Mt. Moriah Studios

Here is the final illustration for the home page of the Mt. Moriah Studios site.  I will probably post it there within the week.  I’m fairly happy with the result.  Let me know what you think.

NEWS:  There will be NO post here Saturday (for those of you that care), and Sunday’s Journey to Mt. Moriah update will be posted late Sunday afternoon or evening.  See you then!

Here is what the originals from the Envy series looked like.  As you can see, I did a little manipulation to get the comics into the form you see on the web.  Geez, what an endeavor.  I think I’ll stick to NON-story arcs for a while.

I thought these illos by Kenneth Lavallee were especially interesting.  As all good illustrators do, Kenneth seems to tell a story with every image.

This is something that I put in my sketchbook last year sometime, and I recently stumbled across it.  I’m not sure why I drew it in the first place, but it did remind me that I hope I never separate my shoulder.  Ever since watching Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon deal with a separated shoulder, I realized that I don’t have the stomach for it.

I found these comics and illustrations by Michael Deforge very bizarre.  His style is different than my own, but I think that’s why I liked ‘em.

The final comic from the Envy story will be posted tomorrow.  Then I promise I will return to my regular update schedule.  Well, at least until I get another wild hair.

I’ve done a little more work on the illustration.  Let me know what you think.

I enjoyed this interview of illustrator John Hendrix.  I don’t know if I could get away with bringing my sketch book into church.

Here is the start of a new illustration I am working on for the Home image of my site.  I like the one that is there, but I want something that’s a little bit softer.

Because my life is so busy, and I am always being pulled in a thousand different directions, I have to keep a very strict studio schedule.  I rise early in the morning, and work on projects as the sun is rising.  I don’t know how many other artist work in the morning, but I find that I am most focused early.  As the day wears on, I become more tired and less focused.  Unfortunately, when I am forced to alter my life schedule to accommodate various demands, my studio schedule gets screwed.  I keep telling myself I need to create a buffer, that is, finish assignments long before they are due, but that is very hard to put into practice.  Maybe one day.

I am sure most of you web-comic enthusiasts have heard of Scary Go Round, and probably have an opinion on it.  I’m not sure how I feel about all the writing, but must admit that his cartooning technique (especially his later stuff) is spot on in my book.  John includes a lot of unique detail to his environments, and has down-right wonderful character design.

People sometimes ask me where I get my ideas. In general, my ideas for comics, illustrations, or whatever come from small seeds of thought. That is, I’ll hear, read, see, or think of something in passing and plant it in my sketchbook. Most of the time that seed just dries up and dies, but sometimes it takes root and blossoms into some artistic expression. How’s that for a metaphor? Kind of lame? Well, in my case it’s true. A little scribble today may work its way through the editing process and become the best idea I’ve ever had. That’s why it’s so important for me to constantly carry around my sketchbook, and to keep writing and sketching.

If you haven’t checked out a comic called Shi Long Pang, then you are missing out. It is drawn in a deceivingly simple style, but there is nothing simple about it. And the action sequences alone are worth a visit.

Here is test image for a NEW story I am working on. I don’t know if it will be a JTMM comic, or something else entirely. You’ll just have to wait and see. Let me know what you think. My goal is/was to keep it simple. Sometimes I set the bar a little too high for mysef, and I end up giving up on good ideas, or at least what I consider good ideas.

When I am feeling down about my own projects/craft, I always look to other artists to inspire me and get me out of my funk. John Hendrix is an illustrator that consistently blows me away. So if you are feeling down artistically, or you’re just interested in kick-ass paint, and line work, check him out.

Here is some stuff from my sketch book. As you can see, I don’t use a traditional sketch book. Instead, I use a memo pad. I’m not sure why. Probably because its cheap, they’re easy to get a hold of. I am working on a story that will involve an old man. These are some sketches related to that story.

NEW Journey to Mt Moriah tomorrow!

I mix my own watercolors to create different shades and variety. I always test my first brush stroke to make sure I’ve got the color right. I always thought the end results look pretty cool, so I threw one of them in here. Watercolor is such a dynamic medium. I love how in just one brush stroke you can see a number of different tones and shades. Watercolor has a lot of character, for sure.

I’m working on Envy Part 3. I’ll have it for you all on Sunday. Again, sorry about last week.