Kanaar

In other news, I went to the NC Comicon last weekend, where I  met Bob Burden. Really nice fellow, I enjoyed chatting with him, and hearing his anecdotes about self-publishing back in the day. He's still going strong, and it's great to see amidst all the big name, corporate iconography, lots of people still interested in something small and off-kilter.

Anyway, it was my first time to a convention and I had a good time, so thanks to Turbo for the tickets, but I still wish he'd been able to attend. Thanks to Kanaar for support and photos, see the shots she took of cosplayers here.

More to come,

-Jams

monkey king

At one of my employments, the management has taken to calling me 'monkey king,' so there be many monkey king sketches floating around.

This one is based on an image by Xiaojun Li. Please find the original, you'll see how much this pales in comparison.

Been reading so much Dragonball recently, and it makes me want read/watch "Journey to the West"...and read more Dragonball.

Now I want to draw Dragonball characters...

So many pictures to copy, so little time,

-Jams

daily

Nothing to say in particular, I've been scanning and editing all day, with more editing and maybe some printing and assembling to do later. Have a bunch of sketchies, doodulls, and rump-up and downers to post, but I'm going to space them out a little bit, in an attempt to avoid HUGE gaps of postlessness.

We'll get to the porn when I am feeling a bit classier.

So there,

-Jams

daily waste

Some ramp-up and down sketches. I have pretty erratic work habits, which are compounded by working part time and having moved several times in the last few months, but if there is one thing I cannot stand, it is letting my ink dry out. After having gone through a stint of pouring ink, and then finishing a page(or too often, not), taking a break which ends up with a dishful of dried ink, I vowed to commit myself: once the ink is poured, I gotta use it.

So, I've developed a habit of warming up with ink sketches, and if I finish a page or image, and have some left over, then try to make a few more doodles with whatever's left over. Often, I sketch without an underlying drawing.

Waste-not, want-not, yeah?

-Jams

Dark of Artness

I was lucky enough to collaborate with El Roho on a mini called "Darkful," which he premiered two weeks ago at MICE. His pencils, my inks, telecommed all the way. His work is imaginative, and he has some of the freshest panel layouts I've seen. Really looking forward to possible future collaborations. Also, you can buy a pdf of the comic here.

I started working on the art right after moving to Durham, and rigged up a "light-box" using photo frames and lamps. I still prefer taping pages to the window, but I saw some overhead projectors today at a thrift shop, so I might invest in one. Ultimately, I need to build a lightbox. and a screen print set-up, and a darkroom...

Keep dreamin',
-Jam

Frontiersmerch

Check out the frontiersman on a shirt. The first of many prints and shirts that will become available through Society 6 and other vendors and locations.

-Jam

sketch

My sketchbook habits are so erratic. Sometimes it's like I'm leaving doodles like surprises for myself through the book, just waiting to be wrecked with ink some weeks later. Much of it is probably indecipherable for anyone save myself. Often, just figuring out perspective, plotting action, images and figures crammed over one another, jammed onto a page.

Then, big, wide, open pages. Like I'm preserving the image.

And, sometimes, I am. A handheld museum of the mind, an assemblage of my best and worst kept secrets.

and some other odds and ends...

-Jam

Commissions

I added commission guidelines to the blog(after changing the address and title), so now you can tell me what to draw and pay for it easily. Check out my bigcartel for options.

Let me draw for you!

-Jams

Terry Paneled

Moving is not for the meek. But, before I went on the road, I did up a little Caniff tribute. Mr. Vukojevich was nice enough to display it here. It's strange to try and find a rhythm in a new place, but I've become initiated to juggling a work flow in transit. Even finding a few seconds to draw here and there is like a little triumph. But, I get good vibes from Durham, so we'll see what I can come up with.

More to come,

-Jams

daily supes

I have had a hankering to see Donner's re-cut Superman II, especially after re-watching S:TM with mi querida. The colors in that movie still pop and crackle, and I feel like Donner was specifically mindful of the cape, because it is doubly the most outlandish component of his costume, and the most compelling. Without the cape, it can't work.

This actually mirrors the climax of the movie for me, in that I love the scene of Clark re-building the decimated fault-line(again, the color in that sequence is wonderful), but it is immediately followed by his jumping the shark around the world so fast is spins backwards through time. Everything had been so grounded (and, goofy) up to that point.

