Journal 09

Finally.

I’ve been so busy this week I thought I’d never get a new blog post up. It’s been so long I’m not sure where to begin. As you can see, this blog is peppered with shots of my new workspace. It’s been a little funky trying to get settled in here. The space itself is wonderful, but the room gets unbearably hot and stifling when the sun’s up. Luckily I’m fairly nocturnal, but it has made things interesting on days when I’ve tried to get to work earlier. There are a few more photos here if anyone wants to see more.

“Sharp Shooters” has been on the History Channel this week. While my own contribution was very small, it was gratifying and exciting to see my pictures on the TV screen. All of my illustrations had been coloured and animated by the production company and I had no idea what to expect. I have to say I was very impressed by the results. There’s been talk of doing a similar project for the same company, but I have no details yet.


New Projects
Yes, new projects, two of them at the moment. Amazingly enough, the Digital Webbing Talent Search page actually works sometimes (I have to admit I’d just about given up on it). This week I’ve started working MA based writer, Adnan Virk, on a funky little contemporary horror story. I won’t give away too much now, but Adnan’s a talented writer with a very solid script and concept. The project is titled “My Second Life” and I should have some more details on this in the future.

I’m also cooking up a bit of light hearted Lovecraftian horror with my old college friend, Ben Powell. I had an idea for a story, sent it off to Ben, and he, being the uber talented writer that he is, has taken it and run with it. Again, I can’t say too much yet, but both these projects are very exciting, and both creators are a blast to work with. More on both these projects when I have it.

Near as I can tell that’s all the news that’s fit to print at the moment. I’ll leave you with this little shot of yours truly sitting down to work.

Thanks,
Daniel

Journal 08

A New Space, A Short Post, and A Whole Lot of Work

Well, just a short post for the moment. The studio space is done, and it’s absolutely wonderful. I’d like to put some pictures of it up this week to show it off. Coincidentally, I have the opportunity to take on a number of new projects at the moment. I’ve been busy wrangling them all together and sorting out what my limitations are going to be. It looks like I’m about to be very very busy, but I’m smart enough not to bite off more than I can chew. It's almost baby time and I feel the need to be as active and productive as I possibly can.

Be sure to tune in to “Sharpshooters” on the History Channel this Friday, 8pm Eastern and Pacific. I can’t wait to see it myself.

That’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll get another post up before the end of the week.

Thanks,
Daniel

Journal 07

This Just In...

"Sharpshooters" on the History Channel July 21st

The "Sharpshooters" documentary that I contributed to will air next week on the History Channel. The show contains several animated sequences which were all drawn by me and then animated by the production company. I've just received this from Luke Ellis, producer for Workaholic:

"We finally have an airdate and it's airing Friday, July 21st at 8:00pm Eastern/Pacific and 7:00pm Central. (If you have Direct TV check your listings.) It was a blast to put together and I hope we can work together again soon."

Here's a bit more about the show, also from Luke:

"Wild Bill Hickok. John Wesley Hardin. Buffalo Bill. Doc Carver. Annie Oakley. Some of these skillful shots used their talents to survive in a hostile and lawless American West. Others honed their abilities on stage to make a living performing for audiences. But it turns out their legends might be the least accurate thing about these shooters. So famous are these historic gunslingers, it's hard to separate the truth from the myth...until now. We stack up some of today's greatest sharpshooters against the legendary feats of the past. Bill Oglesby, Jerry Miculek, and Tom Knapp attempt to recreate famous gun-slinging achievements. We also cast a skeptical eye at many stories culled from newspaper accounts and pulp fiction novels. Along the way, we'll meet some of history's greatest shots. In the process, we might just blow a hole in some of those treasured old legends. So keep your eye on the target, because you won't believe your eyes."

Journal 06

Tired & Sore

I almost titled this “Stiff & Sore”, but I thought that might be too easily taken out of context. First, happy belated 4th of July. The great experiment that is America continues on, and here’s hoping things only get better from here.

