Friday, November 30, 2007

To Do List or Father and Son night....


1. Play Samurai Jack on Gamecube (maybe Animal Crossing too)
2. Read comics
3. Draw comics
4. Build a sock ninja
5. Watch Polar Express
6. Eat junk food

Thursday, November 29, 2007

The process

I am "writing" my next book in a 5 x 7 hardbound sketchbook using very tight thumbnails. I have around 14 pages mapped out so far and this particular scene also happens to be a Christmas scene. Bonus!



And here is how it looks "somewhat" polished. I say "somewhat" cause there is still a deliberate aesthetic choice I am making and will always make whenever I draw my comics. I like it to look simple and uncluttered. I am most concerned with simplicity and the way a page flows. Like for instance I really like the first panel in this page but may go back and change some of the other panels later as the swirlies and such clutter it up a bit.....I was constantly redrawing panels from MTS.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Out to Lunch

Friends, I have been posting comics everyday (for the most part) for a little over a year now and have had an absolute blast doing it!! But now I really need to focus on "This Is How We Met" and I don't want to be torn between putting something online and finishing this book. This was really always supposed to be my next book and like More Than Sparrows - the writing has taken a lot longer than I had anticipated. I contemplated putting some of the pages online (I shared the introduction already) but just decided that I would save everything for the book. My goal is to have this out by the end of January 2008 - I'm talking about xeroxed copies that will be available directly from me. I plan to submit this to a publisher that has produced some high quality children's books and most recently announced plans to publish graphic novels. Fingers crossed. I haven't completely given up on blogging :) just don't look for something everyday......thanks again for hanging out with me for the past year!! Read through those archives!! I'm proud of a lot of those strips :)

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Introductions





Work on "This Is How We Met" is coming along swimmingly! I hope to have everything together by the end of Jan.....this book is - well, it has a lot more words than my usual stuff....Hopefully it will have been worth the wait.....and then Lord willing "This Road" and "The Fearnots" will follow....next year could be exciting!!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

2 covers...



...2 pieces I submitted to a local newspaper...

something else


Monday, November 19, 2007

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Thanksgiving


Today at church the Pastor asked the congregation what they were thankful for....one by one people stood up and gave some pretty wonderful heartfelt testimonies. All I could think about was Kristy and Tyler and Ava...who should be here any day now. I just kept thanking him over and over again for my family. My family means everything to me. Now keep in mind this is just before I was supposed to sing "You Have Been So Good To Me" a song written by Paul Baloche and Matt Redman. I stood up, the music started and I proceeded to blubber like a weenie. Sheesh. I did manage to get through the song (with a major league shakey voice) but whatever. You practice a song over and over again and then the "meaning" of the song hits you and it's instant waterworks. HE has been so very good to me.

Friday, November 16, 2007

tight thumbnails



two pages from "this is how we met"....yes, it is taking me forever, why do you ask?

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Sparky


been thinkin' 'bout Sparky ever since that PBS special from a couple of weeks ago. He was the best....

Monday, November 12, 2007

New Feature



This is a New Feature called "Different Looks" and an awesome Nacho Libre drawering by my son ....

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Critics agree!!






Kristy - "How much is this gonna cost us?"

Tyler - "Dad, I'm gonna be late for soccer!"

Trax - "I lick my own butt..."

Thursday, November 08, 2007

F.A.Q.


this is not a journal comic and although most strips are "inspired" by real life events and or conversations not everything that appears on this site is in fact true or even how it actually played out.......

Zelda

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

walking

Rat a tooey


Last night we were all gathered by the fireplace watching the new Pixar movie, when Ellie started to walk around the room and sniff....well she walked right over to her empty food bowl, squatted over it and then peed!! It's like she was toilet training or something!! I've never seen anything like it....

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Old convention badges....


....and perhaps my mostal favoritest "Tony Pony" drawing by another cartoonist....Matt "Cynicalman" Feazell....

Monday, November 05, 2007

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Nobody Likes Tony Pony....



....is at the printers! I picked 24 (actually 26) of my favoritest strips from this past year and put 'em together in a neat little comical book package. Massive props and thank yous to my pals Josh Alves, who designed this cover and also the cover to "More Than Sparrows" and Megazeen head honcho Joey Endres for helping me prepare the art and for hooking me up with a great printer. I'm sure the books will be available for sale at MZ and Blindwolf Studios soon.....maybe 2 weeks? Also, I haven't forgotten about poor Kuzzah, just been busy with strips about Tony and Tyler and some new characters. Everytime I try to do something else, I think to myself that will just be one less strip I get to do about Tony and then I just totally freeze. Major writers block for anything else! I think once the current Fearnots storyline wraps, I may try to put all of these guys under one roof ala' Peanuts or something? Found a ton of archival stuff...even a letter from Gordon Prior who had me on his local Public access television program a few years ago. It's on VHS if anyone knows how to convert that sort of thing? Then you too can watch my big ole 90s stache in action! Magnum P.I. baby!! Here's a random doodle from my little sketchbook....I was talking to Kneon about my love for "G.I.Joe" and mentioned a tribute book I was thinking about....Here's the first official sketch for "Fort James" and a Tony cover in glorious orange....

Saturday, November 03, 2007