Sayterra

My problem is that all the issues now come up as unreadable after Issue 11. The PDF files contain errors that my computer doesn't like to chew on.

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I actually think that would be a bad idea...but you do what you have to do, for that I completely understand. just thinking it would suck to sell them off only to come to regret it later... just my simple thoughts on the matter...~

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Well, I usually put them through a paper shredder, and so far, in the last ten years, I haven't regretted that I used to go through five to ten sketchbooks a month, I was living in a fire hazard so I had to trim down stuff. Out of ten sketchbooks I maybe saved 10-20 pieces of art and tossed the rest.

As to cost, one friend said "try ebay" so I'm going to stick it up there without a reserve or buy it now price and start it out at 99 cents I'll let folks know when I do that :3

Virtue all the way! I can't help it, that's where my friends started me on ;_;

Liz I love your work, those pieces kick major patootie. Ok wings...lemme dig around...

The Problem with Bars...

What Wings are Good For...

Midnight Dream

Come Undone

*thwap* Where have you been??? Good to see you back hun You were missed :3

So moving... its a slow move, I know. I have a question to pose to you folks.

Would anyone be willing to buy a whole sketchbook from me? More curiosities than anything, I don't have room for them, and well, I'd normally just put them through a paper shredder and recycle them when I have too many of them.

It's sort of like the Trouble with Tribbles from Star Trek. They're just, overtaking my space... and I'm not sure what to do with them other than toss or sell them...

The latest ones I have contain sketches from CoX, various characters, notes on story, pinups, color compositions, doodles, weird oddities and such.

I was taught the oldschool methods:

1. Brush - I use a 00 or 0 sized sable watercolor brush to ink with, and then an acrylic ink (normally black)

2. Dip pen - croquill or Deleter tips

3. Faux sable brushpen - a refillable brush pen that's great for traveling.

4. For sketchy inking I use Pilot Precise V. I've used them for years and they are by far, the best pens for sketching, especially when paired with tracing paper.

5. For 'professional' work I normally ink in Illustrator (various versions) with the brush pen set to a custom setting for a closer effect to real brush inking.

Who doesn't withdraw after a bad review. I was rejected by Pixar this summer. But it wasn't a bad rejection, just "we don't have room for you right now"...

STILL a rejection.

You hafta look at it this way, every critique is a way to improve, and every suggestion is giving you various paths to walk down and try out and see if they work. Some might be harder than others but in the long run, you'll find a way that works for you.

Echoing Shego, Canon's are cheap and awesome. For anything going to print, anything scanned over 600DPI is really overkill. Most magazines are printed at 300dpi. Museum archived items are scanned at 1200DPI.

TA Teaser

http://www.dementedhero.com/gallery/..._teaser?full=1

Vort, I'll PM you

No offense taken hun, I'm just trying to present the other side.

You don't need a lawyer to take a book to a publisher. If you read comics, look at what companies you enjoy titles from, then see what their submission guidelines are. IMAGE has them on their website:

http://www.imagecomics.com/submissions.php

DC has a talent search:

http://dccomics.com/about/?action=submissions

The only time I've ever needed a lawyer was when I was owed money. You wont need a lawyer for a proposal. You'll just need an iron hide. Sometimes critiques are beyond harsh. If someone says "this sucks" your reply should be "Well, tell me how, why, where, when it sucks...and I can fix it."

Publishing on your own is also hard, I've dealt with that side both personally and with friends. There are a LOT of idiotic printing companies. There are a lot of good ones. Quebecor up in Canada does fabulous books, but shipping over to the US is expensive. My friend went through them exclusively. Their staff is phenomenal.

If you want the soundest, safest advice?

Kinkos or any other small place. Do a small 12-16 page book and present to to folks at conventions. Grab a small press table, and start there. GIVE them away. The initial cost of doing a color cover 16 page book at 100 printings is roughly 60-80 bucks, staple bound. Give them out to folks you admire.

