the poster for Comicsfest at the Flywheel
Hello all,
This Saturday the Party in Partyghost will be tablin’ solo at the Flywheel’s very first comicsfest! I’ll be bringing some prints, and other stuff and of course our comics!
Stop by and say hi! It’s very cool that my hometown is kicking off a new comics festival and I really hope it works out well for everyone. It would be great to meet some more local creators and talk shop or whatever. If you’d like me to draw you anything, hit me up at giantbluewhale at gmail and I’ll bring it with me to the show.
In other news, as the Ghost in Partyghost sets off an a musical recording odyssey for the next few months, I find myself thinking about my next solo comic project. Not sure what kind of shape it’s going to take just yet, but I’m hoping to make use of this time as best I can. I’ve been thinking about making one about my cancer experience but right now its feels Too Scary™. I’ve always had a hard time with bio comics in general and am reluctant to add to a genre I’m not super into, though I do feel like I want to express something. We’ll see I guess.
We’ve also been working on King of Pop #2 and I’m very pleased with our progress. I feel like you can really see that we sharpened our technique so far and I’m excited to get this issue going. It’s a bummer we’re going to have to take a few months off, but I should be at least 5 pages deep once Grant returns. It’s going to be a lot of fun with some really good character moments. I feel like all these characters are really coming into their own. I feel I know how to draw them now and how they act. I’m tempted to color this new issue in a different way than the first. I don’t want to feel beholden to my past color palettes, and I think it’s a good exercise to embrace new moves.
king of pop #2 page in progress
Deathlok 11 by Denys Cowan. What a cover!!
I’ve been working on another comic in the King of Pop Universe (lol) about the assassin Cyborg Dan that was inspired by an interview I heard I with Declan Shalvey and the incredible Deathlok run by Denys Cowan. Shalvey talks a lot about how to frame action scenes and how to choreograph them so they are exciting and, most importantly, understandable. I really love the way he does that. The scene of space and the action all make perfect sense to me. It’s a small detail to some perhaps, but over the course of his whole body of work, it’s an element that sets him apart (in a good way). He’s spoke much more eloquently about it himself and I highly recommend looking into it if you like to think about things along those lines. (not what I was thinking of, but cool: https://aux.avclub.com/marvel-artists-walk-through-the-creation-of-kickass-fig-1798273422 )
The Denys Cowan Deathlok run was something I just happened on in the cheap-o bins at my LCS Comics ‘n’ more in town. I love how loose Cowan is with his inks and how bold his use of shadow is. It made me realize I don’t really do much of that in comics, even though I like to look at comics like that. So I’ve been giving a shot. A pale echo at best, but I feel like I’ve been learning good lessons. Using that much negative space allows for some really cool and creative page layout decisions as well. I think I’m going to only use like 3 or 4 colors when I color it, so that the ink is the star…
I’ve been using a brush and nib for the first time, as opposed to pens and markers, and I’m really enjoying the freedom. You can do ANY LINE. Whenever you want! Still learning the tools, of course, but I’ve been inking KOP with a nib and it’s been pretty fun and I think it looks better for it.
But there’s nothing like using a brush to fill up a page with black ink. Using those use negative space fields also lets you come up with some very cool layouts that lean into techniques. Like in the example below, reversing the windows within colors. It seems simple, and it is, but it’s hard to wire your brain to make good composition decisions. Or mine at least.
In progress page of The Ballad of Cyborg Dan
I also went on a fun trip to an island in Rhode Island and found some time to draw which was really nice. A good time was had by all!
Until next time friends, keep your nibs dippin,
Ian
Prudence island