However, despite that Supes has never tried this before, and even if he thought he could pull it off, the attempt could have devastating results, (and if successful, give him the ability to alter the course of human history, something he has sworn to never do), he still makes the decision with barely a moment of hesitation, and a look of "so fucking be it, destiny."

And of course, the cape always looked good. and, maybe, I have a thing for capes.

 -Jams

Terry Daily

So, obviously been digging into the hardcover Caniff recently, and ended up with a Sakai(esque) Terry below. Which, is probably better than the jerry-curl Terry above. Maybe he should talk to Tintin about hair care.

Imagine a time when Terry and the Pirates appeared in your daily paper. Of course, there are several great comics appearing several times a week, which can be viewed without even having to leave the bed, but there are so few good adventure strips, much less in the newspapers. And, even fewer Caniff's out there.

-Jams

Kaiju Press

The kaiju is risen:

http://linguafrancacomics.tumblr.com/

Yeah, I started a tumblr. Will I be any more consistent with updating the tumblr? Who knows, but it should be a fun experiment.

-Jams

Mad Dash!

Warm-up of Frank Einstein doing his hero thing.

-Jams

Game of Thorn

Thorn Harvestar.

Daily Takaya

If Ultraman hooked me, then it was the Guyver that reeled me in. Takaya's creation is not only wildly imaginative, but continuously accessible, having been adapted to animation 3 separate times, and twice to live action. However, the character remains virtually unknown, save for minor cult status world wide. Sadly, only the first 7 or so volumes (out of 20+) have been translated into English.

His art always floored me, the simplicity of his character design juxtaposed with the sometimes chaotic zoanoids, but ever shot of the Guyver units, whether action or still, is just drenched in cool. And, slightly intimidating. I started trying to draw Guyver I when I was 12 or so, and worked at it until I had something of which I wasn't ashamed. Feeling I'd hit my peak, I never tried to draw him again, until now.

The OAV "Out of Control" is not bad, and, despite descending into tentacle porn depths and reusing footage even though it's only an hour long, is awesomely gruesome. Both "Bio-Boosted Armor" series are pretty fantastic, and the version from the 80's takes some interesting directions with Takaya's original story. Ultimately, the manga is king, and the best introduction to the character.

The live action movies are entertaining, but plenty has been written about them, so I'll leave you with only this thought: Mark Hamill's Moustache.

Bio-Boost!

-Jams

Estre sketch

A sketch of Estre in her space get-up. For the uninitiated, this is probably bordering on very abstract, but most of my art is like that.

Worry not. Soon, everyone will be initiated.

Cue the ominous chuckling to self...

-Jams

Ultra sketchy

Dipped back into a long-time obsession with this wash test. Feel like a color version is in the works at some point.

-Jams

Gatcha

While my favorite was actually Joe, I only have a few different shades of ink handy, and I wanted to do something quick to warm up my brain and hand.

And, Ken is also pretty awesome.

Science Ninja Team Go!

-Jams

Frontiersman

Been working with that cat a bit recently. He speaks to and from a special place in my heart. Looking forward to where he'll take me.

Keep it wild,

-Jams

Outliers Tour

My pals in Richard the Lionhearted just released a new EP, and are set to go on tour in August. Please, check out the schedule, and if you're nearby, do yourself a favor and pop down to check them out.

Also, you can get the whole thing from their bandcamp. and, there might be a few of these bad boys floating around.

-Jams

Mysterious!

A month or so ago, my pal Corey and I started collabing on a short for Carleton Graphic's Mystery themed #34. As is, we only got a teaser for the story into that issue, but I'm still damn proud of it. You can read it, along with some great mini-comics here. The rest of the story will be premiering in the forthcoming Lingua Franca Comics, v. 2.

Keep your heads down,

Jams

Button'd up

My pal Cory, who's about as handy as a dude can get, enjoys making the shit out of stuff. This includes, but is not limited to, buttons, most of which are given away for donations to the Ragtag Cinema's ever-nearing new projector. He asked some people to draw robots for his next batch of buttons, and here's a peek at my first. The thing about drawing robots, is that once you start it's really hard to stop.

Also, check out more of Cory's work(like rad embroidery) here.

Go in peace,
Jams

Kaiju'd

And, me as a kaiju.

