More than likely, I'm not going to make it to 31 drawings by this Friday. That being said, I'm currently at 20 drawings of varying success and quality, and if I had to stop today (I don't plan to, but you never know what life will throw you), I'd call this Inktober a success! My art output has been very light as of late, so producing 20 drawings in 28 days is a win in my book, especially considering I am proud of (most of) them.

This October, I've also finished some concept work I can't show you, for a project I can't tell you about. I will say that I am extremely proud of what I accomplished, I felt like I really pushed myself, and if/when I can show it I will. I think there may be some more art in that universe done soon, but we'll see. Really wish I could share!

Ok, back to Inktober and over-analyzing. Here's what I learned from week 4.

What I've Learned So Far

• I like a clean-ish line (a la Inktober 15 below). I've experimented with really varied lines, and unvaried lines and I feel that my personal preference is somewhere in the middle. I think I've gravitated there most of the time anyhow, but it's good to reassess every now and again.
• I need to stop 'cheating out' on faces and expressions. I think I'm more capable than I give myself credit for, and I need to just try and produce the best work I can without the shortcuts.
• I can draw cute and pretty women! I've been accused of drawing boxy, ugly women which, hey 'beauty in the eye of the beholder' and 'if it's good enough for Katsuhiro Otomo', but it's nice to know I have it in me. I'm never gonna draw pinups, but that's more so because I find that a bit gross and misogynistic more than anything else.
• I need to draw really terrible pictures every once in a while. I tend to think that every one has to be a winner, and if I don't feel like I'm going to put down a winner, I freeze up and don't move forward. It's almost like exercising demons in a way. Draw the terrible pictures so the good ones can be free.
• I find drawing details therapeutic. I need to find a fine line, but it can be a very zen experience drawing every ringlet of chainmail on a goblin. I can itchy sometimes if there's not enough detail in a drawing. Pros and cons to that I'm sure.

Here's the output for week four.

Labels: brush pen, goblins, ink, Inktober, Johnny Arcade, robots, video games, whales

My apologies for not posting sooner, but October has gotten away from me. I started out the month with the intention of participating in Jake Parker's great Inktober this year. Unfortunately, I think what I was doing was hacking together a stream of consciousness story that was ultimately doomed to fail as a whole. I was also cannibalizing one of my other ideas that would probably come out much better given a bit more attention. If you're interested you can take a peek at my first three pages here, here and here.

Sometimes it amazes me to think of some of the projects that could have been, but for whatever reason fell apart. Now I've consciously walked away from a few myself for various reasons, but so many others, be they graphic novels, anthologies, short stories, have fallen by the wayside of their own accord. Getting more than one creative type to agree on something can be a chore in itself, so getting anthologies off the ground must be a daunting task.

Digging through my own graveyard of half starts and ideas, I've come across quite a few short story ideas that almost were. There's some here I'm almost positive I'll get to one day. Then there's this little guy below. This originally came about for a kid's anthology by a few of the guys involved in Popgun. I can't recall the exact reason it never got off the ground, but there you have it. His name is Johnny Arcade. He's always in the back of my mind, and I'm sure one day I'll get his story down. My apologies if I've posted this in the past, it just sort of stood out to me.

Another project that I was asked to pitch, but didn't get off the ground. I won't say too much more (I think you can figure it out)...

Labels: Inktober, Johnny Arcade, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles