Space 242- Good vs Evil

Hello Friends,
                      I don't have any new artwork this week, although I did start a new synopsis for a short story, over the weekend. What I mainly want to share with you is that I'll be participating in a group show over at Space 242. The show is called Good vs Evil, and there are a bunch of great artists participating in it, including a friend of mine, Caitlin Ryan.

It opens this Friday, January 28th, and comes down on February 4th. If you're in the mood for an anecdote, this show was originally supposed to go up way back in June, but it was post-poned due to a few break-ins. I was going to enter this piece:

but I decided after several months that I had produced newer work that better suited the direction that I'm going in. This piece is a character that I created, called Arshile. I created him during my junior year at Salem State University as part of a directed study that I did with professor Haig Demarjian (Die You Zombie Bastards). There's an 8 page silent story that I made to go along with it but it was never properly finished. One day I'll go back to you Arshile, I promise!

So, if you're wondering which piece I chose to enter into the show you'll just have to come out and see for yourself! Also, did I mention that there will be free beer?  There will be free BEER! I hope to see you there!

-Josh

What's a Skullkicker?

Hello Friends,

Here we are three weeks into 2011 and I must say that the time is flying already. This post should have gone up yesterday but I was unable to find the energy to write with (actually I was too busy playing Call of Duty: Black Ops). So, I hope that you'll forgive me for not staying true to my weekly blog entries. This entry is all about a comic that I've found very interesting called, Skullkickers. I've mentioned it before, but I haven't really said too much about it. Allow me the opportunity to say a few things about it.

Skullkickers is a monthly action/ adventure comic put out by Image Comics. It's the creation of, writer Jim Zubkavich with art by Edwin Huang. This comic is extremely entertaining. Every issue is clearly defined and packed with action and humor. I like it mostly because it's a break from the world of 

superheroes. The story so far follows two mercenaries as they roam a fictional landscape reminiscent of the Middle Ages in Europe. The only difference is that this land is inhabited by monsters and other strange creatures. For the first arc (I'm only two issues into it) they are looking for the killer of a Chancellor, who was mysteriously assassinated. His body is then abducted by a gang of thugs and this leads the two mercenaries on a wild goose chase. As for the third & fourth issues I'm not sure of where it's headed. I just look forward to seeing what kind of crazy situations Jim & Ed can conjure up for the duo as they travel into unknown territories.

You must be asking, "Why is he saying all of this about the Skullkickers?". Over the past month I've been working hard on a piece of my own for this comic. I've been working through new techniques that I learned from those great tutorials that I keep talking about from Digital Art Tutorials.

It even seems like Brian Haberlin has something new that he's working on with Philip Tan (Taleweaver, Batman & Robin), called Captain Wonder 3D, being put out by Image Comics. This is of course, beside the point. I won't get sidetracked any longer and I'll just show you what I've been up to!

Finished Colored Piece

I had a whole lot of fun experimenting with new techniques for this piece and drawing the Skullkickers guys was a lot of fun too! Edwin must have a blast working on these guys every month. He's very lucky. This was a three step process that I really didn't document in great detail. My advice to anyone doing this kind of work is simply this: be patient! Coloring takes twice as much time as drawing does. You have to give it time when you're coloring or it just won't do your pencils justice. For this piece, I skipped the inking process. I made a very dark photocopy of my pencils at a reduced size of 73% and scanned that in. I did this mainly because I don't have access to a large format scanner. The original piece is 11"x 17".

Step One: Pencils

I really was satisfied with the pencils that I did for this piece and that's why I skipped the inking process. I was able to get the crisp line that is common in comic art. Plus, with a little photoshopping I adjusted a few tones here and there. Inking is still essential to comics but I just didn't want to go through with that mechanical step as this was all about the colors! Yes, you inkers out there are all work and no play!

Second Step: Grayscale and Flatting

This step is really not fun at all, but necessary to the final product. The idea here is that you have to create your foundation to color on top of. Once you've created your gray tones you should keep them all on one layer. Here's a look at my layers palette so that you can see what I mean. 

