Challenge!

So, Turbo, Ryan, and I face the 24 drawing challenge...and won! mostly. Turbo cranked out 26(what!?) pages in like 11 hours, and they look damn good. Chances are the internet will never see those pages, which makes it so much more hip, but Lance McDance is something of a legend around here. No pencils and he didn't waste a single page.

Ryan by far worked the longest, putting in 20 hours, at least, before succumbing to the throes of finger calluses and exhaustion. I hope he decides to take "The Salamander" into a more fully realized story at some point. Gun Stuff!

As for myself, I penciled 24 pages in under right around 13 hours. Then I spent an inordinate amount of time lettering the damn thing before calling it done and passing out. As far as I consider it, the pencils came out pretty well, and it stood as a fully realized randomly seeded comic, but I really should have stayed up trying to ink as much as possible before time ran out. I did not. So, I decided that when I got back from vacation, I'd take my time, clean up the pencils a little, and lay down some thick inks with care and consideration. Still, the story and dialogue/narration are largely unchanged, and I barely touched the pencils.

In any event, I have completed a number of pages already, and have begun posting them at an Apprentice's Tale.

I thoroughly enjoyed the drawing challenge and working on this comic for a number of reasons, and hope to complete a consistent product when all's said and done.

and if there are any interested parties out there, I would definitely take part in more than one drawing challenge per year.

-Jam

ps- in case you hadn't heard, we also do a round robin comic called Condensed Vibrations, which involves time travel.

Design'd

When it rains, it pours. Thanks to Ryan, for being my first paid commission. This is a hallmark, internet, so thanks for being there. Stay tuned as I do my utmost to leave a stain all over Ryan's animation like you wouldn't believe.

-Jam

Figures

I've had limited interaction with models, but I am beginning to understand the relationship that has persisted for centuries between artist and model. I have been lucky enough to settle, however briefly, in the same city where Frank Stack has retired, and hosts a figure drawing session once a week. I'm late to the game, but I plan on making the most of it from here on out.

-Jam

Re: Paneled

I almost forgot, my Daredevil panel appeared on Mr. Vukojevich Repanled blog in May. I was pretty happy with how this turned out, like I captured the comical confusion of the image, and I love the idea of the window working as the panel's borders. Check it out here to see it side-by-side with the original. If you haven't seen his site, I highly recommend it.

-Jams

Wonder

Even though a carefree hand will make mistakes, confident brush strokes emerge as the grip loosens. Until this point, most of my figure/reference drawing practice has come from photographs, either that I've taken or have come across. No substitute for the real thing, but the accessibility of photography has been a boon for the development of my artistic eye.

-Jam

Join

I go through Vader kicks every now and then. The character built in my mind as a child cannot be sullied by recent interpretations, and that character is the product of multiple visions. Many people worked together to bring him to life, to give him weight and timbre. and he remains a powerful image in my mind. Like the villain of our collective unconscious given a form that was still vague esoteric enough to intimidate.

-Jam

Grey Rain

I like that when a project starts in the early evening, and stretches into the early morning, it can take on a drastically different shape and tone by the time it's finished. From sketchbook to last splash of ink, I thought this was going to be a commission for someone. But the tone is all wrong, because it developed as I worked. Still, the sun coming up as I was laying grey tones did seem somewhat appropriate considering the subject matter.

also, using only sumi to do a wash is challenging, and requires a little planning, but I am looking forward to further experimentation.

-Jams