Out of 100 books I gave out many years ago, I got feedback from roughly a dozen people. But those folks were animation and industry greats, and it was a good boost for my confidence. It also landed me my first concept illustration job.

As to conventions, I highly recommend APE (Alternative Press Expo) in San Francisco. Comic Con in San Diego...WonderCon... DragonCon... There are enough venues to find people to help you grow as a writer.

Good luck.

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OUCH! Now I feel like a creep for placing this offer on the board. Here, let me better explain myself...

I previously worked on computers for a living, all the while I had been tinkering with an idea for a comic. To be honest, eventually the job started to wear at my health; I got huge and fat. So, I shifted to a physically demanding job for health purposes, all the while, I continued to tinker with an idea for a comic. I bounced it off of friends, who game me their insight and opinions. I was never happy with what I was putting down.

Sure enough, 2 years later and a signifigant weigh drop, I had come up with a script for a 3 issue mini-series; I handed it over to those I trusted(I am generally a shy person and find it difficult to deal with criticism). My friends were honest; it needed some tweaking...7 months later I recieved a resounding "yes" on th finished story. In total, the script has been rewritten about 15 times.

I myself don't make a ton of cash and am taking a massive financial strain onto me; I've got a wife and a kid and I don't take this lightly expense-wise.

I respect artists greatly; I myself have pickd up a pencil and would do so again for this project, if not for the fact that it takes me entirely too long to produce an end project that looks exceptable. I am not looking for someone who wants a "job"; I am looking for someone who wants to maybe make their own dream come true and perhaps turn this into something bigger they can make cash off of.

I believe in my product, enough that I think if I brought it to a publisher I could sell it, but I don't want to sell it. It's my blood, sweat and tears(fat too) and if I can get an artist(which I will) it will be something we could grow together. I have no mythical belief of getting rich and famous over this, I just want to get my vision out there.

This also isn't something that's done after the mini-series; this comic series could continue. I have a millenia of ideas for this comic and have an interesting format plan for following issues.

I agree, cash is important...but is that really the reason you become an artist? Or is it to create and watch something come to life before you? I'm not here to rip anyone off, I just wanted to throw an offer out to this small community who has a very good collection of artists.

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No, our hope as artists is to do what we love. I don't love retail. I don't love service jobs. I love drawing.

I am a starving artist. I do not make enough every month to support myself, but I continue to do art because its what I love, and I'd rather not make enough every month doing what I love, than making just enough to get by, and being utterly drained of all creative energy by working 40 hour weeks at some retail shop.

If I was in the art industry to be making money, I'd be swimming in it right? Wrong. Even artists who do end up making a good deal, get the [censored] end of the stick. My friend made 110K a few years back off his art. 40K went to taxes. 60K is still a goodly sum, but when art supplies, rent, and a bad divorce go through you, you're left with a negative in the bank.

If I wanted to make money as an artist, I'd go into technical or graphic design. That's where a good chunk of the money is...

The reality is that artists should be paid to work on projects that are what someone ELSE babies. This is YOUR project, granted while a good friendship MAY evolve from this, you have to remember, YOU are still the boss. Even with back-end pay, you are contracting an artist to help you create this vision. The comics industry is BROKEN when it comes to paying artists. And what helps to facilitate this?

"I have a great idea! I just need an artist to do the art for me and I'll pay them when the book comes out! I know how to sell it!"

So a young artist, new talent, steps up to the plate full of energy and creativity, and hops on board. They may work long hours, they may give up a good chunk of their free time to work on this project hoping and wishing they'll get paid in the end.

The book finishes, the 'creator' ends up paying for the printing out of the money meant for the artist, and another jaded artist is born. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen this scenario.

I cannot tell you how many friends this has happened to.

You know what? If its a good story, take it to a publisher, let them critique it. Try getting into anthologies first. Four or five page stories, easy to produce for both the artist and writer. It also means that paying the artist will be easier.

