For my recent talk at CTN Expo last weekend I drew fifteen title cards that introduced each topic of my presentation. These were done on 7 x 5 cards on Photoshop at 300 dpi with a hard edged brush. The gist of the talk? Take matters in to your own hands and make a commitment to put art first. The result is independence based on the strength of your own work which in turn, defines who you are.
I am very pleased to announce my new book, a GIRL n ROBOT short story called BOOMTOWN which will debut at this year’s CTN ANIMATION EXPO on November 18th. This 40 page, 5 x 7 inch comic book will be selling at $10.00 and is on a very limited print run of 250 copies so get yours while you can. I’ll be selling them locally through my usual outlets as well. I’ll announce once those outlets have been stocked.
Girl and Robot are dimensional nomads in search of a way back home. Girl is a very precocious 9 year old and Robot is her absent-minded but dependable time warping companion. In this story they come across a dimension inhabited by some curious beings.
The book was done on Photoshop and drawn directly via my Wacom Cintiq 21ux. In terms of production time, I set a new record for completion having drawn the book from start to finish in 5 days, including digital pre-press and assembly. From a learning standpoint, I am beginning to understand the advantages of self-publishing in terms of executing an idea in as little time as possible. The ideas are fresh and artistically, harnessing the momentum of that initial idea is key. It may not work with every project but it is yet another way to work and yes, it is SO much fun to do. STEEL NOODLES is a marathon where this is a sprint. This is what I love about being independent.
And in terms of publishing, it’s been my longtime goal to produce an all-ages story so I am very happy to share this with all of you. If you don’t already follow me on Twitter and Facebook, do so and get more updates about the book as CTN approaches.
My talk BE THE ARTIST: Cultivating your Artistic Identity is scheduled for 4:30pm on Saturday, November 19th in the main screening room at this year’s CTN ANIMATION EXPO in Burbank, California. The talk will center on what it means to be an independent artist and will both be philosophical and practical. It promises to be an informative and hopefully, inspirational hour for everyone.
Hope to see you there!
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I’ve been invited by the Creative Talent Network to do a presentation at this year’s CTN Animation Expo in Burbank, California in November. It’s called BE THE ARTIST and the topic is artistic independence . Should be interesting and a lot of fun. Going to rehearse like a mad man the next couple of months to prepare for this. I also went to the liquor store and got an extra case of bourbon for good measure…
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If you follow me on either Facebook or Twitter, I posted about meeting one of my heroes in Jean “MOEBIUS” Giraud at CTN Expo last weekend. I also had the pleasure of attending the 2 hour retrospective called An Evening with Moebius which was hosted by acclaimed disney director Jon Musker.
At the end of the evening, Moebius graced everyone with a couple of drawing demos which I filmed with my iPhone 4 and now have the pleasure of sharing it with you.
Behind his rather soft spoken demeanor is a man with a tremendous sense of humor. On Saturday he was walking the exhibit floor and stopped by my table. (I introduced myself briefly the night before but I’m not sure if he remembered me) As he perused my sketchbook ALTERNATING CURRENTS he laughed out loud at one of my sketches. (of an Astronaut with a tube connected to a floating toilet) That same liberal use of absurdity is prevalent in his work and most probably what was the impetus for the sketch in the first place. I said to him “see what you started?”.
Seeing him flip the pages of STEEL NOODLES Number 1 and hearing him say in a low tone “beautiful” was as close to perfection as I can describe. He loves to tell cinematic stories in the form of comics. “it’s my way of making my own movies” he says during the talk. Yet another validation to me for my story telling choices. In a substantial way, Steel Noodles isn’t possible without Moebius. So handing him a copy was a way of completing the circle. Now I feel re-energized and reminded why I love to draw. And it is all due to the man who got my mind going in the first place.
I‘ll be at table T-52 at the Creative Talent Network’s 2010 Expo at the Marriott Burbank Airport, Friday November 19th to Sunday November 21. Click on the map for the location. I’ll have copies of STEEL NOODLES Number 1 as well as original art and sketch cards!
Don’t forget about the Story panel and discussion ACT I: The Story Begins at 1:00pm on Sunday the 21st at the Academy 2 room. See my previous post for details.
Hope to see you there!
As the title implies, I’ve been sketching some amusingly odd head shots of people (and ex-people) who may be quite at home at some traveling freak show (if those still exist) or perhaps, they’re the ones that kind of pop out from seemingly nowhere and give you something to think about.
Debuting at the ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO are the first series of hand drawn 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 sketch cards I’m calling Zombies, Scoundrels and Shrunken Heads. These are mixed media sketches which include ink, marker, watercolor and pretty much whatever I can’t get my hands on.
No two are alike and if you’re into collecting odd stuff, this has got your name on it. Swing by and take a gander at table 203. I’ll also have them with me for next month’s CTN Animation Expo for all of you in Southern California.
To close out 2010, I’ll be exhibiting at two amazing venues at both northern and southern California starting with the ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO, Saturday and Sunday, October 16th and 17th at the Concourse Exhibition Center in downtown San Francisco. There i’ll be joined by good friend and colleague Octavio Rodriguez as we once again help celebrate the best in independent art and comics.
Then, from November 18th to the 21st, i’ll be exhibiting at the 2nd annual CTN ANIMATION EXPO which will be held at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Burbank. (Right across from the Burbank Bob Hope Airport) The expo is a great place to network with animation professionals, students and artists as well as avail of the many workshops and lectures organized by the Creative Talent Network. The inaugural expo last year was a huge, runaway success so this year is gearing up to be bigger and better than ever. Featuring a tremendous array of artist exhibitors and guest speakers headlined by a rare appearance by the legendary french illustrator Jean “MOEBIUS” Giraud (The Adventures of Blueberry, The Airtight Garage, The Fifth Element) and the acclaimed Japanese designer Tadahiro Uesugi, (Coraline) CTN Expo is positioned to be the premiere animation centric event in the industry.
Of course, I’ll have copies of STEEL NOODLES Number 1 as well as some new convention exclusives. So make plans to come and see us in the fall!