Music Inspires Comics...A Horror Tribute

A friend of mine, in response to hubbub over my first comic, asked if I would do him the favor of drawing a short, horror-themed comic for his band's new album. The requested project is merely a three-page tribute to old EC Horror Comics and the band's genre is the ever-entertaining genre of Necrobilly. I've posted a couple photos of my work on the book below.

The book will also feature zombified pin-ups from artist friends Chad Blakely (http://www.chadblakely.blogspot.com/) and Stacy Roberts (www.thornygrove.com) who were incredible enough to take the time to create some terrific pieces. Please check out their work and support their creative efforts. Also, I'll have a pin-up in Mr. Blakely's new book in the near future so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Here are the photos!

After the Expo, After the Signing

So here I am after my first comic expo and my first comic shop signing. Sitting behind a table which bore the product of my work was wonderful. I felt so relieved, so happy, and so very proud. I learned several lessons during both events on what to do and what not to do. Now I'm looking forward to the next show.

I'm thankful that over all this time I found it in myself to persevere and finish my book. Overcoming my lack of confidence and my occasional lack of enthusiasm really helped in the end.

Here's my table at the Grand Rapids Toy and Comic Expo

A Little Thanksgiving Something

Wishing everyone who has been kind enough to take interest in and support my work a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Teenage Mutant Things to Draw at Work

While at work this evening I started browsing Google for reference photos. I didn't have anything specific in mind so I instead decided to go with whatever inspired me. It was then that I stumbled upon photographs of turtles and was reminded of an idea I'd been kicking around for some time. For years now I've been wanting to draw realistic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Here's my attempt. Enjoy.

Right arm purposely slightly extended for effect. I don't know if it works or not.

The battle scars and rags I think gave it a feel of grittiness. I hope.

The sea turtle face seemed the best for what I had in mind.

Grand Rapids Public Access Celebrity? - A Drawing for a Friend

So a friend recently reminded me of a small-time, public access legend from my current city of residence, Grand Rapids, MI. This person, known as The Great Daryl Nathan (http://www.viget.org/The_Great_Daryl_Nathan), starred in his own bizarre music show on good old GRTV, Channel 25, in the early to mid-90s. Here's an illustration I recently completed of Daryl Nathan for my friend.

The looks thrown my way while drawing this at work were worth it all by themselves. Enjoy, folks. Enjoy, Chris!

Beware the Street Creature from the Black Lagoon!

Last night while working my time-clock job I yet again whipped up a slightly less than decent illustration. The inspiration came to me on my way to work. I had the desire to draw some of my favorite monsters, just for the heck of it, and the Creature was the first one that came to mind. For some reason though I just knew he had to be different. The cartoonist wheels started turning and questions arose such as "What if he left the lagoon for the hard streets of a nearby urban area?"

Here is the result of inspiration, the asking of strange questions, and the sheer boredom that can only come from being a clock-punching American, slaving away at a meaningless job in the Customer Service industry. Now witness the horror of this mean, street-living thing. Marvel at his tear drop tattoo (he's a killer!), gaze at his hardcore piercings, and gasp at his knife-fight wound!

Enjoy!

Here's the full illustration, a photograph for now. A scan will be coming soon.

Here's the full beastie!

At Last...Things the Eye Has Seen, the cover

I'm proud to release the image of my comic's cover. It's taken a long time to get to this point, and I'm glad that I was able to step up and finish something important to me. Enjoy, for in less than a month all of you out there who are interested will be granted a glimpse at the pages within.

I give you, Things the Eye Has Seen:

Here's an attempt at coloring with GIMP. It's not a finish color job by any means, but it's an experiment and a possibility.

Lastly, for those of you who have been following my progress on my Eraserhead drawings, here are the finished pieces, scanned and formatted for your enjoyment!

Radiator Lady

Here' s my follow up to the Eraserhead drawing of Henry. It's Radiator Lady in all her odd, puffed-cheek glory. Enjoy!

Official Comic Title on 11/11/11

Well, first of all happy 11/11/11, if that actually means anything to anyone. Amazing how much of our lives are influenced by numbers. Anyway, today I'm officially releasing the title of my comic that will meet the world for the first time on December 3rd at the Grand Rapids Toy and Comic Expo. It will be titled "Things the Eye Has Seen."

The title was made official here first: http://grtoycomicexpo.com/guests-2/

Now I need to find a large scanner so that I can release the cover image. Oh, shucks fer time, lack of equipment, and large artwork.

I will soon be posting an Eraserhead-themed follow up to my Henry illustration. Stay tuned and thank you for your support.

