So.

It's been an utmost nasty amount of time since I've posted here, huh. There've been ups, there've been downs, there's amazingly, even been some drawing in betwen.
But seeing as only one person watches the blog anyway, mostly MERRY CHRISTMAS. the best to you and your families, yo.

Crawling the Learning Curve.

I purchased a fantastic book on the production of comics last weekend, Making Comics by Scott McCloud. WOW. What an insightful book! It's done by a man who is what I'd consider THE top authority on comics theory, and presented in comic book format, so it's far from boring. The narrative isn't very formal either, which achieves the goal of making the entirety of the notes seem like one big (VERY big) conversation between you and the man.
I'm not hear to plug the book, however (not really, that is), just to make the point that he covers things that say, I might already know, but he would go on to explain why. Why a particular facial expression may convey something you never expected it to, through the simle way that your readers, as humans, register it. Why symmetry, or the lack thereof, speaks volumes about status, emotion or personality through the posing of a character alone, irregardless of the face (mostly). These things can be mostly related to simply human biology, and how the cognitive faculties relate and break down information. It's like science, only better!
I'll be sketching and experimenting, hopefully, so I'll be sure to post them.
Regarding comics, I'm currently stuck with the second arc of Corpus. It being a shorter thing, there was only ever going to be 2 arcs, and while I like what I have in mind, it doesn't seem to fit in with the first perfectly. I'll try rejig it and pray for success.

Is it Luck?

That I had such a lovely birthday weekend, is it luck? IS IT LUCK WELL IS IIIIT?
Yeah, bought Primus with the wonderfully and unexpectedly large amount of money I got for the ol' 17th, and I'd have been a thoroughly uncreative individual to not quote or be inspired by it. So hang around for works.
I must admit I cant help feel guilty wanting to talk about what a nice time I had knowing what a bad time people had on their respective birthdays, or what nasty weekends friends are having. Wonder if that's luck too. Maybe it's just a hat trick.
Anyway, on Friday we got pizza and rented "Lars and The Real Girl", a really amazing movie. Sure, my parents only got it because it had "Lars" in the title...but it was really spectacular. I'd recommend it to any woman without a doubt. Then I dunno whether men would like it, but irregardless, it's awesome.
Then on Saturday, we went shopping, bought lovely things, got sushi, went to see "Igor". It was no where near as shit as people were saying. I liked the animation (mostly), the designs and some of the dialogue. The plot was bland and predictable, but everything else made it easy to overlook.
My friends also got Amy to draw a picture and got it printed on a t-shirt, it was so thoughtful. I'll get a photo soon. Or something.
Um, boastful...feeling. Yeah, I'll keep drawing over the mid term.

A Big Club Sandwich of Negative Emotion.

So the cycle goes like this: jealousy, which turns to anger, which turns to guilt, which becomes sadness which transforms into lonliness which turns back to jealousy.
*facepalms* I'm such a thoughtless bitch, stewing like a big shitfaced strudel. I could make myself puke were it not for the ersatz justification I seem to believe in.

Example Dialogue: World Without End.

I find one of the best ways to get a great idea of a character's personality is to write dialogue, even if you don't use it. Going through it your head as if you are the character is very effective. I'm not sure how it works outside of my imagination though, so plox to be critiqueing. This scene includes Ramone, his ex-step sister, Nancy, and his mother, Bella. (whos name may yet be revised.) Nancy has just told Bella about Ramone's suspension from school.

Bella: (disbelief) Suspended? Ramone, what on Earth were you--
Ramone: (interrupting) You have no idea how much of a tool that principal is, mom. He cowtows to the will of the affluent and the powerful.
Bella: (attempting to interrupt) Ramone.
Ramone: (gesturing) HOW can a man be a respected leader when he so blatantly refuses to listen to his people? He's a joke!
Bella: Ramone?
Ramone: He SAID I had TEMPER ISSUES.
Bella: For Christ's sake.
Nancy: (aside, intending not to be heard) You do.
Ramone: (very suddenly, angrily) NO I DON'T.
Bella: RAMONE, this is serious, a suspension? What were you thinking, this is going to go on your permanant record.
Ramone: (frustrated) Who cares?
Bella: No, no, no, don't even THINK that, mister. Don't you DARE pretend this will just wash with me. (sighs) We'll deal with this somehow. (returns to reading suspension note in dismay)
Ramone: (to Nancy, with malice) YOU did this to me, I could've had a nice relaxing week off from school, you tart.
Nancy: Well someone has to look after your mother, Lord knows you won't do it. I happen to have a fondness for her.
Ramone: Yeah, REAL fondness you have, packing up and leaving with that SHITFACED BASTARD, taking EVERYTHING WE GOT.
Nancy: (turning red) I don't agree with any decision my dad made.
Ramone: (to Bella) This is your golden girl, huh mom? There's been MUTINY aboard this ship, (with extreme dramatic sarcasm) you must have MISSED it, Cap'n! A foul rattin' bitch like her.
Bella: Watch that damn mouth, Ramone Antonio.

Ow.

My joints, I've discovered, have begun to swell with the cold. Those in my fingers seem the most effected. Yuuuupp.
I have the worst curculation, always had. I used to go fully blue as a kid. It's pretty annoying and painful, but it's not affecting my ability to hold a pencil, so I'm not really complaining. But I've taken to wearing fingerless gloves everywhere I can.
Also, I've heard this piece by Vivaldi I simply NEED to learn to play. Winter(Largo) , from The Four Seasons concerto, eet's beeyootifuuull. Hope my playing won't be affected by the cold though, damn.
Kay peace.

That even Death may Die.

Woooo, dramatic title. A useless title now, really, seeing as my new thing is hardly referencing Lovecraft anymore. BUT THATS NO REASON NOT TO ILLUMINATE YOU ON IT'S PREMISE, EH?

So my first idea was about Cthulhu, and a kid interested in the occult who thinks he's summoned him, and thus he has to do whatever he wishes. That is, of course, bullshit to Cthulhu, he rose of his own volition because the stars were right.
The problem with that, thoguh, was the immense amount of comics already based on Cthulhu. I kid you not, there are....loads. It wasn't even encouraging how many Lovecraft comics exist. It's just plain depressing, especially seeing as none of them capture anything I imagine from Lovecraft stories.
Drawing on that, I disregarded any previous work, and started by scratch.
Our main character is Ramone (to the right), a 19 year old slacker living in the town of Ambrose South, a secular community, a town as coldly logical as the Alaskan penninsula on which it's located. Ramone doesn't have a lot. He's not too good in school, he has no really discernable talents, and he's pretty far removed from the regular lives of most teenagers. And he hates the cold.
He does have one thing though, one thing that makes up for the entire bland gloop his life seems to be turning into. He has an unfathomably deep belief in the occult. Not just a belief; a conviciton. I've once again made sure the character is a logical product of his past. His interest would have stemmed form the fatc, despite Ambrose South being a very secular town, his mother is a pretty religious person. His ex step-father and her would argue over this fact. This would have made religion not only a tense, but a prevailent subject in his growing up. He also works in the town ancient library he used to love visiting as a child, and no doubt the books and stories he found there had a hand in the turning of his mind. I was orignally making him to be likened to Charles Dexter Ward, but I've still not finished that story, and Ward has developed into a characert I couldn't make Ramone resemble anyway.
I have more sketches, but I'll talk about them later. Use your imaginations for the moment.