Growth

I spent a good chunk of yesterday perusing the awesome art highways that the internets have to offer, mainly going through Matias Basla's list of artists, and I realized that my art has suffered from a common plague: sameness. It has been some time since I last had any real growth in my art. Basically, I tend to draw the same types of characters in the same types of ways in the same types of positions. To remedy this, I've decided to devote myself to drawing more dynamically posed figures AND using straight lines for awhile.

The above is my first attempt at doing this, and I hope to keep adding new sketches or work as this progresses. There are just too many super-cool artists out there, and I'd be a fool not to learn something from them. So expect some new arts from time to time as I muck through this new venture, and if there is anything/anyone that you'd like to see me draw, drop me a line, and I'll do what I can. I figure the more I draw from what someone else wants, the more I'll be able to break out of my own pre-conceptions.

In the meantime, have a mighty fine weekend of relaxing, and I'm assuming, seeing Up. See you Monday.

+...as a Clam+

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Or he could've just skipped it all, worn nothing, and said he was a jaybird.

Now on to Another Adventure

It's not all that different from the last version you saw, but I'm calling it done. This was a rather fun project to work on, and though I was more than a little frustrated at first, I'm pleased with the final result. As I said before, I'm not sure if I'm going to do this on a regular basis, but I'll probably work on something from time to time. For now though, I think I'll go back to actual paint and canvas--as I can actually sell those.

In other news, I saw Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian the other day. I'll admit, it has problems, but if you ignore the logistics of the thing, it's actually quite fun and entertaining--especially if you like Hank Azaria. If you like the first one, this is enjoyable and not a complete re-hash of the first. But if you didn't care for the earlier night excursion, this one won't change your mind.

Also, a good friend of mine has a comic coming out today, The Legend of Isis from Bluewater Studios. As he says, it isn't high-brow literature, but he said it was a good time to write, and he's got his name on a published comic--much more than I can say for myself. If you're into comics, you should go out and purchase this. I demand it.

Gibberish tomorrow.

+Things to Leave at the Door+

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Even if they are less muddy.

Listen to the Pretentious Me!

Here is the podcast I did with my friend Drew. Also, you can download it here and listen at your convenience. I'm pretty sure I come off as a pretentious a-hole, but what can you do?

I haven't had time to re-listen to it yet, but I've heard the audio is a bit shoddy. Hopefully, for the next go round--and for my personal podcasts (coming soon)--it'll be better.

Anyway, have a safe, memorable memorial day, and have fun listening to us talk about everything from dolphins to Terminator: Salvation to Faith.

Gibberish tomorrow.

Not Much

All things considered, it's been a very quiet week with naught much going on--so little in fact that I decided to write this sentence with an Irish flair.

Mostly I've stayed obsessed with the new IAMX album, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I worked on some new art for that graphic novel/novel for one of my friends (though, at this point, I can't really show any of it off).

The only, somewhat, big news, is that I should be doing a podcast later today with my friend Drew. Don't know when exactly it will post, but I'll be sure to provide a direct link on Monday. Also, because of his podcasts, they've inspired me to do the same. So, while I doubt I'll keep to a once a week schedule as he has, I'd like to do, at least, one a month. Figure I can talk about writing, things I've learned, the books I'm reading--or maybe I'll have some mini-film review rants. Whatever. Just expect to hear my actual voice in the next few days.

In the meantime, have a fantastic weeken, and I'll see you all later.

p.s. If you have anything you'd like me to discuss, I'm willing to draft questions or just give my opinion on certain things. Just leave a comment on any of my posts--the more recent the better--or write me at my ridiculously long email: chris(dot)smith(dot)mailliw(dot)williamt(at)gmail(dot)com.

+Faerie Recession+

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Those sexy, sexy leotards...

Tokyo and Stuff

I finally got a chance to see Tokyo! last night, and I was quite impressed. For the most part, I've been slightly disappointed with each of Michel Gondry's films since Eternal Sunshine..., but his "Interior Design" segment is glorious. Really, the whole film is quite good, with Leos Carax's "MERDE," which I figured is a tribute/spoof of all the Japanese monster flicks, mainly Godzilla. But what topped the film sundae was Bong Joon-ho's "Shaking Tokyo." I would go see this film again simply to watch that final segment. Seriously, if I buy this film, it will be for that last film. After having enjoyed The Host, a film that any monster-movie lover should check out, I've now added his other films to my Netflix account and await them with hungry eyes--and these aren't the Patrick Swayze kind, either.

Otherwise, I've been listening to IAMX's new album, Kingdom of Welcome Addiction. A mighty fine album indeed. It took a few listens to really get into it--as many of my favorite albums have--but now I'm rocking out to just about every song. Though I suppose "grooving out" might be more appropriate, as this one is a bit more down-tempo than their last two discs. Regardless, it is good stuff. Fans of Chris Corner and Sneaker Pimps should pick this up.

