Second verse same as the firsT

So... it is still raining.  Today the state closed down due to flooding.  I am pleased to announce that I have not washed away.  My little shack stood firm whilst the big sturdy house in front proceeded to slowly fill with water which was made evident by the number of hoses that shot water out its side windows.  I guess that the highway was closed too because there were rivers across it here and there.  My poor dog looked like we was covered in gray wet spaghetti.  I'm going to have to shave him soon as this is the time of year where his shed turns into mats especially when he gets all wet... so I know all about what that gray spaghetti really means.  Now for the list:

I have been working on Sarah's concept page.  I'm happy with how it is coming along but haven't had more than 15 or 20 minutes to sit down with it at a time so it is very slow going.  It is a page that shows the various incarnations of Sarah, from the corseted Saraphina to the tattooed Seraph.  I had really wanted to show what Meth loved... the parts of each incarnation that moved him to be so torn.  I wanted to show why he would yearn and feel such greed... to just share her time and feel the grace of her love.  Pretty high hopes for a simple pencil sketch.  I hope I have even a small level of success.

I was able to do a push on the Origin.  I am now two weeks ahead.  Sean (he is the husband for anyone who doesn't know me well) said he really liked the way the page I just posted came out.  simple yet telling more than just simply what the words say.  I like the page I have yet to letter.  It is a mess.  It is dark and moody and it came together a lot faste then I thought it would.  Here is how the unlettered page came out, though to warn you, I may yet add some touches when I letter it.

After having become quite stuck on Rose against the mooN: I really needed a reference which I could not find, well... I found it.  Over the next couple days I plan to plow through the next few pages and put myself squarely ahead so that I am able to put my full attention onto Meth and get it completed.  I am really happy with how this last page came out for Rose.  I feel I made the smoke, a theme through most of the populated pages, and the moonlight, which is the other running theme, integrate well together here.  That was something I was a little paranoid about  because both of those themes are in such contrast visually.  Look forward to more of those hybrid visuals as I picked both of those things to be constant themes in Rose... wish me luck.

Alrighty then... sadly I must leave you lovelies for another week of evil.  Be safe in this great wet world.  Remember to wish upon the first star at each dusk and close your eyes to hear the spring peepers sing to the waning moon.  Enjoy the beauty of the night.

Another Rainy Night

I'm already yawning.  The rain sounds so good.  It drowns out all the sounds that make it hard for me to sleep and...ah, at last a promise of rest.  We'll see how long it lasts.  I planted my first batch of seedlings, indoors of course.  I'm still stoked though.  I can't wait for the rest of spring to arrive.  I'm looking forward to my new printer which will arrive before the rest of spring sadly.  It symbolizes the end of me paying a ton of money for prints I could be happier with, which means that I shall be able to offer more prints of my work, more bookmarks, and the potential for a lot of things that I will be able to offer at a reasonable price, instead of a lame crazy price.  Now, without further a due....  The ever lovin list:


This last week I wrapped up the Meth Collection layouts.  That means that, after I get a few odds and ends tightened into their spots, I will be able to get the book  printed.  What do I mean by odds and ends?  Well first off the end of the book will feature three pages of colored sketches: illustrated concepts that show the character dynamic of Meth and his love Sarah.  I should have done this with him ages ago but was so consumed by Cain that I had not gotten the chance.  I will also be featuring an artist whom I have just recently gotten to know.  I feel his work speaks for itself.  His name is Vlad, very cool guy, and I'm sure that you all will embrace him just as you have my own sad scribblings.  Here is the first Concept page, uncolored and untreated, that I completed for The Meth Collection:

Next, you know I have been updating both The Origin, for Am I Immortal, and Rose against the mooN diligently.  I so have to color more pages for each and aim to do so tomorrow evening.  I really enjoy both styles that have come through in each of those.  though I am making them both, they are very different as for process and the level of detail, the way I use the pages.  Origin has become refined, but still offers a vagueness that I had hoped would allow the person reading the story the ability to empathize more with the few characters I show boldly.  Rose on the other hand has this near distortion that I have let seep into even the more detailed images.  It's fun to linger in this duality, but nearly impossible for me to explain.  I hope that you have and continue to enjoy them both.

