New Blog Software & Roller Derby Illustration

I knew from the start that I'd eventually outgrow Blogger, I just never predicted how long it would take me. WordPress is very cool, and I'm hoping I can build up the energy to actually customize it beyond the default look included with the ComicPress theme. Also, I was asked at the last minute to throw together a graphic for the Heartless Heathers' new jerseys. I only had one day to do it, and I'm actually moderately proud of the result.



Unfortunately, communication was terrible and I managed to very closely replicate the design from their jerseys three years ago which I'd never seen. I still get paid, but they want to go with something more different for this year. I hope their resident designer Ringer manages to come up with something good by the end of tomorrow, because they're my favorite local team and I'd rather not see them skating around in just their logo. Anyway, they say they like my design overall and it might end up going on a hoodie or something to be sold as team merchandise.

My good friend Jacob Mercy has a journal comic.

Similar to how this blog started out back in the day, only more coherent. I colored today's episode, seen below, but he's also done several others on his own. Check them out at http://jacobmercy.com/nausea2/.



Jacob challenged me to color the strip in under an hour, which is what he tries for when drawing it. It took me more like two hours this time, but I'm hoping for another shot -- stay tuned.

Vanilla Ocean

I was trying to come up with something to draw last night and somebody happened to say "vanilla ocean". I think they were describing some ice-cream.



Later I drew these dudes:



Mom's cat



I only finished her head before she moved.

24-hour comic attempt #2, post #2

For once, I actually care whether the navigation bar overlaps my work. Please scroll down to view it:
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Back from vacation

I never got to re-finish my 24-hour comics project during the trip -- the only chances I got were on the road, which turned out to be too bumpy, and before bed, which didn't work out either due to some weird random driver conflicts that I didn't manage to fix until I was on my way home. Computers!

What I WAS able to do on the road is to touch up and upload all my vacation photos -- enjoy!


click to open the gallery.

24-hour comic attempt #2

I just spent 24 consecutive hours digitally painting the first 7 pages of a comic I've been waiting to make since maybe 2005. Photoshop ate about a half-hour's work, but I'm too tired to redo it right now. I'll have to fix it on the way to San Francisco, but then I'll upload it via cellular modem and you can see it right here. This is basically the prologue, and the rest may never come, but I think what there is came out rather pretty.

Man am I tired!

Wedding Invitation

Hey I guess I never got around to posting this. It was the invitation for my friends' wedding and I think it turned out pretty well.





Butterfly

Trying to get back into drawing weird stuff right after waking up in the morning. I colored this one in my car after driving home from work.

You draw a line or two...

...then you hand the sketchbook to Marissa and she adds a couple more and passes the pad to Jacob and he does some and then he passes it back to you...



...and so on.

Squatty, the largest gnome.



When someone comes up and gives me an interesting thing to draw I tend not to ask them about whatever inside joke it's for -- not knowing why you're drawing a gnome farting on a flower just makes it that much more entertaining.

T-Shirt Brainstorms

I've been fooling around trying to come up with a t-shirt design with which to christen my new silkscreen press. I can do up to three colors, but I'd probably do well to keep it to one or two for the first run. Anybody want any of these on a shirt?

"Ninja Turtle"


"Haystack Rock" adapted from a photograph by my sister, Molly Soloway


"A pear and its arch-nemesis"


"Stuffed Monkey"

Well the new drink-and-draw group is going great, although there's still lots of room for new members. I've been asking Steven Wilber what to draw, and he's been coming up with all these great comic strips right off the top of his head.











Also I did this goofy dude using a dry brushpen and I like how he came out.

Drink & Draw

I'm organizing this little evening of drinking and drawing, which I hope will be repeated regularly. I made a little ad for it so I could post it on people's MySpace pages and whatever, and I suppose it belongs here as much as anywhere. If you're in Portland or plan to be, feel free to click through and sign up!


Dude and falcon both traced from a photo.

More drawing in bed

Saturday mornings allow for more thorough drawing before getting up.

helmet.png

Another drawing done in bed, this time immediately after waking up -- before even putting my glasses on. I spent half my lunch break coloring it.



I like this little experiment -- my subconscious mind has good ideas for drawings. If I ever actually remember a dream, I'm gonna try and capture it.