To the smell of burning rubber

I'm looking forward to the full moon this week.  I have been doing things a little bit differently in the garden this year.  I have not been getting as many plants at once and instead been planting as I go.  this works out much better then not being able to walk on my porch, which has previously been the case.  I almost have my back garden completed (I really need flat rocks, free flat rocks) and I am pretty proud of it.  Last year it was not a very nice place at all and I have worked painstakingly to reclaim it from this big rooted crap.  I have to do a good bit of TLC to the front still, and where the landlady ripped the trees out on the side :cries: it's HORRIBLE!  I have all the perennials that are fighting with the weeds trying to make me happy.  they are all volunteers, not something that I put there.  I still am fighting the urge to burn myself out to try to save them.  Oh man, I just wrote a ton about my silly garden.  sorry about that.  Sean has been taking photos so perhaps I will be able to convince him to post some of the beautiful pictures he's been taking.  Till that time, here's the list:

I was able to get my paws on the first two of those ink pieces that I sold at the convention.  Everyone say "Thank You Erik" for making that possible and scanning them for me.  I hope to add a few more to this collection over the next couple weeks.  I have had some illos come in for a book though so I may have to put these ladies on hold.  Maybe I will use this technique to make one of those illos.... hmmm.  I think I'll do that.  This is my favorite of them thus far.

I was able to update both webcomics this last week.  Sorry for the break on Rose, but with the convention and such it was just TOO much.  The page for the Origin this week is very blue and the child looks so much like Damon did when he was a baby.  I didn't mean for that to happen but I am not surprised.  Either way I am pleased with the outcome of the page.  More blood for the Rose page.  I know exactly what I want the page after to look like, which is a very good thing.  There have been a couple pages in Rose that I had gotten hung up on and this last one that I did was one of them.  I think I have the entire rest of the story pretty well planned out, as well as the dramatic and wordless closing page.  Please make sure that you check them out : Immortal Gothic Online

Speaking of online fun, the podcast is now active.  Master of ceremonies Sean Tyler, Shane McKenzie, and K-Pax now have two episodes available for your listening pleasure.  They talk about all things current or coming and pepper it with a bit of insane reality.  Listeners are always invited to swing by and join in on the fun at Sarge's Comics in sunny downtown New London, Ct. when the show is recorded in the early afternoon on Wednesdays, contact the podcast crew on facebook, or via email to get heard.  It's a hilarious take on current events but you'll have to go listen to know what I mean: The nameless podcast  It updates on Thursdays, and with any luck will soon have its very own listener inspired name.

So I got one of the concept pages for Meth completed in color.  I'm actually quite proud of the thing despite that it is actually pretty brightly colored.  The text on it even came out pretty well.  I was moved to write on it once I was done with he final illo.  I had said I would post it so you all could get an idea for what the new areas of the book look like so here you go.

So I totally did more stuff too, but I really want to go watch True blood so you have to suffer through another week knowing that I will show you more new stuff.  I gave you tons of stuff this week.  two links for you to investigate that has an hour of audio and over 30 pages of illustrated prose.  Two fancy pictures to look at.  Be happy people, be happy!  So now I get my ice cream and you have things to look forward to.  Please make sure to go look out at the full moon mid week and don't forget to enjoy the night my darlings.

Water

So I went to a glorious convention.  It was not very large, but it was run with a certain amount of caring.  I found out the gentleman who was in charge of the whole thing felt quite horrible on the day of the event, and he made it so you totally could not tell at all until he told you.  Thank you for being such a good sport Erik!  I met some really cool people.  We have already exchanged llamas on DA.  I know, how silly, but you gotta keep your priorities straight after all.  Anyway, I really enjoyed myself a lot and am very thankful to Tom for inviting me, and then to Erik for being so thoughtful in post.  I feel that  ComiConn was a great event for both creators and fans and I can't wait for next year!  Now for the ever lovin list:

So I have been playing with water.  I have been talking about it to everyone and posting my experimentation up on Deviant Art.  I really enjoy doing it and have started to make a collection based around various semi-precious stones.  The first one was the water witch, but all of the newer ones have stone names.  I have the right ink and the right paper.  I really enjoy it, so look forward to more.  Here is Amethyst so that you can see how they are turning out:

I started to ink Am I Immortal book 3 a bit ago.  I can't remember if I had mentioned it or not.  I feel that it is going well.  Mark Mazz had a glorious idea to try a new technique through part of the book to see if it is worth utilizing in the future.  Most of the book will have the look that the first and second book have, but then this one portion will have some of the things that I had learned when I made Meth: The Call and see if it makes it faster, as well as more dynamic.

Meth... The pages are completely colored now.  I will give them a once over to be sure that they are consistent.  I think they are, but it is best if I take a sec to reset my eyes and scan it again.  I am very happy with how it is coming.  I feel that I cobbled it together effectively and managed in creating a full story comprised of many parts, rather then a complete incohesive mess.  I still have to finish the color on the concept pages.  I think that should happen quickly once I am given the time to sit with it.  I want to get a couple pages ahead on both of the web comics so I am able to devote myself to it and make sure that it comes together properly.

Don't forget to check out the update for Am I Immortal: Origin this week.  I like how it came out and I was able to incorporate my original thoughts for the page into the new format.  I hope that your week is pleasurable and that you take the moment that you need to enjoy the dogwood blooms and all the glory of the changing season.  Remember to enjoy the night.

