It’s starting to get a bit tricky on what I can and can’t post from Issue #3, and it’s only gonna get trickier in the coming months. This latest shot, however, seems pretty non-spoiler friendly. It’s one of my sinister smile shots. If someone’s usually smiling in this story, you know something bad is about to happen. I think I’ve got a few good sinister smile shots in this graphic-novel. Creepy smiles are kind of stock-in-trade for horror artists. Even when I try and draw a real, non-sinister smile, they always look a little evil.
This latest find ain’t exactly helping me get over my Dracula craze from a couple of months ago. What Dracula would really look like via modern police sketch software. Kind of like a Caucasian Fu Manchu, I guess. I had a go at doing my own take on Dracula a short while ago, the result of which can be seen here. I think most people working in horror want to have a stab at Dracula at one point or another. It’s also really worth checking out the rest of The Composites tumblr. Other favourites of mine include Robert Vaughn and Randall Flagg.
Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s been four days, and I still haven’t had a chance to sit down and have a good flick through my copy of Creepy presents: Richard Corben. Now there’s a guy who really knows how to draw a sinister smile.
I don’t want to tempt fate, but after many, many hours of trying, I think I’ve finally overcome my new camera woes. I don’t want to jinx it, but hopefully I’ve finally come to the end of this long and grating road.
I thought I’d just try out the 3D mode quickly for a laugh, and so filmed myself doodling a Zombie. I tend to find lately if I am sketching, it’s usually a Zombie. They’re so easy to draw and involve little thought. They’re this generation’s ‘Killroy Was Here.’ Plus with this weather, it’s just too hot to do proper time-consuming artwork, and this seemed more fun. If you fancy giving it a watch, you’ll need some of the old style blue lens\red lens glasses. This video was about nearly six minutes long, but I sped it up, and got it down to one. This also wiped out the creepy heavy-breathing soundtrack, as I had to have the camera right next to my face to film, which made it sound like it had an audio-commentary from Michael Myers. Thankfully, that’s gone.
If you watch only one novelty 3D movie today that ends up giving you a headache, make it this one.
Got my copy of Creepy presents: Richard Corben through the post this morning, and now I feel a little giddy. I want to sit down and just do nothing but read all 348 pages of it, but I took yesterday off, so I really need to put pencil to Bristol-board today.
I’m sad to say I think this miserable summer weather may be my fault. I kind of jinx it, when on the first day of decent sunshine last month, I went out and bought a new bottle of sun-tan lotion. It’s like buying a jumbo pack of condoms, and then the next day your girlfriend breaks up with you. This hardly used bottle of lotion now sits on my bookshelf, looking lonely and useless. The other day I had a depressing moment, when I looked out the window at all the rain and gloom, and thought “oh well… it’ll be summer in a couple of months…” It then dawn on me this was summer. My internal calendar had gone back to winter setting. At least the weather’s a bit better today.
The weather’s shitty this week… I chipped the back of a tooth… and I ordered a new camera online, and when it turned up, it didn’t work, which means I’ve gotta send it back. It’s been a rough week (in a ‘first world problems’ kind of way). If I was Bruce Banner, I’d be hulking out about now.
To tame my inner raging beast, I’ll quickly post this above shot. The only good thing about the shitty weather, is I’ve been able to catch up on doing artwork. Usually drawing in July is hell. This year, not so bad. No ice cream and sunburn, but at least I’ve been able to put some hours in at the drawing-board.
The one thing about the tenth Doctor is, it’s all about the hair. Never has a time-lord expressed them self so much through their hair-cut before. I think the hair should have had its own TV show spin off.
I always enjoy watching people draw. There’s something very calming about watching an image come together. Maybe it was too many hours, spent watching Rolf Harris on TV when I was growing up. Who knows? It’s even cooler if it’s someone drawing something Doctor Who related.
Issue #4 is now well underway. It’s maybe the worse time of year for drawing, as the moment the sun peeks out from behind the gloom, you want to go out and enjoy it, but I am differently out of the starting-block. My current plan is to get it off to a strong start in the Summer, then finish it up when those chilly Winter months come around. Winter tends to be the better months for getting work done anyway (or at least that‘s what I find.) I’ve noticed that recently, instead of counting how many pages I’d done in my head, I’ve started to count how many pages I’ve got left overall. It’s nice to be in that working position. I’m also a lot closer to drawing some nice, gruesome horror scenes, I’ve been working my way towards little-by-little for a while now. You usually save the big scares for the end, and not to give anything away, but this story is no different. Issue #4 is where the shit and fan become one.
