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.

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.

The Internets Never Cease to Amaze Me

I've always known that there are a ton of tutorials out there, especially on YouTube, but I've never really taken any time to try and watch any of them. I've been remedying that recently, and holy crap, there is a lot of good stuff out there. Especially by way of painting/coloring in PhotoShop and like programs. I've particularly enjoyed ones by www.idrawgirls.com. This guy might be a bit confusing to listen to--as he often seems to forget to narrate as his painting is playing out--but just watching him is inspiring and gives all sorts of good ideas.

Also, I discovered this collective of people documenting the zombie apocalypse. Lost Zombies is what it's called, and it seems like a cool project to be a part of. If I didn't already have so much on my plate, I'd love to contribute. And even if the theme of zombies doesn't float your boat, you have to appreciate the general idea/structure of the thing.

To me, this is what the internet is all about, sharing info, the cool stuff that you've learned, and working together to create something truly awesome and could never have been accomplished without a communication device such as this. Truly, we all need to get over ourselves and start more collective/collaboration projects.

Any ideas?

Where to Start...

I'll start with the good news. I finished my third painting, and best of all, this one was a commission, and I'll be getting paid for it. This one came out both better and worse than I had hoped for, but all in all, I learned some new techniques and have a few new ideas about how to do some of my future paintings, which there will definitely more. So, if you have any ideas of something you'd like, either a painting or a cardboard magnet, shoot me an email or leave me a comment with contact info, and I'll talk pricing with you. My work is relatively cheap compared to most, so hit me up, and we'll figure something out.

The main reason I'm soliciting work and money is that my stupid Xbox 360 died the other night, giving me an almost full red ring of death after I tried to play some more Mirror's Edge. Stupid shoddy Microsoft system. I have an old Nintendo that's almost as old as me, and it still works great--I was playing it last night. Anyway, the short of this is that my warranty is out, and it'll cost $99.00 for a fix, plus shipping. So, I need money so I can get my Rockband back on again. And mayhap actually be able to play games I rent, like Mirror's Edge.

Take the weekend to ponder what you might want, but I expect commissions people. You should be getting your taxes back soon, you've got money to blow...

Until Monday, have a better weekend than my last few days.

Not Ready for Today

As promised, these are my cards that I made for the Artist Trading Cards, "Tim Burton" swap. For some reason or another, it looked like everyone was making cards from Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, or The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy. Granted, those are some of Burton's best places to pull from, in terms of arting, but he's done so much that I had to represent some of his other work. And seeing as Beetlejuice was one of my favorites as a child, I had to go that route.

With the exception of pulling these things together, I--for whatever reason--feel like I have no idea what I'm doing today. I've got stuff I need to write, comics to make, and the usual tedium of work to avoid. All I'd like to do is go back home, curl up, and sleep for another few hours. That or play some more of Mirror's Edge. Seems like it will be quite the cool game, albeit frustrating.

For now, I suppose I'll do what I can and hope to get something accomplished today.

Announcing...

...my very own Etsy shop. At the moment, I have nothing "officially" up yet, though I'm hoping this will change in the next few weeks--but via Etsy's Alchemy feature, commissions are already available.

Things you can expect from my shop: personalized 1" buttons and button sets, original paintings, custom magnets, custom t-shirts, prints of the comics, plus the ability to commission me for any of the aforementioned items.

Things I hope my shop will have: limited edition, custom figurines; hand-made plushes.

Things my shop will not have: herpes.

Things I wish my shop could have: Yetis, ninjas for hire, and customers.

I'll let you know as things pop up online. But if you have any questions about any of this, feel free to contact me chris(dot)smith(dot)mailliw(dot)william(at)gmail(dot)com. (I know, it is the forever address.)

Anyway, happy Monday, and I'll see you tomorrow with more Gibberish.

The Last of the Visits

In a few short hours, I must whisk myself away to the joys of the dentist. It will be my final visit, until my next check-up. It's taken three visits, but my mouth will finally be cavity free. (I could have had more of them filled at my earlier visits, but the cost of those things start to add up rather quickly.)

As for the weekend, not too much happened. There was a pumpkin carving party on Saturday night. I carved me a Skele-Robot, and if I can get a picture of it up here, I will. Otherwise, I'll just add my experiment with watercolors from this weekend. It's not good, but I learned from it, which--until I can take a class--is the only way I will learn anything. The more you try, the more you learn. Or something. I plan on doing a few more trial an error type things, maybe play around more with the whole "When I do this, what does it look like on paper?" style. I'll try and post them as they come, and if anyone has any tips or advice, I'd be much obliged. Of course, this won't start until Wednesday as there is more Gibberish coming tomorrow.

Until then...