Words from the Creator

Sept 10 Updates; Tribute; Lore; Adaptation; Thanks

Updates

Sept 14 , 2020 4:50pm –

Added 5 images to Weekly Aug 4. 8 images to Atelier Aug 4th.

Added Sept 10 2020 – 10:34pm

Followed the manual for starting a drawing in CSP ( over the past week) – to practice; using the digital stylus. After 4 hours, I started to have some reasonable results drawing directly on the tablet screen with the stylus. A couple evenings, of about 4 – 6 hours, I practiced, adding color layers, to the drawing.

I conceived of backgrounds ( from vintage cel animations, I stored in the past week, and from practicing the CSP raster layers).

I went ahead and processed 14 pieces of original art, and made space in my studio; processing several hundred comic books ( into mylar; over the past 3 days).

Honoring Legends

A perspective attitude toward coloring digitally, prior to the past week.

The main aversion, or obstacle, for me, to digital coloring ( in the past year, despite wanting to see the inked pieces I scanned, from the Apocrypha), is that the interface, seems to take up more of my time, and if I move at my own full speed, the software cannot keep up; so it feels like waiting in line at traffic. I don’t enjoy spending many hours on the computer; it doesn’t feel the same as looking at paper. I don’t mind scanning, uploading, and making web pages every other day. But, in my initial experience using CSP, to color an inking, I saw how I could spend 3 days, using the raster layers, to create so much depth and fine detail, that I realized, the time I spent coloring, it could leave me with little time creating drawings.

And a body of work would be more significant, if I had many drawings, describing a variety concepts, rather than 4 highly detailed colored illustrations each month. I’m not completely averse to digital coloring – but, I am prioritizing the idea development, and line work, studies; and I want to start coloring with hands on media ( color pencils) and work my way up through watercolors, and acrylics; then when I have a sense of the time it takes, and the process of coloring. I can use CSP to improve already painted pieces, or digitally color, using palettes, to save time, and raster layer backgrounds ( like animation cels); but with a sense, how long digital vs by hand takes, so I know how much time to spend on each, use them efficiently.

There are things digital coloring can do much faster than by hand ( filling blank areas with color, making variations), and some things that might be faster using physical media ( at first); shading, detailing lines, forms, drawing, coloring tones, blending, ect, (versus software emulations of brushes, nibs,pencils).

I am looking forward to developing digital coloring – but before I invest, what expect to be a solid week of refreshing the knowledge of how to use the software commands, and practicing techniques on inked pictures; I want to have some new inked pictures that are, in my opinion, worthy of it. Alot of my drawing, is to merely get ideas down, as quickly as possible; when I go back and detail, redraw , for craftsman ship; then I have the option, to draw in the style of studies, or original art. I intend to publish new finished work, ( if it is high quality, and represents a brand).

I would like to create pages, ( pencilled, inked, colored; scripted) worthy of hire by a studio. What I am trying to do, is study several references, for each element I feature in a scene. For, example, if I want to have a medieval background, of a Baileywick and Tower; rather than just make up some architecturally uninformed, image, resembling, my idea; I want to put forth the effort, and search for images of the aforementioned, and study the most detailed, interesting or challenging images I can find of it. Then after studying several, invent my own unique version, based on information. That can take several days, per reference. So, understandably, I don’t simply start drawing each item, directly to completion – because, I imagine, no one would want to see 25 drawings of buildings in a month. This applies to each item; that’s why I space out the studies, with concept art without reference, templates layouts, ect. If I spent the week and a half it might take to complete a 19 x 24″ reproduction study, start to finish, it might be impressive, but, to a viewer, that would be 11 days, of the same drawing. Eventually, I should have a background, supporting cast, original costumes, and details, and a piece that looks ideal in form and concept. Then I can redraw it, using different inking styles; and with software, make many variations of each element.

Story Telling

And the seemingly minor, but perhaps most powerful aspect, is I get to have a voice accompany these Lurid Pre Code horror images; which is very powerful. Something that actually reaches the intended audience. Whatever I script, or write into commentary, narrative, dialogue, or social media posts, can the be anti-thesis of what I dislike. Role modeling my preference, is the crux of the project.* A stronger effect than merely criticizing something else, is to create something for others to see, and prefer. In that way, it is stronger than an argument. Preference, makes the unpreferred obsolete.

*any artist can imitate lurid pre code horror. But not every artist/creator is making an effort to define it; or leave behind an IP other artists can imitate.

Witchfynder

below added: July 25 6:25pm

An idea I had, was to present “Witchfynder” as a Manga, that has Mandarin through out. The product and gallery could appear to be from a Manga artist. And a western spin-off, advertised, and promoted from it; using another pseudonym. Then I could have two versions of “witchfynder”; Manga, and western. This might benefit the interpretation of the ‘title’; since alot of manga and anime, seem to have large, uncommon, vocabulary words, with unique spelling, as titles. ( ie, Neon Genesis Evangelion).

Example, if Neon Genesis Evangelion began as a western title, it might seem pretentious, and wordy. But, taking into account the phenomena of ‘orientalism’*, the title looks cool, and not scrutinized for it’s literal English meaning**; because of the great graphics.

**Even though it is very similar to Robotech, Power rangers, Pacific rim, in many ways ( basically giant robots, piloted by young people, to fight adversaries -aliens; in an academy/school mate type relationship ).

*where things that come from another culture, are viewed as magical, and bearing mystery, and assumed to have deeper knowledge.

Adaptations

Balanced Presentation:

MK* artists anecdote:

*Mortal Kombat – Warner Bros.

I recall a conversation, regarding the latest MK; there was a deadline, and the artists who had to work over time for months to finish the gory animations, sought ‘therapy’ afterwards.

In my experience, perusing one type of content, like any activity, eventually reaches a point of ‘enough’; then boredom, or a sense of being overwhelmed with the same content*. Consider a Bell curve, a peak where there is most interest and immersion, and then a decline ( representing disinterest).

* If nudity, for example is interesting to view, at first, later, when someone has looked at it for 4 – 6 hours or more, it ceases to have the same type of interest.

Gratitude

Thanks for your interest and kind patronage. Stay safe.