With the receipt of Sean's camera late last week, we decided to go out to the dog park to let his pup run about and see what our cameras could do, why is this news to you?  I think I got some really nice tree skeleton pictures which I have used in Meth and parts of Am I Immortal.  Sean got some for me as well.  I have been trying to expand my library of images to include a lot of the seasonal imagery I may need that I can't always get due to the time of year.  I will need these for Am I Immortal soon as I have poor Cain trapped in this odd time where you can't really tell if it is spring or fall, but it is chilly and the trees are skeletal... still not freezing though or poor Rem would be in for it.

Alright my darlings.  I will close with a chorus or growls and barks from behind me as Sean plays with the puppy on the couch.  It really sounds like they are killing each other.  Good thing that dog is only 8 pounds or Sean would be in deep deep trouble.  Get rest my lovelies... and know that I am dreaming in the rain.

On The Move

Life has been really crazy lately.  good thing I am ahead to a degree on the webcomics or I would FAIL so very hard!!!!  The hours have picked up some at the day job so I have been left with a smidge of time here, and a bit more over there.  I am also starting to become preoccupied with the garden as each nice day threatens to swipe me from my happy computer chair once and for all.  then you would have to come find me up to my elbows in dirt and bugs outside with SPF 500 sunblock on so I don't just set aflame, LOL.  Every year I have such high hopes for what my garden will turn into, and every year it seems like something comes up about half way through July and screws up all my plans leaving it all weedy and crazy.  Maybe it just takes after its mistress and refuses to stay in the lines.  I don't like the over manicured look anyway, but I would like to be able to see where the line is between the mint , oregano, and wormwood so I don't make psychotropic foods.  That would not make Damon any easier to placate and then we would be back to explaining that the zombie in the closet really won't get him, so long as he keeps the door closed at night.  Onto the list:

This week I must offer nods to a great stock photographer.  I used a portion of one of her stock photos in the update for Am I Immortal, Origin.  It is difficult to tell that it is the same place, LOL.  Even so, her stock made the page work out really well for me so please go check out her stuff as she has a huge variety of goodies and a great eye for photography: camaryn-wallpaper

Next, while we are on the topic of webcomics, make sure you go look at the Rose against the mooN.  That is another one I have been illustrating and I know that I have said it a few hundred times, but it updates in Immortal Gothic Online on fridays.  The style for that one is different than what I use in the Origin.  A welcome break.

I have the re-release of Am I Immortal 1 extended edition placed on order with Kablam.  I am very excited about this.  The book weighs in at a heavy 44 interior pages, 48 including the beautiful new cover.  It will sell for $5.00, sorry, I know that's more than normal but normally you only get about 30 pages.  It has some new art in it, the single strips of MiniCain, which I had developed but not run in the first release, and the 12 pages that come just before Cain wakes up.  I will also have it available through Indyplanet and will make sure to post that url everywhere once I get it up and active.

Meth, yes Meth has come back to the surface.  I have started to compile the pages into the form I need them in to submit them to Kablam.  I'm doing a few pages each day so, though it is slow going, it is getting done.  I finished the cover last night.  It is a wrap around cover.  It is really gory and I completely grossed myself out with the few elements that are on the back side.  This book is very dark and very stark.  I feel that is the best way to have it live up to what it is in my mind.  The presentation is of course, backwards for most of the story.  I punctuated the parts, the individual stories, with letters that will give the reader not only a time frame, because they are dated, but further insight into what is happening to Meth.  For those of you who already have the parts available in psychosis! books, the Collection has three parts that were never released, the letters, and various art pieces and fan pieces which should make it worth picking up anyway.  I can't wait to get it done... my wallet sure can though.  Printing books is expensive!  If anyone knows of any good rich benefactors that are looking to support creepy goth girls and all their crazy aspirations, please send them my way!  Full color is expensive to print... oh yeah, Meth is in color!!!!!!

well, I think that might be it my lovelies.  I feel like I am forgetting something but I can't remember what on earth it could be.... don't you hate that feeling?  Oh well, till next week... enjoy the night!

what's with the schedule?

