Yesterday, Benita and I went to Columbus, Ohio for the Mid-Ohio Convention; this is about a three-and-a-half hour drive each way, but the trek was worth it many times over. We got to catch up with many old friends, and meet lots of new friends. (I know that sounds really clichéd, but the truth of the matter is that many of these people have become full-fledged friends, and others are well on their way to becoming fast friends. The comic community is small and pretty tight, and we spend a lot of time together in person and on-line.)

Benita and I appeared at the Comic Related booth from noon till just after 3:00 PM. Chuck Moore, owner of Comic Related and pod caster extraordinaire, invited us to use half the table he had there. Chuck is about the nicest guy you could imagine, and he’s a real brother-in-arms in the war to bring indie comics, and comics in general, to the forefront. I strongly suggest you visit his site, Comic Related. Benita and I also had the opportunity to appear again on his pod cast, which has not been posted yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as it is.

Benita and I also had the opportunity to catch up with Bob Hickey. You’ve probably heard me speak about Bob in my blog many times; as well as being our friend, he is a creative overachiever and the person behind Blueline Pro, Sketch Magazine, Art Unleashed, and many other ventures. He’s also a comic creator and publisher himself, and the force behind next year’s Pop Culture Con, a new convention that I’ll write more about as the situation develops. Bob and I were able to talk a little business, and I think it’s safe to say that we’ve got some excellent plans in the works. I’ll talk about those more as things develop. At very least, expect to see a lot more of my words coming up in Sketch Magazine.

I also had the pleasure of catching up with writer Steve Horton. Steve is an impressive guy, because he has a way of making things happen. He is widely published in the magazine, comic, and mainstream art book world. I picked up his new book, Webcomics 2.0, and I’m really looking forward to reading it; I thumbed through it last night, and it looks packed with webcomicky goodness. I met Steve when we were both on Graphic Smash; Later, he became the editor of Komikwerks, and he lured us over there. Then, eventually, we both ended up back at Graphic Smash.

There were other people of note that I got to meet or catch up: Brant Fowler of Wannabez, and a former editor of mind at Rogue Wolf Comics; Dara Naraghi, webcartoonist and writer at IDW, also a fellow Komikwerks cartoonist; Paul Storrie, a widely published writer with a great last name; Mike Indovina, convention regular and cartoonist on Satyr; John Wilson, writer at Comic Related and colorist-in-training; and Kenn Minter, webcartoonist on “I’m Not From Here”; and Mike Easton, who contributed a pinup to the Johnny Saturn Pinup Gallery.

I know there are names I’ve probably forgotten to mention, but the whole day has become a blur to me!  Sorry!

On an un-related note, here is a caraciture of me done by good friend and fellow, Indiana-based artist Paul McCall–I absolutely love this!  It all relates back to an earlier blog posting of mine where I jokingly referred to myself as looking like “Captain America with a pencil.” 

Item: On the left sidebar, please note that there is now a Comic Archive list of links. Each link will take you to the beginning of one of the eight books/chapters in Johnny Saturn. Phil Hofer of Frumph dot net suggested this.

Item: I’m almost caught back up to the point the site was at before the server move. All MP3’s now have onboard players, all broken links and pictures are repaired (I think—crosses fingers), and the store is up and functional.

Item: I had a phone conversation with Bob Hickey of Blueline Pro today, and I’m pretty sure that Benita and I will be appearing at his store Comics2Games in Kentucky for Free Comic Book Day. In related news, I just sent off my fourth article to Blueline Pro’s Sketch Magazine, so I’m well on my way to becoming a regular contributor. I’ll be honest, I’m really proud to be associated with this fine publication, because it fills a valuable niche in guiding apprentice and journeyman cartoonists in developing their skills. In other words, Sketch Magazine is an excellent teaching tool. (I really am a fan–I have a complete run of this magazine, from issue 1 forward.)

Item: Today, I was distracted by outside issues, and I didn’t feel quite like myself. The result is that I had a false start on the next page. This rarely happens to me, but it did today. I couldn’t wrap my head around an effective storytelling approach, and the page suffered for it. I don’t do half measures, so I’ll begin the page again tomorrow. The reason I mention this is because off days aren’t just limited to beginners. I’m a journeyman, and I have off days. Even cartooning masters can suffer from this, so don’t put yourself down or give up if you have a tough day!

Item: As far as podcasts go, I interacted on TGT last Sunday by way of their chat room, and on Art & Story Live on Monday by Skype. In the latter case, I wasn’t on the whole show because my connection wasn’t that great.

1) I’ve got a new article in this month’s Sketch Magazine, and this time it’s in full color! It’s a revisit to one of my favorite Photoshop topics, building your personal color palettes.

In a way, I’m always amused that so many of my tutorials center around Photoshop, because I came to digital art and coloring late in the game.  Once I dug in, though, it became a passion, and I’ve walked almost every odd corner, nook, and byway in Photoshop at this point.