Work continues as my future father in law and I try to set my new studio space. It’s almost done but it hasn’t been easy. The real challenge is that the room available, dubbed the “Sun Room”, was designed like a green house which faces the sun during the afternoons and very long Montana evenings. The room varies between hot, bright, and stifling during the day to very cold at night. High winds have stymied our efforts to cover the room from the outside, and we have yet to find a realistic way to block out the sun from the inside. We’ve got a few more experiments to try and I’m sure we’ll get it sorted soon. It just means I haven’t had much chance to sit down at the drawing table since my last post. The upshot of this is that for the first time in ten years I will have a dedicated, spacious, and well arranged studio area. For me that’s like a luxury suite at the Hilton and I couldn’t be happier. My only frustration comes from the fact that I can’t wait to get into the space and start using it.

At the same time, Samantha and I have started setting up baby furniture for Violet’s imminent arrival. Samantha has done a bang up job organizing the bedroom while her father and I have been working on the sun room. It’s become quite cozy in here, with fuzzy little bits of purple and yellow sneaking into the corners of my vision, and the addition of the changing table and rocking chair. We’re starting the eighth month of pregnancy and we both have been growing more anxious and excited with each day.

Following up the Jim Lee extravaganza from last week, I got a nice little thank you email from Jim a few days ago. He described me as ”..a good, talented egg…” so while I doubt he’ll be throwing work my way anytime soon I think I’d better watch out if he gets snacky. ;)

Also, I’ve added a few more links to the sidebar here. Stephen Bissette’s Myrant, is always a good read, covering comics, film, politics, life, and everything in between. The second link is to Samantha’s sister’s site, Pocket Full Of Posiez, which is chock full of darkly humorous art, characters, and animations.

And that’s it for now.

Thanks,
Daniel

Journal 05

Well, this has been quite a week. Here (hopefully I've added the picture correctly) is my latest attempt at inking Jim Lee's pencils. This is the third time I've taken on this one and it's been a hell of a lot of fun. I've still got a long way to go to be able to do this well, but I know I'm getting closer with each try. The main thing I think I need is to gain the confidence to stroke instead of pecking and scratching as I'm prone to do now.

(BTW, Jamie, as you requested, I'm sending you this one as a gift for Kael. I'll try to get it in the mail along with that long overdue Cassius piece sometime this week.)

As I mentioned last week, on Friday there was a little charity event for the CBLDF at the local comic book store, Muse Comics & Games. Jim Lee was coming to town to do a signing and auction, and the store had arranged for private screening of "Superman Returns" with Jim and his crew for a small donation to the CBLDF.

I thought that Missoula, Montana was a little off the beaten path and that this wouldn't be that big a deal. I was very wrong. Jim Lee draws a crowd where ever he goes. The signing started at 5pm, and by the time Samantha and I got there at 6 the line was around the block. We didn't actually make it into the store before time ran out and Jim was whisked away to the movie theatre like a rock star. Luckily, Jim was gracious enough to come outside and walk down the line signing two books a piece for anyone that didn't make it inside. When he got to me, I handed him off my little book of samples that I had prepared and let him go on his way. Samantha noticed as he was packing up that while there were several other artists with portfolios there, I was the only one who had given him something to take away with him. This is a very small thing, I know, but I felt like it was a minor victory nonetheless. I'll be sending him a follow up packet in a month with some fresh work. I doubt anything will come of this, but we'll see.

The movie was a lot of fun as well. It's a good, solid piece of entertainment that picks up nicely after the good (ie, not Superman 3 & 4) Superman movies of my childhood. The show was sold out and Jim gave a nice little speach about why we need the CBLDF before it started. The day was definitely a money maker for the CBLDF and I'm glad Samantha and I could add our contributions.

Oh, and this piece here won me a $50 gift certificate in the store's inking contest. Does this mean I can get away with calling myself an award winning inker now? Perhaps not. ;)

Also, a big thanks to the ever generous Stephen R. Bissette, who's taken a little time to promote my blog. Shame on you if you don't know who he is. Hop on over there and educate yourself.

I think that's all the news for now. I'm moving my studio area this week to make room for the baby (the due date draws ever closer). I'm not sure how much time I'll have to work but I'll try to get some new pencils up by next week.

Thanks,
Daniel