Eraserhead - Henry's Complete

I have put the finishing touches on old Henry. This was a ton of fun and I hope to get this piece to the right person (and hopefully they enjoy it).

Official Feels Purty...and the new logo

Well, friends, I have received confirmation from the Grand Rapids Toy and Comic Expo. It's official. I've even been posted on their website!

So if you're looking for a good time Saturday, December 3rd please join me at the only event in Grand Rapids that matters in this the end of 2011.

http://grtoycomicexpo.com/guests-2/

I've also finished a new logo for Arrow-Eye Studios and I'm happy to unveil it here. Enjoy!

If you're on Facebook you can find me there. I've returned to using the network I swore I'd always hate. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arrow-Eye-Studios/241331629254090

Eraserhead Distractions

While working my time-clock dominated white collar job tonight I decided to say to heck with it all and just started working on another design for stickers and such for my upcoming appearances. My focus was barely on the verbally abusive calls I took as I became engrossed in the process. For some reason I was really in the mood to draw Henry Spencer so I did. Posted below you'll see photographs (my scanner is too small) of my rather large illustration of Henry's most iconic shot. Please bare in mind that it is not yet finished.

Anyway, enjoy!

The full image in its so-so glory.

Here's the title and some inking detail on his jacket.

Here's some more of the inking detail.

Here's some detail of Henry's face.

Music and Influences for One Who Draws

While drawing I find that pleasing music seems to enhance my work and heightens my senses when I get into "The zone." I'd like to create a "What I Listened to..." list to place in the upcoming comic, but I feel that space for thank yous is a bit more important. I plan on listing the inspiring music that influenced me through the creation along with some other bits of media that affected my creation-driven mind. This is a first of what I'm sure will be several blogs.

This week while working on the book I listened to:

-The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Darklands" and "Happy When It Rains"

-Tom Waits - Frank's Wild Years (album)

-Depeche Mode - "Enjoy the Silence"

-Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Sound of Music"

-The Smiths - "How Soon Is Now"

-Meat Puppets - "Aurora Borealis"

I read:

-Thrilling Visions - Bob Burden's sketchbook and musings

-Flaming Carrot Volume 1

-Ben Jonson's Volpone

-John Donne's sonnets

Ate (a rare list):

-Butter Chicken, Naan, Curried Chicken, and Korma from wonderful Palace of India here in Grand Rapids on Fulton St. (super delicious and inspiring)

That concludes the first listing. Keep checking back for more on the process and what influenced it. I'll post them occasionally.

Thorny Grove meets Cthulhu - Meeting Stacy Roberts

Today I had the pleasure of stopping in to my local comic book store and meeting Kalamazoo comic artist Stacy Roberts. She's responsible for the book "Thorny Grove and a Dash of Mythos" which tells the story of anthropomorphic, slightly edgy forest critters as they meet the dread elder god Cthulhu. It's a funny book that made its debut at this year's APE (Alternative Press Expo - http://www.comic-con.org/ape/index.php).

The one thing I've learned about comic book creators, especially the independent folks, is that they are all about supporting one another. Sharing links and calling attention to each other's work seems like something everyone does in the industry. I'm happy to share the work of anyone I come across, especially another Michigan comic book artist since we seem to be so few. If you're looking for a fresh entertaining read look no further than Stacy's work with Thorny Grove. You can find out more about her and her work at this address: http://thornygrove.blogspot.com/

Here's Stacy's illustration of the great Cthulhu!

My First Convention Artist Table and Signing at Apparitions

There's a lot of official, exciting news here for once on the Arrow-Eye Studios blog. First off, I will have a table at the upcoming Grand Rapids Toy and Comic Expo on Saturday, December 3rd (http://grtoycomicexpo.com/). As of now I don't know the exact location of my table, but I will have a banner to clearly mark where Arrow-Eye is stabled. If you plan on attending please keep an eye out. I will have exclusive shirts for sale, stickers, and.....this is the part where I'd go "Da-da-da-DAH!....my first official and complete comic book. (I'll be posting images of my continuing work on the book here occasionally, so stay tuned.)

The next bit of good news is that on the Saturday following the Expo I will have a meet, greet, and sign event at Apparitions Comics here in Grand Rapids (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apparitions-Comics/113504738681974). Apparitions is a store I've frequented for almost a decade. When I think of a great place to talk comics and buy great books new and old I think of Apparitions. It's truly an honor they're extending me to allow Arrow-Eye Studios to have its first comic shop event in their store. Dave, the owner, and Thom are two of the coolest comic folk I know and I encourage anyone wandering through Grand Rapids to stop in and support their store.

