Dragon Comics 7

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Three cheers for insomnia! Weirding up my world since 1977. This is the comic that Dragon deserves, but not the one that Dragon needs. 

Is this a webcomic? Everything is confusing when your brain forgets to power down once in a while.

Is this a webcomic? Everything is confusing when your brain forgets to power down once in a while.

Truthfully, silencing my demons is a full time job. This comic is OK. The lettering is influenced by my lack of sleep. Sorry about that first word bubble. Too tired to see straight. If only someone would buy some T-shirts, I might have more time to write better comics. 

Painting with Thick Pixels

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Quite a few digital artists whose work I admire post drawings in this sort of hasty style, comprised of thick brushstrokes, almost a modern kind of impressionism. At the Grand Canyon, I couldn’t help but think it might be easier to render all those strata of rock using a technique like this, but even with all the shortcuts I took, the Grand Canyon is not an easy thing to capture. 

Sorry I couldn't do you justice, majestic view. You're kind of close to being something like what I meant to draw.

Sorry I couldn’t do you justice, majestic view. You’re kind of close to being something like what I meant to draw.

I worked on this one for about three hours or so, then realized it was after midnight and I needed to upload it regardless, then realized that at some point in the process, I had completely ruined the bottom part of the sky, which I had been pretty pleased with to start. So then I tried to draw over it and fix it. Needless to say, the results were not as good. Ah, well.

Overall, it’s not a bad drawing. The Grand Canyon just has so many colors. Not to mention all the layers. And rocks. And trees. Perhaps I will attempt this technique with a less complicated image. 

 

Dragon Comics 6

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And I am only escaped to bring thee this webcomic.

From now until eternity, everyone who enters that cave will enjoy the gift of glitter.

From now until eternity, everyone who enters that cave will enjoy the gift of glitter.

The persistence of glitter and dragon’s identity issues notwithstanding, how much more magical could it get? This comic seemed to take a very long time to draw. I don’t know if it’s because I tried a few new things, or because I drew  it while coming out of stomach bug and finished it after a night of insomnia. Per usual, I’m pretty satisfied, although I of course still see a bunch of things that could be improved. But I can get better with practice.

OK, I Lied

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I didn’t anticipate that my Dragon Comics would get so much positive feedback, so now it feels like I ought to keep drawing them, even if I can’t do dailies. Two a week should be possible, maybe on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule. There are already a half dozen ideas floating around my brain, so all I really need is the time each week to draw them. Anyway, I went to a party last night, and almost everyone there had read at least one, and they all seemed to love them, and my 9-year-old stepdaughter read them and said they were funny, and she doesn’t lie.

So, in the spirit of whatever it is that I do, I took one of the panels and turned it into a T-shirt (phone case, notecard, pillow, tote bag, etc.). If people are interested, I can do more. Obviously, I need to draw more Dragon Comics first. But here is a T-shirt featuring a hilarious panel that will really confuse people.

 

If this doesn't provide you with hipster cred, I don't know what will. You can proudly state that you liked Dragon before anyone else.

If this doesn’t provide you with hipster cred, I don’t know what will. You can proudly state that you liked Dragon before anyone else.

If you’re coming in late, we’ve got a dragon, roasting a chicken, by hand, while murdering a snake, with fire. “I can get better with practice,” the dragon says. The dragon is talking about killing snakes. It’s all very philosophical, I promise you. Anyway, go on and buy a T-shirt if the mood strikes you.

Here’s a better view of the image, which may very well turn you off to the whole thing, but that’s life. In the words of Gahan Wilson, “I paint what I see.”

As good as it gets, really.

As good as it gets, really.

We can all get better with practice, amirite?

What are you doing, Dragon? Part 5

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This is a webcomic.

This is a webcomic.

