Monthly Archives: November 2016

The Sound of Printing part i

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Those are some big speakers. I guess print shops are noisy places. You need big speakers.

Here’s something new: working for money. The printer who made my Bonnie Jo Campbell comics, Craig Vestal of Portage Printing, hired me to draw a promotional comic for his shop. He wrote the script and drew the thumbnails. This is the first page I’ve created from his notes.

I had just read a Smithsonian article about Wes Wilson, the designer who created the psychedelic-style concert posters in the 60s, and decided to draw the title in the same style as the original Sound of Music movie promotions, which has that groovy ’60s feel even though the movie is set during WWII. Craig sent me photos of all his classic stereo equipment and of the Brown Brothers.

This is page 1 of 3. I don’t know what number comic this is, but apparently Craig has hired a number of artists to create a quantity of comics detailing the history of his shop. Clever. Comics are the best.

I can’t believe it’s an insomnia comic

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No, seriously, though, I can’t believe it. Did I write this? I don’t remember writing this.

No sleep 2 nights in a row? You know what that means. Insomnia comics! Somehow, in the fog of sleeplessness, the confusion of juggling 3 projects, and the haze of constant low grade worry surrounding a delightful variety of life issues and unfinished business, this comic spewed forth from my brain. I was literally writing something else, an article that was supposed to get filed last Wednesday, and then somehow I started making this comic. My mind and fingers started making this comic without me.

Best guess, it only took about 45 minutes start to finish. I really don’t remember, but the clock seems to line up that way. In this state, it probably would have been 4 hours had I decided to hand letter it.

 

Shamrock Window Mandala

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It’s good luck. I swear!

I studied French for about 8 years total in middle school, high school, and college. I don’t speak French, or understand French when other people speak it, but I used to be able to read and write and French, and I did make a pretty decent effort to learn it for eight years. Pretty early on in my studies, I was taught the word rosace, which translates to “rose window.” As a child, I found it perplexing that I was being taught to say in French a word that I didn’t know in English.

Now I know what a rose window is, although, with the exception of possibly one or two cathedral tours in Europe, I’ve never had the opportunity to use it. A rose window is a type of mandala, of course, a large, expensive, and easily breakable mandala. But this isn’t a rose window. It’s a shamrock window. Less costly, more durable.

Today I sent out the comics books for which people have paid, so if you bought a comic from me, you should expect it Thursday. Then the Fox took me out for sushi and to the see the National Live Theater Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch, which is a really smashing bit of acting and highly recommended if you have the chance.