I also picked up the new Iron and Wine disc, but I have yet to really spend anytime with it--alas, buying two new discs in one day is a bad idea... I'll update as I listen to it a bit more.

That should be it for the moment. I'm possibly going to be a guest on a podcast come Friday. Again, I'll keep you posted and add a link as that happens. Otherwise, have a wonderful day, and see you tomorrow for more Gibberish.

+The Stuff of Nightmares+

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Seriously, this almost scares me worse than zombies... almost.

Relaxing and Why Does This Song Keep Looping?

I've had this stuck in my head all morning, so I've decided to pass that pleasure on to you. It's just the kind of guy I am.

I probably had one of the most uneventful weekends that I've had in a long time. Most of it consisted of hanging out and eating--mostly awesome-tastic sandwiches. Had a lot of good conversation, lots of good food, and I even got outside and played a few games of croquet. Other than that, I shirked my duties of things I needed to do, but it was quite relaxing.

Hope you had an equally relaxing weekend, have a productive day, and I'll see you tomorrow with something a bit more interesting than this post: Gibberish.

Some Ideas are Better Than Others

I was looking at my comic for yesterday, and I have no idea what I was really thinking. I'm pretty sure my brain jumped about ten spaces ahead when I wrote that. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with being old and forgetful, and maybe this mental deterioration causes one to pick up strange objects and carry them around as if they were a wizard turd or the Easter bunny, but I don't think I got that across. At all.

It's a good thing I named the comic what I did. I suppose we're all lucky that it makes any sort of sense even half of the time.

Also, there is an idea a bubblin' in my and my friend's noggins about editing a possible anthology of short stories and poetry all revolving around the same theme. The possibility of this actually happening is at about two percent right now, so I won't go into any real details yet--but perhaps we can start a bit of a buzz. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you back on Monday.

+100 Mark Milestone+

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Hooray for 100... Now on to the next...

The News Has Dropped

That big news I've been jabbering about, well it finally resolved itself yesterday.

The whole thing revolved around my getting an agent, as I had one looking at my manuscript. From what I'd heard, things were looking very good for my "acceptance," but in the end, she decided to pass. However, she gave me a HUGE "but" to that statement--I mean we're going well beyond J-Lo and into Rosanne territory. She took the time, not just to email me, but to give me a call, and list out the things she had a problem with in the manuscript. This might sound harsh to some of you, but believe me, in the publishing world, to get as personal of a response as this is simply AMAZING. And to sweeten the deal, she gave me her contact info and asked that if/when I re-work my novel, she hopes I'll send it to her first. Also, she opened the door to any questions or clarifications that I might have as I undergo the revision process. Again, this might not sound like too much to get excited over, but I swear that this is fantastic news. The publishing world is very busy and full of canned responses and impersonal letters, so to have a personalized rejection combined with a request to have another look at your work is the next best thing to being accepted--and often only one step away from it.

Of course, this will set back some of my other projects I had in mind, but the revision will hopefully be worth my time and effort. Regardless, I'm excited. As I am about tomorrow, too.

While it might not be anything face-melting, tomorrow is the 100th comic for Gibberish. It's come a long way from its humble beginnings of tacos jumping into a giant bowl of salsa... it even has words now. All in all though, I'm still having fun making these things and forcing myself to draw more and work on my coloring. Even if you don't like the comic, it's a helpful tool for making my arts better. So there.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for this "landmark" edition of Gibberish, and I'll talk to you all later.

+Doo What You Need+

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I think there is a shirt in there somewhere.

Refreshing

Like many others, I checked out Star Trek this weekend. Also like many others, I was thoroughly impressed. Never having watched much of ANY of the shows, I thought Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzman did an amazing job making the story accessible to anyone while holding to enough of the show's pre-established tropes to please the true fans. (I heard a handful of them hooting and laughing at moments that garnered, mostly, silence from the other film goers.) It's just a well put together flick with special effects that don't scream "FAKE," and even a few of the actors in the film--namely Eric Bana--that normally piss me off, weren't too bad in this thing. I'd recommend it to anyone, Trekkie or not.

Also, just as a quick heads up, Gibberish will hit its 100 comic mile stone on Thursday. Had I thought about this more in advance and been on top of things, I'd have something special planned, like a super-comic chronicaling the life of a taco, or simply tried to hype it up a bit more.

In the webcomic world, 100 comics is an accomplishment, as many "new" comics die within the first year--or the first 100 comics. So, to hit this milestone, even before the year anniversary, goes to show that Gibberish plans on staying around for some time to come. Expect more nostalgia and reminiscing as the week progresses.

Still no new developments on my "Big News" front, but I'll be sure to let you all know when, and if, it ever comes.

Have the best Monday you can, and I'll see you tomorrow with Gibberish.

No News is...

An anxious person's biggest nightmare.

