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.