Up to Trouble

So I found the death in my house... and another problem. There was a bunch of little mice, which my cat has been slowly depleting... actually you guys will think this is a little funny. My cat is a house cat and a remarkable mouser. He can sense when mice are thinking about coming out from the wall and he goes and grabs them. That is when the problems start. see, the cat just plays with the mouse, which is not nice.... but my dog... my dog is a glen terrier and he's a thief.... so he hears the cat playing with the mouse and he goes and steals it and chews on it until it stops moving... when he drops it. Then the cat plays with it which re-spawns dog interest... anyway. I think he's taken to eating them which is so nasty! But I think the duo found a mousy mommy and then I got a wondrous smell which was a really horrible awful thing to find. The other problem is septic which I can't fix because I rent... so expect a lot of really angry artwork. With that said, the update:

I did a new technique which I am really happy to be learning. I watched a bunch of video on youtube and then cracked a couple inks to get it down. It is something I have wanted to do for years, but wasn't sure what materials where used. Turns out it's water and a certain kind of ink... which I didn't have. the first piece of my experimentation is called "water witch" and is all different blues. I have four more sketches made up to try this technique with and had thought to have each of them be a different color set. Anyway, this is how "Water Witch" turned out:

I don't know if I had mentioned it before, but I also did get the new version of "Am I Immortal, the extended edition".   It looks really good and I am very proud of it.  It is available on indyplanet right now and there is a link to that in the compass in the sidebar on the right.  I have put in a few pages for you to see so you can get a taste of how the interior stories look.  the cover is a redesign that features the immortal Gothic logo too.  I am really happy with how it turned out as a project.

Back on Meth.  I colored a bunch more pages and am nearing completion of that faze.  Sadly that means it's a bunch of tough things left.  It means a lot to me for this book to come out just right.  It represents probably 5 years or more of progression through my work.  I only have a couple of the content pages left to color and then I am on to those concept pages which I created.  I'm really happy with how they are coming along.  It's small touches here and there.  Just enough color to draw your eye without detracting from the piece as a whole... or such is my attempt.  I will have more good news on that subject soon and it will come together pretty fast from here on out.

More new updates for "Rose" and for "The Origin".  I am still trying to create each of these stories with their own dynamic style and very different feels.  I think that the next few pages will be the defining moments for each concept.  "Rose" is nearly complete as it caps off at about 20 content pages.  "The Origin" however goes on for 40, but it will admittedly be nice to go down to one update a week and spend that extra time getting more books completed.  Both of these concepts will eventually be available in a printed form.  "The Origin" will be a landscape and I was thinking to make it a hardcover that you can purchase from me at the conventions.  I had started to write the main storyline of Am I Immortal first, but it is "The Origin" which goaded me into rewriting my existing pages and distilling the concepts of my idea into the form you all now see.  I only hesitate with its printing because... it's gonna be expensive.  I need to feel it's worth before I ask you to invest, especially with the content being available online.  the hardcover would be me passing a real piece of myself onto you, my fans, which is why it would only be available for sale from me in person.  If anyone has any thoughts on this, please let me know.

So I think that is what I have my paws in this week.  I know that there is more, there always is, but those are the major things that I accomplished.  If anyone knows any tricks to kindly tell your landlord to get her shit pumped... please let me know.  I'm going to need to broach that area soon here and I'm not really sure how to gently do it.  Please take care in this new blooming world and remember to embrace the night.

By Candlelight

Really it is a horrible reason why it is by candlelight too, hate to say. I believe that something, or a family of somethings has gone and died over in the walls or under the floor where my desk is.... that means that I have been on the verge of clinical insanity whilst trying to get the normal madness done and happy. It has been increasingly difficult for me to work because of this fact and what I have done, has been... well to quote a friend from deviant art: scary!!!

So, what's so scary you ask? Well Cain is. I got this glorious idea when I was on the brink of insanity and lost my marbles all over a rather rough piece of sketch paper. Hate to say it but if I had realized it was going to turn into something so nifty, I would have used better paper because the stock I drew it on scans this disgraceful color when I try to embolden the pencil lines. SO ANNOYING. I have it posted up for view on facebook and on my deviant art profile if you want to see it part way completed. I have gotten some really great advise from my comrades as I felt like I drew myself into a corner with it. I just didn't know where to go.
Image of Cain

What's next... well I have been pushing ahead on both webcomics as always. I think that both recent pages involve... blood running off of or down something. I am pleased with the effects that I got for Rose and Am I Immortal continues to have a subtle detail to it which I hope to continue. In the past on Am I Immortal, I have used stock that has been available on deviant art and am grateful to those artists for making such references available. I am just not able to climb random cliffs or comb the countryside for fields of dandelions, so their use is much appreciated and will be noted in the print version of the book, if that ever happens. Rose has been, all my stuff...so I can't say that there. But I have found, when working for someone else, it is best to OWN everything so that way you don't end up with third person syndrome. I hate he said she said.

Last for this update, I have been trying to get a number of physical pieces completed. I have the mouse skull, which is an actual mouse skull. Half is mummified while the other half is clean. I took the liberty of putting gold leaf in some areas on the clean portion so the thing has this gilded look now. and it's jaw got all wiggly so I had to superglue it shut :sigh: weird eh? that is not it either. I am also working on a painting. It involves every type of material I can cram in there. I desperately hope neither one is a fail.

So that's it my darlings. No pretty pics for you save for four pages from the webcomics. Go look. Oh yeah, and I am inking. You know what that means.... almost time for book 3...