I know, don't hold your breath but I am not late!!!!! I have remembered to be timely and now, for the second week in a row have managed to update not only this little bit of evil here, but both The Origin webcomic and the Rose against the mooN webcomic.  No I have not become ill or struck with some bone chilling malady that keeps the gears rolling full speed.  I have just been trying and pushing really really hard.  Breaks are for the weak, and so I have taken the time to make up a backpack that has the means for me to work on any number of projects.  Maybe I am just really really sick, LOL.  Either way I am getting the job done, after a fashion, so here's your update:

Today I completed two pages for Rose against the mooN.  That will hopefully afford me an adequate amount of time to play final fantasy 13 which I also put 4 hours into today.  I am really happy with the way these pages are coming out.  There is a seediness to them that I didn't think I would be able to manage.  Mind you I am tickled fricken pink that I have done it... but I entered the tale with a mild bit of trepidation that I could have it come across the way I wished, while still having the solid simple detail I had intended to be dominant.  Lets see if I can keep this up, LOL.

Next, I have all of the resized interiors for Am I Immortal's re-release completed.  I had to rework some areas as part of my issue with book 1's and book 2's original release was a mild lack of consistency involving some of the interior material.  Now that won't be a problem.  I also introduced some elements I had wished to be included in the original version that was not.  MiniCain is one of them.  I thought it would offer a little different perspective on my direct relationship with Cain and make people laugh a little bit.  Also included in this issue is the first 12 page section that was published through Dimestore a couple years back.  That makes the book 44 interior pages, better known as a sizable piece of meat :)

I don't know if I had mentioned it here, but I recently aquired a Japanese ball jointed doll.  My intention is to have him eventually look like Cain, but I had needed the means to recreate his face as I am not comfortable carving away at something that I spent the much money on with a dremmel, as the doll does not have Cain's frown or scar.  Look forward to pictures of him in the future.  I aim to have him be really cool.

I will be getting my first professionally framed piece done soon.  Ironically I am getting two framed, but giving one to my Mom for her birthday at the end of the month.  It is the painting called Cain Razed and his himself looking all... well, he looks evil and has a bevy of burning buildings behind him.  I am looking forward to it probably a lot more than I should be.

Well, I'm off to watch the crazies and play more final fantasy 13.  Be bad my beloved few.  Be very bad in all the worst ways...

The Third Month

So things always feel like they are taking WAY longer than they need to.  I have always had a case of hurry up and wait.  I feel like I must rush all over to get everything done as quickly as possible, only to the be stuck waiting in the end for some other aspect out of my control to fall miraculously into place.  I also have been graced with a serious lack of patience, so you can imagine how very well that goes over.  Now that you know those sad facts, we'll move right along to the list:

I had finished a logo for a friend of mine, Sarah, and just this week was able to get the versions that she needs of it off to her.  It is a great compliment to me that she liked my design well enough to use it.  I was trying to create something that was visually appealing, and yet simple.  I thought that it would suit what she needed it for the best if it had those features.  Her site is called sheneverslept.com so please make sure you pay her a visit.  It is news and reviews, all on the darker side of things.

I did a convention in NY this last weekend.  Not the best timing and it was a one day show.  It had snowed all week and was threatening to be miserable all day so there was not the best turn out ever.  I was happy to touch base with some people that I rarely get to see and that is a very good thing, but any hope of selling things generally goes out the window when there is low attendance.  I did however manage in getting three more pages of Rose Against the Moon drawn and completed the third page just earlier this morning.  I will be posting it on friday so make sure you go check it out.

Today I did another update on the Origin http://www.amiimmortal.com/origin/.  I can't wait to, and yet dread, get to the new pages that I have scanned.  It's gonna be painful because of the colors.  I thought that Rose would be simpler and it actually takes longer than the process I use for the Origin.  Seems like that's just the way it is.  Maybe I'm just getting slower at it and it is simpler... or maybe I'm just pickier than I was when I started and refuse to settle until every detail is to my liking.  I just hope to be able to continue posting both webcomics on time and get to the ever growing mountain of work that seems to be closing in about me.

If anybody knows a way for a little extra promotion for the site here and the webcomics... please let me know!  I need help in that department as I am just to busy creating all this to be able to be online trying to promote it, or even breath.  I will continue to make updates and keep the work flow coming, I just need help spreading the word!  I have banners available if you want to post a banner on your site.  I have promo imagery too, so please contact me.  I have no problem putting up other banners in my links area to help you out in return.  Thank you my sweet demons.  Till the next, be well in your darkness and enjoy my offerings to you.