it's been quite awhile since my last post.
my life, as of now, could be compared to a lillypad whose only purpose in this world is to preserve the dryness of the turd that has been placed upon it. i guess that's a little confusing. basically, i'm a changed man. i live with my dad, i have no job, the van rarely starts (and runs like shit when it does), and i'm still not enrolled in school. however, i've managed to play through Gears of War for the xbox360 and i'm still working on oblivion (level 26 nord). i'm fighting my way through a novel that i do not enjoy. i haven't even pretended to write down my ideas for the comic that matt, josh, and i are supposed to create.
beard: gone
i guess i could spend some time talking about the job situation (or lack thereof). tsd is out of business. jan. 12 of 2007 was my last day. corporate just swept down from mt. olympus and closed the damned doors with no warning of any kind. oh well. i was looking for a way out anyway.
i've been working out again. it feels pretty damn good. it's kind of weird. josh ray and my dad are both in better shape than me. i've been skating by the last few years on the idea that i have high metabolism, but it seems my well has run damn-near dry. i'm going to have to actually work to stay fit. i tried my hand last night on josh's weight routine and nearly hurt myself. i couldn't sleep because my arms hurt so damned bad. i was an idiot to think that i could go from not lifting at all to a rigorous 2-hr. intensive weight-training regiment. at least i am now able to type.
i want to take a creative-writing class.
candace's birthday is in a week. her brother is flying in on that day as well. he's a pretty sweet dude. i think that we'll get along smashingly. i got her the dvd and children's book of m. night shyamalan's Lady in the Water. I also got her the rest of the Shyamalan movies on dvd that she didn't already have.
we saw Smokin' Aces tonight. i though that it was phenomenal. she was un-impressed. i will DEFINITELY be purchasing Children of Men on dvd.
gotta go. she's having a hard time sleeping and she has to get up early tomorrow. good night.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
weather report
i just looked out the window and saw three inches of snow on the ground and a cardinal flew by. weird.
Monday, January 08, 2007
practice.
the band practiced yesterday and our new shit is going to blow some minds. dave is a certified badass. i can't wait to put this shit on tape.
Friday, January 05, 2007
christmas
christmas was awesome this year. i truthfully cannot fathom how much the people in my life love me (you guessed it, my way of saying that i'm a spoiled rotten little brat). i got more shit than i can shake a stick at. i still feel like total ass that i couldn't do more for the people in my life, but i did a little for almost everyone. i pretty much have no choice but to be candace's little bitch for the rest of my life, though. this i know for sure.
here we go... drumroll please... wait for it... wait for it... waaaaiiiiittttt foooorrrrr iiiitttttt... candace bought me a new xbox360. there. i said it. she got me some fly-ass new kicks. i got a clock-radio with an onboard ipod dock. she pretty much spoiled me completely. dad came through with a check to get my van fixed. for this, i couldn't thank him enough. then, an itunes gift card, custom-crafted marshmallow gun, undies (of course), gears of war (badass in every way) the nacho libre dvd (with authentic nacho libre luchador mask!), a light-up scorlling marquee belt-buckle, and some other shit that i know i'm forgetting. mom got me a jacket (that i actually like). that was pretty sweet. i know she's having a hard time.
it really, really, really sucks that candace was in slovakia for christmas, but i know that she had an awesome time there. she got to see her family and live like a snow-princess the whole time, so that's cool. i managed some serious quality matt-and-ryan time while she was gone. honestly, that eased the pain quite a bit. then, abby got here a few days before candace came home and the four of us had a blast. plus, I GOT TO SEE PAPPY ON CHRISTMAS! i haven't had the priveledge of hanging out with pappy on christmas in years.
yeah, christmas this year was one for the books. possibly, the best ever.
someone threatened to kill me
wow. where to begin? i guess i'll start off by explaining the title of this blog. i believe i've blogged many times in the past on the topic of how bad my roomates suck. all of their suckiness has cultivated and i moved out on their asses. i essentially grew tired of paying 1/3 of everything (including cable and internet) and having one room to use. there were two bathrooms, yet they insisted on using the one i use to wash their dogs. they slept in the living room after being asked numerous times not to. they would sleep until 2:00 in the afternoon, so i'd have to sneak around all day to avoid waking them up. i couldn't have people over because of their sleep. basically, they got two bathrooms and i had none. they had two bedrooms and i had no living room. they had a kitchen that i couldn't use because they would be disturbed.
let us not forget about the dog situation. there was barely enough room for the two dogs that lived there and they decide that it would be a wise decision to bring home another one. ultimately, my dog went insane from being locked in my room all day by them while i was at work, so i let my dad take care of her. dog lovers... riiiiight.
they were also made aware that if the problem were with sharing their things, (couch, tv, computer, etc.) i would gladly move my things in and let them put their shit in their bedroom. it was bigger anyway. i'd share my things and not complain about it. but.... low and behold, that wasn't it.
