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I was recently trapped during an all-day meeting at work. It was excessively dull, and I resorted to sketching to stay awake. I used to openly sketch during all meetings, but with a change of bosses, it's not so cool anymore. So, I only do it if it's an emergency. Though really, I pay better attention when I am also sketching. I liked the way these fellows turned out, so they were freed from the agenda documents they live on and glued into my sketchbook. Not sure if the one on the right is Austenian or possible steampunk. He looks kinda evil though.
As I announced some time ago, I am compiling my old Arché-Lady mini-comics into a 2-volume book. I have been scanning, scanning, scanning. I've only been editing lightly, mostly if the original toning wouldn't scan in, or if the original digitally toned docs were missing or created at a too-low resolution. In the meantime, story ideas keep jumping into my head. Yay! Creative block destroyed. I now have 2 stories written out, and they will become part of the surprise 3rd volume, which will be in color. Details later.
At Bloc 11, I was sketching out some upcoming Arché-moments that have been in my head—you see Multi-Boy and Cave-Boy images there.
I didn't get very far along before Lonnie arrived. He was venting about work, and I was asking Qs and ended up interpretting one of his colleagues. Lonnie's a bit dashing at 6'1" and the annoying coworker was described as rather small and angry. I asked "Hobbit-like?" and the response was more "Pan/Satyr-like." I'm sure what I drew is nothing like reality, but it's a fun little character that will probably end up in a story. 
Sitting through the grueling speeches at a work function led to another story idea, with an alien invasion force at the heart. I'll definitely turn this into a shortie for the 3rd volume in the collection.I suspect this 3rd volume will be packaged as The Arché-Lady Special #11, with these new stories, plus the Color Companion to V1 and V2. There are a handful of things I did in color (various covers, 2 stories, and the character bios) which I might as well print in color if I am going to do some new stories in color.
Just so you know, I am printing these books with Ka-Blam, who specializes in low quantity digital printing. It's not as nice as off-set, but still pretty nice.
I'll probably only print a handful of books...maybe take pre-orders. But it's not going to be widely distributed, that's for sure. For die-hard fans only.
I'm done scanning (or finding the original toned files) through 1999. However, I still have 2 more episodes from '99 to re-tone. So much work still ahead!
FAN POLL: Aside from the 3 shorties already penned, I would like to do a 4th—with YOUR input! Is there a particular villain you'd like to see Arché-Lady face off against? Vix-N, the Galactic Tramp? The Wizard? The Technoids from New Death City?
Happy Anniversary Aggie!—Ten years ago, my folks trudged up to Vermont after I saw an ad for a one-year old Old English Sheepdog. My family had owned several of the breed over the years, and is fond of their clown-like exuberance.Turns out ol' Ags was coming from an abusive home, shy around most people, and terrified of children. She was 20 pounds underweight, and she had a number of infections, plus wood worms. The first year was spent aclimitizing her to the leash, people, and putting weight on and her health stabilizing.The second year was spent dealing with some puppy-like naughtiness. Nothing bad.After about 5 years or so, she started coming out of her shell around new people more quickly. And now today, there's almost no hesitation indoors. Outdoors, she's still leery of people.About a year ago, she started being a bit Ok around children. Last week, she let a two year old hug her even.I don't draw her much, though she is a constant source of laughter and joy for me. This sketch I did after the poor girl was victim to static electricity. Adam Leveille inked it.
Pic 1 was about a month after I got her. She is rail thin, but her hair started to grow finally, and she looks a bit happy. Pic 2 is just after her grooming yesterday, enjoying a dog biscuit. Pic 3 is lounging on the shag rug she's taken a shine to.It's bath weekend once every three weeks. It begins with clipping her nails, and trimming the hair between her pads and other places (30 minutes), then the bath itself (30 minutes), then towel drying her and cleaning up (30 minutes). After a break of some time, it's on to combing (1.5-2 hours). I estimate in the past decade 510 hours (or, 21 days) have been spent grooming her. Of her 170 baths, I've had assistance for about 15 of them.She's a sweet girl though. Average life expectancy is 8, so she's doing alright for a dog with such a shakey start to life.
I drew this He-Man piece for a charity show/silent auction, Skeletor Saves.
Skeletor Saves is a collective charity show with work from top artists based on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, benefitting The Ali Forney Center.
Thursday 4/7/11 from 6-10PM at Headquarters Studios at 385 Broadway, NYC.
The Ali Forney Center (AFC) was started in response to the lack of safe shelter for LGBT youth in New York City. AFC is dedicated to promoting awareness of the plight of homeless LGBT youth in the United States with the goal of generating responses on local and national levels from government funders, foundations, and the LGBT community.
If you are in NYC next Thursday, definitely check out the show and bid, bid, bid!
http://skeletorsaves.tumblr.com/
http://www.aliforneycenter.org/
I didn't pack my shaving stuff when I went to Europe, and on my return, I was feeling lazy so I didn't shave. Time marches on and I developed a mountain-man beard.Maybe it was driving me itchy-crazy; maybe I knew I would be shaving it soon; maybe it was sheer boredom of sitting through an all-day board meeting...but on nearly every page of the giant PowerPoint handout, I drew some version of me in my vintage 1963 mod stripe suit with beard. I was having a good hair day, too.Alas, all good (and bad) things must come to an end, and the beard has since been shaved. Haircut occurred as well. Feels much better this way.
Dear Monica was hyping Austin's indie comic show STAPLE! for the past several years. Her rec plus my free crash pad @ Scott's, plus the enjoyable company of them both was the inducement to go. Not to mention Austin itself—I love it there and hadn't been for 2 years.The con itself was about half the size of SPX and had a very regional feel to it. Aside from Monica, I didn't recognize any exhibitors from SPX, MOCCA, or APE (though that may be unfair, I stopped going to APE several years ago).Sales were low...Austin may be more of a hipster scene than a gay one...but I did have a few nice conversations with some fans of mine, who were surprised to see me in attendance. One fan also creates comics, and I love her style. I suggested we do a sketchbook swap: I'd draw something in hers if she drew a hot guy in mine. She has started a "Sub-Mariner and Aquaman" sketch book for other people to draw in, so I happily complied.Here is the result. I'd never drawn Sub-Mariner before, but, um, he's kinda fun to draw! Just a built guy wearing some Aussiebums. Nice.
The next morning in Amsterdam, we ate breakfast in the hotel's breakfast room, along with other guests and the hotel's HUGE Maine Coon cat. He was sooo sweet. But this one tired/angry looking patron wasn't so into him. Then, she violently attacked her biscuit. It was like one of those nature shows, where the predator is silently, patiently waiting for it's prey to innocently step too close, then STRIKE! But really, that biscuit wasn't going anywhere.After Abby and I wandered a bit, took a canal boat tour, we met up with a reporter interviewing us for the gay youth magazine Expresso. Albert was cute, but the cuteness was intensified by his CNR (Charles Nelson Reilly) glasses. The three of us were walking along, and Abby noticed all the window displays—her declaration made my heart skip a beat and I immediately went into a bit of a void. 
And though I was in A'dam several more days, that evening is when I stopped drawing...last entry.Above are the 2 two-page spreads I drew; the second being me falling into my emotional void after Abby's comment jarringly shifted my mood. Poor Abby, she had no idea.
:-\
I was recently trapped during an all-day meeting at work. It was excessively dull, and I resorted to sketching to stay awake. 