The reason for why you do this is so that you can make quick selections of your areas from the graytone layer once you've begun your coloring stage. You need to be able to select areas easily without having to constantly make new selections for the same areas. That's how comics are done.

It's really all about efficiency. In most cases, a "flatter", or a guy who lays flats, will lay in all of the graytones before the colorist goes in and starts working his/ her magic. This is mostly a practice done in the USA and some European countries. This is not the case for most Asian comics, which are mostly grayscale. Digital coloring has gotten to such a point, with the latest technology, that the possibilities of what one can do are just about limitless. The scariest part is that Photoshop hasn't changed all that much. The technology was really just waiting for people to catch up. Now we're here at this point where comics have never looked better. I'm looking forward to producing more work like this in the near future. As usual, thanks for stopping in and seeing what I'm up to! If you have any comments or questions please drop me a line. I'll check back in later this week.

Wait...more Skullkickers stuff?

Here's a picture that Jake took of me with Edwin (right of me) and Jim (far right). I got the chance to meet them when they came by Woburn for one of Larry's Saturday Comic Shows last month. They're very cool guys and I was lucky enough to buy the first two issues of the comic off of them (it sold out).

A Few Favorites of 2010

Hello There,
You know, 2010 was a very interesting year for music, movies & comics, wasn't it? I bought a lot of CDs this year (I know that sounds old school) that were new releases. It was one of those rare years in music, especially, when an old band (U2 or Green Day) didn't dominate the airwaves. This allowed for some fresh faces to emerge, some of which who've been around for a few years, like The National & Band of Horses. So, in light of this realization, I've put together a little list of my favorites of 2010.

In no particular order of importance:

My Favorite Albums of 2010 (the ones that I listened to the most while at work)

Neil Young, Le Noise

Old Neil really got my attention with this album. I haven't listened to any of his offerings from the past decade but something about this cover intrigued me to finally try out his new stuff. It's raw and honest. He shows that age can really be an asset when it comes to writing lyrics. You try listening to "Hitchhiker" without getting a little worked up. I dare you!

The XX (actual release, 2009)

My hipster days are sorta behind me so I have no shame in saying that I caught wind of 

these guys on 101.7 WFNX over this past summer. By that time they were already nominated for a Mercury Prize and on their way to conquering the entire western world. I was lucky enough to see them at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston back in November. With talk of them throwing in the towel after this brief stint of success, I guess this is an album that will resonate for a long time. I certainly won't forget it anytime soon.

Band of Horses, Infinite Arms

From the very start of this album (Factory) I got swept off of my feet. It's really a proud moment for this band, who've come a very long way. They're probably one of the hardest working bands in the industry and they hit it big when they opened for Pearl Jam last year. The lead single "Laredo" just grabs you and doesn't let go until it's over. As any typical BOH album these songs deal with loneliness, reflection and moving on. Congrats to them for making a folk/ rock masterpiece.

Kings of Leon, Come Around Sundown

As the Rolling Stone article from a few months back said, "It's good to be Kings!". These guys coasted into this fifth album like pros. "Radioactive" was an arena rock smash and the followup "Goin' Back Down South" harkened back to their Tennessee roots. They proved that they could stay on top and still make meaningful music. These guys are gonna be around for a long time.

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

My pick for best album of the year, the Arcade Fire rose from their indie roots to arena-rock-gods status with this extremely conceptual album (wait, all of their albums are concepts, right?). I'd say that they owe a lot to great marketing for pushing this album as a must listen. There are so many songs on here that have become part of my life that I can't name them all. Not only did Arcade Fire get me to buy the album, they actually made me want to open the liner notes and read along with the music. A definite keeper in the album collection! 

Autolux, Transit Transit

Autolux oh Autolux, why do I love you so much? Is it because you are from the west coast? Is it because you make the most abhorrent noises into melodies? Is it because Carla is the coolest drummer on the planet? Is it because I will jump at the chance to see you live any time (seen em twice)? Maybe it's because after a six year hiatus, due to the now defunct DMZ record label, you managed to put out an alternative music master piece that almost makes me forget the brilliance of Future Perfect from 2004? Who know? Just keep the mysterious yet hopeful music coming. 