But that’s the future, right now I’ll post this shot. There are certain shots in comics that are always fun to draw. I’m not a smoker, but for some reason I really like drawing people lighting up a cigarette. If you’re gonna have a character standing around monologuing, then it’s nice to have them working a prop or doing something. Although I’m starting to think this shot may age the story somewhat in years to come, as smoking will probably be non-existent in another ten\twenty years. I’m guessing pot-smokers will be about in the future, but plan, old, regular smokers, maybe not so much. Hmmmmm, is it too late to Photoshop that fag and lighter out? Have him playing Angry Birds on a iPad or something?
As is probably clear from my last post, I’ve got a soft-spot for tacky Zombie flicks. Not tacky movies, generally, but I am more forgiving when it comes to those lovable flesh eaters. That said, when someone makes a really good Zombie movie (I.E. good storyline, good CGI\special effects, well shot and acted.), I think it’s cause for celebration. Considering soooooo many people make Zombie pics these days, it’s surprising how very few are actually amazing. The genre is casting such a wide net, you’d think their hit-rate would be a little higher. I only caught up with the REC series recently, but I’d put them at the top with 28 Days\Weeks Later as examples of the best in modern Zombie movies. It’s hard to go into details on why the REC movies are so good, without giving away massive spoilers, but they do have a couple of twist in them I like. I’m not a huge fan of the found-footage genre, but I think the first REC film is the best of that genre. I’m really looking forward to REC 3, but think it sucks I won’t be able to see it on the big screen. I’ll have to settle for a Blu-ray copy, but would have love to have seen it in a cinema. I think it has already had a very limited release in the UK.
Click for trailers for REC and REC 2 also. If you haven’t seen the first two, they’re well worth hunting down. For once, the US remake Quarantine ain’t bad, either. Not as good as REC, but still worth a watch. I give it extra marks just for having Jennifer Carpenter in it. Sometimes when I’m watching it, I like to pretend I’m watching Zombies invade the Dexter universe, and it’s some kind of bizarre horror mash-up… ok, not really.
I’m adding this with Zombie Ass and Zomboobies, on the list of weird, Japanese Zombie movies, I kind of wanna see. They remind me of the Troma movies of the 80’s. I like that Japan is going through a golden age of sleaze at the moment. I know exploitation cinema is very 'in' at the moment, but Japan seems to be the only country really running with it. With cheap (and some times downright tacky) CGI and special effects, and sexy weapon bearing babes, they make movies that please your inner teenage boy. If you’d seen these movies at fourteen, they would have blown your mind. They’re like perfect Saturday night movies, when you want to turn your brain off and relax. Just spend an hour-and-half abusing your mind with Zombie trash, and your body with nachos and dip.
It’s just a shame, I’m guessing very few, if any of these titles, are going make it over here. I get the feeling most of these flicks will be a stranger to Region 2\B2.
I think it’s safe to say, with all that empty space, this is going to be a dialogue heavy shot. I always try and avoid Info Dumping, and try and spread plot out, as best I can. Because I’m very aware of it, I think I’m ok at chopping up plot, and distributing it throughout. Writing a story, it’s an ongoing battle between getting the ratio of action and narrative just right.
There’s only one point in this story, so far, where it looks dangerously like I’ve just unloaded plot all over the page (it’s not this above scene.) I think I just about get away with it. Hopefully it comes across more as an exciting reveal.
I’m sure many writers would argue that Info Dumping is a necessary evil. You’ve gotta lay down that plot somehow? It’s like going over a speed-bump, and then you can carry on with your journey.
I just thank God I don’t write Sci-Fi. I love Sci-Fi, but with all the tech and techno-babble, it does generate, and require a lot of Info Dumping. It would drive me nuts (and that’s coming from a Doctor Who fan.)
Motion posters are scary but awesome. Not quite a poster, not quite a trailer (word to the wise, don’t have your volume turned up high, if you click this link.) Hope if they run with this idea though, they make them in landscape in the future. Maybe put out a 3D copy, too.
Just watched season six of The Office in three days. That’s 9-hours of TV in a 72-hour period. Really scary thing is I probably could have done it in two. There was a couple of points where I had to force myself to switch the DVD off. You get into that zone where it’s hard to say no to one more episode. To be fair, my funny-bone has been in need of some major stimulation recently.
EDIT: Whoops, that should have been ‘motion’ not ‘mention’. Spell much?