Seriously, I've been waiting for my "big news" to unfold, and it has yet to do so. I was having nightmares about it on Wednesday, thinking that absolutely everything that could go wrong was, in fact, going wrong.

On the plus side, I'm finally starting to breathe easy, remembering that what happens, happens. It's out of my hands, and there's no need to worry about the things I can't control.

In other news, my wife and I checked out X-Men Origins: Wolverine, finally. Talk about lame city. Seriously, the director, Gavin Hood, should not be allowed to make any more movies. And what was Hugh Jackman thinking? Honestly, the man can act. I've seen it. So, why would he ever look at some of those lines and think, "Yeah... that sounds about right."

But what bother's me the most about that flick is that Richard Donner, the director that not only brought us The Goonies but also gave us the original Superman, produced Wolverine. How could a man that helped show the world that comics were more than cheesy lines and rippling muscles support a film that does the exact opposite? Now, I realize that Wolverine isn't the first comic movie to adhere to the cheesy lines and muscly men, but for some reason or another, I felt the most betrayed by this one. Probably because Wolverine is one of the cooler comic characters, and one that I actually cared about BEFORE all the movies came out (I didn't much care for Spiderman or Superman in their comic world.) Whatever the reason, I just wanted to laugh at how bad this film was--especially when we've seen just how awesome the comic flick can be (The Dark Knight, anyone?).

I hate to say it, but I think we're now on the fast track for crap. Hollywood found another money maker, and the "art" will be lost once again.

*sigh*

+Uneccessary+

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And there is no inuendo intended with this, though each mind can run it's own course.

Almost Done

This thing is just about done now. I've had a few moments to work on it here and there, and it's coming together much better than anticipated. Other than the jewels on the crown--I need to look up some reference points--this is pretty much done. I'm going to add some light shafts breaking through the dirt, but that's about it.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result, but I think I'm going to stick with the traditional painting for awhile--it's much easier to sell. And if for some reason you'd like a print of this, I can have that arranged.

And for the moment, I'm trying not to burst from joy. Some nice things have been said about me, and they may lead to some awesome news for Friday--or possibly not until next week. Either way, look for some developments on the Click-Track Heart front.

+Stylin'+

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If only I'd been born a pirate...

(Sorry for the lateness in this, I forgot to upload them this week....)

Yard Work, or How I Spent Most of My Sunday

I intended to have pictures for this and will probably post them on Wednesday. My yard was ridiculous and it took close to three and a half hours to put together my mower, mow the yard, and rake up the leavings--and we have a rather small yard. But I suppose that's what happens when I wait until the grass, in places, reaches my knee cap--and I'm 6'3". Luckily, the Nebraskan sky was cloud covered and cool, otherwise, I might have died.

In other news though, I went to a reading/art show, Look Both Ways, on Saturday night, where my mentor, Karen Gettert Shoemaker, and others read their ekphrasis writings while standing next to their chosen artwork. It was quite entertaining and seemed like a cool project to be a part of. In fact, I'm keeping an eye out for such a joint venture, as both my writing and artwork selves would love to have the chance to participate.

Lastly, I just found out that one of my favorite bands is releasing their album over here in the states. It comes out on May 19, and I suggest you all go out and purchase it if you like music in the vein of Massive Attack and Sneaker Pimps--or if you're into Depeche Mode or Placebo (I'm not particularly into the last two bands, but IAMX's music has oft been compared to them.)

For now, have a good day, and come back for Gibberish tomorrow.

Digital Painting

As you can see, this is still a work in progress, and for the most part, I still have no idea what I'm doing, but I think I'm starting to get competent in my incompetency--if that makes any sense. I call these things PeeBees, somewhere between Slimer from GhostBusters and an Isz from The Maxx by Sam Keith. They like shiny things and live in the ground along mountainsides. Perhaps I'll write an illustrated story with these things sometime... or just let them take over a Gibberish or two, either way, the PeeBees have invaded my noggin' and have yet to get their pinkish little mits of my brain meats.

Talking about the art style itself, the whole digital painting look, I'm still not so sure I'm sold on the thing. Granted, I'm nowhere near as good as some of the others--including this one, which is one of my favs--but I just feel like it looks too "realistic" for my style. I suppose it's hard to mix cartoons and reality without losing too much of one or the other, and I likes me cartoons. Maybe I just haven't given it enough time--which is probably the case--but I don't know how much I like this aesthetic. I'll keep playing, for awhile, and try and mix more of this technique with my own goofings-around, but I can't imagine this will be a media I will persue for very long--at least the serious side of things.

Anyone have any thoughts? Do you like what you see? Like my other stuff better? Or is it too early to tell?

I'll try and post the progression of this piece, and maybe I'll like it more as I press on.

Thanks much, all, and have a good weekend seeing Wolverine. Hopefully it won't suck as much as I fear it will.