The problem is that artists are beaten down with this stupid ideal in this industry that they SHOULD do work for free. Because obviously the person who's got this brilliant idea, is going to be able to sell it.

One of my friends pitches hundreds of ideas out to Hollywood. He meets with Nickelodeon, Warner Bros, Universal, Cartoon Network... So, out of those hundred shows, how many got opted to run as a series?

None.

And they're good ideas.

If this story is personal to you, then perhaps present it as text first, let folks see what its about, and go from there...

But any artist worth their salt should.not.do.spec.or.free.work for a long project.

Its not fair to either the writer or the artist. Period.

I've had carpal tunnel since I was sixteen. I've worn braces, done physical therapy, and taken meds for it before.

Within the last two years this is the worst flare up I've had. I'm very lucky due to that.

I REFUSE surgery. All the artists I've ever spoken to that had it done haven't been the same since. Some had to give up art entirely. Not my thing.

So, I rest it for a week or two, and things are ok. I'm chomping at the bit to get back to work on stuff so Tomorrow shall be a better day.

Thor... the ULTIMATE version of you was already done...

Graver's TA in a tutu is THE ultimate TA pic.

Hands down.

First... spell check your entry.

Second, judging on the description, this is a NON PAYING job. Comics, especially small unknown independents, do not make money. I've worked on several titles. I'm still owed money from EVERY single venture I've helped out in. And anyone with a even the barest HINT of talent, shouldn't lower themselves to doing things for free. The line "it'll look good on your resume!" doesn't work. From my experience, there is something MORE important in an art portfolio than most work experience. YOUR OWN WORK. Your own ORIGINAL work. Not things you do for a job. So focusing on the progression of your own talents actually counts for more than a small independent comic job.

Good stories go through a lot of re-writes. If its twice rewritten, it should probably go through several more re-writes before its solid. My friend is going through her fourth or fifth editing/re-write of her SIX HUNDRED PAGE novel.

I'm only aggressive right now because I don't want to see any of the artists in here get burned the way I have in the past.

I'm not bitter, just realistic.

Not entirely moved yet In the process still Star. Moving with a flare up of carpal tunnel is just, not fun Especially since I WANT TO DRAW. I have the sketching bug like mad and its hard to do that when well...it feels like my arm is on fire.

No hun, its alright, just *ask*... it's ALWAYS flattering (and this is hard to type one handed) to get requests to use your art. I don't think I've ever turned a single one down.

The other reason I have to be on the ball with copyrights is due to the proposed Orphan Works Act which has been shuffling around Congress with various wording. The Orphan Works Act basically means that ANYONE and ANY STUDIO only has to make a "good faith effort" in finding an artist who did a piece of artwork (photography, paintings, prints, etc). Otherwise, the artist loses all rights to their work and anyone or any studio, can use artwork without any acknowledgement whatsoever to the original artist.

It is very appropriate, and it is very well done Spookie. I just have to protect myself as much as any other artist out there. Thanks :3

Doom, the piece is excellent, but one thing... your images are soo artifacted that you're losing a lot of the really cool pencil work and colors. The red of the green haired guy's cape for instance, is splotched and mottled red. Is there a different way to save them so that we can appreciate them for how they really look? I'm not asking for a larger image, I know you're protecting your pieces, but at the same time, it's not doing yours or any of GH's work justice And this really is an awesome piece.

Very nice! :3

Not certain how I feel about this (now I know how Gill feels heh)...

On one hand, I'm very flattered....on the other hand, woulda been nice to have been poked about modifying my work :/

I hate to bring the party down, but when folks do this, it sorta opens up a can of worms. If folks think its ok to modify art without asking the original artist, we as artists, lose our very valued copyrights. Copyrights protect us from anyone taking our work and using it, selling it, or altering it without our consent. Without them, a lot of us would be starving artists and anyone could take a drawing that I or any other artist has done, add a detail, add a filter, and then call it theirs and therefore: art.