2) One of the ideas floating around the webcomic world lately is that of premium content, or extra stuff for the fans who pay for it. I don’t like this idea. To me, it’s a backdoor return to the old webcomic subscription model, which pretty much died away. I believe in the open source model, so any premium content I devise, such as “Inside the Book,” is free and available to everyone.

3) That having been said, we have a new features here on Johnny Saturn that we will be beginning quite soon, as soon as we figure out all the details and do all the scanning. It’s pretty cool, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.

4) My old illustration website at www.scottstoryillustrator.com has been underperforming in the new “soft” economy, so I’ll soon be replacing it with something new, more innovative, and a little more cutting edge. Beware the coming of the Graphimancer!

5) Thanks to all the fans who took my new promo graphics and spread them around the web!  Do remember to link them to http://johnnysaturn.com.  Thanks so much!

Have a great weekend!

Scott

Comics 2 Games – Free Comic Book Day 2009 Commercial from Chas! Pangburn on Vimeo.
Hi, Folks!

Saturday, on Free Comic Book Day, Benita and I made an appearance at Comics 2 Games in Florence, Kentucky.  We had an outstanding time!  We got to catch up with old friends Bob Hickey (Comics 2 Games, Blueline Pro, Sketch Magazine, etc.), Chuck Moore (Comic Related), Bill Nichols (Sketch Magazine), and John Wilson (Comic Related, Sketch Magazine).  These fine folk share a boundless enthusiasm for comics, and I’ve come to think of them as true friends.

In terms of fellow creators, we got to meet Lora Innes (the Dreamer), Eric Adams (Lackluster World), and we got to catch up with old friends Brant Fowler and Scott Simmons of Wannabez.

The turnout was outstanding, and we had a steady influx of comic enthusiasts of all ages throughout the day.  Sometimes, the excited chatter got loud enough that I had to raise my voice just to be heard above the din!  This is just my first visit to the area, but if this is any indication then Florence must have an amazing comic community!

The store itself, Comics 2 Games, just recently opened, and it is the coolest comic store I’ve ever seen.  Airy and bright, this was the antithesis of the grungy hole in the wall comic shops that are so common.  There are dedicated sections of the store for statues, art supplies, video games, art books, and a large “gallery” where we were set up among the other comic creators.  This did not feel like a Free Comic Book Day so much as a day at a comic convention!

Thanks, Bob Hickey, for inviting us!

Scott

When my visualization abilities are at full charge, I tend to go right to the art board and draw the pictures there directly, skipping thumbnails altogether.  At all other times, I draw the picture on a separate piece of paper, make changes in the computer, and trace it onto the art board.  I wish my visualization abilities were always at full charge, but stress or illness or fatigue can sideline them.

When I mention life drawing from reference pictures in my mind’s eye, I mean that I am using the same skills that I would use to draw a live models, props, or settings. Visualization and concentration are among the artist’s most powerful tools.

I have changed paper, inking supplies, pencils, and other tools often over the years.  Sometimes I’ll hand draw backgrounds, sometimes I’ll use Sketchup to build the background.  At one point, I cut and formatted all my own art boards, but now I use Blueline Pro paper exclusively.  When it comes to inking, the mix of brush, crow quill, fountain pen, and technical markers in my art has changed regularly.  These changes are based on my mood, but no one has ever noticed or pointed out the change, because my art looks like my art no matter how I did it.  (It’s the artist, not the tools!) For years I drew with 4H pencils in lead holders, and now I’m partial to 3B in lead holders and draftsman’s mechanical pencils.  I should be more consistent, but it’s the mood I’m in, and the availability of tools, and the tooth of the paper that makes up my mind more often than not.

I used to collect toys for reference.  I have a drawer full of realistic looking squirt guns, for example, that have shown up as real guns in the comic again and again.  If I am having trouble drawing a character from a sharp angle, I will often use my Art S. Buck plastic models posed correctly, or perhaps my old GI Joes.  The older, large GI Joes are fantastic models, because they are well jointed and capable of almost any pose.  I also have tons of vinyl animals, and lots of vinyl dinosaurs, but the latter rarely get used as art models, primarily because no dinosaurs have shown up in the comic.  I love drawing and painting dinosaurs, so maybe it’s time for a Jurassic invasion of Spire City.

When drawing or inking, I am often in “the Zone” for hours on end, a higher state of consciousness when the pencil seems to guide itself, everything I do is gold, and I feel and overwhelming sense of joy.  This is really a wonderful state, and the brain releases endorphins like crazy when I’m there.  Like my visualization abilities, illness, emotional turmoil, and fatigue all have the ability to keep me out of the zone.  I wish I could bottle this state, and take a swig whenever I needed it, but I cannot.

Despite have drawn tons of stuff over the last fifteen years, I feel confident in stating that life drawing at the Indianapolis Art Center’s open studios has increased my ability, and my visualization powers, by ten-fold.

When I revisit this subject, I will go into some detail on how to develop and make use of visualization in art.

Scott.