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Here's a running tally of everything I want to get done today, in no particular order.
And we're off to the races.
]]>Don't forget that the Print sale goes until January 7th. Just use the coupon code jonesholidays09 over at inPRNT.
See you in 2010. The future!
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I've cut prices on all of my remaining Koi Paintings. They range from 90 dollars to 300 dollars now (not counting shipping and handling). And that's 300 dollars for a painting four feet long.
The prices for the paintings are on their individual pages.
Visit the Paintings area of my Web site.
Over at The Whole World Jones Loves Mal Jones Prints, inPRNT and I have set up a holiday coupon! Get 25% off your order by using the following order code:
There's no order limit, but the coupon code expires January 7th.
Visit The Whole World Loves Mal Jones Prints.
Buy art. It's good for what ails you.
]]>Kermit as a hippy guru? Awesome. It's like he had his mind blown SO MUCH in the first video that he spent the next, I don't know, 15 years becoming a Zen Master.
Yesterday at work, a few of us were talking about shows were better when they had something to say. Ok, we were talking about The Simpsons, but look past that for a second.
What did the writers have to say here? Imagination kicks ass. That's all these videos come down to. Imagination can open your mind to new ways of thinking and expose you to entirely new experiences. It's something so important they decided to teach the same thing over, and over, and over again through the decades.
That puts imaginative thinking up there with the ABCs and 123s according to Sesame Street. And that's something to say.
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Fray issue 3 (Sex & Death) is available for order now. This time around I did an illustration for Diary of the Dead by Carolyn Sortor.
I'm always proud to be a contributor to Fray, but this issue is something special. All the stories just seem... more honest? Cut a little closer? Sex and Death are two subjects that tend to be more taboo then most and I even have various thoughts and issues with both (Who doesn't, really...). It's great to see the subjects tackled by phenomenal artists and writers and printed in a lovely LOVELY magazine.
Pick up an issue and, even better, subscribe to Fray. What Derek has put together is something unique and outstanding. The fact that it's in print is just icing on the cake.
Why would you want to read about Sex and Death without actually feeling it in your hands?
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We're launching some very cool stuff at work very soon, but it's meant late nights and lots of brain power. Therefore, it's been pretty silent around here. I could talk about slicing and dicing graphics, but what's the fun in that?
Instead, here are some vegetables:
]]>Would you be willing to share with me your process? From initial sketch/idea to sending it to the printer.
And I said:
Sure man, I'll do a blog post about the whole kit and caboodle.
Three weeks later, here we go.
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Even before working with inPRNT on the Balloon Boy print, I realized we could be timely with the Print a Week project.
I decided to do a Halloween print and was originally focusing on horror movies in a similar way I focused on Sci Fi movies for I Love Sci Fi (I enjoy creating sets of illustrations and prints). From Horror Movies, I started to gravitate towards Nosferatu but I couldn't get a kick ass drawing Becky Cloonan (which I can't find online currently... trust me it's awesome.) did out of my head. After letting it sit in my head for a day or two, I ended up thinking about how much Thriller scared me when I was a kid. Then I thought about some dinner. And then the idea for the print popped in my head.
Some where in that paragraph is the answer to "Where do you get your ideas?" My co-workers say I'm "Staring at the Stage" at this point. I just take in ideas, stare a bit, and then get to work.
So: Subject decided! Time to start drawing! I'm a big fan of dyptich style setups, which I knew figured worked well with Thriller anyway. Thriller has it's John Landis Werewolf/Zombie Horror moments, combined with the sheer ridiculousness of dancing zombies and that neon red jacket.
I've just cleaned my entire apartment, which means my concept sketches are gone. I tend to sketch on anything I have at hand. I do have a sketchbook, but this time I think the sketch was on the back of an old meeting agenda.
I pencilled the piece on two pieces of Strathmore Vellum 300 series 100lb bristol board. Jackson and the zombies were on one 14 x 17 piece, and the dancers on a scrap I had laying around.
I knew I wanted to do the dancers, but I didn't quite know how I wanted to repeat them, so I drew just the male and female zombie.
After I wait a day (I always do this. And by always I mean, if I have time. It's a huge part of my process.) I ink the two pieces with my Pentel Pocket Brush Pens, Sharpies, a Micron 0.5mm, and Pilot Razor Point marker pens. After that, I fire up the trusty Mustek, and scan them in at 600 dpi:
I convert the raw inks in to line art using a few Photoshop actions I've picked up around the Web and the book DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics
Looking at Thriller shots online, I notice the choices Landis made in makeup and set colors. Everything but Jackson is set in blues, browns, greys, and blacks. Only Jackson is a dominant color with that crazy red get-up.
All coloring done in Photoshop:
Something was missing though, and that thing was the Vincent Price Rap. A quick Google search for lyrics and a few bits of pixel pushing (literally... I probably spent a half an hour moving this text five pixels in one direction, and then five pixels in the other direction) later, it was all wrapped up. You can see how I continued to play with the dancers all the way till the end:
I uploaded it to inPRNT's FTP site, Josh did a test print and now you can go buy the print.
