Archive for ‘News and Updates!’
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This is what happens to Dragons--
After being hit in the face by a Yeti wielding a tree, and humiliated by an Incredi-Yeti. You just grab a beer and some nachos and watch reality TV. This Dragon sketch was in my sketchbook and I wound up working it into a full color image. The inks were all done by hand and not by my wacom but I did paint the colors in digitally with the tablet. This would seem like a good time to put up a step by step coloring process from my photoshop files but alas not tonight.
I’m currently in Virginia hunting for used cars. A fairly large and time consuming undertaking that I do not take lightly. The process is fraught with anxiety and research and, of course, acting. I must pretend that I know a lot more about cars than I really do to fool potential sellers. Be they individuals or dealerships, most folk are out to screw you over either by small or large amounts. These days your greatest weapons are found on the internet, with Kelly Blue Book and Carfax, and to a lesser extent, online reviews. Armed with these tools and a faux confidence ( and my Dickies jacket which lends an air of car mechanic) I wade deep into the uncertain world of hidden car repairs and bad brakes.
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Hey look, a free robot sketch! I’ve been experimenting lately with drawing robots and different types of characters. I’ve also been working on some re-designs of some of my characters. Soon the current time travel storyline will be finished and we can return to regular Bullfinch. When the time comes I need to be prepared, but it also gives me a chance to revamp some characters and storylines free of charge.
Much like me this robot prefers Monster to Red Bull. Cause he’s smart, I guess. Once again thanks for all the kind words everyone! I believe my artwork and the comic in general is growing and evolving.
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This image, my friends, is the new Wacom Intuos Tablet which is my new artistic ally. Going digital is something I’ve thought about for a long time but I always put it off in favor of blue pencil and micron pens. Over the last year and a half since I started Bullfinch I had hit a nice stride with sketching in traditional non-repro blue pencil ( an anachronistic tool which was used by comic artists before the digital age because the blue wouldn’t show up under the inks during the print process) and inking with pens and the occasional brush. They were portable and comfortable, but tablets and pressure sensitive gadgetry always flitted in my peripheral vision.
Webcomics Weekend, an event for comic artists to fraternize together in person held in Massachusetts, brought me into close physical contact with one Dawn Griffin . . . . ’s (hee hee) laptop tablet. Dawn does the amazing comic Zorphbert and Fred. Check out Dawn’s comic here! To try one out in person was quite intoxicating. When no one was looking I would research these things on amazon for prices and product reviews. This went on for months until this Christmas when I saw the sale I had been looking for online. Due to my procrastination, I missed it. So two weeks ago I bought the same item at a slightly less spectacular sale price. ( I suck.)
As with my people my initial interactions with the tablet, my computer screen, and the stylus were disorienting. It took a couple of hours to adjust to not looking directly at the area where I was drawing. With a little practice I’ve managed to squeak out some reasonable sketches. Here is example A:
This is the digital sketch I did in blue to simulate my usual hand drawn stuff. It seemed to help my brain realize what I was doing. Example B is the “inks” over the pencil marks: 
To be compared with a similiar drawing of a barbarian which was done in my sketchbook by hand:
Having all of this already in a digital file made it a cinch to color: 
The last two updates of my comic have been done completely digitally. It’s been a learning process but it’s going really well and I’m excited to try my hand at some more complicated comic rendering like full perspective backgrounds and larger page sizes. I also believe I can up the ante on my coloring skills as well with the stylus instead of the mouse. I will keep you informed!
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