The signing will run Saturday, December 10 from 1pm to 5pm, following the store's weekly HeroClix event. I'll have most of what I had at the Expo on hand in case you miss the chance to stop in and visit me there. Feel free to check out the store, browse my stuff, support local comic shops and artists (me), and chat about a medium we all know and love. I've included the official flyer for the in-store event. I hope you can make it!

Thoughts of Bob Burden and Renewed High Hopes

A couple of things happened tonight and I get the feeling that they were both plants laid about my path by the seedy, insistent conductor of the Inspiration Train. You know the one. The guy with his hand in his left breast pocket who spends hours tracking the meter of discourse on Bazooka Joe bubble gum comics. If you seek him out he'll look at you with a shriveled sneer and...

Well, my point with this post was to deliver some exciting news and talk about a hero of mine. First, the news. Grand Rapids is going to have its first official Comic and Toy Expo in some time (actually, the Toy portion of that Expo has been going on for years and has now decided to add on comics). There will be an artist alley where folks like yours truly sit behind long tables, chat idly with inquisitive folks, and try to sell creations a local print shop busily ran off their fleet of buzzing ink and carbon monstrosities the night before. What I'm getting at is that I hope to have such a table at this event and indeed be yours truly doing just those things. If you're in the Grand Rapids, MI area Saturday, December 3rd do yourself and myself a favor and visit the Grand Rapids Toy and Comic Expo (http://grtoycomicexpo.com/).

There is a man out there who I have had the pleasure of meeting just once on a semi-sweltering Chicago afternoon years ago. Bob Burden (middle initials irrelevant) has been for many years a comic icon and a real hero of mine. I've looked to his work, turned to look at the world, and looked back at his work only to see that some things just are. Flaming Carrot, Mystery Men, and his random surrealist, McCay-like cartoons have been like a fine, electrifying lineament to my obligation-wearied mind. Flipping through his pages always centers my focus and reminds me why I draw and why I want to draw comics.

This very night I chose to pick up a sketchbook of his that has been camping on my local comic shop's shelves since I first started visiting the place. Dangerous Visions volume one cried out to me tonight, more closely than any other night I stopped to listen to its siren croon, and my Burden-appreciating heart cried back. I snatched it up and ran out to my car feeling like I'd somehow managed to sneak the Rhinegold out from under the nose of every Germanic/Norse epic figure involved in the whole Nibelungen-mess. The pages were as amazing as I would expect them to be, and the oddities of Bob Burden spoke from the print. In a way it felt like the book was saying, "Took you long enough. Welcome to this side of the cover."

So that about wraps it up for this bizarre little post. I hope to use the steam garnered from the inspirations I've found in Thrilling Visions and the promise of a table at a local comic event to put the final touches on my little comic book/zine. I may even have some Primates and Strings t-shirts printed and ready for sale. Again, if you're in Grand Rapids come December come find me at the Expo!

SHE

While flipping through a local environmentalist magazine I found a silly picture of actress Daryl Hannah extending an oil-covered hand towards the camera as she stared sulkily from behind. The absurdity of the pose and expression coupled with my boredom at work drove me to draw this item. I had the Misfits' song "She" running through my head as I drew it, hence the title.

Enjoy.

Primates and strings

Tonight was a night of bizarre inspiration and odd requests. Here I give you a chimp playing a guitar, inspired by an ad to which I substituted the banana. Then there's the ukulele-playing pygmy marmoset. Enjoy!

Some news from the sketchbook...

Here is a new item from my current sketchbook. The inspirations came from misheard lyrics and I suppose whimsy.

Enjoy!

Astro Bats

Here's a little drawing I did for a friend's band. Check them out: http://www.myspace.com/astrobats/photos/47534571

Arrow-Eye Funnies #2

Well, here's a ballpoint pen drawing that's been GIMP'ed up. This type of sketch comes about after reading tons of Weird Pulp Fiction.

Here's an incredible adventure story idea! H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith go questing to stop the elder gods from rising up. Check it out!

Arrow-Eye Funnies #1

In an attempt to put out a regular-ish web-based comic I've decided to do something varied and simple. Ladies and gents, I give you "Arrow-Eye Funnies!"

Look for new posts as they appear weekly or bi-weekly (depending on my schedule).

I hope you enjoy this and future posts. Make sure to comment. Feedback is priceless.

Progress - Some Images

Here's a page I'm feeling okay about. You'll see the process. Pardon the angle shots that make the character's face look unusually long.

At the drawing board again...

