Reading

My bike accident has allowed for some nice quiet time at home. Among the nice quiet activity, I revisited some Krigstein and Toth. I also was able to finally read a bit of Pratt (I had bought a beautiful hardcover printed at actual size Corto Maltese stuff when I was @ Angouleme Festival; my French is bad so it seems to get to the bottom of my reading list quickly). I'm now re-inspired by their ability to craft such dynamic drawings even from the simplest of moments. Here, I attempt to make "reading" engaging for the viewer. I wasn't teribbly selective about the title, it just happened to be on my mind. If I had an actual backstory here, I would have chosen a novel most appropriate to the moment.

ANOTHER DOODLE: on the same page as the first drawing in my sketchbook. Here, the Emo boy is pining for the reading boy. I've tried to make the subject more fully engaged in the pining. The dialogue is deliberately no help; without the body language and facial expression, "—He reads!" has almost no meaning at all. Let's ignore the fact that it looks like he's leaning on a toaster oven. ON READING: I am determined to finish reading Vanity Fair. I started reading it November 2007 on the recommendation of a friend. It is an easy read, and a good read, but a long read; and I am a slow reader. But, I am determined to finish it before November 2009. Wish me luck—!

Bike boy

So much to say about biking! PART ONE: Regarding this particular drawing, about a month back, we enjoyed a day or two of warm weather. For Boston in March, that means a light jacket, and perhaps shorts if you are of sturdy stock. As Fish-philes know, I took in my dog from an abusive home 8 years ago, and she's a shy girl in public settings. Over the years I've tried to acclimate her to new people and places as I can. This day, we stopped in Davis Square to sit and people-watch. As I sat there, a cute fellow biked up and sat across from me, and I sketched him. PART TWO: 2 weeks ago, I was knocked off my bike in traffic! I was very lucky to not be run over. My assailant gave me and my wrecked bike a ride home. I later went to the hospital—nothing broken or concussed. But, I was really bruised up and in a lot of pain. UPDATE: I now have normal walking mobility back, though running and biking are still out. Thank you all for the many well-wishes! Sadly, I haven't had the wherewithal to write and draw much.

Psylocke part 1

I am way overdue to make a Psylocke commission. I was however, inspired to make this postcard as an apology for how horribly long I am taking (the commission was paid for in January!). I don't know if I will make the butterfly thing in the actual drawing... we'll see. For a B&W drawing, I am more apt to make it out of a zip-a-tone pattern of something. Anyway, I did this postcard with prismacolor markers (which I am very bad at using) and a brush pen.

The story of 'Stemena'

Some weeks ago, I drew a new character in Adam's sketchbook. S/he has the head of an old lady, a buff man's body, giant butterfly wings, and a rose for a penis. Adam named this creation "Stemena" as he added a cinder block for one hand, a toaster for another, and broken eggshells for feet (thus Stamena must always be in flight or crush its feet further). Adam drew Stamena in my sketchbook (figure 3, though I inked the boy being pelted by the toast), and then I began adding to her back story (figures 1 and 2). Wealthy socialite finally acquires the musch sought-after mystical "diamond rose" and is unwittingly transformed into the mighty Stamena. Figure 4 shows us despite the horrific curse that the rose brings upon her (at an unknown interval), she refuses to part with it. The bold woman in the foreground is, I believe, some sort of rival for the rose. Here she has a look on her face suggesting "not if I can help it."

Annotated living room

I am part of "A Drawing Collective" that exists on Facebook. The latest assignment is to draw a room in our home. Thought it would be fun to annotate my drawing here. (1) my apartment is in fact this orderly... or at least my living room is... the kitchen is a mess. From upper left: (2) vintage mid-50s black-ocean globe, (3) Chynna Clugston page from Scooter Girl, (4) Peanuts books, (5) Bose iPod dock, (6) lava lamp, (7) another Scooter Girl page, (8) little TV and DVD player, (9) Corto Maltese book atop the trunk I bought to go away to college, (10) Bryan Lee O'Malley Scott Pilgrim page, (11) housewarming plant that Andy gave me 18 months ago—a miracle as I usually kill them within 3 months, (12) antique library card catalog drawers holding DVDs that my great-aunt found in the dump, (13) '30s Morris chair from my parents house, (14) barometer and hygrometer—gift from Rich since I always want to guage humidity, (15) large mirror covering large holes in the wall, (16) key rack with almost no keys on it, (17) '30s book case I had as a boy, (18) disposable rug available every fall at the grocery store for students moving in, (19) Aggie.

Northstar vs. Sentinel

Once, I was asked by Marvel to do a Northstar story. These are some of the sketches practicing Northstar. I've not been asked to complete any story, especially not a vs. Sentinel story. I'm sorry, it's not much of a story... certainly not worth all the anticipation built by my lack of notes.

Burrito boy

I noticed a cute fellow waiting for the subway this morning, and he was eagerly eating a burrito. We ended up sitting across from one another, so I started to sketch first how he was holding the burrito, then the folds of cloth in his jacket and jeans. I was trying to note shadows, the shine of light on his shoes, and the salt stains on one of his pant legs. Then I very quickly drew his face as I neared my stop. He asked if he could see the sketch; I showed him and thanked him for being a willing subject. We'll leave it at that.