Almost spring time.



Unlike the drawing I did today, which i did because it's very cold today, I'm happy. I feel like I'm moving forward, even if only slowly, and that I am, indeed, telling stories.

I did a wonderful page today.

My book is almost ready.

This just in:

I didn't want to create a post just for this, but it's well worth the read: Erik Larsen urging creators to create.

Search for the ARTIST.

other view of the same work.

Funny stuff I saw on the net. I feel like that sometimes, and I'm sure a lot of you also feel the same, so I thought I'd share.

So...

Do you want to see the first scripted pages of Casanova? It sure shows how Matt Fraction writes his comics. If you're interesting, click here.


I can't wait to see Ba drawing this thing.

Practice 6.



For a moment, I thought I was doing this little exercises for others to see what you have to attend to when doing a comic book. After I had fun with the first two ones, I realized that I was doing it for myself.

I'm the one practicing.

I'm the one learning.

You're just watching along the way as I go.

You should always practice. Even if you already have published work somewhere else, if you're not working on something that will make you use a specific kind of artistic muscle, this muscle will lose it's strength.

And the practice I'm doing is the only one we should never stop doing.

That's where the story is really told.

Practice 5.


I'm curious.

When and how did you decide to become what you are now?
When did you decide to become a doctor? A lawyer? A publisher?

Where were you, and what were you doing, when you realized that was the path you should follow?

Practice 4.



There's no easy way to comics. No matter how you get into comics, you'll always have to work hard. Even if you suck at it, you'll have to do it day in, day out, more days than you would want, more hours than you'd like.

Only working hard you'll get anywhere.

You'll fuck up a lot.

That's the only way you'll learn.


artwork by Fabio Moon.

One day late. Remember the mistakes of the past so you don't repeat them in the future.

Practice 3.


I wonder if this could be a trend and if it could spread. A also wonder if, this way, some artists who have no idea of what storytelling means will finally see the light.

I wonder if most people who dream of becoming comic book artists realize it's not a day in the park, it's a life sentence of never ending hard work.

Beaten.

artwork by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba.

Fight the laziness. You might get a little bruised along the way, but it's worth it.

You'll see. With your good eye, at least.

Ouch.

Practice 2.


I should play more often with letters and sound effects. They can also be very graphic if used right.

Practice.


I've been thinking of doing something like this for a long time, and every time someone starting out complains to me that they only "write" comics and so they can't really show their work, I remember this idea.

Expect more of this soon.

The new wave.

sketchy artwork by Fabio Moon.

I'm doing this illustration about surf. I tried the "comic book approach", but it did not work. They want a single image with all the moves. You know, from the distance. Front view. Tiny little surfers on a big chunk of blue.

Boring.

Not so boring is the super hero script I just finished reading. Quite the opposite. Expect more on that soon, as I start working on these characters.

And, to continue our regular broadcast of reviews, click here for the latest one about Smoke and Guns.

One should have character.

artwork by Fabio Moon.

For me, all characters should look interesting. Everything in a comic book should look interesting. If I'm doing a ugly house, it must be an interesting looking ugly house.

Smoke and Guns has this one particular character which is not a "hot babe", called Big Peach. As it turns out, she's an important character to the story, for she's Scarlett's boss.

But Big Peach is not pretty. Nor is she young, or thin, or hot.

She's kinda old looking, and fat.

That's when you realize that it's not the outside of a person (or a fictional character) that makes this person interesting, it's the charisma this person has, it's the personality, the way this person approaches life and what this person has to say.

Big Peach doesn't say much, but there's plenty of attitude in her.

She was the most enjoyable character to draw on the book just because you could tell what was going on with her just by looking at her expressions and gestures.

Smoke and Guns is out and about by now. Ask for it at your local comic book store. Or buy it online. Or seek for it somehow. ANd, while you're at it, read this latest review of the book by Randy Lander.

Also, check out the Wizard "Secret Stach" featured Smoke and Guns review.

click on the image for a bigger version.

A girl to color my world.


artwork by Fabio Moon.

I guess I'm still drawing hot girls, if the script I'm reading is any indication.

I'm also reading another script. This is a bigger one. A Graphic Novel, if it gets made. I'm really hoping it does get made, as I'm liking it quite a lot. If it all works out (and a big part of me is leaning in that direction) I might be the artist on it.

The problem is, this story is so nice that I'm thinking this is the kind of story I want to do in color.

Process.
Inside the crazy mind of an artist.


artwork by Fabio Moon

I liked this one. It's just for an illustration, but I liked it. Perhaps I can later on create a story for her.

I wonder what's she thinking?

Is she waiting for somebody?

Is she thinking about the same person she's waiting for?

She's in trouble.

note to self: short sentences with good looking drawing are nice and fun.

First thought of the day.

Today, I'm reading this script.
I'm drawing it.
It has super heroes.
Who would have thought?

At least, it has girls in it.

Last days of August.

I'm finishing the last story Diana needs from me for the book we'll have next year. My brother is finishing his as well. As we always say, we truly work better when we're both working at the same time, and that's always in my mind when I think about the workload my brother will have with his new Casanova series. Apart from being just super fun for him, it's going to be a lot of hard work, so I better find myself some candy dandy job as well.

Job.

It's always funny when I talk about comics as job, mainly because almost everyone I know complains about their jobs.

Why should I complain about drawing?

About writing?

About creating the world my characters live in?

I wish more people had the same reaction to their jobs as I have with mine.

We would live in a happier world.

I just read this interview with Becky Cloonan, and it's amazing how it reads just the way she talks. Great interview with completely honest answers. And just sweet looking preview pages from both new projects she's doing: East Coast Rising and American Virgin.

I heard she's a red head these days. Suits her reputation better.

Pin up home work.

Today, I sent Matt the pin up for his coming comic book series, Strangeways, in which I was told I could do whatever I wanted as long at it had one of the two key elements from the series somewhere in the picture: horror (or at least one particular furry character of horror stories) and western.

Easy.

But why should I do the easier thing? Why should anyone do the easier thing? If it's not the best thing to do, there's no good point you could make to convince me to do the easier thing.

Do your best. Always. You never know who'll be watching, who will first get to know your work, or hear your name, because of that one pin up, or that one story. Everything you do reflects what you want and who you are.

Are you easy?

Well, I'm not. I like to give it my best, no matter what I do. So, if I'm doing a western pin up for a story that takes place in Colorado, I'm going to do some research on what I would find about Colorado in the past. Probably nothing I researched ended up on the picture (something did, but a lot did not), but you have more elements to play with if you do your home work.

The pal and the movie.

Dorian chose the very last image I did on Smoke and Guns to illustrate his review of the book.

Marc Mason's Should it be a MOVIE? also reviews the tale of Scarlett and the cigarette girls, concluding that it has all the elements of a box office hit.

Wouldn't it be nice if Smoke and Guns became a movie? If I could help peek the actresses in it, it would be even better.