Work still continues as I struggle with myself page after page. I'm having a difficult time learning the lesson of settling on work I've produced instead of nagging myself into apathy about its aesthetic quality. If I were to let a sketch or a rough page set for a few weeks, maybe months, I'd come back to it and correct it and maybe even improve upon my previous work.

There's just no time for that kind of nonsense.

I am forcing myself to sit down, sketch, draw, and finally ink what I've decided will work for my panels. Some of it bothers me and some of it surprises me. Regardless of my feelings on the look and my desire to try and retry, I have a book to get out.

I'll post more progress photos as time goes on, and I WILL have the book done before the end of this month. I don't have any other choice.

Till next time, friends.

A switch has been flipped

Something happened to me today while I was listening to Wil Wheaton read his book "Just A Geek" over the car stereo. I was thinking about all the unfinished work I have sitting around and all the neglected ideas I have floating around in my head. Hearing Wil talk about his move from actor to writer and his feelings on what was most important, in an odd way, inspired me.

I think I've not only found my drive to finish projects I began a while back but a general renewed confidence in my abilities. This might be just the thing I need to not only finish the zine/comic I've been promising but to also tackle all the other comic and writing projects I've had on the back burner for close to a decade now.

I'm tired of working for the Man and letting my heart stay sunk in the lowest parts of me. It's time to suit up, kick this pig (sorry, oh, little porcine one), and light some fires. It's time to finish my comic, get it into the hands of those who've supported my efforts and not given up on me (a trillion thank yous to them/you), and time to work myself into a life supported by my talents.

Wish me luck.

For all of you who have been waiting for a bit of the comic, here's a completely finished page!

Break from Projects - Inspirations

Sifting through the back stock boxes at my local comic book shop yesterday I noticed that most of what I was finding was solid gold. These were the "Under $1" boxes, though. It is this problem that I wish to address.

Nowadays the comic industry is divided between the hero books of the Big 2 and the hipster indie books of one or two bigger than small press publishers. It's like a warped, two-partyish system for comics. Like the same system in politics it's not only not fair, it isn't an honest representation of what's available. If it wasn't for the few zinesters out there and the solo folk printing their own comics, those who follow the self-publishing efforts of Dave Sim, there would be nothing on the shelves or in the market to interest me.

Back to the boxes at my LCBS. I found tons of fascinating stuff from Fantagraphics' Anything Goes! to the single issue, Viz-published manga of Rumiko Takahashi. In my opinion comics like these are to be treasured. These comics, instead of receiving a place in at least the back stock boxes alongside the billionth issue of X-Men or Detective Comics, were placed in what some may call the "junker" boxes. That's incredibly frustrating.

I can't complain too much though because if not for that mindset folks like myself who appreciate these old treasures would have to pay full price or mark up for them. I'll continue to enjoy my pocket change books that give some of the most interesting comic stories with the most peculiar characters and hope that one day my kind can take over the industry and put things right.

Until then it's back to the drawing board/image editing.

Work Continues

Here's an update on the zine's status. Currently I'm working on a new story that just came to me in the last week. I understand that it's risky and perhaps irresponsible to have done so much work and then tossed some out for a new, unfinished story. That's how this ship sails, though.

I hope to have the new story complete by week's end. I can apparently nail down a page from panel measuring to inking in about three to four hours per page. I don't think it's unlikely that I'll have it finished by next week's printing deadline.

The zine's contents will include sixteen pages still. Five of those pages are dedicated to my interview with Mike and Laura Allred. The other eleven will contain the new story and a short autobio piece I felt I needed to include. Speaking of which, I've decided to show you some images of the bio piece as it was being worked. Here are the rough pencils.

Nearing Publication...a zine's a'coming!

I'm currently working to wrap up everything for the publication of my first zine project. I hope, if the gods of money allow, to have everything printed and prepped for distribution by the end of the month, possibly early June at this point.

I've also been making exciting leaps forward in my approach to my artwork and my style. I just hope that those who show an interest in my work feel that it's worth their time and money. I just want to entertain and excite through words and illustration. If I could do that from now till I die, I'd die an extremely happy man.

In the meantime here is some artwork I've been fooling around with on the side. I've also included some photos of my tools and process. The page your seeing in the photo is an example of pages I'm working with to produce the zine. Their dimensions are 5.5"x8.5" with 0.5" borders. The Fantastic Four drawing is intended to be a gift for a gal who was truly a life saver earlier this week. Enjoy!

New ATCs to Herald Springtime (kind of)

Here are some new ATCs that I've drawn and inked lately. I can't say I like how a scan of my pen and ink work looks but it will take some fooling around to figure some other way. For now, enjoy!