Since the sketch doesn't have the pop value like Cambell's Soup cans, or Marilyn Monroe, its not considered a cultural icon, and therefore isn't set up to be under satire or fair use. It's also very easy to pop a filter over artwork to give this affect, and part of me does respect Warhol's methods. He was a screenprinter, so every color had its own process, and pulling silkscreens (which I have done) is time consuming.

It's a cool piece, don't get me wrong, and I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but please ask the artist first before modifying their work >_<

Thanks...and again, sorry to be such a downer.

The room is mostly painted, though I needed to take a break today since my carpal tunnel is acting up. In the meantime, here's the redone pencils for Rowr. Everyone else...soon. Soon >_<

http://www.dementedhero.com/gallery/...redux03?full=1

I HATE it when pieces dont turn out how they should...so I redid Rowr's. I feel this one's more spirited.

Also, just to show you things I do in class and for class. A life drawing:

http://www.icefox-studios.net/galler...g/life_3min_06

And a life drawing/painting of my friend Zak:

http://www.icefox-studios.net/gallery/Life-Drawing/zak

My apologies for not being around. My roomies and I are currently in the middle of a move into a new townhouse over the next two weeks so things are hectic. Update coming soon!

Graver, you make my creative side bleed with inspiration. <3 <3 <3 LOVE this piece. Question: What kind of paper are you using to paint on?

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Anyways, how did I learn? Line mileage.


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I love this quote! You speak truth, brother!

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*koff* Imachick *koff*

Heh. Glad to be of assistance XD

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The funny thing is even with a lot of training, an art form like Manga & Anime is so easily learnable... that anyone can pick it up. And I mean pick it up and even master it within a year if they put their minds to it.

Manga & Anime is not fine art. It is and can be fine art, however in general it a simple structure tool to showcase someone's imagination. I was watching Howl's Moving Castle the other day, and was just amazed at how much story can be told just from the simplest lines and color.

But what I'm trying to say is, teach yourself this style, and learn the basics. And then teach yourself how to draw normally and apply that back into your Anime work. You'll find that it greatly influences it, because the details you pick up from real life observation only serve to enhance your imaginary images.

This is the difference between any okay drawing and a better one, the amount of details, and how those serve to create a certain style.

Good luck.

LJ

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i'd have to disagree here.

I think you should never set yourself to learn a specific style. You should Find you own style, whatever it may be. If you stick yourself to one style, you might just never mature the excellent creator inside of you. Experiment! Draw! And Draw some more!

I speak from experience.

Learn your craft. If you're serious, it's gonna be a hard long trip, but well worth the ride to get there.

And the amount of detail is never what makes or brakes great art. Art is the act of illusion. You're only hinting at things with a drawing. I've seen some spetacular drawings formed from just a few pencil strokes. Art that will make you cry with joy at it's simplicity! Some of the best animation is founded upon that.

If you copy a style, you really need to understand it implicidly and completly. But if you create your own style, the understanding part is already done...because it's you.

But this is only an opinion.

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Miyazaki didn't just sit down one day and say "I'm going to draw anime!"

He's an artist.

There are quite a few 'anime' artists that are fine artists. Yoshitaka Amano comes to mind. Anime art is a dime a dozen, same with most genres. What sets apart the good artists from the bad are those that understand the basic fundementals of composition, layout, color, anatomy, perspective, and character.

Anyways, how did I learn? Line mileage.

Just draw and keep drawing. Draw what you see and not what you think you see. That mantra was instilled in me by my old dearly departed eacher, Frank Sardisco.

We draw things as icons. An icon of a hand. We recognize it as a hand because it's attached to an arm, but does the artist understand the underlying musculature? How a hand moves, how far the fingers can flex? That's the difference.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, as mentioned, is one of the best books out there to start understanding how to see and how to draw what you see.

Drawing is observation. That's what it really boils down to.

Style is something that comes naturally after you get the fundementals down.

Yup. Bayani's all patriotic XD