Thanks to Maaya for seeing it waiting inside of me. Maybe an battle with Ultraman is due.

-Jams

Snap! City

Did a little color test before work today. Pretty simple, but every bit of practice is instructive. And, I happen to be a fan of simple. Stark lines and colors. Learning the difference between muddling an environment, and creating depth and texture.

also, Warren and Marie rule,

-Jams

Meathaus'd

I sent a package of comics to the chaps at Meathaus, and they published it with a sneak peak of my enclosed goodies. So awesome to appear on the blog that has been inspiring me for years, along with  the up-and-comers and champions.

Anyway, check out the post here.

Thanks again to Chris and Josh.

-Jams

Carleton 33.3

The comic machines at Carleton just put out another issue, and it is a humdinger. Lots of great comics by all kinds of people, nicely packaged for your reading pleasure. And, the second (and final) installment of my Batman homage appears, as well. So, check it all out here.

And, seriously, go check out that back catalogue.

-Jams

Vol. 2 Teaser

 
A little teaser for the forthcoming LF comics, vol. 2.1, this [image] I've been kicking around for a while. Whenever I finish inks on a page, I'm anxious to start on something new. Work to be done!

-Jams

edit: This image is based on a photo of Olena Khomrova, a member of the gold-medalist women's sabre fencing team from Ukraine. Photographer unknown.

And more art for sale

Ok, I've opened up an etsy with more items, and will be updating that along with the Big Cartel store.

That is all,

-Jams

Art for Sale

So, I am finally getting around to putting up some work for sale. I have been experimenting with super-hero themed paintings(the very paintings that premiered on this site) and now they are available for purchase at my Lingua Franca store, or you can email me at linguafranca.comic@gmail.com to work out another order method.

The idea is that everything must go, so I will be periodically adding new items.

Scoop!
-Jams

Carleton Graphic, 32.3

The cats at Carleton released a new issue last week, and the first part of my re-vamped Bat-homage premiered in it. Check it out for lots of sweet comics. I won't name names, because the whole thing is rad. Go look. Hats off to you guys, for great work.

Meow,
-Jams

Documented

Ms. Kanaar documented the final round of zine making for LFComics, Vol. 1, and posted about it on her blog. Go check it out at her site, amongst other fantastic photos and multimedia pieces.

-Jams

RIP Moebius

A legend has passed. Jean Giraud, the epitome of influence, has passed today, at 73. I found him late in the game, but his influence has been present my entire life. In honor, I shall post this great article by io9.

And also, I'm going to make some comics. Rest well, Mr. Giraud, knowing you have indeed made a mark.

-Jam

Weird Page

A scene from a script. Been working on Capt. Weird for a bit, but this is his first real inked adventure.

nostalgiposition

Rainy days make me feel restless in a good way. A reason to be stuck inside is a reason to make up new games. To see something in a new light. I had a moment of total nostalgic, giddiness while making this piece. Which is funny, because that is a total juxtaposition of its tone.

-Jams

Diligent Lines

Been having a little trouble with Flickr, so I haven't uploaded in a while, but I'll just embed these later.

I have been talking with Drane recently about process(although we talk about that all the time) and everyone has a different one. I also believe it's important to try new methods, but probably most people balance that experimentation with habits that work. I certainly do. Habits become natural, and in my experience, that leads to relaxed, confident work. We form habits through consistency and familiarity, and the process maybe ought to have a balance of experiment and precedent, the work itself should show diligence more than consistency.

Carleton , o Carleton

The very nice kids at Carleton Graphic just put out 29th issue of their ongoing anthology, and I'm lucky enough to have some work included. Also, they have all their back issues online, so you can go back and check out the neat stuff they've put out over the years.

also also, Jon Kittaka, one of the eds did the lettering for my page, but you can check it out with my "hand" lettering at flickr, in case you're interested.

Cheers, guys!

-Jam

Bruce Wayne in "Reflections"

So, I started this Bruce Wayne story like a year ago and this image is all that had previously surfaced from it. Even though I dig the bottom panel, I ended up scrapping the whole page.

I'm not sure what else to do with it but throw it on comicfury until I find somewhere else to put it. Originally it was meant for print, but I'm not so sure it should be in the next print venture after all(even though I do want to see the pages printed some day). So, next best thing is digital. Check it out here.

-Jams