This concludes the 5-part story arc. I learned a lot this week, and the results are pretty heartening. One of the things I learned, though, is that I’m not quite ready to draw dailies, regardless of whether the world is ready to read them. Even in this very rough style, it still took me about 3 hours to do each of these pages. It’s just too much of a time commitment right now, although you haven’t seen the last of this Dragon. The next arc has already presented itself, and I may try some single-panel comics in the near future. However, I want to devote more energy to the graphic novel as well as to a couple new T-shirt designs. But, as silly as it sounds, what I’ve done here this week fulfills a dream I’ve had for a long time. I’ll come back to this. 

In case you’re missing mandalas, here is a special mandala for your Friday pleasure: 

And by special, I guess I mean that if this mandala was a kid, it would ride the short bus.

And by special, I guess I mean that if this mandala were a kid, it would ride the short bus.

What are you doing, Dragon? Part 4

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Not to brag, but when the Man read this comic, he laughed out loud, and he considers himself a real arbiter of comedy.

Don’t try this at home. Unless you are a fire-breathing dragon. And your home is asbestos.

There’s one more Dragon comic in the works for tomorrow; probably not quite ready to commit to daily webcomics, although I hope to do so someday. But this has been a very encouraging experiment, and Friday’s comic will not be the end of Dragon’s quest to draw.

What are you doing, Dragon? Part 3

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Just to set the record straight, nobody bullies me about art. I am a grownup with an MFA in creative writing. If someone steps to me, I eviscerate them with my razor sharp intellect and sesquipedalian vocabulary. Trolls don’t know what hit them. The snake represents my own crippling sense of self-doubt.

Set up, conflict, resolution. That's what it's all about, kids.

Set up, conflict, resolution, denouement. That’s what it’s all about, kids.

There’s at least 2 more of these, maybe more. But I’ll still post a mandala this week just in case anyone’s here for mandalas.

What are you doing, Dragon? Part 2

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OK, I lied yesterday. This is at least a 3-part comic. Maybe longer. Apparently I can get away with whatever it is I’m doing here, because yesterday was this blog’s best-ever day for page views.

Yeah, the snake's sort of a jerk.

Yeah, the snake’s sort of a jerk. We’ve all met the snake. 

So: conflict! Is Dragon just going to lie down and take this crap? Can she retaliate? Who let that snake in, anyway? Come back tomorrow for more answers. 

What are you doing, Dragon? Part 1

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So this is part one of a 2-part comic that I’ve been meaning to draw from QWERTYvsDvorak’s inception. Obviously, I can draw a little bit better than this, even on the tablet, but I wanted to tell the story with a minimum of fuss. There’s something fun about the awful quality of the artwork.

These characters aren’t exactly fictional. I’m pretty sure the people I’m referencing will recognize themselves and hopefully have a decent sense of humor about it. Come back to tomorrow for part 2 of “What are you doing, Dragon?” the question I ask myself. Every. Single. Day.

Can dragon successfully draw? Will these interruptions ever cease? Where's the conflict here? Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion of "What are you doing, Dragon?"

Can dragon successfully draw? Will these interruptions ever cease? Where’s the conflict here? Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion of “What are you doing, Dragon?”

 

Trifecta!

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It’s Friday. I have inadvertently snapped my cherished prescription sunglasses in two. There’s a large blister on my left ankle. The universe continues to aggressively overlook my sublime genius. My husband is blasting pop hits from the ’70s through his speakers. So it’s looking like a 3-mandala kind of day.

Sometimes, things get very crazy internally.

Sometimes, things get very crazy internally.

These are old mandalas, and I don’t remember drawing then, or what was going through my head when I did, but they’re all pretty exuberant and cheerful. Sort of expansive, as if they wanted to encompass all the generative power of the universe.

Sometimes a single piece of paper cannot contain the intricacies of the mind.

Sometimes a single piece of paper cannot contain the intricacies of the mind.

They’re also all very free and unrestrained, drawn without the squawking voice of the inner critic complaining about an inherent lack of perfection. If these mandalas were people, they’d be participating in the Body Love Conference.

This one is pretty pleasing and pleasant.

This one is pretty pleasing and pleasant.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling much more centered now.