Book notes:The first two DeD are available on Amazon for pre-order. Thanks to everyone that has ordered so far. If these two do well, it means several more in the future:Dog eat Doug » Book StoreTomorrow I will have galleys for both books and will proof both. Looking forward to seeing the first physical, near finished copies. Maybe I'll slip in a few photos on Monday's post.Right now I'm rewriting the second picture book for Roaring Brook. And soon I'll have some official news on the next to books. Couldn't have dreamed of a busier schedule. Loving it!
A must see video.
Thanks to my Dad for pointing me to this one. Absolutely amazing:
Pixar Artists Posters
Been meaning to get me a print of this Artist's work. Always checking his blog. In fact, one of the ways I find new blogs for inspiration is to just search 'pixar animator'. How much talent can you stuff into one company?
Go check out Nate's work here:
Great Sci-Fi podcast
Podcasts are a staple of my work week. Great to listen to while penciling and inking strips. Found this one via Facebook:
http://www.starshipsofa.com/Default.aspx
And if you aren't into podcasts, give it a try. Much better than TV.
Thumbing the first episode.
Thumbnailing is the comics version of re-writing. The more time you spend working out each panel the stronger the story (given the stroy is strong to begin with).
Scene Concepts
I like doodling little details for different panels. The more work you put in on this end, the better the final shot. These are a few quick ideas I had for the second installment:
Concept Sketch for Webcomic
Another quick concept of the main character in the first episode of the webcomic:
Webcomic in production
So yes, finally I've started work on the webcomic. It'll be weekly in full color. The first story deals with two of the oddest characters in the book. They seemed like a good choice to introduce the world in the Novel. Well, not the whole world in the novel. Mostly the webcomic will deal with characters' interactions in this world as opposed to the Conjurian.
Here's a little sneak peak of some sketches I did to develop the style for the comic:
The new James Bond novel, Devil May Care
It's coming! Very excited. I've been a bond fanatic for most of my life. Although I read the books first, which is a wee bit different than the Sean Connery, Roger Moore Bond. I've read Flemmings novels at least a couple of times, and all of the Gardner books.
After that, I picked up a couple here and there. I am however looking forward to this author's take. Plus they have a nifty, shiny website:
Projects that almost were...
This was to be a cover for a comic book a few years ago. I still like the image though.
The Darkside is Back
For those interested in my art outside of DeD (and I mean waaaaay outside of DeD), I've re-launched my Absence of Light website. That was the title of my first comic book series. Now it's my shadowlands to post my dark art and also blab about non-comic strip related projects.
Mouse Guard
Mouse Guard has been on my "to read" list since it came out. Now that the first collection is on shelves, I'll probably pick it up. The illustrations are just beautiful. Even with it's old timey feel, it's a breath of fresh air in the comic racks. So in case you hadn't heard about this title, I thought I'd pass it along.
Desktop Blogging
I'm actually writing this in Scribefire but it's promoting Windows Live Writer. Both are top notch tools for blogging. Scribefire sits in your browser and makes it so simple to blog as you surf, even letting you drag and drop images into your post. It's really my workhorse for blogging.
However I wanted a full featured desktop writer for more advanced post composition. I test drove a bunch and Windows Live is by far my favorite. Plus it's free (and better than some of the pay for writers). I'm managing three blogs (technically four since the comics page is actually another WP install). So these tools make life a lot easier.
And on the managing blogs note, I've revamped my oldest site, absenceoflight. Check it out!
Fun, geeky comic
I can't believe I haven't mentioned this strip before. Just the way the art has improved blows me away. And on top of that it's hysterical (so long as you're a techy type or web geek):
The PC Weenies. V2.0: Tech ‘Toons for Tech Enthusiasts. Squared.
Kiskaloo episode 11
Are you reading this? I'm really in love with this strip. AT first it was just to see new drawings by Chris, but it's completely grown on me. Maybe Chris will be on the Gigcast sometime? (Yes, JT, that's a subtle hint).
DeD in LA Times
Bit of good news. The LA times will be sampling DeD during Doonesbury's vacation. Here's the note from my editor:
Doonesbury is taking a few months off, and the LA Times will be
sampling DeD from 4/21-5/17, Dailies only.
I'm hoping it'll get a good response from readers. We shall see.
Los Angeles Times - News from Los Angeles, California and the World
Espresso - the legal drug
I finally broke down and decided to splurge on some illy espresso. I grind my own beans for coffee, but as I don't have a heavy duty burr grinder, I buy my espresso pre-ground. Shying away from spending the money on the always expensive but beautifully packaged illy, I've stuck with the cheaper Italian brands. Really, could it taste that much better? We all know we're paying for the slick packaging and marketing.
Well, it does taste better. Much better. There's a bit of work that goes into making good espresso, and doing it at home with a little rinky dink home espresso machine is a severe handicap, but if you put a little love into the parts you can control (water and the coffee) you can still come out okay. And using the illy espresso certainly helps. And really, it's still cheaper than buying a shot at the local Starbucks.
illy Coffee & Espresso Machine Shop : illy caffè North America, Inc.
DeD books for pre-order
Well they're finally here...sort of.
Both DeD books are on Amazon for pre-order. But you can order them right through my Amazon store on the site:
Stewart the Bison
Woo-hoo! Scott Metzger's new strip has launched. And it's off with a laugh. The strip will update Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Stewart — A comic strip by Scott Metzger
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Return to OZ
Okay, I'm still miffed at Scifi for canceling Farscape so they couldmake mondo-cheesy movies. However, I must say they are starting to putsome real effort into their latest offerings. "Tinman" looks to be themost promising and dare I say I'm actually looking forward to it.
You can see more here:
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