when i finally became fed up with the situation and decided to move my shit out, all of the bullshit came out in the wash. according to them, i had been charged 1/3 of the price of everything to rent out one room. the living room was never mine anyway and neither was the kitchen, bathroom, or anything else. wow. why would anyone knowingly pay a price equal to everyone else's to have just one room. why would i pay for internet and cable when i had neither services connected in the one room i was paying for?
i guess i became a little side-tracked, didn't i? let's get back to the explaination of the title of this entry. i decided that it would be a wise decision to move my shit out before telling them about it, just to protect my things. if they knew that i were planning on moving, they could have done anything (destroyed my shit, thrown it away, pissed on my couch, let their dogs shit on my tv, had sex on my sheets, whatever). soooo, candace and i came home one morning and there were some people whom i didn't know sleeping in the living room that i had thought that i was paying for. that was the last straw. candace and i moved every item of mine in that entire apartment in about 45 minutes without waking anyone up (quite the feat, if you ask me). basically, i recieved a phone call about two days later explaining that if i didn't pay rent on the first, his family would come here and kill me.
fast forward about a week. i'm not dead (i paid him the money like a punk-ass pussy bitch), i live with my dad, my life still kicks ass, the band started back up with practice, i've been reading, candace feels beautiful again, my new roomates are awesome (dad, squeel, peanut butter, putters), matt is still here and we're hanging out lots, and my lungs are filled with clean smoke-free air. ain't life grand?
let us not forget about the dog situation. there was barely enough room for the two dogs that lived there and they decide that it would be a wise decision to bring home another one. ultimately, my dog went insane from being locked in my room all day by them while i was at work, so i let my dad take care of her. dog lovers... riiiiight.
they were also made aware that if the problem were with sharing their things, (couch, tv, computer, etc.) i would gladly move my things in and let them put their shit in their bedroom. it was bigger anyway. i'd share my things and not complain about it. but.... low and behold, that wasn't it.
when i finally became fed up with the situation and decided to move my shit out, all of the bullshit came out in the wash. according to them, i had been charged 1/3 of the price of everything to rent out one room. the living room was never mine anyway and neither was the kitchen, bathroom, or anything else. wow. why would anyone knowingly pay a price equal to everyone else's to have just one room. why would i pay for internet and cable when i had neither services connected in the one room i was paying for?
i guess i became a little side-tracked, didn't i? let's get back to the explaination of the title of this entry. i decided that it would be a wise decision to move my shit out before telling them about it, just to protect my things. if they knew that i were planning on moving, they could have done anything (destroyed my shit, thrown it away, pissed on my couch, let their dogs shit on my tv, had sex on my sheets, whatever). soooo, candace and i came home one morning and there were some people whom i didn't know sleeping in the living room that i had thought that i was paying for. that was the last straw. candace and i moved every item of mine in that entire apartment in about 45 minutes without waking anyone up (quite the feat, if you ask me). basically, i recieved a phone call about two days later explaining that if i didn't pay rent on the first, his family would come here and kill me.
fast forward about a week. i'm not dead (i paid him the money like a punk-ass pussy bitch), i live with my dad, my life still kicks ass, the band started back up with practice, i've been reading, candace feels beautiful again, my new roomates are awesome (dad, squeel, peanut butter, putters), matt is still here and we're hanging out lots, and my lungs are filled with clean smoke-free air. ain't life grand?
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
josh howard's "step-by-step comic writing...
By Josh Howard
Posted October 19, 2006 2:40 PM I get a lot of email from people asking me how exactly I go about putting together a typical comic. So, I figured this month I would give a basic step-by-step description of my creative process.1. The first step is, of course, generating ideas. The brainstorming process is one of my favorite parts, but it can also be the most frustrating. You can't force inspiration. But once the ideas start to come, I usually start making simple notes just so I don't forget anything.
The amount of time I spend brainstorming varies from book to book. In the case of Black Harvest, the idea came to me out of nowhere, and within just a couple of months I had the whole concept down and the book picked up by Devil's Due. That's probably the quickest an idea has ever come together. In other cases, like the new Dead @ 17 ongoing series, I spent over a year developing it before I felt it was ready. In that case, I took extra care in creating the characters and concepts because I didn't want to repeat myself. I didn't feel it was worth doing if it was just going to be "school girl with ax fighting zombies, version 2.0."Part of this process is also doing very rough character designs. I usually don't fully design the character until after I have the script written. I will just do rough head shots in the margins, just enough to capture the look of the character so it's easier to write. 2. The next step is writing the first draft of the script. I have never written a full script by hand. I will sometimes start it, but the problem I always face is that my mind thinks faster than I can write. So most of my actual writing is done by word processor. Since I'm writing for myself, my descriptions are very brief, if there are any at all. I write primarily to get the basic dialogue and scenes down. I don't usually frame shots or define angles, or lay out action scenes - those happen next. 3. After finishing the first draft, I take it and begin doing quick thumbnail layouts of the pages. These are extremely rough - probably completely indiscernible to anyone but myself.