The National, High Violet

If there's one thing that I regret about 2010 it's not going to see these guys for a 2 night residency at the HOB! How did I let that happen? "Bloodbuzz Ohio" comes at you like a ball off of the bat of the Bambino himself (these guys live in NY, okay bad simile)! If this album wasn't meant to scream "We're here! We've been here! Why don't you listen to us?" then I don't know what it was for. The National have been around for a decade and they have a special place in the back of my head,  the part that's "afraid I'd eat your brains! 'Cuz I'm evil!" (reference song "Conversation 16") Just listen to this album already! I can't stop listening to it!

Brian Eno, Small Craft on a Milk Sea

I can't say that I've listened to this one on a daily basis. It's just Brian being Brian. He hasn't stop experimenting since like 1972 or whenever Here Come the Warm Jets came out. Great music from a maestro of ambient electronica.

Janelle Monae, The Archandroid

Back in 2008 I caught wind of Janelle Monae and snatched up her EP, The Chase Suite. I loved her since that moment and nothing has changed. She's just so aware of herself and what she wants to accomplish, as an artist. Can anyone, even super galactic police, that she sings about in her songs, get in her way? She must be an android after all!

Ray LaMontagne, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise

Here's the most talented voice in music today in his moment of triumph. I've virtually ignored his career until this point (I'm a snob, what?) for no good reason at all. I finally will give it to him, this is a once in a lifetime album from one of music's most reclusive heroes. "Beg, Steal, or Borrow" made me feel like the song was about my life, while I listened to it at a red light, in my car, while, "For the Summer" made me almost think that I was returning from a long trek back home to meet my love, after a year of traveling. Ray, I hope that you win every grammy that you're nominated for.

There were many other great albums that came out in 2010, some of which just didn't stick on me like these gems. I'm not saying that these 10 were the best of 2010, they're just the ones that I incorporated into my everyday life. Isn't that what music is for, after all?

Comic of the year:

I read many oneshots and assorted stories over 2010, but the one series that deserves all of the credit is Daytripper, by Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon. Everything about this comic is right. The art is raw (gotta love the brushy style that Fabio & Gabriel implement). It's honestly a comic that the industry was waiting for. I was waiting for something like this for a long time. And in case you're wondering what that is I'm talking about it's this: HARD-HITTING DRAMA! The comic industry is in dire need of more of this stuff. It's not wimpy, it's not over-dramatized, it's just natural. Somehow these guys just get it, they understand people and the real life struggles that come with living one's life. This comic deals with love, loss, and triumph. The best part is that every issue was worth it. There wasn't some ploy to get you to buy the whole 10 issues, only to realize that 50% of it was filler/ garbage. This was well thought out and masterfully executed by two of the industry's best artists. Let's hope that Paul Pope learned something from them and he comes out with something equally amazing. We can't let comics like Daytripper become rare moments. We need more stuff like this!

My favorite concert of 2010:

MUSE

One fateful day, back in March, I was driving to work when I heard that WFNX was having a poster contest for Muse to promote their forthcoming disc, The Resistance. Now, I'm not a fan of Muse, really, but a chance to win a poster contest wasn't going to pass me by. So, one day, I was home sick from work, and I finally got the chance to draw up something. That poster ended up getting me in as one of the final 5

 

 posters and an opportunity to meet the band. I remember how excited I was when Jake and I got the news that we'd be going to the backstage of the TD BankNorth Garden. It was probably the coolest night of my life, honestly. I came in second place and took a photo with two members of the band.

So, that's it for my list. I'd like to know what your thoughts are/ were about 2010. Was it a great year, or am I just delusional? Okay, so the Sox didn't make the playoffs & the Celtics and Bruins were a bust. There were plenty of other things to focus on. Right?  I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support of this blog. I've got nearly 600 views since October! Let's hope that 2011 is even better! 

-Josh