Why is this such a long post? I think because it show that a process is just that: A Process. It takes time (the entire print from concept to completion took about a week), it's work, it's boring, it's spontaneous, it's ridiculous. The process works for me, it probably won't work for you, but there it is all laid out.
Hope you dig the answer Brian.
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My brother Billy brought Thriller over to the house one fall day and decided to show it to my sister and I. "It's funny" he says. "It has dancing monsters!" "Hooray!" says Five year old Mal.
In goes the VHS and aw look at that, Michael is on a date and... OH MY GOD WEREWOLVES! WHY IS MICHAEL SO SCARY? ZOMBIES ARE GOING TO EAT ME! MY BROTHER IS LIAR THIS ISN'T FUNNY AT ALL!
I think I was scared of Werewolves for 15 years after that.
Anyway, it's Halloween this weeked so a Thriller Print of the Week seemed appropriate.
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During the most amazing news report of last week, Bishop tweeted "I Still Believe in Balloon Boy."
The following is record of what followed:
Yhe internet is a magical place that more creatives need to take serious advantage of. That sounds like a stupid thing to say, but services like inPRNT, MagCloud, and others let you go from idea to product in record time with no sacrifices for quality. If anything, these services ensure that your product will be the best that it can be.
You just need to run it past a few eyeballs for quality control and you can have an object worth something available to everyone almost instantly.
It takes 'hot off the presses' to a whole new level.
PS: Man do I hate the word tweeted. Should I just say "posted"?
]]>I've taken a few days off from posting to regroup and think about my work in the upcoming year. The only definite right now is that there's going to be more Potboiler.
Issue One was a trial case. I needed something for SPX after other projects fell through, so I made it quick and dirty in about six weeks.
The thing is I'm really happy with it and now I'm hooked on the concept of doing a POD anthology every six months or so. I can see how the series will really take shape and how I'm going to use it. I've already got two stories waiting in the wings for Issue Two (one with Marc, who is also serving as de-facto editor for me, and another found piece of poetry).
MagCloud is so damn easy to use and creates such a nice object, that it's just made for POD comics. People complain about the price point of MagCloud, and then they complain that it only does 8 1/2 x 11, but no one has complained at all once they see the final product. It's made for making magazines in full color. I mean, not everything POD has to be done on crap paper in black and white for a dollar, you know? There are plenty of other services that you can find to meet your exact needs, and MagCloud definitely does it for Potboiler (and apparently the Atlantic).
This is a little thinking-out-loud and rambly, but I have cold so I'm allowed.
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First and foremost, thanks to everyone who came by DC Conspiracy row and checked out our comics, origami, prints, and whatever else we had on sale.
Obviously I picked up quite a few things at the show this year (just like I do every year). The quality of people's work this year was really amazing, and writing about every single thing is impossible. But here's the list so be sure to check them all out:
Wow that's some list....
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The show was great with good crowds both days. The first day it was so crowded people were complaining a bit and I think it showed in my sales. A lot fewer folks stopped and actually checked out my stuff, mostly because they were being forced to move along by the sea of people.
No biggie though. Those that did almost always picked up something, which is a big win.
Thanks to Rhiannon, I managed to escape from behind my table and dash around saying hi to everyone. It was especially good to see ComiXPress have a presence there. I feel that get crapped on a lot, but they have great print on demand quality and fantastic customer service. Just don't order your book 2 weeks before San Diego Comic Con and expect to have it in time.
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My homemade display rack for prints fell on someone's head. It's not a con unless someone gets a concussion right? After that mortifying experience, which was handled amazingly by the injured party, I dismantled the rack and just stuck my prints to the front of the table. Which actually worked better then a display rack.
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In line for some dessert after the Ignatz awards, I overheard people complaining about the winners. It just goes to show that no matter where you are, no matter what is going on, people will never be happy.
Just because a mini comic didn't beat out Chris Ware's Acme Novelty Library does not mean that the mini comic did not have worth or that the Ignatzs are a joke. It could mean raise your game a bit. Or it could mean that you need to be sure you submit your book to the ceremony in time. Or it could mean that you just didn't win this year. Bring your A-game to SPX and that's all that really matters.
Look at all the women creating comics at SPX, look at all the kids wondering around... celebrate it. Don't be spiteful that a 30 minute ceremony didn't go how you thought it should.
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Anyway, it's time to start planning for next year. I've got big plans! I'll see everyone there. If you want to know more about any of the books I picked up, ask away.
]]>I'll try to get my SPX write up finished tonight.
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September 26th and 27th is the Small Press Expo, a fantastic comic book show in Bethesda, MD.
I'll have:
You can find me at table F-5, part of DC Conspiracy row. It's near the front of hall, right by the entrance. Pretty prime seating:
Where: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
When: Sat, Sept 26th from 11 - 7 and Sun, Sept 27th from 12 - 6
Cost: $10 a day or $15 for the whole weekend
It's going to be a great show and I hope to you see you there. You can get more information at spxpo.com.
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