After all these years, I wonder why Max Cannon started adding graytones to his comic strip Red Meat. I can't say it necessarily looks bad, but the stark black-or-white-only scheme seems a better match for the abrasive content of the strip. So why change now? Does it really add anything? I know it's a ridiculous thing to nitpick, but as a comic artist who obsesses over the dumbest of details, I couldn't help it.

Tags: comics, red meat

Today's phrase at amusing.org is mine.  I don't think it's one of my better ones. I submitted that way back in 10/23/06. That's a scary backlog.  They better use the one I submitted next.  It's gold, I tell you.

I got my first payment for an illustration job, which is kind of a big deal for me because it wasn't part of my day job.  (I'm a software engineer, remember?)  Luckily there's a good chance more work will be thrown my way from the same contact.  I'll show off the illustration when things are finalized with the client.  By the way, absolutely anyone can ask me for an illustration.  The worst I can say is no.  And I'll do some jobs for pretty cheap.

So, the illustration job was an interesting experience.  I wanted to get it right, so I had it reviewed by others before submitting it. The process made me realize how easy it is to make glaring errors when you look at something too long. When I do any illustration or comic from now on, I'll be sure to put the first draft aside for awhile so I can look at it with a pair of fresh eyes later.  And I'll always have a third party review it to identify things that need improvement. I can easily find comics in my archives that could have benefitted from this process. Man, just look at the father in this strip. He's anatomically craptastic.

Oh yeah, comics. I should do those. Time constraints, my friends. Time constraints.

Tags: amusing, amusing.org, comics, illustration

When I read a comic strip with lazy art, or a strip that doesn't capitalize on the visual aspect of comics, I can't help thinking: Does this really need to be in comic form? Why didn't the creator just present the material as prose or put it in the form of a script? Doesn't the creator enjoy drawing?

This is more of an explanation for why I create the comics I do than it is a criticism of certain other comics. But it also means that I have a hard time finding comics to add to my favorites list.

Tags: comics
Current Mood: artistic