4. Now I'm moving full-steam ahead. I begin penciling and inking the actual pages, completely throwing out the script and thumbnails I just spent hours creating... Only kidding. But it's during this process that I can fully begin to see the story form, and 90% of the time I will drastically alter something I've already laid out, or I will write a completely new scene. This is when the book really comes together and how it really benefits from having me both as the artist and the writer. Looking at the story visually, I can see and do things that I never would have thought of if I was just staring at a blank computer screen.
5. Almost there! I scan the pages and begin coloring in Photoshop. But coloring is only half of it. I will also re-frame panels, re-size figures if the proportions are off, and sometime redraw an entire background. I tend to work in Photoshop rather unconventionally, so I'm definitely not someone to take tips from. When working on actual comic pages, I rarely use layers, unless I'm swapping things around. I tend to get the colors and look I want on the first pass, so I seldom have to worry about changing my mind or continually trying something different. When it comes to me doing regular art pieces, I will usually experiment a bit more, but for comics I try to keep it pretty simple. I have to work at a really quick rate of speed, so I feel it's best to streamline the process where I can.
6. The final step. After getting all the pages colored, I will then go through page-by-page and write the final script. Most of what I'm doing here is fine-tuning dialogue and making sure everything flows right. This can sometimes be the most frustrating part of the process, because if I find a scene isn't exactly working like I envisioned, it's not so easy to go back and change things. However, there's nothing quite like putting on the finishing touches and seeing my ideas become fully formed. And there you have it! All that's left is to print the sucker up and wait for the critics to tell you everything you did wrong!
Posted October 19, 2006 2:40 PM I get a lot of email from people asking me how exactly I go about putting together a typical comic. So, I figured this month I would give a basic step-by-step description of my creative process.1. The first step is, of course, generating ideas. The brainstorming process is one of my favorite parts, but it can also be the most frustrating. You can't force inspiration. But once the ideas start to come, I usually start making simple notes just so I don't forget anything.
The amount of time I spend brainstorming varies from book to book. In the case of Black Harvest, the idea came to me out of nowhere, and within just a couple of months I had the whole concept down and the book picked up by Devil's Due. That's probably the quickest an idea has ever come together. In other cases, like the new Dead @ 17 ongoing series, I spent over a year developing it before I felt it was ready. In that case, I took extra care in creating the characters and concepts because I didn't want to repeat myself. I didn't feel it was worth doing if it was just going to be "school girl with ax fighting zombies, version 2.0."Part of this process is also doing very rough character designs. I usually don't fully design the character until after I have the script written. I will just do rough head shots in the margins, just enough to capture the look of the character so it's easier to write. 2. The next step is writing the first draft of the script. I have never written a full script by hand. I will sometimes start it, but the problem I always face is that my mind thinks faster than I can write. So most of my actual writing is done by word processor. Since I'm writing for myself, my descriptions are very brief, if there are any at all. I write primarily to get the basic dialogue and scenes down. I don't usually frame shots or define angles, or lay out action scenes - those happen next. 3. After finishing the first draft, I take it and begin doing quick thumbnail layouts of the pages. These are extremely rough - probably completely indiscernible to anyone but myself.
4. Now I'm moving full-steam ahead. I begin penciling and inking the actual pages, completely throwing out the script and thumbnails I just spent hours creating... Only kidding. But it's during this process that I can fully begin to see the story form, and 90% of the time I will drastically alter something I've already laid out, or I will write a completely new scene. This is when the book really comes together and how it really benefits from having me both as the artist and the writer. Looking at the story visually, I can see and do things that I never would have thought of if I was just staring at a blank computer screen.
5. Almost there! I scan the pages and begin coloring in Photoshop. But coloring is only half of it. I will also re-frame panels, re-size figures if the proportions are off, and sometime redraw an entire background. I tend to work in Photoshop rather unconventionally, so I'm definitely not someone to take tips from. When working on actual comic pages, I rarely use layers, unless I'm swapping things around. I tend to get the colors and look I want on the first pass, so I seldom have to worry about changing my mind or continually trying something different. When it comes to me doing regular art pieces, I will usually experiment a bit more, but for comics I try to keep it pretty simple. I have to work at a really quick rate of speed, so I feel it's best to streamline the process where I can.
6. The final step. After getting all the pages colored, I will then go through page-by-page and write the final script. Most of what I'm doing here is fine-tuning dialogue and making sure everything flows right. This can sometimes be the most frustrating part of the process, because if I find a scene isn't exactly working like I envisioned, it's not so easy to go back and change things. However, there's nothing quite like putting on the finishing touches and seeing my ideas become fully formed. And there you have it! All that's left is to print the sucker up and wait for the critics to tell you everything you did wrong!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)